Snow White and the Huntsman trailer

There are two films coming out in 2012 based on Snow White. First up is the terrible looking Mirror Mirror, which comes out this weekend. It's notable mainly because Julia Roberts screeches and cackles like a crazy woman the whole time. I couldn't even make it through the trailer, so I have little hope that the full movie will hold my attention.

The second movie sounded equally horrific when it was announced but has since grown into, dare I say it, one I'm looking forward to. Snow White and the Huntsman tells the tale of a mercenary (Chris Hemsworth) coerced by the Evil Queen (Charlize Theron) to track down Snow White (Kristen Stewart) in the Dark Forest. The Evil Queen needs her alive so that she can eat her heart (with fava beans?) and rule to the land forever.

The second trailer for the film, which opens later this year, has been released.

Okay. It looks like they have set the story of Snow White in Middle Earth. I half expect Gandalf the Grey to ride in and save the day. I admit, I like it. The story appears to be much more epic than I was thinking. Charlize Theron is intimidating as the Evil Queen, there are big action pieces, interesting creature designs, quality production values. I'm game.

What about you? Anything in that trailer get you going? Let me know in the comments, and follow me on Twitter!

The Dominant Hunger Games

The actuals are in for The Hunger Games, and the results from opening weekend are staggering. We all expected for the film to make a ton of money, but the end results surpassed even the lofty expectations of the pundits.

$152.5 million.

There may not be enough Brinks trucks in service to deliver Lionsgate all the cash the film made over the weekend. Here are a few records and distinctions the film earned over the weekend:

• Third biggest opening of all time (Between The Dark Knight and Spider-man 3)
• Biggest non-sequel opening of all time
• Biggest March opening
• Seventh biggest midnight release of all-time ($19.7 million)
• Second biggest Saturday gross of all time ($50.3 million, trailing only Spider-man 3 at $51.3)
• Seventh biggest Sunday gross of all time ($34.8 million)
• $10.2 million from IMAX locations, a record for a 2D release, and a record for a digital only release
• $214.3 million worldwide; #1 in virtually every market globally
• Already Lionsgate's most successful film ever, beating the $119.2 total of Fahrenheit 9/11

That's a lot of dough anyway you look at it. 

There's a fleet of these headed your way Lionsgate

What does all this cash rolling in to Lionsgate mean for you? For starters, you are going to get an adaptation of at least one of the other Hunger Games books. The Hunger Games was Lionsgates biggest production ever at $80 million. Now that they've recovered that investment and then some, they can look to greenlight the sequels. I would not be surprised if we heard an announcement for the final books to begin production soon. I'm sure all the actors (who were great) and the director (who was not) all signed three-picture deals so they would be locked up for the sequels.

It also means that we'll be seeing some interesting Lionsgate films starting up. They finally have the financial war chest now to make big production films. In the past, they have made decent action and horror films of low-to-medium budgets. Think Warrior, The Lincoln Lawyer, Rambo, 3:10 to Yuma. Those are quality films that didn't take truckloads of cash to make but still had good return. Now imagine those films with a little bit heavier production values. 

The end is nowhere close for The Hunger Games. There isn't much to stop this train from rolling until The Avengers in May. There probably will be a steep drop next week, simply because a lot of the people who wanted to see it got out on its first weekend. It could catch on with strong word of mouth, and it could draw repeat viewings from the teen crowd, which would be an even bigger boost for the franchise. Nobody knows where the end is for The Hunger Games, but it's safe to say that the ceiling is somewhere north of $300 million.

Expect a full trilogy by 2014

May the odds be ever in your favor, indeed The Hunger Games.

How much money do you think The Hunger Games will make? Let me know in the comments, and follow me on Twitter!

All data from Deadline and Boxofficemojo.

How big will The Hunger Games be?

