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Your Weekly Guide to New Movies for
December 1, 2006
By Edward Douglas -
Greetings and welcome back to the Weekend Warrior,
your weekly guide to the weekend's new movies. Tune in every Tuesday
for the latest look at the upcoming weekend, and then check back on
Friday for final projections based on actual theatre counts. (This
week, there should be a minor update on Wednesday morning.)
(If
you have anything to say about anything written in this column, feedback
and Email is always welcome,
and almost always responded to.)
THE WEEKEND PREDICTIONS: (final update 11.30.06)
The weekend after Thanksgiving is rarely a good time to release a new movie, since most people get movied-out after the long holiday weekend. Regardless, New Line is taking a chance with their religious epic The Nativity Story, starring Whale Rider’s Keisha Castle-Hughes, knowing that a film about the birth of Jesus should go over well during the holiday season. It’ll have some tough competition for the top spot from Warner Bros’ tap-dancing powerhouse Happy Feet, which should take a post-Thanksgiving hit but should still hold up better than the weaker holiday-themed family movies. The male-driven action movies Casino Royale and Déjà Vu should also continue to bring in business without much concern for the other two new movies: Turistas, a horror-thriller from the new Fox Atomic, and the comedy sequel Van Wilder: The Rise of Taj from the newly-revived MGM. Neither looks particularly appealing, though the latter is likely to win because even an unwanted sequel is likely to bring in more business than another horror movie about vacationers being tortured. (Then again, most moviegoing audiences will likely avoid the torture of both movies and go see one of the returning movies if they really need to be entertained.) Also this weekend, look for sneaks of Edward Zwick’s Blood Diamond and Nancy Meyer’s The Holiday on Saturday night.
Last year, only one new movie opening in wide release was Paramount and MTV Film’s live action Æon Flux, starring Charlize Theron, which grossed $12.7 million its opening weekend, not enough to dethrone Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire which remained on top with nearly $20 million. The top 10 ended up with $73 million, which should be easy to best due to the stronger fare still in theatres.
THE CHOSEN ONE:
THE ARCHITECT (Magnolia
Pictures)
Starring Anthony LaPaglia, Viola Davis, Isabella Rossellini, Hayden Panettiere, Sebastian Stan, Walton Goggins, Paul James
Directed by Matt Tauber (debut) with David Greig
Genre: Drama
Rated R
Plot Summary: Leo Waters (Anthony LaPaglia) is the architect who designed the Eden Court housing facility in Chicago’s South side, a place that’s so dangerous that Tonya Neely (Viola Davis) wants them torn down after the death of her son. Meanwhile, Leo’s family, including his neglected wife (Isabella Rossellini), teen daughter Christina (Hayden Panetierre) and son Martin (Sebastian Stan) are all having their own personal crises, which threatens to tear Leo’s family apart.
Of Note: Magnolia Pictures’ third film of 2006 to be released using their Day-and-Date method, getting a limited theatrical release and airing on the HDNet channel before being released on DVD five days later. (The first of these releases was Steven Soderbergh’s Bubble.)
Comparisons: Magnolia, 9 Lives, The Guys, Freedomland, TV family dramas like “7th Heaven” and “Party of Five”
Every once in a while, a movie comes along that surprises you by how much you enjoy it. Matt Tauber’s The Architect is by no means a flashy or exciting movie. It’s a talking heads character piece with many emotional moments that probably would have worked better as a play, but it’s a decent debut from Tauber, who produced Danny Leiner’s The Great New Wonderful earlier this year. It’s well-written with a cast made-up of veterans like Anthony LaPaglia and Isabella Rosselini, joined by talented newcomers like Sebastian Stan and Paul James. But really, it’s the performances by Viola Davis as the mother living in the projects who lost her son and Hayden Panettiere, whose talents as a dramatic actress have suddenly been “discovered” from her role as Claire on the television show “Heroes,” that make this film special. Davis was pretty amazing in Oliver Stone’s World Trade Center, even though she was on screen for only a minute, but Panettiere’s character has the most interesting and heartbreaking arc as a 15-year-old girl trying to grow up under the oppressive eyes of her parents. Walton Goggins plays an older truck driver who gives her a ride home and has to resist the temptations of her budding sexuality. If you’re not into talking heads dramas or stageplays, this movie might not be for you, but if you’re interested in the dynamics between people from different backgrounds and a family trying to stay together under the pressures of adversity, this film offers some great drama.
The Architect opens in New York and L.A. on Friday (probably at the Landmark Cinemas) and it will also air on the HDNet Channel before its DVD release on Tuesday, December 5. (If you buy tickets to see the film at movietickets.com, you can even download a bunch of extras, including a deleted scene.)
THE NATIVITY STORY (New
Line)
Starring Keisha Castle-Hughes, Oscar Isaac, Hiam Abbass, Shaun Toub, Alexander Siddig, Said Amadis, Ciaran Hinds, Shohreh Aghdashloo
Directed by Catherine Hardwicke (Thirteen, The Lords of Dogtown); Written by Mike Rich (The Rookie, Radio)
Genre: Drama, Religion
Rated PG
Tagline: “One Couple. One Journey. One Child...who would change the world...forever.”
Plot Summary: In a small village outside Jerusalem, a teen girl named Mary (Keisha Castle-Hughes), shortly after marrying an older man named Joseph (Oscar Isaac), is visited by the angel Gabriel (Alexander Siddig) who declares that she is a vessel for God. It takes a bit of explaining to her family when she comes home pregnant despite not having slept with her new husband, but they travel together to Bethlehem to give birth to the child, while the despotic King Herod (Ciaran Hinds) takes action to keep the coming “messiah” from usurping his reign.
