America liked it and they put a ring on it. Beyonce’s new thriller “Obsessed” topped the domestic box office this weekend with $28.5 million, adding another impressive performance to the budding actress’s career. Impressive box office performance that is. Whether or not Beyonce truly and gracefully inhabits the character of a woman forced to kick […]
SUNDAY CENTS: ‘Obsessed’ impressed
Posted by Chad Hartigan · 6:09 pm · April 26th, 2009
Filed in: Box Office · Sunday Cents
First look at Russell Crowe in Ridley Scott’s ‘Robin Hood’
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 8:55 pm · April 19th, 2009
When Russell Crowe was on Letterman the other night, it totally escaped me that the filming of Rilsey Scott’s “Robin Hood” was responsible for his new “Gladiator” hair do. Now we get our first official look at Crowe in character, courtesy of USA Today: And here’s Crowe pitching “State of Play” in the aforementioned Letterman […]
Filed in: Daily
Was it worth the wait?
Posted by Guy Lodge · 3:28 am · April 19th, 2009
When Joe Wright’s “The Soloist” was shifted from prime Oscar territory last autumn to a considerably more low-profile 2009 slot, many presumed that the film was something of an artistic disappointment. However, word also went round that the move was a sympathetic one, aimed to place less pressure on a film that, despite the talent […]
Filed in: Daily
Question of the day
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 10:56 am · April 17th, 2009
Is it really all that surprising that a film that glorifies the profession of journalism is being well-received by film critics across the board?
Filed in: Daily
Wells stumps for Bateman
Posted by Guy Lodge · 9:16 am · April 15th, 2009
So far, the reviews for Kevin Macdonald’s “State of Play” seem uniformly warm — which comes as a relief to me after the rather indifferent vibe I got from the film’s entire marketing strategy. Todd McCarthy describes it as an “efficient, admirably coherent thriller” — welcome adjectives considering the level of condensation required from the […]
Filed in: Daily
SUNDAY CENTS: Whoa, Montana!
Posted by Chad Hartigan · 7:23 pm · April 12th, 2009
Miley 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, […]
Filed in: Box Office · Sunday Cents
Kevin Macdonald steps up to ‘The Eagle of the Ninth’
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 12:02 pm · March 31st, 2009
I first heard about Kevin Macdonald’s plans to adapt Rosemary Sutcliff’s “The Eagle of the Ninth” way back in 2006 when I sat down for a lunch interview with screenwriter Jeremy Brock (who co-wrote Macdonald’s “The Last King of Scotland”). The machinery being what it is in this town, you have to wait until a […]
Filed in: Daily
OFF THE CARPET: Handicapping 2009 a year in advance!?
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 10:51 am · February 23rd, 2009
Ahh. The dust is settling. And on the horizon, just visible through the mist and waiting to drive us all up the wall once again: the 2009 Oscar season. I’ve been writing this year-in-advance column for probably six years now, and I always look forward to gazing ahead. No one dives in so pathetically deep […]
Filed in: Off the Carpet
Double feature
Posted by Guy Lodge · 10:33 am · January 31st, 2009
I believe this is what graphic designers term the “Washington-movie grid format.” Either that, or the creative well at the Universal/Working Title marketing department is running dry. It wasn’t that great the first time, guys. (EDIT: I see our friend Glenn has joined the dots too. Great minds, and all that.)
Filed in: Daily
My top 10 most anticipated films of 2009
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 6:18 am · January 1st, 2009
No explanations, just my annual unfiltered, edge-of-my-seat anticipations. My tastes tend to skew entertainment from afar; I don’t look forward to the Oscar stuff until later in the year, when the pieces of that crazy puzzle are slowly revealed. Here’s what I’m looking forward to: 1. “Watchmen” (Zack Snyder, Warner Bros. Pictures, March 6) 2. […]
Filed in: Daily
‘State of Play’
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 10:04 pm · December 23rd, 2008
I saw this trailer go up on Yahoo! Movies earlier tonight but I’ve been waiting for a YouTube copy. Well, here it is, and despite a somewhat pedestrian feel, I’m really looking forward to it. Kevin Macdonald is a promising talent (and he went through his share of trouble on this shoot, I gather). Hopefully […]
Filed in: Daily