Looking at the Weekend: Nov. 8-10, 2019

This weekend features a mass of new releases with all four having a near-equal chance of topping the box office. Doctor Sleep has the Stephen King aspect, which could bolster its bottom line, though Pet Sematary is probably an example of why that won’t work. Last Christmas is releasing way too early to be of much impact. That leaves Midway and Playing with Fire, both are in genres that have been known to produce strong box office debuts. The big weakness for Midway is that Roland Emmerich hasn’t been a box office draw in years. The big weakness for Playing with Fire is that the concept is a bit too childish to draw traditional comedy fans. In the end, I suspect Midway has the best chance simply because it’s the most bombastic, but I wouldn’t be surprised at any of these taking the top spot.

Our Highest Rated Films: Doctor Sleep, Midway
Our Best Awards Ratings: Midway (Oscars)

OTHER LIMITED RELEASES

The All Americans
Ballet Blanc
Cold Brook
The Kingmaker
Klaus
Mr. Toilet: The World’s #2 Man
Racetime
Better Days

Nov. 8-10, 2019
Film	Our Thoughts	Awards Chances
Doctor Sleep (Wide Release) See the original CinemaSight Trailer & Poster Preview	6.3 Wesley Lovell: (7) 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): The Shining is one of my favorite Stephen King stories, so a sequel should ostensibly be right up my alley, but this trailer doesn’t do much for me. Peter J. Patrick (PP): The kid from The Shining is all grown up and being scared all over again. Could be good. Thomas LaTourette (TL): This could be an interesting sequel to The Shining, but it looks more likely to be a pale imitation.
Film	Our Thoughts	Awards Chances
Last Christmas (Wide Release) See the original CinemaSight Trailer & Poster Preview	5.7 Wesley Lovell: (6) Peter J. Patrick: (6) Thomas LaTourrette: (5)	Nil Wesley Lovell: (Nil) Peter J. Patrick: (Nil) Thomas LaTourrette: (Nil)	Categories: None
	Individual Commentary:
	Wesley Lovell (WL): This looks like a carbon copy of countless Christmas-set romantic comedies and that’s not that appealing anymore. Peter J. Patrick (PP): Strong cast might help British immigration drama tied to George Michael’s music. Thomas LaTourette (TL): Although Emma Thompson can be a decent writer, this film seems trite and just not that interesting.
Film	Our Thoughts	Awards Chances
Midway (Wide Release) See the original CinemaSight Trailer & Poster Preview	6.0 Wesley Lovell: (7) Peter J. Patrick: (5) Thomas LaTourrette: (6)	1.7 Wesley Lovell: (2,Oscars) Peter J. Patrick: (Nil) Thomas LaTourrette: (3,Oscars)	Categories: Cinematography (TL) Sound Mixing (WL,TL) Sound Editing (WL,TL) Visual Effects (WL,TL)
	Individual Commentary:
	Wesley Lovell (WL): It will be interesting to see how Roland Emmerich plays with war film aesthetics from his more bombastic approach. Peter J. Patrick (PP): Latest take on the Battle of Midway doesn’t appear to offer anything new. Thomas LaTourette (TL): A strong cast looks to be wasted in this retelling of one of the most pivotal battles of WWII. It could be good though I worry that it will be insipid.
Film	Our Thoughts	Awards Chances
Playing with Fire (Wide Release) See the original CinemaSight Trailer & Poster Preview	1.7 Wesley Lovell: (3) Peter J. Patrick: (0) Thomas LaTourrette: (2)	Nil Wesley Lovell: (Nil) Peter J. Patrick: (Nil) Thomas LaTourrette: (Nil)	Categories: None
	Individual Commentary:
	Wesley Lovell (WL): A throw-away comedy that doesn’t look like as much fun as it thinks it is. Peter J. Patrick (PP): Nonsense pitting firemen against kids with neither group looking very good. Thomas LaTourette (TL): I like John Cena, but I wish he would not waste his talents on such bad comedies.
Film	Our Thoughts	Awards Chances
Better Days (Limited Release) See the original CinemaSight Trailer & Poster Preview	5.0 Wesley Lovell: (4) Peter J. Patrick: (6) Thomas LaTourrette: (5)	Nil Wesley Lovell: (Nil) Peter J. Patrick: (Nil) Thomas LaTourrette: (Nil)	Categories: None
	Individual Commentary:
	Wesley Lovell (WL): The trailer doesn’t look as interesting as it wants to look. Peter J. Patrick (PP): Chinese drama shining a light on school bullying can’t be all bad. Thomas LaTourette (TL): The story might be interesting but the trailer does not do a good job of selling the picture.
Film	Our Thoughts	Awards Chances
Danger Close: The Battle of Long Tan (Limited Release) See the original CinemaSight Trailer & Poster Preview	5.7 Wesley Lovell: (3) Peter J. Patrick: (8) Thomas LaTourrette: (6)	Nil Wesley Lovell: (Nil) Peter J. Patrick: (Nil) Thomas LaTourrette: (Nil)	Categories: None
	Individual Commentary:
	Wesley Lovell (WL): There’s not a lot of promise in this indie Vietnam-set war drama. Peter J. Patrick (PP): Appears to be a compelling version of the Vietnam War battle preciously told through documentaries. Thomas LaTourette (TL): This looks to be an exciting if predictable war film, though I did not know that the Australians fought in Vietnam.
Film	Our Thoughts	Awards Chances
Honey Boy (Limited Release) See the original CinemaSight Trailer & Poster Preview	5.0 Wesley Lovell: (3) Peter J. Patrick: (6) Thomas LaTourrette: (6)	.7 Wesley Lovell: (Nil) Peter J. Patrick: (Nil) Thomas LaTourrette: (2,Oscars)	Categories: Supporting Actress (TL) Original Screenplay (TL)
	Individual Commentary:
	Wesley Lovell (WL): Little in this trailer makes the film look terribly appealing. Peter J. Patrick (PP): Shia LeBeouf’s autobiographical drama did well in the film festivals in which it played. Thomas LaTourette (TL): This autobiographical story by Shia LaBoeuf has great early reviews, but the trailer just doesn’t look that interesting.
Film	Our Thoughts	Awards Chances
Love Is Blind (Limited Release) See the original CinemaSight Trailer & Poster Preview	5.7 Wesley Lovell: (5) Peter J. Patrick: (5) Thomas LaTourrette: (7)	Nil Wesley Lovell: (Nil) Peter J. Patrick: (Nil) Thomas LaTourrette: (Nil)	Categories: None
	Individual Commentary:
	Wesley Lovell (WL): An interesting concept that doesn’t look incredibly well executed. Peter J. Patrick (PP): Film about selective perception that sat on the shelf for four years probably should have been released direct to DVD. Thomas LaTourette (TL): I do not know what to make of the trailer, but it does not look like any movie I have seen before, which is a good sign.
Film	Our Thoughts	Awards Chances
Noelle (Limited Release) See the original CinemaSight Trailer & Poster Preview	3.7 Wesley Lovell: (3) Peter J. Patrick: (4) Thomas LaTourrette: (4)	Nil Wesley Lovell: (Nil) Peter J. Patrick: (Nil) Thomas LaTourrette: (Nil)	Categories: None
	Individual Commentary:
	Wesley Lovell (WL): Another cheap-looking holiday film. Peter J. Patrick (PP): Disney’s daughter of Santa Claus doesn’t look like a new holiday classic to me. Thomas LaTourette (TL): This looks like a really bad Disney comedy that relies solely on the charisma of Anna Kendrick, though I doubt that she can salvage it.