The PGA Nominations honor the Usual Suspects but still offer a couple of Surprises

The Producers Guild of America is the latest industry heavyweight to announce its nominations for the best of the year. The PGA honors 10 films in the Best Picture category and the front-runners The Artist, War Horse and The Descendants were all included, but so was the hilarious comedy Bridesmaids. Could this be a sleeper Oscar Best Picture nominee? I, for one, hope so…. Take a look at the full list below and the animation and the TV Movie/Miniseries categories as well. Watch for the winners to be announced on Jan. 21st.

2012 Producers Guild Award Nominations:

Best Motion Picture:
The Artist
Bridesmaids
The Descendants
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
The Help
Hugo
The Ides of March
Midnight in Paris
Moneyball
War Horse

Best Animated Film:
The Adventures of Tin Tin
Cars 2
Kung Fu Panda 2
Puss in Boots
Rango

Best TV Movie/Miniseries:
Cinema Verite
Downton Abbey
The Kennedys
Mildred Pierce
Too Big To Fail

The Top Ten Film Ensemble Casts of 2012

We all know that it takes a village to make a great movie and luckily, 2012 had its share of wonderfully talented ensembles that made for some fantastic films. So, I decided to compile my own list of what I consider the best ensembles, top to bottom, of films over the last year. As a SAG voter, I will get to choose between the casts of The Artist, Bridesmaids, The Help, Midnight in Paris and The Descendants for Best Ensemble. Interestingly, only 2 of those films make my list… and I wonder if you can guess which ones… With that said, take a look at my choices for the Best Casts of 2012.

First Honorable Mentions…

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo: a fierce and ferocious Rooney Mara, a sexy and introspective Daniel Craig, a creepy fantastic Stellan Skarsgaard plus solid support from Robin Wright, Joely Richardson, Christopher Plummer and more

Midnight in Paris: Woody Allen’s best film in years gave us Owen Wilson‘s best performance everywhere plus a luminous Marion Cottilard and a strong group of vets like Kathy Bates, Rachel McAdams, Michael Sheen, Adrien Brody, Kurt Fuller, Allison Pill and Corey Stoll

My Week with Marilyn: while Michelle Williams is deservedly gaining the most applause for her brilliant turn as Marilyn Monroe, the rest of the cast was tremendous starting with likely Oscar nominee Kenneth Branaugh and then Eddie Redmayne, Julia Ormond, Emma Watson, Toby Jones, Dominic Purcell and Oscar winner Dame Judi Dench

Now onto the top tier…

Top Ten Film Ensembles of 2012:

10: Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy: while I didn’t love the film, the cast was pretty flawless. Gary Oldman’s stoic and simmering lead agent anchored a cast of great Brits including Benedict Cumberpatch (my have in the film), Toby Jones (again), Christian McKay, Tom hardy, Cirian Hinds and Oscar winner Colin Firth.

http://www.youtube.com/user/tinkertailormovie?v=VW-F1H-Nonk&feature=pyv&ad=15309858702&kw=tinker%20tailor%20soldier%20spy%20trailer

9. Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close: with a wonderful central performance from newcomer Thomas Horn and some beautiful work from Oscar winner Sandra Bullock and Oscar nominee Viola Davis, this 9/11 tribute film really socked me in the gut. Plus Max Von Sydow, Jeffrey Wright, John Goodman, Zoe Caldwell and Tom Hanks were great, not to mention a ton of small character actors that gave weight and authenticity to New York City. (This is something the film did great unlike The Descendants which cast non-actors for authenticity reasons in Hawaii and it backfired by taking you out of the scene with their poor performances).

8. 50/50: I sure hope this hilarious and heartbreaking film gets some Oscar traction next month because it deserves it. Joseph Gordon Levitt (a Golden Globe nominee) would make my final five Best Actor contenders for his triumphant performance as a young man fighting cancer. Plus the film gave us Seth Rogan’s best performance ever and great turns by Anna Kendrick, Bryce Dallas Howard, Phillip Baker Hall, Matt Frewer and Independent Spirit nominee Anjelica Huston.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TJ90H5HCgCw

7. The Ides of March: this political thriller had so many great elements~ a great script, strong direction and a pitch perfect cast led by Golden Globe nominee Ryan Gosling. Standouts in the supporting cast for me were Phillip Seymour Hoffman and a surprisingly great Evan Rachel Wood. Also delivering nice turns were the always reliable Marisa Tomei, Paul Giamatti, Jeffrey Wright and director/star George Clooney.

