Friday, July 12, 2013

Heath goes to the Movies "This is the End" by Heath Chase

I for one have felt that in the past decade, comedies have lost a lot of their charm. Don’t get me wrong, there have been some gems in between, but I have always been a fan of nineties comedies where Jim Carrey was at the top of his game and Austin Powers arose with his comedic genius. But now I am very happy to announce is that I have found another one of those gems. This Is The End had me clutching my stomach from its hilarious script and performances and never have I been so surprised from a film before, I literally went into this one with zero expectations. 
   
Have you ever wondered what your favorite actor would be doing in an apocalypse? If so you are going to love this movie, and if not, you are still going to love this movie. Every actor you see in this film plays an exaggerated version of themselves, and this alone creates massive amounts of potential for comedy and the movie doesn’t waste any of it. Our main focus is on actors Seth Rogen and Jay Baruchel, who then go to a jamming homecoming party at James Franco’s house. Once there, they find other famous actors like Jonah Hill, Craig Robinson, Danny McBride, and many, many others. The first fifteen minutes or so feature such an extended array of cameo appearances that your head might spin a little.  Things go from funny, to outright hilarity when all of these famous people begin to be picked off left and right when an apocalypse strikes, leaving our main six protagonists to survive and hold down the fort.


This film had me laughing with every single intended joke, something that I don’t think has ever happened before, that may be the reason I saw it twice in just a couple of days. If I had to pick someone who stole the show I would have to say it was Danny McBride, everything that comes from his mouth is awkward and simply funny. Heck, I even laughed at him when he wasn’t saying anything at all. If you too have lost a connection with comedy films these days, look no further, go and see This Is The End.

Monday, July 8, 2013

Heath goes to the Movies "World War Z" by Heath Chase

World War Z is the newest break into the zombie film genre and since its first trailer nearly a year ago, it was quickly ripped apart and praised at the same time for its unique visual take on the genre. With World War Z finally here, I can say that it is not exactly how I thought it was going to be, for this is a heavily action driven film and is unlike many zombie predecessors, it definitely brings something new to the table, but that didn’t keep me from nodding off.

World War Z stars Brad Pitt as a former government official who is laying back and accepting an average life with his two daughters and beautiful wife. But when a monstrous outbreak of infected zombies attacks the greater population of the world, he is forced back into his leadership role and takes on a dangerous assignment in hopes of finding a cure.


I have not read the original novel by the same name written by Max Brooks, so I cannot compare the two, although I have heard that there are no direct similarities between the two. When I say this movie starts fast, I mean it. There are literally three to four minutes of getting to know our main cast before they are thrown into the middle of the horrific zombie plague which can be a good thing for some, but for me I simply wanted a little more time looking into the lives of these people before I see them at their darkest moments. With that said, the film did not fail in any way at showing how fast things would go downhill in the midst of this rampant infection. Chaos is strewn throughout this film. On the other hand, when there is no chaos, the slower scenes of the film do not do it any justice, and stale writing makes the films two hour mark drag longer than I would hope.


All in all the film was exciting and visually delightful; watching zombies climb and shuffle into human pyramids to scale the Jerusalem wall never gets old. The film is a good time, especially in a full crowd so you can share the “oohs and ahhs” with others around you, just make sure they’re not infected…