This Is the End

Apocalypse movies have been all the rage for a couple years now. Natural calamities, zombies, vampires, any and all. What else can movies throw at an audience? Well, there's 2013's This Is the End. It certainly goes down a fresh route, having celebrities star as themselves in an end of the world story. It could be self-indulgent, it could be really dumb, but it isn't. It's one of the funniest movies I've seen in years. Oh, and it is dumb.

Having not seen his friend in over a year, Jay Baruchel flies to Los Angeles to visit Seth Rogen, looking forward to catch up and just hang out. They do just that at first, hanging out, getting high and playing video games, but eventually they end up at James Franco's housewarming party that's packed to the gills with other celebrities. Jay is less than psyched, not liking most of Seth's other friends, but that's the least of his problems. An earthquake rips apart Los Angeles, a sinkhole tearing apart the Earth in front of Franco's house, more than a few of the celebrities falling to their deaths. Jay, Seth and James are among the few survivors, forting up in Franco's house until help comes in one form or another. What's going on outside? The L.A. hills are covered in fire, and there seems to be no other survivors. Is it the Rapture? The end of the world? A zombie apocalypse? Can the group survive, maybe just avoid killing each other?

I had two trains of thought when I read about this movie in pre-production. It was going to go one of two ways. One, a self-indulgent, really stupid comedy that would be almost painful to watch. Two, a self-indulgent, really stupid comedy that would be amazing to watch. Yeah, thankfully, it ends up being the second. Of course it's self indulgent. It's a bunch of celebrities playing themselves during the apocalypse for goodness sake! It isn't smarmy or condescending in its humor. The goal from directors/writers Rogen and Evan Goldberg (worked previously together on Superbad, The Green Hornet, Pineapple Express) is to have fun and produce a lot of laughs. Judge it, criticize it for any number of reasons, but 'End' is truly entertaining and genuinely hilarious, one laugh on top of another in a 106-minute movie.

Okay, so it's celebrities playing versions of themselves if not spot-on portrayals (I'm assuming). Rogen and Goldberg's script sees all the possibilities and potential and goes to town. Joining Baruchel, Rogen and Franco as the initial survivors are Jonah Hill, Craig Robinson and Danny McBride.They all play up those notions we think we know as an audience. Rogen is the stoner slacker, Baruchel the quirky nerd, Franco a still in the closet gay guy, Hill the angelic do-gooder, Robinson the smooth, cool black guy, and McBride as....well, McBride, the asshole friend we all have and tolerate. Rogen, Franco, Robinson and McBride all worked together in Pineapple Express, and in one way or another (film and/or TV), they've all worked with each other. Friends on-screen or off, this is what comedic chemistry should be. It's effortless, six guys just shooting and spitballing and see what sticks. They make it look easy.

Yes, there's plenty of jokes about sex, bodily function in a movie where the tone is not surprisingly pretty goofy to dumb. But mixed in with all those jokes are some moments of brilliance, genuinely smart scenes that had tears rolling down my face. Of the filthier variety is a scene between Franco and McBride that has the duo (drifting apart as friends) screaming back and forth at each other about masturbation. A scene with Harry Potter's Emma Watson is sublime, the six screwballs discussing an issue they have while she can hear just feet away, the payoff an excellent capper with Watson wielding an axe at them. The group also decides to film a homemade sequel to Pineapple Express, much of the cast already there. It's ultra-low budget charm is evident. As well, Franco's penchant for keeping movie props pays off nicely, including his camcorder from 127 Hours and a revolver from Flyboys. That's just some of the more memorable moments from the episodic apocalypse story.

