New in Theaters February 01: Miss Bala
Chris Kavan - wrote on 01/31/19 at 07:39 AM CT
Although most of February is going to be packed with some big released, this opening weekend is going to be a bit quiet. There is just a single new wide release, the saga of a beauty queen who is forced to work for a cartel in Miss Bala - itself a remake of the 2011 Spanish film of the same name. It is also the weekend of the Super Bowl - which still draws the biggest audience of the year, thus …
Gloria Bell and More in This Week's MPAA Ratings Bulletin
Chris Kavan - wrote on 01/30/19 at 10:41 AM CT
When you want more, sometimes you get even less. The MPAA Ratings Board has been squeaking by with one or two decent movies to talk about for the past few weeks, but once again I'm forced to dig deep, because the only film worth discussing isn't even a wide release, but limited. Oh sure, Fantastic Beasts and A Star is Born are getting special treatment for special editions, but they don't …
New on DVD and Blu-ray Week of January 29 - February 04
Harley Lond - wrote on 01/29/19 at 08:23 PM CT
FROM THE BIG SCREEN:
"Boy Erased," the story of Jared (Lucas Hedges), the son of a Baptist pastor in a small American town, who is outed to his parents (Nicole Kidman and Russell Crowe) at age 19. Jared is faced with an ultimatum: attend a conversion therapy program -- or be permanently exiled and shunned by his family, friends, and faith. A powerful, well directed and acted drama. Extras …
Weekend Box Office: Glass, Oscar Nominees Excel While Newcomers Struggle
Chris Kavan - wrote on 01/27/19 at 08:13 PM CT
It wasn't such a good debut for either of the two newcomers, as Glass topped the weekend for the second week in a row. The good news also came from several of the Oscar nominees as Green Book, The Favourite, Bohemian Rhapsody and A Star is Born all expanded and got some added love for their efforts. The Mule passed a a major milestone while Spider-Verse is on the verge of setting a record for …
New in Theaters January 25: The Kid Who Would Be King, Serenity
Chris Kavan - wrote on 01/24/19 at 07:38 AM CT
Glass managed to rank third all time over the MLK holiday frame and easily top the box office. This week's offerings include a kid-friendly twist on a classic story and a film involving a man who just wants to start over, but whose past comes to to track him down - and warp his reality. It's tough to say if either film has a real chance at making a run at the top of the box office, but with …
Alita: Battle Angel and More in This Week's MPAA Ratings Bulletin
Chris Kavan - wrote on 01/23/19 at 07:37 AM CT
I was hoping the MPAA Ratings Boards would have a meatier update, but, alas, just a single new wide release is all I have to talk about. At least it is an interesting one as the long-in-the-works Alita: Battle Angel is finally heading to theaters. Long a passion project for James Cameron, this adaptation of the manga has been teased as far back as when Avatar (2009) was making waves. Whether or …
New on DVD and Blu-ray Week of January 22 - January 28
Harley Lond - wrote on 01/22/19 at 10:41 PM CT
FROM THE BIG SCREEN:
"First Man," the riveting story behind the first manned mission to the moon, focusing on Neil Armstrong and the decade leading to the historic Apollo 11 flight on July 20, 1969, starring Ryan Gosling, Claire Foy and Jon Bernthal; "The Hate U Give," about a youing black woman who witnesses the fatal shooting of her childhood best friend at the hands of a police officer and …
Weekend Box Office: Glass Cracks On Top, The Upside Hold Strong, Dragon Ball Broly Surprise
Chris Kavan - wrote on 01/20/19 at 09:22 PM CT
As expected, M. Night Shyamalan's Glass had no problem topping the box office for the extended MLK holiday period. But this Glass may not be quite half-full as it landed on the lower end of expectations. Meanwhile, I film I didn't even realize was releasing at all (let alone wide - my bad), Dragon Ball Super: Broly, didn't just please fans, but landed (presumably) a top three finish. Aquaman, …
New in Theaters January 18: Glass
Chris Kavan - wrote on 01/17/19 at 09:03 AM CT
The Upside managed to dethrone Aquaman for the top spot at the box office last weekend, but the victory will be short-lived as M. Night Shyamalan is back to complete his trilogy of modern-day superheroes (and villains) with Glass. While I still can't forgive the director for the travesty that was Last Airbender, at least he has found his groove again and I'm looking forward to seeing how this …
Dumbo, What Men Want and More in This Week's MPAA Ratings Bulletin
