Robert Downey Jr. Was In Talks For Marvel Villain Role Before Landing ‘Iron Man’

By

-

May 30, 2023

What would’ve become of the MCU if Kevin Feige had never hired Robert Downey Jr. to play Tony Stark? There’s a very good chance the Marvel Studios we know now would never have happened. But according to a conversation between Iron Man director/co-star Jon Favreau and Feige, Downey was actually being sought for another role first…a villain.

“I remember you had all met with [Downey] already for like Doctor Doom or something on another project,” Favreau said to Feige. “I think he had come through on maybe Fantastic Four, so everybody sort of knew who he was.”

The movie Favreau is referring to is the 2005 Fantastic Four, a pre-MCU version of Marvel’s First Family starring Iaon Gruffudd, Jessica Alba, Michael Chiklis, and future Captain America himself Chris Evans. As for that Dr. Doom role, it ultimately went to Nip/Tuck actor Julian McMahon.

And it’s a good thing, because Favreau says Iron Man never would’ve worked without Downey…

“He was the puzzle piece that made it all work,” Favreau said. “I remember sitting down with the guy, and I was like, ‘He’s got that spark in him in his eye and he’s ready.’ That’s when we were in your office, and we were pointing to his headshot, saying, ‘We got to try to figure this out.’”

Feige remarked that Iron Man‘s tone, established by Favreau and Downey, became the model for the entire MCU. He added…

“I remember on later movies – we’ll talk about them on the 15th anniversary of those – there were dark days. And I would say to Robert, ‘We wouldn’t be in this mess if it wasn’t for you.’ Meaning, we wouldn’t have a studio if it wasn’t for him.”

It’s an interesting interview talking about the birth of the MCU. You can check the whole thing out below. [via Deadline]

Review: ‘The Wrath Of Becky’
Lulu Wilson Is The Best Part Of This Bloody Sequel

By
Cortland Jacoby
-

In 2020, a few months into quarantine, Becky was released. Fresh, bloody, and fun, the dark, comedic thriller followed a young girl (Lulu Wilson) who lost her mother to cancer. Angry, she reluctantly heads on vacation with her father, his new girlfriend and her son. Their retreat is quickly throttled by the arrival of neo-nazis who kill her father. Becky then does what you would expect most pre-teens to do and kills them all.

Now, the titular character is back in The Wrath of Becky. A few years older and constantly escaping the foster care, we see her essentially establish a life. She’s working in a diner and living with an elderly Black woman named Elena (Denise Burse), who provides her a small sense of peace and stability. Every day they go through their blessings over breakfast with Becky’s dog Diego.

Very early on in the sequel’s runtime, a trio of men come into Becky’s work making inappropriate and sexist jokes. Having enough, she scolds one with coffee before sending them on their way. They end up following her back to Elena’s where they kill Becky’s mother figure and kidnap her dog.

She follows them to a known white supremest’s house (a menacingly real Seann William Scott), who are laying low waiting to stage a January 6th-like revolt upon the state capital. What ensues is a cat and mouse game where Becky holds all the cards.

Lulu Wilson is unflinching in her portrayal of Becky. She relishes in the film’s violence and plays the few emotional parts with little melodrama. It’s rare for an actress so young to have a character that has defined her career in such a way, but she has managed to do it.

The difference between seventeen year old Becky and thirteen year old Becky – the difference between the two films really is that the younger version of the character is reacting to her circumstances rather than planning them. She spends the last forty-five minutes of the newest film executing these well orchestrated kills that lack the spontaneity of the first. While there are a few things that don’t go according to her plan, most everything does and it kind of takes away from the magic of this premise and this character.

This could be because a whole new creative team is behind the sequel, held by directors Matt Angel and Suzanne Coote, with the former writing the screenplay. The Wrath of Becky keeps the invigorating music tradition of the first film, but its overall tone lacks the magic of the original. The Becky in this film is cold and calculated. Becky was an underdog in the previous movie, whose capacity was discovered under severe duress.

The Wrath of Becky is in theaters now. Watch the trailer below, and check out our interview with Lulu Wilson here.

