In Contention

Tag: Pineapple Express

  • INTERVIEW: ‘127 Hours’ star James Franco

    James Franco sits in one of the countless, nondescript rooms on the sixth floor of the Four Seasons hotel in Los Angeles remembering the time he first met mountain climber Aron Ralston in the same building, perhaps in a room not unlike this one.

    It wasn’t even a year ago — January, to be exact, right around the time of the Golden Globes. Director Danny Boyle had recently offered the actor the role of Ralston in “127 Hours,” a film that would depict the harrowing six days the outdoorsman spent with his hand wedged between a boulder and a canyon wall. It was an ordeal that ended with Ralston cutting off his own arm, just below the elbow, in order to survive. And the film would — naturally, given the material and the filmmaker involved — be anything but conventional.

    But Boyle was adamant that the performance not be an “outside-in approach,” as Franco puts it. It couldn’t be slavish mimicry of personality or behavior. But there was this abstract idea of confronting one’s potential demise that remained somewhat elusive for Franco, yet something he nevertheless wanted to reflect in authentic terms. Little did he know he’d find the answer during that first meeting with Ralston, Boyle, writer Simon Beaufoy, producer Christian Colson and production designer Suttirat Larlarb.

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  • David Gordon Green catches his stride in comedy

    (from left) Danny McBride and David Gordon Green on the set of Eastbound & DownIt has to be doubly sweet for my southern brethren to take in HBO’s “Eastbound & Down” every Sunday night, but even if this country detail or that passes below your radar, or heck, even if you don’t know a blatant Ric Flair gag when you see one, I can’t imagine anyone not laughing their ass off at this thing week after week.

    Then again, maybe I’m wrong.  The Danny McBride brand of humor might be seen as an extension of the Apatow/Rogen trajectory we’ve been on, toilet humor a bit too low on the brow for some.  Not me.  I’m eating it up.

    Strikingly, I think the last three episodes (plus last year’s “Pineapple Express”) prove that David Gordon Green should stick to comedy and prepare to make his mark there, because this seems to be his calling.  I’m all for the era of artistic stretching he’s been interested in since “George Washington” leaped off the neighborhoods of North Carolina and onto Roger Ebert’s top 10 list, though 95% of all of that never worked for me.  And I’m sure he’ll go there once again.  But as long as he wants to stick in this vein, I’m game.

    Not only is the timing something special (and just take a look at the editorial choices made in “Pineapple” by flipping between the extended and theatrical cuts on the Blu-ray or DVD for evidence there), but the mundane is represented like never before.  Last July I wrote of “Pineapple” the following:

    Yes, the man who staked a claim on the mundane mumblings of children and the love-struck in films like “George Washington” and “All the Real Girls” has applied those sensibilities to a niche genre that roots itself in same.

    And it works! It works so well it’s a shame Terrence Malick never tried his hand at “Up in Smoke.” The pieces slide into place and find a cohesive fit that couldn’t have been more unexpected.

    And that’s the case with “Eastbound & Down.”  100%.

    Of course, plenty of credit is due to co-creators McBride and Jody Hill (directing this summer’s “Observe and Report”), but the guidance behind the camera is exceptional.  I only hope I’m not the only guy taking this stuff for more than surface level, however, because it deserves more — whether it knows it or not.

    (And hel-lo Katy Mixon.)

  • Go get it

    Pineapple Express on DVD and Blu-ray

  • ‘Dark Knight’ tops our list of the year’s best

    The Dark KnightIn lieu of a proper Tuesday list, I thought I’d do something a little different this year, since we have a slew of contributors and In Contention is no longer the brain space of just one person.  I polled all our writers for their individual top 10 lists, which you can find detailed after the jump.  But with the lists in hand, I pulled out the trusty abacus and went about the painstakingly in-depth analysis of each to surmise a collective top 10.  The results were interesting.

    No film appeared on all five lists, which is already an accomplishment, I’d say.  Four films appeared on four lists and four on three.  The remaining two films on the collective appeared on two lists.  No film popping up on just one list was taken into account, so you don’t get to march with torches over a “Bolt” inclusion.

    “The Dark Knight” became the obvious victor early on, but Charlie Kaufman’s “Synecdoche, New York” came a lot closer than you might think.  I used a simple point system per ranking, but in all scenarios, the number of lists featuring a film was given precedence over points.  This made for a good tie-breaker here and there and, in some cases, caused for this film or that to leap-frog another.

