First you watch it. Then you are short $15
Sunday, February 5, 2017 at 7:00PM Hidden Figures finally lept-frog La La Land this weekend at the domestic box office. With budgets around 25-30 million each they're both going to be very very profitable films for their studios and stars. They remain the biggest hits among the major Oscar nominees but Lion also had reason to celebrate this weekend. It finally went wide and landed in the top ten. But, since is the US box office, violent horror-tinged movies are seemingly always at the top of the charts and the weekend belonged to Split and the latest installment of the Ring franchise, inventively titled Rings this time. Its missing its original star Naomi Watts but the star of all horror franchises is actually the villain so "Samara" is back to kill people who watch her experimental art film shorts.
Samara is PISSED that Hidden Figures is more popular than Hacksaw Ridge and she wants you to suffer as she has!
TOP TEN
01 Split $14.5 (cum. $98.7)
02 Rings $13 NEW
03 A Dog's Purpose $10.8 (cum. $32.9) Podcast
04 Hidden Figures $10.1 (cum. $119.4) Podcast
05 La La Land $7.4 (cum. $118.3) on the Costumes, Reviewish, and How Rare It Is!
06 Resident Evil: The Final Chapter $4.5 (cum. $21.8) on the franchise
07 Sing $4 (cum. $262.9)
08 Lion $4 (cum. $24.7) a cocktail with Nicole, Podcast, Review
09 The Space Between Us $3.8 NEW
10 xXx: The Return of Xander Cage $3.7 (cum. $40)
What did you see this weekend?
Horror, Ring, box office
Reader Comments (32)
I saw The Salesman on Friday. Then last night I saw Elle and 20th Century Women, both for the fourth time!
I finally caught up with 'Moana' and Oohmiwawwwd it was just fantastic!!
I watched "Rain" and "Of Human Bondage" one more time before writing my blog essay on why this was probably where Joan Crawford's and Bette Davis' lifelong competition started. Both actresses begged their studios to loan them out for these challenging W. Somerset Maugham roles. The parallels are fascinating, and the outcome left one a winner, and the other a loser.
My post is here: http://ricksrealreel.blogspot.com/2017/02/did-joan-and-bettes-feud-start-with.html
Roger -- wow. you are devoted. but those movies deserve devotion.
amanda -- so underrated!
rick - i shall read because i can't see how JOan was a loser because she's awesome in RAIN.
Neruda. I really liked it. It's so pacey and theatrical. It almost felt like someone married noir, melodrama and biopic.
I finally got to see Nocturnal Animals and it was honestly a whole lot of nothing. I found the main storyline wasn't fleshed out very well, and the story within the story was like something out of a B-movie.
Michael Shannon was great as usual but nothing worthy of an Oscar nomination; I actually preferred his small role in Loving to this. And I hope Amy Adam's role in this didn't siphon off votes from her incredible performance in Arrival and ended up losing her the Oscar nomination.
I watched more of The Crown this weekend. Oh, the machinations! So impressed with Jared Harris and Eileen Atkins. (Not to imply that Claire Foy isn't killing it.)
@ MDA
A whole lot of nothing is right (I finally caught up to the movie a couple of weeks ago), although I don't get why people abhor or adore it. It doesn't seem worth the energy. Shannon was great, but I think it's because he was so campy. If the whole cast had gone there, we would have been in Paperboy territory, which I would have preferred. But on a positive note, I quite enjoyed the flashback scene in the restaurant; then again, I would imagine it wasn't that hard for Adams to flirt with Jakey.
MDA: And the best part of B-movies is passion, blood and grime, so it's not even a good B-movie. Sterile crap that would be shown up by the dirtiest kid's cartoons.
TCM is doing their 31 Days of Oscar celebration- "All About Eve" the ultimate theater movie a perfect combination of script, cast and direction and " The Band Wagon" another perfect MGM musical- cast, script, direction- perfect score - and did anyone make Technicolor films like Minelli?
I saw Neruda, which was AMAZING, and, as a movie in which one lead character is explicitly, repeatedly, referred to as a supporting character, relevant to our interests at TFE.
Also, LOL, at your Rings headline and plot description.
I saw Ouija: The Origin of Evil, The Love Witch, Zazie dans la metro, The Blob and Last Year at Marienbad
I really dont know why
Saw two of the short docs nominated for an Oscar that's avail on Netflix. Both a bit harrowing to watch. I liked THE WHITE HELMETS more than EXTREMIS.
As for HIDDEN FIGURES and LA LA LAND... I can see them both going over $150mil which is a fantastic result for both. And LA LA LAND is also getting some nice international numbers. Almost $270 million worldwide!
