‘The Possession’ #1 on Labor Day Wknd

The horror film ‘The Possession’ which claims to be based on true events, took the number one spot for Labor Day weekend with $21.3 million dollars. The film surprised many by doing so well; it has even gotten compared to ‘The Exorcist’ and although it’s rated PG-13 it does the job.

‘Lawless’ a movie about moonshine that is headlined by a star-studded cast, landed the second spot with $13 million dollars. Despite of the great reviews not only by critics but moviegoers themselves the film didn’t do as well as expected, considering that it opened two days before the three day weekend.

Finally, the movie that has been number one for the last two weeks, ‘The Expendables 2’ falls to the third spot with $11.2 million dollars. This way the summer box office closes, giving way to the fall line up which offers plenty of movies we can’t wait to see!

The Top 10 Movies in the Box Office are:

1. The Possession – $21.3 mil

2. Lawless – $13 mil

3. The Expendables 2 – $11.2 mil

4. The Bourne Legacy – $9.4 mil

5. ParaNorman – $8.9 mil

6. The Odd Life of Timothy Green – $8.5 mil

7. The Dark Knight Rises – $7.9 mil

8. 2016: Obama’s America – $7.1 mil

9. The Campaign – $7 mil

10. Hope Springs – $6 mil

For a Good Time, Call.. (Movie Review)

‘For a Good Time, Call…’ is a hilariously offensive, awkward, and sometimes disgustingly funny comedy that you will not only be able to enjoy with your girlfriends, but you can actually drag your boyfriend to. For those of you familiar with ‘Sex and the City’, you would certainly like this comedy, but the bonus here is that the raunchiness Samantha’s character brought to the series, which was one of the funnest parts about it, here it is taken to a whole other level without the baggage of Carrie’s drama. One thing that keeps this comedy safe is that surprisingly there is no nudity; the R rating is attributed all to the language used. I think director Jaime Travis was able to put on a comedy that is mainly laughs, very little drama and a whole lot of shocking language that will satisfy the audience.

 

The story develops as Katie (Ari Graynor) comes to find out she’s about to loose her rent-controlled dream apartment in Gramercy Park, the only way to continue living there is to get a roommate. Lauren (Lauren Miller) has just been dumped by her boyfriend and has nowhere to go, thanks to their mutual friend, Jesse (Justin Long) the two find a solution to their problems. The issue is that the girls dislike each other since college. However, they start overcoming their problems when they see their only solution to keeping the apartment is setting up a phone sex line in order to make ends meet.  

 

These two characters represent different personalities that interestedly enough I can assure everyone in the audience can think of two different friends that are just like this. The main actresses have such a great dynamic together, Graynor is just the right amount of bitchy and independent and Miller, who is also the writer of the film, is your typical goodie two shoes without being overtly annoying. Long definitely is a nice addition to the film, as he delivers a balance between the polar opposites and is equally if not more hilarious. The movie will certainly make you feel uncomfortable at some points, but that’s where it succeeds in pushing the envelope. What’s most interesting about it is that despite of the core subject, it’s still able to develop a human relationship out of that; although it has some unrealistic elements it can still feel like a down to earth friendship flick, as both characters are able to grow from their experiences thanks to their interaction.

 

The movie does have some silly and weak jokes, which fortunately don’t last long enough to ruin it. There’s also some predictability as to what will happen, but despite that it’s still able to keep you entertained all throughout. I could have done without some scenes, but like I said the discomfort might be one of the charms of the film. The ending isn’t a complete circle, but it’s enough to keep you wondering without needing more.

 

There’s not much out there in the comedy genre targeted to women specifically, but what’s nice about this one is that it doesn’t shut out guys completely either. Miller seems to share her husband’s (Seth Rogen) streak of good humor, with a nice touch of femininity. The reason why this movie is so funny is because it dares to go beyond what we are used to without resorting to slap stick humor; it is all about the dialogue as we hear more than what we are shown. Look out for some pretty memorable and hilarious cameos as well as some funny interactions with the other characters. This movie is a fun, exciting and entertaining way to end the box office summer. 

