Weekend Estimate by Side Identity Klady
And so, the big ballsy comedy opens. The number is right between Norbit and 50 First Dates. Seth Gordon just keeps having bigger openings, even though there is a distinct lack of directorial skill on display. He is the new Shawn Levy. Levy has improved. Hopefully, Gordon will, too. In the meanwhile, he clearly understands what sells and makes movies that follow that path.
On the flip side, Soderbergh 2.0 closes its theatrical run with Side Effects. I haven’t seen the film (or contributed to the large pile of Soderbergh interviews), as it did its thing in LA while I was still in Sundance. Does this film define where the VOD line is and/or should be? I think it might be. There is enough heat to make the film a draw, but not quite enough to get a ton of people out to see it. I don’t choose to indulge VOD much, but I would have paid to watch this one this weekend. Getting to a theater… not so easy, as a parent and old guy. We got a sitter and went out for dinner on Friday… but even though it was playing in Los Feliz… didn’t close the deal for the wife. I know that sounds personal, but the gross and the personal and the sense that there is some really good VOD bait… well…
Hobbit hits $300m domestic next weekend. Silver Linings Playbook will go into Oscar weekend with $100m+ in the bank.
Lincoln looks like it will remain the top grosser of the Oscar movies domestically. Internationally, Django and Les Mis will both kill it.
Not much going on in arthouse land, though The Gatekeepers looks like it will be a doc hit.
Speaking of VOD, I’m planning to watch the new Roman Coppola movie later this afternoon.
Has anybody seen it?
hey DP – i asked if there would be a dp/30 for side effects like 2 weeks before it even opened – your only chance to get Rooney Mara for an interview – plus Tatum is now too famous for a dp/30 ..plus Jude Law seems easy to get since his last dp/30 .
DP aren’t you buddies with Soderbergh ? shouldn’t he fedex you a copy of the bluray ? this got a lot of good reviews.if he waited for tiff 2013 – wouldn’t this be oscar worthy ?
also where’s the actors dp/30 for Gangster Squad ? Gosling and Stone should have a dp/30 …they would be fun.
some of these big name actors aren’t making an effort or DP isn’t in the right special room or something .
i’ve seen Nicholas Hoult for Warm Bodies everywhere on tv .. giving the same interviews –
Your pathetic need to slam your betters in your “industry” columns is just amazing to me. Did Shawn refuse to do your stoopid “Double Penetration 30?” or something? Does Seth’s success make you have to acknowledge your weakness as a pundit, critic and man? You are sick, you know that and I know that and the more you slam people who work hard and are liked in the industry the more you’ll have to struggle to just maintain. Sucks to be you.
Yes, you read it first here, folks: David Poland, the only one who is pathetic and evil enough to slam, uh, Seth Gordon and Shawn Levy, two directors who otherwise receive NOTHING but praise, and deservedly so, because they make such consistently excellent movies, the very best of which is very nearly as good as the weaker Apatow Group movies. Truly saying that Four Christmases and Identity Thief and Night at the Museum 2 aren’t very good is the height of sickness.
There’s public record of Don Murphy saying Jennifer Lawrence isn’t attractive and will never be a star.
Don, maybe you have other shit to worry about.
I guess this means it’s only a matter of time until we see “Identity Thief 2: Chasing Honey Boo Boo”
Also, it’s great to see a purveyor of good taste and underrated talent like Rose Huntington-Whiteley come to Levy’s and Gordon’s defense. More poorly shot groundling comedies that sympathize with criminals, starring fat buffoons!!! More, more, more!
Think
I don’t think there’s a public record of me saying that, and I don’t think she’s a star yet
But make shit up, knock yourself out
Congratulations, Don:
http://hollywood-elsewhere.com/2010/06/lizabeth_scott.php
You can say “that ain’t me” until the cows come home but you’ve been an idiot on the internet as long as it’s been technologically possible to be an idiot on the internet.
Anonymous man doesn’t even follow his own handle. That comment doesn’t say what you say it does. But then, being a hater that’s all you have isn’t it- make believe?
