Posts with tag Cinema
Posted Jul 2nd 2008 4:02PM by Matt Bradshaw
Filed under: Action, Comedy, Box Office, Family Films, Comic/Superhero/Geek, Box Office Predictions
It was a good weekend at the box office for both of last week's newbies, marking the first time in history that two films opening on the same weekend pulled in over $50 million each. Here's the top five:
1. Wall-E: $63 million
2. Wanted: $50.9 million
3. Get Smart: $20.2 million
4. Kung Fu Panda: $11.7 million
5. The Incredible Hulk: $9.6 million Only one major release this week, but we've also got one going into wider release.
Hancock
What's It All About: Will Smith plays Hancock, a hard drinking anti-social superhero, and a PR agent played by
Jason Bateman sets out to repair Hancock's public image.
Why It Might Do Well: Will Smith may not always have the Midas touch (
I Am Legend left me cold) but he's got quite a few successful blockbusters under his belt, and people are loving the superhero flicks these days. I've liked Bateman's work a lot since
Arrested Development, and I'm always glad to see him. Also, Cinematical's own Kim Voynar has given the film
her seal of approval.
Why It Might Not Do Well: Unlike most big-budget superhero movies, this one doesn't originate from another media like comic books, so it doesn't come with the core fanbase of an
Iron Man or an
Incredible Hulk. Also, the 36% fresh rating at
Rottentomatoes.com is not encouraging.
Number of Theaters: 3,900
Prediction: $45 million
And going into wider release this week...
Continue reading Box Office: Hancock Arrives
Posted Jun 30th 2008 7:02PM by Matt Bradshaw
Filed under: Comedy, Horror, Killer B's on DVD
I first discovered this slasher satire (recently released to DVD by
Legend Films) during one of its many runs on cable in the early '80s. I recall liking it at the time, but I was a college kid with a fondness for beer, so I probably watched it through a hop and barley flavored filter. There's an obvious
Airplane influence, though the laughs never flow as freely and the premise runs out of steam early on. The film's nostalgia appeal is probably its biggest selling point these days, and viewers watching it for the first time will probably wonder what all the fuss was about. Still, I'm glad I had a chance to reacquaint myself.
Since it was released in 1981, it's interesting to see how many of the sub-genre's cliches were already in place. The horror begins on Jaime Lee Curtis's birthday, as a randy young babysitter named Judy receives threatening phone calls from an asthmatic-sounding character who calls himself The Breather (voiced by
Richard Belzer). Soon her boyfriend arrives and both of their fates are sealed when they decide to have sex (this IS a slasher film after all). The two are done in by the clever and deadly application of a paper clip and a garbage bag. Like all good slashers, The Breather has a trademarked look, though the green rubber gloves and galoshes just don't have the same impact as a goalie mask.
Continue reading Killer B's on DVD: Student Bodies
Posted Jun 27th 2008 8:03PM by Matt Bradshaw
Filed under: Comedy, Horror, Trailer Trash, Trailers and Clips
I love a good horror flick, but it's rare that I can find five trailers with some kind of connection to horror worth talking about in a single week. Huzzah! This is just such a week. Take a look at these Tales to Horrify.
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Undead
This light-hearted take on vampirism reminds me a little of Roman Polanski's The Fearless Vampire Killers, with the "theater of vampires" bit making me think of Interview With The Vampire. I gotta say this looks awesome. An unemployed actor played by Jake Hoffman (son of Dustin) lands a job directing a bizarre off-Broadway version of Hamlet. The play has actually been written by a Romanian vampire, and things get complicated when the lead actor suddenly becomes one of the undead as well. Ralph Macchio is in there too playing a mobster/vampire hunter and, according to Monika's post from a few months ago, Sean Lennon has written the score. This looks like a classy production all the way through.
Mirrors
Mirrors are everywhere, but there's still something inherently creepy about them. Kiefer Sutherland plays an ex-cop and some kind of malevolent force is using mirrors as a gateway into his home to threaten him and his family. There are some creepy moments here, but I'm not sure about this one. These days I see Sutherland and I can't get past his Jack Bauer character, and that kid in the trailer is trying way too hard to sound cute. This is also from the director of High Tension, which is not a score in the plus column for me. The trailer is pretty slight, so I'll have to see more. Here's what William thought.
