Wednesday, April 30, 2014

Aca-Scuse Me! Let's talk Pitch Perfect.


Ok, Pitch Perfect 2 has started, everyone! This is not a drill! The cast is starting to post pictures, this is HAPPENING! Now many MANY of you know how aca-obsessed I am with Pitch Perfect.  I have watched this movie more than any other movie in my life, by far.  I own it on DVD, but that did not stop me from also recording it on my DVR during free HBO weekend (Thanks UVerse!); there have been multiple occasions where I have watched this movie at least 3 times in one day (I don’t even wish I was kidding); I also have favorite Trebles who are not the frontmen. That being said, over my viewings I have come to acquire a few questions and comments about the movie.  Some of these questions have been “answered” while listening to the commentary, and I will share those with you, along with some general fun facts about the movie (also read: things I learned from the commentary).  Now, I am typing up this list as I watch the movie (again), so everyone settle in, grab your popcorn, press play and follow along with me!

1. If you produce that much puke, you probably need an exorcism.  Like for real, that is a lot a puke at a very solid projectile angle.

2. Where is Barden?  Beca takes a cab to campus, so some kind of metropolitan area, right?  I want a city and/or state.

3. How did the rest of Beca’s stuff get to her dorm? She gets out of the cab, grabs ONE bag while it looks like an orientation helper takes the rest, but then he just leaves!  She gives him no directions, he doesn’t seem to be following her, and he is definitely not there when Beca gets to her dorm.  I realize that music is her life, so all she needs is her MacBook and mix stuff, but I would also be concerned about, say, my bedding or books… or what to wear on any day following today! Maybe she can borrow clothes from Kimmy-Jin.

4. Where did Jesse’s parents go?  They actually start out as responsible parents and drive their kid to school, but then do they just leave? Where are anyone’s parents actually? This drives me nuts in all movies.  All filmed dorm rooms are like 80x bigger than mine was, and we fit at least 10 people in them. You can fit mom, pop, and kid times 2, because f you drive all the way to the school, you know you want to see the dorm room.  I’m going to assume they are parking the car and will be up in a minute. Everyone else’s parents obviously hate their children and don’t care about their living quarters.

5. Ok, now we are at the org. fair. If you have not done so before, take a moment to rewatch the Trebles sing “Whip It”, but only watch Unicycle (yes, that is the name of the guy on the unicycle). You’re welcome.
5b. Did you see all the fun organizations in the background? Quidditch club and RIAC (Running in a Circle) club are my faves.

6. Did all the original Bellas graduate except Audrey and Chloe or did they just leave after Pukegate?

7. Let’s play a game called “Name that radio station?”  If you look at the door when Beca enters it says 85.7, but then Luke says “95.7 WBUJ: Music for the independent mind.” I’m going to assume Luke is mistaken, but Freddie Stroma is super attractive, so I’m going to let it go this time.

8. Did you see the RIAC club in the background while Beca is laying on the grass?! How many people are in the RIAC club?  I want to be friends with them.

9. Why are Chloe and Beca both wearing their hair up in the shower? I know no one who does that. If you are a girl (or guy with long hair) and you wear your hair up in the shower, let me know!

10. Why are auditions for the a cappella groups a MONTH into school?  Audrey continually talks about how they don’t have enough time to prepare, but what could help this situation would be not wasting a month of school before starting to practice!

11. How long have Justin and Tommy been at Barden?  I don’t know why, but I just get the feeling they have been hosting Barden A Cappella events for a long time. They are also there at the end of the movie, meaning they are there the following year. Grad students? Local a cappella enthusiasts? Benjis from 2 years ago who have climbed the ranks of outsiders who are involved?

12. Are all the new Bellas freshmen? I’m hoping not.  Don’t pull a Glee where all of a sudden you need to replace everyone. Weed these aca-bitches out slowly. I’ve also been watching a lot of Degrassi lately. That show has this rotation down to a science!

13. Do any of these groups have faculty advisors? At Carthage every group had to have an advisor. Maybe Tommy and Justin ARE the advisors.

14. Who does Chloe make out with at Aca-Initiation night?  It has been clearly stated that it can’t be a Treble, the BU Harmonics mostly seem to play for the other team, and I would be surprised if the High Notes even showed up.  BUT, if anyone can go to this event, why doesn’t Benji go?  He goes to everything else later in the movie. Sad Benji...

