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Weekend Box Office For December 26 – 28

#1 Marley and Me from Fox opens at #1 bringing $37 million in 3480 theaters. Budget is unknown.

#2 Bedtime Stories from Buena Vista opens at #2 netting $28 million in 3681 theaters. Budget is unknown.

#3 The Curious Case of Benjamin Button from Paramount opens at #3 bagging $27 million in 2988 theaters. Budget was $150 million.

#4 Valkyrie from UA opens at #4 bringing $21.5 million in 2711 theaters. Budget was $75 million.

#5 Yes Man from WB drops to #5 this weekend bringing in $16.4 million, down 9%, for a total of $49.5 million in 3434 theaters. Budget is unknown.

Rounding out the top 10 are:

#6 Seven Pounds Weekend Gross: $13,400,000, down 9% / Theaters: 2758 / Gross $39,026,000 / Budget: $55 million

#7 The Tale of Despereaux Weekend Gross: $9,368,000, down 7% / Theaters: 3107, up 3 / Gross: $27,945,000 / Budget unknown

#8 The Day The Earth Stood Still Weekend Gross: $7,900,000, down 20% / Theaters: 2402, down 1158 / Gross: $63,615,000 / Budget unknown

#9 Spirit Weekend Gross: $6,510,000 / Theaters: 2509 / Gross $6,510,000 / Budget unknown

#10 Doubt Weekend Gross: $5,675,000 / Theaters: 1267 / Gross $5,675,000 / Budget unknown

A note on “Gross”: On average, studios will earn approximately 55 percent of the final gross.

Sources:

Box Office Mojo

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Text Reviews Theatrical Review

Theatrical Review: Valkyrie

In the summer of 1944, Col. Claus von Stauffenberg of the German Army and a group of other ranking German officials, both military and civilian, attempted the last of the Germans own attempts to kill Adolf Hitler and wrest away control of Germany to peaceably negotiate an end to World War II. Valkyrie is the story of that attempt and it’s failure…

… and it’s one hell of a great movie from director Bryan Singer and star Tom Cruise. This marks the first time these two have worked together and I can only hope that they’ll do it again someday. Nothing is really spoon-fed to you here and though this plan seems like the best way to go about it, it always hangs on both timing and the wills of the players involved. What you have here is a pretty taut thriller, that still plays extremely well even though you already know the outcome.

I mention Tom Cruise specifically because he’s obviously the lead here, but the way the movie plays out, it’s way more of an ensemble than most might figure it to be, and there’s one hell of a good cast at work here. You’ve got Kenneth Brannagh, Bill Nighy, Tom Wilkinson, Eddie Izzard, Terence Stamp, Christian Berkel and Thomas Kretschmann amongst this fine cast and all are doing great work, with some stand out stuff from both Wilkinson, Nighy and Berkel in particular.

I’ve seen a lot of people talk about how this will disappoint them because Tom Cruise doesn’t speak with a German accent in the film, which of course is a lame reason for disappointment, especially considering that the bulk of the cast is British and doesn’t speak with a German accent either. This film has a pretty clever way of getting past that right at the start and it’s something that’s been done with other films (most notably The Hunt For Red October) because as we all know, audiences for the most part hate to read their movies… so big effin’ whoop over the fact that no one has a German accent here. I’ve also seen complaints about how this doesn’t get into much in the way of Naziism or the atrocities committed by the Germans, and while that might be a little valid, it’s not what the movie is about, and it’s pretty evidently stated that this group came together because they didn’t believe in the legacy that Hitler was leaving behind with his Germany, though some (most notably Wilkinson’s General Fromm) have different ambitions growing from the outcome.

I was riveted to this movie right from the start, and honestly can’t wait to see it again. For me anyway, it’s right up there with HBO’s movie Conspiracy and Oliver Hirschbiegel’s excellent film Downfall (and to a lesser effect Wolfgang Peterson’s Das Boot) about key moments on the German side during World War II. Highly recommended…

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Text Reviews Theatrical Review

Theatrical Review: The Spirit

The masked crimefighter of Central City known as The Spirit becomes embroiled in a plot by his archnemesis, The Octopus, to unlock mythological secrets that will garner for him the power to rule the world- all the while, also pursuing a mysterious woman from his past, the criminal Sand Saref.

