Here’s another movie to test my theory that Judd Apatow can’t lose. A pair of stoners, played but Apatow’s usual suspects Seth Rogen and James Franco, are forced to go on the lam when one of them witnesses a murder committed by none other than Bill Lumbergh, I mean, Gary Cole. Hilarious hijinx ensue. And a lot of pot is smoked.

While I’ve been thoroughly entertained by Apatow’s recent films, I’m not quite as stoked about this one as I was about last summer’s offerings of Knocked Up and Superbad. I have no doubt it will be fun and have its hilarious moments, but a stoner movie just seems like a way to get easy laughs. In Knocked Up, Apatow managed to make an unplanned pregnancy hilarious…so why is he now going for the obvious joke of, “hey, look, stoned people are funny!”? Yes, they are, and we all know that, so give us something new.

Normally an Apatow movie would be an automatic ‘see it’ for me, but for Pineapple Express, I think I’ll wait to RENT IT. I have no doubt it’ll be funny, but I’m not sure it’ll be $11 funny.

Pineapple Express is rated R and opens August 8. (IMDB site)

Here is another movie to test the theory that Judd Apatow can’t lose. He’s playing producer for this comedy, which is written by one of Apatow’s usual suspects, Jason Segel. Segel also stars as regular guy Peter, who is dating a celebrity named Sarah Marshall (played by Kristen Bell). She dumps him and starts dating some douchebag musician, and in an effort to get over her, Peter takes a trip to Hawaii. And of course Sarah is there with the afore mentioned douchebag, vacationing at the same resort Peter is staying at. Holy awkwardness, Batman!

The plot may not seem like much, but I’m convinced that any comedy written by an Apatow alumnus and produced by the man himself is bound to be hilarious (look at what he did with a story revolving around high school boys trying to get laid). Several of the usual Apatow gang members make appearances, such as Jonah Hill and Paul Rudd. And since I’m still in mourning over the cancellation of Veronica Mars, I’m thrilled to see Kristen Bell appearing in anything (if she manages to solve a crime while being sassy, I may shed tears of joy). There’s a chance I’ll see this in the theater, but I’ll most likely wait to RENT IT.

Forgetting Sarah Marshall is rated R and opens May 30. (Official site)

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There’s no denying that Judd Apatow has had an amazing year with the successes of Knocked Up and Superbad. And it looks like he’s poised to finish off the year on another high note with Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story, which Apatow co-wrote and produced. Walk Hard is a spoof on the big musician biopics like Ray and Walk the Line, telling the story of the rise and fall of the great (and fictional) Dewey Cox.

Cox is played by John C. Reilly, whose comedic skills are often underused and underestimated, so I’m thrilled to see him in a movie like this. And as he proved in Chicago, he can sing, so the many hits of Dewey Cox will be ably performed. The rest of the cast is rounded out with some impressive comedic talents, such as SNL’s Kristen Wiig as Cox’s shrill shrew of a wife who just doesn’t “get” his need to perform and The Office’s Jenna Fisher as a June Carter-like character who catches Cox’s eye. Then there’s the plethora of cameos, ranging from the White Stripe’s Jack White as Elvis, to Apatow regular Paul Rudd as John Lennon, to Frankie Muniz as Buddy Holly.

I’m wavering between seeing it and renting it, and right now I’m more likely to RENT IT. That way I can juvenilely snicker at all the tongue-in-cheek uses of the word “Cox” from the privacy of my own home.

Walk Hard is not yet rated and opens December 21. (Official site)

What you’re about to see is the funniest trailer since Borat. Knocked Up is the new film from Judd Apatow, the writer and director of The 40-Year-Old Virgin. And if you didn’t like The 40-Year-Old Virgin, there’s something wrong with you.

The trailer for Knocked Up is rated R (ever see one of those?), or 18 and over for our international friends, and is definitely not safe to watch at work (and not allowed to watch if you’re under 18 yrs old). Editors at New York Magazine placed the trailer in the most Lowbrow, most Brilliant point of this week’s Approval Matrix, and they hit the nail on the head.

I’m not going to say too much more about the trailer because I don’t want to ruin it for you. Just watch it several times; it gets funnier each time you watch it. Needless to say, Knocked Up is going to be a huge summer blockbuster. SEE IT.

Knocked Up is rated R (duh) and opens June 1. (Official site)

Also, check out our list of The Top 5 R-rated (red band) Trailers of All-Time.