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Weekend Box Office For March 27 – 29

#1 Monsters Vs. Aliens from DreamWorks takes the #1 spot this weekend earning $59.3 million in 4104 theaters. Budget for Monsters is unknown.

#2 The Haunting in Connecticut from Lionsgate debuts at #2 this weekend earning $23 million in 2732 theaters. Budget for Haunting is unknown.

#3 Knowing from Summit drops to #3 this weekend earning $14.7 million in 3337 theaters. Budget for Knowing is unknown.

#4 I Love You, Man from Paramount drops to #4 this weekend earning $12.6 million in 2717 theaters. Budget for I Love You, Man is unknown.

#5 Duplicity from Universal drops to #5 this weekend earning $7.6 million in 2579 theaters. Budget for Duplicity is unknown.

Rounding out the top 10 are:

#6 The Race to Witch Mountain Weekend Gross: $5,801,775, down 54% / Theaters: 3268, up 81 / Gross $53,459,752 / Budget: unknown

#7 12 Rounds Weekend Gross: $5,329,240 / Theaters: 2331 / Gross $5,329,240 / Budget: unknown

#8 The Watchmen Weekend Gross: $2,732,439, down 59% / Theaters: 2010, down 1500/ Gross $103,273,462 / Budget: $150 million

#9 Taken Weekend Gross: $2,695,342, down 33% / Theaters: 1961, down 700 / Gross $137,068,886 / Budget: unknown

#10 The Last House on the Left Weekend Gross: $2,644,295, down 54% / Theaters: 2251, down 151 / Gross $28,492,330 / 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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Back Seat Producers Season 03 Shows

BSP Episode 087: Boondock Saints

In this episode, we discuss the film Boondock Saints.

Also included, a Promo for a very special promotion from J.C. Hutchins in support of his forthcoming book Personal Effects: Dark Art.

All the info can be found here: http://jchutchins.net/site/the-brink/

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News

Weekend Box Office For March 20 – 22

#1 Knowing from Summit takes the #1 spot this weekend earning $24.8 million in 3332 theaters. Budget for Knowing is unknown.

#2 I Love You, Man from Paramount debuts at #2 this weekend earning $18 million in 2711 theaters. Budget for I Love You, Man is unknown.

#3 Duplicity from Universal debuts at #3 this weekend earning $14.4 million in 2574 theaters. Budget for Duplicity is unknown.

#4 Race to Witch Mountain from Buena Vista drops to #4 this weekend earning $13 million in 3187 theaters. Budget for Race is unknown.

#5 Watchmen from Warner Bros. drops to #5 this weekend earning $6.7 million in 3510 theaters, bringing total earnings to $98 million. Budget for Watchmen was $150 million.

Rounding out the top 10 are:

#6 The Last House on the Left Weekend Gross: $5,921,000, down 58% / Theaters: 2,402, up 1 / Gross $24,047,000 / Budget: unknown

#7 Taken Weekend Gross: $4,100,000, down 37% / Theaters: 2,661, down 197 / Gross $133,139,000 / Budget: unknown

#8 Slumdog Millionaire Weekend Gross: $5,025,000, down 46% / Theaters: 2067, down 511 / Gross $137,202,000 / Budget: $15 million

#9 Tyler Perry’s Madea Goes to Jail Weekend Gross: $2,510,000, down 50% / Theaters: 1835, down 398 / Gross $87,208,000 / Budget: unknown

#10 Coraline Weekend Gross: $2,143,000, down 21% / Theaters: 1431, down 337 / Gross $72,803,000 / 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: Knowing

In 1959, in a small New York school, a group of grade school children are preparing a time capsule to be buried, all with drawings of what they think the future will look like, except for one little girl, Lucinda Embry, who had the idea for the time capsule, instead of a drawing, she’s put in a sheet of numbers that on it’s surface seems incomprehensible. In 2009, Caleb Koestler, the son of an MIT Astrophysics professor, John Koestler, gets to be the lucky recipient of what Lucinda wrote down, and his father soon starts to see a pattern to the numbers, all displaying times of extreme disaster and indicating the number of lives lost to each disaster. John now seeks to stop the moments that he believes are yet to come, and all the while, some mysterious figures are keeping an eye on him and his son…

That’s the basic premise to Knowing the newest movie from director Alex Proyas and star Nicolas Cage. In the past, Alex Proyas has given us movies like The Crow, Dark City and I, Robot and has certainly demonstrated with the last two that he’s a big fan of an old school type of science fiction film but with some new twists to it, and that’s what Knowing is, most definitely. My expectations were relatively low on this, primarily for Cage more than anything else, as with him you just never know what you’re going to get, either something that seems more to concentrate on his penchant for quirkiness and to see what new hairstyle he’ll bring to a part, or something more serious… and thankfully, with Knowing it’s something more serious.

