OSCAR 2011 PREDICTIONS: Supporting Actress

The supporting performance races are prime examples of what's so dull about this Oscar year. It's not as much about who wins as it is about who was eligible for consideration. There are precious few here who even scratch the surface of consideration in my book. I'm not at all sure how Janet McTeer made it into this bracket, but there's absolutely no enthusiasm heading her way. Melissa McCarthy is different, because the only reason she's here is because the enthusiasm of the public willed her into a nomination. No real chance of winning, but it's a consideration that many are thankful for. Myself, I would have been pleased if Rose Byrne were the proper nomination, but I guess it's too much to expect people go for the better performance over the louder one.

Berenice Bejo is here because of "The Artist", and she doesn't really belong here. There's nothing extraordinary about her performance. All the same, I have absolutely nothing against her, and she does ordinary and typical pretty well, all things considered. But really, it's the ladies from "The Help" that we're talking about here. Don't worry about them cancelling each other out. They know who they're voting for, and it's the underwhelming Octavia Spencer. Don't get me wrong. She's nice and funny, but not to the level necessary for a win. I thought Jessica Chastain was much more deserving for her performance, but I thought even more that she should have been nominated for "Take Shelter" instead, a film which got no love from the Academy. But we dried out tears a long time ago. Now we're just rolling our eyes.

OSCAR 2011: Requiem for an Ensemble

If there's been one category that's been sorely missing from the Academy bracket for ages, it's an award for Ensemble Cast that's been long standing within the SAG Awards. And it's a damn shame because there is plenty of room for them to honor a notably strong ensemble cast. Of course the Academy would quite easily muck it up to accommodate their own favorite films rather than consider the casts as a whole. So I offered them a slot for themselves, with what would very likely end up nominated if they chose. But honestly, I care a great deal more about what I would choose, because I'm just that narcissistic.

The only real overlap there would be would be in "Midnight in Paris", which they'd give access automatically whereas I understand why they deserve to be nominated. The cast of that piece is so immense and on-the-dot in a wide and expansive impersonatory and satirical joust for the win. On the smaller side, I think everybody was stunned by the synchronization of the work on "Drive", but less for the across the board subtle and shattering performances on "Tomboy". That may be just me, but I was devastated fantastically. I was giddy with joy at the assembled cast of the latest "Mission: Impossible", each of which served to a purpose. And the cast of "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy" leaves nary a weak link in the pot.

OSCAR 2011 PREDICTIONS: Best Original Screenplay

To be truthful I'm for the most part pleased with the nominations for Original Screenplay. I say "for the most part" on account of the unwelcome intrusion of "Margin Call". I never understood the enthusiasm that went towards that film instead of the far more deserving "Martha Marcy May Marlene". But outside that slight hiccup, there's a lot to like about the screenplays here. I'd never vouch for "Bridesmaids" on account of direction or as a corporeal film, but it is quite meticulously written by those who seem to understand the film more than it understands itself. It won't win, but it's a welcome addition.

I'm more than just happy to see "A Separation" make it in. Discounting the indifference that's often thrown the way of the Foreign Language category, as well as giving us dreamers something to root for desperately to no avail. But who are we kidding, really? This is between Woody Allen and Michel Hazanavicius, and it's more than likely that the Academy will go with the former in this case. After all, how good can a screenplay with too few spoken words be? Actually quite meticulous. From the dialogue that comes onscreen in captions, to the dialogue that we only ever see on the characters' mouths, to even the slightest gesture and movement, it's quite a brilliant script. It'll still probably go to "Midnight in Paris", for all its clever zingers, but they wouldn't be so clever if it weren't for the spot-on performances from its expansive ensemble.

AWARDS 2011: WGA Nominations Skew Disaffected

The WGA has had a notorious penchant for nominating inaccurate films for screenwriting, as they cancel out so many films on strict rules. Therefore, the little interest I usually muster for awards isn't even available now. It's a slow crawl to nomination morning, when all the silliness finally fades from the world and we can start talking not-really-that-seriously.

