Sex and the City 2: Is the buzz as dead as the Cosmopolitan?

[LuckyCharm]

What was 1st?

Shrek ($43.3mil.)

[Norlite]

Shrek.

Thanks

[soxxy]

SATC2 is 2nd at the B.O. with $37.7 million. Not bad for a film that was completely trashed by all the major critics. I can't recall any other major film that has been so hated by the critics.

The closest I can think of is 'Nine'.

[orbitz]

Isn't that B.O. Number a little disappointing when the first movie had a much higher number and when there is relatively little competition on the market? Not to mention the major hype machine it has backing it up and the built in fanbase that any established franchise has.

Variety did say that the number is disappointing. The first film pulled around 57 million for the same 3 days period. The second film cost more and lost some of its audiences instead of gaining. Still, if SATC2 can pull past the 100 mil mark then I think it will still be considered a success.

[essence_of_soy]

I didn't know which was worse - the movie's attitude or from the laughter of the women in the theatre, their apparent ignorance of this. I know it is a comedy, but still.

Just my $ .02. Wondering if anyone else who saw the movie felt the same way.

Wow. I used to work for a travel firm and particularly for clients travelling to the middle east, they provided fact sheets outlining each country's customs.

Yes, whether Westerners agree with them or not, these laws have to be respected. Foreigners have gone to jail for breaking them.

As for the first movie, I hated it. On the big screen, every flaw was magnified tenfold.

The tv show was light and funny, but as a film, that frivolity was replaced with desperation and bitterness. Miranda, Carrie, and Samantha particularly, came off looking pretty bad. Instant gratification does not a solid relationship make.

Thank goodness for shows like GLEE.

[Stefanie]

I saw it today and only had to pay $5 as it was a matinee. I had low expectation going into it, even though I loved the series and the first movie (but we all know sequels rarely add up). I like that it was a "comfortable" movie in the sense that we already know the characters and there was no guesswork into their actions. It was like being with old friends (even though those women would probably never hang out with me in real life ). I hate to be a prude, but I'm glad there wasn't any frontal nudity in this one as there was in the last (I'm referring to the sex scene with Miranda and Steve after they made up). The dialogue and storylines were weak, and some of the scenes seemed to be filler (e.g., the scene where they meet the Muslim women and these women show off the latest fashions underneath their burkas). Anyway, the scenery and fashion are always aesthetically pleasing to me, so it wasn't a totally waste.

[overedge]

Shrek ($43.3mil.)

I saw Shrek last night. And to get into the theatre I went past the lineup of giggly girls (and one guy) who were waiting *two hours* to get into the next showing of SATC2. I think I got to see the movie with the more realistic portrayal of romance

[LuckyCharm]

The tv show was light and funny, but as a film, that frivolity was replaced with desperation and bitterness. Miranda, Carrie, and Samantha particularly, came off looking pretty bad. Instant gratification does not a solid relationship make.

Carrie's always been an ass and Samantha was always ridiculous, but what's your beef with Miranda?

The dialogue and storylines were weak, and some of the scenes seemed to be filler (e.g., the scene where they meet the Muslim women and these women show off the latest fashions underneath their burkas). Anyway, the scenery and fashion are always aesthetically pleasing to me, so it wasn't a totally waste.

Spoiler

It was obvious from the start of the scene that they were going to somehow score some burkas to elude the police, and the "women helping women" angle was kind of sweet. But I agree that the "fashion moment" seemed random, forced, and not that funny. It should have been cut.

I saw Shrek last night. And to get into the theatre I went past the lineup of giggly girls (and one guy) who were waiting *two hours* to get into the next showing of SATC2. I think I got to see the movie with the more realistic portrayal of romance

Probably. I'm a fan of both franchises, but I haven't gotten to see Shrek yet. Is it is good as the others?

[Carmen Ovsiannikov]

Same here. I enjoyed the TV series (wasn't a huge fan, but enjoyed it, especially the early seasons), but I thought the first movie was horrendous. It felt like six hours of listening to someone whine. If this one is worse, then . Also, at least according to RottenTomatoes.com, plenty of female critics didn't like SATC2 either.

I did watch the series when it originally aired but have watched a few repeats on TBS and haven't seen the first movie yet.

I'm glad you pointed out that female critics aren't crazy about the second film either. I'm tired of reading that the evil men didn't like it because they are afraid of strong women. How about the film is just bad?

After seeing the trailers I'm not surprised it's not being well reviewed (it seems that half the fans didn't care for it either)...

I haven't seen it yet, but it seems to be more about product placement than anything else. And the highlight of the film seems to be Liza singing "Single Ladies". And if that is the best part of the film, have mercy on them all....

.........and the above is one of the reasons SATC2 seems like a bad film. ITA about product placement and it seems that the film (especially the Abu Dhabi segments) are more gimmicky. SATC has always been partially about fashion but I felt as if even the clothing choices were a bit more flashy and OTT than what the characters would/should actually be wearing.

Going back to what essense_of_soy said about the lack of respect for the rules of the culture. There was another scene when the ladies were riding camels and Carrie is wearing a strapless dress complete with cleavage and boob tassels. Even a visitor to Abu Dhabi would never dress that way in public. I hope that was just for the promotional trailers and wasn't included in the film.

