Hunger Games: The Movie

Lionsgate has purchased the rights to Suzanne Collins' best-seller. It's the first part of a planned trilogy, and while it's aimed at young adults, I found it a good, basic entertaining thriller about teens forced to fight to the death for the amusement of the ruling class.

Two Thumbs Up for Wild Things

Actually Ebert still owns the copyright on thumbs, so the new guys on At the Movies - Michael Phillips and A.O. Scott - give it two "See It"s. But that's not as easy to quote in a commercial.

All I know is that I've only teared at two trailers in my life. Saving Private Ryan, at the image of the mother on the porch, and the army men there to let her know that three of her sons ahve been killed, and Where the Wild Things Are, which reached deep into my childhood and gave it a pinch.

I really hope this movie lives up to its potential.

Lymelife - DVD Review

**1/2

Starring Alec Baldwin, Kieran Culkin, Rory Culkin, Jill Hennessy, Emma Roberts, Timothy Hutton and Cynthia Nixon.
Directed by Derick Martini.

If you've seen The Ice Storm or watched CBS's Swingtown, you've seen this movie, but it is with a talented cast, so it at least has that going for it. I wanted to see this for the Culkin brothers - Kieran & Rory - both who've proven to be very talented young actors but who might not work enough since they don't look like models.

Rory Culkin is the younger brother in a 1979 family looking to move on up. It's filled with kids too mature and parents too arrested in their development to see what harm their actions can do.

The ending's a bit of a copout.

Fun with Zombies

ZOMBIELAND
(Movie Review)

***1/2

Starring Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg, Emma Stone and Abigail Breslin.
Directed by Ruben Fleischer.

This might be the funniest zombie ever made. Yes, I put this just ahead of Shaun of the Dead.

Woody Harrelson (No Country for Old Men, The People vs. Larry Flynt, Natural Born Killers, White Men Can't Jump) gets his best role in years as Tallahassee, the man of the alligator-skin coat who's one of the last people on Earth, who derives perverse joy from killing zombies. He hooks up with Columbus (Adventureland's Jesse Eisenberg), a World-of-Warcraft junkie who has managed to survive by applying a rigid set of rules. (Rule #2 - Double Tap - Don't conserve bullets; shoot them a second time in the head to make sure they're really dead.)

Harrelson gets to kick-butt and take names. Eisenberg aims to out-drywit Michael Cera in his wooing of Emma Stone, and we get plenty of funny, gross sight-gags.

Films are films, but movies should be fun, dangit! And this is a fun movie.

Weekend Box Office

1 - Couples Retreat (U) $35.34 million - 1 wk
. 3,000 screens / $11,780 per screen
2 - Zombieland (Sony) $15 ($47.80) - 2 wks -39.4%
. 3,038 / $4,937
3 - Cloudy with Meatballs (Sony) $12 ($96.25) - 4 wks -24.1%
. 2,992 / $4,011
4 - Toy Story 1 & 2 in 3D (BV) $7.67 ($22.68) - 2 wks -38.6%
. 1,752 / $4,380
5 - Paranormal Activity (Par.) $7.07 ($8.28) - 3 wks +1,227.6%
. 160 / $44,163
6 - Surrogates (BV) $4.12 ($32.57) - 3 wks -43.2%
. 2,992 / $1,375

Vince Vaughn & company didn't have much competition with Couples Retreat, but Paranormal Activity is enjoying Blair Witch level success and should expand further next week.

Who should be Rusty Griswold?

New Line's developing a fifth Vacation movie, this one focussing on grown-up Rusty Griswold taking his own family on vacation. Hijinks ensue. They want Chevy Chase and Beverly D'Angelo to cameo as Grandpa and Grandma Griswold, but one of the traditions of the Vacation movies is that the Griswold children were always protrayed by different actors. Would any of them still be up to the task?

Anthony Michael Hall (VACATION) - After ruling the 1980's as The Geek, he buffed up, took more serious roles, and later enjoyed success on USA's The Dead Zone series. Most recently he played a newscaster in The Dark Knight. I think even if Hall could do it, the producers would want a bigger name.

Jason Lively (EUROPEAN VACATION) - Last movie he did was 1992's Maximum Force, an action dud with Sam J. Jones and Mickey Rooney. I see he also produced and directed a DVD in 2004 called Learn to Hip-Hop. He's out.

