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Exclusive: Randall Miller, who is facing charges of involuntary manslaughter and criminal trespass in the death of 27-year-old Sarah Jones on the set of his film Midnight Rider, has been quietly putting together another film project. The pic is called Slick Rock Trail — about a washed up, hopeless long-haired old rocker with addiction problems who shaves his head and drives to Utah in an effort to tie up loose ends in his personal life before he dies. In the process, the rocker, named Keith Aldridge, ends up helping out a young rock and blues band called The Drainpipes.

Miller has apparently been trying to keep the project under wraps and the script is being circulated without a name on its title page. The subject matter seems close to the previous Gregg Allman biopic Midnight Rider, at least similar terrain to that project. The story takes place in Utah where Slick...

Heebyjeeby: Miller Fails To Reclaim Glory Days of Punk

Perhaps it goes without saying that the more invested one is in the gloriously exciting New York City punk scene from the 1970s, the stronger disdain they’ll have towards Randall Miller’s latest film, Cbgb, so titled for the famed dive bar in the Bowery neighborhood which birthed the careers of numerous notable musical talents. While this is the director’s third effort in a row headlining Alan Rickman (following Nobel Son and Bottle Shock), their pairing has yet to yield a wholly satisfactory endeavor, even with the enjoyable thesp featured in juicy leading form. Miller’s latest is sure to suffer the greatest ire since it attempts to recreate a beloved golden age of musical genius with middling success. Moments of nostalgic emotion are ever so briefly reached, and evaporate so quickly that your only desire will be to...

Title: Cbgb Director: Randall Miller Starring: Alan Rickman, Justin Bartha, Ashley Greene, Johnny Galecki, Donal Logue, Freddy Rodriguez, Malin Akerman, Richard de Klerk, Rupert Grint, Taylor Hawkins, Stana Katic, Joel David Moore, Mickey Summer, Bradley Whitford With “Nobel Son” and “Bottle Shock,” filmmaker Randall Miller has provided a couple nice, meaty, showcase roles for Alan Rickman, giving the British-born thespian a chance to act snobby and standoffish and self-destructive. The pair’s trilogy of movies on the precipice of something greater — films with engaging protagonists and an interesting backdrop or pitch, but little sense of psychological depth — continues with “Cbgb,” a celebration of the man behind the seminal New [ Read More ]

The post Cbgb Movie Review appeared first on Shockya.com.

This trailer gives us next to no idea of how the film about New York's Cbgb and the club's owner will play out. But we can confirm that Alan Rickman, playing proprietor Hilly Kristal, is doing an American accent and donning gloriously curly hair and flannels and overalls. There will be original music from the Talking Heads, Iggy Pop, Blondie, the Velvet Underground, and the Police, with actors like Rupert Grint, Malin Akerman, Johnny Galecki, and Justin Bartha impersonating all those bands and a handful more. Randall Miller (Nobel Son, Bottle Shock) directed the movie and wrote the script with Rickman in mind.

XLrator Media has acquired all U.S. distribution rights to the film Cbgb, a rock 'n roll true story of the legendary New York City club that launched dozens of top bands and is known globally as the home of American Punk Rock music. Cbgb tells the tale of the famed venue and its iconoclastic founder Hilly Kristal, portrayed by Alan Rickman (Harry Potter series) and directed by Randall Miller (Bottle Shock). The release of the much-buzzed-about film is timed to take advantage of the huge Cbgb Music Festival event this Fall and the current mainstream popularity of "Punk" in the media, art and fashion. The announcement was made today by XLrator Media CEO Barry Gordon.

The film will be released theatrically to coincide with the fast-growing Cbgb Music Festival, which takes New York City by storm October 9-13, 2013 with over 500 bands performing on 175 stages across the city including Times Square and Brooklyn's Barkley Center.

The "Cbgb" movie is on slate for a 2013 arrival, so it's only right that there's a new poster for the film. With the tagline "50,000 bands. One disgusting bathroom," the image displays the film's leading actors, to tell the story of New York's most infamous punk club. Alan Rickman stars as Hilly Kristal, Cbgb's founder; Rupert Grint is on hand as Cheetah Chrome (Rocket From the Crypt); Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins takes up the mic as Iggy Pop; Malin Ackerman plays Blondie's Debbie Harry; Ashley Greene as Hilly's daughter Lisa; and more. Randall Miller ("Bottle Shock," "Nobel Son," "Houseguest")...

Cbgb Starring Alan Rickman — not an official title; just throwing it out there — has cast one of its big roles, a junkie venue-haunter called Idaho, to be played by Six Feet Under and Planet Terror star Freddy Rodriguez. The film, an indie venture written and directed by Randall Miller (Bottle Shock, Nobel Son), is kicking off production next week. And don't forget: Alan Rickman.