Supposedly it made decent money over the weekend but I'd be interested to see if SATC2 has any staying power.

[cygnus]

I like the reviews from this female critic:

http://www.flickfilosopher.com/blog/..._2_review.html

(My fave review of hers is her critique a few years back of the Britney Spears movie Crossroads)

http://www.flickfilosopher.com/blog/...enagepoet.html

[VIETgrlTerifa]

LMAO. I just bookmarked that critic. She's hilarious.

[overedge]

Probably. I'm a fan of both franchises, but I haven't gotten to see Shrek yet. Is it is good as the others?

The story line isn't as strong as in the others, but there are lots of laughs and I was happy I saw it. The kids in the audience really enjoyed it too.

[vesperholly]

Wait--Stanford and Anthony are married? They hated each other in the series. Gah, they did that because they're the only gay people on the show. Stanford can do better.

Oh Stanny ... what happened with Marcus?

[jenny12]

LMAO. I just bookmarked that critic. She's hilarious.

I love reading MaryAnn Johnson. She's definitely one of my very favorite reviewers. She always gives a well thought out review while being funny at the same time.

[Jackie Sparrow]

Remember, this is only my opinion; YMMV. Because she wasn't perfect, she wasn't married, she wasn't a mom, her checkbook wasn't balanced, she wasn't a great beauty. But she was witty, open-minded, adventurous, sexy, humorous, loyal, and was able to come to terms with singlehood. The show wasn't always about getting a man as a GOAL, but just as part of the journey....I liked that. The movies seem to put emphasis on getting men and settling down.

I'll go watch it this afternoon.

SATC is the only show I can watch over and over and over again. I didn't like it when it was on telly but now I've reached an age where I can sympathise with the characters. These are four strong, independent, beautiful women

[allezfred]

I'm glad you pointed out that female critics aren't crazy about the second film either. I'm tired of reading that the evil men didn't like it because they are afraid of strong women. How about the film is just bad?

The Sex & The City films may be mindless entertainment, but the majority of male critics didn't like the TV series, one of the best written shows there has ever been in my opinion, either. And they are going after the films in a way that they would never go after the latest guns & bombs & dismembered body parts action flicks.

[Jackie Sparrow]

that somehow women's lives are now incomplete if they don't go out with their girlfriends and drink cosmopolitans, eat cupcakes, and wear ridiculous shoes.

This is one way to see it. I see it in another: a woman's life is COMPLETE even though she is not married, she hasn't got children, is single and she ISN'T all those things that society is trying to tell us is good/standard/correct!
And yes, my life WOULD be incomplete if I couldn't go out with my girls (and gays) and have drinks and eat cupcakes and all those fabulous things.

[succubus]

I loved the tv series. I was single/divorced and had just turned 30 and I have to say that there were many moments that struck a chord with me. But to each his/her own.

I won't be seeing the movie. I saw the first and was depressed through most of it. And from the promos, just seeing 4 women sitting in a Disney's version of the Middle East in their ridiculous clothes made me yawn. To me, the series was fabulous - the movies are simply cartoonish.

I agree with those of you who feel that visitors should respect the laws and mores of the location which they are visiting, particularly in such a simple matter as clothing. When I visited St. Peter's at the Vatican, I covered my shoulders and didn't wear short shorts. I would wear whatever is necessary in whatever country I am visiting to ensure that I cause no one any discomfort. If I came from a country that traditionally went topless (many tribes in the Democratic Republic of Congo do so), and visited America, would Americans feel comfortable with me wandering around the city with boobs proudly protruding? As an American, I would expect the woman to cover up her breasts while she was visiting. And I don't see the big deal in other countries expecting the same. If the customs make me feel subjugated or victimized, I won't visit.

[Satellitegirl]

The attitude I got from that was, "Here is how we are sexually and if you don't like it, SO WHAT?!". Well, you just can't show that attitude in a culture like that. And you better figure that out before you go overseas. Or stay home.

I didn't know which was worse - the movie's attitude or from the laughter of the women in the theatre, their apparent ignorance of this. I know it is a comedy, but still.

Just my $ .02. Wondering if anyone else who saw the movie felt the same way.

I'm well aware of the cultural norms over there, and the fact that Samantha was so quick to disregard it was a bit annoying, but I still found a lot of it worth laughing at anyhow. I just looked at it as a movie, and left the overly critical stuff alone.

Most of the people I know that have seen the movie, have enjoyed it. And I don't hang with a bunch of socialite snobs.

[VIETgrlTerifa]

The Sex & The City films may be mindless entertainment, but the majority of male critics didn't like the TV series, one of the best written shows there has ever been in my opinion, either. And they are going after the films in a way that they would never go after the latest guns & bombs & dismembered body parts action flicks.

Really?

Transformers 2 last year was pretty much maligned. One could say the reviews were just as harsh.

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/tran...of_the_fallen/

A more recent movie, Legion, also got pretty crummy reviews/

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1216680-legion/

I also don't see any evidence that there was a true disparity between male tv critics and female ones regarding the television show.

Anyway, many of the critics being severe with this film are female, and I don't see anything that can refute that.