Wow, I'm not that good at these things. I over-estimated Super 8 and to a lesser extend X-Men fisrt class, and underestimated Green Lantern. Cars 2 was always up in the air for me. Transformers is already done, so let's get to the real July releases.
July 8
Zookeeper (aka, Rewarmed Turd in the Microwave)
Opening Prediction: $30-35 million
Final Gross Prediction: $120-135 million.
The less said about this the better. It looks like crap obviously, but it will have to work hard not to make at least a little money. I hope it's the next marmaduke, but it's more likely gonna be a poor-man's night at the museum.
Horrible Bosses
Opening Prediction: $20-30 million
Final Gross Prediction: $100 million tops.
I don't see this taking off, it sounded promising at first but the marketing is confused and confusing. It'll be lucky to get above $25 million opening, which basically ensures it won't be a true break-out hit, although if word of mouth is good it could stick around.
July 15
Harry Potter and the Warner Bros need more Money (Deathly Hallows Part 2)
Opening Prediction: $135-$160 million
Final Gross Prediction: $320 million+
After Transformers 3 hit a relatively meh note (considering how spectacular Revenge of the Fallen's five day sprint was) it is now basically a fact that Deathly Hallows Part 2 will be the year's top film. The question is, just how well will it do? The answer is, insanely well. This is the first movie that feels like it has a real shot of breaking the Dark Knight's opening record of $158 million. It's total gross will obviously trail that by a lot, but it should eclipse the first Harry Potter (I'm expecting a bit of Revenge of the Sith type comeback here). Of course in terms of attendance, it won't come close, but I wouldn't put a $350 million total past it. Unlike the previous few potter's, this one seems to have some real re-watchability, and should see more repeat business (especially if it's, you know, good). Sky's really the limit on this one.
I'm tired. I will update this later.
Monday, July 4, 2011
But, it did really well overseas!
I knew it would happen, and now it has. The US is still the biggest market for films in the world, but it's becoming less and less significant.
Perhaps the best way to show this is a look at the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise.
2003-Pirates of the Caribbean: Domestic-$305 million, Overseas-$348 million,
Worldwide-$654 million
2006-Dead Man's Chest: Domestic-$423 million, Overseas-$643 million,
Worldwide-$1,066 million
2007-At World's End: Domestic-$309 million, Overseas-$654 million,
Worldwide-$963 million.
So, despite a mildly disappointing run domestically, At World's End made more overseas than the previous two pictures, not only that, but it's overseas tally was equal to the worldwide tally of the first film. This shows a great growth in the overseas market, but that's only the beginning.
2011-On Stranger Tides: Domestic-$233 million (so far), Overseas: $774 million(!So far!),
Worldwide-$1,008 million.
On stranger tides could surpass the worldwide gross of Dead Man's Chest, despite a massive drop in domestic grosses. In fact, the domestic gross was almost irrelevant to it's success!
This has been a definite trend in the summer's films.
Thor: $178M domestic, $262M overseas, $440M Worldwide.
The Hangover Part II: $248M domestic, $300M overseas, $548M worldwide.
Kung Fu Panda 2: $157M domestic, $374M overseas, $531M worldwide
X-Men First Class: $139M domestic, $196M overseas, $334M worldwide
Transformers 3: $162M domestic, $210M overseas, $372M worldwide.
Seems pretty clear. You'll notice I exempted Bridesmaids (one of the biggest domestic hits of the year) Green Lantern, Super 8 and Cars 2. All of these films are taking a slow-roll-out approach and we probably won't have a good idea of where they'll end up worldwide until the end of the month, when they open in more territories. Super 8 seems the most likely to disappoint overseas, but it should still easily match it's domestic gross.
Perhaps the best way to show this is a look at the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise.
2003-Pirates of the Caribbean: Domestic-$305 million, Overseas-$348 million,
Worldwide-$654 million
2006-Dead Man's Chest: Domestic-$423 million, Overseas-$643 million,
Worldwide-$1,066 million
2007-At World's End: Domestic-$309 million, Overseas-$654 million,
Worldwide-$963 million.
So, despite a mildly disappointing run domestically, At World's End made more overseas than the previous two pictures, not only that, but it's overseas tally was equal to the worldwide tally of the first film. This shows a great growth in the overseas market, but that's only the beginning.
2011-On Stranger Tides: Domestic-$233 million (so far), Overseas: $774 million(!So far!),
Worldwide-$1,008 million.
On stranger tides could surpass the worldwide gross of Dead Man's Chest, despite a massive drop in domestic grosses. In fact, the domestic gross was almost irrelevant to it's success!
This has been a definite trend in the summer's films.
Thor: $178M domestic, $262M overseas, $440M Worldwide.
The Hangover Part II: $248M domestic, $300M overseas, $548M worldwide.
Kung Fu Panda 2: $157M domestic, $374M overseas, $531M worldwide
X-Men First Class: $139M domestic, $196M overseas, $334M worldwide
Transformers 3: $162M domestic, $210M overseas, $372M worldwide.
Seems pretty clear. You'll notice I exempted Bridesmaids (one of the biggest domestic hits of the year) Green Lantern, Super 8 and Cars 2. All of these films are taking a slow-roll-out approach and we probably won't have a good idea of where they'll end up worldwide until the end of the month, when they open in more territories. Super 8 seems the most likely to disappoint overseas, but it should still easily match it's domestic gross.
Monday, June 20, 2011
Random Thoughts on Random Things
Cut the rope is a super addictive iPhone game! She & Him Volume 2 is amazing! Weird Al's Alpocalypse Drops Tommorow! True Grit on Blu-Ray! Demetri Martin's This is a Book is fantastic! xxxholic 16! One Stop Anime is closed on Sunday! Death the Kid is the coolest Soul Eater character! Tuesdays are more interesting than mondays! Freeze Pops FTW! Warcraft III holds up even after 9 years! Green Lantern did better than I expected! Super 8 and X-Men did worse than I expected! Thank You NOTES! Corpse Bride Piano Pieces! iPhone notes are useful! Swimming! Modified tube socks=bandit hats! My headphones broke so I'm using a headset! Drawing! Did nothing all day! Laderhosen! Alpine Seahorse! ALKRHOIEHCKHSDTLIHLGSHVDCMETUA"DD:FOSD:FODSFHNCD!
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
June Preview
So, June is kind of a weird month. In may the studios bring out there brightest and best to kick-start the summer. July offers massive blockbusters to keep things afloat through August. June is sort of a waiting period between them...especially this year.
This time, I'll be comparing this June's releases and commenting on how things could turn out.
June 3
X-Men First Class
Predicted Opening: $70-80 Million
Predicted Final Gross: $175-210 million
June at least starts with a bang, with some worthy holdovers and an undoubtedly big debut. The last entry in the X-Men series, Wolverine, pulled $85 million opening weekend, but bled out quickly with a $179 million final tally. I don't think First Class will be able to pull that, since the TERRIBLE and redundant badger Wolverine is still fresh in people's minds. But if Thor can pull $66 million, than First Class should grab at least $70 up front, and almost certainly more than Wolverine by the end of its run. Last year we had Killers and Get him to the Greek, both major disappointments, and a weak set of Memorial day holdovers. I fully expect First Class alone will outgross the top four, and the rest is just gravy. This weekend will soar over the comparable weekend last year, when Shrek 4 led in its third weekend with just $25.5 million...it certainly couldn't be any worse, the top 5 held only $85.2 million.
June 10
Super 8
Predicted Opening Weekend: $55-65 Million
Predicted Total Gross: Not even gonna guess.
This one is tough to call. Super 8 could really take off, or it could be a non-starter. The real test though, will be how long it sticks around. If it's just another cloverfield, it will stop short of $150 million. If it's the new ET, it will soar past $200 million. Anyway though, I can't imagine a start of less than $50 mil, or above $65 mil. It will probably top last year's Karate Kid remake, and beat out X-Men for the #1 slot, but that's about all I can say. The other new opener is Judy Moody and the not bummer summer. Who cares? Overall, this weekend will again beat last year. With X-Men, Hangover and Kung Fu Panda as holdovers and super 8 as top opener, it will easily fly past $115.1 million top 5 gross, when Karate Kid and A-Team opened on top.
