Okay. Everyone knows that Marvel is loving their teasers lately. And by lately I mean for the last few years. With the Marvel ReEvolution and Marvel NOW! happening as we speak, the teasers have been coming at us pretty hard for the last few months. This latest round introduced some new books, as well as some creative changes to ongoing series. Usually we cover stuff like this in Comic Rack, but with the amount of info we’ve been getting it gets upgraded to it’s own incredibly well written post!
First off, let me say that I am not the biggest fan of the Ultimate Spider-Man animated series. I loved the comics, but to be honest, I am in total hate with the cartoon. I don’t really blame the series for that either, since I was such a huge fan of The Spectacular Spider-Man series that anything but will always fall short. I watched the first season of Ultimate Spider-Man in a attempt to be fair to the character I have always loved. I was not wowed. But in the show’s defense, I’m not really the demographic they are going for.
I am, admittedly, an awards show fan so it comes as no surprise that I tuned in to last night’s Golden Globe Awards. There’s just something about watching Hollywood’s best and brightest get all dressed up and then sit for hours while pretending they were okay with just being nominated that makes for really good entertainment. Add in my well documented love for Tina Fey and Amy Poehler and there was no way I’d be missing this one. As with every other awards show, there were definite highs and even more definite lows but I think we can all agree that perhaps last night’s Golden Globes ended up with more in the “highs” column.
First off, the aforementioned Amy Poehler and Tina Fey. After three years of Ricky Gervais and his “trying too hard” approach to comedy, it was really nice to laugh at a joke without feeling like an awful person for doing so. It wasn’t like Fey and Poehler went all Pollyanna on us, for they did have some nice zingers throughout the night, but it certainly did not feel as if they were mean-spirited. Of course I am biased, being a fan in the first place, but they were quite possibly the best hosts I’ve seen in quite some time.
Another high? Ben Affleck winning Best Director for Argo. He had the stage and could have mentioned his “snub” from the Oscar committee but decided against it, classy move. We’ve already discussed the Academy Awards nominations here but the befuddlement is only increased by Affleck’s win last night. What did the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) see that the Academy did not? It boggles the mind.
Of course I’m a huge SNL geek so it’s no surprise that I loved Will Ferrell and Kristin Wiig as they presented one of the best actress awards. When Ferrell said that Dame Judy Dench used to be a police sheriff and this was her breakout role? I nearly choked on my coffee. Of course I would love for Tina and Amy to host from now to eternity but if they can’t, Will Ferrell and Kristin Wiig would be an okay replacement. However, I think it’s safe to say that if Ferrell and Wiig were the hosts, perhaps Tommy Lee Jones would stay home as he did not appear to be a fan of their antics in any way, shape, or form.
Jodie Foster’s acceptance speech after being awarded the Cecil B. DeMille award was both a high and a low maybe? I honestly spent the entire six minutes ping ponging between “you go Jodie Foster!” and “I have no idea what you are saying right now Jodie Foster”. It was very discombobulated. I have to imagine that when she wrote the speech (I’m assuming she wrote it), it made a lot more sense than it did when she got up on stage and nerves and adrenaline took over. Like Kevin Costner earlier in the evening, it made people question if she was either going to retire from show business or take a long walk off a short pier. Of course when she talked about her mom, I was just like every other sap in the room, searching my cleavage for a kleenex.
A definite high? I’m sorry but it had to be Taylor Swift losing to Adele in the Original Song category. I usually don’t delight in the heartbreak of others (well not all the time) but this was hysterical. She is just so used to winning everything that she just sat there rather stunned when she got beat. Of course if she had won I’m sure there would have been a resurrection of the Kayne incident and nobody needs that so really it was a double win for all involved. Well, except for Taylor Swift.
