Battle of the Exes in US Christmas Box Office

Jennifer Aniston and Brad Pitt movies went head-to-head at the box office this Christmas weekend. Find out who wins!

Owen Wilson and a golden labrador helped Jennifer Aniston beat ex-husband Brad Pitt in holiday weekend box office.

Marley & Me, another heartwarming dog story, hit $37 million to top the US box office from Friday to Sunday.

Brad Pitt’s The Curious Case of Benjamin Button took in $27.2 million during the same period, which was only good enough for third place.

On the other hand, Adam Sandler’s Bedtime Stories grossed $28.1 million. The Disney fantasy movie placed 2nd to Marley and Me.

Top 10 Movies in the US Christmas Box Office

1. Marley & Me, $37 million
2. Bedtime Stories, $28.1 million
3. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, $27.2 million
4. Valkyrie, $21.5 million
5. Yes Man, $16.5 million
6. Seven Pounds, $13.4 million
7. The Tale of Despereaux, $9.4 million
8. The Day the Earth Stood Still, $7.9 million
9. The Spirit, $6.5 million
10. Doubt, $5.7 million

Source: http://www.starmometer.com/2008/12/29/battle-of-the-exes-in-us-christmas-box-office/

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Donkey Punch (2009)

Rated: R for a scene of strong sexual content involving an aberrant violent act, graphic nudity, violence, language and drug use
Runtime: 90 mins
Genre: Horror/Suspense
Theatrical Release: Jan 23, 2009 Limited
Starring: Robert Boulter, Sian Breckin, Tom Burke, Nichola Burley, Julian Morris, Jay Taylor, Jaime Winstone
Director: Olly Blackburn

Synopsis
Kim (Jaime Winstone), Tammi (Nichola Burley) and Lisa (Sian Breckin) are best friends on a girl’s weekend in Mallorca, away from grey Leeds. Feisty Kim and carefree Lisa are determined to party and... Kim (Jaime Winstone), Tammi (Nichola Burley) and Lisa (Sian Breckin) are best friends on a girl’s weekend in Mallorca, away from grey Leeds. Feisty Kim and carefree Lisa are determined to party and distract Tammi from an ex-boyfriend back home. They hit the town, giggling, dancing and flirting, they’re up for fun and maybe a little bit of trouble too, and find both with three middle-class London boys: smooth operator Marcus (Jay Taylor), bad boy Bluey (Tom Burke) and fresh-faced Josh (Julian Morris).

They hit it off instantly and, while sipping stolen champagne on the beach, the boys brag about the luxury yacht they are crewing on for the summer, and lure the girls back to the boat for sunset tunes and bubbly. Despite Tammi’s hesitation, Kim and Lisa are keen to party and Lisa finally coaxes Tammi onboard, but only after they’ve spotted the rather lovely Sean (Robert Boulter) who’d stayed behind on the boat while the boys were bar-hopping.

Josh gives the girls the grand tour and they are suitably impressed. Bluey jumps on the DJ decks and Sean, who turns out to be Josh’s older brother, shows his sensible nature demanding Bluey turn the music down. Marcus decides they should head out to sea where noise won’t be a problem.

The scene is idyllic. The sun is shining, the ocean is crystal blue and Bluey, (wannabe rude-boy, drug-dealer and DJ) can pump the music as loud as he wants, because there’s no one around for miles.

Bluey distributes some pills and, while they take a dip in the sparkling water, talk turns sexual. To get a reaction, Bluey explains the meaning of the phrase “donkey punch” to the shocked group and an embarrassed Josh, who’d claimed he’d mastered it.

As the ecstasy kicks in, the girls and guys begin to pair up. Bluey and Marcus decide to take the action below deck, leading Kim and Lisa into the master bedroom, while Josh scampers after them to watch. The video camera comes out and the ‘fun’ starts. While Tammi and Sean talk about deep and meaningful relationships above deck, downstairs things quickly become raunchy and out of control. Bluey is clearly an instigator and Lisa is open to experimentation. Stoked by drugs, the masculine sexual bravado is taken one step too far, when suddenly a game of dare has become a horrific fatal accident, and Lisa is dead.

