The Other Guys finally ended Inception's three-week reign at the top, pulling in $35 million in its first three days this past weekend, marking another almost certain blockbuster for Will Ferrell and Adam McKay. But I have to give kudos to Despicable Me, which has turned out to have incredible legs; it has crossed not only the $200 million barrier, but is now one of the 100 highest-grossing films of all time. "It's so fluffy!!" (Meanwhile, Toy Story 3 is only $4 million shy of the venerable $400 million mark, which would make it the 11th film in history to do so.)

The moment is nearly at hand, my fellow action-movie junkies. The moment we've all been waiting for. The release date for the most awesome collection of action (and former action) stars assembled on-screen at the same time is upon us. The Expendables is now but a few short days away, and I fully expect that even those of you out there who are NOT fans of the genre to start admitting that what Sylvester Stallone has done is make one of the most kick-ass movies possible.

The primary cast of this film has well over 100 combined action flicks under its belt, from straight-to-DVD forgettable fare to nine-digit-budgeted explosion-thons. Some names are bigger than others, of course, but most of them are household names: Jason Statham (The Transporter). Jet Li (Fearless). Dolph Lundgren (Universal Soldier). Terry Crews (Terminator: Salvation). “Stone Cold” Steve Austin (The Condemned). And then, throw in UFC champion Randy Couture and recent resurgent star Mickey Rourke (Iron Man 2), and you've got one whale of a team, led by Stallone (Rocky, Rambo) himself, who not only stars, but also directed and co-wrote the screenplay. But, wait, there's more...

For those of you who don't know (if such a person exists), The Expendables are a paramilitary team of mercenaries, led by Barney Ross (Stallone) and his second-in-command, Lee Christmas (Statham). The team (love the cheesy character names) consists of Yin Yang (Li), Gunnar Jensen (Lundgren), Hale Caesar (Crews) and Toll Road (Couture). Rourke plays Tool, a former member of the team who now works as an arms dealer.

But the icing on this very macho cake comes in the form of Bruce Willis and Arnold Schwarzenegger, Stallone's longtime friends who helped him (along with Demi Moore) co-found Planet Hollywood nearly two decades ago. Though they only appear in cameos, just the notion of having arguably the three most famous, successful and prolific actions stars of the last thirty years on screen at the same time is too tantalizing a proposition to miss. In fact, Willis's character, Mr. Church, the man who hires The Expendables to help overthrow a ruthless South American dictator, may have a very central part in the film, even though he probably doesn't get much screen time (and he and Ah-nuld may not even appear in the credits).

This movie has so much going for it. First of all, the opinions of professional critics, who have already started lining up to bash this film, are quite likely to fall on ears long since deafened by countless hours of movie gunplay. Even the plot is fairly irrelevant to get people through the door... since this is the single most impressive cast any film since the Ocean's Integers films has had, one can only hope that Sly has formulated a semi-coherent story to go with it.

In the August Leagues, The Expendables will run you $18 in Ultimate ($19 in Box Office). Given the extremely weak competition coming in the next few weeks, this film could be in the Top 5 for a while. I fully expend no fewer than twelve Top 5 points, along with at least four PTA. It currently has a Rating of 8.8 on IMDb with over 1,700 votes (probably action fans jumping the gun in anticipation), so rest assured, this film will probably not dip much below 8.0.

BOM has The Expendables bowing in over 3,000 theaters, and I fully expect an opening weekend of at least $40 million, and could go as high as $50 million. Granted, it may be susceptible to Twilight-level fallout in upcoming weeks, but given that there won't be any balls-out action fare until early September, I don't think that will happen. In all, I envision $130 million for this film, and I hope that if a sequel is planned, they can convince Van Damme and Seagal to join the fun. (Well, I can dream, can't I?)

Countering all that machismo, testosterone and high explosives is Eat Pray Love, a film based on the best-selling memoir by Elizabeth Gilbert. And when I say best-selling, I mean it: it has spent over three years on the New York Times Best Seller list, and sold many millions of copies. It has been a favorite of women of all ages since its release, including Oprah Winfrey, who devoted two entire episodes two it. High praise indeed.

Columbia Pictures and Plan B Entertainment (Brad Pitt's production company) are behind the big-screen adaptation, which stars Julia Roberts as Gilbert. Roberts, now 42, has been steadily getting back to work since given birth to her third child in 2007, having recently appeared in films such as Charlie Wilson's War, Duplicity and Valentine's Day. But one could argue that Eat Pray Love is the first film she'll have to carry on her own since Erin Brockovich (for which she won a Best Actress Oscar in 2000).

The story: Roberts plays Gilbert, a writer who, though successful, is extremely unhappy with her home life. When her marriage ends with a bitter and painful divorce, she comes to the realization that she hasn't had any meaningful time to herself since she was a teenager, and decides to take a year to travel the world to find... I'm not sure. Adventure, clarity, meaning, whatever she can find. (Specifically, she goes to Italy, India and Bali, which I'm certain means that viewers will be treated to many different shots of exotic locales and panoramic landscapes.) The supporting cast is chock full of many Oscar-nominated actors as well, including Javier Bardem, Richard Jenkins, and Viola Davis, as well as Billy Crudup and James Franco.

The big question is: can a film do diametrically opposite of The Expendables prosper? Just ask Mamma Mia!, which racked up $144 million while going toe-to-toe with The Dark Knight. I don't expect Eat Pray Love to do THAT well, but Julie & Julia came very close to $100 million last August, and as this is the last full-scale chick-flick of the summer, I think it will do quite well.

$15 is the price tag for Eat Pray Love in both August leagues. Though I don't expect it to beat The Expendables for #1, I think it has a very good chance to beat The Other Guys' second week for #2. In all, I predict $26 million for Eat Pray Love's first three days ($84 million total), along with eight Top 5 points, three PTA and a rating in the 7's. As long as the IMDb Haters Club doesn't line up to bash Julia Roberts the way they do Tyler Perry, this could be a very worthy pick.

This has been a year for comic-book adaptations, and I'm not just talking about Iron Man 2. We've already been treated to Kick-Ass and The Losers this year, and can look forward to Red in October. But for now we have Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, which is based on the six-issue digest-sized series written by Bryan O'Malley. The first issue came out in 2004, and planning for the movie version ostensibly started shortly thereafter.

This movie was filmed (and is set) in Toronto, and centers on 22-year-old Scott Pilgrim (Michael Cera, donning his lovestruck puppy suit again), who plays bass guitar for a band called Sex Bob-omb. He meets – and becomes instantaneously smitten with – a girl named Ramona Flowers (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), and that's when the fun begins. Winning Ramona's heart, you see, comes with a fair amount of danger, in the form of her seven evil exes (one of whom, weirdly enough, is a girl), whom Scott must defeat in a no-holds-barred battle royale before he can call her his own.

Director Edgar Wright (Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz) has assembled a pretty cool cast for this one, including Cera, Winstead, Kieran Culkin and Anna Kendrick (Up in the Air). The League of Evil Exes includes Jason Schwartzman (Funny People) and a couple of guys for whom playing roles involving superhuman abilities is nothing new: Brandon Routh (Superman Returns) and Chris Evans (Fantastic Four, Push). But more noticeable than the cast is the film's production, which, if you've seen the trailer, looks like a combination of video-game special effects and cheesy comic-book violence (complete with the on-screen “Kapows!”)

The reviews for Scott Pilgrim have been mostly favorable (14/17 positive at RT), and most agree that this is definitely a film for younger viewers. It's ADD and OTT, two things that movie lovers in their teens and early twenties can appreciate and relate to. Older viewers may bypass is (not including myself), but I think it has the potential to become a cult hit.

It's only coming out in 2,600 or so theaters, however, and honestly, I can't give it my recommendation in Ultimate leagues, even for only $10. It does have a great rating so far (7.5 with nearly 1,000 votes), but even it comes up with $16 million on its OW, that will still probably only be good enough for #4. All in all, I predict two Top 5 points, one or two PTA at most, and $43 million in total take. It may be worth it in Box Office (also for $10), but that's about it.

And now, a little bit about this weekend's two limited-release films:

Tales From Earthsea ($4 Ult) – This animated film is the latest from the Japanese Studio Ghibli, which put out highly-acclaimed films like Princess Mononoko, Spirited Away and Howl's Moving Castle. These films were all created by Hayao Miyazaki, who is considered the most prominent anime film director of all time. Tales From Earthsea is the first project for Hayao's son, Goro.

I'm at a loss to try to explain the plot, but it involves sorcery and dragons. The voice cast (for the English version) includes Willem Dafoe, Timothy Dalton, Mariska Hargitay and Cheech Marin. Reviews have been split at RT (8/15 positive), but most critics agree that this is Studio Ghibli's weakest movie in years.

The news isn't all bad, however. Actually, it has a very good shot at some PTA, given that BOM says that Earthsea will be showing in only five locations this weekend. That is a far cry from the nearly 1,000 locations that debuted last year's Ponyo, causing it to be a dud in pretty much every category. The name Miyazaki still does have some cred, and its current Rating (6.5 with over 4,000 votes) won't hamstring you too badly, so this choice has a chance to be a better pick than Ponyo ever was, despite what the critics are saying.

Animal Kingdom ($3 Ult) – You are ten times more likely, on the other hand, to get more mileage out of this film. It has a minimal number of screens showing it (in NY and LA), an even better rating (8.5 with 725 votes), and the critics are over the moon for it (24/25 positive at RT). Plus, it's only $3, so unless you are hell-bent on filling your entire roster with wide-release films (and you can certainly do that this season), you may want to consider sacrificing quantity for quality in this case. Why? Well, it won the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance, for example.

Animal Kingdom is an Australian crime drama set in the vicious underworld of Melbourne, and is loosely inspired by a series of police shootings that occurred there in 1988. It centers on brothers Darren (Luke Ford), Craig (Sullivan Stapleton) and Andrew (Ben Mendelsohn), as well as their close friend Barry (Joel Edgerton). They welcome their nephew Joshua (James Frecheville) into the fold, teaching him the ins and outs of the brutal life of a crime family. But when Joshua comes under pressure from a local detective (Guy Pearce), he can sense the family demographic starting to collapse around him.

Critics have called Animal Kingdom “slow-boiling”, “expertly written” and “the best film to come out of Australia in years”. It currently has a whopping 8.5 Rating (with over 700 votes), and seems to have every hallmark of a great PTA source, something you might not find many of in the next few months. For $3, you could clean up, if can stomach the idea of having a few dollars left unspent on your roster.


My predictions for the weekend of August 13-15, 2010:

1. The Expendables - $43 million
2. Eat Pray Love - $26 million
3. The Other Guys - $18 million
4. Scott Pilgrim vs. the World - $16 million
5. Inception - $13 million

Well, that will do it for me for another week. Next week, we begin our descent into the mediocrity of autumn, starting with four new wide-release films of dubious prospects: B-horror-movie Piranha 3D, kiddie sequel Nanny McPhee Returns, African-American comedy Lottery Ticket, and low-grade rom-com The Switch. There will also be three limited-release films: The Tillman Story, Mao's Last Dancer and Down Terrace. (And if I have room, I'll save some room to bash Vampires Suck. It's not included in the game, but it'll still be lots of fun to trash it.)

Later!

Shrykespeare

Inception hangs on for its third straight weekend victory, just barely outdistancing Steve Carell's Dinner For Schmucks. It would seem to be on track for roughly $250 million, which is, I think you'll agree, quite impressive considering the very cerebral premise for the movie. With the possible exception of Toy Story 3 (which will also probably end up being the #1 movie of 2010), it also has the honor of being the best-reviewed movie of the summer. Well done, Mr. Nolan.

August gets underway this Friday, so perhaps its time to briefly go over just what that means. Perhaps most importantly, it starts a three-month stretch of filmdom that is generally the least impressive, results-wise, when compared to the rest of the year. I mean, think about it: if you had to list the months that usually harbor the most potential blockbusters, how would you do so? Probably May, July, November, December and March, give or take. But the stretch of August, September and October, though not totally devoid of entertainment, is a period where you'll probably find very no titles likely to crack $200 million. The hits of August 2009 were: G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra ($150M), District 9 ($115M), Inglourious Basterds ($120M), and, to a lesser extent, Julie & Julia ($94M). I see only three titles in August 2010 with even a shot at nine digits, and the first of those is The Other Guys.

It has always been that certain directors have had excellent working relationships with certain actors. One could certainly make that case for Tim Burton and Johnny Depp. Comedically, that also might apply to Dennis Dugan and Adam Sandler. But you could also make the case that a profitable working relationship does indeed exist between director Adam McKay and actor/comedian Will Ferrell. The duo have teamed up three times in the past decade, and each collaboration has been a hit: Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy pulled in a respectable $85 million in 2004, Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby raced to $148 million domestically in 2006, and Step Brothers earned just over $100 million in 2008. And since 2010 is an even-numbered year, the pair are back together again.

The Other Guys would also, on its surface, seem to involve quite a bit more action than the above-mentioned films, as certainly evidenced by its supporting cast (Mark Wahlberg, Dwayne Johnson and Samuel L. Jackson). The premise: the two most famous and well-respected supercops of the NYPD are Highsmith and Danson (Jackson and Johnson). They get the exciting police work, the high-profile collars, and all of the accolades that come along with it.

A little – actually, make that a lot – further down the food chain is Det. Gamble (Ferrell), a cop whose career has been largely in the field of forensic accounting, preferring to spend his days analyzing paperwork instead of going into the field. He is partnered with Det. Hoitz (Wahlberg), who has been exiled to desk duty following an embarrassing accidental shooting. But, as things must in films like this, the two desk jockeys cook up a way to make a name for themselves, and, of course, things don't go QUITE as planned. Michael Keaton, Steve Coogan, Eva Mendes and (brace yourselves) Paris Hilton co-star.

This would normally be the kind of film I would gleefully watch, except for the fact that Will Ferrell is in it. I grew weary of his shtick a long time ago, and I've barely liked any part of any of his films where McKay was behind the camera. I do respect his supporting cast in The Other Guys (I even like Paris better than him), but not enough for me to want to see it. Based on the trailer, it looks like more of Ferrell playing the same character he always does: clueless, obnoxious and overweening. If I have to see a Ferrell movie, I'll wait for Megamind, when at least I don't have to look at him.

But don't go by me. If The Mummy 3 and G.I. Joe can make $100 million, this one certainly can. It's going to be shown in over 3,500 theaters, so I will go ahead an predict a $36 million opening for The Other Guys, on its way to ten or eleven Top 5 points, two PTA, a rating around 6.3 and around $108 million. Because of the way the August-September leagues are priced, you can fit just about any eight films you want onto your slate. The Other Guys will cost you $17 in Ultimate, $19 in Box Office, and I would say that it's practically a must-have if you want to get off to a good start in those leagues.

Some movies just scream to be made into 3D. Some are planned as 3D projects from the get-go, others are converted to 3D after the fact (and usually is the lesser experience for it). But here's something that I bet you never thought you'd see. A street-dance movie... in 3D. Yeah, I know, I'm still trying to wrap my head around the reasoning behind it. But more on that in a bit. For now, know that Step Up 3D will be hip-hopping into theaters this Friday, following the original Step Up from 2006 ($65M) and Step Up 2 The Streets from 2008 ($58M).

It's interesting... I happen to love the TV show So You Think You Can Dance, which usually graces the summer lineup on FOX. The dancers are raw and very talented, and working with the best choreographers in the business, they are taught how to tell stories through dance. The reason I'm not a fan of dance-related movies – like, AT ALL - is not because the dancing is sub-par, but because, given the chance, most dancers couldn't ACT if their lives depended on it. And besides that: most “dance crew” movies are the same: a bunch of directionless youths discover dance as a means of expression, and through dance and friendship bond with each other to prove themselves champions in some sort of competition, the end.

Director John Chu (who also helmed Step Up 2) has brought together a group of mostly unknown actors, including Rick Malambri, Adam Sevani, Sharni Vinson, Alyson Stoner (reprising her character from the first Step Up), and even SYTYCD's own Stephen “tWitch” Boss, who is one of the best hip-hop dancers that show ever produced. Still doesn't mean that I want to see the film, though.

I know that every film and its sequel is being adapted to 3D formats these days, but this decision just baffles me. What's the point, exactly? To have the viewer, who is sitting down, feel like they're in the middle of the action? I just don't see the appeal... at least Piranha 3D, coming in a few more weeks, makes a little more sense. I'll predict $43 million total for Step Up 3D, along with two Top 5 points, maybe one or two PTA, and a terrible Rating (it's currently at 4.5 with over 400 votes). For $11 in Ultimate ($12 in Box Office), it's simply not worth it.

And now, a little bit about this weekend's of plethora limited-release films. Just something to keep in mind, strategically. Because of the cheapness of the August leagues' films, you may be inclined to fill your roster with more expensive movies, just to try to get the most bang for your buck. Remember, though: just because you CAN put eight wide-release films on your Ultimate slates doesn't mean you HAVE to. Most big movies will get you a few PTA, but that doesn't mean that a good limited-release film can punch up your stats in both the PTA and User Rating categories. You'll sacrifice some dollars earned, but it's finding the right balance that usually makes a winner.

Flipped ($5 Ult) – Veteran director Rob Reiner (Sleepless in Seattle, The Bucket List) brings us this coming-of-age story of young love in the 1950s. Julianne (played by up-and-coming young actress Madeline Carroll) has had the hots for classmate/neighbor Bryce (Callan McAuliffe) since their first meeting, but Bryce has always kept her at arm's length – not only because they are complete opposites, but because he's got some girl-phobic issues. But as the story follows these two youngsters from grade school to high school, Bryce begins to wonder his feelings for the persistent Juli start changing... The supporting cast includes Anthony Edwards, Rebecca de Mornay, Aidan Quinn, Penelope Ann Miller and John Mahoney.

Since this is the first week of the month, that means that five of the movies being released on Friday are guaranteed to glean at least one PTA point. I want very much to recommend Flipped for your roster as this week's possible PTA champ, but I'm missing quite a few variables. First of all, I have no idea whatsoever how big the release platform will be, and second, there are no official reviews in the can at RT at the present moment. Rob Reiner is usually a pretty reliable draw, however, and the supporting cast is terrific, but I won't argue that picking this might be a gamble.

Middle Men ($4 Ult) – This films tells the story of Jack Harris (Luke Wilson) who, in 1995, creates a billing company for the new phenomenon called the Internet, making adult entertainment available to anyone on the Web... for a price. Since this was fertile ground for such entrepreneurial endeavors, the money rolled in in the millions, but along with that came a boatload of other problems, including Russian mobsters, federal investigators and even international terrorists. Well, you reap what you sow...

Director George Gallo (Homeland Security) has brought together an interesting cast, which includes Giovanni Ribisi, James Caan, Kevin Pollak, Terry Crews, Kelsey Grammer and Gabriel Macht. And the two reviews that I've read (both from reputable critics) have both been positive, which means that you can probably expect a Rating no lower than 6.4. However, BOM has Middle Men opening in around 200 locations, which rather puts it in that no-man's-land that pretty much precludes any worthy number of PTA points. Pass.

Twelve ($4 Ult) – Another veteran director, Joel Schumacher, was the driving force behind this film, which was showcased at Sundance this year. For those not familiar with Schumacher's work, his thirty-year career has produced some memorable hits (The Lost Boys, A Time to Kill, The Client) and some truly horrific misses (Batman & Robin, 8MM, The Number 23). It's not often that he does a project this small, so it might be worth noting.

Gossip Girl's Chace Crawford plays White Mike, the 17-year-old privileged son of a restaurant tycoon who makes his own shady living by selling marijuana to his similarly-wealthy peers. He also sells a new designer drug that is a mixture of cocaine and ecstasy called “twelve”, a business that leads him down a very dangerous path that also claims the life of his cousin. Emma Roberts, Rory Culkin and Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson co-star, and Kiefer Sutherland narrates.

I can't find an official site for Twelve, so again, I don't know how many screens will be showing it. Despite the fact that the film didn't go over well with Sundance critics, Roger Ebert staunchly defended its “fearless”, gritty nature, for what that's worth. It has a good shot to pick up PTA points, but there are an awful lot of unknowns that would make me thing twice about choosing it.

Lebanon ($4 Ult) – This is a foreign film, done in the Hebrew language of Israel, directed by Samuel Maoz (Total Eclipse). It follows a tank crew comprised of four strangers who are assigned to clear an area in the Middle Eastern country of Lebanon of hostile fighters during Israel's war with Lebanon in 1982. From the trailer, the film has a very claustrophobic feel, with many scenes being shot down the barrels of the tank's many gun turrets.

The somewhat controversial films has won several Hebrew film awards, and will make its debut in New York this Friday, and is also scheduled for a Los Angeles release next week. It's safe to say that the total number of screens showing Lebanon will be under ten, so if you feel like taking a chance on any of this weekend's limited-release films, this may be the one... if nothing else, you can take advantage of its very good Rating, which stands at 7.3 with over 1,300 votes already.

Cairo Time ($3 Ult) – IFC Films is distributing this romantic drama about a magazine editor named Juliette (Patricia Clarkson) who flies to the Egyptian capital to meet up with her husband. But when her husband is unexpectedly delayed in Gaza, he sends his long-time friend Tareq (Alexander Siddig – remember him from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine?), a retired police officer, to look after her. Acting as both bodyguard and guide, Tareq shows Juliette the sights of Cairo, and a romantic spark seems to ignite between the two.

BOM has Cairo Time bowing on five New York screens this Friday. And while that would seem an optimum number for easy PTA points, I'm not so sure. The reviews have been decidedly mixed (5/9 positive on RT), and while both protagonists are played by familiar actors, neither is what you'd call a household name. With seven films debuting this weekend, two are going to be left without any PTA at all, and this seems like the kind of film that is the most likely to slip below the film community's radar altogether.


My predictions for the weekend of August 6-8, 2010:

1. The Other Guys - $36 million
2. Inception - $19 million
3. Dinner For Schmucks - $14 million
4. Step Up 3D - $13 million
5. Salt - $11 million
6. Despicable Me - $10 million


Well, that will do it for me for another week. Next week, the world record for the amount of testosterone in one movie will be set with the release of The Expendables, a Sylvester Stallone-directed action film that features more current and former action stars than you can shake an M16 at; Eat Pray Love, a chick flick starring Julia Roberts and Javier Bardem; Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, a goofy-looking Michael Cera love story combining cartoonish and video-game elements; as well as limited-release films Tales From Earthsea (directed by acclaimed Japanese anime whiz Goro Miyazaki) and Animal Kingdom.

Later!

Shrykespeare

The following films have been postponed and need to be changed on active slates:

The Wild Hunt has been bumped to 9/17, so it is no longer viable in the June leagues.

Happythankyoumoreplease has been postponed until 2011, so it is no longer viable in any current leagues.

Saw VII 3D has been shifted from 10/22 to 10/29, so in the August leagues it will be available for only one weekend.

Shrykespeare

Christopher Nolan has once again proven to be the King of July. Inception was able to hold off Angelina Jolie and Salt for its second straight weekend victory. All things considered, it's looking like an outstanding pick for the July leagues. It's already well past $150 million, and it currently sits at #3 on the IMDb All-Time-Best-Rated Movies list with a hefty 9.3. It may or may not have the mustard to finish in the Top 5 highest-grossing films of the year, but it's beginning to look like Christopher Nolan has joined Pixar and James Cameron as Hollywood's surest bets.

But can Inception hold on for a third consecutive week? There are three new films coming the weekend of July 30th, and two of them have possibilities, but for very different reasons. The one that's probably the most likely to give Inception a run for the crown is Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore, a kiddie action/comedy from Warner Bros. This is a sequel to the 2001 film Cats & Dogs, which became a surprise hit in summer of that year, earning $93 million domestically and over $200 internationally. That film starred the voices of Alec Baldwin, Tobey Maguire, Susan Sarandon, Jon Lovitz, Joe Pantoliano and Michael Clarke Duncan. However, of that bunch, only Pantoliao and Duncan return for the sequel.

The concept: cats and dogs, the most common household pets in the U.S., are not only superintelligent beings capable of very human-like behavior, but are each part of a vast, high-tech organization whose mission is to stop the other from becoming too dominant. However, both species must join forces in order to combat the nefarious Kitty Galore (Bette Midler), who is fed up with both species and wants to enslave the human race. (Bad Kitty!) Fighting her is a team led by a German Shepherd police dog named Diggs (James Marsden). Other celebrity voices include Paul Rodriguez, Christina Applegate, Nick Nolte, Roger Moore, Katt Williams, Neil Patrick Harris and Wallace Shawn.

Obviously, this film is meant for kids, so I'm loathe to underestimate its chances, no matter how godawfully dumb it looks.  (I mean, seriously?  A [i]Silence of the Lambs[/i] reference?  How many kids who want to see this movie even know who Hannibal Lecter is?)  Still, it made a big splash in July 2001 (earning $93 million), and last year's kiddie action flick [i]G-Force[/i], did even better than that ($120 million).

