Black Sheep previews Summer 2010!

It isn't technically summer yet in most of the world but the season of sizzle gets its usual early head start out in Hollywood next week with the release of IRON MAN 2.  Two years ago, the first IRON MAN installment surprised Hollywood and audiences alike when it surpassed both financial and creative expectations, subsequently kicking off summer good and proper.  The hopes are that the sequel will do it up right again this year and in a matter of days, we will see what tone it sets for the next four months.  The opening weekend is just the beginning though.  Summertime means one big movie after the next and if you don't get in and make your money right upfront, you disappear from existence.  Even if you do grab a good haul at the start, you can still disappear the next weekend when another highly anticipated sequel hits theatres.  No, my friends, to make it in the summer, you've got to stand out.  You don't necessarily have to be any good but you've got to get people talking.

Let's start that conversation right here, shall we?  There are roughly 100 movies being released in North American theatres over the next four months.  We're going to look at the handful of those that caught my attention and intend to review during that time.  The total amounts to about a quarter of the films, or about six reviews a month.  (I'm only one man!) I'll throw out mentions for the other biggies that I might still see and let you know what I will definitely not be seeing ... summer also has plenty of garbage too, which tends to stink even worse in the heat.  Still, I love me a summer gem and the cool air conditioning on a humid afternoon.  The summer means lots of things to lots of people and it means movies to me.

With that, I'd like to welcome you to Black Sheep Reviews' 2010 Summer Movie Preview!

MAY

05/07 ... The aforementioned IRON MAN 2 rolls out the proverbial beach towel into 4000 theatres next week, finding billionaire Tony Stark (everyone's favourite comeback kid, Robert Downey Jr.) and director Jon Favreau tackling an original idea rather than following the comic book canon. Expectations are high this time when they weren't at all last time. Iron Man presents well but can he sustain?  Also on the seventh, Hot Doc festival leftovers, BABIES and CASINO JACK AND THE UNITED STATES OF MONEY, from Academy Award winning documentary filmmaker, Alex Gibney, reach out to those uninterested in popcorn fare.

05/14 ... I'm not accustomed to losing interest in summer quite so quickly but another Amanda Seyfried weepy romance (LETTERS TO JULIET) does not interest me.  Ridley Scott's grandiose and serious take on ROBIN HOOD doesn't interest me that much either but I've got to see something that week.  I wonder if Scott and star Russell Crowe see how obvious it is that they are trying to recapture their GLADIATOR days.  Actually, the film I am looking forward to seeing this weekend is Montreal director, Jacob Tierney's second feature, THE TROTSKY, starring Jay Baruchel.  I loved Tierney's first feature, TWIST, and can't wait to see how he's grown since that was released in 2003.

05/21 ... I have not been interested in seeing a "Saturday Night Live" inspired film in ages but MACGRUBER, the Will Forte led spoof on "MacGyver" got great buzz at the SXSW festival earlier this year and actually looks pretty funny.  SHREK FOREVER AFTER will clearly dominate this weekend but I never made it past the second Shrek film so I won't be catching this one most likely.  I don't want to be lost.

05/28 ... This day confuses me.  I love "Sex and the City" and I love Jake Gyllenhaal.  That said, I almost hated the last SATC movie and I don't like my men with long hair so my enthusiasm for SEX AND THE CITY 2 and PRINCE OF PERSIA: THE SANDS OF TIME is nowhere near as high as it could have been.  Regardless, I won't try to suppress my baser urges.  After all, the girls are going to ride camels and Jake is not going to be wearing a shirt for much of the film, I'm sure.

JUNE

06/04 ... I'm just going to say it.  This summer is nowhere near as exciting as last summer.  If the best thing to see on the first weekend of June is GET HIM TO THE GREEK, starring Russell Brand and Jonah Hill, from the director of FORGETTING SARAH MARSHALL, then we've got a problem.  I'm sure it will be funny but will be as funny as seeing Sarah Polley in a big Hollywood horror about cloning gone horrifically wrong?  (The movie is called SPLICE.)

