Christmas Weekend Box Office: 'War Horse' Strong, 'Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol' More powerful

It works out things in the domestic box office were not as disappointing because they initially appeared on Christmas morning. Weekend champion 'Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol' snapped up $46.two million within the four-day holiday, a bid that's nearly $20 million bigger compared to $26.5 million which was reported for that three-day frame. The 4th installment from the Tom Cruise franchise might find yourself being probably the most lucrative yet -Resistant that possibly audiences have forgotten/pardoned Cruise for those that couch-jumping hysteria that clouded this area office of 'Mission: Impossible III.' Elsewhere, 'War Horse' opened up on Christmas Day to strong receipts. The Steven Spielberg-directed Oscar contender drawn within an believed $15 million between Christmas and 12 ,. 26 because of a mature crowd, 31 percent who were 50 plus. Spielberg's 'The Adventures of Tintin' did not fare too the motion-capture adventure gained $16.a million within the four-day weekend, with ticket sales only reaching $24.a million since release on 12 ,. 21 -- or simply $4 million a lot more than weekend a couple of 'Alvin and also the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked' snapped up over Christmas. For another new releases: 'The Girl Using the Dragon Tattoo' gained approximately $19 million throughout the 4-day holiday, while 'We Purchased a Zoo' snapped up approximately $15 million. Both of them are being considered disappointments, however with a lengthy holiday week with no new releases next weekend -- plus excellent word-of-mouth -- both films might have lengthy legs. That will not be from the unscreened-for-experts 'Darkest Hour' the alien invasion film was D.O.A on Christmas Day, generating just $5.5 million. EARLER: 'Mission: Impossible' Takes Christmas Crown [via LAT/Company Town] [Photo: DreamWorks] Follow Moviefone on Twitter Like Moviefone on Facebook

Tilda Swinton Takes On a Dark Family Scenario

Tilda Swinton Takes On a Dark Family Scenario By Simi Horwitz December 20, 2011 Tilda Swinton had long admired the work of director Lynne Ramsay ("Ratcatcher"). When Swinton learned Ramsay was planning a film adaptation of Lionel Shriver's novel "We Need to Talk About Kevin," centering on a malevolent child's impact on a family, Swinton was determined to help get the film made. Initially, she was not committed to playing the starring role. But as the project evolved and it became clear the story was going to be told from the mother's point of view"her experiences, isolation, memories, and fantasies," Swinton enumeratesthe actor was enthusiastic about tackling the part.Co-starring John C. Reilly as her husband and Ezra Miller as Kevin, "We Need to Talk About Kevin" is a bone-chilling look at a mother's anguish and conflicted feelings in the face of her evil youngster. With subtlety and nuance, Swinton brings to life a woman who knows something is terribly wrong with her son, doesn't understand why, but clearly feels culpability and profound discomfort because she is unable to embrace him.With an array of film rolesincluding the White Witch in the three "Narnia" films; the wealthy, repressed wife who is awakened by a young lover in "I Am Love" and the savagely ambitious attorney in Tony Gilroy's "Michael Clayton," for which she won an OscarSwinton admits playing the mother in "Kevin" was a "leap of imagination." She explains, "There is no research anyone can do for this part. It's a mother's worst nightmare." Being a mom in real life "kick-started" her into the film's landscape, she says. Swinton knew she'd love being a mother as soon as she saw her twins, she recalls. At the same time she understood, despite the assumptions that a mother instinctively loves and nurtures her child, that's not always the case. Disliking one's child is a taboo and rarely discussed, Swinton points out.But the major filmmaking challenge was the 30-day shoot. "We did two takes on each setup," she says. The rehearsal process was "nonexistent," though the family-like atmosphere among the creative team and cast made for a relatively smooth journey. Indeed, that camaraderieand shared visionwith the