The Lion King Will Leave You Feline Nothing

So, quick recap for those who aren't familiar with the original Lion King: Simba (voiced by JD McCrary as a child and Donald Glover as an adult) is the son of Mufasa (James Earl Jones), the king of the Pride Lands. Simba is immensely excited to assume the throne, but his nefarious Uncle Scar (Chiwetel Ejiofor) has other dastardly plans in mind. He plans to usurp the throne by killing Mufasa and Simba, a plan that leaves Mufasa dead and Simba feeling so guilty that he runs away from his home. Out on his own, Simba ignores his past and lives a care-free life but he'll soon discover that you can't outrun your responsibilities.

Observe and Report Is an Imperfect But Ambitious Dark Deconstruction of Typical Man-Children Comedies

CW: DISCUSSIONS OF SEXUAL ASSAULT 
SPOILERS AHEAD

In his time as a comedic leading man, Seth Rogen has demonstrated an admirable ambitious streak. The films rarely turn out to be all-time classics (though at least none of Seth Rogen's vehicles have turned out as badly as modern Will Ferrell or Adam Sandler features) but movies like The Interview or This is the End tend to be centered on more high-concept unorthodox comedic premises that see Rogen and company demonstrating bolder creative aspirations. This quality could be found as early as less than two years after Knocked Up cemented Seth Rogen as a viable leading man with the black comedy Observe and Report, which hews closer to Taxi Driver than fellow 2009 mall cop movie Paul Blart: Mall Cop.

Long Shot Is More Agreeable Than Memorable But At Least It's Frequently Funny

Though they usually have enough gross-out gags to fill out an army of Seann William Scott starring vehicles, comedic vehicles for Seth Rogen and his fellow cohorts like Judd Apatow have always had a penchant for treating romantic subplots with surprising levels of seriousness. Starting with The 40-Year-Old Virgin back in 2005, these types of films seemed to make a promise to viewers to keep the jokes about male genitalia coming at a steady rate but also to treat romance as something with actual weight and heart. Trying to balance raunch with heart has had varying degrees of success, but it is an element that separates it from, say, Happy Madison or recent Will Ferrell vehicles where heartfelt moments feel obligatory rather than affecting.

The Character-centric Drama of The 40-Year-Old Virgin Tends To Be More Consistently Successful Than Its Comedy

There was a time when Steve Carell wasn't a movie star. Prior to August 2005, Carell, who had previously appeared in a number of scene-stealing roles in movies as well as starred in a handful of episodes of the American version of The Office, had never headlined a major feature film prior to The 40-Year-Old Virgin while writer/director Judd Apatow had been cutting his teeth on an assortment of cult classic TV shows up to this point. But with this raunchy comedy, both of them managed to spring to the very top of the A-list and proved to be one of the most influential forces in early 21st century American cinematic comedy, with their impact still being felt in movies made to this very day.

Superbad? More Like SuperGreat!

Sure, we all know who Jonah Hill and Michael Cera are today but ten years ago this very month, each of them got to headline their very first (but certainly not their last) motion picture with the Greg Mottola-directed feature Superbad. Neither came from out of nowhere of course since Cera had done Arrested Development for three seasons and Hill had been a character actor in a couple of comedies, but neither one were movie stars until Superbad came along and rocketed them both to new levels of fame. In my first time ever viewing of Superbad, I was delighted to see that the initial breakthrough movie for these two wasn't just a worthy start for two talented actors but may be one of the strongest movies either of them has ever appeared in.

Sausage Party's Key Ingredients Include Raunchy Jokes And Theological Themes

Back in 1989, The Simpsons was thought of as revolutionary for its concept of merging animation with more adult-oriented storylines and jokes. Now, for my generation, the idea of adult-skewing animation existing in American pop culture is normal thanks to high-profile TV shows like Family Guy, South Park, Rick & Morty and Bojack Horseman. Considering how prevalent adult-orient animation is on the small screen, it was really only a matter of time until we got a major American computer-animated movie aimed at adults (following the footsteps of countless Japanese animated movies and other American works like 9 and Fritz The Cat). Such a time has now come thanks to Seth Rogen and his cohorts who have created Sausage Party, a full-fledged parody of the works of PIXAR.

Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising Review

Let it not be said that the (five to be precise) writers of Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising didn't at least flex some creativity when it came time to figure out the motivations of this installments titular neighbors. Whereas the first one had a frathouse led by Teddy (Zac Efron), whose impending exit from college was leaving him with an internal crisis, this one has a sorority, led by Shelby (Chloe Grace Moretz) move in next door to Mac (Seth Rogen) and Kelly (Rose Byrne). For Shelby, her motivation to party like there's no tomorrow is her desire to be more socially outgoing in college compared to her more introverted High School days.

