The Heights
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Monday, October 15, 2012
Rebel Wilson and Anna Kendrick make ‘Pitch Perfect’ just that By Kate Walsh & Luiza Justus For The Heights
Quirky and cute, Pitch Perfect is a lighthearted musical comedy with a lovable cast. Although Rebel Wilson—Kristen Wiig’s odd roommate from Bridesmaids—is one of the main characters, the humor does not possess the comedic Pitch Perfect: genius of Bridesmaids. Jason Moore That being Brownstone said, it is still Productions a refreshing comedy with a wonderful message: It’s okay to be you. The movie’s main character, Beca (Anna Kendrick), begins college at the school where her father works. As the brooding outcast, Beca has aspirations to be a DJ, but is forced by her father to at least college a try. The alternative outsider is a role that at times seems to overwhelm Kendrick, as her biting attitude can be off-putting with a script that doesn’t highlight her wit or humor as her previous supporting roles have. Nonetheless, Kendrick wins the audience over with her singing voice, which is surprisingly good, and her desire to
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become a DJ in Los Angeles weighs her down less and less as the movie progresses. Beca ends up joining an a cappella group called the Bellas while walking through her school’s activities fair, not dissimilar from the one held on Linden Lane each September at Boston College. Beca, a loner with a passion for music, is just the ingredient the group needs. The Bellas are still recovering from a mortifying end to their previous season in which their soloist projectile vomited during the entire audience. A theme of vomit-related humor continues throughout the movie—producing many a cringe-worthy moment—but is thankfully abandoned in the face of more quick and dry humor, much of which is provided by a familiar face to audience members. Beca brings Rebel Wilson’s character, who asks to go by “Fat Amy,” along for the ride as a new member of the Bellas. Although many will be sad to learn that the Mexican Drinking Worm she so proudly sported in last year’s Bridesmaids makes no appearance in the film, her humor is on point as she provides the most laughs by far out of anyone in the film. She steals every scene she is in and gives the audience someone to cheer on when other characters seem to dry out.
With Beca’s help, the Bellas transform into a hip, entertaining group that can compete with the boys’ a cappella group at their school. Instead of singing predictable songs from a much older generation while sporting uniforms similar to flight attendants on American Airlines, the group performs new renditions of modern, relevant songs. The perfectionist Aubrey, played by Anna Camp, is at first uncomfortable with the changes Beca brings, but soon fully embraces the group’s rebirth. The Bellas become a force to be reckoned with—the film benefits from strength in numbers, and it is clear that both the film and the group suffer when Kendrick is absent from the performances. The movie’s overwhelming positive response, while partially because of the comedic chops of the film’s standouts, also comes from the fantastic music in the movie. Even those strictly opposed to enjoying a cappella music (though few and far between) will enjoy the film’s take on many popular hits, including “Give Me Everything” and “Party in the U.S.A.” Complaints about the music in the film only arise from the overwhelming feeling afterwards that the movie did not have nearly enough music. There is no questioning the
Courtesy of Brownstone productions
With a cast boasting big Broadway names, ‘Pitch Perfect’ promises fun and always delivers. cast’s musical capabilities, with Broadway veterans Skyler Astin and Camp in strong supporting roles. Astin, who loyal audiences will recognize from Broadway’s Spring Awakening and the film Hamlet 2, steps in as Beca’s love interest. Their romance, though aesthetically pleasing, is pretty uncomfortable to watch and makes you long for the onscreen musical chemistry of Danny and Sandra Dee
or Troy and Gabriella. What is ultimately compelling about films like Pitch Perfect is the celebration of the nerds. Nerds make the world go ’round, and too often Hollywood puts them down or stereotypes them into helpless and submissive roles. It is nice, for once, to see the nerds triumph as confident, powerful, and capable of love. n
Affleck’s ‘Argo’ keeps audiences guessing
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Box office report title
Courtesy of GK films
Ben Affleck and Bryan Cranston join forces to save a stranded group of Americans stuck in Iran during the Iranian Hostage Crisis of 1979.
