ThePhasmid

Heads will roll. Some fans will be disappointed, but this is a necessary step to ensure DCU gets it shit back in order. Of course, as with any change in DCU, fans will do rants for years until the final product is released. The changing of the guard, so to speak, is exponentially harder in these dark days of social media. I kinda feel bad for Gunn. Making necessary changes in an age where every fanzine can leak internal dealings on Twitter to fan the flame of trolls has got to be a headache.

It looks absolutely ridiculous in all the right ways. Blumhouse's technological nightmare cinema is arguably becoming their best efforts these days. Upgrade, Invisible Man, and now M3gan. This looks more like a comedy/satire than the other two, and lacking the visual panache of Leigh Whannel's direction. The look of the film is probably a conscious choice as tribute to its influence from Child's Play (particularly its sequel). I like the concept. It's a shame it's PG-13. Maybe it's for the better with its box office run.

The making of The Abyss is just as good as the film itself. I actually enjoyed True Lies more than Titanic. I found Titanic to be Cameron solely focusing on his technical wizardry with little in the way of character. The rise of incredibly one dimensional characters in his films. The Abyss is the full package. Amazing practical work. Benchmark production design and visual fx at the time. Almost every actor owns their role, and the characters feel fleshed out. I don't know how I feel about the Special Edition cut, though. They played it like every other month on the Sci-Fi channel way back in the 90's.

When is the last time we had a truly good alien invasion film? Signs almost hit the mark. Mars Attacks, despite the cult following, was only halfway decent. Independence Day is the same as Mars Attacks. District 9 isn't really an alien invasion film.

I think it's time to admit MCU needs to hang its hat for a bit. It's becoming a bit bloated and convoluted after Endgame. It seems to be directionless. No cohesion. A bunch of isolated planets with no star to keep them in orbit (ie Robert Downey Jr.). There's a lack of old school charisma. I don't know. I'm sure many people feel the same way. Quantity over quality.

B+ Cinemascore? Marvel's approval rating with general audiences is not fairing too well lately. It's obviously still better than average, but it's dipping in comparison to previous standards. I loved Ragnarok, but it appears Taika has leaned too heavy into the silly here.

This is the last major blockbuster of the summer aimed towards families and big box office. All we have left is Nope and Bullet Train. R rated comedy thrillers for adults. It's looking somewhat dim for the rest of July, but I still think this will open huge despite the early mixed reviews.

Ragnarok was one of my favorite MCU films. However, comedy/satire sequels are the hardest thing to pull off. I'd be very hesitant of a sequel for Galaxy Quest. It appears Taika has landed somewhere in the middle here based on recent reviews.

I'd be surprised if this doesn't match last weekend's results. We might even see a slight percentage jump in ticket sales from last weekend. This weekend should be the film's final swan dive. Incredible run. Essentially had a stranglehold on the market for all of June.

I wonder how much leverage Cruise has over a possible Top Gun sequel. I'm indifferent to a future sequel right now, but do you think Paramount would give it a go without Cruise's involvement/approval. It almost seems like heresy even throwing this out as a hypothetical.

Congrats to Top Gun. I thought Elvis would've performed better, but it's a wild ride. Austin Butler's magnetic performance will catapult him into pop culture. I still can't believe it's the same actor who played Tex Watson in Once Upon a Time. As for Top Gun, it might be possible the film doesn't see a 50+ percent drop (overall weekend) until the weekend following July 4th. Insane.

As much as I love Top Gun: Maverick, some reports seem to be underestimating the box office potential of Elvis. Maverick has lost a good majority of its IMAX showings. I think Maverick will hold on strong, but I don't see how it beats Elvis in OW. This could go as high as 50M. Despite Elvis's spotted past in retrospect, he's a huge icon in the US (mainly the midwest/south). People will definitely show up out of curiosity. The only way I see this failing is due to the fact that Baz took some liberties with the music on some stage performances. It might alienate Elvis's hardcore fanbase, and that could transfer to weak legs due to disappointing word of mouth.

https://www.pilotonline.com/military/article_1b43583b-3f92-5dc2-9a11-a33e9729c5e9.html I remember this as if it were yesterday, and I wasn't upvoting my own bullshit.

Why aren't monster film fans more concerned about the quality of their films? 20 Godzilla films. Countless Jason films. What is it? Star Wars has 9 films. 6 of them have been judged harsher by fans than a Nuremberg hearing. What is it? What are your qualifications for a quality creature feature?

79 percent is not a good starting point for a newly released blockbuster with a built in fanbase. This reeks of a pump and dump release. Big OW. Zero care for quality control from the studio or actors.

I suppose that's a fair point, but the way the film presented it was awfully convenient to its ridiculous plot. It's not a well written film, and is devoid of so much logic in its second half. Selling dinosaurs as weapons in a secret underground lair beneath a mansion would be better for a Roger Corman film on a low budget. That level of stupidity should have a tongue in cheek smirk to it. Have fun with it. The film didn't treat it as such. It was far too serious for its own good.

Fallen Kingdom is not a good film. The second half is full of pretentious dumb writing. A human clone who lets dinosaurs loose into the world. Even Crichton would say that plot is "reaching" a bit.

The Pentagon was involved in the making of this film?

Opening weekend should be critic proof. Summer is just beginning. Big budget monster films have a large built in audience. Jurassic Park name, and the old crew is back. Based on early reactions of general audiences and critics, it's the second weekend Universal might want to be worried about.

Currently holds 88 percent on RT after 8 reviews. Most of the reviews are mix positive, though. Aggregate looks to be roughly 6/10 for now. I could see this pulling 150-70 OW. This will take over the standard showings while Maverick maintains its hold for the premium ticket experience. I don't see the WOM holding up on this one. 50+ drop on second weekend. I refuse to believe that this could be any worse than Fallen Kingdom, which took an immediate nosedive after the first 30 minutes. However, some critics are saying it is. I simply just can't see it being THAT bad.

If I may contribute to the thread, I will suggest no film in recent memory has provided the worth of a premium ticket price as much as Top Gun:Maverick. There is no way you can replicate the pure adrenaline rush provided by final act of this film presented in IMAX. It is a benchmark achievement for that platform. It's like an Omnimax Mountain Climbing documentary on cocaine. The experience is that visceral.

It's been awhile since I've visited this board. I think it was around the same time Tenet was released. I was crossing my fingers it would save the theater experience. Well, it didn't quite pull that off. However, Top Gun: Maverick is the perfect blockbuster, and rightly performed above expectations. The first half of this film is a nuanced homage to the original while elevating the emotional beats to a new level. The second half is one of the most thrilling experiences I've had at the cinema in quite awhile. What Kosinski and crew pulled off in the final 40 minutes is nothing short of brilliant. The additional bonus is that I lived in Point Loma while they were making this film in 2018. I use to play basketball outside at Third Fleet while you'd see film crew being transported to Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery (the scene where you know who is given a soldier's burial). They filmed all over Coronado, where my brother use to work in SAR (Search and Rescue), and now provides training for helicopter crew. I went to the film with him, and damn was the nostalgia rush overwhelming. It's not a propaganda film. It's just a patriotic tribute, and a subtle love letter to San Diego. Americans deserve films like this once in awhile (not all the time).

Dune is being released in a sea of sequels, regardless of genre. It will grab the attention of the people seeking a new adventure. Does that mean it will be successful? No. It just means it has an edge.

At least he was honest about his jealousy. He was jealous Lynch got the job, but felt at ease when he saw the end product.