Box Office: 'The LEGO Movie' Opens to Awesome $69M

1. The LEGO Movie- $69.1M
Everything is awesome for Warner Bros.' toybox spectacle, The LEGO Movie, which crushed the competition with $69M. That's the second largest February bow in history and the largest in the studio's history, surpassing Happy Feet's $47M. The strong word of mouth, led by an 'A' Cinemascore, should carry over into next week's holiday weekend, meaning we may see LEGO build a bigger stack of cash than the Robocop remake. And with a sequel already in the works, it looks like Warner Bros. has the pieces for their next big franchise.
2. The Monuments Men- $22.7M
George Clooney's star power overcame a troubled production and middling reviews for The Monuments Men, which grossed a healthy $22.7M.  That's the biggest open for Clooney behind the camera, beating out the weak $12M debut of Leatherheads in '08, and it's possible the film saw the benefit of moving away from the Oscar race when it would have been lost in the shuffle. It's still got some ways to go to hit the reported budget between $60-$70M, but the subject matter should make it a decent buy overseas.
3. Ride Along- $9.3M/$105.1M
4. Frozen- $6.9M/$368.6M
5. That Awkward Moment- $5.5M/$16.8M
6. Lone Survivor- $5.2M/$112.5M
7. Vampire Academy $4.1M
No matter how you slice it, $4.1M is an awful start for a wide release, and Vampire Academy now has the distinction of having the lowest debut for a major YA adaptation. Bravo! It's kind of surprising how little buzz there's been surrounding it and the general lack of support by The Weinstein Company, who didn't bother to screen it for press. And unlike most other films based on popular YA novels, they didn't offer a Thursday midnight premiere for the die-hard fans. It's not as if this was a tough film to market because a number of angles could have been taken. They might have been wise to play up the Heathers/Mean Girls connection, two cult hits that still get a lot of play with audiences young and old. Whatever, the film died and any chance of seeing the rest of the books brought to the big screen has died with it.
8. The Nut Job- $3.8M/$55M
9. Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit- $3.6M/$44.4M
10. Labor Day- $3.2M/$10.1M

Read More

Box Office: 'Ride Along' Tops 'That Awkward Moment' and 'Labor Day'

1. Ride Along- $12.3M/$92.9M
Super Bowl weekend is usually pretty soft by box office standards, and this one is no different. Ride Along held on to the top spot with only $12.3M, fending off the resurgent Frozen and beating back a pair of weak new releases.
2. Frozen- $9.3M/$360M
Disney's Frozen didn't just leap back up the charts in its 11th week of release, it actually gained audience as the Mouse House unveiled a new "Sing-A-Long" version of the film. With time running out before The Lego Movie asserts its family-friendly dominance it was a case of perfect timing.
3. That Awkward Moment- $9M
The names Zac Efron, Michael B. Jordan, and Miles Teller hold a lot of weight with critics, but as a collective it wasn't enough to lift That Awkward Moment to a decent opening weekend. At a cost of only $8M, the poorly-received romantic comedy has already earned back its money and should scrounge up a little more before vanishing into the early-season scrap heap. Efron is entering into a weird transition area where most of his fans are still too young to check out his R-rated stuff like this, and it could be an issue in a few months when he teams with Seth Rogen for Neighbors.
4. The Nut Job- $7.6M/$50.2M
5. Lone Survivor- $7.1M/$104.8M
6. Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit- $5.4M/$38.9M
7. Labor Day- $5.3M
And the continued marginalization of Jason Reitman films continues, but unlike 2011's Young Adult it's richly deserved in the case of Labor Day. Originally meant to be released over Christmas, with a lot of early Oscar buzz backing it, all of that disappeared once people actually starting watching it. And thus it was dumped on this weekend to die a quiet death, which is exactly what is happening. Not even Kate Winslet and Josh Brolin could power Labor Day to a decent debut, and with crushing reviews and no Oscar aspirations there's nowhere for it to go but down.
8. American Hustle- $4.3M/$132.1M
9. The Wolf of Wall Street- $3.5M/$104M
10. I, Frankenstein- $3.5M/$14.4M

