As far as I can tell "Avatar: Way of the Water" is an epic, visually stunning 3 hour and ten-minute movie that has a thirty-minute plot. This is what happens when the CG becomes more important than the writing. It's all flash and no substance.

Not that it won't make a fortune anyway. Just that it feels like you are watching it because everyone else is watching it and you keep checking your watch.

quote:

Originally posted by Raven:
As far as I can tell "Avatar: Way of the Water" is an epic, visually stunning 3 hour and ten-minute movie that has a thirty-minute plot.

Worse, it's a 30 minute plot retold 6 times. The story literally repeats itself. At 3+ hours even the great visuals begin to bore you. I think this one will wear on audiences after they leave the theater and actually consider what it is they watched.

Avatar is expected to do about 85 M this weekend which will move it to # 8 domestically. It is not going to be the massive hit that folks predicted. In other news, the Brad Pitt/Margot Robbie film Babylon about decadence in 1920s Hollywood looks to be a major bomb. Cost at least 80 M to make and will gross 5 M this weekend.

Caught "The Glass Onion" on Netflix the other night. As it starred one of my least favorite actors, Daniel Craig, I should have known better than to waste my time. However "Knives Out" provided enough entertainment for me to watch its follow up, especially since I'm already paying for the service anyway. I'm not putting in spoilers, but you might glean something from my impressions, so don't read this if you really want to see it cold.

First of all, if you want no spoilers, don't even read the film's actor credits because the studio gives away a plot point that comes more than halfway thru on one character. So beware.

Daniel Craig, playing "the greatest detective in the world" Benoit Blanc, is enjoying being the opposite of his James Bond persona. That's the best I can say, as he plays Blanc with an accent straight out of "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof". He also mopes around in bathtubs and likes striped shorts in between making impossible deductions based on what can only pass for being in the script.

Incidentally the mystery itself is fairly easy to "guess" solve without even knowing the why of it.

The supposed "A" list cast has a very "B" list feel to it, much like the Kenneth Branagh remakes of Agatha Christie movies. Both this Blanc and that Poirot are showoffs and are more important than the actual story. For "The Glass Onion" there are references to current events and social media and the lunatic rich and famous. It's supposed to be smart, but it says nothing really. All the characters are stereotypes of someone we are supposed to be reading about and we have to overlook their gaps.

I thought that the movie was a hit, but it wasn't in theatres long and won't break the Top Ten. I'm glad I didn't spend movie money on it. One thing I will say to it's credit, probably the only thing. It's the first film I have seen that actually acknowledges the Pandemic and shows characters wearing facemasks, as brief as that is. So that's my opinion and now I'm on to something called "The Witcher: Blood Origin" that I'm only watching for Michelle Yeoh, but so far it doesn't look promising, and I may stop that one fast.

I really liked Knives Out but the "whodunnit" films are typically not something I gravitate to. In a time of so many mystery solving outlets for entertainment it is near impossible to hit us with something new. We all know it was Colonel Mustered in the Library with the Candlestick.

I am sure I will catch it at some point but not in any rush.

Wow! Looks like no love for Whitney Huston this weekend. $5M on a $45M budget. To be fair I don't know what Hollywood mastermind thought tossing on top of Avatar during Christmas was such a great idea.

Avatar continues to fall under predictions but given the budget I am reading it is doing well. I really don't understand the claim that it MUST make $2B world wide unless the studio was hoping it would cover other failed projects. Maybe if they would show us their math we could all be a little more understanding.

quote:

Originally posted by mykdude:

Wow! Looks like no love for Whitney Huston this weekend. $5M on a $45M budget. To be fair I don't know what Hollywood mastermind thought tossing on top of Avatar during Christmas was such a great idea.

Avatar continues to fall under predictions but given the budget I am reading it is doing well. I really don't understand the claim that it MUST make $2B world wide unless the studio was hoping it would cover other failed projects. Maybe if they would show us their math we could all be a little more understanding.

For Avatar, the studio has already invested in this one and the next 2 coming out in 2024 and 2026. They are probably estimating how much each has to pull in to profit and, if this one does less than expected, how much is it likely to affect the math on the next one. I don't understand why they gave Cameron license to even do it. The story was good the first time because it was the first time, but this is like beating a dead horse. Everyone got the point and knows the story already.

