Box Office: ‘Bob Marley: One Love’ Rises Up With $80M Worldwide, ‘Madame Web’ Bombs

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February 18, 2024

Bob Marley: One Love (review)- $27.7M/$45.5M

The filmmakers behind Bob Marley: One Love can get up, stand up and cheer as the reggae biopic earned $27M over the 3-day weekend, $45M from its five-day debut, and $51M through the Monday holiday. Not only that, but it earned a whopping $14M on Valentine’s Day, breaking records on a date that you might expect to be won be a rom-com. Worldwide, the film has earned $80M. So a pretty good start for the $70M film.

2. Madame Web (review)- $15.1M/$23.3M

Other than Venom, Sony continues to struggle with their Spider-Man spinoff movies. Madame Web opened to a dismal $15M three-day weekend, and just $23M over five days.Over six days, the total hits just $25M, which is about equal to the international tally. This was something I think we all saw coming ever since Dakota Johnson’s disastrous press tour. But even before that, the film just looked cheap and thrown together. We have to wonder if the same thing happens with Kraven the Hunter, will Sony finally give it up?

3. Argylle– $4.7M/$36.4M

4. Migration– $3.7M/$114.8M

5.The Chosen: S4 Episodes 4-6– $3.44M/$4.2M

6. Wonka– $3.4M/$209.8M

7. The Beekeeper– $3.2M/$59.8M

8. Anyone But You– $2.4M/$84.7M

9. Lisa Frankenstein– $2M/$7.6M

10. Land of Bad– $1.8M

The action film Land of Bad, starring Russell Crowe and Luke and Liam Hemsworth, opened with a strong $1.8M in 1120 theaters.

Cinema Royale: Talking MADAME WEB And BOB MARLEY: ONE LOVE, Are They Really That Bad?

By

Travis Hopson

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February 18, 2024

On this week’s episodes of Cinema Royale, we’re delving into the Spider-Verse! Not the good Spider-Verse of Sony’s animated Miles Morales movies. But the crappy Spider-Verse where Madame Web dwells alongside Morbius and Venom 2 and probably Kraven the Hunter. Yes, we’re talking Madame Web with my home Chris Bumbray of Joblo.com! We need to hash out how Sony got this so damn wrong!? And we also start talking about how terrible the start to 2024 has been, and some other crap movies on the way.

In the second episode, my partner in crime Tim Gordon joins me to lend his expertise on Bob Marley: One Love, the musical biopic on the legendary reggae star. Why has the film received so much backlash from longtime Marley fans? We talk about the choice that all filmmakers must make when doing a biopic on a music superstar. Do you work with the estate and get their cooperation, in exchange for a sanitized subject? Or do you go it alone and possibly have an unauthorized, hard-hitting movie with musical rights and little outside cooperation? It’s a tough call, but one that has needed to be made many times recently.

All of this and more on a new episode of Cinema Royale!

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Review: ‘The Monk And The Gun’
A Dramedy Exploring Bhutan’s Attempt At Modernization

By
Jake Sokolsky
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Bhutan, a remote nation in the Himalayas, is known for many things. Natural beauty, Buddhist teachings, and gross national happiness. However, over the past couple of decades, it has made its mark in more modern areas. In the mid 2000s, they became the last nation in the world to connect to internet and television. Shortly after, their king voluntarily gave up power to establish a democracy in the country. This is one of the few instances in history where a democracy was formed by a king choosing to step down, and not one demanded by the masses. The Monk And The Gun takes place during this transitional time in Bhutan’s history. This national shift to a democracy was not one that was met with open arms by the people. They loved their king and were happy with how things were.

In the remote village of Ura, a Lama (Kelsang Choejey) hears of the news. He worries about what this will mean for the future of the village and the country as a whole. This leads him to come up with an idea to set things right before the full moon in 3 days. The Lama tasks his disciple Tashi (Tandin Wangchuk) with retrieving 2 guns that will be needed for his plan. Which is easier said than done in a country where guns are almost nonexistent. Eventually Tashi finds a gun from a local farmer to bring back to the Lama. An antique gun that Ron (Harry Einhorn), an American collector, has been searching for. Benji (Tandin Sonam) is Ron’s local guide angling to get a payday as well. As the full moon approaches, the conflicting motivations must come to a head.

