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Tuesday, August 22nd, 2006
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4:16 am
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Oh, give me a break. It's simple math. Serenity wasn't released to enough theaters because the studio didn't have enough faith. The first weekend Serenity was released, it came in 2nd against Flightplan (1st) which was in its second week. What no one fails to mention was that Flightplan was in 3,424 theaters and Serenity was only in 2,188 theaters--33% less theaters than Flightplan and later Doom. Doom which was touted as a number one hit was released to 3,044. Flightplan's boxoffice weekend gross that week was $14,805,739 while Serenity was $10,086,680 and everyone mourns Serenity's failure. If Serenity had been in 3,424 and it's average per theater had been the same, it would have grossed $15,784,640 beating Flight plan by a million but not Wallace and Grommet, the next week's #1. Around the world, the stories the same, the studios did not release it to as many theaters as, say, Doom or they simply did not release Serenity at all. Many European countries releases were cancelled and all the Asian countries and yet Serenity hit #1 in the UK although it was only in 355 theaters. (for comparison purposes, Flightplan was released in 418 theaters and Harry Potter in 536). I am not saying that Serenity is necessarily a great movie but it could have done a lot better in receipts if it had been released in America and internationally in as many theaters as say Doom or Aeonflux. I also think it didn't help Serenity that it didn't hit the theaters until September instead of midsummer a originally planned because a Christmas DVD version was already announced and most theaters push movies out the door when a DVD is on the horizon. In it's first weekend Serenity averaged $4,610 which is not great but it was held to lower number of theaters. It was not until Flightplan averaged $1,880 that it was in only 2,513 theaters. By that same average, Serenity was down to 1,709 theaters. Barring fantasy with a strong child demographic like Harry Potter and Chronicles of Narnia, Serenity held up well against that year's audience with other science fiction and fantasy offerings.
However, where Josh failed was that the strength of Firefly was in the group and he choose to make Serenity like most movies, focusing on the Captain as the main protagonist and River as backup with a strong villain. So basically it was a typical triad: hero, woman and villain. Difference was that the woman could kick the villain's ass if she had had a chance. Firefly's strength was the team bonding and the laughter. Many movies do this-focus on A hero rather than The team like killing off the team in Mission Impossible in the first 10 minutes to leave the hero Tom Cruise. But Serenity should have kept to the team paradigm like the Star Trek films so that a person who didn't watch Firefly would care when Wash and Shepherd died. As it was, they were more disposable than Mr. Universe. And yeah, the Captain and Inarra should have gotten more hot and heavy. Josh treated their romance as if the series was going to restart. But the movie did better in filling seats than most people gave it credit for -- it just wasn't released in enough theaters. And where people weren't so hung up on the fact that it came from a TV show -- it did 30% better at filling seats than in the UK in America where many reviewers were stuck on the fact that it's precedent was in a recent tv series (rather than one from the 60's or 70's). anyways. that's may take. So the average was about 30% better in the European countries that it was realeased in. It hit #2 in Russia (CIS) which surprised me. For some reason it was just released in Egypt May 31, 2006 at #16 but this is a year after the DVD has been released. The theater down the street which played it last year is announcing it's bringing it back for a second run in September so Serenity must have had a bigger audience than people think. Definitely not a box office failure. More of a studio failure to release it to enough theaters making a self-fulfilling prophecy.
