Three more sign up for 'Couples Retreat'

By Sarah Sluis

Ensemble comedy Couples Retreat found three additional mates in  Kristin Bell ("Veronica Mars"), Kristin Davis (Sex and the City), and Malin Akerman (upcoming Watchmen).  The character-packed premise has four couples (one with real relationship problems) roped into a tropical vacation with a side helping of couples therapy.  Jason Bateman ("Arrested Development") plays Bell's love interest, Jon Favreau will pair with Davis, and Vince Vaughn will couple with Akerman.  Faizon Love is currently mateless.

Jon Favreau has existed below my radar until now, but he has an impressive bio on IMDb, including directorial credits for Iron Man and Elf, and an diverse array of acting, writing, and production credits.  He wrote Couples Retreat based on an idea of Vaughn's.  The two are currently starring in another quad-coupled pic, this winter's Four Christmases, so I wonder if they drew any inspiration from that project.

Steve Carrell, another one of comedy's it-boys, has attached himself to yet another project, Brigadier Gerard, about a French soldier convinced of his swashbuckling status despite an utter lack of skill or bravery.  With the ability to shoot just one film on his spring hiatus from "The Office," he now must choose between Brigadier Gerard, Get Smart 2, or Date Night, which has Tina Fey attached.  Personally, I am rooting Carrell to choose Date Night--in-demand Tina Fey has no other live action deals on the table, and has never done a romantic comedy before, and the two of them together would be dynamic.  Sure, Brigadier Gerard will be set in France, a long time ago, which is somewhat of a twist of Carrell's star image, but with "King of the Hill" writers adapting a work by Arthur Conan Doyle, I see the well-trod territory of horse-riding and Monty Python jokes.

Already being floated as an Oscar contender, Weinstein Company's The Road, set to release this November, may be pushed back to December--or later.  The executives and producers plan to meet tomorrow to discuss the fate of the film.  The switcheroo comes in light of Weinstein Company's decision to push The Reader this winter.  Also, for what seems like the hundredth story in a row, Weinstein Company takes on questions about the company's financial situation--and yes, they say they are doing fine.

ShowEast Day Three: Is Elizabeth Banks the new Cameron Diaz?

By Kevin Lally

Last night ShowEast offered what it termed a 'Hard R' double bill of MGM and The Weinstein Company's Soul Men, followed by The Weinstein Company's Zack and Miri Make a Porno. Since ShowEast is not open to the general public, the press is embargoed from reviewing films previewed at this exhibitor gathering. But I think I can risk a few brief side observations:

Soul Men, of course, is the last film starring the late comedian Bernie Mac, and it's hard to believe from his vibrant performance as a onetime major R&B backup singer that he died so soon after its filming. The end credits include a touching tribute to the actor, along with fellow performer Isaac Hayes (who died within the same week). The movie may also land in the Guinness Book of Records for most frequent use of the m-f word.

I've never been a fan of either Kevin Smith or his brand of frat-boy raunchiness, but Zack and Miri captures the same blend of sweetness and filth that has made Judd Apatow comedy's current top dog. And a big part of that sweetness is due to Elizabeth Banks (also starring as Laura Bush in W.) Not since Cameron Diaz in There's Something About Mary has an actress combined beauty, warmth, approachability, comic chops, and a willingness to get down and dirty like one of the boys. Part of the Apatow/David Wain orbit, the charming Banks is the key reason this very dirty but surprisingly romantic film may cross over to a large female audience. (And how did they ever secure that R rating from the MPAA?)

As for yesterday's screening of Ron Howard's Frost/Nixon, I have four words: Frank Langella. Best Actor. You heard it here first.

ShowEast Day Two: Digital deadline

By Kevin Lally

"Unless you've only been watching the Disney Channel, it's clear the world is coming to an end," AccessIT chairman and CEO Bud Mayo wryly joked during the panel discussion on "Key Challenges for Digital Deployment" this morning at ShowEast.

The still-turbulent financial markets are on everyone's mind as the movie industry convenes here in Orlando, Florida, at a time when the business is facing a momentous and expensive transition to digital projection systems. "We're at the one-yard line," Mayo declared, admitting that not much is about to get accomplished while credit remains tight. Still, the head of the nation's foremost integrator of new digital systems urged theatre owners who haven't yet committed to "sign on now, get in the queue."

