Let me start off by saying that I’m a huge Tom Cruise fan. He makes better choices than most actors. When he hit it real big in the mid 80s with Risky Business and Top Gun, he clearly went on to consciously choose films based mostly on director. That led to him working with Spielberg. Scorsese. Kubrick. Paul Thomas Anderson. De Palma. Sydney Pollack. Rob Reiner and Ron Howard. Cameron Crowe. Barry Levinson and Oliver Stone. JJ Abrams and John Woo. Michael Mann. And that career path turned him into the biggest movie star in the world for quite a while.
There’s something else I’ve noticed with TC over the years. The dude loves to run in movies. I mean… loves to run in movies. So much so that I turned to “the Google” to see if anyone else had noticed.
They have.
There’s a Tumblr site dedicated to shots of him running where they also point out the rare film where he doesn’t, like 2008’s Valkyrie or 2007’s Lions for Lambs. For the most part, though, he runs…
Tom Cruise loves to run so much in movies that he seems to come up with excuses to do it, even when the screenplay doesn’t really call for it. Cruise and costar Robert Duvall have a foot race in Days of Thunder. That film, as you probably know, is about race car drivers. Why do they have a foot race? I’m guessing because it’s an excuse to show TC’s mad running skills and prove he’s not just speedy in a vehicle.
In The Firm, Cruise’s wife played by Jeanne Tripplehorn freaks out when he tells her their house is bugged. She flips out so hardcore that she runs out of the house, forcing Cruise to run even faster to catch her. Had she seen almost any of his earlier pictures, she would’ve known that no one… no one outruns Tom Cruise. He also finds an excuse to sprint through his law office in that movie too:
And apparently if the script doesn’t legitimately call for a running scene, Cruise will find a way to invent one. Case in point: 2001’s Vanilla Sky. No decent excuse for Tom to get that cardio up? How about an elaborate dream sequence where he runs by himself through Times Square? Does it have much to do with the rest of the film? Not so much, but it gave him a golden opportunity to shut the streets of New York City down to run his lil heart out…
Remember this great scene from Minority Report when TC is about to get caught and he reminds his captors that “Everybody Runs” before, you know, running? One of the cops reminds him, “You don’t have to run.”
In Tom Cruise’s case, that’s simply not true. Based on his movie history, Tom Cruise usually has to run. A lot. Usually awkwardly. Sometimes for a reason. Sometimes not.
Hard to believe it, but Mr. Johnny Depp turns the big 5-0 tomorrow. He was once known as that cool actor who eschewed big Hollywood projects in order to do it his way. Ten years ago, a certain project came along that made him the biggest movie star in the world… and the highest paid. There is no question that Depp belongs in the pantheon of most significant film stars in the medium’s history.
In order to celebrate Johnny’s half century on this Earth and the enjoyment he’s brought to audiences, I’ve compiled my personal Top Ten favorite Johnny Depp performances.
First, some notes about pictures that did not make the cut. Most famous actors have forgettable film debuts. Not Johnny Depp. Audiences first saw Depp meeting a rather unfortunate end in one of the best scenes in 1984’s A Nightmare on Elm Street.
While 2010’s Alice in Wonderland may be his second highest grossing flick ever, you won’t find it in my Top Ten. I found it to be quite a disappointment. Johnny is apparently negotiating to star in a sequel and I hope it improves on the original considerably.
While a number of Depp’s Tim Burton collaborations are in the Top Ten – you won’t find Sleepy Hollow or Dark Shadows or Sweeney Todd. And even though he got an Oscar nomination for it, Marc Forster’s JM Barrie biopic Finding Neverland missed the cut, as did Michael Mann’s John Dillinger biopic Public Enemies.
So, let’s get to the movies that did make the list, shall we?
10. From Hell (2001)
The Hughes Brothers retelling of the hunt for Jack the Ripper is a violent and visionary feast. Depp is terrific as Inspector Frederick Abberline, the investigator whose drug-inspired dreams leads him down Jack’s trail.