While this group of six dominates screentime, there's a ridiculous amount of other actors/actresses/comedians making appearances as themselves. Michael Cera gets the filthiest part, playing on his clean-cut image and turning himself into a coke-fiend looking to get some action. Also joining him is Superbad co-star Christopher Mintz-Plasse (McLovin) a funny scene with the duo and Hill too. Also look for Mindy Kaling, Paul Rudd, Jason Segel, Kevin Hart, Martin Starr, David Krumholtz, singer Rihanna and Aziz Ansari. Oh, because that wasn't enough, Channing Tatum also makes a blink and you'll miss it appearance as himself. Like the rest of the movie, it's bizarre and comes out of left field, but like so much else, it just works. 

Here's where we sit with another comedy. I could list all the really funny scenes that cracked me up, but then you wouldn't have to see it yourself. I don't want to do that. It's a perfectly funny and smart movie with a ridiculous cast that's having a lot of fun doing what they're doing. It's on display from beginning to end, one of the best, most original comedies to hit theaters in years.

This Is the End (2013): ****/****

30 Minutes or Less

I've made no bones about my general dislike for actor Jesse Eisenberg. I feel like he plays the same character in one movie after another; a smarmy, sarcastic and whiny individual who just doesn't know when to shut up. Thankfully, it hasn't ruined a movie yet, and there's been some good ones from Adventureland to The Social Network to Zombieland. How about 2011's 30 Minutes or Less? The jury is still out.

A pizza delivery man in his mid-20s, Nick (Eisenberg) has hit a bit of a rough spot. For one, he's a pizza delivery guy, his quasi-girlfriend is moving to Atlanta, and he's gotten into a friendship-ending fight with his longtime buddy and roommate, Chet (Aziz Ansari). Well, it's about to get worse. Delivering a pizza before closing, he's kidnapped and knocked out by two D-list crooks (Danny McBride and Nick Swardson), waking up the next morning with a bomb strapped to his chest. The crooks are cash-strapped and have a plan in mind for some money...have Nick rob a bank for them. He's got about 10 hours to rob one of the banks in town and bring $100,000 back to them. If he doesn't go along with it or contacts the police? They'll blow him up with a remote detonator. The clock is ticking so Nick sees if Chet can somehow help him.

Now, I have a sick, pretty dark sense of humor. I can laugh at some really wrong, uncomfortable things. Okay, I have some limits. This comedy from director Ruben Fleischer is based on a true story with one major difference. In real life, a pizza delivery guy was killed when crooks strapped a bomb to him, the bomb exploding before he could figure out how to remove the bomb. Read about it HERE. If you can get past that issue, you'll probably enjoy this movie. I think I did. I'm not sure. Parts are really funny, making the most out of a genuinely uncomfortable situation. 'Minutes' is a good mix of thrills and laughs -- however bizarre -- with an oddball mix of a cast. You just have to get past that nasty based on a true story part.

Brace yourself. I liked Jesse Eisenberg in this one. It just took a bomb being strapped to his body for it to happen. He starts off as his smarmy self with passive aggressive one-liners, but once he's kidnapped there's some frenetic energy on display so we get to see a different side of Eisenberg. I guess I'd have some frenetic energy too with a bomb attached to my body too. Aiding the cause is the bizarre, off the wall, Odd Couple friendship between Eisenberg's Nick and Ansari's Chet. As he's shown in his comedy shows and Parks and Recreation, Ansari has a perfect ability to ad-lib and improvise at will. It's almost bizarre in its delivery, whether its his underplayed lines or the complete opposite with his freaking out, "My friend has a bomb strapped to him!" mentality. Of course, it's ridiculous because most of the time he's far too calm, but that's part of all the fun.

A couple scenes especially stand out. Following their fight, Chet struggles with what to do. A substitute teacher at a grammar school, Chet understandably LOSES IT when a bombed-up Nick walks in. His best line comes though when he finally decides to help, deciding that if he didn't he'd one day lose it while he's hanging out with his future wife and kids. "I shouldn't have let my friend explode." Deadpan perfect. The other has Chet spray painting plastic guns, singing a little song about what will happen if he didn't spray paint the guns. It's those little moments -- almost entirely from Ansari -- that produce the biggest laughs.

