WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2000

'Charlie's Angels' Flies High at Box Office

By Dean Goodman

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The big-screen remake of ``Charlie's Angels'' flew off in the No. 1 position with a heavenly haul of $40.5 million at the North American box office, according to studio estimates issued Sunday.

The Robert De Niro comedy ``Meet the Parents,'' which had ruled the box office for the past four weekends, slipped to No. 2 with $13.1 million, while director Robert Redford's supernatural golf drama ``The Legend of Bagger Vance'' teed off at No. 3 with $12.0 million.

A tongue-in-cheek homage to the 1970s TV series on which it was based, ``Charlie's Angels'' stars Drew Barrymore, Cameron Diaz and Lucy Liu, along with Bill Murray as their immediate boss, Bosley. The film was released by Columbia Pictures, a unit of Sony Corp. (6758.T).

Although the $92 million production was beset by script problems -- it was not finished when filming began -- and reports of tension among various cast members, the finished product drew critical raves and a strong response across all demographics, executives associated with the film said.

``It's the ultimate experience in girl power and the experience is something guys are finding irresistible,'' said Leonard Goldberg, who produced the film with Barrymore and her Flower Films production partner Nancy Juvonen.

Juvonen, who had hoped for an opening merely higher than $20 million, described her reaction as ``put your hand on your forehead shock and relief.'' She reported that Barrymore, who is in Tokyo for the film's premiere there, was ``thrilled'' with the results.

A Columbia spokesman said 65 percent of the audience was aged 21 and over, and the film received glowing ratings from all age groups and ethnicities around the United States and Canada. It averaged $13,336 from 3,037 theaters.

The film was directed by music video veteran Joseph McGinty Nichol, aka McG., who employed plenty of ``Matrix''-like special effects as the unarmed threesome overwhelmed lots of bad guys while tracking down some missing software.

Recalled Goldberg: ``McG. said when we started, 'I am going to shoot it in hyper-reality.' I had no idea what he was talking about, but it sounded great.''

The film becomes the first hit of 2000 for Columbia, which hasn't enjoyed a big success since the talking mouse movie ''Stuart Little'' opened last December. The studio plans to open the film in every major market in the next 30-35 days, Goldberg said.

If the numbers hold when final figures are issued Monday, the film will surpass Adam Sandler's 1998 comedy ``The Waterboy'' to become the No. 2 opening out of May, June or July, according to tracking firm Exhibitor Relations Co. ``Toy Story 2'' holds the record with a $57 million gross in its first wide weekend last November. ``The Waterboy'' bowed with $39.4 million in November 1998.

The weekend's other new entry, ``The Legend of Bagger Vance'' was somewhat overshadowed by the commotion at the top of the charts. Redford's film tells the tale of a 1930s golfer (Matt Damon) who gets back in the game with guidance from a mysterious caddie played by Will Smith. The film was released by privately held Dreamworks SKG. It averaged a solid $5,843 from 2,061 theaters.

DreamWorks distribution head Jim Tharp described the opening as ``good not great.'' The film skewed older, with 73 percent of the audience aged over 25, and 54 percent of the audience was female.

After 31 days in release ``Meet the Parents'' has grossed $116.9 million and lost just 13 percent of its audience from last weekend. The comedy is released by Universal Pictures, a unit of Seagram Co. Ltd. (Toronto:VO.TO - news).

``Remember the Titans'' slipped one place to No. 4 with $7 million, taking its $38 day total to $96.8 million. The Denzel Washington football drama, released by Walt Disney Co.'s (NYSE:DIS - news) Touchstone Pictures, eased 12 percent from last weekend.

On the other hand, box office bomb ``Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2'' slid 60 percent in its second weekend as it fell three places to No. 5 with $5.3 million. The horror sequel has grossed $22.1 million after 10 days and should end up in the $30 million area, said Steve Rothenberg, head of distribution at the film's privately owned studio, Artisan Entertainment.

