In his version of MurderontheOrientExpress, Kenneth Branagh allows himself a part as big as his glorious mustache. The supporting players are often relegated to bits as small as the crumbs that might fall out of said mustache if his character didn’t maintain it so fastidiously.
That character is famed Belgian detective Hercule Poirot. Don’t pronounce it Hercules or he will correct you in the exacting fashion he orders his eggs. That precision extends to his career. There’s right and wrong and nothing in between. Poirot’s worldview is challenged when he boards the Orient Express circa 1934, which happens to be the year Agatha Christie’s source material was penned.
Booking passage from stunning Istanbul to Paris, Poirot looks forward to a break from his work, but his powers of detection are utilized when a murder occurs. Nefarious character Ratchett (Johnny Depp) is stabbed multiple times during the night. Everyone onboard is a suspect and there’s about a dozen of them that Poirot must consider.
A lot of familiar faces are among the possibilities. There’s Michelle Pfeiffer’s flirty and dramatic Caroline. Daisy Ridley’s mysterious Mary and her connection with Leslie Odom Jr.’s Dr. Arbuthnot. Judi Dench’s domineering Princess Dragomiroff and her quiet assistant (Olivia Colman). Josh Gad is the victim’s right-hand man and Willem Dafoe is German professor Gerhard. Penelope Cruz is there as the faithful Pilar who hints at a more sinful past. And there’s more.
Yet even though Branagh has assembled a fine troupe of actors, this is the Poirot show. He dominates the running time with his outsized personality and facial hair. The character is introduced as a bit of a caricature but he becomes more sympathetic as the details of the murder and those who may have committed it are slowly revealed.
For those who’ve never read the book or seen any of the other filmed versions (the most notable being Sidney Lumet’s 1974 adaptation with Albert Finney as Poirot in a considerably smaller ‘stache), Murder might keep you guessing. A lot of other audience members, I suspect, already know the outcome.
Branagh brings a visual style here that is grand and sweeping. There’s some complicated and impressive tracking and overhead shots to behold. We also have the train careening through the wilderness and into tunnels that often look a bit too digitized for my taste.
Truth be told, this Murder doesn’t add much fresh to Christie’s story. Viewers who are fans of the 1974 pic might deem this unnecessary. It’s still an often fascinating whodunnit with a talented director, albeit one who hogs the spotlight a bit. Poirot may eventually change his views by the closing credits and it mirrors my reaction. It doesn’t get it totally right or totally wrong. There’s an in between.
Thor’s just wanna have fun sometimes and it’s a feeling that runs through a solid portion of the third film in the franchise’s running time. Ragnarok, more than most Marvel Cinematic Universe entries these days, feels less like it’s building toward next summer’s Avengers free for all where all their characters will join forces. Instead it feels more like director Taika Waititi got a chance to bring an often weird, humorous and outright loopy vibe to the proceedings. And there’s a lot to dig about it when it’s working on those terms especially.
The subtitle here refers to the destruction of Thor’s (Chris Hemsworth) beloved planet of Asgard. That possibility is raised with the return of a previously unknown sister to Thor and Loki (Tom Hiddleston) named Hela (Cate Blanchett), aka the Goddess of Death. She’s got a gnarly headdress and daddy issues like her siblings had. Of course, daddy is Odin (Anthony Hopkins), the king of Asgard who behaved like Hannibal Lecter when he raised Hela but now is basically a vegan in comparison. His daughter preferred the former.
All this business could be described as the main plot line in Ragnarok. And it’s all perfectly acceptable and visually impressive stuff that we’ve seen before. That said, Blanchett is a notch above most MCU villains because… well, Cate Blanchett is just a fantastic actress.
Yet the picture also spends lots of time on the planet Sakaar. It’s a land ruled by the flamboyant Grandmaster (Jeff Goldblum), whose idea of entertainment is creating Gladiator like battles for his prized possession. Turns out that possession is none other than the Incredible Hulk himself! He’s stuck in his perpetually giant green angry self for a while and not in the Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo) scientist mode. It’s also where Thor meets Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson), a bounty hunter who happens to hail from Asgard.
