1. Live Free or Die Hard (3,172 Theaters): John McClane is back! And this time, he doesn't have any hair!
Okay, that wasn't the tagline. But wouldn't it be cool if it was?
This one opened yesterday. I guess it was to get a jump on Ratatouille. I have yet to see it. But I might before the weekend's over (assuming the wife is willing to see this and Ratatouille).
When this was announced, people mockingly lumped it in with Rocky Balboa, Rambo IV, and the next Indiana Jones movie as franchises revived by way-too-old-to-play-the-characters actors to try to jump start their careers.
In the case of Die Hard and Indiana Jones, i think they're wrong. McClane is a cop and Indy an archeologist. Age really shouldn't play as much a role in their characters.
I loved the last Die Hard. I loved the interaction between Willis and Samuel L. Jackson. I loved the cat and mouse games. And I loved how the movie tied into the continuity of the two prior.
I don't know how much this is going to tie in to the other three. McClane has an almost grown daughter in this one. And the movie seems to be special effects intensive. Cars flying through the air, cars flying into helicopters, cars falling down elevator shafts, etc. Most of the fun of the Die Hard movies was McClane using his wits to outsmart the bad guys. Hopefully, some of that still remains.
2. Ratatouille (3, 940 Theaters): You know what? The smartest thing Disney ever did was to buy Pixar. I mean, to think, they almost let Pixar get away. Thankfully, Chicken Little helped them come to their senses.
Pixar seems to have the magic touch. They are to computer animation what Walt Disney himself was to painted cel animation. And, I have to admit, I didn't really find a rat who wanted to be a chef all that appetizing (pun intended). But the previews have won me over on that aspect just a bit.
There are articles all over the web putting so much context in director Brad Bird's work. I don't know if its as deep as some writers would have you believe, but it seems that he has captured the perfect blend of kiddie entertainment and serious adult enjoyment. Instead of a few bones thrown at the parents, both generations can enjoy the whole movie.
Critcal acclaim for the film has been overwhelming (a whopping 92% fresh ranking over at Rotten Tomatoes). It is being released in tons of theaters and advance buzz has been good. It looks like Pixar is going to be around for some time to come.
3. Evening (978 Theaters): Box Office Mojo says this is a wide release. I'll just take their word for it.
What I do know is that the movie has a veritable who's who of female acting in it, including two sets of mother/daughters (Redgrave and Richardson, Streep and Gummer).
The plot seems to be a chick flick version of Citizen Kane. A martiarch of a family says the name of a mysterious man on her death bed. Her daughters attempt to find out who it was, leading to a recounting of the last 50 years of the woman's life.
Yeah.
Well, it's nice that there will be something for the ladies to go see while their husbands and boyfriends see FF, Die Hard and the other action movies that are out.
So, what do I think the top 5 will look like? And what will the number one movie be? Will it be John McClane? Or the rat who want to be a chef? Place your bets! Place your bets!
- Ratatouille
- Live Free or Die Hard
- Evan Almighty
- 1408
- Fantastic Four
Yeah, I'm going with Pixar over Bruno. More theaters and more family friendly. Other than that, just a shift of the top three films from last week down two spaces.
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