Thursday, October 29, 2009

This Is It - In Theaters Worldwide This Week

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This Is It
Copyright © 2009 Sony Pictures

"Michael Jackson THIS IS IT" is being produced with the full support of The Estate of Michael Jackson and will be drawn from hundreds of hours of rehearsal and behind-the-scenes footage, captured in high definition with state-of-the-art digital sound as the late singer was preparing for his concert series in London. The film, which will also offer select sequences in 3-D, will provide a unique career retrospective and feature interviews with some of Jackson's closest friends and creative collaborators.
October 28th, 2009
Kenny Ortega
Kenny Ortega
Michael Jackson
Sony Pictures
Documentary
PG some suggestive choreography and scary images

Blu-ray Chart 24th October


Top Blu-ray Sales 24th October 2009
**All previous top sales will be announce on every Thursday.
Please visit http://astore.amazon.com/screamvideobl-20

Transformers 2 sells 7.5 million DVD, Blu-ray discs

OCT. 28 | PHYSICAL: Paramount Home Entertainment sold a healthy 7.5 million DVD/Blu-ray Disc units of Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen in its first week of release, according to the studio.

This figure encompasses copies going into both sell-through and rental channels in North America.

Transformers, which debuted on Oct. 20, is now ranked as the biggest-selling 2009 title within its debut week at stores.

Paramount also is touting Transformers as the year’s largest first-week Blu-ray release, moving 1.2 million high-definition units in North America.

The strong sales come at a time when the home entertainment industry has had lowered sales. Although rentals rose 9.9% in the third quarter, sell-through for packaged media was down 13.9%, according to DEG: The Digital Entertainment Group.

Transformers’ results is good news for studio executives and retailers alike. This second installment of the franchise nears the 8.3 million North American units sold during the first week of the original Transformers release in 2007. At that point, consumers were not yet reeling with major recession woes, and DVD spending was closer to peak levels.

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen is this year’s strongest theatrical blockbuster, generating more than $400 million in the U.S.

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (Two-Disc Special Edition) [Blu-ray]

RANKTITLE (LABEL/DISTRIBUTOR, SRP)
1 TRANSFORMERS: REVENGE OF THE FALLEN (PAR, $39.99)
2 SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS (DIS, $39.99)
3 THE PROPOSAL (DIS, $44.99)
4 X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE (FOX, $39.99)
5 MONSTERS VS. ALIENS (PAR, $39.99)
6 DRAG ME TO HELL (UNI, $39.98)
7 TRANSFORMERS (PAR, $39.99)
8 THE WIZARD OF OZ 70TH ANNIV. EDITION (WB, $84.99)
9 LAND OF THE LOST (2009, UNI, $39.98)
10 BLOOD: THE LAST VAMPIRE (SONY, $34.95)

DVD Chart 24th October

Top DVD Sales 24th October 2009
**All previous top sales will be announce on every Thursday
Please visit http://astore.amazon.com/screamvideobl-20

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (Two-Disc Special Edition)
THIS WEEK


TITLE (LABEL/DISTRIBUTOR)



RATING

BOX OFFICE*
1

TRANSFORMERS: REVENGE ... FALLEN (PAR)

PG-13402.1
2

THE PROPOSAL (DIS)

PG-13163.8
3

TRANSFORMERS (PAR)

PG-13319.2
4

LAND OF THE LOST (2009, UNI)

PG-1349.5
5

MONSTERS VS. ALIENS (DWA/PAR)

PG198.4
6

DRAG ME TO HELL (UNI)

PG-1342.1
7

WRONG TURN 3: LEFT FOR DEAD (FOX)

NR-
8

HANNAH MONTANA THE MOVIE (DIS)

G79.6
9

X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE (FOX)

PG-13179.9
10

YEAR ONE (SONY)

NR43.3
11

THE L WORD: FINAL SEASON (SHOWTIME)

NR-
12

KATT WILLIAMS: PIMPADELIC (VIVENDI)

NR-
13

CORALINE (UNI)

PG75.3
14

GHOSTS OF GIRLFRIENDS PAST (WB)

PG-1355.3
15

MONSTERS VS. ALIENS/B.O.B.'S BIG BREAK (DWA/PAR)

PG-
16

THE WIZARD OF OZ 70TH ANNIV. EDITION (WB)

NR16.3
17

BONES: SEASON 4 (FOX)

NR-
18

BRING IT ON: FIGHT TO THE FINISH (UNI)

PG-
19

BLOOD: THE LAST VAMPIRE (SONY)

R0.3
20

LEGEND OF THE SEEKER: SEASON 1 (DIS)

NR-

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

"This Is It" shows Jackson could still entertain


LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Michael Jackson's "This Is It" premiered to a star-filled crowd including Will Smith, Jennifer Lopez and four of the singer's brothers on Tuesday, winning early praise from critics and showing fans that the King of Pop could still entertain.