    Consider this my ultimate salute to our contributors who, I doubt I’m alone here, did a bang-up job in 2008.  Here’s to an equally splendid 2009.

    In Contention’s top 10 films of 2008:

    1. “The Dark Knight”
    2. “Synecdoche, New York”
    3. “Slumdog Millionaire”
    4. “WALL-E”
    5. “Milk”
    6. “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”
    7. “The Wrestler”
    8. “Let the Right One In”
    9. “Rachel Getting Married”
    10. “In Bruges”

    Honorable mention: “Gomorrah,” “Hunger,” “Pineapple Express”

    (Individual lists after the jump.)

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  • Best in show: the year in superlatives

    Cate Blanchett in The Curious Case of Benjamin ButtonThe year is slowly coming to a close, and after this week’s year-in-review pieces, I’m happy to see so much healthy and spirited discussion on my humble picks for the year’s best films.  Today I’m wrapping all of that up with a list of superlatives, some of them in your usual categories, the staples, some of them in a couple of, oh, let’s call it “fun” arenas that I like to mix in year in and year out.

    I should note, however, that Nathaniel Rogers at The Film Experience is the king at this stuff.  His annual “Film Bitch Awards” are a must-read.  Here’s last year’s set.

    So with that, let’s get into the awards.  I used to call these the “In Contention Awards,” but I don’t think that’s fair anymore now that we have a slew of contributors.  So I’ll let them speak to their favorites at their leisure.  These reflect my views of the season and mine only.  You know the Best Picture champ, of course, but beyond that, I hope you enjoy the rundown.  Just keep the (inevitable) disagreement friendly:

    Best Picture
    “Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight Pictures/Warner Bros. Pictures)

    Best Director
    Danny Boyle, “Slumdog Millionaire”

    Best Actor
    Mickey Rourke, “The Wrestler”

    Best Actress
    Cate Blanchett, “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”

    Best Supporting Actor
    Heath Ledger, “The Dark Knight”

    Best Supporting Actress
    Samantha Morton, “Synecdoche, New York”

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  • Runnin’ on empty: the best films of 2008

    Javier Bardem and Rebecca Hall in Vicky Cristina BarcelonaJust to say it once more, because I’ve certainly brought it up enough, 2008 was not a good year for film-goers.

    That’s an incredibly subjective quip, of course, but I certainly found myself struggling with the level of quality on display with each and every screening, the oasis of the Oscar season ultimately proving to be a trickster mirage on the horizon as contenders ultimately fell flat or disappointed in various ways. And suddenly, we’re two weeks away from 2009.

    Who let the goods out?

    But a year lacking broad quality can be a fun “Where’s Waldo” for the impassioned film lover, and so it is that I found some truly wonderful, praise-worthy work from a number of driven and creative filmmakers this year. But a peculiarity began to arise as I sifted through the year’s offerings: What a load of downer cinema.

    I first noticed it in the documentary offerings, heavier on morose subject matter than any other year I can remember. Depictions of the horrors of Katrina, the passionate life and tragic death of a Neil Diamond impersonator, the work of a journalist obsessed with his own inevitable suicide, the nation’s stance on the death penalty, the life and times of a child molester, a heart-breaking family drama in St. John’s, Newfoundland, a national economy on life support, despicable soldier etiquette at our global detention facilities -– it is hardly surprising that the most well-received documentary of the year is a celebration of an “artistic crime” in James Marsh’s “Man on Wire.” But how odd that the genre’s resident cynic, Werner Herzog, was responsible for one of the few other positive doc titles that made the rounds this year?

    Moving into the realm of fiction, even the usually jubilant folks at Pixar couldn’t help but crank out their most sobering film to date, a cautionary tale wrapped in the guise of a love story that conveyed a creepy sense of inevitability despite a hopeful denouement.

    I bring these observations up for a reason, and that is to add some perspective to the list you’ll find below. 2008 was a bellwether for me personally as I began to let the idea of “best” as a definitive slip away and become something more akin to a solid if flexible representation of the times, and how those times affect the viewer.

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  • Funny ha ha

    James Franco in Pineapple Express

    While James Franco was brooding and winning a Golden Globe for the TV telepic “James Dean” and fighting superheroes in Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man franchise, the actor says he longed for the escape of a comedy.

    Soon enough, producer Judd Apatow approached Franco to star alongside Seth Rogen in David Gordon Green’s “Pineapple Express.” After years of playing ultra serious characters, the actor had finally found an opportunity to let his hair down.