Lawless (Movie Review)

‘Lawless’ is a combination of western and gangster movies, which worked for me as it really captures the qualities of these two genres in an interesting mix. To be clear it is not fully either or, so don’t go expecting a shoot out in every scene, as the drama is used as a break pedal. The film is based on Matt Bondurant’s fictionalized account of his family’s history, led by the Boundurant Brothers; titled ‘The Wettest County in the World’. The Australian duo, director John Hillcoat and screenwriter Nick Cave picked up the story. They combined visceral violence with beauty, melancholy and a sort of innocence that the film portrays of Virginia during the depression and prohibition era in the 20’s and 30’s. The film has its flaws, but it’s already emanating some Oscar buzz, more than anything for the big names in it as well as its production quality.

The tale is narrated by Jack (Shia LaBeaouf) the youngest and most sensitive of the Bondurant brothers also composed of Howard (Jason Clarke) the oldest of the three, scarred after surviving the Great War; and Forrest (Tom Hardy) who almost died from the Spanish Flu which killed their parents and made him the strongest one; converting him into both their mother and father. The brothers run a successful business selling moonshine; but corrupt Special Deputy Charlie Rakes (Guy Pearce) is about to stop Franklin County’s bootlegging days. The catch is that the brothers won’t back down or bow to anyone.

LaBeauof is basically the main character and I have a new found respect for him, although his behavior is more foolish than anything, he delivers a wonderful performance portraying the process of a boy growing up, who’s trying to find his place. Hardy’s performance comes from his actions more than anything, as his character is a man of few words and most of his dialogue is grunts; despite this Hardy shows his acting skills as one of the most powerful characters of the film. Pearce’s character is so easy to hate because you can clearly see Pearce’s worth as an actor in him, he’s a sneaky, slimy villain from the way he looks to the way he behaves. I wouldn’t be surprised to see some Oscar nominations from here, especially for Hardy and Pearce.

It was disappointing to see Gary Oldman, who portrays the character of Floyd Banner- a ruthless big city gangster that Jack idolizes, be on screen for such a short amount of time. Here he makes one of the best movie entrances I’ve experienced. I also would have liked some more character development on Maggie Beauford (Jessica Chastain) as she’s the strongest female character, which was very refreshing to see in this type of film. The legend of invincibility that the film deals with changes the tone of the movie, which although can be townsfolk tales it almost made me feel like it was uncharacteristic to the film. Also, the time scale of the film seems off at times, as it’s hard to tell how much time has passed in some scenes. Lasty, although the dialogue in the film is not very profound, it is a little hard to understand some characters in it; but I kind of expected that knowing we would be hearing southern accents.

My favorite things about the film: the tone and beauty of the colors and landscapes, the rawness of some of its characters that stayed true to the nature of the south such as Cricket Pate (Dane DeHaan), and the way the story has a Robin Hood feel to it where fighting against the government is the only way to support their families and communities. Movies based on real life usually contain all the elements to make it successful and in this one I think the director did a great job in staying true to the times and the story without forgetting what he wanted to illustrate. If you like to see stories that contain a little bit of history, mixed in with some classic entertaining genres, accompanied by some of the best actors of today; then you won’t be disappointed with this one.      

‘Expendables 2’ still strong

This week the box office remains intact with ‘The Expendables 2’ still at number one, earning $13.5 million dollars. The star-studded action film keeps entertaining the crowd, but it might have competition this coming weekend with the premiere of ‘Lawless’.

‘The Bourne Legacy’ stays at number two with $9.3 million dollars. According to the numbers it won’t be able to reach the amount of ‘Bourne Identity’, either way Jeremy Renner has owned up to his role and performed well.

Finally, the family film ‘ParaNorman’ also continues at number three with $8.5 million dollars. Certainly this stop-motion zombie has earned a good share of money, but not as much as what ‘Coraline’ got Laika Entertainment.

