Tag: AnnaKendrick

Another Simple Favor

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Taking place five years after the events of the first film, Another Simple Favor reunites Stephanie Smothers (Anna Kendrick) and Emily Nelson (Blake Lively) for a new mystery. When Emily asks Stephanie to be her maid of honor, Stephanie reluctantly agrees. She’s whisked away to Capri for the celebrations, but when one of the guests is murdered, Stephanie starts to worry that she won’t make it home in one piece.

I was a big fan of the first film. It was quippy, smart and sexy and the cast were phenomenal. This may be the sequel that nobody asked for (I feel like everything was wrapped up well before), but I still found myself looking forward to revisiting this world.

Kendrick and Lively reprise their roles effortlessly. It was like no time had passed at all. They have such a playful and organic chemistry that I could literally watch them for hours. The hijinks that ensued this time around were even more insane and yet it somehow still worked. Another returning face was Henry Goulding’s Sean, Emily’s ex husband and Stephanie’s former paramour. Clearly struggling with what happened in the past, he’s turned to drink. While you can’t help but feel bad for him, he also has some of the best lines in the whole film. There are some new players this time around: Allison Janey is Emily’s offbeat aunt Linda, Alex Newell is Stephanie’s bubbly assistant Vicky and Michele Morrone is Emily’s new beau the elusive Dante Versano. They each fit in perfectly.

Some may say that there’s too much going on this time around. There’s more twists, more turns and not all of them make sense, but that’s okay. As long as you allow yourself to lean into it, I think it is much more enjoyable. There’s a lot of really fun callbacks to the original as well which I appreciated. I also need to give a shoutout to the outfits that were worn by the cast. Absolutely beautiful.

If it wasn’t for Paul Feig, I probably wouldn’t have even bothered with Another Simple Favor. At least having him at the helm meant that we’d be in safe hands. Set against the beautiful backdrop of Capri with brilliant lead performances by our two leading ladies and the over the top story it seemed like it could all fall apart. Luckily that was far from being the case.

Rating: ♥️♥️♥️.5

Woman Of The Hour

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Based on a true story, Cheryl Bradshaw (Anna Kendrick) is an aspiring actress who goes on the matchmaking TV show The Dating Game. Rodney Alcala (Daniel Zovatto), also known as bachelor number three, is the lucky winner. What nobody knows is that Alcala is a serial killer responsible for the death of many women.

I remember hearing about this ages ago so the fact that it is now out for the world to see is a treat. Kendrick, who not only stars in the film, also directs for the first time. I have to say that I was very impressed; the way in which she approached the subject matter was perfect. I can’t wait to see what else she ends up working on behind the camera in the hopefully near future.

The acting on display is nothing short of brilliant. Kendrick aside, we have Zovatto who was so amazingly creepy that I was very much convinced with his performance. He made you want to know more about him. Not only that, he was very charming and easily manipulative towards the women we see him come in contact with. I do wish we’d had more backstory about why he was the way he was though. The supporting cast of Tony Hale as Ed, the TV show host, Nicolette Robinson as Laura, a woman who had a previous brush with Alcala, and the various victims we were introduced to were all great additions. It was Autumn Best, however, whose portrayal of Amy, was pivotal to the story. The final act of the film had me on the edge of my seat.

Another aspect that I appreciated was the combination of pure seriousness one moment and the sudden change to something more light and comedic. I would be holding my breath during those tough scenes and then I would have to recalibrate my brain and shift gears. I truly believe that The Dating Game sequences are the best of the film, with great writing to boot.

Overall, Woman of the Hour was a captivating experience. I went into the film not knowing anything about it and found myself completely enthralled with what was unfolding in front of me. I hadn’t know anything about Rodney Alacala until that moment and learning about how horrible he was was eye opening. I recommend giving this one a go.

Rating: ♥️♥️♥️.5

Trolls Band Together

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The lovable singing Trolls are back for a brand new adventure! This time around, we get to learn about Branch (Justin Timberlake) and his past. When Poppy (Anna Kendrick) learns that he was one a part of the famous boy band group BroZone, she can hardly contain her excitement. John Dory (Eric André), Floyd (Troye Sivan), Spruce (Daveed Diggs), Clay (Kid Cudi) and Branch were IT back in the day until an argument tore them apart and they disbanded. Now, Floyd has been kidnapped and it is up to Branch and Poppy to reunite the brothers before it’s too late.