filmmaker is what most draws Swinton to any project. "The role I'll be playing is the last thing I deal with," she notes. Indeed, short of a handful of filmmakers with whom she has workedshe cites the Coen brothers, Charlie Kaufman, and Tony Gilroymany of her European directors do not use scripts at all, she says. In the early stages of her career, Swinton was most identified with the late experimental director Derek Jarman, with whom she worked for nine years, producing a host of films before his death in 1994. "We were working pre-industrially, sharing responsibility and making it up as we went along," she recalls. "We were a bunch of avowed amateurs." To this day, Swinton says she has no acting method, like "proper actors," emphasizing, "I never intended to be an actor, and each film I do I assume will be my last."Planned to Write The London-born Swinton graduated from Cambridge University, with her sights set on a writing career. Yet she found time to appear in a few theatrical school productions and spent a season with the Royal Shakespeare Company before launching her long association with Jarman and other experimental directors. Swinton is still well-known for her gender-bending performance in Sally Potter's 1992 "Orlando," based on Virginia Woolf's novel.Swinton still is floored that commercial directors came calling, likening it to a "miracle." Her work as the White Witch in the first of the Narnia films in 2005 ("The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe") marked her initial foray into the commercial arena. "It was a delicious red herring, opening up a different path," she says. But its greatest significance is that thanks to Disney, "more children might get to see the works of Jarman," as her commercial success may win wider audiences for some of her other, earlier films. Looking back at "Michael Clayton" and her Oscar win, she remarks, "Again, it was a delightful and unlooked-for present. Making a film with Tony Gilroy fell into my lap, and then to get the recognition was amazing. But as far as I can tell, the big difference in my life is everybody asking me, 'What's the big difference in your life?' Yes, I've gotten more offers, but everything I've done since that time I was going to do anyway."Upcoming films represent a mixed bagfrom an untitled Jim Jarmusch project to the German film "Die Blutgrffin" to "Moonrise Kingdom," a Wes Anderson film featuring a starry cast that includes Bruce Willis, Ed Norton, Bill Murray, and Frances McDormand.At the moment Swinton is thinking about "We Need to Talk About Kevin," convinced, ironically enough, "it's the feel-good movie of the year." It certainly makes parents who don't have Kevin for a son feel pretty good in contrast. Non-parents may feel even more delighted.Outtakes Landed her first agent when he saw her in a university productionMade her film debut in Derek Jarman's "Caravaggio"Views all her films as her children but reluctantly admits she is especially proud of her work in "Julia," playing an alcoholic who develops a kinship with a child she has kidnapped for ransomFor her role in "We Need to Talk About Kevin," Swinton was named best actress by the National Board of Review. Tilda Swinton Takes On a Dark Family Scenario By Simi Horwitz December 20, 2011 Tilda Swinton had long admired the work of director Lynne Ramsay ("Ratcatcher"). When Swinton learned Ramsay was planning a film adaptation of Lionel Shriver's novel "We Need to Talk About Kevin," centering on a malevolent child's impact on a family, Swinton was determined to help get the film made. Initially, she was not committed to playing the starring role. But as the project evolved and it became clear the story was going to be told from the mother's point of view"her experiences, isolation, memories, and fantasies," Swinton enumeratesthe actor was enthusiastic about tackling the part.Co-starring John C. Reilly as her husband and Ezra Miller as Kevin, "We Need to Talk About Kevin" is a bone-chilling look at a mother's anguish and conflicted feelings in the face of her evil youngster. With subtlety and nuance, Swinton brings to life a woman who knows something is terribly wrong with her son, doesn't understand why, but clearly feels culpability and profound discomfort because she is unable to embrace him.With