Box Office, Next Review Coming, Box Office Predictions

So its thursday, I know its a little late on the box office report and such but i'm caught up in the mlb hype.  Anyway:

PREVIOUS BOX OFFICE:
It doesn't take much to realize that when you have a star like Hugh Jackman in the film, it's going to generate a lot of interest and box office.  Real Steel got first in the box office last weekend with $27 million, which gets more interesting when you consider that there is more than $10 million difference between first and second.  Second place went to George Cloony's film, the Ides of March.  Dolphin Tale is holding up strong for third place, making its total box office close to $50 millon.  The rest of the box office features the films that have been released in the past weeks.  An interesting thing to note is that the Lion King is still playing in some theaters and its current box office for this re-release is $86 million.  I think Disney should consider doing more re-releases with new content or better quality picture for their films.

The Box Office:

1. Real Steel <--- Must see for boxing fans and fans of hugh Jackman
2. The Ides of March
3. Dolphin Tale  <-- Must see for families
4. Moneyball <--Watching the mlb playoffs?  Check this film out as well
5. 50/50
6. Courageous
7. Lion King <-- It's good to see the king
8. Dream House
9. What's Your Number <-- Not worth seeing in theaters
10. Contagion

COMING UP IN THEATERS:

Last week, I had mistakingly put up my opinions for this weekend's film releases and rather than type it all up again, I'm just going to say it flat out:  unless you like watching remakes, save your money for next week.  Remakes of The Thing (its 3rd revival) and Footloose open this weekend as well as The Big Year, featuring the comedy trio of Steve Martin, Jack Black, and Owen Wilson.  There's also limited releases of the Texas Killing Fields, Trespass, Father of Invention and Fireflies in the Garden.  Ultimately, I think unless Footloose or Big Year captures enough interest of the people, box office crown will go to Real Steel.  Otherwise it will go to one of those two films.

WHY WAIT?

The last two weeks of October feature some wonderful films for all movie goers.  The weekend of the 23rd features releases of Paranormal Activity 3, which is suppose to be the actual prequel to the previous two Paranormal Activity films, and Three Musketeers, a medieval adventure featuring Orlando Bloom as one of the musketeers.  Margin Call and Johnny English Reborn round up the features being released for that weekend.

Then for the people who have children, the weekend of the 28th is for you.  Puss in Boots, featuring the wonderful voice talents of Antonio Banderes and featuring Puss from Shrek, comes out to theaters.  Also joining it in its release are the films Annonymous, In Time (starring Justin Timberlake), The Rum Diary (starring Johnny Depp), and Sleeping Beauty (not based off of the fairy tale or disney film).

WHEN'S THE NEXT REVIEW?

I'm hoping to get a few reviews done, focusing on movie releases that should be in peoples movie collection.  With everything happening though, its a little hard to find the time to write each one.  I'm going to make it easy though and say that the following two trilogies should be in everyone's movie collection:  Lord of the Rings and Pirates of the Caribbean.

Box Office Results for Oct 2; Coming out this weekend (Corrected)

Never before have I been happier about the box office results over this past weekend.  Dolphin Tale jumped up to being the number 1 movie over the weekend with a total of almost $14 million in box office revenue.  Big star power couldn't help Dream House or What's Your Number, both taking in less than $10 million over the weekend and winding up 6th and 8th respectfully.  50/50 didn't get much in the box office getting short of $9 million and Courageous got a little more than $9 million over the weekend.

Box Office Results:
1.  Dolphin Tale  <--Must see in Theaters
2.  Moneyball  <Must see in Theaters
3.  The Lion King  <-- Blu-Ray must have
4.  Courageous
5.  50/50
6.  Dream House
7.  Abduction
8.  What's Your Number
9.  Killer Elite
10.  Contagion

