Box Office Numbers - And A Rant
I don't usually talk about the box office results because I don't really care. However, since I didn't want to write full on movie reviews, I thought this would be a good way to say what I had to say about some of them.
1 Alice in Wonderland (2010) $62M $209M
I saw Alice in Wonderland last week. I actually thought I wouldn't like it or at least not love it especially after Tim Burton ruined Willy Wonka. It turned out I was wrong. I did love it although the 3D glasses gave me a headache. That and the fact that I went to a different theatre than I normally do and they wouldn't give me free refills on my popcorn. So, I actually had to pay for my four popcorns.
2 Green Zone (2010) $14.5M $14.5M
Almost saw it this weekend. But, this is like a DVD kind of Bourne movie so it can wait.
3 She's Out of My League (2010) $9.6M $9.6M
This was on like three screens at The Grove. I was shocked because I had barely seen any advertising for it.
4 Remember Me (2010) $8.28M $8.28M
Well the good news is this movie without Robert Pattinson would have pulled in like $5.00 or not got made. With him it made money but is still a huge bomb.
5 Shutter Island (2010) $8.14M $108M
This is the reason I am writing this little piece today. I saw this movie over the weekend. I was going to write a how was your weekend post about it but I didn't see any celebrities and the only thing exciting that happened was that my dad didn't snore during the movie. I went to the 1030 movie which was probably a bad thing to do. It was late and I was cranky and I was already calculating that the time had changed in my mind. Plus, we got there so early that my cheesecake was gone before the commercials ended.
I can't believe this was a Martin Scorsese movie. It was awful. OK, let me take that back. It makes no sense and it was awful. Oh, and it was confusing and it was awful. Apparently right before you are about to get scared, Martin decided he needs to increase the volume of the music. You know it is coming so you don't jump. The one time he didn't do that trick, everyone jumped. The good news is my arteries started moving again. If you have seen this movie, think back to the very first scene and you realize none of it makes sense. None of it. Even before his attempt at a surprise I was already looking at my watch. I don't think it gives anything away so when Leo says he is going to the Lighthouse, I said, "Great at least another 30 minutes of suffering." It had been like 2 hours at that point. If there had been a payoff or something that made sense or a better rewrite then this could have been good. Oh, and no one ever explained the band aid on his head.
6 Our Family Wedding (2010) $7.6M $7.6M
Didn't see it and probably won't watch it on DVD.
7 Avatar (2009) $6.6M $730M
I'm one of four people on earth who has yet to see it.
8 Brooklyn's Finest (2009) $4.29M $21.4M
I haven't seen it, but I heard it is really good. Plus it has Don Cheadle.
9 Cop Out (2010) $4.23M $39.4M
DVD
10 The Crazies (2010) $3.65M $33.4M
This is what I should have seen. Timothy Olyphant and Radha Mitchell and a plot that probably makes sense.
I totally agree - saw Shutter Island last weekend and couldn't wait for it to be over.
ReplyDeleteI haven't seen Avatar, and I don't have much of a desire to see it, either.
ReplyDeleteThe Crazies was also partially filmed in my high school. People are starting to learn that Georgia can be an effing scary place.
haven't seen any of those....yah still sick.....still at work ...and still need a life SIGH
ReplyDeleteMy husband and I want to see She's Out of My Leauge. We've seen the previews, and it looks like it's probably pretty cute.
ReplyDeleteI want to see Alice in Wonderland, but that's about it out of that list.
IF YOU THINK SHUTTER ISLAND WAS BAD IN THE THEATER, YOU SHOULD HAVE SEEN THE BOOTLEG COPY...AT LEAST WE COULD TURN IT OFF...
ReplyDeleteShutter Island - I haven't seen it and now I probably won't. Just a question though for those of you that have seen it. Is Leo actually an inmate/ patient? Is that the twist?
ReplyDeleteOh, I've also seen interviews with the cast of Alice in Wonderland, and they all say to watch it in 2D. Tim Burton fought against the 3D, and (at least to me) you can tell it was completely forced. Really gimmicky. I saw it in 3D, and I think I might see it again in 2D. If it's a better experience, I'll pay the ticket price again to see it on the big screen.
ReplyDeleteI finally saw Avatar this weekend. It was good but not the greatest movie I've ever seen. Don't really get why it was nominated for so many awards
ReplyDeleteI have yet to see Avatar either and have no desire to do so.