June 17
Green Lantern
Predicted Opening Weekend: $30-40 million
Predicted total Gross: $75-90 million
No one wants to see this movie. No one except comic book fans. And they will see it. But only once. Because it will suck. Everyone knows this. And that's why they won't see it.
Mr. Popper's Penguins
Predicted Opening Weekend: $18-23 million
Predicted Total Gross: $60-80 million
See above but replace comic book fans with families. This looks terrible, but it probably won't bomb outright. Any way this shakes out though, it will be tough for the top 5 to top last year's $166.3 million, when Toy Story 3 (yes Toy Story 3) opened to $110 million. Oops.
June 24
Cars 2
Predicted Opening Gross: $60-70 Million
Predicted Total Gross: $220-240 million
Last year Pixar had it's biggest movie ever (Toy Story 3, although Nemo is still they're #1 in attendance). This year...well they won't. Cars 2 will pull families and only families. Pretty much everyone over age 10 was lukewarm or downright hostile to the original, but the toys are so ubiquitous that the kiddies will have to see it. Probably twice. Still, no matter what I don't see it beating the original's total gross, and certainly not the original's attendance. Even so, it will be one of June's biggest hits.
Bad Teacher
No predictions.
Cameron Diaz new movie comes out on the same weekend as Knight and Day did last year. Bad omen? you bet.
Overall, this weekend should again trail last year's comparable weekend, at least as far as the top 5 is concerned. Last year the top 5 took $141.6 million last year. Don't count on it this year.
This time, I'll be comparing this June's releases and commenting on how things could turn out.
June 3
X-Men First Class
Predicted Opening: $70-80 Million
Predicted Final Gross: $175-210 million
June at least starts with a bang, with some worthy holdovers and an undoubtedly big debut. The last entry in the X-Men series, Wolverine, pulled $85 million opening weekend, but bled out quickly with a $179 million final tally. I don't think First Class will be able to pull that, since the TERRIBLE and redundant badger Wolverine is still fresh in people's minds. But if Thor can pull $66 million, than First Class should grab at least $70 up front, and almost certainly more than Wolverine by the end of its run. Last year we had Killers and Get him to the Greek, both major disappointments, and a weak set of Memorial day holdovers. I fully expect First Class alone will outgross the top four, and the rest is just gravy. This weekend will soar over the comparable weekend last year, when Shrek 4 led in its third weekend with just $25.5 million...it certainly couldn't be any worse, the top 5 held only $85.2 million.
June 10
Super 8
Predicted Opening Weekend: $55-65 Million
Predicted Total Gross: Not even gonna guess.
This one is tough to call. Super 8 could really take off, or it could be a non-starter. The real test though, will be how long it sticks around. If it's just another cloverfield, it will stop short of $150 million. If it's the new ET, it will soar past $200 million. Anyway though, I can't imagine a start of less than $50 mil, or above $65 mil. It will probably top last year's Karate Kid remake, and beat out X-Men for the #1 slot, but that's about all I can say. The other new opener is Judy Moody and the not bummer summer. Who cares? Overall, this weekend will again beat last year. With X-Men, Hangover and Kung Fu Panda as holdovers and super 8 as top opener, it will easily fly past $115.1 million top 5 gross, when Karate Kid and A-Team opened on top.
June 17
Green Lantern
Predicted Opening Weekend: $30-40 million
Predicted total Gross: $75-90 million
No one wants to see this movie. No one except comic book fans. And they will see it. But only once. Because it will suck. Everyone knows this. And that's why they won't see it.
Mr. Popper's Penguins
Predicted Opening Weekend: $18-23 million
Predicted Total Gross: $60-80 million
See above but replace comic book fans with families. This looks terrible, but it probably won't bomb outright. Any way this shakes out though, it will be tough for the top 5 to top last year's $166.3 million, when Toy Story 3 (yes Toy Story 3) opened to $110 million. Oops.
June 24
Cars 2
Predicted Opening Gross: $60-70 Million
Predicted Total Gross: $220-240 million
Last year Pixar had it's biggest movie ever (Toy Story 3, although Nemo is still they're #1 in attendance). This year...well they won't. Cars 2 will pull families and only families. Pretty much everyone over age 10 was lukewarm or downright hostile to the original, but the toys are so ubiquitous that the kiddies will have to see it. Probably twice. Still, no matter what I don't see it beating the original's total gross, and certainly not the original's attendance. Even so, it will be one of June's biggest hits.
Bad Teacher
No predictions.
Cameron Diaz new movie comes out on the same weekend as Knight and Day did last year. Bad omen? you bet.
Overall, this weekend should again trail last year's comparable weekend, at least as far as the top 5 is concerned. Last year the top 5 took $141.6 million last year. Don't count on it this year.
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
May Wrap-Up
Ohh...I'm not that good at this.
April 29-Fast Five
My Predicted Opening: $60 million
Actual Opening: $83 million
Predicted total Gross: $130 million
Actual Total Gross: $197 million and counting.
Fast Five broke out beyond expectations and remains the top film of 2011, although The Hangover and Pirates sequels are both on the brink of passing it. Color me pleasantly surprised.
May 6-Thor
My Predicted Opening: $50 million
Actual Opening: $66 million
Predicted Total Gross: $120 million
Actual Total Gross: $162 million and counting.
Thor did better than I expected, but is hardly a breakout hit. It won't make $200 million, making it a bit more frontloaded than many were hoping. Good word of mouth can only do so much with something this stupid.
May 13-Who Cares? Bridesmaids did okay I guess.
May 20-Pirates 4
My Predicted Opening: At least $70 million
Actual Opening: $90 million.
Predicted Total Gross: $200 million
Actual Total Gross: $164 million and counting.
A lot fo people were disappointed with On Stranger Tides $90 million opening. This people were unreasonable. Most (normal) people HATE HATE HATED At world's End, so this was a big win, and the highest end of where I would have predicted.
May 26-Hangover 2
My Predicted Opening: $60 million
Actual Opening: $86 million
Predicted Total Gross: $200 million
Actual Total Gross: $135 million and just getting started.
Call it optimism. I didn't think America would lap up the same garbage a second time. Alas, the Hangover Part II made $135 million in five days, accounting for nearly 50% of total memorial day business. Sigh. Thankfully, word of mouth is Bad bad bad, so it might peter out before passing up the first horrible film's completely undeserved $277 million total.
Kung Fu Panda 2
My Predicted Opening: $70 million
Actual Opening: $48 million
Predicted Total Gross: $250 million
Actual Total Gross: $67 million and just getting started.
More optimism. For the record, this movie is awesome and deserves to make way more than this. Thankfully, most people agree with me and the word of mouth will be good. Still, reaching the first movie's $215 million total will be difficult, considering it's three day weekend was down 20% from the last film (even more so in attendance). Here's hoping it pulls a How To Train your Dragon, but it only has 29 days until Cars 2 opens, so I'll give it a safer goal of beating Madagascar 2 (which has earned a sequel) hitting the $180's, and making a killing overseas (which seems likely). PLEASE MAKE KUNG FU PANDA 3!
Overall thoughts:
In my last post I said I probably overestimated a few pictures, it looks like the opposite is mostly true. It was a record breaking memorial day (although not a record breaking may overall), but I still hold to my comments about June: very sketchy.
Stay tuned...
April 29-Fast Five
My Predicted Opening: $60 million
Actual Opening: $83 million
Predicted total Gross: $130 million
Actual Total Gross: $197 million and counting.
Fast Five broke out beyond expectations and remains the top film of 2011, although The Hangover and Pirates sequels are both on the brink of passing it. Color me pleasantly surprised.
May 6-Thor
My Predicted Opening: $50 million
Actual Opening: $66 million
Predicted Total Gross: $120 million
Actual Total Gross: $162 million and counting.
Thor did better than I expected, but is hardly a breakout hit. It won't make $200 million, making it a bit more frontloaded than many were hoping. Good word of mouth can only do so much with something this stupid.
May 13-Who Cares? Bridesmaids did okay I guess.
May 20-Pirates 4
My Predicted Opening: At least $70 million
Actual Opening: $90 million.
Predicted Total Gross: $200 million
Actual Total Gross: $164 million and counting.
A lot fo people were disappointed with On Stranger Tides $90 million opening. This people were unreasonable. Most (normal) people HATE HATE HATED At world's End, so this was a big win, and the highest end of where I would have predicted.
