'One Day': Should the ending have been changed?

To be fair, I knew it was coming. Having already read David Nicholls’ charming 2009 international best-seller One Day, about the ups and downs of friends Emma Morley and Dexter Mayhew’s relationship over the span of 20 years, I knew the movie was also going to end on a major — if not pretty shocking — downer. For those of you who have not read the novel or seenthe adaptation starring Anne Hathaway and Jim Sturgess(and it seems like that’s plenty of you), beware of MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD.

It would be an understatement to say I was disappointed with the ending of One Day. After nearly two decades of putting up with Dexter’s flip-flopping feelings (all while she was stuck in a lukewarm relationship with Ian), Emma finally got him to settle down, only to find that she couldn’t have a child with him (mind you, he already got to experience that joy with his first wife Sylvie) and then… she dies?! City of Angels-style, no less: Emma was hit by a vehicle while riding her bike. To me, the ending seemed grossly unfair to Emma (hadn’t she suffered enough?) and a bit of a cop-out, really. Why couldn’t this story about the complexities of friendship and love avoid becoming a weepy melodrama? Granted, life isn’t always that nice and fair to us. Nicholls’ book felt light, smart, and sweet throughout — but when Emma died, it suddenly felt sad and schlocky.

So when I first found out One Day was being made into a movie, I began to hope the film’s writers would commit the ultimate Hollywood sin and change the ending. (Gasp!) I know, it sounds crazy, but, loving Nicholls’ characters, I found myself wishing Emma and Dexter would find their happily ever after on the big screen. Hollywood could have made it happen, right?! Of course, had the film’s writers altered it, it likely would have caused as much ire as the My Sister’s Keeper adaptation, which delivered a shiny, happy ending that was dramatically different than the final pages of Jodi Picoult’s beloved book. In a way, adaptingOne Day was something of a lose-lose situation from the get-go. If writers had changed the ending, they’d delight some fans of the book (myself included), but others would leave the theaters seriously miffed. (Including many in my screening — when Emma was hit, gasps echoing through the theater were louder than the film itself.)

I’m curious to know what you thought of the ending though, PopWatchers. Had you already read the book and hoped they would change it, or were you relieved they kept it as is? If you hadn’t read One Day, were you genuinely shocked by the ending? Did it bother you or do you think it will rank high among fellow doomed love story classics like Titanic and The Notebook? Share your opinion in the comments section below.

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Box office update: 'The Help' and 'Apes' stay on top as four newcomers badly stumble on Friday

Welcome to the late-August box office! Friday estimates havearrived, and things aren’t looking pretty for the four new releases, all of which majorly disappointed on their opening day. The Helpand Rise of the Planet of the Apes, meanwhile, remained strong, and they will easily finish first and second for the weekend.

The Help sure doesn’t need any at the box office! The well-reviewed adaptation, which is quickly becoming an event film, grossed a terrific $5.8 million yesterday, a drop of only 24 percent from last Friday. It should continue to play nicely over the rest of the weekend and finish in first place with about $19 million, which would push its cumulative total past $70 million.

In second, Rise of the Planet of the Apes, now in its third weekend, fell 42 percent from last Friday to $4.7 million. The reboot/prequel may finish the weekend with $16 million.

SUMMER MOVIES: Get the latest news, photos, and more

Spy Kids: All the Time in the World in 4D played the best of the new releases, but it still only managed $4 million on its first day. Spy Kids 3D opened to $33.4 million in 2003, but Robert Rodriguez’s eight-years-later sequel will be lucky if it can match that in its entire run. Give the fourth Spy Kids installment $13 million for the weekend. I guess even Aromascope couldn’t prevent a pretty stinky performance!

In fourth place, Conan the Barbarian finished close behind with $3.7 million, but it won’t play out as well as the family-fueled Spy Kids for the rest of the weekend. Conan is more of a fanboy feature, which tend to be front-loaded at the box office, and it will likely finish the weekend with just under $10 million. Fright Night debuted in fifth place with $2.7 million (Plus an additional $400,000 from Thursday 9 p.m. showings). The Colin Farrell vampire picture should find a truly ghastly $6.5 million, and it will likely get passed by The Smurfs by Sunday.

