Last week saw Sensei’s streak extend to 11 straight weeks. That streak faces a serious test this Super Bowl weekend. If you need a laugh before the big game, we’ve collected Master Iron Fist’s funniest photo captions from 2011:

Speaking of the big game, this weekend’s predictions and revenue results go as follows:

1. Chronicle ($17 million) - Films usually have big drops because of the Super Bowl on Sunday, so the key to winning will be the film that can start the strongest on Friday. Currently, “Chronicle” has that advantage with its advance social media presence and appeal to action audiences, which are very strong right now.

2. The Woman In Black ($12 million) - Daniel Radcliffe opens a film without his “Harry Potter” safety net. Sadly, as has been the pattern with all CBS film releases, marketing hasn’t been strong. The picture is relying entirely on Radcliffe’s name to try and pull a weekend win. That points to a diminished opening, especially on Super Bowl weekend. (more…)

Another Sensei call streak reached double digits last week. Looking ahead, things will only get more unpredictable at the box office. Or, as Master Iron Fist puts it, “more fun.”

This weekend’s predictions and revenue results go as follows:

1. The Grey ($15 Million) – This wilderness action film falls right in place for its target audience and is receiving strong critical reviews. That should allow enough momentum to take the top spot. Be warned. Liam Neeson has very strong box office appeal in action films (“Unknown,” “Taken”), and has a solid history of beating box office projections.

2. Underworld Awakening ($12.4 Million) - The sci-fi sequel continues to do well and is hunting at an “Underworld Evolution”-like box office pace. Look for another solid runner-up finish for Ms. Beckinsale–A.K.A. “Ms. January.” (more…)

Hard for me to imagine, but I am now 41. Amazing. It seems like yesterday my poofy mullet and parachute pants were all the rage, and Prince had a #1 hit on the radio. Now I’m married to the most beautiful woman, raising six children, and living the American dream. Our country has changed so much since my days of fighting with Carol and Ben on TV. America has always been known as “the land of the free” and “the home of the brave.” It’s the richest, freest nation the world has ever seen. Everyone wants to live here. But as I look around, I’m left with a sinking feeling that America is losing her way. Big time. The soul of our country is sick, and history shows me we are headed for disaster if we don’t change course now.

I’ve been looking around for answers, but all I hear is noise. Everyone is pointing fingers at the Left or the Right, blaming Hollywood or Capitol Hill. Time is flying by too quickly for petty arguments. My children’s future won’t wait. I’ve got to do something now.

Here’s my hunch: Could it be that we have simply forgotten what made us such a great nation in the first place? So many people are waiting around for our leaders to come up with a grand plan to save our nation. But is that really how America got started? What if things actually work the other way around? What if real change doesn’t start at the top but at the bottom? What if the best place to begin transforming our country is not the Oval Office but the dinner table?

For the past year and a half, I’ve been making a film called “Monumental,” and I am thrilled to announce that it’s coming to theaters on March 27. We are creating a live, one-night national event in 500 theaters where audiences can experience a monumental moment together. Then we will release the film in theaters in select cities, while providing helpful new resources to families, churches, and schools who want to go further with what they’ve experienced in the film.  (more…)

When people unfamiliar with Sherwood Baptist’s line of movies such as “Facing the Giants” and “Fireproof” see their trailers, they can sometimes get the impression that these independent films are very emotional inspirational dramas. And while that’s true, the films also contain a good chunk of humor, some slice-of-life zaniness from the culture of Albany, Georgia, where the church is located and the films are produced.

Thus, it’s with pleasure that Big Hollywood presents this exclusive clip from “Courageous,” the latest film by director Alex Kendrick, available now on DVD and Blu-ray. Have a look at some of the bloopers, flubs, and just plain fun had on set during the film’s lighter moments:

Sensei’s streak extended to nine straight weeks last week. That streak could honestly hedge its bet by just picking Kate Beckinsale at this point.

