FilmFincher

it's a shame they cheaped out on Neve. Good for her to stick to her guns though and only take what she deserves. But on the other hand the greatest final girl in horror cinema is now safe. I can breathe a sigh of relief.

I'll share my quick thoughts as well I thought it was consistently creepy throughout, it kept me pretty on edge even though it's quite a slow film. We get another captivating Jesse Buckley performance and Rory Kinnear really gets to shine. The levity from his landlord character was especially delightful. Garland occasionally indulges a little too much in his eccentricities and you think to yourself 'we get it, bloody move on'. Has a grotesquely body horror focused final act that tickled me. Largely a successful venture for me but I guess it would be Garlands weakest feature film.

Dunkirk had some pretty stunning aerial sequences, shot on genuine 70MM IMAX as well. We just need Nolan to do the modern update now.

This is such an exciting run. Cruise taking everyone back to school.

Not who you're replying to but I feel like I've got a decent eye for CGI. I love the amount of practical work in Top Gun and I think the film is so well directed that even the CGI moments don't pull you out and are only used for absolutely necessary things. They clearly put a lot of work in to do as much practically as they could, especially the cockpit work which is stellar and sells a lot of the action. I've only seen the film once last week (plan on catching it again before Jurassic World eats up the IMAX screens) but these are some of the bits I remember.

I was a bit more tepid towards this episode. I'm liking the story and character dynamics enough. For me the central set peice was ultimately let down by the limitations of being a TV show. The coverage was all very unspecific and limited. The location was like when people go make a Star Wars fan film on a random patch of empty land. And there's only so many times you can watch Ewan McGregor awkwardly run in and out of frame. Mando S2 showed that you can do these things right (especially with Sam Hargrave at the helm of second unit) but this felt like a step backwards. Thinking I would have preferred a movie.

A surprising turnout for Men tonight (nothing crazy but compared to something like the Night House this may have well as been a packed cinema) and a shockingly respectful audience considering the film. I'm wondering if Top Gun: Maverick had spillover or it's a fluke.

January Scream Parallel Mothers Nightmare Alley Belfast Licorice Pizza February Jackass Forever Death on the Nile Uncharted Belle Dog March The Godfather - 50th Anniversary The Batman - IMAX The Batman - IMAX X Ambulance The Lost City April The Worst Person in the World The Northman The Northman The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent May Everything Everywhere All At Once - IMAX Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness - IMAX Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness Top Gun: Maverick - IMAX Total: 24

MAY Movies Current Releases Top Gun: Maverick - 9/10 - Encapsulates everything I could possibly want from a blockbuster. The action is top notch, the jokes are great, little bit of romance and the right pitch of earnestness. It looks stunning and puts Cruise’s movie star charisma front and centre. It’s the reason we see films on the big screen. Everything Everywhere All At Once - 9/10 - A film the radiates sheer joy and filled with propulsive energy. Like Edgar Wright and the Wachowski’s made a baby. Fully takes advantage of it’s multiversal concept, has some of the best action of the year, best jokes of the year and most heartfelt moments of the year. Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness - 7.5/10 - Solid Marvel flick elevated by Sam Raimi’s direction which shines through just enough amongst the rote machine. Older Releases The Piano - 9/10 - Longing and passion are built into every fibre of this film. I'm beginning to think I've got a thing for stories about restrained love. Planes, Trains & Automobiles - 9/10 - Pitch perfect, Hughes just knows how to balance those genuinely sincere moments with some of the funniest gags put to celluloid. Bringing Out the Dead - 8/10 - Stunning night time New York photography. Interesting character study about a man who is just sinking further into the depths of this all consuming world. The Princess and the Frog - 7/10 - Cute Disney movie. Too much animal stuff for my tastes. Assault on Precinct 13 - 6/10 - Passable remake, has some Tony Scott lite directing that I’m nostalgic for. Gods of Egypt - 3/10 - Has there ever been a bigger charisma vacuum than this film. So many awkward jokes. Piranha 3D - 3/10 - Not nearly as schlocky or self aware as you want it to be. Attempts at zany B-movie energy are fleeting. TV Barry - 9/10 - Still great, love the show isn’t afraid of running out of steam and willing to change things up. Latest episode had a top notch action set piece. Love, Death & Robots S3 - 8/10 - Much better than S2 which I still liked and has a couple or real standouts for the whole show, but I would have liked a little more variation. Stranger Things S4 Vol 1 - 8/10 - A little slow to start, but really got into the groove of it after a few episodes. Delivers on the Stranger Things promise of mindless 80’s pastiche blockbuster fun. Occasionally gets bogged down when it takes itself and it’s characters too seriously. Obi-Wan Kenobi - 7/10 - Yeah it’s pretty decent. The action/chases are really sloppy but liking everything else. Story is a little too familiar.

I second The Big Picture episode on this ranking as a recommendation. Vey happy Amanda got to see Top Gun: Maverick!

I'm still on a high after watching this film last night and these opening weekend numbers are just adding to it.

God this was so great. Pitch perfect. As soon as those opening notes hit, and the text with the font. They had me in the bag. It delivered everything I wanted and more. I couldn't anticipate just how thrilling and edge of your seat it would be, especially that third act. Can't wait to go back again.

This easily looks the most cinematic out of any of the shows. Couldn't care less before but the trailer sold me.

A few of the more reasonable 4 Day Memorial Day Weekend comps if Top Gun does $17.5M in previews. Don’t really think these are all that useful. They don't take any external factors into account but gives a somewhat decent range to land in. Solo being a bare minimum seems decent, especially with Star Wars being so fan driven. POTC: At World End (x10.56) - $184.8M X-Men: Apocalypse (9.73) - $170M Solo (x7.3) - $127.8M Just for fun

$130M - 4 Day Weekend $375M - Domestic Total $700M - Worldwide (No clue how to judge this internationally)

Definitely has more of a sizzle reel vibe to it which is what it was made for, but looks great nonetheless. Want to give a particular shout out to that Michael Bay-esque shot of Rebecca Ferguson @33s. Just gorgeous. Does look a bit like Fallout 2.0, especially the Europe set stuff. We have another top notch car chase in store for us.

It's not the first time having royals at a film premier. It happens often enough (more-so for Bond), I imagine if there's a film premier happening in London the first thing they do is send out an invite. To me it felt like this one had a lot more eyes on it because we're in the midst of Jubilee celebrations which just so happen to be lining up with Top Gun Maverick press. So Cruise was here earlier in the week introducing The King's Troop Royal Horse Artillery display with the Queen in attendance. Then you have Kate & William attending the red carpet. It's some nice synergy going on between the two things. Like @wildphantom said the photo of Cruise helping Kate up the stairs and holding her hand is something British media will love to chat about and there's probably a dozen articles with the photo.

I think the Royals being at the red carpet last night gave a big push. All the ties to the Jubilee celebrations, holidays the week after the film's release. It's in a prime position to do some good business.

The Teller/Kitsch bromance in that film genuinely made me cry.

Wow. Great trailer!

Same here with my local Odeon, have been recommending to everyone since I've seen it. Hopefully it does well.

Y'all are crazy, this is one of the best and most heartfelt soundtrack moments in film.

So this is getting very similar reviews to Mission Impossible: Fallout and will likely be the best action movie since then. I think I'm going to explode from anticipation. What's giving Top Gun the edge when it comes to it's opening? Fallout opened to $61M and most places are expecting Top Gun to have a $90M+ opening. Is it that Mission has a bit more of a limited (albeit consistent) audience whereas the original Top Gun was the highest grossing film that year and hasn't burnt off demand with sequels in the interim? The return factor can be pretty big but how much does that appeal to younger audiences who have been the ones consistently turning up during the pandemic. Is it just better positioned to have a sudden explosion and also bring the older crowd back to movie going? It seems like a pretty wide appeal film, having everything you want from a summer blockbuster. Can we expect better legs than Fallout as well because that's a 6th film in a franchise? It had a 3.6 multiplier which would be pretty damn good for Top Gun if it does open big and Jurassic World on the horizon which will likely win the summer.