Way back in ninth place One Day started with $1.9 million, which, to be clear, is not good. Still, a $6 million weekend would make it the only film to not perform well below expectations this frame.

Be sure to check back tomorrow for the full box office report.

1. The Help – $5.8 mil
2. Rise of the Planet of the Apes – $4.7 mil
3. Spy Kids: All the Time in the World in 4D – $4.0 mil
4. Conan the Barbarian – $3.7 mil
5. Fright Night – $3.1 mil

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'The Glee Project': Who's your favorite of the final four?

The last four standing on The Glee Project are certainly not who I would have put in the finals when the show first started. (That was about a year-and-a-half ago at this point, right?) Over the weeks we have seen somesurprising exits, somewelcomed ones, and sometotally disappointing ones.

But now we have Alex, Samuel, Lindsay, and Damian left standing. Yes, four. There was no elimination last night, proving that Ryan Murphy is a guy with a soft spot for a quartet of kids following their dreams.

So let’s size the final four up.

Alex: I was touched by his performance of “His Eye Is On The Sparrow,” and not just because he shared that it was the song played at his father’s funeral. (Although, that really helped get a lump in my throat.) He’s definitely one of the strongest vocalists left in the competition, but past displays of his character have been questionable. (See: Bitchery in “Duets.”)

Samuel: He’s a rock star. He doesn’t look like anyone on Glee right now, he doesn’t act like anyone on Glee now, and he’s probably someone Glee could use right now. So he probably won’t win. If he does, I owe everyone a cookie.

Lindsay: I have reservations about Lindsay. Aside from looking a bit like dark-haired Quinn (Dianna Agron), she behaves a lot like Rachel Berry (Lea Michele). She’s like a Glee hybrid, and if that’s anything like other hybrids, it sounds terrifying. Her vocals are strong, but still pale compared to some of the others currently on the show. Her vocal performance on “Defying Gravity” proved that.

Damian: He’s “Mr. Personality” in the competition, according to Murphy, and I have to agree. I mean, what’s not to like? (Wait, he’s 18, right?)

Of course, my opinion means zip. Actually, none of our opinions do because they picked the winner months ago. That said, if they don’t pick the person who wins the poll below, we’ll be really pissed and say ugly things. So get voting!

(I voted for Damian, because Google tells me he’s 18, and when Google tells me convenient information, I believe it.)

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Exclusive 'One Day' Comment Contest!

In Focus Features new romantic drama One Day, Anne Hathaway and Jim Sturgess engage in a unique love game that spans twenty years and provides their characters with a lifetime's worth of memories and experiences as they reconnect every year on the same date of their initial encounter to see where they are in their lives. Though you likely won't be able to take part in an emotional adventure like that in you own life, you can play a little game we have devised in honor of the film for a chance to win an Amazon Kindle, $50 Visa Cash Card and much, much more!

Here's what you can win:

One (1) winner will receive a “One Day Summer Beach Kit” including:

• $50 Visa Cash Card
• Kindle (Wi-Fi, Graphite)
• Copy of the book (movie tie-in edition)
• Beach Tote
• Beach Towel
• 4-pack nail polish
• Clear cosmetic case
• Necklace
• Moleskin® Journal
(Prizing valued at $215)

Here's what to do:
1. "Like" us on Facebook by clicking here and share this contest with your friends.
2. Leave a comment on THIS PAGE telling us what you'd do if you only had ONE DAY to spend with your true love and MAKE SURE TO INCLUDE YOUR FACEBOOK USER NAME in the post.

That's it! The commenter with the most "romantic" response will be contacted via Facebook to provide shipping information. *Please note: Winner MUST have a valid US mailing address.*

Now start writing romantic gestures and win that Kindle!