Lows? There weren’t a whole lot but one of the biggest ones was Sacha Baron Cohen. Oh boy, that was uncomfortable. I don’t know if it was announced what he was going to be presenting beforehand (I didn’t hear it0 but after he slams Russell Crowe’s singing performance in Les Mis and then makes reference to Anne Hathaway’s unfortunate upskirt photo he goes on to present Best Animated Feature. Call me crazy, but don’t presenters usually say something at least somewhat related to the award they are presenting? Yikes.
Perhaps the biggest low of the entire show, and frankly award shows in general these days, was network television. I love network television and I know I am not alone in that. There are millions of people who tune into network television every single day and quite a few of those millions are watching something besides singing and dancing (and diving- seriously Fox?) competitions. 30 Rock, Happy Endings, Community, New Girl, and my beloved Parks and Recreation are all examples of great shows that can be found on network television. So why is it that year after year, the only awards being given out to TV shows and their actors, are going only to premium cable? Don’t get me wrong, I like Girls just as much as the next gal but I have an incredibly hard time believing that Lena Dunham gave a better performance in Girls than Amy Poehler did as Leslie Knope in Parks and Recreation. I understand that the voters like shows that push the envelope but when premium cable is up against networks there really is no contest as the envelope HBO and Showtime are dealing with is light years larger than the networks have to stay within.
While I’m on my little mini-rant can we all just finally agree to stop nominating Chuck Lorre shows in the first place? They are fun entertainment for a night when you just really don’t want to think or feel any type of emotion beyond slightly amused. Nothing more, nothing less. There is no way that they should ever be nominated for anything beyond a Teen Choice award.
Glenn Close drinks when bad shows get nominated
So there’s my highs and lows of the night, but no recap would be complete without a list of the winners so here you go:
Best Supporting Actress in Television, Movie, or Mini-Series
Maggie Smith- Downton Abbey (PBS)
Best Supporting Actor in Television, Movie, or Mini-Series Ed Harris- Game Change (HBO)
Best Actress in Television, Movie or Mini-Series Julianne Moore- Game Change (HBO)
Best Actor in Television, Movie or Mini-Series Kevin Costner- Hatfields & McCoys (History Channel)
Best Television Movie or Mini-Series Game Change (HBO)
Best Actress in Television Series, Comedy or Musical Lena Dunham- Girls (HBO)
Best Actor in Television Series, Comedy or Musical Don Cheadle- House of Lies (Showtime)
Best Television Series, Comedy or Musical Girls (HBO)
Best Actress in Television Series, Drama Claire Danes- Homeland (Showtime)
Best Actor in Television Series, Drama Damien Lewis- Homeland (Showtime)
Best Television Series, Drama Homeland (Showtime)
Best Foreign Language Film Armour (Austria)
Best Original Song “Skyfall”- Adele
Best Original Score Life of Pi
Best Screenplay Quentin Tarantino- Django Unchained
Best Animated FilmBrave
Best Supporting Actress in Motion Picture Anne Hathaway- Les Miserables
Best Supporting Actor in Motion Picture Christoph Waltz- Django Unchained
Best Actress in Motion Picture, Comedy or Musical Jennifer Lawrence- Silver Linings Playbook
Best Actor in Motion Picture, Comedy or Musical Hugh Jackman- Les Miserables
Best Motion Picture, Comedy or Musical Les Miserables
Best Actress in Motion Picture, Drama Jessica Chastain- Zero Dark Thirty
Best Actor in Motion Picture, Drama Daniel Day Lewis- Lincoln
Best Director Ben Affleck- Argo
Best Motion Picture, Drama Argo
So there’s the Golden Globes, next up- the Oscars! See you then.
So this weekend marks the release of the Gangster Squad movie that has been delayed for several months starring Josh Brolin, Ryan Gosling, Emma Stone, Nick Nolte and Sean Penn amongst others. This has been a high anticipated movie since last year but it was delayed due to the shootings in Colorado at a movie theater and a scene was subsequently reshot because it involved a similar event. However, we here at Grizzly Bomb were lucky enough to score some scenes from the movie and some interviews as well from on set to help mark the release of the movie. I’m looking forward myself to seeing the movie, despite the mixed reviews it has been getting, and these clips just remind me what a great cast they have in the movie and the look of old Los Angeles circa 1940s just gets me excited to see it. It may not be L.A. Confidential but hopefully it’ll be entertaining to watch. Below are seven clips from the movie and interviews with the cast so enjoy!
