20 Movies With Highest Box Office ROI Since 2010 - Hint: Avengers Is Not On This List
by @motbones
Every few years we see movies that defy the odds and hit the big “B” at the box office. Billion dollar movies are always fun to watch. Whether we are watching the greatest superhero team up in cinematic history or a group of car junkies taking on international terrorists in there supped up street racers, these movies tend to capture our imagination and provide a much needed break from reality. However, these are not the films that actual provide the largest returns on investment (ROI).
Imgur user IRicePie posted the chart below which was created using information anyone can find on IMDB to show The Twenty Movies With The Highest Box Office Return On Investment Since 2010. This list may be surprising to many, but it paints an interesting pictures of American cinema, our tastes as moviegoers and what success really means in the movie industry.
This explains quite a bit when you really sit back and look at these numbers. We wonder why there are so many low budget horror movies filling our cineplexes with
seemingly endless sequels. Look no further than a 5,000% return on The Devil Inside. Of course there are other non-horror films in there as well including a couple of Academy Awards winners Black Swan and The King’s Speech.
It is nice to see this information laid out this way. Keep in mind this is not a recent trend either. This chart only accounts for the last 5 years. We could go back quite a ways and find this data to be consistent. My memory always takes me back to The Blair Witch Project which was a breakthrough film at the time of it’s release (and still holds up today - feel free to argue with me in the comments). Blair Witch cost an estimated $60,000 to make and turned in a box office total of $249 million for those of you not close to a calculator that is over a 2,000% return at a time when the average ticket price was $5.06 and the consensus in Hollywood was if you wanted to make money on a film then you had to spend a lot of money making the film.
Take this for what you will, but it does show that you can find quite a bit of success in Hollywood without breaking the bank on production costs. Also, for all of you fellow horror enthusiasts out there, there will be no shortage of low cost horror films inundating our cinemas anytime soon. However I am still waiting for Troll 3.
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Below is the info posted on imgur of how the data was calculated:
According to the post on imgur, "The minimum requirement for inclusion was total box office takings of $30 million worldwide. Return On Investment was calculated as [0.5 * International Revenue / Production Budget - 1] This is an approximate measure of a movies return on investment only as many other factors come in to play when determining actual ROI."
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2016 is shaping up to be the biggest year yet for comic book movies. DC and Marvel are set for a battle royale of super heroes. There really is something for everyone next year.
Which movies are you most excited about? Who will win the battle at the box office? Marvel? DC? Disney? Fox? Warner Bros?
View the list HERE >>>
1. 12 February 2016 - Deadpool
2. 25 March 2016 - Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice
Deadpool | Red Band Trailer [HD] | 20th Century FOX - NSFW
by @motbones
Here it is. The official first trailer for FOX’s Deadpool movie in all it’s NSFW glory. This looks to be a much more true to the comic version of the character. We can all just pretend the version of the character introduced in X-Men Origins: Wolverine never happened. Ryan Reynolds is perfectly cast as the wise cracking foul mouthed assassin. Tell us your thoughts in the comments below.
Before Baz Luhrmann divided audiences with the dazzling Moulin Rouge!, he tested out his ostentatious style with this romantic comedy about the world of ballroom dancing. Like Moulin Rouge!, Strictly Ballroom wears its heart on its sleeve. Luhrmann serves up his usual helpings of fast zooms, loud music, and garish close-ups in the service of a warm story about gentle romance blooming and a shy woman coming out of her shell. It’s fairly formulaic, but done with such panache that all is forgiven. Luhrmann and his cast (Paul Mercurio and Tara Morice, particularly) earnestly hammer home the well-worn but timeless twin themes of following your heart and living your passion. Having watched the movie again recently myself, I was struck with how genuinely moving it is. If you’re looking for something to jumpstart your inspiration or even just looking for a movie to make you smile, Strictly Ballroom is a marvelous choice.
With Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation hitting theaters last weekend, it affords us all an opportunity to look back at the entire series and reflect on what gives them staying power. It also offers a chance to embark on a fool’s errand: ranking the five films. MTV said that ranking the top four Mission: Impossible movies is a “game of inches” (with the obvious outlier of #2, which is decidedly less good than the others.) I agree wholeheartedly. Each of the five movies are probably someone’s favorite. As Entertainment Weekly stated, “[T]he problem of ranking the Mission: Impossible films is, initially, a problem of applying definition to the undefinable.” Five different directors made the five films and each has its own distinct vibe. Ultimately, your own personal preferences will determine your ranking of the movies. Here is ours:
5. Mission: Impossible II
Plot: I think there is a virus called Chimera that threatens the world’s population. The villain wants to buy stock in the corporation that can cure the virus . . . I think. Who cares, really. Right? Because stunts, slow-motion, and motorcycles.
