Review: Fun Never Ends in "This Is the End"

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 66 (of 2013) by Leroy Douresseaux

This Is the End (2013)
Running time:  107 minutes (1 hour, 47 minutes)
MPAA – R for crude and sexual content throughout, brief graphic nudity, pervasive language, drug use and some violence
DIRECTORS:  Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg
WRITERS:  Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg; from a screen story by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg (based on the short film, Jay and Seth vs. The Apocalypse, by Jason Stone)
PRODUCERS:  James Weaver and Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg
CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Brandon Trost
EDITOR:  Zene Baker
COMPOSER:  Henry Jackman

COMEDY/FANTASY

Starring:  James Franco, Jonah Hill, Seth Rogen, Jay Baruchel, Danny McBride, Craig Robinson, Emma Watson, Kevin Hart, Mindy Kaling, Rihanna, Michael Cera, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Paul Rudd, and Channing Tatum with Jason Segel

This Is the End is a 2013 apocalyptic comedy film from writer-directors, Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg.  This black comedy features a number of Hollywood comic actors and celebrities playing fictional versions of themselves.  The movie centers on actor James Franco’s house where a small band of survivors are forced to live together after a disaster that could be the end of the world.

This Is the End begins with Jay Baruchel arriving in Los Angeles to visit his old friend and fellow actor, Seth Rogen.  Seth convinces Jay to go with him to a housewarming party hosted by actor James Franco.  Jay is reluctant because he does not like Seth’s L.A. friends, especially actor Jonah Hill.  During the party, a catastrophic earthquake occurs, and L.A. falls to fire and chaos.  Jay, Seth, James, Jonah, and Craig Robinson survive the destruction, but they are not alone.  They slowly learn that the largest earthquake in California history may be more than just a natural disaster.

In his review of This Is the End for Maclean’s, critic Brian D. Johnson basically said that there could be worse ways to experience the apocalypse than with stoned celebrities (go here or http://www2.macleans.ca/2013/06/07/was-armageddon-always-this-complicated/ for the full review).  Other than spending it with my family, there is no better way to go through the end of the world than with fun, fictional versions of Seth Rogen and his friends.  Also, much of the middle of the film works like a comedy stage play that allows each member of the ensemble to fashion a character that engages the audience.

I like many of the films in which most members of the main and supporting cast have appeared.  For the most part, I also like their public personas.  They are all really funny in this film, and James Franco’s sardonic humor (which was too understated to work during his gig hosting the Oscars) shines.  Once again, Craig Robinson finds a way to turn a supporting comedy part into a co-leading role on the sheer strength of his underrated talent as a light comic actor.  Danny McBride steals the show; if any actor deserves an Academy Award nomination as a supporting actor this year because of a comedic performance, it is McBride in This Is the End.

This Is the End was made for me.  I liked what the actors did in this movie, and I liked how they were willing to savage their public personas and work in films.  This Is the End of the review but not of my love for this movie, which will go on...

8 of 10
A

Saturday, October 05, 2013


The text is copyright © 2013 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this site for syndication rights and fees.

Poster for "Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit" Debuts

Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit

Based on the character created by bestselling author Tom Clancy, “Jack Ryan” is a global action thriller set in the present day.  This original story follow a young Jack (Chris Pine) as he uncovers a financial terrorist plot.

The story follows him from 9/11, through his tour of duty in Afghanistan, which scarred him forever, and into his early days in the Financial Intelligence Unit of the modern CIA where he becomes an analyst, under the guardianship of his handler, Harper (Kevin Costner).  When Ryan believes he’s uncovered a Russian plot to collapse the United States economy, he goes from being an analyst to becoming a spy and must fight to save his own life and those of countless others, while also trying to protect the thing that's more important to him than anything, his relationship with his fiancée Cathy (Keira Knightley).

Directed by: Kenneth Branagh
Starring: Chris Pine, Keira Knightley and Kevin Costner
Written By: Adam Cozad and David Koepp

Coming Soon

Watch the Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit trailer only on Yahoo! Movies

To watch the trailer:
 http://movies.yahoo.com/video/jack-ryan-shadow-recruit-trailer-210023496.html

Official website: ShadowRecruitMovie.com
Official Facebook: Facebook.com/JackRyanMovie
Official Twitter: @JackRyanMovie
Official Hashtag: #ShadowRecruit

AMC Theatres Announces "The Hunger Games" Double Feature

AMC Theatres® and Lionsgate Present THE HUNGER GAMES Double Feature at 250 AMC Locations

Tickets on Sale Now for AMC Guests to Catch Up on the Epic Story with a Showing of THE HUNGER GAMES Leading into the 8 p.m. Debut of THE HUNGER GAMES: CATCHING FIRE on Nov. 21

LEAWOOD, Kan.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--AMC Theatres® is excited to announce the details of the upcoming HUNGER GAMES Double Feature, which will run at 250 AMC locations nationwide on Thursday, Nov. 21, and will finish with the release of Lionsgate’s (NYSE: LGF) THE HUNGER GAMES: CATCHING FIRE. Tickets are on sale now at AMC locations and online.

