Movies Update

SUNDAY AM: Here are the official blockbuster numbers — Paramount Pictures release of Marvel Studios’ Iron Man, in 4,105 theaters,’made an estimated $35,125,000 on Friday 5/2, an estimated $37,500,000 on Saturday 5/3, for an estimated 3-day weekend box office of $100,750,000.’Advance screenings in select locations, about 2,500 venues, from 8:00 PM to midnight on Thursday 5/1 contributed an additional $3,500,000.’With this addition, the total estimated box office is $104,250,000. The estimated international box office for the weekend is $96,750,000 from 57 territories.?The total combined estimated global box office for Marvel Studios’ Iron Man is $201,000,000.

The remarkable tally stands as the second biggest opening day in box office history for a non-sequel trailing only the $39.4M of fellow Marvel Comics super hero Spider-Man from this very same weekend in 2002. Tony Stark and pals edged out Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone which launched in November 2001 with $32.3M on its opening Friday. That figure however, would amount to roughly $40M at today’s ticket prices. Still, Iron Man could not be in better company given that the character is not as universally known as Spider-Man, Batman, or Superman. Audience feedback has been very positive too as the Paramount release has earned a solid A- average from over 3,000 users of Yahoo Movies.

The Marvel comic book character’s suit embodies a futuristic technology that may enhance human capabilities in war, but the current battlefield belongs to a growing swarm of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) and robots that could someday give even Iron Man a run for his money. UAVs clocked more than 500,000 hours in the air by the beginning of 2008, performing many of the tasks normally done by piloted aircraft.

Star(s) to watch : Leslie Bibb as Christine Everhart, Gwyneth Paltrow (”Seven”, “Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow”, “Shallow Hal”) as Virginia “Pepper” Potts, Terrence Howard (”The Brave One”) as Jim Rhodes, Jeff Bridges (”Blown Away”, “Jagged Edge”) as Obadiah Stane/Iron Monger, & Robert Downey Jr. (”The Shaggy Dog”, “A Scanner Darkly”) as Tony Stark/Iron Man.

Genre : Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi, Adaptation.

Release date : May 2, 2008

Rating : 9/10

Official website : http://www.ironmanmovie.com/

Poster : http://movies-update.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/05/iron_man-212𝗬.jpg

Trailer :

Spider-Man 3 is the third film in the Spider-Man film series and is scheduled to be released on May 4, 2007. The movie is directed by Sam Raimi. Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, James Franco, Dylan Baker, and J. K. Simmons are the confirmed returning cast members from the previous two Spider-Man movies.

So Spider-Man 3’s action is superb and its theme fairly weighty. Then why does it feel a letdown from its predecessor? Nearly all the blame rests with director Sam Raimi, who’s taken the success of some light slapstick moments in Spider-Man 2 as a cue to get even sillier.

This is another word you don?t want to see in a review. Bigger isn?t always better, this is Spider-Man, not porn. The movie feels like the producers were actually trying to make it as difficult as possible for there to be a sequel made (A big possibility, When production started on this, the license was supposed revert to Marvel & they were supposed to make Spidey 4, 5, & 6. Is this true?

Star(s) to watch : Tobey Maguire (”Cats & Dogs”) as Peter Parker/Spider-Man, Topher Grace (”Ocean’s Eleven”) as Venom/Eddie Brock, James Franco (”The Wicker Man”) as New Goblin/Harry Osborn, & J. K. Simmons (”The Jackal”, “The Ladykillers”) as J Jonah Jameson.

Genre : Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Adaptation, Sequel.

Release date : May 4, 2007

Rating : 9/10

Official website : http://www.sonypictures.com/movies/spiderman3/site/

Poster : http://movies-update.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/05/spiderman_3-201×300.jpg

Trailer :

Smokin Ace’s chronicles the talented Las Vegas performer Buddy Israel, played by Jeremy Piven, who chooses to rat out the mob to the FBI, but the mob places a sizable $1 million bounty on his head hoping to kill him before he squeals. Many different hitmen, all using their own styles, do whatever it will take to kill the double-crossing snitch. However, before Buddy Israel enters protective custody with the government, he decides to have some fun for the last time in the Lake Tahoe, Nevada casinos. The assassins, including Ben Affleck and Alicia Keys, race each other to claim the bounty by killing Buddy Isreael before the FBI can catch up and protect him.

