Trolls

This and "Moana" arrived together, and I have the worst food poisoning of my life and needed something funny. All I knew about "Trolls" going in is that most said it was damn funny and I liked the theme song. I didn't know it was a musical, so that caught me off guard, as I'm kind of meh on many musicals. This was really really funny though - the script was both snappy and witty. I'm absolutely awful as placing voices, so I was really surprised to see everyone who voiced this in the credits - they were all great, with special nods to Zooey Deshenel and Russell Brand, and obviously the two leads were awesome.. It really did make me laugh out loud quite a bit, so I'm happy I went with this tonight, I will watch Moana in a day or so. 4/5

Trolls on Netflix

The Driftless Area

This was one of Yelchin's last films, so obviously required viewing. The direction is lush with an organic palette, and the shot composition is just gorgeous. The script is interesting, but lacks some needed character direction and enhancement. However, my biggest problem was the very unnatural way the director seemed to have all the actor speaking. It was deliberate and punctuated in strange ways, and it really threw me out of the film. Had the director matches his luscious direction with matching soft and layered acting, this would have been a home run. As such, a noble failure. 3/5

The Driftless Area on Netflix

Your Highness

Time for another special FTRQ review for another Potentially Bad Movie Night with Emilie Staat (@emofalltrades on Twitter)! This week we have "Your Highness", a farcical tale of knights, maidens and quests starring Danny McBride, James Franco, Natalie Portman and Zooey Deschanel. How did our movie night turn out? Read on!

DONNA:
Okay, bear with me again here. There is a fine line a comedy walks between funny & farcical and over-the-top stupidity. Your Highness tries very hard to walk *exactly* on that line, which is precarious business. It often fails, falling badly into the banal & stupid, but the comedic talents of McBride & Franco save it over and over again. I found myself laughing far more than I sighed or groaned. Not great, but certainly not bad either, so in the end this is the only rating I can give it. 3/5  

EMILIE:
Watching Your Highness is like watching a group of teenage boys playing the penis game, one extended dare to see who can be the loudest and most daring. If it were funnier or ever strayed from the penis/sex/gay jokes, it would've been far better and might have a chance of standing the test of time like Monty Python movies or Princess Bride. But there's absolutely no subtly or variation.Natalie Portman is the best thing about the movie, but she arrives far too late. Enormously funny Zooey Deschanel is given so little to do that it's embarrassing, yet she *almost* succeeds in turning her vacuous, wide-eyed Belladonna into a satirical caricature of what she's expected to be. I expected a stupid movie. I just thought it would be a more clever stupid movie than it was. 2.5/5


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DONNA'S RATING: 3/5
EMILIE'S RATING: 2.5/5

Once again, Emilie and I prove we're not too far off in our opinions. We're always within a half of a star of each other - quite a record! What will happen for our next Potentially Bad Movie Night? Stay tuned! :)

Your Highness on Netflix

Manic

Well acted but too preachy. "Dandelion" & "United States of Leland" are similarly themed but far better films. 3.5/5

Manic on Netflix