It’s a rough week at Redbox or Amazon or wherever you get your DVD fix from. This week’s DVDs leave a lot to be desired but every week can’t be a winner, right? Here are the movies out this week and which ones MHT thinks you should buy, rent, stream and skip for May 31:Read More →
We’ll have a new #1 after Memorial Day weekend and it will be a sequel. Will it be the latest X-Men chapter or will Disney continue their ’16 dominance with an Alice In Wonderland sequel no one seems to be asking for? Here’s what MHT thinks you should see and not see for the weekend of May 27th:Read More →
Hot Take: This was the Mother’s Day film that should have made $10 million plus at the box office.
Each month, Movie Hot Take ranks the most anticipated movies of the month. In April, The Meddler ranked 21st of 25 releases. When The Meddler was the only first run film left in theaters to see, the only thing I was looking forward to was overpriced popcorn. Despite the reservations and the total lack of excitement in anticipation of seeing this film, The Meddler ended up being a surprisingly worthwhile and enjoyable movie with well-written, very real characters and a cast — headlined by Susan Sarandon as Marnie — that does an excellent job bringing them to life.Read More →
Anticipation (Before Trailer): 70/100
Anticipation (After Trailer): 85/100
The Infiltrator is due in theaters on July 13, 2016 and the trailer looks very good. Although the film doesn’t exactly feel like a summer movie, it’s a nice change from the normal summer offerings. Bryan Cranston’s role feels closer to his role in Breaking Bad than last year’s Trumbo and John Leguizamo consistently delivers strong performances in these roles. Benjamin Bratt is starting to feel typecast as it’s hard to see much of a difference between his few scenes in the trailer and his role earlier this year in Ride Along 2. Despite the minor reservation, this one will be high on the list to see in July.
Anticipation (Before Trailer): 80/100
Anticipation (After Trailer): 90/100
Disney is on fire right now. The trailer for the live action version of Beauty and the Beast hits every note. Emma Watson is a great choice to play Belle and the trailer gives just enough of a taste to whet the appetite for a movie we won’t see for 10 months.
The money tree blooms for Disney with Beauty and the Beast on March 17, 2017.
Anticipation (Before Trailer): 0/100
Anticipation (After Trailer): 95/100
Before the Morgan trailer dropped today, I didn’t know anything of the project. Heck, I didn’t even know Ridley Scott had a son. The Scott family is already responsible for a number of films I love especially the late Tony Scott who would be Luke Scott’s uncle. Thanks to the pedigree, Scott’s directorial début has a loaded cast — Kate Mara, Anya Taylor-Joy, Toby Jones, Rose Leslie, Boyd Holbrook, Michelle Yeoh, Jennifer Jason Leigh, and Paul Giamatti — and a September 2nd release date.
Here’s a bold prediction: Morgan is the surprise hit of the year. The trailer is pitch perfect. Anya Taylor-Joy was incredible earlier this year in The Witch and the rest of the cast has a track record of strong performances. Out of nowhere, Morgan is the movie I’m most excited for this September.
Hot Take: At least your typical, useless kid’s fare has a good message. The Angry Birds Movie promotes xenophobic beliefs, validation of the distrust of foreigners and the message that anger is sometimes the answer. Is this a kid’s movie or a Trump campaign ad?
On wonderfully colorful Bird Island, Red (Jason Sudeikis) is an outcast thanks to his big eyebrows and short temper. Everyone on Bird Island is blissfully happy except for Red. Even at his anger management class (the worst punishment by law on Bird Island), his contemporaries aren’t really angry as Chuck (Josh Gad) is speedily mischievous, Bomb (Danny McBride) is unpredictably explosive and Terence (Sean Penn), well, I don’t really know what Terence did to end up in anger management class other than grunt a lot.Read More →
Ben Affleck’s brother, Don Johnson’s daughter, Ralph Fiennes’ brother and Jerry Stiller’s son headline this week’s batch of releases. Should you buy, rent, stream or skip The Finest Hours, How to Be Single, Risen and Zoolander 2? Read on to find out about the DVD releases for May 24:Read More →
Hot Take: Neighbors 2 is dumb comedy. It’s almost as funny as the original and has a female twist. If you hated the first, you’ll probably really hate this.
Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising not only delivers a satisfyingly funny sequel to the surprisingly hilarious hit of 2014 but also proves to have some social awareness along the way by introducing a sorority (instead of a fraternity) and occasionally exploring sexism and gender inequality. If you can look past the low hanging fruit of it’s humor, Neighbors 2 does a decent job of making a quasi-feminist statement in between mostly rehashed jokes from the original with the occasional gender bending twist.Read More →
Hot Take: Every time A Bigger Splash feels like it’s going to go too far, it veers back on the path to a very interesting, artsy, adult erotic thriller. Very out of place for a summer release.
A Bigger Splash isn’t your typical film. In the first five minutes of this erotic, sensual, complicated mess, you realize this isn’t going to be a popcorn flick. Despite it’s indulgence, stylistic spectacle and beautiful backdrop, there’s a gritty, adult tale underneath. Read More →