Cinema Royale: Going Under The Sea With ‘The Little Mermaid’ (Special Guest: Karen Peterson)

By

Travis Hopson

-

May 29, 2023

On the latest episode of Cinema Royale, we’re going under the sea to review Disney’s live-action remake of The Little Mermaid! My good friend Karen Peterson of the Citizen Dame podcast joins me to discuss the “controversial” casting of Halle Bailey as Ariel, whether Ariel’s aquatic animal pals look weird with mouths, and whether Disney will ever again cast a charismatic actor to play a Disney prince. Sure doesn’t seem like it.

I’m on record predicting The Little Mermaid will be the biggest box office hit of the year. Just how wrong am I going to be here, anyway? We’ll talk about that and a lot more!

Subscribe to Punch Drunk Critics on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@PunchDrunkCritics1

Follow Punch Drunk Critics on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/pdcmovies

Follow Punch Drunk Critics on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pdcmovies

Subscribe To Cinema Royale anywhere you get your podcasts!

Box Office: ‘The Little Mermaid’ Makes A Splash, ‘Fast X’ Drives Past $500M Globally

By

Travis Hopson

-

May 28, 2023

The Little Mermaid (review)- $95.5M

Disney’s live-action The Little Mermaid made a big splash in its opening weekend, earning $95.5M domestic for three days and $117M across the four-day holiday, on the way to $185M worldwide. The international numbers are a bit softer than analysts projected, with some suggesting some shenanigans at foot. But if it continues, my prediction that this will be the biggest box office hit of the year is down the tubes. Audience reaction has been through the roof, with a 95% current Rotten Tomatoes score boosting what should be a lot of repeat business. Critically, the 67% number is on the low end, but higher than recent hits such as Aladdin and The Lion King.

2. Fast X– $23M/$107.9M

Of course, Fast X took a hit in its second weekend, dropping 65% and earning $23M. The good news is that it only took two weeks for it to cross $500M globally, while the franchise has passed $7B billion since it began in 2001.

3. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3– $19.9M/$299.4M

4. The Super Mario Bros Movie– $6.2M/$558.8M

5. The Machine– $4.9M/$7.9M

The first of two movies in the top 10 based on a stand-up comedian’s act, The Machine stars Bert Kreischer in a fictionalized version of himself, along with Mark Hamill. As you might’ve guesed, a lot of promo time was spent pushing Hamill’s presence. The $7.9M debut is pretty weak, but the comedy did well in markets where Kreischer is prominent, such as in the midwest.

6. About My Father (review)- $4.2M

Sebastian Maniscalco is a huge marquee name in comedy, but About My Father couldn’t draw in his fans even with Robert De Niro at his side.

7. Kandahar (review)- $2.4M

This one breaks my heart. Kandahar, the latest action film from Gerard Butler and director Ric Roman Waugh, opened with just $2.4M across three days and an estimated $3.1 through the holiday. Shot mostly in Saudi Arabi, an incredibly rare thing for many decades, it finds Butler as an undercover CIA agent who must escape Afghanistan with the help of his Afghan translator. Butler is still a fairly reliable star of mid-range thrillers, but I believe a major problem is the relative proximity to Guy Ritchie’s The Covenant, which looks very similar. Both movies are great, by the way.

8. You Hurt My Feelings (review)- $1.3M

Nicole Holofcener’s reunion with Julia Louis-Dreyfus, You Hurt My Feelings, opened in 912 locations for $1.3M. This is their first film together since 2013’s terrific Enough Said, which finished its run with $25M powered by awards buzz and the passing of co-star James Gandolfini.

9. Evil Dead Rise– $1M/$66.2M

10. Book Club: The Next Chapter– $920K/$16.1M

Review: ‘Stay Awake’
Chrissy Metz, Fin Argus, And Wyatt Oleff Star In Jamie Sisley’s Quiet Tale Of Caring For A Drug Addict

By
Cortland Jacoby
-

We’ve seen plenty of stories about addiction that border on cliché. Four Good Days, Ben Is Back, and Beautiful Boy are just a few examples that come to mind. With quiet and precise execution, Jamie Sisley’s Stay Awake dodges the saccharine by swerving into the raw and real. Starring Chrissy Metz (This Is Us), Fin Argus (Clouds), and Wyatt Oleff (It, I Am Not Okay With This), Sisley’s simple direction finds the interesting in a story you’ve heard before.

