Wilmington on DVDs: Savages; The Watch; The Game; Private Hell 36

These three lead a sort of idyllic hippie-outlaw-rich-druggie existence (like young, successful moviemakers maybe), with lots of money to spend, lots of ganja to smoke, and lots of sheets to muss up — in paradisiacal surroundings on Laguna Beach, drenched in the blazing colors and the lush foliage of beachside life on the Pacific, as shot by cinematographer Dan Mindel. Then their dream world begins to crumble.

The DVD Wrapup: Brave, Dark Horse, Weekend, Pasolini … More

No one makes movies quite like Todd Solondz and that’s probably a good thing. It takes a special talent to find the humanity in characters most of us would consider to be despicable, while also exploring how they’ve managed to fit into mainstream society as long as they have.

Wilmington on DVDs: Lawrence of Arabia 50th Anniversary Collector’s Edition

Few adventure films ever have boasted such astonishing physical beauty. As shot by cinematographer Freddie Young (and his second unit photographer Nicolas Roeg), there’s a scintillating clarity in the city and village scenes (done mostly in Seville, Spain, and Morocco) and even more the vast Saudi Arabian landscapes: movielands as haunting as John Ford’s Monument Valley: a Xanadu of boys’ adventure, dune after dune sliding off toward the blinding sky.

Gurus o’ Gold: Week Two

This week The Gurus return, as always to Best Picture, this time picking a Top 12. Also, with three major contenders still unseen by human eyes, The Gurus tell you which one they think is most and least likely to leap into the Best Picture picture.

20W2O: 16 Weeks To Go – This Year’s Strategy

Every Oscar season has a lesson… or two. For the last two years (The Artist and The King’s Speech), it’s been “Let the movie do the work… don’t be a stranger, but don’t get in the way of success.” At least, that is the image being projected. The talent was subjected to months of work, meant to feel casual to voters. And charm was required for all of those months. Both movies were sensations at Toronto. Both films were screened generously. Both films had its stars working the room for months. Silver Linings Playbook and Argo were the two closest thing to Toronto sensations this year….

The Weekend Report

Stamina. James Bond has weathered a couple of dozen excursions and experienced many pinnacles and troughs. Skyfall ranks in the former with a North American debut estimate of $88.2 million … or roughly half of all movie tickets sold during the current weekend. The competition steered clear of going head-to-head with 007 but one granite-faced figure had the fortitude to establish an alternative beachhead. Lincoln put down his standard at 11 theaters and was rewarded with a victorious $907,000. Otherwise, the exclusive bows ranged from poor to fair including the nonfiction Chasing Ice with $25,600 gross at two ridges and Danish Oscar submission A Royal Affair, entering the marketplace with $34,700 from six venues.

Wilmington on Movies: Skyfall

Did I like it? Sure. Has it lost some or all of its Ian-Flemingish savoir faire and pizzazz, it’s sense of fun and immaculate violence? Not yet, Any movie with Javier Bardem as a villain (or as a non-villain for that matter), has my vote. And Skyfall is not only a classy production on every level — well-acted, well-written, well-shot –but a good rip-roaring action movie too.

Friday Estimates

Bond came out fighting, opening to 20% more than any other Bond film before, with over $300 million already banked internationally. The three top holdovers are all taking a little more of a drop than might have been expected as a result. Bond will be the 4th opening of over $71 million in 2012.

DP/30: Skyfall, director Sam Mendes

As Skyfall, the 23rd James Bond film, opens in America, director Sam Mendes, talks about the development of the film, Daniel Craig, and a career in theater and film.

Wilmington on DVDs: Bond 50: The Complete 22 Film Collection

I’m not a Bond-olator, by any means, but this set seems a beauty: a real pop movie treasure trove. It’s an essential Blu-ray box set — even if a number of the movies are disappointing. (Has anyone ever cared to mount a defense of the 1985 A View to a Kill?)

Gurus o’ Gold: The First Returns Are In!!!

No, we’re not calling Florida. But The Gurus are back and will be here every week between now and the bitter end.

