The Big Screen Bulletin 12.28.09: Avatar Stumps Sherlock Holmes!

Posted by Steve Gustafson on 12.28.2009

James Cameron talks about Avatar 2, Brittany Murphy's movie poster causes a problem, Prince of Persia news, images from HIGH School, sequel talk on American Pie, Office Space 2, and Rambo 5! My Top 10 movies of 2009 and my picks for worst of the 2000s! The top 10 trailers of the week, holiday box office results, and a look at the top grossing movies of the year! All this and more inside!

Welcome back to the Big Screen Bulletin. My name is Steve Gustafson and I hope you had a great Christmas and a great holiday altogether! For the lot of you, today is the return to work, so hope you had your fun.

In case you missed my Hollywood 5 & 1: Year End Celebrity Special Limited Edition, give the link a click and check it out. Who were the winners and the losers of 2009? Who won the Hollywood 5 & 1 Woman of the Year? We take a look back at some of the most popular "& 1" Model's of the Week, Ginger VS. Mary Ann, and more!

AND if you read my Hollywood 5 & 1 then you know what's coming. I wanted to take a moment to to address you, the reader. The holiday time always brings reflection. You take the time to visit 411mania, and read The Big Screen Bulletin. I appreciate it. Even the comments. Good or bad. Even those of you who craft such well written and thought out gems like "You suck" and "You don't know nuthin!" Hey, you took the time to write it and I figure you express such witty banter because you have a passion for movies. And that's why we're here. To discuss and debate the news coming out about our favorite (or not so favorite) projects. It's a great time to be a fan and I thank you for stopping by.

In the early months of 1910, director D. W. Griffith was sent by the Biograph Company to the west coast with his troupe and they started filming on a vacant lot in downtown Los Angeles. Since that era, no other decade has brought as much change and innovation as the 2000s. We kicked it off a the beginning with super rich studios, the just blossoming DVD hadn't become a powerhouse player yet, the internet was just starting to take hold, and digital was a type of clock. Here's where we are now in a nutshell:

During the decade the Foreign Market is open for business and now movies make more money overseas than they do stateside. While the perception lingers, gone are the days where you only judge a movies success by it's U.S. total. A great example is the $687 million Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs made around the world compared with $197 million domestically. Money is money and in Hollywood, money is everything. What else? The rise of comic books and remaking everything possible. How about the redefinition of the tent pole film and the death of the middle budget film. It seems you either need to be making a blockbuster or a independent film to get money The rise and fall of specialty divisions and documentary movies. From Tyler Perry to Michael Moore, the genre cycle has new players. DVDs bring big money to the studio and the topple of video stores to the Netflix model. You used to have to wait long months between a movie's theatrical release and its debut on the home video market, the female demographic roars with new life, and tweeners make their presence felt. Toys march on the big screen, allowing the studio to double dip their profit, and 3D movies, along with ever changing technology make the impossible reality on the big screen. The 2000s changed the way we see, make, and enjoy movies forever.

While we celebrate the advances made, let's stop and take a look at...

10 Worst Films of the




FINALLY! As the decade comes to a close we get to celebrate...and regret...the many movies we saw. Some were good. Some were bad. But Hollywood will always provide us with something. So, in looking back over the decade that was...My Top 10 Worst Films of the 2000s! No ranking. No honor. And please, please note: If I didn't see a movie, it's not on the list. And I do my best not to see bad films. Sometimes I get tricked or I hosted a premiere and had to stay and watch.

Battlefield Earth (2000): The less said about this the better. This is one of the only movies that I've never actually met or heard anyone say they liked it. Anyone out there care to be the first? And no "Anonymous" comments! IF you are a fan of this movie I want your whole (REAL) name!

Corky Romano (2001): Someone told me this was hilarious. A movie about the loser son of a Mafia honcho must go undercover for the FBI. I wasn't sold but I decided to trust the source. I sat through it and never even smiled. In fact it made me angry. There's a reason Chris Kattan isn't making movies anymore. UPDATE: Why did I open my mouth? A quick check on imdb shows this guy has six movies in some level of development. SIX!

From Justin to Kelly (2003): This was a taste of the kind of damage American Idol can have on society if left unchecked. I hosted a premiere for this one. Pretty much host a theater full of teenagers, play trivia games, and hand out prizes. Even with a theater full of teen drones it was tough giving out free t-shirts for this movie. It was obvious they were going for a Grease vibe and they failed miserably.

