Movies Dragonlord's 2014 Movie Guide

[Dragonlordxxxxx]

Friday Box Office:

NINJA TURTLES Surprises with $25.6 Million Opening on Friday

After crushing the August opening record with its $94.3 million debut last weekend, it looks like Guardians of the Galaxy is now in line to get crushed by the return of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Paramount’s live-action reboot of the venerable pop-culture franchise took in an estimated $25.6 million on Friday, including $4.6 million from its Thursday p.m. previews. That suggests a first weekend gross of over $60 million – well above the $42 million that Paramount was expecting. TMNT‘s big opening will send Guardians into second place in its sophomore frame. It’s a scenario that was always possible but somehow didn’t seem plausible until this morning.

If it seems like an insult that “the best reviewed blockbuster of the summer” was dethroned after only one week (and by a film that currently rates just 20% on Rotten Tomatoes), there is another way to look at it. Guardians of the Galaxy followed its amazing opening weekend with equally amazing first-week numbers: earning more than any film this summer on its initial Monday – Thursday run. That includes X-Men: Days of Future Past, which got a boost on its first Monday thanks to the Memorial Day holiday.

Guardians is still expected to earn over $40 million this weekend, which would equal a drop of about 55%. If realized, that would be the best sophomore hold for a Marvel feature since The Avengers dominated in May 2012. For Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the marketing potential of besting Marvel is invaluable. It’s been more than 20 years since the last live-action TMNT hit theatres, so this weekend will mark a huge win for Paramount and producer Michael Bay.


NINJA TURTLES Surprises with $25.6 Million Opening for Possible $65 Million Debut

 

[Spoken]

Ninja turtles was dull, poorly written, and riddled with stupid characters. 40 minutes into the film and you had literally nothing to look forward to. You saw shredder and his stupid new upgrades way too early. The fight scenes were fun, however. I'll give Bay that. As a whole, the film was just really, really dumb. It didn't even let you enjoy the stupidity like you would hope. It wasn't a good bad movie, it was just bad.

 

[Dragonlordxxxxx]

Weekend Box Office:

TMNT Wows with $65 Million Debut, Sequel Announced for 2016

1. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles -- $65,000,000 weekend; $65M total
2. Guardians of the Galaxy -- $41,530,000 weekend; $175.8M total
3. Into the Storm -- $18,020,000 weekend; $18M total
4. The Hundred-Foot Journey -- $11,120,000 weekend; $11.1M total
5. Lucy -- $9,330,000 weekend; $97.3M total

Launching a new film franchise, Paramount and Nickelodeon Movies' Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles wowed in its North American debut with $65 million, becoming the second August tentpole after Guardians of the Galaxy to wildly overperform. Worldwide, the movie opened to $97.3 million, prompting Paramount chief Brad Grey and producer Michael Bay to immediately announce a sequel, set for release June 3, 2016.

The family friendly film, earning a B CinemaScore, easily bested Guardians to claim the No. 1 spot domestically. Guardians certainly held its own, however, falling a respectable 56 percent in its second weekend to $41.5 million for a domestic total of $175.9 million. Globally, the Marvel Studios and Disney tentpole raced past the $300 million mark after earning another $40.1 million for a foreign total of $137.3 million and world haul of $313.2 million.

Guardians placed No. 2 domestically, followed by new entires Into the Storm and adult dramedy The Hundred-Foot Journey, which opened to $18 million and $11.1 million, respectively. The weekend's fourth new nationwide film, Step Up All In, opened to $6.6 million, a franchise low. The dance film is making up ground overseas, where it has earned $37.7 million for a worldwide total of $44.2 million.


'Ninja Turtles' Wows With $65 Million Domestic Debut; Sequel Announced for 2016

 

[Kiddo716]

TMNT
2/10
Didn't intend on seeing this in the theater, but a buddy and me caught this afternoon in 3D.

This was a terrible movie. Fox tries to act smart, but she just falls flat on her face. You can tell she's just there for a pretty face, and ironically enough, her character tries to break away from that role by investigating The Foot's crimes. Arnet was forgetable.

I didn't mind the turtles character design, except for Donny. The addition of the nerd glasses was overkill. Adding them for the sake of showing that he's a nerd was beating a dead horse.

