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Box Office Predictions: Leftovers Triumph over Dream House and 50/50

Damon Houx — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 18:44:50 +0000

When the most anticipated movie of the weekend wasn’t reviewed for critics as is barely expected to crack ten million, yeah, we’re in the dog days. Dream House – which wasn’t screened for critics – could lead the pack of new films, and The Lion King looks to end its two week run at the top of the charts, which means we may see Dolphin Tale climb to the top slot. Or perhaps Moneyball, or… forget it Jake, it’s September.

The big winner this weekend is going to be a film called Courageous. If you’ve never heard of it, it’s because it wasn’t marketed for anyone but it’s target audience, much like the Kirk Cameron film Fireproof. And it’s from the same creators. Subtly, we’ve seen more and more successful pictures that are pitched to religous audiences – much of Dolphin Tale‘s success and Soul Surfer‘s are due to a campaign that didn’t go for ad placement during sports shows or hit sitcoms. As a business model this is very exciting for the industry, but throughout the last forty years, we’ve sene numerous films do well by targeting an audience that was hungry to go to the movies, but didn’t respond to the big names. From Easy Rider and Superfly to Tyler Perry, there are numbers of films that have worked well by playing to a base. It doesn’t always work, but for a film like Courageous to do over five million is a big win for the film.

Dream House is being dumped by its studio and runs 92 minutes. It’s got names across the board – Daniel Craig, Rachel Weisz and Naomi Watts - and was directed by Jim Sheridan, who used to be an Oscar-friendly filmmaker. It runs 92 minutes and is coming out a little early for the Halloween season, which in film terms usually says it all. Still, it’s short enough and with enough famous people to do not terrible business.

I thought 50/50 was a solid piece of work that would have benefited only from an adjustment to a character that was a little too arch for the film, but I think it plays. It’s both funny and touching, but the question is if the people like who like the stars of the film (Seth Rogen and Joseph Gordon-Levitt) will turn out for an emotional roller coaster. I think the studio has been smart in telling audiences the results of the film, but this may be the worst or the best date-night movie ever. Films like this tend to work better when they have Oscar chances or are aimed at women. Perhaps if sports had somehow been involved. It may do the best out of the new releases, but only just.

What’s Your Number is another off season effort. Anna Farris has shown she can carry a Hollywood comedy, and Chris Evans is coming off his biggest solo hit with Captain America, and yet… late September. Off season is sometimes good for a rom-com, but they tend to go with near-Valentine’s day releases for more synergy. Basically, now is the best time for studios to release products they’re unsure of because with less competition, it makes sense to hope that people just want to go to a movie. If a film is set to be counter-programming during the busy months, it will often die that much faster – which is sometimes the goal (studios often hate the films they make). To release a film now suggests that either you’re going for a word of mouth appeal (like 50/50) or you can’t punch your weight.

So let’s top five it:

Dolphin Tale – $14 Million
Moneyball – $13.5 Million
The Lion King – $11.7 Million
50/50 – $10.2 Million
Dream House - $9.5 Million

Nothing’s really charting heavy, so it’s possible either Courageous or What’s Your Number could jump into the top five, and it’s also possible that Dream House dies a quick death even with the talent involved. It’s hard to know if this will hurt Daniel Craig any more than Cowboys and Aliens did. Next week brings Real Steel. That’s going to be fascinating.

50/50: Movie Review

Mali Elfman — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 01:00:09 +0000

Here’s the problem with this 50/50, the marketing sets it up for failure. They’re so busy trying to get people into the theaters by making them think that it’s a comedy, that they’re setting up the wrong expectations and therefore forcing the film to be unable to achieve its goal — telling a true to life story. There are some laughs, some love, some beautiful moments, some sadness, fear, all the things that go into real human life, which is what makes it so great. So avoid the ads and go into this film knowing you’re getting a solid drama with a few chuckles…

The Player:

Director: Jonathan Levine
Writer: Will Reiser
Stars: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Seth Rogen, Anna Kendrick, Bryce Dallas Howard

The Plot:

A 27-year-old guy gets diagnosed with cancer and turns to his friends and family who all provide him with a variety of different kinds of support.

