"The Boys in the Boat" Review

 

by John Zenoni

George Clooney has more than proven himself as an actor, spokesperson, producer and director, having been at the helm of many films including ‘Good Night, and Good Luck’, ‘Leatherheads’, and ‘The Ides of March.’ His latest film, ‘The Boys in the Boat’, is by no means a classic or masterpiece but it is a pleasant, feel-good movie that is an enjoyable watch.

The film is based on the true story of the University of Washington junior row team that competes for - and gets - a spot in the 1936 Olympics in Berlin. At the center of the story is young Joe Rantz, abandoned by his father during the Depression and having to raise himself, who learns of a chance to earn money by taking a spot as one of the men on the row team. We watch to see what he goes through and learns about himself and others as he grows during the tryout and competition. It's a solid performance by Callum Turner as Rantz and the rest of the cast does a good job as well. Interesting story about the Olympics that I was not familiar with and enjoyed seeing played out on the big screen.

The 33 Biggest Flops of 2023

 

The COVID-19 pandemic has left a significant change on moviegoing. And while audiences still flock to theaters en masse, they're much more discerning in regard to what they're willing to pay for at the multiplex. Gone, it seems, are the days when studios could lob any old bullsh*t into the marketplace and reap millions of dollars in profit. The following films are merely the latest examples of Hollywood offerings that movie buffs either elected to watch in the comfort of their own respective homes or simply bypassed altogether.

33. Asteroid City

Loss: $3 million

32. Master Gardener

Loss: $4 million

It seems that moviegoers aren't particularly psyched to watch a Black woman fall for a neo-Nazi. Who knew?

31. Love Again

Loss: $3 million

30. Priscilla

Loss: $4 million

Lisa Marie Presley expressed her objections to this propagandized look at her parents' marriage; apparently, moviegoers shared her view on the film's narrative.

29. Book Club: The Next Chapter

Loss: $6 million

28. Bottoms

Loss: $6 million

27. Theater Camp

Loss: $6 million

26. Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom

Loss: $9 million

25. 80 for Brady

Loss: $12 million

The year's first failure is this football comedy that arrived in theaters just in time for its titular quarterback to retire ahead of a Superbowl that would not include him. Even discounted ticket prices couldn't get audiences across the line into auditoriums showing this flick.

24. Retribution

Loss: $13 million

Liam Neeson's schtick continues to wear thin with moviegoers.

23. The Machine

Loss: $15 million

Star Bert Kreischer's actual life story is the stuff of legend. But the bad comedy throughout this loose adaptation of some of the events that made him famous insured that ticket sales were low.

22. Are You There G*d? It's Me, Margaret.

Loss: $21 million

Apparently 53 years was too long for fans of Judy Blume's book to wait for this feature-film adaptation.

21. About My Father

Loss: $21 million

20. No Hard Feelings

Loss: $28 million

Apparently, sexual grooming as a source of comedy isn't exactly a box-office draw. Not even an A-list actress headlining this misguided raunchy throwback could propel it to break-even status.

19. Mission: Impossible Dead Reckoning Part 1

Loss: $29 million

If not for a $71 million COVID-19 insurance payout, Ethan Hunt's latest assignment would've been even deeper in the red. This doesn't bode well for Part Two.

18. Strays

Loss: $31 million

17. Magic Mike's Last Dance

Loss: $37 million

A $45 million production budget combined with $20 million spent on promotion added up to far more than moviegoers were willing to spend on tickets for this trilogy-capper that was initially slated for a straight-to-streaming release.

16. Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre

Loss: $32 million

Apparently, Guy Ritchie fans had little to no interest in seeing him make a comeback -- not even with Jason Statham.

15. Dumb Money

Loss: $40 million

14. Blue Beetle

Loss: $43 million

13. Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken

Loss: $80 million

This Luca rip-off has the dubious distinction of giving Dreamworks Animation its worst-ever opening, making it clear that it would be a massive failure from the outset. Taking the marketing and production budgets into account (https://www.slashfilm.com/1359782/ruby-gillman-teenage-kraken-dreamworks-animation-biggest-flop-ever/) had to be a dismal prospect for the studio's bean-counters.

12. Renfield

Loss: $54 million

Nicholas Hoult's second horror/comedy had a much higher budget than his first feature in the genre hybrid (Warm Bodies), it failed to match the zombie adaptation's quality -- which shows in this collaboration with the other Nicolas' box office receipts.

11. Hypnotic

Loss: $62 million

10. Expendables 4

Loss: $75 million

9. Wish

Loss: $80 million

8. Rise of the Beasts

Loss: $86 million

Sadly, the only good live-action Transformers movie is the very first one. It's a shame too, because this seventh entry showed real promise too, only falling apart around the time that Pete Davidson shows up. 

7. The Haunted Mansion

Loss: $100 million

Disney's decision to release this ghost story remake in late July instead of October probably wasn't the wisest. At any rate, it's managed to surpass its predecessor to become an even bigger box office failure. 

6. The Little Mermaid

Loss: $110 million

While The Little Mermaid was a domestic success, it was DOA overseas. Due to the complaints of online trolls regarding the main character being portrayed by an African-American actress as opposed to a white cartoon, there's widespread speculation that racism is to blame for the movie's collapse. If so, the racists really missed out, since the film's only real problem is the ever-irritating presence of Awkwafina. 

5. Fast X

Loss: $129 million

While the previous entry in the Furious saga, F9, was a step in the wrong direction, Fast X has plumbed new depths -- to audience's mass dismay.

4. Shazam 2

Loss: $166 million

The writing was on the wall well before this debacle premiered. A $125 million production tag combined with marketing costs totaling $105 million was much too large a sum to overcome the global apathy that accompanies a sequel to a movie that also lost millions at the box office (and also apparently required $105 million to promote). It doesn't help that the film isn't actually any good. 

3. The Flash

Loss: $200 million

The Flash's first solo feature film is surprisingly superior to several comic book movies that managed to eke out a profit. However, DC's decision to publicize the fact that the studio's cinematic universe is set to be overhauled soon likely discouraged moviegoers from caring. Nevertheless, The Flash's box-office failure is immensely satisfying if for no other reason than the fact that actor Ray Fisher was unceremoniously written out of it.

2. Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny

Loss: $219 (Deadline)

Unsurprisingly, not many moviegoers were psyched to watch a frail octogenarian armed with little more than a bullwhip punch his way through a secret cell of Nazis -- especially given that the previous film in the series was nearly-universally panned 15 years earlier.

1. The Marvels

Loss: $223 million

Though this MCU sequel is superior to its billion-dollar predecessor in quality, an unpopular lead character and marketing that highlighted its goofy tone led moviegoers to stay far away. The result? The lowest-grossing entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe series to date.

"Ferrarri" Review

 

by John Zenoni

Ferrari the car might be fast but there is definitely nothing speedy about the latest Michael Mann film, “Ferrari”, about the founders and evolution of the famous car company, starring Adam Driver, Penelope Cruz, Patrick Dempsey and Shailene Woodley. While there are some interesting facts in the film about Ferrari and his personal and business life, this movie felt more like a Lifetime drama than an action-packed filled film, which I was expecting to see.

Yes, there are a few race moments - including one of the most realistic and horrible car crashes I've seen - but nowhere near as much as I wanted to see. I also wanted more focus on the development of the car and why and how Enzo and Laura Ferrari founded the company. The film is almost soap opera’ish in a way and definitely was somewhat of a let down. As far as characters go, Driver was ok, at times, but then at other times he was overplaying it, in my opinion. I honestly was more interested in Cruz as his neglected wife than anyone else in the film and Woodley and Dempsey both were wasted in their parts. Definitely not a winner like I had hoped it would be.

"Leave the World Behind" Review

 

by John Zenoni

“Leave the World Behind”, starring Julia Roberts, Ethan Hawke, Mahershala Ali and Myha’la, is a fairly decent pre/post apocalyptic film currently streaming on Netflix. There are some pretty decent performances in this - especially by Roberts and Ali - including a cameo by Kevin Bacon - that makes it worth a look. But, while the build up is pretty intense and keeps you on the edge, the big twist or climatic scene is when I think when it failed for me. It just did not have the ending I expected after everything the characters went through. I have seen better type films -- but one could watch worse.

"Fool Me Once" Review

 

by John Zenoni

Wow! Talk about a Netflix limited series that fooled me. I felt sure when I started to watch “Fool Me Once”, a film based on the novel by Harlan Coben, that it was going to be a Lifetime or Hallmark-type drama. But man I was wrong. This one definitely has enough suspense, twists and cliffhangers in it to keep you fully engaged.

The storyline pulls you in from the get-go as it takes very little time for the mystery to begin. The main character, Maya Stern, is trying to deal with the brutal murder of her husband, Joe. Widowed with a young daughter, her friend installs a nanny-cam to help Maya keep an eye on her daughter while she's working and is with her nanny. Later on, while reviewing the nanny cam footage, she's shocked to see her ‘dead’ husband has been in her house. From there, the chase begins and it's a good one. This is something I almost binged the first night but had to wait and finish the next day. It's that good. Definitely one I recommend.

The 19 Best TV Shows of 2023

 

We've gotten some pretty decent television moments in 2023. Here are the 19 best series released this year:

19. Love & Death

Though this is the second miniseries about Texas middle-school teacher Betty Gore's grisly axe-murder at the hands of her frenemy, Candy Montgomery, in as many years, it's still worth watching (However, Love & Death's glacial pace in the introductory episodes helps to give 2022's Candy the edge.).

18. How to Create a Sex Scandal

There's more than what initially meets the eye in a Texas calamity that underscores the importance of thorough investigations in this docuseries that explores a particularly shameful situation. 

17. Wolf

When DI Jack Caffery moves back home to London in order to investigate his dead brother's 10-year-old abduction, he becomes embroiled in the double-murder that may have been closed prematurely. 

Far from the copaganda with which we've been inundated for decades, the corruption of one of Caffery's colleagues (including building her career off of a high-profile frame-up) is on full display. With a mere six episodes, Caffery has already solidified his place next to Sherlock Holmes and John Luther as immensely watchable British detectives.

16. Dark Winds (Season 2)

15. The Castaways

After Lori Holme's flight goes missing, her obnoxious little sister Erin burns bridges and alienates everyone she knows in her quest to learn the truth of what happened. Meanwhile, Lori and the other survivors of her downed flight fight to navigate life on an uncharted Pacific island. The titular castaways include a combat vet, the captain, a very pregnant woman, a retired doctor and a millionaire. And one of them is a murderer.

14. The Dreamer

Superstar comic Dave Chappelle closed the year with this incendiary stand-up special that takes aim at a vast array of comedic targets during his DC homecoming.

13. Kennedy

The 35th president's career is chronicled in this eight-part series that covers his life from birth to his assassination in Dallas.

12. The Bear

11. Lawmen: Bass Reeves

The legendary deputy marshal gets his due in this series boasting top-notch production values and cinematography. Reeve's life spanning from slavery to free family man through his first few years as a renowned lawman is explored with care and meticulous attention to detail. 

10. What If...Iron Man Crashed Into the                      Grandmaster?

Far and away the best episode (by a long shot) of the second season of the MCU's flagship animated series shows us how things would've played out had Tony Stark allied himself with Gamora, Valkyrie and Korg and led a coup on Sakaar. 

9. Slow Horses (Season 3)

8. Beckham

Football legend David Beckham opens up about his childhood, his career, his Spice Girl and his life in the spotlight.

7. Skull Island

This "cartoon's" gorgeous animation, live-action series approach to comedy and compelling new characters all make for a vastly superior product than the mega-budget movie that inspired it.

6. Rabbit Hole

Corporate spy, John Weir, is drawn into a world of intrigue, kidnapping and murder when his latest assignment involves high-profile corporate and political figures. 

5. UnPrisoned

Following his release from federal prison upon completion of a 17-year sentence, Paige Alexander finds herself living with her father, Edwin, for the first time since childhood. Unfortunately, even her experience as a family therapist hasn't prepared her for the sudden reemergence of emotional issues and complexes that confront her when Edwin -- and his ex-girlfriend (Paige's surrogate mother for 10 years) -- moves in.  

4. Dreaming Whilst Black

Jamaican-British aspiring filmmaker Kwabena suffers through the racism that comes with pursuing goals -- and simply existing -- as a Black man living in a major caucasian city.

3. Average Joe

BET+ enters the prestige television ranks with this series about a Pittsburgh contractor who finds himself hunted by a Russian organized crime group while simultaneously -- and desperately -- attempting to stay one step ahead of the state police detective assigned to investigate the ever-growing number of homicides. 

Comedian Deon Cole finally takes his rightful place as a small-screen lead in this impressive drama. One headscratcher, though, is the filmmakers' decision to provide an accomplished assassin with an unearned happy ending. 

2. Monarch: Legacy of Monsters

The production values in this streaming series about a government agency dedicated to researching kaiju surpass some of the feature films (namely, Skull Island and King Kong vs. G*dzilla) in the franchise to which it belongs. At times a prequel to the last two Hollywood G*dzilla movies and sometimes a prequel to the entire series, Monarch explores the eponymous organization's inception and previously unknown history with MUTOs.

1. The Artful Dodger

This period series gives a Charles Dickens classic the Cobra Kai treatment. Set over a decade after his dealings with the most famous orphan of all time, the title character has created a new life for himself in Australia.