FilmCrunch 063: Ocean’s Thirteen, SiCKO, Live Free or Die Hard, Black Snake Moan
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: 20th Century Fox, Paramount, Warner Bros, Weinstein Company, Action, Documentary, Drama, Political, Sequels, Thrillers, DVD Reviews, Full Episodes, Theatrical Reviews, Videocasts,
Veronica Santiago and Neil Estep are back with another episode of FilmCrunch - this time we review Michael Moore’s SiCKO, Live Free or Die Hard, Ocean’s Thirteen (in under a minute), and the DVD release of Black Snake Moan.
Now we want to hear from you - hit the forums and let us know what you think, what you want us to watch next, and any other recommendations you have for the show.
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Box Office Breakdown: Chuck and Larry Outmuscle Harry
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: 20th Century Fox, Disney, MGM, New Line, Paramount, Universal, Warner Bros, Action, Adaptation, Adventure, Animation, Family, Horror, Music, Musicals, Political, Romance, Science Fiction, Sequels, Comedy,
Lord Voldemort should be kicking himself. Wizardry, schmizardry. All he needed was a bag of outdated gay jokes to bring young Harry down.
Wedding planners everywhere had expected 7/7/07 to be the biggest wedding day of the year, but it was 7/20/07 that proved to be eventful for comedians Adam Sandler and Kevin James. Their domestic partnership brought in enough guests to outdo Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, though they only gained $2 million more than the Potter juggernaut. Fan support for Sandler movies has always been strong—which is why I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry is his ninth movie to open at #1.
Click to continue reading Box Office Breakdown: Chuck and Larry Outmuscle Harry
Box Office Breakdown: Competition Schooled By Hogwarts
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: 20th Century Fox, Disney, MGM, Lionsgate, Paramount, Universal, Warner Bros, Adventure, Animation, Documentary, Drama, Family, Horror, Political, Romance, Science Fiction, Sequels, Comedy, Thrillers, Box Office, Lists, New Releases,
Apparently Daniel Radcliffe can bring in the audiences without having to strip…unless that’s what the female theatergoers were secretly hoping for.
Whatever the reason, a record number of voyeurs helped the Hogwarts clan whip up the biggest 5-day total for a non-holiday release. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix’s $140 million beat out Shrek 2’s record set in 2004 ($128 million). The film is now on track to be the largest Potter installment to date.
As for why the producers of Captivity chose to open amongst all the recent family-fare is beyond me. And yes, I know that’s why they call it counter-programming. Ironically, while I would have loved to watch Elisha Cuthbert’s character from 24 (the oh-so annoying Kim) be subjected to torture-porn, I really no desire to see her do anything these days. Apparently I’m not alone….which is why the only other film widely-released this week opened in 12th place. Now that’s torture.
Click to continue reading Box Office Breakdown: Competition Schooled By Hogwarts
Box Office Breakdown: Optimus Is In His Prime
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: 20th Century Fox, Disney, MGM, Lionsgate, Paramount, Universal, Warner Bros, Animation, Documentary, Drama, Family, Horror, Political, Religious, Romance, Science Fiction, Sequels, Comedy, Thrillers, Box Office, Lists, New Releases,
We knew that a Michael Bay/ Steven Spielberg venture would be a hit—so what really is there left to say? Well, did you know that this is Bay’s biggest opening since 2001’s awful Pearl Harbor ($59.1 million)?? Did you know that Shia LeBeouf is the first leading man (he just turned 21, so is a leading man) to have two movies reach the top spot this year?
Moving on…how about that awful showing for License to Wed? Not that I predicted much for the film—but ouch. Question is: which Office actor fared worse in this summer’s box office? Steve Carell who starred in an obscenely expensive Evan Almighty—a movie that at least managed #1 berth? Or John Krasinski whose movie clearly looked like a bomb from the get-go but came with low expectations? That may be something for Dwight Schrute to sort out…
Click to continue reading Box Office Breakdown: Optimus Is In His Prime
Box Office Breakdown: Yippee-Kay-Yay Ratatouille!
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: 20th Century Fox, FOCUS, Disney, MGM, Lionsgate, Universal, Warner Bros, Action, Animation, Documentary, Drama, Family, Horror, Mystery, Political, Romance, Science Fiction, Sequels, Comedy, Box Office, Lists, New Releases,
Bruce Willis and Co. may have managed to steer clear of gigantic robots—but they somehow overlooked a group of pesky rats. Live Free and Die Hard was conveniently positioned one week ahead of this summer’s most anticipated blockbuster…yet squarely in the path of a rodent’s bite. Nevertheless, the aging John McClane still proved that he can get the job done and earn his keep.
Meanwhile, Ratatouille chewed up the competition with a $47 million dollar debut, although it surprisingly foraged less than most of its Pixar elders (only A Bug’s Life and Toy Story started off lower). What it did manage to do was help boot Surf’s Up out of the Top 10 leaving room for another Shia LeBeouf feature to transform the landscape in just a matter of days…
Click to continue reading Box Office Breakdown: Yippee-Kay-Yay Ratatouille!
Box Office Breakdown: Almighty Only Does Alrighty
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Disney, MGM, Paramount, Sony, Universal, Warner Bros, Action, Adaptation, Adventure, Animation, Drama, Family, Political, Religious, Romance, Sequels, Comedy, Thrillers, Box Office, Lists, New Releases,
Question: When is being the #1 movie just not enough? (Hint: You have three chances to answer this question correctly).
Answer(s):
- When the critics don’t really have anything good to say about you
- When you made less than 1/2 of what your predecessor did on opening weekend
- When it cost over $175 million just to create you
Apparently having God on your side doesn’t guarantee you heavenly box office numbers. Evan Almighty, the follow-up to 2003’s Bruce Almighty, failed to bring in a large congregation this past weekend. Although it did better than the rest of the flock, it’s $32 million take paled in comparison to Bruce’s $68 million opening. And then there’s that glaring $175 million bill…
Of course, we shouldn’t feel so badly about Steve Carell’s career. I have a feeling that God is providing for him in other ways.
Click to continue reading Box Office Breakdown: Almighty Only Does Alrighty
Black Snake a Moan or Triumph?
Posted by K.C. Morgan Categories: Paramount, Drama, New Releases, Trailers,
Though the trailers for Black Snake Moan seem to hint at a dark, sweaty, scuzzy flick featuring a half-naked and emaciated-looking Christina Ricci and a worn out Samuel L. Jackson, reviews hint that the movie is anything but trashy. Ricci plays Rae, a character that’s almost classicly white trash with a bad girl ‘tude and a wardrobe filled with tiny clothes. When her boyfriend Ronnie (Justin Timberlake) leaves for the National Guard, Rae hits the town for a night of hard-core partying. She ends up almost naked and terribly sick, discarded in a ditch by a small farm. The farm’s owner, Lazarus Woods (Samuel L. Jackson) has his own demons to deal with (including a wife who’s just felt him…for his brother) and stumbles across the unconscious Rae. What ensues could have been nothing more than bad movie-making: Lazarus chains Rae to his radiator to keep her from fleeing before she’s well enough to depart, but then decides to keep her chained in order to help her heal her own soul. Aging black man chains half-naked, wasted white girl and holds her hostage? You wouldn’t think Black Snake Moan is a meaningful, evocative tale of friendship and self-love, but that’s exactly what it is. Jackson’s performance is, as expected, powerful, while Ricci shows her empathetic acting talent once again. The movie reigned in three stars from TV Guide, but those sweaty, scuzzy trailers running on TV probably won’t help Moan reach box office success.
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