5. Captain America: The Winter Soldier
$714,083,572
6. The Amazing Spider-Man 2
$708,982,323
7. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
$707,502,548
8. How to Train Your Dragon 2
$615,118,104
9. Godzilla
$524,976,069
10. Rio 2
$498,681,683
The top 10 remains the same for another week. Guardians is sitting at #2 for the year, it's still a little under 6 and a half million away from making it into the top 50 of all time listing. Transformers retains both its #1 in 2014 and #10 of all time rankings. Not much else going on in the rankings. Three new films will be released this week. "Dumb and Dumber To" should be hilarious, I was a big fan of the original so I'm looking forward to that one.
Upcoming releases:
11/14: Beyond the Lights
11/14: Dumb and Dumber To
11/14: Saving Christmas
I'll go with a solid 8/10. Fury is an easy top three pick for David Ayer's best films, and you can see how far Shia LaBeouf has fallen in this one. There's nothing with his performance, as the devout soldier, but we're talking about a guy, who was headlining major blockbusters and mainstream films a handful of years ago.
LaBeouf's performance isn't bad, but at the same time, there's nothing mind blowing about his screen time to separate him from the pack. If we're talking about quality, his performance is interchangeable with Logan Lerman, Micahel Pena, and Jon Bernthal. Of course, Brad Pitt delivers a strong performance as Don.
Also, after watching the film, I can see why they changed the original November 15 release date. That's right in the middle of the Oscar season push, and while Fury is a good film, there's nothing Oscar worthy about it. To add that, you're taking a HUGE risk for Fury fading into obscurity after one week. Remember, Interstellar and Big Hero 6 hit theaters this past Friday, I have my doubts (more on that later), but Dumb and Dumber To hits theaters on the 14th. And The Hunger Games: Mockingjay- Part I hits theaters next Friday.
Ouija
Yeah, Ouija is what I expected step by step, down to the core, and that's not a good thing.
I'm not familiar with Stiles White (the director), but his habit of relying on predictable jump scares is horribly annoying. Hell, I counted three or four during the intro before the title Ouija popped up on the screen. That's just too much. Although, I'll give White credit for one solid jump scare towards the very end during the nighttime pool scene. Still, if we're talking about jump scares and Ouija, it's a bad case of overkill.
Also, and this is something that really annoys me in PG-13 horror films, but can we PLEASE stop with the open-mouthed screaming jump scare? To give a visual, it's usually some ghost, zombie, or ghoulish character trying to scare the protagonists. In Ouija, it's the dead mother, and her jaw stretches to her chest, as she's screaming to scare off the group of teenagers. More recently, I remember Insidious: Chapter 2 (oddly enough, they used the dead mother) using the same trick. In the end, the character looks fucking ridiculous, because it's NOT scary or intimidating.
Stupidity? Yep. You'll see plenty of dumb character moments from the protagonists. "Hey, this Ouija board is obviously killing us off one by one, so let's keep playing the game, because what's the worst that could happen, right? Oh, and we'll constantly revisit the house to play the game, where all of this started, and where the evil spirits have an obvious advantage over us!" . Sorry, but the whole "I'm just curious to see what the board can do" thought process doesn't work for me.
Olivia Cooke gives it her all in the leading role, but the writing for her character is horrible. And for some asinine reason, Cooke's performance (for them most part) is limited to teary, wide-eyed and pouty facial expressions. Towards the tail end of the film, I asked myself "why is she crying again?" Yeah, I get the whole point of Laine (Cooke) feeling the burden of guilt (Laine is the one, who pushed everyone to play the game, so she could have one final chance to say good-bye to the dead friend) and devastation for the deaths of her friends, but the waterworks stuff feels too contrived here.
Although, Ouija delivers one genuinely surprising twist:
Long story short, when they tried to contact Debbie (watch the trailers. She's the one, who uses the Christmas lights to hang herself on the staircase), the friends opened a connection to the spirit world and the evil spirits. Laine seeks advice from, Paulina (Lin Shaye), the twin sister of Doris. Doris and Paulina played the game as kids (the original tenants in Debbie's house), they opened the portal, and as a solution, Doris and Paulina's deranged mother sewed Doris' mouth shut to stop the evil spirits, because the mother believed Doris was a vessel for the spirits.
Paulina offers a solution: go to the basement, and remove the stitches from Doris' corpse to set her free, and stop the evil mother. But there's one big problem with this plan, because Paulina tricked Laine. Throughout the movie, you're lead to believe the mother is the evil one.....but Doris and Paulina were the evil twins, who used to board to wreak havoc, and the mother was trying to stop them.
I'll give credit where credit is due. The twist caught me off guard, but it's not enough to save Ouija. It's a case of too little, too late, but I'll say this as a side note, Lin Shaye and Cooke are the only two people, who show some believable emotions here. It's a shame her screen time is limited to two appearances, because Shaye as this twisted and angry kook had some promise.
With the twist, I'll go with a 2/10 for Ouija, and that's being generous. A bland screenplay, rigid dialogue, shallow characters, a mediocre overall cast, and the cliches? Oy vey. It's not limited to your usual horror cliches, and one of the more obvious examples is the relationship between Laine and her sister, Sarah. Laine plays the role of a babysitter, as the more mature and protective (and somewhat bossy) big sister, while Sarah is the rebellious Gothic punk, who tries to sneak out of the house with her boyfriend. Oh, and the boyfriend is a bad influence, obviously.
John Wick
Wow. I had my doubts about this one, bu John Wick is a slick, hard hitting, and bloody action flick. I've always been indifferent to Keanu Reeves as an actor, but he does a good job in the main role, as the strong, silent, and vengeful grieving husband. Alfie Allen's (the guy, who stole Wick's car in the trailers) character and his performance works, as this spoiled rotten brat, who hides behind his powerful father, but he runs like a coward and shits his pants at the sight of John Wick.
Michael Nyqvist (Viggo)? Meh. He's your typical foreign bad guy with a thick accent, and that's all I can say about him. My only complaint for Ian McShane is, I wish his character had more screen time, and Adrianne Palicki deserves credit for her performance as Ms. Perkins, the slimy and treacherous assassin, who will do anything to make Wick's life a living hell.
Also, Kevin Nash (he plays a bodyguard/bouncer for the Russian mafia) has a short appearance here. I didn't notice him at first, because the lighting in the scene with Wick is really dim.
I would go with a higher score, but for me, John Wick really falls apart towards the end:
So Wick murders Viggo's bodyguards during a chase towards the end. Wick is holding Viggo at gunpoint, but Viggo makes a quick deal with Wick: Viggo will give Wick the location for his son's hideout, and Viggo walks away with his life. Wick agrees, and he bursts into the son's hideout to murder him.
