Paper reviews and other reactions

sf2la · Post by **sf2la** » Sun Jul 31, 2011 5:54 pm

Germangirl wrote:One could say - a lot of love surfaces for him. At least this...if he gets out of it as the one thing, that shines, it might even ADD to his popularity. Who Knows ...

I'm trying to be objective, but I really do think he was the best part of the movie. His on-screen presence is really powerful in this. He didn't talk all that much, and he didn't have to. As I believe Jon was reported to have said, they reworked the script when RDJ dropped out and DC signed on because DC acts so much with his face (and body.) I just don't know how one could walk away from this and not respect him as an actor (and be mesmerized by those eyes.)

Germangirl · Post by **Germangirl** » Sun Jul 31, 2011 6:05 pm

sf2la wrote:
Germangirl wrote:One could say - a lot of love surfaces for him. At least this...if he gets out of it as the one thing, that shines, it might even ADD to his popularity. Who Knows ...
I'm trying to be objective, but I really do think he was the best part of the movie. His on-screen presence is really powerful in this. He didn't talk all that much, and he didn't have to. As I believe Jon was reported to have said, they reworked the script when RDJ dropped out and DC signed on because DC acts so much with his face (and body.) I just don't know how one could walk away from this and not respect him as an actor (and me mesmerized by those eyes.)

They don't

Lysa_Lysa Alyssa
Daniel Craig. Has. an awesome. Face.

DannySchu Daniel Schumacher
Is there anything Daniel Craig can't do?

Sylvia's girl · Post by **Sylvia's girl** » Sun Jul 31, 2011 6:37 pm

Even if the movie isn't always regarded as great, at least a majority
of people seem to regard DC's performance as good and believable.
Better for him to have put in great performance in an ok film than just
an ok performance in a great film.

calypso · Post by **calypso** » Sun Jul 31, 2011 6:51 pm

davefranklin As much as I adore Daniel Craig, it's heartbreaking
that we live in a world where he can't open a movie but Kevin James can.
5 minutes ago via Twitter for Mac

sf2la · Post by **sf2la** » Sun Jul 31, 2011 6:56 pm

calypso wrote:davefranklin As much as I adore Daniel Craig, it's heartbreaking
that we live in a world where he can't open a movie but Kevin James can.
5 minutes ago via Twitter for Mac

Totally! I can only think that these are really tough times for a lot of people, and the Kevin James types are in comedies. I think people really want to escape to a movie and laugh (I don't know if he's funny, but 'Bridesmaids' was

)

Germangirl · Post by **Germangirl** » Sun Jul 31, 2011 7:14 pm

calypso wrote:davefranklin As much as I adore Daniel Craig, it's heartbreaking
that we live in a world where he can't open a movie but Kevin James can.
5 minutes ago via Twitter for Mac

Well - Angelina Jolie and J. Depp couldn't save The Tourist - so, its all about movies living up to expectations - when they are small like with KJ films,kits easier for him. Jon just overhyped the thing and obviously it lacks in the plot department - that should not happen with the people involved. 5 were at least 3 too many? - maybe...next weeks reports will show, if they leave him alone or feel the need to write shitty headlines. Its not a fair world, so this could happen, even though he is the only steady good thing in the film.

adegetau Adriana Degetau
@rogercasas " But even Harrison Ford and Daniel Craig can't save a movie that's all concept, no content." =(

AND I guess, there is some truth in this
CamArruda Cameron Arruda
@Modwild daniel craig harrison ford & the rest of the cast have great performances and it was a fun western. The scifi just brings it down.

tampa · Post by **tampa** » Sun Jul 31, 2011 7:58 pm

Germangirl wrote:
calypso wrote:davefranklin As much as I adore Daniel Craig, it's heartbreaking
that we live in a world where he can't open a movie but Kevin James can.
5 minutes ago via Twitter for Mac
Well - Angelina Jolie and J. Depp couldn't save The Tourist - so, its all about movies living up to expectations - when they are small like with KJ films,kits easier for him. Jon just overhyped the thing and obviously it lacks in the plot department - that should not happen with the people involved. 5 were at least 3 too many? - maybe...next weeks reports will show, if they leave him alone or feel the need to write shitty headlines. Its not a fair world, so this could happen, even though he is the only steady good thing in the film.

