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SUNDAY AM, 4TH UPDATE: Hollywood finally can celebrate better box 
office which breaks a 5-week losing streak. Friday and Saturday overperformed for an ‘up’ weekend: $110M total moviegoing, which is +20% better than last year. And Sony Pictures has $66.2M – or 56% – of it. Saturday especially was an “absolutely huge moviegoing day, one we haven’t seen since July,” an executive told me. It was an especially big day for Amy Pascal and Jeff Blake with maybe the biggest ever #1 and #2 openings for a studio.
Columbia/Sony Animation’s Halloween funhouse Hotel Transylvania (3,349 theaters) got off to a monster start Friday and then soared +73% Saturday for $43M by end of Sunday. That weekend cume beat the record for the all-time September opening (shattering Sweet Home Alabama‘s decade-ago $35.6M though not adjusted for inflation or higher ticket prices or 3D’s premium). It’s also the highest grossing debut for Sony Pictures Animation. And it’s 2012′s biggest opening since The Dark Knight Rises. Pic also worked for audiences who gave it an ‘A-’ CinemaScore (‘A’ from females and kids under 18) to guarantee good word of mouth through the month. Sony is claiming Hotel Transylvania cost $85M but I know it cost $104M. Depending on its legs and international preformance, it should gross between $390M-$550M at the worldwide box office. Toon opened day and date in 4 territories including Mexico and Australia.
Bob Osher, president of Sony Pictures Digital Productions, and Michelle Raimo Kouyate, President of Production for Sony Pictures Animation, drove the development and production of Hotel Transylvania. Genndy Tartakovsky (Dexter’s Laboratory, Samurai Jack, Star Wars: Clone Wars, and Sym-Bionic Titan) directed for what’s his animated feature debut and also is uncredited for writing the story. Voice talent includes Adam Sandler, Selena Gomez, Andy Samberg, Kevin James, Fran Drescher, Steve Buscemi, David Spade, CeeLo Green and Molly Shannon. Marketing campaign had multiple spots during the London Olympics as well as a prime presence during summer TV talent show finales and Fall series’ premieres as well as on kids outlets. Promotions and integrations ran across 12 networks. There was an official social game on Facebook developed by Sony Pictures Interactive. The 2 stars with large social footprints, Adam Sandler and Selena Gomez, supported through their social channels. Pic had panel on animation day at Comic-Con where its spin on Dracula, Frankenstein, Murray the Mummy, and more were walk-about characters. The film’s official website let audiences made hotel reservations. There was a Red Carpet premiere at the Toronto Film Fest.
Meanwhile TriStar’s sci-fi actioner Looper (2,992 theaters) leaped to $21.5M. That’s the first time talented Joseph Gordon-Levitt officially opened a movie like a star – something his future self Bruce Willis used to do regularly years ago. Audiences gave it a ‘B’ CinemaScore (‘B+’ from males). Looper delivered an opening weekend audience that was 59% male and 70% aged 25 and older. Sony/TriStar, FilmDistrict, and Endgame Entertainment co-production with China’s DMG Entertainment are behind this Rian Johnson film. It opened during the Chinese National Holiday. The film went through some major changes to please the Chinese investor. The script was rewritten to take place 60 years into the future in China (instead of France) which has become the world’s largest superpower in the world. Also Chinese actress Xu Qing was added to the cast. All this helped Looper’s chance of premiering day and date in China.
