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This Is The End: Would Work Much Better as an SNL Stint

Posted on December 13, 2013 Written by ripitup

This Is The End cast — This Is The End survivors. Image via ign.com.

I wasn’t sure about This Is The End. I wanted to see it, because the idea is really cool, and some of my favorite humor has been about celebrities making fun of themselves in TV shows or on live stints. For instance:

Gerard Butler and Saturday Night Live

Writing Humor That Cracks You Up 1: Poking Fun at Oneself Unashamedly (includes Kevin Bacon, Dermot Mulroney and more.)

I didn’t want to see This Is The End because I wasn’t sure I’d be laughing that much at Seth Rogen. I have nothing against the guy, but I’ve liked him a lot more in drama. Same goes for Jonah Hill. Or if he’s doing comedy, I want Channing Tatum and a Johnny Depp cameo, aka 21 Jump Street.

And apparently, I like Jay Baruchel a lot more when he comes with Nicolas Cage, Alfred Molina and Teresa Palmer, aka The Sorcerer’s Apprentice. It might be mindless entertainment, but it is very entertaining, and sometimes that’s enough.

Now, I have a soft spot for James Franco because of Freaks and Geeks, as well as Tristan & Isolde. But his character wasn’t any more entertaining than Rogen’s. And maybe a little less annoying than Hill’s.

Also, there’s the chance the humor could/would overuse jokes about weed, guys being around other guys and then sum. Too bad I was more right about my reservations than my enthusiasm.

Now, don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying I hated the movie. I just hated some parts of it (especially if it included Michael Cera. How was that supposed to be funny other than his death scene? That was enjoyable.)

I laughed a bit, but I was more disappointed. I had to fast-forward quite a bit.

On the plus side, writing a review is easy because I don’t have to remember character names. Everyone plays themselves.

Let’s go over the good and the bad.

The Good (Also The Funny & Fun):

– Two guys (Rogen and Baruchel) having weedy bromance moments and the background music is Backstreet Boys. That’s hilariously weird. And 90s.

– Seth Rogen being greeted by reporters at the airport and is told he always plays himself.

– Seth being on a cleanse which includes smoking, weed and hamburgers.

– Also him thinking gluten is the mother of evil, and not knowing what it actually is.

– Seth Rogen and Jay Baruchel finding themselves in the middle of Armageddon, and screaming like crazy, trying to survive until they head back to Franco’s.

– James Franco and party folk not having a clue the word outside is falling apart and not believing Baruchel, and Rogen selling out Baruchel to maintain believability.

– Emma Watson surviving and thinking they are in a zombie apocalypse.

– Remaining guys shooting a sequel to the Pineapple Express at home and watching it for fun.

– The ending with the Backstreet Boys cameo. Considering where and when Baruchel makes a wish, it’s too ridiculous not to be hilarious.

The Bad:

– Danny McBride: his fictional Danny takes obnoxious to a new level, and I think a character wouldn’t be that obnoxious/selfish/stupid in real world. Or people would have killed him. Seriously.

– The repetitive, unfunny jokes.

-Getting high in the middle of world ending. Yeah, sure, do that. Get extra hungry and thirsty and risk sickness. That’s cool.

– The dialogue in general.

-The Channing Tatum cameo. You want to use Tatum for comedy? Great. Have him scream his head off in a shrill voice when he is faced with real danger. Don’t make him McBride’s bitch. Literally.

I have nothing against well-done, R-rated comedies. And I don’t mind political incorrectness. Or actors playing similar characters, if those characters are likeable and plots of the movies vary enough. Some of my favorite comedies of all time are Old School, Wedding Crashers and The Hangover (the first one). But not all absurd comedies click with you (like The Hangover sequel).

I think the movie would have worked a lot better if it ran for 5-10 minutes instead of 107 minutes.

Hey, all reviews and criticisms are obviously objective. However sometimes the “average” views and ratings baffle you. Like when this gets a 7.0 on IMDB. I’d have been OK with a 4 or 5. If I had seen it at the theater though, I’d have rated much lower (than 5).

