Listen To Our Guest Appearance on "As Your Watch" Podcast!

Andrew: Hello readers! It's an exciting day for us here at Two Tickets For... because a week or so ago we were asked to be guests on an episode of the As You Watch podcast that is made by our good friends Nick from The Cinematic Katzenjammer, Joe from Two Dude Review and Vern from The Vern's Video Vangaurd. (We were filling in for their usual fourth member, Bubbawheat of Flights, Tights and Movie Nights.) 

As a disclaimer, the full podcast runs a robust 90 minutes, but these are the topics we discussed and the times in the podcast where they occurred if you wish to just jump to a particular section and listen to that:

• We introduced ourselves, our blog and our individual top three favorite movies of all-time (runs from the start of the podcast to the 10:45 mark)

• Discussed this week's new DVD/Blu-Ray releases: Prometheus, Rock of Ages, Little Shop of Horrors and The Raven (starts at 11:30 mark and ends at the 16:04 mark)

• Discussed this week's new theatrical releases: Here Comes The Boom, Sinister, Seven Psychopaths and a great discussion on Argo (starts at the 16:04 mark and ends at the 36:35 mark)

• In honor of both Argo and our later discussion of Woody Allen's 2005 film Match Point, all five of us gave our respective Top Three Favorite Directors Who Act In Their Own Movies, where I manage to instigate an interesting discussion on Ben Stiller and Tropic Thunder and Sarah surprises everyone with her top pick (starts at the 35:36 mark and ends at the 1:03:30 mark)

• Each week they watch and discuss one older movie (based on who won the prior week's podcast game) and this episode's was Woody Allen's Match Point (starts at the 1:03:30 mark and ends at the 1:26:30 mark)

• And we finished up with a fun trivia game where you can hear us all try to do a Christopher Walken impression (starts at 1:26:30 mark and ends the podcast - trust us, you'll want to listen to this part)

Sarah and I had an absolute BLAST recording this with the guys and they claim it was their best episode yet. Who are we to disagree?!

So please take some time if you could and follow the link below to listen to As You Watch Podcast: Episode VII guest starring us. You won't be disappointed. (Some NSFW language, but only a few words here or there, mainly during the trivia game out of frustration): 

Click Here to Listen to Two Tickets For... Guest Star on As You Watch Podcast

P.S. I will be seeing an advance showing of Sinister tonight without Sarah, so be on the lookout for my review of that tomorrow!

Sarah & Andrew's Top Ten Lists for 2012 (So Far!)

Andrew: Hello readers! We're doing a little something different this week in lieu of a weekly preview, since The Amazing Spider-Man and Savages are two of the big three coming out this weekend and we've already review them (click on their titles to read our reviews if you'd like).

So, with that in mind and seeing as this year is already halfway over, both Sarah and I are going to post our respective Top Ten Films (So Far) of 2012! The only criteria being that they had to be films we've actually seen and reviewed (so our apologies for not having something like Moonrise Kingdom on our lists) and they had to be films that were first released in theatres for public consumption in the United States in the year 2012.

Without further ado, here are our lists!

SARAH'S TOP TEN LIST OF 2012 (SO FAR)

1.) The Avengers: This movie was everything a superhero movie should have been. The action paired with a phenomenal cast shot this movie to #1 for many weeks in a row. This was such a fun movie to go to and it fed into the other Marvel movies so seamlessly. I'm excited to see where the next Iron Man and Thor movies pick up from here! (Our 5/5 review)

2.) Prometheus: This epic film satisfied my need for another Alien movie. While it was not exactly a "prequel" it was still so cool and had a great cast that really brought the world that Sigourney Weaver’s Ripley would later inhabit to life. (Our 4.5/5 review)

3.) Savages: I really don't know why I loved this movie so much. It was sexy and violent. This probably speaks a little more about me that any of you cared to know, but there it is. I thought that the relationship between Ben, Chon and Ophelia was very interesting and I also enjoyed the directing style Oliver Stone went with. (Our 3/5 review)

4.) Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted: I love these movies. I don't care that I'm a 23-year-old woman, these movies are hilarious. And this one was just a great addition to the wayward zoo animal collection. (Our 4/5 review)

