Speaking of Weinstein, we haven't gotten a full trailer for Carol yet, but it's gotta be right around the corner, since it's coming out in the typical sweet spot of November 20th, right in time for Thanksgiving and a prime spot for awards consideration. It'll very likely be in the Oscar conversation after great reviews from Cannes, and I can almost guarantee you that its two actresses will both be nominated. It's really the Weinstein Co.'s only contender this year, so it can expect to get the full backing of the publicity machine, and that's good for director Todd Haynes, who's never been recognized by the Academy despite great movies like Far From Heaven, I'm Not There and Velvet Goldmine on his resume.
New 'Macbeth' Trailer Sells the Action
I don't know about this movie. It looks more like a Ridley Scott epic in the vein of Robin Hood and Kingdom of Heaven than a Shakespeare adaptation. That may be what it amounts to as well, because Harvey Weinstein isn't putting the usual muscle behind it for Oscar consideration, instead placing it in limited release December 4th, despite it having gotten positive reviews (so far) when it premiered at Cannes. I'd say don't get your hopes up to Shakespeare fans on this one.
10 Back-to-School Movies for the Month of September
Happy September, everyone! It's the start of a new month, and even though it's not officially fall, the moment September arrives, it sure does feel like it, doesn't it? This means it's time for a new theme of the month, which is back to school. We have 10 great movies in a school setting to celebrate, including some all time classics like Rebel Without a Cause, To Sir With Love and Carrie, along with modern classics like Clueless, The Social Network and Juno, all of them set in some kind a school, whether it focuses on the students or the teachers. So go to our Movies for Every Month page to read more about the description of the month and click here for th full list of ten films and trailers to kick off Back to School Month. Happy Movie Watching!
Blu-Ray Pick of the Week: "Peter Pan" (1955)
Remember how horrendous last year's Peter Pan Live! was that aired on NBC? Well, you can forget all about that, because the definitive, iconic version starring Mary Martin from 1955 has finally been released on blu-ray. This play broke mass records at the time it was broadcast, for both the 1955 and 56 audiences, and just watching it now you can see how triumphant the legendary Martin was in the role, and why this version remained so beloved for decades. It still works, because you can see the professionalism of the stage actors who'd played their parts on Broadway for years, unlike the ones hired for the live broadcasts now. It's a wonderful musical that will probably still be entertaining for little kids even today. Do them a favor and show it to them, will you?
Original 1956 TV Promo:
Eddie Redmayne Transitions in 'The Danish Girl' Trailer
Oscar alert, guys. Last year's Best Actor winner is almost surely headed for at least another nomination for this new film about the very first person known to have transitioned from a man to a woman. From Tom Hooper, back in King's Speech mode and less the schizophrenic manner in which he directed Les Mis, this luscious looking period film seems made for awards and frankly, looks like it's going to be pretty emotional as well. With two back to back transformative performances like this, Redmayne is certainly building quite the reputation for himself. The Danish Girl is premiering at Venice this week and being released on Nov 27th.
Will Smith Blows the Whistle on NFL Head Injuries in 'Concussion'
Will Smith has attempted to get back to making decent movies again, and in this trailer you are reminded that he really can be a good actor when he tries. The movie is about the doctor who discovered the trauma being caused to football players that was covered up and squashed by the NFL, so if anything I hope this story is enough to bring to light the serious injuries involved and maybe lead to some action being taken. Concussion comes out on Christmas Day.
Wes Craven 1939-2015
Horror movie maestro Wes Craven has passed away after a battle with brain cancer at the age of 76. Responsible for the massively successful Nightmare on Elm Street and Scream franchises, he was a legend of the genre, the creator of Freddy Krueger himself. Getting his start in the early 70's with horror films The Hills Have Eyes, The Last House on the Left, and Swamp Thing, he soon went on to write and direct A Nightmare on Elm Street in 1984, which spawned seven sequels and the crossover film Freddy vs. Jason, although Craven only directed the first film in the franchise and Wes Craven's New Nightmare. He directed all four films in the Scream series, which turned into a 90's phenomenon and ultimately birthed the Scream TV show currently airing on MTV. Other notable credits include the Meryl Streep drama Music of the Heart (1999), and the Rachel McAdams/Cillian Murphy thriller Red Eye (2005).
