Review: ‘Terminator Salvation’

A Terminator mega-robot is fun to watch only if he (it?) is making his (its?) marauding way toward its target; generally, that’s the good guy in the movie who, by superhuman strength and unprecedented cleverness, will dispatch said Terminator in the last reel. Every Terminator movie has been defined by this simple conflict: man versus super-machine.

Not this time. And that is why, despite spectacular visual effects, a brooding and hyper-popular Christian Bale in the lead role, and marketing that pretty much stamped the title across my kids’ foreheads, Terminator Salvation is not nearly the success that the other three movies were.

John Connor and his mom (and his friends and pretty much everybody else with whom they ever come in contact) become instant targets for future-born Terminator robots. The setup is pretty straightforward. The time is present day. (more…)

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Tags: Christian Bale, JJ Abrams, John Connor, McG, Terminator: Salvation
Posted May 30th 2009 at 11:18 am in Reviews | 145786One Commenthttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/mlong/2009/05/30/review-terminator-salvation-2/Review%3A+%27Terminator+Salvation%272009-05-30+18%3A18%3A34Mike+Long

Weekend Box Office: ‘Up’ Soars

Steve Mason’s Exclusive Early Box Office Estimates:

1. Up – $20.5M Friday … $67M 3-day … $67M cume
2. Night at the Museum 2 – $7.5M Friday … $27M 3-day … $106.79M cume
3. Drag Me To Hell – $6.25M Friday … $16.5M 3-day … $16.5M cume
4. Terminator Salvation- $5M Friday … $16M 3-day … $90.5M cume
5. Star Trek – $3.7M Friday … $13.5M 3-day … $210.2M cume
6. Angels & Demons – $3.6M Friday … $12M 3-day … $105.56M cume
7. Dance Flick – $1.7M Friday … $5.2M 3-day … $19.54M cume

If these numbers hold, “Up” will open better than “Wall-E” and “Monsters and Aliens.”

Considering ”Up” is fairly low concept and starring a 78 year-old man, this is beyond impressive. Word of mouth, rave reviews and the reservoir of goodwill Pixar’s built up over the years are making this a real audience-driven sensation. (more…)

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Tags: Angels and Demons, star trek, Steve Mason, Terminator: Salvation, up
Posted May 30th 2009 at 9:17 am in Steve Mason's Box Office | 148098One Commenthttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/jjmnolte/2009/05/30/weekend-box-office-up-soars/Weekend+Box+Office%3A+%27Up%27+Soars2009-05-30+16%3A17%3A29John+Nolte

‘Terminator Salvation’ Delivers Action but Little Real Drama

The “Terminator” films are about the takeover of the world by machines, and unfortunately the series has itself manifested that phenomenon, being increasingly taken over by special effects and action sequences at the expense of identifiable human concerns.

Terminator Salvation, the fourth film in the apocalyptic action series, is heavy on action and sensational visual effects, but weak on the things that originally made this series so popular. It will please audience members who don’t expect too much from it.

Terminator Salvation is the first in the series without Arnold Schwarzenegger as a primary character, and the series has moved increasingly away from the personal, intimate approach of the first installment (in which the fate of Sarah Connor was at the center of the story and her relationship with Kyle Reese is at the forefront). (more…)

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Tags: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Bryce Dallas-Howard, Christian Bale, Gale Ann Hurd, james cameron
Posted May 28th 2009 at 5:10 am in Entertainment, Reviews | 144726No Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/stkarnick/2009/05/28/terminator-salvation-delivers-action-but-little-real-drama/%27Terminator+Salvation%27+Delivers+Action+but+Little+Real+Drama2009-05-28+12%3A10%3A10S.T.+Karnick

Memorial Day: A Rejection of Peacenik Foolishness

Memorial Day puts the lie to the nonsense that violence never solves anything.

Those rows of white tombstones decorated with little flags are the reason Americans don’t walk downtown, past the ruins where the synagogue once stood, to grab a schnitzel und ein bier from that little imbiss next to der bahnhof.  They are why there isn’t a smoking pit in the heart of Los Angeles where the Library Tower used to be.

Violence never solves anything, war is not the answer, arms are for hugging….  It’s hard to believe that there are adults out there that actually buy into such foolishness.

