The Weekend Warrior September 16, 2022
THE WOMAN KING, PEARL, SEE HOW THEY RUN, CLERKS III, MOONAGE DAYDREAM, GOD’S COUNTRY, CONFESS FLETCH, THE SILENT TWINS, and More
What a week this is turning out to be. Even without all the stuff I saw at TIFF, which you can read more about very soon, this is still a very busy week with a number of wide releases, a few moderate releases and a few others that fall somewhere in-between. So let’s get to it…
THE WOMAN KING (Sony)
Viola Davis stars in Gina Prince-Bythewood’s historic epic about Nanisca, the woman general of the powerful Kingdom of Dahomey that fought off rival tribes and slavers during the 18th and 19th centuries. In any other movie market, it might be considered counter-programming, but in fact, this is the weekend’s widest release into over 3,500 theaters, and it’s a movie that’s received quite a big push from Sony, including (as mentioned above) a high-profile world premiere at TIFF.
At this point, Davis is a bonafide A-list star who can get asses into seats, as they say, and this is a great role for her following her foray into superheroes with 2016’s Suicide Squad and its 2021 sequel, The Suicide Squad. Just two years ago, Davis received her fourth Oscar nomination for Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, although that being a Netflix movie (released during the pandemic), there’s no way to tell how that might have fared theatrically. That followed three previous nominations including winning the Oscar, starring opposite Denzel in the adaptation of the play Fences, which he directed. Davis has definitely been flexing her muscle as a performer into production, this being her first theatrically-released narrative feature.
This isn’t just a one or two-woman show though as Davis is ably joined by young Thuso Mdebu, who was in Barry Jenkins’ “The Underground Railroad” (which I still haven’t seen), as well as Lashana Lynch from last year’s No Time to Die, and “Star Wars’” own John Boyega, whose recent thriller Breaking really didn’t BREAK out when it was released wide a few weeks back.
Prince-Bythewood’s career has been a little more haphazard with her 2000 film Love and Basketball being deemed a classic with a solid $27 million, and even her 2008 movie The Secret Life of Bees grossed $37 million domestically, although 2008’s Beyond the Lights making just $14 million, despite great performances by Gugu Mbatha-Raw and Nate Parker. Her most recent film, The Old Guard, premiered on Netflix a few years back and was embraced by critics and fans alike, as a different type of comic book movie.
There’s a lot going for this movie despite the cynical (and probably racist) white men who have trashed the movie sight unseen (or just from seeing the trailer). As I often say, not every movie has to be for everyone, and this one is very much for underserved black women who used to get a lot more movies geared towards them, whether it’s The Help, Waiting to Exhale, The Best Man series, or even the movies of Tyler Perry. The success of those movies shows that there is an audience of women looking for entertainment.
As I’ve mentioned over at Gold Derby, the trailer has been playing in front of a lot of the summer’s movies, often in the same block as Marvel’s Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, which further confirms the connections between the two movies, which also could greatly help The Woman King.
This should be good for $16 to 18 million this weekend, but expect word-of-mouth to be solid to allow it to leg out in ways we don’t see too often in September, because there’s nothing else like it coming out the next few weeks. I could see this one grossing $60 to 70 million or more once people get to see it, similar to Sony’s Where the Crawdads Sing.
Mini-Review: Sure, it’s easy to be sucked up into the overflowing enthusiasm that comes with watching a movie at a film festival – I will not deny that I’ve fallen victim to it – but there’s no denying that Gina Prince-Bythewood and Viola Davis have really created something quite special with The Woman King. It’s a movie that stands up there with many of the male-driven historic epics that have caught our fancy, such as Mel Gibson’s Braveheart and Ridley Scott’s Gladiator, Kingdom of Heaven, and even Robin Hood.
Like those movies mentioned, this is a compelling fictionalized history lesson that may take a bit of license with the story, but definitely does so for the better. We’re introduced to Viola’s Nanisca in the early 1800s as she’s leading her warriors, the Agojie, against members of the Oyo army who have kidnapped citizens of Dahomey. We soon meet Thuso Mbedu’s 19-year-old Nawi, who spurns the advances of a wealthy potential husband, so her father dumps her on the steps of the Dahomey’s King Ghezo (played by John Boyega), either as a potential wife (he has many) or warrior. Nawi comes under the eye of Lashan Lynch’s Izogie, a tough lieutenant in the Agojie who takes Nawi under her wing.