May 26-Hangover 2
My Predicted Opening: $60 million
Actual Opening: $86 million
Predicted Total Gross: $200 million
Actual Total Gross: $135 million and just getting started.
Call it optimism. I didn't think America would lap up the same garbage a second time. Alas, the Hangover Part II made $135 million in five days, accounting for nearly 50% of total memorial day business. Sigh. Thankfully, word of mouth is Bad bad bad, so it might peter out before passing up the first horrible film's completely undeserved $277 million total.
Kung Fu Panda 2
My Predicted Opening: $70 million
Actual Opening: $48 million
Predicted Total Gross: $250 million
Actual Total Gross: $67 million and just getting started.
More optimism. For the record, this movie is awesome and deserves to make way more than this. Thankfully, most people agree with me and the word of mouth will be good. Still, reaching the first movie's $215 million total will be difficult, considering it's three day weekend was down 20% from the last film (even more so in attendance). Here's hoping it pulls a How To Train your Dragon, but it only has 29 days until Cars 2 opens, so I'll give it a safer goal of beating Madagascar 2 (which has earned a sequel) hitting the $180's, and making a killing overseas (which seems likely). PLEASE MAKE KUNG FU PANDA 3!
Overall thoughts:
In my last post I said I probably overestimated a few pictures, it looks like the opposite is mostly true. It was a record breaking memorial day (although not a record breaking may overall), but I still hold to my comments about June: very sketchy.
Stay tuned...
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Summer Movie Preview: Part 1-May: The Kick-Off
Summer movie season starts in may. Here are the major releases and how much I think they'll make.
April 29
Wait, April? May starts in May you idiot! Well it starts a week earlier this year with:
FAST FIVE (Aka Fast and Furious 5, aka 5 Fast 5 Furious, aka Fast and Furious: This one has Dwayne Johnson)
Est Opening Weekend: Around $60 million
Est total gross: $130 million
Fast and Furious has something of a sordid history, but the last installment made a suprisingly strong $71 million it's opening weekend in April 2009 (outgrossing Tokyo Drift, the previous installment, in just three days), en route to a front-loaded $155 million. I don't expect this movie to match that one's hieghts though. Fast and Furious came out three years after nobody saw Tokyo Drift. It was really more like a six-year absence for the series, and an eight year absence between titles featuring Vin Diesel. Crazy stupid action movies just weren't made often. Now they are, and so I expect a softer, but still huge, opening for the fifth chapter, leading to a relatively small total. Dwayne Johnson is boss.
May 6
THOR (Aka Tor, aka Kenneth Branagh sells out, aka Worst Movie Ever)
Est. Opening Weekend-Around $50 million
Est. Total Gross-$120 million
Thor is not the next Iron Man. It will lose business to the second weekend of Fast Five, but it should hold well against the nothingness that launches May 13. Overall, expect a pretty average gross, falling short of its $150 million. The fanboys have been brainwashed into liking it, but basically no one else will attend.
May 13
NOTHING WORTH NOTING COMES OUT! JUST MORE GARBAGE!
May 20
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (aka Jack is Back, aka This one cost half what the last one did, aka Let's hope this doesn't suck)
Est opening weekend-$70+ million
Est Total Gross-$200 million
This is something of a wildcard. It could pull $90 million out of thin air or it could struggle to hit $50. Whatever the case, it won't match the $114 million opening of At World's End, for the simple reason that At World's End sucked. Bad. Also the dramatic stakes simply aren't there, and there's been virtually no real money shots (Because a relatively modest $140 million was spent here, versus $300 million for the last installment). Even so, it should be a success, Captain Jack is an icon at this point and it's been long enough for people to forgive At World's End (Plus there are a few idiots who actually liked that movie, so...) Expect it to keep up well over memorial day, and keep going throughout June...unless it really sucks.
May 26 (yeah, thursday, because Indiana Jones did it and had a truckload of money over a five day Memorial day weekend back in 2008)
The Hangover Part II
Est Opening: Around $60 million (80 over the five day)
Est Final Gross: Around $200 million
The Hangover Part II is the hangover part I, but this time it's in Bangcok. This has turned off the more intelligent potential viewers, but I don't think they're what made the first one a hit anyway. Expect around $80 million over the five day memorial weekend, falling fast and ending around $200 million...although I wouldn't be surprised if it did a lot less than that.
Kung Fu Panda 2
Est Opening: Around $70 million (nearly 100 over the five day)
Est Final Gross: Around $250 million
I fully expect Kung Fu Panda 2 to surpass the first one in terms of gross. Opening on memorial day, and playing through june without family competition, it should do exceedingly well for dreamworks. The first Kung Fu Panda was Dreamworks best received film since Shrek 2. Jack Black isn't the star he was three years ago (coming off of his latest bomb "Gulliver's Travels") but I wonder if he was that much of a draw three years ago either.
So overall the summer will get off to a good start, even if I've overestimated a few pictures. June however, is a bit more sketchy.
April 29
Wait, April? May starts in May you idiot! Well it starts a week earlier this year with:
FAST FIVE (Aka Fast and Furious 5, aka 5 Fast 5 Furious, aka Fast and Furious: This one has Dwayne Johnson)
Est Opening Weekend: Around $60 million
Est total gross: $130 million
Fast and Furious has something of a sordid history, but the last installment made a suprisingly strong $71 million it's opening weekend in April 2009 (outgrossing Tokyo Drift, the previous installment, in just three days), en route to a front-loaded $155 million. I don't expect this movie to match that one's hieghts though. Fast and Furious came out three years after nobody saw Tokyo Drift. It was really more like a six-year absence for the series, and an eight year absence between titles featuring Vin Diesel. Crazy stupid action movies just weren't made often. Now they are, and so I expect a softer, but still huge, opening for the fifth chapter, leading to a relatively small total. Dwayne Johnson is boss.
May 6
THOR (Aka Tor, aka Kenneth Branagh sells out, aka Worst Movie Ever)
Est. Opening Weekend-Around $50 million
Est. Total Gross-$120 million
Thor is not the next Iron Man. It will lose business to the second weekend of Fast Five, but it should hold well against the nothingness that launches May 13. Overall, expect a pretty average gross, falling short of its $150 million. The fanboys have been brainwashed into liking it, but basically no one else will attend.
May 13
NOTHING WORTH NOTING COMES OUT! JUST MORE GARBAGE!
May 20
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (aka Jack is Back, aka This one cost half what the last one did, aka Let's hope this doesn't suck)
Est opening weekend-$70+ million
Est Total Gross-$200 million
This is something of a wildcard. It could pull $90 million out of thin air or it could struggle to hit $50. Whatever the case, it won't match the $114 million opening of At World's End, for the simple reason that At World's End sucked. Bad. Also the dramatic stakes simply aren't there, and there's been virtually no real money shots (Because a relatively modest $140 million was spent here, versus $300 million for the last installment). Even so, it should be a success, Captain Jack is an icon at this point and it's been long enough for people to forgive At World's End (Plus there are a few idiots who actually liked that movie, so...) Expect it to keep up well over memorial day, and keep going throughout June...unless it really sucks.
May 26 (yeah, thursday, because Indiana Jones did it and had a truckload of money over a five day Memorial day weekend back in 2008)
The Hangover Part II
Est Opening: Around $60 million (80 over the five day)
Est Final Gross: Around $200 million
The Hangover Part II is the hangover part I, but this time it's in Bangcok. This has turned off the more intelligent potential viewers, but I don't think they're what made the first one a hit anyway. Expect around $80 million over the five day memorial weekend, falling fast and ending around $200 million...although I wouldn't be surprised if it did a lot less than that.
Kung Fu Panda 2
Est Opening: Around $70 million (nearly 100 over the five day)
Est Final Gross: Around $250 million
I fully expect Kung Fu Panda 2 to surpass the first one in terms of gross. Opening on memorial day, and playing through june without family competition, it should do exceedingly well for dreamworks. The first Kung Fu Panda was Dreamworks best received film since Shrek 2. Jack Black isn't the star he was three years ago (coming off of his latest bomb "Gulliver's Travels") but I wonder if he was that much of a draw three years ago either.
So overall the summer will get off to a good start, even if I've overestimated a few pictures. June however, is a bit more sketchy.
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Shonen Anime and Feminism. Oh yeah, I went there.