With school starting for many kids within the next few weeks, this looks to be the last big kiddie hit of the summer. Warner Bros. sure thinks so, since they are shoving it into over 3,700 theaters, including many 3D locations. I'm going to predict $80 million total for Revenge, which makes its $10 price tag in July very appealing. $10 in Ultimate will probably get you six Top 5 points, and maybe one or two PTA if you're lucky. Don't expect a User Rating much higher than 5.0, however.

Dinner For Schmucks is next up, and though it is only being shown in roughly 2,500 theaters, it's got quite an impressive pedigree. It is directed by Jay Roach, who also directed Meet the Parents, Meet the Fockers and all three Austin Powers films. It features Steve Carell, starring in his third major film since April, and Paul Rudd, the rising comedic star of such films as Role Models and I Love You, Man.

A remake (of sorts) of the French play La Diner de Cons, Dinner For Schmucks centers on the character of Tim Wagner (Rudd), an up-and-coming exec who is on the cusp of achieving entry to the promised land: a corner office and a key to the executive washroom. But he still has to do one thing to impress is rather snooty boss (Bruce Greenwood), who on a monthly basis hosts a dinner for his immediate staff. But it's more than just a dinner, you see, it's actually a contest. Whichever guest brings the biggest idiot – who is there specifically to be made fun of – gets the most privileges.

Tim's fiancé Julie (Stephanie Szostak) is horrified, of course, and Tim balks at the idea... that is, at first. Enter Barry Speck (Carell), a solitary – and very odd – IRS agent who seems to be the perfect choice. But Tim is a softie at heart, and a friendship is eventually struck up between the two, a friendship that takes several disturbing (and destructive) turns, as Carell seems to channel a little bit of Jim Carrey's The Cable Guy and a little bit of Bill Murray from What About Bob?.

This film actually looks really funny. I'm interested to see how it ends, and the presence of The Hangover's Zach Galifianakis as a self-professed “mind-control expert” can only add to the hilarity. Dinner For Schmucks is rated PG-13, which tells me that the truly “adult” humor has been toned down so young audiences can enjoy it. But will they?

This film was priced at $13 Ultimate ($12 Box Office), unfortunately long before we realized that such a disparity in release platform would exist between it and Cats & Dogs. As such, and given that Inception and perhaps Salt are likely to remain close or or over $20 million this weekend, I am predicting a finish no higher than #4 for Schmucks. It may make $50 million in the long run, but that still wouldn't really justify its price tag.

The last of the wide-release films this week is Charlie St. Cloud, starring teen heartthrob Zac Efron in the title role. But he's not singing or dancing this time around, nor is he the rejuvenated persona of Matthew Perry (thank God). Charlie is a resident in a small seaside town who is just about to depart for college, leaving behind his mother (Kim Basinger) and little brother Sam (I Am Legend's Charlie Tahan). Before leaving, Charlie promises Sam that he will practice baseball with him until he leaves.

But tragedy strikes when the brothers are in a terrible car accident that ends up killing Sam and leaving Charlie hollow and full of guilt, so much so that he gives up on college and takes a job as a caretaker at the cemetery where Sam is buried. He deals with his grief by communicating with his brother's “spirit”, and through these conversations must find a way to heal his broken soul and perhaps win the heart of a local yachtswoman (Amanda Crew) who dreams of sailing around the world. Ray Liotta and Donal Logue co-star.

Charlie will also be bowing in roughly 2,500 theaters, but I find it hard to believe that it will be able to crack the Top 5 at all. It won't outgross Dinner For Schmucks, and given Despicable Me's minute drops, I don't think Charlie's $10 million opening weekend will even come close. It's only $8 (in either league), but I seriously doubt this film will give you numbers in any category that make its purchase worth it.

And now, a little bit about this weekend's three limited-release films:

Get Low ($5 Ult) – This entrant at the Toronto Film Festival looks like a definite winner, and could possibly even take the PTA crown. It stars Robert Duvall as Felix Bush, a crusty old hermit living in backwoods 1930's Tennessee. Felix has got a bad reputation, and many rumors swirl around his name... perhaps he's a murderer, perhaps he's in league with the devil himself. No one really knows for sure, so imagine the townsfolk's surprise when Felix shows up and ask the owner of the local funeral parlor (Bill Murray) to organize a “living funeral party” for him.

The plot: anyone with something to say about Felix can show up and tell it while he listens, and show up they do, including a local widow named Mattie (Sissy Spacek), one of the few people who remembers Felix from decades before, before he withdrew from society. Stories will be told, and Felix himself will come clean about what made him go away in the first place. Lucas Black, Gerald McRaney and Bill Cobbs co-star.

Director Aaron Schneider seems to have hit the mother lode so far. Fifteen reviews for Get Low have been entered on RT, and ALL of them are positive, including critics from such publications as Hollywood Reporter, Variety and Film.com. It also has a very impressive User Rating (7.7 with over 300 votes). However, I have been unable to discern just how many screens will be showing this film, and that is a vital piece of information to have before choosing this film. If it turns out to be below ten screens, I would say, definitely snap this one up.

Le Concert (The Concert) ($4 Ult) – This French film directed by Radu Mihaileanu centers on the character of Andrei Filipov (Aleksei Guskov), a former conductor for Moscow's Bolshoi Orchestra who had his career destroyed by Brezhnev thirty years earlier for his political beliefs (he refused to fire the Jewish members of his orchestra). Now working as a janitor, he has occasion to intercept a fax from the prestigious Theatre du Chatelet in Paris. This inspires him to – almost Blues Brothers' style – “get the band back together”. Of course, “the band” is his former orchestra, more than fifty musicians who are now mostly alcoholic ex-musicians, and getting them together and organized and ready to fly to Paris to finish the Tchaikovsky concerto that they were unable to complete three decades earlier will be no mean feat.

The Rating for Le Concert is also very good (7.6 with nearly 2,000 votes), but the critical reviews are somewhat mixed (12/19 positive on RT). BOM has it coming out in only two theaters, and I shouldn't have to tell you that French films tend to do very well in the PTA category. If you think that Get Low won't pan out for you, this might be a worthy susbstitute.

The Extra Man ($4 Ult) – This quirky-looking comedy, led by directors Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini (American Splendor) and based on the novel by Jonathan Ames, stars Kevin Kline (where has HE been?) as Henry Harrison, a failed playwright who now earns a living by “entertaining” wealthy (and lonely) older women. He takes in an aspiring writer named Louis Ives (Paul Dano), and proceeds to teach him his lifestyle. John C. Reilly (fresh off Cyrus), Cathy Moriarty and Katie Holmes co-star.

The trailer looks funny, and I personally love Kline in this kind of role. But early reviews have been less than stellar (only 3/7 positive), and get this: according to the film's official website, The Extra Man is already available “On Demand, Direct TV, Dish Network Playstation, Xbox Live, Amazon and Vudu”... which makes me wonder if anyone will bother showing up at whatever theaters (three, to be exact) are showing it. Pass.


My predictions for the weekend of July 30-August 1, 2010:

1. Inception - $26 million
2. Cats and Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore - $24 million
3. Salt - $19 millions
4. Dinner For Schmucks - $18 million
5. Despicable Me - $17 million


Well, that will do it for me for another week. Next week, the final month of the Summer Season gets under way as we tackle the first few films of August, which are: The Other Guys, a buddy/cop drama starring Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg as NYPD desk jockeys who try to get some real cop action; Step Up 3D, the third in the series of street-dance movies; Middle Men, based on the story of two 1995 businessmen who get the idea of selling porn over the Internet; as well as limited-release films Flipped, Twelve, Lebanon and Cairo Time.

Later!

Shrykespeare

Let's hear it for Christopher Nolan, who after this past weekend can put another notch in his belt. Not only will Inception be, like The Dark Knight, one of the most critically-raved films of its year, but her will have dispelled any lingering doubts that he is one of the most original and innovative directors currently working in Hollywood today. Mark your calendars, folks, for the third Batman film is scheduled to hit theaters two years from right now. That's 104 weeks, 728 days, and approximately 200 Diamondback losses. (Yeah, it's just not getting any better.)

The big guns of summer are slowly becoming tiny dots in our rear-view mirror. Iron Man 2, Robin Hood and Shrek 4 have had their fun. Karate Kid, Grown Ups and The Last Airbender are now gracefully bowing out. And even Twilight: Eclipse and Toy Story 3 will be down to seven-digit weekends starting this Friday. The number of potential blockbusters between NEXT Friday and the end of October can probably be counted on one hand. For many youngsters, school will be starting any day now. But before scholastic drudgery begins anew, there is one more slam-bang high-octane thrill ride left to be had this summer, and it stars one of Hollywood's most famous and sexiest packages.

I am, of course, referring to Salt, starring A-list actress Angelina Jolie in the title role. The film is directed by Australian helmer Phillip Noyce, who is no slouch to directing political-intrigue actioners (having been behind the camera for Patriot Games and Clear and Present Danger as well as The Bone Collector, a 1999 thriller that co-starred a 24-year-old Jolie).

Jolie plays CIA agent Evelyn Salt, whose life is turned upside-down when a former Russian-spy-turned-defector walks in off the street and accuses her of being a sleeper agent for the KGB, and whose mission it is to assassinate the President of the United States. Of course, even a false accusation of that magnitude is enough to get you detained indefinitely, so Salt must go on the run in an attempt to not only prove her innocence but prevent said assassination attempt herself. Liev Schreiber, Chiwetel Ejiofor and Andre Braugher co-star.

It's interesting to note that the original script for Salt was written for a man to play – specifically, Tom Cruise, who eventually turned it down stating that it was too close to his role in the Mission: Impossible films – but if any woman in the business can carry this film on her own, it's Jolie, who has led the way in numerous blockbusters of her own, including Wanted, Mr. and Mrs. Smith and the second Lara Croft movie. And, of course, how many critics will use the headline "A 'Salt' with a deadly weapon", I wonder...

Sony/Columbia is putting Salt into nearly 3,500 theaters come Friday, and I fully expect that the action crowd will be there to meet it. In all, I expect $48 million in its first three days, which is a little bit lower than Inception pulled in last week, but the good news is, it's only $18 to Inception's $26 (in both leagues). The further good news is, which the three films opening on July 30th looking extremely weak by comparison, Salt has an excellent chance at going back-to-back. In all, it could pick up as many as fourteen Top 5 points, along with a few PTA and a terrific User Rating (probably no lower than 7.0). I have to believe that this film has more box-office potential (around $150 million) than anything else coming out between now and November, so if you have the room on your July roster, snap this one up.

Up next is Ramona and Beezus, a live-action kiddie movie from Fox Studios that is based on the series of children's novels by author Beverly Cleary. It stars pop star and singer Selena Gomez – who turns 18 years old the day this Thursday - as Beatrice “Beezus” Quimby, and Joey King (Quarantine) as her little sister Ramona, an irrepressible third grader with a vivid imagination, boundless energy and is more than just a little accident-prone.

I didn't really get a sense of the movie's actual plot from the trailer, but Wikipedia says that Ramona's “sense of fun, adventure and mischief must come in handy when she puts her mind to helping save her family's home before it's too late”. There are also some very recognizable faces in the supporting cast, which includes John Corbett, Bridget Moynahan, Josh Duhamel, Ginnifer Goodwin and Sandra Oh.

Like most harmless feel-good rated-G kids' movies, it's rather tough to track just how well-received a film will be. I myself have seen some advertising for this film, but not much... though it wouldn't surprise me if they've been plugged like crazy on networks like the Disney Channel or Nickelodeon. Still, only 2,700 theaters or so will be showing it, so I'm going to predict a rather soft opening of $11 million, which will be good enough for fourth place only. It's only $8 in Ultimate leagues ($7 in Box Office), but for that, you'll probably only get two Top 5 points, no PTA and a middling User Rating. I'd pass on it.

And now, a little bit about this weekend's three limited-release features.

Life During Wartime ($4 Ult) – Well, if anything has the oomph (besides Salt) to knock The Kids Are All Right off of its PTA perch, it's probably this one. No, it has nothing to do with the awesome 1979 song by the Talking Heads, but it still looks pretty hefty. It's been showcased at many notable film festivals including Venice (where it won best Screenplay), Toronto, New York and Telluride.

Director Todd Solondz (Palindromes, Happiness) has brought together a stellar cast, including reprising characters from Happiness (but with different actresses): Trish (Allison Janney), Joy (Shirley Henderson) and Helen (Ally Sheedy). Also in the cast are Ciaran Hinds, Paul Reubens, Charlotte Rampling and Michael K. Williams.

I won't go much into the plot, beyond the fact that it looks like a very biting satirical comedy with more than just a few political overtones. It looks like the very definition of an art-house movie, and given that it will be shown in only one theater this weekend, I think it has the strongest chance to strike PTA gold of the bunch this week. It also has a decent User Rating so far (6.7), but that could even improve.

Countdown to Zero ($3 Ult) – Also with a 6.7 User Rating is this documentary about the escalating nuclear arms race. Director Lucy Walker and the people who helped create An Inconvenient Truth paint a picture that is really quite disturbing... namely, that because of international terrorism, lax security and whatnot, the people of this planet are actually closer to nuclear oblivion than they were during the Cold War. The film will include stock footage of interviews and speeches with many political bigwigs, including Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev.

Will this film galvanize audiences the way Al Gore's project did? Unknown. It's only opening in three places this Friday (in New York and Washington D.C.), so PTA points are indeed possible. But between the PTA prospects of Salt, Life During Wartime and The Kids Are All Right, I don't think it's the best choice for your slates.

Valhalla Rising ($2 Ult) – The last time Danish filmmaker Nicholas Winding Refn got behind a camera, it was to bring us the critically-acclaimed film Bronson, which he also co-wrote. The same applies to this brutal Viking saga, which stars Mads Mikkelsen (who played Le Chiffre in Casino Royale) as One Eye, a mute Scandinavian slave who is caged like an animal and only released so he can fight for money. But when a slave boy named Are slays his captors and frees One Eye, the pair must find their way home, joining a band of Viking Christian warriors en route to Jerusalem. But things are never quite that simple...

There's nothing like a good Viking epic to bring back that grimy feel of one millennium ago, is there? In the 50's and 60's, there were plenty to go around. But that era of history hasn't been touched on much of late, and despite the appeal, I don't think there will be much of an audience for this one, despite it's debuting in only one theater. I'd pass on this one, if only for the fact that its Rating is only 5.9 (with over 3,600 votes, which means it's not likely to “rise” much). Heh.


My predictions for the weekend of July 23-25, 2010:

1. Salt - $48 million
2. Inception - $32 million
3. Despicable Me - $20 million
4. Ramona and Beezus - $11 million
5. The Sorcerer's Apprentice - $10 million


Well, that will do it for me for another week. Next week I'll have a full plate, with seven films to contend with as we close out the May-July season, including: Dinner For Schmucks, a comedy starring Steve Carell and Paul Rudd; Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore, a live-action kiddie comedy about household pets joining forces to vanquish the schemes of an evil feline; Charlie St. Cloud, a drama starring High School Musical hunk Zac Efron; as well as limited-release films Le Concert (which was postponed from this week to next), Get Low, Twelve and The Extra Man.

Later!

Shrykespeare

Sono arrivate le notizie ufficiali.

The wild Hunt, originariamente previsto il 16/7 e poi misteriosamente "missing" è stato ufficialmente posticipato al 17 Settembre.

Twelve, inizialmente previsto il 30/7 è stato posticipato al 6 Agosto.

Happythankyoumoreplease, originariamente previsto il 20/8 è stato posticipato a data da destinarsi.

Donnie

The Wild Hunt, previsto per il 16 luglio, è stato spostato senza un'indicazione di una nuova data. È probabile che sia stato rinviato di una settimana ma è anche possibile che sia stato spostato a data da destinarsi. Si è deciso di non cancellarlo dalla lista, in quanto non si ha nessuna notizia certa, e spostarlo al week end del 23/7, in attesa di capire se effettivamente uscirà. Pertanto, chi ce l'ha nel roster, potrà eliminarlo o tenerlo a suo rischio e pericolo.

Donnie

Well, I severely underestimated this past weekend's allure... I predicted that the Top 5 films would earn only about $110 million, but they instead ended up earning over $155 million. Both Despicable Me and Predators opened way higher than I anticipated, and even The Twilight Saga: Eclipse avoided the Week 2 swoon that has plagued the franchise thus far, dropping only 48% from its first weekend (though, to be fair, because of the Wednesday opening, the Fri-Sun numbers weren't quite as staggering as they were for Twilight or New Moon). And Toy Story 3 has indeed passed Finding Nemo and Alice in Wonderland to become, respectively, the #1 Pixar movie of all time and the #1 top-grossing film of 2010. Bravo!

While technically the summer season doesn't “conclude” until the end of August, it's easy to argue that the summer movie "season" ends at the end of July. (When I was a kid, we didn't start school until after Labor Day. Now, kids are starting in August. Which, when you live in Arizona, is just... wrong.) The upcoming slate would seem to bear that out. There are three movies coming in the next two weeks that have blockbuster potential, but after that things begin to look a little sparse. Which is not to say that August has NO potential $100 million earners, it could have as many as three (The Other Guys, The Expendables and possibly Eat Pray Love), but none of those are as guaranteed as next week's Salt or the two wide-release movies coming this Friday.

$533 million. That is how much money Christopher Nolan's last movie, The Dark Knight, made at the box office in the U.S. in 2008, making it (at the time) the second-most successful film of all time. (Now it's #3, thanks to another film that has already gotten too much ink.) But more than that: that film is widely regarded as the best comic-book/superhero movie of all time. It broke records, it won over critics (94% on over 250 reviews at RT) and viewers (an 8.9 rating at IMDb), and won multitudes of awards, including a posthumous Oscar for Heath Ledger.

Before The Dark Knight, director Christopher Nolan was a rising star, having helmed other hits such as Memento, The Prestige and, of course, Batman Begins. Helming such a juggernaut as TDK has cemented his name as one of the best directors in Hollywood, to the point where studios are likely to give him a blank check to turn their scripts into box office magic for the next ten years. And while we are all salivating over the next Batman installment – which, if the rumors are true, will start filming next spring and will be in theaters in July 2012 – we have Nolan's latest fim, Inception, hitting theaters this Friday.

Now, will Inception make the same coin as TDK? Not a chance in hell. But as far as critics are concerned, it deserves to be ranked right up there with Nolan's best. There are 17 reviews in the can at RT for this film, and ALL of them are positive. Kirk Honeycutt of The Hollywood Reporter calls Inception “a devilishly complicated, fiendishly enjoyable sci-fi voyage across a dreamscape that is thoroughly compelling... [it is] easily the most original movie idea in ages.”

It's been difficult for me to wrap my head around the plot, what little I've been able understand of it so far. In Inception, there is a new kind of corporate espionage wherein a thief enters a person's dreams in order to steal ideas. This is done by a team of “extractors” who design the architecture of the dream, infiltrate it and even use drugs to help several people share the same dream. One of the best at this is Dom Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio), who for reasons that are unknown at this time is on the run and unable to return to his family in the U.S. But then, a powerful businessman (Ken Watanabe) offers Dom his life back in exchange for him doing one special job... with a twist. Instead of stealing a dream, he wants Dom to implant one, an idea that will cause the mark (Cillian Murphy) to break up his father's multi-billion dollar company for “emotional” reasons.

The supporting cast is very impressive, and includes THREE actors from Batman Begins: Watanabe, Murphy, and Michael Caine (who plays Dom's father-in-law). Also present are Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Ellen Page, Marion Cotillard, Tom Hardy, Pete Postlethwaite, Tom Berenger and Lukas Haas.

Inception is going to be playing in just under 4,000 theaters come Friday. Twilight: Eclipse has already started losing steam, and I'm virtually certain that Nolan's name and the positive WOM will mean a #1 finish for this film. It will likely bring in at least eleven Top 5 points, a healthy amount of PTA, and a terrific Rating (well over 8.0). It's a great pick, but it's certainly not a cheap pick, obviously.

In fact, after Eclipse, it's the second-most-expensive film of the season. It will run you $26 in both Ultimate and Box Office leagues. I would not spend that much on it, however, unless you are convinced that it can make at least $180 million. Will it be able to? I'm on the fence. Nolan's obviously put forth a very cool-looking, intelligent movie, and that worries me... will it overly-cerebral premise and the lack of the Caped Crusader be enough to draw a big crowd? I'd like to think so, but still, I'd be wary... particularly when you've got Salt, a very-well-advertised action film starring sexy vamp Angelina Jolie, coming up next week. That film may not gross as many dollars as Inception, but it will be close, and it has the possibility of earning even more Top 5 points for less money ($18).

While critics are falling all over themselves to praise Inception, however, a few of them are already preparing the tar and feathers for The Sorcerer's Apprentice, which marks the third time that Walt Disney Pictures has teamed up producer Jerry Bruckheimer and director Jon Turtletaub with actor Nicolas Cage... though this is the first time that it's not for the National Treasure franchise.

Of course, for most Disney enthusiasts, to hear the name The Sorcerer's Apprentice is to instantly conjure up (heh) images of Mickey Mouse losing control over a multitude of an ever-increasing plethora of sentient, water-carrying, deluge-causing mops. Although there looks to be kind of a tribute to that segment of the classic Disney film Fantasia, this story takes place in the modern day.

Cage plays Balthazar Blake, a disciple of Merlin, who has wandered the earth for one and a half millenia searching for a young boy foretold of in a prophesy, a prophesy that states that he must stand against an army of evil wizards who mean to destroy the world with an army of dead souls. And of course, where to find such a boy? Why, in New York, of course! Enter nerdy college student Dave Butler (Jay Baruchel, coming off a busy spring with She's Out of My League and How to Train Your Dragon) appears to fit the bill, so Balthazar must train the young novice in the ways of sorcery before his arch-nemesis, a sly, brooding fellow named Maxim Horvath (Alfred Molina) comes looking for him. About the best thing I found among the reviews present at RT was that the actors played their roles fairly well.... that is, with the exception of Cage, who shows “no spark of inventiveness... his character is all wardrobe, makeup and long, scraggly hair.”

Well, not even Disney can hit it out of the park every time. I expect it to make about $100 million, but not much more, not when films like Despicable Me, Inception and Salt are going to be drawing big audiences (not to mention whatever residual audiences Eclipse and Toy Story 3 have left). I predict $42 million in Apprentice's first five days. (Oh, did I mention it comes out on Wednesday? No? My bad.) This means that it will get no more than five or six Top 5 points, barely any PTA and a Rating in the 6.2-6.8 range. Definitely not worth $17 in Ultimate, but in Box Office it qualifies as "barely worth it".

This week's only limited-release feature up for consideration is The Wild Hunt, a Canadian drama/horror film that is produced and directed by Alexandre Franchi (who also co-wrote the screenplay). The film centers on a young man named Erik (Ricky Mabe), who has just had a falling-out with his girlfriend Evelyn (Kaniehtiio Horn), who just so happens to be one a group of people that enjoys live-action role-playing, re-enacting the conditions, lifestyle and language of medieval times.

Now, as I'm sure you can imagine if you've ever been to a Renaissance Fair or SCA outing (or even if you've just seen Role Models), there are people in groups like this who take it WAYYYYY too seriously. And as such, the one thing they hate more than anything is someone who bursts their fantasy-bubble by bringing modern technology or irrelevant problems to "their" world. And when Erik interrupts events in an attempt to win Evelyn back, things take a horrifically ugly turn... think Lord of the Flies, but with supposedly reasonable adults. You know, the kind of adults who probably start riots when their favorite team wins the championship.

I have not been able to ascertain just how many theaters will be showing The Wild Hunt this Friday. Whether there are any PTA points in store for it, I'm not sure. It's only $3, and for that you will get a very good User Rating (right now it's at 7.6, but with only 136 votes). It does have a shot at PTA points, given that it's the only limited-release film this week, but given the total PTA domination of The Kids are All Right last week, I have to believe that that film will win the crown again this week (and if it doesn't, Inception will probably be the one that beats it). The Wild Hunt may walk off with two or three points, but it's definitely a gamble. It's got unknown actors, an unknown director and a premise that doesn't exactly scream “watch me”. I would probably pass on this one.


My predictions for the weekend of July 16-18, 2010:

1. Inception - $65 million
2. Despicable Me - $33 million
3. The Sorcerer's Apprentice - $23 million ($42 million 5-day)
4. The Twilight Saga: Eclipse - $16 million
5. Toy Story 3 - $15 million


Well, that will do it for me for another week. Next week, Angelina Jolie straps on the sexy outfits and the heavy artillery for Salt, a high-octane espionage action thriller also starring Liev Schreiber and Chiwetel Ejiofor; Ramona and Beezus, an adaptation of the best-selling series of children's books starring Selena Gomez and Joey King; as well as limited-release features Life During Wartime, Countdown to Zero and Valhalla Rising.

