Cinemusings

This column is entitled Inside the Industry, so I thought this week I would do the In's, Outs, and the In between for everything going on in the movie world. The in's describe what is currently in and cool. The outs on the other hand describe what is on the outs and not doing so well. The in between describes things that are on the bubble and can go either away. I hope you enjoy this feature to Inside the Industry. If it gets a good response, I'll do it more often.

In:

The Departed: Everyone and their grandmother is talking about this movie. Speaking of which, even my 84-year-old grandma phoned me and asked me about this film. It even beat out a horror film on its opening weekend, which is no easy task considering the popularity of horror films. I was not a huge fan of the film, but I thought it was enjoyable and a fun Marty film. Everyone else on the other hand is crazy about this film. If this film can win back-to-back weekends at the box office against two horror films (this week it faces The Grudge 2) then it is well on its way to being one of the highest grossing films of the year.

The appeal? It is a film for adult audiences who are overlooked and yearning for something that appeals to them. This is the film for them.

The Omen (2006): I might be alone on this one, but I thought it was much better than the original from 1976. The original was too cheesy, corny, and at times even funny. The remake is gory, stylish, scary, tense, and the kid is a lot creepier than in the original. Listen up folks, the minute we quit bitching about remakes and learn to enjoy some of them, you'll find out they are not all that bad. Sure some are unnecessary, but we don't bitch when people do covers of famous rock songs, do we? The film comes to DVD this Tuesday and is worth checking out.

Good TV: I am starting to see why some weekends it is empty at the movies. There is a lot of damn good TV on. I have recently become addicted to The O.C. myself. Due to my schedule it is hard to watch a lot of TV, but I catch up on a lot of TV shows on DVD. If anyone has any solid TV to recommend, let me know. I'm looking to get more into TV. But with so much good TV on, some weekends are better spent in the company of your own house watching TV for free than wasting money on a lot of the junk that is produced from Hollywood.

People going to the movies: I'm probably sounding pretty off the wall here by previously saying people should stay home from the movies sometimes, and in the next breath saying it is good that people are going to the movies. Let me explain myself. Last weekend had the top 4 films make 10 million dollars or more and that is good. Do you know why? Because it was 4 films that appealed to everyone. You had your adult film in The Departed, you had your teen horror with TCM, you had your kids fare with Open Season, and lastly you had Employee of the Month, which is your date movie. It is good to see people going to the movies and everyone getting to see what they want to see. Variety and choice is a great thing.

Good Movie Season: Now is the most exciting time to be a film fan. Every weekend is at least 2-3 great releases to catch and this lasts all the way until the end of the year. As stated previously, the movies are packed, there is variety, and there is Oscar films that will move you and wow you. There is nothing better than a packed movie theater, cars in the lot, and excitement in the air. It is my favorite time of the year. I get giddy just thinking about it.

Out:

Jack Black's New Movie: When the trailer played for this last weekend, it was literally laugh free. Jack Black needs to go away. After Nacho Libre and now this upcoming film, I have had more than enough. Put him in King Kong again or something. How do people find this guy funny? He is like the fat kid in your class who falls down. Not polite to chuckle at the overweight.

PG-13 Horror Films: This is being typed on a Saturday afternoon, so if The Grudge 2 makes 100 million dollars, I will look dumb. I'm sure the film will do well at the box office and whatnot, but will fall into obscurity after week 2 or 3. With the bar being set so high by Hostel and Saw, the PG-13 horror films just don't sell or pack the punch that other horror films do. They just don't do the job. It is like having a chance to see a porno, and then going back to fully clothed girls on websites. You want the real deal bygod!

Wrestlers Being Actors: Hulk Hogan couldn't act and his film career is full of misfires so bad you wonder what Hogan was thinking. The Rock has been doing OK, but it is still too early to tell. John Cena joined them with his new film The Marine this weekend. Wrestlers should wrestle and actors should act. We don't want to see wrestlers acting, and we clearly don't wanna see actors wrestling. You know the _expression don't quit your day job? It applies here.

In Between:

The Saw Franchise: The third film in the Saw franchise might be the one that proves if they are really looking to make good movies, or just looking for a quick buck. The first Saw was a labor of love, well-written, and a lot of fun. The second Saw looked like they were looking at you right in the eye with money signs. The third film will show us if it is a throw back to the first, or just more money to be made as soon as possible.

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