10. Birds of Prey: And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn (£9,400,000)

Cathy Yan’s DC Universe offering sees Harley Quinn teaming up with a group of female heroines to fight against the evil Black Mask.

Audience Thoughts: 78% – Rotten Tomatoes / 6.2 – IMDb

Critics Thoughts: “While watching Birds of Prey, it becomes clear that comic book movies are still going to dominate the box office for many years to come. If any of those could be as much fun…then we would be over the moon.“

9. Parasite (£12,000,000)

Bong Joon Ho’s Best Picture winner sees the poor Kim family scam their way into working for the rich Park family. But do the Kim’s deserve our sympathy and what secrets are the Park’s hiding?

Audience Thoughts: 90% – Rotten Tomatoes / 8.6 – IMDb

Critics Thoughts: “It’s dark, funny, clever, surprising, and I’m sure I could use almost every adjective in my lexicon.“

8. The Gentlemen (£12,300,000)

Guy Ritchie’s latest gangster films focused on an American marijuana emperor trying to leave the business. But various factions conspire to extort him for all he’s worth.

Audience Thoughts: 84% – Rotten Tomatoes / 7.9 – IMDb

Critics Thoughts: “It is a coarse, convoluted, comical caper that exults in the joys of genre.”

7. Jumanji: The Next Level (£16,100,000)

The gang from Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, along with new additions Danny Glover and Danny DeVito, return to Jumanji to face new challenges. 

Audience Thoughts: 87% – Rotten Tomatoes / 6.7 – IMDb

Critics Thoughts: “Jumanji’s next level is rather satisfying.“

6. Dolittle (£16,700,000)

Robert Downey Jr. leads an all-star cast as the famous doctor who can talk to animals sets out to find a cure for an ailing young Queen Victoria.

Audience Thoughts: 76% – Rotten Tomatoes / 5.6 – IMDb

Critics Thoughts: “It really is horribly inert, and every time Downey opens his mouth to say something unintelligible, the film dies a bit more.“

5. Bad Boys for Life (£17,000,000)

Mike Lowrey and Marcus Burnett must team up with a team of younger cops to take down the leaders of a violent drug cartel.

Audience Thoughts: 96% – Rotten Tomatoes / 6.7 – IMDb

Critics Thoughts: “Bad Boys for Life is … pure enjoyment and entertainment.“

4. Sonic the Hedgehog (£19,100,000)

Sonic and his friend Tom race to San Francisco to find the rings to transport Sonic off-world before Dr. Robotnik catches them.

Audience Thoughts: 93% – Rotten Tomatoes / 6.6 – IMDb

Critics Thoughts: “The world contains many terrible video game movies. This isn’t one of them.”

3. Little Women (£19,400,000)

Greta Gerwig’s remake of the literary classic follows the March sisters as they experience career hardships, romance, tragedy, and triumph during and after the American Civil War.

Audience Thoughts: 92% – Rotten Tomatoes / 7.9 – IMDb

Critics Thoughts: “Though we can’t foretell whether time will be cruel or kind to Gerwig’s “Little Women,” it may just be the best film yet made by an American woman.”

2. Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker (£20,100,000)

The Skywalker Saga concludes. Emperor Palpatine returns to threaten the galaxy. Rey and the remnants of the resistance must find a way to stop him. While contending with the rage of Kylo Ren.

Audience Thoughts: 86% – Rotten Tomatoes / 6.7 – IMDb

Critics Thoughts: “It doesn’t do anything new or even terribly distinctive, but maybe it didn’t have to. It just had to be good enough to stick the landing, and it does that.“

1. 1917 (£46,600,000)

Presented in a pseudo-continuous shot 1917 follows two soldiers tasked with physically delivering orders for a battalion to stand down before German forces kill them all.

Audience Thoughts: 88% – Rotten Tomatoes / 8.3 – IMDb

Critics Thoughts: “1917 will have you on the edge of your seat from the very first moment and will leave you breathless.“

This year’s top 10 collective taking may be comparatively low (over £188 million) but with a relatively diverse group of creative teams (including 2 solo female directors and a foreign-language film) and an interesting mix of tales (including three original properties not based on pre-existing work or part of larger franchises), 2020 is more interesting than 2019. Which was dominated by comic book adaptations, remakes, and sequels to popular franchises (mostly from Disney and their subsidiaries). Hopefully, the upcoming months will bare good tidings for UK cinemas.

Also Read: What Happens To Your Brain When Watching A Horror Film

The post Top 10 Films at the UK Box Office in 2020 (So Far) appeared first on Big Picture Film Club.

“We ride together. We die together” for the third time

It’s been almost 17 (!) years since the last time we saw the bad boys and while a lot of things have happened, many stayed the same. Mike is still living the life of a real single detective: Living for the thrills, fighting the guys and enjoying female company as much as he can. Marcus’ family has been growing over the last few years and now that he became a “pop-pop” (grandfather), the idea of retiring becomes more appealing every day. Those conflicting feelings from the detectives become even more heightened when Mike is almost killed by a murderous vigilante. Marcus sees this as a sign of God that he has to retire right away before this happens to him. That means that the frustrated and angry Mike, who’s going on a desperate manhunt to find the man who tried to kill him, must team up with Miami PD’s AMMO.

However, what happens when you put an old-school detective with a new, modern and high-tech superteam? Well, trouble that what happens! Bodies are piling up, bullets are flying everywhere and car chases are happening every second. Mike doesn’t seem to get closer to catching the guy but there’s always that one friend you can count on. Even when Marcus is now retired, living a relaxed life and has sworn to God to never use violence anymore, there’s still some love for the badge. Bad Boys for life, right?

Predictable but still enjoyable

We’re not going to lie about it. There are already many films made like Bad Boys for Life and we’re a hundred percent sure that many more will follow. Movies in which action is key, in which the story is just secondary and in which emotions are just out of the question. While there are more emotions in this movie than in the two films combined, due to the predictable, they don’t do the trick fully. There’s still a lack of emotional connection taking place between the leading characters and the audience. Yes, there’s also the big amount of cliches rushing by over the screen but isn’t that what you expect when watching a film like that. After all, Bad Boys for Life will be able to please you from start to finish.

Smith and Lawrence are back on point

One of the main elements is the impeccable chemistry between Smith (Gemini Man) and Lawrence (The Beach Bum). It’s clear that both men worked together on the previous films as they just lift each other to a much higher, comical and charismatic level. The banter between them is very contagious and it will put a smile on your face the entire time. If the predictable punchlines weren’t delivered by Smith and Lawrence, they would have just fallen flat instantly. Not only the men and their characters became much more mature but also their jokes Thanks to that, this film got a more grown-up vibe than the previous two.

The stellar performance of the two leads has also a very infectious impact on the new and fresh talent that’s supporting them in the best way possible. New cast members such as Paola Nuñez (The Purge), Charles Melton (The Sun is Also a Star), Vanessa Hudgens (Spring Breakers), and Alexander Ludwig (The Hunger Games) each bring their own game to this film.

Fresh take but still the same

With the new directors behind the wheel, Bad Boy for Life feels refreshing (as refreshing as it can be for a franchise film obviously). The action scenes are still fast, bombastic and entertaining but for some reason, they feel less over-the-top than during the previous films. With the impeccable Smith and Lawrence returning in great form, the addition of new wonderful cast members, the usual comedy and the action, Bad Boy for Life is a movie that just pure enjoyment and entertainment. Wondering what the fourth part will be like.

Rating: (3.5 / 5)

Also Read: Why James Cameron’s Avatar Sequel Has Come At The Right Time

The post Review: Bad Boys for Life appeared first on Big Picture Film Club.