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‘Pitch Perfect 2′ is obviously a sequel to ”Pitch Perfect 1’ but even if you haven’t seen the first one, it won’t stop you from laughing out loud and enjoying every second of this one.

When the film starts the Barden College, Bellas, an all female a capella group who have won three national titles, are on stage at New York City’s Lincoln Center performing for President and Michelle Obama, who we see in cutaways. It’s the President’s birthday and the Bellas have gone all out. As they sing ‘Wrecking Ball’, one of their members, Fat Amy (Rebel Wilson) holding onto a robe, flies high above the stage. (Think really bad Cirque du Soleil) Seems Fat Amy is not quite adept at acrobatic moves. In fact, she’s awful. Not only does she fumble a maneuver, but her latex outfit splits open, revealing her downstairs lady part in front of the whole audience. The fake reaction of Obama and Michelle is priceless.

Fat Amy’s mishap, is the beginning of the end for the Bellas. Not only are they blasted in social media, but the group is suspended from entering any future competitions by the cappella’s ruling body headed by co-presidents Gail (Elizabeth Banks) and outrageously politically incorrect, hysterically funny, John (John Michael Higgins) However, they are given an out…An impossible one of course. If the Bellas win a major global competition held in Copenhagen, they will be reinstated. . Only problem is, no American group has EVER won. But that doesn’t discourage our girls. They are determined to kill it, Everyone except their leader Beca (Anna Kendrick) who has other things on her mind, i.e. her future after she graduates. Beca has always dreamed of becoming a music producer, so without telling her fellow Bellas, she takes an internship with a famous record producer, (Keegan-Michael Key)creating soon creates a rift with the other girls. But that’s not the only obstacle the Bellas have to overcome. They are prohibited from recruiting any new members. Luckily that doesn’t apply to legacies and that’s exactly who, Emily (Hailee Steinfield) is. Emily’s mom (Katey Sagal) was a Bella some 30 years ago so she’s automatically included into the group. Emily though wants to write her own songs which is a big no-no, since a capella singers only perform covers.

‘Pitch Perfect 2’ directed by Elizabeth Banks has definitely taken the franchise up a few notches. The whole cast is back, including Brittany Snow, Anna Camp, Alexis Knapp, Hana Mae Lee, Ester Dean Shelly Regner and Kelley Jakle. We also have some new members including Flo (Chrissie Fit) who’s constantly makes very funny references to her horrible life back in Central America where she grew up or escaped from. The guys, Skylar Astin, Adam Devine and Ben Platt are back, but they take a backseat to the ladies, because the film is ALL ABOUT THE GIRLS.

Speaking of the girls, one of the funniest bits is between Beca and Kommissar (Birgitte Hjort Sorensen) the head of the German a cappella group, DAS SOUND MACHINE, who are the front runners. Beca can’t stop complimenting the super arrogant Kommissar’s body, beauty, height, hair and sweat which smells like cinnamon.

‘Pitch Perfect 2’ is not just about great music, dancing and singing. It’s also about friendship, girl bonding, and facing your future. From the beginning to the end, I didn’t stop smiling. For that reason, I gave ‘Pitch Perfect 2’, which opens in theatres Friday, April 15, 2015. five bagels out of five.

The gang is back and thanks to Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) they have trouble…Big trouble.

When the film begins, we find ourselves in the Eastern European country of Sokovia where the Avengers: Stark, Steve Rogers aka Captain America (Chris Evans), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Bruce Banner/The Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), Clint Barton/Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner), t Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) raid a Hydra outpost run by Baron Wolfgang Von Strucker, (Thomas Kretschmann), who has been experimenting on humans, using the scepter that Loki once possessed. And as fate would have it, our guys meet two of Strucker’s experiments…twins, Pietro Maximoff aka Quicksilver, (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) named for his super human speed and his sister, Wanda,The Scarlet Witch, (Elizabeth Olsen) who can MANIPULATE people’s minds and throw these really awesome red energy blasts. The twins blame Stark for their parents death and want him dead, like yesterday. Before you can say sequel, the first big battle erupts between the Avengers and these two pissed off super beings. Of course, the good guys win or we wouldn’t have a movie, right? Well that’s not totally accurate. The twins escape but Tony does capture the scepter.