6. Rampart: this dark and edgy thriller gave us a no holds barred brilliant turn by Woody Harrelson as a mess of a corrupt cop. But it also gave us a magnificent supporting cast with Brie Larson, Anne Heche, Cynthia Nixon and an especially dynamic Robin Wright as the women mixed up in his life. Plus there was Ben Foster, Sigourney Weaver, Steve Buscemi, Audra MacDonald, Ned Beatty, and Ice Cube.

5. Crazy Stupid Love: the best romantic comedy of the year was hilarious, original and refreshing and boasted a flawless ensemble of cinema pros like Steve Carrell, Marisa Tomei (again), Julianne Moore, Kevin Bacon, Emma Stone and the sexiest man on film in all of 2012, Ryan Gosling.

4. Margin Call: in this fast paced and fascinating thriller about the financial crisis of the past few years, it was hard to pick just who stood out the most. I’d give Oscar winner Kevin Spacey the slight edge, but hey it also featured Demi Moore’s best work in ages and a wily and wonderfully corrupt Jeremy Irons… not to mention Zachary Quinto showed strong leading man potential, Penn Badgely in his best role to date, and great work from Paul Bettany, Mary McDonnell, Simon Baker and Stanley Tucci.

3. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Pt. 2: the final chapter in the Harry Potter franchise was by far the best. The film was magnificent on every level and the cast was just perfect. They all rose to the occasion and we will miss them tremendously. Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Gint all grew into wonderful actors over the year and I’m sure the great supporting cast of talents like Maggie Smith, Ralph Fiennes, Helena Bonham Carter, Michael Gambon, Jason Isaacs, Julie Walters and every British luminary around helped inform their performances. But I have to single out Alan Rickman’s Oscar worthy turn as Snape as the film’s highlight. Seriously, nominate him now Academy voters!

2. Bridesmaids: the funniest movie of the year also gave us one of the best female ensembles in ages. Golden Globe nominee Kristin Wiig was a terrific ring leader for this riotous crew including Emmy nominee Rose Byrne, Wendi McLoven-Covey, Maya Rudolph, Ellie Kemper and the standout~ SAG nominee, and soon to be Oscar nominee if you ask me, Melissa McCarthy. There were a few other funny guys in it too I have to recognize~ Jon Hamm, Chris O’Dowd, and Ben Falcone. Cant wait for a sequel!

1. The Help: I don’t think it’s a surprise that this incredibly talented and transcendent group of women are at the top of the list. (Hey, when was the last time two primarily female ensembles anchored two of the best movies of the year? Fantastic!… and it’s about time…) Led by surefire Oscar nominees Viola Davis (heartbreaking and resplendent), Octavia Spencer (fiery, hilarious and explosive) and Jessica Chastain (who gave a million amazing performances this year), the women in this film left an indelible mark. I mean you could also make a case for nominating Emma Stone (again), Cicely Tyson, Allison Janney, Sissy Spacek and wondrously evil Bryce Dallas Howard. You know which film is getting my vote for the SAG Best Ensemble!

George Clooney, The Artist and The Descendants lead the Golden Globe Nominations

It was a good morning for George Clooney as the Oscar and Golden Globe winner heard his name four times when today’s Golden Globe Nominations were announced. Clooney is up for Best Actor (The Descendants) and writing, producing and directing The Ides of March. Conventional wisdom is that he’ll at least take one of those home. Along with The Descendants, also leading the way with a boatload of nominations was The Artist with six bids followed by The Help with five. Take a look at all of the nominees and check back here later today for more analysis.

