Seth Valentine, Author at The Playlist

Box Office Options May 8-10: ‘Star Trek,’ ‘Summer Hours,’ ‘Rudo Y Cursi’ & More…

Seth Valentine — Fri, 08 May 2009 15:15:00 +0000

Well, after the false start of “Wolverine” (which still raked in an ungodly amount of money last weekend) the first true blockbuster has arrived and the summer of movie nerdom is officially underway! “Star Trek” will ride a wave into cineplexes around the nation along with a smattering of smaller movies in limited release. So let’s take a look:

Of course, J.J. Abrams’ take on one of the sacred cows of sci-fi nerdery, “Star Trek,” finally warps into the theaters this weekend.

Continue reading Box Office Options May 8-10: ‘Star Trek,’ ‘Summer Hours,’ ‘Rudo Y Cursi’ & More… at The Playlist.

Box Office Options May 1st-3rd: ‘Wolverine’ (Don’t Do It), The Limits Of Control,’ ‘Revanche’ & More…

Seth Valentine — Fri, 01 May 2009 18:49:00 +0000

Hooray! Box office Friday is here again! And not just any box office Friday–this weekend signals the opening of the summer blockbuster season. Somehow (probably Beyonce’ related), “Obsessed” took the crown for last weekend but there’s little question as to what will pull down the big bucks this time around. So let’s take a look at the pictures!

Of course, the heavy hitter this weekend is the Fox tentpole “X-Men Origins: Wolverine,” which is expected to totally clean up.

Continue reading Box Office Options May 1st-3rd: ‘Wolverine’ (Don’t Do It), The Limits Of Control,’ ‘Revanche’ & More… at The Playlist.

Box Office Options April 24th-26th: ‘Earth,’ ‘Soloist,’ ‘Tyson,’ Il Divo,’ ‘Treeless Mountain’ & More…

Seth Valentine — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 03:15:00 +0000

Box office time yet again. We’re making tracks through 2009 and we’ve come once more to another weekend filled with mediocre-to-decent movies opening wide across the country and some better than average ones in limited release. So let’s see what’s up.

If you must spend your money in a megaplex (and this weekend we suggest you don’t),than your best best for the weekend’s wide releases is “The Soloist,” director Joe Wright’s follow-up to “Atonement.” Starring Robert Downey, Jr.

Continue reading Box Office Options April 24th-26th: ‘Earth,’ ‘Soloist,’ ‘Tyson,’ Il Divo,’ ‘Treeless Mountain’ & More… at The Playlist.

Box Office Options for April 17-19: 'State Of Play,' 'Lemon Tree' & Not A Lot More More

Seth Valentine — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 18:00:00 +0000

Back to the weekend box office! As usual, there’s seemingly not much to get excited about in wide release this weekend, but there is one political thriller with Russell Crowe and Ben Affleck that surprisingly really outdid all expectations.

Even limited release films are a little quiet this weekend. If you live in a larger city, your best bet is without question the aforementioned “State Of Play.” It’s not perfect, but it’s sadly representing something we hardly ever see anymore: the smart Hollywood film.

Continue reading Box Office Options for April 17-19: 'State Of Play,' 'Lemon Tree' & Not A Lot More More at The Playlist.

Director Matt Aselton Talks The Ambiguous And Clipped Tones Of ‘Gigantic’

Seth Valentine — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 20:05:00 +0000

Matt Aselton’s auspicious little indie comedy “Gigantic” has received surprisingly little attention and mixed to poor reviews, but it boasts an impressive cast that includes Paul Dano, Zooey Deschanel, John Goodman, Ed Asner, Jane Alexander, Clarke Peters and Zach Galifianakis. The quirks are evidently getting on many people’s nerves, but we think it’s a refreshing picture with strong performances and quite an elegant visual style. We caught up with Aselton and Dano in New York last week and discussed the film and how it’s being received.

Continue reading Director Matt Aselton Talks The Ambiguous And Clipped Tones Of ‘Gigantic’ at The Playlist.

Weekend Box Office Options for April 3rd-5th: ‘Adventureland’ & ‘Fast and Furious’, Plus ‘Sugar’ And ‘Gigantic’ In Limited Release

Seth Valentine — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 21:12:00 +0000

After a pretty dismal week last time around, we’re back with more (and hopefully better) movies opening this weekend. “Monsters vs. Aliens” crushed the competition last weekend through the magic of good release timing and, in spite of at least one strong contender, it may well hold on. Anyway, to the movies:

Wide Release:
This weekend’s most exciting (only) wide release is, of course, “Adventureland,” Greg Mottola’s follow-up to “Superbad.” The movie has a thoroughly impressive 89% rating on RT and stars Jessie Eisenberg (“The Squid and the Whale”) as a shiftless college graduate who takes a dead-end job at a crummy amusement park for the summer.

