'New Moon' Smashes 'Dark Knight's' Opening Day Record! [-->full article]
Sat, 21 Nov 2009
According to ERC, The Twilight Saga: New Moon sold roughly $71 million worth of tickets on its opening day -- a number that, if correct, far surpasses the current opening day box office record of $67 million set by The Dark Knight back in 2008. With its $26 million take in midnight showings, that gives the second installment in the Twilight franchise two pretty giant records: Best Midnight Opening and Best Single Day Opening. Next up for the franchise is the three-day opening weekend record, a...

Right Now on TV Squad [-->full article]
Sat, 21 Nov 2009
Our brothers and sisters over at TV Squad have busted through the boob tube and brought with them the following juicy bits of must-see eye candy. Gird your loins, folks, Lost finally has a premiere date! Check out this latest installment of the TV Squad podcast. Joel Keller answers listener mail, covers AMC's The Prisoner, and discusses James Franco's guest stint on General Hospital. Adult Swim's Aqua Teen Hunger Force is going to be returning with a special Christmas episode on Dec...

Interview: Judd Apatow (Part One) [-->full article]
Fri, 20 Nov 2009
Funny People was the latest in Judd Apatow's ongoing series of summer comedies, but it was anything but a typical summer comedy: following a successful comedian (played by Apatow's longtime friend Adam Sandler) who reflects on his life after discovering he's going to die, the film offered lots of humor but with decidedly heavier themes lurking beneath the yuks. The film debuts on Blu-ray in a 2-Disc Collector's Edition next week, and the contents are amazing, showing how Apatow combined lighth...

Serious Scores: 'Aguirre: The Wrath of God' [-->full article]
Fri, 20 Nov 2009
We're doing something crazy, and launching another little series here on Cinematical: Serious Scores. You're a smart bunch, so I imagine you've already figured out that the goal isn't to highlight our favorite bank heists, but to praise the creme de la creme of cinema's soundtracks. Hopefully, you'll find something new for your iPod, rediscover a lost favorite, or appreciate a piece along with us. Technically, Werner Herzog's Aguirre: The Wrath of God doesn't have an official soundtrack. The e...

Review: Planet 51 [-->full article]
Fri, 20 Nov 2009
As voiced by Dwayne "the artist formerly known as The Rock" Johnson, astronaut Chuck Baker is the paragon of all-American achievement -- that is, until he conquers a far off world with an unexpected population, one inexplicably steeped in our '50s-era culture and terrified by the prospect of an alien invader in human form. More unfortunately for us, Chuck has landed smack-dab in the middle of Planet 51, a short-sighted assembly of sci-fi references and scatalogical humor that should nonetheles...

Free Flick of the Day: The Doom Generation [-->full article]
Fri, 20 Nov 2009
The '90s were a good time to be a teen -- especially if you were itching for more than just the mainstream. Nestled between the John Hughes '80s and the bubbly Disney '00s, the '90s were a time when teen films thrived in tunes-led rebellion. It wasn't all about spunky mainstream music marketing and bubbly personalities. Scores and strangeness got to go a little wild, and Gregg Araki ran with that idea when he made The Doom Generation. Dubbed Araki's "heterosexual movie," the film starred then-...

Mike White Starts a Santa Claus Civil War [-->full article]
Fri, 20 Nov 2009
Not pleased with the likes of our latest serving of A Christmas Carol? Want a little more originality served with your ho-ho-ho's? This might be the answer: Variety reports that Paramount Pictures has tapped Mike White to write the script for a new comedy called Santa Wars. Oh yes, it's just like you'd imagine. This project will follow the story of two rival factions that emerged within a group of professional Kris Kringles, and how they "became arch enemies during a Santa Claus civil war." And...

