Movie Review - The Super Mario Bros. Movie

Director: Aaron Horvath, Michal Jelenic, Pierre Leduc
Genre: Animation/ Family/ Action/ Adventure/ Comedy
Runtime: 92 minutes
Year: 2023
Starring: Chris Pratt, Charlie Day, Anya Taylor-Joy, Jack Black, Keegan-Michael Key, Seth Rogen, Fred Armisen
 
Description: A plumber named Mario (Chris Pratt) travels through an underground labyrinth with his brother Luigi (Charlie Day), trying to save a captured princess (Anya Taylor-Joy).

Review: Thirty years ago, there was a movie adaptation of the wildly popular Super Mario games. This was a giant failure. I’m glad they decided to give it another try, in the form of an animation. “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” is such a fun film.

In this movie, an origina story of Mario and Luigi has been created. Thus, we get to see the family of the plumber brothers for the first time. They just started their own company and have not yet managed to get jobs. When they do, their first job goes horribly wrong. In addition, the New York borough of Brooklyn suffers from overflowing sewers. Since Mario and Luigi could use a little success, they decide to “save New Yorj”. But instead, they get sucked into a sewer pipe and end up in underground world. Luigi is stuck in the dark world of Bowser and Mario meet Princess Peach in her Mushroom Kingdom.

Once Mario and his brother have entered this world, the writers pull out all stops to match the games, complete with power-ups. It looks great and it’s tons of fun. They did change up Peach’s character a bit. Instead of playing the damsel in distress, as usual in the games, she fights along with Mario this time. And I liked this change.

Even though the world if Super Mario is already quite extensive and diverse, they ingeniously manage to involve Mario Kart and the Donkey Kong series in the adventure. And Jack Black voicing Bowser is probably the best choice of the entire film.

Videogame adaptations have always been tricky, but the succeeded here. “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” is a colorful, action-packed, adventurous and funny film for all ages and a guaranteed good time.

Rating: 4/ 5

00s Movie Review - The Spiderwick Chronicles

Director: Mark Waters
Genre: Adventure/ Fantasy/ Family/ Drama/ Action
Runtime: 96 minutes
Year: 2008
Starring: Freddie Highmore, Mary-Louise Parker, David Strathairn, Nick Nolte, Seth Rogen, Martin Short, Sarah Bolger, Andrew McCarthy, Ron Perlman

Description: Upon moving into the run-down Spiderwick Estate with their mother (Mary-Louise Parker), twin brothers Jared and Simon (Freddie Highmore), along with their sister Mallory (Sarah Bolger), find themselves pulled into an alternate world full of faeries and other creatures.

Review: There are countless magical beings living in our world, of which we know nothing because we cannot see them. We humans only see them, if they want us to. Arthur Spiderwick discovered that and started writing a book about all the secrets these creatures. He indexes his findings in a scientific way, until he found out that with all this knowledge, evil forces could wipe out all other fantastic creatures and then be powerful enough to take on humans. He hid the book in his house and put a protective magic circle around it so that the evil creatures could not reach it.

Of course, such a secret does not stay hidden forever. Eighty years later, distant reltives of Arthur Spiderwick movie into his old house. Helen and her three children Mallory, Jared and Simon have decided to move there after the divorce. Jared is the one that finds the book and he releases the evil creatures.

The story of “The Spiderwick Chronicles” might not be the most original family fantasy films, but it sure as hell is one hell of a great time. The idea of children suddenly discovering a fantastical world full of magic has been done so many times, but you can do it in so many ways. “The Spiderwick Chronicles” has enough concept of its own to stand out.

The excellent acting of young Freddie Highmore in a dual role contributes to that. The two kids he plays are clearly two different boys with their own body language and personalities. Great voice performances also by Seth Rogen, Martin Short and Nick Nolte.

“The Spiderwick Chronicles” is not an earth-shattering or innovative film, but it is an entertaining family film with suspense, humor and fun design (some parts might be a little too scary for the littlest viewers).The film has a nice pace and fortunately follows its own internal logic.  

Rating: 3,5/ 5

TV Show Review - Pam & Tommy

Season: Mini Series
Genre: Drama
Number of episodes: 8
Year: 2022
Starring: Lily James, Sebastian Stan, Seth Rogen, Nick Offerman, Taylor Schilling

Description: Follows the story of Pamela Anderson (Lily James) and Tommy Lee’s (Sebastian Stan) relationship, going back to their whirlwind romance that started with them marrying after only knowing each other for 96 hours in 1995.