Culled from 80 hours of videotape taken of Jackson's final days of rehearsals for a series of London concerts planned for July, the film has been called "a story of a master of his craft" by director Kenny Ortega.

Several hundred fans, many of them wearing a single sequined glove like the one the pop star donned in the 1980s, gathered for the Los Angeles premiere and a simultaneous opening in London. Some 150,000, including fans from Brazil and Australia, watched the Los Angeles event live on the Internet.

Premieres were also held in 15 other cities including Seoul, Johannesburg, Rio De Janeiro, and Berlin.

Motown Records founder Berry Gordy and Jackson's brothers Jermaine, Tito, Jackie and Marlon were among those who paid tribute to Jackson, who died suddenly in June.

Ortega opened the Los Angeles premiere by describing Jackson as "a man who's heart pumped to make this world a better place. Michael Jackson's 'This Is It' is and always has been for the fans."

The movie opens with the singers and dancers Jackson had chosen to be part of the show giving testimonials on how they felt to be working with the superstar, then dives directly into his hit "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'".

What follows is nearly two hours of Jackson rehearsing to perform some of his biggest hits for the "This Is It" show. It would have been filled with dances for songs like "Beat It," a new film version of the ghostly "Thriller," rocking tunes like "Black or White" and the moving "Man in the Mirror."

Throughout the film, audiences see Jackson working with his singers and dancers to create a show that would wow his fans, and the premiere audience seemed impressed, cheering at least seven times through the show.

EARLY PRAISE

Claudia Puig, movie critic for USA Today, told Reuters after the film that it "gives you a sense of the show" and is "a window into his still powerful ability to entertain."

The Hollywood Reporter critic Kirk Honeycutt wrote that "with quiet confidence, he clearly was putting together a spectacular concert for the London stage."

Audience member Beau Franklin of Los Angeles said the film was "very moving."

"You get the feeling it isn't over, that there will be more with remixes of his songs and so on," she said.

While Jackson looks skinny, audience members said they saw little about his demeanor or work onstage that would lead them to think he was in ill health during the rehearsals.

Jackson, who grew up as one of Motown legends The Jackson 5 and still has the best-selling album of all-time with 1982's solo effort "Thriller," died suddenly on June 25 in Los Angeles after suffering cardiac arrest at age 50.

Officials have since ruled that his heart stopped due to an overdose of sedatives and the powerful anesthetic propofol, which is used in surgery. The film does not go into his death, which could result in criminal charges against his doctors.

"It's a privileged path to observe Michael as the creative architect and mastermind behind his work," Ortega told Reuters.

The media had dubbed the shows, 50 of them planned for London's 02 arena, as a "comeback tour" for Jackson, who left the stage in the 2000s after charges of child molestation. In a 2005 trial, he was acquitted of all charges but the negative publicity took him out of the spotlight.

Jackson was said to be as much as $400 million to $500 million in debt when he died, but the value of his assets -- principally his music and his ownership of a song catalog that held rights to old Beatles tunes -- outweighed his debts.

After his death, concert promoter AEG Live, which bankrolled the London concerts, struck a $60 million deal with Sony Corp.'s Columbia Pictures movie studio to use the videos and make the film. [Source from: reuters.com]

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Blu-ray 27th October Releases

Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs (DVD + Digital Copy) [Blu-ray]

20th Century Fox / 2009 / 94 Minutes / Rated PG
Street Date: October 27, 2009





Genres: Animation

Starring: John Leguizamo, Denis Leary, Ray Romano
Plot Synopsis: In the coolest Ice Age adventure yet, Manny and the herd discover a lost world of ferociously funny dinosaurs, including a cranky T. rex who’s got a score to settle with Sid! Meanwhile, Scrat goes nuts over the beautiful Scratte, but is she trying to win his heart – or steal his acorn?

