The American

THE AMERICAN DVD Review

by Kevin Panasiewicz    Posted: January 19th, 2011 at 9:15 am

Director Anton Corbijn’s The American made decent bank at the box office in September with a $35.6 million domestic rake, and yet it currently sits at a less-than-enticing 38% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. This is doubtless a product of the sly Hollywood marketing machine, which sold this meditative character study as a late-summer Bourne-substitute with megastar George Clooney. Many of you may have fallen victim, but I ask those wounded souls and the newcomers alike to give The American a chance now that you’ve been properly warned. It’s neither flashy nor deeply poetic, but it refreshingly plods along to the beat of its own patient tempo in showing the day-to-day activities of a weary assassin attempting to find solitude. My review of the DVD after the jump.

Cool Posters for THE HAUNTING, WINTER’S BONE, SOURCE CODE and More

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: January 14th, 2011 at 12:53 pm

I’m a movie poster dork and I always like seeing what various artists do when creating posters for movies they enjoy or are looking forward to.  The folks at Phantom City Creative have done some pretty sweet work by creating three posters dedicated to the film’s of director Robert Wise: The Body Snatcher, The Haunting, and The Andromeda Strain.  Each of their posters is limited to an edition of 113, measures 11×17, and costs $30 (plus shipping) or $75 (plus shipping) if you buy all three posters together.

Moving on, artist Sam Smith designed posters for his ten favorite films of 2010 and came up with some really stunning work.  I particularly love his posters for Winter’s Bone and Toy Story 3.  Finally, Lloyd Stas, whose work we featured last week when he designed posters for the work of Edgar Wright, has taken a stab at Duncan Jones’ upcoming film Source Code.  Hit the jump to check out all of the posters.

Best Performances, Directors, and Other Miscellany of 2010

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: December 29th, 2010 at 3:33 pm

In my profession, there are two very important things you must do: watch movies and keep notes.  I did an alright job with the first one, but admittedly fell short on the latter.  While last year I was able to confidently provide what I thought were the best kills and quotes, this year I didn’t do a good job with record keeping and so I’ve omitted those categories.  Next year I’ll be more meticulous and make it a point to see movie where people get destroyed while saying witty things.

However, I did see enough movies to confidently make a list of the folks I thought were the best actors, directors, and other miscellaneous greats.  Hit the jump to check out my picks.

Top 10 Posters of 2010

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: December 27th, 2010 at 9:01 am

On Collider, we bring you a lot of posters.  Sure, it’s marketing but that doesn’t mean they can’t be the stuff you want to hang on your walls at home.  With that in mind, I’ve compiled a list of my top 10 posters of 2010.  The only rule is that the posters had to come from a studio.  So if you’re wondering, “Where the hell are all the Mondo posters?!”, that’s why (they also would have taken up the entire list).

Hit the jump to check out my picks for the Top 10 Posters of 2010.

Weekend Box Office – THE TOWN Takes In $28.3 Million

by Nicole Pedersen    Posted: September 19th, 2010 at 9:28 am

Everything went according to plan for the movie The Town after its somewhat surprising first place finish on Friday. That means that the R-rated drama is America’s new number one movie; taking in an estimated $23.8 million from 2,861 locations.

	Title	Weekend	Total
1	The Town	$23,800,000	$23.8
2	Easy A	$18,200,000	$18.2
3	Devil	$12,500,000	$12.5
4	Resident Evil 3D	$5,840,000	$43.9
5	Alpha & Omega	$9,200,000	$9.2
6	Takers	$3,000,000	$52.3
7	The American	$2,756,000	$32.8
8	Inception	$2,015,000	$285.1
9	The Other Guys	$2,000,000	$115.4
10	Machete	$1,700,000	$24.3

Weekend Box Office – RESIDENT EVIL AFTERLIFE Lives Large with $27.7 Million

by Nicole Pedersen    Posted: September 12th, 2010 at 9:19 am

Welcome to the all-Resident Evil edition of the weekend box office report! The fourth entry in the RE series was the only new release of the weekend, which means its ascendency to number one was all but ordained by God.  God is still a big 3D fan, in case you didn’t know.

