Film Squirrel

I know, I know. It’s been too long. The mind-numbing success of Transformers coupled with the tragic loss of my dear friend Michael made it difficult to get out of my tempurpedic bed, much less write witty prose. Thanks to the legions of fans who have filled my inbox. Some offered words of support, others provided links to where I can stream Transformers for free. Here’s fact- starting tomorrow, the squirrel will be back on the nut giving his loyal readers the provocative commentary and thoughtful insight they’ve come to expect. So bring on the spam, google moneymakers!

The first promotional photos from Tim Burton’s 3D Alice in Wonderland have hit the nets. The Squirrel says they look pretty rad; especially Johnny Depp’s whacked-out Mad Hatter. I’m more than ready to venture down the rabbit hole. Check out more intriguing photos (including Tweedledee and Tweedledum) after the jump… (continue reading…)

Here’s the new spot for Quentin Tarantino’s spelling-challenged Inglourious Basterds. Looks pretty damn good, a marked improvement over the first trailer released. It seems like everyone and their mother’s mother has read the script, but my eager eyes have somehow managed to hold off. Here’s hoping I’m rewarded.

Inglourious Basterds scalps audiences August 21.

The Sandra Bullock-Ryan Reynolds rom-com The Proposal opened at the top of the box office with a stellar $34.1 million based on weekend estimates. It’s Bullock’s biggest opener yet and her first film to the top the box office in a decade. Not surprisingly, chicks made up 63 percent of audiences.

Faring less well was the Jack Black-Michael Cera laffer Year One. It earned $20.2 million to place 4th for the weekend. Expect the $60 million budgeted film to suffer a second week collapse and struggle to cross the $50 million mark domestically. Blame bad reviews, lame trailers, and the lack of a known female lead.

The Hangover continues to be the story of the summer as it racked up another $26.9 million, an amazing drop of only 18 percent from last weekend. It’s already delivered $152.9 million in seventeen days and with legs like these is a cinch to cross $200 million and most likely move into even more hallowed territory surpassing Beverly Hills Cop as the highest-grossing R-rated comedy of all-time. You can bet Bradley Cooper’s asking price just tripled for the sequel.

Disney/Pixar’s Up moved past last summer’s Pixar entry Wall-E as it pocketed another $21.3 million. It’s new cume stands at $224.1 million and it should top Star Trek by the end of next weekend as the year’s number one movie.

Rounding out the top 5 was The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 which dropped a staggering 50 percent to finish with just $11.3 million.

Overall, the box-office was up 3 percent over the same weekend last year when Get Smart opened to $38.7 million.