Latest Bellwether Films: 11 July 2010
A theatrical film must exceed a box office gross of $5.04 million ($5.0 million 2008 constant-dollars) to qualify as bellwether. The following bellwether films have been included in our database and factor into our ranking of the relative prominence of marquee stars throughout the world.
American-born Daniel Wu stars in the cat-and-mouse police crime suspenser 'Triple Tap'
Bayside Shakedown 3: Set the Guys Loose (踊る大捜査線 THE MOVIE 3 ヤツらを解放せよ!) - Japanese police comedy action
Seven years later. As terrorists target locales within his jurisdiction, Detective Aoshima (Yuji Oda) takes charge as the newly-promoted section chief. He must immediately administer moving into a new headquarters, dissention among his subordinates and eight daunting cases - including murders, bomb threats and bus hijackings - as the terrorist chaos unfolds. Upshot: This long-awaited sequel to the 2003 top-performing live-action domestic film, based on the Fuji TV series, plays like a routine police procedural. Satisfaction rating: BELOW AVERAGE - 37
Despicable Me - Hollywood domestic sci-fi animation
In the world of the wicked, arch-criminal Gru tries to out-dastardly his arch-rival Vector by shrinking then stealing the moon from the sky until three orphan girls melt his heart and turn Gru into a responsible dad. Upshot: The voices of Steve Carell and Jason Segel in family-friendly fun. Satisfaction rating: EXCELLENT - 85
I Hate Luv Stories - Bollywood work place situation romantic-comedy
While working on a romance film for a hot Bollywood director (Samir Soni), a playboy assistant director (Imran Khan) who abhors love stories must work with an irritatingly upbeat production designer (Sonam Kapoor) who lives for love stories. Sparks fly when they meet and, soon, their own relationship unfolds in tandem with the screen story they’re filming. Upshot: Cute premise, cute stars, but too predictable. Satisfaction rating: GOOD - 45
Predators - Hollywood alternate world sci-fi action
Shanghaied to a forested planet, a black Ops mercenary (Adrien Brody) and an American commando (Lawrence Fishburne) lead an ad hoc team of notorious killers (including Alice Braga and Topher Grace) in a battle of survival against a group of human-eating advanced alien predators who hunt them for sport. Upshot: A competent re-launch of the Predator serial from the late 1980s. Satisfaction rating: ABOVE AVERAGE - 72
Triple Tap (鎗王之王) - Chinese crime action suspense
After winning a pistol competition with a triple tap (three bullets in the same hole), a successful fund manager (Louis Koo) happens upon a armored car heist in progress and saves the hostage policemen by shooting four of five perpetrators. Later, once cleared by the law and proclaimed a hero by the public, the fund manager is attacked unsuccessfully by the escaped perpetrator (Chapman To). The police investigator (Daniel Wu) on the case, also the fund manager’s chief rival from the pistol competition, now suspects that the fund manager may have been part of the robbery. A cat-and-mouse battle of wits quickly develops between the two men filled with lies, traps, alluring women and perilous twists. Upshot: A fresh cast, good action but uneven plotting follow-up on 2000’s local hit Double Tap. Satisfaction rating: GOOD - 55
Welcome to Shamatown (決戰剎馬鎮) - Chinese domestic situation comedy
1931, Northwestern China: The legendary bandit Shuanzi Hu (Honglei Sun) appears in Shamatown with ancient artifacts that supposedly lead to a buried treasure. 2006, Shamatown: In an attempt to promote his town as a bandit-themed holiday resort, the ambitious new mayor (Honglei Sun) takes these same artifacts onto a TV antiques show where the panel dismisses them as worthless. Undeterred, the mayor bribes the TV moderator (Yuan Xie) to return with him to publicize their staged discovery of the buried treasure. The mayor’s restaurateur girlfriend (Chiling Lin) doubts his wild scheme to turn their jerkwater village into a tourist boomtown. Meanwhile, one of the TV panelists alerts a crooked Taiwanese-American art collector (Li-chun Lee) who descends on the village with a group of illegal dealers. Soon treasure fever grips the whole community. Upshot: China’s Crazy Stone meets A Simple Noodle Story from award-winning commercials director Weiran Li. Satisfaction rating: ABOVE AVERAGE - 62
Latest Bellwether Films: 4 July 2010
(L) Isabelle Funaro and (R) Michael Youn in 'Fatal'
Last Airbender, The - Hollywood sword & sorcery adventure fantasy
After a century frozen in ice, the last surviving Airbender (Noah Ringer) discovers he is the lone reincarnated Avatar with the potential to manipulate all four elements: air, water, earth and fire. But he only knows the ways of air. He joins forces with a young Waterbender (Nicola Peltz) and her brother (Jackson Rathbone) to learn about water and to prevent the Fire Nation from conquering the Water Nation while being hotly pursued by a banished Fire Prince (Dev Patel). Upshot: Dazzling 3D special effects provide the frosting for this simple myth-blended extranatural martial arts plotline based on the hugely successful Nickelodeon animated TV series. Satisfaction rating: BELOW AVERAGE - 25
Fatal - French entertainment goofball comedy
Heavy bling-bling hardcore rapper Fatal Bazooka (Michael Youn) is an overnight success, having sold 15 million CDs of his album. In keeping with his music, Fatal has led his fans to believe he grew up in the ghetto when, really, he’s from a village in the French Alps. But now with the sudden media attention, he’ll go to any lengths to hide his background. How can he remain “gangsta” when his real life parents are shepherds in Savoy? Satisfaction rating: ABOVE AVERAGE - 66
Outrage (アウトレイジ) - Japanese crime drama action
The chairman (Soichiro Kitamura) of Tokyo’s largest crime syndicate issues a stern warning to his yakuza lieutenant (Tomokazu Miura) and right-hand man (Jun Kunimura) about getting too cozy with the leader (Renji Ishibashi) of an unaffiliated gang. To prove loyalty, the lieutenant immediately orders the unaffiliated gang brought to heel. The lieutenant’s direct subordinate (Takeshi Kitano) and crew then set a trap that unleashes a brutal series Hatfield-and-McCoy-style ambushes, schemes, new alliances, stratagems, betrayals, counter-traps and more assassinations. Upshot: Despite a move toward a Wall Street corporate façade, in the criminal underworld, those who trust anything by guns and violence usually wind up dead. Selected for the 2010 Cannes Film Festival, but did not attract the same level of foreign press raves as previous yakuza films from director-star Takeski Kitano. Satisfaction rating: ABOVE AVERAGE - 66
Twilight 3: Eclipse - Hollywood folkloric fantasy romance
Seeking revenge for the demise of her lover, villainess vampire Victoria (Bryce Dallas Howard) raises an army of powerful “newborn” vampires to send against graduating North Country high schooler Bella (Kristen Stewart) and her vampire boyfriend Edward (Robert Pattison). Bella quickly finds herself torn between her cool love for Edward and her hot-blooded attraction for native Indian buddy-turned-werewolf Jacob (Taylor Lautner) when the two young men join forces to protect Bella from the army of newborns. Upshot: With a better balance between action, fantasy and romance, the film gratifies confirmed fans of the series, but will not increase its already vast legions of devoted followers. Satisfaction rating: GOOD - 54
Latest Bellwether Films: 27 June 2010
Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz
71 - Into the Gunfire (포화 속으로) - Korean wartime action drama
After hostilities commence in June 1950, seventy-one student volunteers are taught to fire exactly one shot, then are posted in front the Pohang Girl’s Middle School with orders to defend the quiet town. That night the student soldiers are surprise-attacked by hundreds of heavily-equipped North Korean regulars. The outnumbered students confront adult emotions as they fight fiercely to the last soul, buying vital time for the routed South Korean army to regroup along the Nakdong River and to be joined by UN forces. Upshot: South Korea’s Alamo. A true story inspired by a letter found among the 71 deceased student soldiers, this movie is the first of several upcoming films in commemoration of the 60th anniversary of the outbreak of the Korean War. Satisfaction rating: ABOVE AVERAGE - 77
Grown Ups - Hollywood domestic goofball comedy
After their high school basketball coach passes away, five former teammates (Adam Sandler, Kevin James, Chris Rock, David Spade, Rob Schneider) refresh their bonds of friendship and family over a Fourth of July weekend at the lake resort where they previously celebrated their youthful championship season. Upshot: More gags than story. Satisfaction rating: BELOW AVERAGE - 37
Knight and Day - Hollywood espionage rom-com action
A charming but lethal covert agent (Tom Cruise), who may have gone rogue, abducts a sweet-natured unlucky-in-love classic car restorer (Cameron Diaz) to keep her from becoming an accidental target of assassination. They are pursued across the globe by determined federal agents (Viola Davis, Peter Sarsgaard) while trying to prevent a secret high-tech invention and its inventor (Paul Dano) from falling in the wrong hands. Upshot: Lots of charisma, lots of fun. Much better than critics would have you believe. Satisfaction rating: ABOVE AVERAGE - 65
Lost on Journey (人在囧途) - Chinese road trip drama comedy
As the Mid-Autumn Moon Festival approaches, a toy company executive (Zheng Xu) plans to join his wife in their hometown of Changsha to announce that he’s leaving her for another woman. But when his flight is cancelled for inclement weather, he boards a train where he joins forces with a zany farm worker (Baoqiang Wang) to overcome one natural disaster after another, switching from train to bus, to ferry, to truck and even to tractor in their mad two-day dash to make the holiday. Once home, he realizes he still loves his wife and does not want to break up their happy family. Upshot: Planes, Trains and Automobiles in China. Satisfaction rating: ABOVE AVERAGE - 66
Raavan - Bollywood crime action romance
