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A pretty serious movie about not very much actually. The trailer makes it look like a deep intricate drama thriller, but when you’re in the movie theatre, it doesn’t feel that thrillery or dramary at all. The multiple story line converging style doesn’t seem to work either. With Magnolia clocking in at three hours, it made perfect sense. With this movie running at two hours, it feels too long (you’ll notice it already during the start and first half). Something as valuable as oil can drive whole goverments and big companies to the dark side, but this movie doesn’t display anything new or surprising, and only shows the few obvious and predictable moves everyone expects (in a slowmotion kind of way, that is).6-.

A very slow box office despite the Oscar night anticipation leaves Madea’s Family Reunion with no real competition. A steep drop (50+%) brings it down to $13, but still enough to remain the top spot holder.
Unable to reach the number one spot (must be the age, just like Harrison Ford couldn’t a few weeks earlier), Bruce Willis in 16 Blocks gets stuck at number 2 with a mere $11.7 million.
Another week of just a slight decline, Eight Below clings on to the number 3 spot, with $10.3 million.
Female actioner, Milla Jovovich starrer Ultraviolet and mermaid comedy drama Aquamarine barely made it in the top 5, resp. with $9 and $7.5 million.

An expert can smell’m miles away. Others will have to dive into the matter to find out. But the signs are usually not too obscure. Shady second rate production companies and foreign equity investors. No name director and writer. Slow and small scale non-US release schedule after the film has been lying on the shelf for over a year. It all adds up to a direct-to-DVD quality movie. And still personal scheduling anomalies exist, and hence, I got served.
Making the script and dialogue sound smart is always a good move. You can make a trailer that sounds interesting (something to do with Chaos Theory), and still grab the low expectant viewer with the usual explosions and car chases. Of course, anyone paying attention will figure out pretty soon the smart talk is just a diversion (if this movie was about the Chaos Theory, then my grandma was Bruce Lee’s kung-fu teacher), with gaping plot holes to laugh about later (to make up for the money spent).5½.

Half documentary (lotsa stock footage), half dramatisation, it’s the story about a short period out of Edward R. Murrow’s life, in which he basically starts a head-on war with Senator Joseph McCarthy. In keeping with that time, George Clooney decided to shoot it in black and white, and even did extensive sound processing in order to get the crackling and distorted sound of that time to us. All nice and well, if only I cared about a senator’s the quest to bring down a supposedly rising communism and political take-over, and how a noble TV reporter stands his ground. I suppose the acting is good, though whatever the message behind the continuous smoking on screen is beats me. Still, from a cinematic viewpoint, it wasn’t that much of an experience, especially not an Oscar worthy one.5½.

Every year there’s a gap where you can quietly slip in a low budget movie based on a play, and with no competition around, end up at the top spot. Last year is was Tyler Perry’s Diary of a Mad Black Woman, and this year, from the same writer, it’s Madea’s Family Reunion. Now it’s opening even bigger (at $22 million it was quadruple the budget of Diary), with $30.3 million it’s triple its budget.
Eight Below has to settle with one spot lower, with $15.7 million it’s a non-disastrous 37% drop.
The Pink Panther stays another week at 3, with $11.3 million finally taking a nose dive of 47%. Rounding out the top 5 are Date Movie with $9.2 million and Curious George with $7 million.

So you win an Oscar, and then you have to carry a whole movie all by yourself. It happens to the best (anyone remember a certain Catwoman ?), so it had to happen to her too.
So why does this movie crash so hard ? Well, pretty much everything has a big sign BOREDOM stuck on it. The director doesn’t seem too capable to handle action scenes in a graceful way. The writers can’t get a few decent lines dialogue on paper. And surrounding Charlize Theron’s empty character are mostly B actors.
If not for the few body curve revealing clothing, I’d be fast asleep as the story is not the least bit entertaining. If predictability kicks in during the second half, it’s really yawning time. Counting the ridiculous futuristic technological advancements (which are there just because the writers thought it would probably labeled as cool, but most people will see as senseless story gap fillings) is the only thing left to do.4½.

Cutie sled dogs took over this week’s box office. With co-star Paul Walker stranded in the icy nowhere, Eight Below puts $25 million in the freezer.
Second up was zero brainer Date Movie, which got evenly as many points from the established critics. New possible franchise a la Scary Movie (not from the same companies though) takes in $22.3 million, half of what Scary Movie 3 did in 2003.
Third is for The Pink Panther with $21 million, only a 4% drop. Guess people DO like Steve Martin doing his too obvious French accent act.
Traditional cartoon Curious George drops one place to number four, but actually does better than last week with $15.3. Rounding out the top 5 is Final Destination 3, with $12.5 million and a $38.2 cume it’s more successful avoiding death and hence still ahead of its predecessors.