Sakaar is where the best moments happen in Ragnarok and the bulk of them contain a lot of comedy that lands. Goldblum is simply a joy to watch. We have a ball watching the Hulk trapped in these surroundings. And Loki (forever the best MCU bad guy/sometimes sort of good guy) gets to display his charm coupled with Hiddleston’s always delicious work as the character.
When the first Thor premiered in 2011, I considered it a mixed bag. TheAvengers and proper sequel TheDarkWorld did more to hammer home Hemsworth’s effectiveness in the part. On a side note, the absence of girlfriend Natalie Portman is briefly addressed and all it did was remind me that her character even existed in the first place. Director Waititi imbues Ragnarok with a winky face emotion that is most entertaining when it’s away from Asgard and the familiar familial dynamics. In its own strange way, it’s the most pure fun Thor feature of the bunch.
It’s Thursday and that means my weekly updated Oscar predictions are in!
Some developments from the past seven days:
Steven Spielberg’s The Post is down to just one nomination in my predictions. It’s the big one (Best Picture), but it’s clinging for dear life to the 9th spot with pics like I, Tonya and Get Out getting closer to getting in. Obviously, no one has seen it yet so this is based solely on buzz alone. We did get our first trailer for it this week at long last.
Greta Gerwig’s Lady Bird makes a major leap this week into both Picture and Actress (Saoirse Ronan). That means Blade Runner 2049 has fallen out of my predicted nine in Picture with Meryl Streep out in Actress for The Post (she held the #1 spot for weeks).
For the first time, Martin McDonagh’s directorial work in Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri is in. That means Luca Guadagnino (Call Me by Your Name) is currently out.
In Best Actor, I’ve finally taken Hugh Jackman in The Greatest Showman out of the top 5, replaced with Andrew Garfield in Breathe.
Michael Stuhlbarg (Call Me by Your Name) replaces Michael Shannon for The Shape of Water in Supporting Actor. If that happens, Call Me would be the first Supporting Actor race to feature two actors (Stuhlbarg, Armie Hammer) from the same picture since Bugsy in 1991 (Harvey Keitel, Ben Kingsley).
Mary J. Blige enters the top 5 in Supporting Actress, replacing Kristin Scott Thomas in Darkest Hour.
That means all 8 major categories have seen changes. Lastly, there’s the unprecedented news that broke last night involving Christopher Plummer reshooting all of Kevin Spacey’s scenes in Ridley Scott’s AlltheMoneyintheWorld. Shockingly, the studio is still looking to make its December 22 release date. If that happens, Plummer might be one to look out for in Supporting Actor.
Let’s get to it!
