Jon Favreau's live action take on Disney's The Jungle Book looks a lot darker and more action-packed than the cartoon did. And virtually everything in this except Mowgli is CGI, as we knew it would be. Kind of interesting that they only show Kaa talking, as I think all the animals are going to be talking and possibly singing too, or at least Bill Murray is as Baloo, but we only hear a slight tease of "The Bare Necessities" at the end. Frankly, I never think CG animals look like the real things, so it all looks a bit off to me, but I'm sure it's going to be a big hit anyway.
Emma Watson and Daniel Bruhl Star in 'Colonia'
Emma Watson seems to be in a lot of movies these days, which means she's on the casting lists for agents everywhere. I honestly have no idea why- she's adorable but everyone saw the Harry Potter movies, right? She cannot act to save her life. I'm sorry, but it's true. Anyway, this movie just premiered at TIFF to middling reviews, so don't expect much from it.
Stallone Trains Michael B. Jordan in New 'Creed' Trailer
I thought the first trailer for this Rocky spinoff movie was better, but it still looks pretty good. And they're not really going to kill off Rocky are they??? I don't know if that would be the thing that gives the movie street cred or whatever, but come on...does anyone really want to watch Rocky Balboa die? Even if you can barely understand a word he's saying in this trailer, he's still Rocky, man.
BOX OFFICE 9/11-9/13: 'The Perfect Guy' and 'The Visit' Put Some Life Back in the Box Office
Two new thrillers debuted this weekend, and both of them exceeded expectations to earn openings in the mid-$20 million range. The Perfect Guy landed in first by a hair, although the numbers are close enough that they could change when the official non-estimates come in tomorrow, but the movie opened with $26 million and an "A-" Cinemascore from audiences. The Visit meanwhile scored about $25 million and marks something of a mini-comeback for M. Night Shyamalan, since this is his first film since the bomb After Earth.
The other new release this weekend was a new faith-based film called 90 Minutes in Heaven, which opened in 838 theaters to over $2 million. But the rest of the top five was filled out by holdovers, starting with War Room, which took in another $7 million and has now grossed almost $40 million, A Walk in the Woods, closing in on $20 million overall, and Mission: Impossible, which surpassed Straight Outta Compton to spend its seventh weekend in the top five, bringing its total close to $190 million domestic.
Top 5:
- The Perfect Guy- $26.7 million
- The Visit- $25.7 million
- War Room- $7.4 million
- A Walk in the Woods- $4.7 million
- Mission: Impossible- Rogue Nation- $4.2 million
In limited release, the romantic comedy Sleeping With Other People opened on 5 screens to a $20k average, while Grandma passed $2 million while still on just 130 screens, a big success so far for the independent film. Next week it's Johnny Depp's potential comeback role with the gangster drama Black Mass, which will face off against the Maze Runner sequel in wide release, while the mountain climbing drama Everest opens on 400 IMAX screens only. We're about to be swamped with adult audience movies for the fall season people, so stay tuned to see which ones can break out while others inevitably get lost in the crowd.
Celebrate the 30th Anniversary of 'Back to the Future' with New Documentary 'Back in Time'
There's been a resurgence of appreciation for this all time classic recently, even though of all films I never thought this one was lacking in the appropriate amount of appreciation. I mean, doesn't virtually everyone love this movie? Here's the new trailer for a crowd-funded documentary that remembers the impact and talks about the importance of Back to the Future, once again in the year of its 30th. It really is one of those movies that remains timeless, despite the fact that it made use of a lot of very specific dates and years.
Sarah Silverman Tries Her Hand at Drama With 'I Smile Back'
In a dramatic turn for her, Sarah Silverman goes all out for a gutsy performance as a drug addicted housewife in this new film coming out Oct. 23rd, and she looks pretty good! Kinda funny, both she and Josh Charles had guest arcs on Masters of Sex this year at the same time, so I guess they're pretty familiar with each other. This movie is showing at Toronto and played at Sundance earlier this year- even if it doesn't go anywhere, I think Silverman could have a definite career in drama if she wanted to.
Michael Moore Is Back With New Documentary 'Where to Invade Next'
So the erstwhile Michael Moore made his latest film, his first since 2009's Capitalism: A Love Story, basically in secret over the last few years, and suddenly announced he was premiering it at TIFF just weeks ago. It actually debuted last night, and while it got a warm reception and was said to be funny and provocative as always, it was also said that Moore seems to have lost the fiery passion and outrage that fueled the biggest docs of the filmmaker's career (coincidentally, they all came out during the Bush administration). Moore seems to be in a better mood these days, but this new movie still argues for America to adopt many policies of other western countries that do a lot of things better.
Monsters Attack in 'The Hallow' Trailer
Now for some more traditional horror, although I have no idea why this film is coming out November 6th instead of a week before, which would be in time for, you know, Halloween. The Hallow was a British-Irish co-production that played at Sundance to some very positive notices and it indeed looks pretty scary. Monsters in the woods are always an inherently creepy premise, but I like the Irish woodland creatures/fairies aspect to it. It's showing on VOD around the same time, so if you're in the mood for some true thrills, look out for this one.
Horror Comes For the Holidays in 'Krampus' Trailer
Okay, this looks...odd. It's from the director of 2007's Trick 'r Treat, which definitely had its fans, and I really like the cast here, from Adam Scott to Toni Collette and hey, is that Allison Tolman from Fargo? There might be something a little bit subversive about this. It's coming out Dec 4th, and for a weird comedy- horror movie, it doesn't look too bad. Of course, it depends on whether they pulled the tone off, but I'm getting a possible Shaun of the Dead vibe from it.