Ang Lee has a reputation of transfering multiple layers of emotion through intricate relationships from screen to viewer, while at the same time keeping you on your toes if what you see is really there. This movie is no different, except this time, the transfer doesn’t get across fully. Maybe it’s the script or the story, but while you see passion onscreen, you can’t really figure out the origin or reason for it. Also, a warning for the faint of heart, there is some crude imagery here and there, but beneath the surface, it’s still a love story (and maybe a social statement, but I can’t be sure). Direction and acting are without a doubt top notch, but still, I have a feeling with the load of Oscar noms it might feel a bit overhyped.7½.

Refreshing comedy with pretty nice dymanic characters (although there are only 3 principal characters, namely Bryan Greenberg, Uma Thurman and Meryl Streep). The script, directing and acting is pretty funny at times (instead of the bulk lately where they TRY very hard to be funny, like most Jennifer Aniston movies, most of which I’ve totally already forgotten about) and with a dash of drama the story moves along at a decent pace. It’s no hands down winner like The Wedding Crashers of last year, but it’s pretty close.7½.

Bubble: An experiment (besides the triple simultanious release schedule on HDnet cable, theather and DVD) gone awry, Steven Soderbergh should keep away from this low budget non-professional garbage, and focus on his big budget actioners (isn’t there an Ocean’s Thirteen waiting ?).4.
Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room: While it offers only minimal inside scoop on this scandal, and ultimately leaves you without finality (since the big guys are due in court this year), it’s still mildly entertaining, considering I usually skip documentaries.7.
Everything is Illuminated: One of the most boring non-grabbing road trip movies I’ve ever seen, making me want to sue Liev Schreiber if he ever writes/directs a movie again instead of starring in another Scream sequel.5.

An overly silly Steve Martin as the french detective in The Pink Panther didn’t stop people from seeing, earning it a number one spot with $21.7 million.
Runner up is the second sequel Final Destination 3, with the James Wong/Glen Morgan duo taking back the reigns (after being sidetracked for the first sequel of their succesful original). And apparently it pays off, upping the previous opening, now at $20.1 million.
Third is *gasp* 2D animated (previously known with the simple word, cartoon) Curious George, still managing $15.3 million.
Somehow, at four, Firewall might be a term too technical for the folks to flock together to see Harrison Ford, filtering through only $13.8 million. Rounding out the top five is When a Stranger Calls (tumbling four places), which rang 54% less, as it gathers only $10 million this week.

As the title suggests, it is indeed fun with Jim Carrey and Tea Leoni. The latter is of course not really known for her comedy abilities, and that’s because people probably forgot the comedy series she starred in after her Bad Boys stint (The Naked Truth on ABC (one season, after it shifted to NBC for two more)). Hell, even I forgot. But, luckily, while there’s no real chemistry bonding between the two, it’s a reasonable pair up. Also reasonable are the laughs and the pace at which the chapterised story unfolds. No spectacular script or characters, but it’s definitely popcorn fun.7.

With most football fans sticking to the tube, a slow box office week meant another low budget horror flick gets a free ticket to the top. When a Stranger Calls, a 1979 remake, passes its $15 million budget with a $22 million opening.
Big Momma’s House 2 drops one place, losing about 50% of its fat, with $13.4 million. Nanny McPhee also drops one place to number 3 with $9.9 million.
Most notable spot is again for Brokeback Mountain, rising to number 4 with $5.7 million. While the Oscar buzz is helping the total box office take, the average per screen topper of the past weeks is definitely slipping, diving from the record breaking $10.000+ to a more earth-bound $2,718.
Rounding out the top 5 is Hoodwinked in its fourth week with $5.3 million.

Another music biography, very much going the same way that Ray already went. And the similarities are too big not to use that fact in this review. In the end, with the same setup and story line, the winner has to be Ray, with a deeper emotional story, with clearer inner demons and motives, and being slightly broader with subjects passing by. While I do recommend this as a not-must-see if you’ve already seen Ray, it’s not that bad at all. Acting may not be truly Oscar material, it is very good nonetheless. Added to that, the songs are sung by Phoenix and Witherspoon themselves, and it’s surprisingly good. For that alone, even though the music is not my cup of tea, it deserves an average grade.7.

A not so flattering Big Momma’s House and an evenly raunchy trailer for the sequel, didn’t stop the public from seeing another bout of Martin Lawrence in a fat suit. It topped this week’s box office with $28 million.
Brit import, Emma Thompson starring as Nanny McPhee, made a better than expected entry at number two with $14.1 million.
Underworld: Evolution stays true to its name, and takes a dive to number 3 with just $11.1 million. Annapolis enters number 4 with just $7.71 million while Hoodwinked rounds out the top 5 with $7.38 million in its third week.