the bellas

Pitch Perfect 2
Directed by: Elizabeth Banks
Starring: Anna Kendrick, Rebel Wilson, Brittany Snow, Hailee Steinfeld, Adam DeVine, Skylar Astin, Katey Sagal

By: Nevra Azerkan
Rating: [The Breakdown]

It seems only yesterday that I was writing the review for the new out-of-nowhere hit, Pitch Perfect. At that time I got to see an early screening. This time around, I attended the Los Angeles premiere at the Nokia Theater at L.A. Live. Most of the cast was present to unveil the film to the anxious Los Angeles crowd.

We see the return of our favorites Anna Kendrick, Rebel Wilson, Brittany Snow and even to some capacity Skylar Astin, Adam DeVine, Anna Camp and Ben Platt. There’s a new addition of Hailee Steinfeld, who become a new Bella, as well as special appearances by Katey Sagal and David Cross. Elizabeth Banks not only stars in the sequel, but she was also given the director’s chair.

With Pitch Perfect we left off with the Bella’s holding auditions for next year’s class. So we see a few new additions, but they are mostly in the background. The group is invited to perform for the President of the United States and things turn for the worse when Fat Amy flashes everyone during their cover of “Wrecking Ball.” The Bellas are no longer able to perform, recruit or perform at their scheduled events. Those gigs end up going to a German aca-group that you will either find to be fierce or funny, but most likely both. In order to get the Bellas back in commission they make a deal: win an international aca-competition that no American team has ever won and be reinstated.

Of course hilarity is bound to come crashing through with this bunch and it does in spades. Sequels are always tricky, but Pitch Perfect 2 nails it. Storylines are focused on Beca and her internship with a music producer and Fat Amy’s love/hate relationship with Bumper. A nice surprise was how they were able to bring back Aubrey (Anna Camp) and make it seem natural. There’s also cameos from Pentatonix, Jimmy Kimmel, Rosie O’Donnell, Rosie Perez, Snoop Dogg, six members of the Green Bay Packers and The Voice coaches, Adam Levine, Christina Aguilera, Pharrell Williams, and Blake Shelton.

Pitch Perfect 2 is a blast and should not be missed. The ending was left open-ended and I had hoped they would leave it there, but Pitch Perfect 3 has already been announced and has a release date of July 21, 2017. Kendrick and Wilson have both signed on, so we will have to wait and see if they can pull off a creative way to keep their characters involved. But for now we can enjoy that they’re back, pitches.

Pitch Perfect
Directed by: Jason Moore
Starring: Anna Kendrick, Rebel Wilson, Skylar Astin, Anna Camp, Brittany Snow, Elizabeth Banks

By: Nevra Azerkan
Rating:

[The Breakdown]

When I first saw the trailer for Pitch Perfect I was so anxious for its release. With Glee and NBC’s The Sing Off showcasing amazing groups like, Pentatonix, a flick like this was surely to happen.

Pitch Perfect is loosely based on the book by Mickey Rapkin, how close it follows that storyline I’m not sure. But my main concern was the casting. You need some amazing talent to pull this off. Anna Kendrick is one of my favorite new actresses. From Twilight to Up in the Air to now Pitch Perfect, she can do it all. Most people don’t know she actually comes from a Broadway background, so what you hear is really her and she brings it. We all are getting to know and love Rebel Wilson, who we cannot forget from Bridesmaids. This girl shines as Fat Amy with her hilarious delivery of some of the best lines in the film. Skylar Astin is definitely a breakout star in this with his quirky, but cute charm and his contagious charisma.

The movie begins with Beca (Kendrick) on her first day of college where her father also happens to be professor. She’s clearly not pleased being there and would rather be in Los Angeles becoming a famous DJ. She attends the student fair and soon meets two of The Barden Bellas, an all-girls acapella group, who try to recruit her. She turns them down, but ultimately joins to get her dad off her case. During this time, she meets Jesse (Astin) who ends up joining The Treblemakers, the all-male acapella group on campus, reigning champs and rivals of The Bellas. Jesse and Beca end up working together at the college radio station and soon begin spending a lot of time with each other until she abruptly pushes him away. She continues doing performances with The Bellas until she has had enough of their “plan”, which is mostly losing against The Treblemakers because their songs are outdated, and tries to get them to take some risks. This isn’t taken well, but once everyone comes to their senses, Beca leads the Bellas in their new direction and gets them to the regional competition. She and Jesse are no longer speaking as The Bellas and The Treblemakers prep for the competition and…well, it’s pretty obvious how the rest goes.

It’s a simple plot, but it is carried out very well. The actors all fit their roles perfectly and the best part of it all is the song renditions and mash-ups. After all, one goes to see a movie with acapella groups battling it out to hear the songs. From the trailer, the “riff-off” with “No Diggity”, originally by Blackstreet, had me sold. In the film, the mash-up of “Just the Way You Are” (Bruno Mars) mixed with “Just a Dream” (Nelly) really had you rooting for The Bellas. Their finale mash-up, “Price Tag” (Jessie J), “Don’t You (Forget About Me)” (Simple Minds), “Give Me Everything” (Pitbull) “Just the Way You Are” (Bruno Mars), “Party in the U.S.A.” (Miley Cyrus) and “Turn the Beat Around” (Vicki Sue Robinson), was hands down the highlight of the film. Random mix of songs, but how they managed to get them to blend so well together was aca-awesome.

Pitch Perfect is such a fun and refreshing film that you can overlook any flaws that it may have (like the random departure of the former lead singer of The Treblemakers and his moment with Fat Amy left hanging). It’s about sitting back and watching the excitement on the screen and they don’t just bring it, they sing it.