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Girls on Film: Romance is a Dirty Word
Filed under: Romance », Girls on Film »
Beware the arrows this week; we're just six sleeps away from Valentine's Day, that time of year when Cupid's bow sprays the populace with love bug-laced arrows. Or, more accurately, that time of year when jeweler's make you feel like a stingy fool if you don't spend your life savings on diamonds, when rose prices skyrocket, and every business preys on those who itch for a little of that dirty word called "romance."
Some may lead you to believe that it is the practice of romance that is a dirty, woman-centric desire on the big screen, but let's face it, folks -- we all love a little love. Boys, girls, men, and women. It's in almost all of our films, and is the basis of most of our favorite stories, from straight-forward romantic comedy and drama to action, sci-fi, and every other genre out there.
The menace seems to be in the word. Merely uttering romance breeds slights like "chick flick" and "crap," and inspires many a moviegoer to place one foot outside the door. But it's the 21st century, and it's time for a little evolution.
Weekend Box Office: 'Avatar' Finally Dethroned by 'Dear John'
Filed under: New Releases », Box Office »
It took a Nicholas Sparks adaptation starring Channing Tatum to finally knock Avatar from the perch it held for seven weeks. Dear John grossed an estimated $32.4 million to Avatar's $23.6 -- but Sparks/Tatum is such a potent combination that I wonder if the movie wouldn't have done non-trivially better had it not opened against the Superbowl. As it stands, it still has by far the best opening weekend for a Nicholas Sparks flick, though it's not clear what kind of legs it's going to have -- it will get some stiff competition from Garry Marshall's Valentine's Day next weekend. As for Avatar, I went for a second viewing on Friday -- more out of a desire to see it in (real) IMAX than out of any abiding love for the film. Before the movie began, someone took an impromptu poll of the sold-out crowd to find out how many had already seen it -- and I saw, oh, thirty or forty hands go up. Presumably, most if not all of them brought friends. As with Titanic, there's where a good part of those record-breaking grosses comes from. Avatar is merrily marching toward an astronomical $700 million. Saints preserve us, etc.
From Paris with Love opened in third place with a weak $8.1 million, and is a mulligan for Fox, Luc Besson and Pierre Morel. Their Taken was a surprise hit in early 2009, but I guess the novelty value of seeing Liam Neeson as a badass secret agent dominates the novelty value of seeing John Travolta as same. (Taken's elegant, simple storyline hook probably played a part too, especially as compared to the incomprehensible jumble that is From Paris with Love.)
More, and the top 10, after the jump.
Discuss: Do You Like the "Ten Best Picture Nominees" Idea?
Filed under: Awards », Oscar Watch »
When the Academy announced last June that it would be expanding the Best Picture category from five to ten films, my first thought was: maybe The Hurt Locker has a shot to be nominated now. At the time, I was pretty sure I was in for a fight to help promote my favorite film of 2009, but a good buzz took hold and hasn't yet let up. But that first hope was also a good first impulse. Maybe the list of ten nominees would include some of the offbeat films that don't usually get considered. It might be a good chance to nominate the kinds of things that were snubbed in the past: some comedies like Tropic Thunder or Hot Fuzz, or some exceptional summer action movies like The Dark Knight or The Bourne Ultimatum. Or perhaps some odd indie movies like Che or Wendy and Lucy.
But then the reality set in. This would require the Academy to adopt an entirely new way of thinking, not just the simple changing of a number. Indeed, everything that is nominated this year fits a certain criteria; they're not actually picking the best films of the year. They're picking the best of a certain kind of film. It has to be prestigious in some way. It has to be somewhat important, either with a message or in tackling a certain kind of serious problem. If it's a comedy, it has to be a bittersweet comedy and not a flat-out funny comedy. It can't be a genre film unless it's a very long one or a hugely popular one, and it can't be a sequel (or a reboot; hence the snub for Star Trek).
AMC Best Picture Showcase Details
Filed under: Awards », Fandom », Exhibition », Oscar Watch »
We know a lot of our readers (and even some of our writers) like to partake in AMC's annual tradition of showing all of the best picture nominees on one day, which is why every year we like to give you the details on it when they become available. Of course, the whole 10 best picture nominees thing has thrown a small wrench in the usual one-day marathon, and, as such, this year AMC has decided to break it up into two days: February 27th and March 6th, both Saturdays.
The exact schedules haven't been announced yet, but AMC is currently asking you to vote on which four movies they should show alongside a 3D version of Avatar on February 27th. (If it was up to me, I'd vote District 9, The Hurt Locker, Inglourious Basterds and Up, this way you start out with fantasy, move toward sci-fi, and then back-to-back war films, capping it all off with a nice, sweet adventure story. The perfect program, in my opinion ... but what do you think?)
Details can be found over on the AMC website. The tickets for this event will run you about $60 for a two-day pass (if purchased online; $50 at the box office), and $30 for a one-day pass. That ticket gets you entry to the theater, as well as a free large popcorn and unlimited refills. Not a bad way to spend your Saturday, no?
