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One of the most unfortunate things about the writer's strike is that it has derailed some really good shows. Sure, we all miss House or 30 Rock, but the real crime is how it has affected new shows that were beginning to gain momentum. For me, the new fall TV line up was pretty bleak but there were a few exceptions.

Gossip Girl was one of those exceptions and after the CW struggled through its first year of original programming (CW is a combination of the now defunct WB and UPN) it found a show to call its calling card during year two. Gossip Girl arrived with a lot of buzz and good reviews for its pilot. Now that show has aired a handful of episodes, it has now began to gain notice by a larger audience. The CW has made a very smart decisions by moving the show to Monday nights (away from the American Idol juggernaut) and re-running the shows episodes from the beginning so that new viewers can get hooked. In a season of drab shows, Gossip Girl definitely stands out as something very fresh and it has become one hell of a guilty pleasure.

Gossip Girl is an American television teen drama based on the popular novel series of the same name written by Cecily von Ziegesar. Gossip Girl revolves around the lives of socialite young adults growing up on New York's Upper East Side who attend elite academic institutions while dealing with sex, drugs, and other teenage issues. Featuring an ensemble cast, the series begins by introducing Serena van der Woodsen (Blake Lively) and best friend Blair Waldorf (Leighton Meester), as well as Blair's boyfriend Nate Archibald (Chace Crawford). Other characters in the show include Dan (Penn Badgley) and Jenny Humphrey (Taylor Momsen), who become involved in the lives of the main characters despite being less inclined to merge with the upper-east-side crowd. The series is narrated by a seemingly omniscient character, "Gossip Girl" (voiced by Kristen Bell), who runs a blog about her fellow Upper East Siders — consequently stirring the plot and creating potential rivalries in this exclusive and vicious circle of friends.

Narrated through the eyes of the omniscient yet unseen character called "Gossip Girl" (voiced by Kristen Bell), this inconspicuous person runs a popular gossip commentary blog which holds the attention of all major characters on the show as she brings up-to-the-minute talk about the Upper East Side social scene. Blake Lively portrays Serena van der Woodsen, the former It girl who, a year before the show's beginning, had suddenly left Manhattan for a boarding school of her own accord for reasons unknown, thereby straining relations with her best friend, Blair Waldorf (Leighton Meester). Blair was hurt by her friend's departure but feels liberated when she finds that she is suddenly the new Queen B in their circle of friends, a position that she relishes, along with her boyfriend, Nate Archibald (Chace Crawford).Nate is conflicted about life and struggles with family issues including a father with a drug habit and mother in denial about the cracks forming in her perfect world. Fueling his inner demons is his childhood friend, Chuck Bass (Ed Westwick). Cynical and morally bankrupt, Chuck walks on the wild side of life and is at first seen as not above abusing others to serve his own needs. However, all this changes when he falls hard for Blair- his best friend's girlfriend.
When Serena returns from her self-imposed exile (as first reported by "Gossip Girl"), she finds herself excluded from her old crowd after her former betrayals come to light but she soon finds an ally in Dan Humphrey (Penn Badgley), an outsider in her privileged world. Thrust into a society where their financial and social status do not match that of their contemporaries by their former rock star father turned art gallery owner, Rufus Humphrey (Matthew Settle), Dan and his younger sister Jenny Humphrey (Taylor Momsen) struggle to find a niche in their new environment. Rufus is struggling to reconcile with his estranged wife and also has a secret history with Serena's mother, socialite Lillian van der Woodsen (Kelly Rutherford), who was once a groupie.

The show is also awash with secondary characters such as Isabel Coates (played by Nicole Fiscella) and Katy Farkas (Nan Zhang). The loyal deputies of Blair, Isabel and Katy are nonetheless in awe of Serena. Vanessa Abrams (Jessica Szohr) is Dan's best friend, who just so happens to be in love with him. Other important recurring characters in the series are Eleanor Waldorf (played by Florencia Lozano in the pilot episode, then by Margaret Colin afterward), Blair's fashion designer mother; Howie "The Captain" Archibald (Sam Robards), Nate's strict and abusive father (who also has a cocaine addiction); Serena's troubled younger brother, Eric van der Woodsen (Connor Paolo), whose problems finally incite her to come home; and Bart Bass (Robert John Burke), Chuck's father.

The season has mostly revolved around Dan and Serena's relationships and the problems that occur, considering that Dan is against the glitz and glamour of the Upper East Side and is smitten with a girl that runs that part of town. Also, Nate and Blair's on-again off-again relationship.The complicated love triangle of best friends Nate and Chuck both vying for the affection of Blair Waldorf begins mid season. Eventually, Nate wins, and Blair and her 'Chuck fling' is over, though Chuck claims to be over Blair. When Nate finds out about Blair and Chuck's past fling, everyone turns against Blair, leaving her with no one to console with but Serena. Subplots include the romance between Serena's mother Lily and Dan's father Rufus, and Dan's younger sister Jenny trying to make it among the popular kids, as well as Serena's brother Eric's stay in a treatment center on his mother's orders.

If the show sounds a bit too "Cruel Intentions" for your taste then that's fair. There are similarities and while both are played with wicked dark comedy, Gossip Girl is a more emotional core. No one will ever call this Shakespeare but the characters and situations are very believable. Creator Josh Schwartz certainly knows how to create enticing characters and throw them into some dramatic situations (this is the man behind another former teen hit, The O.C.). The difference between the two shows is that Gossip Girl has a harder edge(for a network show aimed at teens, it does not shy away from the topics of sex, drugs, and other seedy adolescent behavior). The excess the show indulges in, seems to be it's biggest selling point. The reason audiences are drawn into these shows is because, in some way, they make us want to live in the world that they have created. Gossip Girl does a great job of making the audience want to belong.

The show has shown promise with each episode and right before the show was derailed by the writer's strike, it was at a creative peak. My issue with a lot of teen shows is that they can't seem sustain the energy that they began with but Gossip Girl is showing no signs of slowing down at all. I also want to give the show kudos for also giving the adults an equal amount of screen time and putting them in stories that do not feel like filler. Every story and situation on this show compliments each other perfectly.

The cast has excellent chemistry with each other. Each performer brings something fresh and unique to the show. I'm happy to see new talent succeeding in the this medium and Gossip Girl is loaded with it. There is no real weak link in the cast and each actor makes their character very interesting.

This "review" is basically a rundown of a show you should get familiar with. I know some of you may stay away from it because it is a teen show and it seems superficial but there is more to Gossip Girl than meets the eye. A lot of the new fall shows did not hold my interest but Gossip Girl leaves me wanting more. When the strike is over, I can't wait to see what happens next

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More Info on Gossip Girl:

ossip Girl is filmed entirely in New York City with scenes being shot in and around the boroughs of Queens, Brooklyn and Manhattan. Described by producer Amy Kaufman as "a character in the story", the city is featured prominently even when most interior scenes are filmed at Silvercup Studios in Queens, including loft and apartment sets that were based on actual New York residences. For example, the buildings of Packer Collegiate Institute and the Russian Orthodox Synod of Bishops were combined to create a set resembling the exterior façade of the latter institute for the socialites' fictitious schools -- the Constance Billard and St. Jude's School for Boys. The chapel of Packer (located in Brooklyn Heights) is being featured as a gathering place for the teens. A set was also built to resemble The New York Palace Hotel on Madison Avenue where Serena and Chuck reside. Local haunts are also used as stand-ins for the characters' meeting places such as Communitea in Long Island City, The Front Room art gallery in Williamsburg and to a more exclusive extent, the Henri Bendel boutique in Fifth Avenue. Some of the filming locations are also historical places such as the Metropolitan Museum.

Featuring nine regular speaking roles, the majority of the ensemble cast were assembled from February to April 2007. Blake Lively and Leighton Meester were the first two actresses to be chosen in February for the lead roles of Serena van der Woodsen and Blair Waldorf respectively. Chace Crawford, Taylor Momsen, Penn Badgley, Kelly Rutherford and Florencia Lozano also auditioned successfully and landed roles in the series in March. Actors for the roles of Chuck Bass and Rufus Humphrey were found in April when Ed Westwick and Matthew Settle were cast. As rumors swirled about the impending cancellation of Veronica Mars, it was revealed at The CW's 2007 Upfronts on May 17, 2007 that Kristen Bell had narrated the pilot, thus making her the title character of another show on the network.[22] Further additions to the cast included Jessica Szohr who joined the show in September 2007 as Dan's childhood best friend, Vanessa Abrams.

The show averages 2.65 million viewers each week which is a good number for the CW. While not the highest rated show on television, the show was given a full season pick up because of the building buzz and because it's consistently the most downloaded TV show on Itunes and one of the top searched shows on popular search engines such as Yahoo and Google.

