Tag Archives: armageddon

The World’s End

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worlds end

Director: Edgar Wright

Writer: Simon Pegg, Edgar Wright

Starring:  Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Martin Freeman, Paddy Considine, Eddie Marsan, Rosamund Pike

Tomatometer: 90/88/80 (all critics, top critics, audience)

Spoiler-free Summary: Gary King is a drunk man-child.  His happiest memory involves a somewhat legendary, yet unfinished, pub crawl that took place 20 years earlier.  In an attempt to recapture his glory days, Gary rounds up his four former mates for a second stab at the “Golden Mile”.

Two Cents: There are two types of comedies in Hollywood.  Most comedies fall into the lowbrow bin (Happy Gilmore, Old School, Caddyshack, etc.).  A few can be considered highbrow (just about anything from the Coen brothers, Wes Anderson, or Woody Allen).  Somehow, Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright have managed to carve out a third category – hybrow, a hybrid of the two brows.  I could have gone with “unibrow“, but that’s already taken.

Sure, if we discussed it for a few minutes, we’d come up with a few other films that could be considered a perfect cross between low and highbrow humor, but I’d argue that most of those films, more likely, are either low-end highbrow or high-end lowbrow.  In the interest of saving time, let’s get back to the task at hand.

It takes a true genius to turn a debaucherous pub crawl into a piercing look at middle age.  Luckily, this movie had a few geniuses pulling its strings.  Simon Pegg is probably most recognizable for his supporting role in the two most recent Star Trek movies and the last two Mission: Impossible installments.  However, that’s just a watered-down and Hollywoodified version of the British actor.  The real Pegg only comes out to play when he’s teamed up with his pals Edgar Wright and Nick Frost.  In three films together, this trio has reached a level of writer-director-actor chemistry that is extremely rare in today’s Hollywood landscape.  DiCaprio and Scorsese have it, Burton and Depp have it, but there aren’t many others.  (Note: Technically, The World’s End is part of a trilogy, which also includes Shaun of the Dead  and Hot Fuzz, but each of the three movies can stand firmly on its own.  I prefer to look at them as separate films, simply because I want more!)

No matter what ridiculous scenes might show up in a script, the most humorous part of any comedy is its dialogue.  If the dialogue doesn’t feel natural and witty, a comedy has no chance at being truly funny.  Dialogue is what separates a movie from a YouTube clip.  The World’s End is oozing with clever and hilarious lines layered with boatloads of subtext, the mark of truly gifted writers.  Still, the movie never gets bogged down in being funny.  The 12 pubs on the crawl serve as a spectacular device for briskly moving the story forward and creating believable opportunities for the introduction of supporting characters.

I don’t want to give away any plot points, so I’ll keep this review brief.  The acting is great, the jokes are top-notch, and there’s even a surprise visit from Bill Nighy’s voice.  What more could you want?

Should I/Shouldn’t I: You may feel ill-equipped to watch The World’s End, if you haven’t yet seen Shaun and Fuzz.  Rest assured, that won’t make much of a difference.  If you’ve been waiting for a truly funny comedy that doesn’t rely exclusively on “toilet humor” and the f-word, but still makes you long for your teenage years, this is it.  

Sundae Rating: Two scoops with whipped cream

Man of Steel

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Director: Zack Snyder

Writer: David S. Goyer, Christopher Nolan (Story)

Starring:  Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Michael Shannon, Russell Crowe

Tomatometer: 56/54/82 (all critics, top critics, audience)

Spoiler-free Summary: You already know the story.  Krypton, a planet in a distant galaxy, is on the brink of destruction.  Jor-El, a scientist, puts his son, Kal, in a spaceship and sends him to Earth.  Kal grows up to become Clark Kent, a superhuman farm boy ostracized by his peers.  Meanwhile, General Zod, Krypton’s military chief, attempts to track down Kal, in hopes of furthering the Kryptonian race.

Two Cents: Man of Steel is nowhere near the class of Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy, but the presence of Nolan’s input is clear.  This is a dark and gritty version of a story that’s been told many times.  Cavill plays a mysterious, nomadic version of Clark Kent, not dissimilar to Christian Bale’s Bruce Wayne.  Although he spends most of the movie punching bad guys, Clark’s real battle takes place inside his head.  He struggles with the fact that Earth is not ready to accept an alien as its savior and the knowledge that he is Earth’s only hope against its enemies.  That’s pretty much the exact same conflict that Nolan weaved into his Batman movies, and it’s becoming quite common in superhero movies, in general.

As the director of 300, Snyder took cinematic violence and gore to an unprecedented level.  In Man of Steel, however, he leaves quite a bit to be desired.  The Krypton scenes are cheesy, the weapons and spacecrafts look absurd, and the fights are mostly compilations of grunts and extremely loud “thwacks”.  Everything in this film feels like a cheap knock-off of something we’ve seen in other comic book-inspired movies.  Superman’s suit is nicely updated and badassified, but even that alteration wreaks of plagiarism, as it’s just a dark gray, armor-covered version of the famous red, blue, and yellow costume.  Sound like anything else you’ve seen?

Henry Cavill does a fine job as Clark Kent, but that may have something to do with the fact that he never says anything.  The few times when Cavill starts to show some personality, he comes off as awkward.  Of course, that’s a function of the total lack of chemistry between Cavill and Amy Adams, who plays Lois Lane.  They seem uncomfortable around each other, and the mild romance between the two characters is completely forced.  Snyder works so hard to portray Clark as a modern day Jesus that the idea of various female characters seeing him as a sex symbol is rather disturbing.  Adams is a terrific actress, but for chemistry’s sake, a change of lead actresses might benefit this series, and Nolan has been known to make such a move (though, Maggie Gyllenhaal is one of the few actresses who can be considered a downgrade from Katie Holmes).