Comments says that young girl with chipmunk cheeks is not stunning film noir actress Lizbeth Scott. She isn’t. Nothing about her being a movie star or not attractive enough to be one.
The fact that you have no reading comprehension doesn’t surprise me!
I’m also looking forward to Gordon’s forthcoming spinoff of Identity Theif, “Child Molester,” in which distraught parent Jason Sudeikis tracks down the woman who touched his son, Jennifer Aniston, acting on a variation of the role she played in “Horrible Bosses.” After a prolonged, zany chase sequence, Sudeikis discovers that Aniston was neglected as a child, and feels the need to provide children with the love she never was able to experience. Sudeikis explains to his son that Aniston was simply trying to show affection, but was a little over eager, and the whole ordeal helps the characters grow in ways they couldn’t have imagined, with Sudeikis vowing to be closer to his son from now on.
Apparently, after 15 years of publishing criticism without pulling punches, daring to criticize successful mediocrity will get me thrown out of the “industry.”
But it’s only been 9 years since I called “Just Married” easily the worst film of 2003. So obviously, I just did that so 9 years later I could take this opportunity to put my betters in their place… cause I’m CRRRRAAAZZZYYY!
Gee, I’m hesitant to jump into an industry fight, but Jennifer Lawrence not a star? I think The Hunger Games’ success took care of that even more than the two Oscar noms. In 2012 she became a star.
Oscar Nomination and a huge franchise launching picture with guaranteed three more installments.
I would think after 2012 you’d have to consider her a star. Mind you, can she open a movie as someone other than Katniss…. time will tell.
House at the End of the Street opened to 12 million. She’s opening crap about as well as anyone these days.
The King of Kong is still Seth Gordon’s best film.
Anghus- your third sentence is the definition of a star. So yes, time will tell. She so far has never opened a picture.
David- what industry would you be thrown out of? You are not in any movie industry that I am aware of. And was this a critical piece of a box office analysis piece? We both know why you did what you did, don’t fool yourself otherwise.
“We both know what you did.”
And down the rabbit hole he goes.
Can’t you at least copy and paste correctly?
“We both know what you did.”
That was a 1965 William Castle movie with Joan Crawford, right?
All right, I’ll bite. What did he do? Was it the aforementioned criticizing one of Don’s movies or what?
In other news, Identity Thief has made more in one weekend than the current combined totals of Last Stand, Parker and Bullet in the Head.
And in six years of acting, Jennifer Lawrence has accomplished what….2 academy noms, landed roles in 2 franchises. nothing special.
She’s terrific. Not Lizbeth Scott. Not a movie star. Yet.
And note bene- David did not correctly cut and paste the quote I made from DIRECTLY ABOVE his comment. And then suspended the comment I made pointing that out.
Honest discourse? Not from David.
I like Lizbeth Scott, and will watch, say, I WALK ALONE at the drop of a hat, but I’ve never gotten her physical appeal at all. No biggie, diff’rent strokes and all, but I doubt she’d make my list of the 100 Hottest Movie Actresses of All Time. Jennifer Lawrence, on the other hand, totally “does it for me.” That said, I see absolutely no reason to compare the two, and I’m not sure why Wells was making the comparison in the first place. None of Lawrence’s roles strike me as particularly “Scott-ish,” nor her interviews either. So whatever, dudes.
BTW, I’m guessing there are about four Hot Blog frequenters who have any idea who Lizbeth Scott is.
A. I didn’t suspend your comment, Don. Just saw it now.
B. Obviously didn’t cut and paste.
C. You aren’t interested in honest discourse… certainly not involving me. As I have said repeatedly, you are either a liar or delusional. Whatever fantasy you harbor about me wishing your wife ill is beyond my control or any reality. I have no way of knowing what you really believe about anything at this point, though I do believe your rage is real, however inappropriate. And I have lost interest in trying to figure it out. You have proven yourself, repeatedly, not worth the time or effort.
And that’s why you aren’t welcome here. You continue to express an interest in simply attacking and not adding anything close to real discourse. Even in this specific case, you come in here to attack and kinda sorta defend Shawn Levy and Seth Gordon… but mostly you came to tell me that I am meaningless and that they are my betters and that you will, in your infinite importance, use my criticism of their work to turn more people against me. That’s not really discourse, is it?
