2038 - The Green Hornet

I remember when this came out and I think it was crapped on to a fair degree.  I started watching this in the background but found myself pretty drawn in my how much fun it was.  Seth Rogen isn’t doing anything out of the blue for him, but through this kind of character it’s a unique spin on it.  I love Kato - I knew nothing going into this about the Green Hornet, so I don’t know how awesome he was in previous incarnations, but him here is a lot of fun.

Christoph Waltz is ridiculously funny here, he plays a properly menacing villain who has a funny gimmick going on that sustains the film really well.  Cameron Diaz feels like the odd-man out here, and I’m not sure why - it’s the only piece that feels a bit off for me.  The action and set pieces are pretty great, and there’s a solid story at work here amidst the chaos.  I liked it, in fact, I’d show up for a sequel, though that seems unlikely given Seth Rogen’s feelings about how it all went down.  

2020 - This Is The End

I don't know why I ended up throwing this in while I was trying to get some writing done.  Did I?  Of course not.  This is an entertaining tour-de-force and about as meta as it gets.  If you're unaware of this film it's a film about celebrities (playing themselves) during the apocalypse.  It's raunchy, funny, and surprisingly heartfelt.  Rogen and Goldberg handle a pretty effects heavy film pretty well for their first time out and the comedy feels tight when it could have just been one big inside joke.  If you like dark comedies and any of the people in this cast - this is pretty much a must see.

2012 - Neighbors

On the way home from the theatre I starting trying to figure out something bad that Seth Rogen has been apart of recently, or ever, and the answer is.... not much.  One could say he's got a horseshoe up his ass, but I think it's more realistic to just realize that the guy has good taste and knows what the hell he's doing.
So here's the story of young parents - Rogen and the fucking fantastic Rose Byrne who is equally as beautiful as she is funny, and even more so because of the latter.  They buy a new house and end up living next door to a frat ran by Zac Efron and Dave Franco, who are an equally fantastic pair.  I love how the film starts off with both sides honestly trying to make it work - I love the idea of pitting two people who miss their youths against people that never want to get old - there's so much room to play within that and play they do.  It's a film that's more about the laughs than the heart, which I'm down for as long as the laughs are fast and furious - and they absolutely are here.  I'm not to give away anything besides letting you know that if you wan to so see a funny film in the theatres - look no further, this one - it's super solid.

1918 - The Guilt Trip

This film came and went pretty quickly from the populus, and the fact that it's on Netflix this soon says something, sadly... Seth Rogen plays Barbara Streisand's son, they go on a road trip together.  Great title and set-up for a movie that's, well... just okay.

Rule #1 of comedy - if you're going to do a scene that's been done before, do it bigger and better.  Here we have a bit where someone has to eat a giant steak dinner to get it for free.  The Great Outdoors has the best version of this that I've seen - and yes, making Barbara Streisand do it is a very funny idea - but that's about the end of that joke, and it doesn't go anywhere from there.  The whole movie is kind of like that when it comes to the comedy.  Great potential, but not followed up on and grown further.  It's the kind of film that lays very obvious bread crumbs early on and then things go pretty much as you'd expect them.  There's a nice little twist at the very end, but other than that there's not a lot of surprises going on here and for a comedy, that's a problem.

I didn't love it, I didn't hate it.  I think the Streisand audience will enjoy it a lot more than the Rogen one.

1859 - The 40 Year Old Virgin

Today's my day at home to get some office work done so I'm also re-watching some much loved classics.  I rewatched this last year with the commentary but it's been a LONG time since I've watched the actual film - and it's a good reference for something I'm developing.  This is a cast that would be hard to assemble today if you look at the tremendous talent that's in all of the supporting roles.  What I love about this is that it's, technically, a dirty movie but it's done with such a sweetness.  Steve Carrel is just goddamn delightful here.  You buy into him and his situation without a second thought.  It's so interesting to look at how far Apatow has come since this, especially visually.  No offence to him or his team, but it's not a great looking film - it's not overly cinematic - which makes sense since I believe all his directing experience up to this point was in sitcom, and this absolutely looks like it. 
If you haven't seen this it's kind of a classic by this point.  If you're a fan of comedy you owe it to yourself to check it out.

