[Avatar: The Way of Water (2022)]

Went to see this today only because I was Christmas shopping in my nearest mall which happens to have a movie theatre and when I finished my shopping I said why not and bought a ticket. For full disclosure I thought the first Avatar was bang average. This one was hard to rate. The last quarter/third really saves this movie. That and of course the visuals which were the only good thing about this movie until the end. Thankfully film is a visual medium so just being pretty to look at can carry you far, far enough that cringe worthy dialogue and teen plots that would have been trite in a 2000s CW drama can be mostly forgiven.

 

B+

[The Batman (2022)]

My first time back in a movie theater in 2 years 😭, yes it is me the elusive missing adult female.

 

I really liked it. Detective Batman will always be my favorite Batman. The best compliment I feel like I can give the movie is that it reminded me of how much I loved watching the Batman cartoons on a Saturday morning. This would be the most straightforward A+ except I feel like at least half an hour could (and should) have been easily trimmed. That Alfred hospital bed scene for one felt like it dragged on for ever.

 

A-

[There Are Certain Rules That One Must Abide By In Order To Successfully Survive A Derby | Week 3]

7 hours ago, 8wombi7 said:

Congrats @glassfairy!

Thank you. Getting ready to come last this week 😄.

[The Final Winter SOTM... I finally made another. Go Me]

1. Will Sonic make more than $25M?  Yes

2. Will Sonic make more than $35M?  Yes

3. Will Sonic make more than $30M?  Yes

4. Will Sonic make more than the next three highest New Entries Combined? Abstain

5. Will Sonic Make it into the Domestic top 20 for the Game by the end of the Game? Abstain

 

6. Will Birds of Prey drop more than 55%?  No

7. Will Jumanji finish closer Domestically to Little Women or Star Wars? Abstain

8. Will Fantasy Island make more than $12? Abstain

9. Will Fantasy Island make more than $15? No

10. Will Parasite enter the top 10? Yes

 

11. Will Doolittle drop more than 25%? Yes

12. Will Star Wars stay in the top 12?  No

13. Will Jojo Rabbit Increase? No

14. Will Sonic turn out to be a beautiful butterfly? No

15. Should I put in a better 2nd free question here next year?  No

[Week 16 - Gotta Predict Fast]

1. Will Sonic make more than $25M? Yes

2. Will Sonic make more than $35M? Yes

3. Will Sonic make more than $30M? Yes

4. Will Sonic make more than the next three highest New Entries Combined? Yes

5. Will Sonic Make it into the Domestic top 20 for the Game by the end of the Game? Yes

 

6. Will Birds of Prey drop more than 55%?  No

7. Will Jumanji finish closer Domestically to Little Women or Star Wars? Little Women

8. Will Fantasy Island make more than $12? Yes

9. Will Fantasy Island make more than $15? No

10. Will Parasite enter the top 10? Yes

 

11. Will Doolittle drop more than 25%? Yes

12. Will Star Wars stay in the top 12?  No

13. Will Jojo Rabbit Increase? No

14. Will Sonic turn out to be a beautiful butterfly? No

15. Should I put in a better 2nd free question here next year?  No

 

 

Part B:

 

1. What will Sonic's Weekend be? 40.3M

2. What will 1917's percentage drop be? -11.26%

3. What will Knives out's PTA be? $1,516

 

 

Part 😄

 

2.  Birds of Prey

4.  The Photograph

6.  Bad Boys For Life

8.  Jumanji

10. The Gentlemen

12.  Knives Out

[Winter Game Make Ups - Only answer if you missed at least 1 week]

1. Will Photograph make more than $9M? Yes

2. Will Photograph make more than $14M? No

3. Will Photograph make more than $11.5M? Yes

4. Will Photograph make more than Fantasy Island? No

5. Will Photograph make more than Sonic's Highest Day? No

 

6. Will Gentlemen drop more than 46%?  No

7. Will Bad Boys finish closer Domestically to Spies in Disguise or Jumanji? Jumanji

8. Will 1917 make more than $6M? Yes

9. Will Frozen make more than $1M? No

10. Will Knives Out stay in the top 10? No

 

11. Will Gretel and Hansel drop more than 45%? Yes

12. Will Birds of Prey's Weekend total be closer to the weekend total of Sonic or Bad Boys?  Bad Boys

13. How many films will make over $2M? 11

14. Will Star Wars stay above Jojo Rabbit? Yes

15. Is... Is it over?  Yes

 

No Part B for You!!!!

 

 

Part 😄

 

There will be 6 films to place and points are expanded because traditionally people haven't scored well here:

 

3.  Fantasy Island

5.  1917

7. Dolittle

9. Parasite

11.  Downhill

13. Little Women

[QOTM is here for the Winter, answer this every week :)]

Week 16 - Yes

[Gretel and Hansel (2020)]

C+

 

Very nice to look at but there is very little substance. And while I generally don't mind narration they really could have cut half quite easily.

