Like his on-screen persona, Rocky, Sylvester Stallone is ready to fight — for diversity.
The 69-year-old “Creed” actor, who is nominated in the supporting category at the Oscars this year, told reporters at yesterday’s Academy Awards luncheon that he was ready to boycott the ceremony. This year’s awards have been mired in controversy over the lack of nominees of color, and generated the #OscarsSoWhite social media campaign. Stallone considered boycotting in solidarity with “Creed” director Ryan Coogler and star Michael B. Jordan, neither of whom were nominated.
“I remember I spoke with Ryan Coogler when this happened. I said, ‘Ryan, how do you want to handle this? Because I really believe you are responsible for me being here,’” he said.
“I said, ‘If you want me to go, I’ll go. If you don’t, I won’t.’ “He said, ‘No, I want you to go.’ That’s the kind of guy he is. He wants us to go and represent the film.”
Stallone heaped praise on both Coogler and Jordan, despite having neglected to thank them when he won a Golden Globe. He won’t be forgetting them again anytime soon.
“Michael Jordan, every time I looked in his eyes as an actor, I said, he was making me better,” Stallone raved. “I think he should’ve been given a lot more respect and attention.”
We’ve rounded up which movies are still in theaters, which are on DVD and Blu-ray, and which are available to stream or buy online. In the case of “The Martian,” you have your choice of catching it on the big screen or owning your very own copy since it’s still in theaters and out on DVD.
Dates and availability are subject to change. For limited release movies, check the film’s official site for theaters.
Best Documentary — Short Subject: (“Body Team 12,” “Chau, Beyond the Lines,” “Last Day of Freedom,” Claude Lanzmann: Spectres of the Shoah,” “A Girl in the River: The Price of Forgiveness”)
Best Live Action Short Film: (“Day One,” “Everything Will Be Okay,” “Stutterer,” “Ave Maria” “Shok”)
Best Animated Short Film: (“Sanjay’s Super Team,” “We Can’t Live Without Cosmos, “Prologue,” “Bear Story,” “World of Tomorrow”
DVD/Blu-ray
“The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared” (Best Makeup and Hairstyling)
Awards season is in full bloom. And while we can discuss the most-talked about films in the running for Oscar gold, I think it’s also important to look back on other noteworthy films from the last year.
Below, my favorites of 2015.
1. Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Quite possibly the most anticipated film of the decade, “The Force Awakens” brought tears of joy to not only my non-crying-self, but to grown men around the world. The franchise’s over-branding of consumer products over the last year, alone, brought curiosity and excitement to fans in galaxies far, far away about what the sequel had in store.
The cast’s tight-lipped appearances and interviews made us even more anxious to see the film… and it totally delivered! The film was EPIC. Director J.J. Abrams reminds us why we fell in love with “Star Wars” in the first place. I left the theater feeling exhilarated and, although I couldn’t, I wanted to spread the word immediately about how amazing I thought it was. The fact that I would pay to go see “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” again in a theater, and cannot wait to own it on Blu-ray, solidifies this film as my No. 1 movie of the year.
10118651
2. The Martian
Up until I watched “Star Wars Episode VII”, “The Martian” held the top spot on my list of favorite films for months. Most people have jumped on the “Spotlight” bandwagon, but I’m just going to put it out there: Among the list of award show Best Picture nominees, “The Martian” is the best. Great ensemble cast, awesome visual effects, perfect amount of humor, solid heart-felt film score, and a creative, well-researched screenplay. “The Martian” has exactly the right amount of ingredients to make a Best Picture recipe.
20056968
3. Jurassic World
Say what you want, but the big kid inside me absolutely loved “Jurassic World,” the highly anticipated fourth film of the “Jurassic Park” franchise. With today’s technology, the dinosaurs and visual effects looked exceptional. Pure nostalgia–boosted by set pieces from the original film–is what made me really like the film. Add to that “Jurassic Park” composer John Williams’ original melodies were maintained in the sequel’s musical score.
