The Scorecard Review

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WEEKEND TOP 5 STUDIO ESTIMATES, SEPTEMBER 26-28, 2008

1. Eagle Eye - $29.2 million
2. Nights in Rodanthe - $13.6 million
3. Lakeview Terrace - $7.0 million
4. Fireproof - $6.5 million
5. Burn After Reading - $6.2 million

Source: boxofficemojo.com

Kirk Cameron, box office star. Whoever had that in your office pool from 1987, congrats, it’s time for your co-workers to finally pay up. Fireproof is Cameron’s latest film that is closely tied to religion. It was only released on 839 screens which means Cameron’s film had BY FAR the highest per screen average of the top 5.

Eagle Eye did what it was supposed to do, and LaBeuof will continue to get starring roles because of it. I just hope he doesn’t simply continue with the action genre. He’s got a small role in New York ... Continue Reading

Eagle Eye
Directed by: D.J. Caruso
Cast: Shia LaBeouf, Michelle Monaghan, Billy Bob Thornton, Rosario Dawson
Time: 1 hr 50 mins.
Rating: PG-13

Plot: Jerry (LaBeouf) and Rachel (Monaghan) are complete strangers thrown into a life or death situation by a mysterious phone call from a woman. She pushes them both into a series of increasingly dangerous situations, using the technology of everyday life to track and control their every move.

Who’s It For? Action freaks and perhaps the younger crowd that won’t look too closely at all the leads and bounds, but instead focus on the concept that big brother is watching.

Expectations: Maybe it’s too much to ask for more than mindless action, but with Thornton and LaBeouf on board I was expecting big things, like I was getting one more summer action film even though it’s the fall. ... Continue Reading

Nights in Rodanthe
Directed by: George C. Wolfe
Cast: Diane Lane, Richard Gere, James Franco
Time: 1 hr 37 mins.
Rating: PG-13

Plot: A weary and almost-divorced mother (Lane) finds more than she expected while escaping to her best friend’s seaside inn in North Carolina. She meets a doctor (Gere) on a mission for forgiveness, and as a hurricane swells around them, they find in each other what they each so desperately need — a second chance.

Who’s It For? As with any Nicholas Sparks-based adaptation, Nights in Rodanthe won’t have universal appeal. It’s best for women, especially those who’ve hit some roadblocks in life, like divorce, spiteful children and painful loss. Thanks to the film’s genuine emotional substance, it should be easy to relate to.

Expectations: Marketing makes it out to be sufficiently sappy, but at ... Continue Reading

Choke
Directed by: Clark Gregg
Cast: Sam Rockwell, Angelica Huston, Kelly Macdonald, Brade William Henke
Time: 1 hr 30 mins
Rating: R

Plot: A sex-addicted con-man (Rockwell) dropped out of medical school to get a job to afford his mother’s (Huston) hospital bills. He also plays on the sympathies of others who rescue him from choking to death at restaurants.

Who’s It For? It’s a dark comedy that should have gone darker. Based on Chuck Palahniuk’s novel, it doesn’t carry the same bite or impact as Fight Club.

Expectations: I actually had the book Choke waiting for me at the library, but due to an early screening, I didn’t read it before the film. All I knew was Rockwell was starring. Safe Men made me a Rockwell fan.

SCORECARD (0-10)

Actors:
Sam Rockwell as Victor: Rockwell’s wispy loaf of a haircut doesn’t aid him well, but he does his best to prove he’s a sex addict. From the first moment of having sex with his sex addict sponsor, his addiction is an amusement. Perhaps that is the difficulty of a (normal) sex addict, those of us who aren’t don’t see the problem in it.
Score: 7 ... Continue Reading

Miracle at St. Anna
Directed by: Spike Lee
Cast: Derek Luke, Michael Ealy, Laz Alonso, Omar Benson Miller
Time: 2 hours and 40 mins
Rating: R

Plot: A group of four African American soldiers are behind enemy lines in Tuscany, Italy during World War II. There lives are drastically changed when one of them decides to risk his life to save an Italian boy.