Best Picture
Predicted Nominees:
1. Dunkirk (Previous Ranking: 1)
2. The Shape of Water (PR: 2)
3. Darkest Hour (PR: 3)
4. Three Billboards Outside, Ebbing Missouri (PR: 6)
5. Call Me by Your Name (PR: 5)
6. Mudbound (PR: 4)
7. Lady Bird (PR: 10)
8. The Florida Project (PR: 7)
9. The Post (PR: 8)
Other Possibilities:
10. I, Tonya (PR: 11)
11. Get Out (PR: 15)
12. Blade Runner 2049 (PR: 9)
13. Phantom Thread (PR: 12)
14. Detroit (PR: 14)
15. Last Flag Flying (PR: 13)
Best Director
Predicted Nominees:
1. Christopher Nolan, Dunkirk (PR: 1)
2. Guillermo del Toro, The Shape of Water (PR: 2)
3. Joe Wright, Darkest Hour (PR: 3)
4. Martin McDonagh, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (PR: 6)
5. Dee Rees, Mudbound (PR: 4)
Other Possibilities:
6. Luca Guadagnino, Call Me by Your Name (PR: 5)
7. Greta Gerwig, Lady Bird (PR: 9)
8. Sean Baker, The Florida Project (PR: 10)
9. Steven Spielberg, The Post (PR: 8)
10. Denis Villeneuve, Blade Runner 2049 (PR: 7)
Best Actor
Predicted Nominees:
1. Gary Oldman, Darkest Hour (PR: 1)
2. Daniel Day-Lewis, Phantom Thread (PR: 2)
3. Timothee Chalamet, Call Me by Your Name (PR: 3)
4. Jake Gyllenhaal, Stronger (PR: 4)
5. Andrew Garfield, Breathe (PR: 6)
Other Possibilities:
6. Hugh Jackman, The Greatest Showman (PR: 5)
7. Denzel Washington, Roman J. Israel, Esq. (PR: 10)
8. James Franco, The Disaster Artist (PR: 8)
9. Tom Hanks, The Post (PR: 7)
10. Steve Carell, Last Flag Flying (PR: 9)
Best Actress
Predicted Nominees:
1. Frances McDormand, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (PR: 1)
2. Margot Robbie, I, Tonya (PR: 2)
3. Sally Hawkins, The Shape of Water (PR: 4)
4. Saoirse Ronan, Lady Bird (PR: 6)
5. Emma Stone, Battle of the Sexes (PR: 5)
Other Possibilities:
6. Meryl Streep, The Post (PR: 3)
7. Jessica Chastain, Molly’s Game (PR: 7)
8. Kate Winslet, Wonder Wheel (PR: 8)
9. Judi Dench, Victoria and Abdul (PR: 9)
10. Vicky Krieps, Phantom Thread (PR: 10)
Best Supporting Actor
Predicted Nominees:
1. Willem Dafoe, The Florida Project (PR: 1)
2. Sam Rockwell, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (PR: 2)
3. Armie Hammer, Call Me by Your Name (PR: 3)
4. Mark Rylance, Dunkirk (PR: 4)
5. Michael Stuhlbarg, Call Me by Your Name (PR: 6)
Other Possibilities:
6. Michael Shannon, The Shape of Water (PR: 5)
7. Jason Mitchell, Mudbound (PR: 7)
8. Richard Jenkins, The Shape of Water (PR: 9)
9. Ben Mendelsohn, Darkest Hour (PR: 8)
10. Will Poulter, Detroit (PR: Not Ranked)
Dropped Out:
Bryan Cranston, Last Flag Flying
Best Supporting Actress
Predicted Nominees:
1. Allison Janney, I, Tonya (PR: 1)
2. Laurie Metcalf, Lady Bird (PR: 3)
3. Melissa Leo, Novitiate (PR: 2)
4. Mary J. Blige, Mudbound (PR: 7)
5. Hong Chau, Downsizing (PR: 5)
Other Possibilities:
6. Kristin Scott Thomas, Darkest Hour (PR: 4)
7. Holly Hunter, The Big Sick (PR: 6)
8. Claire Foy, Breathe (PR: 8)
9. Octavia Spencer, The Shape of Water (PR: 9)
10. Bria Vinaite, The Florida Project (PR: Not Ranked)
Dropped Out:
Lesley Manville, Phantom Thread
Best Adapted Screenplay
Predicted Nominees:
1. Call Me by Your Name (PR: 1)
2. Mudbound (PR: 2)
3. Molly’s Game (PR: 4)
4. Wonderstruck (PR: 6)
5. Last Flag Flying (PR: 3)
Other Possibilities:
6. The Disaster Artist (PR: 8)
7. Victoria and Abdul (PR: 5)
8. The Beguiled (PR: 7)
9. Stronger (PR: 9)
10. Blade Runner 2049 (PR: 10)
Best Original Screenplay
Predicted Nominees:
1. Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (PR: 2)
2. The Shape of Water (PR: 1)
3. Lady Bird (PR: 5)
4. The Florida Project (PR: 4)
5. Get Out (PR: 7)
Other Possibilities:
6. Darkest Hour (PR: 3)
7. The Big Sick (PR: 6)
8. I, Tonya (PR: 10)
9. The Post (PR: 8)
10. Phantom Thread (PR: Not Ranked)
Dropped Out:
Dunkirk
Best Foreign Language Film
Predicted Nominees:
1. BPM (Beats Per Minute) (PR: 1)
2. In the Fade (PR: 2)
3. Loveless (PR: 8)
4. First, They Killed My Father (PR: 3)
5. The Square (PR: 6)
Other Possibilities:
6. Foxtrot (PR: 5)
7. Happy End (PR: 4)
8. A Fantastic Woman (PR: 7)
9. Tom of Finland (PR: 10)
10. The Divine Order (PR: 9)
Best Animated Feature
Predicted Nominees:
1. Coco (PR: 1)
2. The Breadwinner (PR: 2)
3. Loving Vincent (PR: 3)
4. Birdboy: The Forgotten Children (PR: 4)
5. Ferdinand (PR: 5)
Other Possibilities:
6. Cars 3 (PR: 7)
7. The LEGO Batman Movie (PR: 6)
8. The Big Bad Fox and Other Tales (PR: 10)
9. Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie (PR: 8)
10. Despicable Me 3 (PR: 9)
Best Documentary Feature
Predicted Nominees:
1. Cries from Syria (PR: 4)
2. Jane (PR: 5)
3. City of Ghosts (PR: 1)
5. Icarus (PR: 3)
5. Risk (PR: 2)
Other Possibilities:
6. Human Flow (PR: Not Ranked)
7. Step (PR: 6)
8. Kedi (PR: 10)
9. Long Strange Trip (PR: Not Ranked)
10. One of Us (PR: 9)
Dropped Out:
The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson
Dina
Best Film Editing
Predicted Nominees:
1. Dunkirk (PR: 1)
2. The Shape of Water (PR: 2)
3. Darkest Hour (PR: 3)
4. Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (PR: 4)
5. Blade Runner 2049 (PR: 6)
Other Possibilities:
6. Get Out (PR: Not Ranked)
7. Mudbound (PR: 5)
8. Star Wars: The Last Jedi (PR: 8)
9. Call Me by Your Name (PR: 9)
10. Detroit (PR: 10)
Dropped Out:
The Post
Best Cinematography
Predicted Nominees:
1. Blade Runner 2049 (PR: 1)
2. Dunkirk (PR: 2)
3. The Shape of Water (PR: 3)
4. Darkest Hour (PR: 4)
5. Wonderstruck (PR: 6)
Other Possibilities:
6. Phantom Thread (PR: 5)
7. Wonder Wheel (PR: 9)
8. Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (PR: 8)
9. Mudbound (PR: 7)
10. mother! (PR: Not Ranked)
Dropped Out:
The Greatest Showman
Best Production Design
Predicted Nominees:
1. The Shape of Water (PR: 1)
2. Darkest Hour (PR: 3)
3. Blade Runner 2049 (PR: 2)
4. Phantom Thread (PR: 4)
5. Dunkirk (PR: 5)
Other Possibilities:
6. Beauty and the Beast (PR: 6)
7. Star Wars: The Last Jedi (PR: 8)
8. Wonderstruck (PR: Not Ranked)
9. The Greatest Showman (PR: 7)
10. Wonder Wheel (PR: 9)
Dropped Out:
Call Me by Your Name
Best Costume Design
Predicted Nominees:
1. Phantom Thread (PR: 1)
2. Beauty and the Beast (PR: 2)
3. Darkest Hour (PR: 3)
4. The Greatest Showman (PR: 4)
5. The Beguiled (PR: 7)
Other Possibilities:
6. Wonder Wheel (PR: 8)
7. Victoria and Abdul (PR: 5)
8. Murder on the Orient Express (PR: 10)
9. The Post (PR: 9)
10. Blade Runner 2049 (PR: 6)
Best Makeup and Hairstyling
Predicted Nominees:
1. Darkest Hour (PR: 1)
2. The Shape of Water (PR: 2)
3. Beauty and the Beast (PR: 6)
Other Possibilities:
4. The Greatest Showman (PR: 4)
5. Phantom Thread (PR: 3)
6. Star Wars: The Last Jedi (PR: Not Ranked)
7. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (PR: Not Ranked)
8. I, Tonya (PR: 5)
9. It (PR: 9)
10. Thor: Ragnarok (PR: 7)
Dropped Out:
Blade Runner 2049
Wonderstruck
Best Visual Effects
Predicted Nominees:
1. Blade Runner 2049 (PR: 1)
2. War for the Planet of the Apes (PR: 3)
3. Star Wars: The Last Jedi (PR: 2)
4. The Shape of Water (PR: 4)
5. Dunkirk (PR: 5)
Other Possibilities:
6. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (PR: 6)
7. Spider-Man: Homecoming (PR: Not Ranked)
8. Wonder Woman (PR: 8)
9. Beauty and the Beast (PR: 7)
10. Thor: Rangarok (PR: 9)
Dropped Out:
Kong: Skull Island
Best Sound Editing
Predicted Nominees:
1. Dunkirk (PR: 1)
2. Blade Runner 2049 (PR: 2)
3. Star Wars: The Last Jedi (PR: 3)
4. The Shape of Water (PR: 6)
5. Transformers: The Last Knight (PR: 5)
Other Possibilities:
6. Baby Driver (PR: 9)
7. Coco (PR: 7)
8. Wonder Woman (PR: 4)
9. War for the Planet of the Apes (PR: 10)
10. Spider-Man: Homecoming (PR: Not Ranked)
Dropped Out:
Detroit
Best Sound Mixing
Predicted Nominees:
1. Dunkirk (PR: 1)
2. Blade Runner 2049 (PR: 2)
3. Star Wars: The Last Jedi (PR: 3)
4. Baby Driver (PR: 6)
5. The Greatest Showman (PR: 5)
Other Possibilities:
6. The Shape of Water (PR: 4)
7. Darkest Hour (PR: 9)
8. Transformers: The Last Knight (PR: 8)
9. Coco (PR: 10)
10. War for the Planet of the Apes (PR: Not Ranked)
Dropped Out:
Detroit
Best Original Score
Predicted Nominees:
1. The Shape of Water (PR: 3)
2. Dunkirk (PR: 2)
3. Darkest Hour (PR: 1)
4. Wonderstruck (PR: 4)
5. Blade Runner 2049 (PR: 8)
Other Possibilities:
6. Star Wars: The Last Jedi (PR: 6)
7. Victoria and Abdul (PR: Not Ranked)
8. The Post (PR: 7)
9. Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (PR: 9)
10. Coco (PR: 5)
Dropped Out:
The Greatest Showman
Best Original Song
Predicted Nominees:
1. “Stand Up for Something” from Marshall (PR: 2)
2. “Remember Me” from Coco (PR: 1)
3. “I Don’t Wanna Live Forever” from Fifty Shades Darker (PR: 3)
4. “Evermore” from Beauty and the Beast (PR: 4)
5. “Prayers for this World” from Cries from Syria (PR: 6)
Other Possibilities:
6. “Come Alive” from The Greatest Showman (PR: 5)
7. “It Ain’t Fair” from Detroit (PR: 7)
8. “The Promise” from The Promise (PR: 8)
9. “If I Dare” from Battle of the Sexes (PR: Not Ranked)
10. “This is Me” from The Greatest Showman (PR: 9)
Dropped Out:
“To Be Human” from Wonder Woman
That leaves the following breakdown of nominations:
11 Nominations
The Shape of Water
10 Nominations
Dunkirk
9 Nominations
Darkest Hour
7 Nominations
Blade Runner 2049
6 Nominations
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
5 Nominations
Call Me by Your Name
4 Nominations
Mudbound, Lady Bird
3 Nominations
The Florida Project, Phantom Thread, Wonderstruck, Beauty and the Beast, Star Wars: The Last Jedi
2 Nominations
I, Tonya, Coco, Cries from Syria, The Greatest Showman
1 Nomination
The Post, Stronger, Breathe, Battle of the Sexes, Novitiate, Downsizing, Molly’s Game, Last Flag Flying, Get Out, BPM (Beats Per Minute), In the Fade, Loveless, First, They Killed My Father, The Square, The Breadwinner, Loving Vincent, The Big Bad Fox and Other Tales, Ferdinand, Jane, City of Ghosts, Icarus, Risk, The Beguiled, War for the Planet of the Apes, Transformers: The Last Knight, Baby Driver, Marshall, Fifty Shades Darker.