Title (click to view) Studio Weekend Gross % Change Theater Count / Change Average Total Gross Budget* Week
1 N Meet the Spartans Fox $18,725,000 - 2,605 - $7,188 $18,725,000 - 1
2 N Rambo LGF $18,150,000 - 2,751 - $6,597 $18,150,000 - 1
3 2 27 Dresses Fox $13,600,000 -40.9% 3,074 +17 $4,424 $45,347,000 $30 2
4 1 Cloverfield Par. $12,700,000 -68.3% 3,411 - $3,723 $64,294,000 $25 2
5 N Untraceable SGem $11,200,000 - 2,368 - $4,729 $11,200,000 $35 1
6 4 Juno FoxS $10,300,000 +3.5% 2,426 -108 $4,245 $100,152,000 - 8
7 3 The Bucket List WB $10,210,000 -27.5% 2,915 - $3,502 $57,684,000 $45 5
8 11 There Will Be Blood ParV $4,887,000 +66.1% 885 +496 $5,522 $14,764,000 - 5
9 7 National Treasure: Book of Secrets BV $4,664,000 -38.2% 2,154 -809 $2,165 $205,421,000 - 6
10 6 Mad Money Over. $4,610,000 -40.4% 2,470 - $1,866 $15,284,000 - 2
11 8 Alvin and the Chipmunks Fox $4,550,000 -34.5% 2,430 -532 $1,872 $204,159,000 $60 7
12 N How She Move ParV $4,158,000 - 1,531 - $2,715 $4,158,000 - 1

13 10 Atonement Focus $3,966,000 -13.7% 1,400 +109 $2,832 $37,908,000 - 8
14 5 First Sunday SGem $3,300,000 -57.7% 1,503 -710 $2,195 $34,467,000 - 3
15 19 No Country for Old Men Mira. $2,503,000 +106.1% 1,107 +289 $2,261 $52,036,000 - 12
16 9 I Am Legend WB $2,195,000 -55.1% 1,405 -1,120 $1,562 $251,650,000 - 7
17 41 Michael Clayton WB $2,060,000 +4,504.9% 1,102 +1,069 $1,869 $41,488,000 - 17
18 13 Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street P/DW $1,250,000 -53.4% 936 -571 $1,335 $50,632,000 $50 6
19 14 The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything Uni. $1,234,000 -52.7% 1,016 -324 $1,214 $10,281,000 - 3
20 N U2 3D NGC $946,000 - 61 - $15,508 $1,163,000 - 1
21 15 Charlie Wilson's War Uni. $865,000 -56.0% 605 -747 $1,429 $64,599,000 $75 6
22 12 One Missed Call WB $770,000 -73.0% 803 -1,122 $958 $26,138,000 - 4
23 17 The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep SonR $650,000 -63.6% 677 -984 $960 $39,475,000 - 5
24 16 P.S. I Love You WB $625,000 -68.2% 577 -1,049 $1,083 $52,012,000 - 6
25 21 The Kite Runner ParV $602,000 -45.4% 335 -271 $1,797 $13,873,000 - 7
26 18 The Great Debaters MGM/W $530,000 -60.7% 390 -631 $1,358 $29,077,000 - 5
27 22 Enchanted BV $504,000 -49.0% 377 -390 $1,336 $124,946,000 - 10
28 20 The Orphanage PicH $481,000 -59.7% 238 -464 $2,021 $6,029,000 - 5
29 25 The Savages FoxS $445,000 +2.4% 163 -12 $2,730 $4,226,000 - 9
30 26 The Diving Bell and the Butterfly Mira. $402,000 +3.9% 123 +16 $3,268 $3,135,000 - 9
31 30 Persepolis SPC $350,000 +44.1% 58 +28 $6,034 $1,352,000 - 5
32 24 The Golden Compass NL $325,000 -32.2% 289 -51 $1,124 $68,855,000 $180 8
- 27 Cassandra's Dream Wein. $191,000 -47.2% 107 - $1,785 $710,000 - 2
- 33 Beowulf Par. $98,000 -47.1% 214 -37 $457 $82,159,000 $150 11
- 36 American Gangster Uni. $95,000 -23.0% 172 -41 $552 $130,123,000 $100 13
- 47 Teeth RAtt. $67,400 +128.3% 16 +12 $4,212 $115,000 - 2
- 39 I'm Not There Wein. $65,600 +13.4% 39 -22 $1,682 $3,638,000 - 10
- N Shoot Down Magic $48,400 - 21 - $2,304 $48,400 - 1
- N 4 Months, 3 Weeks, 2 Days IFC $48,200 - 2 - $24,100 $48,200 - 1
- 40 Before the Devil Knows You're Dead Think $33,100 -31.2% 40 -18 $827 $6,956,000 - 14
- N The Air I Breathe Think $21,500 - 7 - $3,071 $21,500 - 1
- 55 Nanking Think $15,000 -17.8% 6 +2 $2,500 $97,500 - 7
- 51 Starting Out in the Evening RAtt. $14,300 -33.4% 4 -6 $3,575 $626,000 - 10
- 52 Lars and the Real Girl MGM $14,000 -34.6% 24 -11 $583 $5,863,000 $12 16
- 48 Lions for Lambs UA $9,000 -66.5% 43 -52 $209 $14,991,000 $35 12
- 59 The Mist MGM/W $9,000 -45.0% 21 -12 $428 $25,409,000 $18 10
- 49 Blonde and Blonder Hann. $8,400 -68.3% 6 -8 $1,400 $35,500 - 2
- - Grace Is Gone Wein. $7,100 - 5 - $1,420 $43,700 - 4
- 64 Awake MGM/W $7,000 -45.0% 15 -8 $466 $14,221,000 - 9
- 68 Taxi to the Dark Side Think $6,100 -44.2% 3 +1 $2,033 $23,800 - 2


Well Hell Froze over and Meet The Spartans is the number 1 movie in America. It topped Rambo just barely and perhaps when the final weekend numbers are released this will change but this just makes me sad.

Cloverfield collapsed entirely but i think this film did what it needed to do opening weekend. It surpassed its budget and it will be a huge hit for the studip. Personally can't wait for the DVD.

27 Dresses held well and proves that Katherine Heigl is a box office draw. good for her

War broke out on Friday between Meet the Spartans and Rambo which both opened in theaters to solid results making for a tight race for the weekend box office crown. The Fox comedy Spartans edged out a victory on the first day of the weekend grossing an estimated $6.9M in its initial day of release. Despite being the umpteenth spoof comedy of the decade, the PG-13 film virtually matched the $6.7M Friday bow of the creative team's Epic Movie from this weekend a year ago. Epic went on to gross $18.6M over its debut frame and Meet the Spartans could inch higher with $18-20M this weekend.
Sylvester Stallone's action sequel Rambo shot up an estimated $6.7M on Friday but skews to an older audience giving the Lionsgate flick a shot at winning the weekend too. The R-rated pic looks to reach the $18-20M range as well over the Friday-to-Sunday period.

Diane Lane countered all the testosterone with her own FBI thriller Untraceable which grossed an estimated $3.7M on Friday, its first day in theaters. Look for the Sony release to take in $10-11M over three days.

The urban drama How She Move bowed to an estimated $1.2M on its opening day putting the Paramount Vantage title on a course to reach $3-4M this weekend.

Among sophomore holdovers, Friday-to-Friday declines were an alarming 76% for Cloverfield, a moderate 45% for 27 Dresses, and an understandable 45% for Mad Money.

80th Academy Awards
Announced Categories

Performance by an actor in a leading role
George Clooney in "Michael Clayton" (Warner Bros.)
Daniel Day-Lewis in "There Will Be Blood" (Paramount Vantage and Miramax)
Johnny Depp in "Sweeney Todd The Demon Barber of Fleet Street" (DreamWorks and Warner Bros., Distributed by DreamWorks/Paramount)
Tommy Lee Jones in "In the Valley of Elah" (Warner Independent)
Viggo Mortensen in "Eastern Promises" (Focus Features)

Performance by an actor in a supporting role
Casey Affleck in "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford" (Warner Bros.)
Javier Bardem in "No Country for Old Men" (Miramax and Paramount Vantage)
Philip Seymour Hoffman in "Charlie Wilson's War" (Universal)
Hal Holbrook in "Into the Wild" (Paramount Vantage and River Road Entertainment)
Tom Wilkinson in "Michael Clayton" (Warner Bros.)

Performance by an actress in a leading role
Cate Blanchett in "Elizabeth: The Golden Age" (Universal)
Julie Christie in "Away from Her" (Lionsgate)
Marion Cotillard in "La Vie en Rose" (Picturehouse)
Laura Linney in "The Savages" (Fox Searchlight)
Ellen Page in "Juno" (Fox Searchlight)

Performance by an actress in a supporting role
Cate Blanchett in "I'm Not There" (The Weinstein Company)
Ruby Dee in "American Gangster" (Universal)
Saoirse Ronan in "Atonement" (Focus Features)
Amy Ryan in "Gone Baby Gone" (Miramax)
Tilda Swinton in "Michael Clayton" (Warner Bros.)

