Ultimate Decades Blogathon 2022 Kick-Off: End of Watch (2012)

Hello, friends!

The 2022 Ultimate Decades Blogathon has begun! Yesterday, my co-host Kim got the festivities started with her review 1992’s of Porco Rosso. Today, I’m coming at you with part 2 of the kick-off. With my review of 2012’s gritty buddy cop film End of Watch. I’m excited for the entries this year! For the next two weeks, stop by here and Kim’s blogs to catch them all. Now, on to my review!

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Synopsis
Police officers Brian Taylor (jake Gyllenhaal) and Mike Zavala (Michael Pena) patrol the city of Los Angeles.

Review
To start off, End of Watch is not a movie for the faint of heart. There is so much cursing it would make Michael Scorsese proud and the violence is brutal and uncompromising. Now, if you can sit through all that, there is a wildly entertaining movie to be found underneath. I’m usually not a fan of the “found footage” or documentary style of film making but I actually didn’t mind it here; the style adds an affect that complements the story. Plus, it switches back-and-forth between a hand-camera and a regular camera so the whole thing isn’t unsteady, which makes it more bearable. In a buddy cop movie like End of Watch, the leading pair can make or break the film. Luckily, the two leads of Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Pena are a perfect duo. The friendship the two of them display is authentic and spectacularly gritty. As the film progresses, you grow attached to both of them and their relationship that makes the Fast franchise’s family motif seem pale in comparison. All of the time spent with Brian Taylor (Gyllenhaal) and Zavala (Pena) culminate in an emotional ending. When rewatching this film, I forgot that it starred America Ferrera. I am a huge fan of the series Superstore, where Ferrera plays the central character. It is a big shift to see her in a role so different than the comedy role I’m used to and she nails the part.

I thought End of Watch was GREAT 😀 It’s violent and unflinching, yet heartfelt and genuine. Gyllenhaal and Pena have unquestionable chemistry and brought the friendship to life. If you can make it through the brutality and vulgarity, you’ll find there is plenty of heart underneath.

Trivia
The word “fuck” is used 326 times, making this film tenth in the all-time profanity list. (via IMDb)

Trailer

Cast & Crew
David Ayer – Writer / Director
David Sardy – Composer

Jake Gyllenhaal – Brian Taylor
Michael Pena – Mike Zavala
Natalie Martinez – Gabby
Anna Kendrick – Janet
David Harbour – Van Hauser
Frank Grillo – Sarge
America Ferrera – Orazco
Cody Horn – Davis
Cle Sloan – Mr. Tre
Jaime FitzSimons – Captain Reese
Richard Cabral – Demon
Diamonique – Wicked
Maurice Compte – Big Evil
Alvin Norman – Peanut

Five Flaming Hotties Tag

 

Hello, friends!

I feel like I’m back on the elementary school playground because I have been tagged! Catherine from Thoughts All Sorts tagged me for the Five Flamming Hotties tag that was created by her and Gill from Realweegiemidget Reviews.  The rules are fairly straightforward:

1. You must add the name of the blog who tagged you AND those of the 2 Reel Quirky Cats, Thoughts All Sorts and Realweegiemidget Reviews with links to these sites as given here… and use the natty picture promoting this post (found to the right, click for full size).
   • 2 Reel Quirky Cats
   • Realweegiemidget Reviews
   • Thoughts All Sorts
2. List 5 of your all time greatest hotties from TV or Film. ie crushes / objects of your affection.
3. Say how you were introduced to them, and why you like them (keep it clean)
4. Link to 7 other bloggers.
5. Add lovely pictures of those you selected.
6. Post the rules.

Well, I’ve already taken care of the first requirement so let’s jump straight into my five favorite hotties from TV or film. Since I could have also included athletes, a close runner up was Alex Morgan.

Now, onto my list:

5) Salma Hayek

My best friend and I watched Wild Wild West all the time, and I would be lying if I said Salma Hayek wasn’t one of the reasons why.  When she is wearing not much more than a corset, it is enough to make a teenage boy weak in the knees.  Besides her looks, she can command the screen just as good as any male co-star she is working with.  I’ll admit that I haven’t seen many of her more recent films but she’ll always have a place in my heart as on of my first crushes.

4) Jaimie Alexander

I first saw Jaimie Alexander in Thor as the ass-kicking Sif then shortly thereafter in The Last Stand.  Not only was she drop-dead gorgeous, she could kick-ass, too! Strong and beautiful, what more could you want? When she transitioned to the small screen in the TV series Blindspot, I jumped on immediately and haven’t been disappointed in both her or the show.

3) Anna Kendrick

Scott Pilgrim vs. The World served as my introduction to Anna Kendrick.  I instantly fell in love with her quirky attitude, especially outside of films.  Watching her in interviews and looking through her twitter feed, she seems so chill and down-to-Earth.  Oh, did I mention she has a beautiful singing voice, too? So let’s get the run down: she’s adorable, she’s cute, she’s funny, and she’s a great singer. Basically, she’s the ultimate girl next door.

2) Emma Watson

Like many, I was introduced to Emma Watson as Hermione in the Harry Potter series. Since then, she has gone on to do many great things, especially outside of acting. She has a bachelor’s degree in English literature, she’s a UN Women Goodwill Ambassador, she’s a leading advocate for gender equality and she’s done some modeling for good measure. She might just be the perfect combination of brains and beauty.

1) Emma Stone

My number one flaming hottie was a no brainer (or was it a half brainer with a double twist?). Ever since Emma Stone hit the scene in Superbad and Easy A, I have had a tremendous crush on her.  This girl can take any role and make it fun and memorable.  Last year, she finally got the recognition she deserves with her best actress Oscar.  Although I like her red hair better than her natural blonde, she’s beautiful regardless of hair color.