But Ms. Perkins complicates things, when she reveals Marcus' (Willem Dafoe) betrayal. Earlier in the film, Marcus (another assassin and one of Wick's close friends) agrees to accept Viggo's offer to kill Wick, but Marcus lied to Viggo, because Marcus plays the role of a guardian angel for Wick throughout the film.
Viggo, distraught over his son's death, tortures Marcus to death. Wick, seeking revenge for Marcus' death, hunts Viggo and his men, and Wick kills Viggo in a one on one fight in the rain.
Eh, wait a minute. Viggo, without hesitation, WILLINGLY revealed the location for his son's hideout, knowing Wick's plans to murder him. So why did he suddenly shift gears from the cold and uncaring parent, who was willing to do anything to save his own ass to the devastated father, who's consumed with grief? I don't get it.
Also, the big final battle between Viggo and Wick is anticlimactic. Chad Stahelski (the director) tried really hard to set the stage for a big, dramatic final showdown with a rainstorm, and sounds of thunder in the background during the night, but it didn't click with me, at all.
Think about this for a minute, throughout the movie, Reeves struggles to stay alive and fight deadly and skilled assassins, teams of trained htimen, and Russian mobsters. But his final battle is against an elderly crime boss, who spends most of his time in the movie sitting down, giving orders, and hiding behind his wall of security? John Wick is supposed to be the best of the best, and damn near unstoppable, so I don't see the logic in saving Viggo for the big final battle.
John Wick is one of my favorites this year, but the conundrum towards the end drags this one down a bit for me (maybe a 6/10 or a 7/10).
Upcoming releases
Well, I was wrong about Interstellar. I thought Interstellar was a shoe-in for #1, but Big Hero 6 grabbed the #1 spot with $56,215,889 ($96,760,135 for the current worldwide gross). Interstellar opened at #2 with $47,510,360 ($148,153,194 for the current worldwide gross).
I underestimated Big Hero 6, and I thought another Christopher Nolan film promoted as a big time attraction (especially when you consider the recent success of The Dark knight trilogy), and a cast with Matthew McConaughey (coming off of his momentum for an Oscar winning performance in Dallas Buyer's Club) and Anne Hathaway would be more than enough to take #1. But Big Hero 6 currently holds an 88% on Rotten Tomatoes, while Interstellar sits at a 74%.
In certain cases, reviews can hurt or help an opening weekend, but it wouldn't shock me if a lot of people had weary feelings for the two hours and forty-nine minutes runtime.
Beyond The Lights and Dumb and Dumber To are the heavily promoted releases for Friday. Beyond The Lights looks like some random, generic, and cliched romantic drama, so I have no interest in it whatsoever.
Dumb and Dumber To? I'm uneasy about this one. So far, the sequel is holding a 26% on RT, and going by a handful of reviews, you get the feeling the sequel offers a nostalgia kick for fans of the original, and that's it. Also, and I've been saying this for years, but if I'm using reviews as a sign of things to come, Dumb and Dumber To is another prime of example of the Farrelly Bros. outdated and stale style of comedy.
Maybe certain gags and jokes were funny and edgy in the 90's and the early 2000's, but now, it's just run of the mill gross out gags and unfunny jokes with no real zing to them. With all that said, Dumb and Dumber To has to be a better film than Dumb and Dumberer: When Harry Met Lloyd, one of the worst prequels (and films from any genre) ever made.
With the way things are going, it wouldn't shock me if Big Hero 6 repeated at #1 again, or if Interstellar made the jump from #2 to #1 after BH6 loses some momentum. I'm not rooting for it to fail, because I've been waiting on a sequel for years, but you get the feeling Dumb and Dumber To will open as one of the more disappointing flops (i.e. Sin City: A Dame To Kill For) in 2014, because I don't sense or feel the anticipation spark.
Birdman - 10/10: This film was absolutely masterful in every way, shape & form. If you are intrigued by any aspects of acting or Hollywood, if you enjoy puzzles or mysteries in your movies, if you like open-ended metaphors & endings that let you make up your own mind or really if you just enjoy good film making with a well written story then you should go see this movie. HANDS DOWN the best film I've seen all year!
I've lost all interest I had in seeing "Interstellar" but I can't wait to see "Whiplash" & I'm still kind of interested in seeing "Fury" too.
Also I'm sure someone already mentioned it but it's really a shame that Transformers 4 is the highest grossing movie of the year & apparently the #10 ranked of all time too. Not only was the film clunky & awful with one of the sloppiest scripts ever written but it was possibly the worst of the 4 transformers films to date. I can't believe it holds any kind of ranking, let alone that it out-sold other blockbuster hits this year like Guardians & Capt. America.
Well, I was wrong about Interstellar. I thought Interstellar was a shoe-in for #1, but Big Hero 6 grabbed the #1 spot with $56,215,889 ($96,760,135 for the current worldwide gross). Interstellar opened at #2 with $47,510,360 ($148,153,194 for the current worldwide gross).
I underestimated Big Hero 6, and I thought another Christopher Nolan film promoted as a big time attraction (especially when you consider the recent success of The Dark knight trilogy), and a cast with Matthew McConaughey (coming off of his momentum for an Oscar winning performance in Dallas Buyer's Club) and Anne Hathaway would be more than enough to take #1. But Big Hero 6 currently holds an 88% on Rotten Tomatoes, while Interstellar sits at a 74%.
In certain cases, reviews can hurt or help an opening weekend, but it wouldn't shock me if a lot of people had weary feelings for the two hours and forty-nine minutes runtime.
Beyond The Lights and Dumb and Dumber To are the heavily promoted releases for Friday. Beyond The Lights looks like some random, generic, and cliched romantic drama, so I have no interest in it whatsoever.
Dumb and Dumber To? I'm uneasy about this one. So far, the sequel is holding a 26% on RT, and going by a handful of reviews, you get the feeling the sequel offers a nostalgia kick for fans of the original, and that's it. Also, and I've been saying this for years, but if I'm using reviews as a sign of things to come, Dumb and Dumber To is another prime of example of the Farrelly Bros. outdated and stale style of comedy.
Maybe certain gags and jokes were funny and edgy in the 90's and the early 2000's, but now, it's just run of the mill gross out gags and unfunny jokes with no real zing to them. With all that said, Dumb and Dumber To has to be a better film than Dumb and Dumberer: When Harry Met Lloyd, one of the worst prequels (and films from any genre) ever made.
With the way things are going, it wouldn't shock me if Big Hero 6 repeated at #1 again, or if Interstellar made the jump from #2 to #1 after BH6 loses some momentum. I'm not rooting for it to fail, because I've been waiting on a sequel for years, but you get the feeling Dumb and Dumber To will open as one of the more disappointing flops (i.e. Sin City: A Dame To Kill For) in 2014, because I don't sense or feel the anticipation spark.
