Who isn’t in love with Zac Efron? I know I have been championing him for a while now, as I do think he is an extremely talented and versatile actor. He is getting more attention nowadays for his performance in the new film ‘Extremely Wicked Shickingly Evil and Vile’ (bad choice of a title since I cannpt retain it in my memory) and rightfully so – he is extremely effective portraying the serial killer Ted Bundy. Seen in the eyes of his long time girlfriend Elizabeth Kloepfer (who wrote a book based on her life with Bundy) this Ted Bundy is charming and handsome. It’s as if director Joe Berlinger has put you in the position of being one of his victims and you are able to experience how one gets manipulated and roped by this man. It’s a strange way to present a film about a serial killer. We never really get to see any of the killings, and at first thought you think, this film is as in love with Bundy (and Efron) as we are. But as I think about it more, I think it’s just an effective way to present Bundy. Even though Collins is great as Elizabeth, Efron takes over the film whenever he is on – his presence here i so magnetic that you are instantly and effectively drawn. Yes, it does seem like it is trying to glorify a serial killer, but in the initial eyes of his victims, he is glorified. And just like his victims, he instills fear as we get to know him better. There is a scene between Ted and Elizabeth towards the end which is supposed to be some kind of closure for their relationship, but instead is so horrifying it will make you feel sick and disgusted, yet there will be a nagging feeling in you that you will want more.
I initially had reservations about the film (even as I enjoyed Efron’s performance) – the pace is uneven, and there are some holes int he story telling. But taken as is, I think it’s still a worthwhile film. As my film ended, Netflix immediately followed my viewing with their docu series The TEd Bundy Tapes, and I think seeing those two things back to back will make the Bundy experience fuller. But then again, maybe one is enough.
Halfway through Harmony Korrine’s ‘The Beach Bum,’ Moondog (played by Matthew McConaughey) and his wife Minnie (Isla Fisher) starts dancing to Peggy Lee’s song ‘Is That All There Is,’ and it perfectly describes how I am feeling about the film at that point. Is this it? Is the film going to mean more or is this as good as this film gets?
I saw ‘The Greatest Showman’ at a sold-out matinee show and right as the credits rolled, most of the audience started clapping vigorously. I thought to myself, did we just see the same film? Because in my opinion, this film is a bloated piece of mess.
I have always been a fan of Zac Efron, not because he is cute, and let’s face it, he is that, but I am also maybe one of the last few who still thinks he is a natural when it comes to acting. He used to alternate his commercial with some artistic choices, but lately we haven’t seen that, as he has forayed into a lot of frat-boy comedies. But we cannot deny he is the sweetest of guys. During the Olympics, we saw this when he surprised Shannon Biles, the breakthrough superstar of the games. She had confessed that she was an Efron superfan, so when he started winning those medals, the Today Show arranged for Efron to surprise her inio. It was the cutest thing.
your seats for laughing kind of comedy. He plays Dave, who with his brother Mike (Adam Devine) concocts a plan to get wedding dates for their sister’s wedding in Hawaii…and you know, hilarity ensues. This is normally not really my kind of movie. If not for Efron, i probably would have turned my nose up on this. But I do have to admit, I chuckled quite a few times while watching the film, even though I found a lot of the jokes offensive. But I give this film points for doing equal-opportunity offensiveness, so there’s that. And anything with Anna Kendrick can’t really be that bad. This film is good relaxing on a quiet night movie, and I doubt if anyone expected it to be anything otherwise.
Let’s try something different here. To dump on ‘Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising’ would be redundant and, frankly, boring. Everyone else will do that, and they have a right to: this movie is raunchy and vulgar (and that thought can even be a good thing for some people) and really, the thin storyline is stretched by mindless sketches. I mean, I wasn’t even going to watch this Until I read 
I read a review the other wherein the reviewer said that “dirty Grandpa” is probably the worst film of Robert De Niro’s stellar career, so I set my bar very low when assessing this movie. And perhaps that reviewer is right, although I cannot say that I am very intimate with De Niro’s filmography. Make no mistake, “Dirty Grandpa” is bad – it is tasteless and gross, and you wonder how the mighty Raging Bull has fallen for himt o get involved with this project, which is directed bY Dan Mazar, a writer for Sasha Cohen. I found myself shakign my head a couple of times, asking myself how low can this movie go? But you know what, it’s not the worst thing in the world, and I bet it will catch on with its target market: young male audiences. It’s crass, for sure, the same way that ‘Borat’ was crass, but it never pretends to be anything else. And I do have to give De Niro credit for being very game here – he does every trick in the book for the material to come across. I mean, you don’t even for a second doubt his commitment. Talk about a consummate actor.
And Zac Efron? He holds his own. You see, I belong in that school of peopel who thinks that beneath his too-handsome exterior lies a very talented actor, though lately he has become more mannered. You see glimpses of his natural charm here, and he is certainly swoon worthy for most of the movie – just try and not be enthralled by him singing “Because You Loved Me” here. So did I have a bad time watching this movie? Not as horrid as one might think, I even chuckled a couple of times -just don’t alert the press. Believe me, I have seen much worse.
Luha Thoughts 