OCTOBER, 6


ROBOTS OF DAWN

Sci-fi / Crime
Cast: Bruce Willis, Paul Bettany, Uma Thurman, Dustin Hoffman, Kevin Spacey, Evan Rachel Wood
Director: Brett Ratner
Screenwriter: Steve Connors

Box Office: 219 mill.
Net Gains: 207 mill.

Stark’s Reaction: The third and last movie of the saga has become its biggest hit. ‘Caves Of Steel’ made 83 millions in box office and ‘The Naked Sun’ made 91 millions. So the trilogy ends up with a blast. Although I am already getting used to make more than 200 millions in box office lately, we should not forget that’s a more than remarkable turnout.

ZANN

Horror / Evil
Cast: Luke Wilson, Jack Nicholson, James Cromwell
Director and Screenwriter: David Makalaster



Box Office: 41 mill.
Net Gains: 9 mill.

Stark’s Reaction: I said past week that I was not completely sure of how this release would work. And, sadly, my fears were justified. CMP’s horror movies rarely become blockbusters and I knew this production would have difficulties to find its audience. It was not a product for teen audiences – the usual market for horror movies – and older audiences don’t trust much in the horror genre these days. Well, at least we recovered the investment with slight profits…

MARRIED TO THE SUPERVILLAIN

Action / Comedy
Cast: Brendan Fraser, Ashley Judd, Jeff Bridges, Cameron Bright, Ryan Simpkins
Director: Andy McKay
Screenwriter: Josh Collins


Box Office: 122 mill.
Net Gains: 145 mill.

Stark’s Reaction: Great box office for this family movie. After all, being produced with a medium budget and not particular ambitions, it has been more profitable than big bets like, for example, ‘Wonder Woman’. No big risks, big gains. I like that for the Studio.


ROBOTS OF DAWN

‘Steve Connors puts an end to his trilogy based on Isaac Asimov’s novels. This franchise has gone better movie after movie. ‘The Naked Sun’ already was an absorbing thriller. But ‘Robots Of Dawn’ finally becomes the big movie these characters deserved. The movie mixes the classic elements of any ‘who-dun-it’ thriller, including a gallery of possible suspects all of them with a reason to be the murderer, with the futuristic scenario and production design of a quality sci-fi movie. And it works. The doses of action and suspense are perfectly put together to make it a most recommendable show.’
-Vic Carter

‘Willis and Bettany confirm themselves in this movie as a futuristic version of Holmes and Watson. Surrounded by an allstars cast, the starring couple proves again their chemistry in this new installment. Maybe the plot is not too original – after all, it is so similar to ‘The Naked Sun’: a crime based on the dilemma about robots being able or not to kill or harm humans -, but Ratner has known how to make it look as a brand new story… including some memorable sequences like the sexy seduction scene between the robotic Uma Thurman and the human Bruce Willis. It is a shame that this saga ends when it’s getting to its best.’
-Anne Ratched

‘Steve Connors has grown up as sci-fi author with this trilogy. Here is an adult sci-fi story perfectly built up to keep the moviegoers’ interest during its whole length. Connors has introduced intelligent changes in the original novels to increase the lack of thrill and action of their plots. And audiences have appreciated the quality of this movie turning it into a major blockbuster. Before the announced return of Connors to another one of his sagas, the terrible Ultraman, this seems like the right moment to praise his skill writing serious sci-fi stories.’
-Tim Reeve

ZANN

‘Here is a different kind of horror story. David Makalaster has left aside for his debut as movie director his usual epic stories looking only for box office success. He has chosen a classy production that looks for disturbing horror avoiding bloody gore scenes. But the movie only works partially. The problem is that the storyline is not long enough for a full-length feature. I mean, this could have been a great short story for another ‘Tales Of The Unexpected’ installment. But not for a 90 minutes movie. After all, what does the movie tell us? A guy discovers a peculiar neighbor, comments it to his boss, visits the neighbor and then dies in an strange devilish showdown. That’s all. Makalaster is obliged to stretch those few events to build up his movie. And, at the end, that affects the pace of it, turning it into a too slow narration. A movie needs a wider storyline to work’.
-Charlie Kiggs

‘Jack Nicholson always generates mix feelings. He usually turns the movies he works in into a one man show. In ‘Zann’, Nicholson offers again all his well known acting tics and excesses. He builds up his enigmatic character as a mix between the insane and disturbing evilness of his character in ‘The Shining’ and the funny cynical devil he was in ‘Witches of Eastwick’. Of course, his screen presence completely vanishes Luke Wilson’s work. But for those who are not a fan of Nicholson’s shows, there’s not much more to find in this minor production’.
-Anne Roman

