Serenity

I have been slacking with my film reviews a little. This happened simply because I did not see that many actual films. Don't take me wrong, I have been watching plenty. But I have simply nursed my newly found addiction with Alan Tudyk by binge watching Suburgatory and then Firefly. Obviously, the next step would be Serenity.

Here we get the answers to all the open questions left over by the untimely demise of the Firefly. There is a new super villain, played by the wonderful Chiwetel Ejiofor. He is ruthless and refers to himself as a monster. But - most rewarding - we get the back story on River and how she got to be this deadly weapon.

It is a rousing finale to a nice little sci-fi show that makes it very clear that this is the end of the line. Not all of the beloved crew survive the big adventure. True, most only take one hell of a beating but the casualties are Shepard, who has left the ship some time earlier and is at a settlement where he offered the Serenity crew a save haven whenever needed. This is what finally causes his demise.

And we lose - after putting in one final grand performance at the helm of the spaceship - Wash, who gets impaled onto the seat he was mostly confined to while others were off having adventures.

Of course, none of this will mean anything to you if you have not watched Firefly.

What a fitting farewell to Serenity and all the people it harbored.

8/10

This Is the End

Jay Baruchel flies to LA to hang out with his old friend Seth Rogan. After an evening of weed, munchies and video games, Rogan drags Baruchel to a party at James Franco's house. Baruchel is reluctant to go because he is not into the LA scene and doesn't like Jonah Hill, who is at the party, as well. And so, apparently, is everybody else - Craig Robertson, Mindy Kaling, Rihanna, Christohper Mintz-Plasse, David Krumholtz, Michael Cera, Aziz Ansari and - unbeknownst to the host - Danny McBride.

Baruchel, upset with Rogan because he did not stay by his side at Franco's place, gets his friend to go to a nearby convenience store. While the two are in there, the apocalypse kicks off. They rush back to the party but nobody inside has noticed anything awkward happening at all. As they try to piece together what the two are on about, the earth shakes so fiercely that even the party guests notice this time. They storm outside and stare at the staring Hollywood hills when a sinkhole opens up in the front yard, swallowing most of the onlookers.

Baruchel, Rogen, Franco, Robinson, and Hill make it back to the relative safety of the house, where they board up, check up on the limited food and drink supply and spend an uneasy night. When they get up the next morning, Danny McBride, who has spent the night in the bathtub and has no idea what is happening, has used up most of the supplies making breakfast. So, things do not look rosy for our survivors.

As they cannot leave the house they pass the time doing drugs and making cheap sequels to their previous films. Then suddenly, Emma Watson breaks her way into the house. At first, everything is rosy until Watson goes to rest in Franco's room and they guys outside discuss the weirdness of the situation and making sure that they would not come across as 'rapey' with only one woman in the house. Watson only catches part of the conversation, mostly the word rape and gets out of Dodge, keeping everyone in check with an ax.

When water dwindles, they try to get more either from the basement or a neighbor's house, which requires them to leave the building in ones and twos. They start to get attacked by a demon, possibly the devil himself (you know, this being the apocalypse and all), who also has sex with Jonah Hill, who for the remainder of his life in the film is possessed.

What follows is deaths, mayhem, the expulsion of Danny McBride, ascensions to heaven,  and the Backstreet Boys.

6/10

Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle

Harold and Kumar have problems.

Harold's work ethic has two of his colleagues dump a last minute research project on him, which may hinder the young analyst from 'partying' with his room mate Kumar. He calls his friend, who has his own issues. He is in the middle of an interview with an administrator of a medical school - arranged by his father - when he takes Harold's call. Kumar convinces his friend that he could manage to do the work and still smoke pot with him. This does not leave the best impression on the interviewer, obviously.

Harold gets home, meticulously parking his car and walks in to run into the neighbor he is in love with but never works up the nerve to actually talk to. They spend an elevator ride in embarrassed silence. Reunited with Kumar, the two smoke a joint and watch TV, when they realize - surprise! - that they are hungry. And the TV suggests they go for sliders at White Castle. They decide that this is exactly what they want to do.

They take off and get harassed by a gang of idiots living in the neighborhood (something that will be repeated throughout the night) before they make it to their car, but they bravely march on. When they make it to the White Castle of their choice it is gone and has been replaced by another fast food joint. When they require about the White Castle that used to be there at the drive through window, the guy working points them toward the nearest location of the franchise and the friends decide to make the drive.

This is when things start going wrong. First, the machine at the toll station does not register their quarters, Kumar drives through because the guy in the car behind him is getting agitated and yells at them. Harold, a paranoid, law abiding citizen, panics and throws their last joint out the window because he expects to be followed by law enforcement. Also, he makes Kumar take the next spot, which takes them out of their way.

When Kumar takes a break to pee, a raccoon crawls into the car and hides on the backseat. Kumar finds a bush to his liking and is about to go about his business, when a guy in a bad suit and with bad hair stops right next to him to do the same. This spurs a hilarious conversation about the availability of bushes in the area and the right to pick any bush to one's liking.

When they take off again, Harold gets attacked by the raccoon and they panic that follows, they almost collide with another car. Someone from the other car gets out and charges toward them but no alteration takes place because in the other car are their equally high next door neighbors. Much to Kumar's chagrin, Harold insists on being brought to the next hospital - a place where both Kumar's father and brother work. Of course, he runs into them and is berated for constantly messing up his interviews for medical school. More hilarity ensues and, luckily, it turns out Harold does not have rabies.

To score replacement dope they decide to visit a girl that has a crush at Harold and works at a nearby college. There, they do score a bag of weed but get also chased out by campus police. Somewhere along their drive through the night, they pick up a hitchhiking Neil Patrick Harris, who ends up stealing their car while they ask for directions to White Castle at a gas station.

Then Harold gets thrown in jail because he is about to cross the street despite the light being red and in a discussion with the policeman that follows, he punches the man in the jaw (the punch was intended for Kumar). Kumar, ever the faithful friend breaks Harold out of jail, where they also steal the same bag of weed they briefly had in their possession at the college.

And then they ride on a jeeter. (Don't ask.)

In want for a new ride after the jeeter runs off, they run into the gang of idiots again and steal their ride. Throwing all caution to the wind, Harold exceeds the speed limit and drives even faster when followed by a highway patrolman. They end up on a cliff looking right at the White Castle, down below them. Luckily, the gang was also fond of hang gliding and that is how the duo makes the final distance to their destination.

There, when they realize that they don't have any money on them, Neil Patrick Harris shows up again and pays for their burgers, fries and sodas because he feels bad about stealing the car. Harold, now having recovered his adventurous streak takes down his two colleagues (because of course they also end up at the same White Castle) and goes back home to finally get together with the neighbor he is in love with.

Happy ending!

8/10