Grief

Just spent a week in Alaska, after the death of my little brother Andy, who died of cancer at age 45.

Andy was an Anchorage fireman, who is believed to have contracted renal cancer from burning wires on the job 13 years ago. Because of this, he is ruled to have died in the line of duty, thanks to a state provision he himself worked on before he ever got sick.

So last Friday, hundreds of firemen marched in a procession through the streets of Anchorage in his honor, and the flags in the state were flown at half-mast.

Andy had lived in Alaska for the past 27 years. He was a world traveler, a great father and a great friend to a lot of people, many of whom I had the honor to meet when I was up there.

I wish I'd gotten a chance to see him more often in the past few decades.

He will be missed.

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Not Dead, Just Resting

Or maybe I'm just increasingly uninspired by the lack of interesting movies coming out of Hollywood.

I did see Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World, which I liked. Original and goofy-fun enough to make the 14-year-old boy in me happy.

Otherwise there's just not much out there to get my ass off the couch.

Fortunately fall is coming, and all the indies and Oscar bait. So there's hope.

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Belated Weekend Box Office #197

I'm sure I would have predicted everything perfectly, if I'd bothered to make predictions.

I actually saw a couple of movies this weekend. I saw THE WRONG GUYS, which is sort of dumb and forgettable, in a funny-while-I-was-there sort of way. Entertaining enough for what it is, and it opened at number 1, making around $35 million for the weekend.

On the other end of the spectrum, I also saw FLIPPED, Rob Reiner's newest movie, which they only released in three areas (though in L.A. they seemed to be advertising the hell out of it). It's a very small, appealing movie, much more of a period romantic teen drama than it is really a comedy. Wall-to-wall alternating voiceovers, but somehow it worked. Unfortunately, it's hard to know what the audience for this is, and I don't think it's going to find; I have a feeling it's not going to get much of a nationwide release. Still, it's worth checking out on cable.

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Inception, Other Stuff, Weekend Box Office #196

So I saw Inception, and I liked it a lot. It's mentally engaging and visually cool, and it hangs together for what it is.

It's interesting to hear the criticism of the movie from people who don't like it (including some critics). Basically, either they are too confused with what is happened (which probably means they aren't used to being actually challenged to figure things out in a theater) or they wish it was a different version of the idea that it isn't.

There are probably hundreds of ways to take this basic idea and do it differently, and a lot of them might have worked. Christopher Nolan chose this tale, and on that level it's hard to quibble with a lot here.

Worth seeing on the big screen.

*******

As an odd little writing experiment, I created a Facebook page for the main character in my Nicholl semi script, which I'm trying to turn into a pilot. It's a different way of storytelling, using text and pictures to tell the tale, and I'm having fun with it, while it's a good way to make me think about aspects of this world every day.

Her name is Blue Malone; if you're around Facebook, check out the page and friend her if you like. She won't bite.

********

Opening this weekend in wide release --

CATS & DOGS: THE REVENGE OF KITTY GALORE (3705 theaters). I'm not sure why the not-very-good first movie demanded a sequel, but my niece and nephew (age 9 and 11) want to see it, and that's a lot of theaters. Figure $21.9 million for the weekend.

DINNER FOR SCHMUCKS (2911 theaters). I was hoping this would be good, but most reviews have been unenthusiatic (it's running at 53% on Rotten Tomatoes right now -- though that's better than a lot of movies currently out). Figure $16.9 million for the weekend.

CHARLIE ST. CLOUD (2720 theaters). Looks a bit earnest and sappy, though I suppose there's a market for that. Figure $10.2 million.

THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT is expanding to 847 theaters; it'll be interesting to see how it does. Figure about $4.8 million.

*****

Last weekend, SALT made $36.0 million, finishing about $6 million behind INCEPTION's second week. RAMONA AND BEEZUS made $7.8 million.

