Archive for February, 2009
437 – Pineapple Express
Posted by frothy in Pineapple Express on February 24, 2009
As far as adult comedies go, Pineapple Express is a barrel of laughs. Even though it steeps itself in profane drug humor, it has several hysterical moments that, when viewed through a prism of credulity, will have you rolling on the floor with mirth.
First off, this is a buddy film. Guys become friends, one guy does something bad to the other guy, they go their separate ways, they get back together, they save the day. This kind of plot is something you see in most other Judd Apatow films (he produced), not to mention most Kevin Smith films. But certainly we’re not tuning in for meaningful, deep dialog between two stoners, are we? No, we’re here for the gags and the undeniable chemistry between James Franco and Seth Rogen (who cowrote the movie).
I think it’s safe to say that if you’ve liked previous Apatow movies – The 40 Year Old Virgin, Knocked Up – and/or previous Rogen-written movies – Superbad – you’ll appreciate Pineapple Express all the more. Seems to me that Apatow is trying to restore a long-lost genre, that of the R-rated drug comedy; aside from the American Pie films, most comedies are generic, lame PG-13 films that don’t even nudge the envelope. With Apatow and his extended crew, we don’t have to sit through another faceless farce if we don’t want to.
Here’s the threadbare plot. Dale Denton (Rogen) is a process server who inadvertently witnesses a murder while outside the home of an oily bad guy (played well by Gary Cole). In his haste to get the bejeezus out of there, Dale hits two cars, one of which belongs to a cop in on the murder. And now Dale has bad guys on his tail. He rushes to the closest compadre he has – Saul Silver (Franco), his dope dealer. This is not a movie, you might guess, where you’ll hear moralizing about how drugs are bad, mmkay? Watch this enough times and you’ll think pot’s the greatest thing since Oreos. Anyway, that’s how the shenanigans begin, as both Dale and Saul find themselves on the run.
As with most movies, though, this one’s probably better appreciated while blitzed out of one’s mind. You know how in olden days people would drop acid and then go see 2001: A Space Odyssey? It’s sort of like that. Without chemical enhancement, the jokes are hit or miss (but when they hit, they pack a wallop); with it, you’d be giggling through the credits.
But regardless, it’s not the jokes themselves that make this a fun movie to watch, it’s the appeal that Franco and Rogen bring to the screen, not only individually but also as a frantic comic team. In fact, “frantic” describes the film rather well, as Things Happen to our duo as if shot from a Gatling gun. Rushing from absurd situation to absurder situation is part of what makes something funny, after all, and as long as you don’t expect actual logic or adherence to the laws of physics, you’ll find this a scream.
Pineapple Express is, in fact, senseless hilarity, the very textbook example of a dumb comedy that defiantly wraps itself in wacky banter and incorrigible characters.
***
Your Oscars Live Blog Part 5
(I know Oscar’s squishy here. When I get time, I might replace him. You wouldn’t want the original one – even talllller!)
Part 5! Jerry Lewis gets the Hersholt award for being helpful. Sarcasm aside, good for him. Hey, isn’t that the same suit Eddie Murphy wore in Dreamgirls?
And here’s Jerry. Looks pretty good for 82, doesn’t he?
Now we get to hear the Best Song nominees. This should be quick, since they’re lumping them into one medley.
Whenever I hear Alicia Keyes’ name, I think of the Dick Tracy villain 88 Keys.
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE: SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE
And another win for the me! The me is at .500, I believe.
BEST ORIGINAL SONG: SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE (FOR JAI HO)
Whew! Sure, Slumdawg had two chances out of three, but you still gots to pick the song right. Which I did, thankew. 10 out of 19.
Liam Neeson and Frida Pinto are gonna present Best Foreign Film. Be careful, Neeson will look for you, he will find you, and he will kill you. You’ve been warned.
BEST FOREIGN FILM: DEPARTURES
Huge shock! I thought that Waltz with Bashir had this one locked up – at least that’s what the professional reviewers said. Dammit! Sonofa! Stoopit reviewers.
11:10 pm: Queen Latifah gets the task of introducing the Parade of Dead People. Let’s see how many are surprises – you know, like “whoa, that dude died?” or “whoa, that dude was still alive?”
