Giving Thanks and Finding Deals
Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays—a time filled with family, food and (of course) football. It’s a time of reflection and, well, thanksgiving, as we think of all the blessings that have been bestowed upon us. But as we all gobble up our mashed potatoes and fall asleep from all that tryptophan, I’d encourage […]
Movie Monday: The First Deathly Hallows
The Hallows were far from deadly for Harry Potter and his mates. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 worked its magic on the box office and conjured more than $125 million this weekend, according to boxofficemojo.com. It’s technically the biggest take of any Harry Potter film ever (though if you factor in inflation, […]
Murder, We Like
We Americans love our hot dogs. We love our apple pie. We love our baseball. And we especially love our murder mysteries. I was thinking a bit about this cultural trait while reviewing CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. Without much critical love, CSI has become perhaps the most popular show of the decade and helped turn […]
Movie Monday: Unstoppable Megamind
You can’t keep a good supervillain down. DreamWorks’ animated Megamind stopped a runaway train in its tracks to claim the box office crown for the second week in a row, sequestering more than $30 million en route, according to boxofficemojo.com. Unstoppable, Denzel Washington’s newest cinematic vehicle, still cleared the weekend with a good head of […]
Movies Through a Child’s Eye
Every Monday, we typically talk on the blog about the biggest movies of the weekend: What everyone saw, what everyone didn’t see and what, if anything, it might mean. The posts themselves are not too provocative, typically … but the last couple instigated some pretty interesting, intelligent conversation—conversation so compelling that I wanted to weigh […]
Movie Monday: Megamind
In a triumph for bald, blue, misunderstood villains everywhere, DreamWorks’ Megamind grabbed megamillions—an estimated $47.7 million—to steal the box office crown, according to boxofficemojo.com. Another newcomer, the R-rated Due Date, popped into second place with $33.5 million, and Tyler Perry’s brutal, lyrical For Colored Girls waltzed into third with $20.1 million—a bit on the low […]
Taylor Swiftly Breaking Records
Sometimes, nice girls do finish first. Country charmer Taylor Swift’s new album, Speak Now, sold more than 1 million albums in its first week, making it the year’s biggest debut by far (second goes to Eminem’s Recovery, which sold 741,000) and nearly became the best-selling opening week for any female artist ever. Speak Now fell […]
Movie Monday: Saw 3D
Since its inception way back in 2004, the Saw franchise has sliced and diced its way to nearly $400 million in domestic box office receipts. But lately, the films’ performances have been, how shall we say, dull? Granted, Saw 3D’s opening take this weekend wasn’t exactly toothless, collecting $22.5 million to win the weekend tally. […]
Keeping Fame at Eight Arms’ Length
I’ve been in mourning the last couple of days. I’ve hung my 3-D glasses at half staff and considered wrapping my cubicle in black creché. Paul the Octopus is dead. Paul, as you may recall, earned a measure of fame by becoming the world’s most prominent eight-tentacled sports prognosticator. Though born without a spine, he […]
Movie Monday: Paranormal Activity 2
The local cineplex was a frightening place this weekend in a lot of respects, with Paranormal Activity 2 screaming its way to a $41.5 million take and scaring off all other comers. Last week’s champ, Jacka– 3D, a sort of horror film in its own right, managed a short slide to second with $21.6 million, […]
