2016 In Film

[The 1-2-3 Killam]

We're into July now, which means a little more than half of 2016 is already behind us. So I just thought I'd check in and do a thread on the best & worst of this year in film, so far. I'll throw out a few of my top and bottom picks, and hopefully others will follow up with their own and we can get some sort of discussion going.

BEST OF 2016 (SO FAR)​

EMBRACE OF THE SERPENT (EL ABRAZO DE LA SERPIENTE)
Director: Ciro Guerra

This black-and-white Columbian art house drama is a beautiful little gem that just so happens to be the best film I've seen so far this year. It was nominated for Best Foreign Film at the Oscars this year, but I stumbled onto it about a month ago scrolling through this year's top rated films on RT. It's available to rent/buy on Amazon & iTunes; I would be careful with torrents, as there are several really bad sub translations floating around out there.

The movie takes place over two different time periods, but focuses on the same central character, an Amazonian Shaman named Karamakate, who is twice visited by foreigners in search of something deep within the Amazon rain forest. Over two hours the two stories unfold and intertwine and parallel in beautiful, thought-proving ways as Guerra deals with issues like early 20th century Catholic expansionism, the destruction of the Amazonian culture, psychotropic drugs and their relation to nature and the universe, the greed of man, and so much more. I cannot praise the film enough for its style, pacing and passion, and there was at least one scene that impacted me so hard I had to take a break and smoke a cigarette.

10 CLOVERFIELD LANE
Director: Dan Trachtenberg

Everything about this movie, for me, was brilliant. The way JJ and his crew sat on the announcement through casting, filming, re-shoots, editing, and all the post-production and somehow managed to keep the whole thing a secret before dropping it on theaters with a month's notice and nothing but a teaser trailer - brilliant. Putting John Goodman, one of my all-time favorite actors, in a box with John Gallagher Jr., who has done some incredible work the last few years, and Mary Elizabeth Winstead - brilliant. The way the movie kept everything in until the last moment, and kept teasing you throughout, keeping you on the edge of your seat trying to figure out how the hell this is a Cloverfield movie - brilliant. The way you could never, ever tell exactly who to trust, including the film creators just because of the nature of the production - brilliant.

This was a true thriller, through and through. My heart was beating so fast, so consistently, the only other time in recent memory I've had that kind of experience in a theater was with Mad Max. The dialogue, which is the bulk of the film, is so expertly written and executed. The ending is the most controversial thing of the movie, and I know some people hate it, and some people are still trying to put the Cloverfield universe together, but I loved it.

HONORABLE MENTIONS

- Disney is absolutely killing it this year across the board. After a successful Star Wars reboot in December, they came back with a CGI-heavy JUNGLE BOOK adaption that blew my expectations out of the water, one of their best animated features in years with ZOOTOPIA, another film that I thought was going to be terrible but ended up being really enjoyable and pointed, plus Marvel putting up huge numbers with CIVIL WAR, and of course Pixar doing their thing with FINDING DORY. Right now, four of the top seven spots on the best rated movies of 2016 according to RT belong to Disney and were all targeted towards youth. Impressive. Oh, and DEADPOOL.

- SING STREET, THE WITCH, THE LOBSTER, HAIL CAESAR!, CITY OF GOLD, MIDNIGHT SPECIAL, KEANU

 

[SSJPhenom]

Disney is on an absolute tear this year. Jungle Book, Zootopia, Finding Dory, and Civil War are all Disney products and they were all great IMO. Then Fox actually got one of their Marvel movies right with Deadpool (thank Kami).

Then of course there was the much debated BvS: Dawn of Justice, but IMO, the extended cut puts that debate to bed. It's amazing how much a studio can ruin a movie. The cuts they made may have not seemed significant, but the extended cut made that movie so much better that WB should be ashamed of themselves. IMO they left millions on the table by going the route they did. Not to mention the damage done to Snyder's rep. Oh well, shit happens.

What surprised me most this year was how much I disliked X-Men Apocalypse and how awful Independence Day Resurgence was. I mean, I knew without Smith it couldn't possibly deliver, but I didn't expect it to be that bad.

Needless to say, 2016 has been a great year so far for movies and we're only halfway done. It's mind boggling that 2017 is looking to be even more exciting then this year.

 

[Papa Pillman]

This has thus far been a ridiculously weak year for cinema(despite how many low brows show up at theaters to watch garbage).

To be fair I haven't gotten to check out Hail, Caesar or Finding Dory yet which may change my opinion some. As it is so far, the only things I've overly enjoyed were Deadpool and Swiss Army Man, and while both are fun and outside the box versions of the types of films they would be typically grouped with, neither belongs anywhere near the top levels of a best of the year list in any other year.

The best film that has come out in 2016 so far wasn't designed for theaters at all, it was the ESPN 30 for 30 doc- O.J.: Made in America- which, quality wise, shits on everything that has taken aim at the box office to this point.

 

[Dagger Dias]

The current highest grossing films of 2016 are....


1. Captain America: Civil War
$1,150,973,683

2. Zootopia
$1,021,741,156

3. The Jungle Book
$936,752,718

4. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice
$872,662,631

5. Deadpool
$782,038,982

6. Finding Dory
$721,945,629

7. The Mermaid
$553,810,228

8. X-Men: Apocalypse
$533,873,226

9. Kung Fu Panda 3
$519,003,117

10. Warcraft
$432,178,995


Nobody new in the top ten this week. Three new films will be released this week. One of which is the 5th Ice Age film. That one and the new Star Trek will likely do well. They have potential to make it into the top ten.

Upcoming releases:
7/22: Ice Age: Collision Course
7/22: Lights Out
7/22: Star Trek Beyond

 

[Mitch Henessey]

For now, The Lobster is at the top of my list for best films in 2016. A truly unique, eccentric, and thought-provoking film, and it's one of the best dark rom-coms I've seen in years. I'll go with 10 Cloverfield Lane as a close runner up, and a few honorable mentions for Captain America: Civil War, Deadpool, and The Witch.

For worst, I'll have to go with The Other Side Of The Door for now. I've seen my fair share of crappy and generic mainstream horror films, but TOSOTD is the worst of the worst. No "so bad it's good" moments or scenes to laugh at, and Sarah Wayne Callies' performance couldn't save this one.

The Shallows-6/10

Some vague spoilers, so proceed with caution.....

A decent enough shark/horror thriller, with a handful of sporadic thrills, and Blake Lively is competent in the leading role. Although, after a while all the close calls are not believable anymore, and you just know it's only a matter of time before Lively pulls out all the stops for the miraculous escape. To add to that, I know I'm watching a movie, but I was starting to wonder if Lively's character had superpowers. The big shark bite, the jellyfish, dehydration, starvation, and somehow she still has enough gas in the tank to fight off the shark?