Seth Rogen Brings His R-Rated Shenanigans To Animation In The NSFW Red-Band Trailer For Sausage Party

American animation has been strictly in the family-friendly zone for decades now, with forays into more adult-skewing animated fare being limited to the works of Ralph Bashki and the South Park movie. If Sausage Party, a computer-animated film about grocery food (produced by Megan Ellison, the producer behind Her, Foxcatcher and Zero Dark Thirty), takes off, perhaps that'll change, especially given how my generation is fully accustomed to the concept of animation being not just for children thanks to the ubiquity of programs like Family Guy, South Park & Rick & Morty.

B.O.O.: The DreamWorks Animation Movie You Will Never See

There is an animated family comedy named B.O.O.: Bureau of Otherworldly Organisms starring Seth Rogen and Mellissa McCarthy as crime-fighting ghosts. Their foe? Bill Murray as an evil ghosts. This feature had a plot that basically sounded like a more family-friendly version of the 2013 box office dud R.I.P.D., had Rashida Jones, Matt Bomer and Octavia Spencer in supporting roles, and was slated to be released this past June.  However, it was pulled from the release schedule just six-and-a-half months prior to its release. Apparently, the film was in post-production when it was cancelled, to the point that when director Tony Leondis was announced as the director of The Emoji Movie, the press release for that development noted that his previous film, B.O.O., had actually been completed under his watch.

The Night Before Review

Gazing onto the page on Box Office Mojo dedicated to Christmas movies, one might be shocked to see how few massively financially successful films have been released that center directly on this holiday. Films that use the holiday as merely a backdrop (like Home Alone, Die Hard and Iron Man 3) typically find much greater success in the department of dollars and cents compared to its kin that tackle Christmas head on their plots. The Night Before, the newest Seth Rogen comedy, just so happens to fall into that latter type of Christmas filmmaking.

Steve Jobs Review

Now that I'm juuust old enough to put my younger years into a larger context, it strikes me that 2010 may have been one of the most formative cinematic years of my entire life. That specific period of 365 days brought out a number of important films that shaped me, including Toy Story 3, The Other Guys and the first Coen Brothers, Christopher Nolan and Edgar Wright films I saw on the big screen (hell, I could ramble on for hours on the personal importance of just Scott Pilgrim vs. The World!). Another film from that year that has cemented itself in my subconscious? The Social Network.

American Snipers Lack Of Depth And Quality Is Reinforced By Its Crude Defenders (Editorial)

Some movies that make big bucks at the box office aren't really surprising in their financial glory. Was there anyone who really didn't think the last Harry Potter movie wouldn't shatter box office records? But then you've got your Avengers, your Frozens, those movies that wind up making way, way, way more money than anyone on the face of this Earth could have predicted. American Sniper is one such film, breaking every box office record in it's path and demolishing all expectations.

The Interview Review

An Interview To Remember

It's really not hyperbole to say that few features in 2014 have generated as much press as The Interview. There was of course the North Korea kerfuffle, which wound up resulting in nothing despite Sony releasing the film in over 500 theaters. Now the film gets to have one of the shortest windows between theatrical release and being available of Netflix instant streaming. It is by the mighty power of Netflix I was able to finally watch this film and see what Seth Rogens newest cinematic tale was all about.

Aaron Sorkin Written Steve Jobs Movie Loses Home At Sony, But All Hope Is Not Lost

It's been a rough road for the Steve Jobs biopic written by Aaron Sorkin. David Fincher was supposed to direct it, make it a nice Social Network reunion, but he passed. Then, Danny Boyle came on as director, only for lead actor Leonardo DiCaprio to pass. Christian Bale, who had been floated around as a lead for the project when Fincher was directing, reattached himself to the project, and then left it. Michael Fassbender was in talks to play the lead of Steve Jobs, while Seth Rogen, Jessica Chastain and Scarlett Johnansson were in discussions for roles in the feature.

The List!!!: Five Upcoming Movies Based On Beloved Cartoons

In The List!!!, I do a list that just reeks of being click-bait, analyzing a particular topic or subject that pertains to something major occurring in pop-culture. This week, in honor of the Ninja Turtles coming back to cinemas, I take a look at five upcoming movies that will be taken to the big screen.

Seth Rogen and James Francos Epic Plan To Kill Kim-Jong Un Has Been Delayed Until Christmas Day

The newest feature film from Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, the duo who directed This Is The End, is called the Interview has been met by controversy ever since it debuted its first trailer. Considering the plot revolves around Rogen and James Francos plan to kill Kim-Jong Un, this shouldn't be too surprising. However, several North Korea officials considering the film an act of war certainly does feel like a massive overreaction to the project.