Some people will say 2011 isn’t a great year for movies. I would tend to disagree with that sentiment. It’s true the number of great films (so far) in 2011 are fewer than 2010 but the ones we do have in 2011 are pretty spectacular and worth watching and discussing. There are movies like Gore Verbinski’s “Rango” or Joe Wright’s “Hanna” are among the favorites of general audiences, just looking at the critical response and box office receipts, but there are also smaller movies that seem to have been forgotten like Cary Fukunaga’s adaptation of “Jane Eyre” and Tom McCarthy’s comic gem, “Win Win”. All of these titles are worthy…

The box office results for the weekend of April 15th – 17th sees what some may call an upset. Scream 4 was nearly lapped by the 3D animated Rio during both flicks respective debuts. The fam-friendly enthusiasts massacred the popular horror franchise. Here are the studio estimates: 1. Rio ($40 million) 2. Scream 4 ($19.2 million) 3. Hop ($11.2 million) 4. Soul Surfer ($7.4 million) 5. Hanna ($7.3 million) 6. Arthur 2011 ($6.9 million) 7. Insidious ($6.8 million) 8. Source Code ($6.3 million) 9. The Conspirator ($3.9 million) 10. Your Highness ($3.8 million) Analysis Despite Scream 4 opening on the lower end of expectations, financially speaking, the flick is going…

We’ve got two big ones hitting theaters this weekend and lucky for them, their target audiences don’t overlap in the least. First up is the one likely to make a killing (no pun intended), Scream 4. Back in 1996, Scream opened with a mere $6.4 million, but went on to earn a whopping $173 million worldwide on a low $14 million budget. The next year Ghostface returned with a vengeance and Scream 2 began its run with $32.9 million. In 2000, Scream 3 raised the bar even higher taking in $34.7 million its first weekend out. What’s the fate of Scream 4? We’re going bigger; this film has everything in…

Happy Sunday, Shockya readers! Who’s ready for their weekly dose of must-known movies news? This week’s Movie News Cheat Sheet is overrun with casting updates, and some big ones at that. We’ve got everything from new additions to the cast of The Hunger Games to Lindsay Lohan’s attempt at getting back on the big screen. Looking for some eye candy? We’ve got that, too. Not only did a handful of impressive trailers drop during the week, but some great stills, too. The Hangover Part II, Fright Night, Melancholia and so much more in this week’s Movie News Cheat Sheet. 1. Hutcherson & Hemsworth in The Hunger Games: The Hunger Games…

The box office results for the weekend of April 8th – 10th sees “Hop” fending off a drunk, a violent girl, an inspiring surfer, and a silly kingdom. Meanwhile, Insidious is able to accomplish something most horror flicks fail to achieve. Here are the studio estimates: 1. Hop ($21.7 million) 2. Arthur 2011 ($12.6 million) 3. Hanna ($12.3 million) 4. Soul Surfer ($11.1 million) 5. Insidious ($9.7 million) 6. Your Highness ($9.5 million) 7. Source Code ($9.0 million) 8. Limitless ($5.6 million) 9. Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules ($4.8 million) 10. The Lincoln Lawyer ($4.6 million) Analysis Having four films reaching double figure grosses in one week will…

Title: Your Highness Directed By: David Gordon Green Starring: Danny McBride, James Franco, Rasmus Hardiker, Natalie Portman, Zooey Deschanel, Toby Jones, Justin Theroux, Charles Dance Outside of a middle school classroom, sex, drugs and dicks aren’t inherently funny. In order for these subjects to actually be funny, they must be placed within a funny circumstance. Not only does Your Highness fail by attempting to tap into our juvenile sides trying to earn a laugh by throwing out one of these subjects at random, but even when it does contextualize their inclusion, it’s not particularly funny either. Thadeous (Danny McBride) suffers from an extreme case of one-sided sibling rivalry. His older…

Last weekend might have been an easy win for Hop, but this time around there will be quite a battle for that top spot as we’ve got four new wide releases making their way into theaters, Arthur, Hanna, Soul Surfer and Your Highness. Can Russell Brand do it again and hit #1 two weeks in a row? Thanks to a significantly higher theater count than its competition, it’s likely. Brand may not have Jonah Hill and Puff Daddy backing him up this time around like in Get Him to the Greek, but he does have Helen Mirren and Jennifer Garner by his side. While Get Him to the Greek lost…

The box office results for the weekend of April 1st – 3rd has Easter season arriving early and often with moviegoers. Hop came out of nowhere to thump all the competition in attaining the top spot. Meanwhile, Diary and Sucker Punch experience a major sophomore slump (as did I in college). Here are the studio estimates: 1. Hop ($38.1 million) 2. Source Code ($15 million) 3. Insidious ($13.4 million) 4. Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules ($10.2 million) 5. Limitless ($9.4 million) 6. The Lincoln Lawyer ($7 million) 7. Sucker Punch ($6 million) 8. Rango ($4.5 million) 9. Paul ($4.3 million) 10. Battle: Los Angeles ($3.5 million) Analysis Universal…

Universal Pictures released a brand new trailer for the upcoming film “Your Highness” by director David Gordon Green (Pineapple Express, Eastbound & Down) and starring Natalie Portman (Black Swan, Thor), Zooey Deschanel (My Idiot Brother), James Franco (127 Hours, Rise of the Apes) and Danny McBride (The Foot Fist Way, Land of the Lost, Tropic Thunder). Synopsis: Throughout history, tales of chivalry have burnished the legends of brave, handsome knights who rescue fair damsels, slay dragons and conquer evil. But behind many a hero is a good-for-nothing younger brother trying just to stay out of the way of those dragons, evil and trouble in general. Danny McBride and James Franco…

Universal Pictures just released the latest poster for the upcoming comedy “Your Highness” by director David Gordon Green (Pineapple Express, Eastbound & Down) and starring Natalie Portman (Black Swan, Thor), Zooey Deschanel (My Idiot Brother), James Franco (127 Hours, Rise of the Apes) and Danny McBride (The Foot Fist Way, Land of the Lost, Tropic Thunder). Synopsis: Throughout history, tales of chivalry have burnished the legends of brave, handsome knights who rescue fair damsels, slay dragons and conquer evil. But behind many a hero is a good-for-nothing younger brother trying just to stay out of the way of those dragons, evil and trouble in general. Danny McBride and James Franco…