the family that preys

America Feels the ‘Burn’

2:40AM STV | It’s a special day for moviegoers — the first time in three weeks those studio jokers didn’t leave the equivalent of a flaming bag of crap on our doorstep Friday morning. Thanks, Hollywood! Their reward? One of the best non-Labor Day September weekends in years, as illustrated by our regular browse through the Monday Morning Box Office:

Wherein We Attempt to Comprehend Cross-Dressing Media Titan Tyler Perry

6:55AM STV | In keeping with this site’s insatiable need to know, our ongoing questions about Tyler Perry — that Emperor of All Black Media who’s most handsomely paid to wear a dress — got the best of us today as his new film The Family That Preys opens in theatres. Far more than our previous subjects of Defamer Answers, Perry is a man whose mythology is both cultivated and oddly removed from his fame; having earned a combined $250 million in less than four years, his audience does his speaking for him. Is he gay? It doesn’t matter; TBS just bought 100 episodes of House of Payne. Why do critics hate him? It doesn’t matter; Madea’s Family Reunion opened at number one. More »

Coens, Cops and Tyler Perry Take on ‘The Women’ in Fall’s First Battle Royale

2:15AM STV | Welcome back to Defamer Attractions, your weekly guide to peaks, valleys and pratfalls among the latest new movies in theatres. And finally, after consecutive weekends when we thought God had up and abandoned us with the feral makers of College and Disaster Movie, we have some real films to write about. So read on for our typically expert preview of what’s what at the box office, including Coen surprises, Alan Ball atrocities, potential ladyfights, timely new DVD’s and one melodrama to rule them all. As always, our opinions are our own; you simply can’t fake this kind of refinement, taste and acuity. More »