Chronicle was released on Feb 1,2012 in the United Kingdom and Feb 3,012 in the States. The film exceeded expectations grossing $20,000,000 ...

Chronicle was released on Feb 1,2012 in the United Kingdom and Feb 3,012 in the States. The film exceeded expectations grossing $20,000,000 in its first weekend off an average budget of $15,000,000. It eventually grossed a global cumulative of $123.1m. The film is written by Fear Itself (horror series) writer Max Landis and directed by Josh Trank.
  Josh Trank, at age 27, is one of the youngest directors to top the Northern American box office. He's followed by Spielberg at 28 for Jaws, and Cameron and 30 for The Terminator. Internationally, Trank is the youngest director to top the UK box office.
  Following the trend of The Last Exorcism (2010) and The Devil Inside (2012), Chronicle was filmed in documentary style. Now that doesn't necessarily mean that the movie's commercial and not to mention critical success makes it worthy of an Academt Award for Best Documentary Feature. The film is a little too mainstreamish. The start is pretty uninteresting and the first half seems as if a teenager was just filming his depression status. A famous critic once stated that it takes 20 minutes to lure an audience. For those who stuck around after that time period, either for their responsibility or simply their nonrefundable cash, it was worth it. The movie actually kicks off after the 20 mins of goofing around.

  The plot is a bit simple for sci-fi action. Three friends gain superpowers including telekinesis. One of them is our main filmmaker in the film who doesn't seem to take the heat. As I said before most of the duration comprises of going through his depression and anxiety. Though the sci-fi aspect is commendable. Even viewers, like my best friend, whom aren't used to documentary features will enjoy this one. For action viewers there is plenty of that in between and a handful in the last moments. That is if you don't get dimwitted by teen drama. Fortunately, there is less of that in comparison, and proper emphasis is laid on the story.
  The pros are abundant. It was very smart filming this one in narrative format. For a average-looking story it added a whole new flavour to the recipe. And although I found the storyline predictable. I still stuck through this one as it was so brilliantly directed (not surprised at Josh Trank's success). The dialogues are not too crafty I'm afraid. The jokes aren't all they're cracked up to be. But the lines from our main character are decent enough. Acting is top notch from an otherwise newer film cast. The trio were equally brilliant in their roles. Main cast includes Dane DeHaan, Michael B. Jordan, Alex Russell, Michael Kelly and Ashley Hinshaw.

  To sum up, Chronicle has few plotholes. Its mainly about how people would react after getting super. Genre could be termed as sci-fi psychological drama thriller. It has a USP: its originality of the direction. Trust me this film was way better than last year's Captain America: The First Avenger and X-Men: First Class. For the former it had a more unpredictable story, and for the latter there was a more realistic feeling to teens becoming mutants.  Chronicle is not a must-watch. Nor is it one of the best films of the year. But it is good for a two-time watch chiefly with friends and a huge pack of popcorn.

IMDB: 7.4/10.
Rotten Tomatoes: 85%.
BoxOffice101: 2.5/4.

TW LW Title (click to view) Studio Weekend Gross % Change Theater Count  / Change Average Total Gross Budget* Week # 1 N Think Like a Man...


TWLWTitle (click to view)StudioWeekend Gross% ChangeTheater Count /ChangeAverageTotal GrossBudget*Week #
1NThink Like a ManSGem$33,636,303-2,015-$16,693$33,636,303$121
2NThe Lucky OneWB$22,518,358-3,155-$7,137$22,518,358-1
31The Hunger GamesLGF$14,666,007-30.5%3,752-164$3,909$357,066,467$785
4NChimpanzeeBV$10,673,748-1,563-$6,829$10,673,748-1
52The Three StoogesFox$9,764,214-42.6%3,482+5$2,804$29,919,660$302
63The Cabin in the WoodsLGF$8,016,075-45.6%2,811-$2,852$27,246,247-2
75American ReunionUni.$5,474,565-47.7%3,033-170$1,805$48,518,325$503
84Titanic 3DPar.$5,032,557-57.8%2,515-182$2,001$52,860,574$183
9821 Jump StreetSony$4,750,986-27.6%2,427-308$1,958$127,217,167$426
107Mirror MirrorRela.$4,408,179-35.6%2,938-268$1,500$55,499,932$854