When the sleazy magician and wannabe gangster Buddy ‘Aces’ Israel learns it is not easy to be a mob boss once the Feds have evidence against him, he chooses to turn state’s evidence instead of going to jail. A real mob boss, Primo Sparazza does not like the fact Buddy is informing the FBI about the mob’s secrets and decide the best way to deal with the snitch is to have him eliminated.

For the complete breakdown of the Smokin′ Aces cast click here. The movie was full of many talented Hollywood stars, the characters in Smokin′ Aces are what makes the movie special.

Star(s) to watch : Ryan Reynolds (”Blade: Trinity”) as Richard Messner, Martin Henderson (”Torque”, “The Ring”) as Hollis Elmore, Chris Pine (”Just My Luck”) as Darwin Tremor, Ben Affleck (”Armageddon”, “Daredevil”, “The Sum of All Fears”, “Pearl Harbor”) as Jack Dupree, Matthew Fox as Bill Security Super, Jason Bateman (”Freddy vs. Jason”) as Rupert “Rip” Reed, & Alicia Keys as Georgia Sykes.

Genre : Action, Gangster.

Release date : January 26, 2007

Rating : 9/10

Official website : http://www.smokinaces.net/

Poster : http://movies-update.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/05/smokin_aces-202×300.jpg

Trailer :

A gritty, fast-paced action thriller, Shoot ‘Em Up kicks into high gear with a memorable opening scene and never relents. Clive Owen stars as Mr. Smith, a mysterious loner who teams up with an unlikely ally (Monica Belluci) to protect a newborn baby from a determined criminal (Paul Giamatti) who hunts them throughout the bowels of the city. Shoot ‘Em Up is written and directed by Michael Davis (Monster Man) and is scheduled for a Sept. 7, 2007 release.

The tone is set right from the get-go. He’s minding his own business and sipping a cup of coffee when a pregnant woman comes running down the street screaming for help. She ducks down an alley, and a guy with a gun follows her. Smith gets up to help and ends up in a massive gunfight. As he fires back at the bad guys, his shell casings bounce off the pregnant woman’s stomach. She delivers her baby in the middle of all this, and Smith cuts the umbilical cord by shooting it, then stabs a bad guy to death with a carrot.

Shoot ‘Em Up — which pits Owen as everyman action hero against Paul Giamatti’s scenery-chomping criminal commando —goes gonzo less than five minutes in, as a pregnant woman flees a gun-brandishing predator by ducking into an empty warehouse. Innocent bystander Owen comes to the woman’s rescue and ends up delivering her baby while fighting off a dozen or so attackers in a lavish gun battle as remixed Nirvana pounds away on the soundtrack.

Star(s) to watch : Monica Bellucci (”Asterix and Obelix Meet Cleopatra”, “The Matrix Reloaded”) as Donna Quintano, & Clive Owen (”Sin City”, “The Bourne Identity”) as Smith.

Genre : Action, Comedy, Drama, Thriller.

Release date : September 7, 2007

Rating : 9/10

Official website : http://www.shootemupmovie.com/

Poster : http://movies-update.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/05/shoot_em_up-202×300.jpg

Trailer :

Rush Hour 3 is a 2007 film and the third installment in the martial arts/action-comedy Rush Hour franchise starring Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker that began with the 1998 film Rush Hour and continued with the first sequel Rush Hour 2 in 2001. The film was officially announced on May 7, 2006, and filming began on July 4, 2006.

Action kicks off in Los Angeles with an assassination attempt on Chan’s charge, the Chinese ambassador from the first movie, who is leading a new initiative to take out the Triad criminal organization. Stuck in traffic cop duty, Tucker inserts himself into Chan’s investigation, despite their friendship being strained from an offputting incident in New York, their destination at the end of Rush Hour 2. The Triads keep after them, and they learn that Paris holds the key to stopping the gangsters, so off they go.

There is nothing new delivered by Rush Hour 3. Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker reprise their roles and pick up exactly where they left off from the previous two films. Chan’s isn’t as virile as he used to be, but one has to be impressed that this 53-year old actor can still do some amazing stunt work. Chris Tucker, however, is still just as loud and annoying as ever.

