In Hollywood there's this sort of phenomena that happens every few years, where two movies are remarkably similar and are released right around the same time. Two will enter, only one will leave. We've seen it with disaster films (Armageddon vs Deep Impact). We've seen it with magician period dramas (The Prestige vs The Illusionist). We've even seen it in family films (Antz vs A Bug's Life). This year there's another of these battles, but luckily these two weren't released so close together, and it's already clear that one will be far superior to the other.

The tragically successful mind numbing family comedy (I can only assume from secondhand remarks, I personally have not and will not see it) Paul Blart: Mall Cop brought in audiences and even got a sequel greenlit shortly thereafter. But there's a far more promising film highlighting the noble profession of the mall cop. That film is Observe and Report.

The plot synopsis from IMDB: At the Forest Ridge Mall, head of security Ronnie Barnhardt (Seth Rogen) patrols his jurisdiction with an iron fist, combating skateboarders, shoplifters and the occasional unruly customer while dreaming of the day when he can swap his flashlight for a badge and a gun. His delusions of grandeur are put to the test when the mall is struck by a flasher. Driven to protect and serve the mall and its patrons, Ronnie seizes the opportunity to showcase his underappreciated law enforcement talents on a grand scale, hoping his solution of this crime will earn a coveted spot at the police academy and the heart of his elusive dream girl Brandi (Anna Faris), the hot make-up counter clerk who won't give him the time of day. But his single-minded pursuit of glory launches a turf war with the equally competitive Detective Harrison (Ray Liotta) of the Conway Police, and Ronnie is confronted with the challenge of not only catching the flasher, but getting him before the real cops do.

Below we've embedded the Red Band trailer (NSFW) for the film that isn't exactly outright hilarious, but sets up for a film that will be very similar to Pineapple Express in it's treatment of action meeting comedy in a sort of quasi-realistic world. We see Danny McBride in there for a bit, and I hear Patton Oswalt even makes an appearance. But the most intriguing casting choice from me is Michael Peña as what looks to be Ronnie's sidekick. You might remember Peña from his breakthrough role as the locksmith from Crash. I'm really interested in seeing what his comedic talents are like and this is a movie that I'm looking forward to, and hope to see more on it soon.