WEEKEND BOX OFFICE: Bands of Bond

After performing to sold out crowds and record-breaking grosses in Europe for the last two weeks, it is no surprise to see Bond debut atop the charts with QUANTUM OF SOLACE, the 22nd film in the franchise. After the success of CASINO ROYALE and overwhelmingly positive response to Daniel Craig’s new Bond for the new age, it is also no surprise that QUANTUM OF SOLACE commanded the biggest opening weekend for any Bond film in history. But Bond’s $70 million haul still managed to surpass most industry expectations and actually beat out Jason Bourne’s last opening weekend haul. That, people definitely did not see coming.


THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM debuted last August to $69 million and while QUANTUM OF SOLACE only narrowly surpassed that number, no one expected it to come close. With its $20K per screen average, Bond collected more than the rest of the Top 5 combined. Reviews have been mixed but audiences were craving two things that Bond delivered fully, action and franchise. Each Bond film has done better than its predecessor with rare exception and QUANTUM OF SOLACE is certainly going to have no difficulties accomplishing this same feat. Craig and the entire Bond crew have proven beyond a doubt that you can reinvigorate a long running franchise without alienating the people who kept you going for so long. Martinis shaken and not stirred for everyone!

Dreamworks’ MADAGASCAR sequel easily crossed the $100 million mark in its second weekend. Last time Bond premiered, he had to settle for second place to a bunch of dancing penguins (HAPPY FEET) but no toon could keep him down this time. MADAGASCAR’s drop was somewhat steep but the sequel is outpacing the first hit by $18 million, ensuring that many more entirely implausible scenarios for these zoo animals will inevitably arrive and that David Schwimmer will continue to get work and not got hungry.


This week’s Top 10 saw no other major debut, as any studio head stupid enough to open a major release opposite James Bond would likely be fired shortly after his announcement. The most significant release past Bond is the audience favorite, SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE. Danny Boyle picked up the people’s choice award at the Toronto International Film Festival this year and is riding a wave of amazing reviews toward what could be the most successful film of his career. The advance Oscar buzz certainly doesn’t hurt either. On just 10 screens, SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE pulled in $350K for a per screen average that outpaced Bond’s by $15K. Who knows? Maybe Danny Boyle could end up directing the next Bond. Go ahead, get that rumour out there.

NEXT WEEK: Originally, next weekend belonged to the next Harry Potter chapter but with that safely moved to some time next summer, the doors have been left wide open for two drastically different wide releases. Disney has high hopes for BOLT, featuring the voices of John Travolta and Hannah Montana, I mean, Miley Cyrus. And Stephanie Meyer fans will finally be able to see how Hollywood has handled their precious TWILIGHT. Vampires, talking dogs and tons of people under the age of 17 … should be good times.

THE 2008 MOUTON D'OR NOMINATIONS

Black Sheep’s Best of 2007

This time last year I was trudging through garbage in search of a half-eaten cheese sandwich I could dust off and pass off as one of the better films of the year. 2006 was certainly no country for an old man like myself. I’m happy to say though that this year, I was able to keep my hands clean as 2007 was the year even the rats were allowed in the kitchen to make themselves a real snack before settling in for a flick. 2007, you can rest easy for you have sufficiently atoned for the sins of 2006. I assure you there will be no blood shed here, just some love and recognition in the form of an award or two. No, Canada, this ain’t the Juno’s – it’s the 2007 BLACK SHEEP REVIEWS’ MOUTON D’OR AWARDS!

But seriously folks, 2007 has been a great year both on the screen and off for this here film critic. I have had the opportunity to see over 80 first run films and write over 50 reviews. I even manage to get myself invited to press screenings now. That might seem like nothing to some but as it doesn’t happen often for me, waking up to a movie, a coffee and a croissant with a handful of film enthusiasts is a little like heaven to me. I was published for the first time in March, discussing THE ASTRONAUT FARMER in The National Post’s Popcorn Panel and went on to find my way there another seven times. I was voted Critic of the Week twice on Zip.ca – once because I got all my friends to vote for me and once was a complete surprise. I ended my run as a regular DVD reviewer for Ioncinema.com and began covering film festivals for them instead, like the Montreal World Film Festival and the Nouveau Cinema Festival. This allowed me the chance to meet and speak with directors as diverse as Michael Davis (SHOOT EM UP), Bruce McDonald (THE TRACEY FRAGMENTS) and Jeremy Podeswa (FUGITIVE PIECES). In the online world, my work found a new forum on Montreal Film Journal and continued to be read by hundreds on Smart-Popcorn. The official Black Sheep Reviews Facebook group has reached over 450 members. The Globe and Mail and The Edmonton Sun both interviewed me as an up and coming voice in the field of freelance film criticism. My actual voice found its way to the airwaves on 940 Montreal, where I debated on an almost weekly basis what people should spend their money on at the theatres and finished the year by announcing my Top 10 on New Year’s Eve. I may have had to pay my own way but I finally found myself at the Toronto International Film Festival. I was suddenly surrounded by Ang Lee, Catherine Keener, Jake Gyllenhaal, Eddie Vedder, Reese Witherspoon, Emile Hirsch and Peter Saarsgard to name a few. Sure they had no idea I was there but who cares? A separate trip to the New York Film Festival gave me the chance to catch the advance screening of MARGOT AT THE WEDDING, with both Jennifer Jason Leigh and Noah Baumbach on hand to discuss the experience. And last, but naturally not least, Black Sheep Reviews found its face in a beautifully animated sheep named Sheldon, designed by my humble and talented friend, Trevor Adams. Sheldon makes for an amazing flyer and there are times when I’m handing them out and people tell me they’ve already been to the site or visit regularly. There are times when I’m sitting at my day job worried that all of this is for nothing and that no one is reading my words but thanks to all of my amazing supporters, that is simply not true. If it weren’t for you, Black Sheep Reviews would never have been voted the 4th Best Blog in Montreal (Montreal Mirror) or be visited by thousands monthly.

Right, so enough about me, let’s get to the movies. Before December and the onslaught of critic’s list announcements, 2007’s award race was wide open. It was exhilarating to know that any number of films could become the front-runner for the Best Picture crown. All too often, the hype machine has already solidified certain titles as sure bets but this year, all the bets were off. While this made the wide variety of possibility exciting in my MOUTON D’OR nominations, whittling the selections down to five in each category was almost exhausting … even after I added new categories to honour as many films as possible. Joining the regular categories from last year are three more technical categories – Cinematography, Editing and Original Music. Also, another year means another change for an award title that I just can’t get right … It is meant to embody the spirit of independent film but the idea of what is independent is so blurred that the best I could come up with as an award title is Best Little Movie That Could: An award for genuine intention, artistry and heart. Let’s not waste another moment … Here are the nominations for Black Sheep Reviews’ 2007 Mouton d’Or Awards:


BEST POPCORN FLICK

THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM
THE DARJEELING LIMITED
DEATH PROOF
I AM LEGEND
RATATOUILLE


BEST LITTLE MOVIE THAT COULD:
An award for genuine intention, artistry and heart

I’M NOT THERE
JUNO
LARS AND THE REAL GIRL
ONCE
WAITRESS


THE WORST MOVIE I SAW ALL YEAR

ACROSS THE UNIVERSE
ALPHA DOG
BLACK SNAKE MOAN
L’AGE DES TENEBRES (DAYS OF DARKNESS)
TRANSFORMERS


THE TREVOR ADAMS ANIMATED FEATURE AWARD

PERSEPOLIS
RATATOUILLE
THE SIMPSONS MOVIE


BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

THE ASSASSINATION OF JESSE JAMES BY THE COWARD ROBERT FORD (Roger Deakins, cinematographer)
ATONEMENT (Seamus McGarvey)
NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN (Roger Deakins)
LE SCAPHANDRE ET LE PAPILLON (Janusz Kaminski)
THERE WILL BE BLOOD (Roger Elswit)


BEST ORIGINAL MUSIC

ATONEMENT (Dario Marianelli, composer)
INTO THE WILD (Eddie Vedder)
ONCE (Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova)
RATATOUILLE (Michael Giacchino)
THERE WILL BE BLOOD (Jonny Greenwood)


BEST EDITING

ATONEMENT (Paul Tothill, film editor)
THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM, Christopher Rouse)
NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN (Roderick Jaynes)
LE SCAPHANDRE ET LE PAPILLON (Juliette Welfling)
ZODIAC (Angus Wall)


BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

CASEY AFFLECK
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
JAVIER BARDEM
No Country for Old Men
PHILIP SEYMOUR HOFFMAN
Charlie Wilson’s War
HAL HOLBROOK
Into the Wild
TOM WILKINSON
Michael Clayton


BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

CATE BLANCHETT
I’m Not There
JENNIFER JASON LEIGH
Margot at the Wedding
SAOIRSE RONAN
Atonement
AMY RYAN
Gone Baby Gone
TILDA SWINTON
Michael Clayton


BEST ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE

JOSH BROLIN
No Country for Old Men
DANIEL DAY-LEWIS
There Will Be Blood
RYAN GOSLING
Lars and the Real Girl
TOMMY LEE JONES
In the Valley of Elah
VIGGO MORTENSEN
Eastern Promises

BEST ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE

JULIE CHRISTIE
Away From Her
MARION COTILLARD
La Vie en Rose
ANGELINA JOLIE
A Mighty Heart
NICOLE KIDMAN
Margot at the Wedding
ELLEN PAGE
Juno


BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

EASTERN PROMISES (Steven Knight, screenwriter)
JUNO (Diablo Cody)
LARS AND THE REAL GIRL (Nancy Oliver)
RATATOUILLE (Brad Bird)
THE SAVAGES (Tamara Jenkins)


BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

ATONEMENT (Christopher Hampton, screenwriter)
NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN (Joel and Ethan Coen)
LE SCAPHANDRE ET LE PAPILLON (Ronald Harwood)
THERE WILL BE BLOOD (Paul Thomas Anderson)
ZODIAC (James Vanderbilt)


BEST DIRECTOR

PAUL THOMAS ANDERSON
There Will Be Blood
JOEL AND ETHAN COEN
No Country for Old Men
TODD HAYNES
I’m Not There
JULIAN SCHNABEL
Le Scaphandre et le Papillon
JOE WRIGHT
Atonement


BEST PICTURE








Winners will be announced Oscar weekend (February 23) and be sure to check back this weekend for the first wave of the Black Sheep Reviews 2008 contest Top 5 lists.

Happy 2008!

THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM

Written by Tony Gilroy, Scott Z. Burns and George Nolfi
Directed by Paul Greengrass


Agent: Uh, sir, he drove off the roof.
Noah Vosen: What?
Agent: He drove off the roof.

Central Intelligence agent, Pamela Landy (Joan Allen), has found herself once again in a tiny room, surrounded by a team of people, all scrambling to track the notoriously elusive, Jason Bourne (Matt Damon). At this stage, bringing Bourne in is not just her job but an obsession, one that has gone far past the point of hunt and capture and developed into a need to understand the man himself. In Paul Greengrass’s THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM, we are right there with her every step of the way. Only it’s a much more enjoyable experience for us than for poor Pam. We have the added advantage of being able to see both sides of this chase from where we sit. From this vantage point, we see the C.I.A. constantly miscalculating Bourne’s next move and, in what is perhaps their biggest misconception, mistaking Bourne for some sort of super human, incapable of infallibility. Jason Bourne is just a man. Yes, he’s an incredible specimen with quick reflexes, heightened intuition and kick-ass moves but he too is just trying to figure out the mystery of where he came from and who he is. How can the C.I.A. pretend to know Bourne when Bourne does not even know himself? The Bourne paradox is what makes Jason Bourne one of film’s most intriguing action heroes and THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM is a perfect answer to years of unanswered questions.


To recap, we first caught a glimpse of Jason Bourne in THE BOURNE IDENTITY (directed by Doug Liman). He had no idea who he was and it was exhilarating to watch him awaken to his special brand of fighting style, while still infuriating to watch his struggle to understand how he came to be so skilled. THE BOURNE SUPREMACY followed with a new director (Greengrass) and a depressing change in tone after the death of his girlfriend, Marie (Franka Potente), at the film’s onset. The film could not help but be a more sobering experience after that. THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM changes Bourne’s direction from less running away to more running towards. Tying all three films together is the constantly improving performance by Damon as Bourne. Damon brings a sleek brand of class to his characters in most of his films and he treats Bourne with a stealth speed and fiercely internalized stoicism. You might say he was born to play Bourne. His tormented mind has gone from wonder and awe in the unraveling of his rediscovered personality to a dark brooding. He has understood that getting close to others gets them killed and has cut himself off as much as possible to both avoid future tragedy and maintain his focus on the goal.

Another man who found a stronger focus this time around is director, Greengrass. His direction for SUPREMACY was at times difficult to follow. Not only was the story not told as succinctly as in Liman’s IDENTITY but Greengrass’s now signature extreme-shaky aesthetic and jump-cut obsession made it visually jarring as well. After snagging an Oscar nomination for his direction of UNITED 93 last year, he has learned a stronger command of his unsteady film approach. The result is a visually more engaging experience that ushers in a different kind of American cinema. The British director follows the action through numerous international locations, from running across rooftops and hopping through windows in Tangiers to zipping in and out of the crowds in a busy London bus station. The world flavour only further serves to highlight the film’s direct criticism of American home security practices post September 11th. Greengrass’s portrayal of the C.I.A. is one hyped up on power and the authority to kill anyone whenever necessary and that power reeks of paranoia. Making the C.I.A. the enemy makes our hero’s actions, choosing to spare life whenever possible, all that much more commendable. American cinema that makes Americans look bad is always refreshing. They’re not all bad but it’s obnoxious to pretend they aren’t somewhat bad.


The Bourne series should be commended for successfully accomplishing what so many others have recently failed at. It is a consistently enjoyable trilogy that never takes itself too seriously and has purpose in each installment that justifies the necessity of three films to tell a complete story, rather than just being an excuse to rake in more cash. They are all three intelligent and compelling works, with THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM serving as a smooth, sophisticated closer that is only disappointing because it draws the entire ordeal to a close. I would love to see the series live on but it will lack the one driving force that has made it so compelling for so long now. Now that Jason Bourne knows where it all began, he will no longer be in constant, compulsive pursuit of the ultimate puzzle, understanding himself. Is there any more gripping a pursuit to be had?