Edward Norton has been under fire from the press lately (first it was the final cut debacle, then the snubbed writing credit, and now his refusal to do interviews), but you’ve gotta admire his willingness to film this “Hulk” parody for “Jimmy Kimmel Live!”
Many will point to his comment about Wall*E as the funniest moment of the clip, but listen more carefully to hear Norton totally burn Ang Lee’s 2003 rendition of the Big Green Guy.
This weekend is all about second chances, with two tarnished movie names seeking just a little bit of box-office redemption. The results don’t seem all that hard to predict….
* As noted by our own Jason Zingale, the rebooted “The Incredible Hulk” was marked by back stage power struggles, not a new phenomenon when actor and semi-inevitable pseudonymous co-screenwriter Edward Norton is involved in a production. Still, from the sound of things, the film will be a hit. While Norton has admitted to fighting Marvel Studios on behalf of his and director Louis Leterrier’s somewhat longer original cut of the film, it sounds now as if that fuss will only add to the film’s commercial potential when the inevitable DVD director’s/star’s cut makes it way to your local big-box outlet just in time for a big green Christmas. The second film from the now self-contained superhero filmmaking outfit really does look like another box-office winner, turning the financial frowns generated by Ang Lee’s uneven “The Hulk” upside down.
Specifically, while reviews don’t drive superhero flicks, good ones certainly didn’t hurt “Iron Man.” In this case, the positive response is likely somewhat boosted by low expectations — generated not only by the prior film, but also by the fact that director Leterrier is no critical fave. Most critics seem pleasantly surprised, but make a point of emphasizing that “The Incredible Hulk” is not quite up to the same level of quality of director as Jon Favreau’s likably character-driven superhero hit — A.O. Scott calls this “the Adequate Hulk” and Robert Wilonsky, a bit more positive deems it “the Pretty Good Hulk.” (The headline writer came up with “The Not-Terrible Hulk.”) Nevertheless, between the reviews and the studio tracking reported by Variety, the film clearly appears to be a more than acceptable means of separating fanboys and more general audiences from their entertainment dollars, while generating interest in a later DVD purchase — or two. All in all, it spells good times for Marvel Studios and Big Greenie.
* Fiscal redemption may be a lot harder to come by for this weekend’s other major new release, “The Happening,” in which people spontaneously off themselves for reasons unknown. The newest film from the most famous director ever with an unpronounceable/unspellable name, acclaimed tyro writer-director turned critical punching bag M. Night Shyamalan, stands unreviewed by Bullz-Eye, though from what the mighty Tomatometer tells us, it sounds like our critics might not be missing much. On the other hand, Manohla Dargis finally persuades me she really is as good a writer as my fellow cinephiles say she is, with her spirited, if qualified, defense and this crackerjack doozy of an opening graph:
The knives had been out and sharpened long before M. Night Shyamalan’s latest movie, “The Happening,” opened on Friday. A fine craftsman with aspirations to the canon, this would-be auteur has, in the last few years, experienced a sensational fall from critical and commercial grace, partly through his own doing — by making bad movies and then, even after those movies failed, by continuing to feed his ego publicly — and partly through the entertainment media that, once they smell weakness, will always bite the hand they once slathered in drool.
Accurately stated, I fear, when it comes to the gentlefolk of the press. As for audiences, while the still rising star of Mark Wahlberg and the genuine appeal of costars John Leguizamo and the usually wonderful Zooey Deschanel (not so much here, says Dargis and every other review I looked at) won’t hurt, I’m sixth-sensing another big disappointment here. Certainly, it’s a little strange to hear the studio making a big deal in their advertising about this being Shyamalan’s first R-rated film, as if a little extra blood and maybe an F-word or two was reason enough to plop down $10-15.
It’s a classic case of trying to turn a liability into an asset, but with Shymalan’s brand set as a not quite master of politely old-fashioned thrills and chills, the gorehounds aren’t going to be coming out for this one. Also, there’s the issue of the title and a certain lesser-known hit by the Supremes sure to kill any sense of horror in those who grew up hearing it, which I discuss over at my other blogging home. In any case, there are any number of strong flicks in competition, most especially the well-regarded family-friendly “Kung Fu Panda,” so “The Happening” will be lucky to come in the top 5.
* It’s looking like a quiet Father’s Day weekend in Lake Indiewood, where the men are not always good looking but the reviews are all above average. However, the (so far) 100% Tomatometer latest from the Duplass Brothers looks promising. Their “The Puffy Chair” is one of the cornerstones of the so-called mumblecore movement, and “Baghead” the comedic, semi-horror flick about the indie film biz, debuting in — where else — Austin, Texas — sounds like fun, if only for another chance to see the fetching Greta Gerwig from the controversially low-key “Hannah Takes the Stairs.” Say what you will about the film (which I quite liked but I could imagine hating, if I disliked the sound of neurotic people talking), she’s a cutie.
