I just wanted to post a quick rundown of my reviews for this weekend. Click on the movie titles to see the reviews at Film School Rejects:

Blades of Glory (Grade: A)
“…one hilarious ride through the incredibly uncomfortable world of man on man figure skating. If you are a Will Ferrell fan, then this is an easy choice.”

Meet the Robinsons (Grade: B+)
“…while the acquisition of Pixar has certainly rubbed off on Disney, there is still some of that old Disney flair for those of us who remember films like The Lion King and The Little Mermaid.”

The Lookout (Grade: B-)
“Joseph Gordon-Levitt continues his trend of breaking away from being that kid from 3rd Rock from the Sun moving towards being a serious dramatic presence on the silver screen.”

Have fun at the movies this weekend!

I was about to go to bed, but I was kindly reminded by our friends over at Cinematical that 2 a.m. was the launch time of the new trailer for Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End. So just for you, my faithful late night readers (and guest from around the globe), I will not let this one go until the morning.

You can see the trailer in either High Definition at Yahoo or in regular definition on Disney.com. The trailer itself will set a high bar for the film, which releases on March 25, as it looks great. If you haven’t heard, this one continues the story from Dead Man’s Chest, whereas Will Turner (Orlando Bloom), Captain Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush) and Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightley) travel to the end of the world to rescue Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) from Davy Jones’ locker. Ah, my description doesn’t do it justice. Just go and check out the trailer. You can come back and thank me later.

Technorati Tags: Pirates of the Caribbean, Jack Sparrow, Disney, At Worlds End, Trailer, World Premiere

Everyone with a blog and a dream thinks they are a pundit these days. Political pundits are paraded about on CNN and Fox News daily to rant and rave about one side or the other. Film critics, myself included, are pundits in their own right. They only difference is that way play within the politics of Hollywood, a world that is arguably less detrimental to society and often less serious. I mean, who can say that talking about an exit strategy for Iraq is anything comparable to Katie Holmes’ exit strategy, also known as marriage to Tom Cruise. We get to talk about the disturbing, depraved world of celebrity and the schlock that gets put in front of moviegoers everywhere. Real pundits, well, they talk about more important things — or so I’m told.

Another thing that real pundits get more of than the pundits of the silver screen is hate mail. Despite the fact that readers will get very angry when I torch the latest Sandra Bullock movie because I “just don’t get it”, the amount of hate mail I get cannot compare to that of say, Rush Limbaugh — and deservedly so.

But there are those issues that cross over, uniting the world of film with the world of politics and bringing more angry people into the mix. Lets take, for example, an article that I wrote about two weeks ago, titled “The Anti-300 Debate?” It referred to a petition that was put forth by an Iranian doctor who said that the recently released film 300 was both historically inaccurate and “fraudulent and distorted, and its broadcast guarantees the violation of undeniable international legal rights.” My rebuttal, as a member of the film community, was simply that it is “just a movie,” a spectacle created for the mindless enjoyment of college kids everywhere who revel in simple themes like insurmountable odds, gratuitous female nudity and comically gory action. I couldn’t understand how someone, anyone, could be so offended by a simple film. But I had obviously spoke too soon, as I seemed to have awakened a segment of my readership that I did not know that I had.

In just 12 days the article had received over 110 comments, something of a small wonder considering this is my personal blog, a site that attracts less than 1,000 visitors per day. It became apparent then, and even more so when I read an article in Newsweek by Evan Thomas, that this was a broad and heated political issue. I realized that there must be a better way to explain my side of this issue without resorting to the fact that film is film, it is a work of art completely in the hands of the filmmaker and it has no responsibility to be historically accurate. That would obviously not do anything to calm the storm around this issue. I devised a list of statements made about this issue, both from comments on my site and themes from various news sources, in an attempt to find out what is fact, what is fiction and what has been left on the table. So without trying to sell myself as a pundit who knows anything about politics, I humbly present my take on the controversy around 300, a bit of Fact v. Fiction:

300 displays the Persians as a brutal, heinous people who would enslave all of Sparta to expand their Empire.

Fact. There is nothing false here, the Persians are the bad guys. There are ogres, giants with saws for arms and a God-King that dresses like Elizabeth Taylor and stands 8 ft. tall. Rarely have we seen a more comic exaggeration of an evil army. But from my perspective, you have to look at it all in context. The story itself is being told through the eyes (or eye, due to the fact that he only has one) of the Spartan Dilios, played by David Wenham. It is apparent at the outset of the film that he is telling this fantastic tale to a group of young soldiers, most likely to ready them for battle, a common practice among military leaders. Therefore if you are paying enough attention to the story you can easily see that this is not exactly how things went, but rather the hyperbolic ramblings of a leader trying to rally his troops.

