Movie Monday: Breaking Dawn a Broken Record
Zzzzz …. Snrk. Wha? Who? Oh, sorry. Must’ve dozed off there for a minute. With no new releases in theaters this weekend, the box office derby felt a wee bit snoozy. The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1 scored a third consecutive win, earning an estimated $16.9 million. Sure, that’s about 60% less than […]
For Sale: One Gaming Addict
Alyse Baddley of Logan, Utah, doesn’t have anything against video games. After all, she was up ’til midnight with husband Kyle Baddley to buy Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 on the day of its release. But when her 22-year-old war vet hubbie spent a whole day playing the thing, she decided to put her […]
Fears, Film and Fairy Tales
My daughter’s reading fairy tales. Just bought a big book of ’em not too long ago, and she’s doggedly plowing through the massive tome princess by princess, wolf by wolf, moral by moral. Some nights when we’re out walking, she’ll tell me about the latest fairy tale she’s read, going into great detail about the […]
Movie Monday: Breaking Muppets
Is there a better way to work off that tryptophan trough than a good family-friendly movie? Well, probably, but don’t tell studio execs that. The Thanksgiving weekend box office was deluged with quality PG-rated films this weekend—from The Muppets to Hugo to Arthur Christmas. All earned scads of critical accolades and drew their share of […]
Thanks, Hollywood. No, Really.
The words “Thanksgiving” and “health” don’t typically go hand in hand—not with all the stuffing and pumpkin pie and marshmallow-covered sweet potatoes making their rounds. But as it turns out, giving thanks is pretty healthy. At least that’s what the scientists say. Check out this snippet from USA Today: While it seems pretty obvious that […]
Movie Monday: Breaking Dawn Breaks the Bank
It’s a new dawn at the multiplex. Breaking Dawn, that is. The Twilight Series: Breaking Dawn – Part 1 sucked scads of cash out of the box office this weekend, with moviegoers forking over $139.5 million to see Edward and Bella get married, have sex and go through arguably the most disturbing cinematic birth scene […]
TV: The New Season’s Winners and Losers
It’s mid-November, and most of the broadcast television networks’ new scripted shows have seen the light of day (though Fox is holding its last big new entry, I Hate My Teenage Daughter, for Nov. 30). With that in mind, let’s take a quick look back and see if we can spot any trends. Trend No. […]
Movie Monday: Immortals
In these uncertain and disturbing economic times, there’s at least one thing that’s looking a bit (ahem) bullish: Immortals. The R-rated fantasy—loosely pegged to the legend of the sword-slinging, minotaur-fighting Greek hero Theseus—triumphed at the box office this week, grabbing $32 million and the week’s metaphorical golden fleece (I know I’m mixing legends, but bear […]
Telling Tales Out of Class
I can be pretty cynical sometimes. My brain is wired to quibble. My personal and professional background make me prone to doubt. I am Thomas or worse, and it’s hard for me to trust sometimes. It’s hard for me to believe. But every now and then, something comes along that drops me—something that makes me […]
Movie Monday: Tower Heist Gets Booted
We were supposed to witness a heist this weekend—as in Tower Heist, a comedy caper that was intended to yoke economic angst to a bevy of medium-wattage stars (Ben Stiller, Eddie Murphy, Alan Alda) and shoot straight to the top of the box office. But it appears as though Heist’s box-office crown was itself pilfered—by […]