Posted on 12/03/2004 10:32:14 PM PST by churchillbuff
Maybe it's all that Thanksgiving tryptophan, but Hollywood executives don't seem to have the energy to put out any new wide releases this weekend, which will likely lead to a carbon-copy of last week's box office chart.
After claiming the No. 1 position for two weeks in a row, Nicolas Cage's thriller National Treasure should see a 55 percent drop to $14 million this weekend, but should still cross the $100 million mark in its third week of release.
Two family-friendly successes, The Incredibles and Christmas with the Kranks, will battle for the runner-up position with about $12 million each, while The Polar Express and The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie should complete the top five with $10 million and $7 million, respectively.
This weekend will see the release of the new ensemble drama Closer, with Jude Law, Julia Roberts, Natalie Portman, and Clive Owen, but with a theater count of about 450, even a per-theater gross of $14,000 would mean a weekend tally of $6 million.
"Yes, she's one of those hyped-up "beauties," an attractive woman who has been pumped up by the press as being (wrongly) one of cinema's greatest, legendary beauties on par with a Liz Taylor or Ava Gardner. She was convincingly attractive in "Pretty Woman," but if you ask me she's gone downhill from there. I never did find her horse-faced, sharp-nosed, rubber-mouth type of beauty appealing, but to each his own, I guess. I must admit that she had one of the most gorgeous manes of hair, tho'.
As for her leftist politics, did that play a part in her split from Lovett?"
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I've never had a problem with her looks. I've always preferred unconventional beauties. Like everyone else, I first really noticed her in "Mystic Pizza." I always hated "Pretty Woman," any movie that sanitizes a hooker into a cinderella is just too over the top. As busy an actress as she has been means there are more duds in her resume than you can shake a stick at, but I always thought she held up her end. I'd say the nastiest character she ever played was in either "Erin Brokovich" or "My Best Friends Wedding."
Alas, what can you say about her politics? other than they are de rigeur for Hollywood. One can pretty much say the same about her screwed up love life. I'm pretty sure she's not a beyotch however. As an example, I recall the PBS documentary series "Nature" that features a different celebrity narrator in every episode. "Wild Horses of Mongolia with Julia Roberts" (2000) was a revelation in that (bear with me now) upon being deposited in the frigid steppe with a herding family she seemed to be at her ease and the dirtier she got, the happier and more relaxed she seemed to become (looked good in that native getup too, after her Patagonia outerwear fell apart). I think she is a genuinely nice person but I do wish she'd stretch her acting muscles more often.
Silly - yes. But I enjoyed it.
Trajan88
Michael Medved gave CLOSER two and 1/2 stars...
I loved the movie, the critics panned it, glad to see it doing to well.. the subject matter is timely, too.
The River Wild comes to mind...I didn't realize what a great actress Streep was until I saw her in a pair of wet bicycle shorts-hehehe!
Good. That Julia Roberts/Jude Law flick looked like a REAL P.O.S.
What are you, some kind of high-brow, elitist cineaste?
Cage was amazing in "Face/Off", I think.
"Defending Your Life". Great movie w/Streep in it. Albert Brooks is awesome.
Let me explain about Julia Roberts.
There are certain actresses who have the ability to channel and radiate life force. Julia Roberts, Goldie Hawn, Sandra Bullock. They aren't necessarily conventinally beautiful but they glow onscreen. I call them "glowtresses". They are made stars by one spectacular hit movie where the country falls in love with them. Often their subsequent careers fade as the glow dims (when was the last Sandra Bullock hit ?) as producers and directors keep trying to recreate the magic of the movie that made them stars.
"Cage was amazing in "Face/Off", I think."
Yes, Face Off was excellent, "The Rock" was another great one.
She was terrific in "Sleeping with the Enemy."
My 8th grade daughter thought it was like a bad knock off of a Dan Brown book, and she thinks Dan Brown books are kinda cheesy.
Saw National Treasure last night. Had to suspend a lot of disbelief at the begininng but it was a whole lotta fun. Really enjoyable ride.
Even Loren was kind of a leftie. She was known, I believe, for driving around St. Peter's with a St. Christopher statue when the Vatican II types said - oh, wait a minute, St. Chris? But in later years, I think her views were standard Hollywood drivel. I could be wrong.
bump
Raising Arizona was still his best.
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