Thursday, May 29, 2008

Sex & The City In Theaters This Week 30 May

It's gonna be a dirty week for this time as the most anticipated hit TV series 'The Sex & The City' makes it debut into movie franchise. After watching 6 seasons of it (back to back) I'm just curious what's the catch for this movie. Nevertheless the anxiousness to watch it is still furious indeed. I do hope it's gonna be a good one though. For Malaysian audiences, I really not quite that sure either it's gonna shown here or not. Anyway there are always loopholes right? [You know what I mean - Home Video alternative]. Just hope for the best. My predictions for the box office weekend tally will cross the USD60million mark for Friday till Sunday. Never underestimate 'girrrrrrrl power' Haha! Surpassing Indy 4 is going be a though nut to crack. Will see...........Ibrahem.S


Sex & The City
Copyright © 2008 New Line Cinema


The movie version of the long-running HBO series featuring the further exploits of Carrie Bradshaw, Samantha Jones, Charlotte York and Miranda Hobbes. The series was originally based on autobiographical columns written by Candace Bushnell. Need to ask more?




May 30th, 2008
Michael Patrick King
Michael Patrick King
Sarah Jessica Parker, Kim Cattrall, Kristin Davis, Cynthia Nixon, Chris Noth, Jennifer Hudson, Lynn Cohen
New Line Cinema, HBO Films
Comedy
sexandthecitymovie.com
R for or strong sexual content, graphic nudity and language
145 minutes





Strangers
Copyright © 2008 Universal Pictures


"Strangers" is a suspense thriller revolving around a couple in a remote suburban house who are targeted by three dangerous masked strangers. The resulting clashes force the couple to go well beyond what they thought themselves capable of in order to survive.




May 30th, 2008
Bryan Bentino
Bryan Bentino
Liv Tyler, Scott Speedman, Gemma Ward, Glenn Howerton, Kip Weeks, Laura Margolis
Universal Studios
Thriller
thestrangers.net
R for violence/terror and language
107 minutes




Stuck
Copyright © 2008 ThinkFilm



Brandi (Mena Suvari) is a compassionate young retirement-home caregiver in line for a promotion. Tom (Stephen Rea) is a victim of the downsized economy, out-of-work and newly homeless. Their worlds crash together when Brandi, driving home from a club after too many drinks and pills, accidentally hits Tom, the impact smashing his body head-first through her car's windshield. With Tom lodged in broken glass, the panicked Brandi drives home and locks the car in her garage. She pleads with Tom, conscious and in severe shock, to stay calm, promising to take him to a hospital. That is, until she realizes her fate is tied to that of her victim: if discovered, this "accident" will extinguish her bright future. Blocking the image of the bloody, broken Tom from her mind, Brandi waits for him to die so she and her drug-dealer boyfriend can dispose of the body. Realizing her plan, Tom knows he must escape if he wants to survive.
May 30th, 2008
Stuart Gordon
John Strysik, Stuart Gordon
Stephen Rea, Mena Suvari, Russell Hornsby, Rukiya Bernard, John Dunsworth
THINKFilm
Thriller
Not Available
R for for strong violence, disturbing content, sexuality/nudity, language and drug use
85 minutes

"Sex and the City" fans planning big film weekend

Sex! Sex! And more sex!!!
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Move over Indiana Jones. This weekend is shaping up to be all about sex at U.S. theaters, with an online ticket agency finding nearly 70 percent of women are planning special group outings to see "Sex and the City."

The online survey of more than 9,300 people by Fandango, which sells tickets for more than 15,000 U.S. screens, also found 80 percent were planning to attend a "Sex and the City" get-together before or after seeing the film.

And 68 percent of those surveyed -- 94 percent of whom were women -- said they would be drinking the Cosmopolitan cocktail, made famous by "Sex and the City's" Carrie, Miranda, Charlotte and Samantha.

"There has been some significant anticipation for this," said Rick Butler, Fandango's chief operating officer. "The television series has a loyal fan base."

By Wednesday, "Sex and the City" accounted for 90 percent of Fandango's advance ticket sales, easily trouncing "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull," which only made up 7 percent.

But the movie is unlikely to make anywhere near the $151.1 million grossed by "Indiana Jones" when it opened over the U.S. Memorial Day weekend. Box office predictions for "Sex and the City" range from $25 to $40 million its first weekend.