Who’s It For? First and foremost, it’s a war movie. The twist in the beginning is almost forgotten as we’re placed. There is a hint of romance, a lot of racism and some vicious violent war scenes.

Expectations: Inside Man shocked me with Lee’s changed style. Plus, the screenplay is written by James McBride who wrote the novel. Normally that is a good sign that the vision of the story will remain intact.

SCORECARD (0-10)

Actors:
Derek Luke as Aubrey Stamps: Every moment of racial tension is captured by Derek as the soldier who plays it straight while dealing with the racist commander. It’s easy to root for Stamps, who believes his involvement in the war is a step toward racial equality even with being able to experience an odd freedom while in Italy.
Score: 6 ... Continue Reading

The Duchess
Directed by: Saul Dibb
Cast: Keira Knightley, Ralph Fiennes, Dominic Cooper, Hayley Atwell
Time: 1 hr 50 mins
Rating: PG-13

Plot: The Duchess of Devonshire, Georgiana Spencer (Knightley), was the original “it girl.” This film chronicles the life of the 18th century Duchess and her stormy relationship with the Duke (Fiennes).

Who’s It For? This is for all of you who want to feel the pain of a woman in a loveless marriage in the 1700s.

Expectations: Knightley and Fiennes in a period piece … Is this a rerun? Sure feels like it, and as for the director, I hadn’t seen a Dibb film yet, so this was my first.

SCORECARD (1-10)

Actors:
Kiera Knightley as The Duchess of Devonshire, Georgiana Spencer: Her name is long, and this performance drags as well. Here’s something we need to explain ... Continue Reading

Narrative Review

Eagle Eye
Directed by: D.J. Caruso
Cast: Shia LeBouf, Michelle Monaghan, Billy-Bob Thornton
Time: 1 hr 58 mins
Rating: PG-13

Newly-minted Hollywood bad boy Shia LaBeouf can add another action-packed feather to his cap. This week’s high-octane release Eagle Eye may not feature the most original plot, but it secures LaBeouf’s place as one of young Hollywood’s most promising action tickets.

Following up on recent hits Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, as well as last year’s Transformers, LaBeouf re-teams with director D.J. Caruso (who also helmed 2007’s Disturbia) for a newer, shallower and much more manic retelling of a story we’ve heard before (and will be hearing again).

LaBeouf plays Jerry Shaw, an average guy who hates ... Continue Reading

Eagle Eye
Directed by: D. J. Caruso
Cast: Shia LaBeouf, Michelle Monaghan, Billy Bob Thornton, Michael Chiklis, Rosario Dawson
Time: 2 hours
Rating: PG-13

Plot: Two strangers, Jerry Shaw (LaBeouf) and Rachel Holloman (Monaghan) meet after receiving mysterious phone calls from a woman they have never met. Tracking them with everyday technology the caller threatens their lives and forces them to complete a series of tasks that turn them into fugitives on the run. The unlikely pair work together to discover what is happening and why they are involved.

Who’s It For? If you enjoy fast action and chase scenes this one is for you. You’ll appreciate it more if you can suspend rational thinking for a couple hours.

Expectations: This reminds me of a couple movies I enjoyed like Enemy of the State and Live Free ... Continue Reading

Narrative Review

Miracle at St. Anna
Directed by: Spike Lee
Cast: Derek Luke, Michael Ealy, Laz Alonso, Omar Benson Miller
Time: 2 hours and 40 mins
Rating: R

It’s nearly impossible to make a great film. Making a really good film is a different story. The main difference is great films rarely stray too far from the story being told. While they do contain series of subplots, each tangent is an essential addition to the film. They provide a nice layering that pads the story into a visual novel.

Spike Lee is an excellent cinematic storyteller. This is a fact you cannot dispute. That being said, even great storytellers don’t always make great films. Miracle at St. Anna is an ambitious rehashing of James McBride’s novel about the 92nd Infantry Division’s involvement in the Italian campaign during the closing years of World War II. Where other directors may have pointed fingers, and gotten preachy by over generalizing the large-scale segregation of America’s African American troops of the era, Lee simply tells a specified story of four soldier’s whose lives came together amidst these vexing conditions.