Of Note: Catherine Hardwicke, director of Thirteen and The Lord of Dogtown, tries her hand at a biblical epic, telling the “greatest story ever told,” that of the birth of Jesus, which has become a staple of Sunday school theatre productions.
Pros: The best thing going for this biblical epic is that it’s based on a well-known and much loved story, essentially the story of Christmas, and it’s being released at the height of the holiday season. Except for Mel Gibson’s R-rated The Passion of The Christ, there really haven’t been many traditional biblical epics in recent years despite being fairly common in the ‘50s with Cecil B. Demille’s classic The Ten Commandments (which is regularly shown on television) and with ‘70s musicals like Godspell and Jesus Christ Superstar. This new film based on the birth of Jesus is being targeted specifically towards the Bible Belt and evangelical Christians, as well as devout Catholics with a highly-publicized screening for the Vatican. This religious audience helped turn Mel Gibson’s epic into one of the highest grossing films of 2004, and in recent months, we’ve seen many movies geared towards these audiences doing big business from A Night with the King, the story of Queen Esther, to Facing the Giants, a spiritual football drama, which has made over $8 million in limited release with almost no traditional advertising. Expect New Line to push group sales to church groups and bible study classes, starting with over 100 church-sponsored preview screenings on Monday night, which will build word-of-mouth for the weekend.
Director Catherine Harwicke assembled a great cast to tell this tale, including Keisha Castle-Hughes, appearing as Mary in only her second movie since her Oscar nomination for Whale Rider. She’s joined by another Oscar-nominated actress, Iran’s Shohreh Aghdashloo (House of Sand and Fog), and the aptly named newcomer Oscar Isaac as Joseph, while Syriana’s Alexander Siddig plays the angel Gabriel.
Wisely, the movie has a PG rating, which means that parents can bring their kids to share with them the story of Jesus, although the movie might be limited to older adults, kids and teens in church groups and few others. New Line is giving The Nativity Story an ultra-wide release into over 2,800 theatres, knowing that there will be a big audience of devout religious folk wanting to see it, and it’s likely to do better in the Heartland and Bible Belt rather than big cities. There’s a bit of added curiosity in the film after the actor playing the Virgin Mary, Keisha Castle-Hughes, got pregnant from her boyfriend at the age of 16.
Cons:
The movie might have trouble getting interest beyond the religious as there’s no real starpower, even in Keisha Castle-Hughes, who’s one big movie came out over three years ago. Does anyone even remember who she is at this point?
So far, The Nativity Story doesn’t have the questionable benefits of controversy, like the one that surrounded Mel Gibson’s The Passion of The Christ, which drove many people to see the movie. The only controversy is that the Pope is boycotting the Vatican screening due to Keisha Castle-Hughes’ pre-marital pregnancy, and that could actually hurt more than help if his Catholic followers agree that the actress playing the Virgin Mary shouldn’t be a teen mother herself.
Although the devout will certainly be interested in the movie, will it be of interest to regular moviegoers, particularly the fans of Catherine Hardwicke’s previous movies? Those who’ve seen them (and that’s not that many) might not have very much faith in her abilities as a director to pull off something so epic, and that goes double for the critics, who will probably be mixed on the movie at best.
This being the weekend after Thanksgiving, movie theatres probably won’t be very full, which means this movie will probably be making more of its money as it gets closer to Christmas.
Comparisons:
Why I Should See It: Hardwicke has done a great job bringing this story to the screen in an enlightening way.
Why Not: I kind of preferred The Omen remake, but maybe that’s just me.
Projections: $17 to 19 million opening weekend; $65 million total.
NATIONAL LAMPOON’S VAN WILDER:
THE RISE OF TAJ (MGM)
Starring Kal Penn, Lauren Cohan, Daniel Percival, Glen Barry, Anthony Cozens, Tom Davey, Holly Davidson, William de Coverly, Shobu Kapoor, Ashley Rae, Steven Rathman, Amy Steel, Beth Steel
Directed by Mort Nathan (Boat Trip); Written by David Drew Gallagher (debut)
Genre: Comedy
Rated R
Tagline: “The Legend is Growing.”
Plot Summary: Van Wilder’s assistant Taj Mahal Badalanddabad (Kal Penn) goes off on his own, winding up at England’s Camden University, where he continues to pass on Van Wilder’s teachings to an eager group of misfits.
Of Note: National Lampoon returns to one of their few 21st Century successes with a sequel to Van Wilder, this time focusing on Kal Penn’s sidekick character Taj, as he continues Van Wilder’s teachings.
Pros: National Lampoon’s Van Wilder wasn’t a huge hit, nor was it considered one of the most memorable comedies of the last five years, but it did introduce many people to actors Ryan Reynolds and Kal Penn. Four and a half years later, MGM is releasing an independently produced sequel, and while Ryan Reynold’s title character is gone, Kal Penn is back, having gained a few more fans among the college crowd due to 2004’s Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle, which is getting a sequel next year. Penn is also being taken more seriously as an actor lately, having played Lex Luthor’s henchman in the recent Superman Returns and having a starring role in Mira Nair’s upcoming drama The Namesake. The movie’s sequel factor is its biggest selling point, since Van Wilder has found a bit of a cult status among the college crowd thanks to cable and DVD—the original movie is likely to be re-released on DVD to coincide with the sequel—and the ads do a good job to sell the movie as if it’s in the vein of American Pie or Not Another Teen Movie.
