Daniel O'Connor: July 2015

Hot Pursuit (2015)

12:29 PM

Armed and Sort of Dangerous

Hot Pursuit is directed by Anne Fletcher (Step Up, 27 Dresses) and stars real life best friends Reese Witherspoon (Legally Blonde, Wild) and Sofia Vergara (Modern Family, Chef). "An uptight and by-the-book cop tries to protect the outgoing widow of a drug boss as they race through Texas pursued by crooked cops and murderous gunmen". Does this film really deserve its 8% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes?

Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation

Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation (2015)

6:17 PM

Go Rogue

Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation is the 5th entry in the franchise and is directed by Christopher McQuarrie (Jack Reacher). The film stars Tom Cruise (Edge of Tomorrow, Jack Reacher), Jeremy Renner (Avengers, The Bourne Legacy), Simon Pegg (Star Trek, The World's End) and Rebecca Ferguson (Hercules, The White Queen). "Ethan and team take on their most impossible mission yet, eradicating the Syndicate - an International rogue organization as highly skilled as they are, committed to destroying the IMF". Was Brad Bird the vital ingredient for Ghost Protocol's success or can McQuarrie meet the quality or surpass it?

Descendants

Descendants (2015)

4:06 PM

They're Not Bad. They're Just Born That Way.

Descendants is Disney Channel's next original movie and is directed by High School Musical's Kenny Ortega. The film stars Dove Cameron (Live and Maddie), Booboo Stewart (X-Men, Twilight), Sofia Carson, Mitchell Hope and Kristin Chenoweth (Glee, The Boy Next Door). "A present-day idyllic kingdom where the benevolent teenage son of King Adam and Queen Belle offers a chance of redemption for the trouble making offspring of Disney's classic villains: Cruella De Vil (Carlos), Maleficent (Mal), the Evil Queen (Evie) and Jafar (Jay)". Where will Descendants rank among other Disney Channel Movies - will it be the next High School Musical or another one to descend?

Ant-Man

UK Box Office July 24-26: Joy for INSIDE OUT, Solid debut for SOUTHPAW

10:56 AM

Finally opening in the UK, Inside Out opened higher than Frozen, Brave, Big Hero 6 & Monsters University - Pixar are truly back...with a bang! Also opening within the top 5 was Southpaw which surprised and debuted at number 4.

Further down the chart, there were no other new entries but Empire Strikes Back returned to the top 10.

Ant-Man

Ant-Man (2015)

10:00 AM

Heroes Don't Come Any Bigger

Ant-Man is directed by Peyton Reed (Yes Man, The Break-Up) and stars Paul Rudd (Role Models, I Love You, Man), Michael Douglas (The Game, Basic Instinct) and Evangeline Lilly (The Hobbit Series, Lost). "Armed with a super-suit with the astonishing ability to shrink in scale but increase in strength, cat burglar Scott Lang must embrace his inner hero and help his mentor, Dr. Hank Pym, plan and pull off a heist that will save the world". Was Guardians of the Galaxy just a fluke for Marvel or can they introduce any new character and be successful?

Amanda Seyfried

Ted 2 (2015)

11:32 AM

The Thunder Buddies are Back

Directed and written by Seth MacFarlane (A Million Ways to Die in the West, Family Guy), Ted 2 is the sequel the the 2012 comedy hit. The film stars Mark Wahlberg (Transformers: Age of Extinction, Pain & Gain), Amanda Seyfried (Mamma Mia, Red Riding Hood), Jessica Barth (Ted, Family Guy) and Seth MacFarlane as the voice of Ted. 'Newlywed couple Ted and Tami-Lynn want to have a baby, but in order to qualify to be a parent, Ted will have to prove he's a person in a court of law'. I didn't quite understand the hype of Ted and found it just above average, will Ted 2 be more overkill from Hollywood?