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Weekend Box Office #194/#195

No, a piano didn't fall on me. Just got underwhelmed by summer movies, and forgot to care about what they might make for a few weeks.

Though apparently INCEPTION ($62.8 million last weekend) is really good; I'm going to see it this weekend, and maybe I'll do a post trying to figure out why some critics hate it.

Last weekend, THE SORCERER'S APPRENTICE only opened to $17.6 million, despite costing about $140 million (only about $10 million less than INCEPTION). They are selling it like a family film, but it looks busy, and neither Nic Cage or Jay Baruchel really seem like breezy action/fantasy people.

Word is SALT is solid (and should do about $40 million this weekend), while RAMONA AND BEEZUS might do $10 million -- not bad for a girl's movie that cost only $15 million.

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Weekend Box Office #193

A couple of non-thrilling wide openers this weekend:

DESPICABLE ME (3474 theaters). The reviews I've seen say it's a little too sappy to really work well. Figure $21.7 million.

PREDATORS (2669 theaters). Also mixed reviews, and another odd choice from Adrien Brody. Maybe $13.6 million for the weekend.

*******

Last weekend, ECLIPSE made $83.7 million for the 4-day weekend (and $176 million for its first 6 days), while THE LAST AIRBENDER made a surprisingly-strong $51.8 million. Though expect both to drop rapidly.

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Weekend Box Office #192

Nothing opening wide this week for adults, unless you've been hooked by the whole Twilight thing. I've managed to resist it.

Some movies in limited release are supposed to be good, particularly Winter's Bone and Cyrus.

This weekend's new wide releases:

THE TWILIGHT SAGA: ECLIPSE (4416 theaters). It has already made almost $100 million in it's first 2 days. Figure another $90 million for the 4-day holiday weekend (Monday July 5 is somehow a holiday, though I'm not sure how that works).

THE LAST AIRBENDER (3169 theaters). This is supposed to be really awful, unless you're a 9-year-old boy. Apparently it has some of the worst 3D and special effects ever. It made $16 million yesterday, but word will probably get around quick. Figure $29.5 million for the 4-day weekend.

********

Last weekend, GROWN UPS did $40.6 million, while KNIGHT & DAY only did $20.1. TOY STORY 3 finished in first.

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Contest Plug

If you're looking for a deadline to write something fast, you might want to consider The Script-a-thon.

It's only $25 to enter, you have all of July to bang out a script, and you even get a 25% discount in selected L.A.-area coffeehouses.

I donated a set of my notes as a prize in one of the categories (though otherwise I'm not affiliated with it). If anyone gives it a shot, let me know how it comes out.

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Weekend Box Office #191

Life rolls along.

GROWN UPS (3534 theaters). The cast is impressive (for this kind of thing), though reviews haven't been all that excited. Still, it looks like dumb fun. Figure $29.4 million for the weekend.

KNIGHT & DAY (3098 theaters). It opened two days ago, and the numbers haven't been all that solid, while reviews have been mixed. Figure $25.4 million for the weekend.

******

Last weekend, TOY STORY 3 did a solid $110.3 million. JONAH HEX tanked with only $5.4 million.

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Weekend Box Office #190

TOY STORY 3 (4028 theaters). This is going to be huge. Let's call it $128.9 million for the weekend.

JONAH HEX (2825 theaters). This is not going to be huge. Let's call it $7.8 million.

In limited release, I hear WINTER'S BONE and CYRUS are both good.

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Weekend Box Office #189

So... I'm still a bit underwhelmed.

THE KARATE KID (3663 theaters). This is a remake that feels completely unnecessary, while Jaden Smith lacks the wimp-who-needs-help aura that Ralph Macchio had. Still, reviews are solid and it'll hit that family crowd. Call it $29.7 million for the weekend.

THE A TEAM (3535 theaters). The reviews aren't as solid, but things blow up. $38.9 million for the weekend.