Envy (2004): This gets on my list because of the people involved, raising the expectations. Jack Black and Ben Stiller made a horribly unfunny movie that stumbles right out of the gate. This movie shows that even with two men versed in comedy, they can't overcome a poor script. The film had been shot almost two years before its release, and was supposed to go straight-to-video in the US. But thanks to Black's School of Rock it got a theatrical release. To the displeasure of audiences everywhere.

Catwoman (2004): Was it as bad as they say it was? I think so. Sure Halle Berry looked great, but it missed on so many levels. At least she had a good sense of humor about it but this is an embarrassment to the comic book community. File this next to Barb Wire.

I Know Who Killed Me (2007): I saw this to just see how bad it would be. It was worse. Watch this to see Lindsay Lohan crash and burn on film. An small town is rocked when Aubrey Fleming is abducted and tortured by a serial killer. When she manages to escape, the traumatized girl who regains consciousness in the hospital insists that she is not who they think she is and that the real Fleming is still in mortal danger. Everything about this movie fails.

Hitman (2007): My friend EJ and I went to see this at HER request. Ugh. Based on the video game, I was tempted to leave several times.

Jumper (2008): Another one that had AWESOME potential but was so bad that I left the theater feeling cheated. I chalk this up to a really cool trailer that tricked me into seeing a very weak movie. This is what happens when you plan on making a trilogy of movies and you forget about making the first one any good.

Deception (2008): I was at Blockbuster and this was in the $3 rack. I saw Ewan McGregor and Hugh Jackman on the cover and scooped it up. Two of my favorite actors in one movie! And for only $3! I overpaid. The pacing was off, the editing was scattershot, and you'll never see two actors more misused in any film. Ever.

The Spirit (2008): I've been a Will Eisner fan for years. I own just about every graphic novel ever put out and even picked up some nice pieces at conventions. I was a little apprehensive when this project was announced because the beauty of The Spirit is in his art and storytelling. The energy and...spirit...of The Spirit is hard to translate on the screen. But, up to that point, Frank Miller still had a good rep and I felt if anyone could find a way to make it work, he would be able to. From the first minute I knew he had made a mistake. He tried to take The Spirit and put it in the Sin City model with a pinch of over-the-top acting and cartoonish violence. Watching it in the theater went from excitement to "run down the clock" type of scenario. I reviewed it for 411mania and while I would go into more detail, my review still stands up. Check it out here.

You were expecting me to put Transformers on here, right? Consider it my honorable mention. What about YOU? What movies make your WORST OF THE DECADE?

Elementary My Dear, Avatar!
1. Avatar $75,000,000 ($212,268,000) Read the review!
2. Sherlock Holmes $65,380,000 ($65,380,000) Read the review!
3. Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel $50,200,000 ($77,051,000)
4. It's Complicated $22,114,000 ( $22,114,000)
5. Up in the Air $11,755,000 ($24,518,000) Read the review!
6. The Blind Side $11,730,000 ($184,387,000)
7. The Princess and the Frog $8,683,000 ($63,357,000) Read the review!
8. Nine $5,544,000 ($5,922,000) Read the review!
9. Did You Hear About the Morgans? $5,000,000 ($15,597,000)
10. Invictus $4,390,000 ($23,365,000) Read the review!

It's no mystery that Avatar beat Sherlock Holmes. But that isn't important because the studios are happy with the results of the record breaking weekend. Cameron's epic grossed an estimated $75 million in its second week on top at the box office bringing the film's total to $212.3 million and $617.3 million worldwide in its first 10 days in release, including an international weekend haul of $145 million. Sherlock Holmes still opened to an impressive $65.4 million to score the biggest Christmas weekend opening of all time; beating previous record-holder was Meet the Fockers with $46.2 million.

Also doing very well was Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel, which grossed an estimated $50.2 from 3,700 million for the weekend for a five-day opening of $77.1 million. Add up Avatar, Sherlock Holmes, and Squeakquel and you have the biggest weekend of all time at the domestic box office with ticket sales coming in at an estimated $285 million. Placing No. 4 was It's Complicated, opening to $22.1 million. Up in the Air came in No. 5 for the weekend, grossing an estimated $11.8 million with it's wider release and newcomer Nine placed No. 8, grossing a less than expected $5.5 million.

Look for another showdown this coming week between the big two!

