This Is the End (2013)

This movie was unexpectedly great and put Pineapple Express to shame. I have a new found respect for Danny McBride. He took it to a whole other level and stole the show. Nuff said!

**Plot: 10/20** The film starts out with Seth Rogen waiting at the airport to pick up his pal Jay Baruchel. It's basically a good ol' buddy get together as they go back to Seth's house where he has a couple of welcoming gifts awaiting and then they proceed to get high. Seth convinces Jay to go to Franco's party with him so he'll have a chance to get to know everyone better. After being introduced to everyone, they both leave to make a quick stop at a local convenience store when the city starts going abrupt and light beams begin appearing from the sky. From there, both of the actors rejoin the party house in which almost all of the party goers fall into a giant fiery hole that has formed outside of the house. The cast practically spend the rest of the movie wasting time inside the house together, fighting demons, and then trying to get to heaven. It's not the most exciting plot in the world, but it makes for some good comedy. What I found the most interesting was that they never try to fix the problem on Earth. Even towards the end their prime goal is just to get to 'heaven' and escape the apocalypse down below. **Rewatchability: 05/15** Although I've actually watched this one twice (once regular and once with commentary), I still give it a 05/15 in this category. The problem is I just don't see myself coming back to this one unless it's playing on the TV and I'm really bored. I do, however, recommend that this movie gets watched at least once. While it's over the top and not meant to be taken seriously in the first place, I guarantee you'll get at least a laugh or two out of it. **Acting: 15/20** Since the actors are actually just portraying magnified versions of themselves it works out really nicely. The scenes with Michael Cera are especially hilarious. At one point in the movie he sneezes out cocaine all over Christopher Mintz (guy who played McLovin in Superbad). Nobody felt out of place and even the add-in actors such as Rihanna and Mindy Kaling did a pretty good job. **Audio Production: 10/20** The soundtrack comes in heavy with music by the Backstreet Boys, Black Sabbath, Cypress Hill, Def Tones, Psy, and Whitney Houston. This list includes a lot of big names, but it seems like most of the soundtrack was just thrown in. The Backstreet Boys make a cameo at the end of the movie when the cast is in heaven throwing a party. Special effects are done well, but nothing really stands out. **Visual Production: 15/20** The majority of the film takes place in a ficticious Los Angeles at James Franco's house. All of the visual post process effects and scenes are really well made. Listening to the commentary you can find out that most of the filming actually took place in New Orleans at an old coffee warehouse. Even though most of the film was filmed inside of the same building, it actually works out nicely with the storyline.

**The following is a long form review that I originally wrote in 2013.** Sorry for the double 'self' here, I really couldn't think of another word) Self-portrayal in film is the biggest form of self-gratification since the invention of masturbation. And no movie has ever wanked harder than _This Is The End_. Let me give you the list: * James Franco * Jonah Hill * Seth Rogen * Jay Baruchel * Danny McBride * Craig Robinson * Michael Cera * Emma Watson * Mindy Kaling * David Krumholtz * Christopher Mintz-Plasse * Rihanna * Martin Starr * Paul Rudd * Kevin Hart * Evan Goldberg * Jason Segel * Six More but I feel listing them here would entail spoilers ALL play themselves. That and the non-stop dick imagery/conversation in the film, make for one goddamn aggrandised bukkake-fest. And you know what? I like it like that. All over me. Ahem. On track. I was super-popular and went to see this film by myself. But even so I enjoyed it. I really am not in the least bit fond of American Comedies. There are exceptions to be sure, but overall I feel it's best to just give them a wide berth. I was drawn to this piece though because it was reeled as a "Horror/Comedy" (and I mean, what Horrors aren't?) and also because it had James Franco playing James Franco (_Rise of the Planet of the Apes_). And I'm so very glad I let this be one of those exceptions. I quite honestly put it up as my top movie of 2013 so far. Which is more surprising to me than anyone else. To be fair, it makes reference to my all time favourite film. Ever. Watch _This is the End_ and if you can pick the moment, I'll give you a prize. I did, however (on top of aaallll my other biases) feel as though this film really was targeting hardcore movie-goers/aficionados/critics/filmmakers/writers/etc. and I fit in to... Well at least most of those categories. I'm reading over this review and seeing what a bastardised clusterfuck it is. But that's because I just reallyreallyreally want you all to go out and watch it! And I feel anything else I can say would be all spoiler-y. Look, it's the sort of thing I usually would hate, and I am absolutely in love with it. Pleeeaaase go watch this movie with a friend and tell me what you think. I might get back to a more levelheaded review after a DVD release. 80% -_Gimly_

Mediocre middle hinders. 'This Is the End' adds some uniqueness alongside the standard apocalyptic fare, the mass cameos are amusing and the fact that the characters are playing exaggerated versions of themselves is a good touch. The apocalypse elements are done well enough, though the bits at the start are where it peaks. The middle of this movie dragged a fair bit for me, I didn't really find it all that comical; the beginning, again, has the most amusement, as well as a fun end piece featuring that Floridian boyband. This is based upon a short film, so I guess it was always likely to feature lull moments - after all, Seth Rogen type flicks do tend to play off quite thin premises anyway. Speaking of Rogen, he doesn't actually stand out that much here, surprisingly. To be honest, none of the cast really do all that much, come to think of it. I wouldn't even say there is a star performer onscreen, which is disappointing given the big names involved. All in all, not necessarily a terrible picture but it is just not one I can say I liked, all things considered.