Check out the Amazing Chicago/Dreamgirls/Les Mis Medley from the Oscars Again

My favorite moment of Sunday’s Oscar telecast was the musical medley of the fantastic and Oscar-winning musical films Chicago, Dreamgirls and Les Miserables. Oscar winner Catharine Zeta-Jones did a nice job opening the segment with “All that Jazz” but it really kicked into gear with an astounding performance by Oscar and Grammy winner Jennifer Hudson singing her iconic Dreamgirls song “And I Am Telling You I am Not Going”. It was a brilliant moment that netted her a much deserved standing ovation. Following J Hud, was the wonderful ensemble of Les Miserables featuring newly minted Oscar winner Anne Hathaway, Oscar nominee Hugh Jackman, Eddie Redmayne, Amanda Seyfried, Russell Crow, Samantha Barks, Aaron Tveitt, Sacha Baron Cohen and Helena Bonham Carter with a medley of “Suddenly/I Dreamed a Dream/One Day More” that also yielded a standing O. I have to say that Barks and Tveitt stole that number which is not too surprising considering they’re the seasoned stage performers of the group. All in all, I absolutely loved the whole musical shebang and I’m thrilled that these amazing movies and performers were singled out again. It’s an incredible moment and I have it for you again below. Enjoy!

Chicago/Dreamgirls/Les Miserables Oscar Medley

Jessica Chastain Rules the Box Office

Oscar nominee and recent Golden Globe winner Jessica Chastain is not only a very respected actress on the rise, but she’s also becoming a box office powerhouse. This weekend she starred in the top two films as her new horror film Mama debuted on top and her Oscar contender Zero Dark Thirty held up strong in second. Mama way over performed to the tune of $33 million for the four-day Martin Luther King Jr. weekend while ZD30 took in another $17.7 million for a total of $ 57 million. Someone is securely on the A List now… Someone who fell off that list big time awhile back is Arnold Schwarzenegger and his new film, The Last Stand, won’t put him back there as it bombed with a miserable $ 7 million… Also debuting and tanking this weekend was the star-studded and poorly reviewed Broken City starring Russell Crowe and Mark Wahlberg which barely managed $9.5 million…. They were both upstaged by a number of films including the long-awaited nationwide release of Oscar contender Silver Linings Playbook (which I give a “B” grade to by the way) which hit the top five for the first time with $13 million… For more on all the numbers, head to Box Office Mojo 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 Mama Uni. $33,035,000 – 2,647 – $12,480 $33,035,000 $15 1
2 1 Zero Dark Thirty Sony $18,700,000 -23.5% 2,946 +9 $6,348 $57,045,000 $40 5
3 10 Silver Linings Playbook Wein. $13,019,000 +159.4% 2,523 +1,713 $5,160 $56,978,000 $21 10
4 3 Gangster Squad WB $10,305,000 -39.6% 3,103 – $3,321 $33,415,000 $60 2
5 2 A Haunted House ORF $9,700,000 -46.4% 2,160 – $4,491 $31,300,000 $2.5 2
6 N Broken City Fox $9,500,000 – 2,620 – $3,626 $9,500,000 $35 1
7 5 Les Miserables (2012) Uni. $9,246,000 -4.1% 2,579 -348 $3,585 $131,804,000 $61 4
8 4 Django Unchained Wein. $9,235,000 -16.4% 2,516 -496 $3,671 $139,354,000 $100 4
9 6 The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey WB $7,715,000 -15.9% 2,323 -689 $3,321 $288,705,000 – 6
10 N The Last Stand LGF $7,190,000 – 2,913 – $2,468 $7,190,000 – 1