Top 10 Grossing Movies of 2009

1. Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen $402,111,870
2. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince $301,959,197 4,455
3. Up $293,004,164
4. The Hangover $277,322,503
5. The Twilight Saga: New Moon $276,566,062
6. Star Trek $257,730,019
7. Monsters Vs. Aliens $198,351,526
8. Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs $196,573,705
9. X-Men Origins: Wolverine $179,883,157
10. Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian $177,243,721

No real surprise here outside Monsters Vs. Aliens. It slipped past me that it did that much. I would have to say the big winner was The Hangover doing as well as it did, catching analysts completely by surprise. These results were done at the beginning of the month, so don't cry about Avatar.

The 30 Second (PLUS) Soapbox!

Guess what I'm going to pop in here? My TOP 10 MOVIES of 2009! NOTE: These are movies I have seen!

Notable Films I Haven't Seen...YET!: Up in the Air, Avatar, Bronson. No long write ups. These should explain themselves, but I dropped tiny tidbits for you.

10. The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (Visually stunning)
9. The Hangover (Hilarious)
8. Moon (Incredible performance)
7. Where the Wild Things Are (Touching)
6. Star Trek (Balanced and surprising)
5. Inglourious Basterds (Great script, great acting)
4. District 9 (Triumph of creativity)
3. Up (Animation that touches you)
2. (500) Days of Summer (Amazing performance)
1. Hurt Locker (Top to bottom, this movie will stay with you)

What about you? Which movie heads your list?

The OFFICIAL News Bulletin

With a box-office hit on his hands, director James Cameron has indicated that work is underway for sequels to Avatar. The 55-year-old filmmaker says he's already mapped out story lines for other moons near the fictional Pandora, where Avatar takes place, according to the L.A. Times. "We have some other story ideas for how to branch out from Pandora and into other moons around Polyphemus," he said. Before planning the production of such a sequel, however, Cameron said he'd have to make sure the first film earns a profit. The movie, which reportedly cost $430 million to make and market, has made a solid start, pulling in $232 million during its debut weekend.







It's no shocker that the cover art for the late Brittany Murphy's latest film, Deadline, has been removed from Redbox Kiosks across the United States. After Murphy's death on Sunday morning Redbox was sent scrambling, according to E! Online. "We are removing the box art images from our displays," Redbox spokeswoman Laura Dihel told E! News. "We will continue to carry her film, but we will not be featuring the box art. We have 19,000 locations, and to be honest, I can't tell you if this particular art is up at all the locations." The company says they hope to have all the cover art removed from their Redbox stations by the start of January.




Walt Disney Pictures (via Coming Soon) has just released a second featurette that sheds some light on The Prince of Persia, explaining some of the details of the plot. This short clip did its job by getting my attention. Until now I was leaning towards Clash of the Titans to be the winner between these two, but now I'm back to where I started, wanting to see more about this dagger.







John Stalberg's directorial debut HIGH School is set to bow at the Sundance Film Festival in the Park City at Midnight category. Looking at the film's title, you've probably already know the plot's got something to do with weed. Henry Burke (Matt Bush) is a model student. He's been named the school valedictorian and nabbed a college scholarship, and decides to celebrate with a little marijuana. Bad timing since the principal (Michael Chiklis) decides this would be the perfect time to institute mandatory drugs tests for the entire student body. With his college scholarship hanging in the balance, Burke begrudgingly teams up with charismatic pothead Travis Breaux to do the only thing they can think of to neutralize this threat, get the entire student body stoned. With Bush, Chiklis, Colin Hanks, Adrien Brody and Michael Vartan, you've got quite a cast of actors. By the way, Chiklis looks awesome!







Sandler, Kevin James, Chris Rock, Rob Schneider and David Spade. Grown Ups, stars the four SNL alumni plus Kevin James as childhood friends and basketball teammates who reunite to honor their late coach. Add in Salma Hayek, Maria Bello and Maya Rudolph as their wives and you have an impressive cast. While the trailer doesn't showcase the comedy talent, the poster above should get some smiles. Look for this to hit theaters June 25th.







SEQUEL NEWS
Moviehole reported that the next American Pie film will likely be both a sequel (as opposed to a spin-off) to the original trilogy of films and a theatrical release. Universal are happy with both the reaction and returns generated on the latest DTV effort, American Pie Presents : Book of Love, so are "seriously considering" reintroducing the original franchise to theaters. No word on whether Jason Biggs would be back as Jim.

