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Pitch Perfect 2 –
Nothing like the original, in Pitch Perfect 2, Beca has to move beyond her college singing career into the real work world without losing her friends. Will they understand when her focus transitions to a more serious make or break internship? To make matters more complicated, the Barden Bellas have a just a made a serious offense by sharing more than just their singing with President Obama on his birthday and now have only one chance to compete during the whole school year at the World Wide Championships where the world, as it turns out, hates America. Managing to get under their skin, the Germans, who are the Barden Bellas biggest competitors, are making sure these women know that. Between the girl bonding, and the singing, Beca and the other Bellas have some growing to do in this movie.
The little girl I watch, M, is crazy obsessed with the original Pitch Perfect, so I heard all about Pitch Perfect 2 for the whole month prior to the release of this movie to theatres. I didn't get to go see this movie when it first came out (we saw Chappie instead. Ick!), but it definitely made for a fun experience when I did finally get to see this movie. I really enjoyed seeing Beca grow and change into an adult especially as she worked to develop her own voice and style to prove she was capable of transitioning into a real recording artist. Plus, it was also nice seeing how complicated adult relationships can be as Beca tried to balance her personal life, school, friends, and work.
Elizabeth Banks, the director of both Pitch Perfect movies, skillfully pulled off the charged dynamic between the American Barden Bellas and the German Das Sound Machine acapella groups. By the end of the movie, I was made to feel that the Germans were evil with a harsh sound unfamiliar to me, even after my previous travels to Germany. And as for the Americans? They seemed meek and mild in comparison.
Would I recommend this movie? It's hard to say. While M suddenly lost interest in Pitch Perfect, with the movie having concepts that were a little beyond her level, I enjoyed seeing it for free. There was nothing especially groundbreaking about the script or even the acting or singing within it, but I definitely found it engaging enough for a 2-hour movie. Besides, prior to writing this review, I discovered and fell in love with Pitch Perfect 2 German actor and Youtube star Flula. Check him out if you haven't yet and be sure to watch him make spätzle with American Youtube star Hannah Hart! Totally worth it! :)
Inside Out –
Eleven year old Riley has just moved away from her hometown of Michigan to San Francisco and things are changing faster than they ever have been before. Inside her mind, Joy tries to overide all of the other emotions keeping Sadness, Anger, Fear and Disgust at bay. Unfortunately, as Riley begins to see more than one emotion in her memories, Joy gets worried and, as she tries to fix the mixed emotions Sadness is associating with past memories, she and Sadness both get sucked into Riley's long term memory and away from headquarters. As Joy and Sadness struggle to get back, they watch in horror and confusion as many of Riley's "personalities" fall apart. First Goofball dies, then Hockey … Can they get back in time to save the most important personality – Family?
Based on the true experience by one of the animators, the story begins when Pete Docter relocated to Denmark as a child and had a hard time adjusting to his new surroundings (source). Although he managed to eventually work through his social anxiety by the time he reached high school age, he noticed much the same experience in his pre-teen daughter's life many years later. This is when he decided to consult a psychologist about it. He quickly realized that girls between the ages of 11 and 17 often experience a lot of emotion, and thus Riley and her personified emotions were born. It took some time for Docter, the producers, and animators at Pixar to come up with the storyline of Riley moving and how that would affect her emotions, but, once completed and presented to the masses, the film grossed $3.7 million, more than any other previously made Pixar film, on it's opening weekend. The story was a success and people loved that Riley would, in her own way, show the world that it's ok to have mixed emotions or be sad.
While this wasn't one of my favorite movies, I definitely liked how Riley and her emotions were portrayed throughout the film. I felt the story was a bit confusing going back and forth between A and B storylines. Yes, we understand that Riley has moved to a new home and this has resulted in anxiety, sadness, worry, and fear, but why do Sadness and Joy get lost in Riley's long term memory? Why are the relationships among fictious emotions important to a human?
Tomorrowland –
Originally I watched this movie because of George Clooney (an amazing actor IMHO), but quickly I became immersed in this Disney adventure that has main character, Casey Newton, exploring a world that only Walt Disney could have perfectly imagined, in a desperate effort to save humanity. As it turns out, Frank, George Clooney, was sent to Tomorrowland after getting on a Disney Park ride in the late 1960s (or perhaps it was at New York's World fair…) and being transported to Tomorrowland, a place where the most imaginative are sent to create a better tomorrow. After many years working with robot girl Athena, Frank is sent back to earth as punishment for not solving the world's problems and told never to return to Tomorrowland again. The world is ending and there is nothing anybody can do to stop it. Without giving up, Athena, who was also sent back to earth separately from Frank, uses the Tomorrowland pin to recruit Casey as a Tomorrowland ambasador. Athena, Frank, and Casey will return to Tomorrowland together in a last-ditch effort to save the world. One problem though: there is nothing wrong with the world! David Nix, Hugh Laurie an all around bad guy in this movie, has manipulated the tachyon machine, that shows both the beginning and ending of the world, to dictate when and how the end of the world will occur and confuse all who touch it. Will Casey, Frank, and Athena be able to save the world through the experiments and prototypes Tomorrowland has to offer? Or will David Nix successfully sabotage their plans and end the world as they know it?
As much as I wanted to like this story, I felt it was a bit cliché. There were no real surprises and the acting was only meh. It felt like a typical Disney or Marvel storyline where the good guys have to somehow, against all odds, defeat the villans. The biggest surprise for me, however, was 1) the beauty of the opening scenes and the music I recognized from Disney rides, and 2) that Hugh Laurie was in this movie as a half villain. (Apparently acting as he did in the tv show House would have taken the Disney out of this Disney movie. Go figure.) Anyway, if you are going to see this and have the option, I recommend seeing it in 3D; the visual effects are amazing. However, don't go into the theatre or put the DVD in your DVD player (or watch on Amazon or Netflix for that matter!) expecting surprises, twists, and turns. This is a Disney movie, after all. (And not Pixar either.)
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I know this a lot of movie reviews in one post, but I hope you were able to find at least one film that interests you. And just maybe one of my reviews will help you decide whether or not to see a film you may not have previously been aware of! Anyway, next Monday I will be reviewing Minions, Jurassic World, and Ant-Man. Have you seen any of these movies (or other movies) this summer? Have you taken advantage of any awesome summer deals? Share! I'd love to hear!
I haven't been to a theater in over a decade, but our kids generally go once a week or so. We have a compromise that they can go to the movies, but they can't have any overpriced snacks.
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