But the major studios’ best per screen average ($15,550) on Friday belonged to Universal’s comedy Pitch Perfect which the studio platformed in just 335 theaters. Then this sleeper’s gross went up a big +20% from Friday to Saturday for an extraordinary 6th place in the Top 10. Studio can’t recall another pic pulling in a bigger $5.2M weekend playing in so few locations. The release pattern was too small to even warrant a CinemaScore. Universal execs really talked up this small sizzler in advance and pushed and promoted like crazy. Its unusual platform release in mostly college towns was intended to give its core audience an early chance to sample the film and push out word-of-mouth to a more general audience before Pitch Perfect expands into 2,800 theaters on October 5th. Developed at Universal, the pic’s $17M cost was co-financed with Paul Brooks’ Gold Circle Films. Brooks produced the film alongside Elizabeth Banks and Max Handelman for their Brownstone Productions company. Universal has worldwide distribution rights and opens October 4th in New Zealand and rolls out internationally beginning on October 10th. Studio claims it “fell in love” with pic from the script stage, culminating when execs say how strongly it played to audiences. Low-budget sleepers like this have huge profit potential - if marketing costs can be controlled. To that end, Uni hosted the most word-of-mouth screenings than for any film in the studio’s history: performing arts camps, colleges, and general market screenings as fall arrived. Social-media metrics began to outpace similar films at early stages on Facebook. Promos were on Spotify, Starmaker, SongPop, Pandora, Vevo. Uni even did a small early Sept 28th ‘debut’. (It was announced on Sept 6th accompanied by ticketing incentives with Fandango and MovieTickets.) Director Jason Moore (“Avenue Q” on Broadway), screenwriter Kay Cannon (30 Rock, New Girl), and auuthor Mickey Rapkin whose book inspired the film did a ton of press along with the cast anchored by Anna Kendrick and breakout star Rebel Wilson. They also shot a custom single-take lip dub promotional video for the MTV Video Music Awards that aired more than 15 times. The film also was promoted at 22 stops in the American Idol Live! Concert tour with trailer play and a spot running at intermission. Besides the usual TV ads, Pitch Perfect had an unusually long 4-week radio campaign in the top 20 markets and on Ryan Seacrest’s show.
Faring way worse is this weekend’s 4th newcomer Won’t Back Down (2,515 theaters) from Walden Media which is financed by right-wing media multibillionaire Phil Anschutz and also responsible for that pro-school privatization documentary Waiting For Superman. This time it’s another propaganda film masquerading as a drama about school reform – but it’s really an anti-teachers union polemic using classy stars Maggie Gyllenhaal and Viola Davis and Holly Hunter for cover. Anyway, the pic bombed with only a $1.1 weekend only good enough for 10th place despite receiving an ‘A-’ CinemaScore from its tiny audience. Fox has a deal to distribute Walden Media which 100% financed the pic and spent a fortune on TV ads. Director is Daniel Barnz, credited screenwriters Brin Hill and Daniel Barnz, producer Mark Johnson.
Here are updated Top Ten with order based on weekend estimates:
1. Hotel Transylvania 3D (Sony Animation) NEW [3,349 Runs] PG
Friday $11.0M, Saturday $19.0M, Weekend $43.0M
2. Looper (Film District/TriStar/Sony) NEW [2,992 Runs] R
Friday $6.8M, Saturday $8.8M, Weekend $21.3M
3. End Of Watch (Open Road) Week 2 [3,083 Runs] R
Friday $2.3M, Saturday $3.3M, Weekend $7.8M (-41%), Cume $25.9M
4. Trouble With The Curve (Warner Bros) Week 2 [3,212 Runs] PG13
Friday $2.3M, Saturday $3.3M, Weekend $7.5M (-38%), Cume $23.7M
5. House At End Of Street (Relativity) Week 2 [3,083 Runs] PG13
Friday $2.3M, Saturday $3.3M, Weekend $7.3M (-40%), Cume $22.4M
6. Pitch Perfect (Universal) NEW [335 Runs] PG
Friday $1.7M, Saturday $2.1M, Weekend $5.2M
7. Finding Nemo 3D (Pixar/Disney) Week 3 [2,639 Runs] G
Friday $1.0M, Saturday $1.8M, Weekend $3.9M, Cume $36.4M
8. Resident Evil 5 3D (Screen Gems/Sony) Week 3 [2,381 Runs] R
Friday $810K, Saturday $1.3M, Weekend $3.0M, Cume $38.7M
9. The Master (Weinstein Co) Week 3 [856 Runs] R
Friday $787K, Saturday $1.2M, Weekend $2.7M, Cume $9.6M
10. Won’t Back Down (Walden/Fox) NEW [2,515 Runs] PG
Friday $920K, Saturday $1.0M, Weekend $2.6M
Editor-in-Chief Nikki Finke - tip her here.
