Movie Review: Paprika by JR

Paprika, the new anime film by Satoshi Kon (Perfect Blue, Tokyo Godfathers), is every bit as meserizing as you have heard. It follows the story of the DC Mini, a device created to allow people to see what others are dreaming, and the people involved with it. I’m going to try to keep the description as vague as possible so as not to give away any spoilers.

I am a newcomer to the whole anime genre. I had seen “Perfect Blue” a few years ago, and really enjoyed it, but it was only this year that I finally saw “Akira” and “Ghost In the Shell” and my appreciation for anime began to grow. When I first saw a trailer for “Paprika”, I was, as I said before, mesmerized. I couldn’t take my eyes off, I wanted more. My biggest complaint about anime before “Paprika” was that it was so difficult to understand. Usually the films took more than one viewing to fully grasp what had just happened. While that’s entertaining occasionally, in my experience that had been the case for every anime. To me, they were an acquired taste, like Miike movies, and I was going to try to acquire that taste. “Paprika” helped give me the push into anime that I needed. It’s plot is complicated enough to keep it interesting, but it’s simple enough to understand in one viewing. However, this is a film that stays with you long after you’ve seen it, revealing more of itself to you day by day.

The animation in this film is none less than phenomenal. From the breathtaking opening scene, in which Paprika bounces throughout a city scene, popping in and out of billboards, transforming into the people around her, to the climactic ending, the audience is held in the spell of the visual beauty of this film. The soundtrack adds the perfect compliment to the visuals. Susumu Hirasawa, using keyboards and various electronic instruments along with vocals, composed the score, and it’s entirely infectious. The song that is heard in the trailer is the song that is played during that breathtaking opening sequence, and I’ve had it stuck in my head ever since I saw it. One of the songs from the soundtrack can be downloaded for free by clicking here. Lucky for us, Susumu Hirasawa is a free music advocate.

The characters are also a lot of fun to explore. Because we get to see their dreams, fantasies, and fears, the audience gets to see all facets of every character. It never becomes too confusing either. I wish I could tell you more about my favorite parts, but it would give away too much. If it were me, I wouldn’t want anyone to spoil this lovely film.

Several questions have been asked as to the nature of the “R” rating. Animation too often throws people off. How bad can it really be? Well, “Paprika” really isn’t terrible. There’s no blood, no gore, but there are plenty of suggestive visuals. If a child were to watch this film, they probably wouldn’t get half if not all of what the visuals are supposed to suggest, but still they should probably not see it. The storyline alone is too confusing for a child let alone the average teenager, so the R rating is justified, especially coupled with the visuals.

I understand that “Paprika” is currently undergoing a very limited release, which is unfortunate. This film deserves to be taken in on a big screen with an audience.

Movie Review: D.O.A. by ME

Title: D.O.A.
Starring: Natassia Malthe, Jaime Pressly, Devon Aoki, Brian J. White, Holly Valance
Directed By: Corey Yuen
Produced By: Andreas Schmid, Daniel Kletzky, Steve Chasman
Genre: Action/Adventure and Adaptation
Release Date: June 15th, 2007
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for pervasive martial arts and action violence, some sexuality and nudity.
Distributors: Dimension Films

D.O.A.'s plot goes something like this: Four beautiful women must stop the bad guy while also winning a fighting tournament. Plus, each character has their own little subplot to flesh things out. Hey, it's based on a video game, what do you want from me?

D.O.A. is pure dumb entertainment. You already know this if you have ever played any of the games that this movie is based on. Both movie and games are filled with sexy women in skimpy outfits beating the crap out of guys as well as each other. Definitely geared for young male gamers, D.O.A. is almost the perfect video game adaptation. With a ludicrous plot, not so great acting and cheesy characters you would expect a movie like this to be a train wreck. Which it is, don't get me wrong, but it's a really fun train wreck. Some of the things that hurt the film also help, if you are a fan of the game, that is. Each character is almost exactly the way they are in the game. So if you are wondering why there are some outlandish characters such as Zack, blame the game. Great fight scenes. Are they over the top? Of course, but when it's Jaime Pressly, Holly Valance, Sarah Carter, Devon Aoki and Natassia Malthe doing it, who cares? And what makes them so good is that the fight choreographer is none other than Corey Yuen, who directs this as well. He is mostly known as the director of the first Transporter film and the martial arts choreographer for the sequel.

