A Simple Favour from Bridesmaids director Paul Feig is an intriguing, mildly intoxicating and mostly successful attempt to transplant a classic film noir scenario to contemporary sunlit suburbia. Built around modern female anxieties, the film stars Anna Kendrick as nerdy, buttoned-down Stepford wife-like widower Stephanie. She tries to present herself as the ultimate in committed and resourceful mothers through her
Read moreFalling somewhere between Glee, Bring It On and Ben Stiller’s Dodgeball, the occasionally amusing Pitch Perfect 2 celebrates competition, a Capella singing and female bonding while taking the piss out of all three. Reuniting the core cast of the first film: Beca (Anna Kendrick), Amy (Rebel Wilson) and Chloe (Brittany Snow), the sequel sees a Capella singing group the Barden
Read moreInto the woods, which is based on a stage musical, mixes the stories of Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, Jack and the Beanstalk and Rapunzel into a campy fairy tale meta-movie. While this attempt at a jokey musical comedy initially offers some pantomime amusement it transforms into a turgid, overlong snooze fest. Set in a mythical medieval kingdom, the story
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