30885
4. Avengers: Age of Ultron
As a major Marvel fan, I’m always excited for every movie the studio churns out. I find them to be made exceptionally well. Fun, bright costumes, great humor, creative and detailed storylines, and epic, well-casted characters. “Avengers: Age of Ultron” is MARVEL-ous.
20052338
5. Creed
This film was a pleasant surprise. I’ve had this screener for a while but only recently watched the film after all of the buzz it received. Michael B. Jordan’s physical transformation is visible proof of the commitment he made to the role. Unexpected chemistry between Jordan and veteran actor Sylvester Stallone, Rocky Balboa himself, made me fall in love with the duo. Genuine chemistry and genuinely loveable actors is what makes an audience truly care about what happens to the characters in the film. It’s rare, but it was found in “Creed.”
20063625
6. The Divergent Series: Insurgent
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=suZcGoRLXkU
As a fan of “The Divergent” book series, I always look forward to the movie adaptations. Shailene Woodley steals the show in the franchise. Shai, who is well known as a “hugger,” is so genuine, kind and intelligent in interviews that it’s hard not to love every movie she’s in. There is one scene in particular in “Insurgent” that really made me fall in love with her–and that is when her character Tris is forced to confront her demons and, through truth serum, must share her darkest secret. It’s an incredibly emotional scene that rips at my heart every time. “Insurgent” is currently running on HBO and is one of those films I find myself automatically clicking on even though I’ve seen it more than 10 times.
61878
7. Room
“Room” is astounding. Following the film, I found myself mentioning the storyline and young actor Jacob Tremblay to everyone I had a conversation with. Tremblay deserves to be nominated as a Supporting Actor. Although he is only nine years old, he is incredible and delivers an impressive performance in the film- and he’s adorable in person!! “Room” is a heart-stopping, gripping and remarkable film. One of the most powerful films of the year.
20071006
8. The Danish Girl
Although the film didn’t garner as much attention and love as I thought it would–and wanted it to–“The Danish Girl” is still one of my favorite films of the year. Breakout star Alicia Vikander is incredibly talented and one of my new favorite actresses. Vikander surprised industry observers when performance earned her a Golden Globes Best Actress nomination and another nod for Supporting Actress for “Ex Machina.” Personally, I think Vikander should have been placed in the Supporting Actress category for her role in “The Danish Girl.” I worry that because of her placement, the award will slip away from her when placed with names like Brie Larson (“Room”) and crowd-favorite Cate Blanchett (“Carol”). My fingers are crossed for her to win the Globe for “Ex Machina,” purely because I love her the most as a person and actress!
20068867
9. Spotlight
The critics’ darling of the year, I found “Spotlight’s” true story to be shocking and an eye-opener. The most impressive thing about the film is watching interviews with the cast and the actual Boston Globe reporters. Learning about how much research the actors (Michael Keaton, Mark Ruffalo and Rachel McAdams) did in order to portray their characters physically and mentally makes you appreciate the film even more.
20069405
10. Joy
Two words: Jennifer. Lawrence. The actress shines in every role she plays, and “Joy” is no exception.
20068878
Although I appreciated the filmmaking of many of the awards contenders, I still go back to the films that I know I would want to watch over and over again. That is why these are my favorite films of 2015!
Which films were your favorites? Let us know in the comments below!!
It’s been rumored for weeks, and now it’s official: Ryan Coogler will direct Marvel’s upcoming “Black Panther.”
Coogler, who also helmed this year’s “Rocky” spinoff, “Creed,” was confirmed for the job by Marvel head honcho Kevin Feige, who discussed the director in a new interview with Empire magazine (as transcribed by Polygon). Coogler has been in the Oscar conversation this year for his work on “Creed,” and also won an Independent Spirit Award for his debut drama, “Fruitvale Station.” It made sense to attract a director of his caliber, Feige told Empire.
“This one is important,” Feige said of “Black Panther,” and its place in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. “Not only do you get an unbelievable lead character, but you also get all of Wakanda which is a whole new setting and culture to explore.”
