Kimputer's Weblog

Diary of a Mad Black Woman, a black drama/comedy, one-upped matchmaker Hitch, opening at number one with $22.7 million (with only a budget of $5.5 million). Still, Will Smith’s love is still powerful enough for a number 2 spot, earning another $21 million (with a current total of $120 million).
At three, Constantine is losing steam, with $11.8 million. At four, Wes Craven teams up again with Kevin Williamson. Their horror pic Cursed earns $9.56 million. Rounding off the top 5 is Tommy Lee Jones with Cedric the Entertainer, in a Man of the House. This comedy opens with $9 million.

Following his Matrix Trilogy with another special effects heavy movie might not have been such a smart move. Mainly focusing on good and evil, angels and demons, Keanu plays some kind of detective trying to balance of the powers that be. As an actor, he might lose credibility now, playing his role VERY Keanu Reeve-ish, as in characteristic movements, delivery and timing of his lines etc (of course, he might have been typecasted, and the character from the comic book is just like that, but I think that’s highly unlikely the match would be this exact). All in all, he’s a pretty cold frog (AGAIN).
Storywise, it’s not that interesting. It tries hard though, with deeper plotlines (that are not developed), but the characters are just as undeveloped. Take into account that the heroes/enemies all have some weird not so positive appeal to them (probably due to the setting of this all), and your left with the eye candy (which has nothing new to offer). Definitely not a must-see for regular movie-goers.7-.

Starpower at the boxoffice, as Will Smith and Keanu Reeves fight for the top spot. Only by a narrow margin does Will smooch his way on top again, with $31.8 million for the comedy Hitch. While the trailer reminds us of The Matrix, former the One still manages to bring in $30.5 million for Constantine, good enough for the runner-up spot.
Third place is for family flick Because of Winn-Dixie, with $10.9 million. At number four is Son of the Mask, this time starring Jamie Kennedy, suffers from horrible exit polls, but still manages a $7.7 million gross.
Still showing some fighting spirit is Million Dollar Baby, hangin on the top 5 with $7.2 million

Not a very imaginative title, but the movie itself does more than it suggests. It’s a small budget, story driven light dramedy, setup as a road movie of two old friends. Covering one week, seemingly unessential, it turns out to be quite different. A quite exploratory journey leads you through life (with wine as metaphore, relating on more levels), the view on it, the laughs and cries from it. The screenplay is smartly written, and gently directed. If you want to see an indie this year, this is probably the one to go for.8-.

Will Smith is hitching a ride on the upcoming Valentine Day, as his romantic comedy Hitch was loved all the way to number one this week. Opening bigger than any other romantic comedy (previously 50 First Dates), with $45.3 million.
Second place is for Boogeyman, scary enough for $10.8 million. Third place goes to Are We There Yet? with $8.5 million.
As the Oscars near, Million Dollar Baby keeps rising in the charts, now at number four with $7.6 million. Kids round off the top five, helping Pooh’s Heffalump Movie premiere with $6 million.

Some four years ago we already met one half of the family, so now it’s time for the other half. While the new addition to the movie (Dustin Hoffman and Barbra Streisand) are another few wacky characters, it somehow doesn’t lift this movie above the original Meet the Parents. The fun is still there, and so are the simple storylines. Still, it doesn’t feel as outrageous as I remember the original. It’s not really a must-see, but if you’re in for a quick laugh, this is definitely it.7½.

Every year, you’ve gotta try every category once. So too a music derived film has to be seen. Ray Charles is this year’s entry, is a drama, without any of the documentary feel to it. With full cooperation before the late music legend passed, the dramatisation feels real including all the more nasty stuff. Insight in his psyche is there, though not too deep. It’s directed with a nice balance between drama, story and musical entertainment.
Highlight is, of course, Jamie Foxx’s performance, capturing all the mannerisms while delivering the heart and soul like he’s Ray himself. Clocking in at 2 and a half hours, it seems a little bit too long, but in the end, it feels just right (especially if the extra half an hour of extra footage suggests a three hour cut would have been possible). 7½.

Maybe it should be called “pulling a Sam Raimi”, because he kinda does it again. While his biggest accomplishment involves a certain spider, his roots lie with the horror genre. Through his Ghost House Pictures production company he makes small budget horror flicks, all of which have earned their money back in the first week of release. Following The Grudge’s success is Boogeyman. Enough to scare the competition away from the top spot, with some $19.5 million.
Second place is for romantic comedy The Wedding Date, featuring Debra Messing and Dermot Mulroney. Are We There Yet? lands on number 3 with $10.4 million and number 4 is for Hide and Seek, with $8.9 million. Close behind is Million Dollar Baby with $8.7 million.