Review: The first episode starts of from the perspective of Rand Gauthier, a handyman working in Pamela and Tommy’s house to remodel their bedroom. Of Pamela we see little and it is mostly Tommy who leaves a poor first impression on Rand. He is highly inflammable and fickle, always changing plans. Both Rand and the contractor already have thousands of dollars in them, without any down payment at all. When Rand finally dares to ask for the down payment, he is fired. And no money for Rand. Or his toolbox. For Rand it is clear: it is time for karma. Rand breaks into the garage and steals their safe, filled with guns, diamonds and…. A sex tape.
That first episode shows u Pamela and Tommy as most of us will know them: a privileged, extravagant, and hot celebrity couple. Only to then show a very different side of the couple. The subsequent episode jumps back to how Pam and Tommy first met and fell in love. Their first days together are actually much sweeter than you might think. Because even though they married on a whim, in retrospect they actually turn out to be a really good fit for each other, until, the series suggests, the sex tape threw a spanner in the works.
Somehow you understand that the makers could not avoid the sex tape and a large part of the series revolves around this and the effect it has on the people involved. Tommy doesn’t really think much of it at first and doesn’t understand why Pamela is so upset, because in his words: “it’s not like it’s anything they haven’t seen before”, referring to Pam in Playboy. The video was stolen from them and published without their consent. With that, Pamela gave permission to shoot for Playboy, therefore it was her own choice. This video being released into the world wasn’t. And Pam has a point by saying that Tommy will probably be high fived for being in such a video and she will be called a slut. The position of a woman is very different in this situation then that of a man would be. Tommy later also realizes this, when he is confronted with comments as well.
Although Rand’s storyline often takes away the focus, it is a good choice to show his perspective. His initial intention was to take revenge on Tommy, after being treated the way he did. But he didn’t think it through, because the one being hurt and affected the most if Pamela. And that wasn’t his intention. He didn’t think of the consequences and let revenge lead his actions. You can see Rand being sorry for what he did, mostly towards Pamela.
The strongest scenes are those where the message is not spelled out in neon letters. Like a scene during the filming of Baywatch, in which the close-up of Pamela’s buttocks gets more attention than that of her face. Or the one in which Anderson is forced to comment live on her home video during testimony by opposing counsel and answers questions like, “How old were you when you first showed the general public your genitals?” The fact that all the lawyers are men need not even be mentioned in this regard.
Sebastian Stan and Lily James throw themselves wholeheartedly into their roles: it is almost uncanny how convincingly James resembles Anderson. All sympathy clearly lies with her as well.
I enjoyed “Pam & Tommy”, especially how Stan and James portrayed them so well.

10s Movie Review - 50/ 50

Director: Jonathan Levine
Genre: Drama/ Comedy
Runtime: 100 minutes
Year: 2011
Starring: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Seth Rogen, Anna Kendrick, Bryce Dallas Howard, Anjelica Huston, Philip Baker Hall

Description: 27-year-old Adam (Joseph-Gordon Levitt) learns of his cancer diagnosis, and his subsequent struggle to beat the disease.

Review: Jonathan Levine directs the film, based on the script by Will Reiser. The story is about a young man who finds out he has cancer. Even though it’s about this heavy theme, the movie is very light and positive. There are clichés, but the good kind. The awkward relationship between Adam and his therapist Katherine, the infectious humor from his best friend Kyle and Adam’s overprotective mother. “50/ 50” show that clichés aren’t always a bad thing.
The way the story is told, very light, is extremely pleasant and there is a great soundtrack. And the cast convinces. Joseph Gordon-Levitt shows us that he is able to carry a movie and it’s an award worthy performance. Seth Rogen and Anna Kendrick are also very solid and fit their characters well.
Although “50/ 50” is about a terrible decease, it’s wonderful how they managed to make it into such a positive and likeable movie. It’s one of my all-time favorites.

Rating: 5/ 5

10s Movie Review - Long Shot

Director: Jonathan Levine
Genre: Comedy/ Romance
Runtime: 124 minutes
Year: 2019
Starring: Seth Rogen, Charlize Theron, O’Shea Jackson Jr., June Diane Raphael, Ravi Patel, Bob Odenkirk, Andy Serkis, Randall Park, Lisa Kudrow, Alexander Skarsgård

Description: Journalist Fred Flarsky (Seth Rogen) reunites with his childhood crush, Charlotte Field (Charlize Theron), now one of the most influential women in the world. As she prepares to make a run for the Presidency, Charlotte hires Fred as her speechwriter and sparks fly.