Later!

Shrykespeare

Well, The Twilight Saga: Eclipse did pretty much as expected... it broke the opening-day record (for a Wednesday), and is already on its way to fizzling out. Whereas New Moon came darn close to reaching $300 million, it would shock me if Eclipse, despite being the best-reviewed film of the bunch, had the gusto to even reach $250 million. So those of you who chose it in Ultimate... well, you knew what you were getting into. Meanwhile, Toy Story 3 is #6 on IMDb's Highest Rated Films of All Time list, and it should pass Finding Nemo in the next 2-3 weeks to become Pixar's most successful film to date. Huzzah!

But time marches on, and this Friday (July 9th) brings with it five new titles for consideration. And this is where the (July) season starts getting interesting. If you were smart, you took Eclipse in the July Box Office leagues... but now what? You've got four movies this month (and maybe as many as three next month) with the potential to do $80 million or more. But you can't possibly fit ALL of them on your slate, so how do you choose? There are pros and cons attached to nearly all of those titles... but that's why I'm here, I guess.

Many summer movies have terrific ad campaigns. But I don't remember ever having my television screen blitzed by ads for ANY movie like I have for Despicable Me. There was a time, not too long ago, when I was extremely jazzed about seeing this film. The prospect of having two animated super-villains go at each other, Spy vs. Spy-style, was very appealing. The fact that the main character was being voiced by Steve Carell was all the motivation I needed to see it.

Gru (Carell) is a megalomaniacal villain planning various large-scale nefarious deeds from a secret lair beneath his suburban home. His arch-nemesis is Vector (Jason Segel), who one-ups him and his army of diminutive, dim-witted minions (which look like little yellow suppositories clad in overalls and goggles) at every turn. Seemed like a potentially hilarious story, that.

But then, the ad campaign became less about the rivalry between Gru and Vector than it did about the other sub-plot: namely, that Gru somehow becomes a father figure to three little orphan girls. Every commercial I've seen in the last month has had them front and center, with Gru juggling the tasks of plotting his theft of the moon (yes, the MOON) and being an impromptu parent.

NBC, the network that airs Carell's hit show The Office, has been going all-out in promoting this film. Not only have there been scores of commercials, but the film has been plugged shamelessly on shows like Last Coming Standing and Losing It With Jillian, among others. And not only that, it seems every half hour on NBC you will find the film's title, complete with the little yellow minions congaing across the bottom of the screen. At this point, I just want the damn movie to come OUT already, so the onslaught on my senses can finally end.

I fully expect Eclipse to drop like a stone on its second weekend, so despite its being released in only 3,200 theaters, I predict an OW of $32 million for Despicable Me. For $18 (in both leagues), you could get as many as ten Top 5 points and a few PTA. It's gotten great reviews so far (6/6 on RT, 8.0 with over 300 votes at IMDb), so it won't hurt you there either. It does have a shot at $100 million, but probably not much more than that.

Also out in wide release this Friday is Predators, Robert Rodriguez's attempt to breathe life back into the sci-fi/horror franchise that began in 1987 with the original Predator, one of the coolest and most visceral action movies of all time and one of Schwarzenegger's best. It spawned a sequel three years later that had its moments, but wasn't quite as good. And then came the whole Aliens vs. Predator thing... based on one scene in Predator 2 where it was learned that the two species were enemies, a comic book was created, and from that two really BAD movie adaptations were thrust upon us. (Well, the one scene at the end of the first one where Sanaa Lathan teamed up with the Predator was pretty cool, but that was pretty much it. The second movie was a complete turdasaurus.)

I can only hope that the “aliens” that made this formidable alien species look so mediocre are nowhere to be found in Predators, which is directed by Nimrod Antal (Vacancy, Armored). Taking place 13 years after the events of Predator 2 (which itself took place “in the near future”), the film centers on a small group of people who are abducted by the Predators and deposited on a world that is basically a “game preserve”... and they are to be hunted by the fearsome creatures.

Mercenaries, warriors, and cold-blooded killers all, the group has quite a few familiar faces, including Adrien Brody, Laurence Fishburne, Topher Grace, Danny Trejo (who is also in the upcoming Machete), Alice Braga and Mahershalalhashbaz Ali. Together they must find a way to band together to survive the hunt and escape (if such a thing is possible).

Set to bow in 2,700 theaters, Predators is rated R for extreme violence and gore. And while the prospect of this series returning to the characteristics that made it great intrigues me, I can't help but wonder if this franchise has any steam left. It will run you $13 in both July leagues, and honestly, I don't think it will justify that price. With all the holdovers, I don't imagine higher than a #5 finish this week, with perhaps $15 million in its first three days and $50 million overall. Pass.

And now, a few words about this weekend's three limited-release films:

The Kids Are All Right ($6 Ult) – No, it's not a film involving The Who. This is a comedy from director Lisa Cholodenko (High Art), and it its easily my PTA pick of the week. Much like Cyrus and Winter's Bone – both of which cleaned up in PTA points – Kids was a big hit at Sundance. It's being released in only seven theaters, which is an optimum number if you are chasing PTA.

The film centers on a lesbian couple, Jules (Julianne Moore) and Nic (Annette Bening), who have two children (Alice in Wonderland's Mia Wasikowska, Josh Hutcherson) that were conceived through artificial insemination. However, when the children, unbeknownst to their moms, contact the sperm bank with the purpose of tracking down their biological father (a hip organic farmer played by Mark Ruffalo), their lives change radically.

This film has gotten tremendous reviews (15/16 at RT), and I predict that it will not only win the PTA crown this weekend, but it will hold on for at least one more week's worth of points next weekend. It's got a good Rating (7.0/339 votes), too, so there's that. It's pretty expensive ($6) for a limited-release films, but it could be well worth it.

[Rec] 2 ($4 Ult) – For those of you not familiar with the first film in this series, look no further than Quarantine, the hastily-made American "version" which was shoved into theaters two years ago. By all accounts a much-inferior film to the original [Rec], a Spanish film that got pretty good reviews, the plot of Quarantine was much the same: shot on a hand-held camera, the story followed a group of cops, fireman and reporters as they investigated an incident at an apartment building, a situation that grew more and more horrific as it turned out that not only were the visitors were in the middle of a viral outbreak that caused its victims to become slavering beasts, but that the government had ordered a total clamp-down from the outside... no one gets out alive.

Having seen the trailer for the sequel, it looks like more of the same, only soldiers are involved... that and it looks like one of those first-person video games. It, too, has gotten pretty good critical reviews (22/31 at RT, 6.8 Rating at IMDb), and because it is only being released in five theaters this Friday, it has a definite shot at some PTA. For $4, you could certainly do worse.

Winnebago Man ($3 Ult) – This is a documentary from director Ben Steinbauer that focuses on a man named Jack Rebney. If you don't know who that is, then you have apparently not watched his exploits on YouTube. You see, Jack used to make sales videos selling Winnebago motor homes, but it turns out he had quite an anger management problem, and was prone to protracted bursts of profanity. Somehow, copies of Jack's outbursts became a viral hit on YouTube, and the man became an Internet celebrity known as “The Angriest Man in the World”. What Steinbauer does besides chronicling Rebney's rise to fame is to track the actual man down, to find out how his celebrity has affected his life, and to find out if age has mellowed him. (Short answer: it hasn't.)

This film has gotten rave reviews at various film festivals, and it too has a very impressive RT score (100% on 5/5). According to the film's official site, it is premiering on only one screen this Friday (in New York), with additional theaters showcasing it across the country in the ensuing weeks. I don't know, folks. Everything about it points to it being a winner. But again, there's a lot going on this week. I certainly wouldn't blame you if you took it. Or not.


My predictions for the weekend of July 2-4, 2010:

1. Despicable Me - $32 million
2. The Twilight Saga: Eclipse - $28 million
3. The Last Airbender - $20 million
4. Toy Story 3 - $17 million
5. Predators - $15 million

Well, that will do it for me for another week. Next week, three more films to talk about as we careen our way into mid-July, including: The Sorcerer's Apprentice, a Disney film starring Nicolas Cage and suddenly-hot ticket Jay Baruchel; Inception, the latest brain-bending project from the mind of Dark Knight director Christopher Nolan; and limited-release film The Wild Hunt.

Later!

Shrykespeare

Countdown to zero, la cui uscita era prevista il 9 luglio prossimo, è stato posticipato al 23 luglio.

Donnie

The Last Airbender, in uscita il prossimo 2 luglio, è stato anticipato al 1 Luglio.

Takers, previsto per il 20 agosto, è stato posticipato al 27 agosto.

Donnie

Piccoli spostamenti di data per alcuni film della lega appena iniziata:

Twelve, previsto il 2 Luglio, è stato posticipato al 30 luglio.

The concert, previsto il 16 luglio, è stato posticipato al 23 luglio.

Mao's last dancer, previsto il 6 Agosto, è stato posticipato al 20 agosto.

Donnie

Il film Beastly è stato posticipato a data da destinarsi.

Donnie

Proprio pochi giorni prima della presunta release, anche BOM ha ufficializzato le voci che volevano I love you Phillip Morris rimandato a data da definire. Il film esce pertanto dal gioco.

donnie

Perrier's Bounty, previsto per il 14 Maggio, è stato posticipato al 21 maggio.

Donnie

Segnaliamo due variazioni di data di uscita:

Mercy, previsto per il 23/4 è stato posticipato al 30/4;

Let it rain, previsto il 23/4 è stato posticipato al 18/6.

Donnie

Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Undead, in uscita il prossimo 21 maggio, è stato posticipato all'11 giugno.

Donnie

Vi segnaliamo che circolano voci insistenti sull'ennesimo spostamento di I love you Phillip Morris. Alcuni siti riportano che il film è posticipato a luglio 2010, ma BOM non ha ancora ufficializzato la variazione, cosa per cui non abbiamo modificato la nostra data di uscita. In ogni caso consigliamo attenzione.

Discorso simile per Rosencrantz e Guildestern are Undead: il sito di HSX lo da in uscita il prossimo 16 aprile, BOM non conferma.

Donnie

Leaves of Grass, previsto per il 2 Aprile prossimo, è stato rinviato a data da destinarsi. Esce così dalla lista dei film acquistabili.

Donnie

Please Give è stato posticipato dal 23/4 al 30/4.

Last Night è ancora presente nelle liste di BOM per errore, in quanto, sulle altre fonti, non sembra in release per questo week end. Il film viene quindi spostato a data da definire.

Donnie

The Runaways

E' stata corretta l'uscita di The Runaways, previsto per il 9/4. Anche se BOM non conferma, è riportato da più fonti che il film uscirà prima limited il 19/3 e poi si espanderà il 9/4. Per questo motivo, la data in cui il film sarà bloccato viene anticipata al 19/3. Vi informeremo su eventuali novità.

Donnie

Wall Street:: Money never Sleeps, tra i film di punta della prossima stagione, previsto per il 23/4, è stato posticipato al 24/9/2010. Esce pertanto dalla lista dei film in gara per le leghe Marzo-Maggio.

Donnie

Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Undead, inizialmente previsto per il 16/4, è stato posticipato al 21/5.

Donnie

Stolen spostato al 12/3

BOM ha riportato a sorpresa la notizia che Stolen, in uscita oggi, 5 marzo, è stato posticipato al prossimo week end. La nuova data è stata inserita e il film è stato nuovamente sbloccato, in modo che gli acquirenti possano, se vogliono, modificare l'acquisto.

Donnie

It’s the end of an era. Not only did this past weekend mark the end of the December leagues, it also marked the end of the very last leagues that I did by hand, something I was forced to do after FM folded. Hard to believe it was just over a year that I had to keep this up, because God knows, it sure felt a lot longer sometimes. But I want you all to know that it was a pleasure to do it, no matter how many withering glares my wife gave me while I was pounding away at my Standings Pages. The Fantaverse is so worth it.

Of course, now that we are into March, Avatar has now officially disappeared over the horizon in our rear-view mirror. James Cameron’s monster finished with 45 Top 5 points, 45 PTA points, a User Rating of 8.5 and over $706 million. Just unbelievable, especially when you consider that it is STILL in the Top 5! But for the purposes of game play, it is now merely a memory.

The first weekend of March officially kicks off the spring season, the two-month stretch sandwiched between the uncertainty of post-Christmas winter and glorious big-budget summer. One year ago, Watchmen entered theaters with a mountain of hype, a geyser of hope and a wellspring of fan-boy fanaticism. Sadly, it failed to strike a chord with the average moviegoer, with its prodigious length (163 minutes), its rating (a heavy R for violence, gore and sex) and its overblown premise. Such a pity, as I find the story to be quite engaging. Still, those of us that chose it for our slates regretted it almost immediately.

This spring’s leadoff hitter has only two things common with Watchmen: it too represents the “fantasy” genre, and it too has probably just as many question marks. But other than that, they are as different as night and day. I am, of course, referring to Alice in Wonderland, which just happens to be the 394th collaborative effort between director Tim Burton and Hollywood A-lister Johnny Depp. (Just kidding, it’s actually only their seventh, but it seems like a lot more, doesn’t it?)

Based on the novels “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” and “Through the Looking-Glass” penned by Lewis Carroll nearly a century and a half ago, Alice in Wonderland seems to be tailor-made for the Burton/Depp combo… it’s a truly bizarre story, filled with bizarre circumstances and equally bizarre characters. Perhaps the only normal character is Alice (played by relatively inexperienced Australian actress Mia Wasikowska), a 19-year-old girl from Victorian England who accidentally falls down a hole while chasing an enigmatic white rabbit. She finds herself back in Wonderland, a place that she had visited ten years before but can’t remember the details.

Wonderland is now under the rule of the tyrannical Red Queen (Helena Bonham carter, appearing in her sixth STRAIGHT Burton film), who terrorizes her subjects with the Jabberwock, a dragon-like creature that Alice must slay to end her rule. Depp, of course, plays the legendary Mad Hatter, throwing himself into the part in a way that only he can. There are a bevy of other famous faces in the cast, including Anne Hathaway, Crispin Glover, Steven Fry and Michael Sheen.

I mentioned that there were question marks surrounding this film, but in my mind, it’s only because of the bizarre-ness of the story, something that may be off-putting to people looking for a nice simply story, as well as those who think that the Depp/Burton marriage may be played out. But on the other hand, it’s Disney, it’s rated PG, it comes in at a crisp 109 minutes, and, lest we forget, it is about to kick Avatar to the curb in most of the 3D and 3D IMAX facilities in the country, a spot it will occupy, I figure, for three weeks (after which How to Train Your Dragon will come calling.)

Alice in Wonderland is estimated to be coming out in 3,400 theaters or so, but I have no idea if that number includes the aforementioned 3D and IMAX theaters. Avatar has well and truly run its course, and I think that those who made it the #1 film of all time are ready for something new and colorful, and this film could easily fit the bill.

Therefore, I am going to “conservatively” predict that Alice in Wonderland will open with $46 million its first three days, and will glean eleven Top 5 points, six PTA and a User Rating around 7.4, on its way to a total take of about $120 million. For $32 in the March Ultimate leagues ($34 in Box Office), that’s a pretty fair trade, though I still think How to Train Your Dragon is a slightly safer pick, given that DreamWorks is on a pretty good roll and the marketing blitz for that film has already started.

The only other wide-release film this weekend is Brooklyn’s Finest, a gritty cop/crime drama directed by Antoine Fuqua, the man behind the camera for Training Day, arguably one of the best cop dramas of the last decade. One of that film’s stars, Ethan Hawke, also stars in Brooklyn’s Finest, along with Richard Gere, Don Cheadle and Wesley Snipes (making HIS first big-screen appearance in six years… whatever happened with that whole tax-evasion thingy? Does anyone know?)

I’d elaborate on the plot, but some of the professional reviews I’ve read seem to agree that said plot is sketchy at best (30% Fresh on 3/10 at RT), so I’ll just give an overview. Basically, the film follows the lives of three police officers over the course of one harrowing week, as they attempt to keep their wits (and their covers) about them as they try to foil a huge drug operation. Gere plays Eddie Dugan, a veteran cop mere days from retirement; Hawke plays Sal Proceda, a “cop on the edge” who is desperate to find a way to support his large family; and Cheadle plays Clarence “Tango” Butler, currently deep undercover with his prison buddy Caz (Snipes), one of the city’s most infamous drug dealers.

This film has been postponed several times to get to this point, and I can’t help but wonder if that will have a negative effect on the outcome of this film. The good news for you is, it’s only $8 in Ultimate, which could very well buy you four or five Top 5 points, four PTA and a tremendous User Rating (which is a polar opposite to its RT score: it currently sits at 8.5 with well over 600 votes, which means it probably won’t drop more than a point during its run). It is poised very well; in a week that opens up a league, it will score very well in all categories. I don’t think it’s worth its $7 price tag in Box Office, however, as I doubt it will end up pulling much more than $28 million overall.

About the only reason I could think of for recommending this week’s only limited release film, Stolen Lives (aka Stolen), is the fact that because it is one of only three films debuting this week, it is guaranteed to get at least three PTA points… that is, assuming that its distributor, IFC, ends up reporting its numbers at all. Still, $3 for a guaranteed 3 PTA points would seem like a pretty sweet deal.

What a shame the actual movie looks like a rehashed mess. Jon Hamm (Mad Men) stars as Tom Adkins, a detective who becomes obsessed with work after his ten-year-old son goes missing. He copes by throwing himself into the case of a young boy whose skeletal remains were unearthed after having been murdered 50 years earlier. Hoping against hope that solving this murder will lead him on the path to redemption, he begins to suspect that the murdered boy and his son are somehow connected. Josh Lucas, Rhona Mitra and James Van Der Beek co-star.

Like I said, you are guaranteed three PTA points by choosing this film, but be warned: you’ll also be inheriting Stolen's terrible User Rating, which currently sits at 5.0 (with only 30 votes, but I’d be surprised if it goes up at all). Pick your poison, I guess.


My predictions for the weekend of March 5-7, 2010:

1. Alice in Wonderland - $46 million
2. Shutter Island - $13 million
3. Brooklyn’s Finest - $12 million
4. Cop Out - $10 million
5. Avatar - $8 million


Well, that will do it for me for another week. Next week, I’ll have a very busy week, with no less than EIGHT new titles to talk about, all coming out on March 12th, including: Green Zone, an action drama re-teaming the potent combination of Matt Damon and his Bourne Identity director, Paul Greengrass; Remember Me, a romantic drama starring Twilight hunk Robert Pattinson and Lost’s Emilie de Ravin; Our Family Wedding, a screwball comedy starring about two families whose cultures clash head-on when two of their members decide to marry; She’s Out of My League, a comedy starring Jay Baruchel as a geeky loner who is dumbfounded when a gorgeous hottie asks him out; as well as four limited-release films.

Later!

Shrykespeare

What recession? I mean, seriously! You look at the front page of any local newspaper, it will probably include some tale of woe about rising foreclosures, plummeting real estate valuations, failing business and lack of viable employment. And yet, in the midst of the country’s worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, not only has Avatar managed to crank out nearly $700 million domestically, but the last three box office champs to succeed Avatar have managed to pump out extremely respectable numbers: three weeks ago, Dear John brought in a very respectable $30 million; two weeks ago, Valentine’s Day took full advantage of the holiday in its title, scoring a whopping $56 million in its first three days (though it did drop nearly 70% in its second weekend); and this past weekend, Martin Scorsese’s Shutter Island powered to a very impressive $41 million despite being shown in less than 3,000 theaters.

Whatever can this mean? Well, an optimistic view would suggest that people are finding more solace in going to the movies, which are, after all, still a relatively cheap source of entertainment for oneself, one’s significant other, and/or one’s family. The above numbers are very good for February, and they don’t stop there: even Percy Jackson and The Wolfman have done pretty well. That’s five success stories out of six major releases (From Paris With Love being the only flop). Can the last week of February avoid the pre-March swoon that it did last year? (You do remember the Jonas Brothers movie, right?)

Well, there’s one film this week that I will be recommend VERY strongly. But I’ll get to that a little bit later. The first wide-release movie on the docket today is Cop Out, which marks, if my math and memory are correct, the FOURTEENTH film in the career of Bruce Willis that he has played a member of law enforcement. (Note: This includes all four Die Hard films, but does not include the numerous occasions on which he played soldiers, or Unbreakable, where he played a security guard.)

Needless to say, Balding Bruce, who will turn 55 in March, is very comfortable in roles where he gets to carry a badge and a gun, drive really fast and kick some ass. He’s also no stranger to comedy, and neither is Cop Out director Kevin “Silent Bob” Smith, whose past works include such off-kilter films as Mallrats, Chasing Amy, Clerks, Dogma and 2008’s Zack and Miri Make a Porno. He seems to be coveting a wider demographic with this one, and he may just get it.

In Cop Out, Willis plays NYPD detective Jimmy Monroe, who hopes to sell one of his vintage baseball cards in order to pay for his daughter’s wedding. But when the card is stolen by a memorabilia-obsessed thief, he recruits a new partner (SNL alum Tracy Morgan) to track down the card… and along the way, find themselves smack in the middle of a situation involving gangsters and money laundering. Kevin Pollack, Adam Brody and the ever-immature Seann William Scott co-star.

Set to bow in over 3,100 theaters, Cop Out has a very good shot at #1 this weekend, though it will depend entirely on how well Shutter Island holds. Scorsese’s latest has gotten very good reviews and equally good word-of-mouth, which could mean a small drop in its second week. But I will still give the nod to Cop Out because of its lead actor in a comfortable role, its placement in a successive row of February successes, and the fact that there really won’t be another action-comedy for another three weeks (The Bounty Hunter).

It will run you $12 in both Ultimate and Box Office leagues for February, which is a very low price for a film that might bring you as many as ten Top 5 points, four PTA and $60 million. I wouldn’t count on the User Rating being all that high, given that the film is just another vehicle for Willis to shoot off guns as well as his mouth. But since From Paris With Love was able to scare up a so-so 6.5 rating, Cop Out probably won’t fare much worse. I’d say pick this up.

February is probably the third-biggest month for horror movies, after October and January. The Wolfman has cleared $50 million in two weeks, which isn’t too bad for a horror film (though most people who saw it would like their money back, including myself). And the only other horror film to come out in February 2010 is The Crazies, which will be coming to roughly 2,400 theaters this Friday.

The Crazies is a remake of 1973 film of the same name, which was written and directed by horror legend George A. Romero. In that story, a biological weapon is accidentally released upon the inhabitants of a small town. In the 2010 version, while I am unsure of the origins of the toxin involved, the results would appear to be the same: namely, something is put into the water supply of the town of Ogden Falls, Iowa, something extremely nasty that causes normal people to fly into a homicidal rage and kill everyone in sight.

The film stars Timothy Olyphant as the sheriff of Ogden Falls, who is perplexed by the sudden mysterious behavior of people he’s known for years. But when the situation spirals out of control, he must try to simply escape with his wife (Radha Mitchell) and family… that is, if they can slip by the government forces who have cordoned off the town and seem hell-bent on keeping the contagion from spreading at all costs.

Honestly, the premise doesn’t look all that far removed from recent films like 28 Days/Weeks Later, Zombieland, Carriers or a host of other uninfected-people-running-from-infected-people movies. I’ve seen some advertising for this film, but probably not enough. I expect far, far better from the brain trust behind the reboot of A Nightmare on Elm Street, which is coming at the end of April.

The Crazies will run you $8 in Ultimate ($9 in Box Office), which, for me, is too much. Given its tired premise, its theater count and Avatar’s slow, slow drop, I put this film to debut no higher than #4 this weekend, with barely more than $10 million. Two Top 5, no PTA, $25 million and a middling User Rating are not worth this dollar amount. Shop elsewhere.

The first of this week’s two limited-release films is A Prophet (Un Prophete), and not only is it my PTA pick of the week, it may be my PTA pick of the SEASON… or at least, it would be if it had come out earlier in the month. Due to the MMG rule that states that a February movie cannot earn PTA points in a March league (dammit), it means that this very worthy film will probably not earn more than the five PTA points that it CAN earn (unless I’m missing something very, very basic).

In a nutshell, this is a French film with English subtitles, which has pretty much everything you could possibly want in a PTA champ: a boatload of awards (including the Grand Prix at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival), a nomination for Best Foreign Film in next month’s Oscars (for which is should and probably will win), a simply monstrous RT score (98% Fresh on 50, yes 50 out of 51 positive reviews – wanna bet the one panner was lynched?), and an amazing User Rating (8.2 with well over 4,000 votes). Need I go on?

