Thursday, February 8, 2001

Lopez enjoys ``Wedding'' bliss at box office

By Dean Goodman

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Jennifer Lopez extended her reign atop the movie and music world as her romantic comedy ''The Wedding Planner'' racked up a second consecutive weekend at North American box offices

According to studio estimates issued Sunday, the film pulled in about $11.0 million, taking its 10-day total to $28.2 million, about equal to its production budget. A spokesman for Columbia Pictures, the film's Sony Corp.-owned domestic distributor, predicted it would easily surpass $50 million.

Lopez' sophomore album, ``J.Lo'' debuted at No. 1 on the pop charts in the United States, Canada and Germany last week, and is in the top five in Australia, Britain and Italy. She is the first person ever to top both the movie and music charts in the United States at the same time.

In the film, she plays the titular nuptials expert who falls for the fiance (Matthew McConaughey) of one of her clients. Reviews were bad, but the film has little competition -- at least until next week when ``Hannibal,'' the sequel to ``The Silence of the Lambs,'' is expected to take a big bite out of sales.

This weekend's top 10 contained two new releases, the slasher picture ``Valentine'' at No. 2 and the romantic comedy ''Head Over Heels'' at No. 7. The Juliette Binoche fable ''Chocolat'' entered the chart for the first time after jumping three places to No. 10 in its eighth weekend of release.

In the milestone department, ``Cast Away'' (Fox) passed the $200 million mark on Saturday, its 44th day of release, becoming the third film of 2000 to do so, following ``Mission: Impossible 2'' and ``Dr. Seuss' How The Grinch Stole Christmas.''

With a weekend haul of $7.4 million (and $202.95 million overall), the Tom Hanks drama tied at No. 3 with ``Save The Last Dance'' (Paramount) and ``Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon'' (Sony Pictures Classics). Twentieth Century Fox is a unit of Fox Entertainment Group Inc.

``Valentine'' (Warner Bros.) wooed about $10.1 million in the Friday-to-Sunday period, also equaling its production budget. A killer in a cupid mask dispatches the old schoolmates who taunted him years earlier. The young ensemble cast includes David Boreanaz of TV's cult hit ``Angel,'' Denise Richards and Jessica Capshaw.

The audience for the R-rated picture was about 60 percent female, according to Dan Fellman, president of distribution at Warner Bros. Pictures, a unit of AOL Time Warner Inc. He predicted the film would hold up over the next few weekends with the Valentine's Day and the President's Day holiday (Feb. 19).

``Head Over Heels'' (Universal) opened with $5.0 million. The $14 million-budgeted romantic crime comedy stars Monica Potter as a nerdy art restorer who falls for a handsome modeling agency executive (Freddie Prinze Jr.) who may have a dark secret. A spokesman for the Vivendi Universal-owned studio said young women were the core audience.

The top 12 films grossed about $73.8 million, flat with last weekend, and up just two percent from the year-ago period when ``Scream 3'' opened at No. 1 with $34.7 million. Also opening next weekend is ``Saving Silverman,'' a comedy starring Amanda Peet and Jason Biggs.

After 24 days of release, ``Save The Last Dance,'' an inter- racial romance starring Julia Stiles, has grossed $68.7 million. Paramount Pictures is a unit of Viacom Inc.

``Crouching Tiger'' has kicked up $53.5 million after 59 days. The Chinese-language martial arts romance is on track to become the top-grossing foreign language film in North America, surpassing the $58 million haul of Italian actor/director Roberto Benigni's Holocaust comedy ``Life is Beautiful.'' Sony Pictures Classics is also a unit of Sony Corp.

``Chocolat,'' released by Walt Disney Co.'s Miramax Films unit, cooked up $3.7 million this weekend, taking its 52- day total to $22.5 million. REUTERS

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Following are the final data for the top 10 movies at the North American box office during the February 2-4 weekend, according to studio figures released Monday by Exhibitor Relations Co. Inc.