Oh shonen anime, what are we going to do with you? I really don't watch much of it anymore, because frankly, it's garbage. Even so, I can still gripe about negative messages seen within it, specifically the portrayal of female characters in the genre. Most female characters in shonen anime exist solely for the purpose of fanservice, and/or to provide the main character with a love interest. Perhaps the most heinous offender in this area is Naruto. Sakura, the only character that doesn't exist completely for the purpose of fanservice, is only interested in one thing: Sasuke. Of course her entire goal in life is to find a big strong man to take care of her. -_- Not only that, she's also by far the weakest member of the team and is basically useless in a fight, until Shippuden when she becomes slightly less useless. Here's Typical scene from Naruto. Kakashi: Naruto, Sasuke, get that bad dood. While I take on the other bad dood. Sakura: What do I Do? Kakashi: Sit here and yell from the sidelines with nameless captive/hostage dood. Sakura: Lame Sasuke: Shut up and make me a sammich! Sakura: Oh Sasuke, whatever you say u r so hawt! Sasuke: Das right, now get me that sammich! You get the idea. Most other popular shonen anime follow this trend, most notably Bleach. (I love Deathnote, but wow is Misa useless). There are exceptions. Code Geass is relatively progressive, with at least one strong female character. By shonen standards, Soul Eater is practically a feminist manifesto, and this is where I really start to whine. At first it seems very progressive for shonen. Maka is really our main character, despite Soul Eater being the titular character. She's strong, independent and is not the victim of fanservice. Of course Blair is also in the first episode, and she is blatantly there to pander, but hey Shonen is Shonen. Two of the main villians, Arachnae and Medusa are strong female characters. The professors are also great female role models (Marie has a few "moe points" but overall still a relatively strong character). At first I thought I might take issue with Tsubaki and The Twins, they sort of bring the "women as objects" argument to a whole new level. (especially since their souls are naked when in weapon form. 0_O). However, Soul is also an object in a sense (as is Maka's dad) and they appear naked as well, so it works out. I was content with the politics of gender in Soul Eater, it felt empowering and right...until episode 33. In this episode it is heavily implied, if not outright stated, that Maka is the weakest of the three meisters. Of course a GIRL couldn't be an effective meister, pshhh! I suppose this could be nitpicking, but since she's the only major female meister (and arguably the main character) it seems like a poor move. I'm hoping Soul Eater redeems itself, but even if it doesn't it's still much better than any other Shonen Anime I've seen in this respect. ...maybe I'm reading too much into it.
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
New Production Studios: How we doing?
Last weekend, a new movie distributer "Film District" opened its first film "Insidious" to $13.3 million dollars. Considering the movie cost $1.5 million, that's a big win. Actually, over the last year or so there have been a couple of new studios. Let's have a look. Relativity Media: Current Score 1 out of 4 Relativity Media released its first picture "The Warriors Way" back in December. Didn't see it? Well neither did anyone else. Despite lacking a major star (No Geoffrey Rush doesn't count) the movie cost $42 million to make and earned less than $6 million back domestically and less than $10 million worldwide. Fail. Their second release fared a little better. Season of the Witch earned $24 million domestically and over $81 million worldwide (and counting) on a $40 million budget. Not great, but a little profitable. Third release "Take me home Tonight" was another bomb, earning less than $7 million on a budget that has yet to be revealed (but likely ain't too pretty). They finally launched their first hit a few weeks ago, Bradley Cooper vehicle Limitless has earned $55 million so far domestically on a $27 million budget, and it's still going strong. At its present pace it could cross $80 million by the end of its run, making it a big win for Relativity, and just maybe save the studio from an early death. CBS Films: 1 out of 5 (so far) I'll make this quick. CBS films has made five movies, four of which have yet to be profitable. The Back Up Plan is there only mild success, although Beastly will probably turn a profit once it goes overseas. I might update this with more in-depth info later.
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Biggest Bombs of All Time
This weekend Mars Needs Moms bombed BIG TIME at the box office...and I couldn't be happier. It looked horrible. Apparently it was horrible. In three weeks, it should be gone. You see, theaters are obligated to carry a film for 2 weeks, before dropping it. For box office flops, the third weekend is usually the last, or darn well close to it. There are many ways to determine what the biggest flop of all time is. Here are a few dubious honors.
Biggest Actual Loss: Cutthroat Island
Pirate movies are expensive. And typically unpopular, which is why there aren't many of them made. Pirates of the Caribbean is the one exception in the last twenty or so years. Cutthroat Island is the biggest bomb of all time in traditional terms. It cost $115,000,000 with marketing and made about $10,000,000 worldwide box office. That's an estimated loss of $105,000,000 (actually more when you consider that a certain % of the gross went to the theaters, not the studio) which adjusts to nearly $147 million today. Wow. It bankrupted Carolco Pictures, and hurt MGM big-time. This, along with a string of other flops, eventually killed MGM as a distributer. Talk about bad Juju.
Worst Opening Weekend at over 3,000 theaters: Hoot
May 5th, 2006, matched against Mission Impossible, at a massive 3,018 theaters, New Line Cinema released a movie about kids standing up to the establishment to save an owl. Too bad nobody gave a hoot, and it grossed only $3.4 million, ranking 10th for the weekend. It's average of $1,116 was even worst than Disney's bomb, "The Wild" in 12th place...in its FOURTH WEEKEND. It's second weekend was a relatively okay drop, (considering the bad word of mouth), dropping only 32%. But dropping 32% from an already disastrous opening, is still not good, and it was expelled from 2,200 theaters, left playing at only 818. This triggered a third weekend drop of 82%, and Hoot ended its run after five weeks with only a little over $8 mil.
Biggest Third Weekend Theater Drop: Meet Dave
Meet Dave was a flop. Opening at 3,011 theaters (that's a lot, trust me) it earned only $5.3 million, ranking seventh at the box office. That's the third worst opening for a movie playing at over 3,000 theaters, behind "Hoot" and "The Seeker: The Dark is Rising". Unlike those two films though, Dave was in the middle of the busy summer season, and there was much better films the theaters wanted to play instead of the unprofitable Dave (which averaged just $1,744 per theater, compared with $2,334 average for the #6 film that weekend, Get Smart...which was in its FOURTH WEEKEND!). After a 68% second weekend drop (then averaging just $551, raking #11 for the weekend, behind Kung Fu Panda, which averaged $1,236...in its SEVENTH WEEKEND) it was kicked out of 2,523 theaters, left playing at only 448. Dave ended his run with less than $12 million, on a $60 million budget. Ouch.
Worst Opening at over 2,000 Theaters: Delgo
I said earlier that Theaters are usually obligated to carry a film for at least two weeks before kicking it out and playing something successful. That's not always the case though. There are limits. Say hello to Delgo, arguably the biggest bomb of all time. Opening at 2,160 theaters, Delgo earned only $512,000 for a per theater average of $237. That's horrible. Delgo left theaters after seven days with less than $700k. I can only imagine that the studio was so embararessed that they wanted to save some face on the horrible misfortune that had befallen them. For perspective, the second worst opening at over 2,000 theaters was for P2, which earned over $2million at 2,131 theaters. Delgo is the worst, by a wide margin.
Worst Opening for a wide Release (600+ Theters): Proud American
Never heard of it? Don't worry, no one else has either. Opening at 750 theaters, Proud American earned only $96,076, averaging $128 per theater, an all time worst for a wide release opening. Unlike Delgo, it managed to stick around 14 days, but it lost 744 theaters it's second weekend, and 99.6% of it's gross. It left theaters with only $131,000. Words fail me.
Biggest Actual Loss: Cutthroat Island
Pirate movies are expensive. And typically unpopular, which is why there aren't many of them made. Pirates of the Caribbean is the one exception in the last twenty or so years. Cutthroat Island is the biggest bomb of all time in traditional terms. It cost $115,000,000 with marketing and made about $10,000,000 worldwide box office. That's an estimated loss of $105,000,000 (actually more when you consider that a certain % of the gross went to the theaters, not the studio) which adjusts to nearly $147 million today. Wow. It bankrupted Carolco Pictures, and hurt MGM big-time. This, along with a string of other flops, eventually killed MGM as a distributer. Talk about bad Juju.
