The Dark Knight Rises to the Top!

As expected the final chapter in Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy, The Dark Knight Rises, rose to the top of the box office charts over the weekend. The film starring Oscar winners Christian Bale, Morgan Freeman, Marion Cottillard and Michael Caine, Oscar nominees Anne Hathaway and Gary Oldman, SAG Award nominee Tom Hardy and Golden Globe nominee Joseph Gordon-Levitt set the record for the biggest 2D opening in history with a massive $160.8 million over its first three days. That also qualifies as the third biggest opening overall behind the 3D openers of The Avengers and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Pt. 2. The movie should hold up quite well in the weeks ahead as it has garnered great reviews (I give the fantastic film an “A” grade) and audiences who may have been nervous to see it after the tragic shootings in Colorado venture back to the theatre…. In The Dark Knight’s wake, the rest of the top ten took a hit with Spider-man and Savages both dropping over 60 %…. For more on all the box office numbers, the records broken by The Dark Knight Rises and more, head to Box Office Mojo here. And check out the new top ten below.

TW LW Title (click to view) Studio Weekend Gross % Change Theater Count / Change Average Total Gross Budget* Week #
1 N The Dark Knight Rises WB $160,887,295 – 4,404 – $36,532 $160,887,295 – 1
2 1 Ice Age: Continental Drift Fox $20,416,978 -56.2% 3,886 +5 $5,254 $88,840,284 – 2
3 2 The Amazing Spider-Man Sony $10,887,111 -68.6% 3,753 -565 $2,901 $228,611,425 $230 3
4 3 Ted Uni. $10,011,610 -55.3% 3,214 -89 $3,115 $180,431,425 $50 4
5 4 Brave BV $6,024,987 -46.0% 2,899 -493 $2,078 $208,774,173 $185 5
6 6 Magic Mike WB $4,291,432 -52.4% 2,606 -484 $1,647 $101,966,459 $7 4
7 5 Savages (2012) Uni. $3,398,880 -63.8% 2,336 -299 $1,455 $40,055,075 $45 3
8 7 Tyler Perry’s Madea’s Witness Protection LGF $2,253,074 -59.7% 1,540 -464 $1,463 $60,289,622 $20 4
9 9 Moonrise Kingdom Focus $1,831,471 -50.6% 895 -29 $2,046 $36,087,959 $16 9
10 11 To Rome with Love SPC $1,420,891 -42.5% 552 -192 $2,574 $11,107,993 – 5

A Few Thoughts on today’s Oscar Nominations…

This morning Oscar nominee Jennifer Lawrence (Winter’s Bone) announced this year’s contenders and as always we saw the front runners like The Artist and Hugo grab headlines. However, we also saw some shocking snubs and some interesting inclusions. I already posted the full nominee list, so let’s take a look at a few thoughts I have on those who will be contending for this year’s Oscar.

Favorite Nomination: Melissa McCarthy (Bridesmaids)… I was so happy to see her included in this hilarious film. She gave a wonderfully hysterical performance that had way more layers than you might expect. Comedy needs more representation at the Oscars, so this is a nice start. (Also kudos to Kristin Wiig and her Oscar nominated script for the film).

Best Surprise: Rooney Mara and all the love for The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. This fantastic film nabbed 5 nods in total. I just wish it was up for Best Pic and Director (David Fincher).
Biggest Snub: Michael Fassbender (Shame)… apparently his great performance may have been overlooked by his hot nekkid body? Or he cancelled himself out with other great turns in A Dangerous Method and Jane Eyre.

Other Big Snubs:
Leonardo DiCaprio (J. Edgar)… looks like academy members really didn’t like this film, which is a shame because Leo was great
Armie Hammer (J. Edgar)
Tilda Swinton (We Need to Talk About Kevin)… another film that may have been too dark and unlikable to get it’s great star a nod.
Albert Brooks (Drive)
Drive in all other categories (except sound)
Charlize Theron, Patton Oswalt and Young Adult… apparently this acerbic dark comedy just didn’t resonate with Oscar voters. I’m sad, cuz it was a good flick.
Steven Spielberg (War Horse) for Director
Andy Serkis (Rise of the Planet of the Apes) and Alan Rickman (Harry Potter) both proved its hard to get nominated for big popcorn action films… oh and motion capture performances may never get nominated.
Elizabeth Olsen and Martha Marcy May Marlene… this great indie introduced us to a major acting star in Olsen and still got bupkiss
50/50 and Joseph Gordon Levitt… another great indie that should’ve gotten some love
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Pt. 2 in all big categories…. why oh why couldn’t this amazing franchise ever pull out a Best Pic nom? Especially when the final installment was clearly one of the best films of the year.

More Snubs: Shailene Woodley (The Descendants), Vanessa Redgrave (Coriolanus), Ryan Gosling (Drive, The Ides of March), The Adventures of Tin Tin (in Animated film), Carey Mulligan (Shame), the casts of The Ides of March and Midnight in Paris, Beginners for Screenplay and Director (Mike Mills)

~ And a Big Boo to the voters for dissing The Help for Screenplay, Score, Song, Costume Design and Director… That wonderful film should’ve had 9 noms, not just 4.

