Buscemi's Take It Or Leave It

Weekly guest columnist telling us how they feel about upcoming releases.

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Buscemi
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Buscemi's Take It Or Leave It

Post by Buscemi »

Welcome to the third edition of my series of which titles to take and which titles not to take. This time, we shall focus on the films of November. November is the official first half of the Holidays and the studios usually send out their early Christmas presents. Some are Nintendo Wiis, some are teddy bears, some are diamond rings, some are fruitcakes and some are simply lumps of coal. But anyway, on with the show.

November 6th

Take It: Precious

If Lionsgate plays the cards right, you are looking at a good gross and several PTA points. The IMDb will probably be below what it should be but whatever. Fuck IMDb.

Leave It: The Box

Seriously? Why is Richard Kelly still making movies? If you want a cheap genre pick, take The Fourth Kind.

Think About It: That Evening Sun

The film is opening in only one theatre and Hal Holbrook was nominated for an Academy Award a few years back but the film is being distributed by for-hire bomblayer Freestyle. Seriously, think about it.


November 13th

Take It: Fantastic Mr. Fox

This limited before wide strategy is actually a good idea for this film. Wes Anderson films usually do well in limited release and this looks to be no exception. In the end, my guess is 10 PTA, 4 T5 and $35 million.

Leave It: Pirate Radio

Universal has delayed, cut and plans to dump the latest film from Richard Curtis. Which is too bad considering Curtis's track record at the box office. Also, the trailer made it look like that all of the humor was cut from the film.

Think About It: 2012

Yes, it will make money. But this not really a film to anchor a slate around. New Moon is probably a better pick anyway.


November 20th

Take It: The Blind Side

I'm calling it: the sleeper hit of the holiday season. People love their feel-good movies and this is basically the only feel good movie getting a big release. Also, the trailers seem to be everywhere. The movie is under $10 so it's a great pick.

Leave It: Red Cliff

Like Pirate Radio, the studio behind this film has delayed, cut and plans to dump this one. Even the IMDb rating is a little disappointing here. It will probably leave theatres after a month for a better life on DVD.

Think About It: Planet 51

Everyone here seems to high on this indie pickup with a scary-looking Dwayne Johnson. However if history shows you, indie animation and sci-fi animation don't do very well. It's your call if to spend the money on this one.


November 25th

Take It: Old Dogs

Wild Hogs was huge for a March release. Now take the Wild Hogs formula, add the Disney name and move it to Thanksgiving. The result is a foolproof method to create a huge blockbuster. The IMDb rating will struggle to float above 5 but the box office and Top 5 will make up for that.

Leave It: Me and Orson Welles

Is it me or does Richard Linklater's career seem dead too? Also, Freestyle is distributing this long-delayed drama that bombed on the festival circuit back in the Spring. Ignore it.

Think About It: The Road

The IMDb rating is great right now but will it translate to anything else? With a near-insolvent Weinstein Company distributing and an 800 theatre opening, I see it being highly unlikely. Also, it opens two weeks after 2012. It's your choice.
Everything on this post is strictly the opinion and only the opinion of Buscemi.

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Brockster
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Re: Buscemi's Take It Or Leave It

Post by Brockster »

Fuck IMDb.
Couldn't have said it any better myself.

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