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On DVD (Tuesday): “The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants 2″, “Tropic Thunder”, WALL-E”

In Theaters (Friday): “Bolt”, “Twilight”, “Boy in the Striped Pajamas” (expanded release), “Special” (limited)
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     MY TAKE ON WHAT’S NEW ON DVD: One of the critics’ favorites for Best Animated movie of the year is “WALL-E”, a box office hit “Tropic Thunder”, and a popular summer movie sequel for teen girls “Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2″ also hits DVD.  Unfortuantely, I have yet to see any of them.

   MY TAKE ON WHAT’S NEW IN THEATERS: While Disney’s “Bolt” is getting good reviews and will make some money this weekend, it will lose some of its potential audience to the families with tweens and young girls going to see “Twilight”, the most anticipated movie for tweens this season.  “Twilight” is looking like the next Harry Potter phenomenon – a popular book turned into a movie franchise – that will bring in a lot of money at the box office, some theaters in West Michigan are already seeing an increase in ticket sales.  In expanded release, but in fewer theaters is the Drama set in the time of the Holocaust “Boy in the Striped Pajamas”.  

MY WEEKEND BOX OFFICE PREDICTION:

1. “Twilight” – $65 million
2. “Quantum of Solace” – $45 million
3. “Bolt” – $30 million
4. “Madagascar 2: Escape to Africa” – $17.5 million
5. “Role Models” - $6 million
6. “High School Musical 3″ – $3 million
7. “Changeling” - $2 million
8. “The Secret Life of Bees” – $1.5 million
9. “Zack and Miri Make a Porno” - $1 million
10. “The Boy in the Striped Pajamas” – $0.9 million

Next Week at Theaters: (Wed 11/26) “Australia”, “Four Christmases”, “Transporter 3″, “Milk” (limited)

Next Week on DVD: “Fred Claus”, “Hancock”, “Meet Dave”, “Space Chimps”

On DVD (Tuesday): “Beer for My Horses”, “Hellboy II: The Golden Army”, “Star Wars The Clone Wars”, “Sukiyaki Western Django”, and “This Christmas.”

In Theaters (Friday): “Quantum of Solace”, “Slumdog Millionaire” (limited), and “A Christmas Tale.”

Courtesy Universal

Courtesy Warner Bros./Lucasfilm

MY TAKE ON WHAT’S NEW ON DVD:
If you’re like me and waited for “Hellyboy 2″ to come out on DVD, so as not to be so disappointed after the original – this is our week !!!  And if you took my advice back in August to wait and rent “Star Wars Clone Wars” (unless you’re a die-hard fan, or young fan of the new cartoons)… this is the week to consider renting it.

Also out this week, Toby Keith’s song/music video “Beer For My Horses” turned into a feature-length movie, Quentin Tarantino in the Japanese Western “Sukiyaki Western Django” that got decent reviews, and the Christmas drama “This Christmas” about a family’s first holiday together in four years.

MY TAKE ON WHAT’S NEW IN THEATERS:
Bond, only Bond… there’s a reason why other movies shuffled their schedules around the opening of the latest 007 movie (the 2nd for title star Daniel Craig)… Bond movies always open big… and this should be no different – it will take in close to one-third of the weekend box office all by itself… some estimates have it as high as $60-70 million this weekend… I’ll be a little more realistic.

Courtesy MGM

MY WEEKEND BOX OFFICE PREDICTION:

1. “Quantum of Solace” – $50 million
2. “Madagascar 2: Ecsape to Africa” – $31.5 million
3. “Role Models” – $9.6 million
4. “High School Musical 3” – $5.5 million
5. “Changeling” – $5.1 million
6. “Zack and Miri Make a Porno” – $3.8 million
7. “Soul Men” – $3.5 million
8. “The Secret Life of Bees” – $2.3 million
9. “Saw V” – $1.6 million
10. “The Haunting of Molly Hartley” – $1.5 million
11. “Eagle Eye” – $1.3 million

Next Week on DVD: “The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants 2″, “WALL-E”

