August 24, 2006

This Week in Australian Cinemas

A very slow week for new releases. Very. Fucking. Slow.


Snakes on a Plane, 2006, dir. Ellis
The first thing that I think of when I think of this movie is "LOL", cause that's basically what I've been typing everytime I say something about this movie. I admit, it looks like a hoot. There are snaked. And they're on a plane. And there's Samuel L Jackson! And there's gore and nudity! And it's everything I could hope for. I hope it's good. I'll be seeing it in a couple of hours. In case you can't tell, the above image is a still from Wes Craven's quite-spectacular 2005 plane-set horror thriller Red-Eye. Rachel McAdams has made way for Jackson and Cillian Murphy for a snake. Ain't it pretty!

Thank You For Smoking, 2006, dir. Reitman
While his father (Ivan Reitman) is out making shit movies (Evolution, My Super Ex-Girlfriend anybody?) it appears his son (Jason Reitman) is ready to become a talented guy. Thank You For Smoking definitely looks promising. I'll defo being seeing it. That cast is too good to pass! I think this movie will in some way play in the awards season. Could it pull a SAG Ensemble nod? (they did nominate Hustle & Flow and The Station Agent in previous years so never rule it out) or even a Globe nomination or two? We'll see.

Fearless, 2006, dir. Yu
This isn't really my favourite genre (I do love the Lee and Yimou ones though but that's the starf*cker in me. Plus, they're super good!). I just can't get excited about "Jet Li's Last Kung-Fu Movie!" or whatever they're advertising it as. I don't care. It's apparently pretty decent as these things go, and it's interesting to see Ronny Yu return from American guilty pleasure horror schlock like Bride of Chucky and Freddy Vs Jason to his homeland.

Unfolding Florence: The Many Lives of Florance Broadhurst, 2006, dir. Armstrong
A documentary about a designer of wallpaper? Sounds boring I hear you say! Well, not here (apparently). This wallpaper designer was an infamous society figure who claimed to be a British lady but was infact an Aussie country girl masquerading. And she was murdered and her death remains a mystery (the case has been reopened due to new evidence discovered by the makers). BTW, the director here is Gillian Armstrong! She and writer Katherine Thomson appear to have crafted one of the most interesting looking docos in a while. Using stills, animation, re-enactments, voiceover, etc to create a film. The photographic stills they use have been computer animated so that when the fictionalised voiceover (by Felicity Price) talks it appears the photo is talking too (like SOUTH PARK!) and etc. It definitely looks interesting. I wish it was nominated at the AFI so I could see it there, but I'm not sure if it was submitted. Definitely looks good!

BOX-OFFICE
1. Miami Vice (2)
2. You, Me & Dupree (4)
3. Hoodwinked (3)
4. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (7)
5. United 93 (1)
6. The Lake House (4)
7. Kenny (1)
8. Curious George (1)
9. Jindaybe (5)
10. The Sentinal (3)

Wow. What a bad week at the box-office! The Top 4 remains exactly the same as last week. Miami Vice falls an exact 50% to stay at #1 but #2, #3 and #4 falls 24%, 21% and 26% respectively. You'd think with so many movies opening in the states (wasn't it something like 12 movies in three weeks?) that SOME of them could open here. We got about 3 and that's it. Which is why movies like The Lake House at #6 have such good holds (down 34%).

United 93 makes a decent debut at #5 considering it's subject matter. Aussie film Kenny does well to open at #7 despite a typical Aussie lack of advertising. I mentioned last week how bizarre it was to withhold Curious George for half a year and then release it in non-school holiday time and so it flops, opening at #8 and doesn't even averager $1700 a cinema. Jindabyne again has the smallest fall in the top 10 (20%) followed by The Sentinal blahing it up at #10.

Outside of the Top 10, Thank You For Smoking does good in advance screenings, it could definitely open in the top 5 next week. Australian controversy magnet 2:37 makes a rather irksome debut at #12 on 55 screens and a $2,600 average. The fresh alligations against this film's director could make it sink without a trace or give it a new life. We'll see. Only other newcomers were Chaos with a pitiful $117,000 on 74 screens and Breakfast on Pluto debuts unranked with $33,000.

49 Up continues to do great stuff on limited arthouse screens while stuff like Ten Canoes, Brick, Confetti and Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna slide down.

2 comments:

Yaseen Ali said...

That picture had me giggling for a full ten minutes after seeing it... so I had to come back and comment. Brilliant.

Glenn Dunks said...

:P

My photoshopping skills are impeccible, right?!