Tweetle Dumb – The Week’s Worst Tweets

Here’s a new segment on The Entertainment Blur where I will list a number of tweets that I have bumped into.  Whatever the reason, these tweets made me laugh and I hope you share a similar sense of humor.  Also, I have to thank Chris from the Predictions Panel for giving me the hilarious title for this new segment, “Tweetle Dumb.”

Okay, so here we go…

–

There were a lot of tweets this weekend for the #1 film of the country, “Obsessed.”  This struck my funny bone because I don’t think I’ve ever seen/heard “good ass” and “bad ass” used in the same sentence before.

–

Because Beyonce’s acting skills were so high to begin with…

–

Do people actually talk like this?  Or is this a new slang/ghetto way of typing?  Also, Obsessed should not be anyone’s favorite movie.

–

Yes, The Soloist is an epic 109 minutes long.  I bet you that this person has never watched Lawrence of Arabia.

–

Hmm… someone else confusing The Soloist for an epic?  For a movie buff, you’d think she wouldn’t compare The Soloist to Braveheart… but I haven’t seen The Soloist yet so who knows, maybe there were armies of thousands trying to overthrow Juilliard in New York City.

–

To her credit, the three movies she mentioned weren’t received well by the critics.  But to say there are no good movies out you have to do your research… especially when movies like State of Play, Adventureland, I Love You Man, and Earth are in the theaters and all have an 80% or higher Rotten Tomatoes rating.

–

First off, this person’s statistics are as real as Barney Stinson’s in ‘How I Met Your Mother.’  Secondly, The Wrestler is as much a movie about wrestling as The Reader is about the Holocaust.  Want to make a wager whoever posted this hasn’t even seen the movie?  Double the bet that the stats are entirely made up.

Box Office Results: Audiences go crazy for ‘Obsessed’

Studio Estimates (April 24-26):

1.  Obsessed – $28.5 million
2.  17 Again – $11.7 million
3.  Fighting – $11.4 million
4.  The Soloist – $9.7 million
5.  Earth – $8.6 million

–

So what was about this ‘Obsessed’ film that made everyone want to see it this weekend?  Who knows… maybe the Beyonce star-power, or maybe the psycho/suspense/thriller is something the teens want to see these days.  Whatever the reason, it destroyed the competition from the rest of the new releases.

The rest of the three new films were able to land in the Top 5, but all behind last weekend’s box office king, 17 Again.  The results for the #5 and #6 spots were extremely close.  Disney’s documentary Earth landed the fifth spot with an estimate of $8.55 million while the DreamWorks animated feature Monsters vs. Aliens grossed an estimate of $8.52 million.  Those two can very well be switched when the actual results come in.

As for our predictions, Phil was the only one to guess all five films on the Top 5, but unfortunately none were in the right order.  After tallying the results, my predictions were the closest to the results with Sheehan not too far behind.

Check back on Friday when the first week of May presents us with the first weekend of the Summer Blockbusters:  the romantic-comedy Ghosts of Girlfriends Past and X-Men Origins: Wolverine.

Dollhouse: Haunted (S01E10)

Gosh darn, Dollhouse just keeps getting better.  I’m trying to separate myself from the show just in case Fox cancels it, but it’s almost impossible not to be drawn into this sci-fi world that Joss Whedon has created.  It will be a huge mistake to not allow Dollhouse to run a proper course by fleshing out its story through more than 12 or 13 episodes.  Fox, do the right thing and renew the show.

Anyway, the main story of “Haunted” deals with the murder mystery of Adelle DeWitt’s rich friend, Margaret.  Because she suspected something like this would happen, Margaret visited the Dollhouse earlier and had scans done so her personality was available in case she died.  So Margaret’s personality was imprinted into Echo and the search began.

Echo goes to the funeral and talks with Margaret’s family and husband, who all seem to have motives to be involved in her death.  But then one by one, they clear themselves and point the blame to someone else.

Meanwhile, back at the Dollhouse, newly appointed head of security, Langton, signs on to allow Topher engage in some diagnostic tests with an Active.  Boyd agrees to allow access and offers Sierra to Topher, but we find out that all he did was imprint her with a personality to be his best friend (or a personality of himself?).  They share the same tech-guy, geek talk and run around playing laser tag with each other.  It’s sort of endearing seeing Topher this way and the fact he never tries to use Sierra for sex made it more touching when it was revealed he does this once a year to celebrate his birthday.  When Langton and Ms. DeWitt discuss it later on in the episode, she sympathizes with him (probably because she’s been there and used Actives herself for her own pleasure).