With all that said, The Shallows is a fun little film. I had a lukewarm reaction to most of the resounding, triumphant, or bad ass moments (i.e. Lively's "fuck you" to the shark, while she's aiming a flare gun at it) throughout The Shallows, and at times it's hard to ignore the feeling of the director prioritizing awe-inspiring shots of the island, and close ups of Lively in her bikini and a tight, wet swimsuit (not a complaint, just an observation, because I get the "sex sells" approach) over the action side of the film.

Still, Lively plays a likeable, humble, and scrappy protagonist, so it's easy to root for her. And if I'm comparing The Shallows to other modern or recent-ish shark/horror thrillers, it's not good enough to stand out amongst the pack, but at the same time, it's not as bad as other bottom of the barrel shark/horror thrillers.

The Conjuring 2- 8/10

My only real complaint about The Conjuring 2 is for some asinine reason they just had to go through the motions with the "Is this really happening?" "Are they faking it?" or the "Seeing is believing" stuff. Long story short, the church sends The Warrens to investigate the haunting, and the powers that be are not sure if the family is faking everything for attention. Ed and Lorraine are stuck on the fence until the final moments of the movie, because they're not sure what or who they should believe, but some tape recordings are the clincher for Ed and Lorraine returning to the house for one last stand to fight the demon. Seriously? After everything that happened in the first film, after all of Ed and Lorraine's cases, and after everything they've been through, they're not sure what to believe, and they believe in the possibility of the little girl faking the possession? Come on man.

Still, The Conjuring 2 is a good sequel, with Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson delivering a pair of solid performances. The Conjuring 2's current worldwide box office total sits at $301,433,090 and that's off of a reported production budget of $40,000,000, so of course you already have the speculation for a sequel(s).

James Wan himself said there's a possibility for more sequels, because The Warrens have a lot of stories to tell. To add that, according to reports, a spin-off (similar to Annabelle) titled The Nun (the main demon/antagonist in The Conjuring 2) is reportedly in the works. Usually, horror series start falling off the rails after two or three films, and I have my doubts going forward, but The Conjuring series has three quality films so far. Annabelle (Annabelle 2 is set to be released next year) really wasn't as bad as a lot of people made it out to be, and hopefully they'll keep the momentum going with The Conjuring 3 (no official announcement yet, but with a sequel pulling in $300,000,000+ off of a $40,000,000 budget, you know it's coming at some point). My only concern is a burn out and an apathetic reaction to more films with stories centered around Ed and Lorraine. After all, if we're talking about Insidious, taking a break from The Lamberts after Chapter 2 gave Chapter 3 a more refreshing feel.

The Legend Of Tarzan (in 3D!)- 5/10

Yeah, I kind of dozed off at certain points in the movie, so I might've missed something, but overall The Legend Of Tarzan is OKAY. True, it's a generic and formulaic Hollywood blockbuster, and for the most part, Margot Robbie is limited to being the "damsel in distress," but Alexander Skarsgard and Samuel L. Jackson are an entertaining duo, with Jackson filling the comedic relief role. A few decent action sequences and fight scenes, and I'll put The Legend Of Tarzan in the mindless fun box.

The Purge: Election Year- 3/10

This hurts, because I'm a big fan of The Purge films, but Election Year has to be the weakest film in the series so far. Joe Dixon's (Mykelti Williamson) storyline really drags this one into the gutter, and you know it's only a matter of time before his storyline merges with Frank Grillo and Senator Roan's storyline, and that's one of my bigger problems with Election Year. Focusing on the enormity surrounding the possibility of ending The Purge should've been the top priority here, so why did James DeMonaco waste so much time with an uninteresting (and boring) story about the owner of a deli/convenience store owner risking it all to protect his livelihood, because he can't afford his insurance premiums?

Election Year is loaded with cringeworthy moments (mainly the stuff with Joe's feud against the bratty teenagers, who tried to get away with shoplifting), scenes, and dialogue, most of the big teasers in the trailers (the guillotine, the twisted patriotic Purge group, etc.) are big disappointments, when you see the final result in the movie, and the one on one showdown/big fight between Grillo and the leader of the white supremacist hit squad is underwhelming. Raymond J. Barry could've been Election Year's saving grace, as this nasty and hateful old prick (his speech about the importance of The Purge continuing is on a short list of highlights here), but he only appears during the opening and the tail end of the movie.

As far as gore, blood, and violence goes, you're not missing anything that's truly shocking or extreme. It's safe to say Anarchy is the best Purge film so far, and maybe we're at a point where The Purge films are starting to loose some steam.

On a side note, hopefully Frank Grillo gets a starring role in an action film somewhere down the line. Sam Worthington and Jai Courtney are boring and dull action drones, and if they can receive their fair share of notable and starring roles in high profiled Hollywood action blockbusters, I see no reason why Grillo, someone who's far more charismatic, entertaining, and fun to watch, can't have a shot at a leading role.

Independence Day: Resurgence-3/10

Underwhelming, dull, and boring.

The action sequences are monotonous, the big final battle with The Queen lacks any real excitement or suspense, the grand finale is anticlimactic, and the "that's it?" ending feels rushed. For me, the best parts of the movie featured a limping and unhinged Bill Pullman rambling on about the aliens returning to earth, and what needs to be done to defeat them.

Jeff Goldblum is enjoyable, but in the end, nostalgia, winks, references to the original film, and returning cast members couldn't save this one. Maika Monroe is the only one that comes close to standing out, because Liam Hemsworth, Jessie Usher (the guy playing Will Smith's son), and others don't bring anything special to Resurgence as the new additions. Also, I've soured on him as an actor over the years, but Resurgence couldn't fill the void left behind by Will Smith's absence, and it's painfully obvious, as the movie progresses.

Mike And Dave Need Wedding Dates-5/10

Mike And Dave Need Wedding Dates won't set the world on fire, and unfortunately, they spoil some of the big gags and the funnier moments in the trailers. It's a stupid, low-brow comedy, filled with vulgarity and raunchy antics, and the through the motions story is predictable, but Mike And Dave Need Wedding Dates pulled some cheap laughs out of me. Honestly, you can't go into a film like MADNWD with high expectations, because you should know what you're getting into after watching the trailers and commercials.

Although, I could see why others would be annoyed with MADNWD, with Zac Efron and Adam DeVine shouting at each other in every other scene, and before MADNWD hits the obligatorily "everyone needs to learn their lessons, and change" stage, the movie is short on likeable characters. Eforn and DeVine are basically two spoiled brats, who act like douchey college frat boys, and Anna Kendrick comes close, but she knowingly goes along with the scheme after Aubrey Plaza lays out the plan, and together Plaza and Kendrick are portrayed as two ditzy and dishonest slackers.

The Upcoming Weekend

All signs point to Ice Age: Collision Course debuting in the #1 spot in the week to week charts. Collision Course currently has a 15% on Rotten Tomatoes, but the current total for the overseas haul sits at $126,678,617, and overwhelming negative reviews won't hurt an Ice Age film.