Best Adapted Screenplay:

• "The Descendants"
  
• "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo"
  
• "The Help"
  
• "Hugo"
  
• "Moneyball"

Best Original Screenplay:

• "Bridesmaids"
  
• "50/50"
  
• "Midnight in Paris"
  
• "Win Win"
  
• "Young Adult"

Best Documentary Screenplay:

• "Better This World"
  
• "If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front"
  
• "Nostalgia for the Light"
  
• "Pina"
  
• "Position Among the Stars"
• "Senna"

AWARDS 2011: PGA go for regulars, plus "Dragon Tattoo"

The producers guild are down to their dirty deeds once more, continuing to officially endorse the films which we all know will be nominated for Best Picture. There's little straying from the course at this point. It's probably going to be a seven film race this year, and if there's three below that are probably not going to make it, they're "Bridesmaids", "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo", and "The Ides of March". The rest are just cruising towards nomination day. I would like to see eight films make the cut, and who's to count out that possibility? If there's a film of the three discounted that could likely make it, it would be "Ides of March", which would be a nice capper to a decidedly dicey road it's been on.

Outstanding Producer of Theatrical Motion Pictures

• "The Artist"
• "Bridesmaids"
• "The Descendants"
• "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo"
• "The Help"

Quick Takes: "Tomboy", "Rango", "Bridesmaids"

"Tomboy"

Directed by Celine Sciamma

This wasn't too high up on my list of films to catch up on before the year was out, but it landed in my general vicinity, so I figured it couldn't hurt. I didn't expect how much "Tomboy" actually did hurt, in ways both predictable and still shattering. The story is your typical new-kid-in-a-new-place sort of story, with the major exception being that Mikael is not a boy, but a girl named Laure. And the thing is that there's nothing truly dishonest about the way she represents herself. She has no ulterior motive other than to settle in with this group without the prejudices asserted by gender basis, and the honest nature of her deceit is what makes this such a wonderful little tale.

The film elicits this tragic gut-feeling, not just through these sweet moments between Laure and the girl she starts a relationship with, Lisa, but through the inevitability of its collapse. This isn't a brilliant ruse that Laure. It's so easy for it to fall apart, and it doesn't do this in a contained moment with the group of friends. The film draws out Laure's humiliation so as to never speak ill of her or her friends. Director Celine Sciamma passes no judgment, and in fact shows only deep affection for her characters, and it's infectious, like the sporadic pop tune that plays during one of the film's sweeter moments. But it's the innocent performances from the cast, especially the pitch-perfect Zoe Heran working years ahead of her age, that cement this film so strongly in my heart. Show this one to your kids. It's that sweet.

AWARDS 2011: The "Bad" in the Golden Globe nods!

I'm not often praising the Golden Globe nominations at all, as most year's they're just the afterthought of the season. Nobody should care, and yet we do. Why? Because the split of the Drama and Musical/Comedy branches makes room for the films and actors that would have been left behind otherwise. For the most part anyway, as there are things I still don't quite get. The Globe nods made it clear that it was a light field this year, as most of the "Drama" films nominated weren't really dramas. Doesn't it make sense that "The Descendants", "Hugo", and "The Help" would fall more kindly under Comedy?

It makes it all the more odd that "The Artist" IS nominated for Best Comedy/Musical, a category it is destined to win of course. But while we're talking about things that don't belong, somebody explain to me how "My Week with Marilyn" is a comedy. If that qualifies as a comedy, then throw "W.E." up there by all means! The lead drama acting nods were typical enough of what you'll see on Oscar nominations morning, with the only exceptions being Ryan Gosling in "Ides of March" and Rooney Mara in "Girl with the Dragon Tattoo". The lead comedy acting nods were so much more interesting, as they offer space for Brendan Gleeson ("The Guard"), Ryan Gosling again ("Crazy, Stupid, Love."), and Kristen Wiig in the underrated performance of the year for "Bridesmaids".

