Movie Tixs To Give Away!
I thought I’d start off this week by announcing I’ve got some free movie tickets to give away.
Thanks to the friendly folk at Icon Films, I’ve got 5 double passes to a preview screening of Creation on Wednesday, July 14. It’s at the Dendy Portside cinemas for a 7pm kick off.
The film stars Jennifer Connelly, Paul Bettany and Jeremy Northam. Here’s a quick plot overview from the IMDB – “What happens when a world-renowned scientist, crushed by the loss of his eldest daughter, formulates a theory in conflict with religious dogma? This is the story of Charles Darwin and his master-work "The Origin of Species". It tells of a global revolution played out the confines of a small English village; a passionate marriage torn apart by the most dangerous idea in history; and a theory saved from extinction by the logic of a child.”
I’m yet to see the film myself (hoping to see it that same night) but you can see the trailer by clicking here.
If you’d like a double pass, shoot me an email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and put “Creation Tickets” as the subject heading. The first 5 people to respond will be allocated the tickets.
Twilight Mania
Twilight mania has again swept the world with the release of the third film. It has taken in $161m in its first five days in the United States which is a solid total. It’s below New Moon but I wouldn’t be complaining if I was an investor.
What surprises me more though is that The Last Airbender (the new film from M. Night Shyamalan) still managed a $57m opening long weekend despite some of the worst reviews ever seen. It has averaged just 4.5 out of 10 on the IMDB and scored just 8% approval from critics on Rotten Tomatoes. Perhaps Roger Ebert summed it up best when he described it as “an agonizing experience in every category I can think of and others still waiting to be invented.” The film is being released in Australia on September 16.
We’re now halfway through the year and the box-office leader for the year is still Alice In Wonderland. Despite lukewarm reviews, the film made $334m in the United States. It won’t be number 1 for long though. Toy Story 3 has taken the world by storm. It’s notched up $289m in just 3 weeks in the U.S. It may set a target which won’t be beaten in 2010. Considering that the original Toy Story made $191m and the sequel made $245m, this is one series which continues to grow in popularity. Incredible.
Mid-Season Report Card
The school kids are on holidays and so the time has come to release my mid-season report card. Here then are my thoughts on the first half of 2010…
Best Films: A Single Man, Crazy Heart, Up In The Air, The Stoning Of Soraya M, Food Inc, I Am Love
Best Performances: Jeff Bridges (Crazy Heart), Colin Firth (A Single Man), Peter Capaldi (In The Loop), Noomi Rapace (The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo), Katie Jarvis (Fish Tank)
Proof That Foreign Language Films Can Be Successful At The Box-Office: The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo – still in the top 20 in Australia after 14 weeks with $5.4m
Proof That Australians Will Support Local Cinema If You Have An Interesting Story: Animal Kingdom – still in the top 10 in Australia after 4 weeks with $3.4m
Proof That Jesus Died In Vain: Sex & The City 2
Another Great Year Foreign Language Films: The Secret In Their Eyes, I Am Love, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, The White Ribbon, The Stoning Of Soraya M
Another Dismal Year For Formulaic Romantic Comedies: The Back Up Plan, When In Rome, I Love You Too, The Bounty Hunter, It’s Complicated
Reasons Why I Like Family Films Which Are Animated: Fantastic Mr. Fox, Toy Story 3, How To Train Your Dragon
Reasons Why I Like Family Films Which Are NOT Animated: Tooth Fairy, Percy Jackson, Nanny McPhee 2, The Spy Next Door
Films I Surprisingly Liked: Remember Me, She’s Out Of My League, Kick-Ass, The Karate Kid
Films I Surprisingly Disliked: Invictus, Alice In Wonderland, The Men Who Stare At Goats, Micmacs
Saw It In London At It Was Great: The Ghost Writer – out in Australia on August 12
Saw It In London At It Was Disappointing: The Killer Inside Me – out in Australia on August 26
Films Looking Forward To In The Months Ahead: Inception, Scott Pilgrim Vs The World, Wall Street 2
Films Not Looking Forward To In The Months Ahead: Killers, Step Up 3D, Piranha 3D, The Last Airbender
Personal Highlight: Interviewing Mia Wasikovska on 612ABC about her roles in Alice In Wonderland and In Treatment
Personal Lowlight: Paying to see Sex & The City 2
Best Movie For Memorable Quotes: In The Loop – also worthy of an award for its excellent use of profanity
Worth The Wait : Rocket Science – released in Australia more than 3 years after it premiered in the United States
It Took 15 Years But I Finally Saw A Decent Sandra Bullock Performance: The Blind Side
Total Films Seen: 100
Total Films Seen Worthy Of An A+: 0