Star(s) to watch : Jackie Chan (”City Hunter”, “The Armour of God”) as Chief Inspector Lee.

Genre : Action, Adventure, Comedy, Sequel.

Release date : August 10, 2007

Rating : 6/10

Official website : http://www.rushhourmovie.com/

Poster : http://movies-update.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/05/rush_hour_3-202×300.jpg

Trailer :

An action-adventure set in the time when Vikings tried to conquer North America, a young Norse boy is left behind after his clan shipwrecks on the Eastern shores. Despite his lineage, the boy is raised by the very Indians his kinsmen set out to destroy. Years later, as the Vikings return to stage another barbaric raid on his village, the 25 year-old Norse warrior wages a personal war to stop the Vikings’ trail of death and destruction. Forging his own path, his destiny is revealed and his identity re-claimed.

Star(s) to watch : Karl Urban (”The Lord of the Rings”, “The Bourne Supremacy”) as Ghost.

Genre : Action, Adventure, Remake.

Release date : April 13, 2007

Rating : 7/10

Official website : http://www.pathfinderthemovie.com/

Poster : http://movies-update.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/05/pathfinder-202𝗬.jpg

Trailer :

Director Tim Story’s original Fantastic Four movie received a critical crapping, and the second one is fairing no better. That’s not an indictment of his movies, it’s just the way things turn out. The Fantastic Four gets no respect for the same reason comedies don’t win Oscars and Michael Bay gets treated like the anti-christ. In their rush to justify their profession by setting film up as a penultimate art form, most critics have no room for movies as entertainment. Art they may be, but the ability to deliver pure, light-hearted fun is an underrated talent. It’s not as easy as it seems, and so many movies get it completely wrong. Say what you want about the Fantastic Four, but Tim Story’s movies get fun right.

Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer is as energetic and full of pep as the original, and if you liked that one then you’re going to love this. These are men in tights after all, there’s nothing wrong with ditching the tears once in awhile for a simple romp through the clouds with a guy who can light himself on fire. That’s what Fantastic Four is all about and Rise of the Silver Surfer delivers in precisely the same way as the original by refusing to take itself too seriously.

Rise of the Silver Surfer isn’t a huge improvement, and it doesn’t even try to reinvent the wheel, but its minor upgrades here and there make a cumulative difference. For starters, there are much-improved special effects. The effects in the first one looked kind of cheap, probably because the studio was trying to keep the budget down. Since it ended up making crazy money at the box office and on DVD, FOX clearly had no problem springing for some better CGI this time around. The Silver Surfer is particularly cool, as is the new Fantastic Four plane that figures prominently in one action scene.

Star(s) to watch : Chris Evans (”Cellular”, “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles”) as Johnny Storm/The Human Torch, Jessica Alba (”Sin City”, “Into the Blue”) as Sue Storm/The Invisible Woman, Julian McMahon (”Premonition”) as Victor Von Doom/Dr. Doom, & Vanessa Minnillo as Johnny’s Wedding Date.

Genre : Action, Adventure, Comedy, Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Adaptation, Sequel.

Release date : June 15, 2007

Rating : 9/10

Official website : http://www.fantasticfourmovie.com/

Poster : http://movies-update.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/05/fantastic_four-202×300.jpg

Trailer :

D-War released in North America as D-War: Dragon Wars, also referred to colloquially and in some marketing materials as Dragon Wars, is a 2007 South Korean film written and directed by Shim Hyung-rae. It is a fantasy-action film that was its nation’s largest-budgeted as of 2007.

Dragon Wars, or D-War as it was originally titled, is a Korean film set in Los Angeles, financed with Korean money and helmed by a Korean director (former comedian Hyung-rae Shim), starring a largely American cast. Its plot revolves around TV reporter Ethan (Jason Behr) who discovers that L.A.’s recent earthquakes aren′t just natural plate tectonics but the awakenings of a giant ancient serpent — a Korean serpent — that he is fated to battle because, well, the 500-year-old spirit of a warrior lives within him. He’s charged with finding the reincarnated version of that warrior’s soulmate, now a hot girl named Sarah (Amanda Brooks), and defeating the serpent before it becomes a dragon, destroys L.A., wreaks havoc on the world, etc.