We begin in the present day (okay, 1983), following a mild-mannered man whose job as a post-office employee funds a relatively trouble-free life in New York City. He’s quiet, loves John Wayne-starring war films, and God. It’s when he blows a pasty, European man away in cold blood (seemingly unprovoked), the questions flood the audience as quickly as he wielded the gun: Why? Did he know that guy? Is he crazy? ... Continue Reading

Narrative Review

The Lucky Ones
Directed by: Neil Burger
Cast: Rachel McAdams, Michael Pena, Tim Robbins
Time: 1 hr 51 mins
Rating: R

Imagine a world in which free will does not exist. Sucks, doesn’t it? Now imagine that a free world does exist, but you have no access to it. For 111 grueling minutes, three lost souls find themselves amidst a slew of situational reminders that though they may not be traditionally free, it’s their choices that decide whether or not they will one day know what it feels like to decide for themselves.

Plotting a course not too dissimilar from that taken in Stop Loss, Neil Burger’s The Lucky Ones is a tale of three soldiers (McAdams, Pena, Robbins) whose luck has all but run out. Stuck fighting a war that few still believe in, they are unable to break free, and despite attaining wounds on the field of battle, are granted a mere 30 days to regroup for yet another tour of duty. Burger’s vision isn’t so much to cinematically trash-talk the war as it is to satirize the people who blindly judge those who fight it. It’s an interesting angle that he pulls off in subtle visual comedic moments, and once involving a cameo from John Heard that’s too deliciously funny a scene to spoil with explanation.

This is a story about three different people in very similar predicaments. Tim Robbins nails his role as Cheever, a middle-aged veteran whose patience with the longevity of military life has reached the end of the road, only to realize life as a civilian can toss you just as many curves. By dumbing down her innate wit and masking the grace that stole hearts in both The Notebook and Wedding Crashers, Rachel McAdams plays Colee, a wounded soldier whose simpleton naivety is sincerely depicted to a T of unfailing diligence, and heartbreaking innocence. The real story in this film is Pena. ... Continue Reading

Opening this weekend:

Eagle Eye
Fireproof
Miracle at St. Anna
Nights in Rodanthe
Choke
Forever Strong
The Lucky Ones

And we have plenty of reviews this week. Three for Eagle Eye (trying something new with a plethora of opinions), two for Miracle at St. Anna, and then we also review The Lucky Ones, Choke, and Nights in Rodanthe.

This was my week of high hopes. I was expecting big things out of Spike Lee, Shia LaBeouf and Sam Rockwell. I guess I’ll wait until next time.

And now it’s time for everyone’s (or at least 12 people’s) favorite new game … Here’s how it works, just decide the order. Points are awarded as such …
#1 at the box office = 5 points
2 = 4 points
3 = 3 points
4 = 2 points
5 = 1 point

Your goal: Try to beat us. Our ... Continue Reading

We start the Top 7. You finish the Top 10.

Sam Rockwell is an enigmatic Hollywood leading man. Why? Well, it’s difficult to assert that he’s actually reached that esteemed level. Despite attaining an admirable resume throughout his eclectic career, his versatility as an actor has been overshadowed by our inability to efficiently classify what it is he brings to the big screen that makes him so good.

With the looming premiere of Choke the 39-year-old may be on the verge of the break through many of his fans have been waiting for. Though their collective patience may be wearing thin, there are a slew of roles in which Rockwell has shown his promise of one of Hollywood’s most versatile actors. While he may have yet to find the niche most actors ... Continue Reading

Neil Burger is calm. As he stretches himself across a couch likely more expensive than anything I will ever own, his demeanor forces me to relax. I like him immediately. After slinging a slew of random inquisitions at him, it’s easy to read he’s willing to talk about more than whether or not his latest film The Lucky Ones should be looked at just another cinematic depiction of a country at war.