Malin Akerman has signed on to play Blondie singer Debbie Harry in Randall Miller's upcoming Cbgb biopic, which previously confirmed Alan Rickman to play the legendary New York music club's owner, Hilly Kristal.   Miller (Bottle Shock, Nobel Son) is directing from a script he co-wrote with wife Jody Savin. Founded in 1973, Cbgb was a club that garnered a reputation as a forum for American punk and new wave bands, and Harry regularly frequented there, especially prior to the commercial success of the band's debut album in 1976.

Her shot at playing Linda Lovelace probably didn’t go as planned, so it’s time for Malin Akerman to take on a classier figure — if Blondie can be considered “classy” in the first place. ShowBlitz has learned that the actress will be seen as the ’80s icon for Cbgb, an account of the infamous New York City rock club and its owner, Hilly Kristal, who Alan Rickman will inhabit; his Harry Potter co-star, Rupert Grint, is expected to play Dead Boys guitarist Cheetah Chrome.

Past reports have indicated that these three will be the central figures of Cbgb, and when one looks over the club’s history — in terms of performers, events, and societal significance — you get some idea of the scope director Randall Miller (Bottle Shock, Nobel Son) will be aiming for. His own, prior credits give me a bit of pause, even if Rickman likes him, but...

Not only is there a Cbgb music festival going down soon, there's a movie, too. Randall Miller (Nobel Son, Bottle Shock) will soon film the venue's biopic, Cbgb, with Alan Rickman playing founder/proprietor Hilly Kristal, who died in 2007, less than a year after the legendary venue closed its doors because the rent was too damn high. The role was written specifically for Rickman, who will also portray Ronald Reagan this year.

Tom Felton isn't the only "Harry Potter" alum to score a new gig today.

Rupert Grint, who until now has kind of been sitting on the bench as Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson have been shaping their post-"Potter" careers, has joined the cast of "The Drummer," according to Variety.

"Hugo" star Chloe Moretz has also signed on for the film that chronicles the last six years of Beach Boys drummer Dennis Wilson's life, during which he released his solo album, "Pacific Ocean Blue," and struggled with alcohol addiction. Wilson drowned in Marina del Rey after a day of drinking shortly after his 39th birthday in December 1983.

Grint will play the role of Stan Shapiro, a mailroom intern at William Morris who befriended Wilson, and Moretz will play Jennifer, Wilson's daughter with Carole Freedman. The duo join Aaron Eckhart as Wilson and Vera Farmiga as Christina McVie, the Fleetwood Mac...

And she acts to the music of Fleetwood Mac.

The "Up in the Air" star has signed on to join Aaron Eckhart in "The Drummer," the biopic about Beach Boys drummer Dennis Wilson, according to Variety.

Vera Farmiga will play the role of Christina McVie, the notable singer-songwriter and member of Fleetwood Mac. "Hold Me," the hit single from Fleetwood Mac's 1982 album, "Mirage" (and one of the most popular music videos of the early days of MTV), was reportedly inspired by McVie's passionate and tumultuous affair with Wilson that went on from 1979 through 1981.

"The Drummer" chronicles the last six years of Wilson's life, during which he released his solo album, "Pacific Ocean Blue," and struggled with alcohol addiction. Wilson drowned in Marina del Rey after a day of drinking shortly after his 39th birthday in December 1983.

Farmiga is set for another busy year, as "Goats" premiered earlier this month...

HollywoodNews.com: Viola Davis, Bryce Dallas Howard, Allison Janney, Chris Lowell, Ahna O’Reilly, Octavia Spencer, Emma Stone, Sissy Spacek, Mary Steenburgen, Cicely Tyson and Mike Vogel to be honored at the Hollywood Film Awards Gala Ceremony.

The 15th Annual Hollywood Film Festival and Hollywood Film Awards, presented by Starz Entertainment, are pleased to announce that the cast of DreamWorks Pictures and Participant Media’s “The Help” – Viola Davis, Bryce Dallas Howard, Allison Janney, Chris Lowell, Ahna O’Reilly, Octavia Spencer, Emma Stone, Sissy Spacek, Mary Steenburgen, Cicely Tyson and Mike Vogel – will be recognized at the Hollywood Awards Gala Ceremony with the “Hollywood Ensemble Acting Award.”

The announcement was made today by Carlos de Abreu, Founder of the 15th Annual Hollywood Film Awards Gala Ceremony, which will take place on the evening of Monday, October 24, 2011, at the Beverly Hilton Hotel.

The Hollywood Film Awards Gala launches the awards season.

Here's a glimpse at some interesting, unusual and/or noteworthy projects that were recently added to IMDbPro's database of development titles (with a bit of editorial commentary thrown in).

Every Secret Thing -- Frances McDormand reunites with Friends with Money filmmakers Nicole Holofcener and Likely Story's Anthony Bregman to step behind the camera for the first time and produce this crime drama starring Diane Lane. McDormand is also looking to produce and star in a new HBO series called Olive Kitteridge.

