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Monday Box Office – "The Proposal" is #1

06.22.2009 | By Pau Brunet |

Walt Disney Co.’s romantic comedy “The Proposal” debuted as the top film in the U.S. and Canada over the weekend, as star Sandra Bullock’s best-ever opener gave the company its second No. 1 movie in a month.

“The Proposal” had $34.1 million in ticket sales, researcher Hollywood.com Box-Office said yesterday in an e- mailed statement. Time Warner Inc.’s “The Hangover” slipped to second with $26.9 million, while “Up” from Disney’s Pixar Animation Studios had $21.3 million in receipts.

The two Disney movies have brought in a combined $258.2 million since the animated 3-D feature “Up” opened at No. 1 four weeks ago. Bullock is identified with romantic comedies, and “The Proposal” gave audiences exactly what they went for, said Brandon Gray, president of Box Office Mojo in Sherman Oaks, California.

“Sandra is probably an underrated star, because she’s one of the few who can actually draw an audience when she’s in the right movie,” Gray said. “A lot of movies suffer from a lack of clarity or a lack of information in their advertisements, but ‘The Proposal’ was on point and promised a rollicking romantic good time for all.”

In “The Proposal,” Bullock plays an executive who faces deportation to her native Canada. She tries to fool U.S. immigration authorities by having her assistant, played by Ryan Reynolds, pose as her American fiancé. Gitesh Pandya, editor of Box Office Guru LLC, projected the film to earn as much as $22 million in its debut weekend.

‘The Hangover’

The top 12 films this weekend grossed $140.7 million, up 1.64 percent from a year earlier, Hollywood.com said. Ticket sales for all films rose 2.85 percent to $147 million.

“The Hangover,” a comedy about the aftermath of a bachelor party gone awry in Las Vegas, was the top film the two previous weekends. It has taken in $152.9 million since it opened on June 5.

“‘The Hangover’ is like a hangover; it just won’t go away,” Gray said. “It’s one of the great box-office successes of the year.”

“Up” is Disney’s most successful film this year with $224.1 million in receipts since its May 29 release and has helped lift the studio from last place among its Hollywood peers. The movie, featuring the voice of Ed Asner, drew family audiences with its story of an accidental friendship between a young boy and an elderly man who finally achieves his dream of foreign travel.

‘Pelham 1 2 3’

“Year One,” from Sony Corp., debuted in fourth place with $20.2 million. The film stars Jack Black and Michael Cera as hapless hunter-gatherers kicked out of their tribe for violating a taboo. Their wanderings lead to run-ins with Cain and Abel and other Old Testament figures. “Year One” was forecast by Pandya to generate $20 million in sales.

Sony’s “The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3,” starring Denzel Washington and John Travolta, fell to fifth from third with $11.3 million.

Sony Pictures Classic’s “Whatever Works,” by director Woody Allen, took in $280,720 in nine theaters, the best limited-release opener this year, according to Paul Dergarabedian, an analyst at Hollywood.com Box-office. The per- theater average of $31,191 was triple the $11,163 for “The Proposal.” The film will expand into more than 300 theaters on July 3, according to Dergarabedian.

‘Transformers’

A comedy led box-office sales for a fifth consecutive weekend. That may end next week when Viacom Inc. releases “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen,” a sequel to 2007’s “Transformers.” Advance sales for the sequel were ahead of the first film by a 3-to-1 margin as of June 17, according to online vendor MovieTickets.com.

The movie, which opens June 24, has the potential to gross more than $200 million in its first seven days, nearing the record $238.6 million set by “The Dark Knight” in July 2008, Gray said.

The original “Transformers,” released in 2007, opened with $70.5 million and took in $708.3 million worldwide, according to Box Office Mojo, which tracks receipts.

The following table has figures provided by studios to Hollywood.com Box-Office. The amounts are based on actual ticket sales for June 19 and June 20, and estimates for yesterday.

By Jack Rico

2009/06/19 at 12:00am

The Proposal

06.19.2009 | By Jack Rico |

Rated: PG-13 for sexual content, nudity and language.
Release Date: 2009-06-19
Starring: Pete Chiarelli
Director(s):
Distributor:
Film Genre:
Country: USA
Official Website: http://touchstone.movies.go.com/theproposal/

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The Proposal is a formulaic romantic comedy that offers nothing remotely fresh or new while following a very predictable outcome. For some people, that’s enough. Some will think its enough, butÂ the film is mediocre at best and hoping its anything else are just false expectations.Â

Not much in the sense of a plotline – A pushy boss (Sandra Bullock) forces her young assistant (Ryan Reynolds) to marry her in order to keep her Visa status in the U.S. and avoid deportation to Canada.