Cons:
How can you make a Van Wilder movie without Ryan Reynolds, let alone without any of the original writers or director? It’s obvious that someone is trying to capitalize on the name for this sequel without having the same elements that made the original what it was, and it’s not like anyone really wanted a sequel anyway. It certainly won’t do much to save the career of director Mort Nathan, who was nominated for a Razzie after directing the 2003 comedy bomb Boat Trip. The National Lampoon name just doesn’t mean the same thing that it did 20 to 30 years ago though the name is still being tagged onto a few independent releases in hopes of getting interest among the college crowd where the term “National Lampoon” carries far less weight than it used to. The last National Lampoon movie in wide release was 2004’s Gold Diggers, which holds the record for the lowest per-theatre average for a wide release, though that movie didn’t have the backing or advertising dollars of a studio like MGM. Collegiate comedies aren’t exactly the rage as seen by the disappointing showing for Accepted, nor are R-rated comedies as seen by the lack of success for Let’s Go to Prison and last week’s Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny.
Comparisons:
Why I Should See It: See Kal Penn continue his rise as a superstar among the college crowd.
Why Not: Why on earth would you make a Van Wilder sequel without Ryan Reynolds?
Projections: $5 to 7 million opening; $18 million total.
TURISTAS (Fox
Atomic)
Starring Josh Duhamel, Melissa George, Olivia Wilde, Desmond Askew, Beau Garrett, Max Brown, Raul Guterres, Andréa Leal
Directed by John Stockwell (Into the Blue, Blue Crush, Cheaters); Written by Michael Ross (editor of Wrong Turn and 2,000 Maniacs—I’m not making this up)
Genre: Horror, Thriller
Rated R
Tagline: “Go Home.” (How is anyone going to see this movie then?)
Plot Summary: A group of (Hot!) young backpackers end up stranded on a Brazilian beach after a boat accident,
Of Note: The editor of Wrong Turn and an ocean-obsessed director (i.e. John Stockwell) team for the latest “vacationers get captured and tortured by the natives” horror film, which is also the first release by the new Fox Atomic imprint.
REVIEW
Pros: 2003 was a great year for the horror genre, as it was given a nice kick in the pants with a number of high profile releases, culminating in the remake of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, which was a huge hit. Though the genre sees signs of wear, it was given a fresh twist earlier this year with the release of Eli Roth’s Hostel, followed by a remake of Wes Craven’s The Hills Have Eyes. Turistas is trying to sell itself as a South American Hostel, and though many horror movies have tried to bring in a teen audience by getting a PG-13 rating, Turistas is going for the older teens, college-age crowd with an R-rating and the promise of nudity and gore. Director John Stockwell’s last movie Into the Blue certainly offered a bit of skin in the form of Jessica Alba in a bikini, so one can hope that Turista will offer more of the same. Being the debut of the new Fox Atomic imprint, there’s a lot riding on this movie to kick it off.
Cons: Horror movies usually don’t need star power to do well, but it doesn’t hurt. Turistas stars Josh Duhamel of the TV show “Vegas” and Melissa George, who appeared on “Alias,” though as we’ve seen way too many times, being popular on a television show is different than bringing that audience into theatres (see last year’s The Fog or this year’s Pulse remake as proof). Josh Duhamel’s only other film was the 2004 flop Win a Date with Tad Hamilton! and George had a small part in last year’s thriller Derailed. Director John Stockwell’s last thriller Into the Blue had more star power (including Jessica Alba), yet it only made $7 million probably in more theatres than Turistas is getting. Fox Atomic is a brand new imprint geared towards the 15 to 25 year-old demographic, but it just doesn’t carry the weight of its older brother Fox Searchlight just yet. So far, they’re mainly using internet campaigns, like on MySpace, to try to get awareness of the movie out there, which means that this movie will miss the mark with the over-30 crowd. Due to the current lack of interest, Fox Atomic is only releasing Turistas into 1,500 theatres a la Wrong Turn. The ads make it look like another Hostel or Wolf Creek, but Turistas doesn’t have the built-in internet buzz among horror fans those movies had before opening in the States, nor does Fox Atomic have the experience marketing horror films as Lionsgate and Dimension Films. (Even the French horror film High Tension bombed despite having advance buzz among horror fans.)
Comparisons:
Why I Should See It: The chance of seeing some skin from Melissa George or Beau Garrett, and hopefully not see them being slaughtered afterwards.
Why Not: You know you’re in trouble when you have a movie written by “the editor of Wrong Turn” which proves that EVERYONE in Hollywood has a script.
Projections: $3 to 5 million opening; less than $12 million total.
OTHER LIMITED RELEASES:
10 ITEMS OR LESS (THINKFilm) Morgan Freeman and Paz Vega star in a new indie comedy from Brad Silberling (Moonlight Mile, Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events) as a movie star and a checkout clerk who spend the afternoon together, while he does research for his first movie in many years. It opens in New York on Friday and will be available to watch on Clickstar on December 15.