Just as the poster suggest, it revolves just around 4 person. Or 2 pairs. Or not. Heavily dialogue-driven, it surely is cleverly written, but it’s definitely weird. Smart parts mix with funny parts, and those mix with dramatic parts. Just like life, not all is explained in the various relationships, and so, you’ll have to think “What the hell is going on ?” and “Why ?” a few times. So even when there are a lot of things too coincidental, it still feels very much like real life, and maybe that’s why it’s so enjoyable.7½.

Not so much Hide and Seek, as Robert DeNiro heads back in plain sight to the number one spot this week after vacating it with the Fockers. Teaming up with Dakota Fanning, it brings in $22 million.
Are We There Yet? is past its peak, at number 2 with $17 million. At 3, Million Dollar Baby enjoys its first week of wide release (and does so favoribly, probably due to 7 Oscar noms), with $11.8 million. Meanwhile at 4, Coach Carter hangs on with $8 million. The Fockers round off the top five with $7.6 million.

It’s the third one, that should say enough. Really. Where the first one was unique, blending neat action, style and story into a surprise hit, the second saw the decay eating away the uniqueness. The third is just a non-stop slugfest, without a proper story, dialogue and style to go on. So, enter the new sidekicks. The guy is an empty character with the sole purpose as comic relief (though his physique has some function too), while the female (Jessica Biel) makes a nice transition from actress (critically acclaimed series 7th Heaven) to ass kicking hot chick.
It’s really funny to see how David S. Goyer destroys this franchise (screenplay Blade, added producer duty in chapter two, added director duty to chapter 3). All in all, a typical movie you just want to see once.6.

Ice Cube, rapper/writer turned movie star/producer, is now in the habit of freezing the number one spot for himself when it’s time. He follows the success of the Barbershop series with a new comedy, Are We There Yet ?, with $18.5 million. Apparently, we’re not quite there yet, as he takes over the XXX franchise, the movie opening in a few weeks.
Coach Carter isn’t tired yet, but fatigue is definitly there, at number 2 with $11 million. At number 3, the Focker family has garnered a small fortune now, another week of $10.2 million (with the total standing at $248 million).
Sticking at number four is In Good Company, with $8.5 million. Rounding off the top five is Racing Stripes, looking like it’s going to give up the race, and dropping two places, with $7.1 million.

Yimou Zhang follows Hero quickly with another show of drama with a dash of old fashioned tragedy and breath-taking martial arts. Lost is the intricate perspective storytelling, but the stylised directing style is still there. A simple story to start with will slowly complicate itself, while many key scenes will slowly work itself under your skin. Again, this is accomplished by timing dialogue, giving every scene texture with colors, subtle sound effects and an underlying dramatic score. This makes every scene having a poetic feel to it.
Again, helping this movie a few grades up is the mesmerising beautiful Ziyi Zhang, playing another complex and emotionally laden (at least, under the surface) role, effectively elbowing her way into the many upcoming leading actress awards for this year.8.

Samuel L. Jackson’s headlined basketball drama Coach Carter throws a 3 pointer, scoring the first place with a $23.6 million opener. The Fockers, however, is still a family to be reckoned with, $19.0 million for a number 2 spot.
Kid movie Racing Stripes opens at nr. 3 with $14 million. A close finish, as In Good Company, a drama comedy starring Dennis Quaid and Scarlett Johansson, ends up one place lower with $13.9 million.
Not so electrifying is Elektra, rounding off the top 5 with just $12.5 million (while the previous heroine, Catwoman, showing more skin, did slightly better, with $16.7 million).

First timer (director and writer) Zach Braff (topliner of NBC’s Scrubs) makes a critical acclaimed debut, though it’s not the life altering experience that happens in the movie. It’s kind of clear Zach drives on his own youth and experiences, as the dialogues are well thought out. Laced with a deeper emotional layer, it’s acted out by a steller cast. Kudos for Natalie Portman, and supporting castmembers like Ian Holm and Peter Saarsgard. With not everything out in the open, and a few questions left unanswered, it’s not a heavy drama. The light comedy balanced it out to be just a sweet little movie. All in all, a worthy competitor in the independent movie market, but it missed the edge to make it really special.7+.