Of course, you also use fake names – and have many times over many years – and encourage others to spam the site. And you’re boringly repetitive. You surely can say the same about me, but I don’t come into your space to bore. You can elect not to come to mine.
Your anger is about as interesting as LexG’s sexual appetites… which is to say, not at all to anyone but yourself.
Mostly, I feel sorry for you. But I have also lost patience with your schtick.
Uh… “We both know why you did what you did” refers to the original Gordon/Levy comment.
And the obvious reason would be the one that powers millions of blogs everywhere – because opinions of other people’s abilities draws views.
[Seinfeld] Not that there’s anything wrong with that. [/Seinfeld]
I know why I did what I did, Foamy. It was because Seth Gordon has a new movie out and his success reminds me of the early run of Shawn Levy.
Do you really think the mention would draw a single reader to this blog? I don’t.
I’m not talking about “Jennifer Aniston on the Magazine Cover” drawing views. People come here for opinions – that’s pretty much what blogs are FOR in general. That’s the whole raison d’etre of LexG and a million other commentators.
You have a list of the weekend estimates, then you throw in this:
“there is a distinct lack of directorial skill on display. He is the new Shawn Levy. Levy has improved. Hopefully, Gordon will, too.”
It’s got nothing to do with the weekend estimates really, but look around at any of the H’wood blogs and you’ll see the same thing – “Here’s the numbers, doesn’t this guy/gal rock/suck?”. Business as usual – if it was Deadline it’d be “Come for the wildly inaccurate early numbers, stay for the catty intern sniping”. Everyone likes their different flavours, that’s why some people come to the Hot Blog and not Deadline (or Wells or wherever).
It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that Don reads this blog, has worked with Levy, and likes to come out swinging. Not everything is explicitly about the DP/DM feud, and going straight to that instead of defending your opinions… eh… just deal with what’s on the page in front of you.
ETA: For the record, I don’t particularly care for the “I know that you know, that I know, that you know…” stuff from Don either – I’m just clarifying the point where there was a possibility for a more amicable resolution (you may disagree that this is possible, but I haven’t really seen anything but disdain from either side here).
after the 2 part dp/30 with Mark Boal where DP is super super serious about super serious topics in the movie – we get DP/30 @ Sundance ’13: Ass Backwards – where its way more fun and back to normal.
the level of hype DP puts on the girls in the dp/30 is quite something .
i gave up on happy endings but i still liked Casey Wilson… i give this interview 8/10
hey DP – Ass Backwards – worthy of wide release or will it be limited or go into itunes only mode ..
Heard someone was comparing Gordon to Levy! Just had to come here and click IMMEDIATELY!
Which, ironically, proves my point exactly.
the most interesting thing about this weekend was the new girls episode ….theres like 1000 comments all over the social media about what happened. i liked it – plot was simple to follow…but where were all the other girls in the episode . Lena is all about Lena . sometimes it works out – sometimes it doesn’t . the entire episode felt like a 30 minute romantic comedy.
also new family guy – huge fan but this episode was a huge letdown. new simpsons had a mini woody allen giving bart advice .
also the pope dude is going to retire. DP should be the next pope…. pope gets to have awesome seats and nice place… DP will be stuck as pope for like 40 years.
maybe a church needs a journalist as leader. DP could force everybody to watch that The Da Vinci Code movie .
DP get on this . there’s like 1000 other people who want to be pope.
This entire disagreement with Don Murphy comes from Poland’s slang reference of the “Transformers” movies as TRANNIES. The comparison of giant robots of awesomeness to gender-confused homosexual males is disgraceful, and I’m glad to see someone taking DP to task for it.
Actually, et, it predates that.
Sorry the usage offended you. If I thought it was abusive to – which one? transgender or robots? – I wouldn’t have used it. For me, the idea that it’s a real issue is from the land of oversensitivity to language. But we all have our varying sense of what’s fair game.
