By most accounts it really hasn't been a great Cannes film festival this year, although there are always going to be some gems worth seeking out. But there's been no splashy premieres to keep watch for later on. This one though, has definitely got my attention. It's the latest film from the 77-year-old Paul Verhoeven, the man who gave us Robocop, Basic Instinct, Total Recall, and of course the notorious disasters of Starship Troopers and Showgirls. The guy goes all out and when he fails, he fails big, but on the other hand, there's also nothing like him, and his great movies can be great in the best, trashiest ways. His last movie was 2006's Black Book, a darkly entertaining WWII thriller that's sooo good- everyone should see it. So I'm happy to report that this film, about a rape victim played by French actress Isabelle Huppert, actually got a seven minute standing ovation and is amazingly, looking to be the best reviewed film of his career, with one of the best performances of Huppert's. It's coming out in the U.S. on Nov 11th. I can't wait.
First Look at Emma Watson as Belle in 'Beauty and the Beast' Teaser
Well, here it is. The first teaser for the live-action remake of one of the great animated films of all time. And Disney sure is milking it, aren't they? Playing that iconic Alan Menken score that's bound to bring back childhood memories of every kid who grew up in the 90's, or today's millennials- the same ones who made Jurassic World such a monstrous hit because they liked hearing that John Williams score again too. This will of course be a megahit, but there's something off about its very existence. Every inch of it is intended to make you recall the cartoon, and none of it will live up to that film in any way, which everyone already knows but doesn't care about. Can't wait to see the teaser for the all CG Lion King that plugs "Circle of Life," and eventually The Little Mermaid that plays the first notes of "Part of Your World." You guys know you can actually go back and watch these old movies, right? On its own terms, Emma Watson is a nice person but has always been a really terrible actress (and Belle was not British), and what on earth is Ewan MacGregor doing with that Lumiere voice? Yikes.
BOX OFFICE 5/20-5/22: 'The Angry Birds Movie' Takes Down 'Civil War'
Well, this was expected, as Universal's animated comedy based on the popular smartphone app (lord, where is society heading? I guess this bodes well for next year's Emoji Movie), took in 39 million, enough for first place, as Captain America came in third with 33 million on its third weekend. Interestingly, the legs haven't exactly been spectacular on Civil War, and yet it's already made 347 million domestic and crossed 1 billion worldwide in just about record time. The fourth MCU movie to do so. It will probably wind up with over 1.2 billion in the end, and yet for some reason it doesn't seem to have captured the zeitgeist of something like Deadpool, for example. Weird, how successful branding breeds continual success amidst ever lessening hype.
The new releases underwhelmed this weekend, as Neighbors 2 came in with 21 million when it was expected to exceed 30- and yet it may not have much to worry about, seeing as there are no other comedies out right now or in the foreseeable future, so legs could be fairly strong. It won't match the 150 million total of the first one though. The Nice Guys hit fourth with 11 million, underwhelming as it seems it's the kind of old-fashioned, big name original movie that people simply aren't interested in seeing anymore, sadly. And The Jungle Book rounded out the top five with another 11 million, continuing Disney's 2016 dominance.
Top 5:
- The Angry Birds Movie- 39 million
- Captain America: Civil War- 33 million
- Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising- 21 million
- The Nice Guys- 11.3 million
- The Jungle Book- 11 million
In limited release, it may be worth mentioning that A24's The Lobster is doing very well in the specialty market, making 408k this weekend as it expanded to 24 screens and has earned over 1 million total, before coming out in wide release on May 27th. Next week it's X-Men: Apocalypse, which already opened with 103 million overseas and will probably do well next weekend over Memorial Day, although mixed-negative reviews could hurt it, as well as being up against Alice Through the Looking Glass along with superhero fatigue in general. We'll see. See you next week everyone.
2nd 'Star Trek Beyond' Trailer is New and Improved
Now this is big step up from the first teaser. Seriously, why wasn't this the first one released? Petty much nobody liked that first trailer for Star Trek Beyond, but this new one seems to get it all right and make the movie look good, which I'm still hopeful for, because I love this series. I do not trust this Justin Lin guy, not being a fan of the Fast and Furious movies, even though a lot of people are. But I do love this cast and these characters, so I'm always going to root for it, especially on this 50th anniversary year of Star Trek itself. The movie is premiering at Comic-Con in July, on an outdoor IMAX screen, for fans lucky enough to go.
And how awesome is this poster, by the way?
New 'Ghostbusters' Trailer Plays Up Special Effects
So, in answer to that original trailer, which ended up being the most "disliked' one in youtube history (for reasons having entirely nothing to do with the quality of the trailer itself, even if it wasn't terrific), this new one seems to be throwing all the CGI at you, which isn't that impressive either, frankly. I don't have a good feeling about this film, but I'm more annoyed by the fact that if it isn't good, it's only going to get shit on even more by the insanely sexist and misogynistic trolls out there who seem to get their kicks off of hating on something simply for existing. It's really gross, and I want this movie to be good in spite of the negative buzz, just to prove them wrong.