Now that I’ve shared my Five Flaming Hotties, I guess all that’s left is to tag a few others. I tag

• Allie (Often Off Topic)
• Curt (The Hypersonic55’s Realm of Reviews and Other Stuff)
• Glenn (Glenn’s Movie Mumblings)
• Jules (Jules Movie Reviews)
• Natasha (Life of this City Girl)
• Peggy (Peggy at the Movies)
• SG (Rhyme and Reason)

Thanks for the tag, Catherine! It was sure hard trying to narrow it down to only five.  I hope those of you who I tagged will participate.

Who are some of your flaming hotties?

Until next time, cheers!

My Fave Five Redheaded Actresses

All this talk with Justine and Cara about the joys of being a redhead (or artificial redhead in Justine’s case) got me thinking about my favorite actresses who share this wonderful hair color of mine.  Which then also got me thinking I haven’t done a Fave Five list in far too long, so here we are.  There have been many great redheads in cinema, so it’s time to celebrate a few of my favorites.  Each and every one of these actresses are both stunningly beautiful and extremely talented.  So without further ado, here are my Fave Five redhead actresses.

Honorable Redhead) Emma Stone

I put Emma Stone as an honorable mention redhead because sadly, she’s a natural blonde. However, some of my favorite roles of hers have been with red locks: Superbad, Zombieland, and Easy A, just to name a few.  So in that spirit, I’ve included her on this list.

5) Felicia Day

Felicia Day is probably the funniest actress I have ever seen outside of movies.  She has numerous web series on her channel as well as Geek and Sundry, including The Guild which she writes, and has appeared on various TV series.  She’s huge fan of everything nerdy and a pop culturist (is that a word? it is now). If there is an Aphrodite of Geekdom, it’s Felicia.

4) Alyson Hannigan

I’ve been slowly working my way through How I Met Your Mother, where Alyson Hannigan plays Lily Aldrin, one of the main characters.  She is easily one of my favorite characters in the series, and I fully believe it’s because of what Alyson brings to the character.  Then of course we can’t forget her role of Michelle in the American Pie series. This one time, at band camp…

3) Jane Levy

Jane Levy may not be in many movies, but she was in the fantastic Suburgatory on ABC, which unfortunately got cancelled after season two.  She brought a down-to-Earth element to a town filled with caked make-up and spray tans, really giving off that “girl next door” vibe.  I hope she stars in another sitcom soon, because that’s where she really shines.

2) Isla Fisher

As great as Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson were together in Wedding Crashers, Isla Fisher stole every scene she was in.  Her deliveries were perfect and I couldn’t stop laughing.  Every time I see her name on the cast list, I’m like, “I have to see that.”

1) Amy Adams

Amy Adams can act in just about every type of movie. She’s done drama (The Fighter and American Hustle), comedy (Talladega Nights), children’s (Enchanted), action (Man of Steel) and many, many more. Is there anything she can’t do!?

Who are some of your favorite redheaded actresses?

Lightning Review: Into the Woods

Synopsis
A pastry baker (James Corden) and his wife (Emily Blunt) are tasked by a witch (Meryl Streep) to find several items to be used to lift a curse placed on their family. During their journey, the baker and his wife cross paths with Cinderella (Anna Kendrick), Jack (Daniel Huttlestone), and Little Red Riding Hood (Lilla Crawford).

Review
Going into Into the Woods I had no idea it was an adaptation of a stage play or that it was a full blown musical. The friends I went with were huge fans of the play and were excited to see it on screen, so naturally I was intrigued (now I know how my friends feel during Marvel movies). Regardless of not knowing much about the film, I enjoyed it very much. One thing I found particularly interesting was how the story weaves the renowned fairy tales together. Since Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood and Jack and the Beanstalk are well known, the film is not spent during the stories themselves but rather in between them. For instance, instead of seeing Jack in the giant’s city in the sky, he is only seen going up and down the beanstalk and his interactions with the other characters. This allowed more time for the movie’s story instead of retreading the parts of the stories the audience is already familiar with.

The special effects look amazing. Although not used as heavily, the visual style remind me of Maleficent. Like any good musical, I was singing the music long after leaving the theater. The song “Into the Woods,” sung by the film’s cast, and “Agony,” sung by Chris Pine and Billy Magnussen, are a few of the highlights. The cast was amazing, too. With stars like Meryl Streep, Emily Blunt, and Anna Kendrick, how can you expect anything less? I thought James Corden as the baker did especially well. Into the Woods offers a variety of catchy songs, some good effects and a stand-out cast, easily making it one of the better musicals I have seen recently.

Rating
4/5

Trailer

Cast & Crew
Rob Marshall – Director
James Lapine – Screenplay / Musical
Stephen Sondheim – Composer

James Corden – Baker
Emily Blunt – Baker’s Wife
Meryl Streep – Witch
Anna Kendrick – Cinderella
Daniel Huttlestone – Jack
Lilla Crawford – Little Red Riding Hood
Christine Baranski – Stepmother
Tammy Blanchard – Florinda
Lucy Punch – Lucinda
Chris Pine- Cinderella’s Prince
Tracey Ullman – Jack’s Mother
Johnny Depp – The Wolf
Annette Crosbie – Granny
Mackenzie Mauzy – Rapunzel
Billy Magnussen – Rapunzel’s Prince
Frances de la Tour – Giant
Simon Russell Beale – Baker’s Father