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No one needed a movie to be anti-teachers’ union. The Chicago spectacle did that for a lot of us.
And for those living in Wisconsin, we had 18 straight months of teach union B.S. So, yea, the Chicago thing on top of that, I would imagine that tapped a lot of the Midwest out. Plus, the marketing has been nearly non-existent.
Maybe the NFL ref lock-out spectacle took the teeth out of union bashing this year. The way to fix our schools is obvious: either make private schools illegal or make people who send their kids to private schools pay a penalty to fund the school systems they’re abandoning.
Um. What?
A) They aren’t “abandoning” anything, as they still pay the same (usually higher, since most parents that can afford private school are in a higher tax bracket anyway) taxes as any other parent whether their kids attend or not, and
B) Why would you make the superior product illegal simply for being the superior product? What sort of nonsense is that?
You mean a penalty over and above the property taxes we pay for schools we don’t use?
They already do a pay a penalty….it’s called school taxes.
@Myname:
You should conduct a little research before writing something so irrational. The concept of a public school is completely immoral. It is not only unfair, but also extremely dangerous, to allow your children to suffer 12-14 years of state-subsidized propaganda. The public school system impairs cognitive development and encourages one-dimensional thinking. If you don’t believe me, you needn’t look any further than the American literacy rates, which are currently at the sub-30% level. There are myriad other fundamental problems, too, including the premise that children should be boxed in exclusively with children of the same age.
The problem isn’t funding. Consider the myriad benefits of public-sector work and you’ll understand that money has nothing to do with it. The problem is the premise. Public schools are immoral. Period. Your argument is extremely offensive towards anyone who attempts to protect his/her children by taking the financial and moral responsibilities of enlisting his/her kids in private school. Abolish private schools? What a sickening notion.
Public schools are immoral, huh?
I can think of 100 things that happen to children on a regular basis that are more immoral (letting a whopping 47 million children go hungry, for instance) that are actually immoral.
Once upon a time, public school was an engine for creating a population who could meaningfully take part in a workforce and in a democracy, irrespective of their parents ability to pay for it. I’m guessing Dack, that you don’t think that this a good thing? You want to run through the list of American Nobel prize winners, see who got a public school education and tell me it was immoral to educate the Richard Feynman’s of the world?
Live in Cali – registered Democrat – HATE the Teachers Union. Makes the Thin Blue Line look like nothing. Still, not going to see that film.
Looper is FANTASTIC. One of the truly must-see films of the year. Great to see an original (non-franchise/sequel/remake) R-rated sci-fi film succeed.
“Loopers” not really that fantastic from where I sat anyway. Interesting and at times confusing the film last ridiculous 20 minutes almost sinks it. Fine performances by the leads, though.
wow @ pitch perfect. 5mil from just 335 theaters? could have sworn the whole Glee phase was starting to die but it looks like Pitch Perfect is gonna be a hit. Anna Kendrick welcome to the A list!
Right comment, wrong actress. Rebel Wilson, get yourself a good agent.
Film is going to be mammoth.
I’m surprised that Maggie Gyllenhaal, Viola Davis, and Holly Hunter agreed to be in a film like this–especially Gyllenhaal, who’s been pretty outspoken about her leftist views.
Plus, the treacly trailer made it look like a movie that may have been interesting around, say, 1982.
It’s called being a professional, and not letting your personal views affect your work ethic.
There’s a difference between an actor taking the role of someone completely unlike them because it is explored in-depth in a thoughtful movie (e.g., Ralph Fiennes in Schindler’s List) and appearing in a schlocky low-budget propaganda flick.
