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May 22, 2013

John Thorne: They launched the 'Arab Spring' but now yearn for the good old days of a strongman

John Rosemond: 'Disciplinary math' adds up to parental successl

Warren Richey: Are prayers before public meetings OK? Supreme Court to decide
Rick Montgomery: Use of ADHD drugs as study aid raises concern on campuses

Brierley Wright, M.S., R.D.: 6 convincing reasons you should keep carbs in your diet

Eoin O'Carroll: Scientists examine nothing, find something

The Kosher Gourmet by Carole Kotkin: This soup is made from one of the great pleasures of spring: A wonderful pairing of rosy color and earthy tang

May 20, 2013

Richard A. Serrano: Is Meir Kahane's assassin now a changed man?

Hannan Adely: Town raises Palestinian flag at City Hall

Melissa Healy: Genetic copies of living people from embryos no longer science fiction
Morgan Housel: When smart investors do stupid things

Sharon Saloman, M.S., R.D.: Hunger games: Eat more, weigh less, without starving

Jewz in the Newz by Nate Bloom : Jews Inducted into Rock Hall of Fame; Anton Yelchin co-stars in New "Trek" film; Kutcher (but not Kunis) visits Israel; Jewish TV Star Praises Jewish Rap Star

The Kosher Gourmet by Cathy Pollak: WARNING: This WALNUT CAKE WITH PRALINE FROSTING, perfect for afternoon coffee, is addicting

May 13, 2013

Rabbi Nathan Lopes Cardozo: Why the giving of the document that would permanently change the world could only be done in desolation

David G. Savage: Church-state, literally? Supreme Court weighing public school graduation in a church

Emily Alpert: Recession dragged down birth rates for less-educated women
Morgan Housel: The deep downside of home ownership

Peter Teffer: Will Dutch police soon be stalking cybercriminals on your computer?

Heidi McIndoo, M.S., R.D.: Meatless 'meat' can have its own set of problems

The Kosher Gourmet by Diane Rossen Worthington: Celebrate! This must-try appetizer is delicate yet has depth of flavor: Corn-Leek Cakes with Caviar, Smoked Salmon and Creme Fraiche

May 10, 2013

Rabbi Berel Wein: Be all that you should be

Caroline B. Glick: The dirty little secret about Israel's Arabs

Mona Charen: Hawking's Moral Calculus: The man and the movement he embraces
Morgan Housel: The biggest retirement myth ever told

Sandi Doughton: Eyes may provide new insight into brain problems

Jewz in the Newz by Nate Bloom : The Great Gatsby's Jewish Ties; Jews in the "Time 100 list" List; People's Most Beautiful Women

The Kosher Gourmet by Linda Gassenheimer: A sweet-hot meal: Pear salsa spices up salmon

May 8, 2013

Peter Ford: Why China is welcoming both Israel's Netanyahu and Palestinians' Abbas

Warren Richey: Obama administration quietly backs out of appeal over new contraceptive mandate

Fred Weir: At Kerry-Putin meeting, US-Russia relations thaw --- a tad
Amanda Paulson: Study reveals sad truths about community colleges

Harvard Health Letters: Evidence weak that zinc, echinacea are beneficial

The Kosher Gourmet by Leela Cyd Ross : Almost too pretty to eat, this colorful salad with Sicilian inspiration will tickle the taste buds and delight your visual sensibility

May 6, 2013

Edmund Sanders and Patrick J. McDonnell: Think Israel's objective in Syria is to weaken Assad or embolden the rebels? Think again

Brian Bennett: Israeli airstrikes may show weakness in Syrian defense

Michael Ollove: Millions of ex-felons, parolees and those on probation are about to be entitled to tax-payer paid health coverage
Karen Kaplan: Most men can skip PSA test for prostate cancer, urologists say

Kimberly Lankford: How to track down a lost life insurance policy

Dream of Mars exploration achievable, experts say

The Kosher Gourmet by Susan M. Selasky: EGGPLANT WRAPS are an easy, sumptuous and scrumptious meal

May 3, 2013

Rabbi Nathan Lopes Cardozo: Human Courage and the Unavoidable, Disturbing Text

Steven Emerson: Attorney General Fights CAIR in Court, Lauds it in Public

Mediterranean diet helps beat dementia: study
Harvard Health Letters: When to be screened for a hearing problem

Jewz in the Newz by Nate Bloom : Iron Man's Jewish Connections; Marc Maron's New TV Show; Martin Landau Grows Up with Israel; Shalom, Allan Arbus

The Kosher Gourmet by Diane Rossen Worthington: A sweet surprise for Mother's Day dessert

