REVIEW: Stupid and Sometimes Uncomfortable, Your Highness Still Entertains

Your Highness seems to be one of those polarizing movies that critics despise and audiences enjoy. Okay, enjoy might be too strong of a word - it received a 57% on Rotten Tomatoes for audience choice and a paltry 25% for critics choice. But doesn't this unusually high gap between audience and critic enjoyment suggest that for those who the movie was really intended for, it was actually a success? The target audience, which Bill O'Reily fondly coined the term Stoner-Slackers, was probably too lazy to make a strong showing at a movie primarily made for them. Medieval enthusiasts and men with a very immature sense of humor also probably enjoyed this film. For everyone else though, it's no surprise that it wasn't a hit.

James Franco stars as Fabious, a pretty-boy knight who must quest with his incompetent, jealous brother Thadeus (Danny McBride) to save his bride-to-be Belladonna (Zooey Deschanel). Natalie Portman comes in to support the cast as Isabel, the warrior-hottie love interest of Thadeus. The plot, while nothing spectacular, is certainly coherent and straightforward enough to deserve less criticism than it has been getting.

What is especially being picked apart in recent reviews, however, seems to be the humor. Your Highness marketed itself as a stupid but entertaining movie (how can a tagline like "Best. Quest. Ever" suggest otherwise?), and that was exactly what it was. Yes, there were maybe too many uncomfortably sexual jokes, especially the ones about molestation (although honestly, it's hard to take seriously when the perpetrator is a purple, weed-smoking jellyfish). And for those of you a bit more sensitive, the image of a minotaur's penis dangling from Danny McBride's neck may take a while to revert back into the subconscious. But I digress, being a part of the movie's target audience, I found it hilarious. Yes, the jokes were incredibly immature and there was no substantial theme to back the story up - this is probably why Your Highness failed where Pineapple Express (also directed by David Gordon Green) succeeded - but it was still an entertaining movie that succeeded in exactly what it set out to be.

Why did such a lowly but entertaining film like The Fast and Furious gain a 52% approval rating from critics on Rotten Tomatoes, while Your Highness gained just half of that? My theory is that people were expecting too much from recently lauded actors James Franco and Natalie Portman, and that given the surprisingly deep and emotional tone of the other Green-directed stoner movie Pineapple Express, Your Highness would be just as profound. Maybe Danny McBride (who wrote Your Highness with Ben Best) just isn't as insightful into emotional connections as Judd Apatow, Evan Goldberg, and Seth Rogen, who collectively wrote Pineapple Express. But that shouldn't stop you from enjoying Your Highness, in all its uncomfortable glory. Sometimes films come along that don't really have a great story but still succeed as comedic experiences (I would cite a personal favorite of mine, Dazed and Confused, as a prime example). And while many of the jokes in Your Highness are uncomfortable and downright weird, it still keeps you laughing the whole way. McBride, Franco, and Justin Theroux (who plays the sexually-awkward villain Leezar) give strong comedic performances with the lines they're given, and despite all the bad press, I still recommend Your Highness for anyone who is looking to simply relax and laugh at good, old-fashioned disgusting humor.

Hunger Games Trio Officially Cast: Lawrence, Hutcherson, Hemsworth

Suzanne Collins' Hunger Games trilogy is set to hit theatres next spring. The wildly popular young adult book series about a deadly reality TV competition in a post-apocalyptic world has fans predicting who will be cast and picking favorites. Lionsgate has now confirmed three of the film's stars: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, and Liam Hemsworth.

Jennifer Lawrence stars as Katniss Everdeen, "Girl on Fire." Lawrence was relatively unknown until her role in Winter's Bone last year, which earned her an Oscar nomination for Best Actress (she was the second youngest actress to be nominated, ever).  Lawrence's role as Ree Dolly in Winter's Bone is not unlike the role of Katniss: both leading ladies are stubbornly loyal and take on the responsibility of their families. Additionally, Katniss becomes the rallying point for the revolution that could save her country (a post-apocalyptic North America). Director Gary Ross said that in Lawrence's audition "You glimpsed every aspect of the role and the potential of the whole movie." Author Suzanne Collins assured fans that she "watched Jennifer embody every essential quality necessary to play Katniss."

