In Contention

Tag: Brooklyn’s Finest

  • SUNDAY CENTS: A very important date

    Alice in Wonderland*All historical figures cited are adjusted to today’s dollars.

    May I introduce the film with the 14th biggest debut of all time, “Alice in Wonderland.” It’s also the biggest March debut, biggest 3D debut and third biggest non-sequel debut of all time. If your goal was to ensure that Tim Burton continues to lazily adapt his gothic style to beloved material over and over again, job well done America.

    Let’s just take a step back for a second. $116.3 million is the figure we’re looking at, which places it right between “X-Men: The Last Stand” and “The Matrix Reloaded.” Those are both huge sequels, released around Memorial Day and are expected to be in this kind of vicinity. No film has ever opened with $100 million outside of May, June, July or November before today but the combination of Burton, Johnny Depp and a bunch of characters made out of McDonalds happy meal toys proved too irresistible to ignore.

    Somehow Burton has built an entire career out of franchises, remakes and studio product aimed at merchandise as much as artistry, yet still maintained auteur credibility and worldwide acclaim. Congratulations to him for that, but a little more “Edward Scissorhands” and a little less “Alice in Wonderland” would be nice.

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  • FRIDAY FORECAST: ‘Alice’ super

    Mia Wasikowska in Alice in Wonderland*All historical figures cited are adjusted to today’s dollars.

    Hot on the heels of “Avatar” crossing the $700 million mark to way less fanfare than I would have thought that would warrant six months ago, 2010 unleashes its very first 3D blockbuster.

    Everything about Tim Burton’s “Alice in Wonderland” screams smash hit and despite looking completely unappealing in every way to yours truly, it will no doubt break some box office records this weekend. Namely, the all-time biggest March debut currently held by the $78.4 million of “300.”

    How much higher can it go?

    Well, I think it’s safe to say that Burton’s personal best, the $92.1 million start for “Planet of the Apes,” is out of reach, but stranger things have happened. Like “Planet of the Apes” grossing $92.1 million for instance. Between the Disney brand, the 3D gimmick, Burton’s cache and Johnny Depp’s star power, every demographic is being reached and with competition non-existent, things are looking very good. I’m going to say $82 million.
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  • ‘Brooklyn’s Finest’ trailer

  • WEEKLY WRAP: Foreign contenders and underdogs

    James McAvoy in The Last Station• The deadline for Best Foreign Language Film entries passed, as Israel and Italy bucked conventional wisdom with their selections.

    • Among the better-received contenders, however, were major festival prizewinners from Australia and Greece. A full list of submissions here.

    • As the smaller studios beef up their Oscar prospects, this week’s Off the Carpet column wondered if this could be the year of the underdog.

    • Speaking of which, Sony Pictures Classics acquired “The Last Station,” a potential awards vehicle for Helen Mirren amongst others.

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  • ‘Brooklyn’s Finest’ to 2010

    Ethan Hawke in Brooklyn's FinestI just noticed the fine print on an invite today that stated “Brooklyn’s Finest,” recently acquired by Overture Films after Senator Entertainment had to give it up, has been slated for a Spring 2010 release.

    The film first landed at Sundance and had its champions there.  In particular, I’ve been hearing a lead actor push for Ethan Hawke was in the cards and many thought he had a fighting chance.  Of course, that category has filled up considerably in recent weeks so maybe it’s wise to get out of dodge.

    Last year Overture did just fine with an April release for “The Visitor,” landing a Best Actor nomination for Richard Jenkins and sustaining the conversation throughout the year.  Maybe a similar strategy will be deployed for Hawke in Antoine Fuqua’s film.

  • 9/14 Web Round-up

    Christopher Plummer• Overture angles for the domestic rights to Antoine Fuqua’s “Brooklyn’s Finest,” perhaps giving a leg up to Ethan Hawke in the Best Actor race. [Variety]

    • Is Charles Darwin too controversial for American multiplexes? [CHUD]

    • Christopher Plummer at 80, busy as ever. [The Toronto Star]

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  • Man down in Venice

    Shirley Henderson in Life During WartimeWhether due to general festival raggedness or some iffy shrimp, I’ve been decidedly under the weather today, and a day spent in a darkened movie theater was not the obvious solution. So I’m writing to you from a quiet cafe on a canalside terrace near the Biennale site, where a combination of sunshine and pistachio pastries are doing the healing.

    Luckily, my festival time-out has coincided with a bit of a lull in the lineup, apparently quite normal at this stage in the proceedings: no Competition title in the last two days has really set the Lido alight, with the reviews for George A. Romero’s “Survival of the Dead” suggesting the Venice programmers’ mainstream punt hasn’t paid off.

    (I was, however, a little disappointed to miss a midnight premiere of Antoine Fuqua’s out-of-competition “Brooklyn’s Finest,” which has accumulated some buzz for Ethan Hawke’s performance.)

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  • Calm before the storm

    It’s awfully quiet in Oscar blog country, isn’t it?

    Admittedly, it’s not unusual for this point in the season. All the possible precursor cards have been dealt ahead of Thursday’s nominations, and in a year that offers fewer possibilities than most, all we can do is wait, shuffling and reshuffling the same predictions in vain hope of a ‘eureka’ moment. Meanwhile, with Tuesday’s rather more significant ceremony looming, it’s hardly surprising people’s minds are elsewhere.

    We could usually rely on Sundance to keep us distracted during this lull, but as Kris and others (including the travelling Bagger) have noted, there’s even less noise emerging from Park City. I’ve been dutifully reading the reviews coming out of the festival, and have yet to get even politely excited about any of them. So, “Brooklyn’s Finest” was the first big buy of the festival, but how much anticipation can one really muster over an Antoine Fuqua cop drama starring Richard Gere?

    Beyond that, going by Anne Thompson has to say, mumblecore comedy “Humpday” sounds like an amusing diversion, with the Bagger suggesting it’s the first film at Sundance to “break through and connect.” An improv-based effort about two straight college buddies who make a self-starring gay porno, I’m guessing (and hoping) its charm exceeds that of the pitch.