FilmCrave Movie Blog 07/2010

New Movies to Crave: Rise of the Schmucks, Zac Efron Extra Maudlin

Chris Kavan - wrote on 07/30/10 at 11:21 AM CT

In all reality, the only film that's coming out this week that holds any interest for me is:

1) Dinner for Schmucks - Paul Rudd and Steve Carrell are two of my favorite comedians. Granted this is yet another remake (of the French film Le dîner de cons) but in this case, I'm guessing I won't mind. The humor is less gross-out and more deadpan - and I don't think it will equal the success of …

Come for the Lovecraft, Stay for the Madness

Chris Kavan - wrote on 07/29/10 at 12:04 PM CT

Despite writing relatively little, H.P. Lovecraft managed to craft an entire world of his own imagining - one that has spawned lots of fan fiction from some big names, lots of imitators and some good (and bad) adaptations. With the announcement that Guillermo del Toro and James Cameron are teaming up to take on The Mountains of Madness, I present my favorite films inspired by a true master of …

Top Movies of 2010 So Far (These Movies Don’t Suck)

Alex - wrote on 07/27/10 at 11:39 PM CT

Most of us know it. 2010 sucks for movies. But for now, let’s look at the movies that sucked the least (seriously though, these are good movies).

5) Brooklyn’s Finest

Not an outstanding, 4 star movie, but I did like it compared to a lot of crap out there this year. The acting is quite good and Fuqua does do a great job of showing the nitty gritty of Brooklyn. I compare this to the …

New DVD Releases to Crave This Week: Titans Clashing, Repo Men and... Mussolini?

Chris Kavan - wrote on 07/27/10 at 12:59 PM CT

It's a bit of a slow week, but there's always a few major releases to whet the appetite.

1) If you're in the mood for action then Clash of the Titans should be right up your alley. I still say Sam Worthington is about as exciting a wet cardboard box, but there are plenty of monsters and snarling gods to keep things interesting. I'm still ashamed that I saw this in 3D, but it was a decent …

Is It Too Early to Be Worried About the Oscars?

Chris Kavan - wrote on 07/26/10 at 03:43 PM CT

I don't know about you, but we're at the halfway point of the year and I haven't been impressed with the slate of films thus far.

In fact, other than Inception and Toy Story 3, there haven't been any movies I have seen that I would consider Oscar contenders for any of the major awards. In limited release, films like Winter's Bone and The Kids Are All Right have been getting good buzz and …

Weekend Box Office: Sodium Intake High, but Dreams Still More Captivating

Chris Kavan - wrote on 07/25/10 at 10:17 PM CT

Angelina Jolie still has some box office clout as tough girl agent Salt managed a solid $36.5 million second-place opening. The buzz over Inception hasn't died down as the mind-bending drama held on to its #1 spot with a $43.5 million take. The Christopher Nolan film has grossed $143.6 million since opening and dropped only 31 percent from its strong opening weekend.

Despite getting good …

Geek Chic - Preparing for Scott Pilgrim

Chris Kavan - wrote on 07/24/10 at 09:01 AM CT

If the near-riot caused by free tickets to a preview screening are any indications, Scott Pilgrim will be the summer's most geek-tastic film. It still remains to be seen if it can summon up box office numbers, such films with a vocal but small fanbase have been burned in the past - notably Serenity and Snakes on a Plane come to mind.

Still, in order to get in that total fanboy state of mind, …

Why This Revolution Won't Be Televised in MY House

Chris Kavan - wrote on 07/22/10 at 02:20 PM CT

There are bad movies like It's Pat and Blankman that you know are going to be bad. There are sequels that are so bad, it can sink the entire series - Jaws, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, even Indiana Jones have fallen victim to this trend. Yet some films go beyond mere series to transcend the medium and become their own little world - Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, Star Trek - legions of followers that …

Beat your Russian twice a day. Top 5 USA vs Russia Films

John Doe - wrote on 07/21/10 at 09:47 PM CT

In honor of Hollywood’s release of “Salt” this weekend (starring America’s favorite exotic baby collector, Angelina Jolie) and the recent spy swap between Russia and the U.S.A. I bring you my top 5 U.S.A. vs. Russia movies in no particular order. U.S.A.! U.S.A.! U.S.A.!