Film Three-day Cumulative

Title Gross Gross

1. The Wedding Planner.......... $10,605,542

BOX OFFICE SO FAR:  $27,763,988

2. Valentine .......... $10,024,648

BOX OFFICE SO FAR:  $10,024,648

3. Cast Away .......... $7,469,464

BOX OFFICE SO FAR:  $203,010,647

4. Save the Last Dance .......... $7,172,510

BOX OFFICE SO FAR:  $68,506,814

5. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon .......... $6,816,527

BOX OFFICE SO FAR:  $52,982,874

6. Traffic ..........$6,303,110

BOX OFFICE SO FAR:  $64,784,672

7. Head Over Heels .......... $4,804,595

BOX OFFICE SO FAR:  $4,804,595

8. Finding Forrester .......... $4,213,168

BOX OFFICE SO FAR:  $41,277,446

9. Snatch .......... $4,006,923

BOX OFFICE SO FAR:  $21,748,080

10. Chocolat .......... $3,649,243

BOX OFFICE SO FAR:  $22,409,992

Reuters/Variety REUTERS

John L.: A lot of stuff to cover this week with 3 new movies entering the top ten as well as everyone's favorite Video Nose Pick of the Week review of Jim Carrey's "Me, Myself, and Irene." This is the time of year people stay away from the movie theaters waiting for that big February opening which is next week's "Hannibal." I have not seen any of the new movies, so let's get this over with so we can all get back to our regularly scheduled lives.

Holiday horror/slasher movies were a constant movie plot in the late seventies and early eighties. Halloween, Friday the 13th, April Fools Day (sort of), Silent Night, Deadly Night, and My Bloody Valentine. The new movie out now, "Valentine," starring Christmas Jones and Angel is an attempt, I guess to bring back this "classic genre." This movie is not being well received by the fans of this type of film that are left.  This is the first movie with David Boreussomemoreas from Angel and it may have attracted those fans to this first weekend.  He is good on the show, but this movie seems to be a bit of typecasting as a major suspect as the killer trying to avenge the abuse he was treated to as a child.  Denise Richards is still trying to start a career as a bankable star, but she is still only good for the covers of Maxim, Stuff, and FHM.  The only reason people put up with her is her work in "Wild Things" which was only tolerated because I think we get to see her naked.  People don't trust these movies anymore because of the government forcing Hollywood to lessen the violence and sex in movies.  You get a lot of off screen and quick cut away deaths in the current crop of slasher movies.  Valentine's preview looks more talky and the killer's mask is very lame and not that creepy.  Baby doll faces can be scary, but it doesn't work when the majority of the trailer is Richards in a hot tub asking really stupid questions while wearing a bikini. Who wants to see that.  Richards is popular with the young adult male set, but someone has to convince her that showing some skin is important to the story.  David Boreanaz is a big guy who can look very demonic with the right make up artist, so him as a killer could work.  Valentine won't make him quit his day job.  Denise needs to pay some more celebrity skin dues before she can be all high falluting.  This movie should fall pretty far next week when it is competing against Hannibal.  Anyone that wanted to see this movie saw it.  I weep for the psycho teen stalker films of the past. They don't make them like they used to.

Freddie Prinze Jr. is a sad sad actor in my opinion.  He is almost 25 years old and is still perceived as a teenager and is still known for being Chico's orphaned son.  He keeps making the same freaking movie every 6 months.  His worst career move was making She's All That.  That movie has spawned Down to You and Boys and Girls, and coming soon something called Summer Catch.  This movie, Head over Heels may be a slight foray into more adult roles, but the plot is the same of some girl he is trying to get with or some girl trying to get his attention.  This new Prinze showcase is about a girl played by Monica Potter who lives with 4 supermodels who help her get a more exotic makeover.  While this is going on, she meets up with Freddie who may be involved in some shady activities.  The previews start out like some romantic comedy where Prinze has to decide between 5 hot women who he wants to date, but then it becomes obvious that there are some chases and shootouts thrown in between the getting to know you moments.  Prinze is known still for the I Still Know What You Did Last Summer flix and that helped him be in all of these formula movies.  However, his name cannot open a picture.  No one cares about him one way or another.  I like him as an actor for the most part, but he does have this goofy smile he breaks out from time to time that makes him look like a dork.  This movie will fade away quickly, but his next one, if it is good, should make him a more bankable star.  He will play Fred in the live action Scooby Doo movie.  Hopefully it won't be another Rocky and Bullwinkle.