This week’s predictions and revenue results go as follows:

1. Underworld: Awakening ($28 Million) – The market is set up perfectly for action/adventure fare, and this film’s fan base is already dialed in. It will easily set a new franchise-best opening. A similar comparison is the “Resident Evil” franchise: films that feature female action leads against horror elements and open during months not seen as blockbuster fare (“Resident Evil” in September and “Underworld” in January). Despite this, the films generally open very well, and this “Underworld” will open even higher than “Resident Evil: Afterlife’s” $26 million opening in 2010.

2. Red Tails ($19 Million) – No question the film will resonate well portraying an important chapter in military history. There also remains a significant audience who will watch the film as a continuation of Martin Luther King Holiday celebrations. These factors will help it land a much higher than expected finish.

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Sensei extended his streak last week. His streak at calling the correct #1 film now sits at eight straight weeks. That streak faces a tough test as three new releases could all take the top spot.

All calls this weekend are 4 day (Fri-Mon) to incorporate the holiday weekend:

1. Contraband ($24 million) – Up to a few weeks ago, this weekend appeared an easy win for “Beauty And The Beast 3D.” This is in light of the success “Lion King 3D” had last year. Things have now changed. With the success of “Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol” leading the way, action audiences are more likely to see “Contraband.” It also helps to have actor Mark Wahlberg star, which may attract audiences nostalgic for “The Italian Job” and hence lead to this surprise finish.

2. Beauty And The Beast ($20 million) – Sensei did very well predicting “Lion King 3D”’s run at the top, and the addition of the new short film “Tangled Ever After” will help this film be the prime draw for families throughout the weekend. “Contraband” will open very strong early though, making it tough to catch. “Beast” will close the gap, but we predict “Contraband” holds for the win.

3. Joyful Noise ($15.7 million) – Dolly Parton’s latest project is fun and lively, and the film’s musical pedigree will help its box office tremendously. Queen Latifah is a very good box office draw, and as long as this film stays positive (no political or controversial sucker punches), it will do very well this weekend.

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Like many of you, I started off 2012 with a new year’s resolution to work out.  And, hopefully unlike many of you, two weeks into the new year … I’ve yet to do a single push-up. (sigh)

“Where to find a little workout inspiration?,” I wondered. “Ah, yes, Rocky IV.”  Watching it for the 5,849,948th time, I am compelled to share with you my thoughts on… the greatest film ever made.  Yes, that is not mere opinion but fact.  Rate it on a sheer entertainment, emotions-evoking, never-goes-stale standard and surely you’ll agree.

To be fair, “Rocky IV” is not an overly political film, nor was it intended to be.  But it nonetheless encapsulates several key conservative points, so much so that it was, and still is, slammed by leftist critics as right-wing propaganda.  Behold, the top 10 conservative lessons of “Rocky IV”:

1) Communism… (let me be succinct and find the right word here…) sucks.

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I highly recommend the documentary “His Way” as a testament to one man’s persistence, the value of being optimistic and looking for opportunities when others see problems. In covering a man, Jerry Weintraub, for whom the Bush family helped end anti-Semitic policies at many Kennebunkport, Maine establishments in the 1960s and who counted both Ronald Reagan and Armand Hammer as friends, Douglas McGrath directed one of this past year’s best biographical documentaries.

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In these trying times, this story of one man’s unrelenting efforts to succeed can serve as an inspiration to many. I know “His Way” inspired me. After learning how Jerry cold-called Elvis Presley’s Manager, Colonel Tom Parker, every day for an entire year for the right to take Elvis on tour (for the first time in nearly a decade), I decided to roll the dice and take my own film out on the road to build an audience. Concluding our interview with Douglas McGrath, director of the documentary “His Way,” we talked about more of the film, including the amazing segments on Weintraub’s experiences with Elvis Presley and Colonel Tom Parker and Frank Sinatra.

KW: How did you go about choosing which stories or chapters to cover or not cover from the book?