The rest of the cast is decent if nothing crazy. McBride seems to inspire love or hate among viewers, nothing in between. His generally filthy, similarly deadpan deliveries work for me, and I like him so as long as you know what his Dwayne character is going to be like, you'll be fine. Like Eisenberg and Ansari, McBride and Swardson have a good chemistry. The visual of the duo wearing gorilla/monkey masks while spouting their plan is pretty funny as well. Also look for Fred Ward as Dwayne's lottery-winning father, Michael Pena as a Detroit hitman brought into the mix, Dilshad Vadsaria as Chet's twin sister, Kate, and Bianca Kajilich as a stripper Dwayne meets and unknowingly puts the whole plan into motion. And yes, she's topless so there's that.    

Know what you're getting here. The humor is anywhere from stupid to sexual to violent and sometimes combinations of those three. It's only 83 minutes long so if you hate it, so be it, it's not even an hour and a half long. I didn't love it, but there's enough to recommend.

30 Minutes or Less (2011): ** 1/2 /****

Despicable Me

Growing up with a younger sister, I watched any and all of the Disney princess movies. While I didn't like/love all of them, it's easy to see the appeal. Animation certainly has changed over the last 20-plus years with Pixar kicking the door open for a new wave of CGI animation. It continues to adapt, develop and change, putting an ever-constant new spin on cartoon flicks, like 2010's Despicable Me. Princesses? Nah, super villains!

As far as international super villains go, Gru (Steve Carell) has no rivals...until now. His reputation takes a major hit when the Great Pyramid in Giza is stolen and replaced by an up and coming villain with all sorts of potential for mayhem, Vector (Jason Segel). His solution is extreme and drastic but will no doubt bring all his doubters back around. Gru's going to steal...the MOON! The problem? Vector has already stolen a newly developed shrink ray he needs to use to pull the job off. His solution is an odd one as Gru adopts three young orphan girls who will unknowingly cause a diversion that allows him to get into Vector's heavily guarded lair. What Gru sees as a smash and grab job concerning the adoption just isn't so simple. The super villain may have bit off far more than he hoped, and there's no going back.

From directors Pierre Louis Padang Coffin (yes, that's a name) and Chris Renaud, 'Despicable' was a huge success upon its initial release, earning over $540 million. It spawned a sequel -- released this summer -- that was an even bigger success -- that has currently made over $800 million worldwide. What's the appeal that spawned such a worldwide success? I think it's a lot of things. The animation from Illumination Entertainment is unique, well-made and polished while not screaming out "LOOK AT THIS CGI!" More than that though, I think it's the story which isn't a typical animated storyline. It's dark at times (maybe a little too dark), but it is original, always entertaining and smart. Usually the super villain is quite obviously the bad guy so seeing him as a bad guy who's not so bad provides a great change of pace. Oh, and Gru's minions. This movie wouldn't have the same success without them, but more on those cute yellow guys later.

The heart of the movie comes from Gru and his ulterior motive intentions in adopting three little girls who live at an orphanage run by Miss Hattie (Kristen Wiig). Carell as Gru is a great choice, his voice talents making this super villain a goofy-looking, Eastern European sounding mastermind. His look with his chicken legs, bald head and ever-present scarf is quite the visual too. He's one mean guy though, softened some and surprisingly when he adopts, Margo (Miranda Cosgrove), the oldest of the girls and very smart/aware, Edith (Dana Gaier), the middle girl and quirkiest of the crew, always wearing a ski cap low on her eyes, and Agnes (Elsie Fisher), the youngest and cutest girl who loves unicorns more than anything in the world. It's fun to see mean, gruff Gru go from complete confusion at how to care for three little girls to slowly warming up to them as they help him and stay in his huge super villain mansion.

