Early word on Ant-Man is surprisingly positive, although most of it is from fanboy critics who are always given the benefit of early screenings to enhance buzz. Still, they were kinda lukewarm on the last Avengers flick, so it may mean something that Ant-Man is faring better than that one at this stage. Reviews start dropping tomorrow, and the early embargo lift (the movie doesn't come out until the 17th) means Marvel at least thinks it's decent. Of course, that seems to be their MO these days- make at least a "decent" movie at all costs. No epic disasters on the DC scale (like with Green Lantern). Slick professionalism has turned into formula filmmaking at its most efficient.
Blu-Ray Pick of the Week: "The Killers" (1946)
On blu-ray this week is this hardboiled noir from the '40's, which gives us early, pre-star performances from Burt Lancaster and Ava Gardner as a couple of criminals who fall for each other. You can see the screen presence they both had in this early film, and how they would both go on to become iconic stars of the 1950's. I love the word "hardboiled" that's often used to describe film noir, because it always tells you exactly what you're going to get- cynical, gritty, tough subject matter, hardened characters and steely acting that doesn't soften for one second. Some noirs are more of that than others, and this is definitely one of them- there's not a vulnerable second for any of these burned out people as they try to flee from their past crimes. You should check this one out as soon as you can, it's worth a watch.
Original 1946 Trailer:
BOX OFFICE 7/03-7/05: 'Jurassic World' Crushes New Releases 'Magic Mike' and 'Terminator'
It was a bad holiday weekend for the new release movies, as both Jurassic World and Inside Out continued to battle each other for the number one slot. Jurassic made another $30 million, while Inside Out was right on its heels, and the two are so close in estimated totals, that even though Jurassic came in on top by a hair, with actual numbers in on Monday, there's a real chance Inside Out could pull ahead to finally win the #1 spot at the box office. Jurassic World also just took over Age of Ultron's worldwide total to become the fifth biggest movie of all time with $1.3 billion, and passed The Dark Knight domestically to land in #4 all time in the U.S. with $558 million. At this rate, I'm sure it will pass Titanic next, becoming only the third movie to earn over $600 million at the box office.
Meanwhile, both the new films disappointed, with Terminator Genisys taking in over $28 million for the three day weekend, and $44 million since Wednesday, a pretty bad start for a movie that cost over $150 million to make. And Magic Mike did even worse, pulling in $27 million over the five days, with just $12 million of that from Friday to Sunday. The movie was extremely frontloaded, with a whopping 96% of its audience being female (a stat kind of unheard of, as even the first movie was just 73%). Ted 2 fell off a cliff this week, dropping 67% for an $11 million weekend to close out the top five.
Top 5:
- Jurassic World- $30.9 million
- Inside Out- $30.1 million
- Terminator Genisys- $28.7 million
- Magic Mike XXL- $12 million
- Ted 2- $11 million
In limited release, the documentary Amy, chronicling the life of Amy Winehouse, got off to a searing start, opening in just six theaters for $222k, which adds up to a $37k total, impressive even for a non-documentary opening of this size. Next week its the Minions movie, along with the cheapie horror flick Gallows, and the Ryan Reynolds thriller Self/Less, so maybe it's time for something other than Jurassic World to top the charts finally. We'll see you then, everyone. Hope you had a great holiday weekend, and go Team USA!
Movie of the Day: "Born on the Fourth of July" (1989)
The obvious question here might be, did I pick this movie just for its title? Well, the title didn't hurt, but the truth is this is a very good movie about the transformation of Ron Kovic (whose autobiography this is based on) from an idealistic and uber-patriotic young American soldier to an outspoken and virulent anti-war activist in the late '60's. Tom Cruise gives one of his best performances (truly) in Oliver Stone's film, as the teenager who volunteers for duty in Vietnam, is injured and comes home to find the country changed in its attitudes, which in turn shapes his own feelings about the war. This movie argues that anti-war protesters weren't anti-American in their message, but that protesting is in itself a form of patriotism in supporting the country you love and making sure it doesn't go down the wrong path. That's why it's a good choice for today, as we celebrate the 4th with all the parades, fireworks and barbecues that go along with the holiday. Happy Independence Day everybody!
Original Trailer:
Katherine Heigl and Alexis Bledel Get Married in 'Jenny's Wedding'
In a timely move, Jenny's Wedding is a movie coming out soon about a lesbian who must get her family to accept who she is. Katherine Heigl hasn't exactly had a lot of success since Knocked Up and her days on Grey's Anatomy (her recent TV show was canceled almost as soon as it premiered), but maybe this one will be a comeback vehicle. I kind of doubt it, but the subject matter sure hits the zeitgeist.
