New on DVD & Blu-ray: 'The Hunger Games: Catching Fire', '12 Years a Slave', 'The Grandmaster'

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire - One of my top 5 films of 2013, the second installment in The Hunger Games series gets a new director and better storytelling as the odds turn away from Katniss's favor. She and Peeta are once more thrown into the arena, this time against former winners of the previous Hunger Games. President Snow is constantly watching her and there's a rebellion brewing, with Katniss the face of it all. The film stars Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Jenna Malone, Sam Claflin, Woody Harrelson, and Elizabeth Banks. 

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12 Years a Slave - The 2014 Best Picture Winner, and also in my top 5 picks of 2013, 12 Years a Slave follows the true story of Solomon Northrup from freedom to slavery and back again. He is tricked, sold into slavery, and moved to Louisiana where he is forced to endure mistreatment, terrible working conditions, and the harshness and cruelty of slavery. A meaningful and hard film to watch, but nevertheless important and integral to our society. The film stars Chiwetel Ijiofor, Michael Fassbender, Lupita Nyong'o, Benedict Cumberbatch, and Paul Dano. 

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Oldboy - The Spike Lee remake follows the same story of a man obsessed with getting revenge after he finally leaves his prison to find out why he was kidnapped and put away in solitary confinement for no good reason. The film stars Josh Brolin, Elizabeth Olsen, Samuel L. Jackson, and Sharlto Copley. 

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The Grandmaster - It begins as the story of Ip Man, the legendary teacher of Bruce Lee and a master of the Wing Chun school of kungfu. It becomes the portrait of a bygone era and a lost world. The film stars Tony Chiu Wai Leung, Wang Qingxiang, Song Hye Kyo, Zhang Jin, and Ziyi Zhang. 

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Hours - The late Paul Walker's final film before his untimely death, Hours tells the story of a man who's wife has just given birth to a premature baby. Needing the ventilator to stay alive, he has to stay by the baby's side when the electricity goes out and he can only use the generator by cranking every few minutes. All of this is happening in the wake of Hurrican Katrina as the man and his child wait to be rescued in a dire situation. The film also stars Genesis Rodriguez, Nancy Nave, and Shane Jacobson. 

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The Last Days on Mars - On the last day of a mission to Mars, something astounding is discovered: evidence of fossilized bacteria. An astronaut disobeys orders in order to gain more samples but when astronauts start disappearing, the crew suspects that there is much more danger involved with the sample they found than they could have imagined. The film stars Liev Shreiber, Elias Koteas, and Olivia Williams. 

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Box Office: 'Frozen' Freezes Out 'Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones'

1. Frozen- $20.7M/$297.8M
In its seventh full week of release, Disney's Frozen simply refuses to melt, leaping back into first place and slipping only 27% from last week.  It's doing even better overseas, where it has hauled in $342M for a worldwide total of $639M. There's little reason to think it'll be going anywhere anytime soon, with little in the way of serious competition over the next couple of weeks.
2. Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones- $18.2M
The first week of January is usually reserved for a cheapie horror film looking for a big opening weekend, but Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones has the power of the hit franchise behind it. That's why the $18.2M number is such a huge disappointment, and one can only think it was hurt by the marketing, which pegged it as merely a "Latino-themed spinoff". They may have found greater success if it had been titled Paranormal Activity 5, but that film doesn't actually hit until October. Paranormal Activity 4 opened in 2012 to a weak $29M, a low since the first movie, suggesting audiences were growing weary of the found-footage beast, at least domestically. They still perform extremely well overseas, and given the international flavor of this one we can likely expect more of the same. Fortunately for Paramount and Blumhouse Productions, the cost still hovers around $5M so they're already making money.
3. The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug- $16.2M/$229.6M
4. The Wolf of Wall Street- $13.4M/$63.2M
5. American Hustle- $13.2M/$88.7M
6.  Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues- $11.1M/$109.1M
7. Saving Mr. Banks- $9M/$59.3M
8. The Secret Life of Walter Mitty- $8.2M/$45.6M
9. The Hunger Games: Catching Fire- $7.4M/$407.4M
10. Grudge Match- $5.4M/$24.9M

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Travis Hopson's 15 Best Movies of 2013

When it comes to ranking the best or worst of anything, I'm a total obsessive about it. The process begins with day one of the new year and runs all the way through to the end. That doesn't make it any easier, mind you, in fact it makes sorting through the many movies I see each year (nearing 230 at the time of this post) all the more difficult. And 2013 has been especially tough because this has been one of the most stacked movie years I can remember, and it has nothing to do with the summer blockbuster season, which in general was a massive disappointment. By contrast the typically dreadful winter season was full of high-quality gems which sadly will be overlooked come Oscar time (but not by me!), and because of that there are more brilliant movies than ever to choose from. Which is just one reason why I've expanded my Top 10 to 15...that and to cut down on the usual flood of emails asking "How could you leave (insert movie here) off your list?!?!” Hey, if my list isn't good enough then maybe you'll be more interested in our Best Overlooked Films, Best (and Worst) Onscreen Kisses, and Hottest Leading Ladies as we tie a neat little bow on 2013.

Enough rambling, let's just jump right in.

15. The Place Beyond the Pines
Director: Derek Cianfrance
Cast: Ryan Gosling, Bradley Cooper, Eva Mendes, Dane DeHaan, Ray Liotta

How is it that everybody has forgotten Derek Cianfrance's sprawling The Place Beyond the Pines? Never mind that it features the only good performance by Ryan Gosling this year, overshadowing Bradley Cooper just as he was overshadowed by other superior talents in American Hustle, but the film is a truly ambitious look at the legacy of violence wrapped in complicated narrative structure few directors would even dare.

14. The Act of Killing
Director: Joshua Oppenheimer

Like horror movies? Great, then you need to check out Joshua Oppenheimer's chilling documentary The Act of Killing.  You won't see Hollywood celebrating this "movie about movies", which offers probably the clearest look at the impact of our violent movie culture. Oppenheimer, who had gone to Indonesia for totally different reasons, ended up meeting Anwar Congo and a number of other movie-loving gangsters who had committed wholesale genocide of Communists and other enemies of state back in the 1960s, and have been living for decades as heroes, unabashedly boastful of their murderous actions. Convincing them to reenact the slaughter in the style of their favorite movies, the film becomes a deeply disturbing, darkly comic (which is even more unsettling) film about redemption and the power of cinema.

13. The Wind Rises
Director: Hayao Miyazaki

If The Wind Rises truly is Hayao Miyazaki's final movie, the legendary Studio Ghibli founder has gone out on top.  Setting aside his impressive resume of fantasy classics, Miyazaki has been living in the real world more often of late, co-writing the post-WWII drama From Up on Poppy Hill and now with The Wind Rises he explores a similar time in Japan's difficult history. As complete and fully-realized as any biopic that emerged this year, the film tells the story of engineer Jiro Hirokoshi, a dreamer who would ultimately design the Zero Fighter plane used during the war. The aeronautical details are fascinating in and of themselves, but so is Hirokoshi's personal story as an obsessive artist in love with his craft and the one woman who accepted him for who he was. There's been a lot of controversy over what the film doesn't say, but none of that matters in the long run. All I know is when the movie was over I spent the next couple of hours online reading literally everything I could find on Hirohoshi. That never happens.

12. The Hunger Games: Catching Fire
Director: Francis Lawrence
Cast: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Jena Malone

Comparisons to The Empire Strikes Back have been flying around pretty easily, but for once they actually make a bit of sense. Catching Fire isn't just a better movie than The Hunger Games, it's bigger, handles the social and political themes with more nuance and raises the stakes in a way that changes the tenor of the franchise. And of course right at the center of it is the quietly confident Jennifer Lawrence (so different than her chaotic role in American Hustle), aided by great supporting cast that only got better with the additions of Philip Seymour Hoffman, Jeffrey Wright, and the ferocious Jena Malone.

11. Fast & Furious 6
Director: Justin Lin
Cast: Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Dwayne Johnson, Luke Evans, Jordana Brewster

Okay, let's be honest: these movies are dumb as bricks, but nothing else can be counted on to deliver bigger bang for the buck and more "holy shit!" moments than Fast & Furious. The latest is a cornucopia of improbable car chases, crashes, and mid-air battles, led by an ethnically-diverse superstar cast that we've come to look at as family. As silly as they may be on screen, the genius of these movies is that they treat their audience with respect and give them exactly what they want year in and year out.

10. The Kings of Summer
Director: Jordan Vogt-Roberts
Cast: Nick Robinson, Gabriel Basso, Moises Arias, Nick Offerman

Jordan Vogt-Robert's impressive directorial debut The Kings of Summer may take some of its cues from 1980s childhood classics The Goonies and Stand By Me, but it quickly becomes apparent this quirky, funny little gem is doing its own thing. This timeless and slightly surreal comedy stars a handful of unknowns in Nick Robinson, Gabriel Basso, and the goofy Moises Arias, as friends eager to get out from under their parents' shadows (including the gruff and hilarious Nick Offerman) by building their own home in the woods and living off the land. Subverting the genre and shattering preconceived notions all the way, the adults and kids are given equal consideration without a hint of irony, taking us on a journey that is both funny and poignant. But more than that, it's refreshing to see a comedy that doesn't take the cinematography for granted, and The Kings of Summer is a genuinely beautiful movie with big, sweeping sun-kissed images that will burn into your memory.

9. Trance
Director: Danny Boyle
Cast: James McAvoy, Rosario Dawson, Vincent Cassel

When Danny Boyle wasn't busy plotting the most recent Olympics, he was figuring out way to make mincemeat out of our brains with Trance. While it seems to have been overlooked since it came out early this year, there were few experiences I had more fulfilling than Boyle's delirious, pulsing heist thriller, with all its twists, turns, and palpable sexual energy. James McAvoy, Rosario Dawson, and that darn smirking Vincent Cassel have never been better in their careers in ever-shifting roles that constantly reframe who we think is worth trusting. The simple answer is "nobody".

8. Before Midnight
Director: Richard Linklater
Cast: Ethan Hawke, Julie Delpy

Before Ethan Hawke embarrassed himself later in the year with Getaway, he would find much greater success in the continued 20-year collaboration with Richard Linklater and Julie Delpy in Before Midnight. The third film in the dialogue heavy series gives fans everything they think they've wanted for so long, finding Jesse and Celine married with kids, and as argumentative as ever. For two breathtakingly gorgeous hours walking with them through the Greek Isle, they discuss love, sex, family, and more in a way that feels remarkably natural. But true to this series' nature, their conversations don't go where we expect them to, veering down a dark path that forces us to question whether they were truly meant to live happily ever after.

7. Spring Breakers
Director: Harmony Korine
Cast: Selena Gomez, Ashley Benson, Vanessa Hudgens, James Franco, Rachel Korine

James Franco gives head to a gun at one point in Harmony Korine's wild, neon spectacle Spring Breakers. Reason enough for me to put it in my Top 10, along with Franco's unforgettable drawl "Spring break forever, ya'll!" that is unquestionably the quote of the year. Some have been quick to write off the film as just another look at teen rebellion and excess, and while those are indeed factors there's a lot more going on beneath the surface. Looking like it was set on fire by candles made of Starbursts, the film and its army of half-naked starlets tosses aside any notions of normalcy and rips away at the facade of American culture. There's nowhere safe from the corrupting influence of sex, drugs, and violence; and while these are familiar ideas for Korine we've never seen them presented quite like this.

6. Gravity
Director: Alfonso Cuaron
Cast: Sandra Bullock, George Clooney

Full disclosure: Gravity had been sitting in my top 3 until only recently, which just goes to show how strong the last few weeks of movies have been. That's not taking anything away from what Alfonso Cuaron accomplished with Gravity, a film that endured a troubling production process to become one of the year's biggest hits, and an experience I think defines what going to the movies is all about. If movies are designed to take us into a world we can never hope to experience ourselves, then Gravity is the closest any of us will ever get to being in space. Cuaron captures the terrifying beauty of space in all its glory, fully immersing us into the impossible journey home of two stranded astronauts, played Sandra Bullock and George Clooney. What Cuaron accomplishes is so far-reaching that it's easy to overlook the contributions the actors make, but Clooney's reservoir of charm is the perfect balance to Bullock's desperation.

5. The Wolf of Wall Street
Director: Martin Scorsese
Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Jonah Hill, Kyle Chandler, Margot Robbie, Rob Reiner, Jon Bernthal

My first thought after the credits rolled on Martin Scorsese's 3-hour symphony of greed and depravity was, "How in the hell did this not get an NC-17 rating"??? Seriously, there are so many heinous acts committed in this constantly hilarious film, by none other than Hollywood golden boy Leonardo DiCaprio, that you need to see it multiples times just to properly sort them all out. When midget tossing is on the low rung of the immoral totem pole then that's really saying something, but let's just say cocaine gets snorted out of more orifices than I think it was ever meant to. While Goodfellas is clearly the model here in just about every respect, the film treads its own path in the story of Wall Street whiz kid Jordan Belfort, who starts from nothing before becoming top don at the craziest brokerage firm in the world. Besides DiCaprio, the film is bolstered by great supporting turns by Jonah Hill, Rob Reiner, and a chest-thumping Matthew McConaughey.

4. American Hustle
Director: David O. Russell
Cast: Christian Bale, Amy Adams, Jennifer Lawrence, Bradley Cooper, Jeremy Renner

Another film taking its cues from Goodfellas, David O. Russell's American Hustle is the most fun you'll have being conned all year. Very loosely based on the political Abscam scandal of the late '70s, which Russell knows you don't really give a fig about, this glitzy messy crime caper is a whirl of double-crosses and broken hearts, told through the questionable lens of a con-couple played by Christian Bale and Amy Adams. Throw in Jennifer Lawrence as Bale's chaotic wife, Bradley Cooper (and his curly 'do) as a scheming FBI agent, not to mention a game Jeremy Renner and you have the recipe for a film that is so dynamic it's easy to look over the plot's significant flaws.

3. 12 Years a Slave
Director: Steve McQueen
Cast: Chiwetel Ejiofor, Lupita Nyong'o, Michael Fassbender, Brad Pitt, Benedict Cumberbatch

One does not really enjoy a movie like 12 Years A Slave. You endure it. You experience it, and Steve McQueen's harrowing drama is the most unflinching look at the slavery era we've ever seen captured on film, TV, anywhere.  McQueen brings his aloof approach to the unbelievable true story of Solomon Northrup (Ejiofor), a free black man kidnapped and forced into brutal slavery under the whip of masters ranging from coldly dismissive to sadistic. If Alfonso Cuaron's cast us adrift in the darkness of space, McQueen entraps us into the horrors of the antebellum South and never lets us escape its grip even for a moment.

2. The Spectacular Now
Director: James Ponsoldt
Cast: Shailene Woodley, Miles Teller, Brie Larson, Kyle Chandler, Mary Elizabeth Winstead

When I get asked why I make it a point to attend the Sundance Film Festival every year, the answer is because of movies like The Spectacular Now. One of the very first things I saw way back in January, after my glowing review I remarked that it was almost a certainty to be at or near the top of my 'Best Of..." list, regardless of how many great movies may follow it. And that has held true, obviously. Good to know I'm a man of word in this case. What struck me right off the bat was how far it sets itself apart from other teen romances. The teens all look and sound like normal everyday people, not the easily recognizable stereotypes we see perpetuated constantly in any number of similar movies. Showing the emotional range he displayed opposite Nicole Kidman in Rabbit Hole, Miles Teller plays life-of-the-party high school senior Sutter Keely, with Shailene Woodley as the shy and disarmingly beautiful Aimee Finicky. We're treated to their courtship, which evolves naturally from mentorship, to friendship, to eventual romance, but from there it goes into unexpected territory as Sutter's personal demons threaten to engulf them both. Directed with an observant eye by James Ponsolt, it's probably the closest any film has come to matching the sincere tone of those great John Hughes movies we all love. The Spectacular Now deserves to be in the same conversation with all of them.

1. Short Term 12
Director: Destin Cretton
Cast: Brie Larson, John Gallagher Jr., Keith Stanfield, Rami Malek, Kaitlyn Dever

The top two picks on this list are pretty much interchangeable for me, and if asked what my favorite movie of the year is tomorrow I may have the positions swapped. But right this very second Destin Cretton's masterful Short Term 12 sits at the top. It's a small film with big hopes, big ambitions, and big emotional stakes as we follow the mentors and charges at a foster care facility for at-risk teens. At the center of it is Grace, played with vulnerability and passion by one of my favorite actresses, Brie Larson. Her perfectly nuanced performance ranks as one of the year's finest, even if I think the Academy will ultimately overlook her. The script by emerging star Destin Cretton is a thing of beauty, hitting on all of the right emotional beats as it skillfully studies the devastating effects of abuse on its survivors. And while sometimes that exploration can get pretty bleak, Cretton never lets us totally give up hope, imbuing the film with an everlasting humanist spirit.

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Box Office: 'Anchorman 2' Has Classy Debut But Can't Top 'The Hobbit'

1. The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug- $31.4/$127.5M
Peter Jackson's latest journey into the land of hobbits and orcs slipped 57% from last week but still had enough muscle to best Ron Burgundy.  It's still doing considerably less business than the first film on the domestic side, which will make it nearly impossible to best its $1B worldwide total.
2. Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues- $26.7M/$40M
It took nine years for Paramount to get off their duffs and give fans an Anchorman sequel, largely because it took time to become the pop culture phenomenon we know it to be. And it appears that Ron Burgundy fan base has remained rock solid, giving the film a $26.7M three-day weekend and $40M since it  opened Wednesday. That's still less than Anchorman's' $28M back in 2004, but one has to expect the sequel to have long legs during the holiday season, and it's guaranteed to be huge on the home entertainment market.
3. Frozen- $19.16M/$191.5M
4. American Hustle-  $19.1M/$20.2M
After an insanely huge run in limited release last week, David O. Russell's American Hustle expanded nationwide and it's off to a start that compares favorably to last year's Silver Linings Playbook. That film was bolstered by star power, a crowd-pleasing plot, and solid Oscar buzz, and American Hustle actually has more firepower at its disposal. This is an event picture, the type families will gather together to check out after the holiday festivities, so expect it to hang around for a long time and do very well.
5. Saving Mr. Banks- $9.3M/$9.9M
Also expanding into wide release not faring so well is Disney's making-of Mary Poppins biopic, Saving Mr. Banks. It's possible this one could be a solid holiday destination, as well, but so far the returns aren't looking good. Perhaps it's being overshadowed by the crush of flashier new movies, but that's not going to get any better next week when a number of others emerge.
6. The Hunger Games: Catching Fire- $8.7M/$371.7M
7. Tyler Perry's A Madea Christmas- $8.5M/$28.3M
8. Walking with Dinosaurs- $7.3M
Movies with dinosaurs tend to be a reliable cash cow no matter who or what the movie is about, which just goes to show the extreme level of failure for 20th Century Fox's Walking with Dinosaurs. Very loosely based on the BBC series from the late '90s, the $85M 3D film has been crushed by bad reviews and has no chance of competing with Frozen for the family-friendly market. Opening at over 3200 theaters it has the lowest per site average in the top 10 with only $2200.
9. Dhoom 3- $3.3M
In a year that has seen ethnically-targeted movies take a major step forward domestically, Dhoom 3's surprising $3.3M opening weekend is the biggest ever for a Bollywood film.
10. Thor: The Dark World- $1.3M/$200.7M

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Best (and the Worst) Onscreen Kisses of 2013

I’m of the age that during my middle-school and high-school years, the MTV Movie Awards were actually kind of enjoyable! And that was really only because of the Best Kiss award, which—before it got swept up in terrible “Twilight” hype—was pretty cute. I’m looking at you, Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams. Look up that kiss on YouTube and try to tell me love isn’t real!

Anyway, along the lines of great kisses, here’s a list of my five favorites from film in 2013. I also included my least favorite kiss for equality. And if you think you’ve got something better, sound off in the comments. I’m always down for a little fighting to go with my loving.

BEST KISSES OF 2013

THE SPECTACULAR NOW

The first kiss between Sutter (Miles Teller) and Aimee (Shailene Woodley) in “The Spectacular Now,” one of this year’s most underrated movies. Before their love story gets too soaked in alcohol and Sutter’s own self-sabotage, their first kiss—spontaneous, during an afternoon party in the woods, pleasing Aimee while also catching her off-guard—sets the tone for what’s to come, both the good and the bad.

AMERICAN HUSTLE

That vengeful, hate-filled kiss that Rosalyn (Jennifer Lawrence) lays on her husband’s mistress, Sydney (Amy Adams), in a casino bathroom in “American Hustle.” A million fan-fictions were born from that angry, sloppy, lipstick-smearing smooch, which Rosalyn used as a way to psych out Sydney. Mission accomplished.

SPRING BREAKERS

The three-way kiss between Brittany (Ashley Benson), Candy (Vanessa Hudgens), and Alien (James Franco) as they swirl around the pool together, celebrating their new life of hedonistic debauchery? That sums up “Spring Breakers” in a nutshell: over-the-top, vaguely off-putting, but entrancing nonetheless. Sure, you may want to turn away from the grossness of that kiss—but you won’t.

THE GREAT GATSBY

You know what’s never explicit in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby”? That Jay Gatsby and Daisy Buchanan have a sexual relationship. You know what is rightfully clear in Baz Luhrmann’s version of “The Great Gatsby”? That they do. There is something rotten and lustful and idealistic running through the novel, and Luhrmann touches into it correctly by putting Jay and Daisy in bed, rolling around in a passion that is built on utterly false pretenses. Some book purists freaked out; I think the emotional truths, though, win out.

PACIFIC RIM

OK, so Raleigh Beckett (Charlie Hunnam, drool) and Mako Mori (Rinko Kikuchi) don’t actually kiss in “Pacific Rim.” But were there few scenes more sexually charged this year than their sparring session, or more heartwarming than their embrace at the end of the film after they saved the world? Nope. For all who thought “Pacific Rim” was just a “Transformers” knockoff, reevaluate your decisions. Nothing in any of the “Transformers” films was as affecting as either of those moments.

WORST KISS OF 2013

THE HUNGER GAMES: CATCHING FIRE

That second kiss between Katniss and Gale in “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire.” UM, THEY ONLY KISS ONCE IN THE BOOK, GUYS. WHY WOULD YOU ADD A SECOND KISS? NOT COOL AND UNNECESSARY AND RUDE. (Uh, I may be Team Peeta.)

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Box Office: 'Desolation of Smaug' Burns up 'Frozen'; 'A Madea Christmas' Opens Small

1. The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug- $73.6M
The middle chapter of Peter Jackson's latest Tolkien trilogy, The Desolation of Smaug, opened strong with $73.6M, performing well in midnight sneaks and IMAX, which accounted for $9M of the total. The film even did well overseas, as the New Zealand-based production was expected to, adding another $53M to the total. So what's the problem? Well, detractors will be quick to point out that the domestic debit is $11M less than An Unexpected Journey last year, although this isn't too surprising. Many considered that film a disappointment, so some hold-over was anticipated. You won't hear Jackson complaining, though, as the film moves into 4th place on the all-time list for December premieres.
2. Frozen- $22.1M/$164.3M
3. Tyler Perry's A Madea Christmas- $16M
Perhaps creeped out by an ad campaign with kids sitting on Madea's lap, Tyler Perry's A Madea Christmas opened to the smallest debut ever for a Madea film at $16M. These movies have long had a very loyal, dedicated audience who turn out annually for junk like Madea's Witness Protection and Madea Goes to Jail to an average $25M opening. And yet somehow Perry couldn't make this work even with the holiday theme, suggesting some of the sheen is coming off his favored character. Still, these movies don't cost much and generally do strong business on DVD/Blu-Ray, so Perry and Lionsgate aren't sweating this.
4. The Hunger Games: Catching Fire- $13.1M/$356.9M
5. Thor: The Dark World- $2.7M/$198.1M
6. Out of the Furnace- $2.3M/$9.4M
7. Delivery Man- $1.8M/$27.9M
8.  Philomena- $1.7M/$11M
9. The Book Thief- $1.67M/$14.8M
10. Homefront- $1.63M/$18.4M

It was a pretty good weekend for two major movies in limited release. First is American Hustle, the star-studded ABSCAM caper from David O. Russell scoring $690K in only six sites. Disney's Mary Poppins biopic Saving Mr. Banks performed less well, perhaps because its audience was at American Hustle, earning $421K at 15 theaters.

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Box Office: "Frozen' Freezes Out 'Catching Fire' and 'Out of the Furnace'

1. Frozen- $31.6M/$134.2M
Traditionally, the post-Thanksgiving is a barren one for new releases, and this year is no different. Frozen took advantage and topped the chart with $31M, slipping 53% in its second weekend, slightly lower than Tangled's 55% dip back in 2010.  Internationally the film has hauled in another $55M for a $190M worldwide total, so Disney has to be pretty happy all around. With Oscar buzz swelling for it in the Best Animated Feature category there's little reason to think Frozen will go away any time soon.
2. The Hunger Games: Catching Fire- $27M/$336.6M
3. Out of the Furnace- $5.3M
Hey, dark and moody films just don't do well this time of year as folks are wrapped up in the holiday spirit. Oddly enough it's also awards season when movies like this tend to garner significant critical acclaim. Out of the Furnace didn't have the benefit of glowing reviews, though, despite an A-list cast of potential Oscar contenders Christian Bale and Forest Whitaker. Audiences have no interest in a brooding movie like this right now, and there's no guarantee it will make back the $20M+ production budget. Probably not, actually.
4. Thor: The Dark World- $4.7M/$193.6M
5. Delivery Man- $3.7M/$24.7M
6. Homefront- $3.3M/$15.2M
7. The Book Thief- $2.7M/$12M
8. The Best Man Holiday- $2.6M/$67.2M
9. Philomena- $2.2M/$8.2M
10. Dallas Buyers Club- $1.4M/$12.4M

Maybe folk music isn't as dead a musical form as we thought? The Coen Brothers' Inside Llewyn Davis, riding a ton of Best Actor heat for star Oscar Isaac, opened like gangbusters with $401K in only 4 locations. You can do the math on that one, but it obviously bodes well for a much larger expansion.

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Box Office: 'Catching Fire' and 'Frozen' Break Thanksgiving Records; 'Oldboy' Flops Hard

1. The Hunger Games: Catching Fire- $74.5M/$296.5M
In what is generally a fairly soft holiday weekend, 'Catching Fire' set the box office alight with a whopping $74.5M, which grows to $110M if expanded to include Wednesday. That breaks the record previously held by Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, which hit the $82M mark in its second weekend twelve years ago. Worldwide the film has amassed $573M in a mere 10 days.
2. Frozen- $66.7M/$93.M
 As Catching Fire burns, Frozen is putting all of Disney's box office records on ice with a $93M five-day haul that ranks it as the studio's highest-grossing debut of all-time. The total more than trumps the $68M total for Tangled, which opened on the same weekend a couple of years ago and went on to earn more than $600M worldwide. The interesting thing to note is that Disney had planned for Tangled to be their final "princess" movie until it performed so well, and now they're on the verge of Frozen possibly becoming their top-grossing animated movie ever.
3. Thor: The Dark World- $15.4M/$186.7M
4. The Best Man Holiday- $8.4M/$63.4M
5. Homefront- $6.97M/$9.7M
Not even Jason Statham could best the might of this week's top two flicks, as Homefront opened to a dismal $9.7M, which admittedly is average for his solo films of late.
6. Delivery Man- $6.93M/$19.4M
7. The Book Thief- $4.8M/$7.8M
8. Black Nativity- $3.8M/$5M
Not even an obvious holiday family musical like Black Nativity, with an absolutely glowing cast, had any room to manuever this week. The Kasi Lemmons' adaptation of Langston Hughes' play earned $5M over the five days, but it may stick around for awhile as we inch closer to Christmas. 
9. Philomena- $3.7M/$4.7M
Bumping up more than 800 theaters and riding Oscar buzz for star Judi Dench, the real-life dramedy Philomena should stick around for the long haul as awards season rolls along.
10. 12 Years A Slave- $3M/$33.1M

It's hard to figure out exactly what FilmDistrict was thinking in their treatment of Spike Lee's Oldboy. After a brilliant, extremely creative art campaign emphasizing the film's more twisted aspects, they go and dump it in only 583 theaters with little in the way of TV promotion. The results are to be expected, $1.25M earned over the five-day holiday, making it unlikely the $30M feature will recoup its budget.

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The Talent Show: Jennifer Lawrence

We bring you the talent show a few days later than usual this Thanksgiving weekend, we thought it prudent to give that tryptohan a few days to clear your system before setting your eyes aflame with the girl on fire, Miss Everdeen herself, Jennifer Lawrence. 

There's a lot about this post I want to explain, not the choice mind you, that's obvious. More my history with J. Law. While it's not a personal history, much to my dismay, there's a ton that sets this rising A-lister apart from her peers. I'll start by the choice of picture...honestly, I didn't want to go the sexy route...her sexiness is unquestionable but that's not the reason so many of us place her amongst our top seeds in Hollywood. It's her GENUINE awkward normalcy. "The Girl Next Door" is literally a classifying category for casting directors so there are always alot of faker's amongst the group (I'm looking at you Olivia Munn). Whether it's talking about eating too much, playing with her own action figures, giving no apparent care as to her "sex appeal" or, what won her for me, tripping up the stairs on the way to collect an Oscar and actually laughing about it. I'm not talking about covering for the faux pas with a dismissive giggle, I'm talking about actually seeing the humor in that moment and embracing it without even trying, that's just who she is. So I guess she's not actually the girl next door after all, she's even more cool than that. There's plenty of actresses that people say they'd marry, Ms. Lawrence may be the only one that you'd actually want to go the distance with. 

Check her out, as I'm sure all of you already have, in The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

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Box Office: 'Catching Fire' Opens to Record-Breaking $161M; 'Delivery Man' Proves Impotent

1. The Hunger Games: Catching Fire- $161.1M
The odds were definitely in the favor of Lionsgate and The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, which opened with a huge $161.1M, breaking the record for a 2D release and making it the highest-grossing November debut ever. With the help of $12.6M in IMAX-exclusive screenings the film ranks fourth on the all-time list, just ahead of The Dark Knight Rises. Pile on an extra $146M internationally and the total jumps to $307M, setting it on a course to surpass the $691M worldwide haul of The Hunger Games, but probably not by much.
2. Thor: The Dark World- $14.1M/$167.8M
3. The Best Man Holiday- $12.5M/$50.3M
Tumbling 58% from last week is The Best Man Holiday, and it appears those who were waiting 14 years for the sequel all turned out for the opening weekend. Not that it matters since it's nearly tripled the $17M production budget and has Universal cooking up a sequel.
4. Delivery Man- $8.2M
Vince Vaughn's sperm donor comedy Delivery Man was impotent competition against the might of Catching Fire. There's little surprise here that the remake of French-Canadian comedy Starbuck failed to make much of a splash considering its load was spent on Vaughn's name alone. Yet he's proven to be a name that studios can no longer bank on for a sure money shot at the box office. 
5. Free Birds- $5.3M/$48.5M
6. Last Vegas- $4.4M/$53.9M
7. Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa- $3.4/$95.4M
8. Gravity- $3.3M/$245.5M
9. 12 Years A Slave- $2.8M/$29.3M
10. Dallas Buyers Club- $2.7M/$6.4M

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Cinema Royale #41- 'The Hunger Games: Catching Fire'; Willow Shields Interview

May the odds be ever in your favor! On a very special episode of Cinema Royale, +Sandie Angulo Chen and I journey back to Panem for the anticipated sequel, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire! Plus, Willow Shields, who plays Primrose Everdeen, calls in to talk about her experience alongside Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson!

You can find Cinema Royale every single week on Blogtalkradio, Itunes, Libsyn, Stitcher, and Podomatic. Listen to the latest episode below...

Popular Movies Internet Radio with Cinema Royale on BlogTalkRadio

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Interview: Willow Shields Talks 'Catching Fire', Working with Jennifer Lawrence, and Prim's Evolution

Katniss Everdeen isn't the only one who undergoes serious changes in The Hunger Games: Catching Fire. The same can be said for her younger sister, Primrose, who stood by as big sis took her place in the games. Now in the sequel, Prim is tougher, smarter, and more like Katniss than ever.

It's 13-year-old Willow Shield who has the fortune of playing Prim in the hit series, sharing the bulk of her scenes with star Jennifer Lawrence. Neither was a household name before the first film, and they've had a chance to mature and grow together on set like real sisters. I had a chance to talk with Shields about her experiences joining the franchise, working alongside Lawrence, and her thoughts on Prim as a character.

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire is in theaters now. Check out the interview below....

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Review: 'The Hunger Games: Catching Fire' Starring Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson

There was something akin to panic when Gary Ross decided one film in The Hunger Games series was enough for him and left to pursue other less stressful projects. When Francis Lawrence took over it was met mostly with vague dismissal, like most of the director's films up to that point. He was always competent, but with The Hunger Games: Catching Fire he takes the franchise boldly out of Ross' shadow by bringing his own streamlined approach to the material, raising the stakes and delivering every significant emotional beat, which are plenty. Catching Fire isn't just a worthy sequel that die-hard fans can appreciate, with its complexity and commitment to character it's a superior film and proves why The Hunger Games is the most compelling franchise going today.