Forbes Determines Hollywood's Most Overpaid Actors [-->full article]
Fri, 20 Nov 2009
Just the other day, I tackled the notion of whether A-List actors were becoming an endangered species. Now Forbes is adding to the celebrities woes with a list of Hollywood's 10 Most Overpaid Stars. Their criteria for the list: Look at the 100 biggest stars who have starred in at least 3 flicks opening in more than 500 theaters in the last 5 years, and calculate a return-on-investment by dividing total operating income on the 3 movies by the actor's total compensation (salaries and sales earning...

Netflix and IFC Team Up for Streaming Indies [-->full article]
Fri, 20 Nov 2009
Netflix knows where it's at when it comes to the rental biz; more and more, folks want to stay at home and watch movies instantly. We don't even want to wait for those happy little red envelopes any more. Nope, if it's not on our Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, or computer, we get all squirrelly. (Okay, maybe that last part is just me.) And IFC is also on the cutting edge of home entertainment in its steadily growing on-demand offerings, including their IFC Festival Direct program, where you can watch ...

Michael Fassbender Goes From One Bronte To the Next [-->full article]
Fri, 20 Nov 2009
The Brontes are all the rage for adaptation right now. It's undoubtedly due to Edward and Bella bestowing their favor on Wuthering Heights, and had they chosen Great Expectations, perhaps we'd see Dickens adaptations flinging themselves to the big screen. I love corsets and cravats, so I'm not going to complain, and I'm certainly not going to whine if Cary Fukunaga gets this cast for Jane Eyre. Variety is reporting that Michael Fassbender and Mia Wasikowska are in talks to play Jane and Rocheste...

Black Friday Movie Deals: Best Buy [-->full article]
Fri, 20 Nov 2009
Our good friend and EIC Erik Davis had a very thoughtful idea for the holiday season: Why not scan the early flyers for the Black Friday sales, and report back to you -- the ravenous movie junkie -- to let you know where to find the best treats on the day after Thanksgiving? The first big brick and mortar retail store we'll be scouring for Black Friday deals is Best Buy. So grab your Reward Zone card and some kind of protective shield to fight back the horde of shoppers, for there are deals in...

The Last Word(s) on 'Twilight' Belong to Kevin Smith [-->full article]
Fri, 20 Nov 2009
You've read all the reviews and interviews, and watched all the spoof videos. Most of you reading this have probably already watched the film, too. Today, as The Twilight Saga: New Moon finally reaches theaters, it sorta feels like the day after Christmas -- all this hype, work and constant coverage building up to the release of just one film ... and then it's over. Now the "real" fans will begin their endless geeked-out debates on their own fansites, and the rest of us will talk about the fil...

Sam Worthington Gets Gritty in 'American Crime' [-->full article]
Fri, 20 Nov 2009
Few of us have had the chance to read Rick Remender's upcoming series, The Last Days of American Crime, but it's already tapped for the big-screen treatment. To sweeten the deal, American Crime already has a face. An Australian one. Mania is reporting that Sam Worthington has signed on to play the series' star criminal, Graham Brick. American Crime is set in a near-future where the government has found a way to kill the criminal impulse in its citizens. That's good for everyone but the crimina...

Sex and Nudity Don't Draw You to the Movies? [-->full article]
Fri, 20 Nov 2009
Would you have liked Terminator Salvation more if Moon Bloodgood's topless bit hadn't been cut out? Would you have been more likely to see the movie in theaters if you knew there was a flash of boob? Probably not, according to a recent psychological study, which looked at 914 movies released between 2001 and 2005 to determine if sex indeed sells at the cinema. The results of the study say no: "sex and nudity do not, on the average, boost box office performance, earn critical acclaim or win maj...

Oscar Snubs? Extortion Plot? Do Tell! [-->full article]
Fri, 20 Nov 2009
Are members from the documentary branch of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences being paid to short list some films over others? That's what it sounds like director James Toback was alluding to when he spoke to the New York Times recently about how his buzzed-about documentary, Tyson, was left off the Academy's short list along with several other notable documentaries from the past year. Toback told the Times that at some point during the selection process he experienced something h...