1855 - This Is The End

I chose this over Superman, 'cause to me - this is the real superhero flick.  One of the most meta-comedies every - this film tells the story of a group of actor friends who play themselves locked in a house with the apolocolyse forcing them to stick together and discover the true meaning of friendship is.

It's hard to pinpoint a favourite "character" here as I love pretty much all of them.  And I also don't want to give anything away and spoil all the fun that goes on inside of the flick.  It's not trying to be anything than what it is - a fun satire on hollywood and also big action flicks and it work way better than I expected it too.  I'm not going to give away any of the big fun moments, because that's truly for you to discover.  If you're a fan of anyone in this group it's worth checking out.  First time directors did a pretty good job of balancing he tone and also all of the effects that go through this.  

So while it's by no means my new favourite film, it's a bucket full of laughs and entertaining from beginning to end.  Still in theatres.  Go! 

1843 - Zack & Miri Make a Porno

I haven't seen this in forever and wanted to revisit it.  Seth Rogen is pretty great here, but the stand-out for me is Elizabeth Banks.  The chemistry they've got is pretty damn sweet and you damn well believe that she's into him.
It's not my favorite of Smith's films - the story feels a bit more formulaic than others, and luckily he's got the cast to sell the moments that don't feel quite as organically earned as others.  I sound like I'm shitting on this film, but I swear I do really adore it.  Justin Long has a cameo that's pretty goddamn amazing.  If you haven't seen it and enjoy things in the vein of Kevin Smith, it's absolutely worth checking out.  Do it!

1824 - 50/50

Rewatched this mostly as a visual inspiration or something I'm working on.  I still love the hell out of this film.  The cast is pitch perfect.  Anna Kendrik is beautiful awkward, Rogen is oafish and loveable, and JGL is wounded and honest.  If you want a more in-depth look into my thoughts they're around here somewhere - I'm not sure I'll say anything new since I still just loved the hell out of every inch of this film.  When it was finished I wanted to watch it again right away.  If you haven't seen this film you absolutely must.  It's not a heavy-handed piece by any means.  It's light, but with some poignancy and heart to it.  Please, please, see this film.

1788 - 50/50 (commentary)

You can find a full review or two here already of this film as it's not my first viewing, but I decided to check out the commentary whilst I was doing some other things.  It's not the most informative - but it's a good time had by what appears to be good friends hanging out - including the writer whom the film's story is based on.  The commentary provides some decent stories and laughs but I wouldn't call it essential listening.  If you haven't see the film yet please do though - it's fantastic and one of my favorite of last year.

1758 - Knocked Up (commentary

This film is a huge leap forward for Apatow as a filmmaker.  Not only is it visually miles ahead from his first film, but the storytelling feels tighter (even in this extended version) and the emotions more toned.  You get a real sense that he's in command of his craft here.  The commentary was was entertaining enough with Apatow, Rogen, and Bill Hader along.  They start off promising that it's going to be like a film school in a box, but it's not really.  Still enjoyable enough for fans though!  Made me want to re-watch it with the commentary off!
One more night of unpacking in the shop... one more Apatow film :)

1757 - The 40 Year Old Virgin (commentary)

