This movie still doesn't have a North American distributor yet, but it's coming out in the UK in October. Even just from this trailer, it looks to me like Ben Foster really nailed it as Lance Armstrong here- I almost forgot who he was in two minutes alone. Stephen Frears directed this, and he's a solid filmmaker who made Philomena, The Queen, High Fidelity and Dirty Pretty Things, among others, so I'm not sure what the holdup is on a release over here. We'll just have to keep an eye out, I guess.
Romance Blooms Between Bradley Cooper and Sienna Miller in New 'Burnt' Trailer
Another look at Burnt, the movie about Bradley Cooper's chef that got saddled with a really stupid title, but the movie itself doesn't look too bad. It's not meant to be an awards player, but it's coming out in October amid all those awards titles anyway, looking to hit commercially, although I believe it's going to be a limited release. Let's hope it fares better than Bradley Cooper's other movie this year, Aloha.
BOX OFFICE 9/25-9/27: 'Hotel Transylvania 2' Sets a New September Record
The family audience has been starved for content for a while, and they flocked to theaters this weekend to see the Hotel Transylvania sequel, which pulled in 47 million for a new record for September. The original made 42 million in 2012, and that also sets it up as Sony's biggest hit this year. Expect it to stick around for a while with most of that market to itself, unless Pan happens to break out in a couple of weeks.
In second place was Nancy Meyers' The Intern, which did a better than expected 18 million over the weekend- also targeting an older, female heavy demo that hasn't had any films aimed at them in months. The movie snagged an A- Cinemascore, so we'll see if that one can stick around with the onslaught of adult oriented films in the coming weeks. Everest meanwhile, did less than expected after its strong IMAX start last weekend- it only brought in 13 million for a 23 million total so far, a slow start, one of Universal's only ones this year, although it has done well overseas, with a worldwide total of just about 100 million already. Black Mass and The Scorch Trials rounded out the top five, with Black Mass falling a steep 49 percent since last week, not boding so well for the film's awards prospects, of which Depp remains its strongest bet.
Top 5:
- Hotel Transylvania 2- 47.5 million
- The Intern- 18.2 million
- Maze Runner 2: The Scorch Trials- 14 million
- Everest- 13.3 million
- Black Mass- 11.5 million
In limited release, Sicario continues to do well, earning a high 30k per screen average in 59 theaters ahead of its nationwide expansion next week, although it will be facing direct competition from The Martian. And Stonewall bombed hard, pulling in just 842 dollars per theater on 129 screens, one of the lowest PTA's I've ever seen. Yikes. Next week it's The Martian and the IMAX only release of The Walk- it should be a big weekend, as The Martian has gotten spectacular reviews and is said to be a big crowdpleaser, so we'll see. Stay tuned.
Movie of the Day: "Far From Heaven" (2002)
We started off the week with a Douglas Sirk melodrama and so it's a perfect cap to conclude with a tribute to Sirk, this 2002 film made by Todd Haynes as direct homage to Sirk's canon, and All That Heaven Allows in particular. This exquisite drama was made in the style of a 1950's film, right down to the way it was shot, written and acted by the principle players, yet it went one step further in dealing with things under the surface beyond what Sirk could have dared to (although he undoubtedly would have had his films been made just a number of years later). Julianne Moore is a lonely housewife who once again falls in love with her gardener, but this time he happens to be an African-American man played by Dennis Haysbert, and her husband neglects her not due to his work, but because he's a gay man suffering the stifling effects of the closet. It's a gorgeous, movingly rendered film for which Moore should have won her Best Actress Oscar, and not for last year's Still Alice. I still think to this day it's her best performance.
Trailer:
Movie of the Day: "The Straight Story" (1999)
In 1999, David Lynch of all people directed this very straightforward, sentimental film about an elderly man named Alvin Straight who travels from Iowa to Wisconsin on a lawnmower in order to visit his estranged brother, played by Harry Dean Stanton. It was based on a true story and there were no typical, Lynchian, surreal twists on the material- he just told the story as it was, letting the movie rest on the performance of Richard Farnsworth, who received an Oscar nomination for the role. Sadly, Farnsworth was terminally ill with bone cancer at the time of filming, and committed suicide not long afterwards, at the age of 80 years old, a sad end to a life spent acting in films and television since 1937. The movie takes place in September, making it a perfect fit for out fall theme this week.