06/11 ... I watched THE A-TEAM when I was younger but it's not like I've been dying a little inside each day since it was cancelled.  The new remake has a great cast (Sharlto Copley from last year's DISTRICT 9 and Bradley Cooper from last year's everything) so I will give a shot.  On the other end of the spectrum, French export, COCO CHANEL & IGOR STRAVINSKY tells the tale of the relationship between two cultural revolutionaries.  I think I am going to pass on THE KARATE KID remake, if you don't mind.  I'd also sooner avoid the feature length documentary, JOAN RIVERS: A PIECE OF WORK ... even though the title is kinda funny.

06/18 ... I could barely get through the trailer for JONAH HEX but god knows that summer agrees with Megan Fox so it will probably do well despite my disdain for it.  No matter, I will be front and center for TOY STORY 3.  Sure it is an unnecessary sequel from the Pixar peeps but with the Academy Award winning writer of LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE, Michael Arndt, penning the screenplay and the co-director of FINDING NEMO and MONSTERS INC, Lee Unkrich, behind the lens, I'm sure the toys will triumph once again.

06/25 ... There had better be some limited art house release opening in Toronto this weekend because I do not want to have to see or review either the Tom Cruise / Cameron Diaz action-comedy / career desperation project, KNIGHT AND DAY, or GROWN-UPS, which brings together Chris Rock, Kevin James, Adam Sandler and more to do very much the same thing Cruise and Diaz are doing.  Here's hoping Alain Resnais' WILD GRASS finds its way here that weekend, for my sake.

06/30 ... Oh here's a big one.  THE TWILIGHT SAGA: ECLIPSE makes its first summer appearance.  I just watched the trailer for this one this morning and I could not contain my laughter.  I gave the first one a chance and didn't think it was that bad but I named NEW MOON one of the worst pictures of last year.  When Edward asked Bella to marry him right before the credits rolled (oh sorry, spoiler alert after the fact if you hadn't seen it already), I threw up a little in my mouth and decided right there and then to never see another one of these disasters.  Go ahead and swoon ladies ... these boys are all yours.

July

07/02 ... Originally entitled, "Avatar", M. Night Shyamalan's THE LAST AIRBENDER had to change its name after that other AVATAR movie came along, devouring everything in its environmentally-friendly path.  Appropriately, it should capture much of the same crowd as the special effects look top notch.  Like most of Shyamalan's other work though, the acting and dialogue look so bad that they may actually drag the whole thing down with them.  And while I knew nothing of this film before seeing THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO, I am now very stoked to see THE GIRL WHO PLAYED WITH FIRE, the next in the Swedish film series.

07/07 ... It is a Wednesday bow for indie favourite, THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT, starring Julianne Moore and Annette Bening as life partners, raising children who now want the goods on their biological father.  The anonymous sperm donor daddy? Mark Rufallo.  This is one of the titles I am most excited about this summer.  It figures it's one of the tinier ones.

07/16 ... Ah, Christopher Nolan.  I have mad respect for this man.  He may not always please everyone or achieve perfection but his direction is always concise and unflinching.  His vision is unique and his potential has yet to be tapped.  His latest and follow up to the phenomenon that was THE DARK KNIGHT, entitled INCEPTION, is a movie about dreams, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Ellen Page and Joseph Gordon-Levitt.  July is definitely the month to beat for me with these last two pictures.

07/23 ... On the comedic front, Steve Carell and Paul Rudd reteam for DINNER FOR SCHMUCKS, a remake of the French film, DINER DES CONS, where one man has to bring the stupidest person he knows to dinner for a proper mocking in order to get a promotion.  It promises to be a lot friendlier than the 1998 French film and it will be great to see these two guys on equal footing for a change.  Then on the action side of the coin, you've got Angelina Jolie as an international spy on the run in a role that was originally given to Tom Cruise in SALT.  My track record with Philip Noyce directed films isn't great though so this could go either way for me.  Anyone remember the last time these two worked together?  (Answer: THE BONE COLLECTOR.)

