Movie Fanatic

The Avengers Scores Three-Peat: Sinks Battleship

joel.amos@moviefanatic.com (Joel D Amos) — Sun, 20 May 2012 19:58:59 EST

Despite the attack of a Battleship and The Dictator, The Avengers managed to still soar high and take the box office title for a third straight week. Honestly, it wasn’t even close. The Avengers added another $55 million in ticket sales over the weekend, bringing its cume to an astounding $457 million.

Battleship tried as best it could to topple the Marvel superheroes, but had to settle for second place, taking in $23.3 million in its first weekend of release. Despite having two extra days of release time, Sacha Baron Cohen’s The Dictator couldn’t tackle Battleship, coming in third with $17.4 million.

Johnny Depp and Tim Burton’s latest collaboration Dark Shadows is still finding it a challenge to cull an audience. The film based on the cult TV show landed in fourth by adding another $12.8 million to its haul. Its total earnings in two weeks is $50.9 million.

Fifth place belonged to another new entry at the box office this week, What to Expect When You’re Expecting. The film, based on the pregnancy self-help book, had to settle for fifth place and $10.5 million.

A surprise landed in sixth place -- The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel -- and when we think about it, in a stroke of counter programming genius, it is hardly a surprise. The film banked $3.25 million in its third week of release as it is the only "adult" oriented film out there currently.

Box Office Top 10:

1. The Avengers, $55 million
2. Battleship, $23.3 million
3. The Dictator, $17.4 million
4. Dark Shadows, $12.8 million
5. What to Expect When You’re Expecting, $10.5 million
6. The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, $3.25 million
7. The Hunger Games, $3 million
8. Think Like a Man, $2.7 million
9. The Lucky One, $1.76 million
10. The Pirates! Band of Misfits, $1.45 million

The Dictator Quotes: Wadiya's Number One Actor

typewritermender@gmail.com (Micah J Gordon) — Fri, 18 May 2012 18:10:46 EST

Sacha Baron Cohen's new comedy The Dictator opened Wednesday, and The Dictator quotes are already pouring in. The film stars Cohen as disenfranchised North African dictator General Aladeen as he navigates life in America. We've listed some of our favorite quotes below. What are yours?

General Aladeen: Don't worry, I am Wadiya's number one actor. You don't win four Wadiyan Golden Globes for nothing.
Nadal: Yes you do, because you gave them to yourself! | permalink

General Aladeen: I am very proud to be an American. I am America's number one douche. | permalink

General Aladeen: Is there any way you could lend me some money? Maybe... 20 million dollars? | permalink

Zoey: Could you please take your hands off my breasts?
General Aladeen: Those are breasts? I thought you were a boy. | permalink

General Aladeen: Oh it's a girl. I'm so sorry. Where's the trashcan?
Pregnant Woman: Oh no we want it! | permalink

Hyde Park on Hudson Trailer: Bill Murray as FDR

typewritermender@gmail.com (Micah J Gordon) — Fri, 18 May 2012 17:25:02 EST

Franklin Delano Roosevelt had a thing for cousins. His wife Eleanor was his fifth cousin once removed, and the new film Hyde Park on the Hudson presents the story of his love affair with another distant cousin, Margaret Suckley. Check out the trailer for the new film, which stars Bill Murray as the longest serving president.

Hyde Park on Hudson Trailer

The film, opening December 7, takes place during a royal visit from the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth. George VI was the subject of 2010's Best Picture, The King's Speech (visit this page for The King's Speech quotes).

From the trailer, the film looks to be a fun and witty drama, and with Murray leading the cast, Hyde Park on the Hudson is sure to deliver.

Murray began his career as a comedic actor on Saturday Night Live and in films such as Ghostbusters and Caddyshack (His Caddyshack quotes are some of the most repeated film lines in history), but in the last decade or so, he has proven to be a thoughtful and engaging dramatic actor.