DM: Well, I didn’t do it that way. I didn’t think of them in terms of chapters. I just thought of them in terms of stories. But, I knew we’d have ninety minutes, an hour and forty-five maybe at most and I just thought, there’s no way to go through everything. I just thought “I’m going to ask about all the stuff I liked the best and the things that were really the big tent poles of his life.” So, I thought I’d better go with the things that really tell us, without repeating it, what his magic was. And the Elvis story is emblematic of his whole career, you know, that tells you how he started with nothing, he persisted. He won the contract, so to speak, the right to take him. He almost blew it. When you think of 20th Century entertainment, particularly musical entertainment and particularly male musical entertainment — you know, you have Elvis and you have Sinatra. Those guys are the big tent poles in that story. (more…)

Sensei again did very well on predictions over the holiday weekend. His streak at calling the correct #1 film currently sits at seven straight weeks. This time around the question is simple; can anyone end “Mission: Impossible”’s run at the top?

This weekend’s predictions and revenue results go as follows:

1. The Devil Inside ($18 Million) – From the film’s marketing, it’s clear the producers are hoping for “Paranormal Activity”-like success. Sensei disagrees and feels the film is more like “The Last Exorcism” and “The Rite.” Because of this, look for a mid-range opening that just fights off the “Mission.”

2. Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol ($16 Million) – Despite being knocked off the top spot, Brad Bird’s actioner still controls enough of an audience to post this healthy drop. Whether Tom Cruise is a bankable star again is another story. (more…)

Sensei did very well on predictions last week. He now currently holds a six-week streak calling the correct #1 film, the longest in the nation.

This week in box office business is always an interesting one. You’ll find small drops and even increases in a film’s box office compared to the previous week. Rarely do weekends like these happen during the box office year.

This weekend’s predictions and revenue results go as follows:

1. Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol ($28 million) – With no new major releases this week, it all comes down to who can hold their audience the best. This one has the full inside track with its high screen count as well as high audience ratings to fuel word of mouth.

2. Sherlock Holmes: A Game Of Shadows ($19 million) – The film long thought to be dominating the box office right now will again have to settle for the runner-up position.

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Before I embark on my daily round of puppy-kicking and unicorn-strangling, I have to say that in sitting through Spielberg’s second new release, War Horse, I felt as if I were being lowered into a vat of warm tears, there to remain for nearly two and a half freakin’ hours. This is a movie so boldly old-fashioned that much of its true target demographic must be long dead, or nearly enough.

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It’s a movie about a noble horse and the boy who loves him. Well, the boy and the girl and a few other people who love him. The horse—one Joey—is conscripted into the British cavalry and dispatched to help fight World War I. Joey has many dangerous adventures, and the picture is in fact most effective in conveying, however discreetly, the horrors of the Great War—the mustard-gassed trenches, the mounted soldiers swinging outmoded swords in the face of enemy artillery. That’s not the problem; the movie is beautifully made. The problem is the story, which is an episodic sprawl, and its dripping sentimentality, a quality that Spielberg is unsurprisingly disinclined to mitigate. 

In the 1982 book on which the film is based, the horse was the narrator, I gather. In the 2007 London stage play that was made from the book (and which has since collected a number of Tony Awards on Broadway), the story’s several horses are depicted by ingeniously designed, life-size puppets. Spielberg rightly decided that real horses would be required for the film version, and his ability to turn one of them (or several, actually) into a lead presence is remarkable.

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Last week, “Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows” and the third “Chipmunks” film opened much lower than expected. Their combined result all but destroyed Sensei’s prediction calls. Not all was lost. Sensei’s streak in calling the correct top opener did extend to five straight weeks. This week, a host of newcomers hope for the top box office spot.

This weekend’s predictions and revenue results go as follows.

1. Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol – ($28 million, Fri-Sun) ($42 million, Wed-Sun) – Last weekend confirmed analyst fears about the current box office outlook. Things are very weak right now. This film’s healthy opening on only 425 theaters (300 IMAX) was the only bright spot. With solid reviews and high audience ratings, the film will power ahead to beat the new “Sherlock Holmes” film.

