Weekend Boxoffice Chart

[Evil Avatar]

A dancing penguin was king of the Thanksgiving birds among movie-goers. The animated penguin romp Happy Feet remained the No. 1 movie, stomping out Sony's return to the Bond franchise, Casino Royale.

Here is the Weekend Boxoffice Chart for the weekend of November 24th to November 26th.

Happy Feet $37.9/$100.1
Casino Royale $31.0/$94.2
Deja Vu $20.8/$29.0
Deck the Halls $12.0/$16.8
Borat $10.4/$109.2
The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause $10.0/$67.1
Stranger Than Fiction $6.0/$32.7
Flushed Away $5.8/$57.3
Bobby $4.9/$6.1
The Fountain $3.7/$5.4
Tenacious D in: The Pick of Destiny $3.1/$5.1
The Queen $2.5/$20.9

[Cupelix]

I caught Casino Royale this weekend and was quite impressed by it. I thought it walked a great balance of sneaky spy type stuff, and balls to the wall action. I could've handled a bit more quiet spy stuff, perhaps, but that would be my only nitpick.

[cppcrusader]

I saw The Pick of Destiny on Friday. It wasn't bad, kind of dragged a bit in the middle. The long boring ass shroom trip scene with sasquatch should have been left out.

My uncle thought the movie was raunchy and vulgar, which it was, in a good way.

[Worldcrafter]

I saw the Pick of Destiny and it was okay, but it was a great warm up before seeing Tenacious D live in concert on Saturday! Hands down the most fun I've had at a concert.

I'm glad Royale is still going strong.

[PacerDawn]

Saw both Casino Royale and Deja-Vu this past weekend.

Casino had some really good action scenes in it, such as the initial chase scene (really good). However, I was REALLY disappointed that they played Texas Hold'em rather than Chemin de Fer. Also, the pacing was really off at the end. But, overall, still a good flick.

While we were there, the lady my son was sitting next to reached over and said he was masturbating in his seat. I looked over and he did have his jacket on his lap, but he fidgets a lot (as most teenagers do) and said he was just scratching a couple of times. So I apologized to the lady: "Oh, I'm so sorry. He usually doesn't do that unless we are at a porno. Did you get any on you, do you need a napkin?" She didn't bother us again.

I liked Deja-Vu as well. Most people don't like time travel movies because they are so hard to get right without being full of holes. Unfortunately, this one doesn't improve on anything (only 12 Monkeys was the best so far), but it is still a lot of fun to watch. People who have problems with time travel will probably not like this movie, but I thought it was pretty good.

[Oblivion]

I am intrigued by Deja Vu. How was it?

edit: oh someone answered my question before I asked it!

WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?


:rolleyes:

[bryan]

I am intrigued by Deja Vu. How was it?

edit: oh someone answered my question before I asked it!

WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?


:rolleyes:

Telepathy, my son, telepathy.

[Rirath]

Casino Royal is great stuff, but my hatred for Happy Feet is ever agitated by all the people who keep seeing the dang thing.

[The Continental]

We saw Happy Feet, which all other criticism aside is by far the most technically accomplished animated feature I've ever seen. Dreamworks really upped the ante here, particularly with their integration of real film footage into the animated portion. It's used incredibly well and is just seamless.

Story wise... well it doesn't seem to know what it wants to be and manages to go horribly off course from its "be yourself" child's parable into a very preachy lecture on overfishing in the arctic. The ending is enough to totally confound kids while off putting parents. Prior to that however, it's a lot of fun, with some very good voice work, particularly on the part of Robin Williams, who I otherwise can't stand.

[Xerxes]

I saw the Fountain. Is ununderstandable a word? I didn't know what the hell was going on. I think it was a good movie somewhere in it. Hell I'd probably watch it again to figure out but I really came out the theatre not knowing what I had just seen.

Then I went to see Saw. More of the same. Kill Kill Kill. Everybody's dead.

[Qoz]

I saw the fountain too some weeks ago here. It was pretty and very well done. The story? I had some vague ideas, but everything is just that - alot of hints pointing to some weird meaning. It was very Stanley Kubrick (especially the part resembling the end of Space Oddyssey).

