- Johnny Depp IS Dr. Seuss
- ‘Twilight’ Tuesdays in November
- Now two of last summer’s hits are in the top five box office smashes of all time
- Cinemark may not show ‘Tower Heist’ because Univeral is selling it VOD
- Box office: ‘Real Steel’ will show its mettle, but beware the Ides of…
- Today’s screening: ‘Anonymous’
- Too see this weekend, ‘Ides of March,’ maybe ‘Restless,’ maybe even ‘Real Steel’
- Movie Preview: My Week With Marilyn
Frankly My Dear... |
Posted: 07 Oct 2011 04:33 AM PDT Here’s an odd choice for the lead in a bio-pic of Theodore Geisel, the cartoonist and children’s book author known as Dr. Seuss. Johnny Depp. Maybe it’s just my mental picture of a writer who lived a very long time, who always seemed grandfatherly. But this just seems off. Yeah, he played the author of “Peter Pan,” but J.M. Barrie was closer to Depp’s “a little odd” take on characters. And yes, Geisel started writing very young, he did propaganda films in World War II, and the first animations based on his work came shortly after that. He had years of struggle, and his literary breakthrough, “And To Think I Saw It on Mulberry Street!” came out in 1937. Depp will play Geisel-Seuss in a film for Universal. THR says that “Keith Bunin (In Treatment) has been hired to write the screenplay.” |
‘Twilight’ Tuesdays in November Posted: 07 Oct 2011 04:22 AM PDT The Twilight Saga starts to wind down with the Nov. 18 release of “Breaking Dawn: Part 1.” But for the three Tuesdays preceding it, Summit is re-releasing the first three films in the series, Nov. 1, 8 and 15. |
Now two of last summer’s hits are in the top five box office smashes of all time Posted: 07 Oct 2011 04:10 AM PDT “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2,” has earned over $1.3 billion worldwide, putting it behind only “Avatar” and “Titanic” in the ranks of all-time box office hits. But now “Transformers: Dark of the Moon,” has passed the biggest earning “Lord of the Rings” film for number 4 on that list, over $1.119 billion. “Avatar” sits on top with some $2.7 billion in tickets sold, which is why Disney was willing to license an Avatar Land for its Animal Kingdom attraction. |
Cinemark may not show ‘Tower Heist’ because Univeral is selling it VOD Posted: 07 Oct 2011 04:00 AM PDT As predicted here yesterday, theater chains are not taking the news that Universal wants to shut the release window altogether with its hotly anticipated action comedy “Tower Heist.” Cinemark has said it may not show the film because Universal is testing the waters with an early early EARLY video on demand release of the film in Atlanta and Portland. Universal wants to cash in on a picture everybody will be talking about for a week or two or three, and charge $59.99 in those two cities for cable customers who want to see it at home. Cinemark runs the Festival Bay multiplex here in Orlando. I figured the chains big in Atlanta (Regal, Carmike, AMC, Cobb) would be the first to pull the trigger on that. |
Box office: ‘Real Steel’ will show its mettle, but beware the Ides of… Posted: 07 Oct 2011 03:55 AM PDT Here’s what I know about “Real Steel.” Yeah, I wasn’t nuts about it. A little too close to puerile for my sci-fi tastes. But reviews overall were mixed. And the night I saw it, the audience was REALLY into the digital robot boxing matches. Applause at the finale, the works. And those who love Hugh know Hugh can do no wrong. The guru is picking that one to open at $23 million, and I figure he’s on the low side. It’s been a lean fall for BIG openings, I wonder if we might see $30 million-plus. And I’m not alone. “The Ides of March” is a political picture, which works against it, and another serious Oscar contender, which helps. An all-star cast, another round of Ryan Gosling love in the press, Clooney, Tomei, Hoffman, Giamatti, Evan Rachel Wood, sex and Democrats. It’s very good, getting good reviews. Will it hit? The guru figures $14 million which seems about right. Oddly, while box office guru notes that “Dolphin Tale” will hit $50 million this weekend, and “Moneyball” will add to its total, and that “Lion King in 3D” is winding down, he leaves out thoughts on “Courageous,” the Christian film done by Sherwood Baptist Church and its star struck preachers. It’s still doing business, number four last weekend, number 5 all week long. Will it earn another $5-6 million this weekend? Maybe. |
Today’s screening: ‘Anonymous’ Posted: 06 Oct 2011 11:55 AM PDT It’s about Shakespeare and Queen Liz the first and Burbage and Marlowe and Edward DeVere and Ben Jonson. So a little homework is in order before taking in “Anonymous,” Roland Emmerich’s period piece about who REALLY wrote Shakespeare’s plays. Leave it to a German to blitzkrieg the Bard and the Virgin Queen in one movie. There’s this bit of background to understand. And you need to know something about Edward de Vere, played by Rhys Ifans in the film. The real history of the man leaves nearly the wriggle room that Shakespeare deniers need to shove him into the Bard’s place as author of Shakespeare’s plays and poems. Then, there was Shakespeare’s friend and friendly rival, Ben Jonson. Need to know something of him to get the connection between the actor, Wm. Shakespeare, the “author” and the go between. I’ve read a bit on this subject over the years, been under the influence of college professors on both sides of the debate and yet was most swayed by Michael Wood’s compelling, visually documented connecting the dots of who Shakespeare was, showing us documents in his hand and the like, something Bard-deniers claim don’t exist. Some even say Shakespeare was illiterate, which would make him one HELLUVAN actor, able to learn lines without reading, etc. |
Too see this weekend, ‘Ides of March,’ maybe ‘Restless,’ maybe even ‘Real Steel’ Posted: 06 Oct 2011 06:46 AM PDT George Clooney’s track record as a director is pretty close to spotless, and “The Ides of March,” a lesson in backroom politics in the social media age, is getting good to very good reviews. I thought it lapsed into melodrama, but the dialogue (it’s based on a smart, snarky and savvy play) and performances were spot on. A real contender. Ryan Gosling, Clooney, Giamatti, Tomei, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Evan Rachel Wood and as the presidential candidate’s wife, Jennifer Ehle — all terrific. “Real Steel” features digital robots, a cute smart-mouthed kid, and Wolverine. But it’s by the director of the Steve Martin “Pink Panthers” and “Night at the Museum.” So how good can it be? Mixed reviews for the latest slab of sci-fi to star The Hunk from Oz, Hugh Jackman. Some endorsements, no deep pans. It’s a potential crowd-pleaser, and Hugh, in many minds, can do no wrong. I didn’t buy it. Not all of it, anyway. How is Gus Van Sant’s “Restless” faring with reviewers? “Inspid” one wrote. Mostly negative reviews for that one. I think Mia Wasikowska can do no wrong. It’s not deep, but it has a sweet streak and it avoids sentimentality, despite being about death and dying and love. I prefer Gus Van Sant to Shawn Levy, eight days a week. The Enzian is opening “The Names of Love.” Cute. Edgy. Nude. Sexy. French. Need I say more? |
Movie Preview: My Week With Marilyn Posted: 06 Oct 2011 05:21 AM PDT “My Week With Marilyn” captures a moment in time, an instant in fame. Marilyn Monroe goes to Britain to work with Laurence Olivier on “The Prince and the Showgirl.” The trailer to this period piece promises snark, sex and pathos. “The most famous woman in the world” trapped in her fame, and a young assistant (Eddie Redmayne). And such a cast. Kenneth Branagh, Michelle Williams, Judi Dench, Dominic Cooper, Derek Jacobi, Toby Jones. This looks promising. |
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