ConfessionsOfAShopaholic Tagged Articles at Cinematical
Spin-ematical: New on DVD for 6/23
Filed under: New Releases », DVD Reviews », New on DVD », Home Entertainment »
Confessions of a Shopaholic
Perhaps we shouldn't expect anything from a movie about a shopaholic, but this comedy's ditzy heroine and silly story can't even compare to other notable films in the romcom genre. In her review, Jette Kernion said: "Confessions of a Shopaholic tries to have it all ... Unfortunately, it's never as good as the movies it tries to imitate." Skip it. Also on Blu-ray.
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Inkheart
Yet another film in Brendan Fraser's ever-growing collection of familial adventure. (Will he ever leave it behind and return to his dramatic roots?) Nick Schager describes the film as "a scattered collection of ideas, most of them cavalierly mixed together and barely fleshed out." Skip it. Also on Blu-ray.
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The Pink Panther 2
It might not seem possible, but as Eric D. Snider wrote in his review of the Steve Martin-starring sequel: "Despite being a sequel that is completely unnecessary, The Pink Panther 2 is actually better than its predecessor," and "It has several funny sequences and a general tone of good-natured frivolity." When fluffy fun is on the agenda, Rent it. Also on Blu-ray.
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Phoebe in Wonderland
Tim Burton's spin on Alice in Wonderland is quickly coming our way. But for now, there's the Elle Fanning-starring tale of a girl trying to find her place in real life. Kim Voynar said: "there are so many rich layers to explore in this carefully crafted story; it's rather like a kaleidoscope, in that what you see and get out of it shifts and changes depending on which character's perspective you're looking at, and what ideas you bring to watching it." Rent it.
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Also out: The Code, Bob Funk, Dragon Hunters, Table for Three, Mr. Troop Mom, Simon Says, Legend of the Bog, Backwoods, He's On My Mind, War Wolves
Fan Rant: No Shopping on Cinema Screens!
Filed under: Classics », Comedy », Romance », Celebrities and Controversy », Newsstand », Fan Rant »
I feel bad for you, Isla Fisher. I may have bashed your ridiculous movie in a rant, but I can't believe that everyone is making such a big deal about you playing a confessed shopaholic. Such was my distaste for the film that I initially agreed with everyone mocking its economic ill-timing, and laughed along with them. (The best quote is from Time: "But as an ill-timed anthropological artifact, Confessions offers weird pleasures, not least among them the fact that it makes us root for the debt collector.") Then I came across this Sarah Jessica Parker quote from Access Hollywood pondering how a Sex in the City sequel would avoid a Shopaholic trap. "How do we address these economic times in a franchise that has a lot to do with luxury and labels? How do we do that well? And how do we do that in a not lazy way? There is a lot that we have to think about because times are very different. So these are nice challenges, these are good challenges."
My first thought upon reading that? Gold lame gowns and the Marx Brothers. While I've tried in vain to find if a Marx Brothers film actually features the delectable costume I'm thinking of (if it does exist, it has to be in Animal Crackers or The Cocoanuts), the point is a historical one. The Great Depression was the era of the screwball comedy, and the majority of them took place among the creme de la creme of society. There's jewels and fabulous gowns galore, piles of money, and champagne being chugged by the gallons. The Carole Lombard and Claudette Colbert heiresses are arguably ill-timed anthropological artifacts, but people couldn't get enough of them -- and this was during years when people were starving to death, when theaters handed out bread along with tickets. But people lost themselves in tales of the rich falling in and out of love, and undoubtedly loved the sheer glamour portrayed onscreen.
Weekend Box Office: 'Friday the 13th' Ensures Continued Stream of Horror Remakes
Filed under: New Releases », Box Office »
New Line insists on "reimagining," but from reading the reviews I take it nobody's buying.Anyway. Friday the 13th set a horror remake opening weekend record, grossing $40.7 million over the three days and $45.2 including President's Day Monday. That beats Marcus Nispel's Texas Chainsaw Massacre remake by more than $12 million. It's also roughly the second best President's Day weekend opening ever, behind only Ghost Rider and just about tied with 50 First Dates and Daredevil.