Memorable scene(s): The early scene of Tom Cruise dangling from a mountain is breathtaking. It redefined Ethan Hunt for the sequel. Memorable for the wrong reasons - Cruise and Dougray Scott leap from their respective motorcycles and meet in the air, balletically, with the goal of taking the other down.
Sidekicks/Villain: Though Ving Rhames gets some great lines, the rest of the IMF team is basically nonexistent. Thandie Newton is supposed to be Ethan Hunt’s equal and the epitome of sexy, and she is not terrible, but the script doesn’t really give her much of substance to do. (Naysayers would claim that her decision to inject herself with Chimera is heroic and surprising. But, what is Chimera, really, other than a plot device? And why do we care?) Dougray Scott is as over-the-top as they come, spittle flying from his mouth as his shouts orders at all who cross gis path.
Overall Quality: John Woo’s style was bombastically on display. The movie is trashy fun, for sure, but it’s dreadfully serious for the majority of its running time and, again, hinges on the villain getting money from manipulating stock options. There’s some stylish shots and genuinely thrilling moments, but it’s ultimately a hollow action blockbuster.
4. Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol
Plot: The IMF team is disavowed after the Kremlin blows up. Hunt and his team must clear their name and prevent another possible attack. Also, the most believable uses of the series’ signature masks.
Memorable scene(s): Tom Cruise’s scaling of the tallest building in the world (Burj Khalifa) was wonderful. In IMAX, my stomach dropped when the camera pushed out over his head to show the magnificence of the height. The scene manages to be exciting, believable, and funny, all at the same time. It kicks off the best sequence in the film and one of the best sequences in any of the Mission movies.
Sidekicks/Villain: The villain is arguably the most forgettable in all of the movies. At least Dougray Scott chewed up the scenery with his intense screaming. Jeremy Renner proved a worthy addition to the stable of Ethan Hunt helpers and Simon Pegg was hysterical as techie Benji Dunn. Paula Patton is fine, but mostly there to wear eye-catching clothes. The lack of Ving Rhames, however, was glaring. Though he shows up for a fun cameo in the film’s final scene, his wry sense of humor was missed.
Overall Quality: Perhaps knowing that this is many people’s favorite of the series is what takes it down a few notches in my mind. I thought that the climax was less satisfying than in previous M:I movies. The humor was perfect (especially because they beefed up Simon Pegg’s role) and Brad Bird honestly goosed the series for the better, as seen in the superior Rogue Nation, but, with the exception of an effective final nod to Hunt’s wife from M:I3, it didn’t include enough personal stakes for my liking.
3. Mission: Impossible
Plot: The plot of the first Mission: Impossible is a common punching bag. Many found it to be overly complicated or borderline incoherent. I remember, as a 16-year-old, I was prepared to be mystified by its incomprehensible twists. However, the movie, though byzantine, is actually fairly easy to follow. The IMF team is sent on a mission that is actually a mole hunt. Since Ethan Hunt is the only one who survives, he is identified as the mole. However, he is not the mole, so he sets out to prove his innocence with the help of some off-the-grid colleagues.
Memorable scene(s): As Jean Reno deals with a bothersome rodent, Cruise hangs precipitously in a secured CIA office. It is one of the most recognizable scenes from the entire series. Also, the scene where Kittridge and Hunt converse in a restaurant is shot with claustrophobic precision, ending with Cruise outrunning a broken aquarium in slow motion.
Sidekicks/Villain: Ving Rhames almost steals the movie as Luther Stickell, starting a friendship with Hunt that has lasted throughout all of the movies. Emmanuelle Beart is sexy and devious as Jim Phelps’ apparent widow. Jon Voight was solid in the thankless role as the (SPOILER ALERT) double-crossing former IMF leader. All of them went for realism above action movie over-acting, and it elevated this first time out.
Overall Quality: Brian De Palma built the movie like a Hitchcockian puzzle, increasing suspense with close-ups and tastefully deployed slow-motion. The movie’s fiendish twist, that offended purists but provided a genuine shock, that Jim Phelps betrayed the IMF team, is what elevated this movie above #4 and #2.
2. Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation
Plot: In the end, the story boils down to mano a mano mind games between Ethan Hunt and Sean Harris’ soft-spoken but conniving head of The Syndicate. Since the IMF has been disbanded (a common thematic device, obviously), Ethan must hide from the government (led by Alec Baldwin) and eventually enlist friends to help him track down the mysterious and possibly fictional Syndicate.
