This week in theaters: 10/30

There's really only four things in theaters this weekend, only one of which is in wide release. One of the limited ones sounds interesting, but it's not playing near me. Oh well.

Michael Jackson's This Is It: A two hour film that consists of only footage of Michael Jackson practicing for what was supposed to be his upcoming concert tour. I'm going to be honest: I'm sorry Michael Jackson died, but I really could care less about this film. It's obviously just a cash grab by Columbia Pictures. Of course, see it this weekend if you're interested because it's only in release for two weeks.

Gentlemen Broncos: Jared Hess, the maker of Napoleon Dynamite, returns with the story of a teenager who goes to a fantasy writers' convention and discovers his idea for a story has been taken. I was originally interested, but then I came to the realization that Napoleon Dynamite wasn't really that great. It's a good movie, but only for maybe two viewings. Meh.

The Boondocks Saints II: All Saints Day: A sequel to the indie hit The Boondock Saints. Only for fans of the original which I admit that I've never seen although it's on my long Netflix queue.

The House of the Devil: Here's the one I wanted to see. A girl takes up a babysitting job, but realizes her client doesn't even have a child and has a darker secret: they're using her in a satanic ritual. This one has been highly buzzed about and I really need another great horror movie after Paranormal Activity. Plus, doesn't it make sense to see a scary movie on Halloween?

This week in theaters: 10/23

Before you read this, let me remind that there is nothing good coming out this weekend. Seriously. The fall season has hit a dry spot. Next week isn't going to be much better. As Jigsaw from Saw would say, what do you choose?

Saw VI: I guess this is the one to see in theaters, but only if you're a fan of the series. The first one was great, the second was good, and the third was where it took a wrong turn and went bad. And to still think they're making more. Game over, Saw.

Astro Boy: Based on the 1950's cartoon about a robotic boy who can fly. Meh, nothing interesting. There's nothing much I can say about this.

Cirque Du Freak: The Vampire's Assisstant: Another shot at the vampire movie. A boy becomes a vampire and is exposed to carnival led by John C. Reilly. One of the main attractions is a bearded Salma Hayek. Whatever.

Amelia: Hilary Swank plays Amelia Earheart as directed by Mira Nair of Monsoon Wedding. Richard Gere co-stars. The predictions that this was Oscar bait were apparently very wrong. It currently has 18% good reviews on Rotten Tomatoes. I thought I would want to see this, but not anymore.

Antichrist: A couple goes to their cabin the woods where the engage in mental, physical, and sexual torture. A good movie to say you've seen...if it's playing anywhere near you. It has a limited release of under 20 theaters. Also, it's very controversial so there's a good chance you might not like it. There's penis smashing, a shot of unsimulated sex, vagina mutilation, and a talking fox. Did I mention it's directed by the infamous Lars von Trier?

Paranormal Activity expands its release to 1,000 more theaters making the total about 1,800 theaters. If you haven't seen it yet, do see it, but don't read anything about it. Even though I think it's one of the scariest films ever made, people who have seen it tell me it's overhyped. Use your judgement.

Scary Movie 5 is a reboot

Oh, Hollywood is running out of original ideas. Scary Movie 5 is officially a reboot of the series. Now here's my question: How do you reboot a satire? A parody is a parody. You can't redo it or start it over! That's just stupid.

While the idea is already satirical by itself, we really don't need another scary movie. There's a reason why the Weinstein Co. is suffering and that's because they keep making stupid movies! I'll admit that I did think Scary Movie and Scary Movie 3 were occasionally funny, but the second and fourth were horrible. We need a fifth one like I need another Uwe Boll movie.

Awesome: New Avatar trailer coming to theaters Friday!

The general reaction to the teaser trailer of Avatar was so-so. Fans were underwhelmed and audiences who were previously unexposed to it wanted to remain underexposed to it. ComingSoon.net has found out that a new trailer for Avatar will be coming to theaters on Friday! This trailer will be three and a half minutes long and it will tell more about the story. Don't get so excited. It won't be online till October 29th. Also, don't hype it too much. Remember what happened last time.

Box Office Report: Week of 10/16

This week was a pleasant surprise at the box office. Where the Wild Things Are landed at number one with about the money the expected it to and The Stepfather did well against its competition. The real stars of the weekend were Law Abiding Citizen and Paranormal Activity. Many people were sure that Law Abiding Citizen would fail, but this is far from what happened. It actually was quite a hit at the box office. Paranormal Activity did well, but far better than expected. It expands more next week. Can it make it past third place and maybe even damage Saw VI? We'll see! On a side note, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs has officially crossed the $100 million dollar mark at the box office. Who woulda thought it?

1. Where the Wild Things Are-$32.5M

2. Law Abiding Citizen-$21.2M

3. Paranormal Activity-$20.2M

4. Couples Retreat-$17.9M

5. The Stepfather-$12.3M

6. Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (in 3D in some locations)-$8.1M

7. Zombieland-$7.8M

8. Toy Story/Toy Story 2 Double Feature-$3.0M

9. Surrogates-$1.9M

10. The Invention of Lying-$1.9M

Review: Paranormal Activity

I finally got to see Paranormal Activity which was overdue from last week when I got there and it was sold out. It was so scary! I don't scare easily, but Paranormal Activity really got under my skin. It's a really great movie to see in theaters. Read my review that I wrote for IMDB (my user name is alexart-1):

Fear. One of the most essential and loved emotions ever in the movies. Does Paranormal Activity bring the fear? It sure does. Paranormal Activity is one of the rare horror movies that is actually scary and that makes you afraid to sleep. Many horror movies these days fall the way of Sorority Row and the Final Destination series-full of clichés and lacking scary material. In fact, in a day where the horror movie is not actually scary, it is hard to even call it a genre anymore. Paranormal Activity disobeys the standards for the new horror movie genre and brings the old version back with good film-making and great thrills.This spooky little film starts out easy and almost a comedy.

It's about a couple, Katie and Micah (pronounced Meeka), who have been experiencing what they think is a haunting. The two quarrel while remaining hopelessly in love with each other. Micah decides to set up a camera system to appease Katie who is hoping to give Micah a glimpse of a ghost which she believes to be in the house. The heart of the film is its night scenes which depict the couple sleeping in bed while the ghost (it's actually something slightly different) "attacks". The film is made in the "shaky cam" style, but the camera is not very shaky and audiences concerned about nausea should not be.

