AliensInTheAttic Tagged Articles at Cinematical
Discuss: Summer 2009 Fun Facts
Filed under: Action », Animation », Comedy », Drama », Horror », Independent », Romance », Sci-Fi & Fantasy », Thrillers », Mystery & Suspense », Family Films », Remakes and Sequels », Lists », War », Summer Movies »
So here we have it, the summer movie season finally winding down, and maybe it's just us, but a couple of peculiar trends have cropped up since May that we thought were worth bringing to light. For starters, we've only further elaborated on Eric's early indicator that puking was 'in' this year (seriously, it's gotten to be a pretty considerable theme), and as for the rest, you can check them out after the jump. Some spoilers follow. And if there are any corrections or additions to be made, please pipe up in the comments, and do so gently.
Weekend Box Office: 'Funny People' for the Modest Win
Filed under: New Releases », Box Office »
Attempting to market Funny People as a typical Adam Sandler comedy was quixotic, and as another laugh riot from the Apatow factory only marginally less so. Still, the combination of Sandler and Apatow (and, probably, Rogen) was enough to get the off-kilter, two-and-a-half-hour dramedy off to a $23 million start -- not one for the record books, but hey, not too far off the opening numbers for Apatow's Knocked Up and Sandler's Bedtime Stories. There are shades of M. Night Shyamalan in Judd Apatow, in the way that he appears to be moving from blockbuster crowdpleasers to more personal, slightly odd films that not everyone "gets." Aliens in the Attic, hidden from critics and not really sold as any sort of event, unsurprisingly ended up with a middling $7.8 million -- a minor opening for a minor flick. The independently-distributed horror film The Collector, from some of the folks behind the Saw franchise, debuted in 11th place and $3.6 million; not great either, but probably above expectations, and perhaps an indication of how many ticket buyers are willing to see a horror movie, any horror movie, on a given weekend. (500) Days of Summer continues to do very well in limited release, with the highest per-screen average in the top 20. Next week, when the film expands to over 1000 screens, will be the real test.
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince found its footing a bit in its third weekend after last week's big tumble; it won't wind up atop the franchise, but may make a run for second place. And I was glad to see Orphan hold up at least semi-respectably after a weak start. That's one summer movie that deserves better than it got.
The weekend's top 12 after the jump.
Review: Aliens in the Attic
Filed under: Comedy », Sci-Fi & Fantasy », New Releases », Theatrical Reviews », Family Films »
The people who made Aliens in the Attic probably will not be surprised to hear that their film is mediocre, given that they don't seem to have been shooting for anything better than that anyway. I picture the walls of the production office lined with motivational posters that say "Good Enough!" and "Why Waste Effort?" And when they're all done, and the C+ grades come out, everyone shouts "Woo-hoo!" and trades high-fives.
Titled They Came from Upstairs until just a couple months ago, Aliens in the Attic is a family-friendly version of an alien-invasion B-movie, with most of its cast culled from the sweatshops of Disney Channel and Nickelodeon programs. The primary setting is a spacious lakeside rental home in Michigan, where teenage math nerd Tom Pearson (Carter Jenkins) has unwillingly come to spend the Fourth of July with his immediate family, three cousins, an uncle, and a grandma. Making matters worse, his sister, Bethany (Ashley Tisdale), has schemed to let her weaselly boyfriend, Ricky (Robert Hoffman), stay there, too. And then, making matters even worse, aliens crash in the attic.
There are four of them, vaguely reptilian, all computer-generated, about knee-high. Their aim is to destroy humanity, though this is offset by their being bumbling and argumentative, lest they frighten the kiddies in the audience. Their neatest trick is that they can shoot a little dart into your neck and then remote-control you to do their bidding. But it only works on adults, leaving Tom and the other kids as the only hope to save the world.
Box Office: Funny Collections in the Attic
Filed under: Comedy », Horror », Trailer Trash », Family Films »
The hallowed halls of Hogwarts were stormed this past weekend by a group of heavily armed guinea pigs (metaphorically speaking, but imagine the film THAT would make) as G-Force pushed the latest Harry Potter adventure down to second place. The Ugly Truth took a respectable third place with the creepfest Orphan taking fourth. Here's the top five:
1. G-Force: $31.7 million
2. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince: $29.5 million
3. The Ugly Truth: $27.6 million
4. Orphan: $12.9 million
5. Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs: $8.4 million
Three more new ones this week with laughs for younger and older audiences, and one designed to make you rethink your parenting options.
Aliens in the Attic
What's It All About: An adventure comedy about a group of kids fighting off hostile but diminutive aliens while staying at their family's Summer home.
Why It Might Do Well: Doris Roberts in a Matrix style kung fu battle? Does that conjure an image or what?
Why It Might Not Do Well: The trailer makes this seem like an uninspired made-for-Disney-Channel production.
Number of Theaters: 3,100
Prediction: $11 million
Funny People
What's It All About: In this comedy Adam Sandler plays a successful stand-up comic who, when he learns he is dying, tries to forge a friendship with an up and coming comedian played by Seth Rogen.
Why It Might Do Well: This is the latest from Judd Apatow who directed Knocked Up and The 40 Year Old Virgin and as of right now it's got an 82% at Rottentomatoes.com.
Why It Might Not Do Well: Sandler has had his share of bad films.
Number of Theaters: 3,000
Prediction: $38 million
1. G-Force: $31.7 million
2. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince: $29.5 million
3. The Ugly Truth: $27.6 million
4. Orphan: $12.9 million
5. Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs: $8.4 million
Three more new ones this week with laughs for younger and older audiences, and one designed to make you rethink your parenting options.
Aliens in the AtticWhat's It All About: An adventure comedy about a group of kids fighting off hostile but diminutive aliens while staying at their family's Summer home.
Why It Might Do Well: Doris Roberts in a Matrix style kung fu battle? Does that conjure an image or what?
Why It Might Not Do Well: The trailer makes this seem like an uninspired made-for-Disney-Channel production.
Number of Theaters: 3,100
Prediction: $11 million
Funny PeopleWhat's It All About: In this comedy Adam Sandler plays a successful stand-up comic who, when he learns he is dying, tries to forge a friendship with an up and coming comedian played by Seth Rogen.
Why It Might Do Well: This is the latest from Judd Apatow who directed Knocked Up and The 40 Year Old Virgin and as of right now it's got an 82% at Rottentomatoes.com.
Why It Might Not Do Well: Sandler has had his share of bad films.
Number of Theaters: 3,000
Prediction: $38 million
Not-So-Terrific Trailers: Aliens in the Attic
Filed under: Comedy », Sci-Fi & Fantasy », 20th Century Fox », Family Films », Trailers and Clips »
So after Scott busted out with the classic trailer for the classic Alien, I thought it might be high time for something a little more low-brow and modern. Enter Aliens in the Attic (formerly They Came From Upstairs), a positively shrill-looking summer comedy in which a handful of kids must prevent a handful of extraterrestrials from dominating the world beyond their homestead...Okay, so there's a premise there worthy of an '80s-family-adventure throwback, but clearly, priority one for the co-producer of Daddy Day Camp and the director of The Honeymooners here was having a break-dancing Hollister hand-me-down take on a kung-fu-fighting Doris Roberts.
Now I've got your attention, huh?
I'm not sure what else to say about that scene until you watch it for yourself, and even then, I'm not sure that words can do it justice. I mean, thank goodness they bothered to make it Just Like A Video Game for the characters and audience to connect with, but that doesn't quite excuse the goofiness of it. Maybe that means I should just be grateful above all else that on July 31st, everyone can hear you scream.
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