—–

What’s to Like

From director Garry Marshall to stars like Ashton Kutcher, Jessica Biel, and Hector Elizondo, “New Year’s Eve” feels like a carbon copy of last year’s “Valentine’s Day.” It seems clear that the producers of this new film  are trying to replicate the success of that  earlier comedy, which also explored a variety of romantic relationships on one specific holiday. Like its predecessor, it’s hard not to be impressed with this stellar cast that also includes Robert De Niro, Seth Meyers, and Hilary Swank. I actually enjoyed “Valentine’s Day” so this film has potential if it follows a similar formula.

What’s to Dislike

A similar formula is one thing but if this film becomes a bland carbon copy of “Day,” it could easily become a waste of time. If this story is only as good as its predecessor, why shouldn’t people just rent last year’s hit instead of paying ten dollars to see this new picture?

The Verdict

(more…)

Near the beginning of  the new film “Charlie St. Cloud,” the main character and his brother compete in a sailing race. The fast-paced scene could be interesting but instead of focusing on the race from one angle, the camera jumps from one shot to another, distracting the viewer’s attention until the viewer can’t wait until the scene is over. Unfortunately, that disappointing sequence is a harbinger of things to come in a melodramatic and off-putting film about a teenager struggling with the death of his younger brother.

—–

Zac Efron (“17 Again”) plays Charlie, a high school senior with a close-knit relationship with his younger brother Sam, played by Charlie Tahan. Early on, Charlie promises his brother that he will play baseball with him every day until he goes off to college. Shortly thereafter, Charlie is driving a car with Sam as his passenger when another car crashes into their vehicle. Sam is killed in the accident. However, to fulfill his promise to his younger brother, Charlie goes into the woods each day to play catch with his dead brother, who still appears to him.

An astonishing five years goes by and Charlie has spent time with his dead brother each day playing catch. He has avoided going to college and he now spends his time as a groundskeeper of a local cemetery. When a former high school classmate comes back into his life, Charlie has to figure out how to balance a real relationship with her and with the relationship that he has with Sam, a relationship that has kept him anchored to his hometown. (more…)

In this episode, “NewsBusted” covers: President Obama, Sonia Sotomayor, New York Times, Clarence Thomas, Nancy Pelosi, General Motors, Al Qaeda, The Goode Family, CNN, Larry King, Same-Sex Marriage, and Zac Efron.

In this episode, “NewsBusted” covers: Obama at Notre Dame, Nancy Pelosi, Waterboarding, Code Pink, Terrorist Prisoners, Pro-Life, Chrysler, Donald Trump, Carrie Prejean, Perez Hilton, Playboy Magazine, Vanessa Hudgens, and Zac Efron.
 

YouTube

Rebooting Bond with Daniel Craig was Bold. Christopher Nolan’s Reinvention of Batman was genius. But some thought it was overly-ambitious, even audacious, to attempt to restart the Star Trek franchise. It has begun to pay off already for Paramount Pictures, and there will dividends for years to come.

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.

(more…)

Several sources at competing studios have told me that J.J. Abrams’ all-new reboot of Star Trek (Paramount), which debuted last night at 7pm at many of its 3,849 locations, may have grossed as much as $6.5M-$7.5M. Studio honchos are “locked down tight” about actual numbers, but that is in the same ballpark as Transformers (Dreamworks/Paramount), which grabbed $8.8M in its previews starting at 8pm on Monday, July 2 during the summer of 2007. (What portion of ticket sales fall into Thursday and what percentage fall into Friday will likely be an open question even after final numbers are in.)

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.

(more…)

The all-new J.J. Abrams reboot of Star Trek (Paramount) will win the second weekend of the Hollywood Summer Box Office season by at least a couple of light years over Fox’s fast-fading X-Men Origins: Wolverine, but some of the astronomical numbers I’ve seen floating around in the blogosphere are very over-heated. Make no mistake, this movie will open extraordinarily well, but it’s not going to play out as a typical front-loaded blockbuster. Moviegoers need time to shake off the disappointment of the final TV series Enterprise (starring Scott Bakula and canceled after four seasons) and the disastrous 2002 final film Star Trek: Nemesis ($43.3M domestic). It will take time for a new generation of fans to discover the magic of Gene Rodenberry’s vision of the future through Abrams’ magical lens.

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

(more…)

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…)

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…)

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…)

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…)

There have been photos zipping across the web of Zac Efron and Leonardo DiCaprio hanging out together — the angle being some sort of passing of the heartthrob torch. Well, that must be all it is because obviously DiCaprio isn’t passing on acting tips, or if he is, Efron’s smart enough not to listen.

Yeah, you read that right.

Zac Efron is marvelous in “17 Again.” He’s everything DiCaprio is not: natural, at ease, funny, and not trying to impress anyone with that showy, actory catnip elitists adore but only breaks the spell for the rest of us. Leo hasn’t given a believable performance since his work in “Catch Me If You Can” seven years ago. Efron, however, has the makings of a bona fide movie star. He may never do Shakespeare in the park, but I bought every second of his performance. He has presence, a masculinity that belies his appearance and he carries himself with an impressive confidence.

But that’s not the film’s biggest surprise. “17 Again” is openly and sincerely in favor of teenage abstinence. (more…)

In this episode, “NewsBusted” covers: Iraq War Protestors, GM, Chrysler, Zac Efron, Obama’s Budget, John Mellencamp, Sean Penn, Three Stooges, and Gwyneth Paltrow

–