2012 Golden Globe Nominations:

MOVIES~

Best Drama
The Descendants
The Help
Hugo
The Ides of March
Moneyball
War Horse

Best Comedy/Musical
50/50
The Artist
Bridesmaids
Carnage
Midnight in Paris
My Week with Marilyn

Best Animated Film
Arthur Christmas
Cars 2
Rango
Puss in Boots
The Adventures of Tintin

Best Foreign Language Film
The Flowers of War
In the Land of Blood and Honey
The Kid With a Bike
A Separation
The Skin I Live In

Best Actor in a Drama
George Clooney, The Descendants
Brad Pitt, Moneyball
Ryan Gosling, The Ides of March
Michael Fassbender, Shame
Leonardo DiCaprio, J. Edgar

Best Actor in a Comedy or Musical
Jean Dujardin, The Artist
Brendan Gleeson, The Guard
Joseph Gordon-Levitt, 50/50
Ryan Gosling, Crazy, Stupid, Love.
Owen Wilson, Midnight in Paris

Best Supporting Actor
 in a Motion Picture
Kenneth Branagh, My Week With Marilyn
Albert Brooks, Drive
Jonah Hill, Moneyball
Christopher Plummer, Beginners
Viggo Mortensen, A Dangerous Method

Best Actress in a Drama
Glenn Close, Albert Nobbs
Viola Davis, The Help
Rooney Mara, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
Meryl Streep, The Iron Lady
Tilda Swinton, We Need to Talk About Kevin

Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy
Jodie Foster, Carnage
Charlize Theron, Young Adult
Kristen Wiig, Bridesmaids
Michelle Williams, My Week with Marilyn
Kate Winslet, Carnage

Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture
Shailene Woodley, The Descendants
Octavia Spencer, The Help
Janet McTeer, Albert Nobbs
Berenice Bejo, The Artist
Jessica Chastain, The Help

Best Director

Woody Allen, Midnight in Paris
George Clooney, The Ides of March
Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist
Alexander Payne, The Descendants
Martin Scorsese, Hugo

Best Screenplay for a Motion Picture
Woody Allen, Midnight in Paris
Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist
Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon, Jim Rash, Kaui Hart Hemmings, The Descendants
Steve Zallian, Aaron Sorkin, Stan Chervin, Michael Lewis, Moneyball
George Clooney, Grant Heslov, Beau Willimon, The Ides of March

Best Original Score in a Motion Picture
Ludovic Bource, The Artist
Abel Korzeniowski, W.E.
Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
Howard Shore, Hugo
John Williams, War Horse

Best Original Song in a Motion Picture
“Hello Hello,” Gnomeo & Juliet
“The Keeper,” Machine Gun Preacher
“Lay Your Head Down,” Albert Nobbs
“The Living Proof,” The Help
“Masterpiece,” W.E.

TV~

Best TV Drama
American Horror Story
Boardwalk Empire
Boss
Game of Thrones
Homeland

Best TV Comedy or Musical
Enlightened
Episodes
Glee
Modern Family
New Girl

Best Mini-Series or Motion Picture
Cinema Verite
Downton Abbey
The Hour
Mildred Pierce
Too Big To Fail

Best Actor in a TV Drama
Bryan Cranston, Breaking Bad
Steve Buscemi, Boardwalk Empire
Damian Lewis, Homeland
Jeremy Irons, The Borgias
Kelsey Grammer, Boss

Best Actor in a TV Musical or Comedy
Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock
David Duchovny, Californication
Johnny Galecki, The Big Bang Theory
Thomas Jane, Hung
Matt LeBlanc, Episodes

Best Actor in a Mini-Series or Made-for-TV Movie
Hugh Bonneville, Downton Abbey
Idris Elba, Luther
William Hurt, Too Big To Fail
Bill Nighy, Page Eight
Dominic West, The Hour

Best Supporting Actor in TV Series, Mini-Series, or Made-for-TV Movie
Peter Dinklage, Game of Thrones
Paul Giamatti, Too Big To Fail
Guy Pearce, Mildred Pierce
Tim Robbins, Cinema Verite
Eric Stonestreet, Modern Family

Best Actress in a TV Drama
Claire Danes, Homeland
Mireille Enos, The Killing
Julianna Margulies, The Good Wife
Madeleine Stowe, Revenge
Callie Thorne, Necessary Roughness