When a young police officer (Chiyaan Vikram) accepts the assignment of restoring law and order to the remote northern town of Lal Maati, the local tribal leader (Abhishek Bachchan) challenges his authority by kidnapping the policeman’s new bride (Aishwarya Rai-Bachchan). The tribal leader quickly falls in love the beautiful woman, touching off a war both for control of the town as well as for the woman’s heart. Satisfaction rating: GOOD - 55
Latest Bellwether Films: 20 June 2010
Takako Matsu in 'Confessions'
Confessions (告白) - Japanese school drama suspense
On the final day of class, amidst the texting and talking of the after-lunch bell, a 7th grade teacher (Takako Matsu) calmly announces to her class that she has called off her marriage and will not be returning next year because her 3-year-old daughter was found drowned in the school pool. Without mentioning specific names, she knows her daughter was murdered by two boys in the class. But she does not wish to turn them in to the police because they are too young to be convicted. Instead, she wants justice from their peers to help ruin the rest of their lives beginning with the HIV virus she put in the milk they just consumed. She then walks out to ratchet up the pressure on her perilous plan. Upshot: A dark yet compelling interpretation of Kanae Minato’s 2008 bestselling novel. Satisfaction rating: ABOVE AVERAGE - 78
Garfield’s Pet Force - Indiewood alternate world comedy animation
When an alien invasion puts his friends Odie and Nermal at risk, lazy lasagna-loving cat Garfield dons a cape, transforming himself into a superhero, to save the world. Satisfaction rating: BELOW AVERAGE - 24
Jonah Hex - Hollywood western fantasy action
On a secret assignment from President Grant (Aidan Quinn), a disfigured bounty hunter (Josh Brolin) with an extrasensory ability to talk to corpses tracks down his former Civil War commander (John Malkovich), not only to stop a plot to destroy the nation’s capital on the nation’s hundredth birthday but also to avenge his family’s murder. His only real friend, a beautiful prostitute (Megan Fox), assists him on this perilous mission. Upshot: Charismatic stars Josh Brolin and Megan Fox are largely wasted in this visually interesting but somehow unsatisfying story. The ghostly themes and the hero’s grotesque face do not fit with the otherwise straightforward action line.Satisfaction rating: BELOW AVERAGE - 34
tête en friche, La (Head in the Wasteland) - French relationships drama comedy
Owing to a chance meeting in the park, a marginally literate 45-year-old man (Gerard Depardieu) strikes up a life-changing friendship with a retired agronomy researcher (Gisele Casadesus). She inspires him by reading passages from novels and eventually teaches him to read fluently, thereby improving his confidence. Greater confidence translates into a better life and better relationships, particularly with his girlfriend (Sophie Guillemin). As time passes, the elderly researcher loses her sight and now he reads aloud to her. Satisfaction rating: GOOD - 59
Toy Story 3 - Hollywood anthropomorphic adventure animation
As their owner Andy prepares for college, Woody, Buzz and the other toys (who come to life whenever humans look away) are mistakenly donated to the local Daycare Center. A plush strawberry-scented Teddy bear runs the facility like a prison, putting the new toys with the abusive incorrigible children by day, and locking them into wire bins by night. Woody must bust out his friends and lead them back home where goodhearted Andy can choose their fates. Upshot: Sympathetic characters loyal to a fault and an unexpected plot line create a rare second sequel that holds up as well as the first, featuring the voices of Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Joan Cusack, Don Rickles, Ned Beatty, Michael Keaton and John Ratzenberger. Satisfaction rating: EXCELLENT - 94
Latest Bellwether Films: 13 June 2010
Korea's sexy Yeo-jeong Jo in 'The Servant'
A-Team, The - Hollywood conspiracy suspense action
Framed for stealing US Mint engraving plates while in Iraq, an unconventional black ops Special Forces Alpha-Team (Liam Neeson, Bradley Cooper, MMA champ Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, Sharlto Copley) uses their distinctive skills to escape federal prison and hunt down the culprit rogue general (Gerald McRaney) and impostor CIA operative (Patrick Wilson). All the while, they are hotly pursued by an Army intelligence group headed up by an A-Team member’s ex-girlfriend (Jessica Biel). Upshot: The charismatic cast overcomes a sometimes confusing plotline to recapture the fun spirit of the original TV series. Satisfaction rating: ABOVE AVERAGE - 70
Boy - New Zealand domestic drama comedy
New Zealand, 1984. When his grandmother leaves their rural coastal farm to attend a funeral, an 11-year-old Michael Jackson fan (James Rolleston) and his 6-year-old brother (Te Aho Eketone-Whitu) face the out-of-the-blue return of their father (screenwriter-director Taika Waititi). The boys had envisioned their dad as a larger-than-life superhero: deep sea-diver, war veteran, rugby captain and carpenter with totally boss Jackson dance moves. What they encounter is a recently-released drug-addled convict who’s only interested in the stash of money he buried before going to prison… Then their pet goat enters the scene. Upshot: This picture has surpassed World’s Fastest Indian as New Zealand’s top-grossing local film. Satisfaction rating: EXCELLENT - 85
City Island - Indiewood domestic comedy drama
Assuming custody, a NY prison guard (Andy Garcia) takes home a petty convict (Steven Strait) to his dysfunctional family in a Bronx fishing village on a work-for-boarding furlough. The handsome stranger then touches off a chain of events that compels every member of the family to reveal their deepest darkest secret: that the prison guard secretly studies acting, that the fiery wife (Julianna Margulies) suspects her husband’s weekly poker games of covering an extramarital affair and plots revenge, that the daughter (Dominik Garcia-Lorido) dropped out of college to become a stripper, that the skinny teenage son (Ezra Miller) fancies fat girls, and that the petty convict is actually the prison guard’s biological son. Upshot: A quality cast empowers this smart romp about the pitfalls of keeping secrets. Satisfaction rating: ABOVE AVERAGE - 78
Karate Kid, The - Hollywood sports martial arts drama
When his single mom (Taraji P. Henson) is transferred to Beijing from Detroit, a 12-year-old African American boy (Jaden Smith) draws the ire of an expert martial arts bully (Zhenwei Wang) for befriending a pretty schoolmate (Wenwen Han). The cranky middle aged apartment building maintenance man (Jackie Chan), himself a secret kung-fu master, rescues the boy from a severe six-on-one beating. Afterward, the maintenance man cuts a deal with the bully’s win-at-all-costs Wushu master (Rongguang Yu) to prohibit further confrontations while the boys train for a formal showdown at an upcoming kung-fu tournament. The maintenance man then unleashes a most underwhelming lesson plan to prepare his now-eager student both for the tournament and for life by demonstrating that kung-fu is more about a determined dignity and an inner calm than about kicks or punches. Upshot: A satisfying reboot of the 1984 classic that spectacularly showcases modern China. Satisfaction rating: ABOVE AVERAGE - 62
Raajneeti (Politics) - Bollywood politics tragedy drama
Although desperate to avoid his dynastic family’s business - politics - a New York PhD candidate (Ranbir Kapoor) finds himself pulled back to India when his uncle, the family patriarch and elder statesman, suffers a stroke that sets off a power struggle for control of their political party. He joins forces with his brother (Arjun Rampal) in an escalating battle of dirty tricks, corruption and violence against their cousin (Manoj Bajpai) and, unbeknownst to all, their low caste illegitimate half-brother (Ajay Devgan). The older brother’s arranged-marriage wife (Katrina Kaif) complicates matters by vying for the younger brother’s heart with his American girlfriend (Sarah Thompson). Upshot: Inspired by The Godfather and loosely based on the ancient epic Mahabharata about two princes angling for a kingdom, the film also echoes the true life story of the Congress Party’s Sonia Gandhi. Satisfaction rating: ABOVE AVERAGE - 72
Servant, The (방자전) - Korean period erotic romantic-comedy
A beautiful young gisaeng - Korean geisha - (Yeo-jeong Jo) sets her sights on marrying a wealthy nobleman (Seung-beom Ryu) until his handsome manservant (Ju-hyuk Kim) discretely seduces her. Then the nobleman finds out. Upshot: Based on a popular Korean folktale, the film adds a humorous Dangerous Liaisons slant by re-imagining the classic story with an unattractive nobleman. Satisfaction rating: ABOVE AVERAGE - 78
Ženy v pokušení (Women in Temptation) - Czech domestic situation romantic-comedy
A well-known marriage and family psychologist (Lenka Vlasáková) finds herself in circumstances she usually resolves with her patients: Her husband has been caught cheating with a younger woman. Her twenty-something daughter (Veronika Kubarová) wants to be supportive, but is also struggling with the rebukes of her first true love. Her ex-actress mother (Eliska Balzerová) offers an easy solution for both mother and daughter: Replace the bums! Satisfaction rating: ABOVE AVERAGE - 73
Latest Bellwether Films: 7 June 2010
Katherine Heigl and Ashton Kutcher in 'Killers'
Get Him to the Greek - Hollywood entertainment goffball comedy
An ambitious record company flunkie (Jonah Hill) gets the career-making dream assignment of escorting his personal rock god idol (Russell Brand) from London to LA’s Greek Theater for his anniversary concert kick-off of a $100-million world tour. Along the way he must coax, lie, cajole, facilitate and put his relationship with his true-love girlfriend (Elisabeth Moss) at risk to contend with all the distractions, side trips, brawls and hedonistic indulgences of his charge. Upshot: Raunchy humor about the perils of debauchery. Satisfaction rating: ABOVE AVERAGE - 77
Marmaduke - Hollywood anthropomorphic kid-friendly comedy
