More Marvel Movies (Flack’s Guide)
Posted on | May 18, 2012 | Add Comments
If you’ve seen The Avengers and are hungry for more Marvel superhero movies here’s your guide to whats up next. SPOILER ALERT If you have not seen The Avengers or the other Marvel films then minor plot elements may be revealed. This is a comprehensive, chronological guide to what’s up next for Marvel (bought by Walt Disney).
Iron Man 3 Release Date: May 3rd, 2013 News: Ben Kingsley joins the cast as the evil villain, The Mandarin and Tony Stark\Iron Man (played of course by Robert Downey Jr.) must head to China to battle him. Guy Pierce plays Aldrich Killian. Don Cheadle and Gwenyth Paltrow reprise their roles. Getting a new director (Shane Black) could shake things up pleasantly after the unoriginal Iron Man 2. The plot sounds exactly the same as the first two (Iron Man must fight a villain and terrorists) but as with the others hilarious lines and a bit of depth may transcend a generic storyline. The movie will open the summer movie season on the first week of May, the way Iron Man, Iron Man 2, Thor, and The Avengers have. The film will probably make more money than Iron Man and Iron Man 2 but not as much as The Avengers. I will definitely see this one. After Iron Man 2 was criticized for being stuffed with The Avengers references, Keven Feige has said Iron Man 3 is to be very different than The Avengers. There will still probably be an end credits sequence and cameos.
Thor 2 Release Date: November 15th, 2013 Keneth Branagah who directed the first one is leaving the series and Alan Taylor (director of such TV shows as Game of Thrones and The Sopranos) is taking over the directing credits. Almost all the actors are returning so that means you’ll get to see Tom Hiddelston, Anthony Hopkins, Natalie Portman, Stellan Skarsgard, Idris Elba, and of course Chris Hemsworth as Thor himself. The film starts filming in August this year. The film will probably make more money than Thor but being sandwiched in the middle of possible November blockbusters Ender’s Game and Catching Fire certainly won’t help. There will also be a new main villain (ie not Loki though he will still be in the movie). Tom Hiddelston and Chris Hemsworth have also stated that sometime in the Thor series that they would like Thor and Loki to be friends. If they can combine awesome, amazing action with an emotional storyline, then Thor 2 will be great.
Captain America 2 Release Date: April 4, 2014 The new Captain America film tells the story of the superhero in the present. His only friends are Nick Fury and SHIELD. Kevin Feige, the president of Marvel Studios, has said Captain America will learn about his World War II friends while he was frozen for about 70 years. I don’t think the movie will be unique because the story sounds similar to Thor where a super hero gets put into modern times. So far only Chris Evans and Samuel L. Jackson are signed on as actors. Vulture.com says, the three possible directors are F. Gary Gray, George Nolfi, and Anthony and Joseph Russo. I think they should get Steven Spielberg to do a WW 2 sequel to the first one that is set in the 1940′s but he probably wouldn’t want to do it because he’s so busy. Also it seems like Marvel is trying to make this film fail. They are releasing it in April, one of the worst months for movies (both critically and commercially). I am still nonetheless very excited to see how this film turns out.
Other Marvel Projects: Marvel has announced that they will be releasing a new movie on May 16th, 2014. Why not May 2nd, the first week of summer movies like they normally do? Because they want to give Captain America 2 some time to make some money and Sony is ridiculously planning to release The Amazing Spider Man 2 on May 2nd. The movie that will probably be released then is probably going to be The Avengers 2, because of The Avengers box office success (it’s already the 6th highest grossing movie of all time). Meanwhile Guardians Of The Galaxy, Inhumans, Dr. Strange, and Ant-Man directed by Edgar Wright are all non Avengers related movies that might be released sometime in the future. They might not do as great at the box office or maybe even with critics but they will still will likely be much, much more original because they are not leading up to a big crossover team up blockbuster movie like The Avengers. I would also not be surprised if there were movies solely about Nick Fury, Black Widow, and Hawkeye, which there probably will be. Also a new Hulk film starring Mark Ruffalo might happen because Ruffalo said that he wanted to and Marvel would love to make some more money.
I am looking forward to all these films. I’m least excited to see the original films and Captain America: The First Avenger 2 sounds bad. I can not wait, however to see Iron Man 3, Thor 2, and The Avengers 2.
May Movie Preview (Flack’s Preview)
Posted on | May 4, 2012 | Add Comments
And just when you thought I was gone….. I’m back with updated May box office predictions! And let me tell you: you have not seen this before! I will talk about The Avengers, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, Dark Shadows, Battleship,What To Expect When You’re Expecting, Moonrise Kingdom, and Men In Black 3. The Avengers is the massive month of May movie that out of all these films I (and 1 billion other people who will help make it a box office success) am looking forward to the most month. NOTE 1: All the films I will talk about except The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, Moonrise Kingdom, and Dark Shadows are in 3-D. NOTE 2: OWG means opening weekend gross, DTG means domestic total gross, an ITG means international total gross all for my box office predictions. May the 4th be with you…………….always!!