Continue reading Trailer Park: Tales To Horrify
Posted Jun 25th 2008 6:02PM by Matt Bradshaw
Filed under: Action, Comedy, Box Office, Angelina Jolie, Comic/Superhero/Geek, Box Office Predictions
Steve Carell scored big this week recreating the role of Agent Maxwell Smart in
Get Smart, providing the best opening weekend ever for a film with Carell in the lead.
The Incredible Hulk fell into second place for its second week but
Hulk and
Kung Fu Panda both outdid last week's other new release
The Love Guru. Here are the totals:
1. Get Smart: $38.6 million
2. The Incredible Hulk: $22.1 million
3. Kung Fu Panda: $21.9 million
4. The Love Guru: $13.9 million
5. The Happening: $10.5 million
Two wide releases this week, a heartwarming comedy for the whole family and a stylized action adventure shoot-em-up for the older crowd.
WALL-E
What's It All About: Disney/Pixar is back with the tale of a lovable sentient trash compactor. WALL-E has been alone on the abandoned Planet Earth for hundreds of years, but he discovers a new purpose when he meets a robot named EVE. Apparently WALL-E has stumbled upon the key to the planet's future, a solution which the human race eagerly awaits.
Why It Might Do Well: The trailers look promising and WALL-E is written and directed by
Andrew Stanton, who served in the same capacity on
Finding Nemo, Pixar's most financially successful film to date. Plus, our star has the cute going on.
Why It Might Not Do Well: Science fiction writer Isaac Asimov described a condition called The Frankenstein Complex, which is a fear of robots -- but look at the little guy. Did I mention he's cute? This is easily next week's number one flick.
Number of Theaters: 3,900
Prediction: $70 million
Continue reading Box Office: Who Wants WALL-E?
Posted Jun 23rd 2008 9:02PM by Matt Bradshaw
Filed under: Horror, Independent, Killer B's on DVD
There's a lot to be said for truth in advertising, and few people could come away from a film called
Blood and Sex Nightmare (due for release on August 5 from
Bloody Earth Films) with the outraged cry: "I was expecting a carefree romp with Sandra Bullock!" Yes, this one delivers on its promise of blood and sex (often at the same time), but is that enough?
Amy (
Julia Morizawa) has just returned to her boyfriend Nick (
Andy McGuinness) after traveling to Japan for her father's funeral. Despite having been together for some time, the two have not had sex yet because Amy doesn't feel ready. Nick suggests they spend some time at Pleasure Mountain Adult Retreat, a getaway resort for couples (or any number of people) looking to spice things up. The retreat is a simple affair consisting of small cottages, but the other guests are an entertaining bunch with one couple doing bondage photography and a threesome acting out a bizarre sitcom fantasy complete with canned laughter.
Continue reading Killer B's on DVD: Blood and Sex Nightmare
Posted Jun 21st 2008 6:33PM by Matt Bradshaw
Filed under: Action, Comedy, Drama, Horror, Trailer Trash, Trailers and Clips
Once again using my own take on the classic Seven Degrees of Kevin Bacon, I'm bouncing from one trailer to the next via connections both insignificant and profound. Let's start with...
Pink Panther 2
When I first heard about the 2006
Pink Panther remake I, like many, cried "blasphemers!" Who could possibly fill
Peter Sellers' shoes as the endearingly idiotic Inspector Clouseau? Well, if anyone could do, it it would be
Steve Martin, and even if the film wasn't a total success Martin brought some inspired silliness to the role, and now he's back for more. This teaser trailer is kind of funny, though I don't care for the more up-tempo version of the classic Pink Panther theme (was that in the last film? I don't remember). The good inspector sneaks into a sold out movie, and while I won't give away the joke, I will say that it will definitely work better in theaters than online. Eugene posted about the trailer
here.
And speaking of remakes...
Death Race
It's unfortunate that this one starts with one of the worst cliches of all time. "The rules are simple," says one character, "there are no rules." Gag me. I've always liked
Death Race 2000 from 1975, and while this new version apparently strays pretty far from the original, it looks to be a fun bit of brainless action. Jason Statham is a former NASCAR champion who has been framed for his wife's murder so he can participate in a three day auto race for convicted felons. In its few years of existence Death Race has garnered a bigger audience than the Super Bowl. Cars are armor plated and armed with a potpourri of exotic weapons. The trailer is non-stop action and if the film is the same I'll be willing to overlook that godawful cliche. Here's
Erik's take.
