This Is The End

COMEDY/HORROR

Last Ditch Efforts

8.25 out of 10 | DVD or RENTAL

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Rated: R  Crude and sexual content, brief graphic nudity, drug use, pervasive language and some violence
Release Date: June 12, 2013
Runtime: 1 hour 47 minutes

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Director: Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg
Writers: Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg, based on the short film Jay and Seth vs. the Apocalypse by Jason Stone
Cast: Seth Rogen, Jay Baruchel, James Franco, Jonah Hill, Craig Robinson, Danny McBride, Michael Cera, Emma Watson, Rihanna

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SYNOPSIS:  While attending a party at James Franco's house, Seth Rogen, Jay Baruchel and many other celebrities are faced with the apocalypse.

REVIEW: Seth Rogen is an actor (The Guilt Trip), a writer (The Watch), and now a director! The Canadian-born star brings his unique bong-y perspective from Vancouver, British Columbia, and teams with long-time collaborating writer Evan Goldberg to adapt the Jason Stone short film that Seth and Jay Baruchel Jason and Seth created in 2007.

Seth Rogen (Green Hornet) waits at LAX for his Canadian childhood pal Jay Baruchel (She's Out of my League) to deplane. After Jay arrives they go back to Seth's house and party up with weed, alcohol, and 3D television and video games. When Seth asks Jay to accompany him to James Franco's housewarming, Jay hesitantly goes. After joining the party and meeting up with Franco (147 Hours), Jonah Hill (Moneyball), Craig Robinson (Peeples), Emma Watson (The Perks of Being a Wallflower), Kevin Hart (Think Like a Man), and others, Jay tires of the LA scene and wants to go back to Seth's place. When he and Seth go to a convenience store for more smokes, an earthquake rocks the neighborhood and people are transported Into the sky via blue lights. With the neighborhood – Seth and Jay decide to get back to Franco's house to wait out the coming apocalypse.

What happens when a bunch of actors get together for a housewarming party and end up having to face down the end of the world? When it comes to Rogen, Franco, Baruchel, Robinson, and Hill, they wait out the End of Days with beer, weed, some water, and no idea as to what to do next. Watching these guys muddle their way through the Rapture is like watching a bunch of five-year-olds fight over the last cookie on the plate. Ludicrous, unbelievable, and over-the-top, This Is The End is a hilarious look at how these these weed-toting, liquor-consuming, fun-loving friends could possibly survive.

There's three things that are clever about this movie. The first is that every character that these guys play are themselves… or are the caricatures of what we expect these actors to be in their personal lives. The second is that I never would have expected a film from these guys in the way that they laid it out. Even though Rogen and Franco and crew have come up with some strange tales, This Is The End takes the prize. And lastly Rogan and his crew made a funny movie and seemed to have a great time doing it.

Besides the main cast, there are plenty of other cameo appearances from their acting friends. From Mindy Kaling (The 40-Year-old Virgin) to Emma Watson, to Michael Cera (Scott Pilgrim vs. the World), and others, each brings their familiar pattern to what we expect from them while pulling back the curtain on the more hidden and explicit parts of their lives.

Starting off like a scene from Less Than Zero, This Is The End quickly turns into an all-out hilarious supernatural, and out-of-this-world, post-apocalyptic nightmare. There are plenty of laughs to be had, from Jonah Hill playing around with a prop gun, to a standoff between James Franco and Danny McBride over Franco's porn magazines, to a discussion as to how six survivors should deal with Emma Watson without being 'rape-y'. There's pretty decent special effects - way beyond anything that the boys have done while making Pineapple Express, Super Bad for some of their other efforts.

This juvenile, vulgar comedy is not for everyone. But if you love Seth Rogen's and his buddies' work on film before now, this film will be a raunchy, fun, entertaining delight.

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Goon

This Isn't Baseball

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Rated: R   Brutal violence, non-stop language, some strong sexual content and drug use.
Release Date: March 30, 2012
Runtime: 1 hr 31 mins

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Director: Michael Dowse
Writers:  Jay Baruchel, Evan Goldberg, from the novel "Goon: The True Story of an Unlikely Journey into Minor League Hockey" by Adam Fraasio and Doug Smith.
Cast: Seann Willaim Scott, Jay Baruchel, Alison Pill, Liev Schreiber, Marc-Andre Grondin, Kim Coates, Richard Clarkin

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SYNOPSIS: Bar bouncer Doug Glatt failed to live up to the high expectation of his brainy doctor family. After knocking out a local hockey player, Dog gets an opportunity to work his way into a minor league team as an enforcer in an effort to get a bunch of under performing players to live up to their potential.

