JANUARY, 18


SILVER SABLE AND THE ULTIMATE ALLIANCE

Action / Superhero
Cast: Katherine Heigl, Hugh Jackman, Clive Owen, Gerard Butler, Sam Worthington, Tyrese Gibson, Tara Reid, Bob Hoskins. Cameos by Kurt Russell, Tobey Maguire.
Director and Producer: Bryan Singer
Screenwriters: Joey Stark & Matt Kubrick

Box Office: 125 mill.
Net Gains: 79 mill.

Stark’s Reaction:
Ouch!!! Yes, I know, I know, it has made a very good box office and decent net gains… But you know I expected more, much more, from this release…… I can’t help feeling very disappointed…

A TANGLED WEB

Comedy / Adult
Cast: Gwyneth Paltrow, Brad Pitt, John Cusack, Adrien Brody, Merryl Streep, Dustin Hoffman, Jessica Biel, William H. Macy
Directors: Joel and Ethan Coen
Producer: Scoundrels Productions
Screenwriter: Richard Franzwa

Box Office: 103 mill.
Net Gains: 46 mill.

Stark’s Reaction:
And there I go from disappointment to joy! I didn’t expect this comedy to reach the ‘100’. I thought it was going to be a movie appreciated only by an elite minor audience. I am happy that a wide audience has enjoyed this brilliant comedy.

QUEENS

Comedy
Cast: Jennifer Aniston, Sandra Bullock, Mark Dacascos, Stanley Tucci, Kevin James. Cameos by Ben Affleck, Scarlet Johansson.
Director and Screenwriter: James Bradley


Box Office: 97 mill.
Net Gains: 76 mill.

Stark’s Reaction:
This one has also made a better box office than I expected. And really good net gains (almost like Silver’s!). Finally, this has turned as a very nice week and not only because of the three good box offices but also because I specially liked the three movies released.


SILVER SABLE AND THE ULTIMATE ALLIANCE

‘I am not particularly fan of the Silver Sable’s movies. In fact, I was surprised when ‘Silver Sable and the Wild Pack’ became the most successful CMP’s movie ever as, for me, it was only a routine superhero movie and not even the best of this franchise. But I must say that this ‘SS and the Ultimate Alliance’ has been undervalued by audiences. It has a pretty elaborated plot (something that does not happen often with superheroes movies), spectacular action sequences, a non-stop action pace that keeps your attention during its whole length and an appealing bunch of characters. It has nothing to envy to those milestones in the genre like the already mentioned ‘SS and the Wild Pack’ or the overvalued ‘Justice League 3’, both record breakers. But maybe it is only that audiences are fickle and they have just got tired of the character…or even the genre.’
-Mark Anderson

‘CMP has tried to make a wise move. But the Studio has only partially reached its ambitious objective. They have put two movies in one: the last Silver Sable’s adventure and the birth of the so called Ultimate Alliance. The first part of the movie (the best of it) tells how Silver recruits the new team. The sequences of Silver fighting in a wrestling show or jumping from a plane without a parachute are shot with a slight and nice sense of humor. And then, the second half becomes a big action show with the heroes facing the army of cyborgs and Dr. Doom. Maybe, the problem is that Singer has wanted to put too much into one single movie. The original spirit of the franchise ends up a bit diluted as the movie becomes more an Ultimate Allicance’s movie than a Silver Sable’s movie. It is as if Singer and Stark had so many objectives with this movie that finally they don’t completely reach any of them.’
-Vic Carter

‘I have the feeling that Silver Sable has become a bit out of trend. This franchise was born when ‘The Avengers’ saga was about to end and CMP had no other big superhero franchise going on. But then came Wonder Woman and The Flash and Justice League and – although Silver’s movies kept making great box offices – all these franchises shadowed a bit the popularity of Silver. And this Ultimate Alliance will also have a hard work if it tries to compete with the very popular Justice League. Not even the presence of Wolverine seems to me enough for the Ultimate Alliance to be a tough contender for Batman, Superman and the rest of the band. So Silver says goodbye with a good piece of entertainment but also with the nostalgic feeling that her times may have definitely passed.’
-Lilly Stevens