9. Once Upon a Time in Mexico (2003)
Robert Rodriguez’s follow-up to Desperado is the rare sequel that’s quite a bit better. And part of that has to do with Depp’s often hilarious and typically offbeat portrayal of a CIA agent. He’s got some great one-liners to work with here: “Are you a Mexican or a Mexican’t?”
8. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005)
Anyone trying to compete with Gene Wilder’s brilliant work in 1971’s Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory faced an uphill battle. Smartly, Depp didn’t even try. He created his own take on Roald Dahl’s eccentric factory owner. The result: another top-notch performance from Depp in his collaboration with Tim Burton.
7. Blow (2001)
Based on the true life story of drug kingpin George Jung, Depp is on his game in this Ted Demme effort. This is a Depp performance that is mostly free of his character quirks that are found in most roles he chooses. He’s one of the best dramatic actors and Blow is evidence of it.
6. Don Juan DeMarco (1995)
One of the actor’s most underrated films and performances. Depp plays a patient at a psychiatric hospital who believes that he is Don Juan, the world’s greatest lover. His doctor is played by Marlon Brando. Don Juan DeMarco features fabulous work from these two titans of acting and if you haven’t seen it, do yourself a favor.
5. Donnie Brasco (1997)
Here we have Depp teaming up with another acting God, Al Pacino. Mike Newell’s film casts Depp as an undercover FBI agent infiltrating the Mob in the 1970s. Pacino is one of the gangsters who becomes close with Depp’s character. Based on a true story, Depp excels once again in another straight dramatic performance.
4. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998)
Terry Gilliam’s tale of journalist Hunter S. Thompson on a drug fueled journey through Sin City gave Johnny an unforgettable role. There are simply too many terrific one-liners that Depp spews to list here and he has a solid partner with Benicio del Toro as his attorney. This is Johnny gone wild and boy is it fun!
3. Ed Wood (1994)
Tim Burton’s loving biopic of Ed Wood, often called Hollywood’s worst director, is a great film with Depp as the title character. Burton’s picture wonderfully displays the joy of movie making, even if the movies are crap. And Depp sells it as the man behind the camera. And he gets to cross dress in it, too!
2. Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)
It’s kind of hard to recall now just how amazing this picture was when it came out ten years ago. Much of that may be due to the three lackluster sequels that followed. However, Black Pearl is popcorn entertainment of the highest order. And it’s Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow that turned it into an instant classic. Disney was worried about Depp’s performance when it was being filmed. Turns out Depp’s quirky take on the pirate was its main selling point. This is what turned Johnny into the biggest movie star on the planet.
1. Edward Scissorhands (1990)
Depp’s first collaboration with Tim Burton is still the best. Furthermore, Depp’s performance as the title character embodies everything great about this performer. There’s the aforementioned quirkiness. The vulnerability. The physicality. Edward Scissorhands is a special film with a very special leading performance.
So there you have it! My favorite work from one of the best actors in movie history. And Happy 50th birthday to Johnny Depp!
For those who haven’t figured it out yet, I’m an incurable movie buff. When I look back nearly 250 blog posts later, my very first blog post talked about that feeling of sitting in a movie theater when the lights dim and the excitement that goes along with the feeling that you’re about to see something new. Oh, don’t get me wrong. You might be disappointed. You might be underwhelmed. However, there’s always that possibility. And that’s just one reason I love movies.
Over the past decade, a number of those moments have happened at the Arena Grand Movie Theater in the Arena District of Columbus, Ohio. And on Monday, the theater ceased to exist when it was bought out by a company that specializes in a dining-movie screening experience, similar to the Movie Tavern in Hilliard. I personally have nothing major against this move and I wish the new company well. Frankly, I’m thrilled the location will still be a movie theater.
That is not without some reservations. While I admire the Movie Tavern and have had some good experiences there, I generally am not a huge fan of the format. Why? Well, probably because I’m such a movie buff. I want to watch the movie with as little distraction as possible. I don’t want to think about whether to order chicken fingers or the mini-burgers or the loaded nachos. I’m not really concerned with what beers are on tap. And I especially don’t want a waiter coming up to me every 15 minutes while I’m trying to follow plot points asking if everything is “OK”. The answer is yes – I’m watching the movie.