Exhibitor Relations reported ticket sales for the top 12 films were $97.3 million, up 37 percent from last weekend, and up 55 percent from the year-ago period, when ``The Bone Collector'' opened at No. 1 with $16.7 million.

New releases next weekend include the Robert De Niro military drama ``Men of Honor,'' the Adam Sandler satanic comedy ''Little Nicky'' and the Val Kilmer sci-fi epic ``Red Planet.''

The top 10 movies at the box office

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Following are the top 10 movies at the North American box office for the Nov. 3-5 weekend, according to studio estimates collected Sunday by Reuters. Final data will be issued Monday.

1 (+) Charlie's Angels ................ $40,128,550

BOX OFFICE SO FAR:  $40,128,550

2 (1) Meet the Parents ................ $12,638,560

BOX OFFICE SO FAR:  $116,464,490

3 (+) The Legend of Bagger Vance ...... $11,516,712

BOX OFFICE SO FAR:  $11,516,712

4 (3) Remember the Titans .............$6,961,283

BOX OFFICE SO FAR:  $96,737,442

5 (2) Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2 .. $5,011,801

BOX OFFICE SO FAR:  $21,799,939

6 (4) Bedazzled ....................... $4,655,978

BOX OFFICE SO FAR:  $30,811,044

7 (5) Pay It Forward .................. $4,278,516

BOX OFFICE SO FAR:  $25,126,486

8 (6) The Little Vampire .............. $3,505,436

BOX OFFICE SO FAR:  $9,975,263

9 (7) Lucky Numbers ...................$2,051,958

BOX OFFICE SO FAR:  $7,709,806

10 (9) The Legend of Drunken Master .... $1,571,681

BOX OFFICE SO FAR:  $9,719,472

NOTE: Last weekend's position in parenthesis. ``+'' - new release.

``Charlie's Angels'' is released by Columbia Pictures, a unit of Sony Corp..

``Meet the Parents'' is released by Universal Pictures, a unit of Seagram Co. Ltd..

``The Legend of Bagger Vance'' is released by DreamWorks SKG, which is privately held.

``Remember the Titans'' is released by Touchstone Pictures, a unit of Walt Disney Co.. Miramax Films, also a unit of Disney, released ``The Legend of Drunken Master.''

``Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2'' is released by Artisan Entertainment, which is privately held.

``Bedazzled'' is released by Twentieth Century Fox, a unit of Fox Entertainment Group Inc..

``Pay It Forward'' is released by Warner Bros., a unit of Time Warner Inc.. ``The Little Vampire'' is released by New Line Cinema, also a unit of Time Warner.

``Lucky Numbers'' is released by Paramount Pictures, a unit of Viacom Inc.. REUTERS

JOHN L.: The beginning of the pre holiday movie season has struck with authority.  Charlie's Angels opened huge this week making more than predicted by the pundits.  I have a full review of this flick later.  Also, Will Smith has his lowest box office opening in years with his mysterious caddy movie.  There are many reasons why this movie opened poorly.  And in this week's video nose pick, I have a review of the "classic" kung fu chop socky film, Ricki-Oh:  The Story of Ricki which is considered one of the goriest movies of all time.  Maybe.  

