The last weekend in July is a busy one with four new movies opening in wide release and two limited releases expanding wider. Of the four new movies, there's one that's extremely high profile, one that's being pushed heavily and two that are being dumped into the weekend with very little fanfare in a way that makes you wonder why their distributors hate them so much. (In typical fashion, After Dark Films has moved their long-delayed horror film Skinwalkers back to August at the last minute, so that's one less dumper this weekend.)

Obviously, the most anticipated movie of the weekend is 20th Century Fox's The Simpsons Movie, which brings the popular TV cartoon family to the big screen. With the animated television show's eighteen years of popularity and success under its belt, you can expect a huge audience of fans going to theatres to laugh as a group, though it's going to appeal more to guys than women. That's fine because the fanbase is fairly diehard, the kind that would rush out to see it opening weekend knowing that there's other movies to see in the next few weeks. With what could be an opening weekend upwards of $45 million, look for this to set a new opening record for a traditional animation film which is currently held by Disney's The Lion King.

Women who might not have much interest in a television cartoons turned into movies will have another option in the new Catherine Zeta-Jones "romantidramedy" No Reservations, based on the German movie Mostly Martha, and it should have enough buzz from sneak previews and from the general popularity of Zeta-Jones to open decently though it'll have a hard time getting past the high-profile blockbusters. Chances are that it'll have to settle for fifth place, especially if New Line's Hairspray gets the expected legs from opening weekend word-of-mouth.

No End in Sight (Magnolia Pictures)
Written and directed by Charles Ferguson (debut)
Genre: Documentary, Politics
Plot Summary: Author Charles Ferguson looks at the war in Iraq and how the invasion and occupation was botched by the current administration.

Interview with Charles Ferguson

Review

We've featured many political and Iraq-related docs in the Weekend Warrior in recent years, and if there's one that really stands out as being something unique in its approach, it's this doc by Charles Ferguson, his debut as a filmmaker after writing many books about information technology. It's an important addition to the string of Iraq docs because it doesn't point fingers and place blame for the wrong reasons why the U.S. got involved in the war, but instead, it's a grim and somber film that shows how things in Iraq might not be as bad as they are now if certain mistakes hadn't been made, and it does so by relaying the facts in a concise and logical way and backing them up with lots of interviews with those who saw these mistakes firsthand. Of all the documentaries made about the Iraq War, this is one of the few that is almost mandatory viewing because it doesn't just repeat a lot of the things we already know but it does a convincing job explaining how things went wrong, something which is rarely mentioned on the newscasts about bombings and terrorist attacks. It starts by showing some of the horrors but then cuts back to 9/11 and even before that to the Gulf War of the ‘90s to give a clearer picture of why the United State invaded Iraq and then shows how all the plans for a by-the-books turnover by ORHA (Office for Reconstruction and Humanitarian Assistance) after the invasion was botched-up by a few rash decisions that turned the country into one ravaged by civil war and insurgency. So far, this is one of the best documentaries I've seen this year, and if you have any questions about the whys and wherefores of what's going on in Iraq, Ferguson's doc does an amazing job filling in the gaps of previous docs like "Why We Fight" and "The War Tapes." Here's hoping that Ferguson continues his career as a filmmaker, because this is the type of investigative journalism that we need to see more of in this crazy world driven by corporate media with their own issues and agendas.

Opening the film on Friday in New York at the Film Forum and in Washington, DC. at the Landmark E Street Theatres, Magnolia Pictures has also set up a special online app where you can share your own views of the war in Iraq with Ferguson, and the film is being promoted heavily through Netflix and other outlets.

(More limited releases after the jump)

The 32nd Annual Toronto International Film Festival sinks its claws deep into Canada from September 6th - 15th and, as usual, its "Midnight Madess" slate is an auspicious lineup.

Most notable is the inclusion of George Romero's Diary of the Dead. Adam Mason's The Devil's Chair, Xavier Gens' Frontieres, Alexandre Bustillo and Julien Maury's Inside, Stuart Gordon's Stuck, Fumihiko Sori's Vexille, Wilson Yip's Flash Point and Hitoshi Matsumoto's Dainipponjin round out the schedule.

