In its second weekend, X-Men Origins: Wolverine ticket sales fell more than 68% to $27 million for the No. 2 spot on the Genre Top 10..

the only genre film set to debut next week, the supernatural religious thriller Angels and Demons is the follow-up to the DaVonci Code and is set for wide release.

Following are the Top 10 speculative fiction movies in release in North America for the weekend of May 8-10, 2009.

RANK #. (Overall Rank) Title – Weekend Gross | Total Gross [Budget]

1. (1) Star Trek – $72.5 million | $76.5 million [N/A]
2. (2) X-Men Origins: Wolverine – $27 million | $129.6 million [$150 million]
3. (3) Ghosts of Girlfriends Past – $10.5 million | $30.2 million [N/A]
4. (5) 17 Again – $4.4 million | $54.2 million {N/A]
5. (8) Monsters vs. Aliens – $3.4 million | $186.9 million [$175 million]
6. (20) The Haunting in Connecticut – $0.19 million | $55.3 million [N/A]
7. (21) Battle for Terra – $0.18 million | $1.5 million [N/A]
8. (25) Crank: High Voltage – $0.12 million | $13.6 million [N/A]

Source: Box Office Mojo – list only includes science fiction, spy fi, fantasy and dark fantasy/horror titles.

The only sci fi flick to debut this weekend was the Spanish-language Sleep Dealer, whichwas shown only an a hanful of theatres in Los Angeles and New York. It debuted at No. 10 on the genre movie list and No. 37 overall with just over $30 thousand.

The sole genre film set to debut next week: The Mutant Chronicles also is set for a limited release befire going to DVD and a broadcast TV debut on the Sci Fi Channel later this summer.

Following are the Top 10 speculative fiction movies in release in North America for the weekend of April 17-19 , 2009.

RANK #. (Overall Rank) Title – Weekend Gross | Total Gross [Budget]

1. (1) 17 Again – $24 milllion | $24 million [N/A]
2. (3) Monsters vs. Aliens – $13 million | 163 million [$175 million]
3. (8) Knowing – $3.4 million | $74 million [N/A]
4. (10) The Haunting in Connecticut – $3.2 million | $52 million [N/A]
5. (11) Dragonball Evolution – $1.6 million | $7.8 million [N/A]
6. (15) Race to Witch Mountain – $0.7 million | $64 million [N/A]
7. (23) Coraline – $0.2 million | $75 million [N/A]
8. (26) Push- $0.09 million | $32 million [$38 million]
9. optical channel(30) The Curious Case of Benjamin Button – $0.06 million | $127.5 million [$150 million]
10. (37) Sleep Dealer – $0.03 million | $0.03 million [N/A]

Source: Box Office Mojo – list only includes science fiction, spy fi, fantasy and dark fantasy/horror titles.

Starring: Robbie Coltrane, Matthew Knight, Eugene Levy, David James Elliott, Ingrid Kavelaars

Director: Wilson Coneybeare

Writer: Wilson Coneybeare

Plot: Willy (Matthew Knight, The Grudge 2 & 3) is terrified about moving into the family’s new house. He’s convinced it’s filled with evil space aliens out to get him. In response to his longing for someone to save him, Gooby (voiced by Robbie Coltrane, Harry Potter‘s Hagrid) comes to life as a big, lovable, scruffy creature who quite possibly may be more frightened of the world than Willy. The two new pals embark on hair-raising adventures and learn about courage and the power of friendship. In the end, Gooby fulfills Willy’s wish by bringing Willy and his dad (David James Elliott, JAG) together in a heart-warming and exciting climax.

After spending last week on at the top spot, animated science fantasy flick, Monsters vs. Aliens fell to the No. 2 spot behind the fourth installment fo the Fast and the Furious franchise.

The only sci fi flick to debut this weekend was Alien Trespass, the 50′s-era sci-fi comedy spook starring Eric McCormick, which debuted at No. 29 on the genre movie list and No. 29 overall with just over $10 million.

Genre films set to debut next week: Dragonball Evolution is set for wide release.

Following are the Top 10 speculative fiction movies in release in North America for the weekend of April 3-5, 2009.