Whoa! I predicted The Lucky One would beat The Hunger Games but it itself succumbed to Think Like a Man a motion picture from Screen Gems. The African-American headed cast have found their movie earning just a little over $30m for the weekend off a budget of $12m. I thought The Lucky One, starring Zac Effron (High Musical Franchise) and Taylor Schilling.
  TLO is based on the novel by best-selling romance author Nicholas Sparks who also has many best-ranking romance movies. So it's no surprise this young starrer beat the comparative Hunger Games. Still Think Like a Man is a very big surprise!
  Another point to consider is that the 3 toppers are all based on novels. The first by Steve Harvery, the 2nd's author mentioned in the above para and the 3rd by Suzanne Collins (the 1st from her trilogy).
  Other big surprises were the performances of Wrath and John Carter at the US box office. They flopped their with mega budgets but were successful globally. Wrath made has made an int. total of above $275m off a budget of $150m. John Carter grossed an international cumulative of above $260m off a reported mega-budget of $375,000,000 (production and marketing). Disney would've had more luck with a sequel to their brilliant but only satisfactory grosser Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time. Jake Gyllenhaal would be happy though I think he prayed for this one to have an epic fail.
  Prince of Persia had grossed over $360m globally off $150-200m which is a hell of a lot better than Carter.
  In the States, The Avengers is releasing on May 4 and I predict it will go to no.1 as it has no competitors that even match up to its title. Battleship, the alien mega-budget thriller is releasing on May 18 so we'll have to see whether it shoves off The Avenger off the top spot. Although, it has a 50% chance as it also stars Taylor Kitsch (Carter) in a vital role...
  Another new opening for this week is the documentary Chimpanzee which finds a chimp Oscar adopted by another chimp in the African forest. The film has grossed just over $10m in its 1st weekend. Well-known comedian Tim Allen is the narrator and the film is from a division of Disney known as Disneynature, again, sorry John Carter.

Die Hard will forever be remembered as one of  the best action films of all time. It had the 3 Cs: perfect characterisation , coordination ...

Die Hard will forever be remembered as one of  the best action films of all time. It had the 3 Cs: perfect characterisation, coordination and above all charisma. Man on a Ledge has 50% of the before-mentioned values.

  Man on a Ledge's concept is about the same as Bruce Willis's Die Hard. An ex-cop and fugitive (Sam Worthington) stands on the ledge of a high-rise building as negotiator (Elizabeth Banks) tries to convince him not to jump. Secrets are revealed during the process and the police must hurry up to find out what made the man jump to such heights. The plot is intriguing, and Banks along with the protagonist played by Ed Harris (The Rock) acted well. The direction well not as good as Die Hard's John McTiernan is above average. The first half is plastered with flashbacks revealing the background story.
  However, the film has many cons. Mainly Worthington is not at all convincing as a man on the ledge of such a high building. He is one of the stone-faced actors of H-town. So it's not surprising he was cast in Terminator: Salvation as a cyborg. Even The Rock is a better actor than him having the ironic stage name. Worthington could be filmed standing on the rooftop of Burj Khalifa without an expression on his face. With such an almost-unique storyline it is depressing that such a followthrough was written. The audience and critics would've expected witty conversations between Banks and Worthington but all we get is wry humour. Action scenes are not worth mentioning to friends and the people watching the scene from the streets seem like wax figures. Where are the gasps? Ironic comments? The direction is a non-thrilling and non-realistic depiction of post-tragedy in New York City. And the motion picture becomes predictable after the first hour of its 102 mins length.

  The film  is directed by Asger Leth and written by Pablo F. Fenjves whose a TV movie writer this being his 1st feature-length film and it comes as no surprise.  He has potential to become great but for the present a mediocre screen-author. It opened at 8th on the US Box Office (Jan 27, 2012) earning a total global gross of just above its $42m budget as deserved. Man on a Ledge is a good thriller and entertaining for a one-time watch. But in the end we realise that this was not worth comparing with Die Hard.