I WATCHED THIS MOVIE FOR MY 2020 MOVIE CHALLENGE.
WEEK 38: A POLITICAL MOVIE

Review: Opposites attract. A given for many romantic comedies. But when the chemistry is bad, it doesn’t work. Luckily for us, the very different Charlize Theron and Seth Rogen work super well together. A very unlikely duo in a very different kind of romcom.
First, the contrast: Rogen plays the cheeky investigative journalist Fred Flarsky. He refuses to work for a money-hungry media tycoon and quits his job. Theron is Secretary of State Charlotte, very ambitious and wants to run for President. The two know each other from their childhood. When their paths cross at a party, Fred manages to make an unforgettable impression on Charlotte. Because she has to work on her sense of humor, she hires Fred to write her speeches.
Although there is a high degree of predictability present, it doesn’t bother here. Because director Jonathan Levine invests in his characters, their attraction, journeys and setbacks. Which makes “Long Shot” not one of those disposable romcoms, but one with actual depth and dimensional characters. With that, the predictability is easy to forgive.
“Long Shot” also constantly keeps balance. Fred and Charlotte go through palpable emotions and doubts. The supporting characters are simply their for support, they never try to outshine the main characters, they aren’t annoying and are above all functional for the story.
The ending might be a tad to sweet, but overall “Long Shot” is a great romcom set with a political background and two leads that work better together then you might expect. I also love the fact that there is a strong moral compass here: fight for what you love, no matter what the majority thinks. A good, strong comedy.

Rating: 3,5 / 5

00s Movie Review - Superbad

Director: Greg Mottola
Genre: Comedy
Runtime: 114 minutes
Year: 2007
Starring: Jonah Hill, Michael Cera, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Bill Hader, Seth Rogen, Emma Stone, Joe Lo Truglio, Dave Franco

Description: Two co-dependent high school seniors (Jonah Hill, Michael Cera) are forced to deal with separation anxiety after their plan to stage a booze-soaked party goes awry.

Review: “Superbad” is a harsh comedy, about teens trying to get laid before school ends. It sounds lame and unoriginal, but “Superbad” is much more original and honest than you would expect.
Jonah Hill plays the foulmouthed teenager Seth. All he wants is for the pretty Jules to be his girlfriend. His plan is to get her drunk at a party. He convinces his friend Evan that this is the way to get the girl he likes, Becca, to fall in love with him too.
The only problem is the booze. They are under 21 and can’t buy it. The solution: their nerdy friend Fogell, who just got a fake ID, that says he is a 25 year old organ donor called McLovin. Their quest to get alcohol begins.
The harsh dialogues and remarks are fired in speed tempo, by both Jonah Hill and Michael Cera. The timing of both actors is perfect and they both do a great job. But it’s Christoph Mintz-Plasse that steals the show, together with the two crazy cops, portrayed by Bill Hader and Seth Rogen.
“Superbad” is filled with original and hilarious moments. The film also has heart and turns cartoonish characters into real people. Not that the movie has any depth, but it’s a great study of the teenage psyche. “Superbad” has realism and honesty, something that a lot of teen comedies don’t have.
“Superbad” is super funny!

Rating: 5/ 5

Movie Reviews - The Lion King

Director: Jon Favreau
Genre: Adventure/ Musical
Runtime: 118 minutes
Year: 2019
Starring: Chiwetel Ejiofor, John  Oliver, James Earl Jones, Donal Glover, Beyoncé Knowles-Carter, Alfre Woodard, Seth Rogen, Keegan-Michael Key, Eric André, Billy Eichner

Description: After the murder of his father, a young lion prince flees his kingdom only to learn the true meaning of responsibility and bravery.

Review: Oh how excited I was for the live-action version of one of my favorite Disney animations. I remember vividly when I saw “The Lion King” (1994) in theaters. I was so impressed and completely in aw that I couldn’t stop talking about it for weeks. And when I received it on VHS for my birthday, I watched it every day. I wasn’t afraid that director Jon Favreau was going to butcher the story, because he did a wonderful job for “The Jungle Book”. But was the film going to do the same to me as the animation did in 1994?
The film looks so realistic, like real-life animals. Yes, they talk and sing, but it’s like watching a BBC documentary.
When it comes to the story, nothing has changed. For most of the film, it’s a shot for shot remake of the animation. The film has been criticized for this, because they wanted Favreau to take more risk. I bet if he did and changed more, that would be the problem. We all love the original the way it is, so why not bring it to life like this. Because it’s a classic story, with wonderful songs we all love.
The one thing I didn’t really like, was them cutting the song “Be Prepared” short. It is my favorite song of the film and it was really rushed and it didn’t have the same impact that it had in the animation. It’s the main villain song and it’s so powerful. Here you don’t feel that.
The movie also lacks emotion according to many critics. Because they can’t see emotions or expressions on the animal’s faces. To make it look realistic as it is, you have to create the animals as they are. Giving them to much facial expression, would probably make them cartoonish and less realistic. And I’m not missing emotion at all, because I think I cried like 7 times in the first 5 minutes alone, haha.
As a huge fan of the animation, I am very happy with the live-action version of “The Lion King”. It didn’t leave me in aw like in 1994, but it’s such a beautifully made film with a lot of heart. People who think it lacked emotion, are probably dead inside.

