The Big Screen Bulletin 07.10.06: The Mid Year Spectacular
Posted by Chad Webb on 07.10.2006
The record breaking Pirates of the Caribbean, news on the books of Stephen King's son, Duchovny joins Things We Lost in the Fire, the big numbers of IMAX, the Toronto International Film Festival, new releases, trailers, hotties, and more.
Straight to Video Nightmares
American Pie: Band Camp
Starring Tad Hilgenbrink, Eugene Levy, and Jason Earles
Directed By: Steven Rash
Release Date: December 26, 2005
Ok, so this is an older straight to video release, but Lady and the Tramp II is not available to rent anywhere so I decided to choose this one. This adventure focuses on Steve Stiffler's younger brother Matt, who is now older and preparing to become a senior at East Great Falls High. Tad Hilgenbrinck performs as Matt, and he is an annoying replica of the Steve character, which I have grown to hate. That must have been the requirement for this role. Mimic the character in the original movies as much as possible, and you'll be golden. The film starts quickly with Matt engaging in standard American Pie antics like putting pepper spray on the bands instruments. His punishment is laid out by the Sherminator, who is now a school counselor, and he is forced to go to Tall Oaks Band Camp. It turns out that Steve has become a director of Girls Gone Wild type videos. Fortunately, Sean William Scott is not in this movie. Matt wants to be like his older brother. His plan is to place hidden cameras all around the camp and video tape all the crazy stuff that happens. When he does that, maybe he'll be a big director like his brother Steve, he hopes. Apparently, Matt is rich because he purchases the most expensive hidden cameras he can find and just buys them all. You can plainly see the prices. iT is preposterous.
When he arrives at Band Camp, he doesn't fit in very well. The band geeks from his school are led by Elyse, who detests Matt. This year at band camp, there is a competition for best performance or something like that. A whole bunch of schools go to this camp, and each year one composer of one of the schools is selected to get a scholarship at some fancy school. Oh, and I must add that Matt's character is equipped with the worst one liners you can imagine. Take a look at this dialogue:
Matt Stifler: What the fuck!
Brandon's friend 1: Are you a rookie, you look lost?
Matt Stifler: Are you an asshole, you're hairy and you smell like shit!
Ha Ha Ha. Too much of this type of Stiffler is just irritating beyond belief. Eugene Levy reprises his role as Jim's Dad, but this time he acts as the M.A.C.R.O. (Morale and Conflict Resolution Officer) of the camp. He tells Matt to earn the bands trust, so that's what he tries to do. He is given a spot in the band to play the triangle. He becomes friends with some of the band, while video taping the girls shower room, and every sexual act that takes place. The whole point is that the band needs to beat the evil rival school in the competition. The whole story is absurd from the start. They sentence Matt to go to band camp. For what? He doesn't play an instrument, and when he gets there, he is basically allowed to roam free.
It is one zany stunt after the other at band camp as we witness the incredibly hot camp counselors act like horny nymphos all over the place, drinks get filled with spit, and suntan lotion is replaced with…well I'll let you find out yourself. At one point, Matt spikes a container of slushies with rum, which causes every one to get really drunk. This band camp appears to be a place where the inmates run the asylum. Anyone can get away with anything, at any time they feel like. He starts to fall in love Elyse, and the rest of the story is pretty predictable. Everybody learns a lesson. I must admit, while the acting was dreadful and just awful, the film did not bother as much as I expected. It was still terrible though. I can see that this film would be enjoyable to certain audiences. However, for me, this journey to band camp was another excruciating straight to video nightmare.
Final Rating: 4.0/10.0
The News Bulletin Dissection
"Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest" set a new record for the highest opening in box office history on Sunday, smashing the four-year-old record held by "Spider-Man", said distributor Walt Disney Co. The widely hyped family adventure sequel, marking the return of Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow, sold an estimated $132 million worth of tickets in its first three days of release across North America, easily surpassing industry expectations of an opening in the $100 million range. The old three-day mark of $115 million was set by "Spider-Man" in May 2002. Additionally, the "Pirates" haul of $55.5 million during its first day of release on Friday set a new record for a single day, beating the $50 million earned on a Thursday in May 2005 by "Star Wars: Episode III--Revenge of the Sith." Here is the rest of the top 10:
"Superman Returns" continued its not-so-super pace, earning $21.8 million to raise its two week total to $141.6 million. The film cost $260 million to make which is why the total is being considered a disappointment.
