The CraziesReviewed by
Michael Rechtshaffen
March 02, 2010
Part zombie movie, part apocalyptic bioterror, part military conspiracy thriller, the refit hybrid doesn't stint on the visceral kicks demanded by contemporary audiences while remaining reasonably true to those Romero roots. Given its menacing print marketing campaign (that floor-scraping pitchfork) and well-timed drop into an unsaturated marketplace, genre fans could really go nuts for this Overture Films release. Although the new version is more visually expansive than Romero's ultralow-budget original, director Breck Eisner retains its minimalist spirit in the depiction a rural Midwestern town thrown into chaos after a deadly toxin leaches into its water supply. With the inhabitants of sleepy Ogden Marsh systematically turning into grisly, brain-damaged killers, Sheriff David Dutton (a convincing Timothy Olyphant) and his physician-wife, Judy (Radha Mitchell), manage to remain among the dwindling ranks of the unaffected. But just as they discover the top-secret source of the contaminant, the military, in a bid to clean up its mess, quarantines the town and herds its denizens into a high-security holding camp. Although the original, which also was released as "Code Name: Trixie," was very much a product of the Vietnam era, the plot (which also was deviously co-opted by "The Simpsons Movie") holds up sufficiently in the update by Scott Kosar ("The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" redo) and Ray Wright. For Eisner, it's a far more focused effort than his first feature, 2005's scattered "Sahara." He exhibits a real atmospheric feel for the genre, and those carefully composed set pieces -- especially one set in a seemingly abandoned automated car wash -- have been calibrated for maximum intensity. His everyman protagonists, also including Joe Anderson ("Across the Universe") as Olyphant's no-nonsense deputy and Danielle Panabaker as Mitchell's office assistant, keep it real, and cinematographer Maxime Alexandre ("High Tension") and production designer Andrew Menzies ("Avatar") keep it evocative. Opens: Friday, Feb. 26 (Overture Films) Production: Participant Media, Imagenation Cast: Timothy Olyphant, Radha Mitchell, Joe Anderson Director: Breck Eisner Screenwriters: Scott Kosar, Ray Wright Executive producers: George A. Romero, Jeff Skoll, Jonathan King Producers: Michael Aguilar, Dean Georgaris, Rob Cowan Director of photography: Maxime Alexandre Production designer: Andrew Menzies Music: Mark Isham Costume designer: George L. Little Editor: Billy Fox Rated R, 101 minutes – Nielsen Business Media |
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Industry Grosses
| Rank | Title | Gross |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | WICKED | $1,681,570 |
| 2. | THE LION KING | $1,624,092 |
| 3. | THE ADDAMS FAMILY | $1,272,985 |
| 4. | PROMISES, PROMISES | $1,202,446 |
| 5. | MARY POPPINS | $1,138,802 |
| 6. | BILLY ELLIOT: THE MUSICAL | $1,109,921 |
| 7. | JERSEY BOYS | $1,035,256 |
| 8. | MEMPHIS | $953,528 |
| 9. | THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA | $937,474 |
| 10. | MAMMA MIA! | $915,829 |
Week ending July 19.
Credit: The Broadway League
| Rank | Title | Gross |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | INCEPTION | $62,785,337 |
| 2. | DESPICABLE ME | $32,803,660 |
| 3. | SORCERER'S APPRENTICE, THE | $17,619,622 |
| 4. | TWILIGHT SAGA: ECLIPSE, THE | $13,420,480 |
| 5. | TOY STORY 3 | $11,998,276 |
| 6. | GROWN UPS | $9,911,016 |
| 7. | LAST AIRBENDER, THE | $7,755,153 |
| 8. | PREDATORS | $7,016,502 |
| 9. | KNIGHT AND DAY | $3,608,021 |
| 10. | KARATE KID | $2,288,707 |
Week ending July 19.