As for the rest of the voice talent assembled, they do some good work. Jason Segel seems unlikely casting to play Vector, but it works, this nerdy and smart super villain proving quite the quirky opponent to the more experienced Gru. Russell Brand does a fine job as Dr. Nefario, an aging assistant who's worked with Gru for years on countless dastardly deeds with Julie Andrews playing Gru's hard to impress mother. Along with Wiig, also listen for Will Arnett, Danny McBride, Jack McBrayer, Mindy Kaling, Rob Huebel and Ken Jeong lending their voices.

Onto the minions! While Gru's story with the little girls is the heart of the movie, what most viewers came away with was a love for the adorable little yellow minions. Standing about knee high, these yellow guys wear overalls and goggles over their one or two big, round eyes. Their hair is pointy, parted and not there at all. Directors Coffin and Renaud with Jemaine Clement provide their voices, usually unintelligible gibberish with occasional moments of clarity. They are really cute, really adorable and really funny, most of the time helping Gru's directives but causing their fair share of mayhem in the process. It's their look, it's their giggling and laughing, their love of exploring and curiosity...which usually leads to more trouble. They're essential additions to the cast and helping make this more than just any old animated movie. And yes, the minions are slated for their own spin-off, scheduled for December 2014. Watch a sample of their shenanigans HERE.

It took me awhile to catch up with this one, but I'm glad I did. Surprisingly funny for kids and adults with a ton to recommend. Mostly though........minions! Hopefully I can find the sequel in a second-run theater and catch up with that one too.

Despicable Me (2010): ***/****

Your Highness

Stepping into the comedy spotlight over the last four or five years, Danny McBride has slowly built up a name for himself. He's had smaller parts in The Heartbreak Kid, Up in the Air, and Hot Rod while his bigger supporting roles in Tropic Thunder and Pineapple Express were an indication of bigger and better things for this very funny actor.  As well, his show Eastbound and Down has already gained a cult following.  His style and humor are apparently very dividing among fans -- which I was surprised to read up about. Either you love him or you hate him. Me? I think he's hilarious.

In his first real starring role, McBride wrote and starred in this year's Your Highness, a fantasy Dark Ages comedy that struggled -- okay, it bombed epically -- in theaters, barely making $20 million. The movie is truly a mess, full of juvenile humor revolving around sex and violence mixed in with elements of Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, and any number of other fantasy and adventure-based movies. It's far from McBride's fault. Check that. It's not McBride's fault as an actor at least. This script is all over the place, but it does provide enough laughs through all the mess to recommend a little bit, but that's all.  Just a little.

The younger son of King Tallious, Prince Thadeous (McBride) can't seem to do anything right, although to be fair he really isn't interested in doing anything not related to sex or drugs. On the other hand, his older brother and future king Fabious (James Franco) can do no wrong, going on countless heroic and dangerous quests. Fabious intends to marry Belladonna (Zooey Deschanel), but on their wedding day she is abducted by the evil wizard, Leezar (Justin Theroux), who intends to fulfill a centuries old prophecy and sire a dragon son. With his team of heroic knights, Fabious prepares to embark on yet another quest, this time to save his beloved. Thadeous more than unwillingly goes along, getting a little more interested in the proceedings when they meet Isabel (Natalie Portman), a beautiful young woman similarly on a dangerous quest. But can Thadeous do anything right, anything at all?

That story/plot description is needlessly wordy so I apologize for that. Basically 'Lazy prince joins heroic brother in quest to save fiance' would have sufficed, but that's a little short on the details, don't you think?  The movie does have its moments, and it has potential in a lot of different ways, but on the whole everything never clicks into place. The fantastical Dark Ages setting with warlocks, witches, spells, mythological beasts is certainly an interesting setting for a spoof-like comedy, but 'Highness' gets bogged down in all those elements. Where the violence and action in Pineapple Express was over the top and still worked, it just doesn't here. Long stretches go by without a laugh in sight, making it hard to remember the lines and gags that were good.