Jaime Pressly, as Tina Armstrong, is the best thing in the movie. Imagine her character from My Name Is Earl, but with martial arts and wrestling skills. Funny, sexy and an ass kicker to boot, she rocks. The other stand out in the bevy of beauties that make up most of the cast is Sarah Carter as Helena. Game fans may be disappointed in the treatment of her character as she is nothing like her game counterpart but she is a key player in the plot and cute and spunky. Slightly more serious and just as beautiful is Holly Valance, who is also a popular pop singer overseas, as Christie, the thief who is after a cool 10 mil. Devon Aoki, who we last saw in Sin City, is the weakest of the bunch. Just a little wooden in her performance which could just be a part of her character.

After that, there really isn't much to be said about D.O.A.. It's a rather faithful adaptation of a popular fighting game that is just as ridiculous as the game. If exotic locations, beautiful women, bad one liners, and great ass kicking is your cup of tea, then D.O.A. is just the movie for you. Now I am sure that this movie will disappear from the marquee very quickly, so if you have any interest, you better go see it soon.

Oh, yea, there is even a volleyball scene taken right from Dead Or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball, so if that isn't an incentive guys, I don't know what is.

Keep reading,

Mitch E
mitchemerson@hotmail.com

Movie Review: You Kill Me by ME

Title: You Kill Me
Starring: Ben Kingsley, Téa Leoni, Luke Wilson, Dennis Farina, Philip Baker Hall
Directed By: John Dahl
Produced By: Téa Leoni, Jonathan Dana, Al Corley
Genre: Comedy and Thriller
Release Date: June 22nd, 2007
MPAA Rating: R for language and some violence.
Distributors: IFC Films

Ben Kingsley proves once again why he's an Oscar winner in the slightly off kilter darkish comedy You Kill Me. Kingsley plays Frank, a hitman for the Polish mob in Buffalo. Problem is, he's an alcoholic. His problem causes him to botch one too many jobs so boss Roman Krzeminski (Phillip Baker Hall) sends him to San Francisco to clean up. While there, he meets Laurel (Téa Leoni) and falls for her. In the meantime, things aren't Kosher back in Buffalo as an Irish gang, led by Edward O'Leary (Dennis Farina), is trying to take over the family business. Frank has to get back and do some “cleaning up” of his own.

I love films that catch you off guard. And a movie about a hitman that makes you feel for him certainly qualifies. What really made it work for me were the quick witted quips that Leoni and Kingsley keep firing at each other throughout. Even though there is an age difference between the two, somehow it is believable. They just work well together. So, it is safe to say that those two hit it out of the park with this one. Bill Pullman takes a turn as a slightly weaselly real estate agent who is supposed to keep tabs on Frank. The small part suits him and I believe that he is a little bit better than most people give him credit for. Luke Wilson pops in as Franks AA Sponsor and basically plays himself. No big stretch there. And I just have to mention Dennis Farina. Anytime you need a mob guy or a cop, this is the guy to call. Which is kind of weird if you think about it, that he can play both equally well.

Some may liken this to Grosse Pointe Blank, but I think that Grosse Pointe Blank tried a little too hard to be a comedy. It worked, but in You Kill Me the humor is balanced by the emotion that is portrayed by Kingsley. He was the best at what he does and after the realization that he is screwing up quite badly he strives to recapture the finesse he once had. John Cusack was pretty much just hamming it up in GPB. I haven't mentioned director John Dahl as this is the first film I have seen from him. It is rumored that he might be helming a sequel to The Punisher, so it will be interesting to see what he does with that (if the rumors are true).