Untitled Peggy Lee Project -- Oscar winner Reese Witherspoon moves from channeling the late singer-songwriter June Carter to channeling the late singer-songwriter Peggy Lee, the 1940s chart-topping chanteuse recognized for her signature ballad "Fever" and providing several voices to the animated Disney film The Lady and the Tramp.

Snow Piercer – The latest thriller from Joon-ho Bong (Mother, The Host) is based on a French graphic novel Transperceneige about a train full of travelers struggling to live together in a futuristic world covered in ice and snow. Could this be the project he's supposedly working on with J.J. Abrams? We can only hope.

The Drummer -- Indie filmmakers Randall Miller and Jody Savin of Unclaimed Freight Productions (Bottle Shock, Nobel Son) tell the tortured tale of Beach Boy drummer (and the band's only true surfer) Dennis Wilson from his height of fame and burgeoning solo career to his battles with drugs and untimely tragic end.

Chronicle – Max Landis, son of Animal House's John, makes his feature writing debut with this low-budget project about a group of friends who become endowed with super powers.

The week after Thanksgiving is never big for new offerings at the movies. Last year, for example, gave us Punisher: War Zone, Cadillac Records and Nobel Son, but Four Christmases and Twilight remained tops at the box office. So this week's number one and number two were last week's number one and number two -- The Blind Side with a hearty $20.4 million, and New Moon with $15.7 million. By this logic, half-assed though it may be, first and second place at the box office this time next year will be a Warner Bros. release followed by whichever Twilight they crank out by then -- although the Warner Bros. release will likely be the next Harry Potter they crank out, so ... yeah. People will probably go see that.

Of the new releases, the melodrama-sold-as-thriller Brothers made a decent enough opening with $9.7 million in third place (review forthcoming), with nothing new ranking behind...

“Nobel Son” is a film about a weathered relationship between a genius father and his overshadowed son. It’s also a film about kidnapping, adultery, lust, extortion, poetry, cannibalism, revenge, amputations, and just about anything else dramatic. Alan Rickman (Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince, Sweeney Todd) plays Eli Michaelson, a philandering, arrogant physics professor who just won the Nobel Prize. His son Barkley (Bride Wars) has yet to gain his approval for anything, including his Phd work on cannibalism. On the eve of the Nobel Ceremony, Barkley is kidnapped and held for a two million dollar ransom. His father, thinking it’s a joke, yells at Barkley and refuses to pay the kidnapper. The circumstances change when he receives a severed thumb in the mail. A great cast supports Rickman and Greenburgh, including: Shawn Hatosy, Mary Steenburgen, Bill Pullman, and Eliza Dushku. Danny Devito also has a ...

If you watch enough DVDs, particularly the behind-the-scenes featurettes and the commentary tracks, you’ll hear a slew of cliches paraded about. These cliches include self-congratulatory interviews with the cast and crew talking about how clever the movie is (even if it’s not really that clever, like in Nobel Son or The Machinist). Or, how the director fawns over a particular actor or actress, saying they were their first and only choice (which is ridiculously stupid to say about actors like D-list nobody Martin Henderson being Gurinder Chadha’s first choice for the lead in Bride & Prejudice). Or my personal pet peeve is hearing television showrunners talk about how they want to “make Los Angeles a character” in series like Private Practice and Shark. (Hint, hint... no one living outside of L.A. notices the L.A. shots... to them, it’s just another big city near an ocean.) The...

green light (definitely check it out): The International: Clive Owen is even sexier when he’s taking down unscrupulous bankers. Tarp me, baby. [Amazon U.S.] [preorder at Amazon U.K.] Nobel Son: Alan Rickman is a mean ol’ meanie. So he’s stretching here, you see. [Amazon U.S.] red light (not worth your time): Gran Torino: Clint Eastwood, refusing to age gracefully. I might have to spot him that one, actually. [Amazon U.S.] [preorder at Amazon U.K.] Fired Up!: Have you heard? Teenage boys are horny. Shocking. [Amazon U.S.] Get the complete list of this week's new releases at Amazon U.S.

It took some checking, but I finally figured it out: this is the year 2009. With a little bit more fact checking, I was able to determine that Pulp Fiction came out in 1994, a full fifteen years ago. I figured the statute of limitations on wearing another film’s influence on your sleeve runs out at about five years, but here’s Nobel Son, a heist/kidnapping/general criminal plot film that simply drips with the residue that Tarantino left behind him when he first blustered through film-making last century. No, there are no overlapping storylines or long dissertations on the hidden meaning of various pop culture icons. Tarantino certainly doesn’t have any kind of copyright on criminal films considering he was arguably bested by L.A. Confidential a few years after his own masterpiece. But if you look at the details of this film - the waving of handguns directly at the camera,...