Best Actress in a TV Musical or Comedy
Laura Dern, Enlightened
Zooey Deschanel, New Girl
Tina Fey, 30 Rock
Laura Linney, The Big C
Amy Poehler, Parks and Recreation

Best Actress in a Mini-Series or Made-for-TV Movie
Romola Garai, The Hour
Diane Lane, Cinema Verite
Elizabeth McGovern, Downton Abbey
Emily Watson, Appropriate Adult
Kate Winslet, Mildred Pierce

Best Supporting Actress in TV Series, Mini-Series, or Made-for-TV Movie

Jessica Lange, American Horror Story
Kelly Macdonald, Boardwalk Empire
Maggie Smith, Downton Abbey
Sofia Vergara, Modern Family
Evan Rachel Wood, Mildred Pierce

Quick Take~ Fall Movie Reviews

It’s fall and the Oscar movies are starting to hit the theatres. We’ve already seen some good ones (50/50 and The Ides of March), but along with the good comes the bad. So, what have I seen lately and how did I grade them? Take a look below at these quick take fall movie reviews.

50/50: In this dramedy about a young man diagnosed with cancer, Joseph Gordon-Levitt is a revelation. He’s hilarious and heartbreaking in a performance that should be considered at Oscar time. Along with great support from Anna Kendricks (as his bumbling new therapist) and Angelica Huston (as his over-protective mom) not to mention Seth Rogan (as slovenly womanizing best friend) in his best screen performance to date. Somehow this movie (based on the screenwriter’s own experience) blends comedy (even sex jokes) and beautiful honest drama seamlessly. I highly recommend it. Grade: A

Puss In Boots: in this formulaic yet rather entertaining animated caper, Antonio Banderas deftly reprises his role as the swashbuckling kitty from the Shrek franchise, Puss in Boots. He sets out on a caper to right an old wrong and we also get his character’s back story plus appearances by fairy tale faves Jack and Jill, Humpty Dumpty and more. It’s a funny film, if overly long and somewhat obvious. However kids and cat lovers should enjoy. Grade: B

The Ides of March: George Clooney writes, directs and costars in this political thriller that explores the machinations behind the campaign and the people who make them happen. It’s a sturdy and well executed film with vibrant performances from Ryan Gosling as the campaign expert torn between two warring camps, Phillip Seymour Hoffman (brilliant!) as Clooney’s campaign manager, Paul Giamatti as a rival manager, Marisa Tomei as a pushy journalist and a surprisingly fantastic Evan Rachel Wood as the compromised intern. While it may not be the Oscar front-runner, it certainly has a good shot in a number of categories. Grade: A-

In Time: well, this film is just ridiculous. Despite one of the most beautiful casts in film history (Alex Pettyfer, Olivia Wilde, Matthew Bomer, Justin Timberlake, and Amanda Seyfreid to name a few), this sci-fi yarn about people who stop aging at 25 and must steal time to survive is a waste of time. The dialogue is clunky. It’s predictable. The performances are just ok (except Bomer who’s wonderful as a conflicted man who’s living much much longer than the average person) and it doesn’t really make any sense. Grade: C-

Martha Marcy May Marlene: I already reviewed this one a few weeks back, but wanted to include it again because it’s that good. Elizabeth Olsen is an immediate Best Actress Oscar contender in this dark moody thriller playing a woman who escapes a cult. It follows the next few weeks in her life while flashing back to her experiences in the scary commune run by an incredibly effective and creepy John Hawkes (who should also merit Oscar attention). The film leaves you wanting more and is a must see. Grade: A

Tower Heist: with such a great cast and a fun premise, this film should’ve been much better. Alas, it’s just mildly entertaining and takes too long to get going. Eddie Murphy is the standout as crook who helps a bunch of regular joes (Ben Stiller, Matthew Broderick, Michael Pena, Casey Affleck and a rather funny Gabourey Sidibe) try to steal back their pensions that were lost by big money magnet criminal Alan Alda. Once the scheme gets under way, the film improves, but it still is a rather rote adventure. Grade: C

That’s it for now. Watch for more movie reviews in the coming weeks including George Clooney’s other Oscar hopeful The Descendants and the theatrical adaptation of Carnage.

