It may be destined to become a cult classic based on its early reviews as Jake Gyllenhall plays a journalist in the L.A. crime underground in Nightcrawler, out Friday.
Dan Gilroy directs the picture which costars Rene Russo, Riz Ahmed, and Bill Paxton. Critical buzz is quite positive after it screened at film festivals and this continues Gyllenhall’s trend of picking less commercial and more artistically relevant material. However, that doesn’t mean you should expect much for its opening weekend. After all, “cult film” usually indicates it won’t make much in its initial run.
To me, the question is whether or not Nightcrawler manages double digits and I’ll predict it falls short of the mark.
Nightcrawler opening weekend prediction: $8.1 million
For my Before I Go to Sleep prediction, click here:
Some apologies are more sincere than others and X-Men: Days of Future Past may just have the distinction of being 20th Century Fox and Bryan Singer’s most expensive apology ever. Why? Essentially, the seventh X-Men installment (counting the two Wolverine one-offs) renders a lot of 2006’s X-Men: The Last Stand moot. That picture sent comic book fans into a frenzy with how sub par it was after Brett Ratner took over the directorial reigns from Singer, who made the high quality first two flicks.
In order for Singer to pull off his most miraculous trick since Kevin Spacey started walking straight almost 20 years ago, the franchise must incorporate time travel. That means we get to see the cast from the original trilogy and those who populated 2011’s X-Men: First Class, which triumphantly reinvigorated the series.
At the center of it all is Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine, who warps back and forth between 1973 and the near future. In the “sort of” present, giant robots called Sentinels are exterminating Earth’s mutant species. Charles Xavier/Professor X (Patrick Stewart) and Erik/Magneto (Ian McKellen) have actually formed a truce (maybe) to fight them. The solution involves having Wolverine go back 40 years to stop Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence) from killing Trask (Peter Dinklage), the Sentinel’s creator. Once Wolverine is among the glorious 70s fashion, he has to find younger Charles (James McAvoy) and Magneto (Michael Fassbender) and convince them to work together (no easy assignment) to alter history. Even President Richard Nixon is part of the action, though it’s never established if any of the future dwellers helped him out with that whole Watergate thing.
Along the way, we’re introduced to a new character that inspires the coolest sequence in the picture. That’s Quicksilver (Evan Peters), whose super fast abilities allow for a rather jaw dropping action scene. His presence in the upcoming sequels will be welcome I trust.
To set the future right, Charles can only truly help by giving up a nasty drug addiction that renders his telepathy useless, but allows him to walk. Only by embracing his paralyzed status can he enter the Cerebro chamber and do his Professor X thing. In essence, he’s sort of like the cinematic Bizarro equivalent of Lieutenant Dan.
Besides the company already mentioned, other X-Men favorites (and not so favorites) return. There’s Beast and Shadowcat and Iceman. Halle Berry returns as Storm and, just like in the original trilogy, she doesn’t add much to the proceedings.
For all the time travel gobbledygook, Future Past works best as a highly entertaining action pic spent with old friends. Singer proved himself a great choice for the X material (unlike with Superman) in 2000 and 2002 and that holds true today. We already know how effective Jackman and the fine actors playing young and old Professor X and Magneto are. And with Jennifer Lawrence having become one of the biggest stars in the world since First Class, her role as Mystique is certainly magnified, as would be expected.
Future Past continues the positive trend that the series has been on since First Class washed the bad taste of Last Stand away. Brett Ratner might deservedly feel like a scapegoat once the credits roll here, but you’ll feel pretty satisfied.
We have arrived at part 3 of my personal top 90 hip hop singles of the nineties decade, covering numbers 70-61. If you missed my first two posts covering nos. 90-71, shame on you. However, you can find them here:
With its infectious chorus and its Spike Lee directed video which had us all ridiculously waving our arms to and fro, Naughty by Nature scored a well deserved smash in 1993 with this jam.
69. “Still DRE” by Dr. Dre featuring Snoop Dogg (1999)
The lead single off Dre’s Chronic 2001 album found the glorious mix of Dre and Snoop back in business.
68. “Keep Ya Head Up” by 2Pac (1993)
Pac’s single showcases the more sensitive side of the iconic rapper.
67. “Ice Cream” by Raekwon featuring Method Man, Ghostface Killah, and Cappadonna (1995)
Four Wu-Tang Clan members collaborate on this classic track from Raekwon’s amazing Only Built 4 Cuban Linx album.
66. “Baby Got Back” by Sir-Mix-a-Lot (1992)
It’s still being put to good use today by Nicki Minaj in her hit “Anaconda”, but Seattle based Mix-a-Lot created a booty jam for the ages over two decades ago.
65. “I’m a Player” by Too Short (1993)
So many filthy yet remarkable songs to choose from involving Too Short – but this cut from his Get In Where You Fit In album rose above the rest.
64. “Murder Was the Case” by Snoop Dogg (1994)
One of Snoop’s many masterpieces from his Doggystyle debut album.
63. “Funkdafied” by Da Brat (1994)
Da Brat and producer Jermaine Dupri had a summer 1994 highlight with this title track off her debut album.
62. “Summertime” by DJ Jazzy Jeff and The Fresh Prince (1991)
Speaking of summer, before Will Smith became one of the biggest film stars in the world – he and partner DJ Jeff made a seasonal anthem that will never go away.
61. “U Can’t Touch This” by MC Hammer (1990)
Quibble if you want, but this Rick James sampling classic was instrumental in bringing hip hop to the mainstream. Plus – Hammer pants!!
And that’ll do it for now, folks! I’ll be back with part four soon enough…
This evening we continue on with part two of my personal 90 favorite hip hop hits of the 1990s. If you missed part 1 covering numbers 90-81, you may find it here:
Let’s get right to it! 80. “Slam” by Onyx (1993) Undoubtedly one of the greatest rap songs where the rappers are basically yelling at you for the duration of the cut. It makes you want to break stuff.
79. “Bout It Bout It II” by Master P (1995) Mr. P started a 90s empire with No Limit Records with hit singles and albums by himself, his family members and others that included Mystikal and even Snoop Dogg. This is one of the most memorable tracks.
78. “Can I Get A…” by Jay-Z featuring Amil and Ja Rule (1998) Jay had his first crossover hit with this single from the Rush Hour soundtrack that also featured Ja Rule’s first intro to mainstream listeners.
77. “Playaz Club” by Rappin 4 Tay (1994) If I ever go to a Player’s Ball Convention (which is unlikely), I want this smooth track by Mr. Tay as my entrance soundtrack.
76. “Flava In Ya Ear (Remix)” by Craig Mack (1994) A discovery of Puff Daddy, Mack had a giant hit with this jam and it’s terrific remix which featured Biggie, LL Cool J, and Busta Rhymes.
75. “Hit ‘Em Up” by 2Pac (1996) Quite possibly the greatest diss rap song ever recorded, Shakur spits his venom at Puff Daddy and Biggie in unforgettable fashion.
74. “Doggy Dogg World” by Snoop Doggy Dogg featuring Tha Dogg Pound and the Dramatics (1994) With help from his cohorts Daz and Kurupt and soul group the Dramatics, this throwback to 70s funk is a highlight from Snoop’s glorious debut album Doggystyle.
73. “Deja Vu (Uptown Baby)” by Lord Tariq and Peter Gunz (1998) This duo had a top ten hit with this late 90s gem that provided them their only significant success.
72. “Crush on You” by Lil Kim (1996) The Queen B had one of her finest songs with assists from Lil Cease and Biggie on the chorus.
71. “Got Your Money” by Ol Dirty Bastard featuring Kelis (1999) The Neptunes produced banger is impossibly groovy with the late ODB at his very best and funniest. Kelis contributes the catchy chorus.
And that’ll do it for part two, folks! Part three coming your way tomorrow…
All right you 1990s hip hop heads – here we go! A couple of months back, I gave you my top 90 R&B songs of the 90s and tonight on the blog, we begin my countdown of this blogger’s personal favorite hip hop singles of that glorious decade.
Some ground rules: notice I said “singles”. It’s an important distinction. I’m not picking deep cuts that weren’t released as commercial radio fare. If you want a list of best underground rap tracks, there are search engines named Google and Yahoo and allegedly Bing. So this is a rather mainstream list… if you don’t think one of the entries on here will begin lyrically with “Stop, Collaborate, and Listen…” – you would be mistaken.
Now that we’ve established the game, it’s time for this playa to start the list. Like the previous list, this will be a nine-part series updated daily (hopefully) giving you ten jams to reminisce over! So let me clear my throat and get this started:
90. “If I Ruled the World” – Nas featuring Lauryn Hill (1996)
Two years after his iconic debut release Illmatic, Nas’s first single off his follow-up album gave him one of his biggest hits with an assist from Fugees member Lauryn Hill.
89. “They Want EFX” by Das EFX (1992)
This duo had their largest hit with this #1 charting hit.
