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‘Avengers: Infinity War’ Is Outselling Marvel’s Last 7 Movies Combined

By
John Nolan
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I’ve been boasting a lot lately that Black Panther would end up with a bigger box office than Avengers: Infinity War. My logic was sound; Black Panther reaches an audience that don’t give a crap about the MCU in general, while Infinity War appeals to the diehards. The recent box office estimates seemed to back me up, too, but it’s time for me to do some course correction in light of new data.

There’s a good chance Infinity War kicks Black Panther‘s ass. Bad. A tweet by Fandango reports that pre-sale tickets for Infinity War are outpacing the last seven Marvel movies…combined!  That list includes a lot of heavy hitters, too, like Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Captain America: Civil War, Spider-Man: Homecoming, and Thor: Ragnarok. On top of that it’s now besting Black Panther by more than double, which is just incredible.

The early projections were for the film to do about $200M on opening weekend, just shy of Black Panther, but those estimates look to be blown out of the water now. We’ve got a potential world beater on our hands here, one that is likely to surpass Black Panther‘s $666M domestic (currently) as Marvel’s #1 movie in the U.S. And there’s a very good chance it takes down The Avengers’ worldwide $1.5B total to be the highest-grossing superhero movie ever.

Basically, just get ready for the tidal wave to hit on April 27th.

DC Readers: Win Passes To A Free Early Screening Of ‘The Rider’

By
John Nolan
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We’re happy to offer our DC readers the chance to attend a free advance screening of Indie Spirit Award nominee The Rider, which RogerEbert.com calls “One of the most astonishing achievements of recent cinema.” The film is directed by Chloe Zhao (Songs My Brothers Taught Me) and stars Brady Jandreau, Tim Jandreau, Lilly Jandreau, Lane Scott, and Cat Clifford.


SYNOPSIS: After a tragic riding accident, young cowboy Brady (Brady Jandreau), once a rising star of the rodeo circuit, is warned that his competition days are over. Back home, Brady finds himself wondering what he has to live for when he can no longer do what gives him a sense of purpose: to ride and compete. In an attempt to regain control of his fate, Brady undertakes a search for new identity and tries to redefine his idea of what it means to be a man in the heartland of America.


The screening takes place on Tuesday, April 17th at 7:00pm at Landmark E Street. If you’d like to enter to win, simply complete the Rafflecopter contest form below. Winners will be selected on Saturday, April 14th and contacted by email. Good luck!

The Rider opens in DC on April 20th.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

NOVA Film Festival Review: ‘Trouble Is My Business’

By
John Nolan
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The NOVA Film Festival has been on a roll these past few days.
The international film/music festival, hosted annually by the Angelika Film Center,
has had quite the selection of projects being screened. None, however, piqued
my interest quite as much as Trouble is my Business, a new
neo-noir thriller from writer/director Tom Konkle, who I had the pleasure of
speaking with briefly before the screening began.
Konkle is one of those
guys. Those character actors who pop up in TV and movies and make you go
“oh, it’s that guy.” And he’s proud
of his that guy status. You’ve seen
him before on the FX series Baskets, on Cosmos, and on a John
Cleese comedy special. You’ve heard his voice on cartoons and seen him in Coke
commercials, but you’ve never had the opportunity to see him as the type of
complicated character he plays in Trouble, and that’s part of the
point. Konkle and his partners on the film are all that guy performers. They decided to pool their resources into
making this film, an opportunity for all of them to push things further than
they typically get to. Wisely, they chose noir as the style for their outlet,
and we wound up with this gloriously campy movie. It’s a piece where every role
is a big character, and every piece of scenery requires proper chewing.
Shot in beautiful, shadowy black and white, the film itself
has Konkle doing his best Bill Murray impression as washed-up detective Roland
Drake. Drake is a man who finds himself wrapped up in a classic noir-style
mystery for him get to the bottom of. There’s guys in the shadows with
mustaches and fedoras, femme fetales pulling knives, Russian spies, and
smuggled diamonds. It has everything you’d want in a moody throwback to fast-talking
40’s scuzz, and this group pulls it off. Everyone in this film is having the
time of their life, swinging for the fences with their wild, cartoonishly noir
stock characters, and I loved every second of it.
That being said, nothing is perfect. While it did look very
stylized and professional, at times you could tell the true indie quality of
the film based on the occasionally fuzzy audio or clearly ADR-dubbed line. My
biggest problem, however, is a very nerdy one. Every so often the film would
slip into a handheld camera visual style. To me, that clashed hard with the pitch
perfect noir tone and setting created in every other area of the film. Film
noirs are notoriously static, and while there’s definitely room to
stylistically move the cameras, a true noir would never become quite as
visually kinetic as Trouble is My Business occasionally becomes. And that’s about
it. Past that, this movie was a slam dunk.
This isn’t a comedy, but it’s so hyper stylized, so campy,
and so fun that I just couldn’t help but chuckle throughout the whole thing.
It’s just so silly, and so proud of how silly it is. Honestly my face hurt from
smiling as much as I was during this movie. It’s such a fun ride.
I really enjoyed Trouble is My Business, and look
forward to seeing what those guys come
up with next.
Rating: 4 out of 5