Paranormal Activity works primarily for the reason that it continually mounts fear. As I said before, the beginning starts out comedy-like, gradually transitions into horror, and then just goes wild. The night scenes are scariest because they prey on one of our most common fears: the unknown predator. The viewer knows what it is that is haunting them, yet they never get even a quick look at what it is that is doing this other than its shadow. The night scenes begin with shutting doors, banging noises, and booming noises in the background. This may not sound like anything new, but after this phase is done, the film just keeps getting stranger. By the end, the film is so scary that the viewer just hopes that there isn't another night scene coming, that everything is going to be okay, that the movie will be over so they won't have to endure any more fear. No, Oren Peli, the director, does not give up. Once you've gotten into his trap of this movie, you can't leave. Peli has made a film so scary that even I, a person who really doesn't get scared by horror movies, might have trouble sleeping for the next few days.

This film is absolutely one to catch in theaters. Part of the fun of the movie seeing the audience's reaction. The film was so scary that during a screening in Montreal, a person fainted and was carted out of the theater by the ambulance. Alright, nothing that exciting happened to me, but yes, the reactions were very interesting. However, it was so scary that one woman sitting behind me kept murmuring to herself "Ohmygod, ohmygod, ohmygod!" during the night scenes. Later, the "ohmygods" turned into a scream which, at the very end, changed into her crying because she was so scared. Many people didn't have as intense a reaction as this, but almost everyone was gasping when scary things happened. I even found myself gasping at the screen at certain parts, something I have never found myself doing before at a movie.

It's hard to believe that Paranormal Activity was made for $11,000. It brings the scares of a $20 million-ish movie. Oren Peli takes the audience and scares them until the very end which is easily one of the most jolting endings to a movie ever. Don't watch the trailers! They spoil the ending! Anyway, Paranormal Activity is one of the scariest movies ever and will definitely spook any horror fan. It's a must see for people who care about movies and even for people just looking for fun. I know that I've never had as much fun watching a movie in theaters before. Paranormal Activity is not only one of the best films of the year, but also one of the most frightening films of all time.

Chris Pine is Jack Ryan?

Everyone knows Chris Pine was awesome in Star Trek this past summer. Now, Paramount has taken this into consideration and it is said that they want Pine to play Jack Ryan in a reboot of the Tom Clancy series. Good idea? Yeah, probably, but I think the buzz surrounding him has reached saturation point. The idea of Star Trek 2 is awesome, but I think Hollywood loves him a little too much. Still, I think I'm looking forward to this project.

Zaillian and Scott to adapt Red Riding trilogy

Steven Zaillian and Ridley Scott are set to bring the Red Riding trilogy to the screen in America. A trilogy of movies has already been made in England, but, as per usual, the American film industry needs to remake every movie and these three are being remade here. The British trilogy screened at the Telluride Film Festival and was met with some good buzz. Zaillian and Scott have worked together before on American Gangster and Hannibal.

Foster and Sutherland join The Mechanic

A while back, we learned that Jason Statham was acting as a hit man again in a remake of the schlock classic The Mechanic. We also learn it would be directed by (unintentional) schlock master Simon West, the maker of Tomb Raider and Con Air. What seemed like so-bad-it's-good-it's-bad just turned into something better. Ben Foster and and Donald Sutherland have now joined the movie. Foster will play an apprentice to Statham and Sutherland will play Foster's father. Maybe I actually care about this film now. How interesting.

Anna Paquin and Stephen Moyer have an Open House

As if we don't see enough voyeuristic sex on True Blood. Anna Paquin and Stephen Moyer play husband and wife in Open House, an upcoming horror movie. It's about a couple who moves into a house that the previous owner hasn't quite left. By that, I mean he's a ghost.

I am NOT excited about this. First of all, I love True Blood, but these two need to be separated. They may be good actors seperately, but together, they suck (haha). Hopefully, there's no sex scenes in this. It's already gross enough to think that a real life couple portrays a fictional couple who has a lot of graphic sex. Also, I hope Anna Paquin doesn't smile. She has a terrible gap in her front two teeth that bugs me all the time in True Blood.

Up in the Air, 25/8, Book of Eli, and Hole get ratings

Up in the Air
R for language and some sexual content

25/8
R for strong bloody violence, and pervasive language including sexual references

The Book of Eli
R for some brutal violence and language

The Hole
PG-13 for frightening images, violence, and some language

Me and Orson Welles
PG-13 for sexual references and smoking

The Tree of Life dies, replanted in 2010

Earlier this year, people got excited when Apparition bought the rights to Terrence Malick's The Tree of Life. It was rumored to be released on Christmas this year. Today, this was revealed to be false and just wishful thinking. No release date is set, but it will be released in 2010 for sure. 2010 now has its first Oscar contender.

This week in theaters: 10/16

Five new movies this weekend. Three mainstream, two independent. Which one will you see?

Where the Wild Things Are: The obvious choice for the weekend. The famous children's book makes it to the screen with Spike Jonze as director. The trailers made me cry because they were so sentimental. Also, I love Spike Jonze. Where could you go wrong? Did I mention Karen O and The Kids did the whole soundtrack?

Law Abiding Citizen: Gerard Butler plays a man turned serial killer after his wife is raped. He is arrested, but the murders keep happening. Jamie Foxx plays good cop, bad cop for the whole movie. Booorrring. The trailer was so corny and cliched that I can't understand why anybody would want to see it.

The Stepfather: A remake of the poor 1980's movie about an evil stepfather. Another boring cliche fest. If this is your thing, pursue it, but I would not recommend wasting ten dollars on this.

New York, I Love You: A series of vignettes with good actors and good directors about New York. Ah, yes. New York movies are back. I truly do love New York and hope to love this movie. The early reviews for it weren't great, but I still want to see it anyway.

Black Dynamite: Blaxploitation roars back to theaters. Hey, I'm excited! The trailer was so bad it was great and that's exactly what the early reviews said. The trend of making so-bad-it's-good movies is starting to get old, but this one seems pretty fun.

Paranormal Activity is also expanding its release by 800 theaters. If you want to see this, don't make the same mistake as me and get tickets online in advance ASAP!

A disgrace: Fox tells the story of Moses in style of Zack Snyder

20th Century Fox has bought an update of The Ten Commandments...but its being done in the style of 300. The Jewish religion just got a big F U from Fox. Come on. This has got to be the dumbest idea for a movie that I've heard this year. They're gonna do that stupid slo-mo/fast-mo BS with the parting of the Red Sea. And it's not gonna be one bit interesting.

