JANUARY, 25


FREEDOM CITY

Sci-Fi / Alien Invasion
Cast: Viggo Mortensen, Jennifer Connelly, Jamie Foxx, Topher Grace, Sigourney Weaver, Ian Holm
Director: Brett Ratner
Producer: James Cameron
Screenwriter: Steve Connors

Box Office: 157 mill.
Net Gains: 139 mill.

Stark’s Reaction:
Box office slightly better than ‘Invasion’ and much better net gains. This franchise is a definitely audiences’ favorite so I hope Connors finally decides to write a third installment of it.

GAGA

Romance / Musical / 3D
Cast: Lady Gaga, Isla Fisher, Russell Brand, Gael Garcia Bernal, Rodrigo Santoro, Nathan Lane, Ellen Degeneres.
Director and Screenwriter: Chad Taylor
Producer: Silver Lining Entertainment

Box Office: 101 mill.
Net Gains: 67 mill.

Stark’s Reaction:
Excellent turnout. It is evident that Lady Gaga has a huge crowd of loyal followers all over the world. Her fans have been more than enough to turn this movie into a great and profitable release.

FORECLOSED

Drama / Human Spirit
Cast: Denzel Washington, Kimberly Elise, Keke Palmer
Director: Darren Aronofsky
Producer: Grand Island Movies
Screenwriter: Josh Collins


Box Office: 73 mill.
Net Gains: 93 mill.

Stark’s Reaction:
Wow! I love ‘sleepers’! Not even in my most optimistic predictions I would have expected numbers like those for this movie! A great and very nice surprise. That makes this another unexpectedly great week for the Studio’s bank account.


FREEDOM CITY

‘Is it me or we have had too many futuristic movies in CMP lately? I mean, it is becoming difficult for me to make my mind jump from the universe of ‘Metropolis’ to the universe of ‘New World’ to the universe of ‘Replicant Rebel’ to the universe of ‘Thrust From Skyline’ and then to the universe of ‘Freedom City’… As futuristic universes, they all have their own premises, settings, visual style, inside rules… and I just can’t move from one to the next and submerge easily in all of them anymore. One thing is for sure: the future never seems as a nice place to visit. At the end, I have the feeling that the things told in this movie, one way or another, have been told before. The scenario, the characters and the situations may change but the conclusion is always the same: future is an exhausting and hostile place to live in and maybe the present is not that bad after all.’
-Vic Carter

‘This sequel of ‘Invasion’ is another great show. James Cameron and Brett Ratner know how to build up a big adventure show and take the best of CGI to shoot highly impressing sequences. And Steve Connors has made a honest effort to write an elaborated plot to offer something new in this sequel. I liked so much ‘Invasion’ and this sequel has not disappointed me at all. It’s pure entertainment and a great sci-fi adventure show. That’s what Hollywood was built upon. And ‘Freedom City’ is another proof that the show goes on and Hollywood industry still knows how to offer the world the most spectacular entertainment possible to be seen on the silver screen.’
-Roy Winslow

‘As it happens with any sequel, the only problem with ‘Freedom City’ is that the ‘novelty factor’ is gone. ‘Invasion’ had some really new and surprising elements: the look of those nasty digitally generated creatures, the Yongzouns; that revolting green corrosive substance they used to kill their enemies, the flying species turned into aircrafts… There were many visual findings that made that movie an innovation in the sci-fi genre. ‘Freedom City’ also has some novelties, like those giant and nasty jellyfishes, the ‘flash guns’ used to kill the Yongzouns, the oppressive atmosphere of the concentration camp or the visual impact of that futuristic city under a dome… But, although I recommend all the fans of sci-fi and action not to miss the movie, it is a sequel after all and the big impact of ‘Invasion’ may be a bit lost here. Anyway, this is still one of the best sci-fi sagas ever developed by the Studio.’
-Amy Ratched