Mini-Review: There are a few cute and clever moments in this talking heads comedy, mostly from the bits that make you wonder whether Morgan Freeman is just playing himself as he plays a well-known actor interacting with regular people. Otherwise, it’s kind of dull as it spends a lot of time watching the two actors sitting in a car chatting about nothing in particular, with much of it seeming at least partially improvised. Freeman is generally enjoyable throughout, but Vega barely gets through her English lines, showing that she’s clearly over her head in the role. You might enjoy it for the humor in Freeman playing this kind of role, though it’s mostly slow, often silly and sometimes plain embarrassing. Rating: 5/10
3 NEEDLES (Wolfe Releasing) Opening on World AIDS Day in New York, L.A. and other select cities, Thom Fitzgerald’s dramatic tryptich about three communities affected by AIDS in China, Montreal and Africa. It stars Lucy Liu as a Chinese woman running an illegal blood program, Shawn Ashmore as an HIV-infected porn star who spreads the disease and Chloe Sevigny, Olympia Dukakis and Sandra Oh as nuns working at a mission in Africa where the disease has called much sorrow. Mini-Review: There are many great ideas and solid performances in Thom Fitzgerald’s ambitious global drama, but it’s often dreary and disturbing in its refusal to pull any punches when it comes to the spread of HIV. Because of this, some of the people who might learn something from the movie’s message of how dangerous and wide-spread the disease is may be turned off by the harshness with which Fitzgerald chooses to get that message across. That said, the movie certainly has its heart in the right place, though it seems somewhat misguided due to the erratic nature of the three stories. The opening segment set in China is the strongest of the three, like something that might have been made by one of the Chinese masters, while giving Lucy Liu the chance to branch into more dramatic territory. Stockard Channing gives a convincing performance as the mother of an infected male porn star who tries to get the disease herself in the second piece, but the African segment is far too grim as Chloe Sevigny’s nun gets dragged deeper and deeper into bad situations as she tries to help the locals fight off the disease. Knowing that she’s likely to be pricked by a dirty needle or raped by a native makes that film far more pessimistic than positive. Otherwise, it’s not always clear what these stories are trying to say, because there’s nothing to tie them together or to offer information on the prevention of getting or spreading HIV. Rating: 6/10
CHRISTMAS AT MAXWELL’S (Aloha Releasing) William C. Laufer’s poignant spiritual tale about a family trying to get through the holidays despite one of them having a terminal illness by going to a lake house to share their last Christmas together.
FOUR EYED MONSTERS (withoutabox) An alternative romantic comedy about a wannabe filmmaker and an art school graduate (played by filmmakers Arin Crumley and Susan Buice, a filmmaker and art school graduate, respectively) who are too shy to meet face to face. Does art imitate life or is it a bizarre indie filmmaking experiment?
HIGHWAY COURTESANS Mystell Brabbé’s documentary about the custom in India of the oldest daughter going into prostitution to support her family plays for one week at the Quad Cinemas in New York.
TWO WEEKS (MGM) - Steven Stockman’s dramedy about four siblings, including Ben Chaplin and Julianne Nicholson, who travel to visit their dying mother only to end up trapped there for two weeks. (Could be a depressing double feature to do with Christmas at Maxwell’s) It opens at the Century City in L.A., presumably for an Oscar consideration run.
Next week, it’s the battle of the epics as Mel Gibson’s Apocalypto takes on Edward Zwick’s South African action-drama Blood Diamond, starring Leonardo DiCaprio. Also, Nancy Meyer’s latest romantic comedy The Holiday with Kate Winslet and Cameron Diaz tries to get the women in, while Paul Feig’s Unaccompanied Minors tries to bring in the kids and families.
Copyright 2006 Edward Douglas
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THE WEEKEND PREDICTIONS: (final update 11.30.06)
|
TW |
LW |
Title |
Weekend (in millions) |
Change |
# Of Theaters |
Average |
Week |
|
1 |
New |
$18.0 |
N/A |
3,183 |
$5,655 |
1 |
|
|
2 |
1 |
Happy Feet |
$17.3 |
-54% |
3,804 |
$4,548 |
3 |
|
3 |
2 |
Casino Royale |
$15.7 |
-49% |
3,386 |
$4,637 |
3 |
|
4 |
3 |
Déjà Vu |
$9.9 |
-52% |
3,108 |
$3,185 |
2 |
|
5 |
New |
$5.8 |
N/A |
1,979 |
$2,931 |
1 |
|
|
6 |
5 |
Borat |
$5.3 |
-48% |
2,350 |
$2,255 |
5 |
|
7 |
4 |
Deck the Halls |
$5.2 |
-57% |
3,205 |
$1,753 |
2 |
|
8 |
New |
$4.9 |
N/A |
1,570 |
$3,121 |
1 |
|
|
9 |
6 |
The Santa Clause 3 |
$4.1 |
-59% |
2,617 |
$1,567 |
5 |
|
10 |
7 |
Stranger Than Fiction |
$3.0 |
-45% |
1,804 |
$1,662 |
3 |
|
Est. Weekend Total |
Est. Avg. Drop-Off |
Est. Average PTA |
The weekend after Thanksgiving is rarely a good time to release a new movie, since most people get movied-out after the long holiday weekend. Regardless, New Line is taking a chance with their religious epic The Nativity Story, starring Whale Rider’s Keisha Castle-Hughes, knowing that a film about the birth of Jesus should go over well during the holiday season. It’ll have some tough competition for the top spot from Warner Bros’ tap-dancing powerhouse Happy Feet, which should take a post-Thanksgiving hit but should still hold up better than the weaker holiday-themed family movies. The male-driven action movies Casino Royale and Déjà Vu should also continue to bring in business without much concern for the other two new movies: Turistas, a horror-thriller from the new Fox Atomic, and the comedy sequel Van Wilder: The Rise of Taj from the newly-revived MGM. Neither looks particularly appealing, though the latter is likely to win because even an unwanted sequel is likely to bring in more business than another horror movie about vacationers being tortured. (Then again, most moviegoing audiences will likely avoid the torture of both movies and go see one of the returning movies if they really need to be entertained.) Also this weekend, look for sneaks of Edward Zwick’s Blood Diamond and Nancy Meyer’s The Holiday on Saturday night.