Back at his lab, Stark and Banner discover an artificial intelligence within the scepter’s gem, and decide to use it to complete Stark’s ‘Ultron’ project. For those who don’t know, this is Tony’s global defense program. He thinks Ultron (voiced by James Spader) is the key to bringing peace to the planet, Without the other Avengers knowledge, Stark and Banner bring Ultron (voiced by James Spader) to life, which turns out to be a very, very bad move. How bad? Well let’s just say that Ultron has slightly different ideas when it comes to this whole ‘peace’ thing. This mega monster robot believes that in order to save Earth, humanity must be wiped out. Big bummer for us humans. It doesn’t take long for Ultron to get down to business. He wipes out Stark’s A. I. buddy, Jarvis/Vision (Paul Bettany) memory and then attacks the Avengers during a victory party, taking place at their headquarters. After another big CGI battle, Ultron escapes with the scepter, uses it to upgrade his body and builds an army of robots. He also recruits the twins who are more than happy to help him out..

Okay, so what happens next you wonder? …Simple…battles, more battles, many more battles, with robots killing people and people killing robots. At the same time, Scarlett Witch uses her powers and gets inside the minds of all the Avengers causing them to have major hallucinations (think really bad acid trip). Our super heroes start to fall apart both physically and mentally. Luckily Hawkeye takes them to a safe house, which just happens to be his home away from home. It’s here we discover that Mr. Bow and Arrow has a house in the country, a wife (Linda Cardellini) and a couple of adorable kids. Unfortunately, even this respite doesn’t help our guys. The Avengers come very close to disbanding. In fact, Banner and Black Widow talk about taking off to an island where they can make mad passionate love and hopefully keep the big green guy asleep forever. Of course, with the help of Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) the Avengers eventually get it together and set out to destroy Ultron and regain the Scepter.

‘Avengers Age of Ultron’ was written and directed by Josh Whedon and he does what we’ve come to expect from him. The film is funny, exciting, with spectacular CGI effects. Spader’s Ultron is both sarcastic and witty, but he sounded too much like his television character, Red from the series ‘The Blacklist’. My main problem with ‘Avengers: Age of Ultron’ was that it lacked the originality and the freshness of the first one from 2012. Some of the humor will go way over the head of the preteen group which will make up a huge part of its audience. The budget was $250 million dollars and of course with that kind of money, it’s very easy to go overboard with EVERYTHING and that’s exactly what Whedon did. .For those reasons, I gave ‘Avengers Age of Ultron only three bagels out of five.

The film opens in theatres, Friday, May 1 and I would love to know what you think. Check out the Two Jews On Film video for more of my thoughts and to see my adorable guest star.

Once upon a time there was a woman named Adaline Bowman (Blake Lively) who was born near the turn of the 20th century. Adaline was just an ordinary 29 year old woman, until one night, something incredible happened and Miss Bowman’s life would be changed forever.

Adaline stops aging and gets to experience life in a way that no other human being has before. And we as an audience, share it all with her. Through a series of flashbacks, we travel back in time with Adaline. We see the history that this fascinating woman has lived through…Two World Wars, the Great Depression, the San Francisco earthquake, the 60’s just to name a few.

Unfortunately, having the gift of eternal youth has its drawbacks. After being almost kidnapped by some unnamed government agency in the 30’s, Adaline has lived in fear of being found out. She’s always changing her identity, avoiding intimacy for long periods of time, even though she did manage to give birth to a daughter, (Ellen Burstyn) But eventually, Adaline is faced with a choice…living a life where she’s always looking over her shoulder, or allowing herself for the first time, to experience the love she has always longed for.

This love comes in the form of a charismatic philanthropist, Ellis Jones (Michiel Huisman) who she meets on New Year’s Eve. No matter how much she tries to avoid him, the inevitable happens. They fall in love. When Ellis takes Adaline home to meet his parents (Harrison Ford and Kathy Baker) she must make a decision that will change her life forever.

