FilmCrave Movie Blog 06/2014

New on DVD and Blu-ray Week of July 1-7

Harley Lond - wrote on 06/30/14 at 10:16 PM CT

THIS WEEK'S THEATRICAL RELEASES:

"The Lunchbox":
A mistaken delivery in Mumbai's famously efficient lunchbox delivery system connects Ila, a neglected housewife, to Saajan (Irrfan Khan), a lonely man on the verge of retirement. Through a series of exchanged notes that they pass back and forth through the lunches, Saajan and Ila find comfort in their unexpected friendship. Gradually, …

Weekend Box Office: Transformers: Age of Extinction Annihilates Box Office

Chris Kavan - wrote on 06/30/14 at 12:04 AM CT

With the box office starting to trail the 2013 season, the summer needed a true blockbuster to at least put up some kind of fight to make things a bit interesting. Aren't we lucky that we finally have a hit worthy of summer and, who else do we have to thank but the maestro of mindless mayhem, Michael Bay. It turns out the fourth time is truly a charm as the latest Transformers got off the great …

New in Theaters June 27: Transformers: Age of Extinction, Begin Again

Chris Kavan - wrote on 06/26/14 at 07:47 AM CT

It was a battle of the sequels last weekend - even if the overall box office was down quite a bit from last year. But don't fret, we're back into full blockbuster mode this week as a major franchise gets a few new faces but still looks to deliver plenty of explosive action for the adrenaline junkies. On the other hand, a quiet music drama looks to provide counter programming for those who want …

Why Does Tragedy Make a Film So Compelling?

Chris Kavan - wrote on 06/25/14 at 07:25 PM CT

It was recently announced that director Scott Cooper (Crazy Heart) with help from screenwriter Ken Nolan (Black Hawk Down) would be adapting the story of the Granite Mountain Hotshots. That is the crew of Arizona wilderness firefighters who lost 19 members in 2013 fighting the Yarnell Hill Fire. It is a heroic story that takes place on the homefront instead of the battlefield (for once) but it …

New on DVD and Blu-ray Week of June 24-June 30

Harley Lond - wrote on 06/24/14 at 01:54 AM CT

THIS WEEK'S THEATRICAL RELEASES:

"Enemy": Though it performed dismally at the box office, "Enemy" -- a frighteningly ominous thriller that plumbs the depths of identity, sexuality and reality in the modern world -- deserves a second chance on DVD. Jake Gyllenhaal stars as Adam Bell, a glum, disheveled history professor who seems disinterested in the world around him -- including his beautiful …

Weekend Box Office: Man Rules, Boys Drool

Chris Kavan - wrote on 06/23/14 at 12:30 AM CT

As anticipated, it was a battle between sequels at the box office. And it was a much closer one than I think most were expecting. But it was a much different story than last year when the top three films made over $190 million while the entire top 12 this year could only account for $142.6 million - a steep 39% difference in total. Still, we knew it was going to be an uphill battle to match the …

New in Theaters June 20: Think Like a Man Too, Jersey Boys

Chris Kavan - wrote on 06/19/14 at 07:41 AM CT

Last weekend, the box office was dominated by a pair of sequels and comedy 22 Jump Street topped How to Train Your Dragon 2 as the biggest draw for audiences. This weekend yet another sequel makes an appearance, with red-hot Kevin Hart leading the charge. Otherwise, Clint Eastwood once again enters the director's chair as he brings a popular Broadway musical to the big screen. But with one …

Has Hollywood Finally Learned How to Look Beyond the White, Male Demographic?

Chris Kavan - wrote on 06/18/14 at 06:11 PM CT

On any given Friday the latest blockbuster opens and who do you see? It's a bird, it's a plane - it's Superman! Or perhaps the Dark Knight, growling his way to a better world. No - maybe it's Brad Pitt, saving the world from zombies or Bruce Willis, Arnold Schwarzenegger or Sylvester Stallone trying to prove they're still action draws. Channing Tatum shaking his money-maker - Mark Wahlberg …

New on DVD and Blu-ray Week of June 17-June 23

Harley Lond - wrote on 06/17/14 at 01:31 AM CT

THIS WEEK'S THEATRICAL RELEASES:

