The Interview
Dir: Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg
2014
**
Much like Team America: World police did ten years before, Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg's The Interview parodies the Western media, world governments and North Korea. The film could be about any of America's 'enemies' from the east as the general message is about misunderstanding but North Korea seems to be fair game, the world's big bad wolf that no one has bombed, hasn't bombed anyone and probably wouldn't see the film anyway so won't be too offended. Unfortunately they did see it and declared it as an act of war. The rest of the world saw it and declared it an act of poor comedy. Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg did such a good job with This is the End, it's really sad that this is what they followed it up with. There are moments where the story gets very clever and the script is sharp but these moments are fleeting. The script is overwhelmingly smutty and isn't funny unless you're a 12 year old boy. Personally, any film that features a scene whereby someone gets an inanimate object suck up their own ass and thinks it's clever looses me (apart from maybe Jackass: The Movie and Cannibal Holocaust). So much is lifted from other films it's actually quite shocking, from the obvious Good Luck, and Good Night story, Seth Rogen loosing his fingers just like in Shane Black's Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang to the ending that is right out of Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds, it's poor imitation that has very little charm about it. It's a film about misunderstanding, that misunderstands misunderstanding that nearly lead to a cataclysmic misunderstanding. I'm not sure they really understand satire but surely this is the greatest lesson in irony?

This is the End
Dir: Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg
2013
*****
Anyone who says This is the End is the ultimate 'Stoner movie' has obviously never been stoned. Watching This is the End under the influence would lead to the 'Whities' (http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=whitey) every single time. I suggest you watch Ronnie O'Sullivan's Snooker Hotshots or Bevis and Buthead instead as they are both easy and funny. It is fair to say however, that this is probably the best film ever written under the influence of marijuana. So it's a stoner's movie rather than a stoner movie. You're welcome for the free advice drug takers. Anyway, if you dislike James Franco, Jonah Hill, Seth Rogen, Jay Baruchel, Danny McBride etc then you're going to hate it. If you quite like them then you will love it. That said, it could make you into a believer. It's no secret that Seth Rogen has been wanting to make his own 'Shaun of the Dead', he has been quoted as saying 'F**k those guys for making that film' because they had the idea before him. It's okay though, as no one could have made this odd little masterpiece other than him. All his friends are in it so they decided that everyone should play themselves, albeit, exaggerated versions of themselves. This is actually more clever then just being an exercise in egotism. Everyone is brilliant, Michael Cera's performance had me in stitches. I didn't like everything, it is very puerile in places and there is one masturbation joke too many but overall, it is well written, well paced, brilliantly acted and most of all very funny. It's a future classic.