What with the release of this weekends Number 1 movie Rise of the Planet of the Apes James Franco’s back on top. Here at Filmsnobreviews.com we’re going to take a look at the Good the Bad, and the Ugly of Franco’s career. Let’s start with the good.



Who’d of thunk it? Watching a guy stuck between a rock and a hard place for almost two hours could be so…riveting. Yet James Franco manages to make it just that with a little help from his Oscar-winning director Danny Boyle. Boyle’s quick cut along with Franco’s savvy make for a film that is both a thrilling roller coaster, as well as an amazing tale of survival. Showing that the will of men makes humanity do what it must to survive. Franco shines here, and I’m sure you’ll agree this is as good as he gets!

Your Highness had a simple premise take the stoner comedy director David Gordon Green found success with in his last endeavor, 2008’s critically and financially successful summer blockbuster Pineapple Express. Harness that mojo and give it a medieval spin. Sadly for Franco this was a case of lighting NOT striking twice with the same concept. While this film is bad it’s only bad and not Ugly because you can tell throughout that Franco is literally having a great time. I think that green room on this set was literally a “green” room. But Oscar nom Franco isn’t alone in this as a follow-up, fellow nominee Natalie Portman followed up her win for Black Swan with this high budget, low brow stinker.



Annapolis was suppose to be a way for Franco to wash the taste of  Tristan + Isolde and it’s terribleness out of his mouth. Instead what we got was an hour and 43 minutes of undeveloped characters, undeveloped plot, and undeveloped acting. The only thing not deprived is the machismo, which radiates. Something had to. With a script written perceivably on toilet paper, even New Kid Donnie Wahlberg should’ve known this farce didn’t have the right stuff. What’s more perverse is  this film is some hybrid between Never Back Down and The Guardian, and manages to be worse then both of those already atrocious movies. Sadly unlike Your Highness Franco doesn’t appear to be having fun and neither does anyone else, including the viewer at home.

Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter @FilmSnobReviews