Tag: Fred Hechinger

Kraven the Hunter Box Office Prediction

Columbia Pictures hopes audiences are craving new superhero action when Kraven the Hunter hits theaters on December 13th. This is the latest entry in the Sony Spider-Man Universe which has found success with the Venom pics and failure with Morbius and Madame Web. Aaron Taylor-Johnson stars in the title role spawned from the Marvel Comic with Ariana DeBose, Fred Hechinger, Alessandro Nivola, Christopher Abbott, and Russell Crowe offering support.

This has had a lengthy road to the multiplex. Hunter is on its fourth release date as it was originally slated for nearly two years ago. The first trailer came out in June 2023. In April of 2022, Morbius rolled out to a $39 million showing before cratering in weekend #2. Madame Web had a six-day rollout over President’s Day weekend and took in only $25 million for that time period.

I don’t think Kraven approaches that Morbius figure and it may fall just below Web‘s $15 million Friday to Sunday from a few months back.

Kraven the Hunter opening weekend prediction: $14.8 million

For my The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim prediction, click here:

The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim Box Office Prediction

Gladiator II Review

Denzel Washington’s work in Gladiator II is so strong and he is so entertaining to watch that it’s a bit distracting. There are other distractions that are undoubtedly negatives like subpar CG baboons and the choice to fill the Colosseum with frickin sharks. With the two-time Oscar winner having a ball as an ambitious former slave turned gladiator manager, it made me want the movie to be trained more on him. Instead his Macrinus is trapped in a long gestating sequel to the 2000 Best Picture recipient that might not work much at all without him. It’s like if Denzel’s Alonzo Harris character in Training Day was dropped into a Fast and Furious flick. There’s plenty of fun to be had thanks to him, but it stalls when he’s not around.

Ridley Scott returns to the director’s chair for this follow-up set 16 years after Maximus (Russell Crowe) drew his brave last breath in Rome. The city is not in great shape although the expansive wide shots make it look breathtaking. Co-emperors Geta (Joseph Quinn) and Caracella (Fred Hechinger) are unstable rulers with a thirst for overpowering more territories. Caracella is also a syphilitic lunatic with a pet monkey he eventually empowers so that’s good for a couple of bonkers moments. The boys’ chief general is Acadius (Pedro Pascal) who’s married to Lucilla (Connie Nielsen). As you’ll recall, she is the sister to Gladiator‘s Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix) and former lover to Crowe’s Maximus. Acadius conquers, but he conquers with compassion (awww). He has plans to depose Geta and Caracella (and maybe that monkey) and return Rome to its former glory.

It’s not, I realize, an accident that it’s taken until paragraph 3 to mention the star of the movie. That would be Lucius (Paul Mescal). Introduced to us as Hanno, he’s living a seemingly pleasant laundry hanging life with his wife in the province of Numidia when Acadius and his army come a’conquering. His wife’s screen time is short-lived (just like Maximus’s in the original) and he’s soon vowing revenge on the Roman power structure. Lucius was a boy in the first film played by Spencer Treat Clark – son of Maximus and Lucilla who was sent away for his own protection. Maybe I should have said spoiler alert with the lineage reveal, but it’s right there in the trailer.

When Denzel’s Macrinus offers him a chance to achieve vengeance, Lucius is booked for battle in the same Colosseum like his departed dad. That brings us back to dodgy computer generated baboons and filling the iconic arena with sharks. Apparently water logged events did occur at that venue historically though the participation of the finned feeders was unlikely. The fights are more effective in Gladiator II on the human scale when they don’t involve aquatic or jungle creatures.

The film’s biggest flaw is that Mescal’s Lucius doesn’t have the screen presence that Crowe did. He’s not helped by the screenplay where he’s a bit of a blank slate. Maximus struck fear onscreen when he was unmasked and revealed as a super warrior. I didn’t buy it as much with his offspring when he comes out and plays.

