It had a pretty adventurous trailer, but that’s all it is. Nothing more to be found in the movie. No drama, no comedy, not even a tiny bit of romance. There is some action, but as an adventure, it’s pretty tame. The so-called hero character (Viggo Mortensen) isn’t interesting at all, and you don’t really care for the horse anyways. The story isn’t that much either. There’s not much more to do than stare ahead and let the dullness engulf you.5+.
Just as a certain someone resurrected on Easter Weekend, so does Mel’s Passion, surging back to the number one spot in its 7th week, with $17.1 million. Number two is for the opposite of Easter Weekend, Hellboy earns another $11.1 million, a hefty 52% drop from last week’s premiere.
A shared third spot for earning $9.2 million is for Disney’s The Alamo and Johnson Family Vacation. One big difference. The Alamo costs $100 million, the other movie only $12 million. Walt Disney would have suffered a heart attack if he was still alive.
Another failer at number 8 is Bruce Willis/Matthew Perry sequel The Whole Ten Yards with $6.7 million.
After seeing this movie, I can fully understand why most churches organise massive group screenings. The message in this movie is certainly strong. Taking the last hours before Jesus’ crucifixion, which basically embodies the essence of the Bible, put together in two hours is quite a feat to pull off. While the opposition screams out anti-Semitism, I can only agree with the more positive side. The message of love, sacrifice and forgiveness can’t be shown any more obvious than this. While this movie has the most gruesome torture scenes ever to hit the silver screen, I can only say the word sacrifice has more impact this way than it ever had on paper. Your heart sinks more and more with every beat. You will cringe more and more with every spatter of blood.
With only a limited range of emotions shown in this movie, Jim Caviezel still puts a performance worth a few Oscars.
As a whole, it doesn’t add much for people already familiar with the story, and by all means, if you faint with the first drop of blood, read the Bible again. But as a quick reminder in these currently troubling times, it is certainly powerful and quite moving.
Of course, it won’t convert you to a Christian in an instant, but it’s enough for at least a few philosophical conversations with friends and family.
I can only end with saying that Mel Gibson deserves respect for taking on such a daring project while trying to convey a positive message into this world.7½.
Dark Horse Comic’s red devilish Hellboy, featuring Ron Perlman and Selma Blair, scared the rest of the box office away. Hence, ending up on the number one spot with $23.5 million.
Walking Tall, a remake with The Rock and Johnny Knoxville, had enough with $15.3 million to land on nr. 2. Scooby-Doo 2 dropped a hefty but probably well-deserved 49%, with $15 million it ranks third.
Traditional animated Disney movies don’t attract big hordes anymore. The premiere of Home on the Range only put $14 million the box.
Romancer The Prince and Me ends up on 5, with only $10 million.
One of 2003’s most complicated and intense drama. Though most of the confusion is caused by the editing, you’ll be using most of your brain power putting the puzzle together. If you figured it all out, you’re left with a heavily scripted story, and hence, a bit predictable. But the acting is very good nonetheless. And if you look further, a lot of symbolisms and unexplained character traits can be found and grinded over in your mind (as answering them would only be guesses).7+.
Kiddy pic Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed made top honors with $30.7 million. Deservedly 43% less than the original opening.
The Coen brothers helming The Lady Killers remake, stars Tom Hanks, ranked 2, with $13 million. The Passion of the Christ still hangs on with bloody hands, it’s third with $12.5 million.
As to be expected, dawn will be setting soon on horror remake Dawn of the Dead, a 61% drop to $10.3 million. Jersey Girl, the first mainstream movie that Kevin Smith is helming, with Ben Affleck and Liv Tyler starring, opens a bit disappointing at number 5, only $8.3 million.
Another one of those so called horror dead people blablablablabla. In short, the movie is so dull, I can’t even write a sensible review for it. The plot is as transparent as a, let’s say, clear glass window. The scare tactics involve shocking images at expected times, combined with high volume sound effects. Still bored. Then you have the screaming Halle Berry character, who doesn’t do much more then, well, just screaming. Still no fun. Everything combined, is a big total boring blob of nothingness.
In essence, another black spot for the once so great Robert Zemeckis (producer), who failed big time with What Lies Beneath, and does it all over again in this What Lies Beneath 2. If you fancied the first one, and don’t mind a repeat show, this is for you. Otherwise, scream as loud as Halle Berry can, and stay clear from this one.3.