It's March 22, and in a few hours midnight screenings for one of the biggest films of 2012 will begin. The Hunger Games, an adaptation of the first novel of the Suzanne Collins teen trilogy, will almost certainly be one of the highest grossing films of the year. The story, about a young girl in a future dystopian society forced to fight to the death against eleven other children in an arena controlled by a nefarious central government, is one of the most popular cultural phenomena going today.

The question is: how big will this film be?

Get used to these faces. They will be everywhere for the near future.

We've already seen one enormous opening this year with The Lorax, which hauled in $70 million opening weekend. That movie had a boost since it was directed at kids. Most of the time parents join their children at those sorts of movies, which provides a boost to revenue. 

The Hunger Games gets a boost of a different sort: the young female audience. This is the same demographic that grossed Titanic $600 million dollars. There were many repeat viewings by young females for that film, which propelled it to unforeseen heights of financial success. If The Hunger Games is good (which I hear it is) and it can hook its demographic to repeat viewings, then it could be a similar phenomenon, in which case, financially, the sky is the limit.

But, The Hunger Games doesn't just appeal to the female audience. The story also appeals to the young male audience. There are two main male characters in the film, and both are strong personalities whose stories are interesting in their own right. The film also is fairly violent. We are, after all, talking about a movie in which 12 people fight to the death in a last-man-standing free-for-all. The violence might not be explicit, but it will certainly be present. Finally, the games are set in a highly advanced future society, so there should be some interesting scenery and technology to show off. The film should be a mix of rough-and-tumble backwoods fighting and future society wizardry, all of which should combine to keep young males interested in the film.

The Hunger Games opens in 4,137 theaters, including 268 IMAX theaters (the format to watch any movie, btw). It's in the top 15 of widest openings in cinema history, not too far behind #1, which belongs to The Twilight Saga: Eclipse (4,468 screens). Midnight screenings are selling out all over the country, and, with some theaters hosting three, four, or more screenings tonight, we are likely to see one of the highest midnight grosses in history. 

Bring it on Box Office!

For the weekend, a $100 million opening is not out of the question. My guess is that we'll see closer to a $110-125 opening. I also predict this to be among the top three highest-grossing films of 2012. The Dark Knight Rises, The Avengers, and The Hobbit will all certainly pull in some cash later this year, but I wouldn't be surprised if The Hunger Games is pretty far up the charts. I don't think it will top TDKR, but it could wind up anywhere in the 2-4 slot.

It's going to be a big weekend at the movie theater!

Are you going to see The Hunger Games this weekend? Let me know in the comments below, and follow me on Twitter!

A pair of Burton trailers

This year we will see two Tim Burton films, and both have recently released trailers.

First up is a big screen adaptation of the cult vampire soap opera Dark Shadows. The film stars Johnny Depp as the vampire Barnabas Collins who is awakened from a centuries-long slumber into the 1970s. He returns to his ancestral home to find his family under attack from the witch who cursed him long ago.

Both Depp and Burton have long sought to bring the show to movie theaters, and this film has been something of a passion project for them. One major question about the film concerned the tone. It’s been years since I’ve seen reruns of the original show on Sci-Fi Network (before that channel was re-branded Syfy), but I seem to remember the show taking itself quite seriously. It was full of melodrama and came across like a weird Mexican soap opera. Would they stick with the original tone of the show or alter it for a more mainstream audience?

So, it looks like they turned it into a comedy. Fine by me. Depp can act weird with the best of them, and Burton is still a quality director (I’ll give him a pass for the horrifying Alice in Wonderland).

This one is giving off a silly Adams Family vibe that I like. We won't have to wait long to see how campy this one gets; Dark Shadows hits on May 11, 2012.

The second Burton film of the year is a stop-motion feature called Frankenweenie. The story concerns a kid who re-animates his beloved wiener-dog. Sparky comes back to life, but, naturally, there are a number of consequences. I’m guessing many of them are funny.