Best animated feature film of the year
"Persepolis" (Sony Pictures Classics): Marjane Satrapi and Vincent Paronnaud
"Ratatouille" (Walt Disney): Brad Bird
"Surf's Up" (Sony Pictures Releasing): Ash Brannon and Chris Buck

Achievement in art direction
"American Gangster" (Universal): Art Direction: Arthur Max; Set Decoration: Beth A. Rubino
"Atonement" (Focus Features): Art Direction: Sarah Greenwood; Set Decoration: Katie Spencer
"The Golden Compass" (New Line in association with Ingenious Film Partners): Art Direction: Dennis Gassner; Set Decoration: Anna Pinnock
"Sweeney Todd The Demon Barber of Fleet Street" (DreamWorks and Warner Bros., Distributed by DreamWorks/Paramount): Art Direction: Dante Ferretti; Set Decoration: Francesca Lo Schiavo
"There Will Be Blood" (Paramount Vantage and Miramax): Art Direction: Jack Fisk; Set Decoration: Jim Erickson

Achievement in cinematography
"The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford" (Warner Bros.): Roger Deakins
"Atonement" (Focus Features): Seamus McGarvey
"The Diving Bell and the Butterfly" (Miramax/Pathé Renn): Janusz Kaminski
"No Country for Old Men" (Miramax and Paramount Vantage): Roger Deakins
"There Will Be Blood" (Paramount Vantage and Miramax): Robert Elswit

Achievement in costume design
"Across the Universe" (Sony Pictures Releasing) Albert Wolsky
"Atonement" (Focus Features) Jacqueline Durran
"Elizabeth: The Golden Age" (Universal) Alexandra Byrne
"La Vie en Rose" (Picturehouse) Marit Allen
"Sweeney Todd The Demon Barber of Fleet Street" (DreamWorks and Warner Bros., Distributed by DreamWorks/Paramount) Colleen Atwood

Achievement in directing
"The Diving Bell and the Butterfly" (Miramax/Pathé Renn), Julian Schnabel
"Juno" (Fox Searchlight), Jason Reitman
"Michael Clayton" (Warner Bros.), Tony Gilroy
"No Country for Old Men" (Miramax and Paramount Vantage), Joel Coen and Ethan Coen
"There Will Be Blood" (Paramount Vantage and Miramax), Paul Thomas Anderson

Best documentary feature
"No End in Sight" (Magnolia Pictures) A Representational Pictures Production: Charles Ferguson and Audrey Marrs
"Operation Homecoming: Writing the Wartime Experience" (The Documentary Group) A Documentary Group Production: Richard E. Robbins
"Sicko" (Lionsgate and The Weinstein Company) A Dog Eat Dog Films Production: Michael Moore and Meghan O'Hara
"Taxi to the Dark Side" (THINKFilm) An X-Ray Production: Alex Gibney and Eva Orner
"War/Dance" (THINKFilm) A Shine Global and Fine Films Production: Andrea Nix Fine and Sean Fine

Best documentary short subject
"Freeheld" A Lieutenant Films Production: Cynthia Wade and Vanessa Roth
"La Corona (The Crown)" A Runaway Films and Vega Films Production: Amanda Micheli and Isabel Vega
"Salim Baba" A Ropa Vieja Films and Paradox Smoke Production: Tim Sternberg and Francisco Bello
"Sari's Mother" (Cinema Guild) A Daylight Factory Production: James Longley

Achievement in film editing
"The Bourne Ultimatum" (Universal): Christopher Rouse
"The Diving Bell and the Butterfly" (Miramax/Pathé Renn): Juliette Welfling
"Into the Wild" (Paramount Vantage and River Road Entertainment): Jay Cassidy
"No Country for Old Men" (Miramax and Paramount Vantage) Roderick Jaynes
"There Will Be Blood" (Paramount Vantage and Miramax): Dylan Tichenor

Best foreign language film of the year
"Beaufort" Israel
"The Counterfeiters" Austria
"Katyn" Poland
"Mongol" Kazakhstan
"12" Russia

Achievement in makeup
"La Vie en Rose" (Picturehouse) Didier Lavergne and Jan Archibald
"Norbit" (DreamWorks, Distributed by Paramount): Rick Baker and Kazuhiro Tsuji
"Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End" (Walt Disney): Ve Neill and Martin Samuel

Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original score)
"Atonement" (Focus Features) Dario Marianelli
"The Kite Runner" (DreamWorks, Sidney Kimmel Entertainment and Participant Productions, Distributed by Paramount Classics): Alberto Iglesias
"Michael Clayton" (Warner Bros.) James Newton Howard
"Ratatouille" (Walt Disney) Michael Giacchino
"3:10 to Yuma" (Lionsgate) Marco Beltrami

Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original song)
"Falling Slowly" from "Once" (Fox Searchlight) Music and Lyric by Glen Hansard and: Marketa Irglova
"Happy Working Song" from "Enchanted" (Walt Disney): Music by Alan Menken; Lyric by Stephen Schwartz
"Raise It Up" from "August Rush" (Warner Bros.): Nominees to be determined
"So Close" from "Enchanted" (Walt Disney): Music by Alan Menken; Lyric by Stephen Schwartz
"That's How You Know" from "Enchanted" (Walt Disney): Music by Alan Menken; Lyric by Stephen Schwartz

Best motion picture of the year
"Atonement" (Focus Features) A Working Title Production: Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner and Paul Webster, Producers
"Juno" (Fox Searchlight) A Dancing Elk Pictures, LLC Production: Lianne Halfon, Mason Novick and Russell Smith, Producers
"Michael Clayton" (Warner Bros.) A Clayton Productions, LLC Production: Sydney Pollack, Jennifer Fox and Kerry Orent, Producers
"No Country for Old Men" (Miramax and Paramount Vantage) A Scott Rudin/Mike Zoss Production: Scott Rudin, Ethan Coen and Joel Coen, Producers
"There Will Be Blood" (Paramount Vantage and Miramax) A JoAnne Sellar/Ghoulardi Film Company Production: JoAnne Sellar, Paul Thomas Anderson and Daniel Lupi, Producers

Best animated short film
"I Met the Walrus" A Kids & Explosions Production: Josh Raskin
"Madame Tutli-Putli" (National Film Board of Canada) A National Film Board of Canada Production Chris Lavis and Maciek Szczerbowski "Même Les Pigeons Vont au Paradis (Even Pigeons Go to Heaven)" (Premium Films) A BUF Compagnie Production Samuel Tourneux and Simon Vanesse
"My Love (Moya Lyubov)" (Channel One Russia) A Dago-Film Studio, Channel One Russia and Dentsu Tec Production Alexander Petrov
"Peter & the Wolf" (BreakThru Films) A BreakThru Films/Se-ma-for Studios Production Suzie Templeton and Hugh Welchman

Best live action short film
"At Night" A Zentropa Entertainments 10 Production: Christian E. Christiansen and Louise Vesth
"Il Supplente (The Substitute)" (Sky Cinema Italia) A Frame by Frame Italia Production: Andrea Jublin
"Le Mozart des Pickpockets (The Mozart of Pickpockets)" (Premium Films) A Karé Production: Philippe Pollet-Villard
"Tanghi Argentini" (Premium Films) An Another Dimension of an Idea Production: Guido Thys and Anja Daelemans
"The Tonto Woman" A Knucklehead, Little Mo and Rose Hackney Barber Production: Daniel Barber and Matthew Brown

Achievement in sound editing
"The Bourne Ultimatum" (Universal): Karen Baker Landers and Per Hallberg
"No Country for Old Men" (Miramax and Paramount Vantage): Skip Lievsay
"Ratatouille" (Walt Disney): Randy Thom and Michael Silvers
"There Will Be Blood" (Paramount Vantage and Miramax): Matthew Wood
"Transformers" (DreamWorks and Paramount in association with Hasbro): Ethan Van der Ryn and Mike Hopkins

Achievement in sound mixing
"The Bourne Ultimatum" (Universal) Scott Millan, David Parker and Kirk Francis
"No Country for Old Men" (Miramax and Paramount Vantage): Skip Lievsay, Craig Berkey, Greg Orloff and Peter Kurland
"Ratatouille" (Walt Disney): Randy Thom, Michael Semanick and Doc Kane
"3:10 to Yuma" (Lionsgate): Paul Massey, David Giammarco and Jim Stuebe
"Transformers" (DreamWorks and Paramount in association with Hasbro): Kevin O'Connell, Greg P. Russell and Peter J. Devlin

Achievement in visual effects
"The Golden Compass" (New Line in association with Ingenious Film Partners): Michael Fink, Bill Westenhofer, Ben Morris and Trevor Wood
"Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End" (Walt Disney): John Knoll, Hal Hickel, Charles Gibson and John Frazier
"Transformers" (DreamWorks and Paramount in association with Hasbro): Scott Farrar, Scott Benza, Russell Earl and John Frazier

Adapted screenplay
"Atonement" (Focus Features), Screenplay by Christopher Hampton
"Away from Her" (Lionsgate), Written by Sarah Polley
"The Diving Bell and the Butterfly" (Miramax/Pathé Renn), Screenplay by Ronald Harwood
"No Country for Old Men" (Miramax and Paramount Vantage), Written for the screen by Joel Coen & Ethan Coen
"There Will Be Blood" (Paramount Vantage and Miramax), Written for the screen by Paul Thomas Anderson

Original screenplay
"Juno" (Fox Searchlight), Written by Diablo Cody
"Lars and the Real Girl" (MGM), Written by Nancy Oliver
"Michael Clayton" (Warner Bros.), Written by Tony Gilroy
"Ratatouille" (Walt Disney), Screenplay by Brad Bird; Story by Jan Pinkava, Jim
Capobianco, Brad Bird
"The Savages" (Fox Searchlight), Written by Tamara Jenkins

A few surprises. Anjelina Jolie was shut out. Atonement only got one nomination for its stars. Into the Wild was larely ignored. Sweeney Todd didn't get a best pic nomination.

Any other surprises?