an array of film rolesincluding the White Witch in the three "Narnia" films; the wealthy, repressed wife who is awakened by a young lover in "I Am Love" and the savagely ambitious attorney in Tony Gilroy's "Michael Clayton," for which she won an OscarSwinton admits playing the mother in "Kevin" was a "leap of imagination." She explains, "There is no research anyone can do for this part. It's a mother's worst nightmare." Being a mom in real life "kick-started" her into the film's landscape, she says. Swinton knew she'd love being a mother as soon as she saw her twins, she recalls. At the same time she understood, despite the assumptions that a mother instinctively loves and nurtures her child, that's not always the case. Disliking one's child is a taboo and rarely discussed, Swinton points out.But the major filmmaking challenge was the 30-day shoot. "We did two takes on each setup," she says. The rehearsal process was "nonexistent," though the family-like atmosphere among the creative team and cast made for a relatively smooth journey. Indeed, that camaraderieand shared visionwith the filmmaker is what most draws Swinton to any project. "The role I'll be playing is the last thing I deal with," she notes. Indeed, short of a handful of filmmakers with whom she has workedshe cites the Coen brothers, Charlie Kaufman, and Tony Gilroymany of her European directors do not use scripts at all, she says. In the early stages of her career, Swinton was most identified with the late experimental director Derek Jarman, with whom she worked for nine years, producing a host of films before his death in 1994. "We were working pre-industrially, sharing responsibility and making it up as we went along," she recalls. "We were a bunch of avowed amateurs." To this day, Swinton says she has no acting method, like "proper actors," emphasizing, "I never intended to be an actor, and each film I do I assume will be my last."Planned to Write The London-born Swinton graduated from Cambridge University, with her sights set on a writing career. Yet she found time to appear in a few theatrical school productions and spent a season with the Royal Shakespeare Company before launching her long association with Jarman and other experimental directors. Swinton is still well-known for her gender-bending performance in Sally Potter's 1992 "Orlando," based on Virginia Woolf's novel.Swinton still is floored that commercial directors came calling, likening it to a "miracle." Her work as the White Witch in the first of the Narnia films in 2005 ("The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe") marked her initial foray into the commercial arena. "It was a delicious red herring, opening up a different path," she says. But its greatest significance is that thanks to Disney, "more children might get to see the works of Jarman," as her commercial success may win wider audiences for some of her other, earlier films. Looking back at "Michael Clayton" and her Oscar win, she remarks, "Again, it was a delightful and unlooked-for present. Making a film with Tony Gilroy fell into my lap, and then to get the recognition was amazing. But as far as I can tell, the big difference in my life is everybody asking me, 'What's the big difference in your life?' Yes, I've gotten more offers, but everything I've done since that time I was going to do anyway."Upcoming films represent a mixed bagfrom an untitled Jim Jarmusch project to the German film "Die Blutgrffin" to "Moonrise Kingdom," a Wes Anderson film featuring a starry cast that includes Bruce Willis, Ed Norton, Bill Murray, and Frances McDormand.At the moment Swinton is thinking about "We Need to Talk About Kevin," convinced, ironically enough, "it's the feel-good movie of the year." It certainly makes parents who don't have Kevin for a son feel pretty good in contrast. Non-parents may feel even more delighted.Outtakes Landed her first agent when he saw her in a university productionMade her film debut in Derek Jarman's "Caravaggio"Views all her films as her children but reluctantly admits she is especially proud of her work in "Julia," playing an alcoholic who develops a kinship with a child she has kidnapped for ransomFor her role in "We Need to Talk About Kevin," Swinton was named best actress by the National Board of Review.