CHARLIE'S ANGELS - FULL REVIEW

Hollywood proves once again that they have run out of ideas.  Charlie's Freakin' Angels the movie was financed because writers could not come up with an original female crime fighting movie so they went back to a 24 year old TV show.  But, the reason movies like this are made is because they have a built in audience.  The name, Charlie's Angels is known all over the world and the three main actresses from it still work to this day.  Remaking it for the new age seemed like an easy feat.  Pick some hot actresses and have them kick a lot of guys in the face and you have a hit.  Let me examine how this movie appeals to the mass audience.  The women like this movie because it shows women in power, especially over men.  I guess women are perceived to have insecurity complexes and need movies like this to sooth their egos.  The girls act ditzy most of the time, but when it comes down to doing their job, they dominate.  CA is funny and action packed.  It tries its best to entertain and not be boring.  Conversations are very quick and succinct.  Not a lot of exposition.  The longest lines of dialogue are the scenes when the bad guys expouse on how excellent their nefarious schemes are.  Men like the movie because the women are pretty to look at and guys love to see women fight hand to hand.  It's hot to us males. That is why there are so many video games that star female characters with big guns that are extremely popular with guys like Lara Croft and Joanna Dark.  Cameron and Lucy are the hottest angels who wear the best clothes, and Drew Barrymore still looks like Gertie to me, but she looked good in that race car driver outfit.  The karate and explosions get guys pumped up as well for all of the guys as well.  It is in that Matrix style of high flying crazy flip stuff that looks like everyone is hanging from wires.  So, the movie is fine as mindless entertainment to kill time.  Bill Murray is adequate as Bosley the Angel's liason to Charlie who helps them out on their secret missions.  John Forsythe returns as the voice of Charlie.  He was the character on the original show and I remember the main reason I watched Dynasty was because I got to see what Charlie looked like.  I was a big fan of the show and I did not even know why because I was like 7 years old and was fascinated at looking at Farrah, Kate, and Jacklyn running around fighting crime.  And then Farrah left and they added Cheryl Ladd and I finally became a man sort of speak.  This is a story that many guys have.  Charlie's Angels is an institution and a legitimate source for material. My favorite part of the movie is the 5 seconds they show the Angels in the chain gang.  That is old school.  Also that shot of Lucy Liu bending over to hack the fast food drive thru speaker was quite nice.   However, this new movie is not something that can be fully recommended.  For starters the main selling point of the film is it's crazy stunts.  This is especially evident in two main fight scenes.  The Angels have this outrageous kung-fu battle with Crispin "Back to the Future" Glover as the Thin Man.  It is weird seeing them act like Jet Li and Michelle Yeoh.  The other scene is the Drew Barrymore fighting the guards while her hands are tied.  This part is a big part of the preview and Drew looks absolutely silly doing her moves especially her floating split kick. Also the "and that's me kicking your..." bit has her trying to say "ass." However, it comes out "ath."  That nagging lisp of hers just won't go away.  I like karate in my movies, but I prefer it to be a bit more grounded.  The Thin Man battle comes out of nowhere and the audience is unprepared for the athletic display and it looks completely unrealistic.  Barrymore is the worst and I have no good things to say about her battle skills. Liu looks the most realistic doing the stunts probably because she is Asian and seems more natural doing karate and flips.  It is almost stereotypical to see her do the moves so fluidly.  I have never been a fan of Liu on the "All McBeal" show, but she is very good in this movie for what she is given and seems to be working very hard.  I think she should quit television and stick with movies.  Cameron Diaz looks the best in the movie and when she does her fights, she looks silly, but with her long legs it looks smooth.  It's amazing to see how she was able to do her stuff.  Her storyline in the movie about being a dancer on Soul Train is a main part of the films side story and is very reminiscent of the fraternity scenes in "Road Trip."  There seems to be a trend in movies to make white people look cool by acting black.  It is sort of strange to see.  Spike Lee might be concerned if he saw the Soul Train scenes in CA.  The plot is an excuse to have a villain about some sort of voice recognition technology that would be the end of privacy.  Computer internet technology crime movies always suck as a plot.  Just because computers and the internet are popular does not mean it makes good drama.  There is nothing more boring than watching actors stare at a computer screen and cringe at flashing numbers.  Overall, Charlie's Angels is okay and will entertain you if yoiu don't expect much.  It is pretty much just a big comic book.  Final Review:  2 1/2 stars out of 5; C+; 5 1/2 out of 10; thumbs up.  Forty million dollars?

