Looking at the Weekend: Aug. 17-19, 2018

Hoping to become the sleeper hit of the Summer, hopes that mirror those of My Big Fat Greek Wedding, Crazy Rich Asians already has the critical support to become a hit, it now just needs an audience. While I think it will handily come out on top for the weekend, it might face surprisingly fierce competition from Mark Wahlberg-starrer Mile 22 and prehistoric canine-and-boy adventure Alpha at the box office.

Our Highest Rated Films: Crazy Rich Asians, The Wife
Our Best Awards Ratings: The Wife (Oscars)

OTHER LIMITED RELEASES

Billionaire Boys Club
Minding the Gap
A Whale of a Tale

Aug. 17-19, 2018
Film	Our Thoughts	Awards Chances
Alpha (Wide Release) See the original CinemaSight Trailer & Poster Preview	3.3 Wesley Lovell: (2) Peter J. Patrick: (5) Tripp Burton: (3) Thomas LaTourrette: (3)	Nil Wesley Lovell: (Nil) Peter J. Patrick: (Nil) Tripp Burton: (Nil) Thomas LaTourrette: (Nil)	Categories: None
	Individual Commentary:
	Wesley Lovell (WL): None of the trailers have ever made this film look interesting. Peter J. Patrick (PP): A boy and his dog in the Ice Age – looks a bit ho-hum. Tripp Burton (TB): This is not my sort of film, but my wolf-loving eight-year-old is super excited about it so I’m sure I’ll see it soon. Thomas LaTourette (TL): Somehow this telling of a boy and his dog (wolf) just does not look that interesting.
Film	Our Thoughts	Awards Chances
Crazy Rich Asians (Wide Release) See the original CinemaSight Trailer & Poster Preview	6.5 Wesley Lovell: (7) Peter J. Patrick: (6) Tripp Burton: (6) Thomas LaTourrette: (7)	1.3 Wesley Lovell: (Nil) Peter J. Patrick: (5,Oscars) Tripp Burton: (Nil) Thomas LaTourrette: (Nil)	Categories: Supporting Actress (PP)
	Individual Commentary:
	Wesley Lovell (WL): A lot is riding on this particular film’s success and I’m completely ready for that. Peter J. Patrick (PP): Could be a genuinely funny comedy with an Oscar-caliber performance from Michelle Yeoh. Tripp Burton (TB): This looks more historically important (the first all Asian-American cast in a studio film in 25 years) than enjoyable, but that may just be me. Thomas LaTourette (TL): The trailer is not that exciting, but the reviews make it sound like it is the comedy of the summer.
Film	Our Thoughts	Awards Chances
Mile 22 (Wide Release) See the original CinemaSight Trailer & Poster Preview	3.5 Wesley Lovell: (1) Peter J. Patrick: (5) Tripp Burton: (4) Thomas LaTourrette: (4)	Nil Wesley Lovell: (Nil) Peter J. Patrick: (Nil) Tripp Burton: (Nil) Thomas LaTourrette: (Nil)	Categories: None
	Individual Commentary:
	Wesley Lovell (WL): Mark Wahlberg’s films haven’t looked appealing in some time. Peter J. Patrick (PP): Peter Berg’s last two films with Mark Wahlberg were disappointments – I expect this one is no better. Tripp Burton (TB): I’m getting overloaded by this Peter Berg led genre of films. Thomas LaTourette (TL): I know Mark Wahlberg is looking for another movie series and he can be a capable actor, but this does not look like anything that new or exciting.
Film	Our Thoughts	Awards Chances
Blaze (Limited Release) See the original CinemaSight Trailer & Poster Preview	4.3 Wesley Lovell: (1) Peter J. Patrick: (5) Tripp Burton: (7) Thomas LaTourrette: (4)	Nil Wesley Lovell: (Nil) Peter J. Patrick: (Nil) Tripp Burton: (Nil) Thomas LaTourrette: (Nil)	Categories: None
	Individual Commentary:
	Wesley Lovell (WL): This country biopic doesn’t look that interesting or original. Peter J. Patrick (PP): Looks like a standard musician biopic. Tripp Burton (TB): This looks like a rare find: a good musician biopic. Thomas LaTourette (TL): Once again an uninspired trailer is counterbalanced by good reviews, but this still does not appeal much.
Film	Our Thoughts	Awards Chances