This film is historically accurate.

Fiction. The film itself is by no means historically accurate. There was a Battle of Thermopylae, there did exist a King Leonidas and a Xerxes the Great, but I assure you it didn’t go down in the same manner that has been put onto film by Director Zach Snyder. In fact, the film is nearly a frame-by-frame reflection of the graphic novel written by Frank Miller, which was based on how Frank himself saw the battle happen in his own mind after viewing a film (The 300 Spartans) in 1962 which is based on the actual battle. The overall story is true, but the specifics, as you would expect in this long winded game of telephone, have been modified a bit.

Author Frank Miller’s politics lean to the right.

Fact. It is no secret to fans of Frank Miller that he sports some “post-911 conservatism.” As Evan Thomas pointed out, he is working on a new graphic novel that pits Batman against Al Qaeda. There are also several cultural themes within the film, including “Freedom is not free” and the fact that Leonidas goes against the will of both the law and the Spartan council in going to war. For a lesser educated America, these look like political statements ripped right out of our own headlines, when in reality they were themes that existed way back then as well — unfortunately for us, they are still around. So I can see where there would be concern that some of the American audience would be lead to believe that there are parallels between Leonidas and President Bush, between the Persians and terrorists and between the ephors (the grotesque Spartan elders) and Vice President Cheney… Actually, I made that last one up just to keep things light. Moving on…

The U.S. Government secretly funded this film in order to further their anti-Iranian agenda.

Fiction. Someone really did say this to me in one of the afore mentioned articles of hate mail. This is one of those things that would be hard to believe, even if proven to be true. When talking about the U.S. Government and the majority of Hollywood we are talking about two polar ends of the political spectrum. Also, the film was produced by Warner Brothers, a seedling of AOL Time Warner, which is a company who isn’t necessarily in the President’s bedroom closet (as far as I am aware). If we were talking about a movie put out by 20th Century Fox, owned by News Corp., then we’d have a completely different story on our hands.

Historically Persians were a civilized and innovative people.

Fact. Based on both previous knowledge and research that I have done based on this debate, I can honestly say that the Persian culture has contributed a great amount to modern day religion, human rights, education and medicine. Cyrus II the Great was credited with the first documented universal declaration of human rights. Persians were the first to systematically use alcohol in medicine. Zoroastrianism, a religion that came from Persian culture, had a great impact on Judaism, which in turn had great influence on both Christianity and Islam. Also, As far as the film 300 goes, the Persians weren’t depicted all that poorly. Yes, there were the weird ogres and beasts, but in comparison to some of the things that were depicted about the Spartans (i.e. the fact that they threw away weak babies), they were not that uncivilized.

People are making this out to be an unnecessarily larger issue than it should be.

Fact. This is the overwhelming truth of the entire argument, but you already knew that. It is sad that in this period of humanity, a time when we would consider ourselves to be more intellectually advanced than the civilizations of 480 BC, that we would see a work of cinematic art such as this be used to further political agendas on both sides.

An Iranian newspaper published this headline: HOLLYWOOD DECLARES WAR ON IRANIANS. I mean, come on people. Do I possess such a higher sense of logic that I can see that this movie was not intentionally created to ignite more tension between the United States and Iran? I will agree that this film doesn’t help our two cultures understand each other, and it may even create undue prejudices for ignorant and uninformed moviegoers, but we cannot say that this is all a great conspiracy. In the grand scheme of things, if influential pop culture figures like Zach Snyder, Frank Miller and Warner Brothers CEO Alan Horn are going to be leading us into yet another unnecessary and unsubstantiated conflict in the Middle East, then what purpose does the current administration serve? My only hope is that President Bush doesn’t see this flick until he is well out of office, because if it is the propaganda that people say it is, then he is the target demographic, and needless to say we would all be in a lot of trouble.

Too often people talk about film critics as being pampered, over-privileged and just in it for all of the free movies, limo rides and celebrity meet and greets. What they don’t always remember is that not only do we get to see the good movies before the general public, we are also forced to endure the most atrocious films in order to protect that same public from bad cinema — that is, if they are even listening.

This week was one of the weeks where we become the guardians (and no, that doesn’t mean that we star in a movie about rescue divers with Ashton Kutcher and Kevin Costner). With 8 screenings on the bill, very few of which looked appetizing, our seemingly infinite collective patience and will were put to the test. Thankfully, I was forced to miss the first three screenings of the week due to having a real job. But as Kristin explained so eloquently on her blog, I wasn’t missing much.