Memorial Day is about men and women who didn’t orient their lives to the dictates of poorly thought-through bumper sticker clichés that belong on the rear of some NPR-listening public school administrator’s Prius.  It’s about men and women who understood that sometimes doing the right thing means doing the hardest thing. (more…)

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Tags: Band of Brothers, Gettysburg, Library Tower, Memorial Day, Milosevic
Posted May 25th 2009 at 4:53 pm in Military | 142590No Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/kschlichter/2009/05/25/memorial-day-is-a-rejection-of-peacenik-foolishness/Memorial+Day%3A+A+Rejection+of+Peacenik+Foolishness2009-05-25+23%3A53%3A38Kurt+Schlichter

Horror Film!

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Tags: Terminator: Salvation
Posted May 24th 2009 at 9:34 am in Political Humor | 142466No Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/cmuir/2009/05/24/horror-film/Horror+Film%212009-05-24+16%3A34%3A43Chris+Muir

Open Thread: ‘Terminator Salvation’

Have at it.

Discuss. Debate. Write your own review…

Big Hollywood’s review can be found here.

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Tags: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Christian Bale, Dallas Bryce Howard, McG, Sam Worthington
Posted May 22nd 2009 at 8:00 am in Entertainment | 141146No Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/bighollywood/2009/05/22/open-thread-terminator-salvation/Open+Thread%3A+%27Terminator+Salvation%272009-05-22+15%3A00%3A03Big+Hollywood

Review: Terminator Salvation

As we enter the fourth week of this summer season, I don’t know about you, but after a pleasant surprise with the unpretentious, proud to be a B-revenger “Wolverine,” each new release has gotten progressively worse. Let’s just hope – because there’s a lot of summer ahead of us – that we’ve bottomed out with “Terminator Salvation.”

What a crushing and noisy disappointment this is. For whatever reason, Director McG’s fourth chapter in the “Terminator” franchise tosses aside the simple but successful plot template that made its predecessors so memorable and goes all “Bourne” with a hyper-complicated plot, narcissistic “hero” and a big fat wide blur between the concept of good battling evil. Yes, welcome to Hollywood’s post-Bush “Terminator,” where a militaristic Resistance demands we “Stay the course,” Terminators work through their feelings, and John Connor runs off to find himself only to end up in a numbingly dull third act that plays like a direct-to-DVD toss off.

Things open on an intriguing and hopeful note. The year is 2003 and Marcus Wright (Sam Worthington) is a guilt-ridden death row inmate not far from execution. Dr. Serena Krogen (Helena Bonham Carter, who’s always interesting), approaches Wright for what we assume is the umpteenth time to convince him to donate his body to science. His coming to terms with his own death mixed with her losing battle with cancer sparks his humanity and he relents. The State gives him what he deserves and we cut to 2018.

The world as we knew it is now ravaged by a war the machines wage against mankind. Cities are reduced to rubble and those who survive are reduced to prey, living underground or constantly on the run. Some have organized into what’s called the Resistance and their spiritual leader is John Connor (Christian Bale). (more…)

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Tags: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Bryce Dallas-Howard, Christian Bale, danny elfman, Helena Bonham Carter
Posted May 20th 2009 at 9:38 am in Reviews | 1391983 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/jjmnolte/2009/05/20/review-terminator-salvation/Review%3A+Terminator+Salvation2009-05-20+16%3A38%3A12John+Nolte

‘Terminator Salvation’ Revelations

The final trailer for “Terminator Salvation” has hit the blogosphere. It’s four minutes long and some are saying it reveals too much. Peter Sciretta of Slashfilm.com complains it “basically squeezes the entire film into 4 minutes.” I’ve embedded the trailer below so you can judge for yourself.

–

I say, after three previous movies, if anyone’s going to this film to be surprised, they’re probably going to be disappointed. If a film creates a compelling world, knowing the plot does not matter. Call it “The Godfather Effect.”  I’ve seen those films (”Godfather I” or “II,” take your pick) dozens of times, yet I’ll always stop and watch them while couchsurfing.

Why? Great characters and a fascinatingly rich world centered on power and family. (more…)

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Tags: Christain Bale, McG, Moon Bloodgood, nudity, Terminator: Salvation
Posted May 8th 2009 at 3:13 pm in Celebrity News, Entertainment, Video | 130110One Commenthttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/ttapp/2009/05/08/terminator-salvation-revelations/%27Terminator+Salvation%27+Revelations2009-05-08+22%3A13%3A51Tom+Tapp

‘Wolverine’ claws to $34.75M Friday & Could Scratch Out $86.8M Opening! All-Time 4th-Best Performer for First-Weekend-of-May Summer Kickoff!

