The Snubs and Surprises of the 2020 Academy Award Nominations

“Joker” Takes Lead, Scarlett Gets Two Noms and “Rocketman” is Snubbed

By: Keaton Marcus

It’s the clown prince of crime all the way at the 2020 Academy Award nominations.

In this article, we will be covering the surprises and snubs of the 2020 Academy Award nominations.

1. Surprise: “Joker” Nabs Massive 11 Nominations, Takes Charge

   Among the biggest surprises this year was Todd Phillips’ comic-book origin story Joker, which nabbed an impressive 11 nominations at the Academy Awards. This is not only a lot, but it’s the most noms any film has gotten this year, topping the ten earned by The Irishman, 1917 and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. The categories include a Best Actor nod for Joaquin Phoenix, Best Picture, Writing (Adapted Screenplay), Best Cinematography, Best Costume Design, Best Film Editing, Best Makeup and Hairstyling, Best Music (Original Score), Sound Editing and Sound Mixing. Our final projections sit at around 5-8 wins for the clown prince of crime.

2. Snub: “Rocketman” Mostly Shut Out

   The first snub on our list was Elton John biopic Rocketman which took home one nomination, but was ignored in other categories. The good news is that it still got attention for the Music (Original Song) category for “I’m Gonna Love Me Again”, and it has a solid chance of winning. What was most disappointing was Taron Egerton’s lead performance being shut out for Best Actor, and also ignored from the Best Picture, or even Best Direction. Also, there’s nothing for Costume Design either, which would have been a nice steal for the film. Despite being far more acclaimed than 2018’s Bohemian Rhapsody, I still don’t see five noms and four wins. Our projection is that Rocketman will win for Music.

3. Double Surprise: Scarlett Johansson Gets Two Noms in One Year

   We were expecting Scarlett Johansson to be nominated for one, but obviously not two categories in one year. Well, predictions were wrong. Johansson has been nominated for best Actress for her performance in Marriage Story (nominated for six), and as well as being recognized in Best Supporting Actress for satirical comedy Jojo Rabbit (also nominated for six). Both films have been critical hits, and Johansson certainly has a chance of coming home with at least one award, favorably the former, but who knows? The last time an actor was up for two in one was Cate Blanchett during the 80th Academy Awards, and our final projections stand at one win for Johansson, with more of a chance at Best Actress.

4. Double Snub: SNL Stars Eddie Murphy and Adam Sandler Are Empty-Handed

   A double snub has arrived! I’m talking about how SNL stars Eddie Murphy and Adam Sandler both got utterly ignored at the nominations, including their respective films Dolemite is My Name and Uncut Gems which were supposed to be big players. Both very critically acclaimed, this was a huge disappointment. No Best Costume Design or Best Actor for the former and no Best Picture and Best Actor for the latter, it was a mess. This is especially since Uncut Gems is Sandler’s first well-received feature film since 2014, and that his performance received some serious praise. Otherwise, the situation is similar for Murphy, who’s had a bit of a critical slump as well.

5. Last and Big Surprise: “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”, “The Irishman” and “1917” All Tie for 10 Noms

   If you haven’t seen enough surprises already, this one’s gonna shock you. Martin Scorsese’s The Irishman, Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood and Sam Mendes’ 1917 all garnered a whopping 10 nominations each. The first was up for Best Picture, Best Direction, Best Supporting Actor (Al Pacino and Joe Pesci), Writing (Adapted Screenplay), Cinematography, Costume Design, Film Editing, Production Design and even Visual Effects. The latter two were up for similar categories, but Hollywood was the only one out of the three to get nominated for both Best Actor (Leonardo DiCaprio) and Best Supporting Actor (Brad Pitt). Our final predictions land at six wins for the first, four wins for the second, and four to six wins for the third!

The Full List: 2020 Winners for the Golden Globes

By: Keaton Marcus

Finally, the 2020 nominations for the Golden Globes have arrived! There’s snubs, and surprises, but we will just cover the full list in this post!

BEST MOTION PICTURE - DRAMA

The Irishman, 100% “Perfectly Sweet”

Marriage Story, 95% “Certified Fresh” (RottenTomatoes)

Winner: 1917, 90% “Certified Fresh” (RottenTomatoes)

Joker, 90/100 “sweet”

The Two Popes, 89% “Certified Fresh” (RottenTomatoes)

BEST MOTION PICTURE - MUSICAL OR COMEDY

Winner: Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, 85/100 “sweet”

Jojo Rabbit, 79% “Certified Fresh” (RottenTomatoes)

Knives Out, 85/100 “sweet”

Rocketman, 70/100 “sweet/sour”

Dolemite is My Name, 90/100 “sweet”`

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MOTION PICTURE - DRAMA

Christian Bale (Ford v Ferrari)

Antonio Banderas (Pain & Glory)

Adam Driver (Marriage Story)

Winner: Joaquin Phoenix (Joker)

Jonathan Pryce (The Two Popes)

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MOTION PICTURE - DRAMA

Cynthia Erivo (Harriet)

Scarlett Johansson (Marriage Story)

Saoirse Ronan (Little Women)

Charlize Theron (Bombshell)

Winner: Renèe Zellweger (Judy)

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MOTION PICTURE - MUSICAL OR COMEDY

Daniel Craig (Knives Out)

Roman Griffin Davis (Jojo Rabbit)

Leonardo DiCaprio (Once Upon a Time in Hollywood)

Winner: Taron Egerton (Rocketman)

Eddie Murphy (Dolemite is My Name)

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MOTION PICTURE - MUSICAL OR COMEDY

Winner: Awkwafina (The Farewell)

Ana de Armas (Knives Out)

Cate Blanchett (Where’d You Go, Bernadette)

Beanie Feldstein (Booksmart)

Emma Thompson (Late Night)

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A MOTION PICTURE

Winner: Tom Hanks (A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood)

Anthony Hopkins (The Two Popes)

Al Pacino (The Irishman)

Joe Pesci (The Irishman)

Brad Pitt (Once Upon a Time in Hollywood)

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A MOTION PICTURE

Kathy Bates (Richard Jewell)

Annette Bening (The Report)

Winner: Laura Dern (Marriage Story)

Jennifer Lopez (Hustlers)

Margot Robbie (Bombshell)

BEST DIRECTOR - MOTION PICTURE

Parasite, 99% “Certified Fresh” (Bong Joon-ho) (RottenTomatoes)

Winner: 1917, 90% “Certified Fresh” (Sam Mendes) (RottenTomatoes)

Joker, 90/100 “sweet” (Todd Phillips)

The Irishman, 100% “Perfectly Sweet” (Martin Scorsese)

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, 85/100 “sweet” (Quentin Tarantino)

BEST SCREENPLAY

Marriage Story, 96% “Certified Fresh”

Parasite, 99% “Certified Fresh”

The Two Popes, 88% “Certified Fresh”

Winner: Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, 85/100 “sweet”

The Irishman, 100% “Perfectly Sweet”

BEST MOTION PICTURE - FOREIGN LANGUAGE

The Farewell, 98% “Certified Fresh”

Pain and Glory, 97% “Certified Fresh”

Portrait of a Lady on Fire, 97% “Certified Fresh”

Winner: Parasite, 99% “Certified Fresh”

Les Misèrables, 84% “Fresh”

BEST MOTION PICTURE - ANIMATED

Frozen II, 70/100 “sweet/sour”

How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World, 80/100 “sweet”

Winner: Missing Link, 75/100 “sweet”

Toy Story 4, 80/100 “sweet”

The Lion King (2019), 60/100 “sweet/sour”

BEST ORIGINAL SONG - MOTION PICTURE

Cats, 21% “Rotten” (“Beautiful Ghosts”)

Winner: Rocketman, 70/100 “sweet/sour” (“I’m Gonna Love Me Again”)

Frozen II, 70/100 “sweet/sour” (“Into the Unknown”)

The Lion King, 60/100 “sweet/sour” (“Spirit”)

Harriet, 73% “Fresh” (“Stand Up”)

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE - MOTION PICTURE

Motherless Brooklyn, 63% “Fresh”

Little Women, 85/100 “sweet”

Winner: Joker, 90/100 “sweet”

1917, 90% “Certified Fresh”

Marriage Story, 95% “Certified Fresh”

The Snubs and Surprises of the 2020 Golden Globes Winners

“Hollywood” and “1917” Exceed, “The Irishman” Bleeds and More Surprises and Snubs

By: Keaton Marcus

Here, we cover some of the biggest surprises and disappointments of this year’s official winners for the Golden Globes.

1. Surprise: “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” Nabs Three Wins

   The first massive surprise was Quentin Tarantino’s hit love-letter to the ‘60’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood which had a solid night at the 2020 Golden Globes. Originally nominated for four categories, the flick took home an impressive three wins, including Best Musical or Comedy, Brad Pitt for Best Supporting Actor and Best Screenplay. Leonardo DiCaprio only missed out on Best Actor. Furthermore, the success was well-deserved, with us handing it a positive 85/100 “sweet”, calling it a “comic late ‘60’s throwback with Brad and Leo”. Yes, it’s got the great reception, but taking 75% of its nominations is certainly a surprise!

2. Snub: “The Irishman” Comes Home Empty-Handed

   While nothing is actually confirmed, we were all expecting Martin Scorsese’s The Irishman to bring its A-game to the official wins for the Golden Globes, especially after it was nominated for five. The nods included Best Drama, Al Pacino and Joe Pesci for Best Supporting Actor, Best Director and Best Screenplay. Not even one. Yep, that’s correct, our favorite movie of the year took home none of its well-deserved nominations. Still, because of the snub that the given picture is, it did pave way for a couple unexpected wins, which is positive for others, but certainly not for the three and a half hour gangster drama. It may have been very recognized in the noms, but it’s still a disappointment for Scorsese and Netflix.