The recent announcement of a deal between Digital Cinema Implementation Partners, the alliance of giant circuits Regal, AMC and Cinemark, and five movie studios to finance d-cinema installations was hailed by the panelists as a major breakthrough, with Fox digital exhibition executive VP Julian Levin calling it "a tipping point" and Mayo deeming it "a catalyst...that will touch every [U.S.] market."

DCIP chief executive Travis Reid reminded the crowd that their main backer, JPMorgan, is "one of the strongest banks" out there, and expressed confidence that money "should loosen up very soon."

Tom Stephenson, whose circuit Rave Motion Pictures is 100% digital, warned the audience that 2D is not a growth business, deeming the coming wave of digital 3D films "the motherlode." Paramount Pictures executive VP Mark Christiansen seconded that notion, praising the depth and visual brilliance of the new 3D attractions. He predicted that North America would have 2,000 digital 3D screens by the time his animated Monsters vs. Aliens opens next March, but lamented that the rest of the world lags with only some 200 screens.

"Within five years this will be more a digital business than film," Christiansen opined, while noting that "figuring out a model for small exhibitors is a huge challenge."

Fox's Levin warned exhibitors, "I would not wait for deals to come to you," but also encouraged manufacturers to reduce costs. "The systems still cost too much," he said outright.

As the industry moves closer to full digital deployment, the pain for latecomers will be more acute. Christiansen noted that as fewer 35mm prints are needed, those fewer prints will become more expensive to produce. "When do the studios turn off the [35mm] tap?" he wondered aloud.

Despite today's economic crunch, the writing on the wall is as clear as a digital picture.

'Wall Street' sequel in the works; Steve Martin third man in Meyers'-directed love triangle

By Sarah Sluis

 It was only a matter of time.  Fox plans to fast-track a sequel to Wall Street, that glorious Michael

Douglas and Charlie Sheen epic that made "Greed is Good" a catchphrase for years to come--with some using the phrase more facetiously than others.

As long as this film fulfills these three requirements, I would be sold:

1. Provide a delicious villain for the audience to burn in effigy.  The film plans to start with the Michael Douglas character back from jail.  I certainly don't want him to be "reformed" and just end up in cahoots with another bad guy.  Right now Americans are in no mood for redemption; I think most would prefer him to remain evil.



2. Explain the financial crisis.  Credit default swaps are tricky things.  The first Wall Street did a good job of explaining (what seemed to me) a complicated inside trading deal.  If nothing else, it provided technical "bomb defusing" dialogue that conveyed the degree of complexity of their deals.



3. Showcase Wall Street excess.  Everyone's heard about the AIG "top earners" spending $440,000 at the St. Regis after the bailout; I want to see that scene in the movie.

Steve Martin added to cast of Nancy Meyers comedy
The untitled Nancy Meyers romantic comedy has added Steve Martin to complete the love triangle between him, Alec Baldwin, and Meryl Streep.  Each of these three actors has a signature style and humor, but will all three be able to build off each other and not cancel each other out? 

Meyers' latest work The Holiday also juggled stars (four A-listers), but its young, half-Brit cast proved much more bankable abroad than at home.  Diane Keaton-Jack Nicholson picture Something's Gotta Give, was a huge hit, so it looks like Meyers is dialing up the age of her stars to replicate the success of the romantic comedy unique for NOT targeting twenty and thirtysomethings.

ShowEast Day One: Latin accent

By Kevin Lally

If you've ever wondered what the cast of High School Musical sounds like in Spanish, ShowEast in Orlando, Florida, was the place to be on Monday. The opening International Day programming put the spotlight on Latin America, and executives for the Southern Hemisphere from five major studios showcased trailers and clips from their upcoming movie lineups, with local productions in the mix and select previews dubbed or subtitled in Spanish.

With its foreign-language versions of HSM3 at the ready, Disney could easily tap into the same audience that's made the movie of Mamma Mia! a worldwide hit. The studio also touted its 3D animated Bolt, Adam Sandler in the kids' fantasy Bedtime Stories, the Robert Zemeckis motion-capture version of A Christmas Carol ("It will scare the Dickens out of you"), Dwayne ("The Rock") Johnson continuing to court the family audience in Race to Witch Mountain, and the latest Pixar adventure, Up. And the trailer for The Proposal looks like a high-concept comedy comeback for Sandra Bullock (driven Canadian female exec jumps into marriage plans with a resentful Yank subordinate to get a green card and save her company).

