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September 7th

3:10 to Yuma

Christian Bale seems to be in a hurry to star in every single genre of movie imaginable in as little time as possible. The thing is, he's mostly doing a terrific job of it. Bale seems intent on walking that grey line between character actor and leading man which should pay off for him in a few years. It's only a matter of time before he has Oscar mentioned in the same sentence in his name.

In the meantime, Bale stars alongside Russell Crowe in this western, a remake of a movie that not a lot of people have heard of. With these big names, it's a wonder that the film does not have a sexier release date; however, even the most successful westerns are not very successful and only make money on legs, not openings.

Having said that, the early reviews have been terrific and western fans such as me might be craving for a good ol' shoot'em up tough guy film. 3:10 To Yuma should do well initially and might find an audience in an otherwise unimpressive September.
$14 million, opening, $48 million total.

Shoot ‘Em Up

It is really sad that this movie has a chance of finding an audience, mainly the one that got suckered into paying money to see Smokin' Aces and The Transporter. Shoot ‘Em Up is a less hyped, cheesier looking action flick than either of those films and seems to have as little charisma as its leading man.

Oh yeah, I did just say that. I'm sure I'll get hell for it but I have done a complete 180 on Clive Owen since being on the "He Should be James Bond" bandwagon that started rolling shortly after he starred in those BMW ads. The man seems to have the emotional range of...well, Keanu Reeves. Difference is, Neo has more charisma than Owen. The man is the very definition of cardboard cutout acting; a pretty face sleepwalking through whatever role he's in.

Regardless, Shoot ‘Em Up feels forced, unoriginal and simply a waster of space. I would think, and hope, that movie fans opt to go with the western this week rather than the stylish yet hohum looking actioner.
$12 million opening, $30 million total.

The Brothers Solomon

Will Arnett, what the hell happened?
$3 million opening, $10 million total

September 14th

Mr. Woodcock

It's always interesting when an actor manages to create a genre all on his own. Billy Bob Thornton, with Bad Santa, The Bad News Bears, School for Scoundrels and now Mr. Woodcock, has officially typecasted himself after being considered one of the best character actors in Hollywood. Thornton has changed from a perennial Oscar contender into Rob Schneider. But what to call this new genre? Billy Bobbing?

Regardless, the reason Billy Bob keeps playing the same character over and over is because it has proven to be a successful formula. Movie-goers are responding favorably to these films and Mr. Woodcock looks to be no different (having Stifler in the mix doesn't hurt either). Come on, Billy, you can do it!!!
$13 million opening, $40 total

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