"Pitch Perfect 2" Review

I'm proud to say that I've been with the Bellas since the beginning. I remember going to see Pitch Perfect way back in 2012 on opening weekend and being pleasantly surprised. At first, the film didn't perform too well at the box office, until word-of-mouth kicked in and Pitch Perfect became a huge sleeper hit. Elizabeth Banks, who produced and had a supporting role in the first film, directs this sequel in which the Bellas compete at the A Capella world championship in attempt to bounce back from a disastrous performance for the President.

Pitch Perfect 2 succeeds because it carries the same spirit of the original, without seeming to copy it. The big thing is that the film takes the world of A Capella super seriously. A lot of the humor is derived from being part of this bubble where A Capella is the most serious thing ever, and if there's too much winking within the bubble, the whole thing falls through. Thankfully, the film takes A Capella just as seriously as it did in the original. Another part of the magic comes from the hysterical improv on set, coming mostly from Rebel Wilson and Adam Devine. The final aspect of the winning combination is the great singing.

Pitch Perfect 2 does what is expected of it for a franchise sequel. The stakes are higher and the situations are more extreme. There's a larger budget and even some more celebrity cameos. However, this film strays from the norm in that Pitch Perfect 2 is much more of a feminist movie than the original. It's not preachy, but it's definitely a 'girl power' movie. Personally, I think that's cool. Hollywood is super sexist both in front of and behind the camera, and it's not often where you have a large ensemble filled with women and a female director.

Of course, students can't be students forever, and with this installment of the franchise, all of the characters from the original are graduating. If there's going to be a Pitch Perfect 3 though, new characters need to be introduced. That's why this film spends a significant portion of the film developing Emily (Hailee Steinfeld) as a character. Steinfeld blew onto the scene after scoring an Oscar nod for 2010's True Grit, but after seeing her in a few more movies, it becomes apparent that her performance is somewhat dependent on the quality of her co-stars. I think that she's a great actress, but I'm not quite sure she'd be able to carry the film in the next installment. Who knows though. The Pitch Perfect franchise has had plenty of surprises.

While Pitch Perfect 2 keeps a lot of the qualities that made the original good, it also retains a lot of the faults. Jokes don't always land where they need to, and there's some sense that a lot of scenes were left on the cutting room floor for the sake of pacing. However, I would argue that this film is at the same quality of the original, it's just less of a shock. Your opinion of the first movie will be your opinion of this one. 7/10.

"Mad Max: Fury Road" Review

Reboots of properties from the 80s are a dime a dozen, but very rarely do we get reboots from the 80s with the same original director. Steven Spielberg and Ridley Scott have been toying with some of their previous properties, but they are producing and directing so constantly that it's not all that surprising. The original Mad Max film was released in 1979. Starring Mel Gibson and directed by George Miller, the film was a huge hit in Australia. However, it wasn't until 2 years later with the release of Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior that the franchise became a hit in the United States and made Mel Gibson a star. Miller directs Mad Max: Fury Road, and while Gibson has been replaced by Tom Hardy in the titular role, Fury Road stands on its own, so watching the originals is a reward rather than a prerequisite.

Early on in the film, Max says that he has "been reduced to a single instinct: Survive." That's the gist of the story. Sure, there are motivations for the characters to do the things they do, but for the most part, the film is 2 hours of watching the protagonists try to not die during epic fights and car chases. While this lack of a story might throw some people off, it works very well thematically, and allows the movie to focus on creating some incredible action sequences.

As far as action scenes go, Fury Road really raises the bar. The editing for this movie is absolutely astounding. The frame rate is manipulated very frequently to give the film a distinct style and make the action clear, despite the often fast cutting. A majority of the film takes place through various car chases, but the constant movement doesn't get disorienting, and it doesn't get boring. This is likely due to the brilliant cinematography, which makes the desert seem strangely beautiful, and captures the action marvelously without making you feel like you're watching a movie. The movie also utilizes a lot of practical effects, which help avoid the tragic fate of looking like an animated film. Fury Road is super crazy, but you never feel alienated by the craziness. The insanity of it all just goes to serve the tone of the film.

The performances here are astoundingly good, far better than what you come to expect from an action film. While the film lacks a detailed plotline, the characters are all extremely well developed. Tom Hardy is so mesmerizing in the movie that you forget that he's largely silent throughout. Charlize Theron commands the screen as Imperator Furiosa, and Nicholas Hoult is surprisingly affecting as Nux. I'd also be remiss not mention that Hugh Keays-Byrne, who played Toecutter in the original Mad Max, absolutely dominates on screen as Immortan Joe, the antagonist of the film.

Mad Max: Fury Road is one of those movies that I feel would get even better upon a second viewing. The first time you watch it, you're engrossed in the huge spectacle of it all, and then when you watch it a second time, you know exactly what to expect. There's a great energy behind this film that makes it incredibly fun to watch. If you're at all interested in this movie, see it in theatres. It is worth your money to have that sort of an experience. 9/10.

"Avengers: Age of Ultron" Review

As we near the end of ‘Phase Two’ of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, I would like to make one thing clear. I am not a ‘Marvel hater’. I guess become I’m not a ‘Marvel fanboy’ and there’s no middle ground, I’m thrown to the opposite end of the spectrum. However, at the end of the day, I try to give each Marvel film a fair shot, and I’ve liked quite a few of them. I have a lot of respect for what the studio has done, from a business perspective. That’s my main problem with Marvel though. It’s a business. The movies are made with a strict formula, so as to not risk any box office bombs. Very few of the films end up being bad, but they all end up feeling like the same movie.

 The story of Avengers: Age of Ultron, familiar as it is, takes us through the trials and tribulations of the Avengers as they fight various enemies. After Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) attempts to create peacekeeping artificial intelligence, thing go wrong and Ultron (James Spader) tries to destroy all humans, because in his opinion that’s the best way to keep peace.

On the whole, I liked Age of Ultron more than the original. As an audience member, I felt like I had much more control of this film. What I mean by that is that with this movie, the sequence of events seemed to have more purpose. I felt that the plot was more focused and better paced, and the action scenes seemed to have more purpose to the story than just bragging that the Avengers have teamed up (though the CGI-aided oners really started to bother me). It’s obvious that the one-liners aren’t having the same effect that they used to, but I got exactly what I expected from the dialogue.

Juggling six main characters (and constantly adding more) isn’t an easy thing to do, but I think this film does a very successful job of giving each of the stars ample time to shine. Not only were they given opportunities to be awesome, but they were allowed to significantly develop their characters. I also really liked Ultron as a villain. His main purpose was to be a plot motivator, and he did just that. He was intimidating enough for the Avengers to have to invest everything they have to fight him, but grounded enough to not steal the show.

Written and directed by Joss Whedon, Avengers: Age of Ultron will likely be his last foray in the Marvel Universe, and it’s a great film to go out on. It truly feels like a goodbye to Whedon as well as all of the characters in the Avengers. This is the culmination of all of the Marvel movies released so far, and it generally feels like a nice reward to anyone who’s been following along. The film is such a great farewell that the knowledge of Marvel movies being planned well into 2019 leaves a bad taste in my mouth. Age of Ultron is probably my favorite of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but it also makes me not want to watch another Marvel movie ever again. 7/10.