The Spirit written and directed by Frank Miller and based on the comic strip series by legendary comics creator Will Eisner is a mixed bag. Miller is somewhat faithful to what Eisner has done, but decidedly, like Darwyn Cooke’s version of The Spirit for DC Comics, this isn’t an impression of Eisner’s work, it’s Frank Miller’s vision of the character, and what Miller has decided to do is go really big and over-the-top with The Spirit, not necessarily unlike what has been done in the past in movies with characters like Flash Gordon or Warren Beatty’s version of Dick Tracy. He’s embracing the sheer “comic book-iness” of it all rather than try to make it at all “real.”

The stuff that he does well, at least in my estimation, is the earnestness of the title hero, with The Spirit willing to show the extremes in his face between utter grimness and just wide-eyed silliness (stuff that Eisner did as well), and The Spirit himself is well portrayed by actor Gabriel Macht who really does a great job here and holds his own quite well. Scenes with him on screen are for the most part pretty cool. Another thing that he does well is embracing the sheer sexual quality of the many females in The Spirit’s life, and here those women are represented by such characters as the abovementioned Sand Saref, Silken Floss, Plaster of Paris and in a much more innocent way by Ellen Dolan (played by respectively Eva Mendes, Scarlett Johansson, Paz Vega and Sarah Paulson and they’re all terrific here, and just look fantastic).

Where the movie is hurt is in some pacing issues, scenes with The Octopus, Silken Floss and their toadies (all played by Louis Lombardi and it looks like he’s having a lot of fun with this), tend to go on to long and decide to show the characters in other lights that just fall flat. And personally, I think this was hurt also by the choice of using Samuel L. Jackson as The Octopus. Now in the comics, The Octopus’ face is never shown, and here, because it is Jackson, then Jackson does his “thing” as part of it and doesn’t really exude as much menace as he could. I think a better choice might’ve been to have done what was done in a movie like V For Vendetta where Hugo Weaving was cast as V and didn’t show his face through the entire movie. Weaving was still able to carry the day and preserve the mystery aspect of the character, and I think The Spirit would’ve benefitted from the same choice.

Other than that though, I had a pretty good time with the movie- it’s loaded with some great visuals (and the end credits show a lot of art from Miller’s storyboards for scenes) and has a great atmosphere about it, that is as long as your able to take the over-the-top manner in which it’s all presented, and Gabriel Macht as a leading man, is a talent to watch. This is a movie, much like Speed Racer that will no doubt be derided endlessly now (by most) but down the road could get a lot more appreciation.

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Weekend Box Office For December 19 – 21

#1 Yes Man from WB opens at #1 bagging $18.1 million in 3434 theaters. Budget is unknown.

#2 Seven Pounds From Sony debuts at #2 bringing in $16 million. Pounds showed in 2758 theaters. Budget was $55 million.

#3 The Tale of Despereaux from Universal debuts at #3 this weekend bringing in $10.5 million. Despereaux showed in 3104 theaters. Budget is unknown.

#4 The Day The Earth Stood Still from Fox drops to #4 bringing in $10.1 million, down 66%, for a total of $48,627,000 million. Earth showed in 3560 theaters. Budget is unknown.

#5 Four Christmases from Warner Bros. drops to #5 bringing in $7.7 million, down 40%, bringing total earnings to $100,154,000. Christmases showed in 3515 theaters, thats down 25. Budget was $80 million.

Rounding out the top 10 are:

#6 Twilight: Weekend Gross: $5,227,000, down 34% / Theaters: 2991, down 658 / Gross, $158,461,000 / Budget $37 million.

