THE WEEKEND WARRIOR CHRISTMAS EDITION 2024!
Nosferatu, A Complete Unknown, Babygirl, The Fire Inside, Better Man, Santosh
Since it’s Christmas AND Chanukah week, I’ve decided not to be the biggest Ebeneezer Grinch on the planet, and share this week’s full column, complete with box office analysis and a couple reviews, absolutely free to ALL subscribers! It’s also because I’d like to get this posted by Tuesday aka Christmas Eve, so I can take the rest of the week off, although I still have year-end lists and some Oscar stuff I want to write possibly by year’s end. We’ll see how that works out for me.
We’ll begin with the wide releases and some box office analysis, because we have four wide releases on Christmas Day this Wednesday, and as I’ve noted almost every year since I started writing this column (in 2001!) is that the day of week on which Christmas Day falls often has an impact on a movie’s first actual three-day weekend. For instance, last year’s The Color Purple movie opened on Christmas Day with $18.2 million – one of the top Christmas Day openings ever – even though it’s not in the top 30 ever for single days for a musical. It made $18.2 million on a Tuesday but only $11.7 million over the weekend and only $60.2 million domestic, showing how audiences rushed out to see the movie as soon as possible.
Falling on a Wednesday means that movies not geared specifically for a family audience might do a ton of business on opening day and maybe less over the weekend where family-specific films like Sonic the Hedgehog 3, Mustafa: The Lion King, and returning films like Wicked and even Moana 2 are likely to pack in a ton of business.
This year, we get two new movies from popular auteur filmmakers, an erotic thriller from a filmmaker who made her directorial debut just a few years ago, and the directorial debut of an Oscar-nominated cinematographer. Only the last of those, a sports drama, might be considered something for the whole family, but that also has the least amount of promotion and marketing going for it, oddly.
NOSFERATU (Focus Features)
The fourth feature film from Robert Eggers – who broke onto the scene in 2015 with The VVitch – is this passion project, a remake of the 1922 pioneering silent horror film that introduced Max Schrek as Count Orlok, a vampiric being clearly inspired by Bram Stoker’s novel, Dracula. The movie was remade in 1979 by Werner Herzog with Klaus Kinski in the title role as Nosferatu the Vampyre, and for Eggers’ movie, Bill Skarsgård, best known for playing Pennywise in the recent It movies, takes on the role of Count Orlok.
It’s pretty much the same story that’s known and loved, though Eggers has turned it into a prestige horror film with an impressive cast that includes the ubiquitous Nicholas Hoult (who played the title role in Renfield last year), Lily-Rose Depp, Willem Dafoe, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Emma Corrin, Ralph Ineson, and more. The movie has received almost overwhelmingly positive reviews from critics – I myself reviewed it a few weeks ago, and definitely loved it – but this might be one of those rare cases where a director’s name on a movie might be more of a draw than any of its cast. The fact that the movie has only landed on a few Oscar shortlists makes one think it might not fare as well at the Oscars as some might have hoped.
This seems like stronger counter-programming than the other three new wide releases, though it could still do a lot of its business on Christmas Day, maybe even $5 to $6 million just that day. It should still be able to get enough word-of-mouth business to bring in $9 to 11 million over the weekend, which would put it in fourth or fifth place against the fifth weekend of Moana 2.
A COMPLETE UNKNOWN (Searchlight Pictures
Another big movie landing in theaters on Christmas Day is James Mangold’s Bob Dylan biopic, starring Timothée Chalamet, who has become more and more of an A-Lister in the last year thanks to massive hits like Dune Chapter Two and last Christmas’ big hit, Wonka. Chalamet has already been pegged to possibly get his second Oscar nomination for his portrayal of Dylan with a great ensemble cast around him, including Elle Fanning, Edward Norton, Monica Barbero, Scott McNairy, Dan Fogler, Boyd Holbrook, and many more.
