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.

Wet Hot American Summer (5/10): More like Wet Hot Absurd Mess

“Hey, let's all promise that in ten years from today, we'll meet again, and we'll see what kind of people we've blossomed into.”

Its been almost 15 years since David Wain’s Wet Hot American Summer was released and I honestly had never heard of it. This was Wain’s first feature film but it bombed at the box office and wasn’t warmly received by critics either. Somehow over time it has become a cult teen comedy thanks to its wonderful cast, and now Netflix is about to release a comedy series with the same cast in the form of a prequel. The series will revolve around the first day of Summer camp in Camp Firewood in 1981, while this film focuses on the last day. The comedy plays out as a satire of camp films from the 80’s and it honestly feels like a movie made in that period. The actors wear tight shirts, colorful short shorts, and long white tube socks with eighties hair styles. The look and style of the film itself is worth a couple of laughs and Wain’s love and homage for these campy films transcends the screen. Unfortunately I didn’t find much else worth recommending other than a couple of hilarious scenes, but as a whole I found the absurdist humor a bit lame. This is a very different comedy than what we are used to seeing and it’s hard to point out any other film that has a similar style. That is why I believe it has become such a beloved cult comedy. Wet Hot American Summer is a parody in which you have no idea what direction the story is going to go and it constantly shifts its tone and introduces plenty of twists. Even though this film is basically a satire of camp films it doesn’t miss the opportunity at gleefully playing with familiar genre conventions such as teen rom-coms and sport cliches. These individual scenes work extremely well but they don’t make up a whole movie. That is why despite not being a fan of this film, I’m looking forward to the Netflix series because in shorter segments this could work well and the characters are worth revisiting.

On the final day of Summer Camp there is still so much things to look forward to such as the camp director, Beth (Janeane Garofalo), falling for an astrophysics professor played by David Hyde Pierce. There is also a romantic triangle formed between camp counselors Coop (Michael Showalter), Katie (Marguerite Moreau), and Andy (Paul Rudd). Katie is worried about Coop not having hooked up with anyone during the Summer and she promises to help him find someone special for him before the end of the day. What she doesn’t know is that Coop is in love with her, but she is currently dating Andy. Andy however doesn’t seem to care too much for her since he cheats on her with Lindsay (Elizabeth Banks). Susie (Amy Poehler) and Ben (Bradley Cooper) are focused on directing a musical for the talent show later that night, while Gail (Molly Shannon) is struggling to teach her arts and crafts class because her husband has recently left her. Victor (Ken Marino) and Neil (Joe Lo Truglio) are in charge of taking another group of kids water rafting, but Victor is eager to get back to camp so he can make out with Abby (Marisa Ryan). This is just a small sample of the many activities that are taking place on this final day with plenty of surprises and twists along the way, including an innocent escape into the city by a group of counselors that degenerates into something crazy and unexpected.

David Wain’s most successful film to date is probably Role Models, but Wet Hot American Summer has been growing on people ever since. Paul Rudd has collaborated with Wain in all his films and here he plays a cocky and egocentric character to perfection. There isn’t one main character, although if I was forced to pick one I’d say it is Michael Showalter’s Coop which isn’t really a surprise considering Michael co-wrote the screenplay with Wain. There are also some funny scenes involving the chef played by Christopher Meloni who is still suffering post traumatic stress disorder from the Vietnam War. The cast is fantastic here but there are so many characters that they don’t actually get much screen time. Bradley Cooper is now an Oscar nominated actor, but this was his first film so he doesn’t get much screen time. Marguerite Moreau was fantastic as well and it’s a shame she hasn’t really had much success after this. I recognized her from The Mighty Ducks franchise and it was fun to see her in a different role like this. The performances from this recognizable cast is probably the highlight of the film, but there are also several individual scenes that stand out such as the trip to the city and a hilarious motorcycle chase sequence.           

Little Accidents (5/10): Strong performances but an unsatisfactory ending brings the film down.

“Your testimony as you can imagine is of the upmost importance to us.”

