Pitch Perfect (2012) - Genuinely funny crowd-pleaser

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A group of young women wearing sunglasses while posing makes up this poster for Jason Moore's Pitch Perfect

Beca begins college but has to pull tight to fit into life there, which for her becomes through the companionship found in a cappella group The Bellas, which - along with the campus' male group the Treblemakers, - compete for national victory!

 

Pitch Perfect is written by Kay Cannon (Let It Snow (2019)), based on Michael Rapkin's same-titled 2008 book, and directed by great debuting Arkansan filmmaker Jason Moore (Tales of the City (2021)).

The film is a party that arrives as a cinematic answer to television's seemingly endless, highly popular talent shows of the post-millennial era - as well as TV series sensation Glee (2009-15). Anna Kendrick's (Noelle (2019)) charm and natural sweetness is a major plus, and Pitch Perfect also becomes a springboard for funny, unembarrassed Rebel Wilson (The Hustle (2019)), sweet Skylar Astin (Ghosts of War (2020)) and foolish Adam Devine (Jexi (2019)). - And Elizabeth Banks (Charlie's Angels (2019)), who also co-produced, and John Michael Higgins (Licorice Pizza (2021)) are a welcome - and often hilarious - element as ex a cappella performers who are now a cappella contest commentators. 

Pitch Perfect is not perfect in any way, - but it sparkles with energy and is both funny, romantic and fresh. It is among the most delightful favorites of 2012.

 

Watch a trailer for the movie here

 

Cost: 17 mil. $

Box office: 115.6 mil. $

= Huge hit (returned 6.8 times its cost)

[Pitch Perfect opened 28 September (North America) and runs 112 minutes. Wilson was paid 65k $ for her performance in the film. Shooting took place around October 2011 in Louisiana. The film opened #6 to a 5.1 mil. $ weekend in North America, spending the next weekend at #3, its only in the top 5, grossing 65 mil. $ (56.2 % of the total gross). The 2nd and 3rd biggest markets were Australia with 13 mil. $ (11.2 %) and Germany with 10.1 mil. $ (8.7 %). Roger Ebert gave it a 2/4 star review, translating to 3 notches under this one. Two sequels followed, Pitch Perfect 2 (2015) and Pitch Perfect 3 (2017). Moore returned with Trophy Wives (2013-14) and theatrically with Sisters (2015). Kendrick returned in Drinking Buddies (2013). Pitch Perfect is certified fresh at 82 % with a 6.50/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of Pitch Perfect?

Paranormal Activity 4 (2012) - Found footage franchise shows wear and tear

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A disturbing shadow over a sleeping blond girl on a surveillance cam still makes up this poster for Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman's Paranormal Activity 4

Several years after a mother and her son go missing, they suddenly turn up, apparently without having aged, in a home across from a normal family with an adopted son, who in turn becomes friends with the reappeared boy...

 

Paranormal Activity 4 is written by Christopher Landon (Viral (2016)), with Chad Feehan (Banshee (2016, TV-series)) contributing story elements, and directed by Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman (Catfish (2010), both). It is the 4th film in the Paranormal Activity franchise (2009; 2010; 2011).

The filmmakers skip explaining why the family has recording devices capturing everything that happens in all the rooms of their house. Some are webcams that never turn off (...) but apart from these? This makes the scares limited, as we follow the blond girl around, while she also records everything. 

The family is gratingly ordinary, making at least me wonder if I would also appear that ordinary if captured on various devices in my home (impossible!) But the naturalness achieved is nevertheless impressive. SPOILER Children that shift loyalty to unseen forces are scary, and the film's last minutes, before a regular witch army is revealed for a very short time (witches again, yes), are effective. But the formula shows its weak points too often here in the 4th chapter.