“Wreck It Ralph” Wakes Up the Box Office

After a few lackluster weekends at the box office, it looks like fall has another smash with Disney’s new animated video-game comedy Wreck It Ralph. The well-reviewed film is not only a front-runner for an Animated Picture Oscar nom, but it took in a bigger than expected $49 million. It held off another strong debut from Denzel Washington‘s fantastic and Oscar worthy new drama Flight which pulled in $25 million. That is a giant number for a studio drama these days by the way and deservedly so. I gave the film an “A” grade… The final new film debuting this week was Universal’s action film The Man With the Iron Fists starring Russell Crowe, Lucy Liu and writer/director RZA which opened to a blah $ 8 million…. For more info on all the numbers, 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 Wreck-It Ralph BV $49,100,000 – 3,752 – $13,086 $49,100,000 $165 1
2 N Flight Par. $25,010,000 – 1,884 – $13,275 $25,010,000 $31 1
3 1 Argo WB $10,245,000 -15.2% 2,774 -81 $3,693 $75,896,000 $44.5 4
4 N The Man with the Iron Fists Uni. $8,219,000 – 1,868 – $4,400 $8,219,000 $15 1
5 6 Taken 2 Fox $6,000,000 -22.2% 2,639 -356 $2,274 $125,667,000 $45 5
6 2 Cloud Atlas WB $5,250,000 -45.4% 2,013 +5 $2,608 $18,262,000 – 2
7 3 Hotel Transylvania Sony $4,500,000 -52.4% 2,922 -354 $1,540 $137,568,000 $85 6
8 4 Paranormal Activity 4 Par. $4,300,000 -49.5% 3,006 -406 $1,430 $49,577,000 $5 3
9 7 Here Comes the Boom Sony $3,600,000 -30.9% 2,314 -177 $1,556 $35,572,000 – 4
10 5 Silent Hill: Revelation 3D ORF $3,300,000 -58.9% 2,933 – $1,125 $13,900,000 $20 2

Take an Extended Look at Oscar Bait Film Les Miserables

The movie I can’t wait to see more than anything in the world opens on Christmas day and wouldn’t you know it, it’s a musical! Of course it is and I am so excited for the big screen adaptation of the Tony winning masterpiece Les Miserables. The film is directed by recent Oscar winner Tom Hooper (The King’s Speech) and stars Golden Globe nominee Hugh Jackman, Oscar winner Russell Crowe, Oscar nominee Helena Bonham Carter, Tony winner Eddie Redmayne, Golden Globe winner Sacha Baron Cohen, Amanda Seyfried (Mamma Mia), Aaron Tveitt (Broadway’s Next to Normal), newcomer Samantha Barks (who has done Les Miz on the West End in London) and Oscar nominee Anne Hathaway. It will be the first filmed musical to feature the actors singing live as opposed to lip synching to a track and if you’ve watched the trailer, the results are stunning. Hathaway who sings the iconic “I Dreamed a Dream” is already being hailed as the front-runner for the Supporting Actress Oscar, and I think the film is gonna clean up at awards season. For an in-depth look at the making of this incredible musical, watch the clip below and head here for more on Les Miserables.

Les Miserables extended preview

And while I’m talking about Awards season, here’s how I see Les Miserables Oscar chances…

Good Bet Nominations~
Best Picture
Best Director
Best Actor (Hugh Jackman as Jean Valjean)
Best Supporting Actress (Anne Hathaway as Fantine)
Best Supporting Actor (Russell Crowe as Javert)
Best Editing
Best Cinematography
Best Production Design (formerly know as Art Direction)
Best Costume Design
Best Sound Mixing
Best Original Song (“Suddenly”… yes the original musical composers wrote a brand new song for the film)

Likely Nominees~
Best Supporting Actress (Samantha Barks as Eponine)
Best Sound
Best Makeup
Possible Nominees~
Best Supporting Actor (Eddie Redmayne as Marius)
Best Supporting Actress (Amanda Seyfried as Cossette)
Best Supporting Actor (Aaron Tveit as Enjolras)
Best Adapted Screenplay

“Pitch Perfect” could be the Perfect Movie!

I’ve been waiting for the next hilarious girl comedy following last year’s brilliant Oscar nominated Bridesmaids. Lots of pundits and bloggers and studio execs have been looking for the next one too. However, all they had to do was check out the trailer for this fall’s musical comedy Pitch Perfect and the search would’ve been over. Check out the trailer for the film below. It looks like a riot and it stars Bridesmaids own scene stealer Rebel Wilson plus Oscar nominee Anna Kendrick (who also sang up a storm in the wonderful indie Camp), Hairspray‘s Brittany Snow, Christopher Mintz-Plasse (Superbad), Anna Camp (The Good Wife), and the amazing duo of Elizabeth Banks (who’s also a producer on the film) and John Michael Higgins (who I had the pleasure of working with on Kath & Kim). The comedy revolves around the rivalry between a capella singing groups in college and follows a wave a music films hitting theaters this year including this weekend’s Rock of Ages, August’s Sparkle with Jordin Sparks and the late great Whitney Houston and the sure-fire Oscar contender Les Miserables with Anne Hathaway, Russell Crowe and Hugh Jackman out at Christmas… So, get out your pitch-pipe and get ready to giggle when Pitch Perfect hits theaters on October 5th.

