Movie Stars Ruled the Weekend's Box Office

By Ben Miller

Don't let the haters tell you that movie stars don't matter.  The Dwayne Johnson led DC entry Black Adam easily won the weekend with $67 million.  That's Johnson's biggest opening for a film without the words Fast, Furious, or Mummy.  George Clooney & Julia Roberts counterprogramming rom-com Ticket to Paradise did just fine for itself with a $16.5 million opening.  Those two films expect to have some legs as there are no big openings release until Black Panther: Wakanda Forever on November 11th. And there are only 8 movies in wide release at that. The theaters need more movies...

Weekend Box Office (actuals) October 21st-23rd 🔺 = new or expanding /  ★ = Recommended links if we've written about it
WIDE (OVER 800 SCREENS)	LIMITED / PLATFORM
BLACK ADAM	TRIANGLE OF SADNESS
1 🔺 BLACK ADAM $67 *NEW*	1 TERRIFIER 2 $1.76 (cum. $5.1) 755 screens
2 🔺 TICKET TO PARADISE $16.5 *NEW*	2 🔺 ★ TRIANGLE OF SADNESS (sweden/uk) $601k (cum. $1.4) 280 screens

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Leslie Jordan (1955-2022)

Finally, in terrible terrible news beloved and hilarious Leslie Jordan has passed away. He was 67 years old. He had a medical emergency and crashed his car on the way to the hospital. The joy he brought so regularly on Instagram during the Pandemic with his gleefully Southern Gay Mischief energy will not soon be forgotten. He even managed to write a bestselling memoir during that late career rise to all new levels of popularity.

The 4'11" comic actor was best known for his memorably named characters like "Beverley Leslie" on Will & Grace and "Brother Boy" in the stage play turned movie turned TV series Sordid Lives. Other credits include The Help, The United States vs Billie Holiday, Love Ranch, and multiple seasons of American Horror Story. His last television role was "Phil" on three seasons of Call Me Kat. Have any favourite Leslie Jordan memories to share? 

Rome Diary #2: Women in love and another Caravaggio

by Elisa Giudici

JEONG-SUN

Two indie movies about how women find and lose love and an ambitious production about the life and art of Caravaggio. At the end of the day, it's one small gem followed by two disappointments...

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Tweetweek: Now with a valid driver's license.

Warning: The following image causes wrinkles, eye bags, and sore backs.

how it started vs how it's going... pic.twitter.com/585VXhLRIW

— Jacob Tremblay (@JacobTremblay) October 23, 2022

In case you weren't feeling like the crypt-keeper yet, Jacob Tremblay would like to remind you how very ancient you, in fact, are! That tiny prodigiously talented Room star can now drive cars and will be able to vote in the next Presidential election.

Less disturbing showbiz tweets -- mostly of the funny, thoughtful, giddy variety -- are curated for you after the jump... 

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A24’s Paul Mescal Double: 'Aftersun' and 'God’s Creatures'

by Eurocheese

A24 has had a killer 2022 so far, and they’re not slowing down. The effusive love for Everything Everywhere All at Once has indeed been everywhere: tributes to all the actors (including Middleburg last week), Park Chan-wook adding his name to the list of celebrities declaring their love for the film, reports of Academy screenings going like gangbusters – the weird little blockbuster-that-could has done everything it can to stay front and center in the Oscar race. On top of that, there’s the critical success of several A24 films in their bread-and-butter category of horror/thriller (X, Bodies Bodies Bodies, Pearl) and a couple of gems that are enchanting discoveries for those that seek them out (After Yang, Marcel the Shell with Shoes On). What more could we ask of them? 

As it turns out, we can expect them to showcase the brilliant (not to mention gorgeous) Paul Mescal in two films that highlight his ability to be heartbreaking and ice cold in polar opposite performances...

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