Last year, only one new movie opening in wide release was Paramount and MTV Film’s live action Æon Flux, starring Charlize Theron, which grossed $12.7 million its opening weekend, not enough to dethrone Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire which remained on top with nearly $20 million. The top 10 ended up with $73 million, which should be easy to best due to the stronger fare still in theatres.
THE CHOSEN ONE:
THE ARCHITECT (Magnolia
Pictures)Starring Anthony LaPaglia, Viola Davis, Isabella Rossellini, Hayden Panettiere, Sebastian Stan, Walton Goggins, Paul James
Directed by Matt Tauber (debut) with David Greig
Genre: Drama
Rated R
Plot Summary: Leo Waters (Anthony LaPaglia) is the architect who designed the Eden Court housing facility in Chicago’s South side, a place that’s so dangerous that Tonya Neely (Viola Davis) wants them torn down after the death of her son. Meanwhile, Leo’s family, including his neglected wife (Isabella Rossellini), teen daughter Christina (Hayden Panetierre) and son Martin (Sebastian Stan) are all having their own personal crises, which threatens to tear Leo’s family apart.
Of Note: Magnolia Pictures’ third film of 2006 to be released using their Day-and-Date method, getting a limited theatrical release and airing on the HDNet channel before being released on DVD five days later. (The first of these releases was Steven Soderbergh’s Bubble.)
Comparisons: Magnolia, 9 Lives, The Guys, Freedomland, TV family dramas like “7th Heaven” and “Party of Five”
Every once in a while, a movie comes along that surprises you by how much you enjoy it. Matt Tauber’s The Architect is by no means a flashy or exciting movie. It’s a talking heads character piece with many emotional moments that probably would have worked better as a play, but it’s a decent debut from Tauber, who produced Danny Leiner’s The Great New Wonderful earlier this year. It’s well-written with a cast made-up of veterans like Anthony LaPaglia and Isabella Rosselini, joined by talented newcomers like Sebastian Stan and Paul James. But really, it’s the performances by Viola Davis as the mother living in the projects who lost her son and Hayden Panettiere, whose talents as a dramatic actress have suddenly been “discovered” from her role as Claire on the television show “Heroes,” that make this film special. Davis was pretty amazing in Oliver Stone’s World Trade Center, even though she was on screen for only a minute, but Panettiere’s character has the most interesting and heartbreaking arc as a 15-year-old girl trying to grow up under the oppressive eyes of her parents. Walton Goggins plays an older truck driver who gives her a ride home and has to resist the temptations of her budding sexuality. If you’re not into talking heads dramas or stageplays, this movie might not be for you, but if you’re interested in the dynamics between people from different backgrounds and a family trying to stay together under the pressures of adversity, this film offers some great drama.
The Architect opens in New York and L.A. on Friday (probably at the Landmark Cinemas) and it will also air on the HDNet Channel before its DVD release on Tuesday, December 5. (If you buy tickets to see the film at movietickets.com, you can even download a bunch of extras, including a deleted scene.)
THE NATIVITY STORY (New
Line)Starring Keisha Castle-Hughes, Oscar Isaac, Hiam Abbass, Shaun Toub, Alexander Siddig, Said Amadis, Ciaran Hinds, Shohreh Aghdashloo
Directed by Catherine Hardwicke (Thirteen, The Lords of Dogtown); Written by Mike Rich (The Rookie, Radio)
Genre: Drama, Religion
Rated PG
Tagline: “One Couple. One Journey. One Child...who would change the world...forever.”
Plot Summary: In a small village outside Jerusalem, a teen girl named Mary (Keisha Castle-Hughes), shortly after marrying an older man named Joseph (Oscar Isaac), is visited by the angel Gabriel (Alexander Siddig) who declares that she is a vessel for God. It takes a bit of explaining to her family when she comes home pregnant despite not having slept with her new husband, but they travel together to Bethlehem to give birth to the child, while the despotic King Herod (Ciaran Hinds) takes action to keep the coming “messiah” from usurping his reign.
Of Note: Catherine Hardwicke, director of Thirteen and The Lord of Dogtown, tries her hand at a biblical epic, telling the “greatest story ever told,” that of the birth of Jesus, which has become a staple of Sunday school theatre productions.
Pros: The best thing going for this biblical epic is that it’s based on a well-known and much loved story, essentially the story of Christmas, and it’s being released at the height of the holiday season. Except for Mel Gibson’s R-rated The Passion of The Christ, there really haven’t been many traditional biblical epics in recent years despite being fairly common in the ‘50s with Cecil B. Demille’s classic The Ten Commandments (which is regularly shown on television) and with ‘70s musicals like Godspell and Jesus Christ Superstar. This new film based on the birth of Jesus is being targeted specifically towards the Bible Belt and evangelical Christians, as well as devout Catholics with a highly-publicized screening for the Vatican. This religious audience helped turn Mel Gibson’s epic into one of the highest grossing films of 2004, and in recent months, we’ve seen many movies geared towards these audiences doing big business from A Night with the King, the story of Queen Esther, to Facing the Giants, a spiritual football drama, which has made over $8 million in limited release with almost no traditional advertising. Expect New Line to push group sales to church groups and bible study classes, starting with over 100 church-sponsored preview screenings on Monday night, which will build word-of-mouth for the weekend.