ReplyDeleteDidnt like Shutter Island, my date did. I found it quite confusing, and overly long, with no payoff. But, my biggest question was why Leo had the same week old growth of beard in every single scene of the movie. Flashback, current scenes it didnt matter, his scraggly pube like beard was always the same.
ReplyDeleteI haven't seen Avatar either, and don't plan on it. Just not my thing.
ReplyDeleteI originally planned to go see Remember Me on Saturday night but my plans changed, and didn't see anything after all.
I saw Avatar the other week. Thought it was going to be really lame and boring after all the hype, but it was OK.
ReplyDeleteIt's visually stunning, the plot is one cliche after another, the characters ditto, but is nice to look at, although I kept taking the 3D glasses off to relieve my eyes.
Thank you! I was going to see Shutter Island, but not any longer. Also, don't worry, Enty, I have yet to see Avatar and probably won't. I just can't stand Cameron.
ReplyDeletewhat audrey just said. count me among the other 4.
ReplyDeleteI was surprisingly impressed by Alice in Wonderland myself. Saw it in 2D and really enjoyed it! Avatar is too long for me, haven't seen it. That's too bad about Shutter Island, I read the book years ago and was hoping the movie was worth seeing. I'll wait for it on DVD.
ReplyDeleteJesus, Enty - four popcorns is like a mortgage payment.
ReplyDeleteI liked Shutter Island, am I the only one? I thought it ended sorta cool because unlike most big hollywood movies they didnt shove the message down you throats. I thought that it was almost like a foreign film in the sense that many things were left to the imagination. It was visually really pretty and amazing and I just liked it. THough i was confused at first about the ending. Haha, i looked it up on wiki before we left and the fuckers told me what the ending was in the second paragraph with no warning, so dont look it up if you want any info on it.
ReplyDeleteNever mind my question above. You can thank M. Night Shyamalamalamadingdong for making me able to figure out the twist in a movie by watching the trailer.
ReplyDeleteOh! And Alice in Wonderland was amazing! I loved how 'pro-woman' it was. I thought about all those little girls going to see this movie and how cool it was that it had a good message that you dont have to marry and thats it, you can be what ever you want to be. I liked that the most out of the whole movie. Oh, and the obviously stoned caterpillar always cracks me up. Dude, this is such a drug inspired movie its hilarious
ReplyDeleteI saw Shutter Island and it grew on me as I watched it. The first half hour I HATED it, by the middle of the movie I enjoyed it, and by the end I loved it. The music was definitely distracting though.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I figured it out before I even bought the ticket. But the twist is debatable, so it didn't bother me too much. The debate afterward with people who've seen it was pretty interesting as well.
If people would forget the film is *supposed* to be an adaptation of Carroll's books and just look at the film on its own merits, they wouldn't be so hard on it. This is a wonderful adventure which, ironically, captures Carroll's world in a way no other Alice-related film has since the great "Dreamchild" and Jan Švankmajer's stop-motion film.
ReplyDeleteShutter Island is forgettable, despite good performances by Michelle Williams, Mark Ruffalo,and Patricia Clarkson.
Someone has told me repeatedly that I HAVE to see Avatar. Well, if you try to make me do something, it's not going to happen. I don't usually like that kind of crap anyway.
ReplyDeleteShutter Island looked dumb in the previews. No desire.
She's Out of My League looked cute in a Hangover kind of way.
I haven't seen Avatar either. Meh.
ReplyDeleteShutter Island was a fantastic book. Hollywood almost always ruins books so I had zero expectations for the movie. I don't care for Leo DiCrapio either. I might put it on my Netflix queue just out of curiosity more than anything.
I am proud to be one of the four people (along with my husband) who has not seen Avatar & never wants to. Even for free.
ReplyDeleteI can't believe the haters for Shutter Island. This is hands down one of the best mysteries I've ever read. Dennis Lehane is pure genius and while I haven't seen the movie yet - waiting for all the humans to see it first so I don't have to put up with people constantly getting up and down during the movie - I was told it follows the book 100%. The problem is that everyone wants a happy, drawn out for you type ending. This ending forces you to decide what the ending is - although I know straight from Lehane what the real ending is. What a shame we have to be handed everything to us on a platter in order to enjoy it!
ReplyDeletei thought Shutter Island is too pompous,vain and unnecerrarily demonstrative.Clearly it's not the best Scorcese. I liked Dicaprio 's acting(he's intense) but i'm tired to see him in a paranoid character(he acted a paranoid since 10 years except in "revolutionary road") and other actors are underused!
