Posts with tag Movies
Posted Aug 6th 2008 5:02PM by Matt Bradshaw
Filed under: Comedy, Box Office Predictions
Brendan Fraser's third outing as a mummy wrangler did OK, but not well enough to unseat
The Dark Knight which has held the number one sport for three weeks now. Here's the top five:
1. The Dark Knight: $42.6 million
2. The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor: $40.5 million
3. Step Brothers: $16.5 million
4. Mamma Mia!: $12.6 million
5. Journey to the Center of the Earth: $6.6 million
We've got two new releases this week, both of which are arriving in theaters today in hopes of building buzz for the coming weekend (and to avoid the start of the Olympics). Also, neither of them is directly targeting the same audience as
The Dark Knight, which, even in its fourth week of release, is still the one to beat.
Pineapple Express
What's It All About: A stoner (
Seth Rogen) and his dealer (
James Franco) find themselves on the run after seeing a cop commit murder. Rogen wrote the script with
Evan Goldberg, and this is the writing team behind
Superbad.
Why It Might Do Well: Judd Apatow isn't directing, but he's on board as producer and he's got a story credit, so hopefully his magic touch will be in evidence. Also, most theaters provide comfortable seating with easy access to snacks, so the stoner crowd should feel right at home.
Why It Might Not Do Well: The aforementioned stoners might be saving their money for the recently announced Cheech and Chong reunion.
Number of Theaters: 3,072
Prediction: $24 million
Continue reading Box Office: Pineapple Pants
Posted Aug 4th 2008 11:03AM by Matt Bradshaw
Filed under: Foreign Language, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Universal
When I saw that there was a new
Island of Lost Souls coming I mistakenly assumed this was yet another remake of the 1932 film of the same name which starred Charles Laughton and Bela Lugosi. That film was remade in 1977 and 1996 as
The Island of Dr. Moreau, and I chalked this up to the usual remake madness. Once I actually read the
Variety article in question, though, I realized this film is something else entirely. This
Island of Lost Souls is a remake of a 2007 Danish film called
De fortabte sjaeles, which deals with a teenage girl whose younger brother has been possessed by the benevolent spirit of an 18th century magician and finds herself caught up in a centuries old battle between good and evil. This sounds tailor made to cash in on the
Harry Potter audience.
The new film is being directed by
Nicolaj Arcel who co-wrote and directed the
award-winning original which was heavy on special effects and was one of the highest grossing films in Denmark last year. The new screenplay will be written by Jennifer Okieffe. Marc Abraham and Eric Newman will produce via their Strike Entertainment banner.
Continue reading New 'Island of Lost Souls' Coming From Universal
Posted Jul 31st 2008 11:02AM by Matt Bradshaw
Filed under: Comedy, Music & Musicals, Remakes and Sequels
Every generation has its rebellious teen years, so a remake of 1979's
Rock 'n' Roll High School, a movie about school kids fighting back against an oppressive school administration, doesn't seem entirely off the wall. Still, the movie pretty much existed as an excuse to put punk rock pioneers
The Ramones on the big screen, so I'm wondering how this will work without them. According to an article in
Variety, radio personality
Howard Stern (who I always thought shared a common hairdo with The Ramones) will be producing the remake along with Larry Levinson. This makes two projects the pair are jointly working on, the other being a remake of 1982's
Porky's.
The new
Rock 'n" Roll High School will be scripted by
Alex Winter, the same Alex Winter who joined
Keanu Reeves for a couple of "excellent adventures" as Bill S. Preston Esq., and got staked by Cory Feldman in
The Lost Boys. Winter still works as an actor (he had a recurring role on Adult Swim's
Saul of the Mole Men), but he's primarily a writer/director these days, having directed music videos, commercials and the made-for-TV movie
Ben 10: Race Against Time as well as a feature about Napster and its creator Shawn Fanning.
The original film was produced by B-movie legend
Roger Corman and directed by
Allan Arkush, with additional uncredited direction from
Joe Dante and
Jerry Zucker. The movie starred P.J. Soles as Riff Randell, the girl who is bound and determined to get The Ramones to play at the school dance. The cast also featured several Corman regulars including Paul Bartel, Mary Woronov, Dick Miller and Clint Howard. It's been years since I've seen this one, but I remember it as a fun bit of fluff from the drive-in era. What do you say, readers, will this translate well into the twenty-first century?