“You know our movie’s not a ‘war’ movie. It’s really about American now. It’s a road-trip movie.”

Though he’s not protectively assertive in his insistence that his film is largely an observational piece about America, it’s easy to see he says what he means.

Burger continues, “I think the movie is like a snapshot of the country. In a way, it’s… ... Continue Reading

WEEKEND TOP 5 STUDIO ESTIMATES, SEPTEMBER 19-21, 2008

1. Lakeview Terrace - $15.6 million
2. Burn After Reading - $11.3 million
3. My Best Friend’s Girl - $8.3 million
4. Igor - $8.0 million
5. Righteous Kill - $7.7 million

Well, I was right. But unfortunately it was only once. Lakeview Terrace claimed the number one spot. Here’s how the Box Office Preview game played out for Sept. 19…

Bayer, Pohl and Pardee tie. No winners (for the staff) again this week. But Kyle comes out of nowhere and proves sun shines on a dog’s arse every once in a while. Well done Kyle, almost perfect nailing the first four spots for a total of 14 points. Feel free to talk all the trash you want. ... Continue Reading

Ghost Town
Directed by: David Koepp
Cast: Ricky Gervais, Greg Kinnear, Téa Leoni
Time: 1 hr 40 mins
Rating: PG-13

Plot: Bertram Pincus is a dentist (Gervais) who would rather be left alone. After a near-death experience, he can see dead people in New York City. He is stuck helping the very dead Frank (Kinnear) attempt to separate his widowed wife (Leoni) with her new fiance (Billy Campbell).

Who’s It For? This is a light comedy with not enough of anything to fall in love with or hate. It’s the perfect no-brain renter if you can appreciate the snarky humor coming from Gervais.

Expectations: I like all three of the leads here so I was willing, but they are in the hands the screenwriter behind Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull in Koepp (director of Secret Window) and this was his first attempt at directing a comedy. ... Continue Reading

Lakeview Terrace
Directed by: Neil LaBute
Cast: Samuel L. Jackson, Patrick Wilson, Kerry Washington
Time: 1 hr 45 mins
Rating: PG-13

Plot: An interracial newlywed couple (Wilson and Washington) move into their dream home and soon realize they have issues with their neighbor. A disapproving Los Angeles police officer (Jackson) harasses his new neighbors until things go too far.

Who’s It For? If you want to see this one with your lady friend and hope she will cling to you because she’s scared, you might be disappointed. This is more of a psychological thriller than anything else. Surprisingly, there is as much humor as there is suspense.

Expectations: I am hoping the edge of the seats has good cushioning. I’m waiting for Samuel L. Jackson to pop out from behind a door or the ... Continue Reading

The new films getting wide release this week are:

Lakeview Terrace - 6/10, reviewed by Pohl
Igor - I’ve seen the trailer, and I’m not impressed with the animation, yet another Cusack miss
My Best Friend’s Girl - no screening in Portland, that smells like a stinker
Ghost Town - 4/10, reviewed by Bayer

Let’s play a game. We attempted this last week, but we’re calling that the preseason.
It’s time to predict the Top 5 at the box office this weekend.
Here’s how it works, just decide the order. Points are awarded as such …

#1 at the box office = 5 points
2 = 4 points
3 = 3 points
4 = 2 points
5 = 1 point

Your goal: Try to beat us.
Our goal: Prove our dominance.

Just add your predictions below, and yes, it’s kind of cheating if ... Continue Reading

With leaves changing, the weather cooling and football fully caked into the air (and weekend plans) it’s time to start thinking ahead of the spend your time in the theaters.

Here’s a quick guide to October movies, but before we get to that, let’s talk about the biggest disappointment this fall. “Saturday Night Live.” Currently 0-2, with Michael Phelps and James Franco hosting the first two episodes there has been one great sketch (Tina Fey as Sarah Palin), and one great idea (James Franco as Agent 420). That’s it. How could they not spend the entire summer thinking and planning? If nothing else every single season premiere should have a sketch of all the things they missed making fun of during the summer.