[Week 15 - I feel like this is at least the third film in the past year or so that claims to be about Falcons but probably isn't]

1. Will Birds of Prey make more than $44M? Yes

2. Will Birds of Prey make more than $50M? No

3. Will Birds of Prey make more than $47M? Yes

4. Will Birds of Prey drop more than 22% on Saturday? Yes

5. Will Birds of Prey Sunday gross be enough for 1st place on its own? Yes

 

6. Will bad Boys Overtake Knives Out Dom Total On Saturday?  Yes

7. How many films will make more than $5M? 3

8. Will Parasite stay above Jojo Rabbit? No

9. Will Star Wars have a bigger percentage drop than Doolittle? Yes

10. Will Gretel and Hansel stay above The Gentlenen? No

 

11. Will Little Women fall more than 30% on Sunday? No

12. Will The Turning stay in the top 12?  No

13. Will Jumanji fall more than 20%? Yes

14. Will 1917 fall more than 25% percentage? Yes

15. Where shall we hold the afterparty to celebrate Endgame's Oscar Win?  Arkham

 

 

Part B:

 

1. What will Birds of Prey's's Weekend be? 48.5M

2. What will Bad Boys' percentage drop be? -46.3%

3. What will Jumanji's PTA be? $1609

 

 

Part 😄

 

3. 1917

5. Dolittle

7. Gretel & Hansel

9. Knives Out

11. The Rhythm Section

13. Just Mercy

 

[Week 14 - Week this week backwards it's Apparently.]

1. Will The Rhythm Section make more than $7M? Yes

2. Will The Rhythm Section make more than $10M? No

3. Will The Rhythm Section make more than $8.5M? No

4. Will Gretal and Hansel make more than $4M? Yes

5. Will Gretal and Hansel make more than $6M? Yes

 

6. Will 1917 stay in the top 2?  Yes

7. Will bad Boys make more than OW total of the two main new entries? Yes

8. Will Doolittle finish above The gentlemen? Yes

9. Will Star Wars have a bigger percentage drop than Spies in Disguise? No

10. Will The Turning stay above Little Women? No

 

11. Will Bad Boys overtake Knives Out's Domestic Total by the end of the weekend? No

12. Will Just Mercy have a higher percetage drop than Frozen?  No

13. Will Parasite increase? Yes

14. Will The gentlemen Stay above Jumanji? Yes

15. Where is my medal?  5000 

 

 

Part B:

 

1. What will The Gretal and hansel's Weekend be? 6.2M

2. What will Doolittles's percentage drop be? -41.8%

3. What will Frozen's PTA be? $1250

 

 

Part 😄

 

There will be 6 films to place and points are expanded because traditionally people haven't scored well here:

 

3.  Gretel & Hansel

5.  The Gentlemen

6.  Jumanji

8.  Star Wars

9.  Little Women

11. Knives Out

 

 

 

[QOTM is here for the Winter, answer this every week :)]

Week 14 - No

[Week 13 - Questions from beyond the grave...]

1. Will The Gentlemen make more than $9M? Yes

2. Will The Gentlemen make more than $12M? No

3. Will The Gentlemen make more than $10.5M? Yes

4. Will The Turning make more than 10.5M? No

5. Will The Turning make more than Gentlemen? No

 

6. Will Bad Boys drop more than 57.5%?  No

7. Will bad Boys make more than double the OW total of the two main new entries? No

8. Will Doolittle finish above 1917? No

9. Will Star Wars cross $500M ON Saturday? No

10. Will Knives Out have the lowest percentage drop in the top 12? Yes

 

11. Will Jumanji drop more than 30%? Yes

12. Will 1917 cross $100M by the end of the weekend?  Yes

13. Will Parasite stay above Jojo Rabbit? No

14. Will Little Women decrease more than 30% on Sunday? No

15. Will I live to see another sunrise?  Fingers crossed

 

 

Part B:

 

1. What will The Gentlemen's Weekend be? 10.5M

2. What will Just Mercy's percentage drop be? -37.6%

3. What will TROS's PTA be? $1782

 

 

Part 😄

 

2. 1917

4. The Gentlemen

6. Jumanji

8. Little Women

10. Knives Out

12.  Frozen II

 

[QOTM is here for the Winter, answer this every week :)]

Week 13- No

[Winter Game Week 12 - Will Bad Boys Do Little at the Box Office?]

