Statham vs. Crowe vs. Efron

No real surprises in the box office this weekend, so I’ll use this space to talk about a change to the Web site. I’m going to start experimenting with Amazon affiliate links, so let me know where they land on the obnoxious to useful continuum.

4/17

Wide

STATE OF PLAY

WHAT’S THE PITCH?
The Chandra Levy case with some Parallax View thrown in.

WILL IT SUCK?
You’ve got The Last King of Scotland helmer Kevin Macdonald up in here directing the likes of Russel Crowe, Rachel McAdams, Ben Affleck, Jason Bateman, Robin Wright Penn, Helen Mirren, Jeff Daniels, Viola Davis and Harry Lennix. Where it gets interesting is the three-way screenplay. Can the mad skillz of Tony Gilroy (Michael Clayton, the Bourne trilogy) and Billy Ray (Shattered Glass, Breach) work and play well with the contribution by Michale Matthew Carnahan (the flawed-but-compelling The Kingdom and the flat-out hated-on Lions for Lambs)? Potential for serious greatness here, though the trailer looks generic.

Early buzz is good.
HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
Little competition, but Body of Lies showed cracks in Crowe’s opening ability. $40mil.

CRANK: HIGH VOLTAGE

WHAT’S THE PITCH?
Guy steals Chev Chelios’ (Jason Statham) heart. You know, after he died in the original . Chev, now with an artificial heart that has to be juiced every hour to keep going, has to track down his real heart before he dies. Kind of like a buff Tin Man.

WILL IT SUCK?
First off, mad props on a good tag line. “He was dead…But he got better.” Looks like more of the same Maxim-made-celluloid we got in the first installment. Same writer/directors and leads. Adding David Carradine and Clifton Collins Jr. to the mix can only make things more interesting. And it’s hard not to be a little bit curious/frightened at the prospect of Corey Haim up in here, too.

HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
The only real competition I can think of demographically comes from the second frame of Observe and Report, which probably won’t do that well to begin with. On the other hand, even without competition, Statham has a ceiling. $32mil.

17 AGAIN

WHAT’S THE PITCH?
37-year-old guy (Matthew Perry) turns into 17-year-old version of himself (Zac Efron) and learns the valuable lesson that Zac Efron is much more popular now than Matthew Perry.

WILL IT SUCK?
Early buzz is actually very good. This shouldn’t be too surprising, since the director did Igby Goes Down and eps of Weeds, The L Word and Big Love. The writer, however, did Bringing Down the House, so I am a little surprised.

Oh, and that itching in the back of your head is 18 Again! Yeah, that happened.

HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
2nd frame of fellow Disney progeny Miley might pose a challenge, but Zac can take it. $67mil.

Limited

EVERY LITTLE STEP

WHAT’S THE PITCH?
Doc about A Chorus Line from inception to recent revival.

WILL IT SUCK?
From the directors of Year of the Yao. Early buzz is mixed. Critics more in love than audiences.

HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
The more high profile Tyson doc comes out next week, but word of mouth should help this explode – at least in NY. $1mil.

AMERICAN VIOLET

WHAT’S THE PITCH?
Single mom vs. corrupt law enforcement in Texas. Based on a true story.

WILL IT SUCK?
Here’s a little about the true story. Early buzz is good. Strong supporting cast: Alfre Woodard, Will Patton, Michael O’Keefe and Tim Blake Nelson. And the lead, newcomer Nicole Beharie, is supposed to be the shiznit.

HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
Needs more of a push. $3mil.

IS ANYBODY THERE?

WHAT’S THE PITCH?
Kid grows up in a nursing home. Befriends Michael Caine.

WILL IT SUCK?
From the director of Intermission and the devastating Boy A. Early buzz is good.

HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
I don’t know if Caine is going to be enough of a draw. $1mil.