 

Related posts:

 

The Paranormal Activity franchise: Paranormal Activity 3 (2011) - Franchise returns to creepy 1988-set beginnings (also by Joost, Schulman)

2010 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED III]  

2010 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II]

2010 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I]

2010 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess 

Paranormal Activity 2 (2010) or, Haunted California Idiots

Paranormal Activity (2007) - Peli's record-breaking found footage horror smash 

 

 

Watch a trailer for the film here

 

Cost: 5 mil. $

Box office: 142.8 mil. $

= Mega-hit (returned 28.56 times its cost)

[Paranormal Activity 4 premiered 27 September (Austin Fantastic Fest, USA) and runs 88 minutes. Shooting took place in the summer of 2012 in Nevada and Los Angeles, California. The film opened #1 to a 29 mil. $ first weekend in North America, where it spent another weekend in the top 5 (#4), grossing 53.8 mil. $ (37.7 % of the total gross). The 2nd and 3rd biggest markets were the UK with 9.5 mil. $ (6.7 %) and Australia with 7.8 mil. $ (5.5 %). It additionally reportedly made more than 9.7 mil. $ on the North-American home video market alone. The franchise returned with Paranormal Acitivity: The Marked Ones (2014) with Landon taking over as director, and 2 more sequels. Joost and Schulman returned with 5 shorts and a video prior to their theatrical return with Nerve (2016). Paranormal Activity 4 is rotten at 23 % with a 4.20/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

 

What do you think of Paranormal Activity 4? 

The Postman (1997) - Costner's colossal apocalyptic turkey

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Star/co-producer/director Kevin Costner walks around with a mule in a barren landscape under a desecrated US flag on this poster for his The Postman

In a post-apocalyptic future in the year 2013, America has collapsed, but a nomad in a postman's uniform that he has found is going to lead a rebellion against the tyrannical new leader!

 

The Postman is written by Brian Helgeland (A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master (1988)) and Eric Roth (Forrest Gump (1994)), adapting the same-titled 1985 novel by David Brin (Kiln People (2002)), and directed by co-producer/director/star Kevin Costner (Dances with Wolves (1990)).

It is incredible that Costner was given the huge budget for this even more unfathomable script after the then recent disaster of the Costner-starring action-adventure Waterworld (1995), which is a much better movie. Here he mourns his donkey, as said donkey gets boiled into a stew, and he keeps quoting Shakespeare to Will Patton's (Minari (2020)) irate General Bethlehem, when the general isn't decapitating unfortunate ones. Why the world has come to a place where it consists of a relatively small group of people in a gravel pit who yell for The Sound of Music, which is what we meet in The Postman, we never get an explanation. Nor do we get enlightened when it comes to the involuntarily comical, mysterious relationship with delivering the mail and being a postman, which Costner revels in here. The dialog about this point should be taken down as among the daftest in cinema history. 

The score (by James Newton Howard (Pain Hustlers (2023))) indicates knee-high adventure, and the photography (by Stephen F. Windom (Needle (2010))) is grand and good-looking, - but the story around these elements is utter rubbish. The Postman is endlessly awful.

 

Related posts:

Kevin Costner: Molly's Game (2017) - Chastain is luminous in Sorkin's great true-crime debut (co-star)

Man of Steel (2013) or, Superman v Zod: Sunset of Destruction (co-star)

2003 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II] 

Open Range (2003) - Costner impresses with fabulous classic western

Thirteen Days (2000) - Electrifying Cuban Missile Crisis thriller (actor/producer)  

Dances with Wolves (1990) - Costner's triumphant, simpatico western

 

Watch a 1-minute clip from the film here

Cost: 80 mil. $

Box office: 20.8 mil. $

= Mega-flop (returned 0.26 times its cost)

[The Postman premiered 12 December (California) and runs 177 minutes. Shooting took place from March - July 1997 in Oregon and Washington. Reportedly Costner refused to cut down the film's length at the studio's insistence, following two "disastrous" test screenings. The film opened #9 to a 5.2 mil. $ first weekend in North America, its highest rank there, where it grossed 17.6 mil. $ (84.6 % of the total gross). Roger Ebert gave the film a 1.5/4 star review, equal in rating to this one. Costner returned with Open Range (2003) as a filmmaker and in Message in a Bottle (1999) as an actor. The Postman is rotten at 10 % with a 4.20/10 average rating at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of The Postman?

The Promotion (2008) - Conrad's under-appreciated supermarket comedy

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+ Best Box Office Disaster of the Year + Best Comedy of the Year 

 

A tense stand-off in an office between two famous funny-men make up this poster for Steve Conrad's The Promotion

Doug is told that he is a 'shoe-in' for the open position of store manager of a large, newly opened Donaldson's grocery store, - but then the Canadian wildcard Richard enters the equation...

