What did you see this weekend?
Sunday, February 25, 2018 at 9:48PM 
Black Panther continued gobbling up profits with another $100 million this weekend. Game Night (reviewed) and Alex Garland's sci-fi whatsit Annihilation opened to $16 and $11 million respectively, picking up the superhero's scraps. But those are pretty good scraps. Meanwhile outside the top ten all the Best Picture contenders had their last full hurrah since they're all at less than 800 theaters now and some become "losers" a week from today. Last chance to see them on the big screen people. (You can see how each of them have fared at the domestic and global box office on the Best Picture chart.)
What did I see this weekend? I finally saw Roman J Israel Esq. the last 2017 movie I'm going to be able to see now that the Film Bitch Awards have begun. It was... interesting. And I mean that in the literal sense and in the sense of what you say when you dont really want to talk about it or don't know where to begin.
Reader Comments (32)
I watched IT (again), mother! and Colossal. Or, am currently watching Colossal as I type this.
"Annihilation" - very good, but I think the biggest surprise was how straightforward it was. It explores a strange premise without necessarily becoming a puzzle film. I don't have a lot of unresolved questions, apart from why the Oscar Isaac character apparently shaves his chest.
Yeah, ROMAN J ISRAEL has a lot of things wrong with it, but there is a lot to be said about a film that is willing to take such uncommon and unexpected narrative and character gambles.
The first two episodes of two new TV shows, the bold, sharp, stylishly shot BBC detective drama
COLLATERAL , apparently a four -part limited series, penned by David Hare , it doesn’t shy away from the political implications breaching the current, divisive narrative of immigration within the political sphere. CAREY MULLIGAN & BILLIE PIPER both shine brightly amidst an incredible ensemble cast. The other was HBO's HERE AND NOW , Allan Ball's messy but utterly interesting take on the idea of American multiculturalism and its place in 2018 America, through the lens of one family, especially Donald Trump’s America, here we have the always brilliant HOLLY HUNTER and , again, a very interesting ensemble cast.
MOTHERFUCKIN' BLACK PANTHER!!! There's a reason it's made a SHITLOAD of money. It's fucking awesome and it has ladies that are absolute badasses. And yes, Princess Shuri of Wakanda is THE BEST DISNEY PRINCESS.
Saw ANNIHILATION and I really, really liked it. Alex Garland knows how to do sci-fi with real emotion. Plus that all-female cast (plus Oscar Isaac) was superb.
I saw Annihilation and loved it. I think some of the strange beauty in The Shimmer makes the horror elements that much more terrifying. There were some legitimately scary sequences in this, and it was very intelligently done. Apparently the Cinemascore is in the C-range, so I guess it is unlikely to be much of a hit. I think this is a step up from Ex-Machina, which I also really liked.
Can't wait to see Black Panther--I will hopefully see it soon.
I saw "Every Day".
I'm not the target audience, but I'd guess that this is a teen movie that will be re-watched a lot.
It's a great showcase for the young actors, who take turns playing the same appealing role. It makes you want to go out and hire them.
Angourie Rice, as the lead, has solid acting skills. She builds a rapport with each of the other actors, and you believe their connection is special and rare. The other actors are also 5 or 6 years older than her, but she definitely grounds the movie.
I saw Every Day. It’s based on a book I love. I really enjoyed it. I’m still trying to completely wrap my head around my thoughts on the movie. Honestly at points I think it may be trying to say too much, but it’s so earnest and the film wears its heart on its sleeve I’m a way that is so endearing that you honestly don’t care. I was also surprised at how the film looked. It didn’t have to be shot to create pretty pictures, but it is. I actually thought the cinematography was a standout aspect of this film.
The animated shorts. Loved Revolting Rhymes. I also caught Edith and Eddie which was great.
Liked Annihilation. Great production design, scary, and a strong ending. Might be a tad forgettable, though. We'll see.
Also got to see a screening of La La Land in 35mm followed by a q and a with Damien Chazelle. That was magical.
A couples weekend took me to NYC where I saw The Parisian Woman by House of Cards creator Beau Willimon, which is terrible on multiple fronts. Apparently, he retooled his original 2013 iteration after the 2016 presidential election to address the issues with the current administration. Unfortunately, he failed miserably to deliver anything incisive beyond what anyone can read simply by parsing social media, not to mention that there is no clarity regarding what he wants either the play itself or its protagonist to be. Consequently, most everything falls flat.
Uma Thurman and Josh Lucas are dreadful by any metric. She has no concept of character -- not that the bad writing does her any favors -- and no idea what to do with her body, especially her flailing hands. His line readings are like opening night at the Bedford Community Theatre, and his mannerisms became so progressively fey that I thought he was working up to a big gay reveal. Phillipa Soo does the most she can with an underwritten role which serves as little more than means to advance the plot, while Blair Brown edges out Marton Csokas as best in show, as they're the only ones who appear to have the ability to make heads or tails of the shit they're given and somehow produce performances which rise above the material.
I saw Black Panther on Wednesday and I liked it as much as I possibly could, given that I've just hit my ceiling on superhero films. That said, it's definitely the best Marvel movie we're ever going to get.
Over the weekend I took advantage of the Ingmar Bergman festival happening at film Forum in NYC to see Persona for the first time. WOW. Just WOW.
Saw Black Panther, which I think is very entertaining and a step up from other superhero movies (although for me the best is Captain America: Winter Soldier). Also saw on Netflix a curious little Australian movie called Boys in the Trees. Although it advertises itself as a horror movie, it is not. It is more magic realism. Very interesting movie, which I recommend to people who like to watch movies other than mainstream.
Saw Black Panther and does it every live up to the hype. Simply gorgeous in every respect - the actors, the sets, the costumes, etc. Loved all the great women, the humor, the fight/action scenes and the little bit of romance that hopefully leads to more sexy times in future Black Panther movies.
I wonder if Annihilation would have done better if it had waited to come out a few more weeks after BP wasn't so dominant.
A Fantastic Woman - highly recommend. Beautifully shot and acted, and inspired me to go to Chile.
That new Netflix Cloverfield Movie - Awful. How much did that cost and why?
I saw Call Me by Your Name and Lady Bird again, the latter of which improves delightfully on multiple viewings, the former of which weirdly does not (for me, anyway). Also trying to catch up on Oscar-y docs that are blessedly available on HBO Now, Netflix, etc. Agnes Varda FTW!
Mareko's post reminded me that I also saw Strong Island this weekend. Easily the best of the 4 doc nominees I've seen (Faces Places, where are you?). Such haunting imagery that I've never seen before in a documentary.
I saw Call Me By Your Name again in the theater. I was even more impressed the second time around. I knew to relax into the rhythm of the film, i.e. not much happening in the traditional sense. Timothee is such a find, and I've never sat with an audience all the way through to the end of the credits. No one got up.
I saw Beach Rats on DVD the very next day. I couldn't help but juxtapose the situations of the two lead characters in each movie. Timothee finds himself and eventual peace in CMBYN, while our hero in Beach Rats finds himself in increasingly desperate circumstances. I'd love a Part Two for both movies, but Beach Rats in particular leaves you hanging and worried for the lead character.
PoliVamp, are you holding up? I saw "It" and "mother!" within the same week and I WAS JUMPY AS HELL for a while!
We saw Black Panther, and hype be damned, it was truly wonderful. Definitely a new template to revive interest in the tired superhero formula. Chadwick Boseman becomes a movie star.
Also rewatched Eye of the Needle from 1981. I forgot how glorious Kate Nelligan was. Sigh.
I saw BLACK PANTHER and I want the supporting actor campaign for Michael B. Jordan to begin NOW.
Tried to watch Netflix's MUTE but bailed after an interminable hour. Alexander Skaarsgard delivers some beautifully soulful acting but he plays such a preposterous character - a mute, Amish, nightclub bartender on a revenge mission in a futuristic Berlin. It sounds even more ridiculous typing it out.
Tried to watch THE BREADWINNER, which I've heard such great things about, but I found it boring in the first few minutes. Maybe need to try again. Anyone have thoughts about it?
Has anyone else been watching Seven Seconds on Netflix? It hasn't gotten much attention, but I tuned in for Regina King, and I thought it was fairly watchable (especially if you miss something like American Crime), but my expectations were fairly low.
I've also been watching the Oscar-nominated documentary shorts. My favorite is Edith + Eddie so far, but I still have to see Knife Skills and Traffic Stop.
And I've been making my way through the filmographies of Jacques Demy and Powell and Pressburger on Filmstruck, both of which are great. I saw Demy's Donkey Skin this weekend, and while fairy tales were not even my thing as a little girl, I absolutely loved it.
Saw annihilation. What a bizzare film lol. I’m glad weird shit like that is being made but I understand why the cinema score was shit.
Not nearly as successful a film as Ex Machina but it was a different type of film. This was less plot driven and felt in the vein of Alex Garland and Danny Boyle’s Sunshine actually (which is a film I’m quite fond of).
@Suzanne: Where did you see Edith+ Eddie?
I saw "Anihilation" which like Garland's over rated "Ex Machina" its a pretentious "The Outer Limits" episode. Natalie Portman who like everyone in this movie speak really slow- leads a team of women into "The Shimmer" in which they encounter "The Thing" until the philosophical end which tries to be "2001" but it's more like a lame " Invasion of the Body Snatchers" remake. Oscar Isaacs who needs a better agent is wasted in a generic himbo role. The movie was even worse because I had a woman sitting beside me eating artichokes ?! She was thin and angry looking - next time get some popcorn lady !
Hustler - There is now a link to the film on the "News" section of the film's website.
I also saw Roman J. Israel, Esq. and feel the same way about it that you do. It was strange to watch a movie with a script that is equally cynical and earnest.
brooksboy I agree with you about Kate Nelligan who should have had better career
Finally saw WINCHESTER which was quite fun. Had me shouting and jumping in my seat a couple of times, and it was interesting to see how they created a story infused with the “history” of the house. Mirren was solid, and it was nice to see Clarke in something else after MUDBOUND.
MUTE was bloody appalling. Much worse than CLOVERFIELD PARADOX, which was merely inept.
brookesboy and jaragon -- yeah, what's the story there? She had a brief flash of something like mainstream movie stardom in the late 80s/early 90s and then nothing?