I began my week of film criticism on Tuesday night after a quick trip to Cleveland to visit my stylist (aka Mom) who helped me pull together something to wear for Good Day Columbus later in the week. My first flick was the Sandra Bullock thriller Premonition, a poorly executed film that left my eyes burning and my notepad blank. I normally take copious amounts of notes during films that I don’t particularly like, but I found no reason to do so during Premonition. It may have been the fact that the film was so stale, or maybe it was the fact that I dropped my pen on the floor under my seat about 20 minutes in, but there really wasn’t much to say. I didn’t realize how little I had to say about it, in fact, until I went to write the review. After the film, I took in a drink with Kevin in order to talk about our upcoming online radio show. We are looking at the first week of April for Episode #1, so I will keep you posted.

On Wednesday, I snuck out of work a few minutes early to ensure that I could make it downtown in time to see I Think I Love My Wife. Outside the theater, I was greeted by a long, boisterous line of people waiting to get in. Inside the theater, safe from the throngs of lucky promo pass recipients, I met Mark and Kristin in the balcony. They oozed fatigue as we cautiously awaited the seats to fill around us and the film to begin. It all went as expected, with laughs coming every few minutes and the crowd around us doing everything within their power to remind us that they were there too. In fact, one gentlemen behind me forgot to turn down the ringer on his cell phone, which sounded more like a shrieking dinosaur from Jurassic Park than an actual ring tone. What ever happened to Lil’ John reminding you that your girlfriend is calling with a little bit of Lovers & Friends?

Thursday was the longest day for me, but the most productive. No real job, just movie guy stuff all day. Good Day Columbus was a blast in the morning. I got to sit down with Kent Justice, who not only has the coolest name in daytime news since Ron Burgandy, but he is also a nice guy. If you remember my first TV appearance, you may have noticed that I was very jittery, uncomfortably out of place. This week I was much more relaxed, calm and ultimately I felt it went well. If you caught it (during the 8 o’clock hour on Fox 28), please let me know what you thought. I’m a sucker for hate mail. But don’t worry, I’ve already been told that I have a face for radio, so you are going to have to think of something a bit more creative than that. Thursday also included two screenings, The Host and Shooter, both which were surprisingly good. But you’ll have to wait until next week to get the complete scoop, I wouldn’t want to be a spoiler.

In the end, while I am absolutely drained (though not as drained as the other critics who had to endure a few real turds), all I can think to do is sit around the house and spy my unopened copy of Casino Royale sitting on my desk. I guess in the end, no matter how tiring being a critic can be, I will always have room for more.

Are you excited about the March 23 release of the new TMNT flick?! I certainly am! Leonardo, Michelangelo, Donatello and Raphael have returned to team up with their friends April O’Neal (voiced by Sarah Michelle Gellar) and Casey Jones (voiced by Chris Evans) to protect New York from an army of monsters created by tech-industrialist Maximillian Winters (voiced by Patrick Stewart).

To show off my excitement, I have scored some wicked cool prizes to help you gear up for this exciting release that is sure to be filled with amazing visuals, exciting action and a good amount of humor! COWABUNGA!

Check out our prizes below:

	TMNT Manhole Men’s Black Tees (Quantity: 5) Show off your style with this cool T-Shirt!
	TMNT Cowabunga! Women’s Black Tee (Quantity: 5) Even the fangirls can get into the action with this sheik, stylish tee!
	TMNT Pencils (Quantity: 10) Finish out the school year in style with these cool pencils garnering the film’s logo!
	TMNT Tattoos (Quantity: 10) Don’t worry mom and dad, these tattoos are as temporary as they are kickin’.
	Movie Poster T-Shirt from GIANT (Quantity: 1) Adult soft cotton tee featuring the official movie poster artwork courtesy of GIANT. SRV $20.99
	TMNT PC Video Game (Quantity: 1) Play the famous TMNT characters in their all-new video game from Ubisoft. Available on all major video game systems. For more info go to www.tmntgame.com. SRV: $29.99
	Nightwatcher Stunt Rider and TMNT Action Figure from Playmates (Quantity: 1 Set) Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle action figures based on the characters seen in the all new CGI animated film from Imagi Studios and Warner Brothers. Each figure will is fully articulated, meticulously detailed and stands about 5″-7″ tall. All figures come with authentic accessories just like the ones from the movie. Look for Turtle Movie toys from Playmates at major retailers.
TMNT Character Hats and Character Kids Tees - Michelangelo, Leonardo, Donatello, Raphael (Quantity: 1 Full Set)

How do I sign up?

Just email the following information to contests@filmschoolrejects.com with “TMNT — Contest Entry” in the Subject Line:

Your Name
Your Mailing Address (Street, City, State, Zip)
Your Birthdate
Your Email Address

Also, those who subscribe to the Columbus Movie Guy’s Daily Updates are automatically entered! Just fill in the form below and be automatically entered in this and any future contests, courtesy of The Columbus Movie Guy!

