Weekend Movie Preview: 'True Grit,' 'Little Fockers,' 'Gulliver's Travels'

Christmas is a time of peace on Earth, good will toward men -- except at the movies, where it's a weekend of violent cowboys, broken-down country singers, hedonistic Hollywood hermits, paranoid fathers-in-law, tiny armies and lonely magicians. NEW AND NOTEWORTHY

'True Grit' (PG-13)

Starring: Jeff Bridges, Josh Brolin, Matt Damon, Hailee Steinfeld, Barry Pepper
Directed by: Ethan Coen, Joel Coen
Genre(s): Western
What's It About? This remake of the classic 1969 John Wayne western reportedly hews closer to the original Charles Portis novel. It's still the tale of a fierce-willed 14-year-old girl (Steinfeld) who teams up with drunken, one-eyed marshal Rooster Cogburn (Bridges) and a green Texas ranger (Damon) to hunt down the outlaw (Brolin) who killed her father.
Why Should You See It? After their modern-day western 'No Country for Old Men,' the Coens prove just as adept at the traditional kind. Bridges, who is on a roll these days, imbues Rooster Cogburn with so much snarling, cranky charisma that he banishes the memory of Wayne's Oscar-winning performance. And Steinfeld, in a debut performance to be reckoned with, easily holds her own opposite vets like Bridges and Damon and pretty much carries the movie on her slender shoulders.
You Might Like It If You Like: The original 'True Grit,' 'The Searchers,' 'Miller's Crossing'

Showtimes & Tickets | Reviews
Interview with Matt Damon (VIDEO)
Twelve Totally Random Reasons Jeff Bridges Is Awesome
10 Best Coen Brothers Characters

Watch a Scene From the Movie and Mr. Moviefone's Six Second Review

'Little Fockers' (PG-13)

Starring: Robert De Niro, Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson, Teri Polo, Dustin Hoffman, Barbra Streisand, Blythe Danner, Jessica Alba
Directed by: Paul Weitz
Genre(s): Comedy
What's It About? In the third go-round for these characters, nurse Greg Focker (Stiller) has been married to Pam (Polo) for a few years now, and they even have pair of five-year-old twins, but his father-in-law, retired spy Jack (De Niro), is still suspicious of Greg's fidelity and suitability as a provider for Pam and the children. Beside's Jack's constant surveillance, there's also Pam's ex, Kevin (Wilson) still hanging around, not to mention Greg's exuberantly embarrassing parents (Hoffman and Streisand).
Why Should You See It? Well, the first two Focker frolics were big hits. Also, no one does humiliation like Stiller. It's a rare chance to see Streisand, who hasn't appeared in a movie since the last Focker flick six years ago. Paul Weitz, taking over the franchise from Jay Roach, has directed some memorable, unexpectedly heartfelt comedies, including the original 'American Pie' and 'About a Boy.'
You Might Like It If You Like: 'Meet the Parents,' 'Meet the Fockers,' 'Along Came Polly'

Showtimes & Tickets | Reviews
Best Boner Jokes in Movies: 6 Crotch Gags That Make Us Stand Up and Salute
Read our Review of 'Little Fockers'

Watch the 'Little Fockers' Trailer

'Gulliver's Travels' (PG)

Starring: Jack Black, Jason Segel, Emily Blunt, Billy Connolly, Amanda Peet
Directed by: Rob Letterman
Genre(s): Comedy
What's It About? In this kid-friendly update of Jonathan Swift's classic satire, Gulliver (Black) is an aspiring reporter who gets lost in the Bermuda Triangle and discovers the land of Lilliput, whose wee natives regard him as literally the biggest thing ever to happen to them. Gulliver tries to pass himself off as a big deal in his world, but when Lilliput goes to war, he has to back up his braggadocio and demonstrate some actual character.
Why Should You See It? The striking image of Gulliver as a giant tied down and staked by the little Lilliputians never gets old -- especially in 3-D. Kids, unaccustomed to feeling like the biggest and most importat person around, are likely to identify with the wish-fulfillment of the impish Black's fantasy. Director Letterman made you and your kids laugh last year with 'Monsters vs. Aliens.'
You Might Like It If You Like: 'Gulliver's Travels' (the classic 1939 animated version), 'Night at the Museum,' 'Shark Tale'

Showtimes & Tickets: 2-D | 3-D | Reviews
Video Interviews: Jack Black | Jason Segel | Emily Blunt

Watch the 'Gulliver's Travels' Trailer

In Limited Release

'Country Strong' gives Gwyneth Paltrow a chance to show off her vocal chops as a Nashville star fresh out of rehab whose efforts to return to the top -- aided by her manager husband (Tim McGraw), an up-and-coming musician (Garrett Hedlund) and a rising starlet (Leighton Meester) -- are complicated by romance, jealousy and old demons.

Showtimes & Tickets | Watch the Trailer | Reviews

'Somewhere' is another quiet drama from Sofia Coppola ('Lost in Translation') about a jaded movie star trapped in a hotel with a much younger gal. Only this time, the actor (Stephen Dorff) is having his midlife crisis early, and the girl is his 11-year-old daughter (Elle Fanning).

Showtimes & Tickets | Watch the Trailer | Read Our Review

'The Illusionist,' animator Sylvain Chomet's follow-up to 'The Triplets of Belleville,' is a poignant, nearly dialouge-free tale drawn from a screenplay by French comedy legend Jacques Tati about a tattered French magician touring Scotland who finds an unlikely relationship with an admiring young girl.

Showtimes & Tickets | Watch the Trailer | Reviews
Still in Theaters, Still Awesome

•'TRON: Legacy' -- 'True Grit' (starring Jeff Bridges) and 'Country Strong' (starring Garrett Hedlund) might be sold out, but you could see them both for the price of one movie ticket here. In case the prospect of nonstop 3-D CGI spectacle wasn't enough of a draw. Showtimes & Tickets | Watch the Trailer
•'Rabbit Hole' -- There's unexpected humor and hopefulness in this drama about bereaved parents struggling to move past their grief. Also an Oscar-caliber performance by Nicole Kidman. Showtimes & Tickets | Watch the Trailer
•'The King's Speech' -- In which Colin Firth and Geoffrey Rush demonstrate the therapeutic benefits of cussing, thereby proving they're not making some stuffy British costume drama -- and probably earning themselves both Oscar nominations along the way. Showtimes & Tickets | Watch the Trailer
Staying in This Weekend?
New on DVD This Week: The new film 'The Tourist' and this summer's 'Salt' seem to have a lot in common: same studio, same star (Angelina Jolie), same basic premise (a retro thriller in which Jolie plays an international woman of mystery). So why did 'Tourist' fizzle while 'Salt' sizzled? Maybe because 'Salt' didn't try for cuteness or tongue-in-cheek humor. It's a no-nonsense, straight-up, old-school Cold War spy adventure, in which Jolie plays a CIA agent who may also be a Russian assassin. Or maybe because 'Salt' is a one-woman showcase for Jolie's formidable gifts; no Johnny Depp necessary. Buy or rent the DVD | More new DVD releases

Movie Homework: Forty-one years before Jeff Bridges donned his eyepatch for the new 'True Grit,' John Wayne won his first and only Oscar for the role of ornery one-eyed marshal Rooster Cogburn. No wonder Wayne wanted to revisit the role, which he did six years later in a sequel titled (naturally) 'Rooster Cogburn' (1975). As in 'True Grit,' a gal enlists Cogburn to hunt down the man who killed her father, and she insists on going along for the ride. Only this time, she's not a 14-year-old, she's the mature Katharine Hepburn. Her presence turns the film into a bantering adventure, 'The Aftrican Queen' with spurs. Worth seeing simply because it's the only time these two screen immortals ever worked together. Buy or rent the DVD

On Our Netflix Queue: With the passing last week of director Blake Edwards, there were a lot of memories shared of such hits as 'Breakfast at Tiffany's,' '10,' 'Victor/Victoria' and all the Pink Panther films. But an underrated film favored by many Edwards fans is 1968's 'The Party,' a farce in which Edwards regular Peter Sellers plays an Indian actor (a performance no one could really get away with today) who accidentally wreaks havoc at a Hollywood party. See it quick, before the industry ruins it by remaking it with Sacha Baron Cohen. Buy or rent the DVD
•Follow Gary Susman on Twitter @garysusman.

View the original article here

'True Grit' Shows Its Mettle, Overtakes 'Little Fockers' at the Box Office

Third time was the charm for 'True Grit.' In its third matchup against 'Little Fockers,' the Western finally came out on top. According to studio estimates, 'True Grit' won the weekend with ticket sales of $15 million, while 'Little Fockers' was not far behind with $13.8 million.

As was widely predicted, the two movies that had dominated the box office since before Christmas ran nose-to-nose in close competition, while this week's newer wide releases -- Nicolas Cage's 'Season of the Witch' and Gwyneth Paltrow's 'Country Strong' -- would have to settle for also-ran status.

Last week, with the holiday season not yet wrapped up and family audiences still filling the multiplexes, the more family-friendly 'Fockers' was the stronger contender. This week, however, it was the violent Jeff Bridges Western, with its stronger word-of-mouth, that won the weekdays, and that streak continued into the weekend. 'True Grit' fell just 39 percent from last weekend, compared to 46 percent for 'Fockers.' Its three-week total stands at $110.4 million, making it the highest-grossing of the fall/winter Oscar contenders. It still hasn't earned as much as 'Fockers,' however, which, over the same three weeks, has taken in $124.0 million.

The week's only brand-new wide release, 'Season of the Witch,' earned an estimated $10.7 million, good for a third-place debut. The medieval thriller grossed about a million more than pundits had predicted, perhaps because it had no new films in the action space to compete against, or because it had so little advance buzz that people went to see it before the withering reviews were out.

In fourth place, 'TRON: Legacy' fell another 48 percent, with an estimated $9.8 million take. In four weeks, it's scored $147.9 million, still below its estimated $170 million production budget.

At No. 5 was Black Swan,' which slipped just 6 percent to an estimated $8.4 million. The much-talked-about Natalie Portman ballet drama has earned $61.5 million to date, more than director Darren Aronofsky's first four movies combined.

'Country Strong,' which opened wide after two weeks in limited release, came in sixth, with an estimated $7.3 million. That figure was in line with predictions for the Paltrow drama, which, according to studio exit polling, had little appeal to men and only moderate appeal to younger audiences.

The full top 10:
1. 'True Grit,' $15.0 million (3,124 screens), $110.4 million total
2. 'Little Fockers,' $13.8 million (3,675), $124.0 million
3. 'Season of the Witch,' $10.7 million (2,816), new release
4. 'TRON: Legacy,' $9.8 million (3,013), $147.9 million
5. 'Black Swan,' $8.4 million (1,584), $61.5 million
6. 'Country Strong,' $7.3 million (1,424), $7.4 million
7. 'The Fighter,' $7.0 million (2,528), $57.8 million
8. 'The King's Speech,' $6.811 million (758), $33.3 million
9. 'Yogi Bear,' $6.810 million (3,288), $75.6 million
10. 'Tangled,' $5.2 million (2,383), $175.9 million

•Follow Gary Susman on Twitter @garysusman.

View the original article here

Weekend Movie Preview: 'True Grit,' 'Little Fockers,' 'Gulliver's Travels'

Christmas is a time of peace on Earth, good will toward men -- except at the movies, where it's a weekend of violent cowboys, broken-down country singers, hedonistic Hollywood hermits, paranoid fathers-in-law, tiny armies and lonely magicians. NEW AND NOTEWORTHY

'True Grit' (PG-13)

Starring: Jeff Bridges, Josh Brolin, Matt Damon, Hailee Steinfeld, Barry Pepper
Directed by: Ethan Coen, Joel Coen
Genre(s): Western
What's It About? This remake of the classic 1969 John Wayne western reportedly hews closer to the original Charles Portis novel. It's still the tale of a fierce-willed 14-year-old girl (Steinfeld) who teams up with drunken, one-eyed marshal Rooster Cogburn (Bridges) and a green Texas ranger (Damon) to hunt down the outlaw (Brolin) who killed her father.
Why Should You See It? After their modern-day western 'No Country for Old Men,' the Coens prove just as adept at the traditional kind. Bridges, who is on a roll these days, imbues Rooster Cogburn with so much snarling, cranky charisma that he banishes the memory of Wayne's Oscar-winning performance. And Steinfeld, in a debut performance to be reckoned with, easily holds her own opposite vets like Bridges and Damon and pretty much carries the movie on her slender shoulders.
You Might Like It If You Like: The original 'True Grit,' 'The Searchers,' 'Miller's Crossing'

Showtimes & Tickets | Reviews
Interview with Matt Damon (VIDEO)
Twelve Totally Random Reasons Jeff Bridges Is Awesome
10 Best Coen Brothers Characters

Watch a Scene From the Movie and Mr. Moviefone's Six Second Review

'Little Fockers' (PG-13)

Starring: Robert De Niro, Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson, Teri Polo, Dustin Hoffman, Barbra Streisand, Blythe Danner, Jessica Alba
Directed by: Paul Weitz
Genre(s): Comedy
What's It About? In the third go-round for these characters, nurse Greg Focker (Stiller) has been married to Pam (Polo) for a few years now, and they even have pair of five-year-old twins, but his father-in-law, retired spy Jack (De Niro), is still suspicious of Greg's fidelity and suitability as a provider for Pam and the children. Beside's Jack's constant surveillance, there's also Pam's ex, Kevin (Wilson) still hanging around, not to mention Greg's exuberantly embarrassing parents (Hoffman and Streisand).
Why Should You See It? Well, the first two Focker frolics were big hits. Also, no one does humiliation like Stiller. It's a rare chance to see Streisand, who hasn't appeared in a movie since the last Focker flick six years ago. Paul Weitz, taking over the franchise from Jay Roach, has directed some memorable, unexpectedly heartfelt comedies, including the original 'American Pie' and 'About a Boy.'
You Might Like It If You Like: 'Meet the Parents,' 'Meet the Fockers,' 'Along Came Polly'

Showtimes & Tickets | Reviews
Best Boner Jokes in Movies: 6 Crotch Gags That Make Us Stand Up and Salute
Read our Review of 'Little Fockers'

Watch the 'Little Fockers' Trailer

'Gulliver's Travels' (PG)

Starring: Jack Black, Jason Segel, Emily Blunt, Billy Connolly, Amanda Peet
Directed by: Rob Letterman
Genre(s): Comedy
What's It About? In this kid-friendly update of Jonathan Swift's classic satire, Gulliver (Black) is an aspiring reporter who gets lost in the Bermuda Triangle and discovers the land of Lilliput, whose wee natives regard him as literally the biggest thing ever to happen to them. Gulliver tries to pass himself off as a big deal in his world, but when Lilliput goes to war, he has to back up his braggadocio and demonstrate some actual character.
Why Should You See It? The striking image of Gulliver as a giant tied down and staked by the little Lilliputians never gets old -- especially in 3-D. Kids, unaccustomed to feeling like the biggest and most importat person around, are likely to identify with the wish-fulfillment of the impish Black's fantasy. Director Letterman made you and your kids laugh last year with 'Monsters vs. Aliens.'
You Might Like It If You Like: 'Gulliver's Travels' (the classic 1939 animated version), 'Night at the Museum,' 'Shark Tale'

Showtimes & Tickets: 2-D | 3-D | Reviews
Video Interviews: Jack Black | Jason Segel | Emily Blunt

Watch the 'Gulliver's Travels' Trailer

In Limited Release

'Country Strong' gives Gwyneth Paltrow a chance to show off her vocal chops as a Nashville star fresh out of rehab whose efforts to return to the top -- aided by her manager husband (Tim McGraw), an up-and-coming musician (Garrett Hedlund) and a rising starlet (Leighton Meester) -- are complicated by romance, jealousy and old demons.

Showtimes & Tickets | Watch the Trailer | Reviews

'Somewhere' is another quiet drama from Sofia Coppola ('Lost in Translation') about a jaded movie star trapped in a hotel with a much younger gal. Only this time, the actor (Stephen Dorff) is having his midlife crisis early, and the girl is his 11-year-old daughter (Elle Fanning).

Showtimes & Tickets | Watch the Trailer | Read Our Review

'The Illusionist,' animator Sylvain Chomet's follow-up to 'The Triplets of Belleville,' is a poignant, nearly dialouge-free tale drawn from a screenplay by French comedy legend Jacques Tati about a tattered French magician touring Scotland who finds an unlikely relationship with an admiring young girl.

Showtimes & Tickets | Watch the Trailer | Reviews
Still in Theaters, Still Awesome

•'TRON: Legacy' -- 'True Grit' (starring Jeff Bridges) and 'Country Strong' (starring Garrett Hedlund) might be sold out, but you could see them both for the price of one movie ticket here. In case the prospect of nonstop 3-D CGI spectacle wasn't enough of a draw. Showtimes & Tickets | Watch the Trailer
•'Rabbit Hole' -- There's unexpected humor and hopefulness in this drama about bereaved parents struggling to move past their grief. Also an Oscar-caliber performance by Nicole Kidman. Showtimes & Tickets | Watch the Trailer
•'The King's Speech' -- In which Colin Firth and Geoffrey Rush demonstrate the therapeutic benefits of cussing, thereby proving they're not making some stuffy British costume drama -- and probably earning themselves both Oscar nominations along the way. Showtimes & Tickets | Watch the Trailer
Staying in This Weekend?
New on DVD This Week: The new film 'The Tourist' and this summer's 'Salt' seem to have a lot in common: same studio, same star (Angelina Jolie), same basic premise (a retro thriller in which Jolie plays an international woman of mystery). So why did 'Tourist' fizzle while 'Salt' sizzled? Maybe because 'Salt' didn't try for cuteness or tongue-in-cheek humor. It's a no-nonsense, straight-up, old-school Cold War spy adventure, in which Jolie plays a CIA agent who may also be a Russian assassin. Or maybe because 'Salt' is a one-woman showcase for Jolie's formidable gifts; no Johnny Depp necessary. Buy or rent the DVD | More new DVD releases

Movie Homework: Forty-one years before Jeff Bridges donned his eyepatch for the new 'True Grit,' John Wayne won his first and only Oscar for the role of ornery one-eyed marshal Rooster Cogburn. No wonder Wayne wanted to revisit the role, which he did six years later in a sequel titled (naturally) 'Rooster Cogburn' (1975). As in 'True Grit,' a gal enlists Cogburn to hunt down the man who killed her father, and she insists on going along for the ride. Only this time, she's not a 14-year-old, she's the mature Katharine Hepburn. Her presence turns the film into a bantering adventure, 'The Aftrican Queen' with spurs. Worth seeing simply because it's the only time these two screen immortals ever worked together. Buy or rent the DVD

On Our Netflix Queue: With the passing last week of director Blake Edwards, there were a lot of memories shared of such hits as 'Breakfast at Tiffany's,' '10,' 'Victor/Victoria' and all the Pink Panther films. But an underrated film favored by many Edwards fans is 1968's 'The Party,' a farce in which Edwards regular Peter Sellers plays an Indian actor (a performance no one could really get away with today) who accidentally wreaks havoc at a Hollywood party. See it quick, before the industry ruins it by remaking it with Sacha Baron Cohen. Buy or rent the DVD
•Follow Gary Susman on Twitter @garysusman.

View the original article here

'Little Fockers' Outfoxes 'True Grit' Again: Box Office Report December 31-January 2

On paper, this should have been 'True Grit's' week to shine. The universally acclaimed western was supposed to outride last week's champ, the universally reviled 'Little Fockers,' toward box office victory. There were no new wide releases to steal its thunder. Predictions for 'True Grit's' second-weekend take averaged about $24.8 million, very close to what it ended up earning. Yet it still couldn't surpass 'Fockers,' which ruled for a second weekend with an estimated $26.3 million, with a much smaller-than-expected drop-off from last week. Guess there's no accounting for taste.

Given its abominable reviews and mediocre-to-poor word of mouth (not to mention it's final weekend tally last week of $30.8 million, well below Universal's initial optimistic estimate of $34.0 million), 'Fockers' was expected to fall about 24 percent this weekend to a predicted $23.4 million or so. Instead, it lost only 15 percent of last weekend's business and earned enough to cross into nine-figure territory (its two-week total is $103.2 million). Maybe it's because the comedy added 18 new screens (but then, 'True Grit' added 36), or because it pretty much has the comedy-for-grown-ups niche to itself (sorry, 'How Do You Know'), while the more violent 'True Grit' is less family-friendly and skews toward an older audience.

Still, 'True Grit' grossed an estimated $24.5 million this weekend, very much in line with expectations and down just one percent from last week's take of $24.9 million. (Like Universal, Paramount initially overestimated last week's take, though not by much, at $25.6 million.) It did enjoy a higher per-screen average than 'Fockers' ($7,947 to $7,400). The Jeff Bridges movie's two-week total stands at $86.8 million, so it's poised to become one of the highest-grossing of this year's Oscar-hopeful movies. (It won't catch up to 'Toy Story 3' or 'Inception,' but it'll surpass 'The Social Network's' $93.2 million sometime this week.)

Jeff Bridges' other movie, 'TRON: Legacy,' held on strong as well. Coming in third, it scored an estimated $18.3 million this weekend, down just four percent from last week. With a three-week total of $130.9, it has a long way to go to surpass its reported $170 million budget, but it remains the first-choice 3-D spectacle currently in theaters.

Last week, 'Yogi Bear' dropped more than 50 percent on middling word-of-mouth. It added no theaters this week, yet Warner Bros. is estimating a 66 percent increase in business, to a fourth-place finish $13.0 million. Pundits were predicting a slighter rise, to about $9 million, since more kids were out of school this week and there was no major East Coast blizzard to keep families away from the multiplexes. Either the accountants at Warners are overly optimistic, or else they're smarter than the average bear.

'Yogi's' major competition in the 3-D family-fare sweepstakes, 'The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader,' earned an estimated $10.5 million this week, good for fifth place. Its studio, Fox, also predicted a modest Christmas-vacation bump in business over last week, even though the film lost nearly 600 screens this week. Still, its estimate was just a hair ahead of Disney's for 'Tangled' ($10.01 million) and Paramount's for 'The Fighter' ($10.0 million), so those films could all switch places by the time final figures are released on Monday.

The full top 10:
1. 'Little Fockers,' $26.3 million (3,554 screens), $103.2 million total
2. 'True Grit,' $24.5 million (3,083), $86.8 million
3. 'TRON: Legacy,' $18.3 million (3,365), $130.9 million
4. 'Yogi Bear,' $13.0 million (3,515), $66.1 million
5. 'The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader,' $10.5 million (2,948), $87.1 million
6. 'Tangled,' $10.01 million (2,582), $168.0 million
7. 'The Fighter,' $10.0 million (2,534), $46.4 million
8. 'Gulliver's Travels,' $9.1 million (3,089), $27.2 million
9. 'Black Swan,' $8.5 million (1,553), $47.4 million
10. 'The King's Speech,' $7.6 million (700), $22.8 million

•Follow Gary Susman on Twitter @garysusman.

View the original article here