The Possession went straight into the number one spot taking $21M in box office sales. Lawless took second place and earned $12.8M. None of last week’s opening films were in the top 10 this week! [1] Two films open this week. Let’s see how they did and if they were worth the money!
Note: We only review films in wide release.
Lawless – R What’s the buzz?
Based on the true story of the Bondurant Brothers, Lawless tells the story of bootlegging brothers during the depression era. They are forced to deal with a corrupt deputy, local competition and mobsters as they attempt to gain a monopoly over their area. It features an all star cast which includes Jason Clark, Tom Hardy, Shia LaBeouf, Jessica Chastain, Gary Oldman, Guy Pearce, and Mia Wasikowska. Although it has received a mixed score the reviews from critics are mostly positive. The Hollywood Reporter sums up best the consumer’s thoughts, saying “If Lawless doesn’t achieve the mythic dimensions of the truly great outlaw and gangster movies, it is a highly entertaining tale set in a vivid milieu, told with style and populated by a terrific ensemble. For those of us who are suckers for blood-soaked American crime sagas from that era, those merits will be plenty.” [2]
So is it worth the money? Yes
- Box office rank: 2
- Critics say: Metacritic- 58 (Positive)
- Rotten Tomatoes: 66% (Fresh)
- Consumers say: Metacritic- 7.0 (Positive)
- Rotten Tomatoes: 91%
The Possession – PG-13 What’s the buzz?
Supposedly based on a true story, this film tells the story of a young teenage girl who buys an antique box at a yard sale. She soon becomes obsessed with it and her behaviour becomes erratic and her divorced parents must unite to find the truth about the box and what it contains. Despite the negative to mixed reviews by critics, it received mixed to positive reviews from consumers and took the number one spot in the box office charts. The Los Angeles Times describes the film as “A better-than-most fright-time tale.” [3]
So is it worth the money? Maybe
- Box office rank: 1
- Critics say: Metacritic- 45 (Mixed)
- Rotten Tomatoes: 38 (Rotten)
- Consumers say: Metacritic- 7.0 (Positive)
- Rotten Tomatoes: 51%
What’s opening this week in theaters?
The Cold Light of Day (28% Rotten Tomatoes)
The Words (82% Rotten Tomatoes)
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[1] http://boxofficemojo.com/weekend/chart/?yr=2012&wknd=35a&p=.htm
[2] http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/lawless-cannes-review-shia-labouf-326812
[3] http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/moviesnow/la-et-mn-possession-movie-review-20120831,0,5417384.story
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I saw “Lawless” and though I don’t want to, I have to congratulate everyone associated with the film for attempting to do something of social significance. Do I think they achieved their goal; “no.” A movie with so much talent; Jason Clark, Tom Hardy, Shia LaBeouf, Jessica Chastain, Gary Oldman, Guy Pearce, and Mia Wasikowska might have a hard time failing and on most documentary terms this movie ends up losing for the simplest journalistic specifications.
Maybe someone else does but I don’t remember where this whole bootlegging proto gangster catastrophe even occurred. Many of the characters came from Chicago originally yet I couldn’t tell what southern accent was being expressed. Mississippi or the Ozarks, I certainly have no idea. I guess this might have occurred anytime from the thirties to the late 40’s but there was no real wars discussed so I (not being a historian) couldn’t really place when the story occurred. And other than clearly happening during the prohibition era we really got very little notion of how other events like law enforcement trends, Washington politics, or other crimes might have influenced the narrative.
But it was still great to see so many recent blockbuster movie actors attempting to lend their talents to work of greater topical and historical substance. Who knew the casts of “Alice In Wonderland,” “The Transformers,” “Prometheus,” and “The Dark Knight Rises” could so skillfully make this topic seem urgent, relevant, and classic. Regardless of the criticism I enjoyed the movie.
Hey I just wanted to make a plug for “Bernie”. It was an independent film with Jack Black, Matthew McConaughey, and Shirley MacLaine. True story and very, very well done. I thoroughly enjoyed it!