Now all of the juvenile humor isn't bad. A lot of it is surprisingly funny. Here's a good test of whether you'll like this movie. Many of the laughs come from McBride, Franco and Co. speaking in these ridiculous English accents and then cursing, dropping f-bombs and 'sh*t' left and right. Because it sounds so out of place, and the deliveries are so perfect, you can't help but laugh. McBride's Thadeous gets most of the great one-liners (read IMDB's Memorable Quotes HERE), his off-the-cuff vulgarity selling the lines. McBride commits to the ridiculousness of the whole thing, embracing the stupidity and the badness, especially in scenes with his squire sidekick, Courtney (Rasmus Hardiker), who he enjoys all sorts of misadventures with, usually sacrificing Courtney's well-being for his own. If you're going to see this movie, I recommend it almost entirely for McBride's very funny performance as ever-idiotic Thadeous.

The other names definitely caught me off guard when I first saw the trailer for this. Unfortunately, the bigger names don't look too comfortable here. Poor James Franco, typically one of my favorite actors working in movies today. He looks lost, not quite sure what to make of the movie or his character.  As for Natalie Portman, my first thought was that she had been blackmailed into doing this movie. Her Isabel is basically eye candy, something for Thadeous to stare at, and Portman doesn't disappoint. She looks beautiful, even if her acting talent is wasted. Both Franco and Portman are better actors than this. That statement could go for much of the cast. Along with Theroux as the evil wizard Leezar and Deschanel as the virginal Belladonna, there's Damian Lewis as Boremont, a treacherous knight, and Toby Jones as Julie, Fabious' mischievous squire and assistant.

Mostly because of the talent involved and the unique setting, I really wanted to like this movie. It has its moments for sure, and when it is funny, it is very funny. Those moments are few and far between though, the acting talent going to waste. The movie ends on a possible jumping off point for a sequel, but that's not going to happen, not after how mightily this first movie struggled in theaters. It probably doesn't deserve the hate it has received, but I can see why some viewers didn't like it. Smart or even mildly intelligent humor, this is not. Worth renting, but be very aware of what you're getting into.

Your Highness <---trailer (2011): ** 1/2 /****

Due Date

If there was ever a mantra to live by in Hollywood, it's to strike when the iron is hot because you just don't know how long that iron is going to stay hot. The director of comedies Old School (a near classic) and more average flicks like Road Trip, School for Scoundrels and Starsky and Hutch, Todd Phillips hit the jackpot two years ago with the surprise success of 2009's The Hangover. One of the hotter directors around, Phillips followed up his hit with 2010's Due Date, a comedy for adults in a similar vein to his previous flicks.

Where Phillips is one of hotter comedic directors around, comedian turned star Zach Galifianakis is one of the most popular comedic actors around, thanks in great part to his hilarious role in Phillips' The Hangover. The director-actor combo teams up here again, and the results are equally as entertaining.  Galifianakis has been around in the spotlight since the late 1990s, starring in movies and TV shows while also making a name for himself as a comedian.  Given his chance to shine, he hit it out of the park in Hangover, and continues that trend with Due Date.

Traveling on business, architect Peter Highman (Robert Downey Jr.) is trying to get from Atlanta to Los Angeles so he can be there for the birth of his firstborn child with wife, Sarah (Michelle Monaghan). Her C-section is scheduled for several days away so Peter has plenty of time...at first. Thanks to an incident on the plane with fellow passenger, Ethan Tremblay (Galifianakis), Peter is taken off the flight and placed on a no-fly list.  So now what would have taken a few hours is going to take him a few days to get home. Making his situation even worse, he's lost his wallet with any sort of ID, money, or credit card. His one option to get home? Drive with Ethan who was able to rent a car for his trip to L.A. where he intends to make it big as an actor. Desperate to get home on time, Peter decides to go along, having no idea what awaits him on the open road with Ethan.