Sony Pictures is hoping family and faith-based audiences make the journey to The Star next weekend. The animated tale is centered around some talking animals and their adventures as the first Christmas is occurring. Some familiar faces in both the film and music world provide voices including Steven Yeun, Gina Rodriguez, Keegan-Michael Key, Tyler Perry, Kristin Chenoweth, Zachary Levi, Tracy Morgan, Anthony Anderson, Mariah Carey, Kelly Clarkson, Kris Kristofferson, Christopher Plummer, Ving Rhames, Gabriel Iglesias, Patricia Heaton, and even Oprah Winfrey.
Made for a small reported budget of just $18 million, The Star will hope to shine brightly with its intended audience before Pixar’s Coco arrives just five days later for the Thanksgiving holiday.
Prognosticating for this one is a little tricky. I could certainly see it exceeding expectations with a gross high in the teens. However, I believe a more likely scenario is an opening weekend in the lower double digits to maybe lower teens with hope that it holds over well the following holiday weekend (even with the Coco competition).
The Star opening weekend prediction: $10.3 million
Jacob Tremblay made quite an impression on audiences and critics two years ago as an abducted child in the Oscar nominated Room. Next weekend, he headlines the drama Wonder, portraying a child with a facial deformity trying to fit into a new school. The film is based on a 2012 novel by R.J. Palacio and is directed by Stephen Chbosky, best known for making the adaptation of his own novel – 2012’s The Perks of Being a Wallflower. Julia Roberts and Owen Wilson are cast as Tremblay’s parents.
Wonder will attempt to bring in both female and family audiences. For family audiences, there is the animated The Star opening against it (though that should skewer younger) and a little something called Justice League that lots of kids may want to see (though that should skewer more to younger males).
As I see it, I don’t look for Wonder to necessarily have an impressive opening. Low double digits to possibly lower teens seems about right. That said, if audiences like it and if it achieves solid word-of-mouth, it could play well into the Thanksgiving weekend that follows and beyond.
The DC Cinematic Universe has reached Marvel Cinematic Universe territory as Justice League debuts next weekend. The reported $300 million production brings many of the company’s comic book creations together as it hopes to have the largest opening of the fourth quarter of 2017 until Star Wars hits next month.
In March of 2016, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice brought Superman (Henry Cavill) and Batman (Ben Affleck) together for the first time. Now they’re joined by Aquaman (Jason Momoa), The Flash (Ezra Miller), and Cyborg (Ray Miller). And, oh yes, there’s Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot), who just happened to star in her own summer 2017 pic that surprisingly turned out to the season’s biggest blockbuster ($412 million). Man of Steel and BvS director Zack Snyder is behind the camera once again. Other costars include series returnees Amy Adams, Diane Lane, Jeremy Irons, and the introduction of J.K. Simmons as Commissioner Gordon. Expect some other familiar faces to pop up too.