It’s still weird for me to see stars sing live – I always assume they can’t and that their onscreen singing is dubbed.
Huh, Stan Winston died.
Biggest round of applause for the great Paul Newman. He’s already sorely missed.
Good move not to have the Academy prez make a speech.
Okay, here’s Reese Witherspoon doing Best Director.
BEST DIRECTOR: DANNY BOYLE, SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE
Boyle is jumping up and down! Says he’s channelling Tigger for his kids. YAY TIGGER! He does deserve this. I could see Fincher winning instead, but Boyle is a great, deserving pick. Not like Scorcese and his dull Departed – he won purely for his past work, which goes against the spirit of the awards.
Now we’re getting to the final three biggies. Well, the final three, period. Best Actress, Actor, and Picture. Winslet, Rourke, Slumdog, I wager.
Presenting are Nicole Kidman, Sophia Loren, Halle Berry, Shirley MacClaine, and Marion Coutillard. This is good gimmick – I hope they do it next year as well, albeit with different past winners.
BEST ACTRESS: KATE WINSLET
OMGOMGOMGOMGOMG!! Great! FINALLY! She wins! She wins! She wins! Ok, don’t tell anyone but I’m crying for her. She’s the youngest ever to have had six nominations. Jumpin Jesus on a pogo stick, she won! She was absolutely riveting in The Reader. One of the greatest actresses of all time. And thank GOD she’s not holding back like the crappy British press wanted her to.
HOORAY YAY YAYYAY
Holy crap, if Mickey Rourke winds up winning, I’m gonna lose it completely. This is why I watch these alone. It’s like being in a hospital, all sickly and such – you don’t want your loved ones to see you that way! No chance of that here, since it’s just me and the dog.
Presenting for Best Actor are Robert DeNiro, Ben Kingsley, Anthony Hopkins, Adrien Brody, and Michael Douglas. Excellent group.
And a final note about Mickey Rourke: SEE THIS MOVIE. Please. Thanks.
BEST ACTOR: SEAN PENN
A little bit of a surprise, since Penn won recently for Mystic River. But good for him – his Harvey Milk was accessible and beautiful. Milk itself is an outstanding film.
“You homo commie-loving sons of guns!” he calls everyone. Heh. Scribbled down his I-must-thank people on a piece of paper, since he didn’t expect to win. Good selection. This was a tough race, in my opinion. Milk was awesome, as were Benjamin Button and The Wrestler.
He’s referring to signs of hatred coming to the theater tonight. Is talking about gay rights a little – good for him. Wish the movie had come out earlier, though. Gives thanks to Mickey Rourke. Great job.
Looks like Steven Spielberg is doing Best Picture. Montages now combining the nominees with past winners. Well edited.
BEST PICTURE: SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE
Again, not a surprise. Incredible movie. Moving, at times funny, inspiring, and absolutely tremendous story, expertly told by Danny Boyle. Beautiful.
So hey! Not too bad after all! I wind up with 13 out of 24. How about you guys?
Your Oscars Live Blog Part 4
Why no homage to Rocky Horror among those musicals, eh?
10:02 pm: Ok, we’re back. I’m smelling major award here. I see Best Supporting Actors past in a montage. Presenting for Best Supporting Actor are Chris Walken, Kevin Kline, Cuba Gooding Jr., Joel Grey, and Alan Arkin! Nice lineup. This shouldn’t be a surprise. If it ain’t Ledger, there’ll be a huge uproar. HUUUUUGEEEE. Like my belly!
Hey, do you think Robert Downey, Jr. is/was related to Morton Downey, Jr.?
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: HEATH LEDGER
Not a shock at all, but HOORAY! His family’s gonna accept for him. Highly emotional moment. His dad’s giving the acceptance speech – I think that’s his mom and sister there.
The man was taken way before his time and was one of the greatest actors of his generation. Now his mom’s talking. I think they’re gonna give them more time than usual, owing to the unusual circumstances. Thank god. Quick shot of Anne Hathaway, who costarred with him in Brokeback Mountain. Now his sister is talking as well.