I was joking. I’m actually delighted by the idea of a “Transformers” filmmaker objecting to a mild critique of Seth Gordon. I always picture Don at his laptop, blogging his moral outrage, while watching Megan Fox wash Bay’s car during her “audition.”
For anyone following this nonsense
– My “schtick” as Poland puts it involves making sure that everything he does that is antithetical to the business, that is against good manners, morals and behavior is exposed.
– My comment about Levy/Gordon is as clear as Foamy explains it. I actually didn’t expect to see it posted because he usually bans this IP address- I knew HE would see it though and that was to whom it was adressed.
– Poland likes to portray himself as some sort of addled professor, teaching the likes of Stacey Snider and Jeff Blake what they should be doing. It’s a farce really. If he wanted to do an analysis of comedy directors then do that. But in the middle of a BO analysis (with his Rentrack Regurgitating pal Klady for laughs) to take a shot at two directors- that is very Nikki Finke of him. He supposedly hates Nikki Finke and thinks she is beneath him. Personally I have come to understand that he isn’t fit to empty Nikki’s spitoon.
– My use of fake names (always glaringly obvious) to get around your censoring of my comments means…what exactly?
David is an amusing cat toy, no more no less.
Let’s just be clear about your position, Don.
In your vaunted opinion, I do many things that are “antithetical to the business, against good manners, morals and behavior.”
Apparently, by this you mean having an opinion and placing it on the internet. Yes? No?
You think you know how I perceive myself… as a teacher to Stacey Snider, Jeff Blake, etc. Yes? And I have no right to an opinion on how production, distribution, or marketing handles any movie because… I know nothing and I am being rude by airing my opinion. Yes?
Just for the record, I don’t really know Nikki Finke. I don’t have to suffer the bullshit she rains on so many people in this business. But I do believe that what she has done to entertainment journalism is to lower the bar, every single day. And that, I do hate.
It is apparent from the issues you take responsibility for that you are only interested in people who publish what they are told to publish as they are told to publish it. In other words, you hate journalism. Or maybe you just hate me, and thus, my form of journalism. Either way, there is nothing there worth considering.
As for your smacks at Klady, the sourcing of numbers is the same as it was for AD Murphy, though the companies that do it are now much more computerized. Do you object to all box office reporting or just MCN’s? Is it better when Nikki or whomever gets their info from the studios, who get much of their foundational info from Rentrack, but have a real interest in spinning? What is your sense of good box office information?
Your use of fake names is a decade old already, Don. Yes, you are more lazy now and just make up fake details randomly. Congrats for your new laziness. You have lied about fake names over and over and over again and been caught over and over and over again for a decade now. Revise your history elsewhere.
You are a bore and a liar, Don. You can’t admit your real feelings, so you keep spinning this bullshit, trying to drag in execs and talent, who aren’t buying and despite what they tell you, have never been buying. If there are a couple people who do, bless them. I hope they get over their blindness.
I just wish you would tell the truth about how you feel, Don. I still don’t know what your real problem is. You defend a lot of people who do everything you accuse me of and worse, so I can’t believe you are rational about me in any way.
But as I have said before, I really don’t care much. I approve your stupid posts and I respond because I feel – stupidly – compelled to speak my sense of reality to your spinspinspin. Be honest. Because your “cat” has no teeth. Be a man, Don… if you know how.
Speaking of schticks, glad to see people are wising up to Anne Hathaway’s, which is feigned shock and gratitude when winning awards. Her BAFTA speech was ridiculous.
DP-you don’t know Nikke Finke? Obviously I now consider this blog beyond worthless.
I can’t speak for Don, but for me there’s nothing wrong with “having an opinion and placing it on the internet”. The internet would cease to exist without opinions. Just remember the #1 rule of blogging – “Opinions are like assholes, and blogs are full of them”.
All I’m saying is if you have an opinion, defend that opinion instead of going straight for the “You know what this is about? You’re not geek enough/you angry about not getting in/your daddy didn’t love you enough as a child” psychoanalysis.
If there’s one thing guaranteed to lower the level of discourse, it’s telling someone you know how they think better than they do themselves. That applies to a number of people on this blog – I’m trying to be diplomatic here.