By Nathan Rossi For The Heights
Directing his third feature film and first set outside of Boston, Ben Affleck (Gone Baby Gone, The Town) has proven once again that he is a talent behind the camera, as well as in front of it. Argo is an impressive and gripping tale of the rescue of six Americans from Iran Argo: during the Iranian HosBen Affleck tage Crisis. GK Films Based on true events, the movie tells the story of CIA Specialist Tony Mendez (Affleck), whose mission is to bring home six Americans who are in hiding at the Canadian ambassador’s home. The trouble is that these six escaped from the American Embassy when it was taken hostage by Iranian militants and are currently being hunted. Trying to leave out of the airport would be pointless because all Americans caught in Tehran are being executed. Set in 1979, a popular time for sciencefiction movies, the plan hatched by Mendez is to smuggle the Americans out of the country by posing as a Canadian film crew. The “production team” is currently looking for locations to shoot their new sci-fi adventure, Argo. To make the story as plausible as possible, Mendez even heads to LA to get help from Hollywood make-up artist John Chambers (John Goodman) and producer Lester Siegel (the hilarious Alan Arkin). After getting the Hollywood men involved in the story, Mendez travels to Tehran to
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meet the escapees. Led by Mendez, the six men and women must quickly learn their new personas before trying to board a plane leaving from the Tehran International Airport. With their Canadian passports, they will be free to escape the country, as the Iranians are only targeting Americans. Meanwhile, Mendez’s somewhat preposterous plan is causing quite a controversy at the White House. Although initially accepted by the CIA, President Jimmy Carter must also approve the plan. Climbing the ladder to reach him is the hard part, as Chief of Staff Hamilton Jordan (Kyle Chandler) is initially unsupportive of the rescue mission. The tension created in the last act of the film is both impressive and memorable. Affleck literally has the entire audience on the edge of their seats, wondering if the American workers are going to make it out of Tehran. When the crew is pulled over for questioning, the audience, too, is given the feeling they are about to be interrogated. One of the most interesting decisions made was to not give any subtitles to the Iranian militants. This is key to creating an anxiety-filled atmosphere that is undeniably realistic. Like the hostages in the film, the audience is forced to only guess what the militia is chanting and what questions are being asked of the escapees. The only person who gets subtitles, therefore, is the hostage who is able to speak Arabic. The production design is also worth mentioning. The brilliant costumes and sets look like they came straight out of either the late ’70s or early ’80s. The large-rimmed
glasses, mustaches, and shaggy haircuts sported by much of the cast are very convincing of the time period. They also add a fun element to the movie that helps lighten the tone in certain scenes. Of course, the acting is exemplary as well. As a director, Affleck has already proven that he can get the best from his cast. While there isn’t necessarily a standout performance, the large ensemble as a whole genuinely works and helps to maintain the realness of the story. The chemistry between Affleck, Goodman, and Arkin during the Hollywood scenes does deserve mentioning because it helps to bring a lighter tone to the film. When together, the men coin the terribly funny catchphrase, “Argo F—k Yourself,” which sticks throughout the movie. After debuting at both the Telluride International Film Festival and Toronto Film Festival in September, Argo and director Ben Affleck have been garnering a lot of positive Oscar buzz. Expected to be a big player and probable Best Picture contender at the Academy Awards, the film is worthy of the praise it is receiving. While it is far too early to say Argo is the best film of the year, the movie has what it takes to continue to impress audiences. Most importantly, this is a movie that will undoubtedly be a crowd-pleaser. The film is gripping and intense. It’s entertaining in a way that other Oscar players, such as Paul Thomas Anderson’s The Master, can’t be. A wide audience can appreciate this film and will hopefully embrace it—Argo certainly deserves it. n
weekend gross
weeks in release
1. Taken 2
22.2
2
2. Argo
20.1
1
3. sinister
18.3
1
4. hotel transylvania
17.3
3
5. here comes the boom
12.0
1
6. pitch perfect
9.3
3
7. Frankenweenie
7.0
2
8. Looper
6.3
3
9. Seven psychopaths
4.3
1
10. atlas shrugged: part two
1.7
1
5