The Arena Grand Theater was a quality theater in a great location, but I will admit that in the last decade I’ve seen more films at the AMC Lennox. I’m curious to check out the new theater that will operate in Arena Grand’s former location, but I will always hold the following memories of the Arena Grand:
– barely being able to contain myself from very loud laughter at certain points during Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy. I would’ve loved to see the sequel there.
– leaving work a little early on a sunny Friday afternoon with a coworker to watch Tom Cruise battle through an alien invasion in War of the Worlds.
– going with one of my best friends on a Friday night to watch The Departed on opening night and going next door to the local bar afterwards to discuss how amazing it was.
– having the entire balcony to myself to watch Woman in Black, a nice horror supernatural flick with Daniel Radcliffe that I still think is underrated.
– watching the final act of The Avengers with my jaw dropped for most of it.
– trying to see Ted with one of my best friends at the AMC Lennox and it was too crowded. We made it to Arena Grand just in time to grab seats in a packed theater… right next to two of my other greatest friends who we didn’t know were going to be there.
– going to see Django Unchainedthe day after Christmas after driving back from Fremont and keeping my absolute adoration of Quentin Tarantino’s movies intact.
And those are just seven of several examples. Arena Grand was a wonderful theater and I’ll miss it. I hope I can make some more good memories in that same location… even while I tell the waiter that “I’m still fine, thanks again.”
The trajectory of M. Night Shyamalan’s directorial career is at a bit of a low point right now and it’s held there for around seven years. The release of the Will and Jaden Smith sci-fi pic After Earth this Friday will either continue that trend or reverse it. We’ll have our answer soon, but today we’ll explore the history of this important filmmaker and how we’ve gotten to the point Shyamalan is currently at.
At the age of 22, he made his directorial debut with Praying with Anger, which was never released for wide distribution and played the festival circuit. Per usual, M. Night wrote the feature as well. Shyamalan cast himself as the star of the picture which focused on Indian culture (the director was born in the country, but grew up in Pennsylvania). Released in 1992, Anger managed to gross $1.4 million and was shot on an $800,000 budget.
The moderate success of his first picture led to 1998’s Wide Awake, a dramedy starring Denis Leary, Dana Delany, and Rosie O’Donnell. Awake began M. Night’s trend of setting films in his adopted home state. It received mixed reviews and never really got much of a theatrical release. Shot in 1995 on a $6 million budget and released three whole years later, it earned a tepid $282,000.
Based on his first two efforts, there was really no reason to believe Shyamalan would break out in the Hollywood scene in a major way. However, then 1999 came along and changed everything. This happened in the form of The Sixth Sense, released stateside on August 6, the director’s 29th birthday. Starring Bruce Willis and child actor Haley Joel Osment, The Sixth Sense became the most buzzed about summer 1999 title. The supernatural thriller about young Osment seeing dead people struck an unexpected chord with audiences and critics. It currently sits at 85% on Rotten Tomatoes.
An absolutely astonishing $293 million gross domestically and $672 million worldwide would be the result. 11 year-old Osment received an Oscar nomination, as did Toni Collette playing his mother. Willis was snubbed in my view for a Best Actor nomination. Most importantly, Sense earned a Best Picture nomination and nods for Shyamalan for his direction and original screenplay.
The Sixth Sense immediately vaulted Shyamalan into a superstar among directors. Even most blockbuster films don’t earn their director a ton of name recognition. This was not the case here. There were Hitchcock and Spielberg comparisons as critics and moviegoers marveled at the ingenious screenplay and, of course, the surprise ending was truly surprising. That ending assisted in getting audiences back for repeat viewings, which no doubt contributed to its gargantuan box office numbers.