Washington, though, is a blast as he schemes for power (and probably his 10th Oscar nomination). I’d offer that Gladiator II is worth watching for him. Yes, there’s plenty of impressive technical work and sometimes it elevates beyond a rehash of part 1’s beats (though often it doesn’t). Without Macrinus in attendance, the Colosseum would feel considerably emptier.

*** (out of four)

Gladiator II Box Office Prediction

Nearly 25 years after Ridley Scott’s original epic stormed the box office and the Academy Awards, Gladiator II enters cinematic arenas on November 22nd. Paul Mescal stars as Lucius, son of Russell Crowe’s Maximus with Scott back in the director’s chair. Costars include Pedro Pascal, Joseph Quinn, Fred Hechinger, Derek Jacobi, Connie Nielsen (back as the sister to Joaquin Phoenix’s departed Commodus), and Denzel Washington (generating Oscar buzz for his role).

With a reported budget north of $200 million, the long-in-development sequel should capitalize on a quarter century of goodwill from the Best Picture winning part 1. Reviews are decent with 75% on Rotten Tomatoes and 67 on Metacritic.

The $60-$75 million forecast for its debut sounds about right. I am hesitant to take the over as some viewers may wait until the following Thanksgiving frame to make the multiplex trek. I’ll put it in the upper end of that range for a second place showing to Wicked.

Gladiator II opening weekend prediction: $69.8 million

For my Wicked prediction, click here:

Wicked Box Office Prediction

For my Bonhoeffer prediction, click here:

Bonhoeffer Box Office Prediction

Oscar Predictions: Gladiator II

At the dawn of the 21st century, Ridley Scott’s epic Gladiator scored a colossal 12 Oscar nominations and won a handful including Best Picture, Actor (Russell Crowe), Costume Design, Sound, and Visual Effects. Other nods included Scott’s direction (he lost to Steven Soderbergh for Traffic), Supporting Actor (Joaquin Phoenix), and Original Screenplay.

Nearly a quarter century later, Gladiator II is in multiplexes November 22nd. Its battle for Academy recognition could be more challenging. Scott returns behind the camera with Paul Mescal leading a cast that includes Pedro Pascal, Joseph Quinn, Fred Hechinger, Connie Nielsen (reprising her role from part 1), and Denzel Washington.

As can sometimes be the case, initial screening reactions from the long-in-development sequel might have been a tad hyperbolic. The review embargo lifted today paints a clearer picture. The Rotten Tomatoes score is 78% with Metacritic at 67. Somewhat surprisingly, that’s in line with its predecessor’s numbers. Yet most critics say this doesn’t measure up to the original.

A Best Picture nom is not out of the question, but I’m currently projecting it won’t make the cut. Its strongest shot in BP will come if voters feel the need to throw at least a couple massive blockbusters in the mix. Dune: Part Two and Wicked (which opens the same day) could fit the bill. Mr. Scott’s direction and the screenplay are long shots. As for the down the line competitions, it could land mentions in Costume Design, Production Design, Sound, and Visual Effects. Original Score is possible but unlikely and I’d say the same for Cinematography. When it comes to wins in those tech derbies, it’ll have to contend with Dune which is in a better position for victories.

While Crowe and nemesis Joaquin Phoenix were both up for their performances at the 73rd ceremony, only Denzel Washington seems to be viable at the 97th. He’s being singled out for his work and could be headed toward nomination #10 in Supporting Actor. If he makes the final quintet, a win is probably not in the cards as I’d certainly put him behind Guy Pearce (The Brutalist) and Kieran Culkin (A Real Pain) at press time. My Oscar Prediction posts will continue…


Oscar Predictions: Nickel Boys

Based on Colson Whitehead’s 2019 bestseller, the 1960s set racial drama Nickel Boys has been unveiled at Telluride before its October 25th limited theatrical bow. From RaMell Ross (best known for the Oscar nominated 2018 documentary Hale County This Morning, Evening), Boys will stream on Amazon Prime after the awards qualifying run. Ethan Herisse, Brandon Wilson, Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, Fred Hechinger, Hamish Linklater, and Daveed Diggs star.