Robert Redford has directed another movie about the human spirit and the meaning of life.  Matt Damon is having trouble getting his golf game back after coming back from World War I, so Will Smith as Bagger Vance comes in to help Damon get back his swing and maybe change his whole life.  In the middle of all this is Charlize Theron trying to get back with Damon, but feels bad since he left to go fight Germans.  This movie has been heavily promoted for months, but its low opening week box office is a mystery to some.  Not to me.  First, it all starts with the movie trailers.  They never make clear what Bagger is supposed to be.  Is he real, a ghost, a fantasy,or  a hallucination?  Real life golf has been fascinating with the recent big wins of Tiger Woods so once again truth outdoes fiction.  Every character seems to make speeches about how different things like golf and drinking beer are like life.  Ho hum, boring movie alert.  Theron on the marquis means avoid at all costs.  She is very attractive but seems to repel movie audiences constantly.  Also, if you want to see a golf movie, rent Tin Cup with Kevin Costner.  Now, the producers thought having the names Robert Redford as director, Matt Damon as the struggling golfer, and Mr.4th of July, Will Smith as Bagger you would have a hit.   The problem is the character of Vance.  Smith is doing his best Morgan Freeman circa Miss Daisy being driven to the "sto." impersonation and it is perceived that he is playing a subservient magic negro that movies so love to show like Michael Clarke Duncan in "The Green Mile."  Smith is popular when he plays the super hero roles that made him famous.  He is not ready to be taken seriously in a straight dramatic role yet.  Also since it takes place in 1931, audiences, especially black ones are afraid that there will be racial expressions thrown at Smith and no one really wants to see that.  In Wild Wild West, the racial aspect was made fun of to explain Smith's law enforcement position in the late 1800s. The movie made over a $100 million, but since the race issue was not dealt with realistically, people criticized it.  But if they had put all the race problems in the film, then there would not have been a movie with Smith.  Listening to the accent of Smith, it is not really a Stepin Fetchit type, but just a guy who is from the Atlanta, Georgia area.  It seems that when blacks speak in that southern accent it is the perception that they are being looked down upon.  But the fact is blacks, as well as the whites of the area talk like that.  It's a southern accent.  But, like WWW, the reason Bagger Vance fails to reach a wider audience is because of Will Smith.  People don't want to see him in a role like that.  If he was the golfer and not the caddy and he had to compete against a Venusian then maybe.  Race is a sensitive subject, and it is very hard to make it work in the movies.  It rarely works.  The most successful movies are the ones that underplay race or don't mention it at all.  Remember the Titans is very successful and focuses on the racial differences on a football team, but the more offensive racial terms were excised from that movie.  It is on its way to a $100 million next week and is the feel good movie of the Fall.  Also since Tiger Woods broke the golf race barrier, blacks and other minorities don't have to be regulated to the caddy role anymore. The success of Woods to a certain extent has hurt the movie as well.  The movie won't be a huge hit, but it may stick around long enough to make around $60 million.  Damon has All the Pretty Horses next where he gets to talk like a southerner again and Smith is trying to get the Cassisus Clay story off the ground and if that comes out well it should be successful.  The Legend of Bagger Vance may have just come out at the wrong time.

REST OF THE TOP 10 IN 10:

1.    Meet the Parents continues to be the most dominant film in the top 10.

2.    Look for MTP to be quite successful at the next MTV Movie Awards.

3.    Remember the Titans is well on its way to being the most successful Denzel Washington movie ever without Julia Roberts.

4.    Even though Book of Shadows is bombing, it looks to make a small profit in the long run.

5.    The third Blair Witch movie focusing on the origin of the legend should be much more successful than this second film.

6.    Bedazzled needed to be rated R and have Elizabeth Hurley show a bit more flesh if it was to become a hit movie.

7.    Pay it Forward continues to be a non event.

8.    The Little Vampire continues to exist, but dawn is soon coming to take it away for good.

9.    Looks like John Travolta has once again lost the box office lottery with Lucky Numbers.

10.    With the poor box office of another Chinese Jackie Chan movie, look for Drunken Master to be the last one released stateside for a long time.