Johnny Galecki (CHRISTMAS VACATION) - He's flying high now on CBS's The Big Bang Theory. I could see him doing it. Again, not a big enough name, methinks.

Ethan Embry (VEGAS VACATION) - I never did see this. I heard from friends it was terrible, so I skipped it. Embry did some impressive work on Showtime's Brotherhood and most recently had a supporting role on the big-screen with Eagle Eye. He's not aging well.

I'd say they try to get Ryan Reynolds or Matt Damon or Paul Rudd or Jason Bateman or Jason Segel... (Maybe Kevin James, if they say Rusty really let himself go?) But of the four Rusty alum, I'd like to see Galecki get the shot.

ABC's Cougar Town - TV Review

Courtney Cox throws herself into this with gusto in the same kind of painfully funny vein Lisa Kudrow did with the cancelled-too-soon The Comeback. Cox is a 40-year-old mother of a 17-year-old son who is adjusting to the dating scene, and why can't she go for younger men when her single male neighbor (Josh Hopkins) dates younger women all the time? Hopefully as this series progresses it won't tip the scales into just painful, but so far it's staying in my viewing rotation.

Fighting - DVD Review

*1/2

Starring Channing Tatum, Terrence Howard, Luis Guzman, Zulay Henao and Brian White.
Directed by Dito Montiel.

It's not as melodramatic as Never Back Down, but it's not any more engrossing. Director Dito Montiel gives this a realistic feel, helped greatly by Terrence Howard (Iron Man) as the hustler/promoter of these back-room bare-knuckle fights for the entertainment of rich people. Channing Tatum (G.I. Joe) however is a blank slate to me. He's like a humorless Chris Evans. Therefore the longer the movie went on, the less I cared. I almost didn't finish it, and since I guessed exactly how each beat in the third act would go, it wouldn't have made a difference.

Cloudy with Chance of Fun

Ugh, I feel dirty just writing that Shalit-esque title.

CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF MEATBALLS
(Movie Review)

***

Starring the voices of Bill Hader, Anna Faris, James Caan, Mr. T, Andy Samberg, Bruce Campbell, Bobb'e J. Thompson, Lauren Graham and Neil Patrick Harris.
Directed by Phil Lord and Chris Miller.

Ice Age 3 may have gotten more attention, but Cloudy is the better of Sony's animated movies this year.

Based on a popular kids' book, it's about a big dreamer who lives in the island city of Swallow Falls. The town specializes in sardine sales. As demand for their product shrinks, everyone starts losing their jobs and going hungry.

Meanwhile there's a big dreamer named Flynn who wants to change the world. Amazingly, his contraption to turn water into food works. Swallow Falls is saved. Or is it?

Plenty of good visuals gags with this one, and some good one-liners. I found myself especially entertained by Mr. T as the gung-ho policeman. I'd rank it about even with Monsters vs. Aliens.

ABC's forgettable 'Forgotten'

Procedural dramas have to have something really interesting about them to make my viewing rotation. Like The Mentalist. Simon Baker's a charming actor and it's a quirky character. The Forgotten doesn't really have much to distinguish it from any other cops show except that they're volunteers. They try to track down the identities of John & Jane Does. Sorry, Christian Slater. 0-2 in network primetime.

Easy Virtue - DVD Review

**1/2

Starring Jessica Biel, Colin Firth, Kristin Scott Thomas, Ben Barnes, Kris Marshall, Kimberley Nixon and Pip Torrens.
Directed by Stephan Hopkins.

Jessica Biel is supposed to be a sore-thumb, but she still never quite worked for me as an American girl marrying into a well-to-do British family in the 1920's. The one that captured my attention was Colin Firth, the cynical yet easy-going patriarch of this dysfunctional clan. This comedy-of-manners still works better as a play.

(500) Days of Summer - Movie Review

****

Starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel.
Directed by Mark Webb.

I'm glad going into it I knew that they don't wind up together at the end. I was geared for it. It's had me reflect on a few things. For one thing it reminded me how good filmmaking can be. There were many good details here, as though Woody Allen was reborn as a non-pervy Angelino. It also made me think about my relationships.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt is Tom, our hero. He meets Summer (Zooey Deschanel), our heroine. But he likes her more than she likes him. We go back and forth within those 500 days, seeing the peaks and valleys. She eventually dumps him and screws him up, and I remember what it was like to be that guy. I felt that way for about a month after this girl dumped me, and even as I started dating other women, (She) would be in the back of my head. And then I met the One, the One who's been my wife for over 13 years and counting.