Title Jan 18 - 20 Jan 11 - 13 % Chg. Theaters Weeks AVG Cumulative Distributor
1 Cloverfield $ 41,000,000 3,411 1 $ 12,020 $ 41,000,000 Paramount
2 27 Dresses 22,427,000 3,057 1 7,336 22,427,000 Fox
3 The Bucket List 15,150,000 19,392,416 -21.9 2,915 4 5,197 42,709,000 Warner Bros.
4 Juno 10,250,000 13,612,682 -24.7 2,534 7 4,045 85,377,000 Fox Searchlight
5 National Treasure: Book of Secrets 8,148,000 11,302,002 -27.9 2,963 5 2,750 198,030,000 Buena Vista
6 First Sunday 7,800,000 17,714,821 -56.0 2,213 2 3,525 28,466,000 Sony
7 Mad Money 7,721,000 2,470 1 3,126 7,721,000 Overture
8 Alvin and the Chipmunks 7,000,000 9,302,895 -24.8 2,962 6 2,363 196,380,000 Fox
9 I Am Legend 5,105,000 8,179,610 -37.6 2,525 6 2,022 247,682,000 Warner Bros.
10 Atonement 4,759,000 4,221,866 12.7 1,291 7 3,686 31,884,000 Focus
Top 5 $ 96,975,000 $ 71,324,816 36.0
Top 10 129,360,000 98,786,197 30.9
Top 10 vs. MLK 2007 129,360,000 90,498,028 42.9
Top 10 vs. MLK 2006 129,360,000 92,636,327 39.6
Below the Top 10:
There Will Be Blood 3,120,846 1,860,333 67.8 389 4 8,023 8,155,476 Par. Vantage
One Missed Call 2,830,000 5,981,373 -52.7 1,925 3 1,470 24,431,000 Warner Bros.
The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything 2,814,000 4,251,320 -33.8 1,340 2 2,100 7,701,000 Universal
Sweeney Todd 2,622,000 3,385,171 -22.5 1,507 5 1,740 48,047,000 Paramount
Charlie Wilson's War 2,204,000 4,129,720 -46.6 1,340 5 1,645 63,052,000 Universal
P.S. I Love You 1,905,000 4,827,212 -60.5 1,626 5 1,172 50,396,000 Warner Bros.
The Water Horse 1,800,000 3,332,323 -46.0 1,661 4 1,084 37,651,000 Sony
The Great Debaters 1,416,000 2,345,375 -39.6 1,021 4 1,387 27,855,000 MGM
No Country For Old Men 1,351,000 1,232,252 9.6 818 11 1,652 48,730,000 Miramax
The Kite Runner 1,126,782 1,604,411 -29.8 606 6 1,859 12,727,182 Par. Classics
Enchanted 1,000,000 1,805,534 -44.6 767 9 1,304 123,789,000 Buena Vista
The Savages 450,000 305,157 47.5 175 8 2,571 3,567,000 Fox Searchlight
Cassandra's Dream 400,000 107 1 3,738 400,000 Weinstein Co.
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly 396,000 347,440 14.0 107 8 3,701 2,537,000 Miramax

Rank* Title
(Click to view chart) Friday
1/18
(Estimates) Saturday
1/19 Sunday
1/20 Monday
1/21
1 CLOVERFIELD
Paramount

3,411 $16,750,000

-- / $4,911
$16,750,000 / 1
N/A
N/A
N/A
2 27 DRESSES
Fox

3,057 $7,650,000

-- / $2,502
$7,650,000 / -6
N/A
N/A
N/A
3 THE BUCKET LIST
Warner Bros.

2,915 $4,150,000

+137.6% / $1,424
$31,709,000 / 25
N/A
N/A
N/A
4 JUNO
Fox Searchlight

2,534 $3,060,000

+153.3% / $1,208
$78,187,000 / 45
N/A
N/A
N/A
5 MAD MONEY
Overture Films

2,470 $2,300,000

-- / $931
$2,300,000 / 1
N/A
N/A
N/A
6 FIRST SUNDAY
Sony / Screen Gems

2,213 $2,200,000

+237.7% / $994
$22,866,000 / 8
N/A
N/A
N/A
7 NATIONAL TREASURE: BOOK OF SECRETS
Buena Vista

2,963 $2,090,000

+194% / $705
$191,973,000 / 29
N/A
N/A
N/A
8 ALVIN AND THE CHIPMUNKS
Fox

2,962 $1,550,000

+301.5% / $523
$190,930,000 / 36
N/A
N/A
N/A
9 I AM LEGEND
Warner Bros.

2,525 $1,375,000

+136.5% / $545
$243,952,000 / 36
N/A
N/A
N/A
10 ATONEMENT
Focus Features

1,291 $1,260,000

+148.9% / $976
$28,385,000 / 43
N/A
N/A
N/A
11 ONE MISSED CALL
Warner Bros.

1,925 $890,000

+200.3% / $462
$22,491,000 / 15
N/A
N/A
N/A
12 THERE WILL BE BLOOD
Paramount Vantage

389 $820,000

+369.7% / $2,108
$5,855,000 / 24
N/A
N/A
N/A
13 SWEENEY TODD: THE DEMON BARBER OF FLEET STREET
Paramount (DreamWorks)

1,507 $765,000

+133.2% / $508
$46,190,000 / 29
N/A
N/A
N/A
14 P.S. I LOVE YOU
Warner Bros.

1,626 $610,000

+39.5% / $375
$49,101,000 / 29
N/A
N/A
N/A
15 CHARLIE WILSON'S WAR
Universal

1,340 $568,000

+52.1% / $424
$61,416,000 / 29
N/A
N/A
N/A
16 THE PIRATES WHO DON'T DO ANYTHING
Universal

1,340 $536,000

+220.1% / $400
$5,423,000 / 8
N/A
N/A
N/A

Cloverfield actually lived up to the pre-release hype and scored the biggest opening day for a January release at the box office. This is going to be a tough weekend to predict because I'm sure a lot of people rushed out to see this opening day and we also have the MLK holiday on Monday which means more movie traffic. I'm expecting this one to get at least $50M by the end of the 4 day weekend.

Katherine Heigl proves her starpower with the opening of 27 Dresses. With that gross the film should see at least $22M by the end of the 4 day weekend.

Mad Money sort of disappoints with its opening and may only see about $8M. I thought this one would do a bit better but I guess i was wrong

A

Sometimes too much hype can completely derail a project. Look no further than The Blair Witch Project. When that film made the jump from art houses to multiplexes the reaction was not that of universal praise. The marketing suggested the scariest film ever made but the result was a bit disappointing. I respect what The Blair Witch Project was trying to do but I think it ultimately failed to make a lasting impression. In my opinion, the trailers and other marketing materials, were much more frightening than the film itself.

Fast forward to the summer of 2007 when many moviegoers were seeing sold out showings of Transformers. Many of us were treated to a mysterious trailer that looked like footage from a going away party. Everything seems like it's business as usual, in fact it looked like scenes from what would be a quickly cancelled TV show about 20 somethings. Then things take a dramatic turn and soon the room is shaking, things are exploding, and the statue of liberty's head is thrown down the street. There was not title for the film and all we got was a release date (1-18-08).

Soon after the trailer was viewed by the masses, everyone began trying to find out what movie the trailer was for. After much investigation many people found it under the working title (and what would later be revealed to be the official title) Cloverfield. Pretty soon much speculation was made about what the film could even be. Some stated that it was a Voltron movie. Others thought they were remaking Godzilla again. Pretty soon a viral marketing campaign was started to promote the film and spread awareness. When the official trailer was released in November, it became more clear what the movie would be about but there were still unanswered questions.

So after all the clever marketing, does Cloverfield live up to the hype? I'm happy to report that it does and then some. Some may view Cloverfield as a cheap, entertaining thrill ride but I was more enthralled with what it says about how we all react during a tragedy. The monster is an added gimmick which works but the human need to survive and protect those that we love is what makes Cloverfield much better than it has any right to be.

The film - which is essentially the content of one video tape - begins in April with a cute little scene between lovers Rob (Michael Stahl-David) and Beth (Odette Yustman), who have just spent their first night together and are filming each other in the morning. Things jump ahead to a night in May. Rob is leaving for Japan the next day and this is his going-away party. In attendance are his brother, Jason (Mike Vogel); Jason's girlfriend, Lily (Jessica Lucas); Rob's best friend (and the cameraman), Hud (T.J. Miller); and Hud's crush-from-afar, Marlena (Lizzy Caplan). Things are going well at the party until all hell breaks loose outside. There are explosions. Buildings topple. Projectiles hurtle through the air. In a matter of minutes, New York is in chaos. This time, however, the attacker isn't a terrorist - it's a giant monster. And it appears to be immune to everything the army throws at it.

Some reviews have complained about the first 20 minutes which introduces the principle characters. Some have called it boring and bit pointless but I think it does a lot for the film when all the disaster strikes. You don't truly get to know all of the main players but you learn key things about them that make you care about their survival. Adding to this, the chemistry between all of them is pretty good and I never got the impression that they were acting in a film. It also helps that this segment also has some funny bits of humor because once the terror strikes, the film is a bit of a downer.

The handheld camera is never really a nuisance. For some reason it was for me in the Blair Witch Project but here I think it was a bit more controlled. It's obvious that the handheld technique is used to sell it as a "true life event" and to make you feel like you are there with them. The technique may be obvious but it works very well. It makes for a truly visceral experience and at times watching some of this made me feel very uncomfortable. I've heard people complain about the character filming the events and how it's unrealistic but if coverage of 9/11 has taught us anything, it's that when disaster strikes, people turn their cameras on.

