2015 In Film

[Mitch Henessey]

Paper Towns- 6/10

A solid cast, but when you go beyond the scavenger hunt and the road trip to find Margo, Paper Towns is just another middle-of-the-road coming-of-age/YA adaptation film that's not good enough to stand out amongst the pack.

Although, I'll give the movie a few bonus points for Quentin's reaction, when he finds out the legend of Margo Roth Spiegelman is not all it's cracked up to be, and they don't settle for a conventional happy ending.

The Gift-6/10

Well, I was ready to come in here drooling over Joel Edgerton's directorial debut with a possible 10/10......but I've had a few days to think about this one.

I enjoyed The Gift. It's a clever, tense, and thought-provoking psychological thriller, but the more I think about it, the ending is anticlimactic. Without giving away too much, I get the idea behind Gordo's "what If?" revenge. He wanted to ruin Simon's (Bateman) life. He wanted him to suffer, without knowing the truth, but the problem is, The Gift leads you to believe they're building towards a SHOCKING finale, but the ending was too ambiguous for me.

Edgerton clearly has a bright future as a director, but in the end, after all the constant teasing and the mystery surrounding Gordo and Simon's past, The Gift fails to deliver a satisfying payoff.

Pixels (in 3D!)- 6/10

I can understand why the critics tore this one apart. When you attach Adam Sandler's name and Happy Madison Productions to anything, you can count on a barrage of negative reviews, because after so many terrible and mediocre films over the years, an undeniable stigma follows Sandler's name and his movies.

Personally, it didn't bother me, but it's hard to ignore the paint by numbers formula for the love story between Monaghan and Sandler. To add to that, Pixels is riddled with cliches.

With all that said, I still loved Pixels as a guilty pleasure. It's loaded with some good nostalgia, but I'm no gaming expert at all, so I only noticed the likes of Donkey Kong, Pac-Man, and Tetris. Pixels is a lot of fun (with the Donkey Kong battle as a close second, the Pac-Man chase/fight is easily the highlight of the film), with a good amount of laughs, and Dinklage and Gad upstage Sandler for the best comedic performances. Also, when you consider his more recent track record of terrible films, Pixels is a noticeable upgrade for Sandler, and that's saying something.

Straight Outta Compton held on to the #1 spot in the week to week charts, while Sinster 2, Htiman: Agent 47, debuted in the top six, with Sinster 2 opening in the #2 spot, Htiman: Agent 47 coming in at #4, and American Ultra circling the bottom at #6.

As far as Sinster 2 goes, the movie is not a flop with a debut of $10,542,116 against a reported production budget of $10.5 million, but the scathing negative reviews (the movie currently holds a 13% on Rotten Tomatoes) don't surprise me.

I had some hope for the sequel after the first trailer, but after the new trailers and commercials debuted, it was clear they were going for a step by step retread of the first film with more exposition. Maybe I'm wrong, because I haven't seen the movie yet, but you just get the feeling Sinister 2 is the obligatory "Well, we had a sleeper hit with the original, so of course we need to churn out a sequel or a series of films until we milk every red cent out of this potential franchise" Hollywood sequel.

Htiman: Agent 47 currently holds an 8% on RT. The movie's worldwide total currently sits at $17,117,021, and that's against a reported production budget of $35,000,000. When you give away a major twist(s) in the trailers and commercials, it reeks of a desperate attempt to sell the movie (see Genisys, Terminator for a recent example). I know American Ultra holds a 46%, but the movie looks like fun, so I still plan on seeing it.

If we're talking about new releases, No Escape and Z For Zachariah are the only two films (We Are Your Friends is a maybe for me) I'm interested in.

Upcoming Releases:

8/26: No Escape
8/28: We Are Your Friends
8/28: War Room (limited)
8/28: Z For Zachariah (limited)
8/28: Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: The Green Legend (limited)

 

[Phoenix]

Paper Towns- 6/10

A solid cast, but when you go beyond the scavenger hunt and the road trip to find Margo, Paper Towns is just another middle-of-the-road coming-of-age/YA adaptation film that's not good enough to stand out amongst the pack.

Although, I'll give the movie a few bonus points for Quentin's reaction, when he finds out the legend of Margo Roth Spiegelman is not all it's cracked up to be, and they don't settle for a conventional happy ending.

A fair rating. I thought Margo was miscast with Cara, she just didn't sell the Magic Pixel Dream Girl that was portrayed in the book, she was just...there. There was nothing special about Margo, outside of Q's thoughts of her, which is a big problem the film suffers from, it doesn't make Margo as special as Quentin makes her out to be prior to the ending. I honestly felt Cara was cast to have a big name in film, and it backfired. I ended up caring more about Lacey because the actress helped make her interesting. My wife felt that the Ben actor looks like a 12 year-old kid, he definitely sticks out from the others, but not in a good way.

The road trip was the highlight of the film, it was such great chemistry throughout that sequence, you definitely were sold that these were friends on a journey.

My other big issue is Quentin taking a bus in the end. There is no freaking way he would have made it back to prom on a cross-country bus, especially with how much time there was left in order to make it back. That bit bugged me. I also felt that the film lacked energy, even the closing credit animation felt flat, I just don't know, I expected more out of this film.

This brought me to another film that came out a few years ago called 'Dream World', it has the strengths where 'Paper Towns' was weak, and vice-versa. If they combined those two film's strengths into one film, you'd have a better film adaptation of the book, in my opinion. As someone who is a fan of John Green's books, I expected more after how well 'The Fault in our Stars' was adapted, but then I remember just not being excited about PT when the trailer came out, and it wasn't unfounded. I'm now worried because my favourite book of his, 'Looking For Alaska', is next, and I will be very picky about seeing it if it's adapted poorly.

 

[Mitch Henessey]

My other big issue is Quentin taking a bus in the end. There is no freaking way he would have made it back to prom on a cross-country bus, especially with how much time there was left in order to make it back. That bit bugged me.

Ridiculous is the first word that popped into my mind during the whole bus trip. To add to this, the group spends a considerable amount of time looking for Margo, a brief moment arguing with Quentin about needing to leave as soon as possible, because they were cutting it close for making it back in time for prom, and Quentin aimlessly wandering around town. Also, there's the conversation with Margo, where she explains her actions, Quentin and Margo having milkshakes at a restaurant, and of course Quentin and Margo need time to say their good-byes before Quentin boards the bus. And after all that, he somehow manages to show up during the prom with a "perfect timing" entrance?

I know I'm watching a movie, and I know they were going for the feel good moment with Quentin reuniting with his friends, but come on now.

 

[Phoenix]

Ridiculous is the first word that popped into my mind during the whole bus trip. To add to this, the group spends a considerable amount of time looking for Margo, a brief moment arguing with Quentin about needing to leave as soon as possible, because they were cutting it close for making it back in time for prom, and Quentin aimlessly wandering around town. Also, there's the conversation with Margo, where she explains her actions, Quentin and Margo having milkshakes at a restaurant, and of course Quentin and Margo need time to say their good-byes before Quentin boards the bus. And after all that, he somehow manages to show up during the prom with a "perfect timing" entrance?

