Ed's Review Dot Com

3311 Productions, 21 Laps Entertainment, Story Ink,

Anna Kendrick, Craig Robinson, June Squibb, Lisa Kudrow, Stephen Merchant, Tony Revolori, Wyatt Russell, Maria Thayer, Thomas Cocquerel

Four friends are planning a wedding. Eloise (Anna Kendrick) is set to be Maid of Honor for her Boyfriend’s brother who is the Groom, and her good friend who is the Bride. But just weeks before the wedding, her boyfriend breaks up with her via text. Heartbroken, she is staring at the invitation and trying to decide whether to go or not. Finally she decides to show up, but she finds she’s been relegated to “Table 19”, the worst table in the house kept for those who don’t matter. When the wedding day arrives, Eloise gets a chance to meet the other “losers” who were sent to Table 19. Most of them don’t realize their lack of status, but as time passes, they find each reveal their story and each one is quite interesting. Meanwhile, things get rather sticky for Eloise as her ex is there along with her former friends, but no one is interested in her. As the chips fall where they may, this group of six set forth to make as much mayhem as possible.

Anna Kendrick, as usual, does a really good job in this film. Some of the other guest at Table 19 are also very good. Lisa Kudrow, Craig Robinson, Margo Martindale, and more, bring a lot of back stories as to why they’re at the loser table as well. Plus there’s a little romance or two in the air that helps to move the movie along. It’s a little bit funny, there’s some clever comedy here, but it’s not the funniest movie I’ve seen. It could have been better, but at least it was interesting enough to keep me focused on the whole movie. It’s not a hysterical laugh fest, but it is kind of cute and is worth watching. I enjoyed it, so if you’re looking for a little romantic comedy, this reminded me of some classic sit-coms on TV and so it’s harmless fun.

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Awesomeness TV, Jon Shestack Productions,

Zoey Deutch, Halston Sage, Logan Miller, Kian Lawley, Elena Kampouris, Diego Boneta, Jennifer Beals

Samantha Kingston (Zoey Deutch) is a High School senior living the perfect life. She’s very popular, a great scholar, and a bit of a bitch, although we know deep inside she’s actually a good girl who’s forgotten how to be nice. Instead she yells at her mother and little sister and is mean to everyone who doesn’t fit in her society. But Samantha is soon trapped in a time loop where she must live the same day over and over until she manages to figure out the meaning of her life and where she should be headed.

This film is based on the book written for young ladies, no doubt about it, by the mood of the story. That should mean that an a senior citizen of the male persuasion, I should have hated it, but I didn’t. Granted, I was blown away by Groundhog Day and have watched it many times, and all the Christmas movies that relive the same day till you get it right theme. This follows that same sort of theme, but is somehow a lot darker and more meaningful than some of the others, and darn it, I really enjoyed it. Zoey Deutch was really perfection in the role, and though I don’t recognize her, except as the girl in “Why Him?” that came out last Christmas, she really nailed this part. The girls who played her clique also did a really good job, as each of them has their own personality so that they’re all different, but yet somehow all the same, and wrapped into the plot very tightly. The usual characters are there, as they always are in this type of film, but somehow I was really moved by the story. Things may not turn out all rosy and pink for Sam, as she really brought on the problems she had to stare in the face herself, and as all us Once Upon a Time fans know from Mr. Gold, “All magic has a price.” All of our choices don’t just fade away, some of them just hang around. I think this was a touching story, from a book that must be well written, and made into a very nice little film. I understand the criticism of those who didn’t enjoy it, but all I can say is that I was entertained and really did like the film.

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Fox Searchlight Pictures, Likely Story,

Julia Louis-Dreyfus, James Gandolfini, Catherine Keener, Toni Collette, Ben Falcone, Tavi Gevinson, Tracey Fairaway, Eve Hewson, Anjelah Johnson

Eva (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) is a divorced single Mom whose Daughter’s best friend is much closer to her than her own daughter. Eva is a masseuse and at a party with one of her clients, Marianne (Catherine Keener) she meets a friendly divorced man, Albert (James Gandofini) who also has a daughter soon heading to college, and they hit it off. But when she finds out that Albert is none other than Marianne’s hated ex-husband, things get complicated as she can’t seem to confess to either one and as you would expect, trouble is on the way.

This romantic comedy from 2013 has been in my queue for ages and ages. This is one of the usual rom/coms that feature mismatched couples trying to make the best of a terrible situation. It’s quite predictable, yet it’s really entertaining with a great group of familiar actors. Besides Dreyfus, Gandolfini, and Keener, we also have Toni Collette, Ben Falcone, and more, and so it’s filled with talent. Although about 4 years old already, it’s very current and a lot of fun. This is a simple comedy with lots of light moments, mixed with some very touching and moving moments as the problems pile up. It’s a complex relationship film, and very well done, and worth giving it a shot.

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Los Angeles Media Fund (LAMF), STX Entertainment, Southpaw Entertainment (I),

Gary Oldman, Asa Butterfield, Carla Gugino, Britt Robertson

Gardner Elliot (Asa Butterfield) was the first human born on Mars, and his birth and very existence has been kept secret by Nathaniel Shepherd (Gary Oldman) as the head of the corporation that put together the first manned mission to Mars. But Gardner has grown up and is mostly unaware of what life was like on Earth. He’s able to make contact with a young foster girl who is estranged from any contact with her classmates who enjoys talking to him. Tulsa (Britt Robertson) has no knowledge that the guy she is chatting online with is on Mars, and it’s a surprise when he suddenly shows up asking for her help to find his biological father. But Gardner has never experienced Earth’s gravity which puts his body in grave danger.

The previews of this film looked pretty good, and I expected to watch this movie, but it didn’, t last long in the theaters. The problem I suspect is that the story is rather shallow, and rather than a stunning science fiction film, this turned out to be a sweet adolescent coming of age – falling in love movie and is pretty good in that genre, but probably not what folks expected and that, and stiff competition blew it out of the theaters in record time. But is was a pretty good movie for what it tackled. The science is shaky, and there’s no great suspense. It is a lovely little romance though, and should have a great deal of appeal to the young ladies just like the fairy tales and romance stories from the past. Very warm and comforting, and if you don’t go into this looking for a super Sci-Fi adventure, you won’t be disappointed.

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Treehouse Pictures, Aversano Films, What If It Barks Films,

Zac Efron, Miles Teller, Michael B. Jordan, Imogen Poots, Jessica Lucas, Alysia Reiner, Josh Pais, Emily Meade, Mackenzie Davis, Tina Benko

Jason (Zac Efron) has three close friends, Daniel (Miles Teller) and Mikey (Micahel B. Jordan). Jason is a bit of a player, but when he is dumped he and his buddies make a pact that they will not get involved with anyone, but simply play the field. But it becomes difficult to keep their promise as all three meet their own perfect girl while trying to pretend it didn’t happen.

This romantic comedy is really more of a bromance film as really most of the story is about the three guys. This is a very predictable story and certainly will feel familiar. It’s an ok film, and I didn’t hate it at all, but just felt it is not really worth the effort. Unless you’re a big fan of the actors here, I bet Zac has a lot of fans out there, it’s probably a waste of time seeking this one out. On the other hand, though, it is available on cable, and you might catch it on TV for free like I did. In that case, it’s not all that bad a way to burn 90minutes or so.

EdG – EdsReview Dot Com – A Movie Review Blog