Wow! I really didn't see anything other than Interstellar taking the top spot this week. Big Hero 6 is such a long shot, it's actually unbelievable; it's so obscure. But my hat is off to them for beating out such a blockbuster by such a huge margin. Impressive. Apparently, it is also Disney's second biggest animated film opening after Frozen. Really impressive. That said, Interstellar will be riding a wave of momentum for the next few weeks and will surely get past Big Hero 6 this week.
On your point about Dumb and Dumber, I think I may be the only person who is holding onto hope that it will be a good movie. I don't see it being as good as the first one because humour has moved on a lot since then and I have seen plenty of great comedy movies since. But I am holding out for a decent showing from Jeff Daniels and Jim Carrey. Let's face it, their careers have been at an utter stand still for the longest time and this about the only thing that is going to bring them back into the good graces of Hollywood. To me, it just stinks of two people who are in the twilight of their careers trying to make themselves relevant again. But doing it by besmirching such a classic title like Dumb and Dumber might do more damage than good to their careers.
5. Captain America: The Winter Soldier
$714,083,572
6. The Amazing Spider-Man 2
$708,982,323
7. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
$707,818,250
8. How to Train Your Dragon 2
$618,719,032
9. Godzilla
$524,976,069
10. Rio 2
$498,781,117
Transformers remains at #1 of 2014 and #10 of all time. It has a ways to go before it can push Skyfall out of the #9 of all time spot. Meanwhile, Guardians hangs on to #2 of 2014 and it is almost at the $775,398,010 mark needed to make it into the top 50 of all time. I think it is going to make it, but we'll see.
Some added trivia since not much is going on in the top 10, How to Train Your Dragon 2 is not just #8 of 2014 but also the 19th highest grossing animated film of all time at the moment. The top of that particular list is 2013's Frozen which is inching closer toward taking the #4 of all time spot. I'll keep a look at these and several more figures as we reach the end of the year.
This week will see a huge release in The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1. That film is the first of the only two remaining titles this year that have a realistic chance of taking the #1 spot away from Transformers. I'm rooting for Mockingjay Part 1 to do just that. I liked the other two Hunger Games films, so I'm definitely going to watch Mockingjay Part 1.
Upcoming releases:
11/20: The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1
Wow! I really didn't see anything other than Interstellar taking the top spot this week. Big Hero 6 is such a long shot, it's actually unbelievable; it's so obscure. But my hat is off to them for beating out such a blockbuster by such a huge margin. Impressive. Apparently, it is also Disney's second biggest animated film opening after Frozen. Really impressive. That said, Interstellar will be riding a wave of momentum for the next few weeks and will surely get past Big Hero 6 this week.
It's a really strange case with Interstellar and Big Hero 6. Currently, Interstellar is winning the overseas race with $225,800,000 to bring the worldwide total to $322,727,481, but the kicker is Interstellar is showing on more screens (BH6's reported foreign take is sitting at $36,700,000 so far). Meanwhile, Big Hero 6's current domestic take is $110,306,598 (to bring the worldwide total to $147,006,598) to beat Interstellar's domestic total of $96,927,481. Also, Interstellar had an early start with a November 5th release date.
I'm not ruling out Interstellar catching up to and surpassing BH6 with more momentum, but I'll say this, it's hard to ignore the contrast for the critical reception between both films. Overall, the critics are not salivating over Interstellar, and the reception is lukewarm at best with a 73% on Rotten Tomatoes, while BH6 holds an 89%.
On your point about Dumb and Dumber, I think I may be the only person who is holding onto hope that it will be a good movie. I don't see it being as good as the first one because humour has moved on a lot since then and I have seen plenty of great comedy movies since. But I am holding out for a decent showing from Jeff Daniels and Jim Carrey. Let's face it, their careers have been at an utter stand still for the longest time and this about the only thing that is going to bring them back into the good graces of Hollywood. To me, it just stinks of two people who are in the twilight of their careers trying to make themselves relevant again. But doing it by besmirching such a classic title like Dumb and Dumber might do more damage than good to their careers.
I haven't seen it yet, but everything from the trailers to the commercials to other reviews leads me to believe Dumb and Dumber To is nothing more than a nostalgia kick.
As far as Jeff Daniels goes, yeah, if we're talking about future films, there's no glass ceiling after Dumb and Dumber To. More recently, he delivered a solid performance in Looper, but Joesph-Gordon Levitt and Emily Blunt are the true stars of that film. And this is going back a while, but Daniels' performance, as this pompous and pretentious dick in the Squid and The Whale was one of the true highlights in the movie.
Jim Carrey is Jim Carrey, so he'll receive his fair share of roles off of his name value alone for years to come, but the spark and the mystique is gone. During Carrey's attempt at a serious turn, The Number 23 absolutely killed his momentum. And Carrey's last true successful comedy role was Yes Man back in 2008.
Kick-Ass 2 had the chance to be something special, and Carrey's role had a lot of buzz surrounding it, but the sequel received poor reviews from the critics and Kick-Ass 2's run at the box office was underwhelming. To take an odd turn, Carrey took a stand to denounce the violence in Kick-Ass 2, and he refused to promote the film. On top of all that, Carrey's screen time in Kick-Ass 2 is too brief to make a real impact on the movie.
Nightcrawler
I can't add anything to Dave's post. Amazing film, and an excellent performance from Jake Gyllenhaal. I know it's kind of early now, and we have to wait and see, who's in the field, but Gyllenhaal has to be an early pick for a Best Actor nomination.
Well, we don't have to worry about a flop for Dumb and Dumber To, because the sequel opened at #1 with $36,111,775. To round out the top three, Big Hero 6 fell to the #2 spot, and Interstellar dropped to #3.
Of course, Mockingjay Part 1 is the big release on Friday. We're looking at the new #1 this week, and it's just a matter of predicting the final total for the opening weekend.
Currently, Mockingjay holds an 82% on RT, and there's no doubting a strong run at the box office for Part 1, but it'll be hard to top Catching Fire's success. Catching Fire was a massive financial success, and personally, I think it's ridiculous, but Catching Fire was praised as this generation's The Empire Strikes Back.
As a horror fan, I'm looking forward to a few low profiled limited releases, with V/H/S: Viral and Extraterrestrial. Viral is the third installment in the V/H/S series. Going by a handful of reviews, it's the same old, same old, but V/H/S usually delivers one good short (the final short in the first film, and Safe Haven in 2) in each film.
I have a thing for sci-fi horror, and The Vicious Brothers are behind Extraterrestrial. For those, who don't know, they're the director/writer duo for Grave Encounters and Grave Encounters 2. I enjoyed the first Grave Encounters film, and the sequel isn't terrible, but part 2 is far up its own ass, because they have to constantly remind everyone about a clever, unique, and one of a kind found-footage horror film (the original) , and it's really annoying after the first half of the movie.
