This week: a ‘hardcore’ guest makes an appearance on the Jon McComb Show – it’s actor Sharlto Copley!
BOX OFFICE WINNERS AND LOSERS
Not surprised at the trend: Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice is starting to slow down. Over the last seven days, it’s been number one – but a weak number one. Its best gains were on cheapie Tuesday, and on that day it had less of a gain than all of the other movies in the top five. Regardless, its total of a little more than $700 million worldwide is nothing to gawk at. I did watch Batman and Superman go at it, and you can read about that here. At number two is Disney’s Zootopia. Number three is My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2, and at four and five, respectively, two American Christian movies: Miracles from Heaven and God’s Not Dead 2.
OUT IN THEATRES
Three major movies are up to bat at the box office. First, it’s The Boss, starring Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Bell and Kathy Bates. McCarthy plays the titular character, who is trying to win back the hearts of America after she serves time for insider trading. It’s on my weekend list of films to watch, but for some critics who have screened it – not so much. The movie has been hovering around the 17-19% mark with reviewers.
Next, we have Demolition with Jake Gyllenhaal and Naomi Watts. This film is about a man who has just lost his wife, and is trying to cope. Because of a terrible experience with a vending machine, he forms a relationship with a customer service rep, Karen, played by Watts. I went to go see this, and I loved watching how Gyllenhaal’s character completely falls apart, and is then put back together through a series of odd events. Naomi Watts’s Karen is just as screwed up, and the combined oddities of the two characters is such a fascinating thing to watch. Where it falls short for me is with some repetitive scenes and writing. Some scenes are an absolute rehashing, just in different words. Watch this one with your buddies – a solid three-and-a-half wrecking balls out of five. My full write-up of this film is coming soon, so stay tuned!
This last one is a real visual feast: Hardcore Henry, starring Sharlto Copley. Copley plays Jimmy – well, ten or so versions of Jimmy. Jimmy seems to be keen to help Henry out. Oh – and did I mention Henry was saved from the brink of death, and is now some kind of super robot warrior? Yeah, it’s insane.
Sharlto was awesome enough to stop by our studios, and chat with Jon McComb and me! You can listen to the segment at the very bottom of this write.
As for what I thought of the movie: I really liked it, even though I spent the first ten minutes feeling a little sick. First-time movie director Ilya Naishuller has a few blips and bumps when you look at the big picture (writing and some of the scenes were strange), but the film is a visual feast. Strongly recommend if you’re into gore, guns and weapons. Oh, and this entire thing is done from first person perspective. It’s a real ride – four Jimmies out of five! My full write up on this film is coming soon.
TRAILERS THAT HAVE PEOPLE TALKING
Unless you were living under a rock, you were there earlier this week when the new Rogue One trailer came out and broke the internet. This is the first film in a handful of anthology films in the Star Wars franchise. Personally, I think the trailer looks awesome.
OUT ON BLURAY, DVD, DIGITAL DOWNLOAD
Speaking of Star Wars, if you haven’t purchased The Force Awakens, it’s out now. If you, for some bizarre reason, enjoyed horror flick The Forest, that’s out next week. Mostly slim pickings for the week of the 12th and the 19th.
Renouf Writes 
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