Have you ever noticed that the best movies speak for themselves? I really can't think of anything more to say about this flick except that if you have the opportunity to see it, don't pass it by!

Until I get my six month chip,
keep reading

Mitch E.
mitchemerson@hotmail.com

Theater Review: Spamalot by JR

Spamalot, in case you were wondering about the odd name for a musical or if I had it confused with Camelot, is the musical “lovingly ripped off” from the movie “Monty Python and the Holy Grail”. It is the story of Arthur, King of the Britons, and his quest to find Knights for his famed Round Table, and consecutively, his quest to find the Holy Grail. Eric Idle, of the original Python cast, wrote the musical. During its original Broadway run, Spamalot won 3 Tony’s including Best Musical and was nominated for 14.

If you turned up your nose in disgust at the first sentence, “How could they do that??!! What sellouts! It couldn’t possibly be any good. Harrumph!” You are mistaken. While the show does leave out a few very funny scenes from the movie, the scene at the castle with all of the women being one of them and also the scene with the witch hunt, it stays true to the tone of the Monty Python humor. You may be pleased to hear that some of the dialogue is entirely the same; for example, the bit in the beginning of the movie about the coconuts and the swallows. This really helps get the audience going. The jokes that have been ingrained into our heads for over 20 years are still funny because now we are seeing them in person. The audience literally cheers and whistles when they see the French taunters (who are quite vulgar in the musical version, more so than in the movie) or the Knights Who Say Ni, or the Killer Rabbit.

Remember in the movie when King Arthur is telling Dennis (the politically correct activist muddling around in the shithole) that he is king because the Lady of the Lake told him that he was to be the one to wield Excalibur? She’s become a character in the musical. Played by Esther Stilwell in the touring cast, The Lady of the Lake and her Laker girls steal the show whenever they are on stage. She’s overexaggerated, mocking Christina Aguilera’s stupid hand motions when she sings, and she holds her own against a cast entirely of men. Her voice is beautiful and her range is challenged in this musical, especially in “The Song That Goes Like This” that has like 5 key changes, but still she’s amazing. I only wish there were more of her. She does too, as she comes out halfway through the second act complaining about her lack of stage time during the hysterical “Diva’s Lament”.

Having peeked online at some clips featuring the Broadway cast, I was a bit disappointed by the touring cast’s King Arthur. This only being because the Great Tim Curry played King Arthur on Broadway, and nobody could do as well as he. However, Michael Siberry played King Arthur in the touring cast, and he held his own. I only wish I hadn’t watched those clips before the show. The Lady of the Lake and King Arthur are the only two members of the cast who don’t play more than one role. Staying true to the Monty Python way, all other members of the cast play several roles.

The rest of the knights are great as well, each having idiosyncrasies of his own that adds to the hilarity of it all. One of them shits his pants quite frequently, one of them turns out to be gay in a great Village People type song and dance number, and one of them is constantly flatulent. I’m not going to reveal who, you’ll have to see it for yourself. Also, God makes an appearance in the show. But instead of the head in the sky, a giant pair of feet descend from the rafters and when King Arthur tries looking up at him, God exclaims, “Stop trying to look up my skirt!” The voice of God is the pre-recorded voice of John Cleese.

The music is wonderful, with Python favorites such as “the Fisch Schlapping Song” and “The Bright Side of Life” making appearances in the musical. There is a song for the “I’m not dead yet!” scene, and everyone in the audience was walking around singing it during intermission and as we were walking out after the show. I’m singing it right now in fact. “I am not dead yet! He is not dead yet!” There is also a song to announce intermission, after the French taunters throw dead animals at the knights, aptly titled, “Run Away”. In fact, after final curtain call, the cast lead the audience in a Follow the Bouncing Ball type sing along of “The Bright Side of Life”. Several references to other musicals are sprinkled throughout the show as well, including “Phantom of the Opera”, “West Side Story”, and “Les Miserables”.

