Amanda Seyfried stars as the infamous porn star Linda Lovelace in this biopic that premiered at the Sundance film festival in January. It comes out in limited release Aug 9th.
Happy 4th of July!
To find ten great films to celebrate the fourth, head over to the July movie page
TRAILER: "Pacific Rim"
The final trailer for Pacific Rim, out next week on Jul 12th. By the way, if you think this looks like Tranformers-lite, I can pretty much guarantee that it's not. It's from Guillermo Del Toro, the director of Pan's Labyrinth, The Devil's Backbone, and the Hellboy movies. It's definitely going to be something different and unique.
A New Grapes of Wrath?
According to Deadline, Dreamworks Studios and Steven Spielberg are planning to produce a new film version of John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath. The 1940 John Ford film remains a masterpiece though and it's hard to see them outdoing it. One of the reasons the story was so powerful was because it was an encapsulation of what America had experienced during the Great Depression- maybe they ought to do an updated-to-present day version concerning the recent economy instead? At least it would be something different. I can't imagine who'd take over the Henry Fonda role, but I have just one name for the new Ma Joad- Margo Martindale, from Justified and The Americans. Seriously, cast her now.
TRAILER: "Inside Llewyn Davis"
The new Coen Brothers film, about the early 1960's folk scene, out Dec 20th
BOX OFFICE 6/28-6/30: 'Monsters' Tops Again; Bullock and McCarthy Bring the Heat
In new releases this weekend The Heat scored a terrific $40 million, the biggest opening of either Sandra Bullock or Melissa McCarthy's career. The buddy cop movie received an "A-" from crowds and of course played 67% female- seeing as Sandra Bullock's movies have consistently had strong legs, the ultimate gross for this one could be as high as $200 million, depending on next week's drop (and it's the 4th of July with no other female targeted movies out there, so I doubt it's in for a hefty fall). White House Down, on the other hand, only came up with $26 million, which is pretty much a flop, considering it cost $190 million to produce. Unless it holds really strong (which is possible with another A- Cinemascore from audiences) or is saved by overseas numbers, it'll likely end up in the red. The studio is blaming the release of the nearly identical film from two months ago, Olympus Has Fallen, for stealing its thunder, but hey, whose decision was it to move WHD from a November release to June anyway?
TOP 5
- Monsters University- 44.5 million
- The Heat- $40 million
- World War Z- $29. 2 million
- White House Down- $26 million
- Man of Steel- $20.5 million
As for the holdovers, WWZ dropped less than 50% from last week (which may also account for some of WHD's underwhelming performance- too many male targeted action flicks on the market at once) , and Monsters U held on strong enough for #1 a second time. Next up, it's the long 4th of July weekend, where it's just The Lone Ranger set to square off against Despicable Me 2, which leaves a lot of room for the holdovers to keep dominating.
2013 Saturn Awards
The 39th annual Saturn Awards were held last night, where trophies were handed out by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films. Naturally, their top honors go to the movies that get nowhere near the Oscars (the exception being Life of Pi), which is kind of refreshing to see. Check out the TV Home Page to see what they liked in TV this past year as well.
FILM AWARDS
Best Science Fiction Film: The Avengers
Best Fantasy Film: Life of Pi
Best Horror/Thriller Film: The Cabin in the Woods
Best Action/Adventure Film: Skyfall
Best Actor: Matthew McConaughey (Killer Joe)
Best Actress: Jennifer Lawrence (The Hunger Games)
Best Supporting Actor: Clark Gregg (The Avengers)
Best Supporting Actress: Anne Hathaway (The Dark Knight Rises)
Best Young Actor: Suraj Sharma (Life of Pi)
Best Director: Joss Whedon (The Avengers)
Forbes' Most Powerful Actors
According to Forbes, the top earning actor and actress in Hollywood are Hugh Jackman and Angelina Jolie.
TOP 10 ACTORS:
- Hugh Jackman
- Robert Downey, Jr.
- Leonardo Dicaprio
- Channing Tatum
- Dwayne Johnson
- Tom Cruise
- Mark Wahlberg
- Will Smith
- Ben Affleck
- Adam Sandler
TOP 10 ACTRESSES
- Angelina Jolie
- Jennifer Lawrence
- Jennifer Aniston
- Kristen Stewart
- Gwyneth Paltrow
- Meryl Streep
- Emma Stone
- Charlize Theron
- Mila Kunis
- Sandra Bullock
Surprised Brad Pitt isn't on the guy's list, but it mostly reads like the popularity contest it always is- a who's who of who's hot right now.
REVIEW: Man of Steel (2013) Henry Cavill, Amy Adams. Dir. Zack Snyder
I should preface this by confessing that I am not an avid comic book reader of any kind, and I generally do not have a particular devotion to any one superhero. Having said that, if i did have a preference for one, Superman would be the guy. I grew watching the Christopher Reeve movies, then Lois & Clark, then Smallville, and that's a lot of time with one character if you add up the years. There's something about him that I always gravitated towards and always got excited about- maybe it was the romance, the fantasy, the magic in the idea of this perfect, gorgeous, flying man who will always do the right thing and will always be there to save you- i mean if superheroes are going to exist i'd want him to be mine, wouldn't you?