RANK #. (Overall Rank) Title – Weekend Gross | Total Gross [Budget]

1. (2) Monsters vs. Aliens – $33.5 million | 105.7 million [$175 million]
2. (3) The Haunting in Connecticut – $9.55 million | 37.2 million [N/A]
3. (4) Knowing – $8.1  million | $58.3 million [N/A]
4. (6) Race to Witch Mountain- $3.4 million | $58.4 million [N/A]
5. (13) Watchmen – $1.1 million | $105.4 million [$150 million]
6. (19) Coraline – $0.2 million | $74.3 million [N/A]
7. (22) Push – $0.14 million | $31.3 million [$38 million]
8. (23) The Curious Case of Benjamin Button – $0.13 million | $127.2 million [$150 million]
9. (29) Alien Trespass – $0.04 million | $0.04 million [N/A]
10. (33) Fanboys – $0.02 million | $0.6 million [N/A]

Source: Box Office Mojo – list only includes science fiction, spy fi, fantasy and dark fantasy/horror titles.

Kröd Mändoon and the Flaming Sword of Fire – following the exploits of a neurotic hero, a free loving pagan warrior woman, a conman/sorcerer, a pig-troll-man, and a fiercely proud queen as they quest to fight evil while battling to overcome their own foibles.

NETWORK: Comedy Central
DAY: Thursdays 10 p.m. (9 Central)
STARTS: April 9, 2009

GENRE: Raunchy Action-Adventure, Anachronistic Period Comedy, Fantasy, One-Camera Sitcom (no laugh track)
RUN: 6 episodes (Premiere: 1-hour; other eps: 30 min.)

CHILD FRIENDLY: No
PARENT WARNING: Although semi-adult language may be a concern to some, the overriding theme of this show is its sexuality with the open mocking of heterosexual and homosexual foibles. This is refreshing for an adult audience – but may not be appropriate for children.

EYE CANDY: Lots of well-toned male and female body parts are shown. But rest assured, the only nipples on display are male.

(NO SPOILERS)

I have to be honest that when I heard that Comedy Central was planning a spoof series lampooning the sword and sorcery genre, with the name of Kröd Mändoon and the Flaming Sword of Fire, my reaction was more about skepticism than excitement.

Let’s face it, Comedy Central is much more frat boy than fanboy.

Added to that, the title character is played by British actor Sean Maguire – best known to American audiences as “Leonidas” in the groaningly un-funny and not-good 300 spoof, Meet the Spartans.

So, when I sat down to watch the reviewer’s screening pilot episode, I was dreading the worst. Boy, was I wrong.

This show is brilliant. Seriously. Despite some cheap shot broad comedy and fleshy gratuity, I was laughing out loud and wishing out loud that the episode was longer than a mere hour.

HERE’S WHY THIS SHOW IS GOOD: The WRITING

The studios that created this series are MTV Networks and the BBC, believe it or not. How can this be any good?

It’s quite simple: the creative energy behind this show is BBC Television – not Comedy Central parent, MTV Networks. That means the writing is witty, subversive and written for folks with IQs in the three-digit range. But the MTV influence really helps this show be more accessible to a broader audience. Somehow it works.

The creative force is series creator Peter A. Knight, creator of turn of the century cult favorite, Big Wolf on Campus.

HERE’S WHY THE SHOW IS GREAT: The VILLAIN

The old saw in fannish circles is that a heroic adventure series is only as good as its villain. If that is true, Krod Mandoon is destined for greatness.

Here, the personification of petty blithe evilness is Chancellor Dongalor, played by the glorious Matt Lucas, from Little Britain . He brings his talent for being unabashedly unselfconscious and somehow brings a sense of wit and dignity to what otherwise would be a series of cheap gross-out scenes in less able hands.

The character Dongalor is self-centered and so ignorantly blissed out in a stream of consciousness manner, he is a joy to watch. It’s like he embodies all that is shockingly hilarious about the best of Monty Python and Saturday Night Live skits.

OH YEAH – THE STORY

This show follows the all-too-familiar formula of an unwitting but able hero who discovers and accepts his destiny to save the world from an evil overlord. And as you can tell by the title, it has a flaming sword in it.

I’d tell you more, but I promised no spoilers.