Memorable scene(s): Much has been made of the opening scene where Tom Cruise was LITERALLY strapped to the side of a plane that was taking off. It’s a doozy. Every scene where Rebecca Ferguson fights is worth the price of admission. And there is a scene that takes place during an opera that is so well-edited and well-shot, you feel like you are there, sweating with the team.
Sidekicks/Villain: It was great to see Luther back on the team in a real way. Ving Rhames, with his underplayed arrogance and nonchalant charm, helps anchor the series. Rebecca Ferguson, new to the series in this film, is perfect. Not only is she badass, but her shifting loyalties and ultimate redemption demonstrate a sophistication from Christopher McQuarrie in dealing with a female action hero. She even employs a signature “move” in her multiple fight scenes. She is pretty but not part of the movie JUST to be a pretty face. And the villain, though not as memorable as Philip Seymour Hoffman’s Owen Davian, is suitably creepy and faces off against Cruise’s Ethan Hunt in an engaging intellectual battle of wits.
Overall Quality: I have a feeling I may ultimately find this movie to be the best in the series. As it stands, it has not yet stood the test of time. But, from its nefarious use of the “mission message” from headquarters at the start of the movie, to its poetic justice climax, Rogue Nation is the most well-put together of all the films and an adrenaline blast that never lets up. It also showed Mission: Impossible II what a real motorcycle chase should look and feel like.
1. Mission: Impossible III
Plot: J.J. Abrams and his fellow screenwriters made it a priority to look inside the real life of Cruise’s Ethan Hunt. After someone he trained is killed, Hunt re-enters the field, even though he is about to get married (to Michelle Monaghan), to get revenge and secure the mysterious Rabbit’s Foot before it can wreak some sort of worldwide havoc.
Memorable scene(s): The rescue of Keri Russell’s young agent is exciting and well-shot. When Hunt threatens to drop Philip Seymour Hoffman’s Owen Davian out of the bottom of their plane, it’s intense and memorable as both of them angle to get the upper hand.
Sidekicks/Villain: Russell is a perfect mix of intensity and nerves as Hunt’s protege that (SPOILER ALERT) dies in the first twenty minutes of the movie. She would later make good on the action promise she shows here with FX’s The Americans. Hoffman plays the best villain in the series, bar none, elevating every scene he is in with his ice-cold stare and his seeming disdain for everyone and everything. Though Maggie Q and Jonathan Rhys Meyers are ultimately wasted, Russell and Hoffman more than make up for it.
Overall Quality: There are wildly contrasting opinions about Mission: Impossible III. I happen to think that, even though Abrams was a film newbie at the time, he helmed the ship with flair and surehandedness. His biggest contribution was imbuing the story with a more personal aspect that didn’t work for some but did for me. The rescue of Russell and the final scene where Ethan races--on foot--to find his new wife are both marvels of suspense-building that find time for lighter moments. (Hunt, to his wife, upon waking up after shocking himself to death and seeing dead people on the floor: “You did that?”) Though all of the movies are exciting, M:I3 delivered the most complete movie, in my mind.
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Deadpool | Trailer Trailer [HD] | 20th Century Fox
by @motbones
We have talked in the past about how ridiculous it was getting with trailers to promote upcoming trailers, but if it must be done do it like this. Ryan Reynolds’ Deadpool has had some pretty funny posts over the last few months from hitching a ride to Comic-Con to debuting the new costume, however this trailer to promote the debut of his upcoming trailer is hilarious and a great representation of the Deadpool character.
Top 10 Favorite Voice Acting Performances of All-Time
by @cdurham99
Voice acting is most definitely an art, as evidenced by the vast difference in performances given by various actors. With technology such as it is, voice roles are possible even outside of traditional animated films. There are movies like Where the Wild Things Are, which features top-notch actors in roles as “wild things.” They even interacted in a three-dimensional environment to really get into character. Likewise, James Spader and Mark Ruffalo gave voice and motion performances in this year’s Age of Ultron, starting to expand the idea of what an animated performance entails. And, of course, Andy Serkis has built a thriving and successful career out of playing “animated” characters. He is constructing some of the most well-rounded performances ever by someone whose exact likeness does not end up on the screen (as Gollum, Caesar, and King Kong).
So, what makes a truly great voice performance to me?
Spontaneity and ad-libbing contribute to comedy.
It demonstrates multiple different emotions and voice inflections.
It includes some obvious elements of creativity.
This list is not universal. I agonized over it and came up with my personal top 10. I welcome dissenting opinions in the comments section or via twitter (@rogueauteurs). (i.e. “How could you leave Tom Hanks and Tim Allen off of this list?!”) Movies invite debates and inexplicably contrasting opinions. That being said, here is one man’s opinion of the Top Ten Voice Acting Performances of All-Time. Enjoy (or don’t).