A TANGLED WEB

‘Not too many moviemakers have in their filmography as many great movies as the Coen Brothers have. From ‘Arizona Baby’ and ‘The Big Lewoski’ to ‘Fargo’ and ‘Burn After Reading’, Joel and Ethan have been spreading along the years their intelligent sense of humor and their acid vision of American society. ‘A Tangled Web’ is another proof of their endless talent. Classy, ironic and sophisticated. The Coen Brothers show again how well they know how to play with exaggerations, surreal humor and unexpected dialogues and situations, building up another adult comedy that their fans will highly enjoy. After the failed experience of ‘Cell Mates’ and the only partially achieved ‘The Awful Truth’, CMP has finally produced a great Coen Brothers’ movie, something that was an unresolved matter for the Studio.’
-Roy Winslow

‘This great adult comedy proves the importance of building up a good cast to make a movie work. All the cast choices made by Richard Franzwa and the Coen Brothers are simply perfect. Gwyneth Paltrow surprises showing she can be a great comedy actress. About Brad Pitt, you only have to compare the very different characters he played in past week’s release ‘Noon’ and this one to admire his amazing versatility. Streep and Hoffman prove again their mastery playing that unforgettable peculiar couple. And the rest of the cast also fits like a glove with their characters. ‘A Tangled Web’ becomes this way an ensemble comedy in which the quality of the acting works is reason more than enough to watch it and praise it.’
-Andrew Stanton

‘If you look back at Richard Franzwa’s writing career, you can easily notice how much he keeps growing as a writer since his first stories until now. His latest screenplays – ‘A Hard Place’, ‘Metropolis’, ‘Turn Of A Friendly Card’ and, of course, this one… - show a mature and solid screenwriter that perfectly deals with all kind of genres, from drama to sci-fi to comedy… besides his blockbuster saga ‘Dragonlance’. Franzwa is the best example of how experience is an indispensable value in the difficult art of screenwriting. Right now, each new story coming from him becomes an interesting event as he keeps surprising us with some of the best built up screenplays coming from CMP for the latest few Seasons.’
-Amy Ratched

QUEENS

‘James Bradley looks again at the insides of the movie industry after his debut movie as director, ‘Celebutantes’. Comparing both movies – that one looking at the Hollywood’s babes ala Paris Hilton, this one looking at veteran stars -, ‘Queens’ proves to be a much better directed comedy and a more acid and in-depth satiric look at the sickness of Tinseltown. ‘Queens’ has no mercy laughing at the stereotypes of Hollywood. I am sure we all have always suspected that, behind those sexy stars that always behave so nicely in public, hide mean egocentric women capable of anything to preserve their status. And Bradley reveals that truth with an irregular but still funny comedy that will wake up our darkest side as we see how we are not worse persons than those icons the whole world loves.’
-Anne Roman

‘Jennifer Anniston and Sandra Bullock have been brave enough to make a self-parody of their public image and, who knows?, maybe revealing part of their secret personality. Both show in this movie the high level they can reach as comedians when working with the right material. They are both inspired and funny in the movie, exaggerating their usual acting tics and perfectly understanding the satiric spirit of the story. The ‘anti-chemistry chemistry’ works between them and, paradoxically, when playing these nasty characters, I have felt more sympathy and admiration for both as actresses than when they play the usual cute nice girl they have played so often in their careers.’
-Chris Burgess

‘James Bradley is a specialist in adult comedies mostly based in dialogues, subtle sense of humor and acting skills. ‘Queens’ is a bit different from that. It is more based on gags than on dialogues. And, as it usually happens in any gags movie, not all of them work at the same level. And that turns ‘Queens’ into an irregular comedy. Some of the gags work so well – Anniston visiting the retirement home and feeling disgust for the old people there, the mutual seduction of Aniston and Bullock’s husbands, the strip dance of Aniston that bores the King… - but the whole product has some ups and downs in its comedic pace that keeps the movie away from being one of the best Bradley’s comedy. Besides that, Bradley obviously does not worry about some of the inconsistencies of the plot, as he does not pretend to tell a realistic story but another one of his fables about human nature and its miseries. Still, it is hilarious enough to assure a good and entertaining time at the movies and a nice opportunity to reconcile with Aniston and Bullock if you were already tired of watching them doing always the same on screen.’
-Jackie O’Callaghan