Confessions of a Shopaholic opened to a halfway decent $17.3 million, while The International more or less flopped with $10.7 million; the marketing for the latter really pushed the evil bank concept, complete with a shot of an ATM offering "murder" "corruption" and "extortion" as options instead of "withdrawal" "deposit" and "check balance." Maybe people thought it was a comedy.
It was another good weekend for holdovers, with Taken, Coraline and -- once again -- Paul Blart: Mall Cop all doing well. Taken's $81-million-and-counting is really remarkable. $120 million is assured at this point, with more possible. "Sleek, preposterous and breathlessly entertaining" appears to be a good formula. Meanwhile, maybe if I stop mentioning Paul Blart in these posts, it'll go away? Seems unlikely.
Leading up to the Oscars, Slumdog Millionare should be close to $100 million by the big night. The Reader also saw a late bump this weekend; a Kate Winslet win on Sunday can't hurt.
The full 4-day top 10 after the jump.
Review: Confessions of a Shopaholic
Filed under: Comedy », Romance », Disney », Theatrical Reviews »
I keep hearing concern that it is grossly inappropriate and perhaps even irresponsible to release a movie with a title like Confessions of a Shopaholic during the current economic downturn. I didn't find that to be an issue. My concern is that during an economic crisis, I want far more escapist fare than this adaptation of Sophie Kinsella's novel, which is far too lame and annoying to make me forget about my own little fiscal crises.
The biggest problem with Confessions of a Shopaholic is that the main character, Rebecca Bloomwood (Isla Fisher), is even dumber than the store mannequins she imagines are beckoning her to buy things she can't afford. I nearly stopped reading the book mid-Chapter 2 because I wanted to smack Rebecca for her unbelievable cluelessness. Rebecca is just as flaky in the movie, and worse yet, never reaches even the tiny level of self-awareness of her counterpart in the book. Maybe the point is that you can feel happily superior to her, but I don't find that especially enjoyable.
Box Office: International Machete Shopping
Filed under: Comedy », Drama », Horror », Box Office Predictions »
Romance in the modern age took the lead this past weekend with He's Just Not That Into You beating out the competition. Taken held strong, dropping only 17% for its second week. Here's the top five.
1. He's Just Not That Into You: $27.7 million
2. Taken: $20.5 million
3. Coraline: $16.8 million
4. The Pink Panther 2: $11.6 million
5. Paul Blart: Mall Cop: $10.9 million
Three new releases this week, highlighting consumerism, evisceration and international intrigue.
Confessions of a Shopaholic
What's It All About: Isla Fisher is shopping herself into bankruptcy and dreams of working for a prestigious fashion magazine. Irony comes a knockin' when the only job she can get is writing an advice column for a finance magazine.
Why It Might Do Well: This is based on a popular series of books so it has a ready made audience, and Isla Fisher is as adorable as ever.
Why It Might Not Do Well: The film's guy appeal is limited.
Number of Theaters: 2,400
Prediction: $16 million
Friday the 13th
What's It All About: The classic slasher series gets reimagined. The machete-wielding hockey mask-wearing Jason Voorhees inflicts his own brand of dismemberment on those who dare trespass on the abandoned remains of Camp Crystal Lake.
Why It Might Do Well: Despite all the grumbling you hear about horror remakes, this is from the guys who redid The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and made $107 million worldwide on a movie that cost less than $10 million to make.
Why It Might Not Do Well: The Saw Series has really upped the ante in the grossout department, making Jason's shenanigans look quaint by comparison. Can Mrs. Voorhees' little boy adapt to the twenty-first century?
Number of Theaters: 3,000
Prediction: $36 million
1. He's Just Not That Into You: $27.7 million
2. Taken: $20.5 million
3. Coraline: $16.8 million
4. The Pink Panther 2: $11.6 million
5. Paul Blart: Mall Cop: $10.9 million
Three new releases this week, highlighting consumerism, evisceration and international intrigue.
