Would You Rather (3/10): I'd rather not...

“Would you rather...?”

I’ve never considered movies like this to be horror films because for me there has to be actual scares involved and not just gory scenes. I know that they still succeed at shocking and grossing out the audiences, but there is really no actual fear involved. Perhaps my definition of horror isn’t actually accurate, but I’m not a huge fan of these torture porn movies. David Guy Levy borrows several familiar elements here from the Saw franchise and Eli Roth’s Hostel, although with a much lighter approach. The torture scenes aren’t in your face, in other words more is implied than actually shown. I’m grateful that Levy took that approach, but I still had a hard time finding anything entertaining about this movie. The characters are all one dimensional and the plot is very predictable. From the moment Jeffrey Combs (Re-Animator) appears on screen you know his character is up to no good and it’s not hard to figure out where the plot is heading. Steffen Schlachtenhaufen’s script is weak and his characters are all one dimensional. He couldn’t have given Sasha Grey’s character a more stereotypical role than he did with her character here. And the same could be said for Combs and Robin Lord Taylor’s characters. Perhaps I’m being a bit too critical of this film because I saw this after having seen Cheap Thrills, which I thought this film was ripping off (but apparently this was made before it). I wasn’t a huge fan of Cheap Thrills either, but it is a much better film than this and at least it offered plenty of surprises and twists along the way.

The film introduces us to Iris (Brittany Snow) a young woman who is trying to take care of her ill younger brother, Raleigh (Logan Miller), who requires expensive treatment for his leukemia. In the next scene Raleigh’s doctor, Barden (Lawrence Gilliard Jr), calls her to his office and introduces her to a wealthy man named Shepard Lambrick (Jeffrey Combs) who has an interesting proposition for her. He invites her to his home for a game in which she will be competing against other guests and the winner will receive full payment for their treatment from his foundation. She’s not convinced about accepting the invitation, but she feels impelled to go for her brother’s sake. Once she arrives at Shepard’s home she is introduced to the other guests: Lucas (Enver Gjokaj), Travis (Charlie Hofheimer), Linda (June Squibb), Peter (Robb Wells), Cal (Eddie Steeples), Amy (Sasha Grey), and Conway (John Heard) who have all been invited for similar reasons. Shepard then invites them to the table and along with his son, Julian (Robin Lord Taylor) and several body guards he tells them the rules of the game. The premise is simple, it is the familiar game of “would you rather” where the participants are given two options and they choose which one they’d prefer, with the exception that in this game they have to act upon the action they choose, and neither of them are very promising. It doesn’t take too long until the guests realize they’ve been invited to be a part of a very sadistic game. 

There isn’t really too much I can say about this movie, other than the fact that I found it rather tasteless and predictable. The performances were all weak, but the main problem relies on the weak script they were given. I mean just look at June Squibb and what she did in Nebraska and compare it to the material she is given here where she isn’t allowed to shine at all. Brittany Snow and Enver Gjokaj are the two how come out best in this film but neither of them did anything special or groundbreaking here. After seeing this I felt like Cheap Thrills was a masterpiece next to it. I’m probably not the right target audience for this film, but I couldn’t find any of it worth recommending.  

Pitch Perfect 2 (6/10): The stakes are higher, the jokes recycled.

"This could very well be the greatest conflict between America and Germany in our nation's history!”

This sequel to the 2012 surprise hit, Pitch Perfect, marks Elizabeth Banks’ feature directorial debut where she reprises her role as Gail, one of the announcers during the a Capella competitions. I was a huge fan and defender of the original film, which I found hilarious and entertaining. It was directed by Jason Moore, who decided to pass on this sequel to direct Sisters, a film coming out later this year starring Amy Poehler and Tina Fey. Screenwriter, Kay Cannon, is back however giving the female characters a strong and independent voice. The original film was a huge vehicle for Rebel Wilson who stole almost every scene she was in and it proved that Anna Kendrick was a solidified star who could be a lead in a comedy. No one really knew she could sing so well and after her success with the Barden Bellas she went on to star in several musicals (Into the Woods and The Last Five Years). She had always delivered strong supporting performances (Up in the Air being my favorite), but after Pitch Perfect her value has sky rocketed. It was an interesting choice to allow the incredibly gifted Elizabeth Banks to direct this sequel because it only adds to the female empowerment in this film. Like most sequels it fails in trying to out perform the original by making the stakes bigger, but it does manage to do some things right to at least make it worthwhile.  