This is one of those rare weekends where, my predictions are called more or less correctly. Yay for me. (Hey, I also completely nailed the ultimate Democratic primaries results last winter — not that I ever get credit for this stuff.)
* “Kung Fu Panda” delivered the Five Point Exploding Heart Technique to naysayers with a powerful $60 million opening weekend. Nikki Finke points out that almost any animated film about something furry seems to do well, which is true, but I’ll point out her other observation, which is that “Panda” is “playing” more like an action film than a kidflick. Seems to me this is another combination of the power of films that combine adult and kid appeal which, in an especially strong film reaches beyond parents and into people without kids (and not just fanboy geeks like yours truly).
In fact, I pretty much knew this one was going to exceed expectations when I attended traffic school yesterday when a rather obnoxious (and really large) guy who kept babbling throughout the day, asked me out of no place during the class if “Kung Fu Panda” was out and seemed delighted when I tersely muttered “yes.” Also, an “insider” attributes part of the success to the popularity of pandas. This brings up some questions, such as, on the hierarchy of species, what are the panda’s Q rating…and is panda the new penguin? Only time, and unimaginative movie executives, will tell.
* “You Don’t Mess with the Zohan” didn’t mess up anyone’s expectations much, and the magic of Adam Sandler’s name delivered a reliable $40 million to a grateful Sony Studios. No word on whether or not the movie received any bump from the not-so sizable Jewish market grateful to see a bad-ass Jew for a change. (In movies, as in real life, you pretty have to go to Israel for that kind of thing.)
One item I found interesting from Nikki Finke’s column is that the audience for the film was divided about evenly between males and females, which is not what you really expect for this kind of comedy. Is the Judd Apatow brand — and the guy only cowrote the film (back when he wasn’t yet famous) — really that strong with lay audiences? Considering his string of hits, it’s not impossible that he could have developed a bit of a brand name in there some place.
* As for the ongoing hits, there plenty of b.o. (that’s “box office”) to go around, with “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” and “Sex and the City” both doing very respectably in the low $20 millions.” Last weekend’s surprise minihit, “The Strangers,” experienced a typical drop for a horror flick in its second week, earning about $9.25 million. Meanwhile, “Iron Man” flies on nicely with just over $7.5 million earned over the weekend.
* In the limited release sweepstakes, as I thought might happen, the general buzz and critical excitement generated by the violent swords & sandals-go-East Ghengis Khan biopic, “Mongol” really did seem to pay off this weekend, as the film exceeded even my own hopes and made it into into the top twenty while playing at only five theaters nationwide — earning an epic $26,600 at each theater on average, despite subtitles and a complete lack of names familiar to an American audience. This looks like a good blow for the seemingly lost cause of old fashioned storytelling. Expect a much wider release for this one and check out the almost outstanding trailer. (I say “almost” because it’s really getting to be time to retire the use of metal-style guitars at the of every action film trailer, especially if it’s a period piece. Also, did Picturehouse really need to add all that narration? Do they really think letting some guy talk over the whole trailer will make audiences think it’s not in an Asian tongue?)
* Two other indie releases had acceptable debuts for indies, the Box Office Mojo tells us — though nothing on the scale of “Mongol.” The English drama “When Did You Last See Your Father?” earned $41,100 at eight theaters. And the workplace comedy “The Promotion“, which I didn’t mention last time, received $28,900 in compensation at six theaters, despite weak reviews for an indie. Chalk that one up to the growing familiarity and even star power of John C. Reilly and, I guess, Seann William Scott (not my favorite performer, but I guess someone likes him) despite blasé reviews, never good news for a small-scale an indie flick.
Your comedy dollar is going to be hard fought for this weekend, with two cannily commercial entries making their debut, both of which seem destined for a success. But, how much, and which one will emerge on top? Or, could the R-rated counter-programming smash, “Sex and the City,” continue its sensuous reign? Most likely not, but even the mighty Variety feared to make a call between the two action-packed comedies. I’m nevertheless going out on a limb this week, but a pretty strong one….
* “Kung Fu Panda” is set to bring in about $40 million, says Holllywood Reporter resident oracle Carl DiOrio. Could be, could be more, says me. If there is any one set rule in the wacky world of showbiz where no one knows nothin’, it’s that movies appropriate for smallish children that adults get at least a small amount of entertainment always do well and, if they’re entertaining enough, they can be enormous. That’s the formula that’s driven the revolution in digitally animated films that owe a great deal to the anarchy and sophistication of classic era Warner Brothers cartoons.
This newest DreamWorks production seems like a strong enough contender; with a fresh concept and very big names in the voice cast (Jack Black, Angelina Jolie, Dustin Hoffman), there’s no reason this one can’t exceed expectations in a big way. In any case, positive, though not rapturous, reviews indicate that the film has some fairly strong adult appeal, which should help guarantee some longevity for this release.