Devastating omissions: Zachary Levi as Flynn Rider in Tangled, Sarah Silverman as Vanellope Von Schweetz in Wreck-It Ralph, Jack Black as Po in Kung Fu Panda, and Liam Neeson as Good Cop/Bad Cop in The Lego Movie. (On the DVD commentary, one of the directors said that they told Neeson he could record all of Good Cop’s lines separately and all of Bad Cop’s lines separately. However, Neeson said he didn’t need to and then proceeded to do all of the lines back and forth in real time. Brilliance.)
10. Bradley Cooper as Rocket Raccoon, Guardians of the Galaxy
Yes, the movie is mostly live-action and, yes, Bradley Cooper did not provide the motion-capture for Rocket Raccoon. However, none of that takes away from his brilliantly sarcastic voice work. Vin Diesel worked hard to imbue three words with as much emotion as possible, but Bradley Cooper’s almost unrecognizable Brooklyn accent and chip-on-his-shoulder snarl steal the movie. Almost every line Rocket delivers in the first two-thirds of the movie is laugh out loud funny. But Cooper makes the sentimental stuff work just as well in the final third.
Classic line delivery: “Well, now I’m standing. Happy? We’re all standing now. Bunch of jackasses, standing in a circle.”
9. Phil Harris as Baloo and Little John, The Jungle Book and Robin Hood
Completists would have me include his performance in The Aristocats as well. Full disclosure: I have never seen The Aristocats. Apologies. These two voice acting performances were the first ones I ever really loved as a kid. I loved Phil Harris’ singing voice and I loved the happy-go-lucky quality to his speaking voice. In The Jungle Book, he is more of the fun-loving screw-up, while in Robin Hood, he is the faithful voice of reason. In both cases, though, Harris makes you believe in the connection between his character and his best friend (Mowgli or Robin Hood, as the case may be).
Classic line delivery: Robin Hood - “You’re burning the chow!”
Jungle Book - “Look for the bare necessities, the simple bare necessities. Forget about your worried and your strifes.”
8. Susan Egan as Meg, Hercules
Perhaps an offbeat choice for some, but an obvious one for me. Though I don’t know Ms. Egan from anything else, her sexy and sultry voice provides the perfect attitude for Hercules’ lady love Megara. She throws him for a loop, but not with the demure pseudo-games that Disney “princesses” usually play. This is an in-your-face gal who eventually melts a little bit when confronted with Herc’s naive earnestness, but never loses her edge. Throw in one of the most gospel-tinged Disney songs in history with “I Won’t Say (I’m in Love)” and you have anything but a run-of-the-mill damsel in distress.
Classic line delivery: “Megara. My friends call me Meg. At least they would if I had any friends. So did they give you a name along with all those rippling pectorals?”
7. David Spade as Kuzco, The Emperor’s New Groove
Eartha Kitt and Patrick Warburton are also amazing in this movie. I could have easily given this slot to the entire cast (as I did in #6 below). Ultimately, The Emperor’s New Groove relies on Spade’s arrogance setting the tone so entirely, that I gave this spot to him alone. Spade’s Kuzco insults everyone around him and yet stays likeable, somehow due to the overbearingly snarky inflection in his voice. But his transformation to sensitive friend is also believable as Spade makes the important decision to keep some of that snark around to show that he is the same Kuzco he has always been, just with a change of heart.
Classic line deliveries: “Now, who’s in my chair?”
“You know, it's a good thing you're not a big, fat guy or this would be really difficult.”
6. The Princess and the Frog cast
I am fully aware that this is technically cheating, but this voice cast is uniformly great and they elevate the level of the movie. Bruno Campos alternates between silly and debonair early on before becoming earnest. Keith David voices one of the best Disney animated villains of all-time and gets bonus points for a deep, resonating singing voice. Anika Noni Rose is heartbreaking and charming and desperate as the titular princess, Tiana. And I could go on and on. (Shoot, I didn’t even mention John Goodman. Good heavens!) Every line is delightful and every character is a product of the actor or actress’ personality. Richard Corliss of Time named this the #1 movie of 2009 and I submit that it was because of the sterling performances of the cast.
Classic line deliveries: “Do you get my joke? Because your head is . . . it’s in the tuba.”
“It’s not slime, it’s mucus!”
“Fun fact about voodoo, Larry: can’t conjure a thing for myself.”
“Caught me completely by surprise . . . for the fifth year in a row!”
“Nobody gonna sing with Ray? Okay.”
