Categories
Back Seat Box Office BSBO Results Shows

Back Seat Box Office #110 Results and Voice Mail

Congrats to Tony for the best score this week – 23.

Thanks to the following folks for their voice mail contributions:

  • Art
  • Jonathan
  • Tad
  • Tony
Categories
Back Seat Quickies Shows

Back Seat Quickies #68: Amazing Spider-man Deleted Scenes

In the seat:

  • Scott
Recorded 10/29/12
Categories
Announcement

Weekend Box Office: Oct 26-Oct 28

#1 Argo from Warner Bros. rose from #2 to #1 with a gross of $12.1 million (-26.5%) in 2,855 theaters (-392).  Total gross to date is $60.5 million.  Budget was $44.5 million.

#2 Cloud Atlas from Warner Bros. opened at #2 with a gross of $9.6 million in 2,008 theaters.  Budget was unknown.

#3 Hotel Transylvania from Sony/Columbia rose from #4 to #3 with a gross of $9.4 million (-27.4%) in 3,276 theaters (+262).  Total gross to date is $130.4 million.  Budget was $85 million.

#4 Paranormal Activity 4 from Paramount fell from #1 to #4 with a gross of $8.5 million (-70.7%) in 3,412 theaters.  Total gross to date is $42.5 million.  Budget was $5 million.

#5 Silent Hill: Revelation 3D from Open Road Films opened at #5 with a gross of $8 million in 2,933 theaters.  Budget was $20 million.

#6 Taken 2 from 20th Century Fox fell from #3 to #6 with a gross of $7.7 million (-41.8%) in 2,995 theaters (-494).  Total gross to date is $117.1 million.  Budget was $45 million.

#7 Here Comes the Boom from Sony/Columbia held at #7 with a gross of $5.2 million (-38%) in 2,491 theaters (-523).  Total gross to date is $30.3 million.  Budget was unknown.

#8 Alex Cross from Summit Entertainment fell from #5 to #8 with a gross of $5.1 million (-55%) in 2,541 theaters (+2).  Total gross to date is $19.5 million.  Budget was $35 million.

#9 Sinister from Summit Entertainment fell from #6 to #9 with a gross of $5 million (-43.3%) in 2,347 theaters (-195).  Total gross to date is $39.4 million.  Budget was $3 million.

#10 Fun Size from Paramount opened at #10 with a gross of $4.1 million in 3,014 theaters.  Budget was $14 million.

#11 Pitch Perfect from Universal fell from #8 to #11 with a gross of $3.9 million (-41.6%) in 1,999 theaters (-661).  Total gross to date is $51.3 million.  Budget was $17 million.

#12 Frankenweenie from Buena Vista fell from #9 to #12 with a gross of $2.5 million (-43.3%) in 1,738 theaters (-624).  Total gross to date is $31.8 million.  Budget was $39 million.

The combined gross of the top 12 movies this weekend was $81.2 million.

Sources:
Box Office Mojo

Categories
Back Seat Producers Season 07 Shows

BSP Episode 247: The Cabin in the Woods

Release date:  3/9/2012

Lionsgate

Directed by

  • Drew Goddard

Produced by

  • Joss Whedon

Written by

  • Drew Goddard
  • Joss Whedon

Cast

Kristen Connolly

  • Dana Polk

Chris Hemsworth

  • Curt Vaughan

Fran Kranz

  • Marty Mikalski

Richard Jenkins

  • Gary Sitterson

Bradley Whitford

  • Steve Hadley

The hosts review:

  • Deuce watched it five times within a week… ‘nuff said.
  • David’s reasons that this movie worked:  1 – Thor, pre-Thor, even!  2 – He likes a movie where he can SEE the monster, and this was utterly satisfied.  3 – There were heroes, not people making stupid choices in the face of danger.
  • The ultimate choice… do you kill one person to save the world or do you let the world end?
  • Special kudos to the Japanese school children!
  • Scooby Doo… yes, I think everyone thought that, too.
  • The cup bong was the amazing!
  • Stereotypical behavior via chemical enhancements… and not the kind you’re thinking about.  Well, a little bit but not all of it.
  • Why did they only bring one dirt bike?  Five people, one dirt bike?
  • If you were in the basement, what item would you have picked up?  The puzzle ball?  The conch?  The diary?  The necklace?   The music box?
  • Fornicus, Lord of Bondage and Pain.
  • Tony reads a list of monsters/evil and their origins.
  • Merman!  Messy to clean up, though.
  • An interesting twist would have been in Marty was the virgin.
  • Cabin in the Sexist Woods.
  • It’s a great movie with a full plot and not contrived.  It lifted the veil off of all horror movies.
Trivial bits ‘n pieces:

In the scene where Jules kisses the wolf head on the wall, the wolf’s tongue is covered in powdered sugar to give it a dusty look and to make the scene tolerable for the actress.