3. Surprise: “1917” Earns Two Wins

   A third surprised happened to be “1917”, a film centering around World War One, and soon to be expanded to wide release this weekend. Personally, I haven’t seen the supposedly amazing feature yet (expect a review on the ninth), but the critics have certainly been buzzing. On aggregator RottenTomatoes, the film has received an impressive 90% “Certified Fresh” based on 184 reviews. Considering this, the movie has proved its rightful place at the awards. Nominated for three, and winning two including Best Drama and Best Director (Sam Mendes), 1917 was a big hit last night, and a good success for Mendes.

4. Surprise/Snub: “Marriage Story” Get’s One, but Scarlett Johansson and More Miss

   This happens to be more of a hybrid, but slightly leaning towards the snub side. We’re talking about the romance drama Marriage Story, which was nominated for a whopping six categories, and came home with one win. While its impressive even to win even one, it didn’t perform as planned. Congratulations to Laura Dern, however, who won Best Supporting Actress, but that couldn’t quite cover the misses. The disappointments were with Best Actress, where Scarlett Johansson lost to Reneè Zellweger (Judy), Best Screenplay where it was beaten by Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, Best Drama (lost to 1917), Best Original Score (lost to Joker) and Adam Driver for Best Actor (lost to Joaquin Phoenix for Joker). Well, it’s mostly a snub and another let down for Netflix.

5. Surprise: “Joker” Put on a Happy Face, Winning Two

   For the final break-down, we have another surprise on our hands. This time it’s the Clown Prince of Crime and his new origin story Joker, helmed by Todd Phillips. While this is a great movie, receiving an excellent 90/100 “sweet”, it was also deemed highly controversial, which dampened chances of winning. However, after it was nominated for four categories, it still managed to take home both Joaquin Phoenix for Best Actor and Best Original Score. While with no doubt it deserved all four, we still were all impressed after the criticisms for the mishandling of gun violence, and very intense themes. Well, DC, Phillips and Phoenix’s billion dollar hit ended a surprise.

The Official Winners for the 2020 Sour, Sour Awards

By: Keaton Marcus

This will celebrate some of the crappiest, most horrible, terrible, ugly movies of the year!

WORST SCREENPLAY IN A MOTION PICTURE

Godzilla: King of the Monsters, 55/100 “sour” (Michael Dougherty)

Hellboy (2019), 25/100 “D-sour” (Mike Mignola)

Winner: Dark Phoenix, 30/100 “sour” (Simon Kinberg)

Gemini Man, 35/100 “sour” (David Benioff)

WORST DIRECTION IN A MOTION PICTURE

The Hustle, 30/100 “sour” (Chris Addison)

Winner: Men in Black: International, 35/100 “sour” (F. Gary Gray)

Hellboy (2019), 25/100 “D-sour” (Neil Marshall)

Shaft (2019), 40/100 “sour” (Tim Story)

WORST REBOOT/SEQUEL

Dark Phoenix, 30/100 “sour”

Men in Black: International, 35/100 “sour”

The Hustle, 30/100 “sour”

Shaft (2019), 40/100 “sour”

Winner: Hellboy (2019), 25/100 “D-sour”

THE WORST, MOST TERRIBLE, MOST UGLY, MOST SOUR FILM OF 2019

Shaft (2019), 40/100 “sour”

Men in Black: International, 35/100 “sour”

Gemini Man, 35/100 “sour”

The Hustle, 30/100 “sour”

Dark Phoenix, 30/100 “sour”

Winner: Hellboy (2019), 25/100 “D-sour”

The Official Wins for the 2020 Sweet, Sweet Awards

By: Keaton Marcus

BEST DIRECTOR

Keaton’s POV

Winner: The Irishman, 100% “Perfectly Sweet” (Martin Scorsese)

Ford v Ferrari, 90/100 “sweet” (James Mangold)

Ad Astra, 85/100 “sweet” (James Gray)

Little Women, 85/100 “sweet” (Greta Gerwig)

Joker, 90/100 sweet” (Todd Phillips)

Quinn’s POV

Arctic, 90% Sweet: Joe Penna

See You YesterdAY, 90% SWEET: STEFON BRISTOL

Little Women, 85% sweet: Greta gerwig

KNIVES OUT, 85% SWEET: RIAN JOHNSON

Winner: FORD V FERRARI, 95% SWEET: JAMES MANGOLD

BEST SCREENPLAY

Keaton’s POV

Knives Out, 85/100 “sweet” (Rian Johnson)

The King, 75/100 “sweet” (David Michod and Joel Edgerton)

Winner: Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, 85/100 “sweet” (Quentin Tarantino)

The Irishman, 100% “Perfectly Sweet” (Steven Zaillian)

Dolemite is My Name, 90/100 “sweet” (Larry Karaszewski and Scott Alexander)

Quinn’s POV

winner: Knives out, 85% sweet: Rian Johnson

Ford v ferrari, 95% sweet: Jez Butterworth, John-Henry butterworth and Jason Keller

The king, 75% sweet: Joel Edgerton and David Michôd

Downton Abbey, 80% sweet: Julian Fellowes

The peanut butter falcon, 90% sweet: Tyler Nilson and Michael Schwartz

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

Keaton’s POV

Joker, 90/100 “sweet” (Lawrence Sher)

Winner: Ad Astra, 85/100 “sweet” (Hoyte van Hoytema)

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, 75/100 “sweet” (Daniel Mindel, Todd Fischer and George Lucas)

Avengers: Endgame, 85/100 “sweet” (Trent Opaloch)

Ford v Ferrari, 90/100 “sweet” (Phedon Papamichael)

Quinn’s POV

The aeronauts, 80% sweet: George Steel

Avengers: Endgame, 85% sweet: Trent Opaloch

Star Wars: The Rise Of skywalker, 85% sweet: Dan Mindel

Ford v ferrari, 95% sweet: Phedon Papamichael

winner: Little Women, 85% sweet: Yorick le saux

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS

Keaton’s POV

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, 75/100 “sweet”

Winner: Avengers: Endgame, 85/100 “sweet”

Ad Astra, 85/100 “sweet”

The Lion King (2019), 60/100 “sweet/sour”

Terminator: Dark Fate, 70/100 “sweet/sour”

Quinn’s POV

winner: Avengers Endgame, 85% sweet

The lion king, 70% sweet/sour

star wars: The rise of skywalker, 85% sweet

Captain marvel, 75% sweet

The Aeronauts, 80% sweet

Keaton’s POV

BEST LEADING ACTOR

Robert De Niro (The Irishman)

Christian Bale (Ford v Ferrari)

Leonardo DiCaprio (Once Upon a Time in Hollywood)

Winner: Joaquin Phoenix (Joker)

Brad Pitt (Ad Astra)

`Quinn’s POV

Robert downey jr. (Avengers: Endgame)

winner: Christian Bale (Ford v ferrari)

Shia labeouf (Peanut butter Falcon)

Mads Mikkelson (Arctic)

Daniel Craig (Knives out)

Keaton’s POV

BEST leading ACTRESS

Beanie Feldstein (Booksmart)

Ana de Armas (Knives Out)

Maggie Smith (Downton Abbey)

Scarlett Johansson (Avengers: Endgame)

Winner: Saorise Ronan (Little Women)

Quinn’s POV

Maggie Smith (Downton Abbey)

ana de armas (Knives out)

winner: Saoirse Ronan (Little Women)

Dakota Johnson (The peanut butter falcon)

Beanie feldstein (booksmart)

Keaton’s POV

BEST ANIMATED FILM

Frozen II, 70/100 “sweet/sour”

How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World, 80/100 “sweet”

Winner: Toy Story 4, 80/100 “sweet”

Klaus, 85/100 “sweet”

The Lion King (2019), 60/100 “sweet/sour”

Quinn’s POV

winner: Klaus, 85% sweet

toy story 4, 85% sweet

The lion king, 70% sweet.sour

How to train your dragon: The hidden world, 80% sweet

frozen II, 70% sweet/sour

Best film of 2019

Keaton’s POV

Dolemite is My Name, 90/100 “sweet”

Winner: The Irishman, 100% “Perfectly Sweet”

Ford v Ferrari, 90/100 “sweet”

Joker, 90/100 “sweet”

Booksmart, 90/100 “sweet”

Quinn’s POV

winner: Ford v ferrari, 95% sweet

The peanut butter falcon, 85% sweet

arctic, 90% sweet

little women, 85% sweet

see you yesterday, 90% sweet

the crowd-pleaser of the year

Keaton’s POV

Booksmart, 90/100 “sweet”

Spider-Man: Far From Home, 75/100 “sweet”

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, 85/100 “sweet”

Good Boys, 70/100 “sweet/sour”

Shazam!, 75/100 “sweet”