In some ways, I saw a lot of parallels to what’s happened over the last four seasons of Battlestar Galactica in this film, with the biggest difference in that Galactica had a long time to make sure that every “t” was crossed and every “i” was dotted. Knowing tries to do a lot of the same in two hours, and I can see why there are some critics out there that have huge problems with the film. But I gave into it’s premise, and really thought that Proyas delivered another old school sci-fi treat here (and at it’s core, there is an explanation as to why it all went the way it does).

The best thing that Proyas does though, is that when some of the upcoming disasters start to happen, he ramps up the visuals and the action some notches above what you expect, just as he did with the dazzling end of Dark City and those moments are real grabbers when they happen. The movie is a little slow-building getting to where it’s going, but when these moments happen, they’ll snag you, or at least they did me. The other thing he does here, is that he’s not afraid to have this go very dark, with no easy solutions at all to it’s ending.

Proyas is also really well aided with a great score from composer Macro Beltrami, who also really steps up to the plate when the big moments happen.

Cage is pretty good here, and with the exception of one scene that falls into a little bit of cliche, he’s pretty rock solid in the film delivering one of his better performances in a while. Rose Byrne heads up the mostly unknown supporting cast, and they’re all fine, but this is Cage’s movie no doubt about that and we’re (mostly) seeing this through his experiences more than anyone else’s.

In the end though, I think Alex Proyas has delivered another very cool old school science fiction film with a rock solid performance from it’s lead actor. To me, this is something like the recent remake of The Day The Earth Stood Still or M. Night Shymalan’s The Happening totally done right and of course, I’m giving this a solid recommendation for being this sort of film and not afraid to buck a few Hollywood conventions.

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News

Sag Pens Strike Letter

David White, SAG's National Interim Exec Director. Courtesy of Variety sag_logo_new-1

After news of a draft letter seeking a strike authorization vote emerged Tuesday, SAG’s David White and AFTRA issued a statement downplaying the importance of the document and asserting that they remain optimistic about reaching a deal as negotiations enter week three. “This is one of many contingency documents that we prepare in the course of any negotiations, particularly as we approach the expiration of a contract,” they added.
Reps for neither unions nor ad biz were available for further comment Tuesday, as both sides have agreed to a news blackout.
Unlike their dealings with Hollywood’s majors, in the commercials talks, the Screen Actors Guild has returned to joint bargaining with the American Federation of Television & Radio Artists. The unions’ unified front against Madison Avenue stands in sharp contrast to the public battle that erupted between them last summer, when AFTRA opted to negotiate its primetime TV pact separately from SAG for the first time in nearly 30 years.
The tense talks with advertisers and talk of a strike authorization vote raises the specter of the bitter six-month strike that SAG and AFTRA, who have about 150,00 members combined, staged over a commercials contract nine years ago.
Insiders close to the commercials talks said the unions and ad biz negotiators are tussling over three key points:
1) The industry’s proposal for a revamp to the compensation model based on gross rating points rather than the traditional pay-per-play method; the unions are asking for an “adjusted tier” model.
2) The industry’s proposed reductions of more than $20 million annually in contributions to pension and health plans.
3) Terms of a pilot study and whether it should be based only on the industry’s suggested compensation model without an equal study of the unions’ preferred compensation model.
“From the first day of the negotiations, it has been our intention to reach an agreement acceptable to both sides,” said the draft letter, penned by members of the joint negotiating committee. “The issues at stake in these negotiations are critically important and require that we bring our full bargaining power to the table by passing this referendum to authorize a strike in the field of television and radio commercials.”
All contract expire March 31.

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News

Weekend Box Office For March 13 – 15

#1 Race to Witch Mountain from Buena Vista takes the #1 spot this weekend earning $25 million in 3187 theaters. Budget for Race is unknown.

#2 Watchmen from Warner Bros. drops to #2 this weekend earning $18 million in 3611 theaters. Budget for Watchmen was $150 million.

#3 The Last House on the Left from Universal takes the #3 spot this weekend earning $14.6 million in 2401 theaters. Budget for House is unknown.

#4 Taken from Fox drops to #4 this weekend earning $6.6 million, bringing earnings for Taken to $126 million, in 2858 theaters. Budget for Taken is unknown.