Nawi is quite headstrong and arrogant, constantly talking back to Nanisca, which means she just has to train even harder to be deemed worthy of joining the Agojie, but the younger girl establishes a strong relationship with Izogie and ultimately displays her wiles that make the the perfect addition to the army.
Although Viola Davis is front and center as the general, this is not a one-woman show, and there are plenty of other great performances, particularly Mbedu and Lynch, and having other characters and stories keeps The Woman King interesting. Eventually, Jordan Bolger shows up as Malik, a Portugese trader with familiar ties to Dahomey, who befriends
There may be a few dramatic tropes in the story, but the screenplay is just excellent, and the storytelling shows Prince-Bythewood to be a filmmaker who has fully mastered her craft, to the point where the more emotional dramatic scenes are just as riveting as the action-related ones.
The Woman King effectively creates many women who you’re rooting for – and again, not just Davis’ character – and it’s clearly a passion project for everyone involved to give it there very all for every single scene. I even think those more into testosterone-driven fare will appreciate what they’ve done if they give the movie a chance. For me, bringing the story of Nanisca and the Agojie to modern younger audiences is just as much an achievement as creating such an emotionally powerful film.
Rating: 9/10
PEARL (A24)
A movie that I was very excited about when I first heard of its existence is this prequel to Ti West’s X, starring Mia Goth as one of her characters from that movie, the elderly woman named Pearl. This movie goes back to 1918 where we get to see her as a young girl, dreaming of becoming a dancer on the big screen. Things don’t really work out, and she reacts… violently.
Although X only made $11.8 million in theaters after a meager opening of just $4.2 million, that was in mid-March when things were just picking up again after the Omicron surge, and let’s face it that as much as I love Mia Goth as an actor, she doesn’t necessarily have drawing power, which might be even more of factor here. Pearl is a great chance to prove me wrong, because she really is a terrific actor, one of the best of a certain age.
Maybe the greatest bit of marketing for Pearl was when West and A24 announced earlier this week that there will be a third part of the trilogy called MaXXXine, which follows Goth’s OTHER character from X as she’s in Hollywood in 1985, presumably still making porn. They even released a teaser, so clearly, Ti has had plans for X to be a trilogy all along. Clever, huh?
Although Pearl is coming into the market with a number of horror films surrounding it (Barbarian last week and Don’t Worry Darling next week), reactions have generally been decent and those who loved X, having either seen it in theaters or on demand, will be interested in learning more about Pearl. Because of that, this should open in the $6 to 7 million range to take second place.
Mini-Review: Every once in a while, an actor might talk about the backstory they’ve created for their character, and you wonder whether that might make a movie as interesting or more interesting than the one you just watched. That was certainly the case with Mia Goth’s character in Ti West’s X, and sure enough, she and West must have discussed doing something more, co-writing and filming the prequel Pearl at the same time as X.
Pearl goes back in time to 1918 when Goth’s Pearl is still living on the farm with her strict German mother (Tandi Wright) and invalid father, but she has dreams of dancing on the big screen like in the movies she sneaks away to see. Pearl is a sweet and simple girl when we first meet her, but as we learn, she’s also a bit sex-crazy and maybe more than a little psychotic. She finds someone who could help her achieve her dreams in the bohemian projectionist at the town’s theater, played by David Corenswet.
Pearl is a very different movie from X, which took many of its cues from Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and it returns West to his slow-build horror from the past where things seem fairly normal and serene other than a few outbursts along the way. Although the violence is mostly saved for the last act, there are sure signs that maybe Pearl’s mental trappings are slipping throughout, and the conflict with her mother gets progressively slips as that happens. And yet, you do still feel somewhat sorry for Pearl even as she attacks those around her, because clearly, her dreams of glory are diluting her sense of right and wrong. There’s even a moment where Pearl uses the same “I’m a star!” quote we hear from Maxine in X, but Pearl is much more menacing in her delivery.
