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Coming Home: Veterans on the Big Screen
Coming home from war is a wrenching transition for the returning veteran. “Soldier’s Home”—a short story in Ernest Hemingway’s early collection, In Our Time (1925)—masterfully captures the returning war veteran’s sense of dislocation and alienation from a “normal” life after confronting the horrors of war. Though written shortly after the end of World War I, Hemingway’s story distills the essence of the returning vet story to which moviemakers have returned again and again over the intervening years. In some ways, the battle to readjust to civilian life can be as difficult and daunting as facing enemy fire in a distant land.
To commemorate Memorial Day and to honor our war veterans, MM has chosen five movies that represent the most riveting and heartfelt examples of the “coming home” genre.
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James Franco vs. the Fact Checkers Unit
Director Dan Beers and Executive Producer Thomas Bannister of the Web series "FCU: Fact Checkers Unit" sit down with MM to chat about their Web series, the latest episode of which, starring James Franco as a possibly pregnant supergenius version of himself, premieres... well, right now. Read the interview, then check out the "FCU" episode "James Franco is Preggers," embedded below for your viewing pleasure.
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Having Big Fun in the Big Town
26 years after it was filmed, Dutch director, journalist and rap aficionado Bram Van Splunteren's Big Fun in the Big Town is finally being released to worldwide audiences. A documentary on the origins of hip hop filmed in New York in 1986, just as the genre was getting noticed—but not, notes Van Splunteren, being taken seriously—on an international scale, Big Town features interviews with pioneers like Russell Simmons, Run-DMC, Grandmaster Flash, Doug E Fresh and LL Cool J from before they became household names.
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Battleship Sunk by The Avengers
It's three weeks of box office dominance and counting for The Avengers, which easily kept new release Battleship from the number one spot and became Disney's highest-grossing film ever in the process. The superhero extravaganza's $55 million weekend gross brings its domestic total so far $457 million; add in international receipts and its worldwide haul is now $1.18 billion, the fourth-highest ever.
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Dark Shadows Can't Bring Down The Avengers
The Avengers handily overpowered Tim Burton's Dark Shadows over the weekend, becoming the top film at the box office for the second week running and, incidentally, topping $1 billion at the worldwide box office after only 19 days of release. The superhero 'stravaganza's domestic box office gross of $103.1 million (that's only its weekend gross, by the way—total domestic is $373.1 million so far) is over three and a half times what poorly reviewed new release Dark Shadows was able to pull in.
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Avengers Assemble at the Box Office
So, you might have heard—The Avengers did pretty well at the box office this weekend. If by "pretty well" you mean it shattered the record for best three-day weekend with its $200.3 million haul. Add that to the $441.5 million it's earned internationally since it came out just over a week-and-a-half ago, and the superhero extravaganza has racked up $641.8 million in just 12 days. All very good news for distributor Disney, which definitely needed a post-John Carter morale boost.
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Super (and Not-So-Super) Hero Flicks
Superhero movies tend to come in just one of two flavors: Exceptional and terrible. They either work as visually breathtaking, escapist fun… or they don’t. This summer features a slew of upcoming superhero flicks, including The Amazing Spider-Man and The Dark Knight Rises. The latest, Joss Whedon's highly anticipated The Avengers, hits theaters today.
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Think Like a Man Continues to Dominate
New wide releases The Pirates! Band of Misfits, The Five-Year Engagement, Safe and The Raven failed to snatch the number one spot out of the hands of last week's winner, Think Like a Man, which returned to the top of the box office for the second week running. Second place went to Pirates, while another holdover from last week, The Lucky One, claimed spot number three.
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Revisiting Stony Island
Director Andrew Davis recalls the making of his 1978 R&B drama Stony Island, out for the first time on DVD April 24th
The development of Stony Island began long before there was a script, from spending time with and shooting images of my brother Richie and his friends. I had been doing this for over a year when I met Tamar Hoffs, who had a brother with a similar story to mine. They were both musicians, white kids who loved the blues, Muddy Waters and all the great artists from South Side. I shared my research and images with Tammy, and we began working together on a screenplay. We called it Stony Island, after an area of Chicago that was a vortex of black/white South Side culture and had real significance to both of us.
