“The Help” is a film that pulls off the impressive balancing act of depicting the explosive subject of race and class in the most crowd-pleasing manner possible. Naturally, this means that “The Help” is not a movie that will necessarily challenge you on its subject matter, but most movies that try to come off as crowd-pleasers while using race and class as themes often come off as condescending or sanctimonious. “The Help” manages to dodge these bullets, ultimately winning over the audience with its memorable characters.

Taking place in Jackson, Miss. in the early sixties, the film is about a gal named Skeeter (Emma Stone, going all frizzy blonde) straight out of Ole Miss, who returns to her home in Jackson seeking a job as a writer. Relegated to a simple household cleaning column at the local paper, Skeeter seeks cleaning tips from a maid named Aibileen (Viola Davis), who works for one of her childhood friends. Her experiences with Aibileen causes her to consider the manner in which “the help” are treated in white Mississippi homes, and she looks to pen a book that will show the world from their perspective, in order to kick-start her career as a serious writer.

However, the intricate tentacles of Jackson’s supposedly polite society make this effort difficult, if not flat-out dangerous. The malevolent head of the wicked gossip-kraken is Hilly Holbrook (Bryce Dallas Howard), a potent villainess who reaches Nurse Ratchet-levels of audience scorn.

The skeleton of the story in “The Help” seems like the obnoxious enlightened white person turning a backward society around in a manner they could never have done without them; however, Stone’s Skeeter is hardly the enlightened Jesus-like Jake Sully from “Avatar,” the Caucasian warrior who must save an oppressed ethnicity from whitey’s claws. Such characters exist only in the minds of garden-variety white liberal writers.

Skeeter’s initial objective isn’t to selflessly liberate the oppressed or show her friends and family how horrible they truly are. Her character has a bottom line she sets out to achieve; her method of doing so is a difficult but ultimately positive one that she quickly comes to believe in. In the end, though, the seed of awareness is planted, things are better for Skeeter, but the situation for “the help” is otherwise the same. The insensitivity of the liberal elite is shown through the New York publisher Skeeter is trying to sell her idea to, insisting that she needs to get the book done soon, before, as she puts it, the whole Civil Rights thing blows over.

The rest of the white characters surrounding Skeeter are mostly southern rich-bitch stereotypes, especially during the film’s first act, though a few do gain a bit of nuance by the end, particularly Skeeter’s mother (Allison Janney), who is the source of conflict at home.

The stand-out performances are given by Davis and Octavia Spencer. Spencer’s character is what Donald Bogle refers to as the stereotype of “the mammy,” the large, de-sexualized black woman who doesn’t take shit from anyone. However, she delivers the film’s most memorable (and hilarious) moments with superb skill. Her role is a highlight, alongside Howard’s truly vile gossip queen. Davis’s Aibileen also serves as the film’s narrator, and her quiet performance is ultimately the movie’s standout.

“The Help” isn’t as daring or as interesting an exploration of race in the south during the Civil Rights era as it thinks it is, but my hat is off to it for being a truly entertaining and enjoyable film that hits those topics. The movie gets truly cheap during its final act in how it shamelessly fishes for tears from the audience in a manner that reaches Paul Haggis levels of overt manipulation, but in the end I was moved and entertained, along with everyone else in the theater. As lame as this sounds, it really is the most successful “crowd-pleaser” I’ve seen all year. That’s not to say it’s “the best” of what I’ve seen in 2011 – far from it. However, I can’t imagine people coming out of this one with their arms crossed, granted they’ve checked their cynicism at the door.

Available on Amazon Instant, Blu-ray/DVD/Digital, Blu-ray/DVD combo and DVD

Other Noteworthy Releases

Cowboys & Aliens: Like so many of this summer’s blockbusters, this one was bland and unsatisfying in spite of the great talent in front of and behind the camera.  Head on over to my blog for my full thoughts.

Available on Amazon Instant, Blu-ray, DVD, and a DVD gift set

The Hangover Part II: This sequel to Todd Phillips’s sleeper hit was more of the same in a different setting, though it does have its moments.  Head on over to Parcbench for my full review.

Available on Amazon Instant, Blu-ray/DVD Combo, Blu-ray, and DVD

Mr. Popper’s Penguins: This’ll make a good stocking stuffer for the little ones, or so I’m told.

Available on Amazon Instant, Blu-ray and DVD

The Debt: I don’t know much about this one, apart from the fact that it stars Helen Mirren, Sam Worthington, and the incredibly talented Jessica Chastain (who also appears in “The Help” this week). The premise involves Mossad agents, which makes me wary, as I still suffer from flashbacks to the soapboxy final act of “Munich”.

Available on Blu-ray and DVD

Dragon Tattoo Trilogy – Extended Edition: In anticipation of David Fincher’s remake of “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo”, the acclaimed trilogy gets a dip in a box set.

Available on Blu-ray and DVD

Tora! Tora! Tora!: The anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor is this week, but why bother with the Michael Bay interpretation when you have this film? Akira Kurosawa was originally going to go Hollywood and direct the Japanese segments of this film, but his clashes with the studio caused him to drop out. He was replaced by Kinji Fukasaku (alongside Toshio Matsuda), who is known for directing films like “Battle Royale,” “Battles Without Honor & Humanity,” and the schlock classic “The Green Slime.” Richard Fleischer, the guy who gave us “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea,” directed the American scenes.

Available on Blu-ray

Mystery Science Theater 3000 – Vol. XXII: This box set includes the episodes that cover “Mighty Jack,” “Time of the Apes,” “The Violent Years,” and “The Brute Man.” Speaking of “The Green Slime,” Fukasaku’s B-movie was the very first movie the MST3K crew riffed on in their pilot episode that never aired.

