We Are Your Friends premiered in the U.S. on August 28th to a decent amount of fanfare. However, it's been pretty downhill since there. The movie grossed less than $2 million on its opening weekend, placing it at #14 at the box office. It also received a 42% score from Rotten Tomatoes and 46% from Metacritic. Other critics have been more favorable, but it is quite easy to label this movie as a flop. So what went wrong? Quite honestly, a lot went wrong.
For starters, the plot of the movie did not help anyone. The basic story revolves around Zac Efron's character, Cole Carter, an aspiring DJ. He and his friends dream of living the big life and when Carter begins working under the tutelage of famous DJ James Reed (played by Wes Bentley), it looks like those dreams will come true. There is nothing original about this plot, except for the DJ part. EDM music is pretty popular now, and a good EDM movie could have been really big. Unfortunately, the EDM part of this movie makes it seem more like a documentary more than anything. The rest of the plot is unoriginal and downright boring at times. All of the usual cliches about music and mentoring can be found here.
Two of the biggest problems with the movie are its characters and acting. Efron has never been a great actor, but he's definitely had better performances. Emily Ratajkowski, who plays Efron's love interest, gives the worst performance of the movie. The chemistry between the two is okay (nothing great) but Ratajkowski's performance is incredibly plain and bland. She seemingly has two facial expressions and is unable to deliver in big moments. Bentley gives the best performance of the movie, but it is nothing special. As for the characters, the only really interesting one is Reed, who has issues with alcohol. The movie tries to get the viewers to develop bonds with a number of characters, especially with Ratajkowski's character Sophie and Squirrel, one of Efron's friends who is played by Alex Shaffer. Had the movie successfully been able to get the audience to sympathize with those two characters, this movie could have been a lot better (see Step Up). But by failing to do so, the audience is simply apathetic towards them. A lot of fault can be found with Cole Carter as well. It seems like Zac Efron used this movie to completely shake off his clean-cut Disney image. As a result, his character smokes weed way too much and completely absorbs the party lifestyle. In fact, a lot of the stuff that gave the movie an R-Rating (like the nudity and profanity) seems forced and unnecessary.
Directing the movie is Max Joseph, most famous for Catfish. How being the cameraman and co-host of that show enabled him to direct this one is beyond me. As mentioned before, a lot of stuff in this movie seems totally out-of-context and irrelevant to what is happening. It totally confuses the audience and in some cases, bores them.
As bad as the movie was, it did have its positives. It has some genuinely funny moments, the chemistry between Bentley and Efron is good, and the last song is really good. However, the movie as a whole is nothing but a flop. The run time of 96 minutes is far too long and the movie is genuinely unwatchable at times. In the end, the true test of a movie is whether it entertains the audience, and this one, does not.
Tuesday, September 8, 2015
Wednesday, August 26, 2015
Mission: Impossible- Rogue Nation Review
The fifth and latest installment in the Mission Impossible series Mission: Impossible- Rogue Nation came out on July 31st. The movie has done very well so far, leading the North American box office for two weeks (before being displaced by Straight Outta Compton), has the third best IMAX July numbers in history (behind The Dark Knight Rises and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows- Part 2), and had a score of 93% on the website Rotten Tomatoes. Needless to say, the film has met and exceeded the expectations set by its wildly successful prequel, Mission: Impossible- Ghost Protocol. But just how good was this movie? Let's take a closer look in this review.
The plot revolved around Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise), acting without the IMF's help, trying to bring down The Syndicate, an organization that others don't really believe exist. Tying into this plot is Syndicate agent Ilsa Faust, who appears to be more mysterious than one might initially think. We also have the side story of Alec Baldwin's character, the director of the CIA, trying to take down the IMF. On top of that, he is trying to catch Hunt, the lone IMF agent unaccounted for. This storyline provides some great moments in the movie and pays off in the end. The plot is nothing too special, something that you would expect from a Mission Impossible movie. The Ilsa Faust storyline can be a little much at times, but it proves to be an interesting part of the movie.
Cruise became the ideal action movie star a number of years ago, and he shows off exactly why in this movie. Even his biggest detractors cannot take away from the fact that he is a great action star. The best acting performance in this movie however, goes to Simon Pegg for his role as Benji. He gets a bigger role than he does in the last movie, and he does a great job as the comedic sidekick. Everything is completely on point, from his dialogue delivery to his facial expressions. Even when he is not the main character in the shot, he always stays in character. Every other actor gives a good performance, including Baldwin and Jeremy Renner. The return of Ving Rhames as a supporting characters was a good move, as he and Renner not only worked well together, but helped accentuate the other's character. The only character that really fell flat was the main antagonist, Solomon Lane. It looks like director Christopher McQuarrie was going for the quiet, evil genius type of villain, but it just didn't work. Actor Sean Harris can't be blamed for the character falling flat, any actor would have had a difficult time making that character work.
