New Movies and Box Office Predictions: Seven New Films Including 30 Days of Night and Rendition

We have an awfully big weekend ahead of us. Those of us who are hopelessly addicted to the big screen will have plenty to choose from this weekend, from horror to arthouse comedy, from stupid comedy to war time drama, plus others. I don't know about your neck of the woods, but I have no fewer than seven films hitting the big screens in the area. I know I am not going to be able to get to them all. Actually, I will be lucky if I get to three in the weekend. It doesn't help that my Friday night will be consumed by another addiction, music (I have a concert to go to). However, I will try my best to get to as many as possible in the near future. I still have the Tyler Perry film from last weekend to catch. So, how many are you going to get to?

30 Days of Night. (2007, 113 minutes, R, horror, trailer) Based on a graphic novel, this is a tale of survival horror set in the cold of Alaska. Night lasts for 30 days and when the sun goes down the vampires come to town. The cast includes Josh Hartnett, Melissa George, Ben Foster, and Danny Huston. I so hope that this delivers the goods, it has been some time since we've had a good vampire flick. The director's chair is filled by David Slade who made his debut with the excellent Hard Candy, if this is half as good we'll be in for a treat.

The Comebacks. (2007, 90 minutes, PG-13, comedy, trailer) Let me just say that this looks bad. Really bad. This looks to be on the level of Date Movie and Epic Movie. The less said the better.

Gone Baby Gone. (2007, 114 minutes, R, drama/thriller, trailer) Ben Affleck makes his directorial debut with this thriller starring his brother, Casey. It is set in Boston and concerns the efforts to find a kidnapped four year old girl. I remember seeing the trailer being impressed with what I saw, then I saw Affleck's name as director which was a bit of a shock. Perhaps he has found his calling.

Rendition. (2007, 120 minutes, R, drama/thriller, trailer) I am curious to see how this one will be received. Following the lukewarm reception that The Kingdom received, it appears that the movie-going audience is not going to turn out for droves to war-related films, regardless of quality (or lack thereof). This one stars Reese Witherspoon and Jake Gyllenhaal, Alan Arkin, and Peter Saarsgarde. It is the story of an Egyptian born man, married to Witherspoon, disappears from a flight home and turns up a prisoner accused of being a terrorist. The trailers look good and I hope to check this out.

Sarah Landon and the Paranormal Hour. (2007, 88 minutes, PG, drama) I have seen zero advertising for this one. It is the story of a teenage girl who is living in a haunted guest house and unravels a dark mystery in the town where she is staying.

Things We Lost in the Fire. (2007, 119 minutes, R, drama, trailer) Susanne Bier directs this story of two people coming to discover themselves through great hardship. Halle Berry plays a woman whose life disintegrates after her husband is killed in a random act of violence, she finds friendship in her husband's childhood friend, played by Benicio del Toro, who also happens to be a heroin addict. The trailer for this looks pretty good, although it could veer to far into sentimentality. We'll see after I get a chance to see it.

The Darjeeling Limited. (2007, 91 minutes, R, comedy, trailer) The latest Wes Anderson excursion arrives on local screens. This one stars Owen Wilson, Adrien Brody, and Jason Schwartzman as three brothers who embark on a train journey across India to bond and become friends again. Of course, their journey does not go exactly as planned when the trio find themselves stranded and with a large amount of luggage to carry with them. This promises to be weird, and hopefully better than The Life Aquatic.

Also opening this week, but not near me:

• The Ten Commandments
• Out of the Blue
• Reservation Road
• Weirdsville
• Wristcutters: A Love Story

Box Office Predictions
I was one of many that underestimated Tyler Perry last week. One day I will learn my lesson. Of course, one day I could get paid for my predictions. Yeah right. Anyway, here is another week of guesstimations (for entertainment purposes only. I do think that Perry will succumb to bloodsuckers in cold country. The rest will be a race for the finish. There are a lot of new films opening up this weekend vying for a top spot. As much as I want to see The Comebacks flop, I am sure it will open decently. Well, here goes:

Here is how I think the top ten field will play out:

Rank	Title	Box Office
1	30 Days of Night	$20 million
2	Tyler Perry's Why Did I Get Married?	$12.5 million
3	The Comebacks	$11 million
4	The Game Plan	$8.5 million
5	Rendition	$8 million
6	Michael Clayton	$7 million
7	We Own the Night	$6 million
8	Gone Baby Gone	$5.5 million
9	Things We Lost in the Fire	$4 million
10	Elizabeth: The Golden Age	$3.5 million

What are you seeing this weekend?