Sweepstakes Dates:

March 12, 2007 to March 26, 2007

Is there any fine print?

Of course there is, but just a little bit. This contest is open to legal residents of the US, Canada and the UK. One entry per email address, please. Winners will be contacted after the close of the contest and their winnings will be distributed shortly afterward. This contest is presented by Film School Rejects in partnership with both The Columbus Movie Guy and Blog Critics.com.

For information about the Film School Rejects Privacy Policy, please click here.

For more information about the upcoming release of TMNT, please follow the links below:

• TMNT Official Site — www.tmnt.com
• Receive exclusive Warner Bros. Movie News Updates from WB Reel News!

If you have any questions, comments or suggestions please email contests[at]filmschoolrejects.com.

What a rough week it has been for critics here in Columbus. I count myself as one of the lucky ones, as I missed the first 3 of the 8 screening that were scheduled between Monday and Thursday. Apparently I wasn’t missing much. Of the movies I did see this week, the majority were utterly terrible. It has gotten so bad that I am actually looking forward to seeing Pride, the inspirational swimming movie starring Terrance Howard and Bernie Mac which releases next week. But alas, it is time to put my own disappointment aside — because as a movie critic, my job is to take the good with the bad and sit through every single release that Hollywood can throw together in a given calendar year. With that, I give you this weekend’s lineup:

Pick of the Week

300
Running Time: 117 min. Rated R for graphic battle sequences throughout, some sexuality and nudity.
I know what you are thinking — “There is no way that you can pick 300 as your pick of the week again!” Yes, in fact, I can and I just did. Oddly enough, this is really less about the fact that I absolutely loved 300 and more about the fact that every new release this week is a turd. I did see some good flicks during the course of the week, but they don’t come out until next week. So with that in mind, if you are headed to the local cinema, consider seeing 300 again, as it is still your best option.
Read my entire review
Grade: | Trailer

Also Out this Week

Premonition
Running Time: 110 min. Rated PG-13 for some violent content, disturbing images, thematic material and brief language.
Sandra Bullock stars as a housewife who finds out that her husband has been killed in a terrible car crash, only to wake up the next day and find out that it hasn’t happened yet. It’s a story with a lot of promise, but the movie turns out to be severely under executed. Chick flick loving Sandy Bullock fans will be deeply disappointed in the films lack of warmth and suspense junkies will be turned off by the fact that the film makes almost no sense in the end. If you were planning on seeing this one, don’t let me stop you — just don’t say that I didn’t warn you.
Read my entire review
Grade: | Trailer

I Think I Love My Wife
Running Time: 90 min. Rated R for pervasive language and some sexual content.
This is not the first time that Chris Rock has written, directed and starred in a film, but it is certainly in the running as the worst film he has ever written, directed and starred in. Rock plays a married man who is bored with his life and considers making some changes in his sex life — namely, he would be having sex, just not with his wife. Kerry Washington does manage to bring some heat to the screen and Chris Rock gets a few laughs, but in the end this film plays out like a campy sitcom — just with a few more race jokes.
Read my entire review
Grade: | Trailer

Dead Silence
Running Time: 90 min. Rated R for horror violence and images.
When a film doesn’t get screened for critics it is not a good sign. When a horror film doesn’t get screened for critics, as is the case with this particular flick, it is even worse. Let me put it to you this way, they wouldn’t dare screen The Hills Have Eyes 2 because they know what we would do to it. And they say critics don’t influence box office performance. Ha! In this case a lack of press, whether good or bad, is the best prescription. Oh and as for what the film is all about — a bunch of Vaudeville puppets kill people and cut out their tongues. Sounds delicious!
Trailer

So there you have it, plenty of “choices” that will have you either repeating last week’s routine or settling onto your couch to watch Casino Royale on DVD. When it comes to the new movies this weekend, I always like to say that it can’t hurt to try something new — just don’t say that I didn’t warn you.

Chris Rock thinks he loves his wife. To top that, he also has the delusion that he has what it takes to make his fans love him for more than just being a comedian. He is under the impression that he is also a good writer and director – a thought that has him headed for disaster.

That potential disaster is a little film called I Think I Love My Wife, which coincidentally was written, directed and stars the iconic comedian as a bored married man who is no longer intimately acquainted with his wife and it is starting to get to him. Rock plays Richard Cooper, a successful financial broker with a wife (Gina Torres), two lovely children and all the problems that every married man is faced with – a monotonous routine and worst of all, no sex. The no sex part is something that Richard was learning to deal with, that is until the day that Nikki (Kerry Washington) popped into his life.

