JANUARY, 26


THE AVENGERS 4: CIVIL WAR

Action / Superhero
Cast: Robert Downey Jr., Tobey Maguire, Claire Danes, Adam Baldwin, Kurt Russell, Rose McGowan, Tyler Mane, Christopher Plummer, John Cho, Sam Worthington
Director: Jon Favreau
Screenwriter: Matt Kubrick

Box Office: 141 mill.
Net Gains: 95 mill.

Stark’s Reaction: Not the best box office of the franchise (episode 2 made 173 millions and episode 3 made 191 millions) but still a great turn out, specially in these hard days. After all, it becomes the second best release of the Season after ‘Daughters Of The Dragon’. No disappointment here… for once.

A HARD PLACE

Police Procedural / Drama
Cast: John Cusack, Renée Zellwegger, Harrison Ford, Robert Carlyle, James Cromwell
Director: Clint Eastwood
Screenwriter: Richard Franzwa


Box Office: 81 mill.
Net Gains: 61 mill.

Stark’s Reaction: The big question here was: will a new genre definition in CMP like ‘Police Procedural’ work in box office? And the answer is… it does! Maybe the problem is that audiences are tired of being told about ‘Action’, ‘Action / Adventure’ or ‘Sci-Fi / Action’ products… Anyway, a delicious surprise.

THE CURIOUS INCIDENT OF THE DOG IN THE NIGHT-TIME

Mystery / Drama
Cast: Freddie Highmore, Ralph Fiennes, Cate Blanchett, Clive Owen, Emily Watson, Emily Blunt, Judi Dench
Director: Danny Boyle
Screenwriter: Josh Collins
Producer: Grand Island Movies

Box Office: 22 mill.
Net Losses: 7 mill.

Stark’s Reaction: Again, the American market has strongly and unfairly ignored this production coming from the British Islands. Those American… why they cannot be interested in anything not coming from the Hollywood’s factories? Well, not everything could be perfect in this nice week for the Studio… It’s only a slight flop after all.


THE AVENGERS 4: CIVIL WAR

‘Just when this franchise seems to take oxygen, box office has decreased compared to the second and third installment of it and Matt Kubrick announces its ending. A shame. ‘The Avengers 4’ looks more like a new beginning than like an ending. The civil war between superheroes has been the perfect premise to make a highly entertaining movie with spectacular action sequences and more outlined characters than usual. Matt Kubrick has written the most elaborated screenplay of the franchise and Jon Favreau has put in the movie all he has learnt from previous experiences, like ‘Iron Man’ and CMP’s ‘Wonder Woman’. The result is one of the best pieces of the superheroes genre and a fresh revitalization of its most famous franchise’.
-Vic Carter

‘It’s not something very often that the fourth installment of a popular franchise becomes a better movie than its predecessors. The good thing about the Avengers saga is that each movie has been better than the previous one. ‘The Avengers 3’ already was a major improvement from the two previous movies, with the appealing incorporation of Spiderman. Now, this fourth episode has made the franchise gaining interest with all those conflicts between superheroes (a metaphor of the internal problems between the stars involved?). ‘The Avengers 4’ is an engrossing and entertaining show that includes the best action set pieces of this lasting franchise. Us, movie critics, feel obliged to despise superheroes movies, but it would be unfair not admitting that this is a brilliant and visually powerful work of pure entertainment.’
-Jake Cobb

‘If Matt Kubrick turned ‘The Avengers 3’ in a reunion of villains (there were too many in that movie), now he has turned ‘The Avengers 4’ in a kind of congress of superheroes (split in two sides). Not all of them work at the same level. That cyborg Nick Fury is the main find of the movie. Claire Danes makes a correct but not particularly impressive Black Widow (the character had bigger strength in CMP’s ‘Hawkeye’). Adam Baldwin as Captain America remains weaker in terms of screen presence than Heath Ledger, the remembered Captain America of the original CMP’s trilogy. Rose McGowan and Tyler Mane are simply there, with Kubrick not knowing what to do with them. John Cho is an unexpected and hard to believe Luke Cage. And, of course, Maguire and particularly Downey Jr. are the stars of the show, now that they have got rid of Norton / Hulk during the internal off-screen civil war previous to the on-screen official civil war.’
-Andrew Stampton