This week, Picture, the 4 Acting categories, and Director. But with just three more movies presumed to be in the running for the big awards left to be seen, things haven’t changed much from the post-TIFF poll.

The Gronvall Files: A ROYAL AFFAIR To Remember With Filmmaker Nikolaj Arcel

Once a staple of the Golden Age of Hollywood, costume dramas are an iffy bet these days. Minus the vast resources of the old studio system, with its contract players, armies of technicians, numerous sound stages and back lot sets—not to mention extensive wardrobe collections—the cost of mounting period dramas is daunting. Plus the lack of interest many American moviegoers show in any history that pre-dates their childhood years has made the genre a harder sell. A tale of romance and court intrigue based on actual events that occurred in late 18th-century Europe, A Royal Affair stars Mads Mikkelsen and dazzling newcomer Alicia Vikander.

The DVD Wrapup: Sister’s Sister, Even the Rain, Kerouac, [REC]3, Arthur Christmas … More

Just when it seemed as if Lynn Shelton’s “Your Sister’s Sister” was going to turn into a really long version of a dopey Gen Y sitcom, it switched into a higher gear and became something far more unexpected, sophisticated and interesting.

Wilmington on DVDs: Planes, Trains and Automobiles; Eating Raoul… More

I’ve always thought that this nightmarishly building, wackily compassionate road comedy — with straight, wired-tight Steve Martin being driven progressively crazy by his unwelcome road partner, blowhard John Candy — was John Hughes’ best movie (just ahead of Ferris Bueller‘s Day Off), and one of the best American film comedies of the ‘80s.

Wilmington on DVDs: Sondheim! The Birthday Concert

Two mild objections. I understand the reason producer-director Lonny Price left the names of the singers off the concert program. He wanted to surprise the audience, who would have recognized most everybody. But the TV show and DVD’s potential audience includes many people who haven’t been to New York, and maybe never will get there. I’m sure they’d like to know, in every case, who was who, and who sang what. Also: It does seem to me, sorry, a little pretentious to leave off off the program the one Sondheim song almost everyone outside of New York City knows and wants to hear: “Send in the Clowns.” But then, isn’t a little pretentiousness part of what we love best about New Yorkers?

The Weekend Report

A pair of potent new releases provided marketplace momentum and much-needed diversion from what’s coming up November 6. Poised at the top of the charts was the animated Wreck-It Ralph with an estimated $48.8 million leaving the bridesmaid slot to incoming Flight with $24.8 million. A third national release, the martial arts Man with the Iron Fists, slotted in position #4 with an $8.2 million gross.

Wilmington on Movies: Flight

Denzel Washington, as advertised, gives an extraordinary performance in Flight, a Robert Zemeckis movie about the limits and contradictions of heroism, the perils of celebrity, and the corrosive effects of lies and alcoholism. Its a very good film, at times an excellent one, and definite Oscar nomination material. It’s also a very welcome movie.

Confessions of a Film Festival Junkie: AFI 2012

The AFI Fest opened Friday with the world premiere of Hitchcock, a likable yarn focusing on the iconic filmmaker and his wife at the time of his filming Psycho. In retrospect it seemed an almost anachronistic choice in light of the recent broadcast of “The Girl,” a more Machiavellian portrait of the man and his mentor/Svengali relationship with his The Birds discovery Tippi Hedren.

Friday Estimates: November 2, 2012

Wreck-It Ralph takes the high score with $13.4 million and will hang onto it for the weekend. Flight takes off with a strong start with $8.1 million and Man with the Iron Fists is in a dead heat for the third spot with Argo.

Review: This is 40 (spoiler-free)

Judd Apatow has been at this for more than 20 years. But it’s these last 15 or so that he has been a recognizable name to comedy lovers, with “The Ben Stiller Show,” “The Larry Sanders Show” and “Freaks & Geeks.” “F&G,” in particular, continues to feed the culture, particularly in the personas of James Franco, Seth Rogan, and Jason Segal and behind the scenes, Paul Feig, Jake Kasdan and Mike White. This column is about Apatow’s fourth film, This is 40, which I consider a giant leap for Apatow-kind.