The goodwill garnered by Sense would cause a breathless anticipation for Night’s follow-up, which hit multiplexes just fifteen months later. In November 2000 came Unbreakable, with Bruce Willis returning in the starring role and assisted by Samuel L. Jackson and Robin Wright Penn. As much as I love Bruce Willis, he’s never been a consistent box office draw when you examine his filmography. Shyamalan’s name propelled Unbreakable to a fantastic $30 million opening. However, the picture showed the first chink in the armor of Night’s invincibility. Audiences weren’t thrilled with it, at least not anywhere to the extent of Sixth Sense. While moviegoers were blown away with the “he’s been dead the whole time” shock value of that surprise ending, the revelation of Bruce’s character in Unbreakable being a superhero didn’t wow folks. Unbreakable would earn $95 million domestically – a far cry from its predecessor’s numbers. It would receive mixed reviews and is at 68% on the Tomato meter.
My take? I really dug Unbreakable. I found it to be a very clever superhero origin story and subsequent viewing have elevated my view of it. Like most first-time watchers, I found myself confused at the direction the film took in my theater experience. But I’ve grown to appreciate Unbreakable and consider it to be a worthwhile experience that once again features assured direction and a fine Willis performance.
Less than two years later, Night would be back in Sixth Sense territory with another audience and critical triumph. Arriving in the summer of 2002, Signs was maybe or maybe not an alien invasion flick as the trailers toyed with us in brilliant fashion. Starring Mel Gibson and Joaquin Phoenix as farmers who notice strange crop dust patterns in their field, Signs was a suspenseful and seriously clever genre pic that delivered. When we find out that Signs is indeed an alien invasion pic via that birthday party in Mexico, it is film magic of the highest order. This is my favorite Shyamalan movie and one of 2002’s greatest titles. Signs would bring in a domestic gross of $227 million – less than Sixth Sense, but still terrific. It’s Tomato Meter is at 74%.
Two years later, the summer of 2004 would bring The Village, set in the 19th century and featuring creatures in the woods terrorizing a village. Or… is the movie about that? The Village would feature much of what we had come to expect from Night’s works, especially the surprise ending. However, it was The Village that also began to accentuate issues with his pictures: actors delivering their lines with zero emotion, dialogue that could be laughable at spots, and pacing that took a little too much time. The director’s name would allow The Village a $114 million domestic gross. Not bad, but nowhere near Sense or Signs levels. And audiences disliked it even more than Unbreakable. Critics weren’t wild about it either with a 43% Rotten Tomatoes total. I certainly found it to be the weakest of his mainstream features up to that point, but I thought it was OK overall. Still, The Village was the origin point of a downward spiral that has yet to reverse.
The summer of 2006 would end Night’s solid box office run and it would decimate his standing with critics as well. Lady in the Water, starring Paul Giamatti and Village costar Bryce Dallas Howard, landed with a thud. Focusing on an apartment complex maintenance man who finds a water nymph in the pool, Lady was simply bizarre. In many spots, it was badly written and featured truly laughable dialogue along the way. It tanked at the box office with only $42 million domestically, as well as an embarrassing 24% on Rotten Tomatoes. The excitement that Night had built with The Sixth Sense and Signs was gone and his name connected to a movie was no longer a selling point.
Night’s 2008 summer film The Happening starring Mark Wahlberg wouldn’t help the situation. While the picture, which is basically about plants turning people into homicidal maniacs, outdid Lady‘s gross with $64 million – audiences hated it on the same level. The critics were brutal and a 17% Tomato meter evidenced that. There are times watching The Happening where you’re totally cracking up unintentionally. Pretty sure that’s not what Shyamalan was going for. Wahlberg, a very talented actor, is also just awful in it. The combination of Lady in the Water and The Happening had severely soured Night’s reputation, less than a decade after The Sixth Sense made him one of the most famous directors on Earth.
Shyamalan would move away from scary and twisty thrillers with The Last Airbender, released in the summer of 2010. He would also move away from his screenplays being based on original material. Airbender was based on a Nickelodeon series and aimed squarely at a kid/young adult audience. Somewhat surprisingly, the picture grossed a rock solid $131 million domestically, Night’s highest earner statewide since Signs. It is worth noting that its American gross was less than its budget, which was a hefty $150 million. The movie would do little to improve Night’s reputation, however. Only 6% – yes six percent – of critics deemed it worthy of view on Rotten Tomatoes.