Speaking of 9/11, there is a sense that event that lays a creepy shadow over the film. Some have said that the destruction of New York in this film is opportunistic because it will play on our memories of that particular day but how else could this be done? The destruction is effective and it's not violent for the sake of being violent. However, all the imagery we do see does remind us of that real life destruction. For instance, witness as a smoke cloud rolls toward the citizens of New York after a building collapses. We saw this image all over the news during 9/11 so it becomes a bit alarming when it's sort of replayed here. Realism (considering the circumstances) is another one of Cloverfield's many assets.

I don't want to really talk about individual scenes or the monster because I think it might ruin the experience of seeing it. Just know that there are some truly scary and disturbing scenes in the films. My adrenaline was on fire during certain moments and that is a sure sign that the film is doing its job. As for the monster itself, i will just say that I wasn't disappointed and I'm glad the filmmakers have taken the Jaws approach by not showing it off too much.

The acting is pretty effective. It helps that the film uses unknown actors to portray the main roles. Lizzy Caplan and Mike Vogel have the most items on their resume (Lizzy with Mean Girls and her role on The Class) and (Vogel in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre remake and The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants). All the actors are well suited for their roles and they have an everyday regular person vibe that makes you believe you're watching real people and not actors. This will certainly raise some of their profiles so it will be interesting to see what they do next.

I'm not going to say much more about the film because this is certainly something that needs to be experienced. The film is intense, terrifying and despite the "monstrous" elements it still deals with real emotions and reactions to destruction. January is commonly known to be a month when studios dump films that aren't worthy but Cloverfield is a glowing exception. Hype did not derail this motion picture, in fact, it actually did it some justice.

A

Trivia: (Some of the trivia may contain some spoilers so only read if you've seen the film or if you don't care about spoiling the film)

To prevent the leaking of plot information, instead of auditioning the actors with scenes from the film, scripts from Abrams's previous productions were used, such as television series Alias. Some scenes were also written specifically for the audition process, not intended for use in the film. Despite not being told the premise of the film, Lizzy Caplan stated that she accepted a role in Cloverfield solely because she was a fan of the Abrams-produced television series Lost, and her experience of discovering its true nature initially caused her to state that she would not sign on for a film in the future "without knowing full well what it is." She indicated that her character was a sarcastic outsider, and that her role was "physically demanding."

Reportedly the film has a $30 million budget

The decapitated head of the Statue of Liberty was inspired by the poster of the 1981 film Escape from New York, which had shown the head lying in the streets in New York despite not appearing in the film itself. According to Reeves, "It's an incredibly provocative image. And that was the source that inspired [producer] J.J. [Abrams] to say, 'Now this would be an interesting idea for a movie.'

The film was titled Cloverfield from the beginning, but the title changed throughout production before it was finalized as the original title. Matt Reeves explained that the title was changed frequently due to the hype caused by the teaser trailer, "That excitement spread to such a degree that we suddenly couldn't use the name anymore. So we started using all these names like Slusho and Cheese. And people always found out what we were doing!" The director said that "Cloverfield" was the government's case designate for the monster, comparing the titling to that of the Manhattan Project. "And it's not a project per se. It's the way that this case has been designated. That's why that is on the trailer, and it becomes clearer in the film. It's how they refer to this phenomenon [or] this case," said the director.

The studio had kept knowledge of the project secret from the online community, a cited rarity due to the presence of scoopers that follow upcoming films. The controlled release of information on the film has been observed as a risky strategy, which could succeed like The Blair Witch Project (1999) or disappoint like Snakes on a Plane (2006), the latter of which had generated online hype but failed to attract large audiences. Chad Hartigan of Exhibitor Relations Co. viewed the several issues with the potential of the film, including a lack of major stars, the underwhelming performance of Godzilla-style films in America, and the film's slated release in January, considered a "dumping ground for bad films"

The sudden appearance of the untitled trailer for Cloverfield fueled media speculation over the film's plot. USA Today reported the possibilities of the film being based on the works of H. P. Lovecraft, a live-action adaptation of Voltron, a new film about Godzilla, or a spin-off of the TV show Lost.[22] The Star Ledger also reported the possibility of the film being based on Lovecraft lore or Godzilla.[7] The Guardian also reported the possibility of a Lost spin-off,[23] while Time Out reported that the film was about an alien called The Parasite.[24] IGN also backed the possibility of the same premise, with The Parasite rumored to be a working title for the film.[17] Online, Slusho and Colossus had also been discussed as possible titles.[25] Entertainment Weekly also disputed reports that the film would be about a parasite or a colossal Asian robot such as Voltron

As of January 18, 2008, review aggregate website Rotten Tomatoes reported that 77% of critics gave the film positive write-ups, based on 65 reviews

In a very strange year for the Golden Globes we do get a few surprises. All the glitz and glam was gone, but I'm really happy for at least 2 of the big wins


Best Motion Picture - Drama
American Gangster
Atonement (Winner)
Eastern Promises
The Great Debaters
Michael Clayton
No Country for Old Men
There Will Be Blood

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama
Cate Blanchett - Elizabeth: The Golden Age
Julie Christie - Away From Her (Winner)
Jodie Foster - The Brave One
Angelina Jolie - A Mighty Heart
Keira Knightley - Atonement

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama
George Clooney - Michael Clayton
Daniel Day-Lewis - There Will Be Blood (Winner)
James McAvoy - Atonement
Viggo Mortensen - Eastern Promises
Denzel Washington - American Gangster

Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy
Across the Universe
Charlie Wilson's War
Hairspray
Juno
Sweeney Todd (Winner)

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy
Amy Adams - Enchanted
Nikki Blonsky - Hairspray
Helena Bonham Carter - Sweeney Todd
Marion Cotillard - La Vie en Rose (Winner)
Ellen Page - Juno

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy
Johnny Depp - Sweeney Todd (Winner)
Ryan Gosling - Lars and the Real Girl
Tom Hanks - Charlie Wilson's War
Philip Seymour Hoffman - The Savages
John C. Reilly - Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture
Cate Blanchett - I'm Not There (Winner)
Julia Roberts - Charlie Wilson's War
Saoirse Ronin - Atonement
Amy Ryan - Gone Baby Gone
Tilda Swinton - Michael Clayton

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture
Casey Affleck - The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
Javier Bardem - No Country for Old Men (Winner)
Philip Seymour Hoffman - Charlie Wilson's War
John Travolta - Hairspray
Tom Wilkinson - Michael Clayton

Best Animated Feature Film
Bee Movie
Ratatouille (Winner)
The Simpsons Movie

Best Foreign Language Film
4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (Winner)
The Kite Runner
Lust, Caution
Persepolis

Best Director - Motion Picture
Tim Burton - Sweeney Todd
Ethan and Joel Coen - No Country for Old Men
Julian Schnabel - The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Ridley Scott - American Gangster
Joe Wright - Atonement

Best Screenplay - Motion Picture
Diablo Cody - Juno
Ethan and Joel Coen - No Country for Old Men (Winner)
Christopher Hampton - Atonement
Ronald Harwood - The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Aaron Sorkin - Charlie Wilson's War

Best Original Score - Motion Picture
Michael Brook, Kaki King, and Eddie Vedder - Into The Wild
Clint Eastwood - Grace Is Gone
Alberto Iglesias - The Kite Runner
Dario Marianelli - Atonement (Winner)
Howard Shore - Eastern Promises

Best Original Song - Motion Picture
Despedida - Love in the Time of Cholera
Grace Is Gone - Grace Is Gone
Guaranteed - Into The Wild (Winner)
That's How You Know - Enchanted
Walk Hard - Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story

Best Television Series - Drama
Big Love
Damages
Grey's Anatomy
House
Mad Men (Winner)
The Tudors

Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series - Drama
Patricia Arquette - Medium
Glenn Close - Damages (Winner)
Minnie Driver - The Riches
Edie Falco - The Sopranos
Sally Field - Brothers & Sisters
Holly Hunter - Saving Grace
Kyra Sedgwick - The Closer

Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series - Drama
Michael C. Hall - Dexter
Jon Hamm - Mad Men (Winner)
Hugh Laurie - House
Jonathan Rhys Meyers - The Tudors
Bill Paxton - Big Love

Best Television Series - Musical or Comedy
30 Rock
Californication
Entourage
Extras (Winner)
Pushing Daisies

Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series - Musical or Comedy
Christina Applegate - Samantha Who?
America Ferrera - Ugly Betty
Anna Friel - Pushing Daisies
Tina Fey - 30 Rock (Winner)

Mary-Louise Parker - Weeds
Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series - Musical or Comedy
Alec Baldwin - 30 Rock
Steve Carell - The Office
David Duchovny - Californication (Winner)
Ricky Gervais - Extras
Lee Pace - Pushing Daisies

Best Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee
The Company
Five Days
Longford
The State Within

Best Performance by an Actress in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
Bryce Dallas Howard - As You Like It
Queen Latifah - Life Support (Winner)
Debra Messing - The Starter Wife
Sissy Spacek - Pictures of Hollis Woods
Ruth Wilson - Jane Eyre (Masterpiece Theater)

Best Performance by an Actor in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
Adam Beach - Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee
Ernest Borgnine - A Grandpa for Christmas
Jim Broadbent - Longford
Jason Isaacs - The State Within
James Nesbitt - Jekyll

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
Rose Byrne - Damages
Rachel Griffiths - Brothers & Sisters
Katherine Heigl - Grey's Anatomy
Samantha Morton - Longford (Winner)
Anna Paquin - Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee
Jaime Pressly - My Name Is Earl

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
Ted Danson - Damages
Kevin Dillon - Entourage
Jeremy Piven - Entourage (Winner)
Andy Serkis - Longford
William Shatner - Boston Legal
Donald Sutherland - Dirty Sexy Money

Just want to give special kudos to the win for Sweeney Todd and for Johnny Depp. I hope this raises the profile for the film and it improves some at the box office.