The Good:

Levitt: He’s on a roll and with this film he keeps on rolling. He’s at his best in film’s of this nature, as opposed to Inception, where yes he looked good and did well, in this film he’s open, vulnerable, he’s so raw that you never know what he’ll do next and you care about him throughout everything he does. You not only follow his journey with eyes wide open, but care about him the entire way.
The Women: Anna Kendrick is absolutely adorable, the chemistry between her and Levitt is honest and real, overall she brought some much needed light to this film and was a joy to watch. Bryce Dallas Howard, I hated, which is a testament to her acting and how well she played the character. She played the kind of woman that we all hate and did it so damn well. It was a risk and it paid off. Having Anjelica Huston stop by is never a bad thing either. Nicely done ladies!
Skeletor: These are one of those small, but important moments of humor and it’s fantastic.
Relationships: From parents to son, boyfriend to horrible girlfriend, guy to guy, to patient to therapist, there’s a number of interesting relationships in this film that though only on screen for a limited time, really show you the heart of what loving someone, in a variety of different ways means, and how pretending to do that, never works.

So So:

Rogen: There were times where he played up the slap-stick side of comedy a bit too much. He needs to move away from the heavy, asshole comedian, because when he settles, he’s laying up the comedy a little bit too much!

The Bad:

Not Much: There was very little to complain about coming out of this film. Though I didn’t love it, it had a number of great qualities and is an easy film to appreciate.

Overall:

It’s a touching, poignant film that deals with a difficult topic in a very palatable way. It’s the not the feel-good film of the year, the comedy of the year, or the drama, but there’s something about it that’s honest, that you can relate to, that makes it one of the most human films of the year.

Rating: 7/10

50/50 hits theaters September 30th.

Photo Gallery:

What did you think of the film?

New DVD Releases: The Green Hornet, The Dilemma, From Prada to Nada

Andrew Payne — Tue, 03 May 2011 19:58:29 +0000

After a week off due to the incredibly rare instance of absolutely no DVDs being released at all, the DVD picks are back with a very nice collection of early-year comedies and a weird grab-bag of TV on DVD Releases.

All that, plus a legendary wrestler in what appears to be a film worth of Hallmark Hall of Fame distinction. Oh yes, it’s time for the face paint to run with a few tears.

Check it out below…

Feature Films

The Green Hornet and The Dilemma

I’m trying to decide which is shorter. The pinnacle of a rapper’s career or the pinnacle of comedic movie star’s career?

Think about it. Five years ago, Vince Vaughn was an untouchable comedy demi-god with hits like ‘The Break Up’, ‘Old School’ and ‘Wedding Crashers’. Meanwhile, you couldn’t put on a hip-hop station without hearing from Missy ‘Misdemeanor’ Elliot, Ja Rule or Nelly.

Now, after barely any time has passed Vince Vaughn is stuck headlining a bomb comedy that comes out in January and I haven’t heard from any of those three hip-hop artists outside of a Jack FM retro day.

And it’s happened many times before. Jim Carrey was once on top of the world. Eddie Murphy before that. And so on down the line. No matter how luminous the comedic actor, they’re all in danger of winding up like MC Hammer or Busta Rhymes

So this raises the question: How much longer does Seth Rogen have on top of the comedic world? Was Funny People the first chink in his armor? Is it the underperforming Green Hornet which failed to make back its money domestically, and seems to have only broken even globally? Or was it the mega-bomb Paul which only featured his voice, but it was that voice that managed to receive the brunt of the disdain for the film.

His next slate of movie will tell if he has the rare staying power of an Eminem or Adam Sandler, or if he’ll end up with the Vince Vaughns and Busta Rhymes of the world.

Of course, you can save both of them from being forgotten, by purchasing their DVDs:

Buy The Dilemma on DVD.

Buy The Green Hornet on DVD.

Also:

From Prada to Nada – Buy Now

TV on DVD

As promised, here’s the odd collection of TV on DVD. Do you remember that Eddie Murphy used to have an animated show?

