This Week on HD DVD and Blu-ray: February 05, 2008
Posted by Johnny Mercedes Categories: 20th Century Fox, Buena Vista, Sony, Universal, Warner Bros, Adaptation, Classics, Documentary, Drama, Foreign, Music, Musicals, Religious, Satire, Comedy, Thrillers, Home Entertainment, New Releases,
As the 80th Annual Academy Awards inch ever closer, some of us are still scrambling to see the contenders in question before the big night. Those anxious to see their favorites before the inevitable acceptance speech or scowl-behind-forced-smile have the chance to watch a few in high-def this week.
On HD DVD is Elizabeth: The Golden Age, nominated for Cate Blanchett‘s performance and the opulent costumes. On Blu-ray are Across the Universe, nominated for its costumes, and The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, nominated for Casey Affleck‘s supporting performance.
Look for other nominees, brought to you in crystal clear high definition, throughout the month.
Check out the full list of high-def releases after the jump.
Click to continue reading This Week on HD DVD and Blu-ray: February 05, 2008
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2008 Golden Globe Nominations (Film)
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Action, Adaptation, Animation, Drama, Family, Foreign, Foreign Language, Independent, Music, Musicals, Period, Political, Romance, Comedy, Thrillers, Awards, Lists,
Assuming the ongoing writers’ strike doesn’t put a wrench into everyone’s plans, the 65th Annual Golden Globes ceremony is scheduled to air on Sunday, Jan. 13th. (The NBC telecast will come just 9 days prior to the Academy Award nominations.)
Here are the most notable omissions/additions in this year’s list of film honorees:
- Atonement led the nominations with seven; Charlie Wilson’s War came in second with five.
- Musicals (Sweeney Todd, Across the Universe, Hairspray) dominated the Comedy/Musical category.
- Cate Blanchett received two acting nominations (Elizabeth: The Golden Age, I’m Not There).
- Philip Seymour Hoffman was also a double-nominee (The Savages, Charlie Wilson’s War)
- Hoffman’s Savages co-star, Laura Linney, was not nominated for her performance.
- The Kite Runner was nominated in the Foreign Film category.
- Javier Bardem was the only actor nominated from No Country for Old Men.
- Into the Wild was left out of all major categories.
(Click below for the full list of film nominees; click here for the TV nominations.)
Click to continue reading 2008 Golden Globe Nominations (Film)
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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).
Click to continue reading Worst Movie Titles of 2007 (So Far)
Box Office Breakdown: The Rock Upsets The Heartbreak Kid
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: 20th Century Fox, DreamWorks, Disney, Lionsgate, New Line, Paramount, Sony, Universal, Action, Drama, Family, Period, Romance, Science Fiction, Comedy, Thrillers, Box Office, Lists, New Releases,
Despite what you may have learned in school, Ben Stiller + The Farrelly Brothers does not necessarily equal box office gold.
The team behind There’s Something About Mary took a backseat to last weekend’s winner: The Game Plan. The Heartbreak Kid, a remake of the 1972 Neil Simon comedy, raked in only $14 million. While Mary did open with a smaller gross back in 1998 ($13.7M), it’s doubtful this critically-panned movie will become another sleeper hit for the trio. Thankfully co-star Michelle Monaghan will have the upcoming Gone Baby Gone to wash this disappointment away.
The only other new entries into the Top 10 included the fantasy flick, The Seeker ($3.7M), and the J.Lo-produced dance film, Feel the Noise ($3.1M). Meanwhile, the well-reviewed Michael Clayton pulled impressive numbers in limited release ($46,000 per screen). Expect the George Clooney vehicle to open wide this weekend.
Click to continue reading Box Office Breakdown: The Rock Upsets The Heartbreak Kid
Box Office Breakdown: The Game Plan Scores the Win
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Disney, Lionsgate, New Line, Sony, Universal, Warner Bros, Action, Drama, Horror, Independent, Musicals, Political, Romance, Science Fiction, Sequels, Comedy, Thrillers, Box Office, Lists, New Releases,
The execs at Disney must be loving themselves this week. Not only are are they attached to one of hottest concert tours of the year, they have just taken a surprise win at the box office. Although many had predicted good things for the terrorism thriller, The Kingdom, a simple father/daughter bonding film moved theatergoers this weekend.
At $22.9 million, The Game Plan took in almost $6 million more than the Jamie Foxx/Jennifer Garner vehicle. The movie about a football player who meets the daughter he never knew he had (how exactly is that a Disney storyline?) gave “The Rock” Dwayne Johnson his second best opening (behind 2002’s The Scorpion King).
