I like the attempt at a summary I give beforehand.
The Working For and Against parts sum up the key parts well. That last part is
the trickiest. I'm trying a new one out that best summarizes everything. I'm
going to give my Interest Level. You could read this as a recommendation if you
want or simply how well the movie appeals to my tastes. I've tried versions of this
before, but there was never any consistency. Well, now there is. I've got six
interest levels and they all explain themselves:
Excited
- This is a movie that I'm actively looking forward to. I'm a lock to see it
because I have high expectations for it.
Intrigued
- There's a lot about this movie that draws me to it. There's something I don't
trust about it though. I'm looking for any excuse to see it, but a little bad
word of mouth or a busy schedule could get in the way.
Curious
- I'm mostly undecided about this movie. There's at least one element that has
me keeping an eye on it. Or maybe I just don't have a good enough idea what the
movie even is yet.
Apathetic
- I can't muster up a feeling about this movie. A gentle breeze could push me
one way or the other about it.
Uninterested
- I don't see the value in this film from what I know now. Maybe I need to
learn more to be sure.
Repelled
- I have no desire to see this movie. That doesn't mean I won't see it. It just
means I won't be happy about it.
I'll try this out for a little while. Hopefully I like it.
As for the month of May, it's having a bit of an identity crisis. Since 2002, when Spider-Man destroyed the opening weekend box office record, the first weekend of May has been the start of the summer season. Thanks to recent Fast and Furious movies jumping the gun a bit and now Avengers: Infinity War moving up a week and breaking the box office record in April it's not really the start of summer any more. And, when you take away that, May is a little lackluster. While in June and July, every weekend has a studio gambling that they can sneak a hit in, May scheduling stays out of paths of destruction. One big movie is generally followed by a weekend or two of fodder that doesn't stand a chance at making a mark. That's certainly the look of the May. There's a couple big movies I'm looking forward to.The weeks in between aren't looking that exciting. Oh well.
I'll try this out for a little while. Hopefully I like it.
As for the month of May, it's having a bit of an identity crisis. Since 2002, when Spider-Man destroyed the opening weekend box office record, the first weekend of May has been the start of the summer season. Thanks to recent Fast and Furious movies jumping the gun a bit and now Avengers: Infinity War moving up a week and breaking the box office record in April it's not really the start of summer any more. And, when you take away that, May is a little lackluster. While in June and July, every weekend has a studio gambling that they can sneak a hit in, May scheduling stays out of paths of destruction. One big movie is generally followed by a weekend or two of fodder that doesn't stand a chance at making a mark. That's certainly the look of the May. There's a couple big movies I'm looking forward to.The weeks in between aren't looking that exciting. Oh well.
2018
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2013
5/4
An overworked mother gets some relief when her
brother gifts her a night nanny.
Working For It: The last time Charlize Theron starred in a movie
directed by Jason Reitman and written by Diablo Cody, we got Young Adult,
which was a terrific movie. That look like it shares a lot of other DNA with Tully.
Mackenzie Davis (excellent in the criminally under-recognized Halt and Catch
Fire) plays the titular night nanny, Tully. Ron Livingston and Mark
Duplass are in it too.
Working Against It: I had the same feeling about Tully that I had
before I saw Young Adult. I just don't want to see a movie about how
ugly life can be. It doesn't sound at all enjoyable. Young Adult had
more to it than that. I'm sure Tully will too. I just have to get over
my preconceptions.
Interest Level: Intrigued
A small time thief stumbles onto a girl being held
prisoner in a house he's robbing.
Working For It: David Tennant is the man holding the woman prisoner.
Anyone who has seen Jessica Jones knows that, as likable as he was as the
Doctor, he makes a really good villain. This sounds like a fun game of cat and
mouse to watch.
Working Against It: I don't recognize anyone else from the very British
cast. The director is known for working on TNT procedurals and the writer
doesn't have any stand out credits. I also get the feeling that I'm not going
to like any of the characters in this.
Interest Level: Apathetic
A working-class woman takes in a rich man with
amnesia to punish him for being awful to her before his amnesia.