It’s been awhile since I’ve ventured back into the prediction business and after today’s Oscar nominations, I’m pretty fired up now and ready to view some good movies and see the impact it’ll have on the marketplace. That’s right people, the Dartboard Box Office Predictions are back and I’m ready to be embarrassed yet again with some misguided picks.
There are three major releases this weekend, with one of them being a wide expansion. First, we have Gangster Squad, the Josh Brolin, Ryan Gosling, and Sean Penn led period flick, then we have A Haunted House from Marlon Wayans, trying to recapture the glory days of Scary Movie, and then Zero Dark Thirty goes wide finally to take advantage of the Oscar nominations announcement. In regards to Gangster Squad, I’ve been trying to think of a good comparison for the movie. It’s not quite a complete A-list filled movie, just actors that are either on the cusp of movie star or rising stars ready to break out. The closest thing might be Looper in my mind with rising stars compared to Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Emily Blunt and the backing of an older star like Bruce Willis. With Gangster Squad sporting Ryan Gosling, Emma Stone, and Sean Penn playing the role as legitimate Hollywood veteran, that’s the best comparison I could think of. Looper came out in almost 3000 screens and grossed almost 21 million with an almost 7k per screen average. I see something similar for Gangster Squad, although the movie might lose a bit of its legs because it’s getting mixed reviews. Gangster Squad opens in 3100 screens and should drum up about 6.5k per screen, so that will give it 20 million to start the weekend off.
Tougher to predict is A Haunted House. With only one Wayans brother trying to duplicate the magic of the Scary Movie franchise, it’s hard to think that this will succeed. But that might also do with the fact that the franchise was complete garbage so my initial prejudice is to completely ask this movie to bomb. However, the people always come out in force for these types of movies. The last spoof movie to come out was Vampires Suck and that grossed 12 million in 3200 theaters, which is shocking because I had no recollection of that even being in theaters to begin with. I’d like to add that I hate 90% of all spoof movies so seeing commercials for this made me want to throw up. With that, it should do something similar to Vampires Suck, which had almost 4k per screen average. A Haunted House opens on 2100 theaters so I predict a 4k per screen average for a 8.5 million opening frame. I will say that this can blow up quickly and I’m wary about under-predicting on this one. With no real competition against it, I have a feeling this will be a movie to watch closely. Despite the fact I have zero desire in seeing it.
Lastly, we have Zero Dark Thirty going wide and this should challenge for the top spot this weekend. Obviously they were relying on challenging Lincoln for the most nominees but surprisingly, they ended up with only 5, not even including a Best Director nod for Kathryn Bigelow. This should still receive a boost in the box office though as it moves to 2900 theaters nationwide. Last year, when The Artist expanded, it drew in a 39.8% increase on box office output, although it only increased by 235 theaters. Last year The Descendants increased their theaters after the nominations came out to 2000 theaters, a 1400 screen increase. That resulted in a 170% increased box office dollar result. I think that might be more in line but still only resulted in a 3k per screen average. Last weekend, in 60 theaters, Zero Dark Thirty averaged almost 45k per screen. Obviously that is way too out of line to be expected this week. So let’s go with a 8k average per screen for a final result of 23 million for the weekend.