5.) Ted: Hilarious. Seth MacFarlane. Mark Wahlberg. Most of the cast from Family Guy. Nuf said. (Our 4.5/5 review)

6.) Rock of Ages: I am also a big fan of musicals. It could be because I sang in high school and was in a couple of musicals. It could also be because my husband has gotten me turned on to 80s rock music. Whatever the reason, this movie took me back to a time that I wish I remembered and could have grown up through. Tom Cruise rocked as rock god Stacee Jaxx and could make any woman swoon in the theatre! (Our 4/5 review)

7.) Magic Mike: While I wasn't as big of a fan of this  movie as Andrew was, I do think that Channing Tatum is a force to be reckoned with in Hollywood. He started out as a beefcake dancer in Step Up and has quickly turned into a heavy-hitter in comedies and dramas alike. (Our 3.5/5 review)

8.) The Hunger Games: I liked these books. I usually then have a hard time seeing the movies without being overly critical. It's probably not fair but that's the way it is. This movie however kept incredibly close to the books while still putting a cinematic spin on things. It makes me hopeful for the next 2 movies! (Our 4.5/5 review)

9.) 21 Jump Street: Another Channing Tatum movie that featured some great action scenes and hilarity. This remake of a classic 80s TV show was so entertaining and funny! (Our 4.5/5 review)

10.) Chronicle: "Found footage" movies are not my usual cup of tea but for some reason this film did it for me. It was an interesting character study and overall was pretty awesome. (Our 4.5/5 review)

ANDREW'S TOP TEN LIST OF 2012 (SO FAR)

1.) The Avengers: It might not necessarily be Oscar-worthy, but this epic superhero film is pretty much everything you could ask for out of a popcorn flick. It’s fun, exciting, dramatic, bombastic…I could go on and on. The culmination of Marvel’s efforts to create an interweaving world for their characters on the big screen is a rousing success. The bantering between Robert Downey, Jr.’s Tony Stark and Mark Ruffalo’s Bruce Banner is worth the price of admission alone.

2.) The Cabin in the Woods: My favorite film genre is horror, so this “loving hate letter” to the genre by Joss Whedon and Drew Goddard is pitch-perfect. The best deconstruction of horror films since Wes Craven’s Scream, I genuinely enjoyed every aspect of this movie. Bradley Whitford and Richard Jenkins are a hoot, the group of stock characters that are knocked off one-by-one nail their parts, and it’s a legitimate slasher film. And I can’t forget to mention the whiteboard. (Our 5/5 review)

3.) 21 Jump Street: The best studio comedy of the year would have had me rolling in the aisle if we weren’t sitting in the middle of the row. Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill are perfect together, and who knew Tatum was this good at comedy? There hasn’t been an R-rated buddy cop movie this good in a long time, so this was a refreshing change of pace. It was also refreshing to see them flip the script and make Tatum’s “jock” the outcast and Hill’s “dork” one of the popular kids.

4.) Seeking a Friend for the End of the World: Led by another great performance by Steve Carell and his surprisingly good chemistry with Keira Knightley, this dark comedy caught me off guard by making me really think about what I would do if I knew the world was ending in 3 weeks. The realistic portrayals throughout the entire movie made the proceedings easy to relate to. A fantastic effort all around to make you care even though you know where the film is headed. (Our 4.5/5 review)

5.) Sound of My Voice: This film had a great mystery to it that kept you wondering and thinking even after it ended. It’s helped by its atmosphere and the performances by Brit Marling and Christopher Denham. I loved going down the rabbit hole into the cult the two main characters, Peter and Lorna, try to infiltrate and expose as a fraud. A small budget sci-fi film with strong performances and a stronger story are always appreciated, but it's the staying power the gives it such a high ranking for me. (Our 4/5 review)

6.) The Hunger Games: A near perfect adaptation of Suzanne Collin’s novel led by a killer performance (no pun intended) by Jennifer Lawrence, it’s obvious the director Gary Ross cared very much about the source material and wanted to stay faithful to it. Yes he trimmed and/or added some things, but it made for a great action film, and if your reaction to the people in the Capitol was disgust, well then Ross did his job perfectly. It’s a real shame he won’t be coming back for Catching Fire.