Weekend Movie Preview: May 19, 2012

joel.amos@moviefanatic.com (Joel D Amos) — Fri, 18 May 2012 16:30:03 EST

Three new films arrive this weekend and they could not be more different. Will any of them topple The Avengers from its firm box office perch? Time will tell, but the one with the best chance has to be Battleship. Peter Berg’s naval epic takes the board game and brings it to the big screen while Sacha Baron Cohen returns to his comic character roots in The Dictator, and an all-star cast tells us What to Expect When You’re Expecting. Also, in limited release is a delightful film called Hysteria starring Maggie Gyllenhaal.

The Dictator: Cohen is back to his Borat greatness in a film that is ripe for our times while simultaneously so outrageously silly that it may even need to be witnessed a second time. The comic is Admiral General Aladeen, a tyrant from a fictional North African country. When he heads to New York to address the U.N., comic mayhem ensues and it is an utter delight, as we state in our The Dictator review.

The Dictator Red Band Trailer

What to Expect When You’re Expecting: Cameron Diaz, Jennifer Lopez, Anna Kendrick and Elizabeth Banks lead an all-star cast that brings the famous self-help book to the big screen. It is funny. The film’s romantic. And overall, as we explain further in our What to Expect When You’re Expecting review, it is one welcome surprise delivery.

What to Expect When You're Expecting TV Trailer

Battleship: Berg has officially joined the ranks of the Michael Bays of the world with his effort to bring a Hasbro board game to the screen. Unlike Bay, Berg manages to capture uncanny action and pull our heartstrings in a film that is as big explosively as it is emotionally. Check out our Battleship review for more.

Battleship Trailer: Ocean

Hysteria: Maggie Gyllenhaal and Hugh Dancy star in a film that is both romantic comedy and historical chronicle while being a perfect piece of counter-programming to all the blockbuster films at the movie theater these days. Our don’t-miss Hysteria review delves deeper.

Hysteria Trailer

Madagascar 3: New Clips and a Featurette

typewritermender@gmail.com (Micah J Gordon) — Fri, 18 May 2012 16:29:54 EST

All the animals are back in Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted. Check out these four clips from the film, and a featurette with interviews from Ben Stiller, David Schwimmer, and Chris Rock (What to Expect When You're Expecting).

Madagascar 3 Clip: Afro Circus

Madagascar 3 Clip: Human Cannonball

Madagascar 3 Clip: I'm the Leader

Madagascar 3 Clip: Snorkeling

Madagascar 3 Featurette

In the latest from the Madagascar series, Alex, Marty and the Gang join a traveling circus in order to escape Europe and return to New York. In addition to Stiller, Schwimmer, and Rock, the film features voice work from Jada Pinkett Smith, Martin Short, Bryan Cranston, Frances McDormand, Cedric the Entertainer, and Sacha Baron Cohen (watch Cohen in this hilarious The Dictator helicopter scene).

For more from the film in advance of its June 8 release, check out this Madagascar 3 poster.

Brave Clip: A Princess Does Not Place Her Weapons on the Table

typewritermender@gmail.com (Micah J Gordon) — Fri, 18 May 2012 15:29:34 EST

What's the bravest thing you've ever done? For me, it's stepping in front of that car to save a kitten. Yes, the car was parked. And yes, the kitten was actually a Hello Kitty backpack. But it was a really cool backpack.

A new clip from the upcoming animated feature Brave highlights Merida's adventurous side.

Brave Clip #2

Brave tells the story of the young Princess Merida, who defies an ancient custom an unleashes chaos on the kingdom. Merida must rely on her bravery and archery skills in order to set things right.

In advance of the June 22 release of Brave, Disney Pixar is teaming up with AMC for a Pixar Summer Movie Weekend, screening the classic animated films Toy Story 3, Up, Ratatouille, and Wall-E. Before each screening, a new Brave featurette will play.