The supporting performance branches seem just as lost as usual, aside from Albert Brooks and Christopher Plummer of course. And that's more or less it aside from noting how depressing the Original Song category is. Nary a worthy song in sight. As for the television branch, there nothing I really can say. Well, aside from the bogus omissions of "Cougar Town", "Community", and most shockingly of all, "Breaking Bad"! Color me red! So yeah, this is why nobody SHOULD care about the Golden Globes.

AWARDS 2011: NY critics land on "Artist" & "Bridesmaids"

The New York Film Critics Online, the last film awards of the day to start was the shortest to conclude. A lot of the same going on, with another win for Albert Brooks in "Drive", further wins for "The Artist", a push for Michael Shannon in "Take Shelter", another "Tree of Life" cinematography win, and a surprising second award of the day for Melissa McCarthy for "Bridesmaids". Color us surprised, but I'm still guessing she won't make it into the Oscar shortlist. Just simple bias.

BEST PICTURE: "The Artist"

BEST DIRECTOR: Michel Hazanavicius ("The Artist")

BEST SCREENPLAY: "The Descendants"

BEST ACTOR: Michael Shannon ("Take Shelter")

BEST ACTRESS: Meryl Streep ("The Iron Lady")

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: Albert Brooks ("Drive")

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Melissa McCarthy ("Bridesmaids")

BEST ENSEMBLE: "Bridesmaids"

BREAKTHROUGH PERFORMER: Jessica Chastain ("The Tree of Life", "The Help", "Take Shelter")

BEST ANIMATED FILM: "The Adventures of Tintin"

BEST DOCUMENTARY: "Cave of Forgotten Dreams"

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM: "A Separation"

BEST DEBUT DIRECTOR: Joe Cornish ("Attack the Block")

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY: "The Tree of Life"

BEST USE OF MUSIC: "The Artist"

Summer 2011 a disappointment?

This is pretty much the last week of the blockbuster season of this Summer that kicked off with Thor, an unassuming and seemingly silly superhero film that many wrote off within the first trailer. Admittedly, I did to. I realize how wrong I was, and in fact Thor is still the most competent blockbuster of this year. Since then things have been hardly keeping themselves afloat, at least in this viewer's opinion. I know many who were more than pleased with Super 8, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, and X-Men: First Class, even if I wasn't. Hell, I even found Captain America of all things to be a somewhat welcome and campy reprieve from all the disappointment.

And that's just scraping the surface of what the viewing public critically approved of. How can we forget about all the warranted cynicism surrounding Priest, the blatant distaste of On Stranger Tides, and the unimaginable stupidity of The Hangover: Part II. And I almost forgot to mention Green Lantern, but it managed to disgust even the most hardcore of fanboys. And (dis)honorable mentions are needed for Zookeeper, Cars 2, Bad Teacher, Horrible Bosses, and others I'm too tired to list. All this hatred makes me forget the few real successes of the year.

Remember Kung Fu Panda 2, and how it brought us the greatest supporting actor performance of the year out of the mouth of a peacock? If Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy bottoms out, unlikely as it is, I'd suggest Gary Oldman just be nominated for that. How about Bridesmaids? Absolutely hilarious for almost two straight hours, and surprising depth from Kristen Wiig of all nutty characters. And I know this isn't a common opinion, but Transformers: Dark of the Moon was the most guiltily enjoyable romp of the summer. I feel no shame in admitting my enjoyment of Bay's loud stupidity.

So the season effectively ends this weekend with Rise of the Planet of the Apes, which is about as unassuming as film as Thor was at the start of the year. Fittingly enough, both films look to feature fantastically strong leading performances from unlikely actors. Having seen just seen it now, I can say that it keeps up this summer's streak of being adequate but not at all outstanding. I'll get to that later, but I didn't hate everything about the film. In particular, one thing is truly amazing.