The Promotion is written and directed by great Floridian filmmaker Steve Conrad (Lawrence Melm (2004)).

Seann William Scott (Mr. Woodcock (2007)) gets totally free of the shadow of his goofy American Pie (1999; 2001; 2003; 2012) stardom here and is brilliant as an insecure, worried boss-to-be, and John C. Reilly (Dark Water (2005)) is incredibly funny as the imbecile Canadian competition with self-help audio in his ears. With a terrific supporting cast, this is a rare workplace comedy that's really good and hilarious. It challenges the power of the promotion for the regular Joe and succeeds handsomely with plenty of laughs at the expense of the often politically incorrect reality.

 

Related posts:

 

Steve Conrad: Wonder (2017) - Remember napkins for Chbosky's heart-warming family drama (co-writer)

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (2013) - Stiller's sweet, visually splendid Christmas present (writer) 

2008 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED III] 

The Pursuit of Happyness (2006) - Two Smiths inspire hearts and minds in true-story drama (writer)

 

Watch a trailer for the film here

 

Cost: 8 mil. $

Box office: 457k $

= Box office disaster (returned 0.05 times its cost)

[The Promotion premiered 9 March (South by Southwest Film Festival, USA) and runs 86 minutes. Shooting took place around July 2006 in Chicago, Illinois. The film opened #46 to a 30k $ first weekend in 6 theaters in North America, where it peaked at #22 and in 81 theaters, grossing 408k $ (89.3 % of the total gross). The film only has two other recorded markets, (it was also released theatrically in Portugal but the result goes unreported.) Germany with 33k $ (7.2 %) and Singapore with 15k $ (3.3 %.) Roger Ebert gave the film a 2/4 star review, translating to 3 notches under this one. Conrad has not returned with a feature as a director since, instead directing some TV and more turning towards writing. Scott returned in Role Models (2008); Reilly in The Simpsons (2008, TV-series) and theatrically in Step Brothers (2008). The Promotion is rotten at 55 % with a 5.90/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of The Promotion?

Player (2013) - Plot and quality head South for Danish comedy team

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Two of Denmark's most famous funny men riding a scooter with big smiles in Southern France try to sell here on the poster for Tomas Villum Jensen's Player

A dull lawyer from Copenhagen is handling a divorce case in Southern France, before he is going to propose to his boss' daughter. But on the trip he has soon lost 10 mil. Danish kroner, as he meets an old friend and a beautiful woman.

 

Player is written by Marie Østerbye (The Rain (2018, VoD TV-series)) and co-writer/co-star Casper Christensen (Dan-Dream (2017)), based on an idea from director Tomas Villum Jensen (Kærlighed ved Første Hik (1999)).

The beautiful woman in France remains a cipher until the end, except for the qualities of having a lovely smile and figure, and seeming nice and more natural than the daughter that the lawyer plans to marry.

Player provokes light chuckles three to four times, but unfortunately it is extinguished of really funny mix-ups, and Christensen probably should have abandoned this type of douche-bag character type after his long engagement with a similar one in the Clown/Klovn universe (TV-series 2005-18 plus three features in 2010, 2015 and 2020.) The climax of Player is also extremely short, which confirms the few, lazy or unstimulated narrative nerves behind the film.

 

Related posts:

 

Tomas Villum Jensen: Sprængfarlig Bombe (2006) - The two Jensens' satire is unrefined but hilarious

Sidste Time (1995) - Hammy, heavy-handed Danish teen horror (actor) 

 

 

Watch a 3-minute clip from the film here

 

Cost: 19 mil. DKK, approximately 2.77 mil. $

Box office: 1.3 mil. $

=  Mega-flop (returned 0.46 times its cost)

[Player was released 20 June (Denmark) and runs 90 minutes. Shooting took place in Copenhagen, Denmark and France. The film opened #2 in Denmark, where 96,089 paid admission in total. The film was not released in other markets. Jensen has since left directing alone, only except for 3 TV specials of celebrities playing golf. Christensen returned in Klown Forever (2015); Rasmus Bjerg (Held for Ransom/Ser Du Månen Daniel (2019)) in Gentlemen (2014). 1.2k IMDb users have given Player a 4.7/10 average rating.]