Read More

Cinema Royale #48- Miles Teller and the Cast of 'Whiplash'

Freshly returned from the snowy locale of the Sundance Film Festival, Cinema Royale host Travis Hopson sits down with Miles Teller, Paul Reiser, and the director of Whiplash. The Audience and Grand Jury prize-winner co-stars J.K. Simmons and centers on a jazz drumming protegee and his drill sergeant instructor. We'll also be joined by Joblo.com's Christopher Bumbray to take one final look at the festival's highs and lows!

Plus, it's a Miles Teller kind of show as we'll review his latest film, That Awkward Moment, co-starring Zac Efron and Michael B. Jordan. Then we'll take a look at the anticipated drama, Labor Day, starring Kate Winslet and Josh Brolin.

You can find Cinema Royale every single week on Blogtalkradio, Itunes, Libsyn, Stitcher, Podomatic, and as part of the Hashtag Studios Broadcast Network.  Listen to the latest episode below...

Listen To Movies Internet Radio Stations with Cinema Royale on BlogTalkRadio

Read More

Review: 'Labor Day' Starring Kate Winslet and Josh Brolin

There's this one crucial scene in Jason Reitman's Labor Day when an escaped convict played by Josh Brolin, kidnaps a mother and her son but wins over their hearts with chili and peach cobbler. Oh wait, that's the entire movie and it's pretty damned sad and awful, an unintentionally misogynistic joke whose point seems to be that lonely women should go out and screw the first violent offender they can find. It's especially disappointing since Reitman has shown a greater handle on balancing the tragic with a measure of dark humor, and because it stars Kate Winslet and Josh Brolin, neither of whom seem to realize just how ridiculous they look taking this so seriously.

Having never read Joyce Maynard's novel that Reitman is basing this on, it's impossible to say whether it's as laughable as the adaptation, but one has to assume it is. It treads on the same treacly territory as the worst of Nicholas Sparks, and features a stunning lack of urgency that leaves the film as dull as it is preposterous. Set in melancholic 1986, Winslet plays the clinically-depressed Adele, who can barely function in the wake of her divorce. She can't even be bothered to leave the house except to get groceries once a month, and when she does the nervous shakes in her hand tell all. Her son Henry (Gattlin Griffith) is a quiet sort, and has learned to become the new man of the house. One scene, meant to be heartfelt but is really just creepy, has him agreeing to be "husband for a day", doing all the things a man would do around the house....until he realizes he's unequipped for what Adele really needs. In short: she's horny, and the film dances around the subject like the audience are a bunch of children with virgin ears.

During one rare excursion to a shopping mall, Henry is approached by Frank (Brolin), a bleeding man who insists on being given a ride. The threat of violence forces Adele to give in and drive him to their home, but fortunately he turns out to be an ex-con.....with a heart of pure gold! Yay! It helps that he looks like Josh Brolin because that makes it easier to swallow when Frank becomes the husband and father they've been waiting for. Why, the guy is like Bobby Flay and Mr. Fix-It all wrapped into one. Soon he's fixing them breakfast, baking pies, and (in a purely non-sexual way) checking the pipes and clearing the gutters. Oh screw it, it's totally sexual. Every now and then he's forced to tie them up, like when friends (played by the woefully underused JK Simmons and Brooke Smith) drop by unexpectedly. Not that being reminded they are being held hostage matters because Adele needs a manly touch and Henry needs someone to play catch with.

