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Blog Entries by Scott Mendelson from 12/2008

Trailer Watch (12/01/08)

| Posted 12.01.2008

He's Just Not That Into You is quickly becoming the movie that will never be released. The ever-shifting release date does not bode well for quality, but I suppose the week before Valentine's Day is as good as any time.

Thanksgiving at the Box Office

| Posted 12.02.2008

Four Christmases became just the fifth non-Disney movie since 1985 to open number one on Thanksgiving weekend (during the Fri-Sun 3-day portion). Ever...

Review: My Name Is Bruce (2008)

| Posted 12.04.2008

My Name Is Bruce 2008 rated R 088 minutes by Scott Mendelson It seems that the tale of the self-depreciating actor is almost becoming a sub-genre a...

Prop 8 (The Musical): Too Little, Too Late?

| Posted 12.04.2008

I can't help but wonder why this didn't pop up before the election. You know, when it might have actually made a difference.

Friday the 13th trailer goes online

| Posted 12.05.2008

The official streaming version is at Yahoo. It seems like they're pretty much ditching the whole concept of a working summer camp amidst the carnage....

Punisher: War Zone Tanks on Friday (Bad News for Female Directors?)

| Posted 12.06.2008

The Punisher: War Zone is pretty lousy, but I'm desperately concerned that its $1.6 million Friday gross is somehow going to be seen as a judgment on women directing hard action films.

Race To Witch Mountain: Fun trailer + Neat Poster = Good Movie?

| Posted 12.07.2008

The poster looks more exciting than any of the last half dozen James Bond posters, and this goofy trailer actually has me hoping its good enough to drag my daughter to on a lazy Sunday afternoon.

Angels & Demons teaser goes online... (a victim of the 'Tomb Raider rule'?)

| Posted 12.07.2008

The only thing about this trailer that makes me interested is the brief appearance of Stellan Skarsgard. Anyway, I wonder if this sequel will be the ...

Catherine Hardwicke Fired from Twilight franchise

| Posted 12.07.2008

Rumors are flying about Hardwicke's professional temperament on the set of her several movies as well as how much say she had in the final outcome of Twilight.

A Comparitive Study of All Three Punisher Films...

| Posted 12.09.2008

In this current age of rebooting one comic franchise or horror franchise after another, it is still something of a milestone that we have a single property that has been rebooted twice in just four years by the same studio.

Trailer Watch: Watchmen Comic Con Clip and Terminator Salvation Trailer

| Posted 12.10.2008

This Watchmen piece was apparently shown at this summer's Comic-Con. It's far superior to the second trailer that came out last month.

Review: Nothing But The Truth

| Posted 12.11.2008

In today's kid-friendly and fantasy-drenched multiplexes Nothing But The Truth stands out as that rarest of things -- a quality drama for grownups.

Review: 199 Lives - The Travis Pastrana Story (2008)

| Posted 12.12.2008

If you are a fan of the sport or the man, 199 Lives: The Travis Pastrana Story is more than worth your time. But it offers little insight or context for non-fans.

Review: Gran Torino (2008)

| Posted 12.15.2008

Gran Torino 2008 116 minutes rated R by Scott Mendelson Clint Eastwood is the rare actor who has had two 'final acts' in his career. The first came...

Review: What Doesn't Kill You (2008)

| Posted 12.16.2008

This is the closest thing Mark Ruffalo has had to star vehicle and he does not waste the opportunity. This is an Oscar worthy performance and one of the very best of the year.

Trailer: X-Men Origins: Wolverine

| Posted 12.16.2008

X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE HD First of all, do you know anyone who is going to refer to this film by its full title? I know Fox wants a franchise of ori...

Review: Valkyrie (2008)

| Posted 12.17.2008

Valkyrie is every bit as good as you remember a Tom Cruise movie being, back when you still liked Tom Cruise.

Thundercats The Movie: A Satirical Trailer Mash-Up That's Truly Art

| Posted 12.22.2008

This fake trailer for Thundercats: The Movie is one of the better, more technically accomplished fake trailers I've seen in awhile.

Review: Dragon Hunters (2008)

| Posted 12.24.2008

Dragon Hunters is France's official submission for 'Best Animated Film' at this year's Oscars. For what it's worth, it is easily one of the three best cartoons I have seen this year.

Review: Milk (2008)

| Posted 12.24.2008

Milk 2008 128 minutes Rated R by Scott Mendelson Gus Van Sant's Milk is a fine character study and a solid look at a specific political movement an...

Review: Yes Man (2008)

| Posted 12.24.2008

Especially in the Oscar season, where everything else involves miserable, self-loathing people dying just before or just after they figure out what went wrong, a movie like Yes Man is a perfect counter programming.

Christmas At The Box Office (So Far)

| Posted 12.27.2008

Everything looks to be absolute gangbusters for the end of the year -- the top three movies that opened on Christmas day all broke the record for the biggest Christmas Day opening of all time.

2008 Film Wrap-Up, Part I: The Moments That Mattered

| Posted 12.29.2008

Let's discuss certain scenes, moments, character beats, and what-not that worked in 2008, regardless of the quality of the films that contained them.

End of 2008 wrap-up Part II - Trailers, Posters, and Two Films of Dubious Distinction.

| Posted 12.31.2008

Best teaser: (tie) Star Trek and Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince ...