This is the End

This is going to be a hard review to write. I don't want to overplay it, because if I do, it might give you guys an unfair expectation of this movie. While it's hard to say this is the funniest movie I've ever seen, because comedies lose their laughter with each time you see it, I will say that this is the funniest movie I've ever reviewed. It is also the first movie in a long time that made me laugh so hard I cried... for a good two minutes.

In this apocalyptic comedy, several actors play themselves or at least the versions of themselves that TMZ might have you believe (Michael Cera). Afraid to go outside after the world falls apart, they try to keep the last bit of their civilized lives in tact while seeking refuge in James Franco's house. There, they try to figure out what the hell is going on and try to keep their friendships together.

After a slow opening with some awkward jokes, this movie takes off into the hilarity that one would expect from the trailer. It is filled with references from their own work and the actors do not hold back when poking fun at themselves. Which is always refreshing to see.

There is a lot of screaming, hand-holding and hugging. It's kind of cute.

Craig Robinson is definitely the funniest part of this movie. Rarely was there a line of his that didn't make me at least chuckle. He is the person that made me laugh so hard that I didn't stop for about two minutes and eventually started crying.

The great part about this movie is that given all of the actors in it, you just know so much of this was improvised. I'm curious to see exactly what was and wasn't improvised if they talk about it on the special features when it's released on Blu-Ray.

"This is the End" is definitely the funniest movie of the year thus far, and the funniest movie I've seen in a very long time. I can;t wait to see it again to pick up jokes I might have missed while laughing the first time around. Go see it.

There is a little gift to people who remember the late 90s before the credits.

My Grade: A

Oz The Great and Powerful

In my opinion, after "Spiderman 2" Sam Raimi has had no place behind the camera. "Spiderman 3" was horrendous. I didn't even bother with "Drag Me to Hell". His ego got the best of him, and it became extremely apparent. Remember the dancing scene in "Spiderman 3"? Need I say more?

Because of this, I had no interest what-so-ever to see "Oz: The Great and Powerful". But once again, my fiancée came to the rescue and dragged me to see it. Not really. We had a private screening at her theatre.

Ugh, just watching that trailer makes me cringe. For those of you who don't know, "Oz: The Great and Powerful" is the adaptation for the nonexistent prequel to "The Wizard of Oz" book series. Already, that raises a butt-load of red flags for me. Not only is this based off of a book series, but it is also a made up chapter of said series that has 13 other books they could have adapted. Now I'm not saying that this is all Sam Raimi's fault, but it is.

Some men just want to watch the world burn.

"Oz: The Great and Powerful" feels like one of those movies that was made just to make money. With no care to the audience at all. Much like "Spiderman 3". They knew they could make a lot of money with a prequel to one of the most revolutionary movies in the world, but didn't have the time or passion to make it worth the audience's while. For shame, Mr. Raimi. For Shame.

For my next movie, I'm going to make up a 

prequel to the Big Bang! No, not the TV Show.

The day I no longer get to see movies for free, is the day I stop seeing Sam Raimi movies. He's gotten so terrible. He should stick to making movies where women get beat up by ghosts and demons. And even then he should just stop.

My Grade: C-