IMDB: 6.7/10.
Rotten Tomatoes: 31%.
Box Office 101: 2/4.

Samuel L. Jackson has starred in both big budget features (The cult classic Pulp Fiction garnering an Oscar nomination, 3 prequels of Star W...

Samuel L. Jackson has starred in both big budget features (The cult classic Pulp Fiction garnering an Oscar nomination, 3 prequels of Star Wars, Lakeview Terrace and ) and low-budget mainstream flicks (Meeting Evil). As of October 011, he is the higest-grossing actor of all time. He's one of my favourite H-wood performers and my favourite African-American thespian. The Samaritan is one where his credentials shouldn't have been.
  The movie consists of Foley (L. Jackson) finishing with 20 years in prison and looking for an end to life as a grifter (con artist). But things start leading to a relapse after he hooks up with a young lady Iris (Ruth Negga). The premise is simple, the direction satisfactory, and the movie is boring. Predictability is high in this neo-noir crime thriller. For those who've watched loads of crime thrillers, please skip this one. For Jackson fans I ask of the same. And the general audience will be delivered with the same. Except the starting quote, ''Nothing changes unless you make it change'', rest of the dialogues are dry. A bad script reigns over a super-cliched background plot. Although you would've like Jackson's character mentioning some intimidating one-liners.
  However, there are pros, although few. The acting by all, especially Jackson is at the highest degree. They breathe life into their characters - sadly what the writers failed to do. The films kicks off well with suspense after 45 minutes. One top critic quoted that a feature-length has to draw viewers in 20 minutes.
  Directed by David Weaver with a script by him and Elan Mastai - The Samaritan is hardly even a onetime watch. And for a better Jackson watch there's the early 2012 released Meeting Evil. With a 3/4 from Box Office 101.

IMDB: 5.7/10.
Rotten Tomatoes: Pending.
Box Office 101: 1/4.

This comedy film is based on a true story. And it seems so as the characterisation is top notch. This one was released at Video on Demand in...

This comedy film is based on a true story. And it seems so as the characterisation is top notch. This one was released at Video on Demand in the US and also filmed at the Toronto Film Festival.
  The film stars none other than Sean William Scott. He's most renowned for starring in the first 3 theatrically released American Pie films. He has also starred in other films like Evolution and the underrated The Rundown with Dwyane 'The Rock' Johnson. His upcoming feature is the 4th cinematic American Reunion reviving his role as the cult favourite Steve Stifler.
  Reunion looks awesome. I loved the 3rd - every scene was laughable. This time, as the title suggests, all the original characters come together again so it's gonna be a blast! It's got 42% from Rotten Tomatoes and was released on April 6 in North America.
  Now for Goon. The story follows a bouncer (W. Scott) becoming an enforcer for a small-time Ice Hockey League and eventually moving up the ranks. The story is kind of original and better than most sports flicks. The acting by W. Scott and Liev Schreiber is well-suited for their roles. The action scenes in the film are catchy. And even a minority of the dialogues make you LOL. Especially between the two actors mentioned.
  On the other hand, though the film has a newer concept most of the scenes aren't so laughable. You'll get through most of the film's funny parts but the drama seems as if it were forced upon. The romantic intimacy between Scott and the female lead (Alison Pill) isn't convincing.
  The film is directed by Michael Dowse and written by Evan Goldberg and Jay Baruchel (who also co-stars). Baruchel is a bad actor he was OK in this though as if he finally found a role that suited him. Which is ironic as he must've constructed him himself. Eugene Levy is cast as Doug Glatt (Scott)'s dad. Levy is also best-known for being in the AP franchise having starred in all 8 films. To sum up, the characterisation and story make up most of the positiveness, but with useless dramatic scenes and also a predictable watch after the first 45 minutes, this is not to be included in Scott's best-movies list.

IMDB: 7.1/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 81%
Box Office 101: 1.5/4.

