Pineapple Express (Blu Ray)

I was excited for this movie to come out and when it finally hit theaters and I watched it, I came out a bit disappointed. Months later, after watching it on both DVD and Blu ray, I have a different perspective.

The story is about a stoner, Seth Rogen, who witnesses a murder, only to have the murderers come after him and his weed dealer, played by James Franco. The two of them struggle to get away from the murderers, one of which is a female cop played by Rosie Perez (from the classic “White Men Can’t Jump”), and plenty of smoking and hilarity ensues. 

Rogen’s personality seemed a bit more abrasive to me than in his other films, and for a good part of the movie he comes off as being more of a jerk than funny. I understand this may have been how the role was written, but at times he just seemed to be too much of a dick to laugh at.  Franco, on the other hand, does a great job of providing a smoked out melllow contrast to Rogen’s brutish personality.  Some of Franco’s “stoned” comments are so crazy they’re hilarious.

The supporting cast is perhaps one of the funniest parts of the movie.  Character actors from other Rogen-Apatow movies make hilarious cameos throughout the film. I actually think that these strong supporting players have been key to the huge success of their films.  Most notably is the always hilarious Craig Robinson as one of the hitmen tracking Rogen.  Robinson steals just about every scene he’s in, and his dialogue and delivery are so funny you wish he was in the movie more.  Also in the movie is Danny McBride as Red, who also accounts for a good chunk of the hilarious moments in the film.

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Knocked Up “The Unrated Cut” (DVD)

knocked_upKnocked Up was definitely one of my favorite comedies of 2007. It was one of the few films in its genre which actually had some substance to it. Although the overall plot was anything but original and quite vulgar at times, I thought that it was fairly written and had alot of character and heart to it.

Seth Rogen who plays Ben Stone was actually quite entertaining and did an excellent job portraying a pot smoking, lazy, and immature slob. Bombshell Katherine Heigl was also pleasantly attractive and I appreciated the fact that she was portrayed as a lovable and intelligent character rather than a dumb blonde. Co-star Leslie Mann was also on my radar, and I enjoyed her role as Heigl’s older sibling.

There were however some flaws in the movie that made it less than perfect. I noticed some spotty moments in the film which seemed to drag on forever, a Vegas scene which was totally out of context, and some of sexual innuendo which felt unnecessary. But overall, despite all the film’s missteps, the big laughs and sentimental moments outweighed its flaws by a landslide. I’d recommend that you take some time out to watch this film if you haven’t already. I’m sure most of you will find it quite enjoyable.

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Kung Fu Panda (Imax Theaters)

kung_fu_pandaThis was my very first experience watching a featured film in an IMAX theater and I must say I was extremely impressed. The screen was incredible towering six stories tall and eighty feet wide. Even more amazing was the quality of sound and seating arrangement. The IMAX is the King of all movie theaters.

Kung Fu Panda was one of Dreamworks best animated features to date. The storyline was simple but executed very well and the movie exceeded all my expectations. The scenery was rich and colorful, the action sequences were smooth and crisp, and all the voice over actors and actresses were perfect for their characters.

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