A blockbuster awakens: Star Wars is back

AFP | Los Angeles: Fans cheered the highly anticipated Hollywood premiere of Star Wars: The Force Awakens with standing ovations, applause and screams of delight as the space epic resumes under tight security. The police cordoned off the area around the famed Chinese Theatre on Hollywood Boulev-ard hosting the premiere along with other nearby theaters hosting some 5,000 guests, setting up metal detectors and deploying scores of officers and sniffer dogs. As the stars of the latest inst-allment of the epic walked the red carpet, fans — some who had camped out for days in their Star Wars costumes — went into a frenzy seeking autographs and pictures of the beloved movie characters. “This is like the Academy Awa-rds or something,” Ha-rrison Ford, who plays Han Solo, said. Jeff Bock, an analyst at box office tracker Exhibitor Relations, said “this is probably the biggest opening in decades.” Disney CEO Bob Iger hailed what “could be the biggest premiere we have ever done.” Ever since 1977, when Star Wars introduced the world to the Force, Jedi knights, Darth Vader, Wookiees and clever droids R2-D2 and C-3PO, the sci-fi saga has built a devoted global fan base that spans generations. “I’ve been here since 3:00 am because I wanted to get a good spot,” said James Salazar (19) outside the Chinese Theatre. “I’ve been a fan all my life, it’s my favourite movie and my dad’s also.” The premiere on Monday will be followed by a global rollout taking in a dozen countries beginning on Wednesday before the film officially reaches US theaters on Friday. The intergalactic tale of good versus evil, friendship, loyalty and love created a defining moment in the history of popular culture and launched one of the biggest movie franchises ever. The original blockbu-ster turned Ford, Carr-ie Fisher and Mark Hamill — who play its heroes Han Solo, Prin-cess Leia and Luke Skywalker — into sta-rs overnight. Much to the delight of legions of fans, the beloved veterans return in the new installment — which picks up 30 years after the events of 1983’s Return of the Jedi.” The Force Awakens also brings a host of fresh faces like British actors John Boyega and Daisy Ridley. Source: The Asian Age

Read More........ → February 13, 2016

Chennai Express smashes more records, makes fastest 100 crore

Rohit Shetty's latest directotial venture Chennai Express is all out to smash records. The Shah Rukh Khan, Deepika Padukone-starrer has already made an average collection of Rs. 100 crore, the fastest entry to the club. Earlier, Salman Khan-starrer Ek Tha Tiger collections crossed Rs. 100  crore in six
days. Chennai Express averaged Rs. 28.05 crore on Saturday and Rs. 32.50 crore on Sunday at the ticket windows. The film earned Rs. 6.75 crore from paid previews on Thursday and collected around Rs. 33.12 crore on the opening day, making a total of Rs. 100.42 crore. The overseas earnings of the film are
estimated at a total of  Rs. 45 crore over the weekend. "We have received an overwhelming response from all quarters and the film is being loved by everyone. Though CE is playing in highest number of screens for any film, we still ran out of capacity in most locations due to this huge demand at the box office", 
says Gaurav Verma, Director - India theatrical distribution, Studios, Disney UTV. Prakhar Joshi, Head - Programming PVR Cinemas also can't stop beaming about the success. "Now CE holds the record of biggest opening day at PVR- if you add previews, this number becomes even bigger. We were always
confident of film doing well thus backed it with maximum show caning and right ticket pricing." The movie opened in at least 3500 screens across the country on August 9. The overall collection for Thursday in UK
was £ 142,220 while in Australia and New Zealand A$ 38,315 and NZ$ 8,058, respectively. The comic caper has made decent collections at foreign ticket windows as well. Source: Hindustan Times

Read More........ → August 12, 2013

Lincoln: Movie Review

Hey there Chaos fans! I know I've been away for a bit, but its because I've had a lot going on... I need a vacation! Haha! Anyways, I'll be posting this week with some pics from my emerging Khorne Bezerker force, and maybe a book review (I'm nearly done with Deliverance Lost too). However, I have a movie review for you, so without further ado: It may or may not be a secret to longtime readers of this blog, but I am a history nut (that's what my wife calls me, at any rate). I love United States history, and I have admired Lincoln for sure. The truth is, I have been dying to see  this movie, but I was also afraid. The cast sounded top notch (Lewis? Jones? Straithirn? What a cast!), and I was hoping that this movie would be smart and powerful, but I was afraid because Spielberg was the man  behind the camera. At one point, 
Spielberg would have been a no brainer- giving us Indiana Jones trilogy, Saving Private Ryan, Schindler's List, Close Encounters, and of course, Jaws. However, he has been on a bit of a rough patch in the 21st century- I mean, he nearly ruined Indy with Crystal Skull, for heaven's sake! The war machines of War of the Worlds were fantastic, but the human element was all over the map (the audience I saw it with cheered- yes cheered- when Dakota Fanning was taken by the martians- that's how annoying she was). Minority Report was just OK, and AI was just a mess. Yes, so I had reason to fear with this- which Spielberg was going to show up?  Thankfully, there was nothing to fear here, as old Spielberg showed up and simply told a story. It is not a simple story by any stretch, but it was simply told, without schmaltz, fancy tech, or explosive action, or trickery. No, this story didn't need any of that- it just needed someone
with courage to do the story justice, allowing it to develop at its own pace, and using the actors to their fullest. And thankfully, Spielberg and company did just that with "Lincoln". In fact, the movie is beautiful, elegant, meaningful, and even occasionally humorous, while the acting is top notch all around.The true success of the movie is its choice of scope. The movie is wise to focus in on one fight that Lincoln had to go through during the last days of the Civil War- a wider biopic would have diluted the proceedings. Just about everyone knows Lincoln as the the young "rail splitter", the Illinois lawyer, the "Great Emancipator" and as the president who put the Union back together; he is also tragically known as the first president to be assassinated. His whole life could be fodder for a movie, and I'm sure the temptation to do a sweeping biopic of his life would be there for any filmmaker. Instead of looking at Lincoln's whole life

Read More........ → January 14, 2013

'Twilight,' 'Skyfall,' And 'Lincoln' Combine For Record-Breaking Box Office Weekend

Returning films Twilight: Breaking Dawn Part 2, Skyfall, and Lincoln combined with new movies Rise of the Guardians, Life of Pi, and Red Dawn to break 2009's Thanksgiving box office record. Movies made $290 million over the 5 day period, topping 2009's $273 million tally. The three day weekend numbers became the best as well, taking in $206.7 million and also beating 2009's mark at $175.2 million. For the three day weekend Twilight led the pack with $43 million, which is the most for a film in the series in its second weekend. Skyfall added $36 million to its total, making it far-and-away the highest-grossing Bond film with $221 million so far (Quantum of Solace, the former lead, only made $168.4 million). Lincoln, in its second weekend at full release, made $25 million. Rise of the Guardians was the big disappointment of the weekend, opening at $24 million - the worst for a Dreamworks Animated film since Flushed Away. In comparison, The Muppets made over $40 million last year as the family Thanksgiving film. Life of Pi was next with $22 million. Red Dawn, after being delayed for 3 years, finally came out with a paltry $14.6 million. Next week, The Collection and Killing Them Softly join the crowded film selection. © 2012 Starpulse.com Photo Credits: © Summit Entertainment. Source: Starpulse.com