I didn’t love Pearl as much as X, but I did appreciate it as an in-depth character study, and Goth’s performance is just so well-tuned and deliberate. There’s one moment where she gives a single-take monologue that seems to go on for over six minutes or more, and it’s hard not to be impressed by the film’s very final shot. But I also ended up feeling more for Pearl, knowing what she went through earlier in life.
Pearl adds an important piece of the puzzle to this horror trilogy that West has been creating (with Goth as an able partner, having co-written the screenplay), and I hope this marks a long return to filmmaking for him, as well as gets a lot of people to see Goth as a bonafide actor with her amazing performances in these two films.
Rating: 7.5/10
SEE HOW THEY RUN (Searchlight)
A bit of a late starter but being released wide nonetheless into 2,200 theaters is this murder-mystery comedy directed by BBC regular Tom George with a cast that includes Sam Rockwell, Saoirse Ronan, David Oyelowo, Adrien Brody, Harris Dickinson, and more. It involves a murder that takes place during a party for the 1953 stage adaptation of Agatha Christie’s movel-turned-play “The Mousetrap.” It’s celebrating its 100th performance and being adapted into a feature film by a drunken sot of a director (played by Adrien Brody) who gets into a fight with the play’s leading man, “Dickie” Attenborough, as played by Dickinson. When someone dies, Rockwell’s Inspector Stoppard, along with his trainee, Constable Stalker,
The movie’s great cast will go a long way towards getting people to check this out, but also the general affinity audiences seem to have with murder-mysteries, as seen by the success of Knives Out and the series Only Murders in the Building.
Although this hasn’t benefitted from the festival screenings and word-of-mouth that come out of those, reviews have generally been okay, and this actually works decently as counter-programming for those who aren’t into violent war epics or horror movies. Because of that, I think See How They Run can bring in maybe $3 to 4 million this weekend, which would give it a nice placement in the top 10.
(Unfortunately, I ran out of time to write my review for this movie even though I saw it weeks ago, but it’s generally good, especially the rapport between Rockwell and Ronan’s characters. I’ll try to add a review when I have more time.)
CLERKS III (Lionsgate)
Playing in roughly 700 theaters this week via Fathom Events with single evening showings on Tuesday though Sunday is Kevin Smith’s sequel to his directorial debut, 1994’s Clerks and its sequel, Clerks II. There isn’t a lot to say about this, because I’m not sure how much business will be left over for Friday through Sunday, presuming that the Smith diehards will be out in force earlier in the week. Smith has also been on a bit of a roadshow tour with the film in the week or so before the Fathom Events, and many will have seen the movie in that format, as well. Who knows if any of the Fathom Events will even report box office on Sunday, but those roadshow screenings probably will be handled differently. I’ll be curious to see whether Fathom (or Lionsgate) release box office numbers for this, although early reports say the movie brought in $500,000 on Tuesday and $1.1 million all the way through Wednesday
Mini-Review: There are probably two camps when it comes to Kevin Smith. There are those who absolutely love everything he’s done and will follow him to the ends of the earth, and there are film critics. Not to be snide or snarky, but I personally have had a bit of a love-hate relationship with Smith. He’ll make a movie I love or like a lot, and then he’ll turn around and make a Yoga Hosers. Honestly, it’s pretty amazing that I gave Smith’s subsequent movies a chance after that piece of shit.
As might be expected, Clerks III revisits Brian O’Halloran’s Dante and Jeff Anderson’s Randal to see what they’ve been up to at the Quick Stop Mart since we last saw them in 1994’’s Clerks II. Dante is now a widower, his wife and daughter dying in a crash with a drunken driver, and after Randall has a nearly-fatal heart attack, he decides the best use of his time would be to make a movie about his life. As you might guess, he’s basically making the same movie that Smith himself made in
It’s going to sound obvious, but everyone in the earlier movies are back, including Jason Mewes’ Jay and Smith’s Silent Bob, and even more obviously, everyone looks and feels very old. As ageist as that might sound, it makes the entire movie feel old, and that not in a good, retro way.
