Movie Tuesday: Prince and the City
Sure, the franchise may be tired. Sure, the newest installment may have been a box-office disappointment. But, in a frame that saw the fewest number of movie tickets sold over a Memorial Day weekend since 1993 (according to hollywood.com), Shrek Forever After still smashed its way to the crown, scoring $55.7 million and topping newcomers […]
Flush With Invention
Yeah, the app store is overwhelming. Love that touch screen. It’s an all-in-one picture album, GPS, media archive, game platform and know-it-all gadget that’s assuaged the boredom of technophiles everywhere. I hear rumors you can even make calls on it. But iPhone users, tell me: Is America’s too-cool-for-school smartphone really better than the flushing toilet? […]
Movie Monday: Shrek Forever After
If I made more than $70 million over a weekend, I’d probably be pretty happy about it. When a big, green, 3-D ogre makes that much coin, he’s kinda bummed. Not that you’d know it immediately. The folks at DreamWorks are surely putting a brave face on Shrek Forever After‘s $71.3 million box-office triumph this […]
Good-Bye Jack, and Jack, and Jack
So long, Jack. See ya, Jack. Sayonara … um, Jack. On Sunday and Monday, broadcast television will bid adieu to three landmark television shows, all of which feature characters named Jack: NBC’s Law & Order (featuring DA Jack McCoy, played by Sam Waterston), Fox’s 24 (featuring Jack Bauer, played by Kiefer Sutherland); and ABC’s Lost […]
Movie Monday: Iron Hood
Did you really think that a handful of arrows would be enough to puncture the greatest suit of armor ever? Robin Hood opened this weekend boasting two Oscar-winning stars, a $225 million budget and an enviable Hollywood pedigree. But its $37.1 million weekend take wasn’t nearly enough to poke holes in the high-flying Iron Man […]
Movie Monday: Iron Man 2
Don’t mess with a guy in a metal suit. Iron Man 2 clanked to the top of the box office this weekend, blasting its way to a $133.6 million take and humiliating arch-villains and opposing moviemakers alike. Iron Man‘s closest competition was Freddy from the remake of A Nightmare on Elm Street. But the burned-and-bladed […]
When Ratings Creep
Think films are getting more violent? If so, you’re not alone. Some researchers from the Annenberg Public Policy Center think so, too, and they have a whole bunch of sciency stuff to back it up. The folks at Annenberg (part of the University of Pennsylvania) studied films from 1950 to 2006 and discovered that, since […]
Christian Film: Beautiful or Banal?
Working for Plugged In has its perks. Take today, for instance. We had the chance to listen and talk with screenwriter/professor/Christian Barbara Nicolosi, perhaps one of Christianity’s most eloquent, most provocative voices when it comes to faith and film. Adam Holz had a chance to interview Nicolosi for an upcoming story and podcast, so I […]
Game Over?
Earlier this week, the Supreme Court agreed to hear arguments as to whether California can ban the sale of violent video games to children under the age of 18. I’ll be interested to hear what it decides. California actually passed the bill five years ago, but it was blocked by lower courts and never went […]
Movie Monday: The Back-up Plan
Looks like Jennifer Lopez could use a backup plan of her own. J. Lo’s new romantic comedy, The Back-up Plan, couldn’t topple DreamWorks’ charming springtime smash How to Train Your Dragon this weekend: Plan raked in an estimated $12.3 million, about $2.7 million less than the tireless Dragon. Another newcomer, The Losers, lived up to […]