The Top 10 Movies in the Box Office are:

1. The Expendables 2 – $13.5 mil

2. The Bourne Legacy – $9.3 mil

3. ParaNorman – $8.5 mil

4. The Campaign – $7.4 mil

5. The Dark Knight Rises – $7.2 mil

6. The Odd Life of Timothy Green – $7.1 mil

7. Premium Rush – $6.3 mil

8. 2016:Obama’s America – $6.3 mil

9. Hope Springs – $6 mil

10. Hit and Run – $4.7 mil

‘The Expandables 2’ on top

‘The Expendables 2’ takes over the number one spot with $28.8 million dollars, it’s no surprise because everyone wants to see the action heroes reunion in this silly action packed film. This sequel reunites even more heroes from the past; despite of this it didn’t earn enough compared to its predecessor.

Last week’s number one ‘The Bourne Legacy’ falls to number two with $17 million dollars. Jeremy Renner’s film did its best to put up a fight against the muscle machine that took the first spot.

The spooky family film ‘ParaNorman’ premiered at number three with $14 million dollars. The zombie 3D movie, also didn’t collect as much as expected. The box office has brought in weak number since the Colorado shooting. On another note ‘The Dark Knight Rises’ fell to the sixth spot from the third spot last week.

The Top 10 Movies in the Box Office are:

1. The Expendables 2 – $28.8 mil

2. The Bourne Legacy – $17 mil

3. ParaNorman – $14 mil

4. The Campaign – $13.4 mil

5. Sparkle – $12 mil

6. The Dark Knight Rises – $11.1 mil

7. The Odd Life of Timothy Green – $10.9 mil

8. Hope Springs – $9.1 mil

9. Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days – $3.9 mil

10. Total Recall – $3.5 mil

‘The Bourne Legacy’ opens at #1!

‘The Bourne Legacy’ successfully premieres at number one, beating out Batman’s streak with $40.3 million dollars. Universal certainly did everything right to keep the Bourne franchise alive, with the results of this one we can be sure to receive many more films about the spies looking for their identities.

Will Ferrell and Zach Galifianakis’ comedy ‘The Campaign’ took over the second spot with $27.4 million dollars. Perhaps many people wanted to get a comedic relief from all the presidential campaigning happening at the moment and these two comedy geniuses sure delivered. 

‘The Dark Knight Rises’ takes a hard fall to number three with $19.5 million dollars, rounding out to $390 million dollars. The drop is sudden and surprising but the film remained at number one for three straight weeks like ‘The Avengers’ did, despite of it not earning as much as that one.

The Top 10 Movies in the Box Office are:

1. The Bourne Legacy – $40.3 mil

2. The Campaign – $27.4 mil

3. The Dark Knight Rises – $19.5 mil

4. Hope Springs – $15.6 mil

5. Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days – $8.2 mil

6. Total Recall – $8.1 mil

7. Ice Age: Continental Drift – $6.8 mil

8. Ted – $3.3 mil

9. Step Up Revolution – $2.9 mil

10. The Amazing Spider-Man – $2.2 mil

ParaNorman (Movie Review)

Laika studio’s ‘ParaNorman’ is a quirky stop-motion animated family film that like ‘Coraline’ from the same studio is a beautifully shot movie surrounded by the subject of death and zombies. The movie ‘s greatest assets are its clarity, color and real look to it, especially in 3D; this is stop-motion at its best. What the movie lacked most was comedy, it does have some but it needed a bigger dose of it seeing how much it talks about death, bullying and being an outcast; a family film with these dominant subjects needs much more comedic release. The storyline gets too convoluted and dark to the point where it can get almost boring, especially for little kids but an older audience can definitely appreciate it more.

Norman Babcock (Kodi-Smit-McPhee) is a misunderstood 11 year-old that has the ability to communicate with the dead; this makes him an outcast in school as well as in his own home. Neil (Tucker Albrizzi) a chubby kid who knows all-too-well the feeling of being bullied and different, follows Norman around and looks up to him. His estranged uncle Mr. Prenderghast (John Goodman) informs Norman about a curse Blithe Hallow, his town, is under and he’s the only one that can stop it. Without planning it Norman ends up with a group of “ghost busters” his friend Neil, his sister Courtney (Anna Kendrick), Neil’s brother Mitch (Casey Affleck) and the school’s bully Alvin (Christopher Mintz-Plasse).    

