The Screening Log - blogging film

Weekend of August 28 – 30, 2009: Bloody freak accidents beat Michael Myers killings

New Line Cinema’s “The Final Destination” slashed its competition at the North American box office this weekend as the horror sequel took the No. 1 spot with a solid $28.3 million in ticket sales, according to studio estimates Sunday.

The David R. Ellis-directed fourth installment in the popular series delivered a better opening weekend than its predecessors, scoring an average of $9,079 per theater at 3,121 locations. The film is currently playing in 3D and standard format.

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Friday

28Aug2009

'Inglourious Basterds' reaches $50M this week

Friday, August 28, 2009 at 12:13AM | By

Sure, opening weekend grosses are important and indicative of a movie's overall performance, but those daily grosses during the week can quickly add up. Quentin Tarantino's "Inglourious Basterds," for instance, collected $12.3 million between Monday and Wednesday, lifting its total gross to $50.5 million.

"Basterds" picked up $4.6 million Monday, followed by a daily gross of $4.2 million Tuesday. Wednesday was a slower day, as the film pulled in only $3.5 million. The R-rated WWII flick will face some serious competition this weekend from "Halloween II" and "The Final Destination."

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Sunday

23Aug2009

Box Office: 'Inglourious Basterds' kills competition

Sunday, August 23, 2009 at 2:03PM | By

Weekend of August 21 – 23, 2009: The 'Basterds' rule them all...

Quentin Tarantino’s “Inglourious Basterds” stormed the North American box office and secured the No. 1 spot this weekend with an estimated $37.6 million in ticket sales, the biggest opening for a Tarantino film.

“Basterds” opened at 3,165 locations, scoring a solid average of $11,881 per theater. In the R-rated WWII drama, Brad Pitt stars as Lt. Aldo Raine, who assembles a gang of Jewish soldiers making it their mission to kill every Nazi they encounter on their way to Paris.

At No. 2, Neill Blomkamp’s sci-fi action thriller “District 9” delivered another strong performance, bagging $18.9 million for a domestic total of $73.4 million after only a little more than one week in release.

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Saturday

22Aug2009

'Inglourious Basterds' tops Friday box office!

Saturday, August 22, 2009 at 12:22PM | By

Quentin Tarantino's "Inglourious Basterds" delivered a successful first day in release Friday, as the fantastic R-rated WWII drama jumped to the top of the North American box office with a daily gross of $14.3 million in ticket sales.

Nicely done! "Basterds" opened at 3,165 locations this weekend, scoring an average of $4,534 per theater. In the film Brad Pitt stars as Lt. Aldo Raine, who assembles a group of Jewish soldiers making it their mission to kill very Nazi they encounter.

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Friday

21Aug2009

Movie Review: "Shorts"

Friday, August 21, 2009 at 8:42PM | By

Seen on: August 21, 2009

The players: Director: Robert Rodriguez, Writer: Robert Rodriguez, Cast: Jimmy Bennett, Kat Dennings, Devon Gearhart, Rebel Rodriguez, Leo Howard, Leslie Mann, William H. Macy, Jolie Vanier

Facts of interest: Robert Rodriguez also directed the "Spy Kids" films.

The plot: A small community slips into chaos when a bunch of kids find a magical rock that grants wishes to the one holding it.

Our thoughts: Robert Rodriguez returns to the family genre with “Shorts,” a goofy big-screen adventure I wouldn’t recommend to anyone but younger cinemagoers. The film is eccentric and colorful enough to entertain those with the same age as its main protagonists, but as far as I’m concerned, this one failed to win me over.

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Tuesday

18Aug2009

This week's new movie releases - August 21, 2009

Tuesday, August 18, 2009 at 12:24PM | By

Opening this week are Quentin Tarantino's "Inglourious Basterds;" "Post Grad" with Alexis Bledel; and Robert Rodriguez's family film "Shorts." "X Games 3D: The Movie" will hit theaters in limited release:

INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS (with Brad Pitt, Diane Kruger)

Synopsis: Lieutenant Aldo Raine organizes a group of Jewish soldiers to engage in targeted acts of retribution against the Nazis. Known to their enemy as the Basterds, Raine's squad joins German actress and undercover agent Bridget Von Hammersmark on a mission to take down the leaders of The Third Reich.

First thoughts: The only thing I can say at this point is that I've seen the film and absolutely enjoyed it. It's quite different from Tarantino's previous flicks in terms of action and violence, but I found it to be a highly entertaining adventure that builds suspense and will capture your attention from the first to last minute.

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Wednesday

08Apr2009

Trailer for Rodriguez's 'Shorts' pops up online

Wednesday, April 8, 2009 at 6:36PM | By

I mildly enjoyed Robert Rodriguez's first two "Spy Kids" flicks (hated No. 3), but the trailer for his upcoming kid flick "Shorts" just looks a little too goofy for my taste. Who knows, maybe I'll have a blast watching it, but for now, I remain cautious. Official Synopsis follows, with trailer after the jump. Enjoy!

In the suburb of Black Falls, all the houses look the same and everyone works for BLACK BOX Unlimited Worldwide Industries Incorporated, whose Mr. Black's BLACK BOX is the ultimate communication and do-it-all gadget that's sweeping the nation.

Other than keeping his parents employed, however, Mr. Black's BLACK BOX has done nothing for 11-year-old Toe Thompson, who just wants to make a few friends... until a mysterious rainbow-colored rock falls from the sky.

The Rainbow Rock does Mr. Black's BLACK BOX one better: it grants wishes to anyone who holds it. Before long, wishes-gone-wrong have left the neighborhood swarming with tiny spaceships, crocodile armies, giant boogers... and outrageous magical mayhem around every corner.

But it's not until the grown-ups get their hands on the Rock that the trouble really starts. Now Toe and his newfound friends must join forces to save their town from itself, discovering along the way that what you wish for is not always what you want.