MARCH, 22


GRAND THEFT AUTO

Action / Crime
Cast: Tom Hardy, Anthony Mackie, Al Pacino, Lena Heady, Ray Liotta, Timothy Olyphant, Brian Cranston, T.I., Mehcad Brooks
Director: Martin Campbell
Screenwriter: Chad Taylor

Box Office: 80 mill.
Net Gains: 93 mill.

Stark’s Reaction:
Box office below expectations. At least, DVD market increased nicely the net gains. Anyway, the numbers are correct enough for me to bet for future sequels if Taylor is still interested in turning this movie into the beginning of a new franchise.

THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING HONEST

Drama
Cast: Kevin Costner, Elizabeth Shue, Val Kilmer, Ellen Burstyn, Gary Oldman, Miley Cyrus
Director: Paul Haggis
Producer: Grand Island Movies
Screenwriter: Josh Collins

Box Office: 42 mill.
Net Gains: 17 mill.

Stark’s Reaction:
You cannot ask for more with this kind of dramas… I feel satisfied with its box office’s breakdown. Urban women between 30 and 50 were our audience target here and it has responded according to our expectations.

THE PRINCE OF DARKNESS

Horror / Supernatural
Cast: Richard Gere, Stephen Dorff, Hayley Atwell, Alfred Molina, Armie Hammer
Director: Scott Derrickson
Screenwriter: D.R.Cobb


Box Office: 29 mill.
Net Losses: 4 mill.

Stark’s Reaction:
I don’t know why, but it is almost a tradition that new CMP’s writers make their debut with a box office’s flop. Well, this one was a difficult product to sell… At least, net losses have been very low. A harder week than expected at box office to begin the new Season…


GRAND THEFT AUTO

‘’Grand Theft Auto’ is an efficient and entertaining action movie. But there’s nothing new or original in it. Martin Campbell retakes well known elements and put them all together to build up an effective story of tough guys that works as long as you don’t demand any innovation from it. The action pace of the movie is right and the characters and situations are appealing enough – although it abuses of an excessive and unnecessary graphic violence at some moments. It is the kind of movie to enjoy and forget. Easy entertainment without pretentions. You’ll feel satisfied watching it if you are not looking for anything else than that.’
-Mark Anderson

‘Tom Hardy has presented with this movie his credentials to become the new favorite action hero of CMP. He can easily become the official action hero of the Studio in the near future the same way that there was a time in CMP when each and every action flick was starred by Eric Bana and then by Gerard Butler. Hardy adapts perfectly to his character of a tough guy with a dark past. It is him who carries the weight of the film and he proves he can easily do it. Together with Hardy, Pacino shines over the rest showing again his powerful screen presence, although he plays once more his stereotyped character of tough and corrupted politician or mobster (remember CMP’s ‘What You Deserve’… and another dozens of his acting works). Same goes for Ray Liotta. Anthony Mackie proves again he deserves to be a regular in CMP’s movies and Lena Heady looks so great in her brief appearance that she is beginning to deserve a more extended character in a CMP’s movie urgently.’
-Vic Carter

‘I must admit I am full of prejudices when I have to watch a game adaptation. Many writers do not understand that the games’ language is not the same than the movie language. In this case, I admit that Chad Taylor has made a good adaptation of the best-selling ‘Grand Theft Auto’ console game. He has cared of creating solid characters and to set a consistent story. It is only in the second half of the movie when you can notice better the dependence of the story on the original material. The plot loses consistency and becomes a mere succession of action sequences with a bit forced link at some moments. But still this movie stays above the average quality of most games adaptations.’
-Tim Reeve

THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING HONEST

‘Paul Haggis and Josh Collins have developed one of those movie productions built upon a cast of veteran stars whose glory days passed long ago. And that’s always a dangerous bet. The new generations of moviegoers will hardly be interested in a movie starred by Kevin Costner, Elizabeth Shue and Val Kilmer (and no, the presence in it of Miley Cyrus is not enough to attract that segment of the audience). Anyway, this is an adult audience oriented movie and that segment enjoys meeting again with movie stars they have grown up with. You just have to forget about the movie becoming a blockbuster. But I don’t think Haggis and Collins were looking to break box office’s records here. They have made what they probably wanted to make: a quality drama about family and a reflection about how to face maturity as years go by and we enter into the second – or third – part of our lives.’
-Anne Roman

‘’The Importance Of Being Honest’ depended 100% in acting works. These intimate dramas are nothing if the cast members do not reach their best. And, in that sense, this movie passes the test with a high grade. The irregular Kevin Costner has found the right tone for his character this time. Kilmer and Shue show that they still have something to offer. Miley Cyrus at least cannot be criticized this time. And the best of the function are, by far, Ellen Burstyn and Gary Oldman. It’s great to see Oldman doing something different than his usual villains in sci-fi or action movies. He reminds us here how great dramatic actor he can be. And Burstyn is just a sure bet.’
-Amy Ratched

‘This week it was one of those weekends… Your girl tells you she wants to go to the movies. And you think: ‘Great! Let’s watch ‘Grand Theft Auto’! Gunfights, car chases, killing and destruction…’ But not. She takes you to watch ‘The Importance Of Being Honest’… What I mean is that Haggis’ movie is a good product only for female audiences. And don’t take that as a criticism. Collins has written another one of his solid family dramas, this time looking more at the adult characters than the young ones. Maybe, the only fault of the story is its certain lack of intensity. We have criticized Collins often for being too dramatically intense. The paradox here is that this time he has controlled himself a bit too much. Yes, I know what you’ll say: these movie critics are never happy. But ‘The Importance Of Being Honest’ may be a bit too soft drama. I had the feeling that the story stayed one step before reaching its full potential.’
-Chris Burgess

THE PRINCE OF DARKNESS

‘What I like most of this peculiar horror movie is its naivety. This movie has been made the way horror movies were made in the 1960’s or the early 70’s, before ‘The Exorcist’ came and initiated the change of the horror genre forever taking it to a way of no return where gore sequences ruled over more psychological horror. The story told in the original ‘Prince Of Darkness’ was already old fashioned and out of trend in 1987. So, considering we are now in 2011, you can imagine how out of trend looks this remake. But it is precisely that naivety what inspires me sympathy about this B-series production. This new ‘Prince Of Darkness’, like the original one, is called to become a rarity that some freaks of the genre will watch in the future with a condescending smile. Besides that, it is very hard to take it seriously.’
-Charlie Kiggs

‘The devil shows up through equations decoded from a green liquid… With that premise, you have to be a very fond fan of horror movies to feel any interest for this strange production. Unless you take this movie as a revival or a tribute to Hammer Studios or Roger Corman’s Z-series movies, it is very hard to write something positive or even serious about it. Even the special effects look old-fashioned, with that connection with an alternative dimension that reminded me the first ‘Poltergeist’. But my favorite part of the movie is that horde of possessed homeless that surround the laboratory. That’s simply hilarious. And when you laugh watching a horror movie, it is an evident sign that something is going wrong…’
-Roy Winslow

‘D.R.Cobb has made a risky bet for his debut as screenwriter in CMP. Too risky. I can agree that CMP needs to find new ways for the horror genre beyond the slasher movies written by Matt Kubrick, a formula obviously exhausted. But I don’t think this is the right way either. Even horror movies, like fantasy movies or sci-fi movies, need at least a slight ground of credibility. No matter how weird or imaginative a story is, it has to make you believe that what you are watching on screen might be real. And that does not happen at all with this poor movie. We’ll have to wait for future works of Cobb to judge him as screenwriter. Because this debut is nothing more than a failed experience any way you look at it.’
-Jackie O’Callaghan