‘The Age Of Adaline’ directed by Lee Toland Krieger (Celeste and Jesse Forever) and written by J. Mills Goodloe and Salvador Pasowitz is a beautiful fantasy love story that will stay with you long after the credits roll. The cast is wonderful, but Blake Lively, who is in every scene, steals the show. Her performance is absolutely riveting.

‘The Age of Adaline’ which is a must see film for all ages, opens in theatres Friday, April 24. Check out my video to see how many bagels it received (hint more than 41/2) and let me know what you think.

How many people have experienced this? You find yourself in your 30’s or 40’s and yet you still feel like you’re a kid…You wonder…When did I become so grown-up? And then you do your best to convince yourself, that you’re not ‘all that grown-up’… You can still do the same things, that you did when you were in your twenties…You’re still adventurous…spontaneous, and can take off anywhere at a moments notice..

That’s exactly what married couple, Josh (Ben Stiller) and Cornelia (Naomi Watts) are doing when we meet them. These Gen-Xers, are trying very hard to convince themselves and each other, that they’re still young…still ‘cool’. Of course it’s more than obvious that is so not the case.

As Josh winds up a class he’s teaching at New York City’s New School, he’s approached by Jamie (the excellent Adam Driver) an aspiring filmmaker.in his 20’s, who proceeds to gush all over him. Jamie tells him, that he loves the rarely seen documentary that Josh made years ago. The two go for coffee and after more flattery, Josh is completely won over by Jamie and decides that they’re gonna be BFF’s. He rushes home and tells Cornelia all about his new, super cool, admirer.

The next day, Jamie invites the couple over to his loft, where they meet his free-spirited, ice cream maker, girlfriend Darby (Amanda Seyfried) and to Cornelia and Josh’s surprise, they discover that everything they threw away years ago…electric typewriters, VHS tapes, board games, and vinyl records, fills the young couple’s living space. Oh, and they also have a chicken.

Josh and Cornelia are convinced, this young couple with their hip, ‘live in the moment’ lifestyle, is the way back to their youth. They throw aside their long time friends, including Beastie Boy Adam Horovitz, along with his wife and new mom (Maria Dizzia) and follow the plugged in hipsters all over the city, doing everything they do. One of the funniest scenes in the film, is Cornelia taking her first hip-hop class with Darby and at the same time, Josh is speeding along the streets of Brooklyn on his new bike with Jamie. On an aside, I wish Hollywood filmmakers would stop depicting their version of an Ayawaska ceremony. They always get it wrong and in this case, writer, director, Noah Bombach really got it wrong.

That said, ‘While We’re Young, is a funny, touching film about aging, ambition, success, marriage and what it takes to survive in a world, where thanks to technology, your life is constantly on display for everyone to see and exploit. The film which opens in theatres Friday, March 27, 2015, reminds me of a couple of Woody Allen’s classics. The cast, the dialogue, the story all work and for that reason I gave it four bagels out of five.

If you want to see a ‘killer’ spy movie, this is the one for you. It’s funny, exciting, clever and enormously entertaining.

The film is based upon the acclaimed comic book and is directed by Matthew Vaughn (‘X-Men First Class’).

This is the story of a super-secret spy organization that winds up recruiting a street kid, with major attitude, named Eggy (the excellent Taron Egerton) into the agency’s ultra-competitive training program. He’s father was a member but done when Eggsy was just a young boy. Now to say that The Kingsman, need all the help that can get, would be an understatement. Seems that a billionaire dude, who calls himself Valentine (the hysterical, Samuel Jackson) has come up with a plan to end global warming. Only problem is, this guy is insane, out of his mind…and just plain nuts. Don’t want to give away what his plan is because that will spoil some of the fun. but what I will say is…Wait till you hear Mr. Jackson speak. You will laugh your head off. But that’s not the only laugh you’ll have, the film is funny, with great action, characters you really route for and the always wonder, Colin firth. Colin plays Harry Hart, an impeccably suave spy who owes Eggsy’s father his life. Harry is really upset when he learns about the path his best friend’s son has taken, but he’s also very impressed by his ‘street smarts’. He makes it his mission to help Eggsy turn his life around. Harry gives him, the opportunity to join the Kingsman, a top secret independent intelligence organization. Only trouble is, the physical and mental tests he is put through might just kill him.