I've been getting my studio space set up for editing my new film Sex After Kids, so I threw this on in the background with the commentary which includes a ridiculously large amount of people.  It's interesting listening to commentaries with actors because you very quickly get a sense of who are interesting and fun people, and who are very desperately trying to be as interesting and fun as the people whom it comes naturally to.  It's goddamn awkward to listen to sometimes.  As I'm going to be working around the studio for the next few days in the evening there's a good chance I'll check out the commentaries on the other Apatow films as well.
Part of the issue with watching an Apatow film on DVD is that you never get the theatrical cut, you get his bloated version - which isn't a bad thing - but it's tricky to make a comedy really work after it's pushing two hours.  It's interesting to hear them on the commentary talking about how most of the crew had no idea how they were going to possibly string this thing into a film in the end.  A large part of what Judd does is he slaps down two cameras and just has the actors throw a bunch of stuff out and see what happens.  I can see how this could work quite well, but it's also a reason that the visual style of the film is pretty damn ugly.  It looks like a badly shot three-camera-sitcom in some scenes - which I'm not sure if I noticed before. 
The commentary doesn't offer a whole lot of insight into their productions, but it is entertaining if you like this group of people.  If you don't, then steer clear. 

1746 - Take This Waltz

First off, a rant.  I was really excited to see this, especially when I saw that they were releasing it through iTunes first - but of course when the date came I realized it was only in the United States that they were doing it that way.  Which makes complete sense that they'd release a Canadian film in another country first.  I'm no expert on distribution or why they couldn't have done it in both countries at the same time, but what I do know is that we live in an age where if someone wants to get something - they can.  Luckily I work in the film and television industry in Canada and so all it took was a phone call and I was able to get my hands on a screener of this film (Yes.  I will buy it as soon as they deem it possible for me to do so through iTunes).  But I also noticed that there were already several versions of it available through bittorrent.  So here's a note to distributors - if you release a film in one territory and delay it in another what you're asking people who are really desperate to see the film, is for them to steal it.  I firmly believe that if you give people a chance to do the right thing, to pay to see something, that the vast majority will.  However if you don't give them that option as soon as possible, they'll just do whatever it takes.  Okay.  Rant over.
I love Sarah Polley's first film, Away From Her, and if you haven't seen it do yourself a favour.  For some bizarre reason it's not on Netflix.  Shame on Netflix. 
Take This Waltz follows the recent Canadian trend of putting recognizable faces into a Canadian film - thankfully at least Seth Rogen is Canadian.  There's a lot to like about this film.  It's sweet, it takes its time in really letting you into these characters and their insecurities and portrays a really realistic couple.  Rogen and Williams LOVE each other.  But with love in a marriage comes minor annoyances.  You aren't always on the same page and so you end up getting pissy with each other for the littlest things and hurting each other for things you don't mean and in ways you can't imagine.  Polley nails that aspect of long term relationships.  Michelle Williams dazzles here as a woman who is trying to figure out what she wants from her life.  She's married to really lovely and fun guy (Rogen), but is infatuated with her new neighbour (Luke Kirby - whom I love in everything he's in, always - another Canadian gem!).  And so the question begins - what makes relationships exciting - something tried and tested, or something new and shiny? 
I struggled slightly with the first half of this film as I started to feel like Polley was making a comment on relationships that I didn't quite agree with, but as the film progressed you see that she's masterfully setting up a situation in which she's going to pull the emotional rug out from under you in a way that you didn't fully expect.  Anyone that questions Rogen's chops as an actor needs to watch him here.  He uses his natural charms to full effect, but we get a very tender side, one that is vulnerable and lovely.  He's fantastic here.  Sarah Silverman gives a fantastic performance as Rogen's sister dealing with her own demons.  And if you've ever wondered what Silverman looks like fully naked - wonder no more - there's a scene halfway through where there's a pretty revealing scene for several women, and it's use in the grand scheme is really quite artful.
Some reviewers have called this film pretentious - and I'm not sure that I agree.  Is it slightly quirky, sure.  But it's honest more than anything else.  And it's a gorgeous film to look at, and a beautiful use of the wonderful city of Toronto.  It's getting a theatrical release on June 29th, so get thee to a theatre!  I don't think this one is for everyone, but if you're a fan of emotional love stories, it's a great one.