Also:

“According to Jim”: Season 3 – Buy Now
“Boy Meets World”: Season 5 – Buy Now
“Drop Dead Diva”: Season 1 – Buy Now
“Make it or Break It”: Season 2, Vol. 3 – Buy Now
“Penn & Teller Bullshit!”: Season 8 – Buy Now
“The PJs”: Season 1 – Buy Now
“The Promise: The Making of ‘Darkness on the Edge of Town’” – Buy Now

And Just So You Know, This DVD Exists…

Yes, it’s starring Sting. As in Sting, the wrestler.

Beastie Boys Fight For Your Right – Revisited Trailer Brings Out the A-Listers

Damon Houx — Thu, 07 Apr 2011 22:13:16 +0000

There’s something to be said that only the Beastie Boys could bring out Danny McBride, Seth Rogen, Elijah Wood, Jack Black, Will Ferrell, John C. Reilly, Ted Danson, Stanley Tucci, Susan Sarandon and many more famous people for what appears to be a very funny goof on the history of the Band. McBride, Wood and Rogen play younger versions of the band, with Reilly, Ferrell and Black the older iterations. How this all works out is unknown, but the trailer is here for Fight For Your Right – Revisited, and it is great. Check it out…

This is a short film written and directed by Beastie Boy Adam Yauch. It will come with their latest album Hot Sauce Committee Pt. 2, which hits stores and iTunes on 5/3. The premise is that it’s a sequel (as has been reported) to the Beastie Boys breakout video “Fight For Your Right to Party.”

With all the celebrities and cameos this could descend into navel-gazing nonsense if it goes too long or attempts too much, but with the sheer comedic talent involved, the likelihood of that is smaller than average.This trailer has everything, including Ferrell hitting a cowbell. It looks like inspired lunacy. Even if the B-Boys are middle-aged rappers in a genre of music that has yet to see many elder statesmen, the album should be worth getting for this.

Because you can’t, you won’t and you don’t stop, do you think The Beastie Boys came with the sure shot?

Paul: Movie Review

Krystal Clark — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 01:20:52 +0000

Simon Pegg and Nick Frost reunite on the big screen this weekend for their new comedy Paul. Like they’re previous works, Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz, which poked fun at the horror and action genre, Paul places the focus on science fiction. It’s a comedic take on what would happen if you mixed the movie Alien with Fanboys. Check out our review…

The Players:

Director: Greg Mottola
Screenwriters: Simon Pegg and Nick Frost
Cast: Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Seth Rogen, Kristen Wiig, Jason Bateman, Bill Hader, Joe Lo Truglio, Sigourney Weaver, Jeffrey Tambor, Jane Lynch, Blythe Danner, John Carroll Lynch
Cinematography By: Lawrence Sher
Original Music By: David Arnold

The Plot:

Clive and Graeme are two sci-fi enthusiasts who travel from the U.K. to the U.S. to attend San Diego Comic-Con. After the convention wraps they take a road trip across the Southwest, where they visit several famous UFO landmarks including Area 51. During one of their stops they meet Paul, an alien who’s on the run from the government. He enlists the help of Clive and Graeme, who dodge FBI agents, red necks, and Bible thumpers to get him where he needs to be.

The Good:

Simon Pegg/Nick Frost: The chemistry between these two is undeniable. They’re naturally funny apart, so when they’re together comedy ensues. If you’re a fan of their previous collaborations, you won’t be disappointed with their performances in Paul.
Paul: Paul is a pleasant surprise. At first glance, he comes across as a rude, slimy, untrustworthy creature but he’s actually a heartwarming character that you learn to love as the movie progresses.
The Big Guy: Sigourney Weaver plays the main villain, who’s affectionately called The Big Guy. Her casting in this role is pure genius considering her longstanding battle with aliens for the majority of her career. There’s only a choice few actresses who can pull off masculine characters believably and she’s one of them!

