Looking at the Weekend: Aug. 13-15, 2021

With the dismal opening weekend for The Suicide Squad, it’s difficult to imagine a situation where any of the three new wide releases this week don’t end up on top. Don’t Breathe seems iffy as horror films still haven’t quite bounced back and Respect would have been better served with a platform release. Then there’s Free Guy. Although Ryan Reynolds’ Green Lantern was a colossal failure, Deadpool was a huge success and has made the potential of Reynolds opening to strong numbers a high probability. It should have no trouble picking off The Suicide Squad, but we’ll have to see if the positive reviews will benefit it when they didn’t help Suicide Squad.

Our Highest Rated Films: Free Guy, Respect
Our Best Awards Ratings: Respect (Oscars)

OTHER LIMITED RELEASES

Charming the Hearts of Men (Limited)
CODA (Limited)
Days (Limited)
The Lost Leonardo (Limited)
The Meaning of Hitler (Limited)
Searching for Mr. Rugoff (Limited)
Sparkling: The Story of Champagne (Limited)
Usedom: A Clear View of the Sea (Limited)
White as Snow (Limited)

Aug. 13-15, 2021
Film	Our Thoughts	Awards Chances
Don’t Breathe 2 (Wide Release) See the original CinemaSight Trailer & Poster Preview	4.0 Wesley Lovell: (3) Peter J. Patrick: (5) Thomas LaTourrette: (4)	Nil Wesley Lovell: (Nil) Peter J. Patrick: (Nil) Thomas LaTourrette: (Nil)	Categories: None
	Individual Commentary:
	Wesley Lovell (WL): I never saw the original, so my interest in the sequel is almost non-existent. Peter J. Patrick (PP): The first one was well received so just maybe this will be better than it looks in the trailer. Thomas LaTourette (TL): I did not see the original film, so I have nothing to base this on but the trailer, which just was not that exciting.
Film	Our Thoughts	Awards Chances
Free Guy (Wide Release) See the original CinemaSight Trailer & Poster Preview	7.0 Wesley Lovell: (9) Peter J. Patrick: (5) Thomas LaTourrette: (7)	2.3 Wesley Lovell: (7,Oscars) Peter J. Patrick: (Nil) Thomas LaTourrette: (Nil)	Categories: Sound (WL) Visual Effects (WL)
	Individual Commentary:
	Wesley Lovell (WL): I like Ryan Reynolds, early reviews have been positive, and I’m a gamer, so much of this film’s potential works for me. Peter J. Patrick (PP): Juvenile looking adventure film set inside a computer game is not my cup of tea. Thomas LaTourette (TL): The film looks more silly than fun, but enough reviewers like it that Ryan Reynolds may save another film.
Film	Our Thoughts	Awards Chances
Battle for Afghanistan (Limited Release) See the original CinemaSight Trailer & Poster Preview	3.7 Wesley Lovell: (2) Peter J. Patrick: (5) Thomas LaTourrette: (4)	Nil Wesley Lovell: (Nil) Peter J. Patrick: (Nil) Thomas LaTourrette: (Nil)	Categories: None
	Individual Commentary:
	Wesley Lovell (WL): Looks like another tedious war film. Peter J. Patrick (PP): Two-year-old Russian film making its way to the U.S. in light of the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan doesn’t appear to offer anything we haven’t seen before. Thomas LaTourette (TL): The premise sounds a bit like Saving Private Ryan but in a different war, but it looks like a typical war movie with lots of explosions and gunfire with little plot.
Film	Our Thoughts	Awards Chances
The East (Limited Release) See the original CinemaSight Trailer & Poster Preview	4.7 Wesley Lovell: (2) Peter J. Patrick: (7) Thomas LaTourrette: (5)	Nil Wesley Lovell: (Nil) Peter J. Patrick: (Nil) Thomas LaTourrette: (Nil)	Categories: None
	Individual Commentary:
	Wesley Lovell (WL): Looks like another tedious war film. Peter J. Patrick (PP): Post-WWII efforts by Indonesia to rid itself of Dutch rule from the perspective of a conscientious Dutch soldier is an intriguing premise. Thomas LaTourette (TL): It has an interesting premise, at least with a twist being Dutch, but the trailer shows lots of gunfire without much of a reason to see the film.
Film	Our Thoughts	Awards Chances
The Evening Hour (Limited Release) See the original CinemaSight Trailer & Poster Preview	4.3 Wesley Lovell: (3) Peter J. Patrick: (5) Thomas LaTourrette: (5)	Nil Wesley Lovell: (Nil) Peter J. Patrick: (Nil) Thomas LaTourrette: (Nil)	Categories: None
	Individual Commentary:
	Wesley Lovell (WL): The trailer didn’t hook me and so I’m not terribly excited. Peter J. Patrick (PP): Looks like one of the lesser films about the opioid crisis in rural America. Thomas LaTourette (TL): Life in Appalachia during the opioid crises should lend itself to a good film, but the trailer was more a chore to watch.
Film	Our Thoughts	Awards Chances
Respect (Limited Release) See the original CinemaSight Trailer & Poster Preview	6.7 Wesley Lovell: (8) Peter J. Patrick: (5) Thomas LaTourrette: (7)	6.0 Wesley Lovell: (6,Oscars) Peter J. Patrick: (5,Oscars) Thomas LaTourrette: (7,Oscars)	Categories: Actress (WL,PP,TL)
	Individual Commentary:
	Wesley Lovell (WL): I’m very interested to see if Jennifer Hudson can do well here as many discount her Oscar win. That and seeing the life of Aretha Franklin on the big screen is something we should all wish for. Peter J. Patrick (PP): Looks like a routine by-the-numbers biography of Aretha Franklin with Jennifer Hudson likely hitting all the right notes. Thomas LaTourette (TL): Jennifer Hudson should stand a chance for a second Oscar providing this is anything more than a typical biopic, though the trailer was not as good as it should have been.