******

Last weekend, GET HIM TO THE GREEK did $17.6 million, KILLERS did $15.8 million, MARMADUKE stumbled in with $11.6 million, and SPLICE only did $7.4 million.

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Weekend Box Office #188

Another weekend of underwhelming wide releases. I don't feel old, but I feel too old for this stuff:

MARMADUKE (3213 theaters). Reviews have been bleak, and apparently this is for very young children only. Figure it'll do about $17.5 million for the weekend.... maybe.

KILLERS (2859 theaters). They didn't show this to critics in advance, and the reviews trickling in today are underwhelmed. Ashton Kutcher isn't really a movie star. $13.4 million for the weekend.

GET HIM TO THE GREEK (2697 theaters). Russell Brand's stateside appearances haven't been all that great, and apparently this is a bit too juvenile and R-rated for mainstream audiences. Figure it'll do about $15.5 million.

SPLICE (2450 theaters). This is supposed to be pretty solid, though the trailers make me feel like I've seen most of it. The presence of Adrian Brody and Sarah Polley will help with anyone who knows her they are, though not with the core horror crowd. Call it $12.1 million.

******

Last weekend, PRINCE OF PERSIA did $37.8 million for the four days, just beating SEX AND THE CITY 2, which did $36.8 (though it's Thursday opening did an additional ($14.2 million).

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Weekend Box Office #187

The movie selections continue to be rather uninspiring. This weekend in wide release:

PRINCE OF PERSIA: THE SANDS OF TIME (3646 theaters). The reviews have been okay, but there's just not much real hook here that is going to have people rushing out to see it. Still, it will benefit from the holiday weekend, and the lack of much else. Figure $41.5 for the 4-day weekend.

SEX AND THE CITY 2 (3445 theaters). Oy. I like a lot of women's movies, but you couldn't drag me to see this. Still, it'll do about $45.5 million over the 4 days.

*******

Last weekend, SHREK 4 did $70.8 million, while MAGRUBER completely tanked, doing only $4 million.

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Weekend Box Office #186

The entries continue to uninspire. I'll probably go see Iron Man 2 tonight with the wife, if only because we haven't seen a movie in about a month.

Opening wide this weekend:

SHREK FOREVER AFTER (4359 theaters). Widest release ever for an animated movie, and in 3D. But still, this has been a series of diminishing returns, and even the good reviews for this one one aren't raves. Still, it'll make a bundle. Let's call it $77 million.

MACGRUBER (2551 theaters). There initially seemed to be some hope for this, while the R-rating is encouraging, but the reviews are coming in and they aren't good. And if this movie isn't that funny, then what's the point? I think it will tank. Call it $5.8 million for the weekend.

*********

Last weekend, ROBIN HOOD only did $36.1 million. LETTERS TO JULIET did $13.5, while JUST WRIGHT did $8.3.

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Robin Hood

Bill Martell does a great rant about how they screwed up a really great idea here.

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Weekend Box Office #185

Kind of underwhelming this week.

ROBIN HOOD (3503 theaters). Apparently it's not much fun and not all that good. Figure a conservative $42.3 million.

LETTERS TO JULIET (2968 theaters). They should have released this for Mother's Day. It might do okay for lack of competition, but I'm not sure what the hook is. $11.2 million.

JUST WRIGHT (1831 theaters). Getting the best reviews of anything opening wide today, though I've seen the trailer and feel like I've seen the movie. $8.6 million.

******

Last weekend, IRON MAN 2 did a solidish $128.1 million.

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Weekend Box Office #184

IRON MAN 2. 4,380 theaters. It's going to make a ton of money, despite lukewarm reviews. Let's predict... $146.7 million for the weekend.

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Weekend Box Office #183

Not much opening this weekend, in advance of next week's IRON MAN 2 juggernaut.

A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET (3332 theaters). I'm not sure why we need a remake of this movie, and apparently it's nothing special, though it'll probably do well enough. Figure $17.8 million for the weekend.

