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Scott Mendelson
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The basics - 29 years old, married with one child, currently residing in Woodland Hills, CA. Aside from my day job (kind of a secret, but it’s independent contracting), I dabble in voice over and occasionally play around on the Improv scene.

I am simply a longtime film critic and pundit of sorts, especially in the realm of box office punditry. I also syndicate myself at The Huffington Post and Open Salon. Aside from the usual film gossip (not the US Weekly or Nikki Finke variety), I’ll be dealing with box office analysis and comparison and criticism of film criticism and journalism (watching the watchmen, as it were). I will dabble in politics here and there, but I'm sure there are many people on this site who can do that better than I.

For an archive of all of my work, go to Mendelson’s Memos (http://scottalanmendelson.blogspot.com). That site also contains pretty much every film review I have ever written, yes even some of the garbage I wrote when I was sixteen.

I will update as often as my schedule allows. Yes, I'm on Facebook/MySpace/Twitter, so feel free to find me there. All comments are appreciated, just be civil and try to keep a level discourse, as I will make every effort to do the same. Thank you.

Scott Mendelson
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Blog Entries by Scott Mendelson

HuffPost Review: Fast Five

Posted April 27, 2011 | 06:11 PM (EST)

Fast Five is frankly something of a miracle. Here is the fifth entry of a 10-year old franchise that has rarely surpassed mediocrity, but which now offers up a chapter that borders on genuine greatness. Here is a sequel that pays explicit attention to what came before and rewards viewers...

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Weekend Box Office: Rio Holds Strong, Madea and Water for Elephants Open Well on Easter Weekend

7 Comments | Posted April 24, 2011 | 08:43 PM (EST)

It was another 'everybody wins' at the box office this Easter weekend, as every major new release opened at or above expectations, while most of the older movies had strong...

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You Say Slump, I Say 'Smaller Movies With Legs'

16 Comments | Posted April 20, 2011 | 08:48 PM (EST)

If Fast Five and/or Thor fail to open to $50 million or more, then I'll start to worry. If Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides doesn't open anywhere near...

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HuffPost Review: Scream 4 (2011)

24 Comments | Posted April 18, 2011 | 11:10 AM (EST)

2011-04-18-scream4_final_ONESHEET2.jpgScream 4
2011
110 minutes
rated R


It is rare that a film spends such a large chunk of its running time basically admonishing its own existence. Yet Wes Craven's return to the world...

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Weekend Box Office: Rio Tops, While Scream 4 Under-Performs and The Conspirator Surprises

1 Comments | Posted April 17, 2011 | 10:38 PM (EST)

As expected, 20th Century Fox's Rio followed its stunning $55 million overseas debut last weekend with a $39.2 million domestic opening weekend here. Rio is officially the biggest opening weekend...

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Weekend Box Office: Hop Tops Again, Soul Surfer Surprises, Your Highness Underwhelms

21 Comments | Posted April 10, 2011 | 08:18 PM (EST)

For the second weekend in a row, Universal's Hop was the number one film of the weekend. The Easter Bunny animated epic dropped 42% in its second weekend, grossing $21.6...

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HuffPost Review: Your Highness

36 Comments | Posted April 5, 2011 | 08:35 PM (EST)


David Gordon Green was once set to become the next Terrence Malick. His sober dramas of lower or middle class Americana (George Washington, Snow Angels,...

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The Shot Heard Round the Industry... Studios' doomed plan for pre-DVD Video On Demand.

18 Comments | Posted April 5, 2011 | 09:04 AM (EST)

I know when I saw that fantastic Green Lantern footage on Saturday, my first thought was "Wow, I can't wait to watch that in my home just sixty days after...

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Weekend Box Office: Hop Scores $38m, Source Code and Insidious Open Well, Sucker Punch Crashes

21 Comments | Posted April 3, 2011 | 05:53 PM (EST)

As expected, Universal scored another solid animated win for the weekend, as Hop opened with...