So have you seen it? What did you think?

21 Jump Street starring Channing Tatum & Jonah Hill: A Silly Yet Funny Ride

Posted on October 26, 2012 Written by ripitup

21 Jump Street starring Channing Tatum & Jonah Hill : A Silly Yet Funny Ride

21 Jump Street movie — 21 Jump Street starring Channing Tatum & Jonah Hill. Image via hollywoodreporter.com.

Schmidt (Jonah Hill) and Jenko (Channing Tatum) are on the opposite sides of the popularity chart in high school. Schmidt is successful at classes and a failure when it comes to girls. Jenko, on the other hand, is the prom king but the teachers’ nightmare. They have nothing in common.

Fast-forward 7 years. Both of these young men have chosen to be cops. As expected, Schmidt rocks at tests and sucks at the physical training, and vice versa for Jenko. They decide to be friends and join strengths. And it works- they both graduate the academy, and have formed a strong friendship.

But when they fail spectacularly in the beginning, and they are begrudgingly assigned as undercover cops to pose as high school students, because they look young.

This is when the comedy truly starts as Jenko realizes the rules of popularity have changed, as well as how fellow students are grouped. It also blows up in their faces when their identities get mixed and Schmidt has to pose as the athlete and Jenko as the nerd.

With their angry captain breathing down their neck and expecting results and with them realizing that they are starting to like their new roles, both their friendship and skills as cops will be tested.

Can they pull off the mission-without getting killed and ruining the friendship in the process?

Funny & Entertaining: But Could Have Been Hilarious

One problem with PG-13 and R-rated comedies in common is that they rarely push the boundaries in between, meaning PG-13 comedies almost strive to stay too clean, and R-rated ones go out of their way to be vulgar.

Some PG-13 romcoms have succeeded in finding a decent balance- such as Someone Like You and This Means War. From character interactions to language, from storylines to certain scenes, they feel a lot more natural than their other fellow PG-13 (romantic) comedies (Also these two have quite a high level of comedic scenes and theories, hence my reason to reference them. 🙂

Now, the problem with 21 Jump Street that they give the feeling that no one really talks like that, or acts like that. And they make a habit of keeping a lot of the characters’ jokes/reactions/language below the belt- to the point of looking ridiculous. If the movie pulls it off (The Hangover), it is hilarious. If it fails, it is annoying (The Hangover 2.)

Thankfully 21 Jump Street has some decent physical comedy and other funny situations to back up the vulgarity for vulgarity’s sake language, and it does make you laugh. A lot. Sometimes you laugh despite yourself.

But frankly, I was expecting to be a lot more hilarious after watching the trailer.

But the movie is fun, and there will also be a sequel. I can’t wait to see that one, though I suspect they will further abuse their freedom with the R rating since our boys will be “grown up.”

Should you see it?

If you don’t mind a lot of vulgarity, yes- definitely. Isn’t going to make it to one of the funniest films ever list, but this silly/incapable and highly emotional duo will entertain. Oh, not to mention- Johnny Depp, the original star of the 21 Jump Street series (although the series wasn’t a comedy), reassuming his role as Tom Hanson, makes a cameo- and makes us laugh our butts off in his short screen time. And man, that man doesn’t get old!

7.3 on IMDB. 6 from me- though with a less forced language, I’d have easily given it a 7.

Forgetting Sarah Marshall starring Jason Segel, Kristen Bell and Mila Kunis

Posted on July 26, 2010 Written by ripitup

Forgetting Sarah Marshall starring Jason Segel, Kristen Bell, Mila Kunis and Russell Brand. Written by Jason Segel and directed by Nicholas Stoller. 2008. Image via 3.bp.blogspot.com

Peter Bretter (Jason Segel) is a musician working on the music of a popular crime TV series, starring Sarah Marshall (Kristen Bell). Peter also has been dating Sarah for 5.5 years and he is still very much in love with her. That’s why he is devastated when she dumps her for another guy. Peter gets seriously depressed and despite the common sense his stepbrother Brian (Bill Hader) tries to talk into him, he tries to get over Sarah by going to bed with any woman he meets. When he realizes this is not the cure, he decides to go to Hawaii, thinking that maybe an exotic vacation might help him cheer up.