And that brings us to this weekend’s release of After Earth. This film is not based on Night’s original idea… it’s actually based on Will Smith’s idea that he brought to the director. Shyamalan did co-write the script for the sci-fi pic that comes with a $130 million budget. After Earth is notable in its advertising campaign. As it should, it focuses mainly on the fact that it’s a Will Smith sci-fi flick. The difference for Night this time around? Nowhere does it focus on him. At all. It’s almost as if the studio doesn’t want you to know he directed it… like it’s more of a hindrance than a selling point. It was less than a decade ago that the possibility of that would have been ludicrous.
Times have changed for Night, however. And the question that will be answered this Friday is whether After Earth continues the bad news for the director or reverses the audience and critical distaste for him.
Today we celebrate all the great mothers out there with our phone calls, Facebook messages, and tweets. And, today on the movie blog, I take a brief trip down film history lane bringing you the best and worst when it comes to mothers…
Or “mamas” with Sally Field’s wonderful performance as mama to Forrest Gump…
There’s the single mom doing her best to better herself and her children’s lives, like Julia Roberts as Erin Brockovich…
There’s the teenage mom who comes to learn the joys of motherhood like Ellen Page as Juno…
And there’s the always supportive mom who, even when she doesn’t agree with her kids actions, still loves them unconditionally, like Frances McDormand in Almost Famous:
This brings to the moms in film history representing the dark side of motherhood. There’s the overprotective mom as shown by Piper Laurie in Carrie:
There’s the mom whose wild ambitions for her children screw them up for life, like Meryl Streep in The Manchurian Candidate:
Of course, there’s also just the completely crazy moms who hate wire hangers, like Faye Dunaway as Joan Crawford in Mommie Dearest:
And, finally, well there’s this mom:
So here’s hoping your mama is more like Forrest Gump’s and less like Norman Bates’s! And Happy Mother’s Day to all the Forrest Gump-like mamas in the world, including my wonderful mother!
Twenty years ago, as I was just beginning to develop my love of film that has only grown through time, I was given a book about the films of Robert De Niro. It wasn’t just about his most famous pictures. It devoted extensive chapters to each and every one of the films Mr. De Niro had made up until that point which (at the time) was his first quarter century on the silver screen. It’s called The Films of De Niro by Douglas Brode.
For most of my life, when people ask me who I believe is the greatest actor of all time – my answer is De Niro. Unfortunately, this answer has little to do with – oh, let’s say the last 15 years or so of his career. At least.
At a certain point (especially with the dawn of the 21st century) Mr. De Niro simply seemed to stop caring about what movies he chose to do. Whereas a film lover used to anticipate each De Niro performance to see what this brilliant actor would do with each successive role, this ceased to be the case in relatively recent history.
I will not extensively go over the first 20-30 years of his career where we saw one amazing performance after another. We know the pictures are many. Mean Streets. The Godfather Part II. Taxi Driver. The Deer Hunter. Raging Bull. The King of Comedy. Midnight Run. GoodFellas. Cape Fear. Heat. Casino.
The slide may have started in the late 90s/early 2000s with two wildly successful comedies that were both good. Analyze This in 1999 and then Meet the Parents in 2000. They both turned De Niro into a briefly bankable comedic actor. His attempts to capitalize sometimes worked (Meet the Fockers was an enormous hit, even though I felt it didn’t hold a candle to the original). However, most of his follow-up comedies were mediocre at best: the lame Analyze This sequel Analyze That, the wasted opportunity buddy cop flick Showtime with Eddie Murphy, and the dreadful third entry into his franchise Little Fockers.
There were way too many instances during the last few years where my reaction was: “Why is De Niro doing that?” Some examples: two substandard horror/suspense flicks – 2004’s Godsend and 2005’s Hide and Seek. A poorly received re-teaming with Al Pacino in 2008’s Righteous Kill. Being part of the critically reviled ensemble piece New Year’s Eve in 2011. Playing second fiddle to both Jason Statham in 2011’s Killer Elite and 50 Cent in 2012’s direct-to-DVD Freelancers. Worst of all, in most of these titles, De Niro doesn’t even seem to be trying.
