Pitch Perfect (2012)

Directed by Jason Moore
Written by Kay Cannon based on the book by Mickey Rapkin
Starring Anna Kendrick, Brittany Snow, Rebel Wilson and Skylar Astin

Beca, a reclusive freshman at Barden University with dreams of becoming a music producer, is cajoled into joining The Bellas, her school’s all-girls singing group. The Bellas take on their male rivals in a campus competition.

I have to admit, from the time this movie came out up until this very week, I avoided this movie like the plague. For me, the whole competitive A Cappella, “Glee” inspired fad is so tired. Everyone and their mothers and their mother’s mothers have attempted an A Cappella based show or movie. So naturally, I was skeptical to watch it. But I did. And it wasn’t as bad as I imagined. However, that’s the highest compliment I can give it.

I am nowhere near the key demographic for this movie, so please take everything I say about it with a grain of salt. It wasn’t good. It wasn’t terrible. It was…OK. Many of the jokes were poorly executed or felt incredibly forced.

However, I will say that the jokes that did land for me, landed very well and had me laughing harder than I ever thought I would watching this movie. In particular, everything Lilly Okanakamura said was on point.

All in all, I’m glad I watched it. I may not have loved it quite as much as some people I know, but it was an enjoyable movie and now I have some idea of what to expect from the sequel. It had great songs and fun characters who all had unique personalities, which is definitely not something I expected. It just goes to show you that sometimes a movie can take you by surprise.

My Rating: 6.5/10

Jersey Boys (2014)

Directed by Clint Eastwood
Written by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice
Starring John Lloyd Young, Vincent Piazza, Michael Lomenda and Erich Bergen

Based on the hit Broadway musical, the story of four young men from the wrong side of the tracks in New Jersey who came together to form the iconic 1960s music group, The Four Seasons.

Filled with the great music that made The Four Seasons a musical group that would have a Broadway musical and subsequent movie made about them, the performances are great. They give the entire movie the feel of the 50s and 60s creating a a sort of time capsule, as if it were just opened up after 50 years.

But musical performances aside, the film felt uninspired. I wonder if Clint Eastwood was too distracted by his upcoming "American Sniper" project to give this one his entire focus. And it is apparent that it's missing the dedication that even some of the worst films have. Like the musical, it feels like a jukebox movie. 

And I don't mean that in the sense that they use classic songs. I mean that it comes off as someone had just put a quarter in a jukebox and walked away. The material is there, and it's good enough to play in the background. But no one is dancing to it. It's just there while you're sitting at the diner bar and eating your pancakes.

"Pancakes? What the hell is he talking about"

The fact that "American Sniper" came out close to six months after this movie, I'm convinced that Clint Eastwood wasn't totally invested in this movie. And it shows.

5/10