Box Office Update: Under Light of "Moon"

It seems like the box office is thriving, with another major hit having taken a huge chunk of the earnings this weekend, be it one that we expected. To be honest, I would have expected bigger numbers from Transformers: Dark of the Moon, but I guess the weak(er) start had to do with the general anger towards the second film. As most know, I quite enjoyed the second film, and I quite enjoyed the third film for the same basic reasons. It's big, loud, stupid, hilarious, honest, and quite obviously beautiful. Every artist has a certain style, and Bay's is with the degenerate and flashy. You can't simply watch this film and lump it in with the crowd of failing blockbusters.

Cars 2 took a massive drop from last weekend, by far the largest drop of any Pixar film, but there's no surprise there. Larry Crowne failed on impact, not making a huge dent with the opposite demographic of Transformers. Monte Carlo also didn't make a big impact, but it did well for what was expected of it. That's the main thing you can say about it, is that it did exactly what it was expected to do, and that's fine. In the scheme of total grosses, Bridesmaids passed the $150 million point, which I'm quite happy about. Pirates 4 passed $1 billion worldwide, which I'm not at all happy about. It certainly puts Alice in Wonderland in perspective in terms of quality.

1. Transformers: Dark of the Moon (First Weekend; $116.4 million)

2. Cars 2 (Second Weekend; $32.1 million)

3. Bad Teacher (Second Weekend; $17.6 million)

4. Larry Crowne (First Weekend; $15.7 million)

5. Super 8 (Fourth Weekend; $9.5 million)

6. Monte Carlo (First Wekend; $8.8 million)

7. Green Lantern (Third Weekend; $8 million)

8. Mr. Popper's Penguins (Third Weekend; $6.9 million)

9. Bridesmaids (Eighth Weekend; $4.4 million)

10. Midnight in Paris (Seventh Weekend; $4.3 million)

Midpoint 2011: What's worth remembering?

To get yet another pet peeve out of the way, it is never appropriate to write in a review of any film, no matter how great it is, that it's the best film of the year thus far. After a time, it becomes far too redundant and honestly irritating. I don't like revealing my cards before they're played, and for that reason it seem ridiculous to remark on the best films of the year thus far. We're six months in and we haven't really gotten much to show for it. The first three months were a depressing slog through the gutters, and April was only refreshing in the most carnal of fashion.

How do I believe that? Well, you look at the standouts of the month, such as Hanna and Source Code, and while they are entertaining mainstream efforts, they offer little more than basic thrills and stylish conceits. Then May came along and the onslaught of fire, explosions, and death began, but not without a few small achievements. Thor proved to be a solid fantasy blockbuster adventure, Bridesmaids was a fascinating introspective comedy that succeeded where most failed, and Kung Fu Panda 2 is commendable for bringing us another fantastic performance from Gary Oldman.

June is where things got decidedly dicey, with anticipated films like X-Men: First Class, Super 8, and Cars 2 leaving this viewers infinitely disappointed. Even Transformers: Dark of the Moon, a film I was honestly ready to enjoy for what it was, managed to fail on a few levels that Revenge of the Fallen just didn't. I know! I really need to stop being so dead inside. I'll get my review for the film up by tomorrow, but the fact of the matter is that this year has thus far been largely a disappointment. I'd write it off as irrelevant when it comes to what I remember at the close of the year, but there are things worthy of mention.

Box Office Update: "2" Fast. Not Furious.

Seriously, what the hell is wrong with this summer? We've gone on so far without anything being truly exceptional, that I'm honestly playing quite the pessimist. I'm honestly kind of excited for Transformers: Dark of the Moon to lift me out of this rut I've been stuck in. That's not to say that films haven't been mildly successful. Green Lantern looks to be the only unmitigated failure of the blockbuster summer thus far. Things have been on a downward slope for Cars 2 all week, and yet it still displays an honorable total for this weekend.

I'm not surprised, as kids were greatly pleased with Hop a few months back, so why on earth would they not be even more pleased with Cars 2? The film beat low expectations to take the top spot with $8 million more than the previous film's opening. It's still to be determined how well the film plays in the long term, but there isn't much to draw away the kid crowd in the next month, so I'd say the film's prospects are strong. Now, the other new releases would usually be a non-factor, but Bad Teacher put up a fantastic opening north of $30 million, which is spectacular for a comedic venture like that.

