Dragonlord's 2015 Movie Guide

[Dragonlordxxxxx]

Weekend Box Office

MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE 5 Victorious With $56 Million U.S. Debut

The Mission: Impossible franchise continues to deliver big returns for Tom Cruise. Over the weekend, Mission: Impossible — Rogue Nation opened to a better-than-expected $56 million in North America, where Cruise's star status has diminished outside of the spy series. The movie easily came in No. 1.

Cruise remains much more of a movie star overseas. Internationally, the $150 million tentpole launched to $65 million from 40 territories (or even 40 percent of the marketplace) for an early world cume of $121 million for partners Paramount and Skydance, including a record-breaking launch of $17.1 million in South Korea.

The weekend's other new wide player, Vacation, missed the mark in its U.S. debut after opening Wednesday. The reboot earned $21.2 million for the Wednesday-Sunday stretch, including $14.9 million for the weekend (it had been expected to clear $30 million). If there's any solace, it's that New Line and Warner Bros. spent a modest $30 million to make Vacation.

Holdovers Ant-Man and Minions ended the weekend in a close race. Disney put Ant-Man's earnings at $12.6 million for a domestic total of $132.1 million and global haul of nearly $300 million. Disney and Pixar also announced that Inside Out has crossed the $600 million worldwide. Universal and Illumination's Minions grossed $12.2 million domestically for a North American total of $287.3 million and mammoth global total of $854.6 million.

Tom Cruise's 'Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation' Victorious With $56M U.S. Debut

 

[method115]

If May counts as a summer movie, then MAD MAX: FURY ROAD by a huge margin over the others.

If May doesn't count, I guess ROGUE NATION is my favorite 2015 summer movie so far. But I feel that INSIDE OUT would be my favorite when I get to finally see it.

2014 summer movies > 2015 summer movies

Thought Rogue Nation wasn't that good kind of a let down for this series. Vacation on the other hand killed it. Really enjoyed it. Haven't seen Mad max yet and at this point just going to wait for Bluray.

 

[erhnamdjinn]

how come I dont see any threads of the fantastic 4 reboot I tried searching but couldnt find any? Is this a sure bomb?

 

[Dragonlordxxxxx]

how come I dont see any threads of the fantastic 4 reboot I tried searching but couldnt find any? Is this a sure bomb?

Your search-fu needs more practice.

First Twitter reactions from FF screening are now online btw.

http://forums.sherdog.com/forums/showthread.php?p=108020829#post108020829

Thought Rogue Nation wasn't that good kind of a let down for this series. Vacation on the other hand killed it. Really enjoyed it. Haven't seen Mad max yet and at this point just going to wait for Bluray.

Hope you like Fury Road as much as we did.

Insane Sherdog approval rating:

http://forums.sherdog.com/forums/poll.php?do=showresults&pollid=17203

 

[Dragonlordxxxxx]

August 4, 2015

Dragonlord's Review of FANTASTIC FOUR (2015)

Bottom Line: Feels more like a low-key sci-fi drama than a superhero flick, Josh Trank's Fantastic Four takes a long time to set up but stumbles big time during the second half with a disjointed direction, lack of character interactions and overall poor script.

Fox's Fantastic Four reboot underwent a lot of negative press, from the Johnny Storm casting to the the studio being displeased at how the film turned out to director Josh Trank's rumored erratic behavior during production. But there was a glimmer of hope when the amazing first trailer was released which conveyed the film as a dark sci-fi adventure. Unfortunately all the reported production problems turned out to be true.

The film takes a long time setting up how the team got their powers. Didn't really mind the long origin story as the narrative was quite compelling. Having followed the production from the start, my mindset had already adjusted to the fact that this was going to take a lot of liberties from the source material. Felt like a dark, low-key science fiction drama rather than the typical superhero movie, the first half of the film and the character development were entertaining. Ironically, the film goes downhill when our heroes finally get their powers.

The major problems start to pile up when the narration time-jumps to one year in the second half of the film. There's a sense of disjointedness in the plot direction and character development after the fast-forward. Much of the film is narrated through the eyes of Reed Richards. So when Reed disappears in a pointless interlude, the film also loses its identity. The four main characters barely have any interaction with one another and the family dynamic and team chemistry were non-existent. The rushed pace, terrible dialogue and a landfill of exposition didn't help either. Instead of building up the threat, Doctor Doom's re-emergence near the end felt tacked on.

