FilmCrave Movie Blog 09/2014

New on DVD and Blu-ray Week of September 30-October 6

Harley Lond - wrote on 09/30/14 at 05:08 AM CT

THIS WEEK'S THEATRICAL RELEASES:

After helming one giga-budget film after another (the first two "Iron Man" outings and the bomb "Cowboys & Aliens") writer-director-producer Jon Favreau returned to his indie roots ("Made," "Swingers") with "Chef," the surprise indie hit of 2014. The low-budget film (but with a cast of A-list actors -- Scarlett Johansson, Sofia Vergara, John Leguizamo, …

Weekend Box Office: Equalizer Easily Guns Down Competition in Impressive Fashion

Chris Kavan - wrote on 09/29/14 at 12:26 AM CT

There was some question as to which movie was going to come out on top this weekend. But following a strong Friday, the question was quickly answered. While the weekend was pretty much on par with the way things went last year in terms of total grosses, all things told, it still points toward a healthy September at a time were traditionally movies struggle. Perhaps this means we're going to end …

New in Theaters September 26: The Equalizer, The Boxtrolls

Chris Kavan - wrote on 09/25/14 at 07:45 AM CT

Finally last weekend gave us a spark for the month of September as The Maze Runner bucked the YA trend by having an above-average opening and giving a much-needed boost to the month. This weekend hopes to continue the upward swing as a family-friendly animated tale and dark, gritty crime drama look to make their own (hopefully) impressive debuts. While the newcomers may have a tough time …

New on DVD and Blu-ray Week of September 23-September 29

Harley Lond - wrote on 09/22/14 at 11:04 PM CT

THIS WEEK'S THEATRICAL RELEASES:

"The Rover": This overlooked gem is a gritty and violent drama set 10 years after a global economic collapse where food and gasoline are expensive and life is cheap. The film follows hardened loner Eric (Guy Pearce) as he travels the desolate towns and roads of the Australian outback, causing no trouble until a gang of three thieves -- who have just robbed a …

Weekend Box Office: Maze Runner Too Fast for Walk Among the Tombstones

Chris Kavan - wrote on 09/21/14 at 10:19 PM CT

It was finally a weekend to celebrate as strong showing from a new YA franchise gave the box office a healthy 25% boost over last year. While the rest of the newcomers didn't fare nearly as well, for a September weekend, it was still an impressive showing and hopefully is a sign of things to come and won't fall back into the doldrums we've experienced since August ended. But why get ahead of …

New in Theaters September 19: The Guest, Maze Runner, Walk Among the Tombstones, Where I Leave You

Chris Kavan - wrote on 09/18/14 at 10:44 AM CT

After a rocky start to the month, September looks to ramp things up, if not be quality, then by sheer volume. No less than four new movies are opening - not to count the limited release movies from last week (like The Drop), that are likely to expand wide. But bunching up so many movies is a gamble, especially when you have clashing genres. Luckily, there is quite a bit of variety going into the …

New on DVD and Blu-ray Week of September 16-September 22

Harley Lond - wrote on 09/16/14 at 04:07 AM CT

THIS WEEK'S THEATRICAL RELEASES:

"Godzilla" makes a spectacular return in this reimagining of the original, 1954 Japanese "Gojira," which had the gigantic sea reptile awakened and empowered by nuclear radiation and embarking on a destructive binge, destroying Tokyo and the surrounding countryside. While the original was clearly a metaphorical comment on the nuclear bombings of Hiroshima and …

Weekend Box Office: No Good Deed Tops Charts, Guardians Passes $300 Million

Chris Kavan - wrote on 09/14/14 at 09:27 PM CT

While the box office still hasn't shaken off the early fall jitters, this weekend looked a lot better than last weekend in terms of openings and grosses. It might not be enough to turn around the fall blahs, but at least things are now heading in the right direction. It was a mix of good news as, one film topped expectations, but a family-friendly sequel wound up on the opposite end of things, …

New in Theaters September 12: No Good Deed, Dolphin Tale 2

Chris Kavan - wrote on 09/11/14 at 07:55 AM CT

Following on the heels of the worst weekend for Hollywood all year (and one of the worst in the past decade for that matter), maybe we can finally get back on track with something resembling a decent performance. While the movies still aren't exactly anything to scream about - a thriller and an inspirational family sequel - it's still looking a lot better than last week's offering. Still, I have …

New on DVD and Blu-ray Week of September 9-September 15

Harley Lond - wrote on 09/09/14 at 01:12 AM CT

THIS WEEK'S THEATRICAL RELEASES:

"Captain America: The Winter Soldier":
"Marvel's The Avengers" is a tough act to follow, but "Captain America: The Winter Soldier" sure as heck gives that film a run for the money, upping the super-hero ante -- here with a strong story line, some fine acting, fabulous special effects, and a whole lot of political intrigue. The sequel to 2011's "Captain …

Weekend Box Office: Yawn of the Dead as Guardians Tops Slowest Weekend in Two Years

Chris Kavan - wrote on 09/07/14 at 10:33 PM CT

The post-Labor Day weekend is traditionally one of the slowest weekends of the year as it sits between the blockbuster summer and the Oscar-hopeful fall. But to put an emphasis on just how slow things can get, the total weekend brought in just $51.9 million - the slowest weekend in two years. In the past decade, only 2008's $50.3 million has been a worse September showing - and not by much. Of …

The Summer Box Office of 2014: A Beautiful Disaster

Chris Kavan - wrote on 09/06/14 at 06:41 PM CT

If you haven't been paying attention to the weekend box office report, here's the lowdown: other than a spectacular August (mostly thanks to Guardians of the Galaxy), the summer of 2014 was pretty much an all-around major letdown. Granted, it's hard to compete when 2013 was the best summer on record, but 2014 was 15% lower than last year and the lowest-grossing year on record since 2006. If you …

New in Theaters September 5: The Identical

Chris Kavan - wrote on 09/04/14 at 07:49 AM CT

Even though August tried its best, one month was not enough to turn around a disappointing summer. The month ended up becoming the first August on record to top the $1 billion mark ($1.02 million to be exact - 10% higher than 2013), on the shoulder's of the year's highest-grossing film, Guardians of the Galaxy, as well as an above-average run for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. But all that …

New on DVD and Blu-ray Week of September 2-September 8

Harley Lond - wrote on 09/02/14 at 01:22 AM CT

THIS WEEK'S THEATRICAL RELEASES:

"Draft Day" is kind of the football version of "Moneyball" meets "Trouble With the Curve": Cleveland general manager Sonny Weaver (Kevin Costner) has a chance to rebuild his football team by pulling off a blockbuster trade, but when faced with fan pressure, an ambitious owner (Frank Langella) and a hard-nosed coach (Denis Leary), he has to decide whether or …

Weekend Box Office: Guardians Tops Lazy Labor Day Holiday

Chris Kavan - wrote on 09/01/14 at 12:54 PM CT

The summer ended on a whimper - but that was no big surprise as Labor Day is traditionally a soft weekend for Hollywood. The weekend was down nearly 16% compared to last year - and even though the month of August itself was a bright spot, the summer overall was down 15% compared to last year. Thus far the year is down 5% and this summer is going to wind up at an eight-year low for Hollywood. But …



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