The Screening Log - blogging film

Updated on Monday, July 6, 2009 at 10:57AM by Franck Tabouring

Weekend of July 3 – 5, 2009

“Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” and “Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs” tied for the No. 1 spot at the North American box office this weekend with $42.5 million each, according to studio estimates Sunday.

While Michael Bay’s sequel lifted its domestic total to an impressive $293.4 million after only a little more than a week in release, the third installment in the “Ice Age” series brought its total to $67.5 million.

Playing at 4,099 locations, “Dinosaurs” scored an average of $10,360 per theater, while “Fallen” pulled $10,038 per theater at a total of 4,234 locations. This would put the “Transformers” follow-up slightly behind the animated adventure tale.

Michael Mann’s “Public Enemies,” this week’s second major release,” debuted in third place with $26.1 million. Starring Johnny Depp as American bank robber John Dillinger, the film reached a cumulative gross of $41 million.

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Sunday

28Jun2009

Box Office: 'Revenge of the Fallen' reaches $200M

Sunday, June 28, 2009 at 1:38PM | By

Weekend of June 26 - 28, 2009

Michael Bay's "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" crushed the North American box office this week with an impressive $201.2 million in ticket sales, according to studio estimates Sunday.

The anticipated sequel to "Transformers" opened at 4,234 locations Wednesday and scored a daily gross of $60.6 million, the highest ever for a Wednesday. The film brought in another $28 million Thursday and $36.7 million on Friday.

At a distant No. 2, last week's winner "The Proposal" collected $18.4 million, reaching a domestic gross of $69 million. Starring Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds, the film follows an overbearing book editor who forces her assistant into marrying her when she faces deportation to Canada.

Following in third place with $17.2 million was Todd Phillips' comedy "The Hangover," which lifted its cume to a solid $183.2 million after a superb four-week run.

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Saturday

27Jun2009

'Revenge of the Fallen' reaches 3-day total of $125M

Saturday, June 27, 2009 at 10:45AM | By

Michael Bay's "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" collected another $36.7 million Friday, lifting its three-day domestic total to an impressive $125.9 million.

The sequel to "Transformers," which is currently playing at 4,234 locations, scored an average of $8,668 per theater. The film previously picked up $60.6 million Wednesday and $28.7 million Thursday.

Starring Shia LaBeouf and Megan Fox, "Fallen" follows Sam Witwicky as he helps the Autobots prevent the Decepticons from destroying mankind.

At No. 2, "The Proposal" pulled in $6.1 million for a total of $56.7 million. Following in third place with $5.3 million was "The Hangover," which brought its cume to a solid $171.3 million.

New entry "My Sister's Keeper" only made it to No. 4, earning $5 million from ticket sales at 2,606 locations. The Nick Cassavetes-directed film is based on the novel by Jodi Picoult. At No. 5, Pixar's "Up" reached a total haul of $241.1 million.

Source: Box Office Mojo (www.boxofficemojo.com)

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Saturday

27Jun2009

Movie Review: “My Sister’s Keeper”

Saturday, June 27, 2009 at 1:22AM | By

Seen on: June 27, 2009

The players: Director: Nick Cassavetes, Writer: Jeremy Leven, Cast: Cameron Diaz, Abigail Breslin, Alec Baldwin, Jason Patric, Joan Cusack

Facts of interest: Nick Cassavetes also directed "Alpha Dog" and "The Notebook."

The plot: After their daughter is diagnosed with leukemia, a married couple decides to genetically conceive a donor child.

Our thoughts: Nick Cassavetes’ “My Sister’s Keeper” could have been a compelling drama, but instead, it’s nothing but a simplistic tearjerker desperately trying to get audiences to shed tear after tear. The film raises several interesting issues, but sadly enough, it fails to examine them in greater detail because it’s just too busy rolling in schmaltz.

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Friday

26Jun2009

'My Sister's Keeper' web reviews

Friday, June 26, 2009 at 2:50PM | By

Cameron Diaz, Jason Patric, Alec Baldwin, Abigail Breslin and Sofia Vassilieva star in Nick Cassavetes' latest drama "My Sister's Keeper," based on the popular novel by Jodi Picoult. Here's what some of the Web's critics have to say about the flick:

• CinemaBlend's Katey Rich: "It feels unbelievably cynical to start giggling during a movie about a girl with cancer, but My Sister's Keeper is just as cynical, calibrating its every move to get us to cry so hard we recommend the movie to our friends."

• Peter Martin at Cinematical: "It's a disappointing step back for Cassavetes after the vim and vitality that infused his most recent effort, 'Alpha Dog.'"

• Kevin Carr at FilmSchoolRejects: "However, the emotional jabs just seemed a bit too calculated and deliberate to fool me."

• Brian Orndorf at BrianOrndorf.com: "It’s a tear-jerking Terminator, an unstoppable force that beats the screen with tragedies of all shapes and sizes, looking to wear down the viewer until they’re a puddle of tears and snotty tissue."

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Monday

22Jun2009

This week's new movie releases - June 26, 2009

Monday, June 22, 2009 at 7:25PM | By

This week, we're only looking at two wide releases: Michael Bay's sequel "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" with Shia LaBeouf and Megan Fox, and Nick Cassavetes' "My Sister's Keeper" with Cameron Diaz, Abigail Breslin, Jason Patric and Alec Baldwin:

TRANSFORMERS: REVENGE OF THE FALLEN

Synopsis: The anticipated sequel to Michael Bay's "Transformers" will open June 24 (this Wednesday), and Sam Witwicky (Shia LaBeouf) again joins with the Autobots against their sworn enemies, the Decepticons. Of course, Megan Fox returns as well.

First thoughts: I highly enjoyed the first flick and I've pretty much enjoyed all the recent previews I've seen, so I admit I'm quite excited to experience this explosive follow-up. The story will probably stink, but as long as the action delivers, the humor works and the visual effects look great, I'll be satisfied.

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Monday

01Jun2009

What to expect at the movies in June '09

Monday, June 1, 2009 at 6:44PM | By

A rather solid May has come to an end, and June, the next movie month of 2009, is already here. Even though this June is not necessarily a busy month as far as wide releases are concerned, the selection of flicks is quite diverse. Let's briefly look at what to expect at the movies in June 2009:

The first weekend this month is clearly a comedy weekend, with Will Ferrell's "Land of the Lost" leading the way with an opening at more than 3,300 locations. Ferrell plays a professor who discovers a land full of creatures and staggering landscapes, and I can only hope the film will deliver some laughs.

Also opening June 5 is Todd Phillips' "The Hangover," a comedy I have heard great things about already. The story of three friends waking up in a Las Vegas hotel with no idea what happened the night before sounds silly, obviously, but trailers for the film promise an awful lof of fun. Also returning to the big screen is Nia Vardalos, who will star in Donald Petrie's comedy "My Life in Ruins."

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