Meanwhile, Julie Taymor’s Across the Universe made its first entry into the Top 10. After several weeks in limited release, the musical—which uses 33 Beatles songs to tell its story—will expand into more theaters come October 12th.
Click to continue reading Box Office Breakdown: The Game Plan Scores the Win
Box Office Breakdown: Resident Evil Fights Off Competition
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Lionsgate, New Line, Sony, Universal, Warner Bros, Action, Adventure, Drama, Family, Horror, Science Fiction, Sequels, Comedy, Thrillers, Box Office, Lists, New Releases,
Between the cheesy trailer and a cast that includes Ashanti—I never would have predicted much for Resident Evil: Extinction. But given the success of ‘three-quels’ this year, I’m not sure why I was surprised. Extinction nearly doubled the the box office take of it’s nearest competitor (Good Luck Chuck) and had the biggest debut of any Resident Evil installment.
But the real winner this weekend may be Sean Penn’s Into the Wild. The film, based on the Jon Krakauer novel, earned over $51,000 per screen—one of the best averages ever for a movie in limited release. Given the full-hour coverage on Oprah last week, Wild will probably be able to build on its impressive debut. (The film goes nationwide on October 5th.)
Eastern Promises also turned out some promising numbers after its wide release. The film took in nearly $6 million in its second week (though it still underperformed the last David Cronenberg/Viggo Mortensen movie, A History of Violence). I’m hoping word-of-mouth about the fully-naked Mortensen fight scene (did I grab your attention?) will give this film the lasting power it deserves.
Click to continue reading Box Office Breakdown: Resident Evil Fights Off Competition
Box Office Breakdown: The Brave One Reaches #1
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: FOCUS, Lionsgate, New Line, Sony, Universal, Warner Bros, Weinstein Company, Action, Drama, Foreign, Horror, Independent, Period, Science Fiction, Sequels, Comedy, Sports, Thrillers, Box Office, Lists, New Releases,
The Brave One took in nearly $15 million in its debut, making it the #1 film of this past weekend. Although some may consider the gross disappointing for a Jodie Foster film, I choose to think of it as a feat for women.
I decided to do a little research today and came away with some very unsettling news. Since FilmCrunch started reporting Box Office numbers in mid-January, no female-led movie has reached the top of the pack. That’s unless you count Knocked Up with Katherine Heigl, and I don’t. Even then, that was almost 3 months ago.
Kyra Sedgwick, Glenn Close and Mary-Louise Parker made a stand for strong female roles during Sunday’s Emmys—and maybe it’s time that someone finally spoke up for women in film. Until then, I’ll be counting the days until Cate Blanchett makes her royal return in Elizabeth: The Golden Years (out October 12th).
Click to continue reading Box Office Breakdown: The Brave One Reaches #1
Jodie Foster’s ‘The Brave One’ Opens Friday
Posted by K.C. Morgan Categories: Warner Bros, Action, Drama, Casting, Upcoming Releases,
Jodie Foster has been a permanent Hollywood fixture since she was a young girl, first gaining notice in Disney flicks like Freaky Friday (that’s right – Foster was in the original version of the flick, and she never buckled under pressure like Lindsay Lohan). She made a name for herself when she snagged a huge paycheck for The King and I, and she established herself as one of the baddest dames in the biz. Foster is back on the big screen in The Brave One, a tough-as-nails role that harks back to earlier Foster hits like The Silence of the Lambs and Panic Room. Jodie Foster plays Erica, a vigilante with little fear of personal peril or death. Critics say the film will even help viewers work out some of their 9/11 trauma, which is intriguing enough to take a closer look at the latest Foster flick. Get your tickets while you can – The Brave One opens Friday.
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In Theaters This Weekend (9/14)
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: FOCUS, Magnolia, New Line, Picturehouse, Sony, Warner Bros, Warner Independant Films, Action, Drama, Independent, Music, Musicals, Political, Romance, Science Fiction, Comedy, Thrillers, Lists, New Releases,
If you need a little help planning your weekend, here are a few possible suggestions:
- The Brave One (R): starring Jodie Foster, Terrence Howard, Naveen Andrews (directed by Neil Jordan)
- Dragon Wars (PG-13): starring Jason Behr, Amanda Brooks, Robert Forster (directed by Hyung-rae Shim)
- Mr. Woodcock (PG-13): starring Seann William Scott, Billy Bob Thornton, Susan Sarandon (directed by Craig Gillespie)
Click to continue reading In Theaters This Weekend (9/14)
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