Jumper

Tomatometer: 16%

Doug Liman (The Bourne Identity, Mr. and Mrs. Smith) takes one of the year’s most interesting science fiction concepts — space-jumping teenagers hopping all over the world — and turned an incoherent mess into theaters last February. Now you can see that mess for yourself on DVD!

Bonus Features:

Considerable behind-the-scenes features and a commentary track with Liman, producer Lucas Foster, and co-writer Simon Kinsberg (X-Men: The Last Stand) might make up for the movie itself. A sequel was planned — that is, until Jumper failed to make back its own budget — so if you’d like to see Hayden Christensen frolic across the space continuum again, help Liman out and buy the DVD.

The Bucket List

Tomatometer: 41%

Two Oscar-winning septuagenarians hit the road for one last comic hurrah before they retire in Rob Reiner’s sentimental schmaltzfest. Before you skip to the next release, consider the fact that The Bucket List made more money in theaters than any other title this week. “Life is short — live a little!” Morgan and Jack seem to tell us. But what does the bonus menu have in store…?

Bonus Features:

A music video for John Mayer’s “Say,” and precious little else? How did they know that was the one thing we had left to do on our bucket list??

The Other Boleyn Girl

Tomatometer: 41%

Some people like their world history with a healthy dose of soap. (We also like good movies, but that’s just us.) As Anne and Mary Boleyn, Natalie Portman and Scarlett Johansson give a valiant heave of the bosom, but this version of King Henry VIII’s love triangle with two sisters is bloodless melodrama.

Bonus Features:

As with Phillippa Gregory’s source novel, The Other Boleyn Girl is more intriguing for the real-life history of Tudor England than for its fictionalized drama. History buffs will get a kick out of features about the real life royals and Gregory’s wildly popular book, but everyone else…is probably already falling asleep.

Funny Games

Tomatometer: 49%

The first time Michael Haneke made Funny Games in Austria, critics were terrified and impressed. This time around, his tale of home invasion — shot nearly scene-by-scene in English and starring Naomi Watts and Tim Roth — proved too sadistic for the uninitiated. Is America ready for cerebral horror?

Bonus Features:

Perhaps Haneke wants the film to speak for itself. You’ll have to work through the exercise in complicit viewer sadism yourself, since there are zero features to accompany this disc.

John Adams

Tomatometer: N/A

Paul Giamatti and Laura Linney stand out in this handsome HBO miniseries about U.S. President and founding father John Adams in the early days of American independence.

Bonus Features:

The celebrated series comes in a three-disc release, just in time for Father’s Day. An hour of extras includes documentaries and pop-up trivia that deliver even more history. Shop at HBO.com and pick up nifty “Join or Die” swag.

Witless Protection

Tomatometer: 00%

No. Just — no.

Bonus Features:

Zero percent, folks. Go back and get John Adams, for goodness sake.

Cult DVD Pick of the Week – Intimate Confessions of a Chinese Courtesan

Tomatometer: N/A

Indulge in the recent wave of Shaw Brothers re-releases and give this lush, action-packed female revenge pic a go. The story of a courtesan who takes her vengeance with a heart-ripping technique known as “ghost hands” (long before the “Kali Ma” cult in Temple of Doom) combines the best elements of 1970s Shaw Bros.: dazzling sets, wuxia, kung fu, lady fighters, eroticism and a touch of the perverse.

‘Til next week, happy viewing!

On Oscar weekend, the best seat on the charts belonged to Vantage Point,
which looked down upon the box office with a strong opening, while the other new
releases left relatively small impressions.

Opening on only 114 screens less than the other three new releases combined,
Sony’s ensemble pic
Vantage Point
opened with a strong $23.8M, according to estimates. Launching on 3,149 screens
nationwide, the political thriller averaged $7,558 per screen while earning less
than positive reviews from critics. The twisted tale of an attempted
Presidential assassination benefited from good advertising and many recognizable
faces in the cast.

 

Second and third places were close between two films which opened last
weekend. Former box office champ, Jumper,
dropped 53% from its 3-day tally and fell to second place with an estimated
$12.65M, bringing its cume to $56M. Most effect-laden sci-fi films have drops of
this size, and the unfavorable reviews with poor word-of-mouth didn’t help
matters. Still, look for Hayden Christensen
and company to end their run in the $85M range. Following closely in third place
was the storybook sensation, The Spiderwick Chronicles
which dropped 33% to $12.6M, according to estimates. Its total now stands at
$43.6M which should lead to a grand finale in the $85M range as well. That would
put the Disney film in line with the last two Disney films released over
President’s Day weekend, 2007’s Bridge to Terabithia
which finished with $82M and 2006’s Eight Below
which ended its run with $81.6M