Forced to straighten up and think on their feet, rash decisions are made and the girls see the boys veer swiftly from charming to cold and calculating as they see their comfy middle-class futures disappearing before their eyes. The boys turn against the girls and against each other as drug-fuelled paranoia sets in and the true nature of each character comes to the fore. Trying first manipulation and then brute force the boys try to get the girls to agree they’ll tell the police Lisa just fell overboard. While only Sean is left with some empathy for the horrific situation, in order to protect his brother he agrees to throw the body overboard. But, as the girls desperately struggle to outwit the boys, frayed nerves and intense paranoia make their vulnerability glaringly obvious.

Striking for its sparseness, Donkey Punch centres on the three elements; the characters, the boat and the ocean.

Source: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/donkey_punch/

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Possession 2009

Rated: PG-13 for violence, disturbing images, some sexuality and language
Genre: Dramas, Drama, Thriller, Remake
Theatrical Release: Jan 23, 2009 Wide
Starring: Sarah Michelle Gellar, Lee Pace, Michael Landes, William B. Davis
Director: Joel Bergvall, Simon Sandquist

Synopsis
Sarah Michelle Gellar stars in this thriller about a woman whose husband and brother-in-law are in comas after a car crash. But when her difficult brother-in-law wakes up, he claims that he's her... Sarah Michelle Gellar stars in this thriller about a woman whose husband and brother-in-law are in comas after a car crash. But when her difficult brother-in-law wakes up, he claims that he's her husband, causing her to question if souls can move between bodies. Lee Pace trades in the sunny world of PUSHING DAISIES to play evil brother Roman.

Source: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/10009228_possession/

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Taken (2009)

Rated: PG-13 for intense sequences of violence, disturbing thematic material, sexual content, some drug references and language
Runtime: 1 hr 33 mins
Genre: Action/Adventure
Theatrical Release: Jan 23, 2009 Wide
Starring: Liam Neeson, Maggie Grace, Famke Janssen, Xander Berkeley, Leland Orser, Jon Gries, David Warshofsky, Katie Cassidy, Holly Valance, Nathan Rippy
Director: Pierre Morel

Synopsis
Liam Neeson is an unstoppable force in this adrenaline-fueled thriller from director Pierre Morel. Bryan (Neeson) has taken early retirement from the CIA in order to live closer to his teenage... Liam Neeson is an unstoppable force in this adrenaline-fueled thriller from director Pierre Morel. Bryan (Neeson) has taken early retirement from the CIA in order to live closer to his teenage daughter, Kim (Maggie Grace). Bryan's government work kept him away from Kim for much of her childhood, and he's now trying to make up for lost time. When Kim announces that she's taking a trip to Paris with her friend Amanda (Katie Cassidy), Bryan is apprehensive about her traveling on her own. His worst fear is soon realized, as Kim and Amanda are abducted upon their arrival in France. Bryan immediately springs into action, using his well-honed CIA skills to piece together clues from a single, frantic phone call he received from Kim. He hops a plane to Paris, determined to rescue his daughter before she falls off the grid completely. With some help from his old CIA buddies, he tracks down the kidnappers--an Albanian crime ring known for selling young girls into the sex trade. He quickly takes matters into his own hands, plowing his way through Paris's underworld as the clock ticks down and the bullets fly. His search propels him into the upper echelons of a massive crime ring, putting him closer and closer to his beloved daughter. Neeson is known for tackling extremely cerebral roles, so it is interesting to see him in full-on action-hero mode. In TAKEN he is no less than a crime-fighting machine--a Bourne/Bond hybrid with a deathly serious baritone. And while he spends most of the film firing Uzis and snapping necks, he still manages to deliver a moving performance as an estranged father fighting for what he loves most in the world. The film undeniably owes a lot to Neeson's acting chops. He manages to raise this rather thinly plotted, deeply violent film a bar above your typical action fare.

