SEPTEMBER, 15


BULLET WITCH 0

Action / War
Cast: Eric Bana, Kate Hudson, Cillian Murphy, Brad Dourif, Ice Cube, Kieran Culkin, Ben Kingsley
Director: Renny Harlin
Screenwriter: David Makalaster

Box Office: 223 mill.
Net Gains: 249 mill.

Stark’s Reaction: First record breaker of Season 11! The movie becomes the Top 6 most profitable release for CMP ever with those outstanding net gains. Besides the wonderful box office, the sales of DVDs in the Foreign Market have been simply amazing. Makalaster climbs up another step in his consideration of CMP’s Mr. Blockbuster.

DEADLY FORCE

Action / Cops
Cast: Brad Pitt, Paul Walker, Ray Liotta, Emilio Estevez, James Franco. Cameo by Elijah Wood.
Director and Screenwriter: Jack Hammer
Producer: Brad Pitt

Box Office: 197 mill.
Net Gains: 224 mill.

Stark’s Reaction: One of those times when not even in my wildest dreams I could expect such impressive numbers for both box office and net gains. You know I love cops movies, but I never thought that audiences would support so much this production. And I am also glad that the internal conflicts between Pitt as producer and Hammer as director did not affect the quality of it.

SILENT HILL

Horror
Cast: Rupert Everett, Lindsay Lohan, Susan Sarandon, Robert Downey Jr., Amanda Bynes, Ariel Gade
Director: Brad Anderson
Screenwriter: Max Arilius

Box Office: 141 mill.
Net Gains: 106 mill.

Stark’s Reaction: Congratulations, Mr. Arilius. Not many CMP’s screenwriters have made their debut with such a success. I hate horror movies because they scare me so much so, what can I say, I ‘hated’ this movie so much! This makes 29 releases without net losses for CMP. I swear I’m the first surprised with it. I just don’t know what has changed, but it seems like we have got the Midas touch at the Studio!


BULLET WITCH 0

‘David Makalaster maintains his personal war against demons in his stories from different perspectives. Sometimes it’s a disturbing horror story (‘One Man’s Hell’), a visually sophisticated thriller (‘Devil Trigger’) or a shoot ‘em up show (‘Bullet Witch 0’). I personally prefer the two first ways. ‘Bullet Witch 0’ uses the pretext of a war against demons to focus mainly in a succession of battle sequences between humans and demons that will only satisfy the geeks of shooting up video games. Like it happens, i.e., in Michael Bay’s Transformers movies, the plot is just the excuse to film those spectacular action set pieces that do not hide the creative emptiness behind the whole show.’
-Roy Winslow

‘Why has Kate Hudson accepted to be in this movie? Hudson has won two GMA in CMP and she has been nominated for another two. She has succeeded with both drama (‘Velcro’) and comedy (‘Mary’s Dark Side’). Her acting prestige is much higher in CMP than out of it. Then, why has she decided to waste all that working in this lousy movie? Maybe she just thought that she needed a blockbuster in her CMP’s filmography and not only critical acclaimed works… I was so disappointed watching her on screen literally acting like a possessed. And for Eric Bana, well, he just insists in being the official CMP’s action hero, no matter the quality of the projects he gets involved in…’
-Tim Reeve

‘Audiences have responded enthusiastically to this new movie from Renny Harlin, who already succeeded past Season with another pitiful show, the sequel of ‘Deep Silence’. Looking at past week’s semi-flop of the brilliant ‘Kingdom’ and other quality CMP’s releases that don’t make it at box office as well as this is one, I just wonder if ‘Bullet Witch 0’ is the future of cinema… And, if the answer is yes, I might consider becoming a cuisine critic or anything else…’
-Jackie O’Callaghan

DEADLY FORCE

‘I won’t say that cops movies are becoming as popular as superheroes movies in CMP. But the truth is that we have seen lately a few pieces of this classic genre – ‘The Funeral Drum’, ‘Fallen Kings’ and now ‘Deadly Force’ – that have got a very nice reaction from moviegoers. It’s good to know that Silver Sable, Wonder Woman and the Avengers’ gang are not everything in life. Cops movies are oriented to a more mature audience and ‘Deadly Force’ is another proof that there is an audience for this kind of products when they are well done.’
-Vic Carter

