Mean Girls Re-told: Harry Potter Style

To celebrate the 10 year anniversary of Mean Girls, here is a little compilation of some of my favourite Harry Potter meets Mean Girls memes (along with a couple of gifs too); I tried my best to get them in chronological order. Also, apologies that I'm unable to credit these images as I got them all off Google and there are so many different versions by now it's quite difficult to find the original creator. Enjoy! :)

The End.

If you have any more favourite Mean Girls mash-ups (even if they're not HP related) please let me know in the comment section as I love a good giggle!

6 Reasons Why Mean Girls 2 was a Huge Flop!

Wait... there was a Mean Girls 2... let me just back up for a second. After Mean Girls I know I would've chewed off my left arm to get a sequel because *ahem* with original cast, because of how funny Mean Girls was, but this... it was not what we'd waited 7 years for.

On the IMDb page for Mean Girls 2, you'll find that it calls this a TV movie, that's just a polite way of saying, "if it sucks, then it's because we didn't properly release it".

Ugh *eyeroll*

They describe this film as "The Plastics are back in the long awaited follow-up to the smash-hit Mean Girls... and now the clique is more fashionable, funny and ferocious than ever!" (IMDb)

Let's take another moment guys, make sure you read each word properly, try not to cry with laughter, try not to hit your computer screen in outrage. Just soak it in.

This film is said to be "more fashionable, funny and ferocious than ever!" well ex-squeeze me, but I have more fashion, humour, and ferocity in my little toe compared to this film.

My 6 Reasons

You'll probably have your reasons, and I'd love to know what they are, so use the comment section to tell me what you thought about this slow-motion trainwreck.

1. Low Budget

If you're going to make a sequel to such a huge success like Mean Girls, the least you could first secure is some good funding; enough so to hire a decent table of writers, maybe even get Tina Fey on board for the screenplay. They must have had a decent budget because they hired quite a few well-known actresses; but without the proper direction, or script, they're basically on their own.

2. It's more of a remake...

It seemed to me to be more of a remake than it did as a sequel. As a sequel I'd hope we'd see somethings from the original, and more than just the name of the school; clearly wasn't the same in terms of setting, but it had the same principal and the named cliques remained the same.

I think it would have been funny if they mentioned the plastics that had been before them, and maybe a shrine to one of them; Cady, or Regina, heck, maybe even Janis, and on occasion someone could refer to them, like "What would [name] do?"

Fun fact: Tina Fey was offered on several occasions to write the screenplay for the "sequel" by Paramount.

3. Nothing to Quote

As far as quotes go, they can make a film; snappy one-liners and witty retorts, all signs of having a brilliant staff of writers. I love a good film that I can quote, because film and TV are a way of bonding with people and also getting to know them. Besides, a good film will always have that one quote. A great film will have several.

4. The Name!

Let's face it, calling themselves a Mean Girls 2 means that they're going to be up against Means Girls, and they can't compare. This could have been a fun Disney film for children, and then they work their way to Mean Girls as they grow up; yeah, that means it would be a remake of sorts--wait, this was basically a remake. You have expectations where Mean Girls is concerned, and this just didn't live up to those expectations.

5. It was forced...

The acting, the jokes, the dialogue, just every little thing was forced. This "sequel" tried so hard to connect with an audience that had aged several years since the original, that it fell flat and was more aimed at the Disney age with its Disney-centric cast.

Just like the first person you dated, and was probably too old for you, he was forcing himself onto you, and you just said nope. No thanks. That's the amount of forced behaviour Mean Girls 2 was giving us.  

6. No Glenn Coco

Let's face it, we wanted to know more about Glenn Coco, and we didn't get it. In fact, we didn't receive any cameos from any of the previous Mean Girls, perhaps a scene with them spreading words of wisdom, but no. However the principal was the same. Although, Glenn Coco could've been just enough to salvage Mean Girls 2... nah, who am I kidding, they built this film around an anchor and threw it into the deepest ocean.

