The Scorecard Review

Box Office

WEEKEND TOP 5 STUDIO ESTIMATES, JANUARY 23-25, 2009 Rank. Movie Title - Weekend Gross | Theaters | Total Gross | Week #

1. Paul Blart: Mall Cop - $21.5 million | 3,144 | $64.8 million | 2

2. Underworld: Rise of the Lycans - $20.7 million | 2,942 | $20.7 million | 1

3. Gran Torino - $16.0 million | 3,045 | $97.6 million | 7

4. Hotel for Dogs - $12.4 million | 3,271 | $37.0 million | 2

5. Slumdog Millionaire - $10.6 million | 1,411 | $55.9 million | 11

Source: www.boxofficemojo.com

Slumdog is making a run at the box office and remains the front-runner for an Oscar for Best Picture. But why make a beautiful, thought-provoking Indian film when you could just make a movie about a fat mall cop?

And it doesn't seem that

Jan 22
Jan 22 Inkheart

Inkheart Directed by: Iain Softley Cast: Brendan Fraser, Paul Bettany, Helen Mirren, Andy Serkis Running Time: 1 hr 45 mins Rating: PG

Plot:Mo Folchart (Fraser) is a "silvertongue" - someone who can bring the words of books to life by reading them out loud. Ten years ago, he lost his wife when he read from fantasy novel Inkheart, and is now trying to retrieve her with the help of his daughter (Bennett) and various characters from the book. An adaptation of the book of the same title written by Cornelia Funke.

Who’s It For? Anyone in the higher grades of elementary school - readers or not. Every kid of around that age is likely to catch some type of reading bug from Inkheart. However, with adults - not so much. They'll probably wonder why Brendan Fraser

Jan 22
Jan 22 Pitt, Jenkins, Hathaway speak about Oscar Nominations

Once you get nominated for an Academy Award, you must give thanks. Here are some of the thanks ...

Brad Pitt’s statement on today’s nominations. “This is a great honor for the movie, and I'm especially happy for David Fincher, for without him there would be no Ben Button.” Anne Hathaway on being nominated for Best Actress Academy Award: “It is such a thrill to be recognized in this category with these remarkably talented women. I was with my parents and my dog when I got the news and we were all overjoyed- although I'm not sure my dog knew what was going on. This is a great day to be an actress!" Taraji Henson’s statement on today’s nominations: “I am very excited, deeply honored and grateful. I thank Laray Mayfield, David Fincher, Frank Marshall and Kathleen

Jan 21
Jan 21 Oscar Snubs Eastwood, Shows Benjamin Button Some Love

Morrow McLaughlin

Oscar Snubs and Loves The Oscar nominations were announced this morning and the world held its breath in suspense...or at least the parts of the world not steeped in war, poverty, starvation, or an economy on its death bed. Correction: the Oscar nominations were announced this morning and the motion picture industry was all a-flutter, and the rest of us were mildly interested, but ultimately distracted by harsh reality.

Revolutionary Road was all but ignored, except for a Best Actor nod for Michael Shannon, who represents the only voice of truth in a movie Dave McCoy, msn.com, lovingly refers to as an "overwrought piece of garbage."

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button earned 13 nods including Best Actor Brad Pitt and Best Supporting Actress for Taraji P. Henson.

Kate Winslet got a

Jan 22
Jan 22 Dakota Fanning Negotiates for Role In New Moon

Morrow McLaughlin

Dang. It appears we are watching Dakota Fanning grow up ... and with that are some big time, mainstream choices. According to Marc Malkin at E!, Dakota Fanning has been offered a role in New Moon and is currently in negotiations. If all goes well, Fanning will be slotted to play the porcelian, pint-sized terror Jane, who is a member of Italy's Volturi. The Volturi are one of the oldest vampire families in Stephenie Meyer's best-selling Twilight series and Jane is arguably the one of the more perilous and fascinating family members.

Fanning is a well-known child actor, co-starring with an impressive litnany of actors, including Sean Penn, Robert De Niro, Tom Cruise and Denzel Washington

Jan 22
Jan 22 81st Annual Academy Award Nomations (The Oscars)

The nominations for the Oscars are out ... The Acadmey Awards will air on ABC on February 22. Best Motion Picture of the Year "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" "Frost/Nixon" "Milk" "The Reader" "Slumdog Millionaire"

Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role Richard Jenkins in "The Visitor" Frank Langella in "Frost/Nixon" Sean Penn in "Milk" Brad Pitt in "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" Mickey Rourke in "The Wrestler"

Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role Josh Brolin in "Milk" Robert Downey Jr. in "Tropic Thunder" Philip Seymour Hoffman in "Doubt" Heath Ledger in "The Dark Knight" Michael Shannon in "Revolutionary Road"

Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role Anne Hathaway in "Rachel Getting Married" Angelina Jolie in "Changeling" Melissa Leo in "Frozen River" Meryl Streep in "Doubt" Kate Winslet in "The Reader"

Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role Amy Adams in "Doubt" Penélope Cruz in "Vicky Cristina Barcelona" Viola Davis in

Jan 21
Jan 21 Cobra Commander talks G.I. Joe

It's rare for a film to keep this tight-lipped about a blockbuster, without M. Night Shamalan being involved ... but it's hard to get my G.I. Joe fix. This was my toy growing up. I had almost every character (including the original Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow) and loved the cartoon, complete with red and blue lazers that never hit anything.