Working For It: It's a gender-flipped remake of the 80s Kurt
Russell/Goldie Hawn comedy. In this, Anna Faris is the working class mother and
Eugenio Derbez is the amnesiac billionaire. Faris has always been able to rely
on her innate likability, which should carry her through this. Derbez is a very
popular Mexican actor who has been slowly introducing himself stateside. I like
the Latino flair of this remake, with actors like Eva Longoria and Mel
Rodriguez showing up. It's a pretty malleable premise for a movie.
Working Against It: This is another case in which I don't think studios are
aware of what made a movie a hit the first time. Russell and Hawn's chemistry
are what make Overboard so charming. I don't trust that Faris and Derbez
will work as well together. Garry Marshall directed the original movie. He's
not a terrific director, but he does have a light touch that works for the
RomComs that made him famous. This new Overboard has two directors,
which is uncommon. What's even more uncommon is that they aren't an established
team. Normally, a directing duo is a partnership formed early and developed
over years. That doesn't appear to be the case for Overboard's Rob
Greenberg and Bob Fisher. Greenberg has been a journeyman TV comedy director
for the last decade. Fisher is mostly a writer for a completely different set
of TV comedies and is best known for co-writing Wedding Crashers. I have
very little fath in this movie.
Interest Level: Curious
A man takes a cleanse that removes all negativity
from his life and it turns into a small creature.
Working For It: I was shocked to see this movie didn't premiere at
Sundance. I was less surprised when I learned that it premiered at South by
Southwest instead. SXSW is kind of like Sundance's weird, genre-loving cousin. The
Cleanse looks like a standard Sundance dramady - the kind that's really a
drama but it casts a bunch of people known for doing comedy - but with a weird
high concept. I'm not exactly sure what it will do with the little creature
that is created by expelling all one's negativity, but I'll happily watch
Johnny Galecki, Anna Friel, Anjelica Huston, and others react to it for 90
minutes.
Working Against It: I'm getting a lot of "weird for the sake of being
weird" vibes from this. And I'm not familiar with any of the filmmakers'
other work.
Interest Level: Curious
A Sundance documentary about Ruth Bader Ginsberg.
Working For It: I don't know much about her, so this would be a great
chance to learn.
Working Against It: What are the odds that this will live up to Kate
McKinnon's RBG on SNL?
Interest Level: Apathetic
5/11
A woman gets trapped outside her well-fortified
house with her children trapped inside it with a bunch of men looking to rob
it.
Working For It: This looks like the inverse of The Purge and I hated The
Purge, so maybe that means it'll be good. Besides, I like Gabrielle Union,
and there's a chance she might tell the robbers "Bring it on!" at
some point, which would be worth the cost of a ticket.
Working Against It: I have a hard time taking anything with "Payback is
a mother" on the poster seriously. It's a nifty premise, but not quite
engaging enough.
Interest Level: Uninterested
A recently divorced mother enrolls in college with
her daughter.
Working For It: When used right, I love Melissa McCarthy. I'm a fan of
Gillian Jacobs and Maya Rudolph too.
Working Against It: This is a Melissa McCarthy comedy co-written by her and
her husband and directed by her husband. The last two movies with that formula
were The Boss, which I
didn't care for, and Tammy,
which I hated. That's not encouraging.
Interest Level: Uninterested
A woman gets revenge out in the desert on a group of
men who try to rape and kill her.
Working For It: This looks a lot like what I thought The Bad Batch would be.
Neon is a studio that's impressed me since debuting last year (I, Tonya,
Colossal, Ingrid Goes West, The Bad Batch).
This looks like another stylish entry in their catalog.
Working Against It: I don't recognize any of the actors or the
writer/director. For all I know, this could be a cool trailer and nothing else.
Interest Level: Curious
A period film about the guests at an aging actress'
summer home and their intersecting romances and dramas.
Working For It: It's got Saoirse Ronan and Elisabeth Moss, which is
enough for me. Annette Bening, Brian Dennehy, and Corey Stoll are nice too.
