Categories
News

Weekend Box Office: November 26 – 28

#1 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 from Warner Brothers holds at #1 with a weekend gross of $49.0 million (-60.7%) in 4125 theaters (no change). Total gross to date is $219.0 million. Budget is unknown.

#2 Tangled from Buena Vista debuts at #2 with an opening weekend gross of $48.7 million in 3603 theaters. Budget is unknown.

#3 Megamind from Paramount/Dreamworks drops from #2 to #3 with a weekend gross of $12.5 million (-21.5%) in 3411 theaters (-368). Total gross to date is $130.2 million. Budget was $130 million.

#4 Burlesque from Screen Gems debuts at #4 with an opening weekend gross of $11.9 million in 3037 theaters. Budget was $55 million.

#5 Unstoppable from Fox drops from #3 to #5 with a weekend gross of $11.4 million (-12.1%) in 3183 theaters (-26). Total gross to date is $60.4 million. Budget was $100 million.

#6 Love and Other Drugs from Fox debuts at #6 with an opening weekend gross of $9.7 million in 2455 theaters. Budget is unknown.

Rounding out the top 12 are:

#7 Faster debuts at #7 with an opening weekend gross of $8.5 million in 2454 theaters. Budget was $24 million.

#8 Due Date drops from #4 to #8 with a weekend gross of $7.1 million (-19.6%) in 2555 theaters (-674). Total gross to date is $84.8 million. Budget was $65 million.

#9 The Next Three Days drops from #5 to #9 with a weekend gross of $4.6 million (-28.4%) in 2564 theaters (no change). Total gross to date is $14.3 million. Budget was $30 million.

#10 Morning Glory drops from #6 to #10 with a weekend gross of $3.9 million (-24.8%) in 2441 theaters (-103). Total gross to date is $26.3 million. Budget was $40 million.

#11 127 Hours jumps from #14 to #11 with a weekend gross of $1.7 million (+86.5%) in 293 theaters (+185). Total gross to date is $4.4 million. Budget was $18 million.

#12 Fair Game drops from #10 to #12 with a weekend gross of $1.5 million (+7.2%) in 396 theaters (+10). Total gross to date is $5.9 million. Budget was $22 million.

The combined gross of the top 12 movies this weekend was $171.1 million (-8.2%).

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

Sources:
Box Office Mojo

Categories
Back Seat Producers Season 05 Shows

BSP Episode 140: Hero Tomorrow

This one is a bit tougher to find, but worth checking out if you get the chance.

Your Producers for this episode were:

  • Tony
  • Darrell

This episode was recorded: 4/21/10

Categories
Text Reviews Theatrical Review

Theatrical Review: Faster

This one took me by surprise. Based on it’s initial promotion, I thought Faster was going to be something entirely different than what it’s final product is turns out to be. I think this one is going to be passed on by a lot of people and it’s a shame if it is.

We’re introduced to a man called simply Driver. He’s just been released from a ten-year stretch in prison and he’s hell-bent on revenge. The Driver leaves prison with no one to meet him and he runs to a nearby junkyard. There he collects several things; a super-fast muscle car, a gun and instructions on where to find a certain man. The Driver quickly goes to the destination, an office building, and like a primal force of nature, kills his target in cold blood in front of many witnesses. But he’s not done yet…

This catches the attention of another man, known simply as the Cop. The Cop is a burned out detective with just days to go before his retirement and he finds himself drawn to help in catching this man, the Driver.

As the Driver’s killing spree continues, a third man gets involved. Known simply as the Killer, he’s an assassin for hire who does what he does now after a life of over-achievement. Killing is something that he does because he’s bored with everything else in his life, and doing this makes him alive.

Eventually the paths of all three cross in some very interesting ways, but that’s for you to discover how.

By the promotion that I saw for this movie and it’s title, I was expecting Faster to be something much more conventional though I was still looking forward to it. It had been too long since seeing The Rock (Dwayne Johnson) in a straight-up action movie after having made many lighter-flavored films designed to increase his audience visibility. I thought I was going to get something here that was going to be some sort of cross between a movie like The Rundown (which I loved) with the The Fast & The Furious (which I also loved).