Continue reading Weekend Box Office Options for April 3rd-5th: ‘Adventureland’ & ‘Fast and Furious’, Plus ‘Sugar’ And ‘Gigantic’ In Limited Release at The Playlist.

Paul Dano Says Spike Jonze Has The Perfect ‘Childlike Imagination’ For ‘Where the Wild Things Are’

Seth Valentine — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 16:35:00 +0000

Yesterday at a New York press conference for the indie film “Gigantic,” actor Paul Dano revealed a bit of new info on the hotly anticipated Spike Jonze helmed/Dave Eggers penned adaptation of the Maurice Sendak classic “Where the Wild Things Are.” Dano, who plays a frolicking Wild Thing goat named Alexander, talked a little bit about the movie saying that “Spike Jonze is the perfect guy for this movie…he’s got a childlike imagination.” On the rehearsal process (which was rumored to be awesome), he said the group spent some time working on a soundstage because “that’s what acting is and if you just go into a recording studio it’s all putting out and there’s nothing to take in.” Lastly, Dano says that he “feels quite good about how [the film] represents the book.

Continue reading Paul Dano Says Spike Jonze Has The Perfect ‘Childlike Imagination’ For ‘Where the Wild Things Are’ at The Playlist.

Sean Connery Weighs In On New Indy Movie In Timely Fashion

Seth Valentine — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 20:01:00 +0000

Almost a year later, Sir Sean Connery finally weighs in on the newest Indiana Jones pile “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.” MTV News caught up with the venerable Scot at a benefit event in New York yesterday evening and chatted him up about the movie that featured a conspicuous absence of Dr. Jones the Elder. You can check out the full video at the link above and hear what Connery thought of the movie but in short he said that “I thought it was rather good.

Continue reading Sean Connery Weighs In On New Indy Movie In Timely Fashion at The Playlist.

‘Groundhog Day’ to Become a Musical?

Seth Valentine — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 18:52:00 +0000

Normally, news about a film being adapted to a stage musical is met with weeping and gnashing of teeth from theatre purists who see it as sign that the glory days of the American stage are long gone. This time, however, the alarmists may be wrong. According to the MTV Movies Blog, the much beloved Bill Murray picture “Groundhog Day” may well be coming to the stage as a musical comedy and while it probably won’t be another “Of Thee I Sing,” there’s more than a little reason to be hopeful.

Continue reading ‘Groundhog Day’ to Become a Musical? at The Playlist.

Box Office Options March 27-29: ‘Monster Vs. Aliens’ For The Kids, ‘Goodbye Solo’ For Your Brain

Seth Valentine — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 13:31:00 +0000

Weekend movie time has rolled around again and we’re aflutter with excitement. It’s a slower weekend but a few of the smaller releases look like they might be worth a shot. Anyway, anything to knock the Nicolas Cage thriller that won the top spot last week off probably can’t be all bad, right? So check your local listings for any of the following non-numerological films set to drop today!

In Wide Release
First up is the extremely dumb-looking “12 Rounds” from action film maven and professional bozo Renny Harlin (“Die Hard 2,” “Deep Blue Sea”).

Continue reading Box Office Options March 27-29: ‘Monster Vs. Aliens’ For The Kids, ‘Goodbye Solo’ For Your Brain at The Playlist.

Box Office Options March 20th-22nd; ‘I Love You, Man,’ ‘Duplicity,’ ‘Hunger,’ & ‘Sin Nombre’

Seth Valentine — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 13:20:00 +0000

Well, “Watchmen” fell off pretty sharply last weekend and lost to the Rock’s latest vehicle, “Race to Witch Mountain.” With three major releases this weekend–and quite a few films in limited release–it should be interesting to see what comes out on top. So, here’s the choices:

First up is “Duplicity,” the new movie by writer/director Tony Gilroy (“Michael Clayton”). Apparently Gilroy has chosen decidedly lighter fare for his follow up to ‘Clayton’ in this romantic comedy that follows two corporate spies played by Clive Owen (“Sin City”) and Julia Roberts (“Pretty Woman”).

Continue reading Box Office Options March 20th-22nd; ‘I Love You, Man,’ ‘Duplicity,’ ‘Hunger,’ & ‘Sin Nombre’ at The Playlist.

What I Really Wanna Do Is Direct: Yo! Shia LaBeouf Raps!