The "Sex and the City" film picks up where the hit HBO cable TV series ended four years ago after six seasons. Based on Candace Bushnell's autobiographical columns in The New York Observer newspaper, the TV series won eight Golden Globes and seven Emmys.

Reuters/Nielsen

DVD fans dig "Treasure" sequel


LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Adventure ruled the DVD charts last week as consumers eagerly snatched up five movies in the "National Treasure" and "Indiana Jones" franchises.

"National Treasure: Book of Secrets," the biggest movie in Nicolas Cage's career, debuted at No. 1 on both the Nielsen VideoScan sales chart and Home Media Magazine's video rental chart for the week ending May 25.

The sequel was also the top-selling Blu-ray Disc release of the week, while the original "National Treasure" was the week's No. 2 Blu-ray seller. A two-pack of both films bowed at No. 3.

On the DVD sales chart, "Book of Secrets" was followed by the first three "Indiana Jones" movies, drafting off the theatrical release of the fourth installment, "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull."

Franchise starter "Raiders of the Lost Ark" was the week's No. 2 seller, followed at No. 3 by "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade" and at No. 4 by "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom."

No. 5 on the top-sellers chart? The original "National Treasure."

In rental stores, "Book of Secrets" took in an estimated $8.7 million, pushing last week's top renter, "Mad Money," to No. 2 with $6.1 million.

The week's only other theatrical new release, the comedy "Strange Wilderness" ($6.6 million box office), debuted at No. 4 on the rental chart with estimated earnings of $5.1 million. On the sales chart, the Steve Zahn vehicle bowed at No. 16. By Thomas K. Arnold Reuters/Hollywood Reporter]

Wednesday, May 28, 2008

Sydney Pollack R.I.P


Academy Award-winning director Sydney Pollack, who achieved critical acclaim with the period drama "Out of Africa" and the romantic comedy "Tootsie," died of cancer Monday, his agent told CNN.

Pollack, 73, died at his home in Los Angeles. He was surrounded by his wife of nearly 50 years, Claire Griswold, their two daughters, Rebecca and Rachel, and his brother, Bernie, agent Leslee Dart said. the Pollacks' only son, Steven, died in a plane crash in 1993.

Pollack, who often appeared on the screen himself, worked with and gained the respect of Hollywood's best actors in a long career that reached prominence in the 1970s and 1980s, according to the Associated Press.

"Sydney made the world a little better, movies a little better and even dinner a little better. A tip of the hat to a class act," actor George Clooney said in a statement issued by his publicist.

Last fall, Pollack played Marty Bach opposite Clooney in "Michael Clayton," a drama that examines the life of a fixer for lawyers. The film, which Pollack co-produced, received seven Oscar nominations, including best picture and a best actor nod for Clooney.

Pollack was no stranger to the Academy Awards. His 1985 film "Out of Africa," a romantic epic of a woman's passion set against the landscape of colonial Kenya, captured seven Oscars, including best director and best picture.

In addition to directing "Out of Africa," "Tootsie," "The Way We Were," and a host of other Oscar-nominated films, he appeared in Stanley Kubrick's "Eyes Wide Shut," Woody Allen's "Husbands and Wives," and his own "The Electric Horseman." He recently appeared in "Made of Honor," playing Patrick Dempsey's father.

He co-starred with Tom Cruise in "Eyes Wide Shut"; he had previously directed the actor in "The Firm."

"I first met him while he was in the midst of editing 'Tootsie,' " Cruise said in a statement, according to the AP. "I'd seen every one of his pictures and he generously took the meeting. ... He spent over six hours, with the patience of Job, answering all my questions. ... He was a Renaissance man and a great friend. I will miss him dearly."

Pollack famously played the agent to lead character Michael Dorsey (Dustin Hoffman) in "Tootsie," arguing with Dorsey, a temperamental actor, over his inability to get a job:

"Are you saying that nobody in New York will work with me?" Dorsey asked.

"No, no, that's too limited," replied Pollack as agent George Fields. "Nobody in Hollywood wants to work with you either."

He then ripped into the actor for his Method acting as a tomato; Dorsey had refused to sit down because it was "illogical."

"You were a tomato!" Fields exploded.

During production, "Tootsie" was hampered by script rewrites (the screenplay was eventually credited to Murray Schisgal and Larry Gelbart) and fierce arguments between Hoffman and Pollack. But it all worked out in the end: the 1982 film was nominated for 10 Oscars, including nods for Pollack, Hoffman and the screenplay.

Pollack also produced nearly 50 films, including 1981's "Absence of Malice," which starred Paul Newman and Sally Field, and 1999's "The Talented Mr. Ripley," which starred Matt Damon.

"Having the opportunity to know Sydney and work with him was a great gift in my life," Field said in a statement, according to the AP. "He was a good friend and a phenomenal director and I will cherish every moment that I ever spent with him."

Pollack had a long working relationship with Robert Redford, whom he directed in seven films, beginning with "This Property Is Condemned" in 1966. The two had huge successes with almost all their films, which included "Jeremiah Johnson" (1972), "The Way We Were" (1973), "Three Days of the Condor" (1975), "The Electric Horseman" (1979) and "Out of Africa" (1985). Only 1990's "Havana" flopped at the box office.

"It's easy working with Bob; I don't have to be diplomatic with him," Pollack once told The Associated Press. "I know what he can and cannot do; I know all the colors he has. I've always felt he was a character actor in the body of a leading man."

Sydney Irwin Pollack was born in Lafayette, Indiana, and grew up in South Bend. He skipped college to enroll in New York's Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theater, where he studied under famed teacher Sanford Meisner. He eventually became Meisner's assistant.

After a handful of acting roles, he turned to directing and established himself in television, directing episodes of such series as "Ben Casey," "Naked City" and "The Fugitive." His first theatrical film was 1965's "The Slender Thread," starring Sidney Poitier as a social worker trying to talk a woman out of suicide.

In recent years, Pollack made a number of appearances on television, giving performances as Will's father in "Will & Grace" and a murderous orderly on "The Sopranos." Doctors never were able to determine the primary source of the cancer, she said. [Source from CNN.com

Tuesday, May 27, 2008

Summer 2008 Movie Blockbuster June Release

Here we go again! It's the second month of the summer movie release. Let's see what's on the menu.

June 6


You Don't Mess With the Zohan





Kung Fu Panda





June 13

Incredible Hulk





The Happening



June 20

Get Smart





The Love Guru



June 27

Wall-E





Wanted


Indiana Jones 4 Is The No.1 King

Compared to projections, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull opened below my five-day forecast of $150M.

LAST WEEKEND
Harrison Ford scored his first number one opening in eight years with the much-hyped adventure sequel Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull which dominated moviegoing over the Memorial Day holiday weekend grossing more than all other films in the marketplace combined. But despite the explosive start for the long-awaited return of Indy, the rest of the box office slumped with few strong performances from supporting players. Overall it was the slowest Memorial Day weekend in five years.

19 years after the last installment, the Indiana Jones franchise proved that it was still relevant in today's entertainment world as Crystal Skull opened to a stunning $126M over the four-day Friday-to-Monday holiday period, according to estimates. The Friday-to-Sunday portion accounted for $101M and since the Paramount release's Thursday launch the cume has soared to $151.1M in five days. Playing in 4,260 locations, the PG-13 pic averaged a sensational $23,709 over three days and $29,587 over four days.

The Friday-to-Sunday figure ranks as the tenth highest debut in box office history while the cume is the sixth best five-day start ever. The only other films to gross more in their first five days of release were Star Wars Episode III ($172.8M, Thu-Mon), Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest ($169.5M, Fri-Tue), Spider-Man 3 ($169.4M, Fri-Tue), Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End ($153M, Thu previews-Mon), and Spider-Man 2 ($152.4M, Wed-Sun). Not bad company. The $185M-budgeted Kingdom also enjoyed the second largest Memorial Day weekend opening ever after last year's At World's End which looted $139.8M over its official Friday-to-Monday period.

Crystal Skull marked the reunion of Ford with director Steven Spielberg and executive producer George Lucas while newcomers like Shia LaBeouf and Cate Blanchett joined the cast for this fourth escapade. Reviews were mixed but generally positive. The five-day opening began with $25M on Thursday. Friday saw a 24% increase to $31M, Saturday jumped another 19% to $37M, Sunday dipped by 11% to $33M, and the studio is estimating a 24% Monday decline to $25M.