Disc Features:
• Ice Age Story Maker
• Filmmaker Commentary
• Evolution Expedition
• Buck…Easel to Weasel
• Falling for Scratte
• Unearthing the Lost World
• Two Unfinished Deleted Scenes
• Walk The Dinosaur Music Video
• Two Scrat Shorts
• The Sabre-Toothed Squirrel: Natures Nutty Buddy
• Scrat: From Head To Toe – learn how to draw Scrat tutorial
• Scrat: “Breaking Story”
• Scrat: “News Report”
• Fox Movie Channel Presents: In Character with John Leguizamo
• Fox Movie Channel Presents: In Character with Ray Romano
• Fox Movie Channel Presents: In Character with Queen Latifah
• Fox Movie Channel Presents: Making A Scene
• Fox Movie Channel Presents: Making A Scene (Ice Age 2)

Tinker Bell and the Lost Treasure (Two Disc + BD Live) [Blu-ray]

Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment / 2009 / 76 Minutes / Rated G
Street Date: October 27, 2009

Overall Grade 4 out of 5 Recommended


Genres: Animation, family

Starring:Mae Whitman, Angelica Huston
Director: Klay Hall

Plot Synopsis: Tinkerbell is back for a whole new season of adventure in Tinkerbell and the Lost Treasure. Pixie Hollow is all abuzz with preparations for autumn and Tinkerbell is hard at work on her latest invention when she is unexpectedly summoned by Queen Clarion and the Minister of autumn. Tinkerbell fears that she's in trouble again, but is instead delighted to find out that Fairy Mary has recommended her for the important job of creating a one-of-a-kind scepter that will focus the light of an unusual blue harvest moon through a rare moonstone in order to replenish the pixie dust tree's supply of pixie dust. Tinkerbell gladly rises to the challenge, accepting her dust-keeper friend Terrence's offers of help, but as the days fly rapidly by, pressure begins to build and Tinkerbell becomes annoyed by Terrence's constant attention. Sending Terrence away on an errand seems like a good idea, but what he brings back inadvertently causes the almost finished scepter and the incredibly rare moonstone to break into pieces. Tinkerbell lashes out at Terrence and then departs alone on a desperate quest to fix the moonstone. What Tinkerbell learns on her journey is that she must take responsibility for her own actions and that the power and value of true friendship is much greater than she'd ever imagined. Like the first Tinkerbell, the colors and clarity of animation are simply breathtaking in this production, but the story lags somewhat thanks to a lengthy set up and a general lack of suspense in the first half of the film. Still, it's a perfectly entertaining movie that will delight children ages 3 and up as well as satisfy most parents. Returning voice talent includes Mae Whitman, Kristin Chenoweth, Jane Horrocks, Anjelica Huston, Jesse McCartney, and Raven-Symone.

  • Bonus Short: Magic Guide To Pixie Hollow (HD, 4 min)

  • Scenes You Never Saw (HD, 4 min)

  • Deleted Scenes (HD, 16 min)

  • Backstage Disney: Pixie Hollow Comes To Walt Disney World (HD, 8 min)

  • Music Video: Demi Lovato – "The Gift Of A Friend" (HD, 3 min)

  • Trailers (HD) - A 'Beauty and the Beast' on Blu-ray trailer is included.

Battlestar Galactica: The Plan [Blu-ray]

Universal Studios Home Entertainment / 2009 / 90 Minutes / Unrated
Street Date: October 27, 2009







Genres: Drama, Science-fiction

Director: Edward James Olmos

Plot Synopsis: The Cylons began as humanity's robot servants. They rebelled and evolved and now they look like us. Their plan is simple: destroy the race that enslaved them. But when their devastating attack leaves human survivors, the Cylons have to improvise. Battlestar Galactica: The Plan tells the story of two powerful Cylon leaders, working separately, and their determination to finish the task.

Disc Features:
-DELETED SCENES
-FROM ADMIRAL TO DIRECTOR: EDWARD JAMES OLMOS AND THE PLAN - A day-in-the-life with director and actor Edward James Olmos, as he tackles the most ambitious Battlestar Galactica production to date.
-THE CYLONS OF THE PLAN - Features interviews with the actors who play the film's key Cylons, including Dean Stockwell, Tricia Helfer, Grace Park, Michael Trucco, Rick Worthy and Michael Bennett.
-THE CYLON ATTACK - This featurette takes viewers behind the scenes for the planning and execution of one of Battlestar Galactica: The Plan's major action sequences.
-BEHIND THE PLAN - An in-depth look at some stunning visual effects and the role post-production plays in bringing the world of Battlestar Galactica to life.
-FILMMAKER COMMENTARY

HD Exclusive Content:
-MY SCENES: Bookmark your favorite scenes from the movie.
-BATTLESTAR GALACTICA TRIVIA: All-new trivia game.