88. “Luv 2 Luv U” by Timbaland and Magoo (1997)
Before he became one of the greatest producers in the world, Timbo teamed up with sidekick and Q-Tip soundalike Magoo for this dance club jam.
87. “How I Could Just Kill a Man” by Cypress Hill (1991)
The cannabis loving group’s debut single is one of their finest.
86. “Get At Me Dog” by DMX (1998)
This one is DMX’s very first single and it’s his second highest charting track ever. It set off a string of memorable tracks from the Def Jam artist.
85. “Nappy Heads” by Fugees (1994)
Two years before they found international success, Lauryn, Wyclef, and Pras had their first hit here.
84. “Ain’t No Future In Yo’ Frontin'” by MC Breed and DFC (1991)
This is seriously one of those songs I completely wore out for the first half of the 90s. For that reason alone, it earns a well deserved spot.
83. “Get Money” by Junior M.A.F.I.A. (1996)
Biggie’s side group that featured Lil Kim and Lil Cease had their best track here.
82. “Let Me Clear My Throat” by DJ Kool (1996)
Simply put, one of those most ridiculously infectious dance club bangers ever created. This DJ gets some fantastic assists from Biz Markie and Doug E. Fresh.
81. “Changes” by 2Pac (1998)
Mr. Shakur makes his first appearance with this posthumous Bruce Hornsby sampling track.
And that’s all for now, friends! Part two covering numbers 80-71 drops tomorrow.
Well, Thursday is considerably later than I do most of my box office predictions (Sunday is the day), but we need to make an exception this week. It wasn’t until this afternoon that the theater count was released for St. Vincent, out tomorrow. The comedy/drama stars the incomparable Mr. Bill Murray with a supporting cast featuring Melissa McCarthy, Naomi Watts, and Chris O’Dowd.
St. Vincent played the film fest circuit earlier this fall and is said to be an audience pleaser. It’s been in limited release in major cities for the last two weeks. Critics have been mostly kind and it holds a respectable 74% on Rotten Tomatoes. The announcement of the screen count was a bit of a surprise: 2,282 which certainly classifies it as a wide release. This could serve as effective counter programming to this week’s other newbies, horror flick Ouija and Keanu Reeves actioner John Wick. Females could end up being a large percentage of its opening weekend audience, in addition to die-hard Murray aficionados.
That said, I still don’t believe this manages to crack the top five. An opening in double digits is certainly possible, but I believe it’ll fall under that for a sixth place debut.
St. Vincent opening weekend prediction: $8.6 million
This evening on the blog, we arrive at round two of my Oscar Predictions for the 2014 race, which will air in early 2015 with Neil Patrick Harris handling hosting duties. In late August, I made my initial round of predictions and two months later, much has changed and much has stayed the same. Unlike my first round, my second go round will include the races of Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Original Screenplay.
Let’s get to it, shall we? Here’s where I see the Oscar race right now in the eight major categories:
Best Adapted Screenplay
For my first crack at the Adapted Screenplay race, it’s probably safe to assume Gillian Flynn’s adaptation of her own bestseller Gone Girl will make the cut, as well as festival favorites The Imitation Game and The Theory of Everything. I’m also safely (at the moment) including Angelina Jolie’s Unbroken, even though no one has seen it yet. The fifth slot includes several contenders: Still Alice, Inherent Vice, Wild, Into the Woods, and American Sniper. No one has viewed Sniper yet, but its recently released trailer inspires hope.
Todd’s Current Predictions for BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
American Sniper
Gone Girl
The Imitation Game
The Theory of Everything
Unbroken
Best Original Screenplay
Richard Linklater’s Boyhood and Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu’s Birdman appear to be shoo-ins for inclusion. I’m also thinking Wes Anderson’s work for The Grand Budapest Hotel stands it best chance at a nod here. For the remaining two slots – I’m saying Foxcatcher and Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar, for now. Other contenders include Mr. Turner, Top Five, Whiplash, A Most Violent Year, Selma, and Big Eyes.
Todd’s Current Predictions for BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Birdman
Boyhood
Foxcatcher
The Grand Budapest Hotel
Interstellar
Best Supporting Actress
This race has changed quite a bit since my first round of predictions. I originally had both Emily Blunt for Into the Woods and Felicity Jones for The Theory of Everything listed here, but it’s since been announced their performances will fall into the Best Actress race. They’re out – along with Carmen Ejogo as Coretta Scott King in Selma. The only two actresses from my initial predictions are Patricia Arquette in Boyhood (who’s a front runner) and Laura Dern in Wild. Added to the mix are Emma Stone in Birdman and Keira Knightley in The Imitation Game. Other possibilities for the fifth slot include Meryl Streep in Into the Woods, Jessica Chastain in Interstellar, Carrie Coon for Gone Girl, Sienna Miller in American Sniper, Julianne Moore in A Map to the Stars, Anna Kendrick in Into the Woods, Katherine Waterson in Inherent Vice, and Jessica Lange in The Gambler. I’ll go with Kristen Stewart as a surprise nominee for the acclaimed Still Alice.