Rating: 4,5/ 5

10s Movie Review - This is the End

Director: Evan Goldberg, Seth Rogen
Genre: Action/ Comedy
Runtime: 107 minutes
Year: 2013
Starring: James Franco, Seth Rogen, Jay Baruchel, Jonah Hill, Jason Segel, Danny McBride, Michael Cera, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Craig Robinson, Paul Rudd, Mindy Kaling, Aziz Ansari, Kevin Hart, Rihanna, David Krumholtz, Emma Watson

Description: While attending a party at James Franco's house, Seth Rogen, Jay Baruchel and many other celebrities are faced with the apocalypse.

Review: Relaxing with his friend Seth Rogen, smoke some weed, play video games and eat junk food. That’s the weekend Jay Baruchel had in mind in “This is the End”. Sadly for him, that chill weekend ends up in the apocalypse.
Against his will Jay joins Seth for a house warming party at James Franco’s house. The new mansion is filled with Hollywood’s finest. When Jay and Seth quickly go to a store, they witness a weird happening where people are sucked into the sky. It’s followed by a giant sink hole in front of Franco’s house.
“This is the End” is a comedy that can go two ways: you either love it or you hate it. Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg have proved themselves before, with the comedy “Superbad”. And again they manage to make us laugh. It’s the end of days, packed with simple, tasteless jokes and pretty enjoyable (sorry to say) death scenes of famous movie stars. By mocking themselves and Hollywood, “This is the End” never has a dull moment.
“This is the End” is a film that is self-aware and not to be taken too seriously. The actors exaggerate their own character, and that’s why it’s a fun movie that I love. A guarantee for laughs.

Rating: 4/ 5

100 Movie Challenge 2017 - # 137: The Disaster Artist

Director: James Franco
Genre: Drama/ Comedy
Runtime: 104 minutes
Year: 2017
Starring: James Franco, Dave Franco, Alison Brie, Seth Rogen, Megan Millally, Ari Graynor, Jacki Weaver, Josh Hutcherson, Zac Efron

Description: When Greg Sestero (Dave Franco), an aspiring film actor, meets the weird and mysterious Tommy Wiseau (James Franco) in an acting class, they form a unique friendship and travel to Hollywood to make their dreams come true.

Review: “The Room”, from mysterious film maker and actor Tommy Wiseau, is knows is probably the worst movie ever made. It appears that it cost him about six million dollars, but the movie only made 1800 dollars in the first weekend.
“The Room” was known for its bad dialogues, even worse acting and strange story. But it has grown to be an absolute cult classic. But who was Wiseau? How did he get the money to finance this film? And where was he really from, claiming he was from New Orleans but he has a strange Easter European accent.
We don’t know the answer to those questions, but James Franco isn’t trying to answer them. He did speak to Wiseau on a daily basis, because Franco doesn’t only direct. He also portrays Wiseau. And with that he gives away one of the best performances of his career. Wiseau is quite the character and it’s really easy to fall into a cartoonish character that you are impersonating. When you look at Franco as Wiseau, you don’t see the actor Franco. You see Wiseau.
Greg, played by James Franco’s real life brother Dave Franco, is ambitious and wants to be an actor. During an acting class, he meets Wiseau. He looks up to him, because Wiseau gives his all without caring about what others think. Wiseau isn’t talented, but the two decide to move to Los Angeles and pursue an acting career. When they get no after no, they decided to make their own movie. Wiseau writes the script for “The Room”.
Most part of the film is spend on the filming of “The Room”. It’s clear that Wiseau is an unpredictable man. And people around him don’t really know what to think of him. Greg is the only one that still believes in him.
Franco didn’t turn Wiseau into a caricature, but actually gave his character a lot of heart. As for the whole movie, it has so much heart.
James Franco is so talented and he made an absolute fantastic film with “The Disaster Artist”. His directing is so good, but he excels as the actor here. For me the best movie of 2017.

Rating: 5/ 5

100 Movie Challenge 2017 - # 90: Sausage Party

Director: Greg Tiernan, Conrad Vernon
Genre: Comedy/ Animation/ Adventure
Runtime: 89 minutes
Year: 2016
Starring: Seth Rogen, Michael Cera, Bill Hader, Kristen Wiig, Jonah Hill, James Franco, Danny McBride, Edward Norton, Craig Robnson, Nick Kroll, Paul Rudd, David Krumholtz, Salma Hayek