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The Cinematic Faces of Death

If we've learned anything from the Final Destination series, it's that outrunning death is an impossibility. Side-stepping, maybe, but outright defeating? Don't even bother. Death is the invisible ghost of Rube Goldberg and he's way too clever for mortal man.

Now that doesn't mean Death will always take the form of a deceased puzzle-maker—changing his appearance is part of his conniving plan. Over the years, movies have depicted the overlord of finality in a variety of shapes and sizes, but in the end, he always has the same mission: end lives.

So take a deep breath and prepare to stare Death in the face. In most cases, he'll be capable of staring back:

The Seventh Seal

Ingmar Bergman's 1957 film may not have been the first appearance of Death on film, but it certainly was the first one to feature Death taking on a knight in a game of chess.

The Seventh Seal established Death as a white-faced, black-robed figure who stalked the living, occasionally engaging them in a round of the thinking-man's game and muttering a few forbidding Biblical phrases. Few Swedish films have continued to resonate through pop culture the same way as Bergman's film. If you need proof...

Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey/Last Action Hero

These may be the last two films on the planet you would think tip their hat to the Special Jury Prize winner of the 1957 Cannes Film Festival, but really, the homages fit perfectly into both film's goofy spectacles. In the sequel toExcellent Adventure, Bill and Ted take on Death himself…in Twister, Battleship and Clue. Little less classy.

In Last Action Hero, Ian McKellen recreates the infamous chess scene from Seventh Seal, portraying Death before waling off the big screen (courtesy of a magic movie ticket) to give sagely advice to the young hero Danny. His appearance may not deliver the same heart-racing reactions as seeing Schwarzenegger jump out of an action movie, but Death makes up for it with slow-moving gravitas.

Hellboy 2: The Golden Army

A ghostly pale Death is great for the existential crowd, but when it comes to terrifying, it's all about Guillermo Del Toro's Angel of Death. Crossing paths with Hellboy in The Golden Army, the frightful beast sports a mushroom for a head and creepy eyes in its wings. If it wasn't for his solid smile, his looks alone would send a person to the grave.

Monkeybone

When Brendan Fraser's cartoonist character Stu slips into a coma after a car crash, he's transported to a twisted limbo world, where his cartoon character creation Monkeybone comes to life and aids him in infiltrating the land of the dead. Few people caught Monkeybone in theaters…meaning few people caught Whoopi Goldberg as the Chitty Chitty Bang Bang-esque Death. Sadly, the movie does not end with the reaping of Fraser's career.

The Films of Woody Allen

Allen has always been one to blend fantastical elements with his reality-based comedic and dramatic stylings—and his relationship with Death is an extension of that sensibility. The Grim Reaper appears in multiple Allen films, including Scoop, Deconstructing Harry and Love and Death. He teaches us an important lesson: it's a lot more fun to laugh in the face of death then join him in the underworld.

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So When Is 'The Amazing Spider-Man 2' Coming Out?

The bigwigs over at Sony must be sure you're going to love the heck out of their 2012 comic book reboot The Amazing Spider-Man. How do I know?

They just put The Amazing Spider-Man 2 on their calendar—set for May 2, 2014.

The new movie, starring Andrew Garfield (The Social Network) and Emma Stone(Zombieland, Crazy, Stupid, Love) as the web-slinging Peter Parker and his high school crush Gwen Stacey, has garnered diverse reactions from the Comic-Con crowd and the always-vocal fans. Some think it's the way Spider-Man was meant to be. Others think the reenvisioning is blasphemy.

Wherever you are on the issue, it's hard to deny that the property is taking a wild and interesting turn from the previous trilogy established by Sam Raimi and Tobey Maguire—and the studio is hot on it. Plugging your sequel into the release schedule three years in advance (with one year till the first movie comes out) is nothing less than ballsy.

With great power comes great responsibility…and a little confidence too.

The Amazing Spider-Man swings into theaters July 3, 2012.

Source: ComingSoon.net

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