comment #1

PanTheFaun says ...

Granted, I was going to a 9:30pm showing in Hell's Kitchen, but "Ratatouille" last night at the Ziegfeld was fairly crowded with maybe 5 children in the entire audience.

comment #2

George Prager says ...

The Ziegleld isn't in Hell's Kitchen.
????

comment #3

PanTheFaun says ...

Right near Hell's Kitchen. Ever so sorry.

comment #4

MickTravis says ...

"Do we really want to go to an animated haute cuisine movie?"

Yeah, I'm thinking the demographic you're referring to probably doesn't play around with phrases like "haute cuisine."

If they refer to it as anything it's the "rat in the kitchen movie."

"Ratatouille" itself is probably a mouthful to read off the marquee. And I say that as somebody who lives in the South.

Plus, "Die Hard" is PG-13. All they had to do was de-ball, or de-"motherfucker," the main character's catch phrase.

comment #5

The Winchester says ...

I think Ratatouie would have benefitted more if they let Patton Oswald do his stand up routine as the rat. THAT movie would be incredible.

comment #6

mitch says ...

I attended a 3:10pm showing on Saturday outside of Seattle, and the theater was more children than adults.

comment #7

George Prager says ...

Most people are used to eating rats, and rat fecies in their "double hamburger with ketchup and fried onions."

comment #8

George Prager says ...

I'm like Lars Von Trier and Jorgen Laith. I hate animation.

comment #9

EDouglas says ...

No, I wouldn't consider the Ziegfeld in Hell's Kitchen either (that's the area west of 8th avenue between 28th and 45th or so).

I saw Ratatouille on its sneak preview a couple weeks ago and there were very kids in the audience, though it was also a night screening. It's a shame because it's one of the few "family" films from the last few weeks that I really think is great for kids... I think it's the only movie this summer that has a G rating, too.

comment #10

jesse says ...

I also went to see it at the Ziegfeld, on Friday at 6:45, and it was also crowded but mostly adults -- lots of people my age, twentysomethings and the like. But, as PantheFaun points out, it's not exactly a kid-heavy area.

Pan, do you go to the Ziegfeld often? I've been going there for a lot of the big movies over the past year and I've found that it's rarely, if ever, sold out, even for something as big as Pirates 3. Part of that is because it's such a huge auditorium (especially considering the large-but-not-huge screen), but I find it odd that more people don't go there for the big stuff. I've found that if you want a decent-sized and enthusiastic crowd minus the Times Square hooliganism, it's a great place to go (so maybe it's good more people don't show up).

comment #11

bone says ...

I haven't seen much of the marketing for the movie, but what I have hasn' been that kid aimed. It seems to be more toward adults with descriptions of how critics like it. Where's the clips with farting or belching (especially for a movie about food). Kids like stories and characters like adults do, but they don't know to look for it (like some adults, too). Gotta drag them in with the promise of simple laughs.

comment #12

MathewM says ...

Having seen Rattatoullie at a 10:30 pm showing there were thankfully no kids. With that said the film feels long in the middle. It has a great third act that finally brings the movie together however I think a lot of kids will lose interest by that time. It also has the problem that the human characters aren't all that interesting. Pixar's biggest strength is in their ability to anthropomorphize non-human characters and make them memorable. Honestly I can barely remember the lead rat protagonists name. I keep referring to him as "Rattatoullie"... Anyway it's a good movie with a great third act, beautiful visuals and a memorable voice performance from Peter O' Toole but I don't think it will be enough to make it a lot of money.

comment #13

PanTheFaun says ...

jesse, whenever a movie I want to see is playing at the Ziegfeld, it's the theater I see it at, so yes, I go there fairly often.

Perhaps unsurprisingly due to the demographic that goes there (myself included), the only times I've ever seen it Sold Out, or at least PACKED, were for the movie musicals ("Chicago," "Rent" and "Dreamgirls"-- I skipped "The Producers") and the Disney pre-release exclusive engagements.("Atlantis" *shudder*).

I'd imagine it'll be the same deal for "Hairspray"-- I believe the 10pm show on July 20th is already sold out.

comment #14

PanTheFaun says ...

And I've got to add, I think Peter O'Toole deserves an Oscar nomination for "Ratatouille" more than he did for "Venus."

comment #15

jesse says ...

Pan, that's interesting -- I knew that musicals often played at the Ziegfield but I've never gone to one there. I always try to hit the Clearview Chelsea for those -- but I got into press screenings for Producers and Rent, and was out of town when Dreamgirls opened, so I guess I'm thinking mainly of that movie "Camp" that came out a few years ago; Chelsea was ideal for that. So I think that's where I'll try to see Hairspray, especially if the Ziegfeld is selling out this far in advance.

comment #16

Undercover Brother says ...

I'm sure "Ratatouille" will be just fine with it's chump change, $48 million opening. I'm sure the 4th of July weekend will see it do solid business and it will play long as there isn't much else in the way of family fare coming out. "Transformers" will obviously dominate as of tomorrow. As for "LFODH"?

How can this not be written up as a dud? Or at least a mild disappointment. It might see its way to $100+ million, but so what? "With a Vengence" did that 12 years ago. It cost god knows what to make and then a whole lot more to sell. As of tomorrow night it's audience is gone in bulk to see Bay's toy opus. Seems like "Die Hard" just got a mass shrug of the shoulders from most people. As it rightfully deserved. How this thing got a 77% on RT is beyond me. I think someone spiked the critical kool aid.

comment #17

SeanSheer says ...

saw it friday morning at kips bay. first show in the AM. theater full of parents with kids. kids on either side of me seemed bored. i was bored. no one was laughing. LOTS of fidgeting and spilling of popcorn. movie, despite being really pretty, only comes alive at the end. v disappointing!

comment #18

D.Z. says ...

http://www.somethingawful.com/d/news/david-milch-screenwriting.php

comment #19

MickTravis says ...

That piece slamming Milch would've been a lot better if it'd been funny.

Frankly, I'm liking "John from Cincinnati." It has its flaws, to be sure, but it's interesting as hell and each episode has gotten progressively better. As opposed to, say, "Studio 60" -- another series by a flawed but distinctive genius -- which started off just fine and got worse to the power of 2 with each week.

comment #20

jeffmcm says ...

It also would have been better if it had anything to do with any subject discussed on this thread. DZ, if you're going to insist on arrogantly steering the subject of discussion to whatever it is you're interested in at any given moment, start your own damn blog.

comment #21

MickTravis says ...

Yeah, sure, but is there really anything more to say about this weekend's grosses?

It ain't like we're talking smack about Latinos or recently dead filmmakers.

comment #22

Griff says ...

I'll Ratatouille. Even though Pixar let me down with Cars (what the hell were they thinking?), this one looks like it has heart and promise. Saw Die Hard. I enjoyed it. It's not going to change my life, but it was an enjoyable diversion. It's a big world out there. Lots of room for a lot of opinions.

comment #23

Movie Watcher says ...

People are paying to see Die Hard? Why? After the first one, that was enough. I wouldn't go to see it if it was free. Hey, I'll take a movie about a rat than another lame, let's-see-how-much-money-I-can make jiveass sequel. What's next, Die Hard in the nursing home? What a joke.

comment #24

Doug says ...

How can someone who calls himself "Movie Watcher" not see the "Die Hard" films?
I saw "Live Free or Die Hard" yesterday with the DGA audience, and there was laughter and applause throughout. The word of mouth on this one is great, and the critics agree.
For someone to think a movie that cost $125 million and has made about $50 million in its first 5 days in the US alone ISN'T going to make money... Somebody needs help with his taxes.
I don't think "Transformers" is going to destroy "LFODH." "Transformers" is for teens, and "LFODH" is an action picture for adults.
It's great to have Bruce back doing what he does best.

comment #25

scooterzz says ...

doug-- i'm with you but lfodh is an action movie for kids and families....it's pg-13----it's something bruce does to get back in the game---i don't even remember what he does best......

comment #26

Zoidberg says ...

I'm more curious about what Sicko does....

comment #27

Silverscreenvideos says ...

I saw both Ratatouille and Die Hard over the weekend. The action scenes in Ratatouille were more fun to watch. I don't mind seeing a three foot chef chasing a talking blue rat around the streets of Paris because I know it's a cartoon and, frankly, it's colorful and fun to watch.

I do, however, get tired very quickly of seeing a computerized jet shooting computerized rockets at a computerized tractor-trailer and blowing a computerized expressway overpass to bits so that Bruce Willis can crawl out of the wreckage with a few minor cuts and bruises. Been there, done that.

If I want to see a cartoon, I'd just as soon see a real cartoon made by someone with an eye for style and color rather than see some third rate hack try to make bizarre CGI graphics look realistic, while managing to overedit the handful of decent fight scenes in the movie. The only thing that Len Wiseman has done in his career that has impressed me is to get Kate Beckinsale to wear some hot leather outfits (and hop in the sack with him).

A real-world action film, one not involving giant robots, vampires and werewolves or Johnny Depp playing with a giant squid, can still be exciting. Look at Casino Royale to see how it should be done. Watching name actors like Willis "duck" to avoid getting hit by an automobile "flying" past him as gotten about as old as a Three Stooges short (which, by the way, had more believable action than 90% of Die Hard 4).

Die Hard 4 wasn't a hopeless mess. Willis turned in a legitimate performance and Justin Long made a good sidekick. But take away the unappealing computerized fakery and what's left of the action isn't as good as what you'd see in a typical episode of Walker Texas Ranger, and Chuck Norris usually managed to cast better villains than Timothy Olyphant.

I still hold out hope for The Bourne Ultimatum, if the hyperediting can be tuned down a bit. Otherwise, does anyone know when the next Bond film will premiere?

comment #28

Silverscreenvideos says ...

For someone to think a movie that cost $125 million and has made about $50 million in its first 5 days in the US alone ISN'T going to make money... Somebody needs help with his taxes.

First, you have to add all the marketing costs to the production costs, and then you are taking about a figure well over $150M. I don't doubt that, eventually, Die Hard 4 will make a profit of sorts. The question is whether it represents the best use of a studio's time, resources and money, spending that much for something that eventually may return five or ten percent.

Die Hard 4 cashed in on a lot of 30+ year olds built in good will towards the series. The drop off on this one will be big. After all, who wants to see squinty-eyed, bald Bruce Willis blow up stuff when you can see lots and lots of humongous robots blow up lots and lots more stuff next week.

comment #29

Movie Watcher says ...

Doug, I'm a Movie Watcher, not a bullshit-movie watcher. It's obvious you like that crap they're passing off as a move. Face it, Willis had his time, and now it's time to do something else. It's like Stallone doing endless Rocky movies. And If you don't think Transformers is going to kill Die(not so)Hard this coming weekend, you are either stoned, or dumber than you appear in that lame attempt at a post. Wise up.

comment #30

Fred Mounts says ...

1. My diet revolves around pizza and hamburger.
2. I LOVED the movie.

comment #31

Fred Mounts says ...

'the movie' being Ratatouille. I forgot that I wasn't in a movie-specific thread.

comment #32

BurmaShave says ...

This all reminds me of that brilliant shot in Alexander Payne's segment of PARIS J'TAIME where she says something along the lines of "The food here is kind of dissapointing" and they cut to a picture of a hamburger on her plate.

By the way, Jeff, they're called Onion Rings. Fried onions go on your Filet Mignon at Mortons while the rest of us gorillas chow down on Carls Jr.

LIVE FREE OR DIE HARD is pure escapist fun. It's a fairly unworthy sequel compared with DIE HARD or DIE HARD WITH A VENGEANCE, but it's all right as a stand alone film. I think Moviewatcher would be pleased with how much of it is not CGI. But he is content to criticize it without seeing it, thereby defying all aspects of his name.

comment #33

mitch says ...

Haven't seen LFODH, but will at some point this week.

As for Ratatouille, I found the move was a bit long, and the 2nd act did drag. I noticed more than one child acting bored, and my daughter checked the time twice.

Also, I was saddened by the audience reaction to a specific scene towards the end involving ...

**** very mild spoiler ****

the critic as he tastes the dish prepared specifically for him, and his mental image to the flavor. The audience laughed, quite hard, but I am damn sure it was not intended to ellicit such a response. Really a shame, because it could have been (and was for me) such a powerful moment.

**** end of very mild spoiler ****

However, Ratatouille is really another gift direct from Pixar to the cinephile. The voice work is outstanding, the writing excellent, and the animation AMAZING. As a bonus, it contains the best visual interpretation of synesthesia I've ever seen. A must see.

Thus, my current Pixar ranking is:

Toy Story 2
The Incredibles
Toy Story
Ratatouille
Monsters, Inc
Finding Nemo
A Bug's Life
Cars

Enjoy!

comment #34

Bocephus says ...

"Do we really want to go to an animated haute cuisine movie? Maybe the Die Hard flick is more our speed even if it's not supposed to be as good...Bruce is family, after all, and absorbing familiar emotional assurances from a coarse action flick seems like a safer, more comfortable bet."

You are playing them way too smart. It would be more like this:

"Fuck that french shit. "

comment #35

Michael says ...

mitch, I had the same reaction, though I have no idea how the audience I was watching it with reacted. I was blown away by that scene, and pretty much ruined for the rest of the night (in a good way).