 

What do you think of Player? 

Paradise: Hope/Paradies: Hoffnung (2013) - A chubby teen camp meets the Seidl eye

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Three large young women sit awkwardly on a gym bench on this poster for Ulrich Seidl's Paradise: Hope

Melanie is an overweight teenage girl who is sent away to a camp for girls like herself for a time to alter her lifestyle.

Paradise: Hope is written by Veronika Franz (Kern (2012, documentary)) and great Austrian filmmaker, co-writer/director Ulrich Seidl (Models (1999)). It is the 3rd film in the pair's Paradise trilogy, also consisting of Paradise: Love (2012) and Paradise: Faith (2012). The title is a literal translation of the original German title.

We follow Melanie's camp stay, which Seidl investigates without much of a direction with the added label 'Hope', which also doesn't seem to say much about the characters here. They are young; yes, hopeful; perhaps. - But we never learn where they end up. There are still fine and unusual scenes in Paradise: Hope, but it is the weakest in the trilogy and fundamentally it is missing something.

 

Related post:

 

Ulrich Seidl: Paradise: Faith/Paradies: Glaube (2012) - Strong Catholic faith through Seidl's lens 

Paradise: Love/Paradies: Liebe (2012) - Woman's love safari fertile ground for Seidl drama

 

 

Watch a teaser for the film here

 

Cost: Unknown

Box office: 457k $

= Uncertain but likely a mega-flop (projected return of 0.25 times its cost)

[Paradise: Hope premiered 8 February (Berlin International Film Festival) and runs 100 minutes. Shooting took place in Austria. The film opened #75 to a 2k $ first weekend in 1 theater in North America, spreading to 3 theaters but unable to gain a higher rank, grossing 6k $ (1.3 % of the total gross). The film's 3 biggest markets were Germany with 189k $ (41.4 %), Austria with 168k $ (36.8 %) and Spain with 44k $ (9.6 %). If made on a realistic 1.8 mil. $ budget, the film would rank as a mega-flop. Seidl returned with In the Basement/Im Keller (2014, documentary). Melanie Lenz (Paradise: Love (2012)), who plays Melanie, did not return to the screen after the film. Paradise: Hope is fresh at 88 % with a 7.10/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of Paradise: Hope?

Paradise: Faith/Paradies: Glaube (2012) - Strong Catholic faith through Seidl's lens

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A woman in front of a crucifix exposes her butt on this curious poster for Ulrich Seidl's Paradise: Faith

Marianne is a deeply religious Catholic cancer ward nurse, and in her off time she walks outside with her sculpture of the Virgin Mary. When her invalid Muslim husband returns home, sparks between the two erupt.

 

Paradise: Faith is written by Veronika Franz (Safari (2016)) and great Austrian filmmaker, co-writer/director Ulrich Seidl (Models (1999)). It is the 2nd film in the pair's Paradise trilogy, which also consists of Paradise: Love (2012) and Paradise: Hope (2013). The title is a literal translation of the original German title.

It is presents a peculiar and original as well as a completely straight-lined and understandable narrative with impressively authentic performances, made in Seidl's signature docu-style. Especially Maria Hofstätter (Orkester (2021)) in the unembarrassed lead as Marianne, a fascinating and inspiring character, because she lifts her faith so actively, going out to confront her fellow (sad, miserable) Austrian countrymen with it. Her conflict with her husband has depth and nuances: Are we here witnesses to a rare artistic reflection of the cultural clash between Muslims and the West? Is Marianne's mission hopeless, pointless? Or meaningful and reputable? 

Paradise: Faith lets the questions stand open until the last scene, SPOILER in which Seidl's own assessment of Catholicism as a judgmental, restrictive kind of sadomasochism seems to take over, - which at best does not fully cover it, and at worst is an unfair rejection.