It was very hard to feel anything for the characters because everything is so goddamn weird. They all perform fantastic though, but I couldn't really recommend it to anyone.

[Qoz]

To all the people not residing in Denmark - how do you think the evil guy performed in Casino Royale? I am Danish and it is very hard for me to judge with this silly english/danish accent.

[Xerxes]

I saw the fountain too some weeks ago here. It was pretty and very well done. The story? I had some vague ideas, but everything is just that - alot of hints pointing to some weird meaning. It was very Stanley Kubrick (especially the part resembling the end of Space Oddyssey).

It was very hard to feel anything for the characters because everything is so goddamn weird. They all perform fantastic though, but I couldn't really recommend it to anyone.

Yeah... The synopsis is wrong. It's not a man 1000 year journey to save the women he loves. There's no 26th century astronaut. I was trying to feel for Hugh Jackman's character, but they were all pretty nutty so it was like hmmmm. Now if the conquistador’s story was made into a action movie, I'd pay to see it.

[Magnanimous Gnome]

I've seen quite a few movies in the last couple weeks, so I'll just share some quick opinions:

The Queen was fantastic. Very well done.

Happy Feet was cute, and I actually think that it has an important message. Shame that message will be/is lost on 95% of the movies audience.

For Your Consideration was pretty hilarious. Definitely worth seeing if you liked Best in Show and/or A Mighty Wind.

Borat was actually pretty damn funny. I thought it looked stupid in the previews, but I loved it.

The Fountain was simply amazing. Beautiful and moving. Definitely the most visually stunning movie I've seen in a long time. I actually cried towards the end, a response that few movies have ever provoked from me. I highly recommend it - probably the best movie I've seen this year, that or The Devil Wears Prada. :p

[Magnanimous Gnome]

Yeah... The synopsis is wrong. It's not a man 1000 year journey to save the women he loves. There's no 26th century astronaut. I was trying to feel for Hugh Jackman's character, but they were all pretty nutty so it was like hmmmm. Now if the conquistador’s story was made into a action movie, I'd pay to see it.


The movie was about Jackman's thousand year journey to save the women he loves. I really don't see how you can say that synopsis is wrong.

[Xerxes]

The movie was about Jackman's thousand year journey to save the women he loves. I really don't see how you can say that synopsis is wrong.

Ummm did we watch the same movie. Going to go dark here so nothing is given up. But ummm most of it was supposed to be part of book right? The spanish part was her book. I assumed the floating to Shambala was his chapter? Wouldn't that make it a character in a books journey? And why was he floating with a tree? Why did he turn into flowers after drinking the sap. Save her from what? Nothing was wrong with the Queen. :( Dude I really didn't know what the hell happened. It was weel done and seemed rich with something but I left not understanding it a bit.

[Adam Blue]

...stomping out Sony's return to the Bond franchise, Casino Royale.


Interesting how that worked out. Sony only had one other (unofficial)Bond movie, Never Say Never Again. But the only reason Sony is on this has to do with the Comcast buyout, yet CR has nothing to do with McClory.

Interesting times. McClory is still trying to make another Bond movie...would that also mean with Sony? And he wants Brosnan.

[anakin876]

Story wise... well it doesn't seem to know what it wants to be and manages to go horribly off course from its "be yourself" child's parable into a very preachy lecture on overfishing in the arctic.
I hope you mean overfishing in the "antarctic" rather than the arctic. Otherwise those penguins would be really far from home. Unless...are these the descendants of Mr. Popper's Penguins?

Back on topic:
I saw Stranger than Fiction last night - and it was an excellent film. Very well done visually and full of excellent dialogue. I hope it does well enough that we get to see more of the writer's work.

I wrote a slightly longer review on my blog for those interested - it's linked here http://bonsaimountain.wordpress.com/

[Xerxes]

I saw Stranger than Fiction last night - and it was an excellent film. Very well done visually and full of excellent dialogue. I hope it does well enough that we get to see more of the writer's work.