The second of Suzanne Collins' best-selling novels has rightly been compared to The Empire Strikes Back, which should tell all you need to know about the tone. It's dark stuff, so dark that the "kids killing kids" scenario is largely thrown out the window in favor of something even bleaker. But it's also the most ambitious of Collins' book for a reason, as it juggles a rather complicated, downbeat first half with a final act that is the stuff of pure adrenaline. Appropriately, the film begins with Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence), who has outsmarted the evil and awesomely-bearded President Snow (Donald Sutherland) to survive the previous Hunger Games with her faux lover, Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson). Their victory and supposed devotion to one another has made them heroes throughout Panem, a fact that has P.O.'ed Snow something awful. Rebellion is brewing throughout Panem's poorest districts, and Snow basically wants Katniss' head on a platter. After a few not-too-subtle threats against Katniss and her family, Snow sends the two champions on a Victor Tour throughout the nation; the better to remind the people of the Capitol's ruthless power.

Killing her would only make her a martyr, and so Snow hires new Gamesmaker Plutarch Heavensbee (Philip Seymour Hoffman, classing up the joint) with the task of ruining her idyllic image before delivering the killing blow. Plutarch's solution? Alter the 75th Hunger Games, known as the Quarter Quell, by forcing Katniss and Peeta to battle former victors plucked from the previous competitions. The look of horror and resignation on Katniss' face when the announcement is made is heartbreaking, not because it dooms her tenuous love triangle with Peeta and best friend Gale Hawthorne (Liam Hemsworth), but we know it's out of concern for her family. They've already beaten the odds once, and doing so a second time is all but impossible.

While the mood of the film is icy cold, with armed jack-booted Imperial soldiers marching up and down at all times, what few moments of genuine fun come during pre-games rituals. Cinna (Lenny Kravitz) recognizes Katniss' status as a flaming symbol of hope and gives her the extravagant outfits to match. Training sequences show off the director's special effects flair, especially during a scene when Katniss is shooting down burning foes with her trusty arrow. Haymitch (Woody Harrelson) continues to deliver sage but drunken words of wisdom, while Effie Trinkett preens with her pink/blue/orange/whatever hair. In order to survive, Katniss and Peeta will need to make friends again, and this time they've got a motley crew to choose from. Oddball geniuses Beetee (Jeffrey Wright, another touch of class) and Wiress (Amanda Plummer, nice to see again) seem weak but are deadly smart; smirking pretty boy Finnick (Sam Claflin) and the aggressively confrontational Johanna Mason (Jena Malone) could be worthy companions if they can be trusted.

Perhaps what makes The Hunger Games so special is that it can be anything the viewer wants it to be. On a purely entertaining level the film is never boring or slow despite the nearly 2 1/2 hour runtime, a feat that the last movie couldn't equal. There's a greater emphasis on the culture of celebrity obsession this time around, as the people become fixated on Katniss and Peeta's daily lives, and there's a brilliantly poignant moment where Haymitch warns his friends "You never get off this train!” The cameras are always rolling and the spotlight is always on, much like the 24 hour E!/TMZ/YouTube society we live in now. As far as metaphors go, Catching Fire makes its point without being too heavy-handed, and those who choose to simply enjoy the film as a piece of science-fiction can do so. The central love triangle isn't just some weak dramatic crutch where audiences argue over which hunky dude Katniss should end up with. Each character has their battles to fight and tough choices to make, so when the idea of romance does emerge there's always something substantial behind it.

There came a point watching Kristen Stewart slog through playing Twilight's Bella Swan that the actress just looked totally disinterested. What's more, she seemed to have outgrown the role fairly early on but had to see it through to the end. A lot has changed for Lawrence since the last film, and you can see that wealth of experience reflected in her performance. She remains a true shining star with a warrior spirit, growing deeper into the role of Katniss, a character whose stoicism is only matched by her selflessness. The book was able to take us into Katniss' tortured thought process as she was forced to make impossible decisions on the fly, but the ease which Lawrence is able to get all of that across is impressive. Hutcherson is a touch too passive as Peeta, which may be the fault of the script which often has him in the position of needing rescuing. He's a steady, reliable presence throughout, but not terribly exciting.

The games themselves are bigger and more dangerous this time, with everything from lightning strikes to poison gas to killer baboons making their presence felt. Lawrence falls back on Ross' handheld camera technique sparingly, saving it for the most intense sequences and delivering the greatest impact. Overall the action is more polished and professional. No knock against Ross, but action set pieces aren't his strong suit, whereas Lawrence knows them inside and out. Rated PG-13, the film does shy away from excessive violence during combat but remains terribly effective depicting the cruelty of the Capital's Nazi-esque acts against the populace.

While it may be blasphemy to compare The Hunger Games: Catching Fire to The Empire Strikes Back so frequently, there's no denying that both are immensely entertaining, thought provoking films that are so good they make their predecessors better. If this is what the final two movies are going to be like, then the odds will ever be in our favor.

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