What did you think of Mean Girls 2?

I am glad that this wasn't released to cinemas because I would and many others would've gone to watch it, and there would have been so much hate towards it because nobody wants to pay money to watch  

Mean Girls: Where are they now?

10 years is a very long time, so much can happen, and so much can change... so what's happened for the actresses of Mean Girls. Where are they now? 

Lindsay Lohan (Cady Heron)

Other than the several prison sentences, D.U.Is and alcohol abuse... we've still seen a fair amount of Lohan on TV, less so in films--doubt she's been out of prison long enough to do shooting for a film.

Lohan has said that she's going to try and stay clean, and we're all a little thankful for that. I don't think anyone, other than the paparazzi who're paid, want to see her off her face... sometimes literally.

Here, here, oh, and here.

My theory is that she watched Mean Girls 2, noticed how much they'd massacred the sacred name, and decided that she needed drugs to distance herself from a reality where that Mean Girls 2 was a possibility.

Rachel McAdams (Regina George)

She's gone from strength to strength; she's such a great versatile actress, and her career is only going to progress. Her IMDb page says that she has projects up until next year. Since 2004, the only year where she hasn't had a release was 2006. I'm not a huge fan of McAdams, but I don't hate her either. At 35, she's had a great career, but still no marriage; she should've married Ryan Gosling, the two of them dated for two years (2005 to 2007).

Amanda Seyfried (Karen Smith)

Her first film role was for Mean Girls, and she nailed it. Since 2004, she's not been out of work, and has projects lined up until 2016. She was only 18 when Mean Girls came out, and she's continued to grow and expand, including branching out into singing, although not a solo artist, mainly to coincide with a film.

Lacey Chabert (Gretchen Wieners)

Lacey who? Out of frustration I had to Google her, I couldn't for the life of me figure out what else she'd been in that I've watched. I thought she'd fallen off the face off the earth, but nope, she's still here, and by the credits on her IMDb page, she's never gone anywhere. From what looks like a successful career without any break, it would be my advice to get a better publicist to advertise that she's still with us. Also, both Amanda Seyfried and Rachel McAdams have been in films with Channing Tatum... but none for Lacey Chabert.

Other than Lindsay, they've all be out of jail.

Is a REAL Mean Girls Reunion going to happen?

10 Year Anniversary of Mean Girls

Oh gosh! We can't believe that it's been 10 years since Mean Girls came out. It doesn't seem like a long time, but we think that might be because we're constantly seeing posts and Mean Girls memes around the internet, and it's still being quoted.

Joe: I know that I'm constantly quoting Mean Girls, even to my siblings "she doesn't even go here", as you can tell, I'm the favourite of the six other brothers and sister, all younger.

The film has grossed over $120,000,000

That's absolutely crazy, and the film is still selling really well today. I'm really glad that Mean Girls has garnered so much attention, I'm not so happy about the half-assed TV film 'Mean Girls 2' -- it's like an underdeveloped country that they just threw money at in hopes of making something great, and instead, all that happened was their pockets became lighter.

On Wednesday we wear pink... today's Wednesday!

My Favourite...

Quote:

"Nice wig, Janis. What's it made of?"
"Your mom's chest hair!"

Scene:
This scene kills me with laughter--the kind that makes you cry and almost wee.

Crying Girl: [reading from paper] I wish we could all get along like we used to in middle school... I wish I could bake a cake filled with rainbows and smiles and everyone would eat and be happy...

[about to cry]

Damian: [shouting from back] She doesn't even go here!
Ms. Norbury: Do you even go to this school?
Crying Girl: No... I just have a lot of feelings...
Ms. Norbury: Ok go home...

Character:
Favourite character would either be Glenn Coco or the IMDb credited Crying Girl... but Karen Smith -- "she is one of the dumbest girls you'll ever meet." Oh, and there's a 30% chance it might be raining.

