MOVIE REVIEWS: THE WATCH

The Watch was originally titled Neighborhood Watch until the incident in which a neighborhood watch volunteer, George Zimmerman, shot and killed Trayvon Martin last February. Ty Burr in the Boston Globe is one of several critics who comments that instead of merely retitling the Ben Stiller comedy, “better they should have canned the whole thing. […]

TOWER HEIST TO TOWER ABOVE RIVALS AT BOX OFFICE

Although it almost seems to have been written with the “Occupy” protesters in mind, it’s not clear whether they will be swelling the audience for Tower Heist, the Eddie Murphy/Ben Stiller comedy that opens this weekend. The movie, about a couple of New Yorkers who fall victim to a Ponzi scheme and decide to pull […]

THEATER OWNER BALKS AT $60 VIDEO-ON-DEMAND

It’s hard to imagine that any theater chain would feel threatened by Universal Pictures’ announcement on Wednesday that it plans to release the Eddie Murphy-Ben Stiller comedy Tower Heist on “Premium Video-on-Demand” two weeks after it hits theaters in two test markets, Portland, OR and Atlanta, for $60. But the Cinemark chain wasted no time […]

$60 TO RENT A MOVIE? IS THAT A TOWER HEIST?

How much will consumers be willing to shell out to watch a movie while it is still playing in theaters? Universal apparently believes that $60 sounds like a reasonable figure. It will soon find out. They’ll be making their Eddie Murphy-Ben Stiller comedy Tower Heist available via video-on-demand at that price beginning on November 23 […]

DICAPRIO NAMED HIGHEST-PAID ACTOR IN HOLLYWOOD

Two actors who began their careers playing mostly androgynous characters in low-budget art films but who went on to star in huge blockbusters are now the highest-earning actors in Hollywood, according to Forbes magazine. Leonardo DiCaprio tops the list with an estimated $77 million earned between May 2010 and May 2011, while Johnny Depp, who […]

HEFTY SALARIES MAY DEPRIVE FOCKERS OF PROFIT

Although Universal’s Little Fockers has taken in more than $110 million after two weeks in release, it has a long way to go to recoup an enormous budget that ballooned because of enormous salaries paid to its actors, the New York Post observed today (Wednesday). According to the newspaper, which cited unnamed sources, nearly $70 […]

FOCKERS TAKE ON TRON: LEGACY

After six years, the Focker family return to the screen with Universal’s Little Fockers, starring Ben Stiller, Robert De Niro, Barbra Streisand and Dustin Hoffman. The film, which opens today (Wednesday), is expected to win the holiday box office with about $55-60 million, about 20 percent less than the $70.5 million earned by Meet the […]

SNL BEATS EVERYTHING IN PRIMETIME

It’s hard to judge whether its a testament to its own quality or to the lack of quality of primetime shows that air on Saturday night, but NBC’s Saturday Night Live, which begins at 11:30 p.m. drew bigger ratings on Saturday than any non-sports show airing on the four major TV networks that night. The […]