This Is The End

 
Add every disaster movie known to man with The Exorcist and an ounce of pot and you have This Is The End, a spoof on the apocalypse and star-fueled decadence of Los Angeles. Written and Directed by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, the creators of Superbad and Pineapple Express, Seth Rogen plays himself and reunites with his fellow actors/friends at a party that encompasses almost every actor in the Judd Apatow niche (Jonah Hill, Danny McBride, James Franco, Craig Robinson and Jay Baruchel). As drinks are devoured and cannabis is smoked, the apocalypse descends on Los Angeles leaving the six actors to try and survive the hell and earth and, more importantly,  each other.

The film begins with a satirical edge on modern Hollywood that is made up of gossip and hedonistic excess at James Franco's house. As the film progresses and disaster movies are spoofed with originality- unlike the unbearable Scary Movie franchise- the rest of movie leaves one to ask if Rogen and Goldberg were high making the film. The high hijinks give you the giggles at first, but leads to absurdity with a subtext as small as a half-eaten Milky Way bar.  In any case, This Is The End is a fun trip for the summer as well as a relief from the actual disaster movies with little or no humor or action (I'm looking at you, Grown Ups 2 and White House Down!). If your looking for a humorous satire on egocentric Hollywood and what is has produced, check out This Is The End, beautiful friends.     

3 out of 4 Stars

James Gandolfini (1961-2013)

Emmy-award winning actor James Gandolfini, known for his iconic performance on the HBO series "The Sporanos," died today at the age of 51. It is reported that he died of a heart attack in Italy. Gandolfini was found dead in Rome while working on an American remake of the BBC miniseries, "Criminal Justice." Known for his intimidating presence and soft-spoken grace, James Gandolfini has been revered for his acting on film, television, and Broadway for over twenty years.

Gandolfini began his acting career on Broadway working alongside Jessica Lange and Alec Baldwin in a 1992 revival of "A Streetcar Named Desire." His film career began under the helm of director Tony Scott with roles in The Last Boy Scout, True Romance and Crimson Tide. In 1997, Gandolfini worked alongside Jack Lemmon and George C. Scott as Juror #6 in the television remake of "12 Angry Men." From 1999 to 2007, James Gandolfini portrayed the role of the anxiety-ridden mob boss, Tony Sporano, on the hit television series, "The Sopranos," which earned him three Emmy awards and a Golden Globe.

In between his work on "The Sopranos," Gandolfini worked on the Coen Brothers' 2001 film, The Man Who Wasn't There, John Tuturro's Romance and Cigarettes, and opposite Robert Redford in The Last Castle. After The Sopranos ended in 2007, Gandolfini branched out working on an eclectic array of  independent films, such as In The Loop, Not Fade Away, and in the controversial Zero Dark Thirty. Gandolfini is survived by his second wife, Deborah, and his son from a previous marriage, Michael.