Josh Hutcherson looked about 12 years old. Chris Hemsworth was not yet Thor. The year was 2009 and “Red Dawn” was being filmed in Detroit. Then “Red Dawn” disappeared. The remake of a 1984 film that had Russia invading America got caught up in the financial swirls surrounding MGM and never made its Nov. 2010 … Continue Reading →
If there’s one thing this past month at the box office has shown it’s that without “The Avengers” and “The Hunger Games” 2012 would be a bust. First off, the top 10 films this past weekend only took in $126 million, which was down 25 percent from the same weekend last year. “The Watch,” which … Continue Reading →
These days, I mostly do binge TV. While I realize this is hardly akin to admitting to crack addiction, there is a bit of of an internet rumble going on these days over the proper way to watch television. A recent article in Slate by Jim Pagels warned of the dangers of watching all the … Continue Reading →
Seeing as the year is half-over, the Geneva Convention requires me, as a licensed film critic, to cough up a list of my top five films of the year so far. Looking over a rough draft of nominees I find that I am indeed a film critic: Elitist, over-exposed, drawn to the overtly weird and … Continue Reading →
This weekend marks the end of the first half of 2012. Let’s gander back at some big and small screen lessons learned so far: Channing Tatum is a movie star: The jury was out on this until recently, but it’s definitely Tatum Time. His romance “The Vow” earned $125 million in February, his comedy “21 … Continue Reading →
This past weekend was very good at the box office, and that was nice, because the box office needed some good. Most importantly, two films found big success, not just one. “Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted” topped the weekend, as expected, bringing in $60.35 million as family fare audiences marched to the multiplex. At the … Continue Reading →
Hollywood’s offering up a flurry of female action roles this year, and how these fighting ladies fare at the box office will have a lot to do with whether tough-girl roles become an ongoing part of the pop culture parade. The first female action star of the year knocked it out of the park, obviously. … Continue Reading →
A couple of weeks back, all of Hollywood loved “Marvel’s The Avengers.” It was the kind of steamrolling blockbuster studios dream about. It’s still the kind of steamrolling blockbuster studios dream about, but I’m guessing Hollywood at large is no longer quite so enthused. Why? Because “The Avengers” has absolutely crushed every other blockbuster wanna-be … Continue Reading →
It’s not like I’ve seen every season of “Survivor.” Somewhere around the eighth or ninth I missed one. And from what I heard it was bad. So I can’t say for sure that “Survivor: One World” was the worst season of “Survivor.” But I can say it had to be close. Yes Kim should have … Continue Reading →
Warning, major spoilers about “Survivor: One World” episode 13 ahead. Man, Kim must be a really nice person. Everybody loves her. Which should make it easy for all the other contestants Sunday night when she wins a million bucks. Let’s face it, she’s going to win. Nobody’s even given her much competition since horrid Colton … Continue Reading →