REVIEW: Director Michael Dowse, known for the Topher Grace rocker flick Take Me Home Tonight, stays in the arena with a new underdog sports movie starring Sean William Scott. Based the Adam Frattasio and Doug "The Hammer" Smith novel entitled "Goon: The True Story of an Unlikely Journey into Minor League Hockey", Quebec-born actor and writer Jay Baruchel and Vancouver-bred scribe Evan Goldberg (Superbad, The Green Hornet) create a screenplay for a sport that, for them, is a national pastime. 

Bar bouncer Doug Glatt (Seann William Scott, American Reunion) lives his life in a black T-shirt with SECURITY written in tall letters across it. He is kind to all patrons until someone gets out of line. With a successful doctor brother and father, Doug's trade is considered lowly and not something to be proud of. With his pal Ryan (Jay Baruchel, How to Train Your Dragon), foul-mouthed local Orangetown, Massachusetts hockey 'Hot Ice' wrap-up TV and online host, they take in an Assassins home game to hep cheer Doug up. When an opposing team's hockey player, fresh into the penalty box, climbs the glass to get at Ryan and his rants, Doug steps in and lays the player out cold. Seeing the most lively display of enforcement in a while, coach Rollie Hortense (Nicholas Campbell, SyFy's Haven) asks Doug to try out for the Assassins hockey team. After a few games Doug proves to be a great thug on the ice, even if his skating skills are less than graceful. Impressed, the coach decides to send Doug up to his brother Ronnie (Kim Coates, Resident Evil: Afterlife) minor league Halifax Highlanders team in an attempt to use Doug's fists as a way to get the rest of the team out of their underachieving slump and on the way to a possible play-off berth.

In the spirit of Paul Newman's Slap Shot, Goon uses violence in order for a team to come out its lethargy and finding its strength to win. Where Paul Newman's hockey hooligans all took to the ice with fighting in their hearts and fists, the Halifax Highlanders do not have the backbone in put up much of a fight. Super star Xavier Laflamme (Marc-Andre Grondin, Mike) was a skating and shooting prodigy in the majors until he was checked by career enforcer Ross Rhea (Liev Schreiber, Salt), giving him a triple concussion, a trade to the minors, and a fear of performing. Gord Ogilvey (Richard Clarkin, Land of the Dead) worries more about his divorce and being a bad father than his work on the ice. Goalie Marco Belchier (Jonathan Cherry, Final Destination 2) struggles at the net as much as he gets razzed by his own teammates in the locker room, All in all, the Highlanders are a team of misfits, had-beens, and players that just do not have the heart or want to push themselves to win. Doug, similar to Mark Wahlberg's Vince Papale in Invincible, hopefully has the thuggery to pull the rest of the team off the bench and onto their skates.

Doug Glatt knows how to use his heart and his hands, but fights an uphill battle with get his hockey mates to care about the Highlanders as much as he does. In addition to those woes Doug falls for 'bad girlfriend' Eva (Alison Pill, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World) that is turned on by hockey players and fights but has a nice boyfriend at home. And to top it all, the road to the end of the season and possible playoff slot may lead Doug and the Highlanders against the premier enforcer in the league, the man known at Ross 'The Boss' Rhea that sidelined Laflamme in the majors three years ago.

The film is a semi-serious endeavor laced with the icing of Sean William Scott's kind smiles and innocence. His light side just emphasizes the flip of the switch that occurs when he finds his friends and teammates in trouble and he finds the insatiable need to spring into action for their defense. Jay Baruchel's Ryan spouts out nothing but obscenities, both in his show and in the stands, but its nowhere near as endearing as Scott's performance. The rest of the team pitches in with both good skating and perpetual frat boy antics.

Based on the true story of Mike "The Hammer" Smith, a local hockey goon who somehow found himself in the middle of a minor league hockey club, I think Scott does the story justice, in his unique way. The film is not awe-inspiring or patriotic as Kurt Russell's Miracle, have the nameplate of Newman's Slap Stick, or the kid appeal of The Mighty Ducks franchise, but Goon has something that all good sports films need - an underdog team looking for its heart and using that emotion to find a way to win.

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WORTH: DVD or Rental

The Sorcerer's Apprentice

Uh, Oh, It's Magic!