The double feature, available in both traditional auditoriums as well as in IMAX, begins at 5 p.m. on Nov. 21, 2013 with a showing of the 2012 blockbuster hit THE HUNGER GAMES, allowing guests to relive all the action and suspense of Katniss Everdeen’s first Hunger Games experience. The debut of THE HUNGER GAMES: CATCHING FIRE will follow at 8 p.m.

Fans attending the event will receive a limited edition lanyard and a commemorative gift at participating locations while supplies last.

Ticket price varies by location and presentation format. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit here or www.amctheatres.com/events/hunger-games-double-feature.

ABOUT THE HUNGER GAMES: CATCHING FIRE
The Hunger Games: Catching Fire begins as Katniss Everdeen (played by Jennifer Lawrence) has returned home safe after winning the 74th Annual Hunger Games along with fellow tribute Peeta Mellark (played by Josh Hutcherson). Winning means that they must turn around and leave their family and close friends, embarking on a "Victor's Tour" of the districts. Along the way Katniss senses that a rebellion is simmering, but the Capitol is still very much in control as President Snow prepares the 75th Annual Hunger Games (The Quarter Quell) - a competition that could change Panem forever. The Hunger Games: Catching Fire is directed by Francis Lawrence, and produced by Nina Jacobson's Color Force in tandem with producer Jon Kilik. The novel on which the film is based is the second in a trilogy written by Suzanne Collins that has sold over 65 million copies in print in the U.S. alone.

Japan's "Like Father, Like Son" Goes to DreamWorks

DreamWorks Studios Buys Remake Rights to Fuji TV's "Like Father, Like Son"

TOKYO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--DreamWorks Studios, co-founded by Stacey Snider and director Steven Spielberg and in partnership with The Reliance Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group, has bought the rights to Japanese director Hirokazu Kore-eda’s film “Like Father, Like Son,” it was announced today by Fuji TV.

Winner of a Jury Prize at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival, "Like Father, Like Son" tells the heartbreaking story of two families who discover that their six-year-old sons were switched at birth.

Spielberg served as president of the jury at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival, which is where he first saw the film and brought it to the attention of his team back at DreamWorks. Said Spielberg, “When I saw the film at Cannes, I was so impressed by its power to bring such a human story to the screen. Here at DreamWorks Studios, Stacey and our team recognized that it was a story we wanted to remake to bring to our audiences throughout the world. I thank Hirokazu Kore-eda and Fuji TV for giving us this once in a lifetime opportunity.”

Said director Hirokazu Kore-eda, “I am honored that a company such as DreamWorks will be developing my film for American audiences. I’m looking forward to working with Steven Spielberg, for whom I have great admiration.”

Produced by Fuji TV, Amuse Inc. and GAGA Corporation (GAGA), the much anticipated release of “Like Father, Like Son” in Japanese theatres is scheduled for September 28, 2013. GAGA and Wild Bunch handles its international sales.

Review: "Colorado Sunset" is Old-Timey Fun (Remembering Gene Autry)

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 104 (of 2007) by Leroy Douresseaux

Colorado Sunset (1939) – B&W
Running time:  65 minutes (1 hour, 5 minutes)
DIRECTOR:  George Sherman
WRITERS:  Betty Burbridge and Stanley Roberts; from a story by Luci Ward and Jack Natteford
PRODUCER:  William Berke (associate)
CINEMATOGRAPHER:  William Nobles (D.o.P.)
EDITOR:  Leslie Orlebeck

WESTERN/COMEDY/MUSIC

Starring:  Gene Autry, Smiley Burnette, June Storey, Barbara Pepper, Larry “Buster” Crabbe, Robert Barrat, Patsy Montana, the CBS-KMBC Texas Rangers, Purnell Pratt, William Farnum, Kermit Maynard, Jack Ingram, Elmo Lincoln, and Frankie Marvin

The subject of this movie review is Colorado Sunset, a 1939 Western film starring Gene Autry.  Autry sings five of the eight songs performed in the film, and is credited with co-writing one of them (“Poor Little Dogie”).  Colorado Sunset finds Gene and his buddies buying a ranch that turns out to be a dairy farm and then having to fight a protection racket that prevents dairy products from safely reaching the market.

After his well-meaning sidekick, Frog Millhouse (Smiley Burnette), buys a cow farm instead of a cattle ranch, singing cowboy Gene Autry and his ranch hands gradually embrace the dairy business in the film, Colorado Sunset.  That is when the musical cowpoke runs into a corrupt dairy association, led by the powerful local veterinarian, Dr. Rodney Blair (Robert Barrat), who is bent on dominating the local dairy industry.