Read More........ → November 30, 2012

Ang Lee’s Life of Pi opened International Film Festival of India

Ang Lee’s Life of Pi will opend the International Film Festival of India at Goa’s Panaji on Tuesday. Adapted to the screen from Yann Martel’s 2002 Man Booker Prize winning novel, Life of Pi is a tempestuous tale of a boy whose ship is wrecked in a killer storm on high seas. The boy, Pi, loses his mother, father and kid brother along with their little zoo when the family is sailing from their hometown of Puducherry or Pondicherry (close to Chennai in India) to Canada. In the end, Pi finds himself on a lifeboat with the most unlikely of companions, a Royal Bengal Tiger. Forced to spend many, many weeks on the tiny boat drifting on the waves, Pi learns to survive against not just Nature’s fiercesome odds, but also a deadly beast. While New Delhi’s Suraj Sharma’s essays the young Pi, whose carelessness on a cyclonic night costs the life of his parents and brother, Irrfan plays the older Pi. During a recent chat with me, Irrfan said that it was an impossibly difficult book to adapt for a movie. It was extremely complex and Lee shot the first parts of the film in Puducherry where the story actually begins, later moving to his native Taiwan for the more complex scenes. He recreated the Pacific Ocean, where Pi’s family perishes on a night of killer waves, in a disused airport. A gigantic water tank was built to simulate the effects of the hurricane in the 3D movie. With the production company, Fox, pulling out all stops, the shoot seemed so easy. As Irrfan averred, money was never a problem and the challenge of getting the tiger and the boy together was not as imposing as it had appeared in the beginning. “They had got four tigers from Canada or Russia, but, of course, in the end, it was all about computer graphics.” Irrfan has only a small role to play in the film and unlike the young Pi, who had a physically punishing and dangerous part to do, the older Pi had to grapple with mental challenges. Sharma was merely 16 when he signed for Lee’s first three-dimensional adventure. "After three years, the movie is now complete and being a part of the film has been a life-changing experience," Sharma said during a recent chat. "It has really changed me and how I perceive the entire world in many ways… People say that I have grown up personally after this movie. Like I went there as a 16-year-old boy. Now, sometimes I feel like I am 40 years old." "Earlier, I used to live in my own little shell and everything was small. Now I have realised that the world is this open place with opportunities. Now I know how to deal with situations in a better way and I can work five times harder without it affecting me because I have already worked like that. I've just become more ready for things," Sharma added. Irrfan agreed with this and said in an important way, the shoot itself had been as perilous as the actual story, where the boy kept the tiger alive and the tiger kept the boy alive. For each, the other was not just a distraction, but a point of hope, a point of survival. Pi wanted to outwit and outlive the animal, while it must have probably felt the same about the boy. So, both gave each other some kind of meaning to exist. “Perhaps the tiger would not have lived had it been alone on the boat. It was the presence of the boy that probably encouraged it to continue its fight to find food and sustain itself.” Irrfan felt that it would be very difficult for an Indian director to replicate Lee’s work in Life of Pi. “We are just not prepared for that kind of complexity.” Also, Indian movie companies and helmers are quite content with what they are producing. They have little desire to reach out to an international audience. However, Irrfan hoped that the new crop of directors would learn to understand the grammar of cinema better, in a way that their own films would hold out a great promise of appealing to a world audience. “Yes, funding would still remain an issue”. Irrfan, who has done some extraordinarily interesting roles in equally fascinating films like Pan Singh Tomar, Yeh Saali Zindagi and earlier Maqbool (based on Shakespeare’s Macbeth), is now shooting for Tigmanshu Dhulia’s Sahib Bibi Aur Gangster 2. Part one did not have Irrfan in it and he is stepping into Randeep Hooda’s shoes, who played the gangster. Irrfan is also doing Nikhil Advani’s latest yet-to-be titled work. With Danny Boyle’s Slumdog Millionaire, Michael Winterbottom’s A Mighty Heart, Dhulia’s Paan Singh Tomar behind him, Khan is all set to dream big. But those like Tabu who helped him evolve (Maqbool, The Namesake) continue to be in his dreams. During a recent promotional campaign for Life of Pi in Chennai, when Tabu said that she appears in Lee’s work much earlier than Irrfan does and does not share screen space with him, the actor had a wonderful rejoinder. “But you are always in my dreams.” I am sure she is, but Irrfan’s dreams must now include still greater performances than what we have already seen. Of course, I have little doubt about this. Source: Hindustan Times

Read More........ → November 22, 2012

English Vinglish doing great at box office

Sridevi’s comeback and Gauri Shinde’s directorial debut film ‘English Vinglish’ collected Rs 12.23 crore in its opening weekend. 

Last week's releases - English Vinglish and Kismet Love Paisa Dilli - have met with rather opposite fates at the box office. While Sridevi's comeback film was appreciated by the multiplex audience and even got excellent reviews, the critics panned KLPD, starring Vivek Oberoi and Mallika Sherawat. English Vinglish Breakup Collection – (Friday - Rs 2.13 cr, Saturday - Rs 4.33 cr and Sunday - Rs 5.77 cr), KLPD on the other hand collected Rs 4.38 crore (Fridays - R 1.38 cr, Saturday - Rs 1.25 cr and Sunday - Rs 1.75 cr). Source: Page3

Read More........ → October 12, 2012

Hotel Transylvania (2012)

Hotel Transylvania is a 2012 computer-animated comedy film produced by Sony Pictures Animation and distributed by Columbia Pictures. It was directed by Genndy Tartakovsky, the creator of Samurai Jack, Dexter's Laboratory, and Sym-Bionic Titan, and produced by Michelle Murdocca. The film features the voices of Adam Sandler, Selena Gomez, Andy Samberg, Kevin James, Fran Drescher, Jon Lovitz, Cee Lo Green, Steve Buscemi, Molly Shannon and David Spade. The film tells a story of Dracula, the owner of Hotel Transylvania, where the world's monsters can take a rest from human civilization. Dracula invites some of the most famous monsters, including Frankenstein's monster, Mummy, a Werewolf family, and the Invisible Man, to celebrate the 118th birthday of his daughter Mavis. When the hotel is unexpectedly visited by an ordinary young traveler named Jonathan, Dracula must protect Mavis from falling in love with him before it is too late. Released on September 28, 2012, the film was met with mixed critical reception, while the audience received it very favourably. Despite mixed reviews, Hotel Transylvania set a new record for the highest-grossing September opening weekend, and earned a total of $51.1 million on a budget of $85 million.Source: SAM Daily Times

