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Pet telethon re-airs
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Chipmunks "Squeakquel" on DVD/BD March 30
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Late surge gives Zips ugly road win
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Blogmail response on Hafner
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Stallworth's contract terminated
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QB in Browns future: another mock draft
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KSU Notes – February 9
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NBA Power Rankings from Around the Internet
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Buckeyes grab 18 players on signing day
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Garfield at Buchtel basketball
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Palin At The Tea Party Convention
Blog of Mass Destruction:
Republican Pre-Conditions
Akron Law Café:
Citizens United v. F.E.C. (Part 4): Kennedy's and O'Connor's Basic Approaches to Constitutional Decisionmaking – Top Down and Bottom Up
Car Chase:
Collector Car Hobby Loses One of the Best—Jim Roll
Let's Talk Real Estate:
Decisions Decisions: Credit Cards or Your Mortgage?
Ohio Travels with Betty:
Loucile is looking for a Lake Erie getaway in June for three kids, ages 1, 3, and 5.
Sound Check:
Talk of the Town – Top entertainment picks for the weekend
HRLite House:
Track HR Research
Akron Gamer:
Makers of 'Castle Crashers' unveil 'BattleBlock Theater'
See Jane Style:
Do IT this week: Layering
Published on Thursday, Aug 23, 2007
If it's Thursday, this must be the mailbag, and some readers have stars in their questions . . .
Q: Could you possibly find out why a movie with an excellent rating (31/2 stars) such as, ''Talk to Me,'' starring Donald Cheadle, is showing in only two theaters locally? The critics gave this movie great reviews. Yet hardly anyone will see it. The same thing was done with ''Dream Girls.'' Am I correct in believing this may be a race-related issue? Or is there some other unknown reason for this continued atrocity?
A: These are two different situations. Talk to Me, which I gave 31/2 stars, is an art-house film that was not expected to reach the audience of a summer blockbuster. According to Box Office Mojo (http://www.boxofficemojo.com), at peak it played in only 193 theaters nationwide; Superbad, last weekend's box-office champ, is
in almost 3,000.
Dreamgirls (also a 31/2-star movie) did eventually play in almost 3,000 theaters. But the studio gradually added theaters over several weeks to build word of mouth.
Now, was that a racial decision, as you wondered? No, I think it was just a foolish one. To be sure, the release of Dreamgirls was similar to Chicago's, and that movie became a blockbuster. On the other hand, Hairspray was put into thousands of theaters right away, and has already made almost as much as Dreamgirls did. Word of mouth was strong for Dreamgirls before it opened, and I think the slow rollout just discouraged some potential ticket buyers.
Q: My wife and I went to see ''The Bourne Ultimatum,'' having a three-star rating in the Beacon Journal. I do not think you wrote the review because I have read your reviews and almost always agree with your assessment. But ''Bourne Ultimatum'' made me extremely nervous, and in a half-hour we were out the door of the theater.
This was the worst picture I had seen in my memory, and I have lived for many years. The scenes flickered and changed every second or two. It was impossible to follow the action. The dialogue was short and meaningless. The photography was awful, deliberately jerky and shaky, and the color was disgraceful, mostly green and black. For what purpose? If this is the trend in movie- making, I will stay at home and watch only AMC and TCM.
A: I did give Bourne Ultimatum three stars. The things that bothered you did not bother me. But I have watched a lot of movies and television with rapid editing and documentary-style visuals shot in muted colors, so Bourne did not feel off-putting. Indeed, the pace of a lot of modern productions has become so fast that classic films and TV shows can seem unnecessarily slow. So we'll just have to disagree on this one.
Q: I was watching a Janis Joplin biography on A&E and at the end of the show there was like a preview of Janis and several others' trip through Canada. But it did not say when or where the program was available. Could you please let me know. It was something ''express.''
A: That was Festival Express, a documentary about a Canadian music tour in 1970. Besides Joplin, it included the Grateful Dead, the Band, Buddy Guy, Sha Na Na and other performers. A DVD with bonus footage is available.
Q: Please tell me when we can expect to see: ''Boston Legal,'' ''Men in Trees,'' ''6 Feet Under''? When does the new season start for these shows? So tired of reruns.
A: At this writing, Boston Legal is due back on Sept. 25 and MEN IN TREES on Oct. 12. (Both dates are subject to change.) You must be watching the cable reruns of Six Feet Under, which is no longer in production. But since the episodes are new to you, you can get through the rest of summer by getting the DVDs of the complete series.
Q: I was wondering if CBS has canceled ''The Amazing Race.'' I haven't seen any advertising for a new season. It's one of my favorites.
A: CBS renewed The Amazing Race, but as a midseason show, meaning it will turn up sometime after the fall premieres which could be soon if some of CBS's autumn prospects fail to deliver.
Do you have a question or comment about movies, TV and other popular culture? Write to rheldenfels@thebeaconjournal.com or the Akron Beacon Journal, 44 E. Exchange St., Akron, OH 44309. Please mark the note for Mailbag and do not phone in questions.
Letters may be edited. Individual replies cannot be guaranteed.
Rich Heldenfels writes about popular culture for the Beacon Journal and in a blog at http://www.ohio.com.
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