Three movies lately

First, Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters.  Yep, that was pretty fun.  The two kids of fairy tale fame grow up to be arrow-shooting, gun-slinging, kung fu fighting, witch exterminating bounty hunters.  Even though the mild twist to the fairy tale that was revealed near the ending was rather predictable, that’s fine.  This isn’t something meant to be thought-provoking and deeply moving, after all.  The costumes and set design are good, the witches looked absolutely horrid, the visual effects were as expected, the fight scenes were quick and gregarious, and the cast was gorgeous.  I wish though that I didn’t see it in 3D – gave me quite the headache, and those 3D glasses are simply too uncomfortable and bothersome on top of my own eyeglasses.

Second, Les Miserables.  I’ve seen the film adaptation starring Liam Neeson and Geoffrey Rush, and I liked that version more than this.  But that’s not to say that the 2012 film was all that bad.  Of course the story was good, this is Victor Hugo.  And the songs were wonderful, coming from the musical as they were.  I liked Hugh Jackman most – 100% performance there from a guy who seems to have it all and can do anything.  The costumes and set design – great.  Well and good.  I won’t deny that it’s good, see for yourself.  But, I still prefer the 1998 film.  Hmm… to each his own, n'est–ce pas?  

Third, Pitch Perfect.  It aired in 2012 and follows the grand tradition of singing-group-inspired flicks that go back to times long gone.  This one was of course rather in the mold of Glee, it being the most recent popular similar-themed media bonanza.  So there you go.  Beca, a girl with personal space and friendship issues goes to college at the insistence of her professor father.  She wants to be a music producer and practically has her headphones stuck to her pretty little head most of the time.  At college she meets the “Troublemakers” (boy group) and the “Bellas” (girl group, duh) and learns of their competitive endeavors.  The Bellas, however, are beleaguered by a besmirched recent history and is having much trouble recruiting new members.  Beca strikes a bargain with daddy and ends up joining the Bellas, and she ends up revolutionizing the world of  a capella singing as everyone knows it.  Along the way, she forms warm, fuzzy friendships, reconciles with her dad, wins the coveted trophy, and falls in love with the boy.  What other possible ending could there be?  I thought it was pretty cute, if you liked this kind of cute, and it made me want to see The Breakfast Club (yes, that perennial favorite from the 1980’s) again.  And the singing wasn’t bad.