Saved! [movie review]

Saved! isn’t exactly a movie I’d go out of my way to watch, but it was on TV one night so I went for it because I didn’t have anything better to do. I remember seeing commercials for it when it first came out in 2004 and it looked like it had potential to garner a few laughs. The movie turned out to be very different from what I was expecting, but not in a bad way.

Saved! begins with a girl named Mary (Jena Malone) who attends a Christian high school and has suspicions that her boyfriend, Dean (Chad Faust), is gay. She tries to rectify the situation by having sex with Dean, but this obviously doesn’t change anything. Dean’s parents eventually find out that he’s gay, which results in him getting shipped off somewhere to have this ”problem” of his fixed. Well, when he leaves… he leaves Mary pregnant. Slowly but surely, Mary is ostracized by her girlfriends — headed by Hilary Faye (Mandy Moore) — because of this. Mary turns to Hilary’s handicapped brother, Roland (Macaulay Culkin), and the rebellious Cassandra (Eva Amurri Martino) as her new companions. They might not seem like your typical trio at first, but they make it work. The rest of the movie follows Mary’s pregnancy while attending a (very) Christian high school and the new friendships she formed with Roland and Cassandra.

I actually ended up enjoying Saved! more than I thought I would. Mandy Moore playing an evil character was pretty funny, especially since the first two things that come to mind when I think of her are “Candy” and A Walk to Remember. This was the first movie I’ve seen her act in and I was surprised that she actually pulled it off. I also really enjoyed Eva Amurri Martino’s character, Cassandra, who was the only Jewish girl attending a Christian high school. She didn’t fit in, she knew she didn’t fit in, and she fully embraced it… in an often offensive, yet hilarious, manner. Also, I think this was the first movie I’ve seen Macaulay Culkin in since Home Alone 2… no complaints there. Random cast, but it worked.

I give Saved! 3/5 stars. While I probably wouldn’t watch it again, I don’t regret watching it. I definitely got a few good laughs out of it.

I’ll leave you with my favorite line from the movie: “No one fits in 100% of the time.” So true and important to remember.

Pitch Perfect [movie review]

One of my friends was always talking about Pitch Perfect, but — at the time — I wasn’t even sure what it was about. I started seeing commercials for it on TV and I definitely became interested. Then, I saw a sneak peek of the “Right Round” performance (on GMA, I think), which solidified my decision (yes) to go see the movie.

Pitch Perfect is about an aspiring DJ, Beca (Anna Kendrick), who is forced — by her father, Dr. Mitchell (John Benjamin Hickey) — to go to college instead of fulfilling a music career in California. Beca doesn’t try too hard to make friends at first, but Chloe (Britanny Snow) changes this when she gets a little too close for comfort in the bathroom encourages Beca to  tryout for their school’s all-girl a cappella group, The Barden Bellas. In addition to The Bellas, there are three other a cappella groups on campus, but the true rival is the all-boy group, The Trebelmakers. Treblemakers-newcomer, Jesse (Skylar Astin), takes an interest in Beca, but the feeling doesn’t seem to be mutual (which might be a good thing since it’s forbidden for Treblemakers and Bellas to date). I mean, they are rivals and there’s only one spot for first place.

To put it simply, Pitch Perfect was perfect (pun intended). Not only was it absolutely hysterical, but the music was fun and catchy as well. Acting-wise, I loved everyone. First of all, I love Brittany Snow (remember American Dreams?). This movie is an automatic win since she had a prominent role in it. She did a really great job (and I’m not just saying that because I’m obsessed with her… OK, maybe a little). Anna Kendrick was never really on my radar, but I’m a definite fan after seeing her in this movie. Skylar Astin did an awesome job as well. His name has been floating around swarming the Internet lately and you can just tell he’s going to be the next big thing. Don’t even get me started on Rebel Wilson as Fat Amy (quite possibly one of my favorite characters in any movie ever created). She had me crying from laughter. She could be walking and I’d be cracking up… she’s that funny. Anna Camp played a great a-ca-bitch, Aubrey. She was never really on my radar either, but I’m interested to see other movies she’s been (and will be) in. I could go on and on, but before I stop, I have to say I really enjoyed Hana Mae Lee‘s character, Lilly. She was another one who had me laughing every time she was on screen. OK fine, one more (short) shout out: Elizabeth Banks. Although she had a small role as one of the performance announcers, Gail, she had some great one-liners. All in all, everyone involved was fantastic.