The film follows Malik El Djebena (Tahar Rahim), an illiterate young man who is sentenced to six years in prison, where he immediately falls under the sway of a Corsican Mafia group led by the ruthless Luciani (Niels Arestrup). In order to survive, he becomes Luciana’s man, which includes the brutal murder of Luciani’s rivals. But while doing this, he secretly grows in intelligence (and literacy) until he can find the strength to step out of Luciani’s shadow.

This film has been compared to The Godfather as “the greatest organized crime movie EVER”. My good friend Chienfantome says that it may very well be the best prison movie of all time (Shawshank included). God, if only there were a way to squeeze more than one week’s PTA out of this!

Well, anyway, the good news is, for $7, you can buy yourself a surefire 5 PTA points and a terrific User Rating, which is not too shabby. And if it does indeed win the Oscar for Best Foreign Film, it may be rewarded with a wider release and a few bucks too. I have it on almost all of my January and February Ultimate slates. In a game where most films are a crap-shoot, this one is as close to a dead-bang cinch as there is. If only I knew exactly what its theater count would be, I could be 100% certain (instead of only 99).

The final film this weekend is Prodigal Sons, a documentary by (and largely about) filmmaker Kimberly Reed. Kim grew up in a small Montana town with her two brothers, one of whom (Mark) was adopted. Being different from the rest of his family, Mark was an underachiever who dropped out of high school and then suffered a head injury at the age of 21… and then he found out that he was the grandson of Hollywood legends Rita Hayworth and Orson Welles.

But it gets stranger. You see, when Kim was young, she was actually a boy. And when she returns home after having had sexual reassignment surgery, with her brother in tow… well, you can imagine the reaction of her family.

For $3 in Ultimate, this MAY get you a few PTA points, if you think it’s worth the gamble. Documentaries often fare well, but some don’t. And if it doesn’t, it does have a pretty good User Rating (7.1, but with only 88 votes). My advice: if you’re looking for something to spend your last few bucks on, try something on less shaky ground.


My predictions for the weekend of February 26-28, 2010:

1. Cop Out – $23 million
2. Shutter Island - $21 million
3. Avatar - $12 million
4. The Crazies - $11 million
5. Percy Jackson - $8 million


Well, that will do it for me for another week. Next week, the spring season starts up as we usher in the month of March with two very different films with fairly impressive casts, and they are: Alice in Wonderland, another re-telling of the classic – and still bizarre – Lewis Carroll story, which also happens to be the eighth(?) collaboration between potent director/actor team Tim Burton and Johnny Depp; as well as Brooklyn’s Finest, a gritty cop drama from director Antoine Fuqua and starring veteran actors Richard Gere, Don Cheadle, Wesley Snipes and Ethan Hake.

Later!

http://forum.reelsociety.com

Shrykespeare

Well, THAT was a surprise. I was almost sure that Avatar’s time on top wouldn’t end until Valentine’s weekend, but along comes Dear John and upsets the apple-cart. I mean, I know it had to drop from that #1 spot eventually, but I sure didn’t think this was the movie that would do it. (Just like I’m sure most people didn’t think Titanic’s 16-week run at the top would be ended by the incredibly lame Lost in Space.) Kudos to those players who chose it for the slates, and even bigger ones to those guys who had to sit through it. (I didn’t see it, but to paraphrase Lisa Simpson, I heard it was so sappy, you needed to blow your nose with a pancake afterwards.)

As you know, Valentine’s/President’s Day weekend coming up, and if you look at the crop of movies that are coming out on Friday, you’ll get the impression that the appetizers of January are over, and we are finally getting into the entrées that early 2010 has to offer. Case in point: only three films (Tooth Fairy, Edge of Darkness, Avatar) were shown in 3,000 or more theaters this past weekend, but look for all three to drop below that number come Friday. ALL THREE of this weekend’s new films will be bowing in over 3,000 locations (according to Box Office Mojo), which is something that very rarely happens. Clearly Fox, Warner Bros. and Universal are betting big on these three films. Do they all have blockbuster potential? Yes. Will they all deliver? Well…

Up first we have a film totally appropriate for its release date, that being Valentine’s Day, this year’s obligatory multi-talented, multi-story-arc rom-com, very much like He’s Just Not That Into You did one year ago, soaring to $93 million in domestic revenues despite so-so reviews. Set to bow in roughly 3,600 locations, Valentine’s Day is directed by veteran Hollywood helmer Garry Marshall, who was in the big chair for such romantic fare as Pretty Woman, Runaway Bride and both Princess Diaries movies. He looks to improve – by an order of magnitude – over his last outing, the shrill Georgia Rule.

Not only that, his Valentine’s cast is a leaps-and-bounds improvement over Lindsay Lohan and Jane Fonda. Check this out: Jessica Alba, Jessica Biel, Bradley Cooper, Ashton Kutcher, Julia Roberts, Jamie Foxx, Anna Hathaway, Shirley MacLaine, Jennifer Garner, Patrick Dempsey, Eric Dane, Emma Roberts, Taylor Swift, Taylor Lautner, Joe Jonas, Queen Latifah, Topher Grace, Kathy Bates, Hector Elizondo and George Lopez. I mean, wow. Jacob Black, The cute guy from The Hangover, Dr. McDreamy, Kelso AND Forman, and a Jonas Brother to boot? What girl, from age 12 on, WOULDN’T want to see this tidal wave of hunkiness?

As for what’s it’s about? Well, it’s about “casually intertwining stories of the heart that take place over the course of one Valentine’s Day.” Which means we probably explore every facet of the falling-in- or out-of-love process, with different age groups and generations represented. Seriously, though, given the time of year, the pedigree of the cast and director, and the fact that there really hasn’t been a good romantic comedy since It’s Complicated (sorry, Leap Year), and there won’t be any more offerings in this genre until mid-March, it would seem a foolhardy idea to bet against Valentine’s Day. Dear John may have ended Avatar’s reign of terror, but at the risk of repeating myself, Valentine’s Day will be shown in a lot more theaters. It’s the widest release any 2010 movie has been given so far, in fact.

I predict an opening three-day weekend of $34 million for Valentine’s Day (with a bigger percentage falling on Sunday than most), on its way to twelve Top 5 points, three PTA, a user rating around 6.5 and about $100 million. For $20 in the February Ultimate leagues ($21 in Box Office), it seems like a fairly solid and safe pick.

Up next we have The Wolfman, the latest attempt to remake or reboot a horror classic. In this case, it is actually a remake of the 1941 film starring the immortal Lon Chaney Jr., who many horror historians will tell you is one of the best-remembered films in the glory days of Hollywood. Which means, to do it justice, it’d better have a stellar cast and a director who knows what he’s doing… fortunately, this version of The Wolfman seems to have both.

Though Joe Johnston has mostly done light-hearted fare in the past (Honey I Shrunk the Kids, Jumanji, The Rocketeer), his last outing, Hidalgo, had a much more serious air. Wolfman is his first foray into horror, but his cast is well-seasoned and well-respected, including two Academy Award-winners in Sir Anthony Hopkins and Benicio Del Toro, as well as Hugo Weaving (V for Vendetta) and the up-and-coming Emily Blunt (The Young Victoria).

Set in the 1880’s, the story is centered on Lawrence Talbot (Del Toro), who returns to his ancestral home and reuniting with his father (Hopkins) after his brother has been killed. He clearly has less-than-fond memories of the place, but a plea from his brother’s fiancée Gwen (Blunt) persuades him to return home. He learns that something ferocious has been mauling local villagers, which also prompts a Scotland Yard inspector named Aberline (Weaving) to investigate. But when Lawrence discovers that he is the latest in a familial line that are victims of an ancient curse – one that causes transmorphing into a bestial, snarling werewolf when the moon is full – things take a terrifying turn.

I’m not a big fan of horror, but I find myself not only wanting to see The Wolfman, but hoping that it does well. Unlike last year’s Friday the 13th reboot, I admire the chutzpah it takes to re-tell a classic story in the same way while bringing new life to it. Not that I want a bevy of sequels to follow should this film find success, but rather, just the opposite… as a stand-alone piece of entertainment, I think it would be better served.

R-rated horror often has a hard time finding an audience. But given this cast, I really wouldn’t expect the teen crowd to be lining up for this one anyway. I expect The Wolfman to debut at #2 this weekend, with about $22 million coming in its first three days. For $17 (in both leagues), you can expect about eight or nine Top 5 points, a few PTA, about $75 million and an outstanding User Rating - it currently sits at an unbelievable 8.9 on IMDb with over 400 votes. It will certainly drop after it is release, but it probably won’t go much below 8.1. The only review I could find was on IMDb as well, and it said (for what it’s worth) that the acting was superb, but that it dragged in places and included a few unnecessary sub-plots.)

So it really is up to you decide what you need more: if you’d rather get slightly more money and Top 5 points, go with Valentine’s Day. If you’d rather punch up your User Rating, go with The Wolfman.

With three big films coming out in the same weekend, all of them bowing in over 3,000 locations, one of them has to end up on the short end of the stick, and I’m betting that one will be Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief. Not because I think it’s a bad film, but because it lacks the oomph of the other two.

As you know, the Harry Potter series will be wrapping up soon. The Chronicles of Narnia's third chapter will be coming this winter, and it seems unlikely that any more of C.S. Lewis’s beloved novels will be adapted into films any time soon. So what is there in the teen-fantasy genre that has the stones to take the place of the boy wizard? Well, The Golden Compass failed utterly a couple of years ago, but maybe Percy Jackson can fill the bill, at least marginally.

One thing’s for sure: they’re really plugging the film as Harry’s successor, especially given that Percy is being directed by Chris Columbus, who got the Harry Potter series out of the gate in a big way, leading The Sorcerer’s Stone to a domestic take of $317 million and The Chamber of Secrets to $262 million. And while Rick Riordan’s series of books doesn’t hold a candle to J.K. Rowling’s gazillion-copies-sold epic, its adaptation is going to give it the old college try.

The titular character, Percy Jackson (Gamer’s Logan Lerman), is a teenager who discovers that he is the demigod son of the Greek god Poseidon (Kevin McKidd), a role that includes a lot of really cool superhuman abilities, including harnessing the power of lightning. Along with his friends Annabeth Chase (Alexandra Daddario) – who is a daughter of Athena – and a satyr named Grover Underwood (Brandon Jackson), Percy must try to save his mother (Catherine Keener), recover the lightning bolt stolen from Zeus (Sean Bean), and prevent a war between the gods. (No pressure, kid.) Pierce Brosnan, Rosario Dawson, Steve Coogan and Uma Thurman also co-star.

Well, what can I say about this? I’m not a teenager, and I haven't read the books, so I really have no way to gauge just how popular this story is, or might be, for the teenage set. There’s no way in hell that it will come close to the popularity of Harry Potter, but it’s entirely possible that it may set itself up as a worthy, if lesser, successor. (Hey! That rhymes!)

Both reviews over at RT are positive, and its decent ad campaign and 3,300-theater release platform should be a recipe for success. But I remain unconvinced. I will probably be watching this film at some point, and it looks entertaining, but then, so did From Paris With Love. Not that I’m comparing the two films, I’m just saying. I may be way off, but I’ll predict an opening three-day weekend of $20 million, good enough for #3 (just ahead of Dear John, which I expect to lose about 50% of its audience, and Avatar, which finally has some worthy competition).

Like Wolfman, it too costs $17 in both leagues. But I foresee only six Top 5 points, a couple of PTA, about $55 million and a decent User Rating. In an incredibly crowded weekend, I am betting this one will end up with the least impressive numbers when all is said and done.

I’m not sure whether it will be added in time, but just in case it is, I’ll say a few words about My Name is Khan, this week’s only (cursory) limited release. If it’s up by Friday, it will be worth $4 in the February Ultimate leagues. It is a Bollywood film, and it tells the story of Rizwan Khan (Shahrukh Khan), an Indian Muslim with Asperger syndrome. Growing up in Mumbai and later moving to San Francisco, Khan eventually falls in love with a woman named Mandira (Kajol). But Khan’s seemingly perfect life is shattered after the events of 9/11, after which all Muslims were treated as potential threats. After a series of brutal encounters, he embarks on a journey to Washington D.C. for a word with the Commander-in-Chief himself.

Box Office Mojo has My Name is Khan coming out in 120 theaters, which seems to me to be rather too many to make it a viable PTA choice. So, if it’s there, my advice is: don’t take it.


My predictions for the weekend of February 12-15/16, 2010:

1. Valentine’s Day – $34 million ($43 million 4-day)
2. The Wolfman – $22 million ($28 million 4-day)
3. Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief – $20 million ($27 million 4-day)
4. Dear John – $18 million ($22 million 4-day)
5. Avatar – $16 million ($21 million 4-day)


Well, that will do it for me for another week. Next week, I’ll have very little to write about, as it looks like there will only be two films that will possibly be included in the February leagues, those being: Shutter Island, the Martin Scorsese-led horror/thriller starring Leonardo DiCaprio that was supposed to have been release last October; and The Ghost Writer, a political thriller starring Pierce Brosnan as a former British Prime Minister and Ewan McGregor as the ghost-writer hired to complete his memoirs, and who uncovers secrets in the P.M.’s life that may put his own in jeopardy.

Later!

http://forum.reelsociety.com

Shrykespeare

(NOTE: I am writing this column under the sincerest hopes that the February leagues will be available come Friday. Things may happen in an extreme rush, so all of you, watch these boards and your in-boxes diligently.)

As we speak, we are but scant days away from watching Avatar pass Titanic’s previously-thought-as-unbreakable domestic box office record. I am somewhat ambivalent about this historical occurrence, having mixed feelings as I do about both films. On the one hand, Titanic was expertly made, fairly well-acted, and quite engaging despite its prodigious length. Did it deserve all of its 11 Oscars? Maybe, maybe not. But it was #1 at the Box Office for four consecutive months, never making more than $35 million in any (three-day) weekend. Slow, steady, the quintessence of consistence.

Avatar, on the other hand, has been able to reach $600 million in far, far less time, starting out with an opening weekend of $77 million and then following it up with weekends of $75 million, $68 million, $50 million, $42 million, $34 million and finally $30 million. Not to mention the fact that it did tremendously well on weekdays, boosted as it was by its continuous run on 3D and IMAX 3D screens. Will it win as many Oscars as Titanic? Honestly, I hope not. It deserves every technical award there is, but Best Picture? No. There were better movies this year. Being a record-breaker should not have any influence on Academy voting, and it never has. After all, The Dark Knight was not even nominated (and it deserved to be).

So, seven weeks and counting… Is an eighth likely? Judging by this Friday’s crop of movies, I’d say yes. Avatar’s final week at #1 will likely be this weekend, as there are no less than three films coming the following Friday with some very decent box office potential. This weekend, there are only two wide-release films, both being put into roughly 2,500 theaters, and neither one really looks like it has enough widespread appeal to dethrone the champ. The first of those two is From Paris With Love, a title that is no doubt supposed to bring back memories of early Bond classic From Russia With Love. But from what I’ve seen (and from what few reviews I’ve read), the comparison should stop right there.

Directed by Pierre Morel (who helmed last year’s surprise hit Taken) and written and co-produced by Luc Besson (La Femme Nikita), Paris seems to be a low-grade, cliché-ridden action-flick-slash-buddy-comedy. Much in the same vein as, say, the Rush Hour films, Paris throws together two men with nothing in common and hope that some on-screen chemistry developes.

Jonathan Rhys Meyers plays James Reece, a personal aide to the American ambassador in Paris (Richard Durden). More of an intellectual than a man of action, he prefers time with his fiancé (Kasia Smutniak) and a game of chess over danger. But when he is offered a chance at promotion, he swallows his fear and hooks up with Charlie Wax (John Travolta), an arrogant spy/assassin, with whom he must help to uncover a terrorist plot to destroy the French capital, as well as… uh, shoot some Chinese guys, I guess.

The one review at RT that I’ve read seems to bear out my fears, calling From Paris With Love a complete mess, with Travolta “humiliating himself with a shaved head, jumping from roof to roof, leaning out a car window with a bazooka” and Meyers simply “insipid” as Reece. The villains appear to be straight out of central casting. Of course, this doesn’t necessarily add up to automatic failure, as audiences often go for this kind of thing. We all know that films don’t have to be good to do well (otherwise, how would G-Force have made over $100 million?).

Assuming that the February leagues are up before Friday, From Paris With Love will run you $10 in both the Ultimate and Box Office leagues. It will probably end up at #2 this weekend, but with some pretty good competition coming in the next few weeks, it won’t stay near the top for very long. Say, five Top 5 points, $45 million in total take and a User Rating in the 6’s. For PTA, well, since this is the first week of the new season, that means the PTA slate has been wiped clean. That means that Paris may be able to cop a couple of PTA points, but it may not. There are a lot of limited release films that will probably beat it in that category (which I’ll get to in a bit). I would probably pass on this title.

Up next is Dear John, the latest story to be adapted to the big screen from a Nicholas Sparks romantic novel. Following previous efforts Message in a Bottle, A Walk to Remember, The Notebook and Nights in Rodanthe, Dear John is hoping to capitalize on the success of its author, and using two fairly hot young actors to tell the story.

Channing Tatum (G.I. Joe) plays John Tyree, a loner who lives with his father (Richard Jenkins). While on leave from the army, he meets a college student (Amanda Seyfried) from a wealthy family. As their relationship blossoms, John is called back to duty, pledging to finish his two-year tour in Iraq before returning home to marry her. In return, she promises to write him letters every day.

Sounds very romantic, but Sparks has been down this road before. The Notebook was about reading a year’s worth of letters out loud to a patient with dementia. And all the elements are present in Dear John as well – the writing, the secrets, the other lover, the mental turmoil. At least the director, Lasse Hallstrom, is no stranger to this kind of film, having helmed What’s Eating Gilbert Grape, The Cider House Rules and Chocolat.

This is not my kind of movie, but it looks exactly like the kind of film that young women will want their boyfriends to take them to. Older women? Who knows. But I don’t have to tell you that most modern-day stories involving the military tend to fall flat, and Dear John, though a love story at heart, may join those ranks.

This title will run you $9 in Ultimate leagues and $10 in Box Office. I don’t think that much of its box office prospects, given that Valentine’s Day, another romantic movie with better advertising, a much better cast and a more alluring premise, is coming only one week later. Dear John will likely debut at #3 or #4 this Friday, and that will be it. Its User Rating is anybody’s guess, and I wouldn’t pick it for its PTA prospects either.

And now, a bit about the plethora of limited-release films coming out this weekend. I know very little about the prospective number of screens these films will be debuting on, but I’ll do my best to guide you. My best advice: watch the theater counts of all these films very closely.

Frozen ($5 Ult, $3 BO) – Director Adam Green (Hatchet) brings us a dramatic thriller about three skiers (Emma Bell, Shawn Ashmore and Kevin Zegers) who try to get one last ski run in at their favorite resort when the unthinkable happens: they are sitting on a chairlift halfway up the mountain when the ski patrol switches off the power and goes home for the week. Stranded fifty feet off the ground, the trio must find a way to save themselves before they freeze to death.

Much like Open Water, Frozen looks to be a tense thriller. It has gotten very good reviews so far (4/4 at RT), with critics giving kudos like “a potent combination of absolute terror and compelling human drama”, “…it will do for skiing what Jaws did for swimming”, and “will send different sets of shivers down the audience’s spines”. Seems like a good pick, but if I had to guess, I’d say that the theater count will be several hundred, which makes PTA a dicey prospect at best.

District B13 – Ultimatum ($4 Ult, $3 BO) – another action film directed by From Paris With Love's Pierre Morel. It is the English language release of a 2009 French action film entitled Banlieue 13 Ultimatum, and a sequel to District 13. In this story, main characters Damien (Cyril Raffaelli) and Leto (David Belle) must return to District 13 – a troubled sector controlled by five different gang bosses – to try to bring peace before the city government attempts a more radical (and final solution).

It’s gotten very good reviews (74% Fresh at RT), but its User Rating is only so-so (6.5 with nearly 4,000 votes). Action movies are very rarely PTA champs, particularly limited-release films, though Luc Besson (who also wrote the screenplay) does carry some weight. Odds are good that it will pick up some PTA, but how many? Who knows.

The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers ($4 Ult, $2 BO) – Documentaries, on the other hand, are a much surer bet for PTA points, particularly when they pack as much punch as this one. This one centers on Daniel Ellsberg, an insider who “fired the first shot that brought down the Nixon regime”.

If you don’t know who Ellsberg is (and I didn’t), here’s the skinny: he is a former Marine who helped fight the Cold War up close and personal. He worked for years as an analyst, finally releasing the “Pentagon Papers” in 1971, which were basically an extended history of the United States’ involvement in Southeast Asia, along with proof that every administration from Truman through Nixon had lied about said involvement.

It’s too detailed to go into here, but Ellsberg is definitely set up as the white knight here, but most critics agree that directors Judith Ehrlich and Rick Goldsmith do so with no grandiosity or pomposity. Dangerous Man has amazing numbers across the board (100% Fresh on 15/15 reviews at RT, 8.5 with 45 votes at IMDb), and it is my choice for PTA pick of the week.

The Korean ($4 Ult, $1 BO) – I couldn’t find much info on this film, beyond its description: “A big city crime-lord is betrayed by four associates. With only hours before his arrest, he calls in the deadliest cleaner to get revenge.” Said cleaner is Lee (Josiah D. Lee), who plies his trade with “two guns, one knife, no mercy”, according to the tagline.

This is the directorial debut of Thomas Dixon, and the first big role for Lee, who has done mostly supporting work in the past. Its current User Rating is an impressive 9.1, but that’s only with nine votes. It could very well pick up a few PTA, and it’s very cheap, so even if it doesn’t, it won’t hurt you too much. The final Rating probably won’t drop much below 7.7.

Terribly Happy ($3 Ult, $1 BO) – This is a Danish film that is bowing on limited screens in New York and Los Angeles. It is a drama that centers on a cop (Jakob Cedergren) who is transferred to a hick town (here inbreeding is common) after suffering a nervous breakdown. I wasn’t able to find out much about the actual plot, but the one review I found was promising. Happy is, in fact, Denmark’s entry for Best Foreign Film in the Oscar race this year.

Its current Rating is 7.1 (with almost 1000 votes), so again, its cheap price tag won’t hurt you much if you swing and miss. However, foreign dramas are often excelling sources of PTA, and this one could a gold mine, particularly when you consider that ZERO limited-release films are scheduled for next week.

My predictions for the weekend of January 29-31, 2010:

1. Avatar – $23 million
2. From Paris With Love – $16 million
3. Dear John – $14 million
4. Edge of Darkness – $11 million
5. Tooth Fairy – $8 million

Well, that will do it for me for another week. Next week, three new films to talk about, all of them big ones, as we have finally reached Valentine’s weekend. And those films are: The Wolfman, a re-telling of the classic tale starring Sir Anthony Hopkins, Benicio Del Toro and Hugo Weaving; Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief, a Harry Potter-ish story about a youth with magical powers that must face a bevy of unearthly monsters; and Valentine’s Day, the season’s obligatory love-soaked rom-com telling the story of a number of good-looking couples and singles exploring the ins and outs of romantic relationships.

Later!

http://forum.reelsociety.com

Shrykespeare

Sixth verse, same as the first. Avatar passes The Dark Knight as the #2 film of all time, and is probably only a couple of weeks away from supplanting Titanic as the biggest film ever, both domestically and internationally. Anyone remember a time when we were all speculating that it might end up being one of the biggest BUSTS in history? Not me, of course, I KNEW that it would be huge. Never a doubt in my mind. Nosiree Bob, never once. (Grin.)

So while we sit back and watch the story about the big boat get sunk by something other than the iceberg, we’ve got a few more films to talk about, as we close out January with four titles, consisting of two wide-release films and two limited-release films, all of which can be found on the January leagues at MMG.

One year ago this week, a little action film that had been postponed numerous times defied all odds and became one of the biggest surprise hits of 2009. Taken marked the beginning of an eventful year for its star, Liam Neeson, who tragically lost his wife, Natasha Richardson, in an accident. However, his role as Bryan Mills, a former spy who pulls out all the stops to rescue his kidnapped daughter, made him even more of a bankable star, which he is parlaying into big roles in 2010 films like Clash of the Titans, The A-Team and the third Chronicles of Narnia film.

On its surface, the plot for Edge of Darkness seems to be quite similar to Taken, with a few minor tweaks. First of all, the main character, Thomas Craven, is a homicide detective and not a spy; second of all, his daughter ends up being murdered, not kidnapped; and thirdly, instead of Neeson, Edge marks the return to the big screen for Mel Gibson, who we haven’t seen in a starring role since Signs in 2002.

Of course, we’ve all heard about the off-camera troubles Mel has had since then, culminating in the drunken anti-Semitic rant leading to his arrest in 2006. He lost a lot of respect then, probably the #1 reason that his directorial effort Apocalypto met with a less-than-stellar reception. The question is: had enough time passed that the average moviegoer is willing to give him another chance?