I doubt any of these three actresses are that hard-up for work. The question to them is a valid one: why do it?
In what way was the role of Schindler a departure for Fiennes? Is he an outspoken anti-semite, and I’m just now hearing about it?
And if you saw the film, you’d know the roles filled by Davis and Gyllenhaal were well written and thought out, whereas the rest of the characters were all 2 dimensional cardboard cutouts, which killed the movie.
Btw, love how your disagreement with the films message instantly transforms it into “propaganda.”
Hold on — wasn’t WAITING FOR SUPERMAN hailed by most people who actually bothered to see it as a fantastic documentary? Not just good mind you, but fantastic? And isn’t WON’T BACK DOWN getting a friggin’ “A” or “A-minus” Cinemascore from audiences across the country?
I believe the answer to both of those queries is “Hell yes!”
Now I’m sure Walden and Fox are very disappointed by the opening weekend numbers, but let’s not kid ourselves that their film isn’t pleasing its intended audience (if only that audience were bigger).
And are you honestly gonna stand there and insist that NO public sector union has maybe a tiiiiiiny widdle bit to answer for in the way it conducts its negotiations? Are you saying that every union is virtuous in comparison with the greedy fascist pigs responsible for the pensions and salaries of its members? Are you saying every public sector union is therefore… or ought to be… off limits to dramatic criticism?
Once again I’m sure that, for you, the answer to all three queries is “Hell yes!”
the ‘Hotel Transylvania’ success surprises me — at least based on the commercials.
The reference points seem so old fashioned. In an era where vampire = sparkly dreamboat (or trailer park predator) how many kids are even familiar with that caped Mitteleuropean count?
I think more kids watch Sesame Street than Twilight.
Hate to break it to you, but kids aren’t the only ones who like animation. HT skews older to begin with, so the good numbers aren’t at all surprising.
A dying business? What are you doing posting on a film business site then? I’m guessing you are bitter cuz you’re out of work or something
Great opening weekend for hotel transylvania, well and truly deserved as Genndy tartakovsky is a real talent. Kudos to Sony and everyone involved!
” I love JGL as much as the next person, but the movie is successful because of it’s ridiculously high RT score. Because it’s a good movie, and word of mouth travels. Reviews help a film in this day and age. ”
—————–
Can’t you say the same about Source code (Hight RT score, good movie,) but it still under performed with Jake Gyllenhaal but Looper is doing much better at the box office with JGL. You should give the guy some credit, not all of it but he contributed to its success.
That Won’t Back Down film sounded like brain washing propaganda. No one wants to be hit over the head with propaganda at the movies.
Lopper’s success is about the director.
Most every review primarily talks about his work and his script.
Not a lot of references to the actors’ work.
Jeff Daniels performance seems to be the one that is consistently mentioned as superb.
There are 5 directors in the world that audiences give a shit about, and the nobody director of Looper isn’t one of them. He sold not one ticket, not even to his mom. A good trailer sells tickets and a likable lead helps. But if isn’t James Cameron level director, nobody cares.
What I meant was the RESULT of his unique writing and direction.
Not about name recognition.
You are right about there being VERY few directors who will draw an audience just on their name.
Even that is no guarantee that the film will be good though.
Um, Source Code was actually pretty terrible?
And Looper’s numbers are so-so. Look for a big drop. They are very lucky that Dredd absolutely tanked, so there was no other original ‘sci-fi’ pic in the market to directly compare.
(Resident Evil is a sequel).
Also, you know that Bruce Willis is in this movie too? For those of us who love Sci-fi, not even Surrogates put us off that idea. JGL in odd contacts, Bruce in sci-fi, interesting concept. That sounds like a $15M open, long VOD tail to me.
Honestly I think Jake Gyllenhaal can carry a movie by his own better than JGL. I am not saying Jake G. is box office draw.His recent two movies had way less buzz than other movies released in the same weekend and did pretty well(both box office numbers and critics).JGL benefits from his co-stars mostly(he is a good actor but I am still conservative about his leading man status) and Looper has way more buzz than Souce code almost one year.It’s reasonable Looper outperformed than Source Code.