Also, what the hell was the pitch like from writers Adam Cooper and Bill Collage? That meeting must have been hilarious! I laughed out loud just from the thought of the movie. Listening to their pitch must have just been straight laughter the whole way through. /Film has pointed out that it may turn out to Roland Emmerich style, with a big budget and tons of VFX. Neither one is necessary. It's okay for Hollywood to make book adaptations, but not Holy Book adaptations.

Mandalay Pictures gets Horn-y

Mandalay Pictures has acquired the rights to Joe Hill's, the son of Stephen King, upcoming book Horns. The book hasn't even released yet and it's already been optioned for a movie! It must be good. Horns is about a man who wakes up from a hangover and realizes that there are horns growing from his head. The horns continue to grow bigger each day and eventually he realizes that they may be related somehow to the unsolved murder of his girlfriend.

Those who have read Heart Shaped Box know the power of Joe Hill's writing. Hill's writing, which is very reminiscent of his father's, is unusual and striking. It's spooky and at the same time, very readable. I'm totally psyched for this and I love Joe Hill. Try picking up Heart Shaped Box. You won't be able to put it down.

Theron no longer a Tourist, Jolie replaces her

Angelina Jolie has replaced Charlize Theron for her part in The Tourist, a remake of a French thriller about an American tourist who goes undercover in hopes to trap his ex-lover who is currently wanted for an international crime. Back in August, Sam Worthington replaced Tom Cruise for his role as well. Moreover, Spyglass Entertainment also wants to replace Bharat Nalluri, the director of the original, who just got off the project.

Still, Spyglass Entertainment has this set to release in early 2010. They need a miracle for this happen. With so much replacing, its a stupid idea to let the film keep going. They should just shut the production down now and save some money.

Animation Academy Award given five nominees

The Academy has now given the Animation category five nominations instead of the usual three. Speculation has risen over how necessary this actually was, but I believe that this year was and still is a particularly good year for animation, so yes, it does deserve the extra nominations. Here's what I think they should be:
Up
Coraline
9
Fantastic Mr. Fox
Ponyo

Second Avatar trailer to come in the next two weeks!

According to the blog MarketSaw, a few insiders have informed him that there are a few trailers in contention for being released in theaters and we will see one of them very soon. The trailer is said to have only three lines of dialogue and focus on Sigourney Weaver's character. Again, this only rumor. If it's true, more details to come!

Box Office Report: Week of 10/9

To sum it up, the box office was surprisingly pleasant this week. Couples retreated to the local multiplex to see Couples Retreat, Paranormal Activity broke records, and Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs is now within the $100 million range. So here is the question: how and why did Couples Retreat do so well? There's a very simple answer: it was the only mainstream release of the week. But still, the response to the trailer wasn't great and it looked like a Forgetting Sarah Marshall knockoff. Whatever the reasons may be, Universal needed this badly and I'm glad they got it.

1. Couples Retreat-$34.3M

2. Zombieland-$14.8M

3. Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (in 3D in some locations)-$11.5M

4. Paranormal Activity (limited, 159 theaters)-

$7.9M

5. Toy Story/Toy Story 2 Double Feature-$7.8M

6. Surrogates-$4.3M

7. The Invention of Lying-$3.3M

8. Whip It-$2.8M

9. Capitalism: A Love Story-$2.6M

10. Fame-$2.5M

Paranormal Activity producers get Jealous

The Paranormal Activity producers are already moving onto their next project, an adaptation of Celia Fremlin's 1985 book The Jealous One. The Jealous One is about a woman who dreams she murdered another woman who was tempting her husband. She awakens to find that the woman she dreamed of is missing. The book is described as Hitchcockian. Sounds intriguing.

Why?: Joss Whedon's Cabin in the Woods gets pushed back

Joss Whedon's buzzed about movie The Cabin in the Woods got pushed back to January 14, 2011. That's eleven months past what it was supposed to be. Why, you may ask? Well, MGM has said that the movie was well received during test screenings and they want to redo the film in 3D. Aw, come on! If a film wasn't supposed to be in 3D, leave it that way. Plus, MGM is probably just lying considering they're having financial troubles anyway. The 3D fad has really reached saturation point. People need to give it up already.

Paranormal Activity gets a nationwide release!

After buzz and hype continued to mount for the most discussed film of the year (yes, even more than Antichrist), Paranormal Activity finally will get a nationwide release! In possibly the smartest advertising campaign ever, one million people Demanded It! and Paramount agreed to relase it nationwide. This Friday, Paranormal Activity will add 1,000 more theaters to its release. You know I'll be there. I actually tried to see it tonight, but it was completely sold out two hours and half ahead of time and the line for the showing that wasn't sold out snaked out the door of the theater. I'll see it, eventually. I feel like I owe it to myself to see the most buzzy film of the year. I love horror movies and this is right up my alley.

Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire-Review

Precious really struck a chord with me. Here's what I wrote on IMDB (I'm alexart-1, by the way):

I saw Precious at the New York Film Festival yesterday. As you may know, Precious is the only film to ever win the Audience Award at both the Sundance and Toronto International Film Festivals. The film has been highly hyped since January and I was afraid I would be underwhelmed. Well, I sure wasn't! Precious is a powerhouse piece of cinema that will rip your heart to shreds. The acting is pitch perfect from everybody and the film-making is unusual.

Precious is about Claireece 'Precious' Jones, an overweight girl who has already had a child with Down's Syndrome from when she was raped by her father. Her mother constantly abuses her and she's already pregnant with her second baby. When she gets kicked out of school and is forced to go to an alternative school to help her get her GED, she realizes that there may actually be hope for her.

The acting is easily the most important and best thing during Precious. Newcomer Gabourey Sidibe will absolutely be famous and definitely deserves the Best Actress Oscar. Her performance was so real and searing that you're just forced to sympathize with her. Other cast includes Lenny Kravitz, Mariah Carey, and Mo'Nique who are all unfamiliar to the genre, but still perform very well. Mo'Nique gives a really great performance as the abusive mother Mary and should definitely win an Oscar as well. Mariah Carey's performance is a bit dry, but her character is not very major. Paula Patton, the actress who plays Blu Rain, Precious' teacher, gives a believable and loving performance as well. Also, the girls in Precious' class are all great. I actually was sitting behind them at the screening and got the them to sign my Playbill. They were all very excited.