When we first meet Michelle (Metz), she is in her kitchen making a meal and listening to music. What seems like a normal scene soon turns as she takes a pill and ends up in the hospital. Sisley injects the moment with the sense that this has happened before when her two sons, struggling actor Derek (Argus) and high school senior Ethan (Wyatt) get to her. Tired of his mother’s behavior, Ethan is ready to force her into any rehab program they can find while Derek is much more skeptical and purposefully has them tour facilities they know they can’t afford well outside their small Virginia town.

Both boys have aspirations outside of being their mother’s caretaker. Derek is more hesitant to go out for local commercials and voiceover work and mainly works at the bowling alley to supplement his income. Derek has his eyes set on attending Brown University in the fall, a fact that causes the breakup between him and his girlfriend. Here Sisley questions Ethan’s sexuality with his growing friendship with another boy at school. The director doesn’t directly say the high schooler is gay through dialogue but instead sets it up visually. This is just one example of how Stay Awake shies away from standard cliche. Sisley doesn’t nail anything on the head. Instead, he lets it breathe.

Once Mets’ character goes to rehab, the boys’ everyday life comes to the forefront. Derek struggles to find what he wants to do with his relationship and his career – while simultaneously playing the eldest sibling who is trying to hold everyone together. As his mother works her program, further than she has ever done before, his codependence with his family becomes more evident.

Sisley’s writing strength lies in his realistic and grounded characters. No one is rooted in melodrama which highlights the everyday tragedy of their situation. As the opioid epidemic rages on, Stay Awake shows us an everyday reality that families deal with.

Watch the trailer below. Stay Awake is in theaters now.

‘Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves’ Disappointing Box Office Makes Sequel Unlikely

By

Travis Hopson

-

May 28, 2023

If you’ve been following the weekly box office updates, you may have noticed me making period statements about the underwhelming box office for Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves. This genuinely shocked me because it’s such a great, fun movie that manages to have action in equal measure. Its RT score is through the roof at 91%, too, so my hope was that it would manage to overperform internationally as evidence of need for a sequel.

Well, that’s unlikely to happen.

D&D is finishing off its theatrical run with a grand total of $207M worldwide, just $93M of that domestic. Ouch.

Paramount's DUNGEONS & DRAGONS: HAT is tapping out domestically with $93M, $207M worldwide–on a $150M budget. Plus a big P/A spend. And sequels get more expensive.

Sadly for fans, we won't likely see another big screen adventure for 20 years. Hey, at least they rolled the dice. pic.twitter.com/cD8MIccYvY

— Exhibitor Relations Co. (@ERCboxoffice) May 25, 2023

Considering the $150M budget plus marketing costs, it’s unlikely the film did well enough for Paramount Pictures to greenlight a sequel.

So what went wrong? This is the second failed D&D movie, and it may be time to realize that the brand only appeals to a certain niche audience. The shame of it is that this movie very clearly was made to appeal to everyone. You don’t need to be familiar with the game at all to enjoy it, but the number of times I had people ask me if they needed to tells me Paramount did a poor job of making it clear.

Cannes 2023: Justine Triet’s ‘Anatomy Of A Fall’ Wins Palme d’Or

By

Travis Hopson

-

May 28, 2023

NEON has to be happy right now, because they’ve got yet another Palme d’Or winner in their stable. The 2023 Cannes Film Festival has come to a close, and the prestigious honor was presented to Justine Triet’s Anatomy of a Fall. The film becomes NEON’s fouth Palme d’Or winner in a row following Parasite, Titane, and Triangle of Sadness.

Triet joins an exclusive club of female directors to win the award, along with Jane Campion for The Piano and Julia Ducournau for Titane.