#7 Bolt Weekend Gross: $4,256,000, down 43% / Theaters: 2968, down 165 / Gross, $95,009,000 / Budget unknown.

#8 Slumdog Millionaire : Weekend Gross: $3,150,000, up 44% / Theaters: 589, up 420 / Gross: $12,134,000 / Budget unknown

#9 Australia Weekend Gross: $2,325,000, down 44% / Theaters: 2212, down 491 / Gross, $41,947,000 / Budget $130 million.

#10 Quantum of Solace : Weekend Gross: $2,150,000, down 42% / Theaters: 1874, down 761 / Gross, $161,300,000 / Budget $200 million.

A note on “Gross”: On average, studios will earn approximately 55 percent of the final gross.

Sources:

Box Office Mojo

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News

News Briefs

Stephen Norrington (The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen) has been tapped to reimagine The Crow, the 1994 flick based on the cult-classic comic book.

Harrison Ford has signed on to star in J.J. Abrams’ latest project, Morning Glory, a comedy about an ailing morning news show in chaos. Rachel McAdams is in talks to sign on as an aspiring producer who tries to temper the storm of feuding anchors and set the show straight. Ford will play one of the newsmen in question. Roger Mitchell (Notting Hill) will direct the film, while Abrams and fellow Lost and Fringe chief Bryan Burk are producing.

House regular Olivia Wilde has been tapped for the female lead in Disney’s Tron sequel, dubbed TR2N, which will also see Jeff Bridges back in the role he originated in the 1982 original. In theaters in 2011.

Director Seth Gordon has signed on to direct Mr. Romance for New Regency. The film will be a male-driven romantic comedy about the real-life Mr. Romance event, which aims to find guys to grace the covers of bodice-ripping romance novels. Mr. Romance, the film, will follow an ordinary guy who enters the contest in order to win back the love of his life. Jeff Roda will write the script based on upon a GQ article written by Joshuah Bearman. Bearman was a co-producer on Gordon’s breakthrough documentary, King Of Kong, with which he got involved after writing an article on the movie for Harper’s.

Big Vision Entertainment has acquired the rights to comedy duo Cheech and Chong’s library and plans to make Cheech & Chong’s Smokin’ Animated Movie, a feature-length ‘toon comprising some of their more memorable routines.

Reported by Variety, Witherspoon has been cast as one of three main characters in James L Brooks’ upcoming film How Do You Know?, which will begin shooting in March for Columbia Pictures. Brooks’ past films include 2004’s Spanglish, 1997’s As Good as it Gets and Terms of Endearment, which won the Oscar for Best Picture in 1983. Additionally, Witherspoon will be lending her voice to the main character of Dreamworks Animation’s upcoming Monsters Vs Aliens. Due out in early Spring, Witherspoon will play Susan Murphy, a young girl who turns into a super-monster named Ginormica and is tasked with saving the world after being struck by a meteorite. Witherspoon has also signed on to star in an as-yet untitled romantic comedy alongside Ben Stiller for Almost Famous and Jerry Maguire director Cameron Crowe. Filming is expected to begin in July.

Brittany Robertson (From Within) is set to star in Light Years, a family dramedy helmed by Gary Fleder about an adopted 15-year-old girl (Robertson) who tracks down and reconnects with her birth parents, a morning radio-show host for a mother and an immature bar owner father.

According to WENN Filmmakers are planning a movie adaptation of Nancy Horan’s novel about Frank Lloyd Wright titled Loving Frank, and have hired Reservation Road writer John Burnham Schwartz to pen a screenplay. The story will centre around Wright’s relationship with Chicago society queen Mamah Borthwick Cheney, leading up to her murder, when a servant set fire to the couple’s Wisconsin home in 1914.

Dimension Films has signed rocker turned director Rob Zombie for a sequel to his 2007 remake/prequel/reboot Halloween. The second installment in the new series, simply called H2, will not be a redo of Halloween II. Nor will it have any relation to Halloween H20, the seventh in the original franchise. Variety says Zombie hopes to rush the movie into production in March for a possible October 2009 release.