Read More........ → October 02, 2012

Barfi! is India's entry for Oscars in Foreign Film category

The magic of Anurag Basu's Barfi! has worked. The heartwarming movie, about love between a deaf and mute boy and an autistic girl, has been chosen as India's official entry for the Academy Awards in the Best Foreign Language Film category. The decision was taken at a Film Federation of India (FFI) meeting in Hyderabad Saturday night. "Barfi! has indeed been chosen as the country's official entry this year," FFI secretary general Suparn Sen said. The movie, starring Ranbir Kapoor as Murphy aka Barfi, and Priyanka Chopra as Jhilmil, has been lauded in film circles for its simplistic and moving narrative that has managed to tug at the heartstrings of audiences which equally enjoy commercial potboilers. The makers are joyous about the news. "We are honoured that Barfi! has been selected to represent India as its official entry tothe Academy Awards 2013. 'Barfi!' is very close to the hearts of all of us at UTV, and it gives us great satisfaction that a film we have developed and nurtured from its inception has met with so much love from audiences and critics worldwide," Siddharth Roy Kapur, managing director - Studios, Disney UTV, said in a statement. "An added source of pride is that this is the fourth UTV film in the last seven years to have been selected to represent India at the Academy awards; our earlier selections being Rang De Basanti (2006), Harishchandrachi Factory (2009) and Peepli Live (2010)," he added. Barfi! released September 14, and is still drawing full houses in theatres. Barfi! is a moving tale of love beyond words - between a deaf and mute boy Murphy, played by Ranbir Kapoor, and an autistic girl Jhilmil, essayed effortlessly by the National award-winning Priyanka Chopra. Southern actress Ileana D'Cruz, who has made her Bollywood debut with the movie, has also left a strong impact with her performance. The film has been hailed in cinematic circles for its simplistic, yet heartwarming treatment. The viewers are expected to understand the nearly mute narrative through sign language and the beauty is that they do. Filmmakers like Karan Johar and celebrities like megastar Amitabh Bachchan have praised the "masterpiece" and Basu is thankful to them all. Johar said he felt "talentless" after watching "Barfi!" "It is really overwhelming when people praise your film. For me, Karan Johar's comment means a lot. Karan Johar's message was very humbling. It takes courage and you need a big heart to praise any other director. I also received some great messages, one from Big B as well. It feels great when people admire you," he said. Source: Hindustan Times

Read More........ → September 23, 2012

Why The Great Gatsby Could Be A Perfect Summer Movie

From the moment Baz Luhrmann announced he was putting together a film based on The Great Gatsby, it was already obvious this wouldn't be your typical literary adaptation. The famously flashy and ambitious Luhrmann has never done movies the way anybody else did, creating a drag queen Mercutio who danced to disco in Romeo + Juliet, setting up a Madonna sing-along in 1899 Paris in Moulin Rouge, and injecting goofy humor and magical realism into the classic epic with Australia. But now that The Great Gatsby's release date has been pushed back to next summer, we are only truly getting a sense of how flashy and over the top the movie might be-- and how it might be much better suited to a summer release than a prestige-y Christmas one anyway. If you remember the first trailer, of course, this seems obvious-- it's a trailer for a film set in the 1920s that uses Jay-Z and Kanye West, for God's sake. Actually, let's take a look at that trailer again before we keep going. The giant CGI shots of cityscapes, the camera panning over the crowd, the tracking shot in on the hero standing in a glass frame-- these are all hallmarks of the summer blockbuster, and Luhrmann certainly seems to be shooting The Great Gatsby with the kind of budget and penchant for spectacle that usually comes with a superhero in tow. According to The Los Angeles Times, Luhrmann pushed for the six-month delay to give him more time to finish the extensive 3D effects-- yes, F. Scott Fitzgerald is going 3D-- and to secure pop artists to contribute to his all-star soundtrack, likely similar to the one from Moulin Rouge that included songs from David Bowie, Elton John, Christina Aguilera, Rufus Wainwright, and of course Madonna. Luhrmann is already making the movie as if it's bigger than The Avengers-- why not toss him in the deep end of summer movie season and let him prove it? After all, when Australia was released in the thick of prestige season in 2008, it was easily drowned out both by more serious films (Quantum of Solace beat it in it second weekend, while Milk was opening in limited release) and the more obviously family friendly stuff that's usually released around Thanksgiving (Four Christmases and Bolt were big hits). HadAustralia been released in the summer, without the pressure of giant Oscar expectations, people might have been able to tune in better to its weird humor and strong performances from Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman that were great, just not awards bait. Though summer movie season is high pressure, of course, it leaves a lot more room for quirky successes than the fall-- just look at this summer's Magic Mike, or even Luhrmann's own Moulin Rouge!, which opened in mid-May in 2001-- opposite Shrek! I have no idea if The Great Gatsby will be any good, and as someone who loves Fitzgerald's novel as much as anyone, I'm good and nervous about how Luhrmann's candy-coated lens will treat the material. But I'm really excited about the film's potential as a summer movie. It's thrilling every summer to see the films that don't take the usual path to success, when something like Magic Mike or, on smaller scales, Moonrise Kingdom andBeasts of the Southern Wild, get embraced by audiences who want something different. Warner Bros. is releasing Gatsby along their much more traditional blockbusters next summer-- the Superman movie Man of Steel, Guillermo del Toro's monster movie Pacific Rim and The Hangover IIIare all due. This is the studio that made hits of both Magic Mike and The Dark Knight Rises this summer. Let's see if their counter programming wisdom can work twice. Source: CinemaBlend.com

