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Slow season at the box office |
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Hollywood had yet another lacklustre week, with the top grossing Four Brothers earning just about $20 million. A story of four adopted brothers attending their mother's funeral only to suspect she was murdered, the revenge drama got fairly decent reviews.
Kate Hudson starrer The Skeleton Key hasn't opened to huge numbers. But if it stays consistent for another week, it could be a moderate success. With a much better comedy Wedding Crashers around, and The Dukes of Hazzard still attracting the young and the restless, new gross-out comedy Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo tickled far fewer people than expected. And war drama The Great Raid was a well-meaning film that just did not take off, leading to reviewers calling it a noble failure.
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1. Four Brothers Cast: Mark Wahlberg, Andre Benjamin, Tyrese Gibson and Garret Hedlund. Director: John Singleton.  A fast and furious revenge drama without pretensions; young cast. Too violent; dialogue lacks sparks.Number of weeks: New. BO Verdict: Promising.
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2. The Skeleton Key Cast: Kate Hudson, Gena Rowlands, Peter Saarsgard and William Hurt. Director: Ian Softley. Few shivers; a surprising ending if your mind is not really on the screen.Another haunted house film without big surprises; waste of great talent.Number of weeks: New. BO Verdict: Promising.
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3. The Dukes Of Hazzard Cast: Johnny Knoxville, Seann Scott Williams, Jessica Simpson, Burt Reynolds and Willie Nelson. Director: Jay Chandrasekhar. Action filled with comedy, Jessica Simpson's sex appeal.Predictable situations, lack of brilliant gags, repetitious car chases.Number of weeks: 2. BO Verdict: Success.
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4. Wedding Crashers Cast: Owen Wilson, Vince Vaughn, Christopher Walken, Rachel McAdams. Director: David Dobkin. Bawdy comedy; terrific chemistry between Wilson and Vaughn; Fast tempo in the fist half.Overextends the plot; runs out of humour and salty jokes in the second half.Number of weeks: 5. BO Verdict: Superhit.
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5. Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo Cast: Rob Schneider, Eddie Griffen, Jean Reno. Director: Mike Bigalow. Gross humor; low-down wit.Even low-down humor should have some standards.Number of weeks: New. BO Verdict: Disappointing.
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6. Charlie And The Chocolate Factory Cast: Johnny Depp, Freddie Highmore, Ned Kelly, Helena Bonham Carter, Deep Roy and Christopher Lee. Director: Tim Burton. Riot of colours; strong drama; and the amazing Oompa-Loompas.Gets a bit repetitive; too dark and punishing to those unfamiliar with the novel.Number of weeks: 5. BO Verdict: Hit. |
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7. March Of The Penguins Narration: Morgan Freeman. Director: Luc Jacquet. Amazing visuals; unbelievable insights into the lives of emperor penguins.A bit too sentimental.Number of weeks: 8. BO Verdict: Superhit.
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8. Sky High Cast: Kurt Russell, Kelly Preston and Michael Angarano. Director: Mike Mitchell. Clean, family-friendly movie; decent performances.Script could have been more imaginative.Number of weeks: 3. BO Verdict: Average.
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9. Must Love Dogs Cast: Diane Lane, John Cusack and Christopher Plummer. Director: Gary David Goldberg. Attractive cast.The actors are underutilised. Movie is too mawkish.Number of weeks: 3. BO Verdict: Also-ran.
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10. The Great Raid Cast: Benjamin Bratt, James Franco, and Joseph Fiennes. Director: John Dahl. Sincere WWII film; fine performances and insights; competent cast.Plodding for the most part; too earnest, but not exciting.Number of weeks: New. BO Verdict: : Immediate flop. The film has been sitting on the Miramax shelf for two years. The $3.4m gross was an embarrassment.
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Text: Arthur J Pais
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