It’s been nearly five years since comedic legend Eddie Murphy has appeared on the silver screen and the majority of his last few features have been underwhelming family box office duds. ImagineThat, anyone? AThousandWords?
Mr. Murphy goes for a change of pace this fall with the low-budget drama Mr. Church, opening September 16. Set in the 1970s, it stars Britt Robertson as a young girl who meets the title character (Murphy) and he finds ways to positively impact her life. Bruce Beresford, who made 1989’s Best Picture winner DrivingMissDaisy, directs.
You may recall that a decade ago, Murphy received accolades for another serious turn in Dreamgirls. That picture vaulted him as the favorite to win Best Supporting Actor at the Oscars, but he came up empty-handed when Alan Arkin took the prize for LittleMissSunshine.
Church screened at the TriBeca Film Festival this past spring. Early reviews are not encouraging as it stands at just 14% on Rotten Tomatoes. So why am I even bringing this title up for Oscar Watch? Even the negative notices praised the work of its star (effusively in some cases) and there could still be some lingering regret from Academy voters for not recognizing him in 2006. It’s likely that this film will come and go too fast to pick up traction for Murphy to get a Best Actor nod. Yet it’s not outside of the realm of possibility.
Well – after months of prognosticating the nominees and the winners of the 2015 Oscars, the season officially came to a close last night. This was a truly unpredictable year at the Academy Awards and it bore out with my so-so performance at just 13/21 on predictions. There were some REAL surprises last night and plenty of races that went according to plan. Let’s break it down with my various takes on the telecast and the winners:
The three picture race for the top category was just that with Tom McCarthy’s Spotlight winning over presumed front runner The Revenant (which was my prediction). The journalistic expose won only one other category (Original Screenplay, which I correctly predicted) and it’s the first Best Picture winner to be victorious in only two categories since 1952’s The Greatest Show on Earth.
Speaking of history, expected recipient Alejandro G. Inarritu is the first Director to win (for The Revenant) twice in a row (2014’s Birdman) in 65 years.
The sixth time was finally the charm for Leonardo DiCaprio as he picked up a golden statue for The Revenant, as he was widely expected to.
The female acting competitions went according to plan: Brie Larson in Actress for Room and Alicia Vikander for The Danish Girl in Supporting. Same goes for Foreign Language Film (Son of Saul), Animated Feature (Inside Out), Adapted Screenplay (The Big Short), and Documentary (Amy), even though I went with the upset pick of Cartel Land.
Sylvester Stallone was the heavy favorite in Supporting Actor for Creed, but the Academy instead went with Mark Rylance’s work in Bridge of Spies. This category has had a history of upsets (Alan Arkin in Little Miss Sunshine over Eddie Murphy in Dreamgirls circa 2006) and this is indeed another one.
It was a good night in the technical categories for George Miller’s Mad Max: Fury Road as it picked up six awards: Sound Editing, Sound Mixing, Production Design, Costume Design, Editing, and Makeup and Hairstyling. It was nominated in Cinematography, but that went as anticipated to The Revenant. The big shocker in the tech categories was Ex Machina‘s out of nowhere win for Visual Effects. This truly was a massive upset as I would have picked it fifth to win over competitors Mad Max, The Revenant, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, and The Martian.
While Best Score went as planned to legendary Ennio Morricone for The Hateful Eight (for which he learned a long and deserved standing O), the Song category honored Sam Smith’s Spectre theme “Writing’s on the Wall” over expected winner “Til It Happens to You” by Lady Gaga from The Hunting Ground, just moments after her peformance was introduced by Vice President Joe Biden.
As for the show itself, Chris Rock’s handling of the #OscarsSoWhite controversy was handled with the edgy humor you’d expect from one of the greatest stand up comedians of all time. The telecast, per usual, was way longer than it should have been. The idea, however well intended, to allow winners to thank various people via a scroll at the bottom of the screen didn’t serve its intended purpose. Look for it to be gone next year. As solid as Rock was in his hosting duties, I couldn’t help but watch Louis C.K.’s brilliant introduction of the Best Documentary Short Subject race and hope that the Academy tabs him to host like… next year.
And there you have it! Another Oscar season that’s come and gone. Before we know it, I’ll be predicting the 2016 films and performers that could be recognized a year from now…
We’ve reached the five highest grossing actors in the history of film this evening and the culmination of my five part series. Hope you’ve enjoyed it! For a reminder of the men and women who makes up numbers 25-6 – you can peruse them at the following links:
Franchises: The 48 HRS, Beverly Hills Cop, Nutty Professor, Doctor Dolittle, and Shrek series.
Highest Grossing Picture: Shrek 2 – $441 million
Number of $100M+ Earners: 13. Beverly Hills Cop, Beverly Hills Cop II, Coming to America, The Nutty Professor, Mulan, Doctor Dolittle, The Nutty Professor II: The Klumps, Shrek, Dr. Dolittle 2, Daddy Day Care, Shrek 2, Dreamgirls, Shrek the Third, Shrek Forever After.
Lowest Grossing Picture: The Adventures of Pluto Nash – $4 million
4. Harrison Ford
Career Earnings: $3.8 billion
Franchises: The Star Wars, Indiana Jones, and Jack Ryan series. Mr. Ford also appeared in Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues and The Expendables 3.
Highest Grossing Picture: Star Wars – $461 million
Number of $100M+ Earners: 13. Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Return of the Jedi, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, The Fugitive, Clear and Present Danger, Air Force One, What Lies Beneath, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, Cowboys&Aliens, Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues.
Lowest Grossing Picture: Crossing Over – $455,000
3. Samuel L. Jackson
Career Earnings: $4 billion
Franchises: The Iron Man, Avengers, Captain America, Star Wars, and XXX series.
Highest Grossing Picture: The Avengers – $623 million
Number of $100M+ Earners: 19. Coming to America, Jurassic Park, Pulp Fiction, Die Hard with a Vengeance, A Time to Kill, Star Wars: The Phantom Menace, Star Wars: Attack of the Clones, XXX, S.W.A.T., The Incredibles, Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith, Iron Man, Iron Man 2, The Other Guys, Thor, Captain America: The First Avenger, The Avengers, Django Unchained, Captain America: The Winter Soldier.
Lowest Grossing Picture: Meeting Evil – $525 (you read that right… five hundred twenty five dollars…)
2. Morgan Freeman
Career Earnings: $4.1 billion
Franchises: The Dark Knight series. Bruce Almighty/Evan Almighty
Highest Grossing Picture: The Dark Knight – $534 million
Number of $100M+ Earners: 16. Driving Miss Daisy, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, Unforgiven, Seven, Deep Impact, The Sum of All Fears, Bruce Almighty, Million Dollar Baby, Batman Begins, Evan Almighty, Wanted, The Dark Knight, The Dark Knight Rises, Now You See Me, The LEGO Movie, Lucy.
Lowest Grossing Picture: 10 Items or Less – $83,000
1. Tom Hanks
Career Earnings: $4.2 billion
Franchises: The Toy Story series. The Da Vinci Code/Angels&Demons
Highest Grossing Picture: Toy Story 3 – $415 million
Number of $100M+ Earners: 18. Big, A League of their Own, Sleepless in Seattle, Forrest Gump, Apollo 13, Toy Story, Saving Private Ryan, You’ve Got Mail, Toy Story 2, The Green Mile, Cast Away, Road to Perdition, Catch Me If You Can, The Polar Express, The Da Vinci Code, Angels&Demons, Toy Story 3, Captain Phillips.
Lowest Grossing Picture: Every Time We Say Goodbye – $278,000
**A blogger’s note: With Samuel L. Jackson’s involvement in the Avengers universe, do not be surprised to see him vault to #1 once the Avengers sequel is released next summer.
As we’re moving deep into the 2014 Summer Movie Season – on this here blog I’ve been reflecting on what has come in the summers before us. Days ago, I wrote a post reflecting on the hits, notable pictures, and flops from 20 years ago in 1994. Today – we focus on the season from a decade ago with 2004’s summer entries.
We’ll start with the Top Ten, but what is notable is some of the comedies that weren’t on that list that spawned endless catchphrases and became massive cult classics:
Onto the Top Ten:
10. Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story
Domestic Gross: $114 million
Vince Vaughn and Ben Stiller teamed up for this well-received sports comedy which received 70% positive support on Rotten Tomatoes. While this was a solid hit, Vaughn’s biggest comedy would come one summer later with a certain pic costarring Owen Wilson.
9. Fahrenheit 9/11
Domestic Gross: $119 million
It’s not often you see a documentary in the top ten summer hits, but in the summer of 2004 the country was focused on an upcoming Presidential election between Bush and Kerry. Michael Moore’s examination of the Iraq War struck a chord with viewers and became the highest grossing documentary of all time.
