Author: toddmthatcher

The Best of Bill Murray: Top 10 Performances

Bill Murray is a national treasure.

I would put forth that he’s the funniest human being on the planet and he’s been making us laugh for going on 40 years. While known best for his amazing comedic skills, Mr. Murray has also shown a great ability at drama as well. This is often found in the best comedic performers, including Eddie Murphy and Jim Carrey and it holds true here.

Picking Murray’s Top 10 Performances was not easy, but here goes:

10. Stripes (1981)

A solid comedy from 1981, Ivan Reitman’s Stripes represents Murray’s first turn as the leading man and was a great preview for what was to come.

9. Zombieland (2009)

Ruben Fleischer’s very funny zombie comedy might have starred Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg, and Emma Stone, but it was Murray’s turn playing himself that represents the best part of the movie. When Murray comes on screen, it was a terrific surprise that provided huge laughs. And he’s got one of the best death scenes in memory.

8. Rushmore (1998)

This picture started Murray’s many collaborations with director Wes Anderson, with titles including The Royal Tenenbaums, The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, and Moonrise Kingdom. This is still the best.

7. Kingpin (1996)

Murray’s hilarious turn as a pro bowler in the Farrelly Brother’s 1996 feature is the best thing about this movie, by far. He owns every scene he appears in.

6. Scrooged (1988)

Richard Donner’s comedic update of A Christmas Carol provided a tailor-made role for Bill as an egotistical network exec who’s forced to find the Christmas spirit.

5. What About Bob? (1991)

Frank Oz’s film gives Murray a chance to go off the rails as a severely neurotic patient who ingratiates himself to his doctor’s family on their vacation, while driving the doctor (Richard Dreyfus) a little nuts.

4. Caddyshack (1980)

Carl Spackler. This scene. ‘Nuff said.

3. Ghostbusters (1984)

This classic 80s film is one of the best comedies of all time and features Murray doing what he does best. His highest grossing picture has spawned rumors of a third installment for years, but it’s Murray’s reluctance that has held it up.

2. Lost in Translation (2003)

For those who know Murray for only comedy, please see Sofia Coppola’s wonderful Lost in Translation, starring Bill as a well-known actor in Tokyo who befriends a lonely girl played wonderfully by Scarlett Johannson. His performance is subtle and remarkable and justifiably earned him Oscar attention (though no win).

1. Groundhog Day (1993)

While Murray would earn that Oscar nod for Translation and deserved it, Groundhog Day is proof that the Academy is reluctant to honor comedy, even when it’s obvious. Murray is totally brilliant here as he relives that day over and over again in Punxsutawney. Harold Ramis’s film is a masterpiece. Murray’s performance is masterful.

And there you have it – my personal Top Ten for my personal favorite comedic actor.

Movies You Might Not Know: Michael J. Fox Edition

In 1991, Michael J. Fox had two pictures released: in March, the buddy cop comedy The Hard Way and in August, the fish out of water comedy Doc Hollywood.

In an interview years later, Fox would talk about the unpredictability of how movies perform, stating that he thought The Hard Way would be a giant hit that had the potential to turn into a franchise and Doc Hollywood would do only OK business. The reverse happened: Hollywood was a hit and The Hard Way performed a box office belly flop, earning a weak $25 million.

Too bad because I’ve always thought The Hard Way is a highly entertaining flick that deserved a bigger audience. From director John Badham (who made Saturday Night Fever!), it stars Fox as Nick Lang, a pampered movie star who is known for big-budget action spectacles. As he prepares for his new role as a tough cop, he decides to shadow real NYC cop John Moss (James Woods), who doesn’t take well to a spoiled celebrity following him around. Lang joins Moss on the trail just as he’s closing in on a demented serial killer known as the Party Crasher (played in a deliriously nutty performance by Stephen Lang).

The Hard Way is far from a perfect film and there are better and more well-known buddy cop comedies. Still, it’s a lot of fun and represents one of my favorite Fox pictures where he’s not playing Marty McFly. The Hard Way shares some similarities with another 90s box office disappointment, Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Last Action Hero, which came two years later. The Hard Way is better. And it’s worth a look.

It’s also got LL Cool J playing a fellow cop and the end credits begin with his hip hop classic “Mama Said Knock You Out”. So it’s got that going for it, too!