Originally titled Dragon Wars (and still referred to by this title in publicity material), D-War has a long production history in South Korea. The film was announced in 2002 by director Shim Hyung-rae as his follow-up project to Yonggary.

Star(s) to watch : Jason Behr (”Skinwalkers”, “Freddy vs. Jason”, “The Grudge”) as Ethan Kendrick, & Amanda Brooks (”Flightplan”) as Sarah.

Genre : Action, Adventure, Drama, Sci-Fi, Fantasy.

Release date : September 14, 2007

Rating : 9/10

Official website : http://www.d-war.com/

Poster : http://movies-update.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/05/dragon_wars-202𝗬.jpg

Trailer :

Live Free or Die Hard (released as Die Hard 4.0 or Die Hard 4 outside North America and also known as Die Hard 4: Live Free or Die Hard) is a 2007 action film, and the fourth installment in the Die Hard series. The film was directed by Len Wiseman and stars Bruce Willis as John McClane, the protagonist of the first three films. Other cast members included Justin Long, Timothy Olyphant, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, and Maggie Q. The storyline takes place 19 years after the first film, and sees McClane face a gang of cyber terrorists. The film was based on the 1997 article “A Farewell to Arms” written for Wired magazine by John Carlin.

Bruce is up to the challenge in Live Free or Die Hard, and now his John McClane is a grizzled, bald, but still strikingly handsome man of fifty-two who sits in parking lots waiting to check up on his college coed daughter Lucy (Mary Elizabeth Winstead). Now years later, Lucy has inherited her mother’s feistiness and her father’s cockiness, which is a surefire way of saying she has a date with the terrorists.

Live Free or Die Hard received generally positive reviews, earning a 80% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes and 69/100 from Metacritic and had total international box office gross receipts of $382.1 million. For the DVD release, 20th Century Fox pioneered a new kind of DRM that tries to weaken the incentives for consumers to learn how to rip discs by offering them a downloadable version with studio-imposed restrictions. The score for the film was released on July 2, 2007 and a video game has been proposed for the Xbox 360.

Genre : Action, Adventure, Thriller, Sequel.

Release date : June 27, 2007

Rating : 9/10

Official website : http://www.livefreeordiehard.com/

Poster : http://movies-update.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/05/live_free_or_die_hard1-202×300.jpg

Trailer :

Death Sentence is a 2007 film loosely based on the 1975 novel by Brian Garfield. The film is directed by Saw director James Wan, and stars Kevin Bacon as Nick Hume, a man who becomes a vengeful vigilante killer after his son is murdered by a gang as an initiation ritual. The film premiered on August 31, 2007. It was filmed at and it took place in Columbia, South Carolina.

A little background first, to connect Bronson to Bacon. Both were pulp thrillers, and the latter, released in 1975, was a sequel to the former. The movies do not share this close a kinship, especially considering that Death Sentence the movie has almost nothing to do with Death Sentence the novel (other than the title and the broad thematic content) but it’s clear - despite the pretensions of the 2007 feature - they are cut from the same whole cloth. Death Wish has taken its share of knocks over the years but at least it doesn’t pretend it’s something more important and meaningful than it is - a mistake made by Death Sentence to its detriment.

Bacon’s performance in “Saw″ creator James Wan’s laughably extreme revenge thriller “Death Sentence″ is six degrees of ham. Playing an insurance executive out to exact revenge against the gang that killed his precollege son, Bacon exhibits every facial expression except one you might have seen on a real person.

Star(s) to watch : Kelly Preston (”Sky High”, “Dr. Seuss’ The Cat in the Hat”) as Helen Hume, Kevin Bacon (”Hollow Man”, “Trapped”, “Apollo 13″) as Nick Hume, & Aisha Tyler as Detective Wallis.

Genre : Action, Drama, Thriller, Gangster, Adaptation.

Release date : August 31, 2007

Rating : 8/10

Official website : http://www.deathsentencemovie.com/

Poster : http://movies-update.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/05/death_sentence-209×300.jpg

Trailer :