Swinging in at #1...

Ok, it's no surprize that Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull came in at #1 this weekend. The movie ended up taking in over $311 million worldwide, giving it the second biggest Memorial Day opening box office ever (with #1 being held by the 3rd Pirates of the Carribean movie.) It also raked in enough to come in #5 in the list of the biggest 5-day weekend draws.

The major question, of course, is how the movie will do next weekend. Though there aren't any real blockbusters coming up at the end of May, the widely mixed reviews that the latest Indiana Jones movie has been getting might cut severely into it's second-week draw. Folks seeking action might migrate to the thriller The Strangers, while others may choose the Sex and the City movie instead of Indy. You can still expect them to be making money by the bucketful, but there's a decent chance that there may not be as many buckets as the filmmakers originally were anticipating.

The other big sequel so far this summer, Prince Caspian, did well over the Memorial Day weekend and pulled in at #2. Iron Man, the first blockbuster of the summer, held strong at #3 and looks to be making its presence known in the top 10 for a least a few more weeks.

He's back...

So Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is now playing. Some are reporting it to be the most amazing movie ever, based primarily on the fact that it's an Indiana Jones movie. Others are reporting it as being ridiculous in places, having an uninspired score, using unneeded CGI too often, etc. I haven't seen it yet, though I definitely plan to... I just don't really think that it's going to be as good as the films that came before. Hopefully, I'll be proven wrong. *smiles*

In other film news, veteran actor Richard Dreyfuss is going to be playing Dick Cheney in the Oliver Stone-directed film W. The film, as you might imagine, follows the rise to the White House of George W. Bush, though given Stone's political views and open criticisms of Bush it remains to be seen exactly how much of a liberal skew the movie is going to have.

Everything old is new again, take 2

Looks like we've got a few more 80's remakes in the wings. There's been a lot of compaining about them, but I think that both of them have the potential to be great.

First up we have Robocop. It's kind of funny, because I saw Robocop 3 not too long ago and thought about how great the Robocop movies could be if they were redone with modern special effects and less cheesy scripts... now it looks like Murphy might be getting some more screen time after all. I predict that this movie (if/when it's released) will look great, and will probably be dark and gritty like Robocop should be. Expect it for a summer release, because it's probably going to be one of those movies that needs to be seen on the big screen.

Next, we've got Highlander. Yes, that Highlander... "There can be only one!" and all that. Judging from the internet buzz, there's another version of that film out there than the one that I saw because people keep referring to it as a "perfect" movie and I even saw it called "the best film ever." I cheered the remake because with better writing the movie really could be great; next time you watch it try to set aside the nostalgia and watch it for what it is. It was good, but nowhere near "perfect."

Also in Hollywoodland, Disney has cast Jake Gyllenhaal as the title character in the upcoming "Prince of Persia" adaptation. It's kind of difficult to picture Gyllenhaal in the role, and I would have preferred seeing the role go to someone of Persian (aka Iranian) descent, but I'll give them the benefit of the doubt. Before Pirates of the Carribean, a lot of people might have thought Johnny Depp was too upstanding or clean-cut to play a (very) dirty pirate... and look at how that turned out.

The Prince is the New King

So The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian managed to do what Speed Racer couldn't... it knocked Iron Man out of the #1 spot. Iron Man's still #2, though, and did fairly well in its 3rd week (it's up to around $428 million internationally) while Speed Racer dropped to #4. It was a relatively low-volume weekend at theatres aside from the Caspian and Iron Man crowds, though... one of the movies in the top 10 didn't even top $1 million (though given that it was a limited release, the director was still very pleased to be in the top 10.)

In other news, Ben Barnes (of the afore-mentioned Prince Caspian) has been signed on to play the title character in an upcoming film version of The Portrait of Dorian Gray. The movie is being directed by Oliver Parker and produced by Barnaby Thompson, the pair who worked together on previous adaptations such as The Importance of Being Earnest. Though several adaptations of The Portrait of Dorian Gray have been made over the years, if this film gets a wide release then it will be the first major production done of the book.

Indiana Jones and the OH GOD WHY?!?

Seems that the Hollywood trend of making everything into a never-ending series has potentially claimed another casualty. According to George Lucas, he and Steven Spielberg have "left the door open" for a 5th Indiana Jones movie if Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull does well. For those who aren't keeping track, the new Indy flick is one of the 3 "must see" movies of the summer... anticipation is as high if not higher for it than Iron Man or The Dark Knight.

"But wasn't the new movie supposed to be the last one? " you might ask. "Isn't Harrison Ford getting a bit too old to believably continue to play Indiana Jones? " you might ask. Never fear, there's a plan in place... seems that Indiana Jones won't actually be the star of the movie after all. Instead, you'll be able to follow the adventures of Mutt Williams, Shia Labeouf's character in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Don't worry, though... Ford will have a cameo as Indy.

Normally I try to maintain a "wait and see" perspective when it comes to movies, but this possibility really gets under my skin. Spielberg seems to have an obsession with Shia Labeouf, and if the whole point of Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is just to set up Shia with another starring franchise (to go along with Transformers) then I've pretty much lost all faith in the director who used to be Steven Spielberg.