Read More........ → September 05, 2012

The recipient of five Academy Awards, THE ARTIST

Reliance Home Video and Games is all set to release the critically acclaimed and enchanting film ‘THE ARTIST’ on home video. The recipient of five Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Director, Best Musical Score and Best Costume Design, the movie releases today on DVD and VCD in India. Declared "a love letter to the movies" by The Los Angeles Times, The Artist is the recipient of three Golden Globe Awards -- more than any other picture -- including Best Comedy, Best Actor and Best Score. The film also took home the top prize for Achievement in Directing in a Theatrical Release from the Directors Guild of America, and Oscar Winning Best Actor (Jean Dujardin) won the Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Actor. Uggie, the film's surprise breakout star and 10-year-old Jack Russell terrier, also took home the top honor from the first annual "Golden Collar Awards." Set in 1927, The Artist tells the story of film superstar George Valentin (Jean Dujardin) who is about to be banished from the movie business by the advent of talking pictures. With the introduction of "The Talkies," as movies with sound were known at their onset, came the abrupt end to the careers of many silent film stars, including George's screen persona, which soon falls into oblivion. For young, movie extra Peppy Miller (Bérénice Bejo), the sky's the limit, and major movie stardom awaits. Starring Jean Dujardin (George Valentin) and Bérénice Bejo (Peppy Miller), The Artist also features dynamic performances by: John Goodman (Al Zimmer); James Cromwell (Clifton); Penelope Ann Miller (Doris); Malcolm McDowell (the Butler); and 10-year-old Uggie the dog, most recently featured in Water for Elephants, barking opposite Robert Pattinson. The film also includes an all-star lineup of filmmakers, including: writer/director Michel Hazanavicius; producer Thomas Langmann; director of photography Guillaume Schiffman; and production designer Laurence Bennett. Reliance Home Video and Games is all set to release the critically acclaimed and enchanting film ‘THE ARTIST’ on home video. The recipient of five Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Director, Best Musical Score and Best Costume Design, the movie releases today on DVD and VCD in India. Declared "a love letter to the movies" by The Los Angeles Times, The Artist is the recipient of three Golden Globe Awards -- more than any other picture -- including Best Comedy, Best Actor and Best Score. The film also took home the top prize for Achievement in Directing in a Theatrical Release from the Directors Guild of America, and Oscar Winning Best Actor (Jean Dujardin) won the Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Actor. Uggie, the film's surprise breakout star and 10-year-old Jack Russell terrier, also took home the top honor from the first annual "Golden Collar Awards." Set in 1927, The Artist tells the story of film superstar George Valentin (Jean Dujardin) who is about to be banished from the movie business by the advent of talking pictures. With the introduction of "The Talkies," as movies with sound were known at their onset, came the abrupt end to the careers of many silent film stars, including George's screen persona, which soon falls into oblivion. For young, movie extra Peppy Miller (Bérénice Bejo), the sky's the limit, and major movie stardom awaits. Starring Jean Dujardin (George Valentin) and Bérénice Bejo (Peppy Miller), The Artist also features dynamic performances by: John Goodman (Al Zimmer); James Cromwell (Clifton); Penelope Ann Miller (Doris); Malcolm McDowell (the Butler); and 10-year-old Uggie the dog, most recently featured in Water for Elephants, barking opposite Robert Pattinson. The film also includes an all-star lineup of filmmakers, including: writer/director Michel Hazanavicius; producer Thomas Langmann; director of photography Guillaume Schiffman; and production designer Laurence Bennett. Source: Page3

Read More........ → August 31, 2012

The Odd Life of Timothy Green (2012)

The Odd Life of Timothy Green is a 2012 fantasy drama film directed by Peter Hedges and released by Walt Disney Pictures on August 15, 2012. Based on a concept by Ahmet Zappa, the film is about a magical pre-adolescent boy whose personality and naivete have profound effects on the people in his town. It received mixed reviews from critics and had modest ticket sales in its debut weekend. Plot: The movie begins in an adoption center where Cindy and Jim Green are trying to adopt a child. When they put "Timothy" on the line about how they'd be good parents, they explain. Cindy (Jennifer Garner) and Jim Green (Joel Edgerton), a couple residing in Stanleyville, are told they are unable to conceive, so they dream up their ideal child and write the child's characteristics and life events on pieces of paper. The Greens place the notes inside a box and bury it in their backyard. After a stormy night, a ten-year-old arrives at their home, claiming the Greens as his parents. Soon they realize that the boy, named Timothy (CJ Adams), is actually a culmination of all their wishes of what their child would be. Timothy continues to be the ideal child - not perfect, but ideal in ways that matter - changing the hearts of those who are most important to him. But Timothy is unusual; leaves grow from his legs. And when they fall off completely, Timothy must leave as well.  Source: SAM Daily Times

Read More........ → August 24, 2012

5 Great Movies Still Left To See This Summer

It's definitely the dog days of summer, with all the big blockbuster releases behind us, back-to-school shopping in full swing, and the promise of cooler weather just behind the corner. But before you write off this summer movie season entirely, wait! There are still good movies left to come to theaters, even if it just seems like there's nothing but horror movies and that Joseph Gordon-Levitt bike messenger movie. Below we've got five movies that we've seen and loved and think you will too, all of them due to hit theaters before September rolls around. Don't give up on summer! Check out one of these movies before you put away

ParaNorman, August 17

your cutoffs and flip flops this year. The best part about this particular upcoming August movie? It’s coming out this weekend. Even better? It’s one of the best films that we’ve seen so far this year. As you may have already figured out from Katey’s rave review,ParaNorman is an absolutely stunning piece of cinema that deserves recognition for being both visually spectacular and having a heartfelt, bold and important message at its core. It’s a fun adventure, a thrilling horror story, an entertaining fairy tale and laugh-out loud comedy combined into one film. The plot, written by co-director Chris Butler, is constantly snaking in unexpected directions, making it all feel fresh and new. But you could watch ParaNorman on mute and still have a great appreciation for the film. Developed by Laika Studios, the company that brought us Coraline back in 2009, the stop-motion animation effort is jaw-dropping. The range of facial expressions that the characters are able to make is impressive and the production design, from wooded areas made of corrugated cardboard to Norman’s horror-poster filled room, will make you want to see the movie more than once just so that you can fully appreciate it. Don’t dismiss it as just another children’s movie: this is
 

Compliance, August 17

art. OK, so Compliance isn't exactly the breath of fresh air you might expect from a summer movie, and given the way it hearkens back to Stanley Milgram's famous psychological experiment and real-life news stories, it's likely to lead you diving into even more uncomfortable research when you get home. But Compliance has more power to make you think than most movies this summer, depicting with clinical detail a story based on real-life events, when a prank caller phoned a fast food restaurant posing a cop. He accused one of the employees of stealing, and had the manager detain her in a back room… then interrogate her… then strip search her. It only gets more uncomfortable from there. Compliance is opening in limited release this weekend but will be available on VOD soon, and at the rate its director Craig Zobel is picking up new projects, you'll want to catch this one so you can say you knew him when.Compliance is an uncomfortable movie to watch, yes, but also an example of how terrific performances and a strong director behind the camera can make any tough experience worth seeing on the screen.

Sleepwalk With Me, August 24

Mike Birbiglia has performed stories about his life for years onstage in New York, and excerpts have run from time to time on the radio show This American Life, but you've really never heard his story dreaming of a pizza pillow until you've seen the pizza pillow (you're also going to wish someone would manufacture it, but that's another story). Birbiglia's inimitable sense of humor, as well as his truly bizarre sleepwalking affliction, means this movie about relationships and breakups and pursuing your dream is like none other you've ever seen. If you don't want to take my word for it, take the Sundance audience's-- Sleepwalk With Me won the Audience Award in its category at the festival earlier this year. Written and directed by Birbiglia, who also stars as himself, Sleepwalk With Me could have felt way too personal and amateur, but it's pretty much the opposite, taking a very specific and weird story and making it into a universal tale about growing up, figuring out exactly what you want to do with your life, being good to the people who love you (Lauren Ambrose is great as his long-term girlfriend) and recognizing a problem that you can't take care of. Also, it's hilaroius-- way funnier than any of that made it sound. What can we say, Birbiglia tells the story better than we can.