Critics Named 10 Best Romantic Films of All Time

By
John Nolan
-

Rotten Tomatoes named the best
romantic films of all time. To draw up the rating, experts compared the number
of positive reviews which formed a percentage of “freshness” for each movie.
The first place went to ‘Before Sunrise,’ and the second spot was taken by
‘Singin’ in the Rain.’ The bronze went to ‘The Philadelphia Story.’ Here are
Top-10 best romantic movies according to Rotten Tomatoes.
  1. Before Sunrise
    Jesse, a young American man, meets Celine, a pretty girl from France, on a train. They both seem like pleasant companions to each other, and Jesse persuades Celine to disembark with him in Vienna to spend an evening and a night together, since the next morning he has to fly home to the States.
  2. Singin’ in the rain
    The basis of this legendary film is a dozen old songs written for various Broadway shows. Don Lockwood, a popular silent movie star, recalls his path to fame. But suddenly happiness leaves him once the era of sound cinema comes. He begins to explore new horizons.
  3. The Philadelphia Story
    The cold beauty Mrs. Tracy is divorced and preparing to marry George, the manager of her father’s oil company. You’d think that there are no doubts left in her head, but suddenly, her ex-husband, Dexter, unexpectedly appears on the eve of the celebration, accompanied by two journalists, a pretty young man named Connor and Miss Imbrie, who will cover this high-society event.
  4. The African Queen
    1914, East Africa. Captain Charlie Allnut takes his steamer to the village, where the Christian mission of the Reverend Samuel and his unmarried sister Rosa is located. Among the wild African jungles, both are acting as if they’re still in good The African Queenold England. But the war is finally coming to Africa.
  5. A Room with a View
    The year 1907. Lucy, a young, well-bred English lady, travels around Italy accompanied by Aunt Charlotte, whose upbringing is impeccable. They stop at a pensione in Florence where Lucy meets a simple guy George, eventually falling in love with him.
  6. Letter from an Unknown Woman
    The year 1900. A rainy Vienna night, successful pianist Stefan Brand returns home to pack his bags and leave the city. This way he wants to avoid the morning duel. Stefan’s servant John hands him an envelope, brought by the postman the day before. The first line, written by a woman’s hand, reads: “By the time you read this letter, I may be dead. I have so much to tell you, but I have so little time…”
  7. Cyrano de Bergerac
    A brilliant Guards officer and the famous poet Cyrano de Bergerac is in love with his cousin Roxanne, and she doesn’t even suspect it. Unfortunately, Cyrano’s bravery on the battlefield is as strong as his shyness in love. Because of his unreasonably long nose, he’s quite sure that Roxanne will reject his courtship. Therefore, Cyrano writes her love letters and beautiful poems using the name of his comrade Christian.
  8. The Shop Around the Corner
    The film follows the story of Alfred Kralik, an employee of the “Matuschek and Co” gift shop. Alfred is a handsome young man who’s in love with a girl he never saw, and he doesn’t even know her name.
  9. Wuthering Heights
    This gothic drama that appeared on the big screen several times tells the story of two generations of Earnshaw and Linton family clans, events that make their paths cross again and again, and the fateful curse of two lovers – Heathcliff and Cathy.
  10. Sense and Sensibility
    It’s a story about two sisters – sensual Elinor and passionate Marianne, whose happiness and future are overshadowed by the death of the father and the loss of the immense family fortune.

Although these are best films of the genre, you can’t fully appreciate them without a proper company. You can find one at https://bridesbay.com/.

‘American Animals’ Trailer: Barry Keoghan And Evan Peters Lead A Kinetic, Unique Heist Film

By
John Nolan
-

It’s taken a few years for The Impostor director Bart Layton to hit us with a followup, but when he did he came throwing haymakers. At Sundance I attended the premiere of his incredible heist film, American Animals, a truly unique genre film based on one of the biggest thefts in history that you’ve probably never heard of.