7 photos courtesy of allmoviephoto.com
bestsellers of hardcover fiction 1. Casual vacancy J.K. Rowling 2. mad river John Sandford 3. winter of the world Ken Follett 4. gone girl Gillian Flynn 5. time keeper Mitch Albom
6. wanted man Lee Child 7. live by night Dennis Lehane 8. Dark Storm Christine Feehan 9. phantom Jo Nesbo 10. low pressure Sandra Brown
SOURCE: Publisher’s Weekly
‘Seven Psychopaths’ packs Hollywood elite into quippy flick By Curt Ege
For The Heights Martin McDonagh’s new film Seven Psychopaths is a violent and twistedly hilarious vision of Hollywood. The entire movie serves as an ultra metacommentary on violence in movies and the creative process. Colin Farrell stars as Marty, a Hollywood screenwriter working on a new screenSeven Psychopaths: play titled Martin McDonagh Seven PsyBlueprint Pictures chopaths. Making no progress on the script, he receives unsolicited advice and inspiration from his friends Billy (Sam Rockwell) and Hans (Christopher Walken), who go around town, kidnapping dogs and then collecting the reward money. Billy and Hans, however, mistakenly kidnap the shih tzu of a psychopathic crime lord, Charlie (Woody Harrelson). As Charlie desperately tries to reclaim his beloved dog, Marty and his friends must go on the run to stay alive. Seven Psychopaths is McDonagh’s second feature film after his critically adored 2008 hit, In Bruges. McDonagh’s roots as a renowned Irish playwright
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shine in all his work through his affinity for snappy, entertaining dialogue rather than visual storytelling. The dialogue truly stands out in this film, as the entire cast delivers impressive performances. Farrell performs admirably as the Irish Hollywood screenwriter struggling with writer’s block. Christopher Walken nails the role of Hans. He detours from playing the character as a self-parody and instead delivers an honest and unexpectedly moving portrait of a friend who has suffered enough from violence in his lifetime. The true star of the film, however, is Sam Rockwell as Billy. A struggling actor who’s a bit psychopathic himself, Billy is eager to please his friends to the point that he takes out an advertisement in the newspaper calling for any and all psychopaths to visit Marty and give him inspiration for the screenplay. As an actor, Rockwell has always excelled at playing characters who constantly switch from hilarious to terrifying, and he strikes a perfect balance of those traits as Billy. Whenever Billy makes a mistake, Rockwell conveys perfectly how his motives were not selfish, but he was merely trying to help his friends. In perhaps the best scene of the film, Billy stands in front of Marty and Hans in the middle of
the desert at night and describes to them how he thinks Marty’s Seven Psychopaths should end. The passion and excitement with which he delivers those lines are worth the price of admission alone. The rest of the cast members nail their roles: from Woody Harrelson as the manic gangster to Tom Waits as a rabbittoting psychopath. Every actor commits to McDonagh’s compelling vision, and what an odd vision it is. The characters complain about movies being too violent, but there is so much over-the-top bloodshed throughout the movie. Hans complains that Marty’s script possesses no strong female characters, but in this film, the only two female characters have one scene of screen time apiece and very little dialogue. Billy says that Marty’s script has to end with a shootout, and that’s how this film ends. In a very self-aware way, McDonagh made Marty’s writing project into this very feature. Such a metafilm would often run the risk of alienating the viewer and distancing itself from the characters, but with this movie, McDonagh tactfully merges the metacommentary with his dark sense of humor and ultimately creates a compelling feature. After a single viewing, the only downside of this film is the runtime. At
almost two hours, the film tends to sag during some of Marty’s explanations of his screenplay. In these scenes, Marty narrates individual psychopath characters in his script. The characters in these scenes serve no purpose to the main plot but to merely enhance McDonagh’s meta message. These scenes disrupt the flow of the film and take the viewer away
from the immersive experience that is the central action. By removing these scenes, the film’s pace would have been brisker and the film would have better maintained its impressive highpoints. This is but a small complaint, however, about a film with so many layers that it will almost certainly require multiple viewings. n
Courtesy of blueprint pictures
Director Martin McDonagh follows up his brilliant ‘In Bruges’ with this high-paced meta thriller.