Tag: amanda bynes

Review: EASY A

Can I just say that I would love to high five Emma Stone? I love her blunt, witty banter. Needless to say, this movie was pretty darn funny.

Emma Stone plays Olive, an invisible student with a loud, mouthy best friend, Rhiannon (Alyson Michalka). A lie to get out of camping with her BFF turns into a rumor that she lost her virginity. Now, the invisible girl has become the talk of the hallways. The lies really spiral out of control when she agrees to fib out sleeping with her friend Brandon (Dan Byrd) in order to spare him from the taunts about his true sexual orientation. It’s not like she actually slept with him, so how much could it hurt, right?

Turns out that her fake tryst spiraled into  a fake whoring business, where she would lie about sleeping with geeks  for gift cards to various stores, such as Office Max. This leads to a full on attack by the school Christians, lead by Marianne (Amanda Bynes). They are determined to either save Olive’s soul or get her out of the school.

Emma Stone is hilarious in her role. I love the way she delivers lines. I was actually shocked to find out that she is only 21, because she comes across, conversationally, as much older. I mean that in a complimentary way. Seriously, have you heard kids in their early 20’s talk? Most of the time it comes across as completely moronic! Stanley Tucci and Patricia Clarkson play Olive’s parents, and they are hysterical! I wish my parents were that funny and liberal when I was in high school. Malcolm McDowell is always a fun addition to any cast. His humor is only complimented by his terrific acting.

The comparison between Olive’s life and the book that they are currently studying, THE SCARLETT LETTER is rather intriguing. By investigating the similarities of their circumstances, she discovers more about herself, and the life she wants to lead. The other comparison that I found rather interesting is how Olive’s life is NOT like a John Hughes movie. What she really wants is to have a John Hughes happily ever after. DON’T WE ALL SISTER!

OVERALL RATING: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Review: ‘Sydney White’

Zac:

This predictable teeny bopper aimed spin on Snow White has its moments if you are a dork and supplies some decent laughs from time to time if you know what you are getting into.
The film is entirely predictable and nothing will really surprise you here, but if you are sitting down to watch this you are either a fan of the cute and funny Amanda Bynes or were dragged to see it by a significant other. Well relax and don’t set your hopes high and the experience won’t be so bad. Bynes and the 7 Dorks are usually appealing and are the best parts about the film. You will find dork references through out, some that are actually pretty observatory and smart. Bynes’ trademark wit and sass are on display as usual here and I must say that she is consistently funny in any comedy work she does; I just hope she gets a chance to break out instead of playing to the Disney Channel crowd her whole life.
The film is filled with stereotypes, the Sorority girls being offensively represented, and the idea of an overflow of campus housing being filled with the biggest dorks at the school is a bit of a stretch. But we aren’t here for plausibility we are just trying to be at least moderately entertained and the film does that if you know what you are getting into.
The message is a good one to send to kids though I must say, and the struggle to steal power from the Greek life is also very real on some college campuses. I think the film successfully shows how some schools you can be cast as an freak or not as special if you are not in the Greek society and while this message has been seen before this one presents it in a fairly family friendly way that says it’s ok to be different.
The plot goes on a bit too long and a bit of the sorority bits could have been trimmed and it would be nice to have seen them lighten up on the enemy protagonist stereotype but that is asking for a bit too much I think with this type of film.
If you’re a fan of Bynes’ previous work, I’m sure you will enjoy this, as she does a shtick well again here. The 7 dorks characters are humorous if you can relate to them and if this movie’s message is true there is a dork in all of us.

[rating 3/5]