The crowd seemed to love the movie. At Toronto, people laughed at serious parts, but the New York audience ate it up. People clapped for Precious, cried at the right parts, and even gasped at the screen over some of the violence. The violence is often so abrupt that it feels as if you too could have just been hit over the head with a pan. Everybody was so engaged in watching it even Gabourey Sidibe herself who had already seen it three times. Even she had trouble watching some parts. At the end of the movie, everyone in the audience stood up and gave Lee Daniels and his cast about a ten minute standing ovation. Everybody loved the film. Precious is definitely one of the best movies of the year and will definitely at least be nominated for Best Picture if not win it. It may be a bit bleak, but Precious gives me and everybody else hope. Lee Daniels wrote a quotation at the end of the movie that said "For precious girls everywhere". This is what really put the icing on the cake. Precious is a magnificent and disturbing movie.

Toy Story/Toy Story 2 Double Feature-Short Review

You know the movies. You know they're great. Is it worth spending your money to see them on the big screen? Yes. The 3D is spectacular, if not the best 3D movie of the year. The double feature style is actually quite nice as well. There is a five minute intermission which also has some interesting facts that accompany it. Two hours and 49 minutes may seem like a long time, but its definitely worth your money. Plus, there are free popcorn refills! Where could you go wrong?

This week in theaters: 10/9

There are only three choices this week at the box office. Two are right, one is horribly wrong.

Couples Retreat: Zzzz. Another snoozefest trying to emulate Forgetting Sarah Marshall. Kristen Bell is even in it and its set in Bora Bora. It doesn't get any more obvious. Vince Vaughn also stars. Universal needs a hit, but this is most certainly not it.

An Education: Probably the best choice this weekend. A young girl (Carey Mulligan) falls in love with a 44 year old man (Peter Sarsgaard) who wants her to move away with him to Paris. The girl is faced with the personal conflict of finishing high school or pursuing the life that she would rather have. Mulligan has been gathering buzz for the movie which should be nominated for something eventually. Only problem is it's going to be only in limited release.

Good Hair: Chris Rock does a documentary about why black women want white women's hair. Actually, this seems quite clever. I saw a trailer for it before The September Issue and it was hilarious. Whether it's worth spending $10 on is your decision.

I'm probably going to see Paranormal Activity this weekend because it's finally playing near me!

Newslets: Transformers 3, Ramones biopic, Let Me In

Transformers 3
Michael Bay has announced that a third Transformers is coming in July of 2011. Who didn't see this one coming? Also, Megan Fox is going to reprise her role...which means Michael Bay will womanize her again. Megan Fox should keep acting in movies like Jennifer's Body that show off her sexiness while showing a feminist side, but audiences are stupid and don't enjoy that.

Ramones biopic
Fox Searchlight has gotten the rights to a Ramones biopic. This actually sounds like a good idea. I like Fox Searchlight and I like the Ramones. Hey! Ho! Let's go!

Let Me In
Kodi Smit-McPhee (The Road) and Chloe Moretz (500 Days of Summer) have been cast as the two main leads in Let the Right One In remake Let Me In. Also, Richard Jenkins (Burn After Reading) got cast instead of Phillip Seymour Hoffman which makes me happy. This movie better be good if they're remaking Let the Right One In. It was a dumb decision in the first place, but with a cast like this, it could be good.

Toy Story 3
A trailer debuted in front of the double feature (I saw it, it was pretty cool!)...but it won't be online until after the two week run is over. Damn you, Disney!

Just Another Love Story
Mark Webb (500 Days of Summer) is remaking the Danish movie Just Another Love Story. I'm actually unfamiliar with it so I can't say to much, but I like Mark Webb's style, so I'm guess I'm excited.

The Ghost
Roman Polanksi's The Ghost is still happening with or without Roman Polanski. Good.

This week in theaters: 10/2

It's really a mixed bag at the box office this week. There's something for everyone.

Zombieland-My choice for the weekend. It looks really awesome. A world overrun with zombies that stars Jesse Eisenberg and a badass Woody Harrelson tinged with humor? I'm there!

The Invention of Lying-Ricky Gervais plays a guy who decides to stop lying and see what happens to his world. Reviews have said it's a surprisingly heavy comedy. Sounds intriguing. Maybe I'll see this on DVD.

Whip It-Ellen Page plays Bliss, a girl who finds out that rolled blading with Drew Barrymore is her true passion. Drew Barrymore also directs. Sounds pretty good as well. Definitely a must see for me on DVD.

Toy Story/ Toy Story 2 Double Feature-The same movies, just in 3D. It actually sounds pretty nice to me. Plus, you can't go wrong with a new Toy Story 3 trailer that's attached to it.

A Serious Man-A Jewish man during the 60's realizes his life is falling part a la Coen Brothers. The trailer was great and I'll definitely see this one as well. I love the Coen Brothers and I'll remain loyal by seeing this one in theaters.

Paranormal Activity and Capitalism: A Love Story widen their releases this week.

October preview

September had no good films save one or two. Hopefully October brings a sense of renewal as the film industry begins their shift into Oscar territory. There's quite a few interesting films this month, but even more as the Fall season progresses.

1. Where the Wild Things Are-Who honestly doesn't want to see it? It's an adaptation of everyone's favorite picture book and has a soundtrack by Karen O & The Kids. It's for adults and children. The trailer alone brought me to tears. I can't wait to see this movie.

2. Zombieland-Woody Harrelson and Jesse Eisenberg do a zombie movie. What!? Yep, you heard right. This film is going to be hilarious and I promise you, it will be worth the money. The reviews from Fantastic Fest were great. Plus, it's got the trailer for the new Nightmare on Elm Street attached. That's just an added bonus.

3. Michael Jackson's This Is It-It's an obvious money making scheme by Sony, but it's got a solid fan base and is definitely going to make some money. The film didn't appear to be that intersting, but after the trailer, I got suckered in.

4. Antichrist-Want to know what all the buzz was about? Now you finally can as Antichrist storms into theaters this October. It's going to be slightly edited from the version seen in Cannes, but you can still get a gist of the hardcore sex and violence. Fans of Lars von Trier are sure to be delighted. If you weren't interested after all the controversy, you must be inhuman.

5. Saw VI-I'm a sucker for the Saw series. I can't lie. I love them all. Obviously, the first is the best, but the rest aren't too bad either. I don't expect this to be an exception. Most people hate this series, but I still remain faithful.

6. Whip It-Ellen Page, my new favorite actress, gets the role she deserves as a derby girl. What could be more perfect? The reviews from TIFF were very positive, especially for Drew Barrymore's directing job. I can't say I'm not interested.