	Title	Weekend	Total
1	Resident Evil 4	$27,700,000	$27.7
2	Takers	$6,100,000	$48.1
3	The American	$5,890,000	$26.7
4	Machete	$4,200,000	$20.8
5	Going the Distance	$3,835,000	$14
6	The Other Guys	$3,600,000	$112.6
7	The Last Exorcism	$3,450,000	$38.1
8	The Expendables	$3,250,000	$98.4
9	Inception	$3,015,000	$282.4
10	Eat Pray Love	$2,900,0000	$74.6

Friday Box Office – RESIDENT EVIL: AFTERLIFE Breaks Franchise’s Friday Record with $10.9 Million

by Nicole Pedersen    Posted: September 11th, 2010 at 9:17 am

Unlike the last Friday of summer – when underachievers Machete and The American battled for number one – the first weekend of fall has given us one unequivocal winner: Resident Evil: Afterlife. The fourth installment in writer/producer Paul WS Anderson’s successful franchise earned an estimated $10.9 million: a Resident Evil record. The series’ previous two features, Extinction in 2007 and Apocalypse in 2004, both opened below $10 million. Of course, considering that Afterlife was the sole wide release of the weekend and that 62% of its 3,203 locations screened the film in its original 3D format (it was shot, not converted, in 3D), that estimate could have been higher… ticket price premium and all. Still, RE: Afterlife is now poised to break its previous weekend record as well – with three day projections coming in at just under $30 million. Full details when you check back tomorrow.

	Title	Friday	Total
1	Resident Evil 4	$10,900,000	$10.9
2	Takers	$1,775,000	$43.7
3	The American	$1,700,000	$24.1
4	Going the Distance	$1,305,000	$11.4
5	Machete	$1,300,000	$17.9

Running Dialogue #15: THE AMERICAN, CENTURION, and MACHETE

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: September 9th, 2010 at 8:16 pm

In this week’s installment of Running Dialogue, we discuss three movies about folks serving up healthy dishes of murder to other folks: Anton Corbijn’s The American, Neil Marshall’s Centurion, and Robert Rodriguez’ Machete.  Of the three films, The American is a film that demands to be discussed due to its quiet and contemplative nature, and after talking it out with Russ and Curt, I liked the movie even more.  Our discussion of Machete also led to a conversation about this summer movie season and how most of the big films disappointed but the smaller films like Exit Through the Gift Shop and Get Low were worth checking out.

Click here to listen to the new episode.   Also, you can hit the jump for a list of all the movies we’ve recommended so far. Finally, click here to add Running Dialogue to your RSS feed.

Weekend Box Office – THE AMERICAN Slices Past MACHETE with $12.9 Million

by Nicole Pedersen    Posted: September 5th, 2010 at 9:38 am

Attendance picked up on Saturday after a typically slow start to the Labor Day weekend on Friday. George Clooney’s The American was able to pull ahead of fellow newcomer Machete, resulting in a clear weekend win for the understated action movie.

	Title	Weekend	Total
1	The American	$12,900,000	$16
2	Machete	$12,300,000	$12.3
3	Takers	$11,400,000	$37.8
4	The Last Exorcism	$7,700,000	$32.4
5	Going the Distance	$7,100,000	$7.1
6	The Expendables	$7,000,000	$92.5
7	The Other Guys	$5,100,000	$106.5
8	Eat Pray Love	$4,800,000	$68.9
9	Inception	$4,700,000	$277.2
10	Nanny McPhee Returns	$3,800,000	$22.6

Friday Box Office – It’s a Photo Finish for THE AMERICAN and MACHETE

by Nicole Pedersen    Posted: September 4th, 2010 at 9:26 am

George Clooney’s  The American gets to claim Friday’s top spot for now. One day into summer’s final weekend – and three days after it debuted in 2,721 locations – The American made an estimated $3.9 million: barely ahead of Machete’s estimate of $3.8 million from 2,670 venues. That’s pretty much too close to call, in my opinion. And if those numbers feel kind of, er,  low to you, know that both films managed to best (barely) what last year’s Labor Day “top five” earned going into their own four-day holiday. Finally, there’s New Line’s Going the Distance. The new romantic comedy just made the top five with an estimated $2.2 million from 3,030 locations. That really is as low as it appears… even with the diminished expectations typically associated with Labor Day factored in. Full details on summer’s final curtain call when you check back later this weekend.