So who's going this year?
Poll: Will You Buy or Rent 'Avatar' on DVD/Blu-ray?
Filed under: Home Entertainment »
During their recent quarterly earnings call, News Corp. revealed that Avatar will arrive on DVD and Blu-ray by June 30th of this year, though it won't be in 3D yet because they feel the technology still isn't there for that. So while there will most definitely be a 3D version available at some point down the line (maybe even by Christmas), this first release will be of the old run-of-the-mill variety. Not necessarily a bad thing, of course, as we've been watching movies in 2D at home for a long, long time now, but when a film is made so much greater (and more worthwhile) by a certain piece of technology that won't be available to consumers when said film arrives on DVD and Blu-ray, you have to ask yourself whether it's even worth a rental.
I'm sure most will agree that the big sell on Avatar is the moviegoing experience, and not the intricate story. But if that experience cannot be partially re-created at home, is the film still worthy of a rental or purchase? I personally don't know if I have to watch this film again, and I think that if I did, I'd want it to be in 3D because that's what really sucked me in when I saw it in the theater. Then again, I could see the people who didn't see it in the theater or who don't care about 3D Netflix-ing the hell out of this thing because of how many awards it's won and how many box office records it's broken.
'Avatar' Ongoings: 'Titanic' Toppled, Sequel Beginnings, and No 3D on DVD
Filed under: Action », Sci-Fi & Fantasy », Box Office », Fandom », 20th Century Fox », Home Entertainment »
I think it's safe to say that Avatar has had a prettttty good run so far, but yesterday...yesterday was kismet. It's been breaking records (and hearts) left and right for weeks now, but on February 2nd it toppled its last big obstacle: Titanic's all-time domestic box office record. As of this morning, Avatar has made about $300,000 more than the decade-plus record holder, which is to say it's sitting on approximately $601.2mil at the US box office. What's so amazing about that, aside from the obvious, is that Avatar took the crown on the very same day that it was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Picture. And those are two things that many, many people thought would never happen. I don't know about you, but my hat is off to Cameron.
It's too early to tell if Pandoran lightning will strike twice for the director, but in a recent conference call for Fox's parent company News Corp, CEO Rupert Murdoch told shareholders that the studio had indeed entered into early talks with Cameron about Avatar 2. There are no details or commitments at this point beyond Cameron having ideas and the studio having the desire to see them realized.
And in final news, the same earnings report revealed that Avatar will be arriving on DVD and Blu-ray before the end of News Corp's fiscal year. That means fans can expect to take a trip to Pandora from the comfort of their couches at some point before June 30th. However, and this is kind of a surprise, but the initial retail release will not be available in 3D. Fellow News Corp honcho Chase Carey doesn't believe that home theater tech is ready to do Avatar justice (something I'm inclined to agree with), so they'll be holding off on the extra dimension until TVs catch up.
Five (Semi)-Big Snubs & Other 2009 Oscar Facts
Filed under: Awards », Oscar Watch »
The nominations for the 82nd Annual Academy Awards have been announced and they have everyone saying the same four words - "The Secret of Kells?" Yes, "the animated story of the boy behind the famed Book of Kells" (as goes the IMDB synopsis) grabbed one of the five slots for Best Animated Feature. It has to be the biggest surprise of the morning just because nobody has ever heard of it. But there were certainly a few others as well.
THE FIVE BIGGEST SNUBS (not involving The Secret of Kells)
1.Invictus for Best Picture
This is what qualifies as a snub despite many of us being aware that it was in the bottom five (maybe even the bottom three) for consideration. Morgan Freeman and Matt Damon both got their nominations. Eastwood was on everyone's list as a potential wild card for Director, but the lukewarm response must have finally caught up with it and the Academy chose to go with a bad box office success (The Blind Side) than a decent box office disappointment.
2. (500) Days of Summer for Best Original Screenplay
The best thing that can be said about this snub is that it didn't involve being replaced by either Avatar or The Hangover. It was The Messenger that took its place, taking a little but not all of the sting out of it for Scott Neustadter & Michael H. Weber
3. Julianne Moore for Best Supporting Actress
In the category that opened the nominees, we must have all been a little worried that we were in for a surprise-filled morning. Penelope Cruz has been in the conversation all through awards season, but the Nine backlash figured her for the cutting room floor. But Maggie Gyllenhaal for Crazy Heart? The least believable aspect (her character, not the performance) of the entire film? Mo'Nique, Vera Farmiga and Anna Kendrick were the only true locks, so it's not out there to suggest the other two were up for grabs. But you could have gone with Diane Kruger or Samantha Morton and not drawn as much attention to the snubbing.
