Movie Nation

One savvy fan of both “Star Wars” and (maybe) J.J. Abrams has concocted this send-up of what Abrams will make “Star Wars” look like, a fan video with “flare.” Lens flare. Funny.

Back when “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” came out, it was hard to focus on anything but the film’s shortcomings. Director Chris Columbus, as he has proven in films before and since, has little sense of urgency — no gift for pacing.

Look at the full list of his credits and marvel that the “Home Alone” director was handed the most wildly popular youth novel series in history, heavy-handed comedies that aren’t that funny, clunky attempts at action, and a sentimental streak that probably was the trait that most qualified him to handle what could have been the first and only two films — had they failed.

But a dozen years later, here’s what stands out about “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” — all the things he got right. No expense was spared making this world, from the British suburbia of the early scenes, through the train ride and into Hogwarts itself. The detail is theme-park gorgeous, which is why it made for such a successful theme park here in Orlando.

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“Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters” rode its pitch and its TV commercials– NOT its reviews — to a soft $18 million opening weekend. Not great for a 3D film, OK for a 3D splatter action comedy.

That puts it at number 1 for the last weekend in January, probably the worst weekend for moviegoing that we’ll see this year.

“Mama” managed to cling to #2 and close in on $50 million. A better movie that’s doing better at the box office? Go figure.

“Silver Linings Playbook” is doing well in wide release. Followed by “Zero Dark Thirty.”

In fifth place — the poorly pitched “Parker,” which deserved better. It did “Last Stand” numbers, a bit over $7 million. 

“Movie 43” didn’t clear $4 million. Huge cast, weak movie, little hype.

As I said, a bad weekend for new openings.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is going to rue the day they didn’t recognize Ben Affleck with a best director nomination.

That old maxim, “Best directors direct best pictures” is going to be turned on its ear Oscar night, if all the tea leaves are telling the truth.

The Producers Guild honored “Argo” as best picture Saturday night. Take that along with a couple of other key pre-Oscar wins, and “Argo” has the momentum — the buzz — to be best picture next month.

SAG Awards tonight. We’ll see if the Actors Guild does anything to stoke the flames.

I was a fan of “Old Boy.” I also enjoyed Park Chan-Wook’s entire “Vengeance” trilogy — “Sympathy for Lady Vengeance” being the last of those.

And “Thirst” gave me the creeps, big time.

Now, as Spike Lee finishes the American/Hollywood “Old Boy,” the Korean filmmaker prepares to serve up his first “Hollywood” film. “Stoker” is sort of a riff on Hitchcock’s “Shadow of a Doubt,” a film about a grieving, standoffish teen (Mia Wasikowska) and her just-widowed/still in shock mom (Nicole Kidman) and the uncle (Matthew Goode) who shows up to mesmerize and obsess them both. Is he what he claims to be, or more? Or less?

Questions for Park Chan-Wook? Comment below.

“Crash,” the surprise Best Picture Oscar winner from few years back, was the reminder anybody following the Oscars needed that the largest voting bloc in the Academy is actors.

The Screen Actor’s Guild had honored “Crash” with a bit of attention, so they were the ones who had accurately predicted that Oscar win.

Sunday night, the SAG Awards are handed out again. Will they go, big time, for “Lincoln,””Les Mis,” “Silver Linings Playbook” or throw awards all over the place?

The Producers Guild Awards also point to Best Picture/Oscar winners. From time to time. Is “Argo” the movie with momentum? Could be. But the SAGs only honored Alan Arkin with a nomination.

Keep in mind, SAG nominated Nicole Kidman for “The Paperboy,” and John Hawkes in “The Sessions” and Marion Cotillard for “Rust & Bone.” So the actors go their own way, in a lot of categories. Here’s the Oscar nominees list, in case you’ve forgotten.

The best cast award is a pretty good Oscar indicator. Watch for that. The SAG Awards are televised on TNT and TBS.

The full list of nominees — Film and TV — is below.

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She landed the coveted role of Hollywood’s “Girl with the Dragon Tattoo,” and she’s followed that up with a lead role in a Steven Soderbergh thriller — “Side Effects” — which opens in a couple of weeks.

Rooney Mara is part of that NFL New York Giants-owning Mara family. So she was never going to be hurting for money. But her film career has started with a bang and looks to have staying power.

She’s got a Terrence Malick “musical drama” in the can, dropped out of “Zero Dark Thirty” and has kept a full dance card since her big break.

Got questions for Rooney? Comment below.