Worst Opening Weekend at over 3,000 theaters: Hoot
May 5th, 2006, matched against Mission Impossible, at a massive 3,018 theaters, New Line Cinema released a movie about kids standing up to the establishment to save an owl. Too bad nobody gave a hoot, and it grossed only $3.4 million, ranking 10th for the weekend. It's average of $1,116 was even worst than Disney's bomb, "The Wild" in 12th place...in its FOURTH WEEKEND. It's second weekend was a relatively okay drop, (considering the bad word of mouth), dropping only 32%. But dropping 32% from an already disastrous opening, is still not good, and it was expelled from 2,200 theaters, left playing at only 818. This triggered a third weekend drop of 82%, and Hoot ended its run after five weeks with only a little over $8 mil.
Biggest Third Weekend Theater Drop: Meet Dave
Meet Dave was a flop. Opening at 3,011 theaters (that's a lot, trust me) it earned only $5.3 million, ranking seventh at the box office. That's the third worst opening for a movie playing at over 3,000 theaters, behind "Hoot" and "The Seeker: The Dark is Rising". Unlike those two films though, Dave was in the middle of the busy summer season, and there was much better films the theaters wanted to play instead of the unprofitable Dave (which averaged just $1,744 per theater, compared with $2,334 average for the #6 film that weekend, Get Smart...which was in its FOURTH WEEKEND!). After a 68% second weekend drop (then averaging just $551, raking #11 for the weekend, behind Kung Fu Panda, which averaged $1,236...in its SEVENTH WEEKEND) it was kicked out of 2,523 theaters, left playing at only 448. Dave ended his run with less than $12 million, on a $60 million budget. Ouch.
Worst Opening at over 2,000 Theaters: Delgo
I said earlier that Theaters are usually obligated to carry a film for at least two weeks before kicking it out and playing something successful. That's not always the case though. There are limits. Say hello to Delgo, arguably the biggest bomb of all time. Opening at 2,160 theaters, Delgo earned only $512,000 for a per theater average of $237. That's horrible. Delgo left theaters after seven days with less than $700k. I can only imagine that the studio was so embararessed that they wanted to save some face on the horrible misfortune that had befallen them. For perspective, the second worst opening at over 2,000 theaters was for P2, which earned over $2million at 2,131 theaters. Delgo is the worst, by a wide margin.
Worst Opening for a wide Release (600+ Theters): Proud American
Never heard of it? Don't worry, no one else has either. Opening at 750 theaters, Proud American earned only $96,076, averaging $128 per theater, an all time worst for a wide release opening. Unlike Delgo, it managed to stick around 14 days, but it lost 744 theaters it's second weekend, and 99.6% of it's gross. It left theaters with only $131,000. Words fail me.
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Rango
I didn't want to do a post about Rango until I've seen it, but I really wanted to. Rango is causing some minor controversy, which seems likely to only get bigger after the first weekend. As far as box office it's doing attendance in the same ball-park as How to Train your Dragon, but don't expect it to have the same legs. Apparently some elements of the film are considered "not kid-friendly". Many parents have complained about the violence and language used in the film. Some of them even think the film deserved a PG-13. A response to this has been "hey, just cuz it's animated don't mean its for kids!". While I agree with this, you can't deny that the film was marketed to children. Kids meals at Burger King, ads all over Nickelodeon and other kids TV (it is a Nickelodeon movie) and trailers played in front of other more "family friendly" animated movies. This isn't the first time this has happened. The black cauldron, All Dogs go to Heaven, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, The Incredibles: all were arguably not kid-friendly, but aggressively targeted towards children. So what's my opinion? Well as I have yet to see the movie, I can't really say, but let's be honest. Parents (bad parents) take their 5-year-olds to see Friday the 13th. Lots of kids (with good parents) went to see Lord of the Rings. A large chunk of CSI's audience is under 12. Is Rango really gonna do that much damage?
Also, I can't wait to see Rango, and this is just one more reason.
Also, I can't wait to see Rango, and this is just one more reason.
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Scott "Oscar Snub" Pilgrim
The Oscars are tonight and Scott Pilgrim vs. the World-my pick for best movie of the year-has zero nominations. Travesty! Here's what it should have been nominated for.
Editing
Scott Pilgrim is so frenetic and crazy it could easily have been turned to mush in editing. But it wasn't, if anything the editing improved the movie and made it all the better. Should have at least got a nom.
Visual Effects
Okay, so it didn't have the folding city from Inception, the giant dragon from Alice in Wonderland or...whatever was in Hereafter, but Scott Pilgrim did something different. Rather than using visual effects to distract the audience, they were used directly to make it more like a comic book, and improve immersion. I don't think it should have one, but it shows a lack of vision that didn't even get nominated.
Best Supporting Actor-Kieran Culkin as Wallace
Scott Pilgrim didn't have any oscar-worthy performances, aside from Kieran Culkin as Wallace. The first third, before things really get wild, he pretty much carries the film. Toward the end he basically disappears, which is sort of a shame, because he brings so much to the role. Snubbed!
Best Adapted Screenplay
Okay, so it wouldn't win, but a nomination would have been nice.
Best Director-Edgar Wright
The day after the Oscar Noms were announced, the internet was flooded with the whining rants of Christopher Nolan fanboys. For those of you who don't know, the internet is full of those idiots. Christopher Nolan is not one of my favorite directors. He makes good movies, but he's not a fantastic director. Memento is probably his most balanced work. Batman Begins, Dark Knight and Inception all have pacing issues in the last third. His shots aren't particularly inventive, and he doesn't really do anything new from a directorial standpoint. Edgar Wright on the other hand, puts forth a revolutionary film, with literally dozens of shots a second that all need to work perfectly and flow from one to the other. And they all do. Much of this is due to the editing, but you can't deny that Wright does stuff that hasn't been done before, and he is vastly superior to Nolan on the directing front. This is probably the biggest snub of all.
Best Picture-Scott Pilgrim vs. The World
Well, duh. Screw 127 hours. To heck with Winter's Bone. Fooey on The Kids are All Right. Forget about the King's Speech. Drop dead Inception. Bug off True Grit. Go punch yourself, The Figher. Molt and die Black Swan. Ignore friend request, Social Network. Burn and die Toy Story 3.
SCOTT PILGRIM VS. THE WORLD is the BEST PICTURE 2010!
Editing
Scott Pilgrim is so frenetic and crazy it could easily have been turned to mush in editing. But it wasn't, if anything the editing improved the movie and made it all the better. Should have at least got a nom.
Visual Effects
Okay, so it didn't have the folding city from Inception, the giant dragon from Alice in Wonderland or...whatever was in Hereafter, but Scott Pilgrim did something different. Rather than using visual effects to distract the audience, they were used directly to make it more like a comic book, and improve immersion. I don't think it should have one, but it shows a lack of vision that didn't even get nominated.
Best Supporting Actor-Kieran Culkin as Wallace
Scott Pilgrim didn't have any oscar-worthy performances, aside from Kieran Culkin as Wallace. The first third, before things really get wild, he pretty much carries the film. Toward the end he basically disappears, which is sort of a shame, because he brings so much to the role. Snubbed!
Best Adapted Screenplay
Okay, so it wouldn't win, but a nomination would have been nice.
Best Director-Edgar Wright
The day after the Oscar Noms were announced, the internet was flooded with the whining rants of Christopher Nolan fanboys. For those of you who don't know, the internet is full of those idiots. Christopher Nolan is not one of my favorite directors. He makes good movies, but he's not a fantastic director. Memento is probably his most balanced work. Batman Begins, Dark Knight and Inception all have pacing issues in the last third. His shots aren't particularly inventive, and he doesn't really do anything new from a directorial standpoint. Edgar Wright on the other hand, puts forth a revolutionary film, with literally dozens of shots a second that all need to work perfectly and flow from one to the other. And they all do. Much of this is due to the editing, but you can't deny that Wright does stuff that hasn't been done before, and he is vastly superior to Nolan on the directing front. This is probably the biggest snub of all.
Best Picture-Scott Pilgrim vs. The World
Well, duh. Screw 127 hours. To heck with Winter's Bone. Fooey on The Kids are All Right. Forget about the King's Speech. Drop dead Inception. Bug off True Grit. Go punch yourself, The Figher. Molt and die Black Swan. Ignore friend request, Social Network. Burn and die Toy Story 3.
SCOTT PILGRIM VS. THE WORLD is the BEST PICTURE 2010!
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Money-Wasters: The Most over-budgeted movies of 2010.
Movies cost a lot of money in hollywood. these ones cost a lot even considering that.