In my Final Weekend Tracking column posted on Wednesday, I predicted that X-Men Origins: Wolverine (Fox) would reach $92M on opening weekend, despite soft reviews (now only 38% Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes). My first fearless forecast of the 2009 summer blockbuster season appears to be close to dead-on (missed by only 5%).

Star-turned-producer Hugh Jackman has scored his second-biggest opening ever and, easily, his biggest as a solo star. Wolverine has mauled the competition with a massive $34.75M opening day (including $5M or so in Thursday midnight sales). That could translate to a 3-day of $86.8M, getting Hollywood’s most lucrative season off to a spectacular start.

(more…)

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Tags: "Fast & Furious", 17 again, 2-d, 3-d, academy award nominee
Posted May 2nd 2009 at 5:29 am in Entertainment, Featured Story, Steve Mason's Box Office | 1244022 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/smason/2009/05/02/estimates51/%27Wolverine%27+claws+to+%2434.75M+Friday+%26amp%3B+Could+Scratch+Out+%2486.8M+Opening%21+All-Time+4th-Best+Performer+for+First-Weekend-of-May+Summer+Kickoff%212009-05-02+12%3A29%3A38Steve+Mason

The Summer Blockbuster Season is Set to Start Huge! Spin-Off ‘Wolverine’ could Claw to $92M Opening Weekend!

The great thing about a sequel is that it has a built-in audience. The problem with sequels is that, as the numbers after the title go up, so does the production budget. Very hard to know for sure, but sources have told me that the production budget for X-Men was in the $75M range. X-2: X-Men United may have had a budget of about $110M, while the cost of X-Men: The Last Stand was, in all likelihood, as much as $210M. Why doesn’t it make sense to just churn out X-Men 4?

Look at these numbers.

(more…)

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Tags: 17 again, 2-d, 3-d, academy award nominee, academy award winner
Posted Apr 29th 2009 at 10:10 pm in Entertainment, Featured Story, Steve Mason's Box Office | 121806One Commenthttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/smason/2009/04/29/finaltracking51/The+Summer+Blockbuster+Season+is+Set+to+Start+Huge%21+Spin-Off+%27Wolverine%27+could+Claw+to+%2492M+Opening+Weekend%212009-04-30+05%3A10%3A03Steve+Mason

America Loves a Girl-on-Girl Smackdown! Beyonce’s ‘Obsessed’ is the Biggest Last-Weekend-of-April Opener Ever with $11M Friday & a Possible $27.5M 3-Day!

Recording superstar Beyonce Knowles is building a bankable resume for herself as an actress with Sony Screen Gems’ Obsessed as the latest title burnishing her resume. Co-starring the excellent Idris Elba (The Wire), this low budget, PG-13 genre pic has scored a far-above-expectations $11M on Friday, and it will likely reach $27.5M for the weekend. That is the best opening yet for the former Destiny’s Child lead vocalist as an above-the-title star, topping 2003’s The Fighting Temptations and Cadillac Records from late 2008.

Beyonce does battle with the sexy Ali Larter (HEROES) in OBSESSED

OPENINGS FOR BEYONCE MOVIES
1. Austin Powers: Goldmember – $70.3M opening
2. Obsessed – $27.5M opening (projected)
3. Pink Panther (2006) – $20.2M opening
4. Dreamgirls – $14.1M wide break (after a platform start)
5. The Fighting Temptations – $11.7M opening
6. Cadillac Records – $3.4M opening

(more…)

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Tags: "Fast & Furious", 17 again, 2-d, 3-d, academy award nominee
Posted Apr 24th 2009 at 11:11 pm in Entertainment, Political Humor, Steve Mason's Box Office | 116742No Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/smason/2009/04/24/estimates423/America+Loves+a+Girl-on-Girl+Smackdown%21+Beyonce%27s+%27Obsessed%27+is+the+Biggest+Last-Weekend-of-April+Opener+Ever+with+%2411M+Friday+%26amp%3B+a+Possible+%2427.5M+3-Day%212009-04-25+06%3A11%3A11Steve+Mason

Hollywood’s Worst Release Date: Beyonce’s ‘Obsessed’ Could Edge Disney’s Baby Polar Bears in ‘Earth!’