Lawless, August 31 

There’s only a small window left in the summer season and choices seem slim, but John Hillcoat’s Lawless, based on Matt Bondurant’s family portrait “The Wettest County in the World,” is most definitely worth a taste. Even without my recommendation, the prospect of seeing a Hillcoat-directed, Nick Cave-scripted, Depression-era, rural-set crime story should be enough-- after all, their last collaboration produced The Proposition, the most worthwhile Western since Unforgiven. Not to mention that the filmmaker, in the interim, continued his streak of beautifully bleak pictures without the singer-song-screenwriter with an adaptation of Cormac McCarthy The Road. Then there’s Lawless’ stellar ensemble of Shia LaBeouf, Tom Hardy, Jessica Chastain, Mia Wasikows ka, Guy Pearce and the Gary Oldman with everyone in absolute top form, even though Hardy once again steals the show with a ferocious yet humor-filled turn as Forrest. Lawless is an intense, often vicious look at the ‘Bondurant Boys,’ moonshiners in Franklin County, Virginia facing a hostile big city takeover of their family-run operation. Even before the bootlegging, people said the Bondurants were impossible to kill and well, you don’t get that title without plenty trying.

For A Good Time Call...August 31

Lauren Miller has been best known until now as Seth Rogen's girlfriend, now wife, but that's all about to change with For A Good Time Call…, the new comedy she stars in and co-wrote, specifically in response to the lack of strong roles out there for young women. Starring opposite the always-hilarious Ari Graynor, Miller plays a girl who is struggling to come up with the rent, and eventually joins her new roommate (Graynor) in starting a phone sex line. Yes, it's as dirty as it sounds, but also really, really funny, and a strong story about friendship between women that, I promise, still feels nothing at all like Bridesmaids. Like a lot of these late-summer gems, For A Good Time Call… premiered at Sundance, and was one of the best-received comedies of the festival. The girls at the center don't steal all the good jokes though-- Justin Long and Mark Webber are both strong in supporting roles, and if you look closely you might catch some cameos from Miller's husband Seth Rogen and maybe a few other familiar faces. Don't see it for the big names, though-- catch it for Miller and Graynor, two rising stars who prove serious comedy chops and make this film their own. 5 Great Movies Still Left To See This Summer - CinemaBlend.com

Read More........ → August 24, 2012

The Best Movies We've Seen In 2012 So Far

Technically, June 15 (or thereabout) would mark the mid-point of 2012. So if we were grading the film’s released in the first half of the year, we’d have to draw a line in the sand at that moment. But that would mean ignoring too many instant classics that rolled out over the second half of the summer season this year. We’re gearing up for the fall film season, when studios stockpile most of their possible awards contenders. The last few months of 2012 should be crowded with valuable viewing opportunities, so we wanted to take a moment and reflect on the best films we’ve seen so far this year. Hopefully, we’ll spotlight a film you haven’t seen yet, and, if so, inspire you to go hunt it down as soon as you can. And because most of us on staff singled out one particular film as we discussed which movies we’d write

The Cabin in the Woods by Kristy Puchko

about, we’re kicking off the feature with: As an unrepentant fan of horror films, I often have to explain my love of the genre to those who just don't get it. But when a horror movie comes along that's as ferocious, frightening and fun as Cabin in the Woods, my devotion is easily validated. Co-creators Drew Goddard and Joss Whedon spurred new appreciation for this oft-maligned genre by not only offering plenty of ghastly gore and powerful scares, but also drawing attention to the mechanization behind typical terrifying scenarios, and how these reflect our modern zeitgeist. From the blood-drenched fight for survival that befell some carefully selected college co-eds to the sardonic humor of the control room, Cabin in the Woods delivered on levels of terror and laughs, while offering its viewers something meatier in which to tear. Sure, you can enjoy this horror-comedy for its thrills and wit alone. But the film also raises questions about the “whys” of contemporary horror. Why is an extroverted woman reduced to her sexuality, and so deemed worthy of gruesome death? Why are bravery and intelligence similarly reason enough for execution? Why is a female virgin always given a chance at salvation? And ultimately, why play into a world with such twisted rules? 

Moonrise Kingdom by Jesse Carp

It’s not hard to imagine that a Wes Anderson film would fall into my No. 1 slot in a look back on the year’s best from the middle of August (or anytime), but few figured it would be the frontrunner on the majority of these lists. Anderson’s movies are generally well received by critics -- more admired than loved -- yet Moonrise Kingdom hasn’t just captured those hardest of hearts and minds but also the money, uh, hearts of mainstream audiences. It’s not only a critical hit, it’s also a blockbuster! Jiminy Cricket! Moonrise contains all of Anderson’s usual storytelling affectations, not to mention his immaculately composed moving tableaux, but for some reason this tale has found a larger following than even his Academy Award nominee (The Royal Tenenbaums). The compositions are intricate and colorful, with the small (and fictitious) New England island serving as the perfect 1960s setting for his attention to detail and the charming yet significant story of Suzy and Sam’s forbidden love. Moonrise Kingdom may be full of magic and whimsy in the stunning cinematography, wonderful score and many great performances. But Wes’ artifice also allows for the most emotionally satisfying experiences I’ve had at the cinema in some time.

Take This Waltz by Katey Rich

After making her directorial debut with the heartbreaking drama Away From Her a few years back, Sarah Polley established herself as one of the more surprising and interesting new voices behind the camera, and before she had even turned 30 told one of the more raw and relatable stories of romance between two people near the end of their lives. But it's in Take This Waltz, with Polley turning her camera toward characters of her own age, that she really makes her voice known. Take This Waltz is a wild, colorful burst of romance and sadness and longing, letting the intense emotions of a would-be affair bleed over into the filmmaking itself, boldly blurring the line between a not necessarily likable heroine (Michelle Williams, incredible as always) and the audience who must go along with her anyway. As a story that for a while is about unspoken passion between a woman and her hunky neighbor (newcomer Luke Kirby), Take This Waltz dares to say everything out loud -- it may be the first movie that looks how an exciting new love feels. That kind of grab-you-by-the-throat bravura for telling such a small story isn't for everyone, but if it works, as it did for me, you won't be able to forget it. 