10. Iron Man 2-$200 Million
Should have been: $170 Million
Arguably this one's not really overbudgeted, but I didn't see $200 million the screen. What do I expect for $200 million? Innovation. What did I get? Boredom.
9. Alice in Wonderland-$200 million
Should have been: $150 million
Okay, so it was a huge visual effects extravaganza, I get it. But $200 million demands more. Again, probably not that overbudgeted, but still, a waste of $200 mil.
8. The Tourist-$100 Million
Should Have been: $80 Million
Okay, to be fair, this was an action drama. With big stars. But $100 million is a big price tag, especially considering the movie came nowhere near reaching that mark domestically.
7. Chronicles of Narnia: Voyage of the Dawn Treader-$155 Million
Should have Been: $100 Million
All of the Narnia movies have been overbudgeted in my book. Prince Caspian cost $225 million, so this is a bit more reasonable. But still, there was nothing here that made it reasonably cost that much. No big stars, nothing. Just sad really, because if they'd kept the budget down, they would be swimming in the money at this point.
6. Tangled-$260 million
Should have Been: Around $150 million
Tangled has an excuse. Production started way back in 2004, and in 2008 they threw it all out and started over. The preliminary 4 years of work is included in that. Excuses though, don't get you far with me. This stands as the second most expensive movie of all time.
5. Prince of Persia: Sands of Time-$200 Million
Should have Been: $100 million
Yet another $200 million pricetag. This shows how naive Disney is. You just don't invest $200 million in a movie that's supposed to be a franchise starter. It's just bad form. Not to mention that it could have been made for much, much less.
4. Sex and the City 2-$100 Million
Should have never been made!
This is self-explanatory. Whether you saw the movie or not (I did not) you can see that this is a gross example of Hollywood excess. Just horrible.
3. The Wolf Man-$150 Million
Should Have been: $75 million
$150 million thrown at a movie nobody saw. Universal is pretty stupid for doing this.
2. Robin Hood-$200 million
Should Have been: $80 Million
I didn't think this one could be topped. $200 million on a movie that looks like it was made for five bucks. No big effects shots, nothing really epic, mostly just people riding horses through the woods. Sure, Russell Crowe probably took $20 million, Ridley Scott upwards of 25, but that still leaves $155 million to make a movie. Also, the movie sucked.
1. How do you Know-$120 Million
Should Have been: $40 million
When I saw the budget for this one, I was convinced it was a type-o. It wasn't. Haven't seen it, but unless there's an epic helicopter chase half-way through that I don't know about, there's no reason it should be this much. Sony must be down in the depths of despair, since it only made back a quarter of it's massive overbudgetedness.
10. Iron Man 2-$200 Million
Should have been: $170 Million
Arguably this one's not really overbudgeted, but I didn't see $200 million the screen. What do I expect for $200 million? Innovation. What did I get? Boredom.
9. Alice in Wonderland-$200 million
Should have been: $150 million
Okay, so it was a huge visual effects extravaganza, I get it. But $200 million demands more. Again, probably not that overbudgeted, but still, a waste of $200 mil.
8. The Tourist-$100 Million
Should Have been: $80 Million
Okay, to be fair, this was an action drama. With big stars. But $100 million is a big price tag, especially considering the movie came nowhere near reaching that mark domestically.
7. Chronicles of Narnia: Voyage of the Dawn Treader-$155 Million
Should have Been: $100 Million
All of the Narnia movies have been overbudgeted in my book. Prince Caspian cost $225 million, so this is a bit more reasonable. But still, there was nothing here that made it reasonably cost that much. No big stars, nothing. Just sad really, because if they'd kept the budget down, they would be swimming in the money at this point.
6. Tangled-$260 million
Should have Been: Around $150 million
Tangled has an excuse. Production started way back in 2004, and in 2008 they threw it all out and started over. The preliminary 4 years of work is included in that. Excuses though, don't get you far with me. This stands as the second most expensive movie of all time.
5. Prince of Persia: Sands of Time-$200 Million
Should have Been: $100 million
Yet another $200 million pricetag. This shows how naive Disney is. You just don't invest $200 million in a movie that's supposed to be a franchise starter. It's just bad form. Not to mention that it could have been made for much, much less.
4. Sex and the City 2-$100 Million
Should have never been made!
This is self-explanatory. Whether you saw the movie or not (I did not) you can see that this is a gross example of Hollywood excess. Just horrible.
3. The Wolf Man-$150 Million
Should Have been: $75 million
$150 million thrown at a movie nobody saw. Universal is pretty stupid for doing this.
2. Robin Hood-$200 million
Should Have been: $80 Million
I didn't think this one could be topped. $200 million on a movie that looks like it was made for five bucks. No big effects shots, nothing really epic, mostly just people riding horses through the woods. Sure, Russell Crowe probably took $20 million, Ridley Scott upwards of 25, but that still leaves $155 million to make a movie. Also, the movie sucked.
1. How do you Know-$120 Million
Should Have been: $40 million
When I saw the budget for this one, I was convinced it was a type-o. It wasn't. Haven't seen it, but unless there's an epic helicopter chase half-way through that I don't know about, there's no reason it should be this much. Sony must be down in the depths of despair, since it only made back a quarter of it's massive overbudgetedness.
Saturday, January 22, 2011
Five Cover Songs that Are BETTER than the original.
Usually, an original artist has the best version of their song. These are the exceptions.
5. Respect-Aretha Franklin (Originally by Otis Redding)
That's right, Aretha Franklin's signature song is actually a cover of a song by Otis Redding. Otis' version is okay, but not in the same league. The roles are reversed in Franklin's version, and a lot more soul is to be found here, plus a lot of music is actually added. It's a lot more prominent for a reason, it's better. Sorry Otis, we respect you man, but your version just doesn't stack up.
4. Between you and Me-Relient K (Originally by DC Talk)
The DC talk version isn't bad, but it's overproduced with a very Boys II Men feel, something DC Talk suffered from a lot. While Matt Thiessan is not the singer Michael Tait is, this cover feels a lot more heartfelt, more emotional and more real. It's just a better song, and that's all there is to it.
3. Mad World-Michael Andrews and Gary Jules (Originally by Tears for Fears)
While the original new-wave song by Tears for Fears is fun, nostalgic and catchy, Michael Andrews and Gary Jules bring the song to the next level. It's slow, meditative and emotive. You can't not love it. The original, well it could turn some people off and doesn't make you think as much as it perhaps should have. Andrews and Jules take this song and make it great.
2. Electric Feel-Justice (Originally by MGMT)
Enough old folks music, let's talk about stoners! MGMT's version of this song is enchanting amazing, and can probably give you a contact high. It was one of my favorite songs ever. Then I heard the Justice version and wow. I'm not even a big Justice fan, this is their best song, and it's a doozy. Insanely dance-to-able and unforgettable. The original seems a little uneventful by comparison, and considering how amazing and layered the original is, that's saying a heckuvalot.
1. Hurt-Johnny Cash (Originally by Nine inch Nails)
You saw this coming. If you didn't you're stupid. Nine Inch Nails does a fine job okay, but the changes that Cash made make the song 10,000 times better. It goes from a fairly good piano-based rock ballad to a world-shattering experience. Reznor emphasizes the wrong words, his vocals are overly breathy and he makes it much more laborious than it should be. Cash lets it come from his soul, every moment is pitch perfect. It's rumored that he finished the video within hours of his death. While I don't think that's true, if you can get through the video with dry eyes, you have no soul. NO SOUL!!!
5. Respect-Aretha Franklin (Originally by Otis Redding)
That's right, Aretha Franklin's signature song is actually a cover of a song by Otis Redding. Otis' version is okay, but not in the same league. The roles are reversed in Franklin's version, and a lot more soul is to be found here, plus a lot of music is actually added. It's a lot more prominent for a reason, it's better. Sorry Otis, we respect you man, but your version just doesn't stack up.
4. Between you and Me-Relient K (Originally by DC Talk)
The DC talk version isn't bad, but it's overproduced with a very Boys II Men feel, something DC Talk suffered from a lot. While Matt Thiessan is not the singer Michael Tait is, this cover feels a lot more heartfelt, more emotional and more real. It's just a better song, and that's all there is to it.