2. Sherlock Holmes: Game Of Shadows – ($19 million, Fri-Sun) ($28 million, Wed-Sun) – After its low opening, this one will struggle to equal the gross of the first “Sherlock Holmes” ($209 million domestic). The film also loses a large portion of its target audience to “MI4’s” theater expansion this week. Still, it will pull in respectable numbers over the holiday. Whether it will be enough for a second sequel is another story. (more…)

“We’re out of cranberry sauce,” I might say.

Three hours later: “Whew. Sorry, guys, you wouldn’t believe it. I had to go to twelve stores to find it!”

Would they really miss me? Wife and mother of two… probably. Alas.

I am one of those boring domestic types who typically watches movies on Netflix when they are at least two years old. I see less than ten movies a year in the real cinema and almost never on opening day (don’t tell anyone at Big Hollywood; that might be a serious deal breaker).

But director Steven Spielberg’s “War Horse” has me very intrigued. I’ve viewed the trailer more times than I care to admit. I will tell you that this is because I’m using it as an example of a kick-ass movie trailer for my daughter’s Destination Imagination team, but that would not be entirely honest (and don’t worry, I didn’t use the word kick-ass with the middle schoolers).

The truth is I’ve been nurturing a hope that “War Horse” may be one of those epic films that stirs your soul and lives in your heart long after you leave the theater.

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Now this is an epic weekend. Just like that, Sensei now holds the nation’s longest #1 call streak at 4 weeks (along with only two other prediction sites). The rest got tripped up by “The Muppet’s” recent box office troubles. Look for Batman, Robert Downey, Jr., and a return to 2009 to showcase this time around.

Our weekend predictions and revenue results go as follows:

1. Sherlock Holmes: A Game Of Shadows ($68 million) – It’s deja-vu back to the Christmas opening weekend 2009. There you had “Sherlock Holmes” and “Chipmunks 2″ taking shots at “Avatar.” Amazing how all three found success and “Avatar” became film’s all-time leading grosser. That kind of pedigree will not be lost this weekend. Film can do “Fast Five”-like opening numbers but the sub-par frame will hold it back considerably. Still, expect quite a box office boost to the overall box office market.

2. Alvin And The Chipmunks: Chipwrecked ($36 million) – Animated films are drastically under-performing across the board right now. The most notable being “Happy Feet Two” which was also an animated franchise sequel. Despite the current lackluster results around animation, this one will still pull very good numbers. Not franchise best, but still a very high opening nonetheless.

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Sensei. Sensei. Last week he predicted a “Twilight” win while the vast majority of other prediction sites picked “The Muppets.” We jokingly refer to this as “Sensei clearing the field,” and he’s had more than his fair share of those experiences. This week, it seems “New Year’s Eve” is in a race to cram as many actors possible into a single film while “The Sitter” tests Jonah Hill’s box office potential.

This weekend’s predictions and revenue results go as follows:

1. New Year’s Eve ($24 million) – The sub-par frame will hold it back from a “Valentine’s Day”-like opening, but it will still conquer the weekend easily. The biggest boost will come from those seeking glimpses of Sofia Vergara.

2. The Sitter ($10.5 million) – Jonah Hill’s films benefit greatly when he’s surrounded by other stars and not when he’s on his own. He’s basically on an island here as the lead. Most family audiences will hold off this one to wait for next week’s “Alvin and the Chipmunks.” (more…)

Last week saw Sensei correctly predicted a “Twilight” win while many went with “Muppets” for the top spot. This week the two return to face one another again.

This weekend’s predictions and revenue results go as follows:

1. Twilight: Breaking Dawn Part One ($15.6 million) – Again the film will drop in line with previous “Twilight” entries. With no new major new releases to challenge it, we predict this one pulls out another top finish.