7. A Serious Man-The Coen Brothers return with a Jewish comedy. Yes! What a good idea on their part. Finally, they get to make a movie without a big budget and with a pretty unknown cast. I'm in love with this movie after the trailer and I'll definitely see it in theaters.

8. An Education-Carey Mulligan is the new girl on the block. She will win Best Actress. I can just tell. Witness her beautiful performance in An Education, the first good movie of the season you probably haven't heard of.

9. Amelia-Another film vying for the Best Actress Oscar. Hilary Swank got the perfect role as Amelia Earheart and I expect her to fill the part very well. Mira Nair (Monsoon Wedding) directs which therefore means it's good.

10. Toy Story Double Feature-What could be more perfect. A double feature of the first two Toy Storys. And get this: it's in 3D! Plus, there's even a ten minute intermission. I'm totally loving the old style movie feeling. I'm so there. Also, there's a full trailer for Toy Story 3. Awesome!

Roman Polanski finally gets arrested

Roman Polanski finally got arrested for the statuatory rape of 13 year old girl...from 31 years ago. Gee, you think they would have done something sooner! The famous director movies such as Chinatown, The Pianist, and The Tenant was brought into custody in Zurich. Polanski was supposed be receiving a lifetime acheivment award, but on his arrival, was arrested. Switzerland is still debating whether or not to extradite him to the U.S.

The question that has come up as a result of this arrest is what will become of his newest film The Ghost? I wonder this to myself as well. According to IMDB, the film is already in post-production, but will the show still go on? Probably, but not for a while.

Box Office Report: Week of 9/25

Surrogates, Fame, and Pandorum all have sour weekends while Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs prevailed again.

1. Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (in 3D is some locations)-$24.6M

2. Surrogates-$15.0M

3. Fame-$10.0M

4. The Informant!-$6.9M

5. I Can Do Bad All By Myself-$4.8M

6. Pandorum-$4.4M

7. Love Happens-$4.3M

8. Jennifer's Body-$3.5M

9. 9-$2.8M

10. Inglourious Basterds-$2.7M

Diablo Cody to write Playboy movie?

Supposedly, Hugh Hefner had a meeting with Diablo cody to talk about the Brian Grazer movie about Playboy. It doesn't seem to fit quite right, but I don't think people give Diablo Cody enough credit and I think she could do a good job if she steps outside her usual writing style. Diablo Cody, who tweets her life away on Twitter, hasn't said a thing yet about this meeting. I suspect nothing happened, but we'll see.

MGM is bankrupt?

Nikki Finke of Deadline Hollywood has reported that MGM is "teetering on bankruptcy". Oh God. The movie business really is ending. The 85 year old studio is a landmark in cinematic history and it would be really sad to see it go. Supposedly, it is $3.5 billion dollars in debt and the bondholders are ready to let it fail.

Trailer News: A Nightmare on Elm Street

Okay, I lied. I thought the teaser would be with Jennifer's Body, but apparently that wasn't true. Now, this is fact and Brad Fuller, the producer, has confirmed it. The teaser for the new A Nightmare on Elm Street will be attached to Zombieland! Yes, just another awesome reason to see it. While I'm not fond of Fuller's movies, this could be an exception. To me, this actually has potential. It may well eventually be crappy, but we'll see after the teaser which comes out next week. I'm excited!

Kurtzmann and Orci to produce Xombie

Alex Kurtzmann and Robert Orci, the producers of "Fringe" and Star Trek, are now set to produce a movie of the popular comic Xombie. While the plot of the movie has not been released to the public yet, the comic book followed a zombie cop named Dirge who saves the last of humanity from other zombies. The plot is a little weird, but I'm sure that anything that Kurtzmann and Orci write is good. I really love "Fringe" and Star Trek was one of my favorite films of the year so far. Dreamworks is currently in negotiations with the two writers.

WTF: Barbie is now a movie

No, I'm serious. Barbie is going to have her own feature film as released by Universal. No casting, directing, writing, or plot details were given out, but we can all figure out what it's going to be about.

While I am not intersted in it, many people will be. Barbie just celebrated her 50th birthday. Is she too old for the movies? This surely is a gamble for Universal, a studio that's pretty close to failing. We'll see how it plays out when more details are eventually released.

Dimension and The Weinstein Co. Reboot Movies

But when I say movies, I mean A LOT of movies. The Weinstein Company and Dimension have decided to reboot Scream and Spy Kids and remake An American Werewolf in London, Short Circuit, and Hellraiser. Scream 4 has already been announced, but Dimension confirmed and said it would go into production in 2010. Robert Rodriguez announced that he will return for (the unnecessary) Spy Kids 4 as a writer.

Scanners is going to be remade in 3D as well as a sequel to Hellraiser that will also be in 3D. Short Circuit will not be in 3D, but still is not interesting.

Do these companies understand that they are ruining Hollywood? The Weinstein Company had success with Inglourious Basterds, but sort of took one step forward, two steps back with this one. They're grubbing for cash now and it's very obvious. If you want to see any of these movies, have fun. I surely won't.

Lebanon, Get Low, Creation get distributors

Lebanon and Get Low, two Toronto Film Festival favorites, got picked up by Sony Picture Classics. Lebanon, the claustrophobic movie that takes place strictly in a tank, won at the Venice Film Festival and Get Low, the depression era flick starring Robert Duvall, garnered lots of praise. While Get Low was supposed to be a big hit, it unfortunately just got delayed to 2010 today. It doesn't really matter. Between The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, Broken Embraces, An Education, and The White Ribbon, Sony Picture Classics should fare pretty well at the Oscars.

But Sony Picture Classics isn't the only studio vying for Oscars. Newmarket, a small independent studio, has bought the rights to Creation. Creation is a drama about Charles Darwin, played by Paul Bettany, and his girlfriend who is played by Jennifer Connelly. It should generate some controversy, especially with a December release, but nevertheless, the film has been gathering buzz for months now and Newmarket made the right decision.

Movie Ratings: 9/23

These ratings seemed very obvious, but here were the important ones:
The Men Who Stare at Goats-R for language, some drug content, and brief nudity
A Christmas Carol-PG for scary sequences and images
Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakuel-PG for some mild rude humor
Fantastic Mr. Fox-PG for action, smoking, and slang humor

The Social Network confirms rumors

It's confirmed. The Social Network has cast Jesse Eisenberg and Justin Timberlake as the two creators of Facebook for the movie. I'm not sure about the casting of Timberlake, but Eisenberg is spot on. The screenplay, written by Aaron Sorkin, has gotten mixed reviews, but I know I want to see the movie. David Fincher is set to direct. The movie is supposedly based on the book The Accidental Billionaires by Ben Mezrich. It's sitting in my TBR (To Be Read) pile, so I'll tell you what I think. Eisenberg is one of my favorite new stars so look out for him in Zombieland.