Yes it was... Although "Little Did He Know" popped out to me in the middle of the movie as a better title for the movie the "Stranger than Fiction". Good cast as well. Hell, I normally think maggie looks like her brother in a fugly way. I walked out the movies thinking, "Hey, I'd hit it." :rolleyes:

[Magnanimous Gnome]

Ummm did we watch the same movie. Going to go dark here so nothing is given up. But ummm most of it was supposed to be part of book right? The spanish part was her book. I assumed the floating to Shambala was his chapter? Wouldn't that make it a character in a books journey? And why was he floating with a tree? Why did he turn into flowers after drinking the sap. Save her from what? Nothing was wrong with the Queen. :( Dude I really didn't know what the hell happened. It was weel done and seemed rich with something but I left not understanding it a bit.

Darkened for concealage:

I am pretty sure that the Spanish part was indeed part of her book, as well as the scenes where he was floating to Shambala. I guess in that way it isn't truly going over a period of 1,000 years, but in a way it still is. The book is obviously a story of love.

I really don't know how to explain my feelings on the movie yet as I haven't had enough time to process the whole thing - I need to view it a few more times before I fully understand what happened. I didn't realize that the other scenes were probably her story (the book) until nearly the end of the movie.

I assumed he was floating with the tree because the tree was dying and he was trying to take it with him to the afterlife (Shambala) so that the tree would bloom again. I have no idea how to explain the whole bubble thing though - 26th century technology??

I thought the part where he turned into flowers was pretty cool. It reminded me of Grim Fandango's sprouting in a way. Remember his wife's story about the Father who turned into the tree of life or the man who had a seed planted over his grave - in that way he became part of the tree and could live forever through the tree and it's decendants. Thus the Tree of Life's sap grants eternal life, but turning a person who drinks it into plants. It was unexpected yet hinted at throughout the movie.

The Queen was in danger - the Inquisitors were going to burn her as a heretic.

I hope that made sense. I tried to condense a lot of my thoughts so that I wouldn't ramble on and on.

Edit - Shit, sorry to anyone who saw that.

[bryan]

Watched Casino Royale last night, really enjoyed it, I think it's a good reboot to the franchise. Someone else said it in the main CR thread, but I would have liked more spy stuff as opposed to the straight up action. But I expect to see more of that, as the character itself develops.

And Eva Green is so fine.

[Qoz]

Saw Bond yesterday too. Goddamn that movie was all I the things I missed.

I hated the previous over-the-top-action. It was ok with Roger Moore and also Pierce Brosnan with Golden Eye, but the last 2 Bond movies were a disaster. Lots of silly gadgets, no imminent danger, a Bond that is never in trouble or hurt..

I loved how they turned everything around. He is a grunt fighting for his life in some scenes. He is not the super-perfect spy (especially in the beginning fight) and it adds sooo much to the sense of danger and immersion the audience will feel.

My only concern is the vague story and the last 20 min. of the film. The ending was strange - still the best Bond movie I have seen.

[bryan]

Yeah the ending was really odd, it felt like the movie had ended when they were on the beach, but bam another half hour. People say it's a pacing problem, but thinking it over I'm not sure they could have done it any different based on what they wanted to achieve with the character.

[EWolfmanD]

The end did feel a little long, but anyone that knew anything about Bond knew that the movie wasn't over yet. They had to resolve the main storyline for that movie, and then they had to set up one of the reasons that Bond is the way he is for future movies. The ending should be better for the next movie.

[bryan]

The 'beach scene' with the primary female lead is usually the end for most bond films. And to my understanding the movie sets up Le Chiffre as the main storyline behind the film. That's why to some people said the bit in Venice felt disjointed.

[EWolfmanD]

Yeah, I meant Le Chiffre when I said the main storyline.

<spoiler>
However, after that main storyline ended, they still had to kill off the girl to show one of the reasons that Bond is the way he is. Bond's wife was killed shortly after they were married. And since this was basically a relaunching of the series, they had to kill off another girl that he had gotten close to. So yeah, usually the movie ends with Bond being with the girl, but this time the girl still had to die before the movie ended. Which is what I meant when I said that anyone that knew about Bond and knew that this movie was a series reset also knew that the movie still had more left to it.
</spoiler>