I completely enjoyed myself at Spamalot. If only tickets weren’t so bloody expensive, I’d be going again. I haven’t met one person who doesn’t like Monty Python, or who wouldn’t love the humor of this musical. This one’s for everyone. To find out if Spamalot is coming to your town, click here. There are also rumors that it may be made into a film, in which case, I’ll be keeping you posted.

DVD Review: The Mask by ME

It's Dark Horse month over at The Comic Book Bin - www.comicbookbin.com. I was chosen to review two movies. The Mask and Barb Wire. Here is the review for the Mask. Hopefully I can get the nerve to watch Barb Wire by the end of the month.

Title: The Mask
Starring: Jim Carrey, Cameron Diaz, Peter Riegert, Peter Greene, Amy Yasbeck
Directed By: Chuck Russell
Produced By: Mike Richardson, Chuck Russell, Michael de Luca
Genre: Action/Adventure, Comedy, Romance and Science Fiction/Fantasy
Release Date: July 29, 1994
MPAA Rating: PG-13

The first movie I am reviewing for Dark Horse month is the now classic The Mask, starring Jim Carrey as Stanley Ipkiss, a loser who finds an ancient Norse mask. When Ipkiss puts the mask on, he becomes a bigger than life prankster called, aptly enough, The Mask. First it's all fun and games, until when The Mask robs the bank in which Stanley works at the same time as local crime wanna be boss Dorian Tyrell (Peter Greene). Dorian then wants (and gets) the mask for himself. Ipkiss, with the help of his friend Charlie (Richard Jeni) and his dog Milo, must save the day. Oh, and Cameron Diaz in her first movie role is some smoking eye candy as nightclub singer/love interest Tina Carlyle.

I had actually forgotten how great this movie is! We see Jim Carrey at the very beginning of his movie career with only Ace Ventura and the little known vampire comedy Once Bitten and the TV show In Living Color under his belt. This is the Carrey that I know and love: cartoony, outrageous and over the top. And yet he can also play the dorky, loser Ipkiss with a sincerity that doesn't make him seem like the stereotypical loser. What can I say about Cameron Diaz except that she is at her most beautiful here. She isn't my cup of tea (I think she is way too goofy these days), but here The Mask said it best -smokin'! Other mentions are Peter Greene as Dorian, who looks the part and has the voice, but comes off a tad bit whiny, Peter Riegert as Lt. Mitch Kellaway, who looks and acts even less like a cop than I do, and Max as Milo the dog. Max gives an awesome performance. Yes, it's so good I am mentioning him as part of the cast!

I know that the movie is extremely different from the comics from Dark Horse, which from what I have gleaned from the extra features, were a darker, horror comic with a sense of humor, but I think it was a great decision to lighten it up a bit and cast Carrey as the lead. I have never read a The Mask comic, so purists may disagree. Anyways, the effects are phenomenal, holding up after 13 years! (Man, I feel old) of technological advancement that has brought us the Star Wars prequels and the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Hell, there are effects in here that look better than some in this summers Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer!

If you haven't seen The Mask yet, go buy it. It is a great addition to any collection. And, if you have seen it, I urge you to revisit it once again and see how a comic movie can be extremely successful without having to stay true to the source material rote by rote.

Wow, this one turned out longer than expected.