1. Will Bad Boys make more than $24M? Yes

2. Will Bad Boys make more than $32M?  Yes

3. Will Bad Boys make more than $28M? Yes

4. Will Doolittle make more than 17.5M? Yes

5. Will Doolittle make more than 22.5M? No

 

6. Will The Gentlemen make more than $12M?  No

7. Will the three largest new entries combine to more than $65M? No

8. Will Doolittle's OW total be closer to Bad Boys or Gentlemen? Bad Boys by default I suppose.

9. Will 1917 stay in the top 2? Yes

10. Will TROS stay above  Jumanji? No

 

11. Will Frozen stay above Knives Out? Yes

12. Will Frozen have a bigger percentage drop than Spies in Disguise? No

13. Will Parasite Increase? Yes

14. Will Little Women stay above Underwater? Yes

15. Will the Academy decide to award Alita all the Oscars in order to stop the protest balloon flying over the Awards?  No

 

 

 

Part B:

 

1. What will Bad Boys's Weekend be? 37.9M

2. What will Star Wars' percentage drop be? -47.5%

3. What will Just Mercy's PTA be? $2646

 

 

Part 😄

 

2.  1917

3.  Dolittle

5.  Star Wars

7.  Little Women

9.  Frozen II

11.  Underwater

[QOTM is here for the Winter, answer this every week :)]

Week 12 - No

[Week 10 - Grudge match week]

1. Will Grudge make more than $7M? Yes

2. Will Grudge make more than $10M?  Yes

3. Will Grudge make more than $8.5M? Yes

4. Will Grudge open in the top 5? Yes

5. Will Grudge make more than 40% of its OW total on Friday? No

 

6. Will Uncut Gems make more than $5M?  Yes

7. Will Jumanji have a 3 day weekend above $20M? No

8. Will Little Women have a 3 day weekend above $12.5M? No

9. Will TROS drop more than 50%? Yes

10. Will TROS overtake Frozen Domestically by end of weekend? Yes

 

11. Will Cats stay in the top 10? Yes

12. Will Frozen finish in the top 3? No

13. Will Knives Out drop less than 25%? Yes

14. Will Uncut Gems drop mre than 30%' No

15. Will we achieve hindsight in 2020?  No

 

 

Part B:

 

1. What will Grudge's OW be? 11.45M

2. What will Cats' percentage drop be? 46.5%

3. What will Star Wars's Domestic Total be? 456.5M

 

 

Part 😄

 

There will be 6 films to place and points are expanded because traditionally people haven't scored well here:

 

3.  The Grudge

5.  Frozen II

7. Knives Out

9. Bombshell

11.  Richard Jewell

12. Ford v Ferrari

[QOTM is here for the Winter, answer this every week :)]

Week 10- No

[Little Women (2019)]

A-

 

Gosh this unearthed some painful memories. I probably first read Little Women when I was 8 or 9 and I loved it except that fucking Laurie and Amy situation. I shipped Laurie and Jo before I knew what shipping was and him ending up with AMY of all people destroyed me. Up until that point it would have been the biggest disappointment of my life (and quite frankly it may still be top 10). I had forgotten the feels but boy did they come back. Damn you Amy, damn you to hell 👿!

 

Anyway, the movie was good, not great. Hopefully when it's redone in the 2030s we'll finally get a great version. There's a reason why this is one of those books that Hollywood will always keep going back to. The story is great and the characters are even better. By the end of the book they aren't characters, they're your friends (not Amy of course, that lime loving heifer is not even an acquaintance).

 

Jo actress and Amy actress were quite good. Beth actress did what could be done with what she was given. The less said about Emma Watson's acting the better. Her accent kept slipping which was at least funny but she did not suit Meg at all. Laura Dern and Meryl Streep were lovely and Laurie actor was excellent as well except the fight scene with Jo which was soap opera tier.

 

I hated the back and forth timelines. It worked half the time and was very awkward otherwise. I think the Beth death scene really suffered from the back and forth. I almost started to hum Toss a Coin to Your Witcher with that time jumping shit. If the movie was just told in a linear fashion this would me a movie of the year contender for me but it's too choppy as is. Still Little Women is Little Women so there is no way it can be messed up at the end of the day.

[Cats (2019)]

B+

 

Especially at the beginning it was quite uncanny valley but somewhere halfway through it began to grow on me and by the end I was quite charmed. Was it Stockholm Syndrome? Was it holiday magic? Who knows! But then, as I said in the main Cats thread after the trailer, I love musicals, I love horrors and I love being in empty movie theaters. This really was made for the niche market of me!

 

The music was decent and well performed mostly. The dancing was nice but the numbers should have had more spectacle and scope. That's what happens when you spend everything on your cgi budget I suppose.

 

When the movie was creepy it was very, very creepy. There was a moment in the first number in the Egyptian club where all the cats were quivering and A24 and their pantheon of mediocre horrors were btfo for all eternity. The Witch hew? Hereditary what? That single moment was more genuinely unsettling than anything i've seen in a while.