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| Friday, August 11th, 2006
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3:04 am
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Atlantis (disney)----the Flash (season 1)
metropolis--------my big fat greek wedding
the green mile-----broken rainbow
clean-------------dance me outside
bad education-----constant gardner
the dish----------beyond silence (Jenseits der Stille)
annie------------man from snowy river
dead man--------mrs. hendersen presents
the lost child-----kingdom of heaven
hoop dreams-----millenium actress
full monty-------calendar girls
mad hot ballroom
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2:57 am - metropolis
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I liked this movie a lot -- at 2x speed. The slow acting made me sleepy. Maybe we live at a faster pace these days but at 2x speed thanks to my dvd player, the pace felt almost normal, not frenetic (except the chase scenes) and the exaggerated facial expressions work better. At 2x, it is silent which is fine. Despite the slow pace, the film was about 40 years ahead of its time. Filmed in 1927, the special effects was better than some special effects in the 50'-70's. Some characters have endured as stereotypes still used today: the mad scientist, the heartless corporate executive, the rich kid who rebels to temporarily join the working class, the saint who preaches peace, and the buffybot of a man's lost love. When the mad scientist carried the woman to the rooftop --hey, it’s King Kong or Phantom of the Opera. The robot is awesome-you can see where C3PO got his genes (blueprint). Puts forth the problems of capitalism run amok (measuring workers intellectually as commodities and not caring about their quality of life) and the dangers of a huge wealth divide but juxtaposes the need for peace, mediation and caring rather than violent destruction. Maybe the first film to remind us: never ever ask a mad scientist to make anything--it'll bite you in the a-- every time. Will the hero get the woman? Will the father's heart melt? Will the city be saved? All of this and more against an Art Deco background. I liked it better than the anime version because the basic message is peace. A quick trigger finger on the control toddled between 2x (acting) and normal (to read the blurbs) speeds. Some scenes need to be watched at normal--marching into work (very eloquent), the chase scenes, the robot dancing (the cuts between the dancer, the men watching and the eyes is brill) and a few others. So although the purists will scream at me, I'd say put on Stravinsky Rites of Spring (or other CD), play Metropolis at 2x speed and you'll find yourself in for a rare treat.
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| Friday, August 4th, 2006
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2:58 am - a few more
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aeonflux, the cartoon
monsson wedding
singing in the rain
a circle of friends
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(comment on this)
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| Saturday, July 29th, 2006
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11:47 pm - couple more
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10:23 am - conspiracy theory
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conspiracy theory
mel gibson, julia roberts, patrick stewart
comedy thriller romance
A fun movie. Mel Gibson is one of those crazy people who believes in crazy conspiracy theories like a secret government group will use an earthquake to kill the president. Seriously crazy and paranoid, and of course he drives a taxi cab. He's even has a combination on his coffee so no one can tamper with it. And it is even funnier when it turns out a secret group is after him and his paranoia pays off. At the same time, it's serious as it's a thriller. You've got your shoot-outs and car chases, interrogations, men in black, stalking and all the rest. Nothing is as it seems. Julia Roberts does her thing -- a lawyer for the justice dept who is also the vulnerable little girl lost that people underestimate. Patrick Stewart is the bad guy this time around but acting is similar to Captain Picard & Professor from X-men -- the civilized intellectual but without the edge that made Chiwetel Ejiofor in Serenity so memorable. In many ways he comes across as a bureaucrat bent on saving his project--and if he has to take out a few people to do so, that's the price of doing government. The real gem is Mel Gibson's wickedly over-the-top crazy guy who isn't. Reminds you to be nice to the crazy guy on the street -- he might be the one who sees the truth -- enough to drive anyone nuts.
current mood:  amused
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9:29 am - more movies
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catching up:
| mystic masseuse | black robe |
| in america (lovely movie, sweet with one teary scene) |
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| resident evil | mind hunters |
| paris |
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| aeonflux | reign of fire |
| beauty shop | because of winn-dixie |
| resident evil: apocalypse |
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| wonderfalls | dead like me |
| domino | sorcerer hunters |
| last holiday | second sight |
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| rent | saving face |
| dead zone | dark angel |
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| dreamscape | ong-bak: the thai warrior |
current mood: chipper
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| Tuesday, July 11th, 2006
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4:50 am
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emma & alex -- too sacchrine sweet
wedding date -- too much grace of grace&will and the guy is a mix of hugh grant and that guy that was madonna's best friend in my best friend
missing angel and buffy. i like medium but i miss magic and vampires. to much reality tv. i don't get reality tv. if i wanted reality, why watch tv. there's this weird voyeurism into other people's lives that i don't get -- it's supposed to be about cheering people on but i think people really get off on people failing, getting hurt, acting messed up, crying.
looking forward to millenium actress
bought some lovely pink and purple leather. i still haven't made a cast of my body but i want to. i don't have the confidence to cut something up wihtout knowing how it is going to fit but i can start to see it so clearly in my mind. i think i'll sketch it.
tired and a headache. maybe i'll go to bed early tonight.
i want to play d&d again but i want to create away so that the pacing is faster for the participants instead of everybody waiting on the dm. characters should be able to act freely in a story.
fell asleep in an empty apartment i am showing. just taking a nap while waiting for someone. weird tihng was that i woke up because the bed was creaking. problem was there was no bed. i was sleeping in an empty apartment on the carpet. an elderly woman had died of natural causes there recently. i felt a little spooked -- like i was not the only one taking a nap. so i don't think i'll take a nap there again. saw a spirit a couple of months ago too. don't like this. don't want to be a medium. my grandmother was psychic. i thought it had skipped me but am getting a tad worried this year. i hope i am not becoming "sensitive". iit's cooler on tv but life is confusing enough without seeing things or hearing things that other people don't.
tired. bedn ow.
current mood:  sleepy
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| Monday, July 10th, 2006
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7:18 am - movies
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| Sunday, July 9th, 2006
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6:06 am - movies
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| Friday, July 7th, 2006
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8:53 pm - stuff
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Beast City, episode 1
Blast
Second Sight
thought of a dress design that I think would look cool. backless with criss cross across the back. should be easy. would like to lift the breasts more because you can't wear a bra with it which means without lift, the bigger breasted people couldn't wear it. maybe making it a halter top would take care of it.
my room is driving me crazy.
current mood:  creative
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| Thursday, July 6th, 2006
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9:27 am - another day
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running on empty--cried at the end of this movie. River Phoenix is soooo cute.
posted on the community I started movierevue a list of the top 10 movies this weekend based on the highest averages per theatre. it's always fun because i see movie titles that i've never heard of.
sleepy tonight.
current mood: sleepy
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| Wednesday, July 5th, 2006
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2:22 pm - movie
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Balzac and the Chinese Seamstress
i want to get
tap
i think i want to make lists here as well. i have wishlists scattered everywhere but nothing really consolidated. Irritating.
going out to eat chinese lunch. i like the $3.50 chinese lunch special -- huge platter of spicy garlic chicken and rice with a bit of soup, salad and fortune cookie to go with. you can't beat that.
gained a lot of weight. bugs me. but part of the problem is my clothes don't fit and I like the fabrics. thinking of making a cast of my torso so that I can "see" what I look like -- for real, and then cut up the fabrics and design things that look good on me. i like lbg and goth but both styles tend to make me look lumpy now that i am big. i think i want to take the romance from goth and libg and design dresses that have an 18th century flavor -- low cut (now I have boobs --- yeah!!), built-in corset (maybe use a heavier fabric for the middle inset -- metalo stays tend to tear thorugh fabric too quick and bone stays are not available), and longer tunicy--- maybe kind of robin hoody to lengthen my torso so that the width is not the main point -- and some cool sleeves. I love daggits. And color. I think I want color.l Color reflects the eyes away from the body while black absorbs, drawing people to pay more attention to form. anyways , maybe first a cast of my body.
current mood:  awake
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4:29 am - movies
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I watched this weekend:
Team America
Pitch Black
Underworld: Evolution
Firefly, 3 episodes
Highlander, 1 episode
Witchblade, 2 episodes
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| Saturday, July 1st, 2006
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9:16 am - movies and stuff
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been awhile. so decided to start over. started another movie revue site -- joined netflix so watching a lot of movies so thought it would be good to put little reviews so I'd remember what I watched. i ought to post my dye experiments and my clothing designs but i gained weight so that 's not much fun right now. so what do i do? instead of exercising i'm drinking a cocktail of plum wine and sake. it is sweet and tart and hits you when you're not looking so please excuse my typing.
Here's my rating system:
1, 2 or 3 vomit movie == really bad depending on how many vomits
blah == mediocre movie, nothing special but at least it doesn't make you want to throw up.
clap, clapping hard, standing ovation = decent, good and awesome.
Whale Rider. Standing ovation. Great movie. If you have seen King of Masks, it's the same basic scenario--grandfather has a heritage to handdown to his heir, a grandson if he can find one. When it's a grandaughter, he turns away. This time, the grandfather is her natural grandfather; it is Maori tradition and his sons don't want to be heir -- his oldest son because he wants his own destiny and the youngest because he had a lifetime of rejection. Once again grandfather rejects granddaughter and looks around for a more appropriate heir. She tries everything to win him over --- nothing doing. Pain. Tears. Then the whales show up. Did you know that barnacles grow on whales. Those barnacles are huge. Gotta love the whales. Two hankie movie -- I cried over the girl's speech, I cried over the whale. Loved the intro to Maori culture. Want to see more. Good movie.