It's too bad the script doesn't match the young, talented cast assembled. Among the four, Miles Teller as Reed Richards shines the most as the dorky genius. Her face is normally a bit off-putting for me but Kate Mara was pretty in here and did a solid job as Sue Storm. The terrific Jamie Bell as Ben Grimm was shortchanged as he was notably absent from the first half of the movie (and going back to my complaint of very few character interactions). Despite all the hoopla and controversy over his casting, Michael B. Jordan as Johnny Storm was nothing special.

The action at the finale was iffy. Some of the special effects look bad like the Human Torch's flame form. Doctor Doom looks so terrible it makes you yearn for the bad Julian McMahon version. One cool and surprisingly brutal aspect of Doom's power is to easily blow up people's heads Scanners-style leaving a lot of blood splatter as a result. Inexplicably, Doom doesn't use these techniques to dispatch the heroes when they battle. Another minus is that they don't properly explain what Doom's powers are. The Thing looks and sounds good but still wish he would wear pants/underwear even if he doesn't have any genitalia anymore.

Overall, the first half of the movie was fairly good but everything got screwed up after the one-year time-jump. You deduct 3+ stars to my rating if you are one of those persons who can't accept drastic changes from the source material or hate this film's casting. If you want an excellent Fantastic Four movie, just watch The Incredibles again. Lastly, there is no post-credits scene.

Preliminary Rating: 5.5/10

 

[Conan Lerehcob]

Thanks. Here's a Top 5 must-watch films of 2015 so far. The list offers different choices of genre (action, sci-fi, horror, comedy, drama) that should give you some variety. I've only seen Kingsman among that list.

I'm replying late to this but I wanted to thank you again, kingsman was pretty good, going to watch the rest this week !

Any "brutal" recommendation from the past 5 years btw? I would like one or two movie that shock either by their realism or violence, something that gets me right in the feel if you see what I mean. Not necessarily historical but either way would be appreciated.

 

[xaoz]

bahahaha..i knew those early reviews for F4 was bogus.

 

[MacDuffle]

I'm replying late to this but I wanted to thank you again, kingsman was pretty good, going to watch the rest this week !

Any "brutal" recommendation from the past 5 years btw? I would like one or two movie that shock either by their realism or violence, something that gets me right in the feel if you see what I mean. Not necessarily historical but either way would be appreciated.

I thought Nightcrawler was fucking exceptional

Then there's 71: Into The Fire which was one hell of a War Film (and brutal as hell.) The cinematography doesn't get any better than this.

 

[BayAreaGuy]

The Gift

You move to a nice neighborhood. You have a beautiful wife and a well-paying new job.

By sheer coincidence, you run into an old high school classmate.

You quickly realize that he's not what he seems. Skeletons are coming out of the closet. Time is running out. Either you get him, or he gets you.

Written & directed by Joel Edgerton. And he is a pro at what he does. Edgerton has written movies before, but this is his directorial debut. This movie is well written, nice story, great performances, great score, and it looks fantastic. There is a creepy vibe which builds to a highly satisfying climax.

Go see it.

8.5 out of 10

Great job Joel.

(note: avoid the trailer)

 

[BayAreaGuy]

Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation

The moment you open your eyes, you know it's going to be a bad day.

You're in a dark room. Your hands are tied above your head.

In walks a beautiful woman. She removes her heels. She's preparing to interrogate you, but in walks a disavowed MI6 agent. A man they call "the bone doctor."

The mysterious woman helps you escape. But you don't know why.

With members of The Syndicate and the CIA after you, you have nowhere to turn except for an old ally. Time is running out. You have no choice but to uncover the shadowy Syndicate before it's too late.

Written & directed by Christopher McQuarry. MI:5 is a fun action movie. Plenty of action and excitement. It's mainly a spectacle with a few interesting plot points. The strength of this movie are the visuals and the lead actress, Rebecca Ferguson.

8/10

 

[Tebowned]

The Gift

You move to a nice neighborhood. You have a beautiful wife and a well-paying new job.

By sheer coincidence, you run into an old high school classmate.

You quickly realize that he's not what he seems. Skeletons are coming out of the closet. Time is running out. Either you get him, or he gets you.

Written & directed by Joel Edgerton. And he is a pro at what he does. Edgerton has written movies before, but this is his directorial debut. This movie is well written, nice story, great performances, great score, and it looks fantastic. There is a creepy vibe which builds to a highly satisfying climax.

Go see it.

8.5 out of 10

Great job Joel.

(note: avoid the trailer)

Too late.


I'm surprised at the reviews being so positive. I remember watching the trailer and I was like "Meh"
This is definitely being added on the backlog.