Furthermore, there are two characters, Elias (Trevor Fehrman) and Blockchain (Austin Zajur), who are so poorly written, but they’re used a lot throughout the movie, far too much if you ask me, since they really don’t offer much besides showing up at the Quick Mart in outlandish costumes and razzing Dante and Randal. Rosario Dawson is easily the best part of the movie, though she only really shows up for a couple short scenes, but her first scene with Dante is the very best part of the movie.
Smith has always had a knack for instilling his low-brow humor with humanity and real emotions, and there’s definitely more resolution for the characters in this one than in Clerks II. In fact, Clerks III could very well be the end of this era for Smith and his View Askew Universe, so maybe he’ll go back to trying to write decent original comedies that he’s so good at. Heck, at this point, I’ll take a Zack and Miri Make a Porno or even a Jersey Girl – as long as it’s original and doesn’t involve Jay and Silent Bob.
Clerks III isn’t a terrible movie, and Smith diehards should still enjoy it, but it just feels lesser for Smith, because he clearly had some ideas he wanted to include, but the overall movie just falters as it goes along, taking away from what Smith intended.
Rating: 6/10
There’s also a faith-based family film called Running the Bases, being released by UP2U Films, which I absolutely ZERO about, including its release plans in terms of theater count, so it might break into the top 10, but I just don’t have enough information to write about it even semi-intelligently.
THE CHART:
Update 9/15: With theater counts out now, I’m updating a few predictions accordingly, though most of them are generally the same, and I’m just adding a few others that are likely to end up just outside the top 10.
1. The Woman King (Sony) - $16.8 million N/A
2. Pearl (A24) $7 million N/A (up .5 million)
3. Barbarian (20th Century) - $5 million -53%
4. See How They Run (Searchlight) - $3.5 million N/A (up .2 million)
5. Bullet Train (Sony) - $2.1 million -38%
6. Top Gun: Maverick (Paramount) $2 million -37%
7. Brahmastra Vol. 1: Shiva (20th Century Star Studios) - $1.9 million -58%
8. DC League of Super-Heroes (Warner Bros.) - $1.6 million -36%
9. Running the Bases (UP2U) - $1.5 million N/A
10. The Invitation (Sony) - $1.4 million -48%
- Moonage Daydream (NEON) - $1.1 million N/A
- God’s Country (IFC Films) - $1 million N/A
- Clerks III (Lionsgate) - $1 million N/A
- Confess, Fletch (Paramount) - $800k N/A
- The Silent Twins (Focus Features) - $400k N/A
This week’s “Chosen One” is…
MOONAGE DAYDREAM (NEON)
Brett Morgen’s experimental doc about the late, great David Bowie will hit 170 IMAX theaters on Friday for a one-week run, and the higher-priced tickets and the general love for Bowie that’s only exploded in the six years since his death should allow this to do quite well.
I generally liked the movie, but with a little trepidation and hesitation, as well as definite qualifications to that statement. Calling Moonage Daydream an “experimental doc” is fairly apt and accurate, because like he did with Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck, Morgen isn’t just using concert or television footage of David Bowie in telling his story, but edits in footage from many different sources, including movies and other things that could help to tell Bowie’s story in more of an artistic way, which would also be quite apt.
My biggest issue with Morgen’s film is not really something he did wrong persé but more with the idea of ANY director thinking that they could break down an extremely complex artist into a movie, even with the length and density with which Moonage Daydream covers the life, career and music of Bowie. There are many sections of the movie that I loved – maybe it’s telling that my favorite part was in the early ‘80s when Bowie was at the height of his popularity and fame due to the success of “Let’s Dance” – the album and song.
But it takes quite some time to get to that part of the movie as the film deals with Bowie’s earliest years and fame by using clips from TV talk shows where he’s more playful but just comes across in a way that detracts from the image of himself he was creating on stage.
In other words, it’s quite difficult to put into words my feelings on this one, and I’ll just have to watch it a second time (which I’ll be doing on Friday in IMAX) to really get my head around what Morgen has done. I’ll be really curious to see how this does since it’s opening only on IMAX screens this weekend, but has a lot of built-in awareness and interest due to its subject matter.