Star Trek: Beyond currently holds a 93% on RT, but I can't say I'm looking forward to it. I love the new Star Trek films, but the trailers for Beyond are killing the movie for me before I have chance to see it.

Lights Out is the only film I'm truly looking forward to. Going by the trailers, it looks like Lights Out might rely on jump scares too much, but Lights Out is sitting at a 94% on RT (I'm holding my breath, because it's Tuesday/Wednesday, and RT will post more reviews). Hopefully, it'll be a tense nail-biter with spooky atmospherics, but I won't rule out the chances of this one devolving into another forgettable PG-13 haunting horror film that's loaded with one jump scare after another.

 

[Dagger Dias]

The current highest grossing films of 2016 are....

1. Captain America: Civil War
$1,151,194,345

2. Zootopia
$1,022,652,778

3. The Jungle Book
$938,433,897

4. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice
$872,662,631

5. Deadpool
$782,370,866

6. Finding Dory
$781,699,119

7. The Mermaid
$553,810,228

8. X-Men: Apocalypse
$534,164,533

9. Kung Fu Panda 3
$519,696,989

10. Warcraft
$433,058,090

Nobody new in the top ten this week. Four new films will be released this week, including a new Bourne film. None of them look like anything I plan on watching personally. In the Bourne film's case it's mainly because I haven't seen all of the old ones yet.

Upcoming releases:
7/25: Batman: The Killing Joke
7/27: Nerve
7/29: Bad Moms
7/29: Jason Bourne

 

[Mitch Henessey]

The Infiltrator- 6/10

The Infiltrator is just another "if you've seen one, you've seen them all" run-of-the-mill crime drama about an undercover agent infiltrating the mob or a cartel, with hopes of exposing their money-laundering schemes, and catching the bad guys during the big drug deals. And you'll see all the familiar tropes with Bryan Cranston going through an identity crisis, because he's too caught up in his alter ego, the bouncing back and forth between both lifestyles putting a strain on his marriage and his family, Cranston and others panicking, when they realize they've reached the point of no return, etc.

Although, The Infiltrator deserves credit for some good close calls, when Cranston runs the risk of nearly blowing his cover throughout the movie, and the scene where John Leguizamo runs into some trouble with his informant. The Infiltrator is not a bad film, and Cranston and Leguizamo deliver a pair of solid performances. But in the end, it's a so-so and predictable crime drama, and you know what's going to happen at the big wedding during the final stages of the movie.

July 22-24 & The Upcoming Weekend

Star Trek Beyond debuted in the #1 spot in the week-to-week charts, with $59,253,211, and the current worldwide total sits at $121,979,857. Meanwhile, Ice Age: Collision Course opened in the #4 spot with $21,373,064 ($214,631,138 for the current worldwide total), and Lights Out debuted in the #3 spot with $21,688,103 ($40,567,032 for the worldwide total).

You can chalk Collision Course's weak US opening up to a number of things. It looks like the negative reviews actually played a part in the lukewarm opening, franchise fatigue and a burn out could be a problem for Ice Age after five films, or it could be as simple as a bad choice for a release date, and going up against a rejuvenated Star Trek franchise.

According to Box Office Mojo.com's predictions, Jason Bourne should easily debut in the #1 spot in the week-to-week charts, while Bad Moms opens in the #3 spot, and Nerve should open in the #6 spot.

Nerve is a maybe for me, and looking at the story and going by the trailers, the movie reminds me of 13 Beloved (or 13 Game Of Death) and 13 Sins (the American remake), but it'll be a more subdued and tamed PG-13 film. Batman: The Killing Joke looks like something I can wait for at home, and Bad Moms is a toss up. After the huge misfire with Jupiter Ascending, Mila Kunis returning to her comfort zone with comedies is the right choice, but Bad Moms looks like it's just a decent comedy at best. That, or it'll be one of those awful over the top R-rated comedies that tries way too hard to be raunchy and edgy.

 

[Mitch Henessey]

Lights Out- 5/10

The opening moments in Lights Out are fantastic. Great tension, and some good close calls....unfortunately everything goes down hill after the first five minutes or so.

They tease a promising film, when Diana (the shadowy creature in the trailers) makes her first appearance, but Lights Out quickly devolves into a repetitive and tedious horror film. Teresa Palmer and others running to light switches, flashlights, candles, cell phones, and a black light to fight Diana, and poof! She's gone. Well, she's gone until the lights go out again, or until Diana can find more darkness and shadows, and Lights Out repeats the same routine over and over again throughout the movie.

Exposition is another problem. Diana is more intimidating and creepy during the early stages of the movie, when she's this lanky and shadowy figure with glowing eyes. But as the story progresses, you'll see more and more of Diana's body, so Diana's dark aura as this menacing threat really takes a hit.

Predictable jump scares, and Lights Out is loaded with horror movie tropes, but it's an effective horror film overall. It's an average and forgettable horror film, and the ending is anticlimactic, but Lights Out has its moments every now and then. Plans for a sequel are already in place, the current worldwide total for Lights Out sits at $69,809,252 (that's off of a reported production budget of $4.9 million), and the reviews are positive (a 76% on Rotten Tomatoes), so of course that's enough to greenlight a sequel to a run-of-the-mill PG-13 horror film in Hollywood.

The Upcoming Weekend

Suicide Squad's release is the big story for the weekend, and by now, everyone knows the news is not good from a critical standpoint. The Rotten Tomatoes score started out in the 40% range a few days ago, and that dropped to a 26% (the current RT score). To add to that, a petition to shut down RT is going around, and the petition has 20,000+ signatures.

Rotten Tomatoes is not going anywhere anytime soon, and I don't buy into the conspiracy theories about critics having some widespread bias against DC films, because they're constantly drooling over all things Marvel. I haven't seen the ultimate edition yet, and I don't think it's as bad as the critics made it out to be, but Batman VS Superman: Dawn Of Justice was a huge misfire.

Marvel started laying the bricks for their own cinematic universe years ago, and I haven't seen Suicide Squad yet, but it looks like DC and Warner Bros. are going through some growing pains to start their own cinematic universe. Also, and maybe you can call this a cop-out, but it's really not fair to compare three films to the grand total of thirteen films in Marvel's Cinematic Universe.

Also, Suicide Squad is not the first film to get caught up in a controversy with Rotten Tomatoes. I vividly remember a lot of people losing their minds a handful of years ago, because the score for The Dark Knight Rises wasn't high enough. And I'm not 100% sure, but I think something similar happened with Prometheus before its release.

It's hard to ignore all the negativity surrounding Suicide Squad, but According to Box Office Mojo.com's predictions, Suicide Squad will easily debut in the #1 spot in the week-to-week charts with a big opening weekend. The projected total is $145,000,000, but it'll be interesting to see if Suicide Squad is able to maintain the momentum in the coming weeks. Going back to Man Of Steel, one bad reoccurring trend with DC films, is they usually see a big drop off after the opening weekend, and I have to believe the overwhelming negative reviews will hurt Suicide Squad's chances at a memorable box office run.

