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.

EdG – EdsReview Dot Com – A Movie Review Blog

DreamWorks Animation

Anna Kendrick, Justin Timberlake, Russell Brand, Gwen Stefani, James Corden, Ron Funches, Kunal Nayyar, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, John Cleese, Zooey Deschanel, Christine Baranski

A race of sad, grumpy creatures called Bergens have never had happiness. But there is a race of treasure trolls that live nearby, and when one of the Bergens ate a Troll, he felt happy, so the Bergens started a tradition of eating trolls on a holiday called Trollstice, the only day that they could experience happiness. This year the young prince is scheduled to taste his first Troll, but when he tastes it he finds it’s fake, and the real Trolls have escaped. The Bergens want to find the Trolls to bring them back, but the Trolls are running for their lives to find freedom from this awful holiday.

This is an animated film from Dreamworks, the team that brought us the Shrek movies, but this story based on the toys kids used to have called Treasure Trolls is not another Shrek, unfortunately. This is a dark story that even little kids will understand that the monsters are EATING the trolls. This is really a bit dark, and there is no real interesting story that keeps the adult interest either, so I didn’t find it very good. I think perhaps they were out after the audience of middle aged adults that would remember these toys and look back with a fond remembrance of them to pull in an audience, but even as a rental, this movie had not oomph. They have a marvelous cast, and it’s kind of a shame, but it just did not ever get off the ground for me. A lot like the smurfs, but with much less story power and nobody eats the Smurfs. All in all I thought it was a bust, and not worth the rental. I could be wrong, and there could be an age of older children, especially boys who could find this cool, but for the most part, I don’t think the kids are going to like this very much either. Wait for something better to assault them with. Skip this.

EdG – EdsReview Dot Com – A Movie Review Blog

Warner Bros., Electric City Entertainment, RatPac-Dune Entertainment,

Ben Affleck, Anna Kendrick, J.K. Simmons, John Lithgow, Jon Bernthal, Jeffrey Tambor, Cynthia Addai-Robinson

Christian Wolff (Ben Afleck) is a genius in math, in fact he really has super powers in that area. He is “The Accountant” and is hired out by companies wanting to know what is happening with the finances in their corporation. He is able to see numbers in patterns that no one else can see and is a master at financial forensics. He also happens to be a master shooter, and is unbelievably good as a hired assassin. But as he works to solve the latest client’s problems along with the assistant provided to him, Dana Cummings (Anna Kendrick), the body count starts to rise as the police try to pin him as the culprit, and the client wants him to stop investigating. But being who he is, Christian has to solve the problem and determine what is really behind this audacious crime. J.K. Simmons, Jeffrey Tambor, and John Lithgow also appear to further confuse the pot.

This is a very unusual role for Ben Affleck, but he was actually really good in this film. He plays a very quirky person in an excellent portrayal. Kendrick, on the other hand, is in a much more minor role, although she is important to the story. Her role is more wide eyed innocence, as she admires Christian, but is really in awe with what he can do. And neither of them realize the danger that they have to face. This is a suspenseful, action film, with lots of plot twists, although we’re in on what is going on long before the rest of the cast knows. It’s a bit difficult to follow, so you have to pay close attention to what is going on. It’s actually a good story, and I enjoyed the mystery of determining why the characters in this film do the things they do. I enjoyed this story and I can recommend this film for a pleasant evening trying to solve a great mystery.

EdG – EdsReview Dot Com – A Movie Review Blog

Amasia Entertainment, 3311 Productions, Circle of Confusion,

Sam Rockwell, Anna Kendrick, Tim Roth, James Ransone, Anson Mount, Michael Eklund, RZA

Martha McKay (Anna Hendrick) just caught her boyfriend cheating and is extremely depressed when she meets a guy named Francis who seems to be Mr. Right (Sam Rockwell). Mr. Right though has a secret. He’s a top notch hitman who has turned against those that hired him and now they are all rather upset with him and trying to kill him. Because Martha is now in the picture, the two of them have to try to survive as this relationship takes a very strange turn.

This is a very weird and quirky movie that is really so absurd that is it quite funny. Sam Rockwell plays the deadpan character who just shakes of his own actions with a shrug while the world is crumbling around him. Anna Kendrick’s character likewise is very complex. She goes through a range of emotions all across the spectrum. Yes, this is an absurd comedy, but like many others that came before, this one kept me very interested. This one is way off the beaten path, and I was really surprised at the quality of the performances in this little movie. I had never heard of it before, but found it quite enjoyable in a quirky way. It’s a strange story, but the irony of the situation is played out very well. This is a good little movie.

EdG – EdsReview Dot Com – A Movie Review Blog

Cinelou Films, Echo Films, We’re Not Brothers Productions,

Daniel Barnz, Jennifer Aniston, Adriana Barraza, Felicity Huffman, William H. Macy, Anna Kendrick, Sam Worthington, Chris Messina, Mamie Gummer, Lucy Punch, Britt Robertson, Paula Cale, Ashley Crow, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, Camille Guaty, Allen Maldonado, Camille Mana, Julio Oscar Mechoso

Claire Bennett(Jennifer Anniston) is in major chronic pain. She still manages to keep her sarcastic sense of humor, but her life is very lonely filled with narcotics and vodka. She belongs to a support group with others who are experiencing pain, but when one of the members commits suicide, Nina (Anna Kendrick), Claire sets out to investigate everything she can find about this girl.

You won’t know what happened to Claire, and try not to find out before you watch this movie. This is a dark tale of a great deal of pain and suffering, but there are many bright points. One is Silvana (Adriana Barraza) Claire’s housekeeper who is the one who cares for Claire the most. It’s hard to find out the cause of Claire’s situation, especially because she is always in a haze from the booze and drugs, but piece by piece we get clues of what happened. The very last second of the film is very poignant. Why is it called cake? Well, you’ll have to wait 1 hour and 15 minutes into the film to learn that piece of information. This is definitely the best performance I have ever seen from Jennifer Aniston. This is definitely a dramatic role, there is very little fun in it at all, but but she carries the story like a champ. There are also some other very good performances. There is a great deal to think about, and this is a very thought provoking character study. There is a very small but poignant scene with William H Macy as well that is very, very touching. Sam Worthington as Roy, Nena’s husband is also very well done. Jennifer’s character is so very lonely, but it’s discouraging how she chases everyone away that even tries to show her some compassion. This is an excellent film, and one that is very worthwhile. I highly recommend it as one of the best dramas I have seen in a long, long time. There is a lot of criticism of the movie, mostly from folks like don’t like the non-resolution of all the problems and issues. Some things that could take much more development in a mini-series are left out. But to me, I think that shows the brilliance of the writer and director. These kinds of problems don’t come to a conclusion in 90 minutes. These kinds of problems take decades to work through. But I think we are told plenty to give us lots to think about, and to decide where we think Claire is headed. I think it’s about right, the way it’s handled. And if you figure out the reason why every A in the titles is laying down sideways, feel free to let me know. I have an idea, but I’m not sure if I’m right.

EdG – EdsReview Dot Com – A Movie Review Blog