DRAGONLORD'S 2016 MOVIE GUIDE

[Dragonlordxxxxx]

Weekend Box Office:

INDEPENDENCE DAY 2 Underwhelms with $41.6M; FINDING DORY No. 1 on 2nd Week with $73.2M

Roland Emmerich's Independence Day: Resurgence failed to ignite big fireworks at the North American office over the weekend, where it came in behind expectations with an estimated $41.6 million from 4,068 theaters.

While that's hardly a disastrous start, the long-awaited sequel to the 1996 blockbuster will need to do sizeable business overseas to land in the black for Fox. So far, the tentpole seems to be getting its wish, debuting to $102.1 million from 57 foreign markets, including China, for a global debut of $143.7 million.

Emmerich's film, which earned a mediocre B CinemaScore, was no match for holdover Finding Dory, which continued to wow in its second weekend, paddling to an estimated $73.2 million from 4,305 theaters for a first-place finish. The animated sequel has now earned $286.6 million domestically and $397 million globally.

Elsewhere, Sony's shark thriller The Shallows was the only new film to beat expectations, biting off an estimated $16.7 million from 2,962 theaters for a fourth-place finish. In an unexpected twist, it was the best-reviewed new film of the weekend with a Rotten Tomatoes score of 75 percent, while audiences gave it a B+.

The outcome was grim for the two other new nationwide offerings. STX Entertainment's Civil War drama Free State of Jones opened to a dismal $7.8 million from 2,815 locations, Matthew McConaughey's worst showing in years.

Nicolas Winding Refn's The Neon Demon, a twisted take on the modeling industry, was D.O.A. at the box office, opening to an estimated $606,594 from 783 locations. The movie's theater average is $783.

Box Office: 'Independence Day 2' Underwhelms With $41.6 Million; 'Finding Dory' Sprints to $73.2 Million

 

[Dragonlordxxxxx]

Critics' Reviews for HUNT FOR THE WILDERPEOPLE

Rotten Tomatoes: 100% approval rating (66 out of 66 critics like it)

Critics Consensus: The charmingly offbeat Hunt for the Wilderpeople unites a solid cast, a talented filmmaker, and a poignant, funny, deeply affecting message.

Entertainment Weekly - Dennison juggles foulmouthed brattiness and sweet sincerity well enough, and Neill soars as a gruff outdoorsman hiding a soft, chewy center. But the film is maddeningly uneven. Just as it starts to settle into an inspired groove, it uncorks a couple of gags that fall lethally flat, making for half of a great comedy. B-

Rolling Stone - Wilderpeople generates enough good will to make the stalest of plot devices feel semi-fresh. For all the stock elements thrown into this indie-cutie gumbo, it's still flavorful enough to stand out — an oddball and oddly affecting take on two misfits finding their metaphorical partner-in-crime match. 3/4

New York Daily News - It's a wonderful slice of New Zealand-bred humor that should have a far wider appeal than Waititi's previous films. More importantly, it gives Waititi one last hometown hurrah before he's elevated to directing Hollywood blockbusters, hopefully bringing all the wit and talent he displays here along with him. 4/5

Toronto Star - New Zealand writer-director Taika Waititi blends sharply cynical humour with huge heart in arguably his best film to date. Gorgeous scenery, excellent cast and a freshly clever script from Waititi, who also triumphed with Boy and What We Do in the Shadows, make for a must-see film. 3.5/4


*Taika Waititi will next direct Marvel's Thor: Ragnarok

 

[Dragonlordxxxxx]

Critics' Reviews for SWISS ARMY MAN

Rotten Tomatoes: 63% approval rating (32 out of 51 critics like it)

Critics Consensus: Disarmingly odd and thoroughly well-acted, Swiss Army Man offers adventurous viewers an experience as rewarding as it is impossible to categorize.

Entertainment Weekly - Swiss Army Man, is way more inventive and interesting than that dismissive shorthand makes it sound. But it’s also a hot, strange mess that never quite comes together the way it should. C+

Newark Star-Ledger - Its actors deserve some sort of prize for bravery; perhaps a free week of career counselling? But half an hour in, you can't help but notice that something here smells very, very bad. 1.5/4

We Got This Covered - Swiss Army Man is a well-acted, disgusting, poignant filmic oddity that will be too strange for the squeamish and an absolute treasure for intrepid, open-minded moviegoers. 9/10

Rolling Stone - Dano, as a dude who washes up on a desert island, and Radcliffe, as a farting corpse, go their own nutter way. This is such a baller of a movie that you keep wishing it would be better than it is. 2.5/4

 

[Dragonlordxxxxx]

Critics' Reviews for WIENER-DOG

Rotten Tomatoes: 67% approval rating (26 out of 39 critics like it)

Critics Consensus: For filmgoers predisposed to enjoy Todd Solondz' brand of black comedy, Wiener-Dog won't disappoint -- but those put off by previous works need not apply.