Quinn’s POV

winner: Avengers: Endgame, 85% sweet

star wars: The rise of skywalker, 85% sweet

Aladdin, 75% sweet

captain marvel, 75% sweet

Spider-man: Far From home, 75% sweet

20 Christmas Films to Watch on Christmas Eve!

By: Keaton Marcus

THE TOP 20…

1. It’s a Wonderful Life (1946), 95/100 “sweet”

2. Miracle on 34th Street (1947), 95/100 “sweet”

3. The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993), 90/100 “sweet”

4. How the Grinch Stole Christmas (1967), 90/100 “sweet”

5. Edward Scissorhands (1990), 85/100 “sweet”

6. Klaus (2019), 85/100 “sweet”

7. Die Hard (1988), 85/100 “sweet”

8. A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965), 85/100 “sweet”

9. Elf (2003), 80/100 “sweet”

10. Gremlins (1984), 80/100 “sweet”

11. Arthur Christmas (2011), 80/100 “sweet”

12. Home Alone (1990), 75/100 “sweet”

13. The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992), 70/100 “sweet/sour”

14. A Christmas Story (1983), 70/100 “sweet/sour”

15. The Christmas Chronicles (2018), 65/100 “sweet/sour”

16. The Santa Clause (1994), 65/100 “sweet/sour”

17. Krampus (2015), 60/100 “sweet/sour”

18. The Man Who Invented Christmas (2017), 60/100 “sweet/sour”

19. How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2018), 55/100 “sour”

20. The Polar Express (2004) 55/100 “sour”

And the 15 worst…

1. Office Christmas Party (2016), 50/100 “sour”

2. Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000), 50/100 “sour”

3. Home Alone 2 (1992), 45/100 “sour”

4. The Santa Clause 2 (2002), 45/100 “sour”

5. A Christmas Carol (2009), 40/100 “sour”

6. Star Wars: Holiday Special (1978), 40/100 “sour”

7. Unaccompanied Minors (2006), 35/100 “sour”

8. Four Christmases (2008), 35/100 “sour”

9. Daddy’s Home 2 (2017), 35/100 “sour”

10. Jack Frost (1999), 30/100 “sour”

11. Jingle All the Way (1996), 20/100 “D-sour”

12. Christmas With the Kranks (2004), 15/100 “D-sour”

13. Deck the Halls (2006), 10/100 “D-sour”

14. The Santa Claus 3: The Escape Claus (2006), 10/100 “D-sour”

15. The Nutcracker in 3D (2010), 0/100 “D-sour”

The Unfair Numbers for "The Rise of Skywalker

“The Rise of Skywalker” Earned a Massive 176M, but That’s Disappointing

By: Keaton Marcus

Disney’s The Rise of Skywalker finally opened this weekend, and we were all expecting some massive numbers, and perhaps the biggest debut of all-time. It didn’t happen. Yes, while it did punch up some very considerable numbers, it wasn’t soaring as high as it should have been at all. It beat the lowest of expectations, but it also fell severely behind its two predecessors, and paled in comparison to the mighty Avengers: Endgame earlier this year. So despite easily topping the box office, it also suffered greatly, especially since its the conclusion to a 42-year lasting franchise and a Star Wars movie. So why is it unfair? And what made this happen?

1. The Mixed Critical Reception

   One thing straight out of the gate was the mixed reception from the critics, who lambasted the pic with negative reviews before it even opened. Talk about unfair. Especially since audiences, and Sweet and Sour alike enjoyed the movie. There were some big names that gave it positive reviews, including Rolling Stone and Variety, and the majority gave it 3/5 or more, but it still isn’t great. The Force Awakens had a 93:7 ratio, and The Last Jedi garnered a 91:9 ratio, but RottenTomatoes reported that 43% of critics gave it a rotten rating, making for a 57:43 ratio for The Rise of Skywalker. That’s not only a steep decline, but its also just wrong. Generally, they noted the overuse of fan-service, which is a critical thing in concluding a franchise. Otherwise, the nostalgia, combined with the set-pieces, visual effects and performances made it a solid movie. Critics were harsh on it, and that’s a major factor.

2. The Fans’ Loyalty

   Since the year 1977, usually, fans have given positive reviews to the Star Wars franchise, with a few hiccups along the way. The average audience score for the 1977-1983 trilogy is 95.6/100, which is excellent. The 1999-2005 prequel trilogy seems the weakest, with an average of 60.3/100, but that was quickly followed by The Force Awakens (86%). However, while critics adored The Last Jedi, fans hated it, giving it a terrible 43% on RT, giving a very bad rep for The Rise of Skywalker, despite the latter’s 87% audience approval. Basically, because of the negative fan reception for Jedi, Skywalker didn’t have the box office we were hoping for.

3. Fatigue

   Yes, while The Rise of Skywalker is part of a fairly new trilogy, that little trio is just a fragment of a massive franchise. There’s now nine main films, with two spin-offs, so it get’s a little much. The fan base has been through a lot, starting with the disappointing prequel trilogy, and heading on to Solo: A Star Wars Story and The Last Jedi. But, again, that’s just unfair. You would think audiences would go regardless of the slip-ups, as long as they still love the originals, The Force Awakens, Rogue One, and the beloved Clone Wars show, The Rise of Skywalker should have been bigger.

4. Compared to “Endgame”, and Predecessors

   On April 26th, the top charts were shook by Avengers: Endgame, which debuted to over 357 million dollars domestically. On December 20th, the top charts were dominated, but not destroyed by The Rise of Skywalker which sought out only 175.5M. The latter’s performance is impressive, but it’s a little less than half of the former’s figures. A series that started in 1977 get’s crushed by one founded in 2008, with both being immensely popular, that’s not ok. Otherwise, it even lost badly to its two predecessors. The Force Awakens opened to 247.9M and The Last Jedi to 220M. That’s a notable loss. Sure, expectations were only around 200-220M by Thursday, but the hope was a massive surprise. On Friday, it was lowered to 190-195M, but 175.5M was really not expected. Audiences. Not. Cool.

The Snubs and Surprises of the 2020 Golden Globe Nominations

By: Keaton Marcus

This article will cover the snubs and the surprises of the 2020 Golden Globes nominations, meaning the ones who came out lucky, and unlucky.

1. Surprise: “Joker” Get’s Several Nods

One of the major surprises of the night was Todd Phillips’ crime drama, and supervillain origin story, Joker. This controversial, terribly amazing gritty picture earned an impressive four nominations last night. This includes a nab for “Best Motion Picture”, Joaquin Phoenix for “Best Actor”, Todd Phillips for “Best Director” and “Best Original Score”. A couple expected, unexpected, but non-the-less, awesome. This matches our overwhelmingly positive review for the picture, handing it a 90/100 “sweet”, calling it “marvelous, dramatic, horrific and featuring a grand outing for Joaquin Phoenix”. Our first surprise, The Clown Prince of Crime!

2. Snub: Maggie Smith and “Downton Abbey” Are Empty-Handed

Clearly, Maggie Smith was supposed to take the “Supporting Actress” category by storm, and the Golden Globes, didn’t accept it. Smith had a supporting role in this year’s film adaptation of Downton Abbey, which was a massive hit in the box office, and received positive reception. Many also praised the performance from Smith. That isn’t the end for the “study on costume design”, as there a couple Oscar categories that the Crawley’s are eyeing, but it sure is disappointing that the hilarious Maggie Smith didn’t get a nod. The pic received a solid 75/100 “sweet”, dubbing it a “silly, entertaining study of good costume design”.

3. Surprise: Cate Blanchett Takes Best Actress

Yes, Cate Blanchett is a terrific actress, but nobody, and I mean nobody, was expecting her to take a notable nomination for her new book adaptation Where’d You Go, Bernadette. Why? Well, for starters, it was a horrible flop in the box office, and its reviews were clearly less-than-stellar. However, Blanchett does very well deserve the nod from the Golden Globes, and although unexpected, its a nice little gift. On RottenTomatoes, the pic scored a mixed 48% “Rotten” with a dispiriting consensus as well.

4. Snub: Golden Globes Disapproves of Lupita Nyong’o’s Dual Outing in “Us”

Again, a major awards ceremony, has disapproved of a great performance in horror. This time around, Lupita Nyong’o gave us two acclaimed performances in one movie, Jordan Peele’s critical darling, R-rated horror flick Us. The Oscars still holds some chances, but if not, when will the film awards finally let frights into the noms? The low-budget box office hit scored an excellent 93% “Certified Fresh”, top on the list of the best films of the year, and again, another impressive smash for Mr. Peele.

5. Double Surprise: “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” and “Knives Out” Score Nominations

This is a double threat surprise, one for Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, and another for murder-mystery Knives Out. Firstly, the former, directed by Quentin Tarantino, received a grand total of five nominations, including for “Best Motion Picture”, Leo DiCaprio for “Best Actor”, Brad Pitt for “Best Supporting Actor”, Tarantino for “Best Director” and “Best Screenplay”. What a list, am I right? It also received a very good review from us, scoring a nearly-excellent 85/100 “sweet”. Secondly, even more unexpected, the latter, helmed by Rian Johnson, nabbed a solid three nominations. It was nominated for “Best Motion Picture”, Daniel Craig for “Best Actor” and Ana de Armas for “Best Actress”. It also received a positive review and it happens to be a comic approach to the murder mystery genre, not very common in award ceremonies.

6. Snub and Surprise: “The Irishman” Nabs Many Nominations, but Rob DeNiro is Award-Less

Rated the best movie of the year with us, The Irishman was obviously expected to nab a great many nominations. It did deliver, at least on that part, earning five nominations last night. This includes for “Best Motion Picture”, Al Pacino and Joe Pesci for “Best Supporting Actor”, Martin Scorsese for “Best Director” and “Best Screenplay”. While this is a terrific number to have, actor Robert DeNiro was surprisingly, and utterly left out of the fun, despite two supporting actors getting nominations. It still remains a mystery why. This is especially half snub since it scored the perfect 100% on Sweet and Sour, which is extremely rare.

"Frozen 2" Delivers Biggest Animated Pre-Sales of All-Time

By: Keaton Marcus

Six years after the jumbo hit that was Disney’s Frozen, audiences have finally gotten a sequel that they were hoping for. Frozen 2 is already breaking records, and is set to have a massive holiday debut. While it’s pretty clear that no one will cross Elsa’s path in the box office, what can we really expect as a range, especially since it’s not that far away. It’s gonna be expensive, critics are likely going to love it, and movie-goers are very ready to invade the theaters to see the second snow-laden adventure from the biggest studio in the world. Pre-ticket sales are off the charts, but will that hold till it’s debut? We break down whether this sequel will deliver an epic opening or not.

