Tag: The Cabin in the Woods

Oscar Watch: Mass

One of the most buzzed about features that debuted at the Sundance Film Festival is Fran Kranz’s Mass, which tackles the issue of gun violence by placing the parents of a slain child with the parents of the shooter. That quartet of actors is made up of Jason Isaacs, Martha Plimpton, Ann Dowd, and Reed Birney. Writer/director Kranz, who you may know from his role in The Cabin in the Woods, makes his debut behind the camera.

Critics have indicated that it’s an impressive one. The Rotten Tomatoes score stands at 92% with particular praise going to the performers. Mass is seeking distribution and it should have no trouble finding it through a streamer or studio. An awards push is likely and it will be interesting to follow what category placements the actors are put into.

It’s also an open question as to whether this tricky subject matter will translate to possible nominations. Some reviews have pointed out that this is a tough watch, but a worthy one.

Bottom line: Mass, with the right handling, could be a picture we’re discussing a year from now in the 2021 awards season. My Oscar Watch posts will continue…

Daily Streaming Guide: March 23rd Edition

Today’s Daily Streaming Guide brings us a must watch for horror fans who like a little comedy and irreverence spliced in!

2012’s The Cabin in the Woods is streaming on Hulu. What begins as a seemingly run-of-the-mill scary pic about college students being terrorized in a cabin takes all kinds of unexpected and often humorous turns. The film is cowritten by Joss Whedon and a month after its release, he struck box office gold with the first Avengers. This is directed by his colleague Drew Goddard (making his debut) with a cast includes Thor himself Chris Hemsworth, Richard Jenkins and Bradley Whitford doing sublime work, and genre legend Sigourney Weaver in a small yet pivotal role.

Cabin wasn’t a big hit at the multiplexes, but it’s deservedly achieved cult status since. I find it to be one of the wildly entertaining flicks of its kind in recent times.

That’s all for now, folks! Until next time…

Bad Times at the El Royale Box Office Prediction

Director Drew Goddard follows up his cult hit The Cabin in the Woods next weekend with the thriller Bad Times at the El Royale. Set at a novelty hotel in the late 1960s that occupies space in California and Nevada, the cast includes Jeff Bridges, Cynthia Erivo, Dakota Johnson, Jon Hamm, Nick Offerman, Cailee Spaeny, and Chris Hemsworth.

Early reviews for Royale have been mostly positive and it currently occupies a 77% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Box office estimates I’ve seen have a wide range from low double digits to high ones.

While this is a project that cinephiles are excited for, I question whether this can break out with a mainstream audience. For starters, there’s competition in the form of the second weekend of Venom and A Star Is Born and the debut of First Man. Trailers and TV spots are a little murky as to what this is actually about. While there’s plenty of famous faces in the cast, I’m not sure any of them will help much in filling seats (even Thor himself).

Taking all that into account, I believe El Royale will premiere on the low-end of expectations and may even struggle to reach double digits.

Bad Times at the El Royale opening weekend prediction: $8 million

For my First Man prediction, click here:

https://toddmthatcher.com/2018/10/02/first-man-box-office-prediction/

For my Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween prediction, click here:

https://toddmthatcher.com/2018/10/03/goosebumps-2-haunted-halloween/