Hello and welcome back to Box Office Beat, the column in which I hopelessly predict the upcoming weekend’s box office grosses. This may be the shortest edition I ever write, being that there is only one opener–the mega-blockbuster finale to Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy, “The Dark Knight Rises”–and trying to forecast a precise number for […]
Box Office Beat: Weekend of July 20 Read More »
In my recent Comic-Con thought piece, I vowed that we at Critic Speak would never again post marketing materials, including trailers, without a good reason for doing so. Well, I think there are a couple of good reasons to check out this new trailer for Paul Thomas Anderson’s “The Master,” unless you are committed to
New trailer for “The Master” offers new revelations about P.T.A.’s vision Read More »
This year’s Primetime Emmy nominations were announced this morning in Los Angeles. AMC’s “Mad Men” and FX’s “An American Horror Story” led the pack with 17 nods each. That may sound like a lot for the latter–a title that doesn’t come up frequently when discussing the most critically acclaimed shows on television–but the high count
List of 2012 Emmy nominees in major categories Read More »
“I just want more of life” is how filmmaker Mark Weixler responds when asked by an interview subject why he has chosen to make the documentary “How to Live Forever,” a look at several folks who have defied normal life expectancy and others working to extend said expectancy even further. While this is a plenty
DVD Review: “How to Live Forever” Read More »
The long-awaited Blu-Ray release of David Lean’s 1962 epic “Lawrence of Arabia” will finally happen on November 13 (pre-order it here), but perhaps the more interesting piece of news is that the restoration is also headed for theaters. “One night only” digital presentations of older films have become common over the past few years, thanks
“Lawrence of Arabia” coming to Blu-Ray and back to theaters — will it help sell digital? Read More »
“Ice Age: Continental Drift” opened to $46m in the top slot at the box office this weekend, a solid-but-unimpressive figure that puts it well below this summer’s prior kiddie tent-poles, “Madagascar 3: Escape to Africa” and “Brave.” Whether or not the animated film ends up regarded as a domestic success or failure will largely depend on
Weekend Box Office: “Ice Age 4” opens OK, “Ted” holds well Read More »
Despite a stunning start overseas, “Ice Age: Continental Drift” could not live up to the box office standard set by its predecessors on Friday, opening to an OK-but-unimpressive $16.5m. That’s barely more than the original’s $13.5m, but keep in mind that the original opened in March, when kids were in school for Friday matinees. But
Friday Box Office: Fourth “Ice Age” fails to match up to predecessors Read More »
Regular readers of Critic Speak probably realize the absence of something that nearly every other movie blog on the web is currently running: Comic-Con coverage. I figure it’s best that I clue everyone in as to why, because our reasons for avoiding the popular convention will significantly influence the site’s content from now on. Those
A ‘Con’ is right: Why Comic-Con is destructive to film journalism and fanhood Read More »
Hello and welcome back to Box Office Beat, the column in which I hopelessly predict the upcoming weekend’s box office grosses. We’ve been apart for too long — because of the fact that last week’s major releases (“The Amazing Spider-Man” and “Katy Perry: Part of Me”) opened prior to Friday, I figured that you could
Box Office Beat: Weekend of July 13 Read More »
In order for an “intertwining stories”-formatted ensemble film to succeed, it must offer engaging characters and/or a compelling overarching thesis to unite each segment. As if all his creative juices were expended on last year’s masterwork “Midnight in Paris,” which achieved both feats, writer/director Woody Allen accomplishes neither in “To Rome with Love,” a turgid,
Review: “To Rome with Love” Read More »
