Archives
Subject: Box Office Prediction: Mayans, Diamonds and Chick Flicks, Oh My!
Time: 1:31:00 PM EST
Author: summermovieblog
Hi, how are you? Or as the Mayans say: Bix a belex? (Dunno if that's accurate. I got it off the Internet.) Patricia here, and I have to admit, I have no idea which movie's going to finish No. 1 this week. None. Zero. (Or as the Mayans say: Hoon. OK, I'll stop now.) My advice? Wait until bubba8193 makes his picks, and then post whatever he does. He's our only poster with a perfect prediction record, which is freaking me out a little. Maybe he's using a quantum-physics wormhole to travel back in time, like Denzel Washington in 'Deja Vu.'
'Apocalypto':
A year ago, I would've confidently predicted that Mel
Gibson's action-historical epic -- about a peaceful Mayan who's
captured by ruthless warriors and marched off to be sacrificed -- would
dominate the box office. But after the public bloodbath Gibson's endured over
the last six months, I'm not so sure. And speaking of blood, you may have
guessed this already, but 'Apocalypto' is violent. Really violent. If you're
in the mood for decapitations and scenes where people's still-beating hearts
are ripped from their chests, then this is your movie. (I never saw 'The
Passion of the Christ,' but apparently this movie's
less violent than that one, so take that for whatever it's
worth.)There's every possibility that audiences will take said bloodiness into consideration -- along with the fact that the film is entirely in Mayan and directed by Gibson -- and give 'Apocalypto' a pass. On the other hand, I have to hand it to Mel: He does know how to make a movie. 'Apocalypto' is getting strong reviews, and justifiably so, as there are few directors who could take a film about an ancient civilization, featuring entirely unknown actors, and make it both commercial and emotionally resonant. Well, as they say in Hollywood and everywhere else, no publicity is bad publicity, right? It'll be interesting to see whether the curiosity factor and positive word of mouth are enough to drive 'Apocalypto' to the top.
'Blood
Diamond': I guess we're going with blood as a theme
this week, as 'Apocalypto' gets its chief competition in the
action/thriller/big-movie category from this film about civil war in Sierra
Leone. Leonardo DiCaprio is Danny Archer, a diamond smuggler who hears of a ginormous stone that was found by Solomon Vandy (Djimon Hounso), a fisherman forced to work in the mines. Archer wants to steal the diamond and leave Africa for good, whereas Vandy just wants to rescue his son, who was kidnapped and brainwashed by rebels. Violence in this film: kids having their hands amputated, people being shot in the head, and one rebel losing his eye to a bullet. Good times. The issue that 'Blood Diamond' brings to the fore -- the devastating effect that the diamond business has on countries like Sierra Leone -- is an important one, but the resulting movie is something of an awkward marriage between political statement and action-adventure flick. Still, DiCaprio (who gives another fine performance) is a draw, as are explosions; and if this movie opens people's eyes just a little bit, I'm all for it.
'The
Holiday': So bloodshed isn't your thing? You'll probably head instead for this Nancy Meyers ('Something's Gotta Give') romantic comedy about two lovelorn women (Cameron Diaz and Kate Winslet) who trade houses for two weeks. Surely I'm not giving away the ending when I say that they end up finding love -- Diaz with Jude Law, and Winslet with Jack Black. (The characters, not the actors, silly.) 'The Holiday' is cute, though at times it tends to strain for maximum manic adorableness; and at 136 minutes it requires a greater commitment than some of its characters are able to give. But it's the highest-profile chick flick we've had in a while, so women will go see it, and drag their significant others along. Men, try not to make a face.
'Unaccompanied
Minors': Kids! Running loose! At the airport! On Christmas! That's pretty much what this movie's about. (It must've been an easy film to pitch to the studios.) Wilmer Valderrama is the biggest star here, as a flight attendant who's tasked with trying to keep the munchkins in check. Will this be the family film to topple 'Happy Feet'? It's possible, but I have my doubts. Wilmer's popular with the ladies, apparently, but he hasn't yet reached the status of his 'That 70s Show' co-star, Ashton Kutcher. And I'm guessing that when given the choice between animated penguins and a bunch of juvenile delinquents, most parents will opt for penguins. Sorry, Fez.
NOTE: Prediction entries must be
submitted by midnight (Pacific time)
on Saturday, and you may only post one prediction. Ready, set ... predict.
POST: What's your weekend top five prediction?
POST: What do you think of these movies?
Apocalypto: Showtimes,
tix, trailer & more | Exclusive Mel Gibson Q&A
Blood Diamond: Showtimes,
tix, trailer & more | Exclusive clips
The Holiday: Showtimes, tix, trailer & more | Cameron & Kate chat
Unaccompanied Minors: Showtimes, tix, trailer & more | Go behind the scenes
Tags: Apocalypto, Blood Diamond, The Holiday, Unaccompanied Minors, Mel Gibson, movies, box office, prediction
Written by summermovieblog Blog about this entry |
Add to del.icio.us | 
digg this
-
I would never see this movie because of Mel Gibson.
-
Apocalypto,
The movie is stirring and activares the primtive genes. Mel Gibson captures the aurhentic realism portraying accurately the Mayan lifestyle and barbaric nature of life five hundred years ago.
Dudley -
In response to benit84's comments about the inaccuracies of Mel Gibson's Apacolypto, I felt it was important to clarify a few things.
[benit87 "The sicked girl (No illness was known in the American continent, not until the Spaniards came"]
While a common belief, this is not a true statement. Illness has always been with humans on all continents. It has long been romantisized that Americans lived in paradise before 1492. However, this view is no longer accepted by the academic community, as shown in this abstract from a Department of History, University of Minnesota paper entitled The Great Killers in Precolumbian America, A Hemispheric Perspective. - "Analysis of mortality among ancient Americans dispels the long-cherished myth of a precolumbian paradise. Like their Old World counterparts, before 1492, residents of the New World died as a result of disease, famine, and violence. While the disease environment of the Americas differed from that of the Old World in terms of particular diseases, the leading causes of mortality among humans in all parts of the world were basically the same--acute respiratory and gastrointestinal infections. Residents of the Old World were exposed to a wider variety of epidemic diseases, but typhus and influenza may have been universal among agricultural populations. Similarly, periodic famines attended by high rates of mortality, were a regular occurrence for agricultural populations around the world. And certainly there is ample evidence to suggest that native Americans were just as violent as their counterparts in other regions of the globe."
As for the comment that the movie depicts a peaceful village, even thought he Mayan's were warriors....well, did they not take breaks? -
don't try to fool yourself, no matter what, everybody knows, it is a fact, that
#1 APOCALYPTO
the rest,,,,, who cares
12/15/06 10:15 AM
2. Eragon
3.The Holiday
4. Unaccomanied Minors
5. Blood Diamond
kkikidee Happy holidays!!