Inherent Vice (2014) - Anderson turns in his career's first dud

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A psychedelic reproduction of star Joaquin Phoenix with a characteristic stoner look in rainbow colors make up most of this poster for Paul Thomas Anderson's Inherent Vice

A hairy, uncool private investigator in 1970s Los Angeles gets a new, bewildering case, when his ex-girlfriend appears and sets his attention on the story of a disappeared real estate broker.

 

Inherent Vice is written, co-produced and directed by Californian master filmmaker Paul Thomas Anderson (Hard Eight (1996)), whose 7th feature it is. It is an adaptation of the same-titled 2009 novel by Thomas Pynchon (V. (1963)).

The driving narrative of the missing realtor never hooks us, and Inherent Vice looks and feels like an auteur who is verliebt in a time and a place, (1970s LA, where Anderson also set his Boogie Nights (1997)), but the result is never as fun, dramatic nor anything approaching exciting as it was supposed to be. Technically the film is beautiful, with a cool back alley cat attitude, which clashes with Joaquin Phoenix (Her (2013)) booby performance in the lead role, providing moments of measured mirth. This while a parade of stars come and go before the master's camera. Anderson with Inherent Vice is beating on an empty drum in an overlong running time to boot. It is a deadly bore.

 

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Paul Thomas Anderson: 2017 in films - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I]
Phantom Thread (2017) - Anderson's exquisite drama of an English dressmaker and his Alma 

The Master (2012) - Anderson's stunning post-war reflection 

2002 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I] 

Punch-Drunk Love (2002) - Sandler breaks out of his routine in Anderson's delightful romcom

1997 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess 
Boogie Nights (1997) - Anderson's irresistible porn 'Casino'

1996 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess 

Hard Eight (1996) - Anderson debuts with downbeat crime drama

 

Watch a trailer for the movie here

 

Cost: 20 mil. $

Box office: 14.8 mil. $

= Huge flop (returned 0.74 times its cost)

[Inherent Vice premiered 4 October (New York Film Festival) and runs 149 minutes. Shooting took place from May - August 2013 in California, including in Los Angeles, and in Las Vegas, Nevada. The film opened #20 to a 328k $ first weekend in 5 theaters in North America, where it peaked at #11 and in 653 theaters (different weeks), grossing 8.1 mil. $ (54.7 % of the total gross). The 2nd and 3rd biggest markets were the UK with 1.1 mil. $ (7.4 %) and Italy with 707k $ (4.8 %). The film was nominated for 2 Oscars: Best Adapted Screenplay, lost to Graham Moore for The Imitation Game, and Costume Design, lost to The Grand Budapest Hotel. It was also nominated for a Golden Globe, won an Independent Spirit award and 2 National Board of Review awards, among many others. Anderson returned with 8 music videos and a documentary prior to his theatrical return with Phantom Thread (2017). Phoenix returned in Irrational Man (2015). Inherent Vice is fresh at 74 % with a 7.20/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

 

What do you think of Inherent Vice? 

Pineapple Express (2008) - Funny people incite laughs in ludicrous stoner comedy

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+ Best Los Angeles Movie of the Year + Best Stone Comedy of the Year
 

Three popular male stars, - with just two of them receiving credit, - on this smoke-filled poster for David Gordon Green's Pineapple Express

A civil servant visits a pot dealer and gets a new kind of weed called Pineapple Express. On his next trip, however, he witnesses a police murder, which gets connected to him and the dealer.

 

Pineapple Express is written by Evan Goldberg (Preacher (2016-19)) and co-writer/co-star Seth Rogen (Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising (2016)), with co-producer/co-writer Judd Apatow (The King of Staten Island (2020)) contributing story elements, and directed by Arkansan master filmmaker David Gordon Green (George Washington (2000)), whose 5th feature it is.

