‘Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising’: Comedy sequel that works
Some years have past since the Radner family first battled with exploding couch air bags with the fraternity that moved in next door. Now Mac (Seth Rogen) and Kelly (Rose Byrne) with baby number two coming have decided to sell the house and move out to the quite suburbs.
While this is going on we see three eager freshmen ladies lead by Shelby (Chloë Grace Moretz) challenge the status quo of the typical sorority life. Not having the sexist filled lifestyle that comes with joining a sorority the ladies decide to create their own. With new rules in place that are meant to empower the newly found sorority they look for a home to house all these party hunger weed smoking college students. Moving in next door to the Radner’s, their over the top partying could hurt the selling of their home.
On a thirty-day furlough to sell the house they seek help from an old enemy now turned friend Teddy (Zac Efron) to get the sorority out of the house. Old and new antics explode between everyone as the sorority will stop at nothing to have their right to party while the tag team group of the Radner family and Teddy give it their all to stop this new college party force.
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Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising continues the laughs we saw in the first film while adding a very funny spin on gender roles. Throughout the film serious dark tones are masterfully handled in a way to deliver sharp hard laughs.
Neighbors 2: Sorrity Rising
Director: Nicholas Stoller
Rating: R
Release Date: May 20, 2016
Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising provides a satisfying comedy sequel a rare occurrence that many film franchises get wrong. Teasing fans with a potential third film with a zombie twist, Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising is a knockout.
Rogen of course is the comedy lead whose sharp voguer jokes and “dad bod” is the perfect contrast to Efron’s attractive wholesome appel to younger audiences. The two work well off of each other bringing in new laughs from it’s predecessor.
Efron in Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising is an unmotivated fraternity member who peaked in college. With all of his fraternity brothers living their well established lives Efron is in a rut. Efron’s rise from rut brings plenty of laughs in his revolutionary journey to find something he’s good at. The crazy antics we see him and Rogen devise against the sorority holds nothing back.
Virtually doing the same gags from the first film, but now against a sorority, the new elements added to the back and fourth attacks make for an over the top hilarious brawl.
The new element to Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising is of course the very funny female additions to the cast. Often used a punchline, the feminist ideas in Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising challenge social norms in the college Greek life community. With Moretz taking the lead in this rebellious cast of lady misfits they provide Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising the lift this comedy needed to become a comedy classic.
Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising was a surprisingly satisfying comedy sequel that outdid its self from it’s processor. It’s over the top antics at times provide grossly laughs as the sorority members stole the show. Packed with explicit one liners and bold hilarious scenes Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising will be hard to top.
[Review] We Are Your Friends
Close your eyes and think back to all of the various stages of your life, and I can almost guarantee you that each one is segmented into the type of music you were listening to, whether it was a specific band, genre, song, or what have you. Needless to say, music plays an important role in all of our lives. Recently, we've seen EDM gravitate towards the top of mainstream music genres with EDM DJs headlining all types of festivals across the country. Adversely, the genre's popularity also attracts unwanted notoriety as the scene's culture is linked to partying and drugs, especially in regards to EDM's mainstream media coverage.
With that said, what better way is there to tell a contemporary coming-of-age film set within the EDM scene? Writer/director Max Joseph's We Are Your Friends tells the story of an aspiring DJ's attempts to make it big with his friends, but his rise is constantly threatened by personal events. Unfortunately, the film derails way too often, leaving audiences a messy film struggling with its identity.
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We Are Your Friends
Director: Max Joseph
Rating: R
Release Date: August 28, 2015
Cole (Zac Efron) is an aspiring DJ living in the San Fernando Valley with his best friends Ollie (Shiloh Fernandez), Squirrel (Alex Shaffer), and Dustin (Jonny Weston). Together, they all dream of leaving the Valley for the riches and lights that Los Angeles has to offer, and they do so by promoting at a local club where Cole DJs.
Thanks to a chance encounter, Cole begins a mentorship with an established DJ, James (Wes Bentley), who helps Cole with his mix and offers him a gig at a large music festival. However, as life is wont to do, various circumstances are thrown at Cole and his friends, whether it's a dead-end job or the sexual tension between him and James's girlfriend, Sophie (Emily Ratajkowski).
There are so many elements at play in We Are Your Friends, but that's not a good thing... definitely not one for this film. Had it stuck to one genre, this film would have been far better. However, Joseph shows his ambition by attempting to create a film with a legitimately compelling story beyond the standard we've come to expect from similar music films. And for this, I applaud him; it's just unfortunate that his ambition ultimately led to the film's downfall.