The Academy Award nominations are coming up soon, and a movie released late last year to qualify was the Juliet Binoche/Johnny Depp food as an aphrodisiac film, Chocolat without the "e." It is a Miramax film, and that studio is always a big Oscar threat at the end of the year.  What that means is a lot of critics have been kissing this movie's ass for weeks and now that it is getting a wider release, people are going to see what the fuss is all about.  One thing that is confusing is that the movie seems to be a take off of "Like Water for Chocolate."  I did not know sweets could really get you laid this much.  Binoche plays a woman in 1959 who opens up a chocolate shop that gets the residents of the French town in a tizzy.  Johnny Depp plays the love interest who helps her out when the success of the shop begins to interfere with the plans of another person.  The movie supposedly becomes very romantic and sweet, just right for those guys who have to let the little lady pick the movie to see this week so you can go to Hannibal.  The movie has a chance to stick around for a little while if it does get some Oscar nods, but I don't see this plot or story being all that spectacular to get a lot of publicity.  I don't believe it had any impact at the Golden Globes and will probably be pushed aside to let some Billy Elliot votes enter the top 5 nominees.  Johnny Depp is a really good actor, but he continues to take these little movie roles that very few people see and hurts his box office appeal that could be huge if he would do more movies like Sleepy Hollow and less Dead Man's and Ninth Gates.  Chocolat seems a bit too light to make a big impact with the movie going audiences.

REST OF THE TOP 10 IN 10:

1.    Jennifer Lopez had the number one movie and album again this week.

2.    J-Lo may be the most well known person who cannot really sing, dance, or act who is successful in all three.

3.    Castaway is trying to be in the top 10 as long as Hanks was on that island.

4.    Save the Last Dance is still hip hopping around causing the critics to scratch their heads at its success.

5.    Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon is still in the top 10 and as promised here is another pic of my favorite new actress, Zhang Ziyi:

6.    If there is any justice, Zhang will get an Oscar nomination for Best Actress and win the thing.

7.    Traffic is hanging in there, but the Benicio Del Toro box office curse continues.

8.    Finding Forrester is finding a small but loyal audience.

9.    Now if someone could find Sean Connery a decent toupe.

10.    This was a very lackluster week of movie grosses this time for the top ten.

VIDEO NOSE PICK OF THE WEEK

ME, MYSELF, AND IRENE - FULL REVIEW

Last summer, Jim Carrey reunited with the Farrelly Brothers to make this dual personality comedy about a guy who is somewhat mousy who after a bitter divorce becomes a meaner more aggressive alter ego.  During this multiple episode ailment, Carrey meets up with Rene Zellweger who is in trouble with the law and her ex boyfriend.  This movie was supposed to be a big hit for Carrey after the poor performance of his Man in the Moon Andy Kaufman flick.  Having Carrey play a split personality was seemingly a perfect vehicle for him to show off his "In Living Color" type talents.  Unfortunately, even thought the comedy in the film is pretty good, the main plot is boring and somewhat pointless.   For some reason Carrey has to transport Rene from Rhode Island to New York and back to Rhode Island.  That is some road trip.  The plot to give a reason for the movie to be involves a guy trying to kill both of them to cover up their own crimes.  That plot interferes with us just wanting to see Carrey curse out little kids and get into fights.  Besides Carrey, there are 3 other comedic talents who play the son's of Carrey.  The problem with those 3 is that even though they consider Jim their real dad, they are the product of an affair his wife had with a super intelligent midget/dwarf/little person.  The three boys  also grew up watching R-Rated Richard Pryor comedy specials while learning physics and science.  So what happens is when they are studying, they keep cursing like street thugs or Rosie O'Donnell yelling at an intern.   The 3 brothers are funny if a bit abrasive and perverted.  Their moments  are designed to be scene stealers, but once they get involved in the main plot, they get toned down and are given less to do.  Me, Myself, and Irene has several humorous moments that are even enough to recommend the film.  However, do not expect much of a story.  I never go into it, but there was enough amusing things to keep my interest.  The evil Carrey in the film, known as Hank, is funny when he does outrageous things like scaring kids and making passes at Zellweger.  Carrey's Charlie persona is his more well known person who needs the edgier Hank to survive in his world.  This was addressed in the old Star Trek episode, Enemy Within with the good and evil Captain Kirks who needed to be join to become one.  The good needed the bad to be the proper leader.  This premise was never fully taken advantage of and could have made the movie a bit stronger.  Late in the film another character is added to the movie for no reason.  This albino type guy is not that funny and looks a lot like a young Chris Elliot.  I guess he was sick during the casting call.  The movie is okay, but after seeing it, I realize why it was not a big box office success.  Final Review:  2 stars out of 5; 5 1/2 out of 10; C+; thumbs up.  I am giving it a thumbs up because Carrey is good and the 3 guys playing his "sons" are very funny.  Also, get the DVD because there are some key deleted scenes that if were put in the real film would have made it a bit stronger.

That is it for this week. Next time I get to goof on Hannibal and see if it will suck or be cool.  I hate fava beans.  Bye for now.