5. Kenneth Branagh and Kevin Kline as Miguel and Tulio, The Road to El Dorado
I consider it a travesty, personally, that this movie was a bomb at the time it hit theaters. The studio envisioned it as a series but dismissed it when the movie performed so poorly. It is a charming, fun, and intelligent little road comedy, however. Most of the reason is the perfect rapport between Kline and Branagh. They recorded their lines in the booth together and it shows. They ad-lib and tease with such perfect accuracy, their characters’ friendship is one of the most believable in animated movie history.
Classic line deliveries: “I am Miguel.” “And I am Tulio.” “And they call us ‘Miguel and Tulio!’”
“You’re not a god? You lied to me?!”
“We’re both in barrels. That is the extent of my knowledge.”
4. James Woods as Hades, Hercules
For my money, Hades is one of the funniest of all animated villains, and that is mostly due to James Woods frisky, sarcastic voice work. Able to perfectly convey all of Hades’ anger and annoyance with subtle vocal inflections and well-placed outbursts, Woods creates a scary but funny enemy to Hercules who the audience knows is capable of anything. His facetiousness suggests there could be a little bit of sentimentality just underneath the surface. We want to believe that, and therein lies the genius of the performance. In the end, Hades is just what he always was. Woods, however, almost wins us over to his side with his slyness.
Classic line deliveries: “Whoa, is my hair out?”
“We dance, we kiss, we schmooze, we carry on, we go home happy. What do you say? Come on.”
3. Jeremy Irons as Scar, The Lion King
The menace in Jeremy Irons’ voice combined with his deadpan delivery and suggestion of unadulterated evil makes Scar one of the greatest villains in the animated movie canon. Irons is a very serious actor not known for his comedic skills. This matches the character of Scar perfectly. Though there are a few very comical lines from the nefarious lion, Irons’ main job is to make the audience believe he is scarier and smarter than everyone around him and he achieves that beautifully. There may have been a temptation for Irons to overplay everything, but his subtlety is what has him this high on my list. When he does lose his temper, it’s terrifying, and makes the malice present in his voice all the more creepy.
Classic line deliveries: Simba - “You’re so weird.” Scar - “You have no idea.”
“You won’t get a SNIFF without me!!”
2. Eddie Murphy as Mushu and Donkey, Mulan and the Shrek series
The closest successor to #1 on this list is the fast-talking, sassy Eddie Murphy. No one is funnier, no one is better at ad-libbing, and no one is better at stealing the show as a sidekick than Murphy. I believe that Murphy’s performances were borne out of the evolution of voice acting. Honestly, no matter how many times I watch Mulan or any of the Shrek movies, I always laugh at something new that Murphy’s characters say. They are goldmines. Yet, in Mulan, Murphy also has to communicate Mushu’s melancholy at his perceived ineptitude and forge a believable familial connection with Mulan. In Shrek, his friendship with Shrek forms the backbone of the four movie series. Donkey may be the noble screwup, but his obliviousness is what endears him to the audience. Murphy perfectly captures that in his vocal inflections. The final thing that places Murphy this high on the list for me is that, although Donkey and Mushu have a lot of similarities, they ultimately feel like distinctly different characters. That is a tribute to Murphy’s talent.
Classic line deliveries: Shrek series - “You know what ELSE everybody likes? Parfaits! Have you ever met a person, you say, ‘Let's get some parfait,’ they say, ‘Hell no, I don't like no parfait’? Parfaits are delicious!”
“Are my kids cute or do they make people uncomfortable?”
Mulan - “What? What do you mean you’re not lucky? You lied to me?! And what are you, a SHEEP?!?”
“Citizens, I need firepower.”
1. Robin Williams as The Genie, Aladdin and Aladdin and the King of Thieves
For many, Robin Williams is the undisputed voice acting performance champion. I am firmly in that camp. He revolutionized the world of voice acting, causing people to legitimately discuss Academy Awards in conjunction with a vocal performance for the first time ever. (No one has been nominated yet, but Robin Williams made it believable. He even received a “special achievement” award from the Golden Globes for voicing The Genie.) It’s not that there wasn’t great voice work before him, but no one had ever been given free reign in the way Williams was. Williams was not in Return of Jafar, the direct-to-video sequel to Aladdin (because he felt they violated their agreement to not use his voice in merchandising, etc.). When he returned for Aladdin and the King of Thieves (also direct-to-video), Disney appeared to give Williams even more room to “play.” What distinguished Robin Williams from other celebrities called on to voice animated characters was his unparalleled ability to ad-lib and his ultimate humanity. As an Academy Award winner for his live action work (Good Will Hunting), we know the man could act. But effectively translating that to a voice performance is easier said than done. Williams’ Genie is a hysterical character--one of the funniest to ever grace our screens--but Williams made us feel his sense of sadness and loneliness at being trapped inside the lamp. He will always be the gold standard in my book, no matter how many people find success doing what he started.