Pawo Choyning Dorji both wrote and directed The Monk And The Gun. The film is his second feature length movie. His first film, Lunana: A Yak In The Classroom is also based in Bhutan but looking at the country through a different lens. The casts of Dorji’s films are a mix of local town residents and actors making their career debuts. With Bhutan having so recently modernized in the realm of television and film entertainment, this field is very new. There are few acting opportunities, leading to many not having any prior experience. Key players in the film, most notably the Lama himself, portraying themselves adds to the film. It provides a whole new realistic, and unique, layer that shines through.

Dorji’s puts together a strong and entertaining script. The movie flows well and the humor is subtle, but hilarious – particularly the election trainings. There is no need for any special effects or CGI here. If you’re looking for your big blockbuster popcorn movie, this isn’t it. What there is however is an abundance of serene music and beautiful shots of the landscape. The Monk And The Gun is a character and dialogue driven dramedy. The story is relatively believable, the audience has a chance to connect with the characters, and there are lessons to be learned. Dorji takes the viewers into the heart of a reality that most of us are not used to. The film highlights that intersection of tradition vs modernization and how people can adapt. The Monk And The Gun is equal parts interesting and entertaining and certainly worth a watch.

The Monk and the Gun is in theaters now.

DC Readers: Attend A Free Advance Screening Of FX’s ‘SHŌGUN’

By

Travis Hopson

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February 16, 2024

We’re happy to offer our DC readers the chance to attend a free early screening of the first two episodes of FX’s anticipated series, SHŌGUN, on the big screen before it premieres on Hulu on February 27th. History will be made in this epic saga of war, passion and power in Feudal Japan.

SYNOPSIS: FX’s Shōgun, an original adaptation of James Clavell’s bestselling novel, is set in Japan in the year 1600 at the dawn of a century-defining civil war. Producer Hiroyuki Sanada stars as “Lord Yoshii Toranaga” who is fighting for his life as his enemies on the Council of Regents unite against him. When a mysterious European ship is found marooned in a nearby fishing village, its English pilot, “John Blackthorne” (Cosmo Jarvis), comes bearing secrets that could help Toranaga tip the scales of power and devastate the formidable influence of Blackthorne’s own enemies — the Jesuit priests and Portuguese merchants. Toranaga’s and Blackthorne’s fates become inextricably tied to their translator, “Toda Mariko” (Anna Sawai), a mysterious Christian noblewoman and the last of a disgraced line. While serving her lord amidst this fraught political landscape, Mariko must reconcile her newfound companionship with Blackthorne, her commitment to the faith that saved her and her duty to her late father.

The screening takes place on Thursday, February 22nd at 7:00pm at AMC Tysons Corner. If you’d like to attend, RSVP here.

Enjoy the show!

Review: ‘No Way Up’
Forget “Snakes on a Plane” It’s Sharks on a Plane!!

By
Khalil Johnson
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Even though science and reality have proven otherwise (there are less than 100 shark attacks worldwide a year compared to how many sharks people kill), sharks are still scary as shit! Ever since Jaws came out in 1975, folks have been hesitant to go too far into the ocean out of fear of these prehistoric apex predators. And Hollywood has no problem continuing the trend with such flicks such as Deep Blue Sea, 47 Meters Down, Open Water, The Shallows, and of course The Meg. The survival shark movie No Way Up gives us yet another reason to never want to go in the water with such an interesting yet ridiculous premise.

Ava (Sophie McIntosh) is the daughter of the governor. She’s been studying for the bar, but decided instead to support her father by joining a tech startup that her father is supporting. But before she does that, she’s off to Cabo with her boyfriend Jed (Jeremias Amoore), his friend, Kyle (Will Attenborough), and her personal bodyguard Brandon (Colm Meaney) for a little bit of sun and fun. At the airport, she also meets married couple Hank (James Carroll Jordan) his wife Mardy (Phyllis Logan), and their granddaughter, Rosa (Grace Nettle) for a little bit of sun and fun. As everyone gets on the plane, they notice that this plane isn’t fully packed, and it’s due to the condition of the plane which looks like it’s being held by duct tape like a combination of the worst of Alaska Airlines, Spirit, and Southwest.