The biggest attractions of the M:I series are the crazy stunts and incredible action sequences. This movie was no different, and while there was nothing as good as Cruise running down the Burj Al Arab, its still pretty good. On another note, Cruise looks spectacular for his age and looks like he could churn out action movies for at least another decade.
Not long after this movie came out, a sequel was announced. A hardly surprising announcement, seeing as how successful this movie was. If you haven't seen it yet, you need to watch it. Is it a must-see film? No, but it's still extremely entertaining and worthy of your time.
Thanks for reading everyone.
The plot revolved around Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise), acting without the IMF's help, trying to bring down The Syndicate, an organization that others don't really believe exist. Tying into this plot is Syndicate agent Ilsa Faust, who appears to be more mysterious than one might initially think. We also have the side story of Alec Baldwin's character, the director of the CIA, trying to take down the IMF. On top of that, he is trying to catch Hunt, the lone IMF agent unaccounted for. This storyline provides some great moments in the movie and pays off in the end. The plot is nothing too special, something that you would expect from a Mission Impossible movie. The Ilsa Faust storyline can be a little much at times, but it proves to be an interesting part of the movie.
Cruise became the ideal action movie star a number of years ago, and he shows off exactly why in this movie. Even his biggest detractors cannot take away from the fact that he is a great action star. The best acting performance in this movie however, goes to Simon Pegg for his role as Benji. He gets a bigger role than he does in the last movie, and he does a great job as the comedic sidekick. Everything is completely on point, from his dialogue delivery to his facial expressions. Even when he is not the main character in the shot, he always stays in character. Every other actor gives a good performance, including Baldwin and Jeremy Renner. The return of Ving Rhames as a supporting characters was a good move, as he and Renner not only worked well together, but helped accentuate the other's character. The only character that really fell flat was the main antagonist, Solomon Lane. It looks like director Christopher McQuarrie was going for the quiet, evil genius type of villain, but it just didn't work. Actor Sean Harris can't be blamed for the character falling flat, any actor would have had a difficult time making that character work.
The biggest attractions of the M:I series are the crazy stunts and incredible action sequences. This movie was no different, and while there was nothing as good as Cruise running down the Burj Al Arab, its still pretty good. On another note, Cruise looks spectacular for his age and looks like he could churn out action movies for at least another decade.
Not long after this movie came out, a sequel was announced. A hardly surprising announcement, seeing as how successful this movie was. If you haven't seen it yet, you need to watch it. Is it a must-see film? No, but it's still extremely entertaining and worthy of your time.
Thanks for reading everyone.
Thursday, February 5, 2015
5 Reasons a Friends Movie Must be Made
Friends is one of the most successful and beloved sitcoms of all-time. Not only was it a huge success during its run on television, it is still extremely popular now, ten years after the final episode aired. This is remarkable, as most shows tend to fade into obscurity once they end. Another thing that is so remarkable about the show: it kept viewers entertained throughout its entire run. Many long-running shows (such as The Simpsons or Family Guy) tend to get stale after a number of seasons, Friends always managed to stay interesting and fresh.
Since its end in 2004, fans all over the world have missed the iconic show. This is one of the few shows that spans generations. Reruns still air, but it's not the same. Fans want new material. That is why they were so excited when rumors of a Friends movie started popping up. The rumors have since been slashed, but it got fans excited. Is there really a possibility of a movie happening? It seems unlikely at this point. The cast members have other projects going on and the original set no longer exists. Nonetheless, there is still a chance, however slim. If there is a will, there is a way. It's just a matter of getting everyone on board. Here are five reasons why fans should push for the movie to be made and why everyone involved (including the head honchos) should push for it as well.
5. It Would Do Extremely Well at the Box Office- Let's be honest, everyone would watch a Friends movie. There are millions of people who love the show and would go see the movie. It would take the box office by storm, as people would flock to the theaters to see it. Not only would it dominate the box office for a couple weeks (at least) it would threaten opening day records. Even if the movie was panned by critics, people would still see it, because hey, it's Friends. There is absolutely no doubt that this flick would turn a tidy profit. This alone should convince a movie studio to back this project. Sure, production costs would be high (the salaries alone for the six main cast members would be huge), but the movie would make it up in theaters.