Until they make a Mask movie without Jim Carrey, wait, they did that already, oh well,
keep reading

Mitch E
mitchemerson@hotmail.com

Movie Review: Fantastic Four Review by ME

Title: Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer
Starring: Ioan Gruffudd, Jessica Alba, Chris Evans, Michael Chiklis, Julian McMahon
Directed By: Tim Story
Produced By: Michael Barnathan, Chris Columbus, Kevin Feige
Genre: Action/Adventure, Comedy, Science Fiction/Fantasy and Sequel
Release Date: June 15th, 2007
MPAA Rating: PG for sequences of action violence, some mild language and innuendo.
Distributors: 20th Century Fox Distribution

Well, it could have been worse. But then that's not saying much after the lame attempt that was Fantastic Four. On a whole, Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer has a lot going for it. A decent plot involving the Silver Surfer (Doug Jones and Lawrence Fishburne), herald of Galactus the World Devourer, scoping out planets for Galactus to munch on. When the Surfer discovers the earth it's up to Reed (Ioan Gruffudd), Sue (Jessica Alba), Johnny, er John (Chris Evans), and Ben (Michael Chiklis) to save the world. Also returning is Victor Von Doom (Julian McMahon) who just wants the Surfers board and the power it contains.

Shall we start with the bad? It seems to me that they spent all of the special effects budget on the Surfer, because Reed's stretchy effects just look horrible. Which is a really big letdown with how beautiful the Surfer is. Continuing a mistake from the first film is the miscasting of Jessica Alba as Sue. I mean, if they can replace Katie Holmes with Maggie Gyllenhaal in The Dark Knight, then they can replace Alba. Or they could have at least gotten the contacts right. Her eyes are so blue that she looks like... I don't know what, but they are really blue. What else, oh, Julian McMahon. It's not so much him as how they worked around what happened to him in the first flick. See, when we are re-introduced to Doom, he is all kinds of messed up. His mask is burned onto his face and has to be cut off. Then after an encounter with the Surfer, he can miraculously heal himself. I'll bet McMahon just wanted to be sure that his pretty face got screen time. Oh, and Brian Posehn, you'll know who he is when you see him.

Good stuff? Let's see there is the surfer himself. Just amazing. The detail that he has is phenomenal. Some will say that he looks fake, I think he looks otherworldly. Doug Jones (Abe Sapien in Hellboy and The Fawn and The Thin Man in Pan's Labyrinth) is a master of motion capture. He gives the Surfer a grace that adds to the otherworldliness effect. Add Lawrence Fishburne's distinctive voice and you have an awesome combo. The brotherly tomfoolery of Ben and Johnny is carried over from the first film and is just as fun to see. After the whining and moaning from fans about the treatment of Galactus it was really cool to see the hint of a silhouette of the classic headpiece that he wears in the comics during the final confrontation. And as a comic fan, I have always enjoyed the little references in comic book flicks that only hardcore fans would catch. There are a few here and since I am only a casual FF comic fan, there were probably a few that I missed. And by far the funniest moment is Stan Lee's cameo. Poor Stan!

One final thing that both works for me and yet doesn't work for me is the whole switching of powers. If you have seen the trailer, you have seen part of it. I will just say that even though it is a nod to the comics, it becomes a plot point that was unnecessary in my eyes.

An improvement over the first, but that only brings it up to an OK in my book, but I didn't feel like I was wasting my time as I was with the first.

Till Iceman and The Human Torch become lovers,
keep reading

Mitch E.
mitchemerson@hotmail.com

Movie Review: Day Watch by ME

Title: Day Watch
Starring: Konstantin Khabensky, Maria Poroshina (II), Dmitry Martynov, Galina Tyunina, Vladimir Menshov
Directed By: Timur Bekmambetov
Produced By: Vladimir Melikhov, Mikhail Borisovsky, Alexei Kublitsky
Genre: Art/Foreign, Science Fiction/Fantasy, Adaptation and Sequel
Release Date: June 1st, 2007 (Limited)
MPAA Rating: R for violence.
Distributors: Fox Searchlight Pictures

Originally I wanted to see Night Watch because of the effects that were shown in the trailer. What I got was an interesting and slightly chaotic tale of two groups of “Others”: Light Others and Dark Others. Beings with powers such as shape shifting, vampirism, and the ability to switch bodies just to name a few. Each group has a police-like outfit that was created to watch the other. Light Others have Night Watch and Dark Others have Day Watch. Day Watch continues the story of the struggle of these two opposing forces. This is just a general outline of what is going on in both films. Night Watch focused on the good guys, while Day Watch focuses on the bad guys. There is a third movie in the making called Dusk Watch which I am still pretty excited to see.