On the plane, we also meet flight attendant Danilo (Manuel Pacific) whom Kyle immediately starts making gay jokes about (almost hinting that Kyle might be projecting and, in the closet,), but eventually, the plane takes off. The flight in No Way Up seems to be going all right, but then a flock of birds hit the engine, which starts to catch on fire and all hell breaks loose. As the plane starts coming apart and there are massive fatalities of the unnamed passengers, it crashes into the ocean. The explosion created a hole in the side of the plane and it crashes into the ocean, flooding the plane. Lucky for them being in the back of the plane and the position of the aircraft, they are in an air pocket that allows them to keep breathing. Of course, they are about a hundred feet underwater…. And their troubles are just now starting!

It’s the ocean, so of course, sharks start getting curious about this new buffet that landed in their backyard. Thanks to the hole in the side of the aircraft, they have access to a supply of dead passengers, and they are also curious about the live passengers for their doggy bags. Bodyguard Brandon is experienced (after all he’s Chief O’Brien!) as earlier in the film showcases his talent for scoping out dangers, so he quickly starts to assess the situation and plan for their escape and survival.

Now most sharks will browse, bite out of curiosity, and move on, but the sharks in No Way Up are friggin serial killers. Not only do they try and foil every chance at escape and the survivors navigate ways to escape to the surface and start picking people off one by one, but they also deal with the Coast Guard search and rescue divers that are trying to save them as well. Not only are the survivors having to deal with the sharks, but the plane is stuck on the edge of a ravine that is slowly sinking further and further deep into the ocean. The longer everyone stays there, the less chance for survival they have.

In order for Ava and crew to escape, a bunch of plot convenience has to happen. They remember scuba diving people brought their gear on the plane, they find a dead passenger who had an oxygen tank to help them with breathing as they attempt to get to the surface, and they could use the flotation bags as little mini “air guns” to blow bubbles at the attacking sharks. No Way Up does stress your suspension of disbelief, but after all, this is a movie about sharks attacking people on a plane stuck 100 feet beneath the surface, so your mileage may vary.

While it seems like the craziest AI-driven plot imaginable, unfortunately, No Way Up offers very little regarding character development. The only character who has anything going for them is our heroine Ava, who is mourning her mother’s passing from drowning, so she’s determined not to go the same route as her mother. Everyone else is your stereotypical monster movie side characters, complete with their stupid decisions that get them killed by the sharks. Unfortunately, No Way Up was made before this year’s real-life Alaska Airlines flight door fiasco so we now know that if a flight door came off it wouldn’t make the whole plane almost explode like it does in the movie. One thing the movie does well is ramp up the gore. Legs get bit off, torsos get mauled, and sharks dismember people with absolute carnage and although the sharks are mostly CGI, the gore is almost certainly practical and reminds the audience that not everything needs to be CGI to be believable.

Now if you are looking for a realistic take on a plane crash and sharks running amok, No Way Up is the wrong movie for you! But if you don’t mind shutting your brain off for an hour and 30 minutes and watch a bunch of people go toe to toe with nature, the bends/water pressure, and sometimes logic, this will be a fun time for you!

No Way Up is currently available in theaters.

No Way Up

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Dakota Johnson Admits She Hasn’t Watched ‘Madame Web’ Yet, But Would “Definitely” Return For Sequels

By

Travis Hopson

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February 16, 2024

So, Madame Web is pretty terrible. Ironically for a movie about a character who is clairvoyant, I think everybody other than Sony saw that coming. And that probably includes star Dakota Johnson, who has looked disinterested during the press tour while taking casual shots at the production. She looks pretty disinterested in front of the camera, too. However, if Madame Web turns out to be a surprise hit, and who knows, maybe it will, then Johnson could be convinced to return for more.

She might want to watch the movie first, though.

In an interview with Magic Radio, Johnson admitted that she hasn’t actually watched Madame Web yet, stating “I don’t know when I’ll see it. Someday.”

But if there are sequels, she might suit up as the Spider-hero once again, telling Total Film “If they want me to come back, then I definitely will. I have no idea what’s in store.”