ReplyDelete@boston_gyrl_34
ReplyDeleteI think the dislike is for the film, mainly (I haven't read the book myself).
Avatar IS meh.
If it weren't for the talented cast, I would have been completely bored at Shutter Island. So much talent for such a 'pretty' but boring movie. Not nearly enough 'payoff' for the length of sitting.
ReplyDeleteIf you count up the nominations/awards amongst the cast and crew, then it really seems to be that much more of a shame.
I see 500+ movies a year, so will probably see them all. Even Shutter Island with the vastly overated Leo.
ReplyDeleteThe only one of these I really want to see is Alice in Wonderland. Count my husband and me as two more who haven't seen Avatar. He may go see it eventually (if it's still showing anywhere), but I have no interest, mainly because of James Cameron's ego.
ReplyDeleteit sounds to me like they took a good book----'shutter island' was a VERY good book----and ruined it on film. that happens a lot. you just don't expect it from scorsese.
ReplyDeletei can tell just from the previews i wouldn't like it, so i'll just keep my fond memories of the book.
I'm an also when it comes to Avatar. Maybe on DVD? I tend to not enjoy effects-driven movies. Well, I shouldn't see that. I never go see them; I just assume I wouldn't enjoy them.
ReplyDeletei loved Shutter Island. I thought it was very "hitchcock". I also loved Avatar & Alice in Wonderland. My boyfriend and I are HUGE movie goers...we go pretty much every weekend, and we have seen just about everything. We did go see Green Zone on Friday - even though it's a great movie, it's a renter. No need to spend 10 a piece to see it in the theatre.
ReplyDeleteTim Burten didn't ruin chocolate factory..it was pretty close to the book....the orinal film from teh 70s pretty strayed with the book...there was no singer oompa lompa.
ReplyDeletejust saying.
I liked avatar...it was cliched but still a good enjoyable film.
haven't seen shutter island ...will download it.
Nikki, it was a little too deliberately Hitchcock for me. It was like he was saying "Look, this scene is JUST LIKE 'Vertigo.'" It gave me the same feeling as the remake of 'Psycho' - not a new vision of the original, but just a ripoff.
ReplyDeleteI did like it, but I didn't love it. Except for Mark Ruffalo - so dreamy!
"Oh, and no one ever explained the band aid on his head."
Yeah, what was up with that?
At first I was angry at the end because Leo screwed over the two doctors for his own peace of mind, but then I thought that he didn't really have the option of suicide after watching that other guy die so horribly, so maybe that excuses it a bit.
I haven't seen 'Avatar' either because the trailer looked so damned cliched.
I haven't seen Avatar either. Why? because it looks like a crap movie. That's why.
ReplyDeleteI haven't seen any of these movies yet (I have a baby. A crabby,screams alot, always wants mommy kind of baby)
ReplyDeleteI have no desire to see Avatar. I do however want to see ALice in Wonderland. The Crazies is on my want to see but probably will have to wait for dvd list too.
Shutter Island was as well but looks like I should cross it off.
My husband and I also haven't seen Avatar either. I think the same couple of thousand people have just seen the movie over and over and over. No one I talk to has seen it.
ReplyDeleteEnty, how have you missed all the TV ads for "She's Out of Your League?" It seems like that's all I see. For what it is worth, it does look like fun.
I find I tend to avoid any movie that promises "a shocking twist!!!" so Shutter Island will probably be something I catch on HBO. Just annoys me, because just like with The Sixth Sense, it is very obvious from the beginning.
Glad to hear people are liking Alice, especially in the 2D, because I can't ever see anything in 3D. It just looks blurry to me, glasses or no glasses. I want to see it.
RJ, I don't think it matters if you know the twist going in. I did, and it was still a very complex story, trying to figure out how the different parts fit together.
ReplyDeleteHaven't seen Alice or Avatar.
ReplyDeleteI thought I was seeing that Bruce Willis/Tracy Morgan comedy "Cops" but mistakenly bought tix to the Ethan Hawke, Richard Gere and Don Cheadle gore-fest "Brooklyn's Finest."
The bloodiest, goriest, body counti-est, shoot-em-up-iest movie I have ever seen. Couldn't wait for it to be over.
I LOVED Shutter Island. My only regret is that I haven't read the book yet (I'm a nerd and prefer to read a book before I watch the movie).