According to Fandango, Frozen 2 has broken the record for the highest animated pre-sales of all-time. That’s promising all right. Maybe a month ago, original projections were posted for the anticipated children’s film, and despite not being as high as some hoped, it’s impressive. The forecast capped around the 130M mark, which would be the third highest animated opening of all-time, new evidence suggests otherwise. The pre-sales mean that the follow-up is technically pacing ahead of Incredibles 2, which served as the highest animated debut of all-time with 182.6M, which is far ahead of the likes of both Finding Dory which earned 135M, and Toy Story 4 which generated 120.9M. Despite Box Office Pro expecting a 115-145M debut, we are thinking it could go much, much higher. The most conservative expectations, however, are Wikipedia’s, which reach just 100M flat—but that was released before the recent info. Yes, there is small possibility of Frozen 2 underperforming even the triple-digit mark, but the sales and the stronger hopes say it could reach a 180-200M three-day, which would be extraordinary.

You want some more, huh. Well, first-day in advance sales for Atom has it outpacing three Disney live-action reboots, including Aladdin (91.5M), Beauty and the Beast (174.7M) and even The Lion King which grossed an incredible 191.7M in its first weekend. If we get into another point-of-view, we see Frozen 2 trending right behind Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (225-350M projections) as the second biggest pre-ticket seller on Atom of all-time. It’s clearly become a tradition to head to the local multiplex and see a Disney picture, with families seemingly making their plans already. This additional evidence suggests that this Thanksgiving release could be one of the biggest debuts of all-time, but hey, pre-ticket sales aren’t everything, and we have plenty of evidence for that, too. However, don’t get your hopes down yet, it’s still very much a winning battle in a long war for the animated picture.

Why do we have to seem so grim? In the past, several films have broken records in early ticket-sales, but have not liven up to their high expectations. One of the many include Solo: A Star Wars Story which sold more than Black Panther (202.3M debut) in advanced ticket-sales, but ending up opening to a lukewarm, 103M four-day bout, becoming one of the biggest flops of 2018, especially because of its terrible overseas performance. Additionally, we could also look at the disappointment that was Shrek Forever After, which was projected for around 110M before garnering just 70.8M, despite ending a hit (grossing 752.6M worldwide). Furthermore, there’s also Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse which received incredible critical acclaim and getting the third (now fourth) biggest animated pre-sales of all-time before succumbing to a disappointing 35.3M (although, because of its moderate, 90M budget, it was a solid hit). But this is Frozen 2, not exactly something to disappoint without a real fight.

Overall, things are leaning more on the positive side of things than the negative, which is a great sign for Disney’s upcoming adventure. With official lower predictions of 100M, the middle going with the 130M range, and the highs saying a 200M debut is possible, its hard to choose. Though, based on this new information, Sweet and Sour is officially forecasting a 140-170M opening. Check for updates on Box Office Face Offs!!

"Spider-Man", "Ant-Man" and Charles Dickens All Get Places in This Week's News

By: Keaton Marcus

“SPIDER-MAN: INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE” SEQUEL GETS 2022 RELEASE DATE

After the massive success and breakthrough that was the Oscar-winning Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, we all needed a sequel. Not only was it a critical darling, scoring an excellent 90/100 “sweet” on the Lemonradar, it also made a huge profit. The tentpole earned a solid 375.5M at the global box office on a production budget of 90 million, which brings great hope for the sequel. At the San-Diego Comic-Con, Marvel announced various projects for Phase 4, but that was sole regarding 2020 and 2021, though not traveling far into the next year. The 2022 release will go along with Black Panther 2, which is confirmed for May 6 that year, but it also might share the 365 days with both a Fantastic Four and Blade reboot. Yep, Marvel just keeps getting more ambitious by the day. The post-credit scenes of the original movie teased both Spider-Man 2099 and Spider-Man ‘67, which both may show-up in the second movie. This is combined with the returns of Miles Morales, Gwen, Peter Parker, and perhaps Peter Porker, but the plot is still very unknown.

DISNEY TO REBOOT “CHRISTMAS CAROL” AGAIN WITH MUSICAL

There have been many interpretations of Charles Dickens’ classic novel A Christmas Carol, and a few of them have succeeded. Disney, who owns the rights, have decided to yet again reboot the story to the format of a musical dubbed Marley. The most recent attempt was an animated retelling in 2009 starring Jim Carrey, which received mixed reviews (a 55/100 “sour” on the Lemonradar) and was a massive flop at the box office, grossing a mere 325.2M worldwide on an expensive 200 million, losing the studio a great amount. In a few words: things aren’t going great. However, Disney has also announced the director, who will be Bill Condon. Why is this positive? Well, Condon is best known for helming recent reboot of Beauty and the Beast, which received positive reception and generated a huge 1.263 billion dollars in total. Despite the looming shadow, this does actually give a ray of hope for the reboot.

PEYTON REED RETURNING FOR “ANT-MAN 3”

The ant has finally returned. The root of all Marvel jokes has come back for a third installment. Yes, I know, its about time you get your hopes up about superhero sequels. After Ant-Man scored 75/100 “sweet” and earned 519.3M, or Ant-Man and the Wasp was given another 75/100, and also raked 622.6M worldwide—you knew that the now trilogy wasn’t done yet. Peyton Reed, who directed both the first, and the second installment, is also returning to helm the third film. The release date or plot is still unknown, but reports are coming in that the three-quel may be slated with the 2022 band of Marvel pics. Additionally, the shooting will commence at either the end of 2020 or the beginning of 2021, following Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness and Thor: Love and Thunder. Don’t worry, we will also see the returns of the beloved Paul Rudd and Evangeline Lilly, and supporting actors such as Michael Douglas and Michael Pena. Isn’t that a way to get your blood pumping.

Your Halloween Watchlist: 10 Frights for Kids, and 10 for the Older Ones

What Should You Watch Early, and What to View After the Kids Fall Asleep

By: Keaton Marcus

MORE FOR THE CHILDREN, BUT STILL AWESOME

1. The Nightmare Before Christmas 85/100 “sweet”

   Consensus: Visually arresting, and boasting astonishing performances, The Nightmare Before Christmas combines Tim Burton’s delcious direction with an emotionally resonant storyline.

   Age Minimum: 5 years

   Length: 1 hour 16 minutes

2. ParaNorman 85/100 “sweet”

   Consensus: Another Burton-helmed modern-classic, ParaNorman delivers sufficient spooky fun for younger audiences, while additionally handing older movie-goers enough intelligence for a balanced diet.

   Age Minimum: 6 years

   Length: 1 hour 33 minutes

3. Goosebumps 75/100 “sweet”

   Consensus: While it doesn’t have too many fresh ideas, this Goosebumps adaptation is an entertaining, Halloween-themed romp with a game performance by Jack Black.

   Age Minimum: 6 years

   Length: 1 hour 43 minutes

4. The Addams Family Values 75/100 “sweet”

   Consensus: The Addams Family Values is deliciously funny, and a substantial improvement over its predecessor, although it still never reaches classic-type level.

   Age Minimum: 5 years

   Length: 1 hour 34 minutes

5. Coraline 90/100 “sweet”

   Consensus: An excellent way to spend Halloween, this Burton-type feature hits an extremely high note yet with Coraline, an inventive kids film that gives its terrifying fair share.

   Age Minimum: 7 years

   Length: 1 hour 40 minutes

6. The Goonies 70/100 “sweet/sour”

   Consensus: While it’s not even close to Steven Spielberg’s best, The Goonies is a suitably entertaining, fluffy adventure for the kids.

   Age Minimum: 8 years

   Length: 1 hour 54 minutes

7. E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial 90/100 “sweet”

   Consensus: Spielberg’s masterful classic E.T. is a wonderfully mysterious, 80’s film about aliens that works perfectly on Halloween night with a good amount of candy.

   Age Minimum: 6 years

   Length: 2 hours 1 minute (s)

8. Monster House 65/100 “sweet/sour”

   Consensus: The animation quality is questionable, and it certainly isn’t great, but Monster House is a fast-paced, and ultimately harmless romp.

   Age Minimum: 6 years

   Length: 1 hour 31 minutes

9. FrankenWeenie 80/100 “sweet”

   Consensus: FrankenWeenie yet again gives Burton a high-point in his career, hauling in beautiful, colorless animation, and a deliciously creative and odd story.

   Age Minimum: 7 years

   Length: 1 hour 27 minutes

10. It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown 75/100 “sweet”

    Consensus: Another simple, yet adorable Charlie Brown adventure, this tangle with the great pumpkin is short and sweet perfection.

    Age Minimum: 3 years

    Length: 25 minutes

NOW WE GET TO THE REAL STUFF

1. The Shining 85/100 “sweet”

   Consensus: Phsychotic and terrifying, Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining is almost too wierd, showcased perfectly by an odd, yet masterful performance by Jack Nicholson.

   Age Minimum: 15 years

   Length: 2 hours 26 minutes

2. Edward Scissorhands 80/100 “sweet”

   Consensus: Brought to life by a comical outing for Johnny Depp, Tim Burton’s Edward Scissorhands is both funny, and occasionally creepy.

   Age Minimum: 10 years

   Length: 1 hour 45 minutes

3. Poltergeist 75/100 “sweet”

   Consensus: Get ready to suspend your disbelief with Spielberg’s fun Poltergeist, a silly, but solid supernatural horror flick.

