It @#$&*ing Sucked... "Sausage Party"

Sausage Party (2016)

Rated R

Starring Seth Rogen, Kristen Wiig, Jonah Hill, Michael Cera, Bill Hader, Salma Hayek,

Directed by Greg Tiernan and Conrad Vernon

The Story:

Anthropomorphic food get a wake up call when they realize that being chosen by humans is not the blessing they all believe it to be.

I held out for 15 minutes.

15 excruciatingly long, painfully unfunny minutes.

Then eject, send back to Netflix and move on to something, anything better.

Now if your idea of a side-splitting comedy is watching food say #@$#@#$ and want to #$@@#$@# each other, then enjoy this film.

As for me, I didn't find it *#&^ing funny.

:)

This kind of humor is a waste of a great vocal cast.

High school teenagers can, and probably have, written better.

On a positive note, it looked pretty good. Too bad the company opted not to pay all of the artists or give over half of them credit for their finished work.

Yes, I get that it's Certified Fresh and was even on some critics Top 10 lists.

There is always some critical darling that comes along that I don't like.

To be fair, like many critics, this too has the possibility of winding up on one of my End of the Year countdowns.

There is no doubt in my mind that this will wind up on my Turkey of the Year awards.

So far it would be # 1.

With a bullet.

It will be hard-pressed to knock it from this dreaded position.

Final Grade: F 

They're Baaaaaaaack..."Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising"

Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising (2016)  

Rated R

Starring Seth Rogen, Zac Efron, Rose Byrne, Chloe Grace Moretz,

Directed by Nicholas Stoller

The Story:

Mac and Kelly (Rogen & Byrne) are moving out of the neighborhood and into a new house. They just need to wait 30 days for their current house to close.  And that's when Shelby (Moretz) rents the place next door. She starts her own sorority where the girls are allowed to party and have fun. And if you're going to start a sorority and throw a party, who better to have as your consultant than Teddy (Efron), the guy who made life miserable for Mac and Kelly a few years earlier?

If you watched and enjoyed the first Neighbors film 2 years ago, you pretty much know what to expect this go round.

It pretty much stays right on path with parents against college students, until decisions are made that cause Teddy to switch allegiances.

It's not high art, but the artists will get high.

A lot.

That's what they do.

This is Seth Rogen after all.

:)

However, his chemistry with Efron is fun to enjoy, and if you had a good time with the original, you're likely to have as good of a time this go round as well.

I found it to be just about as good as the first one, with a new mix of old and new cast members and a satisfying conclusion to the story.

Will there be a 3rd movie?

There shouldn't be, but if they do, or if Efron and Rogen team up again in something else, I'll swing by and check it out.

Final Grade: C+

Since Half Of America Is Going To Move There Now..."Being Canadian"

Being Canadian (2015)

Not Rated

Written and Directed by Robert Cohen

The Story:

Cohen left Canada to come to America and become a comedy writer. Along the way, the more he met people, the more he began to realize how misunderstood the world sees Canadians. He set out on a cross country trek across his homeland to see if he could discover what it truly means to be a Canadian.

Now, as I'm not Canadian, I cannot vouch for the confirmation of 90% of all stereotypes that Canadians are known for that Cohen runs across in the film.

But yeah, he pretty much ticks them off, like a checklist, and most are confirmed as true.

However, don't let that get you down, as the majority of Canadian stereotypes are not exactly a bad thing.

Excessively polite.
Very funny.

You could actually stop right there, and yes, those two are indeed addressed in the documentary.

Each trek of his journey tackles another facet of being Canadian, and he gets answers from everyday Canadians as well as many who have become quite famous on either side of the border.

It's light, it's breezy, it's fun.

Final Grade: A-

Tis The Season... "The Night Before"

The Night Before (2015)

Rated R

Starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Seth Rogen, Anthony Mackie, Michael Shannon, Tracy Morgan, Jillian Bell, Lizzy Caplan, Miley Cyrus,

Directed by Jonathan Levine

The Story:

Ethan (Gordon-Levitt) lost his parents in a tragic accident at Christmas. 2 friends, Isaac (Rogen) and Chris (Mackie) supported him and spent those Christmas Eves with him trying to make him happy and move past the pain. As the boys grew older, their nightly excursions got wilder as they attempted to find the greatest Christmas party, ever! Always close, but never finding it, the guys are getting ready to call it quits because they're older now and need to move on. So it's one last night on the town, and things are about to get really crazy.

To explain this movie in any greater detail takes away some of the charm, or weirdness, that it has going for it.

There will be sex, drugs and rock and roll.

There's magic drugs.

Angels.

Tracy Morgan as Santa Claus.

Seth Rogen and James Franco sexting one another.

Miley Cyrus even shows up to attempt to save the day!

Yes, this film pretty much has it all, and then some.

