The Roundup with Jeff Stockton (Season 28 Round 8)

 

  

The rough times at the box office continued in Round 8. Here's The Roundup....

3. Five Boroughs

I loved the frantic pacing and the casting of JAW and Toby Wallace as the lead duo. Some of the story feels too episodic, and a couple of the pit-stops flopped (Bronx and Queens), but others were super memorable (Staten Island and Brooklyn) to make up for it. This truly felt like a film the Safdie Bros might make (right up to a former NBA all-star in a supporting role).

2. The Dogs of Winter

Well-cast, well-written, well-directed. This is a prime example of how other writers need to tackle their novel adaptations. Chad Taylor's script doesn't just regurgitate chapters from the book, he takes the time to transform the source material into the film narrative format. Between The Dogs of Winter and The Champ, Murder Mysteries is starting to get some serious competition come GRA season.

1. Jack Ryder

I'll save my specific thoughts on his "comeback" film for below, but it is great to see Jack Ryder back with the studio after a 20 season long hiatus. Things are always more entertaining with Jack around. Welcome back, Jack!

3. The ComeBack

I found the plot of The ComeBack mostly entertaining (although it was too long and wordy for its genre), but I must question Jack Ryder's reasoning when casting Charlie Cox and Brandon Routh as the starring duo in a buddy cop film. Cox is not a terrible actor, but he's no star. Routh, meanwhile, is a terrible actor and also no star. The supporting cast comes off better in the film, but if the buddy duo in a buddy film is a dud the film isn't going to have a chance to succeed.

2. Box Office

The box office has been a struggle all season for LRF. Only one film has grossed over $500 million (Moon Knight, the season opener) and none so far in the second half of the season have even hit $300 million.

1. Profits

Since the midway point of the season, the studio is actually losing money over the last nine releases. Depending on how well Spider-Man: Requiem performs at the end of the season, this season could very well wind up being the least profitable in the studio's history (Season 14 currently holds that dubious title).