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In Defense of Sucker Punch: Why the Flawed Film Is Worth Fighting for

190 Comments | Posted March 29, 2011 | 04:10 PM (EST)

It is more than a little ironic that Sucker Punch (review) is taking a critical beating for merely being an example of the very things that it's actually most critical...

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Weekend Box Office: Diary of a Wimpy Kid 2 Knocks Out Slightly-under-performing Sucker Punch

24 Comments | Posted March 27, 2011 | 09:01 PM (EST)

In a somewhat surprising result, the heavily-advertised action-fantasy Sucker Punch (teaser/trailer) did not top the box office this weekend, losing a close race to the lower-profile...

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Would the MPAA Prefer a Female Character Not Be 'Into' Sex Scene?

185 Comments | Posted March 26, 2011 | 10:09 AM (EST)

There's a choice quote in this Emily Browning interview over at Nylon Magazine, which was reported by Cinemablend that merits a mention. Its implications are kinda shocking. The crux is the discussion of changes that Zach Snyder had to make in order to ensure Sucker Punch (review) would...

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HuffPost Review: Sucker Punch -- Genuinely Feminist, It's a Deeper, Darker Confection Than One Might Presume

11 Comments | Posted March 24, 2011 | 06:15 PM (EST)

Sucker Punch
2011
115 minutes
rated PG-13

by Scott Mendelson

Zach Snyder's Sucker Punch is an experiment and a question: Is is possible to make a female-driven action...

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No Slump Then, No Slump Now! Why Comparing Cumulative Weekend Box Office Makes No Sense

7 Comments | Posted March 22, 2011 | 09:47 PM (EST)

Brandon Grey at Box Office Mojo called the weekend box office 'listless'. Nikkie Finke at Deadline Hollywood called it 'a soft weekend'. And Brent Lang of The Wrap called it 'sluggish'....
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Weekend Box Office: Limitless and Lincoln Lawyer Face Off, While Rango Holds Strong and Paul Opens Well

5 Comments | Posted March 21, 2011 | 01:17 PM (EST)

I often complain about the lack of big-studio, adult genre pictures while pointing out that the few such...

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Artistic Comeback? From Where? Matthew McConaughey's Best Films, Post-Stardom

45 Comments | Posted March 17, 2011 | 04:58 PM (EST)

Much of the babbling over this weekends The Lincoln Lawyer has been about the idea that the well-reviewed legal thriller represents some kind of artistic reawakening for Mr. Matthew McConaughey. As...

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Weekend Box Office: Battle: Los Angeles Hits Hard, Red Riding Hood Lands Softly, While Disney's Mars Needs Moms Crashes

10 Comments | Posted March 13, 2011 | 12:14 PM (EST)

As expected, the heavily-hyped Battle: Los Angeles (teaser/review) topped the box office this weekend, grossing an estimated $35.7 million. If that number holds, it will be the twelfth-biggest...

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HuffPost Review: Battle: Los Angeles

11 Comments | Posted March 11, 2011 | 09:39 AM (EST)

2011-03-11-battlelosangelesmovieposter03.jpgBattle: Los Angeles
116 minutes
Rated PG-13

Rare is the movie that loses points for being too realistic. But Jonathan Liebesman's alien invasion picture feels less like an epic and more like a genuinely plausible war picture....

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HuffPost Review: Red Riding Hood

9 Comments | Posted March 10, 2011 | 10:38 AM (EST)

2011-03-10-RedRidingHood_1Sheet21.jpg
Red Riding Hood
100 minutes
rated PG-13


Catherine Hardwicke's Red Riding Hood is a picture that works in spite of itself. Much of the acting is overly formal and stilted, the...

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HuffPost Review: Black Death

5 Comments | Posted March 9, 2011 | 05:28 PM (EST)

Black Death
2011
103 minutes
rated R

Christopher Smith's Black Death is a thoughtful and engaging film that isn't quite as traumatic as it wants to be. As...

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