 

[Dragonlordxxxxx]

THE FANTASTIC FOUR

Release Date: Aug. 7 (Wide)

Genre: Superhero Sci-Fi Adventure

Director: Josh Trank (Chronicle)

Cast: Miles Teller, Michael B. Jordan, Kate Mara, Jamie Bell, Toby Kebbell, Reg E. Cathey

Synopsis: Fantastic Four, a contemporary re-imagining of Marvel's original and longest-running superhero team, centers on four young outsiders who teleport to an alternate and dangerous universe, which alters their physical form in shocking ways. Their lives irrevocably upended, the team must learn to harness their daunting new abilities and work together to save Earth from a former friend turned enemy.

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Dragonlord's Review: Feels more like a low-key sci-fi drama than a superhero flick, Josh Trank's Fantastic Four takes a long time to set up but stumbles big time during the second half with a disjointed direction, lack of character interactions and overall poor script. 5.5/10


Rotten Tomatoes: 9% Approval Rating (13 out of 143 critics like it)

Critics Consensus: Dull and downbeat, this Fantastic Four proves a woefully misguided attempt to translate a classic comic series without the humor, joy, or colorful thrills that made it great.
___________________





THE GIFT

Release Date: Aug. 7 (Wide Release)

Genre: Mystery Suspense

Director: Joel Edgerton (feature film directorial debut)

Cast: Jason Bateman, Rebecca Hall, Joel Edgerton, Allison Tollman, Busy Philipps

Synopsis: Simon and Robyn are a young married couple whose life is going just as planned until a chance encounter with an acquaintance from Simon's high school sends their world into a harrowing tailspin. Simon doesn't recognize Gordo at first, but after a series of uninvited encounters and mysterious gifts prove troubling, a horrifying secret from the past is uncovered after more than 20 years. As Robyn learns the unsettling truth about what happened between Simon and Gordo, she starts to question: how well do we really know the people closest to us, and are past bygones ever really bygones?

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Rotten Tomatoes: 91% Approval Rating (75 out of 82 critics like it)

Critics Consensus: The Gift is wickedly smart and playfully subversive, challenging the audience's expectations while leaving them leaning on the edges of their seats.
___________________





SHAUN THE SHEEP

Release Date: Aug. 5 (Wide Release)

Genre: Animated Family Comedy Adventure

Director: Mark Burton and Richard Starzak

Cast: Justin Fletcher, John Sparkes, Omid Djalili, Kate Harbour, Andy Nyman

Synopsis: When Shaun decides to take the day off and have some fun, he gets a little more action than he bargained for. A mix up with the Farmer, a caravan, and a very steep hill lead them all to the Big City and it's up to Shaun and the flock to return everyone safely to the green grass of home.




Rotten Tomatoes: 99% Approval Rating (104 out of 105 critics like it)

Critics Consensus: Warm, funny, and brilliantly animated, Shaun the Sheep is yet another stop-motion jewel in Aardman's family-friendly crown.
___________________





RICKI AND THE FLASH

Release Date: Aug. 7 (Wide Release)

Genre: Musical Comedy Drama

Director: Jonathan Demme (The Silence of the Lambs)

Cast: Meryl Streep, Mamie Gummer, Rick Springfield, Kevin Kline, Sebastian Stan

Synopsis: Three-time Academy Award (R) winner Meryl Streep goes electric and takes on a whole new gig - a hard-rocking singer/guitarist - for Oscar (R)-winning director Jonathan Demme and Academy Award (R)-winning screenwriter Diablo Cody in the uplifting comedy Ricki and the Flash. In a film loaded with music and live performance, Streep stars as Ricki, a guitar heroine who gave up everything for her dream of rock-and-roll stardom, but is now returning home to make things right with her family. Streep stars opposite her real-life daughter Mamie Gummer, who plays her fictional daughter; Rick Springfield, who takes on the role of a Flash member in love with Ricki; and Kevin Kline, who portrays Ricki's long-suffering ex-husband.

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Rotten Tomatoes: 59% Approval Rating (63 out of 107 critics like it)

Critics Consensus: Meryl Streep's outstanding work helps Ricki and the Flash overcome its inconsistent tone and fairly predictable premise.
___________________





DARK PLACES

Release Date: Aug. 7 (Limited Release)

Genre: Mystery Suspense Drama

Director: Gilles Paquet-Brenner (Sarah's Keys)

Cast: Charlize Theron, Nicholas Hoult, Corey Stoll, Christina Hendricks, Chloe Moretz, Tye Sheridan

Synopsis: 25 years after testifying against her brother as the person responsible for massacring her entire family, a haunted woman (Charlize Theron) is approached by a secret society that specializes in complex, unsolved cases. Nicholas Hoult, Corey Stoll, and Chloe Moretz co-star in this Mandalay Pictures thriller directed by Gilles Paquet-Brenner, and based on the novel by Gillian Flynn.