Sound familiar? It should. It's called Planes, Trains and Automobiles from 1987 starring Steve Martin and John Candy. Due Date isn't a remake of any sort, instead just using a similar storyline. It certainly has more in your face humor than P, T and A, and things have been changed enough to make the movie interesting thankfully.  The humor is easy, put two complete opposites together in a situation completely out of their control and sit back, let the hi-jinx and shenanigans commence.  It's traveling across the country. Has a cross country trip ever gone smoothly in the history of time? It's almost fated not to end well.  This is a genuinely funny flick though, partially because everyone can appreciate the hell that is traveling long distances.

What surprised me some was the mean-spirited nature of Due Date, much of that coming from Downey Jr. as Peter, a high strung father to be.  A character in a movie does not have to be easy to like, that's a given, but for lack of a better description, Peter is an asshole.  He seems to revel in it too.  He realizes he has anger management issues and has agreed to work on the problem for his wife, but let's say that Ethan brings out the worst in him.  The humor of course comes from this jackass of a man who is not likable in the least. You come to like him -- to a point -- but watching him lose his mind one interaction at a time is great. Downer Jr. is a great comedic actor, and he doesn't disappoint, going through ups and downs, lefts and rights around every corner on this trip from hell.

As good as he is though, this is Galifianakis' movie.  He gets all the great lines and ends up delivering some easily quotable one-liners for the audience. His Ethan is a spin on The Hangover's Alan, a little less crazy but with all the eccentricities and oddities still present.  He manages to make this character creepy, innocent, crazy at times, naive, innocent, frightfully slow at other times, an eccentric, and a man with no boundaries. Through it all though, Galifianakis makes Ethan a character, and one you like in spite of all his weird, little quirks.  It's his line delivery, his general cluelessness at what's going on around him, his physical mannerisms, everything adds up to make this great character.

While Downey Jr. and Galifianakis dominate the screen and don't disappoint, Due Date has a handful of cameos that play well off its two stars.  Former Wu Tang Clan member RZA plays a racially paranoid airport security screener, Jamie Foxx is Darryl, Peter's long-time friend who helps him out in Texas (sort of), Juliette Lewis is great as Heidi, a drug dealer in Birmingham Ethan goes to see, Danny McBride as an Iraq vet with a secret, and Phillips favorite Matt Walsh as a TSA agent. None of these parts are in the movie for more than five or six minutes, but they all make the most of their screentime.

The humor is all over the place here, ranging from good to bad.  Some of the gross-out humor -- Ethan's dog Sonny masturbates while Ethan does -- doesn't work as well as some of the more subtle laughs.  Downey Jr. and Galifianakis play off each other so well that their conversations are sublimely perfect, especially an acting challenge Peter gives to Ethan in a gas station bathroom that ends with a surprisingly real, touching moment. The physical humor doesn't disappoint either, especially some highway craziness that includes a breakout from Mexico. Yes, you read that right. A breakout from Mexico. Sure, it's crazy, but like the rest of the movie, just go along with it.

Due Date <---trailer (2010): ***/****

Up in the Air

I watch my fair share of 'big' movies, stories where the fate of the world or a country depend on one key moment.  Those tendencies goes well with war, action, Bond, superheroes, anything similar because a bigger scale is key to their success.  So watching those movies, it can be an enjoyable twist to just watch a movie every so often that is about one or two people and who they really are as individuals.  You don't need supervillains trying to take over the world, or a country about to go under.  It was a critical favorite, but I missed it in theaters, 2009's Up in the Air.

The economic struggles the world has gone through in the last half-decade or so sets the groundwork for this story.  Companies and corporations worldwide were forced into firing thousands of employees because the money just wasn't there to pay them their salaries.  Families and individuals alike were forced to improvise on the fly and adjust to their new job-less lives.  But what about when a company/corporation wanted nothing to do with the actual firing process?  That's where Up in the Air steps in with the always cool, always suave George Clooney handling the firing duties.