07/30 ... I am thrilled to see that Quebec film, and a 2009 Mouton d'Or Award nominee for Best Little Movie, I KILLED MY MOTHER, is getting an American distribution deal.  The film has done incredibly well here in Canada and deservedly so.  Writer/Director/Star, Xavier Dolan, tells the semi-autobiographical story of the difficulties he had growing up as a young gay man with his mother.  It is a raw and rough experience but still somehow healing and beautiful.  At the young age of 21, Dolan is exploding with his second film at Cannes this year and his third already in preproduction.  I am also hoping that I LOVE YOU PHILIP MORRIS, starring Jim Carrey and Ewan McGregor, finally sees its release on this tentative date.

August

08/06 ... It made its debut at last year's Toronto International Film Festival and now Bruce Beresford's MAO'S LAST DANCER is finally hitting theatres.  It tells the true story of Li Cunxin, a Chinese ballet performer who has performed around the world, and it just looks gorgeous.  The dancing is sure to impress.  Of course, I'm sure more people will opt to see that other dance movie, STEP UP 3D, instead that weekend.  3D dance movies?  The world needs this?  Really?

08/13 ... August usually slows down the pace and Julia Roberts will try to continue the trend with the film adaptation of EAT PRAY LOVE.  The man behind "Glee" and "Nip/Tuck", Ryan Murphy, directs this true story about a woman who tries to recapture the spirit she didn't know she had lost.  Schmaltzy for sure but it could be acceptable schmaltz.  More importantly though, Edgar Wright, the man behind HOT FUZZ and SHAUN OF THE DEAD, returns with his latest, SCOTT PILGRIM VS. THE WORLD.  The film stars Michael Cera as a musician who has to defeat each of his girlfriend's seven evil ex-boyfriends in order to be with her.  That's freaking hilarious!

08/20 ... I don't know why I am such a sucker for Jennifer Aniston movies.  The woman rarely makes good movies but yet  I keep coming back.  In THE SWITCH, she stars opposite Jason Batemen (a potential saving grace in this film).  Bateman drunkenly switches the sperm she was going to use to inseminate herself without telling her and, well, you can figure where the rest is going.  Still, the trailer actually looks kinda cute.

08/27 ... The truth of it is I will likely be prepping for TIFF and the fall at this point in the summer but if I need to escape, I can always see PIRANHA 3D.  That's right.  You read correctly.  A tectonic plate shift causes a crack in a party town lake and releases tons of 2000-year-old killer piranhas.  And not only are they hungry but they are in 3D!!

So there you have it, folks.  This is what awaits you during the long days of summer.  What do you think?  Is it worth going inside for?

Black Sheep previews Hot Docs 2010

While Black Sheep is not going to be covering the 2010 Toronto Hot Docs film festival directly, it is still our great pleasure to preview some of the titles that will be featured this year.  Founded in 1993, the Hot Docs festival is committed to presenting over 150 of the best documentaries floating around the festival circuit.  This year is no exception as the festival showcases docs from directors as famous as Steven Soderbergh and Alex Gibney, as well as giving voice to local filmmakers and marginalized filmmakers the world over.  As is true with the documentary approach itself, Hot Docs is interested in the truth in its purest form and that is what you will get.

Even though I cannot attend the festival as much as I’d like to, the festival organizers were kind enough to send me a bunch of screeners to help you weed through what may or may not be great in this year’s 11-day festival schedule.  And so begins Black Sheep’s Hot Docs 2010 Preview …

BABIES
Directed by Thomas Balmes
Screenings: Thursday, April 29, 6:30 PM, Wintergarden Theatre
Friday, April 30, 1:45 PM, Isabel Bader Theatre

It is no fun to start off a preview with an unfavourable review for the opening film, especially when that film is about the world’s most precious resource, babies.  The trailer for this BABIES, which has a theatrical run scheduled for May 7, is adorable.  I found the film itself insufferable though, which might mean I have no soul.  I realize what a monster that makes me sound like but I’m really not.  I just don’t see the point in following around four newborns in four very different locations throughout the world when, if I want to see a baby just being cute, I can visit any number of my friends.  It's like watching BARAKA with babies, except nowhere near as striking and nowhere near as effective.  It’s just kids being kids with no outside explanation as to why we’re watching.  After about ten minutes, these babies get pretty tired and you remember fairly quickly why you stopped babysitting years ago.  It did give me concern though; if I couldn’t handle these babies for an hour and twenty minutes, how am I going to handle my own at some point?

