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Latest Video: FilmCrunch 067: Hairspray, Chuck & Larry, Premonition reviewed

Veronica Santiago and Neil Estep review Hairspray, Chuck & Larry, and Premonition in this episode of FilmCrunch.
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This Week on DVD and Blu-ray: August 18, 2009

Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Disney, Magnolia, Lionsgate, Sony, Universal, Documentary, Drama, Family, Horror, Music, Science Fiction, Comedy, Sports, Home Entertainment, Lists

Hannah Montana: The Movie DVDHere are some of the options available this Tuesday:

  • Go: Blu-ray
  • The Golden Boys: DVD
  • Hannah Montana: The Movie: DVD, Blu-ray
  • Husbands (Extended Cut): DVD
  • Julia: DVD
  • The Last House on the Left: DVD, Blu-ray
  • The Last Starfighter (25th Anniversary Edition): DVD, Blu-ray
  • Play Time: Blu-ray
  • Surveillance: DVD, Blu-ray
  • Tyson: DVD, Blu-ray

Click here to see the TV-on-DVD options for this week.

Read More | Amazon

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In Theaters This Weekend: August 7, 2009

Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: IFC Films, Paramount, Sony, Action, Adaptation, Drama, Foreign, Comedy, Thrillers, Lists, New Releases

Meryl Streep in Julie & Julia

Here are a few selections in theaters this weekend:

  • G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra (PG-13): starring Dennis Quiad, Marlon Wayans, Channing Tatum (directed by Stephen Sommers)
  • Julie & Julia (PG-13): starring Meryl Streep, Amy Adams, Stanley Tucci (directed by Nora Ephron)
  • A Perfect Getaway (R): starring Timothy Olyphant, Steve Zahn, Milla Jovovich (directed by David Twohy)

Click to continue reading In Theaters This Weekend: August 7, 2009


Box Office Breakdown: The Golden Compass Lacks Luster

Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: 20th Century Fox, Disney, MGM, New Line, Paramount, Warner Bros, Weinstein Company, Action, Adaptation, Adventure, Animation, Drama, Family, Horror, Music, Romance, Comedy, Thrillers, Box Office, Lists, New Releases

Golden Compass

A Narnia-esque adaptation partnered with a holiday release date and an A-list cast should have conjured box office magic for .  Surprisingly, this weekend’s release from brought in barely enough money to cover the film’s catering budget.

Compass, based on Philip Pullman’s children’s series His Dark Materials, was and second disappointing collaboration this year (the first being ).  While it was enough for a first place finish, the $25 million debut was hardly impressive given the film’s $180 million price tag.

In other news, holiday flick remained in third place while the critically-panned bumped up two spaces from last week.  Meanwhile, and did well with their very limited releases.

Be looking for the highly-promoted (and ) to enter next week’s charts.

Click to continue reading Box Office Breakdown: The Golden Compass Lacks Luster

Read More | E! Online

Box Office Breakdown: Jessica Alba Can’t Keep Audiences Awake

Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: 20th Century Fox, Disney, MGM, Paramount, Warner Bros, Weinstein Company, Action, Adaptation, Animation, Drama, Family, Horror, Romance, Comedy, Thrillers, Box Office, Lists, New Releases

Awake

There’s nothing like a good snub to restore your faith in moviegoers. 

Although was the only new wide release this past weekend, discerning audiences kept it from succeeding by default.  (NOTE: Cute squirrels will always trump .)  The movie, also co-starring Star Wars’ , opened with a dismal $6 million - less than half of what Alba’s last stellar film, Good Luck Chuck, did.  (The latter opened at $13.7 million.) I wonder if this currently makes the most successful Jessica out there.

Aside from Awake’s entry, the rest of the Top Ten changed very little from last week.  refused to budge from its perch and earned another $16 million over the past three days.  Meanwhile, surged back up a notch, trading spots with holiday flick, .

Although the box office numbers were unspectacular overall, we can expect big changes in just a few days; that’s when New Line’s makes its debut.

Click to continue reading Box Office Breakdown: Jessica Alba Can’t Keep Audiences Awake


Box Office Breakdown: Audiences Enchanted With Disney

Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: 20th Century Fox, DreamWorks, Disney, MGM, Paramount, Universal, Warner Bros, Adaptation, Adventure, Animation, Drama, Family, Horror, Music, Romance, Comedy, Box Office, Lists, New Releases

Enchanted

Throw comedy, drama, animation, romance, sci-fi, hunky actors, pretty actresses, singing, dancing, kids and cute animals all into one film and you’ll get .  You’ll also have latest holiday success.