Draped in dreariness and angst, the film is also weighed down by ponderous narration courtesy of Tobey Maguire as the older Henry. Basically he's there to reminisce happily about those days when his family was held hostage and forced to become a semblance of a family. Yeah, it's as absurd as it sounds, paying some sort of weird homage to Stockholm Syndrome victims everywhere. And yet, as the film grows sillier, it still remains fairly predictable in attempts to forgive these unbelievably misguided characters. Adele's ex-husband (Clark Gregg) turns out to be a jerk, and Frank's crime involves the death of his cheating wife. So she must have deserved it and that makes Frank a perfectly suitable suitor.

Winslet and Brolin sell the heck out of this thing, though, and their passion at least feels genuine even if nothing else does. She seems to be walking in much the same desperate territory as in Little Children, while he's clearly been reading from the Bridges of Madison County playbook. Abridged version.

Considering the hot start to Reitman's career with Juno and Up in the Air, the lack of attention paid to Young Adult was a bit surprising. But Labor Day is a contrived weeper nobody will consider while it's here, and few will remember when it's gone.

Read More

'12 Years A Slave' and 'American Hustle' Lead Globen Globes Nominations

The Hollywood Foreign Press announced their nominees for the 71st annual Golden Globes this morning, adding to the stream of awards announcements over the last couple of weeks. Following up on yesterday's SAG nominations and the success of Steve McQueen's 12 Years A Slave, the big question was whether or not it would be able to keep up the momentum and further solidify itself as the clear Oscar favorite. The answer is a resounding yes, as the slavery was tied for the lead with seven nominations.

12 Years A Slave was mentioned in all the categories one would expect: Best Picture Drama, Best Director, and all the key acting categories.  Performing just as well was David O. Russell's American Hustle, earning an equal number of noms including one for Best Picture Comedy. So no showdown there between those two. Paul Greengrass' Captain Phillips was a surprise with four nominations, tied with Alfonso Cuaron's Gravity.

As far as surprises go, Jason Reitman's Labor Day popped up for the first time with a Best Actress Drama nomination for Kate Winslet, while Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom earned some love with three, including one for Idris Elba. He's mostly been shut out of any awards talk, after seeming like a no-brainer for much of the year, and frankly he's probably only nominated because of the way the Golden Globes is structured. The real fun comes in the comedy categories, where Leonardo DiCaprio, Oscar Isaac, Christian Bale, Joaquin Phoenix, Bruce Dern, will compete for Best Actor. Even better is Best Actress Comedy where Julie Delpy, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Greta Gerwig, and Amy Adams will (hopefully) try to give Meryl Streep more than she can handle.

The full list of nominees is below. The Golden Globes winners will be announced January 13th.

Best Motion Picture - Drama
"12 Years A Slave"
"Captain Phillips"
"Gravity"
"Philomena"
"Rush"

Best Motion Picture - Comedy/Musical
"American Hustle"
"Her"
"Inside Llewyn Davis"
"Nebraska"
"The Wolf Of Wall Street"

Best Director
Alfonso Cuaron - "Gravity"
Paul Greengrass - "Captain Phillips"
Steve McQueen - "12 Years A Slave"
Alexander Payne - "Nebraska" 
David O Russell - "American Hustle"

Best Actress - Drama
Cate Blanchett - "Blue Jasmine"
Sandra Bullock - "Gravity
Judi Dench - "Philomena"
Emma Thompson - "Saving Mr Banks"
Kate Winslet - "Labor Day"

Best Actor - Drama
Chiwetel Ejiofor - "12 Years A Slave"
Idris Elba - "Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom"
Tom Hanks - "Captain Phillips"
Matthew McConaughey - "Dallas Buyers Club"
Robert Redford - "All Is Lost"

Best Actress - Comedy
Amy Adams - "American Hustle"
Julie Delpy - "Before Midnight"
Greta Gerwig - "Frances Ha"
Julia Louis-Dreyfus - "Enough Said"
Meryl Streep - "August: Osage County"

Best Actor - Comedy/Musical
Christian Bale - "American Hustle"
Bruce Dern - "Nebraska"
Leonardo DiCaprio - "The Wolf Of Wall Street"
Oscar Isaac - "Inside Llewyn Davis"
Joaquin Phoenix - "Her"