The acting was enough for me to love this movie, but the song choices and talent (singing-wise) blew me away. I have the soundtrack and I’ve been playing it on repeat. Don’t believe me? Just walk by my office; I’ll mostly likely be playing it on loop. Songs include: Rihanna’s “Don’t Stop the Music,” Flo Rida’s “Right Round,” Kelly Clarkson’s “Since U Been Gone,” Miley Cirus’ “Party in the U.S.A.,” and much more, including some awesome mash-ups.

I give Pitch Perfect 5/5 stars. I can’t wait to buy it on DVD and watch it again (and again).

The Hangover Part II [movie review]

The Hangover instantly became one of my favorite movies when I first watched it, so I was super excited when the sequel came out. I had faith that it could be just as funny as the first installment, but… not so much.

The Hangover Part II is about the same group of guys — Phil (Bradley Cooper), Stu (Ed Helms), and Alan (Zach Galifianakis) — but instead of misplacing their buddy, Doug (Justin Bartha), they lose Stu’s soon-to-be brother-in-law, Teddy (Mason Lee). This time around, the boys are in Thailand for Stu’s wedding and the groom-to-be wants to lay low to ensure nothing goes wrong in the days leading up to his special day. Well, there wouldn’t be a sequel if they laid low and didn’t lose someone, right? Enter: Teddy. The Hangover Part II is full all kinds of new debauchery, including face tattoos, a mischievous monkey, the return of Mr. Chow (Ken Jeong), a cameo by Mike Tyson, and much more.

I just wasn’t a huge fan of this sequel. I thought it had major potential, but it just didn’t live up to my expectations (maybe because they were so high). Since the first movie was so epic, I thought this one would be too. Don’t get me wrong, it had its funny moments and there was nothing  particularly wrong with any of the acting… it just didn’t do it for me.

I was happy to see Jamie Chung play Stu’s fiance, Lauren… I love her.

Overall, I think I’m gonna have to give The Hangover Part II 2.5/5 stars. To be honest, I could’ve easily done without it.

The Cabin in the Woods [movie review]

Whenever I saw previews for The Cabin in the Woods, I would shudder in a tiny bit of fear AKA I needed to go see this movie ASAP. It looked like a fairly typical horror film (which I love), but boy was I wrong. This movie was far from typical.

Five friends — Dana (Kristen Connolly), Curt (Chris Hemsworth), Jules (Anna Hutchison), Marty (Fran Kranz), and Holden (Jesse Williams) — take a trip to a cabin… in the woods (surprised, right?). It doesn’t take too long for the fivesome’s mini vacation to be rudely, and might I add violently, interrupted. By who (and/or what)? Why? You most definitely need to find out for yourself. You won’t be disappointed, I promise.

I loved The Cabin in the Woods. It was so different from anything I’ve ever seen. I thought it was the perfect mix of horror and comedy. Yup, that’s right… it was funny (and not in a this-acting-is-so-bad kind of way). The movie subtly pokes fun at the corniness you find in some most horror films (not to the point of a spoof like Scary Movie though) and I thought it was hilarious. There would be intermittent jabs at the right moments when you’d normally be thinking to yourself: “Oh, how typical…” Nothing normal or typical about this movie though (and I mean that in the best way possible). While I’m emphasizing the movie’s humor, I don’t want to desensitize its horrifying moments (because believe me, there were quite a handful). I was very much on the edge of my seat at times, wanting to watch the movie through my fingers (I didn’t though).

I don’t want to say too much about the storyline, but I was completely thrown for a loop (from the very beginning to the absolute end). The trailers certainly don’t give any hints as to what’s really behind this movie, which I absolutely love. I mean, the movie was directed by Drew Goddard, the writer for Cloverfield (another great movie), so I shouldn’t have expected anything less. Keep ‘em coming, Goddard (apparently I’m a fan).

Acting-wise, I think everyone did great a job. Everyone played their stereotypical  horror film roles to a T, whether it was the jock, the dumb blond, the virgin, the pothead, etc. The actors did well when it came time to fear for their lives, but they also did well when they needed to poke fun at their own characters in funny, not corny way. I think my favorite character was Marty, who played the stoner. He certainly provided plenty (sometimes much-needed) comic relief with his drugged up, philosophical rants.

Overall, I give The Cabin in the Woods… I’m gonna do it… 5/5 stars. This movie kept me engaged the entire time (whether it was through fear and/or laughing) and I couldn’t stop raving about it after I left the theater. This will definitely be a movie I’ll be adding to my DVD collection.