7.) Prometheus: I may be in a minority, but I was able to look over some of the flaws in Ridley Scott’s Alien prequel and see it for what it is: a very good sci-fi/horror film in its own right. It was tense and atmospheric if not scary; had some good performances, particularly from Michael Fassbender; and it’s the best use of 3D I’ve personally seen since Avatar. Was it perfect? No, but I didn’t have untouchable expectations for it either, so I thoroughly enjoyed it.

8.) Chronicle: A great twist on the superhero origin and one of the best uses of the “found footage” genre, this film was a pleasant surprise. Strong performances by all the lead actors, strong writing that made me invested in the proceedings, and great directing by Josh Trank made this an all-around solid movie. I particularly liked the gimmick of having the characters use their telekinetic powers to float the camera around them so they could all be in the shot. Just a gem of a movie that shined brightest during the usually craptastic February releases.

9.) Ted: The second-funniest movie that we’ve seen this year, Seth MacFarlane’s feature film directorial debut is VERY similar to his show Family Guy. We happen to love Family Guy, so we appreciated the humor here. Is it deep? Of course not. But it’s raunchy and offensive as hell, and most of it comes out of an amazing CGI animated teddy bear. The all-in performance by Mark Wahlberg is just the cherry on top.

10.) The Vow: Surprised I included a chick-flick in the top ten? If you read our review you shouldn’t be. Channing Tatum’s performance as a husband who has to deal with his wife’s amnesia and not remembering their live together at all absolutely killed me. Rachel McAdams nailed her role as the amnesiac wife, so the pairing of the two just created a relationship that got me hook, line and sinker. (Our 4/5 review)

(Honorable Mention goes to Rock of Ages. It was thiiiiiiissss close to beating The Vow.)

Let us know what you think of our lists! We'd love to hear what our readers' Top Ten films of the year so far are!

Photo Courtesy: Teaser-Trailer

Ain't Nothin' But a Good Time!: Our Review of "Rock of Ages" (2012)

Directed By: Adam Shankman

Starring: Tom Cruise, Julianne Hough, Diego Boneta, Alec Baldwin, Catherine Zeta-Jones

Rating: PG-13 for sexual content, suggestive dancing, some heavy drinking and language

Synopsis: Set in 1987, Sherrie (Hough) is a bright-eyed young singer who leaves Oklahoma for the bright lights of Hollywood. When she arrives she meets Drew, a bartender at the popular nightclub The Bourbon Room, who's also an aspiring rocker. When the wife of LA's mayor (Zeta-Jones) makes it her mission to shut down The Bourbon Room, it comes down to a big show my the famous but temperamental rocker Stacee Jaxx (Cruise) to save the place. Instead he ends up turning everyone's lives upside down.

REVIEW

Andrew: Hello readers! Sarah and I just got out of seeing this weekend’s new musical, the film adaptation of the Broadway hit Rock of Ages starring Tom Cruise (Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol), Julianne Hough (Footloose) and many more famous actors with various ranges of singing prowess that we’ll touch on later.

Sarah, first things first, what are your immediate thoughts on Rock of Ages?

Sarah: It was AWESOME. I mean it was pure rock and roll. This is a Broadway musical that has been adapted to film, something that’s been done many times before and will be done many times in the future, but this movie ROCKED. I was really nervous about how good it would be, but it kicked ass.

A: I could not agree more with you. And I’ll say this: it’s not a perfect movie by any stretch of the imagination, but it is just a FUN movie. I can’t even articulate how much I enjoyed this film. I love 80s music to begin with, but every aspect of this film related to the 80s, I’d have to imagine they made it perfectly. This was obviously a passion project by those who made it because it LOOKED and SOUNDED perfect. I had a smile on my face, literally, from beginning to end.

S: Yeah, it was awesome. Now let’s get into how the actors fared. I was a little concerned that this had such a huge cast with so many big names.

A: But they fared well, right? So let’s pick out a couple of the songs and actors and talk about the best, and then the worst if there were any.

First and foremost, the best performance, hands down, was Tom Cruise as Stacee Jaxx.

S: Oh, he hit this one out of the park.

A: I can’t even pick which song I think he did best. I think if I had to choose I would say it was his rendition of “Wanted Dead or Alive.”