Fairy Tales -- Two vomits. Ok, I admit my love of musicals sometimes gets me in trouble. -- Like now. This was supposed to be a musical, an erotic musical -- failed on both scores. I was looking forward to a twist on ye ole fairy tales but was dead bored. An annoying idiot Prince, an annoying doorman who talks too much (must have been related to the producer because he had more lines than anyone and wasn't funny--kind of personality that reminds you of nails scraping down a blackboard), and a Bo Peep who sings off-key which was not cute. Lots of T and A, literally, reminded me of topless acts in Las Vegas as they sang and dance -- so lots of bobbing of the T&A and decent bodies -- not cocaine-thin nor fleshy. Some of the costume turned negligees were something I might wear but they didn't make up for the rest. Most of the dancing and singing were okay--reminded me of old musicals or vaudeville except the women were nude. The black guy's part was very stereotypical--ok to swallow in a movie with several blacks but feels very off in a movie where everyone else was white. No cute guys which is a serious handicap from my point of view. Who would want to do anything with any of these guys. Who cares if he's a Prince. Definitely not for kids. In fact, it's not for you either unless you seriously want to regret wasting your time watching this.
Sideways --Clap once. It's more of an intellectual guy's movie rather than a woman's movie. Some good lines. Two guys tootle around in wine country, getting involved with women there just before one guy's wedding. One guy is a sex addict Clinton type and the other is his depressed writer friend Woody Allen type. You do the math. Sandra Oh gets to play a very different part than she played in Long Life, Happiness & Prosperity (that's a cool movie). It's always fun to see the different parts she gets to play as she's a character. That lady has sarcasm nailed. The main character is facing a basic question: in a capitalistic society, if you follow your passion, produce something from the heart but have no cash to show for it, what are you worth? In your twenties, you don't care about the money; in your forties, it's harder to deny that you want that house, car and everything to fill them. So you have this serious core with the silliness of the Clinton type trying to cover up his sexcapades. Reminds me of that cowboy movies with that guy from When Harry Met Sally.
Ray--a biopic on Ray Charles. Clap twice, clapping hard. Good movie. Flashbacks were welldone and Jaime Foxx was surprisingly believable as Ray Charles. I love his music. I really felt for his women, though -- they had to put up with a lot. The mother is totally awesome. If I were a mom, I'd like to be one like her -- teaching a child to be strong, to believe in their gifts, not to be defined by their weaknesses. Even though he came close to losing himself through drug addiction, the belief of his mother and his wife nurtured him. It was too bad he could not nurture the women in his life. What price genius? But it was also cool to learn in what way he created new forms of music. I didn't understand how groundbreaking his work was. My mom liked his music and I think he's the only singer she likes that I like too. Also kudos to his Turkish producer at Atlantic -- the man opened him to move from covering other people's songs to finding his own voice and creating new music. A patron like him are rare in the arts and should be treasured. Jaime Foxx was superb. He played Ray Charles as a jaunty genius underpinned by a haunting vulnerability. He's come a long way from the laughs at In Living Color and Toys.
Darling Lili: Clap once, decent movie. Julie Andrews and Rock Hudson. A lot like a Rock Hudson and Doris Day movie, he accuses Julie of being a virgin at one point. It's WWII, Julie is a British woman spying for the Nazis. Rock is an American pilot. She gleans military info from him while they lightheartedly fall in love and she sings her bubbly songs so there is something a bit strange in the tone of the film. There is a light Rock/Doris feel to it that doesn't match it's serious premise. Also Julie is not a good actress in this movie and seems to be hamming it up on several occasions. A little over the top, and tongue-in-cheek and then she gets Rock arrested as a traitor. Rock isn't much of an actor here either -- mostly smiling and looking pretty. So you don't end up believing in him or her or the seriousness of the times. She is great in Victor/Victoria--which had the same director, her husband. A pleasant romp, a little long in length but with lots of happy singing. Still if you ask me, much better to spend the afternoon watching Victor/Victoria, Sound of Music, or if you want more seriousness with your musical, Rent or Hair and send Rock back to Doris.
current mood:  accomplished
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