Entertainment Weekly - It’s a plotless slog with one of the most childishly “outrageous” endings I’ve ever sat through. In Wiener-Dog, Solondz just keeps telling the same dark joke over and over again—and it just keeps getting less and less funny. D

New York Daily News - It is well-acted, occasionally funny, and tightly written. But when I was done watching director Todd Solondz' latest film, I wanted to scratch him in the face. 3/5

New York Observer - I guess Solondz wants to show the pain and detritus of human experience but with satirical pokes at American life in particular. The results are more unnerving than humorous. 2/4

Rolling Stone - This Todd Solondz tale of a dachsund and the humans who neglect him is the same meal of misery the filmmaker has been dishing out for years. Only a few glints remain of Solondz's satiric grit and grace. 2/4

 

[Dragonlordxxxxx]

Before I merge this with the 2016 Movie Guide thread, anybody seen Hunt for the Wilderpeople yet?

 

[NelmarksGhost]

Rotten Tomatoes can suck my balls. I gave up on them years ago.

 

[Thurisaz]

100% RT score tends to mean that it panders to modern left sensibilities enough to make a grown man puke.

The actual good movies get around 80-85% there.

 

[Gavster]

Rotten Tomatoes can suck my balls. I gave up on them years ago.

You gave up on your balls?

 

[Dragonlordxxxxx]

THE BFG

Director: Steven Spielberg (Jurassic Park, Hook, Bridge of Spies)

Cast: Mark Rylance, Ruby Barnhill, Bill Hader, Penelope Wilton, Rebecca Hall

Synopsis: The talents of three of the world’s greatest storytellers – Roald Dahl, Walt Disney and Steven Spielberg – finally unite to bring Dahl’s beloved classic The BFG to life. Directed by Spielberg, Disney’s The BFG tells the imaginative story of a young girl and the Giant who introduces her to the wonders and perils of Giant Country.


________________________________




THE LEGEND OF TARZAN

Director: David Yates (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2)

Cast: Alexander Skarsgard, Margot Robbie, Christoph Waltz, Samuel L. Jackson, Djimon Hounsou, and John Hurt

Synopsis: It has been years since the man once known as Tarzan (Alexander Skarsgård) left the jungles of Africa behind for a gentrified life in London as John Clayton III, Lord Greystoke, with his beloved wife, Jane Porter (Margot Robbie) at his side. Now, he has been invited back to the Congo to serve as a trade emissary of Parliament, unaware that he is a pawn in a deadly convergence of greed and revenge, masterminded by the corrupt Belgian Captain Rom (Christoph Waltz).


________________________________




THE PURGE: ELECTION YEAR

Director: James DeMonaco (The Purge: Anarchy)

Cast: Frank Grillo, Betty Gabriel, Edwin Hodge, Kyle Secor, JJ Soria, Mykelti Williamson, and Elizabeth Mitchell

Synopsis: It’s been two years since Leo Barnes (Frank Grillo) stopped himself from a regrettable act of revenge on Purge Night. Now serving as head of security for Senator Charlie Roan (Elizabeth Mitchell), his mission is to protect her in a run for president and survive the annual ritual that targets the poor and innocent. But when a betrayal forces them onto the streets of D.C. on the one night when no help is available, they must stay alive until dawn…or both be sacrificed for their sins against the state.


________________________________




OUR KIND OF TRAITOR

Genre: Espionage Action Thriller

Cast: Ewan McGregor, Naomie Harris, Stellan Skarsgård, Damian Lewis, Alicia von Rittberg, Jeremy Northam, and Mark Stanley

Synopsis: A British couple get embroiled with a Russian oligarch and high-profile money launderer while on holiday in Marrakech. The diplomat soon leads them into a tortuous journey through Paris, the Swiss Alps and London.


________________________________




MARAUDERS

Director: Steven C. Miller (Extraction, Silent Night)

Cast: Bruce Willis, Christopher Meloni, Dave Bautista, Adrian Grenier, Lydia Hull, Tyler Jon Olson, Christopher Rob Bowen and Jonathon Schaech

Synopsis: When a bank is hit by a brutal heist, all evidence points to the owner and his high-powered clients. But as a group of FBI agents dig deeper into the case - and the deadly heists continue - it becomes clear that a larger conspiracy is at play.