Josh Hutcherson first appeared on television at age ten. Last year he starred in The Kids Are All Right, and other notable credits include Bridge to Terebithia, Journey to the Center of the Earth, and the adorable romance Little Manhattan (he also voiced "Hero Boy" in The Polar Express. Cool.). Hutcherson will play Peeta, the eloquent artistic romantic with an unsuspecting tough side. Hutcherson, a huge fan of the book series, has been lobbying for the role for a while, and his passion for the character seems to have paid off. Collins said: "Josh totally captured Peeta's temperament, his sense of humor and his facility for language. I'm thrilled to have him aboard." Some fans are upset that Hutcherson has brown hair and brown eyes rather than Peeta's described blond hair blue eyes combo, but hopefully they'll calm down when they see him act the part as suitably as I have complete confidence he will.

Lawrence was cast before I began to read the books, and as soon as I heard that Hutcherson wanted to play Peeta I supported him 100%. However, I had never heard of Liam Hemsworth until he was mentioned on a list of possible Gales. Since his character is the most important one in the film (well...according to me. To be fair he probably won't be in this one as much as the other two, and certainly not as much as Katniss or Peeta.), hopefully he will take this immense responsibility seriously. Gale is Katniss's intelligent and fiercely brave hunting partner-in-crime. He does not compete in the Hunger Games, but plays a key role in the revolution. Producer Nina Jacobsen said: "Gale's journey across the three books transforms him, and Liam's performance left no doubt that he would take us there." (So that's good.). Hemsworth is most known for his role opposite Miley Cyrus in The Lost Song, which, to be fair, I haven't seen. Maybe it was awesome. That doesn't matter, as long as he is awesome.

REVIEW: Neeson Triumphs in the Satisfying Action-Mystery Thriller Unknown

  If you decide to see Unknown based on the intriguing story introduced in its trailer, you won’t be disappointed by its conclusion or by the starring actors’ performances. Some plot details fall through the cracks, but overall it proves to be an exciting film with some great car chases and a satisfying ending.

Liam Neeson stars as Dr. Martin Harris, a scientist who gets in a car crash as soon as he arrives in Germany for a bio-technology conference with his wife (played by January Jones). When he awakens from a coma four days later and reunites with her, she not only claims to not know who he is, but introduces another man who claims to be Martin Harris, who shares the protagonist’s memories and backstory.

The film poses questions about identity and insanity, as made clear from Martin Harris’s line in the trailer: “Do you know what it feels like to become insane? It's a war between being told who you are and knowing who you are...Which do you think wins?” The story resolves itself satisfactorily, remaining suspenseful through the end.

There are, however, some plot holes that viewers simply have to accept and move on, such as the mystery of how a man in a coma for falling off a bridge into a lake managed to bribe so many people afterward with the cash from his pocket that appears to be untouched by water, or how, for that matter, he sprung back to full physical health so quickly. Other devices are a bit obviously placed, such as the ever-conveniently played news story telling him exactly where he needs to go next.

While the cinematography is generally effective, the transitions from scene to scene are sometimes abrupt and even confusing. A couple of scenes are a bit too melodramatic and cause characters to rant for too long - while Neeson’s “Who am I? Who am I” vocal crisis is realistic to how the character would genuinely react, when portrayed on screen it just looks silly.

Neeson’s acting overall though is convincing; his Martin Harris is likable and evokes sympathy. Diane Krugar, who plays the taxi driver who was in the accident with him, is the epitome of feisty loyal Bosnian sidekick chick (hearing her strong accent after getting used to her as American in a similar role in National Treasure took some adjustment, although probably due less to her acting and more to the number of times I’ve seen National Treasure - a good Nicolas Cage film. And no, I’m not including the sequel.). These two along January Jones as the mysterious and beautiful Elizabeth Harris make the film worthwhile. Watch with a grain of salt, and watch for the main story and main actors.

Year of the Brontës: A Preview of the Latest Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights Adaptations

With Jane Eyre out in [selected theatres] now and Wuthering Heights set for a September UK release date, the Brontë sisters are doing pretty well. There have been 15 film and television adaptations of Wuthering Heights and 22 of Jane Eyre to date. Let's take a closer look at what the latest adaptations have to offer.
Jane Eyre

With Mia Waskinowska as the title role, I already have faith in the latest Jane Eyre. In 2010's hits Alice in Wonderland and The Kids Are All Right Waskinowska proved that she can deliver the quiet determination necessary for the role. The only danger is that her performance will appear too similar to hers as Alice, since the roles are relatively similar.

