Category Archives: New_Jack_City
New Jack City: Movie Confab Unveils Boffo 2010
Some convention briefs from the recent ShoWest motion picture trade show and convention in Las vegas…
Director Todd Phillips, promoting his new fall comedy DUE DATE with Continue reading
New Jack City: K.C. Discount Theaters on Life Support?
One would think that in today’s fragile economic climate, the Discount Movie Theater scene would be thriving…
But that’s not the case!
During the past couple decades you could count as many as Continue reading
New Jack City: Bad BBQ, Screwed by Chuck E & Oscars Blackout
What’s the saying, three strikes and you’re out?
Had Continue reading
New Jack City: 3-D! Love it or will you Leave it?
With the extremely successful 3-D opening of Disney’s ALICE IN WONDERLAND this past weekend, one has to wonder whether the 3-dimensional movie process has come of age or, as some are predicting, is an expensive fad doomed to extinction?
For the record, the Tim Burton directed classic fairytale enjoyed approximately $116 million in ticket sales at some 3,728 playdates throughout North America—making it the biggest grossing 1st quarter opening weekend in history!
2,063 of those locations were showing the blockbuster in 3-D and another 188 in IMAX 3-D.
Additionally ALICE IN WONDERLAND’s opening debut weekend brought in another $94 million from international engagements Continue reading
New Jack City: Sunday’s OSCARS. It’s a Wrap!
Call your bookie…
Let the wagering begin for Sunday’s OSCARS with Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin on Disney’s ABC!
Here’s how its going to go down!
Best Picture: A virtual tie between AVATAR and THE HURT LOCKER. But in the end AVATAR’s worldwide hit status should give it the edge with the Academy!
Best Directoress: Kathryn Bigelow because she pulled off THE HURT LOCKER! Continue reading
New Jack City: Update -Disney Makes Peace with Theaters over ALICE
According to the industry trade paper VARIETY, Disney has reportedly resolved its dispute with major worldwide exhibitors regarding the studio’s shortened theatrical window for Tim Burton’s upcoming Continue reading
New Jack City: Disney Contemplates Shrunken Theatrical Window – Theatres Mad as Hell!
There’s a storm brewing between the world’s theater owners and the Walt Disney movie empire!
The Mouse-House recently announced that with its release of Tim Burton’s ALICE IN WONDERLAND starring Johnny Depp, it plans to tighten the window between theatrical distribution of certain films from its present 16 weeks—to just 13 weeks!
Thus the studio will benefit by getting the ALICE into the hands of consumers the first week of June—the start of summer – which traditionally is a great DVD selling time.
God only knows DVD sales are into the crapper. Continue reading
New Jack City: Cinematic Deja Vu in the Northland?
Kansas City’s newest Eat-Drink-Movies venue—the eight-screen STUDIO MOVIE GRILL complex—is poised for a (tentative) March 22nd grand opening at Zona Rosa in the Northland…
It’s at the same location of the former 3-screen MAJESTIC THEATER and IMPROV Comedy Club.
Is this a coincidence? What’s going on here?
We checked with STUDIO MOVIE GRILL’s Creative Affairs director Lynne McQuaker for answers. Continue reading
New Jack City: Max Floyd’s Celebrity Roast: The TV Show—Now on Time Warner Cable!
For those who missed it but wanted to be part of it—NOW YOU CAN!
Time Warner Cable’s cameras were on hand at the recent MAX FLOYD CELEBRITY ROAST & SHOOTING STAR CONCERT documenting Kansas City’s long (radio) love affair with KY-102’s first program director, mentor and Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Max Floyd.
The event was a long one making it difficult for everything and everyone to be included in the TV show.
But what TWC ended up with is a fast moving, tightly edited 45 minute highlights reel that should give Max’s fans and friends a healthy taste–and BITE–of what went down. Continue reading
New Jack City: You Laughed. You Cried. Make Way for the Razzies!
Despite the hype surrounding next months Academy Awards, there are other fish to fry in the cinematic skillet!
Smelly rotten fish—make that movies. The worst that Hollywood dished out this past year.
All the crap competing for the annual RAZZberry Awards. THE RAZZIES!
This year’s gala staged on Saturday, March 6th (one day prior to the Oscars) not only honors 2009’s Berry worst, but the worst of the entire decade as well!
Here’s what’s in competition in the major catagories as the RAZZIE celebrate 2009’s WORST Continue reading
New Jack City: Oscar Nominations short on Surprises!
Today’s announcements of the 2010 Academy Award nominations probably contained fewer surprises than any Continue reading
New Jack City: Kansas City Rescues The Lovely Bones!
In an industry feature story about the initial disappointment—but eventual success of Paramount’s current THE LOVELY BONES—VARIETY points to Kansas City moviegoers for the film’s positive turnaround.
THE LOVELY BONES premiered in limited west coast runs December 11th to a dismal boxoffice.
It was set to roll out wider at Christmas.
The Peter Jackson directed fantasy-thriller starring Mark Wahlberg, Rachel Weisz, Susan Sarandon, Saoirse Ronan and Stanley Tucci had been Continue reading
New Jack City: Shrinking Star Plays Hide & Seek in Snow!
I may actually be the next-to-last subscriber to THE KANSAS CITY STAR on my block…
Better (or worse) yet I also subscribe to USA TODAY and the Sunday NEW YORK TIMES. Guess I’m Old School.
Does all that entitle me to a little TLC by the newspapers?
Not in your dreams!
The ever shrinking STAR comes wrapped in plastic…mostly pure white, clear, or orange wrappings.
Ditto USA TODAY.
Therein lies the problem! Continue reading
New Jack City: Star Obits Thrive, Movie Ads Nosedive & Inserts Gone Wild!
A few more gripes and observations about Kansas City’s once great daily newspaper…
Why do we always get so many DUPLICATE advertising inserts? Does the Star’s four year-old, $200 million press facility – the one it put up for sale two years ago – need a tuneup already?
Or is the circulation down so far that the newspaper needs to double, triple, even quadruple up to get rid of the inserts advertisers have paid for?
I asked a business associate recently why he still takes the paper?
“For the obituaries,” he replied. Continue reading
New Jack City: Leno’s Prime Time Bomb–You had to see it Coming!
Hollywood’s got to be CHEERING!
NBC’s announced early demise of their 5-month long JAY LENO SHOW experiment in prime time should result in the (re)creation of roughly 970 jobs in Tinsel Town.
How did I come up with that number?
The average five hour-long scripted dramas which Leno replaced – usually Continue reading
New Jack City: Ryan Bingam’s (George Clooney) Rules of Travel!
In last week’s column about Airlines at their Worst and Wackiest I promised Efficiency Travel Tips courtesy of frequent flyer ‘Ryan Bingam’ who spends half of his life in Continue reading
New Jack City: AMC lays down the Law!
First AMC slapped our hands for contraband candies Continue reading
New Jack City: Airlines at their Worst & Wackiest!
Things are getting GRIM Continue reading
New Jack City: Jack’s Dreaded Year End Hit & Misses List!
The year 2009 has been Continue reading