Chris Kavan - wrote on 01/16/19 at 11:26 AM CT
After a somewhat disappointing post-holiday update, the MPAA Ratings Board kicks things up a slight notch with a decent list, even if there are only two big films to talk about. One is Disney updating yet another classic animated tale and transforming it into a live-action version and the other is a gender-swapped mind-reading comedy from the POV of a woman instead of a man. It at least gives me …
New on DVD and Blu-ray Week of January 15 - January 21
Harley Lond - wrote on 01/15/19 at 05:16 PM CT
FROM THE BIG SCREEN:
"Halloween": Forty years after the events of 1978’s "Halloween," Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) now lives in a heavily guarded home on the edge of Haddonfield, where she’s spent decades preparing for Michael’s potential return. After being locked up in an institution, Myers manages to escape when a bus transfer goes terribly wrong, leading to chaos in the same town …
Weekend Box Office: The Upside Upends Aquaman, A Dog's Way Home Adequate
Chris Kavan - wrote on 01/13/19 at 09:14 PM CT
While Aquaman was expected to run away with a fourth-week box office championship, it had to settle for second place as Kevin Hart and Bryan Cranston's Intouchables remake The Upside had a surprisingly stronger-than-expected opening. Don't feel too bad for Aquaman, however, as it become the first film in the DCEU to hit the $1 billion global mark. In other opening news, A Dog's Way Home had a …
New in Theaters January 11: A Dog's Way Home, Replicas, The Upside, On the Basis of Sex
Chris Kavan - wrote on 01/10/19 at 07:38 AM CT
With January now in full swing, Hollywood is unleashing a wide assortment of films - including on expansion. The one holdover horror film, Escape Room, is likely to take a big second-week drop - as is usual for horror films - leaving the door wide open for A Dog's Way Home to pull on those awwww heartstrings, The Upside to put some drama back into your life, Replicas giving Keanu Reeves some …
Cold Pursuit and More in This Week's MPAA Ratings Bulletin
Chris Kavan - wrote on 01/09/19 at 10:54 AM CT
After a nice, long two-week vacation for the MPAA Ratings Board, you would think they would return with a plentiful bounty of amazing new releases to get excited about... but you would be ever-so wrong. Nope, despite the quite long break there is just a single wide release in this week's bulletin, starring Liam Neeson and, wouldn't you know it, he's playing yet another character out for revenge. …
New on DVD and Blu-ray Week of January 8 - January 14
Harley Lond - wrote on 01/08/19 at 03:48 PM CT
THIS WEEK'S BEST BETS
In "When Harry Met Sally... (30th Anniversary Edition)" (1989), director Rob Reiner, screenwriter Nora Ephron, and stars Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan take you on a journey of love and friendship like no other in this magnificently witty love story that has been deservedly hailed as one of the greatest romantic comedies of all time. Will sex ruin a perfect relationship …
Weekend Box Office: Aquaman Threepeats as Escape Room Opens Strong in Second
Chris Kavan - wrote on 01/06/19 at 08:13 PM CT
The DCU continues to benefit from Aquaman, which easily topped the box office for the third straight weekend. It also continues to dominate overseas as its overall worldwide total nears the $1 billion mark. Meanwhile, it was good news for Escape Room and it turns out January is still a fertile field for horror movie openings. Escape Room, surprisingly, may have affected the other holdovers with …
New in Theaters January 04: Escape Room
Chris Kavan - wrote on 01/03/19 at 07:55 AM CT
Out with the old in with the new as 2019 rings in with a mighty... squeak. That's right, our first weekend of the new year brings us just a single new film, and Escape Room is not likely to be much of a challenge to holdovers like Aquaman or Mary Poppins Returns. Granted, there were supposed to be two horror films... but Eli got shipped to Netflix and is unknown whether the streaming giant will …
New on DVD and Blu-ray Week of January 1 - January 7
Harley Lond - wrote on 01/01/19 at 12:58 PM CT
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!:
FROM THE BIG SCREEN:
"Night School" is a disappointing comedy (given the track record of the comedic stars) about a successful salesman (Kevin Hart) who loses his job and is forced to attend night school so he can finally get his GED and find another job. Naturally he attends a school headed up by his high school nemesis-turned-principal and a tough-with-a-heart of gold …
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