college Tagged Articles at Cinematical

Welcome back to another edition of Insert Caption -- the game you won't want to burn after reading ... because, well, how could you win any prizes then? Last week we asked you to give us your best college-esque caption for a photo from the new comedy College. In return for your brilliance, we were shelling out a one-of-a-kind beer pong table. Sweeet! Only one winner this week, so congrats to John R. for his inspiring take on a classic tale ...



1. "Unfortunately, try as he might, Peter just couldn't find his way back into Narnia" -- John R.

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This week, we're shacking up with our old Oscar-winning pals Joel and Ethan Coen as they get ready to unveil their latest darkly comedic crime caper, Burn After Reading, starring folks like George Clooney, Brad Pitt, John Malkovich and Frances McDormand. Prizes? Oh yeah, check it: One Grand Prize winner will receive one Burn After Reading USB 2.0, one T-shirt, one Water Bottle and two Wrist Bands. Wait, there's more! Four first prize winners will each receive one T-shirt, one Water Bottle, and two Wrist Bands. Sound off below!



Read the official rules for this contest

The most exciting news from Labor Day weekend at the box-office -- traditionally a slow period -- is that America seems to have caught on to the scam that Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer have been running for... what is it now? Almost three years? (I'm not counting the Scary Movie franchise, which always retained some redeeming value despite their idiocy.) Anyway, their latest travesty, Disaster Movie, opened to $6.9 million over four days, just over a third of the (nearly identical to each other) first three-day weekends for Date Movie, Epic Movie and Meet the Spartans. Could that be the end of that?

Not that any of Disaster Movie's competitors did spectacularly better. The strongest of them -- the poorly-reviewed sci-fi flick Babylon A.D. -- only managed second place and a $12 million four-day. Don Cheadle's Traitor came in fifth with $10 million, which I actually think is robust for an barely-marketed film opening on just over 2,000 screens. College crashed and burned, landing outside the top 10 with $2.6 million. The best explanation is that there simply wasn't any reason to see it.

The holdovers did well. Mamma Mia!, now in its seventh weekend of release, continues to lurk in the bottom half of the top 10; its take actually grew compared to last weekend, even if you use the 3-day numbers. It's up to $133 million. The Dark Knight barely lost steam, going from fourth place to third and breaking the $500 million threshold. Vicky Cristina Barcelona also continues to do very well on under 700 screens. And of course, Tropic Thunder managed a third weekend atop the charts, leapfrogging past Pineapple Express.

The full estimates after the jump.

Hey, everybody, it's a Labor Day clearance sale! We gotta get rid of these leftover summer movies before the fall models come in! Quick, anybody in the market for a rip-off of Superbad? All it's missing are the likable characters and the good performances! Oh, and the comedy. The comedy fell off in the warehouse. But hey, it's got boobs! That's worth something, right? Anyone? Hello?

You might guess that a film with the uninspired title of College would be lame and derivative, and you'd be right. This laugh-free debacle is the story of three high school seniors who visit a university for a "preview" weekend in the hopes of learning more about the campus, but mostly in the hopes of participating in the legendary college parties. The normal kid is Kevin (Drake Bell), whose girlfriend has just broken up with him. He has a fat, vulgar, slobby best friend named Carter (Andrew Caldwell), and the trio is completed by McLovin -- I'm sorry, Morris (Kevin Covais), a nerdy, bespectacled wimp who looks about 14.

These three arrive at Fieldmont University (FU, get it?) to find that the dorm room they'd been scheduled to stay in is unavailable due to its occupant being a chronic masturbator. (The film makes this even less funny than it sounds.) So instead they try their chances at Beta Phi Tau, where the bastard frat president (pardon the redundancy), Teague (Nick Zano), agrees to let them stay in the basement for the weekend. His motivation for this is that he and his buddies want to torment them. The kids are willing to endure it because it means they can go to frat parties and scam on hot college chicks.

Welcome back to another edition of Insert Caption -- the game that makes beer pong look like a visit to the dentist's office. Last week we asked you to rock our worlds and come up with your funniest caption for a photo from the new movie Hamlet 2. Needless to say, you delivered all that and then some ...


1. "Since the school won't teach you the theory of evolution, I have decided to teach it through the wonders of interpretive dance." -- Ryan S.

2. "...come on you guys I am very clearly a mailbox, I have never seen a group of people so horrible at charades." -- Dana C.

3. "When hunting rabbits you have to be vewwwy vewwwy quiet!" -- Chris R.

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This week we really have something special for you kids going back to school. And when I say school, I mean college. And when I say college, I mean -- BEER PONG! Oh yes, we're not messing around with this one. (Cinematical is heading back to school in style!) In honor of the new movie College -- about three almost-freshmen who take a weekend trip to visit a prospective college and wind up in wayyy over their heads -- one grand prize winner will stumble away with a sweet beer pong table. And if you don't know what beer pong is, then, well, how in the world do you not know what beer pong is? Dude! Sound off!