The good news … Anna Faris is hosting 9/28 ... Continue Reading

WEEKEND TOP 5 STUDIO ESTIMATES, SEPTEMBER 12-14, 2008

Rank. Movie Title (Distributor)
Weekend Gross | Theaters | Total Gross | Week #

1. Burn After Reading (Focus Features)
$19.4 million | 2,651 | $19.4 million | 1

2. Tyler Perry’s The Family That Preys (Lionsgate)
$18.0 million | 2,070 | $18.0 million | 1

3. Righteous Kill (Overture Films)
$16.5 million | 3,152 | $16.5 million | 1

4. The Women (2008) (Picturehouse)
$10.1 million | 2,962 | $10.1 million | 1

5. The House Bunny (Sony / Columbia)
$4.3 million | 2,763 | $42.2 million | 4

Source: Box Office Mojo (www.boxofficemojo.com)

Wow, what happened to Tropic Thunder — it dropped out of the top 5. Oh well, guess it was time to go with so many new films opening this weekend.

And we have a new competition here on TSR. Staff ... Continue Reading

We start the Top 7. You finish the Top 10.

When it comes to movies, ladies rule.

Some of the world’s biggest stars have been born on Hollywood sound stages, and the most unforgettable of them have been women. We’re fascinated by them—whether that fascination is born from admiration, repulsion or lust, the moments that made them icons stay with us.

Today, the stories women tell on screen appeal mostly to… well, other women. Girls drag reluctant dates into “Legally Blonde” or “Devine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood,” and whether they’ll admit it or not, guys secretly enjoy it in spite of themselves. New romance classics like “A Walk to Remember” and “Moulin Rouge” seem to have a similar appeal, and thus also earn the bittersweet designation of “chick flick.”

With films like “The Women” and “Sex and the City: The Movie” bringing ladies back into the center of attention (where they belong) this year, it’s time to take a look at the Top 7 Chick Flicks of the past 20 years. ... Continue Reading

Burn After Reading
Directed by: Joel Coen and Ethan Coen
Cast: George Clooney, Frances McDormand, Brad Pitt, John Malkovich, Tilda Swinton
Time: 1 hr 35 mins
Rating: R

Plot: CIA analyst Osborne Cox (Malkovich) is let go from his job and two gym employees (McDormand and Pitt) stumble upon a disk containing his memoirs. The two attempt to sell it to anyone who will listen.

Who’s It For? It’s goofball, oddity humor that reminds me of a mix between Raising Arizona and Blood Simple. The film keeps you uneasy with some violence and it’s not a straight forward comedy.

Expectations: I was pumped, it’s a great cast and a chance to see the Coen’s attack comedy with killing after the very strong No Country for Old Men.

SCORECARD (1-10)

Actors:
George Clooney as Harry Pfarrer: He’s had the full beard ... Continue Reading

Righteous Kill
Directed by: Jon Avnet
Cast: Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, Curtis Jackson (50 Cent), Carla Gugino
Time: 1 hr 45 mins
Rating: R

Plot: A pair of veteran New York City police detectives (De Niro and Pacino) are on the trail of a vigilante serial killer, which may turn out to be one of New York City’s finest.

Who’s It For? It’s hard to overlook the star power behind this film, so I won’t. The names De Niro and Pacino will put people in the seats. There is violence and one blurred over rape scene.

Expectations: It’s funny, I wasn’t hearing any buzz, good or bad. The only thing I knew about this film was that Pacino’s character was originally written for a young actor, De Niro showed it to him, and ... Continue Reading

The Women
Directed by: Diane English
Cast: Meg Ryan, Annette Bening, Debra Messing, Jada Pinkett Smith, Eva Mendes
Time: 1 hr 55 mins
Rating: PG-13

Plot: Mary (Ryan) discovers her husband is having an affair. Her friends come to her aid and confront the shop girl (Mendes) who has her clutches in Mary’s man.

Who’s It For? If you are going through a divorce maybe this will help you gain perspective, or perhaps you are worried that you’re the worst parent.