Every now and then you see a movie advertised as coming to video and you scratch your head wondering why you’ve never heard of it. Nobel Son, which opened December 8 and is available on DVD today, is just such a case. The film stars Alan Rickman, Bryan Greenberg, Eliza Dushku, Shawn Hatosy, Mary Steenburgen, Bill Pullman, Ted Danson and Danny Devito. Pretty nifty cast.

Now, check out the official synopsis: On the eve of Barkley Michaelson's father receiving the Nobel Prize, Barkley is kidnapped and the requested ransom is the $2,000,000 in Nobel Prize money. When his father refuses to pay it starts a venomous tale of familial dysfunction, lust, betrayal and ultimately revenge.

Sounds like it should be a pretty cool thriller. And yet. And yet the film lasted a mere three weeks during the holiday season and earned a meager $540,382 at the box office. As we’ve discussed previously,...

Gran Torino

In his last acting stint, Clint Eastwood dances behind and in front of the camera playing a racist Korean War vet who faces his prejudices after a Hmong teen tries to steal his beloved Gran Torino. James Rocchi said: "Gran Torino is, bluntly, a pretty good film -- sleek and brawny like the title car, but a little clumsy on the corners and with no small amount of knock in its dramatic engine." Rent it on DVD or Blu-ray.

Add to Netflix queue | Buy at Amazon

The International

When you mix Run Lola Run helmer Tom Tykwer and Clive Owen, you get The International -- an action thriller where Owen plays an Interpol agent itching to battle corruption in the world's largest banks. In his review, William Goss said: "Throughout, The International is a thankfully, skillfully mature effort by Tykwer to produce a proper thriller for adults, that...

Just in time for Father's Day... it's Clint Eastwood's Gran Torino on DVD and Blu-ray! Coincidence? I think not. Other new releases this week include Tom Tykwer's The International starring Clive Owen and Naomi Watts, low budget sex comedy Fired Up!, and the Harrison Ford immigration drama Crossing Over. The final season of The Shield is also out, along with a 40th Anniversary Collector's Edition of Woodstock on DVD and Blu-ray. See anything worth picking up? Gran Torino [1] (DVD, Blu-ray [2]) The International [3] (DVD, Blu-ray [4]) Fired Up! [5] (DVD, Blu-ray [6]) Baby on Board [7] (DVD, Blu-ray [8]) Strike [9] Nobel Son [10] Crossing Over [11] Nicotina [12] Woodstock: 40th Anniversary Ultimate Collector's Edition [13] (DVD, Blu-ray [14]) The Shield: Season 7 [15] Get Smart: Season 3 [16] The Cleaner: The First Season [17] Survivorman: Season 3 [18] Reaper: Season 2 [19] The Best of Whose Line Is It Anyway? [20] Time Warp: Season 1 [21] (DVD, Blu-ray [22]) WWE: The Randy Savage Ultimate Collection [23] Fatal Attraction [24] (Blu-ray) Indecent Proposal [25] (Blu-ray...

DVD Links: DVD News | Release Dates | New Dvds | Reviews | RSS Feed A few tidbits before we get started with this week's releases begin with news Howard's End is the film that won the Amazon.com online voting to become one of Criterion's next Blu-ray releases. A release date has not yet been announced, but a preorder has been made available at Amazon. Next, I previously listed The Soloist for DVD and Blu-ray from Paramount Home Entertainment, but have since been asked to remove the August 4 release date as it was apparently mistakenly added to the official release schedule. I will have an update once Paramount revises their schedule. Finally, Deadline Hollywood is reporting The Weinstein Company's recent financial troubles have caused the studio to relinquish the DVD and Blu-ray rights to Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds with co-distributor Universal Pictures now set to step in. And now, on with this week's releases.

Once again it has been a bad week for DVD releases. The only movie I can link to a previous podcast is The International. Unfortunately we never had the chance to review Gran Torino. Gran Torino (DVD, Blu-ray) The International (DVD, Blu-ray) Fired Up! (DVD, Blu-ray) Baby on Board (DVD, Blu-ray) Strike Nobel Son Crossing Over Nicotina Woodstock: 40th Anniversary Ultimate Collector’s Edition (DVD, Blu-ray) The Shield: Season 7 Get Smart: Season 3 The Cleaner: The First Season Survivorman: Season 3 Reaper: Season 2 The Best of Whose Line Is It Anyway? Time Warp: Season 1 (DVD, Blu-ray) WWE: The Randy Savage Ultimate Collection Fatal Attraction (Blu-ray) Indecent Proposal (Blu-ray) Powder Blue (Blu-ray) Predator 2 (Blu-ray) The Siege (Blu-ray)...

We have a new exclusive special feature clip from the upcoming DVD Nobel Son, which hits the shelves on DVD on June 9. Click below to take a look at this new special feature clip, which shows us Bill Pullman, and Mary Steenburgen talking about their characters in the film.

