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.