The Bad:

Throwaway Characters: There are more than a few oddballs who interfere with Paul, Clive, and Graeme’s journey including a couple of agents in training, some hillbillies, and a religious zealot. All of them are one dimensional characters who serve no purpose to the story. They could have scrapped them and given more screen time to those who mattered.
Agent Zoil: I love Jason Bateman, therefore it hurts me to say this: Agent Zoil dropped the ball. The majority of the film, Zoil is the straight man against all the other goofball characters, a role that Bateman is used to pulling off (Arrested Development anyone?) but his character wasn’t fun, witty, or interesting. Anyone could have played Zoil. It didn’t have to be Bateman. His talent was wasted here.

Overall:

Paul is a road trip movie that pokes fun at the sci-fi genre and the fan boy culture. It’s campy and comedic fun.

Rating: 7.5/10

Paul opens in theaters everywhere on March 11th.

Photo Gallery:

Trailer:

Will you be seeing Paul this weekend?

Seth Rogen’s Cancer Comedy Titled 50/50, Gets September Release

Krystal Clark — Fri, 18 Feb 2011 17:37:35 +0000

We haven’t forgotten about Seth Rogen’s upcoming cancer comedy and neither should you. The film has remained untitled for over a year, despite its completed production. The studio has been keeping it close to the vest due to its sensitive subject matter. No one wants to talk about something as hard hitting as cancer and make fun of it, but somehow Rogen did and it finally has a release date and a title.

The movie is called 50/50 and will be distributed by Summit Entertainment. The film is based on the true story of Will Reiser, as played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt. Reiser was diagnosed with cancer in his mid-20s and successfully battled the disease over several years. Rogen stars as his close friend, Anna Kendrick plays a young psychologist assigned to handle the man’s case despite her lack of real life experience, and Oscar winner Anjelica Huston plays his mother.

50/50 will hit theaters on September 30, and is directed by Jonathan Levine. We’re not sure how we feel about the title, but it will do. The film previously ran through names like I’m With Cancer and Just Live With It.

What do you think about the new title? Are you interested in seeing the film?

Source: The Wrap

Sundance 2011: Beastie Boys ‘Fight for Your Right Revisited’ Review

Christie Ko — Mon, 24 Jan 2011 20:31:36 +0000

Adam Yauch’s Fight for Your Right Revisited, featuring Elijah Wood, Danny McBride, Seth Rogen, Jack Black, Will Ferrell, and John C. Riley delivers big time. Just imagine every actor you can think of packed into a hilarious 30 minute music video. This is Hollywood the way I like to see it, poking fun at itself and reminding everyone that the very best actors are not only able to make you laugh, but they’re able to laugh at themselves.

The Players:

Director: Adam Yauch
Written By: Adam Yauch
Cast: Elijah Wood, Danny McBride, Seth Rogen, Will Ferrell, John C. Riley, Susan Sarandon, Stanley Tucci, Rashida Jones, Will Arnett, Rainn Wilson, Ted Danson, Roman Coppola, Steve Buscemi, Amy Poehler, Alicia Silverstone, Milo Ventimiglia, Jody Hill, Jason Schwartzman, Chloë Sevigny, Kirsten Dunst, David Cross, Orlando Bloom, Jack Black, Adam Horowitz, Mike D, Adam Yauch, Martin Starr, etc.

Review:

This short takes place the morning after the party featured in the Beastie Boys original music video, Fight for Your Right in 1986 (watch it here). The film comes complete with cameos from a cast I couldn’t believe, including Susan Sarandon, Jason Schwartzman, Rainn Wilson, and Stanley Tucci, to name just a few. It’s almost as if Seth Rogen, Elijah Wood, and Will Ferrell just walked through the studio lot and grabbed any actors they happened to come across, and they came across a few, including Steve Buscemi and Kirsten Dunst. The film has the feel and tone of a long SNL music video skit that you never want to end, even after a metaphorical pissing contest turns into a literal pissing contest and Chloë Sevigny stabs someone.

This film accomplishes exactly what it sets out to do, and that is show amazing actors really playing with an idea and having fun with each other. The Beastie Boys have come a long way since 1986, and I think this parody is their way of saying they know how absurd and ridiculous they were back then and are inviting everyone to join them in laughing at it. Even if you aren’t a huge Beastie Boys fan, this is still going to make you laugh.