‘Kingsman:The Secret Service’ is one great big amusement park ride. Director Vaughn did the comic book proud.

Rounding out the cast is Michael Caine, Sofia Boutella, a chick you definitely do not want to piss off and Sophie cookson as Roxy, Effsy’ s BFF. The film was written by Jane Goldman, along with the director.

I gave ‘Kingsman:The Secret Service’ which opens in theatres, Friday February 14, got five bagels out of five from me.. This is one spy film that could give the Bond series a run for its money.

‘Jupiter Ascending’ directed by the Wachowskis (‘Cloud Atlas’) should be called ‘Jupiter Descending’ into boredom.

This is a really annoying sci-fi adventure movie.

The most annoying thing in the film is Mila Kunis’s eyebrows, eyelashes and lipstick that stay perfectly plastered to her face, even when she’s immersed in water, kicked around by several really ugly creatures, and thrown out of space ships.

If that’s not annoying enough, there’s the plot.

Briefly, there’s this planet called Abrasax far, far, far away. Unfortunately not far away enough.

The rulers of this planet are three Royals…Kalique (Tuppence Middleton), Titus (Douglas Booth) and Balem(Eddie Redmayne, who should be ashamed of himself to do this film after playing Stephen Hawkings) anyway these intergalactic baddies have two things on their mind…staying young (they’re around 30,000 years old, give or take a few thousand( and making lots and lots of money. If you’re wondering how this fun threesome stay looking so young, it’s simple. They create planets, plant people on them, and when the population has grown enough, they harvest the occupants. Apparently, humans have some liquid inside of them, that can keep people looking like 20 forever. Seems that the Earth, which is now overpopulated is the next planet on the ‘harvest’ list. So whoever owns it, stands to make a bundle.

Only problem is, to the Abrasaxian’s shock and dismay, it turns out that a lowly human, names, Jupiter Jones (Mila Kunis) is the rightful owner of Earth. If you’re wondering how that happened, seems she share the same DNA as the aliens mama. Yes folks, Jupiter is the reincarnation of an Abrasaxian queen and therefore. the legal heir to our planet. What to do…what to do? Well before Jupiter can finish cleaning one more toilet, several really ugly lizard like creatures descend upon her, with only one thing on their mind…and it isn’t to take her out to dinner. Lucky for our princess, she has a Lycantant on her side. For those of you, who haven’t run across one, it’s a crossbreed of a wolf and man. This Lycantant is played by Channing Tatum, who even with pointed ears, has Jupiter fawning all over him. Seems she’s very fond of dogs.

Okay, so the dog-wolf helps Jupiter excape from the bad guys and whisks her off to his planet. On Abrasax, Jupiter gets a marriage proposal, wears exquisite, sexy gowns, gets a new hairdo, and lastly shares meaningful stares with Channing..

This is a film that does not work…period. The plot is full of holes and the characters are extremely not interesting.

For that reason, I give ‘Jupiter Ascending’ which opens in theatres, Friday, February 6, 2015 1/2 dry bagel.

Love to know what you think if you do go see this.

The sign of a great actor is his or her ability to completely transform into the character they are portraying. And that’s exactly what Bradley Cooper did in ‘American Sniper’. He gained 40 pounds, which made him almost unrecognizable, changed his voice to sound like he was born and bred in Texas and even changed his walk.. It took me a few scenes to even recognize him. That’s how great he is in this film, masterfully directed by 84 year old, Clint Eastwood.

‘American Sniper’ is a true story about Chris Kyle, a Navy Seal, who survived four tours of duty in Iraq during the the US/Iraqi war. Kyle was a sharpshooter, nicknamed the ‘Legend’ because of his 160 confirmed kills.It’s no wonder he became one of the most important targets of the Iragi insurgency.