Sources:
Variety
IMDB
TV Guide
EmpireOnline.com
ActressArchives.com
WENN
E!

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Weekend Box Office For December 12 – 14

#1 The Day The Earth Stood Still from Fox debuts at #1 bringing in $31 million. Earth showed in 3560 theaters. Budget is unknown.

#2 Four Christmases from Warner Bros. drops to #2 bringing in $13.2 million, down 20%, bringing total earnings to $87,972,000. Christmases showed in 3540 theaters, thats up 205. Budget was $80 million.

#3 Twilight drops to #3 bringing in $8 million, down 38%, bringing total earnings to $150,108,000. Twilight showed in 3649 theaters, up 29. Budget was $37 million.

#4 Bolt drops to #4 this weekend bringing in $7.5 million, down 23% bringing total earnings to $88,891,000. Bolt showed in 3133 theaters, down 383. Budget is unknown.

#5 Australia from Summit drops to #5 bringing in $4.2 million, down 39%, earning a total of $37,883,000. Australia showed in 2703 theaters, down 18. Budget was $130 million.

Rounding out the top 10 are:

#6 Quantum of Solace : Weekend Gross: $3,800,000, down 43% / Theaters: 2635, down 788 / Gross, $157,668,000 / Budget $200 million.

#7 Nothing Like the Holidays : Weekend Gross: $3,500,000 / Theaters: 1671 / Gross:$3,500,000 / Budget unknown

#8 Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa : Weekend Gross: $3,250,000, down 36% / Theaters: 2768, down 549 / Gross: $170,006,000 / Budget $150 million

#9 Milk : Weekend Gross: $2,636,000, up 43% / Theaters: 328, up 299 / Gross: $7,630,000 / Budget unknown

#10 Transporter 3 : Weekend Gross: $2,250,000, down 51% / Theaters: 2541, down 85 / Gross:$29,276,000 / Budget unknown

A note on “Gross”: On average, studios will earn approximately 55 percent of the final gross.

Sources:

Box Office Mojo

Categories
Text Reviews Theatrical Review

Theatrical Review: The Day The Earth Stood Still

The world is taken aback with the discovery an alien who has come to the planet. This alien named Klaatu has come with the idea of saving the Earth, not the people on it, but the planet from the people on it, with the rationale that the Earth is one of the few planets that can support a variety of lifeforms, and that it will be destroyed in it’s own time by it’s dominant lifeform. Klaatu lands in Central Park in New York City and is immediately intercepted by all manners of scientists, military and police, but one scientist stands apart from everyone else, Dr. Helen Benson an astrophysicist, who believes in Klaatu and wants to have the chance to show him that humanity can change. But looming in the background, is Klaatu’s gigantic protector, ready to strike…

And with that, you have the basic premise of The Day The Earth Stood Still, the re-make of the 1951 movie of the same name originally directed by Robert Wise. This new version is directed by Scott Derrickson who very much impressed me previously with The Exorcism of Emily Rose. Now, I’m not one of these guys who’s going to cry foul about remaking a classic like the original, in fact I’ll go so far as to say that considering the changes in technology, both in filmmaking and in our culture, this could be served well be a remake. And there are aspects to this film that are very well done with that, for instance, the fear that would go with this event is way more palpable here than it was in the original, as is all of the measures that are being taken to look into this. Where it veers horribly from the original though is in it’s final solution, basically looking to appeal more to the heart than intellectually, and though the original may be more simplistic in some ways, one thing that should be admired about it is that it was a more cerebral film for the time.

