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SLAM!

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Posts posted by SLAM!

  1. 43 minutes ago, Taylor said:

    The necklace is likely not owned by Hathaway, she's just wearing it for the gala – so she'd get a cut of the money (if she's with them, which seems likely).

     

    41 minutes ago, CoolEric258 said:

    I think Hathaway only joins the crew at the very end. Essentially, somehow through the plot, Hathaway ends up on their side, and she becomes a part of the crew in the sequel. The subway shot in the trailer will probably be the ending shot before the credits start.

     

    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.

  2. 2 hours ago, filmlover said:

    Pretty sure that's not a surprise at this point. She's on the poster alongside the other seven, plus she was also in that photo of all of them on the subway.

     

    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?

    • Like 2
  3. 30 minutes ago, WrathOfHan said:

    Google alerted me on my phone about this. It looks good, but premiering on DirecTV first is a bit suspicious. 

     

    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.

  4. 2 hours ago, MovieMan89 said:

    Saw it yesterday. Basically my thoughts exactly. Really surprised some people around here are underwhelmed by it (assuming they're Anderson fans). Though I will say this may be his most accessible film yet to those who maybe don't care for his prior films. Kind of a hard movie to outright dislike, imo. Dog lovers in particular should see this, they should enjoy it whether they normally hate his films or have never seen any others. Hope it can get to 50m, maybe inch past Tenenbaums. 

     

    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.

    • Like 1
  5. 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…
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    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…
    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…
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    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…
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    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…
  6. 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

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  7. 12 minutes ago, SchumacherFTW said:

    I'll tell ya now, Fireworks is going nowhere. Shit film. 

     

    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).

  8. 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 StateCrazy Rich AsiansThe 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.

  9. 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 WallsJohnny English Strikes AgainLife 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.

    • Like 1
  10. 56 minutes ago, John Marston said:

    it looks fun but is there enough audience for this type of film to make a 150m movie? 

     

    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.

  11. 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.

  12. 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!

  13. I've watched the pilot episodes of two new animes that are very accomplished in my opinion.

     

    Hinamatsuri is about a yakuza mobster who comes into contact with a strange young girl and becomes her father figure over time; it is a fairly lighthearted show with great character dynamics, and I recommend it if you need a palate cleanser from all the mainstream awesomeness like Boku no Hero, Persona 5, and Stein's Gate.

     

    Megalo Box is the spin-off project that celebrates the 50th anniversary of the classic boxing anime Ashita no Joe. It is about an underground boxer named Junk Dog who becomes tired of throwing matches in his circuit and yearns for a real challenge, which he may find at the Megalonia boxing tournament. This is a futuristic boxing anime in which the boxers fight with the aid of exoskeletons. The animation and style of the series imitates that of a VHS-era classic series like Cowboy Bebop; in other words, it invokes the gritty feel of those series. With great story and execution, this is the one I've seen so far that I cannot recommend enough; don't miss it!

     

    Oh, and Kokkoku from last season has a solid first two episodes as well. It's available on Amazon. Definitely watch it if you like the movie Inception!

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