Tag: Rose Byrne

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Rose Byrne Set To Star In New Drama Film Titled ‘They Are Us’

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Rose Byrne is set to star in what looks to be a pretty serious role in the upcoming drama film, They Are Us.

The movie will follow the aftermath of the Christchurch attacks on New Zealand’s Muslim community. The project will be written and directed by Andrew Niccol. He’s the writer/director behind films like The Host, Gattaca, and The Truman Show.

Byrne will play New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern. The film is described as ‘…an inspirational story about the young leader’s response to the tragic events, and the remarkable achievements of her government and citizens who rallied behind her message of compassion and unity to ban assault rifles in New Zealand.’

And because Niccol is from London, and is kinda far removed from the Muslim community in New Zealand, he reportedly developed the script in consultation with several members of the mosques affected by the tragedy.

The mass shootings occurred at mosques during Friday Prayer on 15 March 2019, with a lone gunman killing 51 people and injuring 40.

According to the reports, the movie will not so much focus on the attack, but more the response to the attack.

No word on a potential release date, but we’ll keep you posted.

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Ethan Hawke and Rose Byrne Star In Romantic Comedy ‘Juliet, Naked’

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Ethan Hawke knows what it takes to make a great romantic film. He starred in the best romance trilogy ever made in Before Sunrise, Before Sunset, and Before Midnight.

Now he’s co-starring in the new romantic comedy ‘Juliet, Naked,’ which is based on the novel of the same name by Nick Hornby. The story follows Rose Byrne as a woman stuck in a long-term relationship with a man who is obsessed with an obscure rock musician.

And since this is a romantic comedy, you can probably see where this is going. Rose’s character starts up a relationship with this musician and a complicated love triangle sets in.

The movie won’t win any awards, but for a romantic comedy, it looks like it’s going to be just sweet enough to make your day.

It’s scheduled to hit theaters August 17, 2018. Check out the trailer below…

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Movie Review – Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising – A Lot More Jokes That Hit The Right Notes than the Original

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I did not expect to like Neighbors 2 as much as I did. I’ll admit I enjoyed the first one, but I never felt it needed a sequel. In this case though, the sequel might be better than the original.

The movie starts a few years after the last one. Mac and Kelly are pregnant again and are focusing on raising daughter Stella. In the college close to their neighborhood, new student Morgan has just come from a strict household and is ready to party. While pledging a sorority, she learns that only Fraternities can have parties and sororities are barred from throwing any kind of celebration in their house. Angered and frustrated, Morgan teams up with new pals Beth and Nora to form their own sorority off campus. Their sorority so happens to reside in the same house right next to Mac and Kelly.

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I really liked how the sorority girls were portrayed in this movie. That’s a rare thing to say, because so few movies get it right, but this one does. They slip in a bit of social consciousness, making it a bit funnier and a bit smarter than the first. What I liked is the movie addressed inequality between the sexes without getting preachy about it.

Zac Efron returns, and not just as a walk on. Instead, he acts as Morgan’s party mentor, teaching her all the ins and outs of being a binge drinking, hard partying bro. At the same time, he’s dealing with his own issues, as he still has yet to grow up.  Morgan was also an enjoyable character, because she flouted how girls should act and didn’t apologize for it. She’s a bit more empathetic than Efron was in the original.

Lisa Kudrow, Kelsey Grammar and Dave Franco all had walk on cameos that didn’t feel superfluous, even though this movie was a clear cash grab. They made such a good choice in the cameos, using people with pitch perfect comedic timing, that it worked beautifully. For that, I’ll forgive the cash grab.

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Neighbors 2 has a lot more jokes that hit the right notes than the original. Adding Chloe Grace Mortez to the cast rounded out the laughs, because the girl has a gift for blue humor. She’s probably the funniest, truest to life character I’ve seen in a comedy of this nature, which is really what makes Neighbors 2 work so much more.

That being said, Seth Rogan really didn’t do it for me in this movie. He kind of faded into the background and got less laughs than the other characters. I felt like there were so many missed opportunities for better jokes and one liners. Honestly, it felt like he ad-libbed his script, but then didn’t have anything funny to say.

