Mandy exists in a world that doesn’t make any sense, and yet it totally works. It’s the kind of film that midnight showings were made for. It’s firmly grounded in the grindhouse exploitation tradition of movie-making. I’ve never done drugs, but I imagine movies like this give a pretty fair approximation of what a bad experience is like. Nicholas Cage, so often a target of criticism and ridicule as a celebrity, has found a movie that matches his craziness and puts it to good use and, frankly, he’s rarely been better. It’s not A Quiet Place or Hereditary in terms of the kind of horror film it is, it has its own unique blend of horror and entertainment going for it. This is an instant cult classic.

OnScreen is back for another week of Guess The Box Office!! Greg Ehrhardt and Ken Jones will be recapping last weekend’s box office results, previewing the new releases to come this weekend, and throwing in some predictions while they are at it.  

Fantasy sports is a billion-dollar industry. It’s all the rage. Just myself, I am in three fantasy football leagues, a Pick ‘Em League, and a Survivor League. I’ve even dabbled in Draft Kings. But here’s the thing, fantasy doesn’t have to be limited to sports. In fact, it shouldn’t be limited to sports. What if you could build a fantasy roster of your favorite movies and win bragging rights about your movie prowess?

I had hoped that Shane Black would bring an interesting reinvention or sharp new angle to the Predator series of movies. Instead, what we’re treated to is a muddled mess. It’s hard to tell if there was too much studio meddling or if Black is just trying to put too much into this one movie. Either way, The Predator is just the latest example of how not everything should be a franchise.

OnScreen is pleased to bring you a new weekly feature called “Guess The Box Office”, where OnScreen critic Ken Jones and OnStage Contributor Greg Ehrhardt will preview the weekend in movies and predict which movie will win the weekend and may even try and guess actual box office while they are at it.  Check back every Friday for a new column.

Last week, certain people on the internet lost their minds regarding First Man, a film that has yet to even be released. The film is a biopic about Neil Armstrong and the moon landing from director Damien Chazelle.

The “outrage” stems from an interview that Ryan Gosling, who portrays Armstrong in the film, gave during press for the film after it premiered at the Venice Film Festival. In that interview, he said that the moment of the American flag being planted on the moon is not shown in the film and that the moon landing was a human achievement.

Truly, you have not experienced 2001: A Space Odyssey until you see it on the big screen. It’s only a one-week engagement, and there are only three days left of it as I write about it on a Monday, but if you happen to have the time, go check it out. If you are a fan of the film, if you have never seen it before, or even if you are a film nerd that just didn’t connect with it before, see it on the biggest screen available and be prepared for a fresh new encounter with a 50-year-old film.

Crazy Rich Asians doesn’t seek to reinvent the wheel or tell us a new story. Romance, drama, comedy, horror, these stories have a universal language that transcend language and geographical barriers. What Crazy Rich Asians does is freshen up the formula with new faces at the center and expose us to a culture and way of life that is not typically seen in mainstream Hollywood films except in fish out of water stories.

For most kids, being a teenager is rough. It’s full of uncomfortable and embarrassing moments, situations, and events. Puberty hits everyone at different stages and there’s the difficult task of starting to figure out how to start being more like an adult with your own distinct identity and everything that entails. Plus, other kids can be unsparingly cruel. The coming of age tale is a well-worn trope in movies, and it seems like every year there is at least one or two that stand out. Few, though, capture the painful awkwardness of this better than Eighth Grade, a terrific indie film from comedian Bo Burnham.

It’s August, which means that summer is winding down at the box office, the major summer blockbusters have all been released. The summer market typically takes a downturn in August, but there is usually one last popcorn action flick that gets released in early August. This year, that film is The Meg. Oddly enough, The Meg is one of my earliest internet movie fascinations… back in the 90s! This adaptations of a 90s bestseller has languished in development hell for at least 20 years. Over that time it has seen multiple script rejections and directors attached to it. Now, in 2018, The Meg is finally pulled out of development hell and has reached theaters. And the result is rather unspectacular.

Sorry To Bother You first popped up on my radar when it was one of the most talked about movies coming out of Sundance. Created by musician and first-time director Boots Riley, I was mainly intrigued by the cast that featured Lakeith Stanfield and Tessa Thompson, two young and promising actors that have emerged over the last few years. The premise of the film also interested me too. It came out locally while I was still away at the Maine International Film Festival, so couldn’t see it until I got back; it was the very first movie I went to post-MIFF and fulfilled and exceeded my expectations for it.

Unfriended: Dark Web takes a deep look into the insane and obscure depths of the anonymous dark web in a chilling and destructive way. A sequel to the first installment (Unfriended), this dark, technological and insane thriller toys with the minds of their audience leaving them in total suspense and shock.

Everyone talks about how the Fast & Furious franchise remade itself, found its footing after a couple of mediocre sequels, and became a serious box office attraction, but the Mission: Impossible franchise has actually had a similar trajectory. The first film was a successful remake of the classic TV series. The second one faltered a bit. The third one was a step in the right direction and a decent return to form. Ever since, the franchise has excelled. It’s rare that franchises get better as they put our more sequels, but here we are with Mission: Impossible – Fallout, the sixth entry in this Tom Cruise-starring vehicle, is among the best of the series (I’ve got Ghost Protocol and Rogue Nation neck and neck).

Days 9 & 10 from the Maine International Film Festival.

Let's be honest. When it was announced, did any of us have high hopes for Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again? 

I'll be the first to say I didn't. In fact, I remember posting on Facebook, "Who asked for this?!?!?!" and jeering its trailer during NBC's Jesus Christ Superstar Live! 

Not only was I not looking forward to this movie, but I also predicted it would fail. 

How wrong I was. 

Days 7 & 8 from the Maine International Film Festival.

Days 5 & 6 from the Maine International Film Festival.

Days 3 & 4 from the Maine International Film Festival.

For many, many years, Mister Rogers was a staple of PBS and children’s lives in America. I remember watching him as a child growing up in the 80s. He was far from my favorite show as a kid, but there is no denying that he was a distinct part of my childhood. All these years later, even if I can’t remember all the words to the song to “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?” I can at least remember the tune, Mister Rogers coming in through the door, changing into his sweater and changing his shoes, the trolley to the neighborhood of make-believe, and then the closing song “It’s Such a Good Feeling.” My experience with Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood was limited to my own individual childhood viewing for a few years, and so it was great to get to see Won’t You Be My Neighbor? to gain a greater appreciation for who Fred Rogers was and how radical his show truly was.

Days 1 & 2 from the Maine International Film Festival.