Here are the highest grossing films so far in 2014:
1. Transformers: Age of Extinction
$1,087,404,499
2. Guardians of the Galaxy
$771,454,000
3. Maleficent
$757,723,217
4. X-Men: Days of Future Past
$746,045,700
5. Captain America: The Winter Soldier
$714,083,572
6. The Amazing Spider-Man 2
$708,982,323
7. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
$708,266,226
8. How to Train Your Dragon 2
$618,849,989
9. Interstellar
$542,290,000
10. Godzilla
$524,976,069
For the first time in many weeks, we have a new film in the top 10! Oddly enough, it's not the new Hunger Games movie. Interstellar is currently #9 in 2014. Recent releases include "The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1", "Horrible Bosses 2", "Penguins of Madagascar", "Before I Disappear", and "Paddington". If Mockingjay wasn't going to make the top 10 (by next week it should) then none of the others were going to. Three films will see a release this weekend.
Upcoming releases:
12/5: The Pyramid
12/5: Wild
12/6: The Last: Naruto the Movie
Here are the highest grossing films so far in 2014:
1. Transformers: Age of Extinction
$1,087,404,499
2. Guardians of the Galaxy
$771,454,000
3. Maleficent
$757,723,217
4. X-Men: Days of Future Past
$746,045,700
5. Captain America: The Winter Soldier
$714,083,572
6. The Amazing Spider-Man 2
$708,982,323
7. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
$708,266,226
8. How to Train Your Dragon 2
$618,849,989
9. Interstellar
$542,290,000
10. Godzilla
$524,976,069
For the first time in many weeks, we have a new film in the top 10! Oddly enough, it's not the new Hunger Games movie. Interstellar is currently #9 in 2014. Recent releases include "The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1", "Horrible Bosses 2", "Penguins of Madagascar", "Before I Disappear", and "Paddington". If Mockingjay wasn't going to make the top 10 (by next week it should) then none of the others were going to. Three films will see a release this weekend.
Upcoming releases:
12/5: The Pyramid
12/5: Wild
12/6: The Last: Naruto the Movie
Mockingjay will reach the top 10 this year, without a doubt. It might also go all the way to the top of the film list for this year. I mean, the second one took over $800 million last year and wasn't that great of a movie, in my estimations. With this being the first part of the final instalment, it will go right up the boards and will probably nestle neatly in behind Transformers at number 2.
That is until The Hobbit gets it's full release. The final movie in the series is bound, surely, go tip the $1 billion mark? The second instalment took over $900 million last year and was described as having second movie syndrome. With this one having more of a purpose and a direction, I wouldn't be surprised to see it fighting with Transformers for the number one slot.
Gets a reluctant 6/10 from me. Interstellar is visually breathtaking, with some genuine thrills and moments of nail-biting tension, and Christopher Nolan will probably receive a Best Director nomination, but I had a hard time getting into this one. The 2 hrs. 49 min. runtime really drags towards the end, and my rating for Interstellar takes a hit for the finale, because the explanation behind Murphy's ghost is excessive and jumbled.
Matthew McConaughey continues his impressive streak for quality performances, and the supporting cast is solid, but in the end, Interstellar did not live up to the tremendous hype for me.
Although, I'll admit, Matt Damon's appearance towards the end was a nice surprise.
Big Hero 6
An adventurous animated superhero action/comedy, with a good sense of humor, and a likeable (and scrappy) protagonist you want to root for. The relationship between Hiro and Baymax is executed to perfection, Big Hero 6 is a lot of fun, and there's a good balance of comedy, action, and a few dramatic moments. Nothing is too sappy or over the top during Hiro's emotional moments in the movie. Everything is just right. BH6 is easily one of the best animated films in 2014, and kudos for a nice twist to reveal the villain towards the end.
Extraterrestrial
Dull and boring.
Extraterrestrial starts out with a promising intro after an abduction in a telephone booth, but it's all downhill after that. First of all, Extraterrestrial doesn't feel like a horror film. Maybe a sci-fi/thriller, but not a sci-fi/horror film. If we're talking about spooky and creepy atmospherics, you won't see anything that's truly terrifying until the tail end of the film, when you see the insides of the spaceship.
Overall, the acting is pretty lousy, with Brittany Allen as an easy pick for the standout star. Michael Ironside plays Travis, a kooky Vietnam veteran/pothead, with a stash of marijuana plants in his backyard. I get the point of Ironside's character. He's supposed to be the comic relief, but after the first appearance, Travis is just annoying.
Although, Extraterrestrial deserves some credit for a genuinely shocking twist at the end. Long story short, the aliens abduct a willing April (Brittany Allen). April's plan? She wants to sneak aboard the spaceship to rescue her boyfriend, Kyle. April saves Kyle from his cocoon, and during an awkward stand-off, the aliens allow April and Kyle to leave together, and the aliens teleport April and Kyle to Earth.
In the woods, April and Kyle spot a team of soldiers. April runs towards the soldiers for help....but they shoot April. Kyle tries to plead his case, but the soldiers shoot Kyle. April and Kyle are trying to share one final moment together, as they're bleeding to death on the ground, but the soldiers ruthlessly murder April and Kyle with more bullets. To end the movie, the soldiers toss April and Kyle's corpses into a deep grave, and the soldiers burn their bodies.
They lead you to believe they're going for the happy ending, but they pull the rug out from underneath you at the last minute. The timing is perfect, and the shock value for the ending really works, when you consider April risking everything to save Kyle.
The aliens? Sorry, but they're not intimidating or scary. In fact, they're kind of goofy. That's a big problem, when you're supposed to suspend disbelief to the point, where you believe the aliens are a serious threat.
If you're looking for gory stuff, Extraterrestrial delivers with a few scenes. One that sticks out is, the town sheriff using a shotgun to commit suicide after one of the aliens uses mind control powers. The sheriff blows his own head off, and if you need a visual, just think about The Prowler 1981 (ironically enough it's another sheriff) or The Hills Have Eyes remake with the old man in the outhouse. Also, and I won't go into the graphic details, but after Extraterrestrial, you'll think twice about making any alien anal probe jokes.
Still, Extraterrestrial is not worth the time. It's too repetitive (i.e. the tired formula for the abductions), the jump scares are predictable and disappointing, too many stupid characters, and the dialogue ("Dude! That's a dead fucking alien!") is cringeworthy.
Dumb & Dumber To
The laughs are hit and miss, but I had fun with the sequel. The chemistry between Carrey and Daniels is still sharp, and I enjoyed Laurie Holden and Rob Riggle as the new antagonists. And for what it's worth, Rachel Melvin is decent enough as a carbon copy of Lloyd and Harry. Also, and maybe I'm alone on this, but To feels like a stand alone film. With the big time gap between both films, To doesn't feel like a direct sequel.