Next Week at Theaters: “Bolt”, “Twilight”, “Boy in the Striped Pajamas” (expanded release), “Special” (limited)

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In Theaters (Friday): “Changeling” (wide release), “RockNRolla” (wide release), “The Haunting of Molly Hartley”, “Zack and Miri Make a Porno”

On DVD (Tuesday): “Hell Ride”, “Journey to the Center of the Earth” (2008), “Kit Kittredge: An American Girl”

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MY TAKE ON WHAT’S NEW IN THEATERS:
For those looking for a scare (other than “Saw V”) there’s the thriller “The Haunting of Molly Hartley”….  if you’re looking for a raunchy romantic comedy – there’s “Zack and Miri Make a Porno”, which is more traditional work by director Kevin Smith than 2004’s “Jersey Girl”….
but  MY TOP CHOICES THIS WEEKEND are Academy Award favorite “Changeling” and a well-reviewed “RockNRolla” that critics say is director Guy Ritchie getting back to form.

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MY WEEKEND BOX OFFICE PREDICTION:
1. “The Haunting of Molly Hartley” – $25.0 million
2. “Saw V” – $23.0 million
3. “High School Musical 3” – $20.0 million
4. “Zack and Miri Make a Porno” – $18.0 million
5. “RockNRolla” – $5.5 million
6. “Changeling” – $5.0 million
7. “Beverly Hills Chihuahua” – $4.0 million
8. “Pride and Glory” – $3.5 million
9. “Max Payne” – $3.0 million
10. “Eagle Eye” – $2.5 million

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New on DVD (Tuesday): “Hell Ride”, “Journey to the Center of the Earth” (2008), “Kit Kittredge: An American Girl”

MY TAKE ON WHAT’S NEW ON DVD:
“Hell Ride” got mixed reviews…
so MY TOP CHOICES FOR WHAT’S NEW ON DVD are really good family-friendly “Journey to the Center of the Earth 3D” and well-reviewed “Kit Kittredge: An American Girl”.

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Next Week at Theaters: “Madagascar 2: Escape from Africa”, “Role Models”, ”Soul Men”, “House” (limited), “The Boy in the Striped Pajamas”

Next Week on DVD: “Get Smart”, “Kung Fu Panda”, “Shrek The Halls”, “Transsiberian”

In Theaters (Friday): “Lakeview Terrace”, “My Best Friend’s Girl”, “Igor”, “Ghost Town”

An intense Samuel L. Jackson in “Lakeview Terrace” looks good, “My Best Friend’s Girl” and “Ghost Town” could be disappointing comedies, “Igor” is an animated adventure for families

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On DVD (Tuesday): “88 Minutes”, “Finding Amanda”, “The Love Guru”, “Made of Honor”, “Snow Angels”, “Speed Racer”, “Young@Heart”

Best options here are “Snow Angels” and “Made of Honor”…. because ”88 Minutes”, “The Love Guru”, and “Speed Racer” bombed at the box office, so don’t put them at the top of your rental list!

sorry for the short preview, but that’s all I have time to write… gotta go!

In Theaters (Friday): “The Women”, “Burn After Reading”, “The Family That Preys”, “Righteous Kill”
On DVD (Tuesday): “Baby Mama”, “The Forbidden Kingdom”, “Sarah Landon and the Paranormal Hour”

New in theaters:

My Take: 2 movies from my 15 movies to see preview are hitting theaters this week, plus there’s a good “chick flick”… and if you took my advice and saved your money last weekend and skipped the movies, this is the weekend for a double-header!!!

“Burn After Reading”

starring Brad Pitt, Frances McDormand, George Clooney, John Malkovich, Tilda Swinton, J.K. Simmons

Genre: Comedy/Drama

The Plot: A disk containing the memoirs of a CIA agent ends up in the hands of two unscrupulous gym employees who attempt to sell it.