This isn’t the first movie regarding Dylan as Todd Haynes’ 2007 experimental film I’m No There about Dylan preceded it by 17 years, but Mangold already has experience with the musical biopic, having directed Joaquin Phoenix and eventual Oscar winner Reese Thompson in the Johnny Cash biopic, Walk the Line, to a $119 million domestic gross two years prior to Haynes’ film. Dylan certainly has a strong and steady fanbase even today, but I might even go as far as to say that Chalamet might be bigger than Bob Dylan, especially among younger female filmmakers who might not have bothered with this movie otherwise.
Releasing a biopic on Christmas Day isn’t that strange, as that was the plan with Michael Mann’s Ali, starring Will Smith, in 2001, which made $10.2 million on Christmas Day (which fell on a Tuesday) and then made $14.7 million over the three-day weekend for a $40 million opening week on its way to $58.2 million total.
This is another one of this weekend’s movies that I already reviewed, and it’s very likely that this will end up in my top 10 for the year, so look for that list shortly. In the meantime, I expect this to do decently on Christmas Day in 2,500+ theaters thanks as much to the presence of Chalamet as the ongoing fanbase for Dylan and the folk movement. I’d expect this to open with as much as $4 or $5 million, and it probably will end up with $6 to $8 million over the weekend.
THE FIRE INSIDE (MGM Amazon)
Also opening on Christmas Day, possibly more for awards consideration than assuming it might do any sort of massive business against everything else in theaters, is this sports drama written by Barry Jenkins – yes, that’s the same Barry Jenkins who directed Mufasa: The Lion King that’s currently disappointing in theaters. This is the directorial debut by Oscar nominated cinematographer Rachel Morrison (Black Panther), and it tells the story of two-time Olympic gold medal-winning boxer, Claressa Shields, as played by Ryan Destiny, with Brian Tyree Henry playing her coach, Jason Crutchfield.
Obviously, Henry is a respected Oscar-nominated actor who has been in many big movies like Godzilla vs. Kong and its sequel and both the “Spider-Verse” animated movies (playing different characters?), although it’s still hard to think of him as a draw for his own. Presumably, the popularity of Shields as a boxer among men and women, and the fact that the other three new movies are very white might make this an option for black and brown audiences after Mufasa.
Oddly, MGM is opening this in over 2000+ theaters on Christmas Day, so clearly taking a different tack than the other recent sports drama, Unstoppable, starring Jennifer Lopez, which was released into an unknown number of theaters earlier this month and never reported box office.
This is the second year in a row for MGM to release a sports drama on Christmas Day, having released George Clooney’s The Boys in the Boat last year to the tune of $5.7 million in 2,557 theaters on Christmas Day proper, leading up to an $8.4 million weekend and $22 million first week, which is quite astounding. Presumably, boxing is a more popular sport than rowing/crew, and they’re taking a similar tactic by making The Fire Inside the Regal Mystery Movie Monday last week, which could help with word-of-mouth, since the marketing seems to be negligible at best.
This one might take a little longer to find its audience via word-of-mouth, but it should still be good for $3 million over the weekend being one of this week’s few films for grown-ups with a PG-13 rating, allowing families to bring older kids, though this still seems like an odd decision to release this against so many stronger options.
Mini-Review: I went into Rachel Morrison’s directorial debut not really knowing much about it other than the fact that it originally went with the title “Flint Strong,” referring to the Flint, Michigan home of the film’s subject, Claressa Shields. Not following boxing or watching the Olympics or even being into sports, I had never heard of her, so this film did provide an inspiriting story I wasn’t aware of. In fact, when I saw MGM Amazon’s other sports movie, Unstoppable, after seeing this, it was blatantly obvious how much better this was, mainly since Morrison is working from a better script with a strong cast, particularly Destiny and Henry.
One thing that really makes this standout from other sports movies is that it really gets into Shields’ background, and we also get a good idea that Crutchfield is also having a tough time, even as his star student is flourishing. It’s just as much about their relationship and how Jason is almost a surrogate father, although even after the Olympics, Claressa learns that winning a gold medal can’t solve all of her problems since there’s such a bias against women boxers in the sports world.