The big ensemble rom com The Big Wedding, opening this weekend, seems destined to join the growing list of forgettable De Niro films and performances. You never know. Maybe it will be the greatest wedding themed comedy of all time. Maybe it will be an influential De Niro performance that is studied and revered. Maybe it will be the best thing Katherine Heigl has done since Seth Rogen accidentally got her pregnant. Maybe it will be Diane Keaton’s best performance in a romantic comedy since the brilliant Annie Hall 36 years ago. Maybe I’ll get offered millions of dollars to take this blog public this weekend. You never know.
Luckily, us Bob fans have seen a silver lining just in the past year and it was, of course, called Silver Linings Playbook. His supporting role opposite Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence earned De Niro his first Oscar nomination in 21 years (since Cape Fear). It was a breath of fresh air to see Bob playing a well-written role opposite first-rate actors in a picture of supremely high quality. That had become a rarity in recent years.
It’s discouraging to think of that conversation when the latest generation of moviegoers discuss the greatest living actors today. They mention legitimate names like Day-Lewis and Crowe and Washington and Depp and Downey, Jr. and Penn and Gosling and DiCaprio. And if I were to chime in with De Niro, they might say, “What about him??” What About Bob? Thank goodness a certain Oscar-nominated film came out last year to remind them. And, frankly, remind myself.
The 1980s era is considered a golden age of comedy for many, including yours truly. The reasons are plenty – this time period saw the emergence of several “Saturday Night Live” stars into the world of film, including Bill Murray, Eddie Murphy, Chevy Chase, John Belushi, and Dan Aykroyd, among others. Stars from SNL Canadian counterpart “SCTV” had alums such as John Candy and Martin Short make their break onto the silver screen. And legendary comics like Steve Martin and Robin Williams made some of their best cinematic contributions during this era.
Dig a little deeper, though, and there’s no question that three names in particular – John Hughes, Harold Ramis, and John Landis – may be more responsible than anyone for the abundance of memorable comedies in this era. Between these three artists, their directorial and writing contributions to over two dozens titles between 1978-1993 define that time. In some cases, their participation in certain projects overlapped and they sometimes worked together. Looking back at the list of films these three participated in during a relatively short time frame is astonishing. And I mean seriously astonishing.
We’ll begin with the late John Hughes because he was the most self-contained unit of the trio. Between 1984 and 1989, Hughes directed and wrote the following six pictures:
Sixteen Candles
The Breakfast Club
Weird Science
Ferris Bueller’s Day Off
Planes, Trains, and Automobiles
Uncle Buck
I know, right? What an output. Added to that, Mr. Hughes wrote some movies he didn’t direct. They are:
Mr. Mom
European Vacation
Pretty in Pink
The Great Outdoors
Christmas Vacation
Home Alone
Incredible! And that’s just one of the three dudes I’m talking about! Hughes also wrote the original Vacation, which was directed by…
Harold Ramis. You may know him best as Egon Spengler in Ghostbusters. More recently, he played Seth Rogen’s dad in Knocked Up. Great performances aside, Ramis is one of the greatest comedy directors and writers ever. During the era in question, Ramis directed:
Caddyshack
Vacation
Groundhog Day
How’s that for three classic comedies? Mr. Ramis also wrote or co-wrote:
Animal House
Meatballs
Stripes
Ghostbusters
Back to School
Ramis’s writing work on the brilliant Animal House was assisted by equally brilliant direction from John Landis. In addition to that, Landis also directed:
The Blues Brothers
Trading Places
Spies Like Us
Three Amigos
Coming to America
That’s three immensely talented men responsible for the bulk of a wonderful era in comedy. Oh sure, there were others. Ivan Reitman directed Ghostbusters and its sequel and also directed Schwarzenegger’s hit comedies Twins and Kindergarten Cop. The team of David Zucker, Jim Abrahams, and Jerry Zucker brought us Airplane!, Ruthless People, and The Naked Gun. Franz Oz directed Dirty Rotten Scoundrels and What About Bob?