GOD’S COUNTRY (IFC Films)
Thandiwe Newton stars in Julian Higgins’ thriller, which premiered at TIFF in January and IFC graciously has shared with me a screener… which I just never found the time to watch. ARGH! Hopefully I can rectify that, because I do love Newton, who plays a college professor who finds two hunters trespassing on her property, leading to a cat-and-mouse battle of wills. I hope to watch this one soon, because I’m embarrassed wth how long it’s taken me to get to it.
CONFESS, FLETCH (Miramax)
Jon Hamm stars in this revival of Gregory Mcdonald’s popular detective character Irwin “Fletch” Fletcher, played in two ‘80s movies by Chevy Chase. This one is directed by Greg Mottola of Superbad and Paul fame, and also stars Marcia Gay Harden, Kyle MacLachlan, John Slattery (a “Mad Men” reunion!) and more. Based on Mcdonald’s novel of the same name, this one involves Fletch trying to clear his name after being suspected of murders, while also on a case to find his fiancé’s art collection. Although I personally haven’t had a chance to watch this yet (it’s on my list!), it will open in theaters as well as be available On Demand, and then it will go to Showtime on October 28.
THE SILENT TWINS (Focus Features)
Polish filmmaker Agnieszka Smoczynska (The Lure) directs this film, which stars Letitia Wright and Tamara Lawrance as June and Jennifer Gibbons, real-life Welsh identical twins who became known for their refusal to communicate with anyone but each other. I have deemed this an “absurdist biopic” (in a similar way as the upcoming Weird: The Al Yankovic Story), because as I watched it, I had no idea that June and Jennifer Gibbons were real people or that this was extrapolated from their art and writings, which are interlaced with the performances by Ms. Wright and Lawrance. I wasn’t really a fan of this movie, partially due to the way the Gibbons twins are portrayed with Wright and Lawrance speaking with strange affectations that one never gets accustomed to. I’m not going to write a full review, but I really wasn’t a fan and can’t really recommend this over some of the films above, but it’s opening in a few hundred theaters this Friday.
BLONDE (Netflix)
Speaking of biopics, I was hoping to catch Andrew Dominik’s biopic of Marilyn Monroe, as played by Ana de Armas, before it opened at the Paris in New York City this Friday before expanding to other theaters on September 23. It will stream on Netflix on September 28. Having not seen it yet, I don’t have a ton to say except that Monroe continues to be an interesting figure from old(er) Hollywood, and I’m dying to see what Dominik does with this film, which reportedly would have gotten a rare NC-17 rating.
RIOTSVILLE U.S.A. (Magnolia)
A documentary that I also wasn’t able to get to just yet was Sierra Pettengill’s film which looks at how the rebellions from the 1960s has led to growing military responses to the protest marches by the police. Not really something I’m particularly interested in, but hope to check out soon.
SIMCHAS AND SORROWS (Gravitas Ventures)
I’m pretty excited to watch this since it was produced by my friend Matt Ott (who directed Ovum and other films). Directed by Genevieve Adams, this is a rom-com focused around former Catholic school girl Agnes, who wants to marry her beloved Levi, but has to convert to Judaism in order to do so. Oh, the hijinks! If you’re in L.A., it will play at the Laemmle Noho Theater starting on Friday and then it will be on digital and on demand platforms starting Tuesday.
Streaming…
GOODNIGHT MOMMY (Prime Video)
Hitting Prime Video on Friday is this remake of the 2014 Austrian thriller, which was that country’s Oscar selection that year (though it didn’t get nominated). It stars Naomi Watts as the mother of twin boys, Lucas and Elias (Cameron and Nicholas Crovetti), who are shocked when their mother returns home with her face covered in bandages. She starts behaving oddly which makes them think she’s not really their mother, so they do what any kids would do… they tie her to her bed using duct tape. I wasn’t that crazy about the original movie, to be honest, and director Matt Sobel takes a different approach with this one that’s maybe a little less horror and more family drama, but there are still some chilling moments in this. (Incidentally, I’ll have an interview with Matt Sobel over on Below the Line probably next week.)
HEATHERS: THE MUSICAL (Roku)
A movie I’ve been looking forward to but haven’t had a chance to watch yet is Andy Fickman’s musical adaptation of the classic ‘80s dark comedy, Heathers, with book, music and lyrics by Kevin Murphy and Laurence O'Keefe. I’m not really sure if this ever played in New York, either off-Broadway or on Broadway, but I never got a chance to see it, so this might be one’s best bet if they didn’t see it in theaters. I’ll be on Roku this Friday.