Overall:

When this thing hits the interwebs, it’ll go viral and you’ll be able to watch it over and over again. Believe me, you will want to.

Rating: 6/10

Seth Rogen Says George Lucas Believes the World Will End in 2012

Krystal Clark — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 17:24:17 +0000

It’s no secret that the year 2012 is surrounded by negative energy. It was prophesied by the ancient Mayans, that the year would bring forth the apocalypse. Now that it’s almost here, we’ve literally got 11 months to live it up before we get knocked to kingdom come. Some people buy this revelation and some people don’t, and one of the surprising believers happens to be the creator of the Star Wars universe, George Lucas!

Update: Lucas rep Lynne Hale says the director denies that he believes the world will end in 2012. Here’s what she had to say:

“He was not serious when he talked about the end of the world in 2012 but he is an adamant believer that the world is flat, that Stonehenge was built by aliens, and that the sun revolves around the Earth,” Hale said. “These are among the many subjects he commonly discusses at length with Elvis, who he’s going to digitally insert into Indy 5 along with a roster of famous dead actors.” – Wired

Here’s the previous post:

A lot of people say that Lucas is out of touch with mainstream society. He lives on an isolated ranch surrounded by sci-fi memorabilia, and he’s a billionaire. That type of lifestyle can make you appear unrelatable, but according to actor Seth Rogen, Lucas has the same fears as everyone else.

Rogen recently took part in a business meeting that featured Lucas and Steven Spielberg, and what should have been one of the most exciting talks of his life became the most strange. Here’s what happened:

“He’s going on about the tectonic plates and all the time Spielberg is, like, rolling his eyes, like, ‘My nerdy friend won’t shut up, I’m sorry…’

I first thought he (Lucas) was joking… and then I totally realized he was serious and then I started thinking, ‘If you’re George Lucas and you actually think the world is gonna end in a year, there’s no way you haven’t built a spaceship for yourself… So I asked him… ‘Can I have a seat on it?’

He claimed he didn’t have a spaceship, but there’s no doubt there’s a Millennium Falcon in a garage somewhere with a pilot just waiting to go… It’s gonna be him and Steven Spielberg and I’ll be blown up like the rest of us.”

Rogen better call John Cusack and get a plane stat! If Lucas is even slightly worried, the rest of us should be shaking in our boots!

Are you surprised by Lucas’ beliefs?

Source: Toronto Sun

Is The Green Hornet The Next Daredevil??

scottschachter — Mon, 17 Jan 2011 23:13:45 +0000

When Daredevil opened in February of 2003, it had been fending off months of bad buzz ranging from the choice of Ben Affleck, to middling reviews to picking a director who had never helmed a big budget action comedy based on a semi known comic book property before.

Sound like the case of The Green Hornet? Just like The Green Hornet, Daredevil was able to fight back against bad buzz, open to a solid number one opening , go on to gross nearly $200M worldwide and even spawn a spin off based on Jennifer Garner’s character, Elektra.

Like Daredevil, The Green Hornet was an early-mid winter action comedy based on a semi known comic book property that went on to have a somewhat solid first weekend opening.

How did both Daredevil and The Green Hornet make such a miraculous turn around you ask? They both immersed themselves into various pop culture lexicons to obtain positive buzz. Daredevil had a hit song from the then hugely popular goth music pop group, Evanescence to The Green Hornet garnering positive buzz amongst the highly influential film blogger set by offering secret test screenings which quickly turned to positive chatter.

Where The Green Hornet goes from here is anyone’s guess. Will it spawn a sequel? A spin-off? Only time will tell in the weekends to come.

