Electrolicious

Ok yes, it’s another movie review because it was so hot in Seattle that I had to escape into cold dark air conditioned caves to get my laugh on.

So, remember how I was just like “bah: action/comedy!” I take it all back! Tropic Thunder was fucking HILARIOUS, and I laughed so loud and so hard through the entire thing that I think there were points when other people in the theater were laughing at the fact that 30 seconds after a gag, I’d still be cracking up.

I’m not a big Ben Stiller fan, but oh man: I loved this movie. Hilariously written, awesome cast (Robert Downey Jr of course killed it, but how much do I love that little Jay Baruchel?), gorgeous locations (yay Kuai!), great cameos, all just fucking hilarious.

So very recommended.

I’ve adored Seth Rogen since I watched Freaks & Geeks on DVD in 2003, but Pineapple Express marks the end of my time with him, methinks. I went into the flick wanting a good stoner comedy, with lots of the witty, foul-mouthed banter that Rogen’s shown off in the past. Instead, I got a violent, dumb comedy/action flick that wasn’t very funny. I guess watching characters get repeatedly hit in the head by ash trays, fire extinguishers, bathroom sinks, dust busters, etc just doesn’t do it for me.

And Seth Rogen as a stoner with machine guns? What the fuck. I want Seth Rogen sitting on a couch, smoking weed, saying funny stuff. I don’t want him pulling triggers and yelling all the time, which is most of the second half of this movie. YELL! SHOOT! YELL! SHOOT! Call pretty blonde girlfriend who doesn’t even seem to have a name! YELL! BLOW STUFF UP! When Jonah Hill played the Seth Rogen character in Rogen’s “Superbad,” all he did was yell, too … but at least he wasn’t pretending to be an action star.

I like stupid stoner comedies (Super Troopers! Harold & Kumar!) but Rogen’s stoner comedies seem to be sliding toward the louder and physical as their budgets get bigger. MORE SPLODING! MORE YELLING! Less actual funny dialogue. I mean, the best line in this movie was tossed off by a bit player: “Time to suck today’s dick.”

That said, James Franco was awesome. The Guatemala pants he wore through the entire film were a perfect touch.

But Seth Rogen? Despite your Pacific Northwesty-ness, your stoner-ness, your used-to-be-funny-ness, you’ve lost me. Y’all can keep the Green Hornet.

Final tally:

• 14 Flinches
• 9 Winces
• 8 Cringes

When I started reading Breaking Dawn (the final book in the Twilight saga, a bestselling young adult vampire series) I started counting the number of times author Stephanie Meyer overused these three words to describe her characters’ actions. It felt like a fun way to track the author’s weakness for this particular imagery. Everybody flinches constantly in response to dialog. It’s he said/she winced! Ooh, cringe cringe goes the character.

By the time I was done with Breaking Dawn, the tally had become a brief, exact book review.
Read the rest of this entry »

What I loved:

• The Freaks & Geeks reunion tour, especially seeing Martin Starr again, even if he didn’t have much to do but be bearded.
• The well-written hilarious profanity through-out, especially “I took a shit and my shit looked like a fuckin’ stuffed animal.” This may be a stoner comedy, but it’s smart and impeccably written and very, very funny.
• Paul Rudd in general, but especially his Cirque de Soleil trip.

Meh:

• The weirdly conservative avoidance of the “rhymes with shmashmortion” issue. I get that the movie is about keeping the kid, but the avoidance of the issue defies credibility.
• Seth Rogan’s acting. I agree with this reviewer who said “As amusing as he may be, Rogen was born to be someone else’s comic sidekick.”
• The female characters.* Click that link and listen to the mp3 that goes with the article.

These “mehs” are small issues, however. Yes, the premise is unbelievable, but the flick is so hilariously well-written its flaws are easy to overlook. Go see this movie. It’s the best comedy of the year. I mean, I really enjoyed Blades of Glory, but Knocked Up is the smarter, funnier movie by far. Highly recommended if you like well-written smart/dumb comedies like Harold & Kumar and 40 Year Old Virgin.

*Wouldn’t it be cool if someone made a movie where all the crass funny stoner friends were girls!? As much as I want Smiley Face to be that movie, I’m not holding my breath.