Also, this is a movie that benefits from what you might call the “40-Year-Old Virgin” rule — movies whose title alone sufficiently explains an appealing premise tend to do well. I mean, what part of “Kung Fu Panda” does anyone over age four not understand? So, the only question is — how much do family audiences like pandas and martial arts? I’d say they like them both plenty. In terms of what’s visible to prospective filmgoers, the only thing “Panda” lacks is the character design genius of Pixar — but there’s only one Pixar.
* Still, I wouldn’t dare mess with “You Don’t Mess with the Zohan,” the latest from Adam Sandler. This is an interesting one, in that I, someone who has never found Adam Sandler even slightly funny (exceptions: the “Hannukah Song” and, for some reason, Opera Man), actually find the premise here — an Israeli super-commando tries to turn his metaphorical sword into scissors and gel as a hair stylist — quite amusing. It might be the participation of two undoubted, though also uneven, geniuses of the funny — Judd “I Rule the Comedy Box-Office” Apatow and SNL writer and Conan O’Brian cohort Robert Smigel, creator of Triumph, the Insult Comic Dog, the Ambiguously Gay Duo (voiced by Stephen Colbert and Steve Carrell), and, even better, the Superheroic Ex-Presidents.
As a stereotypically overly self-conscious liberal American Jew, I find making fun of ultra-confident killer Israelis incredibly amusing if done correctly, and I admit to getting a kick out of just reading the reviews, even if most of them are not all that impressed. However, though you’d never know it on any given night at Canter’s Deli or any Chinese restaurant in Manhattan, my tribe is less than 2% of the population. The Sandler name is going to be main selling point here. I guess the main question here is whether we’re finally ready for comedies touching on issues like terrorism and the Middle East. Should do at least a whole lot better than the disastrous but actually very likable “American Dreamz.”
(Reading tip: those of sharing my obsessions with Israeli stereotypes will want to read this incredibly long and interesting Smigel interview with Nathan Rabin of the Onion AV Club interview. You can also see an old SNL favorite of mine via embed at the AV club — it’s “Sabra Price is Right” in which Smigel first mined the Zohan vein of comedy, with the help of Tom Hanks in absolute top form.)
Meanwhile in Indiewood…. A rather large number of interesting films are opening in limited release, but I’ll give you two this week. First, off, along with “You Don’t Mess with the Zohan”, we have another film with a complete sentence for a title. “When Did You Last See Your Father?” is, of course, in every other way, a very different kettle of fish — a kitchen sink style literary adaptation from the UK debuting on eight screens and starring two of Britain’s best, Colin Firth and Jim Broadbent. Considering all the thud and blunder and silliness in theaters, this could be a stronger than expected bit of counterprograming that might grab middle-aged and older filmgoers with the eternal issue of father/son relationships, or not. Frankly, this is the kind of film which usually needs to grab a few Oscar nominations to make much of an impression, but it’s coming out a bit early for that, though it didn’t hurt last years mini-sleeper, the lovely and sad Canadian flick “Away from Her,” directed by Sarah Polley.
Also benefiting from a bit of critical hoopla is “Mongol,” a violent epic and the first film in a projected trilogy about the life of a certain very famous Mongol leader. (A.O. Scott has already dubbed it “Ghenghis Khan: The Early Years”). This best foreign language picture nominee is from a Russian director, has a Japanese star, and is shot in Mongolian. Can this one break through the subtitle barrier like a Mel Gibson ultraviolence orgy or “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon”? Maybe or maybe not, but it looks like it’s worth a look.
And now I suddenly have a craving for Mongolian barbecue. Damn.
This globetrotting South Korean action fest from writer-director Kwak Kyung-Taek is said to have the biggest budget in the history of that nation’s film industry, and it certainly shows as both the ocean and landlocked action sequences are elaborate as can be – lots of stuff blows up real good and the rest of it gets really soaking wet. But, as is so often the case with bloated action pics, the film has more serious problems when it comes to issues like story and acting.
“Typhoon” brings us Korean superstar Jang Dong-Kun as Sin, a North Korean refugee turned modern day pirate on an insane mission of nuclear revenge against the entirety of Korea. Opposing him is Lee Jung-Jae as a stalwart South Korean agent. Bringing some pathos to the story is Lee-Mi-Young, affecting as his gravely ill, long lost sister. The story, simple as it is, comes across as something of a mess to this non-Korean – a problem that’s likely been made worse by some sound problems on the DVD during a lengthy, unsubtitled and all but unintelligible English language section, as well as by the fact that the version on the Genius Products release has been cut down by 16 minutes from the original 124 minute release. Another problem is that Lee Jung-Jae’s agent is one dull, super-stoic action-hero. Fortunately, Dong-Kin brings lots of crazy emotion to the party as an ultraviolent, revenge crazed, ex-cannibal Jack Sparrow on meth, who we are invited to sympathize based on his tragic childhood and the fact that the really does love his sister. “Typhoon” doesn’t even begin to hang together, but thanks to a ton of action and shameless emotion, it’s usually not dull.
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