Fran Kranz (Marty) received extensive prop and behavior training in order to capture the stoner persona.  He received a two-hour joint rolling session and a separate bong lighting session from expert consultants.

On the white board in the control room, when the staff is taking bets on the victims’ potential killers, both “Deadites” as well as “Angry Molesting Tree” are listed.  These are obvious references to The Evil Dead films which also feature a cabin in the woods.

Immediately after an early previous screening with Fan Q&A, the first question Director Drew Goddard was asked was, “Will there be a sequel?”  To which he responded, “Have you seen the ending to my movie?”

Your Producers for this episode were:

  • Tony
  • Darrell
  • Melina
  • Tony/Deuce
  • David

This episode was recorded: 10/24/2012

 

Note: The audio on this one is a bit iffy.  Totally my fault and should be corrected in the next episode. – Tony

 

Categories
Announcement

Theatrical Review: Cloud Atlas

Adapted from the novel by David Mitchell, Cloud Atlas tells six main stories across a period of several centuries. Those six stories involve:

A young man from a wealthy family who’s life has been changed by what he’s seen with slavery.

A vagabond composer/musician who seeks to find love and make the music of his life.

A crusading journalist who’s uncovered corruption with a nuclear power company.

A publisher who’s found himself in trouble through his debts.

A serving class woman who could be the key to an uprising in a dystopian future.

A tribal leader in a devastated future who’s haunted by his own demon for cowardice in letting his brother be killed.

Though they are all separate, they are also all interwoven showing us that we’re all connected whether it’s through the smallest acts of kindness or the greatest moments of catastrophe.

That’s the premise of Cloud Atlas, a thrilling epic ride across time brought to us by an equal epic teaming of directors; Lana and Andy Wachowski (the Matrix series, Bound and Speed Racer) and Tom Tykwer (Run Lola Run, The Princess and the Warrior and Perfume) The six stories aren’t told as separate pieces, but instead are all interwoven together with timelines changing after each scene. It might be a little disconcerting at first, but pretty quickly it does indeed all gel together. Maybe the best way to think of this film is like a cosmic version of Lawrence Kasdan’s Grand Canyon or Paul Thomas Anderson’s Magnolia. While it’s message might be obvious, i don’t really find anything wrong with that. Every now and then, we sorta need this type of film just to remind ourselves that we’re all part of a bigger picture.

It’s definitely an ambitious production, and some might even think pretentious. I don’t necessarily mind a little pretension if the heart and drive is there, and it’s definitely there throughout every aspect of the film. Though it’s two separate directing units, so to speak, it’s pretty seamless in it’s presentation. Cloud Atlas runs nearly three hours long but thanks to some extremely skillful editing it moves at a breakneck pace, though it still gives you the chance to soak it all in. The production values are high and quite beautiful and equally complimented by an emotional score from Tykwer working with Reinhold Heil and Johnny Klimek.

The greatest thing that Cloud Atlas has going for it besides it’s directorial vision is an absolutely amazing ensemble cast that literally plays parts in every single story told through the film. Tom Hanks and Halle Berry lead this cast as it’s biggest names, but the film isn’t all about their characters, though each plays six different characters in the film. I watch Hanks in this in particular and not only do I admire his performances, but just give him all the credit in the world for putting himself in the hands of these directors to use him in ways he’s never been used in before on screen. This cast doesn’t stop with Hanks and Berry; it also includes Jim Broadbent, Hugo Weaving, Jim Sturgess, Doona Bae, Ben Whishaw Keith David, James D’Arcy, Xun Zhou, David Gyasi, Susan Sarandon and Hugh Grant, all at the very top of their games here. I was particularly impressed with Broadbent, Weaving, Sturgess, Bae and Grant- really enjoying seeing Grant play so against type in almost all of the sequences. It really is a cast to die for and they’re all committed to seeing the directors’ vision shine through.

The one criticism that I can certainly understand that some might have is the obviousness of the make-up with some of the players. In some instances, the make-up is totally seamless while in others it is obvious, though I tend to think that some of that is by design as well, basically to make those certain characters stand out just a bit more. Just a word of advice though, stay through the end credits because each actor is actually shown along with their credit and shown in all of their appearances through the film. When you see this, you’ll see some instances of the make-up that will truly astound (for me, it was Hugh Grant as the Kona Chief).