3. Mad World-Michael Andrews and Gary Jules (Originally by Tears for Fears)
While the original new-wave song by Tears for Fears is fun, nostalgic and catchy, Michael Andrews and Gary Jules bring the song to the next level. It's slow, meditative and emotive. You can't not love it. The original, well it could turn some people off and doesn't make you think as much as it perhaps should have. Andrews and Jules take this song and make it great.
2. Electric Feel-Justice (Originally by MGMT)
Enough old folks music, let's talk about stoners! MGMT's version of this song is enchanting amazing, and can probably give you a contact high. It was one of my favorite songs ever. Then I heard the Justice version and wow. I'm not even a big Justice fan, this is their best song, and it's a doozy. Insanely dance-to-able and unforgettable. The original seems a little uneventful by comparison, and considering how amazing and layered the original is, that's saying a heckuvalot.
1. Hurt-Johnny Cash (Originally by Nine inch Nails)
You saw this coming. If you didn't you're stupid. Nine Inch Nails does a fine job okay, but the changes that Cash made make the song 10,000 times better. It goes from a fairly good piano-based rock ballad to a world-shattering experience. Reznor emphasizes the wrong words, his vocals are overly breathy and he makes it much more laborious than it should be. Cash lets it come from his soul, every moment is pitch perfect. It's rumored that he finished the video within hours of his death. While I don't think that's true, if you can get through the video with dry eyes, you have no soul. NO SOUL!!!
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
The top 10 DVD's of 2010
A lot of emphasis is placed on box office figures these days, and are treated like the only indicator for a film's success. Commentators may briefly mention DVD sales when it comes to a film's profitability, but the numbers aren't as readily available, or as broadly promoted as box office figures. So here's the top 10 DVD's of 2010, and their sales numbers, according to the-numbers.com.
10. The Hangover-4,356,314 Sold. Released 12/15/09
The only movie to make the top 10 from 2009. The Hangover is quite possibly the most popular R-rated comedy of the last decade, or even all time. (this total doesn't include the copies sold in 2009, overall it has sold over 10 million copies)
9. The Princess and the Frog-4,514,936 sold. Released 3/16/10
This may seem surprising, since the movie didn't do all that well at the box office, but Disney is the king of selling DVD's, and this one has time on it's side, being released in March. That's not to say we should dismiss 4.5 million sales, but it should be taken with a grain of salt.
8. Iron Man 2-5,065,079 Sold. Released 9/28/10
Seems like a lot right? Well consider that the first movie sold 8.4 million in a similar time-frame. This reflects the disappointing nature of the second movie, and backs it up for my #5 slot as worst of the year. Still, 5 mil is nothing to sneeze at.
7. Despicable Me-5,167,066 sold. Released 12/14/10
Despicable Me was probably one of the year's biggest surprises, a movie from Blue Sky Studios (best known for the Ice Age movies) that didn't suck. The DVD sales are tremendous, and I expect them to continue well into the new year.
6. How to Train your Dragon-5,344,798 sold. Released 10/15/10
Animated kids movies tend to do well on DVD, and this was a year they did well at the box office as well. How to Train your Dragon came in second for animated films on DVD, and it will undoubtedly be surpassed by Despicable Me in terms of total sales, but nonetheless, this is a great success for Dreamworks, a studio who has a very mixed history. (also worthy of note is that it outsold Shrek Forever After by nearly 3 million copies)
5. The Twilight Saga: Eclipse-7,133,878 sold. Released 12/4/10
You saw this coming. Moving on.
4. The Blind Side-7,266,726 sold. Released 3/23/10
Perhaps the biggest box-office success story of 2009, the Blind Side excelled on DVD, which shouldn't really be surprising, but it's good to see here anyway, as it was a very good movie.
3. The Twilight Saga: New Moon-7,829,939. Released 3/20/10
New Moon outsold eclipse? Does this mean that the Twilight Saga is losing steam? Well probably not, since New Moon had about nine months on Eclipse, and the difference is a menial 700k. In a few months, their totals should be nearly identical.
2. Toy Story 3-9,035,368 sold. Released 11/2/10
If you didn't expect this, you aren't very smart. The best received and highest grossing movie of the year, will of course sell a boatload of copies. Make that an aircraft carrier load of copies.
1. Avatar-10,156,458 sold. Released 4/22/10
And of course, at #1 is perhaps the biggest cash-cow in the history of cinema, Avatar. They are really milking this for everything it's worth. When the original DVD edition came out in the spring, it was a single disc with literally no special features. I'm surprised how little criticism it was faced with. Clearly they were planning to release another version, to make more money. And they did, but not before a short run in theaters. Soon, there'll be a 3D version, for more money, and no doubt a fourth version is being planned in the darkest reaches of Fox studios. They have a hit and they're milking it for all it's worth. And they'll do the same with the inevitable sequels. Prepare to see a lot of blue people at comic-con for years, perhaps decades to come. Lame.
Other Various Notes:
-Scott Pilgrim may have been my favorite movie, but it didn't make the top 100 DVD sales. It sold around 730,000. That makes me sad.
-Milo and Otis is #93 with over 800k sold this year, despite being over 10 years old. That makes me happy.
-Beauty and the Best comes in at a disappointing #64. I think this is due to most people already having it on DVD. I'm betting the Blu-Ray did a lot better, relatively speaking.
-Inception sold less than 3 million copies. I think the hype might finally be dying on that one.
-Top TV Shows:
#1. The Pacific (Ranked #44 overall)
#2. True Blood Season 2 (Ranked #61 overall)
#3. Glee Vol. 1 (Ranked #76 overall)
#4. Glee Season 1 (What a rip-off right? See Avatar. #84 overall)
#5. Dexter Season 4 (Ranked #85 overall)
#6. TV Christmas Classics (ranked #92 overall)
#7. Lost Season 6 (ranked #100 overall. Take that JJ Abrams!)
-#1 Straight to DVD was Tinker Bell and the Great Fairy Rescue (#20 overall)
-#1 Christmas Movie: Disney's A Christmas Carol (closely followed by Search for Santa Paws)
10. The Hangover-4,356,314 Sold. Released 12/15/09
The only movie to make the top 10 from 2009. The Hangover is quite possibly the most popular R-rated comedy of the last decade, or even all time. (this total doesn't include the copies sold in 2009, overall it has sold over 10 million copies)
9. The Princess and the Frog-4,514,936 sold. Released 3/16/10
This may seem surprising, since the movie didn't do all that well at the box office, but Disney is the king of selling DVD's, and this one has time on it's side, being released in March. That's not to say we should dismiss 4.5 million sales, but it should be taken with a grain of salt.
8. Iron Man 2-5,065,079 Sold. Released 9/28/10
Seems like a lot right? Well consider that the first movie sold 8.4 million in a similar time-frame. This reflects the disappointing nature of the second movie, and backs it up for my #5 slot as worst of the year. Still, 5 mil is nothing to sneeze at.
7. Despicable Me-5,167,066 sold. Released 12/14/10
Despicable Me was probably one of the year's biggest surprises, a movie from Blue Sky Studios (best known for the Ice Age movies) that didn't suck. The DVD sales are tremendous, and I expect them to continue well into the new year.
6. How to Train your Dragon-5,344,798 sold. Released 10/15/10
Animated kids movies tend to do well on DVD, and this was a year they did well at the box office as well. How to Train your Dragon came in second for animated films on DVD, and it will undoubtedly be surpassed by Despicable Me in terms of total sales, but nonetheless, this is a great success for Dreamworks, a studio who has a very mixed history. (also worthy of note is that it outsold Shrek Forever After by nearly 3 million copies)
5. The Twilight Saga: Eclipse-7,133,878 sold. Released 12/4/10
You saw this coming. Moving on.
4. The Blind Side-7,266,726 sold. Released 3/23/10
Perhaps the biggest box-office success story of 2009, the Blind Side excelled on DVD, which shouldn't really be surprising, but it's good to see here anyway, as it was a very good movie.
3. The Twilight Saga: New Moon-7,829,939. Released 3/20/10
New Moon outsold eclipse? Does this mean that the Twilight Saga is losing steam? Well probably not, since New Moon had about nine months on Eclipse, and the difference is a menial 700k. In a few months, their totals should be nearly identical.
2. Toy Story 3-9,035,368 sold. Released 11/2/10
If you didn't expect this, you aren't very smart. The best received and highest grossing movie of the year, will of course sell a boatload of copies. Make that an aircraft carrier load of copies.
