Oscar Night!

The weekend is more likely to be remembered for the Oscars than the movies that are releasing. Nicolas Cage's yet another attempt to produce a hit with Drive Angry 3D is more likely to fall short. Season of the Witch released earlier this year has hardly managed $25 million at the US box office, and now it seems another of Cage's movies will make us forget what an actor he was in the likes of Leaving Las Vegas and City of Angels. Hall Pass is the other release of the weekend starring Owen Wilson and its theme seems perfect for a B-grade comedy. Quite likely that many will 'pass' this one too! But a night of accolades beckons with the Oscars inching closer. In the past, the Oscar movies have not necessarily been commercial hits, but this time it seems to have been different. While Toy Story 3 and Inception have been massive hits, it has also been good to see the likes of True Grit, Black Swan and The King's Speech, all crossing the $100 million mark at the US box office, with the Oscar fever no doubt helping them along. The Fighter and The Social Network have also not been much behind, underlying the fact that movies praised by the critics and those loved by the audience may not be necessarily different. And this should also encourage big production houses to promote such low budget ventures (production budget of Black Swan was hardly $13 million and of The King's Speech was $15 million) and give them the reach these movies deserve. So a splendid night awaits. Colin Firth and Natalie Portman look favourites to walk away with the Oscars statues, but then the Oscars do have a trick up their sleeves at times... A glamorous night awaits!

I Am Number Four is not Number 1

The disappointing numbers continue to surface. While I Am Number Four, a young sci-fi movie based on a popular book, seemed destined to gain the top spot at the weekend box office, the numbers told a different tale. The sci-fi was pipped by Liam Neeson starrer Unknown that has drawn comparisons with Neeson's 2009 surprise hit Taken. To draw parallels, Taken had also been released earlier in the year (in January 2009) and had an opening US box office collection of $25 million. Backed by strong reviews, Taken went on to earn $145 million at the US box office while its worldwide revenues totalled $225 million. Unknown has done good business with earnings of $22 million at the US box office over the weekend, considering that its production budget would not have been huge, though its collections matching up with Taken in the long run remains a big question mark. The less said about I Am Number Four, the better. And that is how I intend to keep it. More interesting would be to watch the new Thor trailer that definitely has upped the anxiousness for the release of the movie. April seems so far far away....

Will Number Four bring back the spark?

It is becoming hard not to a stifle a yawn. I understand the big blockbusters are meant for the Summer period, but the run-in does not necessarily have to be so mediocre. At least this had not been the problem last year. Shutter Island had been released in February, Alice in Wonderland came in March. Things were bright and rosy then! Come to 2011, and the skies seem to have darkened. The first hope of a $100 million movie, The Green Hornet, is still struggling near the finish line. It had reached $92 million by last weekend but the sprint has rapidly become a stroll, and the $100 million mark now seems miles away. On the other hand, Black Swan managed to edge past the $100 million mark in the previous week at the US box office, and deservedly so on on the back of numerous Oscar nominations, making it the 28th movie released in 2010 to do so.

This weekend hopes rest with a young sci-fi flick I Am Number Four. The movie should appeal to the young crowd though a strong storyline would be much needed to make up for the absence of any starpower. Comparisons have been drawn with the immensely successful Twilight series, though I find these to be quite pre-mature. I Am Number Four has not created any buzz of the intensity that hounded the Twilight movies. But on the bright side, included amongst its list of producers are the likes of Michael Bay and Steven Spielberg, and many would agree that these guys usually know what they are doing. Tough to take a call on whether I Am Number Four would revitalise what has otherwise been a drab start to the year, but it would definitely ward off the other releases of the weekend, the thriller Unknown starring Liam Neeson and the comedy Big Mommas: Like Father, Like Son starring Martin Lawrence. Even if this weekend does not go well, we have the Oscars to look forward to during the next weekend! (trying to stay positive...)

February... yawn!

January pretty much disappointed and I am sorry to say, but there is not much to look forward to in February either. Three weeks have not been enough for The Green Hornet to make $100 million, which is the biggest movie of this year so far. Last weekend, Jason Statham's The Mechanic opened to really lousy numbers while Anthony Hopkins starrer The Rite was surprisingly at the top of the weekend charts despite only earning $14 million. That is lame! There is some hope left with I Am Number Four, the sci-fi thriller that has piqued my interest, releasing on the third week of this month. But apart from that, I would not surprised if February remains a dud overall. Maybe the month is only meant for the Oscars after all. Some of the movies in the Oscars list could get a boost though if the awards come their way, and deservedly so. Colin Firth for best actor and Natalie Portman for best actress. Does that sound about right? Come February 27, and we shall all find out...