FURRY VENGEANCE (2997 theaters). This looks truly painful, though I suppose some undemanding 6-year-olds might be entertained. $13.3 million.

*******

Last weekend, THE BACK-UP PLAN made $12.2 million, exactly what I predicted. Though really, not the movie I'd want to be perfect on.

I underestimated the other releases. THE LOSERS somehow made $9.4 million, and OCEANS made $6.1 million.

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Weekend Box Office #182

I've been writing like a madman the last few days, trying to get my TV pilot ready for a full read of it at my script group on Monday night. I'm writing for a very talented group of actors, which helps a lot. But still a lot of work to do.

The good things is that all the new movies are underwhelming, so I won't be distracted.

THE BACK-UP PLAN (3280 theaters). Reviews are unenthused, and there's just not much to tempt me here otherwise. $12.2 million for the weekend.

THE LOSERS (2936 theaters). Hard to see what the allure here is. $6.1 million.

OCEANS (1206 theaters). In an age in which there are so many great nature documentaries on TV, like the current "Life", it's hard to imagine this will find much of an audience. $3.2 million.

********

Last weekend, KICK-ASS did $19.6 million. I guess the R-rating hurt it. I saw it, and it was okay, though definitely don't take the kids. Be interesting to see if the word-of-mouth helps at all this weekend.

DEATH AT A FUNERAL did an okay $16.2 million, though with the cast it should have done better.

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Weekend Box Office #181

Time keeps passing. Slow it down.

Opening wide this week:

KICK-ASS (3065 theaters). There's going to be a lot of underage teens trying to sneak into this this weekend. Reviews have been pretty good, and it's on my short-list, though the R-rating is going to hamper it a little. Call it $36.6 million for the weekend.

DEATH AT A FUNERAL (2459 theaters). Solid cast, tepid reviews. $25.5 million.

******

Last week, DATE NIGHT did $25.2 million.

LETTERS TO GOD limped in with just $1.1 million.

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Weekend Box Office #180

The days and weeks are flying by, and I feel older every day. Crap.

Meanwhile, movies keep coming out, though not much that is new and wide this week:

DATE NIGHT (3374 theaters). I like Steve Carell and Tina Fey, but word is that this is only okay. Still, there's not much out there. Figure about $22.3 million for the weekend.

LETTERS TO GOD (897 theaters). A religious family film that will probably do well in the places that this type of thing does well. $5.2 million for the weekend.

*******

CLASH OF THE TITANS made $61.2 million last weekend. Pretty soon every movie may be in 3D.

WHY DID I GET MARRIED TOO did a very solid $29.3. THE LAST SONG did a pretty-good $16.0 million. The movie biz is doing pretty well.

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Weekend Box Office #179

So life shuffles on.

Saw "Hot Tub Time Machine", which is good dumb fun. It underperformed last weekend a bit, though I think it'll hold pretty well.

Going wide this weekend:

CLASH OF THE TITANS (3777 theaters). Reviews are a bit underwhelmed, while adding 3-D in post-production doesn't seem to have made for the crispest picture. Still, it has a big movie feel, and will probably do well. Call it $46.7 million for the weekend.

THE LAST SONG (2673 theaters). This is getting okay reviews, though aside from Miley Cyrus fans it's hard to believe anyone will care. Call it $11.2 million for the weekend.

TYLER PERRY'S WHY DID I GET MARRIED, TOO (2155 theaters). $20.0 million. Because his movies always seem to hit that number on their opening weekend, plus or minus a couple of million.

*****
Last weekend, HOW TRAIN YOUR DRAGON did a solid $43.7 million, while HOT TUB TIME MACHINE did $14.0 million.

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Weekend Box Office #178

I had a meeting yesterday at a (very small) production company, to pitch a take on a horror movie they want to shoot this summer. Not sure how it went, while it would probably be a rushed write for not much money.

But it would be a movie. So we'll see. They are also looking at a low-budget thriller of mine.