The Movieman's Oscar Nomination Predictions: Best Picture, Director & All The Rest
Filed under: Awards », Oscar Watch »
Finally, it comes down to this. 10 Best Pictures. Only 5 Best Directors. The suspense is fierce over which five films would not have normally been nominated and have absolutely zero chance in actually winning. Testing that theory over just how honored it is to be nominated when the cynical amongst us see ten nominees as a way to boost interest in generally one of the most watched televised events of the year anyway. Will guilt over The Dark Knight sneak in less worthy blockbusters or a tripling of fanboy genre representation? Do any indie films really stand a chance? Is this the year when a second animated feature cracks the best-of-the-year list, thus guaranteeing its win in its own specialized category? The questions will be answered this Tuesday, Feb. 2 and the debate will reign on long after the winners announced on March 7. But first, the potential nominees.
THE LOCKS
Four groups with critics of varying respects and three major Guilds will make up this particular breakdown. As we did with the actors and the screenplays, we will look at what has been lauded by the Broadcast "Film Critics" Association, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (aka The Golden Globes), the Chicago Film Critics Association, the British Academy of Film And Television (or BAFTA) and three Guilds made up of Producers, Writers and Directors. Seven groups that have nominated 13 films in unison since 2001 (when the BFCA began nominations.)
A Beautiful Mind (2001), The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001), The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003), Brokeback Mountain (2005), Good Night and Good Luck (2005), Babel (2006), The Departed (2006), Little Miss Sunshine (2006), No Country For Old Men (2007), There Will Be Blood (2007), The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button (2008), Slumdog Millionaire (2008)
The Movieman's Oscar Nomination Predictions: The Screenplays
Filed under: Awards », Oscar Watch »
If it ain't on the page it ain't in the actors' mouths. Or some applicable rhyme. Of the 20 Lead and Supporting actors on my list, which ones will be told they did it all by themselves and which will see their guidelines in the running. We have 10 open spots and at least 21 scripts with a shot to claim one of them.
THE LOCKS
With the actors we were following five voting groups. Since the Screen Actors Guild obviously don't have a screenplay category, naturally we will look to the Writers' Guild for support. Not that they did anyone any favors by disqualifying half of the scripts written in 2009, but we will make due with how they lineup anyway with the Broadcast "Film Critics" Association, the Golden Globes, the Chicago Film Critics Association and the BAFTAs. 15 times since 2001 have these five groups all agreed on a nomination, whether it be Original, Adapted or just an overall Best Screenplay or Writer, depending on the year when they did not want to differentiate between a blank page and something that had already been jotted down. And of those 15 times, six were original (Lost In Translation, Good Night and Good Luck, Crash, The Queen, Babel, Juno) and nine were adaptations (A Beautiful Mind, Adaptation, Sideways, Brokeback Mountain, The Departed, No Country For Old Men, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Slumdog Millionaire). Fifteen were nominated. That is great news for Mark Boal (The Hurt Locker) and Jason Reitman & Sheldon Turner (Up In The Air). Even better news for them is that since 2001, there has only been one year (2002) when one of these 15 didn't pick up either the Original or Adapted Screenplay Oscar. In 2004 & 2007, both categories won. Could possibly have been a third year to double up if the WGA had not taken Quentin Tarantino (Inglourious Basterds) out of contention. We'll just chalk that up to semantics and consider that a lock as well.
Weekend Box Office: 'Avatar' on Top for Seventh Week
Filed under: New Releases », Box Office »
Avatar enjoyed a seventh straight week atop the box office, a streak that may come to an end next week depending on how much traction bald and crazy John Travolta gets with audiences (and also how popular Dear John, the mother of all chick flicks, turns out to be). In the meantime, though, as Monika reported earlier in the week, Avatar is now the top-grossing movie of all-time internationally. In the next couple of days it will also pass Titanic to take that title domestically. So that's pretty much the end of that.Edge of Darkness came in second, though it's an ambiguous result: you have to go back to the mid-90s to find a mainstream Mel Gibson vehicle that opened to as little as $17 million. On the other hand, it's the guy's first role in seven years -- and in a rather nondescript film noir in the middle of January at that. I wouldn't read too much into it, though the movie's $80 million budget raises some questions. The fantasy rom-com When in Rome didn't have a lot of competition for its target audience, but had to battle terrible reviews for its okay $12 million take.
Legion took the biggest hit of the holdovers, dropping over 60% to 6th place; it may have wound up on the wrong side of the ludicrous/enjoyable divide for most people. Meanwhile, Sherlock Holmes is about to eke past the $200 million mark, Alvin and the Chipmunks already has, and Nancy Meyers' It's Complicated just skated past $100 million. Those are last year's three Christmas Day releases, which appear to have been perfectly calculated to stay out of each other's way in the ensuing weeks.
The full top 10 after the jump.
'Big Top Pee-Wee': The Original Benicio Del Toro Wolfman
Spin-ematical: New on DVD and Blu-ray for 2/9
Watch This: Brilliant Oscar-Nominated Short 'Logorama'
Chris Nolan to Lead 'Superman' Reboot!?
Tim Robbins Joins 'The Green Lantern'
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