My position has always been that any opinion on any subject is fine as discussion bait and that discussions about the personalities of those offering ideas are rarely worthy.
That said, I have been forced to accept that to whatever degree I am a public figure and/or host, I can’t be too thin-skinned about being misunderstood, even when the misunderstanding seems intentional.
Don’s drama is a different issue.
Sigh
I can only try
Paragraphs 1 thru 5 can be summarized as ” Why do you have a problem with me instructing people who are successful in their jobs how to do it better?” Answer- because you don’t know jack shit you smug supercilious bastard. You don’t even KNOW Nikki Finke yet you have mocked her and attacked her personally for years? Your sickness is worth that I suspected.
Para 6–I do hate you. But I don’t hate your form of journalism. It is your form of critique…journalism requires you do more than sit on your ass and pontificate.
Para 7- So help us all understand. When you run your stupid headlines each week, why bother? Weekend BO by Rentrack seems accurate.
Para 8- I have never lied about names or indeed anything. To lie to you would mean caring what you think.
Para 9- my feelings are clear- do you not take me at what I write? I think you are a miserable human being.
Para 10- my feelings again- don’t you follow me? You suck.
Para 11- jeez what don’t you get?
Only one point left worth noting. I have spent, in my life, about 2 hours more with Don Murphy than I have with Nikki Finke.
I don’t feel like I know Nikki well enough to KNOW Nikki. I certainly don’t know Don well enough for him to know me.
These tri-monthly feud explosions are good reading in that can’t-look-away-from-a-car-crash way, but, David, I’m confused about why you still try to engage Don in here. He never has, nor ever will, give straight answers to your questions and has never expressed any interest in resolving your differences or addressing them in any sort of constructive way. You ban the guy but then periodically let his posts slip through. Why? Hit ‘delete’ and move on. All this time invested in Don is time that could have gone toward posts reviving this blog.
Why is this ever an issue? An asshole is an asshole. Move on Dave! If you think he merits discourse beyond what you have already said (which is enough),, say it???? Otherwise, move on. You have already showed that you have enough knowledge within the industry. What are you afraid of beyond ignoring him? Your response should be “MEH!”. Everything after that is blah.
Sorry to detract from Nutsangeles but to the comment about Hathaway above…last week on twitter someone wrote “Anne Hathaway always looks like she just got a gift and already knows what’s inside.”
That line made me L-O-L and has kinda changed the way I look at her due to how effing spot-on that was.
Where are you trying to argue an ‘arguable point’ here? You disagree with each other…so be it. DM? WTF? DP answered your questions…let it go, or else start your own “HOT BLOG”
Hmmmm…DM-I don’t know Paul Krugman, but I can argue about what he says in the way that I think he says it, and what he actually says.
DMurphy…What are you arguing about? If DP doesn’t like Shawn Levy (who the F knows who Shawn Levy is anyway-he isn’t Michael Bay-seriously-if you walked up to the random filmmaker, I guarantee most people would know MB before SL!!!?) or anyone for that matter, let him think that.
Who TF cares? It’s not like anyone who matters is having an argument about Shawn Levy vs. the FIELD in the same way they are having an argument about PTA vs. the FIELD. Or SC vs. THE FIELD. Or WA vs. the FIELD. Or KB vs. THE FIELD…OR ANY IMPORTANT DIRECTOR vs. THE FIELD…
Nobody says “Do you like the new SL movie?”. He is a director in the same way that Denis Dugan is a director-he makes decent, BO smash, crap/decent movies.
Why does it piss you off so much for DP to lump him in with so-so directors? I don’t get it-even if you have worked with him-I don’t think that anybody of that caliber compares themselves to the directors that are considered ‘auteurs’, and even if they do, they don’t have much of an argument. Am I wrong? Do you think that any of the directors nominated for BP (or not nominated) compare? WTF
Real Steel is an excellent movie.
Also why did my Chloe birthday cheer get deleted? Pretty tame.
I’ve got nothing against Don, or for him for that matter. I only know the guy his resume and his years of internet feuds with various websites.
