Grindhouse 6 DVD set specs!

Disc 1: Death Proof (Extended Film)
-English DTS, English DD, Japanese dub
-Japanese subtitles
-Japanese Theatrical/TV trailers
-Staff/Cast Profiles (Text)
-What is Grindhouse? (Text)

Disc 2: Planet Terror (Extended Film)
-English DTS, English DD, Japanese dub
-Japanese Subtitles
-Rodriguez commentary
-International/Japanese trailers
-Staff/Cast Profiles (Text)
-What is Grindhouse? (Text)

Disc 3: Death Proof bonus materials
-Special Message to Japan from Tarantino
-Staff and Cast interviews on Death Proof
-Stunts on Wheels: The Legendary Drivers of Death Proof (20:39)
-Introducing Zoë Bell (8:59)
-Kurt Russell as Stuntman Mike (9:34)
-Finding Quentin's Gals (21:14)
-The Uncut Version of "Baby, It's You" Performed by Mary Elizabeth Winstead (1:4Cool
-The Guys of Death Proof (8:16)
-Quentin's Greatest Collaborator: Editor Sally Menke (4:3Cool
-Double Dare Trailer (2:36)

Disc 4: Planet Terror bonus materials
-10-Minute Film School (11:52)
-The Badass Babes of Planet Terror (11:50)
-The Guys of Planet Terror (16:32)
-Casting Rebel (05:34)
-Sickos, Bullets and Explosions: The Stuns of Planet Terror (13:1Cool
-The Friend, The Doctor and The Real Estate Agent (6:42)

Disc 5: Grindhouse (191 minute theatrical cut)
-English DD, Japanese dub
-Japanese subtitles

Disc 6: Japanese only Grindhouse bonus disc (106 minutes)
-Grindhouse - US Trailer
-2006 San Diego Comicon
-Tarantino Interview (About the homages in Death Proof, About Planet Terror, Use of Music, Possible Sequel to Death Proof)
-Staff/Cast comments
-The Directors of the Fake Trailers
-Coments on past Grindhouse Films
-Making Of Planet Terror

[JPX sez, this set comes out in March]

Box office

This weekend, we had a few movies open up on Christmas Day, but mostly everything stayed the same, thus giving me a small respite on my template. Let's go to the numbers, shall we? (All in millions, remember, and these are the studio estimates, the actuals will be available on Monday. Just to prove me wrong).

1. National Treasure: Book Of Secrets (BV)- $35.6, 3832 screens, week 2, $124.0 total
2. Alvin and the Chipmunks (Fox) - $30.0, 3484 screens, week 3, $142.3 total
3. I Am Legend (WB) - $27.5, 3636 screens, week 3, $194.5 total
4. Charlie WIlson's War (Uni) - $11.7, 2575 screens, week 2, $34.5 total
5. Juno (FoxS) - $10.3, 998 screens, week 4, $25.6 total
6. Alien Vs. Predator - Requiem (Fox)- $10.0, 2611 screens, week 1, $26.8 total (xmas open)
7. The Waterhorse (Sony) - $9.2, 2772 screens, week 1, $16.8 total (xmas open)
8. P.S. I Love You (WB) - $9.1, 2464 screens, week 2, $23.3 total
9. Sweeney Todd (Par/DW) - $8.0, 1249 screens, week 2, $26.7 total
10. Enchanted (BV) - $6.5, 2262 screens, week 6, $110.6 total

So those are the numbers, but what do they mean? Well, you can pretty much see for yourself that the top leaders made some coin, and the rest faltered. But let's take a moment and see how ridiculously successful Alvin and The Chipmunks turned out to be. Seriously, people, what's going on with that?

The movie where the Alien versed the Predator didn't fare too well, and nowhere near as well as the previous effort, which had the good sense to not be released on Christmas. Let this and Grindhouse be a lesson to counter programming everywhere: Don't release these movies on holidays. You won't do well. Oh, and The Waterhorse didn't fare so well, either, although it has been garnering some spectacular reviews.

The other new release was The Great Debaters, directed by Denzel Washington, hot off his American Gangster success. Unfortunately it only took in $6.3 million in the opening weekend. Guess if the alien were debating the predator, it would have made some more coin. Kudos to Juno for climbing up the charts and winning the hearts of many across the globe. Here's hoping Juno gets all the acclaim it deserves.

Below the radar, there were a lot of new releases, in limited runs, however. The Bucket List, a "comedy" from Rob Reiner that stars Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman opened on 16 screens and took in $323,000. The Orphanage, a creepy Spanish ghost story produced by Guillermo Del Toro, opened up on 19 screens and took in $230,000. But the big winner was There Will Be Blood, the latest film from Paul Thomas Anderson, opened up on only 2 screens to take $186,000, with a per screen average of $93,000. Very impressive for such a bleak film.

And in the "Because It's There" series: Before The Devil Knows You're Dead took in $128,000 on 101 screens, bringing it's grand total to $6,418,000 in 10 weeks.

There you have my break down. Next week will probably bring lower numbers to the list you see before you. Except for Alvin and The Chipmunks probably, because my reality isn't disturbing enough as it is. Until next year....