Available on DVD

The Lady Vanishes: Criterion is updating their edition of this Hitchcock classic to Blu-ray.  Naunton Wayne and Basil Radford would reprise their roles as Charters and Caldicott in Carol Reed’s “Night Train to Munich,” also available from Criterion.

Available on Blu-ray

Design for Living: This Ernest Lubitsch comedy starring Gary Cooper, Fredric March, and Miriam Hopkins gets the Criterion treatment.  These old Hollywood comedies have a level of craft and sexiness you don’t see in today’s slacker-dominated comedies.

Available on Blu-ray and DVD

Also, for those of you who like projectile vomiting while working out, this one’s for you.  It may accelerate your weight-loss, albeit in an unhealthy manner.

This post originally appeared over at Parcbench.

I was a bit of a fraidy-cat when I was a kid.  I used to sleepwalk after seeing scary movies, or if that didn’t happen, I would awake-walk into my parents’ room for a hug from Mom.   In order to confront that embarrassing—if amusing—childhood demon, I became a bit of a horror buff.  Hopefully my pain is your gain.

Five Movies to Watch This Halloween

“Return of the Living Dead” (1985)
In this “cult classic,” a group of punk rock-loving teens venture out to pick up a friend from his job at a medical supply shop in Louisville, Kentucky.  When a foreman opens up a military drum that was accidentally sent to the shop—which, oh-by-the-way has an UNDEAD BODY IN IT!!—all zombie-hell breaks loose.

The film is genuinely funny, has a couple of good scares, and a rockin’ soundtrack, but it also injected life into the genre because all the zombies run (fast!) and most of them talk.  Like this one:

Doesn’t she look familiar?  Check out this zombie from “The Walking Dead.”

The B-plot, featuring an Army Colonel on a mysterious, tedious, yet seemingly extremely important mission, is tied up brilliantly in the frightening, apocalyptic conclusion.

But what really puts this film over the top is that it features the best zombie of all time, Tarman.  Gruesome, evil, and with just the right amount of camp, the zombie that first exclaimed “BRRAAAAAIIIIINNNNSS!!” before chowing down on the cerebral cortex of some young punk deserves a place in cinematic lore.

One of the least scary on this list, “Return of the Living Dead” is good for non-horror fans.

“Let the Right One In” (2008)
One of the best vampire films of all time.  It’s a coming-of-age love story—imagine a Swedish pre-teen “Twilight” with a lot less sparkles and a lot more blood-sucking—that has become more relevant today thanks to the left’s obsession with bullying.  Unlike Hollywood celebrities who think whiny PSAs and hate-crime legislation are the ways to snuff out bullies, “Let the Right One In” takes a slightly different approach: fight back with all you have.  I guarantee your jaw hits the floor when the bad guys get their comeuppance.

“Let Me In,” the inappropriately titled American remake, is nearly as good as the original.

“Zombieland” (2009)
Much like how marijuana is a “gateway” drug, “Zombieland” is a gateway horror film.  If you have a significant other who is uneasy with monster movies, show her this to win her over to the genre.  Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg, Emma Stone, and Abigail Breslin journey across America to an amusement park, hilariously slaughtering the undead in the most creative ways possible.  “Zombieland” is the funniest zombie film I’ve ever seen, and unlike “The Walking Dead,” for example, you become emotionally attached to its unique and sympathetic characters.

It also features one of the greatest cameos ever.

“Dawn of the Dead” (2004)
George Romero’s original is perhaps the ultimate zombie director’s best film, but Zack Snyder’s remake may be the scariest living-dead flick.  Though it’s a massive departure from Romero’s classic—Snyder’s version is lighter on social commentary and heavier on gore—the visionary director of “300” and “Watchmen” (and “Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole“) proves there’s clearly more than one way to skin a cat… or reanimate a corpse.

“The Orphanage” (2007)
An ominous, morally sophisticated character study of a woman coping with the sudden disappearance of her young child.  There isn’t much violence beyond a finger being broken in broad daylight (a truly horrifying scene) and there are no cheapo scares, but impeccable direction from first-timer Juan Antonio Bayona, a moving performance from Spanish actress Belén Rueda, and a monstrous boy wearing a gunny-sack mask make “El Orfanato” truly captivating cinema.

***

More Scary Movies of Note

“The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” (1974)
John Nolte’s favorite horror movie, and for good reason.

“28 Days/Weeks Later” (2002/2007)
“28 Days Later” should score points with conservative moviegoers from the very start, when we learn the fastest zombies on two feet are a product of environmental activism gone horribly wrong.  Unfortunately, “Days” squanders that good will in the third act when the military starts trying to rape the women.  The ship is righted with a briskly paced and beautifully shot sequel.  Both are very frightening.

“The Ring” (2002)
The premise of the film sounds gimmicky: teens watch a videotape with a bunch of (really really) creepy images on it, and then they die seven days later.  Stupid… right?  Nuh uh… Start to finish, this is one of the scariest movies ever made.  A never-better Naomi Watts and gorgeously-eerie cinematography make the momentum build to what you think is a satisfying ending, until… what did that creepy little boy just say!?!

“Day of the Dead” (1985)
The third film from the “Godfather of all Zombies” may be a left-wing screed against the military (though a very well done one), but the semi-socialized zombie Bub—who listens to headphones, salutes, and shoots guns—makes “Day” a must-see.  Watch this one after “Return” and let us know whether you think Bub or Tarman is history’s top zombie.

“Gigli“ (2003)
Not a traditional horror film, but this Bennifer vehicle is every bit as ghastly as anything on this list.  There are movies that are so bad that they’re good, there are movies that are so bad that there is no amount of entertainment to be gleaned from them, and then there’s “Gigli.”  Scary.

***

One More to Watch… Any Time

In terms of horror/scary/Halloween movies, “The Exorcist” (1973) is in a class by itself.  Not only is it the scariest movie of all time, it’s a clear articulation of what it means to be a Catholic and the power of faith in God.