8. Van Helsing
Domestic Gross: $120 million
Don’t let its #8 ranking fool you because Van Helsing starring Hugh Jackman was considered a major flop upon release. With a reported $160 million budget, it couldn’t recoup that stateside and a potential franchise for Jackman stalled immediately. Good thing he’s got another character he can go back to time and time again.
7. Troy
Domestic Gross: $133 million
Wolfgang Peterson’s Trojan War saga starring Brad Pitt, Orlando Bloom, and Eric Bana under performed a bit domestically (with its reported $175 million budget) but made it up overseas.
6. I, Robot
Domestic Gross: $144 million
While not reaching the heights of his previous summer hits Independence Day or Men in Black – Will Smith’s I, Robot did respectable business. Based on a short story by Isaac Asimov, it received mixed reviews from critics and a planned sequel never materialized.
5. The Bourne Supremacy
Domestic Gross: $176 million
Goodwill left over from the 2002 original The Bourne Identity propelled this Matt Damon sequel to gross over $50 million more than its predecessor. A third Bourne feature would follow three years later before Damon left the franchise and Jeremy Renner took over in 2012.
4. The Day After Tomorrow
Domestic Gross: $186 million
Roland Emmerich returned to doing what he does best (showing the world getting destroyed) and audiences rewarded him for it. Starring Dennis Quaid and Jake Gyllenhall, Tomorrow is the highest non-sequel on the list and it took in over half a billion worldwide.
3. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Domestic Gross: $249 million
Alfonso Cuaron took over directing duties from Chris Columbus in this third franchise entry. While many (including myself) consider this the best of the series, it surprisingly has the lowest domestic gross of all eight Potter flicks.
2. Spider-Man 2
Domestic Gross: $373 million
Generally considered one of the best superhero movies of all time and the best of this particular franchise, Spider-Man 2 was a massive hit even though it couldn’t quite match the $403 million performance of the 2002 original.
1. Shrek 2
Domestic Gross: $441 million
DreamWorks Animation easily ruled the summer as the sequel featuring the vocal work of Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, and Cameron Diaz took the top spot. Of the four Shrek entries, it is the biggest grosser and outshined its predecessor by nearly $180 million dollars.
Beyond the top ten, there are four particularly notable pictures which achieved major cult status:
14. Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy
It made a decent $85 million upon release, but as we all know, the Will Ferrell comedy has gone onto to becoming one of the most quoted flicks in memory. A 2013 sequel followed.
15. The Notebook
Based on the Nicholas Sparks novel, The Notebook caused audiences to fall in love with Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams and brought in $81 million.
27. Napoleon Dynamite
With a tiny $400,000 budget – the quirky comedy Napoleon Dynamite with Jon Heder came out of nowhere and posted a $44 million domestic gross. Like Anchorman, it became an endlessly quoted picture.
38. Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle
It made a meager $18 million upon release, but this stoner comedy became an instant cult classic and spawned two sequels.
And now we move to the flops of the summer:
21. The Stepford Wives
Frank Oz’s remake of the 1975 film cost $90 million to make and earned just $59 million. Critics weren’t impressed and audiences ignored the sci-fi comedy starring Nicole Kidman, Matthew Broderick, and Christopher Walken.
25. King Arthur
Training Day director Antoine Fuqua teamed up with Clive Owen and Keira Knightley for this retelling of the medieval legend. With a $120 million budget, Arthur tanked stateside with only $51 million.
29. Catwoman
Warner Bros. surely regrets spending $100 million on this critically lambasted Catwoman feature which starred Halle Berry and Sharon Stone. It earned only $40 million. The silver lining for the studio: one summer later, a certain Chris Nolan would reinvigorate their superhero fortunes with Batman Begins.
And that’s what was going on ten years at the multiplexes, my friends!
This evening comes part two of my personal Top 25 Michael Jackson Songs Of All Time, covering numbers 20-16. Yesterday I gave you entries 25-21 and you can peruse them here:
20. “I Just Can’t Stop Loving You” (from Bad – 1987)
This romantic ballad is a duet with Siedah Garrett and served as Michael’s first single from the Bad album. During the Bad tour, MJ would sing the track with an unknown backup singer by the name of Sheryl Crow.
19. “Workin’ Day and Night” (from Off the Wall – 1979)
MJ’s first entry on the list from his breakthrough solo album Off the Wall served as the B-side to “Rock With You”. This fast paced dance groove might not have ever been an official single, but it became a live performance staple from the King of Pop.
