Five Lessons Learned from Valerian

By Spencer Coile 

Although Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets is not particularly good (see Dan's review), it is at least somewhat fascinating. Luc Besson's world-building is admirable if bloated, and there is definitely a lot of thought behind the action. It would be easy to detail all of the film's shortcomings but instead, let's talk takeaways.

Five Notes on Valerian

01. Laureline really knows Valerian's name
You could turn the number of times Laureline says Valerian's name in one scene into a very dangerous drinking game. In every line she utters she repeats his name in case we've forgotten it or the film's title. The film's title was initially Valerian and Laureline and was later changed to Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets. It's not enough that the demoted Laureline must say Valerian's name constantly, but must bombard us with his importance, too...

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Valerian in the shadow of The Fifth Element

by Dancin' Dan

Luc Besson's comic adaptation Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets is a mess. But so was his magnum opus The Fifth Element, and that Bruce Willis-starrer went on to become something of a modern-day sci-fi classic. Only time will tell if Valerian will go on to a similarly charmed afterlife, but for my money it suffers under the weight of expectations.

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"Dunkirk" and "Girls Trip" Have Great Opening Weekends

By Nathaniel R

It's musical chairs every week at the box office now. But new releases like Dunkirk and Girls Trip (which both opened well above expectations) and presumably Atomic Blonde next weekend should have an untroubled run if word of mouth is strong given that August is looking pretty dire in terms of upcoming mainstream releases.

Weekend Box Office (July 21st-23rd)
W I D E	L I M I T E D
1. 🔺  DUNKIRK $50.5	1. 🔺   MAUDIE $390k (cum. $4) 233 screens REVIEW
2. 🔺  GIRLS TRIP $30.3	2. 🔺  THE LITTLE HOURS $162K (cum. $971k) 114 screens REVIEW
3. SPIDER-MAN HOMECOMING $22 (cum. $251.7) REVIEW | 2ND OPINION	3. THE HERO  $145K (cum. $3.7) 191 screens BEST ACTORS
4. WAR FOR PLANET OF $20.4 (cum. $97.7) REVIEWISH | PODCAST	4. 🔺  A GHOST STORY $141k (cum. $480k) 43 screens
5. 🔺  VALERIAN AND... $17	5. LADY MACBETH $123k (cum. $219k) 40 screens
6. DESPICABLE ME 3  $12.7 (cum. $213.3)	6. BEATRIZ AT DINNER  $114k  (cum. $6.7) 116 screens
7. BABY DRIVER $6 (cum. $84.2) REVIEW | 2ND OPINION | POSTERIZED | PODCAST	7. 🔺  LOST IN PARIS $61K (cum. $242k) 42 screens
8. THE BIG SICK $5 (cum. $24.5) REVIEW | 2ND OPINION | HOLLY ♥︎ !!! | PODCAST	8. PARIS CAN WAIT  $53k (cum. $5.4) 66 screens
9. WONDER WOMAN $4.6 (cum. $389) REVIEW | TOP TEN | SPECIAL	9. 🔺  LANDLINE $52k  4 screens
10. WISH UPON $2.4  (cum. $10.5)	10. 🔺  THE MIDWIFE  $20k  3 screens
🔺 = new or added screens numbers from box office mojo

Dunkirk's $50 million opening with no stars, no superpowers, and no sci-fi spectacle, is another reminder that directors can be bankable too, IF they consistently deliver for their audiences which Nolan has (consider that his devout fanbase never seems even the slightest bit disappointed in his work). Meanwhile people are using Girls Trip's terrific opening as a cudgel with which to beat Rough Night which is kinda silly. Just because two rowdy comedies feature a group of women does not make them interchangeable! Imagine saying that about two comedies about men behaving badly. Girls Trip received an A+ Cinemascore (meaning its paying audiences went wild for it) while Rough Night scored a C+ (which means the audiences didn't like it at all - C+ is basically a failing grade with Cinemascore). Their review fates were similarly disparate (pro Girls / con Rough)  but reviews don't mean much to mainstream pictures in terms of opening weekend box office. 

Wonder Woman marks its incredible 8th weekend in the top ten and maybe its last given that it took its first big hit with theater count. Still, what a run. It's now the #2 superhero origin movie of all time (behind only Sam Raimi's Spider-Man), the #1 DC Extended Universe movie, the #1 World War I movie (though the competition isn't strong there), the #2 movie of 2017 (behind Disney's Beauty & The Beast karaoke) and the #5 female action movie of all time (behind only two installments each from the Hunger Games and Star Wars franchises).

What did you see this weekend? 

Considering Rihanna, the Actress

Robert here. The latest teaser trailer for Luc Besson's sci-fi epic Valerian dropped today. I have a tepid relationship with the type of high-concept sci-fi that Valerian promises to deliver, but one thing about the project has piqued my interest: sexy space Rihanna, ya'll.

With Valerian coming out later this year, a roll in Oceans 8 as part of an actressing ensemble that appears to be assembled by way of collective gay the Secreting and a two episode arch on The Bates Motel now under her belt, it appears that Rihanna is looking to add film star to her resume.

So, what should we make of Rihanna the actress?

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First Look at Luc Besson's "Valerian".

Chris here. With the events of this week, some cheesy intergalactic journey doesn't sound too bad if it means we get to escape our planet for a little while. Here for a quick distraction is next year's scifi saga from Luc Besson Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets:

Some quick thoughts:

• I can't quite decide if these visuals are exciting or ugly/boring. It's certainly energized, but still nothing we haven't seen before.
• Dane DeHaan is a strong young talent, but action movie material? Curious casting. But my goodness was he sultry in Kill Your Darlings, so maybe at best he won't be bland here.
• Speaking of casting, this romantic pairing is a bit icky considering they look like they could be siblings.
• This will come around the 20th anniversary of Besson's The Fifth Element. I'm not a fan, but Valerian might be a fun way to celebrate Element's milestone for the fanbase, especially as this appears to be chasing its vibe.
• ... but I do miss the Besson that gave us Leon: The Professional and La Femme Nikita.

Valerian opens on July 21. Thoughts?