Confessions of a ShopaholicWhat's It All About: Isla Fisher is shopping herself into bankruptcy and dreams of working for a prestigious fashion magazine. Irony comes a knockin' when the only job she can get is writing an advice column for a finance magazine.
Why It Might Do Well: This is based on a popular series of books so it has a ready made audience, and Isla Fisher is as adorable as ever.
Why It Might Not Do Well: The film's guy appeal is limited.
Number of Theaters: 2,400
Prediction: $16 million
Friday the 13thWhat's It All About: The classic slasher series gets reimagined. The machete-wielding hockey mask-wearing Jason Voorhees inflicts his own brand of dismemberment on those who dare trespass on the abandoned remains of Camp Crystal Lake.
Why It Might Do Well: Despite all the grumbling you hear about horror remakes, this is from the guys who redid The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and made $107 million worldwide on a movie that cost less than $10 million to make.
Why It Might Not Do Well: The Saw Series has really upped the ante in the grossout department, making Jason's shenanigans look quaint by comparison. Can Mrs. Voorhees' little boy adapt to the twenty-first century?
Number of Theaters: 3,000
Prediction: $36 million
Fan Rant: Shopaholics Having Sex in the City With Men Not Into You
Filed under: Comedy », Romance », New Releases », Fan Rant »
Seriously, Hollywood. Enough already. I feel like I'm drowning in some frothy pink hell made of Sarah Jessica Parker, Hugh Dancy, and lip gloss. I know I'm not alone, particularly among our Cinematical crew, nor among film chicks in general. All week, sites like Jezebel have been ranting about the New in Towns and Confessions of a Shopaholics.
Look, I'm a girl. I'm a girl who likes boys and runs up massive bills at Sephora. There are chick flicks on my DVD shelves. I own Kate and Leopold, and I have watched it more than once.* I can see why you think women like these movies ... many of them do, and there's nothing horribly wrong with that. Fluff is fun. I don't hate the women who watch them, just as I don't hate you for making them. I'd overlook He's Just Not That Into You if you weren't trying to bury me alive in your pink-and-purple demographic. You just aren't stopping -- and half of them seem to star Jennifer Aniston, who I might just assign all the blame to. As she laughs off that tabloid image of her as some kind of man-hungry, crazy cat lady done wrong by Brangelina, she makes dozens of films that suggest American women are all precisely that. Thanks for that, Jennifer -- as I try to get the plot description and title of The Baster out of my head, could you go do some Shakespeare? Didn't you ever want to play Lady Macbeth?
All I can say is that there's going to be a backlash, and it's starting already. The blogosphere is full of it, and while you may put us down to a bunch of psycho feminist hippies, the box office is proving otherwise. Gran Torino beat out Bride Wars. Taken tromped New in Town ... and on Super Bowl Sunday! Maybe Coraline will beat out He's Just Not That Into You, and really show you executives!
Isla Fisher Makes Some Confessions in 'Shopaholic' Trailer
Filed under: Comedy », Romance », Disney », Trailers and Clips »
The fairly adorable Isla Fisher may have already won some hearts in this past February's Definitely, Maybe, but now she's developed a taste for the Prada lifestyle in next February's Confessions of a Shopholic, the trailer for which we've embedded above (sorry that it's slightly squeezed).
I'm a little less sure what the name of producer Jerry Bruckheimer is doing on this next big chick-lit adaptation -- which looks like The Devil Wears Prada infused with Legally Blonde and some ungainly slapstick -- though the man did make some modest bucks off of Coyote Ugly back in the summer of '00. Though next winter seems slight in terms of fluffy rom-com-petition, this puppy will be facing off against the considerable star power of He's Just Not That Into You for Valentine's Day box office glory.
However, with any luck, this role could prove that Fisher is the next Amy Adams (or, at the very least, someone not to be merely mistaken for her).