[/b]

I think these horribly expensive films - unless they are already part of a franchise like Bond, Pirates or Potter - are just huge risks. There will be tons of press about Green Lantern and C & A now because they both underperformed and will likely lose a lot of money. I hate to see them combined in any analysis by the press because I think GL was a bad film and C&A was well made and good fun. I hope it gets noted in the press when they start in on the attacks, that while Ryan Rhenolds was totally trashed for his performance, DC is getting great reviews even from reviewers that trashed the film. I so hope he doesn't get attacked with the "he can't open a film" crap. As noted above, no actor can make a film a hit. Only in a few franchises like Potter and Pirates does the same actor help, but they are all replaceable - as Bond has proven 6 times. I still think it would have done much better if it had opened in the spring rather than at the end. People were spending too much money on taking dates, or families to similar big movie after big movie.

Germangirl · Post by **Germangirl** » Sun Jul 31, 2011 8:01 pm

Well, he certainly is on peoples minds

JamesBond007_ Danny Johnson (007)
Funny. Daniel Craig is trending #1 on Yahoo! right now. My wife asked me how many times I've searched for Daniel Craig today. #bondcrush

Germangirl · Post by **Germangirl** » Sun Jul 31, 2011 8:13 pm

Sylvia's girl wrote:Even if the movie isn't always regarded as great, at least a majority
of people seem to regard DC's performance as good and believable.
Better for him to have put in great performance in an ok film than just
an ok performance in a great film.

Not sure about the latter, but this is a nice trend

Lolibucket Nauseating Nancy
Forgot to mention that I saw Cowboys and Aliens last night. Daniel Craig is -such- a badass. He made that movie awesome.

chocolatecake · Post by **chocolatecake** » Sun Jul 31, 2011 9:22 pm

NextBondGirl wrote:Glad I could make you laugh GG!! I would post the full Empire review but I didn't want to buy the magazine because, apart from an interview with Mark Strong, the mag really had nothing else of value in it... their website doesn't include the full review. Maybe someone else could do the honours??

PS. I literally cannot bring myself to click on the forum's log out button today but it looks like I'm gonna have to do that in a few seconds. Does anyone else ever have that problem??!

I'm obsessed with this forum. I hate to log off an return to the real world. Whenever I'm standing in line or have a spare moment I log in on my phone.

Hannah · Post by **Hannah** » Sun Jul 31, 2011 9:24 pm

chocolatecake wrote:
NextBondGirl wrote:Glad I could make you laugh GG!! I would post the full Empire review but I didn't want to buy the magazine because, apart from an interview with Mark Strong, the mag really had nothing else of value in it... their website doesn't include the full review. Maybe someone else could do the honours??

PS. I literally cannot bring myself to click on the forum's log out button today but it looks like I'm gonna have to do that in a few seconds. Does anyone else ever have that problem??!

I'm obsessed with this forum. I hate to log off an return to the real world. Whenever I'm standing in line or have a spare moment I log in on my phone.

auto log-in. My best friend and my worst enemy when it comes to this forum

caramel · Post by **caramel** » Sun Jul 31, 2011 9:54 pm

persephonereads Chelle
Saw Cowboys & Aliens and quite liked it. Daniel Craig is a BadAss. He should do more westerns, with or without the aliens.
1 minute ago

NathanAlanMc Nate McCullough
Cowboys and Aliens not a classic, but pretty cool. Itd be neat to be Daniel Craig for a little while.
2 minutes ago

TopherHarless Topher Harless
I used to want to be a cowboy. Now, I want to be Daniel Craig and shoot at "Demons." I need to buy a cowboy hat. #CowboysAndAliens
13 minutes ago

Mandy
WeeBookishBeast Mandy
I don't know what some of those critics are on. Cowboys and Aliens was a great ride! Plus, Daniel Craig punches everybody!
19 minutes ago

sf2la · Post by **sf2la** » Sun Jul 31, 2011 11:14 pm

chocolatecake wrote:
NextBondGirl wrote:Glad I could make you laugh GG!! I would post the full Empire review but I didn't want to buy the magazine because, apart from an interview with Mark Strong, the mag really had nothing else of value in it... their website doesn't include the full review. Maybe someone else could do the honours??

