This Is the End (2013) ***

This comedy-horror film, written and directed by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, has some very funny moments. It stars James Franco, Jonah Hill, Seth Rogen, Jay Baruchel, Danny McBride, and Craig Robinson, to mentioned a few, as fictional depictions of themselves, stuck in Franco's Hollywood mansion, in what seems to be the aftermath of a biblical apocalypse. While the story can be dead-on with respect to various references, including to earlier films made by the leading characters as well as others (e.g. The Exorcist,) and by picking Hollywood as the current day Sodom and Gomorrah, unless you are a die-hard fan of this team of actors, the jokes run dry mid-film. What starts as a fresh comedy quickly becomes redundant and somewhat tiring. Bottom line: if you've enjoyed Pineapple Express, Superbad and the likes, you may enjoy This Is the End. Otherwise, find something else to watch.