4 Pixar Classics Returning to Theaters this Memorial Day Weekend

typewritermender@gmail.com (Micah J Gordon) — Fri, 18 May 2012 14:22:21 EST

Many of the most anticipated recent movies have been action, thriller, and comedy flicks not necessarily geared towards families.

To offer families with small children something to see at the theaters this coming Memorial Day weekend, Disney Pixar is teaming up with AMC theaters to offer screenings of 4 classic animated films: Toy Story 3, Up, Ratatouille, and Wall-E.

Not only will viewers be able to relive some of their favorite Toy Story 3 quotes, but before each screening, viewers will be treated to a classic Pixar short and an exclusive behind-the-scenes featurette for the upcoming animated feature, Brave.

The films will play once per day from May 25-28 at participating AMC theaters, and are priced at only $6.

The Avengers Keeps Record-Breaking Pace: $400 Million in 14 Days

typewritermender@gmail.com (Micah J Gordon) — Fri, 18 May 2012 13:55:12 EST

Haven't seen The Avengers yet? You might legitimately be the only one. Let's all point and laugh at you. Okay, let's not, that's mean.

The Avengers hit the $400 million domestic box office mark yesterday, making it the fastest film to ever hit that number, in just 14 days. The film it beat was The Dark Knight, which reached the mark in 18 days. Perhaps DC Comics can gain back some ground from Marvel once The Dark Knight Rises comes out July 20 (check out these The Dark Knight Rises Bane photos).

Nobody expects The Avengers to slow to a halt any time soon, even with Men in Black 3 coming out next week. So far, Earth's Mightiest Heroes have reached the #9 spot all-time in worldwide box-office sales, and they should continue to climb the charts past at least Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (#8), and possibly Toy Story 3 (#7), and Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (#6) in the coming weeks.

Celebrate the new record by changing your computer's background to an Avengers wallpaper. Or by seeing the movie for the twelfth time.

Men in Black 3 Exclusive: Rick Baker Dishes on Makeup Mastery

joel.amos@moviefanatic.com (Joel D Amos) — Fri, 18 May 2012 13:31:53 EST

As audiences, when we view the insanely creative makeup effects in films from Lord of the Rings to Dark Shadows, everyone in that field owes their career to Rick Baker. The Men in Black 3 makeup maestro and seven-time Oscar winner invited Movie Fanatic to his Glendale, California studio for an exclusive behind-the-scenes visit and chat about his illustrious career and his work with director Barry Sonnenfeld on all three Men in Black movies.

Baker tells us about working on the Cantina scene in Star Wars, how his groundbreaking work on An American Werewolf in London still holds up and how the Men in Black (one of our Top 10 summer movies of all time) series has been a true gift for him as he can pay tribute to the visionary effects artists who inspired him as a child.

Movie Fanatic: The story of Men in Black 3 involves time travel to 1969. The aliens you create for that part of the story look different than previous creations for this franchise. Where did that come from?

Men In Black 3 Featurette: Building A Better Alien

Rick Baker: It goes back to the first Men in Black when they said to me that they wanted to see aliens like we’ve never seen before. I said, "That is going to be kind of hard because we’ve seen a lot of aliens." When I did the Cantina scene in Star Wars, it was a lot easier. So I said, “Why don’t we make aliens that look like aliens we’ve seen before, but better?” They went, “No.” And for the second film, they went, “No.” When I saw the script with the time travel element for Men in Black 3... OK, this is the time to do it! I pitched it again: 2012 aliens in Men in Black should look like we’re used to, but 1969 aliens should be retro -- brains and bug eyes, you know -- and guys with space helmets. They thought it was a brilliant idea this time. I got to do aliens that I grew up with, paying homage to the ones that came before me.

Movie Fanatic: What aliens in films inspired you for Men in Black 3?

