The Roundup with Jeff Stockton (Season 18 Round 10)

 

And that's a wrap on a very financially rocky 18th season of Last Resort Films. Here's hoping for an exciting awards season to wash the box office stench off. Here's The Roundup....

3. The Brilliant Friend
I didn't love the film, but it definitely kept me entertained and kept me guessing. With how many films I scour through, that alone is enough to get some bonus points for the filmmakers.

2. Teen Titans
I didn't care for the jokier tone of the film, but the stuff between Starfire and Blackfire was very well done. Plus it was nice to finally see the Jaime Reyes Blue Beetle and Huntress back in play for the franchise.

1. Profits
I'll cover more about how the box office wrapped up in the Bottom 3, but one thing worth mentioning is that despite the poor overall box office in Season 18, the profits weren't much lower than most season. Sure, the profit ranks 17th out of the 18 seasons, but it ended up within spitting distance of several other (more successful) past seasons.

3. Corndog
I couldn't tell you who the audience for Corndog is. There aren't enough rom-com elements to truly appeal to that crowd, and then the baseball isn't taken seriously enough to appeal to hardcore sports fans. On top of that, Alex Wolff was a poor bit of casting in the lead role, making for the least believable on-screen professional athlete in recent memory. The casting outside of Wolff was decent, and I especially liked Noah Centineo as the brash power hitter you love to hate. I think the biggest problem is with the star/director combo and the lack of fit with the material.I liked the characters and thought it moved quickly, but I don't think it has an audience interested in the combination of talents and material on display here.

2. Award Races
Usually the final round of a season helps clear up some of the GRA races, but that didn't happen this season. Should make for an interesting and fairly unpredictable awards season.

1. Box Office
And it's official. We have registered a new all-time low for a season box office. The profits were about on par with other seasons though, which makes for some interesting analysis. The season obviously lacked in big-time blockbusters, but it had a solid string of profitable mid-budget films (especially in the second half of the season.