Please note that you must be 21 to enter this particular contest. Read the official rules for the contest right here.

Tropic Thunder held onto the top spot for two weeks in a row, followed by The House Bunny and Death Race. Last week's two other newbies The Longshots and The Rocker took the number 10 and 13th spots respectively. Here's what the top five looked like:

1. Tropic Thunder: $16.2 million
2. The House Bunny: $14.5 million
3. Death Race: $12.6 million
4. The Dark Knight: $10.5 million
5. Star Wars: The Clone Wars: $5.6 million

Babylon A.D.
What's It All About: Vin Diesel stars in this futuristic actioner as a bodyguard charged with delivering a young woman from Russia to the U.S. Little does he realize that she is hosting an organism that a cult hopes to use to create a new messiah.
Why It Might Do Well: While not on a par with this Summer's biggest flicks, Babylon A.D. represents the last gasp of the season's eye candy movies and it's getting a really wide release.
Why It Might Not Do Well: Those thinking this might be a big screen version of Babylon 5 may be in for a disappointment. Also, with five reviews in, Rottentomatoes.com is giving this 0% rotten as of this writing.
Number of Theaters: 3,200
Prediction: $23 million

College
What's It All About: Drake Bell from Nikolodeon's Drake and Josh plays one of several high school kids on a college visit looking to party. Hijinks and projectile vomiting ensue.
Why It Might Do Well: Someone must feel nostalgic for those bowl-hugging college days.
Why It Might Not Do Well: Because part of me wants to believe there is justice in the universe.
Number of Theaters: 2,000
Prediction: $5 million

Disaster Movie
What's It All About: Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer, the writer/director team behind Meet the Spartans, Epic Movie and the Scary Movie franchise go to the well once again with a flick that parodies disaster movies, super hero flicks and various pop culture icons.
Why It Might Do Well: Like them or not, Friedberg and Seltzer's movies tend to make a respectable if not stellar profit.
Why It Might Not Do Well: Maybe the public has had enough of these things. I can dream, can't I?
Number of Theaters: 2,500
Prediction: $11 million

Traitor
(opens Wednesday)
What's It All About: Don Cheadle stars in this tale of international intrigue as a deep cover CIA agent under investigation by the FBI as a possible terrorist.
Why It Might Do Well: In addition to Cheadle the impressive cast includes Guy Pearce and Jeff Daniels.
Why It Might Not Do Well: Fresh off the Summer blockbuster season, will audiences want a film about such weighty matters?
Number of Theaters: 2,054
Prediction: $9 million

Box office predictions become a much wilder and woolier proposition once blockbuster season ends, making it all the more exciting if you ask me. Here's what I think next week's top five will be:
1. Babylon A.D.
2. Disaster Movie
3. Traitor
4. Tropic Thunder
5. Death Race

Last week's top five took us all by surprise. Most didn't think Tropic Thunder would take another week at number one, and many expected The Rocker to do better. Here's how we all did:
1. LostinaFog: 7
2. I Eat Robots: 6
2. Romel: 6
2. Smiggy: 6
2. Victor de la torre: 6
2. Mike: 6
2. Adam P: 6
2. Vera: 6
3. Matt: 4
3. Chris: 4
3. Alex: 4
3. Liz: 4
3. Vega: 4
3. Zctop: 4
3. NP: 4
3. Ray: 4
3. VP: 4
3. AJ Wiley: 4
3. Greatone: 4

Post your predictions for the top five movies in the comments section below before 5:00PM Eastern Time on Friday. One point for every top five movie correctly named, two points for every correct placement, and one extra point for the top movie.

Remember those lines in your high school yearbook that claimed so and so was most likely to do such and such? You know, like most likely to succeed, most likely to be famous, most likely to be the target of a senatorial investigation. That's the angle were going with today as we look at five recent trailers with an eye for what they're most likely to accomplish.

The Spirit
This one is the movie most likely to have people saying "who the hell is The Spirit." This is a character with a long and illustrious history in the world of comics (check out his Wikipedia entry for the full story) who was created by one of the acknowledged masters of the form, but outside of the comics niche, most people have never heard of him. To the best of my knowledge, the only time the character appeared in another medium was when Sam Jones of Flash Gordon fame played the him in a failed TV pilot in 1987. This film version is directed by Frank Miller and his Sin City style is very much in evidence. I like the look, and I like the fact that Miller has The Spirit leaping off the title logo as he often did in the comics. Here's what Elisabeth thought of it.