Batman v Superman opened to a terrific $166 million a year and a half ago. However, poor reviews and mixed word-of-mouth meant a heavily front loaded gross. It ended up with $330 million. If nothing had happened in the interim, it may be a legitimate question as to whether some moviegoers are primed to see these characters again. The fantastic reception earned by Wonder Woman should help (there could be a sizable female audience who go to this simply to see Gadot’s character so quickly again).
That said, I don’t expect League to get close to that BvS number in its first three days. In fact, it could compete for biggest comic book adaptation debut of the month since Thor: Ragnarok posted $122 million this past weekend.
I believe it will just get there and probably post a premiere in line with another DC property – summer 2016’s Suicide Squad, which made $133 million for its start. I’ll put it just a bit under that.
Justice League opening weekend prediction: $128.4 million
Two notable entries enter the box office derby this weekend as comedy sequel Daddy’s Home 2 with Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg and Kenneth Branagh’s Agatha Christie adapted remake Murder on the Orient Express. You can peruse my detailed prediction posts on both here:
Neither newbie is likely to come anywhere near dislodging Thor: Ragnarok from a second weekend atop the charts. The critically acclaimed threequel is probably looking at a drop in the mid to possibly high 50s, which is par for the course for most MCU sequels.
The biggest question of the weekend is whether Home or Express nabs the #2 spot. Knowing that comedy sequels often under perform their predecessors (that happened just this past weekend), I’ve got Murder edging out Daddy’s for the runner-up position.
A Bad Moms Christmas should drop to fourth with Jigsaw rounding out the top five.
And with that, my top 5 projections for the weekend ahead:
1. Thor: Ragnarok
Predicted Gross: $53.8 million (representing a drop of 56%)
2. Murder on the Orient Express
Predicted Gross: $24.6 million
3. Daddy’s Home 2
Predicted Gross: $21.8 million
4. A Bad Moms Christmas
Predicted Gross: $8.6 million (representing a drop of 48%)
5. Jigsaw
Predicted Gross: $2.9 million (representing a drop of 57%)
Box Office Results (November 3-5)
Thor: Rangarok easily posted the highest debut in its particular franchise and the 7th largest Marvel Cinematic Universe opening with $122.7 million, topping my $107.6M forecast. Terrific word-of-mouth certainly contributed to it opening nearly $40 million above its predecessor Thor: The Dark World.
A Bad Moms Christmas had an unimpressive debut in second with $16.7 million over the traditional three-day weekend. I was a bit higher at $18.7 million. The sequel opened on Wednesday and has taken in $21.2 million since then. Again, that’s below my projection of $26.2 million. It failed in five days to earn the $23.8 million accomplished by its predecessor in summer 2016.
Jigsaw dropped to third with $6.5 million compared to my $5.9 million estimate. The horror pic has grossed $28 million so far.
Boo 2! A Madea Halloween was fourth with $4.5 million (I said $4.1 million) for a $42 million overall tally.
Geostorm rounded out the top five with $3.1 million (I went with $2.7 million) for $28 million total.
The latest iteration of the PlanetoftheApes saga that began nearly a half century ago concludes on a major franchise high note. What Rupert Wyatt began in satisfying fashion with 2011’s RiseofthePlanetoftheApes and Matt Reeves continued with success in 2014’s DawnofthePlanetoftheApes is elevated even more so with WarforthePlanetoftheApes. Mr. Reeves returns behind the camera with an epic and sorrowful tale of Caesar’s (Andy Serkis) constant battle between his species and the humans remaining to fight them.
The third installment also continues the perfection of the motion capture wizardry that brings the apes to life. It’s been enormously impressive in parts 1 and 2. It’s taken another leap forward in War. That said, we’re grown accustomed to legions of these characters being seen in our blockbusters. A compelling story must follow and it’s present.
