Nick and Norah’s Chihuahua
The only real surprise this weekend is that the mom and pop and church outfit that put together Facing the Giants cracked the top five with their latest, Fireproof. Or maybe it’s just a surprise that you can crack the top five with single digit million grosses.
Sadly, you only have seven wide releases to choose from this weekend.
10/3
Wide
WHAT’S THE PITCH?
Far inferior remake of Beverly Hills Chupacabra.
WILL IT SUCK?
The one good thing I can say about this movie is that the casting probably saved the life of its lead, a stray dog named Rusco. Early buzz is shockingly (albeit apologetically) good.
HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
City of Ember doesn’t make things any easier the following week, but there are no other talking pet movies for miles. On the other hand, it’s called Beverly Hills Chihuahua. $18mil.
WILL ANYBODY REMEMBER IT AT OSCAR TIME?
We all know about the Academy’s bias against talking animals.
NICK AND NORAH’S INFINITE PLAYLIST
WHAT’S THE PITCH?
Kat Dennings and Michael Cera stumble into a first date in NYC.
WILL IT SUCK?
Early buzz is good. The long overdue follow-up effort from Raising Victor Vargas helmer Peter Sollet. More interestingly, a teen romcom based on a novel.
HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
The only other romcom in sight, last week’s Nights in Rodanthe, skews much older, and isn’t really a romcom. How to Lose Friends… isn’t strictly a romcom either, but will pull on much more of the same audience. But I think it’s safe to say Michael Cera is hotter than Simon Pegg right now. $48mil.
WILL ANYBODY REMEMBER IT AT OSCAR TIME?
No, but there should have been more love for Cera in Juno.
WHAT’S THE PITCH?
An epidemic of blindness leads to the victims being quarantined and going all Lord of the Flies on each other while Julianne Moore, who’s faking blindness to stay with her stricken husband (Mark Ruffalo) er, looks on.
WILL IT SUCK?
Early buzz is mixed, which is disappointing since this is Fernando (Constant Gardener, City of God) Meirelles we’re talking about here. The writer’s no slouch, either, having penned the decent-but-unseen Childstar. Gael Garcia Bernal is up in here, too, but apparently that didn’t help.
HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
Maybe pick a less crowded weekend. Maybe go limited, too. $31mil.
WILL ANYBODY REMEMBER IT AT OSCAR TIME?
If it had got better reviews, maybe.
WHAT’S THE PITCH?
Bill Maher, not a big fan of the religion.
WILL IT SUCK?
Early buzz is generally positive. Larry Charles was the perfect choice to direct this doc given the scarcity of punches pulled in Borat. Curious to see how dimensional Maher’s critique of religion turns out to be.
HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
Let’s just say the American Carol crowd won’t dectract from Religulous‘ demo. Still, a limited release (and not just one that starts two days earlier) would have served this film better, especially in this crowded a market. $5mil.
WILL ANYBODY REMEMBER IT AT OSCAR TIME?
A doc nod isn’t out of the question.
HOW TO LOSE FRIENDS AND ALIENATE PEOPLE
WHAT’S THE PITCH?
Simon Pegg tries to make it in the crazy world of New York magazine publishing.
WILL IT SUCK?
Early buzz is good. Based on former Vanity Fair contributor Toby Young’s memoir. Good cast: Gillian Anderson, Jeff Bridges, Danny Huston, Kirsten Dunst, are all on board with Pegg. Curb Your Enthusiam vet Robert V. Weide should be able to wring out plenty of awkward at the helm. Also, the only flick I know of to promote itself with its own facebook app.
HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
Infinite Playlist won’t help matters, and with Ghost Town returns proving that no one knows who the hell Ricky Gervais is, there’s no way they know who Simon Pegg is, either. $17mil.
WILL ANYBODY REMEMBER IT AT OSCAR TIME?
Devil Wears Prada it ain’t.
WHAT’S THE PITCH?
True story of a guy (Greg Kinnear) who sued the automobile industry for stealing his idea.
WILL IT SUCK?
Early buzz is generally good, if not full-throated.
HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
Will get lost in the shuffle. $10mil.
WILL ANYBODY REMEMBER IT AT OSCAR TIME?
It usually takes a stronger reaction to get that far.
WHAT’S THE PITCH?
The Conservative Satirists Strike Back
WILL IT SUCK?
David Zucker used to be much, much funnier than this. Although it all started to come off the rails with Scary Movie 3 and 4, so don’t necessarily blame it on the conservative slant. More here.
HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
A lot of the male audience for this flick will turn to Body of Lies next week, but with the right marketing, this could hit an underserved market. $39mil.
WILL ANYBODY REMEMBER IT AT OSCAR TIME?
Even if this were the most sophisticated skewering of liberals, which it ain’t, the conservatives in the Academy would get outvoted pretty handily.
Limited
WHAT’S THE PITCH?
Rehab chick (Anne Hathaway) goes to her sister’s wedding.
WILL IT SUCK?
Early buzz is good. By the look of the trailer, Jonathan Demme is going mumblecore. Cast supported by Debra Winger, Anna Deveare Smith and Rosemarie Dewitt (who kicked ass on Mad Men) as the eponymous Rachel.
HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
Probably about as well as Margot at the Wedding, with which it’s sure to get needlessly confused. $4mil.
WILL ANYBODY REMEMBER IT AT OSCAR TIME?
As the sole lead in Brokeback to not get a nod, Hathaway may see her fortunes change here. Dewitt getting some early notices, too.
WHAT’S THE PITCH?
Three people react to a suicide in a small town.
WILL IT SUCK?
The darling of this year’s Sundance. Won for cinematography and direction. Early buzz is good, but not quite as fawning as all that.
HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
Sundance darlings tend not to do well unless they have big stars. $1mil.
WILL ANYBODY REMEMBER IT AT OSCAR TIME?
Ditto.
Next Week: Dammit! We’re going to find some Middle East movie the public will love!
October 1st, 2008 at 10:13 pm
If the time machine is ever invented, I’m going to use it to go back in time and slaughter the person who greenlit “Beverly Hills Chihuahua”.
Just sayin’.