Friday! It’s that time again and man it’s finally starting to get uncomfortably hot this summer which means, if you’re like us, you go to the movies more often to beat the heat, possibly catching whatever, or finding that excuse to see that smaller indie you still haven’t got around to seeing, but you always meant to.
The box-office this weekend is obviously already all about and owned by “Harry Potter & the Half-Blood Prince.” The David Yates-directed sixth installment of the teen wizards franchise has become almost a license to print money. Yesterday it sent a opening-day worldwide record grossing $104 million globally. That’s all in one day starting with midnight screenings. ‘Half-Blood Prince’ amassed $58.4 million in the U.S. So there’s still receipts to be counted for Thursday and then the rest of the weekend. Surpassing the $100 million mark in the U.S. seems extremely tenable, but DeadlineHollywood predictions of $200 million in North America seem like massive exaggeration (what else is new…)
That’s it for wide-release because the studios are apparently not dumb enough to face off against that behemoth. It’s all ‘Potter’ this weekend and there’s essentially no competition. Yikes, but good for WB. Critically, the has been accepted as well and it has a very positive 84% Rotten Tomatoes rating which is generally rare for tentpole films. One of the Playlist loved it too. We’re all for well-executed blockbusters and ‘Half-Blood Prince,’ seems to be one of those.
In Limited Release: There seems to be also one fairly obvious choice in terms of its mainstream visibilty and that would have to be Marc Webb’s alleged “anti-love story” film, “500 Days of Summer” starring indie-boy dream girl Zooey Deschanel and Joseph Gordon Levitt. We feel the 89% rating on RT is a little high, it’s an above average indie romantic comedy (no matter what the filmmakers say), but it might not change your life. That said, it is endearing and what we liked about it most is how it looks at male heartache (and it is a male-centric film from a 20-something POV) as a rite of passage and how it examines coming to grips with adultlescent emotional maturity and the capacity to feel true love and pain. 20-something films ala “Garden State,” can be fairly irritating and predictable: Lots of indie-rock (mainstream music for 20s-something deluding themselves into thinking what they’re listening to is underground), movie music moments and generally tons of wallowing in self-pity, but we’re happy to say that ‘500 Days of Summer’ mostly avoids those trappings and its charms help us overlook any of its minor faults.
Next up is Boaz Yakin’s new film. Remember him? He made a splash with his 1994 debut, “Fresh,” and then.. went away? Nope he directed a few minor things including,”Remember The Titans,” with Denzel Washington, but his name was overshadowed by the actor and seems to have generally gone under the radar. His latest picture is, “Death In Love,” and it has a decent cast of Jacqueline Bisset, Josh Lucas and Adrien Brody. The film is called a “a provocative psychosexual tale set at the crossroads where family, history and sexuality collide.” Glad nobody invited us that it! It sounds like it could use all the help it could get, because it only has a fairly mediocre 58% RT rating
Mischa Barton is not having the best week ever. She just was just hospitalized yesterday for unknown “medical issues” and making matters worse Access Hollywood made it sounds like she had cracked a gasket and been put on involuntary psychiatric watch. Making matters worse her new film, “Homecoming” 0% rating
and it’s not because no critics have seen it. There at least nine reviews and all from real sources like the New York Times, Variety, the Village Voice, etc. We really think this girl should take care of herself and then stop acting because it seems fairly evident that she’s terrible at it. But you know, get better.
Our number one most highly anticipated film in limited release and one we’re very bummed that we weren’t invited to!, is the new Shane Meadows film called, “Somers Town.” It’s a black and white, coming-of-age tale about two teenagers, both newcomers to London, who forge an unlikely friendship over the course of a hot summer. It has an excellent 95% rating and Meadows is quickly developing a great body of work that includes films like, “This Is England” and “Dead Man’s Shoes.” He doesn’t seem to get his proper due in North America and that seems to be a shame, but his films are extremely humanist and raw (and often harsh in that kitchen-sink English manner).
After that we get “The Way We Get By,” about group of senior citizens who gather daily at a small airport to thank American soldiers departing and returning from Iraq. It has a strong 88% RT rating. Lastly we have, “A Woman In Berlin,” German director Max Färberböck’s tale of women abused during the dying days of WWII. It has a mixed 60% rating, but few have seen it and it only has 6 reviews attached. The Playlist chief liked it quite a bit and especially the manner in which victims and abusers are depicted in symbiotic co-existing, but soul-destroying relationships, but one of our contributors did not.
You’re gonna see what you’re gonna see. We wont berate you for it, but try and see “Somers Town,” if/when you can. It looks great and Meadows needs more recognition. Happy hunting out there and try and stay cool (might we suggest a swim if these movies all seem unappealing).
I love your site, I truly do. But it's slightly disheartening to see(read?) that you seem very unimpressed with most(not all) films, trailers, or music for that matter. You just seem kinda negative.
Nah, we just have critical faculties. Most movie and music blogs tend to be promo machines that are "hooray for movies!" "hooray for music!"
We tend to have a bit more a discerning eye and ear. A lot of ppl to seem really mediocre or OK stuff skate by.
Why? Why would you recommend something that is just ok?
Like Cold Souls? Ever indie critic at Sundance loved that film and wow, really? It's so bland, so… it has zero pulse.
There's no hate in that. It's always a shame when a film fails. We love the art. We want it to be great. If you see that as negative or hate, that's your perogative, but am not going to apologize for looking at things critically and with a sharp eye.
There's also plenty of other sites out there that are really forgiving about everything and if you want to spend your money based on their recommendations, feel free. But you know, best of luck with that.
You guys should have included an "All of the above" vote option for the "Dumbest movies announced in 2009".
I like the site's coverage and opinionated posts because where I live some of the smaller films won't come out at least until a month after being released in major cities. Or just at the rental store.
My opinions differ a lot of times from yours (like for Public Enemies), but the reviews/criticisms and the coverage of the reception of movies is appreciated.
I like the Links to other sites as well, a good touch for a movie blog.
Indeed, summer is a hard time to be positive about most movies.
@ Anonymous
I'm gonna differ from Rod on this one. As a Playlist contributor, I hate all movies. Most of us do. There hasn't been a film of any quality made since the 1940s. Everything since is crap. We only do this because of the great money Rod pays us – yeah, that massive salary; I have a home in every Key.