Marvel was initially interested in “Selma” director Ava DuVernay for the job, though she passed on the project. According to Variety, F. Gary Gray (“Straight Outta Compton”) was also considered, and it took some convincing to land Coogler, who initially turned down the job earlier this year before Marvel approached him again. But Cooger’s chops will lend themselves well to the scope of the story Marvel wants to tell, according to Feige.
“The movie is a big geopolitical action adventure that focuses on the family and royal struggle of T’Challa in Wakanda and what it means to be a king,” the exec told Empire.
“Black Panther” stars Chadwick Boseman. It hits theaters on February 16, 2018.
%Slideshow-347056%The movies that dominate year-end best lists — like this one — tend to come from the indie camp that relishes deep dives into the human experience, rather than studio blockbusters that offer a two-hour escape from it. If the “Jurassic Worlds” and “Furious 7s” don’t get much awards-season love, well, as Don Draper said, “that’s what the money’s for.”
Lists like these aren’t an expression of elitist snobbery; they’re a wager on the future. They’re a bet that the 2015 movies that will stick with you the longest won’t be the ones that merely take you away from yourself for two hours. Here are 12 of this year’s films that will stick with you long after the credits roll.
On paper, “In the Heart of the Sea” may have looked like a no-brainer: an IMAX-scale adventure epic, made by an A-list director and starring the guy who plays Thor. Plus, it had the weekend all to itself, with no new wide-release competition.
So why did “Sea” sink like a stone at the multiplex? Ron Howard‘s $100 million film opened in second place, behind the four-week-old “Hunger Games: Mockingjay — Part 2,” earning just $11.0 million, according to Sunday estimates. That’s at the low end of what was predicted, though few expected it to do better than $15 million anyway.
Looking back, it should have been obvious why the whaling-ship saga would flounder, though there were also some late-breaking problems that the film’s producers and distributors might not have anticipated. For instance: 1. The Director Howard’s had an enviable career, filled with critical and commercial smashes. But aside from the two movies he adapted from Dan Brown’s best-sellers (“The Da Vinci Code” and “Angels & Demons“), he hasn’t directed a film that’s grossed more than $62 million domestically in 14 years, since “A Beautiful Mind.”
His last feature, car-racing drama, “Rush,” grossed just $27 million here, though it cost just $38 million to make and ultimately earned a profit via overseas grosses. But with “Sea” costing a reported $100 million, Howard’s recent track record doesn’t seem to justify risking that big a budget on his movies.
2. The Star Chris Hemsworth, of course, was the star of Howard’s “Rush.” That reteaming alone should have been enough to give the studio pause. In fact, there’s no indication that Hemsworth is any kind of box office draw outside his Marvel movies and “Snow White and the Huntsman.” When he has to carry a movie on his own, he’s never made one that’s grossed more than $45 million in North America. Again, that’s not the kind of track record on which you risk a nine-figure budget. 3. The Studio “Sea” is one of many ill-conceived projects Warner Bros. released this year, arguably one of the studio’s worst in its history. There were several expensive, high-profile flops, including “Jupiter Ascending,” “The Man from U.N.C.L.E.,” and “Pan.” (Not to mention cheaper bombs like “Hot Pursuit,” “Entourage,” and “Our Brand Is Crisis.”) Warners only released two movies in 2015 (“Mad Max: Fury Road” and “San Andreas“) that grossed more than $100 million in North America.
4. The Reviews Critics tend to like Howard’s movies; “Rush” actually earned rave reviews for both its human drama and its action sequences. But “Sea” has garnered only a 43 percent fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes. No doubt Warners was counting on better reviews than that for a Howard movie released at the height of awards season.