"The Devil Wears Prada" fell one spot to #3 in its second weekend, earning $15.6 million to raise its total to $63.6 million.
"Click" fell one spot to #4 with $12 million, raising its three week total to $105.9 million.
"Cars" fell one spot to #5 with $10.3 million, improving its five week total to $205.5 million.
"Nacho Libre" fell one spot to #6 in its fourth weekend, earning $3.3 million to bump its total to $73.8 million.
"The Lake House" fell one spot to #7 in its fourth weekend, earning $2.8 million to improve its total to $45.6 million.
"The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift" fell one spot to #8 in its fourth weekend, earning $2.4 million to raise its cume to $57.3 million.
"Waist Deep" fell one spot to #9 with $1.8 million, improving its three week total to $19.1 million.
"The Break-Up" rounds out the top ten, earning $1.6 million to raise its six week total to $114.3 million.
I knew it would do huge numbers, but I had no idea it would be this much. I had to get my tickets in Fandango in advance to see the film. In fact, the showtime I attended was sold out, and I know many others were. My friend told me that his theater had 3 prints of the film, and all were sold out. He had more than 900 people coming for the special midnight showing of the film. That's crazy when you think about it. I would not have predicted that so many wanted to see it that late at night. This was a wonderful film, and I am pleased that it broke two records. Hopefully, it continues to bring in large numbers. I am still amazed that Superman Returns is not making more money. The other films seem to be doing rather well. Another surprise to me was how so many people could go see The Fast and the Furious 3.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ThinkFilm has acquired all North American rights to Oscar-winning "Crash" writer Bobby Moresco's feature directing debut "10th & Wolf." The mob drama is inspired by the true story of a Marine (James Marsden) who returns home to discover he can't escape his family's ties to the Mafia. Marsden co-stars with Giovanni Ribisi, Brad Renfro, Piper Perabo, Brian Dennehy, Lesley Ann Warren, Dennis Hopper, Tommy Lee and Val Kilmer. ThinkFilm director of acquisitions and development Michael Baker and vp business and legal affairs Richard Rapkowski negotiated the deal with producers Suzanne DeLaurentiis and Jeffrey Tott.
Does this sound oddly like The Godfather to anyone else? Maybe it's just me. Regardless, mob films are always big draws, and with this type of cast, Moresco's debut could turn out well for him. I'm not sure about Mardsen in a lead role like this, but we'll see. Hopefully his direction is as good as his screenwriting.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Toronto International Film Festival on Thursday said the Sean Penn starrer "All the King's Men" from Sony Picture Releasing will receive a high-profile world premiere in September. Also slated for a world premiere at TIFF is "Bernard and Doris," a drama starring and directed by Bob Balaban, Agnieszka Holland's "Copying Beethoven," which stars Ed Harris and Diane Kruger, and Michael Ian Black's romantic comedy "The Pleasure of Your Company," starring Jason Biggs ("American Wedding") and Isla Fisher ("Wedding Crashers"). Steven Zaillian's "All the King's Men," the Phoenix Pictures drama that also stars Jude Law, Kate Winslet and Anthony Hopkins, will receive the red carpet treatment at Roy Thomson Hall.
I'm not sure about Bernard and Doris, but the other movies sound intriguing enough. I am looking forward to the remake of All the Kings Men. It has an all star cast, and I really think it could be good. It is good to see that Jason Biggs is still trying to land some quality roles. The director of that movie, Michael Ian Black, is that guy we all saw on every VH1 "I Love the…" series. He has written and acted in many TV shows such as Stella andReno 911!.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Warner Bros. Pictures' "Superman Returns" soared last week for Imax Corp. by pulling in a record $6.83 million for the giant-screen exhibitor in its first seven-day boxoffice run. Toronto-based Imax, which launched the live action blockbuster movie simultaneous with its traditional 35mm release, also racked up the largest domestic seven-day per-screen average of $89,804 for one of its big screen movies, and the largest international seven-day per screen average of $67,888. "Superman Returns" opened on 11 Imax screens internationally and will bow on another 24 in the coming weeks To woo audience into Imax theaters to see "Superman Returns," around 20 minutes of the Bryan Singer-helmed movie was converted into 3D using proprietary Imax software. Imax cinemagoers are cued just before four selected sequences to don their glasses and watch the movie in 3D.
