The BJMDDS General Discussion Thread......

[FormerBondFan]

Never. It doesn't get the international numbers required to top $1 billion. Maybe Phelps returning in MI:6 would do it?

Phelps died the the day Peter Graves died. If not Phelps, why not other having surviving cast members to reprise their roles from the original series? I doubt it would work since most of the original cast hated the 1996 film.

[Kristatos]

Never. It doesn't get the international numbers required to top $1 billion. Maybe Phelps returning in MI:6 would do it?

The only people who would care about that are the long-time fans who grew up with the original series, and who make up a tiny fraction of the total audience. "That guy from the first film turns out not to have been a villain after all" is not going to push M:I6 over the $billion mark by itself.

[bjmdds]

Rescuing the real Phelps, aka Jon Voight, would be an interesting concept, where the person killed in MI:1 was an impostor.

[Kristatos]

Rescuing the real Phelps, aka Jon Voight, would be an interesting concept, where the person killed in MI:1 was an impostor.

It might make a good story, but I'm not convinced that the Phelps thing is the cause of mass outrage that is hurting the films at the box office. You're the only person I know for whom it's even an issue. That's not to say that there aren't others who agree with you, but I've never heard anybody else talking about it.

[bjmdds]

FBF, explain it to Kris.

[Kristatos]

Someone posted this quote from Dr Evil on Facebook. Remind you of anything?

The details of my life are quite inconsequential... very well, where do I begin? My father was a relentlessly self-improving boulangerie owner from Belgium with low grade narcolepsy and a penchant for buggery. My mother was a fifteen year old French prostitute named Chloe with webbed feet. My father would womanize, he would drink. He would make outrageous claims like he invented the question mark. Sometimes he would accuse chestnuts of being lazy. The sort of general malaise that only the genius possess and the insane lament. My childhood was typical. Summers in Rangoon, luge lessons. In the spring we'd make meat helmets. When I was insolent I was placed in a burlap bag and beaten with reeds- pretty standard really. At the age of twelve I received my first scribe. At the age of fourteen a Zoroastrian named Vilma ritualistically shaved my testicles. There really is nothing like a shorn scrotum.

[FormerBondFan]

Rescuing the real Phelps, aka Jon Voight, would be an interesting concept, where the person killed in MI:1 was an impostor.

You're getting the idea wrong. The real Jim Phelps is Peter Graves, and when Grave died, the real Phelps died with him. The fake Phelps (Jon Voight) could be someone assassinated the real Phelps and steal his identity, leading to people to believe that the latter got plastic surgery due to an accident during the mission.

I'm talking about keeping the film series in same continuity as the series.

[bjmdds]

Phelps is NOW Voight. He could be rescued by Hunt and the IMF from his captors after they discovered the impostor was not really Phelps.

[Alessandra]

Hello darlings, sorry for my absence these past few days, but I've had to deal with less than happy family circumstances (not MY immediate family thankfully, but still family).

Sooooo... last night was red carpet and premiere for Man from U.N.C.L.E. and it was a ROARING success!! EW just put out an article about Alicia Vikander, even "meet the Man from U.N.C.L.E. star that has all of Hollywood swooning" was the headline. I am SO glad because the WOMEN protagonists of this movie are a MAJOR hit with Hollywood, too.

http://www.ew.com/article/2015/08/11/al ... 1fb43c2b72

And this is an example of what one critic said last night:
Matt Mungle @themungle
No one puts swagger in a film like @realguyritchie His #ManFromUNCLE is about as cool an action flick as you will ever see. And hella fun.

This is from another TV producer:
jenny karakaya @jennykarakaya
So much fun attending the #ManFromUNCLE premiere tonight. Loved Armie & Henry in it. #hotties #guyritchieaction #greatscore

[Kristatos]

Going to see it a week on Friday. Would have preferred opening weekend, but our schedules didn't allow it. Alicia Vikander was great in Ex Machina.