I SHOT MY LOVE
Directed by Tomer Heymann
Screenings: Tuesday, May 4, 7:30 PM, The Royal Cinema
Thursday, May 6, 4:15 PM, Cumberland

Tomer Heymann found some great appreciation after his last documentary, PAPER DOLLS, about a group of Filipino transvestites who emigrate to Israel to take care of old Jewish men, was honoured at the Berlin International Film Festival, picking up both audience and jury prizes alike.  For his follow up project, Heymann decided to turn the camera on himself or, more accurately, on those that he loves.  He meets Andreas Merk, a German dancer one night while he is in Berlin for the festival and they fall in love.  He spends the next while filming that process by keeping the camera on his boyfriend and asking him leading questions that are clearly meant to spark a big debate about how complicated their relationship should be considering he’s Jewish and Andreas is German.  Thankfully, Andreas is cute and fun to watch but I SHOT MY LOVE rarely feels genuine, which means the love he supposedly shot rarely comes through.

LIFE WITH MURDER
Directed by John Kastner
Screenings: Saturday, May 1, 9:45 PM, Isabel Bader Theatre
Sunday, May 9, 3:45 PM, Bloor Cinema

Of all the screeners I was sent for this festival, this was the one I put off to the end.  It was the longest, first of all, which makes me sound incredibly lazy but hey.  It was also the most potentially depressing of the bunch.  LIFE WITH MURDER tells the story of a Chatham, Ontario family torn apart by a chilling tragedy.  Mom and Dad come home to find their daughter murdered and their son missing.  Soon enough, it becomes clear that their son may have killed their daughter.  He is arrested, tried and convicted of the murder but yet his parents never leave his side.  This film forces you to think hard about family and forgiveness but never lets you ignore the possibility of misplaced trust and the dangers of blind faith.  Having been too young to remember this case in the news, watching the details be revealed in this film horrified me.  It is not an easy experience but still a brilliant one. 

MARK
Directed by Mike Hoolboom
Screenings: Saturday, May 1, 9:45 PM, The Royal Cinema
Sunday, May 9, 9:30 PM, Isabel Bader Theatre

I’m new to Toronto but I imagine that there will be a strong amount of local interest in MARK, a sensitive and touching portrait of now deceased activist, Mark Karbusicky.  Without any previous knowledge of who Mark was, it is pretty easy to understand why people loved him – and love him they did.  By piecing together childhood photographs, found footage and interviews with friends and loved ones, director, Mike Hoolboom, is able to create a palpable sense of who Mark was and what he valued.  I can’t be certain whether it was Hoolboom’s intention to leave the details of why Mark killed himself vague but the result is that we spend more time focusing on his life than his death, which is more honourable anyway.  MARK presents a handful of very real people with very real emotions that stay with you and make you wish you had been lucky enough to know Mark too.

THE “SOCALLED” MOVIE
Directed by Garry Beitel
Screenings: Sunday, May 2, 9:15, Bloor Cinema
Tuesday, May 4, 11:30 AM, ROM Theatre

This one is particularly difficult to describe.  I lived in Montreal my whole life and I never heard of this guy.  After seeing Garry Beitel’s NFB production, THE “SOCALLED MOVIE”, I wish I had heard of him a long time ago.  The guy I’m talking about is a man by the name of Josh Dolgin, who goes by the moniker, “Socalled”.  Dolgin is 32, gay and Jewish, and he spends his days as either a hip-hop artist, a filmmaker or a magician.  The music he creates is a blend of funk, hip-hop and klesmer music and he brings it to people everywhere who want to transcend the cultural limitations of the music while still appreciating the history these cultures bring.  He is pretty direct about how he is more a behind the scenes guy than anything else but it is his undeniable genius and incredible drive that propel him inevitably to the forefront of everything he does.  And why does he do it?  Simply put, because he can.  We should all try because we can is how he sees it.  And speaking of seeing it, you all should definitely see THE “SOCALLED MOVIE”.