#5 Tyler Perry’s Madea Goes to Jail from Lionsgate drops to #5 this weekend earning $5 million in 2203 theaters. Budget for Madea is unknown.

Rounding out the top 10 are:

#6 Slumdog Millionaire Weekend Gross: $5,025,000, down 26% / Theaters: 2,578, down 312 / Gross $132,625,000 / Budget: $15 million

#7 Paul Blart: Mall Cop Weekend Gross: $3,100,000, down 25% / Theaters: 2,281, down 277 / Gross $137,767,000 / Budget: $26 million

#8 He’s Just Not That Into You Weekend Gross: $2,905,000, down 27% / Theaters: 1,890, down 555 / Gross $89,004,000 / Budget: unknown

#9 Coraline Weekend Gross: $2,655,000, down 18% / Theaters: 1768, down 191 / Gross $69,144,000 / Budget: unknown

#10 Miss March Weekend Gross: $2,350,000 / Theaters: 1742 / Gross $2,350,000 / 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 Last House On The Left

A vicious criminal, Krug, is being transported, and along the way, he’s sprung by his brother Frances and his girlfriend Sadie. Krug, wondering where his son is, is told that he’s at the hotel where the gang is holed up. We’re then introduced to the Collingwood family, father John, a Doctor, his wife Emma and their daughter Mari, who’s a trained swimmer and they’re getting ready to go enjoy a vacation at their out of the way vacation home. Mari is immediately antsy and wants to go into town and meet up with her friend Paige. Once there, the two girls then get involved with Justin, little realizing that he’s the son of Krug, and then the action gets started…

The Last House On The Left is a remake of the original 1972 movie of the same name (which in itself is a bit of a remake of an old Bergman film) and I have to say, this new version is one of the better remakes that I’ve seen, a very effective terror/revenge movie that technically ups the ante considerably of the original. The original was Wes Craven’s very first movie, produced by Sean Cunnigham, who you know best as the originator of the Friday The 13th series, and both act as producers on this remake. My expectations were relatively low going into this movie, but I have to say, I came out plenty impressed.

Now, for the most part, if you’ve seen the original, this follows along a lot of the same path, but the remake is a better fleshed-out piece. The 1972 original is a classic in it’s own way, not necessarily for the story that it told, but more for the shock that it delivered at the time, doing some pretty taboo things that just weren’t seen in a movie of that period (it’s also very well known for it’s trailer, which introduced the classic line “It’s only a movie, it’s only a movie”). The original was made for about $90,000 in the day and it was purely designed as the type of B-movie that would play with other films regionally around the country. It’s not high art by any means, but still for fans of the genre (like myself), it brought in thrills in it’s own way for a pretty disturbing experience, and part of that disturbing experience included a very hokey cornball quality to the family scenes.

This remake dispenses with the cornball quality as well as with a couple of the major taboo scenes, to better focus on making the whole thing a more cohesive experience- it an audience of today is watching the original, then they’re seeing things that take some pretty huge leaps in logic in how they get from point A to point B. This remake fills in those leaps quite admirably, and credit for that has to go to the screenwriters and director Dennis Iiadis, as well as to Craven and Cunningham for having the sense to let this be updated in the way it has been.

One of the biggest things that I have to give them credit for here is the relationship between the parents, John and Emma which is actually a lot more grounded in reality than what other films might want to do. They also tend to up the ante with both girls, making them more fighters in this adversity than what they were in the original- it’s not forced by any means, and feels pretty natural to the situation that develops.

This has a pretty good cast to it, with maybe the most well-known to today’s audiences being actor Garret Dillahunt who plays Krug (you might be better familiar with Dillahunt through Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles where he’s played the cyborg Cromartie and now the A.I. known as John Henry). The best casting though goes to actors Tony Goldwyn and Monica Potter who play the Collingwood parents, and they’re just terrific here. I also have to give notice to Sara Paxton, who played their daughter Mari.

The Last House On The Left is a pretty visceral experience that’s not for everyone by any means. I went into this more wanting to see the differences from the original and I was pleasantly surprised at how this remake drew me in and kept me with it on it’s own merits all the way through. If you enjoy this sort of terror/revenge movie (I wouldn’t call this or the original “horror” at all), then I’d certainly recommend it without too much hesitation- really well done on it’s own and when compared to the original, a worthy remake that takes that original and obviously goes forward with today’s audience definitely in mind.

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News

News Briefs

Oscar nominee Josh Brolin joins Oscar winner Anthony Hopkins in the ensemble cast for Woody Allen’s next picture, which the Vicky Cristina Barcelona auteur wrote and will direct this summer in London. No word on the plot or title.