More than anything, the story is about Father Damien Karras, a Priest struggling with his own faith, who is called to perform an exorcism on a young girl whose body and mind have been inhabited by a demon.  The demon picked this innocent child to make us despair, and it’s only by overcoming his doubts and putting his full trust in God that Damien is able to triumph over pure evil.

As Christians, all of us question our beliefs periodically, and this portrayal of a priest challenges professors and other left-wing intellectuals who largely consider religious people blind dogmatists.  In fact, I’d argue atheists tend to be much more dogmatic than Christians and Jews because they are more frequently than not unwavering in their denial of God.

“The Exorcist” is vulgar, disgusting, and unrelentingly terrifying, and it’s also one of the greatest stories of faith and sacrifice ever portrayed on film.

That’s why any day of the year is an excellent day for an exorcism.

Happy Halloween!

Saturday I got home and caught up on my personal life. So, yesterday, I had some time to kill and thought I would see “The Help.” After all, it has been doing incredible business and being a producer, I figured I had better see it. I had no interest in the material and thought I was going to end up seeing a typical liberal-slant Hollywood film about the mistreatment of blacks in this country.

—–

Boy was I surprised when I left the theater. ”The Help,” at this point, is the Best Picture of the Year and should be nominated by the Academy and every other major organization. In fact, there is nothing even close to the quality of this film released thus far this year.

Taking a book about pre-civil rights south and converting it into a movie that would appeal to the masses is difficult at best. However, when you factor the chick flick factor into this one, it becomes almost impossible. Well, writer/director Tate Taylor has succeeded on a grand scale. He has taken a best-selling novel about southern mores during the early 1960s during the beginning of the civil rights movement and turned it into a four quadrant movie. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if this film tops 200 million in domestic box office before its run is finished.

And, to make Taylor’s accomplishment even more unbelievable, Taylor is not known as a writer/director. In fact, this is his second feature; the first being a relatively unknown film. The remainder of his career to date has been as a bit-part actor. Let’s just say he will have no problem getting his next feature financed with an “A” list cast.

Emma Stone has secured her place as a full-fledged movie star with this one. In it, she plays “Skeeter” Phelan, the Junior League member with a heart. Skeeter, like all southern aristocracy in the 1950s was not raised by her parents; she was raised by her black maid. Her maid, Constantine, portrayed by 1970s star Cicely Tyson (Sounder) in a memorable cameo, instills all of the morals and self-esteem into Skeeter that her biological mother does not. In fact, her biological mother is only concerned that her ugly daughter find a spouse, which is what we are told all, Ole Miss, graduates from that era are supposed to do.

This pattern develops with all of the black maids in Jackson, Mississippi. The biological mothers are too busy with their social standing and “do-gooding” to care about their own children. And, the black maids take over the job and do a damn good excellent job of it. However, the movie fails to explain how the majority of the white children raised by black maids turn into racists; which is what most of Skeeter’s friends have become.

***SPOILERS COMING***

The two maids who form the center of the story, Abileen and Minnie, are portrayed by relatively unknowns who also give Oscar-caliber performances. They never lose their character as they show the trials and tribulations of living in the Deep South prior to the civil rights movement. Abileen and Minnie show their love and compassion for the white children they are raising whilst they are continually being mistreated by their employers. Both of them live hard lives, but do not throw in the towel. Their inner-strength shows in every scene.

Bryce Dallas Howard appears almost unrecognizable as the antagonist of the film. She is Junior League president Hilly. She is also a bitter racist bitch who, in the end, is beaten by Minnie and Abileen because of her own hubris. It is her southern pride that does her in with both “The Help” and her mother (Sissy Spacek).

Getting to the ending is a joy from the beginning. I did not feel bored at all and did not even doze off. Everything about the movie worked, including the detail in the production design. The entire film reminded me of this period of my youth. From the “Charles Chips” containers in the kitchens to the black and white TVs which showed images of Civil Rights leaders and the assassination of John F. Kennedy. Every detail was excellent.

And, most importantly, it was the portrayal of the black life in the 1960s that was excellent. Not once did I feel I was being manipulated emotionally. Not once did I feel I was being used to help propel a liberal agenda. The entire time I was sitting in the theater, I felt I was just witnessing the lives of these people; both the good and the bad from both races. In this way, “The Help” was more fair and balanced than most of the mainstream media is these days; and that my readers is a good thing

—–

Dan Fogelman, who previously wrote the delightful “Tangled,” penned this new film and balances several different romantic relationships in it. The main romantic relationship is the one between Cal and Emily, who talk past each other instead of talking to one another. When the couple eventually separates,  Cal starts spending his time at bars complaining about his failed marriage.

Jacob (Ryan Gosling), a smooth-talking ladies man, eventually takes him under his wing and gives Cal a much-needed makeover. Jacob teaches Cal the rules of picking up women but inevitably begins falling in love with a girl himself. Jacob’s relationship with Hannah (Emma Stone), the girl that he develops feelings for, is the other main romantic relationship that is explored in depth in “Love.” A third relationship, between Cal and Emily’s son and his babysitter, is also focused on in this film about the highs and lows of being in love.

The cast here is exceptional but unlike previous films like “Red Riding Hood” where the cast was mostly wasted, each character in “Crazy, Stupid, Love” is given something to do and has a real character to create. The four main leads (Carrell, Gosling, Moore and Stone) each have strong roles. Kevin Bacon, as Emily’s coworker who had an affair with her, does a decent job in a supporting role but his character only seems to exist to stand in the way of Cal and Emily. On the other hand, Marissa Tomei has a great supporting role as one of the women that Cal meets in a bar and she nearly steals the show in a series of funny scenes.

