This is the End

Expectations:
Aside from Elysium, which comes out in August, there is no summer movie that I was looking forward to more than This is the End. The idea of an entire comedy in which the actors play themselves is just fantastic. Add to that the overused theme of 2013 (the end of the world), and you have me hooked. Jonah Hill and Seth Rogan have each graced my Above Average Awards over the past two years, and, when you team them up with the rest of the crazy gang that this film contains, hilarity is sure to ensue... Right? I certainly hoped so. Most people were pumped for Man of Steel this week, but I couldn't wait for This is the End.

Plot:
As expected, the plot surrounding This is the End was completely over the top and hilariously ridiculous. But, it was just right! Throughout the film, I was wondering when I was going to stop laughing and when the plot was going to take a stupid turn, but it never did. Although he did a great job acting in This is the End, Seth Rogen did an even better job creating this story and directing the film, alongside Evan Goldberg. I really felt like these guys would be just as hilarious if they were hanging out with me during an actual apocalypse. The scene in which we are introduced to some version of these actors own selves was absolutely hilarious, and I loved the use of the various comedic actors who weren't present for the entire film. This is the End was a typical apocalypse film with added hilarity and a ridiculously funny conclusion.

Characters:
With a plot that was expected to be way over the top, I was counting on the greatness of This is the End's comedic actors to carry the film. When the plot turned out to be good, it was an amazing added bonus to have such a great cast as well. There were really very few negatives, as far as casting and characters are concerned, but here we go...

Negatives:
If you know me well, you know my feelings toward Emma Watson. She is one of God's great creations, and I think most would agree. However, her role in This is the End just didn't fit. Every single male character in the film had done some sort of extremely comedic acting at some point in their careers, but the female characters, regardless of their insignificance, were just not funny. Mindy Kaling fit in with the guys, but Rihanna and Emma Watson did not. I would have rather seen Sarah Silverman or Emma Stone show up and provide some laughs. Sure, the focus of the film was on the male characters, which was great, but, it wouldn't have hurt anything to have an actress stick around for more than five minutes.

Positives:
Where do I start?... The entire male ensemble was absolutely great, as these guys just fit together so well, providing laugh after laugh. Jonah Hill lead the way, in my opinion, as he played a very unrealistic and hilarious version of himself, who was very gentle and kind and wanted everyone to love him. Hill has quickly become one of my favorite actors, and I expect him to continue his greatness in the future. Danny McBride, who I usually don't care for, also did a fantastic job in This is the End. He stuck around for just the right amount of time to avoid being annoying, and he cracked me up. Next, Craig Robinson, who I loved in The Office, was a nice addition to Seth Rogen's comedic crew, who usually stick together. Hopefully we will see Robinson in future films with Rogen and crew, as he now has his freedom from The Office. Finally, the character that everyone is talking about........Michael Cera. I'm sure you've seen him in the trailers, but I will avoid ruining anything about his role in the film. Just let me be the 10,000th person to say that he was hilarious.

Conclusion:
This is the End blew my expectations out of the water in a very, very good way! As I said, those expectations were very high, so I am super-pleased with what Rogen and crew were able to accomplish. The only real negative that I found with This is the End is that there was very little room left for a sequel. I didn't realize how funny all of these actors could be, but they were funny enough to entice me to the theater to watch their film twice in one week, so kudos to them. If you like any of the actors in the film, go watch This is the End! If you enjoy laughter of any kind, go watch This is the End! If you have any free time over the next few weeks, go watch This is the End! You will not regret it! So, there it is... Go watch This is the End! I give This is the End 4.45 out of 5 stars. Go watch it!

30 Minutes or Less

Expectations:
The summer of 2011 was full of mediocre comedies and included a few great laughs like Horrible Bosses and The Hangover: Part II. While I do love Jesse Eisenberg, my expectations for 30 Minutes or Less leaned more towards the mediocre side. The previews were certainly funny, but it seemed that those may be the only funny parts. My expectations were really lowered when I found out that this film was derived from true events. It was such a good idea, but knowing that it wasn't an original idea really made it seem less funny for some reason. Also, the guy in the true story died, which is pretty rough and not funny.

Plot:
As the previews show, a pizza delivery guy, Nick (Jesse Eisenberg), is kidnapped and has a bomb strapped to him. The kidnapper, Dwayne (Danny McBride), needs $100,000 to hire someone to kill his dad, so he can have his inheritance. They decide to rob a bank, using a kidnapped pizza boy. I won't reveal the rest of the plot, but I will tell you one thing that really pissed me off. The pizza boy is given something like nine hours to rob the bank. I don't know about you, but I wanted to see him do it in thirty minutes. Maybe that really isn't important, but I think they should have focused more on the pizza side of things than they did. The title is 30 MINUTES OR LESS, they could've thrown a few pizza jokes in there somehow. Overall, the plot was rather predictable and simple, but there were plenty of laughs along the way.

Characters:
Jesse Eisenberg was his usually great self, which made me want to see more of him and much less of Danny McBride. Don't get me wrong, McBride was very very funny, but I thought the movie should have focused almost totally on the delivery guy. Nick's friendship with Chet (Aziz Ansari) was actually very intriguing. They had stabbed each other in the back a few times in the past, which provided many laughs. Eisenberg is very good at making you care about his character, which makes this friendship seem very personal in just an hour and a half of watching. You really feel like these two are true friends.

Best Character: Chango, played by Michael Pena, is the man who Dwayne is going to hire to kill his dad. He is, by far, the funniest character in the movie, and Pena really does a great job playing the role. Also, Chango provides the only real plot twist, which is an added bonus.

Worst Character: Travis, played by Nick Swardson, was Dwayne's best friend and fellow kidnapper. Personally, I thought he was absolutely unnecessary. Swardson is very very funny, but he really distracted from the focus of the film.

Conclusion:
30 Minutes or Less definitely falls into the mediocre comedy category. There were many laughs and a funny storyline, but I don't think there was ever too much potential with this film. The cast was full of great, funny comedic actors and, of course, the great Eisenberg. Aziz Ansari really surprised me, because I usually don't find him very funny. The entire cast really gelled well together, and I think the problem may have been that there were too many great actors. I wanted the movie to focus on each of them a bit more, but that just couldn't really happen. I'm still bitter about the fact that the pizza had very little to do with the movie, but I will get over it. I give 30 Minutes or Less 2.32 out of 5 stars.