A HARD PLACE

‘Clint Eastwood is a classic and classy movie director. He works completely alien to any trend. Eastwood is one of those moviemakers that consider the best directional job that where the directional work is not noticed by the audience. He does not pretend to become the star of the movies he directs. He prefers betting for the story, the characters and the atmosphere. And that’s exactly what he has done in ‘A Hard Place’, staying loyal to his conception of moviemaking. ‘A Hard Place’ is an efficient movie, perfectly narrated by Eastwood’s firm narrative pulse. The movie attracts your interest and keeps you interested until the end without needless dramatic effects or unnecessary visual displays. It works the way almost every Eastwood’s movies work: sharp as a knife, cold as a razor blade, strong as a rock.’
-Charlie Kiggs

‘’A Hard Place’ is the perfect antithesis of ‘The Avengers 4’. There are no luxurious FXs here, no spectacular action sequences, no fanfares… Just a solid plot, an interesting moral dilemma, content and efficient acting works and a classic director behind the cameras. This week, CMP offers us two different ways of understanding the art of moviemaking. And both are equally valid. ‘A Hard Place’ will please more adult audiences the same way ‘The Avengers 4’ will please the younger ones. Neither of them will be ever considered cinematic master pieces, but both are movies that will satisfy their target audience. And we all have to congratulate because the best Clind Eastwood, the one that made ‘Mystic River’ or ‘Changeling’, is back.’
-Lilly Stevens

‘Although it may not be too original or innovative, Richard Franzwa has written a good story that obliges audiences to face that interesting question of where should be the limits to put criminals behind bars. In that sense, ‘A Hard Place’ is a much more interesting study and denounce of the judicial system and its weakness than the recent and failed CMP’s ‘The Mistaken’. Sustained by wise casting choices and the always inspired Clint Eastwood, ‘A Hard Place’ mixes the thrill of any cops movie with the reflections about the limits in the work of policemen and lawyers. An intelligent and entertaining movie. Can’t ask for more when paying a movie ticket.’
-Jackie O’Callaghan

THE CURIOUS INCIDENT OF THE DOG IN THE NIGHT-TIME

‘Wanna make a prestige work? Adapt an acclaimed book. Choose an all-British cast. Shoot far away from Hollywood. And there you are. Or not… ‘The Curious Incident…’ pretends to be a top class auteur work. But it does not completely reach that category. It is ok. It has brilliant acting works (in fact, the best of the movie). But there’s a certain undefined conception of the story – is it deep drama or a light dramedy?, is it a story about family conflicts or the picture of a strangely talented young boy?, are we supposed to laugh or to feel sorry with Christopher’s rarities? – that ends up keeping it in a nowhere land not completely satisfactory. It looks like if Collins and Boyle have not taken a final decision of which way to go between the many options the story offered them. And that becomes a defect that finally weights too much in the movie.’
-Anne Roman

‘The relationship between literature and movies has always been a difficult one. And, usually, it’s literature the winner of the pulse. This adaptation of the extremely brilliant Mark Haddon’s book becomes a too light version of the novel. Of course, movie language has too many limitations compared to writing. And you can notice that in this case. Lots of the many shades of the story in the book are missing in the movie version. The deepness of the book is lost turning the movie into a soft drama of a young Rain Man (and it is curious how the same things that worked so well in the brilliant 'The Pitiful Plight Of Tom Collins' do not completely work in this one). Maybe the objective of adapting such a rich and inspiring book was a too difficult task, almost impossible, but the truth is that the movie stays far behind the undisputable quality of the original novel.’
-Amy Ratched

‘Danny Boyle’s movie proves that some stories work better when read than when seen on a big screen. This adaptation made me remember another recent one also based on a young boy’s experiences: ‘The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas’. As in that one, if you watch ‘The Curious Incident…’ (movie) without knowing ‘The Curious Incident…’ (book), it’s an interesting, moving and well made movie. But if you have previously read the book, you have the feeling something has been taken away from it. Maybe it’s not Collins or Boyle’s fault. It is just that the same story simply cannot work at the same level in two very different ways of expression as movies and books are.’
-Tim Reeve


Superheroes, Police and Dead Dogs: Oh my! That is this week's releases for CMP. I hope Avengers can bring in some much needed cash for the studio.

THE AVENGERS: CIVIL WAR

CRITIQUE: It's not so much of an Avengers movie as much as it is more about the Civil War storyline in the Marvel Universe. I'm pretty sure all Marvel fans know about the War and are either rooting for team Iron Man or team Captain America! The newest installment of the Avengers saga in CMP delivers it all: Great action, great storyline. As it is promoted as being the final Avengers film, Matt Kubrick did it with his Wild Cards saga by going out with a bang and he does it again with this one. It's nice to see a cast and crew give it their all for the final film instead of just phoning it in like the last X-Men movie or the last Matrix.
ACTING/CAST: B
DIRECTION: B+
WRITING: A
PLOT/CONCEPT: A
PRODUCTION VALUES: A
MUSIC: A
ENTERTAINMENT: The pedigree behind this franchise is phenomenal. Plenty of iconic characters that Marvel fans flock to the theaters for. A popcorn flick that has it all. How could you NOT find anything entertaining out of it?
REWATCH VALUE: A+
OVERALL: A

A HARD PLACE

CRITIQUE: Last season, a critic praising another writer's film said, "Thank god we have him" it wasn't toward Richard Franzwa, the writer of A Hard Place. But with all do respects to that other writer, I wish to say thank god we have Richard Franzwa. He's a writer whose always coming up with original films and has never sold out to make films for the sake of getting money in his wallet. A Hard Place is no exception and I would be disappointed not to see this end up on GMA nomination lists. If you find that Avengers is sold out at your theater, you can still go see this one and be sure your money will be worth it. Great thought provoking ending also!
ACTING/CAST: A
DIRECTION: A+ Clint Eastwood is just an awesome director. Even if many times he directs his films to get Oscar nods.
PLOT/CONCEPT: A
PRODUCTION VALUES: A
MUSIC: B-
ENTERTAINMENT: Fans of the cast, writer and Clint can find something interesting out of the film. It's not a big budget action show, but it's definitely not something that will put you to sleep.
REWATCH VALUE: B+
OVERALL: A

THE CURIOUS INCIDENT OF THE DOG IN THE NIGHT TIME

CRITIQUE: A mystery film about the death of a neighbor's dog that leads a teenager with Asperger's Syndrome to uncover not only the killer, but other family secrets. Josh Collins adapts the best seller by Mark Haddon and like many of his novel adaptations, doesn't try to go too far away from the source material. Sure the film can't show the internal thought process of the lead character, but it does try to be unique with it and I like the originality behind the idea. This is another film you can be proud to watch if Avengers is sold out. Next to Pitiful Plight, it's Collins' best of the season.
ACTING/CAST: A Freddie Highmore's best acting thus far in his career! Ralph Fiennes does great as the conflicted father.
DIRECTION: A Danny Boyle, thanks for being born.
WRITING: A
PLOT/CONCEPT: A
PRODUCTION VALUES: B
MUSIC: B
ENTERTAINMENT: Readers of the book might be the most picky toward the film, but they always are when their book is adapted. The cast, writer and director of the film have good followings to bring fans in to see it. The creativity of the idea in a world full of sequels and remakes may also bring in film goers who want something new to see.
REWATCH VALUE: B+
OVERALL: A

MR. THUMBS' CERTIFIED MUST SEE OF THE WEEK:

Was there any guess?

SEE ALL THREE!