1688 - 50/50

Okay, so this is still my favourite film of last year.  It's rare that a film grabs you so emotionally like this one does.  You're sitting there, loving the characters, laughing along, and then all of a sudden you're crying and you have absolutely no control over it.  Maybe I'm just a big suck, but on both viewings of this film it got me in two places.  So well done, film, well done.
Seth Rogen and Bryce Dallas Howard are both pretty darn great in their supporting roles, but this film belongs to Anna Kendrik and Joseph Goron-Levitt.  Their chemistry is absolutely adorable, but they also bring this amazing vulnerability to their roles.  You just want to wrap them both up and keep them safe.
I don't put a hell of a lot of stock into the award shows, I think of them more as extended advertising for the films, and in that paradigm this is a film that was absolutely robbed by not getting a single nomination.  Regardless of the fact that the script is so damn solid, and the direction is inspired, this is a film that's extremely timely.  I imagine it's rather difficult this day and age to find someone who hasn't been affected by a loved one with cancer.  This is a story that needed to be told.  It's uplifting when it needs to be, and grabs you oh so well.  I absolutely loved it.  If you haven't seen this yet, get thee to whatever-the-hell you want things on now.  Do it!

1642 - Undeclared: complete series

I missed both this and Freaks and Geeks during it's original run.  It's a shame that neither of these were given a fair shake, although who knows how their success would have shaped the futures of their respective casts.  Perhaps if Freaks had of gone several seasons we never would have gotten this series.  Let's not think about that.
As far as network college comedies go this is probably one of the better (if not best) I've seen.  These actually feel like people that are in college, what they deal with, how they talk to one another.  How it's slightly awkward.  Really enjoyed that about it.  Not a bad character in the bunch, and I loved how they managed to get pretty much the entire cast of Freaks in somehow (where the hell was Franco?!). 
The cast is great, I'm a fan of all of them, and it's nice to see them all doing pretty damn well for themselves.  If you missed this great show during it's (too short) run you can find it on DVD now.  Seventeen episodes, and the box set is loaded with commentaries and other goodies.

1630 - 50/50

The reviews warned me, but I didn't listen.  Sometimes I hate reading reviews because all they really do is fuck with my expectations.  In this case the reviews were pretty consistent in saying that it's a cliche for a film to make you say, "I laughed, I cried" but in this case you did.  And I did.  I sure did. 

This is a film about a young man who discovers that he has a rare spinal cancer, and what happens with his treatment.  Heavy stuff.  Could easily be movie of the week material - hell, it IS movie of the week material, but not the way that it's handled here.  Joseph Gordon-Levitt is phenomenal here.  There is a moment near the end of the film in a car that just shook me.  He dazzles on screen (and that's not a word that I use lightly).  The entire cast sizzles.  Rogen is delightful and doesn't over do it.  Howard is lovely as usual, but Anna Kendrick is simply a sight to behold.  She's a very unique actress and I think that it's going to serve her well - what I absolutely love about her is the moments that she plays inbetween moments.  And I normally don't care much for Angelica Houston, but she really did grow on me here. 

I'm not going to give away any details because this is the kind of film that you just need to see for yourself.  There is some stuff that may appear inappropriate, however I think you'd have a heart of absolute stone not to be drawn into this film.  Easily one of the best of the year.  Go see it.

1538 - Paul

This film had me excited from the trailer - and then taking a quick glance at the people involved sealed the deal.  I even chose this over The King's Speech - mostly because I just wanted to watch something fun tonight.  Pegg and Frost have had a lot of fun playing around with genre films, and now they go after the sci-fi genre, this time with Greg Mottola as their collaborator. 
It's essentially ET as a road film with Seth Rogen as the (voice of the) alien, and he's a perfect choice.  What's a lot of fun about this is the idea that the alien isn't a new visitor, but he's been here for a long damn time - he knows stuff - he knows a lot more than most humans.  The film takes a pretty damn healthy poke at religion and I wonder if it won't get criticized for it. 
What I like about the film most is just how much of an adventure it feels that we're on.  There's lots of people after the group as they go along their road trip, and it keeps the pace going - always on the move.  The cast has as much fun with the material as the audience does watching.  I am always a fan of Jason Bateman, and I find Kristen Wiig simply adorable - and it's nice to see that she's becoming better known - she deserves it.
So obviously I'm going to see The King's Speech at some point 'cause everyone keeps on raving about the damn thing - but for tonight I wanted something fun - and I got what I wanted.  If you're already a fan of this group of people then you need no recommendation from me.  This is a really fun film.

