RANGO
Starring (voices): Johnny Depp, Isla Fisher, Abigail
Breslin,
Bill Nighy, Stephen Root, Ray Winstone, Beth Grant,
Ned Beatty, Harry Dean Stanton & Alfred Molina
Directed by Gore Verbinski for distribution by
Paramount
The Plot: A chameleon who
daydreams about being a hero suddenly finds himself in the role when he becomes
a small town’s only hope against bandits.
The Final Word: The most telling
thing about this movie wasn’t its plot or voice talent, but its director. Gore
Verbinski, known for the “Pirates of the Caribbean” trilogy, stepped into the
world of animation for the first time, with “Pirates” star Johnny Depp
accompanying him. The versatile director also took his first stab at writing
for a full-length motion picture. Combined all of those details combined gave
“Rango” and Paramount an early 2011 success at the box office. With Verbinski
declining to return to the helm of the “Pirates” franchise last summer, this
movie was the only chance audiences got to see him and Depp re-unite on screen
for the foreseeable future and they made sure to take full advantage.
FAST FIVE
Starring: Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Dwayne Johnson, Jordana
Brewster,
Chris "Ludacris" Bridges, Tyrese Gibson,
Sung Kang, Gal Gadot, & Matt Schulze
Directed by Justin Lin for distribution by Universal
The Plot: Backed into a
corner in Rio de Janeiro, the “Fast & Furious” crew must pull off one more
heist to reclaim their lives, but at the same time must contend with a new
tough as nails federal agent assigned to bring them down.
The Final Word: To say that the
return of Vin Diesel and Paul Walker to their most famous roles was a success
is an under-statement. Universal, the studio
behind the movie, not only got to claim a major box office victory, but they actually
got to re-write the record books following an $80 million opening weekend.
While many expected a strong debut, the end result was actually pretty astounding.
“Fast Five” not only posted one of the highest 3-day grosses of the year, but
it looks gave Universal its highest opening EVER (topping 1997’s “The Lost
World: Jurassic Park” $72.1 million). With two more sequels now green-lit, this
franchise may not run out of gas in their tank for a long time to come.
BRIDESMAIDS
Starring: Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph, Rose Byrne,
Wendi McLendon-Covey, Ellie Kemper, Melissa McCarthy
& Jill Clayburgh
Directed by Paul Feig for distribution by Universal
The Plot: After learning
her lifelong best friend is getting married, a woman goes through the trials
and tribulations of being her maid of honor.
The Final Word: At first glance,
this was seen as Universal’s attempt at replicating the success of Warner
Brothers’ “The Hangover,” and following the underwhelming performance of its
debut trailer that description seemed accurate. Wow, was the industry wrong! It
is hard to overlook a comedy that combined featured a number of women who had
been such an instrumental part some of the most successful comedy series of all
time, but people initially did and then a really rare thing happened; the public
and its most vocal critics changed their minds. No longer the proverbial
bridesmaid, the comedy could truly get the last laugh at (believe it or not)
this year’s Oscars.
THE HANGOVER PART II
Starring: Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, Zach
Galifianakis, Jeffrey Tambor, Mike Tyson,
Justin Bartha, Ken Jeong, Liam Neeson & Bryan
Callen
Directed by Todd Phillips for distribution by Warner
Brothers
The Plot: A group of
friends head to Thailand to celebrate the upcoming wedding of one of their own,
but in celebrating accidentally lose the bride’s young brother.
The Final Word: “The first
“Hangover” was definitely a shock to the box office and proved beyond a shadow
of a doubt that in the mind of the moviegoer nothing can ever replace a good
old fashioned comedy. The movie came out of nowhere to earn almost $45 million
in its opening weekend and later go on to collect a total haul of over $200
million. Studios knew the sequel would be a big hit when the film’s Thursday
midnight screenings nationally collected over $10 million, but as it turns out
that was the tip of the iceberg. “The Wolfpack” continued to howl throughout the
holiday weekend and over the four day frame the comedy earned $118.1 million,
giving it the highest opening for a Memorial Day weekend, which tops the $85.7
million “Bruce Almighty” took in back in 2003. By the time the five day opening
weekend period rolled around, “Hangover II” should amassed close to $140
million, which made it the highest opening comedy of all time and the highest
opening “R” rated movie ever. In a world of 3D overload, it’s easy to forget
sometimes audiences just wanted to find a way to laugh and that’s why this one
worked.
THE HELP
Starring: Emma Stone, Viola Davis, Bryce Dallas
Howard,
Allison Janney, Chris Lowell, Sissy Spacek,
Jessica Chastain, Octavia Spencer, Cicely Tyson
& Mike Vogel
Directed by Tate Taylor for distribution by Walt
Disney
The Plot: A secret
writing project by a young woman sets into motion a friendship that goes
against the grain of race relations in 1960’s Mississippi.
