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, […]
Beauty in the iPhone of the Beholder
I don’t like to brag, but there’s a chance I might be a “10.” On the iPhone’s new “Ugly Meter” app, that is. The app—already downloaded 20,000 times—encourages users to take photos of themselves with their handy iPhone cameras, have the app check out the pic and evaluate how attractive, or ugly, it considers you. […]
Movie Monday: Jacka– 3D
Score one for the icky. Jacka– 3D, a cinematic collection of bizarre, dangerous and often really, really disgusting stunts, catapulted to the top of the box office like a Porta Potty slingshot this weekend, cresting at an estimated $50 million and becoming the highest-grossing October film in history. And we don’t use the word “gross,” […]
A Crying Shame
Toy Story 3 is coming out on DVD next month, and I, for one, am not looking forward to it. Oh, I’ve heard it’s a fantastic film. Some folks are saying it might not just get nominated for a Best Picture Academy Award, but perhaps win the thing. I’m sure that, once I sit down […]
Movie Monday: Secretariat as We Know It
If Secretariat, the horse, was still alive today, and if the thoroughbred received a visitor who happened to have boxofficemojo.com bookmarked on his laptop, the visitor might well turn to the horse and say, “Why the long Facebook?” To which Secretariat might well bite the visitor on the nose and go back to munching his […]