Hey, The Rock, Here's the Script For That New Clint Eastwood Movie

Somewhat over on friday, The Rock Tweeted about how precisely he'd be honored to use around the movie along with his heroes, Clint Eastwood and Steve McQueen. At Moviefone HQ, we wish to start to see the Rock star in the movie with Clint Eastwood. So! We needed it upon ourselves to visualize just what a snippet from the Eastwood-Rock buddy action comedy -- titled 'Rocked and Loaded' -- would appear like whether or not this were put together by 'Shame' director and co-author Steve McQueen (yes, I realize this isn't the McQueen the Rock is talking about, but it is a Steve McQueen) by using Damon Lindelof. In 'Rocked and Loaded,' Eastwood plays Danny Rock, a skilled detective agency who, along with fellow P.I., Frank Load, carried out with the Rock, are presented for just about any crime they didn't commit. So, Rock, any idea what? (Also, you're welcome, nobody.) 'Rocked & Loaded' Script by Steve McQueen And Damon Lindelof Inspired with the book "Superfudge" by Judy Blume FADE IN: INT. FRANK LOAD'S APARTMENT -- Evening DANNY ROCK can be a grizzled detective agency. He's seen everything. Throughout the time of his four decades at the office, he's solved probably the most ghoulish of cases. His eyes look tired. But even tired eyes can't hide worries -- worries of irrelevancy and also the concern with sexual addiction. FRANK LOAD can be a hulk from the guy, appropriate for your brute pressure work from the bouncer in comparison to some detective agency. Elevated by baby baby wolves, LOAD features a inclination to permit his fists perform speaking. That's meant literally: LOAD frequently relies on a sock-puppet named DARREN to speak for him. Both men're just presented for just about any crime they did not commit. The crime that all of them, individually, were considering. DANNY Listen, punk, In my opinion we have to go to the police. In my opinion once we easily explain what went lower, we could apparent this complete ruin, punk. FRANK But we don't understand what went lower, old-timer. No matter what we should make an effort to inform police force, nothing's prone to change the fact there's a defunct llama throughout my apartment. DANNY It is not a llama, punk. It is really an alpaca. FRANK No, I know it's a llama. DANNY Look, llamas have been in least two occasions how large an alpaca. I'm 81-years-old, I realize the primary distinction between an alpaca together with a llama. FRANK Oh, yeah? Well, my fist states it's a llama. Boots to asses! FRANK (speaking through DARREN) It's a llama. I'm positive it's a llama. DANNY Well, anything, it's the ambassador's. As well as the ambassador thinks we destroyed it which he's justification, considering it's within your apartment. And take that stupid sock puppet off. You gaze as being a damn fool. FRANK removes DARREN from his hands. FRANK We'll never deal with this unless of course obviously we interact. Are you currently presently with me at night, Danny? DANNY contemplates FRANK's offer FRANK Only together will we identify the reality. FRANK stretches his hands. DANNY There is a deal. For the moment, punk. FRANK Go TEAM Go! HASHTAG! FRANK and DANNY approach FRANK's window. FRANK opens his window, your two unlikely partners disappear to the night's sky. (P.S., They could fly.) CUT TO: EXT. FRANK'S APARTMENT -- Evening It's states FRANK's apartment can be found on Saturn's moon, Titan, that's now used just like a spot to mate and mix the genetic code of alpacas, llamas and humans. CUT TO: DANNY and FRANK flying using the low-gravity Titan evening sky. The digital camera pans to FRANK's right hands, the hands that's usually incorporated in DARREN. It's the hoof from the Alpaca. CUT TO: R O C K E D A N D L O A D E D You'll be able to contact Mike Ryan on Twitter Follow Moviefone on Twitter Like Moviefone on Facebook

Google's New Venice Beach Office Poised to Jumpstart Real Estate Market