As someone that was a teacher I won’t see the film. I didn’t like the way it was promoted. I like Viola as an actress and Maggie.. but so tired of people that have never ever stepped inside a classroom and have no idea what it is like making snap judgments about teaching and Unions. There are people in Education that should not be. There are people in ever profession that should not be there. Unions are important and helpful. There is a negative to any organization. And if people think that Teachers should be judged by just test scores well that is just wrong. If I could control every aspect of a child’s life before they walk into a class then yes. But a Doctor is not going to be judged if he gives his patient a medical course of action and the patient doesn’t take it. Children walk into a classroom with so much home drama it is unreal. I could tell stories that you would shake your heads at. And as an past Educator you are required to teach that child and deal with all the outside influences that you can’t control. People expect teachers to be some machine. That their love for children should over power their need to pay their bill and feed and cloth their families. OK.. I need to stop.. getting mad as I type.
GREAT post!
And your post might have struck a cord, if not for the case of the semen spoon-feeding pedophile that is still on PAID leave, as well as the teacher that is suing LA Unified right now for mentioning during a reference check by another school district that she had been let go after showing up to class intoxicate not once, not twice, but three times, the third after receiving 30k worth of treatment at a substance abuse facility.
I don’t expect teachers to be a machine, but I do expect them to be held to the same professional standards of any other office. Perhaps if the unions did a better job of policing their own, instead of covering up for their miscreants like the Catholic church could only dream of doing and getting away with, they wouldn’t have such a bad rap.
I call bullshit. You say “so tired of people that have never ever stepped inside a classroom and have no idea what it is like making snap judgments about teaching and Unions.” Here’s a clue for you: WE’VE ALL BEEN INSIDE A CLASSROOM. WE’VE ALL BEEN STUDENTS. We KNOW what it’s like, and it’s not getting better, despite the union’s incessant call to “do what’s right for the children.” The unions don’t give a shit about the children BECAUSE THE CHILDREN DON’T PAY UNION DUES.
You also say “There are people in ever profession that should not be there. Unions are important and helpful.” OK, fine. If this is true, then the unions MUST make it easier to fire the crap teachers. John Stossel interviewed a bunch of union members who had the balls to state “there are NO slackers.” Again, I call BULLSHIT.
Ditto to that. If I thought I had the answer to solve our public school issues, I would have already run for a school board office and imposed my will upon the local school districts and the teachers unions. But dealing with education is difficult enough, even if every child miraculously came from the same socio-economic background and the same type of families, as children learn and retain knowledge in different ways. Throw in the fact that many kids come from impoverished backgrounds and are not exposed to the outside world as more economically advantaged children are (and I’m not just talking about the poor black kid in the ghetto or the poor Latino kid with the immigrant parents who don’t speak English; most of the poor kids are white and live in rural or dying mid-sized industrial areas), and you have a system which looks like linear algebra than simple arithmetic. Granted, most parents are very involved with their child’s education, but some parents have to work two to three jobs just to put food on the table and can’t afford to put in enough time to help their children with reading and homework, despite their best efforts, and frankly some parents look at the schools as glorified daycare centers. And if you look at the physical condition of some of the schools these children attend, if they were actual places of business, they would have been shut down by OSHA or the state equivalent for unsafe/hazardous conditions.
…and I hope you get madder. I note you’re an ‘ex’ teacher. Just letting you know, its not only right-wing nutjobs who are sick of teachers union BS ok?
@Doppleganger:
You were wrong for taking the public-sector job in the first place. I have no issue with a union as an economic concept, but we’re talking about children being held hostage in a war between who gets the bigger cut of taxpayer bills. I have no interest in Won’t Back Down; anything produced by Walden Media trash and I’m sure this one is no different. Still, if the film’s message really is one of pro-privitazation of schooling, then I should probably buy a ticket anyway, just to support it.
