ALLIGATORS IN A HELICOPTER

a pro script reader ponders movies, reading, writing and the occasional personal flashback

Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Weekend Box Office #112

The long holiday weekend starts today, with three big movies getting released, though I'm underwhelmed by them all.

The wife and I would like to cocoon in a theater sometime this weekend and catch a movie or three, but there is absolutely nothing on my wow-I've-got-to-see-that list at this point, except maybe SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE.

So if anyone wants to rave about anything out there now, go for it -- it's word-of-mouth time in the comments section.

Otherwise, opening wide this weekend:

FOUR CHRISTMASES (3310 theaters). I've scanned a few reviews for this, and they all basically say it's awful, except for when Jon Favreau is in it, and that's not very much. It's only 82 minutes long, but apparently it feels like an eternity. Still, people will see it. Estimate: $32.2 million for the 5-day weekend.

AUSTRALIA (2642 theaters). This is almost twice as long as Four Christmases, and apparently it's uneven, messy and corny, with one's enjoyment pretty much predicated on your tolerance for that. The ad is rife with good reviews, but I couldn;t help notice that the top one is by the shameless Jeff Craig of Sixty Second Preview, who gives 4 stars to everything. $25.1 million for the weekend.

TRANSPORTER 3 (2626 theaters). Apparently this is exactly what you expect, for better or for worse. $25.2 million.

*******

Last weekend, TWILIGHT made $69.6 million, so I was damn close. BOLT only did $26.2 million, so my guess on that sucked.

Look for TWILIGHT to take the top spot again this weekend.

*******

Happy Thanksgiving. Save a drumstick for me.

8 Comments:

At 11:02 AM, Blogger Emily Blake said...

I loved The Transporter. Transporter 2 was horrible, but I don't care. I'll probably see this too because I enjoy Jason Statham and explosions.

But first I'm going to see JCVD because I enjoy Jean Claude Van Damme. Does that movie have any explosions?

 
At 3:06 PM, Blogger glassblowerscat said...

You're right ... see SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE. Well worth it. Among its unexpected good qualities: soundtrack.

 
At 5:45 PM, Blogger E.C. Henry said...

I'm interested in seeing "Australia," though the Seattle Times review echoed your sentiments.

The lack of good movies should encourage you, Scott. When can we expect to see your thriller as an entertainment option at the Bonney Lake multiplex?

- E.C. Henry from Bonney Lake, WA

 
At 7:29 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Australia -- only 2.5 mind numbing hours long -- see it this weekend folks, it won't be there next; and I highly doubt it will be deemed DVD worthy. What a joke.

 
At 1:31 PM, Blogger Allen said...

slumdog's amazing.

milk's pretty good.

the wrestler is the best movie of the year.

 
At 11:32 PM, Blogger marcoguarda said...

Since Scott offered this space, I'd like to pick up the opportunity to report something that occurred to me last day, and that could be in the public domain already -- but I didn't find anything about it in WIKI, so this is it:

HOW TO TURN A FORTUNATE TV SERIE OF 1970s INTO A FORTUNATE TV SERIE OF 1980s.

OR

"THE PERSUADERS" vs "MAGNUM P.I."

Personally, I loved both series, but I never realized the analogies between them. But yesterday, as I was going through "The Persuaders" DVD series, here's what I found out.

PERSUADERS (24 episodes):

--DANIEL WILDE: A self-made man grown in the suburbs of NYC who joins in the Navy, eventually has luck with oil drillings and becomes a millionaire.

--BRETT SINCLAIR (Lord): A high-breed product of British aristocracy. Cultured, he talks a lot about his branchy family-tree and genealogy. Rich by heirloom.

--JUDGE FULTON: He's the "hidden mind" behind Danny and Brett, the one who put these two together to solve impossible or unresolved cases. He tends to appear less and less in the series.

--WOMEN: They pelt down like raindrops in a downpour, but they never quite make the difference and the bond of friendship between Danny and Brett is never put to risk.

--FERRARI: Danny drives a Dino 246 GT.


MAGNUM P.I. (152 episodes!!!)

--THOMAS MAGNUM: A Navy Officer. He fought in Vietnam. He's now a private investigator, lives at Robin's Nest,a rich estate at Oahu, Hawaii, owned by Robin Masters.

--JONATHAN QUAYLE HIGGINS III: He's the "housekeeper" of the Masters' estate. British, cultured, philanthropist, he likes genealogy as well as family trees. He loves telling stories and anecdotes about his past nobody wants to hear. He fought in Korea and other places.

--ROBIN MASTERS: He's the millionaire on duty, bestsellers' writer. Though he almost never appears in person, he commands the solution of some cases. He has graciously agreed to let Magnum in the estate and to drive the 308 GTS.

--WOMEN: A lot, but not as many as in "the Persuaders".

--FERRARI: This time it's a 308 GTS.

The chemistry between the English man and the American is evident in both series. The second one is more mature and developed, but the ingredients are the same.

---

HARDCASTLE AND MCCORMICK is another TV series who tried to replicate the chemistry described before, but with less success in my opinion.

One more thing:

The man behind MAGNUM P.I. is Donald P. Bellisario, whose Midas' touch for TV series is fabled.


M.

 
At 6:51 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Go see Slumdog Millionaire.

Danny Boyle's best film - imho.

James

 
At 10:48 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hey Scott. I just embarrassed myself posting a comment for *you* on 101's blog.

Anyway, I'd still love to know what Sam Jackson movie that was...

 

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