   Age Minimum: 12 years

   Length: 2 hours

4. Alien 80/100 “sweet”

   Consensus: Despite moving a little slow, Alien is a bloody, fantastic combo of sci-fi and horror while featuring a star-making performance by Sigourney Weaver.

   Age Minimum: 15 years

   Length: 1 hour 57 minutes

5. A Quiet Place 85/100 “sweet”

   Consensus: While it’ll test whether you can imagine, A Quiet Place is a sharply directed, and keenly put-together horror thriller.

   Age Minimum: 13 years

   Length: 1 hour 30 minutes

6. IT 75/100 “sweet”

   Consensus: The second IT adaptation doubles down on the emotional storyline behind the novel, and features some compelling performances at a slight expense of CGI-worn jump-scares.

   Age Minimum: 14 years`

   Length: 2 hours 13 minutes

7. The Birds 80/100 “sweet”

   Consensus: The Birds further proves Alfred Hitchcock’s prowess for horror films with a infrequently ridiculous, but excellent fright.

   Age Minimum: 12 years

   Length: 2 hours

8. Jaws 90/100 “sweet”

   Consensus: Steven Spielberg’s Jaws is more than chummy enough. It’s got everything: a massive shark, a quirky captain, and well…a massive shark.

   Age Minimum: 12 years

   Length: 2 hours 10 minutes

9. Ghostbusters 85/100 “sweet”

   Consensus: A fun, entertaining ghost movie—Ghostbusters is a classic haunter that’s great for nearly all-ages.

   Age Minimum: 10 years

   Length: 1 hour 47 minutes

10. Aliens 90/100 “sweet”

    Consensus: Aliens is the perfect lesson on how to beat an already competent predecessor, delivering increasing thrills, and a fast-paced story.

    Age Minimum: 15 years

    Length: 2 hours 34 minutes

Holiday Movies, and Their Box Office

What Do We Expect From the Holiday Box Office Season?

By: Keaton Marcus

NOVEMBER 1-3

TERMINATOR: DARK FATE, ESTIMATE: 45M/ACTUAL: 29M

HARRIET, ESTIMATE: 4M/actual: 11.6M

MOTHERLESS BROOKLYN, ESTIMATE: 5M/actual: 3.5M

ARCTIC DOGS, ESTIMATE: 5M/actual: 2.9M

NOVEMBER 8-10

MIDWAY, ESTIMATE: 12M/actual: 17.8M

DOCTOR SLEEP, ESTIMATE: 25M/actual: 14.1M

PLAYING WITH FIRE, ESTIMATE: 9M/actual: 12.7M

LAST CHRISTMAS, ESTIMATE: 17M/actual: 11.4M

NOVEMBER 15-17

FORD V FERRARI, ESTIMATE: 25M/actual: 31.4M

CHARLIE’S ANGELS (2019), ESTIMATE: 15M/actual: 8.3M

THE GOOD LIAR, ESTIMATE: 5M/actual: 5.6M

NOVEMBER 22-24

FROZEN II, ESTIMATE: 130M/actual: 130.2M

A BEAUTIFUL DAY IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD, ESTIMATE: 17M/actual: 13.2M

21 BRIDGES, ESTIMATE: 10M/actual: 9.2M

NOVEMBER 27-DECEMBER 1

KNIVES OUT, ESTIMATE: 20M THREE-DAY, 30M FIVE-DAY/actual: 26.7M three-day, 41.4M five-day

QUEEN & SLIM, ESTIMATE: 9M THREE-DAY, 13M FIVE-DAY/actual: 11.8M three-day, 16M five-day

DECEMBER 6-8

PLAYMOBIL: THE MOVIE, ESTIMATE: 5M/actual: 656.5K

DECEMBER 13-15

JUMANJI: THE NEXT LEVEL, ESTIMATE: 45M/ actual: 59.2M

RICHARD JEWELL, ESTIMATE: 7M/actual: 4.7M

BLACK CHRISTMAS, ESTIMATE: 10M/ actual: 4.2M

DECEMBER 20-22

STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER, ESTIMATE: 230M/ACTUAL: 177.3M

CATS, ESTIMATE: 15M/ actual: 6.6M

DECEMBER 27-29

SPIES IN DISGUISE, ESTIMATE: 10M THREE-DAY, 17M FIVE-DAY/actual: 13.3M three-day, 22.2M five-day

LITTLE WOMEN (2019), ESTIMATE: 15M THREE-DAY, 27M FIVE-DAY/actual: 16.7M three-day, 29.2M five-day

JAN 3-5

THE GRUDGE (2020), ESTIMATE: 15M/ACTUAL: 11.4M

JAN 10-12

1917, ESTIMATE: 25M/ACTUAL: 37M

LIKE A BOSS, ESTIMATE: 12M/ACTUAL: 10M

JUST MERCY, ESTIMATE: 5M/ACTUAL: 9.7M

UNDERWATER, ESTIMATE: 10M/ACTUAL: 7M

JAN 17-19

BAD BOYS FOR LIFE, ESTIMATE: 40M THREE-DAY, 45M FOUR-DAY/ACTUAL: 62.5M THREE-DAY, 73.4M FOUR-DAY

DOLITTLE, ESTIMATE: 25M THREE-DAY, 32M FOUR-DAY/ACTUAL: 21.8M THREE-DAY, 30M FOUR-DAY

JAN 24-26

THE RHYTHM SECTION, ESTIMATE: 10M/ACTUAL: 2.7M

GRETEL & HANSEL, ESTIMATE: 7M/actual: 6.1M

A Couple "The Batman" Cast Updates Have Hit the Streets

Where Do We Stand on the Cast for 2021’s “The Batman”?

By: Keaton Marcus

Set for a release in June, 2021—”The Batman” has finally gotten some casting updates, with some controversy and some anticipation, where do we stand with these recent choices? Matt Reeves’ take on the Gotham-born vigilante will center around Bruce Wayne still learning the ropes to protecting his beloved city, but it’s no origin story. A couple iconic villains have been thrown into the mix, including Catwoman and the Riddler, but it's unclear if Reeves will surprise us later with more. Also, Commisioner James Gordon will also be one of the main characters, who is a beloved role from both the comics, a couple films and the TV show “Gotham”. We take a deep dive into what’s gonna happen in two years time, and these cast updates.

ROBERT PATTInSON AS BATMAN

Maybe half a year ago, star Ben Affleck was supposed to continue his involvement in “Batman” movies. This was after he played the titular hero in Batman V. Superman: Dawn of Justice, which pitted him against Henry Cavill’s Superman, and grossed over 873M worldwide—and 2017’s Justice League, which put together DC’s elite team, and earned nearly 658M in the global box office. He also had a minor cameo in 2016’s Suicide Squad, but never showed up for much. After the rumors of Affleck’s return, the role of the caped crusader was recently handed to star Robert Pattinson. Pattinson’s involvement received some serious backlash, especially cause the guy’s biggest films were the Twilight franchise (393.6M, 709.7M, 698.4M, 712.2M and 829.7M worldwide respectively). However, Affleck’s take on Batman wasn’t exactly excellent either, and it may be the right thing to do to completely diverge from the DCEU timeline. Pattinson may seem like a real pretty boy with limited talent, but you never know.

zoë kravitz as catwoman

Kravitz has finally been cast as Selina Kyle, a.k.a Catwoman. Why do I say finally? Well, maybe seven years ago, Kravitz was supposed to be cast as Kyle in 2012’s sequel The Dark Knight Rises, however, they said she was to “urban” for the role, and handed the femme fatale to excellent star Anne Hathaway, who shined in the role. Kravitz will now get her chance to impress audiences in two and a half years from now, and she’s certainly got potential. Just last year, the actress portrayed an animated counterpart of Mary Jane in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, which was critically acclaimed, receiving an Oscar for Best Animated Movie. Otherwise, another superhero role was as flying mutant Angel Salvadore in 2011’s X-Men: First Class, a success with the critics as well. She also had a supporting role in 2015’s Mad Max: Fury Road, which won a whopping six Oscars, and was a success in the box office. Furthermore, Kravitz nabbed the role of Leta Lestrange in both installments of the Fantastic Beasts duo. Oh yeah, this isn’t her first rodeo—the big question is, will she be able to pull it off as the master of seduction?

jeffrey wright as commissioner gordon

Commissioner Gordon has been portrayed many different times, by various actors. In the three films of The Dark Knight trilogy, Gordon was played by veteran Oscar winner Gary Oldman, however, five season show Gotham focused on a younger James Gordon, portrayed by a thrilling performance from Ben McKenzie. In The Batman, its back to middle-aged Gordon, who will be performed by Jeffrey Wright. Wright made his bones in the role of Felix Leiter in 2006’s James Bond installment, Casino Royale, which received nearly flawless reviews, and topped the box office. Cause of the success, in 2008, Wright again played Leiter in sequel Quantam of Solace, which was stronger in the financial area. Fast-forwarding, the actor nabbed the role of Beetee in the second, third and fourth films in the Hunger Games franchise, all massive successes. His latest hit was 2015’s Pixar and Disney collaboration of The Good Dinosaur, which grossed 332M worldwide. The guy certainly has talent, especially in his three roles alongside Jennifer Lawrence in the Hunger Games series.

paul dano as the riddler

The Riddler is an iconic character in the comics, but has only been adapted for the big screen once, along with a supporting role in TV. That was in 1995, when comedic star Jim Carrey starred in the role of Edward Nygma in Batman Forever. Otherwise, in the aforementioned Gotham series, Nygma was portrayed by Cory Michael Smith, who was a fantastic addition. Emmy-winner Paul Dano is supposed to nag audiences with question marks in the year 2021. Dano’s best films include 2006’s Little Miss Sunshine, which grossed 100.5M worldwide on a budget of only eight million, but its real strong suit was with the critics. Additionally, Dano scored a role in 2007’s western There Will Be Blood, which was both acclaimed, and earned 76.1M globally on a 25M cost, also grabbing two wins from the Oscars. Recent hits for the actor include 2012’s time travel themed thriller Looper, which had extremely warm reception, and grossed 176.5M in the box office, and both Prisoners and 12 Years a Slave in 2013, hits both financially and critically. His latest effort was indie film Wildlife, which had success in its limited release, and propelled excellent approval ratings on review aggregator sites. He’s got an Emmy in the belt, he’s had many solid hits in the box office and even more with quality—what could go wrong?

Taking a Deep Dive in This Weekend's Box Office Battle

The Weekend Ticket is Will Smith’s High-Tech Thriller, or Your Favorite Peculiar Family in Animation

By: Keaton Marcus

While it doesn’t look like we have a massive weekend on our hands, it’s pleasing to break down the more moderate stuff, and it looks like an epic box office battle on a much smaller scale. On one side, Ang Lee presents a clone battle between the present Will Smith, and a much-younger version of the same actor in high-tech, big-budget thriller Gemini Man. On the other hand, directors Conrad Vernan and Greg Tiernan reboot The Addams Family, this time in animated form starring Oscar Isaac and Charlize Theron. Sure, the films in financial combat don’t exactly have similar genres, or audiences in fact—and when that’s the case, it’s wholly the people’s mindset that will decide the winner. The odds are more on the family adventure to scare out a victory, but Smith’s fanbase is strong enough to at least spark competition.

Firstly we tackle Gemini Man, which attempts to wow audiences once more with its innovative use of special effects. Starring Will Smith and directed by critical darling Ang Lee, this 138 million production may not be confirmed for the trophy, especially since last weekend’s Joker is heading for another weekend on top—but it could make a play for runner-up, topping The Addams Family. Just two weeks ago, analysts were forecasting a 30M+ bout for October 11 to the 13th, however, its dipped a tad over the 14 days, with experts now predicting a more conservative 25M or so—which is still pretty decent, if not quite spectacular. It’s smart to consider how well Smith’s previous feature film did, which was Disney’s live-action reboot of Aladdin, where he portrayed a CGI’d genie. It ended grossing a massive 355.4M solely in North America, along with 694.9M in other territories for a worldwide total of 1.050 billion dollars. However, besides the largely poor reviews, we also have to consider that its completely lagging according to IMDb page-view tracking. We see it pacing behind Ender’s Game (27M opening), star Will Smith’s After Earth (27.5M), Alita: Battle Angel (28.5M) and Edge of Tomorrow with a 28.7M debut. It’s only then when we take in the reviews.

Looking at the critical reception, things don’t look so appealing, receiving an approval rating of just 29% “Rotten” on RottenTomatoes based on 155 reviews. This comes with a disappointing critics consensus reading: “Gemini Man’s impressive visuals are supported by some strong performances, but this sci-fi thriller is fatally undermined by a frustratingly subpar story.” All you have to know is that the reception isn’t that fantastic. On the bright side, before it was screened for the critics, social media thought the picture was excellent. Twitter users call it “a visually visceral experience”, “pretty amazing to watch”, “a huge breakthrough”, “a technical marvel” and “absolutely an Ang Lee movie”. This tells cinema-goers that its gonna be one of those productions where you either trust the critics, or the people. Listen, if you’re in the mood for a Bruckheimer produced, action-packed, no-brains type operation—by all means, go—but be warned: you may lose a cell or two in the head.

Critics-and-audiences are going head-to-head, some calling it a breakthrough of special effects, others saying it’s horrible—but the real question is: will Will Smith as the title character, or promising visuals be enough—or will it succumb to be one of those expensive flops that have populated the cinema since god knows when. While our wish is to say that its possible that Gemini Man could climb to 30M, considering the reception, we are forecasting more on the 20-25M side.

The other end of the ring holds something completely the opposite, an animated, kid-friendly reboot of The Addams Family. The reviews have hit the internet, and there is some impressive anticipation, so we should know what to expect. Most likely, we will be seeing this Halloween-season adventure in the second place slot. At first, experts were gunning for a lower expectation of 20M, currently, Wikipedia reports that analysts are buzzing about a possible 30M opening, which would principally be a clinch for runner-up. Furthermore, the 87-minute romp has a 400 theater lead over Gemini Man, officially set to play in approximately 4,007 sites across North America, against the 3,600 locations from the competition—this brings promise, but not quite enough. IMDb page-view tracking says that the film is respectably pacing ahead of 2017’s The Emoji Movie, which opened to 24.5M from a similar 4,075 theaters—it is far ahead of the likes of both Storks (21.3M opening) and The LEGO Ninjago Movie (20.4M opening). On a surprising side, it’s actually outpacing both Hotel Transylvania (42.5M) and Hotel Transylvania 2 (48.4M), but we also have to consider the negativity of the early reviews.

On review aggregator RottenTomatoes, last night, The Addams Family’s first reviews hit the website. To make it concise, things aren’t looking terrific for Conrad Vernan’s adaptation. With an approval rating falling short to 33% “Rotten” on the Tomatometer, based on 40 early reviews—this comes with a critics consensus reading: The Addams Family’s starry voice cast and eye-catching animation aren’t enough to outweigh its saccharine handling of the delightfully dark source material”. Ouch. With the two original films scoring 64%, and 75% respectively, it certainly is a bit of a disappointment. This proves that even with the classic animation style that was used in the original comics, and Charlize Theron thrown in the mix—you still don’t have much of a compatible film. The main doubts were against the mishandling of the source material, and how it played it way too safe, bringing color instead of angst. Some argue that the younger viewers will be entertained, and it sure is made for them, but nevertheless, the adults will be expecting some nostalgic fun as well, and most likely, they won’t find it with this remake.

The IMDb page-view tracking seems largely positive, with The Addams Family pacing ahead of two pictures that debuted with over 40 million—but considering the poor critical reactions, we don’t think it’s possible to travel that high. Instead, taking in the positive and negative sides, we think that while it won’t surprise us if this family adventure climbs to 35M, but we are looking at a more conservative 25-30M, meaning that we overall, expect it to travel notably higher than Will Smith’s Gemini Man, but from here on out, check for updates on Box Office Face Offs!!

“Joker” Has the Biggest October Pre-Sales of All Time

By: Keaton Marcus

“Joker”, opening Friday, is starting its theatrical run with a bang. Despite some controversy looming around the picture, the Clown Prince of Crime is kicking into first gear in pre-sales, according to Fandango. Fans seem to be ready to pour in to the theaters, despite it not being a typical comic book movie, and more of a gritty character study. The budget is modest, it’s got a huge chance for the Oscar, some praise and no direct competition for a while. Do you think the 55 million production will hold strong throughout the first weekend of October, or will it succumb because of its wholly adult-type genre. We take a deep dive of statistics, and see whether or not the prequel will soar.

Previously, the top two spots for Fandango pre-sales in October were 2018’s “Venom” and “Halloween”. Those two pictures debuted with 80.2M and 76.2M respectively, the two largest openings of the month. “Joker” is outselling both, meaning that technically the drama could be on its way for the record. We will look at it’s performance further when Thursday night previews arrive, but so far, it looks damn good. Otherwise, the film is pacing very closely to the likes of “Logan”, which opened to 88.4M in 2017. According to IMDb page views, it’s also trampling over “Spectre” (70.4M). Box Office Mojo has officially predicted an opening that could top 85 million, which would mean the record. If we are feeling lucky, we could even look at it’s seemingly largest comp, “Justice League”, which topped the box office with 93.8M a couple years back. As for Sweet and Sour, expectations seem to be anywhere from 80-95 million, with chances of seriously underperforming or over performing. Surprisingly, it it trending a little ahead of September’s “It: Chapter Two” (91M), which is an excellent sign.

The real question is how long will it hold audiences attention span? Will it climb out of the weekend with amazing success, or will controversy, and it’s different approach to the genre overcome it. The reviews are solid enough (69% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes), with praise for Joaquin Phoenix and the dark tones, but criticism for its mishandling of gun violence. However, overall, critics are satisfied, and audiences are adoring the picture (93% audience score on RT). If you look at some low points, we could look at “Us”, which opened to a still-impressive 71.1M, or maybe a critical low point would be “A Quiet Place” (50.2M) or “The Nun” (53.8M), but that seems highly unlikely taking in the whole situation.

Taking it on a platter, the most rational situation would be a weekend of 80-95M, with a low point of 50-65M and a high of 100M+. Check for updates on Box Office Face Offs!

We Break Down The “Birds of Prey” Trailer: Will it Be a Hit? Will It Be Good

By: Keaton Marcus

The second “Birds of Prey” trailer has dropped, and it’s as colorful and violent was we were hoping for. It’s a mess, but Margot Robbie looks to deliver another committed performance in this standalone Harley Quinn flick. One thing we know is that Quinn and the Joker’s relationship is kaput, which may or may not taint long time fans’ interest in getting tickets for the picture. However, it looks like an R-rated, fun anti-hero type adventure with an all-female cast, despite a supporting role from Ewan McGregor. We break down whether DCEU’s newest release will be good, and more importantly, will it do business?