And good reviews are still important when it comes to persuading the older ticketbuyers who were the apparent target audience for “Sea.” After all, exit polling found that 68 percent of those who saw the film this weekend were over 35 years old. And those viewers gave the movie a B+ at CinemaScore, which indicates only so-so word-of-mouth. 5. The Marketing Howard is good with tales of adventure and people struggling in dire circumstances, from “Apollo 13” to “Rush.” But it’s hard to get anyone, even older viewers, interested in 19th-century all-male sailing adventures. (Even 2003’s excellent “Master and Commander,” an adaptation of a popular novel starring then-hot Russell Crowe, earned just $94 million in North America.) Warners’ marketers touted “Sea” as being based on the true-life disaster that inspired Herman Melville to write “Moby-Dick,” as if being the source of a book you were forced to read in high school but couldn’t finish is a selling point. They also emphasized the whale over Hemsworth, missing the mark with his audience as well.
6. The Competition “Sea” didn’t have to compete against any other new wide releases this weekend, but it still had to face three holdovers that were apparently stronger than Warners anticipated. Besides “Mockingjay,” there was Pixar’s “The Good Dinosaur” (in third place with an estimated $10.5 million) and Warners’ own “Creed,” a rare 2015 hit for the studio that’s doing better than anyone predicted. It was down just 32 percent this weekend to an estimated $10.1 million. (To date it’s earned $79.3 million; by the end of the year, it could be Warners’ third 2015 release to cross the $100 million mark.) The distance between first-place “Mockingjay” and fourth-place “Creed” was just $1.2 million, so the competition was very tight. 7. The Force While “Sea” didn’t have any new wide-release rivals this weekend, it does have one that hasn’t even opened yet: next Friday’s “Star Wars: The Force Awakens.”
Given the frenzied pre-sales for the film, it’s possible that both advance ticket buyers and those who are waiting until December 18 simply weren’t going to spend much money at all on this weekend’s offerings. Indeed, the total sales at the multiplex for Friday through Sunday were just $75.1 million, down 23 percent from last weekend’s already dismal numbers, making this 2015’s second-worst weekend to date.
At least the prospect of all that “Star Wars” money means that sales for the final two weekends of the year should show an astronomical improvement over this “Sea”-sick session. %Slideshow-346741%
This weekend at the box office, the most surprising good news was the unlikely success of Christmas-themed horror comedy “Krampus.”
No one expected much from this film. Besides the typically slow weekend, “Krampus” had several strikes against it: no star power, weird genre blend, potentially strong competition with “Hunger Games: Mockingjay — Part 2” and other popular wide-release holdovers from recent weeks. It was widely expected to open in fourth place, with estimates ranging from $6.5 to $12 million.
Instead, “Krampus” debuted in second place with an estimated $16.0 million, earning an upset victory over holdovers “Creed” and “The Good Dinosaur.” So “Krampus” greatly outperformed predictions and, given its reported $15 million budget and $3.3 million overseas gross, is likely to earn a profit by the time its theatrical run ends. By the debased standards of early December, that makes “Krampus” a surprise hit.
How did “Krampus” manage to defy expectations and beat the odds? Here are a few ways: 1. Good Timing As far as new wide-releases go, “Krampus” had the multiplex to itself this weekend. Plus, it pretty much had the horror niche all to itself. (Its only competition there was last week’s dud “Victor Frankenstein,” which earned only an estimated $707,000 this weekend, or a paltry $253 per screen.) It’s pretty brilliant, actually; conventional wisdom says horror films don’t do well in early December, so no one ever releases one at that time, so this year, “Krampus” gets to own an underserved audience. The lesson: (Good) Horror can work at any time of the year.
2. Broad Appeal Pundits were dismissive of “Krampus” in part because it was expected to play only to younger audiences, who’ve proved unreliable of late. (Witness the lower-than-expected turnouts for both “Mockingjay” and “Dinosaur” so far.) But exit polling showed that “Krampus” viewers were evenly split among audiences on either side of age 21 and on either side of the gender line. The film’s PG-13 rating allowed for kid audiences without making adults think the film was too juvenile.
3. Decent Reviews “Krampus” actually earned mixed-to-positive reviews, resulting in an aggregate score of 64 percent “Fresh” at Rotten Tomatoes. That’s pretty good for a horror film, and it helps explain why older audiences were drawn to the movie. Word-of-mouth, as measured by the film’s B- grade at CinemaScore, was also middling-to-good by horror film standards.
