The Bellas are fun, but ‘Pitch Perfect 3’ hits many sour notes

“Pitch Perfect 3” – “Three Is a Magic Number” – Bob Dorough, “Schoolhouse Rock!” The Barden University Bellas, or better known as the Barden Bellas, hope that three is their magic number in 2017, as these a cappella ladies – led by Beca (Anna Kendrick) and Fat Amy (Rebel Wilson) – arrive in theatres in “Pitch Perfect 3”. Their initial leap on the big screen in 2012 was a critical and box office hit, and the 2015 follow-up admittedly meandered, but packed enough jokes and even some Green Bay Packers…

‘The Shape of Water’ and ‘Three Billboards’ share the Phoenix Critics Circle’s Best Picture award

On Dec. 15, the Phoenix Critics Circle, along with their friends and spouses, enjoyed a festive evening at the Phoenix Film Foundation office and announced its winners for the best films, performances and technical categories of 2017. Guillermo del Toro’s “The Shape of Water” and Martin McDonagh’s “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” both took the top prize for Best Picture  – via a tie – during an evening of two other ties as well.   “Three Billboards” was the big winner with four wins, closely followed by Jordan Peele’s “Get Out”…

‘Star Wars: The Last Jedi’ carries visual thrills and missed opportunities

“Star Wars: The Last Jedi” – The marketing department behind the Star Wars franchise must be brilliant.  With billions of dollars in tickets sold over eight films (including “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” (2016)), hired advertising suits certainly know the cinematic beats that will attract their audience.  On the other hand, Star Wars probably does not need a marketing department at all, because after George Lucas’s visionary masterstroke arrived in 1977, fans bought into his wondrous space opera and the films that followed, and rightfully so! Well, as writer/director…