Upcoming Releases:

8/5: Suicide Squad
8/5: Nine Lives
8/5: The Little Prince (limited)
8/5: Little Men (limited)
8/5: Sun Choke (limited)

 

[Mitch Henessey]

Ghostbusters-4/10

Just another forgettable and mediocre remake. It's not good enough to come close to the original, and it's not an atrocious film, so the shitstorm surrounding the Ghostbusters remake was all for nothing in the end. Kate McKinnon pulled some laughs out of me, the cameos are great, and with brief screen time, Bill Murray was fun to watch in an ironic role. But that's about as far as I can go for praising anything noteworthy in the remake, and there's no real reason to have any positive hopes for a sequel after this.

Nerve-3/10

Working within the confines of a PG-13 rating hurts Nerve. The vast majority of the dares and the challenges throughout the movie are kind of boring and weak, and Emily Meade's ladder challenge is the only true nail-biter here. I don't have any real complaints about the high school teen drama stuff, because you had to expect that after watching the trailers and reading the plot synopsis.

Emma Roberts plays a likeable character, but overall Nerve is just a dull film, and I never bought into the possibility of Roberts and Dave Franco being in any real danger during the dares and the challenges. To add to that, tedious predictability is another big problem. You just know they're building towards Franco and Roberts facing off in the final challenge, and that's exactly what happens in the end. The big swerve during the finale was a nice little surprise, but at the same time, you had to know they wouldn't kill off an important character.

Suicide Squad- 6/10

From a storytelling standpoint, Suicide Squad is a mess. Still, I had some fun with Suicide Squad, and Margot Robbie easily steals the show here. In a lot of ways, you could group Suicide Squad and Batman VS Superman together: it's nowhere near as bad as the critics are making it out to be, but when you consider the high expectations and all the hype behind it, Suicide Squad doesn't live up to its full potential.

Cutting out some of Jared Leto's scenes could've hurt the overall quality of the final product, and I have to wonder what's next for DC and Warner Bros. The Wonder Woman trailer looks good, but the Justice League trailer was hit and miss for me. It should've taken a few years to get to Batman and Superman squaring off with a steady and and sustained build, and a movie with B-level all-star villains working together is something different, but DC's cinematic universe doesn't have any real momentum right now.

Bad Moms-5/10

Not as bad as I thought it would be. If we're talking about the main cast of characters, it's nothing you haven't seen before. Mila Kunis is overworked, overstressed, and she's at that point in her life, where she hits the brick wall, and she's looking for a spark. Kristen bell is soft-spoken and quiet, her husband is a bully, so you're just waiting for that one moment, when she finally stands up for herself and fights back. And Kathryn Hahn's character is the foulmouthed party girl in the group.

It's predictable, but Bad Moms is a complete and well-rounded film, with some cheap laughs. Bad Moms is a decent enough comedy, and I was surprised they didn't cross the overkill line for obscene amounts of vulgarity or raunchy gross-out gags.

The Upcoming Weekend

Ben-Hur is on its way to joining the list of big flops in 2016. Ben-Hur's current worldwide total sits at $26,889,016, and that's off of a reported production budget of $100,000,000.

Don't Breathe is the only film I'm truly looking forward to this week, and the reviews are positive (a 91% on Rotten Tomatoes). According to Box Office Mojo.com's predictions, Don't Breathe should debut in the #1 spot in the week to week charts to end Suicide Sqaud's run in the top spot.

I'm on the fence with Hands Of Stone. The reviews are mixed (a 43% on RT), and I'm not sure about Usher taking on Sugar Ray Leonard. Southside With You? The 92% is a surprise for me, but if the main hook is a voyeuristic look at how it all started between The President and The First Lady, then I can't say that's enough to pique my interest.

Upcoming Releases:

8/26: Don't Breathe
8/26: Hands Of Stone
8/26: Southside With You
8/26: In Order of Disappearance (Kraftidioten)(limited)

 

[Dagger Dias]

Been meaning to bump this for a while but have been busy in recent weeks. The current highest grossing films of 2016 are....


1. Captain America: Civil War
$1,152,576,347

2. Zootopia
$1,023,245,563

3. The Jungle Book
$963,689,442

4. Finding Dory
$943,248,069

5. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice
$872,662,631

6. Deadpool
$782,612,155

7. The Secret Life of Pets
$761,555,825

8. Suicide Squad
$643,362,209

9. The Mermaid
$553,810,228

10. X-Men: Apocalypse
$542,861,690



Recent releases included:
8/5: Nine Lives
8/5: Suicide Squad
8/12: Pete's Dragon
8/12: Sausage Party
8/12: Hell or High Water
8/19: Ben-Hur
8/19: Kubo and the Two Strings
8/19: War Dogs
8/26: Don't Breathe
8/26: Hands of Stone
8/26: Mechanic: Resurrection
9/2: Yoga Hosers
9/2: The Light Between Oceans
9/2: Morgan


I debated on seeing the Pete's Dragon remake, still haven't. I liked the original as a kid. Suicide Squad making it into the top ten is no surprise, but I doubt it climbs up any further than it has. Finding Dory climbed all the way up to #4. Secret Life Of Pets, which I just watched last night, made it into the top ten as well. I thought it was an excellent film, a little darker in some parts than expected, but funny overall filled with jokes pet owners of any age would enjoy. Duke and Max quickly became two of my favorite new characters of animated films. I predict it keeps climbing up, maybe even up #5. Zootopia, Finding Dory, and Secret Life Of Pets are currently the 4th, 7th, and 14th highest grossing animated films. We have three new films being released this coming week.


Upcoming releases:
9/9: Sully
9/9: When the Bough Breaks
9/9: The Disappointments Room

 

[Mitch Henessey]

Sausage Party-6/10

Take away all the raunchy stuff, the dick jokes (the norm for any Seth Rogen/Evan Goldberg production), and the massive orgy towards the end, and I'm pretty sure Sausage party's chances of being universally accepted as one 2016's best films would've been better.

Sausage Party's worldwide total currently sits at $104,873,415, and that's off of a reported production budget of $19,000,000, and the movie holds an 82% on Rotten Tomatoes. It's easy to see what they were going for: an adult R-rated animated adventure parody style comedy that's not afraid to cross any lines, and Sausage Party is good for a few cheap laughs. Although, I don't see a lot of potential for the possible sequel (the ending clearly teases a sequel), and Rogen's plans to make more R-rated animated films.

Hell Or High Water-8/10

With all the hype and the critical acclaim (a 98% on RT) surrounding Hell Or High Water, I had high hopes for this, but it's a tad bit overrated for me. Hell Or High Water is good, but it's not that good.

Still, HOHW tells a simple story that really works. A story about hardworking Average Joes breaking their backs, and working all their lives with no real payoffs resonates with people for obvious reasons. Throw in all the stuff about the banks "robbing" everyone, and you've got a real hook.