Miracle (2004)

Classic David vs. Goliath story of U.S.A. beating Russia in the 1980 Olympics for the gold medal. …

Top 5 Movies You Missed in 2010

John Doe - wrote on 07/20/10 at 08:14 PM CT

2010 has admittedly been a slow movie year. Painfully slow. Big movies have either been a disappointment or “as expected”. Diamonds in the rough have been, well, non-existent. This blog is your chance to catch 5 movies you didn’t see this year because your local critics suck, your phone’s movie app lead you astray, or the production company should fire their marketing team. I’ve …

New DVDs to Crave This Week: Cops, Runaways and Losers

Chris Kavan - wrote on 07/20/10 at 12:24 PM CT

I have a much better outlook this week then I did last week on new releases. While nothing screams "must see", at least all of this weeks entries are more tolerable. At least worth a Netflix rental if nothing else.

1) Top of my list has to be Cop Out. I'm an unabashed Kevin Smith fanboy - it may be puerile and juvenile and raunchy but Smith is always entertaining (I'll forgive Jersey Girl). …

Major League Loss - James Gammon Dies at 70

Chris Kavan - wrote on 07/19/10 at 01:15 PM CT

James Gammon, character actor best known today for his role as the rugged Cleveland Indians coach Lou Brown in the Major League films, died on July 16th surrounded by friends and family.

The actor had been battling cancer of the adrenal gland and liver. Gammon had a long career in TV and film - including many western roles in the likes of Gunsmoke, Bonanaza and The Waltons. He also starred in …

Weekend Box Office: Dreams Rule, Magic Fizzles

Chris Kavan - wrote on 07/18/10 at 09:25 PM CT

As expected, Christopher Nolan's Inception took top spot with a $60.4 million opening. Audiences didn't mind a more in-depth story and the high secrecy surrounding the plot.

On the other hand, Disney's The Sorcerer's Apprentice failed to gain much audience, earning only $24 million over five days and taking 3rd place. Despicable Me held up well in its second week, dropping only 42% and …

Top Movie List: Inception Makes My List, But Not Into My Top 50 (Yet)

Alex - wrote on 07/18/10 at 06:54 PM CT

I really do get tired of seeing crappy top movie lists with influential art house piles and supposed classics. A top movie list should be personal and not PC. Make it your own and own it. Don’t put Kane in your top 10 if you’re just doing it because Ebert did. Also, don’t leave of Pee Wee from your top 100 just because you might get made fun of (I didn’t – it’s #51 on mine). It’s …

There's Treasure Everywhere!

Chris Kavan - wrote on 07/17/10 at 12:36 PM CT

Have you bought an old farmhouse lately? Do you like visiting garage sales, second hand stores and flea markets? Do you have grandparents who squirrel things away?

If so - you might make the next great cinematic discovery by uncovering a long-lost film. Case in point: A Thief Catcher. This 1914 Keystone Kop comedy was long-thought lost to history. A film historian, Paul Gierucki happened …

Top Box Office Cravings: The Perception of Inception and Magic

Chris Kavan - wrote on 07/16/10 at 01:34 PM CT

There's no denying that the top draw for this week (and for me, the rest of summer) is going to be Christopher Nolan's Inception. It's being compared to Nolan's earlier work Memento in that it requires some use of the mind to figure out. Multiple viewings are encouraged. It's a movie that blends reality with dreams - multiple dreams going on at the same time mind you - and keeping everything …

Norton SMASH! and Other Re-Casting Disasters

Chris Kavan - wrote on 07/14/10 at 12:02 PM CT

Edward Norton is a great actor - I've liked him ever since Primal Fear. Was he the best choice for Hulk? Maybe not, but does he deserve to be replaced? I don't rightfully think so. But Norton isn't the only one to feel the sharp sting of being replaced. Of course Norton was recast as Hulk when Eric Bana played the main character in Ang Lee's poorly-received film. Maybe the Hulk is just a cursed …

Top DVDs to Crave This Week: Bounties, Weddings and Going Green (berg)

Chris Kavan - wrote on 07/13/10 at 05:23 PM CT

I have to admit, this while there are plenty of semi-popular movies coming out to DVD - none of them are admittedly up my alley. That's not to say someone won't appreciate them, but all these fall into the category of "background movies" namely, something that happens to be playing while I''m doing something else (like, say, writing a blog).

So be it: here are my top picks for the week …

Not Just An Ordinary Man - Harvey Pekar Dead at 70

Chris Kavan - wrote on 07/12/10 at 01:16 PM CT

Harvey Pekar, whose life was chronicled in the film American Splendor, has died at age 70. His comic might have been about the mundane life, but it wasn't mundane to the many people who found his art imitating their lives.