John Lithgow and More Join 'Shopaholic'
Filed under: Comedy », Romance », Casting »
Okay, I don't get it. So we've got this adaptation of one of Sophie Kinsella's books coming to the big screen, Confessions of a Shopaholic. Isla Fisher stars as Rebecca, this college grad who gets a sweet gig as a financial journalist in Manhattan, but struggles with an immense shopping addiction that makes her bills increase well beyond what she can afford. And at some point in all of this, she falls in love with a successful entrepreneur, and also throws on a tacky outfit that rivals the horrors that Carrie Bradshaw has in her closet.Is this whole "financial journalist" title just some sort of catchy job description? Who hires a spastic shopaholic as a financial journalist? Well, according to The Hollywood Reporter, it looks like it is one of the following -- John Lithgow, Kristin Scott Thomas, Leslie Bibb, Lynn Redgrave, and Julie Hagerty. Okay... It's probably not Bibb, who is a fashion magazine staffer, nor Hagerty, who plays a business magazine assistant. However, it could be Lithgow's publishing magnate, Thomas' magazine editor, or Redgrave's "doyenne of a publishing empire."
So far, this sounds more like a fantasy than any sort of realistic romcom, not to say that romantic comedies are usually realistic. I just wish we could have less "women are terrible with money" crap. I know I'm not the only one who doesn't shop myself into debt, or keep credit card balances with sadistic interest rates.
First Pic of Isla's First 'Shopaholic'
Filed under: Comedy », Romance », Disney », Movie Marketing », Images »
To be honest, I kind of have the same aversion to the term 'Chick Lit' as I do with 'Chick Flick.' So, you can understand why I am not all that familiar with Madeleine Wickham's Shopoholic novels. The five-part series was optioned by Disney back in 2004, and last August they hired Isla Fischer for the lead. Just Jared is now posting some behind-the-scenes (aka paparazzi) photos of the actress hard at work. Plus, she is wearing what is possibly the ugliest bridesmaid dress I have ever seen -- which is probably the source of some comedy, or at least I hope it is.Confessions of a Shopaholic centers on a young college grad (Fisher) who lands a sweet job as a high-profile financial journalist in New York City. However, like any romantic comedy, career fulfillment ain't what it used to be. So, of course, our heroine falls in love with a wealthy entrepreneur. Oh, and did I mention she shops a lot? Hopefully Fisher is going to make this gal more charming on screen than she sounds on paper, because so far, I am not loving this story.
On the upside -- P.J. Hogan (director of Muriel's Wedding) is helming the romcom. So, at least there is a glimmer of something a little more complex than the usual 'girly fluff.' Muriel's Wedding should be required viewing for anyone that wants to make a so-called 'chick flick.' Hogan makes fully fleshed out characters, has a biting sense of humor, and makes happy endings that you don't have to feel guilty about loving. Confessions of a Shopaholic is scheduled to hit theaters on February 13th, 2009 -- just in time for Valentine's Day.
Joan Cusack & John Goodman Want to Be Shopaholics Too!
Filed under: Comedy », Romance », Casting »
After delays presumably linked to the little tot that Isla Fisher just had with Sacha Baron Cohen, the adaptation of Sophie Kinsella's Confessions of a Shopaholic has finally gone into production -- with some shopaholic-breeding parents along for the ride. Variety reports that Joan Cusack and John Goodman have signed on to play Rebecca's (Fisher) parental units in the comedy.I say "Yay!" to the casting, because Joan and not-brother John are great, but oh, I love how real-life ages never really factor in. That is, unless Joan's character had the money-obsessed daughter in her early teens. Joan is 45, and Isla is 32. Luckily, the credit card-addicted heroine of the film is 25. This is just like The Graduate, where Anne Bancroft was only 6 years older than Dustin Hoffman, when she was really supposed to be old enough to be his mother.
Anyhow, this shallow shopping extravaganza is currently shooting in New York and Connecticut, and is scheduled to hit theaters just in time for Cupid's next holiday on February 13, 2009.
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