When his human family moves from Kansas to the OC in Southern California, a lovable Great Dane tries to fit in with the pedigreed canines at the dog park while completely oblivious to the unintended havoc left in his wake. Upshot: Talking animal wit and scatological humor served up in family-friendly fashion with the voices of Owen Wilson, Fergie, George Lopez, Emma Stone and Kiefer Sutherland. Satisfaction rating: GOOD - 45
Killers - Hollywood espionage action romantic-comedy
On the rebound from a failed relationship, a beautiful young computer tech (Katherine Heigl) falls for the man of her dreams (Ashton Kutcher) while vacationing on the French Riviera. Three idyllic years of marriage later, the neighbors suddenly start trying to kill her husband to collect a $20 million bounty. Turns out, he forgot to mention that he had been an international super-spy. Now, between dodging bullets, they must find out who wants him dead and why. Upshot: Guilty pleasure for fans of the charismatic leads in an also-ran Mr. & Mrs. Smith. Satisfaction rating: BELOW AVERAGE - 31
Splice - Hollywood speculative-present horror science-fiction
Using gene splicing in the search for medical cures, two young scientists (Adrien Brody, Sarah Poley) create a part-human, part-animal creature (Delphine Chaneac) that threatens all humanity. Satisfaction rating: GOOD - 49
Vincent will meer (Vincent wants the sea) - German road trip comedy drama
His mother’s last wish was to see the sea once more. But now his estranged politician father (Heino Ferch) wants him returned to the institution. So the 27-year-old Tourette’s sufferer (Florian David Fitz) grabs his mother’s ashes and, together with his anorexic (Karoline Herfurth) and compulsive (John Allmayer) friends, sets off on a madcap cross-country race to the Italian coast to cast his mother’s ashes adrift before they get caught. Satisfaction rating: ABOVE AVERAGE - 75
Latest Bellwether Films: 1 June 2010
Greenberg - Indiewood personal comedy drama
Recently released from a New York mental hospital, an unhappy unemployed 40-year-old (Ben Stiller) returns to his old Los Angeles neighborhood to housesit for his very successful married brother (Chris Messina). He tries to restart his life by reconnecting with his ex-girlfriend (Jennifer Jason Leigh) and former band mate (Rhys Ifans) but, ultimately, finds a reason for hope through his budding relationship with his brother’s personal assistant (Greta Gerwig). Upshot: Dark-edged humor warms up an otherwise hard-to-like protagonist. Satisfaction rating: ABOVE AVERAGE - 79
Kites - Bollywood crime action romance
When Las Vegas dance instructor Jay (Hrithik Roshan) pursues his student Gina, the daughter (Kangana Ranaut) of a wealthy casino owner, he finds himself welcomed to the family in time for her brother Tony’s (Nicholas Brown) wedding. Unbeknownst to the family, Jay had previously married-for-hire the brother’s Mexican fiancée Natasha (Barbara Mori) to help her secure a green card. On the night before the wedding, Jay catches Tony smacking her around and, unable to tolerate this abuse, runs off with his ex-wife. What follows is a life-and-death race to escape Tony’s wrath. Satisfaction rating: GOOD - 59
Sex and the City 2 - Hollywood relationships ensemble comedy
Two years later. Newlywed Carrie’s (Sarah Jessica Parker) marriage to “Big” (Chris Noth) is strained when an all-expenses-paid girls-only trip to Abu Dhabi with her girlfriends (Kim Cattrall, Kristin Davis, Cynthia Nixon) leads to a chance meeting with her former fiancé (John Corbett). Upshot: Not much sex, much less city. How do you have a single-girl-in-New York romantic-comedy with happily-married protagists in Arabia? Still, if you liked the TV show, you may like catching up with the show’s characters. Satisfaction rating: BELOW AVERAGE - 27
StreetDance 3D - British competition dance drama
When Carly (Nichola Burley) and her streetdance crew lose both their leader and their rehearsal space while training for the UK Streetdance Championships, a ballet headmistress (Charlotte Rampling) offers use of her school’s rehearsal facilities in return for an injection of the street dance intensity lacking in her classically-trained students. The two disparate teams must work together to win the competition. Upshot: Predictable plot uplifted by exceptional dancing that includes Britain’s Got Talent champs George Sampson, Flawless and Diversity. Satisfaction rating: GOOD - 41
Latest Bellwether Films: 24 May 2010
(L) Belgium's Virginie Efira in 'L'amour, c'est mieu a deux', and Korea's Seo Woo and (R) Do-yeon Jeon in 'The Housemaid'
amour, c’est mieux à deux, L’ (Love is better with two) - French big date repartee romantic-comedy
Thirty-something Michel (Clovis Cornillac) believes he’ll meet his dream girl by pure chance, just like his parents and his grandparents. Vincent (Manu Payet) believes times have changed. Men pick their mates more aggressively, based more on physical attraction than brains. These contrasting views get completely shot down the moment they come in contact with Angèle (Virginie Efira) and Nathalie (Annelise Hesme). Satisfaction ratings: ABOVE AVERAGE - 71
Babies (Bébés) - Indiewood domestic topical documentary
One year in the life of four babies in different parts of the world (Mongolia, Namibia, San Francisco and Tokyo) focusing on cultural differences and similarities. Satisfaction ratings: ABOVE AVERAGE - 62
Badmaash Company - Bollywood business romance drama
1994. Bombay (now Mumbai). Four new college graduates (Shahid Kapoor, Anushka Sharma, Vir Das, Meiyang Chang) start an instantly successful business by smuggling foreign goods into India to avoid the heavy import taxes. As the company prospers, greed quickly drives a wedge between the partners, threatening both their professional and their personal lives. Upshot: “Badmaash” means scoundrel, echoing a theme about the self-destructive nature of underhanded business practices. Satisfaction rating: GOOD - 57
Farsan (Dad) - Scandinavian domestic goofball romantic-comedy
Encouraged on by his married son (Hamadi Khemiri), a widowered bicycle repairman (Jan Fares) romances his boss’ (Torkel Petersson) mother (Anita Wall). Satisfaction rating: GOOD - 52
Housemaid, The (하녀) - Korean domestic erotic suspense
An attractive thirty-something divorcee (Do-yeon Jeon) accepts the live-in maid job with an upper class family. Soon the husband (Jung-Jae Lee) uses his social position to bed the new maid. His bedroom visits become frequent. The old housemaid (Yeo-jong Yoon) reports the affair to his wife’s mother (Ji-yeong Park). The wife’s mother decides to use the scandal to give the wife (Seo Woo) dominance over her husband. Then the maid turns up pregnant and wants to keep the baby. Despite pleas to the contrary, the wife’s mother forces the maid to abort. Upon discovery, the husband angrily confronts his mother-in-law: illegitimate or not, the baby should have been born. Meanwhile, the maid’s mental condition deteriorates to the point that she decides to seek revenge against the whole family. Upshot: A competent re-imagining of the 1960 Korean classic and was selected for competition at the just-wrapped 2010 Cannes. Satisfaction rating: ABOVE AVERAGE - 65
MacGruber - Hollywood conspiracy action comedy
Ten years after his fiancée’s death, ex-special forces operative MacGruber (Will Forte) is called back to action from his Ecuadorian retreat to recover the nuclear warhead stolen by his archenemy Dieter Von Cunth (Val Kilmer). He assembles an elite team (including Ryan Phillippe and Kristen Wiig) to stop Von Cunth’s plot to nuke Washington, D.C. Upshot: One-note comedy based on an NBC-TV’s Saturday Night Live sketch. Satisfaction rating: GOOD - 55
Mammuth - French road trip true-to-life drama
An about-to-retire slaughterhouse worker (Gérard Depardieu), nicknamed “Mammuth,” discovers that some former employers failed to turn in the requisite paperwork to secure his full retirement benefits. At the urging of his wife (Yolande Moreau), he jumps on the back of his 1970s Mammuth motorcycle in search of his old bosses and the missing documents. During the journey, he relives his youth and remembers his first true love who died in a tragic motorcycle accident. Satisfaction ratings: ABOVE AVERAGE - 74
My Darling Is a Foreigner (ダーリンは外国人) - Japanese domestic drama romantic-comedy
A manga artist (Mao Inoue) falls in love with a Danish-American language geek (Jonathan Sherr) in Japan, but once they marry, cultural differences put their relationship at risk. Inspired by the true story of Saori Oguri and her husband Tony Laszio. Satisfaction rating: ABOVE AVERAGE - 71
Prince of Persia - Hollywood supergenre subgenre genre
A rogue Prince (Jake Gyllenhaal) reluctantly joins forces with a mysterious princess (Gemma Arterton) and, together, they race against dark forces to safeguard an ancient dagger capabale of releasting the Sands Of Time - a gift from the gods that can reverse time and allow its possessor to rule the world. (Disney Pictures) Upshot: Inspired by the video game. Satisfaction rating: ABOVE AVERAGE - 62
Shrek Forever After - Hollywood alternate world adventure animation
Nostalgic for his carefree life as a single ogre, Shrek signs a one-day magic contract with smoothtalker Rumpelstiltskin and finds himself transported to an alternate Far Far Away. Rumpelstiltskin is king, ogres are hunted, Fiona leads a resistance movement and Shrek was never born. Shrek has 24 hours to reclaim his disbelieving true love or lose his happy family forever. Upshot: An enchanted reimagining of the elements that made Shrek beloved by audiences. However the sharp price increase for 3D/IMAX produced a softer than expected opening, throwing an obvious chink in Hollywood’s plan to use 3D premium prices as a substitute for diminished video revenues. Satisfaction rating: ABOVE AVERAGE - 67
Snabba Cash (Easy Money) - Scandinavian crime thriller suspense
Desperate to keep up with his ritzy upper class girlfriend friend (Lisa Henni), a young financial wizard (Joel Kinnaman) becomes a runner for a coke dealer (Mahmut Suvaki) which, in turn, puts him on a deadly collision course with an escaped convict (Matias Padin Varela) and a Yugoslavian mafia hit man (Dragomir Mrsic). Upshot: Warner Brother won the intense bidding war for a Hollywood remake to star Zac Efron. Based on a novel by Stockholm defense lawyer Jens Lapidus. Satisfaction rating: ABOVE AVERAGE - 75
