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: "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)

Most Anticipated Films of 2011

Well, it's about time that I look past the awards season and into the horizon of what I hope will be worthwhile films in 2011. I can't know for sure, because barely any trailer at all has been released for any of my picks, and most of them don't come out until after the start of the summer movie season. So I'm not going to elaborate on my anticipation, but I'll give a brief reason why. I wasn't one of the people who thought that The Hangover was overrated, but I also wasn't one of those crazies pushing it for Best Picture. That was never going to actually happen. The upcoming sequel should provide what was so entertaining the first time through, and the Godfather-ish Part II slapped at the end of the title makes it that much more intriguing.

Contagion, directed by Steven Soderbergh, has a typical name and a typical premise, but it's from the writer of films like The Bourne Ultimatum and The Informant, and it has an all star cast of Matt Damon, Kate Winslet, Gwyneth Paltrow, Marion Cotillard, and Bryan Cranston. Unless it was fabricated from someone's awesome imagination, Contagion is a must-see film. Sherlock Holmes 2 is another story. I'm one of the people who appreciated the first film as a fun and enjoyable detective film with a bit of action, but it was ultimately just a set-up for this sequel. Now that sequel is on its way, with Noomi Rapace, Stephen Fry, and Jared Harris joining the cast in major roles. Lets just hope that Rachel McAdams is put on the back-burner this time out.

X-Men: First Class is a bit of a fascination for me at the time, because I find the vintage superhero approach that director Matthew Vaughn (Kick-Ass) seems to be going with to be intriguing at the very least. They've got James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender in the leading roles, which seems like the perfect formula to restart the series. On the smaller side of things, I'm desperately looking forward to Thomas McCarthy's next film, Win Win, which does sound like some cheesy romantic-comedy, but I expect it will be far more than that. McCarthy has written some great films like The Visitor and Up, so I don't expect he's about to disappoint us.

One of the films that's a little bit further off the radar is 30 Minutes or Less, the upcoming comedy about a pizza boy who has a bomb strapped to his chest and is told to rob a bank. By the way, the main character is played by Jesse Eisenberg. I need not say more. The rest are rather self-explanatory, with Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol being Brad Bird's live-action debut, The Tree of Life being Terrence Malick's most highly anticipated film ever, and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo coming right off the book phenomenon and director David Fincher's own phenomenon with The Social Network. Oh, and there's also Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, but whatever. What are you most looking forward to seeing this year? Comment below and let me know!

10. The Hangover: Part II
9. Contagion
8. Sherlock Holmes 2
7. X-Men: First Class
6. Win Win
5. 30 Minutes or Less
4. Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol
3. The Tree of Life
2. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
1. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1

The Mel Gibson-"Hangover 2" Debacle

Mel Gibson has had his hands in his fair share of debacles, and they've definitely made him a tough sell as an actor for most films. What we didn't see coming was him being denied a role in a film as ballsy as The Hangover 2. The controversial figure was close to busting out a deal to cameo as a tattoo artist in the upcoming sequel. Unfortunately for him, Todd Philips had to turn him down due to issues that members of the cast and crew had with his casting. I guess that despite his character, Zach Galifianakis has some pretty sturdy and honest morals. Though he hasn't exactly announced that he was the one with problems, but it's inferred through this statement he said in an interview:

"I'm in a deep protest right now with a movie I'm working on, up in arms about something, but I can't get the guys to [listen] ... I'm not making any leeway."

Who would have though that Galifianakis would be the one to say no? He certainly just went up a few notches in my books. Though I was worried at first that they wouldn't find a fitting replacement for Gibson, it appears that Liam Neeson is now set to fill the role. Philips certainly has my stamp of approval. What is you opinion on this issue? I want to know what you think of the entire Mel Gibson debacle, including its origins in the audio tape scandal.