This is a terrific debut film from Morrison. While you’d expect it to look great due to her background as a cinematographer, the performances she gets out of the actors and how well the film is paced is just as worthy. Granted, Brian Tyree Henry has already proven himself as an underrated dramatic actor, but to find Ryan Destiny and get such a strong performance from her, both in and out of the ring, shows that Morrison has been paying attention while working with such great filmmakers like Ryan Coogler.
To the deeply cynical who hate biopics of all sorts – and to be fair, we have a bunch this weekend – there are certainly aspects to The Fire Inside that might feel like more of the same, though learning Ms. Shields’ story and her background without ever having known about her before this made for a fascinating watch. Granted, there have been plenty of films about women boxers and fighters – Clint Eastwood’s Million Dollar Baby is still one of the best – but regardless of whether you’re a boxing fan or not, The Fire Inside tells such a strong, inspirational story that keeps you invested in every aspect of Shields’ life that it’s a solid debut for Morrison.
Rating: 8/10
BABYGIRL (A24)
A24 is going even ballsier than the other studios above by releasing a very R-rated erotic thriller from filmmaker Halina Reijn (Bodies Bodies Bodies), starring Nicole Kidman as a powerful exec who gets into a sado-masochistic affair with an intern she’s mentoring, played by Harris Dickinson (The Iron Claw, Triangle of Sadness). The film also stars Sophia Wilde from last year’s A24 horror hit, Talk to Me, and Oscar-nominated actor Antonio Banderas.
Normally, I’d put money on a movie starring Nicole Kidman to do better than a movie like The Fire Inside, but oddly and despite still appearing in front of every movie that plays at an AMC – partially why I switched to Regal Unlimited – Kidman has only been in two theatrically-released films since COVID – Robert Eggers’ The Northman (ironically) and a bigger role in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, which was released last holiday season. People have just gotten more used to seeing Kidman on streaming and cable in recent years, so this movie will mostly be about whether or not her fans will make the effort to go out to theaters to see a movie like this.
The problem is that Babygirl is a very dark erotic thriller, mostly targetting older women presumably, as well as those that flock to see most A24 fare, but honestly, it’s not a good movie to release over the Christmas holidays, so it’s only being dumped this weekend in hopes Kidman will get awards love. We’ll have to wait until January to see how that pans out, but this may do some business on Christmas Day but will probably end up with just $3 to $4 million for the weekend and maybe slightly more on Wednesday and Thursday.
I was going to review this, but I wasn’t really a fan, and I realized I’d probably have to rewatch the movie if I wanted to review, and I decided I’d rather focus on other things, so you’ll just have to use your own judgment on this one, but this is not for everyone, and definitely not a movie to go see with your elderly mother.
THE BOX OFFICE CHART
1. Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (Paramount) - $40 million -34%
2. Mufasa: The Lion King (Disney) - $28.4 million -20%
3. Wicked (Universal) - $12.6 million -11%
4. Moana 2 (Disney) - $10.6 million -20%
5. Nosferatu (Focus Features) - $10.4 million N/A
6. A Complete Unknown (Searchlight) - $8 million N/A
7. Homestead (Angel Studios) - $4.2 million -36%
8. Babygirl (A24) - $3.5 million N/A*
9. The Fire Inside (MGM Amazon) - $2.8 million N/A
10. Gladiator II (Paramount) - $2.7 million -38%
*Boosting this up a bit for the weekend now that I have a theater count, which is 2,100 theaters.
I guess I’ll go with two “Chosen Ones” this week, since it is Christmukah and all…
BETTER MAN (Paramount Pictures)
Anyone who thinks the Bob Dylan movie is the only musical biopic of the weekend hasn’t been paying attention to this movie about British pop superstar Robbie Williams that has slowly been getting out there since it premiered during the fall festival season. Paramount is now giving the movie a limited release on Christmas Day in New York, L.A. and Toronto ahead of its wide release on January 10, and I’m really curious whether fans of director Michael Gracey’s previous musical, The Greatest Showman, will give this a look. I also wonder how many Americans are even familiar with Williams, even though he’s had a few hits here, just not as many as he had in the UK.
