Anna Kendrick – cinemescope

100 Word Review – The Voices (2015)

February 20, 2016March 6, 2016Posted in 100 Words..., Comedy, F-Rated, Romance, ThrillerTagged Anna Kendrick, Comedy, dark, Gemma Arterton, gore, Horror, Marjane Satrapi, Michael R Perry, Romance, Ryan Reynolds, ThrillerLeave a comment

The best word to describe this film is ‘weird’.

Jerry (Ryan Reynolds) is a likeable mentally unstable man working a dead-end job. When he follows the advice of his pets and pursues his office crush (Gemma Arterton) things get dark pretty quickly. And that’s just the beginning.

Written by Michael R. Perry (Paranormal Activity 2) and directed by Marjane Satrapi (Persepolis) it sits on a very stylised fence between horror thriller and quirky comedy.

If you don’t like bloody films, this is not the one for you, but otherwise do watch it. Anna Kendrick costars and Reynolds is magnetic as always.

100 Word Review – 50/50 (2011)

August 8, 2015March 6, 2016Posted in 100 Words..., Comedy, DramaTagged Anna Kendrick, cancer, Comedy, Drama, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Seth Rogan, Will ReiserLeave a comment

Despite any advertising the contrary, this is not a comedy.

It is a moving drama about Kylie (Seth Rogan) trying to help his friend Adam (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) through his struggle with cancer.

Having said that, it is hilarious at points and there are funny moments throughout. But to call it a comedy is to imply a levity unfitting of the subject matter.

Screenwriter Will Reiser based it on his own experiences after being encouraged to write it by Rogan, the friend who helped him battle with cancer in his early 20s.

It’s masterfully done, handling itself with grace and humour.

100 Word Review – Pitch Perfect 2 (2015)

May 15, 2015March 6, 2016Posted in 100 Words..., Comedy, F-RatedTagged a cappella, Adam DeVine, Anna Camp, Anna Kendrick, Barack Obama, Bardon Bellas, Brittany Snow, Comedy, David Cross, Elizabeth Banks, Hailee Steinfeld, John Michael Higgins, Musical, Pitch Perfect, Rebel Wilson, Snoop DoggLeave a comment

Aca-believe it, the Bellas are back, and this time they are going global!

After an incident involving Fat Amy (Rebel Wilson) and Barack Obama, the Bardon Bellas are thrown off the a cappella circuit. In an attempt to reclaim their title, they head for the ultimate competition, World Champions.

This is Elizabeth Banks’ directorial debut and it is an absolute beauty.

Funny, feisty and feminist, the cast is superb, the songs are great; the film is just fantastic.

No, it’s not as good as the first one, but as far as sequels go, this one’s up there with the greats.

100 Word Review – Pitch Perfect (2012)

May 8, 2015March 6, 2016Posted in 100 Words..., Comedy, F-RatedTagged a cappella, Anna Kendrick, Brittany Snow, Comedy, Elizabeth Banks, Jason Moore, John Michael Higgins, Musical, Rebel Wilson, singing, university1 Comment

When I first saw the trailer for this film, I presumed I would hate it. I could not have been more wrong.

Anna Kendrick stars as Beca, a freshman who is determined to become a music producer. She joins The Bellas, one of the university’s singing groups, against her wishes, and “changes the face of a cappella”.

There is a little more to it than that, but you’ll have to watch it. Yes, there is a lot of singing (it’s about a cappella!), but there is enough humour (gross-out and otherwise) to keep even the biggest grouch entertained. Watch it!