Weekend Movie Review 4-20 Release - Hot Fuzz and Fracture

[Guest Emperor]

HOT FUZZ (Rogue Pictures)

 

Starring Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Jim Broadbent, Paddy Considine, Steve Coogan, Timothy Dalton, Martin Freeman, Paul Freeman, Bill Nighy, Lucy Punch, Anne Reid, Billie Whitelaw, Stuart Wilson, Edward Woodward

Directed by Edgar Wright (Shaun of the Dead); Written by Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright (Shaun of the Dead, "Spaced")

 

Genre: Comedy, Action, Horror

Rated R

Tagline: "Big Cops. Small Town. Moderate Violence."

 

Plot Summary: London police officer Nicholas Angel (Simon Pegg) is promoted to sergeant of the idyll village of Sandford, way out in the country, where he's paired with the over-eager Danny (Nick Frost) and starts thinking that the bizarre deaths that have been taking place might not necessarily be the "accidents" that those around him claim.

 

Despite the great cast, Hot Fuzz doesn't have any real name draws that might bring American audiences into theatres, though it does have the benefits of the success that Shaun of the Dead found on DVD and cable after its theatrical release in September ‘04 where it only made $13 million, despite similar support from journalists and critics. (Currently, Hot Fuzz has 83% Fresh reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, compared to 89% Fresh for Shaun.) Simon Pegg, Nick Frost and director Edgar Wright have been making the rounds, introducing the movie throughout the country to show it as part of a touring "Fuzztival" giving those who live in major cities the chance to see the movie early along with movies that influenced and inspirited it. Of course, one would assume that this would add up to a lot of raves and positive word-of-mouth going into opening weekend, but it also means that a lot of Shaun's diehard fanbase may have already seen it. (According to an interview in Entertainment Weekly, Rogue Pictures' co-president said they were turning hundreds of people away from these events, so there's probably enough demand despite all the screenings.)

 

Hopefully, everyone who's seen it will go see it again or tell all their friends that they should go see it, but sadly, with fan-driven movies like this one, it doesn't always happen. Even the fact that the movie has been a huge hit in England, having opened in February to be the #1 movie in the UK for three weeks in a row, doesn't mean that the group's British humor will translate well to American shores.

 

The good thing is that while zombie movies were having a bit of a resurgence when Shaun was released, Hot Fuzz tackles a far more mainstream genre that more "normal" American moviegoers (i.e. non-zombie fans) can appreciate, that being the police action comedy, and in that sense, one should hope that the commercials and ads for Hot Fuzz might interest some of those fans who might never even have heard of Shaun. Police comedies have a long history at the box office and not just the buddy cop movies like Beverly Hills Cop or the Bad Boys movies (which are spoofed in Hot Fuzz) but going back to the ‘80s with movies like the Police Academy movies a few years ago with Broken Lizard's Super Troopers and the recent movie Reno 911!: Miami, based on the Comedy Central show. One has to expect that the last two movies were able to bring in some business from those unfamiliar with the group's previous work, so one can hope that the same can be said for Hot Fuzz.

 

Late April is not the best time to release a movie like this, not only because there are so many movies being dumped into theatres, but also because with movies like Spider-Man 3 around the corner, it's likely to hurt any chance of the movie having any sustained legs. Hot Fuzz does stand out from the pack and one has to hope that all of the promotion the guys have been doing will help, so one can expect that Hot Fuzz will indeed bring in more business per theatre than Shaun, even if the ceiling for the movie still seems to be around $20 million. (Not that it matters since the movie has already made back its production budget in its UK release alone.)

 

Why I Should See It: It is the greatest comedy/satire/spoof of ALL TIME!!! And no, that's not hyperbole, pal… it's fact!

Why Not: It's just too funny and you'll immediately feel like seeing it a second time as soon as it's over. Oh, wait that's a good thing, too. Okay, you all should go see it then.

Projections: $5 to 7 million opening weekend, $20 million total.

[Guest Emperor]

FRACTURE (New Line)

 

Starring Anthony Hopkins, Ryan Gosling, David Strathairn, Billy Burke, Rosamund Pike, Embeth Davitz, Valerie Dillman

Directed by Gregory Hoblit (Frequency, Hart's War, Primal Fear, Fallen); Written by Daniel Pyne (Pacific Heights, The Sum of All Fears, The Manchurian Candidate), Glenn Gers (The Accountant)

 

Genre: Crime, Drama, Thriller

Rated R

Tagline: "If you look close enough, you'll find everyone has a weak spot."

 

Plot Summary: When structural engineer Ted Crawford (Anthony Hopkins) finds out his wife is cheating on him, he concocts the perfect murder and plays mind games with young ambitious lawyer Willie Beechum (Ryan Gosling) assigned by the D.A. (David Strathairn) to prosecute the case.

 

Analysis: There was a time not too long ago when putting two big name stars or two talented and respected actors into a high concept thriller was guaranteed to get a lot of people into theatres. But enough about the day before Perfect Stranger opened (ba dum bum) and let's talk about the latest attempt, which pits recent Oscar nominee Ryan Gosling against a legendary screen veteran, Oscar winner and Knight of the Queen's Court, Sir Anthony Hopkins. Fracture is very much like the thrillers seen in the late ‘80s, ‘90s, and even in the last few years where you pair a hot young actor with a veteran in a similar way as when Tom Cruise faced Jack Nicholson in A Few Good Men, Keanu took on Pacino in The Devil's Advocate, or Harrison Ford and Brad Pitt faced off in The Devil's Own (except this one doesn't have "devil" in the title.)

 

The movie has an impressive thriller pedigree even before you get to the two actors, because it's written by Daniel Pyne of Pacific Heights and The Manchurian Candidate and directed by Gregory Hoblit of Primal Fear and Frequency. The marketing is playing up the Primal Fear connection due to the similar plot, but fortunately, New Line doesn't have to rely solely on that since Fracture stars not one, not two, but three Oscar nominated actors who'll be known to general movie audiences.

 

 

Fracture might suffer from some of the same problems seen last week by Perfect Stranger in that it has a great cast, but it looks like the kind of old school retro-thriller that audiences have seen so many times in the past. It's likely to be more of interest to older audiences looking for more dramatic fare rather than the non-stop scares of Vacancy, and while it will probably get decent reviews from older critics, there's likely to be enough mixed reviews to convince some moviegoers to wait until it shows up on DVD or cable. It certainly doesn't have the hipness factor as other movie and doesn't offer enough scares or thrills for the younger crowd to convince them to see this over other options in theatres.

 

Why I Should See It: Anthony Hopkins and Ryan Gosling are two of the finest actors of their respective generations.

Why Not: Too bad neither of them have appeared in the kinds of movies that might make any money at the box office.

Projections: $8 to 10 million opening weekend; $27 million total.

[Corki]

Hot Fuzz is a brilliantly funny film...but as the review says, you Americans probably won't understand the humour fully.

 

Oh, and what makes it better is the fact the company I work for (the supermarket chain, Somerfield) appears in the film. 8)

[Guest Emperor]

Box Office Projections:

 

1 Disturbia

2 Vacancy

3. Fracture

4. Meet the Robinsons

5. Blades of Glory

6. Perfect Stranger

7. Hot Fuzz

8. In the Land of Women

9. Are We Done Yet?

10. Wild Hogs

 

Except for the runaway hit of Disturbia, last week was pretty dismal with most of the six new movies bombing, and this week's offerings look only slightly better with the Screen Gems horror/thriller Vacancy, starring Kate Beckinsale and Luke Wilson, having a small advantage over the Anthony Hopkins-Ryan Gosling thriller Fracture, despite opening in fewer theatres. Neither of them might bring in very much business by adding to a genre that's already oversaturated in the market, and though the R-rated Vacancy should win Friday, it's likely to lose the weekend to the PG-13 Disturbia, which is likely to eek out another win as it builds on word-of-mouth from its opening weekend.

 

The good news for those who are sick of thrillers and bad movies is that the guys behind the 2003 cult hit Shaun of the Dead are back with a new police comedy Hot Fuzz, which should have enough internet buzz and word-of-mouth to do decently in its moderate release, though it's likely to be shooting for the bottom half of the Top 10 at best.

 

For whatever reason, Warner Bros. has decided to distribute Jake Kasdan's indie dramedy In the Land of Women, starring Adam Brody and Meg Ryan, widely when it's the type of movie that would usually get a limited release via Warner Independent Pictures. It's obviously trying to offer some counter-programming for women looking for something different, but it's obvious that Meg Ryan is no longer of interest. It will be lucky to get into the bottom of the Top 10, but if we'll be lucky this will also be the last week in which the Top 10 is besmirched by the presence of Wild Hogs. (C'mon Hot Fuzz! Knock that crappy movie out of the Top 10 already!)

 

Last year, Screen Gems held court over the box office with Christophe Gans' movie based on the horror video game Silent Hill, which brought in $20 million to take the #1 spot, followed by Scary Movie 4, which dropped 58% from its Easter opening weekend. The political thriller The Sentinel with Michael Douglas and Kiefer Sutherland opened in third with $14 million while American Pie co-creator Paul Weitz assembled an impressive ensemble cast for the political comedy American Dreamz, which bombed…badly, making less than $5 million. The Top 10 movies made a bit less than $95 million, but this weekend's offerings probably won't beat that without having a stand-out hit.

[Guest Emperor]

No worries, I will be there with bells on watching the film.

[Jafael]

I hadn't even heard of Hot Fuzz, but it sounds like just my kind of movie. I'll have to check it out!

[Guest Barmacral]

I still desperately want to see Hot Fuzz... damn my having financial obligations.

[Niamh Sedai]

Everytime I drive past my local Somerfield now I just start giggiling.

 

Barmacral, steal some money and go to see it! You won't regret it! ;)

[Guest Emperor]

Umm I would write a review for Hot Fuzz, but really... just go see it. Possibly the best movie I have seen this year.

[Guest Emperor]

Also you brits out there, what is Spaced? Seems to be another Pegg/Frost movie.

[Guest Emperor]

Box Office Projections:

 

1 Disturbia

2 Vacancy

3. Fracture

4. Meet the Robinsons

5. Blades of Glory

6. Perfect Stranger

7. Hot Fuzz

8. In the Land of Women

9. Are We Done Yet?

10. Wild Hogs

 

Box Office Actuals

 

1 Disturbia (2007) $13.5M

2 Fracture (2007) $11.2M

3 Blades of Glory (2007) $7.81M

4 Vacancy (2007) $7.6M

5 Meet the Robinsons (2007) $7.09M

6 Hot Fuzz (2007) $5.84M

7 Are We Done Yet? (2007) $5.2M

8 In the Land of Women (2007) $4.92M

9 Perfect Stranger (2007) $4.1M

10 Wild Hogs (2007) $2.87M

[Niamh Sedai]

Spaced is a comedy show done by Pegg and Frost. I've never seen it but convenitly, my friend just got the boxset and we're going to start watching it! :D I'll tell you more on Thursday when I've watched some!