Office Space 2 anyone? While plugging his latest film Extract, writer/director Mike Judge told Cinema Blend that though "At one point a while back I considered doing a sequel to Office Space....I wouldn't do one now. Since that movie came out there have been two great TV shows, the British Office and the American one, and dozens of commercials set in cubicles, so I kind of feel like I wouldn't want to go back to it at this point."

The Herald Sun reports that Mickey Rourke might be joining Sylvester Stallone in Rambo 5, filming in the Spring.

QUICK BITS...of News! In a recent interview with IFM's Little White Lies, Clint Mansell revealed that he will be reteaming with Darren Aronofsky for his upcoming film Black Swan. Aronofsky is currently shooting the supernatural thriller, that's about rival ballet dancer in New York and Mansell also explains that he's talked with Aronofsky about creating the score for this entirely out of elements from Tchaikovsky's 1876 ballet Swan Lake..........Latino Review got a chance to talk to the original B.A. Baracus, Mr. T, who said that he won't be making a cameo appearance in next summer's The A-Team movie. It's previously been rumored that series stars Dwight Schulz (Capt. "Howling Mad" Murdock) and Dirk Benedict (Templeton "Faceman" Peck) will have cameo roles in the Joe Carnahan-directed film..........Keira Knightley, Michael Fassbender and Christoph Waltz have apparently joined David Cronenberg's long-gestating thriller The Talking Cure. The story revolves around famed psychoanalyst Carl Jung's relationship with a young Russian girl driven mad by her past and who became his first patient, and Jung's esteemed mentor and father of modern psychology Sigmund Freud..........Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson and Val Kilmer have joined Gun for Emmett/Furla Films, Cheetah Vision Films and Action Jackson Films says The Hollywood Reporter. The story takes place in the world of drug dealing and is based on an original story by Jackson. Charles Malik Whitfield also stars. Jessy Terrero is directing with filming about to kick off in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

DVD Pick of the Week!

Paranormal Activity - I may sound like a broken record but it's no secret that I'm not a fan of modern horror movies. I prefer the originals and the classics and nothing new has really tickled my ribs. But I did enjoy Paranormal Activity even though it became cool to knock it. Plus, it provided us our "small budget movies makes money" story of the year. Check out my review here.

Jennifer's Body - No matter what you hear, this movie was testing the waters to see how Megan Fox would do without giant robots in a nonsensical plot driven movie backing her up. The results came in and they weren't good.

9 - Oh, 9. The trailers made you look so good. Too bad the end result was such a letdown.

A Perfect Getaway - I forgot about this one. Surprisingly, the reviews for this one were OK. I like Steve Zahn so I might pick this one up if the price is right.

The Marine 2 - This is what I would consider a Redbox special. Outside the WWE universe and fans of the first Marine don't expect this to do well. Maybe The Marine 3 can star Corporal Kirchner!

Facing Ali - I'm looking forward to this one. Ten of Muhammad Ali's former rivals pay tribute to the three-time world heavyweight champion.

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You can't go a day without hearing the latest comic book news or rumor. I'll be rounding up the up-to-the-minute comic book gossip in one spot, for you to peruse and debate. SPOILERS run wild here, so be careful!





So my suggestion and backing of Will Smith for Captain America wasn't the most...popular...choice. I get it. It vibe with the comic book source and some of you think Will Smith doesn't have the chops to pull it off. So, if you will, let me make a few points. When I look at casting, both fantasy and real, I see two points. Artistic and monetary angles. You have artistic movies that make little to nothing at the box office and you have movies that make huge gains, but have little merit. Great movies balance both but we need each to keep this industry running. That's a fact. Will Smith has a lifetime gross of $2,520,925,686. That's BILLION. I'm sorry, if you bring that much money in, you're doing something right.

The Captain America movie has several thing it has to do. One, to tell the story of Steve Rogers and Captain America. Two, to build towards The Avengers. You need an actor that can portray the honor and courage of Rogers and still be able to play the straight man, while holding the screen with Robert Downey, Jr and Ed Norton. Captain America is a leader and you can't have an actor who will slink into the background. To me, that limits a huge segment of actors. So, knowing all that, I'm curious about who YOU would pick? Just remember, I'm not looking for a forum to hate on Smith, but if you were the casting agent, who gets your backing? Filming begins in June!





