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Resident Evil Takes Up Residence as No. 1 at Box Office

BuzzSugar — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 06:30:45 -0700

In a slightly surprising turn of events, the third Resident Evil movie, Resident Evil: Extinction, took the No. 1 spot at the box office this weekend, beating out Good Luck Chuck by quite a bit. Still, Chuck did manage to make $14 million over its first weekend and came in second place. The Brave One continues to do well, holding steady at No. 3, followed by 3:10 to Yuma in fourth place and Eastern Promises rounding out the top five movies of the weekend.

Sydney White, bringing in the younger crowds, came in at No. 6 with just over $5 million. Mr. Woodcock followed behind with Superbad, The Bourne Ultimatum and Dragon Wars completing the top ten. This coming weekend we'll see if love beats evil when Feast of Love opens nationwide.

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Box Office: It Takes a Brave One to Be No. 1

BuzzSugar — Mon, 17 Sep 2007 07:30:00 -0700

The Jodie Foster/Terrence Howard thriller The Brave One reached the No. 1 spot at the box office over a relatively slow weekend, bringing in approximately $14 million. Variety reports that the main audience for the film was older women, and that its continued success will depend on whether men will be drawn to see it as well.

3:10 to Yuma just barely beat out Mr. Woodcock for the No. 2 spot, with the Western raking in $9.15 million while the gym teacher comedy grossed $9.10. Dragon Wars (or D-War) came in fourth place and Superbad continued to please audiences (and, consequently, studio heads), taking the No. 5 slot.

This weekend looks like it offers a little bit of something for everyone, from The Jane Austen Book Club and Resident Evil 3: Extinction, to Good Luck Chuck and Sydney White. Oh, and that other Western flick with good-looking men, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford also opens this weekend.

Photo courtesy of Warner Bros.

The Brave One: A Flawed Superhero Saga

BuzzSugar — Fri, 14 Sep 2007 07:30:00 -0700

The trailer for Jodie Foster's latest vehicle The Brave One makes it look like a slightly tiresome tale of one woman's revenge. But the chick-power flick also has an alter ego: It's a modern-day superhero story in disguise.

Foster plays Erica Bain, who lives a blissful Boho existence hosting a public radio show about the found sounds of New York City. But her fate shifts when she and her fiance (Naveen Andrews) are beaten by punks in a park and only she survives the assault. How, a friend asks, can you come back from something like that? You can't, she answers: "You become someone else." For where she goes from there, read more

Llike Batman avenging his parents' death, Bain becomes - without entirely trying - a vigilante who trolls the streets in anonymous pursuit of justice. Along the way, she befriends Detective Mercer (Terrence Howard), the NYPD cop on the case of the headline-making vigilante. As in so many superhero sagas, the relationship between our flawed hero and her law-enforcement counterpart is marked by mutual respect and muted antagonism.

It's an interesting concept, and more artful in the hands of director Neil Jordan than I expected. The performances - particularly those from Foster, Howard, and Nicky Katt as Howard's partner - prove that subtle, natural acting can be far more powerful than histrionics.

Unfortunately, the movie just isn't great. Since the setting and characters are presented in a realistic way, it's tough to get past the far-fetched premise that Bain is getting away with these crimes and the complex balancing act of her life. If the movie relied more on its cool concept and less on hokey Hollywood tropes, it would be a far greater triumph.

Photos courtesy of Warner Bros.

Fall Movie Preview: Girl Talk

BuzzSugar — Mon, 10 Sep 2007 07:15:00 -0700

Well it's September, folks, and the summertime movie season is officially over. Now we have a whole new crop of films to check out in the coming chillier months, so in preparation for that, I'm giving you little glimpses of this fall and winter's must-see movies with my Fall Movie Preview series. Today's roundup: films for and about the ladies.

Elizabeth: The Golden Age
This absolutely luscious-looking film brings together two gorgeous actors, Cate Blanchett and Clive Owen, for the follow-up to the 1998 period piece Elizabeth. This story follows the Queen Elizabeth's (Blanchett) relationship with Sir Walter Raleigh (Owen). Check out the beautiful trailer before The Golden Age hits theaters October 12.

More lady stuff if you read more

Jane Austen Book Club
This upcoming dramedy is exciting to me for these reasons: 1) The Jane Austen theme, and 2) the stellar cast which includes Emily Blunt, Kathy Baker, Maria Bello, Maggie Grace and Hugh Dancy. I read the book on which this is based and was only mildly impressed, so perhaps the story will be more intriguing when brought to life on film. The narrative follows - you guessed it! - a book club in which the reading material is only Jane Austen books. With Austen's stories as a backdrop, we follow along with the real womens' lives - their joys, friendships and heartaches. The Jane Austen Book Club opens September 21, so check out the trailer and see what you think.

The Brave One
Opening this Friday September 14, The Brave One has Jodie Foster playing radio host Erica Bain who falls victim to a horrific beating that her fiance (Naveen Andrews) does not survive. She purchases a gun and becomes obsessed with finding her attackers. Yet now armed with the gun, she starts to use it on various violent perpetrators she encounters in the city. Terrence Howard plays the official on the hunt for this "vigilante." I'm curious about movies like this that explore the relationship women have with personal violence - and revenge - so I look forward to seeing The Brave One.

Margot at the Wedding
I've watched the trailer for Margot at the Wedding many times, and somehow I'm still not sick of it. It just looks so real and quirky and touching, and it stars some interesting folks, like Nicole Kidman, Jennifer Jason Leigh and Jack Black. Bonus: it was directed by The Squid and the Whale director Noah Baumbach. Jennifer Jason Leigh and Kidman play sisters: one is the know-it-all with a son (Kidman) while the other is about to marry a schlubby dude. And know-it-all sister can't seem to keep her mouth shut about what she sees as an ill-advised marriage. I look forward to the familial roller coaster when Margot at the Wedding opens October 19.

The Brave One image courtesy of Warner Bros.
Jane Austen Book Club image source
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Movie Preview: The Brave One

BuzzSugar — Fri, 17 Aug 2007 08:30:00 -0700

I saw the trailer for The Brave One before seeing The Invasion recently and was instantly intrigued. Not only do I appreciate that Jodie Foster is at the center of this drama, but it also stars Terrence Howard who always turns in compelling performances (his role in Crash moved me to tears, for one). Naveen Andrews from "Lost" also stars. Most of all, however, I'm curious about the subject matter.

Foster plays radio host Erica Bain who falls victim to a horrific beating that her fiance (Andrews) does not survive. She purchases a gun and becomes obsessed with finding her attackers. Yet now armed with the gun, she starts to use it on various violent perpetrators she encounters in the city. Howard plays the official on the hunt for this "vigilante," unaware that she's right in front of him. I'm fascinated by this story mostly because any woman who lives in a city - especially anyone who has been attacked in some way - can relate to the sense of powerlessness and the desire for revenge, or at the very least the desire to never feel powerless again. Variety has a really great interview with Jodie Foster all about these issues her character faces in the movie.

The film opens on September 14, so to check out the trailer, read more

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