Little Accidents is Sara Colangelo’s debut feature film and despite some of the issues I had with the pacing and some unexpected turns the story takes it still had some solid performances that kept me engaged with the movie. With a little more polishing Colangelo may become an important filmmaker because she does manage to deliver some well crafted scenes and interesting characters. It is a character study of a small American coal mining town that has recently experienced a fatal accident that claimed the lives of several miners. Amos Jenkins (Boyd Holbrook) is the only survivor and on the one hand he is feeling forced to testify against the executives by the families’ who have lost their loved ones, and on the other, miners from the same company want him to keep quiet so they can continue to work without experiencing any setbacks. He would rather stay quiet than say anything. The blame is mostly geared towards Bill Doyle (Josh Lucas) who is an executive of the mining company. Meanwhile he and his wife, Diane (Elizabeth Banks), are dealing with the disappearance of their son JT (Travis Tope). The only person who knows what happened to JT is a young boy named Owen (Jacob Lofland) who would rather keep the secret to himself than confess what actually happened. Owen’s father was also a victim of a coal mining accident and we see the contrast between his family and the Doyle’s. Once we are introduced to all these characters we begin to see how some of them overlap with each other in a small town where secrets are hard to be kept. Colangelo sets up the story pretty convincingly but once the characters begin to interact with each other there are moments that feel forced and melodramatic. There is just too much going on in the town for a film like this.

What I enjoyed the most about Little Accidents despite all the melodrama and forced interactions it introduces were the performances from the cast. Elizabeth Banks has a much more subtle performance than what we are used to seeing her in and Josh Lucas is also believable as the mining executive who is trying to keep busy at work to keep his mind off of the loss of his son. However the two stand outs in this film are Boyd Holbrook and Jacob Lofland who are internally wrestling with secrets of their own. Lofland was outstanding in MUD although most of the attention was geared towards Tye Sheridan’s performance. He is the one who has gotten much better roles, but that doesn’t mean Lofland should be ignored and in this film he proves he has the acting chops to carry a film. 

The greatest failure of Little Accidents is that it tries to cover too much melodrama in a short period of time. Instead of focusing on one of the accidents, it introduces us to another one and shows how some of the characters overlap with each other. I didn’t find the relationship between Banks and Holbrook believable and it all felt rushed. The underlying message of the film seems to be that “truth will set you free,” but in the end it was all too obvious and the audience is left unrewarded for the time they had invested in the film. I found some of the camera movement a bit distracting at times, but that is my only complaint in the technical department. In the end, Little Accidents simply doesn’t deliver despite an interesting premise. 

Mockingjay Part 1 (6/10): Propaganda for what is to come

“I have a message for President Snow: If we burn, you burn with us!”

When Francis Lawrence took over director duty for the second film in the Hunger Games franchise we got a much more serious YA adaptation from Collins’s novel. The film had a great sense of pacing and storytelling while introducing us to the Capitol and the other districts and not just focusing on the actual Hunger Games. I thought it was a much better film than the first, but I still loved them both. They ended up in my list of the best films for the year in which they were released, so my expectations for this third film were huge considering Lawrence was back in the director’s chair. I still had some concerns about adapting the final book in two parts because the first parts didn’t work too well with the Twilight and Harry Potter franchises. My concerns turned out to be true because I did have a similar issue with Mockingjay Part 1. The entire film felt stretched, focusing on small details that didn’t do much to build the tension of the story. It actually hurt the pacing of the film that the director had worked so well with in the previous installment. This first part felt like a slow build-up and a giant filler to what will come next in the grand finale, so I couldn’t help but feel let down by what Francis Lawrence had to offer. I still enjoyed Mockingjay, but it doesn’t live up to its predecessors. 