Chloe Grace Moretz Battles Aliens in 'The 5th Wave'
If it wasn't for the January 15th release date, I would say this doesn't look too bad- that is, for being based on a YA sci-fi novel. Low expectations for those. Aliens attack the earth in this one, leaving teen Chloe Moretz to fight them off as they inhabit the bodies of ordinary humans, so kind of an Invasion of the Body Snatchers thing. Again, I would say it doesn't look totally awful, but never trust a movie coming out in January.
Telluride 2015 Round-Up: 'Steve Jobs' Rises in the Oscar Race; Acting Contenders Emerge for 'Black Mass' and 'Suffragette'
The Telluride Festival has become the go-to destination for the Oscar race. Six of the past seven Best Picture winners screened at Telluride first before going on to Oscar glory, and the past five in a row. A pattern can always be broken, but if recent history is any indicator, the Best Picture of 2015 has already been seen by festival goers (of which there are many Academy members at this particular fest). So which one got the best reception?
First off we have Room, a harrowing independent film from Lenny Abrahamson, the director of Frank, starring Brie Larsen of Short Term 12, and the early word is that the performances in this film are everything. Larsen is incredible once again, and should be in the conversation for Best Actress (just like she should have been for Short Term 12 two years ago). It's a tough, dramatic performance about a kidnap victim and her young son, with Jacob Tremblay also receiving excellent reviews here, but we have to see if the tiny studio A24 can pull off a successful Oscar campaign, which it hasn't been able to yet. We'll see, but I'm a big Brie Larsen fan, so I'm definitely keeping an eye out for this one.
"'Room' has unforgettable, must-witness performances and its soulful mother and son narrative is one of the most touching dynamics you'll see in theaters this year." (The Playlist)
"Lenny Abrahamson guides Jacob Tremblay to the finest performance by a young actor since Quvenzhané Wallis in 'Beasts of the Southern Wild.'" (Hitfix)
Next we have Suffragette, which I mentioned a couple of days ago premiered to respectable reviews, but now that a few more are in, it appears that the reaction from critics and apparently festival goers was fairly muted. I'm guessing people didn't really want to dump on a movie made entirely by women and about such an important topic, but it doesn't look like the film overall will be too enthusiastically received. Its best shot is still Carey Mulligan in Best Actress, but we'll have to see how kind critics will be to this when it officially comes out.
"A picture whose politics prove rather more commendable than its artistry." (Variety)
"It's a tremendous, awards-worthy performance from Carey Mulligan." (Time Out)
"Screenwriter Abi Morgan isn't able to make the fictional Maud more interesting than her historical counterparts." (Hitfix)
Now we come to the big hit of the festival, Danny Boyle's Steve Jobs, which debuted to outstanding reviews and high enthusiasm, especially for Michael Fassbender's performance in the title role, but also for Aaron Sorkin's dazzling script. Described as a bold, operatic and unconventionally filmed and structured biopic about the American icon, it drew some comparisons to last year's Birdman (I guess in terms of its cinematography), and I think we're looking at a major, across-the-board contender from the sound of it. Picture, Actor, Director, Supporting Actress, Screenplay, the works. There are some divisive responses over how accessible it is, but that certainly didn't stop Birdman last year, did it? I'm predicting big things for this movie going forward. It comes out October 9th.
"Screenwriter Aaron Sorkin, who's written about America's Great Flawed Men with such fire and hyperarticulate pathos that he's threatened to become one himself, outdoes his work on 'The Social Network' with an even sharper and more savage script." (Time Out)
"An enthralling performance by Michael Fassbender fuels this brilliant, infuriating and richly unconventional take on the life of an American visionary." (Variety)
"Racing in high gear from start to finish, Danny Boyle’s electric direction temperamentally complements Sorkin’s highly theatrical three-act study." (Hollywood Reporter)
Finally, there's Johnny Depp's rumored comeback role (although he hasn't really gone anywhere, he's just made some bad movies lately) as the mob boss Whitey Bulger in Black Mass, which is hard to tell from the reaction whether it's a decent movie at all, or a good one but just not much of an awards play. Depp will for sure be in contention for Best Actor, and Joel Edgerton is receiving standout notices as well, but this seems to be a film that some really like a lot but others dismiss as slightly above average. We'll have to see where it lands with more critics and a mass audience (this one looks to be more commercial) which will be soon since it's coming out September 18th.
"Scott Cooper’s 'Black Mass' is a big, brash, horribly watchable gangster picture taken from an extraordinary true story and conceived on familiar generic lines." (The Guardian)
"This is Depp’s show all the way, featuring his best dramatic performance since another organized-crime movie, 1997’s “Donnie Brasco.” (The Wrap)
"As a movie, 'Black Mass' often drowns its dramatic potential in a dreary atmosphere and grisly violence used to dubious effect. Depp, however, operates on another level." (Indiewire)
If you ask me, I'd say the major contenders to emerge out of Telluride and Venice this year were Steve Jobs and Spotlight (the latter, left, played very well at Telluride, even better than it did at Venice, which is a very good sign). Keep an eye out for those as we plow forward, with Toronto set to start to tomorrow. TIFF's stock has dipped in recent years as far as Oscar potential goes, but they still have some significant movies to premiere (Our Brand is Crisis, The Martian), so stay tuned.
Brie Larsen Rescues Herself and Her Child in Trailer for 'Room'
As I mention in my Telluride roundup today, I really think Brie Larsen is insanely talented, so I can't wait to see this movie, but I have to admit it does look potentially wrenching to sit through. Apparently it's a tearjerker, but how could it not be considering the subject matter? This is pretty dark stuff, as was the novel it's based on. But I'm checking it out as soon as I can anyway.
