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Chopping Broccoli!

Kim Hollis: Since I never really had an interest in the Brosnan Bond films and was excited to see this one (and give it a solid A), I definitely think things have been shaken up in a positive fashion.

Tim Briody: By the way, there just aren't enough jokes that the guy's name is Broccoli.

Joel Corcoran: I really liked the Brosnan films, and to be perfectly honest, I was one of those Bond fans that had serious reservations about Daniel Craig playing 007. However, I'm very glad to be proven wrong.

David Mumpower: I can't give it a solid A, Kim. That last half hour was a mess. There were so many fake endings it felt like a Peter Jackson movie.

Reagen Sulewski: I'm also not that sure about a spy movie that has a half hour of poker in it.

Tim Briody: That makes it edgy! It's all the rage with the kids these days, you know.

Kim Hollis: I think a lot of Bond films tend to follow that pattern - multiple fake endings. At least I remember several of them feeling that way.

David Mumpower: Quality aside, I think we all agree that as impressive as Happy Feet has been, it's equally impressive that the latest James Bond film matched it not just opening weekend but also in terms of legs. Family, animated movies should have much better legs than action films. Clearly, this Bond is striking the right chord with mainstream audiences.

Kim Hollis: I think it strikes the right chord with the ladies. Rowr.

Joel Corcoran: It would be interesting to know how the audience broke down according to fans of the Bond franchise. I wouldn't be surprised if die-hard fans stayed away the first weekend out of trepidation, but I'll bet the "rediscovery" of Bond becoming 007 brought in new fans. And can we please not beat up on Peter Jackson? We Lord of the Rings fans are having a bad week as it is...

Score one for Spike Lee!

Kim Hollis: Deja Vu, the latest Denzel Washington/Tony Scott action flick, earned another $11 million, bringing its total to $44.1 million. Given the budget of $80 million and the knowledge that Inside Man earned $88.5 million, how do feel about Deja Vu's performance?

Tim Briody: Something is just awfully familiar here, but I can't quite put my finger on it.





Reagen Sulewski: I had thought this might do a little better. This was one of those premises that should sell itself, but it did basically the same as an average Denzel movie.

Tim Briody: Thanksgiving was just a miserable time to release this, even if it's done okay.

David Mumpower: The concern for Disney/Touchstone is that the Universal Project, Inside Man, had a much lower budget of $45 million. So, the numbers are effectively reversed right now. The $45 million movie made $88 million while the $80 million production is in the low $40s on its way to maybe $65 million. That's disappointing although not disastrous.

Kim Hollis: I don't know that Deja Vu felt particularly special or unique. Inside Man at least offered Denzel, Jodie Foster, Clive Owen and Spike Lee.

Reagen Sulewski: Didn't a lot of that have to do with production delays due to Katrina? Not that it makes people feel that much better.

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