 

Now unfortunately there may have been around 20 of us watching the movie. Not the low turn out I hoped for but you can't have everything!

[SOTM 6 - We will learn about hindsight in 2020...]

abstain

[Winter Game Week 9 - Skywalkers in Disguise]

1. Will Spies in Disguise make more than $7M? Yes

2. Will Spies in Disguise make more than $11M?  Yes

3. Will Spies in Disguise make more than $19M? No

4. Will Little Women Make more than $17.5M? Yes

5. Will Little Women Make more than $22.5M? No

 

6. Will Uncut Gems make more than $5M?  Yes

7. Will Jumanji have a 3 day weekend above $20M? Yes

8. Will Jumanji have a 3 day weekend above $25M? Yes

9. Will TROS have a 3 day weekend above $90M? Yes

10. Will TROS have a 3 day weekend above $100M? No

 

11. Will Frozen stay in the top 3? No

12. Will Uncut Gems enter the top 8? Yes

13. Will Cats drop less than 15%? Yes

14. Will Cats domestic toal by the end of Sunday be higher than Spies in Disguises' Yes

15. Are you glad that we now leave the Star Wars Era and enter the ERA OF AVAT... wait there;s still more years til that?  Yes

 

 

Part B:

 

1. What will Spies In Disguise's? 14.1M

2. What will Cats' percentage drop be? 5%

3. What will Star Wars's PTA be? $21,811

 

 

Part 😄

 

There will be 6 films to place and points are expanded because traditionally people haven't scored well here:

 

3.  Little Women

5.  Spies in Disguise

7.  Uncut Gems

9.  Bombshell

10.  Richard Jewell

12. Queen & Slim

[QOTM is here for the Winter, answer this every week :)]

Week 9 - Yes

[Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker]

I don't even know how to rate such a work of art.

 

If i'm rating it how I interpreted it, it's an 8/10 comedy. As satirical comedies go i'd rate Spaceballs above it (that's a 9/10 no questions) but it did make me laugh a lot. Especially great was making Rey a Palpatine, Kylo's conversation with Han, EVERYTHING Luke ghost related and EVERYTIME Palpatine appeared. All the ships having planet exploding weapons was great too. At some points I was laughing so hard I nearly choked. A really well balanced comedy when you think about it...

 

Now, on the other hand, if this work is to be rated as intended, as an actual Star Wars movie, the conclusion of a trilogy, heck the conclusion of a trilogy of trilogies this has to be a 3/10, hot ass, deep in Oscar's bin, garbage mess of a movie. Let everyone involved feel shame, let their children feel shame, let their grandchildren feel shame. SHAME.

[The Witcher (Netflix) : Netflix's Game of Thrones?]

I very much enjoyed it and I think I made a good choice watching this versus going to the movies this weekend. I'd say 7.5/10.

 

At its best it gave me flashbacks of my Xena watching childhood but they really need to work on the pacing. I'm guessing since the timelines have met up (and that's another very badly handled area) that issue should improve.

 

Otherwise I think they did a good job. I knew nothing about The Witcher going in but I got into the world easily and two of the three main characters are interesting/well done so far so that's great. Ciri is a boring mess imo but hopefully she'll grow.

[Winter Game Week 8 - It is Here!!! Cats is Finally Here!!!]

Part A:

 

1. Will Star Wars Open to more than $180M? Yes

2. Will Star Wars Open to more than $220M? No

3. Will Star Wars Open to more than $200M? No

4. Will Star Wars have a single day above $95M? Yes

5. Will Star Wars make double its Sunday Gross on Friday? No

 

6. Will Cats open to more than $10M?  Yes

7. Will Cats open to more than $15M? No

8. Will Cats open to more than $12.5M? No

9. Will Cats OW make more than 5% of Star Wars' OW? Yes

10. Will Cats make more than double Bombshell's Weekend gross? No

 

11. Will Jumanji drop more than 60%? No

12. Will Frozen drop more thaan 45%? No

13. Will Richard Jewell stay above Ford vs Ferrari? Yes

14. Will Queen and Slim stay in the top 10? Yes

15. Will Dabaang 3 make more than $2M? No

 

16. Will Black Christmas have a larger percentage drop than Last Christmas? Yes

17. Will Knives out have a PTA above %1,500? Yes

18. Will Beautiful day in Neighbourhood drop less than 40%? No

19. Will Playmobil make more than $20k this weekend? No

20. Has the moon lost her memory? No

 

 

Part B:

 

1. What will Star Wars make for its 3 day OW? 189.6M

2. What will Cats make on Saturday? 3.9M

3. What will Knives Out percentage drop be? 39.8%

 

 

Part 😄

 

3.  Frozen II

5.  Bombshell

7.  Richard Jewell

8.  Ford v Ferrari

10. Black Christmas

12. A Hidden Life