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Think Like a Man Bests The Hunger Games
Sayonara, The Hunger Games! After a month of ruling the roost, new release Think Like a Man grabbed the box office behemoth's number one spot, earning $33 million over the weekend to The Hunger Games' $14.5 million. Fellow new release The Lucky One also bested The Hunger Games, grabbing the number two spot with its $22.8 million weekend haul. Chimpanzee, the final new wide release, earned $10.2 million, enough to land it at number four, while last week's runner-up The Three Stooges fell three spots to number five.
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Once More For The Hunger Games
The Hunger Games fought its way to the top yet again, becoming the first film since Avatar to claim the number one spot four weekends in a row. While the box office juggernaut's weekend gross of $21 million marks a 35% drop from last weekend, it still handily outpaced new releases The Three Stooges and The Cabin in the Woods, which earned $17.1 million and $14.8 million and came in at two and three, respectively.
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Yet Again, The Hunger Games Pummels the Competition
The Hunger Games once again showed up-and-comers who's boss, out-earning both new release American Reunion and new(/old) release Titanic 3-D by a substantial margin. Still, those two movies didn't do too shabbily themselves, their $21.4 million and $17.3 million weekend grosses grabbing them spots two and three, respectively. Meanwhile, Wrath of the Titans' $15 million weekend gross was enough to land it in spot number four, while Mirror Mirror squeaked into the top five with a weekend gross of $11 million.
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The Hunger Games Remains Victorious
Well, they were worthy contenders, but The Hunger Games managed to defeat Wrath of the Titans and Mirror Mirror both, holding onto its number one spot for the second week running with its weekend gross of $61.1 million. New releases Wrath of the Titans and Mirror Mirror came in second and third, respectively, while last week's runner-up 21 Jump Street slid two spots to number four. Rounding out the top five was Dr. Seuss' The Lorax.
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The Hunger Games Rakes in the Dough at the Box Office
The odds were in its favor...
Everyone knew that The Hunger Games would triumph at the box office last weekend, but the extent to which the much-anticipated teen phenomenon raked in the dough exceeded even the most optimistic box-office expectations. With its weekend gross of $155 million, the movie had A) the biggest non-sequel opening of all time, B) the third-biggest movie opening of all time and C) the biggest March opening of all time. Perhaps most surprising is that The Hunger Games is now D) production company Lionsgate's highest-grossing movie—after just three days. Geez, slow down a bit, The Hunger Games—don't you think you're raising the bar a bit too high for your sequels?
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Box Office Goes to 21 Jump Street
After the excitement of John Carter's epic box office flop, things got more or less back to normal over the weekend, with new release 21 Jump Street taking the top spot and reigning champ Dr. Seuss' The Lorax sliding to second place. John Carter came in at number three, its box office take dropping 55 percent from last weekend; so far, the sci-fi blockbuster that cost $250 million to make has earned a mere $53.1 million in domestic markets.
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John Carter Gets Beaten by The Lorax
Disney's John Carter failed to live up to expectations over its opening weekend, earning only $30.6 million (its budget, at an estimated $250 million, is quite a bit higher) and being defeated by Dr. Seuss' The Lorax, whose weekend gross of $39.1 million was enough to land it in the number one spot for the second weekend running.
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Sneak Peek: Frankenweenie
In 1984, twenty-something newcomer Tim Burton made his mark on the industry with a modern take on a horror classic in the form of Frankenweenie, a live action short in which a young boy named Victor uses the power of science to bring his beloved dog, Sparky, back to life. Now, almost 30 years later, the Oscar-nominated director is returning to his roots to create the Frankenweenie he always envisioned, in the form of a stop-motion animated feature.
