Weekend box office: "The Croods" sequel in theaters, "Mank" at home.
Sunday, December 6, 2020 at 5:31PM U.S. weekend box office (though we still won't have theaters any time soon for some cities)
- The Croods: New Age $4.4 ($20.3 cum)
- Half Brothers $720k *new*
- Freaky $460k ($7.7 cum)
- All My Life $350k *new*
- The War With Grandpa $329k ($17.6 cum
The Croods sequel is also doing well overseas as Deadline shares in a global box office report . That report also notes that Japan will soon have its highest grosser of all time since the animated film Demon Slayer the Movie is now approaching the numbers of its all time champ, Hayao Miyazaki's Spirited Away (having already surpassed the previous #2, Titanic)
Home Viewing? This week we rewatched The Man Who Cried (2000/2001) of all things for Murtada's Sundays with Cate podcast as well as Citizen Kane (1941) which is as marvelous as ever and finally finished The Queens Gambit (2020) which was so so satisfying. On the Rocks on Apple was a pleasant if uneventful sit. We also took in Mank on Netflix and a preview of News of the World (in theaters at Christmas) both of which were lush and great-looking but would have been infinitely better on a big movie screen *cries* where they could totally envelop your senses and thus your mood. What did you see this week?
Mank, The Croods, box office
Reader Comments (35)
That's what I thought watching The Nest this week. Would have been so gorgeous, and more anxiety-inducing on a big screen.
Also watched Edward G Robinson in Little Caesar, which was a snooze.
Yes! THE QUEEN'S GAMBIT was supremely satisfying. That final episode was just *chef's kiss*.
This weekend I saw SOUND OF METAL (fantastic!), MANK (eh, fine), and also binged P VALLEY (really good!).
Sound of Metal - my favourite film this year.
Mank was underwhelming.
Black Bear was also not that great, although I loved the first half.
Best of the weekend viewing was at home, with the wonderful PALM SPRINGS.
In theatres, I saw BILL & TED FACE THE MUSIC (not bad, but no belly laughs unfortunately), THE PROM (great fun) and a classic Japanese animation MIND GAME (on 35mm no less!)
I too wonder if the "eh"/"underwhelming" reactions to MANK were because of screen size. I saw it in a cinema three weeks ago and thought it was really engaging.
The Queen's Gambit - very enjoyable except for its Mammy/Magical Negress problem, which was not solved by having the character herself vaguely reference it
Small Axe: Mangrove/Lovers Rock - brilliant as expected, although (unlike most) I prefer Mangrove; looking forward to Red, White and Blue this evening
Ammonite - strong appreciation, if not outright adoration
Shirley - ditto
This week’s pleasures were Tokyo Story, John Lewis: Good Trouble, Merrily We Go to Hell, The Damned Don’t Cry, high Note, Saint Frances, Skin: A History of Nudity in the Movies, Sixteen Candles, Eve’s Bayou, The Best Man (64), and I hope to get to Mank and Beanpole before the night is over.
Merrily We Go to Hell is the standout this week.
I just watched Spike Lee's Clockers for the first time and wow! My favorite viewing experience of the week. Very kinetically paced and thought-provoking, too.
A lot of people seem to have that "pleasant but uneventful" reaction to On the Rocks but I thought it was really lovely in its understatement. Bill Murray is so perfectly cast, and it is nice to see him act again.
I've been trying to catch up with 2020 releases this week. The best of those was Another Round, a very different portrayal of middle-aged ennui and a decent indictment of drunk culture. Nathaniel, you should see this one for your Film Bitch Awards - it should be a finalist in your "best musical scene from a non-musical" category.
I also saw The Way Back (depressing and meager compared to Another Round), Mank (admirable but maybe not much more), Sound of Metal (great sound design), The Way I See It (enjoyable straightforward biographical doc), and The Half of It (fine).
Caught up with “The 40 Year Old Version” and loved it. I admired “Mank” and liked the dialogue the best. It felt small perhaps because of expectations I had going in. I may watch it again to see how I feel. Also planning on watching “Sound of Metal” tonight.
