So can Pirates even appraoch this?????

[BRERALEX]

I'm starting to fear that DH and I are the only ones in the world who loved Reign of Fire... Anyone? Bueller? No? C'mon, Matthew McConaughey!! Even when bald he was pretty hot!

I think Matthew has a beautiful beautiful body and i think he's a good actor. but the movie was just eeehhhhhh i dunnno. just wanted to chime in he has a nice body lololol and christian bale has been awesome since empire of the sun and he also has an incredible body bu tthe story wasnt there the later half of the film it lost steam towards the end, IMO no one else's!. but i only saw it twice i gotta see it some more

 

[GenePA]

HB2K, I don't know who you have been speaking to, but in no way whatsoever, was Matrix Reloaded as good as the original! I enjoyed it but there were many scenes that dragged on too long or were not necessary. I think you need to go back to the original and appreciate the story and not get caught up in the special effects. The ending also stunk......but I will go to see the next one.

I am looking forward to 'Pirates' but it won't come close to the money that Matrix Reloaded will make. It may even be a better movie but it won't come close to the money made. The marketing and hype for Matrix Reloaded was incredible. No other movie this summer will approach it for money made.

 

[KNWVIKING]

"i havn't posted here in a while for one reason. I am tired of people dogging movies or anything else just because it isn't disney."

Funny, I thought this board dogged everything that was Disney.

 

[Another Voice]

The Matrix Reloaded
This movie has an incredibly long and desperate history behind it that can be easily summed up: two brothers in way over their heads.

At least it’s nice to know that when humanity is reduced to a handful cowering deep underground, when all knowledge is lost and the distinction between reality and myth are blurred, at the very moment when all is about to be lost – that we can still throw a really kEwL party.


Reign of Fire
It’s even nicer to know that when the apocalypse comes and the last few scraps of humanity claw at the ashes that we once called Earth, when terrifying beasts fill the skies and all hope is lost…that Bowflex machines will survive it all.

Trends in Film Going
Matthew McConaughey is a good example of what I was writing about people’s movie going habits. I know not all women sit at home all day reading romance novels, but when you try to market a movie to 250 million people there are some trends that do stand out. One of which is women do not go to a movie just because of the star.

Think about all those movies that Matt “Heartthrob” McConaughey was in like EdTV and The Wedding Planner and How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days. These were movies specifically designed around him and to get thousands of women to plop down seven bucks so they could watch him take his shirt off. Did any of those work? Nope, because those movies were nothing but him taking his shirt off. In general, women want to see more character and more of a story. Again “even bald he’s hot” couldn’t get people to the theaters, but hairy, scrawny little Leo did; the difference is the character*.

Pirates of the Caribbean
Which is why no one should expect Pirates to become a big hit just because it has Orlando Bloom. Every action movie that gets made makes the claim that they will be different because women will go to see Mr. X. It never works; McConaughey didn’t pull anyone into U-571 just like he didn’t pull anyone into Reign.

The story in Pirates is just too weak and too interested in explosions for it to work like Titanic did. It’s a guy’s movie, made by guy’s, for the guy’s – it’s no more a romantic swashbuckling adventure than Pearl Harbor was a sweeping epic of wartime love and loss. If Pirates work it will be because it turned out to be a good action movie. Rumors are that they should begin testing it very soon. We should begin to hear more about how well it turned out.


* - by the way, McConaughey was the first actor offered the lead role in Titanic. He turned it down.

 

[katerkat]

Think about all those movies that Matt “Heartthrob” McConaughey was in like EdTV and The Wedding Planner and How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days.

Gosh, I must not be a woman then! I saw all of those for him. AND, I saw the first XMen with the hopes that Hugh Jackman would take his shirt off. (And he did! Eeeee!) One of my main criticisms of X2 is not enough shirtless Wolverine.

 

[EUROPA]

Originally posted by katerkat
Gosh, I must not be a woman then! I saw all of those for him. AND, I saw the first XMen with the hopes that Hugh Jackman would take his shirt off. (And he did! Eeeee!) One of my main criticisms of X2 is not enough shirtless Wolverine.

My wife is a big Wolverine(shirtless) fan too....so it was no surprise to me when she wanted to see the movie again the next day...the surprise was that she wanted to see NightCrawler again!!! I love it my wife is now a mutant lover. She can't wait for the next movie.