Aside from that, there's not much to this weekend's box office. Green Lantern took a nosedive of nearly 65%, and looks like it's going to be a total failure. Super 8 is currently en route to doubling its budget of $50 million. Overall, the weekend was up a good 8% from last year, so things might be taking a turn for the better after Green Lantern's failure.

1. Cars 2 (First Weekend; $68 million)

2. Bad Teacher (First Weekend; $31 million)

3. Green Lantern (Second Weekend; $18.4 million)

4. Super 8 (Third Weekend; $12.1 million)

5. Mr. Popper's Penguins (Second Weekend; $10.3 million)

6. X-Men: First Class (Fourth Weekend; $6.6 million)

7. The Hangover: Part II (Fifth Weekend; $5.9 million)

8. Bridesmaids (Seventh Weekend; $5.4 million)

9. Pirates 4 (Sixth Weekend; $4.7 million)

10. Midnight in Paris (Sixth Weekend; $4.5 million)

Box Office Update: Green Means Stop

Sorry there wasn't any "Weekend Report", but from time to time my actual job tends to come in the way of me getting things up on time. On to the actual news, Green Lantern's opening was a mix of the good and the bad, opening modestly to $21.6 million on Friday only to decline greatly with the next two days. I have absolutely no intention of seeing it and adding to its now depressing total. It still managed to hold onto the top spot, but that's no huge feat going up against the second weekend of Super 8. Talking of which, J.J. Abrams' new film slipped only 40% from last weekend, which is pretty spectacular for a film built on a budget of $50 million.

Then there's the bastard second new release that finds its place lower down the list at number 3, this week being Mr. Popper's Penguins. The film fared less favorably than imagined given its kid friendly premise, but it was expected to land somewhere just below $20 million. Don't expect further kindness with Cars 2 coming in next week to snatch the kid crowd, and Bad Teacher picking up the comedic circuit. X-Men: First Class continued on a downward trend, falling another 50% to fourth place. Filling out the top five was The Hangover: Part II, which is finally bottoming out, and should end its run at about $250 million, far more than it deserves. This weekend ultimately was a gargantuan 23.8% down from last year, but that's understandable against the opening of Toy Story 3.

1. Green Lantern (First Weekend; $52.7 million)

2. Super 8 (Second Weekend; $21.3 million)

3. Mr. Popper's Penguins (First Weekend; $18.2 million)

4. X-Men: First Class (Third Weekend; $11.5 million)

5. The Hangover: Part II (Fourth Weekend; $9.6 million)

6. Kung Fu Panda 2 (Fourth Weekend; $8.7 million)

7. Bridesmaids (Sixth Weekend; $7.5 million)

8. Pirates of the Caribbean 4 (Fifth Weekend; $6.2 million)

9. Midnight in Paris (Fifth Weekend; $5 million)

10. Judy Moody and the NOT Bummer Summer (Second Weekend; $2.2 million)

Box Office Update: Super Eight Figures

I didn't think I'd be saying this at the start of this weekend, but what an astounding weekend it was. It should probably be a bit more clear why once I make my next post much later this evening, but I had a genuinely wonderful experience at the movies this weekend. That's what I've been complaining so much about this year lacking concerning the films released. None of them have seemed like real events, or moments when the world stops its nonsense and gives you its focus. Out of context, this must be rather confusing and strange, so here's hoping it lures you back to find out why I'm so smitten.

On to the matter at hand, this weekend had a great deal going against it, and it was clear that it wasn't going to match up with last year when The Karate Kid and The A-Team brought in their own massive heap. Well what better way to combat vintage 80's cash grab than late 70's nostalgia? Super 8 was able to put up a truly admirable figure of $37 million, which is exceptional because the film has a cast of unknowns and cost only $50 million to make. My hat's off to Abrams, who barely made the film's budget evident. It looked much better than any of the blockbusters ripping people off right now.