Meanwhile, there are new movies in wide release this weekend:

HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON (4055 theaters). Yet another 3D movie; there still aren't enough screens for all these 3D movies, and it's just going to get worse because everyone is making 3D movies now. Pretty soon people are going to get tired of paying the surcharge. This one doesn't look like it has huge adult crossover potential, but reviews have been good, so call it $46.2 million for the weekend.

HOT TUB TIME MACHINE (2754 theaters). Finally something I want to see: it has gotten good reviews, and apparently happily-embraces its R-ratedness. Call it $20.2 million for the weekend.

******

Last weekend, DIARY OF A WIMPY KID did a solid $22.1 million. THE BOUNTY HUNTER did a pretty-good $20.7 million. REPO MEN stumbled to only $6.1 million.

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Weekend Box Office #177

The new wide releases continue to be fairly uninspiring --

DIARY OF A WIMPY KID (3077 theaters). This is based on a best-selling series of books, and it'll probably do fairly well with the younger set. Figure $17.4 million for the weekend.

THE BOUNTY HUNTER (3074 theaters). This looks a bit painful, while reviews have been bad. Figure $14.5 million for the weekend.

REPO MEN (2522 theaters). I was hoping this would be good, but apparently not so much. $11.2 million.

THE RUNAWAYS is also opening in a couple hundred theaters; I heard it's okay. GHOST WRITER expands to 819, and is supposed to be pretty good.

******

Last weekend, GREEN ZONE did only $14.3 million. SHE'S OUT OF MY LEAGUE did $9.8 million. REMEMBER ME stumbled in with only $8.1 million, while OUR FAMILY WEDDING did $7.6 million.

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Weekend Box Office #176

I actually won the Oscar pool I was in, even though I changed my Best Original Screenplay guess to Tarantino at the last minute and got both screenplay guesses wrong. Irony.

Can't believe Alice in Wonderland did $116 million last weekend, despite largely unimpressed reviews. Look for it to drop this weekend, but still come in first easily.

Opening wide this weekend:

GREEN ZONE (3003 theaters). Good director, good cast, but they haven't done a very good job convincing me to rush out and see it. Figure $17.7 million for the weekend.

SHE'S OUT OF MY LEAGUE (2956 theaters). They are advertising this a lot, and it's nice to see there's still a place for R-rated comedies, but the lack of names in the cast is going to hurt it. Figure $6.4 million.

REMEMBER ME (2212 theaters). The presence of Robert Pattinson will help a lot, but it's not really clear what the hook is. $9.6 million.

OUR FAMILY WEDDING (1605 theaters). Too low-profile to make much impact. $3.9 million.

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Oscars

A few thoughts on the major awards:

The best supporting awards are locks -- Mo'Nique and Christopher Waltz. Both deserving.

Best Actor will go to Jeff Bridges in a walk.

Best Actress is really up in the air. They could give it to Meryl -- she's been nominated a zillion times, but hasn't won in 28 years, and was great as Julia Child. They could give it to Sandra Bullock, though it feels like just being nominated is the prize for her. They could easily give it to Carey Mulligan or Gabourey Sidibe, but both are young, and it's unclear if they were just acting or being themselves. My pick is Meryl, though it might be Sandy.

Best Director will be Kathryn Bigelow, because it's time, and it's a great movie.

Best Picture could go either way, to Avatar or Hurt Locker, with Inglourious Basterds having a tiny shot at sneaking in. The last time a movie won for Best Picture without being nominated for Best Screenplay was Titanic... But I'm going to say Hurt Locker.

Best Song will be the Crazy Heart song, and hopefully the interpretive dance number won't be horrible.

Best Adapted Screenplay goes to Up In The Air, easily.

Best Original Screenplay is between Hurt Locker and Inglourious Basterds. Could go either way, though I read Hurt Locker (after seeing the movie ) and was impressed about how much was on the page. Let's pick Hurt Locker in a Harvey backlash.