COMING OUT THIS WEEKEND, OCTOBER 7TH:
(Movies have been corrected, I got my dates wrong)
  Real Steel- Hugh Jackman stars as a promoter in the future where robot boxing has become all the rage
  The Ides of March - George Cloony directs this film about a staffer on a political campaign who sees the dirty side of politics
  Human Centipede 2 (limited release) - Sequel to human centipede, i'm not going any deeper than that
  The Way (limited release) - Emilio Estevez directs this film about a father who heads overseas to recover his son's body who died while making a trek from France to Spain
  Dirty Girl (limited release) - a high school dirty girl who runs away with a friend, a bag of flour, and a walkman full of tunes
  Blackthorn (limited release) - a western film where Butch Cassidy is trying to make one last trip home from Bolivia while being pursued by gangs and lawmen
MY PREDICTION:
  There is no doubt in my mind that Hugh Jackman's Real Steel is going to take the box office crown this weekend.  He's having a very big run in the movie industry and I don't forsee him slowing down anytime soon.  George Cloony's Ides of March will make the top ten and probably in the top 5, i'm just not certain about the top 3.  Films that are still out from last weekend will be spread out amongst the rest of the spots with Dolphin tale hitting at least third or fifth.

Blue-Ray Review: The Lion King

17, a number that has many meanings whether its the age where a child is almost considered an adult and ready to get a license or it represents the uniform number of a member of your local sports team.  But for disney enthusiasts and great film buffs a like, today 17 means the total number of years since Lion King was first released in theaters to its release on Blu-ray today.  Since it's release in theaters, a new generation has been born and now has the opportunity to experience this uplifting story presented by Disney.
  The story begins with the iconic opening, a sun rising over the safari accopmanied by the song, "The Circle of Life".  We are introduced to Mufasa the Lion, voiced by James Earl Jones, Simba, Mufasa's son and voiced by Johnathon Taylor Thomas (later by Matthew Brodrick), the king and prince of Pride Rock.  We then see some of the other supporting characters such as Zazu, a hornbill voiced by Rowan Atkinson, Nala, voiced by Niketa Calame (later by Moira Kelly), and Scar, the brother of Mufasa and voiced by Jeremy Irons.  Other principal voices include Whoopi Goldberg as Shenzi the hyena, Robert Guillaume as Rafiki the Baboon, Nathan Lane as Timon the meerkat, and Ernie Sabella as Pumbaa the warthog.
  As a young prince, Simba is destined to become king after Mufasa moves on in the 'great circle of life'.  The title of king is also desired by Scar, who tricks Simba into going into the elephant graveyard in an attempt to remove the young heir.  After the attempt fails, Scar makes an alliance with the hyenas and has them cause a stampede in an attempt to remove Simba from the line again.  Unfortunately for Scar, Simba lives but he is able to kill Mufasa, who had rushed to the area of the stampede to save Simba.  Simba, racked by guilt, leaves the Pride Lands, giving Scar and the hyenas the opportunity to take over.  Out in the wild, Simba is found by Timon and Pumbaa and lives in the oasis they call their home.  Simba grows up in the carefree lifestyles of 'hakuna matata', a philosophy that Timon and Pumbaa have meaning 'no worries'.  Simba would have spent the rest of his life living in that oasis, but destiny had other plans for him as Rafiki and Nala find Simba and convince him to go back to the Pride Lands and take back his place as king.  The Pride Lands, now almost a wasteland due to the hyenas and Scar's rule, becomes the final battlegrounds for Scar and Simba as they fight for the place as king of the Pride Lands.
  The popularity and awe of the Lion King is not lost since its release in theaters, having come back to theaters twice since its original release and continuing to dazzle audiences nationwide, most recently in a digital 3d release.  For the most part, I do not approve the continued use of 3d unless the movie has been designed to a point where the experience of watching it in 3d would enhance its viewing.  Lion King is one of the few films that deserved the transition to digital 3d, with the scene that most exemplifies the use of it being the stampede.  In addition to its 3d transition, we also cannot forget that the Lion King has also inspired two sequels as well as a legendary broadway show.