Classic line deliveries: Aladdin - “Aladdin! Hello, Aladdin, nice to have you on the show. Can we call you Al, or maybe just Din? Or how about Laddie? Sounds like, ‘Here, boy!’”
Aladdin and the King of Thieves - “Once again, this whole broadcast has been brought to you by Sand. It's everywhere, get used to it.”
“Maybe you you could elope. No, you can't elope. But, oh, honey dew!”
Though this quasi-con man/heist flick does hit a lot of the cliches, as directed by Barry Levinson (Rain Man, The Natural, Wag the Dog) and starring Bruce Willis, Billy Bob Thornton, and Cate Blanchett, it manages to transcend a lot of those trappings and become a genuinely moving, funny, and exciting movie. Willis and Thornton play Joe and Terry, who escape from prison and begin robbing banks together. In the course of their robberies, they kidnap a bored housewife, played by Blanchett, who causes a lot of trouble and starts a tricky love triangle. Where that love triangle leads is one of the movie’s many offbeat choices. Thornton gives a subtle performance where many actors would have been tempted to go bombastic. He anchors the silliness of the movie in real pathos. Blanchett also demonstrates her prized ability to humanize high-strung, borderline annoying characters. The movie has an evocative soundtrack and moody cinematography that match its tone well. There are a few plot points that are telegraphed miles ahead, but the character development makes the journey worth it.
I will be very honest: this is mostly a nostalgia pick. When I was a teenager, I had a mad crush on Sandra Bullock. To put it in perspective, I saw Speed 2 TWICE in the theaters. That was where I was at. The Net was a paranoid thriller about the dangers of the fledgling internet. It has some eerie parallels to real life and features a creepy turn from Jeremy Northam, but the real draw, per usual in the 90s, is Bullock as a computer hacker that “gets in too deep.” It features a solid, non-comedic performance from Dennis Miller and is directed by Irwin Winkler (Life as a House, At First Sight). It’s earnest, suspenseful, and a lot of fun, in my opinion. It’s not going to stick with you, but it might take you back to a more simple time.
FIRST TRAILER FOR ALEJANDRO GONZALEZ INARRITU’S THE REVENANT, STARRING LEONARDO DICAPRIO AND TOM HARDY
Alejandro G. Inarritu’s (Birdman, Babel) latest effort, The Revenant, hits theaters on Christmas. Starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hardy, it tells an intense story of survival in the wilderness. Shot by acclaimed cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki (Children of Men, Gravity, Birdman) and using only natural light, the movie promises to generate a lot of buzz and possible Oscar nominations. This first trailer is high on atmosphere and full of impressive beards. Take a look.
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Moneyball was based on a book by Michael Lewis about the philosophy the Oakland A’s employed in building a Major League baseball team. It delved into statistics and, though it also dealt with the human beings associated with the baseball decisions, ultimately, it was a book about a specific statistical system used to help a baseball team win games. That is was turned into such a successful and emotional movie remains a genuine triumph brought to us by screenwriters Aaron Sorkin and Steven Zaillian and director Bennett Miller. Many elements were integral in turning a book that seemed very uncinematic into something that both embraces and eschews sports movie cliches. Brad Pitt and Jonah Hill lead a stellar cast who hold to the idea that realism is always, conclusively, a better choice than melodrama. The cinematography, by Christopher Nolan crony Wally Pfister, is subtle and often breathtaking. Mychael Danna’s score resists sports movie cliches in adding emotion and ambience. Bennett Miller, as shown to an even greater degree in Foxcatcher, trusts the audience’s intelligence and focuses less on making things blockbuster-obvious and more on keeping things cinematically and thematically rich.
However, even with all of those elements working in perfect tandem, the movie would not soar as high as it does without its gorgeous closing scenes. (Spoilers are ahead for those who haven’t seen the movie and would like to go in with absolutely no prior information.) As the movie winds down, Pitt’s Billy Beane has been offered an incredible amount of money to leave the A’s and join the Boston Red Sox as their GM. After a conversation with Hill’s Peter Brand, Billy gets into his car with his decision still up in the air. As he drives, he puts in a CD that his daughter made for him. He had asked her to sing for him, but she was a little too shy, so she recorded a song for him and gave it to him on CD. (The song is “The Show” by Lenka.) Though subtitles that close the movie give us the specific details on Billy’s eventual decision, this final scene is so good that no other explanation was really needed. The handheld camera work, with its zooms and shifting focus, along with Pitt’s acting, and Kerris Dorsey’s singing, close the film with such moving subtlety that I am getting choked up just thinking about it right now. It speaks volumes thematically and drives home an important point so much more clearly than most sports movies could: it’s never truly about sports; it’s about something more than that. I can only recall a handful of movies where the closing scene is more important than it is in Moneyball. Most of those movies are movies with some sort of big “twist” (The Sixth Sense, The Usual Suspects). Here, the quiet emotion on Billy Beane’s face combined with the innocence of his daughter’s voice mean more than the swelling music that concludes countless romantic comedies. It is one of my very favorite scenes to watch over and over again and one that demands that I remember what is important in life.