The old flame of a close friend, Nikki comes to Richard with the need for a job reference and the penchant for being a home wrecker. She is outgoing, uninhibited and sexy from head to toe. And on top of that she begins to show some interest in Richard, something that is the ultimate fantasy of any bored married man. Nikki’s only problem is that she is a bit over-the-top with her desire for Richard, to the point where you begin to remember that she is a fictional character – because we all know that in real life, hot young women are just not that into stale husband-types.

This over-the-top characterization, in conjunction with Chris Rock’s exceedingly energetic brand of comedy creates a movie that plays out more like campy sitcom than a silver screen comedy. That makes sense seeing as the two guys who wrote it, Chris Rock and Louis C.K. are both knee deep in their own popular television sitcoms. And as if that wasn’t bad enough, the film goes through a bit of an identity crisis. It is easy to see that the minds behind this film wanted to make a more serious satire about the woes of marriage and the temptations of fate. But instead they get scared that maybe their audience won’t buy that, causing them to reach for laughs instead of writing an intelligent flick.

The film does get some laughs however, thanks to its leading man Chris Rock’s natural ability to be funny no matter what the situation. Steve Buscemi also lends a hand in the comedy department as Richard’s philandering business partner. Sadly though, a few laughs here and there aren’t enough to make this a good choice on any level. Chris Rock is funny, yes. And I will buy every comedy CD he ever puts out. But thanks to I Think I Love My Wife, the next time I see his name next to the words “Written and Directed by”, I may just look for something else.

Final Grade:

I Think I Love My Wife is in theaters March 16, has a running time of 90 minutes and is Rated R for pervasive language and some sexual content.

In Premonition, Sandra Bullock plays an apathetic housewife whose world is turned upside down when she finds out that her husband has been killed in a terrible car accident. To make matters worse, she wakes up the next day to find out that the accident has not yet happened, that it was only a premonition. After seeing this film I believe that I too have had a premonition. What did I see in the future? I saw that this film will draw in a decent audience this weekend at the box office, then proceed to disappoint it.

Why is such a good turnout expected? Simply because there are plenty of ladies out there who are either tired of seeing nothing but family comedies (a la Wild Hogs) and blatant guy movies (300) filling their local Cineplex. And when they see that Sandra Bullock is starring, they immediately associate that with a sappy romantic storyline. Sadly they are in for a rude awakening when they discover that the closest this film gets to romance is the near rekindling of flames lost through years of stale married life between Bullock’s Linda and her soon to be dead husband Jim (played by Nip/Tuck’s Julian McMahon).

Now the lack of romanticism in this flick is not quite enough to steer audiences away, as it is being marketed as a psychological thriller about being able to see into the future and make moral decisions based on those future events. The only problem there is the fact that in order to successful execute a decent thriller, you must be able to lead your audience down a path, surprise them and then at least explain what the heck is going on by the time the credits roll. This is where Premonition fails miserably, with an ending that is not even worth spoiling because it is so bad. It is one of those movies that, when the credits do finally arrive, you are forced to look at the screen and say “Huh?”

And it is not bad enough that the ending had to make absolutely no sense, the entire rest of the movie has to follow suit. The story takes place over the course of a week (Sunday to Saturday), but the days are lived out of order by Linda. One day she wakes up and it is Thursday, the next day she wakes up and it is Monday. This is not altogether an uncommon way to tell a story – in fact it is quite a unique premise with the potential to be very interesting if done well. The only thing that can go wrong is that if you are not consistent then your story falls apart. In the case of Premonition, if you take all of the days and separate them, then put them in the right order they would make absolutely no sense. Certain plot points never quite connect from one scene to the next, causing us to become detached from the story and annoyed with its inconsistencies – and that just doesn’t make for a fulfilling night at the movies.

In the end there really isn’t a way for me to stop people from seeing this flick no matter how certain I am that they will be disappointed. It is a simple suspense flick absolutely devoid of a payoff – unless you consider utter confusion and a stale taste in your mouth to be a good payoff for a Sandra Bullock movie.

Final Grade:

Premonition is in theaters on March 16, has a running time of 110 minutes and is Rated PG-13 for some violent content, disturbing images, thematic material and brief language.