Hughes, Ramis, and Landis top the list, however. Without them, we wouldn’t know:
The Griswold family…
Or Ferris Bueller…
Or Sonny&Cher waking Bill Murray up every morning…
Or Delta House and Faber College…
Or The Blues Brothers…
Or Kevin McAllister taking on Harry and Marv…
Or “It’s in the hole!” and “Be the ball”…
Or “He slimed me…”
Or Randy Watson singing “The Greatest Love of All” with his band Sexual Chocolate…
Or “You mess with the bull… you get the horns”…
I think you get the picture. When we look at what’s followed in the comedy genre since then, there are names in more recent time periods that stand out. Judd Apatow. Adam McKay. Wes Anderson. Todd Phillips. Kevin Smith. The Farrelly Brothers. Ben Stiller.
From the late 70s to the early 90s – it was Hughes, Ramis, and Landis. And we’re all lucky for that. And we’ve laughed hard (many times) because of them and will continue to every time we catch Bluto in the commissary. Or Neal Page trying to make it to Thanksgiving dinner. Or the hilarious car chases with Jake and Elmwood. Or…
The fifth installment in the Scary Movie series landed with a deafening thud at the box office this weekend, representing the biggest blow to a franchise since Kobe Bryant was injured a few days ago. Blogger’s note: for those who read this blog and really only follow the film world, Bryant is a professional basketball player who plays for a team in southern California.
It was expected to be a tight race between the two wide release titles this weekend – Scary Movie V and 42. Didn’t turn out that way – the well-reviewed baseball drama 42 surpassed most expectations with a terrific $27 million gross. Scary Movie V only managed a tepid $15 million.
Let’s put that in perspective, shall we? It had been seven long years since a Scary Movie. The third and fourth installments both grossed over $40 million in their opening weekends. Scary Movie V may struggle to make that much total in its domestic gross. Not good.
It is worth noting that the production budget for the film is reportedly only $20 million, so it will draw a profit. Still, perception is reality and its opening can be looked at only as a massive failure.
As you may recall, the Scary Movie franchise was started by a well-known comedic family. Keenan Ivory Wayans directed the first two and they featured both Marlon and Shawn Wayans. Shot for $19 million, the original was an unexpected box office smash in the summer of 2000 that grossed an astonishing $278 million worldwide.
Its success meant the immediate making of a sequel and Scary Movie 2 followed just a year later. It made a solid $141 million worldwide, though it was considered a slight disappointment in relation to its predecessor’s numbers. The first sequel also earned a considerable amount of scorn from critics who were much harsher on it as compared to the original.
A new team would take over for #3 and #4. David Zucker did the directing duties. He is the man partly responsible for the Airplane! and Naked Gun series. Different actors ranging from Charlie Sheen to Leslie Nielsen to Kevin Hart joined the mix. Released in 2003 and 2006, 3 and 4 were box office hits with grosses of $220 and $178 million, respectively.
What are my thoughts on the series? For lack of a better word – eh. I was never a huge fan of the original, truth be told. Don’t get me wrong – it’s got some truly funny moments. However, I never got over my main critique. Scary Movie is essentially a spoof of Scream, which itself is a horror movie spoof. I always felt Scream was so effective in sending up the slasher genre and that a “spoof” of Scream felt kind of unnecessary.
As for the sequels, they’re all watchable enough, but nothing special. I’d say Scary Movie 3 is probably the funniest overall of the sequels. I must admit I love the scene that spoofs the death of Mel Gibson’s wife in Signs, where Charlie Sheen must say good-bye to Denise Richards. That scene works well.
So what went wrong with Scary Movie V? The answer may be simple – it’s been seven damn years and audiences have moved on. It also had a rather strange marketing campaign, focusing on tabloid stars Charlie Sheen and Lindsay Lohan (who apparently are only in one scene). It never seemed likely that moviegoers were going to rush out to watch actors they enjoy watching more on TMZ.
In an ironic twist, Scary Movie V is only the second highest debuting horror spoof of the year (out of two). A Haunted House opened in January to a better than expected $18.8 million. The star of that picture? Marlon Wayans, veteran of the Scary franchise.