Naturally, ComingSoon.net's ShockTillYouDrop.com will be lurking about the fest, so stay tuned for coverage. For showtimes and ticket information, click here.

The ComingSoon.net Box Office Report has been updated with studio estimates for the weekend. Be sure to check back on Monday for final figures based on actual box office.

In a very tight weekend race, the Adam Sandler-Kevin James comedy I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry took out the blockbuster sequel Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, grossing an estimated $34.8 million to Potter's $32.2 million. The New Line musical Hairspray, starring John "Grease" Travolta in drag, scored $27.8 million in 3,121 theatres, making it the top opening movie musical of all time, even though it was forced to settle for third place.

What a difference a couple days make. With reviews rolling in for Universal's I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry and it not faring well (16% on Rottentomatoes and ironically, I gave it one of the few positive reviews!), it might have a harder time defeating Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix than we originally thought. Although one presumes that the fifth movie might be hurt by the release of the 7th and final book, the leak of the latter onto the internet might mean a lot of fans will already have read it by the weekend.

On the other hand, the New Line musical Hairspray has great buzz going into the weekend and is likely to do better than our earlier prediction, maybe even giving Transformers a run for second place, and it might be the story of the weekend if it ends up faring better than Sandler's latest.

(Check out our preview of next weekend after the jump.)

Revised Predictions -

1. I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry (Universal) - $37.2 million N/A

2. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Warner Bros.) - $36.2 million -53%

3. Transformers (DreamWorks/Paramount) - $20.0 million -46%

4. Hairspray (New Line) - $18.8 million N/A

5. Ratatouille (Disney/Pixar) - $11.6 million -36%

6. Live Free or Die Hard (20th Century Fox) – $6.8 million -40%

7. License to Wed (Warner Bros.) – $4.7 million -36%

8. 1408 (Dimension) – $2.8 million -38%

9. Knocked Up (Universal) - $2.5 million -33%

10. Evan Almighty (Universal) - $2.4 million -50%

Sunshine (Fox Searchlight)
Starring Rose Byrne, Cliff Curtis, Chris Evans, Troy Garity, Cillian Murphy, Hiroyuki Sanada, Benedict Wong, Michelle Yeoh
Directed by Danny Boyle (Trainspotting, 28 Days Later, Millions, The Beach, Shallow Grave); Written by Alex Garland (28 Days Later…, The Beach)
Genre: Sci-Fi, Drama, Thriller
Rated R
Tagline: "If the sun dies, so do we."
Plot Summary: A group of scientists are on a mission to fly a powerful atomic bomb into the heart of the dying sun, but their mission quickly goes awry as they find the remains of a previous attempt at the same mission.
Of Note: Danny Boyle reunites with Cillian Murphy, the breakout star of his hit 28 Days Later…

Review

Danny Boyle interviews

I'm an unrepentant lifetime Danny Boyle addict, because even when he falters, which some might say was the case with The Beach and A Life Less Ordinary, he still creates the type of cinematic coup that few filmmakers can match. Sunshine is his first foray into the science fiction genre, and though it might not be what some might be expecting, there's something to say about how it greatly adds to his filmography by venturing into new territory with this movie. It's not science fiction in the "Star Wars" action vein, but it's more of a character-driven space epic, the type of creepy outer space thriller that culminated with "Alien", and it features a terrific cast of characters/actors including Cillian Murphy, reuniting with Boyle after "28 Days Later." (It also stars the Human Torch, Chris Evans, in a rare dramatic role, and he's really good in this!) If you read my review linked above, you'll see that I do have a few issues with the movie, particularly the last act, but I really thought this was a very unique take on the type of sci-fi premise we've seen many times before, and Boyle really has pulled out the stop with the movie in terms of visuals with filmmaking techniques that we haven't seen used before. That's really what's so amazing about Boyle as a filmmaker and why so many cinephiles and movie buffs love his movies, and it's not likely to be disappointed by "Sunshine" even when it turns into a bizarro slasher flick. Oddly, Fox Searchlight is opening this movie in a few cities this weekend with plans to open nationwide next weekend.