When Dawn concluded, Caesar had dispensed of treacherous right-hand ape Koba but knew what was left of the human race’s army would hunt him. War opens two years later with Caesar, his family, and the other apes dwelling in the woods. Their nemesis here is a demented colonel (Woody Harrelson) and his devoted military men. Tragedy strikes and it pits Caesar on a revengeful mission against the Colonel, who isn’t too far removed from the character of Kurtz in ApocalypseNow. Harrelson is a great villain here with his own backstory in this dystopian world.
War introduces us to some new characters – both real and generated. There’s a mute young girl (Amiah Miller) who joins the apes on their joinrney. Series aficionados will reocognize her signifance quickly. Steve Zahn also brilliantly brings “Bad Ape” to life, a former zoo inhabitant who provides some much needed comic relief to the proceedings.
Yet this trilogy has focused mostly on Caesar and Serkis’s absolutely astonishing portrayal of him. The effects team goes even further in making him seem so very real. The writing and the actor’s commitment succeed in making his arch very emotional.
WarforthePlanetoftheApes is the best of the three and the other two were both quite solid. This is the end of this particular Apes chapter, but Reeves and his team leave us with the possibility of more and wanting it.
For his first directorial effort, Taylor Sheridan has taken cues based on his past acclaimed screenplays to effective order in Wind River. Like his written work the year prior in Hell or High Water, this picture concerns a group of citizens who feel invisible and cut off from society in many aspects. In High Water, it was West Texas dwellers in the hot desert sun who saw the American dream pass them by. In River, it’s the inhabitants residing in sub zero temperatures on an Indian reservation in Wyoming that bears the film’s title.
As Sheridan has brought the issue of crime into both Sicario and High Water, it’s a homicide that awakens the characters sense of injustice. Cory Lambert (Jeremy Renner) is a fish and wildlife officer who discovers the body of an 18-year-old girl in the frozen tundra. His job typically consists of hunting predators eating the livestock. This new discovery means he’ll assist in hunting a different form of predator. It’s young FBI agent Jane Banner (Elizabeth Olsen) who gets the call to provide federal assistance and she finds herself out of her element in the seemingly constant snowstorm elements.
Much like High Water, there are genre aspects that are familiar. What sets that movie apart and the same holds true here is a fascinating landscape to watch it in. Not every character that Lambert and Banner investigate is involved in the grisly crime, but they all seem bonded by the consequences of their far-off existence in this remote world.
It’s a pleasure to watch the talented Renner in a role that doesn’t involve assisting The Avengers or Ethan Hunt. His backstory is the emotionally charged one as his own young daughter suffered a similar fate to the victim here. There are moments where Renner reminds us of his significant dramatic abilities. Most of the other players exist to advance the plot (Olsen’s role is rather underwritten), but solid support is provided by Graham Greene as the sheriff and Gil Birmingham as the grieving father. Jon Bernthal turns up briefly as the victim’s boyfriend in a sequence that goes from sweet to horrific in a matter of seconds.
Wind River is a visually striking experience that easily proves Sheridan’s abilities behind the camera can match his writing. The West Texas residents of High Water may have been troubled and outraged by their lot in life, but they also had a sense of pride of where they came from. The people of Wind River feel the same. And our time spent with them is worthwhile.
Ok, so perhaps you’re thinking the idea of MurderontheOrientExpress receiving Oscar attention is a track taken too far. Yet it’s not so crazy when considering that the Sidney Lumet 1974 version of Agatha Christie’s whodunnit novel garnered an impressive six nods, including Best Picture and Actor (Albert Finney). Ingrid Bergman even won Supporting Actress 43 years ago for her role.
Reviews are out today for the Kenneth Branagh remake opening next Friday. Some of the critical notices have paid homage to Branagh’s apparently glorious mustache in his portrayal of detective Hercule Poirot. The reviews themselves have been mixed and it currently stands at 64% on Rotten Tomatoes. Not bad, but nowhere near what it needs for awards chatter.
It’s not exactly a surprise, but I wouldn’t suspect we’ll find this Express iteration getting the kind of Academy attention we saw four decades ago.
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