Penguins Are Still Cool
Being a virgin has never been so cool. Not since Britney Spears claimed she was still a virgin (even though she probably wasn’t) has the subject been so topical in the United States.
Americans are still flocking to the cinemas to watch the central character not having sex - a trend that would certainly damage the box-office receipts at Yangtze Cinema and Sharon Stone’s career.
But The 40-Year-Old Virgin, starring comic actor Steve Carell, pulled in about US$16.4 million ($27.66) at the North American box office last week to keep the No 1 spot and hold off The Brothers Grimm.
Cult director Terry Gilliam (Brazil) directed the fantasy-horror, which stars Matt Damon and enjoyed a healthy opening weekend, but it’s the middle-aged virgin looking for love that has really got Americans talking.
Damon less popular than a 40-year-old virgin? Whatever next? Movies about birds who almost die having sex?
Well, funnily enough, March of the Penguins stormed into the Singaporean Top 10, battling through the Antarctic blizzards to reach No 3. The French documentary grossed $104,823 over the four-day weekend, making it the highest opening box-office total for a documentary in recent years.
With all that snow and cold weather, perhaps Singaporeans are eager to learn about something they’ve never experienced - rather like The 40-Year-Old Virgin.
March of the Penguins is tarnished a little by the dialogue, which is so soppy it could’ve been written by a child. Take a bow, Robert Rodriguez.
The writer-director asked his son Racer, then seven, to give him an idea for a children’s movie and little Racer rattled off the outline for Adventures of Shark Boy and Lava Girl.
The movie is awful, which just goes to show, you should never trust anyone called Racer (or a person who calls his son Racer - which borders on child abuse).
Despite one poor review after another, Singaporeans have been flocking to see Shark & Lava, pushing the movie into the No 2 slot.
But there’s no stopping The Maid. Singaporeans love to be terrified just as Americans love to be titillated. Studio executives are probably working on a sequel now, titled, The 40-Year-Old Virgin Maid.
The longer she goes without sex, the more terrifying she becomes. It’s a million-dollar idea and auditions will be held in Geylang shortly.
Channel News Asia