Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

The Interview leaves no “Suk,” “Poon,” or “Dong” unturned

Seth Rogen and James Franco leave no “Suk,” “Poon,” or “Dong” unturned in their quest to whack North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un in The Interview. Worth seeing, if just for the schizo opening logo and its anomalistic marriage of a ’70s ’Scope Columbia torch lady underscored by a ’30s Three Stooges introductory fanfare.

An inspiration disintegration soon takes hold, leaving six reels in which to contemplate the one burning question on everyone’s lips: How in the hell was a major Hollywood player brought to its knees by two hours of penis jokes and elaborate depictions of how to insert objects in men’s rectums?

Sponsored
Sponsored

Franco stars as Dave Skylark, a vapid entertainment talk-show host who sports more facial tics than a barrelful of Bill Buckleys and a wardrobe made up of the Joker’s hand-me-downs. Jong-un (Randall Park), a big fan of Skylark Tonight, invites the teleprompter-dependent moderator of the 60 Minutes of schlock TV to go “dick to dick” with him in an unprecedented interview. The CIA intervenes in the form of Lizzy Caplan’s cleaving cleavage, assigning Skylark and his affable producer, Aaron Rapoport (Rogen), the job of administering the lethal handshake.

Before being assigned the task of global assassin, Rapoport undergoes a Sullivan’s Travels moment, an epiphanic yearning to do something more with his life than simply entertain the masses with gossipy drivel. The sympathetic soul initially denounces America for what it’s doing to foster hatred among the North Koreans. But what could have added conflict to a script desperately in need of shaping is inexplicably done away with the second a gung-ho Rapoport gets a gun in his hand. So much for consistency of character.

Movie

Interview *

thumbnail

Seth Rogen and James Franco leave no “Suk,” “Poon,” or “Dong” unturned in their quest to whack North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un. As a vapid entertainment talk show host, Franco fills in the blanks his with more facial tics than a barrelful of Bill Buckley’s and a wardrobe made up of the Joker’s hand-me-downs. The suffocating level of redundancy and character inconsistency on display kneecaps any legitimate chance the film had at embracing social satire. Repetition is the key to learning and if you missed the payoff the first time around, don’t worry: the sledgehammering duo are skilled in the art of echoing every phallic aside. That said, <em>The Interview</em> offers more laughs (four, to be exact) than all of Rogen and Goldberg’s previous pairings combined. The biggest joke of all is how a major Hollywood player was brought to its knees by two hours of penis jokes and elaborate depictions of how to insert objects in men’s rectums.

Find showtimes

The suffocating level of redundancy on display kneecaps any legitimate chance the film had at embracing social satire. Visually, it’s strictly a master shot/close-up/reverse angle depiction of life in CGK: a computer-generated Korea that uses Canada as a live-action backdrop. One is generally inclined to turn a more generous eye to comedy, particularly if there’s compensatory quick-witted dialogue to pick up the slack. But Skylark cites the lyric “Suck a weiner, sit and spin” during the taping of an interview with Eminem, in one of the film’s many guest cameos. Cut to the control room where Rappoport is so tickled by the depth and subtlety of the verse that he can’t help but repeat it out loud to a colleague. Repetition is the key to learning in a Seth Rogen/Evan Goldberg production. If you missed the payoff the first time around, don’t worry: the sledgehammering duo are skilled in the art of echoing every phallic aside.

In this homoerotic universe, females represent nothing more than man-eating playmates, glamorized Stooge women acting as potential harbors for drooling men to dock their penises. It’s only fitting that Skylark and Rapoport sail off together in the sunset.

The Interview offers more laughs (four, to be exact) than all of Rogen and Goldberg’s previous pairings combined. And if nothing else, the film’s haphazard booking pattern helped to draw much-needed attention to our own little theater that could, the Digital Gym. Here’s hoping that in the future, Amy Pascal returns their calls.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Gonzo Report: Stinkfoot Orchestra conjures Zappa at Winstons

His music is a blend of technical excellence and not-so-subtle humor
Next Article

Pacific Beach – car thief's paradise

Take photos of your automobile and license plate

Seth Rogen and James Franco leave no “Suk,” “Poon,” or “Dong” unturned in their quest to whack North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un in The Interview. Worth seeing, if just for the schizo opening logo and its anomalistic marriage of a ’70s ’Scope Columbia torch lady underscored by a ’30s Three Stooges introductory fanfare.