Director Catherine Harwicke assembled a great cast to tell this tale, including Keisha Castle-Hughes, appearing as Mary in only her second movie since her Oscar nomination for Whale Rider. She’s joined by another Oscar-nominated actress, Iran’s Shohreh Aghdashloo (House of Sand and Fog), and the aptly named newcomer Oscar Isaac as Joseph, while Syriana’s Alexander Siddig plays the angel Gabriel.
Wisely, the movie has a PG rating, which means that parents can bring their kids to share with them the story of Jesus, although the movie might be limited to older adults, kids and teens in church groups and few others. New Line is giving The Nativity Story an ultra-wide release into over 2,800 theatres, knowing that there will be a big audience of devout religious folk wanting to see it, and it’s likely to do better in the Heartland and Bible Belt rather than big cities. There’s a bit of added curiosity in the film after the actor playing the Virgin Mary, Keisha Castle-Hughes, got pregnant from her boyfriend at the age of 16.
Cons:
The movie might have trouble getting interest beyond the religious as there’s no real starpower, even in Keisha Castle-Hughes, who’s one big movie came out over three years ago. Does anyone even remember who she is at this point?
So far, The Nativity Story doesn’t have the questionable benefits of controversy, like the one that surrounded Mel Gibson’s The Passion of The Christ, which drove many people to see the movie. The only controversy is that the Pope is boycotting the Vatican screening due to Keisha Castle-Hughes’ pre-marital pregnancy, and that could actually hurt more than help if his Catholic followers agree that the actress playing the Virgin Mary shouldn’t be a teen mother herself.
Although the devout will certainly be interested in the movie, will it be of interest to regular moviegoers, particularly the fans of Catherine Hardwicke’s previous movies? Those who’ve seen them (and that’s not that many) might not have very much faith in her abilities as a director to pull off something so epic, and that goes double for the critics, who will probably be mixed on the movie at best.
This being the weekend after Thanksgiving, movie theatres probably won’t be very full, which means this movie will probably be making more of its money as it gets closer to Christmas.
Comparisons:
|
Title |
Release Date |
Theater Count |
Previous Box Office (in millions) |
Weekend Box Office (in millions) |
Average |
Total Box Office |
|
The Passion of The Christ |
2/27/04 |
3,043 |
$41.34 |
$83.85 |
$27,554 |
$370.27 |
|
Lords of Dogtown |
6/3/05 |
1,865 |
$5.62 |
$3,015 |
$11.01 |
|
|
Whale Rider |
6/6/03 |
442 |
$6.39 |
$1.36 |
$3,069 |
$20.78 |
|
Facing the Giants |
9/29/06 |
441 |
$1.34 |
$3,047 |
$8.86 |
|
|
One Night with the King |
10/13/06 |
909 |
$4.11 |
$4,518 |
$13.13 |
|
|
Jonah: A VeggieTales Movie |
10/4/02 |
940 |
$6.20 |
$6,597 |
$25.57 |
|
|
Left Behind |
2/2/01 |
867 |
$2.16 |
$2,490 |
$4.11 |
|
|
The Omega Code |
10/15/99 |
304 |
$2.35 |
$7,730 |
$12.46 |
Why I Should See It: Hardwicke has done a great job bringing this story to the screen in an enlightening way.
Why Not: I kind of preferred The Omen remake, but maybe that’s just me.
Projections: $17 to 19 million opening weekend; $65 million total.
NATIONAL LAMPOON’S VAN WILDER:
THE RISE OF TAJ (MGM)Starring Kal Penn, Lauren Cohan, Daniel Percival, Glen Barry, Anthony Cozens, Tom Davey, Holly Davidson, William de Coverly, Shobu Kapoor, Ashley Rae, Steven Rathman, Amy Steel, Beth Steel
Directed by Mort Nathan (Boat Trip); Written by David Drew Gallagher (debut)
Genre: Comedy
Rated R
Tagline: “The Legend is Growing.”
Plot Summary: Van Wilder’s assistant Taj Mahal Badalanddabad (Kal Penn) goes off on his own, winding up at England’s Camden University, where he continues to pass on Van Wilder’s teachings to an eager group of misfits.
Of Note: National Lampoon returns to one of their few 21st Century successes with a sequel to Van Wilder, this time focusing on Kal Penn’s sidekick character Taj, as he continues Van Wilder’s teachings.
Pros: National Lampoon’s Van Wilder wasn’t a huge hit, nor was it considered one of the most memorable comedies of the last five years, but it did introduce many people to actors Ryan Reynolds and Kal Penn. Four and a half years later, MGM is releasing an independently produced sequel, and while Ryan Reynold’s title character is gone, Kal Penn is back, having gained a few more fans among the college crowd due to 2004’s Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle, which is getting a sequel next year. Penn is also being taken more seriously as an actor lately, having played Lex Luthor’s henchman in the recent Superman Returns and having a starring role in Mira Nair’s upcoming drama The Namesake. The movie’s sequel factor is its biggest selling point, since Van Wilder has found a bit of a cult status among the college crowd thanks to cable and DVD—the original movie is likely to be re-released on DVD to coincide with the sequel—and the ads do a good job to sell the movie as if it’s in the vein of American Pie or Not Another Teen Movie.