But let me back up one step: Edge of Darkness, much like last year’s State of Play, is based upon a British television series, and it is directed by Martin Campbell, who has proved that he is no slouch when it comes to helming action movies, having directed both Zorro films as well as two of the better recent James Bond films (Goldeneye, Casino Royale). Its screenplay was penned by William Monahan, who only won an Oscar for The Departed. Not too bad.

The plot: when Det. Craven’s daughter Emma (Bojana Novakovic) is brutally murdered in his home, he goes on a rampage to find the persons responsible. Along the way, he uncovers a rather shady secret life his daughter had been leading, as well as a governmental cover-up to not only have her removed but all the evidence as well. The always-good Ray Winstone co-stars, as well as Wolverine baddie Danny Huston.

Honestly, I like the look of this film. It seems to have all the ingredients that Taken had one year ago, with one or two glaring exceptions, those being 1) the fact that Gibson’s checkered past hasn’t quite disappeared in many people’s rear-view, and 2) the fact that Avatar, six weeks into its release, STILL hasn’t found a worthy adversary. (Note: I asked my local theater manager how long it would be before Avatar’s run in 3D ended, and she said that it wouldn’t be until early March, when Alice in Wonderland debuts. That’s still over a month away, people.)

Since Avatar seems to be losing steam at a rate of about 15-20% per week, that would mean that it will probably pull in a further $28 million this weekend. To beat that number, Edge of Darkness will have to have an opening weekend equal to that of Book of Eli, but I honestly don’t think that will happen, because while Edge’s ad campaign has been pretty good, it hasn’t been plastered all over television and billboards the way Eli was. So, I figure it will come out to about $19 million on its OW ($63 million overall), eight Top 5 points, three PTA and a very decent User Rating (over 7.0).

For $14 in both types of January leagues, I think this could be a worthy pick. It certainly looks better-acted and less cartoonish than next week’s From Paris With Love, and much more adult-oriented than Percy Jackson. If word of mouth and reviews are good, it could be a very solid addition to your slates, particularly if you’ve shunned all of January’s other offerings (for which I probably wouldn’t blame you).

Up next we have When in Rome, a romantic comedy starring Kristen Bell (Forgetting Sarah Marshall) and Josh Duhamel (Transformers). Directed by Mark Steven Johnson, whose last two films, Daredevil and Ghost Rider, were superhero films which both met with moderate financial success despite being widely panned.

Bell plays Beth, an ambitious young New Yorker who has completely struck out in romance. However, on a trip to Italy’s capital to attend her younger sister’s (Alexis Dziena) impulsive marriage, she decides to steal some coins from a local “fountain of love”, which apparently has magical powers, in that it makes many men in the local vicinity pursue her romantically (as the coins ostensibly belonged to them).

Honestly, could it get any more trite and formulaic? Romantic comedies in general are not usually bastions of creative thought, but oy vey. Bell, while attractive, has not convinced me yet that she can be a solid leading lady, as she lacks the charisma of someone like Reese Witherspoon or Katherine Heigl. And Josh Duhamel, shedding his fatigues and slipping back into his Las Vegas persona, has also yet to convince me that he’s ready to be a top biller either.

The supporting cast is actually quite good: Anjelica Huston, Danny Devito, Will Arnett, Jon Heder and Lee Pace, among others. It’s about the only thing about When in Rome that I can find to recommend. It’s been postponed numerous times, and I expect it to meet with the same lethargic reaction that Renee Zellweger’s New in Town did one year ago. In fact, I’ll go ahead and predict exactly the same stats as that film: $7 million OW, $16 million overall. It might give you a couple of Top 5 points, but that’s not enough to spend $9 on it… not when there are “romantic” titles coming up with a lot more promise (Dear John and Valentine’s Day).

And now, a few words about this weekend’s two limited-release films:

Saint John of Las Vegas ($4 Ult, $2 BO) – I don’t know how many theaters this is scheduled to bow in (ComingSoon has it debuting only in New York and L.A.), and I really wish I could recommend this film as a possible source for PTA, but I don’t know if I can. And it’s a pity, because Steve Buscemi is one of those actors that can turn in a terrific performance no matter who he plays. Here, he plays John, a veteran insurance-fraud investigator who had a serious gambling addiction at one point but found a way to quit. However, when an assignment takes him back to Sin City, he finds himself getting into heaps of trouble once again.

You’d think, with a talented supporting cast that includes Peter Dinklage (Death at a Funeral), Sarah Silverman, John Cho, Romany Malco and Emmanuelle Chriqui would be a surefire hit. However, early reviews have been horrible (0/4 at RT), and its User Rating is less than promising (6.1/90 votes). I have to believe that even for $4, you can do better than this.

Off and Running ($3 Ult, $2 BO) – With not much data to go on, I’ll have to make this one my PTA pick of the week. It is a documentary centered on a teenage Brooklyn girl named Avery, who was adopted at birth by a same-sex couple (two Jewish ladies), and lives with them along with her two younger adoptive brothers (one mixed-race and one Korean). However, when Avery becomes curious about her African-American roots grows, she decides to contact her birth mother, a choice that threatens to distance her from the only parents she’s even known.

The title is a dual reference to not only Avery’s search for her own identity but the fact that she is a budding track star. It debuted last year at the Tribeca Film Festival to favorable reviews, and currently sits on IMDb at a 7.2 User Rating (though with only 11 votes). It will only run you $3 in the Ultimate leagues, which means if you gamble and lose, it won’t hurt you too much. But on the other hand, if it ends up winning the PTA weekend, won’t you be glad if you took it? (Not one person took The Last Station in the December leagues, which is a shame, given that if they had, they’d have scored nine PTA points for only a few bucks.)


My predictions for the weekend of January 29-31, 2010:

1. Avatar – $28 million
2. Edge of Darkness - $19 million
3. Legion - $10 million
4. Book of Eli - $9 million
5. Tooth Fairy – $8 million

Well, that will do it for me for another week. Next week, I’ll break in February with the slate of movies that will open up the Feb-Apr leagues, which include: From Paris With Love, an action movie starring a bald, badass John Travolta as the least subtle American spy in Europe, and Jonathan Rhys Meyers as an ambassador’s attaché forced to tag along with him as they try to foil a terrorist attack on the French capitol; Dear John, an adaptation of the Nicholas Sparks novel starring Channing Tatum and Amanda Seyfried as a soldier and his GF whose bond is tested when he decides to re-enlist; and a whole host of limited-release films, all vying for the first PTA points of the new season.

Later!

http://forum.reelsociety.com

Shrykespeare

Bright Star, la cui uscita era prevista il 5 febbraio, è posticipato a data da definire.

Oceani 3D, la cui uscita era prevista il 12 febbraio è posticipato al 16 aprile.

Donne senza uomini, la cui uscita era prevista il 26 febbraio è posticipato al 12 marzo.

Un profeta, che era uscito dall’elenco dei film disponibili, rientra in gioco in quanto  risulta in uscita al 26 febbraio.

Donnie

Percy Jackson e il ladro di fulmini, inizialmente previsto per il 12 febbraio è stato posticipato al 12 marzo.

Donnie

Departures, in programmazione lo scorso week end non è più stato rilasciato in nessuna sala.

Adam, la cui uscita era prevista il 5 febbraio, è posticipato a data da destinarsi.

Tenderness, la cui uscita era prevista il 12 febbraio, è posticipato a data da destinarsi.

Questa, come al solito imprevista e imprevedibile, moria di film a 2-3 soldi può essere affrontata grazie all'inserimento di nuovi film nell'elenco dei film acquistabili. Tutti a modici prezzi, (2 milioni), per tutte le tasche e per tutti i roster! I nuovi film inseriti sono:

22/1 - Presagio Finale

29/1 - Bangkok dangerous

5/2 - Bright star

26/2 - Nord

26/2 - Shadow

Accorrete gente, oggi 3X2!

Donnie

Five weeks and counting. Twenty-five Top 5 points, nineteen PTA points, an 8.7 User Rating, and oh yes, nearly half a billion dollars earned. Holy schnikes. Denzel made a game of it, but nothing seems to be slowing this juggernaut down. By the time next week, Avatar will likely have passed The Dark Knight for #2 on the all-time list, and could be #1 by the end of the month. You know, records WERE meant to be broken, after all. One can only wonder what film will come along some time down the line that will break this one. Scary thought, huh?

Three films make their debut this Friday, on January 22nd, and it’s probably they are as different as can be: a slapstick-y family comedy, a horror/thriller and a serious drama. Whether any of them will open to a level of acceptance higher than mere indifference remains to be seen, but someone’s got to be the one to end Avatar’s streak, doesn’t it?

The film opening the widest this week is Tooth Fairy, the latest family comedy to star former college football star, pro wrestler and Scorpion King Dwayne “Not the Rock Anymore” Johnson. A few years ago, I would have bet real money that he would attempt to be the next big-budget action star, but to his credit, he went a different route. And to prove that point, you can see that the last three films he’s had top billing in have all been family films (The Game Plan, Race to Witch Mountain, Planet 51). I can only guess that being a dad had something to do with that decision, which I commend him for. He actually as a fair amount of acting talent (well, more than you might have expected) and a lot of charisma.

But the question is: can Johnson in a tutu and wings draw a crowd? Well, perhaps I’d better qualify that statement: In Tooth Fairy, Johnson plays Derek Thompson, a hard-nosed minor league hockey player who has been given the moniker “The Tooth Fairy” because he has a habit of… well, messing up opponents’ dental work, if you get my drift. And since it seems that he’s as bad off the ice as he is on it, it’s only a matter of time before he gets called on his B.S.

One misdeed too many gets him a one-week sentence as, you guessed it, a REAL tooth fairy, wherein he must visit the homes of kids and leave money under their pillows. He is put through his paces by Lily (Julie Andrews), a senior fairy who is every bit as tough as he is. Before long, Derek begins to warm to his new position, rediscover his own forgotten dreams, and all sorts of other warm, fuzzy stuff too. Ashley Judd and Billy Crystal (where have THEY been?) costar.

Given that The Spy Next Door failed to make even a ripple in the box office tidal pool, the door would seem to be wide open for Tooth Fairy, which has a better studio backing it (Fox), a director with a better track record (Michael Lembeck, who helmed the last two Santa Clause movies), a better ad campaign and a much more solid lead actor (sorry, Jackie).

It will run you $13 in both Ultimate and Box Office leagues, but be warned before you even think of taking it in Ultimate: it comes with some heavy baggage…namely, a current User Rating of 3.9. Now granted, that is with not even 150 votes, but do you really think it’s going to improve that much? It will probably need to crack $25 million to have any chance at beating Avatar, which has got to run out of steam at some point. (Right???) But even if it doesn’t, it should end up with at least eight Top 5 points, three PTA and about $60 million if it takes off well. Movies like this often have good legs, and there is very little in the next few months aimed specifically at kids, so there’s that. I’d recommend it in Box Office, but that User Rating is just too low to be a viable Ultimate pick.

Regardless of what else may happen, I figure Avatar and Tooth Fairy are a lock to finish in the top two positions (in whatever order). Third place will very likely be The Book Of Eli, which had a very impressive OW, even beating Avatar on its first day. I’m betting #4 will be Legion, a horror/thriller from Sony Screen Gems. And if you thought Eli was rife with biblical connotations, then you ain’t seen nothin’ yet.

This is the first major directorial project for Scott Stewart, who has spent the better part of the last decade as a visual effects man. Rated R for violence, profanity and some extremely disturbing images (if the trailer is anything to go by), Legion unfolds when the Man Upstairs has finally had it with humanity’s crap, and has sent a vast army of angels to snuff us out once and for all. That is, except for one lone savior, the archangel Michael (Paul Bettany), who has decided to be mankind’s final champion.

The center of the battle seems to be a small town in New Mexico, where Michael seeks to protect a young waitress named Charlie (Adrianne Palicki), who just may be pregnant with Christ in his second coming. Along with her are a bevy of familiar faces, played by veteran actors like Dennis Quaid, Charles S. Dutton, Tyrese Gibson and Lucas Black. Together, they must try to withstand maybe the most fearsome army ever assembled. I mean, seriously… if GOD wants us dead, it may be time to put our affairs in order, huh?

Scheduled to debut in roughly 2,500 theaters, I imagine a fair opening for Legion, perhaps in the neighborhood of $15 million, possibly less, given that this is practically the same genre as Eli, but with less star power. For $9 in Ultimate, I predict two Top 5 points, maybe one PTA if it’s lucky, and a User Rating in the high 6’s. There’s simply too much going on for this to really stand out, and I don’t think it will make much more than $30 million total, which puts it out of the realm of respectability for the $8 you’d spend on it in Box Office as well. Sorry.

Even less desirable may be Extraordinary Measures. Not because it lacks star power, or an uplifting story, or a bad ad campaign. Actually, I don’t know if I can put my finger on why this film will probably fail, but something just tells me it will. Perhaps that’s unfair, but sometimes you have to take a flyer in this game.

Measures tells the story of John Crowley (Brendan Fraser), a biotechnology executive whose two youngest children were afflicted with a rare genetic disorder called “Pompe Disease” – basically, they lack a certain enzyme needed to break down glycogen, which results in progressive muscular degeneration. John, along with his wife Aileen (Keri Russell), seek out the aid of eccentric researcher Robert Stonehill (Harrison Ford), who just might be their last hope to find a cure before their kids are beyond help.

Based on true events outlaid in the bestselling book “The Cure” by Geeta Anand, this looks like the kind of story that follows the predictable pattern of dramas like this: things look bad, things look worse, and the last-ditch effort turns into a miracle. Now, I may be completely off base with this prediction, as I don’t know the story behind this, but I would venture that this is how the movie will play out. Not that there’s anything wrong with that… happy endings are what most moviegoers covet, especially in these dark economic times. I’m just not sure this is the vehicle for hope that the folks at CBS Films thinks it will be.

I don’t imagine an opening weekend of much more than $12 million, which means it will have to outduel The Lovely Bones for that fifth and final spot in the Top 5. Granted, it’s only $6 in the Ultimate leagues, but you’d still like a better return on your investment than one Top 5 points (if that), no PTA, and a fair-to-middling User Rating. $5 in Box Office is better, but only if you think it can pull over $20 million, which might be a stretch.

Only one other film to mention this week, and that is To Save a Life. It’s not available in the January leagues, but it is still available in the December leagues, so I figure it’s worth a mention. It is a Christian film, coming in limited release from Samuel Goldwyn studios.

It tells the story of Jake Taylor (Randy Wayne) and Roger Dawson (Robert Bailey, Jr.), two high-schoolers who are polar opposites: Jake is the most popular kid in school, while Roger is practically a pariah. At one time they were friends, but the chasm of popularity between them caused them to drift apart. Things get even worse when Roger commits suicide, forcing Jake into a crisis of conscience, given that he did nothing to stop it from happening. From there, Jake re-examines his outlook on life, and must make a choice between the ephemeral illusion of popularity and doing what is right by his faith.

Sounds nice enough, I suppose. Since there are no other limited-release films on the docket for this week, it may be worth checking into. For $3 it could be a good source for cheap PTA points, and it probably won’t hurt you much in the User Rating category either.


My predictions for the weekend of January 22-24, 2010:

1. Avatar – $32 million
2. Tooth Fairy – $26 million
3. The Book of Eli – $17 million
4. Legion – $14 million
5. Extraordinary Measures – $11 million

Well, that will do it for me for another week. Next week, four new films to talk about as we close out the first month of 2010 (boy, that went quick, didn’t it?). Mel Gibson makes his long-awaited return to the big screen in Edge of Darkness, where he plays a homicide detective who goes on the warpath against the people who murdered his activist daughter; When in Rome, a trite-looking romantic comedy starring Kristen Bell and Josh Duhamel; as well as limited-release features Off and Running and Saint John of Las Vegas.

Later!

http://forum.reelsociety.com

Shrykespeare

Gli aggiornamenti delle classifiche tengono conto del valore totale ufficiale del boxoffice di tutti i film in gara. Il film The Princess and the frog è entrato effettivamente in gara, nelle nostre leghe, l'11 dicembre 2009, in occasione dell'uscita wide. Tuttavia il film era già nelle sale, in edizione limited, da 3 settimane precedenti che non fanno parte della gara in corso. Pertanto, al film dovranno essere sottratti i 2.879.870 $ guadagnati prima dell'11 dicembre e non accumulabili ai fini del gioco. Tale sottrazione avverrà in occasione dell'ultimo aggiornamento finale, a fine febbraio. I giocatori che hanno acquistato The Princess and the frog devono tenere presente che al loro incasso totale visualizzato fino a febbraio, dovrà essere sottratta quella cifra.

Donnie

Departures nuovamente in gioco e The Debt rinviato

L'uscita di DEPARTURES, cancellata e spostata a data da destinarsi, pare che sia stata finalmente confermata il 15 gennaio prossimo. Il film, pertanto, rientra nell'elenco dei film acquistabili.

The debt, la cui uscita era prevista il 19 febbraio, è rinviato a data da definire.

Donnie

Avatar, Avatar, Avatar. When will it stop? As of Sunday, this behemoth has passed Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen as the highest-grossing film of 2009, and shattered Titanic’s all-time record for the highest-grossing 4th weekend in history (by almost $20 million). It is now the 7th-biggest film of all time domestically, and will probably be #3 by this time next week, trailing only The Dark Knight and Titanic on the all-time list. Wow. Just… wow.

Avatar even seems immune from the normal post-holiday swoons that most December films suffer once the calendar turns. Suffering only a 29% drop this past weekend, it seems clear that a fifth straight week at the top seems likely. While all other comers fall by the wayside, James Cameron has proved once again that he is the master of all he surveys.

However, there are always new movies to talk about, and that is why I’m here. There are several new films to talk about this week, and the biggest contender is undoubtedly The Book of Eli, the latest outing from Warner Bros. Scheduled to be released in over 3,000 theaters (a fair amount for January), this action film is being directed by another set of brothers, Albert and Allen Hughes, who you may remember from past projects like Menace II Society, Dead Presidents and From Hell.

Eli stars Denzel Washington as the titular character. Denzel, who just turned 55 years young, appears to be going back into full-on badass mode, something we haven’t seen him do much in this decade, save perhaps Man on Fire and, of course, Training Day. It is the year 2043, and Eli wanders through a post-apocalyptic world some 30 years after cataclysm. He is in possession of a book (duh) that could very well be the last Bible in existence, a book fanatically coveted by the autocratic ruler of a local town (Gary Oldman, back in his wheelhouse playing the villain again).

Trailers and commercials for The Book of Eli have been EVERYWHERE in the past month (particularly during the NFL playoff games), and this film could easily become the first success story of 2010. As I said, it has been given a respectable theater count, and despite its R rating, I firmly believe Eli could give action film buffs their first fix of the year (assuming they’d rather see something new than sit through Avatar for the tenth time), and that will be reflected in its opening weekend numbers.

My yardstick for choosing a movie based on Box Office numbers alone is this: If I can reasonably expect it to earn $1.5 million for every dollar I spend on it, then it’s worth it. In January Box Office leagues, it will run you $15, and I think Eli will pull about $23 million in its first three days, en route to a final total of roughly $60 million. It may not beat Avatar for #1, but I think it will do well enough to pick up seven Top 5 points, five PTA (under the new rule), and have a very respectable User Rating (say, around 7.2). Whether those stats are enough for you to fork over $19, however, is a tough call. There are no surefire hits in January, and Eli is probably the closest thing you have to one. There are probably better prospects in February and March, but you just never know.

Remember The Pacifier? It was a fairly lame 2005 Disney family comedy starring Vin Diesel (legendary for his comedic talent, snark) as a former Navy SEAL forced to become a nanny-slash-bodyguard to the five children of a kidnapped scientist. Despite its lameness, however, it cruised to over $113 million.

Four years later, the formula is being re-tested in another movie, entitled The Spy Next Door. Jackie Chan plays former CIA spy Bob Ho (no, really), who must look after his girlfriend Gillian’s (Amber Valletta) three kids while she’s away. Of course, they don’t like him much, so they proceed to make his life hell… that is, until one of the kids accidentally downloads a top-secret formula, causing one of Bob’s longtime enemies, a Russian terrorist named Poldark (Magnus Sheving) to pay him a visit (don’tcha just hate when that happens?).

Chan (now 55, ironically the same age as Denzel), is still in very good shape, and I’m sure we’ll see a lot of his trademark martial arts moves, beating up bad guys with a flurry of arms, legs and inanimate objects. And I’m sure anyone who likes Chan, or movies like The Pacifier, will probably enjoy The Spy Next Door. However, this is NOT Disney (it’s Lionsgate), it’s not spring (it’s January), and it’s... been… done… before. And it co-stars… Billy Ray Cyrus and George Lopez (uh-oh…).

Between this and next week’s equally cutesy-poo family comedy Tooth Fairy, I’ll probably side with the latter in terms of prospects. Tooth Fairy has a better studio (Fox), a more popular lead actor (Dwayne Johnson), and a better ad campaign. I think Spy Next Door will have one fair-to-decent weekend, and then be quickly forgotten. Hell, it’ll probably be out on DVD in May.

For $12 in Ultimate, I would not pick this film, as I think it will give you no more than four Top 5 points, two or three PTA, and about $35 million. It’s User Rating will likely be terrible (say, around 5.0, and that’s being generous), so there’s that. $10 in Box Office is more feasible, but not enough for me to recommend it.

And now, a few words about the two limited-release films debuting this week. Neither of these films are in the January leagues, but they ARE available in the December leagues, so it’s not too late to pick these up if you still want them):

Fish Tank ($3 in Dec. Ult.) – Easily my PTA pick of the week. It’s only bowing in two theaters, which is optimum for PTA points. It’s got great scores everywhere you look (7.7/1,411 votes on IMDB, 92% Fresh on 33/36 review at RT), and it’s dirt cheap. It’s gotten rave reviews from some of the most respected critics in the biz. Really, what more could you want?

Newcomer Katie Jarvis plays Mia, a 15-year-old who lives in Essex, England with her single mother and younger sister. Mia is a troublemaker who has been kicked out of school and prefers to spend her time practicing urban dancing in a deserted area of her mother’s estate. However, trouble brews when Katie’s mum brings home a man named Connor (300’s Michael Fassbender), and early flirtations turn into a full-blown affair behind mum’s back (ooh, that can’t be good).

This film won the Jury Prize at last year’s Cannes Film Festival, no mean feat. Really, there isn’t anything more that I can say to recommend it. It really is a shame that it was added to Box Office Mojo’s lineup too late to include in the January leagues, as it really is a steal.

The Last Station ($5 in Dec. Ult.) – This is a German biographical film about War And Peace author Leo Tolstoy, starring Christopher Plummer as the prolific writer and Helen Mirren as his wife, Sofya. The film also stars James McAvoy and Paul Giamatti, rounding out a truly impressive cast.

It may interest you to know that Mirren won the Best Actress Award at the 2009 Rome Film Festival for this movie, and both she and Plummer are nominated for Golden Globes. It is destined for limited release in both New York and Los Angeles, which means that it could easily pick up a few cheap PTA points itself. Its scores are very good (7.4/188 votes on IMDB, 68% Fresh on RT), but I just can’t recommend it over Fish Tank. Any other weekend I probably would, so there’s that.


My predictions for the weekend of January 15-17, 2010:

1. Avatar - $31 million
2. The Book of Eli - $23 million
3. The Spy Next Door - $14 million
4. Sherlock Holmes - $8 million
5. Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakuel - $8 million

Well, that will do it for me for another week. Next week, three more big films hit theaters, including: Legion, a horror/thriller about an army of angels sent from heaven to destroy mankind, with only Paul Bettany to fight them; Tooth Fairy, a silly-looking family comedy starring Dwayne Johnson as a rough-and-tumble hockey player who is sentenced to don wings and tights and stick money under kids’ pillows; and Extraordinary Measures, a true story starring Brendan Fraser as a father desperate to save his terminally-ill kids and Harrison Ford as the researcher who may have stumbled onto a possible cure.

Later!

http://forum.reelsociety.com

Shrykespeare

A single man, la cui uscita era prevista per il 22 gennaio 2010, è stato anticipato al 15 gennaio.

L'uscita di Alleluja (Le missionaire), cancellata e spostata a data da destinarsi, è stata invece confermata il 19 febbraio. Il film, pertanto, rientra nell'elenco dei film acquistabili.

donnie

I love you, Phillip Morris, la cui uscita era prevista per il 5 Febbraio 2010, è stato posticipato al 26 Marzo.

Donnie

It’s the start of a new year, a new game, a new age. Let us give thanks one more time to donnie and her erstwhile crew of Italian entrepreneurs who have made it all possible. Speaking on a personal note, thank you for unloading the tremendous burden I had to shoulder by keeping the game going after FM folded. And if this is the first column that will be linked to from the new MMG site, it’s just possible that this may be reaching the largest audience I’ve had in well over a year. So, I’d better make this column a good one! Oh, jeez, opening night jitters…. (Grin.)

