amelia Tagged Articles at Cinematical
What's the State of Fox Searchlight?
Filed under: Animation », Comedy », Drama », Independent », Romance », Awards », RumorMonger », Distribution », Fox Searchlight », Family Films », Oscar Watch »
In the 2007 awards season, Fox Searchlight had two strong films in the mix with Juno and The Savages, and then in 2008, they dominated with Slumdog Millionaire and The Wrestler. As many other indie arms were folding (Paramount Vantage, Warner Independent, Picturehouse), Searchlight managed to keep things up on their end.2009, however, hasn't been so kind to them. January's Notorious didn't do bad actually, though March's Miss March was indeed D.O.A. June's My Life in Ruins similarly underperformed, while July's Adam failed to catch on as that same month's (500) Days of Summer had. Post Grad was dumped in the doldrums of August, while Whip It failed to find a crowd in October.
Cut to now: Amelia has been effectively neutered as a ready-made Oscar contender, while Gentlemen Broncos (from the director of Napoleon Dynamite, which did particularly well for the same studio) is being pulled from wider release after this weekend after posting modest numbers on two screens and earning savage reviews for the most part.
With Miramax also facing tough times, it's a shame to see studios like these have an off-year, though there's time for a turn-around yet so far as Searchlight is concerned. Summer's summer release means the timing could work out to earn a push for Original Screenplay as a happy-go-lucky alternate to many dour contenders. This month's similarly light Fantastic Mr. Fox is an Animated Feature candidate at the very least, and -- according to THR -- the Jeff Bridges drama Crazy Heart is getting a last-minute test run of sorts at the moment to see if it can merit a move to be positioned for this year's race instead of next year's.
Weekend Box Office: 'Paranormal Activity' Wins Weekend Horrorfest
Filed under: New Releases », Box Office »
Is the Saw bubble finally deflating for good? The sixth installment of the mainstay franchise played second fiddle to the still-surging Paranormal Activity this weekend, grossing only $14.8 million dollars -- less than half the bow of the previous four installments, and lower even than the original 2004 film. The competition from the plucky indie horror film likely has something to do with Saw VI's disappointing returns, waning interest is probably involved as well. Paranormal Activity, for its part, claimed the top spot for the first time in its impressive five-week run, hanging on to its momentum in its first weekend of legitimate wide release. The Paranormal/Saw horror combo left the weekend's other newcomers floundering. Summit's Astro Boy didn't have the marketing muscle it needed, while Amelia was hurt by bad reviews and a lack of studio enthusiasm. But the weekend's real disappointment is Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant, an obvious attempt by Universal to kick-start a new kiddie fantasy franchise, and a far, far bigger (albeit cheaper) fizzle than The Golden Compass. The Weitz brothers should no longer be permitted to work in this genre.
Where the Wild Things Are took a honking 55% hit in its second weekend, a victim of being an art film in mainstream guise. Law Abiding Citizen fared a little better -- it's now Overture's highest-grossing film.
The full top 11 after the jump.
Review: Amelia
Filed under: Drama », New Releases », Theatrical Reviews », Fox Searchlight »
The new biopic about Amelia Earhart, Amelia, succeeds in portraying the famous aviatrix in a whole new light ... as a mundane soap-opera character with relationship issues. The movie looks beautiful and is obviously being released now with Oscar hopes, but it is a dull, uninspired recounting of the less interesting parts of Earhart's life.
The plot is structured around Earhart's final attempt at flying around the world, then flashes back to tell her story starting from her first meeting with George P. Putnam (Richard Gere) in 1927 about a transatlantic flight, and looping back to that final flight and the mystery surrounding it, in 1937. It's a standard structure for biographical films, but is confusing at times. For one thing, I couldn't tell you whether the round-the-world attempt that the film flashes forward to periodically is her first one, or her last one. Near the end, they start to blend confusingly. The film also includes a lot of voice-over from Amelia Earhart (Hilary Swank), which I presume is probably taken from her real-life letters and diaries.
Box Office: Amelia's Astro Freaks
Filed under: Animation », Comedy », Foreign Language », Gay & Lesbian », Box Office », Box Office Predictions »
Things went wild this past weekend as Where the Wild Things Are took top honors. The action flick Law Abiding Citizen also premiered well and Paranormal Activity continues to astound, taking third place while only playing in 760 theaters. Here's the top five:
1. Where the Wild Things Are: $32.7 million
2. Law Abiding Citizen: $21 million
3. Paranormal Activity: $19.6 million
4. Couples Retreat: $17.2 million
5. The Stepfather: $11.6 million
Four new releases this week, three of which will be putting the Halloween spirit into people.
Amelia
What's It All About: Hilary Swank and Richard Gere star in this biopic of aviator Amelia Earhart who disappeared during an attempt to fly around the world.