Sea of Dust
This is the film most likely to give people Grindhouse flashbacks, as long as you see the version of the trailer that's up on Youtube or the one at upcominghorrormovies.com. The preview has the intentionally worn and scratched look consistent with what Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino did with Grindhouse. Not exactly an original idea, but it looks cool and it certainly got my attention. Oddly, the version shown on the film's official site doesn't have the weathered look. This period horror flick is an homage to both the classic Hammer horror films and the works of Italian scare maestro Mario Bava (there's a scene with a dank dungeon hallway lit with multi-colored lights that's pure Bava). The film stars Tom Savini as the villainous Prester John whose evil threatens the residents of a small village, with Hammer films alumnus Ingrid Pitt (The Vampire Lovers, Countess Dracula) also starring. I'm still a bit hazy on the plot even after reading the synopsis at the official site, but I love Hammer and Bava, so I have to see this one.

Here I was thinking that the trailer for My Best Friend's Girl was quite possibly the unfunniest thing I had ever had the "pleasure" of sitting through. Then, I stumbled across the trailer for College (see above). Directed Deb Hagen, College is a teen comedy about three friends (who appear as if they were discovered at a Superbad look-a-like convention) on a weekend getaway scouting colleges. In between beer bongs, the boys are recruited by a rowdy fraternity and find love with three girls that are ridiculously out of their league. From then on it's recycled gags from every R-rated comedy you can think of since Bluto first shouted "Toga!"

Drake Bell, Andrew Caldwell, and Kevin Covais star as the three buddies (and here is a little fun fact: Covais was a goody-two shoes American Idol hopeful back in 2006). MGM has slated the film for an August 29th release, which is probably a good idea because it is a relatively quiet time in the summer blockbuster season (the only competition will be Babylon A.D. and Vicky Cristina Barcelona). Judging from the trailer, College is going to need all the help (and free beer) it can get.

Cinematical has received this official poster for the film College (click on the image above to enlarge), starring Drake Bell, Andrew Caldwell and Kevin Covais. Basically, this looks to be PCU plus two more kids, as it revolves around three prospective freshman who visit a local college for a weekend of wild antics. They even hook up with a rowdy fraternity who decide to recruit the boys and make them their pledges, humiliating and abusing them (of course). The three boys subject themselves to this in the hopes this fraternity will grant them access to the school's big party scene. Eventually girls get involved (they always do) and a revenge plot is hatched. College was originally due out in early April, but the release has now been pushed to August 29.

Ugh ... just looking at that image above brings back painful memories. Last week was a mess. College. August 29.

Although she made a name for herself on the short film circuit with Pee Shy, Deb Hagan wasn't too shy to score herself her directorial feature debut for College, as Erik shared in December. The simply-titled film is about a group of seniors who have a wild adventure while touring a prospective college -- in other words, PCU x 3. What their crazy experience is, we'll have to wait and see. In the interim, the cast is now coming together, and the cast is insinuating a lot about what this film is going to be about.

On the top of the list from The Hollywood Reporter is Drake Bell. You might recognize him as the "Drake" of the Nickelodeon show, Drake & Josh. However, you probably remember him as the 14-year-old Rob Gordon from John Cusack's High Fidelity -- the one who kissed Alison Ashmore before she moved on to Kevin Bannister. Bell is a musician, so I think there's a good chance his character will be linked to music in some way. The chances are upped by the fact that the next young man on the list is Kevin Covais -- who was on the fifth season of American Idol. Then we've got Andrew Caldwell (Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny) and Haley Bennett, surprise, surprise -- another singer who was just in Music and Lyrics with Hugh Grant and Drew Barrymore. Safe assumption of the day: the three visiting teens love music, and maybe they're even in a band together. IMDb has further cast listed, which seem to be the college students, like Alona Tal who was the doomed Meg Manning on Veronica Mars, Nick Zano, Camille Mana and Nathalie Walker.

Back in August, we brought you news of a new project from night club owner-turned-real estate entrepreneur-turned movie producer Sam Nazarian called College. Nazarian had purchased the spec script from newbie scribes Dan Callahan and Adam Ellison and, now, it appears a director is attached. Sticking with the newbie theme, commercial helmer Deb Hagan has been brought onboard to make her feature directorial debut, while Lionsgate will distribute.

Unfortunately, the pic doesn't appear to have a very original premise, as it revolves around three high school seniors who find themselves right smack in the middle of some wild adventure while touring a college they're thinking about attending. I wonder how many times the screenwriters said to one another, "Man, people are going to think PCU when they read this script. We can't make this PCU." I mean, if I were writing the script, that's what would be on mind -- so, for the time being, let's give these guys the benefit of the doubt. Hopefully they went out of their way to take this familiar premise and create an entirely different story. Right off the bat, we have three main characters instead of one -- not much to go on, but it's a start.

Hagan is probably best known in the film world for her short film Pee Shy which, according to the flick's website, has played in over one billion festivals. However, it's not online yet so if anyone out there has seen Pee Shy, feel free to chime in and let us know what you think about Hagan's direction. No word yet on a cast or production schedule, but since these are first time writers and a first time director, I can't imagine any big stars will find their way onto campus.