THE CAST
The obligatory “Scooby Gang”:

• Sean Maguire (Eastenders, Meet the Spartans) as Krod Mangoon, the “golden one”
• India de Beaufot (Run, Fatboy, Run) as Aneka, the pagan warrior
• Steve Speirs (PotC: Dead Man’s Chest) as Loquatso, the half ogre
• Kevin Hart (Superhero Movie) as Zezelryck, the sorcerer
• Marques Ray as Bruce, the widow queen

Other Noteworthy cast members and future guest stars:

• Matt Lucas (Little Britain) as Chancellor Dongalor
• John Rhys Davies (Lord of the Rings trilogy) as Grimshank
• James Murray (Primeval) as Longshaft
• Roger Allum (V for Vendetta) as Gen. Arcadius

Opens

“He sees dead people … and they annoy him,” or so goes the tag line to the new light fantasy romantic comedy, Ghost Town, starring British comedic sensation Ricky Gervais and American actors Greg Kinnear and Tea Leoni.

By and large the critics either like or love this film – which treads on all-too-familiar terrain of romantic fantasy comedies about the living communicating with the dead.

There is near unanimous praise for Gervais – in his ability to breathe a new life and energy into a concept as familiar in Hollywood as the action movie chase scene.

Also praised are the comedic skills for Leoni, once called the next Lucille Ball, with the ability to elicit a laugh or a grimace in the audience with a tilt of the head – or less.

IN the era of gross-out comedies where subtlety describes the differences in the color of various bodily functions, critics were quick to praise Ghost Town for always choosing the more witty and intelligent option rather than the easy laugh of a gross out shot below the belt.

Of the negative concepts, critics were no impressed with the plot of the film – which is so familiar as to have become a cliche. But, most of them say Gervais’ original take on a familiar theme saved the movies from mediocrity and raised the film to near greatness.

WATCH THE TRAILER

<!– {rw_good}

• Talented cast
• Star-making American role for Ricky Gervais
• Gorgeous cinematography of urban landscapes

{/rw_good} –>

<!– {rw_bad}

• Not an original concept
• Choppy plot development

{/rw_bad} –>

<!– {rw_score}

{for="Salt Lake Tribune" value="9"}

"Gervais is lethally funny.” – Kyle Smith

{/for}

{for=”New York Post” value=”9″}

“… a bubbly and delightful comedy.” – Sean P. Means

{/for}

{for=”Vancouver Sun” value=”7″}

“Ghost Town nails some forgotten truisms with a lightness of spirit and a generosity of heart that’s downright moving without being sloppy.” - Katherine Monk

{/for}

{for=”CNN” value=”7″}

“Ghost Town doesn’t reinvent the wheel, but it does goose the formula romantic comedy clichés.” – Tom Charity

{/for}

{for=”San Jose Mercury News” value=”7″}

“Striking just the right balance between sarcastic and sweet, Ghost Town breathes new life into supernatural comedy..” – Bob Strauss

{/for}

{for=”Washington Post” value=”8″}

“… heart and intelligence that too often are missing at the multiplex.” – Ann Hornaday

{/for}

{for=”Washington Post” value=”8″}

“…  is both very funny and a bit of a tearjerker….” – Walter Addiego

{/for}

{/rw_score} –>

Last week’s No. 1, The Dark Knight, fell to the third spot with just under $3 million in ticket sales in its 10th week in release.

Genre films set to debut next week: Blindness, a dystopian thriller starring Mark Ruffalo, Julianne More, Gael Garcia Bernal, Danny Glover and Sandra Oh opens in limited release – with a wider release expected over the next few weeks. 

Following are the Top 10 speculative fiction movies in release in North America for the weekend of September 19-21, 2008.