Orphan [Blu-ray]

Warner Brothers / 2009 / 123 Minutes / Rated R
Street Date: October 27, 2009







Genres: Horror

Starring: Vera Farmiga, Peter Sarsgaard, Isabelle Fuhrman
Director: Jaume Collet-Serra

Plot Synopsis: The tragic loss of their unborn child has devastated Kate and John, taking a toll on both their marriage and Kate's fragile psyche as she is plagued by nightmares and haunted by demons from her past. Struggling to regain some semblance of normalcy in their lives, the couple decides to adopt another child. At the local orphanage, both John and Kate find themselves strangely drawn to a young girl named Esther. Almost as soon as they welcome Esther into their home, however, an alarming series of events begins to unfold, leading Kate to believe that there's something wrong with Esther--this seemingly angelic little girl is not what she appears to be. Concerned for the safety of her family, Kate tries to get John and others to see past Esther's sweet facade. But her warnings go unheeded until it may be too late...for everyone.

Whatever Works [Blu-ray]

Sony Pictures / 2009 / 92 Minutes / Rated PG-13
Street Date: October 27, 2009







Genres: Comedy, drama
Starring: Evan Rachel Wood, Larry David, Henry Cavill
Director: Woody Allen

Plot Synopsis: Woody Allen's cynical sensibility so superbly dovetails with Larry David's acerbic misanthropy, it's a wonder they haven't worked together before. But no matter: fans of Allen, David, and especially David's Curb Your Enthusiasm will delight in the ability of Whatever Works to find humor in the darkest and most abrasive of life's corners.

The crux of this odd love story involves the unlikely friendship between David's character (the brilliant, kvetchy Boris) and the Southern beauty queen with a heart of gold and a brain of wide-open spaces, Melodie (the always-surprising Evan Rachel Wood). Boris takes on Melodie as a tutorial project, showing her the bleak ways of the world, and Melodie takes care of Boris with crayfish and Fred Astaire movies. There are other memorable performances by Patricia Clarkson, as Melodie's deeply religious and tightly wound mama, and Ed Harris, as her husband, a Southerner slightly to the right of George Wallace. The parents come to the big city to reclaim their wayward lamb, and when the Southerners meet the New Yorkers, sparks fly--in ways both good and slightly scary.

The film works because of the unlikely chemistry between the two stars and because of David's unflinchingly dyspeptic portrayal, which--while not exactly cozy to watch--is undeniably brilliant. The two find that their oddball friendship helps each of them find a little more meaning in their lives. "Whatever works"--a simple but profound recipe for happiness.

Back Catalogue/ Other Blu-ray Releases:








Monday, October 26, 2009

Paranormal Activity Butchers Saw VI to Hit #1

MovieWeb - Movie Photos, Videos & More

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Low-budget fright film "Paranormal Activity" scored a kill over the sixth picture in the perennial "Saw" franchise, with a pre-Halloween weekend box office draw of $22 million.

Lionsgate's "Saw VI" took in $14.8 million. The results were the worst in the series' history -- the first five "Saw" films had an average opening weekend of $29.1 million, according to box office analyst Paul Dergarabedian. The horror series features a killer who calls himself Jigsaw and puts his victims in deadly contraptions to torture them.

"Paranormal" went into wider release by Paramount after playing to sellout crowds at midnight-only screenings over the past few weekends in a handful of markets determined by online balloting.

Taking a page from the playbook of 1999's underground smash "The Blair Witch Project," the Viacom Inc unit is letting the fans do the marketing through such social-networking sites as Twitter. Its own marketing costs have been minimal.

Paramount bought the $15,000 movie last year at the Slamdance Film Festival, an indie rival of the concurrent Sundance festival in Utah.

Last weekend's top movie, "Where the Wild Things Are," which was adapted from the acclaimed Maurice Sendak children's book, dropped to the No. 3 spot with $14.4 million.

"Wild Things" was released by Time Warner Inc unit Warner Bros Pictures.

Other new releases included Summit Entertainment's "Astro Boy," which came in No. 6 with $7.0 million and Universal's "Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant" at No. 8 with a take of $6.3 million.

Fox Searchlight's Amelia Earhart biopic "Amelia" crashed on take-off, debuting at No. 11 with a box office draw of just $4 million. The distributor is a unit of News Corp.

Lionsgate is a unit of Lions Gate Entertainment Corp.

