Email here for additions & corrections.

Ishtar
(May, 1987)
The Seven-Per-Cent Solution (OOP)
(Ross, 1976)
The Devils
(Russell, 1974)
The Pirates of Penzance
(Papp/Leach, 1983)
The Fortune
(Nichols, 1975)
-30-
(Webb, 1959)
Betrayal
(Jones, 1983)
Play It As It Lays
(Perry, 1972)
The Outfit
(Flynn, 1973)
Alex in Wonderland
(Mazursky, 1969)
The Legend of Lylah Clare
(Aldrich, 1968)
In The Cool of the Day
(Stevens, 1963)
That Cold Day in the Park
(Altman, 1969)
Thumb Trippin'
(Masters, 1972)
Midas Run
(Kjellin, 1969)
At Long Last Love
(Bogdanovich, 1973)
Brewster McCloud
(Altman, 1972)
Outcast of the Islands
(Reed, 1951)

Reader Submissions
1930's-1950's
The Moon's Our Home
(Seiter, 1936)
Sh! The Octopus
(McGann, 1937)
The Mating Season
(Leisen, 1951)
Bad for Each Other
(Rapper, 1953)
The Phenix City Story
(Karlson, 1955)
Run of the Arrow
(Fuller, 1956)
House of Secrets
(Green, 1956)
Saint Joan
(Preminger, 1957)
Macabre
(Castle, 1958)
The Fiend Who Walked the West
(G. Douglas, 1958
Five Gates to Hell
(Clavell, 1959)
1960's
Key Witness
(Karlson, 1960)
Summer and Smoke
(Glenville, 1961)
The Chapman Report
(Cukor,1962)
Bachelor Flat
(Tashlin, 1962) [on Hulu]
The L Shaped Room
(Forbes, 1963)
The Chalk Garden
(Neame, 1964)
A Thousand Clowns
(Coe, 1965)
You're a Big Boy Now
(Coppola, 1966)
The Whisperers
(Forbes, 1967)
Dark of the Sun
(Cardiff, 1968)
Skidoo
(Preminger, 1968)
Last Summer
(Perry, 1969)
The Comic
(C. Reiner, 1969)
1970-1974
The Revolutionary
(Williams, 1970)
The Landlord
(Ashby, 1970)
Diary of a Mad Housewife
(Perry, 1970)
Tropic of Cancer
(Strick, 1970)
I Never Sang for My Father
(Cates, 1970)
Sometimes a Great Notion
(Newman, 1971)
Marriage of a Young Stockbroker
(Turman, 1971)
The Music Lovers
(Russell, 1971)
Drive, He Said
(Nicholson, 1971)
The Steagle
(Sylbert, 1971)
The Last Movie
(Hopper, 1971)
Made For Each Other
(Bean, 1971)
The Day the Clown Cried
(Lewis, 1972)
Hickey & Boggs (OOP)
(Culp, 1972)
The Carey Treatment
(Edwards, 1972)
Pete 'n' Tillie
(Ritt, 1972)
Slither
(Zieff, 1973)
Man on a Swing
(Perry, 1974)
Open Season
(Collinson, 1974)
The Tamarind Seed
(Edwards, 1974)
Law and Disorder
(Passer, 1974)
Homebodies
(Yust, 1974)
Stardust
(Apted, 1974)
Celine and Julie Go Boating
(Rivette, 1974)
1975-1979
Rafferty and the Gold Dust Twins
(Richards, 1975
At Long Last Love
(Bogdanovich, 1975)
Hearts of the West
(Zieff, 1975)
Welcome to L.A.
(Rudolph, 1976)
W.C. Fields and Me
(Hiller, 1976)
Citizens Band
(Demme, 1977)
Twilight's Last Gleaming
(Aldrich, 1977)
Looking for Mr. Goodbar
(Brooks, 1977)
Girlfriends
(Weill, 1978)
Movie Movie
(Donen, 1978)
The Medusa Touch
(Gold, 1978)
American Hot Wax
(Mutrux, 1978)
Hot Stuff
(DeLuise, 1979)
Scavenger Hunt
(Schultz , 1979)
Players
(Harvey, 1979)
Rich Kids
(Young, 1979)
Nightwing
(Hiller, 1979)
Screams of a Winter's Night
(Wilson, 1979
When You Comin' Back Red Ryder?
(Katselas, 1979
1980's
Resurrection
(Petrie, 1980)
The Awakening
(Newell, 1980)
Simon
(Brickman, 1980)
God's Angry Man
(Herzog, 1980)
Fast-Walking
(Harris, 1982)
Twice Upon a Time
(Korty & Swenson, 1983)
Trouble in Mind
(Rudolph, 1985)
When the Wind Blows
(Murikami, 1986)
Housekeeping
(Forsyth, 1987)
The Glass Menagerie
(Newman, 1987)
Patty Hearst
(Schrader, 1988)
Drowning by Numbers
(Greenaway, 1988)
Haunted Summer
(Passer, 1988)
The Decline of Western Civilization Part II: The Metal Years
(Spheeris, 1988)
1990's
Old Times
(Curtis, 1991)
Prospero's Books
(Greenaway, 1991)
City of Hope
(Sayles, 1991)
The Baby of Macon
(Greenaway, 1993)
King of the Hill
(Soderbergh, 1993)
Dadetown
(Hexter, 1995)
SubUrbia
(Linklater, 1997)

Upcoming

January 8

Bitch Slap

Waiting for Armageddon

Wonderful World

Youth in Revolt

January 15

January 22

Drool

Extraordinary Measures

The Girl on the Train

Same Stats

email this story
read comments (27)
post a comment

If you want to be liberal and mild-mannered about the comme ci comme ca/hoi polloi/easy lay response to G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra (Paramount, 8.7), you could say that the word has gone out that it's cool to drain your brain pan and regress into your 13 year-old self and just popcorn-munch your way through this heavily CG'ed, down-on-your-knees Stephen Sommers film. And if enough people decide to snort and scratch and show primitive love then fine, whatever, it'll make some dough.

But it's still looking like an opening weekend gross in the mid 20s to me. Okay, maybe a notch higher. Today's average first choice rating is 18% with 25% of the under 25 males and 29% of the over-25 males leading the pack. Not bad but not wonderful either. Not enough, certainly, for a film that cost a reported $175 million to make aside from marketing.

Them Bones<< previous | next >>Gauging Up In The Air

Posted by Jeffrey Wells on August 4, 2009 at 8:17 AM

comment #1

Steven Kar says ...

Marketing alone cost $150M according to yesterday's LA Times article.

That's a $325M investment that the studio has made.

Good luck.

Posted by Steven Kar at August 4, 2009 8:42 AM

comment #2

Glenn Kenny says ...

There are some strains of stupid that even stupid doesn't like, and I suspect that this may represent one of them. I'm smelling something similar to "Super Mario Brothers" here. Also, no one wants to see a movie about how the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act came into being.

Posted by Glenn Kenny at August 4, 2009 8:47 AM

comment #3

MikeSchaeferSF says ...

I realize tracking is notoriously unreliable for this film's target demo, but they've been flogging it relentlessly since before Transformers opened. Those numbers have got to be scaring the suits.

Posted by MikeSchaeferSF at August 4, 2009 8:48 AM

comment #4

Rich S. says ...

This will be an interesting test of whether AICN really has any sway at all any more. They've been swimming upstream, beating the bushes in support of this film for at least a month now. I think all their regular columnists have given it a positive review.

Posted by Rich S. at August 4, 2009 8:55 AM

comment #5

CitizenKanedforChewingGum says ...

This looks like fun to me. From the reviews I've read, I think I'll like it.

For better or worse.

Posted by CitizenKanedforChewingGum at August 4, 2009 8:59 AM

comment #6

BurmaShave says ...

It'd be nice if you could give Stephen Sommers even half the shit you give Peter Jackson. When will the subtle touch of DEEP RISING return?

Posted by BurmaShave at August 4, 2009 9:02 AM

comment #7

bildeaux says ...

Jeff-

Speaking of failures, looks like your old haunt Reel.com went away today.

Posted by bildeaux at August 4, 2009 9:09 AM

comment #8

DeafBrownTrashPunk says ...

It's GI Joe we're talking about. Of course it's a stupid, mind-numbing, popcorn flick with a cheesy storyline and bad acting. People will still go see it and have their minds blown away for 2 hours of mindless, fun, corny entertainment.

That being said, I'm gonna go see it.

Posted by DeafBrownTrashPunk at August 4, 2009 9:26 AM

comment #9

BoshBarnetWonkyDonkey says ...

Devin Faraci has a strong crush on Channing Tatum. No wonder he gave it 8.5/10. Read any review of a Tatum film and Faraci lovingly fawns over him.

I'll probably add this to Netflix. I got an invite to a free screening but by the time I signed up they'd run out of tickets or something. I realized I couldn't be arsed to pay $12.50 to see it. I will check out that Paper Heart movie instead this weekend.

Posted by BoshBarnetWonkyDonkey at August 4, 2009 9:26 AM

comment #10

TL says ...

Wow, Reel.com was still around until today? I'm forever indebted to them for selling me $39.99 Criterion DVDs for $19.99 in '99 to '00.

Posted by TL at August 4, 2009 9:46 AM

comment #11

actionman says ...

yeah, in '98, if you ordered a Criterion dvd from Reel.com, a week later, you'd get another copy of the same Criterion disc FOR FREE. Happened MULTIPLE times to me when I was ordering discs from my dorm room.

Posted by actionman at August 4, 2009 9:54 AM

comment #12

corey3rd says ...

the people making real money off this film are the guys at Shout! Factory with their dvd boxset of the original GI Joe episodes.

The film itself is a PR nightmare with it's ability to barely establish any characters in the 30 seconds.

Posted by corey3rd at August 4, 2009 9:56 AM

comment #13

TL says ...

Actionman - Ha! I'd forgotten that. Reel sent me three copies of "Grand Illusion." And I misremembered: they were selling Criterions for $15.99, after a coupon. Amazing that didn't work out in the long run....

Posted by TL at August 4, 2009 10:04 AM

comment #14

Chase Kahn says ...

The early, "It's not that bad/kind of fun" response will die down fast when anybody who doesn't write for CHUD, Bloody Disgusting, IGN or JoBlo sinks their teeth into it.

Posted by Chase Kahn at August 4, 2009 10:05 AM

comment #15

actionlover says ...

I just saw the commercial for "G.I.Joe" on TV. It looks AWESOME to the maximum EXTREEEEEEEEEME!.........
I mean, totally lame.

I'm going to see it multiple times opening weekend, you know, just to make fun of it, because it's probably going to be so stupid. So I'll stand in line for the first show. To laugh at its lameness, that's all.

Posted by actionlover at August 4, 2009 10:10 AM

comment #16

markj says ...

The early revies suggest GI Joe is far better than Transformers 2. Not that that would be difficult of course.

Posted by markj at August 4, 2009 10:17 AM

comment #17

nouvelle_vague says ...

Wells, you really should retire from giving your reads on tracking.

And the Reel.com coupon thing was basically, buy 1 get 1 free or 50% off on EVERYTHING, not just Criterions. Between Reel and Hollywood Video, I owe 2/3rds my dvd collection to them.

Posted by nouvelle_vague at August 4, 2009 10:35 AM

comment #18

bachelorcool says ...

Word from UK press screenings is that it's actually very good indeed, and the best action pic of the summer.

Could it be that Stuart Baird worked miracles after all?

Posted by bachelorcool at August 4, 2009 10:40 AM

comment #19

OtownRog says ...

Studio is suppressing reviews in most of the USA. Not even prevewing it.
And that means...even money on it being utter shit.

Posted by OtownRog at August 4, 2009 10:46 AM

comment #20

Travis Crabtree says ...

Hey, it got GREAT reviews! Best of the summer. Here are some that I read earlier today on the "G.I.Joe" website.

"'G.I. Joe' is a fantastically realized cinematic depiction of the classic collectable action figure. See it!"
- Tom Reinken, MoviesAreAwesome.Com

"The best film since 'Transformers 2'!"
- Henry Philipps, Toys and Collectibles Magazine

"Don't wait! See it on opening day and then many times during its first weekend! It's terrific, even better than 'Van Helsing', if that's possible!"
- John Brown, independent movie reviewer with no affiliation to any studio or publicity company

"AWESOME!!!"
- Fred Hanser, Kirkwood Middle School Clarion Weekly

"Perhaps the finest film of the year so far. It was so good I decided afterward to have sweaty sex with my beloved. We then walked naked through a field of daisies. It was beautiful. I get laid a lot. Really."
- Harry Knowles, Ain't It Cool News

Posted by Travis Crabtree at August 4, 2009 11:05 AM

comment #21

BoshBarnetWonkyDonkey says ...

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/celebritynews/5964457/Sienna-Miller-GI-Joe-wig-cost-4800.html

Posted by BoshBarnetWonkyDonkey at August 4, 2009 11:13 AM

comment #22

Craig Kennedy says ...

I don't know. The LA Times had a piece the other day talking about how Paramount was ignoring the critics and the coasts and zeroing in on males of a certain age, military families and the red-state NASCAR crowd.

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/business/la-fi-ct-gijoe3-2009aug03,0,1568441.story

More importantly, they seem to think the strategy is working:

"Based on pre-release audience polling, the PG-13-rated "G.I. Joe" is already exciting male moviegoers. Two executives at rival studios agreed that the film will open to at least $50 million at the box office in the U.S. and Canada and could go higher."

They also talk about how the Rah Rah America element has been toned way down so that international audiences who have a sweet tooth for our incredibly stupid action movies might get into it too.

Posted by Craig Kennedy at August 4, 2009 11:33 AM

comment #23

MovieBob says ...

I really, REALLY honestly hope this does well. If for not other reason than to prevent guys like THIS little shit...

http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/bshapiro/2009/08/04/gi-hans-the-rise-of-the-obama/

...from being able to claim it was because they SLIGHTLY tamped down on the cartoon nationalism, which so-called "conservative" movie bloggers have been livid about since last year.

Posted by MovieBob at August 4, 2009 4:29 PM

comment #24

Craig Kennedy says ...

Funny how these guys are all about free market decisions when it fits their point of view, but not when it goes against them. And money is the only thing behind Paramount's decision to water down the American Hero angle.

Jackass.

Posted by Craig Kennedy at August 4, 2009 5:48 PM

comment #25

DeeZee says ...

And people were mocking me when I said it'd be lucky to make $100 million domestic. Anyway, I'll probably try to catch Thirst instead.

Craig: Bullshit. It's being dumped in August. No way it's gonna open to 50 mil.

Posted by DeeZee at August 4, 2009 7:27 PM

comment #26

Anomaly says ...

First choice is good, but you can't always tell too much from that. You need unaided awareness. If you tell me what the unaided awareness number is, I'll tell you within 5m how much it will make.

Even so, it's extremely unlikely that this movie will fail to hit 30.

Posted by Anomaly at August 5, 2009 7:50 AM

comment #27