Well, Avatar has proved me wrong in spades by surpassing Twilight: New Moon's total numbers in very short order. It looks like James Cameron’s (successful) attempt to re-establish himself as the “king of the world” has become the first winter film to surpass $300 million since The Return of the King did it in 2003. It also has become the first film to win three consecutive weekends since Tropic Thunder did in August of 2008. Can any of the leadoff hitters for 2010 stem the tide?

Well, that is, in a word, doubtful. Even if Avatar sinks to, say, $25 million in its third weekend, any of the three new wide-release films will be hard-pressed to make that much, but January films usually represent a drop-off in movie-going interest. The residual efforts of films like Avatar, Sherlock Holmes, Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakuel and Up in the Air could be hard to overcome. But if any of these three films has the gumption to crack the Top 5, it just might be Daybreakers. And keep in mind that there is a new rule in the Ultimate game, that being that only movies being released THIS WEEKEND will be considered when awarding PTA points in the January season. Given that there are six films scheduled, that means that all but one will be walking away with at least one PTA point.

This horror movie – with a sci-fi twist – is the latest creepy outing from Lionsgate Pictures, and is the first American release for German-born directors Michael and Peter Spierig. It’s an interesting “what if” premise: as in, what if the world’s population was almost entirely vampires, who must feed on what few humans remain for their blood. But now, in the year 2019, their society has reached a tipping point: they are on the verge of running out of blood entirely, which could mean the extinction of their race, or worse – those few that survive would be transformed into slavering, bestial bat-like creatures.

The main villain of the film is Charles Bromley (Sam Neill) the head of a powerful corporation that holds the largest remaining stock of human blood still in existence. Working for him is researcher Edward Dalton (Ethan Hawke), who is trying to find a way to cure vampirism entirely. Opposing just about everyone is Lionel “Elvis” Cormac (Willem Defoe, having a blast), a former vampire turned vampire-hunter.

It’s interesting to note that on Rotten Tomatoes, Daybreakers currently has a “100% Fresh” score. Now, don’t get carried away… most of these reviews come from fan-mags, but it’s still worth noting, as is the fact that its pre-release User Rating on IMDb is a hearty 8.6 (with over 600 votes). Again, don’t get carried away, this is bound to drop by at least a full point when the general public gets a glimpse, but still, a rating in the mid-7’s is exceptional for films in this genre and with this release date.

This film will run you $12 in the Ultimate leagues. It has a chance at picking up some PTA points, as well as a very good User Rating, but I don’t think that it will procure much more than four or five Top 5 points, and $35 million seems like the ceiling for this first big film out of the gate. $8 in Box Office may be a better bargain, but January is so hit-or-miss… there are four or five movies that COULD be hits, but will they? That remains a mystery.

Up next we have Leap Year, 2010’s first romantic comedy. It stars Amy Adams, who is currently on a hot streak, having received critical acclaim for her last three starring roles (Doubt, Sunshine Cleaning, Julie & Julia). And as much as I would like to believe that this film, directed by Thai helmer Anand Tucker (Shopgirl), will continue her streak, I just don’t see it happening. Judging from the trailers, it looks to be about as formulaic, trite and predictable as they come.

Amy plays Anna, a girl who is waiting patiently for her boyfriend Jeremy (Adam Scott) to pop the question. But after one more opportunity goes by with no luck, she decides to follow him to Dublin – where he is ostensibly headed on a business trip – in order to propose to him. For you see, there’s an old Irish tradition that says that when a man is proposed to on Leap Day (February 29th), he has to accept. Yeah, good luck with that…

Running into turbulence en route and forced to divert to Wales, she hooks up with Declan (Watchmen’s Matthew Goode), a cab driver who has agreed to take her to her beau. What’ll you bet she develops feelings for Declan whilst enduring every road-trip pitfall there is? Seriously, it looks just like an unfunny version of The Sure Thing dropped into a P.S. I Love You setting to me!

Up until this past week, I had not seen any television advertising for this film, but now it seems to be everywhere. I wouldn’t have thought it had a shot at breaching the Top 5, but now I think it has a chance. Last year, the Christmas holdovers all dropped about 55-60% on this particular weekend, allowing Bride Wars and The Unborn to slip in at #2 and #3. However, last year’s Christmas movies don’t even hold a candle to this year’s, so take that as read.

Scheduled to be released in about 2,500 locations (about the same as Daybreakers), I see it dueling with Daybreakers for that #4 spot. It may get a couple of PTA as well given the new rule, but is that worth spending $10 on it in Ultimate ($7 in Box Office). Not hardly. I foresee this making about $25 million, total, and it probably won’t have a User Rating north of the 6.0 mark. Pass on this one.

Third up is Youth in Revolt, the latest outing from Puerto Rican director Miguel Arteta (whose debut project in 1997, Star Maps, was actually pretty good, but from whom I have yet to see anything since). It, too, has a very respectable RT score (86% Fresh on 6/7) and User Rating (7.3/330). But is there an audience for this, which is only scheduled for 2,000 screens?

Perennial teenager Michael Cera (now 21) plays Nick Twisp, a sex-obsessed 16-year-old who meets Sheeni Saunders (newcomer Portia Doubleday) a smart, beautiful girl who, of course, only sees Nick as a “friend”. Desperate to win her affections, he cooks up a more devilish, more sinister alter-ego named Francois Dillinger (also Cera, but with blue eyes and a fake ‘stache), who possesses the self-confidence necessary for him to pull it off. Of course, handing the reins to Francois ends up having dire consequences, and soon Nick is a wanted fugitive. Oh, bollocks.

I’ve seen a fair amount of advertising for this film, which is good. It might have had a chance to beat out Leap Year, and could even pick up a Top 5 point or two if it can gross around $12 million (and that’s a big if), but I don't see it happening. It will run you $8 in the Ultimate leagues, which I think is just too steep a price. I doubt it will make more than $18 million, and you’re going to need that revenue later on in the season, I guarantee it. $5 in Box Office is more feasible, but with heavier hitters coming up starring Denzel Washington, Jackie Chan and Dwayne Johnson, can this little film be heard above the noise? I say no.

And now, a few words about the three limited-release films coming this week:

Crazy on the Outside ($5 Ult, $2 BO) – Hollywood veteran Tim Allen stars (and makes his directorial debut) with this film, a comedy where he plays Tommy Zelda, an ex-con who is forced to re-engage with his somewhat offbeat family following his parole from prison following a three-year stint.

This film has no shortage of star power: apart from Allen, the cast includes Sigourney Weaver, Jeanne Tripplehorn, J.K. Simmons, Ray Liotta and Kelsey Grammer. Normally, I would consider this to be a shoo-in as PTA champ given the new rule, but I don’t think that will be the case. Box Office Mojo has Crazy on the Outside bowing in 80 locations, which is rather too much to make a serious case for PTA points. Spend your $5 elsewhere.

Waiting For Armageddon ($3 Ult, $2 BO) – This is a documentary that graphically outlines the beliefs of some 50 million Americans, who are convinced that the Bible’s prophecies regarding the end of the world are about to come true. Weaving together critical perspectives of Christianity, Zionism and Judaism, filmmakers Kate Davis and David Heilbroner seem to have created a film that shines a big light on a subject that few people (excepting Roland Emmerich) would care to discuss.

It is for this reason that I would not pick this film. Well, that and it’s current IMDb score (6.1 with only 12 votes). I am not sure how many theaters this film will be bowing in, so the odds are good that you may pick up a PTA point or two, and even if it it’s the odd film out, it won’t hurt you very much for only $3. And that’s the nicest thing I have to say about it.

Wonderful World ($5 Ult, $2 BO) – This is my PTA pick of the week. Not because I have a tremendous amount of confidence, but merely by process of elimination. Though it only has a medium-level User Rating (6.6/283), the trailer is rather engaging, and you should check it out if you haven’t yet. Distributed by Magnolia Films, Wonderful World tells the story of Ben Singer, a cynical former children’s singer who has become increasingly despondent. When his Senegalese roommate Ibu (Michael K. Williams) falls into a diabetic coma, it falls to Ibu’s sister Khadi (Sanaa Lathan) to try to bring Ben back to the world of the living, along with the help of Ben’s young daughter Sandra (Jodelle Ferland).

It may not have the appeal that The Visitor did, but it may be able to capture some of its more light-hearted and uplifting overtones. And if it can, this could be your ticket to cheap PTA points. Really, what else is there?


My predictions for the weekend of January 8-10, 2010:

1. Avatar - $32 million
2. Sherlock Holmes - $18 million
3. Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakuel - $15 million
4. Daybreakers - $12 million
5. Leap Year - $11 million

Well, that will do it for me for another week. Next week, only two films to talk about, and they are both action films, albeit very very different ones: The Book of Eli, starring Denzel Washington as the badass hero and Gary Oldman as the badass villain in a post-apocalyptic society; and The Spy Next Door, a kiddie action comedy starring Jackie Chan as an international spy who is asked to watch over his girlfriend’s three kids. What, Vin Diesel wasn’t available?

Later!

http://forum.reelsociety.com

Shrykespeare

The book of Eli nuovamente in gioco e nuovi film per le leghe ITA

L'uscita di The book of Eli, cancellata e spostata a data da destinarsi, pare che sia stata finalmente confermata il 26 febbraio. Il film, pertanto, rientra nell'elenco dei film acquistabili.

Inoltre, per compensare la cancellazione di film nelle leghe italiane, dovuta ai continui spostamenti di data, sono stati inseriti nell'elenco dei film acquistabili alcuni nuovi film rilasciati in seguito all'apertura della Lega e che ora possono essere acquistati nella lega in corso:

8/1 ONG BAK 2

15/1 LA PRIMA COSA BELLA

5/2 IL CONCERTO
12/2 LOURDES

19/2 IL RICHIAMO DELLA FORESTA 3D

19/2 IL FIGLIO PIU' PICCOLO
26/2 DONNE SENZA UOMINI

Donnie

Due film cancellati e uno spostato per le leghe ITA

Amabili resti, la cui uscita era prevista per il 5 febbraio 2010, è stato posticipato al 12 febbraio.

I film seguenti sono scomparsi dal calendario della programmazione e vengono pertanto eliminati dalla lista della Lega. Se dovessero riapparire in tempo nel calendario, provvederemo a reintegrarli.

Departures, la cui uscita era prevista il 15 gennaio è stato spostato a data da destinarsi.

Il maledetto United, la cui uscita era prevista il 12 febbraio è stato spostato a data da destinarsi.

Donnie

Per le leghe USA

Takers, la cui uscita era prevista per il 26 febbraio 2010, è stato posticipato al 14 Maggio.

Per le leghe ITA

Un profeta, la cui uscita era prevista per il 26 febbraio 2010, è stato posticipato al 12 Marzo.

Donnie

Hoodwinked Too! Hood vs. Evil, la cui uscita era prevista per il 15 Gennaio 2010, è stato posticipato a data da destinarsi.

Donnie

ANCORA SPOSTAMENTI

Sembra la maledizione di ogni inizio settimana: controlliamo le date di uscita dichiarate per il mercato italiano e scopriamo che MOLTISSIME sono state cambiate. I continui cambiamenti sembrano essere sintomatici del nostro Paese, sia per ricorrenza che portata e, pur rendendoci conto che questi spostamenti costringono i giocatori a rivedere periodicamente il proprio roster, siamo spiacenti di non poter risolvere in alcun modo questo inconveniente. L'unica cosa che possiamo fare è controllare accuratamente ogni giorno e comunicarvi TEMPESTIVAMENTE ogni cambiamento. Vi consigliamo, quindi, di leggere periodicamente le news e, eventualmente, apportare le modifiche necessarie ai vostri roster.

Riportiamo di seguito l'elenco dei film con le recenti variazioni:

I seguenti film hanno subito spostamenti MA restano in gara per la lega italiana:

- An Education (uscita prevista 15 gennaio) --> NUOVA DATA: 5 febbraio 2010

- Up in the air (uscita prevista 15 gennaio) --> NUOVA DATA: 22 gennaio 2010

- Che fine hanno fatto i Morgan? (uscita prevista 22 gennaio) --> NUOVA DATA: 19 febbraio 2010

- Il maledetto United (uscita prevista 19 febbraio) --> NUOVA DATA: 12 febbraio

- Invictus (uscita prevista 12 febbraio) --> NUOVA DATA: 26 febbraio

I seguenti film hanno subito spostamenti in avanti ed escono dall'elenco dei film acquistabili. I giocatori che li hanno acquistati devono procedere alla loro sostituzione. 

- The Box (uscita prevista 15 gennaio) --> NUOVA DATA: da definire

- Alleluja (uscita prevista 22 gennaio) --> NUOVA DATA: da definire

- I love you Philip Morris (uscita prevista 29 gennaio) --> NUOVA DATA: de definire

- The book of Eli (uscita prevista 5 febbraio) --> NUOVA DATA: da definire

- The ghost (uscita prevista 19 febbraio) --> NUOVA DATA: da definire

- Io sono l'amore (uscita prevista 5 febbraio) --> NUOVA DATA: 19 marzo

- Valentine's Day (uscita prevista 19 febbraio) --> NUOVA DATA: 12 marzo

- Legion (uscita prevista 26 febbraio) --> NUOVA DATA: 12 marzo

Donnie

AVVISO PER LE LEGHE USA

Did you hear about the Morgans? la cui uscita era prevista l'11 dicembre è stato posticipato al 18 dicembre 2009.

AVVISO IMPORTANTE PER LE LEGHE ITALIANE

Moltissimi film, la cui data di uscita era prevista nelle prossime settimane per le Leghe Italiane, hanno subito una variazione nelle date di uscita. Riportiamo di seguito l'elenco dei film con le variazioni:

I seguenti film hanno subito spostamenti MA restano in gara per la lega italiana:

- Welcome (uscita prevista 4 dicembre) --> NUOVA DATA: 11 dicembre 2010

- An Education (uscita prevista 22 gennaio) --> NUOVA DATA: 15 gennaio 2010

- Arthur e la vendetta di Maltazard (uscita prevista 8 gennaio) --> NUOVA DATA: 30 dicembre 2009

- Up in the air (uscita prevista 22 gennaio) --> NUOVA DATA: 15 gennaio 2010

- Maga Martina e il libro magico del draghetto (uscita prevista 22 gennaio) --> NUOVA DATA: 12 febbraio 2010

- Che fine hanno fatto i Morgan? (uscita prevista 29 gennaio) --> NUOVA DATA: 22 gennaio 2010

- Baciami ancora (uscita prevista 22 gennaio 2010) --> NUOVA DATA: 29 gennaio 2010

- Amabili resti (uscita prevista 29 gennaio) --> NUOVA DATA: 5 febbraio 2010

- Tenderness (uscita prevista 5 febbraio) --> NUOVA DATA: 12 febbraio

- Un profeta (uscita prevista 19 febbraio) --> NUOVA DATA: 26 febbraio

I seguenti film hanno subito spostamenti in avanti ed escono dall'elenco dei film acquistabili. I giocatori che li hanno acquistati devono procedere alla loro sostituzione. 

- Happy ever afters (uscita prevista 5 gennaio) --> NUOVA DATA: da definire

- Il piccolo Nicolas e i suoi genitori (uscita prevista 5 febbraio) --> NUOVA DATA: 26 marzo 2010

- Shutter Island (uscita prevista 12 febbraio) --> NUOVA DATA: 5 marzo

- Tutto l'amore del mondo (uscita prevista 26 febbraio) --> NUOVA DATA: 19 marzo

- Old Dogs (Daddy Sitter) (uscita prevista 22 gennaio) --> NUOVA DATA: 26 marzo 2010

- The Final Destination 3D (uscita prevista 22 gennaio) --> NUOVA DATA: maggio 2010

- La bella e la bestia 3D (uscita prevista 12 febbraio) --> NUOVA DATA: estate 2010

Donnie

Weekend 4-6 Dicembre

Boxoffice

1. The Blind Side - 25
2. The Twilight Saga - New Moon - 18
3. Armored - 9
4. 2012 - 8.5
5. Brothers - 7

Donnie

Weekend 13-15 Novembre

Boxoffice

1. The Twilight Saga: New Moon - 90
2. 2012 - 30
3. The Blind Side - 18
4. Planet 51 - 13
5. A Christmas Carol - 12

donnie

Mancano solo due weekend al termine della lega, ma il tempo degli schiaffoni violentissimi è appena cominciato: nei prossimi giorni vedrete cadere i piazzati della prima ora come meteore dal cielo e le belve fameliche piazzate a metà classifica e affamate di punti, dopo tanto digiuno, fare balzi in avanti da dieci posizioni a botta; assisterete ai conti del boxoffice fare scatti in avanti da 100milioni a colpo e molti concorrenti piangere in un angolo come bimbe impaurite.
A dare il via a questo impressionante party di ultraviolenza è 2012 di Roland Emmerich: l'ennesimo disaster movie porta a casa 5 punti Top5, 3 PTA, un voto Imdb di 6.7 ed un incasso di oltre 65milioni che copre in un weekend l'intera corsa di This is it (dopo 19 giorni di programmazione).
A molta distanza A Christmas Carol resiste in seconda posizione con un minuscolo calo (26%), che si traduce in 4 punti Top5, 2 PTA e altri 22milioni.
Sorprendendo persino le previsioni più ottimistiche, Precious - proiettato in appena 174 sale - non solo riesce ad imbucarsi nella Top5 ma arriva addirittura terzo, con un incasso di quasi 6milioni, 3 punti Top5, altri 4 PTA (che portano il totale a 9) ed un voto Imdb di 7.5.
In quarta e quinta posizione, The Men Who Stare at Goats e This is it si apprestano a scomparire con  - rispettivamente - un dignitosissimo bottino ed un ottimo punteggio totale, non fosse per quell'incasso da blockbuster wannabe che penalizzerà non poco chi si era affidato al morto piuttosto che ai sogni di Giacobbo.
L'unica altra nuova uscita semi-wide della settimana, Pirate Radio, è D.O.A. con un incasso di neanche 3milioni, zero Top5, zero PTA ma un ottimo 7.6 all'Imdb.
Nel settore limited, Fantastic Mr. Fox si mette in tasca 5 punti PTA ed un voto di 7.6.
Per il prossimo weekend tenete pronta la Preparazione H: pioveranno licantropi omosessuali.

Filippo

Weekend 13-15 Novembre

Boxoffice

1. 2012 - 65
2. A Christmas Carol - 19
3. This is it - 7.5
4. The men who stare at goats - 7
5. The fourth kind - 6

donnie

Weekend 6 - 8 Novembre

Boxoffice

1. A Christmas Carol - 42
2. The fourth kind - 11.5
3. The men who stare at goats - 11
4. This is it - 10
5. The box - 9

donnie

Proiezioni col tutto esaurito da qui al 2030. Un incasso previsto di un miliardo di dollari in un'ora e in un solo cinema. La fine della fame nel mondo.
Sono soltanto tre delle qualità attribuite a This is it prima della sua effettiva uscita nelle sale.
Il risultato nel mondo reale? 34milioni e mezzo di incasso in cinque giorni (23 nel fine settimana), 5 punti Top5 e 3 PTA, ovvero lo stesso, identico boxoffice e punteggio che Couples Retreat ha fatto in un weekend. Ah, già, This is it può contare su un 7.6 all'Imdb ma, viste le aspettative (anche senza contare la dichiarazione di "250milioni in cinque giorni" fatta da un PR impazzito, al quale avrebbe potuto credere soltanto il più stronzo n00b dei nostri giocatori) e visto che molti lo hanno affiancato a New Moon come vice monstro della lega, al posto di 2012, non si può non parlare di grossa delusione, anche e soprattutto perché questa scelta, a molti, potrebbe costare carissima, proprio nel periodo di gioco in cui arrivano gli schiaffoni seri.
Insomma, chi credevate che Michael Jackson fosse, Heath Ledger?
Mentre al secondo posto troviamo il fuori gara Paranormal Activity, la terza posizione è occupata da Law Abiding Citizen, uno dei migliori affari dell'intera lega, capace, di settimana in settimana, di sopravvivere a titoli ben più quotati (e costosi): dopo una settimana trascorsa ad incassare una media di un milione al giorno, il raccolto del weekend prevede altri 7milioni e rotti e 3 punti Top5.
Al quarto posto c'è il redivivo Couples Retreat (2 punti Top5, 87milioni di boxoffice totale), mentre al quinto troviamo Where the Wild Things Are, che strappa il suo ultimo punto Top5 ai danni di Saw VI, già stramorto e strasepolto dopo soltanto dieci giorni, che non gli sono bastati neanche a pareggiare l'incasso che il precedente capitolo aveva fatto in 72 ore.
Nel settore limited, mentre An Education continua a macinare PTA come un fìo de 'na mignotta e A Serious Man si appresta a morire con grande dignità, a spiccare è The House of the Devil, che con la complicità di Halloween si porta a casa 4 bei punti PTA e un voto di 7.3 all'Imdb.
A dare un'arrotondata al punteggio dei suoi pochi acquirenti ci pensa Gentlemen Broncos con 2 punti PTA ed un modesto 5.8 all'Imdb.

Filippo

L'outsider Paranormal Activity ha stracciato Saw VI interrompendo il dominio incontrastato di quest'ultimo nel periodo di Halloween.
Non solo Saw VI è arrivato secondo, ma è arrivato secondo per un pelo, con uno scarto di soli 100mila dollari sul terzo e con un incasso (14milioni e spicci) che solo sette giorni fa sarebbe stato stracciato perfino da un rincalzino come Law Abiding Citizen, segno che già dalla prossima settimana il calo fisiologico di incassi potrebbe renderlo di fatto inutile come rimpolpatore di incassi e, se le cose vanno per il verso sbagliato, come distributore di punti Top5 (per non parlare del PTA).
Il bottino, di Saw VI, comunque, non è disprezzabile (4 punti Top5, 14milioni, 2 PTA e 6.7 all'Imdb), ma chi l'ha comprato si aspettava certamente ben altro.
Mentre Where the Wild Things Are crolla di quasi il 60% riuscendo comunque a strappare una dignitosissima terza posizione e Law Abiding Citizen (quarto) continua a superare le aspettative, le altre nuove uscite della settimana fanno a gara per quale di loro debba essere eletta Inculata of the Week: sia Astro Boy che Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant sono fuori dalla top 5; con un incasso di 6milioni e rotti, zero punti Top5, zero PTA ed un voto di 6.6 per entrambi, si segnalano tutti e due come fallimenti completi senza possibilità di riscatto.
Amelia, con i suoi 3milioni e 900mila, zero Top5 e 6.1 di Imdb riesce, se non altro, a rubare 3 punti PTA.
Nel settore limited, solo tante risate: sia Ong Bak 2 che Motherhood, trasmesso da Canale5 lo scorso 20 agosto, riescono a raccogliere soltanto qualche briciola di Imdb (rispettivamente 6.4 e 6.9).

Bella Pe' Chi Ce L'ha of the Week: Saw VI
Inculata of the Week: Astro Boy/Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant

Filippo

Weekend 23 - 25 ottobre

Boxoffice

1. Saw VI - 28
2. Paranormal Activity - 15
3. Law abiding citizen/- Where the wild things are - 14-13
5. Astroboy - 10

Donnie

Come previsto anche dalla vecchia che sta al bar sotto casa mia, Where the Wild Things Are si aggiudica il weekend con 32milioni e mezzo di incasso, che si traducono in 5 punti Top5, 3PTA ed un potente 8.3 Imdb.
La vera sorpresa della settimana, però, si trova in seconda posizione con Law Abiding Citizen: non solo il film ha oltrepassato le aspettative di inizio lega (che suggerivano un quieto terzo posto), ma ha anche superato quelle che lo volevano quarto (o quinto) dopo il temibile exploit di Paranormal Activity. Re Leonida e il negro che muore per primo si portano a casa 4 punti Top5, 2 PTA, un rispettabilissimo 7.5 di Imdb e un incasso di 21 gustosi milioni, il tutto al costo di soli 5 soldi.
La terza ed ultima uscita wide della settimana, The Stepfather, riesce in qualche modo a non farsi coprire di sputi scippando 1 punto Top5, 11milioni ed un Imdb un po' meh di 5.4.
Se stanotte sentirete una mano accarezzarvi la schiena nel tentativo di ingentilire la sgradevole sensazione di un poderoso fallo che si fa strada tra le vostre natiche non preoccupatevi: è New York I Love You. Il comico FAIL del film (0 Top5, 0 PTA, 380mila dollari di incasso e 7.8 Imdb) non fa altro che dare ragione ad uno dei più acuti e attenti analisti della MMG WAR, quel Jontom che qualche settimana fa aveva dichiarato "ricorda: new york I love you spaccherà i culi". Come dargli torto?