They literally throw everything at the wall to see what sticks.

And there are enough genuinely funny moments to make this one worth a viewing.

Especially Rogen's drug-induced visit to a Catholic Midnight Mass where he realizes that the guy in the big Jewish sweater is to blame for the crucifixion. His freak out is worth the rental.

:)

Also, there's just enough heart under all the crudeness as Ethan realizes it's time to grow up, and that sometimes the best families aren't the families you're born into, but the family that you choose to build because you want them in your life and they want to be there with you.

Final Grade: C+

Special Guest Reviews: "Kung Fu Panda 3 "

Kung Fu Panda 3 (2016)

Rated PG

Starring Jack Black, Bryan Cranston, Dustin Hoffman, Angelina Jolie, Seth Rogen, Jackie Chan, Lucy Liu, Kate Hudson, J.K. Simmons, David Cross, James Hong

Directed by Alessandro Carloni, Jennifer Yuh

The Story:

Po (Black) reunites with his long lost father (Cranston) and they journey to where the rest of the Pandas are located.  However, while he is away, a new villain, Kai (Simmons) begins defeating the Kung Fu masters. Po must teach the new pandas how to do the Fu in order to save his friends, and the world!

Kung Fu Panda was released in 2008 to much commercial and critical success.

In 2011, Kung Fu Panda 2 came out and did the unusual and unthinkable: it was the sequel that was better than the original.  It matched the humor of the original, but this time it brought some emotional heart to the festivities.

I never bothered with either for years, until I finally watched both last year. Hmmm. I guess I should've thrown some reviews on the site! ;)

So with the release of Part 3, I sent the experts on all thing Panda into the theater to do my dirty work for me.

Here then are some of their thoughts on the movie:

First we'll start with the biggest fan of  Kung Fu Panda in the house -

There was a very good plot. A great balance between the action and the humor.  It didn't let me down with the franchise and go out on a low note.  I'd give it an A!

Next kid:

Amazing.  I give it an A!

How about # 3?

I think it was very funny, not too serious and not all action. I really liked what the movie did with both of Po's dads. I give it an A!

As for the oldest that saw the movie on Friday:

 So far the best film I've seen all year. It didn't exceed the the greatness of Part 2, but it may very well have equaled it. Definitely an A.

And the opinion of the youngest:

It was great. There were two sad parts that made me cry sad tears. I was glad I got to see it.

Apparently it was so good, the oldest had to go see it on Sunday to see if it was indeed truly as good as everyone said.

Her text: It was phenomenal. She elaborated later that it was by far the prettiest of all three movies and the animation was just spectacular. Then her comments seemed to echo just about everyone else, not quite as good as Part 2, but really, really, really good nonetheless.

Overall final grade (for now):  Looks like the A's have it. Sounds like a contender for Best of the Year if I know what's good for me.

The real grade will be revealed when it comes out on Netflix or for sale later this year.

;)

The Most Important Film of 2014... "The Interview"

The Interview (2014)

Rated R

Starring Seth Rogen, James Franco, Randall Park

Directed by Seth Rogen

The Story:

TV Host Dave Skylark (Franco) and his producer Aaron (Rogen) want to boost their ratings, and credibility when they learn that the President of North Korea (Park) is a fan of "Skylark Tonight". So they are granted an exclusive interview and head to Korea, but the CIA asks them for one tiny favor: please assassinate the President while you are there.

Not based on a true story.

But it unfolded into the strangest real-life story at the end of 2014 when Sony Pictures website was hacked, movies were released online and thousands of confidential studio emails and passwords, etc. were released in one of the biggest hacks the world has ever seen.

People blamed North Korea.

They denied responsibility, but did say that the subject matter of this film was inappropriate and if it were to be released, things could become...scary...on Christmas Day in theaters.

Sony blinked.

The movie was pulled and no harm was to be had.

Instead, a few movie theaters played it, and it was available on the online stores for download.

And now, it's available to stream on Netflix.

Part of me wonders if Rogen and Franco were behind the hack.

Any publicity for their film is a good thing, right?

As to the movie itself, buckle up and prepare for endless bathroom humor delivered effortlessly by Franco and Rogen.

The two make a great team, and the jokes are one after the other as they continue to throw it at the wall to see what sticks.

To be fair, there are about 5 really funny gags/jokes in the film.

There's a lot more that is groan inducing on top of it.

At 112 minutes, this comedy is a hair long.

And a little gruesome at the end with finger biting and machine gun frenzies abounding.

Plus, you'll never hear Katy Perry's "Firework" the same way again.
:)

Final Grade: C-

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: Once was plenty for me, thanks.

With "Neighbors" Like These, It Might Be Time To Move!