RANK #. (Overall Rank) Title – Weekend Gross | Total Gross [Budget]

1. (4) Igor – $8.0 million | $8.0 million [$30 million]
2. (8) Ghost Town – $5.2 million | $5.2 million [$20 million]
3. (9) The Dark Knight – $3.0 million | $522million [$185 million]
4. (13) Death Race – $1.0 million | $35.0 million [$45 million]
5. (17) Journey to the Center of the Earth – $0.8 million | $99.1 million [$60 million]
6. (18) Babylon A.D. – $0.74 million | $21.7 million [$70 million]
7. (19) Fly Me to the Moon – $0.73 million | $11.0 million [$25 million]
8. (22) Mirrors – $0.47 million | $29.9 million [budget unreported]
9. (23) The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor – $0.40 million | $102.2 million [$145 million]
10. (24) Star Wars: The Clone Wars – $0.36 million | $34.4 million [budget unreported]

Source: Box Office Mojo – list only includes science fiction, spy fi, fantasy and dark fantasy/horror titles.

The Weinstein Company releases its latest entry in animated film with Igor, a French import featuring a top-notch American cast.

A spoof of American horror movie stereotypes, the film follows the exploits of a hunchback who isn’t willing to settle for being a mindless servant to an evil genius.

According to critical reviews, Igor gets points for a winning premise, but most negative criticism is aimed at a script that is supposedly a little too unpolished for what today’s audiences expect in computer animation.

Other critics pointed out that this film seemed a little schizophrenic in that a plot tailor made for an adult audience is awkwardly shoehorned into a kiddie flick movie with mixed results.

Of the positive notes, all t=of the critics point out that the cast is talented – perhaps to the point of being better than the material they are reading.

WATCH THE TRAILER

<!– {rw_good}

• Script has sharp dialogue
• Top-notch cast

{/rw_good} –>

<!– {rw_bad}

• Scary Imagery and Violence unsuitable for young children
• Humor too complicated for children

{/rw_bad} –>

<!– {rw_score}

{for="Toronto Globe and Mail" value="1"}

“Are kids actually supposed to laugh at this? And if they do, should you get them into therapy?” – Liam Lacey

{/for}

{for=”San Francisco Chronicle” value=”5″}

“While much of the banter between the characters is inventive, the plot turns are predictable – complete with a romantic misunderstanding straight out of “The Karate Kid” (and 20 other films). The movie ends with a big-action sequence that highlights the shortcomings of the animation and seems to go on forever.” – Peter Heartlaub

{/for}

{for=”San Jose Mercury News” value=”4″}

“Chatty and dull, a bit too reliant on innuendo for a kids’ film. And the voice actors (Jay Leno rules Malaria) are funnier than their material.” – Roger Moore

{/for}

{for=”Seattle Post Intelligencer” value=”4″}

“Igor trudges through its story without a single surprise or unanticipated turn while marginally clever sight gags fill in the dead spaces between the flat jokes. Despite a familiar moral, this is no “Iron Giant,” just a haphazard collection of spare movie parts cobbled together in a pale imitation of better-animated comedies.” – Sean Axmaker

{/for}

{for=”The Hollywood Reporter” value=”5″}

“ The visual style grows a bit monotonous, but a more serious problem is that the story is undernourished, and the wit erupts only in flashes.” – Stephen Farber

{/for}

{for=”New York Newsday” value=”7″}

“Not all the jokes work, but most do, and the overall tenor of Igor is goofily funny – probably a bit sophisticated for kids but certainly good-natured.” – John Anderson

{/for}

{/rw_score} –>

]]> http://www.fandominion.com/2008/reviews/review-of-reviews-igors-appeal-may-be-limited/feed/ 0 http://www.fandominion.com/2008/movies/ghost-town/ http://www.fandominion.com/2008/movies/ghost-town/#comments Wed, 17 Sep 2008 15:41:52 +0000 David Speakman http://www.fandominion.com/?p=966 OPENS: September 19, 2008
RATING: PG-13 (Language)
GENRE: Fantasy, Romantic Comedy

Starring: Ricky Gervais, Greg Kinnear, Téa Leoni

Director: David Koepp

Writer: David Koepp & John Kamps

Plot: He sees dead people… and they annoy him.

Bertram Pincus (Ricky Gervais), is a man whose people skills leave much to be desired. When Pincus dies unexpectedly, but is miraculously revived after seven minutes, he wakes up to discover that he now has the annoying ability to see ghosts. Even worse, they all want something from him, particularly Frank Herlihy (Greg Kinnear) who pesters him into breaking up the impending marriage of his widow Gwen (Téa Leoni). That puts Pincus squarely in the middle of a triangle with spirited results.

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