This Is the End

Tali: This Is The End is the latest comedy from writer/direct/star Seth Rogan (and his writing pal Evan Goldberg) about a group of celebrities trapped together in a house while the world is on the brink of Apocalypse. Playing hilarious fictionalized versions of themselves, these guys definitely know how to make an audience laugh - I was literally in stitches from the first "buddy" scene, where Jay and Seth unwind after his flight. I laughed from the beginning to the end - it is certainly one of the best comedies I have seen in a long time and I would recommend it to most people. Michael Cera steals every scene he is in, leading you to instantly think "sippy time" whenever you reach for a juicebox.

Leo: This movie was exactly what this comedic group of friends needed after various duds (ie. green hornet, oz, etc) throughout the years after their early on successes. They realized that THEY are funny more so then they are able to write clever jokes. The hilarious physical comedy with the hilarious banter within the group of friends was just, well, hilarious. I hate Michael Cera because he plays that same stupid character every movie but in the short while he was in this movie it was amazing. The Exorcism of Jonah Hill and the Pinapple Express 2 were brilliantly terrible and I laughed throughout the whole movie. I gotta go, though, it's sippy time.

(500) Days of Summer

Tali: 500 Days of Summer is the indie comedy starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel that has melted and warmed the hearts of lovey-dovey girls and mildly impressed boys everywhere. It tells the story of Tom, a greeting card writer (is there a sweeter job?) who instantly falls head over heels over Manic Pixie Dream Girl Summer, and the non-linear story that follows showcases the ins and outs, ups and downs of their relationship. I obviously fell in love with this film because of its simplistic nature, it's not-so-perfect take on love, the indie soundtrack, the one-liners from the incredible roaster of off-beat supporting characters. An overall pretty great rom-com that sets itself apart from the crowd and makes itself a worthy watch.

Leo: To preface, I almost always hate rom-coms(or "chick flicks"). There is no avoiding the fact that this was one. However, this was not that bad. This movie kept my interest in many ways that most rom-coms did not. The style of the movie (non-linear) was really interesting and actually made me think. I obviously kept track of what happened on what day and the order in which they happened and that somehow made me more invested in the story. Another aspect that kept me engaged is that Tom (Joseph G-L) is a very likeable character. He is easy to relate to, and its very hard to root against him. Zooey Deschanel was a perfect cast as Summer because she has that "pretty" look that just screams "Date me!" as opposed to just a physical feeling. I think I hate her for playing such a convincing terrible person. The movie was surprisingly depressing even though it had an excellent supporting cast and Mathew Gray Gubler's preference of a "Bodacious Rack". The fact that he met "Autumn" helped a little bit, but not enough. Still, was a pretty worthwhile watch if you have to watch a rom-com.

Fight Club

Tali: Fight Club tells the story of 'the everyman' (played by Edward Norton), his meeting up with Tyler Durden (Brad Pitt) and their founding of a fight club. I had long avoided this movie for years because the big punch line was spoiled for me. I can honestly say that I wished I had avoided this film longer or entirely. The underlying narrative of the film, about the complexities of masculinity, the feminization of men in society and the pervasiveness of consumerism all left me incredible uncomfortable and at a lot of moments completely disgusted. I have a very little (to no) tolerance for the "Men's Rights"/sympathies which I found was something that the film was trying to illicit. Not to mention a lot of the fight scenes were pretty gruesome and hard to watch. Overall I was extremely disappointed.

Leo: I had picked this movie to show Tali as a "safe" option instead of "Once upon a time in Mexico" because it is more critically acclaimed and she never really "liked" watching Desperado (except for a few parts) when it was on TV. I guess it was a mistake..... Onto my review. I absolutely love this movie - it opened my eyes to so many things when I originally watched it (I was no more than 13 years old). It was depressing as well as inspiring at the same time and I feel it somewhat influenced my cynicism in my teen years because if its powerful anti-corporate/government/bureaucracy messages. Even though there is a huge plot twist that I know (from having seen this movie upwards of 6 times before) I still enjoy the subtleties that Fincher throws in such as the splicing of pictures and various references and clues to the plot that are essentially unnoticeable if you haven't seen the movie before. This was one of my favourite movies, but I should definitely start following the rules and stop talking about it (especially with Tali :P). 

Spring Movie Round-Up

We have been watching all kinds of movies over the last few months, but forgot to share our thoughts, opinions and profound wisdom with our readings (whoever and wherever you are). Behold, we have compiled nine sets of reviews for you to look at, examine and reflect upon at your earliest convenience.

Click "Read more" at the bottom of this post to move on to the reviews. And now, onto the reviews!!!