Results tagged “liamneeson”

      

Quentin Tarantino roared back into prominence as his World War Two revenge flick, Inglourious Basterds, uh, roared to the top of the weekend box office, earning a way-above expectations $37.2M. Last week's champ, District 9 had a reasonable hold and earned an additional $18.9M ($73.4M). After that it was the sort of okay G.I.Joe ($12.5M | $120.5M), the weepy Time Traveler's Wife ($10M | 37.4M) and the winning Julie & Julia ($9M | $59.2M). Kids commanded the next three slots: the lame Shorts debuted to $6.6M followed by the odd G-Force ($4.2M | $107.3M) and the super Harry Potter 6: Harry Battles Voldemort! ($3.5M | $290.2M)

              

There's already been a ton of Inglourious Basterds material on LAist this weekend, so I'll only say, "Check it out. It's a helluva ride." My One and Only looks like an intriguing film. Based in part on the life of George Hamilton, it tells the story of a determined woman looking for a wealthy man to provide a nice life for her and her sons. It's been awhile since there's been a film about The Troubles, but Five Minutes of Heaven is a welcome addition to the canon. Liam Neeson stars as a man who, as a child, murdered the brother of another man (a fantastic James Nesbitt). The film tells a story of forgiveness as both try to reconcile the past.

Do you have any girls for massage that look like my daughter? | Photo courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox

The Liam Neeson thriller Taken ended the box office stranglehold of Paul Blart: Loser at Life this weekend by scoring a big win on Super Bowl weekend. Taken pulled in $24.6M to easily outpace the Kevin James non-laugher ($14M/$83.3M) and restore some semblance of sanity to the universe. Crappy re-make The Uninvited tallied up $10.5M in its opening weekend while Hotel for Dogs ($8.7M/$48.2M) managed to hold off the infinitely superior Gran Torino ($8.6M/$110.5M).

January is historically one of the worst months for movie-going. Studios typically drop their crappy product on the unsuspecting. This month is no exception. The Uninvited at least features Elizabeth Banks, but she's not naked or being funny so I'll pass. Good to see Maggie Grace back onscreen but would prefer to see her in something less crappy than Taken. Renee Zellweger fans may enjoy New in Town, but I know I won't. The Class had a brief stay in theaters late in 2008 and is back for a second turn. See it. It's funny and touching. Indie fans should enjoy both Blessed Is the Match: The Life and Death of Hannah Senesh and Serbis.

Transvestites, an inspirational illustrator and a group of snowboarding
pioneers round out this unusual list of limited release movies showing in
Los Angeles this weekend.


• 39
  Pounds of Love - Documentary starring Ami Ankilewitz. Directed
  by Dani Menkin. This documentary follows Ami, a 39-pound Israeli
  illustrator diagnosed with a rare ailment, and his journey to find
  the doctor who predicted his early death. [trailer | local
  showtimes]


• Breakfast
  on Pluto - Drama starring Cillian Murphy, Liam Neeson,
  Ruth Negga, Laurence Kinlan and Stephen Rea. Directed by Neil Jordan. An
  Irish orphan (Cillian Murphy) named Patrick Braden is on a quest to
  find out who his birth mother really is. Along the way, he works as
  a transvestite named Kitten, finds love with a hypnotist and becomes
  involved with illegal IRA bombings. [trailer | local
  showtimes]


• First
  Descent - Documentary starring Shawn Farmer, Nick
  Perata and Terje Haakonsen. Directed by Kevin Harrison and Kemp Curley. This
  film offers a look at snowboarding's origins and domination as the
  leading winter sport in the US. [trailer | local
  showtimes]

Tonight at Largo, see the first of two nights with singer-songwriter Lisa Loeb. Doors open at 8:00 PM.