Song to Song.... I can see why people didn't like it and I get it yet I was enthralled by it as it actually has a lot more to say about us as human beings. MALICK IS GOD!
I saw Mank and Sound of Metal and now I want an Oscar for Riz and I want kids with him.
Am I the only one who really didn't like the second half of The Queen's Gambit? I thought it was really good when Bill Camp and Marielle Heller were on (and I also really enjoyed her initial rise to stardom), but I found the last three episodes mostly a slog, since I was never interested in Beth's relationship with either of the chess champs she has affairs with or her descent into drugs (which I frankly found generic in its treatment) and I feel the finale would have been more satisfying if Borgov had been developed as a character beyond him being Russian and scary. I do love Anya Taylor-Joy in it, but I found the experience as a whole kind of overrated.
I saw Mank on Friday, and while I did find it slow in parts, it was ultimately very satisfying in the way it explored different angles of living in Hollywood in the 1930's, the political dealings, and I was ultimately quite pleased that they did not show a single frame of Citizen Kane (which is definitely rare when they make a film about any part of the making of another iconic film), and outside of its awkward treatment of Orson Welles and Mank's feud with him, I found the script quite brilliant, and it's gorgeously shot.
Saw Sound of Metal, the first 3 chapters of Small Axe, and Mank. Enjoyed them all, though I agree Mank lost the most not being seen on a big screen. (Although frankly I'd have preferred to see all of them on a big screen.)
Working stiff - I preferred Mangrove too. I thought Red, White, and Blue was also very strong.
Richter Scale - I agree with you on The Queen's Gambit. But boy does it look great.
We saw
Mank.... did not like it that much/ I do not see how Amanda Seyfried is even considered for a nom.
Sound of Metal .... Loved it and Ahmed is definitely a contender. Also, Paul? for
supporting actor.
I watched Mank which I enjoyed but basically forgot I watched it an hour later. Whereas I also watched Ammonite which I was little meh on but I have not been able to stop thinking about it. Interesting!
After seeing MANK and AMMONITE in cinemas last weekend (in Australia), this weekend I saw THE PROM in the cinema and finally caught up with DICK JOHNSON IS DEAD, THE 40-YEAR-OLD VERSION and THE LIFE AHEAD on Netflix.
THE PROM - had its (expected) problems but it had its heart in the right place. 'Go big or go home' was the theme of one of the songs and the principals and filmmakers took it to heart! I was a bit embarrassed for Nicole who had a nothing role and seemed uncomfortable during her 'big' number.
AMMONITE - good on Francis Lee for making GOD'S OWN COUNTRY on a bigger budget with a period setting and women instead of men. I really liked it, and it's stayed with me - I don't get the complaint that it's 'boring'.
MANK - even on a large screen, was a bit disappointing. I loved all the Hollywood history but didn't find Mank an interesting or compelling person to hang out with so it's a hard movie to get excited about. But I'm still thinking about it and will happily rewatch on Netflix at home. Fincher movies usually benefit from repeat viewings.
40-YEAR-OLD VERSION - this should be in the conversation for Best Picture, Director, Actress and Original Screenplay. At the very least, I hope Radha Blank gets some Golden Globe Comedy nominations. What a great movie - entertaining, timely, fresh and with something worthwhile to say about making art.
DICK JOHNSON IS DEAD - fantastic doco and very affecting. My parents died two years ago and this really put me in mind of them. As surprising as it was powerful.
MY LIFE AHEAD - a very easy, enjoyable watch. Sophia Loren was terrific but Ibrahima Gueye was amazing as the kid.
I also got the shits a bit with this strange awards season. I feel like I'm seeing a lot but have no sense of what is going to stick. I guess I have to be patient and remember that we're at the equivalent of early October in an ordinary Oscars year.
Mike in Canada - If you haven't seen it, watch The Whole Town's Talking(1935), a rare comedy directed by John Ford with Ed G. Robinson in a double role alongside Jean Arthur. A forgotten gem, the movie makes fun of Little Caesar and the like. And if you're a big fan of Arthur like me, watch If You Could Only Cook (1935) a romcom that also laughs at the mafia and the gangsters who were so popular box office at the time.