VIDEO NOSE PICK OF THE WEEK

RICKI-OH:  THE STORY OF RICKY - FULL REVIEW

When Craig Kilborn hosted "The Daily Show" on Comedy Central he used to play this clip of a guy crushing a guy's head between his hands.  It was very graphic and showed in slow motion several times. When I first saw this, I thought it was one of the sickest things I had ever seen.  I had no idea where it came from until a friend of mine said it was the movie the Story of Ricky-O.  I could not find it on video so I just gave up on it. Recently I came across it online and read all of these reviews about how graphically violent it is.  Heads get knocked off, intestines get dragged out of bodies, and a person gets put through a meat grinder.  The other clips I saw looked insane.  I had to see what was going on so I ordered a copy of the DVD.  I sat down and watched this movie and was disappointed.  Yes, the movie is very violent, but it is so poorly done that it cannot be taken seriously.  The fake dummy heads and bodies are very fake.  One person falls on some spikes and you can see without even pausing the film that it is a dummy.  Hands being cut and tendons being tied are obviously just an artificial arm bought at the local Halloween shop.  I know too much about how special effects are done so it is sort of unfair of me to judge the quality of them in this movie, but even a lay person can tell that there was very little effort to make anything look real.  That may have been done on purpose because if some of these scenes were done with modern special effects it probably would never have been released.  The basic story that sets up this violence is Ricki Oh, or Riki Ho as the dubbing calls him is incarcerated when he kills a guy for ruining his personal life.  The prison is run by a sadistic warden and his one eyed sidekick who keeps little mints in his false eye.  The prison is divided into 4 sections, North, South, East, and West and guarded by masters of various martial arts.  That gives Riki several excuses to disembowel people.  The Daily Show clip is in the movie and in context it is a good shot, but in slow motion you can see the dummy replacement head.  Cool effect though.  Riki has superhuman strength so that when he hits someone his fist usually goes right through their body.  There is even an x-ray punch that is just like the ones used in the recent Jet Li movie, Romeo Must Die.  Riki Oh was made in 1992.  If you accept the special effects as silly and go with the flow, then the violence is interesting if you enjoy watching that type of thing.  However, there are no really good fight scenes that use martial arts skill.  Everything is pretty much straight fist fights.  There is better fight choreography in Charlie's Angels to be honest with you.  There are 2 good fights in the movie.  The one with the tattooed guy and the one Riki has with the head crusher are done well and the bloody parts of those battles have the best special effects and some of the most talked about scenes of the movie like the hari kari self mutilation to expose the intestines so they can be used to strangle their opponent.  That was as gross as anything I have ever seen.  The worst fight is the one between Riki and the Warden when the Warden morphs "The Incredible Hulk" style into some sort of monster.  This creature outfit is just awful and should have not been used.  If you come across a copy of the movie at the video store rent it to see some really silly fight scenes.  They are bloody and somewhat shocking, but if you look closely you will see that you are not really seeing what you think you are.  However, this is not for kids in any way and not for the squeamish.  Riki Oh is only for those, like me, who are desensitized to fake violence.  If you take things like this seriously, avoid at all costs.  Final Review:  2 stars out of 5; 4 1/2 out of 10; C-; thumbs down.  I can't recommend it beyond a basic curiosity.  If the fight scenes were more than just dismemberment, then it would have been a lot better.

The late Fall season continues to rage on next week with Adam Sandler's Little Nicky and Val Kilmer's Red Planet trying to make a stand at the box office.  Sandler's new movie does not look good in it's previews and may not open as well as his last few pictures.  Red Planet needs to avoid the stink of Mission to Mars to make it.  It's preview also is flawed, but more on that next week.  Bye for now.