SOUNDTRACKER
Directed by Nicolas Sherman
Screenings: Sunday, May 2, 6:45, ROM Theatre
Tuesday, May 4, 4:30 PM, Cumberland
Sunday, May 9, 4:00, Innis Town Hall

Gordon Hempton needs you to be very quiet.  He has unheard wonders of beauty just waiting to share with you but you first need to learn how to actually hear them.  Don’t be concerned that you may not be able to.  Even Hempton himself didn’t learn to hear properly until he was 27.  It’s not that he had any hearing disabilities; no, it was rather an inability to be still and truly just listen.  SOUNDTRACKER, tracks Hempton, a professional nature sound recordist, on one of his sound journeys.  Director, Nicolas Sherman faced the difficult task of making a movie about sound.  He needed to allow the time for the audience to take in all the layers of Hempton’s discovered soundscapes without sacrificing the image or his own artistic expression.  And just like the delicate balance between the song of a bird and a passing whistle-blowing train – the symphony we follow Hempton in hopes to find – Sherman finds the perfect sweet spot.

Well, that's all I have, preview-wise, that is.  Before I go though, I would like to mention that the National Film Board of Canada has decided to make their collection of over 5500 films completely available for free to screen at the NFB Mediatheque, as of May 1.  This great offer applies to both the Toronto and Montreal locations and should be taken advantage of as often as possible.  The timing could not be better for tourists in Toronto for Hot Docs so don't miss out.  The NFB Mediatheque in Toronto is located at 150 John Street, just near the Scotiabank Theatre.

Enjoy Hot Docs everybody!
For tickets, just click the Hot Docs link.

Black Sheep's Blu-Tuesday

By now, we've all heard about the crazy records James Cameron's AVATAR broke last week when it debuted conveniently on Earth Day, as though Cameron actually cared about the planet.  I mean, if he had allowed a portion of each AVATAR copy sold to go toward some form of environmental cause, I might feel differently about it but sadly, that isn't the case.  Instead the film sold 1.5 million copies on BD alone, over million when you consider DVD's.  That easily smashed the 600K first week sales of THE DARK KNIGHT from last holiday season.  And all this without any serious extras on it and no 3D.  I feel like AVATAR is one of those phenomenon titles that people just buy without thinking because everyone's gotta have it and then leave on their shelves forever.  One thing is for certain though, no title being releases this week will come anywhere near matching those sales figures.

IT'S COMPLICATED

This mature comedy is pure Hollywood cliche at times but also comedy gold at others.  It reminds me of DATE NIGHT in the sense that you know what you are watching is ridiculous and exaggerated and  you also know exactly where things will end up at all times but it doesn't matter.  The casts, in both cases, shine so bright that you just can't help but laugh and laugh loud.  In case you don't know the plot, Meryl Streep takes up with her ex-husband (Alec Baldwin) while starting a new relationship with her architect (Steve Martin).  It is also no coincidence that IT'S COMPLICATED is being released just before Mother's Day.  My mother will have already bought it by then but you can get it for yours.  Mothers love Meryl Streep!  And I loved watching Meryl Streep get stoned out of her head.

THE IMAGINARIUM OF DR. PARNASSUS

I have to be honest; I have not seen this Terry Gilliam film and I seriously don't have any intentions of seeing it either.  Sure, it looks like a visual mind trip and has the potential to be a lot of fun but I just can't bring myself to watch Heath Ledger's final performance, especially considering it was unfinished at the time of his death.  I don't want to creep you out.  You should watch it and let me know if it is worth it or not.  It was nominated for Art Direction and Costume Design at this year's Oscars after all.  And the BD release has a ton of goodies, including feature commentary, deleted scenes and a few featurettes, including one about Ledger.  I just prefer to remember Ledger's last completed performance as the Joker in the THE DARK KNIGHT instead.  My apologies, Mr. Gilliam.

