Author Archive
 

 

TORONTO FILM FESTIVAL Day 2 Capsule Reviews: “Snowden,” “American Pastoral” & “Carrie Pilby”

  SNOWDEN (Open Road – Sept 16):  Oliver Stone’s return to politically-charged biography is subdued by the standards of his Nixon or W.  It’s a hagiography that follows the character arc of his Born of ...
by Mitch Salem
 

 
 

TORONTO FILM FESTIVAL Day 1 Capsule Reviews: “The Magnificent 7″” & “Free Fire”

  THE MAGNIFICENT 7 (Village Roadshow/MGM/Columbia/Sony – Sept 23):  Cinema survived in 1960 when Akira Kurosawa’s masterpiece The Seven Samurai was transformed into an American western, and it will survive th...
by Mitch Salem
 

 

 

Behind the US/Worldwide Weekend Box Office – 9/4/16

  OPENINGS:  THE LIGHT BETWEEN OCEANS (DreamWorks/Reliance/Participant/Disney) brings to an ignominious end the distribution relationship between DreamWorks and Disney.  Their final shared title disappointed on every lev...
by Mitch Salem
 

 
 

EARLY FRIDAY BOX OFFICE: “Light Between Oceans,” “Morgan” Flop On Labor Day Weekend

  Although it’s possible for a horror or action movie to make some money over Labor Day weekend, no studio opens a movie it cares about for the holiday that repels moviegoers.  This weekend’s openings won̵...
by Mitch Salem
 

 

 

SHOWBUZZDAILY THURSDAY NETWORK SCORECARD – 9.1.2016

NOTE: Each network’s fast affilliate-based numbers below will come down in the official nationals later today because of many local pre-emptions for NFL Preseason games.  Last night, 15 games were played, involving 30 te...
by Mitch Salem
 

 
 

The Sked: Wednesday Ratings 8.31.2016

  AMERICA’S GOT TALENT continued to hold the nation’s eyes. DEMOGRAPHIC DETAIL: For each broadcast program (or hour segment), the chart below displays preliminary key advertiser demographics (adult 18-34, 18-4...
by Mitch Salem
 

 

 

SHOWBUZZDAILY Season Premiere Review: “You’re the Worst”

  YOU’RE THE WORST:  Wednesday 10PM on FXX Acrid TV comedy is no longer a surprise–in fact, on cable and streaming services, it’s more the rule than the exception.  What makes Stephen Falk’s YOU&#...
by Mitch Salem
 

 
 

SHOWBUZZDAILY Season Finale Review: “Dead of Summer”

  TV’s summer of 2016 was notable for a splendidly entertaining and emotionally satisfying 1980s-themed horror thriller.  Unfortunately for Freeform and DEAD OF SUMMER, it was Netflix’s Stranger Things.  Dead...
by Mitch Salem
 

 

 

SHOWBUZZDAILY SUNDAY NETWORK SCORECARD – 8.28.2016

  More preseason football. DEMOGRAPHIC DETAIL: For each broadcast program (or hour segment), the chart below displays preliminary key advertiser demographics (adult 18-34, 18-49 and 25-54 ratings), audience skews (women 1...
by Mitch Salem
 

 
 

SHOWBUZZDAILY Series Finale Review: “The Night Of”

  Last year, the cop novel “The Whites” was published as the work of Harry Brandt–except that “Harry Brandt” was actually a pseudonym for Richard Price.  This seemed odd at first, because unl...
by Mitch Salem
 

 

 

SHOWBUZZDAILY Season Finale Review: “Roadies”

  In recent years, Cameron Crowe has had trouble keeping his scripts coherent even when they only have to last 2 hours.  It probably shouldn’t have come as a surprise that giving him 10 hours to play with was asking...
by Mitch Salem
 

 
 

SHOWBUZZDAILY Season Premiere Review: “The Strain”

  THE STRAIN:  Sunday 10PM on FX FX’s goofiest drama, THE STRAIN, is back for its third season, long-tongued vampiric monsters and Eastern European mythology intact.  Season 2 may have been less notable for killing...
by Mitch Salem
 

 

 

Behind the US/Worldwide Weekend Box Office – 8/28/16

  OPENINGS:  DON’T BREATHE (Screen Gems/Sony) had an unusually strong Saturday for a horror movie, down just 1% from Friday (which, remember, these days includes Thursday night).  By way of comparison, Lights Out f...
by Mitch Salem
 

 
 

EARLY FRIDAY BOX OFFICE: “Don’t Breathe” Inhales Audiences, “Mechanic” Breaks Down

  DON’T BREATHE (Screen Gems/Sony) is the 2d horror movie of the late summer, after Lights Out, to benefit from an effectively marketed premise (monsters in the dark and the quiet) and strong reviews.  According to ...
by Mitch Salem
 

 

 

SHOWBUZZDAILY Season Premiere Review: “Halt and Catch Fire”

  HALT AND CATCH FIRE:  Tuesday 10PM on AMC HALT AND CATCH FIRE is AMC’s charity project; every episode could bear a credit saying “This series is brought to you thanks to the generosity of The Walking Dead.&#...
by Mitch Salem