This would be sci-fi blockbuster is slated for Christmas, and as a very rare, big studio original screenplay being sold entirely on the basis of the two stars involved, it's the kind of movie you want to succeed, since they pretty much never make these anymore. But, I don't know. What do you guys think? Looks like a pretty generic action space movie to me, and if it's being sold on the two of them, the fact that they don't look to have an ounce of chemistry together is not going to be helpful. Jennifer Lawrence just cannot help herself with that constant talking AT people style of acting, which means she never really connects with other actors onscreen, it's just all about her. And Chris Pratt looks a bit bland in this as well. I have a feeling Arrival will the be the better sic-fi film this year.
REVIEW: "Southside With You" (2016) Parker Sawyers, Tika Sumpter. Dir. Richard Tanne
The mythologizing begins. President Barack Obama isn’t even out of office yet, but here we have the first biopic of what I’m sure will be many in the years to come, about an earlier time in his life, long before he was president or even thinking about running for office. Specifically, this lovely romance takes place on the day that he took the woman who would become his wife, Michelle Robinson, out for their first date in Chicago in the late summer of 1989.
It doesn’t sound like there’s much of a plot here, right? Well, no, there isn’t, but the good thing about this film from writer-director Richard Tanne, is that it has such a relaxed, free-flowing feel to it that it doesn’t necessarily have to even been about the future first couple of the United States (although, yes, that knowledge does give every scene an added dimension that can’t help but feel prophetic). Still, the movie steers mercifully clear of too many winks at the camera and instead focuses on the nature of Barack and Michelle’s first date, as the two get to know each other better through communication of their life stories, principles and ideals.
The key to our belief in these characters is the casting, and to that end Parker Sawyers fares far better as a young Barack than Tika Sumpter does as Michelle. Sawyers carries himself with a casual, appealing, chain-smoking, charismatic stride that can’t help but convey the essence of Obama’s personality, despite not looking or even sounding all that much like the president. But he doesn’t have to- with just a whiff of the man’s subtle mannerisms and cadences, but more importantly, his thoughtful, optimistic and forward-thinking nature, we believe almost instantly that this is a young Barack, already rolling along on the path to where his future would bring him. Michelle is a different story, as Sumpter seems to be trying a bit harder to capture the First Lady’s tone of voice and way of speaking in a way that distracts from us being able to buy her as the actual woman. You can see her acting in a way that Sawyers is not, yet it doesn’t ultimately hurt the film, as the two manage a nice, light chemistry in spite of the opposing acting styles.
Tanner took the basic outlines of the Obama’s first date, where it’s been reported they saw Spike Lee’s newly released Do the Right Thing, and stretched it into an all day affair where the two went to an art museum, a community meeting, a picnic in the park, and drinks before the movie, giving us a chance to see them as they tentatively circle each other and share their ideas about work, the future, race, and their own backgrounds as they slowly come to know and understand more about one another. Barack was a summer associate at the law firm where Michelle worked as his advisor, so he had to do some persuading as she was reluctant to be seen as cozying up to the “first cute black guy who walks through the firm’s doors,” but given his persistent wooing and their similar interests, of course we all can see where this is ultimately headed. The movie is clearly modeled after the Richard Linklater’s Before Sunrise, where we follow two people on their very first steps toward getting to know each other and falling in love. Despite the familiarity of the concept, it works very well here, as none of the dialogue is too forced and the connection between them is sensitively rendered, believable, and finally, sweet and moving.
With so few romantic comedies or even romances at all being made these days, that’s another reason that this one feels so refreshing. A tenderhearted love story about the president and first lady’s early meeting aside, there are hardly any films made anymore about the connection two people feel as they fall in love, and one that puts the meeting of the minds and how that can lead to more front and center is one to be celebrated. There are other ideas touched on in Barack and Michelle’s all day conversation, and the movie includes a glimpse of the early inspiration Barack could derive from a short speech at a community center, but the most memorable part of this lovely first date is the way in which two smart people are shown to see something they admire in the other that’s primarily about respect and the discovery of who they are as a person that draws them together. You can see why these two are going to last.