So, i will admit that i do have my own idea of who Superman is and what he should be, but i tried to toss all that aside as i went into this movie, wanting to be open-minded and willing to accept what i knew would be this new, grittier, version of him. And you know what? It still isn't that great.
It does deviate from most people's expectations of the character- this Clark is a brooding, angsty figure, and leaving aside the common complaint from anyone who knows this character at all (the brooding, dark tone works great for Batman, not so much with the fantastical Superman), i think the biggest problem with the whole screenplay is the decision not to introduce Clark Kent as we know him until the last 30 seconds of the film. Can you do a Superman movie without the Clark Kent side of him? I never considered that question before because no one has ever wanted to try it, and as it turns out, for good reason. Without the mild-mannered reporter, the Daily Planet interaction, the relationship with Lois Lane, all those core elements that make up the mythology, it doesn't feel much like a Superman movie, just half of one.
And that half is not established well either. Zack Snyder is a director most known for CG action spectacles like 300 and Watchmen, and he does a pretty straightforward job here (aside from the maddening and unnecessary Shakicam for scenes where people are walking down halls and sitting in rooms- can we PLEASE, for the love of god, stop doing that and be allowed to see what's happening in a scene for once?), but it's clear that his true passion lies purely in creating visual mayhem. If all you ever wanted was to see Superman knocking down buildings and punching people through the sky, you're going to get a nice, full hour of it. It's relentless, mind-numbing, and feels like a video game, which for me is not a compliment. There are so many scenes of people running through the streets and buildings coming down on top of them (highly evocative 9/11 imagery at that, which was odd), that it becomes noticeable Superman is not only causing this destruction, but pointedly not saving people from it. Which, in a Superman film, is kind of the point, or should be. We don't see him rescuing people from everyday incidents, like accidents or minor crimes, the classic feats of heroism he performs to establish himself as the protector of the "people." His introduction to the citizens of Metropolis in this film is to reign destruction down on their city by battling intruders he himself brought there by mistake. Again, it doesn't feel so much like Superman, just an alien invasion movie with a guy fighting them who happens to be wearing a cape.
The script itself is poorly structured from the beginning, which starts off on Krypton in an overly long, flat sequence that sets up the destruction of the planet and Kal-el being shipped off by his parents, but the entire Krytonian universe is like something out of Thor. There are winged, dinosaur like creatures roaming about and people in elaborate headgear reciting over the top pronouncements of doom with such seriousness that it feels like another movie altogether. When we finally get to Earth, it's clear they tried to deviate from the original film by interspersing Clark's aimless, wandering adult life with non-linear flashbacks to his childhood in Smallville, but these flashbacks are often abrupt and intrusive, interrupting the flow of the film in fits and starts.
The last act is of course, the battle between Superman and General Zod, in what's more or less a remake of Superman II (1981), where the three Kryptonians came down to Earth, but again, without yet establishing him as the hero and protector of humans, the action is just mindless spectacle with no emotional impact. The performances are all fine, and Henry Cavill does have one or two good moments in the suit where you wonder whether he might make a pretty formidable Superman if given the material, but no one, not even him, is given much to work with here as far as a character. Poor Lois Lane is watered down to the point of being the exposition fairy, a far cry from the feisty, funny, troublemaking Lois, one of the few female comic book characters actually known for her personality and importance, only to have it stripped away entirely.
Man of Steel is a messy, poorly structured, unsatisfying film in dire need of script rewrites. Let's hope with the introduction of the Daily Planet setup and Clark's dual identity (which is already guaranteed to change the dynamic) the sequel will have the potential to actually feel like a true Superman movie. For now, this is a shoddy, half-hearted attempt.
*
Blu-Ray Pick of the Week: HELP!
Help is out today! Admittedly a silly spy spoof that doesn't match the highs of A Hard Day's Night, but still a must have for any Beatles collection- for the music videos alone, it's awesome.
Flashback: Blackpool, 1965, "Help" sung by my favorite Beatle. John sounds great here, doesn't he?
FIRST LOOK: The Counselor
The first teaser for Ridley Scott's latest. It's got a great cast and written by Cormac McCarthy, so it has potential. Out Oct 25th
BOX OFFICE 6/21-6/23: Monsters Dominate
The two big new releases this week did extraordinarily well, with Pixar's Monsters University scoring $82 million to mark the studio's 14th straight box office topper and their second biggest debut ever, behind just Toy Story 3. The family film should continue to play well with a lack of competition, as it earned an "A" Cinemascore and played 60% under 25 years old. The big surprise was second place though, as the famously troubled production of World War Z had zero effect on its earning power, hauling in a hugely unexpected $66 million. It was helped by decent reviews (71% Rotten Tomatoes) and Brad Pitt's star power, as the film played to 51% women, which is nearly unheard of for an action zombie flick. In fact, it's the biggest opening of Brad Pitt's career, passing Mr. and Mrs. Smith's $50 million bow in 2005.
Top 5:
- Monsters University- $82 million
- World War Z- $66 million
- Man of Steel- $41.2 million
- This is the End- $13 million
- Now You See Me- $7.9 million
In the holdovers, Man of Steel fell a pretty steep 65% since last week but already has $210 million total and should still cross $300 million. Up next week is The Heat, the buddy-cop comedy with Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy, and White House Down, aka Die Hard in the White House, with Channing Tatum and Jamie Foxx.