Everything else, you're on your own, Oscar pool wise. Though I hear Wallace and Gromit may win another.

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Weekend Box Office #175

Oscar weekend. Good time to catch up on the nominees, because honestly the new stuff is a little underwhelming.

ALICE IN WONDERLAND (3728 theaters). Early word on this is not great, while it was shot in 2D and then turned into 3D, which isn't the best way to do 3D. Tim Burton just isn't that interesting to me as a director any more. Still, it'll make money this weekend -- but not as much as if it was actually really good, and look for the big drop-off next weekend. Let's call it $87.7 million for the weekend.

BROOKLYN'S FINEST (1936 theaters). This hasn't been very well-reviewed either, the title is generic, and it seems like we've seen it before. $7.8 million for the weekend.

******

Last weekend, COP OUT did $18.2, while THE CRAZIES did $16.0.

I'll try to get some Oscar picks up sometime this weekend...

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Weekend Box Office #174

Another week slipped through my fingers somehow. Did a little writing, not enough, though now I'm going to curl up with a cup of coffee and try to be creative.

Meanwhile, there are a couple of things opening this weekend:

COP OUT (3150 theaters). The original title, "A Couple of Dicks", was definitely more distinctive, but apparently they changed it because they weren't going to be able to advertise it on network TV before 9PM, double meaning or not. Given that it's a very scatological R-rated movie, I think they should have kept the original title rather than this generic one, though reviews for this haven't been very strong at all. It's the first movie Kevin Smith directed that he didn't write. Call it $17.4 million for the weekend.

THE CRAZIES (2476 theaters). Reviews have been pretty solid, and I'm sure it'll find something of an audience. Call it $17.4 million for the weekend; it'll be interesting to see if "Shutter Island" holds in first place.

*******

Last weekend, Shutter Island made $41.1 million, so I was close.

Avatar should careen over the $700 million domestic mark this weekend, $2.5 billion worldwide. Yikes.

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The Wolfman, and Weekend Box Office #172/#173

So I was gone last weekend for me 10th anniversary, and completely missed posting. More than ever, I feel like a slacker.

So some catch-up:

I saw "The Wolfman", which isn't great, isn't terrible. Benicio del Toro is a strange choice for the lead, but his odd line readings add something. The big problem is that they tried to do it as sort of a throwback old-fashioned gothic horror tale, yet at the same time they somehow spent $150 million on it, and aside for a couple of action sequences the money isn't on the screen.

Meanwhile "Valentine's Day", which cost about a third as much despite having numerous more stars, made $63.1 million over the four-day President's Day weekend, compared to only $35.6 for "The Wolfman" (while "Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief", which cost about $95 million, brought in $38.7 million).

And Avatar made another $28.8 million, and was the #2 movie again on Tuesday.

At least the theaters are busy, even as DVD sales are falling. Apparently people do like seeing movies in theaters, even when the times are causing them to make choices about how to spend their disposable income.

This weekend, there's only one movie opening wide, SHUTTER ISLAND, in 2991 theaters. I think it'll benefit a lot from being the only new movie, and by a lack of people urgently wanting to see any of the holdovers instead. Figure $39.8 million for the weekend....

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Weekend Box Office #171

So I'm trying to catch up on last year's big movies. I saw both Precious and The Hurt Locker this week; both are well-deserving of their nominations. Precious manages to be harrowing yet hopeful at the same time, while The Hurt Locker does an outstanding job keeping you on the edge of your seat with the characters. See them.

Meanwhile, other stuff keeps coming out. Going wide this weekend:

DEAR JOHN (2969 theaters). The idea seems to be that movies like this will do well on Super Bowl weekend, because it gives the football widows something to do. This one looks kind of dumb and young, though, and reviews haven't been all that great. Call it $17.8 million for the weekend.