David Mamet's Anne Frank gets scrapped

Something wasn't sitting quite right. Back in August, when cinephiles learned that David Mamet and Disney had teamed up to make The Diary of Anne Frank, people were in awe. How could Disney make such a serious movie? Well, they couldn't. Disney has scrapped Anne Frank on the basis of its dark material. Of course, it's dark. It's The Diary of Anne Frank! Anybody who knows what the book is could tell you that. I'll bet that somebody will eventually pick the movie back up. Nobody does that to David Mamet.

Paul Dano joins Wichita

Paul Dano of Little Miss Sunshine fame has joined the cast of the movie Wichita. Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz have already been cast. The movie is about an agent (Tom Cruise) who teams up with an energetic Midwesterner (Cameron Diaz). Paul Dano will play some sort of a mysterious scientist. Wichita seems to be snowballing in terms of buzz and is looking to have some good returns in the box office next year. James Mangold, whose resume ranges from Girl, Interrupted to Kate & Leopold, is set to direct. Wichita will come out on July 2, 2010.

This week in theaters: 9/25

It's hard to pick a choice this weekend when nothing really that great is coming out. If you're in one of 13 towns across the nation, you may be in luck, but if you're not, then you may just not go to the movies this week.

Fame-Students at an arts school work their butts off to be better than each other. It's a remake and a musical. To me, it has nothing going for it other than Bebe Neuwirth who doesn't even have a main part. High School Musical and its two sequels have already been there. Plus, Glee is on every Wednesday. Won't be seeing this one.

Surrogates-Bruce Willis plays tough cop again, but this time in a fantasy. Based on a graphic novel, the movie follows a similar plot to the failure Gamer in which a murder occurs in an alternate gaming world where people play and do what they want. Neither the box office winner nor my recommendation.

Pandorum-An alien lurks on a space ship, but this time it's directed by Paul W.S. Anderson of the Resident Evil failures, (cough, cough) I mean series. Sounds too much like Alien, but the trailer had enough cliches to pique my interest. Plus, the posters were creepy. Still, I won't be seeing this in theaters.

Capitalism: A Love Story-Michael Moore returns with a timely documentary on the ruined economy. If the title wasn't good enough for you, check out the teaser trailer for the movie on YouTube. It's amazing. This would be my choice for the weekend, but it's not playing near me. Damn.

Paranormal Activity-The highly buzzed "shaky cam" film revolving around a couple being haunted by ghosts finally releases...in 13 places. If you're lucky enough to see it, please tell me what you thought. I can't wait to see this. Please release it in New York! By the way, if you want to see it as well, they have a feature on their website where you can Demand It!, meaning that you can ask for it to be in a theater near you.

Glee Gets Picked Up for a Full Season

And thank God too. Glee is quite possibly one of the best shows on air right now and it doesn't at all surprise me that it just got picked up for a full season. Apparently, the first few episodes fared well enough in the ratings that Fox decided to keep it. It really makes me happy that they did this. If you don't already watch it, try it. You'll be hooked after one musical number

Precious Wins People's Choice Award at Toronto

Precious, Lee Daniel's critcally acclaimed new film, is already on its way to the Oscars. The film just won the People's Choice award at the Toronto International Film Festival. This is surprising considering other acclaimed films entered the competition including An Education, A Serious Man, and Up in the Air. To win over those is quite a feat, but it also managed to break a record.

Precious also just became the first film to win both the People's Choice at the TIFF and the Audience Award at Sundance. No other film has done that in the history of the two festivals. The film is going to screen at the New York Film Festival. I already got my ticket and am totally excited to see it. I'll review it after I see it on October 5th. Can't wait!

Steven Spielberg sees Paranormal Activity, Gets Spooked

As you may already know, Paranormal Activity, first time director Oren Peli's new indie horror movie, is sweeping the internet. Fans of the movie were recently overjoyed when the film finally got a limited release for September 25th and since that announcment, the film blogs have not stopped following it.

The most recent story is about Steven Spielberg. Since he created the studio Dreamworks, he was allowed to have an advance screening copy that Paramount, the major studio that owns Dreamworks, gave him. Steven Spielberg watched the movie, but after he was done, he found that his door had been locked from the inside. He couldn't get the door open so he eventually got a locksmith to open it for him. He gave it back to Paramount in a garbage bag and claimed the DVD was "haunted". Spoooooky!

On a sidenote, Dreamworks apparently asked Oren Peli to remake the film with a bigger budget under their ownership. Peli was smart and told them that this was never going to happen. You show 'em, Oren!

Paranormal Activity is coming out this week. It is about a couple who believes there is paranormal activity going on in their own household at night. To prove it to themselves that this is not true, they set up a camera system to record everything. What they saw was recorded and edited into this movie. Oren Peli directed the movie in a style a la The Blair Witch Project using "shaky cam".

Box Office Report: Week of 9/18

This week at the box office, love wasn't happening, Jennifer's Body proved that sex really doesn't sell, America's obesity and obsession with food shone through, and audiences suprisingly had good taste. Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs came at number one. It wasn't a surprise, but the amount of money it made was. The fact that it was in 3D is definitely a reason why it made a lot of money. The Informant! suprisingly came at number two. I guess movie goers still do have good taste. Tyler Perry enjoyed another good weekend with his newest one entitled I Can Do Bad All By Myself. Love Happens and Jennifer's Body both bombed. This wasn't surprising for Love Happens, but I guess this just shows advertisers that in the future, Megan Fox shouldn't be the sole reason to attract people. And let's face it, the little amount of money that Jennifer's Body did make was just from underage, horny teenage boys.

1. Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (in 3D in some locations)-$30.1M

2. The Informant!-$10.5M

3. I Can Do Bad All By Myself-$10.1M

4. Love Happens-$8.5M

5. Jennifer's Body-$6.8M

6. 9-$5.5M

7. Inglourious Basterds-$3.6M

8. All About Steve-$3.4M

9. Sorority Row-$2.5M

10. The Final Destination-$2.4M

This week in theaters: 9/18

It's a tough decision for what to see in theaters this week. The only thing you don't want see is Love Happens.