Working for a nameless company, middle-aged Ryan Bingham (Clooney) spends 300-plus days a year traveling across the country going from company to company helping them fire their employees one-by-one in  a face to face situation.  It's a horrific job, but Bingham is good at it, and even weirder than that, he likes it.  Bingham lives out of his suitcase and dreads the time he has to spend at his bland, sparsely decorated apartment in Omaha.  He's called back to headquarters though where a new hire fresh out of college, Natalie Keener (Anna Kendrick), has brought in a new technology that will erase the need for Ryan and his co-workers to travel to these places, instead firing people on a computer.  But first, Ryan's boss (Jason Bateman) wants him to take Natalie on the road for a few weeks and show her how it's really done.

Nominated for a handful of Oscars including Best Picture, Best Directing, and three different acting categories, it's easy to see why director Jason Reitman's movie did so well critically and in theaters pulling in over $80 million.  Just like Reitman's Juno, it's a slick, professionally made movie that reeks of talent in front of and behind the camera.  The dialogue is quick and sharp as the characters talk in ways that ordinary people could never sound like, and the story has a visual edge as Ryan's airport/hotel life is shown in detail, quick cuts and all.  This might sound negative, but it really isn't.  It sounds like I'm resenting a movie that is well-made, but if anything it's too well-made.

Starting with the casting, the three main parts are all home run roles, all of them earning an Oscar nomination but none of them winning.  Clooney is a great actor, and about as safe as an actor currently out there in terms of turning in a great performance.  He somehow makes Ryan a likable character even though there's not much to root for in terms of personality, beliefs, or principles.  Bingham is charming though and that always helps.  He has an interesting relationship with a woman, Alex (Vera Farmiga), who is basically the female version of him. Neither is really looking for any sort of commitment, and in that way they bond.  Playing Natalie, Kendrick is the anti-Ryan so she naturally clashes with him, especially forced to work with him on the road.

Joining Bateman in the supporting cast is a handful of comedic actors who get to show their dramatic chops off.  In some cases, their appearances aren't anything more than a minute or two, but even with a limited amount of time they come across well.  J.K. Simmons and Zach Galifianakis play two employees at different companies Ryan must fire, each of them handling the news in their own unique way.  Melanie Lynskey and Danny McBride (in dramatic scene-stealing mode, one monologue especially) play Ryan's sister and her husband-to-be with Amy Morton playing the sister trying to bring the family together.  Also look for Sam Elliott to make a quick appearance.  In a nice touch, Reitman also had actual fired employees play themselves in many scenes, giving an authentic feel to these already difficult scenes.

For me I thought the movie was at its best when sticking with Ryan -- and later Natalie -- on the road as they travel from airport to airport, always moving to another company that needs help.  There's drama, some dark humor thrown in, and a style that is visually pleasing and enjoyable to watch.  The story goes downhill a bit at Ryan's sister's wedding though, and even though it features some fine moments, it feels a little off.  The last 30 minutes featured a twist that I saw coming but was still bothered by it because one, it brings up some big plot holes, and two, I didn't like the revelation a character makes.  Still, the first hour builds up a lot of credit so the struggles in the second half aren't a deal breaker.

The ending itself is far from a happy ending, but it works for the Ryan character.  Depressing?  You bet, but it comes together for me.  Ryan's changed, but at the same time he hasn't.  He wants something else, but maybe he is too scared to look for it, or maybe he just doesn't know where to start.  It was a bit of a jarring ending, especially considering the last line.  You may not like the ending -- I didn't -- but for a realistic, feasible way to end the story, it fits together.

Up in the Air <----trailer (2009): ***/**** 

Pineapple Express

Last week, I wrote about the buddy cop movie, and I'm treading on familiar ground here with another buddy movie, albeit of a different variety; the stoner buddy movie with 2008's Pineapple Express.  Think of this movie as a newer Cheech and Chong movie with a lot more action and gunplay.  But the biggest thing about the flick is that it's surprisingly sweet in developing the all-important buddy relationship.