TW LW Title (click to view) Studio Weekend Gross % Change Theater Count  / Change Average Total Gross Budget* Week # 1 1 The Hunger Games...


TWLWTitle (click to view)StudioWeekend Gross% ChangeTheater Count /ChangeAverageTotal GrossBudget*Week #
11The Hunger GamesLGF$21,096,824-36.3%3,916-221$5,387$336,666,363$784
2NThe Three StoogesFox$17,010,125-3,477-$4,892$17,010,125$301
3NThe Cabin in the WoodsLGF$14,743,614-2,811-$5,245$14,743,614-1
43Titanic 3DPar.$11,930,249-31.0%2,697+23$4,424$44,723,819$182
52American ReunionUni.$10,473,810-51.3%3,203+11$3,270$39,712,535$502
64Wrath of the TitansWB$6,906,209-53.1%3,102-443$2,226$71,252,005$1503
75Mirror MirrorRela.$6,847,924-38.3%3,206-412$2,136$49,316,185$853
8621 Jump StreetSony$6,558,868-34.4%2,735-274$2,398$120,323,681$425
9NLockoutFD$6,231,836-2,308-$2,700$6,231,836$201
107Dr. Seuss' The LoraxUni.$3,051,285-39.3%2,112-891$1,445$204,513,915$707
The Hunger Games still making audiences crave for more in its 4th week. The Three Stooges - based on a legendary American comedy trio enters at no.2 with just above $17m. Surprise as it was forecast by the co. to open at 10. The Cabin in the Woods (a LionsGate horror feature) enters at 3rd place. I actually thought it would beat Stooges but anything can happen in H-wood.
  Titanic 3D going good in the US and way better internationally. It has become the 2nd movie to gross 2 billion after 2009's Avatar - both directed by James Cameron. American Reunion would've been at 1st last weekend if The Hunger Games hadn't released. AR has made $80m internationally off $50m.
   (Figures from Box Office Mojo).
 Battleship ranked no.2 in Malaysia behind Titanic and was released internationally on April 11. It will make its debut in the US and Canada on May 18. Taylore Kitsch (ill-famed John Carter), Alexander Skarsgard, Rihanna and Liam Neeson star.
  Wrath of the Titans didn't gain much in American but made a global cumulative of approximately $260m off $150m in 3 weeks. Another sequel is up for grabs. Warner Bros. gonna be swimming in the money.

Kate Beckinsale is Back-in-Sales. She has had a rocking year with Underworld Awakening being the first film of 2012 to cross the $100m mark....

Kate Beckinsale is Back-in-Sales. She has had a rocking year with Underworld Awakening being the first film of 2012 to cross the $100m mark. And her 2nd film Contraband also topped the US box office just making over $90m off a budget of $25m. It's a remake of the Icelandic almost unpronounceable film Reykjavik-Rotterdam and this time around the main actor in that film directed the American version.
   The film follows Chris Farraday (Mark Wahlberg) an ex-smuggler saving his brother-in-law's (Caleb Landry Jones) life from a drug dealer by going to Panama to score millions of dollars in counterfeit bills. Jason Statham has a forte for one-last-job features but he doesn't look like a family man. So Wahlberg's OK here plus he's a good actor (The Other Guys, The Fighter). Beckinsale also pulls up the fed-up-with-criminal-antics-of-family wife. The film co-stars Ben Foster as Wahlberg's best friend and Giovanni Ribisi as the protagonist where everyone is a criminal.

  The latter 2's performances were Oscar worthy but sadly you can't say that for the film. Contraband is an above average film. Good but not great. It has a lot of energy and the plot is good and story fast-paced with decent action sequences. But the main problems are with the lack of characterisation and the way the plot was carried out. The plot unfolds boringly and it seems as if it copied sequences from other robbery films (Oceans Eleven) yet did not have the potential to outdo them. The film also reminds you of the 3rd season of Prison Break being set in Panama.
  It's written by Aaron Guzikowski adapted from the screenplay by Arnaldur Indriason and Oskar Jonasson who wrote the original. The shooting was top notch but writing, not so much. Hope he improves his skillset in the future. Like Roger Ebert commented, ''Contraband involves a lot of energy''. I agree and give the film 2.5/4.