ALSO NEW ON BD THIS WEEK:

A whole slew of back catalog titles make their first appearances on BD including the late Sydney Pollack's OUT OF AFRICA, starring of course, Meryl Streep.  Little seen Ang Lee film, RIDE WITH THE DEVIL gets the Criterion experience.  And both the overwhelmingly beautiful ELIZABETH and generally underwhelming ELIZABETH: THE GOLDEN AGE can be brought home for your royal enjoyment.

Black Sheep @ The Box Office

Not to take away from the great and rare feat that HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON accomplished this weekend by returning to the number one spot in its fifth week of release but what a boring weekend at the box office it is regardless.  It hardly even seems worth reporting.  You know what?  I'm not really going to report that much so there! Let's see .. we know the dragon movie is back at number one; what else? Jennifer Lopez tried and failed to revive her film career with THE BACK-UP PLAN opening to disappointing results in second.  Good thing she has that dying singing career as a back-up plan of her own. THE LOSERS lived up to their name, landing hard in fourth place.  Disney Nature's OCEANS had the highest per screen average of all the Top 10 but also opened about $3 million lower than EARTH did last year.  Still, this is the third best opening for a documentary all the same.  Below the Top 10, Foreign Language Oscar winner, THE SECRET IN THEIR EYES continued to perform well, improving over 125% after adding another 23 screens to its run.  There .. that's all you get.

NEXT WEEK: There is absolutely nothing coming out next week that I know of that I am excited about seeing but you might be happy to see A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET slash its way back onto 3150+ screens.  If you prefer your nightmares a little furrier, there is always Brendan Fraser in FURRY VENGEANCE playing on 2800+ screens.  If that doesn't keep you awake at night, I don't know what will.

Source: BOX OFFICE MOJO

OCEANS

Written and Directed by Jacques Perrin and Jacques Cluzaud
Narrated by Pierce Brosnan

Narrator: Down here, it’s like nature has given everything a try.

I’ve never been particularly fascinated with the vast bodies of water known as the planet’s oceans. Sit me in a movie theatre though and immerse me in one of those bodies on the big screen and I may as well be a fish, because I won’t want to get out of the water. Disney Nature’s second environmentally friendly documentary in their Earth Day series, entitled OCEANS, sets out to do just that – to take the viewer by the hand and guide them through these foreign, fantastical waters so that all who take the plunge, emerge knowing that much more about how it feels to be a fish these days.

OCEANS, like any Disney film, is interested in making sure that everyone who sees it is enjoying themselves. When that approach applies to a documentary, it means ensuring that every child that sits in those theatre seats is taken in enough by what they see, so that they sit still in those seats until the credits roll. To do this, directors, Jacques Perrin and Jacques Cluzaud – no strangers to nature films themselves, after collaborating on 2001’s WINGED MIGRATION, a documentary about migratory patterns – place the viewer in the mind of a child, focusing more on who lives in the ocean instead of the ocean itself. Why go on incessantly about oceanic statistics when you can simply just sit in wonder and awe of every unbelievable image you see unfold? Even narrator, Pierce Brosnan, speaks in a slow, soothing tone throughout, careful to balance the drifting attention of a child without insulting the intelligence of the adults who brought them.

Striking that balance can be tricky but Perrin and Cluzaud accomplish their goal nicely for most of the underwater journey. Disney broke away from the structure that worked for them in their first nature release, EARTH, where they repurposed footage from the BBC series, “Planet Earth”. With OCEANS though, they captured some of the same situations that “Planet Earth” did for their segment on oceans, but it is an all-new film this time out, allowing OCEANS to feel much fresher than EARTH ever did. It is also a great second topic to explore as the oceans themselves, especially the depths, provide so many fascinating creatures that most people have never seen and some people won’t even believe are real. Some of the focus is lost when the green agenda is raised about an hour into the film but fortunately more time is spent admiring overall instead of preaching.

