Mr Burton's Box Office For CGI Whimsy
Sunday, October 2, 2016 at 1:53PM 
If you were a peculiar orphan with supernatural powers could you imagine anyone more perfect than Eva Green to be your guardian? Tim Burton may not be the director he used to be in quality or bankablity but he was smart to latch on to Eva Green as his latest pale skinned raven haired muse. She ran so many circles around everything else that was happening in Dark Shadows (2012) it's a miracle that it was her character and not the film that cracked apart and crumbled. Her reviews are strong again for this new fantasy film.
TOP TEN WIDE
01 Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children $28.5 NEW
02 Deepwater Horizon $20.6 NEW
03 The Magnificent Seven $15.7 (cum. $61.6) Review
04 Storks $13.8 (cum. $38.8)
05 Sully $8.4 (cum. $105.3) Review
06 Masterminds $6.6 NEW
07 Queen of Katwe $2.6 (cum. $3) Review
08 Don't Breathe $2.3 (cum. $84.7)
09 Bridget Jones's Baby $2.3 (cum. $20.9) Review
10 Snowden $2 (cum $18.7)
TOP TEN LIMITED
(Excluding Previously Wide)
01 M.S. Dhoni The Untold Story $1.2 NEW
02 No Manches Frida $380K (cum. $10.9)
03 The Dressmaker $357K (cum. $622K)
04 The Beatles: Eight Days a Week $355K (cum. $2)
05 I Belonged To You $325K NEW
06 Denial $102K NEW
07 Don't Think Twice $99K (cum. $4.1) Review
08 The Hollars $98K (cum. $910K)
09 American Honey $75K NEW
10 A Man Called Ove $61K NEW Sweden's Oscar Submission
In limited release it's clear by now that niche distributors need to study whatever it is companies like FIP and China Lion are doing because they keep managing strong opening weekend grosses for Bollywood films and Chinese films without so much as a sliver of traditional US media promotion.
What did you see this weekend?
I got a cold (boo) so I missed a screening or two (no one needs someone sneezing through a whole movie while they're watching it) but did manage to catch up with the Molly Shannon cancer dramedy Other People (and the review and interview right here) which were all quite enjoyable.
Reader Comments (29)
I saw The Shining again.
I admit I'm kind of fascinated by Eva Green's family. I was watching the BBC Death in Paradise, whose lead is Josephine Jobert, Eva's cousin. Eva has another famous performing cousin, French pop star Elsa Lunghini.
Eva's mother is French film star, the red haired, freckled gamine Marlene Jobert. Eva might look more like her mother if she hadn't dyed her blond hair black since she was 15, creating a different kind of character for herself. (And Eva has a twin sister).
So I can see Eva re-inventing herself and being around for a long time, as well as having the practicality about the business of a show business family.
Urban Hymn opened in the UK, taking the London 2011 riots as it's kicking off point it follows social worker Shirley Henderson and 2 young women in care, Letitia Wright & Isabella Laughland, as they face the choices that will shape the rest of their lives.
It sails perilously close to being a white saviour movie, and certainly has a feelgood vibe, however whenever you think you know where the story's going it manages to swerve in a surprising and occasionally tragic (in the Shakesperean sense) direction. Utterly convincing performances from all and the sort of balanced adult storytelling delivers the message without preaching. I'll be surprised if it doesn't make my top 10.
I went to a screening of 20th Century Women, which I quite liked. I'm a sucker for Mike Mills' brand of whimsy and this film also let me appreciate Greta Gerwig and (especially) Elle Fanning in a way I haven't up 'til now. And it's probably my third favorite Bening performance (after The Grifters and Being Julia).
I saw Miss Peregrine -- I can't ever seem to remember the whole title -- and it was as confusing and jumbled as Eva Green was sublime and on point. I sometimes wonder what she would do with some of Marion Cotillard's roles and what her career might be like if the latter hadn't come along and stolen her sultry, raven-haired French beauty thunder.
I saw the Hateful Eight, Hard Eight and The Girl With All the Gifts. Hateful Eight... I don't really know what to say. Is Tarantino losing something? Not evolving? Or perhaps im not? I still think Jackie Brown is his best film. The Girl With All the Gifts is quite good! Gemma Arterton is so good. She makes interesting choices I think.
Saw THE DRESSMAKER. I really liked it. Could've been tighter probably, especially that sluggish second act. But I think the surprising (seriously thought the film was nearly over) and satisfying third act makes up for it. Winslet was fab.
I saw The Little Foxes, which is not as good as it should be when Bette Davis is not on screen. Teresa Wright is just insufferable in that movie. So whiny.
I also watched the first four episodes of Finding Prince Charming. It is so bad, I cannot turn away. And after watching those episodes, I took a Silkwood shower.
I saw The Dressmaker which I loved and I would love to see both Kate Winslet and Judy Davis earn Oscar nods.I think Judy is due for another nomination and comeback.I also loved the chemistry between both Winslet and Davis. Nathaniel Do you think both or either of them have a shot at a nomination or is the movie a little off kilter and bizarre for the Academy? I also watched Torch Song with Joan Crawford which was so campy and enjoyable in parts.
I saw " The Magnificent Seven" which like most of Denzel Washington's movie is good but not great- Chris Pratt is always fun to watch but while he looks the part his personality is to modern for the classic western. The film was racially inclusive but there was not gay cowboy- even thought the relationship between Ethan Hawke and Byung -hun Lee seem to bit more than just bromantic.
I saw "The Dressmaker" and was on board with its unique weird, whimsey brand for the first 90 minutes. From there, the movie utterly derailed until ending with a satisfying bang. There were strong beaks, but the valleys were undeniable and glaring. Winslet and Davis were magic together, however.
Jealous you saw Other People! I saw Hell or High Water which was REALLY good. One of my favorite things all year, and for a movie with no female lead, that's a miracle!
And I saw Red Desert, which is of course perfect. We don't talk enough about Monica Vitti.
I polished off the Luke Cage show. The first seven episodes released as the season on it's own would have been a masterpiece of a show. And then the other half of the show happened. On the one hand, Alfre Woodard is still pretty good (not QUITE Loki, but definitely another notch in my "the TV villains are overrunning the top 10-15 MCU villains" running theory), but on the other, Erik Laray Harvey's Diamondback is the first of the TV villains I think is at the typical mediocre level of a Marvel movie villain.
Top 10, leading into Doctor Strange:
1. Kilgrave, Jessica Jones (David Tennant)
2. Loki, Thor Series & Avengers (Tom Hiddleston)
3. Kingpin, Daredevil (Vincent D'Onofrio)
4. John Garrett, Agents of SHIELD S1 (Bill Paxton)
5. Cornell "Cottonmouth" Stokes, Luke Cage (Mahershala Ali)
6. Jiaying, Agents of SHIELD S2 (Dichen Lachman)
7. Calvin Zabo/Just Call Him Mister Hyde, Agents of SHIELD S2 (Kyle McLachlan)
8. Ultron, Avengers: Age of Ultron (James Spader)
9. Mariah Dillard, Luke Cage (Alfre Woodard)
10. Red Skull, Captain America: The First Avenger (Hugo Weaving)
@ Volvagia
What, no Dottie Underwood? No Whitney Frost? Jiaying wasn't really all that—I'd rank her below Ward/Hive and Gideon Malick.
American Honey
A really big leap from what I've previously seen from Andrea Arnold. That it manages to maintain is rambunctious rhythm for it's running time (162 minutes!!!) is nigh miraculous. While it doesn't add up to much, there is so much here to savour. Masterpiece coming shortly from her, I expect.
Paul: I missed Agent Carter S2. I should get on that. Other than the three you mentioned that I'd seen (Ward probably would have been 9 or 10 before the Hive stuff, honestly), I'd also throw in Shades, also from Luke Cage, and Nebula to complete my top 15. That's still 11-4 for the TV end. As for Jiaying? I thought she worked. Sorry.
Arkaan: Hmm? And Fish Tank wasn't close? I'd love it if she stayed in America for one more film but tried to boost her first discovery back up. (Maybe another try at the Domino Harvey story? Because Keira Knightley in over-compensating mode shouldn't be the only version of that that exists.) But I'd love ANYONE to remember that Katie Jarvis was a thing.
I saw Amanda Knox, the Netflix documentary and it was fascinating. Regardless of what you think of Knox and the case, it plays the best as an examination of how people develop strongly held beliefs out of prejudices. And you can't help yourself but have an opinion and a theory about the principle players in that case even thought the truth is you know nothing about it but what is presented to you, which goes to reinforce the main theme! a must watch
Volvagia: Of the three Arnold films I've seen, Fish Tank is easily the least.
I finally saw Inside Out. Brilliant. If there are Bing Bong bereavement groups, I need to attend one straight away.
Arkaan: I've seen 2/4 and I think Wuthering Heights is the least.
Amanda Knox documentary on NetFlix. Well done if a little unprobing.
Mr. Robot S2. Very different from first season, with long scenes of dialogue, but I like the characters and find it engrossing.
Haven't seen Wuthering Heights.
B.D. Wong and Grace Gummer are great on Mr. Robot.
Queen of Katwe is on my list before it leaves theaters. We have to support studios taking a risk otherwise we can't have nice things.
Halloween season began with Hocus Pocus, first time I saw it and it was not exactly good but had its charms.
Then the icelandic Rams, simple but beautiful.
And began watching Petra von Kant, heavy going but fascinating.
I saw Finding Dory. I know many people are quite dissapointed with it, but I really liked it a great deal. More than Finding Nemo? No, but it's actually not far away.
It's more... grown up. That's the feeling I had (and I saw a lot of children loosing their patience in my audience *lol*).
And OMG Baby Dory ist the CUTEST FISH BABY OF ALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL TIMEZZZZ!
I just can't get over it! ><
And Piper (from the short-that HAS to win Best Animated Short Oscar!)! Aargh! And the otters!
CUDDLE PARTY!!!!
(and Hank was cool)
I saw a triple feature of Manchester by the Sea, Toni Erdmann, and Moonlight yesterday. I loved Toni and Moonlight, and admired aspects of Manchester without being all that taken with it (I'm just not on Lonergan's wavelength as a director) in the end.
Toni Erdmann, meanwhile, got some of the biggest, most sustained laughs I've ever heard from a theater audience. Pretty remarkable.
@ Roark: Especially remarkable since I'm still very reluctant to call Toni Erdmann a comedy...
saw A Bigger Splash ... ho- hum... first movie with Tilda Swinton that I was not in love with...
I really think I was not in the mood for this kind of movie... may possibly try again sometime...