Neighbors (2014)

Rated R

Starring Seth Rogen, Rose Byrne, Zac Efron, Dave Franco

Directed by Nicholas Stoller

The Story:

Mac (Rogen) and Kelly (Byrne) have just bought their first house and are raising their (really adorable) baby. The house next door is for sale, and they wonder who will move in. Cue the bad boy fraternity of the local college that just happened to have burned their last home down! The President (Efron) and Vice President (Franco) seem nice enough at first, but their partying and the neighbors trying to raise their kids soon begin to clash. Things are about to get ugly.

Funny, but ugly.

I set the bar low for this one.  I had seen the previews, and watching Rogen get blown through the roof with the airbag gag was funny.

It was still funny in the film itself.

This was an escalating revenge comedy as the neighbors and frat members attempted to outdo the other in their game of making life as horrible as possible for one another.

Efron continues to distance himself from his Disney past, and so far he's doing a fine job on both the comedic and dramatic sides of the coin.

Rogen continues playing his usual goofy everyman self, and he does a fine job at it.

The movie works nicely by not giving you either side to really root for or against.

After all, you would think the audience would side with the couple, yet they aren't exactly blameless in this whole thing.  Makes a nice counter-balance for the audience to decide who they want to root for.

Oh, and as I mentioned previously, the daughter? Absolutely adorable.

Final Grade: C+

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: Better than I was expecting, but not good enough to earn a spot in the library. Could be viewed again in a few years for a few laughs.

Nothing A Little Armageddon Won't Cure..."This is the End"

Based on a true story.

Somewhat.

The Story:

Jay Baruchel comes out to L.A. to visit his best friend, Seth Rogen.  Rogen wants to go to James Franco's house for a party, but Jay is uncomfortable with all of Seth's Hollywood friends.  Seth assures him it will be fine, and so they head to the home. 

Naturally, that's when the Apocalypse happens.

So, in a few movies I've reviewed, I've mentioned that there are some actors who literally just play themselves on the screen.  Seth Rogen...Jonah Hill... those guys, right?

Well, this movie does one better, they actually play themselves, playing themselves.

Genius!

And for what it is, it works.

These guys are friends, or at least act like it in the movie.

Jay plays the outsider of the group who just doesn't click with the Hollywood crowd, and then the literal apocalypse kicks off, and people are raptured to Heaven.

Naturally, none of our cast makes the cut, and they spend the rest of the movie trying to stay alive, and not kill one another, while holed up in Franco's abode.

The crew of survivors also includes Craig Robinson and Danny McBride. 

They throw nearly any and every joke against the wall to see what sticks.  All the while, mayhem ensues.

There are some howlers, there are some eye rolling, but the guys give it their all.

Plus, there's Channing Tatum.  Apparently everything is better with more Channing Tatum.  That's the new Hollywood mantra.

However, I will give them a plus for having the decency to kill Rihanna.

: )

For the fans that have enjoyed all of their other films, you'll probably see no reason to miss this one.

Final Grade: C+

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: Once was enough, thanks.

Pack Your Bags For "The Guilt Trip"

Oy Vey!

The Story:

Inventor Andy Brewster (Seth Rogen) is about to set off on a road trip across country to pitch his new cleaning product in the hopes of selling it and striking it rich.  His mother, Joyce (Barbara Streisand) is an overly doting mother who loves her son just about more than anything in the world.  When she lets it slip that there had been another man before his father, and that she named him after that man... Andy gets curious.  He gets the address of the old flame, and asks his mom to accompany him on his trip, not knowing about the final stop.  She agrees, and the road trip begins.  But how much can one son take of being cooped up with his mother on a trip like this?

This movie was much funnier than it had any right to be, and much better than I was expecting.

First, Seth Rogen is yet another actor who is making a living by playing himself.  When he does that, the results are usually pretty good.  When he plays against his character, like for example as The Green Hornet, the film often suffers.  Box office receipts don't lie! :)

Then you bring in Barbara Streisand as the stereotypical Jewish mother...I know...talk about typecasting... and you've struck cinematic gold.

So essentially, you just have two real people traveling along together, getting on each others nerves, and it is all filmed for our twisted pleasure. :)

But really, it works.  They each get to a breaking point of putting up with their loved ones.  Naturally, Andy's fuse is incredibly shorter than his mother's, and he snaps early, and often.  But when Joyce finally goes, she lets him have it with both barrels, and you realize what a bunch of garbage kids make their parents endure because they are so loved.

While Joyce doesn't know much about Andy's world, her advice that she gives him is practical and makes sense, and when he finally listens to it, he finds he just may have the hook he needs to make it in the business world.

Then when they finally make it to San Francisco to meet the first Andy... things don't go as planned.  It's both uplifting and bittersweet how the scene plays out, and I can't say that The Guilt Trip wasn't a trip worth taking.

Final Grade: B

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: While I won't rush out to buy this one now, I could see visiting it again in the future for another bunch of laughs.