Magic Mike by Mack Rawden

Magic Mike is a filthy movie. Like a good strip club, it’s an obnoxious, kinda skuzzy, talk-about-it-with-your-friends experience. It features drugs, fighting, dancing, the good kind of three-way, and just about every other debaucherous practice you can fathom. Altogether, it’s enough to ensure the film a lifetime of impulse rentals next to the National Lampoon straight-to-DVD films. Luckily, thanks to careful direction, good acting performances and actually giving a shit about its characters, Magic Mike is so much more. It’s all about balance. If you’re going to make a movie about dudes stripping, you need to show dudes stripping. Magic Mike does that. It’s never ashamed of what it fundamentally is, but it also doesn’t use that premise as an excuse not to develop its characters or give them interesting side plots. By the end, you really care about the decisions “Magic” Mike and his buddies make, and in a way, that makes

Goon by Kelly West

their exploits a hell of a lot more fun. Directed by Michael Dowse, with a screenplay written by Jay Baruchel and Evan Goldberg, Goon tells the story of the rise of minor league hockey player Doug Glatt. On the surface, he appears to be little more than a dim-witted bar bouncer and hockey enforcer who knows how to throw down the gloves and fight. But beneath the meathead exterior is a man with a giant heart and the determination to serve his team as best he can. In addition to having some great hockey moments, Goon is funny and sweet, and - thanks in part to the charm and humor of Alison Pill and her chemistry with Scott - there's also an incredibly adorable little love story worked into the plot. Just as Doug Glatt is a man who understands where he fits into the game and in a way, the world, Goon is a movie that understands its purpose, and it never tries to be anything more than exactly what it is. It's not trying to inspire anyone or send some message about team spirit, and yet it manages to do that, while also delivering plenty of laughs. Not only is Goonone of my favorite movies this year, but it also belongs on the list of must-see hockey movies. 

Safety Not Guaranteed by Sean O’Connell

My favorite film from South By Southwest 2012 remains the best movie I’ve screened to date this year. Colin Trevorrow’s endearing Safety Not Guaranteed seems to wrap itself in two distinctly protective coatings: A faux-edgy shield of snarky Gen-Y attitude, and the cool aloofness of dime-store science fiction. Yet with each passing minute, the layers shed to reveal a weird, gentle, open-hearted and embraceable core that’s pulses with warmth, comfort and, yes, a necessary dose of Duplass observational humor. Mark Duplass (the Gene Hackman of 2012) plays Kenneth, a paranoid loner who places a classified ad seeking a partner for a time-travel mission. Aubrey Plaza plays Darious, the skeptical journalist ordered by her editor (Jake M. Johnson, in a breakout role) to investigate Kenneth’s oddball claims. But Safety becomes less about the act of time travel, and more about why we’d want to ever travel through time in the first place. It carries us on a wave of sarcastic energy and plausible hope to those personal moments before life stopped cooperating. And it builds towards an impossibly adorable ending that prompted the audience in my theater (myself included) to stand up and cheer like wahoos. An

The Avengers by Eric Eisenberg

uplifting, spiritual time at the movies? It’s all but Guaranteed. While so many films have failed and/or disappointed this year, Joss Whedon’s The Avengers cannot be included on that list. In fact, if anything, it’s the year’s greatest surprise. When it was first announced in 2008 that Marvel Studios would be working to create a cinematic universe that would lead to the likes of heroes like Iron Man, Thor, Captain America and Hulk meeting together on the big screen for the first time, the project seemed far too ambitious to be real … and too much of a challenge to be done well. Well, this summer the studio -- and Whedon -- proved everyone wrong, and what we got was one of the best films of the year so far and one of the greatest comic book movies of all time. And the reason the movie was so successful is because he had everything we were hoping for. It was laugh-out-loud funny, featured some of the best superhero action we’ve ever seen, was packed to the gills with amazing performances, featured some deep, emotional moments and, most importantly, it was all brought together by a filmmaker who truly understood the characters and why they are so essential to us. The Avengers was better than anyone could have hoped for or should have expected, and we should all be thankful. Source: CinemaBlend.com

Read More........ → August 22, 2012

Animation set to join elite after wowing audiences

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A poster of "Yugo & Lala" [China.org.cn]

A home-made Chinese CGI animated film last week became a surprise hit and will soon join other original Chinese animated works as a member of the 10 million yuan club, the animation's director revealed in an exclusive interview with China.org.cn. "Yugo & Lala," directed by Wang Yunfei for the ITS CARTOON Animation Studio, hit Chinese cinema on August 10. Its release coincided with the release of animations "The Adventures of Jinbao," "Save the 365th Day (3D)," and live action/animation "I Love Wolffy" a cinematic sequel to China's hottest cartoon series "Pleasant Goat and Big Big Wolf". Meanwhile, imported animated blockbuster "Ice Age: Continental Drift" and "The Lorax" are still showing. China's summer holiday film season has been dominated by animated films, and the industry is now bracing itself for the late August heavyweight clash between Hollywood giants Batman and Spider-Man, which has triggered a wave of rescheduling among film production companies. Explaining the scheduling of the film, Wang said: "We first set the release date on August 10, but they later all decided to release their films on the same day. As all of our releases are original Chinese cartoons, so we are all competitors. We need, and welcome, fair competition. Many friends have asked us to retreat, but we chose to stand firm."  He

continued:"The summer film season is definitely boom time for animations, and this is true in any country with a healthy animation industry, it's a good sign. But there also must be a cruel sacrifice. I'm looking forward to it, and will participate in it. In any battle, there are two outcomes: Win or lose. But before 'Yugo & Lala' hit screens I told my colleague that we must be ready for any outcome, and we must be clear about whether and why we win or lose. So far, it appears that the outcome has been positive for Wang and his team. According to his statistics, his film made 9.7 million yuan (US$1.52 million) at box offices in only 3 days and purely through 2D screenings. Cinemas were packed with parents and kids alike, which caused cinema managers to rapidly add extra screening times due to the film's unexpected popularity. Source: China.org.cn