Now I'm just waiting for ET2, starring Shia LaBeouf as ET's new best friend.

Friday rolls 'round again...

Well, it's Friday... and that means new movies. The 3rd blockbuster of the summer season hit theatres today, The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian. I haven't had a chance to see it yet, but I've been hearing generally positive reviews of it thus far. A lot of people seem to be quite surprised at how well the adaptation went, as they're saying they like the movie but hated the book (or at the very least, it was their least favorite of the Narnia series.) Though there seems to be a trailer at the beginning for something called "Beverly Hills Chihuahua" or something like that... at least one theatre apparently greeted that trailer with boos from the audience.

Next week, of course, is the movie that a lot of folks have been waiting for... Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. I'm excited about it, but I'm trying not to get TOO excited lest I be disappointed with the final result. Given his recent Shia Lebeauf obsession, I'm not entirely convinced that Spielberg didn't just create Shia's character as a way to get him in the movie. The part of me that loved Indy in the 80's wants it to be amazing, but the part of me that weeps when I think of the Spielberg-produced Shia-starrer Transformers: A Michael Bay Film is worried that it's going to disappoint a lot of people.

Ah, well. I've already seen Iron Man, so my summer's set.

After Indy, there's still a number of movies you might want to check out this summer: Postal (yes, it's a Uwe Boll film, but I know a lot of folks are actually curious about it), War Inc., Sex and the City, Kung Fu Panda, You Don't Mess with the Zohan, The Incredible Hulk, Get Smart, The Love Guru, WALL-E, Wanted, Hancock, Hellboy II: The Golden Army, Journey to the Center of the Earth 3D, The Dark Knight, The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor... and a lot more movies between now and the end of August that I just didn't have time to write out.

Everything old is new again

Yes, the 80's are still coming back with a vengeance. On top of what I recently mentioned about Smurfs and Fraggle Rock (and the Chipmunks sequel), it seems that 21 Jump Street is going to be making a big-screen comeback. You remember that one, don't you? It starred Johnny Depp before he became Tim Burton's poster child. Rumor has it that Jonah Hill of Forgetting Sarah Marshall and Superbad will be working on the script as well as executive producing... he may star in it as well. This is all well and good, I suppose, but makes it sound like they're shifting 21 Jump Street into a comedy (which almost always ends badly.)

In sequel news, things are chugging right along with Final Destination 4 and Saw V. The new Final Destination movie starts off with a racecar crash and presumably gets worse from there (what can I say, I'm not a fan of the Final Destination movies. *smiles*) Saw V picks up where Saw IV left off, following the survivor who's taken over Jigsaw's legacy as he tries to tie up loose ends.

To round out the "everything old is new again" theme, we've also got a book adaptation... "Islands in the Stream", the posthumously-published novel by Earnest Hemmingway, is headed for the big screen. It's being adapted, directed, and produced by none other than Tommy Lee Jones, who will also star in the film. Given Jones' acting chops and the plot of the novel (Jones will play a reclusive painter who lives in the Bahamas before, during, and after World War II) it'll probably be an amazing drama. Unfortunately, it doesn't start filming until March '09.

No, Speed Racer, No

So apparenty the Speed Racer movie didn't perform as well as expected this past weekend. It came in second to Iron Man's $50+ million second weekend, but only made around$700,000 more than the 3rd place What Happens in Vegas. I'd been kind of excited about Speed Racer, given the cast... I haven't had a chance to see it yet, but reviews have been lukewarm at best. Sounds like Speed Racer might be taking a long trip off of a short pier, since there's no way it's going to gain a following in the next few weeks with Prince Caspian and Indiana Jones coming out. Ah, well.

In other news, it seems that the Jim Henson company is working on a new picture. No, it's not the long-awaited Power of the Dark Crystal, but it is something that'll get just as many hearts beating. Looks like Fraggle Rock is heading to the big screen, using the same mix of puppetry and live action that made the original such a success when it debuted on HBO. Beween it, the Smurfs movie trilogy, and the recent Alvin and the Chipmunks (and it's upcoming sequel), 80's kid shows are making a huge mark on the cinema screens in the next few years.

Is it dark in here, or is it just Darko?

Well, folks, it seems that everything's getting a sequel these days. In a little over a week, a film called S. Darko is going to start shooting... as you might guess from the title, it's a sequel to the cult hit Donnie Darko. For those who might think that this is just another director jumping on the sequel train in order to cash in on a popular movie, you're wrong; original Donnie Darko director Richard Kelly seems to have nothing to do with this film.

The story of S. Darko picks up 7 years after the original ended, with Donnie's little sister Samantha having grown up in that time. She's 18 now, and she's headed out to LA with her best friend on a road trip (since that's what 18-year olds always seem to do in the movies.) Along the way they start getting plagued by strange visions, a la Donnie in the first film.

Most fans of the original are condemning this one before it even starts filming, and I'll admit that it seems a bit stretched and then (and a bit unneeded as well.) Who knows, though... maybe new director Chris Fisher (yeah, you've probably never heard of his work... I know I haven't) has some interesting twists thrown in there and will make a pretty decent movie after all. One can only wait and see, and hope for the best.