Didn't like how they tried to over connect everything together.

Overall, I hated it. It's pretty obvious that this was made for the toy sales only.

 

[Ayin]

Seems like everyone hates it, but still goes to see it, or hears/expects it's terrible, and goes to see it anyways.

 

[TheStruggle]

Seems like everyone hates it, but still goes to see it, or hears/expects it's terrible, and goes to see it anyways.

Michael Bay:

 

[Ayin]

Yeah, you can count me out of that group. I managed to sit through Transformers 2 and it was the the worst movie I'd ever paid to see, and I am exactly the adult target audience. There are lots of studios out there making great, fun films (Marvel), to go see. No need to waste minutes and hours of our lives watching the ones that suck.

 

[lakersfan45]

Into the storm was awesome. I cant give it any type of serious rating or review, but if you remember all those cheesy disaster films of the 90s (twister, volcano ect) this movie might leave you with a big cheesy smile

 

[lakersfan45]

Double Toasted Review: Rental

Is doubletoasted your site or are you one of the guys on the shows?

 

[Dragonlordxxxxx]

THE EXPENDABLES 3

Release Date: August 15 (Wide Release)

Genre: Action

Director: Patrick Hughes (Red Hill, The Raid Remake)

Cast: Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Harrison Ford, Mickey Rourke, Jason Statham, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, Terry Crews, Randy Couture, Mel Gibson, Antonio Banderas, Kelsey Grammer, Wesley Snipes, Kellan Lutz, Victor Ortiz, Glen Powell and Ronda Rousey

Synopsis: In The Expendables 3, Barney (Stallone), Christmas (Statham) and the rest of the team comes face-to-face with Conrad Stonebanks (Gibson), who years ago co-founded The Expendables with Barney. Stonebanks subsequently became a ruthless arms trader and someone who Barney was forced to kill

 

[GearSolidMetal]

I knew the leak was going to plauge their box office returns.

 

[Tebowned]

I knew the leak was going to plauge their box office returns.

Yeah no doubt.
I have no idea what goes on in the background but I would've rushed that movie out after the leak.

Instead they...
"Muscles are too big... you can only watch it on the big screen." lololololol

 

[DocStrange]

Saw TMNT and Hercules at the Drive In last night.

TMNT was painful. It is really infuriating that they can take such a classic group of characters, have all the money in the world to do something with it, and then make the laziest, most obvious interpretation they could possibly muster. Everyone was awful in it, but Megan fox was especially awful. On the other hand, my girlfriend's 12 year old niece thoroughly enjoyed it.

Hercules was alternatively pretty entertaining. Felt like a damn masterpiece after TMNT. It was cheesy, but in a fun way, and had some really badass action sequences. It knew what kind of movie it was, and didn't try to be anything more. Was much better than some of the other films of late that you'd want to lump it in with (Clash of the Titans... ugh).

Not a great pair of movies, but Hercules had enough dumb fun to make me walk away in a good mood.

 

[Tebowned]

Meh

Anyone watch Frank? Can a silly american enjoy it? I'm on the Fassbender boat so I'll watch it just wondering how other people feel on it.

 

[Dragonlordxxxxx]

Weekend Box Office:

THE EXPENDABLES 3 Tanks at the Box Office with $16.2 Million

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, with $28.4 million, and Guardians of the Galaxy, with $24.7 million, easily stayed atop the North American box office as The Expendables 3 underperformed in its debut, grossing $16.2 million.

That's by far a franchise worst. The first Expendables debuted to $34.8 million domestically in August 2010, followed by $28.6 million for the sequel in August 2012. Both those films were rated R, while the threequel is rated PG-13, meaning it should have seen a boost from being more family friendly.

In addition to potential fatigue, a pristine copy of Expendables 3 leaked on the Internet hurt the movie's box office performance, much like what happened when X-Men Origins: Wolverine was pirated before its release in 2009.

From Lionsgate and Millennium, Expendables 3 was even beat by 20th Century Fox's Let's Be Cops to come in No. 4 domestically. Let's Be Cops, placing No. 3, took in $17.7 million for the weekend for a pleasing five-day debut of $26.1 million (the R-rated comedy opened Wednesday). The weekend's third new player, YA film adaptation The Giver, rounded out the top five with $12.8 million.