Sony International's Steven O'Dell predicted at least five blockbusters in the studio's near future: Quantum of Solace, Angels & Demons, Terminator Salvation, The Taking of Pelham 123, and Roland Emmerich's apocalyptic 2012. The studio also clearly believes in the potential of Kevin James as Paul Blart: Mall Cop, which they're screening in Orlando on Wednesday.

Fox International showed a lengthy clip from The Day the Earth Stood Still putting Keanu Reeves's spacey aura to good use, and a cute sequence from Ice Age 3 proving this highly successful animated franchise (now joining the 3D onslaught) hasn't lost its comic touch. No visuals from James Cameron's highly anticipated Avatar were offered, but the studio's Eduardo Echeverria promised "it will surely change the theatrical experience forever" and encouraged the crowd to hurry up with their 3D installations.

Paramount International's preview included the highly anticipated Watchmen (which they are handling outside the U.S.), an effective-looking revival of the hoary Friday the 13th franchise, a Spanish-dubbed Monsters vs. Aliens trailer, and a glimpse of Bruno Barreto's Brazilian Last Stop 174, a dramatization of the true hostage incident recounted in the acclaimed documentary Bus 174.

Universal International's Mauricio Duran noted that this was the studio's first $100 million summer in Latin America, and touted a slate including Quentin Tarantino's Inglorious Bastards, Pedro Almodovar's Los Abrazos Rotos, Benicio Del Toro as The Wolf Man, and a film I'm eager to see, Henry Selick's stop-motion-animated Coraline. A breakneck sequence from the new Fast and the Furious film, with Vin Diesel and Paul Walker both back behind the wheel, hints that franchise hasn't run out of gas: The tagline is "New Model, Original Parts."

Earlier in the day, FJI's own Bill Mead moderated a seminar on the future of digital cinema in Latin America, and the overall feeling was it isn't particularly bright. Cinemark International president Valmir Fernandes predicted a mere 3-4% market penetration without some kind of virtual print fee arrangement, which is nowhere near reality. Cine Colombia CEO Munir Falah opined that 3D "is not the answer" to driving digital, since he believes the initial novelty of 3D will ebb. Some Latin American theatres are getting 100% funding of their digital installations from sponsors like telcom companies or mall landlords, but overall, there's no central driving force helping d-cinema gain momentum in this part of the world.

Also on the bleak side, a panel of distributors in Latin America lamented that piracy seems to be increasing there, with Fox's Echeverria noting that many countries simply don't have a budget for anti-piracy initiatives. On the bright side, all distribution panelists agreed that business across the region is stable, and even up dramatically in countries like Argentina.

I'll be back tomorrow night with more news from ShowEast...

'Beverly Hills Chihuahua' engulfs 'Body of Lies'

By Sarah Sluis

As predicted, all four of the new releases made it into the top ten. Weakest link City of Ember ($3.2

million) just barely squeaked into the top ten, no doubt due
to the competition from competing family release and the number one film for the second week in a row,
Beverly Hills Chihuahua ($17.5 million).

Seemingly coming out of nowhere, this family film has benefited from two additional demographics: the Latino market, which sees movies at higher rates than Caucasians and African-Americans, and dog owners.  Not falling into any one of those categories myself, I only heard of this film weeks before its release--and then only through its utterly
befuddling trailer featuring no plot whatsoever, just a dog dance
revue.  However, in the grand tradition of Homeward Bound and
upcoming release Bolt, lost dog films are a surefire plot winner.

In a big hit to the star power of Leonardo DiCaprio, Russell Crowe, and Ridley Scott, Body of Lies ($13.1 million) came in below Chihuahua and Quarantine ($14.2 million).  Both Quarantine and Body of Lies address government conspiracy.  Funny, the LAPD's cover-up of a secret
zombie infestation was a bigger draw than the lies, deceit, and
bluffing of the CIA.

Appaloosa ($3.34 million) and The Duchess ($3.32 million) have also successfully expanded from limited to wide release.  Both
premiered four weeks ago, but Appaloosa went into wide release a week earlier, making its cumulative gross of $10.8 million double The Duchess' $5.6 million total.

The Express opened to a modest $4.7 million, in line with expectations.  Returning release Eagle Eye came it at #4 with $11 million, bringing its cumulative total up to $70.5 million, a boon for an action film release outside of summer--will it be able to hit the $100 million mark before it's pulled from the theatres? 

Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist ($6.5 million) finished at #5, below Eagle Eye, and included a $12.50 contribution from the ticket I bought to see this short and sweet film.  It's a must-see for anyone young and living in New York, filming in all the go-to places, which were even more recognizable to me than that other big New York-centric movie, Sex and the City.  One late night scene took place in the deli up the street from our office (which makes great sandwiches), and others took place in Arlene's Grocery, Mercury Lounge, the Hudson River Park, Papaya King, and Veselka.  One of the film's big "stars" is a yellow Yugo, which made me realize I had even walked by the set of the film months ago and marveled at the weird, beat-up car.

The last mention on the top ten is Nights of Rodanthe ($4.6 million), which has quietly racked up a substantial $32.3 million in three weeks by below-average drops in its audience, down 37% this week.  While falling out of the top ten, Fireproof only dropped 20% this week to $3.1 million, and has made $16.9 million on a $.5 million budget.

Next week brings another four wide releases, so look for the box office preview on Friday.

Full box office results available here.

Four wide releases set sail for Columbus Day bounty

By Sarah Sluis

After weeks of overstuffed, competitive lineups that left many new films stranded outside of the top ten, this week has a mere four wide releases.  All of them stand a chance to debut in the top ten.

Star-studded Body of Lies (2,710 theatres), a Russell Crowe and Leonardo DiCaprio spy thriller, opens to
high marks for its highly plausible terrorism premise that almost seems like a dramatization of actual events.  Critics, however, have taken shots at the affectations of Crowe and DiCaprio, noting that despite its physical authenticity, Crowe's girth seem strapped on, and both Crowe and DiCaprio's accents seem misplaced and create ill-fitting characterizations.

With most schools closed for the Columbus Day holiday on Monday, two PG-rated releases hope to capture the kid and teen audience, City of Ember and The Express.

City of Ember (2,022 theatres) follows two kids trying to solve a puzzle to free them from their underground city, whose generator has expired after 200 years. Atonement's Saoirse Ronan and Harry Treadaway star as the city-saving duo, and Bill Murray and Tim Robbins support in roles as the mayor and father.  The film boasts gorgeous production design, and the NY Times remarked on its "whiz-bang...neat gadgets and sound effects."  According to our critic, who also remarked on the production design, "if the first thing you compliment is the set (or the music or costumes), the movie is in trouble."   Still, this film looks like the kind I would love if I were a kid: two independent children saving the day in a world with just the right amount of creepiness and darkness.

A.O. Scott sums up The Express' (2,808 theatres) appeal rather wryly.  "Aimed at a presumably large
cross-section of the moviegoing public: people who love football and hate racism," The Express tells the affirming story of Ernie Davis, the first black football player to win the Heisman trophy.  The game sequences give the audience plenty of opportunities to boo racism and root for the champ, but those expecting a spot-on historical account should be warned: FJI critic Frank Lovece noted that the film "plays fast and loose with the historical record," inflating racist incidents and changing the location of a key game to Southern West Virginia.

For high schoolers enjoying the three-day weekend, horror picture Quarantine (2,461 theatres) releases.  Shot from a first-person point of view, Blair Witch Project and Cloverfield-style, the film claims to be footage shot by a television crew trapped in a building ravaged by zombies.

On the specialty side, Happy-Go-Lucky (4 theatres) has drawn much acclaim (and Oscar buzz) for Sally Hawkins' performance as an unflappably happy person.  Apparently, her happy demeanor is contagious, leaving a number of critics smiling well after the credits.

Indie's beloved director, Wong Kar-Wai, re-releases his film Ashes in Time Redux (5 theatres).  Slightly shorter than the original, the film has drawn the most note for its its impressionistic fight sequences, as well as  Wong's signature attention to time and use of a circular plot structure.

Guy Ritchie's RocknRolla opens in limited release (7 theatres) this week.  The fast-talking comedic crime caper (if you can decipher the British accents in time to get the jokes) promises to reprise some of the fun of Lock, Stock & two Smoking Barrels.  Film Journal found RocknRolla "a middle-class fantasy of thug life," but "so relentlessly kinetic, rudely funny and visually flamboyantly that it doesn't matter."

Expect these films to join Beverly Hills Chihuahua and Eagle Eye as the major players this holiday weekend, and I'll see you on Monday for the Weekend Roundup.  Next week is ShowEast in Orlando, Florida, so Executive Editor Kevin Lally will also be posting news from the convention.