Trick 3: Psychic Battle Royale (劇場版TRICK 霊能力者バトルロイヤル) - Japanese crime comedy suspense
Female magician Naoko (Yukie Nakama) and genius physicist Jiro (Hiroshi Abe) re-team to solve a new supernatural mystery. When a renowned clairvoyant dies, his mountain village holds a psychic battle royale to find his successor. Naoko enters the contest in hopes of winning the cash prize. Meanwhile, a villager who wants to end the village’s psychic tradition calls in Jiro to demonstrate that psychic powers do not really exist. Unbeknownst to all, another contestant has advance-rigged a dangerous trick to walk away on top. Upshot: A third theatrical spin-off based of the three-year comedic Ashai-TV series about a beautiful magician and a shrew physicist who debunk fraudulent spiritualists. Satisfaction rating: ABOVE AVERAGE - 66
Latest Bellwether Films: 17 May 2010
Amanda Seyfried, Vanessa Redgrave and Christopher Egan in 'Letters to Juliet'
Blades of Blood (구르믈 버서난 달처럼) - Korean sword & sorcery martial arts drama
1592. Joseon Dynasty, Korea. With a Japanese invasion looming and Joseon rule in disarray, two warriors lead Korea’s lower classes in rebellion against their oppressive government. One warrior (Seung-won Cha) quickly betrays his allies, claims royal heritage, and becomes king. The other warrior disappears among the peasants but becomes legendary as the blind swordsman (Jeong-min Wang). The blind man teaches a young disciple (Seong-hyeon Baek), whose father was killed by the new king, in the ways of the sword. The lad soon falls for the king’s onetime lover (Ji-hye Han), a beautiful gisaeng (Korean geisha), and ultimately must fight the king both for justice and for her love. Based on the graphic novel “Like the Moon Escaping from the Clouds” by Heung-yong Park. Satisfaction rating: Above Average - 60
Just Wright - ethnic relationships sports romantic-comedy
When her trophy-wife wannabe god-sister (Paula Patton) dumps a star basketball player (Common) when an injury threatens his carrer, a straight-shooter physical therapist (Queen Latifah) energizes his rehabilitation only to find herself falling for him … made all the more complicated when her golddigger god-sister re-enters the picture upon his recovery. Upshot: Heartfelt with charismatic leads, but fairly routine poor girl-rich boy romance. Satisfaction rating: GOOD - 40
Letters to Juliet - Hollywood relationships adventure romantic-comedy
Traveling to the city of Romeo and Juliet on a business trip with her fiancé (Gael Garcia Bernal), a magazine fact checker and aspring writer (Amanda Seyfried) answers a 50-year-old letter to Juliet for romantic advice as part of a Verona volunteer group and soon finds herself joining that English woman (Vanessa Redgrave) and her surly yet handsome grandson (Christopher Egan) on a search through Tuscany for her long lost love (Franco Nero). Along the way, they each find true love. Upshot: Fresh charming romance and star-building vehicle for Amanda Seyfried but with a predictable storyline. Satisfaction rating: GOOD - 56
Que se mueran los feos (Death to Ugly People) - Spanish domestic situation romantic-comedy
At his mother’s (Petra Martinez) funeral, an unattractive, single 40-year-old farmer (Javier Camara) comes across his equally unattractive, separated sister-in-law (Carmen Machi) and the sparks fly. After 20 years, they finally have a chance at romance. But what do you do when the love of your life is still married to your brother (Pere Arquillue)? The unusual title references a 1965 Spanish pop song. Satisfaction rating: Good - 59
Robin Hood - Hollywood period action drama
Europe. Late 13th Century. A royal archer (Russell Crowe) in the army of Richard Coeur de Lion (Danny Huston) assumes the identity of a murdered nobleman (Douglas Hodge) in order to help the man’s widow (Cate Blanchett) save her land while also contending with the tyrannical new King John (Oscar Isaac) and his treacherous advisor (Mark Strong) who secretly conspires with France for a Norman invasion of England. Upshot: Interesting reimagining of a familiar tale, interlaced with the historic movement behind the Magna Carta charter of freedoms, but this grim saga lacks the classic light-hearted sense of adventure. Satisfaction rating: ABOVE AVERAGE - 66
Latest Bellwether Films: 10 May 2010
(Above) Donnie Yen as Yip Man, (below) the actual Yip Man with Bruce Lee
Best Seller (베스트셀러) - Korean personal horror suspense
Accused of plagiarizing a writing competition entry, a famous crime novelist (Jeong-Hwa Eom) goes into retreat to a small house in the country. She meets a strange figure who tells her stories that intrigue. She spends two years collecting her memories, drawing on the horrific stories, and writing her next mystery. The book becomes an instant best seller. Its success, however, is short lived. Key elements of the novel are discovered to have been published a decade earlier. To prove her innocence, she goes back to the house where a yet bigger mystery awaits. Satisfaction rating: Excellent - 84
Burnt by the Sun 2 (Утомленные солнцем 2) - Russian wartime suspense drama
Five Years Later. Having been attacked by former ally Adolf Hitler, Comrade Joseph Stalin (Maksim Sukhanov) must mobilize the Soviet population … including the elite military officers he had previously exiled to penal camps. Former Commander Kotov (Nikita Mikhalkov), who miraculously survived his death sentence in Stalin’s Purge, finds himself on the front lines as a private in a penal battalion. Meanwhile his now-grown daughter Nadya (Nadezhda Mikhalkova) risks her life as a nurse to save others. Even former enemies fight together to save their nation and reunite their families. Satisfaction rating: Below Average - 31
Gintama (2010) (劇場版銀魂 新訳紅桜篇) - Japanese speculative-past sci-fi animation
Edo, Japan. Alternate Early 19th Century. Samurai Sakata Gintoki lives in an era when samurais are no longer needed. Oppressive aliens called the Amanto have conquered Japan and banned the carrying of swords in public. To pay rent, Gintoki together with teenager Shinpachi and his sister Kagura form the “Odd Jobs Gin” and take on free-lance assignments. In this episode, the Odd Jobs Gin search for Gintoki’s former comrade Kotaro Katsura who has been attacked by a Kiheitai soldier. A Warner Brothers co-production based on the manga and TV-Toyko anime series. Satisfaction rating: Excellent - 91
Houseful - Bollywood domestic situation romantic-comedy
Having been rewarded by his boss (Randhir Kapoor) with the hand of the boss’ daughter (Jiah Khan) in marriage, who promptly runs off with her lover, a casino cooler (Akshay Kumar) concludes that he must find true love to break his bad luck jinx. Through a series of comic mishaps, he finds himself married to two additional women (Deepika Padukone, Lara Dutta) - none of whom knows about the others. Naturally, all these chickens come home to roost all at once. Satisfaction rating: Above Average - 71
Yip Man 2 (葉問2:宗師傳奇) - Chinese work place biographical action
1949. Martial arts grandmaster Yip Man (Donnie Yen) moves his family to Hong Kong. He overcomes many pugilistic tests and intrigues from triad-influenced competitor martial arts schools for the unquestioned right to publicly teach the secret fighting style of Wing Chun coupled with upright moral values. His most famous students include Bruce Lee as well as several generations of quality instructors who would spread the art worldwide. Satisfaction rating: Above Average - 79
Latest Bellwether Films: 3 May 2010
Crayon Shin Chan 18: The Storm Summoned My Bride (クレヨンしんちゃん 超時空！嵐を呼ぶオラの花嫁) - Japanese speculative future sci-fi animation
This manga-inspired serial follows the adventures of five-year-old “Shin” Shinnosuke Nohara, his family and friends in Kasukabe, Japan: For the present episode, a sexy young woman claiming to be Shin’s fiancée from the future arrives via time machine. She needs the boy to accompany her back to save Shin’s future grown self in the New Tokyo of a post-meteorite disaster. Satisfaction rating: Above Average - 77
Furry Vengeance - Hollywood domestic situation comedy
In an untouched wilderness region, a real estate development exec’s (Brendan Fraser) new housing subdivision comes under threat when the local woodland critters, led by a cunning raccoon, defend their homes by seeking revenge directly against him. Satisfaction rating: Below Average - 22
Iron Man 2 - Hollywood superhero action science fiction
With the world now aware of his dual identity, billionaire industrialist Tony Stark (Robert Downey, Jr.) resists pressure from the government, the media, and the public to his his iron man technology. He forges new alliances and battles new enemies to keep his suit from falling into the wrong hands. Satisfaction rating: Above Average - 75
Nightmare on Elm Street (2010), An - Hollywood supernatural fantasy horror
A disfigured ghoul (Jackie Earle Haley) wielding a razor-sharp steel-clawed glove disembowels teenagers in their nightmares, resulting in their actual deaths in the waking world. Satisfaction rating: Good - 49
Latest Bellwether Films: 25 April 2010
Zoe Saldana in 'The Losers'
Aventures Extraordinaries d’Adele Blanc-Sec, Les (The Extraordinary Adventures of Adele Blanc-Sec) - French period action fantasy
1912. Returning from the ancient Egyptian tomb of Patmosis, beautiful yet daring Parisian reporter Adèle Blanc-Sec (Louise Bourgoin) takes on a psychopathic pterodactyl that mysteriously hatched from a 136 million year-old egg at the Natural History Museum. She tames the pterodactyl and rides the flying dinosaur to rescue an elderly professor from the guillotine because he holds the key to reanimating the Egyptian mummy linked to the pterodactyl attacks. Satisfaction rating: ABOVE AVERAGE - 62
Back-Up Plan, The - Hollywood relationships situation romantic comedy
On the same day after being artificially inseminated, a single woman meets the man of her dreams and, as the romance progresses, must figure out not only how to tell him but also where to take the relationship from there. Satisfaction rating: BELOW AVERAGE - 28