ReplyDeleteThe fact that Leo was actually a patient was obvious--I pretty much knew that when I saw the trailer. But did they try to sell that as a big twist? I really can't remember, but they probably did. If they did, that sucks because the movie was SO much more than just having a big twist. And honestly, to me, the "big twist" wasn't even the fact that he was a patient, but other things.
For me, knowing from the beginning that Leo was a patient didn't help me figure out the ending at all. I really had no clue where they were going and was pleasantly surprised. (Maybe I'm just dense because I couldn't figure it out, but I don't think I'm alone on this one.)
I love you, Enty. I haven't seen Avatar and didn't like Shutter Island, either. Loved Alice, and I like popcorn and cheesecake, too. Are you availabe?
ReplyDeleteBrooklyn's Finest - Absolutely terrible movie. It fails as both a good cop movie and as a morality play. Wesley Snipes was enjoyable and I like Don Cheadle but Ethan Hawke does the entire movie with a horrific accent and there are a few moments of HIGHLY DRAMATIC ACTING from a few other actors that haven't been seen on the big screen since Charlton Heston in his prime.
ReplyDeleteI also loved Shutter Island. I thought it was great how the reveal was understated and not a huge BANG in your face kinda thing. And I actually LIKED that not everything was completely explained, it didn't need to be, that was one of the cool features of the film. It was VERY different from most films out there making money right now, but I thought that's what was great about it.
ReplyDeleteI saw Remember Me yesterday. Thoughtful and touching, the film resonates after the lights come up. It's been a long time since a film followed me home...in fact it was all I thought about last night. Give it go...you may be surprised.
ReplyDeleteAlice is on the list to see....trying to decided if it's worth shelling out the limited extra cash for 3d.
Count me in as another one who hasn't seen Avatar and doesn't plan on seeing it, and who didn't intend to see Shutter Island anyway. (May I recommend a spiffy little site, themoviespoiler.com? It's perfect for those of us who want to know how a movie ends without having to shell out $10 plus ginger ale & candy money--some of us can't eat popcorn, alas--in the process. Yes, I'm evil... ;-)
ReplyDeleteI'm the odd person out that always liked Age of Innocence when it rolls around on cable. Maybe Shutter Island will play out better on the tube.I can wait. Teen daughter snuck into The Crazies says it was great and Timothy Olyphant was HOT.Must watch his new show on FX!
ReplyDeleteI loved Willy Wonka and I haven't seen Avatar and don't want to.
ReplyDeleteI still havn't seen Avatar but everyone has told me I HAVE to solely for the 3d glory. I am going to try to see Alice this weekend. Enty, I hated the Burton Willy Wonka too. That is one of my favorite movies ever and they ruined it for me. I preferred the movie over the book (sacrilege I know). There is only one willy wonka and his name is Gene Wilder.
ReplyDeleteI have had one person say they loved shutter island and another that walked out of the theatre.
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ReplyDelete"She's out of my league" is *CONSTANTLY* pimped out on Adult Swim. It is on my last nerve - those fuckers need to learn that CHICKS watch A.S. as well.
ReplyDeleteI won't be seeing S.O.O.M.L.
I wouldn't mind seeing Avatar. Jax and Mooshki, we can go together.
ReplyDeleteCould care less about Shutter Island. i think I go see maybe 2 movies a year.
I totally disagree with you Daniel. I saw Brooklyn's Finest at Sundance last year and thought it was the best film Antoine Fuqua has ever done. And Richard Gere gives a tremendous performance, as does Don Cheadle (as usual). I think it works as both a cop film and a morality play.
ReplyDeleteMy son didn't want to see Alice so we went to the other age-appropriate movie that was on and I was pleasantly surprised by "Percy Jackson and the Olympians." If you have a tweener, this one is actually quite good, no stupid humour and draws inspiration from Greek Mythology. Awesome special effects but not overdone and in your face. It got him interested in reading Myths of all types.
ReplyDeleteI haven't seen any of these movies yet, but from your description Shutter Island sounds just as confusing as the book. very hard book to read.
ReplyDeleteI want to see Alice, but a lot of my friends hated it. I did read a review that says it would be better in 2D.
I didn't think I'd like Avatar, but I loved it. I saw it in 3D, but not in Digital 3D. I wish I had seen the Imax version, but it was sold out every time I tried to go.
I do want to see The Crazies. maybe this weekend.