-
"I'd take the deal instead of decapitation."
Journey into the brutal world of the illicit drug trade with a pair of otherwise peaceful pot dealers who get all Punisher-y when their girlfriend is snatched.
how far would you go to rescue a loved one? >> Posted 10.19.12 by BrentJS -
We laughed (at how bad the movie was), we cried (because we didn't see a different movie), we kissed eight bucks (or ten or twelve or sixteen, depending upon the format) good-bye!
Stale jokes, missing plots, phone-in performances...too often this summer movie season, we found ourselves scratching our heads in wonder at how actors and directors we have come to respect could have strayed so far off course. We probably should have gone back to the box office and demanded a refund for some of the stinkers we endured this summer. If you feel the same way, vent your frustration by helping us rate the Top 10 Worst Movies of the 2012 summer movie season.
Rate the Top 10 Worst Movies >>
Posted 09.27.12 by BrentJS -
| Title | Weekend | Total | Analysis |
| The Amazing Spider-Man | $65M | $140M | Though it failed to match any of the opening grosses of the first original three movies stateside, this reboot has already earned $341M in just two weeks overseas |
| Ted | $32.6M | $120.2M | Outpacing 2009's The Hangover and on its way to a $200M run |
| Brave | $20.2M | $174.5M | Thanks to this Scottish princess (and some help from The Avengers) Disney is the first studio to hit the $1B mark for 2012 |
| Savages | $16.2M | $16.2M | A weak debut for this Oliver Stone pic; Taylor Kitsch (John Carter, Battleship) can't catch a break |
| Magic Mike | $15.6M | $72.8M | In addition to pants, this stripper movie dropped 60% in its second week |
Posted 07.08.12 by Chris -
So far, the most successful movies of the past few months (The Avengers, Men in Black III, Snow White and the Huntsman) have all been big-budget, special effects–heavy movies or sequels with established or well-known characters. Therein lies the challenge of marketing director Oliver Stone's upcoming adaptation of Savages. Despite being based on the novel by Don Winslow, Savages doesn't have the advantage of being based on known characters, yet, ironically, will have to contend with The Amazing Spider-Man on its opening weekend.
To help audiences become more familiar with the characters in Savages, Universal has released several character clips from the movie. All done in police interrogation-style interviews, which means that marijuana growers Ben (Aaron Johnson and Chon Taylor Kitsch) won't exactly be truthful about their business, and neither will Mexican drug cartel leader Elena Sanchez (Salma Hayek) and her enforcer Lado (Benicio del Toro). Ben and Chon's girlfriend O (Blake Lively), however, is willing to admit to her triumvirate relationship.
watch the videos >> Posted 06.14.12 by Ryan -
Director Oliver Stone's adaptation of Savages has a tough road ahead, competing against the highly anticipated The Amazing Spider-Man its opening weekend and family-friendly sequel Ice Age: Continental Drift the following week. It may seem cynical to think that the crime-thriller only has two weeks to make its mark on the box office, but the third week after Savages' release, The Dark Knight Rises hits theaters and will likely be dominating the box office.
Still, there must be a reason Universal decided to release Savages during tentpole season... The two latest TV spots provide some answers as they reveal explosions, weird masks, and rocket launchers while briefly describing a story about two marijuana growers (Aaron Johnson and Taylor Kitsch) whose mutual girlfriend (Blake Lively) is kidnapped by a Mexican drug cartel that the two friends refused to work with. Salma Hayek leads the cartel, and Benicio del Toro plays the mustachioed cartel enforcer who kidnaps Lively and forces the two friends to, as one of spots says, go to war.
watch the TV spots >> Posted 06.06.12 by Ryan -
Universal clearly has a lot of confidence in director Oliver Stone's adaptation of Savages. After seeing an early version of the movie in February, the studio decided to change the release date from September to July 6th, putting it in direct competition with The Amazing Spider-Man, which opens 3 days earlier. Now, we finally have our first look at Savages, as MTV has delivered the movie's first trailer.