Cloud Atlas is indeed a sprawling epic in the truest sense. It’s message may be obvious, but there’s nothing wrong with that when it’s presented with this amount of heart and conviction, and underscored through a truly lavish production. Cloud Atlas is a movie that demands to be seen on a big screen to truly appreciate it’s scope. It’s a meaty and lengthy piece, but it moves at an extremely brisk pace and by it’s end… well, I kinda hated to see it come to an end. I was ready to sit back down and watch it all over again. It’s one of those movies that I think will reward even more on re-viewings and be the sort of thing that you’re going to want to re-visit every now and then. Highly, highly recommended… don’t miss this one.

Categories
Back Seat Book Club Feedback Shows

Back Seat Book Club – Feedback #1

Thanks for the voice mail, Tad!  And… thanks for the second voice mail, Tad!

Any and all comments can be left by:

  • Voice mail (618-207-4794)
  • Google Call Me button (on this very page)
  • Add a comment to the podcast post
  • Add a comment on the Back Seat Book Club group in Goodreads
  • Email us at backseatproducers@gmail.com
Categories
Back Seat Box Office Shows

Back Seat Box Office #110

Picks:

Lena

  1. Argo
  2. Silent Hill 2: Revelation 3D
  3. Fun Size
  4. Cloud Atlas
  5. Chasing Mavericks

Scott

  1. Paranormal Activity 4
  2. Silent Hill 2: Revelation 3D
  3. Chasing Mavericks
  4. Fun Size
  5. Argo

Jeff

  1. Argo
  2. Hotel Transylvania
  3. Silent Hill 2: Revelation 3D
  4. Paranormal Activity 4
  5. Cloud Atlas
There are no other movies in wide release this weekend.

 

Our picks for Back Seat Indie Box Office:

Lena – The Loneliest Planet

Scott – Pusher

Jeff – Orchestra of Exiles

 

Categories
Back Seat Box Office BSBO Results Shows

Back Seat Box Office #109 Results and Voice Mail

Congrats to Lena and Uriah for their perfect scores to start the new season.

Thanks to Art and Tad for their voice mail contributions.

Categories
Back Seat Quickies Shows

Back Seat Quickies #67: The Dark Knight Returns Part 1

In the Batmobile:

  • Sam
  • Scott
Recorded 22/10/12
Categories
Announcement

Weekend Box Office: Oct 19-Oct 21

#1 Paranormal Activity 4 from Paramount opened at #1 with a gross of $29 million in 3,412 theaters.  Budget was $5 million.

#2 Argo from Warner Bros. held at #2 with a gross of $16.4 million (-15.5%) in 3,247 theaters (+15).  Total gross to date is $43 million.  Budget was $44.5 million.

#3 Taken 2 from 20th Century Fox fell from #1 to #3 with a gross of $13.3 million (-39.4%) in 3,489 theaters (-217).  Total gross to date is $105.8 million.  Budget was $45 million.

#4 Hotel Transylvania from Sony/Columbia held at #4 with a gross of $13 million (-24.6%) in 3,014 theaters (-361).  Total gross to date is $118.5 million.  Budget was $85 million.

#5 Alex Cross from Summit Entertainment opened at #5 with a gross of $11.4 million in 2,539 theaters.  Budget was $35 million.

#6 Sinister from Summit Entertainment fell from #3 to #6 with a gross of $8.8 million (-51%) in 2,542 (+15) theaters.  Total gross to date is $31.7 million.  Budget was $3 million.

#7 Here Comes the Boom from Sony/Columbia fell from #5 to #7 with a gross of $8.4 million (-28.9%) in 3,014 theaters.  Total gross to date is $23.1 million.  Budget was unknown.

#8 Pitch Perfect from Universal fell from #6 to #8 with a gross of $6.8 million (-27.1%) in 2,660 theaters (-127).  Total gross to date is $45.5 million.  Budget was $17 million.

#9 Frankenweenie from Buena Vista fell from #7 to #9 with a gross of $4.3 million (-38.6%) in 2,362 theaters (-643).  Total gross to date is $28.2 million.  Budget was $39 million.

#10 Looper from TriStar fell from #8 to #10 with a gross of $4.2 million (-32.2%) in 2,223 theaters (-382).  Total gross to date is $57.8 million.  Budget was $30 million.

#11 Seven Psychopaths from CBS Films fell from #9 to #11 with a gross of $3.3 million (-21.6) in 1,480 theaters.  Total gross to date is $9.1 million.  Budget was $15 million.

#12 The Perks of Being a Wallflower from Summit Entertainment fell from #11 to #12 with a gross of $2.2 million (+0.1%) in 745 theaters (+19).  Total gross to date is $9.1 million.  Budget was unknown.

The combined gross of the top 12 movies this weekend was $121 million.

Sources:
Box Office Mojo