watched enchanted last night and i enjoyed it a lot. i loved how they were able to blend the old animated movies into the story and update it with a more modern twist. Fun movie for those who grew up on disney’s animated movies. Amy Adams was great.
^ har har. Actually my gf didn’t like it as much. She thought the ending fell flat and the movie was cheesy. =P i’m a sucker for these types of movies.
wow, the dark knight has done horrible in japan. shockingly horrible if you ask me.
‘The Dark Knight’ dives in Japan
August 28, 2008
TOKYO - Not even the Joker can manage a grin: Japanese audiences have been underwhelmed by Warner Bros.’ worldwide smash “The Dark Knight,” the latest installment in the “Batman” series.
Now in its third week of release in Japan, the Christopher Nolan film, which sees the caped crime-fighter battling underworld figures and crooked cops in Gotham City, grossed a mere $1.6 million in its second weekend in Japan to bring its cumulative total to only $8.7 million. By comparison, it has already piled up $14.3 million in takings over the same period in the smaller Korean market.
Industry observers believe the picture’s overly lengthy 152-minute running time, the lack of the “Batman” name in the title, and its dark theme are possible explanations for the disinterest by Japanese film fans.
“The story is very pessimistic,” explains Chika Minagawa, a film critic. “It has a dark and gloomy texture that Japanese movie fans do not find appealing in a ‘comic hero’ film.”
Domestic competition, too, could have played a role. Earlier this month, “Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea,” the latest animated feature by Hayao Miyazaki, eclipsed the 10 billion yen ($93.2 million) in its 31st day of release.
Notoriously selective, Japanese cinemagoers have previously turned away from Hollywood blockbusters, but the disparity with “The Dark Knight” might be unprecedented.
The film, in which Heath Ledger is seen in his final role as Batman’s primary nemesis, the Joker, currently trails only “Titanic” as most successful of all-time in the U.S., where it has racked up $490 million in receipts. Opening weekends earlier this month in France, Spain, and Russia saw the film top their respective charts, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
From the beginning, “The Dark Knight” struggled in Japan. Over its opening two days, the film brought in $3 million, which was less than that for its predecessor from 2005, “Batman Begins.” The latter film, which included the added attraction for local audiences of Ken Watanabe in a starring role, had total receipts of $14 million. “The Dark Knight” will likely be pressed to match that figure.
Minagawa says that in general comic book character-based films from do not do well in Japan, citing the “Spiderman” series as one exception.
“Japanese movie fans,” the critic says, “expect such films to be fun and action packed, for the hero to be attractive, for the villain to be loud and outrageous, and for the movie itself to be easy to understand and light.”
Penelope was a pleasant surprise. I’d recommend it. My only gripe is that some of the plot elements were too rushed. The movie was less than 90 minutes, they could’ve spent another 10-15 minutes fleshing it out.
Penelope was a pleasant surprise. I’d recommend it. My only gripe is that some of the plot elements were too rushed. The movie was less than 90 minutes, they could’ve spent another 10-15 minutes fleshing it out.
Thanks - Its in cue now. I’ve been wondering. Especially since it came and went so fast in the theater
^^ that assessment doesn’t make sense, given the often dark and twisted nature of some of the anime I’ve seen.
You’ve gotta lay off the hentai, Jo.
j/p
Most anime isn’t dark or twisted. Miyazaki is unbeatable, even by the Dark Knight, in Japan. A Miyazaki film even topped Titanic records in that country, if I remember correctly (Princess Mononoke?)
“Up the Yangtze” wasn’t particularly uplifting as a documentary.
*SPOILERS*
I’m not even sure why the guy didn’t get the boat job...outside of him being described as egotistical, self-centered single child, etc, we don’t actually see him being an asshole that much. He struck me as ambitiously greedy, but no necessarily a bad employee.