Read More........ → August 18, 2012

Review: Ek Tha Tiger

No Patriotism, Only Actionism for Lovism., Rating : * * & 1/2, Director : Kabir Khan, Producer : Aditya Chopra (Yash Raj Banner), Cast : Salman Khan, Kaitrina Kaif, Ranvir Shorey., Music by : Sohil Sen & Sajid-Wajid, Cinematography : Aseem Mishra, Released Date : 15th August 2012. What it is : A Boy & Girl meets, love, run, action and again meet. The movie is that's it. Yes People, if you think EK Tha Tiger is a Patriotic movie as it released on our Independence Day, you are absolutely wrong. The movie has nothing to do with patriotism. Yashraj has chosen the Day only to cash the occasion. If you are Hardcore Salman's Dabangg style's fan, it is quite worth for you but unlike his last Blockbusters, the movie doesn't give you the same happiness. Story : Tiger (Salman Khan) is a Spy of India's RAW agency who always be on different missions for his country. He is a very honest & a dedicated Officer until he meets his love interest Zoya (Katrina Kaif) on one of his Mission. Tiger was assigned a duty to observe a suspected Scientist who according to Raw, sharing Anti-Missile techniques to Pakistan. Tiger meets Scientist as a Writer through the help of Zoya who works as a caretaker of Scientist. Tiger & Zoya falls in love with each other but their love story takes a turn when both got to know that they belongs to same profession. Zoya is too an Agent who works for ISI (Pakistan's Intelligence agency). Both decides to run away from everything and makes their own world but RAW & ISI doesn't let it go smoothly for them. Rest of the story is all Dhishum - Dhishum (action) of Tiger to make his love story successful. Star Performance : Salman is at his best for Action, and Katrina is the same beautifully Dumb. Katrinal's appearance doesn't suits for the action scenes she performed. Salman & Katrina's chemistry is nothing to talk about much. Ranvir Shorey who played Tiger's trustworthy colleague, is average. Except Salman & Katrina other characters are just forgettable or they are in the film just to increase the character’s list. Music : The music is not one to remember after you leave the theater premise. It is absolutely not what is expected from Yashraj movies. Well the background score and special effects music is awesome. Final Verdict : This time too Salman has ran on Train with the only exception it’s not a local train, this time it was a Foreign Modern train runs on the public roads. The Action has full of Hollywood impact considering cashing Salman's plus point. Screenplay & script is fine but it’s very much predictable. Although the movie is full of action yet many places makes you feel it’s slow. After the interval Film takes some speed but again the speed remains with the action only. The Locations & Action are the USP of films including Salman – Katrina factor. Same as Kabool Express, the Director Kabir Khan has failed on proper execution of the story. At the point of time you feel it’s interesting . . . what will be next, at the same time you see what you have predicted in your mind. Well, when its Salman Khan's pure action film with Yashraj Banner, 70% people doesn't really require Review. The movie is most hyped and much awaited for the year which definitely makes profitable for Yashraj. Watch it or Not : If you are an Action freak especially for typical Salman's style you can definitely go for Ek Tha Tiger, but if you expecting fun, joy like Dabangg, Ready and his other blockbusters this one is not worth to watch with popcorn & Samosaz in theaters. Source: Page3***

Read More........ → August 15, 2012

Disney's Brave rides to box-office win

With a $80 million weekend across the world, Brave easily beat new historical/horror mashup Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter Disney's new animated movie Brave; about a rebellious, red-headed princess, battled to the top of movie box-office charts over the weekend, scoring $80 million in ticket sales around the world. The fairy tale from Disney's Pixar studio pulled in $66.7 million at domestic theaters from Friday through Sunday, plus $13.5 million from international markets. Brave easily topped new historical/horror mashup Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, which finished the weekend in third place. The 3D Brave is set in the ancient Scottish highlands and centers around horseback-riding teen princess Merida, who defies her mother and her kingdom's traditions. Merida, voiced by Scottish actress Kelly Macdonald, must then use her courage and archery skills to undo a curse. The movie brings the 13th consecutive number one opening to Pixar, which has become Hollywood's most reliable studio during its 17-year history of making films. Starting with Toy Story in 1995, its 12 films before Brave have generated more than $7.2 billion in worldwide ticket sales, according to Hollywood.com. Its 2010 film Toy Story 3 was the biggest selling film that year, with $415 million in U.S. ticket sales and nearly $1.1 billion worldwide. Brave is a departure for Pixar, and is its first film to feature a strong female as the lead character, following a long Disney tradition with female heroines that in recent years have included Mulan and Pocahontas. Brave cost about $185 million to make. Ahead of the weekend, industry tracking suggested Brave would secure between $55 million and $60 million in domestic ticket sales, putting the film line with most of Pixar's recent debuts, but the film topped expectations. Brave knocked another animated family film, Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted, to number two after the film remained for two weeks in the top spot. The movie about a pack of escaped zoo animals took in $20 million at North American (U.S. and Canadian) theaters over the weekend, and the worldwide total since its debut rose to $157.6 million. HONEST ABE BATTLES VAMPIRES: In third place on domestic charts, thriller Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter rung up a solid $16.5 million. The movie imagines the 16th U.S. president fighting creatures of the night that are plotting to take over the country. Benjamin Walker stars as the axe-wielding Lincoln in the $70-million 3D production. The movie rung up another $8.1 million in international markets. Distributor 20th Century Fox, a unit of News Corp, had projected domestic sales would hit around $15 million for the weekend. In fourth place, Alien director Ridley Scott's movie, Prometheus, about explorers searching for the origins of mankind added $10 million in domestic sales to bring its global sales after three weeks to $108.5 million. Another new release, Seeking A Friend For The End Of The World pulled in $3.8 million, for a disappointing 10th place. The dark comedy starring Steve Carrell and Keira Knightley tells the story of a man who goes on a road trip as an asteroid speeds toward Earth. The film, which cost less than $10 million to make, played in 1,618 theaters, fewer than the 3,000-plus for the weekend's other big movies. The fifth spot went to Universal's Snow White and the Huntsman, which took in $8 million domestically to bring its four-week global total to $137 million. Madagascar 3 was produced by Dreamworks Animation and distributed by Paramount Pictures, a unit of Viacom Inc. News Corp movie studio 20th Century Fox released Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter and Prometheus. Focus Features, a unit of Comcast Corp's Universal Pictures, released Seeking A Friend... Judge: Case on Stallone's Expendables knocked out Sylvester Stallone has knocked out a lawsuit by an author who accused the actor of copying his screenplay to make his popular 2010 movie The Expendables. U.S. District Judge Jed Rakoff in Manhattan dismissed the lawsuit filed last October by Marcus Webb, who had called the movie's screenplay "strikingly similar and in some places identical" to his own work, The Cordoba Caper. Rakoff said he will explain the reasoning behind his decision "in due course." Webb had sought damages for alleged copyright infringement, and a ban on infringement in any sequel by Stallone; co-author David Callaham; Nu Image Films, which produced the movie; and Lions Gate Entertainment Corp, which distributed the movie in the United States. Lawyers for Webb did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Tom Ferber, a lawyer for the defendants, declined to comment. Stallone's publicist did not immediately respond to a request for comment. According to the lawsuit, The Cordoba Caper told a story of elite, highly-trained mercenaries hired to defeat a General Garza, a rogue army general in a small Latin American country. Webb said the plot of The Expendables was much the same and also included a villain named General Garza. But the defendants said Webb wrote his screenplay after Callaham had produced three drafts of his own, which Stallone later revised. They also said the works differed fundamentally in “overall concept and feel.” In oral argument, Rakoff focused on whether the screenplays were “strikingly similar.” He appeared to disagree with a suggestion by Webb's lawyer that, while Garza may be the 34th-most common Hispanic last name, it was nonetheless notable that generals in both screenplays had the same names and positions. "There must be dozens of characters in movies, in plays, named Kelly or named, as you point out, Garcia, or the like," he said. "Is Garza really a name sufficiently (different)? It is not like it is either a made up name or a very unusual name, where you might — you know, if the name was Rumpelstiltskin." The Expendables was released on August 13, 2010, and also featured other older stars from action movies, like Jet Li and Arnold Schwarzenegger. A sequel, The Expendables 2, is scheduled for release on August 17. Source: Screen India

Read More........ → July 26, 2012

Will Bol Bachchan enter Rs 100 crore club?

