Halfway Mark - Box Office Hits of 2018 (Thus Far) in Multiple Categories

by Nathaniel R

It's time for the annual "halfway mark" festivities. With the first six months of the year done, we are triggered to look back at one came before. To make this far more interesting than just "biggest blockbusters" we're listing the biggest hits of multiple categories. If we've written about them extensively, talked about them, or reviewed them, that's where the links take you.

Key: The totals are domestic as of estimates this weekend.Titles that still have life in them (i.e. are still in active release and not done or just about to leave) have up arrows next to them. OKAY THE LISTS. Ready? Let's go!

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RuPaul's Drag Race season 10 ends with a flutter

by Nathaniel R

Months on end of turning looks and stunting pretty have now ended with Season 10's queen crowned. So why lead with a picture of Season 9's winner Sasha Velour? It's not just that she served the season finale's best look, but that her appearance was hardly necessary. Her long shadow was already blocking out all the light on this particular finale...

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Links: Johnny Depp, Carmen Jones, Kathy Griffin, Julia Roberts, and More...

• Coming Soon Jim Carrey, James Marsden, and Tika Sumpter to star in Sonic the Hedgehog movie. It's set to be a live action / animated hybrid. Not sure if that means the stars are just mo-capped or what.
• i09 "even the Defenders action figures hate Iron Fist" LOLOL
• Variety first look at Julia Roberts in the Amazon series Homecoming. Apparently she still wants that Emmy. (Bonus points: Sissy Spacek is playing her mother and her dream man from My Best Friends Wedding Dermot Mulroney also co-stars)
• Awards Daily predictions for what will show at Telluride 

• Vulture lists the 55 essential Queer horror films. I've only seen 20 of them. How about you?
• Playbill lists 14 stage favorites you can catch at the movies this summer
• E!News Tom Daley and Dustin Lance Black have a new son
• Towleroad Broadway actors redo "We are the World"... I wish I liked this more but it's too light on starpower (only a few legends in comparison to comparative within-their-field legends in the 80s single)  and weirdly makes that American Idol guy Constantine the focus)
• /Film a look back at Lagaan (2001), India's last Oscar nominee
• The Playlist Toni Collette, Kaitlyn Dever, and Merrit Wever (that's quite a trio!) will star in Unbelievable a film adapted from the Pulitzer winning article "An Unbelievable Story of Rape"
• Boy Culture reviews Kathy Griffin's comeback performance at Radio City Music Hall
• THR Jared Leto is going to play Morbius, the Living Vampire in one of those Sony attempts at making a Spider-verse of villain movies
• /Film Netflix ordered a martial arts series Wu Assassins to star Iko Uwais
• Playbill Carmen Jones with Anika Noni Rose taking over Dorothy Dandridge's famous role has been extended through August.
• ...we had our friend Erica review it right here. (I wish it were on Broadway so Anika could win a second Tony!) 

Johnny Depp painting by Matt Mahurin

This Past Week's Must Read (If You Missed It)
Meant to share this a whole week ago but if you haven't yet read Stephen Rodrick's totally absorbing, fascinating, and non-spiteful but damning profile of Johnny Depp, "The Trouble With Johnny Depp" you must. I've been thinking about it all week and mourning the Johnny that once was, from the Edward Scissorhands, Cry Baby, Donnie Brasco, pre-Jack Sparrow days.

Great Moments in Gay - Lady Bird

Here’s Ilich on Lady Bird (2017)...

Pride Month and its celebrations are so outrageously fun to participate in because they feel so earned. The titular pride almost never comes immediately after queer people identify, at least to themselves, as such. It’s often preceded by confusion and a paralyzing fear that interrupts as many opportunities of rational thought as it can. Queer people take their time navigating through awkward stages of a sort of grief that will hopefully lead to that realization that they are free to be themselves without fear, and definitely without shame. Hints of these stages are warmly depicted in Greta Gerwig’s endlessly satisfying directorial debut Lady Bird. Through Danny (Lucas Hedges) and his friendship with the film’s protagonist, Christine “Lady Bird” McPherson (Saoirse Ronan), Gerwig’s script fleshes out the performances that many rehearse in the process of accepting their nature...

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June. It's a Wrap!

Our birthday month is just about over 😭 but you can still wish us a happy belated by supporting The Film Experience through likes, shares, tweets, follows, newsletter subscriptions, and a donation of a cup of coffee each month to keep us well-fueled. Here's a dozen highlights you might have missed if you're not online as much in the hot months.

7 Highlights
• A Repertory Renaissance New York movie theaters are killing it!
• Little Big Lies Goes Bowling - but who won?
• Rosemary's Baby 50th Anniversary Tag Team MiniSeries
• Nanette - will it be one of the year's definitive films?
• Hereditary - a new horror classic
• Muriel's Wedding - A Soundtracking episode
• Blueprints: Moonlight - Barry Jenkins retweeted! 

5 Most Discussed
• Supporting Actress Smackdown 1994 - Helen Sinclair "don't speak!", Olive Neal "charmed charmed charmed" and Mia Wallace *dancing gesture*. Jennifer Tilly retweeted the Smackdown ♥︎
• Best Actress 1994 - It was unsatisfying but didn't have to be
• Nicole Kidman Questions - for the queen's birthday
• All Time Fav Character Actresses? - an incomplete list
• Triple Crown List-Mania - Glenda Jackson joins!

Yes No Maybe So?
• As trailers go it was an insane month. So if you haven't already sound off on the following juicy forthcoming prospects (alpha order): Beautiful Boy, Christopher Robin, Creed II, Dumbo, First Man, Mowgli, A Star is Born, Suspiria, Welcome to Marwen, and Widows !

COMING IN JULY

Our year of the month will be 1943 so we'll be looking back at some of those films which is handy since it's the 75th anniversary of all of 'em. Also in July: Ant Man and the Wasp, Eighth Grade, and Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again. Anniversaries for The Dark Knight and Hocus Pocus. Centennials for director Ingmar Bergman and screenwriter Arthur Laurents. And more. Any requests?