Bella Pe' Chi Ce L'ha Of The Week: Where the Wild Things Are

Inculata Of The Week: New York I Love You

Filippo

Weekend 16 - 18 ottobre

Boxoffice

1. Where the wild things are - 31
2. Couples retreat - 19
3. Paranormal Activity - 18
4. Law abiding citizen - 14
5. Zombieland - 9

Donnie

Le classifiche delle leghe in corso sono state aggiornate alla sesta settimana di gioco.

JcK

Nine, la cui uscita era prevista per il 25 Novembre 2009, è stato posticipato al 18 Dicembre (limited release) e al 25 Dicembre (wide release) 2009.

Donnie

Weekend 9 - 11 ottobre

Boxoffice

1. Couples Retreat - 32
2. Zombieland - 17
3. Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs - 10
4. Toy Story 1-2 - 7
5. Surrogates - 5

Donnie

Aiutato dallo spostamento al weekend lasciato libero da Shutter Island, Zombieland svetta in vetta accompagnato da un risultato da applausi: 5 punti Top5, 25milioni di incasso, 2 punti PTA ed un bestiale 8.6 all'Imdb, tutto questo per soli 8 soldi e con un passaparola frantumaculi che probabilmente aiuterà il film con Woody Harrelson a rimanere nelle parti alte della classifica anche nel prossimo fine settimana.
Al secondo posto resiste Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs, che con altri 4 punti Top5, 1 PTA ed un incasso complessivo di 81milioni ricorda a tutti che i bimbi down possono svolgere lavori come tutti E vanno al cinema, e si propone come l'Hangover di questa lega.
Il terzo posto è bruciato dal double feature con Toy Story 1 e 2, non disponibile per l'acquisto, mentre la quarta posizione è occupata da Surrogates, che strappa i suoi ultimi 2 punti Top5 e cala a 6.6 al punteggio Imdb.
1 punto Top5, zero PTA, 7milioni di incasso ed un voto di 7.3 sono invece il bottino di The Invention of Lying, moscio rincalzino che lascia però fuori dalla Top5 sia Capitalism: a Love Story in espansione (che a questo punto è da considerare ufficialmente una mezza sòla) che Whip it, che al di là di un ottimo (ma instabile) voto di 7.8 deve arenarsi sulla spiaggia del fallimento come un delfino con una busta di plastica in faccia, con il temutissimo doppio zero in Top5 e PTA, imponendosi con prepotenza come Inculata of the Week.
Nel settore limited, se si tende l'orecchio, è possibile udire distintamente lo "SfrrSfrrSfrrSfrrSfrrSfrrSfrrSfrrSfrr" dei culi scuciti da A Serious Man, che oltre ad un violentissimo (anche se incerto) 8.7 all'Imdb si porta a casa 5 punti PTA e lascia ben sperare per l'espansione della prossima settimana.
4 punti PTA e 7.1 all'Imdb per More Than a Game, documentario su un pallone da basket circondato ovviamente da negri. Già pronti i sequel: More Than a Fried Chicken e More Than a Watermelon.

Bella pe' chi ce l'ha of the Week: Zombieland

Inculata of the Week: Whip it

Filippo

Night of the Demons, la cui uscita era prevista per il 9 Ottobre 2009, è stato posticipato a data da destinarsi e quindi rimosso dai titoli per la Lega in corso.

Donnie

Weekend 2-4 ottobre

Boxoffice

1. Zombieland - 17
2. Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs - 16
3. Toy Story 1-2 - 12
4. Surrogates - 9
5. Whip it - 8

Donnie

Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs conferma le sue palle di carne rimanendo in cima alla top5 anche questa settimana e portando a casa altri 5 punti Top5, 2 PTA, un incasso complessivo di 60milioni ed un voto Imdb di 7.5.
A molta distanza, al secondo posto, ecco un deludente Surrogates, che grazie alla faccia di un signore un po' anziano fotoshoppata sul corpo di un altro riesce, se non altro, a posizionarsi secondo guadagnando 4 punti Top5, 1 PTA, 15milioni e 7.0 all'Imdb. Non male, certo, ma un incasso del genere significa, con molta probabilità, una sparizione repentina dalla zona alta della classifica con relative sfumature di implicita sodomia.
Fame riesce a fare anche di peggio, con un incasso poverello di 10milioni, 0 punti PTA, 3 Top5 ed un voto di 4.4 che rischia addirittura di calare nei prossimi giorni.
Se in quarta e quinta posizione resistono, rispettivamente, The Informant! e i nigga di I Can do Bad All by Myself, al sesto posto troviamo l'usurpatore di ani del weekend, Pandorum, che inanella uno spettacolare doppio zero (Top5/PTA), un incasso che suscita ilarità (4milioni e mezzo) ed un rispettabile (almeno quello) ma un po' instabile 7.7 all'Imdb.
Nel settore limited si trova il vincitore del weekend in fatto di PTA, Michael Moore e il suo Capitalism: a Love Story, che con poco meno di 300mila dollari ottiene 5 punti PTA ed un voto di 6.2 all'Imdb.
Coco Before Chanel, che adorna i roster di tutti gli Alfonso Signorini della lega, strappa 4 virili punti PTA ed un voto di 6.7, mentre The Boys Are Back porta a casa 2 punti PTA ed un cazzutissimo (ma assai traballante) 7.6 all'Imdb.
I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell è D.O.A. e guadagna soltanto un merdoso 4.8 sull'Imdb.
Dal prossimo fine settimana si inizia a fare sul serio.

Bella pe' chi ce l'ha of the Week: Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs

Inculata of the Week: Pandorum

Filippo

1. Cloudy with a chance of meatballs - 18-20

2. Fame - 17

3. Surrogates - 16

4. The Informant - 8

5. Pandorum - 7

Donnie

A meno che non sia una cosa arty con un cartellone tendente al verde, a prendere un cartone animato non si sbaglia mai: a confermare questa regola non-scritta è l'esordio di Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs che, in assenza di un vero concorrente e aiutato dai prezzi maggiorati per le sale 3D, degli altri film del weekend ha fatto polpette (AHAHAH!).
Il film d'animazione della Sony ha incassato 30milioni, 5 punti Top5, 5 PTA ed un voto IMDB di 7.3, e oltretutto sembra destinato a resistere nella parte alta della classifica per almeno un altro paio di weekend. Senza ombra di dubbio il migliore acquisto di un finora disastroso settembre.
Al secondo posto, a sorpresa, si piazza The Informant! (Maaaaatt Daaaaamon), che ha ripagato il suo prezzo piuttosto salato con 4 bei punti Top5, un incasso di 10milioni e mezzo, 1 punto PTA ed un ottimo voto IMDB di 7.6.
Al terzo posto resiste Tyler Perry e il suo I Can do Bad All by Myself, che con altri 3 punti top5, un incasso complessivo di quasi 38 milioni e altri 3 punti PTA cerca di tamponare l'AIDS che ha sparso nei roster dei suoi acquirenti con l'incredibile 2.0 preso all'IMDB, voto che - di fatto - stronca qualsiasi possibilità di recupero in quella categoria.
In zona scorreggine abbiamo Love Happens, uno scroto moscio che porta a casa 8milioni e spicci, 2 punti Top5, 2 PTA ed un voto all'aroma di peto anziano di 5.5.
In quinta posizione troviamo invece l'Inculata of the Week, Jennifer's Body, una dura lezione per tutti quelli che non hanno capito che nell'era dell'internet per farsi una pippa su Megan Fox non è necessario né spendere 7 dollari, né abbandonare la propria camera.
Questo cane morto produce fallimento con un boxoffice di appena 6milioni e 800mila dollari, 1 punto Top5, zero PTA ed un voto di 5.9, il tutto a fronte di un costo di ben 16 soldi.
Nel settore limited si segnala solamente il buon esordio di Paris, che con 4 punti PTA ed un decente 6.9 all'IMDB non farà rimpiangere i 4 soldi spesi per averlo nella propria lista di film.

Bella pe' chi ce l'ha of the Week: Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs

Inculata of the Week: Jennifer's Body

Filippo

Weekend 18-20 settembre

Boxoffice

1. Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs - 28-30 
2. Tyler Perry’s I Can Do Bad All By Myself - 12
3. Love Happens - 11
4. The Informant! - 10 
5. Jennifer’s Body - 8

Donnie

Youth in revolt, la cui uscita era prevista per il 30 Ottobre 2009, è stato posticipato al 15 Gennaio 2010 e, quindi, rimosso dalla lista dei titoli per la Lega in corso.

Donnie

Un negro travestito? Nel MIO punteggio IMDB???
È più comune di quanto credi.

Uau! Tyler Perry e il suo I Can do Bad All by Myself è primo al boxoffice! Ha incassato 23 milioni e mezzo! Ha guadagnato 5 punti Top5! Ha preso 5 punti PTA! Corro a vedere il voto Imdb di questo affare d'oro!
Madò...
2.8.
Due punto otto. Quanto basta per rovinare la festa a chi si è fidato di Tyler Perry ed un voto talmente disastroso da compromettere l'intera categoria IMDB del proprio roster, per l'intera lega. Anche se per miracolo il punteggio dovesse risollevarsi a 4, quelli che hanno comprato ICDBABM farebbero bene a rivedere completamente la propria lista e a comprare un esercito di Dear Zachary.
Al secondo posto troviamo 9, capace di offrire una buona performance composta da un incasso totale di 15 milioni, 4 punti Top5, 2 punti PTA ed un buon voto IMDB di 7.4. Nulla che possa far gridare al miracolo, anzi, ma vista l'apocalisse di questi due primi weekend di settembre direi che ci si può accontentare.
Al contrario dello scorso fine settimana, però, stavolta le vere inculate sono schiette e sincere, senza fronzoli, inequivocabili.
Sia Sorority Row che Whiteout, infatti, si piazzano al di fuori della top5, guadagnano entrambi un incasso miserabile di circa 5 milioni, zero PTA ed un voto IMDB di, rispettivamente, 6.0 e 5.9, entrambi destinati, con tutta probabilità, a calare.
Sul fronte limited si segnala l'ottima tenuta di Amreeka (che porta a casa altri 4 punti PTA), l'esordio di No Impact Man (penalizzato dallo spostamento dell'uscita ma comunque in grado di prendersi 3 punti PTA ed un sufficiente 6.9 all'IMDB), il punticino PTA strappato da Beyond a Reasonable Doubt (6.5 IMDB) e la prematura sparizione di Walt & El Grupo, che al di là di un bel voto di 7.5 si deve accontentare del nulla più assoluto.
Tutte le uscite limited della settimana hanno fatto incassi talmente bassi da essere del tutto irrilevanti.
Nella lega MMG WAR 2 da segnalare il singolare e bizzarro roster di Markus, che ad appena due settimane dall'inizio della lega ha già esaurito 5/8 della propria lista di film portandosi a casa l'inculata of the week, lo sfavillante voto Imdb di Tyler Perry, due mezze inculate (che oltretutto erano in diretta concorrenza) ed un film che ha incassato quello che io ho in tasca al mattino presto.
Enjoy your slate full of AIDS, nigga!

Bella pe' chi ce l'ha of the week: 9
Inculata of the week: Whiteout

Filippo

C'è voluto un po' più del previsto, ma alla fine il nuovo sistema di registrazione è on-line.

Se possedete già un'utenza della prima MMG War non dovete far altro che entrare nella vostra area utente e cliccare sul pulsante "Iscriviti" di fianco alla MMG War 2.

Se invece non vi siete mai iscritti ad una lega (e la lingua italiana non offre abbastanza parole per descrivere quanto dovreste vergognarvi) potete creare una nuova utenza cliccando qui.

JcK

Weekend 11-13 settembre

Boxoffice

1. Tyler Perry's I can do bad all bad myself - 35-40
2. Sorority Row - 12-14
3. 9 - 10-13
4. Whiteout - 8-9
5. Inglourious basterds - 6-7

Donnie

Quelle giornate un po' così

Strano weekend, quello che ha inaugurato le nuove leghe.
Se da un lato tutti i film usciti - nessuno escluso - possono essere considerati delle inculate (qualcuno più, qualcuno meno), pellicole destinate a non avere futuro, dall'altra hanno comunque fruttato come minimo una manciata di punti capace di attenuare il bruciore.
Te lo appizzo, ma con gentilezza.
Prendiamo ad esempio All About Steve: la nuova cacata con l'anziana Sandra Bullock, a fronte di un costo di 14 soldi, ha portato ai suoi acquirenti dalla sessualità incerta un dignitoso bottino di 3 punti Top5, 14milioni di incasso e 4 punti PTA, ma ha contemporaneamente compromesso la categoria Imdb dei suddetti concorrenti con un voto abbastanza imbarazzante di 4.8.
Gamer, invece, si attesta su uno stabile e più che sufficiente 6.6 di Imdb, raccoglie un apprezzabile 3 al PTA ma infetta di AIDS i roster con 2 soli punti Top5 e un incasso assai magro di 9milioni e spicci.
Extract, poi, rimane a bocca asciutta per quanto riguarda la categoria Top5, rastrella un misero incasso di 5milioni e mezzo ma si riscatta con 2 punti PTA ed un ottimo 7.2 all'Imdb.
Tra le uscite "limited", Amreeka - miracolato dallo spostamento all'ultimo secondo di No Impact Man - scippa la corona del PTA portando a casa 5 punti ed un voto Imdb di 6.4, mentre l'horror Carriers si spinge addirittura oltre il miracolo e si fa consegnare direttamente dalle mani di padre Pio (che non resiste a sussurrargli "mortacci tua che gran culo...") 1 punto PTA guadagnato nonostante un incasso ridicolo, per via dell'assenza di concorrenza di altri film validi per la lega.
Una partenza un po' a cazzo, non c'è che dire.

Bella pe' chi ce l'ha of the week: -
Inculata of the week: -

Filippo

Riassunto Lega

Zona Masters of the Universe - 1/5

Ha trionfato Berto, uno che si è tenuto Casi Divas nel roster al posto di The Ugly Truth. Lui dice che questo dovrebbe far riflettere sul punteggio che avrebbe avuto in caso avesse comprato il film con Gerald Butler e che, quindi, la vittoria è più schiacciante perché, come Bolt, è arrivato al traguardo con una scarpa slacciata. Il mondo la pensa diversamente, perché Bolt non è stato tanto rincoglionito da slacciarsi la scarpa da solo e ciò la dice lunga sulla vera natura della vittoria dell'attempato Berto.

Peccato per Jontom, capace di rimanere costantemente ai piani alti, per tutta la lega, ma poco incisivo nel momento della verità, probabilmente distratto da quelle nuove e favolose tendine per la cucina.

Ottima la performance dei sottovalutati Bennett e Bianconiglio e piuttosto divertente il modo in cui la Darth Mogul Pictures ha scippato l'ultimo posto valido per la zona Champions all'ultimo weekend di gara.

Zona Bravità - 6/10

A parte le numerose risa per Rioma (che si è aggiudicato la Posizione LOL), da segnalare l'impressionante scalata di Motosega, che ha passato tutta la gara a galleggiare come uno stronzo a metà classifica per poi compiere una rimonta trionfale nelle ultimissime settimane di gara, e il nono posto di Donnie, prima tra le donne, posizionamento frutto di duro studio in parte compromesso da una scelta dettata dalla vagina (Public Enemies).

Walleye413, in decima posizione, è il primo tra i non-MMG.

Zona Dignitosa - 11/20

Nonostante si inizi a sentire distintamente un'acre puzza di piscio, una pacca sulla spalla a tutti i concorrenti posizionati dall'undicesimo al ventesimo posto, che in una gara con più di 60 concorrenti sono posti che mantengono ancora una loro dignità, fatta eccezione, ovviamente, per l'undicesimo posto dello spartano che, proprio come il suo corrispettivo cinematografico, urla, strepita, proclama e poi se la pìa 'nder culo senza fare un fiato, ammutolito come una montagna di granito, paralizzato come una scultura di ghiaccio.

Zona Indistinto Mare Giallo - 21/40

Come tanti tappi di sughero, i concorrenti finiti nelle paludi di piscio di questa zona galleggiano in un limbo di fallimento che non è abbastanza clamoroso da suscitare ilarità né tantomeno si sono fatti apprezzare in positivo. In quella che è probabilmente la fascia peggiore della classifica si segnala la presenza di Nero728, che ha impiegato l'intera lega per uscire dall'inferno giallo e diventare un mediocre signor Nessuno e sorprende la presenza di Edweena, un'agguerrita signorinella che in passato aveva saputo offrire prove assai più convincenti.

Zona Piss of Fire - 41/50

Eccoci in una fascia in cui si annega nel piscio bollente di un numero imbarazzante di giocatori e in cui il fail è talmente evidente da strappare risate convinte. Guardate ad esempio al concorrente in quarantasettesima posizione, il poro LukeMcCaine che, in preda alla depressione per via di un'accoppiata di inculate of the week back-to-back, ha deciso di suicidarsi distruggendo il suo roster e tentando un inutilissimo attacco frontale con un carico di monstri che a nulla sono serviti se non a rendere più copioso il numero di risa di scherno suscitate.

Dispiace per la presenza della concorrente Troma, che vistasi privata del confortante appiglio fornito da un cartone animato potente ha smarrito la via affidandosi a bambine tumorate e a Michelle Pfeiffer in vena di cose sofisticate.

In quarantanovesima posizione troviamo invece il guardiano supremo della fascia di classifica sottostante.

Zona The Pazuzis - Hell of Piss - 51/62

Come in un inferno dantesco, i concorrenti finiti in questa terrificante fascia della classifica sono condannati ad essere intrappolati nel piscio ghiacciato per l'eternità, un gelido deserto fatto da gente con mezzo roster, senza roster, artisti del fallimento e Eenzo, capace di finire dietro anche a un tizio che aveva comprato solo tre film.

Dicono che quelle lande desolate siano talmente ostili che persino Eddie Murphy si rifiuti di solcarle.

Filippo

Inserite al fotofinish le ultimissime release, ora disponibili per essere acquistate:

Donnie

No Impact Man, la cui uscita era prevista per il 4 settembre, è stato posticipato all'11 settembre.

The Private Lives of Pippa Lee, la cui uscita era prevista per il 13 ottobre, è stato posticipato al 27 novembre.

Walt & el Guapo, la cui uscita era prevista per l'11 settembre, è stato anticipato al 9 settembre.

*plin plon*

Dubbi? Incertezze? Perplessità? Avevate fondato uno studio di produzione di grandi prospettive e vi ritrovate con una pagina vuota e un chiosco sulla tangenziale?

Tranquilli, non è la crisi economica, stiamo semplicemente aggiornando il sito e sono state fatte alcune modifiche alla gestione degli studios.

Se siete iscritti ad entrambe le MMG War, tutti i vostri studios sono stati riassegnati all'account che avete usato nella prima War.

Effettuate il login con quelle credenziali e troverete i vostri uffici, il personale e i ficus benjamin, tutto intatto e senza un filo di polvere.

Le vostre utenze registrate per la seconda War, al momento senza studios, verrano potate a breve.

Ricordiamo inoltre alla gentile clientela che con la tessera fedeltà è ancora possible acquistare bibite e stuzzichini a metà prezzo.

Armando, una cassa di naturale alla cassa cinque, per cortesia.

*plin plon*

Quentin Tarantino, con Inglourious Basterds, non solo si piazza primo ma supera se stesso ed ogni aspettativa mettendosi in saccoccia la bellezza di 38milioni, 5 punti Top5, 5 PTA ed un punteggio Imdb di ben 8.7 con una solidissima base di quasi 19mila votanti. Una manna dal cielo sia per i Weinstein che per i pochi che hanno aspettato il penultimo weekend di gioco per sparare le loro cartucce migliori.

Per il resto, davvero ben poco da segnalare: le altre quattro posizioni della classifica sono occupate dagli "holdovers", che si sono dimostrati ancora tutti piuttosto stabili.

District 9 porta a casa altri 4 punti Top5, 18milioni e 3 punti PTA, 12milioni e 3 punti Top5 per G.I. Joe, The Time Traveler's Wife incassa quasi 10milioni e 2 punti Top5 mentre Julie & Julia può contare su 8.8milioni, 1 punto Top5 ed 1 punto PTA.

Il redivivo Adam riesce a grattare in extremis 2 punti PTA, mentre, sempre sul fronte "limited", It Might Get Loud porterà al concorrente Moliva altri 4 punti PTA che lo sposteranno da un tenebroso giallo-rame ad un più salubre giallo paglierino.

La settimana sarà memorabile soprattutto per chi ama ospitare oggetti nell'ultimo tratto di intestino: più che un weekend al cinema, questo del 21 agosto è stato una fiera dell'inculata.

Ce n'è per tutti i gusti: i principianti impazziranno per le piccole ed agevoli dimensioni di Shorts (nomen omen), lubrificato da un incasso di quasi 6milioni e mezzo ma all'occorrenza tosto e gagliardo grazie a zero Top5, zero PTA e ad un anello vibrante di calibro 4.6 Imdb.

Chi non è nuovo a questo tipo di esperienze e non ha tempo per carezze e preliminari troverà di suo gradimento Post Grad, che va dritto al sodo con 2.6milioni di incasso, zero Top5, zero PTA ed un 5 all'Imdb.

Agli amanti dell'estremo, infine, brilleranno gli occhi nel vedere i 30 centimetri di Casi Divas, che nello spazio brevissimo di un saluto di presentazione avrà già pompato all'interno dei suoi fan 27mila turgidi dollari e - incurante dei gemiti di perverso piacere misti a lamenti di sincero dolore dei suoi amanti - zero brutali punti Top5, che verranno coronati da uno schizzo di zero punti PTA diretto al volto; un amante rude che mostrerà un po' di tenerezza soltanto alla fine, con l'offerta di una sigaretta di marca 6.1 Imdb.

A wild & wet weekend, only on MMG WAR!

Filippo

Bella pe' chi ce l'ha of the Week: Inglourious Basterds

Inculata of the Week: Casi Divas

La classifica della MMG War è stata aggiornata alla dodicesima settimana di gioco.

Donnie

La classifica della MMG War è stata aggiornata alla undicesima settimana di gioco.

A due settimane dal termine della lega gli alieni negri di Neil Blomkamp spaccano culi ed equilibri portando un po' di ossigeno ad un sacco di concorrenti da tempo sommersi dal piscio, proprio nel momento in cui la classifica comincia ad avere un significato ed ogni dollaro conta.

District 9 incassa 37milioni, 5 punti Top5, 4 PTA ed un voto di ben 8.9 sull'Imdb, bottino che influenzer� senza dubbio le posizioni di molti MMG Warriors.

Al suo secondo weekend di programmazione G.I. Joe subisce un calo netto ma riesce a contenere i danni portandosi in seconda posizione, che equivale a 22milioni di incasso (98 totali), 4 punti Top5, 2 PTA ed un voto di 6.1 Imdb.

The Time Traveler's Wife esordisce in terza posizione portando a casa buoni numeri, ottimi se si considera il prezzo di vendita (5 euri): 18milioni e rotti, 3 punti Top5, 3 PTA ed un Imdb di 7.6.

E mentre le giovini sono a sospirare sulle vicissitudini sentimentali di Eric Bana e Rachel McAdams, le vecchie galline mantengono Julie & Julia nella top 5 portando al film con Meryl Streep altri 12milioni (43 totali), 2 punti Top5, 1 PTA ed un voto di 7.8 all'Imdb.

A chiudere la Top 5 troviamo ancora G-Force ed i suoi stupidi criceti tridimensionali, che si sono rivelati dei cazzi per il culo di proporzioni epiche: dopo 4 settimane riescono ancora a strappare un punto Top5 e l'incasso arriva ad un passo dai 100milioni.

Sul fronte "Limited" il vincitore della settimana � It Might Get Loud che, privo di acquirenti, getta nel vuoto i suoi 5 punti PTA e il suo 7.0 preso all'Imdb.

Delude in parte le aspettative l'uscita americana di Ponyo: l'incasso di 3milioni e mezzo � notevole, ma il numero di sale a disposizione ha castrato le potenzialit� PTA del film.

A chiudere il resoconto questa settimana troviamo ben due campioni di sodomia violenta.

La prima Inculata of the Week � senza dubbio The Goods, che a fronte di un costo di 10 soldi porta a casa poco pi� di 5milioni e mezzo, un voto di 6.0, zero Top5, zero PTA e neanche un tubetto di Preparazione H in bundle.

Gli amanti dell'estremo, quelli a cui piace prenderlo balls deep, per�, impazziranno per Bandslam, che oltre ad un incasso miserabile (2milioni e spicci) pu� contare soltanto su un voto di 5.1 all'Imdb, oltretutto risalito dopo un preoccupante esordio a 4.2.