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Rotten Tomatoes: 26% Approval Rating (12 out of 46 critics like it)

Critics Consensus: A convoluted, airless procedural that generates practically no suspense and little that's thematically resonant about lost souls and poisoned memories.
___________________





COP CAR

Release Date: Aug. 7 (Limited Release)

Genre: Thriller

Director: Jon Watts (Spider-Man 2017)

Cast: Kevin Bacon, Shea Whigham, Kyra Sedgwick, Hays Wellford, James Freedson-Jackson

Synopsis: Kevin Bacon (The Following, HBO's Taking Chance, Mystic River) stars in director Jon Watts' delightful throwback thriller Cop Car. When two good-natured but rebellious young boys (James Freedson-Jackson and Hays Wellford) stumble across an abandoned cop car hidden in a secluded glade they decide to take it for a quick joyride. Their bad decision unleashes the ire of the county sheriff (Kevin Bacon) and leads to brutal consequences.

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Rotten Tomatoes: 76% Approval Rating (32 out of 42 critics like it)

Critics Consensus: Cop Car boasts a terrific premise and a grimly gripping opening act -- and for some viewers, that will be enough to compensate for the movie's uneven denouement.

 

[Dragonlordxxxxx]

I'm replying late to this but I wanted to thank you again, kingsman was pretty good, going to watch the rest this week !

Any "brutal" recommendation from the past 5 years btw? I would like one or two movie that shock either by their realism or violence, something that gets me right in the feel if you see what I mean. Not necessarily historical but either way would be appreciated.

I'll have to think about that some more and get back to you on that.

Glad you liked Kingsman. Last we chatted was around April, so MAD MAX: FURY ROAD hadn't been released. I highly recommend watching that movie, my best film of the year by far.

 

[Viva]

My lord, FF is under 10%.

That's embarrassing.

Didn't think the bar could be set any lower after Fox's last two attempts.

 

[Dragonlordxxxxx]

Weekend Box Office:

FANTASTIC FOUR Flops With $25.7 Million at U.S. Box Office

In a major blow for 20th Century Fox's plan to secure the fate of a key superhero franchise, controversial director Josh Trank's Fantastic Four opened to a dismal $25.7 million from 3,995 theaters at the North American box office after being rejected by critics and audiences alike.

That's one of the lowest openings of all time for a big-budget studio superhero movie, and, in a twist Hollywood didn't see coming, the $120 million tentpole lost the weekend crown to holdover Mission: Impossible — Rogue Nation, starring Tom Cruise. Rogue Nation fell a mere 48 percent in its second weekend to $29.4 million from 3,988 theaters for a domestic total of $109.5 million.

Overseas, where Hollywood tentpoles often make up ground, the news was mostly grim as Fantastic Four launched to a tepid $34.1 million from 43 markets for a global bow of $60.3 million.

Fantastic Four was no doubt hurt by scathing reviews and a C- CinemaScore, as well as drama whipped up by the director. On Thursday, Trank tweeted that the final version of the superhero was not his own and that his version would have gotten better notices. (He later deleted the tweet.)

The Hollywood Reporter revealed in May that Trank's behavior and unusual conduct on set was a cause of great concern for the studio and producers Simon Kinberg and Hutch Parker. There were also reshoots to shore up the third act, according to insiders.

Heading into the weekend, Fantastic Four was expected to clear at least $40 million, although many expected it to approach $50 million. No one's sure what the film's start means for the sequel, which is already dated for June 2017.

Elsewhere, The Gift, Joel Edgerton's directorial debut, placed No. 3 with $12 million from 2,503 theaters. The Gift — a throwback to psychological thrillers including Fatal Attraction — is the first box-office test for Bob Simonds' STX Entertainment and is being boosted by stellar reviews. Jonnathan Demme's Ricki and the Flash, starring Meryl Streep, placed No. 7 in its debut with $7 million from 1,603 theaters.


Box Office: 'Fantastic Four' Flops With $25.7 Million, Loses to 'Mission: Impossible'

 

[Conan Lerehcob]

I'll have to think about that some more and get back to you on that.

Glad you liked Kingsman. Last we chatted was around April, so MAD MAX: FURY ROAD hadn't been released. I highly recommend watching that movie, my best film of the year by far.

I have watched Fury Road twice in the theater, great movie, enjoyed it plenty!

 

[Conan Lerehcob]

I thought Nightcrawler was fucking exceptional

Then there's 71: Into The Fire which was one hell of a War Film (and brutal as hell.) The cinematography doesn't get any better than this.