Frankly, I don’t know why she would other than the paycheck. It didn’t look as if she was having a very good time, and has complained about shooting in front of so much blue screen and all of the many script rewrites. Johnson looks uncomfortable playing a superhero, a recognition she predicted when first receiving the script…

“I got sent this script, and I was like, ‘I don’t know about me being a superhero,’” Johnson said. “I was sort of mystified by her powers. I felt like, ‘Oh, I really would love to see that superhero. I would love to see a young woman whose superpower is her mind.’”

I’m going to make a prediction: Dakota Johnson will not be in a Madame Web sequel. There will be no Madame Web sequel at all, and Johnson will pretend this whole experience never happened.

‘Another End’ Trailer: Gael Garcia Bernal And Renate Reinsve Star In Sci-Fi Drama Premiering In Berlin

By

Travis Hopson

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February 16, 2024

Gael Garcia Bernal and Renate Reinsve in ANOTHER END

Headed to the 74th Berlin International Film Festival is the sci-fi drama Another End, and the reason this has people buzzing about its upcoming world premiere is the cast. The film stars Gael Garcia Bernal and The Worst Person in the World breakout Renate Reinsve in a story about how far one person will go to see a deceased loved one just one more time.

The film is directed by Italian filmmaker Piero Messina, who previously directed Juliette Binoche in The Wait. Set in a near future, the fantasy drama is set in a world where grieving people can briefly bring back their dead loved ones in a different body.

Also in the cast are Bérénice Bejo, Olivia Williams, and Pal Aron.

Here’s the synopsis: Sal’s empty eyes reveal he has been living only on memories since he lost the love of his life, Zoe. Memories like fragments of a shattered mirror that cannot be put back together. Observing her brother with growing concern, Sal’s sister Ebe suggests that he tries “Another End”, a new technology that promises to ease the pain of separation by briefly bringing back to life the consciousness of a person who has died. In this way, Sal finds Zoe again – but in the body of another woman. It is a body he does not know but in which he is mysteriously able to recognise his wife. What was broken suddenly seems to be mended. In fact, “Another End” grants Sal the time to share a little more life with Zoe, to love her again, to be loved by her and, ultimately, to say goodbye. But this is a fragile, ephemeral and insidious joy. When Sal reaches the end of the programme, he has no intention of meekly watching as his love dissolves in the definitive loss of his wife.

Another End will have its world premiere at Berlinale this weekend before opening in Italy in March. There’s no US release date yet.

Review: ‘Bleeding Love’
Ewan McGregor Helps Launch His Daughter Clara's Career With A Safe Father/Daugher Road Trip Drama

By
Travis Hopson
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Not that I’m a parent or anything, but if I was, the thing I would love about it most is passing my knowledge, hobbies, etc. to my children. My greatest fear? To also pass along my demons. The things that have held me back must not also hinder the next generation, for they must be better than me. In Bleeding Love, Emma Westenberg’s directorial debut, Ewan McGregor stars opposite his real-life daughter Clara McGregor in a safe road trip drama in which an estranged father sees a little too much of himself in his child, and the realization is devastating.

McGregor plays the unnamed father, with Clara as his unnamed daughter. In the beginning, we see her fidgeting uncomfortably in the passenger seat of his beat up old pickup truck. They’re on a long road to some mysterious destination, and the journey through the American southwest is filled with tension. For good reason, as he was largely absent from her life, but has reemerged in the aftermath of her suffering a drug overdose. He’s moved past his own demons, or at least he’s taken the steps. And now he wants the same for her, but she’s not quite there yet. The animosity is palpable. So is her need for alcohol, opioids, and anything she can get her hands on. She’s a total mess, but so is her father who is clearly unequipped for all of this drama.

However, one shouldn’t think Bleeding Love is all anger and angst. While it’s clear that seeing his daughter struggle is like staring into a mirror, he attempts to inject some light and humor into her life because knows it’s what helped him. In between fights, they connect over shared songs, singing together wildly at the top of their lungs during the long drive. These moments shared between father and daughter feel genuine and hopeful.

