Focus Features CEO James Schamus stated, “Cary is the ideal choice to realize this unforgettable story in its traditional setting, yet with contemporary vitality and spirit. With two of today’s most promising new stars in Mia and Michael, plus an outstanding supporting cast, this will be a JANE EYRE for the ages.”

Christine Langan, Creative Director of BBC Films, and executive producer of the film also added, “We’re delighted to bring together two such fresh and impressive talents as director Cary Fukunaga and screenwriter Moira Buffini. Added to the gorgeous cast Cary has assembled, this is exactly the treatment Charlotte Brontë’s evergreen classic JANE EYRE deserves.”

Tennant immediately follows the humorous opening scene with a hackneyed filmmaking contrivance, that of flashing back to “twenty-four hours earlier” so the audience can learn exactly just what led to Aniston being in the trunk to begin with. Unfortunately this takes a painfully long time of sitting and watching scene after scene of people sitting at tables talking to one another, or worse yet, talking on cell phones in intercut scenes designed only to give the audience the plethora of exposition needed to explain a plot that bounces from one unbelievable point to another in an attempt to build intrigue. There’s a mystery that Aniston’s reporter character is trying to solve. There’s why Milo is no longer a detective with the NYPD. There are mobsters. There’s the wacky crime that Aniston committed to set her character up to skip bail in the first place. While it is obvious that screenwriter Sarah Thorp (“Hawthorne”) is trying to add some substance to pad out the woefully thin romantic element of the film, these extraneous plot lines never allow the film to fully develop and keep the characters at a superficial level that becomes incredibly tiresome to the audience.

Gerard Butler and Jennifer Aniston star in Columbia Pictures' action comedy THE BOUNTY HUNTER. Photo By: Barry Wetcher SMPSP

Then there’s the choice of including Jason Sudeikis’s creepy character Stewart in the movie. Set up as a comic foil that pines for his co-worker at the newspaper Aniston, Stewart not only exemplifies the definition of sexual harassment in the workplace, but he goes so far as to stalk Aniston and even breaks into her house at one point in the film to “check on her” because he’s “worried about her.” The character is not funny and why someone would find this an amusing character to include in the film, and to have him played in a lighthearted, jovial manner, is beyond comprehension.

If there is any saving grace in the film though, it would be Christine Baranski (“The Good Wife”) who plays Kitty Hurley, Aniston’s mother and a fading Atlantic City nightclub performer. Baranski as usual does a great job delivering lines with impeccable timing and a deadpan wit, and her scenes help bring some semblance of humor to the otherwise drab movie. Unfortunately though, Thorp tries to force too much into her dialogue and it becomes downright ludicrously incomprehensible at times, including when Baranski’s character tells her lighting designer at the lounge she is performing in, “I want to sparkle with the illusion of youth and in a room this size we may need nerve gas.” Come again? Once again there seems to be a disconnect between that which is actually funny and that which Thorp is seeing on the written page.

THE BOUNTY HUNTER has really nothing going for it. Yes, there are some slight laughs here and there, but in the end, the predictable and formulaic plot coupled with contrived directing choices and poor screenwriting stand in the way of the film actually achieving any momentum and going anywhere.

Rating: 2 out of 5 stars ]]> http://popcultureworldnews.com/2010/03/18/bountyhunter/feed/ 0 http://popcultureworldnews.com/2010/03/15/boxoffice031510/ http://popcultureworldnews.com/2010/03/15/boxoffice031510/#comments Tue, 16 Mar 2010 04:52:35 +0000 Allan Given http://popcultureworldnews.com/?p=2742 PositionMovieWeekend GrossCumulative GrossEstimated Budget 1Alice in Wonderland$62,714,076$209,339,432$250,000,000 2Green Zone$14,309,295$14,039,295N/A 3She's Out of My League$9,775,278$9,775,278N/A 4Shutter Island$8,144,133$108,011,645N/A 5Remember Me$8,089,139$8,089,139N/A 6Our Family Wedding$7,629,862$7,629,862N/A 7Avatar$6,526,421$730,270,443$237,000,000 8Brooklyn's Finest$4,471,932$21,533,404$25,000,000 9Cop Out$4,268,068$39,480,734$30,000,000 10The Crazies$3,680,940$33,389,308$12,000,000

© Copyright 2010 Exhibitor Relations Co. Inc.

Cable TV Ratings March 1-7, 2010

Source: The Nielsen Company

Gabourey Sidibe, who plays the title role in the film stated, “I am so excited and honored to be recognized by the Academy and included in such a remarkable group of actors. I’m very proud of my film, my cast and extremely grateful to Mr. Daniels for the incredible opportunity to play Precious.”

