With Black Panther showing no signs of slowing down, what films coming in 2018 can make similar dents in our wallets? What blockbusters could put up big time numbers? Can anything catch Black Panther? I know the oddsmakers and informative websites like Sports Betting Dime can be a great resource for answering those questions and examining the field. In a quick list and editorial, let’s handicap and predict 10 contenders that could rule the 2018 box office.
Read MoreNowadays, just about anyone can make a blockbuster movie. You don’t need crazy budgets or a wealthy backer, you can do it yourself with relatively little expenditure. This guide and infographic from MoneyPod shows you how. Enjoy!
Read MoreAdd all of The Dark Tower up, the ineffective length, the nonsensical plot, threadbare mythology, leashed acting, and limited thrills, and you get the lowest sum of calculations. You get the sheer absurdity we started with. I'm sure it's all meant to be substantial and worthy of audience investment, but how is any of it supposed to give us gravity to grasp if it's all presented in such a cursory degree?
Read MoreBlooming out of a cradle of artistic and narrative perseverance, it is clear a philosophy of great care and pleasant patience was given to “Pete’s Dragon” by Lowery and company. The film enhances the magical charm audiences remember from the original with newly gained maturity to operate as a loving family drama and touching adventure of friendship. It is a welcome and calming addition of heft painted by that superb idyllic tone. The wonderment never overplays its moments.
Read MoreIn the words of professional wrestling Hall of Famer Razor Ramon, “Say hello to the bad guy!” Warner Bros. and their DC Entertainment wing need a rebound from the maligned “Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice” and are banking getting you to cheer for villains instead of heroes with “Suicide Squad.” Packed with a head-turning cast of wild cards and very little shame for spectacle, this film aims to combine the delicious referential villainy you loved in “Deadpool” with the anti-hero team dynamics of “Guardians of the Galaxy.”
Read MoreThe toothpaste is out of the tube, so to speak, for this current “Star Trek” franchise stewarded by J.J. Abrams. Seven years into a reboot of erasure, there’s no going back. This new cast and new timeline is here to stay. If the die-hards haven’t dealt with it by now, they likely never will. Those who arrived in 2009 with wide eyes and a fresh heart have not been disappointed. “Star Trek Beyond” pushes a stellar and steady progression of shiny and modern blockbuster filmmaking with the right salutes to beloved nostalgia that warm from within.
Read MoreThe critics of the Chicago Independent Film Critics Circle have heard the call of the jungle! Watch and enjoy the first takes of myself and my fellow CIFCC members including Jon Espino of "The Young Folks," Pamela Powell of The Kankakee Daily Journal and "Reel Honest Reviews," and, but not least, Emmanuel Noisette of "Eman's Movie Reviews" offering their hot-and-bothered impressions on "The Legend of Tarzan." Enjoy!
Read MoreThe advent of computer-generated visual effects in the 1990s raised the scope of what and how much disaster movies could destroy on screen. No better film encapsulated that new era than the raucous and wildly successful “Independence Day” from 1996 with aliens laying waste to world monuments and making a star out of Will Smith. In the twenty years since, the evolution of CGI filmmaking of bigger and more opulent destruction has elevated the craft to the moniker of “disaster porn.” Returning with the grand ambitious sequel “Independence Day: Resurgence,” the former standard-bearer enters a present day where audiences have been desensitized by asteroids, comets, natural disasters, monsters, Transformers, and superheroes dozens of times over. What was awesome the first time isn’t jaw-dropping anymore.
Read MoreAfter two movies of turn-back-the-clock course correction, it is fair to rank the "X-Men" series right next to "The Fast and Furious" as a film franchise that was derailed, left for dead, and since rescued with a filmmaking resurgence. "X-Men: First Class" introduced new youthful vigor and was followed by the return of original franchise steward Bryan Singer for the slate-wiping "X-Men: Days of Future Past." The latter film grossed more than double any of its franchise predecessors and enabled the series to pass the torch from the seniors to the juniors. Flush with success, good graces, and a new lease on life, "X-Men: Apocalypse" arrives with the goal to top everything that's been done in 20th Century Fox's offshoot shingle of a Marvel universe.
Read MoreThe absolute proof of the intact Marvel formula is the elevated scope and confidence given to "Captain America: Civil War." Spinning as a dual sequel to 2014's "Captain America: The Winter Soldier" and last year's "Avengers: Age of Ultron" and following the darkly-operatic-yet-similarly-premised competitor "Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice," this film survives a few glaring imperfections and overweight ambition to maintain the Marvel flagship. It plays it safe because it knows safe works for their brand and satisfies the masses. They know they're getting their cash registers out and hiring extra accountants. To others looking for more risk, you've come to the wrong place.
Read MoreIt's business time! The wait is over from the very slow winter and spring seasons! The massive movie slate of the summer of 2015 has been touted on this website for over a year. We knew these big hitters were coming and they are finally here. Let's see how many box office records fall. If you thought "Furious 7" was a big hit, then you've seen nothing yet. The summer is where the big boys play. To split the long season up, here is my complete preview for the early summer months of May and June and their prospective film releases. As always, dates change and shift all of the time. Here's what we have to look forward to! Enjoy!
Read MoreIt's business time! Here's your complete 2015 Summer Movie Calendar. Add these to your calendar or print and slip this list on the fridge at home. As always, release dates shift all of the time, so be aware. I split my full Summer Movie Preview into early (May/June) and late (July/August) parts. The first will be coming soon! Enjoy!
Read More