DC COMICS’ SUICIDE SQUAD GETS FIRST OFFICIAL TRAILER AT SAN DIEGO COMIC-CON
With a new Batman v. Superman trailer and now the first official trailer for Suicide Squad, DC is definitely declaring war on Marvel’s cinematic monopoly. This look at David Ayer’s (Training Day, Fury, End of Watch) “the bad guys become the good guys” flick seems to promise genuine mayhem and creepy thrills. The trailer smartly saves the money shots of Jared Leto’s Joker for the very end, but gives good solid looks at Will Smith as Deadshot and Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn. Others get screen time as well, most notably Viola Davis as Amanda Waller, who appears to bring the squad together, and one of my favorite current actors, Joel Kinnaman, who replaced Tom Hardy as Rick Flagg. (And there is a quick shot of what appears to be Batman. DC plans to integrate and overlap its movie universe in a similar way to Marvel and Ben Affleck is said to make a cameo.) All in all, the trailer is exciting and atmospheric and should get the positive buzz started.
NEW TRAILER FROM COMIC-CON: BATMAN V SUPERMAN: DAWN OF JUSTICE
As someone who has always been wary of Zack Snyder, I am approaching his new Superman/Batman vehicle with caution. Snyder has a gift with visuals, but story has never been his strong point (see: 300, Sucker Punch). However, I have long thought that if paired with the right material, Snyder could create something pretty incredible. (Watchmen came closest and was a noble effort: intelligent, literary, beautiful to watch.) Though Man of Steel was a fairly profound disappointment, the newest trailer for Batman v. Superman seems to suggest that he may have found the proper vehicle for his talents. It has an amazing cast and seems to tell a challenging story. Obviously, we are still very far away from the movie’s proper debut, but this preview hits all the right notes.
Arguably the best sports movie ever made and definitely one of the greatest documentaries ever filmed, Hoop Dreams follows two young high school basketball prospects as they chase their dreams of NBA stardom. What separates it from fictional sports movies is the same thing that separates docs from dramas: the twists and turns are real. And in Hoop Dreams, they are so real they hurt. As both young men deal with the pressure of working so hard to be good and deal with all of the obstacles real life throws at all of us, the movie becomes something more transcendent: a mirror. Everyone is reflected is some way by these two boys who make goals and deal with the reality of falling short of those goals. They may not triumph in the way we are used to seeing in cinema, but their triumph of spirit reflects each of our own hopes for ourselves.
Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy is rightly hailed as the definitive cinematic vision of Batman. It’s taking nothing away, however, to remind ourselves of how good Tim Burton’s visionary 1989 version was, and how revolutionary at the time. Not only were comic book movies few and far between (after the first Superman, the rest left much to be desired), but very rarely did they go as dark as Burton’s first Caped Crusader flick. Michael Keaton was a surprising choice to play Bruce Wayne and his alter ego, but by all accounts he is still one of the best to don the cape; Jack Nicholson is a gas as a garish version of the Joker, an obvious precursor to Heath Ledger’s scarier, crazier incarnation; and Kim Basinger is sultry as Bruce/Batman’s love interest, Vicki Vale. Burton’s Batman Returns may have pushed the envelope a little further than anyone wanted at the time, but it’s not far-fetched to say that this movie ignited a new interest in comic books and their movie adaptations that has carried over to today’s oversaturation.
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Definitely belongs in the conversation about the best movies Pixar has released, Inside Out pulls off the Pixar-patented nifty trick of being silly, exciting, and engaging for kids while being insightful, emotional, and eye-opening for adults. It’s almost cliche to even give Pixar credit for that anymore, but it has never been more true than in their newest offering. The movie follows the “emotions” of an 11-year-old girl named Riley as she navigates growing up, most specifically as her family moves across the country from Minnesota to San Francisco and she tries to make sense of it, emotionally. Each emotion is represented by a being in her head: Joy (Amy Poehler) regulates her happiness; Sadness (Phyllis Smith) clues her in on when to be melancholy; Fear (Bill Hader) overreacts to all of the potential harmful things around her; Anger (Lewis Black) fires her up when she needs to get mad; and Disgust (Mindy Kaling, at her sarcastic best) takes control when Riley just “needs a moment.” All together, they have successfully gotten Riley through her first eleven years, but things take a horrible turn when they cannot quite get a grasp on how to approach her family’s move. What follows is a deeply metaphorical, but still fun, journey through the psyche of a preteen just trying to get by in life.