On the eve of Barkley Michaelson's father receiving the Nobel Prize, Barkley is kidnapped and the requested ransom is the $2,000,000 in Nobel Prize money. When his father refuses to pay it starts a venomous tale of familial dysfunction, lust, betrayal and ultimately revenge. Featuring an ensemble cast starring Alan Rickman, Bryan Greenberg, Mary Steenburgen, Shawn Hatosy, Bill Pullman, Ted Danson, Danny Devito and Eliza Dushku.

Special Features:

- Commentary with director/producer Randall Miller, writer/producer Jody Savin, musician Paul Oakenfold, cinematographer Mike Ozier and actors Brian Greenberg and Eliza Dushku

Deleted scenes with optional commentary from director/producer Randall Miller...

This week on DVD, celebrate the big screen heroics of two former movie heroes (Clint Eastwood in Gran Torino, Harrison Ford in Crossing Over) or watch Clive Owen and Naomi Watts do battle with an evil bank (Tom Tykwer's The International). If comedy is more your style, you can go low-brow (the cheerleading comedy Fired Up!) or worse: direct to DVD (the bowling comedy Strike! starring Tara Reid). Take a gamble on a twisty, stylized thriller about kidnapping and dysfunctional families (Nobel Son, starring Eliza Dushku and Alan Rickman) or take your chances with a critically panned race drama (Spinning...

Welcome to your weekly movie horoscope with Madame Millie Kilakilarney. She will point you in the direction of the DVDs you need to watch this week according to the astrological charts she keeps on her bedroom wall. If it's in the stars or on store shelves, she knows about it!

Aries (March 21st-April 19th): It's time to shake yourself out of this odd, grumpy stupor you've so eloquently eased yourself into these past few days. You used to love the world and everything in it. So why, pray tell, have you decided to shit on everyone and everything? One moment the amusement park sounds fun, the next minute you're telling the kids its lame. They just want to have a good time this summer. Why are you ruining it for them. Look at the way you treat your husband. He is a good man. And you are constantly yelling...

DVD Links: DVD News | Release Dates | New Dvds | Reviews | RSS Feed The Curious Case of Benjamin Button I posted my review of the Blu-ray edition yesterday giving Benjamin Button another glowing critique. So, it shouldn't come as any surprise I am leading with it this week and recommend it as a film you should at least watch, since I am willing to admit this isn't a movie everyone will love. However, I do believe this is a film everyone should revisit every few years if they don't like it as I think it is a film that only gets better with age... Dexter - The Complete Second Season Paramount sent this one over and I have also recently taken a look at the first season of the original "Star Trek" on Blu-ray and just a couple nights ago finished watching the first season of "C.S.I." on Blu-ray. I covered the...

More Sundance coverage

"Bottle Shock" director Randall Miller and his producing partner Jody Savin have joined with Leonidas Films' Timothy Cavanaugh and James Mancuso to launch Consolidated Pictures Group, which plans to finance and produce two films this year and pick up two other films to release theatrically.

Miller and Savin self-distributed "Bottle Shock," which used Freestyle Releasing to book theaters and grossed $4.5 million domestically. It will be released on DVD on Feb. 3 by Fox Home Entertainment.

The team also used the same approach to releasing "Nobel Son" last year.

Consolidated, funded with privated equity, will be attending the Sundance Film Festival.

There's a story making the rounds -- originating, as best I can tell, with this post over at Yahoo! Movies -- making the case that this past weekend's minor computer-animated effort Delgo is, to paraphrase, the biggest wide-release bomb of all time.

Is that right? As usual, it depends on how you look at it. If you limit your scope to films released in over 2000 theaters -- Delgo occupied 2,160 -- then the raw numbers back up this claim: Delgo's $237 weekend per-screen average and $511,920 gross easily top the chart of all-time worst openings in that category. On the other hand, just this September a quasi-documentary called Proud American opened on 750 screens and managed an even more impressive $128 per-screen average. And Delgo even has competition this December: just the week before, the Alan Rickman action comedy Nobel Son opened on 893 screens to a comparable $374 per-screen average.

Both Delgo and Nobel Son were distributed by Freestyle Releasing,...

Results were less than stellar for last week's new releases, as none of them finished in the top five. Cadillac Records and Nobel Son were fairly small releases, but with 2,500 theaters under its belt I had expected a little more from Punisher: War Zone. Theaters were dominated by holdovers from previous weeks, and here's the top five:

1. Four Christmases

2. Bolt

3. Twilight

4. Australia

5. Quantum of Solace

This week sees the arrival of three newbies:

The Day the Earth Stood Still

What's It All About: In this remake of the 1951 science fiction classic, Keanu Reeves plays the role of Klaatu (made famous by Michael Rennie), an alien who has come to earth accompanied by a powerful robot to bitch slap the human race so we'll stop acting like jerks.

Why It Might Do Well: You don't get a lot of science fiction in theaters these days and this looks like some dark brooding apocalyptic fun.