Anatomy of a Fall stars Sandra Hüller as a German writer arrested following the mysterious death of her husband and must try to prove her innocence during the trial. The film will be released in France this August, but NEON has yet to confirm a U.S. date. Expect that to change soon following this victory.

The full list of Cannes 2023 award winners is below:

Palme d’Or: Justine Triet, “Anatomy of a Fall”
Grand Prix: Jonathan Glazer, “Zone of Interest”
Jury Prize: Aki Kaurismäki, “Fallen Leaves.”
Best Director: Tran Anh Hung, “The Pot-au-Feu.”
Best Actress: Merve Dizdar, “Kuru Otlar Ustune (About Dry Grasses)”
Best Actor: Koji Yakusho, “Perfect Days”
Best Screenplay: Yuji Sakamoto, “Monster”
Caméra d’Or: “Ben Trong Vo Ken Vang (Inside The Yellow Coconut Shell)” by Thien An Pham
The Short Film Palme d’Or: “27” by Flora Ana Buda

The full list of Cannes 2023 Un Certain Regard winners is below, revealed on May 26th:

Prix Un Certain Regard: “How To Have Sex” directed by Molly Manning Walker
Jury Prize: “Les Meutes (Hounds)” directed by Kamal Lazraq
Best Director: “Kadib Abyad (The Mother of All Lies)” directed by Asmae El Moudir
Ensemble Prize: “Crowra (The Buriti Flower)” directed by João Salaviza & Renée Nader Messora
New Voice Prize: “Augure (Omen)” directed by Baloji
Freedom Prize: “Goodbye Julia” directed by Mohamed Kordofani

Queer Palm: “Monster” directed by Hirokazu Kore-eda.

Review: ‘About My Father’
Sebastian Maniscalco Takes his Family Based Comedy To The Big Screen And Delivers A Lighthearted, Fun, Heartwarming 90 Minutes

By
John Nolan
-

Sebastian Maniscalco as Sebastian and Robert De Niro as Salvo in About My Father. Photo Credit: Dan Anderson

Sebastian Maniscalco seems to have burst on the scene in the last few years, but that’s far from the truth. Starting in stand-up back in 1998 and releasing his first special (Sebastian Live) in 2009 the guy is far from an overnight sensation. That seems to be the way of it for stand-up comedians though, someone will be working regularly for years before having that one spark that sends them to the A-list. Maniscalco seems to be following the Hollywood playbook for successful comedians, do a few wildly popular stand-up specials and transition into movies (or the old classic, a sitcom). If you’ve watched any of his material, and if you haven’t I highly suggest you do so immediately, you’ll know that a big part of his schtick is talking about his very Italian family life growing up. It should come as know surprise that About My Father, his first starring role which he also wrote, is a story about dealing with one’s family…in this case his father.

Sebastian is planning a weekend with his girlfriend Ellie (Leslie Bibb) and her family at their estate in Virginia over 4th of July weekend a time that he usually spends with his family. Ellie convinces Sebastian to invite his recently widowed father Salvo (Robert De Niro) to tag along, something Sebastian knows will end in his total embarrassment. He relents and Salvo joins them as they go to visit Elliie’s well meaning but completely eccentric family. I think I can cut the synopsis there, anyone that’s seen more then 2 movies knows where this plot is going. That’s right, your standard fish out of water with a side of meeting the parents formula.

Like I’ve said 100 times, though that sounds like a condemnation it’s not, there is NOTHING wrong with making a formulaic movie as long as you do it right. Spoiler alert, they did it right. It all comes down to the heart of the film, it’s a Father/Son story that feels real enough to be relatable with plenty of funny packed in to keep you laughing. Most importantly Maniscalco and De Niro have excellent chemistry. I know Bobby D doesn’t have the best track record as of late, especially when it comes to comedy, but in the right role with the right people around him he really hits his marks.