May 1, 2013

Jonathan Rosenblum: An Improbable Journey to Orthodoxy

Jonathan Tobin: Blame Obama, Not Israel for Syria Push

Kids, kittens the Same? With employee perks at struggling Internet pioneer Yahoo! it's hard to tell
Halena M. Gazelka, M.D.: Mayo Clinic Medical Edge: What you need to know about implanted pain relief devices

Sandy Kleffman: Artificial kidney offers hope to patients tethered to a dialysis machine

Jessica Shugart: When it comes to math, MRIs may be better than IQs

The Kosher Gourmet by Mario Batali: The celebrated chef on how high-maintenance ASPARAGUS RISOTTO need not be

April 29, 2013

Roy Gutman: Poland's new Jewish museum celebrates life, doesn't revisit Holocaust

Mark Clayton: Terrorism in America: Is US missing a chance to learn from failed plots?

Kim Murphy: Boston Bomber's 'Svengali' Revealed
Morgan Housel: He's rich, smart and old: Listen to him

Thomas Salinas, D.D.S.: Mayo Clinic Medical Edge: The safety of amalgam fillings

Harvard Health Letters: Tomatoes and stroke protection

Pete Spotts: Tiny satellites + cellphones = cheaper 'eyes in the sky' for NASA

The Kosher Gourmet by Diane Rossen Worthington: Swing into spring with lemon cream pie

April 26, 2013

Rabbi Abraham J. Twerski: The world is a mirror

Caroline B. Glick: Time to confront Obama

Clifford D. May: Defense in the Age of Jihadist Terrorism
Kimberly Lankford: New strategies ease pain of paying for long-term care insurance

Howard LeWine, M.D.: Ask the Harvard Experts: Too much ibuprofen?

Sharon Palmer, R.D.: How to feel your best -- with plenty of energy, a healthy weight and optimal mental and physical function -- without driving yourself batty

Jewz in the Newz by Nate Bloom: Jewish Major Leaguers, 2013; New Movies and Comedy Show; Shalom, 'Lumpy' (Leave it to Beaver)

The Kosher Gourmet by Emily Ho : A bright and cheerful salad to herald the warmer months ahead

April 24, 2013

Steven Emerson: Boston Bomber Exposes Islamist Secret

Morgan Housel Admit it: No one has any idea what's going on
Harvard Health Letters: Can you get headaches from headache medication?

Kerri-Ann Jennings, M.S., R.D.: How to easily get more Omega-3s in your diet

Melissa Healy: Pot in a pill: All the pain relief without the smoke

The Kosher Gourmet by Susan Russo: Chipotle Chili Butternut Squash Soup is bold, zesty, hot

April 22, 2013

Ken Dilanian: Counterterrorism's future is unclear

US man departing country arrested on terror charges
Barbara Williams: An unorthodox but growing treatment in a 9-year-old's battle against cancer

P.J. Skerrett, M.D.: How to recognize a good whole grain product

Jewz in the Newz by Nate Bloom: Teen actor Jonah Bobo in New Flick: Hunky James Wolk on Mad Men; Erich Segal's Daughter Writes Prize-Winning Jewish Novel


Jewish World Review Aug 17, 2012 / 29 Menachem-Av, 5772

Watch August movies at your own risk

By Barry Koltnow




http://www.JewishWorldReview.com | (MCT) In the beginning, there was Harrison Ford.

On the second day, the movie gods created Bruce Willis, and it was good.

Perhaps some context would be helpful.

We are talking about the month of August, once known as the toxic dumping site of Hollywood.

The big movie studios used to unload their worst movies in August. You might ask why they made those movies in the first place. Nobody sets out to make a bad movie, but sometimes the script doesn't work, the director has no talent and there is no chemistry between the stars. The studio then shows the movie to a test audience, which gives it a thumbs-down verdict, and the movie becomes a tax write-off in August.

Only Ford was considered a strong enough star to open a hit movie in August. His 1993 film "The Fugitive," and the following year's "Clear and Present Danger," were able to beat the late-summer blahs, but industry insiders didn't see a trend. They dismissed it as a Harrison Ford exception to the August rule.

And then along came "The Sixth Sense" in 1999.

Frankly, I don't know if the studio thought it was a loser, or there was a genius at the studio who really believed that there was an audience desperately waiting for a great movie.

Regardless, director M. Night Shyamalan's film, in which Haley Joel Osment saw dead people who looked like Bruce Willis, made nearly $300 million at the domestic box office and changed Hollywood forever. August was never again seen as just a dumping ground for bad movies. Studios actually started to schedule big openings in August with the hope of box-office gold.