Tom Cruise gives 110% in his performance as the rock star Stacee Jaxx, and he alone makes this movie worth seeing

S: Yes! What was crazy for me was that when he sang that song, as a woman, I felt what it would be like to have been around when rockers were considered gods by women. When women would just throw their bras and underwear on stage at these guys, cuz they were SEX ICONS. He OOZED sex in this film!

A: And he slinked around so perfectly and he just embodied a man who’s seen a million faces and rocked them all. I think it helpful that he actually went through all that crap he went through when he had his downfall, and now he’s resurrected his career because you could see that experience in his performance.

S: What’s crazy is it was like watching Steven Tyler, Brett Michaels or Axl Rose, just these guys that were considered icons of their age. And yeah, I would have to say that not only was Tom Cruise perfect in this role, but he can make no wrong decisions in his career right now. I don’t know who is managing him but he cannot make a wrong decision.

A: Ever since his cameo in Tropic Thunder…

S: He’s been on fire! Untouchable. Ok, so the other songs…

A: There were so many good songs. And it’s tough to pick only a few out, cuz off the top of my head they did “Jukebox Hero”, “Sister Christian”, “Pour Some Sugar on Me”…

S: “Paradise City”, “Wanted Dead or Alive”, “I Want to Know What Love Is”… but let’s be honest, the “We Built This City” and “We’re Not Going to Take It” mash-up was the pinnacle of the movie. Everything had built up to this part.

A: I think it was a good part, but everything actually built up to the final song. I don’t even want to say what it is so as not to spoil it, I thought it was so perfect.

S: I was surprised! Were you surprised by the song choice for the finale?

A: A little bit but I’m glad they did because it’s one of our all-time favorite songs.

S: It’s one of the most ICONIC songs in all of music history.

A: Exactly, and that’s why I think it’s perfect. I like that they ended it the way they did. But let’s go back to the actors - Julianne Hough did a great job…

S: Diego Boneta, which was a breakout role for him, did really well.

A: His look kind of bothered me a bit, like he looks really too fresh faced for me. But any scene that he was singing in and really rocking out he was perfect. Russell Brand’s (Get Him to the Greek) not bad, not great but not bad; Malin Akerman (The Proposal) was pretty good in the song she did with Cruise.

Sherrie (Hough) and Drew (Boneta) meet cute as soon as she arrives in LA via Oklahoma. Both actors do great job singing the classic songs they're given in Rock of Ages

S: Mary J. Blige was great obviously, but she didn’t have much to do.

A: And they did do a really cool rendition of “Any Way You Want It” by Journey. Just in general, this film is exactly what I thought it should be. It was a straight-up musical and it made me smile from start to finish. But I also enjoyed it because, and I’ve said this many times before to my friends, I think it would be awesome if people actually did just burst into song in real life situations.

S: Oh I tweeted as soon as we left that I wish life was a musical.

A: Because that’s what they did well with this one, they didn’t just stage songs but they told the story through the songs. That was the strength of the film. Like if we were going to grade this on a normal scale, it’s not a 5 out of 5, it’s not perfect. It’s a little long…

S: But it is a musical. There were definite acts, there was an intermission type feel to it with a first act and a second act. It was adapted well from the stage to the screen and I think the music had a lot to do with that. There were times where it got really slow, but again that’s a show. That’s a Broadway show for you. I would have to say that they’ve gotten a lot better transitioning theatre shows to the screen. They’re not cutting things out, they’re not making it tighter, and they’re staying true to the story.

A: I was okay with the two hour run time because I feel like that’s what the actual show is. And you have to get all the songs in there.

S: And they did have to end up cutting some songs out!

A: The director, Adam Shankman, who directed Hairspray a few years back, did a great job and I think this is actually better.

S: Oh gosh yes.

A: But a lot like Hairspray, everyone gave it 110% - the hair, the sets, the costumes…

S: Everyone just had fun! We hope it does well this weekend because it was awesome. I would have to say that if you’re a fan of the musical genre, if you’re a fan of the 80s, this is definitely one you have to see in theatres. And not because it’s any better in theatres than it would be on your TV, but just the sheer spectacle of it. You gotta rock out to it. I wish it had been louder.

A: And again, I can’t stress this enough, see this because of Tom Cruise. Yeah he’s crazy, but you can’t deny that the man gives it his all. From being on the outside of the Burj Khalifa in Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol to just giving it his all as a rock star in this.