4. It Could Lead to an 11th Season- If the movie is a success, then people will be clamoring for more Friends. It might even convince the studio and cast members that having another season would be a good idea. The show would draw huge numbers. Millions of viewers would tune in every week to watch their new adventures. How hard would it be to convince NBC to put Friends back on their schedule? It would be awesome to see these new shows
3. The Movie Itself Could be Great- One reason fans love Friends so much? It was an absolutely amazing show that managed to entertain the readers to no end. If it was a mediocre show, fans wouldn't be so passionate about it. Each season of the show was excellent, so there's reason to believe that the movie will be great. There are so many possibilities for the movie. The Friends could just hang around at Central Perk or go somewhere. Either way, it should be interesting. One thing's for sure: it won't be a terrible movie. It will no doubt be funny and entertaining.
2. Interest in the Show is High- Friends has always been a popular show. During its run on television, it was one of the most popular and watched shows. Even now, new fans of the show pop up all the time as members of the new generation are exposed to Chandler's witty one-liners, Joey's catchphrases, and of course, Ross and Rachel. However, now that the entire show is on Netflix, interest in the show is extremely high. New fans are tuning in and old fans are rewatching their favorite shows. Now that the show is back in the spotlight, there is even more interest in seeing a movie.
1. The World Needs It- Think about it. There are very few things that would light the world on fire more than the announcement of a Friends movie. The show is watched by people all over the world. So, this movie would have international attention. The release of the movie would be an international affair. And with a lot of tough things going on in the world, don't we need a good laugh?
So there you go, five solid reasons we need a Friends movie. Now if only this would actually happen.
Since its end in 2004, fans all over the world have missed the iconic show. This is one of the few shows that spans generations. Reruns still air, but it's not the same. Fans want new material. That is why they were so excited when rumors of a Friends movie started popping up. The rumors have since been slashed, but it got fans excited. Is there really a possibility of a movie happening? It seems unlikely at this point. The cast members have other projects going on and the original set no longer exists. Nonetheless, there is still a chance, however slim. If there is a will, there is a way. It's just a matter of getting everyone on board. Here are five reasons why fans should push for the movie to be made and why everyone involved (including the head honchos) should push for it as well.
5. It Would Do Extremely Well at the Box Office- Let's be honest, everyone would watch a Friends movie. There are millions of people who love the show and would go see the movie. It would take the box office by storm, as people would flock to the theaters to see it. Not only would it dominate the box office for a couple weeks (at least) it would threaten opening day records. Even if the movie was panned by critics, people would still see it, because hey, it's Friends. There is absolutely no doubt that this flick would turn a tidy profit. This alone should convince a movie studio to back this project. Sure, production costs would be high (the salaries alone for the six main cast members would be huge), but the movie would make it up in theaters.
4. It Could Lead to an 11th Season- If the movie is a success, then people will be clamoring for more Friends. It might even convince the studio and cast members that having another season would be a good idea. The show would draw huge numbers. Millions of viewers would tune in every week to watch their new adventures. How hard would it be to convince NBC to put Friends back on their schedule? It would be awesome to see these new shows
3. The Movie Itself Could be Great- One reason fans love Friends so much? It was an absolutely amazing show that managed to entertain the readers to no end. If it was a mediocre show, fans wouldn't be so passionate about it. Each season of the show was excellent, so there's reason to believe that the movie will be great. There are so many possibilities for the movie. The Friends could just hang around at Central Perk or go somewhere. Either way, it should be interesting. One thing's for sure: it won't be a terrible movie. It will no doubt be funny and entertaining.
2. Interest in the Show is High- Friends has always been a popular show. During its run on television, it was one of the most popular and watched shows. Even now, new fans of the show pop up all the time as members of the new generation are exposed to Chandler's witty one-liners, Joey's catchphrases, and of course, Ross and Rachel. However, now that the entire show is on Netflix, interest in the show is extremely high. New fans are tuning in and old fans are rewatching their favorite shows. Now that the show is back in the spotlight, there is even more interest in seeing a movie.
1. The World Needs It- Think about it. There are very few things that would light the world on fire more than the announcement of a Friends movie. The show is watched by people all over the world. So, this movie would have international attention. The release of the movie would be an international affair. And with a lot of tough things going on in the world, don't we need a good laugh?
So there you go, five solid reasons we need a Friends movie. Now if only this would actually happen.
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