But old habits are hard to break, and I suspect that there is some dumping still being done in August.

And that brings me to three movies that I'm not sure the studios see as favorites or outcasts.

The three - "The Campaign," "Celeste and Jesse Forever" and "2 Days in New York" - have one thing in common, besides their August openings. All three star a former or present member of the "Saturday Night Live" cast.

Will Ferrell stars with Zach Galifianakis in "The Campaign," Andy Samberg is one of the stars of "Celeste and Jesse Forever" and Chris Rock headlines "2 Days in New York."

Although some of Hollywood's biggest comedy stars got their big break on the TV show, the big screen hasn't always been kind to "SNL" cast members.

Need we list the movies inspired by "Saturday Night Live" sketches?

"Wayne's World" may have been the best of the lot (and the most successful at the box office), but there also was "Coneheads," "It's Pat: The Movie," "The Ladies' Man," "MacGruber," "Stuart Saves His Family," "Superstar" and, of course, "A Night at the Roxbury."

But you can't ignore the individual stars from the show, including Eddie Murphy, Will Ferrell, Bill Murray, Adam Sandler and Mike Myers. More recently, Kristen Wiig, Tina Fey and Amy Poehler have made the successful transition from small screen to big screen. The jury is still out on newcomers Andy Samberg and Jason Sudeikis, although I am a big fan of Bill Hader's supporting work in the films "Superbad," "Adventureland" and "Men in Black 3" (he played Andy Warhol).

Other cast members haven't been as successful, including Chris Rock, one of the biggest stand-up comedians in the world, but unable to translate that popularity to movies.

Ferrell was the highest-paid cast member in "SNL" history, and he has had few struggles making it in movies. In fact, the only times he seems to run into problems is when he tries something drastically different, like dramatic acting or appearing in a comedy spoken entirely in Spanish.

But Ferrell's career is strong enough to stand up to the August heat. Harrison Ford isn't the only person who can open a movie in the dog days of summer. If you check the list below of the biggest August movies of the last three decades, you'll find two of Ferrell's hits.

For that reason, the opening last weekend of Ferrell's latest comedy - "The Campaign" - might not be a dumping as much as a carefully planned strategy. One can assume that studio executives figured that audiences would be tired of "The Dark Knight Rises" by now, and would be ready for something funny.

I haven't seen the Rock or Samberg movies, but it is August, so draw your own conclusions.

Here are the biggest August movies of the last 30 years:

1. "The Sixth Sense" (1999)

2. "Signs" (2002)

3. "The Bourne Ultimatum" (2007)

4. "Rush Hour 2" (2001)

5. "The Fugitive" (1993)

6. "Rise of the Planet of the Apes" (2011)

7. "G.I. Joe: "The Rise of Cobra" (2009)

8. "Talladega Nights" (2006)

9. "Clear and Present Danger" (1994)

10. "The Other Guys" (2010)

Every weekday JewishWorldReview.com publishes what many in the media and Washington consider "must-reading". Sign up for the daily JWR update. It's free. Just click here.



Comment on Barry Koltnow's column by clicking here.


Previously:

Nothing new in the new Spider-Man movie
Grading the summer movies . . . so far
Readers are angry about TV network practices, too
TV networks have some explaining to do
The night Johnny Depp made me a star
Summer movies: the dark horses
Lindsay, Ashton, Kim --- are they kidding?
Readers pick their favorite baseball movies
Our 10 favorite baseball movies
The most over-hyped movies of 2012
The 10 worst best pictures ever
The greatest Oscar acceptance speech NEVER given
The worst biopics ... ever
20 celebrity questions that must be answered in 2012
The Golden Globes are meaningless
The 10 Most Annoying Celebrities of 2011
The funniest comedy teams
Fake celebrities ignite real controversy
Hollywood: Stop spoiling our movies
Mob expert reveals his favorite gangster flicks
Good riddance, Harry Potter
The coolest car movies ever made
Our favorite teacher movies
Are women funny?
Our special snarky summer movie guide
The 10 most pressing show biz questions
Readers weigh in on the royal wedding
The royal wedding: I don't get it
Readers reach verdict on lawyer column
Our favorite lawyer movies ever
Readers pick their worst Oscar winners
The 10 worst best pictures ever
25 hit-man movies to die for
The 10 greatest sidekicks ever
The 10 biggest celebrity missteps of 2010
Who's cooler than Steve McQueen? (Answer: nobody)
The best revenge movies ever
The good old days, when celebrities weren't train wrecks
Making sport of celebrities
Youth will be served? Don't give me that trash!
A celebrity answer is no answer at all
Caution: geniuses at work



© 2010, The Orange County Register; Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.

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