My wife was that girl too. She was dating a guy who liked her more than she liked him. She dumped him, and who knows what happened to him, but she knew she wouldn't be happy with him. And then she met Me. Her One.

Tom and Summer are likeable people, where even as it falls apart, we want both of them to be happy. Gordon-Levitt and Deschanel are charismatic enough actors that we root for them. But we ebb and flow with the characters, I couldn't help but think this is what more "romantic comedies" should be like. Director Mark Webb throws in great details here. I love that one of the walls in Tom's bedroom is a chalkboard. I loved the musical number thrown in to demonstrate how a guy feels the morning after, when the sun is just a little more shiney.

I have the Ghosts of Girlfriends Past DVD sitting on my desk, not yet watched. I didn't have much faith in it being good before, but somehow now after see (500), I think it's going to be that much more sucky.

NBC's Heroes . . . meh

As cool as Robert Knepper's Samuel and his carnivals of freaks are, it made me wish they were actually showing up to rival Michael J. Anderson's Samson and company in a third season of HBO's Carnivale. Season 3 of Heroes so messed around with the continuity of the characters that I find I don't really care about any of them anymore. When it looked like Bennett was going to be drowned by Tracy in his own car, I was okay with it, and 'Company Man', with him as the focus, is the best episode in the series' history. He lived, though. Maybe most of the originals will be killed off or move away and the show can focus on new people showing up.

Mon-Tue TV Ratings

Monday

8/7
ABC - Dancing with the Stars hr 1 - 17.43 million viewers
CBS - How I Met Your Mother - 9.22
:30 --- Accidentally on Purpose - 8.99
NBC - Heroes hr 1 - 6.27
FOX - House hr 1 - 15.76
TheCW - One Tree Hill - 2.48

9/8
ABC - Dancing with the Stars hr 2 - 17.64
CBS - Two and a Half Men - 13.59
:30 --- The Big Bang Theory - 12.83
NBC - Heroes hr 2 - 5.77
FOX - House hr 2 - 17.25
TheCW - Gossip Girl - 2.09

10/9
ABC - Castle - 9.43
CBS - CSI: Miami - 13.73
NBC - The Jay Leno Show - 5.67

House won the night in the coveted 18-49 demographic category, but Dancing with the Stars had the most overall viewers. DWTS's premiere is down from last season.

Castle had poor audience retention from DWTS and scored only a 2.3 in the 18-49. To compare, the second hour of Heroes had a 2.7. Unless the show has a major spike in quality, I see this as its last season.

The Jay Leno Show meanwhile had its lowest ratings yet, and is probably now in the ratings realm it can expect.

Tuesday

8/7
ABC - Dancing with the Stars hr 1 - 14.14 million viewers
CBS - NCIS - 20.00
NBC - The Biggest Loser hr 1 - 6.94
FOX - Hell's Kitchen hr 1 - 6.65
TheCW - 90210 - 2.17

9/8
ABC - Dancing with the Stars hr 2 - 16.22
CBS - NCIS: Los Angeles - 18.32
NBC - The Biggest Loser hr 2 - 8.02
FOX - Hell's Kitchen hr 2 - 6.96
TheCW - Melrose Place - 1.45

10/9
ABC - The Forgotten - 9.53
CBS - The Good Wife - 13.72
NBC - The Jay Leno Show - 6.77

CBS rules again. NCIS had the ratings of the week so far, and NCIS: LA had decent viewer retention. The Good Wife held its own.

ABC saw DWTS decline from Monday's ratings, and The Forgotten was not as successful in retaining viewers. Looks like Christian Slater may have another series on his hands that won't last the year. (Although marketing-wise ABC never seemed to believe in this show.)

FOX's Hell Kitchen's had the edge over NBC's Biggest Loser in the 18-49 demographic, but Loser had more total viewers. In fact, Kitchen had a higher 18-49 demo than The Good Wife.

TheCW's 90210 is holding on okay (for CW) but the Melrose Place reboot is a bust.

30 Rock wins Best Comedy

I can't help but think 30 Rock keeps winning because Tina Fey and Alec Baldwin are big-time Democrats. I mean, 30 Rock is Night Court. Funny, yes, but The Office, Big Bang Theory and Better Off Ted are funnier. Night Court was funny in its day too but it still appropriately lost to shows like The Cosby Show and Cheers.

