Movie Reviews- Bling Ring- This is the End

Today, I am going to do quick reviews of two Emma Watson films- one she has a major role in and the other, a smaller, but very funny role.

This is the End- How do I describe this one? It is a comedy/ drama/ action film starring real-life Hollywood stars Seth Rogen, James Franco, Jonah Hill, Jay Baruchel, Danny McBride, & Craig Robinson (and many other cameos including the aforementioned Emma Watson, Michael Cera, and Rihanna, just to name a few) who are all playing alternate reality versions of themselves. Jay Baruchel is a friend of Seth Rogen’s from his days in Canada and who comes to LA to spend time with Seth and just hang out. Rogen takes Jay to a party at James Franco’s house (which baruchel resists because he hates the fake LA group) and, while there, the Apocalypse occurs and the few who survive the initial rapture and destruction must then survive the fires, looting, bottomless pits, and other gory ways of death to find a way to make it to heaven.
Yes, you read that right- make it to heaven. The whole point of the film is to go from a wild and raucous Hollywood party and to learn to be better people to be taken to heaven. And yes, this comes from a major Hollywood studio with stars and writers known for a large amount of drug and potty humor. (Make no mistake- one of the demons near the end does have a large flaming penis.)
I really, honestly don’t know how to feel about this one. Some parts are very winkingly hysterical (Michael Cera as a cocaine snorting sex-crazed version of himself is very funny as is Emma Watson’s attempts at survival) while others go on way too long and are not funny at all (an extended sequence discussing what Danny McBride did with a porn magazine is thuddingly unfunny and just flat out crude). There are great in-jokes mixed with an actual touching drama about 2 friends growing apart who don’t want to. There is a level of debauchery countered by the fact that the goal is to get to heaven.
I don’t think the two sides of this film work well together- it is definitely not two great tastes that go great together, but I’ll be darned if I am not very impressed at the gall it took to attempt this and get it made and released in the middle of summer. The film cost $35 million and has thus far made $80 million and I am very pleased with its success. As a whole for me, it fails, but only slightly. I hope that Rogen tries to do a mixture like this again and tone down the raunch a bit, amp up the interpersonal drama, and he may have something.
If this mixture intrigues you, I would recommend that you see it and make up your own mind- if it doesn’t intrigue you- stay far away!, but do NOT go in expecting a Family Home Evening –type film! It is EXTREMELY R-Rated.

Movie Rating- 4
Film Rating- 6


Bling Ring- Here is another film that I am impressed with but didn’t really like. This is based on the real story of the group of teenagers in LA who used the public knowledge of where celebrities are at every hour of every day (think Twitter and TMZ) and then went and robbed those celebrities’ houses while they were at public gatherings. The real celebrities who were robbed included Paris Hilton (who even let the filmmakers use her real house to stage the scenes set there), Lindsay Lohan, Audrina Partidge, Rachel Bilson, and others. The teens felt that they were part of the celebrity culture and wanted to be even more a part of it and live the life without doing anything to earn it (the argument of ‘earning’ with the Kardashians and Hiltons of the world will wait for another time).
This is the most vapid film that I have seen recently. There is nothing to it. Only 1 participant agreed to speak tto the filmmakers so it is very one-sided. The teen played by Emma Watson has given a couple of interviews in print and a few soundbites for TV, but other than that, everything else had to be invented for the film. As such, not much is known about the people themselves, but the acting and direction is impeccable.
Sofia Coppola keeps a detached view of the teens and watches them rob, party, and parade in the stolen gear. Emma Watson plays one of the teens and pulls off a pitch perfect southern California accent, and does a great job of acting since I could not stand her in this film, in a good way. She is the epitome of fame-obsessed youth in this film and puts it across amazingly well.
The rest of the cast of adults is populated by lesser known celebrities (Leslie Mann and Nina Siesmasko to name 2) and Lohan, Hilton, and a few other real-life celebrities play themselves fleetingly in club scenes.
However, at the end of the day, I am glad that I saw it, but didn’t really “like” it. Again, just like ‘This is the End’, I appreciated it more than I actually liked it.

Movie Rating- 5
Film Rating-8