Five Green Hornet International Posters

Krystal Clark — Wed, 29 Dec 2010 19:53:19 +0000

Next month’s The Green Hornet has gone international. Five posters have been released overseas for Michel Gondry’s latest feature film, and one of them includes Cameron Diaz. Is it bad that we’ve almost completely forgotten about her involvement with this movie? Sorry Cameron. Check out the five full sized one sheets below…

The Green Hornet is based on the long running radio turned television series that ran during the 1930s and 1960s. The film stars Seth Rogen as Britt Reid, the heir to a major media conglomerate who spends his free time fighting crime as a vigilante hero after the death of his father (Tom Wilkinson). He’s typically aided by his driver Kato (Jay Chou), who just happens to be a martial arts master.

As you might have figured from the posters, Christoph Waltz plays the main villain in the film, while Diaz’s character works with Rogen’s Britt Reid. Personally, the character poster featuring Waltz is our favorite and the French group version comes in as a close second.

The Green Hornet opens in theaters everywhere on January 14, 2011.

What do you think of the posters? Which one is your favorite?

Sources: IMP Awards Allocine

Seth Rogen and Jay Chou in New Green Hornet Poster

Krystal Clark — Fri, 17 Dec 2010 18:15:12 +0000

Sony has released a new poster for their upcoming big screen adaptation The Green Hornet. The film and the poster features Seth Rogen, who plays the title character and Jay Chou who plays his sidekick and chauffeur Kato. Unlike the teaser poster that was released a while ago this one sheet has the characters front and center and they look like they’re up to something. Check it out…

Can someone please tell us what the hell it is that Seth Rogen is looking at in this poster? Chou’s character looks like he’s got something in his sights and Rogen’s just checking out the scene. We guess this is their attempt at looking baddass?

Green Hornet is based on the long running radio turned television series that ran during the 1930s and 1960s. The film stars Rogen as Britt Reid, the heir to a major media conglomerate who spends his free time fighting crime as a vigilante hero after the death of his father (Tom Wilkinson). He’s typically aided by his driver Kato (Chou), who just happens to be a martial arts master.

The Green Hornet opens in theaters everywhere on January 14, 2011.

What do you think of the poster for The Green Hornet?

Source: IMP Awards

New Action Packed Trailer for The Green Hornet

Krystal Clark — Sat, 20 Nov 2010 00:42:47 +0000

A new trailer has been released for Michel Gondry’s latest film, The Green Hornet. Doesn’t it seem like everything “green” is debuting this week? First we had the Green Lantern trailer from Warner Bros and now Sony has released a new one for Hornet. What can they do to set this film apart from the other green guy? They can add Kato-vision!!! Check it out…

Green Hornet is based on the long running radio turned television series that ran during the 1930s and 1960s. The film stars Seth Rogen as Britt Reid, the heir to a major media conglomerate who spends his free time fighting crime as a vigilante hero after the death of his father (Tom Wilkinson). He’s typically aided by his driver Kato (Jay Chou), who just happens to be a martial arts master.

As much as we all want to hate this film, the early reviews for it haven’t been bad. Maybe we’ll be pleasantly surprised by what Rogen and Chou have to offer? I’m not personally invested in it because Bruce Lee will always be Kato in my eyes, but I don’t hold a grudge against Chou.

The Green Hornet will open in theaters on January 14.

What do you think of the new trailer for The Green Hornet? Are you interested in seeing the film?

Source: Yahoo

ScreenCrave.com » seth rogen

Box Office Predictions: Leftovers Triumph over Dream House and 50/50

Related Posts

50/50: Movie Review

The Player:

The Plot:

The Good:

So So:

The Bad:

Overall:

Rating: 7/10

Photo Gallery:

Related Posts

New DVD Releases: The Green Hornet, The Dilemma, From Prada to Nada

Feature Films

TV on DVD

And Just So You Know, This DVD Exists…

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Beastie Boys Fight For Your Right – Revisited Trailer Brings Out the A-Listers

Related Posts

Paul: Movie Review

The Players:

The Plot:

The Good:

The Bad:

Overall:

Rating: 7.5/10

Photo Gallery:

Trailer:

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Seth Rogen’s Cancer Comedy Titled 50/50, Gets September Release

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Sundance 2011: Beastie Boys ‘Fight for Your Right Revisited’ Review

The Players:

Review:

Overall:

Rating: 6/10

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