11/05/09

Tops at the Box: Two scenarios came to mind upon first hearing news that Sony planned to release a feature-length Michael Jackson documentary only four months after the singer’s death: 1) here comes a fluffed-over account of the last days of a very trouble man’s life (last days we’ll likely never know the unmodified truth about); or 2) this whole death thing is a scam - Jacko is on an island with his woulda-been father-in-law, that other King, and his film, titled, This Is It,  has been in the works for months - years.  But alas, a contract was signed five weeks after Jackson’s death and now, as I write this - only 12 weeks after production began - the film has already grossed over $120 million worldwide, taking the No. 1 U.S. box office spot its opening weekend with over $20 million in domestic ticket sales. Even more surprising is the reactions the film is getting. Sure, there are many who think the film came too quickly and isn’t something Jackson would be proud of, but, for the most part, critics and fans alike are smacking hands together. Go figure. If you want to see Jackson on the big screen, you’d better act quick, as the film is only set to run in theaters for two weeks. (Gotta get that DVD on shelves for the holidays, huh, Sony?)

More From the Box: Coming in second this past weekend was Handycam thriller Paranormal Activity, which not surprisingly brought in a whole lot of dough (roughly $16.5 million) during Halloween weekend, upping it’s so-far draw to almost $90 million. Law Abiding Citizen once again brought in surprising bank ($7.3 million) this past weekend, nabbing the No. 3 spot. Critically panned date comedy, Couples Retreat, continues to bring the bread, taking the week’s No. 4 spot, while Saw VI continued to tread water at No. 5, bringing in only $5.5 million during the annual Halloween weekend it usually owns. As for the indie update, the Coens’ A Serious Man is still kicking lots of art house booty, coming in at No. 13 last weekend while only playing on 238 screens. The excellent-looking An Education is also doing very well under limited release, averaging over $10,000 per screen for the fourth consecutive week. So what did Hollywood learn this week? Three things: 1) you can put a successful film together quickly (This is It); 2) it doesn’t cost $100 million to gross $90 million (Paranormal cost $15,000 to make); and 3) you can try to keep us from seeing good films (An Education), but we’ll find a way regardless (e.g. I traveled two hours to see There Will Be Blood when Fort Wayne didn‘t secure any copies for opening week).

New This Week: A more notable than usual week at the movies awaits us. We have a possible future classic seeing a limited test release in Precious (produced by Tyler Perry and Oprah?!?! Ugh!); a surefire holiday blockbuster featuring a like-it-or-not future legend (Jim Carrey) in Buena Vista’s re-imagining of A Christmas Carol; a potential Se7en-like cult classic thriller in Richard Kelly’s (Donnie Darko) comeback film, The Box; and the Coen Brothers-influenced “historical” comedy, The Men Who Stare at Goats, starring George Clooney, Ewan McGregor and The Dude. The latter three of the abovementioned four, as well as thriller The Fourth Kind (which looks awfully similar to Paranormal, as well as just plain awful), will see the major release treatment (i.e. at least 2,000 U.S. screens).

The Buzz: I saw the official Avatar theatrical trailer on the big screen this past weekend while attempting to watch a poorly framed film at the dollar/dollar/dollar theater (c’mon, guys!). Not. Impressed. Not at all. As much as I want good guy James Cameron to succeed (the dude works his tail off), these overly-cartoon-y blue people with a chubbed-up version of Marfan syndrome are just not something I can get behind. Feels like the work of a soulless corporate crony trying to be artsy and inventive. But hey, I’m happy that so many others are excited about it; look for Brett Farve to be wearing an Avatar patch on his sleeve after the bye week. Director Roman Polanski’s lawyers plan to make yet another bail offer … can’t wait for the chase scene! Director Ridley Scott, who has made some amazing films, has bought into the latest trend, signing on to make a fashion-themed film. Said to be a “Gucci biopic” (not sure if it’s about the business, Guccio or the family in whole), the production is already seeing much drama from the real life Gucci clan, who notoriously have no problem talking to the press.

New to DVD: Up, a four-disc Blu-ray edition of Monsters, Inc., The Ugly Truth, Watchmen: The Ultimate Cut, Wrecked, a second batch of holiday-themed releases, Spread, season two of that show with Kim Kardashian and quite a few Blu-ray first editions his shelves this Tuesday, November 10. Also, look for everlasting guilty pleasure, The Complete Dawsons Creek, to turn up on lots of lists this holiday season, as the 24-disc collection (which features a good number of episodes written by Mike “Chuck and Buck” White) is set to sell at an unusually low price point. Amazon, for example, is selling the set - all 127 hour-long episodes - for only $88. Note: this set does not come with a dictionary, though you will likely need one to follow it’s awesomely overwritten post-“Saved By the Bell” dialogue.