For the first time this summer, we might have a real horse race at the box office for the top spot, and it all depends on whether Warner Bros.' Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix can hold up in its second weekend against two strong new movies that will likely split up audiences. It probably won't help that the franchise will be competing against itself as J.K. Rowling releases the 7th book about the young wizard, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows," which might kill a lot of the weekend business for any of the movies targeted towards younger readers that will want to spend Saturday reading it.

Adam Sandler has such a large built-in fanbase for his comedies that $40 million opening tends to be a given, except that I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry, his first movie for Universal in ten years, has such a divisive subject matter, that of gay marriage, that it might lose some of Sandler's male audience in the Red States… not that a little homophobia hurt Disney's male-bonding comedy Wild Hogs earlier this year. Expect Chuck and Larry to do well Friday, but be hurt by Sandler's normal Friday frontloading, which could make it harder for it to defeat Potter in its second weekend. It will be very close.

But it also has to contend with New Line's big screen adaptation of the hit Broadway musical Hairspray, based on John Waters' 1988 comedy, which will be a significant draw for women and yes, gay men, as it tries to continue the success of musicals like Chicago and Dreamgirls, rather than following the path of the last movie-turned-musical-turned-movie, The Producers.

The ComingSoon.net Box Office Report has been updated with studio estimates for the weekend. Be sure to check back on Monday for final figures based on actual box office.

Going into the weekend with nearly $65 million grossed on Wednesday and Thursday, Warner Bros.' fifth movie based on J.K. Rowling's boy wizard, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, added an estimated $77.4 million more over the weekend in 4,285 theatres, including IMAX theatres which featured an exclusive 3D sequence. The fifth "Potter" movie has grossed $140 million in its first five days. By comparison, After Dark Films' thriller Captivity, starring Elisha Cuthbert, barely made a mark, winding up outside the Top 10 with $1.5 million with a dismal average of less than $1,500 per theatre.

They've done it! Not only has Warner Bros. set a new Wednesday record with Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix's $44.32 million yesterday, but it's opening in more theatres than Spider-Man 2, expanding into 4,285 theatres over the weekend. Unfortunately, we forgot that Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End opened in over 4,300 theatres back in May so the widest release record is still intact. Still, look for Order of the Phoenix to make over $80 million this weekend as it takes on Transformers as the third or fourth biggest movie of the summer.

After Dark seems to have hit a stumbling block with the Elisha Cuthbert thriller Captivity, which is opening in 500 less theatres than the original 1,500+ theatres estimated earlier in the week, but it's also become the third movie this summer to be struck by the bootlegging bug that's hurt other films like Eli Roth's Hostel: Part II and Michael Moore's SiCKO. With that in mind, it's being knocked down a couple spots as it winds up making closer to $3 million than $5 million this weekend.

(Look for more updates after the final predictions at the link below.)

Updated Predictions -

1. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Warner Bros.) - $83.2 million N/A (up $3.7 million from earlier in the week)

2. Transformers (DreamWorks/Paramount) - $37.0 million -48% (up .2 million)

3. Ratatouille (Disney/Pixar) - $17.7 million -39% (down .1 mil.)

4. Live Free or Die Hard (20th Century Fox) - $9.3 million -47%

5. License to Wed (Warner Bros.) - $6.0 million -42% (up .4 million)

6. Evan Almighty (Universal) - $4.7 million -47% (up .1 mill.)

7. 1408 (Dimension) - $4.1 million -41%

8. Knocked Up (Universal) - $3.4 million -35% (up .1 mill.)

9. Captivity (After Dark Films) - $3.1 million N/A (down 1.8 mill. from earlier prediction)

10. SiCKO (The Weinstein Company/Lionsgate) - $2.5 million -32% (up .1 mill.)

The fifth adventure of J.K. Rowling's boy wizard Harry Potter, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix opened at midnight last night and ComingSoon.net wants to know what you the reader thought once you get a chance to see it. Post your thoughts and comments using the appropriate link below, being mindful that spoilers will be abundant and plentiful.