These two kids behind me did not stop asking their very patient mother questions throughout the film. If my mom had been there, I too would have been tugging at her blouse, asking, “What’s that, Mommy? What’s that!?” Well, I would have if I were still 10. Anyway, at first I wondered if maybe all of this was lost on them, but then I realized that questions mean interest and these two definitely had questions. More importantly though, they also had some very good laughs at just how crazy nature really can be. And while they may be laughing now, they will likely one day be tugging at their mother once again as they inevitably find themselves staring out into an ocean.

THE SECRET IN THEIR EYES

Written and Directed by Juan Jose Campanella
Starring Ricardo Darin, Soledad Villamil and Guillermo Francella

If in fact the secret is truly in their eyes, as is announced like some new revelation in the title of this 2010 Oscar winner for Foreign Language Film, THE SECRET IN THEIR EYES (EL SECRETO DE SUS OJOS), then it must never have been much of a secret to begin with. As far as I knew, the eyes have always been the gateway to everything you want to know about another person but when it comes to this picture, you can almost get everything you need right there on the surface without any need to go deeper whatsoever.

Argentinean director, Juan Jose Campanella, has been working in the American television industry for years, from series as varied as “30 Rock” to “House”, but has only tried his hand at feature films a few times in his life. Not surprisingly then, this particular feature feels an awful lot like an episode of television – an episode of “Law & Order” to be specific, a franchise that Campanella has actually directed before. Ricardo Darin plays Benjamin Esposito, a retired police officer who has decided to write a novel about one of his most famous unsolved mysteries. Naturally, digging up the past brings a lot of unresolved feelings back to the surface of his life, as well as those whose past he is digging up alongside his own. It’s a great story, and I can see why it would have haunted him all these years, but it isn’t anything you couldn’t catch on any of the countless cop shows out there already.

I understand that just because a picture picks up an Oscar does not make it a great film but I still can’t help a certain level of expectation.  THE SECRET IN THEIR EYES is a very straightforward detective drama with promises that there are further levels just lying beyond our field of vision. When I looked into its eyes though, I didn’t see anything more waiting underneath.

Black Sheep @ The Box Office

Well, I don't know if anyone saw that coming.  Just three weeks after HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON debuted to what was being called a disappointing result at number one, the Dreamworks 3D adventure rises above the much hyped KICK-ASS to reclaim the top spot and throw it in the faces of all those  losers who sold their Dreamworks Animation stock prematurely.

Despite mostly glowing reviews and great internet buzz, this week's expected champion, KICK-ASS,  came in about $10 million below most predictions and had to settle for a humbling second place finish.  An R-rating for a teen film is never going to be helpful but the way folks were hyping this one, it seemed as though the subject matter would have crossed past the youth market.  I guess pretending to be superheroes is not the same as actually being one when it comes to box office dollars.  It could still trade places with HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON when the final numbers come in Monday given the close finish but I would say the sequel is now in serious question.

The Steve Carrell/Tina Fey machine, DATE NIGHT, held up very well in its second week, trailing off by only 31%.  The $17.3 million finish was enough to nab the third spot from another comedy vehicle, DEATH AT A FUNERAL.  The Neil LaBute remake of the Frank Oz 2007 film managed the strongest per screen average of any film in the Top 10, including six of my dollars from this morning.  Good word of mouth could carry the film to a respectable end and it could still end up debuting in third if DATE NIGHT overestimates like it did last weekend.

As you already know considering I reviewed it yesterday, I also saw THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO this weekend in its fifth week of expansion, but those numbers were unfortunately not reported.  Meanwhile, another film I caught last week and will be reviewing this week, THE SECRET IN THEIR EYES, this year's Oscar winner for Best Foreign Language Film, debuted to strong results on just 10 screens.  The Spanish detective thriller earned a $17.6K average and will be expanding to more major markets next weekend.