Also props to Tina Fey for her 30 Rock win. Great show that we all should be watching

Juno came up empty handed. As did Michael Clayton

any thoughts on the wins and loses?

TW LW Title (click to view) Studio Weekend Gross % Change Theater Count / Change Average Total Gross Budget* Week
1 23 The Bucket List WB $19,540,000 +5,879.4% 2,911 +2,895 $6,712 $20,964,000 $45 3
2 N First Sunday SGem $19,000,000 - 2,213 - $8,585 $19,000,000 - 1
3 2 Juno FoxS $14,000,000 -11.7% 2,448 +523 $5,718 $71,250,000 - 6
4 1 National Treasure: Book of Secrets BV $11,482,000 -42.8% 3,377 -385 $3,400 $187,295,000 - 4
5 4 Alvin and the Chipmunks Fox $9,100,000 -41.5% 3,384 -78 $2,689 $187,740,000 $60 5
6 3 I Am Legend WB $8,130,000 -48.3% 3,353 -295 $2,424 $240,234,000 - 5
7 5 One Missed Call WB $6,130,000 -51.0% 2,240 - $2,736 $20,642,000 - 2
8 7 P.S. I Love You WB $5,005,000 -36.1% 2,323 -148 $2,154 $47,008,000 - 4
9 N The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything Uni. $4,419,000 - 1,337 - $3,305 $4,419,000 - 1
10 10 Atonement Focus $4,300,000 -15.1% 950 +367 $4,526 $25,208,000 - 6
11 6 Charlie Wilson's War Uni. $4,274,000 -47.3% 2,408 -186 $1,774 $59,498,000 $75 4
12 9 Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street P/DW $3,402,000 -38.6% 1,323 +74 $2,571 $44,070,000 $50 4

13 8 The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep SonR $3,300,000 -47.0% 2,506 -271 $1,316 $35,175,000 - 3
14 N In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale Free $3,265,000 - 1,631 - $2,001 $3,265,000 - 1
15 12 The Great Debaters MGM/W $2,411,000 -43.3% 1,290 - $1,868 $25,699,000 - 3
16 19 The Orphanage PicH $2,044,000 +308.3% 707 +638 $2,891 $3,187,000 - 3
17 18 There Will Be Blood ParV $1,940,000 +46.8% 129 +78 $15,038 $4,358,000 - 3
18 13 Enchanted BV $1,703,000 -55.3% 1,201 -731 $1,417 $122,290,000 - 8
19 17 The Kite Runner ParV $1,671,000 +1.5% 715 +335 $2,337 $11,005,000 - 5
20 11 Aliens Vs. Predator - Requiem Fox $1,500,000 -66.5% 1,378 -1,239 $1,088 $40,081,000 - 3
21 15 No Country for Old Men Mira. $1,284,000 -29.4% 657 -162 $1,954 $46,835,000 - 10
22 14 The Golden Compass NL $1,155,000 -59.8% 816 -795 $1,415 $67,576,000 $180 6
- 22 The Diving Bell and the Butterfly Mira. $375,000 +8.5% 75 +18 $5,000 $1,991,000 - 7
- 20 The Savages FoxS $301,000 -34.2% 92 -18 $3,271 $3,004,000 - 7
- 40 Persepolis SPC $195,000 +153.7% 18 +11 $10,833 $548,000 - 3
- 24 American Gangster Uni. $179,000 -31.2% 282 -45 $634 $129,772,000 $100 11
- 33 Before the Devil Knows You're Dead Think $95,200 -29.6% 95 +3 $1,002 $6,807,000 - 12
- 37 I'm Not There Wein. $77,000 -29.0% 62 -17 $1,241 $3,430,000 - 8
- 47 Lars and the Real Girl MGM $29,000 -21.4% 36 -2 $805 $5,805,000 $12 14
- 44 Awake MGM/W $25,000 -35.8% 41 -27 $609 $14,180,000 - 7
- 46 Starting Out in the Evening RAtt. $24,500 -34.5% 15 -8 $1,633 $570,000 - 8
- 50 The Mist MGM/W $22,000 -11.2% 49 -12 $448 $25,366,000 $18 8
- - Nanking Think $18,700 - 2 - $9,350 $44,800 - 3
- 53 Lust, Caution Focus $14,400 -27.5% 9 -3 $1,600 $4,589,000 $15 16
- 52 Bella RAtt. $14,400 -35.7% 34 -13 $423 $7,661,000 $3.30 12
- 65 Lions for Lambs UA $700 -67.8% 4 -3 $175 $14,940,000 $35 10
<

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Stay tuned for daily updates... NEXT >>
Rank* Title
(Click to view chart) Friday
1/11
(Estimates) Saturday
1/12 Sunday
1/13 Monday
1/14
1 THE BUCKET LIST
Warner Bros.

2,911 $6,400,000

+21814.8% / $2,199
$7,824,000 / 18
N/A
N/A
N/A
2 FIRST SUNDAY
Sony / Screen Gems

2,213 $6,150,000

-- / $2,779
$6,150,000 / 1
N/A
N/A
N/A
3 JUNO
Fox Searchlight

2,448 $4,600,000

+235.7% / $1,879
$61,850,000 / 38
N/A
N/A
N/A
4 NATIONAL TREASURE: BOOK OF SECRETS
Buena Vista

3,377 $3,260,000

+184.6% / $965
$179,073,000 / 22
N/A
N/A
N/A
5 I AM LEGEND
Warner Bros.

3,353 $2,625,000

+181.2% / $783
$234,729,000 / 29
N/A
N/A
N/A
6 ONE MISSED CALL
Warner Bros.

2,240 $2,150,000

+373.2% / $960
$16,662,000 / 8
N/A
N/A
N/A
7 ALVIN AND THE CHIPMUNKS
Fox

3,384 $1,925,000

+282.9% / $569
$180,565,000 / 29
N/A
N/A
N/A
8 P.S. I LOVE YOU
Warner Bros.

2,323 $1,620,000

+136.7% / $697
$43,623,000 / 22
N/A
N/A
N/A
9 CHARLIE WILSON'S WAR
Universal

2,408 $1,360,000

+101.8% / $565
$56,584,000 / 22
N/A
N/A
N/A
10 ATONEMENT
Focus Features

950 $1,290,000

+192.7% / $1,358
$22,199,000 / 36
N/A
N/A
N/A
11 THE PIRATES WHO DON'T DO ANYTHING
Universal

1,337 $1,125,000

-- / $841
$1,125,000 / 1
N/A
N/A
N/A
12 SWEENEY TODD: THE DEMON BARBER OF FLEET STREET
Paramount (DreamWorks)

1,323 $1,055,000

+119% / $797
$41,723,000 / 22
N/A
N/A
N/A
13 IN THE NAME OF THE KING: A DUNGEON SIEGE TALE
Freestyle Releasing

1,605 $975,000

-- / $607
$975,000 / 1
N/A
N/A
N/A
14 THE GREAT DEBATERS
MGM (Weinstein)

1,290 $745,000

+121.7% / $578
$24,034,000 / 18
N/A
N/A
N/A
15 THE WATER HORSE: LEGEND OF THE DEEP
Sony (Revolution)

2,506 $725,000

+200.2% / $289
$32,600,000 / 18
N/A
N/A
N/A
16 THE ORPHANAGE
Picturehouse

707 $640,000

+1051% / $905
$1,784,000 / 15
N/A
N/A
N/A
17 THERE WILL BE BLOOD
Paramount Vantage

129 $585,000

+311.5% / $4,535
$3,003,000 / 17
N/A
N/A
N/A
18 THE KITE RUNNER
Paramount Vantage

715 $470,000

+166.8% / $657
$9,804,000 / 29
N/A
N/A
N/A
19 ALIENS VS. PREDATOR - REQUIEM
Fox

1,378 $430,000

+27% / $312
$39,011,000 / 18
N/A
N/A
N/A
20 ENCHANTED
Buena Vista

1,201 $415,000

+118.4% / $346
$121,002,000 / 52
N/A
N/A
N/A
21 NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN
Miramax

657 $385,000

+86.9% / $586
$45,936,000 / 64
N/A
N/A
N/A
22 THE GOLDEN COMPASS
New Line

816 $270,000

+44.4% / $331
$66,749,000 / 36
N/A
N/A
N/A
-

The Bucket List and First Sunday got off to good starts. The Bucket List should play a little better with the older crowd over the weekend and come out on top with about $20M and First Sunday should make about $17M.

One Missed Call holds up decently and should make about $6M-$7M over the weekend.