4. Surprisingly Weak Competition The film’s broad demographic appeal meant it was competing on the same playing field as “Mockingjay,” “Dinosaur,” and “Creed.” While “Mockingjay” was No. 1 for the third straight weekend, it’s still underperforming “Mockingjay — Part 1” by 12 percent. Similarly, “Dinosaur” is the weakest-performing Pixar entry in years. Of the holdovers, only “Creed” is outperforming expectations, but the boxing drama is still playing to a predominantly male crowd, while horror audiences tend to skew female, so “Creed” wasn’t that big of a threat to “Krampus.”
5. Universal’s Marketing Comes Through Once Again Universal had an outstanding spring and summer at the box office before stumbling badly this fall with such films as “Steve Jobs,” “Crimson Peak,” and “By the Sea.”
Still, even with a slate of fall flops, you can’t dismiss the marketing team that helped earn the studio one out of every four dollars spent on movie tickets this year. Whatever Universal’s marketers did to sell “Krampus” to ticketbuyers (including downplaying the film’s comic elements) seems to have worked. Granted, the extra few million that “Krampus” earned beyond its modest predictions isn’t going to be the determining factor of whether or not Universal remains Hollywood’s 2015 market leader for the rest of the year. (The upcoming “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” could tip the balance in Disney’s favor, though it would have to earn nearly $800 million in North America to do that, which is an awfully tall order.)
Still, this is a sparse season for glad tidings, so Universal will have to settle for the mini-windfall of “Krampus” as an excuse to make merry. %Slideshow-334059%
By most standards, the estimated $39.2 million opening weekend “Dinosaur” enjoyed would be cause for celebration. Indeed, Disney is touting the $55.6 million the film has earned since it premiered last Wednesday as the fourth-biggest five-day Thanksgiving weekend debut ever. (“Frozen” is tops, followed by “Toy Story 2” and “Tangled.”)
But Pixar movies have traditionally done much better — opening on average above $60 million. In fact, “Dinosaur” saw the lowest three-day wide-release debut for a Pixar picture since “A Bug’s Life” earned $33.3 million back in 1998, when tickets were a lot cheaper.
Advance tracking for “Dinosaur” was already soft by Pixar standards, with most analysts expecting the movie to open between $50 and $53 million from Friday to Sunday, and from $60 to $75 million over the five-day holiday weekend. Why did the movie fail to reach even those relatively-modest expectations? Here are five possible reasons: 1. The Movie’s Troubled Production History “Dinosaur” was initially scheduled for release a year ago, but due to story problems, the studio replaced the film’s director and pushed back its release date. “Dinosaur” is hardly the first Pixar film to have to go back to the drawing board — even “Toy Story” ran into similar problems — but it’s possible this time that not everything that was wrong got fixed. For example:
2. Too family-oriented Usually, this is a plus for an animated movie, but one key to Pixar’s success has been its ability to appeal to adults as well as kids. By most accounts, however, “Dinosaur” has lots of kid appeal but little to interest grown-ups. In fact, Disney is reporting that only 17 percent of the “Dinosaur” audience was adults.
3. Less-than-stellar Reviews A 77 percent “fresh” rating at Rotten Tomatoes isn’t bad, but original-premise Pixar films and movies in the “Toy Story” franchise typically rate at a 96 or higher. At least the word-of-mouth has been top-notch, with viewers giving the movie an “A” CinemaScore, but you have to get them into theaters to see it first. The weaker-than-usual reviews may have kept adults away from this movie.
4. No Star Power This shouldn’t matter much when it comes to a film where you can’t even see the stars, and where the target audience is kids too young to care much who’s doing the voice work. In practice, however, most of Pixar’s movies have relied upon big-name talent for at least the lead characters (think Tom Hanks for the “Toy Story” movies).