The other side story is of Agent Ballard who now knows Mellie is a doll.  This creates a rift in their relationship and Mellie senses it and questions him about it.  Ballard takes a wine glass with Mellie’s prints on it and has a friend run them through the FBI system.  The result is a number of different identities to Mellie’s face for a moment, and then the computer screen goes blank with a message that zero results matched the prints.  Ballard now has a believer inside the force.

Back to the main story… after a number of turnarounds, the son of Margaret realizes that Echo has his mom’s imprinted personality.  He knows about the Dollhouse because he’s a client of the organization in Manhattan (I believe that’s what he said).  They hide when the husband is caught by Victor (sent by Langton) for doping steroids into Margaret’s precious horses.  Echo deduces that herself, Margaret, must’ve been given the same horse drug that caused her death.

After one more twist, which wasn’t a big surprise but the episode did handle the whole who-dun-it theme nicely, everything falls into place.  This episode had plenty of heart-warming moments between the recently deceased mother and her family.  It’s kind of wicked to think about providing life after death.  That’s the idea that is lingering in my mind after the episode concluded.

Don’t miss the next Dollhouse episode when Agent Ballard finally finds the Dollhouse!  Does it seem like Joss Whedon’s pushing things a bit too fast, anticipating a cancelation?  Nonetheless, next week’s episode will surely be exciting.

The Weekly Top 5

1.  Sneak Peak of Kristen Bell in “When in Rome.”

The movie looks somewhat decent.  Since it’s Disney, it’ll follow the formula of the girl getting together with the guy of her dreams.  The comedy will be light and a bit cheesy, but fun.  I’m just wondering if Kristen Bell has the star-power to attract an audience.  Sure, she’s one of the most beautiful actresses right now, but she’s really only been in one movie with mass appeal (Forgetting Sarah Marshall).  Other than that she starred in Veronica Mars which was critically acclaimed but suffered from low ratings, and she had a short stay with the declining TV-series Heroes.

2.  David Slade (Hard Candy, 30 Days of Night) to direct the third installment of the Twilight franchise, Eclipse. So I guess Twilight’s taking the Harry Potter approach by switching directors for each movie.  While Hardwicke did a fine job in Twilight, New Moon has even higher expectations for Chris Weitz.  And I just assume the franchise will grow larger for Eclipse when Slade takes control.  Slade certainly has potential to take this vampire-romance into something memorable.  I thought his break-out film, Hard Candy, had moments of brilliance but overall it fell a bit short of being great.  Now I’m curious as to who’s going to direct the fourth and final adaptation of the Twilight Saga, Breaking Dawn.

3.  Jessica Biel goes topless for her new movie “Blue Powder.”  Yowzaaas. Courtesy of The Movie Blog.

4.  An awesome post at TV Squad about Craig Ferguson’s mug.

5.  A recent Harris poll revealed that CSI was the voters’ favorite TV show of all-time.  Say what?!  Behind it were M*A*S*H, House, NCIS, 24, Seinfeld, Friends, Two and a Half Men, Lost, and ER.

http://www.adweek.com/aw/content_display/news/agency/e3i47013cc613835ebc374e34e93af5281d

Five Summer 2009 Films I DON’T Want to See

In no particular order, these are five films this summer that I could easily live without:

–

Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian

I can’t say that I’m surprised there’s a sequel to the very popular family-friendly Night at the Museum.  But I can say with certainty that I will not be watching this film, no matter how much money it makes.

–

Ghosts of Girlfriends Past

Here is an awful looking romantic-comedy, done “A Christmas Carol” style.  But I guess I’m not the demographic that best fits a Matthew McConaughey movie.

–

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

I did not like the first film even though it was a monster hit at the box office.  Sure, Shia LaBeouf has proven he could carry a movie to the bank, but I’m simply not impressed by Michael Bay’s quick-cutting robot/action flick.  Though I admit I’d see anything Megan Fox is in.

–

The Proposal

If you’ve seen the trailer or commercial for this film and didn’t want to drown yourself, then you’re a stronger person than I am.  Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds… there are two actors who seem to perfectly fit this train-wreck romantic-comedy.

–

G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra

A movie that a lot of people will probably be really stoked for, I am not.  Why?  Simply because the biggest actor in the film is Dennis Quaid.  Enough said.