And speaking of Jason Statham...
Continue reading Trailer Park: Still Another Five Degrees of Trailer Separation
Posted Jun 18th 2008 4:02PM by Matt Bradshaw
Filed under: Comedy, Box Office, Box Office Predictions
The Incredible Hulk took first place last weekend, but notably pulled in about $6.5 million less than Ang Lee's 2004
Hulk. M. Night Shyamalan's
The Happening took third but still exceeded expectations. Here's last weekend's top five:
1. The Incredible Hulk: $55.4 million
2. Kung Fu Panda: $33.6 million
3. The Happening: $30.5 million
4. You Don't Mess with the Zohan: $16.4 million
5. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull: $14.7 million
Both of this week's new releases are comedies, putting them in direct competition with one another, so this should be interesting.
Get Smart
What's It All About: Steve Carell and
Anne Hathaway star in this adaptation of the classic 60's spy comedy. Carell is Maxwell Smart, an eager but inexperienced analyst for an espionage agency called CONTROL. Max is suddenly promoted to field agent when the evil organization KAOS learns the identity of nearly every Control agent in the world, and he is teamed with the lovely agent 99 played by Hathaway.
Why It Might Do Well: There's nostalgia appeal at work here, plus Steve Carell's presence will stir up memories of hits like
The 40 Year Old Virgin and he's still got plenty of fans from NBC's
The Office. Why It Might Not Do Well: How well a spy caper created during the Cold War translates to the 21st century remains to be seen. Also, the 58% rating at
rottentomatoes.com isn't thrilling me.
Number of Theaters: 3,700
Prediction: $40 million
Continue reading Box Office: Love Smarts
Posted Jun 17th 2008 7:02AM by Matt Bradshaw
Filed under: Comedy, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Killer B's on DVD
For a movie that's taken this long to make its
bow on DVD way back onto DVD after being out of print for years, 1996's
Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Movie is a disappointingly barebones disk without so much as a trailer for an extra.
MST3K without extras, however, is still
MST3K, and for this B-movie junkie that's something pretty special. The film was, of course, based on the then current TV show running on Comedy Central which eventually jumped over to the Sci Fi Channel where it ended its 10 season run (11 if you count "Season 0" which ran in Minneapolis only) in 1999. Basically, you take a guy, strand him in space and stick him in a movie theater with two robots to make fun of cheezy old movies. More often than not, hilarity would ensue.
Continue reading Killer B's on DVD: Mystery Science Theater 3000 -- The Movie
Posted Jun 13th 2008 9:02PM by Matt Bradshaw
Filed under: Comedy, Documentary, Drama, Independent, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Trailer Trash, Comic/Superhero/Geek, Remakes and Sequels, Religious, War, Trailers and Clips
There have been war movies pretty much for as long as there have been movies. If and when we finally get to see Tarantino's long-promised
Inglorious Bastards, and if it proves to be a hit, I'm betting we see a surge of war flicks. For now, though, we've got five trailers for war-related movies, starting with...
Punisher: War Zone
Between
Iron Man and
The Incredible Hulk, Marvel properties are pretty hot these days, but I just don't see this one coming anywhere near that kind of success. Much like Batman, The Punisher started his career driven by vengeance, but instead of fighting crime with his fists, he selected the admittedly more practical weapon: guns, lots and lots of guns.
Thomas Jane chose not to return for this sequel and this time we have
Ray Stevenson wearing the skull emblem and firing the automatic weapons. His delivery is particularly stump-like, but there's only so much that can be done with lines like "sometimes I'd like to get my hands on God." I've never liked the comic book and I haven't seen any of the other
Punisher movies, so maybe fans of the character will find this more interesting.
Miracle at St. Anna
This new one from
Spike Lee should be worth waiting for. In 1983, a postal employee named Hector Negron gives a customer a look of recognition before shooting him in cold blood. Police find an ancient Italian artifact worth $5 million in Negron's apartment as well as a purple heart from World War II. The details are told in flashback as we see him and several other black American soldiers in 1944 trapped behind enemy lines in Italy. This is based on a novel by James McBride and it opens on September 26. Here's
Christopher's take.