    “I didn’t get offered a ton of comedies, and the ones I did get offered were more like romantic comedies. That wasn’t really my thing,” Franco says from San Francisco, just before the world premiere of Gus Van Sant’s “Milk.” “So when Judd said he wanted to do something together, it was kind of a relief.”

    From a 11/21 Variety story by yours truly concerning actors moving between dramas and comedies this year.  I’m still stoked at Franco’s Golden Globe nomination yesterday for Gordon’s film.

  • Golden Globes: ‘Slumdog,’ ‘Button’ steady…whither ‘Milk?’

    Well, I said yesterday one should always expect oddities with the Golden Globes … but even with that in mind, they never fail to pull out some genuine “WTF” moments.

    Tom Cruise’s goofy Best Supporting Actor nod for “Tropic Thunder” may have been the most eccentric revelation of the morning, but surely the most significant shocker is the absence of “Milk” — presumed by many to be “Slumdog Millionaire”‘s chief rival in the Oscar race — in the Best Picture (Drama) category.

    The shut-out proved even more blatant when neither Josh Brolin nor James Franco, who have been making healthy progress in the precursors, landed in the Supporting Actor race. Still processing that one — right now, I can’t think of a suitable theory to explain its absence. (But hey, at least Franco landed a left-field comedy-category nod for “Pineapple Express” … I think I know one guy who will be stoked with that.)

    The producers of “Slumdog Millionaire” will no doubt be thrilled by the news, as will those of “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” which claws back some momentum after taking a knock in this week’s precursors. In an unusually spread-out slate, “Button” and “Frost/Nixon” lead the pack of Best Picture nominees, with 5 nods apiece — I must admit I never expected the latter to be a field leader. (Meanwhile, in yet another of the morning’s oddities, their tally is equalled by the Best Picture-omitted “Doubt.”)

    Some will be surprised by the failure of “The Dark Knight” to land Picture or Director nods, though I personally didn’t see the film the registering that strongly with the Foreign Press.

    On the other hand, I naively failed to foresee that Harvey Weinstein would work his magic once more on the organisation — Kris’ prediction of a strong showing for “The Reader” was right on the money. Meanwhile, despite whispers that the HFPA wasn’t all that keen on “Revolutionary Road,” the nominations tell a different story. The nod for Sam Mendes is one I find particularly surprising; Paramount Vantage will no doubt heave a huge sigh of relief after a terrible precursor week that saw the film blanked in the Broadcast Film Critics’ nominations.

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  • OFF THE CARPET: Finding a happy place

    Mickey Rourke in The WrestlerI’m reaching that sweet spot of the Oscar season.  That moment right on the cusp of major precursor announcements when critics and audiences begin to join a conversation that’s been talked in circles by us pundits for a few months.  The vacuum is slipping away and the clarity of perspective shines through.

    Yeah, I can admit it.  When it’s one or two guys out in front of Oscar contenders, bandying about their potential, it’s really just hot air until we come to this point of the year.  I gave up the idea of “formula” long ago, even if there are a precious few who still cling to that “analyst” role as something of substance.  It’s not, really, and we’re reminded of that each and every December.

    That having been said, I certainly couldn’t sit here and tell you the announcements of the National Board of Review, the scattered critical kudos and a few top 10 lists have drastically altered the game.  And when the Los Angeles and New York critics chime in later this week, I don’t anticipate much in the way of a revelation then either.  It’s just the way this year has turned out, leaving me wondering what more I can say in this space as we wind the year down.  So I thought I’d turn to the words of those of us who’ve been in the game longer than the rest, before the Oscar season became such an industry and when many of us had less of a clue than we do now, but paradoxically, had the perspective of removed innocence to show the way.

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  • Amazing

    I didn’t notice this until today, but it looks like “The Dark Knight” leap-frogged “Pineapple Express” on Tuesday, the first non-weekend day it has over-earned the stoner comedy over the past week and a half.  And it’s been on top of it since.  It’s also nipping at the heels of the “Tropic Thunder” daily take at the moment.

    Stunning.

    Saturday is the day, by the way, that the film knocks “Star Wars” down a notch on the domestic chart.  Unless it can manage $6.5 million tomorrow (which is certainly possible).

  • The Reel Geezers ride the ‘Express’

  • NYT Mag chats it up with Seth Rogen and James Franco

    Lynn Hirschberg of The New York Times Magazine sat down with the two stars of David Gordon Green’s “Pineapple Express” recently for a couple of in-depth interviews.  They’re pretty insightful little chats, I have to say.