However what he finds in Hawaii is his ultimate nightmare, as Sarah and her new boyfriend, obnoxious but extremely popular British rocker Aldous Snow (Russell Brand) are there on vacation. Sarah is uncomfortable but Aldous couldn’t care less whether Peter was there or not. So Peter’s vacation is off to a terrible start, except for the one fact. The hotel desk clerk/guest manager Rachel (Mila Kunis) is nice, gorgeous, fun and has a good sense of humor. So in between trying to get over Sarah, meeting the weird but funny hotel workers (stoned surfer Chuck, the Aldous-obsessed waiter, sea turtles and fish-loving bartender, gentle but gigantic food server and the even weirder hotel guest- the newly married, devout Christian who is having sexual problems with his wife and sharing them all with them) and romancing Rachel, Peter’s Hawaii vacation gets crazier and much more complicated than he ever envisioned.

If I had to use one word to describe Forgetting Sarah Marshall, that word would be hilarious. This movie is one of the best comedies I have seen. It is original, funny, cute, entertaining and romantic all at the same time. While this is not your typical romcom, it is definitely not your typical crude comedy etiher. The writer of the film is How I Met Your Mother and I Love You, Man star Jason Segel. While the comedy series How I met your mother never hit home with me, I knew Jason Segel had comedic talent when I watched I Love You, Man. However as it turns out, Jason can also write marvelous comedy as the writing credits of this hilarious film are his.

Yes, the movie does contain some typical romcom elements: Such as the guy tries to get over a girl and then meets another girl and we root for him to get the second girl. But this movie is never all about Peter trying to hook up or end up with Rachel as the supporting characters are always ready in the background to make you laugh. I had a laugh out of every single character in the film.

And while the humor includes male nudity, sex, awkward sex attempts, mentions and implications of blow jobs , sex pointers on the beach and more, Jason Segel has managed to make everything funny and not disgusting.

The Cast:

It is also fun to see a cast you are familiar with. There is a big chance the actors will look very familiar to you.

*Chuck the surf instructor is played by Paul Rudd who you may have known from his movie roles in Clueless, The 40-Year-Old-Virgin, Knocked Up, Role Models, “I Love You, Man”, I Could Never Be Your Woman or his co-starring role in Friends as Mike Hannigan. Paul Rudd is charming and can be funny in any role. While he is not exactly what you can call a diverse actor, he does pull off comedy well.

*Jason Segel stars as Marshall on the hit comedy How I Met Your Mother and has been Marshall since 2005. And he does share some movies with Paul Rudd.

* This is the first time I see Mila Kunis in a movie as I am more familiar with her as Jackie from That 70’s Show. She is playing a pretty different character here and she really is good.

*Sarah Marshall is brilliantly played by Kristen Bell, who I had never seen her play a “bitch” before. She is famous for her title role in the detective TV show Veronica Mars that went on for 3 seasons. She is also the voice on Gossip Girl. While she is never seen, her voice is present in every episode. She also starred in movies When in Rome, Couples Retreat and the sort of spin-off of Forgetting Sarah Marshall- Get Him to The Greek. Get Him to The Greek is a comedy written and directed by Nicholas Stoller, who also directed Sarah Marshall. It features Russell Brand as Aldous Snow one more time. While Russell hit the target here, I am not sure I can take him through another movie. But I guess Nicholas Stoller deserves a chance as he wrote the scripts of Yes Man and Fun with Dick & Jane, two of my favorite Jim Carrey movies.

*It’s refreshing to see Jonah Hill appear in a movie without Seth Rogen around. While I don’t particularly like him, he doesn’t bother me in small doses. You might remember Jonah from Knocked Up, Funny People or The Invention of Lying.