MIJA (Disney+)
Another movie that’s been floating around for weeks or even months that I just haven’t had a chance to see yet. (I even bought a ticket to see it at the IFC Center but got too bogged down in writing.) Anyway, Isabel Castro’s doc about Doris Muñoz and Jacks Haupt is finally hitting Disney+ on Friday, so I’ll have no excuse. Doris and Jacks are daughters of undocumented Mexican immigrants who are trying to make it in the music industry.
Repertory stuff….
Before we get to the regular repertory series, Metrograph is doing a special two-film retrospective of Whit Stilman on Saturday, who will be on-hand doing QnAs and intros for Metropolitan (1990) and Barcelona (1994), the latter being shown in 35mm, but both are already sold out. Earlier on Saturday, you can see the latest edition of
Screening as part of “Metrograph Selects,” Eliza Hittman (Never Rarely Sometimes Always) will be there this Friday night to screen and do a QnA for her 2013 debut film, A Lot Like Love, which I’VE NEVER SEEN! (It’s also screening Wes Anderson’s The Fantastic Mr. Fox on Thursday night, as part of this series picked by the box office staff.)
“Welcome to Metrograph A to Z” includes the final screening of Peter Greenaway’s A Zed and Two Noughts (1985) today (Thursday) at 3:30pm! Speaking of absurdity, they’re also continuing to screen Apichatpoint Weerasethakul’s Uncle Bonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives (2010), as well as 1972’s Top of the Heap and Med Hondo’s Soleil Ô from 1970.
“‘70s Play the ‘30s” continues with The Sting and Bound for Glory tonight (Thursday), and then more stuff throughout the weekend, including the classic Paper Moon
“Late Nights: Hip-Hop Icons” screens Poetic Justice on Thursday night, and then the Ice Cube classic Friday (1995) on Friday night (oh, and also Saturday night). This week’s “Midilengths: Daily Life & the Afterlife” is Ryūsuke (Drive My Car) Hamaguchi’s 2016 “midi” Heaven is Still Far Away.
I’m pretty excited that FilmLinc is screening all three parts of the Hong Kong classic Infernal Affairs Trilogy in a new 4k Restoration, starting Friday, and I’m mortified by the fact that I haven’t been able to find time to get up there to watch all of them again! I saw the three movies when they played as part of the New York Film Festival maybe 18 years ago or more? Been dying to see them again on the big screen, but I may have too much going on the next couple weeks. A good problem to have, I guess.
“Miloš Forman 90” continues through the weekend and part of next week with more screenings from the filmmaking master, including Ragtime (on Thursday and Sunday), Amadeus (on Sunday), and lots more. This weekend’s “Film Forum Jr.” on Sunday is Miloš Forman’s Hair from 1979. Really? That’s a movie for kids? Okay.
Starting Friday, MOMI is kicking off the Caan Film Festival (get it?) which features 12 films starring James Caan, which will run through Oct. 9. This weekend, they’re showing The Godfather, El Dorado, and Games. MOMI is also going to screen Safety Last! on Saturday as part of its Silents, Please!
Now through 25, MOMA is doing a “Beth B Retrospective,” showing every film, both features and shorts, made by Beth B, who has been a part of the downtown New York art and film scene going back to the ‘70s. I’ve only seen some of her more recent works like 2020’s Lydia Lunch: The War is Over (which will screen on Saturday evening). This is another thing I would like to have time to get to, but it’s just not meant to be.
(Sorry, that’s all I’ve got in me for repertory this week since I’m running so late with the column.)
ETC…
THE RETALIATORS (Better Noise Films)
BECOMING ICONIC: JONATHAN BARKER (Cinedigm)
THE AFRICAN DESPERATE (Mubi)
DO REVENGE (Netflix)
THE AMERICAN DREAM (AND OTHER FAIRY TALES)
WE ARE ART
Next week… Olivia Wilde’s period thriller Don’t Worry Darling and James Cameron’s Avatar is back in theaters!
Box office data provided by The-Numbers.com.