This Is the End (2013)

Tags

Comedy, Craig Robinson, Danny McBride, Emma Watson, James Franco, Jay Baruchel, Jonah Hill, Movie, Seth Rogen, This is the End

So none of you guys invited Jason Segel…?

Well, if you’re looking for theological accuracy, this one probably isn’t for you.  But, if you want to have a few laughs (and see Hollywood types get terrorized during the apocalypse), you’re in luck.

It’s an all star cast of guys who some people love and some people hate.  Yes, all the polarizing actors are there.  Seth Rogen, James Franco, Jonah Hill, Jay Baruchel…even Michael Cera, all playing themselves.  The good thing is, they know how to have fun with their images, especially James Franco.  I enjoyed his performance the best, followed closely by Danny McBride.

Not much room for women in this one, aside from a brief appearance by Emma Watson, and I think it suffers a little for that.

Still, it’s a comedy, and what’s important is if I laughed.  And yes, I did.  Not throughout the whole thing, but enough to say it’s worth a watch.

7.2/10 

Take This Waltz (2012)

Tags

Drama, Luke Kirby, Michelle Williams, Movie, Sarah Silverman, Seth Rogen, Take This Waltz

I can just hold the script like this during the scene, right?

Is being in love enough?

Will there always be something missing from any long relationship?  And how do you fight the urge to go out and find that something that is missing?

Margot (Michelle Williams) doesn’t seem to know how to fight that urge.  She loves her husband Lou (Seth Rogen), but there’s a passion that is missing from their 5 year marriage.  Is it just the normal progression of a marriage, or is there really something missing?  Either way, Margot’s excuse for not cheating on her husband with the new man, Daniel (Luke Kirby), she has met is basically, “I’m married, I can’t cheat on my husband.”  She’s obviously not convincing herself with this reasoning.  All it’s doing is making her more tempted.

But does she really love Daniel, or is she just an immature 28 year old who doesn’t want to become a responsible married adult yet?

I’ll leave you to decide that one.

I liked this movie, but it’s not an easy one to digest.  It’s very colorful and is shot beautifully, and I think director Sarah Polley did a good job keeping everything together and moving forward.  I just thought there were a few character developments here and there that seemed a little…off.  Or maybe I should say that some character motivations were a bit hazy.

Though, that could be the point.  They don’t really know what they want or how to react to the situations they are presented with.  For Margot, that results in trying to live in both worlds.  That doesn’t work so well.

Michelle Williams is a little manic here.  Alternating between impossibly adorable, sad, angry, and sometimes completely immature.  Somehow she makes it all work.  You don’t always like her, but you do want to know what she’s going to do next.

Even if what she does next makes you want to vigorously shake some sense into her…

7.2/10

Monsters vs. Aliens (2009)

Tags

Animated, Comedy, Hugh Laurie, Kiefer Sutherland, Monsters vs. Aliens, Movie, Rainn Wilson, Reese Witherspoon, Science Fiction, Seth Rogen, Will Arnett

yer gonna need a bigger church...

PG

Reese Witherspoon, Hugh Laurie, Seth Rogen, Will Arnett, Kiefer Sutherland, Rainn Wilson

Susan: Did you see how strong I was!?  There’s probably not a jar in this world I can’t open!

On her wedding day, Susan (Witherspoon) is hit by a meteorite which causes her to grow into a giant.  She is captured by the government and imprisoned along with 4 other monsters that have been caught.  When a humongous alien robot shows up looking for the very substance that turned Susan into a giant, she and the other monsters are called upon to help destroy it.

While this movie may not be as witty or enthralling as most of the Pixar movies, I still enjoyed it for its visuals and original idea.  In fact, the idea is so good, I think that any disappointment I felt was because I think an even better movie could have been made.  It probably could have been a little more imaginative, especially when it comes to the Aliens.  The alien leader is kind of dull, and the giant robot he sends initially doesn’t have much personality either.

The monsters are pretty good, though.  Seth Rogen was particularly funny as B.O.B., the amorphous blob of goo who constantly demonstrates that he has no brain.  I think his voice was much more suited for this character than it was for his character in Kung Fu Panda.

What was with the human faces, though?  I thought the proportions and expressions were borderline creepy at times.  Actually, I’m quite certain they were.  Especially early on, at the wedding.

As I mentioned, it might be funny at times, but it’s not a hilarious movie.  This adds to it feeling a little overlong (even though it’s only 94 minutes in length), especially in the second half.  But at least their are those nice visuals to take in.  I especially enjoyed the view as the military helicopters approached the giant alien robot.  Cool stuff.