Props to LOOPER, a solid 30M movie that will do well here and overseas and make everyone involved a tidy profit, much as CONTRABAND did getting to 100M worldwide on a 20M budget.
But none of the studios had a hand in financing or making either of these movies!
Movies like this used to be the studios bread and butter, now they won’t touch them unless the movie comes with a theme park ride or board game attached. Independent financiers and sales companies are now stepping into the void and eating the studios lunch on projects like these.
There’s no reason Universal or Paramount couldn’t have made LOOPER or CONTRABAND, but nah, they’re too busy making BATTLESHIP and fourth-string superhero movies and found footage horror and NOTHING in between.
The studios aren’t going to find the next TAKEN unless they’re actually making the next TAKEN.
I think we’re entering an interesting time in the industry when independent players start turning solid profits on projects like LOOPER and CONTRABAND and leave the studios taking notes.
@HW
UH. Universal Did Made CONTRABAND. CONTRABAND IS NOT A INDEPENDENT FILM AS YOU THINK. Next Time Correct Your Mistake.
@ Rob
UH. No, Uni DID NOT MAKE CONTRABAND. Uni simply distributed Contraband, which was financed and produced by Working Title & Relativity using your usual smorgasbord of foreign presales. If you don’t understand the difference between these things or how this process works you probably shouldn’t be posting on industry message boards.
Next time figure out the basics of what you’re talking about before your deign to correct other people’s “mistakes.”
You do realize that Relativity and Working Title both have production deals with Universal, right?
Here’s the studios notes:
1. Get Ben to pick up drycleaning
2. Get copies of Looper and Contraband sent over. Looking for new B actors for next comic franchise.
3. get Ben to print frames of those actors, or send pics to phone
4. send global estimates for next 3 years to board – get warm email back
5. greenlight something/anything over $150M.
6. check that Johnny/Robert D got the present I sent over
Not sure where fox spent all that TV money but I never saw any. Must of been on Fox News cause then yes I wouldn’t have ever seen it.
i am hoping audiences will start noticing JGL movies more and he’ll start being able to bring in big boxoffice bucks alone, because frankly he’s personally my sign that if he’s in it, it will be a smart well done film, not just because of him but he makes good choices similar to ryan gosling its a rarity to see a poor film that dosent include at least an interesting acting challenge. He’s on a roll personally, in film not so much boxoffice.
Good news for animation this weekend. Too bad spirits will be down – no pun intended – when Frankenweenie flops next weekend.
Bob – Mr. Whiskers left a “B” in the litter box, which means you have no idea what you’re talking about. Frankenweenie will be huge.
SO happy Hotel did well this weekend, given its history.
He’s an artist that deserves access to resources. Its not just a Pixar world (thank god).
Spoken like a true ignoramus.
Congratulations between your spelling mistakes and pride you delivered a letter that exposes the futility of your voice.
Or break the unions and get teachers who care about their kids’ performance, not about tenure
who was the must actor in hollywood
What the f? Pay a penalty for the public school system that a part of everyone’s tax money for to already. Trying to understand your nonsensical thought process. If people want to and can afford to send their kids to private school, good for them.
Sweet Home Alabama?!!!
“Fox has a deal to distribute Walden Media which spent a fortune on TV ads.”
On which networks? Granted I’m not a couch potato by any means, but I did watch a considerable amount of tv this week because of all the season premiers, and I didn’t see a single ad for this film.