1. Avatar-10,156,458 sold. Released 4/22/10
And of course, at #1 is perhaps the biggest cash-cow in the history of cinema, Avatar. They are really milking this for everything it's worth. When the original DVD edition came out in the spring, it was a single disc with literally no special features. I'm surprised how little criticism it was faced with. Clearly they were planning to release another version, to make more money. And they did, but not before a short run in theaters. Soon, there'll be a 3D version, for more money, and no doubt a fourth version is being planned in the darkest reaches of Fox studios. They have a hit and they're milking it for all it's worth. And they'll do the same with the inevitable sequels. Prepare to see a lot of blue people at comic-con for years, perhaps decades to come. Lame.
Other Various Notes:
-Scott Pilgrim may have been my favorite movie, but it didn't make the top 100 DVD sales. It sold around 730,000. That makes me sad.
-Milo and Otis is #93 with over 800k sold this year, despite being over 10 years old. That makes me happy.
-Beauty and the Best comes in at a disappointing #64. I think this is due to most people already having it on DVD. I'm betting the Blu-Ray did a lot better, relatively speaking.
-Inception sold less than 3 million copies. I think the hype might finally be dying on that one.
-Top TV Shows:
#1. The Pacific (Ranked #44 overall)
#2. True Blood Season 2 (Ranked #61 overall)
#3. Glee Vol. 1 (Ranked #76 overall)
#4. Glee Season 1 (What a rip-off right? See Avatar. #84 overall)
#5. Dexter Season 4 (Ranked #85 overall)
#6. TV Christmas Classics (ranked #92 overall)
#7. Lost Season 6 (ranked #100 overall. Take that JJ Abrams!)
-#1 Straight to DVD was Tinker Bell and the Great Fairy Rescue (#20 overall)
-#1 Christmas Movie: Disney's A Christmas Carol (closely followed by Search for Santa Paws)
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
The Best of 2010 (A top 5 from what I saw)
Self-explanatory. If your favorite movie isn't on here, it's probably because I didn't see it. Or it sucked.
5. True Grit
Okay, so I've never seen the original, but who cares? This was amazing, not a moment I didn't enjoy. Okay, the ending was a little drawn-out, but seriously, who cares. The story was well-constructed, the characters well-developed, and it had all the elements of style you could every hope to expect. This one's still in theaters, go see it NOW if you haven't already.
4. Inception
What the What? Number 4? Yeah. I know. Let's just say it was a good year for movies. While Inception is a smart, tight and fun action movie, it isn't quite what the fan-boys would have you think. Upon further reflection, it is a bit silly. That's part of what makes it good though, that you don't think about it while you're watching it. Definitely worth seeing, at least once.
3. Toy Story 3
I thought a lot about this. There is an element of the film I don't appreciate. It's so commercial. It basically glorifies consumerism and reinforces a desire for more stuff. But how can you not love it for everything else? It's so much fun, and has a bit of bite to it too. Despite a few nitpicks, this deserves to be on every top 10 list, and I'm sure it will be. (except for Armond White, a major IRL troll, and everyone knows it)
2. The Social Network
Now here's a film with which I have no complaints. Everything is perfect. It tells a real-life story, but remains unpredictable and engaging. It has a great poignancy and raises big questions about the modern age, without actually raising them. Aaron Sorkin's script is beyond genius, and should be taught in film-school as a shining example of excellent screen-writing. All of the actors perform there jobs well, but Jesse Eisenberg and Andrew Garfield both deliver award-worthy work. Simply amazing.
1. Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
I think the reason I hated Tron so much was because I saw this movie first. It's smarter, faster, cooler, and just way way better. Funnier than Toy Story 3, more of a mind-frag than Inception and the most fun I've had all year. Is it really that good John? Yes, yes it is.
Honorable Mentions:
-How to Train your Dragon
-Let me In
5. True Grit
Okay, so I've never seen the original, but who cares? This was amazing, not a moment I didn't enjoy. Okay, the ending was a little drawn-out, but seriously, who cares. The story was well-constructed, the characters well-developed, and it had all the elements of style you could every hope to expect. This one's still in theaters, go see it NOW if you haven't already.
4. Inception
What the What? Number 4? Yeah. I know. Let's just say it was a good year for movies. While Inception is a smart, tight and fun action movie, it isn't quite what the fan-boys would have you think. Upon further reflection, it is a bit silly. That's part of what makes it good though, that you don't think about it while you're watching it. Definitely worth seeing, at least once.
3. Toy Story 3
I thought a lot about this. There is an element of the film I don't appreciate. It's so commercial. It basically glorifies consumerism and reinforces a desire for more stuff. But how can you not love it for everything else? It's so much fun, and has a bit of bite to it too. Despite a few nitpicks, this deserves to be on every top 10 list, and I'm sure it will be. (except for Armond White, a major IRL troll, and everyone knows it)
2. The Social Network
Now here's a film with which I have no complaints. Everything is perfect. It tells a real-life story, but remains unpredictable and engaging. It has a great poignancy and raises big questions about the modern age, without actually raising them. Aaron Sorkin's script is beyond genius, and should be taught in film-school as a shining example of excellent screen-writing. All of the actors perform there jobs well, but Jesse Eisenberg and Andrew Garfield both deliver award-worthy work. Simply amazing.
1. Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
I think the reason I hated Tron so much was because I saw this movie first. It's smarter, faster, cooler, and just way way better. Funnier than Toy Story 3, more of a mind-frag than Inception and the most fun I've had all year. Is it really that good John? Yes, yes it is.
Honorable Mentions:
-How to Train your Dragon
-Let me In
Saturday, January 1, 2011
Worst Movies of 2010, well that I saw.
This list is from worst to best, cuz I wanted to. Deal with it.
Keep in mind I don't go see that many movies, and I typically go to movies I think I'll like.
1. The Worst Movie of the Year--Grown Ups.
This was a waste of a good cast. Wait, no it was a waste of a bad cast. There was nothing to waste. Just a horrible movie, only one laugh in the whole thing, and it was like 2 minutes in. A truly miserable experience.
2. The Last Airbender
Predictable? Well it was really bad what can I say? Way to ruin a good show, and I've finally given up on Shyamalan. Took me long enough though, didn't it.
3. Robin Hood
Wow, just wow. What a horrible mis-fire. Everything they could have done to make this a good Robin Hood movie, they did the opposite thing. Just horrible.
4. Tron Legacy
BOOOOOOOOORING! Seriously, the most boring light-show I've ever paid to see. Aside from some cool scenes at the beginning and a nice soundtrack, this is a total waste of time and money.
5. TIME FOR CONTROVERSY!-Iron Man 2
You know it. Had to have a little controversy. Nothing happened in this movie, nothing. Nothing. Nothing. It wasn't boring, but it was meaningless. Such a disappointment after the first movie.
Dis-Honorable Mention: Prince of Persia Sands of Time
Yeah, this should have been #5, but I put Iron Man 2 to be controversial. Sue me.
NEXT TIME: The top 5 Best movies of 2010 (that I saw in 2010.
Keep in mind I don't go see that many movies, and I typically go to movies I think I'll like.
1. The Worst Movie of the Year--Grown Ups.
This was a waste of a good cast. Wait, no it was a waste of a bad cast. There was nothing to waste. Just a horrible movie, only one laugh in the whole thing, and it was like 2 minutes in. A truly miserable experience.
2. The Last Airbender
Predictable? Well it was really bad what can I say? Way to ruin a good show, and I've finally given up on Shyamalan. Took me long enough though, didn't it.
3. Robin Hood
Wow, just wow. What a horrible mis-fire. Everything they could have done to make this a good Robin Hood movie, they did the opposite thing. Just horrible.
4. Tron Legacy
BOOOOOOOOORING! Seriously, the most boring light-show I've ever paid to see. Aside from some cool scenes at the beginning and a nice soundtrack, this is a total waste of time and money.
5. TIME FOR CONTROVERSY!-Iron Man 2
You know it. Had to have a little controversy. Nothing happened in this movie, nothing. Nothing. Nothing. It wasn't boring, but it was meaningless. Such a disappointment after the first movie.
Dis-Honorable Mention: Prince of Persia Sands of Time
Yeah, this should have been #5, but I put Iron Man 2 to be controversial. Sue me.
NEXT TIME: The top 5 Best movies of 2010 (that I saw in 2010.
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