noely_noel

I like Anna Faris, Emma Stone and Kat Dennings. I think they are all funny and talented and this is why I wanted to watch The House Bunny, but I wish I hadn't — and I wish they never signed on for this movie.

It's not really funny at all, but that's kind of beside the point. My biggest gripe with this movie is that they try to send this message that girls need to be look hot and lack intelligence to get other girls to be their friends and get boys to like them. They take this message back and change it to a "just be yourself" stance, but they continue to plaster images of Playboy Bunnies and various other hot girls throughout the movie.

It's basically just a half-assed comedy with a bunch of montages set to Avril Lavigne and Rihanna songs. It's nice that they are trying to tell girls that they should be themselves, but there's far too much imagery and casting that contradicts that message. It's like they were going for a Mean Girls vibe, but not even close.

I saw this film at North By Northeast in Toronto this summer and I have to say it's one of the best films I've seen on graffiti. I shouldn't even say "graffiti" because it goes completely above and beyond that as it focuses on street art, such as wheat paste illustrations and murals. I went into this screening thinking I was about to be bored to tears with yet another documentary on graf writers and all the same mumbo jumbo that goes along with it, but was completely blown away as Next takes an angle that very few accounts of street art have taken. This isn't a film about people writing their names, but a film about beautifying their cities. Next is a completely engaging documentary that touches upon urban identity from Canada, America, Japan, France and beyond. Essential viewing for all visual artists.