There are a couple of specific scenes in “Love” that make the relationships stand out so well as compared to other romantic comedies today. One scene features Cal and Emily preparing for a meeting with one of their son’s professors. There’s an easy flow to their conversation and a charm to it and it’s easy to see from their conversation why the couple fell in love years earlier. Jacob’s relationship with Hannah (Stone) is established well when Hannah visits his house and asks him about the tricks of being a ladies’ man. In both scenes, the dialogue is well-constructed and helps show these four characters as fully-realized beings with flaws, insecurities and charm.

Early on in the story, it’s easy to question where “Crazy, Stupid, Love” is heading but everything eventually comes together leading to a satisfying third act. “Crazy, Stupid, Love” easily stands high above most of the other bland and easily forgettable romantic comedies released this year. It is a must-see.

The quote above comes from the first page of Kathryn Stockett’s bestselling novel “The Help,” which tells the story of a group of black maids who worked in Jackson, Mississippi in the early 1960’s. These maids, who are often mistreated by their female employers,  eventually decide to talk about their work experiences to a young author who is compiling a book about them. Stockett’s novel has now been adapted into a movie and I recently had the opportunity to participate in a group interview with director Tate Taylor and actress Octavia Spencer about their new film, “The Help.”

Taylor, who is great friends with Stockett, talked about one of the main reasons that he enjoyed her manuscript and wanted to make it into a film. After noting that his single mother brought in someone to help raise him, Taylor added that he loved the idea of exploring the personal lives of maids and caretakers who help take care of other people’s children. Oftentimes, he said,  “a lot of African-American characters are just one-dimensional. They just help to serve information.” However,  in this film, the lives of these African-American maids are explored in depth and the characters are fully-realized individuals.

The story of the book itself is quite impressive. After being rejected dozens of times, it was finally published and became a national bestseller. Taylor was an early believer in the story and told me that he had “the rights to [Stockett's] book before she even had an agent or a publisher so we thought we were going off to make an independent film based on my friend’s unpublishable manuscript.”

Now, that “unpublishable manuscript” has become a great success and spawned a movie starring acclaimed actresses like Viola Davis, Cicely Tyson and Sissy Spacek.  When I asked Spencer why the story has resonated so strongly with audiences nationwide, she said that there were a couple of reasons behind it.  “The story’s told from a perspective that hasn’t been seen,” she said before adding that “the characters are so relatable” that people can find at least one character to relate to. Thirdly, she said that the story succeeded because  the  “themes are really really profound.” She added that the story is “about empowerment. It’s about finding your voice. It’s about being a hero of your own life. All of those things, I think, are transcendent of the time period…”

Interestingly enough, the book and the film have faced some controversies. One controversy arose because the book was written by a white woman who often writes from the perspective of black maids and another controversy arose because a white woman in the story serves as the voice for black maids, who aren’t able to tell their stories themselves. Like some of its critics, Spencer admitted that she originally had some trepidations about the story. Early on, she said that she “was ready to have a problem with this project” but after reading it, she “was pleasantly surprised and really in awe of  Kathryn because she took a great risk in telling this story.” Spencer added that Stockett was “always going to catch flak because she’s a white girl” writing a story from an African-American’s perspective.

In our interview, Spencer and Taylor also talked about the early reactions they’ve received after screening the film. Taylor noted that many audiences have been pleased because the film isn’t simply a history of the leaders of the civil rights era. As Taylor said, the story is “about everyday people” living in a certain time period and dealing with the realities of that period.

As Spencer said so well, “The Help” is a story about a lot of things including “empowerment” and people “becoming heroes in their own lives.” As someone who has read the novel and seen the movie, I can attest that this is a story worth reading and worth seeing at a theater near you.

“The Help” opens in theatres today.

folif

Just as Amy Heckerling’s charming and timeless “Clueless” (1995) set Jane Austen’s “Emma” in a modern-day California high school and populated it with Valley Girls, “Easy A” is a much less successful comedic attempt to update “The Scarlett Letter.” And we know this because the movie Won’t. Stop. Telling. Us. This. In fact, as though it were a theme, the desperate act of self-referentialism is a constant presence. Worse still, you would think most everyone was aware that the first rule of smart films about teen angst is to Never Reference John Hughes. But this is not a smart film.

Like a more intelligent but less-damaged Lindsay Lohan, Emma Stone brings her considerable screen presence and phone-sex voice to the character of Olive, an “invisible girl” at an Ojai, California high school. Though she’s still a virgin, in a moment of weakness Olive makes up a story about a weekend spent with a college boy to impress her less-virginal friend, Rhiannon (Alyson Michalka). The sex-tastic fable is unfortunately overheard by Marianne (Amanda Bynes), the leader of a group of mean-spirited, evangelical Jesus freaks who hate loose women and gays (but this is a Hollywood film, so therefore I repeat myself — MEMO TO GUTLESS LIBERAL FILMMAKERS: right here) and within days Invisible Girl becomes School Skank.

Most of Olive’s problems are self-inflicted, however. Both good-hearted and practical, for the price of a gift card, she starts to prostitute her reputation to help wayward boys boost their school rep through a sexual conquest. Though she refuses to actually do the deed with any of them, she does agree to confirm it happened. This slippery slope of skankery eventually takes on a life of its own and for whatever reason the filmmakers think they’re making some sort of Important Social Statement by having Olive revel in her infamy (though she does come to regret the lying). After a predictable montage involving new clothes, there’s a predictable slo-mo moment predictably set to a badass rock song where Olive predictably struts down the school hall to part the waters of teenage boys predictably gawking and teenage girls predictably sneering. Yeah, it’s one of those movies.

