Pineapple Express (www.the-usher.com)

"I love you, man!"

Dale (Rogen) loved his life. He had a job that he was really good at, a very young girlfriend who adored him and his dealer Saul (Franco) had just come into some of the best weed ever to be produced. It all goes wrong when Dale witnesses drug lord Ted Jones (Cole) kill one of his Asian rivals in cold blood. Panicking, he returns to Saul's place, leaving his half smoked joint behind but that joint could lead Ted's men back to him or is it just the paranoia hitting.

After cornering the market on Hollywood comedy, producer Judd Apatow moves into the action genre with a bit of comedy thrown in for good measure but can his company make the jump?

With hit after hit coming from his production comedy, writer/director/producer Judd Apatow has redefined American comedy for the new millennium. 'Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy', 'The Forty Year-Old Virgin', 'Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby', 'Knocked Up', 'Superbad', 'Forgetting Sarah Marshall' and 'Step Brothers' have all hit the box office, big time, but have all been character driven, slightly wacky and rude but for 'Pineapple Express' he changes his formula and for the most part it works but there are a lot more flaws.

Co-written by Judd Apatow, Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, the team behind 'Superbad', you would have expected more laugh-out-loud moments but 'Pineapple Express' only ever manages to raise a smile but there is still plenty to enjoy here. Mixing action with comedy can be a difficult process and takes some skill to pull it off, as Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg did with 'Hot Fuzz', but here the action and panic comes before the all out comedy unfortunately.

The story is a simple one. Process server Dale Denton, played by Apatow stalwart Seth Rogen, loves his job but also loves his weed. His dealer Saul, played with great stoner gusto by James Franco, has just come into some of the best weed to ever hit the West Coast. Called Pineapple Express, the pair enjoy a joint and it totally blows their minds but when Dale lights up outside of the house of the next person he supposed to serve a subpoena, he sees him shot and kill an Asian man in cold blood. Panicking he heads back to Saul but the person he witness killing someone is local drug lord Ted Jones, played by Gary Cole having fun, and he finds Dale's discarded joint, instantly recognising he was smoking Pineapple Express and he knows only one dealer in LA sells this blend. This sends Dale and Saul on the run and this is when the action high jinx start.

The supporting cast back up the story. Danny McBride provides most of the laughs as Red, Saul's supplier and one who bears the brunt of all of the violence. Kevin Corrigan and Craig Robinson make fun henchmen and it is good to see Rosie Perez back on the big screen as a corrupt police officer. Amber Heard also continues to make a big impression on Hollywood as Dale's high school girlfriend Angie.

'Pineapple Express' isn't on the same par as Judd Apatow's previous hits but it is still enjoy, simply because of the performances of Seth Rogen and James Franco. The action sequences are also very fun, with the finale standing out even amongst established action franchises but it is the lack of genuine laugh out loud moments mean that this isn't quite as funny as Apatow fans may have been expecting.

PICTURE & SOUND

The Blu-Ray disc presents the movie in High Definition wide screen 1:85 up to 1080p, with Dolby TrueHD 5.1 surround sound.

BONUS FEATURES

Commentary with the filmmakers and cast
Director David Gordon Green, producer Judd Apatow, screenwriter Evan Goldberg and stars Seth Rogen, James Franco, Danny McBride and Ed Begley Jr provide a fun and very chatty commentary for 'Pineapple Express'. As with all Judd Apatow productions, this is a very funny and another fine example of how a commentary track should be put together. The filmmakers and cast sound like they really enjoyed making the film, with many behind the scenes stories and a lot of mickey taking throughout.

Deleted Scenes (3.27 mins/Standard Definition)
Entitled 'Elevator', 'Food's still warm' and 'Troy', these deleted scenes suffer from the lack of a commentary track or introduction to explain why they were removed.

Extended & Alternate Scenes (21.06/Standard Definition)
Entitled 'Private Miller', 'Forest', 'Prairie Dog', 'In the van', 'Kids buy weed', 'Police Liaison', 'Angie's hotel room' and 'Diner', these scenes show the improvisation style of Judd Apatow films. The Making of Pineapple Express (21.08 mins/High Definition) Director David Gordon Green, producer Judd Apatow, screenwriter Evan Goldberg and stars Seth Rogen, James Franco and Danny McBride take you behind the scenes of 'Pineapple Express'. Trying to make a Jerry Bruckheimer movie while high, the featurette shows how the film was approached, working with the director and producing an action comedy.

The Action of Pineapple Express (12.19 mins/High Definition)
Director David Gordon Green, stunt coordinator Gary Hymes and stars Seth Rogen and James Franco talk about the training with guns and cars to make the action as authentic as possible.

Phone Booth (6.25 mins/Standard Definition)
Entitled 'Part 1 - Happy' and 'Part 2 - Angry', see Seth Rogen practice the phone call to Amber Heard's character, his girlfriend Angie.

Line-O-Rama (3.28 mins/Standard Definition)
Watch the cast improvise some of the lines within the movie

Director-O-Rama (3.47 mins/Standard Definition)
Watch director David Gordon improvise his directional style and have some fun on set

Gag Reel (4.55 mins/Standard Definition)
Watch the cast have fun with their lines and make many mistakes on set Item 9 (4.17 mins/Standard Definition) Watch the Defence department test the effect of 'Item 9' on soldiers in the 1950s, with hilarious results

Saul's Apartment (13.46 mins/Standard Definition)
Entitled 'Assassin', 'Justin', 'Mr Edwards' and 'Bubby', Saul has some visitors to his apartment.

Raw Footage (32.43 mins/Standard Definition)
Entitled 'Cross Joint', 'My Cat's Birthday', 'Tit Butter' and 'Dinner's gonna be cold tonight', watch the full, uncut scenes as they were filmed.

Begley's Best (5.43 mins/High Definition)
Watch star Ed Begley Jr. set up his own non-toxic cleaning products firm, to compete with the late, great Paul Newman.

Red and Jessica's guide to marriage (4.12 mins/High Definition)
If you need marriage tips, this is the place to be with Red and Jessica offering their own unique help.

Injury Report (4.56 mins/High Definition)
Seth Rogen and James Franco talk about the injuries they sustained during the filming of the movie.

Stuntmaster Ken (3.12 mins/High Definition)
Behind the scenes with Ken Jeong, the star, Stuntmaster and most famous member of the cast.

Rehearsals 3/6/07 Police Liaison (5.46 mins/High Definition)
Watch the rehearsals of the police liaison scene with Cleo King and Seth Rogen

Table Read 3/4/06
Watch the cast read through the scenes 'Dale & Saul's break-up' and 'Underwater GPS'

Comic-Con Panel (7.33 mins/Standard Definition)
Watch the cast and crew present a panel at the San Diego Comic-Con

Red Band Trailer
Watch the slightly rude trailer that only appeared on the internet

OVERALL

The Blu-Ray treatment for 'Pineapple Express' is up to the usual Judd Apatow standards. With an exceptional commentary, some funny behind the scenes featurettes and plenty of other really good bonus material, this is another fine Blu-Ray from the Apatow stable.

BLU-RAY

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2008