Thursday is for trailers — and that whole “which movie is going to be good” guessing game. I am one of those who are blessed with being a critic (the website is a dead giveaway), so I pretty much know which films are going to delight the masses and which ones are going to flop. I should, I’ve seen them. That is why you come back every Friday to read my reviews. And of course, if you were watching Good Day Columbus this morning, you would have gotten a quickie version of my reviews. I stopped by and chatted for a few moments with Kent Justice, who has the coolest name in local news. But don’t worry, if you missed me on TV all is not lost. Below you will find some trailers to hold you over until tomorrow:

Premonition

Starring: Sandra Bullock, Julian McMahon
The Plot: A housewife is shocked when her husband dies in a car crash and reappears the next day. She realizes it was a premonition and tries to avoid the tragedy.
Click here to watch the Trailer

Shooter

Starring: Mark Whalberg, Kate Mara, Danny Glover
The Plot: A marksman (Wahlberg) living in exile is coaxed back into action after learning of a plot to kill the president. Ultimately double-crossed and framed for the attempt, he goes on the run to track the real killer and find out who exactly set him up, and why.
Click here to watch the Trailer

I Think I Love My Wife

Starring: Chris Rock, Steve Buscemi, Kerry Washington
The Plot: A married man who daydreams about being with other women finds his will and morals tested after he’s visited by the ex-mistress of his old friend.
Click here to watch the Trailer

Dead Silence

Starring: Ryan Kwanten, Amber Valletta, Donnie Wahlberg
The Plot: There is an old ghost story in the sleepy town of Ravens Fair about Mary Shaw, a ventriloquist who went mad. Accused of the murder of a young boy, she was hunted down by vengeful townspeople who cut out her tongue and killed her. They buried her along with her “children,” a hand-made collection of vaudeville dolls. Since that time, Ravens Fair has been plagued by death. The ghastly dolls from Mary Shaw’s collection have gone missing from the grave and reappeared over the decades. In the dead of night-wherever they are glimpsed-families are found gruesomely murdered…with their tongues torn out.
Click here to watch the Trailer

No, the “official” box office numbers are not in — it is still only Sunday afternoon. But thanks to Brandon Gray and the crack staff at Box Office Mojo, we do have some estimates. Those estimates, which are generally pretty accurate, show Zack Snyder’s epic 300 raking in $70 million dollars, a total that would make it the biggest March opening in history. Here are the estimates for the top 5:

Rank. Movie Title (Distributor)
  Weekend Gross | Theaters | Total Gross | Week #

1. 300 (Warner Bros.)
  $70.0 million | 3,103 | $70.0 million | 1

2. Wild Hogs (Buena Vista)
  $28.0 million | 3,296 | $77.4 million | 2

3. Bridge to Terabithia (Buena Vista)
  $6.9 million | 3,210 | $67.0 million | 4

4. Ghost Rider (Sony / Columbia)
  $6.8 million | 3,347 | $104.1 million | 4

5. Zodiac (Paramount)
  $6.8 million | 2,379 | $23.7 million | 2

Wild Hogs held onto the non-R rated lead, keeping the populous of non-fanboys and action lovers happy, while every other flick dropped below the $10 million mark. Now, these estimates may come as a small surprise seeing as Warner Brothers and many others initially placed 300’s opening in the $40-$50 million mark, but after a $27 million dollar Friday, $70 mil. wasn’t too far out of reach. Of course, we will anxiously await the final numbers that will be released tomorrow, but at this point 300’s success is one for the record books.

Related Reading:

• Review: 300
• Exclusive-ish 300 Giveaway!
• The Anti-300 Debate?
• Are you Ready to Dine in Hell?
• Weekend Update: 300 Marches Alone

March is traditionally not a month for big releases. The biggest opening weekend ever in the month of March was Ice Age: The Meltdown in 2006, earning over $68 million dollars in the final weekend of the month. That might as well have been an April release, though. Hell, even Wild Hogs made it as the #3 biggest March release all time when it roped in $39 million last weekend. What does that say about the month of March? Not a whole lot.

So it makes me curious that, for some reason, the heads of Hollywood decided that 2007 would be blessed with a bigger and better slew of March releases. We have already seen a few, including the afore mentioned Wild Hogs, the upcoming Adam Sandler dramedy Reign Over Me, the Mark Whalberg actioner Shooter, torture porn opus The Hills Have Eyes 2, and even the epic Will Ferrell figure skating comedy Blades of Glory. All in all, March looks to be a decent month with these films alone, but none of these films stand a chance against what will be March’s crowning achievement, the ultraviolent, highly stylized epic from Director Zach Snyder, 300. So which of these other March releases was chosen to match wits with 300 Spartans and their bloody saga? None of them. 300 gets the free pass this weekend, with 0 competition and all the hype in the world. Prepare for total box office annihilation.

