This weekend is shaping up to be the last great weekend at the summer box office. For those wanting a testosterone-filled trip to the multiplex, you have The Expendables. For those thinking the summer has been severely lacking in films for women, there is Eat Pray Love. For the rest of us though, there is Scott Pilgrim vs. The World. Based on the six-part comic series from Bryan Lee O’ Malley, Scott Pilgrim, as portrayed by Michael Cera, meets the girl of his dreams, Ramona Flowers (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) and attempts to make her his new girlfriend. However, before Scott and Ramona can live happily ever after, Scott must defeat Ramona’s seven evil ex-boyfriends in a film that mashes together film, music and video game influences to make a combination of romantic comedies and action films.
Scott Pilgrim vs. The World features a cavalcade of great actors from young Hollywood, some with some already fantastic, albeit lesser-seen films on their resumes. Before entering the theatres this weekend, check out some of these under-ranked films from the stars of Scott Pilgrim vs. The World:
Before Michael Cera was kicking butt in the name of love, he became the unsuspecting star in a pseudo-documentary about love in last year’s Paper Heart (available on Netflix Instant). Actress and comedienne Charlyne Yi, who became a scene-stealer in Knocked Up, goes on a trip across America to make a documentary about the ins and outs of love. While on this daunting trek, she meets Cera, who plays himself, and when they start to have the first steps in their relationship, they become the unlikely center of her doc. Paper Heart blurs the line of documentary and reality due to the rumors of Yi and Cera actually dating. Yi recreates the major moments in her subjects relationships through the use of adorable puppet shows that blend sweetness and humor. Regardless of its truth or fiction, Paper Heart is a unique look at love from the inside and out.
Anna Kendrick, who plays Scott Pilgrim’s sister Stacey, is now well known for her roles in the Twlight saga as well as her Oscar nominated turn in Up in the Air, Before either of those, she played an perfectionist debater in Rocket Science. Kendrick plays Ginny Ryerson, who always wants to be the best at everything she does. When her debate partner blanks on stage at the state tournament, Ginny has to find the perfect replacement to take her to the top the following year. In her search, she finds Ben Wekselbaum, a shy, awkward boy with a stutter, who she takes on as her project to help her reach her goal of first at finals. Rocket Science could have easily become a clichéd indie film that looks and feels like a Wes Anderson rip-off. But instead, it comes off as a touching coming of age story with a fantastic early performance from Kendrick.
Kieran Culkin, who is Scott Pilgrim’s roommate Wallace Wells, may have started out as the bed-wetting Fuller in Home Alone, but in recent years, Culkin has been a part of some pretty great films. He recently had a supporting role in younger brother Rory’s film Lymelife (also available on Netflix Instant), about Rory’s Scott Bartlett, who is believed to have Lyme disease in the 1970s suburbs. Scott starts to see his family completely differently as it slowly disintegrates. Rory does a fantastic job of leading this star-studded film, which also features supporting performances by the aforementioned Kieran, Alec Baldwin, as the father of the Bartlett family, and Emma Roberts. Lymelife shows just how shake ups in your world can completely change the way you look at the ones you love.
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