FROM PARIS WITH LOVE (2722 theaters). This one looks like fun, though the Super Bowl will probably eat into its audience. Call it $16.7 million for the weekend.

Otherwise, a lot of the Oscar movies, like An Education, Crazy Heart and Precious, are going wider. See them...

****

Last weekend, Avatar won again. Edge of Darkness managed $17.2 million, while When In Rome did $12.4 million.

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Oscar Nominations

If you haven't seen the list, it's here.

Generally it's all pretty expected. A few random thoughts:

BEST PICTURE: Expanding it to ten nominations was meant to get more films nominated, to draw more of a TV audience (with the hopeful side effect of bringing attention -- and box office -- to some underseen films).

If there were five nominees, it probably would have matched up with the directing nominees: Avatar, Hurt Locker, Inglourious Basterds, Precious, Up In The Air. Which means the extra nominations went to some popular films (Up, Blind Side, District 9) and a couple of artsy ones in An Education and A Serious Man. I guess the big surprise is that Star Trek, which a lot of people thought might sneak in, didn't.

ACTING. No real surprises in the top acting categories, other than Carey Mulligan (An Education) and Gabourey Sidibe (Precious) getting nominated for their first major roles. In supporting, it's nice to see Woody Harrelson back, while interestingly The Messenger was by far the least seen of his three movie roles last year (Zombieland, 2012).

SCREENWRITING. Six of the 10 nominated films had multiple writers, though there were probably a few instances (like Up in the Air) where the writers didn't actually work together.

And of the 19 nominated writers, 18 were men, the lone exception being Terri Tatchell, who co-wrote District 9 (and who I'm assuming is a women just because of the spelling of her name). It's an issue.

Also a mild shocker is that Avatar was not nominated for Best Screenplay - not that it deserved to be, at all. It is pretty impressive that it got 9 nominations despite having none for acting or writing.

ORIGINAL SONG. This has become such an obscure grab bag of songs in recent years. This year we get two Randy Newman songs from The Princess and the Frog, a song from Nine, a song from something called "Paris 36" (which must be a great song if it comes out of obscurity like that) and the song from "Crazy Heart". In the Oscar pool, pick that one.

MAKEUP. The only nominees are Il Divo, Star Trek and Young Victoria. Apparently there wasn't much going on in makeup this year.

DIRECTING. It's nice that the DGA gave Kathryn Bigelow Best Director over her ex-husband. It'll be interesting to see if the Oscars follow suit...

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Weekend Box Office #170

I'm swamped with work, though I'm not complaining. It's better than the alternative.

This weekend, opening in wide release:

EDGE OF DARKNESS (3066 theaters). It's hard to believe that it has been 8 years (since "Signs") that Mel Gibson starred in a movie. This one is getting decent reviews, and looks like the kind of thing that people will turn out for. Prediction: $23.4 million for the weekend.

WHEN IN ROME (2456 theaters). This looks like a rather generic romcom. $7.8 million for the weekend.

********

Last weekend, LEGION did a solid $17.5 million. THE TOOTH FAIRY did $14.0. EXTRAORDINARY MEASURES limped in with 6.0.

AVATAR continued to roll with another $35 million weekend.

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Weekend Box Office #169

Been writing a lot the past week, trying to get my pilot into shape (and reading and watching a lot of pilots as well) and also brainstorming a low-budget horror thing with a friend for him to direct.

New in movieland this weekend:

THE TOOTH FAIRY (3344 theaters). Once upon a time I wrote a tooth fairy script, and this will probably kill it for all time. Not given to critics to review, which is a bad sign. The family audience is out there, but it makes me yearn for the Rock to blow stuff up. Call it $18.5 million for the weekend.

EXTRAORDINARY MEASURES (2549 theaters). They are doing what they can to shill this, but it feels like a TV movie, and Harrison Ford looks like hell. $7.5 million.

LEGION (2476 theaters). Will find some audience. $14.4 million.