An inspiration disintegration soon takes hold, leaving six reels in which to contemplate the one burning question on everyone’s lips: How in the hell was a major Hollywood player brought to its knees by two hours of penis jokes and elaborate depictions of how to insert objects in men’s rectums?

Sponsored
Sponsored

Franco stars as Dave Skylark, a vapid entertainment talk-show host who sports more facial tics than a barrelful of Bill Buckleys and a wardrobe made up of the Joker’s hand-me-downs. Jong-un (Randall Park), a big fan of Skylark Tonight, invites the teleprompter-dependent moderator of the 60 Minutes of schlock TV to go “dick to dick” with him in an unprecedented interview. The CIA intervenes in the form of Lizzy Caplan’s cleaving cleavage, assigning Skylark and his affable producer, Aaron Rapoport (Rogen), the job of administering the lethal handshake.

Before being assigned the task of global assassin, Rapoport undergoes a Sullivan’s Travels moment, an epiphanic yearning to do something more with his life than simply entertain the masses with gossipy drivel. The sympathetic soul initially denounces America for what it’s doing to foster hatred among the North Koreans. But what could have added conflict to a script desperately in need of shaping is inexplicably done away with the second a gung-ho Rapoport gets a gun in his hand. So much for consistency of character.

Movie

Interview *

thumbnail

Seth Rogen and James Franco leave no “Suk,” “Poon,” or “Dong” unturned in their quest to whack North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un. As a vapid entertainment talk show host, Franco fills in the blanks his with more facial tics than a barrelful of Bill Buckley’s and a wardrobe made up of the Joker’s hand-me-downs. The suffocating level of redundancy and character inconsistency on display kneecaps any legitimate chance the film had at embracing social satire. Repetition is the key to learning and if you missed the payoff the first time around, don’t worry: the sledgehammering duo are skilled in the art of echoing every phallic aside. That said, <em>The Interview</em> offers more laughs (four, to be exact) than all of Rogen and Goldberg’s previous pairings combined. The biggest joke of all is how a major Hollywood player was brought to its knees by two hours of penis jokes and elaborate depictions of how to insert objects in men’s rectums.

Find showtimes

The suffocating level of redundancy on display kneecaps any legitimate chance the film had at embracing social satire. Visually, it’s strictly a master shot/close-up/reverse angle depiction of life in CGK: a computer-generated Korea that uses Canada as a live-action backdrop. One is generally inclined to turn a more generous eye to comedy, particularly if there’s compensatory quick-witted dialogue to pick up the slack. But Skylark cites the lyric “Suck a weiner, sit and spin” during the taping of an interview with Eminem, in one of the film’s many guest cameos. Cut to the control room where Rappoport is so tickled by the depth and subtlety of the verse that he can’t help but repeat it out loud to a colleague. Repetition is the key to learning in a Seth Rogen/Evan Goldberg production. If you missed the payoff the first time around, don’t worry: the sledgehammering duo are skilled in the art of echoing every phallic aside.

In this homoerotic universe, females represent nothing more than man-eating playmates, glamorized Stooge women acting as potential harbors for drooling men to dock their penises. It’s only fitting that Skylark and Rapoport sail off together in the sunset.

The Interview offers more laughs (four, to be exact) than all of Rogen and Goldberg’s previous pairings combined. And if nothing else, the film’s haphazard booking pattern helped to draw much-needed attention to our own little theater that could, the Digital Gym. Here’s hoping that in the future, Amy Pascal returns their calls.

Comments
Sponsored
Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Why Unified® Review: What To Expect Dropshipping (Positive & Negative)

Next Article

Taco Taco Poway still has 99-cent fish tacos

Tacotopia prizewinner is well known among Powegians
Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.