The first time I viewed the trailer all I noticed was how it resembled a poorly-constructed Power Point presentation, complete with fading text in the Century Gothic font [a pun, perhaps?]. Re-watching while ignoring the horrible transitions restores my confidence, as the scenes seem to be faithful to the book in content and atmosphere. See for yourself here.

What the trailer lacks in style the poster masters completely. Elegant, simple, and sophisticated, it looks like a suitable book cover, which is well, ideal. The film has already received many positive reviews from critics, including a five-star review from the New York Times. It was released last week in New York and Los Angeles and appears this Friday in more select theaters.

Wuthering Heights

Wuthering Heights is still under the radar, with no trailer released, and with a glance at the cast and crew it's pretty unpredictable, as they are mostly newcomers. We do have one teaser poster, however, and it looks edgily Victorian.

The project had a rocky start when it was first announced in 2008, with Natalie Portman originally cast as the lead. After switching directors and leading cast members three times (including an Ed Westwick and Gemma Arterton combo), Andrea Arnold took on the project, and Kaya Scodelario and James Howson were cast as Catherine and Heathcliff. Howson is the first black actor to play the role, and this is his first film credit.

Director Andrea Arnold, who won an Oscar in 2003 for her Live Action Short Wasp and a BAFTA for 2009's Fish Tank, is off to a good start, and Wuthering Heights could launch her career even further if successful.

History of the creative team can only get us so far on the speculation front, however, so we'll have to wait a bit longer to judge this one. The film is due to release on September 30, 2011 in the UK with a US release date TBA.

Nicolas Cage: Is There Hope?

Oh Nicolas Cage, where did you go wrong? How did you become the butt of so many jokes on the state of contemporary cinema? It seems as though whenever some cynical, naïve movie-goer, unfamiliar with the money to be made in international movie markets and the studios’ love of reliably shitty and profitable franchises, bemoans the downfall of American cinema (due to a lack of originality and the always present sequel of a reboot of a remake of a movie based off a book), Cage’s name invariably comes up.

It’s hard to know exactly what happened to his career, or why he has been shying away from dramas for which he usually garnered praise (the esteemed Roger Ebert has defended Cage even after train wrecks such as Knowing). 1996-1997 may have arguably been the start of Nic’s decline into action-hero parody, but his three roles in The Rock, Con Air, and Face/Off were actually respectable. Granted, I have no idea why he chose to leverage his newfound power coming off of the widely acclaimed Leaving Las Vegas (for which Cage received, gasp, an Oscar!) by grabbing three consecutive action roles. But that doesn’t change the fact that these movies were actually ‘good’, at least in terms of who their perceived audience was. I can think of nothing more enjoyable for mindless pleasure than sitting down on my couch with a couple Hot Pockets and watching Nic and Sean Connery spit pithy dialogue at each other while gunning down rogue marines.

It seems Cage’s last good year was 2005, which saw him strongly play protagonists in Lord of War and The Weather Man. One could cite his roles in the 2006 film World Trade Center (which I admit I have not seen) and 2010’s Kick-Ass as admirable – certainly most critics would agree that Cage did a fine job in these parts. But the body of work he has put out since 2005, starting with the laughably over-acted Wicker Man through Ghost Rider, G-Force (yes, that animated film about the gerbils), The Sorcerer’s Apprentice and finally on to his most recent masterpiece, Drive Angry, the 2011 film about a criminal broken out of hell to seek revenge on a satanic cult leader (I’m simplifying the plot a little, but who cares, that’s definitely not the movie’s strong point).

Cage is clearly a good actor, capable of performing well in serious roles and contributing to the parts of cinema that will last longer than a few months. So the question is, when will Nicolas Cage return to making good (or at least respectable) movies? Maybe when he stops buying $275,000 dinosaur heads and can afford to. Until then, get excited for Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance, due out next year.

REVIEW: Surprisingly Clever and Touching, Just Go With It is Not Bad

First of all, I have resisted the urge to make some sort of pun on the film title "Just Go With It" in my review title - its overuse in the film itself became predictable and cheesy quickly - although considering the danger this film is in to be predictable and cheesy in general, it fights against those audience expectations and turns out to be not only enjoyable, but also heartwarming.

Adam Sandler plays Danny, successful middle-aged plastic surgeon who must convince his new girlfriend Palmer (newcomer Brooklyn Decker) he isn't married without revealing the shameful truth that the "wedding ring" in his pocket is used to pick up girls while avoiding commitment. His good friend and office receptionist Katherine (Jennifer Aniston) agrees to pretend to be Danny's wife to prove to Palmer that they're actually getting "divorced."