'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles' Stays No. 1; 'Let's Be Cops' Beats 'The Expendables 3'

 

[Iroh]

People just want to see what the new TMNT movie looks like and hope for the best, because normally TMNT is awesome. But I don't think that attraction will be there after everybody that saw it is let down. So I would be surprised if the sequel would be this successful in generating money.

 

[Dragonlordxxxxx]

Update: August 12, 2014

Dragonlord's Review of TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES (No Spoilers)

Bottom Line: Not as horribly bad as it's being publicized, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles hits its intended target audience (kids) but also captures the essence of the titular characters and offers some fun action beats along the way.

There's something perplexing about Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990) movie. It's one of those films that hasn't aged well but everyone in Sherdog still looks at it through rose-colored glasses. The plot is downright silly, the dialogue is terrible, the acting is wooden and the humor is corny. But that's okay because the film is intended for kids and fans of the 1987 cartoons. Plus, the Turtles practical effects and costumes were impressive and the action scenes were not bad. Now comes a reboot that retains the silliness and actually improves almost all the aspects of the first film (story, acting, special effects, action, and characterization) but is lambasted instead. Go figure.

The new revamped Turtles design was very off-putting at first since they looked like 6-foot steroid-induced Hulk versions of their former selves. Plus they're kinda scary-looking. But you quickly get used to it after a while. The great thing about the new design is that each Turtle are given different sizes, shapes and costumes rather than just giving them different colored masks like before. Same goes to their characterizations, each Turtle has their own distinct personalities unlike in the first film where Leonardo, Michelangelo and Donatello's surfer personas were pretty much interchangeable. In a nutshell, Leo is the boy scout leader, Mikey is the lovable goofball, Donnie is the tech genius and Ralph is Wolverine in the new film. Thanks to the fantastic mo-cap special effects, the Turtles look and move convincingly for the first time in live-action. The new Splinter looks ghastly though and should have been more cuter.

Producer Michael Bay's influence on the film is very obvious as it has a Transformers-vibe going for it and is even shot similarly with the same color schemes and lens flare galore. The humor is mostly silly, geared towards the younger audience but non-offensive to adults. The first meeting with April O'Neil and the Turtles was genuinely funny though. Michelangelo is the MVP among the Turtles as he keeps the atmosphere from being too serious with his antics (though not all the jokes work). Will Arnett as cameraman Vernon Fenwick was surprisingly subdued, I thought he would be more wacky and obnoxious. So, bonus points for that. Megan Fox seems to be the weakest link as she was just unremarkably adequate as the spunky reporter.

I think William Fichtner was originally going to play Shredder but was changed during the rewrites and reshoots. Aside from Fichtner admitting to being Shredder in an interview last year, the scenes involving the actual Shredder (Tohoru Masamune) in the non-action scenes feel tacked-on. The pacing of the film, especially the climax, would have probably gone smoother if they stuck with Fichtner being Shredder but props to the filmmakers for rewriting it to please the fans.

The hand-to-hand fight scenes between the Turtles and the Foot Clan were well-done but it gets a tad monotonous when it becomes apparent that the Turtles are too powerful. That's probably the reason why I dug the new Shredder, who wears a powerful exoskeleton with blades coming out from the wazoo, as he seems to be the only enemy the Turtles have a hard time defeating. Robo-Shredder's battles with the Turtles and Splinter were pretty cool, with the latter reminding me of Yoda's classic fight with Count Dooku. The extended snow mountain chase scene had a fun, frenetic energy to it and no doubt was one of the highlights of the film.

But despite my above praises, the script is pretty weak and the plot of the city being gassed fairly unoriginal (the ending battle reminds me a whole lot from 2012's The Amazing Spider-Man). Didn't really mind that April's past is connected with the Turtles as it brought a new dynamic to their relationship. Could have used more scenes showing the Turtles interacting with each other. Overall, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles achieved its goal in reviving a dead film franchise and introducing it to a whole new generation of appreciative kids. But if you want the best TMNT iteration ever, check out the 2012 Nickelodeon series.