 

Fourth place went to urban dance flick Step Up 2 The Streets
with an estimated $9.8M, a drop of 48% from last weekend. Adding a new dimension
to cleverly named sequels, the total for the Disney title now stands at $41.4M.
Look for a final gross in the $65M range which would match the original’s $65.2M
from 2006. Anticipation now ramps up for how part three will be named. Fifth
place went to the hard bodies of Matthew McConaughey and Kate Hudson
as their romantic comedy Fool’s Gold
brought in an estimated $6.2M this weekend, bringing their booty to $52.4M.
Sixth place definitely went to another romantic comedy, Definitely, Maybe,
which grossed $5.2M this weekend, according to estimates. This represents a 47%
drop from last weekend, bringing the film’s total gross to $21.8M. Look for a
final total maybe in the $35M range.

 

In another photo finish, seventh and eighth places were taken by two films on
opposite ends of the box office mountain. Currently in seventh is Best Picture
Oscar nominee and Independent Spirit Award winner Juno
which added another $4.1M to its already robust gross, according to estimates.
Its total now stands at $130M after 12 weeks of release. Following closely in
eighth was the
Jack Black and Mos Def
comedy

Be Kind Rewind,
which took in an estimated $4.05M from its opening weekend. Released on only 808
screens, its per screen average was a decent $5,012. Directed by
Michel
Gondry, the reviews for the quirky comedy were mostly positive.

 

Being welcomed into the ninth position was the
Martin Lawrence
homecoming comedy
Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins,
which grossed $3.9M this weekend, according to estimates, bringing its total up
to $35.5M. And rounding out the top ten was another Oscar nominee for Best
Picture, There Will Be Blood, which struck oil again with $2.5M,
according to estimates. Its total now stands at $35M after 9 weeks in theaters.

 

This weekend’s other new releases both debuted outside the top 10.


Larry the
Cable Guy‘s latest attempt a movie career,

Witless Protection
grossed an estimated $2.1M from 1,333 screens for a poor average of $1,643. And
the long delayed
Charlie Bartlett
grossed $1.8M, according to estimates, from 1,122 screens for an average of
$1,622. Look for both these films to find more business on DVD.

 

The top ten films grossed $84.9M which was off 11% from last year when Ghost Rider
remained at number one with $20.1M; and also down 11% from 2006 when Madea’s
Family Reunion debuted in the top spot with $30M.

Author: Sujit Chawla, www.BoxOfficeGuru.com

A terrorist attack is played out through multiple perspectives in the high-octane political thriller Vantage Point which leads the four-pack of new openers which also includes three small comedies. Sony will score its first number one hit since October with this star-driven actioner which boasts a cast that features Dennis Quaid, Forest Whitaker, Sigourney Weaver, Matthew Fox, and William Hurt. The PG-13 pic has the biggest marketing and distribution push of any new release this weekend so a comfortable lead over its competitors should be expected. None of the actors are guaranteed box office sensations, but together they equal one big bankable A-lister.

Adults will make up the primary age group and appeal seems strong to both males and females. The intriguing style of the film will make it stand out from the crowd, although fellow action options Jumper and Fool’s Gold will provide some competition. Plus many adults will be preoccupied with their last chance to see the Oscar nominees before Sunday night’s big show. The five Best Picture candidates banked $14M over Presidents’ Day weekend. Vantage Point should play to the same folks that came out for other star-driven non-special effects action and suspense pics from this time of year like Sahara ($18.1M), The Interpreter ($22.8M) and Premonition ($17.6M). Attacking over 3,000 locations, Vantage Point could open to about $21M this weekend.

Vantage Point

Mos Def and Jack Black in Driving Miss Daisy, er, Be Kind Rewind

Larry the Cable Guy and Jenny McCarthy in Witless Protection

Anton Yelchin and Robert Downey, Jr. in Charlie Bartlett

The Spiderwick Chronicles got off to a solid start last weekend as the only major offering for families and with no new kidpics entering the scene, a smaller decline is assured. Sophomore drops for Disney’s own Presidents’ Day weekend films from the past two years were 37% for Bridge to Terabithia and 21% for 2006’s Eight Below. Spiderwick could fall in between with a 30% fall giving Paramount $13M for the frame and $44M after eleven days.

Following a potent debut, Step Up 2 The Streets will suffer a sizable drop. The dance sequel may lose 45% of its take and gross $10M pushing the eleven-day cume to $42M. Warner Bros. should see its comedy adventure Fool’s Gold drop by 35% to around $8M. Total would climb to $54M.