 

[katerkat]

Originally posted by EUROPA
My wife is a big Wolverine(shirtless) fan too....so it was no surprise to me when she wanted to see the movie again the next day...the surprise was that she wanted to see NightCrawler again!!! I love it my wife is now a mutant lover. She can't wait for the next movie.

I (sheepishly) admit to loving Nightcrawler now, too. And (sssh, don't tell DH!) I've started watching the XMen: Evolution on Cartoon Network.

 

[d-r]

Originally posted by HB2K
That was one of the funniest posts I've read in a long time.

(snip)

B) There is NOTHING big opening up next weekend for Memorial day. Matrix will dominate again.

(snip)

http://movies.yahoo.com/news/va/20030525/105389163000.html

The new Jim Carrey movie "Bruce Almighty" bounced "The Matrix Reloaded" from the top spot at the North American holiday box office, setting a new record for a non-sequel comedy.

According to studio estimates issued on Sunday, "Bruce Almighty" earned $70.5 million for the first three days of the U.S. Memorial Day holiday weekend. The Keanu Reeves sci-fi thriller "The Matrix Reloaded" slipped to a distant No. 2 with $37.2 million.

 

[BRERALEX]

wow


i wasnt expecting that much of a drop off and or BRuce to do that well wow. Im sure people for and against matrix 2 are surprised.

wow

a small poll on aintitcool asked fans which movie they liked better and 8439 liked part 1 better vs. 3243.

 

[Bob O]

I was also surprised by how much matrix dropped off.
And Bruce Almighty is a very funny movie!!!!!!! But alas it is aUniversal movie and not disney.

 

[jlambrig]

Quote------------
Can I just drop my my two cents?

Think about this - when was the last time Johnny Depp was in a movie that did well?

exactly
case closed.
--------------------

What does that have to do with it? I consider Al Pacino to be a great actor. He hasn't been in a movie that has grossed over $100 million in the USA for about 10 years now. Most of DeNiro's movies don't gross well either. Actors sometimes take jobs because they have an interest in the role, not because it might be a blockbuster.

I am hoping Pirates does gangbusters but pirate-themed movies aren't often embraced by the movie-going public. I look for it to do about $125 million.

 

[katerkat]

Originally posted by Planogirl
I really believe that the female appeal of Pirates will depend a lot on how the film was made.

Hmmm, I don't think that was the quote I was going for, but... Female appeal -- POTC opens 5 days after Legally Blonde 2. I'd bet on LB2, but five days can make a bit of a difference...

As for pirates, it also opens 5 days after Sinbad -- which, granted, it's a kid's movie, but it's still 'sailing the seven seas'. And the summer can only have so many boats.

As for the Matrix2, I'm reserving judgment until the 3rd one comes out. I was not that impressed, but I'll wait and see if it all comes together. At this point, though, I could care less if Zion is destroyed. I can see why fans rushed out to see it in the first place -- then didn't return the next weekend.

 

[Another Voice]

Okay ladies - someone has sent me a link just for you.

For all of those waiting to see Orlando Bloom in Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of All The Good Ideas Were Taken, Mr. Bloom is currently filming Troy in Europe. You know Troy - Helen, 1000 ships and a really big wooden horse. I've read the script for this one and it honestly is an amazing work. It brings real characters and a real story to life in a way that Gladiator tried but couldn't accomplish.

But you don't care. Click on this: http://orlandomultimedia.net/troy/troyimages.html and see for yourself.

P.S. The movie also stars Brad Pitt and Eric Bana. If any action movie can have "female appeal", it's going to be this one.

 

[*Robin*]

Maybe I'm just too old, but I never got the whole Brad Pitt thing...

 

[Bob O]

So AV, are you predicating numerous Oscars nominations,oscar awards for Troy??????? That it will be bigger commerical success than Gladiator?? Will be more highly thought of as a cinematic movie also?? So i guess we should line up the Oscars for best picture, best actor, huh???
Gladiator was a major success in every sense of the word be it money/movie quality etc and it brought its story together in a excellant manner with Ruseel Crowe and Joaquin playing their roles in the movie very well.
None of the actors you mentioned in Troy have shown much acting ability so we will see if it comers close at all to being the success that Gladiator was.

 

[RustManFan]

Recently returned from Scotland where our inn in Glencoe was practically ON the set for the next Harry Potter movie. The outdoor settings are going to be amazing..... can't wait!!

I definitely will see Pirates and will be there on opening day for Return of the King.

Other than that I will most likely NOT be visiting my local movie theater anytime soon.....