Pitch Perfect trailer

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m2UFx3UIEgA&feature=related

“Les Miserables” is Singing Out for Oscar

My second favorite musical of all time, Les Miserables, is finally coming to the big screen. (In case you’re wondering, my favorite is Rent). Due to hit theaters on Dec. 14th, this big budget adaptation of the Tony winning classic is directed by recent Oscar winner Tom Hooper (The King’s Speech) and features an All Star cast including Golden Globe nominee Hugh Jackman, Oscar winner Russell Crowe, Oscar nominee Anne Hathaway, Golden Globe winner Sacha Baron Cohen, two-time Oscar nominee Helena Bonham Carter, Tony nominee Eddie Redmayne, Broadway vet Aaron Tveit and British stage newcomer Samantha Barks as Eponine. The film is sure to be a tear-jerker, and judging from the first trailer below. It looks like a big Oscar contender. I foresee a ton of nominations across the board with best bets for Acting nominations going to Jackman and Crowe in the Best Actor Category and Barks and Hathaway in the Supporting Actress Category… Tveitt, Baron Cohen and Redmayne will likely have to fight for a nod in the Supporting Actor category while Seyfried and Bonham Carter will have uphill battles in the Best Actress and Supporting Actress categories. Regardless, I have high hopes for this film and I think it will be fantastic. Just listen to the heartbreak in Hathaway’s beautiful voice on the iconic “I Dreamed a Dream” in the trailer for Les Miserables below. It’s gonna be good!

Les Miserables (2012) trailer

Harry Potter Makes Magic at the Box Office

The boy wizard Harry Potter cast another big spell over the box office this weekend as Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Pt. 1 grabbed $125 million in its first three days. That was the highest opening for a Potter film (beating the 5th installment Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire which took in $102 million in its opening weekend). That also translated to the 6th biggest three-day opening in history and should make Warner Brothers execs happy and excited for the upcoming final Potter picture which opens next July. The film, which is fantastic by the way (my movie grade for it is an “A”), should have strong legs throughout the holidays and especially the upcoming Thanksgiving weekend. While Harry may have cast a magic spell over movie lovers this weekend, Russell Crowe certainly did not. His new action thriller The Next Three Days bombed out of the gate pulling in a paltry $6.7 million and landing in 5th behind Megamind (which passed $100 million in its 3rd week), Unstoppable and Due Date which all held up well. For all your box office needs, 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 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 WB $125,120,000 – 4,125 – $30,332 $125,120,000 – 1
2 1 Megamind P/DW $16,175,000 -44.5% 3,779 -170 $4,280 $109,476,000 $130 3
3 2 Unstoppable Fox $13,100,000 -42.3% 3,209 +2 $4,082 $41,962,000 $100 2
4 3 Due Date WB $9,150,000 -40.7% 3,229 -136 $2,834 $72,669,000 $65 3
5 N The Next Three Days LGF $6,750,000 – 2,564 – $2,633 $6,750,000 – 1
6 5 Morning Glory Par. $5,233,000 -43.1% 2,544 +26 $2,057 $19,856,000 $40 2
7 4 Skyline Uni. $3,431,000 -70.7% 2,883 +3 $1,190 $17,643,000 $10 2
8 7 Red Sum. $2,467,000 -50.4% 2,034 -844 $1,213 $83,574,000 $58 6
9 6 For Colored Girls LGF $2,400,000 -63.2% 1,216 -911 $1,974 $34,540,000 $21 3
10 15 Fair Game (2010) Sum. $1,470,000 +44.0% 386 +211 $3,808 $3,739,000 $22 3

An Overly Ambitious Robin Hood isn’t all that good.

Ridley Scott and Russell Crowe team up again for another testosterone fest with the new historical action drama Robin Hood. This one is an origin story that crosses too many different plains trying to appease every possible audience member. You have political intrigue, graphic violence, a little romance, and epic battle scenes that all seem cribbed from other hit movies most notably Gladiator, The Lord of the Rings, King Arthur, Braveheart and Saving Private Ryan (trust me on the last one folks). While none of these scenes are original, at least they’re well shot and some, like the massive fight scenes , are quite tense and entertaining. Unfortunately, in between those you have massive breaks for too much exposition that’s at times didactic and boring. Yes, we need to know why England and France are fighting and just how Robin got so mad at the crown that he became a thief, but there’s such a thing as an edit button. At two hours and twenty minutes, the film drags a bit. However, there are some great performances from the indispensible Cate Blanchett (as Maid Marion) and Oscar Isaac as the entitled weasily prince of England. Russel Crowe, meanwhile, turns in an earnest gruff performance that suits the film but doesn’t energize it, and he strangely seems a bit old for the part. While I respect the ambitious scale of the film and the exemplary technical aspects, the film is missing the fun spirit inherent in the legend of Robin Hood and suffers from a meandering script and a tone that’s all over the map.Grade: B-

Check out the film’s trailer below: