More

Entries by Scott Mendelson from 07/2012

Weekend Box Office: Ted, Magic Mike, and Madea's Witness Protection All Open Huge in 'Everybody Wins' Weekend

| Posted 07.01.2012

This is a massive win for all involved, bringing Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane serious film-making clout, further confirming that Mark Wahlberg is an actual 'put butts in the seats' movie star and giving Universal something to laugh about.

Review: The Amazing Spider-Man (2012)

| Posted 07.02.2012

Like the 2010 A Nightmare on Elm Street remake, it ultimately fails both as a film and as a fleshed-out re-imagining of a known property, rendering it irrelevant in the cinematic pantheon.

Is The Amazing Spider-Man the Next Batman Begins or Merely the Next Superman Returns?

| Posted 07.08.2012

I'd argue that Sony may have won the battle with The Amazing Spider-Man (it's not a flop by any means), but they may have lost the war.

Who Needs Origins? 8 Comic Book Films That Just Dove Right In

| Posted 07.17.2012

There exists at least a handful of comic book adaptations that either completely eschew or compartmentalize the origin material. Be they successful as art or not, they represent the idea that it is possible to start (or restart) a comic book series without retelling the same origin.

Review: The Dark Knight Rises (2012) Continues the Curse of Comic Book Threequels

| Posted 07.19.2012

Despite a top-flight cast, impeccable production values, and a number of emotional beats that genuinely work, The Dark Knight Rises doesn't stand up to scrutiny and it pales in comparison to what came before.

Colorado Shooting Had Little Effect on The Dark Knight Rises Weekend Box Office

| Posted 07.24.2012

The Dark Knight Rises' performance should be closely monitored in terms of what should be considered the top-tier potential for any and all other comic book adaptations for the near future.

Weekend Box Office: The Dark Knight Holds Strong While The Watch and Step Up 4 Open Soft

| Posted 07.29.2012

The whole 'series finale' gimmick promised nothing more than the question of whether or not Batman survived this final film, a question that has surely been answered in a million blog posts by this time.