The new Indiana Jones adventure also attacked multiplexes around the world and grossed a stellar $160M internationally since its first launches on Wednesday. Indy ranked number one in all 61 territories it opened in and brought its global cume to $311M in less than one week of play.

Last week's top film The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian tumbled in its second weekend of release to an estimated $28.6M over four days as the Friday-to-Sunday portion collapsed by a horrific 58%. It was the worst gross in nine years for the second place film over Memorial Day weekend. In 1999, Notting Hill claimed that spot with $27.7M over four days behind chart-topper Star Wars Episode I. However, that amount would be about $38M at today's prices so the new Narnia still sold fewer tickets.

Caspian boosted its 11-day total to $96.7M and looks as if it will top out at $140-150M from North America or about half of the $291.7M that The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe grossed. This is a major stumble for Disney which has been developing Narnia as a long-term franchise meant to keep revenue flowing in for several years to come.

The year's top-grossing smash Iron Man finished its fourth weekend in third with a strong $25.7M over four days, according to estimates, and watched its cume skyrocket to $257.8M. The three-day portion dropped by just 37%. Paramount and Marvel continued to benefit from solid word-of-mouth as the super hero flick raced up to number 40 on the list of all-time domestic blockbusters surpassing I Am Legend's $256.4M. With both Iron Man and Indiana Jones rocking the holiday box office, Paramount dominated the multiplexes accounting for a whopping 72% of the entire top ten. The Robert Downey Jr. sensation is a virtual lock to join the $300M club now.

Moviegoers looking for a comedy over the long weekend found it in the Cameron Diaz-Ashton Kutcher pic What Happens in Vegas which took in an estimated $11.2M over four days. Meanwhile Speed Racer continued to crash and burn falling to an estimated $5.2M. Each film was in its third weekend. Totals stand at a robust $56.4M for the Fox hit and a miserable $37.4M for the pricey Warner Bros. entry. [Source from: boxofficeguru.com]

# Title May 23 - 26


Weeks
Cumulative Distributor










1 Indiana Jones and the Kingdom... $ 126,040,000


1
$ 151,120,000 Paramount
2 The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian 28,642,000


2
96,687,000 Buena Vista
3 Iron Man 25,650,000


4
257,818,000 Paramount
4 What Happens in Vegas 11,150,000


3
56,400,000 Fox
5 Speed Racer 5,205,000


3
37,400,000 Warner Bros.
6 Baby Mama 4,210,000


5
53,000,000 Universal
7 Made of Honor 4,200,000


4
39,861,000 Sony
8 Forgetting Sarah Marshall 2,200,000


6
58,700,000 Universal
9 Harold & Kumar Escape From... 1,200,000


5
36,200,000 New Line
10 The Visitor 917,000


6
4,568,225 Overture

Monday, May 26, 2008

Rambo 4 On Blu-ray 26th May

Rambo 4 (Blu-ray)

Lionsgate Home Entertainment / 2008 / Rated R
Street Date: May 27, 2008

Overall Grade 4 out of 5
Strong Recommendation





Genres: Action

Starring: Sylvester Stallone
Director: Sylvester Stallone

Plot Synopsis: The next chapter finds Rambo recruited by missionaries to protect them during a humanitarian aid effort on behalf of the persecuted Karen people of Burma. After the missionaries are taken prisoner by Burmese soldiers, Rambo gets a second impossible job: rescue the missionaries in the midst of a civil war.

Disc Features:
• Audio commentary with Sylvester Stallone
• 6 Featurettes
• Deleted scenes
• Trailer Gallery
• Digital Copy

Rambo (Box Set) (Blu-ray)

Lionsgate Home Entertainment / 1982 / 293 Minutes / Rated R
Street Date: May 27, 2008

Overall Grade 4 out of 5 Great collection






Genres: Action

Starring: Richard Crenna, Sylvester Stallone
Directors: Peter MacDonald, George P. Cosmatos, Ted Kotcheff

Plot Synopsis:

The 'Rambo' box set includes the first three films in the John Rambo franchise

Dragon Tiger Gate (Blu-ray)

Tai Seng / 2006 / 94 Minutes / Unrated
Street Date: May 27, 2008








Genres: Action, Foreign

Starring: Shawn Yue, Nicholas Tse, Donnie Yen
Director: Wilson Yip

Plot Synopsis: Three young martial arts masters emerge from the back streets of Hong Kong to help the powerless fight injustice.

