Each Thursday we look at what is going to be coming out in theaters this weekend, show you the trailers for the big releases, predict the box office winner and just generally give you enough of a carrot to pull you through the rest of the work week. This being Thanksgiving week, movies open on the Wednesday before the holiday for a five-day weekend. There are two new wide releases and one limited release all looking very promising. Continue reading In Theaters This Week (11/22/2017): Coco, Darkest Hour, The Man Who Saved Christmas→
Ben Affleck has had a number of phases to his career in the 25 years plus he’s been in Hollywood. Starting out, Affleck and a number of young actors first gained notoriety in a number of Kevin Smith’s films (Mallrats, Chasing Amy, etc.) back when Kevin Smith actually made movies. Then he and his best friend Matt Damon had their Hollywood dream come true when their indie film, Good Will Hunting, in which they both wrote and starred, became one of the most critically acclaimed pictures of 1997 and the duo’s Oscar acceptance is one of the best of all-time. From there, Affleck entered a blockbuster phase that didn’t take. The scripts kept getting worse until he hit rock-bottom with Gigli, one of the most mocked films in recent memory.
Affleck, though, didn’t burn out. He started out as a writer, and he started picking quality scripts again. He also began directing, and he showed tremendous talent with Gone Baby Gone, The Town, and Argo. Currently, his career is intertwined with being the current Batman (at least for the moment), and while I may not be a huge fan of any of the films he’s been Batman in (funnily enough he played Superman first in 2006’s Hollywoodland), I like his take on the character, but I’m not certain where the DCEU goes with a Batman in his mid-to-late 40s. Whatever’s next, I think Affleck should get back behind the camera, pick projects that highlight his strengths as an actor (he’s not the strongest, but his overall knowledge of the process gives him an edge), and make the movies he wants to make. Getting sucked into commercial Hollywood blockbusters is what broke his career the first time; I’d hate to see it happen again.
Justice League has seemingly been on the way forever and has endured one of the more tortured roads to the screen of any blockbuster in recent memory. First it was two films; then it was one. Then backlash from Batman vs. Superman changed things; then success from Wonder Woman and input from the always meddlesome WB demanded reshoots. Then director Zack Snyder’s family tragedy caused him to drop off the picture. Then Joss Whedon (who was already on-board to do the reshoots) took over the picture and cut the running time by 50 minutes, and then the tone was changed to be more in line with the hopeful note set by Wonder Woman. Take a second to breathe. So after all of that, what is the dominant impression walking away from Justice League? There isn’t one. It’s a film that makes no impact, has no presence, or lasting punch. So many cooks have been in its kitchen that the final product is just an average, bland waste of an opportunity. Continue reading Movie Review: Justice League (2017) *Just Mediocre*→
Each Thursday we look at what is going to be coming out in theaters this weekend, show you the trailers for the big releases, predict the box office winner and just generally give you enough of a carrot to pull you through the rest of the work week. This week brings the last comic book film of the year to theaters and two other movies it will crush. Continue reading In Theaters This Week (11/17/2017): Justice League, Wonder, and The Star→
In a year that’s seen perhaps the most quality of quantity in the comic book genre with Logan, Spider-Man: Homecoming, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, and Thor: Ragnarok all scoring, Wonder Woman still stands as the best comic book movie of 2017. The DCEU in Wonder Woman captured what makes the DCU work in comics. The DCU has an earnestness and acceptance of its own fantastic nature whereas Marvel tends to try to ground things in a more logical reality. The DCU is a magical, cosmos-spanning, wonderland (punny). It has street-level heroes like Batman and Green Arrow, but more common are larger-than-life godlike beings like Superman, Flash, and Wonder Woman. Patty Jenkins’ take on the Amazons and Diana was the best Wonder Woman anything that’s ever been done on any screen or any page. It captured the essence of her character and allowed us for the first time to get that feeling of what a special place the DCU is. Continue reading My Favorite Scene: Wonder Woman (2017) *Steve Trevor’s Sacrifice*→