2. The Muppets ($14.5 million) - The film is dropping behind a “Smurfs” and “Tangled”-like box office pace. It’s instead looking at more of standard drop for family friendly fare. Also take into account that weather is starting to get more frigid around the country. This will affect “The Muppets”‘ audience more as families tend to stay indoors to remain comfortable in large groups. “Twilight,” on the other hand, still draws smaller and more individual moviegoers to its side. Still, the numbers will be close, and this one could pull a weekend win if “Twilight” falters. (more…)

Last weekend saw Sensei call “Twilight” very close to its actual numbers. He also gave “Happy Feet Two” a much deserved tongue lashing. This week “Twilight” tries to fight off newcomers to hold the top spot.

This weekend’s predictions and revenue results go as follows:

1. The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part One ($39 million, Fri-Sun) ($53 million, Wed-Sun) – This blockbuster’s inevitable second-week drop falls in line with previous “Twilight” entries. The film still holds its “event” feel just enough to fight off all the newcomers.

2. The Muppets ($37 million, Fri-Sun) ($51 million, Wed-Sun) - This film has had top-notch marketing and is looking at a “Smurfs”-like opening for its efforts. Numerous family films are in the marketplace this week and will pull a few numbers away. Still, the film has a rare appeal for both younger and older audiences that will factor into the hunt for the weekend crown. (more…)

Last weekend saw “Immortals” take the crown to help improve the box office gross. This weekend marks the beginning of the end for the enormously successful “Twilight” franchise with part one of its “Breaking Dawn” finale.

As with all “Twilight” films, the conversation quickly changes from “will it be successful” to “how many records can it break?”

This weekend’s predictions and revenue results go as follows:

1. The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part One ($140 million) – This one’s concept is more directly focused on personal drama than overall events. Because of this, it will not play like previous entries which had broader appeal and even lured in some of those hard-to-get action audiences. Still, an impressive opening is expected. Look for a trial run here as the next one will have the best opportunity to challenge all-time box office records.

2. Happy Feet Two ($38 million) – This children’s film is hoping for a “Puss In Boots”-like opening. Compared to the “Kung Fu Panda”s and Pixar classics of the world, this one never really felt like a huge franchise player. The characters are not household names or carry much interest in storyline. Will draw the much younger audiences but was very expensive to produce. It also carries the burden that its predecessor was released five years ago. That’s a long time to hold audience interest. Film will boil down to the film’s music choices. If the tunes come off great, it will fuel enough positive word of mouth to over perform. If the music comes off bland, then the film could fall very quickly.

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With overall box office as low as it is right now, Hollywood is looking for value wherever they can get it. “Immortals” will be the big draw to return crucial audience numbers to theaters, but the production faces other problems beyond its control.

This weekend’s predictions and revenue results go as follows:

1. Puss In Boots ($27 million) – The film will hold in its default position since the overall box office frame is not strong. Just like “The Help” showed in its run, when overall box office is down, go with the film that currently sits at the top and has the most positive buzz. That would be “Puss In Boots” currently.

2. Immortals ($25 million) – This picture faces a huge hurdle in that the overall box office frame is really weak right now. Generating audience support will not be easy, but as we noted in a new film essay this week, this one has the advantage of tapping into the audience pool that made “300″ an enormous success. This audience is very loyal when the film’s concept is right. Therefore, we predict a higher-than-expected opening and a close battle with “Puss In Boots” that will last until at least Saturday evening. The film may not win the weekend but will develop strong box legs to do very well overall. (more…)

“As Keith Richards says, 90 percent of everything is crap.”

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Kurt Loder, a film critic for Reason.com and Creators Syndicate, quotes the legendary Rolling Stones guitarist to explain why most of the reviews in his new book, The Good, The Bad and The God-Awful: 21st-Century Movie Reviews are negative. Loder says he loves movies, but because of the constant demand for new product, the bad movies will inevitably outnumber the good ones. (more…)