Release Date: Dec. 5

Director: Randall Miller

Writers: Randall Miller & Jody Savin

Cinematographer: Michael J. Ozier

Starring: Alan Rickman, Bryan Greenberg, Bill Pullman, Eliza Dushku, Danny DeVito

Studio Information: Freestyle Releasing, 110 mins.

Quentin Tarantino and The Coen Brothers worked the past two decades to raise genre pictures to high art. More recently, the far more obscure Randall Miller and Jody Savin have been trying, and generally failing, to create movies with this sensibility while lacking their predecessors’ skill. One difference: instead of making pulp pictures look great, they’ve mostly grafted the more gimmicky B-filmmaking tropes onto other movie types. Like Bottle Shock and Marilyn Hotchkiss’ Ballroom Dancing & Charm School, Nobel Son is filled with ridiculous plotlines, quirky stock characters and unrealistic dialogue. But while these previous films were weighted down by this, Nobel Son attempts nothing more than being a good yarn, a true-blue work of pulp.

Punisher: War Zone, the widest new release, at more than 2,500 locations, can only be said to have crashed and burned, debuting way down at No. 8 with takings of only $4.3 million. Cadillac Records was at No. 9 with $3.4 million, but it was at only 686 locations, which gave it a per-screen average of $5,023, a mere dollar behind Four Christmases’ $5,024 (at each of 3,335 locations)... and since it cost only $12 million to produce (and may benefit over the next few weeks from possible notice from the slew of critics’ awards announcements on tap), that looks pretty good indeed. Nobel Son, the other wide release (at 843 locations) crashed and burned even harder than the Punisher sequel: it debuted at No. 15 with $333,912... or a per-screen average of $374. Ouch. Conversely, Frost/Nixon, which began an exclusive run in New York and Los Angeles, was down at No. 22 with $180,708, but with only three screens to its name, it ran away with,...

Danny DeVito pops up in a small, quirky role in Nobel Son as an obsessive compulsive witness to a kidnapping. DeVito is a close friend of director Randall Miller and producer Jody Savin so he did it as a favor.

Danny DeVito on Nobel Son

"I've known Randy since he was a baby," DeVito said. "Rhea [Pearlman] is Randy's first cousin. I saw his first movie that he made which was a short film, when he was at USC, called Marilyn Hotchkiss Ballroom School. It was a short, I used to show it too the kids all the time because it was really charming. Then he made it into a feature, like the whole thing with he and Jody. They're very, very energetic, they're very tenacious, they're very talented, and what I admire about them is besides being really great parents and nice people, they're doing it all on their own.

Holdovers ruled the box office as no one much cared about any of the movies that opened in wide release this weekend. Lexi Alexander's Punisher reboot turned out to be a huge mistake, opening to a fraction of what the original Jonathan Hensleigh/Thomas Jane version did four and a half years ago. $4 million is painful, though not terribly surprising -- the film was marketed as a totally generic action movie, with no stars and no draw except the Punisher trademark. (The most recognizable name in the cast is probably Wayne Knight.)

Even worse off was the Alan Rickman-starring caper comedy Nobel Son. Tossed into 900 screens by indie Freestyle Releasing, the movie grossed all of $371,000, or $415 per screen -- a foregone conclusion. I'm not sure why Freestyle shelled out the money for such a relatively wide release, or what they were hoping for. Maybe a pre-Christmas miracle.

The...

By Franck Tabouring

Weekend of December 5 – 7, 2008

“Four Christmases” topped the North American box office for the second consecutive weekend with $18.1 million in ticket sales, according to studio estimates Sunday.

Seth Gordon’s holiday comedy starring Vince Vaughn and Reese Witherspoon easily dominated its competition, lifting its domestic total to $70.8 million. In the film, a San Francisco couple pays a visit to all four of their divorced parents.

This week’s new releases weren’t that lucky, with Lexi Alexander’s “Punisher: War Zone” delivering the best result at No. 8 with $4 million. New entry “Cadillac Records” closely followed in ninth place with only $3.5 million.

As for “Nobel Son,” the third wide release this weekend, it only finished at No. 15 with a disappointing $371,000. Directed by Randall Miller, the film focuses on a student (Bryan Greenberg) who’s kidnapped on the eve of his father (Alan Rickman) receiving the Nobel Prize.

Moviegoers continued to nosh on Thanksgiving leftovers -- last weekend's top film, Warner Bros.' "Four Christmases," easily hung onto the No. 1 slot -- but the real action during the weekend centered on Oscar hopefuls making their initial bows in limited release.

Serious film buffs were in a mood to kick Richard Nixon around once more: Universal's exclusive debut of Ron Howard's "Frost/Nixon" -- in just three theaters in New York, Los Angeles and Toronto -- pulled in an estimated $180,000 for a whopping per-theater average of $60,049.