* * * 1/2
'La La Land' Wins TIFF Audience Award, Cementing Oscar Status
As I suspected, La La Land's Oscar frontrunner status was confirmed today after winning one of the bellwether early awards, the Audience Award from the Toronto Film Festival. I haven't done my TIFF round-up yet, but the movie played extremely well there, just like it did at Telluride, to many standing ovations and continued adoration (this coming after Emma Stone's first Best Actress win for the film at the Venice Film Festival). The TIFF Audience Award has a recent corresponding history with Oscar Best Picture. 6 of the last 7 winners have gone on to be nominated for Best Picture, while 5 of the last 6 have won. So, this cements what could well be a sweep year, while the first runner-up was the Weinstein Co.'s Lion, adding to its own sleeper potential as an Oscar contender. I think this could be it guys, I really do. Smells like this year's The Artist to me.
BOX OFFICE 9/16-9/18: 'Sully' Stays in First While Newcomers Bomb
It was a very sleepy weekend at the box office, allowing Sully to land in first place again, with just a 37% drop to $22 million, which places it in a great position to eventually cross $100 million at the box office. That will make it Tom Hanks's highest grossing film since Angels and Demons, as Captain Phillips ended its run with $107 million back in 2013. The movie also benefited from facing basically zero competition this weekend, as pretty much all the newcomers failed to make a dent on the charts.
The first of those was Blair Witch, a sequel to the 1999 classic that got terrible reviews and a very rare "D+" Cinemascore, coming in second place with over $9 million but unlikely to stick around long after this debut. In third was Bridget Jones's Baby, the second sequel to 2001's romantic comedy. This one got much better reviews than 2004's Edge of Reason (it's at 78% on Rotten Tomatoes), yet opened to just $8 million, almost exactly what the last movie did on its first weekend 12 years ago. Better news for Bridget Jones fans is that it did record breaking numbers in the UK and Ireland, where interest in the franchise is still very high, so overseas numbers will help the movie make its budget back. Oliver Stone's Snowden came in fourth with $8 million as well, after mixed reviews did not help the movie to find much of an audience, and Don't Breathe rounded out the top five on its way to a domestic cume of around $90 million total.
Top 5:
- Sully- $22 million
- Blair Witch- $9.7 million
- Bridget Jones's Baby- $8.2 million
- Snowden- $8 million
- Don't Breathe- $5.6 million
In limited release, Ron Howard's Beatles documentary about their early touring years had a pretty nice opening, with $615k from 84 theaters, so it looks like people still love their Fab Four, which is pretty cool to see. Next week sees the opening of Denzel Washington's Magnificent Seven remake and the animated Storks movie, so we'll see you all back here then, as September rolls on.
Masks Come Out in Trailer for '50 Shades Darker'
In case anyone else forgot this existed, here's the new look at the return of Jamie Dornan and Dakota Johnson in the next installment of the 50 Shades franchise. The first movie was a big hit with its intended female audience, despite the epic slaughtering from the critics and Razzie noms galore, so I sort of expect the new one to follow the same path. Its fans will still be there, nobody else will. Although this one has a new director and screenwriter, so maybe that will make a difference? I doubt it though. The source material is what it is.
Amy Adams and Jake Gyllenhaal in Tom Ford's Thriller 'Nocturnal Animals'
Amy Adams had two films at the festivals this year, with both Arrival and Tom Ford's latest, Nocturnal Animals making their debuts in Venice, and then showing in Toronto over the last week as well. Arrival may be the one with the better reception overall, as designer turned director Tom Ford has made his first film since A Single Man, and this one is getting a more mixed reaction. Critics are finding it interesting, but a bit on the artsy pretentious side (who, Tom Ford, pretentious? you don't say...), so it may be harder for it to find an audience. Still, Michael Shannon is always entertaining, and his campy performance here has sparked potential Oscar buzz in the supporting category, so it may be worth watching just for that.
