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Entries in New in Town (8)

Saturday
21Feb2009

Commentary: January '09 was a bad movie month!

DateSaturday, February 21, 2009 at 8:24PM | By AuthorFranck Tabouring

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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Monday
02Feb2009

Review: "New in Town"

DateMonday, February 2, 2009 at 11:43AM | By AuthorFranck Tabouring

Seen on: January 31, 2009

The players: Director: Jonas Elmer, Writers: C. Jay Cox, Ken Rance, Cast: Renee Zellweger, Harry Connick Jr., J. K. Simmons, Siobhan Fallon Hogan, Frances Conroy

Facts of interest: None whatsoever.

The plot: A Florida businesswoman's stay in a small Minnesota town changes for the better when she falls in love with the local labor union rep.

Our thoughts: In Jonas Elmer’s “New in Town,” Renee Zellweger plays Lucy Hill, a successful Miami consultant whose life takes a drastic turn when she’s sent to a small Minnesota town to oversee the restructuring of a manufacturing plant. Lucy really despises the place and its inhabitants at first, but once she gets better acquainted with a local labor union rep (Harry Connick Jr.), things change quicker than she could have ever imagined…

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Sunday
01Feb2009

Box Office: 'Taken' grabs No. 1 spot, pulls $24M

DateSunday, February 1, 2009 at 12:47PM | By AuthorFranck Tabouring

Weekend of January 30 – February 1, 2008

Pierre Morel’s action thriller “Taken” easily defeated its competition at the North American box office with $24.6 million, according to studio estimates Sunday.

Starring Liam Neeson, the film follows a former government operative who stops at nothing to find his daughter and punish those responsible for her kidnapping.

Last week’s box office champ “Paul Blart: Mall Cop” slipped to second place, earning another $14 million for a domestic total of $83.3 million after three weeks in release.

Meanwhile, new entry “The Uninvited” debuted at No. 3 with a weekend gross of $10.5 million. Charles and Thomas horror remake follows two sisters trying to convince their dad that his new girlfriend (Elizabeth Banks) is not who she pretends to be.

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Saturday
31Jan2009

'Taken' scores big at Friday box office

DateSaturday, January 31, 2009 at 10:23PM | By AuthorFranck Tabouring

Pierre Morel's thriller "Taken" stormed the North American box office Friday with an estimated $9.3 million in ticket sales.

In the film written by Luc Besson and Robert Mark Kamen, Liam Neeson plays a former government opertive tracking down those responsible for his daughter's kidnapping.

Debuting at No. 2 with $4.3 million was Charles and Thomas Guard's horror flick "The Uninvited," about two sisters who are convinced their dad's new fiancee is not the person she pretends to be.

Following in third place was Kevin James' comedy "Paul Blart: Mall Cop," which earned $4.1 million for a $73.5 million total. Clint Eastwood's "Gran Torino" took home another $2.6 million and lifted its domestic gross to $104.5 million.

At No. 5, "Underworld: Rise of the Lycans" pulled $2.5 million, reaching a total haul of $28.1 million after one week in release. "New in Town," this week's third wide release, only made it to No. 6 with $2.4 million.

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

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Monday
26Jan2009

This week's new movie releases - Jan. 30, 2009

DateMonday, January 26, 2009 at 10:31PM | By AuthorFranck Tabouring

This week of movie releases is not necessarily one I'm looking forward too, but here's a quick look at what's on the menu this Friday: "New in Town" with Renee Zellweger, "Taken" with Liam Neeson and "The Uninvited" with Emily Browning, David Strathairn and Elizabeth Banks.

NEW IN TOWN

Synopsis: A Miami businesswoman (Renee Zellweger) is transferred to rural Minnesota, and while she is there she re-evaluates her big-city values.

First thoughts: Renee Zellweger cozying up to Harry Connick Jr. in a little, cold Minnesota town? Doesn't sound too exciting, now does it? While I admit Zellweger has a charm that's hard to resist, the trailer of "New in Town" makes her look like someone who'd probably get on my nerves after five minutes.

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Wednesday
21Jan2009

Daily news dose: Three more join Nancy Meyers comedy; 'New in Town' cut to PG

DateWednesday, January 21, 2009 at 10:24PM | By AuthorFranck Tabouring

Here's your dose of quick news bits for Jan. 21, 2008...

• Zoe Kazan, Lake Bell and Hunter Parrish are the latest to join Nancy Meyers' untitled comedy, which also stars Meryl Streep, Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin. Streep is expected to play a woman caught in a romantic triangle with two men. The project is set up at Universal. (Variety)

• Bad news for those who thought they'd see Renee Zellweger say a dirty word in "New in Town." Lionsgate has cut out some of the strong language from the upcoming romance to make it more kid-friendly. Hey, a romance doesn't need to appeal to kids. Say you did it for the money. Anyway, the PG film opens Jan. 30. (Variety)

• "500 Days of Summer" director Marc Webb is set to helm "The Spectacular Now" for Fox Searchlight. Based on the book by Tim Tharp, the story focuses on a partying high school senior whose life takes a turn when he encounters a shy girl. Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber will write the screenplay. (Variety)

• Tobey Maguire is set to produce "Good People," the big-screen adaptation of Marcus Sakey's book. Variety says the story follows a "couple in debt from several rounds of futile fertility treatments who think their problems are solved when they stumble upon money found in their deceased tenant's apartment."

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Thursday
04Dec2008

Poster mania: 'Knowing,' 'New in Town'

DateThursday, December 4, 2008 at 1:00PM | By AuthorFranck Tabouring

Here are a bunch of new movie posters that recently surfaced online. The first one after the jump is for "New in Town," the new comedy starring Renee Zellweger.

In the film, she plays a businesswoman from Miami who's sent to a cold town in Minnesota to oversee a new project. She also warms up to local resident played by Harry Connick Jr.

The second poster is a one-sheet (via AICN) for Alex Proyas's thriller "Knowing," in which Nicholas Cage plays a man who discovers a letter that predicts different kinds of catastrophes, which prompts him to head out and prevent as many as he can.

Finally, here's the final poster (via ShockTillYouDrop) for "My Bloody Valentine 3-D," which stars Jensen Ackles, Jaime King, Kerr Smith and Edi Gatheg. It's a better one-sheet than the previous one, but it still doesn't look fancy enough.

As for release dates, "Knowing" opens March 20, 1009. "Valentine" starts Jan. 16, 2009 and "New in Town" opens Jan. 30.

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Wednesday
26Nov2008

Trailer radar: 'New in Town'

DateWednesday, November 26, 2008 at 10:26PM | By AuthorFranck Tabouring

Renée Zellweger gets her cold on in Jonas Elmer's romantic comedy "New in Town," for which you can check out the new trailer right after the jump.

In the film, Zellweger plays a businesswoman from Miami who's sent to a cold town in Minnesota to oversee a new project.

But while the adjustment to the new temperatures prove to be a tough task, her heart slowly warms up for a local resident played by Harry Connick Jr.

Sometimes a trailer makes it difficult to get a clear first impression of a movie, and I'm not quite sure what to think of "New in Town." It looks a little silly at this point, but knows... Zellweger certainly has solid charm.

Watch out for "Town" Jan. 30, 2009.

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