Throwback Thursday Review: 'Scott Pilgrim vs. the World'

Sorry for the delay on this review as it was originally supposed to be uploaded last Fall and was then set to be published last Thursday... Anyways, the initial intention of reviewing Scott Pilgrim vs. the World was to review all of Edgar Wright's films. My planned reviews for the rest of the month include Throwback Thursday Reviews of Blade and the 1990 It miniseries and reviews of recent/upcoming releases Maze Runner: The Death Cure, Early Man, Black Panther, Mute, and Annihilation. Some 2017 films I missed out on that I'll be reviewing in the near future are Colossal, The Boss Baby, The Lost City of Z, Wonder, and The Florida Project.

'Scott Pilgrim vs. the World' Review

In Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, Scott Pilgrim is a shy, awkward Canadian bass guitarist who plays with his friends in their rock band called Sex Bob-Omb. His current girlfriend is a seventeen year old Chinese Catholic School student named Knives Chau, and the two don't do much together aside from riding the bus, browsing CDs in a music store, and playing Ninja Ninja Revolution at the local arcade. Needless to say, Pilgrim's not content with his lackluster love life. It's then no surprise that he falls head-over-heels for the mysterious and alluring new girl on the block, Ramona Flowers, only to discover that he must defeat her seven evil exes in order to win her heart. 

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World is a film based on Bryan Lee O'Malley's Scott Pilgrim graphic novel series, directed by Edgar Wright. Wright was also responsible for co-writing the screenplay alongside Michael Bacall, and the eccentric nature of the source material resonates throughout the film thanks to their contribution. Everything from awkward character interactions to the delightful dialogue feels in keeping with something you'd find in a graphic novel or a video game, which is something that's only further accentuated by the film's unconventional aesthetic. 

Visually, the film draws a lot of inspiration from video games and comic books with digitized sound effects and illustrated onomatopoeia accompanying every punch. This hyper-stylized approach lends itself well to the well-choreographed, energetic action, as it enables the fight sequences to stand apart from everything audiences are accustomed to. Scott Pilgrim vs. the World moves at a breakneck pace so the action sequences are quick and quirky, and this in large part to the frenetic editing from Jonathan Amos and Paul Machliss. While I consider the lightning fast pacing to be a detriment to the story, I can't deny that it enhanced the action sequences. 

Where Scott Pilgrim vs. the World falls short of Wright's other work is that it moves by so quickly that the characters don't feel fully realized. Therefore, I've always found it difficult to completely invest myself in them because you hardly get to know them. For the most part, they're portrayed as one-dimensional individuals due to the constraints of the source material, and so you're more likely to be enraptured by the personalities than anything else. 

Front and center, Michael Cera plays Scott Pilgrim to be an incredibly awkward protagonist, and it works perfectly because it's the Michael Cera schtick. The role was tailor-made for an actor as intrinsically uneasy as Cera, so naturally he knocks it out of the park. Opposite Cera, Mary Elizabeth Winstead imbues Ramona with a tough attitude and enough intrigue to justify Scott's initial infatuation. However, when it's all over, she's still a closed book and you're left wondering exactly why Scott would think she was worth risking his life. I understand he's fascinated by her and the two have fostered a physical connection, but in reality, it seems like they hardly know one another. Ramona feels far more removed and less interested in the relationship than Scott is, and it really puts a damper on their chemistry. Meanwhile, Ellen Wong does an excellent job depicting Knives Chau as an obsessive, over-protective girlfriend. 

When it's all said-and-done, Kieran Culkin is the stand-out, as he probably steals every scene he's in with his sensational sarcasm. It's impossible not to laugh anytime he's putting down Scott. Scattered among the remaining ensemble are an interesting mixture of recognizable faces and actors I'm otherwise unfamiliar with including Aubrey Plaza, Anna Kendrick, Brie Larson, Alison Pill, Mark Webber, and Johnny Simmons. 