Jennifer's Body: Jennifer (Megan Fox), a queen bee in her high school, is your regular teenage girl. That is, assuming your regular teenage girl eats boys. I'm totally serious. Her friend, Needy played by Amanda Seyfried, finds out about it and tries to stop her. Adam Brody is also in the film as a goth. I've read the script and loved it. It's really a comedy and not that much of a horror movie. The second film from Diablo Cody.

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs: The newest 3-D movie excursion is based on a children's book where it starts raining food. I used to love the book as a kid so I'm definitely seeing this over the weekend. Plus, it's got great reviews already. Anna Faris and Bill Hader star among other excellent voice actors.

Love Happens: Love surely isn't happening between me and this film. Jennifer Aniston and Aaron Eckhart star in a contrived romantic drama. Do you really need a plot?

Bright Star: This may seem a little Masterworks Theater, but supposedly Bright Star is quite nice. It's the story about John Keats and Franny Brawne. So what? It's directed by Jane Campion and stars Abby Cornish in a breakout role. If you haven't seen the trailer, check it out beforehand. It's really beautiful and definitely worth a look.

The Informant!: Matt Damon stars as an idiot who uncovers a major plot for money that his company is involved in. He talks to the CIA who start using him to spy on the company. Supposedly, it's based on a true story however I don't believe it. Still, if you've seen the trailer, it just looks hilarious. I actually laughed out loud at the trailer which is something I don't usually do. It was very well received at film festivals so if this at a theater near you, you're in luck. Make use of that theater and go see this.

Newslets: MPAA Ratings, Nicole Kidman, Star Trek 2

With a surprising lack of news this week, I thought I'd just briefly cover a few semi-important stories.

Ratings:
The MPAA has rated Capitalism: A Love Story, The Twilight Saga: New Moon, Nine, and This Is It. Capitalism was given an R rating for some language. Sounds like a joke to me, but what kid really wants to see Michael Moore rant on and on about the desolate economy. New Moon was give a PG-13 (duh) for some violence and action. In some unrelated Twilight news, they plan for the third one to be aimed at guys also. HAHAHAHA, no guy would ever see the third film unless they were dragged by their girlfriend. Nine was rated PG-13 as well for sexual content and smoking. Yes, you can bring your kiddies to the future Oscar winner. The oddest rating this week belongs to This Is It for suggestive choreography and scary images. WTF!? I know Michael Jackson was scary, but what the hell? By the way, Couples Retreat was rerated with a PG-13 without making any cuts.

Nicole Kidman:
Nicole Kidman has been chosen to star in The Danish Girl, an adaptation of the book by David Ebershoff. Tomas Alfredson will direct. He directed the unbelievably underrated Let the Right One In. If you haven't seen it, you must.

Star Trek 2:
Apparently, Star Trek 2 is a politically fused science fiction movie. Ummm, okay?

Silent Hill 2:
An unnecessary sequel is being made to Silent Hill. The first was enjoyable to an extent, but it was more that the special effects were awesome. They can probably do a good job again, but please, no more scenes where barbed wire rapes a woman.

Defendor Distributor:
Sony Pictures has picked up the hyped Woody Harrelson film Defendor. Judging by the trailer, this will be a sleeper hit. I fell in love with the movie when I saw the trailer and now I've got to see it. No release date has been given out by Sony.

Youth in Revolt Delay:
I'm not sure why, but Fox Searchlight has made a stupid decision to delay Youth in Revolt until January 2010. The reviews from TIFF were good, so I'm not sure what caused the delay.

Trailer Alert!: Paranormal Activity

The trailer has finally released for Paranormal Activity which has continually gather buzz film festival by film festival. It met with amazing reception at TIFF and I'm really excited to see it. Unfortunately, it's not going to playing nearly since its release is extremely limited. It's about a couple who experiences a ghost that is haunting them and documents it on camera. It uses the "shaky cam" gimmick which to be honest, has been effective for me everytime. I can't think of a bad movie that uses "shaky cam". Plus, I'm a sucker for a good horror movie which is rare these days.

Spiderman 4 Release Date

There's not much to say other than that the fourth movie in the Spiderman series will hit IMAX and regular screens on May 5, 2011. It's a really long wait and we can only hope it's not as bad as Spiderman 3 which I didn't even finish. Can the recover from that? Maybe when we see plot details and way in the distant future, a trailer.

True Blood: Finale Thoughts

Since the finale aired on Sunday to about 6 million viewers, I thought it might actually be worth sharing a few thoughts. First, this season was pretty damn good. The finale may have been a so-so end to a really great season, but I had a blast watching this season.

The finale itself was pretty good, but not as good as it should've been. I think we can all agree that the writing has progressively devolved in terms of smart and witty dialogue. I also think the fact that the show's popularity has risen dramatically in the last few months attributed to Alan Ball stupifying the plot. I am little dissappointed in this mainly because I watched it when it was still a diamond in the rough and not the hottest thing on TV.

The cliffhanger where Bill was kidnapped was good, but I wasn't exactly thinking about how I wanted to see the next season. Still, I'm going to watch the next season. I'm just afraid that the third season may be the one where it loses some steam.

True Blood's second season was not better than the first season, but it came pretty close. This season was a little too over the top filled to the brim with orgies and the disturbing hunter's soufflee scene where Maryanne cuts a human heart up and feeds it to Tara and Eggs in the form of hunter's pie. That being said, the episode "I Will Rise Up" was AMAZING. My favorite episode of the show to date. Finale: B+ Season: A

Battleship Movie Gets Director, Release Date

As previously announced a few months ago in a truly WTF moment, a movie of Battleship will be made. Variety announced that Peter Berg (Hancock, The Kingdom) will direct the film. He has stated that the film will be about a five-ship fleet that is under attack and is under an intense battle. Who or what is attacking is still in question, but this does not matter because the obvious thing is terrorism. Berg called it a "badass take on the game". Somehow, I think something like this can't be described as badass. I sink your battleship, Peter Berg! The film will be released on July 1, 2011.

Patrick Swayze Dead at 57

Unfortunately, heartthrob Patrick Swayze has lost his battle with pancreatic cancer at age 57. He was famouse for his roles in Dirty Dancing and Ghost. R.I.P. Patrick Swayze.

Review: 9

In 2005, Shane Acker made a short called 9. It went on to be nominated for an Oscar. If you haven't seen it, I would highly recommend seeing the short. But would I recommend the movie? Absolutely. The movie is grim, but the imagery is great and the action scenes are riveting.