Just as predictably, there’s a one-dimensionally dull gay best friend, and he is just so damned wonderful and kind and decent and awesome you really start to kinda wish you were gay. Even worse are Olive’s parents. Though portrayed by two very good actors (Stanley Tucci and Patricia Clarkson), they never rise above glib and cutesy, and naturally they’re always wonderfully supportive of “their daughter’s choices,” even if it might mean a trip to the Free Clinic. Eventually both will confess to their own slutty backgrounds (including much experimentation in the awesomeness that is gayness), and you can be sure that the moral of those stories has nothing to do with calling social services to save poor Olive from the psychological scarring that normally follows parental over-share.

As a literature teacher married to guidance counselor Lisa Kudrow, only Thomas Haden Church is able to deliver the film’s sole moments of human connection and warmth. Though his dialogue is as irony-laden as everyone else’s, the actor seems determined to rebel against the film self-conscious shallowness and therefore walks away unscathed. Oddly, though, his students don’t look that much younger than him.

For a film so shamelessly desperate to be seen as the 2010 incarnation of John Hughes, the filmmakers might have considered taking the time to crack the Hughes’ code. The universal and timeless appeal of the great man’s film canon has nothing to do with slang, fashion, soundtrack or any other time capsule element. Though he had many talents, what sets him so far apart from those whose names we’ve already forgotten came from a desire to dig deep into the characterizations of familiar archetypes and below the cliche until their humanity was unearthed. Whether it was the nerd, jock, prom queen, football star, Cousin Eddie, or Ferris Bueller’s sister, Hughes never did to them what “Easy A” cruelly and lazily does to anyone who dares hold a religious belief. My lawnmower has more in common with John Hughes than “Easy A.”

Clichéd, dull, and more impressed with itself than George Clooney clutching an undeserved Oscar, “Easy A” is yet another cowardly Hollywood exercise in insufferable political correctness and Exhibit A in the ongoing study proving that while nihilism might be the societal goal of the Hollywood degenerate, as a theme it always makes for one forgettable movie.

UPDATE: Changed “Olivia to “Olive.”

A shiny new Enterprise is luring in a new generation of STAR TREK fans

J.J. Abrams is officially the Lazarus of movie directors as his all-new Star Trek has gone “Boldly Gone Where No Star Trek Movie has Gone Before.” With a cast of relative unknowns, the 42-year-old has resurrected a franchise that had been killed by insular “nerdyness” and timid imagination. The Gene Rodenberry creation didn’t so much bomb as it died slowly over a period of years. First, the 2002 movie Star Trek: Nemesis starring the Next Generation cast disappointed with a meager $43.3M domestic. Then, the final TV series Enterprise, which starred Scott Bakula, was not embraced by core fans or broader audiences and was canceled after four seasons, ending May 13, 2005.

Director J.J. Abrams will definitely "Live long and prosper"

Now riding a staggering 96% Fresh score on Rotten Tomatoes – that’s 96% of America’s movie critics issuing positive reviews – The Enterprise is riding high again thanks to the creator of TV hits Alias and Lost. Try getting 96% of any group to agree on anything. It’s no small feat. Compare Star Trek’s RT score against the ratings for the last 5 Best Picture winners.

STAR TREK has better reviews than Oscars darling SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE

ROTTEN TOMATOES SCORES FOR THE LAST 5 OSCAR WINNERS
2004 – Million Dollar Baby – 91% Fresh
2005 – Crash – 75% Fresh
2006 – The Departed – 92% Fresh
2007 – No Country For Old Men – 94% Fresh
2008 – Slumdog Millionaire – 94% Fresh

The original STAR TREK cast (above) with the next generation of franchise stars

With the ringing endorsement of tough-to-please critics, Star Trek hit warp speed at the box office last night with lightly-promoted preview screenings starting at 7pm. The impeccably-reviewed feature film seized an estimated $7M or so in Thursday night ticket sales. The idea may have been to get some of the hardcore Trekkies and Trekkers out of the way, clearing multiplexes for mainstream movie audiences today, and they have showed up in massive numbers.

William Shatner (left) with Captain Kirk 2.0 Chris Pine

With Chris Pine (Bottle Shock) in the legendary role of Captain Kirk and Zachary Quinto (NBC’s Heroes) wearing the pointy ears made famous by Leonard Nimoy, Star Trek has soared to a history-making $26M on its official opening day according to multiple studio execs, double the previous-best opening day for any movie in the franchise. That means in the first 29 hours of general release, the re-imagined sci-fi blockbuster has delivered an estimated $33M.

STAR TREK: FIRST CONTACT had the previous-best opening day in franchise history

ALL-TIME TOP 5 OPENING DAYS FOR STAR TREK MOVIES
1. Star Trek (2009) – $26M [$33M in its first 29 hours]
2. Star Trek: First Contact (1996) – $13M
3. Star Trek: Generations (1994) – $9.7M
4. Star Trek: Insurrection (1998) – $9.5M
5. Star Trek: Nemesis (2002) – $7.7M

How will the weekend play out? The Thursday night preview screenings will probably make Star Trek a bit less front-loaded. In fact, I’m guessing that, based on word-of-mouth and its family-friendly PG-13 rating, my sources believe that the movie could get a 5% boost on Saturday to a possible $27.3M, followed by an aggressive Mother’s Day drop of 40% on Sunday. That would mean a 4-day gross of almost $77M or so.

The great news for Paramount and Abrams and Pine and Quinto and the rest of the cast is that Star Trek will almost certainly have the best legs of any of this summer’s major tent-pole movies. Rank-and-file moviegoers are likely to discover Star Trek for the first time in coming weeks or, now that Trek is cool again, it may rekindle interest with core fans who rejected the most recent incarnations.

STAR TREK could have "legs" like BATMAN BEGINS

It will not be a surprise to see Star Trek sail past $200M. After all, 2005’s Batman Begins performed that way. The Christopher Nolan Batman reboot opened on a Wednesday with $15M and had banked $72.9M in 5 days. Based on that movie’s Friday-thru-Sunday of $48.7M, the first Batman movie in 8 years reached its $205M domestic total at a 4.2 multiple (4.2 X $48.7 got Nolan’s original to $205M). Anticipating a 4.2 multiple for Star Trek is probably overreaching, but a 3.4-3.5 multiple is possible. That would propel Abrams and company to well past $200M.

