0
Posted September 28, 2017 by Scott Davis in Features
 
 

The Preview Reel: American Made & Flatliners


Welcome to the “Preview Reel” column, where we look at the week’s upcoming wide-release movies. Last weekend’s box office was lower than expected with Kingsman: The Golden Circle failing to hit $40 million, The LEGO Ninjago Movie barely earning $20 million, and Friend Request recording the worst wide opening of all-time with a mere $2 million across 2,500 screens. This week, Kingsman will be doing battle with the new Tom Cruise vehicle, American Made, while the Flatliners remake will most likely be dead on arrival. But will either movie be good? Let’s find out.

 

American Made

American Made posterWhat we are excited about: The last time Tom Cruise and director Doug Liman teamed up was for Edge of Tomorrow (or Live. Die. Repeat. whichever stupid title you prefer) in 2014, and while American Made is a completely different movie, we’re excited for their next collaboration. Liman is known for his fast and loose style of action seen in movies like The Bourne Identity (2002), Mr. and Mrs. Smith (2007), and the aforementioned Edge of Tomorrow. If he can take that style and successfully marry it with this interesting real-life story, then American Made might be a hit. Also, this could be a chance for Tom Cruise to show off a different acting style than just his normal action-hero persona.

What we are worried about: We’re hoping that the movie focuses on what is sure to be an intriguing storyline and doesn’t abandon it for style. Substance over style seems to be the best way to tell this story, and while Liman and Cruise are both good at what they do, we’re wondering if they were the right choices for a movie like this.

The Buzz: Cruise always carries a little bit of buzz into whatever movie he has coming out, although American Made has less buzz than some of his recent films. Critically speaking, the movie currently sits at 89% on RottenTomatoes and 68 on MetaCritic with most critics saying it’s an entertaining, if not the deepest, movie. It and Kingsman: The Golden Circle have given some life to the September box office, and while American Made might not reach the heights of those movies, it should do just fine. Kingsman will likely repeat as champ, but look for an opening around $17 million.

Final Thoughts: With mostly positive reviews and a director-actor collaboration we’re a fan of, this might be the movie we recommend you see this weekend.

 

Flatliners

Flatliners posterWhat we are excited about: The only thing to be remotely excited about with Flatliners is that it’s directed by Niels Arden Oplev, who also directed the original Swedish version of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2009). That was a gripping thriller, and while his English directorial debut, Dead Man Down (2013), was sub-par, we have confidence he can make another effective thriller. Whether that’s Flatliners or not remains to be seen, but we’re betting The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo wasn’t a one-time thing.

What we are worried about: The trailers are edited in one of the most annoying ways imaginable. Intercutting with obnoxious breathing noises and white flashes, the trailer does not do this film any favors. We have not seen the original movie this is based on, but it more than likely did not have this bad of a trailer. The premise is interesting enough, so we’re wondering why they decided to use this style to market this type of movie.

The Buzz: There is next to no buzz for this movie and the original isn’t enough of a classic to help it out. There are no reviews yet, which is almost never a good sign. With nothing looking promising for this movie, look for an opening around $8 million

Final Thoughts: This movie looks to flatline before it even hit theaters.

Scott Davis

Scott Davis

Scott Davis is a recent graduate of Oakland University where he earned a degree in journalism. He worked for the student newspaper on campus, The Oakland Post, where he became the paper's managing editor. He also earned a minor in Cinema Studies at OU. Scott enjoys all things film and TV related, especially the blockbuster kind. He might be the biggest Christopher Nolan fan you know.