SLAM!

Week 1 - Yes

Welp, my preseason's sent... can't believe I found the time to fill it out...

Sgt. Stubby was so close to the Top 10... well, all's well that ends well. 1. You Were Never Really Here 2. Lean on Pete 3. Avengers: Infinity War 4. Tully 5. Solo: A Star Wars Story 6. Ocean's Eight 7. American Animals 8. Adrift 9. Upgrade 10. Won't You Be My Neighbor?

Okay; it makes a lot more sense to me now. I was thinking that the heist was unnecessary if Hathaway's character owned the necklace. Now I think I see how it could work.

First there was Dexter. Then there was Chuck. And now there's Barry, carrying the baton of the shows with first-name titles. (Not gonna lie, I'm happy this got renewed.)

So I might be getting the plot wrong here, but... if the main heist is the theft of the necklace that Hathaway's character wears... and if Hathaway's character is with them... then what is the point of the heist? Are they doing it for fun?

A24's last DirecTV-on-demand-alongside-theatrical-release film, The Vanishing of Sidney Hall, was a film that received bad reviews. This might be telling.

In the main competition, no less! A very bold move by A24 and by Cannes! I think this bodes well for the film as a whole!

I'm not sure if it is a guarantee or not at this time, but my main hope is for Isle of Dogs is for it to gross past the adjusted domestic gross of Fantastic Mr. Fox. Not only would it be on the higher end of box office performers from Anderson (unadjusted), but it would also show positive growth in the appeal of Anderson's stop-motion-animated movies, so that Anderson would surely be able to make another one. Though if it goes past the unadjusted gross of The Royal Tenenbaums, that would undoubtedly be a huge win.

Well, then... that explains a lot. I knew Neon was smarter than that.

There are three theaters in my town and not a single one is showing Borg vs. McEnroe. That's disappointing to me; I would have liked to see it. But there's definitely more optioms so I can't complain. But how is Borg vs. McEnroe going to fare if it cannot be shown in many theaters? I thought it was a wide release, to be frank.

Reviews are in: the current RT is 80% from five critics. This tale of canine courage is just appealing enough that many civilians with a soft spot for a stray will not hesitate to enlist. April 11, 2018 | Rating: 2.5/4 | Full Review… Pat Padua Washington Post Top Critic The well-assembled period piece could...appeal to children old enough to grasp its themes, while serving as a valuable educational tool to teach them about a war that ended nearly a century ago. April 11, 2018 | Full Review… Jordan Mintzer Hollywood Reporter Top Critic An education-focused and age-appropriate true story of the official mascot of the 102nd infantry regiment, who participated in seventeen battles on the Western Front during World War I, returning home as a hero. April 10, 2018 | Full Review… Chris Packham Village Voice Top Critic Sgt. Stubby is an odd lesson in how some stories, even stories about world-changing conflicts, are just formless anecdotes stitched together by labored narration. April 10, 2018 | Rating: C- | Full Review… Jesse Hassenger AV Club Top Critic In this centenary year of the end of World War I, this story of a real-life dog who served in the trenches is a gentle, engaging way to introduce kids to an essential piece of history. April 9, 2018 | Rating: 3.5/5 | Full Review… MaryAnn Johanson Flick Filosopher

I think I might be the only one who sees potential in this film...

Just thought I'd make a last minute club that predicts the animated film coming out this weekend, Sgt. Stubby, pulling a miraculous victory over Sherlock Gnomes at the domestic box office. Pros - Reviews, at a 80% RT (as of 4/11/18) from 5 critics (4 of which are top critics), are good. - With the exception of Duck Duck Goose, a film with low buzz and an inevitably small amount of theaters, Sgt. Stubby will be the only traditionally-3D-animated feature to receive a wide release until The Incredibles 2. - This is an inspiring true story set during World War I; there are certainly parents and grandparents who would want to take their children to see a film such as this. - I know for a fact that some audience members found the trailer to be cute; when I saw I Can Only Imagine, the trailer was shown, and I heard a young girl in the back say '"awww'" very loudly. This audience engagement never happened with recent animated flops that the film is being prematurely compared to, such as Ratchet & Clank. Cons - There's no denying it: this film has low buzz; either that, or their is nothing that would prove otherwise. The film may have played in front of family-friendly films, and the commercials might be shown on the kids TV channels, but because I'm not the demographic they're aiming for, I haven't seen any evidence of a legitimate marketing push. - Isle of Dogs, another animated film that deals with a story pertaining dogs, is releasing wide this week. There may very well be a section of the potential Sgt. Stubby audience that chooses to think of the relatively high-buzz Isle of Dogs as something the family might be able to enjoy. - Society as a whole is becoming more cynical... can a story such as this still appeal to audiences? I'd like to the think so, especially after the sleeper success of I Can Only Imagine, which undoubtedly was able to advertise Sgt. Stubby to the demographic that would realistically be one of the most likely to embrace it. So can Sgt. Stubby pull a surprise victory over Sherlock Gnomes and validate the efforts of new distributor and production company Fun Academy? I think there's a chance. The Sergeants (IN) slambros The Gnomes (OUT) WrathOfHan

Is there a better descriptive word for me to use than "thick"? I'm not sure how the use of that word to describe the amount of competition is amusing... in other words, if there is a joke, I simply don't get it.