	Title	Title	Total
1	The American	$3,900,000	$7
2	Machete	$3,800,000	$3.8
3	Takers	$3,000,000	$29.4
4	The Last Exorcism	$2,300,000	$27
5	Going the Distance	$2,200,000	$2,2

THE AMERICAN Review

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: August 31st, 2010 at 10:25 pm

Never underestimate the power of smart directing and a strong central performance to keep a movie interesting.  Anton Corbijn’s The American isn’t a film with momentum.  It’s not rushing anywhere or even setting up a clear destination.  It’s an austere, contemplative piece that holds tension despite rarely introducing an immediate threat.  Corbijn’s skilled direction is matched by a thoughtful, quiet performance from George Clooney who plays a character unlike any he’s done before.  The American is one of the more difficult films this year as it moves slowly, deliberately, and without any hand-holding.  But the result is a rewarding picture that’s refreshing after a mostly disappointing summer movie season.

4 Movie Clips from THE AMERICAN Starring George Clooney

by Steve 'Frosty' Weintraub    Posted: August 26th, 2010 at 8:12 pm

With director Anton Corbijn’s (Control) The American getting released on September 1st, Focus Features has released four clips and you can check them out after the jump.  The film stars George Clooney as an aging assassin who vows the next assignment will be his last.

As I said when I posted all the new images, The American was one of those movies I was really looking forward to…but the closer it gets to release, the more I’m nervous about the film.  That’s because Focus Features isn’t doing a junket and I don’t know anyone that’s seen it.  Trust me, that isn’t a good sign.  But after watching the clips, the film looks interesting and I’m really hoping it surprises me.  Judge the footage for yourself:

New Images from THE AMERICAN Starring George Clooney

by Steve 'Frosty' Weintraub    Posted: August 23rd, 2010 at 8:18 am

Opening on September 1 is director Anton Corbijn’s (Control) The American.  Starring George Clooney as an aging assassin who vows the next assignment will be his last, The American is one of those movies I was really looking forward to…but the closer it gets to release, the more I believe it might not be good.  The reason I say this is due to the lack of screenings by Focus Features.  I’ve done this job long enough to know when a movie is good, they screen it early and often for the press to generate online buzz.  But The American is about a week away from getting released and I don’t know anyone that’s seen it and the only screening I’ve been offered is on the 30th.  As I said, that makes me nervous.

But even though it might not be getting screened, I loved Corbijn’s Control and I’m a big fan of Clooney, so I’m really hoping this film surprises me.  Also, I thought the trailer and the featurette were solid.  With The American getting released next week, we’ll all know soon enough if it’s worth checking out.  Until then, Focus has released a bunch of new images from the film, so hit the jump to check them out:

New Trailer for THE AMERICAN Starring George Clooney

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: June 18th, 2010 at 4:18 pm

Yesterday, we showed you the slick poster for Anton Corbijn’s upcoming drama The American, which stars George Clooney as an assassin in the Italian countryside doing one last job.  Today, there’s a new trailer for the film, and sadly it is not as creative as the poster.  It makes the movie out to be a generic action film.  I prefer the first trailer, but perhaps you’ll feel differently.

Hit the jump to check out the new trailer.  The American hits theaters on September 1st.

Sweet 70s-Style Poster for Anton Corbijn’s THE AMERICAN Starring George Clooney

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: June 17th, 2010 at 10:37 am

Focus Features has released the first poster for Anton Corbijn’s The American and it’s an eye-catcher.  It’s got a nice 70′s-esque feel to it and I support any poster that breaks from the bland floating-heads posters we see so often.  While the poster almost makes the movie look like a vintage spy flick, The American is about an assassin (George Clooney) working one last job in Italy and begins to develop a friendship with a local priest and a romantic relationship with a local woman.  Hit the jump to check out the poster in high-resolution.  The American hits theaters on September 1^st.

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