In these endless days of stasis for the residential real estate market, it seems that everyone is searching for a silver lining to news of mounting foreclosures or rising inventories of unsold houses. But in Venice, where Google just opened new offices that house more than 500 employees, there is some honest-to-goodness hope for real estate agents who've long sought silver linings.our editor recommendsGoogle Co-Founder Sergey Brin Gives $500,000 to WikipediaInside Google Music's Launch Party Indeed, the search engine behemoth's November move from Santa Monica to Venice -- where it is leasing more than 100,000 square feet in three buildings on Main Street -- has brokers preparing for a reinvigoration of the housing market. While Google's relocation is expected to lead at least some employees to purchase property in Venice, perhaps more importantly, brokers and others say that the company's choice of location there is spurring others to consider the beachside community. "It's what we call the clustering effect; the Google name leads others to the area," says Kimberly Ritter-Martinez, associate economist for the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corp. "It will eventually attract like-minded and similar types of businesses -- and you hear so much talk about living close to where you work." PHOTOS: Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart, Robert De Niro and Other Big Real Estate Deals Mountain View, Calif.-based Google isn't the only tech or media firm that has gravitated to or solidified roots in the area. This summer, ad agency Zambezi Ink, owned by Kobe Bryant, moved into new offices on Westminster Avenue. In April, actor-director Jon Favreau paid slightly less than $2 million for a three-story commercial property on Abbot Kinney Boulevard that he leases to a postproduction firm. Robert Downey Jr. purchased a building in the same area in 2009 for $5.6 million. And both Facebook and Yahoo maintain offices nearby in Playa Vista and Santa Monica, respectively, positioning the Westside as a tech hub. Several entertainment industry players also have bought or sold residences in Venice in recent months. In September, Incubus frontman Brandon Boyd bought a three-bedroom house a block from Abbot Kinney for $2.715 million. (He's also listed a residence on Navy Street for $3.495 million.) In May, actress Olivia Wilde sold a 3,000-square-foot residence on Crescent Place for $3.095 million and former KCRW-FM music director Tom Schnabel sold a modern house on an Altair Place double lot for $2.9 million in August. That same month, Payam Shohadai, co-founder of visual effects firm Luma Pictures, purchased a Marco Place property for $2.045 million. Luma -- which has worked on films such as The Avengers, Captain America and The Green Hornet -- is based in Santa Monica, and Shohadai decided to move to Venice from the Miracle Mile area to be closer to his office. And it didn't hurt that Google and other similar companies have moved there. "Since they are my sort of people -- creative technology -- that's a bonus for me," Shohadai says. "There's definitely a creative class of people and professionals that are making good money, but it feels very nontraditional." So far, data that proves Google's impact in Venice is scant. Brokers say that they have shown houses to prospective buyers who work for the company, but none interviewed by The Hollywood Reporter has sold a property to a Google employee. (There's no word on co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin casing the area for residences.) And data from the Multiple Listing Service shows that the Venice market essentially is treading water: The number of single-family-house and condominium sales is up slightly in 2011 compared with last year, but the median price of properties sold is down. But real estate agent Sandra Miller of Engels & Volkers, who represented Shohadai in his purchase, says that despite the stagnant market, deals can be made if sellers are motivated. "And if the seller is a real seller, the buyer can get a deal," says Miller, who also has the listing on a compound owned by Anjelica Huston. PHOTOS: Hilary Swank, Chris Brown, Ronni Chasen and Other Big Real Estate Deals Google is known to locate offices in areas where there is room for growth. And the company is hiring, though a spokesman would not comment on how many people it plans to bring aboard at the Venice office, which is partly housed in architect Frank Gehry's iconic Binoculars Building (it is named for the adjoining oversized sculpture created by Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen). Earlier this year, the company said it would add 6,000 workers overall in 2011, and Coldwell Banker agent Todd Baker is hopeful that Google will bring more employees to the area. "That will translate into greater demand for homes and more buyers. Every market needs a kick," he says. The company's new Main Street property was previously occupied in part by Digital Domain, the visual effects and animation firm co-founded by director James Cameron, and now houses Google software engineers and sales representatives. (Digital Domain retains offices nearby in Venice.) For