July 26th, 2010
It is a deceptively slow week in the video market.
I love that word, "deceptively", because it really has no meaning.
In the first sentence it could mean the week appears to be busy, but it is really slow.
Or it could mean the week appears to be slow, but it is really busy.
In this case, it's the former.
While there are 350 releases for the week on Amazon.com, there's only one significant first run release, Clash of the Titans.
Moving down the list of best sellers, it doesn't take long until you run into second tier, or even third or fourth tier releases.
Arguably the best release on this week's list of reviews is Mother, but that came out last week it's on the list because the screener was late.
The two competitors for Pick of the Week from this week's releases are Batman: Under the Red Hood - Blu-ray with Litho Cell and Ip Man - Collector's Edition Blu-ray.
Which one wins depends on whether you like martial arts movies or comic books more.
For me, it's a tie.
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July 25th, 2010
Bong Joon-ho previously directed The Host, which I reviewed way back when it came out in theaters.
That film earned incredible reviews and made more than $2 million at the box office, which is impressive for a foreign language film.
This movie earned even better reviews, but it struggled to find an audience at the box office.
Is there a way to reconcile these two facts?
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July 19th, 2010
The dead zone on the home market continues with only three wide releases... well, two and a half wide releases, none of which matched expectations at the box office.
There's not even a lot of limited releases, catalog titles, or TV on DVD releases to compensate.
There are some, just not a lot.
My favorite title on this week's list is actually a late review: White Collar: Season One on DVD and Blu-ray.
Meanwhile, the two best new releases this week have a Canadian Connection, Degrassi: The Next Generations: Season 9 and NHL: Greatest Stanley Cup Moments, both of which earn Puck of the Week honors.
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March 16th, 2010
Just like last week, there were only two films to top $10,000 on the per theater chart. In fact, these were the same two films that managed the same feat last week. However, they finished in the opposite order with Alice in Wonderland taking the top spot with an average of $16,822 per theater while The Secret of Kells earned $12,537 in one theater.
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March 12th, 2010
There are only a handful of limited releases this week, and only one of those is earning overwhelmingly positive reviews. That film is Mother, which is the latest from South Korean director, Joon-ho Bong. It could also be the most promising film in terms of box office chances.
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December 2nd, 2009
As always, the Independent Spirit Awards represent the unofficial start of Awards Season with the announcement of their nominations.
This year The Last Station and Precious topped the list of nominees with five each.
For the former, it should help build buzz for its 2010 release.
For the latter, it is the first step towards possible Awards Season glory and further enhances its already lofty box office potential.
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