This is the End is such a guy movie. The
only reason I went see this horrid thing was because my fourteen year old
brother wanted to see it since all his friends had and he paid for my ticket.
It started off alright and then as the story progressed it got annoying and
old. All the actors are playing exaggerated versions of themselves and if these
are truly exaggerated versions of themselves I would not want to meet any of
them they all seems like outrageously annoying and awful people to be with.
It
starts off with Jay Baruchel visiting Seth Rogen in LA for a few days. Jay does
not like a handful of Seth’s friends and is completely not happy when he is
dragged to a party at James Franco’s house. A ton of celebs are at the house.
Jay
and Seth walk downtown to go pick up some cigarettes when all the sudden lights
shine down and drag people away and the ground shakes and fires start. They get
back to James’s house and nothing seems to have happened there. All the sudden
the house starts to shake and everyone runs outside. A giant hole opens in the
ground and pretty much the entire party gets sucks into it. Only Seth, Jay,
Craig Robinson, James, and Danny McBride are left. They barricade the house
with whatever they can find and plan to stay there until everything blows over.
Of
course this does not go to plan and some of the guys wind up dying.
The
only guys I could take out of the cats were Seth Rogen, Jay Baruchel, and Craig
Robinson. They were the only ones that were not annoying and were actually
funny. Jonah Hill I despise with a passion. I hate seeing his face and I do not
think he is funny whatsoever. James Franco’s exaggeration of himself was
terrible he looked like an asshole and acted like one. I guess that was the
point of his exaggeration. Danny McBride I find funny for like five minutes and
then I cannot stand him.
The
cameos were the only saving grace of this movie. Emma Watson had the funniest
scenes. She survived the apocalypse that happened. She threatens the guys with
an axe and steals all their drinks. I was dying listening to her drop f-bombs.
My absolute favorite parts were when Rhianna punches Michael Cera in the face
and when he dies. He is another one I cannot stand at all he annoys me to
absolutely no end. At the end the Backstreet Boys show up and sing and dance to
“Everybody Backstreet’s Back.” The ten year old fan girl inside me freaked out
so bad when I saw them!
I also liked how they all got bored and
made Pineapple Express 2. That was hilarious they had their costumes on from Pineapple Express.
I
am very happy I did not spend my own money to see This is the End. I did not mind the crude humor at all I am used to
that with three younger brothers. There is no plot to the story, it is not
funny, and it is really slow. If you like all the actors in it go ahead and see
it but I honestly suggest not wasting your money to see This is the End in theaters. Wait until it comes on Nextflix to
see it for free.
I
was very excited to see TCM airing The
Broadway Melody of 1936 because I loved its follow up The Broadway Melody of 1938. I had so much fun watching every
minute of this film.
Bert
Keeler (Jack Benny) is a reporter who keeps announcing what high society person
has had kids. Hi editor wants him to stop with the birth announcements and get
some scandalous news. Bert’s friend Snoop was looking out the window when he
sees a party going on across the street. He spots Broadway producer Bob Gordon
(Robert Taylor) dancing the rich widow Lillian Brent. Bert immediately starts
thinking they are together so Lillian will finance Bob’s new show.Bob does need money for his new show but
he does not want Lillian to help him even after she offered. Bert sees this
paring as the other wanting something the other one has.
Irene
Foster (Eleanor Powell) shows up at Bob’s office looking for a job the following
day. She knows Bob from when they were in high school in Albany and have not
seen each other in five years. Bert also shows up at the office to speak to Bob
to see if Lillian is backing his show. Bob comes back to the office. He looks
Irene right in the face and he does not recognize her at all. Bob refuses to
see Bert. Through his secretary Kitty (Una Merkel) Bob tells Bert that if he
wants publicity he will call a publicity man.
Irene
gets a room. As she outs away her clothes she sees through the skylight in her
room two people dancing on the roof. The two dancers are brother and sister Ted
and Sally and they are singing before they eat breakfast. Irene joins them in
an adorable song and dance routine. Irene tells Ted and Sally about her meeting
with Bob and how she knows him. Sally tells her she should go see Bob again.
Irene replies that she has too much pride.
Bob
finds a pin in his office. It is the college pin he had given Irene before he
left. She gave it to Kitty to leave for Bob. He is all excited and wants to
find her. Unfortunately Kitty never got Irene’s address. At the same moment
Lillian storms furiously into Bob’s office. She shows him Bert’s column and
what he wrote about her backing Bob’s show. Bob wants Bert to come to his but
Bert gets back at him and tells Bob to come to his office. Bob storms over to
the newspaper. Bert was hoping to get a little something for giving Bob
publicity in his paper. Bob punches both Bert and Snoop in the face.
Kitty
asks Snoop to have Bert put in his column that Bob is looking for Irene. Bert
puts the items in his column more so as a jab at Bob. Ted reads the column to
Irene. He tells her Bob can get dancers a dime a dozen she needs to have
something else. Suddenly Irene breaks out in a Katharine Hepburn impression
from the film Morning Glory and she
is really good (watch it here please you must!). The next day Irene surprises Bob at the auditions for his show.