years, Venice worked to shake off a reputation for gang violence and drug dealing that tempered enthusiasm for its artist-friendly vibe. Things changed in the past decade with the emergence of Abbot Kinney as a bastion for haute cuisine and boutiques such as Jack Spade and Mona Moore (think $1,000 Martin Margiela boots). In 2008, the community welcomed a Whole Foods megastore, but some residents boycotted the 2007 opening of a since-shuttered Pinkberry outpost. Google has not been met with resistance, perhaps because it was relatively open about its plans, discussing them, for example, at a Venice Neighborhood Council meeting. "Normally, Venice people don't like big companies, but absolutely Venice has embraced Google," says real estate agent Tami Pardee, who specializes in the area. "It has brought people who say, 'Wow, Google is there; it must be a good place to live.' " But for some, the idea of Venice as a haven for tech companies is out of step with the bohemian enclave's character. Longtime Venice architect David Hertz, who is remodeling Shohadai's house, cautions that the community shouldn't be "yuppiefied." While he's a supporter of growth, he hopes the area can retain its grittiness as it evolves. "I don't think Venice was better when there were prostitutes and crack houses, but I think it is really a vital community of eclectic cultures and socioeconomic brackets, and I don't want to lose that original Venice feel." VENICE BY THE NUMBERS: Although brokers are hopeful for an uptick in sales, the market for single-family houses and condos remains flat in the 90291 Venice ZIP code, according to Multiple Listing Service data. Residences Sold (Media Price) 2010: 189 ($950,000) 2011: 194 ($900,000) UPDATE: One Year Later The premiere issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine checked in on the residences of two of Venice's most famous folks: Anjelica Huston and the late Dennis Hopper. Back then, both of their compounds were for sale, and they remain on the market about a year later. The imposing Huston residence, first listed in May 2010, has been reduced from $18 million to $14 million. The five-story, 13,796-square-foot Windward Avenue property, designed by the actress' late husband, sculptor Robert Graham, is still Venice's most expensive listing. Seller's agent Sandra Miller says that there's an interested party. The eclectic Hopper compound, listed in July 2010 for $6.245 million, has been reduced to $5.75 million. The Indiana Avenue property includes three condos designed by Frank Gehry. Although both residences boast celebrity and architectural pedigrees, agent Todd Baker says they are anomalies suited only to "very unique buyers." Email: Daniel.Miller@THR.com Twitter: @DanielNMiller PHOTO GALLERY: View Gallery Hollywood's Biggest Real Estate Deals of the Week: Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart, Jennifer Hudson, Robert De Niro Related Topics Google Dennis Hopper Jon Favreau Julian Schnabel Robert Downey Jr.

Drafthouse Films Acquires US Privileges to 'Electric Boogaloo: The Wild, Untold Story of Cannon Films'

Alamo Drafthouse Cinema's distribution arm Drafthouse Films introduced Thursday, 12 ,. 1 it had acquired the U.S. privileges towards the approaching documentary Electric Boogaloo: The Wild, Untold Story of Cannon Films.our editor recommendsAFM 2011: Drafthouse Buys United States Privileges for Belgian Oscar Hopeful 'Bullhead,' 'Clown'Alamo Drafthouse to grow to NY and L.A.Tim League launches Drafthouse Films PHOTOS: AFM's 20 Most Crazy Movie Posters The film, which is helmed by Mark Hartley (Machete Maidens Unleashed, Less Than Hollywood), follows Israeli-born cousins Menahem Golan and Yoram Globus, who released Cannon Films, an indie film studio in 1979 that continued to create over 120 exploitation films, between 1979 and 1989, dubbing itself the "seventh Hollywood major." Cannon Films introduced Runaway Train (which received an Oscar nomination in 1986), Missing for action, Dying Wish, Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2, Masters from the World and American Ninja towards the giant screen. PHOTOS: Legendary Horror Movies "Cannon Films was a company that in lots of ways defined exploitation cinema from the eighties," stated Alamo Drafthouse Founder/Boss and Fantastic Fest Founder Tim League, "We're thrilled to talk about their untold legacy with movie fans round the country." A theatrical release is planned for late 2012, that will coincide having a traveling roadshow retrospective of Cannon's most known works. Related Subjects