Pick of the Week

300
Running Time: 117 min. Rated R for graphic battle sequences throughout, some sexuality and nudity.
Despite a lack of competition with no other wide releases, 300 would have been my pick no matter what else was coming out. George Lucas could have released the next Indiana Jones installment, Michael Bay could have brought Transformers and Steven Spielberg could have brought anything and 300 would take the “Pick of the Week”, hands down. Director Zack Snyder has revolutionized the sword-and-sandals epic by taking Frank Miller’s visionary graphic novel and transposing it into the most violent and intensely entertaining cinematic experience of 2007!
Read my entire review
Grade: | Trailer

Also out this week

The Ultimate Gift [800 Theaters]
Running Time: 114 min. Rated PG for thematic elements, some violence and language.
Newly founded production outlet Fox Faith brings the morality to this weekend with an adaptation of Jim Stovall’s book of the same title. Drew Fuller (Close Call) plays a privileged man who is forced to rethink his life after the death of his grandfather. Abigail Breslin (Little Miss Sunshine) also stars as a little girl stricken with cancer. A timely release, which may cash in on Breslin’s Oscar buzz, will also catch the more Puritan movie-goers who are not interested in the savage intensity of 300 — but only in select cities.

Watch the Trailer

Opening in Columbus

Miss Potter [Opening at the Drexel East]
Running Time: 92 min. Rated PG brief mild language.
Renee Zellweger and Ewan McGregor reunite for the first time on-screen since the over-the-top romcom Down with Love. Miss Potter is being billed as an enchanting look at the life and times of Beatrix Potter (Zellweger), the acclaimed British author of “The Tale of Peter Rabbit”. McGregor plays her editor and love interest as she works on the first of many stories that would ultimately make her one of the world’s most famous children’s author. This one has gotten some critical acclaim, which may be enough to make it worth a look on a lazy Saturday afternoon. Click here for showtimes.

Watch the Trailer

The Lives of Others [Opening at the Drexel Gateway]
Running Time: 137 min. Rated R for some sexuality/nudity.
Florian Henckel con Donnersmarck’s Oscar winning film is finally showing here in the Capital City. The Lives of Others, which snuck in and stole the Best Foreign Film Oscar from Pan’s Labyrinth, focuses on the horrifying, sometimes unintentionally funny system of observation in the former East Germany. The Buzz on this one is that it is a fascinating, well told drama that plays on the politically charged topic of a government watching its people a bit too closely. To the film’s credit, I am yet to read a negative review and well, it did win an Oscar. It may be worth a look. Click here for showtimes.

Watch the Trailer

So there you have it — one huge Spartan epic and a few smaller local releases to keep you busy. What this second weekend of March lacks in choices, it certainly makes up with quality flicks for a variety of audiences. My recommendation is that you shouldn’t miss 300 and you should use caution with the other releases. As always, which movies you see is up to you, but don’t say I didn’t warn you…

Technorati Tags: New Releases, Movies, Box Office, 300, Epic

Moments prior to screening the film 300 a few days back, only one thing was going through my mind: Please don’t suck! After all of this hype, watching the trailer seemingly thousands of times, writing about the film constantly on various websites and even interviewing Director Zack Snyder, I would be truly disappointed if I were forced to set this one ablaze as I have countless films thus far in 2007. But I was comforted when I remembered the words of Zach Snyder, who said of his film, “I wanted to do a movie that when you walked out you were like ‘Fuck! That was awesome!’ And like, you wanna kick some ass.”

Upon seeing the film, I am in total agreement with its director – It was awesome! Based on the graphic novel of the same name by Frank Miller (Sin City), 300 tells the story of 300 Spartans lead by their King, Leonidas (Gerard Butler) into the face of an insurmountable invasion at the hands of a million-man Persian army. Despite a lack of support from the Spartan council and a group of creepy elders who communicate with the Gods via a half naked teenage girl (in a scene that is alluring and tastefully done), Leonidas decides that rather than allow his nation to be conquered into slavery, he must take his best warriors, the Spartan elite, and do what he can to fend off the impending invasion.

From there the film explodes into a highly stylized, intense battle royale in which the Spartans, with their flare for battle and their constant arrogance, take on the vast Persian army led by the God-King Xerxes (Rodrigo Santoro). The battle scenes themselves are something to behold, they are pulse pounding and intense yet not chaotic. Snyder has found a way to slow down the action enough to show us more without making it look over the top. The result is the most stylish and intensely violent action that you will see all year. It is a film so intense, it makes Gladiator look like a Disney flick. But then again, that is what you could have expected if you’ve seen the trailer at least once.

What you don’t expect is the intangibles that Snyder has gotten right in his film. There is more story here than previous Frank Miller book-to-movie adaptations such as Sin City. In addition to the bond between Leonidas and his 300, a sordid plot of political tension also rages back in Sparta between Leonidas’ wife, Queen Gorgo (Lena Headey) and the leader of the Spartan Council (Dominic West). In addition to that, Gerard Butler, who is a lesser known actor here in the states (besides his leading role in The Phantom of the Opera), gives a performance that should catapult him to the top of many people’s A-Lists. He does more than just shout to his men prior to an impending surge, he is charismatic, irreverent and ultimately embodies the vision of a Spartan warrior. I would not be surprised if you see much more of him in the future.