Meme:
This. I absolutely love this image, and it makes me giggle every time I see it. It's exactly how a Disney version of the film would play out.

"God, Belle, stop trying to make fetch happen."

We love Mean Girls!

What about you?

Sex Tape - Trailer Talk

This post is an 18+ post, if you're under 18, please redirect to another post.

Release: 25th of July, 2014

Director: Jake Kasdan

Duration: not released

Cast: Jason Segel, Cameron Diaz, Rob Corddry, Jack Black, Rob Lowe. (more information)

Synopsis: A married couple wake up to discover that the sex tape they made the evening before has gone missing, leading to a frantic search for its whereabouts. (IMDb)

Genres: Comedy

Kerry introduced me to this film via a trailer, and at first I thought it was going to be one of those crazy spoof films of something, or even just a make-belief trailer for a film which would never come out.

However, much to my skepticism, this is a real film, and it ill be out this summer. I giggled all the way through these trailers, and I think you might too. Oh, and why the hell does she have her knickers on, and he gets to wear sweat pants... just something I noticed.

Trailers

After recently watching The Other Woman, which starred Cameron Diaz, I've been re-watching her old films, and to have another film with her in coming out soon, I'm super excited, plus, this sounds very funny, and some elements also seem quite realistic.

I hope that this doesn't happen to anyone here, but, if it does, I don't want to see it. I think it might have been better/funnier if it was called Ex Tape about a couple who'd made a sex tape and then after they'd broke up one of them was going to post it to their friends or something, maybe to break up a relationship that the other was having... only to have the couple that had broke up, getting back together again.

Thoughts?

Will you be going to watch this?

I'll be in America when this comes out... and I really hope I can watch it.

Captain American: The Winter Soldier - Review

Release: 26th of March, 2014
US - 4nd of April, 2014

Director: Anthony Russo, Joe Russo

Duration: 136 minutes

Cast: Chris Evans, Samuel L. Jackson, Scarlett Johansson, Sebastian Stan, Emily VanCamp. (more information)

Synopsis: Steve Rogers struggles to embrace his role in the modern world and battles a new threat from old history: the Soviet agent known as the Winter Soldier. (IMDb)

Genres: Action | Adventure | Sci-Fi

What We Thought?

Below are both Joe's thoughts and Kerry's thoughts, their overall numbers are out of 5.

Click and highlight the spoilers to reveal the information.

Joe thought...

Well, Chris Evans, can we please take a moment. I hope there was no padding in his butt, because if "Bum of the Year" wasn't only for women, then he would win. Obviously that's not the only aspect that I enjoyed about the film...

I enjoyed that it could scare me, not in a gritty horror with lots of blood scary, but in a "oh god, what's going to happen now" scary, and not to mention that the Winter Soldier *spoiler* Bucky scared to the point where I made a loud squeal sound in the cinema, almost as if I'd seen a spider. It's probably just the mask because Bane from The Dark Knight Rises had the same affect on me.

There was some predictability, but at the same time, even that which was predictable was also turned on its head and I felt silly for rolling my eyes and saying "ugh, I knew it".

A huge something annoyed me, but it's also a spoiler... in the end S.H.I.E.L.D is done, it's shut, it was run by Hydra, so it's gone. Now, I haven't been watching the programme S.H.I.E.L.D, but surely it'll be in for a name change now, that, or they'll need to introduce the whole change over because it was Hydra, and if they do, that would spoil it for those fans that haven't seen it at the cinema. Or, maybe S.H.I.E.L.D is set in the future after all of this. I've definitely over thought this, but it was something that kept niggling at me.

Hands up if you also let out a gasp when you saw Emily VanCamp a.k.a Revenge's Emily Thorne as an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D... because I know I did, alongside making jokes and comments about her being crazy and that Steve Rogers shouldn't trust her--I found it funny, much like whenever you see an actor from Harry Potter in a film and you tell them that they'll be fine because they have wands.