Details are the key to this movie, which are carried out masterfully and the cartoonish way in which some of the characters were crafted add a playful angle to it. Norman is a strong character and the fact that it’s a real kid voicing him, makes him the more convincing and real. Neil is a great sidekick and is the one that gives us the most comedic moments, which could have been exploited even more. The movie has a moment where it almost becomes like an episode out of ‘Scooby Doo’, where the kids are escaping zombies in their van, giving the movie familiar elements to the grown ups watching it and introducing a new generation to them. The message the film has against bullying is powerful, it also teaches children to believe in themselves and their capabilities giving the story depth.

I don’t understand the reason why directors like Chris Butler, Henry Selick and Tim Burton like making family films about zombies, vampires and death; these are bizarre subjects to present children with. Although this one paints a pretty picture with Norman’s grandma (Elaine Stritch), it becomes too sinister and dark when we encounter the witch behind the town’s curse, Aggie (Jodelle Ferland). The film tries to come back to an uplifting note after the second part, teaching that vengeance is not the way to go. The problem is that it goes to such a dark place that it’s hard to forget where it took you, something that comedy could have helped and this might scare younger children.

The action scenes in the movie are fun and look very real; this can be credited to the animators as well as the camera work. I recommend this film for older kids, perhaps 8 or 10 and up, as the main plot of the movie can easily give nightmares and scare little ones. I appreciate the attention to detail and craftsmanship of this film, as these are the main things that will keep you watching. I wish the storyline were a little more lighthearted so that it could be more entertaining and not as serious. However, this quirky, funky, spooky film is unique in its own way and teaches some valuable lessons about understanding others and believing in yourself, qualities that make it worth watching.

Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax

I watched ‘Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax’ in a movie theater full of kids ranging from 3-10 years of age, which gave me the perfect audience with a mix of adults to get the right movie experience for this film. This movie exudes cuteness and the right amount of singing, the bits of comedy it has just made me smile and a couple of children laugh. There was no crying or chattering in the audience, which tells me the film’s 94 minutes are the perfect amount of entertainment for its target audience. The brilliant colors and clever shapes and storyline were even more fantastic in IMAX 3D, although ‘Horton Hears a Who’ achieved the same visual greatness without IMAX 3D.

The film begins by explaining in singing our setting, Thneedville, which is a city, made of plastic entirely, there’s no nature; trees are made in a factory and the most powerful man in town and the villain, Mr. O’Hare (Rob Riggle) made his millions by selling air. A 12 year old boy, Ted (Zac Efron) who is in love with a high schooler, Audrey (Taylor Swift) who dreams of seeing a real tree; decides to go on a quest to win the girl’s affection by getting her what she wants. He travels outside of the “capsule” that is his city to the contaminated world beyond in search of The Once-ler (Ed Helms) who according to his grandma Norma (Betty White) is the only person that can lead him to the free oxygen producing trees.

Here is when we being to discover the story of The Lorax (Danny DeVito) who speaks for the trees and cares for nature. What Ted finds in his journey not only changes his life but that of the whole town and the main message of the movie comes across, that each and single one of us makes a difference and we all need to care for our planet.

DeVito’s voice is perfect with that of the furry chubby Lorax, he’s a like a wise joke cracking grandpa that teaches just in the right tone. Efron is laid back and curious just the right amount to depict a 12 year old. White is the best character, the crazy grandma that is always covering for her grandchildren. Every voice created the characters depicted on the screen and together created a very pleasant movie to watch.

The environmentalist message of the film and the dangers of industrialism are very clear; that it takes one person to care so that we can come together as a whole to save the planet and the beauty it offers. I personally didn’t care for the “love story” in the film, but it was easy to over look it, with all the other more important stuff happening, even if it was what pushed the storyline. A children’s movie that has such an inspiring and important message with enough entertainment and color is a nice treat to both parents and children to see.