See the New Trailer for Disney's 'Moana'
This really was the year for animation, with SO many films, including several foreign animated features, that stand a chance of getting nominated for the Oscar in what might be the most competitive category of this year's ceremony. I'm betting on just one Disney nom though, knowing the branch, and it's hard to say if this one will be better than Zootopia, which even after all these months, feels like the most relevant of all of them. Not to say this one doesn't look cute, but is cute enough to get it in this year?
Jessica Chastain Takes on the Gun Lobby in 'Miss Sloane'
A controversial subject, but it's about time somebody takes this on eventually, right? Miss Sloane is an original script though, and so it may play a bit like a fantasy scenario (or even something of a comedy, based on this trailer). Chastain is always good, but I wonder how much of an audience exists for a film like this, even in arthouse theaters. Could be another Our Brand is Crisis-type movie. It's coming out December 9th.
Longer Trailer for Tupac Biopic 'All Eyez On Me'
This looks like a solid effort, but I mostly just can't get over how much star Demetrius Shipp, Jr. resembles the late rapper. It's eery, I'd believe he was a relative or something. Tupac's life was certainly interesting, so hopefully this movie captures the spirit of him in a way that's different from the plenty of footage and interviews that exists that people can check out today.
Dev Patel and Rooney Mara in the Tearjerker 'Lion'
The Weinstein Company usually has a contender in the Oscar race, but last year they fell short of a Best Picture nomination with Carol, despite six other nods for it. Could this be their return to form? It certainly looks like a movie that'll shamelessly tug on those heartstrings. I don't know- maybe too manipulative? I've always liked Dev Patel though, so I'm glad to see him in things all these years after Slumdog Millionaire (and I actually remember him from before that, when he was a teenager on the BBC teen drama Skins. Anyone else remember that show?) This got slightly mixed reviews at Toronto just yesterday, so we'll see how it plays. Never count out Weinstein completely.
BOX OFFICE 9/09-9/11: 'Sully' Soars Above Expectations
In something of a surprise, Clint Eastwood's Sully came in very strong this weekend, with a $35 million debut, generated by apparent interest in the subject matter, but also probably a combo of Tom Hanks and Clint Eastwood's drawing power, after recent successes for both with films like American Sniper and Captain Phillips. In fact, the opening is the fifth best September opening of all time and WB's biggest ever, as it's typically a slow month at the box office. With an "A" Cinemascope and an audience that was 80% over the age of 35, the legs on this movie could be pretty strong, leading it to well over $100 million and potentially some Oscar attention later this year.
In second place was the Fatal Attraction-esque thriller When the Bough Breaks with $15 million, but that's lower than past films from Screen Gems in September, and it will probably disappear quickly. Don't Breathe fell to third place after Labor Day, coming in with $8 million and bringing its total to $66 million, while Suicide Squad came in fourth, its new domestic total at $307 million, and just a hair shy of $700 million globally. Rounding out the top five was the animated The Wild Life with just $3 million.
Top 5:
- Sully- $35.5 million
- When the Bough Breaks- $15 million
- Don't Breathe- $8.2 million
- Suicide Squad- $5.6 million
- The Wild Life- $3.4 million
Not a lot to say in limited release, as Molly Shannon's Sundance dramedy Other People opened with $38k from 12 screens, and Hell or High Water remains the highest grossing limited release film of the year, with $19 million so far. Next weekend it's Bridget Jones's Baby versus Blair Witch, the sequel to 1999's The Blair Witch Project, so we're going to see once again if there's audience interest for franchises that began a decade and half ago. See you then.
Brie Larson in Red Band Trailer for 'Free Fire'
This looks pretty nuts, right? With the Toronto film festival underway as we speak, this movie premiered to some pretty enthusiastic responses, with most calling it a violent, bloody, fun B-movie, which has to be all this was aspiring to be anyway, based on this trailer. The fact that it's a shootout all taking place in one room looks to me like it could get old fast (no matter how short the movie actually is), but who knows. I'd just need a little more of a story there.