Amy

UK Box Office July 17-19: ANT-MAN Wins But Opens Small, THE GALLOWS Gets Hung

5:12 AM

Ant-Man managed to defeat Minions this week even though the Marvel opening was a little light. A concert by Andre Rieu also opened in the top 5 at number 5 with $1.7 million.

Also opening in the top 10 was Bajrangi Bhaijaan (#7/$1.2 million) and The Gallows (#9/$500K).

Batman V Superman - Dawn of Justice

Studio Spotlight: DC (Warner Bros) - Suicide Squad, Batman V Superman, Green Lantern

12:19 PM

So Comic Con has just passed and in my opinion, the studio that won was definitely Warner Bros and their DC films. The studio released two new trailers for two of the most anticipated films of 2016 - Suicide Squad & Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice. In this post, I will be reviewing both trailers - SPOILER - I Love them both! Comic Con also gave us a sneak peak into the next Green Lantern movie. 'Studio Spotlight' is a new mini-series I am starting on the blog and will cover all the biggest studio news.

Amy

UK Box Office July 10-12: MINIONS narrowly defeat TED 2

9:14 AM

The Minions continued to reign as box office champions for a third week in a row. Ted 2 was narrowly defeated and took second place ($6 million).

Also opening in the top 10 was Love & Mercy ($164K, 9th) and Song of the Sea ($112K, 10th).

Minions

Minions (2015)

1:35 PM

Uh Oh

This review may contain slight spoilers

Minions is directed by Kyle Balda (The Lorax) and Pierre Coffin (Despicable Me 1&2). The film is a spin off to the hugely successful Despicable Me series - the latest almost joined the billion dollar club! The voice cast includes Sandra Bullock (Gravity, The Heat), Pierre Coffin (The Minions) and Jennifer Saunders (Shrek 2, Coraline). "Minions Stuart, Kevin and Bob are recruited by Scarlet Overkill, a super-villain who, alongside her inventor husband Herb, hatches a plot to take over the world". Can the Minions survive without Gru? Will this turn the Despicable Me franchise into overkill?

Arnold Schwarzenegger

Terminator Genisys (2015)

1:13 PM

Terminator Genisys is directed by Alan Taylor (Thor: The Dark World, Game of Thrones - 6 episodes) and stars Arnold Schwarzenegger (Total Recall, The Expendables), Emilia Clarke (Game of Thrones, Spike Island), Jai Courtney (Divergent, Jack Reacher) and J.K. Simmons (Whiplash, Spider-Man). "John Connor sends Kyle Reese back in time to protect Sarah Connor, but when he arrives in 1984, nothing is as he expected it to be". Is Genisys going to do a Jurassic World and re-energize the Terminator franchise or is it just overkill?

Amy

UK Box Office July 3-5: MINIONS Wins Again, TERMINATOR is Back & MAGIC MIKE is Stripped Off by Competition

12:18 PM

Last weeks winner Minions topped the box office for a second week in a row. Also opening in the top 5 was Terminator: Genisys ($5.9 million/2nd), Magic Mike XXL ($2.4 million/4th) & Amy ($800K/5th).

Also opening in the top 10 was the National Opera which entered at number 8.

Channing Tatum

Magic Mike XXL (2015)

6:10 AM

Back to the Grind

Magic Mike XXL is directed by Gregory Jacobs (Wind Chill, Criminal) and stars Channing Tatum (Jump Street Series, Jupiter Ascending), Matt Bomer (White Collar, In Time), Kevin Nash (John Wick, The Longest Yard), Joe Manganiello (Spider-Man, Sabotage), Adam Rodriguez (The Night Shift, Reckless), Jada Pinkett Smith (Collateral, Scream 2), Elizabeth Banks (The Hunger Games, Pitch Perfect) and Donald Glover (Community, The Lazarus Effect). 'Three years after Mike bowed out of the stripper life at the top of his game, he and the remaining Kings of Tampa hit the road to Myrtle Beach to put on one last blow-out performance'. Can Magic Mike be a hit the second time in a row or was it just a one night fling? Was this sequel really necessary?

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