She wants to be the star they used to talk about together. Bob tells her
Broadway is really tough it is not what they imagined. Bob is called away to
speak to Lillian. While Bob is away, Irene imagines what it would be like to be
a star in a show dancing on stage for an audience.
Lillian
feels since she is putting up the money for the show she should be its star. Bob
wants a name though he asks her to give him two weeks to go to Hollywood to get
a name and if he cannot find a star he will out her in the show. Snoop hears
the whole thing from standing behind the open door. He tells Kitty he will not
say anything if she goes out to dinner with him. So Kitty goes along and Bert
just happens to walk in. He manages to get it out of Snoop what Bob is up to.
Bert
comes up with the idea to spread word about a famous French actress who has
come to New York City. The actress is from his own imagination and her name Mademoiselle
LaBelle Arlette is from a cigar company. He wants the word about this actress
to reach Bob so he will look like a fool trying to get the woman for the
leading role. Bert sets up shop in a hotel and has Snoop at first playing the
French actress but when he cannot get his voice high enough Bert makes him the
secretary. All Snoop has to say is that Mademoiselle cannot come to the phone
she is very busy and to have a record playing a French woman singing (the song
playing is a French version of “All I Do Is Dream of You”).
Kitty
keeps trying to get a hold of this Mademoiselle Arlette for Bob. When she calls
Snoop picks up and when Kitty tells him who she is Snoop breaks character and
says “Hiya Kitty.” Figuring something funny is going on Kitty goes to the
hotel. She sees Snoop sleeping in full woman’s wig and clothes on. When Kitty
gets back to the office Irene, Ted, and Sally are waiting in the office. Bob
has seen Ted and Sally in their act in a small city a few years before. He
remembers he liked them and puts them in the show. As for Irene he talks her
out of wanting to work on Broadway by saying he does not want to see her talent
go to waste as a chorus girl never landing the parts she wants. He gets her a
ticket back home to Albany.
Irene
and Kitty have other plans. Instead of going home Irene gets off at the next
train stop and Kitty is there to meet her. Kitty returns to the office along
with Mademoiselle LaBelle Arlette. If you could not guess Irene is disguised as
the French actress. Bob is ecstatic over the most talked about actress coming
into his office. He was just about to sign the contract that Lillian had signed
for her to be the lead actress in the show.
Bert
receives a cable from Paris that there is a real Mademoiselle Arlette and she
will sue if her name goes on being used the way it has been. He goes to Irene
to tell her the news. At first he does not tell her about the potential lawsuit
until she says she does not care she will keep up the disguise. After Bert
tells her what will happen Irene tells him he is in just as much trouble as she
is and comes up with a plan.
Needless
to say it is a happy ending for Irene and Bob. She performs an awesome dance
routine with the song “Broadway Rhythm.”
Oh
my god where do I even begin with to describe how amazing this cast was!
Eleanor Powell did not even want to do this film. She thought that by demanding
a lot of money she would not get the part and MGM gave in. This was Powell’s
first real starring film and she gave a fantastic performance. Powell was
unbelievably perfect and adorable right from her first scene. I think I nearly
died from her adorableness in the scene where she impersonates Katharine
Hepburn from Morning Glory. It was so
spot on it was scary! Powell was such an awesome dancer. I never care how long
her routines are I enjoy watching her dance so much. You can tell by her face
and the way she moved that she truly enjoyed dancing. I just cannot get enough
of her incredible dancer’s legs. I want her thighs! Robert Taylor was so
handsome. At the beginning of the film when Bob is out with Lillian they both
sing “I Got a Feeling You’re Fooling.” Yes, Robert Taylor sings and this was
the only film he ever sang in. He was really good. I liked his pairing with
Eleanor Powell they fitted very nicely together. Una Merkel I enjoy so much. I crack
up whenever I see her face. Merkel was also paired with Powell and Sid Silver
who played Snoop in Born to Dance. All
three together worked wonderfully in both film. I laughed so hard with Merkel
in one scene: Lillian was walking out of the office and she passed Kitty’s desk
and Kitty gave her a look. It is hard to explain without seeing it but the look
on Merkel’s face was so damn funny. This was Buddy Ebsen’s first film. He
looked like such a doof the whole time. I loved his dancing with his real life
sister Vilma Ebsen. Jack Benny I have only ever seen in To Be or Not to Be before this. He was good he fit the character
very well.
All
the songs in this film were written by the excellent writing and composing team
Arthur Freed and Herb Nacio Brown. If you know all the songs in from Singin’ in the Rain then you will know
all the songs here (except for the one Irene sings on stage). The film opens
with two separate singers singing “Broadway Melody” and “Your Are My Lucky Star.”
I always get so excited when is see where the songs from Singin’ in the Rain originally came from because I love them all so
much. The compositions are much different than they are in the later film.
I
had such a fantastic time watching Broadway
Melody of 1936. From beginning to end I enjoyed it so much. Every
character, every song, every dance routine, and every actor were perfect. I
cannot wait to own Broadway Melody of
1936 on DVD.
