Audiences across the globe ventured to local cinemas in droves to catch Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, the fourth film in Disney’s popular swashbuckling franchise. Even though the critics hated it, it made money, so the Mouse House is naturally aiming to get a fifth film rolling as soon as possible.
X-Men: First Class took a licking but kept on ticking this weekend. The prequel of sorts made an estimated $56 million domestically on a $160 million budget. The ensemble cast of young stars and respected European actors salvaged the franchise reputation earlier damaged by the “Wolverine” spinoff film. This entry scored 88% on Rotten Tomatoes, but like the reception to Thor, this was not enough to bolster the box-office sales.
Looking back over the last decade, few filmmakers have been
as busy as 75-year-old Woody Allen. In fact, he’s directed at least one movie
every year since 1981. But a quick glance at his filmography will show you that
the majority of his most beloved pictures come from the last century. His
post-2000 career has been less than stellar, and this is coming from a huge
Allen admirer. Trust me, you’re not going to find a bigger fan of Crimes and
Misdemeanors, Manhattan, or Hannah and Her Sisters. But I’ll be the first to
admit that he’s been off recently (Cassandra’s Dream, anyone?).
His latest, Midnight in Paris, however, has been a big
success on every level. Critics have gone wild (Paris currently sits at 92%
on RottenTomatoes.com.), and audiences are flocking to art-house theaters to
catch the film. In its opening weekend, Paris earned just under $600,000 in
only six theaters, for the biggest per-theater average of 2011 and one of the
largest of Allen’s career. And it’s showing no signs of slowing down. In its
second weekend, it came in at number seven on the box office charts, earning
$2.6 million on just 58 screens!
After
two disappointing installments, X-Men fans needed some heroes
themselves, people who could revitalize the series and luckily, we got
that with the director of the first two films and the man who was
originally picked to direct X-Men: The Last Stand. The Bryan Singer/Matthew Vaughn combo was able to give the series the kick it needed, making a fun and action-packed film.
If
you’ve been on any movie website within the past several weeks, then
you’ve definitely seen some of the (seemingly endless) casting updates
for The Hunger Games, based on the first of Suzanne Collins’ three novels in the popular series.
Even though it’s a trilogy, Lionsgate plans to make the three books into four films according to Deadline Hollywood. It’s unknown which book will become two films, but given the upcoming finales to Harry Potter and Twilight, it’s very likely that the final book, Mockingjay, will be getting that treatment.
The release of X-Men: First Class
is just about here and we have had a long time getting to know X-Men
characters. Some of them are good and fun, whilst others bad or
disappointing. So to celebrate the release of this summer blockbuster,
let’s look at the best and worst X-Men characters in the film universe.
Bryan
Singer took a charge when he cast model Rebecca Romjin as the
shapeshifting assassin Mystique. Luckily it worked and a fan’s favorite
was given rightful treatment. Mystique uses her powers to great
effective as Magneto’s right-hand man and personal spy. She is not just a
pretty face but also a martial artist who can certainly take on highly
trained soldiers and our favorite Canadian mutant. In the comics she is
more of a rogue, but I will allow a diversion in her character.
