SPIN FACTOR^® - The HSX Blog

Sony has dropped the theatrical trailer for the country music drama Country Strong [CSTRN].  Gwyneth Paltrow [GPALT] stars as a country singer fresh out of rehab and looking to launch a comeback tour with the help of her husband and manager, played by Tim McGraw [TMCGR].  Problems arise on her road to recovery when she meets an undiscovered singer-songwriter, played by Garrett Hedlund [GHEDL], and her up-n-comer opening act, played by Leighton Meester [LMEES].  Judging by the sound of the...

Read more »

Another 3D film is poised to claim the number one spot at the box office with the arrival of Resident Evil: Afterlife [RESE4].  Sony Screen Gems hopes 3D will breathe new life into the action horror franchise as well as the zombie genre as a whole.  The original 2002 film adapted from the videogame series reignited the current zombie movie craze.  Milla Jovovich [MJOVO] reprises the heroine role of Alice as well as her new clones.  The previous two sequels opened above $23 million.  With its...

Read more »

Liosngate has unleashed the theatrical trailer for the sequel Saw 3D [SAW7], the seventh and supposedly last film in the horror franchise released annually around Halloween.  With a glut of sub-par 3D films converted during post-production, films now need to emphasize that it was actually "Shot in 3D".   However, it's still a little bit corny to suggest Saw 3D will literally break the fourth wall and entrap moviegoers in their seats.

Read more »

Sony Screen Gems has uploaded the first trailer for the Action/Adventure/Fantasy/Sci-FI/Western/Horror/Thriller Priest [PRIES]. Paul Bettany [PBETT], who defied God to take on his Angels in Legion, now defies the Church to take on a band of vampires.  While the film appears derivative of every other genre films that came before it, Priest does at least make it look good.

Read more »

As Americans enjoy the long holiday weekend celebrating Labor Day, The American [THEAM] came out on top at the weekend box office with an estimated $16.4 million over the 4-day weekend and $19.5 million since Wednesday.  Focus Features successfully marketed the George CLooney [GCLOO] drama as a Bourne-esque action thriller since its audience gave the film the awful low CinemaScore grade of D-. 

The Mexploitation film Machete [MCHTE] finished second with an estimated $14.0 million. ...

Read more »

The summer movie season closes with three wide releases targeted at adults over the Labor Day holiday weekend.  Director Robert Rodriguez [RRODR] looks to lead the way with Machete [MCHTE], the violent action film first teased as a fake trailer attached to 2007's Grindhouse.  Buzz on the R-rated film has been building ever since in the fanboy community.  Although Danny trejo [DTREJ] stars in his first lead role, he is supported by an all-star cast that includes Jessica Alba [JALBA] and...

Read more »

With the arrival of the new Fall Season on television in September, the Television Stock Exchange™ will once again offer TVStocks® for the new network series.  The price of each TVStock is based on the number of original episodes that aired during the 2010-11 season. Which will get cancelled and which will get picked up for a full season? Trade the TVStocks on the Television Stock Exchange and profit from your prediction!

The first network up is The CW, which debuts two brand-new series...

Read more »

Moviegoers flocked back to theaters for a last summer fling as two new wide releases performed beyond Expectations.  Based on studio estimates, The Last Exorcism [LXORC] earned $21.3 million to edge out Takers [TAKER] at $21.0 million for first place at the weekend box office.  The Last Exorcism is already profitable as Lionsgate acuired the $2 million horror film for just $1 million. Latinos made up a majority of the audience at 54%. With box office already frontloaded to Friday, The Last...

Read more »

The end of the summer movie season brings two new wide releases and the re-releaseof the biggest blockbuster ever. The 3D only Avatar: Special Edition with nine more minutes should help push its domestic box office across the $750 million milestone. However, Avatar is unlikely to top the box office, or even finish in the top five.

The Last Exorcism [LXORC] is the latest horror film shot like a home video documentary to advance its realism.  Lionsgate knows how to market horror films and the...

Read more »

Sony Pictures Classics has released the domestic trailer for the British comedy Tamara Drewe [DREWE] directed by Stephen Frears [SFREA]. Gemma Arterton [GARTE] plays the title character who causes a commotion in her hometown when she returns after a nosejob that transformed the former ugly duckling into a beauty that's stirring up all the men.

Read more »