The 2007 Toronto International Film Festival has unveiled some of the movies that will have gala premieres at the festival between September 6 and 15.

George Clooney stars in the legal drama Michael Clayton, the directorial debut by screenwriter Tony Gilroy (The Bourne Identity) getting its North American premiere at the Roy Thomson Hall before being released theatrically by Warner Bros. on October 5.

Also, Gavin Hood, the director behind the Oscar-winning South African drama Tsotsi (which won Toronto's Audience Award in 2005), returns to the fest with the gala premiere of Rendition, starring Reese Witherspoon, Jake Gyllenhaal and Meryl Streep, before it opens in the United States on October 12.

Another WB release, Neil Jordan's The Brave One, starring Jodie Foster and Terrence Howard, will premiere as part of Toronto's Special Presentation sidebar, as will the North American debut of Peter Greenaway's Nightwatching, a biopic about painter Rembrandt, and Alan ("Six Feet Under", American Beauty) Ball's Nothing is Private, a Gulf War drama involving sexual politics, starring Aaron Eckhart, Maria Bello and Toni Collette. After winning an award at Cannes, Julian Schnabel's The Diving Bell and the Butterfly will also play in the TIFF sidebar months before its theatrical release in December.

(The full press release is after the jump as is one about other films premiering at the festival.)

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix will be #1 this weekend and though the last four installments of the franchise made over $85 million their opening weekends, this is the first movie in the series based on J. K. Rowling's novels that opens on a Wednesday. It's likely that the many diehard fans will be racing out to see it as soon as possible, which could keep the weekend from crossing the $80 million mark although the $50 to 60 million it makes in its first two days should more than make up for it.

After a couple delays, After Dark Films releases the horror-thriller Captivity, starring Elisha Cuthbert, and while the best thing going for it is the controversial poster campaign and the Friday 13th release date, it's still likely to wind up outside the Top 5, which will be filled up with the popular summer blockbusters like Transformers and Ratatouille.

Talk to Me (Focus Features)
Starring Don Cheadle, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Cedric The Entertainer, Taraji P. Henson, Mike Epps, Vondie Curtis Hall, Martin Sheen
Directed by Kasi Lemmons (The Caveman's Valentine), Eve's Bayou); Written by Michael Genet (She Hate Me), Rick Famuyiwa (Brown Sugar, The Wood)
Genre: Drama
Rated R
Plot Summary: After Ralph Waldo "Petey" Greene Jr. (Don Cheadle) gets out of jail in the mid-60s, he gets a job at a local Washington D.C. radio station as their morning DJ where he becomes the talk of the town due to outrageous on-air antics. Despite all the trouble Petey gets into, his program director Dewey Hughes (Chiwetel Ejiofor) hopes to take Petey to greater heights and make him an even bigger national star.
Tagline: "Never underestimate a man with something to say."

Review
Interview with Don Cheadle

I've been a big-time fan of Don Cheadle ever since he donned a cowboy outfit in Paul Thomas Anderson's Boogie Nights, but he's generally made decent choices since then with strong movies like Crash and Hotel Rwanda, and often, he's the best part of the few bad movies he's been in like Swordfish. I've also been a fan of Chiwetel Ejiofor since he starred in Stephen Frears' Dirty Pretty Things but generally been disappointed with some of his choices since then, and I always thought that Taraji P. Henson nearly stole the show from Terrence Howard in Craig Brewer's Hustle and Flow.

Considering the talent involved in this stirring period drama directed by Kasi Lemmons, it's not surprising that Talk to Me is such a good movie, centered around a radio DJ who became the voice of the people and the times during the turbulent late ‘60s where the Civil Rights movement hit a road bump with the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. in 1968. Having never heard of Ralph Waldo "Petey" Greene Jr. before seeing this movie but knowing of his legacy from shows like "As It Is" and his influence on shock jocks like Howard Stern, I was really able to appreciate what they were trying to do by showing every side of the man, both good and bad, but the movie spends just as much time dealing with Petey's relationship with his program director Dewey Hughes (Ejiofor's character), and it's a surprisingly rich film that's not your typical biopic.