Why It Might Do Well: A historical drama is a pretty good counter programmer to all the horror and fantasy movies currently in release.
Why It Might Not Do Well: Right now we're looking at 17% at Rottentomatoes.com.
Number of Theaters: 800
Prediction: $6 million
Astro Boy
What's It All About: Adaptation of the classic anime (that itself takes a page from Pinocchio) about a robot boy with incredible powers.
Why It Might Do Well: 73% at Rottentomatoes.com ain't too shabby.
Why It Might Not Do Well: Will this character that originated in the 1950s translate well in the twenty-first century?
Number of Theaters: 3,000
Prediction: $16 million
1. Where the Wild Things Are: $32.7 million
2. Law Abiding Citizen: $21 million
3. Paranormal Activity: $19.6 million
4. Couples Retreat: $17.2 million
5. The Stepfather: $11.6 million
Four new releases this week, three of which will be putting the Halloween spirit into people.
AmeliaWhat's It All About: Hilary Swank and Richard Gere star in this biopic of aviator Amelia Earhart who disappeared during an attempt to fly around the world.
Why It Might Do Well: A historical drama is a pretty good counter programmer to all the horror and fantasy movies currently in release.
Why It Might Not Do Well: Right now we're looking at 17% at Rottentomatoes.com.
Number of Theaters: 800
Prediction: $6 million
Astro BoyWhat's It All About: Adaptation of the classic anime (that itself takes a page from Pinocchio) about a robot boy with incredible powers.
Why It Might Do Well: 73% at Rottentomatoes.com ain't too shabby.
Why It Might Not Do Well: Will this character that originated in the 1950s translate well in the twenty-first century?
Number of Theaters: 3,000
Prediction: $16 million
When Pictures Ruin Our Expectations
Filed under: Movie Marketing », Images »
Movie marketing is a dangerous business, especially in these here Internet days with fanboys and girls salivating for more more more and getting it in the blink of an eye. It's got to be hard to toe the line between whetting appetites and oversaturation, and we know that the studios don't always exceed. Every bit of information, every clip, and every image brings a production closer to the enough already boiling point.But sometimes that horror seems to come in at minute one. While a pre-trailer image is supposed to excite us, it can also be the kiss of death. Remember Hilary Swank's many Amelia images? They certainly weren't inspiring confidence in the film, especially when facing off against Amy Adams' incarnation. A first-glimpse can be amazing and awe-invoking, but it can so easily bring disappointment.
After many stills and peeks at Jake Gyllenhaal's Prince of Persia abs, Entertainment Weekly has posted the first official image of the actor as Prince Dastan, while Empire has landed the first two posters (check them out below, and in larger form over at Empire) for the film. I really like most of Jake's work, and even (somehow) enjoy The Day After Tomorrow, but looking at these images makes me think they're pictures of Halloween costumes. He's got the strength, no doubt, but the hair and the overall look ... I'm not itching to see more, but am hoping trailers and the film itself will prove me wrong.
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Looking at the bigger picture -- Do you find these first-release images help your excitement for a film, or do they, all too often, incite apprehension?
The Trailer for 'Amelia' Takes Flight
Filed under: Drama », Romance », 20th Century Fox », Newsstand », Movie Marketing », Trailers and Clips »
A biopic of Amelia Earhart is like every girl's dream come true. Did any woman not grow up idolizing her, spend hours covering her gorgeous flight jackets, and wondering just where her plane vanished to? She has a story just made for the big screen, and if there was an actress who could pull it off, I do think it's Hilary Swank. She has the physical resemblance, and I know she has the talent, if only because I still love her as Maggie Fitzgerald.
Unfortunately, I'm not seeing much promise in Amelia. The first trailer for Mira Nair's biopic has gone online at Yahoo! Movies. (I've embedded a version below the jump to make it easier, but be sure to go visit Yahoo! for the HD version.) While it's beautifully costumed and lushly filmed, it looks a little too teary and overwrought. Admittedly, my image of Earhart is one filtered through the Golden Age of celebrity, and I picture her as a flying Rosalind Russell / Girl Friday type. I've never forgotten a National Geographic blurb I read about her, which described her calmly powdering her nose after one of her plane crashes. That's the kind of biopic I want ... one that has humor and the adventure of the times, not one that's gloom and "You're going to die!" doom from the get go. I'll continue to hold out hope for it, as it has a great cast, and I want it to bring back 1920s and 30s fashion.
Watch This: Academy Awards 2009 Movie Preview
Filed under: Fandom », Home Entertainment », Oscar Watch », Trailers and Clips »
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The first thing I noticed the morning after the Oscars was that a lot of people were searching for images of Marisa Tomei as a stripper. Guess it's good folks took something away from last night's ceremony. For those of you who didn't make it to the end credits or simply changed the channel as soon as Slumdog Millionaire was announced the winner of Best Picture, the Oscars did a little something different this year. Instead of showing us a recap of the night while the credits scrolled, they aired brief snippets of video from some of 2009's hottest and most anticipated films.
