"Your Highness" is a weak, muddled effort (3/5)

Concept comedy has been faltering as of late. With the likes of Year One and Land of the Lost assaulting the comedy genre with a poopy stench, it feels like spending money on an expensive comedy is a foolish gamble for most studios. Obviously a great concept can come along and light the box office on fire, but most of these comedic concepts don’t have the power or wit to be anything beyond a last minute Saturday Night Live sketch.  Unfortunately, the recently released Your Highness, despite its attempts, would’ve been better off if it was five minutes and not one hundred.

Must See Films for 2011- Part Two

10. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Dat Ass

I haven’t read any of Stieg Larsson’ Millenium books. That’s not likely to change, but David Fincher is directing this surefire trilogy. After falling in love with nearly every one of Fincher’s films, I can’t help but get excited for anything he does. He could craft a film about monkeys eating their own shit and I’d be pissing my pants with anticipation. In Fincher’s hands, the film’s lead Rooney Mara is sure to become one of Hollywood’s must watch actresses. Oh… Did I mention that Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross are doing the score? That's music to my ears.

Must See Films for 2011- Part One

A new film year is in motion and I figured I'd put a finger on the films that have caught my eye...Obviously aside from the first three months...

21. Alps

A visual taste of Dogtooth.

Director Yorgos Lanthimos made a splash last year with his Academy Award nominated film Dogtooth. Featuring bizarre family mechanics and unflinching use of taboos, Dogtooth is the type of film that could alienate reserved film fans. Expect more of the same for Lanthimos’ next film Alps. Although details are scant, it’s said Alps tells the tale of people who agree to “stand in for the lost loved ones of others, replicating their behavior and gestures, ostensibly to help with the grieving.” I can’t wait to go in the deep end with this one and embrace the macabre.

"Source Code" is a deft blend of concept and character (4.25/5)

Wouldn't it be nice to take a cherished memory and regenerate it to the point that it becomes tangible? How about resurrecting a mistake or failure in order to rewrite history in your favor? Unfortunately time travel has yet to be mastered, but in the world of Source Code, a machine has been invented that allows a person to relive eight minutes of a buried moment. There are limitations to this seismic contraption, but when a person is utilizing Source Code, they’re actively participating in a moment lost in time. Enter in Captain Colter Stevens (Jake Gyllenhaal) who awakes on a train with no recollection as to how he even got there. Sitting across from Stevens is the beautiful Christina Warren (Michelle Monaghan), a woman who adoringly stares at him. Through awkwardly interacting with Christina and exploring the train he’s on, Stevens comes to realize that he isn’t actually himself. He’s trapped in the body of another man. Upon this discovery a bomb blows up the train and kills everyone on board. That is everyone except Stevens who wakes up in a metallic chamber, locked in an inescapable harness. Discombobulated and confused as to why he’s no longer in the burning train, Stevens frantically tries to shake himself loose from his chains. 

"Paul" is an admirable homage (3.75/5)

It seems to me that it was only a matter of time before the majestic ability of Simon Pegg and Nick Frost was sought for domestic import. If you have been watching movies over the last eight years, it’s likely you’ve heard of Pegg and Frost’s film efforts. You may have not seen them, but surely you have heard of the cult status belonging to Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz. With both films being homages to genre based filmmaking, Pegg and Frost garnered critical acclaim and were unofficially labeled cult-comedy heroes.  Despite their relative success, it seems it was only a matter of time before Pegg and Frost tried their hand at a major vehicle in the Hollywood system. Enter in this year’s comedy Paul, a road trip film with an intergalactic twist. Written by Pegg and Frost, Paul is another exercise in genre filmmaking. With the excellent Greg Mottola in the director’s chair, Pegg and Frost set their sights on the sci-fi genre while attempting to breathe new life into the road trip film. I’d say they do enough to deliver an enjoyable experience, but they fail to capture the magic of their previous endeavors.