"The Grand Budapest Hotel": Director Wes Anderson transports viewers to another one of his unique, self-contained worlds that requires you to give yourself up totally to his story within a story within a story that recounts the adventures of Gustave H, a legendary concierge at a famous European hotel between the wars, and Zero Moustafa, the lobby boy who …

Weekend Box Office: Jump Street Holds of Dragon 2 in the Battle of the Box Office Sequels

Chris Kavan - wrote on 06/15/14 at 09:40 PM CT

It was pretty much a given the box office champ was going to a sequel this weekend, but would audiences go for an R-rated buddy comedy or the family-friendly dragon-riders? You would think the animated film would have the edge, but if you bet on it this weekend, you would have lost. Both films came out swinging, but in the end adult humor trumped the safe family film - though both are likely to …

New in Theaters June 13: How to Train Your Dragon 2, 22 Jump Street

Chris Kavan - wrote on 06/12/14 at 07:39 AM CT

So far this season, not one summer film has been able to keep the top spot for more than a single week. Although Fault in Our Stars had an exceptional opening, it also had an exceptional Friday-to-Saturday drop - one that tells me it will be the next film to be one and done at the top spot. This weekend sees two sequels opening - one to an animated hit, the other to a well-received comedy. You …

New on DVD and Blu-ray Week of June 10-June 16

Harley Lond - wrote on 06/10/14 at 04:09 AM CT

THIS WEEK'S THEATRICAL RELEASES:

"Non-Stop": Liam Neeson has carved a niche for himself as a 21st century action hero -- an intelligent father-husband who just happens to be a spy-hitman-cop who can fight off bad guys half his age (he turned 62 last week) and make it seem believable. And the man can act. Here he reunites with director Jaume Collet-Serra ("Orphan") for the first time since …

Weekend Box Office: Fault Reaches for the Stars, Edge of Tomorrow Comes Up Short

Chris Kavan - wrote on 06/08/14 at 10:22 PM CT

While Maleficent proved that marketing to a female market is a wise choice, Fault in Our Stars just cemented the notion. Meanwhile, it was another disappointing weekend for Tom Cruise - even with critical support his latest film failed to catch on with audiences - though the international market made up for the domestic debut. Thanks to this influx of girl power, the box office was up slightly …

New in Theaters June 06: Edge of Tomorrow, The Fault in Our Stars

Chris Kavan - wrote on 06/05/14 at 07:45 AM CT

I have a feeling we're looking at another one and done week for the top movie. Maleficent may have given Angelina Jolie the biggest opening of her career, but considering the upcoming competition, the new angel on Sleeping Beauty is definitely going to lose the top spot. But I have a feeling the film it's going to lose to is not going to be a big-budget sci-fi epic, but rather a teen-centric …

Oh, the Weather Outside is Frightful...

Chris Kavan - wrote on 06/04/14 at 05:55 PM CT

So, here in the Midwest the summer means dealing with the constant threat of terrible weather. It's all thunderstorms, straight-line winds, flash floods, to the ultimate phenomena, the tornado, around here, you better be prepared. Meanwhile the West is dealing with high temperatures and conditions so dry that a record fire season is all but guaranteed. And I can't forget the people on the …

New on DVD and Blu-ray Week of June 3-June 9

Harley Lond - wrote on 06/03/14 at 02:32 AM CT

THIS WEEK'S THEATRICAL RELEASES:

"Lone Survivor": At the peak of the War in Afghanistan, four Navy SEALs were sent on the top-secret Operation Red Wings, a covert mission to neutralize a high-level al-Qaeda operative deep in the mountains of that country. Halfway through the mission the SEALs were discovered by the Taliban and attacked; lacking any air or ground support, the men had to fight …

Weekend Box Office: Girl Power Rules as Maleficent Gives Jolie Biggest Opening of Her Career

Chris Kavan - wrote on 06/01/14 at 09:57 PM CT

Summer is most often dominated by big, loud and, let's face it, male-dominated films. It seems at time Hollywood forgets there is even another gender out there - but then a film like Maleficent comes along and sends the message loud and clear that women are just as much a force at the box office as men are and, hey, maybe movies should target them more often. It's also telling the the only other …



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