Todd’s Current Predictions for BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Patricia Arquette, Boyhood
Laura Dern, Wild
Keira Knightley, The Imitation Game
Kristen Stewart, Still Alice
Emma Stone, Birdman
Best Supporting Actor
My first predictions didn’t include J.K. Simmons for his lauded work in Whiplash, but he could be considered the favorite at this juncture. Staying in are Edward Norton in Birdman and Mark Ruffalo in Foxcatcher and it’s tough to imagine them not being recognized. For the other two slots, I’m including Miyavi for his villainous role in Unbroken and Ethan Hawke for Boyhood. Left out from my first round: Domhall Gleeson (Unbroken), Logan Lerman (Fury), and Tim Roth (Selma). Other contenders: John Goodman for The Gambler, Tom Wilkinson for Selma, Albert Brooks for A Most Violent Year, Christoph Waltz for Big Eyes, Josh Brolin in Inherent Vice, Robert Duvall in The Judge, and Johnny Depp for Into the Woods.
Todd’s Current Predictions for BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Ethan Hawke, Boyhood
Miyavi, Unbroken
Edward Norton, Birdman
Mark Ruffalo, Foxcatcher
J.K. Simmons, Whiplash
Best Actress
Following my August estimates, the festival circuit anointed Julianne Moore as a likely front runner for playing an Alzheimer’s patient in Still Alice. I’m also sticking with initial predictions Amy Adams (Big Eyes), Rosamund Pike (Gone Girl), and Reese Witherspoon (Wild). Since the announcement of her inclusion in this race and not Supporting Actress, Felicity Jones joins the fray for The Theory of Everything. Other possibilities: Jessica Chastain in A Most Violent Year (who made the cut in August), Emily Blunt for Into the Woods, Shailene Woodley in The Fault in Our Stars, and Hilary Swank for The Homesman.
Todd’s Current Predictions for BEST ACTRESS:
Amy Adams, Big Eyes
Felicity Jones, The Theory of Everything
Julianne Moore, Still Alice
Rosamund Pike, Gone Girl
Reese Witherspoon, Wild
Best Actor
Just like last year, what a crowded field we have! The following quartet seem virtual locks for nominations: Benedict Cumberbatch (The Imitation Game), Eddie Redmayne (The Theory of Everything), Michael Keaton (Birdman), and Steve Carell (Foxcatcher). The fifth slot is the real mystery. I originally had Joaquin Phoenix here for Inherent Vice, but I’m skeptical now. For now, I’ll replace him with Jack O’Connell in Unbroken. Other possibilities include Timothy Spall for Mr. Turner (who could easily find a way in), Bradley Cooper in American Sniper (same), Ralph Fiennes for The Grand Budapest Hotel, Ben Affleck in Gone Girl, Bill Murray for St. Vincent, David Oyelowo in Selma (depends on film’s success and critical reception), Oscar Isaac in A Most Violent Year, Matthew McConaughey for Interstellar (fact that he won last year hurts), Jake Gyllenhall for Nightcrawler (pic is probably too quirky and small), and Channing Tatum for Foxcatcher (Carell likely to steal his thunder).
Todd’s Current Predictions for BEST ACTOR:
Steve Carell, Foxcatcher
Benedict Cumberbatch, The Imitation Game
Michael Keaton, Birdman
Jack O’Connell, Unbroken
Eddie Redmayne, The Theory of Everything
Best Director
Only one change here as I’m taking Bennett Miller’s direction for Foxcatcher out and putting David Fincher’s work in Gone Girl in. I think the commercial and critical success of it and Fincher’s reputation as one of Hollywood’s best filmmakers gets him in (at press time). Those who could spoil my predictions: Clint Eastwood (American Sniper), Ana DuVernay (Selma), Morten Tyldum (The Imitation Game), Wes Anderson (The Grand Budapest Hotel), Mike Leigh (Mr. Turner), James Marsh (The Theory of Everything), JC Chandor (A Most Violent Year), and Rob Marshall (Into the Woods).