Juan Antonio Bayona, a protégé of Guillermo del Toro who’s best known for the stylish Spanish-language scarefest The Orphanage, has been tapped to direct the franchise’s third installment, Eclipse, Variety reports. Although he’s never directed an English-language film, Bayona’s skilled way with the horror genre must have won over Summit Entertainment. Eclipse features an army of newborn vampires hunting down Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart), culminating in a showdown with Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson) and the werewolves.

Sir Ridley Scott and Russell Crowe’s much-anticipated, yet currently untitled Robin Hood project, has a release date. Universal Pictures today announced that the flick, which will see Crowe play Robin Hood and possibly the Sheriff Of Nottingham as well will come out on May 14, 2010.

Naomi Watts and Slumdog Millionaire newcomer Freida Pinto have joined Josh Brolin and Anthony Hopkins in the cast of Woody Allen’s next comedic effort, Whatever Works according to Variety

Tropic Thunder’s Jay Baruchel is about to start work soon on the big-budget Disney adventure The Sorceror’s Apprentice opposite Nic Cage.

Joe Wright, the acclaimed director of Atonement and Pride & Prejudice, has signed on to direct an adaptation of Alex von Tunzelmann’s novel, Indian Summer, for Working Title and Universal Pictures.

John Cusack and Rob Corddry have signed on for the comedy Hot Tub Time Machine, about a jacuzzi that takes a few midlife-crisis suffering buddies to 1987.

Juno scribe Diablo Cody will be producing the big-screen adaptation of the upcoming romantic satire Breathers: A Zombie’s Lament. Fox Searchlight recently acquired the rights to the S.G. Browne-penned novel, due out March 3, about the love that flourishes among members of Undead Anonymous.

Arnold Schwarzenegger has agreed to make a cameo as his state-ruling self in Sylvester Stallone’s latest movie The Expendables. The flick is set to begin shooting March 28 in Brazil and then will then move to New Orleans for an additional two months of photography.

Pirates of the Caribbean filmmaker Gore Verbinski is developing a new live-action movie based on the Hasbro board game Clue. No word whether the update will feature three different endings, like the 1985 version.

Acclaimed helmer Michel Gondry (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind) has been tapped to take over The Green Hornet, starring Seth Rogen as the classic hero and Stephen Chow as his sidekick, Kato.

Per the Hollywood Reporter, Ellen DeGeneres has signed on to voice the lead stray dog in Warner Bros.’ Dog Show, an animated comedy about a stray pooch and her misfit friends who crash the purebred world of dog shows. This is her first voice role since 2003’s Finding Nemo.

Sources:
E!
Variety
EmpireOnline
The Hollywood Reporter

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News

Weekend Box Office For March 6 – 8

#1 Watchmen from Warner Bros. dominates the box office this weekend earning $55.6 million in 3611 theaters. Budget for Watchmen was $150 million.

#2 Tyler Perry’s Madea Goes to Jail from Lionsgate drops to #2 this weekend earning $8.8 million in 2151 theaters. Budget for Madea is unknown.

#3 Taken from Fox climbs back to #3 this weekend earning $7.4 million, bringing earnings for Taken to $118 million, in 3016 theaters. Budget for Taken is unknown.

#4 Slumdog Millionaire from Searchlight drops to #4 this weekend earning $6.9 million, thats down 42% over last bringing total earnings to $125 million. Slumdog showed in 2890 theaters, thats down 53 from last week. Budget for Slumdog was $15 million.

#5 Paul Blart: Mall Cop from Warner Bros. climbs back into the top 5 this weekend earning $4.2 million in 2558 theaters, bringing total earnings for Mall Cop to $133.6 million. Budget for Mall Cop was $26 million.

Rounding out the top 10 are:

#6 He’s Just Not That Into You Weekend Gross: $4,020,000, down 33% / Theaters: 2445, down 413 / Gross $84,647,000 / Budget: unknown

#7 Coraline Weekend Gross: $3,313,000, down 37% / Theaters: 1959, down 133 / Gross $65,680,000 / Budget: unknown

#8 Confessions of a Shopaholic Weekend Gross: $3,121,000, down 32% / Theaters: 2290, down 224 / Gross $38,356,000 / Budget: unknown

#8 Jonas Brothers: The 3D Concert Experience Weekend Gross: $2,785,000, down 77% / Theaters: 1267, up 5 / Gross $16,791,000 / Budget: unknown