PS. I literally cannot bring myself to click on the forum's log out button today but it looks like I'm gonna have to do that in a few seconds. Does anyone else ever have that problem??!

I'm obsessed with this forum. I hate to log off an return to the real world. Whenever I'm standing in line or have a spare moment I log in on my phone.

chocolate cake - please post often. I can't get enough of your Danny Boy avi

.

Laredo · Post by **Laredo** » Mon Aug 01, 2011 10:38 pm

Saw it today , great begining , fight at end seemed to lose steam . Adam was good , needed to be fleshed out more . Carridine's part too small . Movie didn't really set up for a seqel . Needed more humor or sarcasum . Still a good pop corn movie . Aliens were scary .

sf2la · Post by **sf2la** » Mon Aug 01, 2011 11:11 pm

http://boxofficeguru.com/weekend.htm

THIS WEEKEND Following Sunday estimates that showed a tie for the top spot between two big-budget new releases, Universal's action entry Cowboys & Aliens pulled ahead of Sony's 3D kidpic The Smurfs when final grosses were reported. But the former fell below industry expectations while the latter flew past them.

Taking in $36.4M from the wallets of ticket buyers this weekend, according to final studio figures, was Cowboys & Aliens which averaged $9,715 from 3,750 locations. The PG-13 film starring Daniel Craig and Harrison Ford was directed by Iron Man's Jon Favreau and was expected to debut in the $40-50M range. Hollywood has always found it difficult to mix Westerns with science fiction as audiences do not readily buy into the result. Reviews were more negative than positive which hurt since the film was always expected to skew older. Also the late July slot presented challenges since Cowboys was the eleventh action movie released this summer. Though based on a popular graphic novel, Cowboys & Aliens was not connected to a property known widely enough to make it into a must-see for a sizable audience as Captain America did last weekend.

Cowboys performed much like another period sci-fi film produced by Steven Spielberg this summer, Super 8, which debuted to $35.5M in early June and also played to an older male crowd. The pricey Craig-Ford vehicle drew an audience that was 63% 30 and older and 53% male. A CinemaScore grade of B does not bode too well for the future. With Universal, DreamWorks, Relativity Media, Paramount, and Imagine Entertainment all involved in the worldwide financing and distribution, Cowboys & Aliens had a lot of chefs in the kitchen. A glitzy star-studded premiere last week at Comic-Con was well-received by that crowd, but did little to excite audiences across the 50 states.

Chart positions are more about bragging rights though and do not necessarily reflect a film's financial success. The Smurfs proved to be a winner as well in the number two spot with $35.6M thanks to a smaller budget, larger per-theater average, better exit polls, and no major profit participants. Sony's PG-rated family film bowed in 3,395 theaters with a strong $10,489 average and beat out industry forecasts that pegged the opening in the mid-to-high 20s. Based on the popular 1980s cartoon series, the story of the little blue people that find themselves in modern-day New York City was backed by an extensive and highly effective marketing push that truly made it an event film for parents and kids alike.

It follows recent hits from the brand-based live-action/animation genre like last winter's Yogi Bear which grossed over $100M and the two Alvin and the Chipmunks films that each topped $200M. None of these films impressed film critics, but were embraced by families looking to have some mindless fun together. A third Chipmunks is on tap for this December.

Production budgets were $110M for Smurfs and a much higher $163M for Cowboys, plus tens of millions more in marketing.

Papa Smurf and company scored an encouraging A- grade from CinemaScore and with no major competitors taking away families over the next two weeks, the film is well-positioned to become Sony's top-grossing film of 2011 to date. As with most extra-dimensional movies these days, audiences preferred 2D over 3D as 45% of the weekend take ($16.3M) came from the 3D screens. 35% of the crowd was non-family so the brand successfully reached beyond kids and parents to connect with some teens and young adults which certainly helped in generating the large gross.