However, it seems the Hall Trucking Company is taking the blame for bandit attacks on dairy farmers trying to move their milk to market.  Determined to put an end to this intimidation, Gene runs for Sheriff of Barton County against corrupt Deputy Dave Haines (Buster Crabbe).  Country music icon Patsy Montana sings “I Want to Be a Cowboy’s Sweetheart,” and radio crooners, the CBS-KMBC Texas Rangers perform with Autry.

Even viewers only a little familiar with B-movie westerns will recognize that Colorado Sunset seems to have a bit more flash than the average B-movie western.  As Autry’s film were profitable, film studio Republic Pictures was willing to spend extra money on Colorado Sunset’s production which explains the action-filled sequences and the elaborate final wagon chase and shootout – an upgrade from what was usually found in B-movie westerns.  Some might find the anachronistic mixture of automobiles and radio stations with characters who seemed to be living in a 19th century western town ludicrous, but it’s actually charming.  With Autry and his cast mates singing, Smiley Burnette providing comic relief, and the good guys fighting the bad guys, Colorado Sunset is old-timey fun.

6 of 10
B

Thursday, July 12, 2007

Updated:  Wednesday, October 02, 2013

The text is copyright © 2013 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this site for syndication rights and fees.

VIZ Media to Debut "Coppelion" in North America

VIZ MEDIA DELIVERS THE NEW ANIME SERIES COPPELION TO NORTH AMERICAN AUDIENCES THE SAME DAY AFTER THE JAPANESE BROADCAST PREMIERE

Following A Catastrophic Disaster, Three Genetically Engineered Youths Travel To Save Those Forsaken By The Rest Of The World In A Special Simulcast Series Premiere On VIZ Anime, Hulu and Hulu Plus

VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), the largest distributor and licensor of anime and manga in North America, has announced the very special online simulcast premiere of the new sci-fi anime action series – COPPELION – on VIZAnime.com, the company’s own website for free anime, as well as on the free, ad-supported Hulu and Hulu Plus subscription service (www.hulu.com).

The new program (presented in Japanese with English subtitles) launches in North America on Wednesday, October 2nd, the same day after its debut broadcast in Japan, with a new episode to be available to stream domestically each Wednesday.

COPPELION takes place in the not-so-distant future as a catastrophic event has turned the old capital of Japan into a wasteland, forever changing the lives of its people. Decades later, three schoolgirls set foot into the now forsaken city. They are the Coppelion, genetically engineered humans created by the Japan Ground Self-Defense Forces to operate under the lethal conditions of the contaminated city. Trained since birth, the girls must use all of their skills and resources to carry out their one and only mission: to rescue those left behind.

“COPPELION is one of the most anticipated anime for Fall 2013, and fans won’t want to miss the opportunity to catch the thrilling debut of this lushly animated series this week,” says Charlene Ingram, Senior Marketing Manger, Animation. “Ibara, Aoi and Taeko are a breed of genetically engineered beings known as the Coppelion who embark on often dangerous missions to restore hope and rescue people from the forsaken city. Plenty of action and unique characters are in store as the girls slowly uncover the Old Capital’s dark secrets!”

COPPELION is the animated adaptation of the popular manga series created by Tomonori Inoue that has been ongoing in Japan since 2008 and is currently featured in Monthly Young Magazine. The animated series is produced by GoHands, who also produced the original anime series K, seen domestically on VIZ Media’s VIZAnime and Neon Alley platforms.

For more information on COPPELION and other animated titles from VIZ Media please visit www.VIZAnime.com.

About VIZ Media, LLC
Headquartered in San Francisco, California, VIZ Media distributes, markets and licenses the best anime and manga titles direct from Japan.  Owned by three of Japan's largest manga and animation companies, Shueisha Inc., Shogakukan Inc., and Shogakukan-Shueisha Productions, Co., Ltd., VIZ Media has the most extensive library of anime and manga for English speaking audiences in North America, the United Kingdom, Ireland and South Africa. With its popular digital manga anthology WEEKLY SHONEN JUMP and blockbuster properties like NARUTO, BLEACH and INUYASHA, VIZ Media offers cutting-edge action, romance and family friendly properties for anime, manga, science fiction and fantasy fans of all ages.  VIZ Media properties are available as graphic novels, DVDs, animated television series, feature films, downloadable and streaming video and a variety of consumer products.  Learn more about VIZ Media, anime and manga at www.VIZ.com.

Rock October 2013 with Negromancer

It is October 2013.  Welcome to the website, Negromancer, a side publication of the ComicBookBin (www.comicbookbin.com).  This is the rebirth of the former movie review website as a new movie review and movie news website.

All images and text appearing on this blog are © copyright and/or trademark their respective owners.

Please, donate:

Wanna shop: