Transformers Revenge of the Fallen raked in an impressive $201.2 Million over 5 days to just narrowly fall short of the record of $203.8 Million currently held by The Dark Knight.

io9 shares:

Box office estimates late Sunday gave Transformers $201.2 million for the five day opening weekend, which isn’t enough to beat The Dark Knight’s $203.8 million, but enough to make it the second highest 5-day opening in US box office history, and the second film ever to break the $200 million mark in such a short amount of time. Already the third most successful film of the year, it’s likely to take the top spot in a matter of days.

Both are setting trends of a more successful sequel, which we honestly don’t see enough of.

There seems to be a lot of love it or leave it mentality with Transformers that we didn’t see with Dark Knight. I saw it on Friday and I liked it a lot more than I thought I would.

I have similar issues like with the Twins, and I felt as cool as Devastator was, he was mostly wasted. But the action and effects were SO good that I had a great time at the theater.

Were you surprised by the draw? Did you think it was going to be higher, or is this more than you guessed?

Over the last little while teaser posters for 9 have been surfacing around the net.

io9 has gathered up all 9 of the posters to introduce you to the sockpuppet saviours of a post apocalyptic clockwork Earth.

Everything about this movie makes me want to see it even more. I really hope they have collectable figures of these guys. They look awesome.

io9 has enbiggenated versions of these posters.

Today I came across the Last Airbender Teaser poster and realized I hadn’t posted the Teaser Trailer yet, so today you get both.

The poster is unimpressive, but its a teaser. I wonder if this means the Last Airbender went to Hogwarts? Anyways, much more impressive is the teaser trailer below.

Now THAT made me want to see this.

Via

Ok, the title of the article I found over at Horror Yearbook used a title that implies that Jacob Black and Mike Newton go on a date in Twilight Saga’s New Moon.

But that just isn’t the case, but its still funny to see the title and the confusion it might cause.

Anyways, in the article they are quoting Michael Welch (who plays Mike Newton, a co-worker and friend of Bella’s who has a crush on her - who doesn’t in these books?) where he talks about a scene were his character and Jacob inadvertently ends up going on a “date” with Bella after a group outing to the theater turns into Bella’s two biggest fans accompanying her. He talks about the fictional movie within the movie:

The film is called ‘Face Punch. It’s an action film. We started out with a few other comical names, but it turned out those were actual films so we couldn’t use those titles. I forget the first few titles, but it was like ‘Crazy Explosion’ — and it turns out, there actually was a ‘Crazy Explosion.’ Chris came up with the title. And apparently there is no ‘Face Punch’ that we know of.

Welsh speculates that a fake trailer for the movie they see which in the book is called “Crosshairs” and is the second film that Bella sees in the book, the first being a Zombie flick called “Dead End”.

Maybe Weitz will come up with some trailers for them and we might get a peek at what is going on “on screen” in these movies. Would just be fun to see.

More fun than watching Jacob and Mike on a date.

Remember when it was announced that R2-D2 made a cameo appearance in Star Trek and they even made a contest around it. People speculated that R2 was in a pillar design in the launch bay, or that he was in the machinery in the engineering deck. It wasn’t him. Well now the cat is out of the bag, and we have found R2.

Ok, we didn’t find him, but we found an article that definitively answers the question.

Gizmodo reports:

During the Drill Machine sequence as the Enterprise comes out of its barrel role amidst destruction of the other Federation ships above Vulcan, we cut to an interior Enterprise bridge over the shoulder of Kirk that is looking out through the front viewscreen. In space, R2-D2 is floating in the debris from about the top middle of the screen to the bottom right.

And now, we are starting to hear rumours that R2-D2 also has a cameo appearance in Transformers Revenge of the Fallen too!

Has anyone found out if this is true? Have you seen him?

The popularity tidal wave of vampires is far from over, but at least they are making an effort to bring new creative versions of the occultic urban legend figures.

Daybreakers flips the coin making Vampires the dominate race on the planet who hunt and harvest the remaining humans. Their blood supply is running low and a group of humans finds a cure that can change Vampires back into normal people.

Looks pretty interesting, but I am not fully sold on it just yet.

Thanks for checking out our Forgotten Fridays feature. This is something we want to try out to review some older films that maybe you have forgotten about or maybe never got around to seeing that we just want to share.

Today’s review is American Flyers

Release: August 16 1985
Genre: Drama
Director: John Badham
Staring: Kevin Costner, David Marshall Grant

In my younger days (and soon again) I was quite the cycling enthusiast. I even competed on the semipro circuit placing modestly. I also took a 1200km route from Quebec City to Toronto in 12 days. Damn, I used to be in shape. And this is in part why I find American Flyers to be such an important film to me. But it also has a deep storyline that makes this exciting race movie more of a drama.

THE GENERAL IDEA

Sports physician Marcus (Costner) persuades his unstable brother David to come with him and train for a bicycle race across the Rocky Mountains. He doesn’t tell him that he has a cerebral tumor. While David powerfully heads for the victory, Marcus has to realize that the contest is now beyond his capabilities.

THE GOOD

They don’t candycoat the mechanics of the bike racing. In a lot of sports movies they change elements to make them more entertaining. Like Olympic figure skating with performance concert lighting (The lights are always on in competition skating) but we forgive it because it looks cooler. But Flyers managers to do keep the technicalities of the sport accurate to a tee and illustrates some of the strategies cyclists use to win a race.

The story is sincere. There are no story hooks that require forgiveness in it. Things happen for a purpose, there is no “convenient coincidences” to save the day. There is no miracles. There is drive, passion, and a brotherly bond. There are no pointless love interests. There is no hokey plot holes to serve the excitement of the sport. It is a great story that just gives you a real life relationship and none of the “hollywood baggage”

THE BAD

Kevin Costner is Costner. I really think that Costner is a fantastic actor when he wants to be, but typically he is just Costner. Which works out, because he seems like a really genuine guy and he plays the everyday joe very well. Costner loves his sports movies, and most of them tend to be “What if Costner was a pro ball player/pro golfer/etc?” this is no exception. People that don’t like Costner at all are not going to like this movie as it revolves entirely around him and his brother.

There are some actors I can’t stand them being the same guy, but Costner doesn’t have that affect on me.

OVERALL

The sincere storyline, great illustration of a brotherly love that we don’t often see in films anymore, and some real exciting cycling all contribute to a great film. I just love this to death because of my involvement in the sport. Still a great movie, even without all the Hollywood shine.

Typically this is where we would write a “Out of 10″ rating, but since all of these Forgotten Friday reviews are going to be what I would already give a high rating to, I have made my own rating system.

TV - Make a point of watching it if you see it listed on TV.
Rent - Good enough to go out of your way to see it, but not enough to buy it.
Buy - So good. You will watch it again and again. Buy it!

So on a scale of TV, Rent or Buy I suggest RENT! (It was a buy for me, but for different reasons. But safe to call it a Rent for anyone else)

It appears that The Prince of Pop, Michael Jackson has died today as the result of a cardiac arrest. He was 50.

MSNBC is reporting:

The Los Angeles Times reports that Michael Jackson has died at age 50 after being rushed to UCLA Medical Center.

Los Angeles Fire Department Capt. Steve Ruda told the newspaper that Jackson was not breathing when paramedics arrived at his home and CPR was performed.

The very strange and unique life of Michael Jackson defies description. A child star, a musical talent and innovative dancer, Jackson has always been on both sides of the critics favour.

His lifestyle and personal choices in life often made him the subject of ridicule, but his musical talent is rarely challenged.

Michael Jackson even had a limited movie career appearing in The Wiz (1978), a hip adaptation of the Wizard of Oz where he played the Scarecrow. More recently Michael even did self mocking humour posing as himself in Men in Black 2 as the hopeful Agent M.

Shocking news. As odd as he was, 50 is too early for anyone to leave this world. He was just about to embark on his “comeback tour”.

I give to you the possibly inappropriate Zombie Jackson in Thriller:

Rest in peace Michael, your life was rarely peaceful.

Cameron Diaz and James Marsden are starring in the psychological thriller called The Box.
Trailer Addict describes it as:

Norma and Arthur Lewis are a suburban couple with a young child who receive an anonymous gift bearing fatal and irrevocable consequences. A simple wooden box, it promises to deliver its owner $1 million with the press of a button. However, pressing this button will simultaneously cause the death of another human being somewhere in the world…someone they don’t know. With just 24 hours to have the box in their possession, Norma and Arthur find themselves in the crosshairs of a startling moral dilemma and face the true nature of their humanity.

This looks like it has something far deeper than the simple dillema of “would you?” to it. Looks promising.

Zack Snyder has been attached to a proposed 300 sequel, and while speculation was all the news we had, he has finally broken the silence and chatted about it.

FirstShowing quotes Snyder:

“I think we would use the same technology… I don’t want it to look too Star Wars-ian… Just from what [Miller] told me, it would be bigger as far as landscape and terrain. We’re going to see Athens and the Aegean and other places. There would be an opportunity for bigger visions, though I’d hope for the same aesthetic. The tech we used for 300 was not a revolution. It’s basically what the weatherman has. Look, instead of Accuweather it’s Sparta… It’s going to be the same way, but on crazier steroids.”

I like Frank Miller doing comics far better than him pretending he can direct. He is an amazing storyteller and artist, but I don’t think that the director’s chair is a comfortable perch for him.

This is a promising look at 300 as a sequel. Clearly there is little else to say AFTER the movie, and there isn’t much of a premise for BEFORE the movie. SO why not make it IN the movie.

Then maybe one day we will get an edited 4.5 hour version of 300 that seamlessly stitches both stories together!

Watchmen may not have been the success that comic fans hoped for, but it seems to be a hot or cold result. Either people loved it to death for its accuracy to the comic that redefined the type of stories told in comics.

Sadly it didn’t redefine stories that can be told in comic book movies. Well the die hard fans will get their chance to see a directors cut with additional footage not seen in the theatrical cut.

Live for Film shares:

“I can verify that you will get to see the brutal murder of Hollis Mason by a bunch of top-knotted thugs. As with most of the violent scenes in WATCHMEN, Snyder has taken a dozen or so panels from the graphic novel and transformed them into breathtaking cinema. He’s also turned the sequence into a half-clever, half-heartbreaking homage to Raging Bull, with Hollis flashing back to his crime-fighting heyday as the “Intermezzo” from CAVALLERIA RUSTICANA briefly dominates the soundtrack. The music - and his punch-drunk reverie - ends abruptly when the gang’s ringleader busts open Hollis’s skull with his Nite Owl trophy. This is a brilliantly shot-and-edited sequence.”

So this limited release will only be shown for one weekend (a week before San Diego Comic Con) in one theater in each of the following cities; LA, Dallas, Minneapolis, and New York City.

The Director’s Cut of Watchmen will be the same version available on Blu-Ray and DVD on July 21st.

Farrah Fawcett who will always be known as one of Charlies Angels has passed away at the age of 62 after a three year battle with cancer.

CNN reports:

Fawcett, who checked into a hospital in early April, had been battling anal cancer on and off for three years.

Bloch told CNN that Ryan O’Neal, Fawcett’s romantic partner since the mid-1980s, and her friend Alana Stewart were with Fawcett at Saint John’s Hospital in Santa Monica, California, when she died.

Fawcett has been a 70s sex symbol and the poster girl for and ambassador of feathered hair.

She is best known for her role on the original Charlies Angels TV series despite only being a full time cast member for one of its 5 seasons. She did make some reoccuring appearances on the show to fulfill some contract obligations, but is easily the most recognizable personality from the program.

In the category of “Because No One Asked for it” it seems Fox is moving ahead on the sequel to Hitman and they have found their writer Kyle Ward.

Collider shares:

Fox is trying again and have brought screenwriter Kyle Ward (who also wrote the script based on “Kane & Lynch”, another videogame adaptation which mercifully hasn’t hit screens yet) on board for a new script based on the upcoming “Hitman” videogame due out in 2010, because if you need a great story, you can always look to videogames. The story would focus on 47 “building himself back up psychologically and physically to reclaim his mantle as the world’s most feared assassin.”

I don’t mind that they keep making movies based on video games. Perhaps it is my sadistic side that keeps hoping against hope that one day we will have a video game adaptation that doesn’t suck. Hitman wasn’t it.

Not that the premise wasn’t bad, but I just couldn’t buy Timothy Olyphant as a badass. Also strange since I just love his badass slightly unhinged porn producer in Girl Next Door. I was looking forward to seeing him do the cold calculating killer in Hitman and I just couldn’t get there.

So it only makes sense to have a movie about a professional killer who aspires to be well known.

Uh, is it just me or does that seem counter productive to a professional killer??

This is not off to a good start.

The San Diego Comic Con has slowly become less about comics, and frankly no one cares. Its the COMIC CON!!!

Well Fox has a press release announcing their schedule for the event to let us know what they are pimping this year.

MovieWeb

FRIDAY, JULY 24:

2:15-3:00 P.M. Coming off its most critically acclaimed season in years, 24 stars Kiefer Sutherland, Mary Lynn Rajskub and new cast members Anil Kapoor, Freddie Prinze, Jr. and Katee Sackhoff join showrunnner Howard Gordon and the producers of the Emmy-winning series for a special sneak peek at the heart-stopping premiere episode of Season 8. Ballroom 20.

3-3:45 P.M. Bones showrunner Hart Hanson and stars David Boreanaz and Emily Deschanel are on hand for a discussion of what’s on deck for Booth and Brennan, hot on the heels of this year’s much talked-about season finale in which the pair finally wound up between the sheets. Ballroom 20.

4 P.M-6 P.M. Join Dollhouse creator Joss Whedon and star/producer Eliza Dushku for a no-holds-barred Q & A about what they have planned for season 2, after they unveil a special screening of the NEVER BEFORE SEEN “Epitaph One” episode of the Fox hit which releases on DVD just four days later. Ballroom 20.

SATURDAY, JULY 25:

11:15 A.M.-12 P.M Join Seth MacFarlane, Mila Kunis, Seth Green and the brilliant creative minds behind Family Guy for a raucous discussion of what goes on behind the scenes of tv’s most subversive animated hit. They’ll also be offering a not-to-be-missed sneak peek at Something, Something, Something, Dark Side the Empire Strikes Back parody follow-up to Family Guy: Blue Harvest. Giggity! Ballroom 20.

12-12:45 P.M. Con fans will get the FIRST LOOK at The Cleveland Show, the wickedly funny new spin-off of Family Guy starring America’s favorite beleaguered animated African American, Cleveland Brown. Co-creators Seth MacFarlane, Mike Henry and Rich Appel and voice cast Sana’a Lathan and Kevin Michael Richardson will all be on hand to discuss this new series premiering on Fox in the fall. Ballroom 20.

1-1:45 P.M. Futurama: Life or Death?! BE A PART OF SCI-FI HISTORY! Join Executive Producers Matt Groening and David X. Cohen, and stars Billy West, Katey Sagal, John DiMaggio and Maurice LaMarche for high-stakes thrills as a top-ranking Fox executive decides live, on stage, whether Futurama will make yet another triumphant return, or whether it is gone forever! The very fate of Futurama hangs in the balance! Paramedics will be standing by in case the intense excitement causes any panelists to collapse. Raucous celebration or abject despair to follow the news. Ballroom 20.

1:45-2:30 P.M. Now entering its record-breaking 21st season on the air, The Simpsons is the longest-running series in the history of American television, and a household name around the world. Get a behind-the-scenes look at what’s coming up in the Simpsonverse, including never-before-seen highlights from the upcoming “Treehouse of Horror XX”, with a panel including Simpsons Creator Matt Groening, Showrunner Al Jean, Executive Producer Matt Selman and Supervising Director Mike Anderson. Ballroom 20.

1:30-3 P.M. When Fox aired a special preview of its subversive new comedy musical series Glee after the American Idol finale, the response was through the roof and fans have hungered for another episode ever since. The wait is over! Join stars Matthew Morrison, Lea Michele and Cory Monteith and the producers of the Fox hit for a sneak preview screening of a never-before-broadcast episode with panel discussion to follow. Don’t Stop Believin’, Con fans! Glee is here! Indigo Room.

SUNDAY, JULY 26:

11:15 A.M.-12:15 P.M. American Dad showrunners Mike Barker and Matt Weitzman and stars Seth MacFarlane, Wendy Schall and Dee Bradley Baker are back to regale the fans with an insider’s look at how an episode of the hilarious Fox animated comedy is made, from table read to animatic to color. Don’t miss this one-of-a-kind Comic-con event. Ballroom 20.

I know its popular for the kiddies to hate on Fox. Most complaints people have about that studio are the very same thing that every other studio does too. Its kind of amusing to watch all that hate get channeled because they manipulate their news and promote stuff like they are doing US a favour when we already know what they are up to.

They are like that distant crazy aunt who does something nice for you for ulterior motives and you just smile and nod and remember the $12 cheque she gave you for your birthday while you are helping her move.

Fox execs will be hiding behind the cardboard standies of the Simpsons, that show that is a lot like the Simpspons, and the spinoff of that show that is a lot like the Simpspons. Oh, lets not forget that sci fi animated comedy by the guy who created the Simpsons getting un-cancelled.

Now I know this is a press release publicity spin, but after Ausiello confirmed that 26 episodes of Futurama have already been ordered so the premise that a panel at SDCC would be the deciding factor for the return of Futurama (which of course I can’t wait for) is kind of poor spin.

The news that the forbidden 13th episode of the now saved Dollhouse will be shown at SSDC is dampened knowing I can just BUY it days after! Thank Zod!

And the softy in me is just gushing over Glee. Damn I am a sucker for inspiring melodies.

With Transformers Revenge of the Fallen opening up in two major markets that are NOT the US this weekend, we get our first peek at what the boxoffice might shape up as around the followup to Michael Bay’s $400million dollar run of Transformers.

Collider shares:

The sequel took in an initial offering of $20 million from 846 screens in just two territories - Britain and Japan. I know $20 million doesn’t seem like very much so, just to put that number in perspective for you, the #2 movie internationally, “Terminator Salvation”, brought in $18.4 million from 9,400 screens in 74 territories.

So while some people are laughing at the less than impressive $20million take that the big fucking robot movie managed to get, combined with its less than impressive 38% at Rotten Tomatoes (not yet counting professional critic reviews), it is a matter of perspective.

Terminator opened up on more than 10 times the screens, in 37 times as many markets to drag in almost that kind of money.

I tend to suck at these “guess the boxoffice” type games, but I would modestly expect $80million for the weekend. I will probably be realy wrong there.

What is your prediction for this week’s North American release?

A new Trailer for Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds has surfaced on the net.

I like how this trailer fleshes out the storyline a little more. For a while we had nothing but rumour to expect that this was nothing short of a Tarantino violence orgy, while others cautioned that there would be a storyline and that violence would be secondary to the main plot.

It seems there will be something more than “Nazi Killin Bidnez” here.

Via

Shane Acker’s 9 is a fantastic looking fantasy bit that was spawned from Acker’s short of the same name. The feature film treatment appears to be very close to its source material, but adding voice to the whimsical characters.

Well today we found a clip online that shows some of the pressing action that our little sockpuppet savior will face.

Its like Transformers meets Little Big Planet. Just awesome.

Via

Some new images from Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland, the first of which features his hetero life partner Johnny Depp.

This looks pretty awesome. The imagery is half of this film and the bright and shiny wonderland still manages to be dark and gritty. Not an easy feat. I can’t wait to see more.

Via

There has been a lot of comparisons of the current Transformers Film Franchise to its source material, and for obvious reasons. Half of what makes these Transformers films a big draw to people my age is that we were brought up on the original cartoon. We are all waiting to see if our favourite bots will make the roster and see what they would look like re-imagined on the big screen for live action.

I still want to see a HotRod (or Hotshot) as he was always my favourite. (I like the care free hotshot turned underdog leader burdened with more self doubt than responsibility. Builds character)

Anyways, there are a few things that people want to see in a Transformers film that I just don’t see happening. I thought I would make a post for that discussion here.

Over a year ago I posted an April Fool’s joke that hinted at some of these characters being present in a gag announcing we knew which bots would be on the roster. and while some were predictions, they were an effective gag because they were plausible. It COULD have happened even though it was totally made up. So when I bring up these issues remember that I am not totally against it, just that I don’t predict it will happen for a reason.

Grimlock

Its not that I don’t think Grimlock would be a bad choice, I think he would be awesome. He was easily near the top of my list in favourite personalities. “Me Grimlock! Strongest leader!!” Damn that guy is great. But I honestly don’t see them bringing him in, at least not the way people would want.

The Autobots tend to still be living the whole “robots in disguise” thing and laying low among earth’s motorpool despite the Decepticons picking Earth Modes when it suits them and Transforming into whatever they want. So a bot that changes into a Dino just doesn’t seem plausible with the current trends. If anything I would love to see a Hummer or something that changes into a Grimlock bot (maybe with a dino triple changer mode) but at the core of it, I just want to see the personality show up. Have him unwittingly challenging Prime for leadership, Prime outmatched physically has to outsmart him to keep him in line. Good fun.

Galvatron

Despite a lot of the viewership knowing the history of the cartoon, we have to remember. THIS IS NOT THE CARTOON. With Megatron’s short lived screentime before his “death” some fans presume that his “rebirth” in Revenge of the Fallen should come with a name change as well. Clearly there is a parallel with Megatron getting his servos handed to him, is discarded but then ressurected.

But a name change won’t matter here. First off, it would JUST be a name, and that would just confuse things, so why change it?? Galvatron was not Megatron. He only has shadows of Megatron’s memories after the upgrade by Unicron, and is different in personality. Megatron was an evil opportunist and feirce leader over the Decepticons forged in his timeless war against the Autobots and dominance over his planet Cybertron. His only purpose is the expansion of his empire and wants to rule all of the galaxy. Galvatron is a focal point of power and madness given form. He is irrational and rage driven and would shoot an ally to get a clear shot.

I would suspect that since the first film introduced us to Megatron only in the closing battle, this film will serve to further use the character. Personally I had hoped the rumours that Megatron wasn’t in this at all would ring true and I was disappointed to find out he was going to be in this. Not because I didn’t like the character, but because I felt that Megatron’s triumphant return would be better served as the focal point of a third movie.

Unicron

Speaking of Galvatron, we can’t overlook his maker Unicron. And a lot of people seem to think this would be epic to have Unicron in this film. I disagree. Remember Galactus??

The one thing people seem to gripe about the most is the presence of these feeble fleshbags in a film about Giant Fucking Robots fighting. Oh they whine about the vapid Megan Fox getting more screen time to show cleavage or a sweaty midriff or Shia getting a chance to be all too human and genuine that we moan about their presence. Why have humans at all?

Its a common sci-fi element to tie it into reality by using familiar ground. It binds you emotionally to the film. Instead of watching giant robots kick each other around, you can see their epic battles through the eyes of the human lives it affects. I know people will want to disagree with this, but consider what Star Wars would have been like if it was all aliens that were not at all human like? We find ourselves sucked into that world as the humans among the aliens. And you can name dozens of other sci-fi stuff that features a Human among the strange and wonderful, and it is typically through that character that we experience the wonder of the unfamiliar. There are exceptions to this idea, but this is why I feel that Transformers NEEDS humans.

Now what does that have to do with Unicron? Just that I feel the “world eater” who could defeat Earth just by parking next to it is just a dumb thing to see in a Transformers live action film. I get the whole “David and Goliath” motif they are building in these films. The Autobots are seriously outclassed and by no way should be able to win the battle, but we know they will inch out ahead and win the day. With Unicron, I see no reason for them to concievably beat him. And every conceivable scenario that does result in victory excludes any humans and requires a leadership matrix.

Most of the fascination of Unicron would be simply in seeing that visualized with the live action styling. The visuals would be amazing, and a battle withing the innards of a transforming planetoid would be a staggering achievement. But that is where it would end. Unicron is a flat personality that simply presents an insurmountable opposition. To me, Unicron is not nearly as interesting a character as he is a cool visual.

I will take an interesting complex badguy any day of the week over a moon that salivates when it sees a planet.

Overall

So in closing let me repeat that I do relate to why people want to see these things, and in many cases I agree that some things they itch to see in the movie. I just don’t see a lot of them happening. At least not the way that some people think.

Is there anything else you would LOVE to see in the movies that you are sure wouldn’t happen?

Thanks for checking out our new feature, Forgotten Fridays. This is something we want to try out to review some older films that maybe you have forgotten about or maybe never got around to seeing that we just want to share. I have done some of these reviews in the past called Forgotten Gems, but now we want to try and bring you something on a more regular basis.

Today is Saturday, but yesterday became unbearably busy for me, so I apologize. But I still wanted to share a gem I have mentioned before.

Today’s review is Noises Off!

Release: March 20, 1992
Genre: Comedy
Director: Peter Bogdanovich
Staring: Carol Burnett, Michael Caine, Denholm Elliott, Julie Hagerty, Marilu Henner, Mark Linn-Baker, Christopher Reeve, John Ritter and Nicollette Sheridan

See, the International Friends might not know this, but John was actually a roommate of mine back in our younger days. Doug was an unofficial roommate often just spending the majority of the summer at our place as did Wormwood, another TMB Alum. The house I owned at the time was the central hub of our group of friends and that 4 bedroom four level back-split went down in history as a fraternity house of sorts. At one point I had 3 official roommates and about 3-4 more who just lived there. We also had a total of nine couches.

I didn’t want to spend any of my money on something as silly as cable so the movie rental place up the street which offered 7movies for 7 days for 7bucks got a lot of our business. There was always a stack of generic VHS white plastic movie shells on the entertainment unit.

One of those movies, which quickly became a purchase was Noises Off! We wore out that movie.

THE GENERAL IDEA

Lloyd Fellowes (Michael Caine) is the director of a theater company. He’s desperately trying to get his production together, despite the best efforts of the cast, the crew, and Lady Luck. We follow the production from final rehearsals, through opening night, and onto the tour: as with any group of actors forced to work closely together for any great length of time, romances and arguments are bound to break out. Quite often, what’s happening on stage is nothing compared to what’s happening backstage.

THE GOOD

The Play within the Movie is called “Nothing On”, and you only get to see the first part introducing the characters and some of the hijinks, and then skips ahead to the end with a line involving Sardines and some struck poses that make you wonder how the play came to this conclusion. But you don’t need to know. This story is about the actors putting on the show and this is where the genius lies. You are exposed to as much of the play as you need to just to get to the real story.

The Cast. When you hear the term “ensemble cast” it refers to a group where no one is the clear star, but the group itself is the star. I think this movie defines that term better than any other film. Some ensemble casts have a “clear lead” but this film works every personality as just another ingredient in a wonderful salad of laughs. None of them were super stars, but each had their degrees of success. Just check out this lineup:

Carol Burnett, Michael Caine, Denholm Elliott, Julie Hagerty, Marilu Henner, Mark Linn-Baker, Christopher Reeve, John Ritter and Nicollette Sheridan.

Each of these actors are just brilliant in this movie. They all have strong personalities which all play a critical part and of course clash throughout the production. And each one of them plays an actor who is playing an actor in a play. It’s always clear when they are being “themselves” or when the actor is acting. Within this stage production we see what happens backstage and get a look at how a show gets put on. They all have their character quirks and they all shine in them.

The late John Ritter putts his pratfalls and physical comedy to the limit in this movie and not always “in the play”. Also no longer with us Christopher Reeve plays a soft spoken pacifist who gets a nosebleed if he witnesses violence. Which just punctuates the comedy of the falls, kicks, punches and other tomfoolery “on set”.

The comedic timing of each of these players is spot on. A line doesn’t drop without the rim shot to follow. The running gags never get tired.

I was in stitches for probably half of this movie and smiling during the rest of it.

THE BAD

Nicollette Sheridan spends the majority of this movie in lingerie. You hope to see more, but you don’t.

Aside from that, I’ve got nothing. Seriously.

OVERALL

This movie has repeat watching value that wont tire you or bore you. A rare quality. Dare I say that you will NOT find another ensemble as brilliantly mixed as this bunch. They may not have been superstars in their individual right, but together they combine to make the most amazing production which guarantees laughs and memorable lines.

The line by Carol Burnett that always gets me is “I’m sorry, I can’t see that far with this leg” - Sounds silly, but in the context of this complex scene there is nothing more perfect for her to say. You will just have to watch it.

Typically this is where we would write a “Out of 10″ rating, but since all of these Forgotten Friday reviews are going to be what I would already give a high rating to, I have made my own rating system.

TV - Make a point of watching it if you see it listed on TV.
Rent - Good enough to go out of your way to see it, but not enough to buy it.
Buy - So good. You will watch it again and again. Buy it!

So on a scale of TV, Rent or Buy I suggest BUY!