 

[Dragonlordxxxxx]

Despite the bad reviews, part of me still wants to watch Legend of Tarzan



@Bullitt68 for Chris Meloni film - Marauders.

 

[EvilDDS]

Despite the bad reviews, part of me still wants to watch Legend of Tarzan



@Bullitt68 for Chris Meloni film - Marauders.

I haven't seen any of the reviews, I'm actually going to see Tarzan today. Have no clue what to expect

 

[Dragonlordxxxxx]

Box Office Report:

THE PURGE 3 Scares Off TARZAN and THE BFG Thursday Night

Horror offering The Purge: Election Year set off early fireworks at the box office Thursday night, earning $3.6 million and easily scaring off The Legend of Tarzan and Steven Spielberg's The BFG.

Blumhouse and Michael Bay's Platinum Dunes produced the latest Purge for a modest $10 million.

Legend of Tarzan, from Warner Bros, grossed $2.7 million Thursday evening, while Disney's family entry The BFG earned $775,000. (Family films always tend to do less on Thursday night than genre films or all-audience offerings.)

For the long holiday weekend, none of the new films are likely to beat holdover Finding Dory, however. Tarzan and The BFG are looking at a four-day opening in the $30 million range, while The Purge is hoping for $25 million. However, based on Thursday night's gross — a franchise best — Purge could easily come in higher.

Box Office Report: 'The Purge: Election Year' Scares Off 'The Legend of Tarzan' and 'The BFG' Thursday Night

 

[Dragonlordxxxxx]

I haven't seen any of the reviews, I'm actually going to see Tarzan today. Have no clue what to expect

Looking forward to your feedback on Tarzan.

 

[Bullitt68]

@Bullitt68 for Chris Meloni film - Marauders.

First he teamed up with Travolta, now he's teaming up with Willis. If he ever shares the screen with De Niro or Seagal...

Spoiler

As for Marauders: That actually looks like it could be pretty cool. I Am Wrath was an unexpected surprise inasmuch as the movie was even cooler than the trailer (which already had me jonesing big time) with Meloni COMPLETELY stealing the show. Marauders, with the "committing crimes to shine a light on a bigger criminal" angle, strikes me like a 50/50 scenario where it'll either turn out to be awesome (largely depending on how they write Willis' character and if Willis actually shows up to act and not just collect a paycheck) or stupid (especially if they're lazy and just go with some cliche revenge angle).

Either way, though, a Meloni movie means I'm in. Thanks for @ing me

Despite the bad reviews, part of me still wants to watch Legend of Tarzan

Good news for Meloni but bad news for Skarsgård. I'll eventually watch it for him, but I can't pretend that I wasn't expecting it to suck (especially since it's a Phil Collins-less Tarzan ).

 

[Dragonlordxxxxx]

Critics' Reviews for THE BFG

Rotten Tomatoes: 72% approval rating (120 out of 166 critics like it)

Critics Consensus: The BFG minimizes the darker elements of Roald Dahl's classic in favor of a resolutely good-natured, visually stunning, and largely successful family-friendly adventure.

Entertainment Weekly - Lanky, long-limbed, and five stories tall, this gentle behemoth with jug-ears and a vocabulary of gibberish malapropisms is the main reason to see this sweet kiddie fantasia. Parents looking for a 21st-century E.T. to share with their kids are bound to be a bit disappointed even as their eyes are dazzled. B-

James Berardinelli - Roald Dahl’s The BFG is not inherently cinematic. The structure of the story is such that it’s impossible to develop into a traditional three-act format. As a result, the movie peaks around its midpoint and slides into anticlimax from there. The second hour isn’t bad but it has a meandering quality. 2.5/4

Richard Roeper - Exiting the theater after the technically impressive but listless and tedious “The BFG,” I wondered: Of the more than 50 films Steven Spielberg has directed, was this my least favorite? It’s not awful. But it’s painfully cutesy, silly and gross rather than whimsical and funny — and it moves so slowly. 2/4

Rolling Stone - For special effects alone, there's no problem: They're spectacular. And there's no faulting Mark Rylance, whose motion-capture performance as a 24-foot giant is both subtly nuanced and truly monumental. But things get "a bit grumbly" when the worlds of Spielberg and Dahl collide. 3/4

 

[Dragonlordxxxxx]

Critics' Reviews for THE PURGE: ELECTION YEAR

Rotten Tomatoes: 54% approval rating (42 out of 78 critics like it)

Critics Consensus: It isn't particularly subtle, but The Purge: Election Year's blend of potent jolts and timely themes still add up to a nastily effective diversion.