Trailer:
New Poster for 'Creed' Evokes Rocky Memories
The buzz on Creed is that it's pretty good, even though it's not coming out until November and I'm not quite sure where this early buzz is coming from- maybe it's had some early screenings, but there's no critical word yet and for all we know it could be studio plants. But since the movie was written and directed by Ryan Coogler, whose first movie was Fruitvale Station, I wouldn't be surprised if it was at least decent. And it does have the Rocky nostalgia going for it, which is quite powerful and goes back a long ways. Hopefully this one can be as uplifting as the first, bring back some of that original underdog theme.
Cate Blanchett Takes on the Dan Rather Story in 'Truth'
The second movie about journalism to come out of Toronto, Truth got mostly positive reviews, but excellent notices in particular for Cate Blanchett's performance, with most stating it's one of the best of her career, even better than her Oscar-winning role in Blue Jasmine. She plays Mary Mapes, the 60 Minutes producer whose career was destroyed by the Bush administration, along with Dan Rather's, when the news magazine program fumbled the story on the president's National Guard service back in 2004. This film is explicitly political and takes the side of Mapes and Rather, so it will definitely be facing some controversy, no matter how good the performances are- I personally can't wait to see it. Sony Pictures Classics waited quite a while to release a trailer, since the movie is coming out on October 16th, but here it is. Keep a look out.
Movie of the Day: "Autumn Sonata" (1978)
In 1978 it was a big deal to see a Bergman/Bergman collaboration (no relation), those two icons of Swedish cinema, and Ingrid Bergman herself a Hollywood legend. This was her last performance in a feature film, one where she played a neglectful mother who has a tearjerking and harrowing (as most Ingmar Bergman movies were) reunion with her daughter. Liv Ullmann, the director's frequent muse, matched every beat of Bergman's portrayal, but Ingrid Bergman of course was the one to receive the Oscar nomination, also her last. It's a sad but powerful film that explores the complicated mother/daughter relationship- Bergman was always interested in female psyches and familial relationships, and this was also his last film not made originally for television. Both Bergmans chose a good one to go out on.
Original 1978 Trailer:
Another Look at the Upcoming 'Peanuts' Movie
I've lost track of how many trailers have actually come out for this movie by now, but I guess they're wary of kids' excitement for it. Speaking of voice actors, at least in this one they kept the original Peanuts thing of having actual kids voice the characters, but I guess they had to. Couldn't really imagine Bill Hader as Linus, could you? I'm crossing my fingers this will be at least decent, to do justice to the Schulz legacy.
First Teaser For the 'Angry Birds' Movie
All you Angry Birds obsessives, here's your first look at the much anticipated (?) movie coming out next May. It basically looks like your typical animated kids stuff with all the required comedians in the world lending their voice acting ability- I have a question. Do the names on the credits actually help sell these movies to anyone? Whatever happened to specific voice actor talent that used to be hired to do voices for animated features? I just seriously doubt that people like Bill Hader and Jason Sudeikis lend box office might to a movie about angry birds.
Movie of the Day: "You've Got Mail" (1998)
Nora Ephron, the queen of romantic comedy filmmaking in the late 80's and 90's, made one of her most enduring films in 1998 (seriously, how many times a day is this movie playing on one channel or another?), which is ironic, considering how dated it's become in the subject matter. Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan meet in an internet chatroom (remember those?) and fall in love online, but can't stand each other in real life. Oldest premise in the book, right? Not only that, but it's a remake of The Shop Around the Corner, a Jimmy Stewart/June Allyson comedy from 1940- but I'll bet you today more people have seen this movie than have even heard of the original, sadly. But what can I say about You've Got Mail, except that it's proven itself endlessly watchable due to the charm of its actors and lightness of tone. It celebrates New York in the fall, old-fashioned bookstores, true love right around the corner and Tom Hanks at his most un-actorly, authentic, Jimmy Stewart-esque self. Who can resist?
Trailer:
Christian Bale and Ryan Gosling Take on Wall Street in 'The Big Short'
A last minute entry into this year's Oscar race has just been given a cushy December release date and a premiere at the AFI Film Festival in November, and the oddest thing about it is that it's from Adam McKay of all people. A group of key financial players including Christian Bale, Steve Carell, Ryan Gosling and Brad Pitt (the movie's bound to get attention based on the cast alone) decide to bet against the banks and profit from the oncoming financial crisis in 2006- a true story based on the non-fiction book by Michael Lewis, who wrote Moneyball and The Blind Side. Does the director of Anchorman and Talladega Nights have what it takes to make a serious drama (even if this does look like there's some comedy sprinkled throughout)? I guess we'll find out this year.