This time around, you’ll have a hard time deciding who to root for. A more empathetic villain makes this movie a bit better the second time around, and it packed in a lot more laughs as well. All in all, this, and the original are worth the watch.

WE GAVE IT: 3.5 Stars – Watch the Official Trailer and Official Movie Poster below!

4 stars

 

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Movie Review: Spy (2015) – McCarthy Is No Longer A Sidekick. She’s A Leading Lady In Her Own Right.

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There is something so refreshing about Melissa McCarthy and the characters she plays. She doesn’t rely on sex appeal, but she doesn’t stay in the background either. She’s not an object of pity. She’s just a funny lady with some great comedic timing. That’s why is decided to check out Spy.

In it, we meet Susan Cooper (McCarthy) a desk bound CIA agent who spends most of her time shut up in the agency’s basement, crushing on the debonair Bradley Fine (Jude Law). Then, when her unrequited crush is taken by the evil Rayna Boyanov (Rose Byrne), Cooper is sent into the field to retrieve him. Once Boyanov and Cooper meet, that’s where the film really gets going. These two had some amazing chemistry that really made the film shine.

The movie is a bit similar to the first movie that rocketed McCarthy into the limelight, The Heat. This one is something more, because we don’t have to deal with Sandra Bullock’s nails on a chalkboard approach to comedy. There’s just something about Bullock that’s inherently unlikeable and I’ve always found her less than stellar in comedic performances.

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 Teaming McCarthy with Byrne was the best choice. These two have strong chemistry and work together well, neither overshadowing the other. Byrne’s snark and McCarthy’s clueless comebacks are worth a laugh every single time.

Of course, we see some character growth in this film. McCarthy’s character goes from wearing crochet tops and using “Jesus Christmas” as her favorite swear word, to wearing leather and swearing like a trucker.

One thing that confused me about this film. Why are there so many British people in the CIA? This includes one character the film could have done without, Nancy (Miranda Hart). She’s sent to be Susan’s sidekick, but really just manages to be incredibly irritating. The main characters are already the comedic relief in this story. There was no need to add more.

The ending ties up loose ends nicely, while leaving plenty of room for a sequel. They don’t kill off anyone important, so most of the characters will come back to play. While I was initially dreading them making more Heat movies, I have to say, I’d be happy to watch a sequel of Spy. There’s just something about McCarthy and America’s attitude towards her that’s grown in that time. McCarthy is no longer a sidekick. She’s a leading lady in her own right.

Though I do hope that she doesn’t get stuck playing one kind of character all the time. She has range and talent, and it would be a shame if she was turned into the chubby funny girl permanently. While I do enjoy a story about a bumbling cop, there’s only so many anyone can make without people getting sick of them.

Just ask Paul Blart.

Spy is an enjoyable effort that will keep audience members laughing. There’s the occasional spy movie cliché, but for the most part, the gags are gags that haven’t been done before. This is easily worth the watch and worth the sequel.
WE GAVE IT: 4 Stars – Watch the Official Trailer and Official Movie Poster below!

4 stars

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Movie Review: Annie (2014) – An auto-tuned, outdated remake.

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Right in time for the holidays, Columbia pictures released the heartwarming story of a single man who adopts a young orphan girl, with little to no government oversight, simply because he’s rich.

Wait, is that seriously the plot to Annie? Wow, that’s just wrong.

In this modernized rendition, Quvenzhané Wallis stars as Annie, a young, tough as nails orphan who was abandoned by her parents, with a promise they’d be back for her someday. Of course, they cared so much that they dumped her off with an incredibly cruel foster mom, Mrs. Hannigan, played by an evil Cameron Diaz. Then, she gets pulled from that life when Will Staxx (Jamie Fox) a wealthy New Yorker and mayoral candidate does the rent-a-orphan thing as a campaign ploy.

I’m going to say it. Annie is from a time when the world was a bit more innocent and people didn’t go on sex tours of Thailand. So regardless of how handsome or rich, there’s just something about a single man adopting a little girl that bothers me. I know it’s wrong and I know my mind is in the gutter, but the original movie had its roots in depression era America. Child sex trafficking was the furthest thing from anyone’s mind. Today, that’s no longer the case.