Camping 2 - French holiday situation comedy
Four Years Later, August. When his girlfriend (Marilyne Canto) wants a time out, a middle aged insurance manager (Richard Anconina) changes his vacation plans to the Bleus Plots campgrounds where he stumbles across Patrick Chirac (Franck Dubosc) and the whole gang from the original Camping. Satisfaction rating: BELOW AVERAGE - 33
Detective Conan 14: The Lost Ship in the Sky (Meitantei Konan Tenkuu no Rosuto Shippu; 名探偵コナン 天空の難破船) - Japanese crime mystery animation
In a past assassination attempt, the Black Organization crime ring poisoned investigator Jimmy Kudo with a drug that inadvertently shrank him. Now he lives incognito posing as a 7-year-old and solves cases as Detective Edogawa Conan: In this latest adventure Sonoko’s uncle, invites Conan, Ran and the Junior Detective League to ride Bell Tree, the largest airship in the world, on a six-hour trip to Osaka. However, Kid has his eyes set on the “Lady of the Sky” jewel aboard the vessel. Also, the mysterious terrorist group known as Red Siamese Cat skyjacks the ship and accidentally releases a deadly virus. Satisfaction rating: GOOD
Go Lala Go! (Du Lala sheng zhi ji; 杜拉拉升职记) - Chinese work place romance comedy
A pretty young woman (Jinglei Xu) chooses the high road to advancement, from college graduate to senior HR manager, in the cutthroat fashion world while working for an international Fortune 500 corporation. Along the way, she finds romance with a handsome colleague (Stanley Huang). Satisfaction rating: ABOVE AVERAGE - 69
invités de mon père, Les (My Father’s Guests) - French domestic situation comedy
Scandalizing both his son (Fabrice Luchini) and his daughter (Karin Viard), a retired eighty-something doctor (Michel Aumont) marries a twenty-something undocumented Moldavian sex kitten (Veronika Novak) to prevent her deportation. The good doctor insists that the marriage is genuine. Satisfaction rating: ABOVE AVERAGE - 68
Losers, The - Hollywood conspiracy suspense action
On a mission to destroy a drug operation inside the Bolivian jungle, an elite U.S. Special Forces unit (Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Chris Evans, Idris Elba, Columbus Short, Oscar Jaenada) is betrayed and left for dead by their remote CIA black ops handler Max (Jason Patric). Aided by a mysterious exotic beauty (Zoe Saldana) with her own hidden agenda, the team seeks retribution against the traitorous handler who now seems bent on sparking a new world war. Satisfaction rating: ABOVE AVERAGE - 61
Nodame Cantabile Part 2 (Nodame Kantabire saishu gakusho - Gopen; のだめカンタービレ 最終楽章 後編) - Japanese song & dance comedy romance
Picking up where the Part 1 left off, Nodame (Juri Ueno) and Chiaki (Hiroshi Tamaki) mutually decide that it would be for the best if they parted ways for a while so Nodame can practice for an upcoming competition. However, when things don’t go her way, she gets impatient and depressed. While Nodame is away, Chiaki’s former pianist, pretty Rui Son (Yu Yamada), returns to take her place. To make matters worse, Rui and Chiaki are set to play the song Nodame dreams of playing with Chiaki herself: Ravel’s “Concerto in G Minor”. Based on the Fuji-TV series and manga by Tomoko Ninomiya. Satisfaction rating: ABOVE AVERAGE
Veda - Ataturk (Farewell Ataturk) - Turkish epic biographical drama
The life of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk (Sinan Tuzcu) from childhood to soldier to resistance leader to founder of the Turkish Republic as enabled by his closest friend Salih Bozok (Serhat Mustafa Kiliç). Satisfaction rating: ABOVE AVERAGE
2010 Marquee Stars Encores
World’s Favorite
ENCORE PICTURE SELECTIONS
With the mainstream media basking in the cinematic achievements of Best Picture The Hurt Locker, as well as with all the individual Oscar winners, Marquee Stars also looks back at the films of 2009. Our purpose, however, is to present a more complete perspective on current world cinema, on what draws audiences and what inspires audiences, than may be afforded by a focus on artistic and technical merit.
Below, the Marquee Stars Encore Picture Selections highlight the world’s favorite films - those pictures at the crossroads between box office performance, aggregated critical appeal and aggregated audience satisfaction. Our selections have been statistically generated into four broad categories: International Favorites, Genre Favorites, Demographic Favorites and Circuit Favorites.
FAVORITE TENTPOLE PICTURE
Avatar - alternate world adventure science fiction - 13+
Psychically linked to a remote-controlled biological body, or “avatar,” wheelchair-bound ex-Marine Jake (Sam Worthington) joins a scientific expedition led by Dr. Augustine (Sigourney Weaver) on planet Pandora to make peace with the native humanoid inhabitants to enable the mining of a precious ore. He falls in love with the daughter (Zoe Saldana) of a tribal chieftain.
FAVORITE MAINSTREAM PICTURE
Star Trek - speculative-future thriller science fiction - 13+
Inspired by Capt. Pike (Bruce Greenwood), a troubled young James T. Kirk (Chris Pine) enters Starfleet Academy and soon crosses swords with Vulcan officer Spock (Zachary Quinto) over command of the USS Enterprise during their battle with the time-traveling Romulans who killed Kirk’s father.
FAVORITE GENRE PICTURE
Crank 2: High Voltage - crime thriller action - 17+ A onetime hitman (Jason Statham) awakes to find that a Chinese mobster (David Carradine) has replaced his real heart with an artificial organ. He must recover his real heart and have it surgically reinserted before his artificial heart gives out.
FAVORITE ARTHOUSE PICTURE
Up in the Air - relationships romance drama - 13+ A corporate downsizing consultant (George Clooney) leads a happy-go-lucky life traveling the country to orchestrate lay-offs, living out of a suitcase, and enjoying no-strings relationships. Then his lifestyle comes under threat when a hungry young professional (Anna Kendrick) devises a new way to do his job, and he meets a sexy traveling companion (Vera Farmiga) who unexpectedly rocks his world.
FAVORITE OVERSEAS PICTURE
Hachiko: A Dog’s Tale (Hachi) - domestic true-to-life drama - 0+ American adaptation of a Japanese true story about an abandoned dog’s devotion to a college professor (Richard Gere).
FAVORITE NON-ENGLISH PICTURE
Broken Embraces (Los Abrazos Rotos) - Spanish language noir romance suspense - 17+ A movie director (Lluís Homar) begins a steamy off-set romance with his leading lady (Penélope Cruz) until a car accident takes his sight and her life. He suspects the son (Rubén Ochandiano) of her rich ex-boyfriend (José Luis Gómez) may be responsible.
ACTION
Fast & Furious 4 - crime suspense action - 13+
An on-the-lam street racing legend (Vin Diesel) joins forces with former nemesis undercover-cop-turned-FBI agent (Paul Walker) to bring down heroin smugglers and avenge his girlfriend’s (Michelle Rodriguez) murder.
ANIMATION
Up - road trip adventure animation - 7+
Tying thousands of balloons to his condemned house, a retired balloon salesman sets off to fulfill his and his deceased wife’s lifelong dream of travelling to the wilds of South Africa. He soon learns that an 8-year-old boy has inadvertently stowed away .
COMEDY
Hangover, The - vacation situation comedy - 17+
Three groomsmen (Bradley Cooper, Zack Galifianakis, Ed Helms) search Las Vegas for the missing groom (Justin Bartha) after a drunken overnight adventure.
ROMANTIC COMEDY
Proposal, The - relationships comedy romance - 13+
A pushy NY book editor (Sandra Bullock) forces her young assistant (Ryan Reynolds) to marry her in order to avoid deportation to Canada.
DOCUMENTARY
This Is It - song & dance performance documentary - 7+
The late ‘King of Pop’ (Michael Jackson) prepares for his final sold-out tour.
DRAMA
Invictus - sports biographical drama - 13+
As the first post-apartheid President of South Africa, Nelson Mandela (Morgan Freeman) lends his considerable support to the national rugby team, lobbying for South Africa to host the 1995 Rugby World Cup. He also reaches out personally to the white team captain (Matt Damon) in hopes of inspiring the team to improve its losing record sufficiently to give the nation a common reason to root for their country.
FANTASY
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince - magical adventure fantasy - 7+
In his 6th year at Hogwarts School, Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe) finds a book of spells that belonged to the “Half-Blood Prince” and begins to unlock Voldemort’s secret past and dark agenda.
HORROR
Drag Me to Hell - supernatural thriller horror - 13+
A bank loan officer (Alison Lohman) finds herself on the wrong side of a demon curse when she’s ordered to evict an old woman from her home.
ROMANCE
Time Traveler’s Wife, The - relationships sci-fi romance - 13+
Born with a genetic disorder that causes him to time-travel when stressed, a Chicago librarian (Eric Bana) struggles to build a strong marriage with the love of his life (Rachel McAdams).
SCIENCE FICTION
Avatar - alternate world adventure science fiction - 13+
Psychically linked to a remote-controlled biological body, or “avatar,” wheelchair-bound ex-Marine Jake (Sam Worthington) joins a scientific expedition led by Dr. Augustine (Sigourney Weaver) on planet Pandora to make peace with the native humanoid inhabitants to enable the mining of a precious ore. He falls in love with the daughter (Zoe Saldana) of a tribal chieftain.
SUS
PENSE
Män som hatar kvinnor (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo) - Swedish language crime thriller suspense - 13+
A disgraced financial journalist (Michael Nyqvist) and a Goth computer hacker (Noomi Rapace) are hired by a wealthy patriarch to investigate the cold case disappearance of his niece. In the process, they uncover dark family secrets with links to grotesque murders and political intrigue.
CROSSOVER FLICK
Public Enemies - crime biographical drama - 17+
The final years and downfall of Depression era bank robber John Dillinger (Johnny Depp) at the hands of FBI agent Melvin Purvis (Christian Bale).
