D @ vA Blake Lively and Anna Kendrick Have an idea for a story? M arts@theotherpress.ca are a dynamic duo on screen » ‘A Simple Favor’ film review Lauren Kelly Graphics Manager wee K KY Simple Favor is a whirlwind of a film. It alternates between thriller, mystery, romance, and comedy with deftness throughout, a balancing act that many others might struggle with. It’s directed by Paul Feig, who has become well-known for creating funny, dynamic films with female leads, and it’s not surprising to see him shine again here. The two lead actresses, Blake Lively and Anna Kendrick, are amazing in their roles. Lively plays Emily, a smart, stylish, sarcastic, and very private woman who keeps everyone at arm's length. Kendrick is Stephanie, a bubbly, cute, overachieving woman who livestreams her own cooking and crafts show and never swears. The two meet because their sons are in the same class. They begin hanging out mostly because Emily is entertained by Stephanie’s naivety. The film is at its best during scenes between the two of them—Emily’s cold humour, sexuality, and cynicism and Stephanie's desire to impress her create a very compelling dynamic. If you've seen any of the advertising for the film, this won't spoil much: Emily goes missing. She asks Stephanie to watch her son one day and doesn't come home. This is the main driving force of the plot as Stephanie goes into overdrive sleuthing, trying to discover what happened to her friend. A wrench is thrown into this by Sean (Henry Golding), Emily’s husband, who wants to help but is under a lot of suspicion as well. Golding is good in the film, but he is often overshadowed by the two lead women, whose personalities just happen to be a lot more interesting than Sean's. The mystery of Emily’s disappearance and all of the film’s twists and turns are incredibly engaging. It’s exciting watching Stephanie work to discover what happened. However, Emily is such a dynamic character that whenever she’s not on screen it feels like the film is missing something. This isn't a fixable flaw without rewriting the central plot, but it is a huge compliment to Lively’s performance of the character. My only other complaint with the film has to do with the tone of its conclusion but giving away more than that would spoil the plot. Overall, A Simple Favor is sexy, stylish, thrilling, and incredibly funny. The fashion e ‘A Musical Haunted House’ by Ecstatic Waves ¢ ‘First Man’ film review ¢ ‘The Mind of Jake Paul’ review ..and more! ‘A Simple Favor’ still within the film is at the forefront—every suit or dress that Emily dons is stunning and attention-grabbing. Its use of dark humour shines through as well, so any fans of a good dark comedy would be remiss to skip this. Even though it has a couple of small missteps, the engaging plot, beautiful visuals, and performances by the two leads are enough to make this a worthwhile watch for fans of any genre. ‘Dr. Horrible’: Still horribly brilliant » An ode to an awesome internet musical Caroline Ho Assistant Editor or fans of Joss Whedon, clever musicals, and ludicrous yet sentimental superhero/supervillain stories, Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog has everything you could want. If you've never heard of this musical web series and cult classic—now is the perfect time to check it out. This year is the 10th anniversary of Dr. Horrible, which first aired online in July 2008 and was released on DVD in December of that year. Or perhaps the musical will pique your interest now because one of its stars, Felicia Day, was at the recent Fan Expo Vancouver. Or perhaps you’ in need of a Halloween costume, in which case the getups of these characters are simple yet distinctive and effective. Or you should watch it simply because it’s a hilarious, poignant, and excellently written piece of media. Dr. Horrible was born out the Writers Guild of America strike between 2007 and 2008. The miniseries was created and self-funded by Joss Whedon and his family to demonstrate that a low-budget yet high- quality production could be made while much of the entertainment world was on hiatus. As Whedon wrote in a comment on fansite Whedonesque shortly before the series’ release, “The idea was to make it on the fly, on the cheap, but to make it. To turn out a really thrilling, professionalish piece of entertainment specifically for the internet. To show how much could be done with very little.” The result: This three-act, 42-minute-long work with a budget of about $200,000 and an excess of hilarious, emotional, musical awesomeness. Dr. Horrible stars Neil Patrick Harris as mad scientist supervillain wannabe Dr. Horrible, AKA hapless loser Billy. Nathan Fillion stars as his archenemy, the absurdly machismo Captain Hammer, and Felicia Day plays Penny, their shared love interest. When not vlogging about his evil schemes, Billy tries his awkward best to win over Penny’s heart of gold. Meanwhile, as Dr. Horrible he strives to commit an act nefarious enough to gain acceptance into the prestigious Evil League of Evil, led by Bad Horse (who is a literal horse). Musical numbers and other scenes are also interspersed with Horrible’s video blog entries, where he details to his online followers his supervillain schemes and his rivalry with Captain Hammer. If the cast and premise don’t have you sold already, the songs should win you over. Every one of the tracks, written by Whedon and family, is super catchy and sing- along-able. They’re all superbly written, balancing over-the-top silliness with genuine emotional depth. My favourite song is probably “My Eyes,” a soulful and beautifully harmonized duet from Horrible and Penny. However, from the almost- sappy and cheerfully homicidal “Freeze Ray,” to the exuberant mariachi tune “Bad Horse,’ to the chillingly melodramatic “Slipping,” the whole soundtrack abounds with wittiness and musical excellence. The entire musical manages to be unexpectedly profound and character- driven, topped with the perfect amount of self-aware superhero cheesiness. Horrible's motives for villainy are compellingly utilitarian—he seeks power to change and overthrow what he views as an irreparably corrupt, apathetic societal system. His internal struggles between trying to woo Penny and trying to prove his badness to the Evil League of Evil are frustratingly sympathetic. Horrible’s rival Captain Hammer is an arrogant tool whose fanbase is almost as large as his fragile ego—yet he’s also admittedly charismatic in an insufferable, charming way. The characters are all strengthened by top-notch acting ‘Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog’ promotional image and singing. Relatively short as it is, I highly recommend Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog for a watch and semi-regular re-watch. Rumours of a sequel have surfaced here and there over the years, with Whedon and the actors stating that they'd like to revisit the story. Sadly, since they’re all pretty big names in Hollywood, reuniting for another light-budget, made-for-internet show might be unfeasible. However, ina Dr. Horrible 10th anniversary panel at San Diego Comic-Con this July Whedon did announce an upcoming one-shot comic from Dark Horse Comics. The comic, titled Dr. Horrible, Best Friends Forever, is about the friendship between Horrible and Hammer and will be released on November 14.