What I got… well, I’d describe it in terms like this: this is what you’d get if you gave a Garth Ennis-scripted crime movie (to comic book fans, Ennis is best known for his astounding work on Vertigo’s Preacher) to a director with heavy duty Walter Hill leanings (who also has just a touch of John Woo’s Hong Kong days). It could also be described as a more straight-up version of Quentin Tarnatino’s KIll Bill movies. The final result is a fast-paced, hard-boiled crime movie that’s loaded with depth and context. While there are a lot of elements to this movie, you don’t get lost in it and all makes sense in the end. This isn’t as action-packed as the trailer promises and so I could see this as a minus to some viewers, but I was more than satisfied with most of the film’s other elements.

My only criticism is that the end is all too abrupt. Oh, it does make sense in the end, but there should’ve been more. There was one more character tied into these events that should’ve been seen in the finale- which in turn, could’ve lead to setting another character on the same path that the Driver finds himself on. I’m sorry to be vague with this, but really I don’t want to spoil this.

It’s ending does hurt it, but it’s not a total loss by any means. Faster is extremely well-acted, beautifully shot and made (this is my first experience with a movie directed by George Tillman Jr.), and it kept me on my toes all the way to the end, it’s just that the end should’ve been even more than what it was.

Ever since seeing Dwayne Johnson in The Rundown, well, I’ve been a big fan. I certainly appreciate what his years as a wrestler have given him when it comes to his acting chops. One of the nicest things about The Rundown was one of it’s opening scenes where a cameo appearance from Arnold Schwarzenegger literally passes the torch of “big action star” down to Johnson. While I don’t think his successive movies have quite stacked up, he’s still been good in them, though I have to admit, I haven’t been attracted to his recent string of more family fare films. I get why he’s done them, but I’ve wanted to see him come back to something harder and with Faster he has. While the Driver might be seen as a simple character on the surface, there are a couple of scenes here which aptly explain his single-minded purpose and considering that background, it’s easy to see why he’s as hell-bent as he is. Johnson’s definitely an imposing figure just by his pure physique, but what really works for him here is his eyes. The intensity and inner conflict shown there, just sells this character totally.

Billy Bob Thornton plays the Cop and he has “burn-out” written all over him for the part. In his own way, he’s just as driven as the Driver, but instead of revenge, he wants to correct his mistakes and on the surface, his going after the Driver seems like his way to do so. Thornton’s money in the bank with this part, helping to ground this movie. There’s a scene in the movie where the Cop first comes face-to-face with the Driver and it’s as powerful a scene as any I’ve seen in movies. A lot of that power is due to Thornton and his willingness to be ready to accept what he thinks his fate is going to be.

Oliver Jackson-Cohen plays the Killer and he sort of comes off to me a s a British version of Jake Gyllenhaal. The Killer is the odd man out in this piece. Seemingly out of place in comparison to the events around the Driver and the Cop, his function here is to serve as the total opposite of what the Driver does. He’s conquered every bit of adversity he’s ever faced in life and come out on top to such a point where it’s all pointless now and so he does what he does out of boredom more than anything else. With the Driver though, he’s found someone who’s literally faster (hence the title) than he is, and so his challenge is made. Jackson-Cohen does a nice job with the part, he’s arrogant but has his own depth.

The cast is rounded out with some nice support from Carla Gugino, Moon Bloodgood, Jennifer Carpenter, and Maggie Grace. All serve functions of setting up the men that they’re in support of (Gugino and Bloodgood for Thornton, Carpenter for Johnson and Grace for Jackson-Cohen). Their scenes are short (with the exception of Gugino who fares better with her screen time) but the support is top drawer. Even better though is Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje (who you’ll know as Mr. Eko from Lost or Adebisi from Oz) who plays the last person on the Driver’s “to kill” list. Akinnuoye-Agbaje’s scene with Johnson near the end of the film is about as powerful as it gets.

As I said, Faster took me by surprise. While expecting something way more conventional, what i got was a sincere and hard-edged crime movie loaded with depth and detail. I don’t expect it to do well as far as the box office is concerned, though I do hope that eventually people discover this down the road. While it’s ending wasn’t what I wanted it to be (though it still works), I expect that this movie will get even better for me with repeated viewings later on. If you want to see Dwayne Johnson doing something harder-edged, then Faster is certainly worth your time, the marketing just betrays what this film really is. Very much recommended.