Seth Valentine — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 20:50:00 +0000

Well, here’s some bad news: super-annoying greaseball Shia LaBeouf has decided to find a new way to foist himself on the defenseless peoples of the world. Yes, our worst fears are true: not content to merely sully the world of film with his stupid “acting,” LaBeouf has stepped behind the camera to direct a video for his friend, the rapper Cage.

MTV News reports that the *ahem* actor will be helming the video for “I Never Knew You” by the New York-based rapper.

Continue reading What I Really Wanna Do Is Direct: Yo! Shia LaBeouf Raps! at The Playlist.

Box Office Options March 13-15: ‘Alexander The Last,’ ‘Sunshine Cleaning,’ Last House On The Left,’ ‘Race To Witch Mountain’

Seth Valentine — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 11:07:00 +0000

Well, March 6th has come and gone and “Watchmen” won the weekend to the surprise of no one. Television, the Internet, newspapers and almost every other outlet where people can put words have spent the week weighing the relative merits of the film — hopefully we can all soon return to our real lives and put this entire unfortunate episode behind us. Anyway, more movies rush into theaters this weekend, and we’re here to round them up.

Continue reading Box Office Options March 13-15: ‘Alexander The Last,’ ‘Sunshine Cleaning,’ Last House On The Left,’ ‘Race To Witch Mountain’ at The Playlist.

Weekend Box Office for March 6-8: ‘Tokyo!,’ ‘Everlasting Moments,’ ’12’ And A Graphic Novel Adaptation That’s Rather Hilarious

Seth Valentine — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 16:22:00 +0000

2009 is about to witness yet another piece of history years in the making (though this one is probably far less important to the kinds of people who fill their days with activities like leaving their homes and speaking to members of the opposite sex). That’s right–after twenty odd years of trying, Hollywood has finally forced Alan Moore‘s “Watchmen” onto screens across the country. This adaptation should probably win the weekend and displace Tyler Perry’s most recent film, which has reigned for the past two weeks.

Continue reading Weekend Box Office for March 6-8: ‘Tokyo!,’ ‘Everlasting Moments,’ ’12’ And A Graphic Novel Adaptation That’s Rather Hilarious at The Playlist.

Weekend Box Office Options for Feb. 20-22nd

Seth Valentine — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 13:08:00 +0000

Proof that stupidity is recession-proof: the “Friday the 13th” reboot ran away with last weekend’s box office, bringing down over 40 million clams in its first weekend. There’s nothing this weekend that looks aggressive enough to knock this turgid load off its perch, though perhaps the total media blitzkrieg that is the “Fired Up” ad campaign will pay some dividends and one should never underestimate the core Tyler Perry audience that always come out opening weekend in the fullest of force.

Continue reading Weekend Box Office Options for Feb. 20-22nd at The Playlist.

Box Office Options Feb. 13-16: ‘Two Lovers’ & ‘Gomorrah’ Are Your Limited-Release Best Bets

Seth Valentine — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 16:05:00 +0000

Another week gone and another weekend of movie-going ahead. As you’d expect, it’s a rather slim week unless you happen to live in a city that will see smaller releases. And so onward to the cineplex in hopes of finding something worth our time!

First up is the widely publicized “Confessions of a Shopaholic” which stars Isla Fisher (“Wedding Crashers“) as a woman who dreams of becoming a writer for her favorite fashion magazine.

Continue reading Box Office Options Feb. 13-16: ‘Two Lovers’ & ‘Gomorrah’ Are Your Limited-Release Best Bets at The Playlist.

Dismal Weekend Box Office Options for January 30: ‘Taken,’ ‘New In Town,’ ‘Uninvited’

Seth Valentine — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 16:55:00 +0000

Well, it’s that time again: time once more to look out over the empty wasteland that composes this weekend’s new releases. As we struggle through even more out-of-season horror pictures and dumb-looking romcoms, we grin and try to bear it until something worth seeing shows up. In the meantime, though:

First up this week is the Renee Zellweger vehicle “New in Town” which also stars Harry Connick, Jr.

Continue reading Dismal Weekend Box Office Options for January 30: ‘Taken,’ ‘New In Town,’ ‘Uninvited’ at The Playlist.

LaBute To Keep Cranking Out Films

Seth Valentine — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 02:46:00 +0000

We’ll file this one under “Y” for “YAWN.” Looks like quintessential schlub’s schlub Neil LaBute has just signed a two-picture deal with Screen Gems following the improbable success of “Lakeview Terrace.” If you’re lucky enough to have blocked that one out, it was the tepid-looking “good cop or bad cop???” racial drama starring Samuel L. Jackson, Patrick Wilson and Kerry Washington that performed better than anyone could have predicted at the end of last summer.