Still, To is a good nostalgia kick, and it's worth a try, if you're a fan of the original. The sequel features more than enough winks and references to please fans of the original, and I had a lot of fun with this one. And a few bonus points for two surprising twists during the finale.
Did anyone notice the similarities between Rob Riggle's character(s) and Mike Starr's Mental from the original. You know, Lloyd and Harry are on a mission to deliver a personal item, the henchman tags along with Lloyd and Harry on the road trip, the henchman hatches a secret plan to kill Lloyd and Harry, but Lloyd and Harry unknowingly turn the tables on him. Eerie stuff.
Box Office Mojo.com is predicting an easy three-peat for The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1 at #1. Currently, Mockingjay is in the #1 spot for the week to week charts with $233,808,937 ($504,808,937 for the worldwide gross).
When I made my last post in this thread, Mockingjay had an 82% on Rotten Tomatoes, but that rating took a steep dive to hit a 65% (the current rating). I know it's supposed to be a prelude to the big finale, and the current box office haul doesn't raise any real red flags for concern, but you have to believe this puts some pressure on Part 2 to deliver financially with a more positive critical reception.
Horrible Bosses 2 had a disappointing opening weekend. The sequel opened at #5, and Horrible Bosses 2 has a current worldwide gross of $38,114,647 ($26,414,647 for the domestic take) off of a reported production budget of $42,000,000.
The trailers for Horrible Bosses 2 lead me to one thought: this is just another shameless cash grab sequel. I actually enjoyed the first film, Kevin Spacey was hilarious, but there was no need for a sequel, at all.
And I have no interest in the movie, but Penguins Of Madagascar currently holds the #2 spot with $107,232,059 for the worldwide gross ($37,840,48 domestic).
Mockingjay should take the #1 spot again, because when you look at the big picture, there's no real competition from the new releases. I'm looking forward to Wild, and there's some Oscar buzz surrounding Reese Witherspoon's performance, but it's a limited release.
The Pyramid is close enough to a full wide release, but The Pyramid doesn't have enough to challenge The Hunger Games for a #1 spot. The Pyramid will only appeal to a niche audience (die hard horror fans), the movie looks like another formulaic horror found-footage film, and the lackluster marketing campaign will hurt any chances for a successful opening weekend.
I'm still on the fence for The Pyramid, and after As Above, So Below, I can't say I have high hopes for another "expedition" found-footage horror film.
Finally, I get the chance to see this movie and it did not disappoint.
Firstly, Brad Pitt is simply superb as Wardaddy. His performance goes beyond pretty much anything that he has done before. And I say that fully aware of the amazing performances he has turned in throughout a magnificent acting career. I dare say, it might be the finest. His performance reminds me a lot of his performance in Inglorious Basterds but in a much more subtle way. His performance as Aldo Rayne in Inglorious is gritty and dark and, I suppose, this performance is rather similar in that regard. But it isn't as in your face either. Masterful really.
The performances from the other cast members is equally goo, too. Shia LeBeouf in particular is very good, as many had expected. But is was Logan Lerman who really surprised me as Machine. Lerman is quickly becoming a really reliable actor after good performances in Noah and The Perks of Being a Wallflower. Really good ensemble performance.
But the greatest part of the film, without a doubt, is the way that Pitt interacts with others. And the way that the cast interacts with each other for that matter. The scene at the dinner table, is perhaps on the best cinematic scenes I have seen in a long while and signifies how tense and gripping the movie can be and is.
I can't say enough good things about this movie and I implore you to go and see it if you already haven't. It is simply exceptional.
Whiplash - 7.5/10: A solid film but not quite the "masterpiece" some made it out to be. J.K.Simmons & Miles Teller both deliver good performances but neither really struck me as great, especially due to writing & what felt like a huge lack or character depth & development by the end of the film. Also the film get's watered down with pointless scenes involving the father & girlfriend, which added nothing & ultimately left me wanting more between Teller & Simmons. Plus the overuse of close ups of blood, sweat, instruments, etc. got rather annoying after awhile. Worth watching once but nothing really nomination worthy IMO.
Nightcrawler - 7/10: A very interesting concept/approach & a fantastic performance by Jake Gyllenhaal but it ultimately fell kind of flat for me due to several gaps in logic & what felt like some odd choices in regards to the progression of Gyllenhaal's character & how the most awful characters are the ones that seemed to prosper in the end. Also outside of the young guy that plays Gyllenhaal's assistant, I really wasn't all that impressed by any other performances. So a great film for Gyllenhaal but overall it was just kind of miss for me, which is odd because I usually love psychological thrillers such as this. Also the movies suffered from a very lousy score & none of the music felt like it fit into any of the scenes. & not just in the way where it put you on edge but rather that it really didn't work with the film what so ever. But I do have to give kudos to the Director for the use of Los Angeles as a setting. Living only about 30 min. outside the city & knowing it pretty well, it really felt like the environment was it's own character & they really captured the feel of the city rather well.
The Theory of Everything - 7/10: Not exactly what I expected but a good film none the less & another one that was really driven by the performances of the lead characters. The film did suffer from some pacing issues at times & I didn't care for how the main characters romances & affairs dominated certain parts of the film but overall for a rather slow film it still kept me pretty entertained. & in particular the actor who played Stephen Hawking did a rather remarkable job with all the facial expressions & what not, albeit being extremely limited in what he could do.
The highest grossing films of 2014 so far include....
1. Transformers: Age of Extinction
$1,087,404,499
2. Guardians of the Galaxy
$771,815,000
3. Maleficent
$757,752,378
4. X-Men: Days of Future Past
$746,045,777
5. Captain America: The Winter Soldier
$714,083,572
6. The Amazing Spider-Man 2
$708,982,323
7. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
$708,279,489
8. How to Train Your Dragon 2
$618,890,856
9. Interstellar
$593,057,000
10. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1
$560,500,000
"The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1" joins the top 10 this week, placing #10 so far for 2014's films. It still has to nearly double what it has made so far in order to dethrone Transformers for the #1 spot. We'll see what happens, it has three and a half weeks to pull it off. Meanwhile, over on the all time listing.... Guardians is inching closer into the top 50. It still needs about $4,000,000 to get there.... but 2nd place of 2014 is impressive in of itself. This week will see one of the last big releases of the year in "The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies". It's my predicted film to take the #1 spot at the end of the year.
Upcoming releases:
12/12: Exodus: Gods and Kings
12/12: The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies
The highest grossing films of 2014 so far include....