Thanks a lot ! I am definitely storing this in favourite to watch them later !

 

[Dragonlordxxxxx]

THE MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E.

Release Date: Aug. 14 (Wide Release)

Genre: Spy Action Adventure Comedy

Director: Guy Ritchie (Sherlock Holmes, Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels)

Cast: Henry Cavill, Armie Hammer, Elizabeth Debicki, Alicia Vikander, Hugh Grant

Synopsis: Henry Cavill (Man of Steel) stars as Napoleon Solo opposite Armie Hammer (The Social Network) as Illya Kuryakin in director Guy Ritchie's The Man from U.N.C.L.E., a fresh take on the hugely popular 1960s television series. Set against the backdrop of the early 1960s, at the height of the Cold War, The Man from U.N.C.L.E. centers on CIA agent Solo and KGB agent Kuryakin. Forced to put aside longstanding hostilities, the two team up on a joint mission to stop a mysterious international criminal organization, which is bent on destabilizing the fragile balance of power through the proliferation of nuclear weapons and technology. The duo's only lead is the daughter of a vanished German scientist, who is the key to infiltrating the criminal organization, and they must race against time to find him and prevent a worldwide catastrophe.

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Rotten Tomatoes: 67% Approval Rating (106 out of 158 critics like it)

Critics Consensus: The Man from U.N.C.L.E. tries to distract from an unremarkable story with charismatic stars and fizzy set pieces, adding up to an uneven action thriller with just enough style to overcome its lack of substance.
___________________





STRAIGHT OUTTA COMPTON

Release Date: Aug. 14 (Wide Release)

Genre: Biographical Music Drama

Director: F. Gary Gray (Law Abiding Citizen, The Italian Job)

Cast: Paul Giamatti, O'Shea Jackson, Jr., Corey Hawkins, Jason Mitchell, Aldis Hodge, Neil Brown, Jr., Alexandra Shipp, Keith Stanfield, Orlando Brown, Sheldon A. Smith, Carra Patterson

Synopsis: In the mid-1980s, the streets of Compton, California, were some of the most dangerous in the country. When five young men translated their experiences growing up into brutally honest music that rebelled against abusive authority, they gave an explosive voice to a silenced generation. Following the meteoric rise and fall of N.W.A., Straight Outta Compton tells the story of how these youngsters revolutionized music and pop culture forever the moment they told the world the truth about life in the hood and ignited a cultural war.

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Rotten Tomatoes: 87% Approval Rating (82 out of 94 critics like it)

Critics Consensus: Straight Outta Compton is a biopic that's built to last, thanks to F. Gary Gray's confident direction and engaging performances from a solid cast.
___________________





MISTRESS AMERICA

Release Date: Aug. 14 (Limited)

Genre: Comedy

Director: Noah Baumbach (Frances Ha, The Squid and the Whale)

Cast: Greta Gerwig, Lola Kirke, Heather Lind, Cindy Cheung, Kathryn Erbe, Michael Chernus

Synopsis: In Mistress America, Tracy (Lola Kirke) is a lonely college freshman in New York, having neither the exciting university experience nor the glamorous metropolitan lifestyle she envisioned. But when she is taken in by her soon-to-be stepsister, Brooke (Greta Gerwig) - a resident of Times Square and adventurous gal about town - she is rescued from her disappointment and seduced by Brooke's alluringly mad schemes.

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Rotten Tomatoes: 80% Approval Rating (39 out of 49 critics like it)

Critics Consensus: Mistress America brings out the best in collaborators Noah Baumbach and Greta Gerwig, distilling its star's charm and director's dark wit into a ferociously funny co-written story.

 

[Dragonlordxxxxx]

Friday Box Office:

STRAIGHT OUTTA COMPTON Shatters Expectations with $24M

Straight Outta Compton, Universal's biopic about groundbreaking hip-hop group N.W.A, showed real muscle at the Friday box office, opening to an estimated $24.2 million in 2,754 North American theaters. Easily claiming the top spot for the day, the drama, the latest in a string of 2016 hits from Universal, is now on track to blow past tracking estimates as it heads toward a weekend haul in the high $50-million range.

The movie, which began its successful launch at Thursday night screenings that racked up $4.96 million, was greeted with an enthusiastic A CinemaScore from moviegoers. Its opening will propel Universal's total domestic gross for the year above the $2 billion mark, which the studio will have achieved in record time.

By contrast, Warner Bros. period spy tale The Man From U.N.C.L.E. didn

 

[JohnRam87]

My lord, FF is under 10%.

That's embarrassing.

Didn't think the bar could be set any lower after Fox's last two attempts.

Don't worry, 4th time's a charm.