
Matthew Monagle


Weekend Box Office Report: ‘Kingsman’ Topples a Killer Clown
It feels like we’ve been watching the same six or seven movies shift places on the charts for weeks now, which makes what happened this weekend such a breath of fresh air. With four new releases all cracking the charts, we’ve at least got a little bit of variety in the titles we’ll be discussing, and no The Emoji Movie near the list. I’ll put that down as a win in my book any day of the week. Here’s the estimated box office grosses as of Sunday afternoon:

Professional ‘Star Wars’ Tease Ron Howard Does It Again
It’s getting progressively more difficult to find anything of value to say when Ron Howard teases more behind-the-scenes photos from the Han Solo set. On the one hand, we get it, Opie, you’re deeply immersed in the Star Wars universe and doing all kinds of cool [expletive] and we’re not. On the other hand, though, we’ve reached a point where our collective interest in little tidbits is starting to wane. Let me put it to you like this: I love a good tapas restaurant as much as the next guy, right? But sometimes you just want the full three-course meal.

Mel Brooks Calls Political Correctness the ‘Death of Comedy’
Stop me if you’ve heard this one: a middle-aged white comedian sits down for an interview and starts complaining about the things he can’t say onstage. This isn’t exactly a new complaint in the stand-up industry. For years, the old guard of legendary comedians have argued that modern audiences are too sensitive these days to the detriment of comedy; and sure, while there are certainly those who look for offense in any commentary — no matter how benign — it’s more than a little frustrating to hear some comedians claim that their decades-old material isn’t funny anymore.

Weekend Box Office Report: Welcome to Week 2 of Pennywise’s Reign
It’s now been two weekends since Pennywise the Dancing Clown was unleashed upon unsuspecting audiences, and Hollywood may never be the same. Seriously. The kind of box office numbers we’re seeing right now will inspire, uh, major changes in how Hollywood tries to jump on specific trends. And while two new movies made a sort of solid showing for themselves over the weekend, the fact is this: it’s Pennywise’s world. We’re just living in it. Here’s the box office projections as of Sunday afternoon:

Meet Gunslinger Channing Tatum in This New ‘Kingsman: The Golden Circle’ Clip
Given the fact that the first Kingsman movie was a spot-on homage to James Bond movies, you’d think we’d all be excited for more of the same. More debonair spy sequences, more dangerous undercover double-speak, and more gunfights in famous locations. Instead, 20th Century Fox has flipped the script, giving us a sequel that promises a delightful sendup of American action movies as well. What would happen if James Bond and John Rambo were forced to join forces to solve an international mystery? If the early trailers and credits are any indication, we’re about to find out.

Selma Blair on Not Joining ‘Hellboy’ Remake: ‘My Job Is Done’
While most of the articles regarding the new Hellboy remake have focused on the lack of involvement by Ron Perlman and Guillermo del Toro, it’s worth nothing that Selma Blair’s Liz Sherman was also an integral part of del Toro’s franchise. Neither fully human nor fully supernatural, Blair’s character served as an important transition point between the film’s two worlds (as well as the main love interest of the titular character). So maybe it’s about time we poured one out for Selma Blair as well; after all, she had just as much involvement in the success of the franchise as anyone.

Billie Lourd Originally Auditioned for Rey in ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’
We’re only months away from Star Wars: The Last Jedi, and already, it’s beginning to feel like a film that will be unbearably sad for all the wrong reasons. The loss of Carrie Fisher will be made fresh by her appearance in the upcoming film, and seeing her alongside Mark Hamill for the last time — one assumes, anyways — will be a touching moment for any fans of the Star Wars franchise. No less touching will be the opportunity for Fisher’s daughter Billie Lourd to share the screen with her one last time. All in all, The Last Jedi will be the ultimate Star Wars family reunion, biological and otherwise.

New Study Shows Rotten Tomatoes Scores Don’t Affect Box Office
Well, that’s kinda awkward timing. On Thursday of last week, the New York Times published an article titled “Attacked by Rotten Tomatoes,” an in-depth look at the popular review aggregation site and the role it may have played in this summer’s disappointing box office numbers. The article ends with a prolonged examination of the various ways that studios are trying to “battle Rotten Tomatoes on multiple fronts,” seemingly accepting the idea that Rotten Tomatoes has been bad for the movie industry (despite the fact that Rotten Tomatoes is, in fact, owned by said members of the movie industry). The article may have been an interesting read for those unfamiliar with the controversy, but for those in the know, it was old news, part of an ongoing debate that tried to argue that critics were duping poor, easily misled moviegoers.

The First ‘Fifty Shades Freed’ Teaser Promises Wedding Bells and Whips
Oh, Christian Grey and Anastasia Steele. When are those two crazy kids ever going to get together? There’s is a love story we can all relate to: she, the inexperienced college student and would-be journalist, and he, the millionaire Seattle playboy, willing to teach her in the practice of love. Would their shared appreciation for BDSM be enough to overcome their differences and help them find true love? I don’t know for sure, but based on this first teaser trailer for Fifty Shades Freed, I’m going to venture that the answer to that question is yes.

Weekend Box Office Report: ‘It’ Breaks a Whole Slew of Box Office Records
As we head deeper into September, two things have become pretty clear about 2017 box office numbers: one, Hollywood desperately needs to bounce back a little bit from the doldrums of August, and two, whoever decided to hedge their studio’s bets with a September release date for a movie about a killer clown is looking like a [profanity] genius right about now. We’ll get to all of that in a moment, but first, here are the box office numbers as of Sunday afternoon:

Margot Robbie Has No Idea What’s Next for Harley Quinn
I’m always of two minds when it comes to critics asking actors about superhero movies at film festivals. On the one hand, I understand the needs of our industry; if you don’t at ask at least one or two questions about Marvel and DC movies, another publication will, so there’s no point in pretending that any of us are above the fray. On the other hand, though, actors who have just put their all into a dramatic performance deserver better than questions about summer blockbusters that happen to be years away. Save your superhero questions for the very end and get off them as quickly as possible, that’s my motto.

Daniel Radcliffe Gets ‘Jungle’ Fever in the Survival Thriller’s First Trailer
While there are probably those who would describe Daniel Radcliffe as an actor who has never amounted to much after the Harry Potter franchise, I’ve found his decisions over the past few years to be breathtakingly daring, a risky collection of screw-you titles that could only come from a place of supreme financial security. From Horns to Swiss Army Man and everything in between, Radcliffe has proven himself a gifted performer with a voracious appetite for genre films, becoming something relatively unique in the horror genre: an A-list actor with B-list tastes.