Both thrillers released in 2012. Though different in the overview. Let us start with the former.   Amanda Seyfried is not the prettiest o...

Both thrillers released in 2012. Though different in the overview. Let us start with the former.
  Amanda Seyfried is not the prettiest of them all. But the kicking-ass tomboyish role suited her unlike the glamorous princess-like role in the 0/4 movie In Time.
  The film follows teenager Jill (Seyfried) convinced that her sister has been abducted from the person who kidnapped her 2 years ago. The plot is simple but I liked how the movie progressed in a quick way. The acting was good. Other members of the cast couldn't even spare some emotions. The story gets predictable after every 15 mins but that's typical for average thrillers with such a mediocre story. Still it's a good popcorn crunch and you will not be bored.
  The film is directed by Brazilian filmmaker Heitor Dhalia and written by Allison Burnett, co-written Untraceable (2008) and Underworld Awakening. It co-stars Jennifer Carpenter, Wes Bentley and Daniel Sunjata who is also starring in The Dark Knight Rises. The film was a bomb earning only $12m from a $22m budget but it deserved to at least cover it. A 2/4 from me.

Meeting Evil stars one of my favourite low-budget feature actor Luke Wilson (Idiocracy, Middle Men). Now for the awesome news - Samuel L. Jackson stars as the protagonist.
  The thriller is Lakeview Terrace meeting Halloween. L. Jackson acts even more evil in this one. If they made Hollywood version of the Indian-produced Don then this guy would be in first place for the lead.
  The trailer makes the movie seem a little slower. But it gets really fast-paced after the first half-hour. Luke Wilson acts to the character. I'm amazed he hasn't reached worldwide recognition yet being a better actor than his more famous elder brother Owen. The premise: family man Jon (Wilson) is taken on a wild murder-fuelled ride with a mysterious stranger (Jackson) and the film depends upon Wilson's antics to what to do next. The film co-stars hottie Leslie Bibb (The Midnight Meat Train) as Wilson's wife and she plays the country wife good. This film should've been internationally released. It had the potential to release the top 3.
  Again, the film has many plot holes in between and it seems Jackson is somewhat immortals. But in terms of a low-buget direct-to-DVD and Blu-ray it's a great thriller. Trust me, worth a one-time watch and with Jackson you're in for the murder-fuelled ride of a lifetime. Also, the dialogues between Wilson and Jackson are memorable. They have an amazing I-want-to-kill-the-other-guy onscreen chemistry. Jackson's dialogue delivery is unmatched.
  Meeting Evil is written and directed by mostly TV series filmmaker Chris Fisher (episodes for Cold Case, Warehouse 13). Hope he writes and directs more chillers in the future.
  A 3/4...

I've watched two Arab-oriented films in the last two years: Prince of Persia and The Devil's Double (both a 3.5/4). And to add to th...

I've watched two Arab-oriented films in the last two years: Prince of Persia and The Devil's Double (both a 3.5/4). And to add to that group I recently saw Black Gold.
  I didn't even see the trailer and didn't expect much from such an unknown feature. But the storyline was mesmerising. And I wondered why this film didn't garner the recognition it deserved. The plot follows a young Prince torn between his conservative father and liberal father-in-law during the 1930s following an oil boom. The pros are the unique storylineline, the characterisation and the superb acting by Antonio Banderas and Mark Strong. To continue that, it seemed the ambitious Arab ruler role was destined for him. I haven't seen much of his films but this is the best I've seen from him. You can't tell who's Mark Strong in the best. He got so well adapted to his role much like in Sherlock Holmes and Green Lantern. He could even play Andy Garcia (lookalike) in his biopic. Plus the film showed respect for the Islamic religion pinpointing to what Middle-Eastern folk think about it and how their cultures properly reflect it.
  Also, the action is incredible.. The film is a screen adventure and you won't want to leave your seat. Of course you would expect such things being the most expensive Arab film backed by a one on a Middle-Eastern subject - $55m.
  However, there are many plotholes and many critics have been angered on the account for not expanding the plot well enough. Also, Freida Pinto's role as a princess was too far-fetched. Making her an Arab is like making a black woman a white (no offence). Though her presence in Rise of the Apes and Immortals 2011 did not stop them from shredding the box office. And I'm sure she only starred in Immortals as the beautiful Oracle due to its director being Indian. But a bunch of screentime will be wasted on her in this.
  Finally, excluding the heroine and the not so well adapted story, the movie is totally fun and has purposeful motive. It's worth watching more than once. It ranks 3 in Middle-Eastern based films after The Devil's Double and Prince of Persia. The film is directed by Jean Jacques-Annaud (The Name of the Rose, Enemy at the Gates), who has co-written with Menno Meyjes and Alian Godard. Based on the novel South of the Heart: a novel of Modern Arabia by Swiss writer Hans Ruesch.
  A 3.5/4 as deserved.