18. “The Way You Make Me Feel” (from Bad – 1987)
Bad‘s third single was a deserved monster hit and also became a staple of Jackson’s live performances.
17. “Remember the Time” (from Dangerous – 1991)
This was the second single from the Dangerous album and like “In the Closet” features terrific production from Teddy Riley. The music video featured Eddie Murphy, Magic Johnson, and model Iman.
16. “Another Part of Me” (from Bad – 1987)
This Bad heavy portion of my list concludes with “Another Part of Me”, which served as the album’s sixth single. It may not be quite as well known as “The Way You Make Me Feel” or the title track itself, but it’s always been one of my favorites from the album.
***Since the Bad album has received so much love in this portion, now might be a good time to announce that title track “Bad” did not make my personal Top 25 cut. It was close, but there were just too many other great choices that leapfrogged it.
And that’s all for now! I’ll be back tomorrow with numbers 15-11!
Rocky over Taxi Driver. Ordinary People over Raging Bull. Dances with Wolves over GoodFellas. These are all examples where, in hindsight, pictures directed by Martin Scorsese and the auteur himself probably should have received Oscars wins and not just nominations. In 2002, Scorsese’s Gangs of New York was seen as a Best Picture frontrunner until Chicago stole its thunder. The same held true two years later with The Aviator until Clint Eastwood’s Million Dollar Baby had a late surge and took the prize. By 2006, Scorsese was undoubtedly the most acclaimed director whose films had never won the gold statue. And neither had he.
This would finally come to an end with The Departed, his crime thriller that won Best Picture and this kicks off my 2006 Oscar History.
The other four nominees were Alejandro Gonzales Inarritu’s Babel, Clint Eastwood’s Letters from Iwo Jima, Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Feris’s Little Miss Sunshine, and Stephen Frears’s The Queen. The voters got it right. The Departed was the Best Picture of the year.
As for other pictures I would’ve considered: Alfonso Cuaron’s terrific Children of Men, Guillermo del Toro’s visual feast Pan’s Labyrinth, the Ryan Gosling drama Half Nelson, and Todd Field’s Little Children. And for an outside the box pic – why not Casino Royale, which brought the Bond franchise back in grand fashion and ranks as my 2nd all-time 007 pic after From Russia with Love?
Scorsese, as mentioned before, would win Director over Inarritu, Eastwood, Frears, and Paul Greengrass for United 93. Once again – my list would’ve found room for Cuaron and del Toro.
In the Best Actor race, Forest Whitaker expectedly won for his performance as Idi Amin in The Last King of Scotland. Other nominees: Leonardo DiCaprio for Blood Diamond (many thought he’d get nominated instead for Departed), Ryan Gosling for Half Nelson, Peter O’Toole for Venus (his final nomination), and Will Smith for The Pursuit of Happyness.
Once again, my ballot might’ve listed Daniel Craig for his electric take on James Bond. Others to consider: Clive Owen (Children of Men), Aaron Eckhart (Thank You for Smoking), or Matt Damon’s work in The Departed.
No surprise in the Best Actress race as Helen Mirren’s work as Queen Elizabeth II was honored in The Queen over Penelope Cruz (Volver), Judi Dench (Notes on a Scandal), Meryl Streep (The Devil Wears Prada), and Kate Winslet (Little Children).
That’s a strong Actress category, but I would’ve also had Natalie Portman’s fine performance in V for Vendetta included.
The only true surprise at the 2006 Oscars occurred in the Supporting Actor category where Eddie Murphy’s acclaimed work in Dreamgirls was expected to win. Instead the Academy honored Alan Arkin’s performance in Little Miss Sunshine. Other nominees: Jackie Earle Haley (Little Children), Djimon Hounsou (Blood Diamond), and Mark Wahlberg (The Departed).
Instead of Wahlberg, many believed it would be Jack Nicholson for Departed that received the nomination. I was cool with it – considering Nicholson had already won three times before and this marked Wahlberg’s first nod. Other names I would have possibly included: Steve Carell (Little Miss Sunshine), Stanley Tucci (The Devil Wears Prada), Michael Sheen (The Queen), and for his brilliant comedic work – John C. Reilly in Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby.