What’s our final grade for Rock of Ages?

S: It’s not a five out of five, but we’re buying this. We’ll own it. And I think it’s one of the few that we’ve given that level to!

(Out of Five Clapboards)

Photo Courtesies: Geek Tyrant, Art and Seek, USA Today

Our Preview of This Week's New Releases (for Friday, June 15th)

Andrew: Hello readers! While we've been a little quiet here this week on Two Tickets For... because of heavy workloads with our day jobs, it doesn't mean we're going to miss our weekly preview!

Sarah, this week we only have two big releases: a film adaptation of the Broadway hit Rock of Ages (directed by Adam Shankman, who also did Hairspray) and Adam Sandler's new R-rated comedy That's My Boy. Let's talk about Rock of Ages first because let's be honest, we love the trailer for this film every single time we see it (and you can see below if you haven't).

Official Trailer for Rock of Ages

Sarah: SO excited for Rock of Ages! We’ve been waiting a long time for this to come out and I couldn't be more excited. This cast is going to rock out. With such powerhouse performers, some of whom are proven amazing singers, this musical will bring new life to this Broadway hit. However, with such a large cast there is always the risk that it will be a complete flop, especially with such a personality as Tom Cruise. 

What do you think?

A: I'm very intrigued to see how the different actors perform in a singing role. That's usually what makes or breaks a musical film, you know? We know some of the actors have some singing chops, like Mary J. Blige, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Julianna Hough and Russell Brand. But how will Malin Akerman sound? Alec Baldwin? Paul Giamatti? Yikes.

But I'm VERY interested to see how Tom Cruise does. By all accounts so far he's the main reason to see the film and he gives it his all as rock star Stacee Jaxx. Also, it's no secret if you know me that I absolutely love 80's music, so I'm particularly interested to see the film's renditions of Journey and Foreigner songs.

S: Oh yea, I totally cannot wait to rock out to all the classic rock. I love me some musicals. I am really hoping that Cruise's role it as awesome as his role in Tropic Thunder. I love that as part of his comeback he isn't himself too seriously all of the time. 

Anyway, I think it's safe to say that we're excited about this one. Ok, so the next one that we have is That's My Boy. I'm not going to lie, I am a little nervous about this one. I am not always the biggest fan of Adam Sandler. He's kind of a joke in my opinion and I'm not sure how I feel about the actual story.

A: I figured this might be one that we go into a little split on, because I'm actually looking forward to this one. I'm not expecting it to be a classic comedy like Sandler's old films Billy Madison and Happy Gilmore, but the fact that it's a hard-R comedy gives me some hope. It's definitely not one of his family comedies like Grown-Ups or Just Go With It.

Official Trailer for That's My Boy

I like the plot set-up of Sandler playing a guy who knocked up his junior high school teacher at a young age and has a son almost his age that he royally screwed up. I'm not expecting the story to be phenomenal but I'm looking for lots of laughs, and I'm assuming we'll get some because of this cast. Look at this list of people who are in it along with Sandler and Andy Samberg (that consists of lots of former SNL-ers):

- James Caan

- Will Forte

- Rachel Dratch

- Nick Swardson

- Ana Gasteyer

- Colin Quinn

And then a whole LOT of cameos from the looks of it on IMDb. If it makes me laugh more than The Dictator I'll call it a rousing success.

S: I will have to agree with you that. It can't be much worse than The Dictator  so I am hoping for some more laughs. I just am worried that his cheese-ball accent and Jersey-Shore look will really distract from the story. The hard-R will probably help with some of the comedy, but I really don't have high hopes for this one.

A: I should add that while I like the comedic premise of Sandler's character knocking up his junior high school teacher, it will be interesting to see what the general public's reaction will be for a film that starts with statutory rape to kick off the ensuing hijinks. I think that's something that we'll touch on in our review.

S: Yea I guess I hadn't really thought about it that way. Yea what is up with all the movies bringing up topics that really are a little touchy?! 

Oh well, it's still going to be another fun weekend at the movies!

A: So with these being the only big releases, we guarantee that we will be seeing them at some point this weekend and our reviews will be posted shortly thereafter! Have a great weekend, readers, and as always thanks for reading!