As we've already seen with my polls on comedic actors and comedic actresses, this year delivered lots of laughs, thanks to some funny bromances and a rom-com or two (or three). Which one was your favorite in '09?
Don't forget to vote on all of my Best of 2009 polls!
There's a silver lining to TV shows going into reruns, and it's more time to watch movies! Happily, today there are a few highly-anticipated flicks, and I've gone through them to tell you What to Netflix. In addition to the three movies mentioned below, you can also catch Robert Pattinson's pre-Twilight dramedy How to Be.
This year's updated version of Star Trek turned the franchise on its head. With hot young things Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto in the beloved roles of Captain Kirk and Mr. Spock, the film completely changed the series' history so they could start over with a fresh new story.
It worked like gangbusters: the space-set action movie is clever, entertaining, and tons of fun. It manages to make a sex symbol out of a pointy-eared geek, whom I personally drooled over. The movie manages to pay respect to the original, so those fans are still happy, while pleasing folks who weren't fans of the first (like myself).
The DVD's got lots of extras, including deleted scenes, a special feature on casting and a gag reel.
95%
See two more movies releasing today when you read more
Still hunting for that perfect Halloween costume? Never fear, for I am willing to share some of my ideas with you, culled from this year's flicks. Everyone loves a good pop culture reference, and the best part is that these are super easy to put together last minute. From spooky to hilarious, there's a little something for everyone, so take a look.
One of the funniest parts of Bruno is when Sacha Baron Cohen's flamboyant character tries to undergo gay-therapy, a stunt also attempted in this clip from the original Ali G Show. Well today the American Psychological Association announced that such therapy, typically administered by therapists with a tie to religious groups, does not succeed in making a patient straight. Surprise!
The APA says that instead of trying to change a patient's sexuality, therapists should encourage those who are troubled with their homosexuality for religious reasons to pursue celibacy or change churches. The conclusion that "reparative therapy" is unsuccessful and potentially harmful is no big surprise, but the panel did have some unexpected words for the mental health community. The leader of the panel that conducted the report, Judith Glassgold, said that while religious therapists must understand that therapy cannot change someone's sexuality, secular therapists must be understanding, too. To see what she had to say to these secular therapists, read more
It may be darker than ever, but Harry Potter still brings the magic at the box office. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince worked its wizardry on audiences to the tune of nearly $160 million for its first five days in the theater, with $79.5 million of that coming over the weekend.
That's not quite as strong as the five-day opening for Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen last month (that movie pulled in $201.2 million in its first five days), but it's the best tally yet for a Harry Potter movie.
The other big story of this weekend's box office is the fall of Bruno. Last weekend's box office winner pulled in just $8.4 million this week, finishing in fourth place. That put it behind second-place Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs, which brought in $17.7 million. Transformers kept up the pace with a third-place tally of $13.8 million.
In indie news, 500 Days of Summer had a solid debut with almost $840,000 from just 27 theaters. It'll be interesting to see how that movie holds up when it expands into many more theaters this weekend.
Photo courtesy of Warner Bros.
It was an odd little lineup of possibilities at the box office over the weekend: a racy and squirm-inducing adult comedy, an animated prehistoric adventure for kids', some robot cars, slick gangsters, teens with crushes, some family drama, a proposal, a hangover and more. The racy comedy, Bruno, took in the most in box office sales for the weekend with $30.4 million, though Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs (in its second weekend) was close behind with $28.5 million. Bruno also experienced a 39% drop from Friday to Saturday, "indicating that most fans turned out on opening day."
Still, co-chair/co-CEO of Media Rights Capitol (which financed and produced the film) Modi Wiczyk is pleased with the opening weekend results: "Not bad for a movie that doesn't have talking robots."
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen continues to transform everything in its path into dollar signs, coming in third place not far behind Ice Age with $24 million. Public Enemies and The Proposal took the fourth and fifth spots respectively.
Photo courtesy of Universal Studios
There are cringe-inducing comedies, and there are grossout shockfests, and then there is Bruno. Sacha Baron Cohen's latest movie brazenly mates both genres while thrusting in a touch of documentary and hardcore porn.
Bruno made me squirm, but not in the way that Borat did. Whereas Borat succeeded in smartly skewering the stupidity of some Americans by putting them in uncomfortable situations, Bruno doesn't live up to its working subtitle: Delicious Journeys Through America for the Purpose of Making Heterosexual Males Visibly Uncomfortable in the Presence of a Gay Foreigner in a Mesh T-Shirt. I wanted this movie to be a nervous-laughter-inducing lampoon of homophobia and Hollywood, to tip my cringe-to-pleasure scale by putting bigoted people in embarrassing situations. Unfortunately, it let me down.
Sacha Baron Cohen's Borat taught us "iPod minis are for girls," but his next saucy comedy Brüno promises a more androgynous approach to technology. Having recently proposed tech makeovers for the characters of Gossip Girl, I'm ready to offer up gizmo suggestions for the fashionable, fearless and fierce fictional reporter. 'Cause you should never leave home without your iPhone or your murse.
Photo courtesy of Universal Studios
Sacha Baron Cohen has been making the interview rounds to promote Bruno, usually appearing in costume as his over-the-top character. We got to actually see Sacha himself on Tuesday night when he appeared on The Late Show, and it was a big change from Bruno's typical antics. He might be trying to soften the film's image before its release tomorrow by going as himself, but tell us — do you prefer seeing Sacha or Bruno in interviews?
