There’s yet another superhero film out this week in both the UK and USA. This time it’s the turn of Captain Marvel starring Brie Larson. That should mean another very average Marvel offering as pretty much all of these movies tend to be. If you have ever seen any of these movies you will know they are very similar.
However this one’s a little different, well maybe not the film itself but more regarding the rather offensive language allegedly used by its star Brie Larson following her previous film. It seems Brie isn’t too keen on the type of film critics that will be reviewing her film. Unsurprisingly the mainstream media have cast the actress as the victim.
Then there’s the alleged ‘abuse’ of the Rotten Tomatoes ‘Want to See’ percentage score which has resulted in the removal of the feature from the site. Note you will still be able to vote on whether you liked or disliked the film once it’s out in cinemas.
To be honest I’m not too sure who really uses the ‘Want to See’ percentage and decides based on the score if they will go and see a particular film, I mean isn’t that what a movie trailers for. In any case all of these issues seem to have overshadowed the actual film. Is it any good? The mainstream media seem to think so but I for one doubt it’s any masterpiece based on Marvel’s previous film offering.
There is one other film out this week in UK cinemas, Miss Bala an action thriller starring Gina Rodriguez. Whatever your views on the Brie Larson controversy or the Rotten Tomatoes debacle I think it’s the movies that should do the talking. With that said let’s take a closer look at our two new releases, here are the cinema releases 8 March 2019 for the United Kingdom & USA.
Cinema Releases 8 March 2019
Captain Marvel (Action; Adventure; Sci-fi)
Released 8th March 2019 UK/US (12A/PG-13) 124 Mins
- Distributor: Walt Disney
- Starring Brie Larson; Annette Bening; Ben Mendelsohn; Clark Gregg; Djimon Hounsou;
- Gemma Chan; Jude Law; Lashana Lynch; Lee Pace; Mckenna Grace; Samuel L. Jackson
Captain Marvel Reviews
There’s been a lot of hype surrounding Captain Marvel’s release and the reviews are in and its fair to say they’re pretty mixed. Here’s a selection of what film critics are saying, click on the links for the full reviews:
Oliver Jones – Observer
While it may be a Marvel movie, it shares a deeper spiritual DNA with movies like Memento and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, than it does, say, Ant-Man.
Barry Hertz – Globe and Mail
Bizarrely, Captain Marvel is less interested in fleshing out its own hero than it is in filling in the blanks of the MCU.
James Berardinelli – ReelViews
This plays like the kind of generic comic book movie that was in vogue 15 years ago.
Christy Lemire – RogerEbert.com
The girl power (and grrl power) ring out loud and clear, if a bit hollow.
Stephanie Zacharek – TIME Magazine
Larson does get a few opportunities in Captain Marvel to be that regular, flawed-but-strong human-there just aren’t enough of them, and they’re hardly the focus of the movie.
Ann Hornaday – Washington Post
As shaky and unfocused as “Captain Marvel” often seems, it manages to reach its destination with confidence. In the end, Larson sticks the landing, albeit with something more muted than absolute triumph.
Johnny Oleksinski – New York Post
The character, even when kicking ass, is a total bore.
Lindsey Bahr – Associated Press
The first female-led movie of the MCU deserved more.
Peter Bradshaw – Guardian
In any case, Captain Marvel is an entertaining new part of the saga.
Other Film Releases
Miss Bala (Action; Crime, Thriller)
Released 8th March 2019 UK (15) 104 Mins
- Distributor: Sony Pictures
- Starring Gina Rodriguez; Anthony Mackie; Thomas Dekker;
- Ismael Cruz Cordova; Matt Lauria; Aislinn Derbez
Miss Bala Reviews
Jocelyn Noveck – Associated Press
Rodriguez and her fans deserve better than “Miss Bala,” a disappointingly bland and formulaic Hollywood remake of a much grittier and bleaker Mexican thriller.
Monica Castillo – RogerEbert.com
Although the new Miss Bala gives its lead character the agency to fight back and outsmart her captors, the film overdoses on its own message of pop feminist empowerment.
Rob Bailey-Millado – New York Post
Overall, “Miss Bala” is a misfire – but its leading lady is No. 1 with a bullet. And that’s a beautiful sight to see.
The people that of course decide whether or any film is a success is not film critics but the movie going public, they’re the ones that really matter.
Top 10 Box Office Films (1 March 2019)
What movies/films have we all been watching over the last week, time to find out as we take a look at the Top 10 Box Office Films in both the US and UK.
US Box Office
| Pos | LW | Movie | Distributor | Gross |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | (1) | How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World | Universal | $30,028,540 |
| 2 | New | Tyler Perry’s A Madea Family Funeral | Lionsgate | $27,062,332 |
| 3 | (2) | Alita: Battle Angel | 20th Century Fox | $7,221,417 |
| 4 | (3) | The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part | Warner Bros | $6,600,258 |
| 5 | (4) | Fighting With My Family | United Artists | $4,661,991 |
| 6 | (11) | Green Book | Universal | $4,573,320 |
| 7 | (5) | Isn’t it Romantic | Warner Bros | $4,514,602 |
| 8 | New | Greta | Focus Features | $4,481,910 |
| 9 | (6) | What Men Want | Paramount Pictures | $2,763,886 |
| 10 | (7) | Happy Death Day 2U | Universal | $2,456,240 |
UK Box Office
| Pos | LW | Movie | Distributor | Gross |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New | Fighting With My Family | Lionsgate | £2,022,174 |
| 2 | (1) | The LEGO Movie 2 | Warner Bros | £1,389,726 |
| 3 | (2) | Instant Family | Paramount | £1,085,662 |
| 4 | (3) | How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World | Universal | £1,048,106 |
| 5 | (7) | Green Book | eOne Films | £742,723 |
| 6 | New | The Aftermath | 20th Century Fox | £595,657 |
| 7 | (4) | Alita: Battle Angel | 20th Century Fox | £560,499 |
| 8 | (5) | The Kid Who Would be King | 20th Century Fox | £376,644 |
| 9 | (6) | Cold Pursuit | Studiocanal | £366,278 |
| 10 | New | Kobiety Mafii 2 | Phoenix | £299,502 |
| Other | ||||
| 11 | New | Alien (40th Anniversary) | Park Circus | £129,245 |
| 12 | New | Ring (4K Restoration) | Arrow Films | £10,906 |
Final Thought – Cinema Releases 8 March 2019 & Box Office
It really is time to remove all the political nonsense that has currently infected most of the film and television offerings and get back to making exciting and entertaining content. In the end its film fans that lose out having their favourite movie franchise hijacked for some political cause rather than let the actual film speak for itself. Let filmmakers make fantastic stories featuring a diverse range of actors and judge them on their individual merits.
I for one will judge Brie Larson’s Captain Marvel the same way I judge any film, is it actually any good, is it entertaining. Personally I’m currently suffering from Superhero fatigue, but I’m sure Hollywood will keep them coming until several of them bomb at the box office. Just think if the film studios cut just a couple of these types of films a year they could make several completely different smaller movies covering many different genres that might actually compete against the likes of Netflix.
Hopefully next week everyone is talking about how good the movie is and looking forward to more new releases, fingers crossed. That just about concludes our look at the new releases and our ‘Cinema Releases 8 March 2019’ feature.
Anyway Captain Marvel is about to start, popcorn at the ready!!!
