Scott Mendelson's Blog

Open Salon's resident movie nerd and box office geek.

Scott Mendelson

Scott Mendelson
Location
Woodland Hills, California, United States
Birthday
April 02
Bio
A ten-year Salon reader, Mendelson also has a film and politics blog/column at Mendelon's Memos: located at: http://scottalanmendelson.blogspot.com/. He is also a free lance voice over artist and occasionally contributes film reviews for www.ValleySceneMagazine.com.

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JANUARY 18, 2012 1:18PM

The 'problem' w/ BEAUTY & THE BEAST is the Beast, not Belle.

Note -For what it's worth, the 3D conversion left me unimpressed.  If you want to see it, do it because you want to see the picture on the big screen again, not because the 3D conversion adds any real value.  If you want to read a similar retrospective… Read full post »
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NOVEMBER 10, 2011 12:46PM

When explicit slurs become part of everyday language...

I don't think Brett Ratner is a homophobe, at least not from the current evidence.  He may be an ignorant or thoughtless person, but I no more think he is a homophobe for using the word 'faggot' then I do believe that any of you are homophobes for using the wo
… Read full post »
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OCTOBER 28, 2011 10:51AM

When studios blew the best chance to legitimize the NC-17.

As seems to happen every year, bloggers, critics, and pundits are up-in-arms over an Oscar-bait film being awarded or threatened with an NC-17.  As usual, the film in question is a critically-acclaimed adult film with strong sexual content.  And once again, the many people arguing… Read full post »
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OCTOBER 26, 2011 12:39PM

Review: Puss In Boots (2011)

Puss In Boots
2011
90 minutes
rated PG

by Scott Mendelson

Puss In Boots could have just been a 'one-off' picture from the prolific Dreamworks Animation department.  As a spin-off for a popular supporting character from the Shrek series, it has arguably more… Read full post »
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OCTOBER 2, 2011 1:41PM

Weekend Box Office review (10/02/11)

 Four new releases fought for a piece of the box office pie and, with the exception of a lower-profile Christian drama playing in 1,100 screens, none of them had much bite.  The top three movies from last weekend were the top three movies this weekend as well, just… Read full post »
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SEPTEMBER 30, 2011 9:15AM

Why Jason Statham won't break out of B-action movies.

For all intents and purposes, Jason Statham has been an action star since 2002, when Fox released the Luc Besson-produced The Transporter.  Yes, more hardened film fans knew him from his Guy Ritchie work and from his supporting role in The One (a Jet Li vehicle from late 2001, the… Read full post »
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Editor’s Pick
SEPTEMBER 28, 2011 4:29PM

Why it matters if Patty Jenkins gets hired to direct Thor 2.

Variety has apparently confirmed that Marvel Studios is indeed in talks with Patty Jenkins to replace departing Kenneth Branagh in directing Thor 2, which is due for release on July 26th, 2013 (review of Thor HERE).  I generally don't comment on news about who is 'in talks' or… Read full post »
6 Comments
AUGUST 12, 2011 1:37AM

What forcing Bert and Ernie to wed teaches about homophobia.

There is at least one petition out right now with 5,000 signatures requesting that Sesame Street puppets Bert and Ernie get married.  You've probably read about it and maybe it seems like harmless amusement from people whose heart is in the right place in the realm of gay-mar… Read full post »
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Editor’s Pick
JULY 20, 2011 10:17AM

Open Salon review: Captain America (2011)

Captain America: The First Avenger
2011
124 minutes
rated PG-13

by Scott Mendelson

Joe Johnston's Captain America is a gloriously old-fashioned bit of shoe-leather adventure.  While there are plenty of elaborate special effects, the emphasis remains on character and narrative. &nbs… Read full post »
7 Comments
JULY 7, 2011 6:36PM

Why I won't read Roger Ebert's reviews before seeing a film

He is arguably the father of modern film criticism and the most recognizable and well-renowned film critic on the planet.  He is the only movie reviewer to be awarded a Pulitzer Prize.  He is the man who introduced countless young readers such as myself t
… Read full post »
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JULY 4, 2011 2:12PM

Why Independence Day still holds up 15 years later...

I'm sorry if this makes you feel old.  But it's been fifteen years since Roland Emmerich and Dean Devlin blew up the White House with a giant flying saucer.  It's been fifteen years since Will Smith punched out an alien, exclaimed "Welcome to Earth!" and became the biggest movie sta… Read full post »
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Editor’s Pick
JUNE 28, 2011 1:50PM

Open Salon review: Transformers: Dark of the Moon (3D)

Transformers: Dark of the Moon
2011
154 minutes
rated PG-13

by Scott Mendelson

On a relative scale, the third time is the charm for the Michael Bay robot-smashing series.  This second sequel  basically gives us the apocalyptic Transformers epic we've been waiting for since… Read full post »
4 Comments
JUNE 5, 2011 11:49AM

Open Salon weekend box office in review (06/05/11)

For better or worse, X-Men: First Class performed like an X-Men picture in its debut weekend, at least in terms of staying power.  Like X-Men parts 1, 2, and 4, it had just over a 2.5x weekend multiplier (X-Men: The Last Stand had a mere 2.2x weekend multiplier).  Actually,… Read full post »
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JUNE 3, 2011 10:43AM

3D isn't dying, consumers are getting more 2D options.