CHICK FLICK
(500) Days of Summer - relationship romance drama - 13+
Sentimental greeting card company employee (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) pursues an attractive co-worker (Zooey Deschanel) who does not believe in true love. They have a friends-with-benefits fling until he becomes too serious and she breaks it off only to find true love with someone else.
FAMILY FLICK
Earth - wilderness topical documentary - 0+
Four animal families follow separate migratory paths and encounter natural wonders along the way.
GUY FLICK
Terminator Salvation - speculative-future action science fiction - 13+
After Skynet’s machines have destroyed most of the civilized world in a nuclear holocaust, John Connor (Christian Bale) becomes leader of the human resistance but questions his decisions when mysterious stranger Marcus (Sam Worthington) shows up to help keep the machines from finishing the job.
KID FLICK
Where the Wild Things Are - personal adventure fantasy - 13+
A disobedient 9-year-old boy (Max Records) gets sent to his room by his mother (Catherine Keener) where he runs away, sails across the sea to the land of huge, hairy wild things who crown him king.
YOUTH FLICK
Uninvited, The - supernatural drama horror - 13+
After a stint in a mental hospital following her mother’s death, a young woman (Emily Browning) returns home to her much missed sister (Arielle Kebbel) only to find her full recovery jeopardized by her cruel new stepmother (Elizabeth Banks), detached father (David Strathairn), and ghostly happenings.
ANGLO-AMERICA
Blind Side, The - domestic true life drama - 13+
Proper well-to-do Southern homemaker (Sandra Bullock) takes in a homeless African-American teenager (Quinton Aaron) and, through determined parenting and a strong family ethic, transforms him into a hot prospect for the best collegiate football scholarships.
INDIEWOOD
Up in the Air - relationships romance drama - 13+
A corporate downsizing consultant (George Clooney) leads a happy-go-lucky life traveling the country to orchestrate lay-offs, living out of a suitcase, and enjoying no-strings relationships. Then his lifestyle comes under threat when a hungry young professional (Anna Kendrick) devises a new way to do his job, and he meets a sexy traveling companion (Vera Farmiga) who unexpectedly rocks his world.
ETHNIC/URBAN
Precious - personal true-to-life drama - 17+
Repeatedly raped by her father and abused by her mother (Mo’Nique), a 350-pound teenager (Gabby Sidibe) terminates all contact with her toxic family and focuses on building a life for herself and her two small children despite being diagnosed as HIV positive.
BOLLYWOOD
3 Idiots - Bollywood nostalgic melodramatic comedy - 7+
Two buddies (Madavan Rangahathan and Sharman Joshi) decide to go on a quest to find their long lost third buddy (Aamir Khan), a charismatic rebel who transformed their view of life. As they search for him, they relive their college adventures together, their tyrannical teacher (Boman Irani) and their buddy’s romance with the spunky Pia (Kareena Kapoor).
CHINESE
Red Cliff 2: The Decisive Battle (赤壁（下）) - Chinese language epic drama action - 13+
Gorgeous princess Sun Shangxiang (“Vicki” Wei Zhao) infiltrates power-mad warlord Cao Cao’s (Fengyi Zhang) camp and sends back military reconnaissance to General Yu (Tony Leung Chiu Wai) by carrier pigeon, while General Yu’s wife (Chiling Lin) - whom Cao Cao has long lusted after - arrives behind enemy lines to delay Cao Cao’s attack a little longer by distracting him while her husband commences the Battle of Red Cliff with a surprise attack by sea.
DUTCH
Komt een vrouw bij de dokter (A Woman Goes to the Doctor) - Dutch language medical romance drama - 13+
When his wife (Carice van Houten) is diagnosed with advanced breast cancer, a young successful professional (Barry Atsma) finds solace in the arms of a sultry beauty (Anna Drijver).
EAST EUROPE
Kochaj i tancz (Love and Dance) - Polish language song & dance comedy romance - 13+
While preparing for her wedding to Slawek (Wojciech Mecwaldowski), rookie journalist Hania’s (Izabella Miko) first assignment takes her into the world of Warsaw’s dance stage where she discovers her long-lost father (Jacek Koman), a legendary dance trainer, and becomes enthralled by a handsome young dance rebel (Mateusz Damiecki).
FRENCH
Coco before Chanel (Coco avant Chanel) - French language period biographical drama - 7+
Frail and slender ten-year-old orphan girl Gabrielle Chanel (Audrey Tautou), known as “Coco” to her friends, uses an outspoken aggressiveness to rise from obscure beginnings to the blinding lights of the Parisian fashion world.
GERMAN
Soul Kitchen - German language business situation comedy - 13+
A down-on-his-luck restaurateur (Adam Bousdoukos), his recently paroled ex-burglar brother (Moritz Bleibtreu) and a newly hired gypsy cook (Birol Unel) must pull together to enliven their cuisine and save the restaurant from financial ruin.
ITALIAN
Italians - Italian language travelogue adventure comedy - 13+
Three Italians around the world each confront their problems: a truck driver, a car thief and exporter to Dubai, his young apprentice and a technician who emigrated to Russia for work.
JAPANESE
Rookies: Graduation (ルーキーズ -卒業-) - Japanese language sports action drama - 13+
Rookie Japanese teacher (Ryuta Sato) at the notorious Futakotamagawa High School inspires the school’s baseball team to work together and pursue a national championship.
KOREAN
Haeundae (Tidal Wave; 해운대) - Korean language disaster sci-fi suspense - 13+
While preparing to propose to his longtime girlfriend (Ji-Won Ha), a sushi shop manager (Kyung-Gu Sol) receives a ten-minute warning about a super-tsunami headed straight for his coastal city of Haeundae.
PORTUGUESE
Se Eu Fosse Você 2 (If I Were You 2) - Portuguese language domestic fantasy comedy - 7+
Workaholic Claudio (Tony Ramos) refuses to take time off for an Italian holiday, and his wife Helena (Gloria Pires) is on the verge of divorce until, suddenly, they switch bodies again and see life from the other’s perspective.
RUSSIAN
Maximum Security Vacation (Каникулы строгого режима) - Russian language recreational situation comedy - 7+
When a wrongly imprisoned government official (Dmitriy Dyuzhev) finds himself under threat from the inmate population, he and a goofball buddy (Sergei Bezrukov) escape and hide out posing as counselors at a children’s pioneer camp.
SPANISH
Los Abrazos Rotos (Broken Embraces) - Spanish language noir romance suspense - 17+
A movie director (Lluís Homar) begins a steamy off-set romance with his leading lady (Penélope Cruz) until a car accident takes his sight and her life. He suspects the son (Rubén Ochandiano) of her rich ex-boyfriend (José Luis Gómez) may be responsible.
TURKISH
Nefes: Vatan sagolsun (Breath) - Turkish language wartime suspense drama - 13+
Loosely based on true events, a military recruit (Ozgur Eren Koc) helps his stern commander (Mete Horozoglu) successfully defend their strategically important communications outpost against Kurdish extremists on the mountain border with Iraq.
Those Dazzling Dames from Ukraine
Exotic Ethnicity behind Hollywood’s Hottest
Posted: December 17, 2009
Beyond Oscar winners Walter Matthau (aka Вальтер Матущанскаяски - Walter Matuschanskayasky) and Jack Palance (aka Володимир Паланюк - Volodymyr Palanyuk), and despite a worldwide population roughly equivalent to the French, Ukrainians as an ethnic minority have gone largely unrepresented in Hollywood films. Prior to 1991, Ukraine had been partitioned and dominated by successively restrictive foreign governments for more than two centuries. Immigration to the West was limited.
But with the present Golden Globe nomination of Vera Farmiga for Best Supporting Actress in Up in the Air, ethnic Ukrainian leading ladies have clearly taken their place on the world stage with genuine star power. Besides Farmiga, their ranks include Mila Kunis, Olga Kurylenko, Milla Jovovich as well as multi-talented European pop diva Ani Lorak.
All five women speak both fluent English and Ukrainian.
Vera Farmiga (Вера Фарміґа)
The daughter of Ukrainian immigrants, Farmiga was born and raised inside an insular Ukrainian community in New Jersey. She did not learn English until age 6. Best known for her roles as the mother in The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, as Matt Damon’s psychiatrist lover in The Departed, and as George Clooney’s last chance love-on-the-run in Up in the Air.
Sandra Bullock — Courage at the Top
Sandra Bullock in 'The Blind Side'
Bullock with Ryan Reynolds in 'The Proposal'
At a career stage when most lead actresses fade from the limelight, Sandra Bullock emerged this year with her two personal best box office openers: The Proposal and The Blind Side. Moreover, with her all-time top opener The Blind Side, she did it on her own … as the sole marquee anchor … in a marketplace crowded with new event pictures … by delivering a charismatic Oscar-worthy performance … like nothing she has done before … in a genre different from her usual chick-flick comedies, phone-it-in romances and thrillers buoyed by a popular male co-star. Bullock ought to garner great respect within industry circles for creating this compassionate in-your-face mother character as well as for her bold choice in selecting this project.
Certainly, Bullock knew that if The Blind Side did not work with audiences, studio chiefs might well have regarded it as a decline in her stardom. Instead Bullock signals that her best is yet to come.
Top Actresses
Watts, Connelly, McAdams Top the Best Buy List; Streep, Aniston, Hathaway Balance Price with Prominence
Naomi Watts
Forbes.com’s Celebrity Valuations recently released its compilation of the Top-10 women stars whose last three pictures in over-500 screen releases earned the largest revenues (including box office, DVD and television licensing less budget costs) in proportion with their compensation packages. For example, Naomi Watts’ metric of 44 means $44 were returned for every $1 paid for her services as a performer. Of course, since actual numbers for actor compensation and picture revenues are difficult to verify, the Forbes valuations are based on estimates.
