Posts with tag choke
Weekend Box Office: 'Eagle Eye' Relieves the Boredom
Filed under: New Releases », Box Office »
Not a lot of people liked Eagle Eye (I thought it wasn't bad, myself), but at least it broke up the box office monotony a bit. Its $29.2 million finish is the highest weekend gross for any movie since the first weekend in August (The Dark Knight's third week at the top). A combination of strong marketing and Shia LaBeouf's draw probably did the trick for the film, which had a slew of bad reviews to overcome. The Nicholas Sparks weeper Nights in Rodanthe took in $13.6 million for second place. That is actually almost precisely in line with Sparks' hit The Notebook, but that film hung around for weeks back in 2004, buoeyed by strong word-of-mouth. That seems unlikely for the more soap opera-ish Rodanthe.
Sneaking its way to fourth place on just over 800 screens is a movie called Fireproof, which you may not have run across unless you're a regular churchgoer. (We literally have not mentioned it here on Cinematical.) The Christian-themed movie starring Kirk Cameron had the second best per-screen average in the top 10, demonstrating the continued potency of marketing to religious audiences. Spike Lee's more obliquely religious Miracle at St. Anna, on the other hand, flopped with $3.5 million and 9th place.
A bit below the top 10, in semi-wide release, the Chuck Palahniuk adaptation Choke performed unspectacularly with $1.3 million on 435 screens. Still further down you'll find one of the year's most undignified crash-and-burns: Neil Burger's The Lucky Ones, about three soldiers returned from Iraq, which landed in 25th place with $208,000 on 425 screens, for $489 per screen. Ouch.
Find the full weekend estimates after the jump.
Cinematical's Week in Review: Newman, Bond, Depp, Superman ... and Seagal?
Filed under: RumorMonger », Fandom », Newsstand »
- Legendary actor Paul Newman passes away at the age of 83.
- Cinematical sits down with Daniel Craig and Marc Forster to discuss Quantum of Solace. What happened to the line, "Bond, James Bond?" Check out these new images from the film. Oh, and James Bond doesn't think he'll ever seduce a man.
- Could Steven Spielberg direct Superman?
- Exclusives: Images from Steven Seagal's Kill Switch. First poster for Clint Eastwood's Changeling. New poster for Charlie Kaufman's Synecdoche, New York. Trailer for The Pleasure of Being Robbed.
- Fan Made: Holy hottie Hellgirl! Cozy up to some nifty Star Wars slippers. What do the economic bailout and The Dark Knight have in common? Look out ... it's Angelina Jolie: The Doll.
- Odd News: From Wanted to ... Moby Dick? American Psycho: The Musical? Awesome! Someone wants a Lethal Weapon 5 ... but who?
- Countdown: Five Fall/Winter Trailers to Watch, Four Casting Choices for Brett Ratner's Batman, Three Awesome Movie-Related T-Shirts to Buy, Two Photos of Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland ... and one week in review!
- Cinematical Seven: Top Movies Within Movies Since 2000, and Sex Addicts on the Silver Screen.
- Fan Rant: Leave Keira Knightley's skinniness alone!
- They're Back: Captain Jack, Ghostbusters, I Am Legend prequel, Cars 2 gets an earlier release
- Insert Caption: How to Lose Friends and Alienate People
- Interviews: Gary Cole and Spike Lee
- Reviews: Eagle Eye, Nights in Rodanthe, Choke, Miracle at St. Anna
- And finally ... Cinematical hits up Fantastic Fest.
Stars in Rewind: Sam Rockwell in High School
Filed under: Trailers and Clips », Stars in Rewind »
Twenty-two years ago, Sam Rockwell was a junior in high school. I wonder if his young teenage mind ever imagined that two decades later he'd be starring in a feature film as a choking con man/sex addict. Since the adaptation of Chuck Palahniuk's Choke is hitting theaters today, I thought we'd head back to Rockwell's real childhood.
There was no crazy mother kidnapping him and taking him on wild bus rides and dangerous adventures at the zoo. Instead, he was a student at San Francisco School of the Arts, busying himself with the school's improv group. About a minute in on the above video, you can see him sitting on a stage with one Ms. Margaret Cho. They do a little saucy improv before briefly talking about themselves. First there's Cho, hitting on areas she'd become famous for discussing, and then there's Rockwell. That guy oozed cool even back then.
From galaxy-wide adventures to the Old West, methinks Rockwell sought the adventure he said he was looking for.