It should not be considered a spoiler to reveal that the two actually fall in love. After all, that’s the point of the movie, and the only reason any percentage of the population will see it. (Also, once you’ve watched the three-minute trailer, there is no point in seeing the 108-minute film – not only does the trailer tell the whole story, but it includes all the best comedic material.)

The problem, which I alluded to earlier, is that the romance falls flat. It has nothing to do with chemistry. Bullock and Reynolds don’t burn up the screen, but they’re nice enough together. The movie doesn’t give us enough to go on to believe that these two have fallen in love. Those who buy it will do so because the formula demands it, not because the movie has succeeded in closing the sale.

There are some funny moments, chief of which is the overhyped “nude” scene in which Margaret, fresh from the shower and wearing nothing (but with arms and hands strategically positioned so the rating can remain PG-13) collides with an equally in-the-buff Andrew. It’s more amusing than laugh-aloud funny, and it’s about as naughty as things can get without crossing the line into R territory. Most of The Proposal‘s jokes are like that in that they provoke smiles and chuckles but fail to generate any really good laughs.

The cast isn’t populated by heavyweights. It has been a while since Sandra Bullock has been in the fast lane, and it’s been about a decade since she was a prime romantic comedy actress. Ryan Reynolds, who showed flashes of genuine talent in Adventureland, is back to phoning it in. (Although, to be fair, his flummoxed expression when Andrew “learns” he’s engaged to Margaret – which carries through more than one scene – is possibly the film’s funniest element.)Â

The Proposal will give you a bland taste of romance this weekend. We rather you cozy up to one of the classic Tom Hank romantic comedies on DVD this weekend than endure the regurgitated, cardboard taste of The Proposal.

By Jack Rico

2009/06/17 at 12:00am

Year One

06.17.2009 | By Jack Rico |

Rated: R for some sexual content and language.
Release Date: 2009-06-19
Starring: Harold Ramis, Gene Stupnitsky, Lee Eisenberg
Director(s):
Distributor:
Film Genre:
Country: USA
Official Website: http://www.yearone-movie.com/

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â€˜Year Oneâ€™ was a big yawner, actually, Iâ€™m being too nice, itâ€™s competing with â€˜Land of the Lostâ€™ for worse movie of the year. The idea of Michael Cera playing a caveman is not funny, just bad, and once again I see myself writing a consistent review on Jack Black, â€œhe has got to be one of the most annoying comedians in Hollywoodâ€. The film has several funny moments at the beginning, but dies out halfway through. It has no real grasp of where its story is going; it feels lost and all over the place.

The premise of â€˜Year Oneâ€™ looked bad from the start – two cavemen buddies (Jack Black and Michael Cera) in â€˜year oneâ€™ of Earth set their sites to explore the world and end up living the Genesis and subsequent chapters of the Holy Bible – well because of them, holy no longer.

Harold Ramis, one of the original Ghostbuster actors, has teamed up with Judd Apatow (who is producing) to direct this fragmented film which has to do more about the Bible and religious jokes than the primitive man. Indie director Kevin Smith, once experimented with the comical side of religion with a film called, â€˜Dogmaâ€™ starring Matt Damon and Ben Affleck and it went nowhere fast at the box office. I wonder what will happen with this one? (exuding sarcasm).

Iâ€™ll be honest with you guys, religion isnâ€™t everyoneâ€™s cup of joe and making someone laugh already is hard enough; combining the two can mean a recipe for disaster. Only Mel Brooks, Monty Python and some of the other greats have managed to do it well, but Iâ€™m not sure if anyone today can pull it off with success. Ramis sure didnâ€™t and neither did Bill Maher with his â€˜Religulousâ€™. They were forgettable.

But to be fair, the acting wasnâ€™t bad at all (except for vexing Jack Black), and the dialogue was funny at times. The problem, which is too troublesome to overcome, is theÂ Â direction and pacing of the story along with the verisimilitude or implausibility of the adventures our protagonists go through. It distracts us from enjoying the funny moments.

When we interviewed Ramis for this review, he seemed like a hell of a nice guy. He possesses tremendous acumen about the history of film comedy and has an awareness of his place in it. That said, I donâ€™t think he an Apatow seemed to be on the same page. Way too many flaws in the film for two very smart icons to get it wrong.

Nevertheless, â€˜Year Oneâ€™ isnâ€™t what youâ€™d expect from a Cera, Black comedy. They look out of place and the subject matter is tough to digest if youâ€™re unfamiliar with the biblical texts. This film needs a rewrite and a recast really bad.

Sean Penn says no to ‘Cartel’ and ‘3 Stooges’

2009/06/17 at 12:00am

Sean Penn says no to ‘Cartel’ and ‘3 Stooges’

06.17.2009 | By Mack Chico |

Sean Penn‘s busy shooting schedule has suddenly gone dark.

In an announcement that has caught two studios by surprise, Penn has pulled out of two films, citing personal reasons.