I'm a little bummed that this movie is getting such a low-key limited release without a lot of promotion, because many people who might enjoy it will probably miss it or skip it, much like they did with Terrence Howard's Pride a few months back. This is a much better movie and another great role for Cheadle, as well as Ejiofor's best performance since Dirty Pretty Things, so hopefully word-of-mouth will spread by the time it opens wide on June 27. If you're into diverse films like Talk Radio, Spike Lee's Malcolm X, the recent Bobby or even Howard Stern's Private Parts you should be able to get something gout of this terrific film.

(More limited releases and mini-reviews after the jump.)

This week, we see the fifth installment of the Harry Potter saga brought to the big screen and in one week, fans of the books will be devouring the seventh and final installment of J.K. Rowling's adventures of the boy wizard, and well, let's just say that this is going to be a make or break month for Potter.

Though I haven't seen Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix yet--I'm barely finished reading the book to be honest--I already feel that J.K. Rowling is running out of steam with the premise, basically spending a lot of time setting things up to kill various characters, trying to wrap things up without leaving any possible loose ends.

The ComingSoon.net Box Office Report has been updated with studio estimates for the weekend. Be sure to check back on Monday for final figures based on actual box office.

After making nearly $85 million in its first three-and-a-half days, DreamWorks' Transformers held well over the three-day weekend, grossing an estimated $67.6 million and becoming the second-highest opening movie for the 4th of July holiday frame behind Spider-Man 2. In just one week, the Michael Bay action flick has grossed approximately $152.5 million--just over its reported $150 million budget--and it's trailing just behind the original Spider-Man in terms of total gross for its first week. When it passes Spider-Man in terms of box office gross for seven days, it will make Transformers one of the most succcessful non-sequels since the webslinger's movie debut in 2002. Expect it to be the third movie this summer to gross $300 million or slightly less.

By comparison, Warner Bros.' romantic comedy License to Wed, starring Robin Williams, brought in an additional $10.4 million over the weekend after its $7.4 million over the holiday, ending up in fourth place in its first weekend.

In just four-and-a-half days, Michael Bay's Transformers has crossed the $100 million mark, adding an additional $22.4 million on Friday to put it ahead of the established Pixar film Ratatouille and Bruce Willis action sequel Live Free or Die Hard in terms of box office gross with $107.4 million. Its first Friday is pointing to a three-day weekend in the range of $62 to 65 million, and with the help of Monday previews, the DreamWorks film is the second-fastest non-sequel to get to $100 million ahead of Passion of the Christ and the first Harry Potter movie.

The Robin Williams-headlined romantic comedy License to Wed had its best day, earning $3.7 million on Friday, pointing to a weekend of roughly $10 to 11 million, though the best it can do is fourth place for the weekend. Pixar's latest continues to do well, having grossed $9.4 million yesterday to bring its total to $90 million, while Live Free or Die Hard has grossed $72.2 million after ten days.

Michael Moore's documentary SiCKO has not expanded well, making just over a million yesterday after adding 250 more theatres, and it will probably struggle to get to $20 million. At least the other Weinstein release 1408 continues to do well, as it will cross the $50 million mark today. 20th Century Fox's action sequel Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer has not been able to hold up against the competition and after losing hundreds of theatres yesterday, it will probably have another sharp decline this weekend and is unlikely to gross as much as its predecessor.

With the success of DreamWorks' Transformers in its first two and a half days, it seems likely that it will do slightly better on the weekend than originally predicted, likely to be somewhere between $60 and 65 million as it looks to take the second largest 4th of July opening away from Steven Spielberg's 2005 remake of War of the Worlds. On the other hand, Warner Bros' License to Wed, starring Robin Williams, hasn't fared particularly well in its first few days and our original prediction of just over $11 million looks doubtful at this point even with 200 more theatres being added tomorrow. The romantic comedy is likely to wind up in fifth place behind Universal's Evan Almighty unless it really rallies for business over the weekend, but it won't be helped by abysmal reviews.