SILVER SABLE AND THE ULTIMATE ALLIANCE

OPENING STATEMENT: It is important to note that as movie goers, you will need to see not only all of the Silver Sable movies, but also the Avengers films; namely the film about the Civil War to be less confused about the plot. Yet again, it seems like a great franchise is ending with Silver Sable, but I think Joey is right that all good things must come to an end, anything else will just be shameful attempts to beat a dead horse into the ground. Silver Sable and Ultimate Alliance delivers and does what many '4th movies' can't do and give the series a proper sendoff. We loved watching Katherine parade around in skimpy tights. Hopefully she won't be the last superheroine to grace our studio!

WHAT I LIKED: The plot was more focused on than many hero films, especially being the 4th one. The action kept us wanting more.

WHAT I DISLIKED: I personally thought most of the actors got too comfortable being out of their superhero tights for so long that they forgot how to play their characters.

SHINING STAR/DEAD WEIGHT: Katherine still shines brightest as Sable and hopefully after this final installment, she'll be considered for more roles she can kick butt in. As for dead weight: the rest of the actors. They haven't played their superhero characters for so long that they forgot how to play them.

THE BRAINS BEHIND: Bryan Singer seems to be the go to guy for the action/adventure genre, and can you blame him? CMP seems to utilize him much more than any other Hollywood studio and he makes better work by being given better scripts to work with. Joey had a good idea to cross Sable with the Civil War story and he made for a different kind of movie than just continuing the franchise with the same crap we've seen in the other movies. Some sequels don't seem to get it: give audiences something different instead of telling the same damn jokes(glares at Rush Hour)

OVERALL: A excellent sendoff for a great hero series!

A TANGLED WEB

OPENING STATEMENT: If you're going to consider making the Coens your directors, you better damn well be a fan of them and know what they do and try your best to match their style. Having said that, I applaud Franzwa's skill to match the style of the Coens. I kept forgetting it wasn't written by them, that it was written by Franzwa. You know who is also good at writing in a director's style? Matt Kubrick writing for Tarantino movies. A Tangled Web has it all that I like to look for in films: originality and matching the director's style. Here's hoping we see Franzwa at the GMAs for best screenplay. He deserves it for this.

WHAT I LIKED: Great plot, great acting, great direction, all of that goes into not only a great Coen Brothers movie, but a great Franzwa movie.

WHAT I DISLIKED: I ate my popcorn and drank my soda too fast =(

SHINING STAR/DEAD WEIGHT: It's next to impossible to find anything wrong with a cast in a Coen movie.

THE BRAINS BEHIND: Like stated in the opening statement, Franzwa wrote the film and it was perfect to choose the Coens to direct it. Have they ever done anything below mediocre?

OVERALL: A+ the movie you really should see while everyone else is selling out Silver Sable.

QUEENS

OPENING STATEMENT: Have you ever heard of the classic era film 'Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?" a film about movie star siblings, one who became more famous and talented than the other? It's one of my most favorite films of that era and by watching Queens, it reminded me of it. James Bradley still "has it" with his dark comedies. Originality is a plus!

WHAT I LIKED: A much more honest look at animosity among Hollywood stars. Actors and actresses all seem to love each other and invite each other over for dinner, but seriously, how much love do they really have for each other?

WHAT I DISLIKED: Like Tangled Web, I couldn't quite find anything wrong with the film itself. Except this time I ran out of M&Ms too quickly >=(

SHINING STAR/DEAD WEIGHT: Everyone loves Sandra Bullock, but Jennifer Aniston makes her the role of her career. I'm usually not a fan of hers, she seems to always have the same look on her face and way she carries herself in films, but this time, she is actually different and great! The rest of the cast does well: You would think Kevin James wouldn't be able to act better than being the 'fat buddy' in movies. But here, he does better!

THE BRAINS BEHIND: James is the brains behind this great film. His style is still present and his talent for direction and writing continues to solidify his prestige as a screenwriter; especially for comedies.

OVERALL: A+ Fingers crossed for GMA nods!

MR THUMBS' CERTIFIED MUST SEE OF THE WEEK

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