Categories
Back Seat Box Office Shows

Back Seat Box Office #10

Show notes are late… sorry! Tony, Andrew, and Jonathan were all in a Cherpumple/Turkey Coma.

Tony’s picks:

  1. Harry Potter and Why isn’t Neville the star of this show? Part I
  2. Tangled
  3. Burlesque
  4. Megamind
  5. Faster

Jonathan’s Picks:

  1. Harry Potter and Is This Train about done? Part I
  2. Tangled
  3. Faster
  4. Love and Other Drugs
  5. Megamind

Andrew’s Picks:

  1. Harry Potter and did you know Hermione has been legal for two years?! Part I
  2. Tangled
  3. Love and Other Drugs
  4. Faster
  5. Burlesque

What did you pick?  What did you see?  What will be your top five next week when The Warrior’s Way gets a wide (barely) release?

Let us know!

Categories
Back Seat Producers Season 05 Shows

BSP Episode 139: Cashback

Your Producers:

  • Tony
  • David
  • Darrell

This episode was recorded: 4/7/2010

Categories
News

Weekend Box Office: November 19 – 21

#1 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 from Warner Brothers debuts at #1 with an opening weekend gross of $125.0 million in 4125 theaters. Budget is unknown.

#2 Megamind from Paramount/Dreamworks drops from #1 to #2 with a weekend gross of $16.0 million (-45.0%) in 3779 theaters (-170). Total gross to date is $109.3 million. Budget was $130 million.

#3 Unstoppable from Fox drops from #2 to #3 with a weekend gross of $13.0 million (-42.7%) in 3209 theaters (+2). Total gross to date is $41.8 million. Budget was $100 million.

#4 Due Date from Warner Brothers drops from #3 to #4 with a weekend gross of $8.9 million (-42.2%) in 3229 theaters (-136). Total gross to date is $72.4 million. Budget was $65 million.

#5 The Next Three Days from Lionsgate debuts at #5 with an opening weekend gross of $6.4 million in 2564 theaters. Budget is unknown.

#6 Morning Glory from Paramount drops from #5 to #6 with a weekend gross of $5.2 million (-43.5%) in 2544 theaters (+26). Total gross to date is $19.8 million. Budget was $40 million.

Rounding out the top 12 are:

#7 Skyline drops from #4 to #7 with a weekend gross of $3.5 million (-69.5%) in 2883 theaters (+3). Total gross to date is $17.7 million. Budget was $10 million.

#8 RED drops from #7 to #8 with a weekend gross of $2.4 million (-50.1%) in 2034 theaters (-844). Total gross to date is $83.5 million. Budget was $58 million.

#9 For Colored Girls drops from #6 to #9 with a weekend gross of $2.2 million (-64.7%) in 1216 theaters (-911). Total gross to date is $34.4 million. Budget was $21 million.

#10 Fair Game jumps from #15 to #10 with a weekend gross of $1.4 million (+42.6%) in 386 theaters (+211). Total gross to date is $3.7 million. Budget was $22 million.

#11 Secretariat holds at #11 with a weekend gross of $0.9 million (-55.9%) in 1010 theaters (-1009). Total gross to date is $56.7 million. Budget was $35 million.

#12 Paranormal Activity 2 drops from #8 to #12 with a weekend gross of $0.9 million (-68.3%) in 1101 theaters (-1302). Total gross to date is $83.5 million. Budget was $3 million.

The combined gross of the top 12 movies this weekend was $186.3 million (+66.9%).

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

Sources:
Box Office Mojo

Categories
Back Seat Producers Season 05 Shows

BSP Episode 138: Predator

We discuss the Action/Sci-fi movie Predator.

Your Producers:

  • Tony
  • David
  • Darrell

This episode was recorded: 3/31/2010.

Categories
Text Reviews Theatrical Review

Theatrical Review: Unstoppable

Thanks to the carelessness of two slacker railroad employees, a half-mile long freight train, loaded with explosive chemicals is now careening at high-speed across the tracks of southern Pennsylvania. It’s now up to veteran engineer Frank Barnes and rookie conductor Will Colson to stop the train and avoid it’s explosive consequences.