# Title Oct 23 - 25


Weeks
Cumulative Distributor










1 Paranormal Activity $ 22,000,000


5
$ 62,477,000 Paramount
2 Saw VI 14,797,000


1
14,797,000 Lionsgate
3 Where the Wild Things Are 14,420,000


2
53,960,000 Warner Bros.
4 Law Abiding Citizen 12,713,000


2
40,318,000 Overture
5 Couples Retreat 11,097,000


3
78,213,000 Universal
6 Astro Boy 7,017,000


1
7,017,000 Summit
7 The Stepfather 6,500,000


2
20,352,000 Sony
8 Cirque Du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant 6,348,000


1
6,348,000 Universal
9 Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs 5,600,000


6
115,204,000 Sony
10 Zombieland 4,300,000


4
67,308,000 Sony

Friday, October 23, 2009

In Theaters This Week 23rd October 2009

This weekend moviegoers will be treated to a wide assortment of new releases as four films open on Friday joined by the full national expansion of the hit spookfest Paranormal Activity. The horror sequel Saw VI leads the newcomers and is joined by the animated actioner Astro Boy, the teen drama Cirque Du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant, and the biopic Amelia. The overall box office should remain red hot.

It's a week before Halloween, so it must be time for another Jigsaw flick. Lionsgate rolls in with Saw VI which once again pushes the limits of torture as entertainment. The R-rated six-quel knows exactly what its target audience is and no new fans will be won over. These low-budget horror films have been incredibly reliable every October as moviegoers continue to line up no matter what Roman numeral is attached to the title. Opening weekend grosses have been steadily eroding but this year should see an even larger drop thanks to the challenge of Paranormal which continues to generate excitement with the exact same audience.

MovieWeb - Movie Photos, Videos & More

Saw 6
Copyright © 2009 Lionsgate Pictures

Special Agent Strahm is dead, and Detective Hoffman has emerged as the unchallenged successor to Jigsaw's legacy. However, when the FBI draws closer to Hoffman, he is forced to set a game into motion, and Jigsaw's grand scheme is finally understood.




October 23rd, 2009
Kevin Greutert
Marcus Dunstan, Patrick Melton
Costas Mandylor, Mark Rolston, Betsy Russell, Tobin Bell, Shawnee Smith, Peter Outerbridge
Lionsgate
Horror
facebook.com/saw, twitter.com/lionsgatehorror, saw6film.com/main.html
R sequences of grisly bloody violence and torture, and language



Astro Boy
Copyright © 2009 Summit Entertainment

Set in futuristic Metro City, "Astro Boy" is about a young robot with incredible powers created by a brilliant scientist. Powered by positive “blue” energy, "Astro Boy" is endowed with super strength, x-ray vision, unbelievable speed and the ability to fly. Embarking on a journey in search of acceptance, Astro Boy learns the joys and emotions of being human, and gains the strength to embrace his destiny. Ultimately learning his friends and family are in danger, "Astro Boy" marshals his awesome super powers and returns to Metro City in a valiant effort to save everything he cares about and to understand what it takes to be a hero.
October 23rd, 2009
David Bowers
Timothy Harris, David Bowers
Nicolas Cage, Charlize Theron, Donald Sutherland, Bill Nighy, Nathan Lane, Eugene Levy, Freddie Highmore, Kristen Bell, Matt Lucas
Summit Entertainment
Adventure, Animation, Comedy, Family, Sci-Fi
astroboy-themovie.com
PG some action and peril, and brief mild language



Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant
Copyright © 2009 Universal Pictures

Pulled into a fantastic life of misunderstood sideshow freaks and grotesque creatures of the night, one teen will vanish from the safety of a boring existence and fulfill his destiny in a place drawn from nightmares.





October 23rd, 2009
Paul Weitz
Brian Helgeland, Darren Shan
John C. Reilly, Ken Watanabe, Chris Massoglia, Josh Hutcherson, Patrick Fugit, Ray Stevenson, Michael Cerveris, Frankie Faison, Jane Krakowski, Orlando Jones, Kristen Schaal, Salma Hayek, Willem Dafoe
Universal Pictures
Action, Adventure, Comedy, Family, Fantasy
thevampiresassistant.net
PG-13 sequences of intense supernatural violence and action, disturbing images, thematic elements and some language




Amelia
Copyright © 2009 20th Century Fox

Hilary Swank plays Earhart, a noted American aviation pioneer, author and women's rights advocate who disappeared over the central Pacific Ocean near Howland Island during an attempt to make a circumnavigational flight of the globe in 1937.



October 23rd, 2009
Mira Nair
Ronald Bass
Hilary Swank, Richard Gere, Ewan McGregor, Christopher Eccleston, Mia Wasikowska
Twentieth Century Fox
Biography, Drama
PG some sensuality, language, thematic elements and smoking