1. Transformers: Age of Extinction
$1,087,404,499
2. Guardians of the Galaxy
$771,815,000
3. Maleficent
$757,752,378
4. X-Men: Days of Future Past
$746,045,777
5. Captain America: The Winter Soldier
$714,083,572
6. The Amazing Spider-Man 2
$708,982,323
7. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
$708,279,489
8. How to Train Your Dragon 2
$618,890,856
9. Interstellar
$593,057,000
10. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1
$560,500,000
I still cannot comprehend how the world keeps throwing money at the steaming pile of horseshit that is the Transformers franchise. Each one is shittier than the last and yet somehow more profitable. How the hell is this happening?
That being said, I quite liked most of the movies on that list - although I do think Hollywood needs to make more original material, too many book/comic book adaptations clogging up the cinemas these days. Interstellar was great and I believe it's an original.
I still cannot comprehend how the world keeps throwing money at the steaming pile of horseshit that is the Transformers franchise. Each one is shittier than the last and yet somehow more profitable. How the hell is this happening?
That being said, I quite liked most of the movies on that list - although I do think Hollywood needs to make more original material, too many book/comic book adaptations clogging up the cinemas these days. Interstellar was great and I believe it's an original.
Agreed on Transformers. I dislike the series and have been hoping each week for something to dethrone this year's film from the #1 spot, but unless The Hobbit has an incredibly successful week this coming week, Transformers has won. I also agree that more original material would be nice, but there's only so many "new" ideas that can be made before you have to move into re-makes and revisions of older material. I have less of an issue with the re-makes and revisions, it's all the sequels that get annoying to me. If a film series has more than 2 entries and I never saw the first then sorry, I couldn't care less about a 3rd, much less a 4th or more.
So with only a little more than one week remaining in 2014, here are the current highest grossing films of the year:
1. Transformers: Age of Extinction
$1,087,404,499
2. Guardians of the Galaxy
$772,152,345
3. Maleficent
$757,752,378
4. X-Men: Days of Future Past
$746,045,700
5. Captain America: The Winter Soldier
$714,083,572
6. The Amazing Spider-Man 2
$708,982,323
7. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
$708,279,489
8. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1
$639,727,000
9. Interstellar
$635,433,000
10. How to Train Your Dragon 2
$618,909,935
Hunger Games and Interstellar both climbed the rankings a couple of spots. I expect this to be the same listing at the end of the year other than How To Train Your Dragon which will likely get bumped out by The Hobbit, which is the final obstacle left in Transformers' path to becoming the most successful film of the whole year. In one week every major film of 2014 will have been released. Here are the releases for the second half of December....
12/19: Annie
12/19: Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb
12/19: PK
12/25: Big Eyes
12/25: The Gambler
12/25: Unbroken
My only real complaint about Horrible Bosses 2 is the limited screen time for Christoph Waltz's character. Waltz is shoved into the background to give Chris Pine's character (his son) more spotlight. Although, I guess they didn't want a repeat of Kevin Spacey's character from the first film, because you can see some similarities between the two.
Fairly consistent laughs, Kevin Spacey's character still works in a reduced role, Jennifer Aniston is hilarious, and if we're comparing both films, it's a toss up for me, because 2 is a solid follow up overall, but the ending kind of annoyed me.
In the trailers, you see Chris Pine team up with Bateman, Day, and Sudeikis to join in on the ransom plot, giving Pine the chance to stick it to Waltz. Well, guess what happens towards the end? Pine double-crosses Bateman, Day, and Sudeikis.
He murders Waltz in a parking garage during the drop, because Pine sees a bigger upside to inheriting his father's fortune over a measly ransom. Of course, Pine is caught in the end, but the set up for Pine's turn was suppose to be some big swerve, and I couldn't buy into it. Throughout the movie, Pine's character is this unstable and untrustworthy sociopath, so why would anyone trust him? I know it's a silly comedy, and maybe I'm nitpicking too much, but the shocking turn was too irrational for me.
Also....
There's a running joke throughout the movie with Jason Bateman's obsession for Jennifer Aniston's Julia. After a one night stand, Bateman simply refuses to accept the fact Julia used him, and he's genuinely confused and oblivious, when Julia won't return his calls or his text messages.
St. Vincent
Gets a solid 7/10 from me. A superb performance from Bill Murray, consistent laughs, a nice balance of comedy and drama, and it's a refreshing to see a different Melissa McCarthy on the big screen.
For a change, she's not rambunctious, loud, screaming, and shouting every five minutes, and dropping f-bombs to force the jokes. And I can't forget about the cliche with McCarthy realizing she needs to change into a better person towards the end, because she's an asshole to everyone in her life.
Top Five
The critical acclaim (currently holds a 90% on RT) for Top Five surprised me at first. I don't understand all the fuss surrounding this one (6/10 , a 7/10 if I'm generous), but Top Five is consistently funny. The cast helps gloss over some familiar romantic comedy tropes, with Chris Rock in the leading role. Rosario Dawson deserves her fair share of credit, and Gabrielle Union for playing the materialistic and narcissistic control freak.
And the cameos are genuinely surprising:
Adam Sandler (I know I do my share of complaining about Sandler in here, but seeing him in Chris Rock's world was surreal)
Jerry Seinfeld
Taraji P. Henson
DMX
Gabourey Sidibe
V/H/S: Viral
A mixed bag as usual.
Although, Viral deserves credit for making some changes to the style for the frame narrative, because in the first two V/H/S films, they stuck to the "random group of people wander into a seemingly abandon house to find a stack of VHS tapes, the original viewer is the victim of a bizarre occurrence after watching each tape, and the hidden person emerges at the end of the film to attack or kill the remaining survivor(s)" formula.
Viral doesn't feature a truly great short. "Dante The Great" is boring with an anticlimactic ending. The short featuring the parallel worlds (or "Parallel Monsters") was eccentric, mysterious, and creepy.....but when you actually see the monsters in the parallel world, their cartoonish (and freakishly large) genitals, and the glowing eyes and mouths, it kills the intended frightened reaction. Still, I enjoyed the short overall, and I know it'll never happen, but there's enough material for a full length feature here.
If I have to pick a favorite short from Viral, I'm going with Bonestorm (the short featuring the skateboarders accidentally stumbling into the satanic cult ritual in Mexico). Bloody, gruesome, suspenseful, chaotic, and I loved the "WE'RE GOING TO FIGHT UNTIL OUR LAST BREATH!!!" mentality.
To no real surprise, The Hobbit: The Battle Of The Five Armies took a commanding lead over Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb with the #1 spot. The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies currently sits in the top spot with a worldwide gross of $367,138,554, while NATMSOTT holds the #2 spot with $30,924,269.