Juno dips some and should make about $13.5M over the weekend with definitely more to come from this little indie that could.

TW LW Title (click to view) Studio Weekend Gross % Change Theater Count / Change Average Total Gross Budget* Week
1 1 National Treasure: Book of Secrets BV $20,225,000 -43.3% 3,762 -70 $5,376 $171,033,000 - 3
2 3 I Am Legend WB $16,300,000 -40.5% 3,648 +12 $4,468 $228,638,000 - 4
3 5 Juno FoxS $16,225,000 +52.6% 1,925 +906 $8,428 $52,032,000 - 5
4 2 Alvin and the Chipmunks Fox $16,000,000 -44.9% 3,462 -22 $4,621 $176,738,000 $60 4
5 N One Missed Call WB $13,525,000 - 2,240 - $6,037 $13,525,000 - 1
6 4 Charlie Wilson's War Uni. $8,184,000 -31.9% 2,594 +19 $3,154 $52,630,000 $75 3
7 7 P.S. I Love You WB $8,010,000 -13.8% 2,471 +7 $3,241 $39,378,000 - 3
8 8 The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep SonR $6,300,000 -31.4% 2,777 +5 $2,268 $30,893,000 - 2
9 9 Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street P/DW $5,400,000 -34.1% 1,249 - $4,323 $38,472,000 $50 3
10 14 Atonement Focus $5,124,000 +64.1% 583 +273 $8,789 $19,216,000 - 5
11 6 Aliens Vs. Predator - Requiem Fox $4,250,000 -57.8% 2,617 +6 $1,623 $36,821,000 - 2
12 11 The Great Debaters MGM/W $4,245,000 -29.3% 1,290 +119 $3,290 $22,008,000 - 2

13 10 Enchanted BV $3,676,000 -42.8% 1,932 -330 $1,902 $119,689,000 - 7
14 12 The Golden Compass NL $2,730,000 -41.7% 1,611 -324 $1,694 $65,521,000 $180 5
15 15 No Country for Old Men Mira. $1,843,000 -16.9% 819 -141 $2,250 $44,785,000 - 9
16 16 The Kite Runner ParV $1,706,000 -7.6% 380 +3 $4,489 $8,728,000 - 4
17 13 Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story Sony $1,700,000 -55.9% 2,041 -609 $832 $17,183,000 $35 3
18 32 There Will Be Blood ParV $1,337,000 +601.0% 51 +49 $26,215 $1,845,000 - 2
19 27 The Orphanage PicH $501,000 +114.7% 66 +47 $7,590 $918,000 - 2
20 18 The Savages FoxS $455,000 -13.0% 110 -1 $4,136 $2,553,000 - 6
21 25 The Diving Bell and the Butterfly Mira. $342,000 +25.2% 57 +13 $6,000 $1,455,000 - 6
22 21 The Bucket List WB $315,000 -6.2% 16 - $19,687 $1,297,000 $45 2
- 23 American Gangster Uni. $257,000 -12.8% 327 +20 $785 $129,496,000 $100 10
- 35 Before the Devil Knows You're Dead Think $137,000 +2.3% 92 -9 $1,489 $6,655,000 - 11
- 37 I'm Not There Wein. $103,000 -12.1% 79 -14 $1,303 $3,287,000 - 7
- 39 Persepolis SPC $80,000 -9.9% 7 - $11,428 $317,000 - 2
- 42 Awake MGM/W $43,000 -35.0% 68 -20 $632 $14,143,000 - 6
- 46 Lars and the Real Girl MGM $41,000 -5.1% 38 -2 $1,078 $5,765,000 $12 13
- 52 The Mist MGM/W $31,000 +23.1% 61 -10 $508 $25,342,000 $18 7
- 57 Lust, Caution Focus $20,200 -2.1% 12 -7 $1,683 $4,563,000 $15 15
- 63 Control Wein. $4,760 -18.2% 6 -6 $793 $845,000 - 13
- 67 Lions for Lambs UA $2,000 -29.8% 7 -5 $285 $14,938,000
$35 9


Well One Missed Call managed to gross more than I estimated. I'm sure there will be a huge drop off next weekend but this is enough to make the studio pretty happy.

Juno (which I haven't seen yet) Is riding a wave of good word of mouth and it will most likely become a $100M earner. Kudos for small films doing well.

All the big holdovers are still doing well (Alvin, I Am Legend, and National Treasure). Alvin is still a big surprise to me

P.S. I Love You which started off low, is benefitting from being the only real chick flick in release as its drop was only 14% from last weekend and it will quietly earn $50M or more by the time all is said and done

Rank* Title
(Click to view chart) Friday
1/4
(Estimates) Saturday
1/5 Sunday
1/6 Monday
1/7
1 NATIONAL TREASURE: BOOK OF SECRETS
Buena Vista

3,762 $6,375,000

+78.1% / $1,695
$157,183,000 / 15
N/A
N/A
N/A
2 JUNO
Fox Searchlight

1,925 $5,210,000

+149.7% / $2,706
$41,017,000 / 31
N/A
N/A
N/A
4 I AM LEGEND
Warner Bros.

3,648 $5,200,000

+83.7% / $1,425
$217,538,000 / 22
N/A
N/A
N/A
3 ONE MISSED CALL
Warner Bros.

2,240 $5,200,000

-- / $2,321
$5,200,000 / 1
N/A
N/A
N/A
5 ALVIN AND THE CHIPMUNKS
Fox

3,462 $4,635,000

+43.9% / $1,339
$165,373,000 / 22
N/A
N/A
N/A
6 P.S. I LOVE YOU
Warner Bros.

2,471 $2,650,000

+55.7% / $1,072
$34,018,000 / 15
N/A
N/A
N/A
7 CHARLIE WILSON'S WAR
Universal

2,594 $2,555,000

+96.4% / $985
$47,001,000 / 15
N/A
N/A
N/A
8 THE WATER HORSE: LEGEND OF THE DEEP
Sony (Revolution)

2,777 $1,875,000

+36.9% / $675
$26,468,000 / 11
N/A
N/A
N/A
9 SWEENEY TODD: THE DEMON BARBER OF FLEET STREET
Paramount (DreamWorks)

1,249 $1,750,000

+52.2% / $1,401
$34,822,000 / 15
N/A
N/A
N/A
10 ATONEMENT
Focus Features

583 $1,490,000

+173.9% / $2,556
$15,581,000 / 29
N/A
N/A
N/A
11 ALIENS VS. PREDATOR - REQUIEM
Fox

2,617 $1,385,000

+46.9% / $529
$33,956,000 / 11
N/A
N/A
N/A
12 THE GREAT DEBATERS
MGM (Weinstein)

1,290 $1,315,000

+110.8% / $1,019
$19,078,000 / 11
N/A
N/A
N/A
13 ENCHANTED
Buena Vista

1,932 $1,185,000

+19.7% / $613
$117,198,000 / 45
N/A
N/A
N/A
14 THE GOLDEN COMPASS
New Line

1,611 $825,000

+17.4% / $512
$63,616,000 / 29
N/A
N/A
N/A
15 WALK HARD: THE DEWEY COX STORY
Sony / Columbia

2,041 $635,000

+11.3% / $311
$16,118,000 / 15
N/A
N/A
N/A
16 NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN
Miramax

819 $550,000

+71.3% / $672
$43,492,000 / 57
N/A
N/A
N/A
17 THE KITE RUNNER
Paramount Vantage

384 $485,000

+63.8% / $1,263
$7,508,000 / 22
N/A
N/A
N/A
18 THERE WILL BE BLOOD
Paramount Vantage

51 $385,000

+900.3% / $7,549
$893,000 / 10
N/A
N/A
N/A
-


-
N/A
N/A

THIS WEEKEND The first frame of 2008 brings only one new release which means the North American box office should be ruled mostly by holiday holdovers. The horror picture One Missed Call will give fans of scary movies something new to nibble on. Awards contenders will continue to expand including indie sensation Juno which will add hundreds of new theaters to its run. Overall, the healthy marketplace should post a year-over-year gain versus 2007 to kick off the new year on the right note.

Hoping to capture some of the success that The Ring enjoyed a half-decade ago, Warner Bros. unleashes the new supernatural thriller One Missed Call. The PG-13 film is a remake of a hit Japanese chiller about young adults who receive voicemail recordings of their own deaths shortly before they are killed. Fright films like these typically become winners through two important elements - a creepy plot and strong marketing. One Missed Call has both. Trailers and television spots have been very effective in communicating the storyline and they've been edited well enough to give the target audience the chills.

Marketplace conditions are also favorable since there are no other horror films out there plus no competing new releases this weekend either. Teens and young adults are the main audience and they are done with the Fresh Prince's turn as the last man on Earth and are ready to go see something new. And since most college students are still on winter break, look for a solid showing from that segment. Plus a trim running time of under 90 minutes will ensure plenty of showtimes.

The first non-holiday weekend of January proved to be just the right time to open two other recent horror hits. In 2006, the R-rated Hostel bowed to $19.6M and a $8,909 average while a year earlier White Noise with its PG-13 classification bowed to $24.1M and a stellar $10,665 average. However, last January was a tough one for fright flicks as Primeval opened later in the month to only $6M and a $2,475 average and The Hitcher debuted to just $7.8M and a $2,758 average. Opening in 2,240 theaters, One Missed Call could open to about $9M. I would suggest more since the marketing has been strong but horror has definitely dropped in the numbers.