Ramona's seven evil exes, also referred to as the League of Evil Exes, are composed of Matthew Patel, Lucas Lee, Roxy Richter, Todd Ingram, Kyle and Ken Katayanagi, and Gideon Graves who are portrayed by Satya Bhabha, Chris Evans, Mae Whitman, Brandon Routh, Keita Saitou, Shôta Saitô, and Jason Schwartzman respectively. Each ex has their time to shine, but Evans and Routh are easily the most memorable of the bunch. 

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World is undoubtedly Wright's wackiest and wildest film to date, but I can't help but consider it to be one of his weakest films as well... I'm well aware that most cherish it as their favorite Edgar Wright film, but I've never quite latched onto it like others have. Either way, it's still an absurdly entertaining arcade-esque experience.

Film Assessment: B+

Throwback Thursday Review: 'Pitch Perfect'

Sorry for the slight delay on publishing this review, but this week I'm reviewing Pitch Perfect because Pitch Perfect 3 will be hitting theaters in a matter of weeks. Remaining Throwback Thursday Reviews for the year include The Room, Looper, and Jumanji (1995) to go along with the releases of The Disaster Artist, Star Wars: The Last Jedi, and Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle. While I'm sick, I also plan on catching up on my other delayed Throwback Thursday Reviews, so expect to see some more of those popping up in the near future.

'Pitch Perfect' Review

Pitch Perfect grooves with an aspiring music producer and standoffish freshman who'd love nothing more than to jet off to Los Angeles and pursue her career, but instead Beca is attending Barden University to satisfy her father's demands. When she and her father come to an agreement that he'll help her move to LA if she spends a year at school, joins a student organization, and remains disinterested in college, Beca joins a regimented female a cappella group intent on defeating their campus rivals and winning the International Championship of Collegiate A Capella. However, Beca soon discovers the group's tired, traditional repertoire is in desperate need of some fine-tuning and puts her music mixing talents to use as she brings some much needed energy and a refreshing sound to the Barden Bellas. 

The plot of Pitch Perfect is by-the-books. I'm sure you've seen a million movies with a similar premise, but Pitch Perfect stands out from the crowd by harmonizing around collegiate a cappella, and the end result a ca-enjoyable. First time feature film director Jason Moore adapted Mickey Rapkin's book with the same happy-go-lucky atmosphere one would associate with Glee. While I haven't read the book, screenwriter Kay Cannon successfully translated Rapkin's work into a delightfully hilarious musical comedy.

Pitch Perfect's strongest assets are its irreverent humor and the countless catchy a cappella covers of plenty of popular tunes. If characters aren't being developed, they're probably singing or cracking wise, and that formula works wonders!

One of the more amusing gags would certainly have to be the a cappella competition commentary from commentators played by Elizabeth Banks and John Michael Higgins. It feels largely improvised, but their jokes are among the funniest to be found in the film because of their absurdity.

Pitch Perfect isn't without a proper dosage of heart though, as the film's focal romance is sweet and treats viewers to a pleasant payoff towards the film's conclusion. I especially like the incorporation of The Breakfast Club and self-aware sentiments regarding film endings found in Pitch Perfect's romantic subplot.

Anna Kendrick, Rebel Wilson, Brittany Snow, Anna Camp, Alexis Knapp, Ester Dean, and Hana Mae Lee fill the ranks of the principal Bellas as reserved recruit Beca, ostentatious "Fat Amy," cheerful Chloe, stringent leader Aubrey, sex-driven Stacie, tomboyish Cynthia-Rose, and soft-spoken Lilly. Skylar Astin, Ben Platt, and Adam Devine also make an impression as good guy Jesse, geeky Benji, and brutish Bumper, but the ensemble is great across the board.

On the whole, Pitch Perfect still hits all the right notes in spite of a predictable and formulaic story structure.

Film Assessment: B

'Table 19' Review

Have you ever been to a wedding only to be grouped with a bunch of strangers in the table assignments? Well, that's the predicament the oddballs find themselves in at Table 19. The table's composed of the ex-maid of honor who was recently dumped over text by the bride's brother, a bickering couple, an ex-con, the bride's former nanny, and an ambitious yet awkward youngster intent on finding love. Of course the group bonds and learns a thing or two from each other over the evening. 

