Here are the figures for the past weekend, arranged from those that owe the highest percentage of their take to the Canadian box office to those that owe the lowest. Bon Cop, Bad Cop — CDN $6,372,369 — N.AM $6,372,369 — 100%The Illusionist — CDN $1,326,151 — N.AM $10,410,000 — 12.7%Step Up — CDN $6,907,642 — N.AM $57,353,000 — 12.0%Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest — CDN $41,470,571 — N.AM $412,816,000 — 10.0%World Trade Center — CDN $5,134,056 —... Read more

The newest issue of BC Christian News is now online, and with it, my film column, which looks mainly at World Trade Center, but also touches on United 93, the Krzysztof Kieślowski retrospective, and the film festival, including brief blurbs on Into Great Silence and Son of Man. The paper also includes print versions of my Mel Gibson op-ed piece and a news article on the Anglican situation that I forgot to mention here when it went up over a... Read more

Speaking of CGI effects, there’s a nifty article up at Twitch Guru on ‘CGI Gone Awry: The Worst Special Effects of the Computer- Generated Era‘. The films are broken down into five categories: Bad CGI Orgies — Hulk (2003), The Haunting (1999; my review), Van Helsing (2004) Giant Leaps Backward — Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (2003; my review), Alien: Resurrection (1997), Escape from L.A. (1997) Why Didn’t They Just Use Real Animals? — Eraser (1995), The Day after... Read more

I hadn’t realized that castrati singers were still around, until I read the following paragraph at David Poland‘s blog: Guy Maddin, one of the few high-profile, truly boundary-pushing directors in North America these days is going to offer one of the most exclusive experiences at the Toronto Film Festival this year. His new film, Brand Upon The Brain!, will be shown only once during the festival… no press screening… no follow-ups… because this 95 minute black + white opus –... Read more

In principle, I have nothing against new versions of old films, so long as the original versions are still available; and in principle, I have nothing against adding CGI effects to an old film, so long as they “fit in” with the look and feel of the rest of the movie. So, while we all know how intrusive the new CGI effects have been in the “special editions” of the Star Wars trilogy (1977-1983), I have always admired the new... Read more

The studios are snubbing the critics again! But not consistently, it seems. The other day, Jeffrey Wells wrote: This coming Friday is something like a Labor Day clearance sale with The Wicker Man, Crank, and Idiocracy — all opening on 9.1 — not screening for the press, and in the case of Lassie, barely screening for the press. (Nobody cares one way or the other.) Like a number of other late-summer horror movies, The Wicker Man did have a preview... Read more

Just for the record, my wife took the twins to their second Movies for Mommies event yesterday, nearly two months after the first one, and this time I tagged along. ‘Twas a nifty experience, seeing all those strollers and snugglies and whatnot, and hearing all those baby noises throughout the theatre; I think I saw one other guy there, too. FWIW, this week’s movie was My Super Ex-Girlfriend, and all I can say about that is: one, it’s the kind... Read more

My editorial on the Mel Gibson controversy and The Passion of the Christ — some of which, but not all of which, is extracted from posts to this blog — is now up at CanadianChristianity.com. Read more

The Hollywood Reporter, via Reuters, says Amazing Grace, the historical abolitionist biopic directed by Michael Apted and produced by Walden Media, has secured a distributor: Independent distributors Samuel Goldwyn Films and Roadside Attractions said they would release the film on February 23, the 200th anniversary of the British parliament’s vote to abolish the slave trade. . . . The companies are planning to target the traditional art house crowd, human rights groups and faith-based audiences. “Wilberforce is a hero to... Read more