I never played the “Prince of Persia” video games, so the movie version hasn’t really been on my radar screen. Nonetheless, the full trailer is out, featuring the decidedly not-Persian Jake Gyllenhaal as the titular prince, Dastan. I haven’t got a clue what to make of this project; it has acclaimed actors Ben Kinglsey and Alfred Molina in major roles and director Mike Newell helmed successful films like “Four Weddings and Funeral,” “Donnie Brasco,” and “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.” On the other hand, the trailer is a generic, overly computer-generated mess with a PG-13 rating and a Walt Disney logo. I’m going with my gut here: it’s going to suck just as much as every other half-assed video game adaptation.
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Ever wonder what Broken Lizard has been up to since they released “Beerfest” in 2006? No, I didn’t think so. The comedy group that made “Super Troopers” is back with a movie called “The Slammin’ Salmon,” which follows the waiters at an upscale fish restaurant owned by a crazed ex-boxer (Michael Clarke Duncan). Duncan initiates a contest where the where the waiter that sells the most food gets a $10,000 prize, and the loser gets savagely beaten. As you might expect, shenanigans ensue. The trailer has its moments (mostly thanks to Duncan), but it’s not that impressive and Broken Lizard’s track record is admittedly spotty. But hey, with a title like this I’ll at least give it a chance.
Moving away from scruffy Persian royalty and fish-slapping, we have “A Single Man,” based on the Christopher Isherwood book of the same name. I don’t know anything about the book and the trailer doesn’t provide much in the way of details, but its strong visuals and simple music leave me intrigued enough to want to know more. Colin Firth is already getting accolades for his performance in the film, and its being given a limited release in December so it will qualify for this year’s Oscars. Production design was apparently done by the same crew from “Mad Men,” and the trailer definitely has a Don Draper style to it.
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