Starring Evan Peters (aka Quicksilver in the X-Men movies), Dunkirk‘s Barry Keoghan, Blake Jenner (Everybody Wants Some) and  Jared Abrahamson (Hello Destroyer), the film chronicles the true story of four suburban Kentucky college students who broke into Transylvania University in an attempt to steal a number of rare books, including Audobon’s Birds of America which is valued at $10M. 
The film has incredible energy throughout, but what the trailer doesn’t show you is its biggest selling point. Layton includes scenes of interviews he conducted with the real-life thieves, now all grown up and reflective of their actions that fateful day. Some of them are remorseful, some of them aren’t. It’s fascinating to see how their attitudes and perspectives have changed with time.
American Animals opens June 1st. Check out the trailer below and my review from Sundance here! 

Review: ‘Beirut’, Jon Hamm Sweats It Out In A Solid Old School Political Thriller

By
John Nolan
-

NOTE: This is a reprint of my review from the Sundance Film Festival. 

It’s possible last night’s world premiere of Beirut may have been our first real look at Jon Hamm in an action franchise to call his own. More importantly, it may be the start of a new series of political thrillers intelligent enough for adults, and isn’t just about an agent punching his way out of problems. Either way, this is a solid entry and the kind of mainstream, neatly-packaged fare we don’t typically get at Sundance.

Based on a two decades-old script from Tony Gilroy (The Bourne movies, Michael Clayton) and directed with workmanlike efficiency by Brad Anderson (Transsiberian, which you all know I love to death), Beirut follows diplomat Mason Skiles (even his name is franchise-ready), a smooth talker who knows how to get himself out of a jam without using his fists. In 1972 he’s hostin a lavish party in Beiruit with his wife and adopted Lebanese son, who turns out to be the son of a dangerous terrorist. When he comes looking for his boy, everything goes haywire and Skiles’ life explodes in more ways than one.

A decade later and Skiles is no longer a diplomat, he’s a negotiator working small-time labor disputes. He’s also a drunk, but he’s still got skills when it comes to dealing with people. That’s perfect because a mysterious man approaches him, in a bar of course, and offers Skiles a fat sum of money to fly to Beirut and negotiate the release of a kidnapped friend, a high-ranking official, from a terrorist group.  He doesn’t want to go, but feels compelled to. Plus there’d be no movie if he said no, so…

Beirut is one of those movies where everyone has an ulterior motive. The CIA, the terrorists who actually asked for Skiles to get involved, and even Skiles himself. The film is constantly working as a double blind, trying to keep the audience guessing, but it gets increasingly hokey the longer it goes on. There are reasons movies like this don’t get made very often. For every Munich there’s  The Sentinel; these films are really tough to pull off, try as they might to be both topical and entertaining. Beirut walks a pretty good balance, but there are long stretches where it seems Skiles isn’t doing very much. I had to stop to ask myself if the plot even made sense having him involved in the mission.

Fortunately, an exciting final act clears that up, with Hamm bringing his charm, sex appeal, and physicality to the role. We also see a little bit of the Don Draper world weariness hanging on Skiles’ broad but sagging shoulders. Beirut could be the start of a comeback for this old school genre, one that Gilroy himself helped usher into oblivion with his Jason Bourne screenplays. In a way it’d be fitting if this years-old script for Beirut helped change things to how they once were. We’ll just have to wait and see if audiences are ready to turn back the clock.

Rating: 3 out of 5

‘Truth Or Dare’ Director Jeff Wadlow Talks His Shelved ‘X-Force’ Movie

By
John Nolan
-

In the summer of 2013, Jeff Wadlow was hired to begin work on an X-Force script. The news broke just before Comic-Con and of course we expected to hear more about it. Then a funny thing happened. Wadlow’s Kick-Ass 2 opened and it was a flop, and suddenly we weren’t hearing about X-Force anymore other than that people really wanted it to happen, including Ryan Reynolds who was pushing to be Deadpool again at the time. But it never did happen, with Fox turning their energies towards a solo Deadpool movie, and the rest is box office history.