Top Ten Summer 2009 Films I Must See

10.  Terminator Salvation (May 21)

Christian Bale has built up quite an impressive resume with cult favorites like The Dark Knight, The Prestige, The Machinist, and American Psycho.  His next soon-to-be blockbuster hit is the fourth installment of the Terminator franchise.  Directed by McG (Charlie’s Angels), there is huge anticipation for this film.  Will it live up to expectation?

9.  Whatever Works (June 19 limited)

I am a huge Woody Allen fan, therefore it should be no surprise that his new film is on my list.  Woody Allen has a way with writing brilliant dialogue and getting stripped down and pure performances from his actors.  Here’s the catch:  throw Larry David into the mix of Woody Allen’s brilliance and the result should definitely be explosive.  I’m not exactly sure what the plot details are for the film, which is why this isn’t higher on the list.  But just the idea of Woody Allen and Larry David is making me salivate.

8.  Year One (June 19)

A comedy starring Jack Black and Michael Cera during the Stone Age?  I’m in.  No, I don’t need any more details about the plot.  As I scroll down the cast I see David Cross, Hank Azaria, and Christopher Mintz-Plasse involved.  All right, June 19… I’ll be there.

7.  The Hangover (June 5)

Okay, so here’s the plot:  In Las Vegas, three groomsmen wake up the morning after the bachelor party.  They don’t remember anything from the night before, half naked, and are bruised all over.  Oh, and the groom is missing.  Starring Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, and Zach Galifianakis, this movie has the potential of being hilarious.

6.  Angels & Demons (May 15)

The prequel to the best-selling novel and blockbuster hit, The Da Vinci Code, symbology hero Robert Langdon is at it once again.  Can the Oscar-winning team of Tom Hanks and Ron Howard do it again?  The Da Vinci code grossed $758 million worldwide, will “Angels & Demons” have the same results?

5.  (500) Days of Summer (July 17)

Here is a film that is set out to make an impact on the romantic-comedy genre.  Shown in a non-chronological order and having an independent artsy feel to it, this Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel movie will steal your heart.  I hope this film lives up to the hype it received at movie festivals.

4.  Inglorious Basterds (August 21)

Quentin Tarantino always makes headlines and his new movie is no different.  “Inglorious Basterds” boasts an impressive cast including Brad Pitt, Mike Myers, Eli Roth, and B.J. Novak.  During World War II, a group of Jewish-American soldiers known as “The Basterds” brutally kill Nazis.  Who wouldn’t want to watch that?  And with Tarantino behind the camera, you just know things are going to be extra gruesome.

3.  Funny People (July 31)

Judd Apatow has changed the genre of comedies ever since his break-out success, The 40 Year Old Virgin.  “Funny People” is his most recent film and I only have the highest expectations for it.  Starring Adam Sandler as a terminally ill stand-up comedian, he befriends and mentors a fellow comedian (played by Seth Rogen).  The subject matter is a lot more serious compared to his previous work, but there’s no doubt there will be a good amount of raunch and profanity.

2.  Up (May 29)

Pixar has done something extremely rare… in fact I don’t think it’s ever been done before.  Every one of Pixar’s 9 films have been booth critically acclaimed and box office hits.  They deserve all of the success they’ve received.  Is it too early to cast my prediction for Best Animated Feature?  “Up” will certainly be another gem added to the Pixar lineup.

1.  Public Enemies (July 1)

My most anticipated movie of the summer is Michael Mann’s “Public Enemies.”  Starring Johnny Depp as notorious American gangster, John Dillinger, this is going to be one bad-ass heist flick.  Expect a lot of guns, chases, and suspense.  Oh, did I also mention Christian Bale’s in the film too?  Yeah, that sort of book-ends the summer with Bale (along with this list).  Also, this seems like the only summer film to have the potential of stirring up some serious Oscar discussion.

Box Office Predictions (April 24-26)

After two consecutive weekends where movies with tween stars ended up on top, there is a nice variety of four new releases that will try to take the box office crown away from them.

First, the PG-13 thriller Obsessed starring Beyonce, Ali Later, and Idris Elba.  Opening in about 2,500 theaters, this film should be able to bring in the African American demographic along with the teens.  I think this has the best shot at taking the top spot this weekend.

Next is Fighting, a PG-13 action film about the underground world of street fighting.  Starring Channing Tatum.  That’s pretty much all I know about the film.  I haven’t seen a trailer or commercial so I guess that’s it.

