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With all the summer movies released, it's time to take stock of what we saw on-screen. And what their successes and failures have taught us. For starters, we've learned that there can, in fact, be too many superhero movies; that not even Pixar can bat 1.000 forever; and that the funniest comedy of the season can, despite sexist naysayers, star an almost entirely female cast.
It also seems we've gotten really (really) comfortable with sequels, reboots, and remakes. You could say 2011 was the summer of comfort food.
2011 Movies: Summer's Top 10 >>
Posted 08.24.11 by reelz -
In what is a surprise for no one, Johnny Depp is reportedly negotiating to reprise his role as Captain Jack Sparrow in the fifth Pirates movie.
Before the fourth Pirates movie, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, reached theaters in May, Depp admitted that he would "definitely consider" returning for a fifth installment. That was in January. Almost immediately, Disney hired screenwriter Terry Rossio to script a fifth movie, the first Pirates movie Rossio would write without Ted Elliot.
More on Depp in another Pirates sequel Posted 07.06.11 by Ryan -
Voting is now open for the Teen Choice Awards, and fans can vote for Robert Pattinson in no less than four separate categories (Actor Drama, Actor Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Liplock, and Male Hottie). There are a ton of categories, 23 for movies alone, and there are apparently more summer category nominations to come. The Twilight Saga: Eclipse is nominated nine times, The Hangover Part II has nine nods, and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, and Super 8 are strongly represented as well.
What we're confused about >> Posted 06.29.11 by Mandy -
Summer 2011 is filled with sequels, spin-offs, and reboots — if there's any doubt, look at the numbers tacked onto the titles of the newest big releases (Hangover II, Panda 2, Pirates 4). That's right, as exciting as the season's blockbusters may seem, we're being inundated with one of the most unoriginal summers the movies have ever seen. Within that context, though, which movies rise above the "Yeah, we phoned this one in" benchmark? Find out with our patent-pending originality meter.
From 1 to 10, where do these releases register? >>
Posted 05.27.11 by reelz -
Today's Challenge: It was on May 25, 1977 that Star Wars was first released in theaters. Can you find a link between Star Wars: Episode 4 - A New Hope and last weekend's biggest movie, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides?
Our first Facebook movie game, ClusterFlick, plays off that old "six degrees of separation" theory — you know, the one that has a certain Kevin at the center of the Hollywood universe. It's easy to play, but not so easy to win. The goal is to use the major cast of movies to get from Point A to Point B in the smallest number of moves.
Play ClusterFlick >>
Posted 05.25.11 by reelz -
| Title | Weekend | Total | Analysis |
| Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides | $90.1M | $90.1M | Largest opening weekend of the year, but down from previous Pirates movies. |
| Bridesmaids | $21.1M | $59.5M | Just a tiny Week 2 drop off for this comedy that's turned into a very profitable surprise hit. |
| Thor | $15.5M | $145.4M | Fading in 3rd week but still #2 overall in 2011 box office race. |
| Fast Five | $10.6M | $186.2M | The undisputed 2011 box office champ, at least until The Hangover 2 is in theaters for a couple of weeks. |
| Rio | $4.7M | $131.6M | Six weeks and still in Top 5. The best longevity of any movie so far this year. |
Posted 05.23.11 by reelz -
Today's Challenge: Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides and Midnight in Paris both open today. Can you find a movie link to connect Johnny Depp and Rachel McAdams?
Our first Facebook movie game, ClusterFlick, plays off that old "six degrees of separation" theory — you know, the one that has a certain Kevin at the center of the Hollywood universe. It's easy to play, but not so easy to win. The goal is to use the major cast of movies to get from Point A to Point B in the smallest number of moves.
Play ClusterFlick >>
Posted 05.20.11 by reelz -
Funny, we were relatively sure that the whole Pirates of the Caribbean series was supposed to be a trilogy — even when that made little sense. But then plots and common sense were never a big part of Pirates, considering that even Johnny Depp, himself, didn't understand what was going on in the second and third pictures. Still, it's the big release for the week and we'd be remiss if we didn't admit we were still going to see it for the following reasons.
5 Reasons to See On Stranger Tides >>
Posted 05.19.11 by reelz -
Reviews for Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, aka Pirates 4, are all over the map. The franchise is either back, or it's sunk.
"Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow is back in excellent form for his fourth adventure in Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides..."
— Ray Bennett, Hollywood Reporter"...revives the fun, feather-light frivolity that any film based on a Disneyland ride ought to exhibit."
— Andrew Barker, Variety"...feels like an antiaging tonic that's being forced on the audience."
— Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly"Further sabotaged by light-dimming 3-D, the visual murkiness comes off as a blatant attempt to mask the shoddiness of the special effects and the unoriginality of the combat choreography, and ultimately proves directly at odds with a story driven by its characters' desire to escape death's everlasting darkness."
— Nick Schager, Village Voice"...a dim-witted bore."
— Andrew Schenker, Slant Magazine -
Helping fans separate fact from fiction when it comes to movie news and speculation is a big part of what we do here at ReelzChannel — for example, The Avengers: What We Know So Far and The Truth and Fiction About Batman 3. We also like watching how real-life stories are adapted for the big screen (The Social Network and 127 Hours).
Not surprisingly, we're fans of the Smithsonian Channel's The Real Story series, which looks at the inspiration and facts behind some of Hollywood's biggest movies. This Sunday, May 15, the third season premieres with The Real Story: Pirates of the Caribbean. As a special offering, Smithsonian Channel has given us that full episode, along with two others from previous seasons, to share with you for a limited time. Enjoy!
Watch 3 full episodes of The Real Story >>
Posted 05.11.11 by reelz