Mockingjay is a huge departure from the previous films. There are no Hunger Games and very little action scenes here, while there is a lot of exposition and preparation for what is to come. The previous films worked as a social commentary on reality TV, while this one focuses more on advertising. Catching Fire allowed us into the Capitol where we got a glimpse of who the real enemy was, but in Mockingjay we don’t see what is actually going on in the Capitol and everything takes place mostly in District 13 where a big revolution is uprising. What all three films do have in common is the strong lead performance from Jennifer Lawrence who holds everything in place and keeps us engaged with this dystopian world Collins has introduced us to. When certain scenes in Mockingjay began to feel tedious or drag out a bit too long, Lawrence’s Katniss reminded us why we are tagging along with this franchise. She literally is the symbol of hope for the rebellion as much as she is for the franchise. This film is more political than the previous ones and we are introduced to a lot of propaganda (not just as a build-up for the next film, but actual propaganda as the Capital and District 13 try to smear each other’s credibility). The political intrigue plays out as a sort of chess game where one side tries to outdo the other. This was done really well here, but the problem was that it became repetitive, and that is where I felt the story was incredibly stretched out.

Jennifer Lawrence has some great scenes in this film, and others that felt a bit cheesy (the nightmares for example), but during a scene where she sends a message to President Snow she gave me goose-bumps. I also enjoyed the scene where she sings “the hanging tree” lullaby. Those were the moments that drew me back to the film and reminded me why I loved this franchise in the first place. I am sure the second part of this film will work better, but the slow build-up didn’t do much for me here. I missed some of the characters that I had learned to love and that only got a few minutes of screen time here. Haymitch and Caesar provided some of the much needed comic relief in the previous films, but here everything becomes political and serious and there is little room for them. Effie is perhaps the character who comes out better this time around and Elizabeth Banks nails the role once again. The new characters didn’t do much for me and despite the fact that Liam Hemsworth gets much more screen time as Gale he doesn’t do much either. Claflin’s role as Finnick is nowhere as nearly interesting as it was in Catching Fire. Phillip Seymour Hoffman brings class once again to his role and he also stood out for me, while Josh Hutcherson shows much more range as Peeta here despite the very little screen time he’s given. So despite having a lot of interesting characters in the franchise, they really don’t get to do anything interesting in Mockingjay. Of course, the film ends with a teaser and we will all return for the grand finale despite the slow build-up because enough time has been spent on these characters and we care for them.

My Review: The LEGO Movie (7/10)

"Let's take extra care to follow the instructions or you'll be put to sleep, and don't forget Taco Tuesday's coming next week."

The directors behind this very creative and imaginative animated film, Phil Lord and Christopher Miller (21 Jump Street), deliver a highly entertaining and hilarious movie thanks to a sharp script which is packed with extremely funny lines and hundreds of pop culture references. It also benefits from a talented cast who do excellent voice work here. Despite being a film that promotes its very own Lego empire, it still works because it has lots of heart and reaches to kids and adults alike. Kids who are fans of the TV series Ninjago will have a great time with this film, while adults will love the witty script beside the fact that it will touch their nostalgic senses. The Lego movie took me back to my childhood days and reminded me of when I played with these building blocks and invented adventures as I played with them. In a way this film felt like I was watching a very smart and creative kid playing with his Lego figures. I can think of no other movie where you get so many pop cultural references as this one. In what other film do you get to see an NBA star like Shaq share a scene with a Ninja Turtle, Batman, Han Solo, Gandalf, Dumbledore, and Wonder Woman all together? These character cameos keep on coming throughout the film with silly but hilarious and witty one-liners. 

Emmet Brickowoski (Chris Pratt) is an ordinary Lego mini-figure who is content with his life following orders from Lord Business (Will Ferrell) as well as most of the other citizens. What they don't know is that Lord Business is planning on gluing their universe together. When Emmet stumbles across a mysterious block he is mistakenly identified as the chosen one and considered to be one of the MasterBuilders called to save the world. He is drafted by Wyldstyle (Elizabeth Banks) and is introduced to the different Lego universes that Lord Business has been keeping separated. He teams up with other MasterBuilders like Batman (Will Arnett), Unikitty (Alison Brie), Metal Beard (Nick Offerman), and several others all led by the old wise man Vitruvius (Morgan Freeman). Together they begin a quest to stop Lord Business from destroying their worlds, but they have to face fierce opposition from Bad Cop (Liam Neeson) and the rest of the police force who serve Lord Business. A task which Emmet isn't really prepared for as he is simply an ordinary mini figure, but who everyone is depending on to save the world. 

The plot is a little over the top and silly, but it works thanks to some great gags and witty dialogues. The script writers, Dan Hageman, Kevin Hageman, Lord, and Miller know their pop culture references and use it to their advantage. It took me a while to get used to the animation style as it was done by using Lego figures in stop motion and combing it with CGI effects. They did paint a colorful and imaginative world and soon I was won over by the style of the film. It's a fast paced movie and one that you will probably have no problem in wanting to go back and rewatching it considering the jokes are so fast paced that you might have missed lots of them.

My Review: The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (9/10)

"Remember who the real enemy is."

Francis Lawrence (I Am Legend) takes over director duty from Gary Ross in the sequel to The Hunger Games franchise which results in a much darker and better film. I know I gave the original Hunger Games film the same rating as this one, but I think I was a little too generous with the first film. Francis clearly sets the right mood and tone for this franchise by giving us a better picture of the world outside of the games. The districts and the Capitol are better portrayed here and we get a sense of who the real enemy is now. In the first film I felt like the enemies were some of the kids from the first districts, while in this sequel you get more of a sense as to why the Capitol and President Snow are the true enemies. The film takes more time to set up this world and it does so with a great sense of pacing and storytelling. The actual Hunger Games don't begin until the second half of the film, but I was ok with the buildup since it was absolutely necessary. Catching Fire gives us glimpses of what we are going to get in the next two films as sparks of a revolution begin to develop, and it also gives us new characters that are certain to play a key role in the upcoming films. These new characters are far better developed than the ones in the first film and the entire film sets things up perfectly for the grand finale. Jennifer Lawrence carries this film and she truly is a girl on fire showing both sides of her persona: her courage and her vulnerability. She balances these elements and the struggles she's going through perfectly and allows the audience to identify with her character. I don't think that two and a half hours have gone by so quickly for me as it did during this movie (I've seen 90 minute films that seemed to be longer than this) because it was just so exciting and engaging. The action during the actual games were also much better developed (no more shaky cams). Catching Fire is probably along with Star Trek Into Darkness the best blockbuster of the year.

Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrece) and Peeta (Josh Hutcherson), the winners of the 74th Annual Hunger Games, have returned home. Katniss has turned into a symbol of hope for the people who are beginning to rebel against the totalitarian government of the Capitol under President Snow (Donald Sutherland). Katniss and Peeta's return home is short lived as they embark on a Victor's Tour around all the districts paying their respects to the falling tributes. Despite Katniss's love for Gale (Liam Hemsworth), she is forced to continue with the farce surrounding the media coverage of her relationship with Peeta. Effie (Elizabeth Banks) and Haymitch (Woody Harrelson) join Katniss and Peeta as advisors during the tour. President Snow recognizes that Katniss has become a symbol of hope for the people outside of the Capitol and therefore has a surprise for the upcoming Quarter Quell (the 75th Annual Hunger Games). He announces that for this special event a male and female tribute winner from every district will have to compete against each other in this tournament of champions. Katniss and Peeta are the chosen tributes from District 12 who will face other tributes in a special arena designed by the new Head Gamemaker, Plutarch Heavensbee (Phillip Seymour Hoffman). Other tributes include Finnick Odair (Sam Claflin) and Johanna Mason (Jena Malone) who form an alliance with them. President Snow is planning on crushing Panem's new symbol of hope, but Katniss will do what it takes to survive and protect her loved ones.

