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Entries in Defiance (5)

Saturday

21Feb2009

Commentary: January '09 was a bad movie month!

Saturday, February 21, 2009 at 8:24PM | By

It's not a big surprise, really. January is usually a very weak month as far as new, wide releases are concerned, and this first month of 2009 was certainly no exception. Indeed, it was dreadful for the most part!

But let's take a quick look at what sucked and what ruled in theaters in January '09:

THE BAD

Where to start? The very first movie I saw in theaters this year was "Bride Wars," and it was a truly painful experience. Kate Hudson and Anne Hathaway waging war against each other sounded funny at first, but the actual battle turned out to be a pathetic experience.

Other comedies in January included "Paul Blart: Mall Cop," which really sucked, and "New in Town," a rather boring and totally unsurprising romantic comedy with Renee Zellweger. As for Thor Freudenthal's family comedy "Hotel for Dogs," it didn't exactly win me over either, although I admit it was more entertaining than the previous bunch.

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Sunday

18Jan2009

Box Office: 'Paul Blart: Mall Cop' reigns supreme

Sunday, January 18, 2009 at 3:25PM | By

Franck Tabouring

Weekend of January 16 – 18, 2009

“Paul Blart: Mall Cop” secured the top spot at the North American box office this weekend with $33.8 million in ticket sales, according to studio estimates Sunday.

Sony’s Steve Carr-directed family comedy stars Kevin James as a devoted security guard struggling to protect his mall against a bunch of ruthless crooks. The film just fell short of surpassing the $34.2 million opening weekend gross of James’ previous big-screen comedy, “I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry.”

Still going strong at No. 2 was Clint Eastwood’s drama “Gran Torino,” which earned $22.2 million for a total gross of $73.2 million after six weeks in release. Eastwood stars as a racist Korean War vet who forms an unlikely bond with a Hmong teenager living next door.

Debuting in third place with $21.9 million was Patrick Lussier’s remake “My Bloody Valentine 3-D.” The film focuses on what happens in the mining town of Harmony 10 years after a bloody Valentine’s Day massacre.

Meanwhile, Fox Searchlight’s biopic “Notorious” finished fourth with an impressive $21.5 million at 1,638 locations. The film chronicles the short life and fame of East Coast rapper Biggie Smalls, also known as Notorious B.I.G.

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Saturday

06Dec2008

New 'Defiance' clip debuts online

Saturday, December 6, 2008 at 9:30PM | By

Franck Tabouring

Yahoo recently released a brand-new clip from Edward Zwick's upcoming war drama "Defiance," which is due in theaters Jan. 16, 2009.

In the film, Daniel Craig, Liev Schreiber, Jamie Bell and George MacKay play Jewish brothers who escape into the forest and join a group of Russian resistance fighters battling the Nazis.

You can check out the short clip below. Looks like Craig and Schreiber have solid performances in store for us, although I am still not quite sure about those accents.

As for Edward Zwick, he also directed "Blood Diamond" and "The Last Samurai." To be honest, I am looking much more forward to "Defiance" than Bryan Singer's "Valkyrie." How about you?

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Paramount delays ‘The Soloist’ release

Friday, October 17, 2008 at 10:18PM | By

Franck Tabouring

I was planning to see a bunch of awards contenders in the coming two months, but my hopes are quickly fading.

As reported by Variety, Paramount Pictures decided to push back Joe Wright’s upcoming drama “The Soloist” to March 13, 2009. The film starring Robert Downey Jr. and Jamie Foxx was originally scheduled to hit Nov. 21, 2008.

For Paramount, money is apparently more important right now than a shot at some serious awards. The trade says the studio saves many millions by moving the flick’s release date to next year.

But that’s not all. Paramount is also postponing Edward Zwick’s upcoming war drama “Defiance,” which was scheduled to open Dec. 12. The film will open in limited release Dec. 31 to qualify for an Oscar run, but the wide release is now set for Jan. 16.

Release date changes have been quite frequent this year. “The Road,” “Twilight,” “Quantum of Solace, “Bolt” and “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” were all moved up or pushed back from their original scheduled openings.

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New 'Defiance' trailer invades web

Friday, October 10, 2008 at 9:48PM | By

Franck Tabouring

Besides keeping the world safe as James Bond in "Quantum of Solace" this November, Daniel Craig is also set to play a Jew who joins the Russian resistance to battle the Nazis in Edward Zwick's "Defiance." The latest full trailer for the war drama just popped up on the Web, and you can check it out below. Looks darn good!

Liev Schreiber, Jamie Bell and George MacKay co-star. Zwick also directed "The Last Samurai" and "Blood Diamond." "Defiance" opens Dec. 12, 2008.

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