When I first discovered Trolls, I instantly fell for them. The first film was a breath of fresh air and I loved the way in which music was incorporated into their story. While I felt World Tour was a bit disappointing, I was still looking forward to Band Together.One doesn’t go into these films expecting much, but they are guaranteed to be a fun time. There isn’t much by means of a plot, but that’s okay.

What makes these movies so enjoyable for me is the musical performances. Whether it may be a cover or an original song, they always have me tapping my feet along to the beat or dancing in my seat. It’s helpful knowing that Kendrick and Timberlake can belt a tune and that they vibe so well with one another. This time around came an even bigger treat: the long awaited N*SYNC reunion fans have been dreaming about for the past twenty years. It really was well worth the wait and the boy band joke that came along with it were perfect.

Trolls Band Together may not have been as great as the original 2016 film, but I did prefer it to World Tour. It’s a fun time with some great musical numbers that put a smile on my face. I only hope we’ll see more of Poppy, Branch and the gang for more adventures to come.

Rating: ♥️♥️♥️

Alice, Darling

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From first time director Mary Nighy comes Alice, Darling. Alice (Anna Kendrick) is not okay and she hasn’t been for some time. Stuck in a psychologically abusive relationship with her boyfriend Simon (Charlie Carrick), she finds herself at a breaking point. When she goes away for vacation with her two friends Tess (Kaniehetiio Horn) and Sophie (Wunmi Mosaku), Alice is forced to realize that something needs to change.

There isn’t much to say about this little indie film. The performances were very well done, particularly in the case of Kendrick. Worlds apart from her usual type of roles, the way in which she portrayed the broken Alice was ballsy. I appreciated the places she allowed herself to go and I thought it was a true enough depiction of someone dealing with similar situations.

With a runtime of an hour and a half, the story is very much what you see is what you get. At times I wish certain scenes had been fleshed out more. This would have prevented some key parts to be less rushed. Maybe some more background as to how Alice and Simon met or the first time he started gaslighting her would have added extra insight. I was pleased with the way it all came together in the end though, even if it was tied up neatly with a bow.

Filmed in the beautiful countryside of Ontario, Alice, Darling is an important watch due to its sensitive subject matter. Had it been a little longer, I think it would have packed even more of a punch, but I still enjoyed it.

Rating: ♥️♥️♥️

Stowaway

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I never watch movies about space and I didn’t really know anything about Stowaway except for the fact that Anna Kendrick is in it. I think she is such a breath of fresh air and I will literally devour everything that she stars in. I didn’t know what I was going to think about the film going into it, but I am trying to break out of my comfort zone. I am happy to report that I liked it a lot more than I thought I was going to which is always a plus! Unfortunately there were still some things that could have been improved upon.

Zoe (Anna Kendrick), David (Daniel Dae Kim) and Marina (Toni Collette) have just embarked on a mission to Mars. Everything seems to be going smoothly until they discover an unplanned passenger named Michael (Shamier Anderson) has accidentally come along. Suddenly their voyage is jeopardized and they need to figure out how they are going to survive with an extra person onboard.

The part of the film that bothered me most was that this was a very slow burn. It took ages for something to happen and scenes were drawn out to each individual detail. Don’t get me wrong, I completely understand that this is how it needed to be. It perfectly encapsulated the tone and atmosphere of being in space and the severity of what was happening. However, if you are looking something more fast paced, then this will not be for you. It took me awhile to adjust and get used to this pace and I’m still not sure I liked it.

Anna Kendrick, Daniel Dae Kim and Toni Collette are household names and I liked seeing them together in this. I am unfamiliar with Shamier Anderson, but I did think he was a great addition in the cast. While they gave great performances, I have to say that we didn’t learn very much about some of their characters. It seemed as though they stayed one dimensional and I would have appreciated more information there. I think it would have helped me root for some of them more.

Overall, Stowaway was a pleasant surprise. I was expecting something drab, but there were certainly moments that gripped me and kept me on the edge of my seat. I do feel like some things could have been fleshed out more and because of that, it did leave me wanting more.

Rating: ♥♥♥