It’s been since Corpse Bride in 2005 that Burton has done a stop-motion film. I find myself wishing he would change up his style at some point. I can’t decide if I like the fact that the imagery looks almost exactly like Corpse Bride and The Nighmare Before Christmas. It IS a distinct style, but I want to see more. I'm sure it will be a sweet and funny film since Burton's stop-motion films are pretty good. Expect this one out close to Halloween.

Are you excited to see two new Tim Burton features coming out in 2012? Let me know in the comments and follow me on Twitter!

The Expendables 2 will be rated R after all

The Expendables was a gleeful uniting of several of the biggest action stars of yesterday blowing up all kinds of stuff in 2010. Written and directed by “The Italian Stallion” himself, The Expendables featured Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Jet Li, Randy Couture, Stone Cold Steve Austin, Dolph Freaking Lundgren, Terry Crews, Mickey Rourke, and brief cameos by Bruce Willis and “The Governator” Arnold Schwarzenegger. It was also notable for it’s extreme violence.

Stallone is back writing the sequel, appropriately titled The Expendables 2. This time he brings a few more antiquated action stars into the fold, most notably Jean-Claude van Damme and Chuck Norris. Good additions, those two.

A little controversy kicked up a few months ago when Stallone stated that the sequel would aim for a more audience friendly PG-13 rating. This lit the internet on fire, since it makes little sense for such an awesome crew of ass-kickers to be assembled in one film only to neuter the production by limiting their violence against bad guys and each other. We want explosions, bloodshed, and crude one-liners!

Fear not internet! Stallone has come to his senses and declared that the final cut of the film will indeed be rated R. Graphic violence will happen! Rejoice!

Blood and guts will follow!

We’ll find out August 12, 2012 just how violent the action will be. Hopefully, extreme violence will ensue.

Excited for some bloodshed? Let me know in the comments or on Twitter!

Full Prometheus trailer

It’s no secret that Prometheus is my most anticipated film of 2012. Ridley Scott, pseudo-Alien story, Michael Fassbender. I was fairly certain that my excitement could not grow any further. Here we are now with a new full trailer for the film that shows us a lot more.

The first couple of trailers that we’ve seen were just teasers showing off the killer imagery and setting. This one gives us a clearer picture of the story while also displaying the beautiful design.

This is how you do sci-fi. Every frame of that looks amazing. It was also recently announced that the film will be presented in IMAX, so you know the visuals are going to explode off the screen. I’ll be first in line on June 8, 2012.

Are you excited too? Want to join me in line at midnight? Let me know in the comments or on Twitter!

Marvel Marathon at AMC

Are you as fired up about The Avengers as I am? Want to recap five of the most recent Marvel films in a marathon session before the midnight release of The Avengers on May 3, 2012? You might get lucky at your local AMC Theaters megaplex.

Several AMC Theaters around the country will be running a special marathon promotion leading up to what will certainly be one of the biggest films of the year. The promotion includes $5 off concessions (pro tip: large popcorn and sodas get free refills, handy to know when you're in the theater for 15 hours) and nifty 3D glasses that are yours to keep after the shows. AMC usually does trivia and offers other cool swag at these types of events, so there should be lots of incentive to partake in the festivities.

Starting at 11:30AM on Thursday, May 3rd, you can see the following awesome movies:

Iron Man

The Incredible Hulk

Iron Man 2

Thor

Captain America

The Avengers

All that for $40. That’s a pretty good deal if you ask me. Each of these films was meant to be seen on the big screen, and it should be a ton of fun to see them all back-to-back.

Check the AMC website to see if there’s a showing near you. They seem to be adding locations all along, so if they don’t list a theater near you, they might add one soon.

AMC Marvel Marathon

Think you're going? Let me know in the comments or on Twitter!

John Carter Review

John Carter 

John Carter is a solid action film filled with cool characters, intense action, some good laughs, and beautiful environments. It’s a fun, entertaining movie.

