This week at the movies, we've got friends bonding over THC (Pineapple Express, starring Seth Rogen and James Franco) and a pair of pants (The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2, starring America Ferrera and Amber Tamblyn). What do the critics have to say?

Best known for his cinematic tone pomes, David Gordon Green may not have seemed an obvious choice to helm a Judd Apatow-produced stoner flick. But critics say he's turned in a solid buddy/action comedy with Pineapple Express. Seth Rogen and James Franco star as a pair of stoners who, after imbibing a particularly potent strain of marijuana called "pineapple express," find themselves on the run from crooked cops and drug dealers. The pundits say Pineapple Express is a scattershot affair, but it hits more than it misses, and features an inspired, wacky performance from Franco. At 67 percent on the Tomatometer, this Pineapple is pretty tasty.


Only one of these guys has joined The Brotherhood of the Traveling Pants.
Cynics beware: critics say even chick-flick haters may be drawn into the breezy girl-power vibe of Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2. This second installment finds the Sisterhood (which comprises Amber Tamblyn, America Ferrera, Blake Lively, and Alexis Bledel) going their separate ways, but maintaining close contact and navigating the rough waters of the early college years. While most pundits say this sequel isn't as inspired as its predecessor (which stands at 76 percent on the Tomatometer), it gets by on the easy charm of its ensemble cast, and contains some sharp life lessons to boot. At 66 percent on the Tomatometer, Pants is a decent fit.


Will this be the film that finally draws the fanboys away from The Dark Knight?

Also opening this week in limited release:

• Elegy, starring Penelope Cruz and Ben Kingsley in the tale of a college professor whose life is turned upside down by a beautiful woman, is at 81 percent.
  
  
• Last Stop for Paul a largely improvised film that follows two guys taking a trek around the world, is at 70 percent.
  
  
• Patti Smith: Dream of Life, a meditative documentary on the legendary poet/protopunk rocker, is at 67 percent.
  
  
• Beautiful Losers, a doc about the art movement that sprung up around a Lower East Side gallery in the early 1990s, is at 60 percent.
  
  
• What We Do Is Secret, a biopic of Germs' lead singer Darby Crash starring Shane West and Bijou Phillips, is at 67 percent.
  
  
• Red, starring Bryan Cox and Tom Sizemore in the story of a man whose life spirals to the depths after the senseless killing of his dog, is at 58 percent.
  
  
• Bottle Shock, starring Alan Rickman in the true story of the rise of Napa Valley's vineyards, is at 45 percent.
  
  
• Hell Ride, starring Dennis Hopper and David Carradine in a throwback to both spaghetti westerns and the biker pictures of the late 1960s, is at 17 percent.

"People say beware/ But I don't care/ Their words are just rules and regulations to me."

Recent Judd Apatow Productions:
-------------------------------------------

85% -- Forgetting Sarah Marshall (2008)

26% -- Drillbit Taylor (2008)

75% -- Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story (2007)

87% -- Superbad (2007)

91% -- Knocked Up (2007)