Source: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/taken/

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Notorious (2009)

Rated: R for pervasive language, some strong sexuality including dialogue, nudity, and for drug content
Genre: Dramas
Theatrical Release: Jan 16, 2009 Wide
Starring: Anthony Mackie, Derek Luke, Angela Bassett, Naturi Naughton, Antonique Smith
Director: George Tillman

Synopsis
This biopic from executive producer Sean "Diddy" Combs explores the life and death of East Coast rapper Notorious B.I.G. Newcomer Jamal Woolard stars as Biggie Smalls, but big names fill out the... This biopic from executive producer Sean "Diddy" Combs explores the life and death of East Coast rapper Notorious B.I.G. Newcomer Jamal Woolard stars as Biggie Smalls, but big names fill out the rest of the cast: Angela Bassett plays the rapper's mother, Derek Luke costars as Combs, and Anthony Mackie plays rival Tupac Shakur. Bassett's real life counterpart, Voletta Wallace, acts as one of the film's producers.

Source: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/10009632-notorious/

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My Bloody Valentine 2009

Rated: R for graphic brutal horror violence and grisly images throughout, some strong sexuality, graphic nudity and language
Runtime: 1 hr 41 mins
Genre: Horror/Suspense
Theatrical Release: Jan 16, 2009 Wide
Starring: Jensen Ackles, Jaime King, Kerr Smith, Betsey Rue, Edi Gathegi, Tom Atkins, Kevin Tighe, Megan Boone
Director: Patrick Lussier

Synopsis: Ten years ago, a tragedy changed the town of Harmony forever. Tom Hanniger, an inexperienced coal miner, caused an accident in the tunnels that trapped and killed five men and sent the only... Ten years ago, a tragedy changed the town of Harmony forever. Tom Hanniger, an inexperienced coal miner, caused an accident in the tunnels that trapped and killed five men and sent the only survivor, Harry Warden, into a permanent coma. But Harry Warden wanted revenge. Exactly one year later, on Valentine's Day, he woke up...and brutally murdered twenty-two people with a pick axe before being killed.

Ten years later, Tom Hanniger returns to Harmony on Valentine's Day, still haunted by the deaths he caused. Struggling to make amends with his past, he grapples with unresolved feelings for his ex-girlfriend, Sarah, who is now married to his best friend, Axel, the town sheriff. But tonight, after years of peace, something from Harmony's dark past has returned. Wearing a miner's mask and armed with a pickaxe, an unstoppable killer is on the loose. And as his footsteps come ever closer, Tom, Sarah and Axel realize in terror that it just might be Harry Warden who's come back to claim them...

Presented in stunningly real, cutting edge 3-D projection, My Bloody Valentine 3-D stars Jensen Ackles (TV's "Smallville" and "Supernatural"), Jaime King (The Spirit, Sin City, Sin City 2) and Kerr Smith (Final Destination, "Dawson's Creek"). A remake of the 1981 horror classic, My Bloody Valentine 3-D is directed by Patrick Lussier and produced by Jack Murray.

Source: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/10009617-my_bloody_valentine/

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Paul Blart: Mall Cop (2009)

Rated: PG for some violence, mild crude and suggestive humor, and language
Genre: Comedies
Theatrical Release: Jan 16, 2009 Wide
Starring: Kevin James, Jayma Mays, Keir O'Donnell, Bobby Cannavale, Stephen Rannazzisi, Shirley Knight
Director: Steve Carr

Synopsis
As a mall security guard, Paul Blart is devoted to keeping crime and mischief out of the New Jersey shopping center where he works, even if he isn't allowed to wear a gun. But Santa's helpers... As a mall security guard, Paul Blart is devoted to keeping crime and mischief out of the New Jersey shopping center where he works, even if he isn't allowed to wear a gun. But Santa's helpers decide to be naughty, taking Paul's loved ones hostage, so he has to use all his training to save them. Kevin James (THE KING OF QUEENS) brings the laughter--and the pain--as the titular law enforcer.

Source: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/10009530-mall_cop/

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