Penn has informed Universal and Imagine that he will be unable to star in the Asger Leth-directed drama “Cartel,” which was to be his next movie. His role will be recast. Studio is putting together a list of actors now and hopes to stick with an early fall start date.

Scripted by Peter Craig, the movie follows a man who journeys to protect his son after his wife is murdered by Mexican cartels.

Penn will also be unable to make the start date of MGM comedy “The Three Stooges.” He was to star as Larry in the pic, directed by Peter and Bobby Farrelly. “Stooges” also stars Jim Carrey as Curly and Benicio Del Toro as Moe. It’s unclear if the studio will recast or wait for Penn to return to work.

Penn has completed two films for River Road, both earmarked for release next year. “Fair Game,” the Doug Liman-directed drama about outed CIA agent Valerie Plame, co-stars Naomi Watts. The Terrence Malick-directed “The Tree of Life” also stars Brad Pitt.

During the Cannes Film Festival, Penn was revealed to be in talks to star in “This Must Be the Place,” which will mark the English-language feature debut of Italian filmmaker Paolo Sorrentino, with a script co-written by Sorrentino and Umberto Contarello (Daily Variety, May 17). Pic was to be produced by Nicola Giuliano of Indigo Film and Andrea Occhipinti of Lucky Red. Financing and scheduling were not yet complete on that film, but Penn still intends to make the film at some point.

Penn is taking an undetermined sabbatical — possibly as much as a year — to focus on his family.

Jennifer Lopez back at work in "The Back-Up Plan"

2009/06/15 at 12:00am

Jennifer Lopez back at work in "The Back-Up Plan"

06.15.2009 | By Mack Chico |

After taking a break to spend time with her twins, Jennifer Lopez is back on the scene filming her next movie, The Back Up Plan.

Lopez will be filming scenes this week for the movie at 400 Colorado Bl, Pasadena.

“The Back-Up Plan” is about a woman (Lopez) who plays pet shop owner Zoe, an unlucky in love woman who is desperate for a child. She decides to conceive using artificial insemination, but meets love interest Stan, played by Alex O’Loughlin, soon after.

Jennifer Lopez says she is petrified she will “forget how to act”.

The 39-year-old star, who has 15-month-old twins Max and Emme with husband Marc Anthony, is currently shooting her first movie for three years, and was worried she would struggle to readjust to working life.

Despite her initial nerves, Lopez soon fell back into the swing of movie making.

She said: “I bring the babies to work with me. I love it. Honestly, one of the best days of my life was the first day back working on this film.

“I wanted to do this film really badly and bringing my babies with me that first morning, I was like, ‘Oh my God, they’re with me, I’m making a movie, they’re here!’ It’s great having kids on set. It’s the best.”

2009/06/12 at 12:00am

Tetro

06.12.2009 | By Mack Chico |

Rated: Not available.
Release Date: 2009-06-11
Starring: Francis Ford Coppola
Director(s):
Distributor:
Film Genre:
Country: USA, Argentina
Official Website: http://www.tetro.com/

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Meet Francis Ford Coppola 5.0: The Interesting Failure phase. Which certainly beats 4.0, the paycheck period of 1990s films like “Jack,” in which Robin Williams made the stretch of reverting to childhood. But “Tetro,” the second in Coppola’s new line of low-budget art films (following last year’s headache factory “Youth Without Youth”), is hard to take seriously.

In La Boca, the cafÃ© quarter of Buenos Aires, a grimacing, unsuccessful writer named Tetro (Vincent Gallo) on the run from his own nonlegend is hunkered down with his girlfriend Miranda (Maribel VerdÃº) and working as a light man in the theater. He receives an unwanted visit from his younger half-brother, who works on a cruise ship and cherishes a mistaken view of the older sibling as a generous soul.

This movie will be remembered, perhaps, for the little brother, who is played by newcomer Alden Ehrenreich, an effortlessly appealing youngster who strongly resembles Leonardo DiCaprio.

Coppola, working in creamy black-and-white that suggests 1960s French and Italian films, wrote his own original screenplay for the first time since the 1970s. Opera is his inspiration — or possibly his infection — as he unloads an elaborate tale of celebrity, sexual revenge and family secrets that creep out of the expressionistic shadows.

The brothers, especially the older one, have been poisoned by the renown of their father (Klaus Maria Brandauer) and by the gruesome fates of their mothers.

The gorgeous look of this frazzled, fractured monster is enough to hold your interest, for a while at least, and Gallo radiates the appropriate level of crazy for his part.

Still, the more dramatic revelations and tragic inevitabilities that turn up, the harder it is not to laugh. Give credit to its maker for directing with an earnestness suggesting a pretentious 22-year-old. Having passed through the phases of Interesting Apprentice, Mad Genius, Chastened Bankrupt and Shameless Wage Slave, Coppola at 70 may be the world’s oldest student filmmaker.