Unstoppable has a pretty simple premise and makes for some fairly riveting entertainment in this fifth teaming of director Tony Scott and lead actor Denzel Washington. Prior to this, their other movies included last year’s remake of The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3, Deja Vu, Man on Fire and this writer’s personal favorite of all of Scott’s movies, Crimson Tide. They’re a good team who works extremely well and I have no doubt that they’ll probably make more movies together.

Unstoppable has a nice pace with a leisurely start that quickly amps up thanks to it’s circumstances. Scott throws a lot of stuff on screen, but it’s all in service to the premise and it’s never intrusive and he’s got solid technical support and a very good cast.

The one thing that does get in the way (though I’ll grant you this isn’t really overwhelming) is the fact that this is promoted as being “inspired by true events.” Now a lot of movies do this with their promotion and I wonder just why this is such a big deal to use in their promotion. It’s now funny to me whenever I see those words in any promotional aspect of a movie, because it invites you to figure out what’s not inspired by the “true” events and what fits with Hollywood convention. As far as I know here, the only thing that’s inspired by something true is just the basic premise itself. I’m inclined to believe that because all of the character work and outside corporate influence smacks of pure Hollywood that’s designed to appeal to the gut and the heart.

Now really, there’s nothing wrong with this as long as your end product is good, and fortunately Unstoppable is a lot of fun. Tony Scott’s kinetic camera action is certainly evident, but not as manic as say in movies like Man On Fire or Domino. The train action sequences are extremely well done and when you have a movie with this basic premise, that’s what you want to see.

It helps that you have a solid cast in place and while no one’s going to win any awards for their work here, there’s nothing to be ashamed of either. I’ve said it before, I’m a huge Denzel Washington fan. Whenever he’s in anything he brings a great amount of gravitas to it, and this is no exception. Chris Pine plays Will Colson and he certainly impressed me with his rendition of Captain James T. Kirk in Star Trek. Colson’s sort of the same type of impulsive character and so this is well-suited to him. Rosario Dawson plays the rail commander Connie and like Washington, she’s become a real favorite for me over time. Her performances have gotten more and more driven over time and it certainly doesn’t hurt that she’s drop dead gorgeous as well.

In the end, Unstoppable is fun diversionary entertainment. You won’t see anything new here, and as long as you know that going in, you’ll probably be entertained for it’s running time. I certainly was and I very much look forward to the next time that Tony Scott and Denzel Washington team together.

Categories
Back Seat Box Office Shows

Back Seat Box Office #9

Tony is seeing patterns, or is he??? Many thanks to everyone who emailed Andrew about joining his anti-witch mob. His instructions are to go to Case Magenta, I repeat, go to Case Magenta.

Looking at last weekend’s results, Andrew led the pack with 60%, Tony came in second with 40% and Jonathan ended up with 20%.

Tony says, “Darrell’s review of Skyline,”  but means Darren. Oops! He offers profuse apologies to all those involved.

“Harrry Potter: The Deathly Hallows” and “The Next Three Days” both debut this weekend. We ponder which one will do better at the box office. . . . . for about a second.

Andrew thinks an evil genius will fall faster then a train but not nearly as fast as two guys on a road trip:

  1. Harry Potter: The Deathly Hallows pt. 1
  2. Unstoppable
  3. Megamind
  4. The Next Three Days
  5. Morning Glory

Tony disagrees:

  1. Harry Potter: The Deathly Hallows pt. 1
  2. Megamind
  3. Unstoppable
  4. The Next Three Days
  5. Due Date

Jonathan figures that if John Brennan can break his wife out of prison, he can come in second this weekend:

  1. Harry Potter: The Deathly Hallows pt. 1
  2. The Next Three Days
  3. Unstoppable
  4. Megamind
  5. Due Date

The Green Lantern trailer we talked about can be found here.

Categories
Back Seat Producers Season 05 Shows

BSP Episode 137: Shaolin Soccer

Your Producers:

  • Tony
  • David
  • Darrell

This episode was recorded: 3/24/2010