I know I'm watching a movie, and I know they were going for the feel good moment with Quentin reuniting with his friends, but come on now.

The irony is that in the book, Quentin missed prom and gets called by Ben and Radar at a post-prom party. They didn't do the road trip until the moment graduation ended. Obviously they had to have some sort of tension builder to make the film work, but yeah, that was ridiculous. They should have had the "perfect timing" with graduation, or something. Also, Quentin made it clear he had no intention of going to prom and hadn't bought a ticket when the deadline to buy them hit, so how the heck did he get into prom, or have a tux ready? It's bad when the film can't help you suspend your disbelief.

 

[Dagger Dias]

Here are the current highest grossing films of all time....


1. Jurassic World
$1,636,688,000

2. Furious 7
$1,511,726,205

3. Avengers: Age of Ultron
$1,401,329,323

4. Minions
$1,018,901,000

5. Inside Out
$701,169,107

6. Fifty Shades of Grey
$569,651,467

7. Cinderella
$542,291,690

8. Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation
$479,387,000

9. San Andreas
$469,295,125

10. Terminator Genisys
$409,934,064


Two new titles made the top ten, Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation and Terminator Genisys. Minions became the 3rd animated film ever to pass the $1 billion mark, following Toy Story 3 and Frozen. It is now the 3rd highest grossing animated film ever, and it looks like it may make #2 on that list. Frozen still sits at the top on the all time animated list. One more film will be getting released this week.


Upcoming releases:
9/4: The Transporter: Refueled

 

[Dagger Dias]

The current top ten highest grossing films of 2015 are....


1. Jurassic World
$1,649,643,640

2. Furious 7
$1,511,726,205

3. Avengers: Age of Ultron
$1,401,615,697

4. Minions
$1,042,791,460

5. Inside Out
$734,419,280

6. Fifty Shades of Grey
$569,651,467

7. Cinderella
$542,316,210

8. Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation
$509,086,692

9. San Andreas
$469,594,686

10. Terminator Genisys
$435,879,703


No changes from last week's top 10 list. Minions has made it to #18 on the all-time listing. It is on its way toward becoming the 2nd highest grossing animated film of all time. Impressive. Two new films will be released this coming weekend. I will not be watching "Sleeping with Other People" due to what it's about, that doesn't interest me. "The Visit" might be good though. I don't see either making it into the top ten.


Upcoming releases for the week of 9/7 to 9/13:
Sleeping with Other People
The Visit

 

[Mitch Henessey]

American Ultra- 5/10

A lot of wasted potential here.

Topher Grace is a nice fit as the smarmy weasel, and the believable boyfriend/girlfriend chemistry between Kristen Stewart and Jesse Eisenberg is one of the major highlights in the movie, but the excellent chemistry between the two and Topher Grace are on a short, short list of positives in American Ultra.

The action sequences are decent at best, and you get the feeling they were trying to take an extreme approach to the action side of the film, but if we're talking about character deaths, gore, and blood, the end result is pretty tamed.

The comedy side of the film? Eh, I chuckled a few times throughout American Ultra, but the formula for laughs revolves around Eisenberg being this dimwitted fool, who miraculously escapes certain death until he believes in himself and comes into his own as the bad ass sleeper agent during the finale, so the one-track approach feels tiresome, as the story progresses. And they completely wasted Walton Goggins (Laugher) here. Goggins is supposed to be this lethal nutcase, but he only has a few lines of dialogue, because Laugher just......well he just laughs throughout the movie.

Straight Outta Compton-9/10

I'm not a rap/hip-hop or N.W.A expert by any means, but I know enough about the major events, stories, and details in the film, so I didn't have a big problem following the movie. It's an engrossing and thorough biopic, and it's definitely one of the best films I've seen this year.

I'm not 100% sure where he said it (can't remember for sure at the moment, but I'll go with HBO: Behind The Scenes), but Ice Cube said they didn't want established, known, or popular Hollywood actors to portray the N.W.A members, because the film would feel and look "fake." After watching the movie, it's hard to argue against him. The cast was rock solid, with Jason Mitchell easily stealing the show as Eazy-E, and instead of buzz and speculation surrounding more high profiled names overshadowing the film, you're focused on the men at the center of the story.

Also, what's more impressive about Straight Outta Compton is the natural and smooth flow to the movie. The runtime almost clocks in at three hours (2hr. & 27min.), but SOC never feels bloated or tedious, and they did a good job of balancing the rise and fall of N.W.A, while simultaneously showcasing the rise of Death Row Records and Dre's relationship with Knight, without running into a problem, where the story devolves into one big cluttered mess.

Fantastic Four-5/10

It's nowhere near as bad as the critics (a 9% on RT) are making it out to be, but Fantastic Four was a chore to sit through for me. A bland and mundane superhero film, and there's no real chemistry between Teller, Mara, Jordan, and Bell.

I know 20th Century Fox recently released a statement saying they're committed to a sequel, but I have a hard time buying into the possibility of a sequel. Fantastic Four was doomed from the beginning, with a cloud of negativity surroding another reboot, the story, and the trailers. And on top of that, it's a critical failure, with a lukewarm run at the box office.

Home Sweet Hell-5/10

It's not saying much, when you look at her career, but Katherine Heigl delivers her best performance in Home Sweet Hell. Yeah, you can say the character was tailor-made for her, but Heigl deserves credit for delivering an entertaining performance, and instantly switching gears between the perky housewife and the cold-blooded sociopathic bitch, who's willing to kill to preserve her way of life. And kudos to Patrick Wilson for holding up his end of the bargain, because the Mona (Heigl)/Don (Wilson) relationship doesn't work without Wilson playing this wimpy sap/pushover.

Home Sweet Hell is a decent enough black comedy, with a run-of-the-mill satirical approach to the perfect suburban life in America. All in all, HSH pulled a good amount of laughs out of me, so I'll add this one to my list of guilty pleasures for 2015. As far as Jordana Brewster goes, what see you in the trailers is what you'll get in the movie for the most part, and that's about it.

Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation-8/10

Another solid and satisfying entry in of the more consistent (MI: 2 is not that bad) action franchises. My only real complaint is the main villain is generic and uninteresting as a character, but Rebecca Ferguson as Ilsa Faust was a nice addition to the cast.

The Visit and The Perfect Guy are the two high profiled releases on Friday. I have no interest whatsoever in The Perfect Guy, because the movie looks like some random and formulaic "creepy stalker" suspense/thriller.

The Visit? I dunno. M. Night Shyamalan has some positive momentum with his name attached to Wayward Pines (pretty sure he directed the pilot), but I have a hard time getting my hopes up for The Visit.

Shyamalan hasn't put out a truly good film since Signs, and he has this horrible habit of relying on a SHOCKING twist for his films. The problem is, more often than not, the big twist is an anticlimactic disappointment.

But if we're playing a guessing game to speculate for the big twist in The Visit, I'll go with a Hansel & Gretel-esque twist, or something where the family is apart of some satanic cult. It's hard to forget about the scene in the trailers, where the grandmother asks the little girl to crawl inside the oven, and I get the feeling the mother is apart of the conspiracy, because she's too calm and relaxed, while her children are pleading for help in the trailers and commercials.

If we're talking about limited releases, I'm looking forward to Goodnight Mommy. The reviews are mixed, but going by the trailers, Goodnight Mommy could join the likes of It Follows as another flying under the radar/sleeper hit horror film in 2015.

 

[Dagger Dias]

Here are the current top ten highest grossing films of 2015....


1. Jurassic World
$1,655,928,195

2. Furious 7
$1,511,726,205

3. Avengers: Age of Ultron
$1,402,187,118

4. Minions
$1,080,133,195

5. Inside Out
$747,360,363

6. Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation
$612,972,518

7. Fifty Shades of Grey
$569,651,467

8. Cinderella
$542,340,056

9. San Andreas
$469,973,239

10. Terminator Genisys
$440,130,023


Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation climbed up a couple of spots this week. Minions is now the 2nd highest grossing animated film of all time, losing only to 2013's Frozen. If it dethrones Frozen I will genuinely be shocked, but stranger things have happened. Lots of new releases this week! Doubt any of them make the top ten though.


Upcoming releases:
9/18: Black Mass
9/18: Captive
9/18: Everest
9/18: Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials
9/18: Pawn Sacrifice
9/18: Sicario

 

[Mitch Henessey]

Southpaw-7/10

Nightcrawler is still fresh in my mind, so I won't go as far as labeling Jake Gyllenhaal's performance in Southpaw great. But it's safe to say Gyllenhaal easily delivers the best performance in Southpaw, because Gyllenhaal's dedication is something to admire, and Billy Hope is someone, who you want to root for.

The rest of the supporting cast is solid, with Forest Whitaker and Oona Laurence (the little girl, who plays Gyllenhaal's daughter) taking the top spots for noteworthy performances, 50 Cent is serviceable as the greedy and two-faced boxing promoter, and it's hard to say anything about Rachel McAdams. McAdams shares believable husband/wife chemistry with Gyllenhaal, but her character is barely in the movie (maybe ten minutes or a little bit more).

The downside to Southpaw is, the movie is riddled with a laundry list of tiresome and overused cliches. That, and Billy's predictable step-by-step redemption story is kind of dull. Southpaw is not a terrible film, and the top notch choreography for the bloody boxing scenes adds a strong sense of realism to the movie, but when you consider the rest of the supporting cast and the potential with Gyllenhaal in the leading role, it's a disappointing sports drama.

Sinister 2- 7/10

It's nowhere near as bad as the critics are making it out to be. Although, the unnecessary reveal towards the halfway point of the movie really annoyed me. After researching every little detail in the Bughuul murders, Deputy So & So is shocked to learn the kids are the ones (under the influence of Bughuul and the ghosts of other dead children), who are responsible for orchestrating and carrying out the murders. Eh, they revealed this "secret" at the end of the first film, so I'm not sure why they felt the need to waste a good amount of time with the "Oh, no! It's the children!" revelation.

Anyway, Sinister 2012 was a more mysterious film, because they had to introduce Bughuul as a character, explain his backstory, and Ethan Hawke's character had to uncover the mystery behind the murders. Sinister 2 did a really good job of exploring and showing how the kids are recruited by Bughuul and the ghosts of children, who committed the murders in the home movies under his influence.

To add to this, Scott Derrickson and C. Robert Cargill (the screenwriters) put a surprising amount of effort into the Collins' family drama. Long story short, Courtney (the wife/mother) is on the run with her twin sons Zach and Dylan, because her abusive husband, Clint wants full custody. The tension between Zach and Dylan, Zach resenting Dylan (the ghost children are recruiting Dylan to join Bughuul's army, but at the same time, they intentionally ignore and belittle a jealous Dylan), Clint playing the scumbag, who won't hesitate to threaten or physically abuse his wife or his children, and Courtney's never ending conflict, because she's torn between doing the right thing for her kids, protecting them from Clint, and doing everything in her power to give her children a normal childhood. There's a noticeable amount of depth for the family, and it's a refreshing approach for a horror film.

The twist for the ghost children's plans for Zach and Dylan towards the end really caught me off guard, and I'm glad Sinister 2 took a restrained approach to the gory and bloody stuff. Trust me, Deputy So & So's bloody and decapitated hand, and the home movie featuring the goblets, the rats, and the heated coals (think about Verone torturing Whitworth in 2 Fast 2 Furious...with more blood) are more than enough to pull a reaction out of you.

Sinister 2 is a respectable and progressive sequel, but the barrage of negative reviews, a lazy marketing campaign, and shitty trailers and TV spots really hurt this film. With all that said, I sincerely hope Sinister 2 is the last Sinister film. Sinister 2 is stuck in a cloud of negativity, but the movie turned a profit ($26,829,800 off of a reported production budget of $10,000,000), and there's a slim chance that'll be enough to greenlight an unnecessary third film.

Where else can they possibly go with the story? We already know Bughuul is not the culprit for the murders, we know the children are responsible, we already know Bughuul can use the movies as a gateway to the real world, and Sinister 2 gives us an in-depth look at the children and their motivations for wanting to murder their families. Maybe they can go the route of a new set of protagonists formulating a plan to go directly to the source, so they can stop Bughuul himself, but I don't see a real upside for this path, because it reeks of prolonging and milking the series for the sake of more money.

Hitman: Agent 47- 6/10

First of all, complaints for Agent 47 being an overlong Audi commercial are horribly overexaggerated. Yeah, the product placement for Audi is obvious, but come on now, it's not that bad.

I barely remember the 2007 original, but HA47 is a hard-hitting film, with exhilarating action sequences, and Zachary Quinto was a nice fit for the villain. Agent 47 is not perfect by a longshot, but it's satisfying mindless fun entertainment. After the cliffhanger at the end and the mid-credits scene, it's clear they're laying the groundwork for a sequel, but I'm not so sure it'll happen. I'll welcome a sequel, because I really enjoyed HA47, but unfortunately, a pesky stigma follows the vast majority of video game adaptations (fingers crossed for Michael Fassbender and Assassin's Creed), and HA47 was panned by the critics.

A crowded week for new releases. According to Box Office Mojo.com's predictions, Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials will have a slight edge over Black Mass to take the #1 spot in the week-to-week charts. I'm really looking forward to Black Mass, because I'm a big fan of Johnny Depp, and the trailers are excellent. Although, I have a bad feeling Depp's recent downward spiral and his string of terrible films (Dark Shadows, Transcendence, etc.) will hurt Black Mass's chances for a successful opening weekend.