May 4th: Walt Disney has made only a little over $200 million so far this year (that’s about $300 million off from the the highest amount from a studio so far which is $500 million). Luckily they’ve made a deal with Marvel Studios and are producing The Avengers. The film was released on April 27th in the rest of the world (Marvel’s foreign high was Iron Man 2‘s $316 million and this will likely surpass that number this weekend). This will definitely be the second highest grossing movie of the summer. Marvel’s largest opening weekend was Iron Man 2‘s $128 million and the lowest was The Incredible Hulk‘s $55 million. Here are some other stats: Domestic Money: Iron Man‘s $318 million is the most but The Incredible Hulk‘s $134 million is the least. International Total: The lowest was The Incredible Hulk‘s $128 million. However this film will likely do a lot better than all of those movies, not least because all the characters are being combined.Why? Fan anticipation, a recognizable previous franchise, added 3-D money, and a current 92% on Rotten Tomatoes will help this movie avenge at the box office. The will also likely beat The Hunger Games as the third highest opening weekend ever. The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel will likely get a weak $1 million US opening.Meanwhile this will also be a weekend where past weekend releases The Hunger Games (now 4th spot: $5 million), The Lucky One (3rd spot: $8 million), and Think Like A Man (2nd spot: $10 million) will die down. The Avengers OWG: $157 million DTG: $500 million ITG: $1 billion The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel: OWG: $1 million OWG: $15 million ITG: $75 million
May 11th: This will be one of the closest weekends of the summer. If Dark Shadows didn’t open the weekend after The Avengers then it might make more money but it will be top spot (The Avengers is safe with a $60 million second weekend, dwindling a little over 50%, similar to The Hunger Games although The Hunger Games would have done worse if it opened during the summer). Alice in Wonderland‘s $116 million opening is way out of reach but Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street‘s $9 million is also a lot lower goal. This will be in the middle of Johnny Depp\Tim Burton collaborations, which is not bad for an adaption of a 1960′s soap opera TV show. Meanwhile April releases and The Hunger Games will basically stop making money. Dark Shadows: OWG: $65 million DTG: $200 million ITG: $300 million
May 16th\18th: Another close weekend. Sacha Baron Cohen’s new movie The Dictator will easily get $25 million, which is not terrible for an R rated political spoof comedy. Cohen’s comedies have done okay in the past and this should do just a bit worse (there are a lot of comedies being released this summer). Dark Shadows will probably have about$26 million and The Avengers is a good bet for $40 million. Meanwhile the big new opener is Battleship which will wind up close to the first Transformers movie (in tone, style, critics reviews, and box office money). The film itself looks bad, but then so does Transformers. Meanwhile, What To Expect When You’re Expecting is a star studded romantic comedy that should open fairly high, due to it’s prestigious cast lineup. The Dictator: OWG: $24 million DTG: $75 million ITG: $175 million Battleship: OWG: $70 million DTG: $210 million ITG: $310 million What To Expect When You’re Expecting: OWG: $25 million DTG: $100 million ITG: $200 million
May 25th: The Avengers will be massive but to a lesser extent I’m predicting Men In Black 3 will too. The two previous Men In Black films (from 1997 and 2002) mad $51 million and $52 million on their opening weekends, $250 million and $190 domestically, and $589 million and $441 million, respectively. Of course adjusted for inflation these movies made a lot more, though the second film is widely considered to be one of the most disappointing sequels in movie history. However the first is said to be a comedy classic. The latest film should be a comeback movie and after the fun, funny trailers it should open to $55 million at the least. Also the movie is in 3-D which could boost it’s box office haul. Will Smith has not been in a blockbuster since Hancock (2008 so people will have an oppurtunity to see him in an action movie again. Tommy Lee Jones is back and Josh Brolin joins as Lee’s character in the 1960′s. Meanwhile that very same weekend Moonrise Kingdom gets a limited release and the movie it should open closest to is Midnight In Paris (OWG: $5 million DTG: $56 million ITG: $148 million). Both are star studded summer romantic comedies that open Cannes. Men In Black 3: OWG: $85 million DTG: $20o million ITG: $500 million Moonrise Kingdom OWG: $5 million DTG: $60 ITG: $145 million
May will have a massive blockbuster (The Avengers), a small art house flick (The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel) a surprise success (Dark Shadows), a profitable comedy (The Dictator),a big, bad blockbuster (Battleship), a comedy success ( a comeback hit (Men In Black 3), and an indie hit (Moonrise Kingdom). I can’t wait to see The Avengers and Men In Black 3, I hope to see Moonrise Kingdom, and wish I could see Dark Shadows. Bye- Bye!!!!!
Summer Movies 2012: Part 3
Posted on | May 2, 2012 | 1 Comment
This is the last of the three Summer movie previews. I’m going to talk about the movies that I’m personally looking forward to this summer. I will also predict what rating I’ll give the movies out of 5 and give an overview of other films coming out (that I don’t really want to see). Don’t forget to read Summer Movie Preview Part 1 (Flack’s Box Office Predictions) and Summer Movie Preview Part 2 (Flack’s Critics Predictions). Hope you enjoy “The Epic Conclusion To The Summer Movie Legend”. Clue: Watch the trailers of all the films I talk about and find what movie I just referenced.
Movies I’m Most Anticipating:
The Avengers This 2 hour 22 minute super hero epic movie looks very entertaining. Iron Man, Captain America, and Thor will assemble, along with Black Widow, the Hulk, Nick Fury, and newcomer Hawkeye to battle Loki, Thor’s brother. If Robert Downey Jr. has great chemistry with all the other actors, then this will be hilarious. I think it would have been a good idea to have John Favareau direct it, but Joss Whedon might be a good choice, but I haven’t seen his other movies. I don’t think the story will be excellent, because all of the super heroes together might be a bit too much. But it should be overall entertaining. Reel prediction: 4 stars Release Date: May 4th
Men in Black 3 I have not seen the first 2 MIB films, but I have heard that they are entertaining. Some people say the second one was not as good as the first, so the third might not be either. I think this could follow the path of Indiana Jones, can Josh Brolin be as great as Sean Connery? The trailer looks pretty funny, especially Will Smith’s description of Tommy Lee Jones’ smile. Reel prediction: 3 stars Release Date: May 25th
Brave Pixar’s latest film is a departure from their previous work, but after the mediocre Cars 2 we’re also hoping that it’s a return to form. The latest trailer looks promising but not they’re best. Rude humor and an annoying song are some of the detractors. Meanwhile the brilliant animation, big castle battle, and stunning archery tournament all look amazing. Of course with any trailer there are also some intriguingly mysterious elements. In this case 2 shots in which Merida, the heroine, is caught between two black bears. I don’t think this movie will be as bad as Cars 2, but not as good as the Toy Story trilogy, WALL-E, Finding Nemo, Ratatouille, Monsters Inc., or any of the other Pixar classics. Reel Prediction: 4 stars Release Date: June 22nd
The Amazing Spider-Man I am looking forward to this film a great deal. The actors all seem great, the trailer has loads of exciting action, and the director Marc Webb has been calling this more personal than most superhero movies. The only bad thing in it is the part in the first trailer when he’s flying and it looks too much like a video game. In the second trailer they didn’t put that part in: Could they secretly be hiding a huge mistake? Reel Prediction: 4 1/2 stars Release Date: July 3rd
Paranorman This looks like the must see August movie of the year. Last year August, a usually lackluster month for summer movies, (because they can’t play all summer long) brought us two surprise hits: The Oscar winning The Help and the massive blockbuster prequel Rise of the Planet of the Apes. Can this be the surprise hit of August? I am sure hoping so!!!!! Reel Prediction: 4 stars Release Date: August 17th
Family Films That Look Just Okay:
The Odd Life Of Timothy Green Peter Hedges, the Oscar winning writer/director of Dan In Real Life and What’s Eating Gilbert Grape presents a new Disney movie that (based on the short trailer, there will probably be another one soon) promises to be a sappy, formulaic, yet intriguing and fun, kids movie. Sounds way different than Academy Award winning indie pictures but no matter how this film turns out I am excited to see what it’s like. Go watch the trailer. Flick calls it “The Tree of Life for kids.” I’d call it “a realistic Peter Pan“. Reel Prediction: 3 stars Release Date: August 15
Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted I am not particularly excited to see this film but the trailer looks okay and it’s playing out of competition at Cannes. I haven’t seen any of the others in this series because the annoying theme song and rude humor seemed unappealing. Still, potty joke seeking kids will definitely enjoy this summer movie. Add in a catchy new circus song, it’s festival schedule, and a trailer with great 3-D and no rude humor parents and critics may enjoy the film as well. Reel Prediction: 2 stars Release Date: June 8th
Ice Age 4: Continental Drift I know many people around the world will see this film. The previous installment, Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs made $886 million worldwide (and the highest foreign box office ever for an animated movie:surprising but true). The rest of the series was not terrible but this is not top of my must see summer movie list. However, if you liked the other ones then you’ll probably like this one. Reel Prediction: 2 1/2 stars Release Date: July 13th
Other Movies That I Would Like To See, But Probably Can’t:
The Dark Knight Rises This is the most anticipated movie of the summer and quite possibly of the year. It’s a superhero threequel that continues the story line of The Dark Knight (4 years ago, in 2008) which followed the story of Batman Begins (7 years ago, from 2005). The newest trailer is awesome. After The Dark Knight became the highest grossing superhero movie ever made (a little over $1 billion worldwide) and won 2 Oscars (including Best Supporting Actor for the late Heath Ledger) a sequel became inevitable. Adding Anne Hathaway, Tom Hardy, Joseph Gordon Levvit, and Marion Cotillard has added to fan’s anticipation. Will this new film get good as good reviews as the first ones (85% and 94%, respectively)? Will there be superb special effects and awesome action, as well? Find out this summer when this last in the trilogy movie is released. In the trailer Catwoman says “You don’t owe these people anymore”. Batman responds “Not everything. Not Yet.” Empire Magazine said that Batman’s answer could be applied to Christopher Nolan. Reel Prediction: 4 stars Release Date: July 20th
Moonrise Kingdom A shot in R.I. Wes Anderson film with a star studded cast including Bill Murray, Frances McDormand, Jason Schwartznam, Bruce Willis, Tilda Swinton, Edward Norton, and newcomers Jared Gilman and Kara Hayward: sounds like an Oscar hopeful and quite possibly an opening night Cannes summer smash hit. As for the plot, it’s a romantic comedy with a bit of adventure and drama, as it tells the story of two teenagers in love who run away from their families and then get looked for by their parents, the police, and a pack of cub scouts. Reel Prediction: 4 stars Release Date: May 25th
Dark Shadows Johnny Depp and Tim Burton team up to make an adaption of the TV soap opera series of the same name. Romance, fantastical humor, Burton weirdness, vampire violence, and a cast including previous Burton stars (Depp, Burton’s wife Helena Bonham Carter, Christopher Lee, and Michelle Pfeiffer) and newbies (Jackie Early Haley, Eva Green, and Chloe Grace Mortez). Many people disliked the first trailer but I thought it was very funny. Don’t forget to check out a special featurette on Apple Trailers about the film. It has new clips from the movie and behind the scenes insights from Burton and Depp. Reel Prediction: 4 stars Release Date: May 11th
And now last and least, the summer movies that seem to be all action, no story:
Battleship Transformers on water? Maybe. Robots, things blowing up, big battles, massive explosions, and possible aliens. Sounds a bit far from the board game. Reel Prediction: 2 stars Release Date: May 18th
G.I. Joe Retaliation Bringing in Dwaye Johnson and especially Bruce Willis will boost box office power but keeping Taylor Kitsch in the series was probably a bad move (after Battleship and John Carter but not Savages). The film looks like it has a smudge of fun action to it but not looking like a something that will become an all time classic at all ever. Reel Prediction: 2 1/2 Release Date: June 29th
Piranha 3DD Looks bad except for the title of course.Reel Prediction: 1 star Release Date: June 1st
Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter Lincoln will probably be a lot better. Reel prediction: 2 stars Release Date: June 22nd
Other summer movies being released that I will not do Reel Predictions for (they are not ones that I necessarily want to see a lot) include:
Dramas: Lawless (with an all star cast), The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (with another all star cast), Savages (with a bigger all star cast than the two movies that I just mentioned), and To Rome With Love (with Woody Allen, Alec Baldwin, and more)
Fantasy: Snow White and the Huntsman (with Kirsten Stewart as Snow White)
Musical: Rock of Ages (starring Tom Cruise) and Sparkle (with Whitney Huston)
Action Movies: The Bourne Legacy (a prequel to the previous trilogy of Bourne movies) Preminum Rush (an N.Y.C. bicycle action movie), and The Expendables 2 (with Sylvester Stallone and other famous action heroes)
Comedies: The Campaign (a political comedy with Will Ferrell and Zach Galifianakas), The Dictator (a political spoof starring Sacha Baron Cohen), What To Expect When You’re Expecting (starring Cameron Diaz), That’s My Boy (starring Adam Sandler), Ted (with Mark Wahlberg and a teddy bear), Neighborhood Watch (with Jonah Hill and Ben Stiller and maybe some aliens), and Hope Springs (staring Meryl Streep, Tommy Lee Jones, and Steve Carrell)
Sci- Fi: Total Recall (a remake of the 1992 Arnold Schwarsenegger but now starring Colin Farrell) and Prometheus (a Ridely Scott sci-fi horror movie with a tough Noomi Rapace, a flat Charlize Theron, and a scared Idris Elba)
Documentaries: ReGENERATION (from the 2010 PCFF) and First Position (from TIFF kids)
Thank you for following me on my epic journey of a trilogy of summer movie madness!! Thank you as well to my family for helping me and movie websites for increasing my movie knowledge (IMDB, Rotten Tomatoes, Box Office Mojo, Lights Camera Jackson, EW, and The New York Times). Please don’t forget to COMMENT, COMMENT, COMMENT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Also you should watch the trailers of the films I talked about about (on Apple Trailers) so you might have a little idea of what I have been talking about over the past three articles. During the summer movie season look for articles, reviews, news and maybe some videos and podcasts from Flick and I (in other words not a break from May 31st to August 21st like last summer, hopefully). And last try to go to the movies in the summer and COMMENT and COMMENT some more. You should make your own summer movie schedule of what you want to see for fun!!!!!!!! See you later!!!!!!
Summer Movies 2012 Part 2: Flack’s Critics Predictions
Posted on | April 13, 2012 | Add Comments
Now that you’ve heard all about money and box-office predictions it’s time to learn about something else: critics. I will be talking about how 10 movies are likely to do brilliantly with critics and my educated guesses at what their Rotten Tomatoes scores will be. Rotten Tomatoes (in case you don’t know about it) is a movie website that compiles hundreds of critics reviews and then ranks them on a scale of 100%, with 1% being the worst and 100% being the best. If a movie is above 60% it is”fresh” and if it is below 60% it is “rotten.” From blockbusters I’ve already talked about that are likely to be critically acclaimed, to festival favorites you’ve never heard of, there’s star studded indies and summer Oscar hopefuls, I’ve selected a wide range of films that critics are bound to love. Without further ado the 10 movies are…….
11. The Avengers Release Date: May 4th Why critics will like it: Iron Man got a 94% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes. If this one combines wit, humor, chemistry, action, adventure, a great story, and awesome special effects in the same way that the May 2008 blockbuster did, then this one will do great! Why Critics might not like it: Iron Man 2 got a 74%: fresh but not great… The other Marvel movies are also not as beloved (Thor: 77% fresh, Captain America: The First Avenger: 79% fresh, Hulk: 62% fresh, The Incredible Hulk: 66% fresh) but with the characters combined you never know: they could work better together. Still, hopefully there will be a good story and the special effects will hopefully not take over the movie!
10. The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel Release Date: May 4th Why Critics will like it: This movie stars Judi Dench, Maggie Smith, Bill Nighy, Tom Wikinson, and Dev Patel. Alone, that’s a good reason for critics to probably like it. John Madden, the director also won Best Picture for Shakespeare in Love. But Steven Spielberg famously won Best Director that year in 1998 for Saving Private Ryan and beat John Madden. Why critics might not like it: The director also made the 2011 film, The Debt which got a 76% fresh which is a lot less than Shakespeare in Love‘s 93% fresh. Also as of now The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel only has a 77% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes. Rotten Tomatoes guess: 82%.
9. The Wettest County Release Date: August 31st Why Critics will like it: This movie stars Tom Hardy, Shia Labeouf, Jessica Chaistan, Guy Pearce,Gary Oldman, Noah Taylor, and Mia Waskowska. The cast is o.k. but not as star studded as it could be. But what is the main reason this is a standout Summer Oscar hopeful? The Weinstein brothers are producing it. Why critics might not like it: The star of Transformers is in this movie. Uh-oh! Rotten Tomatoes guess: 83%
8. The Amazing Spider-Man Release Date: July 3rd Why Critics will like it: The director is more known for independent movies, the star was in The Social Network, and the trailer looks amazingly well done. I think this movie will have a good story, but not exactly an original one. Spider-Man (Sam Raimi/Tobey Maguire version from 2002) got an 89% fresh and Spider-Man 2 got a 93% fresh. If this new movie is like the first two then it won’t do that bad. Why critics might not like it: Spider-Man 3 got a 63% fresh, which Empire Magazine called the 50th worst movie of all time. Hopefully this one won’t be as bad as that one. Rotten Tomatoes guess: 85%
7. The Intouchables Release Date: May 25th Why Critics will like it: Harvey Weinstein brought the movie to the US version. After having his movies win Oscars 2 years in a row, it would be hard to bet against him. It was nominated for 8 awards (including some of the main ones) and won best actor (Omar Sy) at the Cesars (like France’s Oscars) Why critics might not like it: There have been some rotten French reviews, and it’s hard to tell if that will affect the movie. One last note: This movie was beat out by The Artist at the Cesars Awards. Rotten Tomatoes guess: 88%
6. Prometheus Release Date: June 8 Why Critics will like it: Alien got a 96% fresh and Aliens (directed by James Cameron) got a 100% fresh. This movie is directed by Ridley Scott (once again) and has a cast including Idris Elba, Charlize Theron, Michael Fassebender, Patrick Wilson and Noomi Rapace (the original Girl WithThe Dragon Tattoo). Why critics might not like it: Alien 3 got a 39% splat and Alien 4: Resurrection got a 55% splat. Luckily Prometheus is not a sequel, although there will probably be Prometheus sequels. Rotten Tomatoes guess: 90%
5. To Rome With Love Release Date: June 22nd Why Critics will like it: Woody Allen’s best reviewed movie of the 2000′s just came out on June 10, 2011 (Midnight in Paris with a 93% fresh). His latest movie is about people in Italy and the adventures and romances that they have. The cast isn’t as star studded as Midnight in Paris‘ but the movie still stars Woody Allen, Jesse Eisinberg, Penelope Cruz, Ellen Page, Judy Davis, Roberto Beginini, and Alec Baldwin. Why Critics might not like it: The reaction to the trailer has been so-so and Allen’s recent movies have not always fared well (the 2010 film You Will Meet A Tall Dark Starnger got a 44% splat and the 2009 movie Whatever Works got a 50% splat). Also opening on June 22nd are Brave and Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter. Althought these three films are vying for completly different audiences To Rome With Love will be a failre at the box office at least compared to those two filmsRotten Tomatoes Guess: 90%
4. Beats of the Southern Wild Release Date: June 27th Why Critics will like it: This is the most acclaimed movie of this year’s Sundance film festival. Based on what I’ve heard about it, this seems a lot like The Tree of Life of 2012 with monsters. Sounds interesting. Why critics might not like it: Critics were divided about The Tree of Life despite it’s 84% fresh score on Rotten Tomatoes. They probably won’t agree about this movie also but just as with The Tree of Life people will love this film. Rotten Tomatoes guess: 92%
3. The Dark Knight Rises Release Date: July 20th Why Critics will like it: Batman Begins got a 85% fresh and The Dark Knight got a 94%. This one will probably follow more in The Dark Knight’s lead. Why critics might not like it: Without Heath Ledger’s Oscar winning Joker will people still like it? Probably but I still definetly don’t think that Tom Hardy will win an Oscar for his performance as the new bad guy, Bane. Rotten Tomatoes guess: 93%
2. Moonrise Kingdom Release Date: May 25th Why Critics will like it: This movie seems like it will turn out to be the Midnight in Paris of the year (an opening night Cannes comedy romance that’s made by a famous director, has a great cast, makes some money, and then ends up maybe even getting a few Oscar nominations and one win) and because that movie got a 93% fresh this film should get great reviews. Why critics might not like it: Will critics (as they did with Midnight in Paris) find the movie a bit too light? Maybe but probably not too much. Rotten Tomatoes guess: 95%
1. Savages Release Date: July 6th Why Critics will like it: This movie stars Benicio Del Toro, Taylor Kitsch (who described the movie as Pulp Fiction meets Goodfellas), Blake Lively, Uma Thurman, John Travolta, Aaron Johnson, Demian Bramchir, Emie Hirsh, and Salma Hayek. It’s a drama thriller directed by two time Academy Award winner Oliver Stone. I also think that it’s the most Oscar friendly movie of the Summer. Why critics might not like it: Oliver Stone’s recent movies have been badly reviewed (Wall Street 2: Money Never Sleeps got a 55% splat which is a lot less than Wall Street’s 78% fresh). Also the cast might not have chemistry and there could be too many characters. Rotten Tomatoes guess: 96%
Well now we’ll just have to sit back and watch how things turn out!!!!! Part 3 is coming soon!!!!!
Box Office Battle Brews (Flack’s Report)
Posted on | March 14, 2012 | Add Comments
When 2011′s total box office total grosses were announced to be the lowest since 1995, high expectations were already being set for 2012. I was personally surprised about 2011, considering that the last Harry Potter installment, not one but four super hero films, Transformers 3, and two Steven Spielberg films were all released. But with Batman 3, a Spider-Man movie, the Avengers, and another Steven Spielberg movie all being released in 2012, excitement is starting to brew.
So far the box office is 24% higher at this than point last year. But not quite as high as 2009 and 2010 at this point. Coraline and Pink Panther 2 were released in early 2009 and Avatar was released in December 2009 and obviously carried over into early 2010. This year 3 movies have already passed the 100 million dollar mark. In order from least to greatest, they are: the action movie, Safe House ($116 million), the romance, The Vow ($118 million), and the family film, The Lorax ($129 million). Those movies also have the highest opening weekends, with $40 million, $41 million and $70 million. Also twenty movies have passed the 30 million mark. Still there have been a large number of commercial flops, such as, This Means War, The Woman in Black, The Grey, Red Tails, Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance, and so far John Carter.
Now let’s take a look at what other March blockbusters are coming up.
March 16, 2012: The Big Opening: 21 Jump Street. Why it will be big? Starring comedian and Oscar nominee, Jonah Hill. And with a current Rotten Tomatoes score of 85%, it’s likely to become a semi-big commercial, crowd pleaser. Why it will not be big: It’s rated R, which means that younger audiences won’t go. Also others might not be old enough to remember the TV show. My box office predictions: Opening Weekend: $35 million, Domestic Total: $155 million, and International Total: $255 million. Other movies opening that week: Seeking Justice staring Nicolas Cage, Jeff who Lives at Home staring Jason Segel, and the Spanish film Casa de mi Padre starring Will Ferrel.
March 23, 2012: The Big Opening: The Hunger Games. Why: This is the biggest non-summer, non-holiday movie of the year. Comparisons to Twilight could give it a push…. or not. The first Twilight opened to 69 million dollars in it’s opening weekend, but this is likely to do better. It has a massive, massive, massive fan base and could get great reviews. Why not: It’s possible because not everyone is familiar with it, it might not do well. My box office predictions: Opening Weekend: $80 million, Domestic Total: $350 million, and International Total: $400 million. Other movies opening that week: The Raid: The Redemption, and Brake.
March 30, 2012: The Big Openings: Wrath of the Titans, and Mirror Mirror. Why? The first Titans movies was released to a $61 million weekend, suggesting this could very well possibly follow in its footsteps. The first Titans movie was badly reviewed, and got a 28% splat on Rotten Tomatoes. The 2 worst reviewed elements, however, are back: Sam Worthington and 3-D, but the first earned $300 million overseas, making this one a potential blockbuster. Also people now know that they didn’t like the first one so they might not return for a sequel. Meanwhile Mirror Mirror is the more family-friendly of the two Snow White movies, opening in 2012. It also stars Julia Roberts. But it’s not a summer movie, an action movie, or a Kristen Stewart movie, or even a movie with Thor in it, which the other one is all of those. My box office predictions for Wrath of the Titans: Opening Weekend: $40 million, Domestic Total: $200 million, International Total: $300 million. My Mirror Mirror box office predictions: Opening Weekend: $25 million, Domestic Total: $115 million, International Total: $170 million.
One last note, I wanted to point out is that all top 1o movies at the box office right now have a SPLAT on Rotten Tomatoes, which means they are badly reviewed. However I expect that to change for new movies coming out, particularly the first two ones I was just talking about Many people are saying that all this good box office will lead people into the Summer, however I hope that some of the Summer movies get good reviews. In December, I’m expecting The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey to be the big holiday movie and Lincoln (directed by Steven Spielberg and starring Daniel Day Lewis) to be the big Oscar movie and a potential blockbuster. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey will probably be first or second place along with The Dark Knight Rises for the whole, entire year. The Amazing Spider-Man, Skyfall, and The Avengers will round out the top 5 for the year (not in order). More Summer movies preview for 2012 are coming soon.
Tags: Box Office Predictions
A Great Year for Brad Pitt
Posted on | January 25, 2012 | Add Comments
This truly has been a great year for Brad Pitt in the world of film. He started the year off starring in and producing The Tree of Life, a truly cinematic film about the meaning of life, then in May he starred in and produced Moneyball, a film about Billy Beane who changed the way baseball players are traded and finally in November he voiced Will the Krill in Happy Feet Two (which I didn’t see). Now the awards season is in full swing (the Academy Award nominations were announced yesterday) and Pitt has garnered a nod for Best Actor. In this article I’ll review Pitt’s performances and discuss whether or not the Oscars were spot on. Read on.
Lets start with The Tree of Life. This is certainly Pitt’s best performance of the year. Pitt masterfully embodies Mr O’Brien a strict father of three kids married to a woman played by Jessica Chastain. However, what’s really amazing about Pitt’s performance in Tree of Life is the fierceness that Pitt resembles. The character of Mr. O’Bren is very interesting, especially his relationship with one of his sons Jack. Pitt also produced this film, but I think he made this decision for a couple million more bucks. Either way I’m glad Pitt decided to star in such a diverse film.
Bennet Miller’s film is also very interesting, but also very different from Tree of Life. Before I go any farther, I just want to say that I am not a baseball fan or even a sports fan, but for some reason Moneyball just did it for me. I was hooked and I sat very still in my seat. Pitt’s performance overall is very good and deserves much attention. Not only is Pitt good in this film, but the character of Billy Beane is complexly captivating onto its self. Beane wants to be independent, diverse, unlike the others.
Alright you’ve heard what I think of Pitt’s performances from last year, but did the Academy get it right? And the answer is… No! Pitt was great in both Tree of Life and Moneyball but if I had to pick one performance it would have to be Tree of Life. Although Pitt’s role was more secondary than front and center, ultimately this doesn’t matter. As long as the performance is good I’m hooked. Fortunately, I wouldn’t trade Pitt to another team if I was directing.
The Holidays of Spielberg
Posted on | December 24, 2011 | Add Comments
Over the years he’s proved his worth and now he’s come back to prove it to us more. Steven Spielberg has currently directed over twenty feature films. He already has two more planned for the next two years (Lincoln, an Abraham Lincoln biopic staring Daniel Day Lewis as the big man himself being released 2012, and Robocalypse, a sci-fi epic based on the novel entitled the same being released 2013). If one word could describe the man it would be unpredictable; he’s directed films ranging from war epics to action manifestos. This month he gives us both.
Let’s start with the action film. Based on on Herge’s French comic book series, The Adventures of Tintin could have been titled Indiana Jones in 3-D, digitally animated and based on a book from another country. Tintin, an intrepid reporter is on the case of a mystery. Red Rackham, a long dead pirate’s ship’s model is found by Tintin in a market. But Tintin is not the only one is interested in the model. The game is afoot. Jamie Bell, Daniel Craig, and Andy Serkis will be playing motion capture characters. In case you haven’t heard of motion capture here is a quick definition: it’s a way of making CG animation look more real. The actors wear suits with little balls that look like golf balls. The animators animate the characters before hand so that they are ready. Special computers read the suits and the characters on the computers move the same way the actors do. When on screen the characters move more realistically. I’ve read a few of the books including the three the film is based on which are The Crab with the Golden Claws, The Secret of the Unicorn and Red Rackhams Treasure. Although Spielberg has never directed a fully CG film it’s no surprise that the animation looks great because Peter Jackson who directed The Lord of the Rings trilogy and King Kong is producing and Andy Serkis, the master of Mocap acting is playing Captain Haddock. Serkis has collaborated with Jackson many times before including on The Lord of the Rings trilogy and King Kong. And then there’s the 3-D. I will definitely be seeing the film in this format. Before you continue reading watch the official Tintin trailer.
Originally I was going to break down the two trailers but that would take the fun out of having your own opinion. My breakdown of the trailer could become persuasive and after all this a news article not persuasive text. The action in the trailer is so intense that you literally forget where you are and are instantly sucked into Tinin’s world. John William’s score sounds like Raiders of the Lost Ark’s and I mean this as a good thing. The score is very orchestral and rhythmic. The last fifteen seconds of the trailer are the most jaw dropping because of the quick editing. There is not much shown here but action however I am expecting quirky characters because the book is full of them.
The war epic, War Horse is certainly epic. According to the news Spielberg has chosen to replace gritty war violence with subtle yet disturbing takes on war. I guess you could say it’s not exactly original: based on the book, which became a Broadway play, but that doesn’t mean Spielberg can’t strike gold. In fact I predict it will be nominated for the Oscar nomination of all Oscar nominations: Best Picture. The book is sad, horrifying and brilliant all at the same time. The play also fits those descriptions. However the best part about the play is the way Joey, the war horse is presented: when he is young , he is made out of fabric and other material and when he is older he is made out of the same materials and is large, actors stood inside it at all times. The plot is simple, yet complex. Albert, a farm boy, lives with his to the point mother (in the play) and drunken father. Not long after they get Joey “the horse”, he is sent off to the war, becoming a war horse. Joey goes from owner to owner. By the end he has seen everything. Before you continue reading watch the official War Horse trailer.
The opening shots of the trailer hint at very sad,somber themes. John William’s score is melancholy, yet by listening to samples of other songs from the film on iTunes there are definitely lighter tunes probably played during scenes with Albert riding Joey. The war scenes showed are very realistic yet as I said before there is no gore. Another notable key feature is the cinematography which is aided by the lighting. Take the last shot for example: Joey looks out onto the sunset. The sky is bright orange and the camera is still. The camera doesn’t do much here but the lighting is extraordinary. If you want mouth watering cinematography look at Joey jumping onto a tank and then jumping onto the muddy ground. If the cinematography wasn’t filmed in this way the shot could easily have become a waste of film.
Now that you’ve read the news go see the movies. Tintin was released on the 21st and War Horse is coming out tomorrow. You can also look forward to my reviews of at least one of these films. Happy Holidays!
flickflack news
Posted on | March 6, 2011 | 1 Comment
Rango: Although this film is already out in case you have not seen it, here is a trailer: http://trailers.apple.com/trailers/paramount/rango/ and see art from the film on Empire’s website.
Hollywood is planning on making lots of superhero movies in the upcoming years. Here is a list of them:
The Dark Knight Rises (2012) (about Batman)
Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)
Green Lantern (2011)
Thor (2011)
X-Men: First Class (2011)
Superman: Man of Steel (2012)
The Amazing Spider-Man (2012)
Some of these films we will not be able to see and some of them we do not want to see but the ones I am looking forward to the most is The Dark Knight Rises and The Man of Steel.
In 2011 and 2012, two Three Musketeer films (remakes not sequels) will be made. We will definitely check these out.
If you are a fan of the Shrek films you might want to look at a teaser of the upcoming Puss in Boots film: http://www.empireonline.com/news/story.asp?NID=30335
Kung Fu Panda: http://trailers.apple.com/trailers/dreamworks/kungfupanda2/
The Oscars have come and gone. Here is a list of the winners of 2011: oscars.com
The 2011 Providence Children’s Film Festival (PCFF) awarded Lolly awards this year. Here are the winners:
1st Place:
Film: Eleanor’s Secret
Short: Lost and Found
2nd Place
Film: Crocodiles
Short: Gus Outdooors
3rd Place:
Film: Louder Than a Bomb
Short: Woodpecker
2nd Annual PCFF Film Preview (Flick and Flack’s podcast)
Posted on | February 16, 2011 | 1 Comment
Listen to our PCFF Preview Podcast here. (Run Time: 17 minutes)
Oscar Nominees 2011 (Flick and Flack’s Podcast)
Posted on | January 26, 2011 | 1 Comment
Flick and Flack tell you what they think and want to win an Oscar.
Listen here (37 minutes)
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