Description: A sausage strives to discover the truth about his existence

Review: If you put the creative minds of Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg and Jonah Hill together, before you know it you get another hilarious concept. And I think there had to be some weed involved when the idea for “Sausage Party” was born. An animation about talking food, that has to run before they get eaten. It sounds super weird and it somehow is, but it’s damn funny.
“Sausage Party” is not the kind of animation you want to watch with your children. It’s adult humor. And it’s a giant wink to Pixar and Disney. The food in the Shopwell supermarket starts their day with a song, every day. If people buy them, they are chosen. But none of them know what happens to them. Sausage Frank and bun Brenda happen to fall out of the cart, right before the registry. And soon they are about to find out what their actual fate is.
“Sausage Party” is child unfriendly. It’s politically incorrect, sexist, stereotypical, has unsubtle sex jokes and many food related word puns. There is a very macabre scene where the food finds out what really happens to them and there is off course that so-called food porn at the end of the film. And the fact that the villain in the film is a vaginal shower, says enough.
Rogen and Goldberg give the finger to anyone that claims animation is only for kids and that there is always supposed to be a message hidden somewhere. So you shouldn’t take “Sausage Party” too seriously. What “Sausage Party” is, is original, fun and crossing the line. And I like it!

Rating: 4/ 5

Movie Favorites: 50/ 50

Synopsis: Adam (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) is a 27 year old writer of radio programs and is diagnosed with a rare form of spinal cancer. With the help of his best friend (Seth Rogen), his mother (Angelica Huston), and a young therapist (Anna Kendrick) at the cancer center, Adam learns what and who the most important things in his life are.

 

 

Unique Selling Point: It always amazed me how they could tell a story with such a heavy theme so light and with humor. It isn’t a sob story, it’s a movie with a lot of heart. And the cast is outstanding.

Most Valuable Player: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, who else? Movies like this hardly ever get an Academy Award nomination, but they missed one here. It was an Oscar worthy performance, very sincere and he made Adam Lerner one of the most likeable characters in movie history.

Best Moment: Adam is about to go into surgery. His parents are there and Adam realizes this could be the last time he sees them. He’s scared. It’s really a heartbreaking moment, I just wanted to hug him.

100 Movie Challenge 2015 - # 17: The Interview

Director: Evan Goldberg

Genre: Comedy/ Action

Runtime: 112 minutes

Year: 2014

Starring: Seth Rogen, James Franco, Lizzy Caplan, Randall Park, Diana Bang, Timothy Simons, Reese Alexander, James Yi, Paul Bae, Geoff Gustafson, Dominique Lalonde, Anesha Bailey, Anders Holm, Charles Rahi Chun, Don Chow

Description: Dave Skylark (James Franco) and producer Aaron Rapaport (Seth Rogen) run the celebrity tabloid show "Skylark Tonight." When they land an interview with a surprise fan, North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un (Randall Park), they are recruited by the CIA to turn their trip to Pyongyang into an assassination mission.

Review: There was much ado about “The Interview”. Even before it was released it was criticized by the people representing Kim Jong-Un. But things got worse when the so called Sony hack happened. Fingers pointed towards North-Korea. It wasn’t sure if the movie was going to play in theaters. Luckily for us it did hit the cinemas, with off course some exceptions.

Evan Goldberg and Seth Rogen have been playing with the idea of a satire where a journalist plans a hit on a world leader. There focus went to North-Korea when former NBA star Dennis Rodman visited Kim Jong-Un in 2013. That’s when “The Interview” got an actual script.

Presenter Dave Skylark and producer Aaron Rapaport are both responsible for the TV show “Skylark Tonight”, where celebrities are interviewed and gossiped about. After episode 1000 airs, they find out Kim Jong-Un is a big fan of the show. Aaron is determined to be taken more seriously and wants Dave to interview Kim Jong-Un. When North-Korea agrees, the CIA contacts Dave and Aaron. They need them to plan a hit on the dictator.

Humor comes in many forms and the kind of humor Goldberg and Rogen have is not for everyone. If you saw “This is the End” you know what to expect. Seth Rogen and James Franco both lose themselves in their roles and make this comedy a satire. Don’t take it too seriously, that’s not how this movie was intended. The in between jokes are the most successful.

All the attention this movie got before even premiering probably only worked in their favor, because everyone wanted to see what the fuss was about. I enjoyed it, because I appreciate Evan Goldberg and Seth Rogen’s humor. If “This is the End” wasn’t your cup of tea, you better skip this one.

Rating: 4/ 5

Video of the Week (20)

It's Jimmy Fallon's 40th birthday and there is a big surprise waiting for him behind the blue curtain. And nothing anyone would expect. But, stay tuned, it's a double feature!

 

Movie Moments: This is the End

This movie could go in two different directions: it was either going to really bad or brilliantly funny. Thank God it was the last, because some of my favorites are in here. James Franco and Seth Rogen are amazing, I really enjoyed this movie. So here are my favorite moments from “This is the End”.

 

Moment # 1: Cleanse

Seth just picked up Jay from the airport. Jay wants to get hamburgers, but Seth tells him he’s on a cleanse. He’s not supposed to be eating glutens. Jay thinks it’s a load of crap and the two start a discussion about it.

Moment # 2: The end begins

Jay and Seth go out to buy cigarettes, then all of a sudden blue beams come from the sky and start sucking people up in the sky.