Posted Jul 16th 2008 4:03PM by Matt Bradshaw
Filed under: Action, Animation, Comedy, Music & Musicals, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Thrillers, Box Office, Box Office Predictions
It's a good time to be a cinematic super hero, and Jules Verne proved that his work still has legs 103 years after his death, but Eddie Murphy's
Meet Dave died a thousand deaths pulling in a mere $5.2 million and not even making the top five. Here are the totals:
1. Hellboy II: The Golden Army: $34.5 million
2. Hancock: $32 million
3. Journey to the Center of the Earth: $21 million
4. Wall-E: $18.7 million
5. Wanted: $11.9 million
Three new releases this week, and in the very broadest of terms we have one for the guys, one for the gals and one for the kids.
The Dark Knight
What's It All About: Do I really need to explain this one?
Christian Bale returns to the role of Batman in the sequel to the series rebooting
Batman Begins, with
Christopher Nolan once again in the director's chair. There's a new crime boss in Gotham City and he's called The Joker (
Heath Ledger). The two clash, things blow up, awesomeness ensues.
Why It Might Do Well: This will be the movie to beat this Summer. Batman is so ingrained into American pop culture that he's bonded to our collective DNA.
Batman Begins grossed $205 million domestically and $371 million worldwide.
The Dark Knight is scoring 88% over at Rottentomatoes.com and Cinematical's own James Rocchi had
some good things to say about it.
Why It Might Not Do Well: There remains the possibility that people with a fear of bats will join forces with those with a fear of clowns and boycott the film, which of course means more popcorn for the rest of us.
Number of Theaters: 4,300
Prediction: $125 million
Continue reading Box Office: The Dark Knight Arrives
Posted Jul 14th 2008 6:02PM by Matt Bradshaw
Filed under: Classics, Comedy, Comic/Superhero/Geek, Killer B's on DVD
With
The Dark Knight making its debut this Friday, I thought the time was right to take a look back at this jaw-dropping
Batman parody from 1966.
Rat Pfink A Boo Boo was the brainchild of
Ray Dennis Steckler, the B-movie auteur behind
The Thrill Killers,
The Lemon Grove Kids Meet the Monsters and
The Incredibly Strange Creatures Who Stopped Living and Became Mixed-Up Zombies (the latter of which would have me muttering "cha-ching" right about now if I was paid by the word). Released in 1966, the same year the
Batman TV series debuted, the film actually doesn't focus on costumed hero buffoonery until nearly the half-way mark. Apparently Steckler decided that the earnest but incompetent crime thriller he had been making wasn't working out, so he decided to do his own take on Batman, a character he had long admired. The resulting film is a disjointed mess unlike anything you've ever seen before, making this the
Plan 9 From Outer Space of super hero films, and if you're the type who can find enjoyment in amazingly bad cinema then you just have to see this.
Continue reading Killer B's on DVD: Rat Pfink A Boo Boo
Posted Jul 12th 2008 6:32PM by Matt Bradshaw
Filed under: Action, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Trailer Trash, Quentin Tarantino, Trailers and Clips
Sometimes I enjoy films with multi-layered stories and intricate characters, and then there are times when I just want to see people blowing sh*t up. I blame the testosterone. This week we've got five trailers that are all about the action.
Hell Ride
No, he's not directing, but
Quentin Tarantino is producing this one which should turn a few heads, as will the fact that this is a red band trailer that earns its crimson hue. Three bad ass biker types played by writer/director
Larry Bishop,
Michael Madsen, and
Eric Balfour are out for revenge against a rival gang for killing one of their bros.
Dennis Hopper and
David Carradine are in their too. The trailer embraces its b-movie action roots, not even caring that the shot of three figures nonchalantly walking away as a building blows up behind them has become something of a cliche. In
his review of the film,
Cinematical's Eric Snider makes the point that grindhouse style cinema is a niche market that appeals to a restricted number of people. True enough, though on a purely personal level, I'm a big fan of the old school grindhouse flicks and this looks like it's going to be pretty awesome.
Continue reading Trailer Park: Lights, Camera, ACTION!
