The Autobots and Decepticons ruled the multiplexes this weekend as Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen had a stunning 5 day debut.   The Cameron Diaz tearjerker, My Sister’s Keeper, had a decent debut in 5^th place, while holdovers The Proposal, The Hangover and Up continued to soar. Let’s take a look.

This weekend the Autobots are ready to transform and roll out the biggest opening weekend of the year as Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen is set to conquer multiplexes everywhere. The sequel to 2007’s smash hit will have no trouble taking the #1 spot from Sandra Bullock, but how much money will it rake in? The only other new release of the frame is Cameron Diaz’s tearjerker, My Sister’s Keeper, which will debut quietly, probably in 5th place.

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen is one hell of a schizophrenic movie! There are parts that are terrific, high octane fun and there are parts that are so bad you can’t help but cringe during them. Fallen also strives to be more adult than the original featuring more suggestive dialogue and sexual situations than the first film, but at the same time is geared more towards kids. I realize that doesn’t make much sense, but here is a perfect example. There are two new Autobots (the good guys) named Skids and Mudflap who are solely in the movie to provide comic relief and crack up youngsters. The only problem is that these characters curse quite a few times. It seems like a rather odd contradiction to me. Kids run out and buy the toy versions of these lovable, silly robots… just don’t repeat any of their dialogue from the movie! All in all, the good outweighs the bad, but the first film is way superior.

This weekend Sandra Bullock stole the box office crown with her latest romantic comedy, The Proposal, scoring the best weekend opening of her career in the process. Jack Black and Michael Cera journeyed to the stoner age in Year One and managed a 4^th place debut in a highly competitive field that included holdover hits, The Hangover and Up, which placed 2^nd and 3^rd respectively.

Year One, a prehistoric stoner age comedy starring Jack Black and Michael Cera is an amusing at best comedy that never quite gels or deliver big laughs. You might chuckle a bit, but that’s all. Don’t get me wrong, Year One isn’t a terrible movie, it’s just not a great one either. I expect more from director Harold Ramis, one of the geniuses behind the funniest movie ever (in my opinion), Ghostbusters. Then again Ramis has always been sort of hit or miss; for every Groundhog’s Day there is a Bedazzled. The main problem with Year One is that it plays as a series of different sketches and never coheres into one definitive film.

This weekend moviegoers are offered 2 new choices; romantic comedy, The Proposal starring Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds and prehistoric stoner age comedy, Year One starring Jack Black and Michael Cera. Both new movies have their work cut out for them as they challenge current box office king, The Hangover, for the title of #1 comedy in America. Can either of these new laughers cure audience’s hangover? Let’s take a look.

Audiences continued to feel the buzz this weekend as The Hangover finished in first place for the second weekend in a row. Pixar’s Up continued to fly high, landing in second place and The Taking of Pelham 123 remake starring Denzel Washington and John Travolta had a decent debut in third place. Eddie Murphy has yet another box office failure on his hands with Imagine That, which opened miserably in 6^th place. Good thing for Eddie a fourth Shrek film is already in the works.

This weekend at the box office 2 new films will be unleashed on audiences; the remake of the 1974 classic, The Taking of Pelham 123 and Eddie Murphy’s latest foray into kiddie comedy, Imagine That. Eddie will be lucky if he makes the top 5 this weekend, but it is going to be a tight 3 way race for the top spot as Pelham 123 takes on Up and The Hangover. Which one will be #1? Let’s take a look.

The Taking of Pelham 123 is a slick, reimagining of the 1974 original that is filled to the brim with suspense, action and the one thing that is missing from many big budget spectacles, good old fashioned character development. Director Tony Scott has crafted a tension filled thriller with both John Travolta and Denzel Washington sharing a chemistry that propels the film to its rocketing conclusion.