Cons:
How can you make a Van Wilder movie without Ryan Reynolds, let alone without any of the original writers or director? It’s obvious that someone is trying to capitalize on the name for this sequel without having the same elements that made the original what it was, and it’s not like anyone really wanted a sequel anyway. It certainly won’t do much to save the career of director Mort Nathan, who was nominated for a Razzie after directing the 2003 comedy bomb Boat Trip. The National Lampoon name just doesn’t mean the same thing that it did 20 to 30 years ago though the name is still being tagged onto a few independent releases in hopes of getting interest among the college crowd where the term “National Lampoon” carries far less weight than it used to. The last National Lampoon movie in wide release was 2004’s Gold Diggers, which holds the record for the lowest per-theatre average for a wide release, though that movie didn’t have the backing or advertising dollars of a studio like MGM. Collegiate comedies aren’t exactly the rage as seen by the disappointing showing for Accepted, nor are R-rated comedies as seen by the lack of success for Let’s Go to Prison and last week’s Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny.
Comparisons:
|
Title |
Release Date |
Theater Count |
Weekend Box Office (in millions) |
Average |
Total Box Office |
|
National Lampoon's Van Wilder |
4/5/02 |
2,022 |
$7.30 |
$3,612 |
$21.01 |
|
Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle |
7/30/04 |
2,135 |
$5.48 |
$2,567 |
$18.23 |
|
Malibu's Most Wanted |
4/18/03 |
2,503 |
$12.62 |
$5,041 |
$34.31 |
|
Beerfest |
8/25/06 |
2,964 |
$7.03 |
$2,372 |
$19.18 |
|
Accepted |
8/18/06 |
2,914 |
$10.02 |
$3,440 |
$36.30 |
|
Boat Trip |
3/21/03 |
1,714 |
$3.82 |
$2,226 |
$8.59 |
|
National Lampoon's Barely Legal |
10/21/05 |
20 |
$0.02 |
$788 |
$0.02 |
|
National Lampoon's Gold Diggers |
9/17/04 |
1,062 |
$0.39 |
$369 |
$0.39 |
|
National Lampoon's Senior Trip |
9/8/95 |
1,397 |
$2.18 |
$1,560 |
$4.69 |
Why I Should See It: See Kal Penn continue his rise as a superstar among the college crowd.
Why Not: Why on earth would you make a Van Wilder sequel without Ryan Reynolds?
Projections: $5 to 7 million opening; $18 million total.
TURISTAS (Fox
Atomic)Starring Josh Duhamel, Melissa George, Olivia Wilde, Desmond Askew, Beau Garrett, Max Brown, Raul Guterres, Andréa Leal
Directed by John Stockwell (Into the Blue, Blue Crush, Cheaters); Written by Michael Ross (editor of Wrong Turn and 2,000 Maniacs—I’m not making this up)
Genre: Horror, Thriller
Rated R
Tagline: “Go Home.” (How is anyone going to see this movie then?)
Plot Summary: A group of (Hot!) young backpackers end up stranded on a Brazilian beach after a boat accident,
Of Note: The editor of Wrong Turn and an ocean-obsessed director (i.e. John Stockwell) team for the latest “vacationers get captured and tortured by the natives” horror film, which is also the first release by the new Fox Atomic imprint.
REVIEW
Pros: 2003 was a great year for the horror genre, as it was given a nice kick in the pants with a number of high profile releases, culminating in the remake of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, which was a huge hit. Though the genre sees signs of wear, it was given a fresh twist earlier this year with the release of Eli Roth’s Hostel, followed by a remake of Wes Craven’s The Hills Have Eyes. Turistas is trying to sell itself as a South American Hostel, and though many horror movies have tried to bring in a teen audience by getting a PG-13 rating, Turistas is going for the older teens, college-age crowd with an R-rating and the promise of nudity and gore. Director John Stockwell’s last movie Into the Blue certainly offered a bit of skin in the form of Jessica Alba in a bikini, so one can hope that Turista will offer more of the same. Being the debut of the new Fox Atomic imprint, there’s a lot riding on this movie to kick it off.
Cons: Horror movies usually don’t need star power to do well, but it doesn’t hurt. Turistas stars Josh Duhamel of the TV show “Vegas” and Melissa George, who appeared on “Alias,” though as we’ve seen way too many times, being popular on a television show is different than bringing that audience into theatres (see last year’s The Fog or this year’s Pulse remake as proof). Josh Duhamel’s only other film was the 2004 flop Win a Date with Tad Hamilton! and George had a small part in last year’s thriller Derailed. Director John Stockwell’s last thriller Into the Blue had more star power (including Jessica Alba), yet it only made $7 million probably in more theatres than Turistas is getting. Fox Atomic is a brand new imprint geared towards the 15 to 25 year-old demographic, but it just doesn’t carry the weight of its older brother Fox Searchlight just yet. So far, they’re mainly using internet campaigns, like on MySpace, to try to get awareness of the movie out there, which means that this movie will miss the mark with the over-30 crowd. Due to the current lack of interest, Fox Atomic is only releasing Turistas into 1,500 theatres a la Wrong Turn. The ads make it look like another Hostel or Wolf Creek, but Turistas doesn’t have the built-in internet buzz among horror fans those movies had before opening in the States, nor does Fox Atomic have the experience marketing horror films as Lionsgate and Dimension Films. (Even the French horror film High Tension bombed despite having advance buzz among horror fans.)