Posted Jul 9th 2008 6:02PM by Matt Bradshaw
Filed under: Action, Comedy, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Trailer Trash, Comic/Superhero/Geek, Remakes and Sequels
Once again the Independence Day holiday proved successful for Will Smith.
Hancock launched on Tuesday night, had a total of $103.9 million by weekend's end and provided Smith with his eighth consecutive film to open at number one.
Kit Kittredge: An American Girl, which went into wider release last weekend, finished in eighth place. Here's the top five:
1. Hancock $62.6 million
2. Wall-E $32.5 million
3. Wanted $20 million
4. Get Smart $11.1 million
5. Kung Fu Panda $7.3 million
Three new ones this week with (surprise) yet another superhero flick gunning for the top spot.
Hellboy II: The Golden ArmyWhat's It All About: Ron Perlman returns as Hellboy, a demon employed by the U.S. government to do battle against the things that go bump in the night. Denizens of a mystical world of supernatural creatures are about to wage war upon humanity, and Hellboy, the scarlet skinned scourge of evil, must stop them. Also returning are
Doug Jones as the aquatic Abe Sapien (voicing the character himself this time, and not being dubbed by
David Hyde Pierce) and
Selma Blair as the pyrokinetic Liz.
Why It Might Do Well: In a nutshell:
Guillermo del Toro. The man behind the original
Hellboy film is back. In addition to being rejoined by the original cast,
Hellboy creator Mike Mignola collaborated on the script. Also, we're talking 90% from
Rottentomatoes.com.
Why It Might Not Do Well: Who's going to go see a movie based on a comic book? Oh, wait...
Number of Theaters: 2,900
Prediction: $42 million
Continue reading Box Office: Hellboy's Journey to Meet Dave
Posted Jul 7th 2008 7:02PM by Matt Bradshaw
Filed under: Comedy, Independent, Killer B's on DVD
I've always felt there was something oddly compelling about public access television. Essentially, the FCC requires cable companies to provide training, equipment and air time for pretty much anyone (Wikipedia has an in-depth explanation of the practice
here). I guess I just like the idea of a medium that has practically no standards. With everyones expectations set at zero, things can only improve, right?
T.V. The Movie is a low budget indie that appears to have grown out of
The Adam Bomb Show -- a public access program inspired by
The Tom Green Show featuring interviews, comedy sketches and local bands -- which broadcasts on Comcast Channel 25 in Santa Maria, CA. The film is so below the radar that, as of this writing, it doesn't even have an entry on IMDB. I'm unclear on what Rapscallion Films hopes to do with this movie, whether they're looking for a distributor or perhaps hoping to market the film themselves. I think the former might be a bit difficult as they use a guy dressed like
Sesame Street's Elmo throughout the film, and at one point he brandishes a gun during a drug store robbery. I can see where that might turn distributors off. Further complicating matters is the fact that
T.V. The Movie is also the name of a completely different 2006 movie starring Steve-O from
Jackass.
Continue reading Killer B's on DVD: T.V. The Movie
Posted Jul 5th 2008 12:02PM by Matt Bradshaw
Filed under: Documentary, Drama, Horror, Music & Musicals, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Trailer Trash, Family Films, Games and Game Movies, Trailers and Clips
They say truth is stranger than fiction. To that I say "you obviously haven't seen
Naked Lunch," but reality is certainly a fertile ground for film makers and today we've got five trailers for films based, to varying degrees, on real events.
The Perfect Game I've never enjoyed watching sports so baseball movies usually leave me cold, but this one has a couple of things going for it: a true tale of a bunch of kids rising up from poverty to become world champions, and former drug culture icon
Cheech Marin playing a priest. Based on true events, a former coach for the St. Louis Cardinals (
Clifton Collins Jr.) takes a group of poor Mexican kids under his wing and teaches them the fine art of baseball, which ultimately leads them to the 1957 Little League World Series. There are the usual sports metaphors: "Love ain't like baseball," says Collins' character. "Yes it is," replies one of his bright eyed proteges. I'm teetering between cute and cringe-inducing on that one, but this kind of rags to riches story is pretty appealing and the period setting is pretty cool.
The Perfect Game hits theaters on August 8.
Continue reading Trailer Park: Keeping It Real
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
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