Jennifer Hudson had the distinction of being the first “American Idol” contestant turned Oscar winner with her lauded role in Dreamgirls – winning out over Babel actresses Adriana Barraza and Rinko Kikuchi, young Abigail Breslin from Little Miss Sunshine, and Cate Blanchett in Notes on a Scandal.
My list would have absolutely included Shareeka Epps with her fabulous work in Half Nelson and probably Vera Farmiga in The Departed.
And that’s your 2006 Oscar history! I’ll be back soon with 2007 where another beloved director (s) would take home their first Oscar gold.
29 years ago today in Movie History – January 11 – Beverly Hills Cop with Eddie Murphy would top the box office in its sixth weekend while on its way to breaking various records. Cop was released at the height of Murphy’s super stardom. He’d already had significant successes with 48 HRS. and Trading Places, but Beverly Hills Cop turned him into the biggest movie star in America. The film would end up grossing $234 million domestically, making it 1984’s highest domestic grosser and the biggest earning R-rated picture of all time. That record would stand for almost two decades until 2003’s The Matrix Reloaded. The inevitable sequel in 1987 would post solid numbers with $153 million. By the time part 3 came out in 1994, Murphy’s career was on the downslide and a meager $42 million domestic gross would result. The actor’s inability to turn the third installment into a hit and the following year’s bomb Vampire in Brooklyn had some wondering if Murphy’s career was over, but 1996’s The Nutty Professor would revive his standing with audiences.
As for birthdays, Rod Taylor turns 84 today. He is best known for his leading man roles in 1960’s The Time Machine and especially in Alfred Hitchcock’s classic 1963 pic The Birds. He would continue to work in movies and TV for decades. Recently, Quentin Tarantino was able to coax him out of retirement to play Winston Churchill in an important sequence alongside Mike Myers and Michael Fassbender in 2009’s Inglourious Basterds.
Amanda Peet is 42 today. She first became known to moviegoers as Matthew Perry’s dental assistant turned aspiring hit woman in The Whole Nine Yards. Since then, she’s appeared in various pics from Saving Silverman to Changing Lanes to Igby Goes Down to Something’s Gotta Give to Syriana to 2012.
As for Six Degrees of Separation between the two:
Rod Taylor was in Inglourious Basterds with Brad Pitt
Brad Pit was in 12 Monkeys with Bruce Willis
Bruce Willis was in The Whole Nine Yards with Amanda Peet
This day in Movie History – January 2 – Peter Jackson’s final installment in his Lord of the Rings trilogy, The Return of the King, would top the box office for the third weekend in a row, grossing over $28 million. This gave it $290M in just three weeks and it would end its domestic run at $377M, out grossing its two predecessors. King would go on to win Best Picture and Director at the Oscars. And the more things change, the more they stay the same. Exactly a decade later, the director’s second Tolkien trilogy The Hobbit is scoring similar feats. The second installment in the series The Desolation of Smaug is currently #1 for its third weekend, though its taken in approximately $100 million less in the same time frame as King did.
As for birthdays, Tia Carrere turns 47 today. You may remember her best as Mike Myers’ love interest in 1992’s Wayne’s World and its sequel the following year. Her exposure from those hits led her to starring alongside such heavy hitters as Sean Connery in 1993’s Rising Sun and Arnold Schwarzenegger in 1994’s True Lies. And then… well she went from Connery and Arnold to Pauly Shore and Jon Lovitz. Her mid 90s filmography included Jury Duty with Shore and High School High with Lovitz. Her movie career never recovered, but she did recently last five weeks on Donald Trump’s “Celebrity Apprentice” (!).
Cuba Gooding Jr. is 46 today. He’s another performer to have hit it big in the 90s and then see his career fizzle. His big break came with 1991’s Boyz N The Hood and that led to roles in A Few Good Men, Judgment Night, and Outbreak. In 1996, Cuba won Supporting Actor at the Oscars for his role as Rod Tidwell in Cameron Crowe’s Jerry Maguire. It looked good for him after that and he appeared in high profile pics including As Good As It Gets, What Dreams May Come, and Men of Honor.By the early 2000s, things had taken a turn for the worse when Gooding starred in bombs including Snow Dogs and Boat Trip. Recently, however, he’s had a decent comeback with supporting roles in movies like American Gangster, Red Tails, and Lee Daniels’ The Butler.
As for Six Degrees of Separation between the two:
Tia Carrere was in True Lies with Jamie Lee Curtis
Jamie Lee Curtis was in Trading Places with Eddie Murphy
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