Moment # 3: Michael Cera dies

L.A. is on fire and Michael Cera starts worrying about his phone. Someone took it. But that’s the least of his worries, because he gets skewered by a telephone pole.

Moment # 4: Milky Way

The guys list their food supplies and start fighting over a Milky Way.

Moment # 5: Emma Watson

Emma Watson shows up at the house and just wants to get some sleep. She overhears a conversation between the guys, but mishears it. She decides to get the hell out of there and take some provision with her.

Moment # 6: Magazine

James gets angry when he finds out someone masturbated onto his porno magazine. It appears it was Danny who did that, so the two start a heated discussion about masturbation.

Moment # 7: Closet

Jonah has been possessed and is now chasing James and Seth. They hide in a closet, but Seth’s a very heavy breather so they soon will be found.

Moment # 8: The exorcism of Jonah Hill

The guys decide to perform an exorcism on Jonah Hill. Jay knows how to, because he saw the movie “The Exorcist”.

Moment # 9: The Backstreet Boys

Jay and Seth made it to heaven and they can make any wish they want. Seth wishes for a Segway and Jay for the Backstreet Boys.

 

 

 

Favorite Moment: Moment # 7 : The Closet

In the Picture: The Characters from "Neighbors"

I saw it on the first night in theatres, that doesn’t happen to me very often. It was a really funny film and the characters made that happen. Here are the characters from “Neighbors”. 

 

Mac Radner

Played by: Seth Rogen

Mac is happy that he’s a new dad and the fact that they bought their first house. He is still trying to adjust and to open that door to the next chapter of his life. Mac wants to party with the younger guys, but he also tries to be a more responsible man as well. Deep in his heart he is accepting the fact that he’s getting older and that his home life is very fulfilling. 

 

Kelly Radner

Played by: Rose Byrne

Kelly is from Australia and met Mac in high school. She is trying to adapt to her newest role as a mother. Although she feels like partying with her friends, Kelly also realizes that this part of her life is about taking care of her family. She is willing to accept that, as long as her husband Mac joins her.

 

 

Teddy Sanders

Played by: Zac Efron

Teddy moves in next door to the Radners as the president of a fraternity. He is very popular, has the looks and is liked by everyone. When he meets Mac and Kelly, they get along. Teddy even invites them over to a party. But as the couple starts complaining about the noise, Teddy goes to battle with them. Teddy is also on a point in his life where he has to realize he is growing up. Soon a life of partying, drinking and fun is over.

 

Pete Regazolli

Played by: Dave Franco

Pete is Teddy’s best friend and the vice president of the fraternity. He tags along with Teddy as they go head to head with the Radners. When he bangs Teddy’s girl, their friendship is out the door. Pete also sees that rebelling against their neighbors isn’t the right thing to do.

 

Favorite Character: Mac Radner

 

100 Movie Challenge 2014 - # 36: The Guilt Trip

Director: Anne Fletcher
Genre: Comedy
Runtime: 95 minutes
Year: 2012
Starring: Seth Rogen, Barbra Streisand, Yvonne Strahovski, Colin Hanks, Adam Scott

Description: As inventor Andy Brewster (Seth Rogen) is about to embark on the road trip of a lifetime, a quick stop at his mom's (Barbra Streisand) house turns into an unexpected cross-country voyage with her along for the ride.

Review: Barbra Streisand plays Joyce Brewster, a typical Jewish-American mother who is always clearly present and doesn’t keep her opinion to herself. To make it more cliché she is very focused on money, counts every penny. Seth Rogen plays her schlemiel of a son, who’s still single and is trying to sell his environmental friendly cleaning product.
“The Guilt Trip” is referred to as a comedic road movie, but that is misleading. You don’t really get to see much of the environment.
Seth Rogen is very introvert in his role, which gives Streisand the room to flourish. But all the jokes are seldom funny. All I felt was this awkward feeling towards Streisand’s role. There isn’t even room for fun supporting roles, which could have saved this film a bit. If Rogen wasn’t in it, “The Guilt Trip” would’ve been even more uneventful.
The reason I watched this film was Seth Rogen, because I really like his humor. But I was warned, because a movie with the word guilt in its title makes you feel that when the end credits turn up.

Rating: 2/ 5

Me & 3 Seth Rogen Movies

You either love this guy or you hate him. I think he’s freakin’ hilarious, although his roles aren’t very diverse. I really do enjoy him and I decided to watch three of his movies. Here are the ones I picked out.