Comparisons:
|
Title |
Release Date |
Theater Count |
Weekend Box Office (in millions) |
Average |
Total Box Office |
|
The Hills Have Eyes |
3/10/06 |
2,620 |
$15.71 |
$5,996 |
$41.78 |
|
Hostel |
1/6/06 |
2,195 |
$19.56 |
$8,909 |
$47.28 |
|
Wolf Creek |
12/25/05 |
1,749 |
$4.91 (two days) |
$2,806 |
$16.12 |
|
High Tension |
6/10/05 |
1,323 |
$1.90 |
$1,434 |
$3.65 |
|
House of Wax |
5/6/05 |
3,111 |
$12.08 |
$3,882 |
$32.05 |
|
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre |
10/17/03 |
3,016 |
$28.09 |
$9,315 |
$80.15 |
|
Cabin Fever |
9/12/03 |
2,087 |
$8.63 |
$4,137 |
$21.14 |
|
Wrong Turn |
5/30/03 |
1,615 |
$5.16 |
$3,164 |
$15.42 |
|
House of 1000 Corpses |
4/11/03 |
595 |
$3.46 |
$5,816 |
$12.58 |
|
The Beach |
2/11/00 |
2,546 |
$15.28 |
$6,002 |
$39.78 |
|
Into the Blue |
9/30/05 |
2,789 |
$7.06 |
$2,531 |
$18.25 |
|
Win a Date with Tad Hamilton! |
1/23/04 |
2,711 |
$7.32 |
$2,700 |
$16.96 |
Why I Should See It: The chance of seeing some skin from Melissa George or Beau Garrett, and hopefully not see them being slaughtered afterwards.
Why Not: You know you’re in trouble when you have a movie written by “the editor of Wrong Turn” which proves that EVERYONE in Hollywood has a script.
Projections: $3 to 5 million opening; less than $12 million total.
OTHER LIMITED RELEASES:
10 ITEMS OR LESS (THINKFilm) Morgan Freeman and Paz Vega star in a new indie comedy from Brad Silberling (Moonlight Mile, Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events) as a movie star and a checkout clerk who spend the afternoon together, while he does research for his first movie in many years. It opens in New York on Friday and will be available to watch on Clickstar on December 15.
Mini-Review: There are a few cute and clever moments in this talking heads comedy, mostly from the bits that make you wonder whether Morgan Freeman is just playing himself as he plays a well-known actor interacting with regular people. Otherwise, it’s kind of dull as it spends a lot of time watching the two actors sitting in a car chatting about nothing in particular, with much of it seeming at least partially improvised. Freeman is generally enjoyable throughout, but Vega barely gets through her English lines, showing that she’s clearly over her head in the role. You might enjoy it for the humor in Freeman playing this kind of role, though it’s mostly slow, often silly and sometimes plain embarrassing. Rating: 5/10
3 NEEDLES (Wolfe Releasing) Opening on World AIDS Day in New York, L.A. and other select cities, Thom Fitzgerald’s dramatic tryptich about three communities affected by AIDS in China, Montreal and Africa. It stars Lucy Liu as a Chinese woman running an illegal blood program, Shawn Ashmore as an HIV-infected porn star who spreads the disease and Chloe Sevigny, Olympia Dukakis and Sandra Oh as nuns working at a mission in Africa where the disease has called much sorrow. Mini-Review: There are many great ideas and solid performances in Thom Fitzgerald’s ambitious global drama, but it’s often dreary and disturbing in its refusal to pull any punches when it comes to the spread of HIV. Because of this, some of the people who might learn something from the movie’s message of how dangerous and wide-spread the disease is may be turned off by the harshness with which Fitzgerald chooses to get that message across. That said, the movie certainly has its heart in the right place, though it seems somewhat misguided due to the erratic nature of the three stories. The opening segment set in China is the strongest of the three, like something that might have been made by one of the Chinese masters, while giving Lucy Liu the chance to branch into more dramatic territory. Stockard Channing gives a convincing performance as the mother of an infected male porn star who tries to get the disease herself in the second piece, but the African segment is far too grim as Chloe Sevigny’s nun gets dragged deeper and deeper into bad situations as she tries to help the locals fight off the disease. Knowing that she’s likely to be pricked by a dirty needle or raped by a native makes that film far more pessimistic than positive. Otherwise, it’s not always clear what these stories are trying to say, because there’s nothing to tie them together or to offer information on the prevention of getting or spreading HIV. Rating: 6/10
CHRISTMAS AT MAXWELL’S (Aloha Releasing) William C. Laufer’s poignant spiritual tale about a family trying to get through the holidays despite one of them having a terminal illness by going to a lake house to share their last Christmas together.
FOUR EYED MONSTERS (withoutabox) An alternative romantic comedy about a wannabe filmmaker and an art school graduate (played by filmmakers Arin Crumley and Susan Buice, a filmmaker and art school graduate, respectively) who are too shy to meet face to face. Does art imitate life or is it a bizarre indie filmmaking experiment?
HIGHWAY COURTESANS Mystell Brabbé’s documentary about the custom in India of the oldest daughter going into prostitution to support her family plays for one week at the Quad Cinemas in New York.
TWO WEEKS (MGM) - Steven Stockman’s dramedy about four siblings, including Ben Chaplin and Julianne Nicholson, who travel to visit their dying mother only to end up trapped there for two weeks. (Could be a depressing double feature to do with Christmas at Maxwell’s) It opens at the Century City in L.A., presumably for an Oscar consideration run.
Next week, it’s the battle of the epics as Mel Gibson’s Apocalypto takes on Edward Zwick’s South African action-drama Blood Diamond, starring Leonardo DiCaprio. Also, Nancy Meyer’s latest romantic comedy The Holiday with Kate Winslet and Cameron Diaz tries to get the women in, while Paul Feig’s Unaccompanied Minors tries to bring in the kids and families.
Copyright 2006 Edward Douglas
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