It is a wacky, potty-mouthed film, ripe with stoner humor, - right from Bill Hader's (The Skeleton Twins (2014)) fairly unrelated 1937-set opening scene to the very end, - but also with flashes of crazy-comedy and deadpan gags. James Franco (The Interview (2014)), Rogen and Danny McBride (Arizona (2018)) compliment each other well and are seconded by scores of other funny folk here, of whom especially Craig Robinson (The Bad Guys (2022)) and the police women (Rosie Perez (Inside the Rain (2019)) and Cleo King (Deadwood: The Movie (2019, TV movie))) are funny. 

Pineapple Express, and especially the extended home video version, is overlong, but the laughs are plentiful along the way.

 

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David Gordon Green: Halloween (2018) - Great-looking mayhem 

2011 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED III] 
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2011 in films - according to Film Excess

The Sitter (2011) - Green and Hill's inappropriate babysitter movie is a crude hoot 

Your Highness (2011) - Green's dismissed, golden stoner/raunch adventure comedy

2008 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED III] 

George Washington (2000) - Green's evocative North Carolina youth debut masterpiece 

 

 

Watch a short clip from the film here

 

Cost: 25-27 mil. $ (different reports)

Box office: 102.4 mil. $

= Big hit (returned 3.93 times its cost)

[Pineapple Express premiered 31 July (Hollywood) and runs 112 minutes. Shooting took place from March - May 2007 in California, including in Los Angeles. The film opened #2, behind holdover hit The Dark Knight, to a 23.2 mil. $ first weekend in North America, where it spent one more weekend in the top 5 (#5), grossing 87.3 mil. $ (85.3 % of the total gross). The 2nd and 3rd biggest markets were the UK with 6.9 mil. $ (6.7 %) and Australia with 3.6 mil. $ (3.5 %). The film was nominated for a Golden Globe, among other honors. Roger Ebert gave it a 3.5/4 star review, translating to a notch over this one. The film made an estimated 48 mil. $ on the North-American home video market as well. Plans for a sequel stranded, as the stars and filmmakers wanted 50 mil. $ for it, and Sony would 'only' allow 45 mil. $. Green returned with Your Highness (2011). Rogen returned in Zack and Miri Make a Porno (2008); Franco in Nights in Rodanthe (2008). Pineapple Express is fresh at 68 % with a 6.30/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of Pineapple Express?

Dazed and Confused (1993) - Linklater's stoner youth nostalgia is a blast

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+ Best Texas Movie of the Year

The poster for Richard Linklater's Dazed and Confused is up front about its raucous teen characters

It's 1976 on the last day of high school before summer break. Rites and partying is the name of the game for these confused, ecstatic youths.

Written and directed by Texan master filmmaker Richard Linklater (Boyhood (2014)) as his third feature, Dazed is his take on American high school life, which he has described as an inverse John Hughes film, in that no major dramatic event takes place, and the kids don't grow that much but rather keep doing the same things over and over again.
Wiley Wiggins (Computer Chess (2013)) is perfect as the 'little-shot' in the school hierarchy that we attach ourselves to. SPOILER Ben Affleck's (Argo (2012)) character finally gets humiliated in one of the film's highlights. It takes a bit to see what makes this film special, but once its magic kicks in - elevated by a killer soundtrack - it is a great feeling of recognition and entertainment that follows it through: Recognizing these different temperaments and personalities that are nevertheless all pretty much on the same road towards self-discovery and experience is a fun discovery that may well bring back some personal memories.
Dazed is reminiscent of American Graffiti (1973) but more fun and meaningful in my opinion. It's a hell of a youth picture, near plot-free and yet extremely well-driving.