And Butler is not the only one who will benefit greatly from this epic film’s impending success. Director Zack Snyder, whose other notoriety came from his remake of Dawn of the Dead in 2004, has truly taken the action movie genre to a new level. Forget Gladiator, forget Troy and if you haven’t already, forget Alexander. None of these flicks can hold a flame to 300. And that is saying something.

If you are like me, and you hold a place in your movie-loving heart for films that just plain kick ass, then 300 is not to be missed. It is the single most intense cinematic experience I have had in a long time. It is as if the story and the visuals have been ripped directly from the mind of Frank Miller and transposed onto the silver screen without being spoiled by a Hollywood need to be realistic. Not since The Matrix has a film been so innovative that it may change the face of an entire genre, but this one may do just the trick. I hate to be cliché, but there is no other way to say it – no matter how you slice it, this is the film to see in 2007. Grab your Spartan helmet, sword and shield – it is time to kick some ass!

Final Grade:

300 is in theaters nationwide March 9, has a running time of 117 minutes and is Rated R for graphic battle sequences throughout, some sexuality and nudity.

Related Reading

• The Anti-300 Debate?
• Interview: Director Zach Snyder talks 300 and more…
• Are you Ready to Dine in Hell?
• Film School Rejects Official 300 Preview

If you search “movie guy” in Google, there are two results that you will get every single time: yours truly, the Columbus Movie Guy and Chuck the Movie Guy. And since you already know me, I thought I would introduce you to Chuck, who is a decent chap that scores tons of great interviews. One particular interview that showed up on my radar this week is when Chuck sat down to talk with 300 star Gerard Butler. Take a peek below:

Enjoy!

Technorati Tags: Movies, 300, Interview, Gerard Butler, Celebrity

After seeing the film 300 mere hours ago (read my review here), I find it difficult to understand how someone would be against it. But I have also come to recognize that very little that happens in this world should come as a surprise.

UK site Filmstalker, a site that usually has a wealth of interesting posts beyond your average movie news, posted an article about a petition filed by a Dr. Hamed Vahdati Nasab. In the petition, Dr. Nasab addresses Warner Brothers and Director Zach Snyder, making claims that the film 300 is “according to all historical documents, is fraudulent and distorted, and its broadcast guarantees the violation of undeniable international legal rights.”

Upon further investigation of the petition, I found that Dr. Nasab went on to talk about the “proven scholarly fact that the Persian Empire in 480 B.C was the most magnificent and civilized empire.” This is all, of course, in reference to the film’s depiction of the Persian people (and King) as a ruthless horde of savages who sought to enslave the nations of Greece.

But then again, isn’t that how it was told in Greek history books? I am sure the Persian side is a bit more rosy. It is the same way that if Islamic extremists describe the war in Iraq 10 years down the road, I am sure they will tell it a bit differently than a farmer from Arkansas would. That is the nature of conflict and societal differences — there are multiple sides. We see similarities in our own country, especially between the two political parties. But are Republicans with vested interests in big oil petitioning Paramount over An Inconvenient Truth and how global warming may or may not actually exist. No. It is a movie, based on the beliefs (or imagination) of at least 1 person.

The same can be said for 300, a film based on the vivid imagination and interpretation of Frank Miller (who, coincidentally is not mentioned in the petition despite the fact that the concept is completely his). Miller’s graphic novel was adapted into a film and distributed for the purposes of entertaining Americans and making copious box office grosses. It was not made to piss off 1803 (at time of publication) Persians who sign an online petition.

The real question — who cares? It is just a movie.

With that, I open up the floor to our faithful readers. Do you care about this? Please leave some love below…

They say that independent greatness is only enhanced through collaboration. In that light, I recently showed up on the online show Movie Zone with Kevin Carr over at 7m Pictures.

What would someone want to talk about with me, you ask? The how about the Best and Worst Movies of 2006. Kevin invited me on the show to talk up the Film School Rejects Honor Roll, which was recently released as the Official Year End awards as voted on by the writers of Film School Rejects. We also discussed the GAG Awards, recognizing the absolute worst of 2006. Organized by Mr. Carr himself and voted on by critics all over (including yours truly), the GAG Awards recognized such turds a Jessica Simpson’s performance in Employee of the Month, M. Night Shyamalan’s Lady in the Water and Tom Cruise as 2006’s most overexposed celebrity.

But I don’t want to give away everything, you should really just check out the entire show over at 7m Pictures.

Technorati Tags: Awards, GAG Awards, Film School Rejects, Honor Roll