(1 of my 15 movies to see preview)

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“Righteous Kill”

starring Robert DeNiro, Al Pacino, 50 Cent, Carla Gugino, John Leguizamo, Donnie Wahlberg, Brian Dennehy

Genre: Crime/Drama

The Plot: Two veteran New York City detectives (De Niro and Pacino) work to identify the possible connection between a recent murder and a case they believe they solved years ago; is there a serial killer on the loose, and did they perhaps put the wrong person behind bars?

(1 of my 15 movies to see preview)

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“The Women”

starring Meg Ryan, Annette Bening, Eva Mendes, Debra Messing, Jada Pinkett Smith, Bette Midler, Candice Bergen, Carrie Fisher, Cloris Leachman, Debi Mazar, Ana Gasteyer

Genre: Comedy/Drama

The Plot: A wealthy New Yorker leaves her cheating husband and bonds with other society women at a resort. A remake of George Cukor’s 1939 film “The Women.”

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“The Family That Preys”

starring Alfre Woodard, Kathy Bates, Tyler Perry, Sanaa Lathan, Rockmond Dunbar, Cole Hauser, Robin Givens, KaDee Strickland

Genre: Comedy

The Plot: Two families from different walks of life learn to work together.

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Next Week at Theaters:

“Lakeview Terrace”, “Appaloosa” (limited), “My Best Friend’s Girl”, “Igor”, “Ghost Town”

New on DVD:

My Take: ”Baby Mama” and “The Forbidden Kingdom” were not my 1st choices when they were in theaters, but now on DVD, they are worth a look! 

“Baby Mama” starring Amy Poehler, Tina Fey, Greg Kinnear

Genre: Comedy/Romance

The Plot: A successful, single businesswoman who dreams of having a baby discovers she is infertile and hires a working class woman to be her unlikely surrogate.

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“The Forbidden Kingdom” starring Jet Li, Michael Angarano, Jackie Chan

Genre: Action/Adenture/Comedy/Fantasy/Romance

The Plot: A discovery made by a kung fu obsessed American teen sends him on an adventure to China, where he joins up with a band of martial arts warriors in order to free the imprisoned Monkey King

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“Sarah Landon and the Paranormal Hour” starring Kurt Braun, Triston Coleman, Brian Comrie

Genre: Horror/Mystery/Thriller

The Plot:  A 17-year-old girl has mysterious encounters with paranormal activity in the small town of Pine Valley.

Next Week on DVD:

“88 Minutes”, “Finding Amanda”, “The Love Guru”, “Made of Honor”, “Snow Angels”, “Speed Racer”, “Young@Heart”

In Theaters: “Bangkok Dangerous” On DVD: “Married Life”, “The Promotion”, “Then She Found Me”

New in theaters:

“Bangkok Dangerous” starring Nicolas Cage, Charlie Yeung, Shahkrit Yamnarm

Genre: Action/Crime/Thriller

The Plot: A hitman who’s in Bangkok to pull off a series of jobs falls for a local woman and bonds with his errand boy.

My Take: This is one week to hold off at the movies, save your box office money for next week, when there are multiple great offerings!!!

Next Week at Theaters:

“The Women”, “Burn After Reading”, The Family That Preys”, “Righteous Kill”

New on DVD:

“Married Life” starring Pierce Brosnan, Chris Cooper, Patricia Clarkson, Rachael McAdams

Genre: Crime/Drama/Romance

The Plot: A 1940s-set drama where an adulterous man plots his wife’s death instead of putting her through the humiliation of a divorce.

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“The Promotion” starring Seann William Scott, John C. Reilly, Fred Armisen

Genre: Comedy

The Plot: Two assistant managers of a corporate grocery store vie for a coveted promotion.

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“Then She Found Me” starring Helen Hunt, Colin Firth, Bette Midler

Genre: Comedy/Drama/Romance

The Plot: A New York schoolteacher hits a midlife crisis when, in quick succession, her husband leaves, her adoptive mother dies and her biological mother, an eccentric talk show host, materializes and turns her life upside down as she begins a courtship with the father of one of her students.

Next Week on DVD:

“Baby Mama”, “The Forbidden Kingdom”, “Sarah Landon and the Paranormal Hour”