Rating: 6.5/10

 

[Dragonlordxxxxx]

SIN CITY: A DAME TO KILL FOR

Release Date: August 22 (Wide Release)

Genre: Crime Noir Action Thriller

Director: Frank Miller (Sin City) and Robert Rodriguez (Desperado)

Cast: Bruce Willis, Jessica Alba, Mickey Rourke, Rosario Dawson, Powers Boothe, Eva Green, Ray Liotta, Christopher Meloni, Lady Gaga, Josh Brolin, Crystal McCahill, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Jaime King, Stacy Keach, Jamie Chung, Dennis Haysbert, Marton Csokas, Alexa Vega, Jeremy Piven, Juno Temple, and James Marsden

Synopsis: Co-directors Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller reunite to bring Miller's visually stunning "Sin City" graphic novels back to the screen in Sin City: A Dame to Kill For. Weaving together two of Miller's classic stories with new tales, the town's most hard boiled citizens cross paths with some of its more reviled inhabitants. Sin City: A Dame to Kill For is the follow up to Rodriguez and Miller's 2005 groundbreaking film, Frank Miller's Sin City.


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WHEN THE GAME STANDS TALL

Release Date: August 22 (Wide Release)

Genre: Sports Drama

Director: Thomas Carter (Coach Carter, Save the Last Dance)

Cast: Jim Caviezel, Laura Dern, Michael Chiklis and Alexander Ludwig

Synopsis: Inspired by a true story, When the Game Stands Tall tells the remarkable journey of legendary football coach Bob Ladouceur (Jim Caviezel), who took the De La Salle High School Spartans from obscurity to a 151-game winning streak that shattered all records for any American sport.


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IF I STAY

Release Date: August 22 (Wide Release)

Genre: Romance Drama

Director: R.J. Cutler

 

[TheStruggle]

Double Toasted Review: Rental

 

[Dragonlordxxxxx]

Update: August 22, 2014

Dragonlord's Review of RUROUNI KENSHIN: KYOTO INFERNO

Bottom Line: The fantastic action sequences and magnificent swordplay are not enough to save this overstuffed sequel from the cringeworthy anime-like dialogue, horrid pacing and its misguided attempts to cram a lot of needless subplots from the source material.

Watching Rurouni Kenshin: Kyoto Inferno is like watching the anime series come to life... and not in a good way. They've crammed a lot of storylines and characters from the anime/manga into the 134 -minute sequel that made the viewing experience tedious and exhausting. I'm all for faithful adaptations and all but this is clearly an instance where less is more and liberties to the story should have been taken. To make matters worse, the film also retained the horribly cheesy dialogue from the anime and mini-monologuing during a fight scene.

There's a lot of fantastical elements in the film that are easy to ignore due to the nature of the story and the action being highly entertaining. But the origin story of Shishio Makoto was just stupid. They stabbed him about a dozen times, doused his body in flammable liquid and set it on fire. The killers walk away as the body burns in a full feiry blaze for minutes. How does Shishio survive? The explanation was that it snowed later on. WTF.

The best thing about the Kenshin films is the awesome fight scenes. Kenshin Himura's brief battle with Seta Sojiro was just bad-ass and the best swordplay I've seen in recent memory. Takeru Sato continues to be exemplary with his portrayal of the titular character. When the character moves/runs and does his "Flying Heaven Honorable Sword Style" pose, you really believe he is the legendary Battousai. Though unnecessary, the fight scene between Aoshi and Nenji was pretty good as well and the old dude was a boss.

Yosuke Eguchi as Hajime Saito was one of the highlights in the first film as the actor just exudes an aura of gruff coolness. Though he doesn't have a lot of screen time in the sequel, Eguchi still classes the joint up. Munetaka Aoki as Sanosuke Sagara continues to be insufferable and useless. If they're overstuffing the film with numerous subplots, they should have included Sanosuke's meeting with Anji so that he won't be so ineffectual in a fight. The way they introduced the Ten Swords was a disservice and should have built up more effectively. Hopefully the next sequel will rectify this.

Overall, the superb action scenes are not enough to overcome its collapse due to the film being clogged up with too many avoidable subplots and gratuitous characters which disrupts the flow of the story. The corny dialogue and overacting don't help either.

Rating: 4/10