Smiley Face [movie review]

My friend, John, knows that I love me some Anna Faris, so he recommended that I watch Smiley Face. I was surprised that there was a movie starring Anna Faris that I wasn’t aware of, especially since it’s somewhat recent (2007). I finally got to watching the movie the other night and I think I know why I hadn’t heard much about it.

The movie begins with Jane (Anna Faris) at the top of a ferris wheel, but she can’t remember how she got there. The movie is basically a giant trackback, which begins with Jane accidentally eating her roommate’s “special” cupcakes, after she had already smoked some marijuana. Let’s just say she wasn’t in the best state of mind after all of this. Jane gets herself into a lot more trouble in an attempt to rectify the situation.

After being so excited to watch Smiley Face, I was disappointed after watching it. I laughed a few times, but it definitely wasn’t as funny as I was expecting it to be. It wasn’t one of the worst movies I’ve ever seen, but I don’t think I’ll be watching this one again. Side note: it was funny to see Glee stars, Jane Lynch and Jayma Mays, make an appearance. Overall, I give Smiley Face 2/5 stars.

On another note, I’m super excited to see Anna Faris in Scary Movie 5 (these movies are seriously some of my biggest guilty pleasures). I was just reading the movie’s page on IMDb and, supposedly, filming is supposed to start this month, with a tentative release date in October. Although Smiley Face didn’t quite do it for me, I will always be excited for anything that Anna Faris stars in.

Horrible Bosses [movie review]

I had heard really good/funny things about Horrible Bosses, so I rented it last night from Redbox… definitely a wise choice.

Horrible Bosses is about three guys — Nick Hendricks (Jason Bateman), Dale Arbus (Charlie Day) and Kurt Buckman (Jason Sudeikis) — who absolutely hate their bosses. After having a few drinks one night, the three friends devise a hypothetical plan to kill their bosses, but they shrug it off and claim they were just joking around. Suddenly, these guys start to think this plan might not be such a bad idea when they’re really pushed to the limit by their drug-addicted, sexually abusive, self-absorbed bosses.

I thought Horrible Bosses was a great movie… I definitely had my fair share of laugh-out-loud moments. I’ve been a fan of Charlie Day (from It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia) and Jason Bateman (from Paul) and I thought they were hilarious. I also thought the bosses did an awesome job at being horrible. Dale’s boss, Dr. Julia Harris (Jennifer Aniston), killed me. I’ve never seen her play such a crude roll, but I loved it. Nick’s boss, Dave Harken (Kevin Spacey), and Kurt’s boss, Bobby Pellitt (Colin Farrell), also did great in their roles — I actually hated them at times and I’d feel bad for anyone who’d have to deal with situations like those in real life. There were some scenes that actually me cringe at their obnoxious behavior.

Also, Julie Bowen (Rhonda Harken) from Modern Family and Jamie Foxx (Dean “MF” Jones) were nice additions. They had small roles, but they were good ones.

I thought Horrible Bosses was a very clever movie and it took some unexpected turns, which I enjoyed. I’d definitely recommend this movie if you’re looking for a mature (yet immature) comedy. Overall, I give Horrible Bosses 4/5 stars. Check it out!

What’s Your Number? [movie review]

I’ve been wanting to see What’s Your Number? for awhile, mainly because Anna Faris is the main character and I’m 100% obsessed with her. I’ll basically watching anything she’s in.

In What’s Your Number?, Ally Darling (Anna Faris) reads an article in a magazine, telling her that women who have slept with twenty-plus men are less likely to get married. How many men has Ally slept with? Twenty. Ally teams up with her neighbor, Colin Shea (Chris Evans), to hunt down her ex-flings in an effort to reconnect to see if there’s potential to re-date any them because Ally refuses to exceed the twenty-men limit. Ally has a number of interesting encounters throughout this adventure with some twists and turns along the way.

While What’s Your Number? wasn’t one of the best movie I’ve ever seen, it certainly wasn’t the worst. I’m glad I saw it and I’d definitely recommend going to see it, especially if you’re a mega fan of Anna Faris, like I am. I was laughing plenty throughout the movie… I think Anna Faris is absolutely hysterical and she can do no wrong in my eyes. I actually really enjoyed Chris Evans and his character as well — I think he and Anna had great on-screen chemistry. Props to Blythe Danner, too, for her role as Ally’s mother, Ava… great job.

