BOX PIX

I have decided to reveal my box office must-see pix for the weekend EACH WEEKEND til 2007. I am basing my top box office must-sees from early reviews I have read and from my own desires (let's face it: REAL reviewers's reviews mean jack shit some times). SO, for the weekend of October 20/21: MY TOP PICK: MARIE ANTOINETTE. First off, Entertainment Weekly gave it a glowing B+ review. HOWEVER, the film was largely booed at Cannes this year (alas, mostly from the french). I'm a fan of Sofia Coppola's blending of 18th-century history with early 80's New Romantic pop music (New Order, Atom Ant, Bow Wow Wow, The Cure: WHEW, if nothing else the soundtrack is going to ROCK when I buy it). I'm also a fan of Kirstin Dunst (hard to believe it's the same little girl who kissed Brad Pitt in INTERVIEW WITH A VAMPIRE) and Jason Schwartzman (great in FREAKS & GEEKS, not so great in BEWITCHED). I think this movie is going to have a fast-pace hardly found in traditional period pieces, and cinematography hints to be amazing. SECOND PLACE: THE GRUDGE 2 (opened last weekend). I don't know about you but previews to GRUDGE 2 were pretty intense. True, this means jack shit (hmm, that word again) on tha actual final product. Indeed, Entertainment Weekly (EW) gave it a so-so C+. But it's that time of the year when scary movies have clout, and Amber Tamblyn has some serious spook-film pedigree (the original THE RING). This movie should do some decent business - at least until SAW 3 opens next week. THIRD PLACE: RUNNING WITH SCISSORS. This Anette Bening flick might be JUST quirky enough to be entertaining, but the glum subject manner doesn't jump out and make my asshole twitch. EW reviewed it with a C. PICK FOR FOURTH: THE PRESTIGE. This is the big-budget magician movie starring Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale. It's also from the acclaimed director Christopher Nolan, who helmed BATMAN BEGINS. I was one of the few who didn't get all that entertained by BATMAN BEGINS, though I surely see the quality in it - and I am happy the director took that movie and gave it his own flavor. But honestly, I can't separate THE PRESTIGE from the ILLUSIONIST - I thought it was the same movie, only with a name change. However, it scored well with EW: a B+ FIFTH PLACE: One of the highest-profiled movies of the weekend is Clint Eastwood's Oscor follow-up: FLAGS OF OUR FATHERS. Even if the movie had scored well with the critics (it didnt: EW gave it a B-), I would be hard-pressed to go see it. I am just not a big war movie fan. And it appears to have bloody battles ala SAVING PRIVATE RYAN. With the war in Iraq ongoing I guess I am just not up to go escape to the cineplex this weekend and have "real gore" thrown at me (though I WILL take in "fake gore" from GRUDGE 2). And those are the TOP FIVE PICKS OF THE WEEKEND from Sean Storm.