When asked for her reaction on her nomination in the Actress in a Supporting Role category, Mo’nique commented, “What an honor to be nominated for this prestigious award. God bless us.”

The 82nd Annual Academy Awards® airs Sunday, March 7th on ABC.

Oscar-nominated actress Anne Hathaway and Academy President Tom Sherak announced the nominees for the 82nd Annual Academy Awards in the Academy's Samuel Goldwyn Theater. Photo credit: Todd Wawrychuk / ©A.M.P.A.S.

Quentin Tarantino’s WWII film starring Brad Pitt, INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS, received eight nominations, including Best Picture, Directing and Writing (Original Screenplay).

The 82nd Annual Academy Awards® will air Sunday, March 7th on ABC and will be co-hosted by Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin.

Actor in a Leading Role
Jeff Bridges in “Crazy Heart”
George Clooney in “Up in the Air”
Colin Firth in “A Single Man”
Morgan Freeman in “Invictus”
Jeremy Renner in “The Hurt Locker”

Actor in a Supporting Role
Matt Damon in “Invictus”
Woody Harrelson in “The Messenger”
Christopher Plummer in “The Last Station”
Stanley Tucci in “The Lovely Bones”
Christoph Waltz in “Inglourious Basterds”

Actress in a Leading Role
Sandra Bullock in “The Blind Side”
Helen Mirren in “The Last Station”
Carey Mulligan in “An Education”
Gabourey Sidibe in “Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire”
Meryl Streep in “Julie & Julia”

Actress in a Supporting Role
Penélope Cruz in “Nine”
Vera Farmiga in “Up in the Air”
Maggie Gyllenhaal in “Crazy Heart”
Anna Kendrick in “Up in the Air”
Mo’Nique in “Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire”

Animated Feature Film
“Coraline” Henry Selick
“Fantastic Mr. Fox” Wes Anderson
“The Princess and the Frog” John Musker and Ron Clements
“The Secret of Kells” Tomm Moore
“Up” Pete Docter

Art Direction
“Avatar” Art Direction: Rick Carter and Robert Stromberg; Set Decoration: Kim Sinclair
“The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus” Art Direction: Dave Warren and Anastasia Masaro; Set Decoration: Caroline Smith
“Nine” Art Direction: John Myhre; Set Decoration: Gordon Sim
“Sherlock Holmes” Art Direction: Sarah Greenwood; Set Decoration: Katie Spencer
“The Young Victoria” Art Direction: Patrice Vermette; Set Decoration: Maggie Gray

Cinematography
“Avatar” Mauro Fiore
“Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” Bruno Delbonnel
“The Hurt Locker” Barry Ackroyd
“Inglourious Basterds” Robert Richardson
“The White Ribbon” Christian Berger

Costume Design
“Bright Star” Janet Patterson
“Coco before Chanel” Catherine Leterrier
“The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus” Monique Prudhomme
“Nine” Colleen Atwood
“The Young Victoria” Sandy Powell

Directing
“Avatar” James Cameron
“The Hurt Locker” Kathryn Bigelow
“Inglourious Basterds” Quentin Tarantino
“Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire” Lee Daniels
“Up in the Air” Jason Reitman

Documentary (Feature)
“Burma VJ” Anders Østergaard and Lise Lense-Møller
“The Cove” Nominees to be determined
“Food, Inc.” Robert Kenner and Elise Pearlstein
“The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers” Judith Ehrlich and Rick Goldsmith
“Which Way Home” Rebecca Cammisa

Documentary (Short Subject)
“China’s Unnatural Disaster: The Tears of Sichuan Province” Jon Alpert and Matthew O’Neill
“The Last Campaign of Governor Booth Gardner” Daniel Junge and Henry Ansbacher
“The Last Truck: Closing of a GM Plant” Steven Bognar and Julia Reichert
“Music by Prudence” Roger Ross Williams and Elinor Burkett
“Rabbit à la Berlin” Bartek Konopka and Anna Wydra

Film Editing
“Avatar” Stephen Rivkin, John Refoua and James Cameron
“District 9” Julian Clarke
“The Hurt Locker” Bob Murawski and Chris Innis
“Inglourious Basterds” Sally Menke
“Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire” Joe Klotz

Foreign Language Film
“Ajami” Israel
“El Secreto de Sus Ojos” Argentina
“The Milk of Sorrow” Peru
“Un Prophète” France
“The White Ribbon” Germany

Makeup
“Il Divo” Aldo Signoretti and Vittorio Sodano
“Star Trek” Barney Burman, Mindy Hall and Joel Harlow
“The Young Victoria” Jon Henry Gordon and Jenny Shircore

