New in Theaters January 31: The Rhythm Section, Gretel & Hansel
Chris Kavan - wrote on 01/29/20 at 11:36 PM CT
Although The Gentlemen had a respectable showing, the box office was all about the holdovers last weekend and, despite the addition of two new players, I have a feeling it's going to be more of the same as January comes to an end. Certainly the best chance of success lies with Blake Lively as she goes full-on revenge mode in the action film The Rhythm Section. Joining the ranks of horror films …
New on DVD and Blu-ray Week of January 28 - February 3
Harley Lond - wrote on 01/29/20 at 10:28 AM CT
FROM THE BIG SCREEN:
"Parasite": Meet the Park family, the picture of aspirational wealth. And the Kim family, rich in street smarts but not much else. Be it chance or fate, these two houses are brought together and the Kims sense a golden opportunity. Masterminded by college-aged Ki-woo, the Kim children expediently install themselves as tutor and art therapist to the Parks. Soon, a symbiotic …
The Lovebirds and More in This Week's MPAA Ratings Bulletin
Chris Kavan - wrote on 01/28/20 at 08:11 PM CT
Now that we have entered winter's heart of darkness, otherwise known as late January, the MPAA Ratings Board, who has been in rare form this year, has decided to hibernate. Well, not quite, but they have slowed things down with but a single wide release to talk about - but I'm also going to mention another film, despite the fact it has yet to secure a release date, because I'm a big fan of Wes …
Weekend Box Office: Bad Boys Continue to Dominate, Gentlemen Fine, The Turning Flops
Chris Kavan - wrote on 01/26/20 at 11:39 PM CT
The weekend was once again dominated by holdovers as Bad Boys for Life continued its strong run atop the box office. 1917 held on strong in second place while Dolittle managed to hold on to its third place spot, though it still is far from profitable. It isn't until the fourth place spot we find The Gentlemen, as Guy Ritchie's very British crime drama had a decent debut. Nothing, however, could …
New in Theaters January 24: The Gentlemen, The Turning
Chris Kavan - wrote on 01/22/20 at 09:02 PM CT
Bad Boys were a big draw over the MLK weekend. But the dynamic duo of Will Smith and Martin Lawrence are going to have to contend with an all-star cast of gentlemen - and none of them are up to any good. January, thus far, has been pretty unkind to horror films, which is kind of out of the ordinary. Hopefully Mackenzie Davis can turn things around with The Turning, but I'm not counting on …
Bloodshot, Woman in the Window and More in This Week's MPAA Ratings Bulletin
Chris Kavan - wrote on 01/22/20 at 12:27 PM CT
So the MPAA Ratings Board has slowed down a bit from their red-hot pace they've been racing at for 2020. I'll still take a couple of solid movies to talk about over one (or none). This week, Vin Diesel goes back to what he's good at... when he's not driving fast cars and pulling off impossible stunts - that is, playing the strong anti-hero. Also on deck is yet another interesting take on the …
New on DVD and Blu-ray Week of January 21 - January 27
Harley Lond - wrote on 01/21/20 at 10:41 PM CT
FROM THE BIG SCREEN:
In "Pain and Glory," a film director (Antonio Banderas) reflects on the choices he's made in life as past and present come crashing down around him in Pedro Almodóvar's semi-autobiographical film. From Sony... In the fun and gore-filled sequel, "Zombieland: Double Tap," Columbus, Tallahassee, Wichita, and Little Rock move to the American heartland as they face off against …
Weekend Box Office: Bad Boys Are Back in a Big Way, Dolittle Does Little, 1917 Soldiers On
Chris Kavan - wrote on 01/19/20 at 10:35 PM CT
Sure, awards season might be in full swing, but sometimes comfort movies do the best. Why else would Bad Boys for Life come in so hot, bringing in the second best MLK to date? While Bad Boys got off to a red-hot start, the same couldn't be said for Robert Downey Jr.'s Dolittle, which suffered harsh reviews and, while managing to come in second, still was a big disappointment when compared to its …
New on DVD and Blu-Ray Week of January 14 - January 20
Harley Lond - wrote on 01/19/20 at 01:08 PM CT
FROM THE BIG SCREEN:
"Maleficent: Mistress of Evil," the sequel to 2014's "Maleficent." Here Maleficent (Angelina Jolie) and her goddaughter Aurora begin to question the complex family ties that bind them as they are pulled in different directions by impending nuptials, unexpected allies, and dark new forces at play. Co-stars Elle Fanning, Michelle Pfeiffer, Harris Dickinson, Sam Riley and …
New in Theaters January 17: Bad Boys for Life, Dolittle
Chris Kavan - wrote on 01/15/20 at 09:31 PM CT
Star Wars was finally dethroned by the heart-pounding war film 1917. This weekend brings two new entries looking to make their mark, one is another dubious sequel that may or may not appeal to audiences, while the other is a similar gambit in a high-cost adaptation that could find it hard to stand out in the crowd despite it's all-star cast. Both films face serious competition in awards-season …
Sonic the Hedgehog, Call of the Wild, Rhythm Section and More in This Week's MPAA Ratings Bulletin
Chris Kavan - wrote on 01/14/20 at 10:33 PM CT
The ratings board looks like they're not taking things easy in the new year as the update this week is chock full of some big updates. Leading the charge is Sonic the Hedgehog - fresh off a facelift after the internet backlash from the initial design. Joining the video game hero is two other literary adaptations - Harrison Ford gives us a new version of Call of the Wild while Anya Taylor-Joy …
Weekend Box Office: 1917 Expands to Big Win, Just Mercy, Like a Boss Hit Top Five
Chris Kavan - wrote on 01/12/20 at 09:04 PM CT
Thanks to some big awards-season wins, and some excellent critical reviews, Sam Mendes action/war/drama 1917 easily took the top spot at the box office. Meanwhile, both Like a Boss and Just Mercy found a spot among the top five while Underwater was sunk. Both Star Wars and Jumanji crossed major milestones over the weekend as well. As we enter the meat of awards season, we'll see if that …
New in Theaters January 10: 1917, Like a Boss, Just Mercy, Underwater
Chris Kavan - wrote on 01/08/20 at 08:57 PM CT
January may have opened with a whimper, but things are going to heat up as this week brings three new wide releases and one major expansion. The expansion is for Sam Mendes war film 1917, and its wide release should be bolstered by its recent Golden Globes win for Best Picture (Drama) and Best Director - two of the biggest awards. 1917 is joined by the comedy Like a Boss, the thriller Underwater …
New on DVD and Blu-Ray Week of January 07 - January 13
Harley Lond - wrote on 01/08/20 at 11:19 AM CT
FROM THE BIG SCREEN:
"Joker" is arguably one of the best films of last year -- or any year -- a film that so polarized critics and audiences that one either hated it or loved it -- there was nothing in-between. Director Todd Phillips stepped away from his at-times obscene male-buddy "Hangover" comedies for this heady study of a modern man with psychological problems turned into a monster by an …
Bad Boys for Life, Fantasy Island, Invisible Man and More in This Week's MPAA Ratings Bulletin
Chris Kavan - wrote on 01/07/20 at 09:19 PM CT
First off, I have to apologize as there was an MPAA Ratings Bulletin released the week of Christmas that I totally overlooked. I guess the ratings board doesn't get as good a holiday as I expected. In any case, I will incorporate both that update and the current update into this post. Luckily, I didn't miss too much, as there was a single wide release in that update while this week brings a …
Weekend Box Office: Star Wars Remains Top Draw as The Grudge Hardly Registers
Chris Kavan - wrote on 01/05/20 at 10:16 PM CT
As predicted, the box office changed little from one year to the next - with the biggest change coming from Little Women displacing Frozen II in the top three and The Grudge making a short-lived appearance in the top five. Everything pretty much went as expected making this first weekend in the new year a bit rote. But with things going the way they are, hopefully the rest of the month provides …
New in Theaters January 03: The Grudge
Chris Kavan - wrote on 01/02/20 at 12:00 AM CT
Happy New Year to all! It's 2020, so let's look at what Hollywood is bringing us to celebrate. We're being gifted with everyone's favorite - a horror remake and... it's The Grudge. You remember The Grudge, right? The 2002 Japanese horror film (Ju-on) that was remade in 2004 - riding the wave of horror remakes (The Ring, Dark Water, Shutter) that was really big in the mid-late 2000s. Despite the …
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