The final weekend of April has never been Hollywood’s favorite release date. In fact, it is generally considered to be among the worst release dates on the calendar. Whatever opens on the final weekend of April gets absolutely crushed by the official start of the summer blockbuster season on the first weekend of May.

The 4 new wide releases and 1 major specialty release set to debut this weekend will face an onslaught of mega-hits over the next month. How can Obsessed (Sony), Earth (Disney), The Soloist, (Dreamworks/Paramount), Fighting (Rogue) and The Informers (Senator) possibly find an audience with X-Men Origins: Wolverine (Fox) and Ghosts of Girlfriends Past (Warner Bros) arriving next weekend followed by, in successive weeks, Star Trek (Paramount), Angels & Demons (Sony), the combo of Night at the Museum 2 (Fox) and Terminator: Salvation (Fox) and Disney/Pixar’s Up?

(more…)

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Tags: "Fast & Furious", 17 again, 2-d, 3-d, academy award nominee
Posted Apr 23rd 2009 at 5:47 pm in Entertainment, Featured Story, Steve Mason's Box Office | 1145145 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/smason/2009/04/23/finaltracking4-23/Hollywood%27s+Worst+Release+Date%3A+Beyonce%27s+%27Obsessed%27+Could+Edge+Disney%27s+Baby+Polar+Bears+in+%27Earth%21%272009-04-24+00%3A47%3A04Steve+Mason

Summer Movie Season: The Good, the Bad and the Maybe

No matter how frustrated, disappointed, or outright disgusted Hollywood makes me, all is forgiven during that brief moment just after the trailers finish and just before the film begins. When those lights dim the chip dissolves from my shoulder and all the filmmaker need do to win me forever is tell one helluva story.

Politics shmolitics… Just take me away.

For we hopeless movie lovers, each year hope (if you’ll pardon the expression) springs eternal with a fresh offering of pull-out-the-stops-studio-balance-sheet-in-the-crosshairs slate of tent poles. And for that reason, this is my favorite part of the movie year because all I want for my ten bucks is to get lost for a couple hours, and from May 1st through the end of August filmdom at least attempts to put the political nonsense on hold to do just that. (more…)

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Tags: 3, Bruno, Christian Bale, Denzel Washington, george clooney
Posted Apr 9th 2009 at 1:09 pm in Entertainment | 1017142 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/jjmnolte/2009/04/09/summer-movie-season-the-good-the-bad-and-the-maybe/Summer+Movie+Season%3A+The+Good%2C+the+Bad+and+the+Maybe2009-04-09+20%3A09%3A31John+Nolte

Californication

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Tags: California Budget, Taxpayer, Terminator: Salvation, union
Posted Feb 22nd 2009 at 10:03 am in Political Humor | 5705022 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/cmuir/2009/02/22/californication/Californication2009-02-22+18%3A03%3A02Chris+Muir

Introducing the “Big Hollywood” Theme Song

I don’t know what RevoLucian is but he, she, it or they is or are (a) genius(es)!

Listen to the *** profanity-laced *** techno-masterpiece inspired by Christian Bale’s ‘Terminator: Salvation’ set rage-out against cinematographer Shane Hurlbut for mistakenly walking into his scene.

The story is less than a day old but is already a legend of the Hollywood tirade genre.

If ‘Big Hollywood’ were ever to have a vote on the site’s theme song, I’d have to stop the voting early. Because ‘Bale Out’ would win. ‘Cause I’m in effin’ charge! Enjoy:

Bale Out – RevoLucian’s Christian Bale Remix!

I don’t think I will ever get this out of my head! Extra credit to RevoLucian for incorporating a previous Barbra Streisand profanity-laced tirade into the mix.

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Tags: Bale Out, Barbara Streisand, Christian Bale, RevoLucian, Shane Hurlbut
Posted Feb 3rd 2009 at 12:51 pm in Celebrity News, Entertainment, Political Humor | 4003074 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/abreitbart/2009/02/03/introducing-the-big-hollywood-theme-song/Introducing+the+%22Big+Hollywood%22+Theme+Song2009-02-03+20%3A51%3A05Andrew+Breitbart