[Nicolas Cage, Jay Baruchel, Alfred Molina, Teresa Palmer]

RANT: Not much to rant about today. I did have to go to upstate New Jersey today to make critical electrical repairs to our Summer place, at least according to the notice received in the mail early this week. 150 miles round trip and a couple of 4 inch lag screws later, all was well again. But because of this unforeseen event, I did not get to the movies until very late this afternoon.

SYNOPSIS: After centuries of guarding the prison cell of the evil Morgana and searching for the replacement for the sorcerer Merlin, Balthazar comes across Dave, a young New Yorker who may be the Merlin's replacement and the only one capable of defeating Morgana once and for all.

The critics have been fairly vocal about the failures of Disney's "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" live action effort. And according to www.IMDB.com, the user rating is 6.1 out of 10. Are they right? For me, I can always find at least one positive point to a film, but I will try to be as objective as possible.

Director Jon Turteltaub reteams with his "National Treasure" star, Nicolas Cage, for Disney's remake of their classic animated Mickey Mouse sorcerer apprentice tale. A veteran director with numerous film and television episodes under his belt, and his experience with Cage, Turteltaub and Disney were poised to have another decent film on their hands. And the film is just that, decent.

Cage seems only a little out of place as one of three original Merlin apprentices. But only a little. He has been cast in a few questionable roles as of late, but this is not really one of them. As Balthazar, the apprentice sorcerer carries the weight of the loss of his sorcerer love, the betrayal by his friend during the battle with the evil Morgana, and the pursuit for the one who would be the next Merlin.

Jay Baruchel plays Dave, the kid that Merlin's ring attached itself to as the heir of Merlin's powers. After a public embarrassment in front of his 4th grade classmates involving the battling wizards, flash forward 10 years to Balthazar's return where Dave is a physics geek pining away for his lost love during the 4th grade mishap. Baruchel plays the adult Dave with equal parts awe and skepticism of Balthazar's plans for him. His stutter and stammer bring out the rawness of the role.

The villain Harvath, played by Alfred Molina, keeps his character cool with his slick demeanor and an icy tongue. His distain for Balthazar runs far deeper than just siding with Morgana against his own master, Merlin.

Disney does pull out all the stops when it comes to the look of the set pieces and the spells. The training sequences are slick, the battles with Morgana's minions as they are set loose on to the Manhattan skyline are fierce, and the plasma balls are both comical and deadly, depending on whether Balthazar or Dave are handling them.

At the end of the day, some people will like the film, some will love it and some will wonder why they spent the money at the theater. The critics have been critical, as is their nature, but for a couple of hours of mindless magical mayhem, this may do the trick.

Worth: Netflix

I am also trying out a new rating system shown below based on reader reaction to my somewhat complex monetary rating scale. I will give both ratings and see what kind of reaction I muster. A movie can receive up to 5 popcorn buckets. Why popcorn buckets? Because I am a slave to the thousand + calorie delight! Enjoy!

How To Train Your Dragon

This Film Soars

[Jay Baruchel, Gerard Butler, Craig Ferguson, America Ferrera]

Today was a momentous occasion. I went to see "How to Train Your Dragon" accompanied by friends and a 2 year old named Conner. He spent the entire film focused on the movie, quietly asking "what happened to dragon?". It was everything a rabid moviegoer wants in a young moviegoer protege.

SYNOPSIS:  Young viking Hiccup lives in the midst of savage, strong kinsmen bent on killing the dragons that raid their village. Unable to kill an injured dragon he captures, Hiccup helps "toothless" to fly again and learns more about the species in the process.

Vikings, dragons, and misunderstood youth, oh my. Dreamworks dazzles us again with their latest animation. I didn't see it in 3D 'cause of the increase in ticket prices, but it was exceptional anyway. Jay Baruchel from "She's Out Of My League" voices Hiccup, a very non-viking-esque kid. Desperate to impress his clan leader father with his skills of killing the raiding dragons, he manages to down a never before seen Night Fury but is unable to finish the job. Realizing that there is more to dragons than what he has been taught, Hiccup takes all he learns from his new friend "Toothless" and applies it to non-lethal methods during his dragon training.

Majestic vistas, wildly adorned reptiles, breakneck rides through the clouds and rocky canyons, fierce Norse warriors, spindly young intelligent viking offspring, and an enduring Night Fury combine for a wonderful adventure. Funny, sad and action-packed, this movie has all the right stuff! The best part of the film is "Toothless", channelling a little Stitch from "Lilo & Stitch", plus the most comic characteristics of every dog and cat lovers pet. 

"What happened to dragon?" is what the kids asked during the movie. You will have to go see it to find out how to answer. 

Worth: Matinee and a Blu-ray