Scarlett Johansson was great as the Black Widow, and we need a film centered around her. They keep making hints about her past, and right now, I want more. I need to have a full film focused on her and her character. (IMDb has a page set up for Black Widow... so maybe this could happen sooner than we thought.)

...why I gave this film FOUR out of FIVE.

There were some really great action sequences that kept me on the edge, and even though I could predict what was going to happen at times, nothing can prepare you for the huge cinema screen and loud FX sounds from the speakers when you're in the moment and there's a huge explosion. I found that the whole film was stitched together perfectly, and my only unanswered questions were in the spoiler above.

Kerry thought...

It has to be said that Marvel films never fail to deliver an exciting and original storyline with lots of little twists and turns to keep you interested, and The Winter Soldier was no different. There was always something going on in this film and there were some brilliant action and fight scenes as well as one AMAZING car chase which got me ridiculously excited.

It also has to be noted that Chris Evans suits the character of Captain America perfectly, just as Scarlett Johansson makes a perfect Black Widow. These two also have a great on-screen chemistry which is a great added extra to the film and also prompted me to spend much of the film willing them to pounce on each other and kiss at any given moment.

Despite all this being said I did have a few issues with the film. I found that I could predict what was about to happen a lot of the time and I hate that; I love to be surprised by a film. There were also some very strange moments where characters would make odd jokes or say strange things that I didn't really understand (perhaps this is just because I don't always understand American humour).

My main issue with this film was that, for me, the storyline felt bigger than Captain America and I found myself missing the other Avengers; something which never happened in the Thor or Iron Man films. This is mainly because part of the storyline is that S.H.I.E.L.D. is being taken down, and in my opinion more of the Avengers should have helped out with such a big issue and everything would have been sorted out a lot quicker if they had. Admittedly this is probably a flaw in the original comics and may not have been the film's 'fault' but it still stopped me from enjoying it as much as I might have done otherwise.

...why I gave this film THREE out of FIVE.

The film started off well with some good action scenes and the amazing car chase I mentioned earlier. However, it slowly deteriorated becoming predictable and a little repetitive. If I'm honest (don't hate me) I think Captain America is probably my least favourite Avenger and I tended to find myself enjoying other characters more: Falcon and Black Widow. It gets 3 because despite my criticism I did enjoy the film and I definitely didn't get bored and, without giving away too much, the identity of The Winter Soldier is a very interesting twist.

Trailer...

Have you watched it yet?

What did YOU think?

Frozen: Iced Out of the Hype

*Cue unpopular opinion*

I wish I understand what everyone's obsession with Frozen was... I went to the cinema when it was released, I watched the same film as everyone else... I mean, I'm sure I watched the same film that everyone else had watched.

First thing's first, I'm not the biggest ambassador for Disney films... don't think I ever will be, also, I'm not their target audience, but granted, I will still watch Disney, just to see what direction they're slumping towards. Before we start, I should probably tell you that I thing this was the most overrated film of 2013.

Pros of Frozen

It's pretty, you can tell that the artists spent a lot of time on the architecture in both the castle/palace and also within Elsa's ice palace/kingdom. I think my favourite part was Elsa creating that place from ice, minus the singing.

Olaf, and that cute scene when Olaf was created, especially after the whole "do you wanna build a snowman?" bit, and the whole Olaf wanting to go into the sun. In fact, I would have preferred Frozen if it was about Olaf and his mission to find sun that wouldn't kill him... honestly, I'd understand the hype if that was the case.

They won a lot of awards, con; they didn't deserve them, just like Brave the year before. Maybe if Disney spent more money on putting out an amazing film that hopes to make people think and entertain instead of just throwing out some half-baked story idea that isn't original but based on some hundred year-old tale and then promoting it by endorsing famous musicians to sing on their soundtrack etc.