Paranormal Activity scares up a Record at the Box Office

Paramount has got to be so grateful for the Paranormal Activity series. The micro-budgeted films have turned a huge profit for the studio and the third installment just broke the record for the highest grossing opening for a horror film with a big $54 million (and hello, the budget was only $ 5 million!). That film easily trounced the rest of the competition with the other newbies tanking out of the gate. Landing with a thud in fourth was The Three Musketeers (in 3D~ blech) with only $8.8 million while the Johnny English Reborn sequel barely mustered up $3.8 million. (Luckily for Johnny, the film is a ridiculously big smash overseas having taken in over $100 million already)…. So, aside from the Paranormal film, what did audiences watch? Well, most of the strongly acclaimed and/or family films held up very well including The Ides of March, Real Steel, Moneyball, A Dolphin Tale, Footloose and 50/50 (which I saw this weekend and loved. Fantastic performances in this wonderful dramedy. Grade: A)… For more 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 Paranormal Activity 3 Par. $54,020,000 – 3,321 – $16,266 $54,020,000 $5 1
2 1 Real Steel BV $11,319,000 -30.5% 3,412 -28 $3,317 $67,226,640 – 3
3 2 Footloose (2011) Par. $10,850,000 -30.3% 3,555 +6 $3,052 $30,863,031 $24 2
4 N The Three Musketeers (2011) Sum. $8,800,000 – 3,017 – $2,917 $8,800,000 – 1
5 4 The Ides of March Sony $4,900,000 -31.1% 2,042 -157 $2,400 $29,159,326 – 3
6 5 Dolphin Tale WB $4,200,000 -32.6% 2,858 -428 $1,470 $64,390,675 $37 5
7 6 Moneyball Sony $4,050,000 -25.8% 2,353 -487 $1,721 $63,708,894 $50 5
8 N Johnny English Reborn Uni. $3,800,000 – 1,552 – $2,448 $3,800,000 $45 1
9 3 The Thing (2011) Uni. $3,115,000 -63.3% 2,995 -1 $1,040 $14,100,000 – 2
10 7 50/50 Sum. $2,800,000 -34.3% 1,932 -459 $1,449 $28,800,000 $8 4

My Ridiculously Early October Oscar Predictions

Every year the Oscar race really revs up with the Venice and Toronto Film Festivals in late August/early September and then the forecasting begins in earnest. So, as we’re already into the middle of October, I feel like it’s time to weigh in. Sure, it seems ridiculously early to predict who’s gonna get nominated, but there are a few obvious front-runners for nods from films that have already hit theatres including The Help, Brad Pitt and Moneyball and Christopher Plummer in Beginners. So who else might be joining them? Take a look below and give me your thoughts. Then watch for my updated predictions in the weeks ahead.

My Ridiculously Early October Oscar Predictions~

Best Picture:
The Artist
The Descendents
Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
The Help
J. Edgar
Moneyball
War Horse
~spoilers: The Adventures of Tin Tin, The Ides of March, Midnight in Paris, The Iron Lady, My Week with Marilyn

*Note : this year the rules have changed again and the Best Picture nominees will vary from 5-10 films depending on the amount of support they get. (There’s a whole lot of weird math mumbojumbo involved). I feel like it will end up with 7 or 8.

Best Actor:
George Clooney (The Descendants)
Leonardo DiCaprio ( J. Edgar)
Woody Harrelson (Rampart)
Gary Oldman (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy)
Brad Pitt (Moneyball)
~spoilers: Jean Dujardin (The Artist), Ryan Gosling (The Ides of March), Michael Shannon (Take Shelter), Michael Fassbender (Shame), Joseph Gordon Levitt (50/50), Matt Damon (We Bought A Zoo)

Best Actress:
Glenn Close (Albert Nobbs)
Viola Davis (The Help)
Elizabeth Olsen (Martha Marcy May Marlene)
Meryl Streep (The Iron Lady)
Michelle Williams (My Week with Marilyn)
~spoilers: Rooney Mara (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo), Charlize Theron (Young Adult), Tilda Swinton (We Need to Talk About Kevin), Felicity Jones (Like Crazy)