Beautiful. Well done, Academy
10:12 pm: Looks like we’re gonna do Best Documentary next. There are a couple of good choices here, but my money’s on Man on Wire – which I actually saw – and which was freaking incredible. Bill Maher is presenting.
BEST DOCUMENTARY: MAN ON WIRE
If you haven’t seen this one… O M Goodness, please do. Incredible movie. Beautiful, and it’s positioned as a crime caper. Oh look! Phillipe Petit, the man who was on the wire! Petit balances the Oscar on his nose!!
BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT SUBJECT: SMILE PINKI
Nailed this one too! Whew, I’m making a comeback! Huzzah! Six right, seven wrong, unless I miscounted.
Next up, Will Smith presenting for Best Visual Effects, talking up action movies. Says he likes movies with fans. Heh.
BEST VISUAL EFFECTS: BENJAMIN BUTTON
Huzzah! Another win for the me. Great movie, by the by, in case you hadn’t heard. It’s 2.5 hours long, almost, but it’s so totally worth it. So fast it feels like 90 minutes.
BEST SOUND EDITING: THE DARK KNIGHT
Holy crap! I could actually wind up doing well tonight! TDK so real!
BEST SOUND MIXING: SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE
Ok, so my streak endeth. How can you pick one for editing and not for mixing? Feh! Eight right, eight wrong.
Still Will Smith up there as we move to Film Editing. I went off the reservation with this one: Frost/Nixon.
BEST FILM EDITING: SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE
Oopsie. Well. Maybe this means they won’t win Best Picture.
Let’s go to Part 5!
Your Oscars Live Blog Part 3
We’re back! Hugh’s talking, shh. Time for set design. Presenting are Sarah Jessica Parker and Daniel Craig. Bond and Carrie Bradshaw. She looks a lot tougher.
BEST ART DIRECTION: THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
Dammit! Got another one wrong. I had TDK. This’ll be a long night. Dammit!
BEST COSTUME DESIGN: THE DUCHESS
What the holy hell is going on here? Oh, I get it. If it’s a higher-upper-class movie, it HAS to win Best Costume Design, just has to. This is insane. You’re witnessing insanity. “It’s unbelievable,” says the recipient. I totally agree. Grrrrrrrr. Two right, five wrong. This should have gone to Button, hands down.
Why is the band playing while Parker and Craig are talking? It’s very distracting. Cut it out!
BEST MAKEUP: THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
Yes! Got it! NAILED IT! WOOO BENJAMIN BUTTON!!!! Three right!
Ok, now we have the dude from Twilight and the chick from Mamma Mia. I don’t know them, but the dude has his brooding meter set on overdrive. Oh, it’s an ode to romantic movies. Ah, see, this is where Hollywood confuses flirting and sexual tension with romance. Some of these are romantic, but Vicky Cristina wasn’t one of them. That was one thoroughly idiotic movie.
Next up, it’s Best Cinematographer, presented by Natalie Portman and Ben Stiller. Ben has a thick beard on for some reason. A fake beard, I should note. Oh, it’s a dig at Joaquin Phoenix! I get it. It’s sort of falling flat, but it’s inspired. No, you know what, he’s winning this. Stiller is wandering around aimlessly.
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY: SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE
Now, bear in mind I’ve SEEN a lot of these, and I am getting most of these awards wrong. I have one-third right. That’s horrid. I should have gotten this one right – Slumdog did have great cinematography.
Seth Rogen and James Franco are laughing at dramas, but it’s so cool because they’re stoners. And now they’re, like, gonna present something.
BEST SHORT FILM – LIVE ACTION: SPIELZEUGLAND (TOYLAND)
Three for ten now.
9:51 pm: Ok, after a commercial – Hugh’s back talking about how well Mamma Mia did. It sold more tickets than Titanic in the UK, apparently. And it’s another musical number. This could have been cut, considering they’re going to mash up all three nominated songs into one stupid song.
Who is that performing with Jackman? Well, if it’s someone I should know, we’ll know soon. Yeah, this is way too long, considering it’s just a medley of songs that refuses to let you get into the rhythm before it switches to another song. Bah.
The musical is back? On what evidence? Chicago didn’t bring it back, and neither will Mamma Mia.
OMG that was Beyonce! Of course. Plus the kids from HSM, aka Jail Bait. But Beyonce ROCKED. Still, let’s cut this next year.