Wadlow is making the rounds chatting up his new horror film Truth Or Dare, but he was asked instead about X-Force (ugh). He shed some light on what his take on the militaristic mutant squad would have been, and how he would have used Ryan Reynolds’ Deadpool in the movie…

“I wrote a draft and they really liked it. They just reached a critical moment, where they were deciding whether they were going to make Deadpool or X-Force. I’ve always loved Deadpool and I tried to rehabilitate him in my X-Force movie because, like the rest of the fans, I felt like they totally screwed it up in X-Men: Origins. I had actually been talking to Ryan Reynolds about playing him in my X-Force movie, but my X-Force movie was much more focused on Cable and the New Mutants becoming this paramilitary unit. So, Fox was trying to decide whether they going to do the Deadpool solo movie or my X-Force movie. Fortunately, they picked the Deadpool solo movie because it’s great. Fortunately for the world, I should say, but unfortunately for me. But, I have no complaints about the process. I’m a huge fan of Ryan’s and I loved the Deadpool solo movie. I’m super excited for Deadpool 2. It’s a little bit of a bummer, but that’s life in the big leagues.”

He also said that his team would have differed from the X-Men kids in a major way by taking them out of the comfy halls of the Xavier Institute…

“When I pitched for it, I said, ‘If X-Men is about the mutants that get to go to private school, I want to make a movie about the mutants that go to public school. They’re the kids that don’t have a jet swooping down to help them, with Hugh Jackman and Patrick Stewart. What’s it like when you don’t have those guys helping you out and you’re forced to figure out who you are in this world?’”

X-Force is due to hit the big screen soon in Deadpool 2, and then if all goes well they will get their own movie written and directed by Drew Goddard. Honestly, I like the sound of Wadlow’s better because it’s closer to the team of rebellious mutants I loved in the comics. [Collider]

‘Infinity War’ Directors Have An Idea If The X-Men Join The MCU

By
John Nolan
-

If and when the Disney/Fox deal goes through Kevin Feige has a Hell of a job on his hands fitting the X-Men and Fantastic Four into the MCU. While he’s currently too busy with Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers 4 to worry about what may happen, clearly there will need to be some plan in place. Infinity War directors the Russo Brothers think they have an idea that might work, and I actually agree with them.

In a recent interview the Russos suggested the interdimensional crossover Secret Wars could be a way of bringing the various universes together. They said, “If Disney’s takeover of Fox goes through, there are a lot more characters to work with all of a sudden, it might be interesting to do something like Secret Wars.”

Sounds like they mean the most recent version of Secret Wars, which saw heroes from many alternate realities come together in one massive storyline. It could work, but the mere fact they mentioned it means it probably has no chance of happening. Besides, I’d much rather see the X-Men introduced in a way that gives them the full spotlight, not in some huge crossover event.

‘The Wife’ Trailer: Glenn Close Is Done Putting Her Life On Hold

By
John Nolan
-

Glenn Close has the kind of career that puts her on the same level with any of her male counterparts. She doesn’t take a backseat to anybody, but her titular character in The Wife chooses to make that sacrifice for her husband in the upcoming adaptation of Meg Wolitzer’s acclaimed novel, which has just debuted its new trailer.

In The Wife, Close plays Joan, whose husband (Jonathan Pryce) is a Novel Prize-winning author while she has set aside her own literary career in favor of his. It’s a decision she’s long made her peace with and even come to appreciate, calling herself a “kingmaker” at one point in the trailer. But when a trip to Sweden forces her to confront the ugly truth about her husband, Joan begins to question the decision to put her life and career on hold. The film also stars Christian Slater, Max Irons, Elizabeth McGovern, and Annie Starke. Swedish filmmaker Björn Runge is behind the camera working from a script by Jane Anderson, Emmy winner for her work on Olive Kitteridge.

The Wife opens August 3rd.

Marvel Thanks Fans For 10 Years Of Supporting The MCU

By
John Nolan
-

When Avengers: Infinity War arrives in a coupl of weeks it will mark the culmination of a ten year journey that began with Iron Man in 2008. We’ve never seen anything quite like it, as Marvel has taken fans through eighteen movies in this cinematic universe and reshaped the way blockbusters are perceived by audiences and Hollywood alike.

And now the stars of the MCU, including Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, and more, have taken time to thank fans for going along on this decade-long odyssey. If Marvel has proven anything over the years it’s that building something like the MCU wasn’t easy, and it takes a special group to be able to pull it off. It also takes a special group of fans, so it’s cool for Marvel to reach out and say “Thank You.”

Of course, they could’ve thanked fans in DC with a screening, but I digress.

Avengers: Infinity War opens April 27th.


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