Trailer for Horror Movie 'Don't Breathe'
This looks a little like the inverse of 1967's Wait Until Dark, the movie where a blind Audrey Hepburn is preyed upon by criminals. This time the blind guy is a badass who mows down the home invaders. Looks like B-movie stuff, but might be kinda fun. It's coming out August 26th.
New Trailer for 'The Light Between Oceans'
I thought this looked melodramatic before, and this new peek at it confirms that tenfold, but who knows, maybe the acting will be good enough to save it. Sometimes people like a good tearjerker, and everyone in this looks great, from Fassbender and Vikander to the always overlooked Rachel Weisz. Maybe this will turn out to be something after all.
BOX OFFICE 5/13-5/15: 'Captain America' Dominates Again; 'Money Monster' So-So
Unsurprisingly, Civil War held on to the top spot at the box office this weekend, falling about 59 percent to 72 million, which brings its domestic total to 295 million, already past both previous Captain America films. But, since it's really another Avengers movie anyway, I guess that really shouldn't be too impressive. Its global total is now at 940 million, and it's expected to blow past the billion dollar mark in the next two weeks. In second place, Disney also held on with The Jungle Book, taking in another 17 million for over 300 million domestic and now 840 million worldwide. It's Disney's world, you guys, we're just living in it.
George Clooney and Julia Roberts's Money Monster came in third, with an okay 15 million despite mixed reviews after it debuted at the Cannes film festival over the weekend. Jodie Foster directed the film, and it already looks to be her highest grossing project as a filmmaker. Mother's Day plummeted after a small boost last week thanks to the holiday, and The Darkness rounded out the top five with around five million.
Top 5:
- Captain America: Civil War- 72.5 million
- The Jungle Book- 17.8 million
- Money Monster- 15 million
- The Darkness- 5 million
- Mother's Day- 3.3 million
In limited release, A24's The Lobster had the highest specialty opening of the year with a 47k per screen average and 188k on four screens. In other news, Zootopia continues to soar overseas, having now earned 970 million globally and seems likely to make it past 1 billion, one of the few original movies to do so. Next week it's The Angry Birds Movie, Neighbors 2 and The Nice Guys, all of which have the potential to do well, although Nice Guys may be more of a question mark. See you then.
Michael Fassbender Stars in 'Assassin's Creed' Teaser
There seems to be some hype for this movie coming out in December, and I'm not sure why. As far as I know, there has never been a single live action adaptation of a video game to ever approach even mediocre quality. And no, don't say the Tomb Raider movies if that's what you're thinking of, because as always, there's a difference between quality and success. Those were shit. And why would this one be any different, exactly? Because of the pedigree? Actors like Michael Fassbender and Marion Cotillard, who by the way, just starred together in the last movie that this guy Justin Kerzel directed, which was Macbeth and which completely bombed last year. I just don't see any reason to give video game adaptations the benefit of the doubt, until one actually proves itself. And this one looks a lot like the others to me.
First Trailer for Ang Lee's 'Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk'
Well, on first glance this sure looks like something that would be Oscar caliber...then again, Kristen Stewart is in it. Okay, aside from my rather violent reaction to seeing her ever unchanging, inexpressive face constantly showing up in trailers lately, they are usually for movies that I will NEVER see, so whatever. But Ang Lee is a director who I will always give the benefit of the doubt to, so this one I have to be curious about, and I don't know if I can bring myself to see a movie that she's in. Still, he's definitely taking some risks with the filmmaking here, so that's interesting. Varying frame rates, which are obvious, etc. The story doesn't seem all that new, but maybe Lee's vision can bring some life to something that seems familiar? One would hope, but again...Kristen Stewart. Not a good sign.
Ben Affleck is a Genius in 'The Accountant'
This is a really vague trailer, but I can tell you right now that I will never buy Ben Affleck as a math genius or whatever it is he's supposed to be here. He really has two notes as an actor- comedic, which is the thing he can actually do well (see Dazed and Confused, Shakespeare in Love or even Good Will Hunting) and the other note...well, I'm just gonna call it vacant. He stares blankly a lot in dramatic movies. This looks like another one of those.
Tom Hanks is Joined by Felicity Jones for 'Inferno' Trailer
For those who are interested in the next installment of what I'm pretty sure is the most forgettable ongoing franchise of the moment, here's Inferno, the continuation of Ron Howard's adaptations of the Dan Brown historical action books. I have to admit, I've never seen any of these, even though I did read The Da Vinci Code way back when it was the most popular airport novel of 2006/7. That was about all I needed of these stories though.