Christmas Day
Christmas Day is loaded with some big name releases. Unbroken currently holds a 49% on Rotten Tomatoes. I'm still looking forward to the movie, but the reviews lead me to believe we're looking at an ordinary and forgettable war drama.
The cast for Into The Woods is loaded, but I hate musicals (with South Park: Bigger, Longer, & Uncut and Sweeny Todd 2007 as a few rare exceptions). The Gambler looks decent enough, with a lot of potential from Mark Wahlberg, John Goodman, and Jessica Lange in the same cast, but the current upcoming release schedule is too crowded with high profiled films for The Gambler to make a real impact, and The Hobbit is still a strong #1.
American Sniper has some Oscar buzz surrounding it, but the Christmas Day release is limited (a prelude to the wide release on January 16). Also, I'm looking forward to Big Eyes. Tim Burton is really hit and miss now a days, but there's some promise with Amy Adams playing the hard working victim, and Christoph Waltz portraying a manipulative (and shameless) fraud.
And if you don't know, The Interview will receive a very limited theatrical release. Before the controversy erupted, my expectations for The Interview were pretty low, and well, nothing's different now, because let's be honest, without the controversial storyline, there's a good chance we're looking at another run-of-the-mill Franco/Rogen collaboration.
I'll go with The Five Armies to repeat at #1, with Into The Woods as a close #2. Unbroken is a wild card. I'll go with a #3 spot, but at the same time, it wouldn't surprise me, if Unbroken flopped.
With only 2 days remaining in 2014, here are the current highest grossing films of the year....
1. Transformers: Age of Extinction
$1,087,404,500
2. Guardians of the Galaxy
$772,349,244
3. Maleficent
$757,752,378
4. X-Men: Days of Future Past
$746,045,700
5. Captain America: The Winter Soldier
$714,083,572
6. The Amazing Spider-Man 2
$708,982,323
7. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
$708,299,389
8. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1
$669,656,000
9. Interstellar
$641,348,000
10. How to Train Your Dragon 2
$618,909,935
It's not entirely over yet, I expect Hunger Games and The Hobbit to keep increasing more as we get into the first portion of 2015. They might not dethrone Transformers from the #1 spot, but they will definitely see some larger numbers when they officially stop being shown. I've enjoyed this thread's look into the major movies of the year with all of you as well as reading reviews by Mitch, Dave, and others on the films too.
2015 In Film will be up shortly, and will follow the same format as this thread did.
Even though 2014 itself is behind us, there are still figures for its films coming in. Here is an updated ten highest grossing films of the year....
1. Transformers: Age of Extinction
$1,087,404,500
2. Guardians of the Galaxy
$772,565,525
3. Maleficent
$757,752,378
4. X-Men: Days of Future Past
$746,045,700
5. The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies
$722,867,000
6. Captain America: The Winter Soldier
$714,083,572
7. The Amazing Spider-Man 2
$708,982,323
8. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
$708,279,489
9. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1
$695,475,000
10. Interstellar
$653,442,000
The Hobbit has made it to #5, but I still expect to see higher numbers for both it and Hunger Games in a week or two. We'll see if they get any further up but it appears this may be what the final list for the year will end up looking like.
Kudos to Dagger for consistently updating this thread, and Dave, HBKistheHOF, tdigle, Phoenix, Jack-Hammer, Fire Marshal Bill, and others for their contributions.
For the time being, we'll use this thread to post thoughts on all 2014 films and the overall top ten for the year, because we're moving all the week-to-week stuff and thoughts on 2015 films into the 2015 In Film thread.
Big Eyes
It's refreshing to see Tim Burton outside of his kooky and/or creepy Gothic horror comfort zone. Overall, Big Eyes is a satisfying biopic, Burton's work behind the camera is solid, but Amy Adams and Christoph Waltz's performances are the driving forces behind Big Eyes.
Adams did a good job, as the sympathetic single mother, and she nailed Margaret Keane, but her performance doesn't work without Waltz. Waltz is genuinely slimy and loathsome as this overbearing bully (at one point in the film, he threatens to put a hit out on Margaret). He's a manipulative two-faced liar and a delusional con artist, and Adams is the soft-spoken hard worker, who's trying to raise and provide a comfortable life for her daughter, so you're waiting for the moment, when Margaret FINALLY stands up for herself and fights back.
The big courtroom showdown between Adams and Waltz is a tad bit underwhelming, because I couldn't feel the resounding moment of triumph, but....
I legitimately laughed out loud, when Waltz weaseled his way out of the painting competition with Adams. Long story short, the judge decided a painting competition between the two was the only surefire way to expose the fraud. After all the stalling and all the excuses, Waltz fakes a shoulder injury to back out of the competition, because he couldn't handle the humiliation and the embarrassment in a room full of people.
There's some Oscar buzz surrounding Amy Adams for her performance here, but I'm not so sure about that. Her performance is good , but I can't say it's Oscar worthy. Also, as I said before, Adams performance and her character doesn't work without Waltz. I won't go as far as saying waltz carried Adams, because she holds her own, but Waltz is the perfect foil for Margaret, and there's no way around it.
The Gambler
I won't go as far as saying they completely squandered a talented cast, because The Gambler is a decent enough film, but the underwhelming script is a letdown. On top of that, the love story between Mark Wahlberg and Brie Larson feels forced and underdeveloped.
Still, it's hard to ignore the top notch performances in The Gambler. Wahlberg is spot on as this gambling degenerate, and her screen time is cut short, but Jessica Lange deserves her fair share of credit. The bitter mother/son relationship between Lange and Wahlberg is believable, and you can buy into the hatred and disgust they have for each other.
My only complaint about The Gambler is John Goodman doesn't receive enough screen time. Goodman easily steals the show (Goodman's speech for the advantages of the "fuck you position" is the highlight of the movie) in all of his scenes, and Michael K. Williams is solid as Neville.
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay- Part I
Gets a 5/10 from me.
You can't deny Mockingjay's strong run at the box office, and while I still believe Catching Fire is vastly overrated, so far, it's still the best film in the series, by far. The anticipation for Mockingjay Part 2 is still there, because it's the final film in the series, but from a critical and praise point of view, Mockingjay Part I fails to capitalize on Catching Fire's momentum. Also, for me, Mockingjay Part I is a clear reminder for why I can't stand the continuing trend of splitting series finales into two parts.
The Interview
I've already said everything I have to say about The Interview in another thread, so I'll just go into the numbers here. After two weeks, The Interview's total gross is up to a reported total of $33.9 million on all platforms ($2.9 million from the limited theatrical release). The reported production budget is $45,000,000, with the total for the marketing campaign in the same neighborhood.