 

[Planogirl]

I enjoyed the "Troy" link. I started thinking about what a cool attraction could be made using this theming if this movie is a success. As far as Brad Pitt goes, he's actually a decent actor in my opinion. And no, I've never been smitten with him! He's just a little too pretty.

I agree that Johnny Depp being in a movie does not dictate the success or failure of a movie. There's plenty of actors out there that take their craft seriously and don't strive to be in blockbusters. Viggo Mortensen was supposedly one but was talked into being in the LOTR series by his son according to a story I read. Personally, I'm glad that he decided in our favor.

 

[lrodk]

Posted by AV

P.S. – You think that was an impressive opening weekend, just wait until year’s end when The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King opens. You thought the other two were good…get in line now.

AV, do you have inside information you can share on ROTK? I haven't been able to find info anywhere regarding the expectations of this film in relation to the first two.

I've been hearing that ROTK may be released sooner that expected, possibly in November rather than December, due to changes in the Academy's criteria for Oscar consideration. I've heard that the cut-off date for eligibility of Live Action films has been pushed up , which would rule out ROTK for 2004 if it were to be released in December.

Regarding Pirates, I think that the recent AICN review has me somewhat optimistic. I had heard a similar report from Jim Hill ,I think it was a couple of months back, where he basically said that this production has the potential to be a very fun and enjoyable summer film. We'll see how that translates in box office numbers. My gut feeling however tells me that they spent too much $$ on this film in the face of so much competition. The timing issue seems to be the biggest obstacle at this point.

For all of you west coast Disney enthusiasts, I'm hearing rumors that the Pirates of the Caribbean Red Carpet Premier will be held at Disneyland on the evening of June 28th with most of the cast present. Also the park will close at 6:30 to make way for the event. This would mark the biggest event held within Disneyland since the park's grand opening.

 

[Another Voice]

"AV, do you have inside information you can share on ROTK?"

Expect significant departures from the book. Movies are a vastly different art form than literature. Certain events had to be excluded, changed or emphasized to make the film the rousing climax to the trilogy. In my ever humble opinion, I think the ending of the movie is better than the ending of the books all around, but I'm sure different people will have different opinions.

They are currently doing some reshoots to fine tune the film and, I've heard, some additional material for the super DVD "mini-series" version due out next year. Like Fellowship and Towers there will be a theatrical version of King released and then a longer DVD version. As you can probably tell from my other postings, I'm rather "jagged" when it comes to overhyped Hollywood movies (I prefer to think that I just have strong standards). The entire Ring series has impressed me like few films ever have and I seriously consider them the first great work of the 21st century. One hundred years from now when someone teaches the history of media, Rings is going to be marked as an important turning point.

As for the release date, I thought it was supposed to be late November but it gets juggled around. Warner Brothers is releasing both King and The Matrix Revolutions and they've been trying to keep the two films from bumping into each other. Now that Matrix looks less impressive than they thought it was going to be they will start changing the release dates again. And yes, Miramax has already started the whisper campaign to knock The Return of the King out of the Oscar race.


Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Bruckheimer Pearl

Would you believe the latest rumors floating around town are that the release of Pirates may be pushed back? I seriously doubt that happening, but both of the planted – er – I mean early reviews on 'Ain't It Cool' mentioned that they were shown a rough cut. This is waaaay too late for that. Either the film is in major trouble or the reveiws are even more...

The buzz about the movie is that the people who show up will like it, the problem is getting people to show up. The movie's not strong enough generate the word of mouth to draw people in for the second weekend. The competition for its audience is going to be really strong as well. All of the glowing optimism from early this year has disappeared. Once again, too much money spent for the money they are going to bring in.

The premiere at Disneyland will be an invite only affair (somehow mine must have been lost in the mail). The park will open at six in the morning and early close so it can be completely cleared of guests that the Hollywood elite need not breathe the same air as the common types. Major sections of Disneyland will be closed off or restricted several days before the event and 'Fantasmic!' will stop running a week or so before that as well. It promises to be a major mess. If you're traveling to D/L around that time I suggest you contact the park for specific information.

 

[BRERALEX]

but both of the planted – er – I mean early reviews on 'Ain't It Cool' mentioned that they were shown a rough cut.

lololololololol dude that had me crackin up. i never know what to know is a plant or not on aintitcool cause the 'talkbackers' say everything is a plant. lolollolol but man that was funny to read.