Cloudy gets $30 million

=======
Weekend Box Office
=======

1. Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs - $30.1 million - 1 wk (Sony)
3119 screens / $9651 per screen
2. The Informant! - $10.55 - 1 wk (WB)
2505 / $4210
3. I Can Do Bad All By Myself - $10.06 ($37.93) - 2 wks (LG) -57.1%
2255 / $4461
4. Love Happens - $8.46 - 1 wk (U)
1898 / $4455
5. Jennifer's Body - $6.8 - 1 wk (Fox)
2702 / $2517
6. 9 - $5.46 ($22.79) - 2 wks (Foc) -49.2%
2060 / $2650
7. Inglourious Basterds - $3.6 ($109.9) - 5 wks (Wein) -41.3%
2519 / $1430
8. All About Steve - $3.4 ($26.68) - 3 wks (Fox) -39.7%
2159 / $1575
9. Sorority Row - $2.49 ($8.87) - 2 wks (Sum) -50.8%
2591 / $961
10. The Final Destination - $2.38 ($62.39) - 4 wks (NL) -57%
1805 / $1316
11. Whiteout - $2.06 ($8.48) - 2 wks (WB) - 2 wks (WB) -58.1%
2745 / $750

Sony Animation (Ice Age) has another hit with Meatballs, so while Disney/Pixar puts out the critical cream of the crop each year, DreamWorks Animation and Sony Animation have found ways to be players.

I think Megan Fox's already overexposed. In her first star vehicle (Jennifer's Body), audiences met her with apathy. But I think that it was also hurt by being another gory movie opening in the wake of Final Destination 4, Halloween II, Sorority Row, and Whiteout.

Inglourious Basterds is now the highest grossing movie in Quentin Tarantino's career.

Dance Flick - DVD Review

**

Starring Damon Wayans Jr., Shoshana Bush, Essence Atkins, Chris Elliott, Amy Sedaris, Affion Crockett, David Alan Grier and Keenan Ivory Wayans.
Directed by Damien Dante Wayans.

Parody movies have been done to death, and done so poorly by Seltzer-Friedberg (Date Movie, Meet the Spartans, etc.) that I question if the genre can ever be funny again. This movie made me a lugh a couple times, but for this style of comedy I need more than one of out twenty jokes to be funny to actually recommend it.

I liked that it had a story structure to it. Its main inspiration is Save the Last Dance, but it gets in shots at Stomp the Yard, Step Up, and many other youth-dance dramas. I laughed at the "Fame" number, which is a coming-out song ("Flame! I'm gonna be gay forever...") It had some good one-liners ("Why do porn stars pray? You know God just has his fingers in his ears going 'Lalalalala'!")

But when it can go for crude it will, and it pushes the boundaries of PG-13. But hey, if I had to watch one more Seltzer-Friedberg spoof or three more Wayans spoofs, I'd take the Wayans.

Fall TV Comparisons

Fall 2008

22 new shows on the Big Five.

Only 4 of them have made it to a second season. CBS's The Mentalist and Gary Unmarried. FOX's Fringe. The CW's 90210.

Fall 2006

25 new shows on the Big Five. 11 of them got second seasons. 7 of them are still around. NBC's Sunday Night Football, 30 Rock, Heroes, and Friday Night Lights (now on DirecTV). ABC's Ugly Betty and Brothers & Sisters. Fox's Til Death.

Fall 2002

32 new shows on the Big Six (when The WB and UPN hadn't merged into The CW yet.) 12 of them got second season. Only one, CBS's CSI: Miami, is still around.

So...

Fall 2009

There are 22 new shows, though one of them is NBC's The Jay Leno Show which gets five hours of primetime. So anywhere from 20% to 40% of the new shows may make it to a second season. Pretending that eight will get a second season and the other fourteen will be cancelled, what would be my guess?

NBC's Jay Leno Show
FOX's The Cleveland Show
CBS's NCIS: Los Angeles
NBC's Community
ABC's Modern Family
ABC's FlashForward
The CW's The Vampire Diaries
FOX's Glee

Which would leave:
ABC's V
CBS's The Good Wife
The CW's Melrose Place
CBS's Three Rivers
NBC's Trauma
ABC's Hank
ABC's Cougar Town
ABC's The Middle
CBS's Accidentally on Purpose
NBC's Mercy
ABC's The Forgotten
ABC's Eastwick
The CW's The Beautiful Life
FOX's Brothers