The fifth installment brought in a new director, Malcolm D. Lee, best known for making Undercover Brother with Eddie Griffin. That’s not saying much. The future of the Scary Movie franchise appears bleak at best. #5 really isn’t performing well enough to warrant a sixth. Perhaps the studio will bring in new talent to try and reinvigorate the series. Maybe the franchise will simply go the straight-to-DVD route from now on. Or this could truly be an obituary post for a once thriving film series that has now fallen by the wayside.
As we enter the most exciting portion of The Masters tournament this weekend and hear debate from all corners of the sports world on whether Tiger should withdraw or not, let’s take a quick look at the history of golf in the film world.
I say quick look because, well, it’s a brief history. The two titles we probably think of most represent well-regarded comedies for two generations. Obviously, there’s 1980’s Caddyshack, one of the most quotable movies of all time.
For the next generation, it’s 1996’s Happy Gilmore with Adam Sandler and that classic golf course rumble with Bob Barker.
1996 also saw a generally well-liked golf movie with Kevin Costner, Rene Russo, and Don Johnson – Tin Cup. It’s a decent enough pic, though not particularly memorable.
And there’s another comedy – 2007’s Who’s Your Caddy? with Outkast rapper Big Boi. If this is your favorite golf comedy, I can’t help you.
Surprisingly, there’s yet to be a truly effective and successful drama about golf. Two examples that have tried have been met with mixed critical and audience reaction.
There’s Robert Redford’s The Legend of Bagger Vance starring Matt Damon and Will Smith. It was considered an Oscar contender prior to its release, but faltered when it opened with a weak $30 million gross. It managed only a weak 42% on Rotten Tomatoes.
And there was 2004’s Bobby Jones: Stroke of Genius starring Jesus himeslf, Jim Caviezel. This one came and went with no fanfare, grossing a terrible $2.7 million.
There’s certainly been plenty of quality dramatic pictures about football, baseball, basketball, hockey, and boxing. Think Any Given Sunday. Rudy. Field of Dreams. The Natural. Hoosiers. Miracle. Rocky. Raging Bull. The Fighter. Teen Wolf… OK, I went too far. But there’s yet to be that quintessential golf drama. Are you listening, Hollywood? The sport certainly has comedy covered though… Caddyshack is generally regarded as the funniest comedy about any sport.
Finally, if you started reading this post and are wondering why Jarhead and Three Kings haven’t been mentioned, those are “gulf” movies… I’m sorry.
I’m very pleased to announce to you a new website that just went live this morning (just a couple of hours ago):
boxofficeace.com
I’ll say it again if you didn’t hear me:
boxofficeace.com
This site has been started by the creators of moviemavericks.com – a great site that includes a podcast at the beginning of each week with box office predictions for the upcoming weekend openers. I encourage you to check out that site. It’s got some nifty stuff on it. Now back to:
boxofficeace.com
Here’s where I come in. As you’ll notice, my blog is linked on there, as well as some other fine sites that predict the box office every weekend. My box office opening predictions will be featured on the site each week. What’s the site again, Todd, you ask?
boxofficeace.com
This site I’m talking about…
boxofficeace.com
is an interactive box office predictions website. YOU (yes YOU) can go on and predict each week how you believe the new films opening each weekend will perform. So, for next weekend, take a crack at how you think Oblivion with Tom Cruise will do. And we’ll have Pain and Gain with Mark Wahlberg and The Rock (for his April movie) the following weekend. And then we get into the big summer movies with Iron Man 3, The Great Gatsby, Star Trek Into Darkness, The Hangover III, and Fast and Furious 6 (The Rock’s May movie). You can compete against me, the site’s creators, and others to see if you’re smarter than us on…
boxofficeace.com
As Trevor (one of the site’s co-creators) mentions, the site is a little bare right now. However, as people start interacting with their predictions, it should grow. My predictions for calendar year 2013 are all going to be uploaded very soon, so you can see how I did with past predictions for The Evil Dead, Oz the Great and Powerful, Olympus Has Fallen, and so on.
I encourage you to check out boxofficeace.com. It’s going to be a fantastic and fun site. And I’m on it, too!!
All My Life... I Wanted To Be A Blogster 