Dragonlord's 2015 Movie Guide

[Dragonlordxxxxx]

Anything on American Sniper?

It's scheduled for a wide release starting this Friday.

 

[Dragonlordxxxxx]

BLACKHAT

Release Date: Jan. 16 (Wide Release)

Genre: Action Thriller

Director: Michael Mann (Heat, Collateral, Miami Vice)

Cast: Chris Hemsworth, Viola Davis, Tang Wei, Holt McCallany and Wang Leehom

Synopsis: Set within the world of global cybercrime, Legendary

 

[Dragonlordxxxxx]

AMERICAN SNIPER

Release Date: Jan. 16 (Expanded Release)

Genre: Biographical War Drama

Director: Clint Eastwood (Unforgiven, Gran Turino)

Cast: Bradley Cooper, Sienna Miller, Jake McDorman, Luke Grimes, Navid Negahban

Synopsis: U.S. Navy SEAL Chris Kyle is sent to Iraq with only one mission: to protect his brothers-in-arms. His pinpoint accuracy saves countless lives on the battlefield and, as stories of his courageous exploits spread, he earns the nickname

 

[Spawned_Fighter]

not surprised with the blackhat consensus.

 

[Dragonlordxxxxx]

not surprised with the blackhat consensus.

Not shocked either. The first trailer was painfully generic. Too bad because I was rooting for Michael Mann to have a win.

 

[Dragonlordxxxxx]

Friday Box Office:

AMERICAN SNIPER Shoots Down January Record with $30.5M

Clint Eastwood's American Sniper is smashing records at the North American box office, where it topped Friday's chart with $30.5 million from 3,555 theaters for a debut in the $75 million-$80 million range over the long Martin Luther King Jr. weekend, well ahead of expectations. That would mark the largest opening of all time for the month of January, as well as one of the top grosses ever for a non-tentpole, much less an R-rated, modern-day war film.

American Sniper first debuted Christmas Day in four theaters in Los Angeles, New York and Dallas (Kyle was from Texas). The $60 million movie, earning nearly $4 million in its limited run, continues to be unique in appealing to both art house audiences as well as more politically conservative moviegoers.

To date, Gran Torino ($29.5 million) is Eastwood's top opening as a director, while Kevin Hart's Ride Along, released a year ago on the same weekend, boasts the top opening for January with a three-day debut of $41.5 million. Its four-day take was $48.6 million.

Wedding Ringer placed No. 2 Friday with $7 million from 3,003 theaters for a projected four day debut of $23 million-$24 million, the best showing for an R-rated comedy opening in January. Hart stars opposite Josh Gad in Wedding Ringer, which cost a modest $23 million to make and earned a promising A- CinemaScore.


Box-Office Shocker: 'American Sniper' Tops Friday With $30.5M, Could Approach $80M

 

[Dragonlordxxxxx]

Weekend Box Office:

AMERICAN SNIPER Breaks January Record with $90.2 Million

Clint Eastwood' record-breaking American Sniper continues to astound at the North American box office, where it earned an estimated $90.2 million for the three-day weekend for a possible $100 million debut over the long Martin Luther King Jr. weekend — double what it was expected to do.

That's the largest opening of all time for the month of January, as well as one of the top grosses ever for a non-tentpole, much less an R-rated, modern-day war film. The film is playing in 3,555 locations.

Earning a coveted A+ CinemaScore in every category, Eastwood's movie is galvanizing moviegoers in both red states and blue states. It is expanding nationwide after nabbing six Oscar nominations on Thursday, including best picture and best actor (Bradley Cooper). Warner Bros. and Village Roadshow partnered on Sniper, based on the real-life story of Navy SEAL Chris Kyle and set over the course of the war in Iraq.

American Sniper first debuted Christmas Day in four theaters in Los Angeles, New York and Dallas (Kyle was from Texas). The $60 million movie, earning nearly $4 million in its limited run, continues to be unique in appealing to both art house audiences as well as more politically conservative moviegoers.


Box-Office Shocker: American Sniper Could Now Score $100 Million for 4-Day Weekend

 

[The Karate Man]

Bradley Cooper fucking killed the role. One of the best movies I've ever seen. No ridiculousness in the combat scenes.