X-Men: First Class held on moderately well, not dipping further than 54.6%, but that may be due to the lesser impact of Super 8 as opposed to more gargantuan blockbusters. The prequel should clear the $100 million mark by Tuesday at the latest. Hangover 2 and Pirates 4 both joined the ranks of Fast Five in passing the $200 million mark, yet undeservedly so. The reason for Pirates should be obvious, but Hangover 2 is en route to be considered an equal success as the first film. What made the first one so outstanding in box office terms was how it held on over the course of the summer, despite humble beginnings. It never completely left memory at the box office. I think we just want to forget Part II.

Judy Moody and the NOT Bummer Summer met an inglorious seventh place opening, which makes me glad that people didn't waste quite as much time with it as I worried they would. One of the real standouts this weekend was Midnight in Paris, which expanded to 944 theaters and added to its exceptional total given the indie nature of the film. In summation, the film was only a 4.1% decrease from last year, which is totally understandable and nothing to scoff at.

1. Super 8 (First Weekend; $37 million)

2. X-Men: First Class (Second Weekend; $25 million)

3. The Hangover: Part II (Third Weekend; $18.5 million)

4. Kung Fu Panda 2 (Third Weekend; $16.6 million)

5. Pirates of the Caribbean 4 (Fourth Weekend; $10.8 million)

6. Bridesmaids (Fifth Weekend; $10.2 million)

7. Judy Moody and the NOT Bummer Summer (First Weekend; $6.2 million)

8. Midnight in Paris (Fourth Weekend; $6.1 million)

9. Thor (Sixth Weekend; $2.4 million)

10. Fast Five (Seventh Weekend; $1.7 million)

Box Office Update: Second Class Treatment

My personal prejudice aside, it makes perfectly good sense why X-Men: First Class performed the way it did this weekend. I understand why people liked it as much as they did, even though I feel like they shouldn't have. It makes sense that the film would thrive off of the male audience, because they are the core demographic of people who would like it. The film didn't open as massively as some believed because of the negative energy after X-Men Origins: Wolverine failed so badly. It picked up from positive word of mouth, and is likely to survive over the coming weeks. All things considered, this is a solid opening for the reboot/prequel.

As for second week holdovers, Hangover: Part II fell to second with a massive drop of 62.2%, as one could have expected of an opening as massive as it had and a reception as mild as it received. Kung Fu Panda 2 fell just under 50%, proving to be the better holdover of the two. The fourth Pirates of the Caribbean film continued its descent with a 54.8% drop, and Bridesmaids continued to perform exceptionally well with another small drop of 26.7%. In summation, the weekend was a vast improvement from last year, when Get Him to the Greek and Killers were the top new releases. It's that comparison that almost makes me think we're doing pretty well this year.

1. X-Men: First Class (First Weekend; $56 million)

2. The Hangover: Part II (Second Weekend; $32.4 million)

3. Kung Fu Panda 2 (Second Weekend; $24.3 million)

4. Pirates of the Caribbean 4 (Third Weekendl $18 million)

5. Bridesmaids (Fourth Weekend; $12.1 million)

6. Thor (Fifth Weekend; $4.2 million)

7. Fast Five (Sixth Weekend; $3.2 million)

8. Midnight in Paris (Third Weekend; $2.9 million)

9. Jumping the Broom (Fifth Weekend; $0.8 million)

10. Something Borrowed (Fifth Weekend; $0.8 million)

Box Office Update: Bad Decisions Till Monday Night

I guess it was a bit much to expect people to behave rationally this weekend, which was a massive success, despite the pit in my gut. It set a record for the highest Top 10 box office results for Memorial Day weekend, pulled out the second highest grossing R-Rated release, and gained us a fair bit of traction towards catching up with where we were at the box office last year. It's not hard to beat out last year, which brought the disappointing openings of Sex and the City 2 and Prince of Persia. So why am I not as happy as I'd like to be.

