FEBRUARY, 2


WEST FLASHMAN

Adventure / Comedy
Cast: Rupert Everett, Catherine Z. Jones, Nick Nolte, Michelle Rodriguez, Djimon Hounsou, Graham Greene. Cameo by Jude Law.
Director: Frank Darabont
Screenwriter: James Bradley

Box Office: 76 mill.
Net Gains: 75 mill.

Stark’s Reaction: It has worked a bit better than ‘Flashman and the Mountain Of Light’, but still the Flashman’s saga stays as a correct but not particularly outstanding franchise in terms of box office. DVD market – both American and Foreign - has responded specially well with this one. I don’t care if they are not blockbusters. I love these movies!

KARATE KAT

Animation / Comedy / Family
Cast of Voices: Ryan Reynolds, Matt Damon, Michael Douglas, Nathan Gamble, Radha Mitchell
Director: Andrew Stanton
Screenwriter: Josh Collins


Box Office: 87 mill.
Net Gains: 37 mill.

Stark’s Reaction: Nice box office but less impressive net gains. It was an expensive movie to develop so net profits have not been as high as expected. But, after all, audiences’ perception of success is based on box office’s numbers – net gains or losses are more internal data for the Studio - so it has been a pretty nice turnout.

THE IMPOSSIBLE DREAM

Love Story
Cast: Michelle Pfeiffer, Emile Hirsh, Andy Garcia, Kristen Stewart, Frank Langella
Director: Jodie Foster
Screenwriter: Joey Stark


Box Office: 25 mill.
Net Gains: 0.8 mill.

Stark’s Reaction: Saved by the bell from net losses due to a surprisingly high sales numbers in American DVD market. The very low budget of this production has made it very easy to recover the investment made. All in all, a nice week for the Studio.


WEST FLASHMAN

‘Irony and satire is back to CMP with the periodic return of Harry Flashman. James Bradley has found a formula that has a regular and loyal crowd of followers. Flashman’s adventures are not meant to become blockbusters. But the intelligent sense of humor in them, their impeccable production design, the sexy touch, the changing scenarios and the historical wrapping of it all make them an appealing and classy product for a certain kind of audience not interested in big sci-fi shows, games adaptations or superheroes flick but in a bit more sophisticated products. ‘West Flashman’ follows the parameters of the previous movies of the saga and again works as the sophisticated and satiric anti-heroic comedy adventure it is meant to be.’
-Anne Roman

‘’West Flashman’ recovers the spirit of ‘Flashman’s Travels’ more than ‘Flashman and the Mountain Of Light’, which I think was the weakest installment of the saga. Frank Darabont has put the accent in action and adventure more than in sexual messes, as Stephen Frears did. This time, big battle sequences – another one of the trademarks of this franchise, together with the sexy affairs - have been left aside to focus on usual topics from classic westerns and American culture’s traditional icons like slavery, caravans, gamblers, etc. And the change of scenario works. There are great moments in the movie – specially, the surreal escape of Flashy and the black slave, where the slave turns out to be braver than his rescuer – and recovering Catherine Z. Jones and her sexy, brave and strong character has been a wise move. Frank Darabont has taken the best of the franchise to put up a very entertaining movie.’
-Roy Winslow

‘After four movies, we all know what can we expect from Flashman. ‘West Flashman’ is more of the same. There are a few nice novelties in the movie – specially, the funny eccentric and rude rogue played by Nick Nolte – and mixing the educated Flashy with Apaches, scalp-hunters and New Orleans’ whores create funny contrasts and situations. The rest of it follows the established formula of the saga: Flashy behaving as an egotistic coward but always coming out of his adventures as a hero, his lack of moral, the wild sexy relationships… Maybe Harry Flashman has lost his capacity to surprise us but still the character works as an adorable crafty devil. Don’t expect nothing new from this movie. But be sure that you’ll have fun and won’t be disappointed if you join again Flashman in his misadventures.’
-Jackie O’Callaghan

KARATE KAT

‘Josh Collins has made a safe bet here. An animated movie starred by a talking animal, a director with a credited experience in digital animation, an action plot mixed with funny comedic moments… It just could not fail. In the most traditional style of Pixar’s movies, the movie has children as it main target but still introduces some jokes and humorous winks to please more adult audiences. Nothing could go wrong with this proven formula and nothing does. ‘Karate Kat’ works exactly as it pretends to work. Maybe, some more creative risks could have been taken, but I can understand that sometimes is relaxing to bet for safety options’.
-Vic Carter