Fox Searchlight will give another major expansion to its hot indie smash Juno which will try to climb one more chart position this weekend. The PG-13 film has been on a tear since going nationwide on Christmas Day becoming a feel-good hit for the arthouse crowd and beyond. On Friday, Juno widens from 1,019 to 1,880 locations. Look for its average of $10,436 to simmer down to about $7,000 in this frame resulting in a solid $13M weekend gross which again would be the biggest of its run so far. The total would rise to $49M with the road ahead leading past the $100M mark.

With only one new film going into release, Nicolas Cage hopes to make it three straight weekends atop the box office charts with National Treasure: Book of Secrets. The Disney smash could drop by 40% to about $22M lifting the cume to an amazing $171M which would be within striking distance of the $173M of its 2004 predecessor.

Like Treasure, Alvin and the Chipmunks also faces virtually no competition from One Missed Call. The Fox comedy might fall by 35% to roughly $19M which would push the total to $176M

Sci-fi megahit I Am Legend has become the third biggest grosser of Will Smith's career and its cume is still climbing higher. Warner Bros. could see a 40% drop to around $16M for a gross to date of $227M. The quarter-billion mark domestically is still within its reach. Overseas, Legend has vaulted to $126M already so the $400M worldwide barrier could crumble this weekend.

Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts enjoyed a healthy post-Christmas bump for Charlie Wilson's War which mature audiences are now finding. Universal's 1980s-set flick may drop by 30% to $8M for an overall sum of $52M.

Sweeney Todd has been doing ok since its release but I think it may see more of a dip until it gets more award attention. prediction is $6M for the weekend.


what do you guys think?

5. Dead Silence



I had decent hopes for Dead Silence but they were all dashed within the first 10 minutes. It's a poorly written horror film with blank characters and very little thrills. The "twist" ending is a bit laughable and Donnie Whalberg gives an absolutely embarrassing performance. I'm starting to think James Wan only had one good film in him (Saw) after seeing this debacle.

4. Spider-Man 3



I gave this a mixed review when I saw this in theaters but after watching it again on DVD, the film was more horrendous then i remembered. There isn't much that works here and it falls victim to trying to cram too much into one film. The only story angle that really works is the Harry/Peter conflict but the rest of the film is lacking. The Peter/Mary Jane relationship is more annoying this time around and I won't get into how wasted Venom is in this story. Things start off fairly well but it gradually all falls apart as the film goes along. This is a shame considering how good the first two films are. If they do make another one, i hope they go back to basics and do what works.

3. The Messengers



If only this film was as good as Kristen Stewart's performance. She does what she can with the material but this generic ghost story suffers from a lot of unoriginal ideas and a shift in tone towards the end that does even more damage (the film goes from ghost story to slasher film without much of a warning). Ghost House Productions keeps putting out these lackluster horror films and since this did decently at the box office...i think we may get more of them.

2. Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End



This filmed suffered even more than Spider-Man 3 after i saw it again on DVD. I liked the first two films but this one is one big mess. They try to wrap up a lot of loose ends in this film and they do so in a very sloppy fashion. The film is way too long and it proves that this franchise needs Johnny Depp because he isn't the focus in this film and it suffers more when he isn't on screen. Keira Knightly is ok here but when paired with Orlando Bloom they are tragically boring. i wish this franchise went out on a high note but it simply does not.

1. Halloween (2007)



This is 2007's worse offender. Before i go into my tirade let me say I love the original Halloween and it's one of my favorite movies. Having said that, when i saw the first trailer for the Halloween remake I thought it looked pretty good and I was actually excited to see it.

All my excitement faded when i saw this poor excuse for a film. Rob Zombie turns John Carpenter's masterpiece into the trailer trash hour and completely butchers the original film. What we have here is a vile, disgusting, and thrill-less piece of garbage that doesn't work on any level. The first hour of original material tries to be deep and offer us some answers for Michael's behavior but it's so poorly written that it just comes off as completely pointless. The last 50 minutes represented a sloppy rehash of the original film but minus the suspense or characters we care about. The three main girls all act the same and Dr. Loomis comes off as a caricature rather than a character.

The only kudo i can offer is Danielle Harris is in this and she looks pretty good. That's about all the positive feedback i can muster

Special Consideration:

Saw 4: Really wish they would end after seeing this film. Very incoherent and a waste of time

10. Alpha Dog



Alpha Dog is a film that gets better and better with each viewing in my opinion. This is a prime example of a ensemble cast really elevating a film to a much higher level. Emile Hirsch, Ben Foster, Anton Yelchin, Bruce Willis, Sharon Stone and, yes, even Justin Timberlake all give extremely solid performances in this gripping true life drama. The last 15 minutes still slay me and are probably some of the most emotional scenes of the year for me.

9. 28 Weeks Later



One can argue that 28 Weeks Later is more visceral and less intelligent than its predecessor but in a year when horror pretty much sucked, this film stood out as the best of the bunch. The funny thing is I had very little interest in seeing this film initially but I'm very happy I did. The action is fast and quick and there are definitely some scares to be had. There is a sense of hysteria in this film that is just overwhelming and it works wonderfully for the film. Also, kudos for having characters in a horror film that I could actually care about. This is something that a lot them lacked this year and I hope they get back on track.

8. In the Land of Women



Call it a case of bad marketing, but In the Land of Women is much better than the trailers indicate. I know you won't find this on many top ten list but since I'm going through now, what the main character is going through in this film, I have to say it hit pretty close to home. This is one of those angsty young adult dramedys that are made for people my age. To me, this film is all about self discovery and finding out that sometimes you need to leave familiar surroundings in order to figure out what you truly want. Adam Brody could very well be the leader of geeks after this and his 4 year geeked out turn on The O.C. This is definitely a film you guys should really see, even though it did fly under the radar.

7. 1408



1408 is a great example of a mind fuck film. I'm not saying it's the best of its kind, but it certainly worked for me. This is a horror film that is an attack on almost all the senses and it is carried by a great performance from John Cusack. Stephen King's material is sometimes given a very shakey big screen treatment, but I think this one stands out as one of the best. Also, like I said with 28 Weeks Later, horror was stale this year and it was nice to see something that was fresh and even a bit scary.

6. Hairspray



Hairspray is the true definition of the word crowd pleaser. I walked in with zero expectations and left thinking that it was the best movie of the summer (yes even better than the big event pictures like Transformers and Spider-Man 3). The cast does an amazing job with the material and it is my humble opinion that it does deserve the Sag Award for best ensemble performance that it's nominated for. It's just a truly fun movie that is bound to lighten up your day.

5. Superbad



Superbad was a pleasant flashback to high school. Sure, a lot of these outrageous things did not happen to me, but, the essence of all of it is very much grounded in reality. This simple tale of two best friends (and one Mclovin) trying to score booze, win the girls and get laid works because behind all the raunchy antics lies a truly big heart. These movies only work for me when they have a lot of feeling behind them and Superbad definitely works on that level. Adding to that, I'm going to single out Michael Cera because he's damn funny in this film and I expect to see even bigger things from this guy in the future.

4. Knocked Up



Speaking of raunchy comedies that are made with heart, I don't think any of them did it better than Knocked Up. The same team behind Superbad is on hand here and I must say they have nearly perfected this kind of comedy. The movie works because the situation actually feels like it could happen and the two main stars have wonderful chemistry. Adding to this, the supporting players all give solid performances and nearly steal all of their scenes. There's something pretty romantic about the film as well since it shows not all loving relationships are formed from the most conventional circumstances.

3. Mr. Brooks



Mr. Brooks gets my award for the most underrated film of the year. Many critics said that it looked like it should've been made in the mid 90's since this kind of serial killer thriller hasn't been made in awhile, but I thought this was a smartly made thriller with a great performance from Kevin Costner. I didn't think I'd write that sentence ever but he's very good at making his serial killer likable, tragic and deadly. Adding to his resume of great supporting performances is William Hurt as Mr. Brooks' more evil alter-ego. There is a lot going on in the film that I don't want to give away but I really thought this film deserved more recognition than it got.

2. Black Snake Moan



Black Snake Moan is a prime example of two performers just going all out to give great performances. Christina Ricci is stripped down to her core both literally in figuratively in a truly brave performance that deserves award attention. Samuel L. Jackson hasn't been this good in awhile and the two actors have wonderful chemistry together. It's a rather twisted character study but it works because through all the silliness of her being chained up in his house, lies a very realistic portrayal of two people trying to find meaning in their lives. Justin Timberlake also gives a solid supporting performance, but this is movie belongs to the main stars and it works very well because of them.

1. Zodiac



David Fincher is just a genius in my book. He makes truly stylish films that are also thought provoking. He turned the serial killer thriller on its head with Seven and now he does the same again with the true life thriller, Zodiac. This movie is nearly 3 hours long but it left me wanting more and I have not gotten bored of it during repeat viewings. There is this overwhelming sense of dread and tension that just oozes on the screen. These kind of movies work all because of atmosphere and Fincher definitely sets the right tone for all that's going on in the film. The movie isn't a real acting showcase but Robert Downey Jr. does stand out in a truly great performance. I left the theater a little freaked out after this was over and to me, that's saying the film definitely did its job

Notable Mentions:

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

Breach