Proposed New Year’s Resolutions for Movie Studio Executives
Posted by Johnny Mercedes Categories: Distribution, Filmmaking, Lists, Technology, Trailers, Upcoming Releases,
A quintessential holiday morsel:
‘Tis the season to be jolly
Fa la la la la … la la la la
And there must be no shortage of jolliness for big-name film studios as we enter the last days of the year—2007 has been one of the most lucrative in film history. But after the holiday parties end, and the final box-office spreadsheets have been tucked under the pillow (or thrown on the fire), the time comes for rebirth and renewal. After all, the target demographic will be looking for something new, and the critics certainly weren’t impressed with much of this year’s fare. Perhaps everyone can be happy in 2008, as the medium returns to its glory days of content-rich, engaging filmmaking.
Alright, you people aren’t buyin’ it.
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My Advice for Waitress’ Keri Russell
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Drama, Comedy, Casting, Celeb News,
Ms. Russell:
I just recently watched the DVD of release of Waitress - you know, the movie you’ve been receiving all the acclaim and Oscar buzz for. Let me first start off by saying that I thought you did an amazing job. I was really happy to see you solidify your comeback since your heydey on Felicity. (I’ll even forget that your critically panned August Rush exists.)
So now that I’ve gotten the compliments out of the way, I must now move on to the purpose of my note. I read a very disturbing piece of news the other day and I’m hoping you will dispute the rumors.
Please tell me it’s not true. Please tell me you will not be starring in a comedy with Adam Sandler.
Granted, Adam Shankman (Hairspray) is slated to helm Bedtime Stories. I understand the appeal. But I’m begging you—don’t make an about face and go backwards with your career.
If this film were on the dramatic end of the Sandler spectrum (like Reign Over Me, Spanglish or Punch-Drunk Love), you might have my support. But playing the romantic interest in any Sandler comedy hasn’t really helped anyone. Don’t align yourself with the Jessical Biels of the world. You’re better than that. And how about Kate Beckinsale? How did Click benefit her? And does anyone remember Winona Ryder’s role in Mr. Deeds?
You’ve already proven your comedic chops with your stint on Scrubs. Now it’s time to take advantage of the awards season hoopla. Don’t tempt fate now by coming anywhere near a possible Rob Schneider appearance. Please.
Variety
Worst Movie Titles of 2007 (So Far)
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Action, Adventure, Drama, Family, Period, Romance, Sequels, Comedy, Lists,
This weekend’s Joaquin Phoenix/Mark Wahlberg flick has been driving me batty for weeks—and I haven’t yet seen the film. I don’t even have a problem with the trailer. The movie simply suffers from a horrible case of crap-title-itus.
We Own the Night? Could that be more vague? Instead of envisioning a cops vs. mafia film, all I can see is the now-defunct (yet great) soap opera Edge of Night. And while I understand the film’s title would be explained if I actually watched it, that doesn’t excuse it’s existence. The box office shelf life for movies is extremely short these days; more attention should be paid to the little things. I’m an extremely shallow person who often judges books by their cover. I need a proper teaser.
And believe me—‘craptitleitus’ does not discriminate. Great movies, movies actually worthy of attention, often become victims of this affliction. Poor marketing can affect anything and everyone.
So to honor We Own the Night’s crap-status, I’m going to list my Worst Titles of 2007 (thus far).
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Box Office Breakdown: Lucky Number 13
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: DreamWorks, Disney, Fox Searchlight, MGM, Lionsgate, Paramount, Touchstone, Universal, Warner Independant Films, Action, Adaptation, Animation, Drama, Family, Horror, Independent, Romance, Sequels, Comedy, Thrillers, Box Office, Lists, New Releases,
Having exhausted all their sequel choices, theater patrons quickly moved on to the latest offering: Ocean’s Thirteen. Despite general indifference for the series’ second movie, Steven Soderbergh and friends faced down the unlucky number and rolled the dice again. Their gamble paid off well this weekend when they took down Captain Jack Sparrow and his mates
Of course, viewers who crave the comfort of familiarity can still manage to have discerning taste. Eli Roth’s Hostel: Part II only rounded enough voyeurs to rank a mediocre 6th place. Here’s to hoping that the era of grisly horror movies is once again over…
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Box Office Breakdown: Knocked Up Delivers A Winner
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: DreamWorks, Disney, Fox Searchlight, MGM, Lionsgate, Picturehouse, Paramount, Sony, Universal, Action, Animation, Drama, Family, Horror, Romance, Sequels, Comedy, Sports, Thrillers, Box Office, Lists, New Releases,
Viewers in dire need of some raunch helped make Knocked Up a strong 2nd this weekend.
Katherine Heigl’s stomach bumped past several family-friendly sequels of late and brought a fresh dose of adults-only fun into the box office. Although it didn’t surpass the strong swashbucklers in Pirates, Knocked has already grossed enough money to cover its entire production budget. Something few other movies on this list could probably say. With strong word of mouth, director Judd Apatow (40 Year Old Virgin) may soon be adding another summer sleeper to his bedpost.
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Box Office Breakdown: Sparrow vs. Spidey
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: DreamWorks, Disney, Fox Searchlight, Lionsgate, New Line, Paramount, Sony, Universal, Action, Adaptation, Adventure, Animation, Drama, Family, Horror, Sequels, Comedy, Thrillers, Box Office, Lists, New Releases,
Yo, ho…whoa.
As predicted, Captain Jack Sparrow’s resurrection raked in serious booty helping the Pirates franchise score another box office record. The Memorial Day Weekend crown was snatched away from last year’s holder, X-Men: The Last Stand.
But one thing POTC: At World’s End did not do was take back the title for any three-day weekend. It’s $139.8 million dollar domestic take fell a bit short from the $151 million raised by Peter Parker et al.
Other notables this week? The impressive showing by Waitress. The small movie, starring Keri Russell, has been receiving great reviews and viewers must be taking notice. Ranking 5th in a busy holiday weekend is definitely something to be proud of. And what about those Wild Hogs? After exiting the Top Ten weeks ago, it made one final surge. Apparently motorcycles, leather and holiday weekends go hand-in-hand.
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