What Did You See: Hauntings, Shootings or Snail-Races?
Sunday, July 21, 2013 at 2:00PM If people were actually going to see the new Patrick Wilson movie to see Patrick Wilson he'd be a bankable star instantly! But we know they're going to The Conjuring -- just like they went to Insidious -- because the audience for cheaply produced horror flicks is enormous and insatiable. But at least Our Mr Wilson has found a cash-cow niche since Hollywood proper couldn't figure out what to do with him despite a) talent, b) a stellar singing voice, and c) matinee idol looks.
Patrick Wilson recording reactions to Vera Farmiga's Emmy nomination
TOP O' THE CHARTS
01 THE CONJURING $41.5 *NEW*
02 DESPICABLE ME 2 $25 (cum. $276.1)...about to become the 2nd biggest hit of 2013
03 TURBO $21.5 *NEW* (cum. $31.2)
04 GROWN UPS 2 $10 (cum. $79.5)
05 RED 2 $18.5 *NEW*
It was a rough weekend for The Lone Ranger (reviewed) which lost a huge swath of screens and fell out of the top ten in only its third weekend. Things weren't much rosier for the crowded field of newbies apart from the documentary Act of Killing which had the best per screen average and excitable reviews and The Conjuring. The latter has already doubled its budget where other newbies like the snail-racing cartoon Turbo and the CGI action comedy RIPD (Ryan Reynolds just can't open movies but Hollywood keeps trying to fix that) with budgets well over $100 million struggle to find an immediate audience. I hope that the disappointing totals for Red 2, which opened weaker than its predecessor though sequels usually build these days, and RIPD which looked like a plagiaristic reboot of Men in Black (at least in trailer form) with aliens swapped out for dead people, give Hollywood cold feet about greenlighting sequels or reboots of EVERYTHING ...but that's hoping for a miracle, I know.
In limited release The Way Way Back is still building an audience and Fruitvale Station (reviewed) did well in its second weekend passing the million dollar mark. It goes wide next weekend and is surely hoping to win enough box office attention to seal its status as a talking point Oscar contender.
Last Chance! If you can find Frances Ha and The Bling Ring, two of the most unique and discussable 2013 movies, in a theater near you, do it. They'll vanish from theaters any second now and you won't see them on DVD for awhile and good movies are better in theaters anyway!. Only Bling Ring has a date (September 17th) announced.
What did you see this weekend?
Reader Comments (29)
I saw 20 Feet From Stardom and loved it. I highly recommend the film for anyone who loves music and great storytelling.
Patrick Wilson falling through the cracks is so sad. He has it all except luck...loved him in Little Children.
"Con-Jour" made $ because people wanted out of the house and are sick of one gasoline explosion after another. The pix is laughably stupid, not very jump-scary but then its not boring either. I think once "Way, Way Back" becomes accessible people will flock to it.
FRUITVALE STATION was really powerful and beautifully made. I haven't stopped thinking about it for days .... and haven't quite let go of the very tense and uncomfortable mood it put me in, with all the feelings it brought up about power and disenfranchisement in today's culture.
I'd grade it a lot higher than a B- !
Didn't go to the cinemas this week but stayed home and saw some movies that I've been meaning to see for some time now:
Suddenly, Last Summer (1993)
Moonrise Kingdom (2012)
Dead Man Walking (1995)
The Moon is Blue (1953)
The More the Merrier (1943)
Imitation of Life (1959)
I Want to Live! (1958)
:)
The Purge. Not exactly a great movie, but it kept me interested and far from the heat for one hour and a half. I seem to liked it a lot when I saw it, but now trying to recall things to write this, I realize I've forgotten quite a bit.
Good things: the time, horror movies seem to be the only ones that keep it short these days. Lena Headey. Creepy random home invasions.
Bad things: loose ends, plot holes... Lena Headey's hair colour. After Mama and this one, we may guess that a new horror movie rule is that when actresses go brunette in horror movies is because they're going to survive? Maybe it's just that I noticed now.
I saw The Hunt. It's supposedly based on real life events, but it felt wholly unbelievable to me. There were some nice moments, but several extremely obnoxious ones too. If it's the Oscar contender folks make it out to be, it'll be a long winter justifying my issues with the film.
I saw "The Conjuring" maybe a few hours ago. I know I was supposed to be scared, but throughout the film I was simply awe-struck by the beauty before me. It's scary how perfect-looking Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga are.
I saw Bling Ring - hollow but beautiful - just like the film's subjects, and the objects they lust after. A deceptively complex film, with some of the most rapturous filmmaking of the year.
I'm surprised that Turbo had so much trouble breaking through, but I guess it's another example - like Pacific Rim and White House Down and RIPD - of "original" (or at least non-sequel) films that never-the-less seem so derivative of - and inferior to - other movies (Cars, Transformers, Die Hard, MiB) that it's hard for folks to get worked up about. Still, I'm seeing Turbo tomorrow night with my boyfriend and I hope to have a blast.
Pouring one out for The Lone Ranger. It's a grand, glorious mess of a movie that never really stood a chance.
I saw " The Lone Ranger" which I kind of enjoyed well at least it was almost a three hour escape from the infernal heat wave. Yes it's too long and the middle section becomes way too serious- the leading lady is kind of dull and there is really no chemistry between the Tonto- Lone Ranger bromance. It really should have been called " The Adventures of Tonto".
The Act of Killing is phenomenal. Saw it yesterday at Landmark and it's such an eery, odd, and unexpected masterpiece. The packed house I was in sat stock-still once the credits started rolling. I've never seen anything like it. It deserves every bit of the acclaim it's getting, and I hope it gets the audience it deserves too. I can't recommend it enough. Absolutely vital filmmaking.
I'm curious to see "the conjuring". "insidious" was good, and this new one got great reviews.
I would also put "mama" with these two, or do people still argue the audience went to see that one because of jessica chastain?
It's film festival time here in NZ, hence the spate of actress articles! Saw The Past last night, blew me away, beautiful film - still processing it as it was working on so many levels, the next week consists of the bling ring, strangers by the lake, what Maisie knew, only lovers left alive and stoker, oh and the heat because I adore melissa and its finally been released here - yes I am spoiling myself this week, I may have no money left for food but a diet of Nicole, Coppola, swinton and McCarthy should keep me alive!
I saw "Bwakaw" at Outfest and just came back from "Only God Forgives." I'm Filipino and I've been sad that most Filipino films are terrible, but "Bwakaw" is just about the best Filipino film I've seen. It manages to balance broad humor with pathos. I was moved immensely by the film and Eddie Garcia's performance. I hope this is a sign that Filipino cinema is on the rise. The cinematographer was there at the screening and gave us some insight in the filmmaking. It only took them 10 days to shoot the film, which just sounds crazy.
"Only God Forgives" is nowhere near as terrible as some of the reviews suggest, but it isn't good. It's stylishly made but sadly lifeless. It's 90 minutes of characters walking slowly, brooding, and lopping body parts. I was surprised at how little Ryan Gosling does in the film. The trailers suggested that he was going to be out for blood as a modern day Hamlet, but instead the character decides "not to be" rather than "to be." He does nothing. What the film lacks the most is the emotional heart of "Drive." There seem to be no stakes in this revenge film, so all there is to see is a series of punishments without much meaning. Kristing Scott Thomas gives the film some life but she isn't enough to save it. I was never bored by "Only God Forgives," but I was certainly disinterested in what happened to its characters. But the production design is aces.
I watched Pacific Rim and for a summer blockbuster it had a lot of humanity. The direction was terrific (you could actually tell what was going on in the fight scenes) and the CGI was some of the best I've ever seen. I also appreciated the Kaiju (monster) and Jaeger (mecha) designs; you really felt the scale as they were doing battle. If you're looking for dumb fun I highly recommend it.
I watched Red 2 and Turbo. Both not great, just entertaining. It's a disappointment so far for animated movies. The Annoying Croods, Monsters 'How Many Eyes you Have' University, Despicable Minion 2 and now Turbo were not great.
I read some articles online about how Ryan Reynolds has two flops in one week, and it's unprecedented. Okay, it seems like they are forgetting this week there's another actress having the same "achievement" - Mary-Loise Paker, who's in both Red 2 and R.I.P.D. Sure, she's not carrying both films so she can't be held responsible for it, but she is one of the key players in it. It's such a shame though, she's a good actress, and I felt she's really funny in Red 2, though underused.
People thinking that Patrick Wilson is "falling through the cracks" seems baffling to me. He's probably going to have two hit movies by the end of the year and people feel bad for him? Is it because they're horror movies? Not to mention really good movies.
I saw Girl Most Likely and it was...okay. Wiig is once again playing a depressive, melodramatic Debbie Downer. It worked for an out-and-out comedy like Bridesmaids but it's just too much to sit through for an overlong drama with only a smattering of comedy. Hopefully she got it out of her system with this one. The Bening was fine, had some good moments, but her accent was inconsistent and she didn't have a lot to do. Matt Dillon was pretty hilarious, though. The film itself was interesting, populated with interesting characters, but it was all over the place, like a decent 2nd or 3rd draft that needed one more round of editing.
Actually, I'm trying to finish your 'Top 100' of the last decade, which I've found on Letterboxd. I've been watching movies from the 70's and the 80's for too long and felt a need to be more up to date movie-wise. As a result, this weekend I reached further closure with the list, as I enjoyed 'Moonsoon Wedding' (#73) and 'The Painted Veil' (#93). Next up is 'Une liaison pornographique (#79)'.
http://letterboxd.com/approached/list/nathaniel-rogers-top-100-of-the-00s/
Didn't make it to the theater. But had a movie marathon at home: Gaslight, Jagged Edge, One Flee Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Mrs Soffel.
I wanted to see The Conjuring, but my man said it looked too scary for him. I laughed, since he loves to watch Ghost Hunters and Paranormal Witness and Paranormal State late at night in bed with the lights off. We went to see The Way Way Back instead, which was very enjoyable. Great cast having a lot of fun, especially Sam Rockwell and Allison Janney (is she ever not great?). It's mostly a middling film, typical Sundance fare, but the lively performances and a near-perfect final scene lift it up.
brookesboy -- omg mrs soffel. can you believe how young Mel Gibson was?
No movies, but episode 1 of "Orange is the New Black" on Netflix. Kind of love it already. Think I'll pace myself instead of bingeing like I did with "House of Cards".
Oh, forgot I watched "The Mirror Has Two Faces" on dvd from the library. Ugh. Barbra Streisand should not direct herself in movies. At least back in 1996 Jeff Bridges was still great looking and his dialogue was intelligible. But I won't race out to see R.I.P.D.
Nathan--I know, right. He's at the height of his handsomeness in this. I hadn't seen this in years, and I really enjoyed it. Some really magical visuals, and of course Diane is quietly moving.
Forgot to mention - also finally saw all of "Far From Heaven" (only saw the 1st half a long time ago). Nat, I finally understand your comment that Basinger and Kidman have Moore's Oscars. Having also recently watched "The Hours," I'd easily vote for Moore. This is not to knock Kidman, who did what she could with the part, but that part was focused on such a narrow time in Woolf's life that Kidman didn't have much room to work. Moore, on the other hand, carries the whole film, somehow matching her director's stylization while also creating a deep, honest, emotional life for Cathy. I also now understand when Nick said Moore practically acts with her irises. She can convey so much but if you look closely, she's barely moving a facial muscle. It was stupefying to watch.
Also disappointed Quaid wasn't nominated, and loved Haysbert. What a presence that man has.
I didn't see any films in theaters, but I did see a couple made-for-TV ones:
SHARKNADO - Okay disaster film, with some funny moments, but not as outrageous as I had hoped it would be. Nice to see Tara Reid getting some 'positive' press though!
TWIST OF FAITH - Good but very simple film, with only 2-3 new songs by Toni Braxton. Her love interest (David Julian Hirsh) is such a hottie.
ANNA NICOLE - I liked this film a lot. Been a fan of Agnes Bruckner for a while, and I'm glad she got another lead role worthy of her talent. PLUS, she was so gorgeous in this.
I saw The Conjuring which left me cold and disappointed and The Heat which left me excited and wishing comedy films could gain traction as easily as dramas for awards. McCarthy and the screenplay are excellent.
I saw Only God Forgives which was dreadfully boring for such a stylized and overly gory film. Kristin Scott Thomas was aces at chewing the scenery and breathed the only life into this film, but it wasn't enough. The Goz did nothing.
The Conjuring was a solid and solidly scary film. My friends and I gasped, screamed, jumped, laughed, and yelled at the screen. Good movie fun.
Possibly the best horror film of 2013, The Conjuring was great. I'll also echo the comments about Wilson and Farmiga being spellbinding. I couldn't stop looking at her eyes! That and the teenage girl inside me fell for Shannon Kook-Chun. ;-) Plus, may we see more Lili Taylor in something other than a horror film?