Superbad
Genre: Comedy
Year: 2007
Director: Greg Mottola
Cast: Michael Cera, Jonah Hill, Seth Rogen, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Bill Hader, Emma Stone
Description: Seth and Evan (Jonah Hill and Michael Cera) are best friends, inseparable, navigating the last weeks of high school. Usually shunned by the popular kids, Seth and Evan luck into an invitation to a party, and spend a long day, with the help of their nerdy friend Fogell (Christopher Mintz-Plasse), trying to score enough alcohol to lubricate the party and inebriate two girls, Jules (Emma Stone) and Becca (Martha McIsaac), so they can kick-start their sex lives and go off to college with a summer full of experience and new skills. Their quest is complicated by Fogell's falling in with two inept cops who both slow and assist the plan. If they do get the liquor to the party, what then? Is sex the only rite of passage at hand?
Opinion: It’s typical Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg humor. And I like it. I’m not a big fan of Jonah Hill and Michael Cera, but Seth Rogen, Bill Hader and Christopher Mintz-Plasse really steal the show here. Those scenes with the three of them just crack me up! Favorite character: McLovin (Christopher Mintz-Plasse)
Most memorable quote: “I'd give my middle nut to start dating Becca”. – Evan –
Best scene: McLovin has to try to get liquor, but he worries. Especially that he should have kept the vest on.

This is the End
Genre: Comedy
Year: 2013
Director: Evan Goldberg, Seth Rogen
Cast: Seth Rogen, James Franco, Jay Baruchel, Jonah Hill, Danny McBride, Craig Robinson, Emma Watson
Description: While attending a party at James Franco's house, Seth Rogen, Jay Baruchel and many other celebrities are faced with the apocalypse.
Opinion: I was looking forward to seeing this movie and it didn’t disappoint me at all. It’s so much fun. Although I’m not a Jonah Hill fan, the cast worked perfectly together.
Favorite character: Craig Robinson (Craig Robinson)
Most memorable quote: “I don’t wanna die at James Franco’s house” –Jay Baruchel-
Best scene: Seth and James find out that Jonah is possessed by a demon and they try to hide from him. But Seth’s apparently a loud breather.

Paul
Genre: Comedy
Year: 2011
Director: Greg Mottola
Cast: Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Seth Rogen, Kristen Wiig, Bill Hader, Jason Bateman, Jane Lynch
Description: Two sci-fi geeks take a pilgrimage to America's UFO heartland. While there, they accidentally meet an alien who brings them on an insane road trip that alters their universe forever. For the past 60 years, an alien named Paul (voiced by Seth Rogen) has been hanging out at a top-secret military base. When he discovers he's been taken prisoner, the space-traveling smart ass decides to escape the compound and hop on the first vehicle out of town - a rented RV containing Earthlings Graeme Willy (Simon Pegg) and Clive Gollings (Nick Frost). Chased by federal agents and the fanatical father of a young woman that they accidentally kidnap, Graeme and Clive hatch a fumbling escape plan to return Paul to his mother ship. And as two nerds struggle to help, one little green man might just take his fellow outcasts from misfits to intergalactic heroes.
Opinion: We all know the combination Pegg/ Frost works like a charm. And Seth Rogen’s voice is very recognizable, especially the laugh. It’s totally different from the Brittisch comedies they usually make, but it was highly entertaining and very funny. And I liked the supporting roles by Kristen Wiig and Bill Hader.
Favorite character: Graem Willy (Simon Pegg)
Most memorable quote: “This is America. Kidnapping a Christian is worse than harboring a fugitive” – Paul-
Best scene: The first meeting between Graeme,Clive and the alien Paul.

Favorite of the 3: “This is the End

Movie Moments: "Pineapple Express"

I’ve wanted this movie for this item for a while now, I just had to rewatch it first. I did so I decided to pick my favorite scenes from “Pineapple Express”.

Moment # 1: Crossjoint
Dale visits Saul to get some weed, when he finds a crossjoint. You light it at three points. They smoke it and say it’s great, but they almost choke on their own coughs and don’t sound like they are enjoying it at all.

Moment # 2: Dale witnesses a murder
Dale is supposed to visit Ted Jones for work, but instead he witnesses him killing someone while sitting in the car. Jones is with a female cop. Dale wants to drive off, but instead he hits two cars which draws the killers’ attention. Dale manages to get away eventually, but he’s in big trouble.

Moment # 3: Getting rid of the phones
Saul thinks it’s better to lose their cellphones, because he thinks the cops will track them down and find them. They have all kinds of ideas like tying the phone to an animal or building a hot air balloon. Dale smashes his phone and Saul wants to smash it on a tree. Instead he throws it in the woods and the phone is lost. Saul’s genius idea to find it: call it.With what Saul?

Moment # 4: Saul, Dale and Red fight
Saul and Dale visit Red. Saul trusts him, but Dale doesn’t. They start a fight, which ends up with Dale punching a hole in the wall and Red being tied up with ducked tape.

Moment # 5: In the dumpster
Saul and Dale are running away and try to hide. In panic Saul jumps in a dumpster, but Dale doesn’t think it’s a good idea. Saul thinks they should still hide there, because he’s in the dumpster already.