 

[HBKistheHOF]

Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials - 7/10: I unexpectedly saw the first Maze Runner film just a few months ago & was pleasantly surprised, so I suddenly became interested in seeing this installment. While the film manages to be just about as enjoyable as the first, it does so in very different ways. The first one I found to be enjoyable for the environments, the interesting characters & what felt like some slightly original idea (especially for a YA franchise). Sadly, Scorch Trials is lacking in all of those areas. Particularly character development, although that is kind of expected for a quickly churned out sequel. It does however make up for that with even more action & suspense than the first film. As well as what clearly seemed like a bigger budget & a few bigger actors, like the welcomed addition of Giancarlo Esposito from Breaking Bad. The ending is sadly just another sloppy cliffhanger, this time taking place in a generic wasteland pretty much exactly like what the rest of the film takes place in. Overall if you're a fan of the books and/or the first film then you will most likely enjoy this one too but it is extremely different in many ways, so I wouldn't say that is a guarantee.

 

[Dagger Dias]

Here are the current top ten highest grossing films of 2015....


1. Jurassic World
$1,658,845,035

2. Furious 7
$1,511,726,205

3. Avengers: Age of Ultron
$1,402,451,107

4. Minions
$1,118,000,000

5. Inside Out
$761,683,169

6. Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation
$656,282,210

7. Fifty Shades of Grey
$569,651,467

8. Cinderella
$542,351,353

9. San Andreas
$470,166,442

10. Terminator Genisys
$440,160,957


No new titles or anyone climbing further up this week. Three new films are being released this week with one being a sequel. I never saw the first Hotel Transylvania, so I won't be seeing the second anytime soon. I don't see any likelihood of a new top ten listing among this week's films. Guess we'll find out.


Upcoming releases:
9/25: Hotel Transylvania 2
9/25: The Intern
9/25: The Intern

 

[Mitch Henessey]

The Transporter Refueled- 4/10

Ray Stevenson (he plays Frank's father) easily upstages Ed Skrein in the leading role. Stevenson is more charismatic, entertaining, his character provides the vast majority of laughs here, and you could tell Stevenson was having a blast as Frank Martin, Sr.

Skrein? I think you'll find more thrills out of watching paint dry or feeding a group of ducks, because he's unbelievably dull in the leading role. After watching Skrein, it's not hard to imagine anyone else taking over the role of Frank Martin, because I'm sure they could've used any random action drone to spend the majority of the movie squinting, and talking in a low, whispering tone of voice.

Statham brought an energetic flare to the Frank Martin character. He was athletic, intense, he was believable as a bad ass, and he managed to bring a comical side to the character without being too silly. I'm sorry, but throughout the movie, I wasn't focused on a potential future with Skrein as the lead. Instead, it was more and more clear that Skrein was a bad choice to replace Statham, as the story progressed.

As an action movie, Refueled is okay, but a few inventive action sequences and some fun moments (the scene with the fire extinguishers, and the airport terminal scene) are not enough to save this one, because the end result reeks of another disappointing and unnecessary reboot.

The Visit-7/10

I won't go as far as calling The Visit a redemption film for M. Night Shyamalan, because it's not that good, and Shyamalan has delivered one too many stinkers over the years. BUT The Visit is definitely a step in the right direction for Shyamalan.

Deanna Dunagan and Peter McRobbie (the grandparents) delivered a pair of solid performances. They're believable as these two old oddballs, who are batshit crazy, but in certain parts of the movie, you can feel sympathy for them, because you're lead to believe they're two elderly people, with good hearts, but they're struggling with problems from old age.

The twist? Usually, I mock Shyamalan for his outlandish twists, but not this time. Originally, I was sure they were headed for a Hansel & Gretel-esque twist. Throughout the movie, Nana goes out of her way to cook a barrage of meals and desserts for the kids, and she constantly pushes them to eat, so of course you get the impression she's trying to fatten them up. On top of that, you have a few scenes, where Nana urges the teenage girl to crawl in the oven, but Nana is not a witch.....

Spoiler

It turns out the two elderly people in the trailers are NOT the real grandparents. They're two violent nutcases, who escaped a local mental institution (the real grandparents worked at the institution). The impostors murdered the real grandparents, and they hid their corpses in the basement.

I didn't have a problem with this twist. Unlike Shyamalan's past films (i.e. The Village), the big twist for The Visit is genuinely shocking, but it's not too over the top, so you don't have trouble buying into it.

Shyamalan plays an intriguing guessing game throughout the movie, while dropping little clues and hints (some of them are intentionally misleading), so it's not so easy to predict what's going to happen until the big reveal towards the end. To add to that, Shyamalan did a good job of balancing the comedic parts of the film to avoid any "it's too goofy" problems. Hopefully, The Visit is a positive sign of things to come for Shyamalan. Shyamalan seems like a real nice guy, and it's close, but his career is still salvageable.

Hotel Transylvania 2 is the early front-runner to take the #1 spot in the week-to-week charts. The Intern has some potential as a comedy, but I doubt the movie will make a serious splash at the box office.

Personally, I'm really looking forward to The Green Inferno. Eli Roth's reputation as a horror master is overexaggerated, but I enjoy most of his films, and if I'm using the early reviews as a sign of things to come, The Green Inferno is one nasty and gory horror flick.

 

[Mitch Henessey]

Everest (in 3D!)- 5/10

A few bonus points for a heartfelt and emotional story, and a pair of solid and believable performances from Jason Clarke and Keira Knightley. But in the grand scheme of things, Everest is an underwhelming film. Everest is supposed to provide a grandiose cinematic experience, but the movie is short on breathtaking shots and awe-inspiring moments.

To add to that, you get the feeling Everest is one of those films that’ll undoubtedly lose its wow-factor, when you watch the movie at home. Truth be told, Everest’s wow-factor falls in the so-so zone, so it’s hard to ignore a noticeable drop-off for a viewing experience without the big screen.

Burying The Ex- 6/10

I’ll admit, this rating might be a little bit high, but Burying The Ex is the type of horror film I have soft spot for. The chemistry between Anton Yelchin, Ashley Greene, and Alexandra Daddario is the major highlight in the movie. You can believe in Greene as this manipulative and controlling bitch, and Yelchin did a good job of playing the spineless wimp, who’s afraid to speak up. Greene’s character is a control freak, but at the same time, she’s someone, who you can feel sympathy for (in certain parts of the movie). What’s more impressive is Yelchin shares dual chemistry with Greene, as the pushover boyfriend, and he shares chemistry with Daddario with a positive fresh start relationship.

