Plus, "Evangelion" comes to a close.
The biggest news in filmdom this week centered on the relatively tepid box office for "The Suicide Squad," which took in about $71 million worldwide — not great given its reported budget of $185 million. (Conventional wisdom says double the budget and you get a film's true cost, including marketing.) |
"The Suicide Squad" was well reviewed for the most part (The Times was a notable exception). So pundits are focusing on explanations ranging from the macro to the micro. Since it was debuting on HBO Max as well as in theaters, did fans prefer to stay home, especially as the number of Covid-19 cases rises? Or were they confused that the title was virtually identical to the 2016 "Suicide Squad" — the only difference being "the" — while the cast was mostly new? Maybe all of the above. |
New in theaters today is "Respect," the Aretha Franklin biopic starring Jennifer Hudson. The actress has spoken regularly with the singer over the years. But, as she told our pop critic Jon Pareles, "Aretha wasn't a person who verbalized too much unless it was through music," so a great deal of research was needed. Our film critic Manohla Dargis reviewed the results and finds Hudson "a deeply appealing screen presence" in a movie that "conforms to the familiar biopic arc." |
And I'm getting excited about the fall festivals. Organizers of the New York Film Festival announced what looks to be a very interesting lineup. Opening night is Joel Coen's solo directing debut, "The Tragedy of Macbeth," with Denzel Washington and Frances McDormand, and later, the Cannes Palme d'Or winner "Titane." |
Until then, see you at the movies! |
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