Ok, so it's GI Joe time.

Pictures are starting to show up online of the various actors in the live-action GI Joe movie in costume... a lot of these pictures have been pulled from the sites that have revealed them, as I believe the only ones that are actually authorized to be shown are of Snake Eyes and Heavy Duty. Several other pics, including Duke, Ripcord, Hawk, Cover Girl, and Scarlett have been spotted on a few other blogs, though.

Now, a lot of people are complaining because a lot of the Joes are wearing black body armor instead of the technicolor costumes of the old cartoon. If the were in the old costumes, though, people would be complaining because they didn't look realistic. It's pretty much a lose/lose situation for the filmmakers, because so many people are lookin for stuff to complain about.

I personally think it looks great, and am definitely looking forward to this flick. *smiles*

Make your escape...

So I finally saw Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay yesterday. Like a lot of comedy sequels, it wasn't quite as good as the first movie... that doesn't mean, of course, that it didn't have its moments. There was some really funny stuff in it, but several of the scenes seemed to loose the "unlikely but possible" feeling that the first movie captured so well. If you're a fan of Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle then I'd recommend seeing it (or at least picking it up as a rental here in a few months), since it does continue the story and adds a lot of backstory to the first movie. If you're not a fan of the first, then there probably won't be a lot for you in this one however.

If you're planning on hitting the theatres this weekend, there are a few new movies coming out that you might consider.

The big movie that will probably do well but not quite overtake Iron Man is Speed Racer, taking the old campy cartoon series and making it look like F Zero the movie. This isn't a bad thing, mind you, and given some of the cast I imagine that Speed Racer will be quite a great popcorn flick. If you want some action and don't want to see Iron Man (again?), check out Speed Racer.

The big comedy opening for the weekend is "What Happens in Vegas" starring Ashton Kutcher and Cameron Diaz. Basically they have a wild time in Vegas, get married while drunk, and to teach them responsibility the judge who they try to get to annul their marriage makes them stay married for several months. It'll almost certainly outdo Harold and Kumar this weekend (as it's H&C's 3rd week being out), but that doesn't mean it'll be a good movie. The entire premise is kind of weak, and the studios are releasing it against a blockbuster so they're just hoping to catch the people who don't want to see Iron Man or Speed Racer. This might make a great rental, or if you're a fan of the stars then you might enjoy it... I don't think that it'll be worth a full-priced ticket unless you're just looking for some cheap laughs, though.

The other main movie release of the weekend is a martial arts drama called Redbelt. It might not be playing where you are, since it's expanding from a limited release but is still only going to hit 1,000 theatres. It did poorly in its limited release and probably won't do much better in wide release... if you like martial arts in your movies you might enjoy it, but for most people it's not going to be their cup of tea.

Tony Stark, take 2.

Ok, so the estimates for how much money Iron Man made in its first 5 days were a little off. Turns out the movie only managed to make $197.6 million... though it's "all time" rankings haven't changed. So take the impressiveness of that original figure, subtract $4 million, and you've still got one Hell of an international movie box office.

2010 isn't going to get here soon enough.

Well I'm sorry... but I'm not Tony Stark.

Figured I'd start this thing off with a subject very dear to my heart. You guessed it, I'm talking about Iron Man.

I was a huge Iron Man fan back in the day, and when they announced the movie it seemed that May of '08 was waaaay too far away. Now it has arrived, I've seen it like 3 times, and I absolutely loved the movie. Quite possibly the best comic book/superhero movie released to date, or at the very least it's in the top 5.

As of yesterday, Iron Man had reached the $201 million mark worldwide since its Thursday release... this means that it had the 10th biggest movie opening of all time, and the 8th biggest May opening. Go, Tony.

Last week, Marvel execs said that if Iron Man "performed as expected" then they would be releasing a sequel in 2010. After the above-expectations opening weekend, a new statement was released today confirming that Iron Man 2 would hit theatres on April 30th, 2010. Looks like they're shooting for the same start-of-summer weekend that did them so well this time.

Given all of the hype about the scene after the credits and the possibilities of an Avengers movie, Marvel also jumped on the grenade and announced several other release dates when they announced Iron Man 2. Thor, the character based on the Norse god of thunder, will be hitting the big screen on June 4th, 2010, and Captain America (in a film currently titled "Captain America: The First Avenger") will show up on May 6th, 2011. These three movies, along with the current Iron Man flick and the upcoming Incredible Hulk movie, all set the stage for the release of The Avengers in July of 2011. Since Marvel is making their own movies now, there's a major push toward creating a full movie continuity with the same actors reprising their roles in cameos or starring positions in other Marvel films.

If you're a Marvel buff, you can also look forward to the release of Punisher: War Zone on December 5, 2008 and Xmen Origins: Wolverine on May 1st, 2009; other announced-but-with-no-release-date-set films Ant Man, Magneto, and Spiderman 4. A script has apparently been written for a "Young Xmen" movie that would serve as a prequel to the first, but who knows where that's going to go.