Best Supporting Actress
Sally Hawkins - "Blue Jasmine"
Jennifer Lawrence - "American Hustle"
Lupita N'yongo - "12 Years A Slave"
Julia Roberts - "August: Osage County"
June Squibb - "Nebraska"

Best Supporting Actor
Barkhad Abdi - "Captain Phillips"
Daniel Bruhl - "Rush"
Bradley Cooper - "American Hustle"
Michael Fassbender - "12 Years A Slave"
Jared Leto - "Dallas Buyers Club"

Best Screenplay
Spike Jonze - "Her"
Bob Nelson - "Nebraska"
Jeff Pope & Steve Coogan - "Philomena"
John Ridley - "12 Years A Slave"
Eric Warren Singer & David O Russell - "American Hustle"

Best Foreign Film
"Blue Is The Warmest Color"
"The Great Beauty"
"The Hunt"
"The Past"
"The Wind Rises"

Best Animated Feature
"The Croods"
"Despicable Me 2"
"Frozen"

Best Original Score - Motion Picture
Alex Ebert - "All Is Lost
Alex Heffes - "Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom"
Steven Price - "Gravity"
John Williams - "The Book Thief"
Hans Zimmer - "12 Years A Slave"

Best Original Song - Motion Picture
"Atlas" - Coldplay - "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire"
"Let It Go - Idina Menzel - "Frozen"
"Ordinary Love" - U2 - "Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom"
"Please Mr. Kennedy" - Justin Timberlake & co - "Inside Llewyn Davis"
"Sweeter Than Fiction" - Taylor Swift - "One Chance"

Best TV Series - Comedy/Musical
"Big Bang Theory"
"Brooklyn Nine Nine"
"Girls"
"Modern Family"
"Parks & Recreation"

Best Miniseries Or Motion Picture Made For Television
"American Horror Story: Coven"
"Behind The Candelabra"
"Dancing On The Edge
"Top Of The Lake"
"The White Queen"

Best TV Drama
Breaking Bad
"Downton Abbey"
"The Good Wife"
"House Of Cards"
"Masters Of Sex"

Best Actress - Drama TV Series
Julianna Marguiles - "The Good Wife"
Tatiana Maslany - "Orphan Black"
Taylor Schilling - "Orange Is The New Black"
Kerry Washington - "Scandal"
Robin Wright - "House Of Cards"

Best Actor - TV Drama
Bryan Cranston - "Breaking Bad"
Liev Schreiber - "Ray Donovan"
Michael Sheen - "Masters Of Sex"
Kevin Spacey - "House Of Cards"
James Spader - "The Blacklist"

Best Actress - MIniseries
Helena Bonham-Carter - "Burton & Taylor"
Rebecca Ferguson - "The White Queen"
Jessica Lange - "American Horror Story: Coven"
Helen Mirren - "Phil Spector"
Elisabeth Moss - "Top Of The Lake"

Best Actor - Miniseries
Matt Damon - "Behind The Candelabra"
Michael Douglas - "Behind The Candelabra"
Chiwetel Ejiofor - "Dancing On The Edge"
Idris Elba - "Luther"
Al Pacino - "Phil Spector"

Best Actress - Comedy TV Series
Zooey Deschanel - "New Girl"
Lena Dunham - "Girls"
Edie Falco - "Nurse Jackie"
Julia Louis-Dreyfus - "Veep"
Amy Poehler - "Parks & Recreation"

Best Actor - Comedy TV Series
Jason Bateman - "Arrested Development"
Don Cheadle - "House Of Lies"
Michael J Fox - "The Michael J Fox Show"
Jim Parsons - "The Big Bang Theory"
Andy Samberg - "Brooklyn Nine Nine"