GAGA

‘Are you a fan of Lady Gaga? If not, abstain. ‘Gaga’ is not a movie. It is a 90 minutes length music video illustrating Lady Gaga’s greatest hits. The plot is absolutely irrelevant. You cannot really talk about acting works (what is a talented actor like Gael Garcia Bernal doing in a movie like this?). Taylor directs the movie with a music video style adding some cheap tricks to break monotony like the segment turning the movie into images of a console game. And I am still wondering why CMP or Silver Lining Entertainment considered that this movie had to be shot in 3D. But, of course, if you are a fan of Lady Gaga, this movie is a don’t miss. Get your popcorns and soda and enjoy it. And keep waiting for the next one. Who will be? Justin Bieber? Fear the worst.’
-Mark Anderson

‘I am sure Chad Taylor knows a lot about musical movies recreating a fake vision of the life of music idols. As the good fan of The Beatles he is, I am sure he knows ‘A Hard Day’s Night’ or ‘Help!’ Those are not strictly biopics but they show a fictional vision of what the life of the Beatles could be like. He has used a similar concept here. And although I must admit his skills as movie director, with some visual findings not to be looked down at, he does not reach at all the freshness, sense of humor and sympathy of those classics. It is obvious that music stars like Madonna or Lady Gaga were not born to become movie stars. The powerful presence Lady Gaga has on stage is lost when she pretends to act on screen and the whole movie becomes a forced artifice with no real charm.’
-Tim Reeve

‘Oh, Chad, how could you do this to me? A few months ago I loved watching ‘A Farewell To Arms’. I could not stop crying long after leaving the theatre. I felt moved and inspired. I had the feeling that I had watched a really good, big, unforgettable movie. And it was all due to your talent adapting Hemingway’s novel. I also was intrigued by the originality of ‘Amedia’. I always find something interesting in your movies. So I had promised myself I would run to watch every new release with your name on the credits. And then you do this… ‘Gaga’ is simply embarrassing. It is not a movie. It is just a product. A marketing product to sell more CDs or concert tickets. You have sold your soul, Chad. I’ll try, but it will take me some time to forgive you for doing this…’
-Jackie O’Callaghan

FORECLOSED

‘’Foreclosed’ is a tough dose of reality. All over the world, people are living the drama told in this little big movie. The global economic crisis has condemned thousands of people to poverty. And this modest but wonderful movie has symbolized in just one man that drama taking place all over the planet. ‘Foreclosed’ may not be as praised, awarded and applauded as ‘Black Swan’, the recent Aronofsky’s movie out of CMP. But it is a magnificent punch to our consciences. There’s no concessions, no manipulation, no dramatization in it. That’s what the crisis is about. Forget about big corporations, banks and governments. It’s about individuals losing all they have, even their dignity, fighting to survive. Everybody should watch this movie as a way of no repeating the same mistakes in the future and not forgetting what may be going through people that live in our same city or even neighborhood.’
-Charlie Kiggs

‘Denzel Washington reminds us here that, besides his many ‘alimentary jobs’ in cheap action movies, he still is one of the best actors of his generation. ‘Foreclosed’ is a one man show and Washington perfectly burdens with the responsibility of the movie by himself. He does not need to fall into any kind of acting excesses to masterly transmit the drama of his character and all the emotions he goes through across the story. This is not a popcorn movie. It could have even become too realistic and even boring. But it is Washington’s work what injects all the emotional strength in the story upgrading the ordinary drama of this man to an epic human dimension.’
-Anne Roman

‘Again, Aronofsky has chosen an intimate story for his new work in CMP. It seems like the spirit of ‘The Wrestler’ is still there when the Studio offers him a new project. Again, here we have the story of a loser and a reflection about how to keep hope alive against all odds. Maybe, Josh Collins’ screenplay is a bit too ‘minimalist’ and some plot elements – the family relationships, mainly – could have been developed a bit more. But Aronofsky has perfectly managed the limited material he had to build up a hyper-realistic story that won’t leave anyone indifferent.’
-Andrew Stampton


FREEDOM CITY

OPENING STATEMENT: With your sequels, it's very hard to live up to the magic of the first film. It's hard to do something different for your series without being criticized by the fans of the first one for not keeping true to the spirit of the first. Freedom City does to the Invasion series what films like Terminator 2, Toy Story 2, Godfather II, Aliens did to their predecessors: and that's surpassing all expectations and giving the first film a run for its money.