 

Related post:

 

Ulrich Seidl: Paradise: Love/Paradies: Liebe (2012) - Woman's love safari fertile ground for Seidl drama

 

 

Seidl talks about the film in a video here

 

Cost: Unknown

Box office: 618k $

= Uncertain but likely a mega-flop (projected return of 0.34 times its cost)

[Paradise: Faith premiered 30 August (Venice Film Festival) and runs 113 minutes. Shooting took place from September - November 2011 in Vienna, Austria. The film opened #95 to a 2k $ first weekend in North America, where it never ranked higher and grossed 6k $ (1 % of the total gross). Its biggest markets were Austria with 295k $ (47.7 %), Germany with 226k $ (36.6 %) and Spain with 48k $ (7.8 %). If made on a realistic 1.8 mil. $ budget, the film would rank as a mega-flop. The film won a European Film award, among other honors. Seidl returned with Paradise: Hope (2013). Hofstätter returned in Braunschlag (2012, TV-series) and theatrically in Paradise: Hope. Paradise: Faith is fresh at 73 % with a 6.40/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

 

What do you think of Paradise: Faith? 

Prisoners (2013) - Villeneuve arrives in Hollywood with grim crime story

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Two very serious-looking male stars in a sea of grey and darkness make up this poster for Denis Villeneuve's Prisoners

During a normal Thanksgiving celebration a family suddenly lose two daughters. The tracks to finding them are few, and as despair lurks, the mystery widens.

 

Prisoners is written by Aaron Guzikowski (Contraband (2012)) and directed by Canadian master filmmaker Denis Villeneuve (August 32nd on Earth/Un 32 Août sur Terre (1998)), whose 6th feature it is.

With a strong opening and a monumental rain (so great it made me wonder how it was created) this thrilling, very well photographed (cinematographer Roger Deakins (Sicario (2015))) film pulls you in. It serves several good performances: Jake Gyllenhaal (Jarhead (2005)), Hugh Jackman (The Greatest Showman (2017)), Maria Bello (Lights Out (2016)) and more in the background: Terrence Howard (Iron Man (2008)), Viola Davis (Widows (2018)) and Paul Dano (Youth (2015)) are also good. 

The film is long but it manages to keep us close to its electrically grim story. Unfortunately it is resolved poorly, SPOILER since Guzikowski's script finally refuses to accept the obvious crook (a pedophile) to instead give us some babble about labyrinths, snakes - and Melissa Leo (Coast (2021)) as a heavy! She is a Jigsaw-like (from Saw (2004-) franchise fame) character, who punishes God for children's cancer and locks Jackman into a hole ... - Unsatisfying.

 

Related posts:

Denis Villeneuve: Dune/Dune: Part One (2021) - Villeneuve revitalizes another SF boulder 

2017 in films - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I]

Blade Runner 2049 (2017) - Villeneuve's speculative sci-fi sequel is fascinating but flawed 

2016 in films - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I] 

2016 in films - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II] 
2016 in films - according to Film Excess
Arrival (2016) - Villeneuve, Heisserer and Adams head sensational sci-fi wonder
Incendies (2010) - Villeneuve's dreary and depressing, wildly overrated drama 

 

 

Watch a trailer for the film here

 

Cost: 46 mil. $

Box office: 122.1 mil. $

= Box office success (returned 2.65 times its cost)

[Prisoners premiered 30 August (Telluride Film Festival, USA) and runs 153 minutes. Guzikowski's script landed on the 2009 Black List, a list of Hollywood's most popular unproduced scripts. Shooting took place from February - May 2013 in Georgia. The film opened #1 to a 20.8 mil. $ first weekend in North America, where it spent another 2 weekends in the top 5 (#2-#4), grossing 61 mil. $ (50 % of the total gross). The 2nd and 3rd biggest markets were the UK with 11.6 mil. $ (9.5 %) and France with 9.7 mil. $ (7.9 %). It additionally made an estimated 18.3 mil. $ on the North-American home video market alone. The film was nominated for 1 Oscar: Best Cinematography, lost to Emmanuel Lubezki for Gravity. It also won 2 National Board of Review awards, among other honors. IMDb's users have rated the film in at #163 on the site's Top 250, sitting between Raging Bull (1980) and Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998). Villeneuve returned with Enemy (2013). Jackman returned in Chantoozies: Baby It's You (2014, music video) and theatrically in X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014); Gyllenhaal in Enemy. Prisoners is certified fresh at 81 % with a 7.30/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

 

What do you think of Prisoners?