The film follows Williams’ life, growing up with a showbiz father (Steve Pemberton) from whom he always seeked love and attention, but whom only became more interested in his son as a performer after he became more famous. (This is a bit like The Fire Inside in that sense.) Oh, yeah, and Williams is portrayed as a CG ape for the entire movie for reasons that have been well explained, and apparently, it’s thrown many people off, especially those unfamiliar with Williams’ music.
I can’t even remember how I first heard of Williams or got into his music, though I know that I’ve had at least or more of his albums on my iPod almost as long as I’ve owned one, which is over 20 years. And yet, I really knew next to nothing about Williams and his life and career, oddly, so that immediately made Better Man of interest to me. This is more in the vein of Rocketman than Bohemian Rhapsody or even this week’s A Complete Unknown, since it does cover a good portion of Williams’ life and career, rather than a specific or incident. In other words, if you’re one of those haters of musical biopics, then not knowing Williams’ music won’t help since it’s his great music and songs featured in many of the film’s great musical numbers.
I wasn’t that big a fan of The Greatest Showman, despite being a fan of Hugh Jackman, but this one really worked for me, mainly because I did already know and like Williams’ music, and I was compelled to want to know more about his life. Sure, you can see this as a bit of a vanity project due to the way Williams was involved in making it, but you could probably say the same about Rocketman, which I also loved, despite not being nearly as much an Elton John fan. (It’s interesting to note that Gracey was a producer on that film.) This doesn’t always try to make Williams look good, though, and there are certain aspects that are actually toned down from the facts.
The first time I saw this, I was a little confused, since I saw that Williams himself was credited for playing himself, so I wasn’t sure if he was doing mo-cap. Apparently, he shares those duties with a younger actor/dancer named Jonno Davies. It doesn’t take long to get accustomed to the fact that there’s a monkey in all these scenes with human actors, mainly because the visual effects are incorporated so well.
Better Man does have some of the issues of other musical biopics, including random musical numbers that have little to do with the time period taking place, but those numbers are fantastic. It also spends a bit too much time with Williams’ history with the boy band, Take That, but that’s just a minor quibble. As with many of these things, Williams downfall, including falling out with family and friends, comes down to the drugs and alcohol that comes with fame, as well as some mental health issues, though this aspect is handled well, tonally, whereas it could have fully dragged the mood down. In fact, the movie just gets better and better as it goes along. (My favorite moment was when they recreate Williams’ entrance at Knebworth, which seems crazy until you realize that he actually played Knebworth on three consecutive nights.)
If you’re a Robbie Williams fan, you already know what a great songwriter and performer he is, and Better Man does a fine job telling his backstory and giving you reason to continue loving him. I’m not sure it will do much to get more Robbie Williams fans as A Complete Unknown does for Dylan, but it’s an energetic and distinctly visual entry into the much-maligned musical biopic genre, on par with Rocketman and others, and if nothing else, possibly a great introduction to Williams’ music.
Rating: 8.5/10
I’m crossing my fingers that I’ll be able to get some interviews for this for Cinema Daily US ahead of its wide release on Jan. 10, 2025.
SANTOSH (Metrograph Pictures)
Sandhya Suri’s India-based crime drama is England’s submission for the International Feature Oscar, and it was just recently shortlisted as one of the possible five nominees, so fingers crossed on that happening, since it’s a fantastic and original drama.
The film stars Shahana Goswami as Santosh Saini, the widow of a police officer who was killed during a riot, so under a government program, she’s able to take over his position rather than ending up in abject poverty. Once she joins the force, she’s taken under the wing of a powerful veteran officer Geeta (Sunita Rajwar), who teaches her the ropes. Santosh soon learns that there is a lot of questionable activity and outright corruption happening within the small rural police force. Things come to a head when the dead body of a teen girl is found in a well, the victim of rape and torture, and Santosh needs to figure out who is responsible, realizing that the caste system plays a large part in who actually gets justice.