Burying The Ex crosses the line for overkill with a bunch of corny puns, but I laughed a few times, and Burying The Ex is an enjoyable horror comedy. On top of that, Burying The Ex is made for horror fans. Yelchin and Daddario’s character’s are die-hard horror movie fans, the movie is loaded with horror movie references, and Burying The Ex features a good amount of clips from vintage horror movies and shows. The approach to cater to horror fans might be a big turn off to some people, but as a fan, it’s nice to see a horror film that’s not afraid to appeal to its core audience.

Also, and you’ll notice this right off the bat, but Burying The Ex is a very low budget horror film. Not saying it’s a problem, but it’s very obvious. There’s a scene, where Evelyn (Greene) pukes in Max's (Yelchin) face, because she’s having trouble adjusting to her zombie transformation. It’s supposed to be one of the bigger gross-out moments in the movie, but Ashley Greene’s vomit looks like Mountain Dew.

Black Mass- 8/10

A stark and gritty crime drama, and I’m a big fan of the guy, but I get the feeling a lot of people are overrating Johnny Depp’s performance. His portrayal of Bulger is good, but I won’t go as far saying it’s a great or extraordinary performance. Depp’s Whitey Bulger belongs in Depp’s top ten for his best performances, but I have a hard time slapping the Oscar worthy tag on this one.

With all that said, Depp’s performance is the major highlight in Black Mass. Depp’s ability to instantly switch gears between this charismatic and charming man to this cold-blooded sociopath is something to admire, and I’m glad they didn’t try an anti-hero (a good film, but it’s one of my major pet peeves with American Gangster and Denzel Washington/Frank Lucas) approach to Bulger here. He’s not some cool bad ass, who drops catchy one-liners and quotable moments in every other scene. No, Whitey Bulger is a callous and violent criminal, who won’t hesitate to bully, intimidate, or murder men and women.

A rock solid ensemble cast with Joel Edgerton delivering the second best performance (I still believe The Gift is vastly overrated, but I’m glad Edgerton is having a successful year) in the movie, but the sad thing is, the positive critical praise for Black Mass was not enough to secure a more successful run at the box office. There’s no guarantee for a better chance with a different release date, but going up against Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials on the same opening weekend put a big dent in any chances for Black Mass grabbing the #1 spot in the week-to week charts. I’m sure the film will break even in a couple of weeks, but so far, the current worldwide total for Black Mass sits at $46,407,093 and that’s against a reported production budget of $53,000,000, so Johnny Depp’s box office slide in films, where he has the lead role continues.

The Martian and Sicario are the two heavyweights for new releases tomorrow, while The Walk will receive a limited release in IMAX 3D and other premium format screens in 3D before the wide release next Friday. The Martian and Sicario are receiving positive reviews, with The Martian currently holding a 92% on Rotten Tomatoes, while Sicario holds a 93%, and there’s some Oscar buzz surrounding both films. I plan on watching both films, but I’m really looking forward to The Martian, because the trailers look good, and Matt Damon usually delivers in leading roles.

Upcoming releases:

10/2: The Martian
10/2: Sicario
10/2: The Walk (limited)
10/2: Attack On Titan Part I (Shingeki No Kyojin: Attack On Titan) (limited)
10/2: Shanghai (limited)

 

[Mitch Henessey]

The Green Inferno- 6/10

If we’re talking about overall quality for Eli Roth’s career, The Green Inferno is somewhere in the middle of the pack with the first two Hostel films and Cabin Fever. I’ll get to the gory and bloody stuff in a minute, but Roth’s social commentary for The Green Inferno was a surprise for me.

Justine (Lorenza Izzo) is someone who genuinely cares about the cause, saving the rainforests, and helping the local tribe, but she’s duped into a shady scheme. The rest of the so called “activists” (including the leader)? They’re just a bunch of pretentious phonies (excluding Justine). They don’t give a shit about saving the rainforests, fighting the big, bad evil corporations, the cause, or the local tribe, because they’re more concerned with trending on Twitter (I can’t remember the slogan right now, but the shirts for the group have a hashtag with the slogan next to it printed on the front) or other social media outlets, their fifteen minutes of fame, backdoor deals, using the trip as a vacation, money, and giving themselves an undeserved pat on the back.

There’s a scene, where the group is sitting around, and they’re going over the gameplan with the leader. The leader warns the group about the risks involved with the mission, and what happens, when other members of the group express their concerns with second thoughts and bailing on the mission altogether? “Hey! This is bigger than us. You don’t like it? Leave!” Of course, I’m paraphrasing 100%, but that sums up the leader’s reaction to the rest of the group doubting the mission.

The rest of the group doesn’t flinch after his chesty little speech, but they didn’t stay the course, because the leader challenged (again he’s not a shining example to look up to, because he‘s a hypocrite) them. No, they stayed, because they were afraid someone else would call them on their bullshit. They were past the point of no return, so they had to stick with their lies.

Another good example for fraudulent activism happens during the early stages of the movie. At the university, the same group and the leader are on a hunger strike for the janitors, who are in need of a health care plan. During a conversation with a group member, Justine praises the group for their dedication, but surprise, surprise some members in the group are ignoring the hunger part of the strike, and the (portly) group member said something along the lines of “Hey, look at me. You can tell I don’t miss any meals!”

The gory stuff? If you’re the squeamish type, you should avoid The Green Inferno at all costs. If we’re talking about gore, blood, and graphic violence, The Green Inferno is a nasty and repulsive horror film, complete with revolting cannibalism, disembowelment, and bloody torture. Although, Roth’s vile and explicit gross-out approach is not a real big surprise, if you know Eli Roth, his films, his track record, and his style.

Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials-6/10

A few bonus points for some impressive set pieces, and it’s definitely a step above the first film, but in the grand scheme of things, The Scorch Trials is just another YA adaptation that’s not good enough to stand out amongst the crowded pack. That, and the run, chase, fight, hide, rest, and “let’s reminisce about the past, while trying to figure out the mystery behind our broken memories,” repeat formula is repetitive and tedious.

October 2-4 & The Upcoming Weekend

Well, it’s no real surprise, but The Martian debuted at #1 in the week-to-week charts to bring the current worldwide total to $117, 396,619. And according to Box Office Mojo.com’s predictions, The Martian is set to hold on to the #1 spot in the week-to-week charts for two consecutive weeks. Meanwhile, Pan is set to debut with a disappointing opening at #3. Pan currently holds a 28% on Rotten Tomatoes, and you have to believe the poor reviews will hurt the movie.

Steve Jobs starring Michael Fassbender opens with a very limited release tomorrow before the wide release on October 23. The trailers for Steve Jobs look great, and hopefully Fassbender delivers an Oscar worthy performance.

And I know I’m in the minority, but I’m really looking forward to Knock Knock. The movie holds a 40% on RT, but going by the trailers, Knock Knock looks like the type of horror film that could provide some good campy fun.

Upcoming Releases:

10/9: Pan
10/9: The Walk
10/9: Steve Jobs (limited)
10/9: Knock Knock (limited)

 

[Dagger Dias]

Here are the current highest grossing films of 2015 so far....