How does it veer? Mostly with the changes brought about with the Helen Benson character, who has been decided to be the heart of the film. At the start, we’re shown that she has a strained relationship with her son, who’s father was killed in the war. And then when she’s brought on board with a team of scientific experts, the focus of the film shifts solely to her- with the camera going for as many Jennifer Connelly close-ups as it can get, and the other players looking to her more with all of the answers. Later, as she’s on the run with Klaatu and her son, the relationship with the son comes to a head and then Klaatu sees that the potential for change is there in humanity…

… oh, please…

This change with the Helen Benson character smacks more of movie marketing and trying to get the female audience to care about the characters more than anything else, and as such, there really is no cerebral message to the film. A better solution, would’ve been to have had more of multi-cultural mix of the scientific experts be the ones to help Klaatu along the way rather than confined down to one person, and by what it does, it presents as it’s solution in the end as the all-tto familiar and none-to-true of “love conquers all.” It’s not at all believable in the end… and it’s a shame, because the pieces are here to be true to the original solution of the first film.

That main piece being one sole scene, done as a nod to the original, and featuring John Cleese in the role of the scientist Professor Barnhardt. It’s a great scene, with a great deal of weight as performed by Cleese, but in the end, it’s more of a throwaway here as opposed to what it should’ve been, just as it was in the original, the impetus to solving the problem.

Instead, we’ve forced on us this one character and her son, who’s relationship is forced (and also helps to serve some of the political commentary to the film- making me also wonder what this movie would be like if it had been made say two years from now instead), it’s never really believable- Jaden Smith plays the son (he’s the real life son of Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith) and he’s just annoying as hell in the film. And on top of that being forced and unbelievable, so is Connelly as an astrophysicist, especially considering how important a player she’s deemed to be by the authority figures early on.

So wither Keanu Reeves as Klaatu? Well, again, I’m not going to fall in the traditional internet “hate” of Reeves, I actually like him my own self and I think he does a great job here… now with that said, he still wouldn’t have been my first choice in casting Klaatu. Recently, I watched the original movie again and along with that, a featurette on the making of the film. Now in the original, there were two actors being discussed to play Klaatu, Claude Rains and Spencer Tracy, both pretty big stars at the time. Rains fell through, and so the choice was going to be Tracy, who really wanted to do the movie. Then, studio head Darryl Zanuck got struck by the notion that when Klaatu takes off his space helmet, the audience was going to see Spencer Tracy and as such, not really have any mystery about it- then Zanuck was off to England and while there, that’s where he saw Michael Rennie and was struck with the idea that this guy should be Klaatu, and so he was… Now it was Rennie’s first movie part, and while I wouldn’t have gone with a total unknown as Klaatu, I would’ve gone with someone who was less a household name, as Keanu Reeves is, and my personal choice would’ve been Ralph Fiennes in the part. Still though, I don’t have any problems with Keanu Reeves here.

No, my biggest problem is with the casting of Jennifer Connelly and Jaden Smith and the importance that they’re given in the remake. Oh sure, the Helen Benson character and her son in the original are also quite important to that film, but not in the same way and not to the sacrifice of the cerebral quality to the original.

There’s still stuff here though that I think is pretty cool, that would’ve been even cooler had the focus not changed from head to heart. Changing that, changes the ideas behind the film considerably. And with a movie like The Day The Earth Stood Still and the high regard that people have for the original, this hurts it tremendously and as such, this remake is more a blown opportunity than the chance to make something that could’ve stood right on a par with the original.

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News Briefs

According to Variety, Jennifer Aniston and Gerard Butler are talks to star in an as-yet untitled comedy centering on a bounty hunter whose latest mark just so happens to be his ex-wife, who is wanted after skipping out on bail. Hitch director Andy Tennant will helm the flick, which starts shooting this May.

Fran Drescher tells People she’s offering up her name as a replacement for Senator Hillary Clinton, who has been nominated as Secretary of State. New York Gov. David Paterson must find an interim to fill the remaining two years of Clinton’s term. “I’m a New Yorker. It’s a part of the fabric of my being,” says Drescher, 51. “It just seems natural to me to throw my hat in the ring.”

The Los Angeles Film Critics Association on Tuesday named the Disney-Pixar film Wall-e the Best Picture of 2008, the first time the cinema-honoring society has ever tapped an animated film for its top prize.