15. Let’s take a minute to discuss some First Bellas Rehearsal fashion. I LOVE Stacie’s sweater! Chloe’s shirt isn’t bad either.  Some of these other girls, though… oh man! Fat Amy is wearing a tie-dye shirt and headband.  She did not know there was going to be exercising, so she chose that headband as a for real accessory. Also, Audrey, you are a hot mess. Your shirt is too formal for this day and the rest of your outfit, but could work in other situations, but what are you wearing on the bottom?? Shorts? Skirt? With running shoes? Just no. This bothers me more than I should even admit. This is like some costuming internship gone wrong. (Everyone not currently wearing jeans they can’t remember when they last washed and a tank top with a broken strap feel free to tell me these outfits are actually acceptable.)

16. They really should have just gotten Milo Ventimiglia (Jess from Gilmore Girls) to play that frat guy, because they look almost identical and I love Milo!

17. Did you know: Ester Dean (Cynthia-Rose) was actually the one who wrote S&M for Rhianna! So it’s a little nod to her when she sings it at the Riff-Off. This is one of my favorite fun facts!

18. When do the BU Harmonics get eliminated from the Riff-Off? THIS IS HUGE! Rewatch it! The High Notes get eliminated because that one girl sucks, and the Bellas get eliminated on a technicality, but the BU Harmonics are never shown getting eliminated.  Now my friend Emily says they get eliminated because they didn’t sing in that last round. I don’t accept that. I want to see them talk about it.

19. Oh hey, they just mentioned North Carolina University, so is Barden an East Coast school somewhere?

20. When did Bumper have enough time to design and release a line of sports sandals?  He doesn’t strike me, or anyone, as the overachiever.

21. Where do the Trebles rehearse? They do a lot of dancing so you know they aren’t winging this.

22. I love the old dudes! They are one of my favorite parts of this whole movie.

23. How does Jesse have Beca’s dad’s phone number to call him to come get her from jail?  I’m not even convinced that Beca has her dad’s phone number.

24. Where is Beca on campus that she can hear her song on the radio and still make it to the radio station before the song ends?  She is not running that fast in those heels. Where did she come from? An easy fix: have her at least be wearing headphones and I would believe she was listening to it on her phone or thru some kind of app.

25. Why does Benji run after Beca when she storms out of Semi’s?  I like the reasoning in the commentary where they say “Maybe Beca was his ride.” They are obviously best friends now, right? Haha!

26. I love The Breakfast Club. Never once have I cried during it.

27. No, seriously, if you puke that much I’m worried you might be Satan. Also, just skip this scene.  As stated, I watch this movie a lot. I still can’t watch her roll around in puke.

28. As brought up by my friend Sarah, who actually had nodes, you would not be able to sing that soon after surgery, Chloe.  And especially not at full force, competition ready.

29. Fun Fact Time: At the finals, the group that sings The Final Countdown is an actual a cappella group!  They drove cross country in their van to film and got a flat tire on the way.  They are known for their robes and a member was actually initiated into the group while they filmed and I think it was Brittany Snow who gave him his robe. (I did not rewatch with commentary before posting this to double check that fact, so I am unsure who it for sure was)

30. What school has enough mics to give to that many people?! Every Bella has a mic while they are still “On Deck”, the Trebles get their mics before they go on, and there are mics ON STAGE with the group before them. That is SO MANY mics.

31. Which Anna (Camp or Kendrick) do you think Skylar Astin was really looking at during that final performance? For those of you who don’t know, Skylar and Anna Camp are dating in real life.  You should follow both their Instagrams for adorable pictures of them! Skylar would be the perfect boyfriend.

32. Where do the rest of the Trebles go when the Bellas leave the stage and come into the audience?  Like they all disappear from the row and it is magically just Beca and Jesse there. A better solution would have been to have Jesse meet her in the aisle or something.

33. Why do the Bellas get to pick the audition song at the end? The Trebles didn’t get to pick the song in the beginning.  That song was obviously preselected and the auditionees got to prepare for it.  Beca and the girls pick this one on the spot.

34. Final thoughts: How are Audrey and Chloe going to play into Pitch Perfect 2? They are cast and Brittany Snow updated her Instagram with a picture, but they are missing from the seats during auditions. I love them and want them to be in it, but I don’t want it to be forced. This is a true worry in my life.


Thank you for watching Pitch Perfect with me, everyone. I think you all have fat hearts and I love you, awesome nerds.  I can’t wait for Pitch Perfect 2! I hope it has a 90s battle riff off.

If you have any comments or other questions that you think of when you watch the movie, share them with me!