Moment # 6: Fork
Dale is trying to tell his girlfriend Angie that she’s in danger, when Saul walks in to warn them. Angie thinks Saul is a bad guy and stabs him with a fork in the back. Saul screams like a girl.

Moment # 7: Police car
Because Saul spilled slushies all over the front window of the police car, he can’t see where he’s going. Saul kicks in the window with his foot, but can’t get it out. Now he has to drive with one foot sticking out of the front window.

Moment # 8: “I love you”
Dale calls Angie to tell her he loves her. Angie takes him back and tells him she wants to marry him. Dale than realizes that she’s very shallow and superficial if she takes him back, because he made a mess.

Moment # 9: Dale’s ear
Matheson, one of the bad guys, shoots Dale in the ear and now there is a piece missing. Dale tries to put it back on.

Moment # 10: Dale saves Saul
While all the weed and the barn it’s in is on fire and Saul is unconscious, Dale has to save him. His pants catch fire, so Dale takes them off. Saul won’t wake up, so he carries Saul outside… in his underpants.

Favorite Moment: Moment # 7 : Police car

Movie Moments: "The 40 Year-Old Virgin

This movie is so funny and we can thank Steve Carell for that. I don’t think anyone else could have done a better job. Here are my favorite moments from “The 40 Year-Old Virgin”.

Moment # 1: Meet Andy
We meet Andy, who wakes up with a huge boner. He starts working out, making breakfast, talking to his elderly neighbors. Andy is a nice guy with absolutely no social life.

Moment # 2: The guys find out
Andy is invited to a pokergame with his co-worker from Smart Tech. They start talking about sex and when they ask Andy about his sex adventures, they find out he’s still a virgin.

Moment # 3: Andy’s fulfilling life
Andy tries to explain to Dave why he doesn’t need to get laid. He has a very fulfilling life. We see him playing the tuba, painting miniatures, playing videogams, singing karaoke and reading comic books.

Moment # 4: Andy and the drunk lady
Andy picked up a woman in a bar. She had a little to much to drink, but she drives Andy anyway. Seems that she is a very reckless driver and a bit crazy too.

Moment # 5: Waxing
Jay advices Andy to get his chest waxed, so Jay, Dave and Cal join him when Andy goes to a waxing salon. And it hurts like hell.

Moment # 6: Condoms
Andy went on a date with Trish and they end up in her bed. When Trish is going to the bathroom Andy has to put on a condom, but he has no idea how to use them. He uses a lot of them, but it doesn’t work out. And then Trish’ daughter walks in.

Moment # 7: Health clinic
Andy takes Trish’ daughter Marla to a health clinic, to learn about birth control. He sees a model of a vagina and when he picks it up it falls apart and he can’t put it together anymore.

Moment # 8: Heat of the moment
Andy and Trish had a fight and she gets in her car and drives off. Andy follows her on his bike, but Trish is to fast. He takes a shortcut, but when a huge billboard pops out of nowhere he flies trough it.

Moment # 9: Hair medley
After Andy’s big moment, all the characters start singing a medley from the musical Hair.



Favorite Moment: : Moment# 5: Waxing

In the Picture: The Characters from "The 40 Year Old Virgin"

I recently rewatched "The 40 Year Old Virgin" and I decided to give all the characters some individual attention.

Andy Stitzer
Played by: Steve Carell
Andy is 40 years old and still a virgin. He is involuntarily celibate. Andy lives alone and is somewhat childlike. He collects action figures and plays videogames. But Andy is a very kind, shy and loveable man.

David
Played by: Paul Rudd
David is Andy’s co-worker. He really wants a serious relationship, but he is still hung up on his ex-girlfriend. It’s almost disturbing.

Cal
Played by: Seth Rogen
Cal also works at SmartTech and has a perverted sense of humor. He talks about sex a lot, many forms of it.

Jay
Played by: Romany Malco
Another co-worker of Andy. He’s the only one in a serious relationship of the SmartTech group. But he’s whipped. Jay is not aloud to do anything, he’s kinda her bitch.

Trish
Played by: Catherine Keener
Trish is a storeowner across the street of Andy’s work. They hit it of immediately and Andy goes on a date with her. She is really nice and is seriously interested in Andy.

Paula
Played by: Jane Lynch
Paula is the storemanager of SmartTech. She should actually be sued for sexual harassment, because she makes sexual remarks to her colleagues all the time. She even wants to be Andy’s sexbuddy. Strange woman.

Beth
Played by: Elizabeth Banks
Beth is a woman Andy meets at a bookstore, where she works. She seems interested in Andy and she would be perfect for Andy to finally lose his virginity. But Beth’s a bit crazy.

Favorite Character: Andy Stitzer