Pitch Perfect

Pitch Perfect (PG-13) 2012

Directed by Jason Moore

Starring:  Anna Kendrick, Skylar Astin, Ben Platt, Brittany Snow, Anna Camp, Rebel Wilson, Alexis Knapp, Ester Dean, Hana Mae Lee and Kelley Jakle

Here We Go:  An all-girls college a cappella group comes together to update their image in order to stand a chance in a heated competition.  Pitch Perfect is like Glee with bite, but maybe that's the difference between high school and college.  There is still that chick-flick, cheekiness that comes from movies like this (think: Bring It On), but it's still a movie that both guys and girls can enjoy.  It's actually funny in an off the wall sort of way, and the singing is pretty awesome!  Of course there are those "it would never happen" moments, but so what?  Just listening to Anna Kendrick sing Cups makes it all ok!

Bottom Line:   Watch it!

Parental Guidance

Parental Guidance (PG) 2012

Directed by Andy Fickman

Starring:  Billy Crystal, Bette Midler, Marisa Tomei, Tom Everett Scott,Bailee Madison, Joshua Rush, Kyle Harrison Breitkopf, Jennifer Crystal Foley, Gedde Watanabe, Rhoda Griffis, Madison Lintz and Brad James

Here We Go:  Billy Crystal, Bette Midler and Marissa Tomei headline a talented cast that delivers a funny and entertaining movie.  Crystal and Midler are the grandparents that are called in to babysit their grandchildren at the last minute.  Their daughter (Tomei) has a decidedly "modern" parenting attitude and doesn't believe in the "old school" parenting style of her parents.  Of course, the styles clash and we watch the family learn (through various funny and sometimes dramatic scenes) that both styles of parenting can be effective.  This one won't win any Oscars and the plot is predictable but its a movie that is simply supposed to entertain and it does just that.  

Bottom Line:  Watch it.

Phil Spector

Phil Spector (TV) 2013

Directed by David Mamet

Starring:  Al Pacino, Helen Mirren and Jeffrey Tambor

Here We Go:  I went into this movie knowing generally who Phil Spector was but I had no idea  what the movie was actually about.  I figured it starred Academy Award winners Al Pacino and Helen Mirren so it couldn't be awful.  It turns out the movie is really a legal drama about Spector's trial for murder.  Only the movie does not actually show the trial - it focuses on the behind the scenes interaction between the eccentric Spector and his main defense attorney, Linda Kenney Baden (Mirren).  As the two prepare for trial, Baden begins to actually believe Spector while at the same time realizing he may be more than eccentric.  With two great lead actors, the acting itself was excellent and the story is, actually, very interesting.  However, the way the film was done, without showing the actual crime or the trial, leaves it a bit dry for anyone who doesn't want to watch the trial preparation process (I happen to enjoy that - but that's me).  Topped off with the fact that the actual verdict is only shown in a credit at the end of the movie and the viewers may be left wondering what they just watched.  

Bottom Line:  If you like the music or legal industry, watch it.  Others may want to pass.