Continue reading Trailer Park: War is Hell
Posted Jun 11th 2008 9:02PM by Matt Bradshaw
Filed under: Drama, Horror, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Box Office, Comic/Superhero/Geek, Box Office Predictions
The animated family film
Kung Fu Panda proved to be the favorite last week, though the Adam Sandler comedy
You Don't Mess With the Zohan didn't do too shabby either. The two films led the way for the second biggest June weekend in box office history.
1. Kung Fu Panda: $60.2 million
2. You Don't Mess with the Zohan: $38.5 million
3. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull: $22.7 million
4. Sex and the City: $21.2 million
5. The Strangers: $8.9 million
Two huge releases this week, each of which represents a comeback of sorts.
The Incredible Hulk
What's It All About: In the wake of Ang Lee's not so well received 2003
The Hulk, the franchise gets a reboot and the character gets back the adjective that all the 60s Marvel characters had (
The Uncanny X-Men,
The Amazing Spider-man, etc.).
Edward Norton plays the over-irradiated Dr. Bruce Banner who, when angered, turns green around the gills and starts throwing tanks around. He is being pursued by the military which is led by General "Thunderbolt" Ross (
William Hurt) and he does battle with another gamma powered mutation called The Abomination (
Tim Roth).
Why It Might Do Well: There appears to be more action in this Hulk movie than the last, and as
Iron Man proved not that long ago, an exciting, well produced comic book movie can be a license to print money.
Why It Might Not Do Well: While this is a more satisfyingly ferocious looking Hulk, the fact that he's a CGI creation (albeit a pretty good one) is obvious to the point of distraction. Will audiences be able to get past this?
Number of Theaters: 3,400
Prediction: $65 million
Continue reading Box Office: The Hulk is Happening
Posted Jun 9th 2008 7:02PM by Matt Bradshaw
Filed under: Horror, Killer B's on DVD
I'm not certain that this DVD's release was intentionally planned to come so quickly on the heels of the latest
Indiana Jones film, but this horror flick from 1965 (just out from
Legend Films)
does deal with skulls and stars not one, but two future denizens of the
Star Wars universe (anyone recognize Grand Moff Tarkin and Count Dooku in the picture above?). I suspect it's more coincidence than anything, but there are enough elements present to make fans of classic horror utter "why, what have we here?"
The Skull was directed by
Freddie Francis and stars
Peter Cushing and
Christopher Lee, with a brief appearance by
Michael Gough (Alfred from the Tim Burton
Batman movies), all of whom were veterans of Britain's Hammer Films, the studio that set the standard for gothic horror from the mid 1950s through the early 70s. This is not a Hammer film, but is in fact a product of Amicus Productions, another British studio that is best known today for its anthology horror films like
Tales From the Crypt and
The House That Dripped Blood.
Continue reading Killer B's on DVD: The Skull
Posted Jun 7th 2008 9:02PM by Matt Bradshaw
Filed under: Comedy, Drama, Romance, Trailer Trash, Brad Pitt, Remakes and Sequels, Trailers and Clips
No, I'm not talking about Paul McCartney and Wings' "Venus and Mars" (though that
is a pretty awesome tune). I suppose you would be hard pressed to find a movie with no romantic angle at all, but these five trailers focus specifically on male/female relationships.
Nights in Rodanthe
No, this doesn't have anything to do with that radioactive pterodactyl occasionally seen hanging out with Godzilla (that's Rodan to the uninitiated). Actually this one (which Erik first posted about
here) stars
Richard Gere as a doctor on his way to reconcile with his son. His trip takes an unexpected turn when he begins a love affair with an innkeeper whose loveless marriage is on the skids.
Christopher Meloni plays the estranged husband, which doesn't seem all that different from his role on
Law and Order: Special Victims Unit. It looks like a competent production, but it just reeks of
Bridges of Madison County. There may be something worthwhile here, but it's not my cup of tea.
He's Just Not That Into You
If nothing else, the cast of this adaptation of the novel by Greg Behrendt and Liz Tuccillo will make you sit up and take notice.
Drew Barrymore,
Jennifer Connelly,
Scarlett Johansson,
Jennifer Aniston,
Ben Affleck, and J
ustin Long star with Barrymore also producing. The film follows several interconnecting stories, with the trailer showing us several romantic missteps that could easily come from any romantic comedy, but the cast is so top-notch that I find myself wanting to see more. This one hits theaters on October 24. Here's
Elisabeth's take on the trailer.