WHAT I LIKED: The great action, special effects; the kinds of things people want to see in this film: just icing on the cake. The plot is well thought out.

WHAT I DISLIKED: Much like Avatar with all the hype built around it, take away all the glitz and glamorous special effects and you have other elements of about 100 other science fiction movies. Doesn't make it a terrible movie, just shouldn't be built up like it's the be all and end all of cinema(glares at James Cameron and Avatar)

SHINING STAR/DEAD WEIGHT: Everyone in the cast performed well in their roles, but nobody really stood out as being one to really watch for. Hey, at least there's no dead weight.

THE BRAINS BEHIND: Steve Connors did a great job with the screenplay, giving it a chance to stand on its own feet without living in the shadows of 'Invasion' James Cameron is an ok director, a little full of his own shit, but he seems to have a knack for making film sequels just as good or better than the first.

OVERALL: A- grab a snack, your friends and enjoy!

GAGA

OPENING STATEMENT: Say what you want about Chad Taylor: like him or not, he seems to always have something original going with his films in a world full of superhero adaptations and sequels. Gaga packs an entertaining fun punch that I wouldn't mind seeing in future films. Stars agreeing to laugh at themselves and putting their egos aside.

WHAT i LIKED: The originality to the whole thing. Definitely steals a lot of the cool points.

WHAT I DISLIKED: Eh, making the film in 3D IMO really didn't make the film all that much better, especially when the effects are made for a cheap pop of 3D(ie kicking a camera into the audience's faces) We've all been so desensitized to 3D and so disappointed with the 3D-but-not-really-3D films of Hollywood that the gimmick is really wearing thin. Especially since theaters are charging people 10 bucks more for something they can see in 2D and not feel left out.

SHINING STAR/DEAD WEIGHT: Lady Gaga shines a bit, but it's hard to say performance wise since she's playing an exaggerated version of herself. I wouldn't look for her to be the next Meryl Streep at this rate. The rest of the cast were alright.

THE BRAINS BEHIND: You gotta hand it to the man in the director's chair and behind the script, Chad Taylor is always looking for something unique to do. The film is indeed different from what we've seen in CMP, but the novelties of 3D, Lady Gaga: those particular things can kill the film since for every one who loves 3D movies and Gaga there's about twice as many who find both extremely irritating.

OVERALL: B- it really is entertaining and fun to watch. But I don't think a lot of moviegoers would want to stomach nearly 2 hours of Gaga. Her fans would enjoy it though.

FORECLOSED

OPENING STATEMENT: As the world is still put under the pressure of the economy downfall, this film sends a nice message about getting through it. At times though, it seemed like a movie from Lifetime and it didn't seem like a whole lot really happened in the movie to make it memorable. Josh Collins was right when he said it works better as a short film.

WHAT I LIKED: The cast performed well and the message; particularly the powerful moment of Denzel getting back in his wheelchair, was well heard. Hey, we'll get through it!

WHAT I DISLIKED: Could have been much more fleshed out plot.

SHINING STAR/DEAD WEIGHT: Denzel really made a remarkable performance. After the kinds of roles he's had before, this one is unique. But the film is not memorable enough.

THE BRAINS BEHIND: Darren makes here a very good direction project with the spirit of The Wrestler, but I don't personally feel it's 'his movie' not to seem rude, but he deserves so much more better. Josh Collins had a good realistic premise, almost too real to be entertaining, but the story was slowly paced to fill in the space needed to complete a feature-length.

OVERALL: C+ Rarely does a Collins movie go forgettable, but this one is.

MR. THUMBS' CERTIFIED MUST SEE OF THE WEEK

FREEDOM CITY

MIDSEASON’S TOP 5

BOX OFFICE

1.THE DARK TOWER – 227
2.NOON – 211
3.FREEDOM CITY – 157
4.SILVER SABLE AND THE ULTIMATE ALLIANCE – 125
5.A TANGLED WEB – 103
NET GAINS

1.THE DARK TOWER – 414 (Alltimes Top 3)
2.NOON – 186
3.FREEDOM CITY – 139
4.REBLICANT REBEL – 96
5.FORECLOSED - 93