Original Trailer for A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984):
Original Trailer for Scream (1996):
BOX OFFICE 8/28-8/30: 'Straight Outta Compton' is #1 for Third Week; Zac Efron Delivers One of the Worst Bombs of of All Time
So we are really in the doldrums now, as the last week of August saw a massively slow weekend at the box office, with Straight Outta Compton topping for the third week, but with just $13 million. That brings its new total to $134 million, which makes it officially the highest grossing music biopic of all time, passing Walk the Line's $119 million from back in 2005. It actually did face some unexpected competition this weekend though, which came from the faith-based War Room, which was panned by critics (as usual), but managed to upend expectations by coming in with $11 million, much higher than was predicted. Every once in a while a faith based movie will open out of nowhere with big numbers like this (relatively speaking, since they're so cheap to make and rarely play in wide release, as this one opened in about 1500 theaters), reminding people that there's an audience out there for this stuff, one that will give it an ecstatic "A+" Cinemascore.
The rest of the five were rounded out by MI:5, which has now earned $170 million, the Owen Wilson thriller No Escape, which opened on Wednesday for $10 million over the five days, and Sinister 2, which fell 56% to an $18 million total. But the funniest news of the week was the wide release (over 2000 screens) of Zac Efron's We Are Your Friends, a movie that cost $2 million to make and earned just $1.8 million from all those theaters, officially making it one of the biggest failures in box office history. Not even kidding. This thing played in a lot of empty theaters this weekend, guys. That's quite a notorious record to pull off. Maybe he should take a weird kind of pride in it, because that's going to be a footnote on his filmography for the rest of his career, should it ever go anywhere.
Top 5:
- Straight Outta Compton- $13.2 million
- War Room- $11 million
- Mission: Impossible- Rogue Nation- $8.3 million
- No Escape- $8.2 million
- Sinister 2- $4.7 million
In limited news, Grandma continues to play well, expanding into 19 theaters with a $16k average, the highest of all films in release, so that's cool. That will join Mr. Holmes as an indie film that found an audience in older crowds which don't get a lot of offerings to their sensibilities. Next week it's bound to be another bust with the release of a Jason Statham-free Transporter sequel (why?) and Robert Redford's drama A Walk in the Woods, which has barely been advertized. See you guys then, as the slump continues (probably until The Maze Runner movie comes out in September).
A Tribute to Ingrid Bergman on Her 100th Birthday
I'm a day late on this, but it's worth wishing the dearly departed Hollywood legend Ingrid Bergman a belated birthday tribute, seeing as she would have been 100 years old, and this Criterion montage is a perfect distillation of her many great performances. My personal favorite roles of hers were in Notorious, Gaslight, The Bells of St. Mary's (a rare sequel that's a better movie than the first, which was the Best Picture winning Going My Way) and of course Casablanca, but who's not going to say that, right? Still, her Ilsa was an icon from the moment she walked through those doors at Rick's bar. Here's looking at you, Ingrid.
Amy Schumer and Jennifer Lawrence Dance on Billy Joel's Piano
If you didn't catch this the other day, here are new BFF's Amy Schumer and Jennifer Lawrence showing up at a Billy Joel concert to dance to Uptown Girl on his piano (if you haven't seen Trainwreck, Schumer lovingly makes fun of it being his worst song ever). Apparently the two are now writing a screenplay together for them to star in as sisters (I have a feeling Schumer's doing more of the actual writing there), but it's hard to say with those things if it'll ever come through.
Another Trailer for 'He Named Me Malala,' Documentary About Nobel Prize Winner Malala Yousafzai
In what I think will surely become the frontrunner for the Best Documentary Oscar this year, He Named Me Malala is being released on October 2nd by Fox Searchlight and is directed by past Oscar winner Davis Guggenheim (Waiting for Superman, An Inconvenient Truth). Bringing the story of the teenage Nobel Peace Prize winner to the screen, this one looks to be quite the tearjerker, in a good way.
The Avengers Take Sides for 'Captain America 3'
I don't know why they don't just re-title the third Captain America movie Avengers 3, since it looks like just about everyone will be in it and fighting each other except for Thor. Here's some concept art that was released the other day that kinda shows you who's teaming up against who. I guess they're going to explain to us how Bucky became an Avenger, right? Or did that happen already and I just forgot?