1. Jurassic World
$1,665,125,061

2. Furious 7
$1,511,726,205

3. Avengers: Age of Ultron
$1,402,805,868

4. Minions
$1,151,009,210

5. Inside Out
$818,763,000

6. Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation
$679,528,588

7. Fifty Shades of Grey
$569,651,467

8. Cinderella
$542,351,353

9. San Andreas
$470,462,650

10. Terminator Genisys
$440,160,956


Still no new additions to the top ten. Minions is now the 10th highest grossing film of all time. Lots of new releases this week, none of which I could see making the top ten however. One of them is notably based on the Goosebumps books. I remember reading those as a kid. Might or might not see the film.


Upcoming releases:
10/16: Bridge of Spies
10/16: Crimson Peak
10/16: Goosebumps
10.16: Room
10/16: Truth
10/16: Woodlawn

 

[Mitch Henessey]

The Walk (in 3D!)-8/10

Joseph Gordon-Levitt delivers with a charming, hilarious, and charismatic performance in the leading role. On top of that, JGL as Philippe Petit is someone you want to root for, because he's an ordinary guy with the guts to perform extraordinary feats of courage, but I had higher expectations for The Walk. It’s not a bad film at all, and The Walk delivers an inspirational and encouraging message to push forward and pursue your dreams. You’re supposed to rise to the occasion, when the odds are against you, and when your close friends and family members doubt you. To add to this, the movie ends with a subtle and melancholy tribute for the Twin Towers and 9/11 victims.

Still, I have mixed feelings, when JGL finally performs the tightrope walk between the Twin Towers. On one hand, yes, it’s a tense, nail-biting finale, with a few close calls, and a few bonus points for the 3D effects during The Walk. Although, in certain parts, The Walk turns into a ridiculous and tedious fiasco, with JGL taunting and toying with the cops, the teasing, and walking back and forth after he crosses the wire for the first time. I know it’s one scene, and maybe I’m nitpicking too much, but The Walk’s grand finale was too hit-and-miss for me.

According to Box Office Mojo.com’s predictions for the week-to-week charts, Goosebumps is the front-runner to grab the number one spot. I’m still unsure how I should feel about Goosebumps. As a kid, I was a BIG fan of the books (I still have a dusty stack of books in my room, and boxes full of Goosebumps books in the garage), and the TV series (I still have a few of the VHS tapes), so of course a part of me wants to relive the nostalgia. But I just have a feeling they’ll lean too far on the “just for kids” side with this one. I know it’s Goosebumps, and you really can’t show too much blood or gore (after all, Goosebumps is/was supposed to be horror for kids), but it’s a thought that’s stuck in the back of my mind.

To add to list of predictions, BOM has Bridge Of Spies debuting in the #3 spot, but Bridge Of Spies’ Oscar nominations should compensate for a possible lukewarm run at the box office. So far, Bridge Of Spies holds a 93% on Rotten Tomatoes, and with Steven Spielberg as the director and Tom Hanks in the leading role, I’ll be SHOCKED if BOS doesn’t receive at least three Oscar nominations (Best Picture, Best Actor, and Best Director).

And Crimson Peak is finally here! After a long hiatus, I’m glad Guillermo del Toro is making a return to the horror genre as a director (not 100% sure, but I think Del Toro directed a few episodes of The Strain) for a full length feature. The reviews are mixed (a 69% on RT) so far, but Crimson Peak is on a short list films I’m truly looking forward to this year.

 

[Dagger Dias]

The current top ten highest grossing films of 2015 so far are....


1. Jurassic World
$1,665,219,411

2. Furious 7
$1,511,726,205

3. Avengers: Age of Ultron
$1,402,805,868

4. Minions
$1,152,703,855

5. Inside Out
$831,645,000

6. Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation
$679,829,239

7. Fifty Shades of Grey
$569,651,467

8. Cinderella
$542,351,353

9. San Andreas
$470,490,832

10. Ant-Man
$454,653,000


It took Ant-Man 3 months to do it, but it has made the top ten for 2015. Odd that it took this long, better late than never. There's a lot of films being released this week. The one I'd be the most interested in would be the new Paranormal Activity, although I fell behind in that series when I missed the 5th film. I won't watch sequels unless I have seen all of the films released before them (I watch in order of release, regardless of canon arguments). If I'm able to catch the 5th one, I'll go see this new one. I do like the series so I really should get caught up. None of the other upcoming films interest me. Paranormal should make the top ten, however with it taking Ant-Man 3 months we'll just have to see what happens.


Upcoming releases:
10/23: Burnt
10/23: Jem and the Holograms
10/23: The Last Witch Hunter
10/23: Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension
10/23: Rock the Kasbah

 

[Mitch Henessey]

Crimson Peak- 7/10

A lot of mixed feelings for this one.

Mia Wasikowska is competent in the leading role, but Jessica Chastain easily steals the show, as this hateful sociopath. There’s nothing wrong with Wasikowska’s performance, but I had a hard time feeling any sympathy for her character.

Spoiler

Look, I get the point of Edith (Wasikowska) being this vulnerable and lonely character. Her father was murdered, and she only has one living friend in the world (Charlie Hunnam‘s character), so Thomas (Tom Hiddelston) and Lucille (Chastain) were free to easily manipulate Edith into believing they were the only family she had left in the world, and together, Thomas and Lucille were the only ones, who cared about her.

Thomas and Lucille poison Edith throughout the movie with tea, so she can die a slow death, but you have to question Edith’s common sense. There’s no subtlety whatsoever for the foreshadowing, while Thomas and Lucille poison Edith, because it’s blatantly obvious the tea is the problem. After a while, Edith realizes she’s being poisoned, but it doesn’t happen until the tail end of the film, and this is after she constantly coughs up blood, so you get the feeling Edith is not that bright.

The reveal for one of the big twists towards the end was a big letdown for me. Thomas and Lucille were using and poisoning Edith, because they wanted her inheritance (Edith’s father was a wealthy man). Thomas needed more money to keep his invention alive, and Edith was another sucker (Thomas and Lucille worked together to poison and manipulate other lonely women before Edith). Sorry, but the whole “we’re going to devise a scheme to murder the wife, and collect her fortune after she’s dead” scheme is full of clichés, and again, there’s no subtlety for the foreshadowing, so you can see it coming from a mile away.

Although, I’ll give Crimson Peak credit for Thomas and Lucille’s incest reveal. Thomas and Lucille are brother and sister, and during the finale. Edith catches them together during an intimate moment. They could’ve taken the easy way out with a more sleazy reveal to mirror something in a porn film, but the reveal for Thomas and Lucille as lovers is creepy and unnerving, and Lucille proudly professing her love for her brother was a nice touch.

