New at BOP: Review: Matrix Resurrections Movie Review: Moonfall Movie Reviews: Scream The #1 Movie in America November Forecast The Many Saints of Newark October Forecast New Trivia Question All site updates Share & Save   Tweet Print this column

David Mumpower: I agree with Shane all around on the subject of Tykwer. Run Lola Run is a personal favorite of mine; its ten second character biographies are among the most innovative film ideas of the past 20 years. I also think that the topic we just covered with the economy impacting Confessions of a Shopaholic applies here. The idea of an overlord banking institution whose power borders on economic omnipotence...well, let's just say that this premise would have been easier to sell a year ago. It's hard for me to imagine the same people begging for government handouts and claiming they can't work for a lousy $500 grand a year creating the sort of unstoppable financial juggernaut postured in The International. The only thing retroactively funnier would be Michael Phelps having a cameo in Pineapple Express.

Max Braden: I don't think corporate greed is a hard sell, but when you get all Syriana about an issue, it's hard to follow. Even with all the gunplay the trailer didn't imply anything easy, like suit+hockey mask+death by slashing manila papercut. Hey, I've got a million dollar idea: let's remake The International with a bunch of unknown teens!

Movies=$$$

Kim Hollis: Here are some current tallies for 2009 releases:

Hotel for Dogs - $60.2 million
My Bloody Valentine 3-D - $50.9
Gran Torino - $128.9 million (we know it technically released in December but it made its bucks in 2009)
Paul Blart: Mall Cop - $110.5 million
Coraline - $35.5 million (in ten days)
He's Just Not That Into You - $55.1 million (in ten days)
Taken - $77.9 million (in 17 days)

Rank the top three biggest box office surprises of the year to date and explain why.

Tim Briody: The gap between Paul Blart as the biggest surprise and whatever is #2 is absolutely gigantic. I'm sure many of us here didn't even think it would make its production budget back, let alone be the first 2009 release to cross $100 million. Huge gap aside, Taken is pretty solidly #2. Legs like this are pretty rare these days. Gran Torino is probably third. I don't think anyone thought "Get Off My Lawn: The Movie" would be Eastwood's most financially successful film.

Brandon Scott: I would remove Torino from that list on general principle, plus in my case, I saw it eons ago so I wouldn't include it, but it is a huge surprise and would be right there with Blart at the top. However, given the above criteria, I would pretty much say it is:
Blart, Taken, and HJNTIY. While we pretty much have addressed these individually in previous MMQB's, Blart killed for likable lead and "comedy". Taken for intelligent lead and nice trailer and premise. HJNTIY for the crossover appeal of the wide array of name actors in the film. But Blart and Torino are the biggest surprises, since Torino is vastly overrated. Blart is just vastly overweight...sorry, Kevin. Tongue in cheek, amigo.

Continued:       1       2       3