Chris Pine and Ben Foster share some believable chemistry as brothers. Pine is the more level-headed one in the duo. He's a conflicted character, who wants to do whatever it takes to ensure a life without any real worries for his family. On the flip the side of that, Foster is the batshit crazy loose-cannon, who's more than willing to take all the risks, and he doesn't really care about anything. The relationship between the Howard Brothers is definitely one of the main highlights in the movie, and it's always interesting to see how things change, when Pine has to do his best to control Foster, or what happens when Foster takes over and pulls out all the stops to pull off a successful robbery.

HOHW has a good amount of Oscar buzz, and I'm not 100% sure about a Best Picture nomination now, but I could easily see a Best Supporting Actor nod for Jeff Bridges. Bridges is a perfect fit for the surly old Texas Ranger with a carefree sense of humor, a man, who's stuck in his ways, and Bridges really nails the character.

The Upcoming Weekend

We're at a point, where some early Oscar contenders are emerging, and I'll be shocked if Sully doesn't receive some nominations. Sully has an 84% on RT, and according to Box Office Mojo.com's predictions, Sully easily debuting at #1 in the week to week charts is a surefire guarantee.

And it's no real surprise, but When The Bough Breaks and The Disappointments Room are sitting at a 0% on RT. As far as When The Bough Breaks goes, you can pretty much predict the whole movie from start to finish after watching the trailer. Another predictable and lame erotic thriller, with everything leading to some big life-or-death showdown between Morris Chestnut, Regina Hall, and Jaz Sinclair.

The Disappointments Room (a truly awful title for a movie)? The Darkness surprised me a little while ago, and I like Kate Beckinsale as an actress, but I've seen this story before. A family is looking for a new beginning, so they move to a small town. Everything is fine at first, but....the house is haunted! It's a recycled storyline, that's been used over and over again in horror movies for years, so if I decide to take a chance on this one, I'm setting the bar low for any expectations.

 

[Dagger Dias]

The current highest grossing films of 2016 are....


1. Captain America: Civil War
$1,152,745,930

2. Zootopia
$1,023,446,389

3. The Jungle Book
$964,062,422

4. Finding Dory
$950,584,077

5. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice
$872,662,631

6. The Secret Life of Pets
$789,037,775

7. Deadpool
$782,612,155

8. Suicide Squad
$699,407,853

9. The Mermaid
$553,810,228

10. X-Men: Apocalypse
$543,368,024


Secret Life Of Pets climbed up a spot to #6. It's still the 14th highest grossing animated film. No other major changes in the top ten this week. There are four new films being released this week. One of which is a sequel. I never saw the original Blair Witch Project so I won't be seeing Blair Witch anytime soon. I might go watch the Hillsong documentary, they are my favorite worship music band.


Upcoming releases:
9/16: Bridget Jones's Baby
9/16: Hillsong: Let Hope Rise
9/16: Snowden
9/16: Blair Witch

 

[Mitch Henessey]

Don't Breathe-8/10

It's one long game of cat-and-mouse between Jane Levy, Dylan Minnette, and Stephen Lang, but Don't Breathe is still a tense, brutal, and suspenseful horror film. Money is an annoying character, and it's easy to pick out the sole survivor. But Don't Breathe throws in a good twist/surprise around the halfway point, and Stephen Lang delivers a solid performance.

The Upcoming Weekend

Snowden and Blair Witch are the two big releases for Friday.

I had high hopes, when Blair Witch was marketed and promoted as The Woods, but now I'm just not all that excited to watch another Blair Witch sequel (I guess we're supposed to forget about Book Of Shadows).

For those, who don't know, Blair Witch was originally promoted as The Woods. According to reports, The Woods was a fake title to throw people off, the movie was shot in Vancouver last summer, and the Blair Witch reveal happened at the San Diego Comic-Con this year.

Naturally, all the secrecy surrounding the Blair Witch reveal is drawing comparisons to 10 Cloverfield Lane. The only difference for me is, I actually wanted a Cloverfield sequel, or another Cloverfield film, but I'm indifferent to another Blair Witch film. The original Blair Witch had a great cliffhanger, but overall, I've never understood the positive reception and all the fanfare behind it. As far as reviews go, from what I remember, when Blair Witch was still being promoted as The Woods, the movie had a high score on Rotten Tomatoes (somewhere in the 90%-80% range). That score was off of a small amount of reviews, but now Blair Witch is sitting at a 60%.

Snowden has a 43% on RT, and while I'm sure Joesph Gordon-Levitt will deliver one hell of a performance, there's a good chance the bad reviews will hurt Snowden's run at the box office. Going by the trailers and the promotional material, they're really trying to push Snowden as this controversial film, but I just see an average biopic/thriller at best.

I cracked a smile for the Bridget Jones's Baby trailer, but I haven't seen the other sequels, and I don't have any real interest in the third film.

 

[LSN80]

Hell Or High Water-8/10

With all the hype and the critical acclaim (a 98% on RT) surrounding Hell Or High Water, I had high hopes for this, but it's a tad bit overrated for me. Hell Or High Water is good, but it's not that good.

I'm glad I'm not the only one who felt this way.

The movie gets off to a hot start with the first bank robbery, and the film does a brilliant job of showing the economic devastation that has overtaken the small towns. Ben Foster and Chris Pine have good chemistry as brothers who are as different as they are blood. Foster plays the hot-tempered, ex-con older brother while Chris Pine plays the cerebral younger brother who is a contrast in terms. He(Pine) is neglectful of his sons and terminally late in paying his child support but cared for his mother as she slowly died. The reveal halfway through the movie that it was he and not Foster who had the idea that they rob banks is one that sits with you perfectly.

But the biggest star of Hell or High Water is Jeff Bridges, who is brilliantly on point as a Texas Ranger weeks from retirement who undertakes one last case before doing so. From the slick inflections of his accent to the silent gestures he makes, Bridges in on-point. His off-colored jokes regarding his partner and the deadpanned responses from Gil Birmingham displays a partnership that really works in this.

I won't give away the ending but the movie's final scene, after a whirlwind of action including bank robberies, car chases, and a shootout in the mountains, is startlingly tame. It left this viewer wondering what may have gone down if Pine's ex-wife and children hadn't picked that moment to show up. It's a movie that sticks with you after it ends because of that scene, which is to the film's credit.

But as I said, this was a very good film, and I illustrated the reasons I believe it to be so above. But it's not a great film. The economic devastation that has inflicted the Texas mid-west is on full display, not ten minutes goes by without the audience being given another picture of these down-trodden areas. But plenty of people make due without robbing banks, and other than the "they're poor and their farm is about to be repossessed", not much character development is given with regards to either Pine or Foster's characters. I found myself wondering early and often why we weren't given snippets into their past: How does one whose never indulged in a life of crime go from that to robbing banks? It's quite the leap, and the film really didn't answer that question. It's a small quibble from me, but it's what kept the movie from really landing in the category of great.

8.5/10

 

[Dagger Dias]

The current highest grossing films of 2016 are....


1. Captain America: Civil War
$1,152,761,367

2. Zootopia
$1,023,577,507

3. The Jungle Book
$965,426,138

4. Finding Dory
$961,740,575

5. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice
$873,260,194

6. The Secret Life of Pets
$807,199,125

7. Deadpool
$782,612,155

8. Suicide Squad
$720,079,346

9. The Mermaid
$553,810,228

10. X-Men: Apocalypse
$543,528,506



No changes to the top ten this week, although The Secret Life of Pets is now the 13th highest grossing animated film. There are six more films being released through the remainder of September. I doubt any of them will make it into the top ten and I probably won't be watching any of them.


Upcoming releases:
9/23: The Magnificent Seven
9/23: Storks
9/23: Queen of Katwe
9/30: Deepwater Horizon
9/30: Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children
9/30: Masterminds

 

[Mitch Henessey]

Morgan-3/10

A lot of potential, but Morgan really falls off the rails, as the story progresses. Bottom line, Morgan tries too hard to do too much. It wants to be a horror film, a sci-fi thriller, and an action film all in one, but the end result is an underwhelming and boring movie. Sorry, but you can only get so many thrills out of watching a little girl brutalizing and pummeling other people, and ripping their throats out. And to make matters worse, the movie ends with an anticlimactic (and predictable) twist. After a while, it's not too hard to figure out why Kate Mara is the only person, who stands a chance against, and can challenge Morgan in a fight.

Anya Taylor-Joy did a good of switching gears from the sympathetic victim to the cold-blooded psychopathic killer, and Kate Mara is spot on, as the representative for the company. There's a scene, where Toby Jones asks Mara if she's impressed with the work on Morgan, and she just gives him this condescending smirk, and an angry Jones walks away. Lee (Mara) is the callous corporate specialist, who's more concerned with doing what's best for the company, and she makes it clear she doesn't really give a damn about most of the employees, or how hard they're working.

The Upcoming Weekend

According to Box office Mojo.com's predictions, The Magnificent Seven is a lock to debut at #1 in the week-to-week charts, while Storks is set to open in the #2 spot. It's no real surprise, because Washington is a surefire box office draw, but The Magnificent Seven looks like another one of the yearly Denzel films. I'm sure it'll be entertaining and fun, but I'm also sure I'll forget about after a couple of days.

 

[Mitch Henessey]

Blair Witch-7/10

There's a slight chance I'll drop this to a 5/10 or 4/10 on a second viewing, but Blair Witch is a solid found-footage horror film. The shaky cam garbage and the usual horror movie tropes are annoying, but Blair Witch delivers a tense and suspenseful finale.

For my money, it's definitely an upgrade over the original, and it's one of the rare cases, where a sequel is better than the original film. Blair Witch is not a game-changer for found-footage horror, not by a longshot. But if we're comparing Blair Witch to the original, it's darker, creepier, and it's a more polished film.

Snowden-4/10

Joseph Gordon-Levitt delivers a solid performance as Edward Snowden, but something is just off here. Snowden is loaded with some good close-calls, and they did a good job of playing up the high stakes and the enormity of Snowden's decision to do what he did, but overall, Snowden is an underwhelming film. Although, maybe you could say Oliver Stone and company had a tall order to fill: telling Edward Snowden's story, while trying to toe the lines between making an entertaining or intriguing film, staying truthful to what really happened, and not going too over the top with Hollywood movie bullshit.

Sully-8/10

Tom Hanks does it again, with versatility and another good performance in the leading role, and it wouldn't surprise me if Clint Eastwood receives a nomination for Best Director.

The Upcoming Weekend

The Magnificent Seven holding on to the #1 spot for two weeks in a row wouldn't surprise me. Looking at the field of new releases for Friday, I see too may uncertainties between Masterminds, Deepwater Horizon, Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, and Queen Of Katwe.

Queen Of Katwe has a 91% on Rotten Tomatoes, Lupita Nyong'o is receiving a lot of praise for her performance, and there's a good chance we're looking at another Oscar contender. But Queen Of Katwe is not the type of film that's going to make a big splash at the box office. It's a toss up between Deepwater Horizon and Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, but I'm leaning towards Deepwater Horizon securing a higher spot (maybe #2) in the week to week charts. The problem with Tim Burton is, he has this rocky streak of lousy and sub-par films, and Eva Green is talented and charismatic, but after co-starring in so many mediocre and bad films, she has no momentum whatsoever.

Masterminds? I have to believe the delays and the constant changes for the release dates (Masterminds was set to be released on August 15, 2015) will slow things down for Masterminds at the box office. That, and the idea of Zach Galifianakis and Kristen Wiig teaming up might've raised more eyebrows two or three years ago. Now? Not so much.

 

[Dagger Dias]

The current highest grossing films of 2016 are....


1. Captain America: Civil War
$1,152,765,346

2. Zootopia
$1,023,589,163

3. Finding Dory
$985,205,113

4. The Jungle Book
$965,813,939

5. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice
$873,260,194

6. The Secret Life of Pets
$833,731,200

7. Deadpool
$782,612,155

8. Suicide Squad
$733,845,629

9. The Mermaid
$553,810,228

10. X-Men: Apocalypse
$543,575,996


Finding Dory moved up to #3 on the list. It is also now the 5th highest grossing animated film ever. There are 7 films being released within the next couple of weeks. None really look all that interesting, nothing major seems to be on its way until Doctor Strange in early November.


Upcoming releases:
10/7: The Girl on the Train
10/7: The Birth of a Nation
10/7: Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life
10/7: Voyage of Time
10/14: The Accountant
10/14: Kevin Hart: What Now?
10/14: Max Steel

 

[Mitch Henessey]

Batman: Return Of The Caped Crusaders-5/10

Masterminds was my first choice, but I caught the "October 10th only" tagline on the poster for this, so I decided to give it a try.

Return Of The Caped Crusaders feels like an overlong episode of the show stretched out to fill the time for a full length feature, because I had the feeling I was watching Penguin, Catwoman, Joker, and Riddler hatching another one of their screwy schemes on the show.

Still, Return Of The Caped Crusaders is harmless fun overall, and it's a good nostalgia kick. They did a great job of staying true to the spirit of the 1960's series, without any tweaking to make things more modern, and I'm glad Adam West, Julie Newmar, and Burt Ward returned to voice their characters, because I honestly can't picture anyone else doing the voice work.

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children-5/10

Eva Green's charismatic performance as Miss Peregrine is fun to watch. Peregrine is a strict authority figure with a big heart, because she'll do anything to protect The Peculiar Children, and Samuel L. Jackson looks ridiculous, but he's still an entertaining villain.

With all that said, Miss Peregrine falls short of its true potential. It's visually impressive, but when you strip this one down to the core, Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children is just another average fantasy YA adaptation about an unlikely hero (Asa Butterfield) rising to the occasion against all odds to defeat the bad guys after a miraculous comeback.

October 7-9 & The Upcoming Weekend

The Girl On The Train debuted in the #1 spot with $24,536,265 ($49,946,869 for the current worldwide total), while The Birth Of A Nation opened up at #6 with $7,004,254, and Middle School: The Worst Years Of My Life landed in the #7 spot with $6,878,437. As far as The Girl On The Train goes, the debut at #1 is kind of a surprise for me (one of the worst trailers I've seen this year), because I was expecting a weaker opening.

According to Box Office Mojo.com's predictions, it'll be a tight race between The Accountant and Kevin Hart: What Now? but The Accountant should debut in the #1 spot with $16,000,000. Kevin Hart has a strong fan following, but the trailers for What Now? don't do anything for me. Ben Affleck is really hit and miss in starring roles, and the mixed reviews (a 52% on Rotten Tomatoes) are not a good sign. The Accountant should be a lot of fun, but after watching the trailers, the movie taking itself too seriously could be a big problem.

 

[Dagger Dias]

The current highest grossing films of 2016 are....

1. Captain America: Civil War
$1,153,296,293

2. Zootopia
$1,023,631,241

3. Finding Dory
$1,021,190,436

4. The Jungle Book
$966,440,709

5. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice
$873,260,194

6. The Secret Life of Pets
$867,252,035

7. Deadpool
$782,612,155

8. Suicide Squad
$744,890,552

9. The Mermaid
$553,810,228

10. X-Men: Apocalypse
$543,886,264


The top ten itself has not changed although Finding Dory broke the $1,000,000,000+ mark. Several films were released on 10/21 and we have a pretty big release coming on 11/4 in Doctor Strange that could make it into the top ten.


Recent & Upcoming Releases:
10/21: Jack Reacher: Never Go Back
10/21: Boo! A Madea Halloween
10/21: Keeping Up with the Joneses
10/21: Ouija: Origin of Evil
10/21: I'm Not Ashamed
10/21: Moonlight
10/21: American Pastoral
10/28: Inferno
11/4: Doctor Strange
11/4: Trolls
11/4: Hacksaw Ridge
11/4: Loving

 

[Mitch Henessey]

The Girl On The Train-3/10

A superb performance from Emily Blunt is wasted on a mediocre film, and it's a real shame. The Girl On The Train tries to be this crafty and smart erotic mystery thriller, and the reveals towards the end are truly shocking, but it's almost impossible to overlook the problem with one too many unlikable characters. The sluggish pacing doesn't help, and overall, TGOTT is just dull and a real chore to sit through in certain parts.

Ouija: Origin Of Evil- 2/10

I really don't understand all the praise and positive reviews for this.

True, the original Ouija was loaded with horror cliches, but I kind of like it in a "so bad it's good" way. On top of that, Ouija 2014 was a more energetic film with some decent visuals, and a few effective scare tactics.

Yes, for the most part, Origin Of Evil actually gives you more polished characters with real depth, and they're characters worth caring about, but it's still a painfully boring and tedious film. Sure, you could say the acting is better the second time around, but that's not enough for me to forget about Annalise Basso playing the stereotypical "you can't tell me what to do!" rebellious teenager for the bulk of the movie, and after all the teasing, Origin Of Evil doesn't deliver a satisfying payoff. The grand finale is anticlimactic, and I have to put Origin Of Evil next to The Other Side Of The Door for one of the worst horror films I've seen this year.

The Accountant-5/10

The Accountant never lives up to the true potential of its unique premise, but it's a decent enough action flick, with a solid performance from Ben Affleck.

October 28-30 & The Upcoming Weekend

Boo! A Madea Halloween holding on to the #1 spot in the week to week charts for two weeks in a row was the big box office story over the past couple of weeks, while in Inferno debuted in the #2 spot ($152,525,928 for the worldwide total).

Madea holding on to the #1 spot for two weeks in a row is no real surprise. No real competition for two weeks, the pre-Halloween weekend, and I have to believe the negative reviews for Inferno hurt the films chances for a more dominant run.

It's a big week, with Doctor Strange, Trolls, and Hacksaw Ridge opening today, and according to Box Office Mojo.com's predictions, Doctor Strange should debut with an estimated $85,000,000. Out of all the new releases, Hacksaw Ridge is the only film I'm truly interested in, with Doctor Strange as a close #2.

 

[Dagger Dias]

The current highest grossing films of 2016 are....


1. Captain America: Civil War
$1,153,304,495

2. Finding Dory
$1,024,108,677

3. Zootopia
$1,023,732,398

4. The Jungle Book
$966,499,471

5. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice
$873,260,194

6. The Secret Life of Pets
$871,083,202

7. Deadpool
$782,612,155

8. Suicide Squad
$745,576,840

9. The Mermaid
$553,810,228

10. X-Men: Apocalypse
$543,933,574


Finding Dory passed Zootopia and is now the #2 highest grossing film of the year. This also makes it the current 4th highest grossing animated film of all time, which was previously held by Zootopia and it has dropped to the 5th which is still a great spot to be in. Secret Life Of Pets is currently 12th on the all time highest grossing animated films list. A number of films will be released in the following week. None of which I predict make it into the top ten other than perhaps "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" which is the first in a new series of films.


Upcoming releases:
11/11: Arrival
11/11: Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk
11/11: Almost Christmas
11/11: Shut In
11/18: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
11/18: The Edge of Seventeen
11/18: Bleed for This
11/18: Manchester by the Sea
11/18: Nocturnal Animals

 

[Mitch Henessey]

Shut In-3/10

Shut In has the perfect isolated setting with the snowstorm, and you can feel that sense of impending doom, when the group's communications to the outside world are cut off, and they're basically stuck in the middle of nowhere with no help. It's not as bad as the 0% on Rotten Tomatoes suggests, but Shut In is a pretty lousy film.

Naomi Watts really gives it her all with a strong performance, but Shut In takes a dive after the big reveal/twist. Without giving too much away, Shut in starts out as a horror film, but after the twist, they switch gears to a full blown thriller. The problem with the big twist is, it's REALLY hard to buy into it, and it's to the point, where it's damn near impossible to suspend disbelief. I have a hard time believing Naomi Watts didn't know what was going on in the house, and I just rolled my eyes, when the perpetrator goes into his "this why I did it, and how I got away with it" explanation.

Kevin Hart: What Now?-5/10

So much wasted potential.

What Now starts out as a unique and funny parody comedy, mocking and poking fun at the numerous cliches in spy films and action flicks, complete with a good amount of fourth wall breaking. The spoof of the "16 seconds" scene in The Equalizer is just perfect. David Meunier, the actor, who played Slavi in The Equalizer, is sitting in the same spot, and the setup mirrors everything in The Equalizer.

But the spy spoof comedy side of What Now is only 20% (including the mid-credits scene) of the film. Unfortunately, the other 80% of the movie shows a long stand-up comedy special with Hart performing in Philadelphia. The stand-up special is so-so at best, and the mid-credits scene clearly teases a sequel, but if a part 2 happens, I really hope they'll drop the stand-up routine altogether.

Hacksaw Ridge- 8/10

A strong and earnest portrayal of a man, who stands up for and fights for what he believes in, and the chemistry between Andrew Garfield and Teresa Palmer is believable.

Hacksaw Ridge received a good amount of positive reviews, and the movie has some Oscar buzz, but it's hard to ignore or forget about the question marks surrounding Mel Gibson. Hacksaw Ridge is an Oscar worthy film, and I'm jumping into full conspiracy theory mode here, but after the Oscars So White backlash, I just can't picture The Academy throwing themselves into another shitstorm with everything in Gibson's past. Maybe a Best Actor nod for Garfield, but I'm sure any Best Director or Best Picture nominations for Hacksaw Ridge will spark a significant amount of outrage (or fake outrage) from a number of people.

November 18-20 & The Upcoming Weekend

Fantastic Beasts & Where To Find Them debuted at #1 in the week to week charts with an estimated $75,000,000. The Edge Of Seventeen opened up at #7 with $4,825,000, and Bleed For This debuted at #8 with $2,357,946. FBAWTFT having a strong debut is no real surprise, so Bleed For This (a reported $6,000,000 for the production budget) and The Edge Of Seventeen (a reported $9,000,000 for the production budget) sharing the same release date really hurt any chances at a profitable box office run. And with Star Wars, the Oscar season films, and so many holiday films coming up, it'll be a real uphill battle to break even.

Out of all the new releases, Allied is the only film I'm truly looking forward to. Moana looks good in the trailers, but I'm not sure about Bad Santa 2. Bad Santa 2 currently holds a 25% on RT, and I have a bad feeling we're looking at one of those unnecessary sequels, or a sequel that's not going to garner enough interest, because it's thirteen years too late.

Upcoming Releases:

11/23: Moana
11/23: Allied
11/23: Bad Santa 2
11/25: Lion (limited)
11/25: Miss Sloane (limited)

 

[Mitch Henessey]

Incarnate-3/10

Incarnate tries to change things up for exorcism horror films, with Ember (Aaorn Eckhart) entering the possessed victim's minds, avoiding the usual "an exorcism is the only answer" finale. The dream/fantasy sequences, where Eckhart tries to save the victims are refreshing, and it's a nice change of pace from the usual routine ("TELL ME YOUR NAME DEMON!") in exorcism horror films.

Incarnate wants to take an unconventional approach to exorcism horror films, with Eckhart playing the role of this outsider, who rebels against working inside the church's system to do things his way, but overall Incarnate is very underwhelming and dull. Poor execution, lame jump scares, and Ember's techniques bring something different to the table, but when the story returns to the real world, you'll see a fair amount of horror cliches and tropes. Eckhart is solid in the leading role, but his performance couldn't save this one. Also, Mark Henry has a role as a bouncer here. One line of dialogue, his total screen time might add up to one minute, and that's about it.

Allied-8/10

A slow start, Allied feels too straightforward at times, and a bit contrived in certain parts, but things really pick up, when Max (Brad Pitt) has to deal with the possibility of his wife being a German spy. In a way, Allied is two films in one, with the assassination plot, and the second half of the movie focuses on Max and Marianne (Marion Cotillard) starting a life together, and Max being torn between his wife and his duties as an officer.

Good chemistry between Brad Pitt and Marion Cotillard, and Allied really works as a cerebral espionage thriller during the later stages of the movie, with the guessing game for Marianne's true identity, because you're really not sure until the big reveal at the pub.

Allied received mixed reviews (a 60% on Rotten Tomatoes), the current worldwide total sits at $53,703,498, and that's off of a reported production budget of $85,000,000. It's almost impossible to avoid big expectations for a movie directed by Robert Zemeckis, with Brad Pitt and Marion Cotillard in the leading roles, and with all the big name films coming up, you can forget about a significant turnaround at the box office. Allied is far from perfect, and you could say it's another one of those films that fails to live up to its true potential, when you consider the director and the cast, but it's definitely one of my underrated picks for 2016.

The Upcoming Weekend

Office Christmas Party is the only new release I'm truly looking forward to. Miss Sloane expands to a wider release this week. Miss Sloane looks like Oscar bait, and the movie has a 63% on RT, so hopefully Jessica Chastain's performance is worth the price of admission. I'm really not sure about Nocturnal Animals (receiving a wider release on Friday), and La La Land will receive a limited release this week before expanding to a wide release on December 16th.

Upcoming Releases:

12/9: Nocturnal Animals
12/9: Office Christmas Party
12/9: Miss Sloane
12/9: La La Land (limited)
12/9: Frank & Lola (limited)

 

[Dagger Dias]

The current highest grossing films of 2016 are....


1. Captain America: Civil War Disney
$1,153,304,495

2. Finding Dory
$1,027,191,194

3. Zootopia
$1,023,776,857

4. The Jungle Book
$966,541,115

5. The Secret Life of Pets
$874,771,198

6. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice
$873,260,194

7. Deadpool
$782,612,155

8. Suicide Squad
$745,600,054

9. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
$680,010,903

10. Doctor Strange
$645,762,446


Secret Life Of Pets moves up to #5. Fantastic Beasts as well as Doctor Strange made it into the top ten. As for an update on the all time listings.... Civil War is at #12, Finding Dory at #22, Zootopia at #25, The Jungle Book at #31, Secret Life Of Pets at #47, and Dawn Of Justice is at #48 on the list of the 50 highest grossing films of all time. It has been a good year for films in 2016. There's a few on the highest grossing animated film listing too. Finding Dory at #4, Zooptopia at #5, Secret Life Of Pets at #12, and Kung Fu Panda at #37. We're nearing the end of 2016 there is only one more title left that I expect to bring any major changes to the top ten at this point until the end of the year. That would of course be Rogue One. With less than a month remaining here are some of the recent and upcoming releases:


Recent Releases:
11/23: Moana
11/23: Allied
11/23: Bad Santa 2
11/23: Rules Don't Apply
11/25: Miss Sloane
11/25: Lion
12/2: Incarnate
12/2: The Comedian
12/2: Jackie
12/2: Man Down
12/6: Nerdland
12/9: Office Christmas Party
12/9: La La Land


Upcoming Releases:
12/16: Rogue One
12/16: Collateral Beauty
12/16: Fences
12/16: Solace
12/21: Assassin's Creed
12/21: Passengers
12/21: Sing
12/23: Why Him?
12/23: A Monster Calls
12/23: Silence
12/25: Gold
12/25: 20th Century Women
12/25: Hidden Figures
12/25: Live by Night