Rick Baker: You could pretty much name any film that was done and we did something… we ripped off from it [laughs]. It was an homage, done with a lot of love. You know, films like Invasion of the Saucer Men and Colossus of New York, a lot of them were combined versions of aliens. We did a Robot Monster one, a lot of Outer Limits aliens! Any film I saw as a kid, I wanted to do something to.

Movie Fanatic: You’re worked with Barry now for three of these films. What is it about his vision that melds with yours on these fantastical films?

Rick Baker: It’s funny, for the first film, we didn’t know what Men in Black was or what the whole feeling of the film was going to be until we got way into it. He didn’t know me and I didn’t know him. After that film, we had an admiration and trust of each other’s judgment. Barry, at first, I thought was kind of an odd choice for the film. He said in his classic Barry voice, “I’ve never even seen a science fiction movie.” [Laughs]. Oh great. But, this could be a very good thing, something very positive. But Barry, with his background as a director of photography, he sets up shots that are really cool. His thumbprints are all over these movies. He really considers me a collaborator. He really wants that. He makes me look good [laughs].

Movie Fanatic: You get to make an appearance in this movie (photo below… the alien with the brains!), and do you always make yourself a subject of your own work?

Rick Baker: Oh, yeah. I’m almost always a subject of my own work. I usually will do the first version of any character I’ve created on myself. I was Boris before Jermaine was… I do it all the time. Sometimes the director didn’t even know it! In The Grinch, we had 90 people in makeup in Whoville and after it became a well-oiled machine I started getting bored. I’d make myself up and just get into a shot! [Laughs] Ron Howard never knew! I have fun with it. That was on my 60th birthday. It was a good way to spend my birthday. I had those fingertip extensions with the suction cups on, and I realized when I had those on that it would be difficult to go to the bathroom. So, I wasn’t drinking or eating all day. It was an 18-hour day and one of the last shots we did was a long tracking shot. I started to feel like I was going to pass out. I was really light headed. I can’t pass out! First, there are all these guys with heavier things on than me, and second, no one knows I’m in the shot. That would be embarrassing. The room was spinning! But, I kept it together.

Movie Fanatic: As you look back on your career, what are the personal benchmarks for you where you felt you pushed the envelope of your industry?

Rick Baker: I lived through and helped create the golden age of makeup effects. American Werewolf (photo above from his studio) and The Howling, the transformation was done in a way that hadn’t been done before. That was one of the big ones -- looking back I realized, my crew were kids! The average age of the people on that crew was eighteen. There was no one doing what we did. I just found kids that showed talent and a desire to create and we went to work. It actually holds up now. I actually cringe when I look at it now because we could do it so much better [laughs]. I was pleased with the gorilla suits for Gorillas in the Mist. Harry from Harry and the Hendersons was one of my favorite things that I’ve done. I think he holds up. The movie was a flop. I thought filming it that this was going to be my big film. But, I haven’t met too many people who don’t love that movie.

New Magic Mike Trailer: Come Down and See The Show

typewritermender@gmail.com (Micah J Gordon) — Fri, 18 May 2012 12:49:35 EST

Channing Tatum dancing in a thong? Matthew McConaughey shirtless? Come on, nobody wants to see that. Oh, wait, I'm getting word that lots of people want to see that. For those of you who fall into that category, a new UK trailer for the upcoming film Magic Mike has been released.

Magic Mike UK Trailer

Magic Mike follows the life of Tatum's "Magic" Mike Martingano as he teaches a young stripper about the craft while developing a life outside of stripping with his protege's sister. The film, directed by Steven Soderbergh, is partly based on Channing Tatum's own experience as a male stripper.

Magic Mike, opening June 29, also stars Alex Pettyfer, Cody Horn, and Olivia Munn in addition to Tatum and McConaughey (speaking of McConaughey, have a look at some of his most memorable Dazed and Confused quotes from the film that launched his career).

If this trailer wasn't enough for you, the first Magic Mike trailer shows a bit more of Mike's relationship with Paige (played by Horn).