26: 'Ant-Man' Tops Again as 'Pixels' Disappoints

Ant-Man had one more weekend at number one as the latest Adam Sandler movie to flop was Pixels, the dreadfully reviewed, nostalgia bait for Gen X-er's that apparently did not catch on (I guess Generation X isn't as prone to that craze as are millennials at the moment). It came in with $24 million, well under expectations of at least $60, and the weekend in general was kind of blah, as several new releases didn't make a whole lot of noise this week either. Everyone's talking again about the state of Adam Sandler's floundering career but whatever keeps him off movie screens and relegated to Netflix is good news for America if you ask me. The other bomb this week was Paper Towns, which was expected to hit $20 million but came in with $12, not even cracking the top five, which was surprising after last year's hit The Fault in Our Stars debuted with $48 million. I guess John Green isn't the new Nicholas Sparks after all.

Another debut, Southpaw with Jake Gyllenhaal, did open better than expected, coming with $16 million and enough to make the top five, attracting an adult audience crowd that's been starved for entertainment this summer and not going to many of the indie dramas that can sometimes draw their attention. Trainwreck saw a small drop of 43% this week, bringing its total over $60 million and looking like it will probably make over $100 million, which is a great success for Amy Schumer, and Minions came in third for a new total of $222 million.

Top 5:

Ant-Man- $24.8 million
Pixels- $24 million
Minions- $22 million
Trainwreck- 17.3 million
Southpaw- $16.5 million

As I've been saying all summer, there's not much going on limited release this year, but Amy is now the highest grossing documentary of 2015, with over $5 million in the bank, while Mr. Holmes still looks strong, making it into the top ten again and passing $6 million, so maybe if that continues it will be the independent success story of the year before Oscar season starts. Next week it's Mission: Impossible time, as the fifth installment in the franchise is getting great reviews (96% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes so far) and could maybe break out for its star Tom Cruise the way Ghost Protocol did four years ago. See you then!

Movie of the Day: "The Seven Year Itch" (1955)

Marilyn Monroe was already an icon at the time this movie was released, but the way she was portrayed in the film quickly turned her into something closer to the mythic sex goddess figure she would always be from then on, and the role itself couldn't help but seem made for her image. Tom Ewell is the dopey middle-aged man whose wife takes their kid out of the city for the summer, leaving him alone to fantasize over Marilyn, the bombshell who lives in the apartment above him. Marilyn herself is hardly a character here, more the embodiment of a living sex fantasy- the ditzy, sexy, childlike blonde that every man wants for himself. It's how she would always be seen in the eyes of men particularly, and the movie's worth seeing just for that, as a lot of it's very dated with the humor of the era. It's the last movie of our summer series this week, so have fun with it and happy movie watching!

Original 1955 Trailer:

'Game of Thrones' Faces Feature in New Trailer for 'Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials'

I honestly didn't realize the first Maze Runner movie was a big enough hit to warrant a sequel, but since it's coming out just a year after the original, I guess it was already in production. Looks very Hunger Games lite, of course, and hey, is that Lili Taylor? Where's she been hanging out lately? The Scorch Trials comes out September 18th.

Movie of the Day: "American Pie 2" (2001)

Okay, so about the American Pie movies- and if all you've ever heard about them was that they were guy movies filled with raunchy sex jokes, the truth is the series always had a core of sweetness to it (and I'm not kidding, as anyone who remembers seeing them will tell you- Porkys it was not). This is the summer entry, when Jim and his pals finished off their first year of college and spent their summer vacation at the lake, with parties and wacky sex shenanigans galore, but among all of that was the sweet budding romance between Jason Biggs' Jim and Alyson Hannigan's flute playing Michelle, and the rock solid Eugene Levy (in his second appearance in our series this week) as Jim's eternally understanding and oversharing dad. I have a soft spot for the first couple films in this series, as most of the characters and relationships in them were genuinely affectionate in the end, and this one was always my favorite of the bunch.