Cons of Frozen

The rest of the film was an entire con... that's all the media did right, was con the public into believing that this film was going to be amazing with a few show tunes that we're all too catchy, but people decided--out of being brainwashed by Disney that they needed to cover the song for themselves, and most of the covers were better than the original.

The character were both immature and stupid, and the whole concept of Anna not seeing her sister for years was stupid.

Anna and Prince Hans' cringeworthy "love at first sight" skit that they did... it was quite obviously making a mockery of the format used on other Disney Princesses; Mulan, Jasmine, Belle, Ariel, Pocahontas, etc. but it was all inane in the way it was used in Frozen.

So, because Elsa got a little frustrated and got made fun because of something she couldn't help, she decided to run away--obviously such a strong role model for young people who're different; "hey kids, are you strange? An outkast? Well, run away, all the Disney characters are doing it." No. Just no. She knew she had the ability to make people believe she was good, but she'd rather run away, and she would have probably stayed in that very perfect ice sculpture of a palace she'd created if her sister had gone to talk with her.

How it should have ended?

Elsa should have killed her sister. If they're going to teach young people and children anything it should be that mortality is real, and that actions affect things, and sometimes that can't be changed.

I feel like I isolated myself from the Frozen hype--I don't feel like it was a piece of art, unlike some artists such as Hayao Miyazaki who believe in storytelling and originality. Don't hold this opinion against me, I won't hold the fact that you sing "let it go" in the shower... and you're in your thirties. Nah, everyone has an opinion, and this one is mine.

A little secret: the ONLY Disney film I've ever enjoyed and watched repeatedly is The Little Mermaid.

Anyway, those are some of my thoughts on Frozen, so go on, hit me with some of your...

...thoughts on Frozen!

Chef - Trailer Talk

Release: 18th of June, 2014
US - 9th of May

Director: Jon Favreau

Duration: 115 minutes

Cast: Jon Favreau, Robert Downey Jr., Scarlett Johansson, Sofía Vergara, John Leguizamo. (more information)

Synopsis: A chef who loses his restaurant job starts up a food truck in an effort to reclaim his creative promise, while piecing back together his estranged family. (IMDb)

Genres: Comedy

I've only recently come across this film, and so far, from the actors, the trailer, and the premise of it, I'm getting that feel good funny vibe from it... you know the film, the one with the really quite serious and emotional parts left out of the trailer, but looming throughout the film, only to resolve all their issues right at the end and we're completely happy for them.

I'm not quite keen on those kinds of films, but I'll watch them.

Trailers

Warning: food porn ahead, and yes, I'm one of those people who uses that phrase, and it's probably another reason why I'll be watching this.

Here's a funny scene that I stumbled upon while watching the trailer. This shows signs of a really funny film to come, plus, they're hitting the nail on the head about social media affecting someone's work on a great scale.

We would definitely have been going to the cinema to watch this, however, I will be in America when this airs in the UK, and it will have already aired in the US... I guess I'll be waiting on a DVD release or Netflix hit from Chef.

I'm a huge fan of the Food Network, and so this really gets me excited based on the food in the trailer, and also because even though it's totally unrealistic, I'd love to own a food truck and do that whole cheffing thing; maybe in another life.

Thoughts?

Will you be going to watch this?

I wished that I was able to watch this when it came out in the UK, either way, you can count on me reviewing this once I've watched it.

Spider-Man 2 - Review

Release: 16th of April, 2014
US - 2nd of May, 2014

Director: Marc Webb

Duration: 142 minutes

Cast: Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Jamie Foxx, Dane DeHaan. (more information)

Synopsis: Peter Parker runs the gauntlet as the mysterious company Oscorp sends up a slew of supervillains against him, impacting on his life. (IMDb)

Genres: Action | Adventure | Fantasy

What We Thought?

Below are both Joe's thoughts and Kerry's thoughts, their overall numbers are out of 5.

Click and highlight the spoilers to reveal the information.

Joe thought...