 

[Ricky13]

While Selma is incredibly well-made, its greatness will be a function of its timeliness as opposed to direction. All that is communicated is in the text as speeches, protests and their various aftermaths, and perhaps most adeptly, upper echelon backdoor lobbying. Empathy earned is thus proportionate to how much one is swept up in the fervour of these activities, rather than subtextual suggestion. DuVernay's timing is perfect, her hand firm. Brutal moments play like horror. When relief comes in the form of redemption, inspiration or tender reflection, it is welcome and easy to get drawn into.

The acting is solid, and King is written with nuance rarely reserved for studio biopics. The choice to jump to the voting protests allows us to see the toll his life has taken on all concerned, establishing character "wants" vs "needs" right off the bat. The movement can thus be viewed through the prism of King's already established style of civil disobedience, i.e. one for the cameras - explained through dialogue in an astonishingly frank scene between factions within the movement. Wilkinson plays President Johnson well, as a man who wants to do the right thing, but can't quite seem to grasp what this is - a problem central to the the lack of understanding of the movement among the well-meaning at the level of the corridors of power.

It's a compelling watch from start to finish, whichever side of the current debate one is on. Think of it as a procedural

 

[Spoken]

Short Review of American Sniper:

Never have I seen a film so well made and so completely stupid. Cooper was awesome; the film is well acted, well shot, and well crafted. But the politics of the film, or should I say, its complete avoidance of the greater narratives, make this film hilariously dumb.
It too easily sets the good guys from the bad guys. Despite taking seriously the complexity of the main character, it fails to even take note the complexities of war and of the "other side."
And this is often the failure of films like this: Eastwood asserts it's not about politics, but a person... but he doesn't understand that what you don't say is inherently political. It tries to get people emotional about this guy's story, which is fine and all, but it's been done to death. Eastwood missed being a smart filmmaker here, I think.

So, greatly crafted, well acted, but socially and politically retarded. Also, I read a good chunk of Chris Kyle's book. He seemed like a horrible person, not the nuanced character presented in the film.

 

[GODZILLA213]

Not much of a reviewer but after watching American Sniper last night I feel it deserves none of the accolades it has been receiving. I was expecting a good movie. Instead what I got felt incomplete and at times insulting. I can only recall one scene actually pulling me in to the movie, sadly the scene was very short and featured heavily in the trailers. The final deployment scene at its climax actually drew laughter from myself. I don't want to do a complete breakdown and spoil it for those who haven't seen it so I will leave it at that.

 

[Dragonlordxxxxx]

First Spoken with a Godzilla AV slams American Sniper, then followed by Godzilla213's negative review. Hmmm...

 

[GODZILLA213]

First Spoken with a Godzilla AV slams American Sniper, then followed by Godzilla213's negative review. Hmmm...

Are you saying the next guy to say he doesn't like it should be named after a man who killed woman? Ted Bundy where you at?

Or is it simply a conspiracy involving Godzilla?

 

[Dragonlordxxxxx]

Are you saying the next guy to say he doesn't like it should be named after a man who killed woman? Ted Bundy where you at?

Or is it simply a conspiracy involving Godzilla?

The latter. :icon_twis

 

[GODZILLA213]

The only other poster I can think of that has a Godzilla av is MR NHB. He has a Mecha-Godzilla av so is he gonna like it or hate it. How far does this conspiracy go?

 

[Tebowned]

What's up with Matthew Vaughn and Bryan Singer always casting young adults? Or is that a conversation for the War Room?

 

[Dragonlordxxxxx]

What's up with Matthew Vaughn and Bryan Singer always casting young adults? Or is that a conversation for the War Room?

I won't touch that Singer stuff but I will say that Vaughn is married to former supermodel Claudia Schiffer. And he is heavily rumored to be the father of January Jones' baby.

 

[Dragonlordxxxxx]

MORTDECAI

Release Date: Jan. 23 (Wide Release)

Genre: Adventure Comedy

Director: David Koepp (Premium Rush, Ghost Town)

Cast: Johnny Depp, Gwyneth Paltrow, Ewan McGregor, Ewan McGregor, Olivia Munn, Paul Bettany, Jeff Goldblum

Synopsis: Juggling some angry Russians, the British Mi5, his impossibly leggy wife and an international terrorist, debonair art dealer and part time rogue Charlie Mortdecai (Johnny Depp) must traverse the globe armed only with his good looks and special charm in a race to recover a stolen painting rumored to contain the code to a lost bank account filled with Nazi gold.