Starting from the top, The Hangover: Part II ruled the box office this weekend, aiming at the unbelievably available demographic of college kids just out of school for the summer, not to mention the fans of the first film. I guess I shouldn't be surprised that people will shell out their money based solely on hype for a film as redundant as this. I guess I was hoping for some degree of intelligence. If there had been such, perhaps Kung Fu Panda 2 wouldn't have performed as it did. The first film opened just north of $60 million, and the sequel came in just south of $50 million. Hopefully it will pick up in the coming weeks, but I'm still slightly downtrodden by this outcome.

Other than that, I honestly don't see what's to be upset about. Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides fell substantially enough, as we knew it would. Thor remains the only blockbuster film this summer that didn't take so massive a fall after the first weekend. Bridesmaids continued to hold on well, despite the competition of The Hangover: Part II, or perhaps because of it. It stands to reason that they would make a compatible double feature. The last piece of modestly relevant news is that Midnight in Paris made the top ten, expanding to a mere 58 theaters, so bravo Woody Allen. We'll do a followup tomorrow when the numbers for Monday come in.

1. The Hangover: Part II (First Weekend; $86.5 million)

2. Kung Fu Panda 2 (First Weekend; $48 million)

3. Pirates of the Caribbean 4 (Second Weekend; $39.3 million)

4. Bridesmaids (Third Weekend; $16.4 million)

5. Thor (Fourth Weekend; $9.4 million)

6. Fast Five (Fifth Weekend; $6.6 million)

7. Midnight in Paris (Second Weekend; $1.9 million)

8. Jumping the Broom (Fourth Weekend; $1.9 million)

9. Something Borrowed (Fourth Weekend; $1.8 million)

10. Rio (Seventh Weekend; $1.8 million)

Box Office Update: At World's End? Not So Much.

The weekend box office estimates would surely look a tad bit different if the world had ended at 6:00 on May 21. Thankfully, that silliness is now past us, and we can worry about real problems in the world. The summer box office marathon continued with great, yet somehow middling success, as Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides took the top spot with about $90 million. It's not as high as the openings of the last two films, but there was bound to be some fourth flick backlash, not to mention negative word of mouth. Yet audiences still took to this film rather positively, as I kind of knew they would. Flash and pretension are two of the most powerful hooks for the gullible audience.

Ruling the holdovers with pink gloved fist was Bridesmaids, which fell only 20% from last weekend's more than modest debut. It has been proving to be something of what The Hangover was two years ago. I fear it will drop when The Hangover: Part II arrives next weekend, but probably not by much. Thor took a more substantial fall of 55%, which is understandable as the big blockbuster slot has now been filled by another. Fast Five fell another 48% as it moves ever so slightly closer to $200 million. All in all, this weekend was an 11% increase from the same weekend last year, when Shrek Forever After opened in first.

1. Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (First Weekend; $90.1 million)

2. Bridesmaids (Second Weekend; $21.1 million)

3. Thor (Third Weekend; $15.5 million)

4. Fast Five (Fourth Weekend; $10.6 million)

5. Rio (Sixth Weekend; $4.6 million)

6. Priest (Second Weekend; $4.6 million)

7. Jumping the Broom (Third Weekend; $3.7 million)

8. Something Borrowed (Third Weekend; $3.4 million)

9. Water for Elephants (Fifth Weekend; $2.2 million)

10. Soul Surfer (Seventh Weekend; $1 million)

Film Review: "Bridesmaids" (***1/2)

Overexposure can sometimes be a toxic thing, with such works as Paul being barely one-hit-wonders and others like Battle: Los Angeles and Red Riding Hood making everything so painfully obvious that it hurts. However, on occasion I just want to sit back and let a film assault me in a favorable manner. Bridesmaids happens to be on the higher end of that spectrum, and I feel like I've set this film up for a negative critique. While there is plenty to gripe with this film, as there is with nearly every Hollywood comedic venture, I enjoyed it a great deal more than any other wedding comedy I've had the misfortune of running into.