Working Against It: This looks a lot like Love & Friendship, but
without Whit Stillman. I'm not sure Love & Friendship would've
worked without Whit Stillman.
Interest Level: Intrigued
5/18
A group of older women start re-exploring romance
after their book club reads 50 Shades of Grey.
Working For It: It features the central quartet of Oscar winner Diane
Keaton, two time Oscar winner Jane Fonda, five time Emmy winner Candice Bergen,
and Oscar winner Mary Steenburgen. They can have fun making whatever the hell
they want as far as I'm concerned. I remember liking Hope Springs a lot more than
I expected, so maybe I'll like this too.
Working Against It: Having 50 Shades of Grey as an inciting element,
even if that wasn't an out of date reference, is virtually a
non-starter.
Interest Level: Uninterested
More
Deadpool, but this time
he has a team.
Working For It: More of Ryan Reynolds in the role he was born to play.
That's all I really need. Josh Brolin as a different Marvel villain is fun too.
I'm quite excited to see Atlanta's Zazie Beetz in something else.
Working Against It: I got a little exhausted of the first movie by the end.
With exponentially more swagger this time, there's a real chance this could be
too much for me.
Interest Level: Intrigued
A police dog has to go undercover in a dog show to
help solve a crime.
Working For It: Yes, this is Miss Congeniality, but with a dog. I
love Miss Congeniality.
Working Against It: But Miss Congeniality only works because Sandra
Bullock is perfect for it. Besides, this is full of sophomoric humor and is
clearly directed at children with no consideration - sympathy - for the
parents.
Interest Level: Repelled
A grief-stricken former military chaplain learns
information about a parishioner's radical environmentalist husband and a plot that
was set in motion when he commits suicide.
Working For It: Ethan Hawke's stock couldn't be much higher right now.
He always picks interesting roles, especially lately. I like Amanda Seyfried
too. Topically, this sounds perfect for the guy who wrote Taxi Driver.
Working Against It: Paul Schrader wrote Taxi Driver forty years ago.
I think it's fair to question how edgy his storytelling is these days. Besides,
more of why that and Raging Bull are classics has
to do with Martin Scorsese's direction.
Interest Level: Apathetic
A newlywed couple in 1960s England find themselves
struggling with societal and sexual pressure.
Working For It: Another Saoirse Ronan movie. How luck are we? The last
time she was in a mid-20th century romance movie, it was
Brooklyn, and
that was a pretty terrific movie. I'm giving this one the benefit of the doubt.
Working Against It: Like Brooklyn, based only on the trailer, this
looks a little dull.
Interest Level: Intrigued
5/25
The story of how Han Solo got into his life as a
smuggler.
Working For It: Disney couldn't be casting these movies any better. It
looks like Alden Ehrenreich has a fun take on Han Solo. I couldn't be more
excited for Donald Glover as Lando Calrissian. Emilia Clarke would probably
already be a bonafide movie star if Game of Thrones didn't take up so
much of her time (not a complaint). Woody Harrelson is an under-appreciated
national treasure. Many others as well. Look, I have impossible standards for
the saga movies (the Episodes), but for these other movies, as long as they are
fun takes on the Star Wars universe, I'm happy with whatever they come
up with.
Working Against It: I have some concern about the director shake up midway
through filming. I would've loved to see what Lord & Miller came up with,
especially with this cast. Hopefully, some of their DNA is still in the final
product. And their replacement, Ron Howard, is one of the great studio
directors. Even when he makes a mediocre movie, it's very watchable, and occasionally his movies are pretty great. I'm also a little concerned about Star
Wars burn out. I just got The LastJedi on Bluray.
Interest Level: Excited
An alien posing as a woman falls for a punk boy in
1970s England.
Working For It: This is from the same director as Hedwig and the
Angry Inch. If he can bring even half the energy from that into this film,
that's a reason to get very excited. Plus, it stars Elle Fanning, probably my
favorite actor/actress under the drinking age.
Working Against It: Beyond Fanning and Nicole Kidman as the oddball leader
of the aliens, I'm not too sure about the rest of this cast.
Interest Level: Intrigued
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