Months ago a rumor made it's way that Jackie Earle Haley was in talks to take the role of Sinestro in the upcoming Green Lantern project with Ryan Reynolds. Haley let it be known that no one had approached him about the role, but it would be something he wouldn't mind taking a look at. I got an email yesterday from someone who's emailed before with little tidbits but I didn't run it in the past, just in case it was someone making it up. Well, the source checks out pretty well, and they let me know that Haley has been in talks for the role but that's not all. Paul Bettany is in the running as well. I'm a fan of both guys but if I had to choose, I'd be more apt to lean towards Bettany for the role. Not a huge rumor, but something to let simmer.





According to Pajiba.com, DC Comis and Warner Brothers are working on bringing Hawkman to the big screen. Here's an excerpt straight from the source:
Warners is looking to make Hawkman a tent pole franchise, and describes the movie as part Indiana Jones, part Da Vinci Code and part Ghost, which makes absolutely no sense to me — I have no idea what three elements of those movies you could combine to make a superhero movie about a man with strap-on wings who uses maces and spears, and who probably squawks at his enemies like a goddamn ninny. *Squawk*

While on first thought this sounds silly, I think with the CGI tech we have today, it won't look as bad as previous "heroes with wings" have on film. Give it a chance. I PROMISE I won't suggest Will Smith for this one.

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Based on the Movie Trailer Top 10

The Top 10 Trailers of the Week! Rankings will be based on popularity, feedback/reaction, and content. Once a movie opens, the trailer is no longer in contention for the Top 10. Release dates are for the US.

Just missing out on the Top 10 is Extraordinary Measures (January 22, 2010), Salt (July 23, 2010), Cop Out (February 26, 2010)

10. Grown Ups (June 25, 2010) - Depending on what generation you are, this SNL alum class was either one of the best or worst casts of all time. They come together for a comedy/drama about life and friendship.

9. Repo Men (April 2, 2010) - Jude Law, Liev Schreiber, and Forest Whitaker headline a pretty interesting concept and deliver a message about health care in the future.

8. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (March 26, 2010) - With the Potter saga coming to a close, expect them to find a way to spin off another movie or two, and get as much muggle money as possible.

7. Knight & Day (December 25, 2009) - Will this signal the return of Tom Cruise? It's garnering positive buzz and comments, a good sign for him. And for Cameron Diaz, who will look to keep herself at the top of the actress pyramid.

6. Robin Hood (May 14, 2010) - Even with the mixed reports from the set, anticipation is fairly solid for this Ridley Scott release.

5. Inception (July 16, 2010) - While little is known about Christopher Nolan's newest film, moviegoers and message boards are lighting up with theories and plot points.

4. Clash of the Titans (March 26, 2010) - This trailer is really drawing attention from the teenage crowd who could care less that it's remake. Expect this to do above solid business.

3. Alice in Wonderland (March 5, 2010) - This got a nice boost over the holiday weekend as audiences were amazed at seeing this classic getting the re imaging treatment from Tim Burton and the always popular Johnny Depp.

2. Kick Ass (April 16, 2010) - The trailer is great. But the newest marketing technique of showing clips from the movie are playing to this movies strong points. Especially the scenes between Big Daddy and Hit Girl.

1. Iron Man 2 (May 7, 2010) - Unless something really bad happens, this movie will come out to huge numbers. The newest trailer hit all the right notes and coupled with the clues coming out, audiences are craving more Iron Man!

Other Stuff to Read...On 411mania!

The 411 Movies Top 5 Celebrity Christmas Gifts by Trevor Snyder.
411 Fact Or Fiction Movies/TV by Ben Piper This week Tim O'Sullivan and Jeremy Thomas debate!
The UBS Evening Television & Movie News by George H. Sirois. Wait. Make that Erik Luers! For more info on George's book go to http://excelsior2010.blogspot.com/.
Around the World in 24 Frames: The Great Films of the 2000's: Part Five by Len Archibald Great list, great films, great writing!
*****411 Movies Zone Podcast: Christmas 2009 by Leonard Hayhurst.

If you have some down time and are looking for a great place for great fun, check out Tiger Flash Games!



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That's all the time I have, I'll see you next week! Just in time for 2010 I'll be making a few changes to the Bulletin format. Happy New Year! Make sure you check out Jeremy Thomas and the Hush Hush News Report and Mike Gorman's Babes, Bombs, & Blockbusters tomorrow so you don't miss the latest in movie news and opinions!