Expectations: I was hoping that The Women would be able to embrace the difficult, delicate subject of beauty in America or at least be more entertaining then Sex and the City: The Movie. It doesn’t, but there is a documentary out ... Continue Reading

Narrative Review

Burn After Reading
Directed by: Joel Coen and Ethan Coen
Cast: George Clooney, Frances McDormand, Brad Pitt, John Malkovich, Tilda Swinton
Time: 1 hr 35 mins
Rating: R

Earlier this year the Coen Brothers brought home some notable hardware for their peculiarly blunt No Country for Old Men. By bringing the same fresh sense of perspective, and uncanny attention to cinematic detail, the siblings adequately rivaled anything they had completed before by taking another step forward. In an effort to, perhaps quiet the storm of Oscar, they’ve brought us a film that reminds us how dark their version of comedy can be.

The only trouble was, they may have had too much to work with. In the end, it’s more of a mess than a masterpiece.

When you employ a cast of legendary Hollywood ringers, it’s ... Continue Reading

We start the Top 7. You finish the Top 10.

The latest installment of the Indiana Jones series was released earlier this year, nearly twenty years after the previous film. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull received mixed reviews but grossed over $126M opening weekend. It was still an Indiana Jones film and still brought some of the same magic we saw in the first three in the series.

I consider myself a die-hard … oh wait, wrong franchise … a huge Indiana Jones fan. With the Crystal Skull DVD due to be released October 14th I wanted to recall some of the best moments in the series.

There are so many great scenes. Narrowing it down was tougher than I expected.

7. Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost ... Continue Reading

Press Release from Focus Features –

Production begins today on location in Minnesota on A Serious Man, for Focus Features and Working Title Films. Joel and Ethan Coen, Academy Award winners for No Country for Old Men and Fargo, are writing, producing, and directing the film. Working Title co-chairs Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner are executive-producing the film with Robert Graf, who has worked on the Coens’ last six features in various producing capacities.

The director of photography on A Serious Man is seven-time Academy Award nominee Roger Deakins, who is marking his tenth feature collaboration with the Coens. Mary Zophres is the film’s costume designer, marking her ninth feature collaboration with the Coens. Jess Gonchor is the production designer, marking his third feature collaboration with the Coens. ... Continue Reading

WEEKEND TOP 5 STUDIO ESTIMATES, SEPTEMBER 5-7, 2008

Rank. Movie Title (Distributor)
Weekend Gross | Theaters | Total Gross | Week #

1. Bangkok Dangerous (Lionsgate)
$7.8 million | 2,650 | $7.8 million | 1

2. Tropic Thunder (Paramount (DreamWorks)
$7.5 million | 3,446 | $96.8 million | 4

3. The House Bunny (Sony / Columbia)
$5.9 million | 2,736 | $37.0 million | 3

4. The Dark Knight (Warner Bros.)
$5.7 million | 2,575 | $512.2 million | 8

5. Traitor (Overture Films)
$4.7 million | 2,108 | $17.7 million | 2

Source: Box Office Mojo (www.boxofficemojo.com)

Wow, no one saw movies this last weekend. I assume this was due to some football. Both college football and the NFL were in full swing this weekend, and next to Nic Cage in an action movie, there wasn’t much of a choice.

“The Dark ... Continue Reading

Every week (Wednesday or Thursday), look for a new article titled “Box Office Preview” followed by the Friday date.

There you will get a chance to see what films are coming out that weekend, who reviewed the films from our staff and also play TSR’s Top 5 Box Office Challenge .

Jeff Bayer and the rest of the staff will compete to see who correctly predicts the order of the top films for that weekend.

Here’s how it works, just decide the order. Points are awarded as such …
#1 at the box office = 5 points
2 = 4 points
3 = 3 points
4 = 2 points
5 = 1 point

So if you guessed the #1, and the #3 films, that would be 8 points.

Your goal: Try to beat us.
Our goal… ... Continue Reading

American the Beautiful is a documentary by Daryl Roberts that focuses on the body image of women and explores the question of whether America has an unhealthy obsession with beauty. The quick answer is of course, yes, but Roberts gives specific examples and interviews a wide variety of people to clearly show the problem.