‘Deadly Force does not offer anything new. I mean, the storyline follows all the traditional rules of the ‘tough-cops-movies’ that Hollywood has been making for decades. Then, why has it succeeded so much? The answer is clear: Brad Pitt. Since he won the Best Actor GMA with ‘Ugly’, Pitt has become a regular presence in CMP: ‘Dirty Rotten Scoundrels’, ‘Stanley and Livingstone’, now ‘Deadly Force’… And he seems to have a huge crowd of loyal followers that watch each and every movie with him in it. It may have taken him a few Seasons, but no doubt that Pitt can be considered at this moment one of the most powerful talents in CMP.’
-Amy Ratched

‘Here is an effective action thriller perfectly cooked up by Jack Hammer. Once again, Hammer shows he has always been one of the CMP’s authors most respectful with the most classic Hollywood’s cinema. Although I personally preferred ‘The Law’ as the best of the three Gannon’s movies, ‘Deadly Force’ is a correct blink to the classic cops genre. Although it might not pretend it, it turns into a tribute to the way movies were done in the 70s and the early 80s. But that’s also its main fault. There’s a certain lack of innovation in it and, at the end, you just feel you have seen that story before so many times.’
-Charlie Kiggs

SILENT HILL

‘Max Arilius has made his debut in CMP with a quality horror movie that comes as a breeze of fresh air for the genre. Brad Anderson has created the perfect atmosphere for this disturbing story. There’s a perfect balance in it between psychological horror and more obvious horrifying sequences. But the movie stays away from the too obvious horror movies we usually see in and out of CMP, from ‘Saw’ to ‘Hostel’ or CMP’s ‘Sisters’ or ‘Blood Beach’. Arilius and Anderson have recovered that horror more based on suspense than on gore sequences. And audiences have shown that they missed that, making it one of the most successful horror movies ever in CMP.’
-Andrew Stampton

‘Great jobs from all the talents. I was surprised when I saw such a quality cast for this movie. Usually, big stars do not like the horror genre. But, after watching it, I can understand why people like Everett, Sarandon or Downey Jr. accepted to be in it. ‘Silent Hill’ – it is a shame that Arilius chose such an already used title – is a highly interesting movie that keeps you trapped at the edge of your seat with your heart bumping and biting your lips. And the characters are not just brainless college students running away from the ordinary slasher. No doubt, ‘Silent Hill’ will be remembered as a reference for the genre in the future.’
-Anne Roman

‘The best thing about ‘Silent Hill’ is that although it has a pretty confusing plot – sometimes, you just get lost and simply don’t know in what ‘world’ the characters are – it still keeps your attention from the first to its very last minute. And the best of all: it scares you to death. Arilius has resurrected a way of making horror movies that seemed forgotten in our days and the classic formula has been perfectly adapted to these times by the directing talent of Brad Anderson. A must see for the fans of the genre that missed the good old days of it.’
-Lilly Stevens


BULLET WITCH 0

CRITIQUE: I enjoyed the first bullet witch and I know this one is a prequel and won't have very many familiar characters return. Though I felt half the film was okay at times and had good action to distract us from anything else, the other half was rather sloppy at times. It seemed to lack much heart and appeal which the previous Bullet Witch had.
ACTING/CAST: B-
DIRECTION: C-
WRITING: C+
CONCEPT/PLOT: C
PRODUCTION VALUES: B+
REWATCH VALUE: C+
OVERALL: C+

DEADLY FORCE

CRITIQUE: In an era of films where everything is either a sequel or remake. And if they are original, they feel effortless, Deadly Force truly stands out so much that you forget that it too is a sequel. Or in some cases, just a new installment. It would be interesting to see where this is going to go. One of the installments was a hit, the other was a flop. I enjoyed Deadly Force, the actors, direction and writing were light years better than the previous installments.
ACTING/CAST: A
DIRECTION: A
WRITING: A+
CONCEPT/PLOT: A
PRODUCTION VALUES: A-
REWATCH VALUE: A
OVERALL: A wow, A's across the board. How often does that happen

SILENT HILL

CRITIQUE: Newbie screenwriter Max Arilius may not have chosen the best film to debut with, but he still has me curious to figure out what he's going to do next. If you see it from the horror genre standpoint, it's better than most of these crappy horror films that have come from Hollywood lately. It will entertain and have you jumping in your seats, but don't look for prestigious award winner.
ACTING/CAST: C- I definitely can't take Lohan seriously as a cop.
DIRECTION: C
WRITING: C+
CONCEPT/PLOT: C+
PRODUCTION VALUES: B
REWATCH VALUES: B+
OVERALL: C

MR. THUMBS' CERTIFIED PICK OF THE WEEK:

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DEADLY FORCE