Box Office Results: April 5-7

The Evil Dead remake scared up some very solid box office numbers this weekend, opening well beyond my prediction. Dead earned $25.7 million, above my $19.8M projection. The Sam Raimi produced horror flick has a budget of only approximately $15 million. A sequel has already been greenlit. One minor concern for the studio: Dead received a troubling C+ Cinemascore grade, indicating audiences didn’t really like what they saw (critics were much kinder). Horror titles generally experience significant drop-offs in the second weekend and the same should be expected here.

Holdovers G.I. Joe: Retaliation and The Croods were close for second and third earning $20.8 and $20.6 million, above my $18.7M and $18.2M projections, respectively. Joe dropped only 49%, holding up considerably better than G.I. Joe: Rise of the Cobra, which dropped 59% in its sophomore frame in 2009.

The 20th anniversary re-release of Spielberg’s Jurassic Park also exceeded my expectations with a strong $18.6 million. I predicted only $12.8M. Finally, Tyler Perry’s Temptation: Confessions of a Marriage Counselor held up slightly better than my projection with $10 million in its second weekend (I estimated $8.9M).

In summation, this was a weekend where everything out there did better than I thought (an encouraging sign for the studios). Be sure to check back this week on the blog for next weekend’s box office predictions, when the Jackie Robinson biopic 42, Scary Movie V, and the Ryan Gosling/Bradley Cooper crime thriller The Place Beyond the Pines all open in wide release. Stay tuned!

Roger Ebert: An Appreciation

I’ve spent my entire life reading and watching Roger Ebert.

My love of movies and particularly writing about films is due in no small measure to Roger Ebert.

The reason this blog exists has to a lot to do with Roger Ebert.

Over the next few days, a lot of appreciations will be written for Roger Ebert. They will talk about his importance in the movie world, which is hard to describe for just how significant it’s been.

I still wonder from time to time just why I became so interested in movies and writing about them. When I’m asked this question, two faces immediately come to mind: Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert.

I grew up watching their show. And taping their show. And re-watching their show.

I grew up buying Roger Ebert’s annual book that would be updated each year to include the new reviews. I would read it from cover to cover. And re-read it from cover to cover.

Until today, I would go to Roger’s website every Thursday to read his thoughts on the weekend’s new releases. We didn’t always agree (far from it), but I always wanted to know what Roger thought.

Roger Ebert was a brilliant writer. He’s the first movie critic to earn a Pulitzer Prize. Most importantly, he loved movies. Oh, he didn’t love every movie (far from it). But when Roger loved a movie, he championed it. He wanted others to experience the joy he experienced when he watched it.

I’ve seen many movies because of Roger Ebert and Gene Siskel. That’s what movie writers are supposed to do: expand a reader’s palate of movies they watch. Expose them to films they may not normally see.

And Roger Ebert had the kind of exposure to recommend great pictures to millions of readers and millions of viewers of his show.

The next days will bring about well-written pieces discussing the importance of Siskel&Ebert. They will discuss Roger’s brave final decade and his unimaginable health issues. And they will rightly discuss his place in film history which simply cannot be understated. He’s the most well-known and famous movie critic. Ever.

This evening, I just wanted to share my personal history regarding Roger Ebert. I know that I wouldn’t have the passion I do about movies if Roger Ebert had never existed. I’m sure glad he did. I’ve spent countless hours reading the words of Ebert. I’m sure glad they still exist on this Earth for me to re-read.

Every week on their program, Siskel and Ebert would end with the words “The balcony is closed.”

Today, an era in film history closed.

RIP Roger Ebert. And thanks.

Box Office Predictions: April 5-7

The first weekend of April brings the very real possibility of three movies being #1, with even an outside shot of a fourth taking the top spot. That is usually not the case when making predictions and this is shaping up to be a very interesting weekend.

For starters, we have the big debut of The Evil Dead remake. On Monday, I wrote an extensive post with my projection for the pic’s opening weekend. It can be found linked below for your review. In short, I’m predicting Dead debuts with just below $20 million.

https://toddmthatcher.wordpress.com/2013/04/01/the-evil-dead-box-office-prediction/

Now… will that be enough for it to debut at #1? That depends on how far the Easter champ G.I. Joe: Retaliation falls in its second frame and also how far the animated The Croods drops in its third weekend.

The first G.I. Joe in 2009 dropped a hefty 59% in its second weekend. The sequel didn’t quite match the opening gross of its predecessor (while still posting a solid opening). However, audiences seem to like the follow-up more (it earned an A- Cinemascore grade to the original’s B+). I do believe Retaliation will dip over 50% in its sophomore frame, but not as far as the first did.

And there’s The Croods third weekend. The Dreamworks kiddie pic dropped a reasonable 39% last weekend and it could certainly drop that far or more this time around. Interestingly, a similar title from three years ago, How to Train Your Dragon, dropped a scant 14% in its third weekend. If The Croods dropped 25% or less, it would stand an excellent shot at returning to #1. It’s certainly possible, though I’m predicting it falls more than that.

Then there’s the return of 1993’s Jurassic Park to the multiplex. Celebrating its 20th anniversary, the Steven Spielberg dinosaur tale is getting a 3D makeover. A gross of over $20 million certainly isn’t outside of the realm of possibility. I’m skeptical. There certainly seems to be no shortage of the film’s availability on TV (not to mention DVD) and I’m just not sure audiences will flock to the theater to see it. I picture an opening between $10-$15 million.

Finally, Tyler Perry’s Temptation: Confessions of a Marriage Counselor is likely to drop from third to fifth. Perry’s films usually have big openings and Temptation did so with an impressive $21 million last weekend. They also have large drops in their second frames (well over 50%, closer to 60%) and I expect Temptation will follow suit.

So how does it all shake out? Here’s my predictions for the top five this weekend:

1. The Evil Dead

Predicted Gross: $19.8 million

2. G.I. Joe: Retaliation

Predicted Gross: $18.7 million (representing a drop of 54%)

3. The Croods

Predicted Gross: $18.2 million (representing a drop of 32%)

4. Jurassic Park 3D

Predicted Gross: $12.8 million

5. Tyler Perry’s Temptation: Confessions of a Marriage Counselor

Predicted Gross: $8.9 million (representing a drop of 59%)

Be sure to check back this weekend for my update when the final numbers roll in!

Oscar History: 1999

The 20th century ended on a high note when it came to movies. 1999 marked a year filled with high quality material, including a game changing picture that was only victorious in the technical categories.

Sam Mendes’ American Beauty, the dysfunctional family drama, was the big winner.

It took Best Picture over The Cider House Rules, The Green Mile, The Insider, and The Sixth Sense. A very solid group of movies, to be sure.

And there’s plenty more that weren’t nominated that should have merited consideration. For starters, how about Spike Jonze’s completely original Being John Malkovich? 

Or Pixar’s Toy Story 2, which garnered even better reviews than its beloved predecessor?

Then there’s Fight Club, David Fincher’s terrific black comedy that drew mixed reaction upon its release, but has since become a classic.

And there’s that “game changing” movie. That would be the Wachowski’s The Matrix, one of the most influential sci-fi pictures of all time. It upped the bar for all similar genre pictures that have followed since.

Sam Mendes would take director honors for Beauty, over Lasse Hallstrom for Cider House, Spike Jonze for Malkovich, Michael Mann for The Insider, and M. Night Shyamalan for Sixth Sense. The odd man out: Frank Darabont, whose Green Mile got the Picture nomination. Certainly, the Wachowskis and Fincher should have been given a look. And there’s Paul Thomas Anderson, whose challenging yet often remarkable Magnolia marked his follow-up to 1997’s Boogie Nights. 1999 also saw legendary director Stanley Kubrick’s final film, the Tom Cruise/Nicole Kidman sexual drama Eyes Wide Shut. Kubrick died in March ’99 and his swan song was released four months later. It received mixed critical and audience reaction (personally, I thought it was pretty great).

The American Beauty love fest would continue in the Best Actor race, with Kevin Spacey picking up the trophy just four years after he won Supporting Actor for The Usual Suspects. Other nominees: Russell Crowe for his excellent work in The Insider, Richard Farnsworth in The Straight Story, Sean Penn in Sweet and Lowdown, and Denzel Washington in The Hurricane. I probably would have given the edge to Mr. Crowe, but certainly Spacey gave a fine performance.

While The Sixth Sense was honored in the supporting categories, Bruce Willis’s understated performance that anchored the film was not recognized. And in keeping with my common theme in these posts, I would’ve honored comedy here and nominated Eddie Murphy’s work in Bowfinger.

In 1999, Hilary Swank was mostly known for starring as The Next Karate Kid in a badly received 1994 sequel. This would all change by fall of ’99 when Swank starred in Boys Don’t Cry, an independent feature casting the actress as a transgender character who is brutally raped and beaten.