Levitt’s great – been watching him since “Third Rock from the Sun” where he was obviously very special – but can he carry a picture at the box office? Actors under 30 today – how many can? (I would love to hear names actually.) And the concept of “movie star” isn’t dead abroad – it’s why Smith and Cruise do subliminal pictures for Scientology in the guise of action pictures : message loud and “clear;” minimal translation problems when scaling building walls and slaying aliens in time travel…can act as a shorthand universal language in undeveloped (meaning Hubbard-think) countries. When you see their movies : What’s the real franchise? becomes the question. A theoretically prosaic actor’s point, note, or suggestion in the development and production of scripts – may be fraught with intent in reference to the writers, producers, the director, and the studio. You, sir. You’re the chump into which I’m inserting “tech.” You object? You become disenchanted and suspicious? YOU’RE ENGAGING IN “RELIGIOUS” PERSECUTION BY JUDGING MEANINGLESS THINGS AS SYMPTOMATIC OF THEIR IDENTITY AS “RELIGION.” Quite the locked box or mouse trap. You’re damned if you do or damned if you don’t…was the idea built in as global business pyramid scheme at inception accomplished through brainwashing techniques and culture…THAT YOU HAVE TO PAY FOR! And then try to leave it or get out. That was all figured out – or was the goal – from the very beginning as socially engineered by Hubbard.
Matt Gafty you are a sheep. RT is one if the most corrupt sites ever and if you gauge if a movie is good or not off of it, then you are a moron and deserve all the lack of intelligence in your life.
Corrupt? Prove it.
That’s completely absurd. I’d be more angry with the movie blogs and geek sites trading stories and softening reviews for junket and talent access.
JGL didn’t “open” LOOPER. His awful prosthetics did.
Seriously, that ruined the film. Well that, and an awful second half, terrible acting by Emily Blunt and one of the worst child actors since Jake Lloyd. But JGL just looked creepy, and nothing like Bruce Willis. He looks more like him just naturally.
People went to see Looper because they wanted to stare at a poor make-up job? And you’ve got to be kidding me re: Blunt. I thought her accent was very authentic.
No, I’m not kidding.
Sorry Nikki, but you lost me generalizing “Won’t Back Down” as right-wing propaganda. There are a few union teachers out there who aren’t doing their jobs, and it makes it difficult to weed out the bad teachers because the union that protects the good teachers also protects the bad ones. I’m not for dissolving unions, but perhaps some small union reforms should be considered for problematic teachers. I’m all for the diversity that public and private education brings.
Both parents and teachers should demand better quality of education, regardless if it’s in a public school or private college. WBD is a preachy and cliche-ridden film, but its heart is in the right place.
“make private schools illegal” or tax parents extra for using them? Do you actually believe they are stealing money from public schools? THEY ARE PAYING TWICE! They pay for their kid’s education AND pay all property taxes that find schools. Homeschool parents do the same. If $$ solved school problems, NJ would rank among the best in the world–so would WA DC. Penalizing parents because they take full responsibilty for their children’s education is insane. Teachers unions HAVE been a part of the problem- the evidence is abundant for this interested in looking–BUT it is ALSO the breakdown of the family that is destroying kids. Kids without a dad at home have FAR more trouble, and it’s unfair for teachers or unions to be blamed for that. Hollywood might want to consider that in their portrayal of family. As for “Won’t back down” – while I heard it was good, it just smacked of being “a very important movie” instead of being entertaining. It may find an audience on cable if it’s good.
I knew the more shallow critiques of Looper were coming, but they don’t bum me out any less.
The film is a triumph – a great script with one of the most satisfying endings in recent years (In Bruges was the last film I can recall that slid into homebase so effortlessly), a well-directed and fairly subtle tale with no ham-fisting, and great performances by a solid cast that actually felt like they belonged in the same world. Oh, and all while remaining digestable for the more casual moviegoer.
“Gem” is a perfect word for Looper.
…and “moron who wishes he were a critic being quoted on the ad” is the perfect phrase for you. Subtle??? ‘slid into the homebase’??? Looper is an average film from a director with a solid, misguided fanbase.
Where did Walden Media spent that fortune on TV ads. I didn’t see them. I find it odd how many will not see the movie but trash it since I have seen reviews that say opposite of your review.
Anyway I was not planning on seeing it because I don’t think anything will be done but now that its getting trashed I think I will. Maybe they needed a younger LuLu singing to get those people in the movie theater seats. I kinda liked “To Sir with Love”.