I know at one point he had a real hard on for McWeeney and things got rather ugly. McWeeney had someone hack his email. If i’m remembering it correctly, Don wasn’t involved, but it was all some kind of anti Aint it Cool cabal that hacked his Yahoo account through some website called scorched earth.
God bless the internet, it took me eight seconds to find this:
http://www.chud.com/community/t/77145/don-murphy
This details some of the scorched earth stuff in relation to Devin back when he was on Chud.
There’s probably an interesting article waiting to be written about Don’s various jihad’s against online film site personalities.
I guess the takeaway is that Don has strong opinions about people and is more than willing to take swings. And Dave is far from the first person he’s taken to task. I think i have to go with Sam on this one and wonder why anyone would even engage. Don’t entitled to his opinion, but if history has proven anything: you’re not going to change his mind.
It is funny when you hear people say they’ve ‘made peace’ with Don. I’ve heard McWeeney say that before. Then you see something like this:
“From the Don Murphy Message Board:
Some thoughts after returning from holiday and catching up on reading every post.
1- Core characters- when I indicated that there would have to be a core team of Autos and Decepticons it was just common sense. The audience needs to care for the characters. Of course we will need a human way in- but when you think about it, the X-MEN films featured Wolverine FIRST, then Professor X and Magneto and then Cyclops and Jean and then…. petering out. I never said that there would be only 7 on either side. Just seven that are fully prominent and fleshed out. And hell, it might be 6 or 8.
2- Delays on news- we’ve spent the last 6 weeks since the announcemnt negotiating Paramount into the Dreamworks deal. Boring stuff but it needed to be done. Now we will have a writer IMMEDIATELY and more news will follow.
3- Simon Furman has contacted me directly offering to consult. What do you fans think of this?
4- Drew “Moriarty” McWeeney at Ain’t it Old News has officially been declared an enemy of Hollywood by the Steering Committee. He seems to lack taste, morals, purpose, talent and a belt. What he lacks in respect he makes up for in blind arrogance. Friends of this site will send him unsolicted opinions about his dearth of knowledge and his girth of flesh when they have a minute. Thanks in advance. http://www.tfw2005.com/transformers-news/transformers-movie-just-movie-31/don-murphy-update-regarding-the-transformers-movie-2202/”
I don’t know how you make peace with someone who basically calls you a fat, immoral, moron. But hey, it’s Hollywood.
And again, i don’t have a horse in this race. I’m merely citing past behavior to prognosticate future events. Don will get angry. Don will voice his anger. Your responses will do nothing to change his mind. Though, to be fair, apparently Don and McWeeney managed to get past years of name calling.
From an Aint it Cool story http://www.aintitcool.com/node/48775:
“Drew McWeeny at Hitfix also talked to Don Murphy personally and according to him no start date has been set. It’s all a bit confusing.”
See. There is hope for reconciliation.
Didn’t Drew mention last time Don Murphy went apeshit in here that he’s had Murphy over to his house? I guess time heals all wounds. Or time wounds all heals. If I had a crazy Hollywood producer over to my house, I sure as shit wouldn’t give him a bad review ever again!
No idea. I’ve seen a few mentions from Drew on boards talking about having made peace with Don. He’s a bigger man than I. I don’t think i’d be able to get past being called a liar and a fraud. I think everyone is capable of disagreement and heated debate, but when you start churning out campaigns of bile spewing personal attacks, i would figure at some point you’d become persona non grata.
But let’s be honest. If it was Internet troll #487 i doubt Drew would have invested another second in their existence. Since it’s Don Murphy, Producer of Transformers, he’s willing to overlook past abhorent behavior. That’s smart on Drew’s part given his line of work. I suppose if you weren’t able to suffer fools gladly, you’d be a shit entertainment reporter.
Like i said before: no horse in this race. I don’t know what kind of person Don is. I only know what kind of person he is based on message board jihads. And i rarely see a discussion from Don that isn’t laced with anger.
I’m sure Don has some great insights into the world of film given his position. I’m betting his life story would make an entertaining read and he is capable of some enlightening conversation. That just doesn’t happen in the places i frequent.
I used to just check out reviews because I was so broke but then I found Lucky Random Keys and started buying my games for only $2. So happy!