Editorial

The Bottom Line: December 1, 2017: You Are Tearing Me Apart, THE DISASTER ARTIST!

James Franco The Disaster Artist

The Bottom Line: December 1, 2017

Three of the best films of the year begin their quest for Oscar glory this weekend. Find out how they will do in this week’s edition of The Bottom Line!

Box Office Top Five

Coco topped the box office again with $50.9 million. Second place went to Justice League, which took in $41.1 million. Wonder took third place $22.8 million, while Thor: Ragnarok took fourth with $16.9 million. Daddy’s Home 2 rounded out the top five with $13.2 million.

A Closer Look at Some of this Week’s Films.

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (R) 115 mins.

Written and directed by Martin McDonagh, the man behind In Bruges and Seven Psychopaths, it is finally time for the wide release of Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri. This opened in select theaters a few weeks ago and has been quickly expanding. I’ve seen the film, and it’s terrific. It’s a dark comedy and sharp social satire that pushes every button. Occasionally problematic, always compelling, and often hilarious, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri boasts what may be my favorite screenplay of the year and some all-time great performances from Frances McDormand, Woody Harrelson, and Sam Rockwell.

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What does that mean for the film’s box office? There’s been a lot of buzz surrounding it, but I’m not sure how friendly it is to a wide audience. It made the number 10 slot last weekend, and I do think it will rise this time around. Let’s say it opens at number 5, just out of wishful thinking to kick Daddy’s Home 2 out.

The Shape of Water (R) 119 mins.

Opening in limited release this weekend, Guillermo del Toro’s The Shape of Water has garnered some of the best reviews of the year. Though on the surface of dramatic gender-swapped reboot of Splash, del Toro shows off the arthouse flair of films like Pan’s Labyrinth and applies it to a very human film about forbidden love… in this case, with an amphibious government experiment. Hey, the heart wants what it wants.

I’m very excited for the movie, and I think it will do really well in limited release. We’ll see how things go when it expands wide – I’m not sure general audiences are exactly clamoring for it – but I’d love to be proven wrong.

The Disaster Artist (R) 104 mins.

And now for something completely different. When I heard that James Franco was making a movie about the production of 2003’s infamous The Room, I thought the idea was dubious, with the potential to be pretty funny. What I never expected was the film to be hailed as the next Ed Wood and a serious Oscar contender. And yet, here we are. All reviews indicate that The Disaster Artist is a poignant and optimistic look at The Room that explores creativity with optimism and heart. While also giving you a spot-on Tommy Wiseau impression from Franco himself, who also stars alongside his brother Dave Franco as Greg Sestero.

This could be a sleeper hit when it opens wide next week, and I expect it to do very well this weekend in its limited release. Keep an eye on this one.

The Bottom Line

Coco will stay in first place, while Justice League will likewise stay in second. Honestly, I don’t expect much of a change from last weekend. Wonder will stay in third, Thor: Ragnarok will hold onto fourth. And Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri will round out the top five.

Movies To Look Forward To:

Just Getting Started, I, Tonya, November Criminals (December 8th)

Leave your thoughts on The Bottom Line, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, The Shape of Water, and The Disaster Artist below in the comments section. Readers seeking more The Bottom Line can visit our The Bottom Line Page. Want up-to-the-minute notification? Want up-to-the-minute notifications? FilmBook staff members publish articles by Email, Twitter, Tumblr, Google+, and Facebook. 


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Michael Smith

Mike Smith is an avid filmgoer from New York who loves to hear his own voice - luckily his work as a podcaster on FilmBook allows him to do just that. Mike graduated from The College of Saint Rose in Albany with a degree in communications, and is ready to dole out critical analysis of all your pop culture fixations. Mike is the host of FilmBookCast and can frequently be seen at his local movie theater, patiently explaining to his friends that Superman Returns is a misunderstood masterpiece.
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