Once again, Guillermo del Toro proves he has a knack for providing stunning visuals, because Crimson Peak is a beautiful film (most of the scenes inside Crimson Peak are simply breathtaking), and Crimson Peak delivers a few gross-out scenes with some nasty gore. Still, more often than not, you get the feeling it’s a bad case of style over substance for Crimson Peak. On top of that, if we’re talking about the overall cast, Chastain is the only one, who truly stands out with her performance and as a character.

Also, Crimson Peak is very predictable and repetitive at times. The redundant formula with Edith’s ghost sightings and Edith running away from said ghosts before she realizes they’re trying to help her solve the mystery by showing her clues and pointing her in the right direction feels tedious towards the end.

Sicario- 9/10

A tense and crafty crime thriller, with an excellent cast. Emily Blunt does a good job of filling her role, as this conflicted FBI agent, who’s not sure if she’s doing the right thing or not, because Kate (Blunt) is stuck between her morality and breaking all the rules to do what’s necessary in fighting and ending the drug war between the cartels.

Blunt was believable to the point, where I genuinely wanted to know if she would crack under the pressure, or if she had what it takes to pass Graver’s (Josh Brolin) test and run with the “wolves.” Brolin is entertaining as this smug prick, but Benicio del Toro easily delivers the best performance here, as this cold and menacing enforcer/killer, who’s not afraid to cross the line.


October 16-18 & The Upcoming Weekend

Goosebumps debuted at #1 in the week-to-week charts to bring the worldwide total to $27,204,667. The positive reviews for Goosebumps surprised me, so I’ll have to check it out soon.

It’s another crowded week for new releases, and according to Box Office Mojo.com’s predictions, The Last Witch Hunter will debut as the new #1 film in the week-to-charts, but the critics are tearing it apart ( an 18% on Rotten Tomatoes). I dunno. A lot of Vin Diesel’s action films are really hit-and-miss, ranging from average to mediocre in quality, and The Last Witch Hunter looks like some random adaptation of a fantasy/sci-fi young adult novel in the trailers, commercials, and TV spots. Also, I’m kind of surprised Rock The Kasbah is receiving an overwhelming amount of negative reviews (a 10% on RT).

And BOM has Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension debuting at #3 with $12,420,000, and that’ll be more than enough to turn a profit (The Ghost Dimension had a reported production budget of $10,000,000). This is supposed to be the final film in the PA franchise, and so far, it’s sitting at a 20% on RT. The PA franchise peaked after PA 3, and PA 4 (my pick for the worst film in the series) really killed the momentum for this franchise. I’m not the biggest fan of the PA series, but the spin-off (The Marked Ones) was a solid film with some real potential to revitalize the series, but it was a case of too little, too late after PA 4.

 

[Dagger Dias]

The current ten highest grossing films of 2015 are....


1. Jurassic World
$1,665,519,326

2. Furious 7
$1,511,726,205

3. Avengers: Age of Ultron
$1,402,805,868

4. Minions
$1,154,001,455

5. Inside Out
$842,215,670

6. Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation
$680,000,146

7. Fifty Shades of Grey
$569,651,467

8. Cinderella
$542,351,353

9. Ant-Man
$493,810,134

10. San Andreas
$470,490,832


Ant-Man moved up a spot to #9. Inside Out has been hanging on to that #5 spot for almost 3 months now, but it has become the #10 highest grossing animated film of all time while Minions remains at #2 behind Frozen on that list. Two new films will be released this week. "Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse" might be a fun film to go see during Halloween weekend if you're bored.


Upcoming releases:
10/30: Our Brand Is Crisis
10/30: Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse

 

[Mitch Henessey]

Goosebumps (in 3D!)- 6/10

I had some doubts about this one, but I had blast with Goosebumps from start to finish. Goosebumps is a lot of fun, it's a good nostalgia kick (the little subtle wink for The Cuckoo Clock Of Doom in Stine's basement put a smile on my face) for fans of the books, and Jack Black is hilarious. Out of all the characters from Goosebumps, Slappy was the perfect choice for the ring leader, and the laughs are fairly consistent, including the corny puns (most of them come from Slappy). Also, you know it's coming at some point in the film, but don't blink, or you'll miss the ironic cameo for the real R.L. Stine towards the end.

According to Box Office Mojo.com, Goosebumps will slide into the #1 spot in the week-to-week charts again with some Halloween momentum during the weekend. If we're talking about the new releases for tomorrow, I can't say I'm overly excited or eager to watch the new set of films.

Our Brand Is Crisis could be a decent enough comedy, but going by the trailers and commercials, you get the feeling they're more interested in selling Sandra Bullock in the leading role, while the actual story for the film takes a backseat. Burnt starring Bradley Cooper? I honestly had no idea this film was on the verge of a release until I caught a commercial a little while ago, and Burnt looks like a shelved film that receives a VOD or straight-to-video release a few years after production, because the movie features a star with real name value in the leading role.

There's a good chance Scouts Guide To The Zombie Apocalypse is just another generic and formulaic zombie comedy, that's not capable of achieving cult status. Although, I'm a sucker for Halloween season films, so hopefully SGTTZA features enough mindless fun and gore to justify a viewing.

 

[Dagger Dias]

The current highest grossing films of 2015 are....


1. Jurassic World
$1,665,771,446

2. Furious 7
$1,514,827,481

3. Avengers: Age of Ultron
$1,402,805,868

4. Minions
$1,154,382,878

5. Inside Out
$842,462,000

6. Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation
$682,142,377

7. Fifty Shades of Grey
$569,651,467

8. Cinderella
$542,351,353

9. Ant-Man
$513,743,000

10. San Andreas
$470,490,832


No changes to the top ten or any major change to these films' progress in climbing up the all-time listings either. This week will see the release of The Peanuts Movie which is commemorating the 65th anniversary of Peanuts. I disagree with this being 3D Computer-animated instead of a classic cartoon style, but it should still be something any fan of the series may want to see. Will it make the top ten? Who knows, but the popularity of Peanuts as a whole definitely cannot be ignored.


Upcoming releases:
11/6: The Peanuts Movie

 

[Mitch Henessey]

Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension- 2/10

I need to watch both films back to back, and I didn’t think it was possible, but The Ghost Dimension is just as bad, if not worse than Paranormal Activity 4.

I honestly don’t understand why they felt the need to introduce a new set of characters. The Ghost Dimension is supposed to be the finale, and they're trying to tie up loose ends from the first film, PA 2, PA 3, and there’s a brief mention for PA 4. On top of all that, they had to explain the mystery behind Toby, and the reasons for targeting Katie, Kristi, and the other children.

The story is just a jumbled mess, with TGD introducing the Fleege family, and jumping back and forth to tie up the loose ends in PA 3 and the other films. Speaking of PA 3, time travel is a thing here, and out of all the PA films, they spend the VAST majority of the film tying up loose ends in and exploring what happened in PA 3’s (The Ghost Dimension’s opening picks up where PA 3 ends) timeline. What’s wrong with a direct sequel to PA 3, with the grandmother, Katie, and Kristi as the main characters?