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Dr. Seuss' The Lorax Wins Big at the Box Office
Wow. Dr. Seuss' The Lorax sure let everyone know who's boss. The animated family film surpassed all expectations to earn $70.7 million over the weekend, earning back its budget in a mere three days with the biggest opening weekend so far this year. Second place finisher Project X didn't do too shabbily, either: The R-rated comedy, made on a budget of $12 million, picked up $20.7 million during its opening weekend. Last week's champion Act of Valor brought in a weekend gross of $13.7 million, and rounding out the top five were Safe House and Good Deeds.
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Act of Valor Storms the Box Office
While megawatt movie stars from around the world descended upon the Kodak Theatre yesterday for the 84th annual Oscars, the weekend saw moviegoers across the country descend upon their own local theaters in droves to see Act of Valor, an action film starring real-life Navy SEALs that pulled in a (much) higher than expected opening weekend gross of $24.7 million. The film beat out the second place finisher, Tyler Perry's Good Deeds (weekend gross $16 million), by a substantial margin.
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Box Office Ventures to the Safe House
With Valentine's Day now officially behind us, rom-com The Vow, the winner of last weekend's box office race, slipped to the number two spot, with last week's runner-up Safe House taking its place. New release Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance roared into number three with a weekend gross of $22 million, while Journey 2: The Mysterious Island claimed spot number four. Rounding out the top five was new release This Means War.
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Funny Valentines: Cinema’s Quirkiest Couples
Some people are Valentine’s Day people and some just aren’t. As a service to our readers, MM has chosen several movies that break the typical romantic comedy mold, making for fine Valentine’s Day viewing for those looking to forgo the overpriced, overcrowded restaurants and gooey Valentine’s Day crowd.
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The Vow Takes a Bite Out of the Box Office
Last weekend's three new releases (and one new re-release) pass the $20 million mark.
Four of the top five spots at last weekend's box office went to new releases, all of which broke the $20 million threshold, the first time since December 2008 four movies have debuted with such strong numbers. At the top of the pack was the romantic drama The Vow, which cost an estimated $30 million to make and pulled in a (much)-higher-than-expected opening weekend gross of $41.7 million. Coming in a close second was the crime thriller Safe House, while the $27.5 million haul of family-friendly film Journey 2: The Mysterious Island was enough to land it in spot number three.
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Chronicle and The Woman in Black Duke it Out at the Box Office
New releases Chronicle and The Woman in Black each took in a higher-than-expected haul over Super Bowl weekend, though it was the former film that managed to climb to the top with a weekend gross of $22 million. Still, The Woman in Black wasn't that far behind, pulling in $21 million over the weekend. Last week's surprise box office victor, The Grey, slid to number three, while new release Big Miracle's weekend take of $8.4 million was only enough to land it at spot number four. Rounding out the top five was Underworld: Awakening.
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Don’t Go in There! Cinema’s Scariest Haunted House Movies
Creaky floorboards. Rattling window shutters. Creepy noises in the attic. What could be scarier than a lonely old house on a dark and stormy night? The haunted house subgenre has been around for a long time and has proven to be endlessly fascinating to moviemakers and audiences alike. With the two newest entries in this enduring subgenre—The Woman in Black and The Innkeepers—hitting theaters today, MM is taking a look back at some of the scariest haunted house movies of all time.
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Box Office Goes to the Wolves with The Grey
The box office went to the wolves this weekend, with Joe Carnahan's The Grey beating out last week's reigning champ Underworld: Awakening to land at the number one spot. The man vs. nature actioner did better than expected, earning $20 million in its first weekend; meanwhile, the latter film's weekend haul of $12.5 million brings its total gross to $45.1 million.
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Distribution in the Year 2012
Distribution is the sole source by which film revenue is earned, but between the advent of digital theatrical distribution, the rise of Netflix and VOD and the collapse of the DVD market, recent years have seen some radical changes in how films are distributed. It makes sense that independent moviemakers, always been on the cutting edge themselves, should be the ones to race to exploit emerging distribution methods.