While ordinary theater business is not looking very promising in terms of sales, IMAX business definitely is. After the IMAX success of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, and now this, I have a feeling that moviegoers will be seeing many more blockbuster releases in IMAX theaters for the future. I have yet to see an actual movie in IMAX, but I really want to soon. Despite my thoughts on Superman Returns, I'll bet it looked great.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- David Duchovny has signed on to star opposite Halle Berry and Benicio Del Toro in DreamWorks' drama "Things We Lost in the Fire." Penned by Allan Loeb, the story centers on a woman (Berry) whose husband (Duchovny) suddenly dies. The woman invites her husband's troubled best friend (Del Toro) to live with her family, and as the friend turns his life around, he helps the grief-stricken family confront their loss. Duchovny will appear in flashbacks. Dogme helmer Susanne Bier ("Open Hearts") will direct "Fire," which is scheduled to start filming next month.
Susanne Bier was born in Denmark, and she has directed numerous films from there, but this will be her American debut. She is the screenwriter for Zach Braff's next project called Open Hearts. The cast seem kind of bizarre with Duchovny, Del Toro, and Halle Berry, but maybe it will be worthwhile. I can't really comment on this because we have yet to experience anything by the director.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Tom Pabst has been hired to adapt Joe Hill's upcoming novel "Heart-Shaped Box" for Warner Bros. Pictures. Akiva Goldsman is producing via his Weed Road shingle. The novel is a supernatural thriller about a rock star who collects occult artifacts and bids online for a ghost that leads him into the Deep South. There, he must confront his past in order to escape the haunting. Hill is the son of horror guru Stephen King and wrote an award-winning collection of short stories titled "20th Century Ghosts." Kevin McCormick oversees for the studio.
Now Stephen King's son is writing horror books that will be adapted into movies. I guess we will see how far the apple falls from the tree. Akiva Goldsman is the screenwriter for The Da Vinci Code by the way. I'm kind if interested to read his book of short stories. IT is amazing how fast Hollywood works sometimes. The book isn't even out yet, and already it is being planned for film adaptation.
What's Coming to DVD…Buy or Avoid?
Pink Floyd: Pulse - This was a great CD realease I can tell you for sure, so I don't see why it wouldn't be worth purchasing on DVD. Buy
ECW: One Night Stand 2006 - This show was actually pretty decent, but not as good as last years. Even though the last match has some historical value, the DVD is not worth buying. Buy
Perry Mason-Season 1, Volume 1 - Not a bad show, but is this really something we would want to own (unless you are a die hard fan of course)? Avoid
The Critic's Quickee
Superman Returns - I never thought that a meaningless conversation in Mallrats would come back to haunt me in another film, but it did, and that's all I'll say about that. Without spoiling too much, Bryan Singer and company open a huge can of worms in this film, and it was quite risky. I enjoyed this film a lot more than I expected. It was amazingly faithful to the original films, and I respected that, but it does have some noticeable flaws. In particular, Kate Bosworth as Lois Lane was just bad casting, and while Kevin Spacey didn't bother me as much as anticipated, he was still rather goofy. Those are small complaints, but the main problems stem from the plot (a certain airplane sequence to be exact). I did love the character arc of Superman/Clark Kent, who experienced many different emotions throughout. This was a hugely entertaining and even somewhat compelling film, but in other ways it is too ambitious. Final Rating = 7.0/10.0
The Devil Wears Prada - In a word, the acting is fabulous, and no one can dispute that fact. However, the story is depressing, aggravating, and ultimately misleading. This film is filled with characters that are cruel, yet Anne Hathaway's character Andy eventually likes them and feels sorry for them when they have been nothing but assholes. To my surprise, the plot was quite predictable. None of the characters felt realistic to me. Adrian Grenier performs as Andy's boyfriend, and he is treated like he is nothing, yet he takes it all as if he is trapped in the relationship. I don't know why anyone would want to watch this more than once. It is not inspiring, it is not exciting, or uplifting. It makes you angry. It is just a disappointment, unless of course you are strictly seeing it for the acting. This was a surprise to me because I thought this film would be really good. Final Rating = 6.0/10.0
Movie Dictionary: Word of the Week
Character Arc - A character arc is the status of the character as it unfolds throughout the story, the storyline or series of episodes. Since the definition of character arc centers on the character, it is generally equated as the emotional change of the character within the narrative. Characters begin the story with a certain viewpoint and, through events in the story, that viewpoint changes. Often this change is for the better, but it can also be for the worse or simply different. Character arc are most evident in character drama or in subplots. Some examples include:
In Tootsie, Dustin Hoffman's character begins as a misogynistic chauvinist but when he is forced to play the part of a woman, he also experiences a change in how he views women and becomes a different character by the end. In Empire of the Sun, Jim begins as a carefree young boy. After the Japanese take over Shanghai and he is separated from his family, he is forced to suffer trauma because of the war. In The Godfather, Michael Corleone at first does not want to have anything to do with his father's crime business. When his father is attacked and barely survives, Michael realizes his love for his father and begins a war of retribution on those responsible.