"It was a great launch," Universal distribution head Nikki Rocco said. "This is an excellent way of generating fantastic word of mouth." The movie will expand into 23 markets and 39 playdates this coming weekend before moving into the top 100 markets Christmas Day.

Moving into 99 theaters for its second weekend, Focus' "Milk," directed by Gus Van Sant, took home $1.7 million, which translated to a...

New Line Cinema's "Four Christmases" remained in first position in its sophomore run at the box office. With an $18.1 million estimate, the comedy showed a 41% change from its opening weekend three day gross. Total accumulated for the Vince Vaughn and Reese Witherspoon starrer is now over $70.8 million.  Climbing up a spot from third to second was Catherine Hardwicke's attempt at the acclaimed and revered teen romance "Twilight." Reviews from critics, fans and those viewers who have not read the adaptation, are mixed. In any case, Summit Entertainment have pocketed a hefty sum from the film - over $119 million from U.S. viewers. Perhaps they can use some of the wealth to enhance the effects of any further additions. "Bolt" showed a big 64% change in its sophomore weekend with $9.6 million pocketed. The animated adventure family film voiced by John Travolta and music sensation Miley Cyrus, now totals around $66.8 million. Baz Luhrmann...

Seen on: December 6, 2008

The players: Director: Randall Miller, Writers: Jody Savin, Randall Miller, Cast: Shawn Hatosy, Bryan Greenberg, Alan Rickman, Mary Steenburgen, Eliza Dushku

Facts of interest: Miller also directed "Bottle Shock."

The plot: Shortly after Eli Michaelson (Rickman) wins the Nobel Prize for chemistry, his son Barkley (Bryan Greenberg) is kidnapped and held hostage for a ransom of $2 million.

Our thoughts: It’s impossible to talk about this movie in great length without revealing too much, so I’ll make this a short one. In a nutshell, Randall Miller’s “Nobel Son” is convoluted and utterly ludicrous. But that’s not necessarily a bad thing. The film undoubtedly has its flaws, but the crazed plot with its countless twists eventually delivers solid entertainment.

Seth Gordon's "Four Christmases" held on to the No. 1 spot Friday at the North American box office with $5.8 million in ticket sales. The holiday comedy's domestic total currently stands at $58.4 million.

At No. 2, Catherine Hardwicke's vampire romance "Twilight" pulled in $4.5 million, reaching a total haul of $129.9 million. Following in third place was Walt Disney's "Bolt," which took home $2.4 million for a $72 million cumulative gross.

Meanwhile, Baz Luhrmann's epic adventure "Australia" collected another $2.2 million. The film starring Hugh Jackman and Nicole Kidman brought its total haul to $26 million after a little more than one week in release.

Marc Forster's 007 adventure "Quantum of Solace" finished fifth Friday, picking up $2.1 million and lifting its domestic total to $147 million. "Punisher: War Zone," the weekend's widest new release, only made it to No. 6 with a daily gross of $1.6 million.

Things didn't go well for new entries "Cadillac Records" and "Nobel Son,...

"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I" production may start differently for its stars. Talking to a group of reporters when promoting for "Nobel Son" on December 2 in Culver City, California, Alan Rickman, who plays Professor Snape in the series, shared what he knows of the shooting schedule for the next "Harry Potter" film.

Revealing that he will film his part at the same time with Ralph Fiennes, he said as quoted by Sci Fi Wire, "Well, because they have to get me and Ralph Fiennes together, it means I don't start shooting it until the end of next year, which means I get room now in this coming year." He further continued to hint on when Helena Bonham Carter will start for her role, adding, "I was talking to Helena yesterday. I think she starts in June, and she goes on for a long time."

In other news related to "Harry Potter" franchise,...

This movie is in your face violence, sex, tactlessness, infidelity, and dry, sarcastic wit. What a treat! It is sick, twisted, and cruel with a touch of philosophical and intellectual. Oh yeah, it’s also kind of funny too. The sound is loud and so is the story along with the performances. This will either keep you going or completely annoy you; there is very little grey area here. The sound in the form of music is pretty good and intense too, especially if you like upbeat techno type stuff. It kept pace with the storyline. The cast is eye-opening as [...]...

They say that the music makes the man.

Actually, no, They don't, but I do, and by "man," I mean "movie". And it isn't so much that the work of composer Paul Oakenfold single-handedly undoes Nobel Son but rather unwittingly serves an accomplice to creating one aggressively atonal crime caper. His thumping techno beats are more fitting for the likes of Swordfish -- indeed, they were at the time -- and maybe more so when accompanying a night of relentless thrusting and occasional pill-popping in Ye Local Nightclub, an activity of more potential enjoyment than sitting through this movie instead. Either way, you'd end up lots of noise, plenty of flash, and little to show for it other than a lasting headache and a lingering sense of regret.Filed under: Action, Comedy, Independent, Thrillers, Mystery & Suspense, Theatrical Reviews

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Put down that leftover-turkey sandwich and pay attention! There are movies to be watched! The majors have Punisher: War Zone, Cadillac Records, and Nobel Son to amuse and/or annoy you, but the Indie Spotlight is here to tell you about the independent flicks opening in limited release today. They are: The Black Balloon, Ciao, Hunger, and Let Them Chirp Awhile. See what strikes your fancy, and keep an eye out for when it comes to your neck of the woods.

