Looking at the Weekend: Jan. 12-14, 2017

With the holiday films fading and last week’s opener likely to follow the second-week plummet most horror films do, then one of this weekend’s releases could post a high enough tally to top the slowly diminishing Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle. Paddington 2 has the best potential thanks to its sequel status and the prior film’s decent $18 million opening. Of course, Proud Mary could also do well as could The Commuter, so right now, things are a bit up in the air and not soon to be decided.

Our Highest Rated Films: Paddington 2, The Insult
Our Best Awards Ratings: The Insult (Oscars)

OTHER LIMITED RELEASES

The Post (Expanding)(Read our previous Looking at the Weekend commentary here.)
Condorito: La Pelicula
My Art
Wastelander

Jan. 12-14, 2017
Film	Our Thoughts	Awards Chances
The Commuter (Wide Release) See the original CinemaSight Trailer & Poster Preview	5.3 Wesley Lovell: (4) Peter J. Patrick: (5) Tripp Burton: (6) Thomas LaTourrette: (6)	Nil Wesley Lovell: (Nil) Peter J. Patrick: (Nil) Tripp Burton: (Nil) Thomas LaTourrette: (Nil)	Categories: None
	Individual Commentary:
	Wesley Lovell (WL): For a Liam Neeson actioner, this one doesn’t look awful, though it doesn’t look great either. Peter J. Patrick (PP): Low wattage thriller looks like another waste of Liam Neeson’s talents. Tripp Burton (TB): This looks like a fine action film, but not much different than a lot of other Liam Neeson films. Thomas LaTourette (TL): The trailer is more exciting than I expected, especially Vera Farmiga’s cool portrayal. I get the impression from the reviews that it will be an enjoyable if forgettable thriller.
Film	Our Thoughts	Awards Chances
Paddington 2 (Wide Release) See the original CinemaSight Trailer & Poster Preview	7.0 Wesley Lovell: (7) Peter J. Patrick: (7) Tripp Burton: (7) Thomas LaTourrette: (7)	Nil Wesley Lovell: (Nil) Peter J. Patrick: (Nil) Tripp Burton: (Nil) Thomas LaTourrette: (Nil)	Categories: None
	Individual Commentary:
	Wesley Lovell (WL): I still need to see the original, but it looks charming. Peter J. Patrick (PP): Looks like a perfectly entertaining sequel to the delightful 2014 original. Tripp Burton (TB): This looks like a solid children’s film, and my kids are excited! Thomas LaTourette (TL): I haven’t gotten around to watching the first one yet, though word of mouth on both is good. The trailers always look more slapsticky than I remember the books being, but at some point I need to try them out.
Film	Our Thoughts	Awards Chances
Proud Mary (Wide Release) See the original CinemaSight Trailer & Poster Preview	6.3 Wesley Lovell: (10) Peter J. Patrick: (5) Tripp Burton: (7) Thomas LaTourrette: (3)	Nil Wesley Lovell: (Nil) Peter J. Patrick: (Nil) Tripp Burton: (Nil) Thomas LaTourrette: (Nil)	Categories: None
	Individual Commentary:
	Wesley Lovell (WL): Absolutely ready to give this one a go. Peter J. Patrick (PP): Good cast looks wasted in undercooked crime drama. Tripp Burton (TB): This looks like a lot of fun. Thomas LaTourette (TL): This looks no better or worse than any number of hit man films where the protagonist suddenly has to look after a child from a hit gone wrong. Henson should be fun in the role, but I just am not that excited by it.
Film	Our Thoughts	Awards Chances
The Insult (Limited Release) See the original CinemaSight Trailer & Poster Preview	7.0 Wesley Lovell: (6) Peter J. Patrick: (6) Tripp Burton: (9) Thomas LaTourrette: (7)	5.0 Wesley Lovell: (5,Oscars) Peter J. Patrick: (Nil) Tripp Burton: (8,Oscars) Thomas LaTourrette: (7,Oscars)	Categories: Foreign Film (WL,TB,TL)
	Individual Commentary:
	Wesley Lovell (WL): It’s on the Best Foreign Language Film shortlist, so it must have some merit. Peter J. Patrick (PP): The effects of historical trauma on modern Lebanese society seems worth catching at some point. Tripp Burton (TB): This is one of the short-listed films for the Foreign Film Oscar, and it is supposedly very deserving. Thomas LaTourette (TL): With Middle East politics being in the news daily, this takes on a very topical air. It looks intriguing and from the preview I can see why it was short listed for the Oscar.
Film	Our Thoughts	Awards Chances
Vazante (Limited Release) See the original CinemaSight Trailer & Poster Preview	5.0 Wesley Lovell: (3) 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 just doesn’t hold a lot of appeal for me. Peter J. Patrick (PP): Heavy-going Brazilian drama set in early 19th Century might be one for a rainy Sunday afternoon. Tripp Burton (TB): This could be an interesting little film to discover. Thomas LaTourette (TL): A confusing trailer gives hints to the movie’s plot, but left enough murky for me that it just did not grab me.