Penn Masala’s journey to the big screen began when the movie’s director, 1996 College graduate Elizabeth Banks, reached out to Masala through Deke Sharon, a notable a cappella producer. But just like Snoop releases a Christmas album identical to every other celebrity Yuletide collection, they’re going to keep coming forward with what they do well.“Pitch Perfect 2,” set to be released on May 15, 2015, is the sequel to the first “Pitch Perfect” movie, which revolves around Anna Kendrick’s character Beca, who goes to Barden University and spices up the all-girls a cappella group, the Barden Bellas, while searching for a way to fit in at college. Pitch Perfect 2 gets it–they’re not going to blow you away the way they did the first time. The movie drops hints all over about how difficult it is to be original: Beca’s music producer boss (Keegan-Michael Key) gently shames her for mashups that any Millennial could make, while Bella legacy and new recruit Emily (Hailee Steinfeld) flubs up a performance with an original song. It may not be the most unique plot, but it’s what is key to them finding their sound again. With everyone else in the world shitting on them, the Bellas have to rely on their sisterhood more than ever. Without spoiling it, the Bellas’ final number takes the sentimentality of the first movie–remember Beca incorporating “Don’t You Forget About Me” for Jesse?–and cranks it up several more notches. The movie would have been well-served to see the record internship subplot through, beyond more than just a plot point that doesn’t really change Beca anyway. There’s also a side plot that involves Beca dueling with Snoop Lion, an odd partnership that’s too brief. They’re comically stern and over-dramatic, but their rendition of “Light ‘Em Up” is a guaranteed earworm. But because the Bellas find themselves retreading old ground or trying to be something they’re not, the Pitch Perfect 2soundtrack reflects that.Īnd yes, DSM (ja!) are really impressive. Unfortunately, as a whole, the soundtrack was stronger the first time around: The Bellas’ mashups were still a surprise, Anna Kendrick charmed with her Reddit-inspired “Cups” rendition, and you got the sense that each arrangement specifically complemented its singers. Sure, these moments are all played for laughs, but they do a keen job of pointing out the smudged line between so-close-they’re-sisters and so-close-they’re-something-else. The Bellas are constantly holding hands or linking arms, Esther represents for the out LGBT crowd (though it’s still unclear if Stacey is open to her advances), Chloe/Beca shippers got a little shout-out, and Beca herself is consistently sexually confused by Das Sound Machine’s fiercely beautiful co-leader Kommissar. One thing the Pitch Perfect movies should always be commended for is how they constantly bring up fluid female sexuality. It’s one thing to present reprehensible characters whose minds the protagonists will change, but all of these jokes fell flat at the press and public screening. You know what else is tasteless? A shockingly high number of racist jokes at the expense of the Bella’s token Latina member, and from commentator John Smith regarding women, minorities, and pretty much everything else in-between. And as you’ll remember, she harnesses that energy later. By contrast, Aubrey nervous-vomiting all over the stage in the first few minutes of Pitch Perfectwas an audacious way to skewer the hush-hush attitude around discussing women’s bodily functions. While this hurdle makes for interesting commentary, opening the sequel with a crotch shot was tasteless, the opposite of female empowerment. While they’ve clearly lost their own sound internally, they also have external aca-pponents in Das Sound Machine, the imposing German team who impossibly embody electronic music while also having the voices of angels and the costumes of F ifty Shades of Grey extras. Their only choice for redemption is to win the world championships for a capella–something no American team has ever done. The entire group spends the rest of the movie basically being slut-shamed for this wardrobe malfunction. The transgression that gets the Bellas suspended from their national tour is nicknamed “Muffgate” by the media: Fat Amy (Rebel Wilson) accidentally shows off her goods while performing in front of the Obamas and the rest of the nation. Pitch Perfect 2 isn’t just commenting on its predecessor–it’s also commenting on how women are often dismissed by society at large.
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