The titular character John (Taylor Kitsch) is a Civil War veteran from Virginia who, while searching for a cave of gold, finds himself transported to Mars/Barsoom. He finds himself embroiled in the middle of a three-way civil war involving Red Martians, White Martians, and 12-foot tall green Martians. John may not be lucky on the war front – poor guy just keeps finding himself in the midst of other people’s troubles – but he has some pretty good advantages on Mars. The low gravity means that he has superior strength, which makes him a valuable asset in the war. All sides view him as a potential ally or threat, and his decisions could ultimately shape the outcome of the war.

Of course, there is a woman involved. The absolutely stunning Lynne Collins is the princess of the Red Martians who wins John’s heart. Seriously, she is smoking hot. Who can blame the guy for navigating the treacherous waters of three warring factions for her?

Hotness

There’s plenty of material here to weave an interesting narrative and tell a neat story. If anything, there is too much going on with all the different backgrounds for all the different characters. There are a lot of moving parts to the story. For the most part, however, the filmmakers do an admirable job of keeping things focused and moving along briskly. It never gets confusing; you just wish they could spend more time fleshing out the characters in the film.

Perhaps the biggest problem with John Carter is that many of the best bits have been pilfered by other, better films. See, John Carter is an adaptation of the Edgar Rice Burroughs serial stories that began in the 1920s, and the pulp fiction stories have influenced science fiction writers ever since. They say that imitation in the sincerest form of flattery, and many of the story elements in John Carter feel like old hat. Several generations of Hollywood writers have looked to Burroughs for inspiration.

Here is a short list of the films I thought about while watching John Carter:

Star Wars – the obvious space opera connection

Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark – the pulpy-but-not-cheesey storytelling

Fistful of Dollars – the lone savior navigating multiple factions

127 Hours – mostly for the beautiful desert settings

Wall-E – for the love story

Planet of the Apes – Astronaut saves the planet full of weird creatures

Avatar – Huge scope that builds a new and interesting world

This, I feel, is just the tip of the iceberg of films influenced by the John Carter series.

Despite the fact that much of the thunder has been lifted from the franchise by other films, I still like John Carter. It’s a fun story. There are interesting characters – the dog-like creature who can run like The Flash is a particular standout. There are lots of interesting cities and cultures and aliens and beautiful scenery and action sequences and all manner of things that will keep the audience engaged.

It looks beautiful, though I recommend passing on the 3D. The 3d effect doesn’t add depth or richness and simply serves to wash out the color pallet you're wearing dark glasses. Disney spent an estimated $250 million dollars on the film, and much of it obviously went into the visuals and special effects. Don't mess up the views with 3D.

The story also captures the pulpiness that you think about with the old-time serial novels. John’s repeated escape attempts from a Union prison and his attempts to adjust to the lighter gravity when he first finds himself on Mars are particularly fun scenes.

John Carter was always going to be a tough sell. You don’t often see a mega-budget franchise-starter film for a 90-year-old property. Disney gave it a good shot and turned out a solidly entertaining movie. You’ll have a fun time at the theater watching this film with a big soda in one hand and a richly buttered popcorn in the other. I just wish it could feel as fresh and exciting as it would have 90 years ago.

3.5 stars out of 5

The Human Centipede 3 is Coming!

Horray!

The third film in one of the most disgusting and disturbing movie series ever made will begin shooting in early May and June in the U.S. Tom Six, director of the tasteless The Human Centipede: First Sequence and its vile sequel The Human Centipede: Full Sequence, has made a casting announcement that will surely delight the mentally deranged fans of the series.

The franchise was always envisioned by writer/director Tom Six as a trilogy, and the three cast members announced today for The Human Centipede: Final Sequence indicate that the finale will bring things around full circle. Dieter Laser (Dr. Heiter from THC), Laurence R. Harvey (Martin from THC2), and Tom Six himself are the first three cast members announced. Based on this, it's obvious that there will be some meta stuff going on to unite all three of these guys in the final film. Six promises that this one will be the most disturbing film yet, and I couldn't be more excited.