Let’s do Part 4!
Your Oscars Live Blog Part 2
8:31 pm: And we have Hugh! Good self-deprecation about his movie Australia. Now he’s singing! Good voice on Wolverine. In fact, excellent opening number conflating all the big nominated films.
8:35 pm: Now he’s carrying off Anne Hathaway! Good Nixon/Frost reference. Beautiful number. Clever, too.
8:37 pm: Jackman reminds me of Jim Carrey, he’s so rubber faced. “I ironed my men/ And Frosted my Nixon!”
8:38 pm: Eight minutes in, and Jackman gets a standing O. “I ammmmmmmmmmm WOLVERINE!”
8:41 pm: The first snafu – the curtains don’t open.
8:43 pm: Five past Supporting Actress winners – Swinton, Hawn, Saint, Goldberg, and Huston present. Now I want Marisa Tomei to win, but I’ve officially picked Penelope Cruz. Go Marisa!
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: PENELOPE CRUZ
She’s overcome. “Has anybody ever fainted?” I love how spontaneous and excited people get at these. She’s the first Spanish-born actress to be nominated for Best Actress. Great speech, too. Emotional but controlled.
8:53 pm: It’s Steve Martin and Tina Fey presenting now. Tina looks odd without her awesome glasses. Ooh, there’s Sophia Loren in the audience.
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY: MILK
Ok, so I’m 1 for 2 now. I thought they might toss it WALL-E’s way, since it wasn’t getting Best Picture. Oops.
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY: SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE
Ok, so now I’m 1 for 3. Eep. Now we have Jennifer Aniston and Jack Black presenting. Good Pixar joke by Black. Aniston looks hot.
BEST ANIMATED FEATURE: WALL-E
This isn’t even remotely shocking. So, yay! Now I’m 2 for 4.
BEST ANIMATED SHORT FILM: LA MAISON EN PETITES CUBES
What the hell? I thought Presto, shown before WALL-E, had this in the bag. Aw, man. 2 for 5.
Ok, let’s do Part 3!
Your Oscars Live Blog Part 1
We’re live blogging the awards, for no reason other than self amusement! Chime in if you want, in the comments.
Ok, we’re about to get started. Now we’ll get to the good stuff. Typically, one Big Award will be… uh.. awarded first, and then we’ll move into other things. Well, after Jackman’s intro. Remember when Billy Crystal hosted? Those were entrances. “Those lips, those eyes, it’s… The Crying Game!” Classic.
8:01 pm: Wait, what’s this? The Red Carpet? Isn’t the show supposed to be on now? Hi Kate! Hi Josh! Ah, the banality of Hollywood. This is a part best seen, not heard.
8:04 pm: Why is Sarah Jessica Parker here? Well, she doesn’t look terrible. I had heard, actually, that the Academy wanted to restrict the red-carpet people to the nominees. OOooh there’s Angie! Hi Angie!
8:06 pm: I think they should classify the Oscars with Roman numerals instead of ordinal ones. Welcome to Oscars LXXXI!
8:09 pm: As they interview designer Valentino on the red carpet, let me note this little paradox. Typically, this is a fairly staid ceremony. Everyone’s in formal wear, and exuberance is rare. (Yay, a rhyme!) But if you go up there and don’t seem thrilled, you look bad, so there’s a fine line the recipient has to walk. You could Benigni it all up. Or you could be as brief as Joe Pesci, who just said thanks and walked off.
8:11 pm: When I see Mickey Rourke on the red carpet, I can’t help but think he’s going to launch into some wrestling tirade, like “Lemme tell you something, Tim Gunn, these 54 inch pythons are gonna rain down on you like rain!”
8:13 pm: Viola Davis doesn’t deserve to be here. Well, not to have been nominated. She’s in the movie five minutes and had the easiest task – all she had to do was deny everything Meryl Streep said. So not worth a nomination.
I’m finally catching on… the show probably doesn’t start until 8:30, does it? The Oscars site itself says 8, but they obviously mean that this hedonistic red carpet crap is part of the show. It’s not, people, it’s not. This blows.
