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Chris Kavan - wrote on 06/28/11 at 01:15 PM CT
Once again - depending on your taste in films, it may be a great week or one you can choose to ignore. This time the emphasis is heavy on fantasy and action, so if that's your genre of choice sit back and enjoy the show.
1) While I can honestly say I was disappointed in the overall product, I still have no problem making
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Chris Kavan - wrote on 06/27/11 at 10:17 AM CT
It was a good weekend at the box office, as the top two films managed to beat prospective forecasts and managed to give Hollywood a much needed win compared to last year's numbers.
Pixar had another hit with Cars 2, which debuted in first place with $68 (beating projections of a $60 million opening). It was 4th best opening for a June film and the 5th best opening for a Pixar film. Although 3D...
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Chris Kavan - wrote on 06/25/11 at 09:51 AM CT
In a way I’m glad a film like this showed up early in this little experiment because it allows me to confess something: Back in the early 00s, I totally immersed myself in the J-horror craze. I shouldn’t even limit it to J-horror – more Asian horror as whole, as I have quite a few Korean films too. Do I regret buying some of the movies? Yes. For every good film, I probably have a couple I could h...
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Chris Kavan - wrote on 06/24/11 at 03:50 PM CT
It's going to be an interesting match-up this week at the box office - but I have a feeling I know which film is going to come out on top in the battle of family-friendly vs. R-rated foul mouthery.
1) Even though I always thought the original was a bit of a letdown coming from Pixar, I have no doubt that Cars 2 will dominate the weekend. It's been a dry spell for animated films and families ha...
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Chris Kavan - wrote on 06/21/11 at 11:15 AM CT
Looks like it's time to load up on the action this week. If you can't find something to satisfy that urge, you better check your pulse.
1) Up front, Liam Neeson takes all that pent up aggression he had in Taken and applies it once again in
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Chris Kavan - wrote on 06/19/11 at 11:43 PM CT
It appears that a shiny green suit and loads of CGI are good enough for first place, but not good enough to wow moviegoers.
Despite opening in #1 with $52.7 million over the weekend, Green Lantern is on the low end for comic book heroes. Thor opened with $65.7 million while X-Men: First Class recently had a $55.1 opening. Plus, 3D accounted for about 45% of the gross. In terms of attendance, G...
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Chris Kavan - wrote on 06/18/11 at 02:58 PM CT
I don’t care if it’s dated by today’s standards; Tobe Hooper’s Texas Chainsaw Massacre remains one of the iconic horror films of all time. You can take all your remakes, your loving homage, and your blatant rip-offs but in the end, it all comes back to the original, and it deserves respect.
-- CAUTION: SPOILERS AHEAD --
The story if fairly simple – a group of young friends are down Texas wa...
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Chris Kavan - wrote on 06/17/11 at 09:21 AM CT
Another week, another super hero to contend with.
1) This time Ryan Reynolds dons the costume of The Green Lantern. Critic response has been less than enthusiastic. It looks like Green Lantern falls into a common trap of style over substance, though Reynolds himself seems to be okay. With a $150 million budget, it's quite a gamble, but then Hangover Part II also suffered scathing critical revi...
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Chris Kavan - wrote on 06/14/11 at 11:41 AM CT
While none of the big three movies coming out this week may have made the biggest impact in theaters, that doesn't mean they don't deserve your attention. Depending on what genre you have in mind, you could very well find something interesting this week.
1) One I actually saw in theaters -
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Chris Kavan - wrote on 06/13/11 at 07:37 AM CT
After a somewhat underwhelming midnight debut of $1 million, there was a little concern that Super 8 would have a similar weekend debut.
Still, there was no cause for concern as J.J. Abrams masterfully channeled Steven Spielberg, leading Super 8 to a $37 million (or $38 including Thursday) top-spot opening. Although it wasn't quite as good as Cloverfield ($40.1 million ) it was able to beat ou...
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Chris Kavan - wrote on 06/11/11 at 09:08 AM CT
I don’t have it on any kind of authority, but I’m guessing following the success of the Harry Potter series and the LOTR trilogy, studios were looking for the next big fantasy novel series they could bring to the big screen – most likely with dollar signs replacing their eyes. Yet so many failed to live up to expectations: Eragon, The Golden Compass, Lemony Snicket, - this fims, while it couldn't...
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Chris Kavan - wrote on 06/10/11 at 09:40 AM CT
I'm in a good mood today - well, I'll be in an even better mood tomorrow when I finally get to watch my most anticipated movie of the summer (if not the year).
1) I'm talking about Super 8 - from the first time I saw the brief teaser trailer and the name J.J. Abrams (oh, and Steven Spielberg) I was hooked. Each subsequent trailer has only made me further intrigued by what looks like a mix of s...
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Chris Kavan - wrote on 06/07/11 at 10:42 AM CT
Westerns! Drama! Comedy! Claustrophobia! Yes - there's a little something for everyone to enjoy this week, which is good after a few lackluster weeks in my view.
1) Leading the pack is the Coen Brother's remake of True Grit![]()
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Chris Kavan - wrote on 06/05/11 at 09:27 PM CT
While it may come as no surprise that X-Men: First Class ended up at the top of the box office for the weekend with $56 million, the bigger surprise is that despite garnering some of the best praise for the series, it ended up making the least amount of money since the first film opened in 2000 with $54.5 million.
While being a bit of a critical letdown, X-Men Origins Wolverine brought in $85....
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Chris Kavan - wrote on 06/04/11 at 09:01 AM CT
The original Last House on the Left is notorious for many things. It’s one of those films that exist in many different versions (the one I’m reviewing is the unrated collector’s edition released in 2008) – most releases are censored in some way. It’s the directorial debut of Wes Craven, who would go on to helm A Nightmare on Elm Street and revitalize the horror genre with Scream. And, surprisingl...
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Chris Kavan - wrote on 06/03/11 at 09:27 AM CT
In keeping with tradition, if you're into summer blockbusters, once again there is one major film going up against two quiet dramas. I have a feeling I know which movie is going to wind up with the biggest gross.
1) That would be X-Men: First Class - a prequel of sorts to the existing trilogy. This is Charles Xavier and Erik Lehnsherr working together before an ideological clash drives them ap...
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