Swank would win Best Actress, beating out frontrunner Annette Bening in American Beauty, as well as Janet McTeer in Tumbleweeds, Julianne Moore in The End of the Affair, and Meryl Streep in Music of the Heart. 

Again, my feeling that comedy should be recognized would’ve extended to Reese Witherspoon’s fantastic performance in Alexander Payne’s Election.

The Supporting Actress race would recognize Angelina Jolie for her role in Girl, Interrupted. Other nominees: Toni Collette for The Sixth Sense, Catherine Keener in Being John Malkovich, Samantha Morton in Sweet and Lowdown, and Chloe Sevigny for Boys Don’t Cry.

Others that should have been considered: Cameron Diaz in Malkovich, Helena Bonham Carter in Fight Club, and Thora Birch, surprisingly shut out for American Beauty.

The Supporting Actor race was a close competition between Michael Caine in The Cider House Rules and Tom Cruise in Magnolia. Caine would take home the gold. Other nominees: Michael Clarke Duncan in The Green Mile, Jude Law in The Talented Mr. Ripley, and young Haley Joel Osment in Sixth Sense.

I definitely would have included John Malkovich for his work in (you guessed it!) Being John Malkovich. And on the subject of including comedic roles… um…. yeaaaaaah…. how about this guy (Gary Cole):

On a side note, the film that was expected to pick up all the technical categories in 1999 was the breathlessly awaited Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace. And then The Matrix came out with its mind boggling special effects work. The Matrix would earn awards for Editing, Visual Effects, Sound Editing, and Sound Mixing. Star Wars? Zero.

 

 

The Evil Dead Box Office Prediction

An interesting battle could play out at the box office this weekend as The Evil Dead remake could potentially snag the #1 spot over the second weekend of G.I. Joe: Retaliation.

The horror remake has been quite the profitable sub-genre over the past decade as studios have mined popular flicks from the 70s and 80s. Here’s a breakdown of films over the past decade and what they’ve grossed in their opening weekends:

Friday the 13th (2009): $40 million

A Nightmare on Elm Street (2010): $32 million

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003): $28 million

Dawn of the Dead (2004): $26 million

Halloween (2007): $26 million

The Amityville Horror (2005): $23 million

My Bloody Valentine (2009): $21 million

When a Stranger Calls (2006): $21 million

Prom Night (2008): $20 million

The Omen (2006): $16 million

The Hills Have Eyes (2006): $15 million

Left House on the Left (2009): $14 million

Here are the not very successful examples:

The Thing (2011): $8 million

Black Christmas (2006): $3 million

As you can see, for the most part, the horror remake can usually be counted on for an opening in the mid-teens or higher. Will that be the case for The Evil Dead?

The original is from 1981 and is an ultra low-budget and supremely gory Sam Raimi pic that’s a hell of a lot of fun. It spawned two well-regarded sequels, 1987’s Evil Dead 2 and 1993’s Army of Darkness. This trilogy of films are known just as much for their comedic aspects compared to the gore aspects, something that sets this franchise apart from the others.

When you look at the highest opening weekend grossers, you see the horror franchises representing Jason, Freddy, Michael Myers, and Leatherface. It’s not hard to figure out – these are the slasher classics of their era that spawned countless sequels. The remakes had the interest of moviegoers by title alone.

Younger folks (who typically make up a sizable portion of the horror flick audience) may not know a whole lot about The Evil Dead. And they certainly don’t to the degree that they know the aforementioned entries. Still, the trailers for The Evil Dead are pretty effective and even non-horror fanatics are probably aware the previous trilogy existed. Frankly, I think it looks pretty damn good and it currently sits at 79% on Rotten Tomatoes.

A better comparison for how The Evil Dead performs might just be last year’s The Cabin in the Woods, a slasher flick with comedic overtones that was clearly an homage to the original Dead. Cabin garnered very positive reviews, but managed a rather unimpressive $14.7 million opening.

Still, Evil Dead would appear heading towards a higher gross, though it’s very unlikely to match the numbers of the more well-known remakes. Anything above $25 million would be considered a terrific gross. It’s possible, but I don’t see it happening.

The Evil Dead seems more primed for a high teens to low-twenties opening weekend. Anything below $15 million would be considered pretty disappointing. Ironically, the budget is reported to be $15 million, so  it’s bound to be profitable regardless.

A gross in the area that I’m predicting puts it on a crash course to have a close competition with G.I. Joe‘s sophomore weekend. Here is my estimate:

The Evil Dead opening weekend prediction: $19.8 million

On Wednesday, be sure to check back for my full weekend projections, where I’ll reveal whether or not I believe Evil Dead gets that #1 slot. Stay tuned!