8:20 pm: Ah, the PriceWatterhouse guys. That could have been me, were I an accountant with PriceWatterhouse.
8:22 pm: Penelope Cruz looks like about 20 years old there. Nice dress.
8:22 pm: I’m glad to see Richard Jenkins here, too. Guy’s been in a metric ton of movies and is always good, and finally he gets some recognition. Still, I hope he loses.
8:24 pm: Tim Gunn just said that he likes to see Marisa Tomei with her clothes on (talking about how she’s almost always naked in The Wrestler). Is Tim Gunn gay, perhaps? Tomei looks awesome with her clothes off. Just saying. In fact, I hope she strips onstage if she wins. That’d be a moment to remember.
You know, Robin Roberts doesn’t look at all like I’d pictured a Hall of Fame baseball pitcher to look.
On to Part 2 when the show really begins!
My complete 2009 Oscars ballot
I know, you’re dying to know how I think “Best Animated Feature” is going to shake out. So here’s alla them. Note that these are the ones I’m picking to win, not the ones I think are the bestest.
Picture: Slumdog (I don’t agree with it, but I think it’ll win)
Director: Danny Boyle, Slumdog
Actor: Mickey Rourke, The Wrestler
Actress: Kate Winslet, The Reader
Supporting Actor: Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight
Supporting Actress: Penelope Cruz, Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Original Screenplay: Wall-E
Adapted Screenplay: Doubt
Foreign-Language Film: Waltz with Bashir
Animated Feature: Wall-E
Original Score: Slumdog
Original Song: Slumdog
Art Direction: The Dark Knight
Cinematography: The Dark Knight
Costume Design: Benjamin Button
Makeup: Benjamin Button
Documentary Feature: Man on Wire
Sound Mixing: The Dark Knight
Sound Editing: The Dark Knight
Visual Effects: Benjamin Button
Film Editing: Frost/Nixon
Short Film, Animated: Presto
Short Film, Live Action: The Pig
Documentary Short Subject: Smile Pinki
Sure are a lot of awards going to TDK, Slumdog, and Button. I expect the show itself to be long. Things to look for: the march of the dead-people names (will they mention Ledger again?). Wild gowns. Stammering speeches. How well will Hugh Jackman do?
18 hours and counting …
All right, we’re getting closer to The Day of Reckoning. Which of these classic and not-really-classic movies will take home the gold? You know, maybe they should have silver and bronze statues, too, for the runners up.
Here are some links to get you through the next almost-day:
6 Odd Moments in Oscar History (from mental_floss)
Rotten Tomatoes predicts the winners
Frothy Ruminations’ own Oscar Polls
A look back at the 1927 awards (from Daily Plastic)
Did you guys hear the news about Kate Winslet and her Golden Globes? I mean her acceptance speech. She was bawling, she was stammering, she acted (heh) as if she hadn’t expected to win. Girl got absolutely raked over the coals by the British press, which likes its stars to be completely repressed and unemotional. Which is absurd. You win an award, you should be happy. You don’t have to be Roberto Benigni happy – but then again, he’s Italian. Okay, you don’t have to be Tom Cruise jumping-on-a-couch happy, either. Or Sally Field happy. But you should be emotional. You should let those feelings show! For a lot of winners, it’s the only chance they get to shine, since most don’t win more than one. For golly’s sake, some don’t even have much of a career post-Oscar.
I hope Winslet wins, just so we can check out her acceptance speech. She reportedly did much better at the BAFTAs and the SAG awards. Hey, she’s a pro. But I also want her to win because she never has, despite a buttload of great performances.
Live-blogging the Oscars!
Yes, you read right. For the three or four people who read this blog, this will be quite the treat! I’m so magnanimous and humble, I can’t stand it!
I’m not sure how the cool kids do this, but here’s what Ima do. Periodically, I’ll type up a few thoughts and post them. Then I’ll edit the post and add some more. And so on, throughout the Oscars telecast on Sunday night. It’ll be a hoot.
You can follow along by refreshing the page forty-brazillian times. You can also post your own comments, all three or four of you. It’ll be fun, fun, fun!
The telecast begins 8 pm Eastern on Sunday. Be there or don’t!
-
You are currently browsing the archives for February, 2009
People Had This to Say