Some early reaction from Colorado indicates this is one of the year’s best. That’s not across the board. The pic is apparently told from first person perspective and the style is being lauded and criticized depending on the write-up. Surprisingly, initial reviews are not spending much time on the cast. I’ve had Ellis-Taylor (a 2021 Supporting Actress nominee for King Richard) listed at #1 in my Supporting Actress nominees for a few weeks. She could still get in depending on the competition, but she may drop out of my projected quintet altogether (update later today on this blog!). Newcomer Herisse faces long odds in Actor due to growing competition and no other performers seem primed to receive chatter.

Boys could still have enough vocal admirers that Best Picture is doable along with Adapted Screenplay and even the cinematography despite some gripes. My Oscar Prediction posts will continue…

Oscar Predictions: Thelma

Schwarzenegger. Stallone. Squibb. At the Sundance Film Festival, we have a new seasoned action hero via Josh Margolin’s Thelma. It casts June Squibb, 94 years young, seeking revenge on a phone scammer. Costars include Fred Hechinger, the late Richard Roundtree, Parker Posey, Clark Gregg, and Malcolm McDowell.

Ms. Squibb, nominated in Supporting Actress for 2013’s Nebraska, is unsurprisingly drawing critical kudos for her work. The Sundance notices thus far have resulted in 100% Tomato meter. With the right amount of exposure, Thelma could be a sleeper.

Awards prospects are shakier. I’d say this is more of a Golden Globes post than an Academy Awards one. A shrewd marketing campaign might put Squibb in line for an Actress nod in Musical/Comedy at that show. It’s all about how visible (or not) this project becomes over the next few months and the level of competition that is TBD. My Oscar Prediction posts will continue…

The Woman in the Window Review

The deeply troubled agoraphobic Anna Fox (Amy Adams) has a habit of avoiding reality in The Woman in the Window by chugging a bottle of wine and distracting herself with classic old movies. This is her way of not dealing with the story unfolding around her. There are times where I could relate as those vintage pictures would provide a better escape than what happens here for the most part.

Directed by Joe Wright (Atonement, Darkest Hour), Window is based on a 2018 novel by A.J. Finn. It features quite a list of Oscar winners (Gary Oldman, Julianne Moore) and actors you may think have won them (Adams, Jennifer Jason Leigh). The screenwriter Tracy Letts is a Pulitzer winning playwright. With that  level of talent involved, one would think Window would rise above the histrionic Hitchcockian “homage” that it is. Mentioning Mr. Hitchcock might be too complimentary. This shares many similar plot points to 2016’s The Girl on the Train, which was also based on a book meant to be read on an airplane or the beach you rush to after the flight. You could easily call this The Girl on the Painkillers.

Dr. Fox is a child psychologist whose condition has kept her confined to her Manhattan apartment. In addition to her binge drinking/movie watching, she spends most of her day spying on neighbors. The new ones across the street are the Russell family – businessman Alistair (Oldman), wife Jane (Moore), and teen son Ethan (Fred Hechinger). Or maybe not. After the wife and boy visit her, Anna suspects some abuse is occurring in the household. The mystery deepens when Jennifer Jason Leigh shows up as Alistair’s spouse. Maybe the abundance of Anna’s medication is causing hallucinations. Our voyeur tries to enlist the NYPD, led by Brian Tyree’s Henry detective, and her basement tenant (Wyatt Russell) to assist with her amateur sleuthing. There’s also the matter of Anna’s only family. She’s separated from her husband (Anthony Mackie) and they have a young daughter. They turn up in flashback form and saying much more would enter spoiler territory.

The Woman in the Window contains plenty of twists that might have worked in paperback form. The treatment by Wright and Letts is a tonally frantic one. This is primarily a melodrama that begs to be taken seriously from time to time. Some of the performers seem in on it as Oldman, Moore, and Hechinger got the memo to overact wildly. Yet this never reaches its apparent goal of being a genuine guilty pleasure. That’s too bad because the behind the camera personnel and cast in front of it deserved better. Many of those examples are contained in Anna’s cinematic collection in her brownstone where less spellbinding developments are transpiring.

** (out of four)