The Final Word: Based on the
best-selling novel of the same name, the movie placed rising star Emma Stone in
the role of a socialite who befriended the African-American help at her
family’s plantation. As her relationship with the extraordinary women grew her
ability to give them a voice in a time where they didn’t have one resonated
with audiences. A solid contender for some of Hollywood’s top prizes before it
even bowed in theaters, “The Help” lived up to and then exceed expectations.
MONEYBALL
Starring: Brad Pitt, Jonah Hill, Philip Seymour
Hoffman,
Robin Wright, Stephen Bishop, Kathyrn Morris & Chris
Pratt
Directed by Bennett Miller for distribution by
Columbia Pictures (Sony)
The Plot: The true story
of Oakland A’s general manager Billy Beane who defied conventional logic to
construct a playoff caliber baseball team.
The Final Word: When baseball
fans found out that one of baseball’s Bibles was being brought to the screen
with Brad Pitt in the lead role and Aaron Sorkin at the typewriter, they
scoffed. Yet, they were also among the first people in line to see it. Pitt,
Sorkin and director Bennett Miller (“Capote”) proved to be a power trio are all
garnering Oscar buzz with good reason. “Moneyball” appealed to both fans of the
game and casual viewers who jump in and out throughout the long season. Incidentally this is actually the second
version of the movie being produced by Sony as the first one was canned due to
its high budget; ironic huh?
THE TWILIGHT SAGA: BREAKING DAWN - PART 1
Starring: Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Taylor
Lautner,
Peter Facinelli, Ashley Greene, Kellan Lutz, Jackson
Rathbone,
Elizabeth Reaser, Nikki Reed, Billy Burke, Rami
Malek & Maggie Grace
Directed by Bill Condon for distribution by Summit
Entertainment
The Plot: As Edward and
Bella prepare for the impending birth of their child, they must avoid their
multiple enemies who are determined to protect their own kind no matter what
the costs.
The Final Word: Despite the
box office’s recent struggles, Summit knew they had a blockbuster in waiting
with “Dawn.” The problem here is that the studio also knew they only had one
more “Twilight” bullet left in its chamber before it and the industry as a
whole would have to look elsewhere for a Cineplex stabilizer. For as much as
2011 was concerned, that is a problem for another day as “Dawn” banked $140
million over its first weekend and now is over the $250 million mark.
THE MUPPETS
Starring: Jason Segel, Amy Adams, Chris Cooper,
Rashida Jones, Alan Arkin,
Jack Black, Billy Crystal, Zach Galifianakis, Kathy
Griffin,
Emily Blunt, Kermit the Frog, Miss
Piggy,
Fozzie Bear, Gonzo, Animal & Walter
Directed by James Bobin for distribution by Walt
Disney Pictures
The Plot: After years
out of the spotlight, the Muppets band together to save their one-time
legendary theater from a greedy developer determined to tear it down.
The Final Word: If you didn’t
know the Muppets were coming back to theaters, you really may have been living
under a rock, because Kermit and friends have been everywhere this year.
Co-written by and starring “How I Met Your Mother’s” Jason Segel, the film
re-cemented the classic Jim Henson characters status as pop culture kings. With
an arsenal of celebrities signed on for cameos and built-in name recognition,
this was easily one of the fall’s most anticipated films. With 99% of the
country’s top critics praising the movie, even many who had remainined
unconvinced that Segel and crew could successfully re-captured the tone and
magic that made the Muppets a hit in the 70’s are being forced to take a second
look.
MISSION IMPOSSIBLE: GHOST PROTOCOL
Starring: Tom Cruise, Jeremy Renner, Simon Pegg,
Paula Patton, Josh Holloway,
Michael Nyqvist, Vladimir Mashkov, Lea Seydoux &
Anil Kapoor
Directed by Brad Bird for distribution by Paramount
Pictures
The Plot: Framed for an
international incident, the MI6 team is disbanded and forced to find the real
culprit while on the run from the authorities.
The Final Word: Following the
success of the “Mission: Impossible 3,” a fourth installment in the action
franchise was really an easy decision even if it did take five years to hit
theaters. Helmed by Brad Bird in his live-action directorial debut, the film
(based on the long-running TV series) reunited audiences with Ethan Hunt and
his ever-changing team, including a new character played by Jeremy Renner who
is rumored to be taking over the franchise from Cruise going forward (with his
blessing). Yet the most surprising part of the film’s debut was its opening
week box office earnings. Initially bowing exclusively in IMAX and playing on
only 400+ screens nationwide, the action film earned $12 million in its first
frame. Granted a lot of success can be traced to a combination of inflated IMAX
ticket prices and Warner Brother’s six-minute “The Dark Knight Rises” preview
playing in front of it, but let’s call a spade a spade, given the economy those
numbers are impressive.
