'Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter': The Reviews Are In! Critics says Benjamin Walker brings 'backbone' to an otherwise 'fake and cartoony' retelling of the Civil War.

                            Erin Wasson and Benjamin Walker in "Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter"


Critics says Benjamin Walker brings 'backbone' to an otherwise 'fake and cartoony' retelling of the Civil War.

"Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter" reimagines the Civil War as a struggle between the living and the undead with our 16th president as a slayer of the bloodsuckers. It sounds like a fun premise, but critics certainly wish the filmmakers had stuck to the history books.

Here is our roundup of what the critics are saying about "Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter."




The Story
"The story opens with young Abe witnessing the murder of his mother by a vampire. He swears vengeance, and some years later is lucky to be getting drunk while standing at a bar next to Henry Sturgess (Dominic Cooper), who coaches him on vampire-killing and explains that it is a high calling, requiring great dedication and avoiding distractions like marriage. Against Henry's advice, Lincoln (Benjamin Walker) marries Mary Todd (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), and the story moves quickly to his days in the White House, where he discovers that the vampires are fighting on the side of the South." — Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

Movie-going declines in some Eurozone countries

                                   Sir Ridley Scott's Prometheus is currently top at the UK box office

Cinema attendances are falling in some of the hardest-hit Eurozone countries, according to industry journal Variety.

Having declined by 10% in 2011, Italy's box office returns were down 12% between January and June this year to $372 million (£237.5m).

Spain tells a similar story. Its takings are also 12% down so far this year, having dropped by 2.7% in 2011.

"Two years of decline is not healthy," said David Hancock, senior film analyst at IHS Screen Digest.

"In fact, it does not happen very often in European or even worldwide box offices."

Other countries to suffer a double dip include Portugal, which dropped by 11% in the first half of this year following a 3% fall in 2011.

Ireland is down by approximately 7% this year, following consecutive declines in 2010 and 2011.

Yet according to media analyst Rentrak it is not all bad news. Europe's top film markets - the UK, France and Germany - are said to be holding up well.

There are hopes too that summer blockbusters like Sir Ridley Scott's Prometheus - currently top at the UK box office - will boost takings.

Analysts attribute falls in cinema attendance to rising unemployment in the under-25s.

Radiohead stage collapse kills one in Canada

Espanol: (CNN) – La tarima del escenario en el cual se presentaría este sábado Radiohead en un parque de Canadá colapsó antes de la presentación de la banda, causando al menos un muerto y cuatro heridos, dijeron las autoridades.

El colapso ocurrió alrededor de las 4 pm, una hora antes de que los espectadores iban a comenzar a llegar para un concierto de la banda de rock alternativo.


English:

One person has died in a stage collapse before a Radiohead concert in the Canadian city of Toronto.

Three others were injured, one seriously, in the incident at Downsview Park, medical officials said.
The collapse happened an hour before the gates were due to open for the concert, with queues already beginning to form outside.
UK rock band Radiohead tweeted that the performance had been cancelled due to "unforeseen circumstances".
Emergency crews went to the scene and the area was evacuated.
'Like a car accident' Toronto police said the stage collapsed at 16:00 local time (20:00), with the concert