Even though Jennifer Aniston plays the same character she usually does, this version is charming alongside Sandler and Decker - the three of them make the story and the love triangle work. Supporting actor Nick Swardson as Danny's brother Eddie has some great lines about the sheep-selling industry and even earns some glory in his fake profession by the end. Nicole Kidman as Devlin is another great addition to the cast, and seeing her in a more farcical role is promising of her range as an actress.

Perhaps the highlight of the film's acting, however, is sharp comedic delivery by and involving child actors Bailee Madison as wanna-be movie star Maggie and Griffin Gluck as the manipulatively savvy Michael. The bargaining scene at the pizza shop shows the kids in control, status they more or less maintain as characters and actors throughout.

As an American seeing the film in London, unfortunately Danny's jibe at Katherine's Old Navy wardrobe was only audibly appreciated by me, but it was a clever one-liner that led into the inevitable makeover sequence, which is lavish and unrealistic - everything such a cliché should be.

Choice in music enhances the action and contributes to the characters' emotions, just as "Linger" did for "Click." "Every Breath You Take" by the Police and "Chasing Cars" by Snow Patrol (not to mention a few *NSYNC references) contribute to the most emotional part of the film.

The most respectful aspect of "Just Go With It" its ability to set up a situation that seems instantly predictable, but doesn't follow through on that suggested path. In hearing the premise I thought I had the entire movie figured out, and while my expectations proved true in some cases, along the way there were less predictable moments that made the film more real and enjoyable - we all knew this movie would be a bit of a joke in both senses, but what makes it even better is the fact that the writers and actors are in on the joke too.

Photo source

An Optimistic Review of the 83rd Annual Academy Awards

We've heard the low-points. Christopher Nolan wasn't nominated for Best Director.The chemistry between Anne Hathaway and James Franco was non-existent (I mostly blame the writers).Roger Deakins fails to win his first Oscar in nine nominations. Christopher Nolan wasn't nominated for Best Director. But there were many good things about and that happened during this year's Oscars. Here are some of my favorites.
1. The awards were spread out pretty evenly among the nominated films.

After the BAFTAs I was worried that The King's Speech might sweep, or nearly sweep, but in fact they ended up tying Inception for number of awards won. The final numbers turned out like this:

The King's Speech - 4
Inception - 4
The Social Network - 3
Alice in Wonderland - 2
Toy Story 3 - 2

2. There were some good lines and good speeches.

Luke Matheney (Best Live Action Short): "Wow. Should have got a haircut."

Colin Firth (Best Actor): "I'm afraid I have to warn you that I'm experiencing stirrings. Somewhere in the upper abdominals which are threatening to form themselves into dance moves. Joyous as they may be for me, it would be extremely problematic if they make it to my legs before I get off stage." and "Now if you'll all excuse me, I have some impulses I have to tend to backstage. Thank you very much."



The very professional Natalie Portman didn't miss a beat and thanked everyone from her parents to the makeup artists to the camera operators.



Randy Newman (Best Original Song): "I just have to thank these people - I don't want to. I just have to. I want to be good television as you can see!"

3. And some good presenters.

Although Melissa Leo won Hailee Steinfeld's Oscar, at least Kirk Douglas stole the spotlight for the whole award. 


Later on Cate Blanchett commented "That's gross" before awarding Rick Baker and Dave Elsey Oscars for Best Makeup for "The Wolfman.

4. Some funny moments between the hosts.

The introduction video was clever, cute, and well-acted. It gave us an early taste of Hathaway's eagerness to take on any situation and Franco's chill attitude towards it all, which is subtly effective, although less so in the magnified space of the Kodak stage. A triumph, however, was Franco's comment after the technical awards: "Congratulations, nerds."


5. Fabulous Fashion.

Anne Hathaway's dresses. Every single one was suitable and gorgeous. She even danced around a bit.



In other fashion-y news Colleen Atwood takes the first costume award for a Tim Burton film. Although her speech was horrible (there was an index card involved), she also designed Helena Bonham Carter's dress for the evening, earning her major props for the star, and made the whole Burton creative team proud.

6. Motherly support. 

Anne Hathaway's mom and James Franco's grandmother made appearances (While Betsy Franco tweeted her support for her son) and Justin Timberlake and Russel Brand both brought their mothers as their guests.