Nun Better, Except the Predator
A win is a win, even if it’s an ugly one. But some are uglier than others. On the surface, The Predator did just fine. More than 30 years after the original Predator spent a whole movie hunting future California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, its cinematic progeny returned to Earth, invaded more than 4,000 movie theaters […]
Closing the Book on a Blockbuster Summer
Sticklers will tell you that the season’s not quite done yet, but we know we’ve closed the book on summer. Certainly the movie industry, which typically begins its summer season in May, has moved on. It’s now in the process of tossing out all of its cinematic afterthoughts, hoping that one or two might strike […]
None Above The Nun
As the rest of Hollywood ponders what makes a profitable movie, the brain trust behind The Conjuring franchise seems to have it all figured out. Case in point: The Nun, the fifth installment in what Warner Bros. calls its Conjuring Universe. Made for a relatively paltry $22 million, The Nun scared up $53.5 million in […]
Culture Clips: Everything Is Awesome (But Not Really)
When it comes right down to it, we’ve got it pretty good. Oh, sure, we all have our problems. But think about it: You do have some sort of computer-ish device with which you’re reading this blog right now, which puts you materially ahead of most folks in the world. You’re taking the time to […]
A Threepeat for Crazy Rich Asians
The story for the country’s number one movie continues to get crazier. And richer. Crazy Rich Asians collected its third straight weekend win in grand fashion, banking an estimated $22.1 million and doubling the take of its nearest competitor. Add in the Labor Day holiday, and Crazy Rich raked in $28.3 million, which brought its […]
Culture Clips: A Tragedy in Jacksonville
Most of us turn to entertainment to get a little respite from the anxieties of the world outside. When we watch a movie, we’re not worrying about our kids’ grades. When we play a video game, we’re not thinking about deadlines. For many, entertainment is a cozy blanket we use to keep out—for a little […]
Crazy Rich Asians Trounce Happytime Murders
Better to be crazy and rich than happy, apparently. At least when it comes to movie titles. Crazy Rich Asians cruised to its second-straight box-office victory in a style befitting its title. The sweet, sassy romcom wooed moviegoers out of an estimated $25 million, nearly twice the haul of its nearest competitor. The film showed […]
Culture Clips: And Now a Word From Our Sponsors …
Netflix, you clever dog, you. “Commercials are terrible!”you told us, and then you filled your streaming service with roughly three quintillion original shows (OK, 323, a number that has tripled between 2016 and 2017) that we could binge without seeing a single ad for shampoo, beer or personal hygiene products. Now, my own children treat […]
Crazy Rich Asians Scores Sane Rich Weekend
We’ve officially hit the August movie doldrums. All the high-profile summer blockbusters have come and gone. Oscar hopefuls and holiday flicks are back stage still, biding their time. Kids are vacating their vacations and going back to school, and studios are pumping the theaters full of cinematic afterthoughts. But even so, there’s still money to […]
Chris Pratt Seems Like a Great Guy. But …
I really like Chris Pratt. He seems like a fun, funny, down-to-earth guy who, despite being one of this moment’s great action heroes, doesn’t take himself too seriously. Oh, and he’s Christian. And he pulls no punches when it comes to his faith. Take his recent acceptance speech at the Teen Choice Awards. “I love […]