I sat down with Roberts at the Avalon Hotel in Portland and spoke about body image (obviously), the 12-year-old model showcased in the film, and any solutions to these issues.

Early on in the film, you spoke about the girl that got away … Was this whole film a love letter to this girl?
No, as a matter of fact, I went out of my way to make sure she never sees it. It’s embarrassing. I would never want her to see that part of the documentary.

It’s rated R? Why?
Eve Ensler said, “Get a bigger dick,” right in the middle of the film and they gave me an R for it.
Come on … that’s it?
They hit independents hard. If it was a studio film it would have been as PG as PG gets. It was just rated in Canada and they gave us a PG and said it was unbelievable that they gave us an R. ... Continue Reading

Babylon A.D.
Directed by: Mathieu Kassovitz
Cast: Vin Diesel, Michelle Yeoh, Mélanie Thierry
Time: 1 hr 35 mins
Rating: PG-13

Quickcard Review

Plot:Toorip (Vin Diesel) is a mercenary hired to deliver a young woman (Mélanie Thierry) from post-apocalyptic Eastern Europe to New York City, but she has a mysterious secret that leads many to try and claim her as their own, including the religious group, the Neolites.

Overall: It doesn’t help when everyone struggles pronouncing Toorip’s name. I was thinking it might have been Tulip for the first half. But that’s not nearly the big problem here. It seems that director Kassovitz fully understands the world he is creating, but he never bothers to explain it to the rest of us.
The film starts with a voiceover from Diesel, and you remember how easy it is ... Continue Reading

Bruce Springsteen is back to working on soundtracks. Darren Aronofsky (Requiem for a Dream, The Fountain) has gotten the Jersey native to craft a song for the final credits to his new film The Wrestler starring Mickey Rourke. This quote is directly from Aronofsky’s blog.

off to venice on wednesday. but i wanted to just share with you all the other music news i talked about in the past post. bruce springsteen wrote a beautiful original song for the closing the film. called THE WRESTLER it is a wonderful acoustic piece. makes me choke up every time i hear it. he really captured the spirit of the film and mickey’s character in the piece.
This adds to the already impressive list of “Streets of Philadelphia,” “Dead Man Walkin’” and “Secret Garden.” ... Continue Reading

About a week ago, I tried to find a decent guide to the Fall TV season. It couldn’t be done, and Entertainment Weekly hadn’t completed their Fall TV issue yet, so I was lost.

Now I am found. The TV Addict designed a nice, printable guide to the Fall 2008 TV season.

I am shocked to learn that I have to wait until October 30, 2008 for the first “30 Rock” episode. And I assume I have to watch “Friday Night Lights” online this season since I don’t have DirecTV. Perhaps someone will explain.

Anyway, I fully believe their is more to life than movies, and the TV Addict clearly understands.

CLICK HERE to download the Fall TV 2008 Season Premiere Printable Calendar ... Continue Reading

Rank. Movie Title (Distributor)
Weekend Gross | Theaters | Total Gross | Week #

1. Tropic Thunder (Paramount (DreamWorks)
$14.3 million | 3,473 | $86.6 million | 3

2. Babylon A.D. (Fox)
$12.0 million | 3,390 | $12.0 million | 1

3. The Dark Knight (Warner Bros.)
$11.0 million | 2,750 | $504.7 million | 7

4. The House Bunny (Sony / Columbia)
$10.2 million | 2,714 | $29.8 million | 2

5. Traitor (Overture Films)
$10.0 million | 2,054 | $11.5 million | 1

Source: Box Office Mojo (www.boxofficemojo.com)

My “quality rank” of the Top 5.
Dark Knight
Tropic Thunder
House Bunny
Traitor
Babylon A.D.

My scores for those films actually goes 9, 8, 7, 6 and then Babylon messes everything up by getting a 4. I haven’t written that review yet and might just give a quick blurb. Good start, terrible finish pretty much seems ... Continue Reading