‘The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn-Part 2’ stays at #1

Moviegoers set an all time high for this year at the box office, giving the industry a push. Over the Thanksgiving holiday ‘The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn-Part 2’ stays at number one with $43.1 million dollars, with a total of $227 million domestically and $577.7 million globally. This last chapter is not disappointing the studio and will surely continue to bring in more.

Last week’s number two ‘Skyfall’ remains with $36 million dollars, giving it a total of $221.7 million domestically since it opened. This is the highest domestic number of any Bond film. Sony could not be happier and will certainly begin the next Bond film soon.

‘Lincoln’ also stayed at number three with $25 million dollars, increasing its intake from last weekend. The film has sparked interest and curiosity because of the ravishing reviews and talks of an Oscar.

The Top 10 in the Box Office are:

1. The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn- Part 2 – $43.1 mil

2. Skyfall – $36 mil

3. Lincoln – $25 mil

4. Rise of the Guardians – $24 mil

5. Life of Pi – $22 mil

6. Wreck-It Ralph – $16.8 mil

7. Red Dawn – $14.6 mil

8. Flight – $8.6 mil

9. Silver Linings Playbook – $4.6 mil

10. Argo – $3.9 mil

‘The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn-Part 2’ is #1!

The commotion around ‘The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn-Part 2’ got it to debut at number one with $141.3 million dollars, making it the movie with the eight biggest opening weekend ever. This final chapter of the saga has received great reviews, which will surely lead it to earn more than $700 million worldwide; which is about the average each one of the series has achieved. With Thanksgiving weekend coming up, it will no doubt get there.

The latest James Bond film ‘Skyfall’ dropped to number two with $41.5 million dollars. Despite loosing a lot of steam from last weekend it still will be the highest earning Bond film.  

Now that ‘Lincoln’ opened wide this past weekend it reached the third spot with $21 million dollars. There has been a lot of talk about this Steven Spielberg film being a runner up for the Oscars; the public seems to agree with all the critics’ reviews.

The Top 10 Movies in the Box Office are:

1. The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2 – $141.3

2. Skyfall – $41.5 mil

3. Lincoln – $21 mil

4. Wreck-It Ralph – $18.3 mil

5. Flight – $8.6 mil

6. Argo – $4.1 mil

7. Taken 2 – $2.1 mil

8. Pitch Perfect – $1.3 mil

9. Here Comes the Boom – $1.2 mil

10. Cloud Atlas – $.9 mil

‘Skyfall’ owns the box office

The new 007 film ‘Skyfall’ takes over the box office by storm, with an outstanding $87.8 million ($90mil with its Thursday IMAX opening) dollars opening at number one. This is the highest earning debut for a Bond film, out of all the 23 films that have been produced in the last 50 years. There are a number of things that got it there, one of them was Javier Bardem’s involvement in the film; the Spanish actor just got a star in Hollywood’s walk of  fame and Latinos as one of the ever more influential movie going audiences certainly backed him up. The secret agent’s four year absence from the big screen, along with the tremendous amount of publicity and Daniel Craig’s acclaim from the last films all added up to its success as well.

Last week’s number one ‘Wreck-It Ralph’ dropped to number two with $33.1 million dollars. The animated family film still is holding its own, it remains to be seen how well it will hold up against ‘The Rise of the Guardians’ due in two weeks.

Denzel Washington’s ‘Flight’ ended up on the third spot with $15.1 million dollars. The film has become the actor’s second biggest success of the year and Paramount is still enjoying its success seeing that Bond didn’t crush it completely and it has already earned past its production cost.

The Top 10 in the Box Office are:

1. Skyfall – $87.8 mil

2. Wreck-It Ralph – $33.1 mil

3. Flight – $15.1 mil

4. Argo – $6.7 mil

5. Taken 2 – $4 mil

6. Here Comes the Boom – $2.6 mil

7. Cloud Atlas – $2.5 mil

8. Pitch Perfect – $2.5 mil

9. The Man With the Iron Fists – $2.5 mil

10. Hotel Transylvania – $2.4 mil

‘The Heiress’: Broadway Review

Venezuelan Tony Award nominated playwright and director Moisés Kaufman brings ‘The Heiress’ back for the fourth time after 17 years to Broadway. This dramatic play takes place in 1850, in a New York City’s Washington Square house; it is charming with hints of comedy, romance and innocence. The play written by Ruth Goetz and Augustus Goetz in 1947 was adapted from Henry James’ 1880 novel titled “Washington Square”.  It transports the public to a sophisticated, rich household where we experience the relationships among a couple of individuals that are trying to cope with life, society and their roles and duties in them. The story is captivating and engrossing as it progresses and one easily connects and has sympathy for the characters and their happenings. The two hour and forty-five minute show opened on November 1st and will stick around for 18 weeks (until Feb 10, 2013).