Disc Features:
• Audio commentary
• "Making Of" Featurette
• 8 Additional Featurettes
• Deleted Scenes
• Still Gallery
• Premiere Footage
• Domestic and International Theatrical Trailers

Strauss: Die Fledermaus (Blu-ray)

Opus Arte / 2002 / 196 Minutes / Unrated
Street Date: May 27, 2008






Genres: Music

Starring: Pamela Armstrong, Lyubov Petrova, Pär Lindskog
Director: Stephen Lawless

Plot Synopsis: Glyndebourne’s pulsating production of the Waltz King’s much-loved comic operetta includes outstanding performances from a cast led by Pamela Armstrong, Thomas Allen, Ragnar Ulfung and HĂ¥kan HagegĂ¥rd with The Glyndebourne Chorus and London Philharmonic Orchestra under Vladimir Jurowski.

Disc Features:
• Cast interviews with Thomas Allen, Pamela Armstrong, HĂ¥kan HagegĂ¥rd, director Stephen Lawless and conductor Vladimir Jurowski
• A feature on the building and architecture of Glyndebourne’s new opera house
• BBC feature on the Waltz
• Costume design and cast galleries

Friday, May 23, 2008

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull E! Reviews

Grade: A

Review in a Hurry: Oh, like you care. They had you with the opening strains of "Da-da-da-DAH..." Fortunately, a smart script and great set pieces make this tale of Soviet spies, weird artifacts and a lost city a worthy capstone to the series.

The Bigger Picture: It's been about twenty years since The Last Crusade, on-screen and off, and Dr. Henry Jones Jr.—he's pretty much dropped the nickname—is still searching for ancient mysteries and still fighting bad guys. Only now, he's traded Nazi spies for Russians, led by Irina Spalko (Cate Blanchett), who wants him to crack the secret of a crystal skull that promises vast power.

Rather than pretend he hasn't aged a day, the script takes into account Indy's advancing years. He's not as quick with a whip as he used to be, and the world has changed, too. Dr. Jones finds himself under suspicion by the FBI as a Commie, despite having saved the world for democracy several times, and his old allies are dead or gone.

Fortunately, he gets a new sidekick, a motorcycle punk named Mutt (Shia LaBeouf) to help pick up the slack. Mutt's mom used to date Indy, and she's gone missing while on the trail of—you guessed it—the same crystal skull.

He might be old, but once he gets out the leather jacket and the fedora, Indy proves he's still the best there is at dodging bullets, death traps and flesh-devouring ants.

The 180—A Second Opinion: Yeah, yeah, you've seen parts of this before, and the third act does wrap everything up a little quickly. It's a sequel. Try to remember that if some of the moments get too familiar. [Source from: E!Online.com]

Thursday, May 22, 2008

Indiana Jones 4 In Theaters This Week 22May

Nobody gonna mess with Indy today. Haha! The most highly expected as the summer box office contender this year Indiana Jones returns with more action & wild ride adventure. Book your tickets now! It's gonna be fun. My prediction would probably be USD$150million for the weekend box office sales as this week it's gonna be a long haul weekend [Memorial Day holiday on May 26]. It's gonna be the judgement day for the movie industry as ticket sales tumbling to its worse compared by previous years.

Indiana Jones & The Kingdom of Crystal Skull
Copyright © 2008 Paramount Pictures

In 1957, Indiana Jones is thrust back in action, venturing into the jungles of South America in a race against Soviet agents to find the mystical Crystal Skull.Steven Spielberg says that the film will feature all of Jones' former babes in various cameo roles including Karen Allen and other Indy girls who had smaller roles. It is still up in the air whether or not Kate Capshaw, Spielberg's wife, will make an appearance.

May 22nd, 2008
Steven Spielberg
David Koepp
Harrison Ford, Cate Blanchett, Karen Allen, Ray Winstone, John Hurt, Jim Broadbent, Shia LaBeouf
Paramount Pictures
Action, Adventure
IndianaJones.com
PG-13 for for adventure violence and scary images
123 minutes