‘’Karate Kat’ is far away from contemporary animation master pieces like ‘Shrek’ – the first one, forget about the lousy sequels -, ‘The Incredibles’ or ‘Wall-E’. But still is a decent animated feature closer to efficient products like ‘Bolt’, ‘Cars’ or specially ‘Kung-Fu Panda’, being this one an obvious reference for ‘Karate Kat’. Andrew Stanton, involved as director or screenwriter in most of those movies, has not reached here the creative highness of some of his previous works. But, at least, he has not disappointed us neither in his CMP’s debut. He has made an entertaining and visually attractive featured that will please the fans of animation. It is not as original as Josh Collins’ previous attempt at the genre, the brilliant ‘Bird Of A Feather’, and it won’t be as surprising as other CMP’s animated productions like the unforgettable ‘The Ice Princess’, but still ‘Karate Kat’ may turn Andrew Stanton in the future as an alternative to Andrew Adamson as the King Of Animation in CMP.’
-Tim Reeve

‘Some times, animated movies look more like a marketing and merchandising operation than just as a cinematic experience itself. A series based on this karate cat has been announced. We have seen all kind of articles based on the cat everywhere these days – from Happy Meal’s toys to Nintendo DS’s games. A huge commercial machinery is put to work around this kind of movies. And sometimes you just wonder what was first: the movie or the whole financial plan based on it. So when you go to watch this kind of movies you have the feeling that you are being sold a ‘product’ more than just a ‘movie’. Anyway, the product built up here by CMP is a good one and, although the movie has not made spectacular numbers in box office, I predict a profitable future for this karate cat.’
-Jake Cobb

THE IMPOSSIBLE DREAM

‘I presume nobody at CMP feels sure of how a love story will work in box office. So I can understand that, once greenlighted a project like this, no bigger risks are wanted to be taken. Although the premise may be scandalous – the love affair between a mature female teacher and one of his young male pupils -, the development of this story has stayed in the safest territory possible. I mean, this sweet story flows without big surprises, avoiding abrupt plot twists and staying inside the limits of a certain moral correction. The scandalous elements are reduced and the conflicts are lowered with characters – the Dean, the Philosophy teacher – very – maybe ‘too’ – understanding. And besides the explicit – and I must add very sexy, by the way – first sex scene, it all stays in an acceptable tone where everyone does what they must do to please even the most conservative audiences. Stark and Foster should have been more daring in the approach and development of this forbidden love. I have the feeling they have not been brave enough.’
-Amy Ratched

‘This nice little movie leans mainly on the wonderful screen presence of Michelle Pfeiffer. Michelle, like the good wine, is getting even better and more beautiful and interesting as time passes. Here, she shows again all her acting skills: an appealing mix between weakness and strength, an enigmatic beauty, a sexy aura and a nice feeling of proximity. ‘The Impossible Dream’ remembers us again that she is probably one of the best actresses of her generation and makes us wish she should make more movies than she does. Together with her, Emile Hirsh keeps gaining prestige in CMP after taking the best of his previous works for the Studio playing minor roles in movies like ‘Weigh Anchor’ or ‘The Beatles’. Both make believable the attraction they feel for each other and a story that could have been hard to believe with other talents playing it.’
-Charlie Kiggs

‘As many other actors and actresses that decide to try luck behind the cameras in the Studio, Jodie Foster has chosen a modest production for her directional debut in CMP. And, again, she has showed that she knows the job. Foster has chosen the perfect smooth tone to tell this soft story, taking her time in dialogue sequences, making an intelligent use of silences, remarking the feelings with an appropriate soundtrack full of classy ballads – from Counting Crows to Alicia Keys – and creating the romantic and melancholic atmosphere the movie demanded. Maybe, we can reproach her not being a bit more daring as she seems to have surrendered to the will of pleasing all viewers of the movie. But maybe that was not her but Joey Stark’s work as screenwriter, as he has written a too predictable and too low ambitious storyline.’
-Chris Burgess