Chivalry is Dead !!

This weekend I was in the mood to laugh so I decided to see the med-evil comedy Your Highness. The movie was directed by David Gordon Green and stars Danny R. McBride, James Franco, Natalie Portman, Rasmus Hardiker,Zooey Deschanel,  and Justin Theroux.

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Review

The basic premise of the movie is that Thaddeus (Danny McBride) the lazy brother of Fabious (James Franco) team up for an epic comedy adventure set in a fantastical world. Thadeous has been living in the shadow of his older brother, the fearless Fabious , since they were kids and continues to resent his sibling.  Fabious’s fiancée Belladonna (Zooey Deschanel), gets kidnapped by the evil wizard Leezar (Justin Theroux). Despite their differences, Thadeous joins Fabious to trek across the dangerous lands to free the princess. Joined by Isabel (Natalie Portman)--an mysterious warrior with a dangerous agenda of her own--the brothers must vanquish horrific creatures and traitorous knights before they can reach Belladonna before their kingdom is destroyed.

The Good

Rasmus Hardiker, who plays Thadious' court jester Courtney, was the star of the movie. He made me laugh the most out of anyone. He had hysterical faces and delivered some great lines. Another good thing was that they did a good job at spoofing different movies and genres that are out right now.

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The Bad

Other than the chuckles I received from the jester Courtney, the film had very little other laughs and a lot of crude and random moments. For instance, when Thadious and Fabious meet the strange man with the large monster hand, the battle goes on far too long and becomes quite uncomfortable. Most of the funny parts are in the previews and the storyline did not have any twist or turns so it was really predictable. I did not think the storyline involving the medieval knights was entertaining enough to carry the movie all the way through. You either have to be high or a 13-year-old kid to find this movie amusing.  

Overall

In my book Your Highness was a failure. The only reason people would be drawn to this movie is because of its cast of A-list actors who fail to make this movie a success. But I cannot place all the blame on them because the storyline was horrendous and predictable. It seems like people across the nation agreed with me because movieweb.com reported that Your Highness opened at number six this past weekend, taking in a meager $9 million at the box office. I felt like they put a lot of money into this movie and because of the outcome , they will make little profit. This movie gets a 4.4 on the Chan-O-Meter.

What Can You Do In Eight Minutes??

After a hectic school week, I needed a small get away. So this weekend my usual trip to the movies was a nice mini vacation. The movie I went to see this weekend was Source Code, starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Michelle Monaghan, Vera Farmiga and directed by Duncan Jones.

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Review

Jake Gyllenhaal plays the role of Capt. Colter Stevens, a helicopter pilot who has been entered into a government project dubbed the Source Code. Colter is thrown back in time, into the consciousness of a different man, "Shawn," who was on board a Chicago-bound train when it suddenly exploded, killing everyone on board. He’s  told by Army suit Goodwin (Farmiga) and the pragmatic Dr Rutledge (Wright) that he’s in the ‘Source Code’, a computer program that lets him live the last eight minutes of someone else’s life. Colter has about eight minutes to solve the mystery of where the bomb is located and who placed the explosives. While trying to accomplish his mission, he is distracted by a beautiful woman while forming a relationship with named Christina (Michelle Monaghan).  He can keep replaying the scenario on the train , over and over, until he finds his answers .Of course, Gyllenhaal is a good soldier and wants to go above and beyond the call of duty. That's where the film gets tricky.

The Good

Source Code is a thriller with great suspense, likeable characters and some moments of genuine humor. Gyllenhaal brings sincerity and warmth to his role. I liked how the movie shined a positive light on people in the armed forces like Colter (just the real life versions). Capt. Colter also reminded me of my little brother who is currently in basic training for the army in Georgia So this movie came a little close to home and made me proud of my little brother that one day he will be out there serving for our country. Although the movie was slow for me in the beginning it has a great ending. Maybe it was just because I am a sucker for happy endings! The best part about this movie is that it is short and sweet (unlike the Lincoln Lawyer) running 93 minutes

The Bad

I disliked like how many times Colter went back in forth from “reality” to the “alternative world” without getting anywhere closer to his mission. Therefore as I mentioned earlier the Source Code does not get good until about 30 minutes into the movie.  Another bad thing is that the main plot line can be, at times a little predictable and the ending goes on for just a couple of minutes too long

Overall

I think the  Source Code explains just enough as it goes along to keep viewers informed ,without boggling their minds with too much sci-fi, techno-speak. This movie gets an 8.2 on the Chan-O-Meter. According to Rtt.com, on its opening weekend Source Code came in second in the box office to the movie Hop and brought in a little over $15 million.

On to the next

I have been really indecisive lately and I do not know what movie I want to see next weekend. I do know it will be “Your Highness” (a comedy movie with one of my favorite actresses Natalie Portman) or Hanna (an action movie). What movie do yall think will be better?