Movie Monday: Accidentally the James Franco Edition

I briefly discussed This is the End in a recent post, but here's a more in-depth review.  First a brief synopsis of my previous "review":

• falls into my completely-ridiculous-but-I-love-it category
•  star-studded cast
•  more laughs than you can shake a stick at
• If you enjoyed The Hangover, you'll probably like this movie.

The movie begins with a bunch of celebrities at a Hollywood party at James Franco's house (not a spoiler; they show it in the trailer).  They're all friends and Jay Baruchel doesn't really know any of them except Seth Rogen, so it's sort of awkward.  And then things start getting weird and then BAM, Apocalypse (I won't tell you what kind of apocalypse though).  So then everyone's panicking and then they're trying to survive and things get more awkward but it's funny.  Normal apocalypse survival things happen like food rationing and getting annoyed with survival buddies.  Things get consistently crazier and then it's the end of the movie, which I won't give away for obvious reasons.  I felt like it was well-done and thoroughly enjoyed it.  I felt like what happened is probably close to what would actually happen if those celebrities tried to survive an apocalypse together.  It was seriously ridiculous but amazing.  I think that's about all I can say without giving away spoilers.

I got Oz the Great and Powerful from Redbox and watched it with G last night.  We both loved it, so if you're not too serious to enjoy things because you're a grownup and think they're intended for children, you'll probably enjoy it too.  Seriously, IMDB commenters are pretty intent on the fact that only children will like this movie.  For those of you who don't know, this movie is sort of a prequel to The Wizard of Oz which focuses on the origin of The Wizard.  James Franco plays The Wizard and Mila Kunis is one of the witches.  There are some pretty intense action sequences and scary situations which, depending on a child's age and the child, might be too much for children.  The tornado itself is much more realistic than the tornado in The Wizard of Oz, in that there are pieces of dangerous debris flying around.  Adults will enjoy this movie because they'll be able to see parallels between it and The Wizard of Oz, they'll like the action sequences, and they'll appreciate more of the story.  Plus there are some jokes that will whoosh right over children's heads.  There are also many more reasons.  Pretty much, if you're a child at heart and are able to geek over fandoms without feeling self-conscious, you'll like the movie.

For parents of children who are trying to decide if this movie is okay for your child:
Children will enjoy this movie because of the bright colors and cool environments, like the musical environment.  If you have younger children, they might still like this movie, but there are some very intense parts.  The flying monkeys are loud and frightening flying baboons.  There are lots of loud noises, and some of the fighting between witches could be scary for them.  Also there is a part (spoilers, highlight the white part following this to read them) where there is a living china doll whose family got killed by the witch, which may be too emotional for some children.  All in all, I really enjoyed this movie, enough that I would definitely watch it again, and if you're not a wet blanket, you'll probably like it too.  Oh and also, at the beginning of the movie, until after the tornado, the picture is very small and you might think you need to adjust it.  Leave it like that and it will change after the tornado, like how in The Wizard of Oz the movie is in black-and-white until after the tornado.