Santosh is a deeply compelling film, mainly because it puts such a different spin on the police crime-thriller, one that’s more grounded and based in a very specific community in rural India. Focusing on the women police officers in this system makes it even more distinctive, since they’re often dealing with crimes specifically against women, who are treated as less than, as is. At times, the movie reminded me of great Asian crime procedurals like Bong Joon-ho’s Memories of a Murder or the films of Diao Yinan (Black Coal, Thin Ice, The Wild Goose Lake) with just as much tension in the storytelling, though the specificity of the rural setting goes a long way to give Ms. Suri’s film its own distinct feel.
The two main actors are quite terrific, and I was amazed by the authenticity Suri brings to the storytelling, since so many of the supporting characters who might only appear for a scene or two seemed like they could have just been found in the region. Every scene just feels so naturalistic, and that brings a lot to how Santosh pulls you into the story it’s telling.
Ms. Suri has created such a unique take on the police-crime drama, one that introduces us to a brave and strong woman who finds herself having to work within a system that’s not ideal and is greatly biased against women and lower castes.
Rating: 8/10
You can also watch my interview with Santosh filmmaker Sandhya Suri over at Cinema Daily US.
2073 (NEON)
Oscar-winning documentary filmmaker Asif Kapadia (Amy) tackles something more akin to a docudrama with a film inspired by Chris Marker’s La Jetée (which also inspired Terry Gilliams’ 12 Monkeys) with a cast that includes Samantha Morton and Naomi Ackie. It takes place in the year 2073, mixing science fiction with “speculative nonfiction” with Morton playing a survivor plagued by nighmarish visions of the past. I was hoping to get to this one before the weekend to review, but unfortunately, time wasn’t on my side. Either way, it will open at the IFC Center this Friday.
VERMIGLIO (Variance Films)
Also hitting select theaters on Christmas Day is Italy’s Oscar selection, Maura Delpero’s period drama set in 1944 on a remote mountain village of the film’s title where a soldier named Pietro, a war deserter, enters the lives of a teacher’s family and falls for the teacher’s eldest daughter. This will open at the IFC Center in New York on Wednesday, and this is another case of a film that I just wasn’t getting into when I first tried to watch it, so no review for it.
REPERTORY
Since many people are off from work and school and looking for stuff to watch, it’s a great time for New Yorkers to get out some of the great repertory and arthouse theaters around town, although some of them are probably more focused on new movies this season.
“The Holidays at Metrograph 2024” continues all week with all of the movies you’ve come to expect aka PTA’s Phantom Thread, Todd Haynes’ Carol, Kubrick’s Eyes Wide Shut, and a few surprises including Ron Howard’s Willow from 1988, which I believe is the first time it’s playing at Metrograph.
The “Kindred Spirits” series is going out with a bang with five movies, Eric Rohmer’s My Night at Maud’s (1969); Steven Spielberg’s Catch Me If You Can (2002), starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hanks; Sean Baker’s earlier breakout film, Tangerine, from 2015; Satoshi Kon’s anime classic, Tokyo Godfathers (2003); and George Cukor’s 1938 film, Holiday.
“Nicolas Uncaged” continues through the weekend with screenings of Norman Jewison’s Moonstruck (1987), Simon West’s Con Air (1997), and John Dahl’s Red Rock West (1993).
This week, as part of “Crush the Strong, Help the Weak,” you can watch the martial arts classic The Heroic Trio, starring Maggie Cheung, Michelle Yeoh, AND Anita Mui! Also screening this week is the less-screened 2000 Thai Western, Tears of the Black Tiger.
Just a reminder that next week, Jan. 3, the Metrograph starts a number of great new series, so don’t forget to check out next week’s Weekend Warior for the lowdown.
It’s Frank Capra week at the Film Forum, though they’re not showing It’s a Wonderful Life (that seems to be only at the IFC Center), though they’re showing a 35mm print of Mr. Deeds Goes to Washington (1936), starring Gary Cooper, along with screenings of Matthew Wells’ doc, Frank Capra: Mr. America, as well as Lady for a Day (1933) and Platinum Blonde (1931).
