Your Highness (2011)

Not much going on, on this Tuesday afternoon.  A couple construction guys had to work on the kitchen, so I was forced to hang around the house.  This is the second movie in my movie marathon for the day.  It just became available online, and Danny McBride is pretty hilarious so I figured I'd give it a try.

When Prince Fabious's bride is kidnapped by an evil sorcerer in order to complete an evil prophecy, he goes on a quest to rescue her.  Prince Thadious his lazy brother joins him on the quest, when forced by his father to become a man.  Along the road, a female warrior with the same quest to kill the evil sorcerer accompanies the group and together with a crafty squire they embark on a crude comedic epic.

33/50 Eggs

The plot is shallow and mimics Clash of the Titans, but being a comedy of this sort its pretty much expected.  Danny McBride was the lead writer for the film and its very obvious.  His crude awkward humor which can be hit or miss is exactly that here.  Natalie Portman and James Franco were both cast well for their roles, and Danny McBride fits perfectly, obviously.  Strict comedies like these that rely heavily on the jokes and humor instead of the storyline are subjective and Danny McBride's brand can be appreciated by few, so just because I liked it doesn't mean you will.  My suggestion is if you like him, you'll like this movie.

Traffic (2000)

Had to wake up and be around the house while some guys came and fixed some stuff in the kitchen.  Since I have to be around the house for most of the day while they work, the movie marathon begins.  My Dad had been talking about Traffic, and how much he loved Benicio's performance recently so when I saw it was playing on AMC, I put it on.  I've seen it twice I think.  One right around when it came out and once a few years ago.  It was pretty good both times and I new it'd been great once again.

Traffic is a fragmented plot profiling the many sides and facets connected in the ebb and flow of drugs across the Mexican border.  It follows a specific few such as A conservative judge is appointed by the President to spearhead America's escalating war against drugs, only to discover that his teenage daughter is an addict.  The wife of a major drug dealer on trial in America, and a corrupt, yet dedicated Mexican cop who is giving information about cartels to the DEA.

43/50

Traffic was among one of the first fragmented plots and therefore must be credited for its originality.  I love fragmented plots.  As long as they're executed well they can be very captivating, carry a lot of details, and create an unexpected ending.  The execution on this film is perfect, and it definitely deserved the academy award.  Steven Soderbergh, in all his films, has great execution.  Sometimes the movies he decides to direct aren't always the best but everything from the music, editing, lighting, acting, is spot on.  I loved the color used in the shots throughout the film.  Specifically the yellow in the Mexican scenes.  The grittiness and impoverished feeling came through and gave that aspect of the plot great character.  Michael Douglass, Catherine Zeta-Jones, and Benicio Del Toro were all great and well cast.  I Highly suggest this movie to anyone.  

Source Code (2011)

Caught this after a pleasant evening at the VMFA.  It was kind of late, but I wasn't that tired so I decided I'd give this one a go.  I've heard it was pretty good and Jake Gyllenhaal normally doesn't disappoint.

An action thriller centered on a soldier who wakes up in the body of an unknown man and discovers he's part of a mission to find the bomber of a Chicago commuter train.  He has a fixed 8 minutes to enter a commuter on the train's conscience in order to prevent a possible second attack.  Each try gains him more knowledge in an effort to deduce the culprit.

36/50 Eggs

This film had a creative good whodunit plot.  It was a bit redundent like groundhog's day but I didn't see that as a problem as each time he re-entered the "unknown man" the 8 minutes varied quite a lot.  I will say, however, for an experienced moviegoer like myself I knew the bomber quite early in the film, and was annoyingly surprised that the protagonist couldn't come to the same reasoning.  Casting on the film was well done.  Michelle Monaghan plays a great emotionally heightened/surprised love interest, and  Jeffery Wright was perfect for the role of the head of the Source Code project, Dr. Rutledge.  It's tough for me to convey my views on the ending without out giving it away.  All I'll say is there was a bit too much Hollywood going on.  Making It a bit hard to fathom that people made the choices they made and things worked out the way they did.  Its definitely worth a rental.  Watch it and let me know what you think.

The Devil Is A Sissy (1936)

Caught this one on TCM this afternoon, while the meatloaf was on to cook.  They're doing a Jackie Cooper marathon today because he died a few days back.  I decided to watch it mainly because of the name.  I also haven't seen much of Mickey Rooney, and because he's somewhat of a prominent figure from time to time it peaked my interest.

A well-bred young English lad living in lower Manhattan tries to gain acceptance from his not-so-well-bred peers at school.  When one of his peers' dad dies, they hash a plan to get money for a tombstone.

35/50

It truly is remarkable how much better child actors from the past are then the ones of the present.  Both Jackie Cooper and Mickey Rooney were really good, but the role of Claude stole the show.  The film doesn't have much of a wow factor, apart from everything being spot on.  It's aimed for children, and contains a  great meaning, which doesn't hit you over the head like most kid's films nowadays.  There's not a whole lot I can say except that I really liked it.  I suggest it, if you can handle black and whites.