The Academy rules were that these clips be brand new, and while there was no dialogue, folks enjoyed their first looks at movies like Sherlock Holmes , Funny People , The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 , Public Enemies , Julie & Julia , The Soloist , Up , Fame , Terminator Salvation , (500) Days of Summer , Amelia , Whatever Works , Inglourious Basterds , Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian , Monsters vs. Aliens , Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince , Angels & Demons , Old Dogs , Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs , The Boat That Rocked , An Education , State of Play , Imagine That and G-Force.
Check out the video below and let us know which flick you think looks the best.
Amelia Earhart -- 'Night at the Museum'-Style
Filed under: Comedy », Remakes and Sequels », Images »
As you all know, Ben Stiller is taking on the wacky museum world once again for Night at the Museum 2: Escape from the Smithsonian. One of the big casting announcements for this sequel was Amy Adams as Amelia Earhart. Now you can see a glimpse of her as the famous pilot above, then check out one more below (featuring a few old friends) and others at TheBadandtheUgly (note: images possibly contain romantic subplot spoilers, so be warned). How cute is she?
I'm sorry Hilary, but I'm really digging the look of Adams as Earhart much more. I think the big difference between the two is that Adams seems completely natural as Amelia. Adams looks like she walked right out of the same time, whereas Swank's Amelia looks more costumed and much less natural -- at least, based on the images we've seen online.
The showdown of the Amelias will take place next year. Amelia is set to hit theaters some time in 2009, while Night at the Museum will hit screens on May 22, 2009. Which do you prefer?
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Finally! Hilary Swank in Flight Regalia!
Filed under: Drama », Romance », Fandom », Images »
[Photo removed at request of 20th Century Fox]
This is too good not to share. It's no secret that I wasn't pleased with the last round of Amelia pics that hit the net. Hilary Swank just looked goofy, and the images did nothing to drum up excitement. In fact, it did just the opposite. But man, the picture above, part of a slew that went up on Oh No They Didn't, is definitely worth it.
Finally, we've got Swank in the flying ensemble! She's got on the obligatory leather jacket, cap, and goggles, although the wardrobe gurus seem to have decided against Earhart's oft-worn scarf, and selected a striped tie instead. But that's not all. We know that it's Richard Gere standing on the right, but do you recognize the woman on the left? I've loved her since Fire with Fire, but didn't notice at first that the lady in red is, indeed, Virginia Madsen. Okay, I'm a bit more excited now.
You?
This is too good not to share. It's no secret that I wasn't pleased with the last round of Amelia pics that hit the net. Hilary Swank just looked goofy, and the images did nothing to drum up excitement. In fact, it did just the opposite. But man, the picture above, part of a slew that went up on Oh No They Didn't, is definitely worth it.
Finally, we've got Swank in the flying ensemble! She's got on the obligatory leather jacket, cap, and goggles, although the wardrobe gurus seem to have decided against Earhart's oft-worn scarf, and selected a striped tie instead. But that's not all. We know that it's Richard Gere standing on the right, but do you recognize the woman on the left? I've loved her since Fire with Fire, but didn't notice at first that the lady in red is, indeed, Virginia Madsen. Okay, I'm a bit more excited now.
You?
Christopher Eccleston Flies Around the World with Hilary Swank
Filed under: Drama », Casting »
For a while, I've been torn on this whole Amelia Earhart biopic. On the one hand, I have always wanted to learn more about her. On the other, we're finally getting a biopic and it's a frickin' romance -- something that seems really silly considering how much of a tough, femininity-defiant female icon she is. And then to top it all off, there are some ridiculous costumes in the mix. But then Elisabeth posted that there would be some Gene Vidal in the film (father to Gore, and played by Ewan McGregor), and now, the ever-wonderful Christopher Eccleston.Variety reports that he has signed onto Amelia to play Earhart's flight navigator, Fred Noonan. This is the man who was with Amelia when she tried to fly around the world and her plane disappeared in the Pacific. After a teasingly short stint as the Doctor, and an even-shorter invisible trip to Heroes territory, it's nice to see Eccleston give us more roles. Heck, I'm planning to see G.I. Joe just so I can watch him play Destro. Fie to these films that sign on so many great actors to the cast that I can't not check it out.
Jeremy Renner Wants To Be An Avenger
Directors We Love: Jim Jarmusch
Indie Roundup: 'Sweetgrass,' 'Clarkworld,' 'Broken Embraces'
Shelf Life: Fight Club_thumbnail.jpg)
Watch: Famous 'Matrix' Scene Re-Created with LEGOs
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