Movie Buzz: 8/24

24 Aug

The Expendables 2 went straight to the #1 spot last weekend, earning $28.5M. The Bourne Legacy was pushed down into second place while ParaNorman took third place, bringing in $14. The Odd Life of Timothy Green took the #7 spot taking in $10.8M. Cosmopolis came in at the 45th spot earning $70,339, which although seems bad, is actually very good for a film that was only shown in three cinemas![1] Let’s see how they did and if they were worth the money!

Note: We only review films in wide release.

The Expendables 2 – R What’s the buzz?

The group of mercenaries known as The Expendables are back! This time after a simple job goes wrong and a member dies, the group set off for revenge. It stars Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Jet Li, Chuck Norris, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Bruce Willis, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Nan Yu and Liam Hemsworth. Audiences like this much more than the critics. The Telegraph says “There is a lot of shooting. When the shooting stops, there is a lot of joking… In the ultimate Eighties throwback, director Simon West (Con Air) stages the stunts and explosions in camera, rather than recreating them with computer graphics, which gives proceedings a flame-grilled authenticity. I was thoroughly appalled, mainly at myself for enjoying it.” [2]

So is it worth the money? Yes

  • Box office rank: 1
  • Critics say: Metacritic- 51 (Mixed)
  • Rotten Tomatoes: 67% (Fresh)
  • Consumers say: Metacritic- 7.8 (Positive)
  • Rotten Tomatoes: 81% (Fresh)

ParaNorman – PG What’s the buzz?

ParaNorman is about a boy called Norman Babcock who can talk to the dead. His uncle tells him he must do an important ritual to prevent a curse on his town by a witch centuries ago. However things go wrong and he has to save his town from zombies, witches and ghosts. Both critics and consumers like this film. The New York Times describes the movie as “An amusing if not especially fresh tale involving a witch and some Puritans, is principally a vehicle for the movie’s meticulously detailed pictorial beauty, which turns each scene into an occasion for discovery and sometimes delight.” [3]

So is it worth the money? Yes

  • Box office rank: 3
  • Critics say: Metacritic- 73 (Positive)
  • Rotten Tomatoes: 88% (Fresh)
  • Consumers say: Metacritic- 7.6 (Positive)
  • Rotten Tomatoes: 83% (Fresh)

The Odd Life of Timothy Green – PG What’s the buzz?

After a couple are told that they will never have children, they put all their wishes for a child in a box and burry it. Soon a child turns up on their doorstep who fulfils all their wishes; however they find out quickly that he’s not an ordinary boy. The film stars Jennifer Garner, Joel Edgerton and C. J. Adams. While critics are not fond of this movie, audiences are. The L.A. Times says “this entire film pushes too hard to make us love it. The problem with “The Odd Life of Timothy Green” is not so much the oddness of his entry into the world but how calculated this movie is once he arrives.” [4] However Roger Ebert states “The Odd Life of Timothy Green” is accessible to all but the youngest children, and I suspect their parents will enjoy it, too. It respects the integrity of its story by dealing with real emotions of loss and parting.” [5]

So is it worth the money? Maybe!

  • Box office rank: 7
  • Critics say: Metacritic- 48 (Mixed)
  • Rotten Tomatoes: 36% (Rotten)
  • Consumers say: Metacritic- 7.1 (Positive)
  • Rotten Tomatoes: 83% (Fresh)

Cosmopolis – R What’s the buzz?

Cosmopolis is very hard to describe! Based on the book of the same name by Don DeLillo, it tells the story of Eric, a very successful financial asset manager. He decides he needs a haircut which sees his limo drive across the city to his barber. Along the way Eric gets caught up in riots, death threats, sexual encounters and loses massive amounts of money which ultimately brings on his downfall. It is directed by David Cronenberg and stars Robert Pattinson, Sarah Gadon, Paul Giamatti, Samantha Morton and Juliette Binoche. Critics seem to like it while audiences are mixed. Variety describes the film as “An eerily precise match of filmmaker and material, “Cosmopolis” probes the soullessness of the 1% with the cinematic equivalent of latex gloves. Applying his icy intelligence to Don DeLillo’s prescient 2003 novel, David Cronenberg turns a young Wall Street titan’s daylong limo ride into a coolly corrosive allegory for an era of technological dependency, financial failure and pervasive paranoia, though the dialogue-heavy manner in which it engages these concepts remains distancing and somewhat impenetrable by design. While commercial reach will be limited to the more adventurous end of the specialty market, Robert Pattinson’s excellent performance reps an indispensable asset.” [6]

So is it worth the money? Maybe (If you like twisted and dark humour, then yes!)

  • Box office rank: 45
  • Critics say: Metacritic- 59 (Positive)
  • Rotten Tomatoes: 66% (Fresh)
  • Consumers say: Metacritic- 6.3 (Positive)
  • Rotten Tomatoes: 46% (Mixed)

What’s opening this week in theaters?

Hit & Run (49% rottentomatoes)

The Apparition (Consumers 83% rottentomatoes)

Premium Rush (77% rottentomatoes)

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MfLa9jknLOo&feature=plcp

[1] http://boxofficemojo.com/weekend/chart/?yr=2012&wknd=33&p=.htm

[2] http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/filmreviews/9480394/The-Expendables-2-review.html

[3] http://movies.nytimes.com/2012/08/17/movies/movie-review-paranorman-about-a-boy-and-zombies-with-elaine-stritch.html?ref=movies

[4] http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/moviesnow/la-et-mn-odd-life-timothy-green-review-20120815,0,5779208.story

[5] http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20120814/REVIEWS/120819995

[6] http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117947638/

 

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