    Here’s Rogen, who talks about the desire to get laid being at the root of all comedy, his awkward status as a sex symbol and his experiences within the studio system as of late…some brief stuff on “The Green Hornet” as well:

    httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=02Jjayjmu_M

    And Franco, who, in addition to talking “Pineapple” specifics, reveals that “My Own Private Idaho” was a big impetus for his acting career and even gets into “Milk” a little bit, including what it’s like to kiss Sean Penn:

    httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X5Pupmdeang

    You can also watch the interviews here.

  • Vulture on David Gordon Green’s action prowess

    (from left) James Franco and Seth Rogen in Pineapple ExpressIn my review of “Pineapple Express” yesterday, I mad it a point of mentioning director David Gordon Green’s salute to the greatest (or worst) of 1980s action cinema.  At the time I wrote:

    Green’s obvious devotion to the action epics of the 1980s that his generation grew up on makes its way to the surface more than a few times (I swear I’ve seen that knife toss before…can’t place it). He makes no bones about an affinity for Steven Seagal and lord knows he found a proper outlet to show his respect for what I like to call the “Steven E. de Souza subgenre” of actioners. But to mix it in with a pothead extravaganza…absolute genius.

    And today, it looks like the ever-insightful writers of New York Magazine’s Vulture blog have taken it a step farther, asking with the utmost sincerity, “Who’s the better action director: David Gordon Green or Christopher Nolan?”

    Take a look:

    Obviously Green is no John Woo, but the [finale] is lucid, well paced, and nowhere near as stupid-looking as one might reasonably anticipate, especially considering that it includes shots of Rogen firing an automatic weapon. There are explosions, bleeding injuries, and some passably impressive stunt work, not bad for a freakin’ Judd Apatow movie.

    They then go on to point out the problems with Nolan’s handling of action sequences in “The Dark Knight” that have been mentioned in a number of mixed or negative reviews of the film.  “Sure, the action in Nolan’s film is more ambitious,” they write, “but the fact that Green’s is infinitely more coherent and suspenseful is…well, sort of funny, right?”

    Gotta love those caljones.  And it’s not exactly an out-of-bounds observation.  Read the full post here.

  • In praise of Craig Robinson

    Craig RobinsonOne of our readers reminded me in the comments section of yesterday’s review of “Pineapple Express” that I failed to spotlight one of my favorite performances in the entire film, and a character actor who has quickly become one of the best go-to guys for comedic value.

    Craig Robinson is probably most often associated with his Darryl Philbin stockroom character in television’s “The Office.”  His matter-of-fact attitude and cadence go a long way whenever his character is utilized and never fails to make me smile.  But he’s also begun making quite a mark on the big screen as of late.

    It reall started with Judd Apatow’s “Knocked Up,” in which Robinson stars as a steadfast but introspective nightclub security guard.  You’ll recall the laugh-out-loud dialogue that Robinson handled so perfectly:

    I know… you’re right. I’m so sorry, I fuckin’ hate this job. I don’t want to be the one to pass judgement, decide who gets in. Shit makes me sick to my stomach, I get the runs from the stress. It’s not cause you’re not hot, I would love to tap that ass. I would tear that ass up. I can’t let you in cause you’re old as fuck. For this club, you know, not for the earth.  You old, she pregnant. Can’t have a bunch of old pregnant bitches running around. That’s crazy, I’m only allowed to let in five percent black people. He said that, that means if there’s 25 people here I get to let in one and a quarter black people. So I gotta hope there’s a midget in the crowd.

    Absolutely brilliant.

    Robinson also starred in the Apatow-produced “Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story,” but I can’t comment on the performance because I ejected that piece of shit ten minutes into it.  HOWEVER, I’m sure he was a diamond in the rough.

    Well in “Pineapple Express,” Robinson hits consistent high marks as Matheson, one of Gary Cole’s two henchman hunting down Seth Rogen and James Franco’s bumbling stoners.  As usual, he holds court on the screen with specific and hilarious line readings.  His exit from the film is one of the funniest scenes of the piece and he plays it up for all it’s worth.

    I’m frankly ashamed that I didn’t mention this cat in the review.  So I felt compelled to dedicate a post to what I hope is a prolific new comedic talent.