Competing studio execs  tell me that X-Men Origins: Wolverine (Fox) took a big tumble as expected. The Hugh Jackman X-Men spin-off only mustered $9.15M or so on its second Friday, but it will still likely top $27.95M for the weekend, down about 67%. Meanwhile, Ghosts of Girlfriends Past (Warner Bros) coaxed about $3M to start the frame, and it will likely be helped by Mother’s Day, grabbing a possible $10M, down a mere 35% from last weekend.

Beyonce continues to sell tickets in OBSESSED

Obsessed, the low budget sizzler from Sony Screen Gems, continues to outperform its low expectations with $2M on Friday, which pushes the Beyonce catfight flick past $50M. The thriller should finish the 3-day with about $6.25M and a spectacular $55.89M by Monday.

The urban-geared comedy Next Day Air (Summit) got off to a disappointing start with just $1.25M (likely #5 for the day), and it will drift down the top ten to #6 for the weekend with a meager $4.1M or so from its thousand or so playdates.

The Zac Efron comedy 17 Again (Warner Bros) will likely spend another weekend in the top five with about $1.15M on Friday and about $4.5M for 3 days. That will give the Efron vehicle a new domestic cume of about $54.26M.

EXCLUSIVE STEVE MASON EARLY FRIDAY ESTIMATES
1. NEW – Star Trek (Paramount) – $26M, $6,755 PTA, $33M
2. X-Men Origins: Wolverine (Fox) – $9.15M, $2,231 PTA, $111.77M cume
3. Ghosts of Girlfriends Past (Warner Bros) – $3.05M, $961 PTA, $22.84M
4. Obsessed (Sony) – $2M, $769 PTA, $51.64M cume
5. NEW – Next Day Air (Summit) – $1.25M, $1,098 PTA, $1.25M  cume
6. 17 Again (Warner Bros) – $1.15M, $396 PTA, $50.91M cume
7. The Soloist (Dreamworks/Paramount) – $1M, $478 PTA, $20.89M cume
8. Monsters vs. Aliens (Dreamworks/Paramount) – $847,000, $388 PTA, $184.36M cume
9. Earth (Disney) – $697,000, $389 PTA, $24.29M cume
10. Hannah Montana: The Movie (Disney) – $690,000, $300 PTA, $72.35M cume

EXCLUSIVE STEVE MASON EARLY 3-DAY ESTIMATES
1. NEW – Star Trek (Paramount) – $69.68M, $18,103 PTA, $76.68M
2. X-Men Origins: Wolverine (Fox) – $27.95M, $6,814 PTA, $130.57M cume
3. Ghosts of Girlfriends Past (Warner Bros) – $10.06M, $3,170 PTA, $29.86M
4. Obsessed (Sony) – $6.25M, $2,402 PTA, $55.89M cume
5. 17 Again (Warner Bros) – $4.5M, $1,550 PTA, $54.26M cume
6. NEW – Next Day Air (Summit) – $4.1M, $3,603 PTA, $4.1M  cume
7. The Soloist (Dreamworks/Paramount) – $3.6M, $1,722 PTA, $23.49M cume
8. Monsters vs. Aliens (Dreamworks/Paramount) – $3.55M, $1,625 PTA, $187.06M cume
9. Hannah Montana: The Movie (Disney) – $2.62M, $1,140 PTA, $74.29M cume
10. Earth (Disney) – $2.44M, $1,361 PTA, $26.03M cume

Steve Mason is on Facebook and now also on Twitter@LAMase.

William Shatner (left) with Captain Kirk 2.0 Chris Pine

Keep in mind that Paramount never changed its Star Trek marketing to promote the 7pm Thursday start, so the opening night audience was likely heavy on Trekkers or Trekkies (not sure which term is “politically correct” anymore). So this was a “soft” opening and what amounts to a night of word-of-mouth screenings. Keep in mind that Transformers premiered during the summer when kids are more available while Star Trek has made its premiere during the school year.

The reviews are through-the-roof at 96% Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes, and, as a topic, Star Trek is trending at #1 on Twitter. The reviews in the Twitterverse are just as positive.

just got back from seeing Star Trek. I am not typically a fan of sci-fi, but I really liked this movie.

Star Trek was surprisingly good, and even Star Trek newbies like myself could enjoy it.

I saw the new Star Trek last night with my son, who just turned 7. It was great; we both loved it. Next gen of Trekies/SciFi buffs is born.

I’m still pumped up from having seen Star Trek. Looking forward to seeing it tomorrow and Sunday [diff. grps].

still thinkin’ of how f*****’ awesome Star Trek was. now wanting a phaser to set from “stun” to “kill”

Go see star trek immediately. Incredible!

The new Star Trek movie was great when I went in with low expectations. It is what Nemesis was trying to accomplish and succeeded much …

for those of you who were curious. Star Trek rocked my FACE OFF. It was Shamazing! <3 Spok…*droooool*

Star Trek is fresh, funny, exciting and – biggest surprise of all – emotionally engaging.

Now the question is, “How high will The Enterprise fly on its opening day?” Seems like $20M is a lock, but it could be bigger. If the movie does $20M today, the 4-day should be $63M-$65M. $22M or better should send this spectacularly-reviewed blockbuster past $70M. If the day is $25M or better, the number for the opening 4 days could start with an 8.

I’ll be online with my Exclusive Early Friday & 3-Day Estimates as early as humanly possible tonight (Friday).

Steve Mason is on Facebook and now also on Twitter@LAMase.

As of Wednesday night, Star Trek is cruising with 94% Fresh (positive) reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, and critics are slinging some seriously glowing hyperbole.