In the chart below, the Forbes valuations are compared with their Marquee Star appraisals. Marquee Stars ranks performers in accordance with box office prominence as expressed in millions of present-value dollars. Top Openers provide the average opening weekend gross, and Top Closers the average final gross.
Not surprisingly, the bottom half of the Forbes Top-10 tend to appear in the top half of the Marquee Stars appraisals owing to larger salaries paid to actresses in higher profile films. Meryl Streep, Jennifer Aniston and Anne Hathaway offer the best balance between cost-return and box office prominence.
Wolves in the Number Cruncher’s Hen House
Commentary by Team Tao Jonez
Posted: October 5, 2009
Bigger Picture Research recently featured Lifting the lid on studionomics - an insightful discussion by Dr. Jim Barratt about the famous Goldman rule that “nobody knows anything.” The article points out that the screenwriter laureate’s axiom was intended to underscore Hollywood’s inability to reliably predict the success or failure of any specific film. A former Head of Research & Statistics at the respected UK Film Council and now author of Bad Taste about Peter Jackson’s debut feature (Wallflower Press, December 2008), Dr. Barratt further affirms: “Goldman’s observation is unarguably true, and the reasons are plain enough. For one thing, film resides at the intersection of art and commerce, where our understanding of common-or-garden market economics is unsettled by the ineffable vagaries of creativity on the supply side, and audience whim on the demand side.”
As is usual at Bigger Picture Research, apt expression reflects cogent comprehension.
We at Marquee Stars completely concur with Dr. Barratt. We side with Goldman for the numbers debate. Our Package Calculator, for example, has never performed better than 70% predictive of actual film performance outcomes and only within a very narrow range of assumptions and maximal margins of error. (The calculator is actually intended for the limited function of comparing the relative box office strengths of different package combinations.)
Moviegoers 2010
Internet Upends Traditional Assumptions
BEVERLY HILLS - A new research study, called Moviegoers: 2010, presented by the marketing firm Stradella Road on September 29th challenges current assumptions about generational media consumption and, potentially, could transform the way movies are marketed. The underlying field research was conducted by Nielsen’s National Research Group (NRG) and focused on frequent filmgoers (people who attend 6 or more films per year) in the US.
Frequent filmgoers account for over 85% of tickets purchased each year.
The study affirms that:
- All age groups have embraced digital media,
- Each generation consumes both traditional mass media and new digital media differently,
- Each generation must be approached differently, and,
- The relevant generational groupings for film marketers are different from the standard age quandrants of teens, under 25, over 25 and family.
This study could not be more timely. Hollywood marketers spend most of their time trying to reach the under 25s - particularly troublesome because that audience most easily finds other things to do than see a movie. Under 25s now spend an average of 19.8 hours per week online, followed by 14.3 hours in front of a television. According to the MPAA, over the past decade moviegoing has dropped 21% among the under 25s, as well as 24% among the 25-29 year-olds.
However, by redefining the age quadrants consistent with group behavior as 13-17 years (teens), 18-30 years (young adults), 30-39 years (older adults), and over 40 years (mature), marketers should be able to target their promotions to the media channels where each quadrant separately spends most of its time. Family as a grouping will be automatically included with this demographic approach. Characteristic group behaviors follow:
The Seven Bewilderly Sins
With Their Power at an Ebb, the Arbiters of Good Taste Face Ambivalent Audiences and Bewildering Times
Opinion by Tao Jonez
Posted: September 30, 2009
Once was a time when critics ruled art as giants … when an acerbic wit could close a Broadway production … when a rave review would turn out large audiences for an unknown or unappreciated cinematic gem. These were the times when the critics themselves were an integral part of the artistic endeavor they critiqued … when The New York Times chief theater critic Frank Rich - then known as “the Butcher of Broadway” - underscored the distracted disconnect between American politics and pop culture.
The Auteurs of the Auteur Theory: (Top L-R) Film critics André Astruc, Alexandre Bazin, François Truffaut and Andrew Sarris
These were also the times when L’Ecran français critic-filmmaker Alexandre Astruc proposed “la caméra-stylo” (movie camera as author’s pen) … when Cahiers du cinéma magazine co-founder André Bazin articulated the idea of a director’s vision … when Cahiers du cinéma critic-filmmaker François Truffaut expounded the “la politique des auteurs” (the policy of authors) … when The Village Voice film critic Andrew Sarris repackaged Truffaut’s thoughts as the “Auteur Theory” … when The New Yorker film critic Pauline Kael challenged the limits and even the validity of this French “New Wave” concept … and when tenets of that same theory found their way into the curricula of prestigious film schools and, eventually, influenced the “creative rights” doctrine of the Directors Guild of America.
That was then. But as first confirmed in 2006 with The Da Vinci Code’s near record-shattering opening box office bonanza - despite tepid advance word and mixed reviews - a new paradigm now exists between film critics and filmgoers. Today the broadcast and print media’s role as a cultural gatekeeper has been substantially destabilized by the Internet and other new media. People today prefer information that’s quick, concise, and on point. Just say it - is the film good or bad?
The Da Vinci Code
Of course, even in the form of a simple thumbs up or thumbs down verdict, moviegoers are now less trusting of any critic’s judgment - giving rise to aggregation review sites like Metacritic.com and RottenTomatoes.com.
Critically Critiquing the Critics
Movie critics find themselves trapped inside an awkward time warp within the history of their tradition. The Digital Revolution has already changed things so fundamentally, and will change things again and again for many years to come. Now critics seem uncertain what role they should play: whether they should uphold high culture with passionate advocacy, or whether they should suppress personal opinion in favor of consumer reporting.
This confusion of focus within the critical community makes moviemakers and movie audiences all the more wary of movie reviews - the reviews, mind you, not the reviewers … most movie critics are fine people. Critics simply are making bewildered choices in their take on the movies. Hate the sin, love the sinner. Below are the most irksome critical sins … at least from the perspective of the content professional:
The Seven Bewilderly Sins of Movie Critics
1. PRIDE: Lacking in humility of judgment… Very many critics review movies based entirely on whether a movie appeals to that critic’s personal tastes. Then, if the critic has been displeased by the movie, the critic will see that displeasure as an unpardonable crime that - sha-zaaam … Dr. Jekyll … ka-pow … Mr. Hyde - conjures forth their inner demon with the evil mandate from the Dark Side to warn all audiences against that movie. Never mind that most moviegoers - and even most of that critic’s readers - do not share the same highbrow tastes of the movie critic.
Not every book in the bookstore was written for the aficionados of William Shakespeare. Similarly, the content industry must entertain a wider range of audiences than just that.
How to Recognize an Auteur
What They Don’t Say in Film School
Prototypical auteur Sir Alfred Hitchcock
The notion of an “auteur” filmmaker began as a way of grouping and academically appreciating films based on the oeuvre of prominent creatives who, though working within the restrictions of assigned genres and scripts under the old studio system, nevertheless succeeded in imposing a distinctive sensibility. The intent was to validate film as an autonomous art form capable of maestro-driven, original film stories in contrast with the stale adaptations of the French “Tradition of Quality.” So besides directors, the original Auteur Theory also could include luminary producers (e.g. Walt Disney, George Lucas), an occasional screenwriter of prominence (e.g. Neil Simon, David Mamet), and even movie star-directors (e.g. Orson Welles, Clint Eastwood).
An auteur was any outstanding filmmaker who could blow away the stuffy boredom of convention with a breath of fresh cinematic imagination.
(L-R) Hyphenate-auteurs Clint Eastwood, George Lucas, Walt Disney and Orson Welles
Yet for promotional reasons, the auteur concept was quickly co-opted to refer principally to storyteller directors with their own distinctive personal vision. That’s a far more romantic and compelling, but simplistic idea: the film director as Horatio Hornblower, almighty captain of his ship and master of the cinematic seas. It’s also much easier to sell a single “auteur” as part of a film’s ad campaign.
In truth, however, from concept until completion of a motion picture, a good production team often will resemble a professional sports team - with the field plays called sometimes by the team captain (the director), sometimes by the head coach (the producer), and sometimes by the front office (the studio/financier). The producer and the director will function by design as an adversarial check-and-balance on the other’s subjective impulses (i.e. megalomania). Consequently most films actually require a relay race of storytellers who pass the baton through their individual creative imprints at various stages of the filmmaking process.
For example, as pointed out by the late Pauline Kael, Orson Welles’ auteur classic Citizen Kane would have been substantially less remarkable without the unique contributions of co-screenwriter Herman J. Mankiewicz and cinematographer Gregg Toland. Certainly renowned auteur Alfred Hitchcock declined as a filmmaker after the dispersal of his elite production team in 1963 following The Birds.
Aaron Eckhart Happens; Marketers Not So Much
"You’re making lemons out of lemonade." - Martin Sheen in “Love Happensâ€
Box Office Analysis by Paul Maslak
Posted: September 21, 2009
Aaron Eckhart with Jennifer Aniston in "Love Happens"
A funny thing happened this weekend on the way to Love Happens. When we walked through the theater doors, we could have sworn we bought tickets to the latest romantic comedy starring two of Hollywood’s hottest - Aaron Eckhart and Jennifer Aniston. I mean, the lobby poster steamed romance. The preview trailer sang romance … and comedy. The theater guides actually printed the words “romantic comedy.” And my wonderfully enthusiastic woman swooped me up so fast in the direction of the movie house that I nearly floated skyward like a kite.
But when we found our seats - POOF! … presto change-o - magically, not much comedy and perhaps less romance.
What we got instead was the story of a widower confronting his grief over the loss of his wife, egged on by the prospect of a new love. More accurately, then, you might classify Love Happens as a romance drama. A perfectly fine movie, mind you, with a tour de force performance from Aaron Eckhart, emotionally-charged bits from Martin Sheen and John Carroll Lynch, and plenty of charm from Jennifer Aniston in an otherwise nonplussed supporting role.