When we first meet Kyle, he’s on a rooftop overlooking a destroyed structure in Fallujah, Iraq, taking aim at a local woman who’s walking with her young son in the distance. He sees they are about to throw a grenade at some nearby Marines. We then flashback to Kyle’s early childhood, where he was already on his way to becoming an ace sharpshooter. This is followed by the adult Kyle riding a bronco at the rodeo. This career does not last very long..

After 9/11, Kyle joins the Navy Seals going through their brutal endurance tests known as ‘Hell Week’. But it’s not all ‘hell’ for Kyle. It’s during this time, he meets a beautiful woman named Taya (Sienna Miller) who becomes his wife. However, being a family man is not exactly in the cards for Kyle.

It’s off to Iraq and from his first tour of duty, his life will be forever changed. For those of you who have read the book, you know what happens, but for those who haven’t read Chris Kyles’ autobiography, written with Scott McEwn and Jim DeFelice, I won’t say anything about the plot that would be a SPOILER.

I will say that Kyle, like many vets that have experienced war, wind up addicted to it. The only place Kyle truly feels at home is in Iraq. In one poignant scene his wife says to him…”Even when you’re here, you’re not here’.

‘American Sniper’ is an intense, exciting, edge of your seat, poignant film that takes us inside the war and shows us the mental, physical and emotional toil it takes on Kyle as well as all the men and women that experience its horrors…

I loved ‘American Sniper’ and found it to be film making at its best. Bravo to Eastwood and Cooper for doing such magnificent work.I gave this film, which opens in theaters, December 25, 2014, my highest bagel score… 5 out of 5. Do not miss it.

Check out our video for more of my ramblings.

Once upon a time there was a man named Stephen Sondheim…Well there still is a man named Stephen Sondheim and he is one brilliant composer and my favorite.. Along with his partner James Lapine, he created a beautiful, poignant, funny musical entitled INTO THE WOODS.that played on Broadway for years.

Now thanks to director Rob Marshall, it’s been turned into a film…a film that does absolute justice to the stage version.

The Story: ‘Into the Woods is a modern day twist on the Brothers Grimm fairy tales. In case you’ve blocked out your childhood they are ‘Cinderella, ‘Little Red Riding Hood’, ‘Jack and the Beanstalk’ and ‘Rupunzel’ all tied together by an original story.

A baker (the wonderful, vulnerable James Corden) and his wife (the fabulously funny Emily Blunt) want a child. Only problem is, a witch (Meryl Streep, whose performance alone is worth the price of admission) has put a curse on the Baker’s family. The witch tells them that she.will lift the curse, if they can bring her several items…A Cow as white as milk…a cape as red as blood…hair as yellow as corn…a slipper pure as gold. The Baker and his wife agree and take off into the woods to search for these items.

Along the way, they encounter Jack,of ‘Jack and the Beanstalk’ “Little Red Riding Hood (Lilla Crawford), Cinderella, (Anna Kendrick) and her handsome, Prince Charming (Chris Pine, who almost steals the film).

Of course a lot more happens…Little Red Riding meets the Big Bad Wolf (Johnny Depp) and Rapunzel (MacKenzie Mauzy, who being held in a tower by the Witch, meets her own Prince (Billy Magunssen) who falls madly in love with her. Princes tend to go for the blonds.

As all this happens, the cast get sing beautiful, funny, poignant songs, bringing to life Stephen Sondheim’s story about the consequences of greed and gluttony,,the need for community and family. and in the end and most important,, growing up and taking responsibility.

Everyone in the cast nails their parts, including Christine Baranski as Cinderella’s wicked stepmother.

‘Into The Woods’ which opens on Christmas day December 25, 2015 is a musical for grownups, but kids will enjoy it, as well..

I gave this film my highest bagel rating…5 out of 5. Do not miss it.

The 1964 Civil Rights Act has legally desegregated the South, but you still did not want to be a black man or woman in SELMA Alabama.