� tempo di lubrificarsi sia davanti che di dietro: 2 weeks to go!

Filippo

Bella pe' chi ce l'ha of the Week: District 9

Inculata of the Week: Bandslam

Donnie

La classifica della MMG War è stata aggiornata alla decima settimana di gioco.

Donnie

Funny People bla bla bla mezzo flop bla bla bla nella lega ce l'ha uno soltanto bla bla bla Top5 PTA incassi bla bla bla 'sti cazzi.

Al secondo posto, l� per meno di 400mila dollari guadagnati grazie alle sale Imax lasciate libere da Transformers, che ha finalmente concesso al novellino di farsi un giro con le sue puttane ormai sfiancate, lo studente di prestidigitazione dall'orientamento sessuale incerto evita per un pelo il terzo posto mettendosi in tasca 4 punti Top5 e portando l'incasso complessivo a 255milioni (7.7 il punteggio Imdb).

Con altri 3 punti Top5 (per un totale di 8) e 67 milioni, gli stupidi criceti tridimensionali ripagano ampiamente la spesa di 10 soldi nonostante il pessimo 4.2 sull'Imdb. Richard Gere si � dichiarato orgoglioso di loro.

A fronte di un costo di soli 5 soldi, invece, The Ugly Truth guadagna altri due punti Top 5, porta l'incasso totale a 54 milioni e si accontenta di un dignitoso 6.3 all'Imdb.

Non si potr� lamentare troppo chi ha speso 5 euro per Aliens in the Attic: l'unico risultato degno di nota � un solitario punto Top5, vero, ma viste le apocalittiche previsioni del gioved� (e l'inqualificabile trailer) non si pu� far altro che ringraziare la madonna per aver evitato il D I S A S T E R Eddie Murphy style.

Ice Age 3, The Proposal, The Hangover, Transformers 2 e Orphan sono tutti ufficialmente fuori dal cazzo senza possibilit� d'appello.

Nel settore "limited" il vincitore della settimana � Adam, che porta a casa 5 punti PTA e un bel 7.3 all'Imdb.

Altrettanto ottimo � il risultato di The Cove; chi sperava che una bella busta di plastica soffocasse quei delfini da froci rimarr� deluso: 4 punti PTA e un potente 8.5 Imdb sono il bottino di questo documentario ecologista (trad.: "gay").

Lo sbertucciatissimo Le Silence de Lorna, infine, dimostra di aver meritato tutte le infinite prese per il culo ai danni dei coglionazzi che hanno avuto l'ardire anche solo di PENSARE di comprarlo: al di l� di un buon 7.3 di Imdb, infatti, i punti raccolti dalla moretta francese sono pari a zero in tutte le categorie (34mila dollari d'incasso: LOL).

Filippo

Bella pe' chi ce l'ha of the Week: -

Inculata of the Week: Le Silence de Lorna

La classifica della MMG War è stata aggiornata alla nona settimana di gioco.

Donnie

La classifica della MMG War è stata aggiornata alla ottava settimana di gioco.

Donnie

La classifica della MMG War è stata aggiornata alla settima settimana di gioco.

Il bimbo speciale che fa le MAGGIE � riuscito a riportare al cinema orde di ciccioni senza vita che sublimano il loro fallimento con le vittorie di un ermafrodito con problemi di vista; cos�, Harry Potter e il (qualcosa) domina il weekend con un incasso di quasi 78 milioni (158 in totale), 5 punti Top5, 4 PTA ed un ottimo voto di 8.1 all'Imdb.

I concorrenti che hanno puntato su Potter potranno gioire pubblicando immagini di Harry con lo sguardo serio e minaccioso, che incute un timore leggermente inferiore a quello che potrebbe suscitare Shirley Temple adagiata su una nuvola di zucchero filato rosa.

L'assenza di un concorrente degno di questo nome ha paradossalmente favorito tutti gli altri film gi� presenti in classifica, che dalla seconda posizione � quasi una fotocopia di quella della scorsa settimana: Ice Age 3D e Transformers 2 si confermano, rispettivamente, in seconda e terza posizione mentre The Proposal riesce per un pelo a rimanere nella top 5 ai danni di The Hangover, che gli "estimates" davano per quinto classificato.

L'unico crollo lo ha sub�to Brüno, che da attivo � diventato passivo accogliendo all'interno del suo corpo un calo di incassi pari al 73%, che si traduce in 2 punti Top5, un voto di 7.1 all'Imdb e un incasso totale di quasi 50 milioni.

Nel settore "indie" a farla da padrone � stato 500 Days of Summer, che oltre a 5 punti PTA (ottenuti con una media per sala devastante) si porta a casa un penetrante 8.3 all'Imdb e d� un po' d'ossigeno al concorrente M.I.A. Motosega.

Con una tenacia senza limiti, nel frattempo, The Hurt Locker guadagna altri 3 punti PTA (portando il totale a 17), ma il vero shock della settimana � un altro...

Premessa doverosa: la difficolt� dei calcoli (fatti per forza di cose a occhio) non mi permette di essere certo al 100% di quello che sto per affermare ma, se non vado errato, questa settimana lo spernacchiatissimo Surveillance dovrebbe incredibilmente mettersi in saccoccia 1 punto PTA, trasformandosi da "inesistente" a "inutile", che � comunque un passo avanti.

Ma ripeto: potrei sbagliarmi.

Filippo

Bella pe' chi ce l'ha of the Week: Harry Potter Soncazzo

Inculata of the Week: -

Donnie

La classifica della MMG War è stata aggiornata alla sesta settimana di gioco.

5 punti Top5, 5 PTA, 30 milioni di incasso e uno stratosferico voto temporaneo (destinato a calare) di 9.4 sull'Imdb: � quanto � riuscito a fare Brüno al suo primo weekend di programmazione; gli ANAListi dicono che il Borat frocio non briller� troppo a lungo, e non solo per via della ormai imminente uscita di Harry Potter. Godetevela finch� dura.

Per il resto, davvero ben poco da segnalare: come era ampiamente prevedibile il secondo posto va a L'era glaciale 3 (4 Top5, 3 PTA, 120 milioni e 7.4 all'Imdb), il terzo a Transformers 2 (3 Top5, 2 PTA, 340 milioni di incasso e 6.4 Imdb), il quarto a Public Enemies (che nonostante non stia particolarmente brillando riesce a mettersi in tasca altri 2 punti Top5, 1 PTA, 66 milioni e 7.7 Imdb) e il quinto a The Proposal, che nonostante la presenza di quel relitto degli anni '90 che � Sandra Bullock � arrivato a 113 milioni e questa settimana porta a casa un altro punto Top5 (7.2 Imdb).

Tra le uscite a distribuzione limitata, Soul Power, l'unico nuovo titolo che era disponibile per la lega in corso, ha fallito in ogni campo senza per� lasciare morti e feriti: nessun concorrente ha avuto l'ardire di comprarlo.

Chi invece resiste e divora PTA come un f�o de 'na mignotta � ancora The Hurt Locker, che dopo tre settimane ed una notevole espansione nel numero delle sale che lo proiettano (passate da 9 a 60) guadagna il suo primo milioncino, porta il voto Imdb a 7.7 da 7.6 e riesce ancora a prendersi 4 punti di PTA, portando il totale a 14. Se con la prevista ed ulteriore espansione in programma per il 24 luglio riuscir� anche ad incassare bene (e chiss� che la prossima settimana non riesca a far qualche altro punticino PTA...), il film della Bigelow diventer� ufficialmente la duchessa della lega e l'unica cosa che continuer� ad espandere saranno i culi dei gonzi come la concorrente Jontom.

Infine, per l'angolo del R I D E R E, ecco l'Inculata of the Week, I love You Beth Cooper, che per 15 euro di spesa frutter� ai suoi acquirenti la bellezza di zero punti Top5, zero PTA, un incasso comico di neanche 5 milioni e un voto di 4.9 all'Imdb.

Hayden, chiama il tuo agente, fatti mettere sotto contratto con la Vivid, inizia a lucidare aste di carne e goditi l'assegno, tanto la strada � quella...

Filippo

Bella pe' chi ce l'ha of the Week: Brüno

Inculata of the Week: I Love You Beth Cooper

The Perfect Getaway, la cui uscita era prevista per il 14 agosto, � stato anticipato al 7 agosto.

Donnie

La classifica della MMG War è stata aggiornata alla quinta settimana di gioco.

Con una manciata di dollari, dopo un weekend di suspance, i Transformers strappano ufficialmente la prima posizione agli scoiattoli coglioncioni de L'era glaciale 3 e si mettono in tasca altri 5 punti Top5 e 3 di PTA, mantengono inalterato il voto Imdb (6.5) e raggiungono la ragguardevole cifra di 293milioni. Di questo passo non � escluso che possano chiudere a 400milioni ed � davvero difficile che se ne possano andare dalla top 5 prima di un paio di settimane.

Allora maghetto bi-curious, dov'� il tuo Dumbledore adesso, eh???

L'era glaciale lo ha un po' preso ar culo ma fornisce comunque un'ottima performance: al di l� di un incasso di quasi 67milioni, da non trascurare sono i 4 punti Top5, i 4 di PTA e il notevole 7.5 all'Imdb, dati che - se tutto va bene - potrebbero subire soltanto un lieve calo la prossima settimana, quando il pubblico di riferimento continuer� a non avere altre scelte.

Quello che stupisce � che il concorrente DOM si sia fatto sfuggire una simile prelibatezza per bambini speciali preferendole Aliens in the Attic, per ritardati di ogni et�.

In terza posizione il barzotto Public Enemies: il prezzo richiesto era nella media (23 euri) e adeguato ai risultati, ovvero un incasso di 40 milioni, 3 punti Top5, 2 PTA e un bell'8 tondo all'Imdb. La prossima settimana, per�, a contendergli il pubblico dell'R-Rated arriva quel frocio di Bruno, e saranno cazzi amari (LOL).

Per quanto riguarda gli avanzi delle scorse settimane, quasi tutti scomparsi senza lasciare traccia a parte The Proposal (94milioni, 2 Top-5, 7.3 Imdb) e quel gigantesco cazzo per il culo di The Hangover, che ormai pu� essere indicato come la discriminante che permetter� a qualcuno di vincere la lega.

Sul fronte Limited si segnala soltanto la spettacolare seconda settimana di The Hurt Locker, che nonostante l'espansione in pi� sale continua a macinare PTA come se non ci fosse un domani. Altri 5 punti PTA ed un voto Imdb stabile (7.6) compongono il bottino di questo ottimo acquisto.

Per lo spazio Le Nostre Grosse Grasse Risate Greche torniamo a parlare di un cesso ellenico che si crede che basta una gigantesca botta di culo irripetibile per permettersi di continuare a fare film: Nia Vardalos, dopo My Life in Ruins, continua a far cacare a fischio con I Hate Valentine's Day (incassa gli spicci che ci� in tasca, zero punti Top5, zero PTA e un voto di 5.6 di Imdb), che le permette un primato riservato a pochissimi: ben DUE inculate mostruose in una stessa lega.

Non era facile, ammettiamolo.

Filippo

Bella pe' chi ce l'ha of the Week: Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

Inculata of the Week: I Hate Valentine's Day

Donnie

Alzatevi dalla sedia.

Andate alla finestra.

Sentite quel "CrAcKCrAcKCrAcKCrAcKCrAcKCrAcKCrAcK"?

Sono tutti i culi sfondati da Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, che in soli 5 giorni ha strupato i botteghini di tutto il mondo ammassando - negli USA - 200 milioni e spicci, 4 punti di PTA, 5 di Top5 e un rispettabile 6.7 sull'Imdb.

Se fra tre settimane il piccolo mago bi-curious vorr� essere all'altezza, beh, sar� meglio che lucidi per bene quella sua ridicola bacchetta e che Hermione si prepari a mostrare some puffy nipples.

Michael Bay ha divorato il weekend lasciando le briciole alla seconda settimana di The Proposal, che con altri 18 milioni si porta a un totale di quasi 70, riuscendo contemporaneamente a rubare altri 3 punti di PTA, 4 di Top5 e un ottimo 7.3 sull'Imdb.

Dalle altre nuove uscite di un certo calibro solo performance deludenti: il "counterprogramming" � stato bruciato da Sandra Bullock a scapito di Cameron Diaz, che con My Sister's Keeper riesce a malapena a strappare un punticino Top5, zero PTA, un incassino di 12 milioni e un pi� che buono 7.2 dall'Imdb. Certo, per una spesa di 8 euro non ci si pu� troppo lamentare.

Per quanto riguarda Year One c'� ben poco da dire: � gi� stato sfanculato dalla Top5 e alla sua seconda settimana � gi� completamente inutile.

A piangere quattro fontane di lacrime sono anche gli stolti che hanno affidato 6 sudati euro a Ch�ri, che porta a casa soltanto 400mila dollari e un inaspettatamente medio 6.5 dall'Imdb.

Chi ride forte � invece chi ha avuto fiducia in Kathryn Bigelow, che col suo The Hurt Locker (7.6 all'Imdb) ha ownato il PTA riuscendo a battere (e neanche di poco) persino Transformers.

Sempre nell'ambito "limited" buone notizie anche per Woody Allen e Moon, ancora in grado di fare punti PTA (rispettivamente 3 e 1) e mantenere il voto Imdb su un ottimo 8.2 e 8.1.

Sul fronte "derisione totale" il getto di piscio scorre potente in faccia al mare di stronzi che ha buttato 4 euro per Surveillance, che al di l� di un 6.5 all'Imdb porta a casa un incasso talmente ridicolo che mi vergogno pure a scriverlo.

A far scuotere i diaframmi ci pensa anche quell'unico minchione della lega in corso che ha comprato Nanni Moretti, che pu� contare soltanto su un buon 7.1 all'Imdb.

Filippo

Bella pe' chi ce l'ha of the Week: Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

Inculata of the Week: Surveillance

La classifica della MMG War è stata aggiornata alla quarta settimana di gioco.

Taking Woodstock, la cui uscita era prevista per il 14 agosto, � stato posticipato al 28 agosto.

The Boat that Rocked, la cui uscita era prevista per il 28 agosto, � stato spostato a novembre 2009 e quindi rimosso dalla lista dei film disponibili per la MMG War.

ahahah... ma che estimates volete?!
gli estimates, dicono
ahahahahah

Se di debutto si pu� parlare per una vecchia ben stagionata, � un debutto di tutto rispetto quello di Sandra Bullock che con la commedia The Proposal conquista la vetta del boxoffice, 33 milioni e passa di dollari, 4 punti PTA e una pi� che degna media-voto di 7.4 su IMDB. Complimenti ai nostalgici de La casa sul lago del tempo accorsi ad applaudire Sandra con ancora il fazzoletto bagnato di lacrime e ai fidanzati americani pronti a soddisfare i sensibili desideri cinematografici delle loro donne ("Va bene cara, questa settimana scegli tu il film. Ma il prossimo week end tocca a me...ehehehehe!!!")

Intanto, The Hangover continua la sua brillantissima corsa, mantenendo salda la seconda posizione (davanti al solidissimo Up) con un totale di oltre 150 milioni di dollari incassati, ancora un paio di punti PTA e un�ottimo indice di gradimento su IMDB (8.4). Dopo quasi un mese dall�uscita, anche se col destino segnato dalle prossime uscite, si pu� dire che The Hangover abbia superato di gran lunga le migliori aspettative rivelandosi un vero affare per chi lo ha acquistato.

Year One, invece, conferma che sono tempi duri per la Preistoria: con meno di 20 milioni di dollari riesce a piazzarsi soltanto al 4� posto, raccogliendo due miseri punti Top5, nessun punto PTA e il triste votaccio di 5.5 su IMDB.

Anche The Taking of Pelham sembra aver prematuramente esaurito il suo potenziale, raggiungendo solo l�ultima posizione della Top5 e mantenendo la pi� che buona media del 7 pieno.

Per il resto, possiamo dare l�estrema unzione a Imagine That e a Land of The Lost, avviati con disonore verso l�oblio e superati, questa settimana, persino dall�inossidabile Star Trek.

Sul fronte PTA, come era ampiamente prevedibile, Woody Allen vince a mani basse con Whatever works, che ottiene anche un ottimo voto di 8.3, mentre Moon e Tetro resistono bene e riescono a ottenere ancora qualche punticino (3 e 1, rispettivamente). I nazizombies (Dead Snow) devono essere morti per davvero: un solo schermo di proiezione � stato loro fatale, estromettendoli dalla zona PTA e rendendoli un acquisto praticamente inutile, se non fosse per il voto di 6.9.

Infine, l�aumento del numero di schermi fa male alle mucche (Food, Inc.) che escono dalla zona PTA, ma anche al pseudo "mostrodivoratoredipta" Away we go che ora galleggia nel limbo dei film "wannabe indie" col cartello appeso al collo "Chi sono? Dove vado? Che devo fare?".

Direi che al momento possiamo anche sederci ad aspettare un vero Mostro di PTA della stagione, perch� ancora non s'� visto.

Sempre che i Robot in arrivo non abbiano intenzione di devastare ogni cosa.

Donnie

Bella pe' chi ce l'ha of the Week: The Proposal

Inculata of the Week: Year One

La classifica della MMG War è stata aggiornata alla terza settimana di gioco.

Donnie

I Sell the Dead, la cui uscita era prevista per il 14 agosto, � stato anticipato al 7 agosto.

All Good Things, la cui uscita era prevista per il 24 luglio, � stato spostato a data da destinarsi e quindi rimosso dalla lista dei film disponibili per la MMG War.

Di nuovo una vittoria risicatissima, ma � sufficiente a The Hangover per sodomizzare nuovamente il boxoffice del weekend e portarsi a casa altri 5 punti Top5 e altri 32 milioni e rotti di dollari, che portano il totale ad un rispettabilissimo 104,768 milioni mentre il voto Imdb cala di appena 0.1 punti e il PTA guadagna un altro punto.

The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 � terzo, dietro un indistruttibile Up, con 23 milioni di incasso, 3 punti Top5, zero PTA e un ottimo voto Imdb di 7.1. Dato il prezzo, lo si pu� ritenere una scorreggia che non puzza: non d� fastidio, ma � comunque aria che esce da un culo.

Mentre Nia Vardalos continua a galleggiare come uno stronzo nelle parti basse della classifica (undicesima, con poco meno di due milioni per il weekend e un totale di 6,371 milioni) e Land of the Lost (1 punto Top5, zero PTA, 8,994 milioni di incasso e 5.5 Imdb) si avvia a scomparire nelle nebbie della trishtezza, tra le uscite a distribuzione limitata il nuovo divoratore di PTA si � rivelato essere Food Inc., un documentario sull'alimentazione che far� la felicit� dei vegetariani (ironia della sorte a livelli MONSTRO, qui...) e che ha scopato la faccia a tutte le altre, quotatissime uscite "indie" della settimana: il film delle mucche ottiene 5 punti di PTA, un incasso magro (huhuhuhu) di 60mila dollari ed un bell'8 tondo tondo come voto Imdb; per 9 euro si � rivelato un affare.

Moon incassa pi� del doppio (136mila dollari) del documentario salutista e si mette in tasca anche 4 punti PTA e un voto Imdb di 8.0; sicuramente un buon acquisto.

A deludere parzialmente le aspettative � Tetro, che non va oltre i tre punti PTA e un incasso di 30mila dollari, ma che si riscatta con un potente 8.5 di voto Imdb.

Tra le altre uscite a distribuzione limitata, ben poco da segnalare per quanto riguarda Call of the Wild 3D, che fallisce in ogni campo tranne quello del voto Imdb (7.6), mentre Sex Positive si deve accontentare di un voto barzotto di 6.8 dagli utenti dell'Imdb, zero PTA, zero Top5 e un ridicolo incasso di 3mila dollari e spicci.

Ciliegina sulla torta (di merda) lasciata dalle mucche sulla testa di Away we go (che non si � certo dimostrato essere una nuova Duchessa) � l'inculata maxima of the week: gli stronzi che non hanno imparato nulla da Meet Dave salutino con una salva di rutti Imagine That, che vede come protagonista il re indiscusso delle inculate of the week, Eddie Murphy, che fa sorridere molto con un incasso straccione di appena 5,5milioni, zero PTA, zero Top5 ed un voto Imdb di 5.2.

K-Y Jelly anyone?

Filippo

Bella pe' chi ce l'ha of the Week: The Hangover

Inculata of the Week: Imagine That

La classifica della MMG War è stata aggiornata alla seconda settimana di gioco.

When in Rome � stato spostato al 29 gennaio 2010 e quindi rimosso dalla lista dei film disponibili per la MMG War.

Shorts, la cui uscita era prevista per il 7 agosto, � stato posticipato al 21 agosto.

Questa settimana sar� una bella gara. Le prime tre posizioni sono assolutamente in bilico tra i due campioni della scorsa settimana e la nuova uscita di Tony Scott, l�action movie The taking of Pelham 123.

Voglio credere che la coppia Travolta-Washington riesca a piazzarsi in corsa ma � difficile prevedere chi, tra Taking, Up e The Hangover, possa ottenere il primato.

1�, 2� e 3� posto incerti, dunque, con Taking esordiente, The Hangover in leggera flessione infrasettimanale e Up in grado di tenere il passo.

In coda alla Top5 �I want to believe� che non potr� essere un altro Meet Dave per Eddie Murphy: voglio pensare che questo film avr� una buona resa. Certo, in questo momento dell'anno tutto questo risulter� abbastanza inutile, in quanto non sar� in grado di spazzare via la concorrenza di The Taking of Pelham e dei sempre in corsa Up e The Hangover. Pertanto mi pare abbastanza certo un piazzamento fuori dal podio dei primi 3.

Meet Dave si piazz� 7�, � comunque un passo avanti.

Land of The Lost, infine, scivoler� mestamente in ultima posizione Top 5 (se gli va bene), incamminandosi verso un doloroso tramonto di incassi di merda e oblio, dopo sole due settimane. Un pessimo affare davvero.

Vivace situazione per i punti PTA. I candidati pi� certi dovrebbero essere The Taking of Pelham e Away we go, mentre � abbastanza incerto (data la difficolt� di reperire unanimi informazioni sul numero delle sale in cui verranno rilasciati) l�esito di Tetro, Moon, Food e The Call of the Wild. I lupi in 3D potrebbero stupire, cos� come il film di Coppola, se il mostruoso voto su IMDB � effettivamente il riflesso dell�interesse per questo film (o solo della solita coglionaggine degli utenti).

Le mie previsioni di questo week end, quindi sono:

Donnie

La classifica della MMG War è stata aggiornata alla prima settimana di gioco.

Anche se la vittoria � stata ottenuta per un pugno di dollari, The Hangover vince il weekend con poco meno di 45 milioni rivelandosi un ottimo affare per tutti quelli che l'hanno comprato, che porteranno a casa 5 punti top5, 4 PTA, un ottimo incasso e un voto Imdb temporaneo di ben 8.5, fatto che conferma che i lettori di quel sito sono una massa di teste di cazzo incline ai facilissimi entusiasmi (prendere nota). The Hangover �, anzi, l'unico vero affare del weekend; per tutti gli altri, bruciori di culo: Land of the Lost � terzo per miracolo con un magrissimo incasso di 18,837 milioni, zero punti PTA, 3 punti Top5 e un cacoso 5.6 dagli utenti dell'Imdb, mentre quel cesso di Nia Vardalos arriva nona con un miserabile incasso di 3,223 milioni e un voto di 5.9.

Con un Up pi� che mai a cazzo dritto, un Ben Stiller ancora fumante e uno Star Trek che continua a rompere culi a tutta callara, era inevitabile che qualcuno finisse col farsi male.

Buone notizie per gli omosessuali: Away we Go si porta a casa il migliore punteggio PTA del weekend e un rispettabilissimo 7.6 sull'imdb che aspetta soltanto di essere blastato dalle decine di account multipli di alcuni giocatori disonesti. Seraphine e Unmistaken Child portano a casa qualche puntarello PTA (rispettivamente 2 e 1) e ottimi voti dall'Imdb (7.4 e 8.0); visto il prezzo pagato, nessuno potr� lamentarsi troppo.

Filippo

Bella pe' chi ce l'ha of the Week: The Hangover

Inculata of the Week: Land of the Lost

Box office

1. Up: 40.000.000
2. Land of the Lost: 30.000.000
3. The Hangover: 22.000.000
4. Night at The Museum: 15.000.000
5. Terminator Salvation/Star Trek: 7-8.000.000
6. My life in ruins: 5.000.000

1. Away we go
2. Land of the Lost
3. Tennessee
4. The Hangover

Donnie

Goose on the loose, la cui uscita era prevista per il 21 agosto, � stato spostato a data da destinarsi e quindi rimosso dalla lista dei film disponibili per la MMG War.

It might get loud, la cui uscita era prevista per il 21 agosto, � stato anticipato al 14 agosto.