TW LW Title (click to view) Studio Weekend Gross % Change Theater Count  / Change Average Total Gross Budget* Week # 1 1 The Hunger Games...


TWLWTitle (click to view)StudioWeekend Gross% ChangeTheater Count /ChangeAverageTotal GrossBudget*Week #
11The Hunger GamesLGF$33,111,557-43.4%4,137-$8,004$302,450,722$783
2NAmerican ReunionUni.$21,514,080-3,192-$6,740$21,514,080$501
3NTitanic 3DPar.$17,285,453-2,674-$6,464$25,645,935$181
42Wrath of the TitansWB$14,732,121-56.0%3,545-$4,156$58,614,212$1502
53Mirror MirrorRela.$11,095,140-38.8%3,618+15$3,067$36,574,022$852
6421 Jump StreetSony$10,001,381-32.6%3,009-139$3,324$109,413,763$424
75Dr. Seuss' The LoraxUni.$5,030,025-35.4%3,003-261$1,675$198,204,375$706
87Salmon Fishing in the YemenCBS$992,428-22.0%524+41$1,894$4,656,430-5
9NHousefull 2Eros$847,132-121-$7,001$847,132-1
106John CarterBV$830,305-59.1%1,015-1,382$818$67,983,652$2505
  Out all the surprises last weekend the Bollywood movie Housefull 2 reaches no.9 at the US Box Office. The film is directed by Sajid Khan, brother of ace director Farah Khan. The film stars Akshay Kumar and Riteish Deshmukh (only 2 originals from the first part). New faces are seen with John Abraham, Asin, Shreyas Talpade and a few others. Veteran actors Mithun Chakraborty, Randhir Kapoor, Rishi Kapoor and Boman Irani feature in supporting roles. There is also an item song by Malaika-Arora Khan.
  The Hunger Games reaches the $300m mark in 3 weeks. And I'm sure audiences are hungry for more. Worldwide the film has made just above $466m at a budget of only $78m.
  I'm surprised I didn't expect such a film to have a $847,132 opening in the US but anything is possible nowadays. John Carter continues its flop reign in the US with a total of just a little close to $68m off a mega budget of $250m. Globally, it has made just a little over $260. Although crossing its budget the mega-financed film is now a mega disappointment for Disney. But I have to see for myself if the film is as suckish as believed, many disliked the company's Prince of Persia which was a blast.
  Two more movies opened last weekend. American Reunion, the 4th theatrically released film with all of the major characters from the original trio, has surprisingly failed to beat The Hunger Games. It debuts at number 2. Titanic 3D enters at no.3 - another big surprise as I had predicted it would land straight at the top. It has made a global cumulative of $61m (budget of only $18m for the 3-D conversion). So definitely this will be the 2nd film to reach 2 billion after Avatar. Salmon Fishing in the Yemen is at no.8. The film stars one of my favourites Ewan Mcgregor (Star Wars), and actress Emily Blunt. It is a drama film about a British man with Asperger Syndrome and how he stars gaining faith for a business idea after meeting his dreamgirl. I expect it to feature high class acting from Mcgregor as always.
  And finally Journey 2 has left the office making just about $99m domestically.