The film takes more than its share of diversions, some more beneficial than others to the overall narrative. A cast of quirky characters emerges, like a trucker and gun nut who picks them up and takes them to her nephew’s birthday party. Father and daughter find they have at least some things in common as they give the side-eye to the nephew, a child, being given a loaded rifle as a present. But it’s also here that daughter slips back into old habits, running into someone who shares her addictions. These meandering subplots add little and derail any momentum built up by Ewan and Clara, who share almost every scene together.

Westenberg finds the greatest emotional purchase in the shared moments between Ewan and Clara. It’s not always a given that having family members work together will produce instant chemistry. Let’s be honest, some Hollywood family trees produce rotten apples. But that’s not the case here. This is clearly a film meant to help launch Clara’s career, and that’s fine. She proves capable of holding her own with Ewan, but he’s a natural and she’s still working at it. The script by Ruby Caster paints a thin sketch of their characters, and shirks away anytime the film threatens to get too deep into their addiction woes, but the McGregors elevate the material with sincere, tough performances as flawed people. Father is remorseful about his past but unapologetic about it, and she has no reason to trust the help of this man who abandoned her in the first place.

Bleeding Love follows a father and daughter on a difficult journey of reconnection. But there’s an entire legacy of pain between them, and the film, while hopeful, is realistic about the chances of a happy ending. While the script isn’t ideal, Ewan has done Clara a solid with a film that doesn’t ask for much, and allows them to create freely together without much outside pressure. Ewan is doing what his character failed to do, by being there for his daughter and preparing her to handle the future. She’s going to be a better actress for it, and will be in much better movies.

Bleeding Love is available in select theaters and VOD now.

‘The Sympathizer’ Trailer: Park Chan-wook’s post-Vietnam War Spy Series Hits HBO This April

By

Travis Hopson

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February 15, 2024

There’s a lot happening in this trailer for The Sympathizer, one of the most anticipated new series coming from HBO this year. Anticipated because it’s from A24 and director Park Chan-Wook, the South Korean filmmaker behind Oldboy, in his first series effort since The Little Drummer Girl in 2018. An adaptation of Viet Thanh Nguyen‘s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, it’s something of a spy caper exploring the post-Vietnam War era with a critical and satirical eye.

Chan-wook co-created the series with Don McKellar, and exec-produces as well as directs each of the seven episodes. Robert Downey Jr., also a producer, has a role but the real lead is Hoa Xuande as The Captain, a half-French half-Vienamese communist spy whose divided loyalties are constantly tested. Fred Nguyen Khan, Toan Le, Phanxine, and Vy Le. Ky Duyen, Kiue Chinh, Duy Nguyen, Alan Trong, and Sandra Oh also star.

Here’s the synopsis: Based on Viet Thanh Nguyen’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel of the same name, THE SYMPATHIZER is an espionage thriller and cross-culture satire about the struggles of a half-French, half-Vietnamese communist spy during the final days of the Vietnam War and his new life as a refugee in Los Angeles, where he learns that his spying days aren’t over.

The Sympathizer premieres on HBO and Max on April 14th.

Anya Taylor-Joy Is In The ‘Dune: Part Two’ Cast As A Major Character

By

Travis Hopson

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February 15, 2024

Anya Taylor-Joy quietly joined the DUNE 2 cast

As if Anya Taylor-Joy wasn’t about to have a big enough year with Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga coming up. Today we’ve learned that she actually has a role in Dune: Part Two. Variety confirmed the rumors that have been spreading like wildfire over the last few days. Oh, and also Taylor-Joy showed up at the red carpet for the film’s world premiere. A dead giveaway.

Still, this was a fairly well-kept secret. Taylor-Joy joins a cast that includes other young stars such as Timothee Chalamet, Zendaya, Austin Butler, and Florence Pugh, along with Léa Seydoux, Souheila Yacoub, Christopher Walken, Rebecca Ferguson, John Brolin, Dave Bautista, Stellan Skarsgård, Charlotte Rampling, and Javier Bardem.

As for Taylor-Joy’s character, I’ll let the secret remain, but let’s just say that she could be a part of this franchise for the long haul if Denis Villeneuve and Warner Bros. decide to keep things going.

Dune: Part Two hits theaters on March 1st, and you should be able to find some early reactions if you look around the Internet a bit.