On Wednesday, Disney released the animal/environment documentary, Earth.  Debuting in about 1,800 theaters, it made approximately $4 million on Wednesday.  Documentaries usually aren’t box office hits (March of the Penguins being the exception), so I don’t expect Earth to have an impact in the Top 5.

Finally, the bio-pic/drama by Joe Wright (Pride & Prejudice, Atonement) titled The Soloist.  Starring Robert Downey Jr. and Jamie Foxx, the movie tells the story of a journalist befriending a homeless Julliard trained musician.  This seems like an untimely release for a movie with an Oscar-caliber cast.  The mixed reviews suggests that it would’ve been chewed up and spat out if it was released in November.  Nonetheless, The Soloist is depending on the mature audiences to flock to the theaters.

Let’s check out our predictions:

My Predictions:

1.  Obsessed – $17 million
2.  17 Again – $12 million
3.  Fighting – $10 million
4.  The Soloist – $8 million
5.  Monsters vs. Aliens – $8 million

Chris’ Predictions:

1.  The Soloist – $20 million
2.  17 Again – $15 million
3.  Obsessed – $13 million
4.  State of Play – $9 million
5.  Monsters vs. Aliens – $8 million

Sheehan’s Predictions:

1.  Obsessed – $15 million
2.  17 Again – $14 million
3.  The Soloist – $13 million
4.  State of Play – $11 million
5.  Earth – $10 million

Phil’s Predictions:

1.  Fighting – $25 million
2.  Obsessed – $16 million
3.  17 Again – $12 million
4.  Earth – $9 million
5.  The Soloist – $7 million

–

The four new releases created quite a stir in the Predictions Panel for this weekend.  If there’s one thing we all agreed on, it’s that the box office race will be close.  Half of the Panel picked Obsessed to take the #1 spot.  Phil is the only one who thinks all four new films will land on the Top 5.

Check back on Monday for the box office results.

Review: The Reader

The Reader (2008)
124 minutes
Rated-R
Directed by Stephen Daldry
Starring:  Kate Winslet, David Kross, Ralph Fiennes

Grade:  B+

–

And the Oscar for Best Actress goes to… Kate Winslet!  There is no doubt she’s had an incredible career so far, but can you believe that her performance in The Reader was her first Oscar win?  I don’t believe that The Reader was her best performance, but she’s certainly paid her dues to receive a golden statue.

It could easily be confused that The Reader is a Holocaust movie, but it’s not.  It’s merely a movie with a Holocaust backdrop, but the film is essentially about concealing secrets, following the crowd, and paying the consequences for your own actions.

The story jumps in and out from present day to flashbacks, an unnecessary gimmick for the plot.  In West Berlin, 1958, a 15-year-old student Michael Berg (Kross) meets Hanna Schmitz (Winslet), a toll taker on trams.  She helps the boy out one afternoon when he’s sick and walks him home.  He’s diagnosed with Scarlet Fever and is bed-ridden for months.  As a thank you after he gets better, he brings flowers to her home.  This sparks the frequent sexual encounters they embark on.

The affair is expressed in such a nonchalant manner that you just have to accept it, which is the proof that the film isn’t going to be about the sex.  There is something more.  Along with the sex, Hanna makes Michael read literature to her.  This act seems as a lot more passionate and meaningful than their love-making.

Then one day Hanna disappears without a trace.  Michael doesn’t know what happened to her and is left disturbed by her exit.  Years later he’s studying law at a university and is surprised to see Hanna in a courtroom being tried for murder along with other Nazi prison guards.  It is during the trial when it becomes clear to Michael about a secret Hanna was too ashamed to ever reveal.  It also gives reason as to why she declined her promotion and took up a position as a prison guard in Auschwitz.

Here is where the real dilemma of the story lies.  It’s clear, for Hanna’s own reasons, that she doesn’t want to reveal her secret.  She’s willing to risk her life rather than exploit it.  But Michael knows the secret as well and feels obligated to do something.  The information surely will affect Hanna’s sentencing, but what’s the right thing to do?

His decision haunts him for the rest of his life and that’s how the rest of the movie plays out.  He always had that extra weight on his shoulder afterward.  Hanna meant a great deal in his life, but he felt excitement and discovery more than love.  As for Hanna, he was really all she had.  It’s hard to believe her disappearance didn’t have something to do with her feelings for him.