Overall, this won’t be topping my list of favorite computer animated movies, or even cracking the top 5, but it’s an enjoyable ride while it lasts.  Just don’t count on it being one you’ll want to get back in line for after it’s over.

Brains are overrated.

10 – 1.2 for lacking some in the funny department – 1 for dragging a bit in the second half – .4 for the aliens being kinda dull = 7.4

Observe and Report (2009)

Tags

Anna Faris, Comedy, Michael Pena, Movie, Observe and Report, Ray Liotta, Seth Rogen

this doesn't bother you, does it?

R

Seth Rogen, Anna Faris, Michael Pena, Ray Liotta

Charles: Are we gonna be getting paid extra for this?  Because…it’s like…pretty separate…
Ronnie: Let me ask you something.  How much did they get paid to storm Normandy?  How much did King Arthur get paid to kill Merlin?  How much did they get paid to invent television?  Nothing.  They did it because they knew it was right.

The head of mall security, Ronnie Barnhardt (Rogen), is a bizarre, angry, awkward, occasionally violent guy who thinks he has more power than he really does.  When a man flashes several women in the parking lot and then several stores in the mall are robbed, Ronnie resents the police taking away what he sees as his case.  Ronnie attempts to solve the case, join the police force, and win the love of a makeup counter girl, Brandi (Faris).

This is yet another middling comedy featuring Seth Rogen, a lot of obscenities, copious amounts of male nudity, and broad character stereotypes.  Sure, there are funny moments, but the central character of Ronnie is clearly so disturbed that it’s hard to see most of the movie as even dark comedy.

It’s the usual set up:  a generally good-hearted, but socially awkward buffoon is in a position that affords him less power than he thinks he has, so he goes around intimidating people and overstepping his authority whenever he feels like it.  (How is Will Ferrell not in this movie??)  Our ‘hero’ also pines for the vapid, obnoxious girl who works at the makeup counter, all the while being oblivious to the flirtations of the cute, nice girl who works at one of the restaurants in the food court.  Bet ya can’t guess who he eventually ends up with!

There are some funny exchanges and clever moments, but for the most part, it’s stuff we’ve seen before, many times.  Overriding it all is that creepy feeling that we’re watching a disturbed individual who needs real help.  Ronnie is delusional, has a penchant for violence, is from a broken family (his mother blames him for his father leaving them), and has been diagnosed as bi-polar.  I know all that stuff can, and has been used to comedic effect before, but here it just falls flat.

I think one character summed it up well when he emerges from the closet he was hiding in to overhear Ronnie being rejected by the police force:  “Ya know, I thought this was going to be funny, but…it’s just sad.”

Apparently you can beat up several police officers and only spend a couple days in jail.

10 – 4 for being more disturbing than funny – .4 for standard, predictable plotting – .5 for some annoying characters and performances = 5.1

Zack and Miri Make a Porno (2008)

Tags

Comedy, Elizabeth Banks, Movie, Romance, Seth Rogen, Zack and Miri Make a Porno

Ummm...

R

Seth Rogen, Elizabeth Banks

Miri: You could be a waiter.
Zack: No one wants me around their food!  Would you eat food that I gave you??
Miri: I would not eat food that you gave me, that is true.

I think the title about says it all.  As a way to make money and pay their bills, roommates (and JUST friends) Zack and Miri venture into the adult film business.

To quote the Beatles, “IIIIIIIIII shoulda known better…”

I had watched the reviews for this movie on the At The Movies website, and they both said it was not as gross or vulgar as one would expect from a Kevin Smith movie involving this subject matter.  I’m not sure what they were expecting, but it was plenty gross and vulgar in my opinion.

Though, honestly I’m not one to get easily offended by such things.  My real problem with the movie is that it’s just not that funny.  It’s as though Smith went to urbandictionary.com and just started writing down as many random sex terms as he could find.  But, stringing those together, along with as many obscenities as you can, is no substitute for a witty, interesting script.  There needs to be actual jokes.  More stuff like what I quoted above.  There is one good moment where they discuss the show Lost while filming a scene, but the few clever moments are few and far between.

Normally I like Seth Rogen, but in this movie it seemed like 90% of his dialogue was screamed, and most of it consisted of the strung together obsceneties and terms I mentioned before.  That stuff gets boring real quick.

Elizabeth Banks (and her character) was the only thing resembling a bright spot in the movie, but that’s not enough to save it.

10 – 5 for not having many real jokes or wit – 1 for recycled characters + .2 for Banks = 4.2