This is a rare film: a non-Pixar animated film that isn’t irritating and avoids scatological jokes. While this still doesn’t compare to the brilliance of almost all of the Pixar films, its still better than 90% of the kids movies dumped into the culture every year.

Susan (Reese Witherspoon) is a meek bride-to-be who lives in the shadow of her narcissistic fiancee Derek (Paul Rudd). Susan is struck by a meteor on her wedding day. The radiation transforms her into a giant, later she is . Due to her monstrous size, she is captured by the government and renamed Ginormica. The government imprisons with other monsters: an amorphous blob named B.O.B. (Seth Rogen), a smart giant cockroach/scientist named Dr. Cockroach Ph. D. (Hugh Laurie) and a brutish monster known as The Missing Link (Will Arnett). A brood of aliens attack Earth and Ginormica and her new monster pals are enlisted to fight off the exterrestrial threat.

The plot for the film is predictable and a bit slow. On the upside, the script does have some bright spots in its characte work. This film is saved by its personality and light charm, that and it's a kid’s movie that’s actually safe for the kids. It is light on agenda and avoids crudity. Someone somewhere must have made a mistake.

While it is not a must-see, its also not a must-avoid-at-all-costs.



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Kung-Fu Panda (2008)
Chicken Little (2005)


Other Critic’s Reviews:
Decent Films Guide
Roger Ebert

Labels: animated, Hugh Laurie, Keifer Sutherland, Paul Rudd, Reese Witherspoon, Seth Rogen, Stephen Colbert, Will Arnett

Screenwriter: Jody Hill (The Fist Foot Way)
Director: Jody Hill
Actors: Seth Rogen (Pineapple Express), Anna Faris (The House Bunny), Ray Liotta (Smokin' Aces) and Michael Pena (Million Dollar Baby)

Labels: Anna Faris, film, Michael Pena, movie trailer, ray liotta, Seth Rogen

Screenwriter: Judd Apatow (Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story)
Director: Judd Apatow (Knocked Up)
Actors: Adam Sandler (Click), Seth Rogen (Pineapple Express), Leslie Mann (Orange County), Eric Bana (Munich), Jonah Hill (Superbad) and Jason Schwartman (I Heart Huckabees)

Labels: Adam Sandler, Eric Bana, film, Jonah Hill, Judd Apatow, Leslie Mann, movie trailer, Seth Rogen

Seth Rogen has cut out a niche for himself. As he did with Knocked Up, he portrays a stumbling loser who is completely amoral and emotionally stagnant. He’s a lovable loser however because he knows he’s a lost cause and is able to find humor in his pathetic existence. Actually, his character in this film, Dale Denton, is almost exactly like his character Ben Stone from Knocked Up with the only exception is that he’s just a little more pathetic this time around. Dale is a bumbling part time process server, fulltime pothead. He has a lousy job, wastes his time smoking dope and hangs out with his girlfriend who is still in high school, he’s much older. After buying a new brand of pot that has hit town called Pineapple Express from his wheezing pot dealer Saul (James Franco) Dale witnesses local drug kingpin Ted (Gary Cole) murder a competitor. Dale and Saul spend the rest of the film being chased by Ted’s thugs. Essentially, this production attempts to combine a pot comedy like Up in Smoke or Half-Baked with the simple structured comedic action-adventure film like Hot Fuzz or The Blues Brothers. The combination is possible to pull off, but in this case it fails.

The film fails because it’s just not very funny. It is amusing in spots, but the script and performances lack any life. For most of the film there’s sarcastic interaction in place of wit, buttressed by sophomoric physical humor. Screenwriters Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg (Superbad) avoid mining any humor from their scenes and stick to offering awkward juxtapositions instead. Everyone in the film is a softy, concerned about being friendly and not having their feelings hurt. Drug dealers are openly worried whether people like them or not. Hired killers complain they’re not spending enough time with their family. Characters capable of ruthlessly shooting people are easy to get misty eyed over insensitive remarks. These character contrasts are played over and over until they become wearisome. The entire cast literally acts like eleven year old boys deciding they’re going to be friends. While this may be amusing at first, it quickly loses its edge and it becomes clear Rogen and Goldberg don’t have any other tricks up their sleeve.

The final act of the film is a complete mess thanks to a lack of consistency. The final act revolves around a prolonged gunfight. This battle is rather violent. Is it way over the top, ala Tarantino? No, there isn’t too much here most audiences haven’t seen before. The issue with the final fight sequence is that it is starkly different from the previous portions of the film. There was violence in the first acts but the overall tone of the movie was still lighthearted and the violence was displayed within that frame. The final act removes the humor and tries to portray itself as a full out action movie. Director David Gordon Green mishandles this transformation and ends up delivering a nonsensical flurry of guns and death. Given the half-man losers he has as his heroes, this transformation is also lacking any logic. You can't say the hero is a pothead dolt who is sent into a panic because he’s scared of being a dark woods alone and then have him magically discover the internal fortitude to single-handily attack a gang of drug runners. It doesn’t work.

