‘Lego’ to bury ‘Pompeii’

Two major releases, disaster epic Pompeii and the latest spy thriller from writer-producer Luc Besson, 3 Days to Kill, may be opening wide today, but neither action flick is any match for a group of special toys. Once again, The Lego Movie is expected to win the weekend. Many pundits have placed their bets on Pompeii taking second place with $12 or $15 million. If those expectations bear out, it would make for an underwhelming debut, considering the CGI-laden movie had a production value of around $100 million. Studio execs are hoping Pompeii, which was financed by the German company Constantin Films, will earn most of its money overseas.

3 Days to Kill is also tracking soft, but luckily, the film directed by McG and starring Kevin Costner as an aging operative struggling to balance family time with the demands of his job, only cost $28 million to make. The movie’s father angle is similar to Besson’s successful Taken films, though no one is expecting Kill to reach the same box-office highs of those unnervingly fun Liam Neeson vehicles. Instead, 3 Days to Kill should pull in around $12 million.

The specialty division welcomes two new releases of its own this weekend: In Secret, an adaptation of Emile Zola's novel Thérèse Raquin starring Elizabeth Olsen and Oscar Isaac; and The Wind Rises, the latest and last animated film from Japan’s beloved Hayao Miyazaki. In Secret hasn’t been given much of a marketing push, and reviews have been mixed to poor (right now, the movie is tracking 49 percent rotten on Rotten Tomatoes). The Wind Rises, on the other hand, has the heft of the Miyazaki name behind it, not to mention the clout of an Oscar nomination for Best Animated Film. Controversy surrounding the movie’s handling of Japanese involvement in WWII may also spur viewer interest. In Secret probably won’t earn more than $1 million from its 266 locations, but expect The Wind Rises, playing in 21 theatres, to make a solid showing.

Will 'Ouija' go the 'Battleship' route?

By Sarah Sluis

In the past few years, it seems comic book adaptations have been supplanted by adaptations of brands that don't even have a story attached to them. It was as if action figures (Stretch Armstrong) led to board games (Battleship, Candy Land) which led to the technically-a-board-game adaptation Ouija, the rights to which are held by Hasbro. To my mind, the only successful non-book/play/comic book
adaptation wasPirates of the Caribbean. There were just a handful of references to the theme park ride, and the rest was straight-up Jack Sparrow with eyeliner. Based on what Universal's doing with Battleship, I'm not enthused about what they have in store for Ouija.

To refresh, Battleship is the two-person game involving shouting out numbers on your opponent's grid (A-7!, J-8!), and playing cat-and-mouse with your opponent until they have sunk all your battleships. With all that tension from constant evasion, it sounds like Crimson Tide all over again, right? Wrong. The Universal version is not about two boats chasing each other, but about ALIENS. An "armada" of aliens out for destruction, to be specific. It's almost as if the writer of the movie really wanted to make a sci-fi movie and just decided add some aliens. And it has pop singer Rihanna in it, a left-field choice that feels a little like a tone-deaf marketing ploy. Without a screen persona, it would have been better if she started out in something music-oriented to get audiences used to seeing her on screen.

The plot of Ouija isn't out on the Internet yet, but since it's also a Universal project I wouldn't be surprised if they tried to turn what obviously should be a horror film into a car-chase actioner or romantic comedy. In fact, after doing some more extensive Googling, I discover I'm actually on the right track. According to Newsinfilm.com, "Ouija will not take the expected supernatural horror angle � strange consider Michael Bay's horror house Platinum Dunes is producing � but will follow a more Indiana Jones type journey to discovery. " I am up in arms. Universal has had one flop after another, and it's decisions like these that prevent anyone over the age of thirteen from enjoying such misguided releases.

'Spring Awakening' finds McG; 'Date Night' sets its cast

By Sarah Sluis

The ebullient director McG, whose enthusiasm for his projects like Charlie's Angels and Terminator: Salvation is infectious, might just break out into song: he's attached himself as a director/producer to a film adaptation of the Broadway play Spring Awakening. The rock musical, which follows adolescent teens discovering sex and its consequences, has its roots in an 1891 play. McG's exaggerated style, which comes from his experience as a music-video director, may prove to be an asset in adapting a musical, a genre known for its stylistic flair. McG has also worked as a songwriter, which might bond him with original book and lyrics writer Steven Sater, who will work on adapting the project for the screen. Warner Bros. has a first-look deal with McG, but it's possible that the studio will pass on the project, allowing it to be set up independently.

In casting news, the plot for the Steve Carell/Tina Fey romantic comedy Date Night seems to have been further fleshed out. The original synopsis had the duo playing a couple in a funk that turns to regular date nights to revitalize their marriage. Thanks to the additional casting decisions, it now appears that the couple will go on an unforgettable date--in a "one crazy night" kind of way. Mark Wahlberg will flirt with Tina Fey, mistaking her for someone else, which is in turn exacerbated by not-so-smart con James Franco, who sees the whole thing and entangles the couple in a criminal mess. Taraji P. Henson, the Oscar nominee (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button) known for her work in Tyler Perry's films, will play a good cop who tries to save the couple from danger, while rapper Common and "David Letterman" guest star Jimmi Simpson play a duo of corrupt detectives. On the home front, "Gossip Girl's" Leighton Meester plays the couple's babysitter, and "SNL's" Kristin Wiig plays Fey's best friend.

Because both Tina Fey and Steve Carell are so good at creating humor out of everyday situations, with their slightly pathetic yet endearing characters, I'm a little surprised that the comedy is going the madcap route. Still, I have to commend director Shawn Levy for aggressively casting from the top rung and securing stellar comedic actors. When I interviewed director John Hamburg of I Love You, Man earlier this year, he stressed the importance of filling a cast with the funniest people he knew, who could improv on a scene, time it, and make it fly, and it seems that Levy's doing the same thing here. Levy, who's directed mainly family-themed comedy in the past (The Pink Panther, Cheaper by the Dozen, Nickelodeon shows "The Famous Jett Jackson and "The Secret World of Alex Mack"), seems to have acquired the bug for star-filled casts directing the two Night at the Museum films. Since Fey and Carell have both been able to clear their schedules of their television obligations, filming will star in L.A. next week.