1369 - Fanboys

I think any movie geek of a certain age has a recollection of their expectations and anticipations for The Phantom Menace. So this is ripe for a good film story. And it almost has one. The idea that one of their gang isn't going to live long enough to see the film is a really good motivator for them to break into the Skywalker Ranch to steal a print of the film. But when you bring The Big C into a film, you've gotta deal with it - at least a bit. The guy who is, apparently months away from death, looks fine, acts fine, you wouldn't know there is anything wrong with him. And this bugs the shit out of me. I'm not saying go super heavy with it, but do it or don't, you know?

I enjoyed the film, I did - it was fun - but I felt like their obstacles could have been a lot bigger. A little better. I wanted to get the feeling like this might not actually happen for them. As always, I loved Jay Baruchel, and even cast in a role that's stereotypical to his appearance, he shines. Seth Rogen has a fun double role in here that I won't spoil, but what I'm really happy about this is how much I love Kristen Bell the more that I see her. She reminded me of a lot of old girlfriends in this - geeky, cute, feisty. As you're supposed to, I absolutely loved her here.

So it's not a great film by any means, but it's enjoyable enough to check out if you're a Star Wars fan, and especially if, like I did, put any effort into trying to see Phantom Menace on opening night.

1358 - Knocked Up

So it's been a little while since my last post. I've been doing a lot of writing and I've even decided to catch up on my sleep - what a weird concept - but according to my wife I was sleep deprived (don't tell her I said so, but I think she's right). I want to bed last night at 7:30pm. And it was awesome.

So, again, despite the fact that I've got a STACK of films I haven't seen before, again I felt the need to watch something in reference to a project I'm working through - I'm working on a script right now that bares a few similarities to this film and so I just wanted to make sure that I wasn't hitting the same notes too hard. It was lovely to revisit - it's chalk full of people that I really really adore. I read somewhere that, post-film, Heigl considered it a sexist film. It's a shame 'cause I think she's pretty fantastic in it. I would say that the film is probably targeted more to guys - but I mean, come on! What a feat is that considering the content is about a guy getting a girl pregnant. And Apatow made guys want to see that!

Really glad I revisited again - a really nice little flick.

1296 - Funny People

So I suppose today was my double-feature of director's third outings. I missed this in the theatre. Haven't been keeping as current with the little guy around now. Thank goodness films come to DVD so quickly. It's interesting to see Apatow's directing career and how it differs from his career as a producer and writer.
There's some great stuff in here, so great jokes, and some wonderful insightful little bits about the human spirit. Based loosely on Gatsby this film has much warmth to it. It's long but I didn't feel it as badly as I probably should have. The pace was there. The performances entertaining. I have to admit I have a bit of a crush on Leslie Mann. Rogen and Sandler both at the top of their game.

1228 - Observe & Report

I remember seeing the unrated trailer and looking forward to this film. It's... well... I mean it's intended to shock and offend you, so let's deal with that - it does shock, and I'm sure it does offend. But the problem is that it's so busy doing that that it never tries to get you to actually like any of the characters, minus one (Collette Wolfe, far too pretty for the role, but damn if you don't fall in love with her - she's fantastic and I look forward to seeing more of her).
It's essentially Taxi Driver in a mall, which is interesting enough as a concept. It doesn't try to be a cliched film where we see Ronnie get better and improv, and maybe that's to it's fault. At least Rogen takes on the role full force and never detracts.
It's a bit of a mess, but I wouldn't say avoid it. Enough moments to make it worth checking out.