This year, there'll be fewer sequels at the movie theater

By Scott Bowles, USA TODAY
LOS ANGELES — They may be the bane of critics and a common complaint of moviegoers, but sequels have kept the film industry afloat for years.
So what happens when studios give people something original?

Hollywood is about to find out. This year, only 16 sequels are slated for the big screen, according to Nielsen EDI. Since 2003, the average has been 25.

"It's surprising to see how few are coming," says Disney distribution chief Chuck Viane. "It will be interesting to see how creativity sells."

Five of the six biggest movies of last year were sequels, helping propel 2007 to about $9.6 billion at the box office, a record — though attendance remained flat from last year, according to Media By Numbers.

Still, it was a weak year for movies not based on toys or cartoons. Among the small-studio films, only No Country for Old Men took in more than $40 million, though Juno probably will cross that mark. It has earned $31 million and is still expanding.

Not that Hollywood has lost its love for series and spinoffs. This year still has plenty of high-profile franchise wannabes and sequels, from Jan. 25's Rambo to May 2's Iron Man to May 22's Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.

"You're trying to think a year and a half or two years ahead when you start a movie," says Rob Moore, president of worldwide marketing and distribution for Paramount Pictures. "And I don't know what fewer sequels will do. But there are some things you can do to get people into a moviegoing rhythm."

Here are a few:

•Bigger-budget movies. Despite ballooning production costs and spiraling star salaries, most studios believe bigger is better. "We'll continue making big-budget movies, investing in big stars, big effects," says Jeff Goldstein of Warner Bros. "You have to give people things that home theater systems can't give audiences."

•More gimmicks. From better seats to 3-D glasses to the next generation of computer animation, studios and theaters are emptying their bag of tricks: About 80% of the nation's theaters have gone to stadium seating. U2 has a 3-D movie due Jan. 25, and next year's Final Destination 4 hopes to make you think the blood really is oozing on the screen. Hollywood is hoping James Cameron's computer-generated epic Avatar gets older moviegoers back into the seats. "The technology is getting so advanced," Viane says. "You've got to use everything you've got to compete."

•Happier movies. "There have got to be more uplifting movies than these overly violent movies," says Harvey Weinstein, whose feel-good The Great Debaters is getting a heavy Oscar push. "People want movies that aren't just reflections of our times."

First Incredible Hulk images

Indiana Jones IV theater display

From joblow, Faithful schmoe, Meister Evo has done us all proud by snagging us a couple of pictures of the in-theatre display for INDIANA JONES AND SOMETHING SOMETHING SOMETHING SKULLS. What we have is a large wooden box with a ton of stickers on it, printed with 'Property of Dr Jones' and plastered with stickers from different countries. Up on top is a small suitcase, the hat and the whip. You can check the thing out BELOW. As per usual, make nice with the images to make 'em nice and big, like.

Indiana Jones" Legos Reveal Spoilers

From darkhorizons, Several weeks before "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" hits theatres, LEGO will release a batch of new toys based on the property.

Now photos of those upcoming sets have been leaked and reveal some of the big set pieces for the much anticipated release. Spoilers ahead folks:

Go here for minor spoilers.

Never say never, Rowling Talks Eighth "Potter" Book

From darkhorizons, "Harry Potter" author J.K. Rowling has hinted for the first time that she could write an eighth book in the series reports The BBC.

In an interview with Time Magazine she says "There have been times since finishing, weak moments, when I've said 'Yeah, all right' to the eighth novel. If - and it's a big if - I ever write an eighth book, I doubt that Harry would be the central character. I feel I've already told his story. But these are big ifs. Let's give it ten years."

She has admitted that one of her biggest fans - her 14-year-old daughter Jessica - has already put pressure on her to revisit the character. Rowling finished penning the seventh book in the series - "Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows" - last January.

Look what came out on DVD this week!!!

I'm just kidding, this was an awful show.

Did everyone catch this shot in I Am Legend? Of course you did!

Jordan is right, I Am Legend was excellent - so excellent, in fact, that I caught it twice in the same week (sadly not in IMAX because Rhode Island and Vermont suck). This shot might be hinting at a future D.C. team-up,

Star Trek XI

From aintitcoolnews, Today I was contacted by a new source that confirmed that we will indeed see the infamous Kobayashi Maru test mentioned in Wrath of Khan... an unwinnable theoretical that Kirk is known to have been the only one to best.

What's interesting is that this source claimed to have read the script and told me HOW Kirk cheated his way to victory. Keep in mind that this is a crazy rumor and posted as such. The source is untested, but it was crazy enough to warrant a reckless post...

Is it an amazing bit of reprogramming? Nope. In true Kirk fashion, he persuades a chick he is banging to alter the simulator so that it is winnable (my source's exact words). He uses pure animal magnetism and his power over the fairer sex to cheat.

Could be true, could be BS... you decide. It's fun to speculate at the very least, no?

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

There's nothing worse than coming back to work after 10 days and finding a million emails to deal with and a full day of patients. Having said that, new updates will be a bit slow today as I play catch up. I hope you all had an excellent holiday season.