Movie News

‘The 33’ Delivers Satisfying Drama Without All the Hollywood Hype

Published

5 years ago

February 21, 2016

Anthony H

Antonio Banderas as Mario Sepúlveda in The 33

If you need a break from gratuitous movie-making – from hyped up sci-fi, super-spies, super- villains and disappointing comedies – you might want to take a look at The 33, where the drama is both gripping and organic and where the heroes are simply men who dig holes in the ground with massive drills.

Nobody shoots a gun, dashes away in a high-speed boat or gets to kiss a leggy blond in The 33. The film’s most riveting character is Mario Sepulveda, played by Antonio Banderas, who does a great job tucking away most of his charm to play a blue-collar (very dirty collar) miner trapped underground for more than two months along with 32 others. Nonetheless, what charm he has helped keep the trapped miners together when their ordeal was at its toughest moments. Mostly, however, “The 33” puts away the Hollywood gimmicks that the film industry loves so much.

Much of the triumph, admittedly, is above ground, where Mario’s sister Maria Segovia, played by Juliette Binoche, is the center of attention as she stands resolute with her demands that the owners of the San Jose de Copiapo mine put it in gear and push forward to rescue their brothers, fathers and husbands. The task is so daunting that the company, at first, declares any rescue attempt a lost cause. When they are pushed and when the government begins to feel the heat of embarrassment for their lack of effort, the tide shifts and rescue efforts get underway.

Much of the film is predictable, given the mass of publicity the rescue provoked in 2010. The one gratuitous scene, a fantasy of a lovingly served meal while the miners are trapped below with food running out, is so beautiful and haunting that it cannot be blamed for it’s obvious intrusion into the storyline. Call it a tip of the hat to Hollywood, but how else to you put a man’s fantasy into film other than to break from the script and go for it.

Granted, with 33 men trapped down below and the whole world waiting and hoping on the surface – the story attracted worldwide attention – there is not enough time to include every personal story that could have been explored. The film has been criticized mostly for taking too many short cuts.

But this film has solid directing, a terrific cast and Binoche and Banderas leading the way, above ground and below. I’m not sorry to say there is no alien spaceship explosion at the end. Instead, the men, one by one, are reunited with their loved ones, with sunlight and with fresh air. Batman does not make an appearance, but human beings do. Simple, unassuming human beings. They just want to survive.

Is that too much to ask?

[author title=”About the Author” image=”http://popstermedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/Jabba_the_Hutt-Anthony-Hall.png”]Movie guy Anthony Hall is an enigma. He’s never been photographed and only works late at night after everyone has left the office. Hall’s articles have appeared in The New York Times, USA Today, The Miami Herald (and more). [/author]

Related Topics:Chile film miners movie review The 33

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Movie Magic: The De-Aging Technique of The Irishman

Published

1 year ago

November 20, 2019

Matt

Have you read Izzy yet? If so, you know that Izzy makes the apples that give the Gods their youth and immortality. It also seems Robert De Niro discovered one of Izzy’s apples too… In Martin Scorsese’s upcoming biographical film, he stars as Frank “The Irishman” Sheeran, a labor union leader and alleged hitman for the Bufalino crime family. The trailer for the movie, which will premieres NEXT WEEK (!), also features a “de-aged” De Niro. “We’re so used to watching them as the older faces,” Scorsese said in an interview on the A24 podcast. “Does it change the eyes at all? …If that’s the case, what was in the eyes that I liked? Was it intensity? Was it gravitas? Was it threat?…How do we get that? I don’t know.” Some might consider this magic and I for one can’t wait to see the impact of Izzy’s apples on screen for myself. ????

Movie News

“Captain Marvel” Retains Top Slot at the Box Office

Published

2 years ago

April 17, 2019

Mark McPherson

It’s no surprise that in its second weekend, the first Marvel Cinematic Universe of 2019 is still riding high. Captain Marvel, the latest in the MCU with Brie Larson starring as the lead, generated another $69 million over the weekend, placing its domestic total at $266 million. Tallying up the international box office, the film’s global total to date is $760 million. Despite the online controversy, the film is looking to be another strong box office smash for Disney and Marvel.

As for the premieres for the weekend, and there were plenty, they were all over the map. Just below Captain Marvel was the animated adventure Wonder Park, bringing in $16 million, another film with controversy when the director’s name was removed from the picture after sexual harassment charges. Five Feet Apart, the dying teen drama about a romance amid cystic fibrosis, only came in at #3 with a weekend gross of $13 million. And debuting the lowest in the top 10 for debuts was Captive State, a sci-fi dystopian tale, only making $3 million. The film debuted so low the little film No Manches Frida 2 was able to sneak about it at #6 with a gross of $3.8 million.

Drops were fairly low all around for the returning films, mostly because Captain Marvel was dominating the previous weekend. The only milestone worth noting is that The LEGO Movie 2, after six weeks at the box office, finally cracked $100 million. And the sun is now setting on Green Book’s post-Oscar run by coming in at #10 for the final weekend of its top 10 run over the past few weeks.

View the full top ten weekend box office results below:

Captain Marvel ($69,318,000)

Wonder Park ($16,000,000)

Five Feet Apart ($13,150,000)

How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World ($9,345,000)

Tyler Perry’s A Madea Family Funeral ($8,085,000)

No Manches Frida 2 ($3,894,000)

Captive State ($3,163,000)

The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part ($2,135,000)

Alita: Battle Angel ($1,900,000)

Green Book ($1,277,000)

Next weekend, Captain Marvel may very well have some competition when Jordan Peele’s new horror film Us hits over 3,600 theaters.

Movie News

“Dragon” Continues To Soar, “Funeral” Close Behind, “Green Book” Back

Published

2 years ago

March 11, 2019

Mark McPherson

With little competition for the weekend, How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World, the third in the animated fantasy saga, was able to secure the box office once more. In its second weekend, the animated epic made $30 million to push its domestic total to $97 million. So far the film has done about the same as the previous film and is on track to stay in the top 10 for a few more weeks in March.

Debuts this weekend were small with one big exception. Tyler Perry’s latest Madea film, A Madea Family Funeral, naturally made a relatively big splash with its dedicated audience. Starting at #2, the film made $27 million for its first weekend. No word on the budget yet but it’s most likely on a budget as most Tyler Perry productions are, so it’s safe to call this a success, especially for debuting with a box office so close to Dragon.

The rest of the premieres were not as strong at all. Greta, the new thriller starring Chloe Moretz, debuted all the way down at #8 with $4.5 million box office. To be fair, however, the film was in a constant battle for its spot as three other films also reported earnings around $4 million for the weekend. Of note, Green Book, fresh off winning the Academy Award for Best Picture one weekend ago, splashed back into more theaters to arise even higher in the top 10 with its domestic total now sitting at $73 million. Don’t count on it remaining there long as bigger blockbusters will be swooping as we plow through the last remnants of winter movies.

Check out the full listing of the top 10 box office weekend results below:

How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World ($30,046,000)

Tyler Perry’s A Madea Family Funeral ($27,050,000)

Alita: Battle Angel ($7,000,000)

The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part ($6,615,000)

Green Book ($4,711,000)

Fighting With My Family ($4,691,284)

Isn’t it Romantic ($4,645,000)

Greta ($4,585,000)

What Men Want ($2,700,000)

Happy Death Day 2U ($2,516,000)

Next weekend is once again all about Marvel as their latest superhero solo film, Captain Marvel, will be appearing in 4,100 theaters.