Best Supporting Actor - TV
Josh Charles - "The Good Wife"
Rob Lowe - "Behind The Candelabra"
Aaron Paul - "Breaking Bad"
Corey Stoll - "House Of Cards"
Jon Voight - "Ray Donovan"

Best Supporting Actress - TV
Jacqueline Bisset - "Dancing On The Edge"
Janet McTeer - "The White Queen"
Hayden Panetierre - "Nashville"
Monica Potter - "Parenthood"
Sofia Vergara - "Modern Family"

Read More

Two New Trailers for Jason Reitman's 'Labor Day' Starring Josh Brolin and Kate Winslet

When we brought you the first trailer from Jason Reitman's upcoming romantic drama Labor Day I made sure to clarify that this was not the latest in a line of ensemble romantic comedies set around a holiday. From the first trailer we could devise that the film was about a man on the run who holds a family hostage over the Labor Day weekend. These next two clips reveal a film that much deeper than we thought. The poster above shows you a bit of what I'm talking about, Brolin's character is meant to look like he's holding Winslet the way a hostage taker would hold his hostage, but their body language display's something much different, his arm below her neck, her holding his arm lightly with both hands, this looks more like a pose from a set of engagement photos than a woman in fear for her life. The first clip, thanks to /Film, gives us some insight into who Winslet's character is by way of a voice over from her estranged husband (played by Clark Gregg) who explains that she is a woman in love with love. The second clip, an extended trailer, is where we really get the hint that not all is as it seems on the surface. Brolin's character seems to be wrongly accused man who couldn't hurt a fly.

It's quite surprising to me how intriguing this film has become, Reitman seems to have the magic touch much like his father Ivan. Based on what we know so far that magic touch was applied liberally to Labor Day.

Labor Day Hits Theaters January 31, 2014

Read More

First Clip from Jason Reitman's 'Labor Day'

Don't let the title fool you, this isn't the latest film in the series of holiday based romantic comedies with interconnecting stories...not even a little. As Travis let you know in his first look article here, Labor Day, is an Oscar hopeful about a single mother and her son who let in a drifter over labor day weekend who ends up being an escaped convict. Feeling all warm and fuzzy yet?

As Travis also pointed out, this isn't a 'bring the wrong guy home' horror film either. More an exercise in who we are and what has happened to put us in the positions where we currently reside. As you can tell from the clip below Brolin doesn't seem overtly threatening and violent but the tension that he could be at any moment is certainly there. Honestly I can't wait for this movie. We like to think that we're an enlightened society but really there aren't that many truly deep, well written, oscar worthy, "Don't judge a book by it's cover", movies out there. Also, it doesn't hurt its Oscar chances that Winslet and Brolin seem to be perennially associated, if not nominated themselves, with movies that slay come February. Labor Day will hit theaters on Christmas Day.

Read More

1st Look at Jason Reitman's 'Labor Day' With Kate Winslet and Josh Brolin

After achieving a great deal of Academy Awards attention for Up in the Air and Juno, Jason Reitman's Young Adult was largely ignored, even as critics mostly praised it and star Charlize Theron. But he's coming right back with another Oscar hopeful with Labor Day, starring Kate Winslet, Josh Brolin, and based on the acclaimed novel by Joyce Maynard.

You know it's getting close to the awards season because we're starting to see new images from all of the hopefuls, and now we have the first look official look at Labor Day. Winslet stars as Adele, a depressed, divorced mother living with her lonely 13 year-old son, Henry. Set over the course of a Labor Day weekend, she's convinced by Henry to take in a drifter (Brolin), who turns out to be an escaped convict. But this isn't the set up for a hitchhiker murder movie, instead it's human drama with all of the tough emotional beats we've come to expect from Reitman. Don't be surprised if Paramount gives it a major push for the golden statue.

Co-starring JK Simmons, Clark Gregg, James Van Der Beek, Gattlin Griffith, and Tobey Maguire, Labor Day opens in limited release on December 25th before going wide January 31st. [EW]

Read More