(You can read more thoughts on the weekend after the updated predictions although we're going to take a break from previewing next week's box office so that everyone will check in when next week's column goes up on Tuesday.)

Updated Predictions -

1. Transformers (DreamWorks/Paramount) - $62.5 million N/A (+ $3 million from earlier week prediction)

2. Ratatouille (Disney/Pixar) - $31.0 million -34% (same)

3. Live Free or Die Hard (20th Century Fox) – $17.2 million -49% (same)

4. Evan Almighty (Universal) – $8.3 million -45% (+ .2 million from earlier in week)

5. License to Wed (Warner Bros.) – $8.0 million N/A (-$3.2 million from earlier in week)

6. 1408 (Dimension) – $6.0 million -44% (same)

7. Knocked Up (Universal) - $4.9 million -35% (down -.2 mil.)

8. Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (20th Century Fox) - $4.4 million -52% (- .2 mil.)

9. SiCKO (The Weinstein Company/Lionsgate) - $4.3 million -5% (+ .4 mill.)

10. Ocean's Thirteen (Warner Bros.) - $3.2 million -43% (- .2 mill.)

The Transformers train keeps rolling along as it had its best day yet on the 4th of July holiday, grossing $29.1 million. In two-and-a-half days, it has grossed $65.7 million, set a new Tuesday box office record and become the third-highest grossing movie on a Wednesday, surpassing movies like Star Wars: Episode I and Mel Gibson's The Passion of The Christ which both opened on a Wednesday. It's looking like it will be in heated battle with executive producer Steven Spielberg's War of the Worlds to become the second-highest grossing 4th of July opener over the weekend and may come close to $150 million in its first week of business.

Disney/Pixar's Ratatouille made $10.2 million on the 4th of July, up significantly from Tuesday, as was the action sequel Live Free or Die Hard, which brought in $6 million. The animated family film has pulled ahead with $72 million to Die Hard's $63.2 million.

This year's Toronto International Film Festival will be taking place from September 6 through September 15 and its Official Website has gone live with certain tickets passes and packages going on sale for Visa card members on Monday, July 9. More information after the jump.

After making over $8 million in Monday preview screenings, Paramount/DreamWorks' Transformers brought in $27.4 million in its first full day according to estimates, easily setting a new Tuesday box office record over Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest's $15.7 million made last year. It has grossed an impressive $36.3 million in just 28 hours.

The Warner Bros. comedy License to Wed made a less than spectacular $2.2 million its opening day, and though it shouldn't be nearly as frontloaded as the fan favorite summer popcorn flick, the abysmal reviews for the movie probably won't help it do very well over the weekend. It's probably looking to make around $15 million in its first six days.

According to Variety, Paramount and DreamWorks are claiming an estimated $8.8 million for Michael Bay's Transformers in its "preview screenings" in a number of theatres starting at 8pm last night. That's rougly 67% of what Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End made when it took a similar approach on Thursday May 24, before grossing just under $140 million over the four-day Memorial Day weekend.

Transformers officially opens today in 4,011 theatres across the country and is expected to be helped greatly by the 4th of July holiday and the extended vacation weekend that many people will take this week. Check back tomorrow and over the next few days on how this highly-anticipated summer movie is faring.

The weekend starts very early with Michael Bay's take on Hasbro's Transformers opening on Monday night (tonight!) at 8pm and the Warner Bros. romantic comedy License to Wed, starring Robin Williams, opening on Tuesday (tomorrow!) While the former should do a lot of its business in the next few days, the latter should trickle along and still have a bit of business left over for the weekend.

Really though it's the former making all the news as it pairs executive producer Steven Spielberg with Michael Bay, arguably two of the kings of the summer box office, which means that even those who weren't fans of the toys will be interested. Starring Shia LaBeouf, John Voight and a cast of dozens on top of the popular talking changing giant robots, Transformers should bring in a lot of the biggest fans of the characters in the days surrounding the 4th of July holiday and should be able to do decently over the weekend, though the holiday being on a Wednesday will definitely make its first week gross more frontloaded.