Will it be good? It looks a bit “Joker-esque, but you never know. Harley Quinn has always been a second-favorite compared to Joker. She only recently appeared in 2016’s “Suicide Squad”, while her literal male counterpart has nabbed roles as the main antagonist in the original 60’s series, 1989’s “Batman”, 2009’s “The Dark Knight”, “Suicide Squad”, “The Killing Joke”, 2019’s prequel “Joker” and many more. Nevertheless, Ms. Quinn is still a beloved comics villain, and should score some popularity with her new film. Margot Robbie also did a terrific job in Quinn’s last role, and it also stars Mary Elizabeth Winstead and Ewan McGregor. This will also be the first major feature film for female director Cathy Yan, so it also really depends if she has the talent for filming such a picture. While it looks a little bit like a carbon copy of “Joker”, Robbie is excellent, and the premise has potential. We will see.

Will it be a hit? I am going with a big yes. Say what you want, it may not have the quality of an Oscar-winning film, but more than likely, because of the action-packed trailers, teens and adults will likely be interested. Especially females. It’s violent, colorful, and it looks funny enough (in its own way). While it won’t be huge, I think it can crack a debut of 70 million. This is the second-smallest opening for the DCEU (topping “Aquaman’s 67.8M), and the projection is substantially weaker than our estimate for “Joker” (85 million), but that’s solid cash in the bag. If, however, it either gets worldwide acclaim, or panned by the critics, it will affect it one way or the other. “Suicide Squad”, mentioned many times before, was the first major motion picture featuring Quinn. Despite poor reception when the film first came out (a 26% approval rating on RottenTomatoes), the film still soared to a debut of over 133 million, while closing with 325 million in North America, and 746 million worldwide. The character has strength, that’s for sure, but will that spark be able to extend to “Birds of Prey”? Check for box office updates on Box Office Face Offs!!

“Birds of Prey” arrives in theaters everywhere in February, 2020!!

Spider-Man to Stay in the MCU and a Couple Other Breaking News Stories

By: Keaton Marcus

The Gang is Back for “Jurassic World 3”, and Jonah Hill for the Riddler

DISNEY AND SONY AGREE TO CONTINUE WITH THE “SPIDER-MAN” FRANCHISE

After a major argument between studio giants Disney and Sony over their shares in the Tom Holland-starring, MCU produced “Spider-Man” movies, the two have settled their disputes and have officially decided to make a third Spidey picture. The quarrel kicked off when Disney and Marvel proposed that they get 50% of ownership to the growing Spider-Man-centered series in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and Sony wouldn’t budge, wanting full shares in the franchise. Fans were outraged at both studios, and overall, they just wanted to see Holland again as the iconic web-slinger on the big screen, especially after the acclaim of the first two installments. Finally letting Disney into the action, the agreement was that Sony obtains 75%, leaving Disney and Marvel with 25%, not quite what the latter were looking for, but suitable. The official release date for the so-called “Spider-Man 3” is July 16th, 2021, and will be going up against the Space Jam reboot.

THE OLD CREW RETURNING FOR THIRD “JURASSIC WORLD”

After the great box office success that was “Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom” (not so much with the critics), director Colin Trevorrow (who solely directed the original) has returned for a third installment to the rebooted blockbuster franchise. This time it not only stars Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard, it will also feature much anticipated returns of the cast from the original trilogy, including Sam Neil, Laura Dern and Jeff Goldblum (who had a small role in the second film). It won’t only be nostalgic, it also could help the quality of the Jurassic World trilogy. After the cliffhanger ending of Fallen Kingdom, the third movie will focus on the dinosaurs being unleashed into the open world, and what might happen when the creatures encounter the mainstream human population. Well, I guess we can guess what will be ruling the weekend box office on June 11th, 2021—and its not gonna be the Micronauts and Sesame Street films released a week earlier.

JONAH HILL TO PLAY THE RIDDLER IN UPCOMING “THE BATMAN”

DC’s newest film about the caped-crusader, “The Batman”, has had some issues with castings, and it’s all coming together. With Robert Pattison officially playing the title character, Warner Bros. has cast comedic-star Jonah Hill to play the Riddler. The character’s latest appearance was in 2017’s Justle League which flopped in the box office, as well as with the critics, however, Batman remains an iconic role, and it will most likely mean the highest-grossing film of all-time for Jonah Hill, and besides the Twilight series, it may do the same for Pattison. Another little update, Hunger Games star Jeffery Wright is to play the Gotham Police Commissioner James Gordon, which would be taking over for both Gary Oldman and J.K. Simmons for the role. With a release date of June 25th, 2021—the film will debut at the box office a week before Sing 2 and two weeks before Indiana Jones 5, it will be interesting to see how the reboot will perform in the box office.

Do You Really Know the Highest Grossing Films of All-Time?

We Cover the Real Top Ten: “Endgame” is Not in It

By: Keaton Marcus

You know the top ten highest-grossing films of all-time, right? Star Wars: The Force Awakens and Avengers: Endgame dominating? Wrong. If you look at the real pictures that reign over the rest, you would go to the adjusted for inflation list, which surprisingly, none of the top five, or even the top ten films shown there were made after the year 1997. Does this prove that technically, audiences are becoming less and less interested in showing up to the cinema? Were people more wowed back then when going to the multiplex was a brand-new hobby? We shall inform you in our newest article about the relations of how a film released in 1939 has made the most cash, and why the population might be slightly more intrigued to stay home and binge Netflix than get up off the couch and experience a film in IMAX.

1939’s “Gone With the Wind” Takes Cake

Surprised it’s not a massive blockbuster that cost over 300 million dollars to make? Well, while it’s almost impossible to believe, 1939 released Gone With the Wind is the biggest film of all-time, at least taking in around 80 years of inflation. In 4/5 of century-ago terms, the low-budget, acclaimed picture made over 189 million dollars in North America, however, adding the three other re-releases, in total, the film made over 200M dollars across the states. But that’s not true for today’s standards, is it? With the average ticket price in 2019 soaring over nine dollars, if Gone With the Wind was released the same year as Avengers: Endgame, it would have earned over 1.8 billion in the United States and Canada, therefore, technically, Gone With the Wind has made the most money with today’s ticket prices.

The Rest of the Top Ten: Space, Music, Disney

After noting the largest film of all-time according to inflation, we now take a quick dive into the following films in the interesting list. Coming right in runner-up was the original Star Wars film, which in 1977, grossed a massive 460.9M domestically, but taking in over 30 years of the rise of ticket prices, today’s standards set the earnings all the way to 1.6 billion dollars. Third, fourth, and fifth place hold 1965’s The Sound of Music, 1982’s E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial and 1997’s Titanic, which, without inflation earned 159.2M, 435.1M and 659.3M respectively. However, taking in the many years of sitting, the three have made 1.283B, 1.278B, and 1.221B just in North America. Sixth, seventh, and eighth hold three more older films—with three-hour historical epic The Ten Commandments (1956), Steven Spielberg’s beloved Jaws (1975) and romance Doctor Zhivago (1965) which, with, a considerable amount of inflation, have grossed 1.180B, 1.153B and 1.118B dollars respectively. The last two spots have been reserved for classic horror pic The Exorcist (1973) and Disney film Snow White and the Seven Dwarves (1937), which both fall just short of one billion dollars with inflation.

What the Heck Just Happened to the Avengers?

I’ve painted a wierd picture in your head, haven’t I? Don’t worry, your favorite light-saber donning characters, and superheroes still reign over the un-adjusted list, but leave the old films some glory, would ya? Speaking of that, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, which remains number one on the un-adjusted domestic list, comes up right outside of the top ten, with over 974 million bucks in the bag (with four years of inflation). It’s not till 16th place where we see the gargantuan release of Avengers: Endgame which has grossed 858 million good ones. In fact, not a single film made after the year 1997 has made it into the real top ten list. Back tracking to the ticket prices, 109 years ago, back in 1910—the price of admission was merely seven cents, but it didn’t feel so petite back then, did it. Over a century ago, less than ten cents felt like ten bucks today, so while it was still solidly cheap—don’t immediately think the people back then had it all.

Films Before 2000 Made More?

In an estimate, actually, the majority of the top 300 all-time, inflated list, were films made before the year 2000. While many pictures today still make a ton of money, it’s still extremely worrying to see a slight decline of interest over the years with audiences and the cinema. Just 70 years ago, walking to the movies was wonderous, today, it is usually a hobby to go out with friends on a Friday, or Saturday night. Primarily, the common population enjoys as much or even more to sit on the couch and stream some Netflix, Amazon or even HBO than to go buy a ticket. With streaming giants like these, it’s hard to imagine in maybe even 50 years that as many people will go to the Silver Screen. It isn’t automatically horrible, but in my honest opinion: experiencing a fun action film in IMAX completely wipes out Netflix on a small screen, computer, I-Pad, or I-Phone.

The Evaluation

A picture 80 years ago made twice as much as the number one slot on the un-adjusted list? Weird. It’s also scary as hell to think that Kinepolis might not be a thing anymore. We will see.

5 Most Anticipated Films from September and October According to Instagram

by: keaton marcus

WHAT IS REALLY TRENDING IN THE INSTA BOOKS?

PENNYWISE LEADS FALL WITH WHOPPING 1.6M FOLLOWERS

Leading second, third, fourth, and fifth by a long shot is It: Chapter Two, which has tallied 1.6 million followers following its release on September 6th. The box office performance has been particularly strong too, especially after its strong opening weekend of 91 million dollars. Critics were skeptical, but satisfied, while audiences were deeply impressed. The big thing is how large the fanbase is, picking up so many people after just months of releasing the account on Instagram. It’s as incredible as it is mind-boggling, that a Stephen King adaptation is one of the biggest films of the Fall, and the year. By the time it hits the streaming giants, we are expecting over two million followers! Long live the September and October king, Pennywise the Dancing Clown!