Great effects punctuate the hot mess that is Day Watch. I say hot mess because being a Russian film, there is definitely a different style to these films. There is a lack of character development that hurts it as well as some confusing plot elements such as multiple mini-storylines and some unnecessary scenes. Plus the ending may seem to be a letdown for some but I believe that it opens the doors wide open for the next film, unlike a certain Nic Cage movie that I won't mention (Next). The difference is knowing there will be another film and not just leaving the audience hanging suspended with their cries of “What the f***!”

Just like the first, Day Watch is subtitled so it is kind of hard to get a feeling as to how well the acting is, but nobody looked bad. Costume designs, set pieces, props and such were great. And, an interesting thing continued from the first film, is the subtitles themselves. If two characters are onscreen, the subtitles are on the side closest to the character speaking them. Also, there is a scene where a butcher picks up a hunk of raw meat, calls a woman a bitch, throws it against the wall and as it slides down reveals the word “bitch” in blood. Many other little tricks with the subtitles help make the movie a little more fun to read as I usually don't like subtitles.

I can't really say that it's better than the first or even equal to, but I enjoyed it and most horror/action/fantasy fans will too, if they can get their heads around the different style of film that is Day Watch. A lot of people are saying that this series of films aren't that good because they are branching off from the novels that they are based on. Those are the people who get really upset if films don't follow the books exactly, so keep that in mind when reading other reviews of these films. Me, I say be your own judge.

Visit the films website at http://www.foxsearchlight.com/daywatch/

Until the world ends,
keep reading

Mitch E.
mitchemerson@hotmail.com

Movie Review: Ocean's 13 by ME

Title: Ocean's 13
Starring: George Clooney, Ellen Barkin, Matt Damon, Brad Pitt, Andy Garcia
Directed By: Steven Soderbergh
Produced By: Susan Ekins, Gregory Jacobs, Frederic W. Brost
Genre: Action/Adventure, Crime/Gangster and Sequel
Release Date: June 8th, 2007
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for brief sensuality.
Distributors: Warner Bros. Pictures Distribution

In Ocean's 13, Reuben (Eliot Gould) is a partner of Willie Bank (Al Pacino) in building a new casino. Bank screws Reuben out of his share and has a heart attack as a result. Danny Ocean (George Clooney) and crew are taking revenge upon Bank and his casino. When things don't go as planned they call on Terry Benedict (Andy Garcia), the victim from Ocean's 11, for help. The rest you can probably guess.

The main reason I wanted to see Ocean's 13 is to see that great ensemble cast interacting together once again. Sadly, Oceans 13 can't even deliver that (as well as other things). Gone is the charisma and great comedic moments from the first and second installment. Yes, I know, Ocean's 12 wasn't the best either but at least you could sit back and watch the camaraderie. The concept of finding new and ingenious ways for these guys to rip people off is starting to wear thin which is proved by the fact that they use a giant drill that is made for making tunnels to simulate an earthquake. What pushes this plot point into the land of ridiculousness is that there are only two of these drills in the world. Ocean has one and it breaks, so they buy the second one. Now, wouldn't you think that purchasing a machine like that for less than legal use would raise some alarms somewhere? I mean the company selling this now one of a kind tool would be wary about selling this item to a private citizen, right? But I digress.

