By Chris Kavan - 10/26/17 at 07:44 AM CT
With October winding down, it seems every week brought us way too many movies, leading to an over-stuffed box office where nothing really flourished. This last weekend isn't quite as crowded, bringing us the latest in a long-standing horror franchise, a dark comedy from George Clooney that explores the dark side of suburbia and a patriotic-leaning drama that shows once the war is over, the real battle begins. Obviously the horror film has the upper hand because of the holiday, but we'll see if anything else can stand out befor Thor conquers all.
JIGSAW October has seen no shortage of horror with both Happy Death Day and Boo! A Madea Halloween delivering decent openings. But we close out with Jigsaw, the eight film in the Saw franchise, and the first entry since 2010. For awhile, we were getting one Saw film a year and, just like the Paranormal Activity series, it started to run out of steam. This time around, more bodies are being found, victims of gruesome traps that seem to point to John Kramer - the man once known as Jigsaw. The only problem is that Kramer has been dead for a decade, meaning someone is more than happy to carry on his twisted legacy. And you know the rest - lots of deadly and twisted "games" and I'm guessing the real killer gets away just so we can look forward to more movies at some point in the future. This looks good for at least $20 million, not bad considering the lowest-grossing Saw film hit only $27 million and the best reached $87 million. If it can finish around $50 million, it will be right in that sweet spot. While I never was as hyped about the Saw franchise as others, if done right, I wouldn't be adverse to a revival either.
George Clooney has proven himself a good director, leaning more on the drama side of things (Good Night, and Good Luck, The Ides of March) and while his last film, Monuments Men, was a letdown, he looks to right the ship with the dark comedy Suburbicon. Gardner (Matt Damon) seems to be a typical 50s suburband family man - but that is all thrown out the window when a home invasion leads to the death of his wife, Margaret (Julianne Moore) - but it's not long before he finds himself welcoming her twin sister (Moore again) while his son, Nicky (Noah Jupe) is concerned by this development. A thorough insurance agent (Oscar Isaac, in a killer cameo), home invaders, the mob - it seems Gardener is in way over his head. Throw in the arrival of the first African American family in their perfect community - it's no surprise violence and paranoia rule the day. Previews have been mixed on this one, even though the Coen Brothers provided the script, Clooney is a proven director, but it seems their ideas don't quite mesh. Still, this one will probably be worth checking out, just maybe not in theaters.
Much like American Sniper, Thank You for Your Service explores not just the war, but the battle that follows. Returning service men and women have to integrate back into their daily lives, but a little thing called PTSD often makes that more difficult than fighting in the war itself. The memory of war, and what they witnessed, lingers long after coming home and the adjustment can often be as hard for their families as it is for the returning soldiers. The cast looks great - Miles Teller, Haley Bennett, Keisha Castle-Hughes and Amy Schumer top the lineup. There is certainly an audience for this type of film, as the success of not just American Sniper but Lone Survivor and the like. Still, I'm going to say this isn't going to have nearly the success of those others, but we need a few films that this every year.
Three films - not as many as other weeks, but still filling up a crowded box office even more. I have a feeling Halloween is going to be kind to Jigsaw over the rest, but we'll see where things wind up come Sunday.
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