Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1: $140M — There might be vampires and werewolves, but the real appeal comes from those old-fashioned romantic notions Hollywood’s all but ignored for decades.
Happy Feet Two: $22M — Why would the first one be such a smash and this one flop? My guess is the political preaching in the first. Parents were either caught off guard or willing to go to that well once, but the thought of a second helping was off-putting. And judging by Kyle Smith’s review, they chose wisely. Hollywood attempting to wedge themselves between a parent’s influence on their child is unforgivable and the worst kind of sucker punch.
Immortals: $12.M — With a total take of just $53M and all the competition swinging into action this holiday weekend, things could look better.
Jack and Jill: $12M — This might be the first Sandler comedy not to reach $100M.
Puss In Boots: $10.7M — $122M gross after four weeks in release is probably not what DreamWorks had hoped for. The holiday weekend might give it a lift.
Tower Heist: $7M — Only $53M after three weeks with that cast is a disaster. The trailer was awfully appealing to me, which is why I never predict these numbers in advance.
J. Edgar: $5.9M — Dead in the water.
A Very Harold & Kumar Christmas: $2.9M — One of those movies Hollywood makes for themselves that makes a little money but does the more important work of pushing their values out into the popular culture. An awful lot of effort to make a few million dollars.
50 REASONS WHY THE ‘GREEN LANTERN’ MOVIE SUCKED
Because I turned this abysmal piece of crap off after an hour or so, I can only say that numbers 1 through 24 are spot on.
Friday night I was in a Friday night kind of mood for something brainless. That’s my only excuse for picking this up from Redbox. Godawful doesn’t begin to describe it. Martin Campbell, an otherwise terrific action director, must have had the script shoved down his throat and about 200 producers giving him notes.
What a disaster. With a $200 million budget (add at least another $60M for advertising and promotion), this likely lost somewhere around $100M.
LOOKING BACK AT THE VERY FIRST EPISODE OF ‘THE TONIGHT SHOW‘
Through middle and high school, I watched Johnny Carson and David Letterman religiously. Unless you saw both in their prime, you can’t properly mourn the loss of either. Letterman may still be on the air, but the Letterman I watched would’ve hated the nasty old bastard he would eventually become.
SPRINGSTEEN TO TOUR WITH NEW ALBUM IN 2012
It has nothing to do with his politics, but sometime over the last decade I got all Springsteen’d out. “The Rising” was a beautiful album and sometime in 2003 or 2004 I caught him live at Dodger Stadium, but the thrill is now gone. The old music still sounds great, but most everything released since “The Ghost of Tom Joad” all sounds alike.
Maybe it’s time to stop calling Springsteen “The Boss.” How about “The Welfare Queen“?
‘EXPENDABLES 2’ POSTER RELEASED
Where the hell’s Jet Li?
THE SET OF ‘THE GREAT GATSBY’ OR KIDS PLAYING DRESS UP?
I cannot tell you how much I miss having adults in films. And it has nothing to do with age.
She was America’s sweetheart and then she had a VERY public extra-marital affair.
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LAST NIGHT’S SCREENING
Scarface (1983): Watched my new Blu-ray and was simply blown away by every minute of it. This is one of those rare films where watching it once is never enough. When the end credits roll, all I want to do is watch it again. My wife’s not a fan, but she does enjoy making fun of it, so that evens things out. For some reason, she can’t get over Pacino’s accent, which of course is the coolest thing ever committed to film.
Watching the extras was a reminder, though, of why I’m no fan of extras. I have no desire whatsoever to be told what a movie’s “about” or “what it means.” That’s up to me and regardless of what the filmmaker(s) meant, that doesn’t mean that’s what they said.
In one of the many documentaries that come with the Blu-ray, some of the filmmakers behind “Scarface” talked about what they felt made the story and lead character so appealing and iconic. For me, the answer to this question is absurdly simple: Whether it’s Michelle Pfeiffer or “the world, Chico, and everything in it,” Tony Montana goes after what he wants. There’s a vicarious thrill in a character like that because even though we find his methods and goals distasteful, we admire the audacious qualities of someone who takes no crap and tells whoever he wants to f-off.
The people they interviewed, however, had a different opinion about how the story showed us society’s hypocrisies and blah, blah, blah.
Anyway, I’ve finally memorized Tony’s drunken, “Say good night to the bad guy” scene, and am going to perform it in McDonald’s all across the America this spring… if that NEA performance art grant comes through.
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SCOTTD’S EPIC LINK-TACULAR
TOP SIX MOST AMAZING CELEBRITY HOMES
NEW RIDLEY SCOTT THRILLER WITH GERARD BUTLER BEING SHOPPED TO STUDIOS
NEW PHOTOS FROM ‘DARK KNIGHT RISES’ … MORE … MORE
NEW CHARACTER POSTERS FOR ‘THE AVENGERS‘
THE 10 MOST CREATIVE INTROS ON TELEVISION
YOUNG BRITISH ACTOR ASA BUTTERFIELD CAST AS TITLE ROLE IN ‘ENDER’S GAME‘
AN OVERLONG, BUT ATMOSPHERIC AND COOL FULL TRAILER FOR ‘THE GREY’
LESSONS FROM ‘CITIZEN KANE’ (OR CAIN?)
THE WORST MOVIES FROM THE BEST ACTORS
PETA SAYS MARIO RACCOON SUIT CONTROVERSY WAS “A JOKE”
‘DEXTER’ RENEWED FOR SEASON 6 & 7
JERRY GOLDSMITH’S COMPLETE GREMLINS SCORE FINALLY RELEASED
THE WIT OF FILMMAKER WHIT STILLMAN
MEL GIBSON’S PERSONAL CHURCH NOW WORTH $67 MILLION
A LOOK BACK AT RICHARD RUSH’S ‘THE STUNT MAN‘
10 ACTORS WHO ARE FAMOUS FOR THE WRONG ROLE
THE DIABOLICAL ALLURE OF THE TRAGICOMEDY
10 FILMS TO WATCH BEFORE GOING TO FILM SCHOOL
A LOOK AT THE WORK OF CINEMATOGRAPHER HASKELL WEXLER
ESSAY: ISLAND OF LOST SOULS: ‘THE BEAST FLESH CREEPING BACK‘
WHEN DID GREAT SITCOMS HAVE THEIR FIRST GREAT EPISODES?
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CLASSIC PICK FOR TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 22
8:00 PM EST: Sullivan’s Travels (1941) — A filmmaker masquerades as a hobo to get in touch with the little people. Dir: Preston Sturges Cast: Joel McCrea, Veronica Lake, Robert Warwick. BW-91 mins, TV-G.
One of those movies Hollywoodists rave over but have learned nothing from.
We don’t want your self-important opinions … we just want to laugh.
Dance, monkeys, dance.
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