Related posts:

Richard Linklater: 2014 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I]   

2014 in films - according to Film Excess 
Boyhood (2014) or, Colored Mirror
Before Midnight (2013) - Linklater, Hawke and Delpy's Before trilogy comes to a tender, incisive and chilling end   
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Bernie (2011) - Linklater, Black and Hollandsworth's incredible true-crime dramedy  
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1993 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess 

Watch the Criterion Collection's 3 reasons why this film rocks here

Cost: 6.9 mil. $
Box office: 7.9 mil. $ (North America only)
= Unknown (very probably a big flop)
[Dazed and Confused was released September 24 and runs 102 minutes. The title is taken from a Led Zeppelin song, which Linklater did not gain permission to use in the film. The film, which stars many future superstars like Matthew McConaughey, Parker Posey and Milla Jovovich, opened #14 in just 183 theaters to a 0.9 mil. $ first weekend in North America. It is not possible to guess the commercial result of the film's theatrical run without international figures, but it seems very probable that it should be counted as a big flop, though it later turned into a cult favorite. Three former students of Linklater's Huntsville High School sued him for defamation in the film in 2004, but the New Mexico court dismissed the suit. The film has become a youth classic, which Quentin Tarantino has named as his favorite film of the 90s, (probably barring his own films though.) It has inspired what Linklater calls a "spiritual sequel", Everybody Wants Some, which is set in college in the 80s and recently premiered at Austin's SXSW film festival. Dazed and Confused is certified fresh at 94 % with a 7.8 critical average on Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of Dazed and Confused?

Your Highness (2011) - Green's dismissed, golden stoner/raunch adventure comedy

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+ Best Fantasy Movie of the Year

Three game stars walled in by a dragon and a multi-headed monster on the poster for David Gordon Green's Your Highness

Fabious and Thadeous are wildly divergent brothers. But when Fabious' virgin fiancée gets kidnapped by an evil wizard, the two will have to unify their powers to reclaim her.

Co-writer/star Danny McBride (This Is the End (2013)) and his gang have created a wild and wildly amusing adventure movie, replete with Minotaur cock, a sexless Toby Jones (Virginia (2010)) playing 'Julie' and James Franco (Homefront (2013)) in a crazy-funny, self-ironically homo-erotic lead.
Damian Lewis (Dreamcatcher (2003)) is good; Justin Theroux (The Leftovers (2014-15)) is energetic and fun; Natalie Portman (V for Vendetta (2005)) is fantastically nonchalant and strong; and McBride is sort of like a prince-version of Homer Simpson.
Your Highness is written by McBride and Ben Best (Eastbound and Down (2009-13)) and directed by David Gordon Green (Joe (2013)). It is an enormous film, if you consider the limited target audience the film turned out to have. It is remarkable how it often prioritizes adventure over insanity, although some might find that debatable. It is a consistent and fun stoner comedy, with emphasis on stoner. - I'm pretty sure I even rate this a tiny bit higher than Green's preceding, fun stoner comedy Pineapple Express (2008).

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2011 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED III] 
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Watch the trailer for the film here

Cost: 50 mil. $
Box office: 28 mil. $
= Huge flop
[Your Highness has received generally poor reviews and opened catastrophically bad in North America, at #6, with just 9.3 mil. $, ending its run there with 21.5 mil. $ (77 % of the total gross). Franco was eventually Razzie nominated for Worst Supporting Actor, but lost to Al Pacino for Jack and Jill. Roger Ebert hated Your Highness and called it "a sad film". - I call it hilarious!]

What do you think of Your Highness?

Revenge for Jolly (2012) - An uneven, pitch-black stoner comedy debut

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A blood-splattered, shell-littered poster for Chadd Harbold's Revenge for Jolly!

Revenge for Jolly! is the feature debut of Chadd Harbold (Block (2011), short), a really dark comedy, the first feature written by lead Brian Petsos (Wasted Space: The Mark Rantana Story (2010), short).

Petsos plays a nerdy loner, whose tiny dog gets killed. He seeks revenge and partners up with his also not-too-bright cousin for this quest, which takes them on a violent killing spree.