9 is the story of a stitchpunk, a small doll that is made of fabric and a zipper, named 9 (voiced by Elijah Wood) wakes up in an post-apocalyptic world. He walks around and confronts a big machine called The Beast, but is rescued by another stichpunk called 2. The Beast takes 2 and runs off with him. 9 eventually meets a few other stitchpunks who eventually realize that the must save humanity.

Though you maybe thinking 9 may not be a good feature film, you are incredibly wrong. Yes, the short film may have a sort of intrigue that the movie doesn't, but the movie's plot reveals itself slowly, at a very measured pace. It also helps that the movie is short, sweet, and to the point with a run time of 79 miuntes. Action scenes are dotted around the movie and they are quite nice. Timur Bekmambetov, the director of Wanted, was one of the four executive producers of this and it's very evident in the way the action scenes are done.

The visuals are very nice in this film are nice as well. Tim Burton was another one of the executive producers and it seems obvious through the mood of the film as well as the way it was shot. Though Shane Acker probably had most of the input on the beautiful color spectrums of green and black, Tim Burton definitely had a lot of influence on this film. The visuals are unexpectedly easy on the eyes, however, they're meant only for adults. Parents need to know that this film is intense and definitely not for their children. Kids over the age of ten will be able to handle it, but don't be fooled by the fact that Tim Burton executively produced it.

Basically, 9 is a visually fantastic, unsettling action movie. While it isn't for the young ones, it's a thrill for the adults who will understand its message moreso than the children. The ending leaves a bit to be desired, but the rest of the movie is great and fun. It's a very short movie so you should definitely be able to find time to see it. 9 is now, in my opinion, in contention for the Best Animation Oscar.

79 min., PG-13, Directed by Shane Acker, Starring the voices of Elijah Wood, Cripsin Glover, Jennifer Conelly, John C. Reilly

Distributor News: Brookyln's Finest and Knockout

Two movies got distributors today. The first was Brooklyn's Finest. A new production company called Senator had originally planned on releasing it for $2 million, however, they were financially suffering and couldn't release it. Variety reported that Overture is now set to release it. As of this writing, a release date is unknown, but I think you can expect a 2009 release date if France is getting it on December 9, 2009. Brookyln's Finest is the story of three cops in Brookyln whose careers are widely different, yet they are all currently in the same deadly position in life. The film screened in January at Sundance and it had a great reception. It currently occupies 9.2/10 on the basis of 275 votes on IMDB.

Steven Soderbergh's Knockout also got a distributor today. Lionsgate is officially going to release the new film from the director of this year's hailed and hated The Girlfriend Experience. Unlike The Girlfriend Experience, Knockout plans to appeal to a wide stream audience. Based on the show, Knockout is about a homless girl, played by martial arts fighter Gina Carano, who is mistaken for a killer by a confidential version of 24's CTU. They decide to train her as a spy for their missions.

Jeffrey Dean Morgan is Cast in Red Dawn

Back in March, you may have seen Watchmen. Fans of the graphic novel were split over the film. I love the graphic novel and admit that I love the film version though the end in the film needs some work. If you saw the movie, you may remember the character of The Comedian as played by Jeffrey Dean Morgan. Morgan is back making another film called Red Dawn, an adaptation of the comic book. Morgan has also indicated his interest in having a part in Guy Ritchie's adaptation of Lobo according to Super Hero Hype.

Christopher Waltz Cast as Villain in The Green Hornet

I haven't seen Inglourious Basterds, but I really think I need to. Fans of it are rejoicing right now because Christopher Waltz, now famous for playing the evil Hans Landa, has joined the cast of The Green Hornet as reported by Deadline Hollywood. Supposedly, Nicholas Cage was close to signing and thank God he didn't. Has Nicholas Cage ruined enough movies, namely Knowing (even though he wasn't the only thing that ruined it)?

Not much has been said about Waltz's character other than that he will play the shady villain. The Green Hornet stars Seth Rogen and is directed by Michael Gondry. It is set to release on December 17, 2010.

(Teaser) Trailer Alert: How To Train Your Dragon

This teaser for How to Train Your Dragon is really just a teaser. We really don't get to see very much other than a dragon flying and its eye. I can't really criticize too much because we didn't see very much, but still, I think this will be good. We'll see how the full trailer plays out.

Trailer Alert!: The Twilight Saga: New Moon

Alright, fan girls, it's here! If you were one of the only twihards who wasn't watching the VMAs last night, you can watch the trailer right here. Personally, this is of no interest to me, but I'm sure that all the Twilight fans will love this one. I have to say, even though I don't care about New Moon at all, the special effects are quite good. The actors look to be giving their usual stale performances and Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner grant every girl's wish: a look at their body. Have a look, but my guess is that if you want to see it, your still going to want to see it. If you don't want to see it, your still probably won't want see it.

Box Office Report: Week of 9/11

Let's just say that as predicted, I Can Do Bad All By Myself's title was ironic. It came in at number one in the box office this weekend. The unlikely winner was 9. 9 came in at second even though it was at under 2,000 theaters. 9 also managed to beat Sorority Row and Whiteout who both had sucky weekends. Gamer also continued to suck at the box office, while District 9, Julie and Julia, Inglourious Basterds, and surprisingly All About Steve held strong.
1. I Can Do Bad All By Myself-$24M
2. 9-$10.9M (15.3 five day)
3. Inglourious Basterds-$6.5M
4. All About Steve-$5.8M
5. The Final Destination-$5.5M
6. Sorority Row-$5.3M
7. Whiteout-$5.1M
8. District 9-$3.6M
9. Julie and Julia-$3.3M
10. Gamer-$3.1M

Trailer Alert!: A Christmas Carol

The trailer for Robert Zemeckis's newest 3D adventure, A Christmas Carol has appeared online. Right now, you're probably thinking "Another one?". That's kind of the same thing that went through my mind, but this one looks suprisingly good. I'm Jewish and I want to see it, so that's probably a good sign. Jim Carrey seems to be suprisingly good as Ebenezer Scrooge and the animation is elaborate and pretty. The 3D aspect of the movie should be quite nice because, judging by the trailer, the movie doesn't rely on things jumping out at you. The comedt seems to be directed at children, however, some the imagery seems a bit scary for the youngest ones. Nevertheless, this looks like a nice suprise. I still don't really get why it doesn't release closer to Christmas, but whatever, it looks like fun.

P.S.-You guys may have to look somewhere else tonight for the New Moon and This Is It trailers premiering at the VMAs. "True Blood" takes a million times more priority for me over watching the VMAs which are usually dumb anyway.