So for now, I'll have to be content with Joseph Gordon Levitt talking about playing Cobra Commander and being pretty happy about the whole thing. "It was nothing but fun," he'll say. "People have been asking me about 'G.I. Joe' like 'Oh, it's so different.' or 'You normally do these works of art and now you're doing this.' But I'll tell you the truth, the reason I did 'G.I. Joe' was the

Jan 21
Jan 21 Rumors from Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

First off, the title change happened a while ago, so if you are still calling it Transformers: Rise of the Fallen, correct yourself before nerds every where beat you to death. Rainn Wilson will join Megan Fox, Shia LaBeouf, John Duhamel and John Turturro in cashing checks for years to come when Troth (Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen) hits theaters this summer on June 26, 2009.

IGN cornered screenwriter Roberto Orci at a party and got these nuggets and more out of the man ... The outrageous, crazy humor is more outrageous, but then so is the serious side of it and so is the stakes of the Transformers plot and the seriousness with which some of their mythology is treated. So it sounds like Orci thinks the original just isn't good compared to

Jan 21
Jan 21 The Watchmen WILL be out March 6, 2009

We Will Indeed Watch the Watchmen Finally, Watchmen has justice.

The recent squabble over the rights to the upcoming anti-superhero film between Warner Brothers and Fox has ended. However, as predicted by TSR managing editor Jeff Bayer about a month ago, WB is going to be giving Fox a decent sized paycheck.

For starters, the film will be released on schedule - March 6, 2009.

However, Fox will be paid somewhere between 5 to 10 million up front, which will help cover the 1.4 million or so that Fox spent developing the film. The payment will also cover legal fees.

When released, Fox will get somewhere between 5 percent and 8.5 percent of Watchmen's worldwide gross, depending on how well it does. Should there be spinoffs or sequels, Fox will also earn some gross

Jan 21
Jan 21 Philip Seymour Hoffman to direct Jack Goes Boating

Overture Films has recently set Oscar winning thespian Philip Seymour Hoffman to try his hand at directing with their adaptation of Bob Glaudini's Off Broadway play,Jack Goes Boating. Variety describes it as a unique romantic comedy in New York City, involving swimming lessons, cooking classes, and drugs.

Hoffman will also star in the picture, as will Gone Baby Gone's Amy Ryan. John Ortiz and Daphne Rubin-Vega will reprise their parts from the original production.

While this is Hoffman's first directorial bout, this is not his first time producing. His company, Cooper's Town produced Capote - the film that helped him earn his first Oscar.

Philip Seymour Hoffman has wowed us with numerous performances in the past, so here's hoping he's learned a few things from directors like Charlie Kaufman, Paul Thomas Anderson, and Anthony Minghella. Filming

Jan 20
Jan 20 Sundance news with Black Dynamite and Brooklyn's Finest

David Pohl

Black Dynamite This year's Sundance Film Festival kicked off last Thursday in Park City, Utah and some filmmakers are already seeing a return on their investment.

After its 11:30 p.m. premier Sunday and overnight negotiations, Sony Pictures purchased the rights to Black Dynamite early Monday morning for around $2 million. The "blaxploitation" film directed by Scott Sanders is set in the 1970s and centers around drugs, violence and the mysterious hero "Black Dynamite."

After watching the trailer, Black Dynamite immediately brings to mind some mix of the 1970s films, Shaft

Jan 19
Jan 19 Box Office Review - January 19, 2009

Box Office

WEEKEND TOP 5 STUDIO ESTIMATES, JANUARY 16-18, 2009 Rank. Movie Title - Weekend Gross | Theaters | Total Gross | Week #

1. Paul Blart: Mall Cop - $33.8 million | 3,144 | $33.8 million | 1

2. Gran Torino - $22.2 million | 2,972 | $73.2 million | 6

3. My Bloody Valentine 3-D - $21.9 million | 2,534 | $21.9 million | 1

4. Notorious (2009) - $21.5 million | 1,638 | $21.5 million | 1

5. Hotel for Dogs - $17.7 million | 3,271 | $17.7 million | 1

The Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday ended with me thinking one movie thought ... Blart me. Kevin James did it. He made money. Now the poor, fat man's Adam Sandler will be allowed to make more films like this. Good job America. And it's weird

Jan 19
Jan 19 My Bloody Valentine 3-D

My Bloody Valentine 3D Directed by: Patrick Lussier Cast: Jensen Ackles, Jaime King, Kerr Smith Running Time: 1 hr 40 mins Rating: R

Plot: The town of Harmony, Pennsylvania is terrorized by a gas-mask wearing killer named Harry who has returned on the ten-year anniversary of his original massacre.