Stars Seth Rogen and James Franco first worked together in producer Judd Apatow's Freaks and Geeks, one of the great under-appreciated shows ever.  Teaming them together is a decision that helps this movie rise above any number of stupid stoner action comedies.  For the most part, the cast just clicks and works well together.  By the end though, it just goes too far with an action-packed finale.  I realize the story isn't supposed to be believable, but it just gets crazier and crazier as the situation gets worse and worse.  Enough of that for now, here's the story summary.

Dale Denton (Rogen) is a process server dating a high school senior, Angie (Amber Heard), without much in the way of a care or worry in his day-to-day life.  One day after visiting his pot dealer, Saul (Franco), Dale goes to serve Ted Jones (Gary Cole), who Saul has revealed is his dealer's supplier.  Dale thinks nothing of it -- cool coincidence -- and heads off to serve him.  Sitting outside Jones' house to make sure he's there, Dale sees a cop (Rosie Perez) head in, and together the two shoot a man point-blank several times in the head.  Dale freaks out, flicking a roach out the window, but Ted and the cop find the roach and know its a brand he has sold to only one dealer.  Dale quickly figures this out and heads to warn Saul, and together they head out on the run.  Jones put two of his men on it, Budlofsky (Kevin Corrigan) and Matheson (Craig Robinson), to take them out, but that's just the start as Dale and Saul become unknowing and unwilling participants in an epic drug war.

The only thing I didn't enjoy with the movie was that last part, the epic drug war.  Cole's Ted Jones is trying to push his Asian rivals out the door -- hence the opening murder -- and starts to think that Dale and Saul are working for the Asians.  The last 30 minutes is an orgy of over-the-top slow motion violence that drags on for far too long.  If it wasn't such a long sequence, it could have worked, but it just keeps going and going.  There are some funny lines and one great entrance, but these moments are lost in a sea of action, shooting, and blood squibs.  The finale makes up for this -- watch it HERE -- as three key characters discuss how ludicrous what just happened actually was.  The scene was improvised, and it's one of the great moments to come out of this movie.

Adding to the great chemistry between Rogen and Franco is Danny McBride as Red, Saul's supplier.  A master of improv, McBride is hysterical in every scene he's in, including my favorite line...watch it HERE.  This trio has an odd dynamic together that just works, plain and simple.  Dale at first doesn't want to get too close to Saul, but they end up becoming fast friends as they run for their lives.  Then throw in Red, the seemingly indestructible third member of the group, and you've got a winner.  The action scenes with these three are inspired because they're not action stars, like this fight in Red' apartment.  The ending leaves a door open for a sequel, and I'm for it.  You don't even need a script, just these three improving for two hours.

In his other movies, I've never been a huge fan of Rogen, and I can't figure out why.  His laugh bugs me, but there's something else.  As Dale though, I really like him and his character.  Seeing this unlikeliest of action heroes provide some of the funniest moments, especially this car chase.  His partner in crime, Franco, has been doing almost exclusively dramatic roles since Freaks and Geeks, but as Saul he shows he has quite a knack for comedy, and I hope he sticks with it.  Saul is an inspired character and with McBride's Red makes the most even better than it should be.

There are some issues with the rest of the cast, especially Cole who is underused as a villain and Perez seems an odd choice to be the badass cop.  Corrigan and Robinson have some great moments as an odd pairing of a hit team, but they get lost in the shuffle.  That's the big flaw in the movie as a whole, there's too much going on in terms of characters, story, and ridiculous action.  The movie is at its best when dealing with Dale and Saul's unlikely friendship, and whenever Danny McBride comes onscreen.  See the movie for them and skip the action-packed finale.

Pineapple Express <----trailer (2008): ***/****