Francis Lawrence does a much better job here at exploring the different themes that the film is trying to get across. Catching Fire is more than a simple survival tale as other themes such as government oppression, heavily marked social classes, and society's obsession with celebrities are all explored very well. The characters are better developed as well. Take Katniss for example, as she's forced to live a double life feeling hypocritical and imprisoned at times as she has to hide her true feelings for Gale. She doesn't feel like a hero and doesn't want to be that symbol of hope that's she become. She has to come to grips with her new identity and the responsibility that has come with it. Jennifer Lawrence delivers a strong performance as she shows these inner struggles she's facing while at the same time proving she can be lethal. The film is also very well adapted by Simon Beaufoy (Slumdog Millionaire) and Michael Arndt (Toy Story 3) from Suzanne Collins' novel. The returning supporting actors like Lenny Kravitz and Stanley Tucci are phenomenal once again, while the new characters played by Jenna Malone, Sam Claflin, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, and Jeffrey Wright have sparked my interest as to what they can bring to this franchise. They were all very well developed and add so much to a first part which in my opinion was dependent entirely on Jennifer Lawrence. She carries this film once again, but has an even more impressive supporting cast to leave us even more hooked with the cliffhanger ending. This film was great and I haven't even mentioned the amazing sets and awesome costume designs that went up a notch from last year's Hunger Games. Catching Fire is an upgrade over the original film and one you should definitely give a chance.

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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My Review: People Like Us (9/10)

¨My last image of my dad are taillights while he drove away to his other family.¨

People Like Us is a wonderful drama that will have you smiling in one scene and crying in the next. It´s a very emotional film with strong performances and an excellent script. This is one of my favorite films of the year. Many critics have said it has too much melodrama and feels like a soap opera, but I disagree completely. I found it to be very authentic and true to life; yes maybe a little too calculated, but it worked because it had a strong message. I loved the ending of the film as well; I left this movie completely satisfied and wanting to rewatch it. This is the first feature film by Alex Kurtzman who is known mostly for writing and producing films like Star Trek and Cowboys & Aliens and creating TV series like Fringe. This is a whole different genre for Kurtzman and he has made a wonderful and powerful film about family. He not only directed this film but wrote the powerful screenplay along with Roberto Orci and Jody Lambert and also produced it. I was really blown away with the movie, especially by the performance from Elizabeth Banks which in my opinion is her best work to date. She was great in this film and has such a powerful chemistry with Chris Pine. When I saw the poster for this movie I thought this was going to be another chick flick with the two leads playing love interests, but what a surprise it was to find out this wasn’t actually a romantic film, but a very thoughtful and emotional film about family. I believe that there are moments in our lives that deeply mark us and change us, and that is exactly what happened to Pine´s character who was a complete selfish prick and ended up being such a great guy that the audience could relate too. Many critics might think this was manipulative or too calculated, but I thought it rang true.  I loved the way how each of the characters were developed and matured as the film moved on.

The film begins by introducing us to Sam (Chris Pine), a business facilitator who seems to be great at closing deals but not so much in following through with them. After making his biggest sell of the year he hears from his boss that his latest transaction went sour and that he must repay the troubles he has caused with his recently earned commission money. To make matters worse when he arrives home his girlfriend, Hannah (Olivia Wilde), informs him that his father has passed away. He wasn’t very close to his father and is basically forced by Hannah to fly to his mother´s home for the funeral. His mother, Lillian, played by Michelle Pfeiffer gives a very convincing performance of a grieving widow who has spent the last year in and out of hospitals due to her husband´s cancer. Once home Sam discovers that his father has left him with a task: He must find a woman named Frankie (Elizabeth Banks) and give her and her son Ted (Michael Hall D`Addario) 150,000 dollars and look out for them. Sam has no idea who this person is, and is really upset about not receiving any money, but his curiosity leads him to search for this person and discover who she is. He´s also tempted to keep the money, but when he realizes that Frankie is his sister things take a turn in his life. He befriends her without letting her know who he really is and their friendship begins to blossom. All these events begin to change Sam`s perspective about life and his estranged relationship with his father.