*********

Last weekend, AVATAR continued to roll, while BOOK OF ELI made a very solid $38.1 million for the weekend, and LOVELY BONES managed a nice $19.9 million. SPY NEXT DOOR did $12.8.

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Weekend Box Office #168

Another January weekend, this one a long one, with plenty of Oscar holdovers and some new films trying to carve out an audience. Figure AVATAR may still swipe the top spot.

THE BOOK OF ELI (3111 theaters) -- though this movie might take a shot at it. The print ads are nicely teasing, though the problem with this movie might be that it just doesn't look that original, sort of like MAD MAX meets THE ROAD with a dash of THE POSTMAN. Still, it's Denzel, and the reviews are decent. Figure $27.4 million for the four-day weekend.

THE SPY NEXT DOOR (2924 theaters). This looks a little stupid to bring in a ton of adults and kids, though there aren't a huge number of family movies out there. Call it $11.6 million.

THE LOVELY BONES (2563 theaters). This is finally going wide, without the Oscar buzz it was hoping for. It's supposed to be tonally very uneven, but the ads make it look interesting. $13.9 million.

*********

Last weekend, DAYBREAKERS made a very solid $15.1 million. LEAP YEAR did $9.2 million, while YOUTH IN REVOLT did $6.9 million.

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So It's A New Year

It's time to rededicate myself to my writing, something I do this time every year. This time I mean it. Hopefully.

It always seems like it is going to easy to bang out 3-4 projects during the course of the year. In practice, not even close.

Currently I'm trying to back my Nicholl semi script into a TV pilot, via my screenwriting group, which is an interesting process, and coming along pretty well.

I've also started early brainstorming on a low-budget horror script I'd write with a friend of mine, for him to direct. Previous attempts to write with someone didn't work out so well, though neither was really the optimal spend-time-in-a-room-together writing process that likely works the best. So we'll see.

Meanwhile I have a few scripts that are in good enough shape to be circulating around in minor fashion, though no nibbles yet. Still no agent or manager; it's tough out there.

I also have a double-handful of scripts in various stages of completion. My script group is bad with that: if I have pages due, often I'll just bang them out without actually have had the time to plot things out. So there's some amusing takes on things, looking for a lot more direction.

There's also this blog, which has been on life support for way too long. I'll try to post here a little more.

I'm also in the process of cleaning up the links -- I'm sure there are websites on there that stopped being active years ago -- and adding new ones. I know I promised to do that months ago and didn't, but now I am, so if you want to be linked give me a shout-out.

And may this be a good writing year for all of us --

Scott

***Update -- I just visited every link, to see which blogs were still active, and it was a humbling experience to realize I probably hadn't visited most of them in well over a year. Apologies to those who are still going strong (I'll try to check you out more often), and R.I.P. to the blogs who died along the way.

The sidebar is now up-to-date.

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Weekend Box Office #167

Saw I saw Avatar, in Real-3D, and yeah the story is just a rehash of the whole Pocahontas/Dances With Wolves thing.

But visually, it's so amazing that it would be worth the money if it was just a tour of this planet. So the fact that there is any kind of plot just adds to it. Plus the blue girl is cute.

See it.

This weekend is a bland mixed bag of items, while there's still plenty of holdover stuff to see. Look for Avatar to hold in the top slot, by a wide margin:

DAYBREAKERS (2523 theaters). I haven't seen enough on this to make me want to see it, while Ethan Hawke's getting top billing doesn't have much cache. Prediction: an underperforming $7.2 million for the weekend.

LEAP YEAR (2511 theaters). Pluses: Amy Adams is likable, and probably has romcom appeal. Minuses: reviews are fairly dire, and it isn't a leap year. Call it $6.5 million for the weekend.

YOUTH IN REVOLT (1873 theaters). This has been sitting on the shelf for a few years, while Michael Cera doesn't seem to be stretching. Reviews are okay, but it's hard to see this doing all that much. $4.2 million.

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