Madea tops the box office. At this point, she’s more reliable than Adam Sandler.
9/18
Wide
CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF MEATBALLS
WHAT’S THE PITCH?
Guy invents machine that makes food fall from the sky. CG animated version of the children’s classic.
WILL IT SUCK?
What little footage has trickled out is getting good buzz. From the minds behind Clone High (heard it was good) and a few How I Met Your Mother‘s (know that’s good) and Extreme Movie which, to be fair, had about 352 writers.
HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
Is it just me or is it brilliant to release this in September with virtually no other kid’s competition? $125mil.
WILL ANYBODY REMEMBER IT AT OSCAR TIME?
I think the Best Animated category is still pretty wide open.
WHAT’S THE PITCH?
Demon-possessed cheerleader (Megan Fox) starts devouring boys while mentoring the (in my opinion, way hotter) class ugmo (Amanda Seyfried).
WILL IT SUCK?
Even more interesting to me than Juno scribe Diablo Cody writing the screenplay is Karyn Kusama (Girlfight, and let’s forget about Aeon Flux) directing, because how many times do you have a horror film written and directed by women?
Early buzz is just not good.
HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
Teen audience compromised by Fame the following week, but this has Megan Fox. $40mil.
WILL ANYBODY REMEMBER IT AT OSCAR TIME?
Even a Diablo Cody horror script will run up against the Academy anti-horror bias.
WHAT’S THE PITCH?
Self-help guru (Aaron Eckhart) falls for self-help attendee (Jennifer Aniston).
WILL IT SUCK?
I got concerned when I saw that the writers penned Dragonfly. And when will Judy Greer graduate from best friend status?
HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
I won’t say Aniston is unstoppable, but it’s not a good idea to bet against her. $89mil.
WILL ANYBODY REMEMBER IT AT OSCAR TIME?
Well, maybe you can bet against her here.
WHAT’S THE PITCH!
The Insider but, you know, funny.
WILL IT SUCK!
Based on the Kurt Eichenwald novel about the true crime Archer Midland Daniels price fixing scandal. His Enron book is next up for adaptation. Steven Soderbergh directs, and I’ll pretty much watch anything he makes, even if it sucks. This is looking more like Ocean’s 11, though, than The Good German. The screenwriter co-wrote The Bourne Ultimatum, and the cast – Matt Damon, Tony Hale, Patton Oswalt, Clancy Brown, Eddie Jemison and Paul F. Tompkins – is promising.
By the way, does anyone else think the poster is a 40 Year Old Virgin rip?
Early buzz is mixed.
HOW WELL WILL IT DO!
Corporate greed movies tend to have a glass ceiling, even with Matt Damon. $50mil.
WILL ANYBODY REMEMBER IT AT OSCAR TIME!
The Insider but, you know, without any nominations.
Limited
WHAT’S THE PITCH?
Story of the true-life romance between John Keats and Fanny Brawne, the inspiration for his eponymous poem.
WILL IT SUCK?
Early buzz is the best writer/director Jane Campion has had since The Piano. Better, if you believe IMDb, where this is her top-rated film.
And kudos on one of the most original film Web sites I’ve seen in years.
HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
Another strong woman on the indie horizon in Coco Before Chanel, and that one’s played by Audrey Tatou. $1mil.
WILL ANYBODY REMEMBER IT AT OSCAR TIME?
Campion’s been to the show and has the Best Original Screenplay Oscar to prove it. Abbie Cornish, who plays Brawne, could be in for some Academy love, especially if the film does better than I predict.
WHAT’S THE PITCH?
Interracial, forbidden love ensemble piece.
WILL IT SUCK?
Written and direced by Guillermo Arriaga, who wrote all those kick-ass Alejandro Gonzales Inarritu flicks (not to mention The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada). Early buzz is split. Some like it better than the work he did for Inarritu. Some really don’t.
HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
Best bet would be to play up the Inarritu angle, even though the two famously split post-Babel. $3mil.
WILL ANYBODY REMEMBER IT AT OSCAR TIME?
With better reviews, the presence of two Oscar winners (Charlize Theron and Kim Basinger) in lead roles might make more of a difference. As it is, seems more of a long shot.
WHAT’S THE PITCH?
Ensemble piece in which a dying man observes the lives of those living around him in, uh, some city in France.
WILL IT SUCK?
Early buzz is good. Nominated for Best Picture, Best Supporting Actress, and Best Editing at the Cesar Awards (French Oscars).
HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
You know what French movie is going to make some scratch this month? Coco Before Chanel. $500,000.
WILL ANYBODY REMEMBER IT AT OSCAR TIME?
Not to beat a dead horse, but Coco has just as much chance to be France’s foreign language submission.
Next Week: If you had an android avatar, would you give it this hair?
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