Table 19 is directed by Jeffrey Blitz, who does a fine job spotlighting the comedic talent at his disposal. Blitz direction's fairly reserved alongside just about all the other technical elements of the film, something somewhat expected from a comedy. The screenplay penned by Jay and Mark Duplass has plenty of zingers and comedic beats that are only enhanced by the adept ensemble. While the dialogue is tongue-in-cheek, the story is rather generic leading you to predict the outcome of the entire film rather quickly so you almost feel as though you've seen the film when it's all said and done. 

I was quite impressed by the comedic talents assembled for this flick with actors you'll be familiar with from a few television series like The Office and Friends. Anna Kendrick's plucky charm doesn't go amiss, June Squibb plays the adorable elderly woman with more spunk than you'd expect, Tony Revolori continues to excel in the dorky outcast role, even if his character's purely there for comedic purposes, while Craig Robinson and Lisa Kudrow's squabbling couple are likable and have some great comedic timing but feel tacked on to add some drama to the proceedings. Stephen Merchant is the one who perhaps stole the show in my eyes, his deadpan dialogue delivery and scatterbrained approach to the character made Walter Thimble a constant source of delight. There's not really any other shining stars among the cast, especially considering the focus on this core group of individuals. 

Table 19's a cute wedding comedy that would be just as enjoyable on home media or to be caught on cable but it's not worth rushing out to your local cinema. Table 19 has it's moments and I can admit to laughing hysterically in a few instances but for the most part is exactly what you expect, a quirky comedy you'll probably never feel compelled to watch again. 

Film Assessment: C

'Trolls' Review

Nominated For: Best Original Song "Can't Stop The Feeling" (written by Justin Timberlake, Max Martin, and Shellback).

In the world of Trolls, the trolls are the happiest beings alive and the Bergens are vile ogre-like creatures that have no positive outlook on life, except the joy from consuming a troll. When the Bergens invade Troll Village and kidnap many of its inhabitants for Trollstice, the Bergen holiday in which trolls are eaten, the troll princess Poppy must set out with the pessimistic troll Branch to rescue their friends.

Trolls is the latest animated film from Dreamworks Animation that's based on the troll dolls that have surged in popularity a few times since the 1960's, their attempt at a toy-turned successful animated film like The LEGO Movie. Walt Dohrn and Mike Mitchell co-direct Trolls and with the collaboration of their animators are able to create a vibrant fantasy world for the trolls to sing, dance, and hug in.

The soundtrack adds lots of fun to the flick, with a nice combination of covers on well known hits and some catchy original pop music, standing in to express the various messages about what it means to find happiness. The most interesting sequences in the film were in fact the song and dance numbers, that effectively use the eye-popping animation to convey some truly great visual storytelling. Trolls also features a celebrity ensemble voice cast with the likes of Anna Kendrick, Justin Timberlake, Zooey Deschanel, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Christine Baranski, Russell Brand, Gwen Stefani, James Corden, Jeffrey Tambor, and even The Big Bang Theory's Kunal Nayyar. 

Kendrick brings spunk to Princess Poppy and Timberlake plays up Branch's cynical nature, making for an interesting and humorous pairing onscreen. The voice cast as a whole do well in their respective roles but unfortunately many of the characters are anything beyond one-dimensional sketches of caricaturization as opposed to fully fleshed out characters. 

Trolls' major issue is it's lack of depth, character growth, and basic storytelling. The screenplay from Jonathan Aibel and Glenn Berger serves as a means of jumping from one set piece to the next, often using the songs as quick distraction. Aibel and Berger manage to write some funny jokes and positive messages for the feature but the film simply has a sporadic short attention span.

Trolls is suitable family entertainment that provides enough flashy colors and catchy pop music to enthrall children but has such little substance that adults won't be able to tolerate repeat viewing.