Original Trailer:

Julianne Moore and Ellen Page Fight For Their Rights in 'Freeheld'

Potential Oscar alert here, at least for the acting. The movie checks off the appropriate awards boxes, like tragedy, timely subject matter, etc. Plus Julianne Moore's coming off an Oscar win herself, so she may be nodded again for this one. Moore and Page play a couple who fight for the right to have Moore's property transferred to her partner in the event of her coming death- this was based on a true story from ten years ago, although the age difference between them is striking, at least to me. I don't just object to older men with young girls, anyone nearly thirty years older than the other person makes me raise an eyebrow (it may be unfair, but I can't help it).

Action-Packed New 'Mockingjay' Trailer Brings the Conclusion of the Series

Finally, it's almost over. More war and fighting breaks out in the last Hunger Games movie, with Katniss leading the battle, blah, blah, blah. Nothing looks very interesting about this, it's all just come to a tired and overlong end. Good. It is kind of funny how Jennifer Lawrence almost has to bend over to hug Josh Hutcherson though- why on earth did they ever cast a guy who's like three feet shorter than her as her love interest?

Movie of the Day: "Splash" (1984)

Tom Hanks's first hit movie was this adorable romantic comedy that's every bit as much fun today as it was back in the early 80's. Daryl Hannah is a mermaid who washes up onshore to track down Hanks's Allen Bauer, whom she believes is her true soulmate, and a literal fish out of water story progresses as she learns English, goes shopping, watches TV, goes ice skating and gets used to life in New York City. Eugene Levy is the government scientist charged with capturing her, but the appeal of this film comes strictly from the chemistry between Hanks and Hannah, and the scene stealing antics of John Candy and Levy in comedic support. Everyone is great in this movie, they all play their parts to the tee and that's why it still holds up today. If they were to make this movie now they'd probably think they needed an explanation or more examination of how mermaids can actually exist, but a fantasy premise like this really doesn't need it- she's a mermaid, she's here and you have to accept it. So simple that it works like a charm.

Original 1984 Trailer:

Chris Evans Makes His Directorial Debut With 'Before We Go'

Captain America is branching out, as Chris Evans takes the helm for this romantic drama, coming out September 4th. It's very obviously inspired by Before Sunrise, as two people meet by accident and spend a whole night together that changes everything, but I gotta say, I'm actually not that impressed by the acting in this trailer. Alice Eve doesn't seem to have a great screen presence and I don't see much spark between these two at all. I know you can't tell everything from the trailer, but when it stands out as lacking something just from the clipped scenes that could be a bad sign.

James Bond Travels to Mexico in New 'Spectre' Trailer

This looks pretty solid, but a couple of things I noticed right off the bat- 1) Roger Deakins' cinematography for Skyfall really added to the look of that movie that this one just doesn't have and it's immediately obvious, and 2) this is the first Bond film without Judi Dench in 20 years, and it's kind of funny that that's also immediately notable. Otherwise it looks like what you'd expect- there aren't normally two good Bond movies in a row, but hopefully with Sam Mendes back to direct, this one will break the mold.

Movie of the Day: "A Streetcar Named Desire" (1951)

Our next summer movie is this 1951 classic from Elia Kazan, featuring some of the all time greatest acting from all four of its leads (three of whom won Oscars for their roles), but particularly Marlon Brando and Vivien Leigh, who tower over everything, and nearly burn up the screen doing it. This is the movie that gave the world Brando of course, as the brutish Stanley Kowalski, a violent depiction of masculinity that both scares and excites his wife Stella (Kim Hunter), and threatens her sister Blanche Dubois (Leigh). Brando debuts his method acting style, which soon took over the world and became the new way of performing, and he's sensational in the part, but Vivien Leigh is every bit his equal as the desperate and abused Blanche, who falls victim to yet another man who mistreats her. The movie takes place in a hot, sweaty, claustrophobic tenement in New Orleans, where the characters are constantly forced to interact, with ultimately tragic consequences, as with most Tennessee Williams plays. This is a classic for a reason, and the one who didn't win that coveted Oscar for his role here? Funnily enough, it was Brando, the man who revolutionized film acting. How's that for irony?