 

House of Cards: The Aftermath

It took just a few short weeks for Netflix to turn into a major player in the original TV series market.

This is all thanks to their series “House of Cards”, based on an earlier British show. I have already written one post about the program, published while I wasn’t even halfway through the first season’s 13 episodes. Without spoiling anything for those who haven’t seen it (and you should), I can tell you that “House of Cards” will be a huge factor at this year’s Emmys. Bet on it.

Kevin Spacey should and probably will be the equivalent of Daniel Day-Lewis for television this year, in the sense that he’s a definite frontrunner to win Best Actor. Expect co-stars Robin Wright, Kate Mara, and Corey Stull to also receive awards attention. And, of course, the directors, writers, and series itself should pick up nominations and possible wins.

Netflix is not required to release their viewership numbers in the way that networks and cable channels do. The company has said that “House of Cards” was a rousing success.

I believe it. Simply on anecdotal evidence, it seems like everyone where I work has watched (granted, I work in a political environment). It’s not just them, however. Many other friends have asked me about the series and revealed they’ve seen all 13 episodes. The common verdict? “Loved it.”

So did I. From its terrific performances, first-rate direction (that includes episodes from the brilliant David Fincher), sharp writing, and that great theme song that I couldn’t get out of my head, “House of Cards” delivers on all levels. I am so ready for Season Two.

Here’s another reason I trust Netflix’s assertions that the show was a hit: they’re greenlighting and producing more TV series.

On April 19th comes the horror/thriller series “Hemlock Grove” starring Goldeneye and X-Men actress Famke Janssen. It’s from executive producer Eli Roth (a Tarantino protege who directed the Hostel flicks). I can tell you I will certainly be watching episode 1 with the hope of binge-watching the series (like with “Cards”). The fact that Netflix hit it out of the park the first time around certainly contributes to my curiosity.

In May comes another Netflix series event: the return of “Arrested Development”, the critically-acclaimed FOX series that developed a deserved cult audience following its cancellation. Original stars Jason Bateman, Michael Cera, Portia de Rossi, Will Arnett, and others are back for the one-off season. The return of the show was at first being developed as a feature film until Netflix came calling.

In 2014, we’ll see at least two new dramatic series. Narcos focuses on the life of notorious drug dealer Pablo Escobar and Sense8 is a sci-fi series from the Wachowskis, directors of The Matrix trilogy and Cloud Atlas.

As mentioned, it took 13 episodes of “House of Cards” to change the reputation of Netflix in a more positive way. This isn’t just where you can find some cheesy horror flick from the 1980s you’ve never heard of… it’s a place where you can find top-quality original programming.

Box Office Results: March 29-31

The Easter box office weekend went mostly as expected, with G.I. Joe: Relation opening on top with a solid gross of $51 million, just above my $49.5M projection. The sequel to the 2009 film posted good numbers, even though it’s unlikely to match the $150 million domestic gross of its predecessor.

Dreamworks animated The Croods dropped from the top spot to second, as expected. It earned $26.7 million, slightly lower than my $29.3M estimate.

Opening in third, as predicted, was Tyler Perry’s Temptation: Confessions of a Marriage Counselor. The picture gave Perry his best non-Madea opening of all time, grossing an impressive $21.6 million, above my $19.2M projection. Apparently, unless the name of the movie is Alex Cross, Perry still has a lot of clout at the multiplex.

In fourth, Olympus Has Fallen grossed $14.1 million in its sophomore weekend. I incorrectly guessed the action thriller would not fall over 50% and predicted a $16.8 million weekend. The film dropped 53%. Still, Olympus is a hit, giving star Gerard Butler his first successful pic in quite some time.

The bad news of the weekend fell to The Host, based on Twilight author Stephanie Meyer’s book. I was actually pretty low on my prediction compared to other analysts, predicting a $15.7 million opening weekend gross. The Host bombed, managing a meager $10.6 million. With a discouraging “B-” Cinemascore grade, there’s no way for the studio to spin it: The Host is a dud. With that bad of an opening, the film only managed a sixth place debut (I predicted fifth) and Oz The Great and Powerful got the five spot with $11.7 million.

Be sure to check back this week on the blog for next weekend’s projections, when the horror remake The Evil Dead and the 20th anniversary re-release of Jurassic Park open. Stay tuned!