Film Assessment: C

'The Accountant' Review

The number of action franchises headlining middle aged men has surged in recent years as Liam Neeson has Taken, Keanu Reeves has John Wick, and Tom Cruise has Jack Reacher along with the Mission: Impossible franchise and whether The Accountant will blossom into a fully fleshed franchise remains to be seen but it certainly has the potential. 

The Accountant finds an autistic accountant Christian Wolff cooking the books for dangerous global criminal organizations, but this accountant also happens to have the combat training of a highly skilled assassin thanks to his militaristic upbringing, and as he uncovers the truth of a discrepancy in a robotics firm's numbers he finds himself in the crosshairs and must use his accounting abilities and tactile combat skills to bring down this corrupt company. 

The Accountant is directed by Gavin O'Connor and O'Connor shows a knack for piecing everything together, really getting the viewer inside Christian Wolff's headspace. O'Connor seemingly accurately and respectfully depicts individuals with autism and does a superb job directing action. The action sequences were all well choreographed, intense, and quite unique from typical action considering there's no shaky-cam used. 

Bill Dubuque's screenplay on the other hand has it's ups and it's downs. Dubuque does an excellent job in regards to crafting a thrilling original narrative that thinks outside the box by making an ordinary CPA an action hero and he also handles flashbacks well by making them integral to the ongoing story. My one qualms are the extraneous plot lines involving a U.S. Treasury investigation that I'd have preferred not been included in the film to keep more focus on Ben Affleck's Christian Wolff and that some of the twists were a little predictable due to subtle foreshadowing. Other than those minuscule nitpicks the film is remarkably entertaining. The Accountant boasts a talented ensemble cast who elevate some of the weaker portions of the script. 

Ben Affleck has definitely proven himself capable of providing consistently noteworthy performances after temporarily hanging up his cowl to conquer another interesting action hero. Affleck plays Wolff with a dual personality of sorts verging into a serious extraordinary assassin and his socially awkward autistic accountant, both sides of the coin play off one another and he's convincing in both personas. If anything could rev up my anticipation for the Batman solo film he's directing and starring in, it was seeing him at work here. 

Anna Kendrick plays a lively accountant Dana Cummings and she fills the requirements of the role playing well off Affleck, as the two share some great chemistry providing some of the more humorous bits. 

Elsewhere, I was really impressed with Seth Lee who played the Young Chris and was convincing in his portrayal of emotional outbursts and the autistic tendencies. 

J.K. Simmons, Cynthia Addai-Robinson, and Jon Bernthal are all fantastic in the capacity used, playing up their normal sensibilities so there's nothing outside the realm of expectations set for them but they measure up to what's provided. Don't expect too much from Jeffrey Tambor or John Lithgow because they are essentially cameo appearances. 

In summary, The Accountant is an interesting action thriller that thinks outside the box, respectfully depicting individuals suffering from disabilities while also providing amazing action, prodigious performances, and strong direction. It's just the type of originality Hollywood needs right now and is the type of action film that is worth spawning a franchise around.

Film Assessment: A-

'Into The Woods' Review

Nominated for: Best Supporting Actress; Meryl Strep, Best Costume Design, and Best Production Design.

I went to go see Into the Woods and rather enjoyed the twisted versions of many popular fairy tales! I really enjoyed the music from the show and the singing was great as well! I was very surprised with Chris Pine because I didn't expect him to be able to sing as well as he did. There were many great performances but the standouts were James Corden, Emily Blunt, Meryl Streep, and Anna Kendrick. I enjoyed each of the scenes between James Corden and Emily Blunt and any scene Meryl Streep was in as well. The film has a good amount of humor in it as well that I was surprised by due to the way the film was advertised. Also if you are going because you are interested in Johnny Depp's performance, be aware that Johnny Depp doesn't have very much screen time. Overall, I really enjoyed the film and the music in the film as well and recommend that you go and see it if you are interested in musical theatre at all or are a fan of the Into the Woods broadway musical.