[Thanks to Christopher Campbell for the heads up!]
Review: Choke
Filed under: Comedy », Drama », New Releases », Theatrical Reviews »
(With Choke arriving in theaters this weekend, we're re-running our review of the film from the Sundance Film Festival)
By: Erik Davis
Fans of author Chuck Palahniuk (and trust me, there's a lot of them) have been waiting a long time to witness another one of his fantastic books show up on the big screen. The first Palahniuk adaptation, of course, was Fight Club, which was handled flawlessly by director David Fincher and featured sensational performances from both Edward Norton and Brad Pitt. Choke is an entirely different book, one that relies a little more on comedy, and first-time director Clark Gregg (who also penned the script) decided to turn this adaptation into a straight-up laugher that really works ... some of the time. While I'm a huge fan of Palahniuk, his books and especially Choke, there's only one reason why I would recommend you check out this film, and one reason only: Sam Rockwell.
Rockwell plays Victor Mancini, a scheming sex addict who, along with his dopey best friend Denny (Brad William Henke), works at a historical re-creation theme park of sorts, where folks dress up in 1800's period garb and give tours to anyone who'd like to see what it was like to live back then. When Victor and Denny aren't getting in trouble for doing something very un-1800's (like reading a newspaper, chewing gum), Victor heads out to restaurants to physically make himself choke on food in an attempt to get a wealthy patron to save his life. It is his goal to bond with this person, to share in the ecstasy of their heroic efforts, and then take advantage of their kindness -- that mutual experience -- in the hope they'll send him money for living such a tough life. Victor then uses that money to help pay for his unstable mother's (Anjelica Huston) long-term stay at a high-priced mental hospital.
Cinematical Seven: Sex Addicts on the Silver Screen
Filed under: Comedy », Documentary », Drama », Independent », Romance », NSFW », Cinematical Seven », George Clooney »
"Well, you tried it just for once, found it all right for kicks.
But now you found out that it's a habit that sticks,
and you're an orgasm addict." – The Buzzcocks
The new movie Choke, adapted from the Chuck Palahniuk novel, is about a sex addict (Sam Rockwell) who, in one element of the plot, hooks up with other sex addicts who attend the same Sex Addicts Anonymous meetings as him. Ah, the irony. The same thing happened to Sam Malone on Cheers, if I'm not mistaken, which makes the joke around 20 years old. Yet, despite that fact, sexual addiction as a term and a (non-DSM-recognized) medical problem seem fairly new to cinema.
Sure, there have been sex addicts in films for many decades, but they were more likely to be described as nymphomaniacs, lechers or typical men. Think of Dorothy Malone in Written on the Wind, a number of the female characters created by Tennessee Williams and certainly the locked up nymphos in Shock Corridor. In the past few years, however, there have been a slew of actual "sexaholics," both male and female, though some aren't exactly referred to in such a manner.
Are More Chuck Palahniuk Novels Headed for the Big Screen?
Filed under: Comedy », Drama », Casting », Deals », RumorMonger »
If you are a fan of Chuck Palahniuk then today might be your lucky day, because it looks like audiences could be getting more Palahniuk (and his merry band of screw-ups) on the big screen than they can shake a stick at. Before you get too excited, keep in mind that Mr. Palahniuk loves to mess with people, so we should probably take this news with an enormous grain of salt. The latest chatter to hit the net is that the feature film version of Palahniuk's 2002 novel, Lullaby, has begun the casting process. But that's not all! According to The Cult (the official fan site for the author), Rant (a great 50's sci-fi inspired tale) has also been optioned by an unnamed producer.The news about Lullaby comes from Film School Rejects, who claim that they got their scoop from the man himself. According to Rejects, "Lullaby, an adaptation that hasn't been tracked nearly as closely as his other works, is already at the casting stage. The financing is in place, and even though the production won't tell Palahniuk who they are looking to cast, he believes they are waiting for a concrete production start day to make the announcement." I don't mean to be cynical, but don't you think if this was the real deal, Palahniuk would have been told that information?