This is a great week for movies in limited release with the latest from Werner Herzog, Rescue Dawn, and the Sundance favorite Introducing the Dwights, but I gotta go with one of my other favorites from Sundance….

Joshua (Fox Searchlight)
Starring Sam Rockwell, Vera Farmiga, Jacob Kogan, Celia Weston, Dallas Roberts, Michael McKean
Directed by George Ratliff (Hell House); Written by George Ratliff, David Gilbert
Genre: Drama, Horror, Thriller
Rated R
Plot Summary: A young boy named Joshua (Jacob Kogan) starts acting up to get the attention of his parents (Sam Rockwell, Vera Farmiga) when they bring home his baby sister, but what starts out as a mere case of new baby syndrome soon turns into something darker and deadlier as the boy starts doing things to try to drive everyone around him insane.
Tagline: "The story of a perfect boy who had a perfect plan."

Interview with George Ratliff

My Thoughts from the Sundance Film Festival

For the second weekend in a row, we have a movie starring a child who's a little different from the norm, and a movie that I discovered thanks to a film festival, this one being one of my top three films I saw at this year's Sundance Film Festival. On the one hand, it's a seriously creepy thriller, one that will really stick with you because it's so disturbing, but it also has a great deal of humor mainly coming from Sam Rockwell as the care-free and irresponsible stock broker father of this terrible tyke, and drama from the way that Joshua's machinations and mind games start to tear his family apart. If you thought that "The Omen" was the be-all-end-all in the creepy kid thriller, then you're in for a surprise with this tasty flick from George Ratliff, whose last movie was the documentary "Hell House" about Evangelical haunted mansions. It's definitely a creepy and scary film, but it doesn't rely on blood or gore to work so effectively, and it seems like it might be the kind of thing that young mothers might appreciate because it seems to understand the stress that comes from new motherhood… either that or they'll hate it because it hits too close to home. Either way, if you're into '70s horror thrillers like "Rosemary's Baby" or "The Omen" but not into those movie's supernatural angle, then this movie might be a good choice for the 4th of July weekend when it opens in New York and L.A. on Friday.

Today we see one of the most anticipated movies of the summer opening across the nation, one that should be another huge blockbuster for Michael Bay (you can probably figure out what I'm talking about from the title). Despite all the pervasive buzz and hype for the movie, a power struggle of sorts between the filmmakers has been going on behind the scenes that spilled out onto the internet and the media in the last few weeks. As someone who doesn't know any of the players personally, I'm trying hard not to take sides on this, but I've been discussing this pretty heavily with some of my esteemed colleagues. Everyone seems to be taking sides on who's right and who is telling the truth, often depending on their own personal allegiances or biases.

The main players in this debate are director Michael Bay and three of the movie's five main producers: Lorenzo di Bonaventura, Tom DeSanto and Don Murphy, all of whom are seemingly taking premature credit for the success of the movie and/or fingerpointing about who did or didn't do things to help make it happen. Sadly, a lot of this has come from the internet due to the access being given to those involved in making the movie, so as soon as one producer says something in the media, another one is ready to dispute or refute their claims.

Autobots, transform and roll out! Michael Bay's Transformers have hit the big screen worldwide and it's time to hear your verdict! If you've seen the film, let us and other moviegoers know what you thought by posting your comments below!

The ComingSoon.net Box Office Report has been updated with studio estimates for the weekend. Be sure to check back on Monday for final figures based on actual box office.

Disney and Pixar Animation's 8th collaboration Ratatouille opened a bit softer than their previous films with $47.2 million, their lowest opening since A Bug's Life in 1998. After taking in $15 million on Wednesday and Thursday, 20th Century Fox's action sequel Live Free or Die Hard was able to capitalize on positive word-of-mouth to do more than twice that amount over the three day weekend, earning an estimated $33.1 million for 2nd place, and coming out a million dollars ahead of the Pixar movie with a total of $48.2 million after five days.