As for the holdovers, we expect Lincoln to get a mini-boost, as well as the other Oscar-nominated pictures. Looking at Django Unchained first, that should only decline by 30% despite competition for the R-rated audiences so it’ll result in a 14 million dollar take. Les Miserables will also see a slight decline of 30% as people check out the Hugh Jackman and Anne Hathaway nominated movie so that will result in an 11 million dollar take. Lincoln should see a big increase probably from the previous week so look for a 9 million dollar weekend for them. Life of Pi will get a slight increase too but only to probably 4 million as the marketplace is flooded and the movie is already two months into its current run. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey will continue it’s 50% decline, giving it 9 million for the weekend. Parental Guidance is also proving to be a solid hit and should decline about 40% to reach 6 million, as well as Jack Reacher which also will get about 6 million with new films in the marketplace to take from its demographic. This Is 40 will get about a 40% decline to result in a 5 million dollar frame as well. Texas Chainsaw 3D will probably get a MASSIVE decline of 70% and end with 8 million as horror movies never hold up over the long period of time. The horrific reviews don’t help either. Overall, let’s see how it all shapes out:
[box_dark]1.) Zero Dark Thirty: 23 million 2.) Gangster Squad: 20 million 3.) Django Unchained: 14 million 4.) Les Miserables: 11 million 5.) (tied) Lincoln: 9 million 5.) (tied) The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey: 9 million 7.) A Haunted House: 8.5 million 8.) Texas Chainsaw 3D: 8 million 9.) (tied) Parental Guidance: 6 million 9.) (tied) Jack Reacher: 6 million[/box_dark]
Those are the predictions, so we’ll see. Otherwise, it’s going to be a busy weekend for me. Time to catch up as I fill up some Oscar ballots and win me some Oscar pools!
Because there’s so little to really report on about Game Of Thrones these days, what with the books being spoilers out there for anyone who wants them, and the show taking it’s long, horrible time to come back on tv, sometimes you have to make due with the little things that are out there, as you collect them bit by bit. Unfortunately sometimes those little things are really terrible and suck a big one, like the recent news that Wilko Johnson, the actor who plays Ser Illyn Payne has been diagnosed with terminal cancer.
You may remember Mr. Johnson as the guy who beheaded Ned Stark near the end of season 1, or as that guy in the background in the King’s castle who never talks, and just glowers menacingly. In the books his tongue was ripped out with burning pinchers by The Mad King, so whenever you see him he’s always silently staring. The guy did a great job emoting with the character and telling a story using just his facial expressions. As lousy and unfitting it is to such a talented actor, stupid goddamned cancer seems to go and ruin everything for everyone once again.
[quote] “I am very sad to announce that Wilko has recently been diagnosed with terminal cancer of the pancreas. He has chosen not to receive any chemotherapy. He is currently in good spirits, is not yet suffering any physical effects and can expect to enjoy at least another few months of reasonable health and activity. He has just set off on a trip to Japan; on his return we plan to complete a new CD, make a short tour of France, then give a series of farewell gigs in the UK. There is also a live DVD in the pipeline, filmed on the last UK tour.
“Wilko wishes to offer his sincere thanks for all the support he has had over his long career, from those who have worked with him to, above all, those devoted fans and admirers who have attended his live gigs, bought his recordings and generally made his life such an extraordinarily full and eventful experience. Thank you.” [/quote]
Well that just bloody stinks. Fortunately, there is a lot of other community created content out there to cheer us up from that terrible news, and to help hold us over until March 31st, when the show finally returns.
Firstly, there’s the kids who play the Stark children all beatboxing the Game Of Thrones theme song:
As much fun as they’re having, british people trying to rap just makes me ill. It sounds awful always, even when it’s meant as a joke, but I hope it entertained you. Secondly, there’s a video showing what it would have been like of Game Of Thrones was a show on The CW, which is… horrifying:
Then here’s a handy dandy list of all the characters referred to by their colloquial nicknames as opposed to their character names. There’s so many, I can understand the average viewer getting confused and just calling them these in response:
This amusing collection of fake OkCupid quotes edited into pictures of GoT characters works surprisingly well. Lastly, here’s some great gifs of Tyrion being as quotable as ever:
Oh how I’d love to bro out with Tyrion. Man there’s no way this is making the wait until March 31st any easier. DAMN IT ALL!
Grizzly Bomb 