Being the third wedding related film releasing this month, after Jumping the Broom and Something Borrowed, I was a tad worried that nobody would care. Fortunately that wasn't the case, and I was surprised by how diverse a crowd was in the theater. While obviously skewing towards the female demographic, Bridesmaids was able to take a subject that men normally roll their eyes at and make it surprisingly entertaining. This isn't the "Omigod, he's so hot, and I'm marrying him," tale of true love and all that BS. The groom in the film doesn't even speak a line of dialogue beyond "I do." Writers Annie Mumolo and Kristen Wiig made sure that this wasn't a boring retread of something you'd already seen before.

Annie Walker, the protagonist of the film played by Kristen Wiig, isn't that kind of girl who is searching desperately for a guy to take care of her for the rest of her life. That's made clear by the opening scene of her and Jon Hamm humping each other in pretty much every position. Hamm's character, Ted, is not in any way her soul mate. He's a douchebag who honestly couldn't care less about Annie outside of use as a sex tool. She's the sort of girl who's been run into the ground, and is routinely used by others as an exercise tool, designed to make them better, or make them seem better. The closest person she really has is her best friends Lillian, who is now suddenly getting married.

Box Office Update: Always a "Bridesmaids"

This weekend looked to be another substantial drop-off from the success we've been having for the past two weeks, as there weren't any major blockbusters opening. In some ways, that played to the advantage of this particular weekend, with Thor holding on to the top spot impressively with only a 47.5% decrease from last weekend. That's less of a drop than Fast Five had after its massive opening. It also proves to be the smallest drop of any film in Marvel's Avengers lineup thus far. The film looks to be headed past the $200 million mark sometime within the next three weeks.

Meanwhile, in the land of the new releases, Bridesmaids proved to play a lot better than expectations believed it would. Coming in at just $10 less than Thor, the film could turn out to be a big player in the coming weeks, assuming it maintains its audience well enough. Priest didn't even break $15 million this weekend, but still earned more than it deserved. Fast Five landed in third, leveling out at a steady decrease of 39.8%. Rio rounded out the top five, dropping a minuscule 6% from last weekend. The film should do fine for the next two weeks until Kung Fu Panda 2 takes up its target audience. The weekend was still  4.6% lower than the same last year, but that's still impressive given last year's debut of Robin Hood and the holdover of Iron Man 2.

1. Thor (Second Weekend; $34.5 million)

2. Bridesmaids (First Weekend; $24.4 million)

3. Fast Five (Third Weekend; $19.5 million)

4. Priest (First Weekend; $14.5 million)

5. Rio (Fifth Weekend; $8 million)

6. Jumping the Broom (Second Weekend; $7.3 million)

7. Something Borrowed (Second Weekend; $7 million)

8. Water for Elephants (Fourth Weekend; $4.1 million)

9. Madea's Big Happy Family (Fourth Weekend; $2.2 million)

10. Soul Surfer (Sixth Weekend; $1.8 million)

The Weekend Report: An Unreasonable Alternative

if you're not over in Cannes, cheery expectations aren't the most advisable. Last weekend was a step in the right direction, given the depressing circumstances in both the box office and the general material of films this year. The last thing we needed was further cynicism, and Thor was gleefully able to bring us out of that. This weekend takes a substantial drop, and Thor looks to nail the top spot again this weekend. It's not exactly that there's nothing worth seeing, but there aren't any massive blockbuster ventures releasing. The closest thing we have to that is Priest, and I hope it doesn't do as well as some think it will.

If you're going to head out to see something new of value this weekend, the best suggestion I can give you is Bridesmaids. Something about the raunchy female comedy rubbed me the wrong way in the marketing of the film, but it does look genuinely hilarious and somewhat heartfelt. Kristen Wiig is one of the best comedic actresses in the business, and to see her taking the lead on a film like this brings nothing but joy to me. If I head out to the theaters this weekend, it will be to see her film. On the other hand, I also have a reluctant obligation to see Priest so I'd best just get that out of the way.