20th c women and Manchester by the sea. Interesting double feature: A woman struggles with life in Southern California, a man struggles to deal with death in New England. Both of which leaned heavily into their locales to tell the story. Far preferred the former because the latter had a boring beginning and ending. I did like Affleck's performance a lot, but wouldn't support he win.
Saw Arrival and LOVED it. Best Villeneuve film yet and that's saying something.
I also wasn't expecting it to be so emotional. SO different in tone to both his other films and sci-fi films in general.
Saw "Moonlight" and wonder when was the last time we saw a non-mute lead character? He doesn't speak! I was frustrated but moved by it, especially the score and cinematography. I'm still thinking about it 2 days later.
Watched the first two episodes of The Night Of and found both of them compelling. Riz Ahmed is such a fictive yet oh-so-real creation because he imbues so much by conveying so little just like what ordinary folks do in situations. John Turturro is a delight to watch.
I watched L'Avenir once again to see the subtle touches Mia Hansen-Løve brought to the story of Nathalie. The story was so vividly portrayed by the principals. Huppert's small gestures and facial expressions are as real as any person I see in real life. No over-the-top acting here. I tend to agree with Miriam Bale who called Huppert as 'actress and auteur'. She is the character and also brings her own vision to the role without showboating. She lives the life of a woman coming to grips with personal losses, and convey strength in fragile and tenuous situations. Huppert was quietly devastating when relating her mother's life to the priest and heartbreakingly realising it was her life she was narrating. Huppert's acting is fiercely intelligent and also touchingly human.
Planning to re-watch Reichardt's Certain Women. Lily Galdstone's face and performance still haunt me.
Could Hidden Figures huge success means tt its gonna recv more oscar votes? Among its 3 nominees, its Oscars chances is the highest in the screenplay dept.
Could it beat Moonlight to the Gold?
Am a bit pissed by the Cesars, they expanded their nominees to 7 n yet they cant find themselve to nom Things to Come?? Huppert I can u/stand cos she alr nom for Elle. But why no love for Hansen-Love, one o their best young talents? She din win the Silver Bear best director for notink.
Watched YOUTH IN OREGON which was an interesting family road trip drama, after I had read in a review about the dreamy Josh Lucas playing an estranged gay son to Frank Langella.
Was going to see the new Jackie Chan action comedy KUNG FU YOGA for some light fun and one of my friends just recommended it. However, a $15.99 ticket price for that particular showtime left me and the boyfriend to drive to a different theater and go with my second choice 20TH CENTURY WOMEN which was really good. Makes for a perfect bookend to Mike Mills' BEGINNERS.
Oh, I forgot add. Watching those two films yesterday made it a surprise Billy Crudup double-feature for me!
Saw Little Men and Force Majure on Netflix. Really liked both but baffled by the last 20 minutes of Force Majure.
Went on a viewing binge that included four silents including a pair of Hitchcocks -"The Pleasure Garden" and "The Manxman", the Colleen Moore comedy "Ella Cinders" and "Sangue Bleu", a Madame X type saga made in Italy in 1914. All highly watchable but none blew me away, Both Hitchcocks are well put together and Virginia Valli's a real charmer in "The Pleasure Garden". As Ella Cinders, Colleen Moore, with none of Clara Bow's hotcha quotient, proves that warmth and comic timing can still project their own kind of "It" . Cinematograper Giorgio Ricci is the MVP of "Sangue Bleu". Some of the visuals take your breath away. And with so few of Italy's World War One era "Diva" films available for viewing, it's worth catching. But for the ultimate fix in this hothouse genre, the one to check out is 1916's extraordinary swoon fest "Tigre Reale". Pina Menichelli's performance, once seen, can never be forgotten.
Also caught up with "The Lunchbox"(2013) and "Perks of Being a Wallflower"(2012). "The Lunchbox" missed out on a sure-shot nomination for the Foreign Film Oscar when India's nominating committee bungled and made something else the country's official submission. Considering its box-office and critical success in North America, this one had a real shot at the prize (no film from India has ever won). Ezra Miller and Emma Watson are both non-favorites of mine and "Perks of Being a Wallflower" did nothing to change that. But Logan Lerman (who's always good) was pretty wonderful in it. As has been mentioned often before - Lerman's long verbal dueling scene with Tracy Letts in "Indignation" was one of 2016's absolute acting highlights. This kid has a wonderful future ahead of him.
I starting watching Dawson's Creek 2, I mean, Riverdale. It's surprisingly entertaining.
But that was not the trashiest thing I watched all weekend. I watched The Neon Demon. OMG. Trash. I can't decide if I loved it or hated it. Or both. Or neither!
I saw hidden figures, and I do not want to sound rude, but I found the movie to be terrible. It played out more like a parody, and I found that offensive to the women depicted and their contribution to mathematics and space travel.
I revisited The Handmaiden and loved it just as much as the first time. Kim Min-hee's face should be everywhere! I also watched The Light Between Oceans and thought it was way better than the reviews suggested. Vikander was best in show for me, but Fassbender delivers great work as well. Weisz is fine but I didn't find there to be enough for her to do.
I saw The Salesman on Friday. It was pretty good. Slow and meditative but it features terrific lead performances. Taranah Alidsoosti was best in show for me.
Also, I finally caught up on Netflix content. First, I saw the "San Junipero" episode of Black Mirror. All I can say is....Wow and Gugu Mbatha-Raw needs to be a star!!! I also saw the entir3 first season of Stranger Things. That show kicks ass!!
I finally saw Hidden Figures - I loved it, while acknowledging some pretty substantial weaknesses. Still, I wish more blockbusters let their climactic moments hinge on Taraji Henson doing math on a chalk board. That's a much better film world to live in.
I also saw Viva on Netflix, a touching LGBT drama from Cuba (by way of Ireland, apparently?) and watched the fourth film in the Fantomas series, Fantomas vs. Fantomas. I've been on a silent movie binge since the start of the year and the Fantomas films have been one of the highlights.
I also watched some tv - the latest from Scandal and Supernatural, and the first episode of The Santa Clarita Diet. I thought Santa Clarita was awful, but I only watched the first episode and I love Timothy Olyphant that I'll probably watch at least one or two more. But holy hell did I dislike that first episode. Oof.
Finished Sneaky Pete on Amazon Prime. Loved it. More than ever, I'm convinced that good writing is paramount to everything else, especially on television. Totally binge-watch-y, you guys.
And Super Bowl, of course.
Off to a screening of A United Kingdom tomorrow night. Most reviews are good.
I finally got to both Jackie and Julieta.
I keep getting struck by what a year it was for women in cinema but also about being the time capsules of the knowledge of the past,the agents of the present, and the shapers of the futures for both themselves but also those around them.
Jackie was haunting to me, but was surprised by how cunning and sly the film is.
I may have wanted something slightly bigger or grander for Julieta. So much of the huge drama happens off screen that it did leave me wanting a bit more. Really appreciated the levels of work in the direction though.
In preparation for FEUD I red Shaun Considines book and it was great and started watching some Crawford flicks. The damned don´t cry was great but Grand Hotel was a slog, GG was the worst part of the whole movie whereas Crawford was one of the highlights. Next up Possessed and Humoresque. Also saw Hidden Figures and it was ok but nothing new - once you´ve seen it you forget it.
Saw Lion and it pretty much hit all its beats really well. I cried but how could you not. That ending is very effective. Patel is good (although I think maybe his incredibly expressive, tussled hair did half his performance for him), Mara was looser and less affected than I've ever seen her and I loved the actress playing his bio mom. But I'm afraid that, as good as some of Kidman's work is, I think there was a major flaw with her performance. There's a major time jump, and then next time we see her Patel says "I hate what he's done to you" about his other adopted brother. But what has he done to her? Kidman looks practically the same, from a slightly different wig down to the clothes. It's been 20 years - I wish there was 20 years worth of exhaustion somewhere on her face or body. She was altogether a tough character to read (and that monologue? interesting but...strange) but yeah, I don't think Kidman connected the dots.
Friday evening I saw 20th Century Women followed by a Q&A with Annette Bening. A terrific time at the cinema.
Then Saturday afternoon I saw Hacksaw Ridge. Watchable enough, and Andrew Garfield is good - he really makes you root for the character. But Vince Vaughn is not very good as the drill sergeant. Just watch ten seconds of Louis Gossett Jr. in An Officer and a Gentleman to see how it should be done.
Sunday afternoon I watched The Cannonball Run on a Blu-ray I got for Christmas. Fun film but a bit of a mess; it's a sloppily thrown-together pizza and coke of a movie, compared to Smokey and the Bandit's more elegant burger, fries and cool beer.
I spent the weekend catching up to past Best Picture winners. Not committing to watching more, hopefully. I don't make plans and I don't make breakfast.
Friday I finally saw all of The Best Years of our Lives. It is not the movie I remember. I remember Dana Andrews being mad at something and Myrna Loy looking sad at Dana Andrews. Those things happened but not at the same time. I am Theresa Wright, benevolent home wrecker.
Saturday I saw Million Dollar Baby and then listened to Fleetwood Mac because I love being depressed. I realize now why Hillary Swank won that year, although I still love Staunton and Winslet.
Sunday was the anomaly when I saw a non-BP winner called Dancer, about the guy from the Hozier music video.