Is it wrong that my first reaction to this news was: How do I get an audition?

Shooting is scheduled for the spring with an eye on a 2013 release date. I get the feeling that the longest part of this filmmaking process will be for Six to produce a version of the film that will pass the ratings board.

Also, did you know that Tom Six is an artist and has a gallery of his paintings online? I knew he did the conjoined twins painting that Dr. Heiter had on his wall in the first film, but it turns out that was just the tip of the iceberg.

I will not link to the gallery because almost all of his paintings are repulsive. I kindof like the style, but, like his films, the subject matter is beyond gross. One gets the impression that Six enjoys pushing the boundaries of taste well beyond tolerable limits. Still, if you want to see some of his artwork, just Google "Tom Six gallery". Don't say you weren't warned. But, if anyone wants to buy me the Martin painting shown above, I will gladly hang that bad boy on my wall.

Are you excited about another The Human Centipede film? Are you going to order a painting from Tom Six titled "Shotgun Suicide"? Let me know in the comments below! And while you're at it, follow me on Twitter!

More Muppets!

The Muppets made my Top 10 of 2011 list (view them all here!) checking in at #5. I loved the direction the new film took. It was a return to the roots of the franchise with the story focused heavily on the core group of Muppets we know and love. Jason Segel, Amy Adams, and the new Muppet Walter had the most screen time, but the story was really about reuniting the old gang. Almost all of the guys had screen time, and it was refreshing to see Kermit as the star again.

Happily, the movie made pretty good money at the box office ($88 million or so domestic). That's not the kind of money that sets the world on fire, but it represents a good return on a $45 million estimated budget. It's taken some time, but the studio heads at Disney are pushing ahead with another film.

It's early in the filmmaking process, but the screenwriters from the 2011 film are back to write another script. Here's hoping that they keep going with the momentum of that film and don't revert to the terrible "Muppet movie based on fictional story" model that more or less ruined the Muppets in the late 1990s.

What do you think? Want to see another Muppet movie? What direction should the franchise take? Let me know in the comments below. While you're at it, follow me on Twitter!

Completely insane The Raid: Redemption trailer

I showed you a trailer a few days ago for a totally nuts Indonesian martial arts film called The Raid that will be coming out toward the end of March.

It turns out that film has changed it's name to The Raid: Redemption and has just released a new trailer that seems to capture the story and fighting elements better than the trailer I shared last week. Have a look.

The more I see about this film, the more convinced I am that the Indonesian fighting style of silat is a painful beast. Who are these guys who willingly get the snot beat out of them? I mean, that stuff HAS to hurt no matter how choreographed it is, right? It might not have the flourish of Thai boxing or the kinetic energy of parkour, but it looks like it has plenty of nastiness to make a great fighting movie.

What do you think? Interested in watching Indonesians send each other to the hospital? Let me know in the comments below. While you're at it, follow me on Twitter!

The Avengers marketing ramps up

The Avengers will be one of the biggest hits of 2012. There's little dispute about that. The only question is where it will fit in with The Dark Knight Rises, The Hobbit, and The Amazing Spiderman. Personally, I predict it will come in behind TDK:R and slightly ahead of The Hobbit with something in the neighborhood of $275 domestic. That's in millions of dollars, btw. The Avengers will be one of the first blockbuster films out this year as it's scheduled to hit on May 4.

Advertising is gaining steam for the film. A new poster and trailer have been released in the past couple of weeks.

Looks good to me. It has all the major players striking suitably heroic poses in a war torn city. It reminds me of a comic book cover, which is appropriate. I'd hang that on my wall.

There also is a new trailer that sets up the Avengers assembling against a common and familiar enemy.

So, yeah. There's little doubt that I'll be there opening night. That certainly looks like a big-time movie.

What about you? Think this is opening night or midnight release material? Let me know in the comments below. And while you're at it, follow me on Twitter!