The story rotates around Dr. Austin Sloper (David Strathairn) and his daughter Catherine (Jessica Chastain), after her birth he was left widowed and he raised a daughter he resents and feels like she never amounts to his expectations. Fortunately for him, his sister Lavinia Penniman (Judith Ivey) a recent widow, stays with them to help his daughter be more social. The perfect opportunity presents itself when his other sister Elizabeth Almond (Caitlin O’Connell) brings her daughter Marian (Molly Camp) and her fiancé Arthur Townsend (Kieran Campion), who wisely brings along his well-traveled charming cousin Morris Townsend (Dan Stevens) for a visit. In this scenario shy Catherine must cope with love and the weight her fortune as an heiress brings.   

The entire play takes place on the same setting, the lavish decorated living room of the Sloper household. The drapes around the windows let the public as well as the ladies’ beautiful dresses. Of course once we find out they have a house on Washington Square Park, an expensive location; that says it all, then enters Maria (Virginia Kull) the family’s uniformed maid. Finally, the Walter Kerr Theater itself captivates the elegance needed for this story.

Act one and two complement each other masterfully; in act one we get to meet all the characters with ease and no confusion, they sit around the living room entertaining us with their stories and commentaries on their lives, society, hopes and dreams. It is easy to perceive how Dr. Sloper feels about his daughter as he speaks freely about her and how disappointed he is that she’ll never be who he wants her to be. Catherine on the other hand shows the public her shy side when she interacts with everyone, except with her aunt Lavinia, where she’s more open and even teases her. There’s a contrast and tension on the second act that builds upon the first, changing the atmosphere and the characters themselves in an interesting way. The play explores, mashes and twists the elements of human nature, society, innocence, respect and romance magically.

Every single character contributes to the story: Strathairn playing a doctor automatically not only has a high status in society because of his job and money, but because of the importance his role has in everyone’s lives; although he’s compassionate at the same time we see how distant he’s with his daughter. With his great acting he uses humor and cruel words to expresses himself and entertain the public. Chastain outshines them all, she’s phenomenal! Her character is so profound and has so many layers that every time she leaves us wondering what she’ll say or do next, she’s makes us laugh at her awkward shyness and the audience has the chance to really grow with her. This actress who’s been in movies such as ‘The Help’, ‘Lawless’ and soon ‘Zero Dark Thirty’ has so much talent that it was a pleasure seeing her up on that stage.

Ivey is also a crucial part of the play as she’s the bridge between a daughter and father; she also connects the two lovers once their romance begins. Her charisma really gives the play an appreciated lightness, along with the homey feeling of a caring aunt one can confide in. Everything comes full circle with Stevens and his character that easily captures the audience’s attention and keeps us wondering about his intentions and true nature.

Kull’s Irish accent is a little off putting at times, as it feels very exaggerated and at the begining some of the characters sound like they have English accents with the over pronunciation. A warning that in two instances in the play there’s some cigar smoke that actually reaches the audience from the stage, although there’s a vent it’s a bold action to take in an enclosed space.

My favorite thing about the play is the way it transforms itself with the story in such a smooth and fluid form. I was fully entertained for all of its duration and really enjoyed it in its entirety. It’s very easy to sympathize with the characters, especially with Chastain, as she slowly gets to the audience with her strong performance especially towards the end. She represents the challenges of being a woman that was born with a status she’s expected to earn. This is a coming of age story that surely entertains and some people will be a bit shocked by the honest feelings and actions taken by the characters.

‘The Heiress’ is playing at the Walter Kerr Theater for more info go to:

http://www.ilovenytheater.com/sp/show.php?show=375

http://www.theheiressonbroadway.com/

‘Wreck-It Ralph’ scores first place at the box office!

Disney’s ‘Wreck-It Ralph’ opens at number one in the box office with $49.1 million dollars. The much anticipated cartoon film had no problem getting here, since it has received great reviews and its colorful story easily captivates kids and adults. The studio is gearing up for the upcoming holidays!

Denzel Washington’s ‘Flight’ opened at number two with $25 million dollars; he certainly attracts a crowd. Director Robert Zemeckis reminds the public that he still has it with this adult film that not only pleased many, but also has a lot of Oscar buzz around it.

‘Argo’ has been up and down the box office and once again it’s at number three with $10.2 million dollars.  This is another film that has gotten a lot of Oscar buzz and has achieved a grand total of $75.9 million dollars after being in theaters for four weeks.

The Top 10 in the Box Office are:

1. Wreck-It Ralph – $49.1 mil

2. Flight – $25 mil

3. Argo – $10.2 mil

4. The Man With the Iron Fists – $8.2 mil

5. Taken 2 – $6 mil

6. Cloud Atlas – $5.2 mil

7. Hotel Transylvania – $4.5 mil

8. Paranormal Activity 4 $4.3 mil

9. Here Comes the Boom – $3.6 mil

10. Silent Hill: Revelation 3D – $3.3 mil