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I have to say that I like the understated acting in this movie. In the past, Annie tended to be a bit too over the top and made of so much sugar, she could give you cavities. Quvenzhané Wallis had the ability to give enough edge to the roll to not make Annie unbearably sweet this time. Her singing was a bit more low key as well and anyone could tell they auto tuned the crap out of her performance of “Tomorrow”. But it was her acting, and her ability to play the role with grace that really did it for me.

But that’s all it did because the rest of the movie was just plain Bad, and that is with a capital B. Jamie Foxx has all the range of a stationary bicycle and Cameron Diaz seemed to think she was on a Saturday night live skit, with her completely unfunny comedic overacting. It was like Diaz was afraid to be mean to children, which is ridiculous because she rocked that role in Bad Teacher.

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But it was Foxx who really chewed the scenery with his ‘overacting by under acting’ rendition of Daddy Warbucks. Honestly, if I had the choice of being an orphan or living with the robotic Foxx, I’d pack my bags for the orphanage. I don’t think his facial expression changed once during the film.

Finally, who told the lead character that the ideal way to gain votes would be for a single man to adopt a small girl? Was it the same person who wrote the script?

Let be honest. The original Annie wasn’t that convincing, the acting was over the top and the characters were caricatures. But it had some catchy tunes. The first time I heard “Tomorrow” I knew that I’d be forced to listen a rendition from every single little girl with musical aspirations until the end of time. But this movie is missing what the original Annie had; music that is a virtual earworm.

WE GAVE IT : 3 STARS!  Watch the Official Trailer and See the Official Movie Poster below

stars

 

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Movie Review: Bad Neighbors (2014)

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Neighbors new posterIt’s a bit formulaic, sometimes gross, but mostly hilarious
Star Ratings

Zac Effron, I forgive you. I forgive you for all of the High School Musical movies and any of the crap you’ve made since then. Please make many, many more movies with Seth Rogan. Neighbors is currently crushing it at the box office, holding the number 1 spot. Here’s why.

In a custom made for fantastic comedy premise, a young couple, Zach and Kelly Radner ( Seth Rogan and Rose Byrne) move in next to a frat house with their newborn baby. Then, following a disagreement, war is declared against the fraternity next door, led by a fantastic Zac Effron as “douche bro” in charge Teddy Sanders.

Some of the humor went too far, but honestly, it’s a frat movie. What can you really expect? But a great premise with an even better cast made this movie fantastic. Is it high brow? Hell no. It’s just funny.

Honestly, I’m impressed with Zac Effron. I really have been nothing but disappointed by his movies, but I think that’s because they have him play the boy next door. In this movie, his is a straight dick, and that is just plain awesome. Effron has a flare for playing the bad boy and should really stick to those roles.

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Byrne has some impressive comic timing, and she isn’t overshadowed despite very funny leading men. With both Bridesmaids and Get Him to the Greek under her belt, she knows how to pick a winner in roles and she knows how to stand out in a great ensemble cast.

Rogan is just Rogan at his finest. The reason this movie jells is because the cast is so well suited to the rolls they play.

While in some college movies go to over the top gross, Neighbors never does it in a way that falls flat. The hijinks aren’t recycled and some of them are just plain laugh out loud funny.

Nicholas Stoller directs and he has another hit. He’s had similar success with other quirky comedies like Forgetting Sarah Marshall and The Five Year Engagement. He just seems to have a gift for comedic timing, knowing when to go cringe worthy, and knowing when to pull back.

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Even the smaller actors, like Lisa Kudrow as the flaky Dean, or Dean Franco as Teddy’s sidekick, shine in their roles, and their rolls manage to be surprisingly well developed for bit parts.

The cast is really what makes this movie work. While the jokes generally revolve around dick jokes (like a yard sale filled with home made dildos) they’re delivered in a way that makes them clever.

The movie is tamer than it could have been, but I didn’t mind that. While it is for 18+ audiences, it’s not unwatchable with a partner or even as a date movie if you have a pretty cool date. This is a comedy along the lines of Forgetting Sarah Marshall. It’s a bit formulaic, sometimes gross, but mostly hilarious.

Currently performing number 1 at the box office, Neighbors is a surprisingly watchable movie.  Watch the official Red Band trailer below:

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