Based on the 2010 novel from Don Winslow, Savages follows marijuana growers Ben (Aaron Johnson) and Chon (Taylor Kitsch), who refuse to join forces with a Mexican drug cartel led by Salma Hayek. The cartel sends an enforcer (Benicio del Toro) to kidnap the two friends' girlfriend (Blake Lively), which prompts the two friends to take down the cartel themselves in what looks to be an explosive showdown.
watch the trailer >> Posted 04.05.12 by Ryan -
Universal clearly is excited about director Oliver Stone's adaptation of Savages, as the studio has moved the release date from September 28th to July 6th, the middle of the summer movie season. Deadline reports that the studio made the move after seeing an early version late last week, and apparently think it's strong enough to contend with The Amazing Spider-Man, which opens July 3rd.
Based on the novel by Don Winslow, Savages follows two marijuana growers named Ben (Aaron Johnson, Kick-Ass) and Chon (Taylor Kitsch, X-Men Origins: Wolverine) whose girlfriend (Blake Lively, Green Lantern) is kidnapped by a Mexican drug cartel, and the pair decide to pay the ransom by stealing the cartel's shipments. Winslow co-wrote the script with Stone and Shane Salerno (Shaft) and also wrote a Savages prequel novel that could have its release date moved up to coincide with the movie's opening.
Savages has an impressive cast; Benicio del Toro plays an enforcer named Lado who works for the cartel matriarch, Salma Hayek, with John Travolta playing a DEA agent and Uma Thurman has the role of Lively's mother. Emile Hirsch (The Darkest Hour), Joel David Moore (Avatar) and recent Academy Award nominee Demian Bichir (A Better Life) co-star. Whether the movie's star power is enough to defeat Sony's Amazing Spider-Man remains to be seen.
Posted 02.01.12 by Ryan -
Add another entry to the already packed cast of Oliver Stone's next project, Savages. Joel David Moore has joined the movie as a computer expert who "moves on from a Washington think tank to the marijuana business," according to THR. You might remember Moore as Norm, one of Jake Sully's pilot buddies in Avatar.
Savages is based on the 2010 novel from Don Winslow. The story involves Ben and Chon, two friends who run a marijuana operation in Laguna Beach. Their operation is threatened by a Mexican drug cartel who kidnaps one of their female confidants and sets into motion an escalating conflict.
Along with Moore, the cast includes Taylor Kitsch, Aaron Johnson, Salma Hayek, Benicio del Toro, John Travolta, Uma Thurman, and Emile Hirsch. Savages currently has a release date of September 28, 2012.
Posted 06.22.11 by reelz -
Universal Studios has set the release dates on three of its high-profile projects. While the good news is that these movies are definitely getting made without forcing a director to rush to a release date, the bad news is that we have to wait some time for them.
Arriving first is director Oliver Stone's adaptation of Savages, based on the novel by Don Winslow. The drama features an all-star cast that includes Taylor Kitsch (X-Men Origins: Wolverine), Aaron Johnson (Kick-Ass), Benicio Del Toro (The Wolfman), Salma Hayek (Grown Ups), Blake Lively (Green Lantern), John Travolta, and Uma Thurman. The story involves Kitsch and Johnson as two pot dealers who have their girlfriend (Lively) kidnapped by a Mexican drug cartel and have to find a way to pay the ransom. Savages opens on September 28, 2012.
when will we get Despicable Me 2 and Horizons/Oblivion? Posted 06.17.11 by Ryan -
Oliver Stone is putting together an appealing cast for his upcoming drama Savages, based on the novel by Don Winslow that follows two pot-dealing buddies who become involved with a Mexican drug cartel. When the cartel kidnaps their girlfriend, the two are forced to find a way to pay the ransom.
Last month, Taylor Kitsch (X-Men Origins: Wolverine) and Aaron Johnson (Kick-Ass) were cast respectively as Southern California pot growers Chon, an ex-Navy Seal, and Ben, an environmentally-conscious Berkeley grad. Benicio Del Toro was also cast last month as a drug enforcer named Lado, who works for a drug cartel matriarch, to be played by Salma Hayek.
The latest cast additions, according to Deadline, are Blake Lively (Green Lantern) as O, the kidnapped girlfriend, a role originally intended for Jennifer Lawrence until she won the lead role in The Hunger Games. Pulp Fiction and Be Cool co-stars John Travolta and Uma Thurman will reunite in the movie, with Travolta playing a burned out DEA agent named Dennis, and Thurman playing O's mom, Paqu. Then there's Emile Hirsch (Milk), whom Variety reports has also joined the cast in an unspecified role.
Production on Savages starts in July. Winslow adapted the screenplay with Shane Salerno (Shaft).
Posted 04.23.11 by Ryan