Like Toy Story 3, Inside Out is able to somehow tap into their audience’s collective nostalgia about growing up and still find insight into their current adult world. In this case, that insight has to do with memories and interpreting our feelings. I have read a few critics who have said that they left the movie contemplating the way they think. I understand that. I left the theater wondering about the way my kids think and determined to try to comprehend them better. (I remember having this feeling when I left the movie Where the Wild Things Are and I have felt it every time I have watched that movie since.) A friend of mine said that he is continually amazed by Pixar’s ability to keep their quality so high. In fact, his specific note was that every time he sees the trailer for another Pixar movie, it just looks “okay.” Then critics began to release their glowing reviews and he thinks, “It can’t be.” Then he goes and sees it and is enchanted once again. It’s become far too obvious to recommend a Pixar movie, but I must keep doing it. All of the voice work is perfect, the story is delightful (simply exciting for kids, metaphorically rich for adults), and the animation is pristine and vivid. Inside Out is a worthy addition to the Pixar canon and one that has the potential to change the way you think.
Based on a novel by Jesse Andrews (who also wrote the screenplay), Alfonso Gomez-Rejon’s coming of age tale (yes, an overused moniker, but an apt one) works a little too hard to be quirky, but still manages to be funny, insightful, and heartfelt. Seemingly working through boxes on a “quirky checklist,” Andrews’ script includes progressive and unique parents, deadpan narration, humorous title cards, stop-motion animated interludes, an offbeat and compassionate teacher, a droll but subtly wise best friend, and trendy clothes for everyone involved. Luckily, most of those additions work, and the well-thought out cinematography elevates many of the emotional moments with subtle symbolism. The story focuses on a high school senior named Greg (Thomas Mann) whose neighborhood acquaintance Rachel (Olivia Cooke) is diagnosed with leukemia. Greg’s mother (Connie Britton) challenges him to spend time with Rachel to help buoy her spirits in the face of her ordeal. Greg, who has carefully cultivated anonymity for his first three years of high school and struggles with self-esteem, eventually relents to please his mom, and so begins an eventual friendship between Greg and Rachel.
The performances from Mann and Cooke are unaffected and sharp, especially as both actors and Gomez-Rejon let silence speak volumes and let conversations run wild. (Parks and Recreation’s Nick Offerman is also great as Greg’s father, and The Walking Dead’s Jon Bernthal gives all he can to the cliched role of the “cool teacher.”) In resisting the urge to make every story beat an important “plot point,” the movie develops a scruffy tone all its own. This tone is also helped by the scene-stealing turn by RJ Cyler, who plays the titular Earl to Greg’s “Me” and Rachel’s “The Dying Girl.” Cyler’s Earl is smart but quiet, respectful but irreverent, and loyal but sometimes erratic. He elicits laughs with most of the things he says, but ends up being the conscience that Greg so desperately needs as he deals with a lot of difficult choices in regards to his friendship with the ultimately despondent Rachel. Somehow, Greg and Earl’s friendship seems obvious, but wholly unlike any other I remember seeing portrayed on film. All three characters and their interlocking paths form the heart and soul of the film, but I confess to leaving the theater thinking more about Earl and what life held for him outside of the movie’s confines than pondering about mortality and the frustrating ways we prevent ourselves from achieving the happiness we deserve.
I may sound a little conflicted about the movie, or perhaps like I found the more lighthearted elements to be more compelling than the somber ones. I don’t think that is the case. Me and Earl and the Dying Girl is achingly honest about high schoolers’ psyches and achieves genuine pathos in its final scenes. That being said, it didn’t soar as high as perhaps the first half hour suggested that it might. It’s fun, it’s honest, it’s beautiful, and it doesn’t treat its audience like idiots. Those characteristics are important to any successful film. And I would be remiss if I concluded this review without mentioning the movies within the movie that Earl and Greg make, each one a tribute to a different movie classic with a twist on the original’s title. (For example, My Dinner With Andre the Giant, MonoRash, A Sockwork Orange, and Senior Citizen Kane, to name just a few.) These short films play a key role in the actual movie as the boys share them with Rachel during her treatment, allowing her small pockets of happiness, but also allowing the writer and director to pay homage to the art of moviemaking and the movies that have influenced them. Perhaps that’s why they also allowed themselves to give in to so many quirky cliches throughout their story: it allowed them to examine the way that art (films, television, books, etc.) can offer us a glimpse into our own heads. And what Me and Earl and the Dying Girl may ultimately be about is the way our own heads so often distort the truth of what is around us.