You see even, though the black population outnumbered whitefolk in Selma, the last thing these ‘good old boys’ wanted, was to give black people the right to vote. With the help of the County Register, along with other voter officials, they made it impossible for any black man or woman to register to vote. One of the most powerful scenes is watching, a black woman, Annie Lee Cooper (Oprah Winfrey) attempt to register.

But let’s go back to the beginning. The film opens with Martin Luther King (the fantastic David Oyelowo), winning the Nobel Peace prize. At the same time, the excellent director, Miss Ava DuVernay cuts to four children getting blown to pieces in a church in Selma. This sets the stage for the climate that existed in 1965 in this Alabama town and it’s here, that King decides to stage the next battle for equality.

Selma at the time, was run by a fat, dumb as shit, racist sheriff, named Bull Connor and King knows that there will be violent response to a march he’s planning. This is one of the scenes that is so hard to watch. Helpless men, women and children attempting to march from Selma to Montgomery as the police respond with whips, batons and guns.

‘Selma’ not only reminds of a time in history that’s hard to believe existed, but it also shows us the politics that took place behind the scenes in order to pass the Voters Right Law. The scenes between King and L.B.J. (Tom Wilkinson) are fascinating. Johnson tries to convince King that this is not the right time for him to push to get this law passed before congress. Johnson tells King that he’s too busy dealing with Vietnam along with his ‘war on poverty’.and he needs time. But no matter how many times Johnson rebuffs him, King does not give up.

‘Selma’ is a beautiful, powerful, intense and brilliantly acted film about courage, that everyone, no matter what your age, should see. Miss DuVernay has created an emotional, uplifting film that shows us, no matter how many setbacks a person experiences, they should never stop fighting for what is right.

The cast across the board is excellent, including the British actress, Carmen Ejogo who plays Coretta, King’s wife that has to keep it togethe despite knowing about her husband’s infidelities, Cuba Gooding Jr.(civil rights lawyer, Fred Gray) Giovanni Ribisi as Johnson’s aid, Martin Sheen as federal district court judge, Frank Johnson, Dylan Baker (J. Edgar Hoover) Lorraine Toussaint (Amelia Boynton, Common (James Bevel) Wendell Pierce as Reverend Hosea Williams, and the wonderful Nigel Thatch as Malcom X.

Watching this film, one can’t help but wonder how far have we really come in treating all people equally. All you have to do is think about Ferguson, New York City and Florida, and you realize…not far enough.

‘Selma’ written by Paul Webb opens in theatres, Christmas Day, December 25, 2014 and I can’t think of a better way to spend the holiday. I gave ‘Selma’ my highest bagel score..five out of five with the works. Check out the Two Jews On Film video for more of my ramblings.

I can’t imagine that there is anyone on planet Earth that hasn’t heard of this film. Unfortunately, the news about Sony being hacked and them pulling this film has definitely overshadowed this comedy that Seth Rogan wrote and directed ‘The Interview’ along with Evan Goldberg (‘The End’).

Seth plays Aaron the producer of an hour ‘so-called’ news show entitled ‘Skylark Tonight’ starring Dave Skylark (James Franco).

Apparently Korean Dictator, Kim Jong-un is a big fan and invites Dave and Aaron to pay him a visit. Aaron is thrilled by all the publicity this visit will generate.

But before the guys can fly the friendly skies, they are approached by a CIA operative (Lizzy Caplan) who recruits the pair to knock off Mr Kim. That’s right folks, the CIA hires a producer and talk show host to assassinate the most guarded dictator on the planet. Of course Aaron and Dave agree. The CIA hands them a vile of poison with instructions on how to use it. Piece of Cake right? Not so much.

When Aaron and Dave land in North Korea, they discover that all the US propaganda about the dictator is false. Not only is this self appointed god for all eternity, a sweetheart, but the people of North Korea could not be happier…The stores are filled with clothes, food, anything a person could want. There’s no way that Aaron and Dave are gonna kill such a warm and fuzzy guy…That is until they find out different.

There are some really funny moments and there are some really not so funny moments in the film..

I gave ‘The Interview’ which DOES NOT OPEN on Xmas day, 2 1/2 bagels out of 5. Please check out my video for more of my ramblings.