Congress has cut federal funding for public media — a $3.4 million loss for LAist. We count on readers like you to protect our nonprofit newsroom. Become a monthly member and sustain local journalism.
This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.
This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.
DVD Review: Pineapple Express
()
Boobies, bathroom humor and bongs collide in Pineapple Express, the latest DVD release from indie writer/director extraordinaire, David Gordon Green. The film follows two dimwitted stoners, Dale (Seth Rogen) and Saul (James Franco), whose connections to the underworld of illegal drugs inadvertently make them witnesses to murder. It's the classic tale of marijuana dealer meets boy, boy meets marijuana dealer and over the river and through the woods into a drug dealer's hideout with guns they go.
James Franco is baked to perfection as Saul, an endearing, misguided marijuana dealer who sells a potent, "pineapple express" blend of the drug to one of his regular customers, Dale. While Dale is very much the epitome of someone to pity--he's an aging, overweight process server with a high school girlfriend--it's his pity for Saul that leads them to form a friendship, moreover a pact to stick together as they find ways to escape Ted Jones (Gary Cole), a notoriously violent drug lord who's out for their blood. For hardcore Gary Cole followers, it's a bit daunting to see him in a role so counter to the infamous Bill Lumbergh (Office Space), but he plays it well nonetheless.
()
Support for LAist comes from
With Ted hot on their heels, eager to cover up his murderous tracks, Dale and Saul perpetually find themselves on the run. The result is a series of paranoia-induced mishaps wherein they get stoned in the wilderness, abandon their car, capture and duck-tape one of Ted's rats (Danny McBride), get arrested at an elementary school playground, steal a police car and shoot-up an illegal storage facility housing thousands of grams of their favorite substance.
While the action rarely stops and the comedic moments in between run the gamut from slap-stick to just plain silly, the film's metaphor for drug use is apparent: while crazy things happen to Dale and Saul, in the end, nothing really happens and they remain as directionless as they were from the start, except for the bruises and criminal records they acquire. In other words, like other Judd Apatow productions of high moral fiber, the film's underlying message really tugs at the heart strings--drugs are bad--and should only be done in secret places like rundown apartment buildings, used cars, the woods, public alleys and parking lots or as fuel for situational comedy.
Film buffs will enjoy the film's opening sequence, an obvious homage to a decades-old propaganda piece, aptly titled Reefer Madness. Stoners and stoner-friends alike may find that the film evokes memories of marijuana past. And if the film alone doesn't quench the thirst for hilariously inappropriate or crude conduct, DVD extras include four deleted scenes and a short gag reel filled with potty-mouthed punch lines and sexual innuendoes. It's good, old-fashioned fun the whole family can enjoy!
Pineapple Express is available on DVD right now!
Photos courtesy of Sony Pictures
As Editor-in-Chief of our newsroom, I’m extremely proud of the work our top-notch journalists are doing here at LAist. We’re doing more hard-hitting watchdog journalism than ever before — powerful reporting on the economy, elections, climate and the homelessness crisis that is making a difference in your lives. At the same time, it’s never been more difficult to maintain a paywall-free, independent news source that informs, inspires, and engages everyone.
Simply put, we cannot do this essential work without your help. Federal funding for public media has been clawed back by Congress and that means LAist has lost $3.4 million in federal funding over the next two years. So we’re asking for your help. LAist has been there for you and we’re asking you to be here for us.
We rely on donations from readers like you to stay independent, which keeps our nonprofit newsroom strong and accountable to you.
No matter where you stand on the political spectrum, press freedom is at the core of keeping our nation free and fair. And as the landscape of free press changes, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust, but the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news from our community.
Please take action today to support your trusted source for local news with a donation that makes sense for your budget.
Thank you for your generous support and believing in independent news.
Chip in now to fund your local journalism
(
LAist
)
Trending on LAist
-
The U.S. Supreme Court lifted limits on immigration sweeps in Southern California, overturning a lower court ruling that prohibited agents from stopping people based on their appearance. -
Censorship has long been controversial. But lately, the issue of who does and doesn’t have the right to restrict kids’ access to books has been heating up across the country in the so-called culture wars.
-
With less to prove than LA, the city is becoming a center of impressive culinary creativity.
-
Nearly 470 sections of guardrailing were stolen in the last fiscal year in L.A. and Ventura counties.
-
Monarch butterflies are on a path to extinction, but there is a way to support them — and maybe see them in your own yard — by planting milkweed.
-
With California voters facing a decision on redistricting this November, Surf City is poised to join the brewing battle over Congressional voting districts.
Best of LAist