#10 Fired Up Weekend Gross: $2,600,000, down 29% / Theaters: 1798, down 13 / Gross $13,360,000 / Budget: $20 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: Watchmen

Watchmen the film adaptation of the graphic novel by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons that takes a realistic approach to super-heroes and follows the state of the world if such characters were to come to pass as well as studying the motivations behind the minds that actually put on the masks. When the novel starts, though it’s not indicated in the movie, it’s 1985. Unless they’re working for the government, super-heroes have been outlawed by a bill called the Keene Act. Richard Nixon is in his fifth term as the president of the United States, and the world stands at the brink of nuclear war. Edward Blake, known also as The Comedian has discovered something, and is brutally murdered over that discovery. The masked vigilante, Rorschach is starting to put the pieces of this puzzle together and in the process, warning other masked avengers about a “mask killer” out there…

… and there’s just so much more here in what could be the richest textured “comic book” movie made thus far. Watchmen to me anyway, is an unqualified success at what it has set out to do, and so far leads the way as one of the best movies for 2009.

Now I’m no stranger to the graphic novel, and I’ve re-read it for the first time in over 20 years this past week as prep for the film and I’ve got to say, it still holds up tremendously well, and is just as relevant in 2009 as it was when it was originally on sale in the late 80s. Having just seen the movie last night, I can certainly tell you that there have been some changes made in it’s adaptation to the big screen, but the heart and soul and spirit of the graphic novel are all still there and in the process, this takes another step to advancing movies about comic book characters in different directions, much like what The Dark Knight did last year. I mean it’s a great comic book movie, no doubt about that, but at the same time, I’d also hold this in the same regard as I do movies like Boogie Nights, magnolia, The Player, Short Cuts or Grand Canyon.

This is director Zack Snyder’s third movie after the re-make of Dawn of the Dead and the adaptation of Frank Miller’s 300 and he’s certainly proved that he’s no flash in the pan, making highly commercial films that have their own passion about them… though the question could be asked about just how commercial Watchmen could be beyond it’s pre-sold audience, and I just think that all depends on what the audience wants to see out of something like this, because really, everything you need to understand Watchmen is there on screen, no doubt about that, but does the audience really want to have to put the pieces together or follow something as richly textured as this for the sake of seeing a “comic book” movie?

Well, I certainly hope so.

Snyder’s done his best to remain true to the book and at the same time make something that can run in theatres wanting to show it multiple times per day. There’s moments of great weight here, in particular Doctor Manhattan’s reflection of his life after and interview gone sour, and there’s just as many visceral moments that show cool action and adventure. There’s a story that shows the results of both conservative and liberal actions that these powers could take, and it’s all backed up with a rich back story, much of which is well presented in one of the better opening credits scenes that I’ve seen in a long time.

Snyder’s got a great cast here, and you can tell that they’ve all thrown themselves into the parts. The core characters are played by Patrick Wilson (Nite-Owl), Malin Ackerman (Silk Spectre), Billy Cruddup (Dr. Manhattan), Jeffrey Dean Morgan (The Comedian), Matthew Goode (Ozymandias) and Jackie Earle Haley (Rorschach). All are excellent, though in my mind’s eye, Goode isn’t quite who I would’ve chosen as Ozymandias, but still he does a terrific job here. Real standouts for me are Wilson, being the heart and soul of the film, and Cruddup and Haley, who are both saddled with having their true faces covered up most of the film, but are still able to really elicit some good mesmerizing performances. I’m even just as impressed with some of the side casting, like Carla Gugino as the original Silk Spectre, Stephen McHattie as Hollis Mason, the original Nite-Owl and Matt Frewer as Moloch one of the arch-enemies of the heroes. There’s no big stars here, just some solid talents who’ve really devoted themselves to giving their best on-screen.

I hated seeing this come to an end, I really did and when that ending came, it left me hungry for just what Zack Snyder’s director’s cut will be when he finally gets the chance to release that on DVD (already reported that it will have the animated Tales of The Black Freighter incorporated into it, I would also expect that there would be plenty of live action scenes as well, in particular those centered around the newsstand where the Black Freighter story gets told). I don’t think it’s necessary to read the book in order to appreciate this film as long as you’re prepared to take in something that’s as full as this is. But if you do enjoy the movie, by all means, read the book afterwards and be able to appreciate just how much of this that Zack Snyder and company gets right. Watchmen is one terrific movie, already leading the way for me as one of the best that I think I’ll see in 2009 and of course, it’s highly, highly recommended. Don’t miss it.