Juliet, Naked (Limited Release) See the original CinemaSight Trailer & Poster Preview	5.8 Wesley Lovell: (6) Peter J. Patrick: (6) Tripp Burton: (7) Thomas LaTourrette: (4)	Nil Wesley Lovell: (Nil) Peter J. Patrick: (Nil) Tripp Burton: (Nil) Thomas LaTourrette: (Nil)	Categories: None
	Individual Commentary:
	Wesley Lovell (WL): it might be a modestly charming film. Peter J. Patrick (PP): Looks like it could be a charming minor comedy about a faded rock star. Tripp Burton (TB): This looks like a sweet romantic comedy. Thomas LaTourette (TL): This might prove better than the trailer and reviews lead me to think, but I am most dubious.
Film	Our Thoughts	Awards Chances
The Little Mermaid (Limited Release) See the original CinemaSight Trailer & Poster Preview	3.5 Wesley Lovell: (0) Peter J. Patrick: (6) Tripp Burton: (5) Thomas LaTourrette: (3)	Nil Wesley Lovell: (Nil) Peter J. Patrick: (Nil) Tripp Burton: (Nil) Thomas LaTourrette: (Nil)	Categories: None
	Individual Commentary:
	Wesley Lovell (WL): This looks abysmally bad. Peter J. Patrick (PP): Another take on the Hans Christian Andersen fairytale that never grows old. Tripp Burton (TB): I have no idea what to make of this movie. Thomas LaTourette (TL): This just looks bad all the way around, even though they gathered a decent cast. I imagine that Disney will be doing a live action of their own soon, and this wanted to cash in on unsuspecting parents before that one came out.
Film	Our Thoughts	Awards Chances
Memoir of War (Limited Release) See the original CinemaSight Trailer & Poster Preview	4.8 Wesley Lovell: (5) Peter J. Patrick: (6) Tripp Burton: (5) Thomas LaTourrette: (3)	Nil Wesley Lovell: (Nil) Peter J. Patrick: (Nil) Tripp Burton: (Nil) Thomas LaTourrette: (Nil)	Categories: None
	Individual Commentary:
	Wesley Lovell (WL): Could be fascinating, could be uninteresting. Peter J. Patrick (PP): Wartime biography of French author Marguerite Duras looks promising. Tripp Burton (TB): I’m getting tired of these World War II films, but this looks not bad. Thomas LaTourette (TL): It sounds like an outstanding performance by Melanie Thierry, but I worry that it will be a long film with little new to tell.
Film	Our Thoughts	Awards Chances
We the Animals (Limited Release) See the original CinemaSight Trailer & Poster Preview	5.3 Wesley Lovell: (4) Peter J. Patrick: (6) Tripp Burton: (5) Thomas LaTourrette: (6)	Nil Wesley Lovell: (Nil) Peter J. Patrick: (Nil) Tripp Burton: (Nil) Thomas LaTourrette: (Nil)	Categories: None
	Individual Commentary:
	Wesley Lovell (WL): There are some interesting elements to this, but perhaps not enough. Peter J. Patrick (PP): Sundance winner about a family on the fringes of civilization could be this year’s arthouse sleeper hit. Tripp Burton (TB): This looks like typical Sundance fare. Thomas LaTourette (TL): It’s a very different trailer, but I am just not certain if these kids are people that I want to spend that much time with.
Film	Our Thoughts	Awards Chances
The Wife (Limited Release) See the original CinemaSight Trailer & Poster Preview	6.3 Wesley Lovell: (4) Peter J. Patrick: (8) Tripp Burton: (8) Thomas LaTourrette: (5)	2.0 Wesley Lovell: (Nil) Peter J. Patrick: (6,Oscars) Tripp Burton: (2,Oscars) Thomas LaTourrette: (Nil)	Categories: Actress (PP,TB)
	Individual Commentary:
	Wesley Lovell (WL): If it weren’t for Glenn Close’s performance, I can’t say this would look all that good. Peter J. Patrick (PP): Will Glenn Close finally win that elusive Oscar? Say tuned. Tripp Burton (TB): I’ve heard really good things about this and am excited to catch it. Thomas LaTourette (TL): Glenn Close is getting good press about this role, but I am not certain that an August release will mean Oscar glory for her at last. It looks like a subtle performance, though I am not certain that the rest of the film will be that good.