Monday’s “Clara Bow” offering, wrapping up that series, is Frank Lloyd’s Hoopla from 1933, while “Brando 100” has a few more screenings this week. Sunday’s “Film Forum Jr” is Buster Keaton in Battling Butler from 1926 with live piano accompaniment.
Frank Capra’s It’s a Wonderful Life will run through Christmas Day, while the 40th Anniversary reissue of the Coen Brothers’ Blood Simple will at least run through Thursday. Running this weekend as part of “Waverly Midnights” is William Asher’s Butcher, Baker, Nightmare Maker.
Running from Thursday through next Monday is the series “Masters of Memory: The Films of Takahata and Momose,” including “Momose Shorts,” Isao Takahata’s Chie the Brat: Downtown Story, both tying into Momose’s latest film, The Imaginary, screening a few more times. One thing Paris has been doing which is great is that they allow free admission for AMPAS and guild members if they want to watch this before year’s end for awards consideration. On Sunday, I’ll be at the Paris to see Damien Chazelle’s La La Land for the first time in a movie theater since it first came out as part of the “Skipped a Beat” musical series that runs every Sunday through January. Since I’m not sure when next week’s column will run, I should note that the Paris is also kick off a new series dedicated to filmmaker Pablo Larrain (director of Maria) beginning on New Year’s Day, Jan. 1, called “Divas and Despots” with screenings of Larrain’s No, Jackie starring Natalie Portman (only next Weds and Thursday) and Spencer, starring Kristen Stewart, which only shows on Weds, Jan. 1. There are probably worse ways to start off 2025, huh?
Gee, it looks like the programmers at Alamo don’t believe in “originality” because they’re essentially showing the same movies that the Metrograph shows every year around holiday time, aka Kubrick’s Eyes Wide Shut, Todd Haynes’ Carol, and Paul Thomas Anderson’s Phantom Thread. At least they’re showing Billy Wilder’s classic The Apartment on Saturday, but that’s already sold out. Waugh waugh.
Showing this weekend are Steven Spielberg’s Minority Report on Friday, Scorsese’s The Age of Innocence on Saturday, as well as Sofia Coppola’s The Beguiled.
Screening on Monday, Dec 30, is the rom-com classic When Harry Met Sally, and after you watch it, you can go across the street to Little Poland for a romantic dinner over pierogies! (Feel free to invite me. I haven’t been on a date in over a decade.)
NITEHAWK CINEMA PROSPECT PARK & WILLIAMSBURG
Screening on Saturday and Sunday in Prospect Park as part of the “Remembering Robin Williams” series is Spielberg’s much-maligned Hook from 1991. Also as part of that series, Dead Poets Society will screen on Monday night, Dec. 30, at Williamsburg. I think that’s it for this year?
“See It Big: Let It Snow” will show Robert Flaherty’s 1922 silent film, Nanook of the North, and then next Monday and Tuesday, you can watch Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut, so that should be fun. I mean, showing Denis Villeneuve’s Dune doesn’t seem old enough to be considered “repertory” but if you haven’t seen it on the big screen, you can see it at MoMI on Friday or Sunday afternoons.
“Marcello and Chiara Mastroianni, A Family Affair” continues through the weekend with screenings of Fellini’s 1960 “classic” La Dolce Vita, as well as Fellini’s 8 ½, and Manoel de Olivera’s 1999 film La Lettre (The Letter), and a few other, mostly Italian films.
On Friday, you can catch Robert Eggers’ The Lighthouse, and then on Saturday night, they’re screening National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation and Sunday, it’s Home Alone, and that’s it for 2024.
There are no new wide releases opening on the first weekend of 2025, but there are some limited releases and lots of repertory stuff for the weekend of January 3, 2025, so there’ll be another free edition of the Weekend Warrior next week (probably Thursday?) focusing on those things, then the box office analysis will be back the week after that.
In the meantime, Happy Holidays and Happy New Year! I’m hoping to write up my Top 25 movies list sometime soon, too.
Discomfort dodged - I'm taking someone ELSE'S elderly mom to see Babygirl!
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