Jolly! will mostly appeal to younger males of the more cynical kind, or emotionally blunted types, who probably don't really need to acquire role-models who do the kind of things the protagonists of this film do.
The film's humor is extremely dark, even more so because none of the action is totally unbelievable, and the effects are realistic. Many will writhe in their seats or simply switch off the film, because it is immoral, but if you can accept this in the context of it all just being one long, crude joke, then you may like the film or just find it entertaining as I must admit that I did.
Something has gone wrong in the DVD transfer, or perhaps the film was just shot on terrible HD cameras (?). In any case the result on my TV was a technically awful visual experience, as the images linger all over the screen, whenever the characters move fast in any way.
Petso's script is pretty one-sided and flawed and plays like a series of episodic, more or less comedic and grim scenes that all come to a very abrupt end. Rarely has a feature seemed more 'straight-out-of-film-school' than Revenge for Jolly!, which is totally lacking any seriousness or great ideas, apparently solely thrilled with violence, guns and profanity and really dark and nonsensical humor.

Writer-star Brian Petsos and Oscar Isaac in Chadd Harbold's Revenge for Jolly!

The details:

What may make you interested enough to watch it are the stars in it:
Petsos doesn't create an interesting lead, but Oscar Isaac (Inside Llewyn Davis (2013)) is pretty good as his stoner cousin. They both seem to give it their all at least.
The funniest in the remaining cast are Garret Dillahunt (Deadwood (2004-05)) and Kevin Corrigan (The Departed (2006)), both in the wedding scene. The film also features stars Kristen Wiig, Elijah Wood (in yet another pretty obscure post-LOTR appearance) and Ryan Phillippe.
Jolly! may, in fact, be best described as mostly a stoner comedy. - The leads, who are wearing sombreros for a large portion of the film (...) have definitely smoked too much, anyway.
Incredibly, (since this film doesn't seem to have made any business), Harbold followed it up just the year after with another low-budget comedy, How to Be a Man (2013). And soon he will finish his next project, the short George and the Vacuum (2015) with Fred Armisen.

Watch the trailer here

Cost: Unknown
Box office: Unknown
= Unknown
[No information out most likely means that the film hasn't made nearly anything (theatrically, anyway). It was shot in New York and premiered at the city's Tribeca Film Festival.]

What do you think of Revenge for Jolly!?

This Is the End (2013) or, Hollywood Apocalypse

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Hilarity-promising poster for Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg's This Is the End

QUICK REVIEW:

Seth Rogen (Take This Waltz (2011)) receives his old, fellow Canadian friend Jay Baruchel (Knocked Up (2007)) in the LAX airport for catch-up and later a party at James Franco's (Palo Alto (2013)) house. But then it starts ... - the Apocalypse!

This Is the End is a crazy-funny apocalyptic stoner sci-fi meta-comedy with lots of memorable moments and lines, in which all the famous actors play outrageous versions of themselves. Funniest of them all, probably, are Craig Robinson (The Office (2005-13)) and Danny McBride (Pineapple Express (2008)).
At some point, though, debuting writer-directors Evan Goldberg and Seth Rogen (The Interview (2014)) let their preferences for vulgarity, obscurity and just plain stoner-randomness get the best of them, so that some audiences will undoubtedly get enough.
This Is the End is mainly for people who are already familiar with the stars in it, as they play on their public images and many of the jokes rely on actor-familiarity. 
The Channing Tatum-scene raises some questions (...), and the SPOILER exorcism of Jonah Hill (especially the puking part) is a low-point for the film. I also didn't feel that I really needed to see SPOILER Seth Rogen piss himself in his face, or Backstreet Boys perform in Heaven.
Still, This Is the End wins on its personalities and many laughs.

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Watch the hilarious trailer here

Cost: 32 mil. $
Box office: 126 mil. $
= Big hit
[The film came in 2nd behind Man of Steel's phenomenal 116.6 mil. $ opening on June 12, and still managed a 20.7 mil. $ opening weekend. Due to the film's strong result in the US, it was re-released on September 6. 80.5 % of the film's end gross came from North America.]

What do you think of This Is the End?
What is your favorite line or scene from the film?