Aside from American Splendor, Pekar was an infrequent guest on the Late Night With David Letterman show in the 1980s. He also made friends with a variety of illustrators, …

Nothing Despicable About This Weekend's Box Office

Chris Kavan - wrote on 07/11/10 at 10:51 PM CT

Audiences had a lot to choose from this weekend, and they decided it was best to spread the love for once.

The biggest winner was the animated original Despicable Me. With over $60 million, it's a hit, the biggest for a non-Pixar/Dreamworks picture. For a wholly original concept, it was very entertaining - and it did it without too much of a boost from 3D with only 45% factored into its …

Mel's Rant - Nail in the Coffin of Career?

Chris Kavan - wrote on 07/10/10 at 10:33 AM CT

Celebrities often suffer from the worst case of foot-in-mouth disease. Be it Christian Bale's instant meme-worthy Terminator Salvation rant at a hapless cinematographer or Alec Baldwin's vitriolic voicemail to his daughter - sometimes the mouth works before the mind can correct.

But while some rants are entertaining - some are much more damning. Mel Gibson's current situation, currently …

Top Box Office Cravings: Despicable Predators Are All Right

Chris Kavan - wrote on 07/09/10 at 11:12 AM CT

Considering the steaming piles of disappointment this summer, this weeks offerings aren't so bad. There's a little something for every taste, and only one semi-sequel to be found.

1) Despicable Me - While it doesn't have the punch that Toy Story 3 brought, this animated original is still being graded fairly well. A lot of the positive remarks are about the little yellow minions, who steal the …

Do Not Pass Go, Do Not Collect $200... but Watch These Movies About the Pokey

Chris Kavan - wrote on 07/07/10 at 10:35 AM CT

Poor Lindsay Lohan. A 90-day stint can change a woman, but what better way to pass the time then watching some real jail-house whoppers. Here is my must-see list for the prison blues:

8) The Blues Brothers - Starts in prison, ends in prison with one of the best police chases in movie history in between. Plus the music is spectacular. Plus it's approved by the Vatican, so you can feel pious …

DVDs to Crave This Week: Dragon Tattoos, Fine Single Men

Chris Kavan - wrote on 07/06/10 at 12:50 PM CT

It's the movie so hot, it might be smoking on your doorstep.

1) It's no use denying that The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo is my most anticipated movie this week. Granted, I'm going to read the book first, but if all the hype is to be believed, this will be a fantastic film. This Swedish adaptation with Noomi Rapace and Michael Nyqvist has garnered nothing but praise and if an American remake …

Vampires Eclipse the Competition; Airbender Holds Up Surprisingly Well

Chris Kavan - wrote on 07/05/10 at 10:07 AM CT

No surprise that the latest entry in the Twilight Saga was #1 over the holiday box office. Twilight Saga: Eclipse had a $69 million weekend, with it's record-setting Wednesday opening, it already has $161 million - but it faces an uphill battle to equal the nearly-$300 million grossing last installment New Moon.

Despite being ravaged by critics, M. Night Shyamalan's Last Airbender earned …

It Don't Matter if It's in Black or White

Chris Kavan - wrote on 07/03/10 at 11:03 AM CT

Shooting in only black and white is not only risky, it can be downright dangerous. Heck, people made good money colorizing older films, why would audiences want to go back to the old ways? Still, black and white can be powerful - it can convey a period of time or a way of life. Not too many modern films use black and white - but the ones that can pull it off are quite memorable.

8) Pi - …

Screw the Box Office - I'm Feeling Patriotic

Chris Kavan - wrote on 07/02/10 at 10:01 AM CT

I don't care if Eclipse is going to make major bucks thanks to legions of screaming girls and fans of shiny emo vampires - it's not a film I would willingly seek out. I had high hopes that Airbender would save the weekend, but it looks like M. Night Shyamalan's latest effort is crippled by a muddled mess of story, wooden acting and 3D conversion that screams "Wasted Effort" - in short, Jonah Hex …

Vampire Movies That Suck and Werewolf Movies That Bite... in Honor of Twilight: Eclipse

Chris Kavan - wrote on 07/01/10 at 05:49 PM CT

So The Twilight Saga: Eclipse opened to a record-breaking Wednesday opening... but failed to shatter the one-day total of a different Twilight film. In honor of this momentous event, and also because there is going to be yet another spoof movie (you know, from the same geniuses who gave us Disaster Movie and other gems) called Vampires Suck - I present the worst movies I've seen revolving around …



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