Todd’s Current Predictions for BEST DIRECTOR
David Fincher, Gone Girl
Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, Birdman
Angelina Jolie, Unbroken
Richard Linklater, Boyhood
Christopher Nolan, Interstellar
Best Picture
As you may know, anywhere from 5-10 films can be nominated in the biggest category of them all. Since that system has been in place, nine pictures have been recognized every time. In August’s predictions, I predicted eight. And now – I’m going with nine. The MLK biopic Selma is the one I’ve removed. Don’t get me wrong – it could still easily make the cut, but no one’s seen it yet and it’s a question mark. Gone Girl and American Sniper enter the race in my opinion and this marks their first inclusion. Other films that could potentially make the cut (even though I say no at the moment): Mr. Turner, Whiplash, The Grand Budapest Hotel, A Most Violent Year, and Into the Woods.
Horror and action fans have newbies to feast on this weekend as Ouija and John Wick open Friday, attempting to displace Fury from its perch atop the box office. You can find my detailed prediction posts on each of them here:
I believe the Halloween season should allow Ouija to make it to #1, though my estimate is slightly higher than others I’ve seen. Being that it’s a horror flick, it could also surpass my expectations. If only there was a board game I could ask about it…
As far as John Wick, I’m not expecting much out of it as I don’t think it’s been marketed well enough to make it a must see among action fans.
Fury may experience a smallish decline next weekend and I anticipate the same for both Gone Girl and The Book of Life.
And with that, my predictions for this weekend’s top five:
1. Ouija
Predicted Gross: $24.9 million
2. Fury
Predicted Gross: $14.8 million (representing a drop of 37%)
3. Gone Girl
Predicted Gross: $11.6 million (representing a drop of 34%)
4. The Book of Life
Predicted Gross: $11.3 million (representing a drop of 34%)
5. John Wick
Predicted Gross: $11 million
Box Office Results (October 17-19)
As expected, Brad Pitt’s Fury opened in first place with a respectable though unspectacular $23.7 million, a bit below my $26.4M projection. With decent reviews and an A- Cinemascore grade, it should hold up reasonably well in subsequent weekends.
Megahit Gone Girl slipped to second in its third weekend with $17.5 million, right on par with my $17.6M estimate. The David Fincher pic has amassed $106M so far.
The animated feature The Book of Life opened in third with a solid $17 million, slightly above my $15.6M prediction. Like most kiddie pics, it should hold up well for the foreseeable future (at least until Big Hero 6 opens).
Alexander and the Horrible, Terrible, No Good, Very Bad Day was fourth in its sophomore weekend with $11.4 million, just below my $12.5M estimate. It’s taken in $36 million in ten days and may reach around $65M domestic.
Opening with a thud in fifth was the Nicholas Sparks adaptation The Best of Me with just $10 million, well under my generous $17.8M projection. The poorly reviewed romantic drama marks the worst opening ever for a Sparks adapted novel. Perhaps opening it in February would’ve been smarter.
Slipping from second to sixth was Dracula Untold with $9.9 million, close to my $10.7M prediction. The Universal monster pic has taken in $40 million in two weeks and should finish with about $60M.
It’s been over a decade since Keanu Reeves saw box office fireworks with The Matrix trilogy and we’re far removed from his ability to open something like 2005’s Constantine and 2008’s The Day the Earth Stood Still to $30 million debuts. Expectations are considerably lower for this Friday’s John Wick, starring Reeves as a hitman out for vengeance.
Wick is much more likely to see an opening similar to the star’s 2008 pic Street Kings, which got off to a $12.4M start. Despite its so far favorable reviews, Wick‘s TV spots and trailers probably haven’t done enough to cause action fans to flock to it. It also doesn’t help that it has direct competition in the form of Fury‘s sophomore weekend. I’ll predict this barely gets past double digits for a lackluster beginning and that most genre fans will wait for VOD and cable for this.
Looking back now, isn’t it a little surprising that it’s taken this long for a horror flick named Ouija to find its way into the marketplace? That issue will be rectified Friday when Michael Bay’s production company unleashes the picture based on the creepy Hasbro board game.
With a cast consisting of relative unknowns, Ouija‘s selling point is clearly two things and two things only: its title and release date. Both should work to its advantage and lead it to a #1 debut. Horror pics are notoriously difficult to predict. For example, no one (including this blogger) saw a $37 million opening coming for Annabelle earlier this month. That massive hit may have given some genre enthusiasts their fix for the month and it could negatively hinder Ouija‘s prospects.
Still, this should manage to surpass $20M while not reaching the heights of that demonic doll.
All My Life... I Wanted To Be A Blogster 