LAST YEAR: Spending its second weekend on top, Sony’s Ghost Rider starring Academy Award winner Nicolas Cage fell hard but still pulled in $20.1M to top the box office over Oscar weekend. Jim Carrey gave horror a chance with The Number 23 and debuted in second with a solid $14.6M bow. The New Line release eventually grossed $35.2M and was the first of many thrillers in 2007 that marked major Hollywood stars doing their first scary movies. Disney’s Bridge to Terabithia slipped one spot to third with $14.2M in its sophomore frame. Fox’s comedy Reno 911!: Miami debuted in fourth with $10.3M representing half of its eventual $20.3M final tally. Fellow comedy Norbit rounded out the top five with $9.8M in its third session. Opening at the lower rungs of the top ten were the Billy Bob Thornton drama The Astronaut Farmer with $4.5M and the slave trade drama Amazing Grace with $4.1M from a more limited release. Totals reached $11M for Warner Bros. and $21.3M for Goldwyn/Roadside Attractions.

Author: Gitesh Pandya, www.BoxOfficeGuru.com

This week
at the movies, we’ve got views to a kill (Vantage Point, starring
Dennis Quaid
and
Matthew Fox), medicated youth (Charlie Bartlett, starring

Anton Yelchin and
Robert Downey Jr.), a pair of DIY filmmakers (Be Kind Rewind, starring
Jack Black and
Mos Def), and
Southern justice (Witless
Protection, starring
Larry the
Cable Guy). What do the critics have to say?

A
political thriller featuring conflicting eyewitness accounts,
Vantage Point
certainly sounds intriguing, like a cross between
Z and
Rashomon.
Unfortunately, critics say that while the premise is sound, the execution is
lacking. Vantage Point follows eight different people who try to unlock
the truth behind a political assassination attempt, despite their differing
perspectives. The pundits say Vantage Point has some tight, tense
moments, but is ultimately undone by its gimmicky technique and increasingly
far-fetched plot developments. At 33 percent on the Tomatometer, Vantage
isn’t quite on Point.

In the
tradition of
Ferris Beuller’s Day Off,
Charlie Bartlett is the
story of a teen who’s too clever by half. And critics say the movie’s pretty
sharp itself.

Anton Yelchin stars in the
titular role as a teen who’s run afoul with every school he’s attended; in his
latest go-round, Charlie becomes something of a counselor to his classmates —
while attempting to outwit school administrators. The pundits say Charlie
features a star-making performance for Yelchin, as well as some sharp, clever
plotting, though some find it a little toothless. Still, at 56 percent on the
Tomatometer, you’re a (mostly) good man, Charlie Bartlett.

“Crossfire / You’ll get caught up in the / Crossfiyaaaa…”

Michel
Gondry has carved out one of the most distinctive niches in recent cinema; Eternal
Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and
The Science of Sleep exude a mix of
childlike wonderment and dazzling visual inventiveness. But critics say his
latest,


Be Kind Rewind, maintains Gondry’s oddball aesthetic without
the emotional uptick of his previous flicks. The film
stars


Jack Black as a man who has unintentionally erased all the VHS tapes at
his friend’s (Mos Def) video store; the pair team up to remake the movies
themselves. The pundits say that Rewind has sweetness and originality to
spare, but is slighter and less disciplined than Gondry’s previous mind-benders.
At 68 percent on the Tomatometer, Rewind is Kind to the Gondry faithful.

Perhaps
the folks behind

Witless Protection were concerned that movie critics
needed protection from their film, since it wasn’t screened for critics.


Larry the
Cable Guy
stars as a small-town lawman who runs afoul of the FBI after
rushing to the rescue of an attractive witness in a high-profile case, who may
have been victimized by rogue agents. Hilarity (allegedly) ensues. Kids, guess
that Tomatometer!

Also
opening this week in limited release:

• The Oscar-nominated Austrian import
  The Counterfeiters,
  a WWII drama about a money-forging scheme in a concentration camp, is at 91
  percent.

• 
  The Duchess of Langeais, the latest from nouvelle vague legend
  Jacques Rivette,
  is at 68 percent.

• And the low-budget horror flick
  The Signal, a tale of transmissions that
  turn the city into a bunch of mad killers, is at 58 percent.

Recent
Robert Downey Jr. Movies:
——————————————-
89% — Zodiac (2007)
59% — Game 6
(2006)
30% — Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus (2006)
74% —
A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints (2006)
28% — The Shaggy Dog (2006)

Michel
Gondry Movies:
—————————–
92% — Dave Chappelle’s Block Party (2006)
70% —
The Science of Sleep (2006)
94% —
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)
49% — Human Nature (2002)