Original 1951 Trailer:

BBC Names the 100 Greatest American Films

Everybody loves lists like these, right? Every time a new one comes out people like to parse it and argue it and yell at each other over what should and shouldn't have made the cut. But it's kind of fun anyway, to see what various organizations have come up with, and the BBC is no insignificant group, right? I don't know why they wanted to do only American films, but according to their poll, these are the one hundred greatest purely American movies ever made, and they've got some interesting new choices. Lots of love for David Lynch, as Blue Velvet and Mulholland Dr. came in extremely high here, higher than I've ever seen them on any other list like this. But not a single Coen Brothers movie- no Fargo? Really? I honestly don't know that The Dark Knight (much as I love it) deserves to be here over something like Fargo. And I'm sorry, but...The Lion King is the only Disney movie to make the cut? If you're going to choose a Renaissance era Disney movie (or any, come to think of it), who in their right mind would pick Lion King over Beauty and the Beast?

100. Ace in the Hole (Billy Wilder, 1951)
99. 12 Years a Slave (Steve McQueen, 2013)
98. Heaven’s Gate (Michael Cimino, 1980)
97. Gone With the Wind (Victor Fleming, 1939)
96. The Dark Knight (Christopher Nolan, 2008)
95. Duck Soup (Leo McCarey, 1933)
94. 25th Hour (Spike Lee, 2002)
93. Mean Streets (Martin Scorsese, 1973)
92. The Night of the Hunter (Charles Laughton, 1955)
91. ET: The Extra-Terrestrial (Steven Spielberg, 1982)
90. Apocalypse Now (Francis Ford Coppola, 1979)
89. In a Lonely Place (Nicholas Ray, 1950)
88. West Side Story (Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins, 1961)
87. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (Michel Gondry, 2004)
86. The Lion King (Roger Allers and Rob Minkoff, 1994)
85. Night of the Living Dead (George A Romero, 1968)
84. Deliverance (John Boorman, 1972)
83. Bringing Up Baby (Howard Hawks, 1938)
82. Raiders of the Lost Ark (Steven Spielberg, 1981)
81. Thelma & Louise (Ridley Scott, 1991)
80. Meet Me in St Louis (Vincente Minnelli, 1944)
79. The Tree of Life (Terrence Malick, 2011)
78. Schindler’s List (Steven Spielberg, 1993)
77. Stagecoach (John Ford, 1939)
76. The Empire Strikes Back (Irvin Kershner, 1980)
75. Close Encounters of the Third Kind (Steven Spielberg, 1977)
74. Forrest Gump (Robert Zemeckis, 1994)
73. Network (Sidney Lumet, 1976)
72. The Shanghai Gesture (Josef von Sternberg, 1941)
71. Groundhog Day (Harold Ramis, 1993)
70. The Band Wagon (Vincente Minnelli, 1953)
69. Koyaanisqatsi (Godfrey Reggio, 1982)
68. Notorious (Alfred Hitchcock, 1946)
67. Modern Times (Charlie Chaplin, 1936)
66. Red River (Howard Hawks, 1948)
65. The Right Stuff (Philip Kaufman, 1965)
64. Johnny Guitar (Nicholas Ray, 1954)
63. Love Streams (John Cassavetes, 1984)
62. The Shining (Stanley Kubrick, 1980)
61. Eyes Wide Shut (Stanley Kubrick, 1999)
60. Blue Velvet (David Lynch, 1986)
59. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (Miloš Forman, 1975)
58. The Shop Around the Corner (Ernst Lubitsch, 1940)
57. Crimes and Misdemeanors (Woody Allen, 1989)
56. Back to the Future (Robert Zemeckis, 1985)
55. The Graduate (Mike Nichols, 1967)
54. Sunset Boulevard (Billy Wilder, 1950)
53. Grey Gardens (Albert and David Maysles, Ellen Hovde and Muffie Meyer, 1975)
