Daily Archives: May 5th, 2008

Movie of the Day (5/5/2008)

Released on this day, the fifth of May, in 2000 was Ridley Scott’s most awarded film, and one of his all time best, Gladiator. Garnering five Oscars (Actor in a Leading Role, Costume Design, Visual Effects, Picture, Sound), Scott’s 11th movie struck a chord with most action lovers and was the breakout role for both Russell Crowe and Joaquin Phoenix. Both went on to make great films. One went on to wreck great hotel rooms.

The movie is available in a variety of DVD editions (Four to be exact), but the one to get is the latest “Extended Edition“, which includes 17 minutes of new footage on three discs, one with the film and two full of new extras. In fact, big fans of the movie could own both this DVD and the old Signature Edition and not get any recycled bonus features.

Basic information (IMDb Profile):

  • Director: Ridley Scott
  • Writers: David Franzoni, John Logan, and William Nicholson
  • Producers: Douglas Wick, David Franzoni, Branko Lustig
  • Cast: Russell Crowe, Joaquin Phoenix, Connie Nielsen, Oliver Reed, Richard Harris,
    Djimon Hounsou
  • Cinematographer: John Mathieson
  • Composers: Lisa Gerrard, Hans Zimmer

“Movie of the Day” highlights a specific film of importance with a release date that coincides with the current date.

Andrew Stanton Interview

Edward Lewine of the New York Times Magazine, a more comprehensive weekly version of the paper, interviewed Andrew Stanton, director of Finding Nemo and A Bug’s Life. It’s a short interview, and in a odd form, but it’s really interesting.

Some highlights:

  • “Disney turned me down three times for jobs before the animation studio Pixar hired me. Years later, Pixar got a deal with Disney. Six of us went down there to pitch an idea. I was the low man on our team, but Disney security had us down as “Stanton plus five.” That’s how I wanted to return to Disney.“
  • “I heard David Sedaris say he couldn’t write in the afternoons because he would spend hours looking in the mirror trying to find where his hair parts. Me? I troll I-Tunes. That’s a time sink.“
  • “At 42 I always make sure I have Advil with me. As I get older, one glass of wine gives me a hangover.“

New Dark Knight Trailer

With just two mind-numbing months left before the opening of The Dark Knight, Warner Bros. has revealed the new full-length trailer for the film at one of their virally market sites Why So Serious. That link will lead you to a flash version to view in your web browser, but for downloadable links, look below (Right-click and save):

Iron Man Destroys the Weekend

As expected, the number one film in the country is Iron Man, initiating a full summer of blockbusters with a $100 million pull for the opening weekend. With an estimated budget of $140 million, this will no doubt be a success for Marvel in their first attempt at a self-run production, as the following weeks should make up the $40 million difference. With this kind of opening success, expect to see a sequel or two in years to come.

Following Favreau’s comic adaptation is Made of Honor, starring Patrick Dempsey of Grey’s Anatomy, and Baby Mama, with Tiny Fey and Amy Poehler, in the third spot. In its fourth week, Forgetting Sarah Marshall remained in the fourth spot, with a meager $6 million haul, putting it $14 million over its budget of $30 million. It just beat the second Harold and Kumar comedy by just over $100,000.

Here’s a quick rundown of the top ten (For a full chart, visit Box Office Mojo):

  1. Iron Man – $100,750,000 (Week 1)
  2. Made of Honor – $15,500,000 (Week 1)
  3. Baby Mama – $10,332,000 (Week 2)
  4. Forgetting Sarah Marshall – $6,132,000 (Week 3)
  5. Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay – $6,015,000 (Week 2)
  6. The Forbidden Kingdom – $4,200,000 (Week 3)
  7. Nim’s Island – $2,750,000 (Week 5)
  8. Prom Night – $2,500,000 (Week 4)
  9. 21 – $2,100,000 (Week 6)
  10. 88 Minutes – $1,600,000 (Week 3)