The Big Lebowski (1998) - The stoner comedy to reign supreme

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+ 2nd Best Movie of the Year

+ Best Comedy of the Year 

Star Jeff Bridges with humorously spaced-out shades and a very funny tag-line adorn this poster for Ethan and Joel Coen's The Big Lebowski

 

LA-residing stoner/bowling man, the unemployed Jeffrey 'The Dude' Lebowski gets involved in a kidnapping case through a case of mistaken identity  (SPOILER and his own provocation that someone has pissed on his beloved carpet rug.) A really important bowling tournament is also coming up, so the timing for these problems is really just off. His good bowling pals help him out but also heavily convolute things.

 

The Big Lebowski may be one of the funniest comedies ever made, and it is certainly on my Top 3 of favorite movie by Minnesotan master filmmaker, brothers co-writer/producer Ethan and co-writer/director Joel Coen (Barton Fink (1991)). It is their 7th feature.

The film is narrated by a mysterious cowboy character (Sam Elliott (The Legacy (1978))), and its LA-set subculture crime plot is fashioned over the legacy of Raymond Chandler's noir structure of detective novels. Joel Coen has said eloquently about the point: "We wanted to do a Chandler kind of story – how it moves episodically, and deals with the characters trying to unravel a mystery, as well as having a hopelessly complex plot that's ultimately unimportant." This turned out to be an ingenious decision for the best stoner comedy of all time, The Big Lebowski.
Jeff Bridges (Crazy Heart (2009)) is The Dude, a role he was lucky to get and which more than any other defined his career since. Each of the supporting actors are also great in each their own way as well: John Goodman (The Artist (2011)) is hysterical as a gun-crazed Vietnam veteran (inspired on John Milius!), and Julianne Moore (The Hours (2002)) shines as a  presumptuous feminist performance artist. All the characters and dialog are totally outrageous and hysterically funny. The film works as contemporary satire and a developing crime/stoner comedy at the same time.
The music of Lebowski is awesome, as arranged by 'music archivist' Carter Burwell (The Rookie (2002)), its dream and drug-fueled sequences are extravagant, stylish and fantastic, and the film's ending is so tar-black in its humor, - it's just plain killer!
The movie has understandably inspired considerable cult, (mostly, I suppose, in the ever-existing stoner stratum of society), and even a 'religion' called Dudeism.

 

Related posts:

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Unbroken (2014) - Despite good elements, Jolie's Grand WWII Biopic is mostly distant and weak (co-writers)

2013 in films - according to Film Excess [UPDATED V] 
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2013 in films - according to Film Excess [UPDATED III]
2013 in films - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II]
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A Serious Man (2009) - One of the Coens' best; a philo-religious serio-comedy
Burn After Reading (2008) or, Idiocy 2008

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The Big Lebowski (1998) - The stoner comedy to reign over all

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Barton Fink (1991) or, The Writer's Hell 

 

Jeff Bridges, John Goodman and Steve Buscemi give an interview about the film many years later here

Cost: 15 mil. $
Box office: 46.9 mil. $
= Box office success (returned 3.12 times its cost)

[The Big Lebowski premiered 18 January (Sundance Film Festival) and runs 117 minutes. Shooting took place from January - April 1997 in California, including in Los Angeles. The film opened #6 to a 5.5 mil. $ first weekend in North America, its peak position there, where it grossed 17.4 mil. $ (37.1 % of the total gross). The film continues to add to its gross through re-releases. It was nominated for a European Film award, among other honors. Roger Ebert originally gave it a 3/4 star review but since changed it to a 4/4 star review, equal in rating to this one. IMDb's users have rated the film in at #203 on the site's Top 250 list, sitting between How to Train Your Dragon (2010) and Monsters, Inc. (2001). Ethan and Joel Coen returned with O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000). Bridges returned in Arlington Road (1999); Goodman in The Blues Brothers 2000 (1998); Moore in Welcome to Hollywood (1998); Steve Buscemi (Big Fish (2003)) in The Drew Carey Show (1998, TV-series)) and theatrically in The Wedding Singer (1998); and John Turturro (Transformers (2007)) in Animals with the Tollkeeper (1998)). The Big Lebowski is certified fresh at 83 % with a 7.50/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

 

What do you think of The Big Lebowski?