Exclusive Clip: 'Choke'
Filed under: Comedy », Drama », Romance », Fandom », Home Entertainment », Movie Marketing », Trailers and Clips »
Cinematical has just received this exclusive clip from the upcoming film Choke, based on one of my personal favorite Chuck Palahniuk (Fight Club) books. Choke stars Sam Rockwell as Victor Mancini, a snarky sex addict who cons well-to-do folks out of their money by fake-choking in restaurants while subsequently feeding off the sympathy of others. He then uses this money to help pay his mother's (Anjelica Huston) mental hospital bills. In the clip above -- which is one of a few flashbacks in the film -- young Victor and his mother visit the zoo ... at night ... and they're not exactly there to buy cotton candy. You can learn more about Choke over at its official website. I saw the film back at Sundance and liked it quite a bit -- especially Rockwell's off-the-charts performance as Mancini. Definitely see this one when you get the chance; it arrives in theaters on September 26. Additionally, watch the trailer and another clip over on Moviefone. Enjoy.
New 'Choke' Trailer and Four Clips from the Flick
Filed under: Comedy », Fox Searchlight », Movie Marketing », Trailers and Clips »
I was pretty skeptical that Clark Gregg would be able to bring Chuck Palahniuk's novel Choke to the big screen. Fox Searchlight has launched the red band trailer for the dark comedy (along with four new clips), and I'll be the first to admit I was wrong. The first trailer was released back in May, and for anyone who was worried the book's more 'colorful' moments wouldn't be included, I'm here to tell you the filthiness is present and accounted for -- and I couldn't be happier. Along with the new trailer, there are also some additional clips with the added bonus of exotic dancers filling in the narration from the book -- bizarre, sure, but surprisingly entertaining. Now for the bad news: the site has one of those age-verification login pages that are pretty crappy at the best of the times, but luckily you can always count on You Tube.
Choke is the story of sex addict Victor Mancini (played by Sam Rockwell), a con-man with the unusual tactic of choking in restaurants to earn money to care for his dying mother (Anjelica Huston). It almost sounds sweet, doesn't it? Well, it's not, and if you know anything about the work of Chuck Palahniuk, then you already know how messed up the story gets -- and I truly mean that as a compliment.
Choke arrives in theaters on September 26, 2008.
First Poster for Sam Rockwell's 'Moon'
Filed under: Sci-Fi & Fantasy », Mystery & Suspense », Movie Marketing », Images », Posters »
When I first heard about the sci-fi flick, Moon, starring Sam Rockwell, I thought: Oh great, it's Castaway in space. But, now that I actually have an idea of what the film is about, my fears that it would be Rockwell talking to a futuristic volleyball for two hours are gone. Quiet Earth (a site dedicated to all things post-apocalyptic) has a first look at the poster and a still from Duncan Jones' (aka Zowie Bowie), futuristic thriller. It's a simple one-sheet, and I did like it at first. Unfortunately, some of the thrill has been lost since the sharp eyes over at io9 noticed some striking similarities to another sci-fi poster.
Rockwell stars as Sam Bell, a contractor with a mining corporation called LUNAR. After three years spent in isolation mining helium, Bell has been dreaming of his family and waiting for his contract to end. When he begins to hear and see things that make him uneasy, he begins to investigate the nature of his 'replacement' on the station. Jones wrote the original story, but got a little help from a first time screenwriter named Nathan Parker on the screenplay. Quiet Earth also posted a full synopsis for the film back in March, but the story is a bit of a mind-twister, so if you're worried about spoilers, you should probably steer clear.
Moon has not secured a distribution deal yet, but hopefully the buzz surrounding Rockwell's performance in Choke will help this production gain a little steam.
Moon is expected to arrive in theaters on May 25th, 2009.
[via First Showing]
Live from CineVegas: Know When to Fold 'Em
Filed under: Independent », DIY/Filmmaking », CineVegas »
Finished with my jury responsibilities, I managed to check out some features. A favorite of mine was Chelsea on the Rocks, by Abel Ferrara (director of Bad Lieutenant and a terrific little mob flick called The Funeral). It's a documentary about the infamous Chelsea Hotel in Manhattan, but it's far from traditional. There are lots of odd transitions and edits, the interviews are beyond casual (Ferrara says something along the lines of "No shit!" every ten seconds while listening to the stories of those living in the building), and there are some utterly ridiculous and unnecessary re-enactments of notorious events in the hotel's past (actors play Sid and Nancy, Janis Joplin, and assorted hangers-on). Truth be told, the whole thing was kind of a mess. But watching it felt a lot like spending a night in the hotel, and it's a ride I'm glad I took. I didn't learn a thing, but it brought me inside a place full of fascinating characters, a place I walked past countless times in Manhattan without a second thought.
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