Cinema Sight by Wesley Lovell

Film Preview: The Nun (2018)

Wesley Lovell

June 23, 2018

Film Previews

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Page Revisions:

(June 17, 2018) Original

Release Date:

September 7, 2018

Synopsis:

From IMDb: “When a young nun at a cloistered abbey in Romania takes her own life, a priest with a haunted past and a novitiate on the threshold of her final vows are sent by the Vatican to investigate. Together they uncover the order’s unholy secret. Risking not only their lives but their faith and their very souls, they confront a malevolent force in the form of the same demonic nun that first terrorized audiences in ‘The Conjuring 2,’ as the abbey becomes a horrific battleground between the living and the damned.”

Poster Rating: C-

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Review: The creepy nun is precisely what they are selling even if the structure is bland and uneventful.

Trailer Rating: C+

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Review: The concept of distracted scares isn’t new, but it seems to be all too common aspect to horror trailers these days and unless you’re already invested in the Conjuring films, this trailer alone won’t do much to entice you into it.

Oscar Prospects:

None.

Trailer #1

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This Day in Oscar History: June 23 (2018)

Wesley Lovell

June 23, 2018

This Day in Oscar History

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Here’s what happened today in Oscar History.

Born

Died

Released

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Film Preview: The Children Act (2018)

Wesley Lovell

June 22, 2018

Film Previews

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Page Revisions:

(June 17, 2018) Original

Release Date:

September 14, 2018

Synopsis:

From IMDb: “As her marriage to Jack (Stanley Tucci) flounders, eminent High Court judge Fiona Maye (Emma Thompson) has a life-changing decision to make at work – should she force a teenage boy, Adam (Fionn Whitehead), to have the blood transfusion that will save his life? Her unorthodox visit to his hospital bedside has a profound impact on them both, stirring strong new emotions in the boy and long-buried feelings in her.”

Poster Rating: C

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Review: If you want to sell your film on Emma Thompson, this would work. Otherwise, there’s not much here to tell the audience what they are getting into.

Trailer Rating: C+

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Review: Apart from Emma Thompson’s performance, this film looks generic, formulaic, and like it has too many familiar purportedly emotional beats.

Oscar Prospects:

It could be a minor contender, but the September release isn’t going to help much. Emma Thompson could be the only survivor and that would require her to knock off a lot of stiff competition.

Trailer #1

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Oscar in Box Office History (Week 25, 2018)

Wesley Lovell

June 22, 2018

Oscar in Box Office History

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Every week, we’ll take a look back in 5-year intervals at the box office past to explore how Oscar’s nominees were doing at the box office each weekend historically. All data is collected from Box Office Mojo. The first section under each year is the positioning of all Oscar nominees during that weekend at the box office (as well as a section looking at the inflation-adjusted numbers). The third section is an alphabetical list of those films and the categories in which they were nominated. And to start each week off, we’ll be looking at the films releasing over the weekend that have the best chance of getting Oscar nominations and specifying the categories where we think they have the best shots at this stage of the game. If you have any suggestions for more data you’d like to see, please let us know.

This Year: Potential Oscar Nominees Releasing This Weekend

Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (Wide)

Oscar Potential: Sound Mixing, Sound Editing, Visual Effects.

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The NEW Friday Face-Off #256

Wesley Lovell

June 22, 2018

Friday Face-Off

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We are back to the winners bracket while the losers are percolating. We’re moving into round fou.

Here is this week’s ten (or fewer) face-offs.

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This Day in Oscar History: June 22 (2018)

Wesley Lovell

June 22, 2018

This Day in Oscar History

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Here’s what happened today in Oscar History.

Born

Died

Released

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Poll: Remaking Best Original Song, 1997

Wesley Lovell

June 21, 2018

Polls

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Polls

Remaking Best Original Song, 1997

In our third pass of the Oscar nominees from 1997 through 2016, we take a look at the nominees for Best Actress. Each week, we’ll present a list of contenders from which you can select five to make up the Best Actress slate. There will be an “Other” option, but you can only use this once and you’ll have to specify your other in the comments. Now on to the game: Best Actress.

