In Contention

Tag: Adventureland

  • BAFTA Rising Star nominees

    Tahar Rahim in A ProphetBAFTA has just revealed the five young actors in contention for this year’s Rising Star Award, the winner of which will be determined by a public vote. Previous winners include James McAvoy, Eva Green, Shia LaBeouf and Noel Clarke.

    The 12-member jury charged with deciding this year’s nominees was chaired by Oscar-winning producer David Parfitt (“Shakespeare in Love”), and I must say that — blinding snub for Katie Jarvis aside — they’ve chosen quite well.

    I’m surprised, though not unpleasantly so, that “Avatar” fever didn’t secure Sam Worthington a mention. Instead, Kristen Stewart gets the populist nod.

    Given that it’s a publicly voted award, Stewart is the one to beat, too — I highly doubt the fanbases of the other four can compete with the texting “Twilight” hordes, unless “A Single Man” star Nicholas Hoult’s popularity from TV’s “Skins” carries him over.

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  • Buried treasures: Chad’s best of 2009 (list and ballot)

    Robin Williams in World's Greatest DadUnlike Kris, I can’t quite come to the conclusion that 2009 was the best year of the decade. Nor can I call it the “year of the woman,” the “best year for animation” or “the year James Cameron brought a sense of wonder back to the cinema.” The only thing I can personally label 2009 is “The Year I Put in the Work.”

    In other words, as my taste drifts further and further away from the mainstream options, it becomes harder and harder to see the films that excite me. We’re talking about a list where the top 9 films earned a combined $2.3 mil at the box office, which “Avatar” will make in the time it takes you to read this article.

    Now, I am well prepared to field some comments on this thread labeling me a “snob” or an “elitist.” I am also willing to bet that these comments will come from people who have not seen many of the films I will single out.

    And who can blame them? Many of them played for exactly one week in a small, L.A. theater and then vanished into ancillary market oblivion. If I wasn’t diligent about seeing them that week then it was tough luck, and it took serious motivation to keep that going 52 weeks a year. But, my goodness, the rewards!

    In the end, I didn’t see everything I wanted to. “Lorna’s Silence,” “The Beaches of Agnes,” “Beeswax,” “Collapse,” “Tony Manero” and “The White Ribbon” all passed me by and could easily be included on this list in the future. On the flipside, interesting films I did see like “Wah Do Dem,” “Modern Love is Automatic” and “Alexander the Last” will never see the light of day in theaters and had to be disqualified from this list.

    I know Guy and Kris went with honorable mentions and a top 10, but I’m pushing forward with a straight top 20. Check back tomorrow for my dream ballot.

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  • SUNDAY CENTS: Whoa, Montana!

    Hannah Montana: The MovieMiley Cyrus proved to be just as popular in two dimensions as she was in three as “Hannah Montana: The Movie” opened at the top of the Easter box office chart with $34 million.  Given that $17 million of that came from Friday alone, one could assume that this will be a one-week wonder.  However, most kids were out of school for Good Friday so you have to cut it a little bit of slack.

    The debut couldn’t quite match the $40 million of “High School Musical 3” but it far outpaces the $20.6 million debut of the last Disney Channel princess to get her own movie (anybody remember Lizzie McGuire?)

    Seth Rogen tested his appeal by appearing in a pitch black comedy from the creators of HBO’s “Eastbound & Down” and the result was a relatively soft $11.1 million for “Observe and Report.”  The women who make up more than 50% of the audience for films like “I Love You, Man” and “Knocked Up” just weren’t interested in a film that includes possible date rape in its trailers.  Go figure.  Warm reviews and a long life on DVD will have to be the rewards for making something unique and interesting.

    Way back in seventh place is Fox’s third disaster of the year, “Dragonball Evolution,” with a limp $4.7 million.  Missing the boat by a good 10 years in terms of this property’s appeal, the existence of the film in 2009 is completely baffling.  I’m gonna go out on a limb and declare its Oscar prospects to be minimal.  Maybe if Fox Searchlight had released it instead.

    Even with no school on Friday, “Fast & Furious” dropped a hefty 59% from last weekend.  Apparently the title refers to how the film will exit the theaters.  “Adventureland” had a better decline of 40%, but still too high for a film relying on word of mouth to get somewhere.  It’s partly my fault since I thought about seeing it this week but ultimately saw “Duplicity” instead.  Probably a mistake, since that film was mildly amusing at best.

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  • SUNDAY CENTS: ‘Fast’ cash

    Fast & FuriousI have recently unearthed an internal industry memo.  It reads:

    Dear Studios,

    If you’d like us to pay to see your franchises, you must bring back all the cast members that starred in the original.  Do not worry about changing the plot too much, we liked what we saw that first time.  You don’t even need to change the title, just get rid of those definite articles that waste marquee space.  If you follow our demands, we will show up in droves.

    Signed, America

    That explains how “Fast & Furious” was able to make $72.5 million over the weekend.  That’s stronger than both the $50.9 million of the original and the $60.1 million debut of its first sequel.  It’s better than any other film from 2009 so far and any other film that’s ever debuted in the month of April.  By a mile.  For Paul Walker and Vin Diesel, what seemed like desperation now looks like smart business sense.  Legs will be atrocious but it doesn’t matter.  $300 million worldwide seems like a certainty at this point and Hollywood may start looking at April a little differently.  Anybody that shelled out $10 to see this has no right to complain about anything Hollywood puts out ever again.

    A film with good reviews opened as well but since there were no car chases in it, sixth place and $6.0 million is all it could muster.  The film is “Adventureland” and despite Miramax’s attempts to market it like a raunchy, broad teen comedy, audiences saw through all that and the film performed like a coming-of-age drama.  Legs could be decent but they’ll have to be tremendous for the film to even reach $20 million.

    Another new face appeared in the top 10, bringing up the rear.  Overture expanded “Sunshine Cleaning” to 479 theaters and earned a solid $1.9 million.  The Sundance pick-up has set itself up to finish slightly better than Overture’s indie-that-could from last year, “The Visitor,” but don’t count on any Oscar attention.  The grosses aren’t near enough to wipe away the mediocre reviews.

    In its second week, “Monsters vs. Aliens” dropped an understandable 44% and crossed the $100 million mark today.  Despite a slower start, it should have no trouble fending off “Fast & Furious” and lay claim to the title of highest grossing film of the first quarter by the time May rolls around.  As for the film most had pegged for that honor, the news gets grimmer and grimmer.  Already out of the top 10 and struggling to double its debut, “Watchmen” is being met with shrugs throughout the world and has amassed only $67 million overseas.  “Bride Wars” has made $54 million so you do the  math.

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