But the “Dinosaur” cast is led by unknowns Raymond Ochoa and Jack Bright. Arguably, the biggest names in the cast are Anna Paquin and Frances McDormand. None of these are box office draws. 5. Stronger-than-expected Competition Last week saw the weakest-ever opening for a “Hunger Games” movie, but “Mockingjay — Part 2” held on better than expected, losing just under 50 percent of its business to take in an estimated $51.6 million over the three-day weekend and remain in first place.
Boxing drama “Creed” (above) was widely expected to open in the low-to-mid twenties, but it slugged its way to an estimated $30.0 million from Friday to Sunday and $42.6 million over the five-day holiday. Strong reviews, excellent word-of-mouth, and the “Rocky” nostalgia factor all helped “Creed” attract an older, predominantly male audience. By contrast, “Dinosaur” not only skewed young, but also female, with 53 percent of the audience. To the extent that it was trying to appeal to all ages and to equal numbers of men and women, both “Mockingjay” and “Creed” bit into the potential “Dinosaur” audience.
Disney and Pixar have held themselves to lofty standards. Not only have Pixar’s movies typically done better, but so has Disney at Thanksgiving, where eight of the top-10 turkey holiday five-day weekend debuts of all time belong to the Mouse House.
Given how good Disney’s marketing machine is at selling original-premise cartoons at this time of year, especially Pixar offerings, it seems that someone is badly off their game. %Slideshow-333296%
“I’ve been fighting my whole life. It’s not a choice for me,” says Michael B. Jordan in the new trailer for “Creed,” a spinoff of the “Rocky” franchise.
Indeed, fighting is in Adonis Johnson’s DNA. He’s the son of Rocky’s (Sylvester Stallone) one-time foe, heavyweight champion Apollo Creed. His father is dead, and Adonis has been in and out of juvie multiple times. But he gets a shot to live up to his heritage when Rocky steps in to train him.
The “Rocky” franchise has spawned many sequels, but this looks like a reboot that could carry it into new generations. Jordan is as magnetic and charismatic as ever, as he re-teams with his “Fruitvale Station” director Ryan Coogler. And dare we say, Stallone shows off some decent emotional acting chops.
“Creed” is already a hit online, but will it be a knockout in theaters this November? The movie’s tagline is “Your legacy is more than a name,” but the names Sylvester Stallone, Rocky Balboa, Apollo Creed, and Michael B. Jordan are selling this latest entry into the “Rocky” franchise.
The first official “Creed” trailer dropped last night and it already has more than 1,025,000 YouTube views. Jordan stars as the son of Apollo Creed, who heads to Philadelphia to track down his late father’s legendary rival-turned-friend, Rocky Balboa, to ask him to be his own trainer.
Here’s the 2 minute, 43 second trailer. It doesn’t even reveal Stallone until the halfway point, emphasizing that this isn’t his story.
“Creed” is directed by Ryan Coogler, who knocked it out of the park (more sports metaphors!) with Michael B. Jordan in “Fruitvale Station.” “Creed” co-stars Phylicia Rashad, Tessa Thompson, Tony Bellew, Wood Harris (“The Wire” reunion!) and Graham McTavish. It’s set for release on November 25. And now, for good measure, please repeat “Eye of the Tiger” in your head for the rest of the day. You’re welcome.
Like his on-screen persona, Rocky, Sylvester Stallone is ready to fight — for diversity.
Okay, you’ve already seen “
It’s been rumored for weeks, and now it’s official: Ryan Coogler will direct Marvel’s upcoming “Black Panther.”
On paper, “
1. The Director
3. The Studio
5. The Marketing
7. The Force
This weekend at the box office, the most surprising good news was the unlikely success of Christmas-themed horror comedy “
1. Good Timing
Similarly, 
Granted, the extra few million that “Krampus” earned beyond its modest predictions isn’t going to be the determining factor of whether or not Universal remains Hollywood’s 2015 market leader for the rest of the year. (The upcoming “
2015 isn’t just the first year with two Pixar movies. It’s also the first time that their movies haven’t opened at No. 1.
1. The Movie’s Troubled Production History
5. Stronger-than-expected Competition
“I’ve been fighting my whole life. It’s not a choice for me,” says 