To sum up, if you are lacking any standards and pretty much thoughtlessly consume whatever comes down the pipe, you’ll probably enjoy yourself with this film. If you’re a little more discerning, say by wanting actual jokes or at least something clever, you’re out of luck. This is a very predictable and unoriginal film. Yes, there’s not that many pothead action films out there, but you’ve seen these characters and situations under different name a hundred times before.



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Labels: comedy, Danny McBride, drugs, film, Gary Cole, James Franco, movie review, Seth Rogen

As a rule I loathe films with Jack Black. I know the man has his fans, I ain’t one of em’. If I want to see an out of shape, unwashed guy act kooky I’ll ask my brother-in-law about politics. I don't think there is a film with Jack Black that I have enjoyed, until now.

Along with my rule about films with Jack Black, I have another regarding non-Pixar animated movies – in short, they stink. Pixar revolutionized big budget animated movies and have established the measure for the genre. Animated movies now fit into two categories, 1) Pixar movies forgettable animated crap. This is the first animated film (except Wallace & Gromit) made in the last twenty that has made it into the first group from the second. The story centers around a bumbling Chinese panda named Po. Po dreams of fighting alongside his heroes Furious Five -- Tigress, Crane, Mantis, Viper and Monkey. Predictably enough, he gets his chance when he is accidentally chosen to join their ranks and do battle with the villainous snow leopard Tai Lung. The plot isn’t brilliant; actually it is rather paint-by-the-numbers. The film works because of the clever dialog and animation. The script by former King of the Hill writers Jonathan Aibel and Glenn Berger is lighthearted yet smart. The cast, which includes Black along with Angelina Jolie, Dustin Hoffman, Jackie Chan, Ian McShane and Seth Rogen is given plenty of space to perform and they each deliver. I have to admit that even Jack Black gives an impressive performance as Po. As much as I hate to admit it, he was the best choice for the role.

A majority of animated films, despite that they are made to be viewed by small children, are loaded down with sexual innuendos, political agendas and scatological jokes. This film avoids those traps and delivers a solid, family friendly film worthy of your consideration.




Related Reviews:
Animated movies
Robots (2005)
The Incredibles (2004)


Other Critic’s Reviews:
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FilmGeekz

Labels: Angelina Jolie, Dustin Hoffman, film, Jack Black, Jackie Chan, Lucy Liu, movie review, Seth Rogen

Director: Rob Letterman (Shark Tale) and Conrad Vernon (Shrek 2)
Actors: Seth Rogen (Knocked Up), Will Arnett (Blades of Glory), Paul Rudd (Diggers), Hugh Laurie (Flight of the Phoenix), Reese Witherspoon (American Psycho) and Kiefer Sutherland (The Lost Boys)

Labels: animated, film, Hugh Laurie, Kiefer Sutherland, movie trailer, Paul Rudd, Reese Witherspoon, Seth Rogen, Will Arnett

Seth Rogen movies
The 40-Year-Old Virgin (2006)
Superbad (2007)


Other Critic's Reviews:
Black Sheep Reviews
Rotten Tomatoes

Labels: comedy, film, Jonah Hill, Judd Apatow, Katherine Heigl, movie review, Paul Rudd, Seth Rogen

As a rule, be wary any film that has the main characters flying through the air in a car screaming at the top of their lungs.

The fact that the trailer doesn't show anything funny is another hint that his may not be the top of line.

Two potheads get caught up in a drug killing and are hunted down by zany hit men. While on the run, said potheads learn about themselves and life and everything gets tied up into a nice little bow in the end.

Who knows, maybe all the red flags are for nothing and this will be a great comedic gem.

Yeah, I kinda doubt it too.




Screenwriters: Seth Rogen (Drillbit Taylor), and Evan Goldberg (Superbad)
Director: David Gordon Green (Undertow)
Actors: Seth Rogen (Knocked Up), James Franco (Flyboys), and Gary Cole (Office Space)

Labels: film, Gary Cole, James Franco, movie trailer, Seth Rogen

I've always felt Dreamworks Animation has the sense of trying too hard. I consider them to be a poor man's Pixar. Where Pixar focuses on sharp stories and clever writing (The Incredibles, Finding Nemo), Dreamworks tries to match up by pulling out extensive cast lists and petty pop-cultural references (Over the Hedge, Shark Tale). Of course, you can have as many brand name actors as you want, but if your writing stinks so will your movie.

Hopefully, this outing will be different than what we've seen before...I see they've already pulled out the extensive cast list...

Labels: Angelina Jolie, animated, Dustin Hoffman, Jack Black, Jackie Chan, Seth Rogen

Labels: comedy, film, Jonah Hill, Michael Cera, movie review, Seth Rogen