“Paced at warp speed with spectacular action sequences rendered brilliantly and with a cast so expert that all the familiar characters are instantly identifiable, the film gives Paramount Pictures a new lease of life on its franchise.”
– Ray Bennett, HOLLYWOOD REPORTER

“It’s an exciting, stellar-yet-earthy blast that successfully blends the hip and the classic.”
– Joe Neumaier, NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

“Trading on affections sustained over 40 years of popular culture, STAR TREK does what a franchise reboot rarely does. It reminds us why we loved these characters in the first place.”
– Ty Burr, BOSTON GLOBE

“Blasting onto the screen at warp speed and remaining there for two hours, the new and improved STAR TREK will transport fans to sci-fi nirvana.”
– Todd McCarthy, VARIETY

LOST and ALIAS creator J.J. Abrams has successfully rebooted STAR TREK

Let’s be honest. Prior to what, by all accounts, is Abrams’ full-on Lazarus-style resurrection of Kirk, Spock and The Enterprise, Star Trek was dead. Worse than dead, it has been considered “uncool.” That’s what Paramount is fighting in the marketplace, and realistically, even in its peak as a movie franchise, it wasn’t a powerhouse.

The biggest opening weekend for a Star Trek movie was 1996’s Star Trek: First Contact with $30.7M and the top grossing title ever was Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (with that ridiculous humpback whale storyline), which surpassed $109M. Consider this. Here are the top five opening days for movies in the Star Trek franchise.

ALL-TIME TOP 5 OPENING DAYS FOR STAR TREK MOVIES
1. Star Trek: First Contact (1996) – $13M
2. Star Trek: Generations (1994) – $9.7M
3. Star Trek: Insurrection (1998) – $9.5M
4. Star Trek: Nemesis (2002) – $7.7M
5. Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986) – $7M

Erik Estrada as Ponch & Larry Wilcox as Jon Baker with Chris Pine's dad Robert, who played Sgt. Joe Getraer

When journeyman actor Robert Pine, best known for playing Sgt. Joe Getraer on the late 70’s TV hit ChiPs, appeared as an Akritirian Ambassador named Liria on the series Star Trek Voyager (the TV series with Kate Mulgrew as Captain), he could have never imagined that his son Chris would someday play Captain Kirk, but the 28-year-old is now in the Trek’s most pivotal role. He was excellent in a little movie called Bottle Shock last year, but aside from that, and roles in The Princess Diaries 2 and Smokin’ Aces, he is basically an unknown.

Original Gene Rodenberry STAR TREK television cast above and Abrams' 2009 casting choices below

In fact, the new Star Trek is filled with actors who are more-or-less unknown. Simon Pegg, the brilliant UK star of Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz and cast as the colorful Scotty here, is probably the biggest name in the cast along with John Cho from the Harold & Kumar movies, playing Sulu. But these are all talented actors who will wear well as the franchise turns into a steady hit machine for Paramount. Fans of NBC’s Heroes already know Zachary Quinto who gets to don Spock’s pointy ears and Chekov is being portrayed by one of my favorite young actors, 20-year-old Anton Yelchin, who was heartbreaking in the gritty Alpha Dog and showed a lighter touch in Charlie Bartlett. Trekkers are also likely to take to the sexy Zoe Saldana (Drumline, Guess Who?) who steps into Nichelle Nichols’ shoes as Uhura and will appear in James Cameron’s long-awaited Avatar at the end of the year.

The appropriate movie to look to for box office guidance is 2005’s Batman Begins. Great filmmaker (Christopher Nolan), spectacular reviews, but the franchise was dead and uncool after 1997’s ridiculous Batman & Robin. The reboot 8 years later opened on a Wednesday with $15M and had banked $72.9M in 5 days (the Friday-thru-Sunday was $48.7M). That lays the groundwork for an accurate prediction for Star Trek.

My bet is on a possible $65M for 4 days. With Thursday preview screenings starting at 7pm, Star Trek could snag as much as $8M on Thursday night (the Trekkers will be out in full force). Then Friday could be something in the $20.5M range with a slight uptick of 5% on Saturday to a possible $21.6M followed by a standard 30% Sunday drop to about $15M.

Once audiences realize that Star Trek is light year better than previous movies in the franchise (and last weekend’s Wolverine), the picture will play and play and play. I think that, of all of the major studio releases this summer, Star Trek may have the “longest legs.” If the movie opens within 5% of my number or bigger, the multiple (the number by which you multiply the opening weekend in order to arrive at the final domestic gross) could be 3.4-3.5, which would push J.J. Abrams reinvented Rodenberry opus to something in the $220M-$230M range.

I am anticipating a steep drop of 65%-70% for X-Men Origins: Wolverine, and producer/star Hugh Jackman will be forced to settle for a second weekend of $27M-$30M. That would still be a nifty 10-day gross of $130M or so.

Finally, Next Day Air (Summit), a low budget, R-rated urban comedy starring Donald Faison (Scrubs), Mike Epps (Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins), Wood Harris (The Wire) and Mos Def (Cadillac Records), will open in the shadow of the retooled U.S.S. Enterprise and is unlikely to wrap up the weekend with any more than $6M.

FINAL PREDICTIONS FOR THE WEEKEND OF MAY 8-10
1. NEW – Star Trek (Paramount) – $65M (includes Thursday previews)
2. X-Men Origins: Wolverine (Fox) – $30.6M
3. Ghosts of Girlfriends Past (Warner Bros) – $8.8M
4. Obsessed (Sony) – $6.7M
5. NEW – Next Day Air (Summit) – $6M
6. 17 Again (Warner Bros) – $3.8M
7. Monsters vs. Aliens (Dreamworks/Paramount) – $3.7M
8. The Soloist (Dreamworks/Paramount) – $3.3M
9. Hannah Montana The Movie (Disney) – $2.6M
10. Earth (Disney) – $2.4M

Steve Mason is on Facebook and now also on Twitter@LAMase.