As for the Whitney Houston movie, she is in many ways like Marilyn Monroe, only with music. Almost everything that can be revealed about her life is already well told. It's not a happy story and her albums can be played if you want to hear her sing. I don't think the stage numbers in this film can compare to what they could do in "Elvis". A movie like this is what you watch streaming when you have nothing better to do, but large numbers of people will not flock to a theatre to see it no matter the time of year in MHO.

I think Avatar might end up in the Top 5 of the year domestically but I don't think it will pass Dr. Strange or Black Panther and no way will it come even close to Top Gun.

If Avatar makes another 60 to 80 M this weekend, it may move to # 3 or # 4 for the year. We will see.

It seems poised to pass Thor, The Batman, Minions, and Jurassic World by Jan 1.

Avatar is now the # 2 film of 2022, but way behind Top Gun.

Small note about a UK TV series. 'Death in Paradise' is an entertaining detective series showing here in the UK. It has a lot of fans who will have watched the Christmas Special episode recently. I wonder how many of them realised that Harry the Lizard is a CG character though, at least in this latest episode and series ?

Pretty sure that the FINAL Top 10 of 2022 will be these:

TOP GUN
AVATAR
BLACK PANTHER
DOCTOR STRANGE
JURASSIC WORLD
MINIONS
THE BATMAN
THOR
SONIC 2
BLACK ADAM


So you have 5 superhero films in the Top 10, 3 by Marvel and 2 by DC Comics. Disney had 4 of the 10 hits of the year--besides Marvel it also owns the defunct 20th Century Fox which did Avatar.

4 of the Top 10 were summer 2022 films (Top Gun, Minions, Thor, and Jurassic); 3 were released early in the year, and 3 in the fall/winter.

quote:

Originally posted by Kevin F:
Small note about a UK TV series. 'Death in Paradise' is an entertaining detective series showing here in the UK. It has a lot of fans who will have watched the Christmas Special episode recently. I wonder how many of them realised that Harry the Lizard is a CG character though, at least in this latest episode and series ?

"Death in Paradise" is nice to look at and usually pretty entertaining when the who-done-it isn't too absurd. I have watched it through all the dozen or so years its been on. I just wish they wouldn't keep changing the cast so much.

There have been a few years where the actors just didn't mesh as a group. Then they'd finally find a nice chemistry and suddenly half the characters would move to Paris. That's how they get rid of the actors, everybody goes to Paris or London and gets replaced. One or two return and then darn if they don't go back again. You would think its Doctor Who the way the police force keeps rotating.

Yeah, Harry is obviously CG. Probably the only reason why they haven't had to send him to Paris too.

A basic look at the domestic covid bounce back.

A movie that barely was released theatrically in 2022 has arrived on Netflix, "The Pale Blue Eye". Starring Christian Bale, I knew it was in trouble, but the plot sounded intriguing with murders, Devil worship and Edgar Allen Poe as a main character. It wasn't and there is a reason why it didn't find an audience.

Amazingly Bale gave a relatively decent performance. The most annoying actor here was Harry Melling doing some sort of a halting rendition of Poe, who was btw totally unnecessary to the story. His part could have been anyone and the name is just used to make the story seem creepier than it ultimately turns out to be.

Whether you find this slow and very unscary murder mystery worthwhile enough to watch depends on whether or not you see the ending coming and, if not, did you even care. I didn't and I still didn't.

Avatar up to 570 M domestically. Can it catch Top Gun which made 718 M ?

Avatar hit 600 M domestically, but seems to be slowing.

I don't think it will pass Top Gun at 700 M plus

Avatar just about up to 650 M domestically

Would need another 70 M to pass Top Gun. Don't think it will happen.

PUSS IN BOOTS 2 actually turned out to be the # 10 film of the year domestically, knocking BLACK ADAM out of the Top 10. Warner Bros. is upset.

quote:

Originally posted by Tommy C:
Pretty sure that the FINAL Top 10 of 2022 will be these:

TOP GUN
AVATAR
BLACK PANTHER
DOCTOR STRANGE
JURASSIC WORLD
MINIONS
THE BATMAN
THOR
SONIC 2
BLACK ADAM


So you have 5 superhero films in the Top 10, 3 by Marvel and 2 by DC Comics. Disney had 4 of the 10 hits of the year--besides Marvel it also owns the defunct 20th Century Fox which did Avatar.

4 of the Top 10 were summer 2022 films (Top Gun, Minions, Thor, and Jurassic); 3 were released early in the year, and 3 in the fall/winter.