There are many subplots going on within We Are Your Friends that help move the film along, but they all lack the payoff in the end. Take, for instance, Cole's three friends - the relationship between the four of them is that of ride or die brothers who would all have each other's backs. However, when Cole begins his friendship with James and Sophie, he essentially turns his back on them, as illustrated in a party scene where the trio embarrass themselves at James's party with no support from Cole whatsoever. Leading up to the film's final act, the friends are all eventually phased out to increase the spotlight on Cole's relationship with James and Sophie. There's a bit of a twist or a surprise that leads into the third act, but the immediate fallout from it is so tone-deaf and unrealistic.
However, this in itself is so unbelievably realistic and fairy tale-like. I can get behind Cole's sudden rise in the way fictional films tend to work out. What I can't get behind is the love triangle between Cole, Sophie, and James. Spoiler alert: Sex and fights are involved. I can't get too into this point without actually spoiling the film, yet the film's ultimate failure is rooted in Cole's narrative and how absurd it is.
Simply put: You can't attempt to create a drama that, through no believable elements whatsoever, allows the protagonist to come out on top unaffected and unchanged.
As far as the performances go, I've become a bit of an Efron fan in recent years, and he has his moments in the film. Unfortunately, his range is held back by the film's script and direction. Nevertheless, he makes the most of what's given to him. Wes Bentley also holds his own, but much like Efron's situation, he's held back from truly showing off what he can do. Ratajkowski's role as Sophie, however, is cause for concern.
Joseph attempts to create a truly-realized character with emotions and thoughts and dimensions beyond the obvious, and it truly is admirable. However, she's sorely underwritten and underutilized despite Joseph's attempts. For a film like We Are Your Friends, an attractive female lead is basically needed for the male protagonist to woo and romance on his path to the top, yet I truly believe building on the dynamics of Cole and James's multifaceted relationship would have been a better decision.
There are glimmers of light here and there in We Are Your Friends, whether it's Joseph's ambitions or Efron and Bentley's performances. However, they're too few and far between to justify seeing the film in theaters.
[Interview] Zac Efron, Max Joseph, Emily Ratajkowski, Them Jeans (We Are Your Friends)
Header via R.M.T. / WENN
While the current EDM scene has only been in mainstream prominence in recent years, it has more than its fair share of detractors and controversy, specifically focused on the wild partying, drugs, and the criticism that comes with any and all forms of music. However, writer/director Max Joseph attempts to offer an honest in-depth look at the EDM scene with his film, We Are Your Friends, using the scene and community as the setting for this coming of age film starring Zac Efron and Emily Ratajkowski.
During the press circuit for the film, I had the chance to partake in a roundtable interview alongside other Chicago-based journalists to discuss We Are Your Friends with Efron, Ratajkowski, Joseph, and DJ consultant Jason Stewart (AKA Them Jeans). Read along as we discuss EDM, the film, the actors' DJ names, and more!
[SXSW] Film Festival 2014
[Ruby Hornet will be covering SXSW from March 7th to March 16th. Follow along as we bring you exclusive film reviews, photos, daily features, and interviews with filmmakers, actors, and musicians!]
SXSW may be mostly known for its Music portion of the festival, but the Film half of the events have been building in notoriety over the past few years. While SXSW Film and SXSW Music are two entirely different beasts, they both have their own quirks and charm that keep the SXSW spirit alive throughout the entirety of the festival's duration. Whereas SXSW Music is full of craziness, crowds, and chaos, SXSW Film is more controlled and tempered in terms of its craziness, crowds, and chaos, albeit at a different level. Both Virgil and I (Ge0ff) were out and about last week, taking in as much as Austin and SXSW as we could before the Music crowds came in. Check out some of the photos below that captured some of our downtime in between screenings, some photos from the various film Q&As we attended, and even behind-the-scenes shots of some of the interviews we have lined up for next week. Enjoy!
Ryan Gosling, Zac Efron eyed for Star Wars Episode VII
Well well well, it seems as if Disney and J.J. Abrams are swinging for the fences with the upcoming 7th Star Wars film if this rumor is true. Reports have come out that both Ryan Gosling (Only God Forgives) and Zac Efron (Me and Orson Welles) have auditioned for roles in the next episode of the space opera. While Gosling and Efron aren't exactly household names (definitely not on the same level as, for example, George Clooney, Robert Downey, Jr, etc.), they have their large followings.
Word has it that Gosling auditioned for the role as Luke Skywalker's son, Ben Skywalker, who didn't have a large role in the Star Wars Expanded Universe novels. There's no official word on who Efron auditioned for, but it can be assumed that he was auditioning for the main role of Jacen Solo, Han and Leia's son. Last month, it seemed as if the new trilogy would focus on Jaina and Jacen Solo, so it's within reason that Efron would audition for the main protagonist. However, the official plot hasn't been confirmed, so everything is still speculation.
Regardless, having Ryan Gosling and Zac Efron attached would be huge for the future of Star Wars.
[via /Film]