The sky is not falling in the realm of 3D films.  There has been much handwringing over the last couple weeks as moviegoers have embraced their right to choose to see the latest summer tentpoles in 2D over the higher-priced 3D venues.  For the record, over the last… Read full post »
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Editor’s Pick
JUNE 2, 2011 9:45AM

Review: X-Men: First Class is whip-smart pop entertainment

X-Men: First Class
2011
132 minutes
rated PG-13

by Scott Mendelson

I have no idea how 20th Century Fox plans to fit X-Men: First Class into the mythology of the previous X-Men pictures.  It theoretically works as a prequel to the first three films, even as… Read full post »
6 Comments
MAY 24, 2011 10:49AM

Open Salon review: Kung Fu Panda 2 (3D)

Kung Fu Panda 2
2011
90 minutes
rated PG

by Scott Mendelson

Kung Fu Panda 2 is a textbook example of how to do a sequel right.  It remembers that it is a second chapter and allows the characters to grow and change accordingly.  It… Read full post »
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MAY 18, 2011 9:23AM

Equating Bridesmaids to Hangover isn't sexist, just lazy.

With the solid $26.2 million opening weekend of Bridesmaids (review) officially cementing the film as a genuine hit, let us take a moment to examine one of the more consistent bits of absurdity that has surrounded the film's release, that the film was some kind of female version o… Read full post »
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APRIL 28, 2011 1:53AM

Open Salon review: Fast Five (2011)

Fast Five
2011
130 minutes
rated PG-13

by Scott Mendelson

Fast Five is frankly something of a miracle.  Here is the fifth entry of a ten-year old franchise that has rarely surpassed mediocrity, but which now offers up a chapter that borders on genuine greatness.  Here… Read full post »
1 Comments
Editor’s Pick
APRIL 18, 2011 10:47AM

Open Salon Review: Scream 4 (2011)

Scream 4
2011
110 minutes
rated R

by Scott Mendelson

It is rare that a film spends such a large chunk of its running time basically admonishing its own existence.  Yet Wes Craven's return to the world of Scream is not only a relatively unnecessary franchise revival,… Read full post »
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Editor’s Pick
APRIL 4, 2011 6:24PM

Why the studios' Video On Demand scheme is doomed.

I know when I saw that fantastic Green Lantern footage on Saturday, my first thought was "Wow, I can't wait to watch that in my home just sixty days after theatrical opening day for just $30!".  Fox, Warner Bros, Sony, and Universal announced last week that they will begin offering… Read full post »
6 Comments
Editor’s Pick
MARCH 28, 2011 9:56AM

MPAA: Women enjoying sex = R. Women hating sex: PG-13.

There's a choice quote in this Emily Browning interview over at Nylon Magazine, which was reported by Cinemablend that merits a mention.  Its implications are kinda shocking,.  The crux is the discussion of changes that Zach Snyder had to make in order to ensure Sucker Punch (review… Read full post »
6 Comments
MARCH 24, 2011 6:48PM

Open Salon Review: Sucker Punch (2011)

Sucker Punch
2011
115 minutes
rated PG-13

by Scott Mendelson

Zach Snyder's Sucker Punch is an experiment and a question: Is is possible to make a female-driven action fantasy without falling prey to certain misogynistic messaging?  Just as its difficult to make an anti-war film becaus… Read full post »
2 Comments
Editor’s Pick
MARCH 11, 2011 9:52AM

Open Salon Review: Battle: Los Angeles (2011)

Battle: Los Angeles
2011
116 minutes
rated PG-13

by Scott Mendelson

Rare is the movie that loses points for being too realistic.  But Jonathan Liebesman's alien invasion picture feels less like an epic and more like a genuinely plausible war picture.  This is not a bad thing,… Read full post »
8 Comments
MARCH 10, 2011 10:41AM

Open Salon Review: Little Red Riding Hood (2011)

Red Riding Hood
2011
100 minutes
rated PG-13

by Scott Mendelson

Catherine Hardwicke’s Red Riding Hood is a picture that works in spite of itself.  Much of the acting is overly formal and stilted, the film looks claustrophobic and stage bound, and the narrative flirts with societ… Read full post »
1 Comments
FEBRUARY 18, 2011 10:34AM

Blu Ray review: All-Star Superman (2011)

All-Star Superman
2011
75 minutes
rated PG (violence, action, sensuality, language, and brief innuendo)
Available from WHV on February 22nd on DVD, Blu Ray, iTunes, and OnDemand

by Scott Mendelson

If you ask most casual comic book fans to name their favorite Superman story, they are likely… Read full post »
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