Then in July of 2007, New Line grabbed an almost identical $27.47M with the opening weekend of the female-skewing Hairspray, translating to $118.87M domestic. Also Enchanted, starring Amy Adams, was a hit for Disney over the holidays reaching $127.8M domestic.

In 2008 the game changed forever as women began flexing their box office muscle in a big way. 27 Dresses (Fox), starring Katherine Heigl from Grey’s Anatomy, debuted to $23M in January on its way to a domestic cume of $76.8M. Then came the Digital 3D phenomenon Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds (Disney), which enjoyed a meteoric $31.1M opening 3-day, finishing with a tween-fueled $65.2M. The all-girl comedy Baby Mama (Universal), starring Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, came along in the spring with a nifty $17.4M opening, finishing at $60M.

Then the all female Fantastic Four”  landed – Sarah Jessica Parker, Cynthia Nixon, Kim Cattrall and Kristin Davis – in mega-hit Sex & The City. After a mind-boggling $57M opening weekend, the HBO-to-big screen adaptation kept selling tickets to the tune of $152.2M in the US, becoming 2008’s eleventh-best grossing movie.

In fact, you can make a strong argument that 2008 releases Twilight ($187.9M cume), Mamma Mia ($144.1M cume), Beverly Hills Chihuahua ($94.5M cume) and High School Musical 3 ($90.5M cume) were also chick flick hits. Here’s a complete list of last year’s biggest female-skewing movies.

The cast of TWILIGHT

TOP GROSSING CHICK FLICKS OF 2008
Twilight – $187.9M cume
Sex & the City – $152.6M cume
Mamma Mia! – $144.1M cume
Beverly Hills Chihuahua – $95.5M cume
High School Musical 3: Senior Year – $90.5M cume
27 Dresses – $76.8M cume
Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds – $65.2M cume
Baby Mama – $60.5M cume
The House Bunny – $48,2M cume
Made of Honor – $46M cume
Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 – $44M cume
The Secret Life of Bees – $37.7M cume
Definitely Maybe – $32.2M cume
The Other Boleyn Girl – $26.8M cume
TOTAL 2009 GROSS – $1.14 billion cume

Ginnifer Goodwin, Jennifer Anniston and Jennifer Connolly in HE'S JUST NOT THAT INTO YOU

The first chick flick out of the gates in 2009 was the Kate Hudson-produced Bride Wars (Fox), which should finish its US theatrical engagements with about $60M. He’s Just Not That Into You (Warner Bros), based on the bestseller co-written by Sex & the City writers Greg Behrendt and Liz Tuccillo, is holding up extraordinarily well in its second weekend. I am projecting a #2 finish for the 4-day with a possible $23.9M and a new cume just shy of $60M. Meanwhile, Confessions of a Shopaholic, one of this week’s wide openings, seems destined for $20M or so by Tuesday morning.

When all is said and done, 2009 could be an even bigger year for female-geared releases. Here’s how the remainder of the year lays out.

February 20 – Fired Up (Sony)
Two popular high school guys quit football to join the cheerleading team.

February 27 – Jonas Brothers: The 3D Concert (Disney)
The title says it all. Every tween girl in America will see it at least once.

March 20 – Sunshine Cleaning (Overture)
Amy Adams (Enchanted) and Emily Blunt (The Devil Wears Prada) star in this Grand Jury Prize nominee from last year’s Sundance Film Festival.

March 27 – The Accidental Husband (Yari Film Group)
Uma Thurman stars as a radio talk show host who dishes out relationship advice.

April 8 – Hannah Montana: The Movie (Disney)
The world’s biggest teen star is back on the big screen.

May 1 – Ghosts of Girlfriends Past (Warner Bros)
Matthew McConaughey stars as a bachelor who contends with past girlfriends at his brothers wedding. Also starring Jennifer Garner (Catch & Release), Lacey Chabert (Party of Five), Emma Stone (The House Bunny) and pop star Christina Milian.

May 8 – My Life in Ruins (Fox)
Nia Vardallos (My Big Fat Greek Wedding) stars in a romantic yarn set in Greece.

May 8 – Wild Child (Universal)
Emma Watson from Nancy Drew and Hotel for Dogs plays a Malibu princess who must adjust when she is sent to boarding school.

June 12 – The Proposal (Disney)
Rom-com starring Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds.

July 10 - I Love You Beth Cooper (Fox)
Hayden Panettiere (Heroes) shows the nerdy valedictorian of her high school class the night of his life.

Gerard Butler and Katherine Heigl on the set of THE UGLY TRUTH

July 31 – The Ugly Truth (Sony) – Katherine Heigl and Gerard Butler star as television morning show workers who test their relationship theories (and, just a hunch, fall in love).

August 7 – Julie & Julia (Sony)
Nora Ephron is writer/director of this movie based on a Julia Child memoir and starring Meryl Streep as the famed TV chef.

September 25 – Fame (MGM)
A remake of the 1980 film about a New York High School for the Performing Arts.

November 20 – New Moon (Summit)
The sequel to 2008’s mega-hit Twilight.

2-time Oscar winner Daniel Day Lewis and Penelope Cruz in a scene from NINE

November 25 – Nine (Weinstein)
Chicago director Rob Marshall adapts the Tony Award winning Broadway musical starring Oscar winners Daniel Day-Lewis, Judi Dench, Nicole Kidman, Marion Cotillard and Sophia Loren and Academy Award nominees Penelope Cruz and Kate Hudson.

Untitled Nancy Myers Project – December 25
The writer/director behind such chick flicks as Baby Boom and Something’s Gotta Give is set to star Meryl Streep, Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin.

Steve Mason is on Facebook and now also on Twitter.