Rotten Tomatoes: 13% Approval Rating (7 out of 55 critics like it)

Critics Consensus: Aggressively strange and willfully unfunny, the misguided Mortdecai sounds a frightfully low note in Johnny Depp's post-Pirates filmography.
___________________





BLACK SEA

Release Date: Jan. 23 (Limited Release)

Genre: Submarine Adventure Thriller

Director: Kevin Macdonald (The Eagle, The Last King of Scotland)

Cast: Jude Law, Jodie Whittaker, Ben Mendelsohn, Scoot McNairy, Tobias Menzies

Synopsis: A suspenseful adventure thriller directed by Academy Award winner Kevin Macdonald, centering on a rogue submarine captain (two-time Academy Award nominee Jude Law) who pulls together a misfit crew to go after a sunken treasure rumored to be lost in the depths of the Black Sea. As greed and desperation take control onboard their claustrophobic vessel, the increasing uncertainty of the mission causes the men to turn on each other to fight for their own survival.




Rotten Tomatoes: 81% Approval Rating (46 out of 57 critics like it)

Critics Consensus: Black Sea may not be particularly deep, but thanks to Kevin Macdonald's judicious direction and a magnetic performance from Jude Law, it remains an efficiently well-crafted thriller.
___________________





THE BOY NEXT DOOR

Release Date: Jan. 23 (Wide Release)

Genre: Suspense Thriller

Director: Rob Cohen (The Fast and the Furious, Stealth)

Cast: Jennifer Lopez, John Corbett, Kristin Chenowith, Ian Nelson, Ryan Guzman

Synopsis: Neglected by her adulterous husband and left feeling particularly vulnerable as her marriage crumbles, lonely teacher Claire (Jennifer Lopez) has an affair with a younger neighbor (Ryan Guzman) that turns terrifying as his fiery lust morphs into dangerous obsession. John Corbett, Ian Nelson, and Kristin Chenoweth co-star.




Rotten Tomatoes: 13% Approval Rating (10 out of 76 critics like it)

Critics Consensus: The Boy Next Door may get a few howls out of fans of stalker thrillers, but for most viewers, it won't even rise to "so bad it's good" status.
___________________





STRANGE MAGIC

Release Date: Jan. 23 (Wide Release)

Genre: Animated Fantasy Adventure

Director: Gary Rydstrom (feature film directorial debut)

Cast: Evan Rachel Wood, Maya Rudolph, Peter Stormare, Alan Cumming, Alfred Molina

Synopsis: "Strange Magic," a new animated film from Lucasfilm Ltd., is a madcap fairy tale musical inspired by "A Midsummer Night's Dream." Popular songs from the past six decades help tell the tale of a colorful cast of goblins, elves, fairies and imps, and their hilarious misadventures sparked by the battle over a powerful potion. Lucasfilm Animation Singapore and Industrial Light & Magic bring to life the fanciful forest turned upside down with world-class animation and visual effects.




Rotten Tomatoes: 10% Approval Rating (3 out of 31 critics like it)

Critics Consensus: Like most modern animated movies, Strange Magic is lovely to look at; unfortunately, there isn't much going on beneath the surface.
___________________





CAKE

Release Date: Jan. 23 (Limited Release)

Genre: Drama

Director: Daniel Barnz (Won't Back Down, Beastly)

Cast: Jennifer Aniston, Anna Kendrick (mine!), Sam Worthington, William H. Macy, Felicity Huffman, Britt Robertson, Adriana Barraza, Chris Messina and Lucy Punch

Synopsis: The acerbic, hilarious Claire Simmons (Jennifer Aniston) becomes fascinated by the suicide of a woman in her chronic pain support group. As she uncovers the details of Nina's suicide and develops a poignant relationship with Nina's husband, she also grapples with her own, very raw personal tragedy.




Rotten Tomatoes: 47% Approval Rating (37 out of 79 critics like it)

Critics Consensus: Cake finds Jennifer Aniston making the most of an overdue opportunity to test her dramatic chops, but it lacks sufficient depth or warmth to recommend for all but her most ardent fans.

 

[Slick_36]

Maybe the reason the Godzilla Gang is against the movie is because despite us looking at Godzilla as a hero, he is the result of the most famous act of war in modern history, and he has caused his fair share of innocent deaths in just and unjust fights. But we acknowledge that Godzilla, and war in general, is a grey matter and it's wrong to paint one side as being right or wrong when it involves many people.

 

[Dragonlordxxxxx]

Friday Box Office:

SNIPER Wins; MORTDECAI is Johnny Depp's Fifth Flop in a Row

Box office pundits have not yet tired of exclaiming over last weekend