Through Michael’s adult days (played by Fiennes), it’s apparent he retained the pain that Hanna left him with.  During the conclusion of the film, Michael visits a Jewish woman in New York.  It seems he’s trying to give an excuse for Hanna’s actions, but he’s not.  He’s really trying to understand the reasons for the actions of his past and find closure over it.  I think he does find it at the end.

The Reader is rich with moral questions, like what would you do if you were in the character’s position?  It’s quite easy to give an answer without really being in their shoes, but the more depth you provide yourself, the more you understand the decision is incredibly difficult.  Would you have just stood there and watch as hundreds, thousands, millions were being killed?  Morally, that’s a sin but they were ordered to do so and were carrying out their job.  Though the answer seems simple, the act isn’t.

Overall, the movie achieves what it intends to do.  It provides real characters in a dilemma that haunted the rest of their lives.  It also raises questions whether or not it’s okay to sympathize for someone responsible for a number of deaths during the Holocaust.  The movie might feel long for some since it never strays from its somber tone for two hours.  Nonetheless, The Reader was very powerful and was packed with strong performances.

Sit Down, Shut Up: Pilot (S01E01)

When I tuned into some late night television and saw Will Arnett promoting a new animated series he was a part of, my attention was grabbed.  Then to further explain how Mitch Hurwitz of Arrested Development was involved, I put it on my Must-See list.  But as I went to Hulu and watched the premiere episode, I wasn’t impressed.

For starters, Sit Down, Shut Up is an animated show with a live-action backdrop about a bunch of high school teachers who collectively have a very whacky variety of personalities.  This ranges from the bisexual drama teacher to the airhead science teacher who brings her baby along wherever she goes.

The storyline of the episode dealt with the high school going through budget cuts, which will result in a teacher getting fired.  The teachers are paranoid, especially Willard Deutschebog, the German teacher who suspects a student saw him buying porn.  Meanwhile, there’s suspicion that steroids are being taken since a bottle of drugs were found in the gym.  P.E. teacher Larry Littlejunk doubts it since his team hasn’t won a game all season long.

The teachers try to brainstorm a way to raise money to avoid budget cuts and save their jobs.  Helen Klench, the librarian, talks about digging up a time capsule with valuables inside while the acting principal suggests the football team takes the steroids in order to win a game so the booster can donate money to the school.

Was the episode funny?  A little bit.  I cannot judge this show solely on the pilot episode.  There is great potential that this show has.  The many diverse characters reminded me of Arrested Development’s extended family.  Notably, the English teacher, Ennis Hofftard (voiced by Will Arnett) and “Ass Principal” Proszakian were the funniest.  I have high hopes for Sit Down, Shut Up to only get better.  Will Fox give it a chance?  If you remember, Fox was the network to cancel the brilliant Arrested Development.  Why did Hurwitz come back to this troubled network who cherishes reality television?  It’s possible that two creative geniuses, Joss Whedon and Mitch Hurwitz, can both have their very good shows cut short.  And the funny thing about it is that they’ve been screwed over before by Fox (Firefly and Arrested Development respectively).

If you’re listening out there, Fox please give these shows a chance.  And maybe give them a respectable time slot that you have all of your reality shows in.  Thanks.

Box Office Results: Zac Efron shines outside of HSM franchise

Studio Estimates (April 17-19):

1.  17 Again – $24 million
2.  State of Play – $14 million
3.  Monsters vs. Aliens – $12.9 million
4.  The Hannah Montana Movie – $12.7 million
5.  Fast & Furious – $12.3 million

6.  Crank: High Voltage – $6.5 million

–

Like no surprise, 17 Again won the box office with $24 million this weekend.  The surprise result for the political thriller, State of Play, was runner-up with $14 million.  And rounding out the Top 5, Monsters vs. Aliens snuck up behind Hannah Montana and Fast & Furious for the third spot.  The other new release of the weekend, Crank: High Voltage, failed to land on the Top 5 with a weak $6.5 million gross.

As for our predictions, looks like Chris edged out my predictions very slightly.  Though we all predicted 17 Again to take the #1 spot, Chris was the only one to predict all of the Top 5 films.  Once again, my gross predictions were the best but my failure to include State of Play in the Top 5 lost it for me this time around.

Check back on Friday for our new predictions.  There are four new wide releases:  Earth, Fighting, The Soloist, and Obsessed.