According to Variety Ben Affleck is currently working on Arizona, a real-life drama that will allow the Gone, Baby, Gone director his second shot behind the camera. Affleck will direct the film about an Arizona Republic reporter killed in a 1976 car bombing while investigating an organized crime ring.

TV Guide says that Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt each scored acting nods for their respective films, Changeling and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button from the Critics Choice Awards on Tuesday. Up against Pitt for actor honors are Clint Eastwood (Gran Torino), Richard Jenkins (The Visitor), Frank Langella (Frost/Nixon), Sean Penn (Milk) and Mickey Rourke (The Wrestler). Jolie will face Cate Blanchett (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button), Kate Beckinsale (Nothing But the Truth), Anne Hathaway (Rachel Getting Married), Melissa Leo (Frozen River) and Meryl Streep (Doubt). Button, out Christmas Day, and Changeling are also two of the 10 nominees for Best Picture.

E! Online reports Keanu Reeves (The Matrix) has signed on to star in 47 Ronin, according to Variety. Set in 18th century Japan, the film will follow the true story of a group of samurai swordsmen who avenge the death of their master and are still revered today.

Empireonline.com says that James Gray has signed on to direct The Lost City Of Z, an epic adventure to star Brad Pitt. Based on a non-fiction book by New Yorker writer David Grann, the novel and film will follow the fortunes of Percy Fawcett, a Victorian-era British spy and soldier who became obsessed with exploring the Amazon in search of Z, an advanced civilisation he was convinced lived in the jungle.

Alexandre Desplat, whose score for David Fincher’s The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is one of this year’s most anticipated and already considered a strong contender in the Oscar race, is doing the music for Terrence Malick’s new film, The Tree of Life, which incidentally also stars Brad Pitt (he plays the title character in Fincher’s film). Desplat’s involvement in The Tree of Life has been confirmed to Upcoming Film Scores by one of the film’s producers. Malick is known for his strong visual sense and the pacing of his films often call for sustained and ambient musical scores. The story of the film, which also stars Sean Penn, has been closely guarded but it is said to focus on the evolution of an eleven-year old boy. Picked up for distribution by Summit Entertainment, it is slated for release in fall/winter of 2009.

Joseph Fiennes has been picked for ABC’s new sci-fi pilot, Flash Forward, about what happens when everyone in the world passes out for two minutes and has a mysterious premonition of the future E! reports. He and John Cho (Harold and Kumar) will play investigators trying to figure out what happening. The show is being touted as a Lost companion piece.

The Wolfman has been moved form an April release to November according to Empire Online. Universal has taken the bold step of moving the Joe Johnston-directed Benicio del Toro vehicle from its original April 3 date to November 6.

E! says Russell Brand (Forgetting Sarah Marshall) is signing on for a remake of the 1981 Dudley Moore-Liza Minnelli comedy classic Arthur.

The box office did less than half the business last weekend that it did the previous weekend during the Thanksgiving holiday. Still, the top 12 films’ gross was 5.30 percent above that for the comparable weekend a year ago, according to box-office trackers Media by Numbers.

Twilight’s Kristen Stewart has signed on to play Joan Jett in the biopic The Runaways, about the punk practitioner’s 1970s all-girl rock band responsible for “Cherry Bomb,” “Queens of Noise” and “Born to Be Bad.”

Sources:
Variety
People
E!
Empireonline.com
TV Guide
Upcoming Fim Scores
Media by Numbers

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Weekend Box Office For December 5 – 7

#1 Four Christmases from Warner Bros. holds at #1 bringing in $18.1 million, down 41%, bringing total earnings to $70,843,000. Christmases showed in 3335 theaters, thats up 25. Budget was $80 million.

#2 Twilight holds at #2 bringing in $13.1 million, down 49%, bringing total earnings to $138,552,000. Twilight showed in 3620 theaters, up 195. Budget was $37 million.

#3 Bolt holds at #3 this weekend bringing in $9.6 million, thats up 63% over last bringing total earnings to $79,281,000. Bolt showed in 3516 theaters, down 138. Budget is unknown.