SHOULD I GET THE BLU-RAY?
  The Lion King is a film that should be in any film collection, capturing the magic of Disney in the story.  Today, October 4th, has Lion King being released on several different versions of Blu-Ray.  The traditional Blu-Ray/DVD format has a blu-ray disc and a dvd disc.  However, there is also a 3d release available which include a 3d version of film in addition to the blu-ray and dvd disc.  A bonus set of the Lion King franchise is also available which includes all three Lion King movies.  Regardless of which version of the release you get, the blu-ray features a wonderful treasure trove of extras for movie-goers to enjoy.  You will be able to enjoy an extended song version for the re-release of Lion King called 'Morning Report', sung by Zazu as he gives his report to Mufasa.  Also included are four deleted scenes and a bloopers reel, a sing along mode, and a look back into the making of the Lion King and how its popularity has held over the years.

Personal Rating of Film:  8/10

This Week's Movie Releases-September 30

It's the end of September and about to reach the biggest time of the year for movie releases, the fall releases.  I can honestly say that this year, I'm very excited about some of the movies that are going to be released in the future including TinTin, The Three Muskateers, Puss in Boots, and the Muppets just to name a few.  With the rerelease of Lion King in 3d coming to an end and heading to blue-ray, it's time to take a look at what's coming out today and who will claim the top spots.

NEW RELEASES:
 - Off the new releases coming out today, the ones that seem to be garnering the most intrest are Dream House and What's Your Number?.  However, I think people should also take the time to look at 50/50 which is based off a true story of a writer for radio programs who is diagnosed with spinal cancer.  He is helped by his friend and other people to get through the treatments and the sheer emotional impact of having cancer.  The film stars Seth Rogen, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Anna Kedrick and is directed by Johnathon Levine.
-  Another film people should look at is Courageous, directed by and starring Alex Kendrick.  This film looks at four police officers who struggle with their faith and as husbands/fathers.  Alex Kendrick, you may recall, is the genius behind Fireproof, another faith-based film.
  - Dream House is a thriller film about a family who buys a house that was a host of a murder.  Although this film does star Daniel Craig, Naomi Watts, and Rachel Weiz, I do not think the big names will help bring in the numbers.  However, thrillers have been known to surprise people, even producers (e.g. Paranormal Activity).
  - What's Your Number is a film about a woman who looks back at her past twenty relationships to see if someone she had been with may have actually been the one.  Starring Anna Faris and Chris Evans, this film is already drawing some high heat from critics.
-  Also this weekend are several films coming out in limited releases including Margaret, Take Shelter, and Tucker and Dale vs. Evil.

WHAT TO GO SEE:
  Overall, this weekend doesn't hold much in quality films with exceptions such as Take Shelter and 50/50.  I won't plan on seeing Dream House and What's Your Number may only get the numbers in the box office due to promotions.  I would recommend that if you are planning on going to the movies with your family, I would see Dolphin Tale, a true story about a dolphin who loses its tail and the efforts of some wonderful people who go about making her a new one.  Moneyball, starring Brad Pitt, is a good film for those who love baseball films such as 61* and The Rookie.  Contagion and The Help are slowing down in the box office numbers and I wouldn't be surprised if they get pulled within the next week or 2 from theaters. 

WHO WILL WIN THE BOX OFFICE CROWN:
  Unless it is decided to keep Lion King in theaters for one more weekend, I can forsee What's Your Number or Dream House taking the box office crown due to the star power and promotions for them. Money Ball will drop to 3rd or 4th place while the other nationwide films will round up the top 10.

Starting Up and What to expect

I'm just now getting started on doing a blog and this very first post is sort of an introduction of what to expect.  My name is Aaron and I happen to be a very big lover of media.  Books, movies, music and games, but mostly movies and games.  On this blog, I hope to share my own thoughts, opinions, and reviews of movies coming out to theaters, video games coming to consoles and pcs, and dvds that are currently out.  I will primarily focus on films and video games that are NOT horror based.  I'm hoping to really get started on this blog starting this week and I'm also hoping to get a few supporters as well.  Thank you so much for coming by and adding me to your list of blogs to watch.  I expect blogs to be posted every Thursday/Friday if I have the opportunity to.

This week:
  -Box Office Predictions, Review of Mars Needs Moms DVD or Review of Lion King