NEXT WEEK: What looks like an aptly named film, THE LOSERS, will be hitting 2950 screens. Jennifer Lopez will try to woo back an audience for her flailing film career on 3000 screens in THE BACKUP PLAN. And Disney tries to do some good in the hood known as Earth with their second nature documentary, OCEANS, opening on 1200 screens on Thursday. Don't forget that if you see OCEANS in the first week, Disney will make a donation to save the Earth's coral reefs.

Source: BOX OFFICE MOJO

THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO

Written by Nikolaj Arcel and Rasmus Heisterberg
Directed by Niels Arden Oplev
Starring Michael Nyqvist and Noomi Rapace

Mikael Blomkvist: As we’ve been sharing files recently, I assume you’re up to date.

Expectations are tricky to avoid when you watch a movie from the last year that has already generated enough international buzz to warrant a fast tracked American remake before it even hits American screens. THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO, from Swedish director, Niels Arden Oplev, is that movie and fortunately, it is worth all the hype that is surrounding it. From the moment it begins with the reception of an odd gift to an old man who weeps when he sees it, its focus is clear and deliberate – this will be a journey shrouded in mystery and deciphering that mystery for ourselves will require visiting some very dark places. Consider yourselves warned.

Two stories unfold to begin with. The first follows reputed, middle-aged journalist, Mikael Blomkvist (Michael Nyqvist). He has just been found guilty of fabricating evidence to for a story that dragged a prominent businessman through some very dirty mud. He claims that he was set up but he still loses his job and his character. Unbeknownst to Mikael, he is also being investigated by a third party for entirely different reasons. A computer hacker hired out as a security company is following his movement closely. Her name is Lisbeth Salander (Noomi Rapace). She is a young adult with a troubled past that she wears on her face in the form of piercings, studs and jet-black hair. Because of her gothic look, she is talked to, looked at and treated las though she is nothing. When Mikael starts investigating a 40-year-old murder, Lisbeth starts following his new case too. The real story starts when the two start working together instead of side by side in secret.

THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO is on some levels, a straightforward whodunit. A powerful family with obvious secrets makes up the list of suspects in the investigation and evidence points in different directions, moving names up and down that list accordingly. Only each discovery uncovers a fresh and unexpected level of evil behind this deep-rooted murderous conspiracy and each of these levels reveals poignant connections between religion and misogyny. Like the intricate tattoo in the title, this one will leave you scarred for life.

Black Sheep's Blu-Tuesday

Now that Easter is out of the way and AVATAR is right around the corner, there isn't much in the way of big home entertainment releases happening this week. Who needs to rent something tonight with the return of GLEE on anyway? Still, there are a few releases you might find interesting and here they are ...

APOLLO 13
It's been fifteen years since Tom Hanks told Houston about a little problem he was having in space in Ron Howard's Oscar nominated, APOLLO 13, and Universal has decided to commemorate the occasion with a 15-year anniversary edition on BD. The release contains a feature commentary track from Howard and Apollo 13 Commander, Jim Lovell and wife, Marilyn, as well as a U-Control track that allows you to learn more about the historical context of the film and technological details without having to stop the film. And if I remember the film experience correctly, you'll need stuff to distract you.

PIRATE RADIO
In the UK, PIRATE RADIO is called THE BOAT THAT ROCKED and is 12 minutes longer than the North American version that is released on BD today. This little seen film about a pirate radio station being broadcast from a ship at sea in 1966 Britain is actually supposed to be pretty decent. I haven't seen it myself yet but it comes on good authority. Meanwhile, the disc itself is packed with BD exclusive featurettes but most of them amount to conversations with the cast members about topics they aren't exactly authorities on.

ALSO NOW AVAILABLE ON BD

Just in time for the remake to premiere in theatres, A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET, sees a BD release.

Underground comedy hit, THE SLAMMIN' SALMON, looks for laughs.

And if you don't have enough room on your shelf for the extravagant deluxe edition of GONE WITH THE WIND, the Scarlett Edition, which fits nicely on your shelf with all the other BD's, is now available.