Savages Looks Nothing Short of Brilliance.

UK Release Date: 28th September 2012.

From acclaimed director Oliver Stone comes Savages, the story of two young marijuana growers Ben and Chon who face off against a Mexican cartel who have kidnapped their shared girlfriend.

The cast is a stellar one indeed featuring star after star. Taylor Kitsch headlines the film and despite his recent flops this one could buck the trend. Before, with John Carter and Battleship you could tell that they were never going to do that well, there was just something about them, whereas I think Savages looks a lot better than the both of them. Aaron Johnson looks almost unrecognisable as Ben, a marijuana growing graduate of the University of California. The rest of the cast has more stars in it than a pack of Milky Way Magic Stars: John Travolta, Uma Thurman, Salma Hayek, Benecio Del Toro, Blake Lively and Emile Hirsch, a fine cast indeed.

Savages is a crime thriller and audiences never get bored of the crime genre and everyone loves an exciting thriller and it looks as though Oliver Stone has captured the essence of the genres brilliant, although just a sneak peak the trailer provides great excitement and gives fans something to really look forward to.

The trailer itself introduces us to the three main characters and their unusual relationship in which the two men share Blake Lively’s character as she is the girlfriend to both of them. It is her narration that informs us who the characters are and tell us that even though she is narrating, it doesn’t mean she makes it out of the story alive (a good bit of dialogue delivered badly in the trailer, if it’s in the movie it better be more dramatic) but this provides an interesting story either way and Savages could be Stone’s next big hit!

Pineapple Express (2008) Review

***WARNING: WILL CONTAIN SPOILERS***

Pineapple Express is one of my favourite films ever! I’m not a big fan of Seth Rogen, I’m not a big fan of Danny McBride but this film is hilarious. It’s not the best film ever made, but it is one that I could watch over and over again and never get bored of.

Written by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, Pineapple Express is about a process server named Dale Denton (Rogen) and his marijuana dealer Saul (James Franco). The two of them end up on the run after Dale witnesses a murder by Saul’s dealer when trying to serve papers on him. Dale and Saul then get caught up in a turf war between two rival drug dealers all because of a rare form of marijuana called Pineapple Express.

Seth Rogen is, obviously, playing the same kind of character he always does but for some reason, in this film, he isn’t as annoying as usual which is a good thing. Danny McBride, for some reason, annoys me an awful lot and I can’t see past that for the sake of this film either. Amber Heard, as Dale’s high school girlfriend, isn’t featured too much but when called upon she does her job. But the main reason making Pineapple Express worth watching is James Franco; he is absolutely brilliant. Franco’s line delivery and all round performance as Saul is hilarious and well worthy of the Golden Globe he was nominated for.

The growing friendship and relationship between Dale and Saul throughout the film is great to watch as the two drug addicted characters become great friends. Their interactions, in particular in the forest whilst on the run, are fantastic. Rogen and Franco have been friends for years in their personal lives and it shows in their chemistry on screen.

The action scenes are hilarious, especially the one that takes place in Red’s house. The final shootout at the end isn’t the best action sequence in the world but the film was shot on a small budget and it just adds to the comedy aspect of Pineapple Express; some of the deaths are unforgettable, you look past how daft they may be and appreciate the quality of the comedy portrayed.

Pineapple Express manages to spoof the great action films of the eighties and nineties with their ending without making it look corny. When Dale carries an injured Saul out of a barn close to explosion it is clear, from the way the scene is shot, this is a reference to old school action movies. An analogy further emphasised when Red manages to crawl out of said barn after being shot ‘like seven times’ and remain alive and well, an obvious reference to action movie heroes being shot at constantly and going through hell to achieve their goals yet at the end of the film they are unscathed.

It’s not the best film in the world, far from it in fact. Pineapple Express, at times, is absolutely ridiculous but it is in the best possible way. It is one of the funniest films I have ever seen and something I could never tire of watching. The comedy quality here is top notch and I would recommend this film to anyone!

My Rating: 8/10