Best Supporting Actor:
Kenneth Branagh (My Week with Marilyn)
Jim Broadbent (The Iron Lady)
Phillip Seymour Hoffman (The Ides of March)
Christopher Plummer (Beginners)
Max Von Sydow (Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close)
~spoilers: Christoph Waltz (Carnage), Nick Nolte (Warrior), Jonah Hill (Moneyball), David Thewliss (War Horse), Albert Brooks (Drive), Armie Hammer (J. Edgar)

Best Supporting Actress:
Sandra Bullock (Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close)
Jessica Chastain (The Help)
Judi Dench (J. Edgar)
Octavia Spencer (The Help)
Robin Wright (Rampart)
~spoilers: Evan Rachel Wood (The Ides of March), Kate Winslet (Carnage), Vanessa Redgrave (Coriolanus), Emily Watson (War Horse), Janet McTeer (Albert Nobbs), Jessica Chastain (The Tree of Life), Sissy Spacek (The Help), Robin Wright (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo)

Best Director:
Stephen Daldry (Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close)
Clint Eastwood (J. Edgar)
David Fincher (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo)
Alexander Payne (The Descendants)
Steven Speilberg (War Horse)
~spoilers: Bennett Miller (Moneyball), George Clooney (The Ides of March), Michel Hazanvicius (The Artist), Woody Allen (Midnight in Paris)

Adapted Screenplay:
Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
The Help
Moneyball
War Horse
~spoilers: The Ides of March, Coriolanus, My Week with Marilyn, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

Original Screenplay:
The Artist
Beginners
The Descendants
J. Edgar
Midnight in Paris
~spoilers: Young Adult, The Iron Lady, Rampart, Martha Marcy May Marlene, We Bought a Zoo

Robots take out the Dancers at the Box Office

Remakes of 80′s movies sure aren’t doing the business that Hollywood hoped they would. After the dual bombs of remakes Fright Night and Conan the Barbarian, two more redos entered the fray this weekend with one, The Thing, tanking right away with just $8.7 million (and another dud for Universal) while the other did just ok. The latter was the remake of Footloose starring newcomer Kenny Wormald and Dancing with the Stars’ Julianne Hough which landed $16.1 million, a decent opening but not enough to hit the top. It was beaten by the robots of Real Steel which held at # 1 for a second week with $16.3 million. While the new version of Loose will make a profit due to its lower budget, it’s unlikely to become a smash like the Kevin Bacon starring original. So, why is Hollywood even bothering with these remakes? You got me? … Instead they should continue to make good films like the George Clooney drama The Ides of March, Brad Pitt’s Moneyball, and 50/50 which all dropped less than 30% at the box office. It’s great to see strong films continue to get sampling while the drivel falls by the wayside…. Oh, and one other movie opened to disastrous results, the bird watching comedy (um, who greenlit that?) The Big Year starring Jack Black, Steve Martin and Owen Wilson which was DOA with just $3.3 million. For more on all these 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 1 Real Steel BV $16,304,000 -40.3% 3,440 – $4,740 $51,744,000 – 2
2 N Footloose (2011) Par. $16,100,000 – 3,549 – $4,536 $16,100,000 $24 1
3 N The Thing (2011) Uni. $8,700,000 – 2,996 – $2,904 $8,700,000 – 1
4 2 The Ides of March Sony $7,500,000 -28.4% 2,199 – $3,411 $22,154,000 – 2
5 3 Dolphin Tale WB $6,345,000 -30.5% 3,286 -192 $1,931 $58,672,000 $37 4
6 4 Moneyball Sony $5,500,000 -26.2% 2,840 -178 $1,937 $57,712,000 $50 4
7 5 50/50 Sum. $4,315,000 -23.7% 2,391 -88 $1,805 $24,334,000 $8 3
8 6 Courageous TriS $3,400,000 -30.2% 1,214 +53 $2,801 $21,378,000 $2 3
9 N The Big Year Fox $3,325,000 – 2,150 – $1,547 $3,325,000 – 1
10 7 The Lion King (in 3D) BV $2,708,000 -41.1% 1,970 -297 $1,375 $90,452,000 – 5

