And they did not use Eva Marie Saint enough. I met her just after she finished filming Superman and she was so delighted and enjoyed the entire workinig experience.
That said, this audience went along for the ride. They enjoyed it and clapped after it was over. People were in the mood for this film and even though it underdelivered, the audience took it to the finish line.
Toochis
Kirby McDaniel <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
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
>
> Visit the MoPo Mailing List Web Site at www.filmfan.com
> ___________________________________________________________________
> How to UNSUBSCRIBE from the MoPo Mailing List
> Send a message addressed
> to: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> In the BODY of your message type: SIGNOFF MOPO-L
> The author of this message is
> solely responsible for its content.
Visit the MoPo Mailing List Web Site at www.filmfan.com
___________________________________________________________________
How to UNSUBSCRIBE from the MoPo Mailing List
Send a message addressed to: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
In the BODY of your message type: SIGNOFF MOPO-L
The author of this message is solely responsible for its content.