I've always loved the Spider-Man films, and Andrew Garfield is the Spider-Man. I always found Tobey Maguire a little awkward, and not in the quirky way that Andrew Garfield is. There was one of the Spider-Man films on Sky the other day, and it was just sad watching Tobey try and play a role that was clearly made for Andrew Garfield.

Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone have such an amazing on-screen chemistry that made both myself and Kerry let out internal, and somewhat external scream. *spoiler* it's a shame that she died at the end, I would've cried if I was on my own.

It was a little bit intense at parts during the film, and I found myself not wanting to in the end, I just couldn't handle the information, but knowing that there will be a third film in the popular franchise has made me happy, and also given me some excitement around who could be in it... keep your eyes peeled for a future post on that. Spider-Man 3 IMDb page.

I need to take a moment so that we can all appreciate Electro's skin. It was blue and sparkly, resembling something of an alien race; maybe a future plot for the writers of the third Spider-Man, ahem, I'm here if you need me; 7 days a week, 24 hours a day.

I really loved that Spider-Man/Peter Parker had his flaws; obsessive, impulsive, also, he had to use technology in order to be able to shoot webs; Electro busts one of these web-spinners and it's a real hindrance on his abilities to protect the public.

...why I gave this film FOUR out of FIVE.

I thought that the film was rushed, example; Max Dillon loved Spider-Man, he wanted to be him, and befriend him, and so by Spider-Man telling him "no, don't do that" < not a direct quote, Max Dillon, now Electro, was all "we're now enemies" and it escalated quickly. I wasn't keen.

Spider-Man's second nemesis was also his best-friend; recycling the original Spider-Man plot. Watch out, Spidey, Aunt May is coming for you next...

I did love it, and that's why I gave it FOUR. It's definitely a film I would watch again.

Kerry thought...

This film lived up to and surpassed all my expectations. I knew that I would enjoy The Amazing Spider-Man 2: I love Emma Stone, I love Andrew Garfield, and I love a good superhero movie. However, I still wasn't expecting to enjoy it as much as I actually did.


First of all I have to say that Andrew Garfield is the perfect Spider-Man. Apart from being ridiculously cute and gorgeous, I love the quirky and charmingly cheeky comedy he brings to the part. Emma Stone both compliments and contrasts this perfectly with her brilliant sass and slightly dry humour.

This leads me in perfectly to talk about the amazing chemistry between Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone. They really make Peter Parker and Gwen Stacy the perfect couple and you really root for them all the way through. In this film there is a really strong focus on Peter's conscience and he is in a constant battle with himself over whether he should be with Gwen or not. For this reason it is SO important that the audience care about the relationship otherwise they wouldn't care about one of the main story-lines of the film; Stone and Garfield do an excellent job of ensuring this isn't even an issue.

Another thing that I loved about this film was it's soundtrack which, as well as including some great modern songs, includes some pieces that merge the diegetic and non-diegetic sound in ways I've never heard - by combining Electro's thoughts and feelings spoken over some pretty intense background music, which succeeded in freaking me out a little bit! Hats off to Hans Zimmer as always. Listen to the track here.

Finally, I'd just like to give a quick nod to the great supporting cast of this film. Denzel Washington is brilliant as Electro and did an excellent job of making me feel sorry for his character at the same time as hating his guts - something which I think is pretty difficult to pull off. Dane DeHaan is the perfect Green Goblin: no offence intended but he just looks evil and succeeds in making his character creepy as hell. Lastly, not forgetting the amazing Sally Field as Spider-Man's Aunt May. Field plays the character perfectly and you really feel for her and believe in how much she cares for Peter.

...why I gave this film FIVE out of FIVE.

When I write reviews I do a little list of pros and cons to get me going and I actually surprised myself because I couldn't think of any cons for this film; therefore, I had no choice but to give it 5 out of 5! 

Trailer...

Have you watched it yet?

What did YOU think?