I saw this too yesterday. RECOMMENDED!
K.
On Jul 3, 2006, at 4:09 AM, David Kusumoto wrote:
In this morning's WSJ, see bottom of this note.
** Meanwhile, caught a "Prada" late showing. Channing was right;
it is more enjoyable than "Superman Returns" but not in ways I
expected.
** "The Devil Wears Prada" is a wisp of a movie with a linear rags
to riches Cinderella structure w/the obligatory princess being
forced to choose between an upscale career and shallow boyfriend
vs. a down-home and more "pure" career with a different boyfriend.
** But it's beautifully cast in ways that makes one forgive
simplistic formulas; Streep is magificent and Hathaway is radiant
-- it's great to see Streep re-capture the glamour for which she's
always been capable, but not seen rarely in recent films; her looks
are flamboyant but her performance is not; this is minimalist
Streep and she's marvelous.
** The film has been altered from the book to give Streep's
character a dose of humanity/insecurity and is the better for it;
it's a great, fact-based story, though gussied-up and "MTV'd" a bit
too much to cater to women, which represents the bulk of this
film's audience. Note that more men made "Superman Returns" the
champ this weekend; women tend to be less enthusiastic or are being
dragged along by their boyfriends.
** But Streep commands "Prada" like a true star. The film has a
very smug and satisfying ending; you end up hating and rooting for
her character at the same time; I don't think Streep would have
taken the role otherwise. It's a defining role in her stellar
career. I hope Oscar voters remember this performance, but I doubt
they will.
** And Anne Hathaway has made me forgive her horrible performance
in "Brokeback Mountain." She has the perfect look and persona to
pull off her tranformation from wide-eyed innocent to New York
designer label babe without making you wince. And New York and
Paris have never looked more glamorous and romantic.
** BTW, back to "Superman Returns." One thing I keep forgetting to
mention is it was shot almost entirely in Australia. Yet another
US-financed picture shot in Sydney! What is going on that has made
the land "down under" the optimum venue to shoot blockbuster
films? It's gotta be more than just cost. Any of our Aussie
friends on MoPo have ideas? 20th Century Fox goes to Mexico to
shoot its sea-faring films and then to Australia to have it stand
in for New York.
-koose.
===============
Monday, July 3, 2006
WALL STREET JOURNAL
'Superman' Performs Solidly,
But 'Prada' Dents Take
By KATE KELLY
"Superman Returns," Warner Bros. Entertainment's reinvention of the
Man of Steel franchise, sold $52.2 million in tickets in U.S.
theaters during its opening weekend, as the fashion-industry satire
"The Devil Wears Prada" siphoned off many female moviegoers.
That estimated three-day performance for "Superman" placed it
firmly within the top five Independence Day film releases, and the
film has taken in $84.2 million since its release late Tuesday night.
But it couldn't top last year's "War of the Worlds" or 2004's
"Spider-Man II." Moreover, "Superman" next weekend faces Walt
Disney Co.'s "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest," which is
performing extremely well in pre-release audience polls.
Executives at Warner Bros., a unit of Time Warner Inc., said they
were pleased with the performance of "Superman." Dan Fellman,
Warner's president of domestic distribution, said the five-day
performance was a record for the studio and predicted the film
would take in about $110 million during its first full week.
"Any time you do $100 million in seven days, you're in good shape,"
he said.
Overseas, the film took in an estimated $19.8 million in 11
territories that included Australia and parts of Asia.
"Superman Returns" was a labor of love for Warner Bros. The studio
spent more than 10 years tinkering with ideas, and about $60
million in costs for new scripts, directors, and other costs were
written off. Ultimately, the movie cost Warner about $209 million
to make.
During its first five days, the audience for "Superman Returns" was
57% men. The balance was mainly women over 25, with younger women
counting for just 16%.
"The Devil Wears Prada," the Twentieth Century Fox movie about a
fashion-magazine assistant and her fearsome boss, took in an
estimated $27 million in its first three days in U.S. theaters,
driven by an audience that was 72% female.
ATOP THE BOX OFFICE
1. "Superman Returns,'' $52.15 million.
2. "The Devil Wears Prada,'' $27 million.
3. "Click,'' $19.4 million.
4. "Cars,'' $14 million.
5. "Nacho Libre,'' $6.2 million.
6. "The Lake House,'' $4.5 million.
7. "The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift,'' $4.4 million.
8. "Waist Deep,'' $3.3 million.
9. "The Break-Up,' $2.8 million.
10. "The Da Vinci Code," $2.3 million.
Source: Exhibitor Relations
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