Entertainment Weekly - Writer-director James DeMonaco's third chapter in the thrill-kill vigilante franchise is the best and pulpiest Purge yet. B

New York Daily News - DeMonaco has a few new clever ideas, but the movie never gets into the type of political discourse one might expect when bringing politics and election into the world of "The Purge." 2/5

James Berardinelli - The Purge: Election Year represents writer/director James DeMonaco's attempt to squeeze one more movie out of a premise that has run dry. 2/4

Newark Star-Ledger - Effective as it all is - even with an over-reliance on jump scares - "The Purge: Election Year" is, like the rest of the films in a series, an ugly one, reliant on scenes of sadism and depravity. 2.5/4

Rolling Stone - Election Year's only real stance - besides be sure to vote in November - is that America is violence. God bless the U.S.A. God save us all. 3/4

 

[Dragonlordxxxxx]

Critics' Reviews for THE LEGEND OF TARZAN

Rotten Tomatoes: 33% approval rating (41 out of 123 critics like it)

Critics Consensus: The Legend of Tarzan has more on its mind than many movies starring the classic character, but that isn't enough to make up for its generic plot or sluggish pace.

Entertainment Weekly - The whole thing feels almost endearingly old-fashioned in plot and execution, despite a few winky nods to more modern ideas. B-

James Berardinelli - The Legend of Tarzan moves briskly and has the overall feel of one of Burroughs' more entertaining stories come to the screen. 3/4

Newark Star-Ledger - As Tarzan, Alexander Skarsgard has a torso that looks like it was sculpted out of marble; too bad his performance is just as stony, even when embracing Margot Robbie's Jane.

Richard Roeper - While the talented cast and a solid director make for a serviceable and intermittently entertaining adventure, there's very little about this film that screams, YOU GOTTA SEE THIS. 2.5/4

Rolling Stone - Are you jarred by the anachronistic acting? Troubled that the animals are all digital? Pissed that you've seen it all before? At least it's watchable. And Skarsgard brings his A-game - mind, heart and body beautiful. 2.5/4

 

[heavyarms21]

Despite the bad reviews, part of me still wants to watch Legend of Tarzan

@Dragonlordxxxxx

Not a great film but I will give it a decent score because I enjoyed it.

Roughly a 7/10 for me , though I understand the Gripes.

I am a big Fan of Robbie and Skaarsgard . Skaarsgard to me was the best part of the Horribly campy guilty pleasure True blood , and the criminally underwatched Generation Kill . I left this film convinced that this guy is leading Man material and I think he would make a fantastic He-Man and it's a joke that Kellan Lutz is being considered to helm that , that kid is fucking terrible.

Anyways as far as this goes , the movie plays as part OrIgin Story part homecoming for the Main Character . Robbie , Skaarsgard and Samuel L Jackson aren't given the best material but they make it work. Primarily for me because I despise villains motivated by greed , especially when they are filled with slavers and poachers, so I found myself rooting for Tarzan and Jane. A lot of the bigger action pieces were CGI heavy but when they toned some of that down for other scenes , I believed that Skaarsgards was a beast of a man roughly 6 foot 5 250 ish in his film he was imposing and ripped , and I'm reminded he added 40lbs for this role.

 

[Dragonlordxxxxx]

@Dragonlordxxxxx

Not a great film but I will give it a decent score because I enjoyed it.

Roughly a 7/10 for me , though I understand the Gripes.

I am a big Fan of Robbie and Skaarsgard . Skaarsgard to me was the best part of the Horribly campy guilty pleasure True blood , and the criminally underwatched Generation Kill . I left this film convinced that this guy is leading Man material and I think he would make a fantastic He-Man and it's a joke that Kellan Lutz is being considered to helm that , that kid is fucking terrible.

Anyways as far as this goes , the movie plays as part OrIgin Story part homecoming for the Main Character . Robbie , Skaarsgard and Samuel L Jackson aren't given the best material but they make it work. Primarily for me because I despise villains motivated by greed , especially when they are filled with slavers and poachers, so I found myself rooting for Tarzan and Jane. A lot of the bigger action pieces were CGI heavy but when they toned some of that down for other scenes , I believed that Skaarsgards was a beast of a man roughly 6 foot 5 250 ish in his film he was imposing and ripped , and I'm reminded he added 40lbs for this role.

Thanks. Will just wait for the home video release.

How are the apes? They looked not-so-great for me in the trailers.

 

[heavyarms21]

Thanks. Will just wait for the home video release.

How are the apes? They looked not-so-great for me in the trailers.

Not too bad , The Recent Planet of the Apes movies are the gold standard for me so on Planet of the Apes scale I'll say 8/10