We discover in the very beginning that Frankie and Sam are brothers so I´m not giving away any important plot elements here. The importance of the film revolves around the relationship that blossoms between them and how Sam begins to realize why his father acted the way he did. I already mentioned the incredible chemistry between Pine and Banks and how fresh it felt that it wasn’t a romantic one but rather more of a bonding between a brother and a sister. Michelle Pfeiffer is also great here and has some important scenes with Pine that also felt very real. The kid in this movie playing Ted was also excellent and his chemistry with Pine also played out really well. Every single piece seemed to fit in perfectly in this small movie thanks to a very good screenplay. There were several touching and emotional moments and the film really builds up to a sweet and satisfying climax at the end. I have no doubts this movie will end up in my list for the top films of the year and Elizabeth Banks performance is one of my favorite female performances of the year. I absolutely recommend this movie.

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My Review: What to Expect When You`re Expecting (4/10)

¨I just wanted the glow. The one that they promise you on the cover of those magazines. Well, I'm calling it - pregnancy sucks. Making a human being is really hard.¨

What we can really expect from this movie is pretty much the same thing we got from Valentine`s Day and New Year`s Eve: A lot of celebrities but no real characters. It is the exact same issue I had with the other films, except this is perhaps even worse with everything fitting perfectly together at the end. This is a chick flick and perhaps many will disagree with me for saying this but What to Expect When You`re Expecting is one of the worst movies of the year. The film is based on a very successful series of pregnancy guides written by Heidi Murkoff, which I haven`t read but am pretty sure has to be much better than the screenplay that Shauna Cross (Whip It) and Heather Hach (Freaky Friday) came up with. I can`t imagine the book being like this because it`s really incoherent and unauthentic. There is no honesty whatsoever in the film and it felt sugarcoated with all the celebrities. Director Kirk Jones (Nanny McPhee and Everybody`s Fine) fails miserably in trying to portray a believable film. He follows the exact same clichés and formulas we see in almost every other chick flick. There is no originality whatsoever to this tale and by the end of the year even the people who enjoyed will have forgotten all about it. The film is all about pretty faces, unfunny dialogues, and relationships that aren't given enough screen time to develop. That is why I found it difficult to find believable chemistry between any of the five couples that the film was about. This film was a total waste of time and I can´t find anything positive to say about it. It makes Valentine`s Day and New Year`s Eve look like Oscar worthy contenders.

The story deals with five different couples which in some minor way interact or overlap with each other. First off we have celebrity fitness expert Jules (Cameron Diaz) who has fallen for her dance partner Evan (Matthew Morrison) in the Celebrity Dance Reality Show she`s participating on. Then there`s photographer Holly (Jennifer Lopez) and her hubby Alex (Rodrigo Santoro) who can`t have children and have decided to adopt. Wendy (Elizabeth Banks) is a baby-crazy writer who thinks she knows everything about motherhood but has had trouble trying to get pregnant along with her husband Gary (Ben Falcone). Gary`s father, Ramsey (Dennis Quaid), a former Nascar racer has remarried the beautiful and young Skyler (Brooklyn Decker). When Wendy and Gary discover that they were finally able to get pregnant they go to tell the news to Ramsey and Skyler who also surprise them with the news that they too are expecting. By this time Jules and Evan have already found out that they too are expecting a child, and Jules is trying to work around her busy TV schedule. If this seems a lot to take in, wait there is still more: Rosie (Anna Kendrick) shares a romantic night with a former High School classmate, Marco (Chace Crawford) and ends up pregnant as well. This is where the drama unfolds as we have each couple dealing with pregnancy in different ways. Alex who doesn’t feel prepared to be a father is sent by Holly to meet with a dad`s support group organized by Vic (Chris Rock). The support group is supposed to be the funniest thing about the film, but in my opinion none of the jokes worked really well.

There is not much more I can add about this movie, there was so much going on that it was hard to find any chemistry between any of these couples. They all played one dimensional and stereotypical characters. I don’t think I can say I had a favorite performance here because it all felt bland and fake. The ending is horrible, but I guess most couples were satisfied with this date movie. It has no other value to it, only enjoyable for a couple`s date night or a girls night out.

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