Trailer for New Documentary 'I Am Chris Farley'
Castmates and friends look back on the life of Chris Farley, the SNL star and comedian who died of a drug overdose in 1997 at the age of 33 (much like previous SNL'er John Belushi before him). Farley was one of a kind of course, as everyone who's seen any of his SNL skits knows, and he was beloved by his peers, as you can see in the reminiscences here. I Am Chris Farley is set for release in August.
Movie of the Day: "Brokeback Mountain" (2005)
What better movie this week to celebrate the 4th of July than with the film that should have won Best PIcture in 2006. It's a movie that became immediately iconic and joked about at the time, but it holds up as a beautiful, tragic love story with great performances all around, but an especially amazing one from Heath Ledger (every bit as good as his Joker in The Dark Knight, for which he won a posthumous Oscar). It really is a shame that he died so young, when you see what he was capable of so early in his career and what more he would have done for years. In this last couple weeks when the Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage in all 50 states, this is an especially poignant film to look back on, to celebrate the country and how far we've come, and in such a short time, really. In 2006, Crash beat Brokeback to win the Best Picture Oscar in one of the most stunning upsets ever, which many attributed to homophobia within the Academy, but how many doubt that if that same contest were held today, just nine years later, Brokeback would easily prevail?
Trailer:
Conan Takes His Co-Workers to See 'Magic Mike XXL'
...or another reason why I still love Conan (and why I kinda want to see Magic Mike too). Everyone watch this clip and try not to laugh all the way through it.
Paul Feig Teases New 'Ghostbusters' Pics
I have to admit, even though this is another film that kind of falls into the new era I'm calling the "fanfic" movie (along with Jurassic World and the upcoming Star Wars), I am looking forward to this one a bit more, simply because of the cast. Hell, we know Melissa McCarthy and Kristen Wiig are great, but I'm excited to see SNL star Kate McKinnon break through in film. Paul Feig tweeted pictures of the new proton pack and uniforms the other day, and I kinda wish the uniforms didn't look so similar to the old ones. This is a movie that will not benefit from constant callbacks to the original, in my opinion, and since it supposedly takes place in another universe anyway, why not go wildly different with it?
Morgan Freeman Teases 'London Has Fallen'
Next year we're getting the sequel to the strangely popular Olympus Has Fallen, which was a somber, not especially fun movie about the seize of the White House. Now I guess it's London's turn to be attacked as the world leaders gather in one place. Morgan Freeman, Aaron Eckhart and Gerard Butler are all returning from the first film.
Movie of the Day: "Moscow on the Hudson" (1984)
Paul Mazursky directed this absolute gem of a movie, an unabashedly patriotic, sentimental and wonderful little story that celebrates the very best of what America represents to the thousands of immigrants who come here every year. It's really hard to make a movie so unashamedly patriotic- Frank Capra was one of the few filmmakers able to pull it off, but Mazursky here comes the closest of any other film since Hollywood's golden age to do so, and he does it a modern (well, 1980's modern), genuinely moving and warmly affectionate way. Robin Williams gives one of his all time best performances (none of his usual schtick is present here) as a Russian musician who defects to the U.S. on a trip to New York, and spends the rest of the film working a series of odd jobs, falling in love, and making friends with others sharing his similar circumstances. Mazursky populates the film entirely with immigrants or minorities as he salutes the melting pot that makes America so great- there's no nostalgic longing for the 1950's white man in charge version of traditional America here, and this was thirty years ago, people. That's partly why the movie still feels fresh today, maybe even more so than it did back then. It's a lovely, heartwarming film and everyone should check it out, especially on the week of America's birthday.
Original 1984 Trailer:
New 'Batman v Superman' Pics Revealed; See Lex Luthor and Wonder Woman Up Close
EW has the new stills from the BvS movie, and okay, that Lex Luthor pic is a joke, right? I mean, as if Jesse Eisenberg wasn't the least intimidating person you could find to be Superman's archnemesis, but they had to go and give him ridiculous hair on top of it? Are they trying to make it funny? At this point, I'm looking forward to this movie as the hot mess it's guaranteed to be- Marvel may have perfected a formula for slick and professional entertainment no matter what the property, but WB is the studio behind the epic disasters Green Lantern and Man of Steel- this is going to be glorious.
