What Movies Have You Seen Lately?

Quote: Pacomartin

Pacific Rim Release Date: July 12, 2013 had a Production Budget: $190 million. It earned $100 million in the US and Canada, and $111 million in China and $200 million in other foreign markets. Are you shocked that the sequel would try and appeal to China?

Not every film makes an overwhelming amount of it's box office overseas.

The Dark Knight made 53.2% domestic and 46.8% foreign.
Black Panther made 51.0% domestic and 49.0% foreign.
Wonder Woman made 50.2% domestic and 49.8% foreign.
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story 50.4% domestic and 49.6% foreign.
Spider-Man made 49.1% domestic and 50.9% foreign.
Star Wars: The Last Jedi 46.5% domestic, and 53.5% foreign.
Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace 46.2% domestic and 53.8% foreign.

Not shocked so much as sad. The writing was on the wall for sometime, but this film almost celebrates the ascension. I suspect chinese money subsidized the production, and with it creative control over key elements of the story.

“Paul the Apostle” - In the wake of the runaway success of Mel Gibson’s “Passion of the Christ”, studios were willing to devote more significant resources to productions with overtly pro-Christian messages, and distributors were finding theaters welcoming church groups and families as a profitable niche. Unfortunately, the quality of these films varies widely, often due to a lack of acting talent, or weak writing. This film has first rate production value. The costumes, lighting and sets are realistic. The weak link is the script, as there are many scenes where characters are whispering to each other, making conversations hard to follow. Another problem was the character Luke’s (played by Jim Caviezel) modern haircut, and neatly trimmed beard. It sticks out like a monster truck at a biker convention.

As for the story, I found it an interesting time capsule, and look into life in first century Rome, as Nero feeds believers to the wild animals in his public Circus, and lights them on fire to light the streets at night. Luke convinces the imprisoned Paul to dictate his story to him so that a written record will outlive him (Paul is slated for execution). While I doubt the actual letters in the Bible were written as portrayed in the film, it is still fun to imagine if it was Paul’s dictation or Luke’s editing that resulted in the scripture we have today. The film is a heavy, often slow drama, and I would not recommend it for small kids.

I give it 6 scrolls out of 10.

Ready Player One

PG-13 movies are allowed one F-bomb, and this one makes great use of that allowance...

It's enjoyable. Lots of fun pop culture references. My absolute favorite sequence involved lots of references to The Shining.

I saw it in IMAX 3D and it looked great.

“I Can Only Imagine” - In the 80’s, there were a few “giants” in the world of Contemporary Christian Music (CCM). Two of those mega-stars were Amy Grant and Michael W. Smith. Their talent was such that their records crossed over to country and pop listeners. While the world was watching “Jaws 3-D” and “The Goonies” at the movies, and listening to U2 and ELO, a young boy named Bart Millard received an Amy Grant tape as a gift...

This bio-pic retraces Bart’s spiritual journey and rise to fame as the front man for the CCM band Mercy Me. The title of the film is their breakout single that put them on the map. While I had heard the song, I did not know the backstory so I found it very engaging. Dennis Quaid does an outstanding job as Bart’s abusive father, and it was nice to see Cloris Leachman active in a very small role. What makes this film great is that it has a genuiness to it. The biography is told without polishing good events to make them “miraculous“, nor covering up negative actions and events to make the heroes appear perfect. It simply is what it is.

I give it 9 orange walkman headphones out of 10.

Quote: ams288

PG-13 movies are allowed one F-bomb, and this one makes great use of that allowance...

Funny. The pilot episode of FX's Trust about JP Getty dropped about a dozen on Sunday. Came on at 10pm. LOTS of F-bombs, on TV. Does that mean TV can be rated R now?

Quote: Ayecarumba

I give it 9 orange walkman headphones out of 10.

Not all critics agree with you:

Like so many faith-based efforts, I Can Only Imagine suffers from a terminal case of self-importance. I Can Only Imagine runs less than two hours, but it feels like a lifetime. The film, directed in plodding fashion by "The Erwin Brothers," doesn't shy away from a single predictable emotional beat. But it does shy away from fully depicting the extent of the father's abuse. Although Bart refers to being beaten as a child, the only moment of violence involves Arthur hitting him over the head with a plate when he's a strapping young man. The film essentially undercuts its chief message by being coy. By the time I Can Only Imagine ends, with Bart seeing his now dead father beaming at him from the audience (he looks great, heaven agrees with him), you can't imagine how this movie could have been any worse.

Quote: zippyboy

Funny. The pilot episode of FX's Trust about JP Getty

I wonder how accurate that all was. I hated his 'how to be rich' rip off. He spent millions to keep from having to give any money to support his grandson.

Quote: zippyboy

Funny. The pilot episode of FX's Trust about JP Getty dropped about a dozen on Sunday. Came on at 10pm. LOTS of F-bombs, on TV. Does that mean TV can be rated R now?

“Trust” is rated ‘TV-MA’, the equivalent of an ‘R’ in movie theaters.

FX shows started dropping F-bombs regularly a couple years ago during American Crime Story: The People vs. OJ Simpson.

Quote: ams288

FX shows started dropping F-bombs regularly a couple years ago during American Crime Story: The People vs. OJ Simpson.

As a cable channel, FX is not regulated by the Federal Communications Commission, and therefore doesn't face any outside restrictions.

But unlike premium channel cables such as HBO and Showtime, where f-bombs are a dime a dozen, FX is accountable to advertisers, so it has to make sure theat the show is clearly appealing to adults. But FX has sort of carved a niche for itself among basic cable channels in that the TV series are much edgier than the other networks.