Friends with Money, 2006, dir. Holofcener
Nicole Holofcener is a director I wish I had seen movies from, but for some reason I just never got around to Lovely & Amazing (it has the Jake in it so why not?) and Walking and Talking. I have seen her directed episode of Six Feet Under though! And I'm sure I've seen her directed episode of Gilmore Girls too. I would love to say I really wanna see this (have you SEEN that cast list?) but unfortunately, while I do aim to see it, I just don't think I want to plant down $10 to see it in a cinema. On DVD though it should be a must.
Clerks 2, 2006, dir. SmithFact. When I first watched the original Clerks I actually turned it off with only 10 minutes to go. I disliked it that much... granted, I didn't know it only had 10 minutes left, but still... it takes a lot for me to turn a movie off, even if I hate it. I eventually did sit down to watch the end a day later or so and, well, it didn't redeem the movie much for me. Kevin Smith is a director I just flat out do not like. His movies are just not my type. I did like Mattrats for whatever reason but Clerks, Chasing Amy, Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back and Dogma??? Nup. Hate them all (I never did see Jersey Girl thank god.) Even the Jay and Silent Bob cameo in Scream 3 wasn't amusing (and I think that whole debacle of a movie is ridiculously funny.) I must say, I think the reason I loathe Chasing Amy is because of that bitch arsed rotten disease-festering devil woman... I think y'all know who I'm talkin' 'bout, right?).
So back to Clerks 2... I think it looks fucking stupid and I don't care what anyone says. The end.
48 Shades, 2006, dir. Lapaine
Aww, this is sad. Apparently the movie is shit. It's a shame because there hasn't been a good teen movie come from Australia since 2000's Looking for Alibrandi (I remember my brother being quite pissed off that Alibrandi beat Chopper to Best Film at the AFIs). So, yeah... shame, because I like the cast (Emma Lung and Victoria Thaine are two of my new fave up-and-comers). But, here's a little fact. The director and writer is first timer Daniel Lapaine, a smalltime actor. You would, however, remember him as David Van Ankle, the South African swimmer who gets into an arranged marraige with Toni Collette in Muriel's Wedding!
Silent Hill, 2006, dir. GansOh, Christopher Gans! What on earth have you done? To be honest, I quite liked his everything-and-the-kitchen-sink French flick from a few years back The Brotherhood of the Wolf - it's charm came in the fact that it was so completely over the top, plus it had Vincent + Monica, my very favourite acting couple). It didn't come as a surprise to hear that his video game adaptation of Silent Hill was a nonsensical mess, but I was slightly surprised to hear that it wasn't even a fun nonsensicle mess. The story seems prime for some hilarious and ridiculously absurd horror action, but it appears it was not to be. In the light of this, let us have a chuckle at this and this, shall we?!
Man About Town, 2006, dir. Binder
And then we come to the stinker of the week. This has flop written all over it. I doubt this will even do Just My Luck business (JML didn't even make the Top 10 here). It just looks so bad. Shame, really because it's written and directed by Mike Binder who made a significant impression last year with The Upside of Anger starring Joan Allen. I didn't even know he was making this movie until last week! It stars Ben Affleck, Rebecca Romijn, Jerry O'Connell, Mike Binder, John Cleese, Kal Penn and Gina Gershon herself! Hell, it even has Bai Ling!!! Oh well. Does this even have a release date in America?
1. Snakes on a Plane (1)
2. Miami Vice (3)
3. Fearless (1)
4. You, Me and Dupree (5)
5. Thank You for Smoking (1)
6. Hoowinked (4)
7. Pirates of the Caribbean... (8)
8. Kenny (2)
9. United 93 (2)
10. Curious George (2)
YAWN. Snakes takes top spot, pushing two-week leader Miami Vice to third. Vice is going much better here than in the US, I believe. Jet Li's last kung fu movie (or whatever) Fearless made a great debut at #3. Great, because it's not in English, y'all. Thank You For Smoking gets a great entry at #5 with the highest cinema average of entire top 20 (excluding the IMAX title Deep Sea 3D at #19). That title should chug along to at least $2mil, which is great for some a niche title.
Kenny, the Australian mockumentary about a portaloo salesman, in it's second week performs the rare act of actually increasing it's takings. It went up 11% despite falling one spot to #8. United 93 sits at #9, a fall from #5 last week, but it's takings only dropped 29% so it looks worse than it is. It's gonna make a quiet $2mil (most likely just under) and that's pretty good considering the subject.
Outside the top 10 the only new entries are Unfolding Florence at #17 with a pretty good $63,000. Unranked were The Child and Secuestro Express. Notorious Aussie flick 2:37 holds well, but it's opening number was low so it's not really helping. This movie won't even get to half a million.
15 comments:
I just watched Friends With Money last night... on DVD! Now I get what you're saying about movies taking forever to open down there.
Anyway, I always end up liking Holofcener's movies more than I expect to, which now ought to stop being the case, having had the same reaction over and over again. But it keeps happening. I'll know better next time!
Anyway, I had a bit of a mental-crisis with regards to The Aniston, but I think I'm going to post about this today, so I'll spare the rambling here. But I liked the movie, and yeah, there really was no way she could go wrong with the names in that cast.
Oh, and I liked Brotherhood of the Wolf as well, and was mostly bored silly by Silent Hill. It does have a couple of things worth seeing, but it's def. the case where it's soooo overly-stylized that it just stops being scary.
But then, that's how I felt about the TCM remake, and I know where you stand on that one... ;-)
Clerks 2 was awesome. But I'm a Smith fan... and saw it with a lot of Smith fans... so perhaps I'm biased.
2:37 has apparently already made a profit, even before its release it had somehow. Unless Thalluri was making that up too... Although I don't think he's a complete liar, maybe just a truth-bender.
The thing is with Texas is that whenever I watch that movie I think "I would NOT be able to handle being in that situation", but a movie like Silent Hill isn't the type of movie I get scared in because it's about zombies and isolated towns and witches or whatever and, like, that's not possible. The only zombie movie I was legitimately scared out of pants by was the original Night of the Living Dead.
I should point out that I am never ever going to Texas. I mean, there's more obvious reasons for not going there, but the fact that I actually believe there are chainsaw weilding psychopaths down there is a pretty good one too.
But yeah, horror movies that aren't at all based in reality don't scare me, but they can sometimes be entertaining such as Brotherhood of the Wolf which was just absurd in it's silliness that I was eventually won over.
Simon, isn't the whole thing with 2:37's director hilarious?
I'm seeing the movie next week so I won't have an opinion on it til then.
Kevin Smith can remove his own dick from his mouth and actually make a movie that isn't self-serving tripe, plz.
I have lots of love for Nicole Holofcenter (sp?), mostly on the strength of the great Lovely and Amazing, but I have to admit I just didn't get Friends with Money .. I just couldn't relate at all to these very wealthy people kvetching about how miserable they all were
It was a pleasure reading your post and getting these information's from the post.
Australians are also good in making films. I will be searching for Australian films besides other films from now.
it's soooo overly-stylized that it just stops being scary.
Australian cinema is overall good.The story of this film is very impressive so far I see.
Thanks . It is lovely .
There really was no way she could go wrong with the names in that cast.
It does have a couple of things worth seeing, but it's def. the case where it's soooo overly-stylized that it just stops being scary.
silent hill is a good movie and have a good story, i have watched and enjoy it
Thanks for this information man. I have some friends in Australia and i will let them know about your article here.
There is much to learn from others, including someone like him.
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