    Robinson has a number of films on the horizon, including Kevin Smith’s controversial “Zack and Miri Make a Porno,” and as one might expect, the roles all seem to be supporting ones.  But I’d like to say it now and say it proud: give this guy his own stage!  Robinson needs his own show, his own starring role, SOMETHING!

    Heck, I’m tempted to write something for him right now, dust off the screenwriting software and be inspired because he’s going places.  He can’t just wither away just outside the spotklight, he has to shine, and someone, somewhere, better be of the same mind or it’ll be our loss.

  • REVIEW: “Pineapple Express” (****)

    Columbia Pictures\' Pineapple ExpressThe dust will settle on a record-breaking summer movie season and much will be made of super heroes and unexpected, makeup-infested comedic portrayals. But an unassuming stoner comedy that breaks free of the mold and becomes something akin to sheer film-going bliss will be one of the few left standing.

    A truly side-splitting yarn that takes its lead from Cheech and Chong and the greatest (or worst) of 1980s action and comedy standards, the film carves its own spot as a new staple. And going into an Oscar season that looks a bit shallow from afar, “Pineapple Express” seems to be the best film 2008 has had to offer so far.

    Hell of a thing.

    Fresh, authentic, appreciative of its lineage and rife with absolute truths of the stoner way, this one was always guaranteed to leave your gut cramped from unyielding laughter. At the center, however, is a strange thread of realism that is incredibly intriguing. No matter the level of absurdity this sequence or that may reach, on some level, one can’t shake the sense that if these things were going to happen…this is exactly how it would go down.

    It’s an odd characteristic that I don’t believe I’ve ever seen out of a film such as this, and all the credit in the world seems to belong to filmmaker David Gordon Green. After making his way in the indie sector on his own terms, his marriage to this material becomes the most natural fit to date.

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  • ‘Pineapple’ happy

    I want to properly review “Pineapple Express,” which I saw this evening at a packed and boisterous screening at the Mann Chinese Theater. But I can’t get to it just yet.  Suffice it to say it’s a gem of comedic and absurdist perfection, yet thriving inside a strikingly odd sort of reality (seriously).  I also don’t believe any director other than David Green could have elevated the material to this unexpected level.  What a strangely comfortable fit!

    The best movie of the year? Definitely.

    More tomorrow.

  • Comic-Con…here we go

    San Diego Comic-ConTomorrow night, the entertainment press will descend upon San Diego for preview night at this year’s annual Comic-Con International. My feelings on this glut-fest are well documented, but even with that in mind, there is simply little to pique my interest as a comic fan.

    Friday’s Warner Bros. panel may have some interesting additives for “Watchmen” (which already launched a trailer last week) and “Terminator: Salvation” (ditto).

    Lionsgate’s “Spirit” presentation can’t possibly offer much more than we’ve already seen in a blanket advertising campaign. And Frank Miller doesn’t exactly dig the festivities in any case.

    Fox’s Thursday presentation offers nothing worth a second glance (though I have an odd interest in “Max Payne”), while Saturday’s offering of a “Pineapple Express” panel is evidence of the Con’s loss of perspective. Not that I’m not interested in the film, mind you, but the studios sank their fangs into the demographic by pushing anything passably Con-worthy on the event years ago, increasingly sucking it dry of life. It all makes me sad.

    But there’s nothing wrong with a giant room full of comics and action figures, not to mention Lou Ferrigno peddling photos for $20 a pop!

    There will be a “Tropic Thunder” screening tomorrow night, while the aforementioned “Pineapple Express” will go before a few critics and journos as well. Be on the look-out for knee-jerk reactions.

    For me, the parties have become the only reason to bother with the convention in recent years. With that in mind, I’ll be heading down Saturday for the Wrath of Con shin-dig — the party of the week. Maybe I’ll corner David Goyer and settle this Two-Face thing once and for all.

  • Most anticipated of part two

    MGM\'s Quantum of SolaceLooking ahead to the second half of the year, there are more than a few films floating to the top of my list of anticipations.  Here’s what I’d call the top 10:

    1. “The Dark Knight” (hasn’t budged in six months)
    2.“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”
    3. “House of Lies”
    4. “Quantum of Solace”
    5. “Appaloosa”
    6; “The Brothers Bloom”
    7. “Milk”
    8. “Australia”
    9. “Pineapple Express”
    10. “Religulous”

    Anticipating with caution: “W”
    Movie I hope disappears before it releases the most: “Ace Ventura Jr.”

    How about you?