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Is ‘Man of Steel’ ready to fly over the competition?

June 14, 2013 /

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Can you really have summer with a superhero?

If a franchise needed a layup, it’s today’s opening of “Man of Steel”. The darker Superman reboot stars Henry Carvill and opens this weekend against solid holdovers, but only one major opening release. Much is riding on “Man of Steel”. The film has been rumored to cost well over $200 million and will be used as a barometer in deciding the course of future DC Comics superhero films including the upcoming “Justice League”, based on the adventure of Superman, Batman and others.

It remains to be seen if “Truth, Justice, and the American way” can catch on with a broad audience. So far, Warner brothers is encouraged with midnight showings already having raked in $21 million. Don’t worry about finding a seat. It’ll be playing in 4,207 locations with a majority having 3D options.

From superheroic to super funny “This Is The End” opens features a ton of comedians playing themselves…sorta. It’s the apocalypse, but the end of the world is a bit more fun thanks to James Franco, Jonah Hill, Seth Rogen, Craig Robinson and Jay Baruchel. Oh, and Rihanna’s in it, too, but we’ll check it out anyway.

If you’re not into guys in capes or a lot of guys in laughs, you still have choices…

20 Feet from Stardom – If you’ve ever wondered about life as a backup singer, here’s your chance. Hear great voices and likely watch a tear or two shed. Starring Merry Clayton, Lisa Fischer, and Judith hill.

Fukrey – Bollywood comedy about four college pals who come across wacky characters. Stars Priya Ananad, Ali Fazal, Pulkit Samrat, and Varun Sharma.

The Bling Ring – Directed by Sofia Coppola, the film stars Emma Watson and Leslie Mann as cool kids who decide to rob celebrities like Paris Hilton. Hide your valuables.

Hatchet III – Full disclosure: I haven’t seen the first two, but it’s a horror film, there’s a swamp, massive bloodshed, a voodoo curse…and of course, a hatchet. Knock yourselves out. Stars Danielle Harris, Kane Hodder, and Zach Galligan.

In the Fog – In 1942 USSR, there’s German occupation and when railworker Sushenya is arrested for a crime he didn’t commit, a German officer lets him go. From there, all heck breaks loose. Stars Vladimir Svirskiy, Vladislav Abashin, and Sergei Kolesov.

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Will Universal’s ‘Purge’ Fast and Furious?

June 7, 2013 /

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Don’t be surprised if this week a low budget film manages to “Purge” the competition.

Universal’s “The Purge” has not only jumped out in the race to the ever changing top of the box office, but it’s managed to make it’s money back before it’s first full weekend.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the film starring Ethan Hawke and Lena Headley (Game of Thrones) has already made it’s $3 million budget. The home invasion thriller about a family under attack from gun and machete wielding citizens has already grossed $3.4 million thanks to midnight and late night showings. It’s late Thursday haul has already outpaced the Owen Wilson/Vince Vaughn comedy “The Internship” which has pulled in only $800,000. Whether either can take down the reigning box office leader “Fast & Furious 6” remains to be seen.

If you’re not into home invasions or middle age guys interning at Google, then you have choices ranging from the musical to the factual…

Much Ado About Nothing – Joss Whedon fans need not wait until “Avengers 2” for their Whedon fix. This time, he takes on the classic Shakespeare comedy. It stars Amy Acker (“Person of Interest”) and Alexis Denisof (“How I Met Your Mother”) and Clark Gregg. Yes, Agent Coulson is in the house!

Violet and Daisy – Two teenage female hitmen (uh hitgirls) latest job takes on an unexpected turn. Stars Saoirse Ronan (“Hanna”), Alexis Biedel (“Gilmore Girls”), DannyTtrejo (“Machete”), and James Gandolfini (“Sopranos”). Written by Geoffrey Fletcher (“Precious”).

Dirty Wars – This timely documentary features investigative reporter Jeremy Scahill goes after the truth behind America’s covert wars.

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TV Networks embrace poker . . . again

June 6, 2013 /

ESPN seems to cover every major sport these days, with soccer being the fastest growing part of the portfolio. It’s amazing how much impact ESPN can have when they “bless” a sport. With poker, we saw a huge explosion in popularity over the past 15 years, and the amount of poker on television certainly fueled that growth, with ESPN being a huge part of that. Viewers will be reminded of that now that the World Series of Poker is around the corner, and ESPN will have plenty of coverage across its various channels. The WSOP poker buzz takes the game to another level, and every sport/game needs a signature event to take the excitement to another level, but poker on TV has become much more than just an annual circus around this event.

Poker on television has grown for years, though the shenanigans by the feds has at times thrown some cold water on the poker boom. That hasn’t done much to slow down all of the various television outlets desperate for entertainment content, so finding a poker game on TV usually hasn’t been that difficult. But the uncertainty surrounding the federal regulatory climate has had an some impact on the game. It’s always a buzz kill when big name sites get into a fight with the feds.

Now things are heating up again, as recent court decisions have basically given a green light to the states to set up their own regulatory frameworks. Unfortunately the dysfunction in Washington has made it impossible to get uniform rules throughout the country, but state actions are reinvigorating the poker movement.

Meanwhile, the television big wigs are paying attention, and we’re going to see another big push into poker content. Showtime will air the 2009 documentary “All In – The Poker Movie” about how poker became part of the mainstream culture in the US. This will be the TV premiere of this film. More TV shows like “Queens are Wild,” , a new reality show from NBC Universal is another example. It will follow four female poker players around the world. Babes and poker – we agree that’s probably a winning formula!

So get ready for the next TV poker boom!

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Will “After Earth” have a Furious opening?

May 31, 2013 /

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What should’ve been a much ballyhooed science fiction film could be a reason why there’s no “Take your son to work” day.

The $150 million dollar sci-fi epic “After Earth” hits theaters this weekend, but the big story may be about how nepotism may cripple this film out of the gate. Starring Will Smith as a military general who attempts to connect with his son when they crash land on a post-apocalyptic Earth, the film has been skewered by critics. A weak screenplay (written by director M. Night Shyamalan) based on a story by Will Smith, coupled with the bad performance of Smith’s son Jaden has drawn the ire of critics.

Although “After Earth” doesn’t have any big ticket competition debuting this week, the holdovers from last week will attempt to make this a soft opening for the Fresh Prince and son. Last week’s trio of blockbuster sequels “Fast & Furious 6”, “The Hangover III”, and “Star Trek: Into Darkness” should have a say in how far “After Earth” goes. And then, there’s magic…

“Now You See Me” features the story of what happens when a group of magicians rob banks to give to the poor or at least people who don’t ask for rabbits. Performing the slight-of-hand is Jesse Eisenberg, Mark Ruffalo, Woody Harrelson, Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman.

If battling aliens, father-son duos, race cars and prestidigitation aren’t your thing, you have options:

The Kings of Summer – If you miss “Stand By Me”, get ready for this coming of age film about three friends who decide to spend their summer building a house in the woods. It stars Nick Robins, Gabriel Basso, and Nick Offerman (“Parks and Recreation”)

The East – A beautiful P.I goes undercover to take down a criminal group who are taking out major corporations. Wait, that’s a bad thing? Stars Brit Maring (“Sound of My Voice”), Alexander Skarsgard (“True Blood”), and Ellen Page (“Juno”)

Shadow Dancer – Continues the undercover theme as a member of the IRA who has to choose between spying on her family or going to prison for her part in a bombing. Stars Andrea Risenborough, Aidan Gillen, Clive Owen, Gillian Anderson (“X-Files”)

Movies

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