How do you explain something that you can't even understand yourself?

Date: Saturday 23rd February

Saturday night, I'm back at home and visiting the oldest friend for an evening of good wine, junk food and trashy movies. First up


Film: What to Expect When You're Expecting (2012)
Director: Kirk Jones
Starring: Cameron Diaz, Jennifer Lopez, Anna Kendrick and Matthew Morrison
Running Time: 01 hour, 50 minutes
Rating: 4/10

A film I hadn't seen before. Mainly because I despair of multi-thread ensemble films. With the exception of Love Actually, I've yet to see one that works well.

What to Expect... is another one that falls short of the mark. I don't remember laughing, I didn't like the majority of the characters. This could have been truly horrendous, if it wasn't for two saving graces;

1) The always awesome Anna Kendrick

2) Joe Manganiello. Shirtless. Doing one armed pull ups. 

I don't think I'll be rushing out to see this again. Still, it was better than Valentine's Day. Just. 

Film: The Lucky One (2012)
Director: Scott Hicks
Starring: Zac Efron, Taylor Schilling and Blythe Danner
Running Time: 01 hour, 41 minutes
Rating: 5/10

Now, I have no excuse on this one. I've seen it before. I knew I didn't enjoy it. I still chose for us to watch it. Mainly because sometimes I can be incredibly shallow, and I just want to watch Zac Efron run around with dogs.

This is not a good film. It is, like most Nicholas Sparks adaptations, predictable, a little cheesy and a repeat of tried and tested characters.

This is a trash film. Something you know you shouldn't watch. Something you feel guilty about afterwards. Something that, at the time, seems to work.

Challenge day: 151
Challenge time: 09 days, 13 hours, 22 minutes
Challenge film total: 118

You can't change your situation. The only thing that you can change is how you choose to deal with it

Date: Sunday 3rd February
Film: 50/50 (2011)
Director: Jonathan Levine
Starring: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Seth Rogen and Anna Kendrick
Running time: 01 hour, 40 minutes
Rating: 8.5/10

Considering the subject matter, 50/50 could have gone two ways - it could be a 'pulling on your heartstrings, sobbing your heart out, serious cancer' film or it could be a 'laugh at cancer with inappropriate jokes' film. Luckily enough, 50/50 manages to combine both of these to be a genuine, heartwarming, funny, touching film about those dealing with cancer.

Joseph Gordon-Leviit is wonderful (I wouldn't expect anything less), as a man dealing with illness and the effect it has on his life, relationships and outlook on the world around him. Supported by Rogen, managing to be appropriately funny, and Anna Kendrick being sublime as usual, 50/50 is a movie that could have been a disaster in any other hands but excels, for me.

It manages that difficult task of being both funny and sad. As soon as you feel yourself getting to close to a sob they manage to drop a line that makes you laugh out loud.

I have a real soft spot for this film.

Challenge day: 131
Challenge time: 08 days, 12 hours, 54 minutes
Challenge film total: 105

Nothing makes a woman feel more like a girl than a man who sings like a boy

Date: Wednesday 5th December
Film: Pitch Perfect (2012)
Director: Jason Moore
Starring: Anna Kendrick, Brittany Snow Rebel Wilson and Skylar Astin
Running time: 1 hour 52 minutes
Rating: 8/10

After watching the trailer for this, I was torn on whether I would enjoy Pitch Perfect. The part of me that loves Anna Kendrick and Rebel Wilson was all for it. The part of me that got bored with Glee midway through the second season was not excited, at all.

Luckily, this is not as like the later seasons of Glee as the advert leads you to believe. If anything, Pitch Perfect is the Bring It On of A Cappella vocal harmony group movies. It is unashamedly cheesy in places, the jokes are solid, the songs are a great mix of old and new and there are some brilliant cameos that make anyone smile.

Plus, any film that constantly references The Breakfast Club is OK in my book.

Worth checking out, if only for the awesome Rebel Wilson.

Challenge day: 73
Challenge time: 03 days, 19 hours, 10 minutes
Challenge film total: 49