Who’s It For? The advertisements have it right when selling this as a date movie. But let it be known that this isn't your parent's slasher flick. Also, this is a near must-see for horror fans, as they could debate whether this is one of the more successful slasher flicks in years.

Expectations: From the start, this movie looked like a horror movie with a fun gimmick that in the end could save or financially finish off the flop-prone distributor Lionsgate. Would the usage of 3-D really add

Jan 18
Jan 18 Notorious

Notorious Directed by: George Tillman Jr. Cast: Jamal Woolard, Angela Bassett, Derek Luke, Naturi Naughton Running Time: 2 hours Rating: R

Plot: Christopher “The Notorious B.I.G.” Wallace (Woolard) – who, in just a few short years, shot from the tough streets of Brooklyn to the heights of hip-hop legend.

Who’s It For? This is not a re-release or remake of the 1946 film Notorious, so Alfred Hitchcock fans shouldn't get too excited. This is a standard bio-pic, set in the hip hop world.

Expectations: I am a fringe R&B fan, just knowing the hits of 50-Cent, Kanye West, and Eminem. I thought this was a good of way as any to get immersed into the life of Biggie Smalls.

SCORECARD (0-10)

Actors: Jamal Woolard as Christopher 'Biggie' Wallace: He's got the 'big' part down. Woolard is a large man that

Jan 17
Jan 17 Last Chance Harvey

Chris De Salvo

Last Chance Harvey Directed by: Joel Hopkins Cast: Dustin Hoffman, Emma Thompson, Kathy Baker, Liane Balaban Running Time: 1 hr, 32 minutes Rating: PG-13

Plot: The story of what happens to a man whose twilight years have come upon him too quickly for him to amend the wrongs he’s done his family. It also involves how the budding of new love can mend the broken bridges of love since fallen flat.

Who’s It For?: If you liked About Schmidt, but felt too displaced by Nicholson’s age rather than his aging disposition, you’ll prefer the way Hopkins handles the juxtaposition of love and the inevitable loneliness of elderly life.

Expectations: Jack Nicholson has made a steady (if not astoundingly impressive) career out of portraying a man whose playboy years are far behind him. Hoffman’s childish grace has seemed

Jan 17
Jan 17 Ciao

Megan Lehar

Ciao Directed by: Yen Tan Cast: Adam Neal Smith, Alessandro Calza, Ethel Lung, Charles W. Blaum Running Time: 1 hour 30 min Rating: R

Plot: Jeff (Adam Neal Smith) ties up the loose ends after Mark (Charles W. Blaum) dies in a car accident. When Andrea (Alessandro Calza) emails Mark to finalize plans for a visit, Jeff tells him Mark is dead. Then he invites him to visit anyway. The two men bond over the loss of Mark, a man they knew in very different ways.

Who’s It For? Anyone who doesn't mind films about loss. The main characters are gay, so this is a "gay" film in the way that Sex in the City is a woman's movie. You don't have to be gay to enjoy it, but if you aren't

Jan 15
Jan 15 Defiance

Defiance Directed by: Edward Zwick Cast: Daniel Craig, Liev Schreiber, Jamie Bell Running Time: 2 hrs 15 mins Rating: R

Plot: In 1941, three courageous Belarussian brothers lead a growing number of fellow Jews to survive in the forest. A remarkable true story that was previously quiet since the brothers involved sought no recognition for their bravery.

Who’s It For? This is a film with a wholly universal audience, despite its religious concentration. If anything, Craig fans looking for more action will be distracted by a performance that steers away from his Bondian-image.

Expectations: I was curious to see if Defiance would honor the strength of the Jewish people during World War II in a way different than recent Holocaust films like The Boy In Striped Pajamas or even The Counterfeiters. Equally compelling was the presence of

Jan 15
Jan 15 Hotel for Dogs

Morrow McLaughlin

Hotel for Dogs Directed by: Thor Freudenthal Cast: Emma Roberts, Jake T. Austin, Don Cheadle, Johnny Simmons, Kyla Pratt, Troy Gentile, Lisa Kudrow, Kevin Dillon Running Time: 1 hr 15 min Rating: PG

Plot: Two wily and street-smart foster kids (Roberts, Austin) begin saving every stray dog in the city and setting them up in an abandoned hotel.

Who’s It For? Kids. Parents will enjoy it if they have any remote connection with their inner-child, but Hotel for Dogs is aimed, unapologetically, at kids and kids alone. Do not expect covert adult humor.

Expectations: The previews didn’t appeal to me and I didn’t click my heels together and shout “Yay!” when I was asked to review this movie.

SCORECARD (0-10)

Actors:

Emma Roberts as Andi: Andi is our sweet-faced con artist without the misanthropy, and she is enjoyable to watch

Jan 15
Jan 15 Paul Blart: Mall Cop