Also, did anyone notice the scene that was freakishly similar to the one in Bridesmaids? Ally wakes up, fixes her hair/makeup, goes back to bed and pretends that she just woke up to impress her manfriend (not to be confused with boyfriend), just like Annie (Kristen Wiig) did in Bridesmaids. Even in commercials, What’s Your Number? was being compared to Bridesmaids and I must say that Bridesmaids was much better.

Overall, What’s Your Number? was a bit cliche, but still enjoyable and funny. I’d give it 3.5/5 stars. If you’ve been wanting to go see this movie, I say go for it. As usual, I’m excited to see (much) more of Anna Faris in the future.

Suburgatory [TV review]

After seeing commercials for Suburgatory, it didn’t necessarily look like a show I would normally watch. I was waiting for Modern Family to come on the other week and I had some time to kill so I thought I’d give this new show a shot. I’m glad I did because I’ve added Suburgartory to my Fall TV lineup after watching the first episode.

Suburgatory is about a girl, Tessa Altman (Jane Levy), who moved from New York City to a less-than-ideal suburb because her dad, George (Jeremy Sisto), forced her to after a frightening discovery. Tessa is finding it hard to get along with the natives because she, and her dad, couldn’t be more different from them. The town is full of nosey housewives with their  odd family members. None of these suburbanites seem to have any sort of filter, which is something Tessa and George are gonna have to get used to.

Jane Levy plays a great pained high school teen and I love her on-screen relationship with Jeremy Sisto. My favorite housewife so far is Dallas Royce (Cheryl Hines)… she seems to be the most normal out of the women, but she still has her fair share of inappropriate moments. Carly Chaikin (Dalia, Dallas’ daughter) is hilarious… she’s the stereotypical “cool” girl who was assigned as Tessa’s “buddy” to to show her the ropes of the high school, which she doesn’t do a very good job of. I can’t help but laugh at her unintelligent moments throughout each episode.

If you’re looking for another comedy to watch this fall, definitely check out Suburgatory.

New Girl [TV review]

I must admit, I felt a little overwhelmed with the Fall TV lineup this year and I wasn’t too sure if I would be able to take on another new show. That is, until I saw a commercial for New Girl. I had to give it a chance, which happened to be the best decision of my week. Easily one of my new favorite shows this fall.

New Girl began with Jessica Day (Zooey Deschanel) finding out that her boyfriend was cheating on her, leaving her to move into a new apartment with some unfamiliar faces: Schmidt (Max Greenfield), Coach (Damon Wayans Jr.) and Nick (Jake M. Johnson). Jessica and her new pals make for an interesting combination, promising endless laughs for this new, hit show!

New Girl is beyond hysterical. I was laughing out loud within the first five seconds. Zooey Deschanel (for me, best known for her role as Jovie in Elf) was absolutely hilarious. She takes awkward to a whole new level, which is something I truly appreciate. Her roommates were equally as funny; I think my favorite out of the three guys (so far) is Schmidt. I thought his douchebag-ness, hence the Douchebag Jar, was really funny. What the Schmidt!

I give New Girl 5/5 stars. Kristin Dos Santos tweeted it best “Unless you are dead inside, you’ll love it.” Do yourself a favor and watch this show! Check it out on FOX, Wednesdays at 9pm after Glee.

Death Valley [TV review]

Death Valley premiered last night on MTV and I just had to watch it… the network had me at zombies. DV is a dark comedy full of grotesque monsters, bloody fight scenes and par subpar acting (if that makes any sense to you). California’s San Fernando Valley has become infested with zombies, vampires and werewolves and it’s up to the Undead Task Force (UTF) to keep these monsters under control. Cameramen follow the UTF on their outings  to capture these gruesome moments and, judging by the first episode, it looks like this season will be killing off introducing a number of different cameramen.

Below, if you click the picture (taken from MTV), you’ll be taken to a video that introduces you to Billy (Bryce Johnson) and Stubeck (Charlie Sanders), both members of the UTF. Watch and get a feel for what the crew’s like. Other members of the UTF include Carla (Tania Raymonde), Dashell (Bryan Callen), John-John (Texas Battle) and Kirsten (Caity Lotz).

I wasn’t completely sold by the storyline in the first episode, but I was entertained to say the very least, and I could definitely see it starting to go somewhere. I mean, it is only the first episode. There’s definitely potential. Death Valley definitely had me laughing out loud, especially at the part when the poor, defenseless cameraman started freaking out in the middle of a monster attack. I thought his reaction was great. Without a doubt, I’ll be watching Death Valley again next week… and most likely for the rest of the season. If you like monsters and stupid humor, this is the show for you. Believe me, there’s nothing wrong with that.