Continue reading LaBute To Keep Cranking Out Films at The Playlist.

Weekend Box Office Options: Jan. 16th; ‘Defiance,’ ‘Last Chance Harvey’ And ‘Che’

Seth Valentine — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 17:11:00 +0000

Time flies when you’re having fun which, as you know, means yet another movie-going weekend has arrived. “Gran Torino,” which won last weekend’s box, will try to hold on to the top spot against an array of uninspiring challengers. The slate of dismal releases is par for the course for this time of year, but perhaps you’ll find something to pique your interest out there. So, on the docket this week:

First up is “Defiance,” which opens wide this week and stars Daniel Craig, a.k.a.

Continue reading Weekend Box Office Options: Jan. 16th; ‘Defiance,’ ‘Last Chance Harvey’ And ‘Che’ at The Playlist.

Weekend Box Office Options: Jan. 9th

Seth Valentine — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 20:42:00 +0000

As the first full week of 2009 comes to a close, it’s time for us to look once again at the choices moviegoers will face in the coming weekend. It’s predictably slow–usual for the post-Oscarbait season that turns January into a dumping ground–but there are a few (and not many) rays of light out there this weekend. So, without further ado, the films.

First up is the dismal-looking “Bride Wars” starring Kate Hudson and Anne Hathaway.

Continue reading Weekend Box Office Options: Jan. 9th at The Playlist.

M. Night Shyamalan’s Non-Asian Casting For ‘Airbender’ Pisses Off Fans

Seth Valentine — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 06:27:00 +0000

Well, you can file this one under “Miss Saigon.” Apparently Hollywood’s uber-hack M. Night Shyamalan, who has been tapped to shovel the silver screen port of Nickelodeon’s “The Last Airbender” into a theatre near you two summers from now, has managed to cast exactly zero Asian actors in his film. According to Entertainment Weekly, Shyamalan did his major casting in Texas, that bastion of Asian society.

Continue reading M. Night Shyamalan’s Non-Asian Casting For ‘Airbender’ Pisses Off Fans at The Playlist.

David Fincher Continues To Win Over Academy Voters And Fans With Endearing Assholery

Seth Valentine — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 05:27:00 +0000

David Fincher is well on his way to snagging a statuette at this year’s Academy Awards…assuming that his Win an Oscar Checklist looks something like this:

1) Make extremely dull film with two megastars
2) Physically assault studio exec who passed on said piece of trash
3) Go completely off the deep end!

That’s right, after actually smacking John Goldwyn a few nights ago, Fincher seems to have totally snapped after last night’s Q&A at Lincoln Center.

Continue reading David Fincher Continues To Win Over Academy Voters And Fans With Endearing Assholery at The Playlist.

Weekend Box Office Options for November 21

Seth Valentine — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 18:49:00 +0000

The time has come once more: time to examine the choices available and decide which cineplexes to hit this weekend. After “Quantum of Solace” dominated last weekend, it may well have enough steam to carry this one as well. Unfortunately for 007, though, he’ll be squaring off against a couple of family(ish) pictures that open in time to ride the crest of Thanksgiving movie-going to massive profits. So which one comes out on top?

Continue reading Weekend Box Office Options for November 21 at The Playlist.

First Positive ‘Reader’ Review Trickles In

Seth Valentine — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 21:21:00 +0000

Not much, but it should be a start. FoxNews (?!) has a little information about upcoming Oscarbait picture “The Reader” starring the always interesting Kate Winslet. Though details are sketchy, they seemed to really dig it. We’re not sure that FoxNews will ever become an authority on any film but for now we’ll take what we can get.

Based on the much-acclaimed novel by Bernard Schlink and helmed by director Stephen Daldry (The Hours, Billy Elliot) ‘Reader’ is one of two films coming out this fall that stars Winslet in a role that should generate some Oscar buzz.

Continue reading First Positive ‘Reader’ Review Trickles In at The Playlist.

Tom Cruise A Joke In ‘Valkyrie’?

Seth Valentine — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 19:31:00 +0000

Well, it looks like MGM might be out of luck this time. Their Tom Cruise/Nazi vehicle “Valkyrie,” which has been the subject of a massive and shifting marketing campaign, might not live up to the lofty expectations. In fact, this one might end up being more the hilarious comedy we had hoped for and less the thriller as which it’s currently being sold. According to the folks over at The Scoop (via /Film), Cruise’s performance in the film is anything but thrilling.

Continue reading Tom Cruise A Joke In ‘Valkyrie’? at The Playlist.