Unlike a story arc, the character arc is not confined within the limits of one story. The character arc may extend over to the next story, a sequel, or another episode. In episodic TV series, the character arc has become the hook with which the writers use to ensure viewers continue watching.
Over the course of the Star Wars prequel trilogy, Anakin Skywalker goes from a protector of the Old Republic to becoming corrupted by Palpatine and, in the end, he becomes the villainous Darth Vader. In Smallville, Peter Ross learns of Clark Kent's secret and over the season and the next, he finds out he could not keep up with the pressure of keeping his friend's secret and leaves.
In Gargoyles, the coming of age of Brooklyn is subtly portrayed as his difficulties in his personal life and his eventual promotion and adjustment to the clan's second in command position develop until they simultaneously come to a head when Goliath, Elisa and Bronx disappear on their world tour.
Based on the Trailer…
You, Me, and Dupree I think this looks predictable with bad jokes. That is all. Trailer Rating 5.0/10.0
Spiderman 3 - Despite my dislike of the second one, this trailer is friggin awesome. The black spiderman suit storyline was always one of my favorites. Trailer Rating = 9.0/10.0
Little Man - I know there are some who enjoy this type of comedy, but I think this looks dreadful. Trailer Rating = 3.0/10.0
My Super Ex-Girlfriend - I personally think this looks dumb. It had some funny parts, but I don't think it will end up good. Trailer Rating = 5.0/10.0
Ghost Rider - This looks decent to me. The special effects might be a downfall, but all in all I'm looking forward to Cage in this role. Trailer Rating = 7.5/10.0
Accepted - This could be really funny or really dumb, but holy shit, comedian Lewis Black is in this! Trailer Rating = 7.0/10.0
Little Miss Sunshine - This looks pretty funny to me with a nice cast in Steve Carell, Greg Kinnear, etc. Trailer Rating = 8.0/10.0
Monster House - This actually looks good to me. The trailer has some funny things in it, and I think children and grown ups would enjoy it. Trailer Rating= 7.5/10.0
World Trade Center - A wonderful trailer in every way. This will not be like United 93, but it can still be good. I can't wait to see this trailer in the theater. Trailer Rating = 10.0/10.0
Miami Vice - Normally, I think remakes of TV shows are bad ideas, but Michael Mann looks to have cleared out the cobwebs, and used his own vision. I think this looks good. Trailer Rating = 8.5/10.0
Lady in the Water - I loved the teaser trailer to this with the music in the background, but this is much different. This movie still looks pretty interesting though. Trailer Rating = 7.5/10.
Clerks II - I look forward to any Kevin Smith film. This looks very funny, but I have doubts. Trailer Rating = 8.0/10.0
Casino Royale- I had my doubts, but this Bond film looks to be damn good after looking at this. Trailer Rating = 8.0/10.0
Forgotten Hotties
Cindy Margolis
Griffin Drew
Lorissa McComas
Other Stuff to Read
411 July Roundtable - Matthew Craggs gathers the readers thoughts on the July releases and more!