Anna Kendrick is back as Beca, one of the leaders of the female a Capella group, Barden Bellas, along with Chloe (Brittany Snow). For the past three years they’ve been the national champions and have been invited to many events along with the rest of the female members: Fat Amy (Rebel Wilson), Stacie (Alexis Knapp), Cynthia (Ester Dean), Lilly (Hana Mae Lee), Jessica (Kelley Jakle), and Flo (Chrissie Fit). During one of those events in which they are invited to sing in front of President Obama and his wife, Fat Amy has a wardrobe malfunction and the Bellas are expelled from the circuit. They are replaced by the extremely talented and flawless German group known as Das Sound Machine (DSM) led by Kommissar (Birgitte Hjorth Sorensen) and Pieter Kramer (Flula Borg). In order to reclaim their status and be invited back into the circuit they find a convenient loophole which allows them to compete in the a Cappella World Cup being held in Denmark. If they want a chance to save the Bellas they will have to do what no other American group has done before: bring home the title. Emily (Hailee Seinfeld), the daughter of a legend from the 80’s Bellas, is the latest addition to the group. Skylar Astin, Adam DeVine, Ben Platt and Anna Camp are also back from the original film playing supporting roles as well as John Michael Higgins who is Gail’s co-anchor again. 

    

The formula from the first film is repeated once again, although this time with much higher stakes. Some of the recycled jokes work well, for instance the politically incorrect commentaries from John and Gail, some of Fat Amy’s lines (although it isn’t as nearly as fresh as the first time we saw her), and the fantastic Riff-Off hosted by David Cross with some great cameos from the Green Bay Packers. I think the riff-off in both films are probably my favorite scenes in each movie, but this one really stood out for me thanks in most part to how great the DSM group sounded. As long as the film centered on the rehearsals, riff-offs, and competitions it was a lot of fun, but what didn’t work this time around were the individual filler scenes involving Beca’s internship, Fat Amy and Bumper’s relationship, Emily and Benji’s embarrassing flirtation, the lazy latino lines delivered from Flo, and so on. The music was the highlight of the film and it did end on a high note, but the narrative wasn’t very appealing. The film could’ve benefited from a little more DSM.

My Review: Pitch Perfect (9/10)

¨You're one of the a cappella girls. I'm one of those a cappella boys, and we're gonna have aca-children. It's inevitable.¨

I laughed so hard during this entire movie, Pitch Perfect is this year`s Bridesmaids. The dialogue was so funny that I actually thought the screenplay was written by Tina Fey, but I was surprised to find out that Kay Cannon (30 Rock and New Girl) was the person responsible for adapting it considering this is the first film she works on as a screen writer. What is even more surprising is that the film was also directed by first time director Jason Moore. Two relatively unknowns in the film industry have made what in my opinion was the funniest movie of the year. I could watch this film over and over again considering it has a funny script and an excellent soundtrack. The film is very catchy, but at the same time it knows the material is ridiculous and plays along with it. I felt like it was a sort of satire on Glee at times, but it balances really well the idiotic moments with some cool choreographed a cappella songs. Several scenes will remind you of Bring it On as well. I just had a lot of fun with this movie. Another thing Pitch Perfect has taught me as well is that Anna Kendrick can carry a movie as a lead actress. She`s been amazing as a supporting actress in other films, but now that she had the chance to have a lead role she delivers. She should get bigger roles in Hollywood because she has proven she has the talent. Some might find this film ridiculous, because it does borderline on several whacky situations, but at the end of the film it`s impossible not to leave it with a huge grin on your face.

Becca (Anna Kendrick) is a freshman from Barden University that dreams of going to LA and becoming a DJ, but her father is a professor at Barden and urges her to study there at least for one year. If she doesn’t like it, then he promises to help her out with her plans to go to LA, but under the condition she get more involved in the College activities. That is when she decides to join the Barden Bellas, an all girl a cappella group headed by two other students: Chloe (Brittany Snow) and Aubrey (Anna Camp). After a disastrous participation in last year`s collegiate finals, Chloe and Aubrey are having a hard time recruiting new blood. Besides recruiting Becca, they also call on Fat Amy (Rebel Wilson), Stacie (Alexis Knapp), Cynthia Rose (Ester Dean), and Lilly (Hana Mae Lee), some very unconventional picks but needed in order to face last year’s champions: the all male group, The Trebles. They are managed by Bumper (Adam DeVine) who recruits Jesse (Skylar Astin), a close friend of Becca´s. The Trebles are the favorite to win the competition again this year, but the Bellas will do whatever it takes to go one step further and win the championship.

Pitch Perfect is a cross between Bring it On, Mean Girls, and Glee; although it takes itself way less seriously than the TV series does. Anna Kendrick is great in the lead role; she shines in this film and has a great voice as well. Rebel Wilson gets the most laughs with all her impromptu monologues. She is extremely funny in this film, as she had proven in the past with Bridesmaids. Elizabeth Banks also has a small role as Gail, the commentator of the collegiate competition, and she is really funny in this. Every comment she makes is hilarious. I was really surprised by this whacky comedy, and what I enjoyed the most was the feel good ending with some great musical performances from the a cappella groups. This is in my opinion the funniest film of the year and one I wouldn’t mind to watch over and over again. Be prepared to laugh.

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