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Film Preview: Searching (2018)

Wesley Lovell

June 21, 2018

Film Previews

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Page Revisions:

(June 17, 2018) Original

Release Date:

August 3, 2018

Synopsis:

From IMDb: “After his 16-year-old daughter goes missing, a desperate father breaks into her laptop to look for clues to find her.”

Poster Rating: F

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Review: I would be most fascinated by this design the letters were on the keys where they belong rather than haphazardly placed to spell out the title. It could have been so much more than nothing.

Trailer Rating: B-

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Review: One of two films trying to use a gimmick to great effect and this one appears like it might almost succeed. That is if there weren’t small issues as the trailer progresses that makes it feel more and more conventional rather than more and more unique.

Oscar Prospects:

None.

Trailer #1

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Oscar Profile #397: Joseph L. Mankiewicz

Peter J Patrick

June 21, 2018

Oscar Profile

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Born February 11, 1909 in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, Joseph Leo Mankiewicz was the younger brother of Herman J. Mankiewicz (1897-1953), the Oscar-winning co-writer of Citizen Kane.

Young Joe Mankiewicz received a bachelor’s degree from Columbia University in 1928 at the age of 19. His college professor father sent him to Berlin to study German drama at the University of Berlin. Instead, he went to work for UFA film studios translating German intertitles into English for distribution by Paramount in the U.S. His brother Herman, then head of Paramount’s scenario department, hired him to write for Paramount in Hollywood where he quickly established himself, earning an Oscar nomination for co-writing 1931’s Skippy.

Mankiewicz moved to MGM in 1934 where he first worked on the screenplay for Manhattan Melodrama. That same year he married first wife actress Elizabeth Young. The marriage would produce one child but was over by 1937. In 1939 he would marry actress Rose Stradner with whom he would have two children.

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This Day in Oscar History: June 21 (2018)

Wesley Lovell

June 21, 2018

This Day in Oscar History

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Here’s what happened today in Oscar History.

Born

Died

Released

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Poll: What Are You Watching? (Jun. 22-24, 2018)

Wesley Lovell

June 20, 2018

Polls

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Polls

What Are You Watching? (Jun. 22-24, 2018)

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Trailer Watch: Mortal Engines (2018) Updated

Wesley Lovell

June 20, 2018

Trailer Watch

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New Trailer (#2) / New Poster (#1)

Mortal Engines

Preview Link: CLICK HERE for all of the new content as well as the original.

2018 Summer Season Preview: June

Wesley Lovell

June 20, 2018

Monthly Previews

Comments

Here we look at the upcoming month’s offerings.

July 6, 2018

Ant-Man and the Wasp

Premise: From IMDb: “In the aftermath of ‘Captain America: Civil War,’ Scott Lang grapples with the consequences of his choices as both a Super Hero and a father. As he struggles to re-balance his home life with his responsibilities as Ant-Man, he’s confronted by Hope van Dyne and Dr. Hank Pym with an urgent new mission. Scott must once again put on the suit and learn to fight alongside The Wasp as the team works together to uncover secrets from their past.”
Box Office Prospects: $200 M
Expectations: Good. The prior film made $180 million at the box office. This sequel is a one of only two films between now and the Infinity War sequel, so it has the potential to draw attention to look for clues as to what will happen next. However, I suspect it will remain one of the lower-grossing franchise films.
Oscar Prospects: Uncertain. The effects look more diverse this time around, which could put it into competition for Visual Effects. It will probably make the shortlist, but not the Oscars.
Cinema Sight Preview: See my preview of this title here.

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Looking at the Weekend: Jun. 22-24, 2018

Wesley Lovell

June 20, 2018

Looking at the Weekend

Comments

Opening to the tune of $208 million three years ago, Jurassic World proved there is plenty of life left in the Jurassic Park franchise. While the $231 million it would have made in 2018 dollars is a staggering figure, it’s not an insurmountable one. While the film is unlikely to top its predecessor, which couldn’t even top the original in inflation-adjusted currency, the second film will do well and will definitely top the second film in the series, which made $457 million adjusted for inflation. That said, I suspect the opening weekend, with the competition of Incredibles 2 is probably going to top out around $200 million even if it opens in more theaters than the prior film.