Real Steel Knocks out the Box Office Competition

Apparently moviegoers like boxing robots more than an Oscar-winning superstar, Mr. George Clooney and the sexiest guy currently in the movies, Ryan Gosling as Real Steel pummelled the competition to open at # 1 with $27.3 million. The boxing robot movie starring Hugh Jackman had a strong opening and good audience reaction that should keep it swinging in the weeks ahead. Opening in second was Clooney and Gosling’s Oscar bait political thriller The Ides of March which grabbed an ok $ 10.4 million. Due to strong reviews and anticipated awards, this one may have good legs as well…. Holding up strongly in its second weekend was 50/50 with a small drop of only 34%, the best of last week’s openers. Take a look at the full top ten below and for more, head to Box Office Mojo here.

TW LW Title (click to view) Studio Weekend Gross % Change Theater Count / Change Average Total Gross Budget* Week #
1 N Real Steel BV $27,319,677 – 3,440 – $7,942 $27,319,677 – 1
2 N The Ides of March Sony $10,470,143 – 2,199 – $4,761 $10,470,143 – 1
3 1 Dolphin Tale WB $9,131,091 -34.4% 3,478 -37 $2,625 $49,040,736 $37 3
4 2 Moneyball Sony $7,453,989 -38.0% 3,018 +25 $2,470 $49,207,167 $50 3
5 5 50/50 Sum. $5,652,149 -34.6% 2,479 +21 $2,280 $17,482,521 $8 2
6 4 Courageous TriS $4,867,876 -46.6% 1,161 – $4,193 $16,160,032 $2 2
7 3 The Lion King (in 3D) BV $4,598,606 -56.7% 2,267 -73 $2,028 $86,008,595 – 4
8 6 Dream House Uni. $4,475,525 -44.9% 2,664 +3 $1,680 $14,467,490 $50 2
9 8 What’s Your Number? Fox $3,126,782 -42.3% 3,011 +9 $1,038 $10,382,800 $20 2
10 10 Contagion WB $2,942,322 -40.0% 2,250 -494 $1,308 $69,026,543 $60 5

Will the Oscars Crown Clooney Again?

2006 was the year of George Clooney and the Oscar. He won for Supporting Actor for Syriana and grabbed nods for Director and Screenplay for Goodnight and Good Luck. As we head into this year’s Oscar season, it looks like Clooney may be ready for a sequel of his own as the Academy king. This year he has two films in the race, and just like when he won, he’s the star of one and writes, directs and stars in another.
In The Descendants, Clooney plays a grieving father who tries to connect with his two daughters in a film by Oscar winner Alexander Payne (Sideways) and co-starring in her first big buzzworthy performance Shailene Woodley (The Secret Life of An American Teenager). Looking at the trailer and the people involved, it may be just the ticket to getting Clooney his first Best Actor award. (He was previously nominated in that race for Up in the Air and Michael Clayton). For more on The Descendants which hits theatres on November 23rd, click here and check out the trailer below.

The Descendants

Clooney’s other film is the adaptation of Beau Willimon’s award-winning play Farragut North. Now titled The Ides of March, the movie has a hefty Oscar pedigree with Clooney directing, co-starring and co-writing a cast including Oscar winners Marisa Tomei and Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Oscar nominees Ryan Gosling and Paul Giamatti, Emmy winner Jeffrey Wright (Angels in America) and Emmy nominee Evan Rachel Wood (Mildred Pierce). This political thriller follows a principled staffer (Gosling) working on a political campaign for Clooney’s character and gets thrust into a world of dirty dealings and machinations on the campaign trail. This one looks like total Oscar bait after viewing its trailer and I can’t wait to see it when it hits theatres on October 7th. I’m betting the film will be a huge contender for Picture, Screenplay, Director, Actor (Gosling) and Supporting Actor (Hoffman, Giamatti, Clooney). For more on March, head here and check out the trailer below…. Will it be all Clooney all the time at this year’s Oscars? I think it’s a safe bet….

The Ides of March