Easy A

Directed by: Will Gluck
Release date: 22 Oct 2010 UK / 17 Sept 2010 USA
Starring: Emma Stone, Amanda Bynes, Stanley Tucci, Dan Byrd, Lisa Kudrow, Thomas Hayden Church, Penn Badgley



IMDB Page

He said:

Helen and I were lucky to catch this film on a single night rerelease last week, thanks in large part to Orange's Rising Star Award nominee promotion (where all last week they had a single showing of films released over the last year including but not limited to, Kick Ass, Inception, Easy A and several others that escape me at the moment.)

I'm happy to say that even with a repeat viewing this film still delivered with out feeling tired or dull, I had seen it the first time back in September of last year when it was first released in the States.

Emma Stone in her first leading role is outstanding as Olive, the self confessed typical high school film do-no-wrong nobody. While it is hard to believe that someone as striking and as quick-witted as Emma Stone would ever do anything than standout when surrounded by her "peers", the film glosses over this small inconsistency with all the grace and speed of the less than subtly referenced John Hughes films that came before it.

This film is an every way an homage to the teen film genre that John Hughes made popular in the eighties proving once and for all at least to me the age old idiom "If it ain't broke don't fix it." It is also a modern spin on Nathaniel Hawthorne's Scarlet Letter (hence the title). I really enjoyed this film, I give it {{{4 out of 5}}}

She said:

Unlike James this was my first viewing of Easy A however having heard James' praise for it before, and it has to be said from pretty much everyone who had seen it, I was thrilled to see on the big screen. As James said, this film is a real throw back to those good ol' teen films of the Eighties but even more than that; it was a homage. The filmmakers obviously all loved teen films and really wanted to do this film justice. And they did.

This is the second film I have watched Emma Stone in (the first being Zombieland) and she really shined in a lead role. She gives a smart, witty and charismatic performance. I am excited for the Spider-Man reboot even more now.

I want to give a quick mention to Stanley Tucci and the rest of Stone's on screen family. They had a fantastic chemistry and were hilarious. The only performance that seemed out of place was Lisa Kudrow's but this wasn't her so much as a bit of a lost sub-plot.

I really enjoyed this film. Easy A all together was completely aware of its own ridiculousness, turning it to its own advantage. I give this film {{{4 out of 5}}}

They said: This is one to get on DVD for those evenings where you just want a drink and a giggle. We give this film {{{8 out of 10}}}

QUESTION FOR THE COMMENTS: WHAT IS YOUR FAVE TEEN MOVIE?

Zombieland

Director: Ruben Fleischer
UK release: 7 October 2009
Starring: Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Emma Stone, Abigail Breslin

IMDB page



He said:

This film could have very easily been just another zombie film that passed us by but with excellent humor and fantastic writing this movie hits its mark in so many different places with an excellent cast.

If you are anything like me the film will leave you searching the interwebs in hopes of a sequel. (Last I checked a sequel has been greenlit, and a script has been drafted, but the film is not yet in production). According to IMDB the four leads are expected to return.

This is a fun film that has a lot of fun humor and some great cameo appearances, I would recommend you rent it for a fun movie night with your friends and maybe (if it is legal for you to do so) try to devise a drinking game to go along with the film. I give this film {{{4 out of 5}}}

She said:

I was interested to see this film that had been pegged as the US version of Shaun of the Dead. Indeed they are both hilarious zombie comedies and quintessential examples of the cultures in which they were produced. For example, while our heroes in the British Shaun of the Dead try to make it to the pub down the road, in Zombieland we travel across the United States towards, of course(!), Los Angeles.

I found this film highly enjoyable. As James said, the script is well written with sharp wit and great pacing. However I have to say that it is the actors, with their fantastic comic performances and their delicious on-screen chemistry, that make this film. Although I see Jesse Eisenberg as an uglier version of Michael Cera he definitely holds his own as the lead in the film, carefully guiding the audience through Zombieland with his rules of survival.

Funnily enough I too searched for the possibility of a sequel when I finished the DVD and hope to be seeing the planned zombie sequel come to life (excuse the pun). My favourite part has to be a sufficiently surreal cameo by an actor much-loved by myself and pretty much the whole world - I'm not telling you who though so you'll have to rent it out! I give this film {{{4 out of 5}}}

They said:

Overall this film is highly enjoyable and has comedy to suit most tastes from satire to slapstick; the Zombieland 'rules of survival' even give many scenes a comic book feel. Plus, y'know, at the end of the day who doesn't like a bit of blood and guts and being chased by the undead. We give this film {{{8 out of 10}}}

QUESTIONS FOR THE COMMENTS: Do you have a favourite Zombie film? What is it and why? Also, if you were running from zombies - where would you choose to go?