The film, starring -nominated actress , grossed nearly $50 million over the 5-day weekend ($34 million from Friday-Sunday).  Enchanted’s take places it behind 1999’s Toy Story 2 - the film with the largest Thanksgiving debut ever ($80.1 million).

Last week’s champion, , fell into 3rd place right behind another holiday opener, .  The movies took in $23.3 and $26.3 million, respectively, during the long stretch.

Although the sappy opened in a disappointing 7th place, the DVD release of this week should make actress - and her fans - feel a bit better.

 

Click to continue reading Box Office Breakdown: Audiences Enchanted With Disney

Read More | E! Online

In Theaters This Holiday Weekend (11/21)

Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: 20th Century Fox, Disney, MGM, Sony, Warner Bros, Weinstein Company, Yari Film Group Releasing, Action, Adaptation, Adventure, Animation, Drama, Family, Foreign, Horror, Music, Period, Comedy, Thrillers, Lists, New Releases

Enchanted

Here are some possible suggestions for your holiday enjoyment:

‘Hitman’ Video Game Comes to Big Screen

Posted by K.C. Morgan Categories: 20th Century Fox, Action, Adaptation, Casting, Upcoming Releases

HitmanIt’s been done with Broadway plays, popular novels, comic books…even commercials. It’s adaptation, and it helps Hollywood keep churning out those hits. won’t be the first video game to be pushed from gaming into ticket sales; it won’t even be the first film to feature a cool-as-ice assassin. It will be though the first flick to be produced by Adrian Askarieh—the Hollywood newcomer who also plans to release a film adaptation of in 2009.

Hitman will come to theaters later this month with Timothy Olyphant in the lead as Agent 47. Askarieh, a former entertainment attorney, admits that he is a gamer.  He’s also a businessman and sales for Hitman suggest success beyond the gaming consoles; in the last 7 years, 10 million copies have been purchased worldwide. The game developers aren’t involved in the movie, however, and Jans Peter Kurup (a developer on all four Hitman games) is reserving his opinion until he sees the film. The movie plot is derived from all four Hitman games according to Askarieh.

Read More | Hollywood Reporter

Update: ‘Hitman’ to Remain R-Rated?

Posted by Johnny Mercedes Categories: 20th Century Fox, Action, Adaptation, Religious, Thrillers, Rumors, Upcoming Releases

Hitman logoYesterday, we reported that the upcoming Hitman film, based on the eponymous videogame franchise, was to be re-cut and cleaned up to achieve an MPAA rating of PG-13. Well, it looks like the folks over at TwitchFilm have received an official response from a PR representative over at Fox.

It seems that, while Nicholas De Toth has been brought in as a consultant on the film, director Xavier Gens is still involved. Fox also assured us that Hitman will remain R-rated, despite the rumors.

It would be nice if Fox just came out and told us what exactly is going on, but let’s face it—Hitman is based on a violent videogame, and Fox would probably do well to give people what they expect. And besides, I’m already tired of this story …

Read More | TwitchFilm

R-Rated ‘Hitman’ to be Sanitized

Posted by Johnny Mercedes Categories: 20th Century Fox, Action, Adaptation, Religious, Thrillers, New Releases, Rumors, Upcoming Releases

Hitman logoCHUD is reporting that the Hitman movie, based on the popular videogame series and starring Timothy Olyphant as divinely inspired assassin Agent 47, will be recut to achieve a PG-13 rating. Allegedly, Twentieth Century-Fox believe the film to be too violent and have removed director Xavier Gens and brought in Nicholas De Toth to oversee the new cut.

In an emerging pattern, De Toth also stepped in to censor the recent Live Free or Die Hard, which, as you may know, was the first of the franchise to obtain the lower rating (note to self: go back and watch anything edited by Nicholas De Toth and consider what it could have been).

With little over a month before its release, a rushed Hitman could—if in fact it was kick-ass—become another videogame adaptation that just isn’t as kick-ass as its source material (see Mortal Combat and Street Fighter).

UPDATE: New information has surfaced regarding this issue.

Read More | CHUD

FilmCrunch 063: Ocean’s Thirteen, SiCKO, Live Free or Die Hard, Black Snake Moan

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: 20th Century Fox, Paramount, Warner Bros, Weinstein Company, Action, Documentary, Drama, Political, Sequels, Thrillers, DVD Reviews, Full Episodes, Theatrical Reviews, Videocasts


Veronica Santiago and Neil Estep are back with another episode of FilmCrunch - this time we review Michael Moore’s SiCKO, Live Free or Die Hard, Ocean’s Thirteen (in under a minute), and the DVD release of Black Snake Moan.

Now we want to hear from you - hit the forums and let us know what you think, what you want us to watch next, and any other recommendations you have for the show.


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