Horror remake Dawn of the Dead scared the bejesus out of Christ (pun intended), taking over the nr. 1 spot with $27.3 million. Passion hung on to the second place with another $19.2 million.
Finishing the R-rated top 3 (a rare occasion) is Angelina Jolie starrer Taking Lives with $11.4 million.
Another debut, Eternal Shunshine of the Spotless Mind, a drama featuring Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet opened with $8.6 million on the sixth place. A somewhat disappointing number.
Cliches were definitely cheaper by the dozen in this movie, as there are tons of it to be found here. The most of the comedy bits are only mildly amusing. The drama bits fail miserably. And there’s no acting to speak of. While I thought, during the first half, the chaos alone, would keep me busy, it was all too generic to make an impression.
With talks already for a sequel, I wonder if they’d be able to come up with something called… a story.5+.
Ben Stiller is clearly THE man for romantic comedies these past few years, and of course, as a comedian, it’s all deserved. In any movie he’s in, there are at least a few laugh out loud moments. You can safely bet your grandma’s set of teeth on that.
Same goes for this one. Along with Philip Seymour Hoffman he sets the tone. A couple of supporting actors, and you have yourself a movie. The characters are well defined. The romantic relationship, however, is not so well endowed. It’s going too fast, while being very predictable, so it feels unnatural. While the pace at which things moves is okay, there’s no real story to speak of. That leaves you with only the fun moments that are scattered all over.6½.
Usually, a “based on a true story” movie should be taken with a pinch of salt. But this time, with writer/director Patty Jenkins spending years of research, and a few more years of correspondence with the woman in question, once can trust that what is shown is pretty much close to the truth. The result is the gritty reality, right in your face.
Directed in an explanatory fashion, you gain some understanding, and along some sympathy, while not losing sight of the bigger picture. It’s not all black and white.
Conveying the feelings, emotions and intentions across the screen are Charlize Theron and Christina Ricci. Both play their roles so convincingly, your heart sinks in while the tragedy plays out on screen. (With Charlize almost unrecognizable, with 30 pounds gained for this role)
I wouldn’t recommend this movie to anyone wanting to have an entertaining night out with friends, because you will come out with a long face, that’s for sure. But as a “stick to the truth, what’s behind the killer” experience, this can’t get any more real.7½.
Hail Mel, his movie is on top of the box office for a third week. A $31.7 million sesh makes the total a whopping $264 million, well on its way to beat LotR: Return of the King.
Second was Secret Window, a thriller starring Johnny Depp, with $19 million. 80-ties stars Starsky & Hutch still doing well with $16 million, good for nr. 3. Hidalgo isn’t as big an adventure as the trailer shows us, stuck at 4 with $11.7 million. Agent Cody Bank 2 isn’t as cute as he used to be either. A lacklustre $8 million for this premiere on nr. 5, showing a run that’s probably not enough to cover the movie’s budget.
A typical feel-good movie with a lot of cliches on the side. The setting this time is da hood (New York), and the theme is dancing. Headlining the moves is former Dark Angel Jessica Alba, leaving all the acting and ass-kicking behind. As a dancer, she’s very convincing. As an upcoming movie star, that’s a whole other story. Of course, the script doesn’t lend itself to that, so, all you have left is a long MTV music video interspersed with mostly Rodney Jerkins penned hip-hop beats. With a background in pop/R&B/hip-hop and more, and having a track record of at least a couple of dozens of hit songs under his belt, there’s always a few tunes hitting the correct note. Come for the music and Jessica’s moves, and you’re okay. Come for a full-fledged movie, and you’re in danger. Anyway you wanna see it, at least Missy Elliott’s cameo is a blast.6.
The usual suspense thriller with a twist. There have been courtroom thrillers before, but this one starts with the jury selection. Somewhat of a psychological warfare has ensues from there. Seeing how all the jury members get profiled and predicted keeps the movie going, and instead of the traditional evidence which might or might not be seen, you get to see how subtle manipulations work out. The acting is intense enough, though the characters are still one dimensional, however detailed their personalities may be. The directing and editing are also up to par.7½.
At the box office, everybody kept its faith, as Passion accumulated some $200+ million already. Still at number one in its second week, with $51.4 million. This weeks biggest premiere was for the Ben Stiller starring comedy remake Starsky & Hutch, with $29.1 million. Number 3 spot is Viggo Mortensen switching his horse from The Return of the King to a new one with a name. Now riding on the back of Hidalgo, he pockets $19.6 million.