I think one of my favorite things about this flick is how it deviates from that formula we all know so well. On paper Ellie’s family is set to be the worst, think a weekend a Mar-A-Lago. Her mom (Kim Cattrall) is a politician, her dad a hotelier, and she has two brothers one, the typical popped collar frat bro and the other the (also typical) weirdo outcast that all rich families seem to have. Are they different? Yeah, no doubt and the movie does not try to hide that, but different isn’t bad and the maliciousness you expect never presents itself. They are, like Sebastian and his dad, a family of people trying to understand each other. There’s no scene where they upturn their noses at Salvo because he’s a regular working man or pull Ellie to the side to tell her how she’s going to embarrass the “family name” and while they are woefully out of touch most of the time it is obvious they mean well.

Honestly, I thought I would be disappointed seeing Maniscalco toned down for the big screen. He is so hysterically physical in his standup that I wasn’t sure how much of his appeal would be lost. The truth is, none of it was, it was a different kind of funny with the result being a more believable, more likeable, protagonist. Sure, About My Father isn’t going to win awards or fundamentally change cinema as we know it, but it succeeds in doing what every good movie should strive for, making you feel something.

About My Father is in theaters now.

Will Ferrell Eyes John Madden Role In David O. Russell’s Film About Birth Of ‘Madden NFL’ Video Game Franchise

By

Travis Hopson

-

May 26, 2023

I always knew that someday there would be a movie about the Madden video games. And no, not the movie about the infamous “Madden Curse” that was teased more than a decade ago. But a real, legit film about the creation of Electronic Arts’ bestselling game franchise, and now it’s happening thanks to Amazon and MGM.

Deadline reports that Will Ferrell is in early talks to play NFL Hall of Fame coach John Madden, who went from winning Super Bowls to becoming the most popular broadcaster ever and face of the biggest sports video game franchise of all-time.

Set to direct Madden is David O. Russell, based on a script by Cambron Clark. Russell is coming off the utter box office failure that was Amsterdam, meaning that “failing upwards” is still a thing for certain filmmakers.

Ferrell is a gigantic sports fan, and has starred in numerous sports movies. For a while it seemed like sports comedies were the only thing he could do. He also knows about playing iconic broadcasters, thanks to his unforgettable Ron Burgundy role in two Anchorman movies.

I think people forget how crowded the NFL video game landscape was when John Madden Football was first published in 1988. You had new games coming out of the woodwork, including some with popular coaches such as Jerry Glanville and Mike Ditka, but it was Madden that survived and basically, it has been the only game in town for years.

‘John Wick 5’ Is In The Works, Sequels To Be Released In “Regular Cadence” From Now On

By

Travis Hopson

-

May 26, 2023

pdc_johnwick49 — JOHN WICK: CHAPTER 4- The purest kick-ass movie of the year, John Wick: Chapter 4 saw Keanu Reeves’ lethal practitioner of gun-fu face his biggest challenge yet. No, it’s not Donnie Yen although he comes close; it’s franchise exhaustion. But Reeves and director Chad Stahelski destroy that notion with an epic 2 1/2-hour masterpiece that sees John Wick unleash such beautiful violence it’ll leave you awestruck. There’s debate whether John Wick will return but can there ever truly be peace for him when there are faces to be kicked, and bullets to be fired?

The conclusion of John Wick: Chapter 4 certainly left open the possibility that we had seen the last of the Baba Yaga. Comments by director Chad Stahelski made it clear that if there is to be another sequel, it will be long ways off and only under the right terms. Well, John Wick fans can have a sigh of relief, because a new film is definitely happening.

At least, that’s the indication from Lionsgate exe Joe Drake during a quarterly earnings call, where he said that John Wick 5 is in “early development.” As you probably guessed, there were no details made available. It’s way too soon for that. Lionsgate has raked in over $1 billion at the box office on the four previous movies so why would they ever give that up?

“We’re building out the world and when that five movie comes, it will be organic — will be organically grown out of how we’re starting to tell those stories,” Drake said. “But you can rely on a regular cadence of John Wick.”

The phrase “regular cadence” is interesting because it suggests multiple John Wick movies coming out on a planned schedule. That COULD be a good thing, but honestly, I kinda like the idea of a definite end-point for this series.

John Wick 5 would join franchise spinoffs Ballerina, which will star Ana de Armas, and Peacock’s The Continental prequel series, led by Mel Gibson and Colin Woodell. [THR]