Michael Shannon is a superb bad guy.  He may be the best bad guy actor in Hollywood, right now.  His costume is a joke, but he does a fantastic job as General Zod.  This movie is greatly improved by the quality of its supporting cast.  Kevin Costner, Laurence Fishburne, Christopher Meloni, and Russell Crowe all make the most of their respective small roles.  Without such quality performances from these actors, the movie might have fallen off its rails.  Diane Lane is fine as Clark’s mother, but her character is wasted.  Snyder had a real opportunity to make Superman’s mother a strong and wise influence on her son, but Snyder left all that up to Clark’s dad, which doesn’t work out well for anyone.

Should I/Shouldn’t I: Thanks to low expectations (reviews have been mediocre, at best) and the horridness of the last Superman reboot, I was pleasantly surprised by this movie.  It’s mostly a rip-off of various predecessors, but it’s rather entertaining.  Snyder (or whomever might replace him) has a long way to go, if he hopes to make the next installment in the series a truly great superhero movie, but this is a decent start for a character who sorely needed a new look.

Sundae Rating: Two scoops

This is the End

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Director: Evan Goldberg, Seth Rogen

Writer: Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg

Starring:  Seth Rogen, Jay Baruchel, James Franco, Craig Robinson, Jonah Hill, Danny McBride

Tomatometer: 84/82/89 (all critics, top critics, audience)

Spoiler-free Summary: Jay hates Los Angeles, but he comes to town to visit Seth, his best pal.  Although Jay is hoping to spend his vacation with Seth by his side, Seth drags him to a party at James Franco’s new house.  The party is a star-gazer’s dream, but Hollywood stars are the very people Jay tries to avoid.  Sadly, Jay gets stuck in the house, along with his rivals, as they witness the apocalypse, just outside James Franco’s front door.

Two Cents: The general rule states as follows: When greater than four, the number of famous people in a movie is inversely proportional to the quality of the movie.  In simpler terms, the more celebrities, the worse the movie.

Exhibit A: Valentine’s Day

Exhibit B: New Year’s Eve

Exhibit C: Mars Attacks!

I could go on, but you get the point.  When I saw the trailer for This is the End, I threw up in my mouth.  How could so many of my favorite comedic actors sink to such a level?  Do I really need to watch a bunch of rich, famous, lucky bastards who “made it” sit around discussing how great they are?  Hell, no!  Besides, hasn’t the world gotten over Seth Rogen by now?

Then came the reviews.  To my surprise, days before its release, This is the End was piling up rave reviews from film critics, the most pretentious naysayers on Earth!  (I don’t consider myself a film critic, as I’m not nearly qualified to be one, but you should feel free to form your own opinion about my pretentiousness.)  Obviously, I had to see what all the fuss was about.

This movie blew me away.  No joke.  I was extremely impressed.  I don’t think it was a fantastic movie, but I do commend Rogen, Goldberg, and their pals for putting together a raunchy and hilarious interpretation of the Bible’s description of Armageddon.  Not only do they poke more than enough fun at themselves, but they tear down all pretenses about Hollywood, in general.  Although many of the characters are exaggerated (or completely falsified) versions of the actors playing them, the filmmakers make it crystal clear that they are truthfully depicting the young Hollywood lifestyle.  It’s a douchebag-infested swamp of undeservedly inflated egos, faux friendship, and debauchery, and it will be Satan’s first stop when he does destroy humanity.  Still, it’s pretty darn fun.

As much as I dislike his acting (although, I loved him in The 40-Year-Old Virgin), I greatly admire Seth Rogen as a writer.  He possesses the remarkable ability to write scenes that are simultaneously vulgar, funny, and heartfelt.  He knows who his friends are, and he knows their skills, bringing out the best of each one in every single scene.  His obsession with abnormally gigantic penises (which first surfaced in Superbad) is something he should share with a therapist, but it is still funny.  (Next time, it probably won’t be.)

Of the main cast, James Franco has compiled the most impressive résumé.  However, he seems most comfortable when surrounded by this crew.  He’s definitely here for the experience, and not for the paycheck.  Jonah Hill has followed in Franco’s footsteps, in some ways, even notching an Oscar nomination for his work in Moneyball.  He’s got plenty of skill, but he’s the least interesting character in this film.  Normally the one on whom a film relies for comic relief, here, Hill pales in comparison to Danny McBride.  One of the more vulgar actors working these days, McBride is responsible for some intense laughs as an even-more-ridiculous version of his famous Kenny Powers character.  Jay Baruchel is likable, and just the right amount of irritating, as the Woody Allen of the group, and Craig Robinson’s clean-ish comedy is a much-needed chaser to offset the movie’s overall crudeness.

Altogether, Rogen and Goldberg have managed to turn one of the most debated portions of the Bible into a bona fide comedic revelation, while still delivering a powerful message.  The cast is superb, and the cameos only add to it.  Rogen and Goldberg’s shared ability to control the cast, focus on plot, and avoid getting carried away with improvised bits is staggering.  Most of all, their description of heaven is precisely in line with what I’ve always hoped the real thing would be.

Of course, rules are made to be broken, and this ensemble cast delivered when I doubted them.  However, let’s hope no other groups of Hollywood pals decide to follow in their footsteps.  I can’t think of many (if any) crews that possess as much talent and self-control as does this one.

Should I/Shouldn’t I: If you’ve been waiting for a legitimately good comedy to hit theaters in 2013, This is the End is a must-see.  You won’t be knocking Tommy Boy or Caddyshack off your list of all-time favorite comedies, but you’ll easily satisfy your humor quota for the week.  

Sundae Rating: Two scoops with whipped cream