After watching the trailer, I am inclined to agree with you. If the academy is largely unwilling to embrace anime, then their stance favors the films that match the more lenient description of anime (such as The Night Is Short, Walk On Girl) than the strict, common description of anime (films like Fireworks, as well as the majority of anime shows being made these days -- I'm talking about the ones at least partially set in the high schools with characters and locations that all look fairly the same). And not only is Fireworks not very good... it's also very blatantly 'anime' (there is perhaps a reason why The Red Turtle beat Your Name), and it is in grave danger of being compared to Your Name as the film that it is. I am very certain that there are much better potential anime films in the running, and I haven't even seen any of them (yet).

From the fall to the summer, huh... this might be a sign of confidence but the competition could be pretty thick on its new date (Captive State, Crazy Rich Asians, The Happytime Murders, and Three Seconds). Any one of those films could strike a chord with audiences. Then again, so could Alpha. In fact, after what happened with The Greatest Showman (inviting event film with good visual choices despite its mixed reviews), I see why Alpha might have a similar potential edge that no one is considering. This is the type of story that audiences love, plain and simple, and it is told in a way that is inviting to the general audience, and it is told with good visual choices. Could the reviews be mixed? Certainly. But I honestly believe that this film has some good hidden potential if audiences are willing to go for it. I think this has a place among the heavy competition from The Darkest Minds, The Meg, and (potentially) Captive State. I also think that this is almost guaranteed to do fairly well overseas.

This is probably for the best. This prevents a fade-away into nothingness after a mediocre wide-release opening, it prevents potential genre competition (White Boy Rick was going up against fellow crime drama, Three Seconds, among other film), and it provides a potential launch pad into the awards season. Of course, now, it's going up against the same amount of wide releases (The House with a Clock in its Walls, Johnny English Strikes Again, Life Itself, and Operation Finale), any of which could potentially strike a chord with audiences. But it seems like Sony made this platform-to-wide decision realizing that they have something potentially divisive on their hands. I think they know what they're doing. But the film has to be a good one for their plan to work as well as they are hoping.

This is what fame does to some people... it's really sad to see egos inflate beyond control. His opportunities are going to start dwindling...

The good news is that, the way tickets a priced these days, only 15 million people have to pay for $10+ tickets to drive this film over a $150 million total. If this film can entice demographics outside of the audience that gave The Shallows and 47 Meters Down healthy runs, I absolutely believe that The Meg is capable of such numbers in the domestic market alone. Looking like a fun thrill ride can go a long way for a film.

I definitely can't wait to see what Animated films will be at Cannes this year! In years past, it's been a launch pad, and I believe it can be a launch pad again this year! I think I want to talk about GKids and how they've taken strides with their acquisitions of anime films. This year, they have Lu Over The Wall and The Night is Short, Walk On Girl, as well as Fireworks and Makoto Shinkai's newest feature, Mirai of the Future. Gkids is proven to be able to push a film through when they emphasize it, so will Gkids emphasize one of these anime films? If so, I bet dollars to donuts that the one they choose to focus on will be The Night Is Short, Walk On Girl. But it's still April, and the company is bound to pick up a myriad of films that aren't just anime. Another thing: a Chinese animated film from the Avatar: The Last Airbender animators, Big Fish & Begonia, supposedly released last weekend... it apparently was not tracked by Box Office Mojo as of yesterday, which is pretty weird... but the animation is splendid, and films have scored nominations based on their visual prowess alone in spite of their flaws (The Croods). It may be too quiet of a release, but it's a film that's definitely worth pointing out, especially as a film that was supposedly a big hit in its own country.

That's a big shark if I've ever seen one...

Yeah, this'll definitely have a positive second weekend percentage decrease. The film has the reviews!

Team Adam Mia Boostrom Sharane Calister (STOLEN from Team Alicia) Drew Cole Rayshun LaMarr Reid Umstattd Jackie Verna Team Blake Pryor Baird Spensha Baker Gary Edwards (STOLEN from Team Adam) Austin Giorgio Kyla Jade WILKES Team Alicia Johnny Bliss Britton Buchanan Terrence Cunningham Christiana Danielle Jackie Foster (STOLEN from Team Adam) Kelsea Johnson Team Kelly Alexa Capelli Brynn Cartelli Dylan Hartigan (STOLEN from Team Blake) Tish Haynes Keys D.R. King Kaleb Lee Now, this is where the competition really gets tough. Every single one of these talented artists deserves to be in the competition in their own right. But in the next round -- the live playoffs -- each team will be reduced by half. No more steals this time; now, the viewers will be voting for the first time. America will be choosing the first two from each team, and their coach chooses the next choice... so it's definitely a much more hectic competition! It'll depend on who brings their A-game!