Music (Original Score)
“Avatar” James Horner
“Fantastic Mr. Fox” Alexandre Desplat
“The Hurt Locker” Marco Beltrami and Buck Sanders
“Sherlock Holmes” Hans Zimmer
“Up” Michael Giacchino

Music (Original Song)
“Almost There” from “The Princess and the Frog” Music and Lyric by Randy Newman
“Down in New Orleans” from “The Princess and the Frog” Music and Lyric by Randy Newman
“Loin de Paname” from “Paris 36” Music by Reinhardt Wagner Lyric by Frank Thomas
“Take It All” from “Nine” Music and Lyric by Maury Yeston
“The Weary Kind (Theme from Crazy Heart)” from “Crazy Heart” Music and Lyric by Ryan Bingham and T Bone Burnett

Best Picture
“Avatar” James Cameron and Jon Landau, Producers
“The Blind Side” Nominees to be determined
“District 9” Peter Jackson and Carolynne Cunningham, Producers
“An Education” Finola Dwyer and Amanda Posey, Producers
“The Hurt Locker” Nominees to be determined
“Inglourious Basterds” Lawrence Bender, Producer
“Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire” Lee Daniels, Sarah Siegel-Magness and Gary Magness, Producers
“A Serious Man” Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, Producers
“Up” Jonas Rivera, Producer
“Up in the Air” Daniel Dubiecki, Ivan Reitman and Jason Reitman, Producers

Short Film (Animated)
“French Roast” Fabrice O. Joubert
“Granny O’Grimm’s Sleeping Beauty” Nicky Phelan and Darragh O’Connell
“The Lady and the Reaper (La Dama y la Muerte)” Javier Recio Gracia
“Logorama” Nicolas Schmerkin
“A Matter of Loaf and Death” Nick Park

Short Film (Live Action)
“The Door” Juanita Wilson and James Flynn
“Instead of Abracadabra” Patrik Eklund and Mathias Fjellström
“Kavi” Gregg Helvey
“Miracle Fish” Luke Doolan and Drew Bailey
“The New Tenants” Joachim Back and Tivi Magnusson

Sound Editing
“Avatar” Christopher Boyes and Gwendolyn Yates Whittle
“The Hurt Locker” Paul N.J. Ottosson
“Inglourious Basterds” Wylie Stateman
“Star Trek” Mark Stoeckinger and Alan Rankin
“Up” Michael Silvers and Tom Myers

Sound Mixing
“Avatar” Christopher Boyes, Gary Summers, Andy Nelson and Tony Johnson
“The Hurt Locker” Paul N.J. Ottosson and Ray Beckett
“Inglourious Basterds” Michael Minkler, Tony Lamberti and Mark Ulano
“Star Trek” Anna Behlmer, Andy Nelson and Peter J. Devlin
“Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” Greg P. Russell, Gary Summers and Geoffrey Patterson

Visual Effects
“Avatar” Joe Letteri, Stephen Rosenbaum, Richard Baneham and Andrew R. Jones
“District 9” Dan Kaufman, Peter Muyzers, Robert Habros and Matt Aitken
“Star Trek” Roger Guyett, Russell Earl, Paul Kavanagh and Burt Dalton

Writing (Adapted Screenplay)
“District 9” Written by Neill Blomkamp and Terri Tatchell
“An Education” Screenplay by Nick Hornby
“In the Loop” Screenplay by Jesse Armstrong, Simon Blackwell, Armando Iannucci, Tony Roche
“Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire” Screenplay by Geoffrey Fletcher
“Up in the Air” Screenplay by Jason Reitman and Sheldon Turner

Writing (Original Screenplay)
“The Hurt Locker” Written by Mark Boal
“Inglourious Basterds” Written by Quentin Tarantino
“The Messenger” Written by Alessandro Camon & Oren Moverman
“A Serious Man” Written by Joel Coen & Ethan Coen
“Up” Screenplay by Bob Peterson, Pete Docter, Story by Pete Docter, Bob Peterson, Tom McCarthy

Farmiga, who was recently seen in ORPHAN commented, “I am deeply honored and humbled by this recognition and truly grateful to the Academy for their support of UP IN THE AIR. I feel my nomination is due, in large part, to the phenomenal work of George, Anna and Jason on this film and it is especially moving to receive my first nomination in their company.”

Kendrick likewise remarked, “I am thrilled beyond words to be nominated with these talented and inspiring women. Being involved in a film as special as Up in the Air was a dream come true. I am overwhelmed and honored by this nomination and am so grateful to be able to share this experience with George, Vera and Jason.”

The 82nd Annual Academy Awards will air Sunday, March 7th on ABC.

© Copyright 2010 Exhibitor Relations Co. Inc.

Cable TV Ratings January 25-31, 2010

Source: The Nielsen Company