~While I’m complaining, I just have to say yuck to all the nods for The Tree of Life. Oy vey!

Other nice inclusions:
~Demian Bichir (A Better Life)… this wonderful performance in this small indie broke through with a SAG nod and he made the list today. I’m thrilled.
~Gary Oldman (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy)… can you believe this is his first nomination? I just wish it was for a better film.
~Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close and Max Von Sydow... I’m so happy one of my fave films of the year finally got some love. And I was kinda shocked to see it among the 9 nominees for Best Picture.
~Moneyball grabbed more noms that The Descendants, hehe….
~W.E. got into costume design. Yes, a film by Madonna got an Oscar nod. (I just wish her Golden Globe winning song “Masterpiece” had been eligible)

Speaking of Best Song….
What the heck is wrong with that category? By having a ridiculously difficult rule of the songs needing to rate 8.5 or higher by the music branch (out of 10), only 2 songs made the cut… And the one from The Muppets wasn’t even the best song from that film…
Look at all the snubbed songs that should’ve gotten mentioned:
“Life’s a Happy Song” (The Muppets)
“Pictures in My Head” (The Muppets)
“Bridge of Light” (Happy Feet 2) by P!nk
“Hello Hello” (Gnomeo & Juliet) by Elton John
“The Living Proof” (The Help) by Mary J. Blige
“Lay Down Your Head” (Albert Nobbs) by Glenn Close, etc

So, there are just a few thoughts for you… Now, let’s see who is gonna win… I’d say The Artist is still out in front despite Hugo landing the most noms…. I still have hope for The Help too.. and Meryl better win… With that said, what are your favorite noms? And who is the worst snub? Sound off below and watch for more on the Oscars in the weeks ahead.

First Look- The Dark Knight Rises

It’s here~ your first look at the most highly anticipated film of 2012, Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Rises. The third film in Nolan’s Batman trilogy could be his last and it looks like he’s going out with a bang. The trailer brings back your favorites including Oscar winners Christian Bale, Morgan Freeman and Michael Caine plus Gary Oldman while introducing new a new love interest for Bruce Wayne in Oscar winner Marion Cottillard. Also along for the ride are Golden Globe nominee Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Tom Hardy as the brutal villain Bane, and Oscar nominee Anne Hathaway as Selina Kyle/Catwoman! It looks good. Check out the brand new trailer below and brace for the film which hits theatres on July 20th.

The Dark Knight Rises

San Francisco Critics Live for The Tree of Life while Gary Oldman Gains Ground

San Francisco has always marched to the beat of its own drummer and the critics of the city are no different as they announced Gary Oldman Best Actor for Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. The film also won for Best Adapted Screenplay giving Oldman and the Focus feature some much needed heat. Also garnering kudos was The Tree of Life. The confounding and polarizing film nabbed Best Picture, Director and Cinematography. Tilda Swinton, Albert Brooks and Vanessa Redgrave (with her first win of the year) grabbed the other acting honors. Take a look at the list below.

2011 San Francisco Critics Circle Award Winners:

Best Picture
“The Tree of Life”

Best Director
Terrence Malick for “The Tree of Life”

Best Original Screenplay
J.C. Chandor for “Margin Call”

Best Adapted Screenplay
Bridget O’Connor & Peter Straughan for “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy”

Best Actor
Gary Oldman for “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy”

Best Actress
Tilda Swinton for “We Need to Talk About Kevin”

Best Supporting Actor
Albert Brooks for “Drive”

Best Supporting Actress
Vanessa Redgrave for “Coriolanus”

Best Animated Feature
“Rango”

Best Foreign Language Film
“Certified Copy”

Best Documentary
“Tabloid”

Best Cinematography
Emmanuel Lubezki for “The Tree of Life”

Marlon Riggs Award for courage & vision in the Bay Area film community
National Film Preservation Foundation, in recognition of for its work in the preservation and dissemination of endangered, culturally significant films

Special Citation for under-appreciated independent cinema
“The Mill and the Cross”

First Look~ The Dark Knight Rises!

If any of you saw Harry Potter over the weekend (and that’s probably all of you, me too), you might have seen the trailer for the most anticipated film of the year. However, the year I’m speaking of is 2012 and the film is The Dark Knight Rises, the third picture in Christopher Nolan’s incredible Batman trilogy. There aren’t too many clues given in the trailer, but it’s still all kinds of awesome as we get glimpses of Oscar winner Chrstian Bale, Oscar nominee Gary Oldman and Tom Hardy (Inception) who plays new baddie Bane. Unfortunately, there are no glimpses of returnee stars Oscar nominee Liam Neeson and Oscar winners Morgan Freeman and Michael Caine or newbies Oscar winner Marion Cottillard, Golden Globe nominee Joseph Gordon-Levitt, or Oscar nominee Anne Hathaway who’s taking on the role of Catwoman! Nonetheless, it looks great and I, for one, can’t wait til next summer. In the meantime, check out the new trailer below.

The Dark Knight Rises trailer