#4 Australia from Summit rises to #4 bringing in $7 million, down 52%, earning a total of $30,869,000. Australia showed in 2721 theaters, up 79. Budget was $130 million.

#5 Quantum of Solace drops to #5 this weekend bringing in $6.6 million, down 65%, bringing its total to $151,468,000. Solace showed in 3423 theaters, thats down 78. Budget was $200 million.

Rounding out the top 10 are:

#6 Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa : Weekend Gross: $5,100,000, down 64% / Theaters: 3317, down 392 / Gross: $165,675,000 / Budget $150 million

#7 Transporter 3 : Weekend Gross: $4,500,000, down 62% / Theaters: 2626 / Gross:$25,381,000 / Budget unknown

#8 Punisher: War Zone : Weekend Gross: $4,000,000, / Theaters: 2508, / Gross: $4,000,000 / Budget: $35 million

#9 Cadillac Records : Weekend Gross: $3,500,000 / Theaters: 686 / Gross: $3,500,000 / Budget: $12 million

#10 Role Models : Weekend Gross: $2,622,000, down 50% / Theaters: 1907, down 288 / Gross: $61,665,000 / Budget $28 million

A note on “Gross”: On average, studios will earn approximately 55 percent of the final gross.

Sources:

Box Office Mojo

Categories
Text Reviews Theatrical Review

Theatrical Review: Punisher: War Zone

Frank Castle, the vigilante known as The Punisher, continues his war on crime in New York City. As he’s busting up his usual Mafioso, while they’re engaging in a deal with the Russians to bring over bio-toxic material to sell to terrorist organizations, two things happen- Castle inadvertently kills an undercover FBI agent and he causes the head of this mafia cell, Billy the Beaut to become horribly disfigured. Billy renames himself Jigsaw and vows to take down the Punisher, all the while while Frank tries to make amends with the family of the agent that he’s killed… and of course, hijinks ensue.

Punisher: War Zone is now the third movie involving the titular character and also the third take on the character, and so far, the one that has the most fun with it yet. Director Lexi Alexander has decided with this version to really embrace some of the over-the-top aspects involved with The Punisher, and has delivered an ultra-violent R-rated version that pretty much lets you know this is the way it’s going to be right in the first few minutes of the film. What she’s got here is a very fast-paced and fun piece that’s certainly faithful to some aspects of the character. Marvel’s had so many different versions of what The Punisher is over the years, and what’s shown here is probably the most familiar to longtime fans (though I have to admit, I haven’t kept up as much as others, but there were certainly things that I recognized).

It’s a good-looking movie for sure, and the action is really nicely done, and the way I see it, it looks like all involved were having a pretty good time.

Ray Stevenson takes over the role of Frank Castle, and he certainly looks the part and he pretty much delivers the goods though this doesn’t really ask that much from him- he’s the driving force of the film though, symbolically more than anything else. More fun is had with all of the supporting cast in the film, primarily with Dominic West playing Jigsaw, who’s clearly having a ball on-screen. Doug Hutchinson plays his insane brother Loony Bin Jim, and he’s a cool little physical counter here, being a relatively small man, but obviously very deadly. The inspired casting choice award goes to Wayne Knight, playing Castle’s long-time tech associate, Microchip, Knight’s just perfect for the part, and actually provides more of the human insight to The Punisher. The cast is rounded out with good supporting turns from Colin Salmon, Dash Mihok and Julie Benz, amongst others, and like I said, all looking like they’re having a pretty good time here.

My expectations were relatively low going into this, as I really enjoyed the last Punisher film with Thomas Jane in the lead, so I wasn’t quite expecting a whole lot here. So I was pleasantly surprised to have had as a good a time with the movie as I did. It’s on the minor side compared to some of the other big comic book movies of the year, but there’s still a good time here, and if you can take the high level of violence that this has (and it’s pretty high), there’s s good time to be had. Very much recommended…