Herewith, the lowdown on each of 'em:

The Black Balloon

What it is: An Australian drama about a young man and his autistic brother. Toni Collette plays their mom.

What they're saying: Wow -- that premise sounds fraught with peril, but so far 100% of the review at Rotten Tomatoes are positive. Now we're intrigued.

Where it's playing: New York City (AMC Empire 25, Clearview's Port Washington, Cinemart Cinemas) and Los...

Isn't it hip to hear criminals philosophizing on the social implications of their crime? Isn't it even cooler when it's set to a techno beat? Because now we know why he does everything that happens in the rest of the movie! And it's a flashback so Nobel Son really pulls out all the clichés to cover its bases.

Review: Nobel Son

They have on screen identifications of characters, blurry slow motion, tricky editing, abrasive music and hipsters talking about being poor college students. I mean, I'm of the Tarantino generation. I'm not an old fart, but loudness does not equal style. And it's all handheld. Thank you, Paul Greengrass.

In Nobel Son, Alan Rickman plays the unbelievably egotistical and horrid professor/husband/father/Nobel Laureate Eli Michaelson, who it turns out, is based in many ways on director Randall Miller’s own father (that poor man). Of course, if you want a shitty, snobby intellectual, Rickman is essentially ideal casting—although, as you can see, he likes to screw with you when you mention that to him. Rickman clearly enjoys wielding his power and his persona to put people off kilter a little, but just as you start to tap dance, enough of a smile creeps over his face that you know he is just giving you a hard time. Therefore, I pronounce him: a slightly thorny character, but mostly good fun. Spoiler Alert: There is a little bit of a discussion about his Harry Potter character of Severus Snape that you probably will not want to read if...

#1 movie predicted correctly: 0 Weeks in a Row 1. Four Christmases The box office will drop around 50% this weekend. Call it the calm after the storm. Regardless, predicting this weekend is a bit like flirting with the prettiest ugly person. Estimate: $15.0 million 2. Bolt There's a chance Bolt will win this thing. What do you do with a film that doesn't follow the natural known laws of the box office universe? Estimate: $14.3 million 3. Quantum of Solace I've got a crazy idea. What about releasing the next two Bonds a month apart? If everything is frontloaded now why are we taking a year off? I bet both of them would make more if people could see two in a weekend. Can I patent this idea? Estimate: $13.8 million 4. Twilight I can only drop it 57%. Pretty severe though, right? All the teen girls have moved on already. Probably to something called "The Jonas Brothers." Estimate: $12.0 million...

Nobel Son Directed by: Randall Miller Cast: Alan Rickman, Bryan Greenberg, Shawn Hatosy, Mary Steenburgen Running Time: 1 hr 42 minutes Rating: R Plot: When Barkley Michaelson’s father is awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, it begins a series of events that turns his directionless life around. An oft-troubled kid who has been pursuing his PhD in the study of cannibalism, Barkley get tangled up in an unorthodox love-triangle where nothing (and I mean nothing) is as it seems. Who’s It For?: Fans of film-noir. Director Randall Miller undoubtedly studied at Tarantino Film School, so be prepared for a slew of quick cuts, harsh editing, and a soundtrack custom made for pretentious art students. But seriously, this is a film that tries hard to prove its level of coolness to a crowd not quite hip enough to...

Alan Rickman has fun playing a lecherous old bastard of a professor in "Nobel Son," a pulpy would-be comic thriller, but the movie doesn't deserve him.

Rickman's arrogant chemist wins the Nobel prize, and while he's in Stockholm to accept it, a ludicrous kidnapping plot sweeps up his son and a mysterious figure who lurks around campus (Bryan Greenberg and Shawn Hatosy, neither of whom has enough presence for his role). There's also Eliza Dushku as a poetess who...

We said a few weeks ago that the real box office action this fall was in November, not December. Just look at the results: Three straight movies debuting with over $60 million, three straight movies setting a new mark for the fourth-highest opening of 2008.

Madagascar had $63 million, and it now sits just shy of $150 million, then Quantum of Solace beat that debut by about four million, and its worldwide number is staggering - it'll hit half a billion this weekend, and might still get to $700 million overall. Twilight, of course, was the wild card, and we're looking at at least $150 million for that after a $70 million opening.

And December kicks off with...Punisher: War Zone. Meh. There will be a little life in December with The Day the Earth Stood Still, although I don't think that's a $70 million debut, and looking ahead, maybe Seven Pounds and Yes Man will do pretty well,...