2009/06/12 at 12:00am

Imagine That

06.12.2009 | By Mack Chico |

Rated: PG for some mild language and brief questionable behavior.
Release Date: 2009-06-12
Starring: Ed Solomon, Chris Matheson
Director(s):
Distributor:
Film Genre:
Country: USA
Official Website: No disponible.

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Watching Imagine That, I was beset by a feeling of intense depression. Is this what Eddie Murphy has become? Once moviedom’s most high-octane comedian, a combustible mixture of raunchy, non-holds-barred verbal repartee and kinetic physical mayhem, Murphy has now become a sad parody of his former self. If the failure of the comedy isn’t reason enough to avoid the movie, its dramatic missteps are even more unforgiveable.

Evan Danielson (Murphy) is a financial analyst at a Denver investment firm that is about to undergo a major restructuring. Longtime CEO Tom Stevens (Ronny Cox) is selling the company to a Donald Trump figure, Dante D’Enzo (Martin Sheen), who intends to fold the new acquisition into his empire. He initiates an Apprentice challenge to Evan and his biggest in-house competitor, Johnny Whitefeather (Thomas Haden Church). Whoever impresses him the most will get a top position in the conglomeration. Evan’s situation is complicated by the presence of his seven-year old daughter, Olivia (Yara Shahidi), who is staying with him for the week while her mother (Nicole Ari Parker) is otherwise engaged. Desperate for her father’s attention, Olivia dips into her make-believe world and consults a group of princesses about how certain stocks and corporations will fare. At first, Evan ignores her advice but, when the predictions start coming true, he re-evaluates the validity of her imaginary friends. Although he can’t see them, he starts to play along, and soon becomes obsessed with spending time with his daughter not because of who she is but because of what she can do for his career.

While Murphy’s recent resume (excepting Dreamgirls) might lead to low expectations for his cinematic endeavors, the involvement of director Kary Kirkpatrick could have been a cause for limited optimism. Kirkpatrick’s resume is solid. His only previous directorial outing was Over the Hedge, an amusing animated effort, but he has written a number of noteworthy screenplays, including those for The Spiderwick Chronicles and Chicken Run. Perhaps the problem with Imagine That is that he wasn’t involved in the writing. Whatever the case, this is as disappointing a live-action debut as one can envision.

Still, it’s hard to consider Imagine That an unmitigated failure. It will probably entertain the most undiscriminating and uncritical portion of its target audience: young children, most of whom will sit through anything featuring live-action figures imitating cartoon characters. They’ll love Eddie Murphy’s trampoline encounter and his pancake meal. For parents absorbing the blow necessary to entertain their offspring, it will take more than an active imagination to make believe that Imagine That is anything more than two hours of torture.

By Jack Rico

2009/06/11 at 12:00am

The Taking of Pelham 123

06.11.2009 | By Jack Rico |

Rated: R for violence and pervasive language.
Release Date: 2009-06-12
Starring: Brian Helgeland
Director(s):
Distributor:
Film Genre:
Country: USA
Official Website: http://www.catchthetrain.com/

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“The Taking of Pelham 123” is good summer film fare, but it isn’t great. Not that this is a bad thing. The only reason you should go out and see this film is if you are a fan of either Denzel Washington or John Travolta, and are looking for some respectable acting. Otherwise, the action sequences are scant, and even though the premise is captivating, some implausible moments occur that deter you from investing too much of your time and brain power.

Denzel Washington stars as New York City subway dispatcher Walter Garber, whose ordinary day is thrown into chaos by an audacious crime: the hijacking of a subway train. John Travolta stars as Ryder, the criminal mastermind who, as leader of a highly-armed gang of four, threatens to execute the train’s passengers unless a large ransom is paid within one hour. As the tension mounts beneath his feet, Garber employs his vast knowledge of the subway system in a battle to outwit Ryder and save the hostages. But there’s one riddle Garber can’t solve: even if the thieves get the money, how can they possibly escape? That is what the film is all about.

If you ever had the chance to see the original ‘The Taking of Pelham 123’ with Walter Matthau and Robert Shaw, you’ll see in this new version that there are many changes to the storyline. Director Tony Scott, who we spoke to in New York before the release of the film, commented how this project is not a remake but a new movie altogether. The changes do make the film better, but there is something to be said about the tone of the original that made it a good watch. Nevertheless, both stand on their own as good films, not great.

Latin actors Luis Guzman and Ramon Rodriguez played role characters and had some visible screen time, but not enough to for me to engage you in this particular review.

If I had to pick from the original and the new version to watch tonight, I’d go with the new one, because it provides more entertainment than the first. It won’t blow your mind away, but it’ll keep it from getting bored.

Alejandro Iñarritu to present films in Seoul

2009/06/11 at 12:00am