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Underworld: Awakening Takes a Bite Out of the Box Office
Underworld: Awakening took a bite out of the box office last weekend, earning $25.4 in its first three days and beating out second-place finisher, fellow new release Red Tails, by a substantial margin. Last week's number one film, Contraband, fell two spots to number three, while Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close celebrated its first weekend in wide release—it hit select theaters across the country over Christmas weekend—with a weekend gross of $10.5 million. Rounding out the top five was the newest from Steven Soderbergh, Haywire, which earned $9 million over its first weekend.
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Ed Burns Is Forever Indie
Edward Burns is no stranger to the world of indie film. He launched his career with the $25,000 The Brothers McMullen at the Sundance Film Festival back in 1995, during the dark, pre-digital days of 16mm cameras and now-foreign concepts like optical houses and film prints. In 2010, after seven larger-budget features as a writer-director, Burns returned to the low-budget arena with Nice Guy Johnny. He bypassed traditional distribution methods by releasing the film himself, first with a short festival tour and then with a simultaneous day-and-date rollout on VOD, DVD and Pay-Per-View. Now Burns is taking this new model even further with Newlyweds, which he produced for a staggering $9,000 sum.
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Sorry, Disney: Contraband Beats Beauty and the Beast 3-D to Number One
Crime drama Contraband had a better-than-expected opening weekend run at the box office, earning $24 million in three days and outpacing second-place finisher, Beauty and the Beast 3-D, by a substantial amount. The re-released Disney classic earned $18.4 million over the weekend—less than the 3-D release of The Lion King earned on its opening weekend last September, but still pretty good for a movie that's only one year shy of being able to buy itself alcohol.
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The Artist Comes Out on Top at the Golden Globes
At last night's Golden Globes, it was Oscar frontrunner The Artist that came out on top, winning three awards, including Best Picture—Comedy or Musical. Still, it's probably best to keep the film's name written in pencil on your Oscar ballot for now; though it was one of only two films to win multiple awards, the winner in the Best Picture—Drama category (this year, The Descendants) historically has a better chance at victory come Oscar night. Additionally, The Artist missed out in both the Best Screenplay and Best Director categories, in which Midnight in Paris and Hugo, respectively, walked away with the gold.
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The Ins and Outs of How to Sell a Banksy
When Christopher Thompson came across a work of art by Banksy—the infamous, anonymous street artist whose work sells for hundreds of thousands of dollars—he saw his acquisition as a twofold opportunity. First, there was a potentially huge amount of money to be made in selling the piece. Second, the effort it would take to find a buyer—getting it restored, authenticated and evaluated, all of which would require gate crashing the business world that's sprung up around the counterculture icon—would make for an interesting documentary. Four years later, co-directors Thompson and Alper Cagatay's debut film, How to Sell a Banksy, is finally complete.
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Five most anticipated films of Hollywood's worst month
Since the early 1990s, as the late season award contenders still linger in most cinemas, awaiting a surge in audiences as their prizes accumulate, a mid-winter onslaught of goofy genre fair begins to appear in cinemas the weekend after New Year's Day. The next couple of months generally become a veritable dumping ground for all sorts of sub-par studio projects, from would-be prestige films that just don't fit in the award season paradigm to other assorted misfits within the corporate conglomerates' tight-fisted slates.
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The Devil Inside Triumphs at the Box Office
New release The Devil Inside beat out the competition—which consisted of a slate of nearly-a-month-old films and a few new limited releases—to come in number one at the box office, earning a rather impressive opening weekend gross of $34.5 million. Last week's number one film, Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol, fell to number two, and Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows came in at number three. David Fincher's The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo held steady at number four with a weekend gross of $11.4 million.
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Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol Outpaces the Competition
New Year's weekend proved to be quiet one at the box office, with Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol holding onto the number one spot for the second week running. Last week's runner-up, Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, stayed in the number two position, while Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked rose one spot to number three.
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Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows Fights Its Way to the Top
New release Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows was able to nab the top spot at the box office, but it did so with a gross of only $40 million—substantially less than what many believed the film would rack up. Coming in second was fellow new release Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chip-Wrecked. For Brad Bird's Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol, coming in third was rather impressive, given the movie only came out in 425 theaters; its opening weekend gross of $13.6 million gives the film a per-screen average of $32,000.
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