‘A missed chance. I was so thrilled about this movie. It seemed as another way of making a horror movie besides the usual slasher subgenre. No teenagers, no sexy chicks, no serial killer with a mask… The elegant scenario of Paris, the mastery of Lovecraft behind the story, the peculiar starring couple… It looked so interesting. But I must say I was disappointed at the end. ‘Zann’ is not scary. In fact, its lack of pace makes it even a boring film. There are no surprises or twists in the plot or powerful sequences supporting a pretty flat plot. Makalaster’s screenplay made me miss his brillian work with ‘Little Tin Goddess’. I am sorry but I still think that Arilius’ ‘Silent Hill’ still is the hope for the future of the horror genre.’
-Jackie O’Callaghan

MARRIED TO THE SUPERVILLAIN

‘This movie’s formula is the sum of ‘The Incredibles’ and ‘Hancock’. Not as brilliant as ‘The Incredibles’ but much funnier than ‘Hancock’. That’s its exact quality level. An entertaining and nice movie for all the family. It does not pretend to be an innovative piece of art or a stunning action or sci-fi show. It only looks for comfortable entertainment. And, at that level, it fully works. It is the perfect movie to take your kids to a theatre knowing that the show will entertain you as much as them.’
-Andrew Stampton

‘A correct work from all the cast without special remarks. Maybe Bridges makes the best work, as the veteran supervillain. Fraser and Judd are always trustable talents and they make what they are asked to do – a parody of the clichés of superheroes and supervillains - without major problems. McKay has proved to know how to direct a comedy, same way he did with another Collins’ story, that one more innovative than this: ‘Woodland Creatures’. ‘Married To The Villain’ is the kind of movie to watch with a pleasant smile knowing that it won’t disappoint you as much as it won’t surprise you.’
-Lilly Stevens

‘Some times, as a movie critic, I get tired of approaching to new releases hoping to discover something new and then feeling disappointed to have another portion of more of the same. That’s why I felt relief when my boss told me to watch and review ‘Married To The Supervillain’. I knew I did not have to expect nothing special from it. So I wasn’t disappointed but honestly pleased after watching it. Here we have an entertaining family comedy that laughs at the trend of superheroes movies with efficiency. A nice movie. And that’s much more than you can say from many releases. Thumb up from me.’
-Roy Winslow


ROBOTS OF DAWN

CRITIQUE: It's very rare when a series can stay consistently great from the first film to the last. I enjoyed watching all of the Isaac Asimov novel adaptations! Robots of Dawn is every bit as good as the first two films and the series goes down as being one of the best trilogies we've seen on the big screen in a long time!
CAST/ACTING: A
DIRECTION: B
WRITING: A
PLOT/CONCEPT: A
PRODUCTION VALUES: A+
REWATCH VALUE: A+
OVERALL: A+

ZANN

CRITIQUE: I'm still really trying to make something of this one. It started out ok, but progressively got stranger. I assume this Zann guy(played effortlessly by Nicholson) is the devil? I can see that Makalaster wants to branch out and not be the blockbuster sci-fi guy, but this one I don't feel like I'd ever watch again.
ACTING/CAST: C+
DIRECTION: C+
WRITING: C
PLOT/CONCEPT: C+
PRODUCTION VALUES: A-
REWATCH VALUE: C-
OVERALL: C

MARRIED TO THE SUPERVILLAIN

CRITIQUE: It seems to be a Josh Collins tradition to release a highly acclaimed film one week and release a 'mediocre at best' the next. It was an interesting and funny concept, but you can take the concept and put it in other films like it such as 'Mr. and Mrs. Smith' or 'Hancock' or 'Sky High' i had some entertaining moments, don't get me wrong! It just feels like a broken record sometimes. I do like that after all of these comic adaptations, something semi-original came out of it.
ACTING/CAST: C
DIRECTION: D+
WRITING: D-
PLOT/CONCEPT: C-
PRODUCTION VALUES: B+
REWATCH VALUE: B
OVERALL: C

Mr. Thumbs' certified must see of the week!

no surprises here...

ROBOTS OF DAWN!

MIDSEASON’S TOP 5

(Box Office / Net Gains)

1.SILVER SABLE AND THE WILD PACK: 352 / 420
2.BULLET WITCH 0: 223 / 249
3.ROBOTS OF DAWN: 219 / 207
4.THE DARK TOWER: WASTE LANDS: 212 / 228
5.DEADLY FORCE: 197 / 224