Still, something of a buzz kill for an audience all revved up for a different experience. The film title is an outright canard. So is the ad campaign. And pre-release, the critics were silent; apparently kept away from advance screenings because Universal’s studio marketers did not want them to tell the public. Good grief, you’d think this old-fashioned personal drama was the fine print on an adjustable rate mortgage.
- “Brand New Day” was the appropriate title
Reading between the lines of that fine print, we can surmise what went on… Filmmakers Brandon Camp and longtime partner Mike Thompson (Dragonfly) had a small arty project. They called it Brand New Day - an absolutely spot-on terrific title for this film! Relativity Media got behind it. Eckhart and Aniston, both of whom periodically take on less mainstream material, signed on … which in turn brought in Universal Studios to co-finance. Given the cost of studio overhead, we guestimate Universal could not afford to turn on its office lights for projects budgeted much under $15 million. So with talent and studio commitments, Brand New Day’s budget moved upward. All the tenpercenter agencies now could make more money and could pat each other on the back for their deal-making prowess. Perhaps deep down the filmmakers knew better. But who would rock the boat with all these now house-proud agents about being handed more money since they had Eckhart and Aniston AND their first shot at directing and producing a major feature film?
Of course, tossing extra money at a film project seldom increases the inherent demographic appeal of its concept by very much. Brand New Day began as a small slightly arty “worth-doing” drama and, upon completion, remained so. Now the whiz kids in Universal’s marketing department were charged with the do-or-die mission of recouping the studio’s 50% negative costs plus their own department’s heavy marketing costs and overhead. They would need an opening weekend gross somewhere north of $7.5 million.
Table 1 - "Love Happens" marquee package appraisal as a specialty film
Using our own Marquee Stars package calculator in Table 1 above, correctly classifying the picture as specialty & genre product, we calculate the package strength for these combined marquee elements at an anticipated opening weekend gross of $6.22 million. Our package calculator is actually intended as a measure of relative strength between different package combinations but, nevertheless, can often anticipate good ballpark performance numbers in a pinch. When further adjusted downward for genre, subject, and prevailing market conditions, the picture’s package strength might even dip as low as $3.47 million - ouch - in all cases well below the studio break even requirement for $7.5 million.
Michael Herbig Remains Germany’s Top BO Director
"Wickie" Dominates German Box Office
Writer-director-comedian Michael "Bully" Herbig
German writer-director-actor Michael Herbig scored the 3rd best all-time opening for a German language film over the past weekend at nearly $12.5 (€ 8.53) million with Wickie und die starken Männer - Der Pfeil (Vicky the Viking). Based on a 1974 German animated TV series, the film follows the comedic adventures of a timid Viking boy. Previously Herbig wrote, directed and produced the Star Trek parody Raumschiff Surprise - Periode 1 (Starship Surprise - Episode 1), the all-time top-opening German language film, as well as the Western parody Der Schuh des Manitu (Manitou’s Shoe), the all-time top-grossing German film.
Herbig, nicknamed “Bully” after a jersey he wore during soccer practice, began his comedy career with the morning show Langemann und die Morgencrew (Longman and the Morning Crew) before moving to German television as writer-director-actor-host for the skit comedy shows Bullyparade and Bully & Rick where he tried out several different Saturday Night Live-style parodies. His first theatrical smash hits were based on characters and themes voted for by the show’s audience.
France Nominates ‘Un prophète’ as Best Foreign Film
Director Jacques Audiard and actor Tahar Rahim
Having already won this year’s 62nd Cannes Grand Prix, director Jacques Audiard’s prison thriller Un prophète (A Prophet) has been selected as France’s entry in the foreign language film category for the 82nd Academy Awards, scheduled for the 7th of March 2010. Audiard, best known for the 2006 César Awards Best Picture De battre mon coeur s’est arrêté (The Beat that My Heart Skipped) about a man who must choose between a career in crime or classical music, relied upon ex-con technical advisers to help create an authentic ambiance for the present suspenser again focused upon a malleable young man confronting a hardened criminal world.
Til Schweiger
Still Germany's Best Kept Secret
Til Schweiger as an "Inglorious Basterd"
Beyond his flashy action cameos in international films such as Inglorious Basterds, King Arthur and Lara Croft 2, Til Schweiger remains the biggest box office star in the strategically important German-speaking market. However at home, the handsome actor is known less for his action roles than for his Matthew McConaughey-style comedy romances, most recently 1 ½ Ritter (Knight and a Half), Keinohrhsasen (Rabbit without Ears) and Barfuss (Barefoot). Schweiger has starred in four of the top-10 grossing German films of all time including Raumschiff Surprise (Starship Surprise) which set the record for the highest opening weekend gross.
Better known on the German circuit for romantic-comedy
Schweiger was cast fresh out of Cologne Theatre School as a regular on the popular German soap Lindenstraße (Linden Street) which, in turn, also landed him his first starring film role in the hit comedy Manta, Manta (Racing in the Streets). Subsequently, his film performances have earned him Best Actor Awards at the Max Ophüls Festival, the Moscow Film Festival and the Polish Film Festival, as well as the Ernst Lubitsch Award for producing, writing, directing and starring in Keinohrhsasen.
Til Schweiger lives most of the year in Germany. He has four children with American wife, model Dana Carlsen.
Mastering the Art of Tarantino
Who’s Afraid of the King of Cool?
Opinion by Paul Maslak
Posted: September 9, 2009
Quentin Tarantino - The Reigning King of Cool
Like fine wine, fine filmmakers get better with age. The more they practice their craft, the steadier and more effective their creative choices. That old practice-makes-perfect bromide is not so hard to understand. Surprisingly, though, sometimes the same holds true for their audiences. The more we watch an evolving filmmaker’s work, the more we appreciate his acquired mastery. I count myself among the latter for the art of Quentin Tarantino.
I admit I’ve come last to the party. But my journey has been difficult.
When Tarantino first appeared on the festival circuit with Reservoir Dogs, I thought he was absurdly overrated: A storyline lifted from Ringo Lam’s City on Fire (Lung fu fong wan), starring Chow Yun-Fat, provided the dramatic chassis upon which to string unending profanity, unwatchable violence, and a denouement with a magic gunshot that could only have hit its target in a bad B movie. Okay, Tarantino had a tiny budget. No reshoots. And didn’t that same magic bullet conclude George Steven’s classic big budget Western Shane in the shootout between Alan Ladd and Jack Palance? To my mind, however, the critics who raved about Reservoir Dogs did so only because it won the Sundance Grand Jury Prize - owing in part to home court insider festival favoritism - and because that trophy intimidated critics into biting their tongues rather than report what they really thought. If Reservoir Dogs had a redeeming moral meaning, I would not have known because I was too incensed by the contrived ugliness of the cinematic experience.
Jackie Chan Gets Dramatic
Jackie Chan as Stealhead in "Shinjuku Incident"
In Shinjuku Incident, an uncharacteristic non-comedic passion project from Jackie Chan, produced by his longtime management partners and distributed comfortably out of sight of international family audiences, Chan explores a more mature and darker dramatic range as a socially-conscious anti-hero who cheats, steals, kills mercilessly, and even sleeps with a prostitute.
Chinese star Ziyi Zhang channels Julia Roberts
Ziyi Zhang in "Sophie's Revenge"
Bingbing Fan
Often regarded as the Chinese Julia Roberts, international sex symbol Ziyi Zhang (Golden Globe nominee: Memoirs of a Geisha, Hero, House of Flying Daggers, Rush Hour 2, Golden Horse nominee: Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon) boldly ventures into an actual Julia Roberts-style story with Sophie’s Revenge in a genre not so very well-established on the Chinese circuit. Also featured as her romantic rival is charismatic newcomer Bingbing Fan. Both women speak English.
Our Marquee Appraisal System
The Calculation behind the Package Calculator
A few factors affecting motion picture profitability
Even in today’s speed-of-lightning information age, content executives and filmmakers still spend many crucial hours of their professional lives weighing the advantages of this over that prospective motion picture package (the combination of producer, story, director and stars). Yet how does a sensible decision-maker decide which movie stars to seek, which package to “greenlight” or which finished film to acquire without losing sight of the financial bottom line?
A MarqueeStar Is Born
HOLLYWOOD - In the beginning Vaudeville created the theater circuit. And Edison invented the film projector. But the celluloid heavens were dull, and without life, so Hollywood concocted movie stars. And has commanded them forth globally ever since…
Today Marquee Stars SM proudly presents our Marquee Appraisal Guide SM - an innovative approach to charting the headliners who power the cinematic universe. Apart from the traditional surveys of panel audiences (Nielsen Company), or of industry sales people (Forbes Star Currency, UlmerScale), or of departing moviegoers (CinemaScore), or of set-top viewers (TNS), or of website clickers (STARmeter), or of movie reviewers (Celebrity Tomatometer), or of online gamesters (Hollywood Stock Exchange) - each of which provides its unique perspective - our Marquee Appraisal Guide ranks brand name film talent based fundamentally on direct financial criteria: e.g. their adjusted opening weekend average (OWA) and adjusted average world gross (AWG).
“Brilliant,” you may be thinking. “But that’s just obvious.”
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World's Favorite Films 2010
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World Favorite Foreign Language Films 2010
Yip Man 2 (Chinese)
My Name Is Khan (Bollywood)
Nodame Cantabile 2 (Japanese)
Blood Brothers: Secret Reunion (Korean)
L'arnacoeur (French)
Doraemon: Mermaid Adventure (Japanese)
Little Big Soldier (Chinese)
La rafle (French)
Io, loro e Lara (Italian)
Liar Game (Japanese)
Our Rossiya (Russian)
Younger Brother (Japanese)
Housefull (Bollywood)
Harmony (Korean)
Go Lala Go (Chinese)
Pleasant Goat and Big Big Wolf 2 (Chinese)
Chico Xavier (Portuguese)
Kandahar (Russian)