Bol Bachchan has not only emerged as Rohit-Ajay's biggest grosser, it is also expected to enter Rs. 100 crore club soon, if statistics are to be believed. The film that collected Rs. 66.72 crore in its week 1 has garnered Rs. 82.44 cr at the end of ten days. Trade expert Taran Adarsh tweeted: BolBachchan collected Rs. 15.63 cr nett in Wknd 2, taking 10-day total to Rs. 82.44 cr nett. Fri 3.25 cr, Sat 5.35 cr, Sun 7.03 cr. V good!" "#BolBachchan? was affected by #Cocktail wave on Friday, but consolidated its status on Saturday [good] and Sunday [excellent]," Adarsh's another tweet read. BolBachchan? witnesses BIG jump on Sunday. In CI circuit, for instance, day-wise biz is: Fri 14.75 lacs, Sat 23.50 lacs, Sun 35.95 lacs," writes Adarsh. First week collections BolBachchan collected approx Rs. 66.72 cr nett in its Week 1. Business at multiplexes and single screens, both was superb," Adarsh tweeted  Source: Hindustan Times

Read More........ → July 22, 2012

Current Review Of The Movie : Rowdy Rathore

Star Ingredients :- (1)Akshay Kumar as IPS Vikram Singh Rathore/ Shiva (2) Sonakshi Sinha as Priya, (3) Paresh Ganatra (4) Nassar (5) Supreeth Reddy (6) Kaajal Vashish, Director : Prabhu Dheva, Language : Hindi, Genre : Action, Banner : UTV Motion Pictures, Hari Om Entertainment Co., SLB Films, Release Date : Friday 1st of June 2012,  Movie Precise:- Rowdy Rathore is the refashion of Vikramarkudu- the Superhit Telugu film, which was also redo in Tamil language as Siruthai. The film will see Akshay Kumar back in his original action avatar, this time under the direction of the master of the spices. The story is about Shiva (Akshay Kumar), a small vernacular who can beguile every ladies heart in a blink. Shiva falls in love with Priya (Sonakshi Sinha), a pretty and smart girl whom he met at a nuptial he wasn’t invited to. Into this soothing story enters six year old Neha who unexplained believes Shiva to be her father. Farther movie deals with what changes and duty does this little girl brings to his life and how he becomes the only hope for people of a small town in Bihar to get disembarrass of a ruthless MLA and his mafia hoods. *The film’s satellite rights was sold for 35 Crore (US$6.98 million)  Source: Medley News

Read More........ → June 04, 2012

Can Any Upcoming Movie Beat The Avengers Box Office Record?

CinemaBlend: You want to hear something amazing? Thor, which kicked off the Summer 2011 season, earned a grand total of $181 million domestically. Captain America: The First Avenger, which came out later that summer, grossed $176.6M domestically. By grabbing an estimated $200.3M in its opening weekend, Joss Whedon’s The Avengers needed only three days (well, and one round of midnight showings) to surpass its immediate Marvel predecessors. They truly were the appetizers to Whedon’s main course, a blistering blockbuster that shattered numerous box-office records with its massive domestic haul, including highest all-time weekend record (beating the $169.2M earned by Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2), and highest grosses for a Saturday ($69.7M) and a Sunday ($50.1M). So it’s going to be years before we see another $200M weekend, right? Well, maybe just weeks. Looking ahead to the rest of Summer 2012, I see only one film that possibly could post Avengers level numbers in opening weekend … and it ain’t Battleship. Yes, Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Rises, which opens on July 20, has a chance (albeit very, very slim) of topping $200M in its opening weekend. Anticipation, obviously, is through the roof on TDKR as Nolan concludes his trilogy, and The Dark Knight opened to $158.4M in 2008 before topping off at $533.3M. The third installment of Nolan’s trilogy could get there … though I’m guessing it doesn’t. What else? The Amazing Spider-Man (July 3) could be big, but probably not thisbig. The Twilight conclusion, scheduled for Nov. 16? Eh, Breaking Dawn: Part 1opened to $138M, and I expect part two to do about the same. Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit has a strong chance of besting The Avengers’ record-setting weekend number when it reaches theaters on Dec. 14. Jackson’s releasing his film in 3D (Nolan isn’t), and the Lord of the Rings trilogy has a massive, loyal following, though its odds shift considerably if Jackson delivers a three-hour product. But to truly find a worthy successor to The Avengers’ newly-minted crown, I’m wondering if we have to look ahead to the first blockbusters out of the gate for Summers 2013 and ’14, respectively.

It’s my belief that the first movies of the summer season benefit from the bump that comes with added marketing, a less-crowded marketplace, and a summer-blockbuster crowd that has been “starving” for weeks and is ready to plunk down cash – on opening weekend – for the best effects money can buy. Last year, Fast Five and Thor enjoyed that bump. It could help the summer-season openers in subsequent years. That means I’m banking on Shane Black’s Iron Man 3 (May 3, 2013) and Sony’sThe Amazing Spider-Man 2 (May 2, 2014) as the ones who might match this weekend’s record-setting haul. Iron Man 3 will be the first Marvel movie in theaters since The Avengers, and a hungry comic-book crowd could turn out in droves to support Robert Downey Jr. in his next adventure. As for Spidey, if Marc Webb’s first Spider-Man completely reinvents the wheel in a way that has fans cheering, the sequel could be as anticipated as they come. Also, Webb might nail an ideal villain, giving Spidey 2 a leg up. But – and here’s where we shoot holes in the thesis – we haven’t even seen The Amazing Spider-Man yet, and the previous two Iron Man movies opened to $98.6M and $128.1M respectively. I don’t see either getting to $200M on opening weekend just yet. So, in conclusion, I think the impressive record set by The Avengers holds for a while … at least until The Avengers 2 comes out. Or until James Cameron puts another Avatar into theaters. Whichever comes first. Source: CinemaBlend

Read More........ → May 16, 2012

'Hunger Games' Beats 'Three Stooges' & 'Cabin In The Woods' At Box Office

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Starpulse: "The Hunger Games" has continued its reign atop the box office after seeing off the competition for the fourth week in a row.  The much-hyped movie, which stars Jennifer Lawrence and Liam Hemsworth, has now become the first film in three years to hold onto the top spot for one month since James Cameron's "Avatar" was released in 2009. The film grossed a total of $21.5 million over the weekend, bumping its domestic earnings to a staggering $337.5 million. "The Three Stooges" debuted in second place with takings of $17.1 million and thriller "Cabin in the Woods" entered at third after raking in $14.9 million. Rounding out the top five were the 3D re-release of "Titanic" ($11.6 million) and Jason Biggs' comedy "American Reunion" ($10.6 million) in fourth and fifth place, respectively. Photo Credits: Lions Gate Entertainment'Source: Starpulse

Read More........ → April 24, 2012