This is yet another film that doesn't need much mention of the cast. You have a lot of big names that seemed to have a lot of fun in the first two films and seem to be going for the paycheck this time around. Even Pacino is relegated to “The Villain”. Hell, his scenes were finished shooting in three weeks! The best bit of acting goes to Ellen Barkin when Linus (Matt Damon) uses some pheromone sticker called “The Gilroy” to drive her insane with lust. She is all over him and what makes it so funny is that for the “character” that Linus is playing, he is wearing a rather large prosthetic nose that just looks goofy. OK, a long way to to say that I give Barkin kudos for being able to pull off that scene without cracking up.

Anyways, with a lacking story, no surprise twists, lack of any stand out scenes of everyone together, the only reason to see Ocean's 13 is for the cameos/small parts for Julian Sands, Oprah, Bob Einstein (better known as “Super” Dave Osborne), and the returning Eddie Izzard. Otherwise, wait for it on DVD.

Visit the films website at http://oceans13.warnerbros.com

If this keeps up, watch out for Ocean's 300: The Revenge Of Sparta.
Keep reading,

Mitch E.
mitchemerson@hotmail.com

Movie Review: Knocked Up by ME

Title: Knocked Up
Starring: Seth Rogen, Paul Rudd, Leslie Mann, Katherine Heigl, Jason Segel
Directed By: Judd Apatow
Produced By: Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg, Shauna Robertson
Genre: Comedy
Release Date: June 1st, 2007
MPAA Rating: R for sexual content, drug use and language.
Distributors: Universal Pictures Distribution

Knocked Up is being billed as the funniest movie of the year and let me tell you, they aren't kidding. And, to prove the pointless point even more, I have seen it twice already and as of this writing the movie hasn't even been released yet!

Ben Stone (Seth Rogen) and Alison Scott (Katherine Heigl) are exact polar opposites. She works for E!, He doesn't work. She is beautiful, he isn't. She has aspirations and dreams, he has drug induced hallucinations. They are thrown into this thing we call life when Alison ends up pregnant after what was supposed to be a one night stand. Ben and Alison decide to try becoming a couple for the baby's sake. Is Ben ready? Can Alison deal with Ben and his slacker friends? Go see it and find out!

Judd Apatow, the man responsible for the hit The 40 Year-Old Virgin has taken what could have been a sequel to The 40 Year-Old Virgin and made it it's own monster. Virgin showed how a geek can get laid and Knocked up shows what happens after a geek gets laid. Some could say that Apatow has grown up in his choice of material but still loves the infantile humor. Making a comedy out of being pregnant has to walk a fine line between being funny without crossing over into the land of being insensitive. And there is at least one moment where he goes for the gross out comedy that is quite unnecessary, but besides that, Apatow and crew have created a hilarious look at what happens when people are pushed into a situation that almost everyone has feared at least once in their life.

Featuring almost every cast member from Apatow's earlier works, Knocked Up almost feels like a family reunion. Everybody is comfortable with everyone else and it shows. I love movies where you can tell that the cast and crew are having tons of fun making the movie and that is exactly what happens here. Seth Rogen may not be the typical Hollywood lead, but he does possess a slight charm that works. Katherine Heigl doesn't really bring a whole lot to the table, but I don't think it's her fault. The role of Alison could be played by any number of todays actresses. Leslie Mann, Judd Apatow's real life wife who you may remember as the drunk blond that threw up all over Steve Carrell in FYOV, turns in a great supporting part as Alison's sister Debbie. Paul Rudd as Pete is priceless, especially the scene in the hotel room after eating magic mushrooms. The rest of the players include Jonah Hill, Martin Starr, Jason Segal, and Jay Baruchel. Also appearing in smaller parts/cameos is Harold Ramis, Joanna Kearns, B.J Novak, Alan Tudyk etc, etc... One cameo early in the film that is priceless is Ryan Seacrest just going off about the state of Hollywood. It's almost worth the price of admission for that alone.

All in all, an extremely hilarious look at unplanned pregnancy, relationships and best buds, Apatow has succeeded in creating a comedy that proves that he is not a one hit wonder. Watch out for this guy.

Keep it reel,
Mitch E.
mitchemerson@hotmail.com