Coming, Not Going
By Aaron 8/18/07

All the good article titles like “McLovin it” (The Sun Times’ Ebert) and “Supergood” (SaltyStix’s AJ) and of course the perfect “Movie Review: Superbad” (The Chicago Tribune’s Philips) were taken, so I had to settle for this. The article title does not do justice to a powerful movie about friendship, coming of age, the end of innocence and – no, just kidding.

What you see is what you get – an over the top, no holds barred R-Rated comedy. Instead of bemoaning the going of Brat Pack humor, we should enjoy the coming new age of comedy that is about to dawn.

There is little use in summarizing what this movie is “about” because it is not really about anything besides two best friends trying to get laid. That is what makes the movie so great – it does not pretend to be about anything. It keeps everything simple. Things happen, that are crazy, funny, and could conceivably happen in a single day (a la American Graffiti). That in itself is refreshing, because concepts such as time, and the school year, and all those things that clutter potentially good movies, are swept away.

I will dispel your fears by saying, this is NOT another American Pie movie. I would go so far as to say the movie is completely different. Where Pie shows the exploits of five friends trying to score before the school ends, accidentally tumbling into “serious” relationships, Superbad focuses on two friends who want to have a kick-ass summer. To have a kick-ass summer, they think they need to make a move on two girls seemingly out of their league who keep flirting with them. There is no prom – no foreign exchange students – no over the top Eugene Levy-dad – there is just, well, reality.

Superbad is the best R-Rated comedy, perhaps ever, because it is rated-R not for violence or nudity, but for language. Sure, that sounds awful for mothers, but this is the way kids talk – they say it like it is. And the language is not distracting, but instead evokes a fluid reality of sorts.

In that regard, Jonah Hill, Michael Cera, and Christopher Mintz-Plasse are perfectly cast because they seem so natural. Hill and Cera’s timing is amazingly sharp, and Mintz-Plasse’s ridiculousness is hysterically over the top.

After that, what they “do” in the movie is largely irrelevant. BUT, the adventures they do have are hysterical. While I would say I did NOT laugh constantly, when I was laughing, I was laughing really hard. I went in, knowing this movie would have to “top” Rogen/Apatow’s earlier summer flick, Knocked Up. I left, the movie contemplating which movie I thought was best. In the end it becomes crystal clear: Superbad is superior.

Whereas Knocked Up is, I slightly new twist on romantic comedies – R-rating and appeal to both genders – it is altogether more of the same. Each still has that friend they confide in who is the more “extreme” version of their own personality. Superbad, on the other hand, is not another teen comedy, but an R-rated, modern American Graffiti - a fresh look at real teen life with hysterical spin. 9/10 saltystix.

SuperGood

By AJ 8/17/07

Even before it's general release, Superbad was being heralded as the American Pie or Fast Times at Ridgemont High of this decade. It's the kind of comedy that, under normal circumstances, would go on to become the 'sleeper hit' of the summer, much like American Pie. The only problem is, producer Judd Apatow and actor/writer Seth Rogen have already had their 'sleeper hit' this summer. Most filmmakers would be content to make one hit film a summer, but Apatow and crew have done the seemingly impossible and made two hit comedies in one summer.

Being that it is a teen comedy, Superbad doesn't have much in the way of plot. Seth (Jonah Hill) and Evan (Michael Cera) are two best friends in their last few weeks of high school. Like most exiting high schoolers, they are having a bit of separation anxiety. When Seth gets invited to a party by Jules, a girl seemingly way out of his league, the two set out to do the things they've missed out on throughout their high school careers. Basically they want to get drunk and get laid. In order to do so, the two have committed to securing alcohol for the party with their friend Fogell's fake ID. For those of you who have seen the trailer a million times like I have, you know this is the nerdy kid with the ID that says McLovin. His wild escapades with two police officers (played by SNL cast member Bill Hader and Seth Rogen) almost steal the show. First time actor Christopher Mintz-Plasse assumes the role of McLovin with such nerdy-bravado, you wouldn't think he was acting (and to be honest, he probably isn't.)

While the general concept may be reminiscent of American Pie, Superbad shows that it has much more to offer. Instead of relying heavily on gross out laughs and nudity, Superbad succeeds with sharp, witty dialogue and flawless comedic timing. Seth and Evan speak and act just like people we know, only funnier. Make no mistake, there's hardly a line in the film that doesn't make some reference to something raunchy and sexual, but isn't that the way teenage boys talk? Fans of Arrested Development should jump at the chance to see Michael Cera bring his hilariously awkward persona to the big screen. Hill and Cera are so perfectly cast in this film, you'd think the parts were written for them (I assume that, since Seth Rogen claims to have written the film while in high school, this is not the case.)

For me, this film is a defining moment for Apatow and crew. Rogen shows that he is as funny a writer as he is an actor, Cera and Hill have graduated from supporting roles to leading men, or boys, and combined they have successfully become the hottest comedy powerhouse in Hollywood. I can only hope that they have enough sense not to continue to make funny and unique films, or else suffer the fate of the American Pie franchise and pump out sequel upon sequel before being demoted to direct-to-DVD release. Long story short, (dare I say it) I McLoved it. 9/10

Could “Avatar” Win Best Picture?

By Brett Hogan

Last week, the trailer for James Cameron’s sci-fi experiment “Avatar” debuted. While initially unimpressed with the teaser, I began to wonder: Could this film win best picture? 

Buzz has been generating for this movie for years. Years. The technology to make this movie didn’t exist when Cameron conceived it, so he invented it. When is the last time you heard of a director spearheading the invention of anything? The casting started in 2005. Most movies these days, even epics, are done in half that time. I could go on. 

The most important thing to take away from all of this is that people are saying this will be the future of movies. Now, I don’t agree with the idea that CGI will become more prevalent than it already is. But I do believe that this will set the bar miles higher for sci-fi. I mean, that is what Titanic did. And that won some awards if memory serves.

I’ll bet you’re asking yourself, how can you even suggest that a film like this will win Best Picture when the initial trailer was nothing better than visual stimulation? Well, there are a couple of reasons. First, the Academy has expanded Best Picture to ten films. This doesn’t guarantee anything other than improved chances for most films on the cusp.

Second, after last year’s Oscars debacle, which saw the best film of the year, “The Dark Knight,” not only get shafted in awards but nominations as well, the Academy is pulling out all the stops to appease those with the loudest voices in the film industry, the fanboys. Now, the Academy probably didn’t lose anything because of that other than some viewers of the award show. Perhaps if people are again outraged with the winners or nominees, the heads of the Academy would lose their jobs. So this is all about the Academy protecting itself, which is not so outrageous.  

Third, there is an economic motive here. I’ve heard this film will cost $190 million, not counting the R&D costs associated with Cameron’s inventions or the cost of getting 3-D cameras into every theater in the country. The Academy will do everything in its power to get people into the seats and make this the next “Titanic” or “The Dark Knight.” But the Academy doesn’t have much power, besides nominating and awarding, so they will slap the “Nominated for Best Picture” moniker onto every commercial and print ad to get the people who didn’t believe the critics to relent and see this movie.

Of course, all of this is pure conjecture, and no revolutionary film (Terminator 2, Jurassic Park, etc.) has ever won the Best Picture category because it changed the game. Except maybe Titanic. But still, could this movie actually win? My answer is no but a nomination is certain and who knows what could happen from there. We’ll know more come February 2010.