With a total haul of $31,000,000 from VOD platforms and streaming services, there's a lot of talk for The Interview starting a new trend as a game changer for simultaneous wide theatrical and VOD releases for big name mainstream releases. Yeah, it'll never happen, because major theater chains like Cinemark, AMC, and Regal will never go for it. The numbers are impressive, but without all the controversy surrounding it, I highly doubt The Interview would receive so much buzz.
Also, there's another number that's hard to ignore, and that number is 750,000,000. That's the reported number for illegal downloads (and we're talking about a report after Christmas. I'm sure that number is close to or over a million by now), because that's what's going to happen, when you release a movie to various VOD platforms and streaming services. It's inevitable.
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies - 6.5/10: All the hobbit movies have been way too long & drawn out from the start & this one is no exception. The whole "Dragon Sickness" thing just got ridiculous & I couldn't stand the fat red-headed cousin portrayed entirely in CGI. There was definitely some fun action sequences & cool effects but ultimately the plot ended up feeling secondary to those fan service moments. Also for being called the hobbit, this one felt like it featured the least amount of Bilbo thus far. Arguably the worst of the three & for me I'd definitely say it was the most forgettable. If you've seen any of the Lord of the Rings or Hobbit movies before then you've really already seen everything this one has to offer.
Foxcatcher - 9/10: An amazing film that was shot beautifully & had some of the best performances I saw all year. I really felt Steve Carell, Mark Ruffalo & Channing Tatum all did an excellent job of embracing the roles & becoming each individual character. & I think they actually had some of the best examples of physical acting that I've seen in several years. It does get a little slow at times & there were a few awkward cuts/time skips that left you guessing the motivation behind certain characters actions but overall I think that it just added to the depth of the film & all of that coupled with all the other amazing aspects of the film like the performances, make-up, scenery, etc. made it one of the most subtle yet effective biopics of the human psyche that I've seen. It really kept me thinking & had me discussing the movie with friends for a long while afterwards which are always the signs of a great film IMO. Probably the 2nd best movie I saw all year.
Overall not the most amazing year in movie history but a pretty solid one none the less.
Here are the updated top ten for 2014's highest grossing films....
1. Transformers: Age of Extinction
$1,087,404,499
2. The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies
$781,817,000
3. Guardians of the Galaxy
$772,679,971
4. Maleficent
$757,752,378
5. X-Men: Days of Future Past
$748,121,534
6. Captain America: The Winter Soldier
$714,083,572
7. The Amazing Spider-Man 2
$708,982,323
8. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
$708,835,589
9. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1
$701,125,000
10. Interstellar
$660,998,849
The Hobbit made it all the way to the #2 spot. If it does not end up dethroning Transformers, at least it would have taken 2nd place. It was an awesome film and definitely one of the top movies of the year for me. Sadly I don't think it will succeed now that we are almost halfway into January, it would have to make about $306,000,000 more to do so. Fingers are crossed, but time is running out and eventually the theaters will stop showing it.
Huh. Interesting that Spider man is number 7 on the list, but SONY acts like its an unmitigated disaster. Hobbit is interesting as well, I figured people would be Middle Earth'ed out, especially since the last one was so dull.
It's because out of $708,982,323 it grossed worldwide, only $202,853,933 was domestic for TASM2 (which was #11 in the US Box Office) and had a budget of $200 mil. So they're measuring it just on domestic alone, which for them would be a flop, the international market saved Spidey from bottoming out.
It's interesting because both the reason The Hobbit and Transformers sit on top because they had stronger international markets than domestic, so I imagine a lot of the US was burned out on Jackson's return to Middle Earth, but not worldwide
Here is an updated top ten for 2014 after being a month and a half into 2015....
1. Transformers: Age of Extinction
$1,087,404,499
2. The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies
$786,769,825
3. Guardians of the Galaxy
$772,730,696
4. Maleficent
$757,752,378
5. X-Men: Days of Future Past
$748,121,534
6. Captain America: The Winter Soldier
$714,083,572
7. The Amazing Spider-Man 2
$708,982,323
8. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
$708,835,589
9. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1
$707,043,513
10. Interstellar
$662,159,001
We're still seeing monetary updates to both The Hobbit and Mockingjay, however neither advanced in the top ten compared to a week ago. The Hunger Games could make it up to 7th, maybe even 6th, but I sadly don't see The Hobbit making it to #1 as a possibility anymore. The gap between Transformers and everyone else is just too large now.
Pleasantly surprised by this, because I'm indifferent to Ridley Scott's career overall (especially his more recent stuff).
Miscasting was a big complaint for Exodus, but I didn't see a real problem. John Turturro is a hell of an actor, but the main problem is, when people think of him they usually think of comedy. After all, Turturro delivered his more popular and memorable performances (Barton Fink, The Big Lebowski, and more recently, his character in the Transformers films) in comedic roles.
As far as Sigourney Weaver goes, I barely noticed her, because her screen time is short.
I didn't notice any real miscasting problems, but at the same time, no one delivers a true show stealing or great performance here.
The 2 hr. 22 min. runtime drags towards the end (and during the halfway point), but there's enough awe-inspiring grandeur to produce a satisfying film. Exodus: Gods & Kings is a good choice for a movie to watch in a theater, and I'm glad I caught one of the last showings.
In The Blood
I forgot about this (released in April), but In The Blood is an action flick starring Gina Carano, Danny Trejo, Stephen Lang, Cam Gigandet, and Luis Guzman. Long story short, Carano and her husband (Gigandet) go on a honeymoon. They're on a Caribbean island, and the bad guys kidnap Gigandet, and Carano fights (and kills) her way to the truth during a "taking matters into my own hands" rescue mission.
The torture, interrogate, fight, kick ass, and repeat formula during Ava’s (Carano) “WHERE’S MY HUSBAND?!?!” mission feels tedious and repetitive at times, but overall, In The Blood is a decent enough mindless fun/guilty pleasure action film.
Although, I'll say this, they really push suspension of disbelief with Carano as this invincible bad ass. Don't get me wrong, she's entertaining here, but there's a scene, where it takes an entire group of cops to restrain and force Carano to the ground, when she's trying to escape a police station.
Also, a few bonus points for avoiding the cliched "Islanders kidnap wealthy Americans for profit in an underground operation” twist.
It's a double twist. Guzman (the police chief) tells Carano Gigandet died on the operating table. Long story short, he suffered a gruesome leg injury after a ziplining incident. Devastated and furious, Carano vows vengeance on everyone, who played a part in the cover-up, but Gigandet is still alive.
The main bad guy (Silvio) suffers from a rare type of cancer, and he needs stem cell transfusions for bone marrow. Carano's husband is a perfect match, and Silvio is using him to prolong his life. A little far-fetched, but no real complaints, because they took a chance to try something different.
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. Sorry, but the whole "I'm just curious to see what the board can do" thought process doesn't work for me.
, and it's really annoying after the first half of the movie.