*The stepbrother Brian is played by Bill Hader, a regular cast member on Saturday Night Live. He has stints on two Saturday Night Live episodes I covered: One stars Jon Bon Jovi and the other Gerard Butler. Trust me, if you see those stints, you will recognize Bill Hader.

There is another SNL cast member on the show: Kristen Wiig. She keeps getting small roles in movies. You can also see her in Whip It and Ghost Town.

7.4 on IMDB, voted by over 70.000 voters. I have no objections.

Trivia: In the fictional tv show that is starring Sarah Marshall co-stars a male detective who is played by William Baldwin, one of Alec Baldwin’s brothers. And there is very little Jason Bateman cameo as well who co-stars with Kristen Bell in Couple’s Retreat.

Buy Forgetting Sarah Marshall on Amazon.com at $ 9.99

The Invention of Lying starring Ricky Gervais, Jennifer Garner, Tina Fey and Rob Lowe

Posted on January 16, 2010 Written by ripitup

Invention of Lying starring Ricky Gervais and Jennifer Garner — If you are mad about The Office, you may be disappointed. But be ready to expect drama, and you are golden.

Warning: This movie is not a comedy. It is a comedy/drama and even the comedic bits aren’t really laugh-out-loud funny. They are funny in a way that makes you giggle or smile.

Now, that we got that out of the way, I’ll say that I truly enjoyed this movie. If you accept the fact that there is going to be a lot of drama, you will stop expecting to laugh that much, which will prevent you from being disappointed.

Mark Bellison (Ricky Gervais) lives in a world where people don’t know what a lie is. They are incapable of lying, and on the top of that, they are inconveniently blunt. This of course has hilarious results for the viewer and equals misery for our lead Mark. He is a pretty average guy. Average height, chubby built, not a pretty face, average job… He is unhappy. He is waiting to get fired from his job as a screenwriter. And don’t be fooled by the word writer. People can’t lie, can’t make believe- hence there is no fiction. There is no imagination. Just plain, boring storytelling. He also has a date with Anna (Jennifer Garner) who is beautiful, fit and has a well-paying job. She makes it clear from the beginning that she is way out of his league. He is alone, surrounded by other miserable people and facing eviction.

But something really amazing happens. He suddenly gets the ability to lie. He realizes this is the best thing that ever happened to him. He gets money, gets his job back and persuades Anna to at least hang around. His sudden bright status annoys his fellow screen writer Brad (Rob Lowe) who is a shallow jerk but he is also something Mark is not: good-looking. So while Anna actually loves Mark, she starts dating Brad for his looks. After all, her children are probably going to be better looking and healthier if she got Brad’s genes…

One of the fun things about the movie is how Mark gets to be a better person- or at least realizes he is a much better guy than he thought he was- when he gets to lie. It might sound ironic, but you will see how he puts lying to good use and helps people out. One of the better moments of the film is when Mark produces a lie about afterlife and how everyone gets addicted to his words. I really enjoyed the religious (or non-religious/anti-religion)- depends on how you look at it) aspects of the film. This movie is sincere, funny, emotional, fun and at times very original.

Sure, if you start looking for plot holes, there are a lot of them. I can think of at least 10 on the top of my head. Some people are bothered by how shallow most of the characters are. People, this is a script written by Ricky Gervais and Matthew Robinson (they also directed the film). It is their baby, their “what if” scenario. Of course you would have written it differently. Would you have been able to write something better? I am not sure. All I know is that it has less clichés than a typical film and the clichés it has, really works for the comedy aspects. Frankly, I didn’t even like The Office and had no idea Gervais could actually act. Even Jonah Hill is lovely here. Rob Lowe is hilarious and Jennifer is always a delight to watch. Oh, and if you like Tina Fey, she is here too.

Overall verdict? You should see it. It has way many pros than cons.

[pro-player width=’530′ height=’253′ type=’video’]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ThtN7qoWgM&feature=related[/pro-player]