After a race car double feature this weekend on DVD (Speed Racer + Grand Prix), i finished tonight by watching Ammonite. Lovely film by Christopher Lee which will sadly suffer for coming so soon after the true masterpiece POALOF. (i'm sure I'm the 100th person to say that). But definitely a very good film- perfect for a cold winter's night at home. I felt like I was right there with them in cold damp coastal Dorset. It's so weird to be watching a brand-new, much anticipated art house drama this Dec in my living room instead of down at Landmark or the Castro. Hopefully just this one year! And I hope Lee sees at least some of the $ i just sent to Apple.
oh.. and backing up to Grand Prix.. Antonio Sabato Sr! what an adorable scamp.
Mank was.... mostly bad? They make him out to be some noble hero but he really just stands by as the world falls apart. I mean he tries to help but barely. He’s talented (sure) and witty (sometimes) but he’s not a particularly compelling character to lead a movie. And again, the women don’t have much to do. Amanda is good but could have been utilized better. I just don’t get why I was supposed to care. At first I was into because I love old Hollywood but then half way through I was like.... why do I care? I don’t.
I literally just came home after going to the movie theatre, I watched:
El Gallinero (Chicken Coop) - Is very evident that is based on a theatre play and the beginnig of the plot reminds me to Mejor es Que Gabriela No se Muera (It's better if Gabriela Doesn't Die) but it follows their own way with funny observations of absurdity on TV. I also enjoyed the fact that the cast is composed by just two actors.
Past weeks I saw:
Nuevo Orden (New Order) - Is very crude and for me was difficult to watch but I honestly doesn't feel it was racist or even clasist as many people have been said. I appreciated it as a distopic tale brilliantly directed about the exploitation of power when a poblation is divided.
El Hoyo (The Platform) - Interesting story even when the final part it feels a little rush. Movies open to interpretation = I'm totally In, I honestly think it needs to be more discussed. I love the score.
Solteras (Ready to Mingle) - I have discovered that spanish language movies also suffers from absurd title traductions in english, it would be fun to do a list with the most ridiculous title movie translations...anyway, the most remarkable of the movie is the charismatic prescence of Cassandra Ciangherotti as the leading character.
El Método (The Method) - Another film that is easy to appreciate that is based on a theater play, Is way interesting about the the dinamics of companies to reclute new talent but also intriguing about the way we act to get a job. The ensemble cast is remarkable.
Mano de Obra (Workforce) - I like the unpredictable direction the story turns, but visually it feels repetitive. Luis Alberti shows that he deservedly won the Ariel award, although my favorite was Benny Emmanuel in Chicuarotes.
Paquita Salas - I don't watch many TV series and I'm not a fan of dramatical moments in comedies but I loved this one (probably because it is not too long) because the comic moments wins over dramatic ones. Belén Cuesta and Yolanda Ramos are the best.
I'm keeping my routine to watch more movies in spanish so, the only not-spanish-language film I watched was:
Marriage Story What a screenplay and what a cast. The direction is terrific too. Scarlett Johansson and Adam Driver let me blowned away. I don't loved the score to go for an Oscar nomination and honestly I don't get why Laura Dern won the golden statue, she is OK but I don't find her memorable.
Steve G --
SAME. omg same. I look at oscar charts (working on revisions) and it's so much more confusing than usual. There's no sense of what anyone is liking (beyond critics) since there are no events and in person conversations. There's basically only social media to get a sense of how movies are landing and even that can be really hard to read since memes and twitter arguments and random shout outs dont necessarily correlate to people actually liking things or what their viewing habits have been like. There's usually box office results, in person conversations, tons of press events that get media coverage, and far more communal feeling.it might be all over the place (in terms of nominations) or it might be 'everyone just watched these 8 movies and that was all. good night'.
Mank - total masterpiece.
Like really, why isn't this 100% in RT and 100 in Metacritic? Probably Fincher's best along with Fight Club, which is my #3 film of the 90's (right after Trainspotting - 1 - and Babe - second place).
Which leads me to the question... why people do not properly take seriously films - masterpieces - as Babe (and its sequel) and The LEGO Movie (and its sequel), considering them just "cute children films" or even product placement films (in the LEGO series... both LEGO Movies and the Batman one, are outstanding as films, and Batman's probably the best Batman film right after Nolan's The Dark Knight
I watched FREAKY and Vince Vaughn is actually AMAZING in it! I would put him into Oscar consideration and definitely a shoo-in for a Golden Globe Comedy nomination. He brings the perfect amount of fear, humor and sadness to the film. I think it's the best role of his career, to be honest. The film is also a fun slasher/black comedy. Equal parts terrifying and hilarious. The rest of the cast is no slouch either :)
Mank is bottom 3 from Fincher's filmography.
It's there together with Alien3 and The Panic Room.
Nathaniel — judging by the Emmys, I fear it will be “everyone saw these 5 movies” and we’ll get a bunch of boring noms from the same movies in each category
AFI's EU Showcase (it's all online folks!) is showing some interesting stuff:
Never Gonna Snow Again. Polish fantasy-esque social satire suspense about a Russian masseur with magical powers. It's not for everyone, but I loved it. The satire is good. The suspense is maintained throughout. The cinematography is absolutely stunning. And Alec Utgoff - he looked familiar, but I had no idea who he is - gives a really nice performance.
Summer of 85. It's mid-to-upper tier in Ozon's works, if you ask me. It has some nice moments. And who doesn't love an 80s gay romance set at the beach? But I really miss the early 2000s when Ozon gave us 8 Woman, Under the Sand and Swimming Pool.
Another Round. Four Danish high school teachers/buddies test a drinking theory to supposedly improve their lives? While I was dubious that this film was for me, it was surprisingly good. The movie works because the actors have good chemistry together.
I saw a horror film called The Vigil which is a slow creeper about the Jewish faith.
I saw "The Riddle of the Spider's Web" (2019) an ambitious no budget action movie you can see on You Tube. I also discovered the ridiculous over the top slasher " Blood Rage" (1987) with Louise Lasser
Last night I watched DASH AND LILY on Netflix with the world's oldest teenagers. It was doomed from the time they left the casting sessions. One of them looks like he's been smoking and drinking whiskey for the last ten years and the other one looks like a 35 year old Mom. Even SEX EDUCATION did a better job of casting "teens".
MANK was interesting and gorgeous and more topical than I expected...but not exactly the kind of emotional experience I like best from a film. LOVERS ROCK continued the impressive run of Small Axe films, so enveloping and bold and sexy and just right. Everyone should be talking about this project but I fear because it falls between film and tv it isn't getting either buzz quite enough. Loved QUEEN'S GAMBIT too...until last episode which felt too easy somehow; character felt more complex than that ending. But such fun and beautiful acted.
Charlie G -- i also LOVED Poland's "Never Gonna Show Again" it's my second favourite (thus far) of the International Feature contendres with "Another Round" from Denmark up top.
I think for me the "easy" ending of QUEEN'S GAMBIT is why I (and a lot of people) responded to it. After this dumpster fire of a year, I like seeing complicated characters going through complicated shit but ultimately getting their happy-ish ending.
Its astonishing that Japan is managing to break box office records in middle of a pandemic. What a difference a good government makes...
Saw Ma Rainey's Black Bottom. Boseman was amazing. I will be so happy when he posthumously wins the Oscar. Davis was fine but certainly not Oscar worthy.
With the end of the year approaching, I'm trying to catch up with some 2020 releases (I was hoping theaters would have been able to reopen in LA this year) as I spent most of the time watching older films. "Never Rarely Sometimes Always" had come out just as lockdown began and I finally watched it. I thought the pacing was a little slow but overall a thoughtful and moving story. I next plan to see "First Cow" .
NATHANIEL - So glad that you liked Never Gonna Snow Again too. I can't find anyone else who has even seen it. But I highly recommend it.