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Zombieland

1. Paranormal Activity – $21.1 million ($61.5 million)
2. Saw VI – $14.1 million ($14.1 million)
3. Where the Wild Things Are – $14.0 million ($53.5 million)
4. Law Abiding Citizen – $12.4 million ($40.0 million)
5. Couples Retreat – $10.6 million ($77.7 million)
6. Astro Boy – $6.7 million ($6.7 million)
7. Cirque du Freak: The Vampire’s Assistant – $6.2 million ($6.2 million)
8. The Stepfather – $6.2 million ($20.0 million)
9. Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs – $5.2 million ($114.8 million)
10. Zombieland – $4.2 million ($67.2 million)

(Gross for weekend of Oct. 23-25. Figure in parentheses is total gross to date. Source: www.boxofficemojo.com.)

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Following is a list of some major DVD releases debuting today. For a complete list, go to www.amazon.com. (more…)

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By Matt Brunson

GOOD HAIR
***
DIRECTED BY Jeff Stilson
STARS Chris Rock, Maya Angelou

Like most odysseys, Good Hair begins with a single, simple question. “Daddy, why don’t I have good hair?” the little girl asks of her celebrity pop. And armed with that disturbing query, Chris Rock sets off to make a movie that turns out to be endlessly fascinating and funny. (more…)

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By Matt Brunson

ASTRO BOY
**1/2
DIRECTED BY David Bowers
STARS Freddie Highmore, Nicolas Cage

Superheroes are known for showing up on the scene just in the nick of time, but in the case of Astro Boy and his big-screen debut, it’s clear that his arrival comes when it’s too late to really matter. (more…)

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Astro Boy

Amelia – Hilary Swank, Richard Gere

Astro Boy – Animated; voices of Freddie Highmore, Nicolas Cage

Cirque du Freak: The Vampire’s Assistant – John C. Reilly, Salma Hayek

Good Hair – Documentary; Chris Rock, Maya Angelou

Saw VI – Tobin Bell, Betsy Russell

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Longtime Charlotteans Kent Smith and David Temple have combined their talents to create The Last Passport, a feature-length movie that will enjoy its hometown debut tonight. Smith, whose photography work has been featured in over 200 films, publications and ad campaigns, and Temple, whose previous shorts Rewind and Poke the Sleeping Bear were reviewed positively in these pages, took a mere 30 days and $5,000 to co-write, co-direct and co-produce this story about an elderly man’s experiences while spending a day inside a passport office. All proceeds from the event (which includes a pre-screening cocktail party with the cast and crew) will be donated to Goodwill Industries, Southern Piedmont. $10. 8 p.m. showtime (7 p.m. for cocktail party). Epicentre Theaters at Mez, 210 E. Trade St. For tickets, call 704-688-2400 or visit www.epicentretheaters.com.

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The Stepfather

1. Where the Wild Things Are – $32.6 million ($32.6 million)
2. Law Abiding Citizen – $21.0 million ($21.0 million)
3. Paranormal Activity – $19.6 million ($33.1 million)
4. Couples Retreat – $17.2 million ($62.6 million)
5. The Stepfather – $11.5 million ($11.5 million)
6. Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs – $8.0 million ($108.2 million)
7. Zombieland – $7.6 million ($60.6 million)
8. Toy Story / Toy Story 2 (3-D) – $3.0 million ($28.5 million)
9. Surrogates – $1.9 million ($36.3 million)
10. The Invention of Lying – $1.9 million ($15.4 million)

(Gross for weekend of Oct. 16-18. Figure in parentheses is total gross to date. Source: www.boxofficemojo.com.)

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Following is a list of some major DVD releases debuting today. For a complete list, go to www.amazon.com. (more…)

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15 Short Film Festival
Oct. 18, 2009
The Evening Muse

The Deal: In it’s third year, the 15 Short Film Festival– created by Antonio Diaz, Keith Whatley and Ryan Walker – went down last night at The Evening Muse.

The Good: An array of films from varying categories including experimental, documentary, animation, drama, and comedy were  screened. The panel for 15 Short Film Festival did a seemingly good job at weeding though the stack of submissions they originally received and narrowing it down to the films shown.  Highlights of the film fest included The Cemetery People, a documentary about a group of people who live amongst tombs in Philippines, Every Third Bite, a documentary about honeybees and Colony Collapse Disorder , The Mouse That Soared, a cute animated film about a mouse that learned to fly, Bloom, a tragic love story drama, and What’s Virgin Mean?, a comedy short from the United Kingdom. But, that’s just naming a few out of the lengthy list of impressive films that comprised the 15 Short Film Festival.

The Bad: Two films, one titled, My Name is Kelvin, in the documentary category and another titled, 6.5 Minutes in Tel Aviv, in the drama category, weren’t able to be shown because of formatting difficulties. But, both will be shown at next years Spring film festival. Better late, than never I guess.

The Verdict: The audience award for best short went to The Mouse That Soared. If you missed the 15 Short Film Festival, be sure NOT to miss it the next time around. Organizers for the event are already planning for their next show in the Spring, and I know, I can’t wait.

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By Matt Brunson

SPELLBOUND
****
DIRECTED BY Alfred Hitchcock
STARS Ingrid Bergman, Gregory Peck

A commercial and critical hit in its day, 1945’s Spellbound has seen its standing slip in the ensuing decades, as it’s never mentioned on any list of Alfred Hitchcock’s best works. (more…)

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