If we’re talking about closure, it’s about 80% for TGD. They tie up a lot of the loose ends with Toby (as the story progresses, it‘s not too hard to piece together the mystery for the cult‘s big masterplan for Toby), the leader for the cult of witches, etc., but there’s no appearances from the cult of witches or adult Katie, and the ending opens another can of worms.

Spoiler

One more thing, don’t get your hopes up too high for the big reveal with Toby’s physical form at the end. They just show his legs and one of his arms, as he walks away from the screen to end the movie. Honestly, Toby is more menacing and intimidating, when he’s a ghost, or when he’s in his second form.

TGD has a few moments, with the creepy visuals for Toby in his second form, and Ivy George (the little girl in the trailers) did a good job in the leading role. Still, TGD is supposed to be the big finale, but it feels like you’re watching another interchangeable sequel in the franchise, with more unanswered questions, and you can blame a lot of that on the convoluted time travel garbage.

Bridge Of Spies-5/10

Without Tom Hanks, Bridge Of Spies is a mediocre film at best. Hanks delivers, but Bridge Of Spies falls into a few tedious and boring slumps. The close-call moments are so-so at best, and for the most part, Bridge Of Spies is a tensionless espionage thriller.

The Martian regained the #1 spot in the week to week charts, while Our Brand Is Crisis debuted in the #8 spot with $3,238,433 (off of a reported production budget of $28,000,000), and Burnt opened in the #6 spot with $9,579,772 (off of a reported production budget of $20,000,000).

It’s safe to say Spectre will debut in the #1 spot for the upcoming weekend, and it’ll be interesting to see, if The Peanuts Movie will open in the top three. The teaser trailer was great, but I kind of soured on Spectre after the more recent trailers were released.

 

[Shocky]

I suspect we'll be seeing quite a shakeup in the top 10 in the next two weeks. There's potential for 4 movies to crack in, fairly easily. I would believe Bond is going to be around that Billion Dollar mark. Hunger Games has been fairly consistent around $800 Million. The Good Dinosaur is Pixar, so you're looking at $700 Million plus possibly on that one.

The obvious elephant in the room, The Alpha Male of Alpha Males of film franchises making its return. Star Wars is going to pulverize everything this year at the BO. There's a good chance it'll beat Jurassic World by the New Year.

 

[Mitch Henessey]

Yeah, The Force Awakens is set to shatter numerous box office records, the numbers for the advanced ticket sales are off the charts, and according to various reports, Star Wars has a good chance to take the #1 spot in the top ten on the all time worldwide grosses list, moving past Titanic and knocking Avatar out of the top spot. J.J. Abrams is as close as you'll get to an ideal choice for a director, and with all the hype and anticipation surrounding the first Star Wars film in ten years, it's easy to see why we're looking at a film that has a serious chance to be an unprecedented juggernaut.

To add another note for Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension, the film managed to turn a profit, but an odd release strategy could've put a dent in a more successful run at the box office. TGD will be available on various VOD platforms seventeen days after the short/limited theatrical release, and apparently, a good number of theater chains refused (I thought something was strange, when I had to watch TGD in a little theater with eight screens) to carry the film. TGD is moving past the $54,000,000 mark, and that's off of a reported production budget of $10,000,000. Jason Blum and others were trying to sell this release strategy as a bold plan or an experiment, but it reeks of bullshit.

It's safe to say the powers that be knew TGD was a terrible film, so they decided to play it safe for a quick profit, and dump it on VOD as soon as possible before the negative reviews and word of mouth spread. TGD is a critically panned film (sitting at an 11% on RT, TGD holds the lowest rating for all the PA films), and the vast majority of horror websites are tearing it apart. Also, it's not a good sign, when you experiment with the final film or grand finale in the series.

 

[HBKistheHOF]

Hell & Back - 6.5/10: This movie is an odd little stop-motion animation, comedy that is super crude & vulgar. Sort of like Robot Chicken meets the banned abortion episode of Family Guy. If you are a 13 year old boy with a very disturbed sense of humor (or act like one), then you'll probably really like this movie. Otherwise it wasn't bad for a few chuckles during the Halloween season but nothing I'd ever go out of my way to see again.

Hotel Transylvania 2 - 7/10: I thought the 1st film was actually pretty cute & funny. & although I actually kind of put this one off for awhile because I thought it'd just be another stinker sequel, It ended up being almost as good as the first. It didn't have quite the same charm but I really liked where the writers took the story of having a possibly pure human grandchild, as it made for a lot of good family style comedy. Overall a surprisingly solid follow-up.

The Martian - 9/10: Easily one of the best films of the year. It felt extremely realistic & the acting was superb, even Matt Damon who I'm not a huge fan of. I haven't read the book but the story is excellent as well & the film instantly throws you into the action & makes you start feeling for the characters. My only real complaint would be that I didn't really care for the ending. The big, climactic, rescue sequence was the only really unrealistic part of the film & then the last couple of scenes felt pretty anti-climatic & a little out of place. Otherwise it was a great movie & one we will surely see recognized at various awards shows.

Sicario - 8/10: Sicario is a very well done, dark & gritty drama/action film. The performances are great across the board & all the action is shot in somewhat unique & personal ways that makes it feel extra intense at times. The story/pacing was a little chaotic & I had sort of a hard time really buying into the motivation & reactions of Emily Blunt's character at times but Benicio Del Toro is such a badass, it basically doesn't matter.

Goosebumps - 7/10: Pretty much the paint by the numbers, non-offense family film for Halloween that you'd expect. It's kinda cute, kinda funny & also kinda stupid & kinda cheesy too. The acting by all the kids was actually pretty good, especially the comic relief friend who ended up being surprisingly likable. Jack Black was just the same ol' goofy Jack Black, nothing special. & I didn't really get any sense of him channeling the real R.L. Stine like some have suggested. Also the voice for Slappy wasn't very good. Which leads me to really my biggest disappointment with the film, the Goosebumps monsters felt like the Dino-Bots in Transformers 4, irrelevant. The Gnomes get like one scene that was already shown in the trailers, The Abominable Snowman get's a split second to shine but is really just the jumping off point & Slappy although initially threatening, he runs off to turn half the movie into a chase scene & then plays Puppet Master for the rest of the film (no pun intended). Every other monster kind of just shows up & feels like a generic wave of spooky creatures that don't even pose much of a danger. Ultimately a fun little family film for Halloween but not quite the seasonal classic I thought it could've possibly been.

Also I'd just like to change the scores I gave to a few movies I previously reviewed & have now either seen again or simply had more time to digest them so to speak. Kingsmen: The Secret Service & Mad Max: Fury Road, I'd move up to an 8/10. Jurassic World & Dragonball Z: Resurrection "F": both move up to a 7.5/10. & Lastly Ant-Man moves down slightly to a 8.5/10. Kinda petty, I know, but I just thought I'd share my updated scores.