52. The Wild Bunch (Sam Peckinpah, 1969)
51. Touch of Evil (Orson Welles, 1958)
50. His Girl Friday (Howard Hawks, 1940)
49. Days of Heaven (Terrence Malick, 1978)
48. A Place in the Sun (George Stevens, 1951)
47. Marnie (Alfred Hitchcock, 1964)
46. It’s a Wonderful Life (Frank Capra, 1946)
45. The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (John Ford, 1962)
44. Sherlock Jr (Buster Keaton, 1924)
43. Letter from an Unknown Woman (Max Ophüls, 1948)
42. Dr Strangelove (Stanley Kubrick, 1964)
41. Rio Bravo (Howard Hawks, 1959)
40. Meshes of the Afternoon (Maya Deren and Alexander Hammid, 1943)
39. The Birth of a Nation (DW Griffith, 1915)
38. Jaws (Steven Spielberg, 1975)
37. Imitation of Life (Douglas Sirk, 1959)
36. Star Wars (George Lucas, 1977)
35. Double Indemnity (Billy Wilder, 1944)
34. The Wizard of Oz (Victor Fleming, 1939)
33. The Conversation (Francis Ford Coppola, 1974)
32. The Lady Eve (Preston Sturges, 1941)
31. A Woman Under the Influence (John Cassavetes, 1974)
30. Some Like It Hot (Billy Wilder, 1959)
29. Raging Bull (Martin Scorsese, 1980)
28. Pulp Fiction (Quentin Tarantino, 1994)
27. Barry Lyndon (Stanley Kubrick, 1975)
26. Killer of Sheep (Charles Burnett, 1978)
25. Do the Right Thing (Spike Lee, 1989)
24. The Apartment (Billy Wilder, 1960)
23. Annie Hall (Woody Allen, 1977)
22. Greed (Erich von Stroheim, 1924)
21. Mulholland Drive (David Lynch, 2001)
20. Goodfellas (Martin Scorsese, 1990)
19. Taxi Driver (Martin Scorsese, 1976)
18. City Lights (Charlie Chaplin, 1931)
17. The Gold Rush (Charlie Chaplin, 1925)
16. McCabe & Mrs Miller (Robert Altman, 1971)
15. The Best Years of Our Lives (William Wyler, 1946)
14. Nashville (Robert Altman, 1975)
13. North by Northwest (Alfred Hitchcock, 1959)
12. Chinatown (Roman Polanski, 1974)
11. The Magnificent Ambersons (Orson Welles, 1942)
10. The Godfather Part II (Francis Ford Coppola, 1974)
9. Casablanca (Michael Curtiz, 1942)
8. Psycho (Alfred Hitchcock, 1960)
7. Singin’ in the Rain (Stanley Donen and Gene Kelly, 1952)
6. Sunrise (FW Murnau, 1927)
5. The Searchers (John Ford, 1956)
4. 2001: A Space Odyssey (Stanley Kubrick, 1968)
3. Vertigo (Alfred Hitchcock, 1958)
2. The Godfather (Francis Ford Coppola, 1972)
1. Citizen Kane (Orson Welles, 1941)

Sp there you have it. There are some eclectic choices and a lot of new movies overall, but they were too chicken to change the top two from anything other than The Godfather/Citizen Kane, which have dominated the title of "Greatest American Movie" for decades now. Not that I disagree with it, but I'm not sure that a consensus should form on what absolutely HAS to be number one on any of these lists, no matter who's choosing. What do you guys think of the choices?

Dinosaurs and Humans Roam the Earth in First Trailer for 'The Good Dinosaur'

Eh- not too sure about this one. Pixar's new movie says the meteor that wiped out the dinosaurs happened to miss the planet, so dinosaurs and man ended up co-existing, but the plot of this movie essentially looks like another Ice Age, as a nice dino befriends a little human boy. I assume he's helping him get back to his people, right? That's what it looks like anyway. Yeah, not too original. It comes out at Thanksgiving, but my guess is this is no threat to Inside Out in the Oscar race for Animated Feature.