Seth Rogen

Funny People

Just got back from the cinema, where I watched “Funny People“. When I saw the trailer, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to see this film or not. There were a funny scenes, but it looked like a cliché, more or less. But then I saw a 7.3/10 rating at IMDB and decided that I want to see that.

The film turned out to be quite good. It’s not really a comedy in the sense that you’d expect from the title, poster, and trailer. It’s more of a drama with a few funny bits in it. And while it does follow a sort of cliché story, it does it in an interesting way. The best to describe it I guess, is with a bad racing car analogy – you can see the track and you sort of know where the car will go, but it still surprises you with its dynamics and by getting off the track at a few turns. Except that the film is actually good. You sort of know how it will end and how you’ll get there, but there are a few things which come slower or faster than you’d expect.

All in all, it was a kind, thought provoking, and at times quite funny movie. Recommended, with 4 stars. And if you want to see the trailer, here it is:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=24VVnvrjI8w]

Pineapple Express

I just watched one of the worst films of the year, maybe even two – “Pineapple Express“. It’s one of those films which is not funny enough to be a comedy and not serious enough to be an action movie. All the main characters are stoned during the whole film, but being an average actors and not being actually stoned while shooting the film, that looks pretty bad. I mean, I’m all for people to do silly things, but people who badly pretend doing silly things, it’s just silly.

There were a couple of good scenes, but they were very short and far apart. There were some special effects, with explosions and such, but definitely not enough to save the film.

And on top of that, the film is rated 7.3 on IMDB, with more than 50,000 voters. I don’t know who all of those people are, but them being all in one place is actually scary.

My rating – 2 stars. Barely.

Fanboys

Managed to catch “Fanboys” in the cinema. I’ve seen the trailer of it some time ago and thought that I should watch the movie. And I was right. I guess most movie fans, and especially those of “Star Wars” religion among you, will enjoy the film. It’s pretty light, with lots of movie-related jokes, and a touch of drama, which only makes it so much better.

I found the cast to be quite interesting. Main characters are played by not yet so famous young actors (they needed the geeky look after all) – Jay Baruchel, Kristen Bell, Dan Fogler. But while they move through the film, there are many familiar face such as Danny Trejo, Seth Rogen, William Shatner and even Kevin Smith. Even though their roles are very short, almost cameos.

While this film is not a masterpiece by any measure, I did enjoy it quite a bit. 4 stars.

Kung Fu Panda

Being a great of kung fu movies, I aboslutely had to see “Kung Fu Panda“. Even though it is an animation, it still features Jackie Chan and lots of kung fu training and fights. I don’t know what it is about kung fu movies that drags me in and occupies my attention, but it’s always the same. And “Kung Fu Panda” was no exception.

And it wasn’t a disappointment. Great animation, good humor, and the best of kung fu – it’s all there. The last dumpling fight is up there with the rest of the best kung fu fights. And an extra point for choosing the animals for characters and kung fu styles. Lots of fun.

Overall, a 7 out of 10. Recommended for any fans of animation, Jack Black, or kung fu movies.