I don’t really know what to say about today’s strip. I wish I had a big rant ready for you, but my batteries are kind of low.
All I know is, when I heard Darkness Falls was the number one movie last weekend, I was very, very disappointed.
I mean, this is different than Kangaroo Jack taking the top spot. KJ had some serious advertising muscle behind it. Meanwhile the makers of Darkness Falls send three commercials to MTV, and it’s number one. I’ve come to the conclusion that Americans are not the pawns of agressive advertising, but rather, the victims of their own poor choices. You have no one to blame but yourself, people!
I don’t think I can count on one hand the number of people excited to see this movie, much less know what it’s even about. There are no name actors. No well-known director or screenwriters attached. It’s only pedigree is that Stan Winston (and Academy Award winner for Jurassic Park, Terminator 2 and Aliens) did the special effects. What’s the fuss about?
I guess the stat that really floored me is that this movie only cost $11 million to make. That’s steal by Hollywood standards. How much did it rake in it’s first weekend? $12 million. By all intents and purposes, this movie should have been released DIRECTLY to the bargain bin at Blockbuster. Go figure.
Industry annalists said the strong turn-out may have been due to the film’s PG-13 rating which in turn admitted more teenagers. They say the disposable cash teens bring to the box office make tracking results unpredictable on weekends when there are no movies worth seeing. Basically the theory is they will watch anything.
It’s my strong feeling that parents are not doing enough to keep their kids away from poor film making. Drugs and gangs, sure. But where are the child safety locks on something like Just Married?
Why can’t people give some of the better films a second pass? Sure, the buzz has faded on films like Adaptation or About Schmidt since they got their big push for Oscar contention in December. But a lot of these films are just now releasing wide across the country! Go see one of those! God, ANYTHING but Darkness Falls. What does that say about our culture?!
This may be tedious, but it is my duty to talk about the movies I have recently watched. It has been awhile, but here it goes!
Bend It Like Beckham I was in a great mood when I saw this film in Uptown Minneapolis while visiting some friends. The movie kept me in a great mood. At first it teetered on the edge of becoming another Big Fat Ethnic Farse, but the movie turned out to be enjoyable. There were a few moments and concepts that I couldn’t quite believe, but my wife explained my questions with a simple answer it’s because they were in love. Whatever. Anyway, Keira Knightley should be enough for any guy to want to watch this film.
Finding Nemo Great film. Go see it. Great for the whole family, even if your whole family consists of two twenty somethings.
One Hour Photo Cool film. Good story and a nice visual style. I was really uncomfortable during the trespassing scenes, which is good. I like it when I can become involved in a movie.
Serendipity I did not want to watch this. I thought it was a girl movie. Either I was wrong or I am a girl, because I really enjoyed this. Kate Beckinsale was great, as well as the rest of the cast.
Down with Love Clever. I liked this movie, and thought Ewan McGregor was great. It was interesting how they picked up the style of the early 60’s and roasted them at the same time. Like the movies of the time, it is light and carefree. Definitely not a thinker.
Men in Black 2 Fun. I found this Blockbuster to be quite you guessed it enjoyable. (I’ll try to stop saying that about every movie.)
Joe’s Apartment I didn’t see it before and now I remember why. The House of Large Sizes T-shirt was the highlight of the movie. House is a band from my college town that I have seen maybe 11 or 12 times.
To Die For Someone should tell me what happens at the end, because I fell asleep. It wasn’t bad, just past my bedtime.
Just Married Great movie. Being just married myself, (less than a year ago) I found many of the situations very familiar. Ashton Kutcher is awesome and Brittany Murphy actually looked good.
Punch Drunk Love I hated this movie while watching it. I keep randomly thinking about it though, and now I have convinced myself that it is a really good film.
Pinero If I had watched this film two years ago, I would have loved it. My life has changed enough to not feel the empathy I used to with the type of characters in this film.
They Pretty scary. The alternate ending is the one I prefer.
Darkness Falls Very similar to They. It was only 75 minutes long. What’s up with that? I thought the story should have been more developed. The documentary on the dvd about the real story is spooky.
That’s all for now. To all the Americans out there have a great holiday. I’d like to thank the Brits for yet another day off from work. Cheers!
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