“JOKER” PUTS ON A HAPPY FACE WITH A QUARTER MILLION

Debuting in the box office on October 4th with barely any competition, Joaquin Phoenix-starring comic book adaptation Joker has taken to the skies on Instagram. With around a quarter of a million followers on their page (approximately 231,000 and climbing fast), the R-rated, gritty character study is supposed to soar in its opening weekend. According to Wikipedia, BoxOffice Magazine analyst Shawn Robbins is expecting a wide variety of 60-90 million over the film’s first three days, this is while more conservative expectations were lead by Comscore’s senior editor Paul Dergarabedian estimated just 50 million, mainly because it is not “a typical comic-book movie”. Only three weeks prior to the picture’s initial release, analysts were overall expecting 65-80 million—but with a possibility of 90-100 million dollars. It’s not only looking to be a hit, especially cause of its 55 million budget—but, its also extremely wealthy with the critics, and popular on social media. Joker, over and out, the second most anticipated film of the Fall according to Instagram.

BOX OFFICE SENSATION “HUSTLERS” GRABS SOME FOLLOWERS IN THIRD

Soon after nabbing over 33 million dollars in its opening weekend, giving competition to even It: Chapter Two—Jennifer Lopez-starring Hustlers is not only laden with cash—it’s also blowing up social media. With 227k followers in the bag (and counting), the stripper drama based on a true story is a massive success, especially with the people. Even with critics, Hustlers got some excellent reception during its release—praising Lopez’s performance, as well as the visual stye, and even it’s depth. The correlations between its Instagram and box office success are no coincidence, and it proves that despite STX Entertainment’s many past failures, a good film can help make that all go away. Our projections are that once the 20 million production hits DVD and streaming, the follower count could be up to the 250-270k mark, along with North American earnings of 120+ million dollars. The perfect hit, landing in third for the most anticipated films this Fall.

STALLONE IS BACK TO BEING POPULAR, TAKING FOURTH THIS FALL

After so many dismal films in the box office, including Bullet to the Head, Escape Plan, Grudge Match and Ratchet & Clank—Sylvester Stallone was losing popularity by the moment, with only supporting roles in the two solid Creed films as a life line. He used to have the Rocky series, and the Rambo franchise—now, it’s becoming clear that he may have to put down the sword. However, never fear Balboa fans—Stallone is back with the title role in Rambo: Last Blood, which arrives in theaters everywhere this weekend. While the critics are having second thoughts about the reboot/sequel, analysts are predicting an impressive 20+ million opening from 3,618 theaters. Not only that, but the film’s instagram page is has some solid numbers as well, plucking to 93,700 followers and counting. His adult male fanbase is the number one thing that Lionsgate is counting on financially, but will it be enough to cover for the fact that it’s another terrible action film that Stallone was involved with? Never mind that, the guy still gets his paycheck, and the box office might get another success. Fourth this fall, firing the arrow is Rambo: Last Blood.

“MALEFICENT” SEQUEL EEKS OUT FIFTH PLACE ON INSTA THIS FALL

The trailers don’t look great, Angelina Jolie isn’t terribly bankable, and its the sequel to an already mediocre film—Maleficent: Mistress of Evil could be one of the biggest flops of the year. However, there is some positives, like how its predecessor made over 780 million dollars worldwide, or the fact that Disney after hits such as The Lion King and Aladdin are producing the picture. While the sequel did manage to become the fifth most anticipated film of the Fall according to Instagram, capping 82,900 followers so far—its still not that impressive. Even more painfully, analysts are predicting a much lower opening than the original’s count topping 69 million—with an overall opinion moving closer to the 35-40 million side—and without extremely exceeding international performances, Mistress of Evil will likely succumb to its expected expensiveness. It could surprise, but that isn’t likely. Angelina Jolie takes the fifth slot this Fall!

TOP FIVE ON INSTAGRAM:

It: Chapter Two, 1.6m followers.

Joker, 231k followers.

Hustlers, 227k followers.

Rambo: Last Blood, 93.7k followers.

Maleficent: Mistress of Evil, 82.9k followers.

The Fall Catch-Up: What Films Teens Should Be Begging to See

by: keaton marcus

The Big Back-to-School List: What the 13-19 Year-Old’s Should Be Buzzing About

1. Pennywise on the Hunt, “It: Chapter Two”

   What’s it About?

   It: Chapter Two centers around the Losers once again, 27 years after the events of Chapter One (see the first one before the sequel), when they are all adults living elsewhere. However, after a call from an old friend, Mike Hanlon, they are forced to come back to Derry to face the murderous, twisted clown, Pennywise in an epic, final battle.

   Why to See it:

   Sure, the R-rated Stephen King adaptation and sequel came out a couple weeks ago, on the first weekend of September—but teens should still be putting it on their waiting list for the cinema. If you are a fan of horror, author Stephen King, or even just blood in general—this is the right pick for you on a Friday, or Saturday night. Sweet and Sour Movies has a review available, and gave it a certain amount of praise, despite not quite loving it. The recommended age stands at 15+, but with the parents approval, it wouldn’t be horrible if a 14 year old, or even a 13 year old for that matter, walked in to the multiplex looking for Pennywise on the big-screen. Most importantly, go to see it if you really want a fun, Silver Screen fright at the theaters.

2. Brad Pitt in Space, “Ad Astra”

What’s it About?

Astronaut Roy McBride (Brad Pitt) travels to the outer edges of the solar system to find his missing father and unravel a mystery that threatens the survival of our planet. His journey will uncover secrets that challenge the nature of human existence and our place in the cosmos.

Why to See it:

First and foremost, what teen, or even adult doesn’t want to see superstar Brad Pitt kick some ass in the far reaches of space? After his wonderful supporting performance in Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, the guy is hotter than ever. Second of all, the reviews are out from the Toronto Film Festival, and their pretty damn good. Also, expect a review from Sweet and Sour Movies from September 19 to the 29th, it could drop anywhere in that period of time, so keep checking!! Also, its rated PG-13, hence, its literally made for the young-adult audience and despite having some adult themes, the teens should keep it on their short list. Go see it in IMAX, Laser Ultra, or 3D starting today—its got positive reviews, the MPAA rating is right, and its got Brad Pitt—what’s gonna go wrong?

3. Stallone Donning the Bow-and-Arrow, “Rambo: Last Blood”

What’s it About?

Almost four decades after he drew first blood, Sylvester Stallone is back as one of the greatest action heroes of all time, John Rambo. Now, Rambo must confront his past and unearth his ruthless combat skills to exact revenge in a final mission. A deadly journey of vengeance, Rambo: Last Blood marks the last chapter of the legendary series.

Why to See it:

One thing that Rambo: Last Blood will hit out of the ballpark is the grisly, bloody violence—which older teens adore, the issue is, 13-15 year old’s might not be lining up to see it. However, while it may be a bit of an honorable mention, especially because Lionsgate is aiming for the adult male audience, I can still imagine 16-19 year old’s grabbing their popcorn. Its also got Sylvester Stallone in all the maddening explosions, and gun fights, donning the bow-and-arrow as John Rambo for the last time (maybe, but if its a hit…). The reviews for the film are still being held back by the studio, which may cause concern that it could be a terrible movie—however, we will see tomorrow or Friday on what the critics think of this 89-minute, Stallone-starring action film. Go see it because: its got Stallone, violence, drugs, and well… Stallone.

4. Joaquin Phoenix Going Crazy, “Joker”

What’s it About?

Joker centers around the iconic arch nemesis and is an original, standalone fictional story not seen before on the big screen. Phillips' exploration of Arthur Fleck, who is indelibly portrayed by Joaquin Phoenix, is of a man struggling to find his way in Gotham's fractured society. A clown-for-hire by day, he aspires to be a stand-up comic at night...but finds the joke always seems to be on him. Caught in a cyclical existence between apathy and cruelty, Arthur makes one bad decision that brings about a chain reaction of escalating events in this gritty character study.

Why to See it:

If you”re a fan of the comic books, or even the DC films in general—this could be perfect for you. Just a warning: its more of a dark character study, than a action-packed superhero flick. Like the lastest Rambo feature, Warner Bros. gave Joker an R MPAA rating, which means its technically for adults—but, the villain dubbed Joker is universally known by all-ages. The reception seems to be generally positive, with critics praising Joaquin Phoenix’s supposedly Oscar-deserving performance, despite a few issues. By the way, look for the Sweet and Sour review from October 4 to the 20th. I’m recommending this for the older teens, but it is more than possible that this is on the younger teens wishlist as well. It’s centering around a villain beloved by the young-adult audience, its got some good reviews, Joaquin Phoenix, and Robert De Niro. Head to see it!!

5. Will Smith Fighting a Clone, “Gemini Man”

What’s it About?

Henry Brogan, an aging government assassin seeking to exit his career, finds himself going up against a younger clone of himself named Junior, who's able to predict his every move. With no other choice, Henry must uncover the truth behind Junior's creation and save him from going down the same dark path he did, all while fighting against a corrupt system determined to "retire" him at all costs.

Why to See it:

Will Smith is back. His most recent film besides Gemini Man is Disney’s live-action remake of Aladdin, which didn’t just gross over one billion worldwide, the critics (Sweet and Sour included) praised Smith’s great performance as the iconic Genie, CGI’d in the new film. So Will Smith is returning after many years of no major roles in box office hits, that’s one terrific reason to see his newest effort. It’s also directed by Ang Lee, who helmed Life of Pi, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and many more critical darlings. While that persuasion is not wholly directed towards the teens, it obviously is a factor. Look for our anticipated review from October 11 to October 25th. Furthermore, its a PG-13 rated action feature, also, with a solidly intriguing premise—perfect for both younger and older teens wanting some expensive, dumb, fun. Reasons to see it: Will Smith has returned, its action-packed with fancy special effects, and its got a great director.