Continue reading Trailer Park: Venus and Mars
Posted Jun 4th 2008 6:02PM by Matt Bradshaw
Filed under: Comedy, Box Office, Box Office Predictions
Sex and the City surprised a lot of people, not by doing well, but by doing extremely well, pushing
Indiana Jones back to the number two spot for its second week of release. Last week's other new release,
The Strangers, starring Liv Tyler, scared the American public out of a respectable amount of cash as well. Here are the numbers:
1. Sex and the City: $56.8 million
2. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull: $44.7 million
3. The Strangers: $20.9 million
4. Iron Man: $13.5 million
5. The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian: $12.7 million
We've got two more new releases this week, both of which are going for the laughs.
What's It All About: A Kung Fu loving panda (voiced by
Jack Black) must put work in the family noodle shop on hold when he is chosen to fulfill an ancient prophecy. Now he studies alongside martial arts experts Tigress, Crane, Mantis, Viper and Monkey -- under the leadership of their guru, Master Shifu.
Why It Might Do Well: With all the big releases lately, there haven't been many geared toward the little ones, so I can see this one filling a void and
Rottentomatoes.com gives it a 92% fresh rating.
Why It Might Not Do Well: Come on, he's a panda. What are you, some kind of panda hater? Heck, I suspect this will be next week's number one movie.
Number of Theaters: 3,600
Prediction: $56 million
Continue reading Box Office: Panda Vs. The Zohan
Posted Jun 2nd 2008 7:02PM by Matt Bradshaw
Filed under: Horror, Thrillers, Killer B's on DVD
As they say (or at least they should), there's always room for
giallo. No, it's not a gelatinous dessert, but an Italian film genre generally identified by its use of gory murders, mystery/police procedural elements and strong sexuality. "Giallo" is Italian for yellow, and the genre draws its name from a series of lurid murder mystery novels that sported yellow covers.
Delirium (Delirio caldo), which was recently released by
Blue Underground, is a modestly interesting example of the form made downright fascinating by presenting the drastically different Italian and U.S. cuts on the same disk.
Starting with the Italian version, this 1972 film stars
Mickey Hargitay, former Mr. Universe, ex-husband of
Jayne Mansfield and father of actress
Mariska Hargitay. Hargitay plays Professor Herbert Lyutak, a psychologist aiding the police in their investigation of a serial killer who has strangled several women, or that's what Lyutak wants people to think. In reality he
is the killer, with his violence against women serving as an outlet for his rage and frustration over his sexual impotence. His wife Marcia is played by the stunning
Rita Calderoni, an actress I've seen in a handful of films, though I'm just now noticing a striking resemblance to a slightly older Anne Hathaway. Marcia still loves her husband despite his sexual inadequacies. She offers to let him strangle her as a form of gratification and she is given to graphic sexual dreams/fantasies involving other women, her husband and a dungeon. Meanwhile, there's a copycat killer on the loose, murdering women in the same fashion as Lyutak.
Continue reading Killer B's on DVD: Delirium
Posted May 28th 2008 6:02PM by Matt Bradshaw
Filed under: Comedy, Horror, Box Office, Box Office Predictions
To absolutely no one's surprise, the return of Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones made some serious cash this past weekend, achieving the tenth best opening weekend in history. Including Memorial Day receipts,
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull pulled in $125 million.
Prince Caspian slipped into second place, but in doing so tumbled 58% from the previous week. This summer's first blockbuster,
Iron Man, took third place for its fourth week of release and has taken in a total of $252.6 million so far. Here's how the top five looked:
1. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull: $100.1 million
2. The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian: $22.7 million
3. Iron Man: $20.4 million
4. What Happens in Vegas: $9.1 million
5. Speed Racer: $3.9Two new releases this week, and between the two of them America should get its recommended daily allowance of sex and violence:
Sex and the CityWhat's It All About: Yes, they're back. Carrie Bradshaw (
Sarah Jessica Parker) and her cohorts continue their escapades from the successful HBO series.
Why It Might Do Well: A 67% rating at
Rottentomatoes.com isn't earth shattering, but it is respectable, and the show has a massive built-in
cult following.
Why It Might Not Do Well: The movie will need to bring in more than just the show's fans, and this will be a tough sell for men.
Number of Theaters: 3,100
Prediction: $35 million
Continue reading Box Office: Sex With a Stranger
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