Theatrical Releases (2008 Jan 25)

Seven days after the most robust weekend of the new year, the box office takes a step back for the final round of January debuts. Undoubtedly, Cloverfield and 27 Dresses will continue to make money. While it would be surprising to see either of ...

Theatrical Releases (2008 Feb 01)

According to sources, the box office this January is up 18% over last January. No doubt, this makes the Suits in Hollywood very happy. Unfortunately, I suspect they may not be divining the right message from the increased dollar amounts. Their ...

Theatrical Releases (2008 Feb 08)

Why, people are asking, did I see a movie starring Paris Hilton? The answer to that one is easy: I enjoyed her performance so much in her previous starring role that I was hoping for something of a similar nature. The Hottie & the Nottie won't be ...

Theatrical Releases (2008 May 02)

This is the weekend of Iron Man. Anything else is pretty much inconsequential. This opening has been awaited for a long time by a wide variety of people. Web publishers who operate movie-related sites have been holding out for May 2 because ...

Theatrical Releases (2008 Feb 15)

Jumper isn't the worst movie being released this weekend but it's not the best, either. That won't prevent it from taking the crown as Box Office Champion. This is the kind of movies that will attract teenage boys like flies to manure. The fact ...

Theatrical Releases (2008 May 09)

This was supposed to be the weekend of Speed Racer - or at least that's how it looked a few months ago. May was supposed to be neatly compartmentalized. First weekend: Iron Man. Second weekend: Speed Racer. Third weekend: Prince Caspian. Fourth...

Theatrical Releases (2008 Feb 22)

Fans of Larry the Cable Guy, this is your weekend! Witless Protection was not screened for critics and that's probably a good thing because it's not a movie I had an overwhelming desire to sit through. Sometimes the studios do critics a favor by ...

Theatrical Releases (2008 Feb 29)

It's a wasteland out there. The tundra of the local multiplex is as barren as the surface of the moon. When I say that, I'm not referring specifically to the quality of new theatrical releases (although that's nothing to get excited about), but the ...

Theatrical Releases (2008 Mar 07)

It was a year ago this weekend that 300 was released, igniting a box office that burned brightly until well into the summer. Alas, there is no 300 this year, which means the February free-fall will migrate into a March malaise. There are movies on ...

Theatrical Releases (2008 Mar 14)

When it comes to the box office this weekend, there's only one movie to keep an eye on, and it's not either of the two genre derivatives: the mixed martial arts story, Never Back Down, or the apocalyptic action vehicle, Doomsday. (The latter was not...

Theatrical Releases (2008 Mar 21)

If you're interested in going to the movies to see something new this weekend, things don't look good. It's Easter weekend and the distributors are assuming traffic will be light. The strategy is surprising because, although a large percentage of ...

Theatrical Releases (2008 Mar 28)

It's brutal out there. There's no other way to describe things at the multiplexes this weekend. Has anyone else noticed this? For the third straight weekend, Horton Hears a Who! will likely take the Box Office Champion crown, and that's mainly ...

Theatrical Releases (2008 Apr 04)

It's like a broken record, and one that has been broken since the end of January: another weekend, another lackluster crop of movies. Interest in multiplex fare is at a low ebb. I drove past a theater at 7:45 pm this evening - prime movie-going ...

Theatrical Releases (2008 Apr 11)

The end of the drought is nearing: Al Pacino, a Judd Apatow-produced comedy, and a teaming of Jet Li and Jackie Chan. But that's next weekend. What about today? Sadly, more of the same. A lot of movies that few people care about and even fewer ...

Theatrical Releases (2008 Apr 18)

This is an odd time for theatrical releases. It's the first weekend in a while when a few mid-budget films are opening that are capable of generating some interest. It's also a weekend when studios are taking the trash out, getting things nice and ...

Theatrical Releases (2008 Apr 25)

Consider this the proverbial calm before the storm. Choices are mediocre this week. Next week is, of course, Iron Man, and fans are already gearing up for it (and, in at least one case, lining up for it). The interesting thing about next week is ...

The Years of Others (2007 Nov 29)

At this time of the year, I am frequently asked about "locks" on my end-of-December Top 10 list. This year, because there have been no four-star movies (at least to date), the question is being asked more frequently. One title I often mention in ...