[bjmdds]

[video][/video]

[bjmdds]

Joblo:Chris Bumbray:----- While Henry Cavill's Solo is still a silver-tongued ladies' man, right at the start it's revealed that he's a former thief pressed into service for the government (a premise that seems borrowed from another sixties spy show – It Takes a Thief with Robert Wagner). Cavill's Solo is less an action hero and more of a wiley con-man. He's more Cary Grant than Robert Vaughn's James Bond-clone but this approach suits Cavill perfectly and he's got the wit to pull the part off beautifully..........RT: 67% rating: Critics Consensus: The Man from U.N.C.L.E. tries to distract from an unremarkable story with charismatic stars and fizzy set pieces, adding up to an uneven action thriller with just enough style to overcome its lack of substance.

[Kristatos]

For anyone who's interested, I've just noticed that TCM UK is showing the original Man from U.N.C.L.E "movies" (which are actually 2-part TV episodes edited together for theatrical release).

[Veronica]

Joblo:Chris Bumbray:----- While Henry Cavill's Solo is still a silver-tongued ladies' man, right at the start it's revealed that he's a former thief pressed into service for the government (a premise that seems borrowed from another sixties spy show – It Takes a Thief with Robert Wagner). Cavill's Solo is less an action hero and more of a wiley con-man. He's more Cary Grant than Robert Vaughn's James Bond-clone but this approach suits Cavill perfectly and he's got the wit to pull the part off beautifully..........RT: 67% rating: Critics Consensus: The Man from U.N.C.L.E. tries to distract from an unremarkable story with charismatic stars and fizzy set pieces, adding up to an uneven action thriller with just enough style to overcome its lack of substance.

Lack of of substance? Oh boy,this must be another "Skyfall,best Bond ever" critic who praised that Tennyson poetry.

[Alessandra]

Joblo:Chris Bumbray:----- While Henry Cavill's Solo is still a silver-tongued ladies' man, right at the start it's revealed that he's a former thief pressed into service for the government (a premise that seems borrowed from another sixties spy show – It Takes a Thief with Robert Wagner). Cavill's Solo is less an action hero and more of a wiley con-man. He's more Cary Grant than Robert Vaughn's James Bond-clone but this approach suits Cavill perfectly and he's got the wit to pull the part off beautifully..........RT: 67% rating: Critics Consensus: The Man from U.N.C.L.E. tries to distract from an unremarkable story with charismatic stars and fizzy set pieces, adding up to an uneven action thriller with just enough style to overcome its lack of substance.

Lack of of substance? Oh boy,this must be another "Skyfall,best Bond ever" critic who praised that Tennyson poetry.

BJ, thank you for this, my dear.

I've seen that "substance" claim, too. Pray tell, what freaking SUBSTANCE is an actual spy movie supposed to have? NONE, that's the answer. It's a spy movie, good guys, bad guys, the good guys get the bad guys. What matters is the HOW they do it and HOW they appear while doing so. NOt "SUBSTANCE". There isn't supposed to be any "substance" in terms of plot. There's supposed to be an entertaining, clever plot. NOT "substance". Again what matters is HOW they get the bad guys and HOW they act and appear while doing so. And it seems like that part is ABUNDANTLY positive, so in short, this is one great film as far as WE are concerned.

[bjmdds]

It's not ONE critic Veronica on RT, it's their CONSENSUS view. How influential will the RT rating be to the box office? MI:5 has a 92% rating there. I guess these critics want psychological drama in the spy's mind or they deem the movie less than adequate.

[bjmdds]

Today's NY Daily News review savaged the UNCLE film: http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainmen ... -1.2324597 'The Man From U.N.C.L.E." review: '60s spying ages badly with Henry Cavill, Armie Hammer and Alicia Vikander-------------NY Times review: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/14/movie ... .html?_r=0

[Kristatos]

Joblo:Chris Bumbray:----- While Henry Cavill's Solo is still a silver-tongued ladies' man, right at the start it's revealed that he's a former thief pressed into service for the government (a premise that seems borrowed from another sixties spy show – It Takes a Thief with Robert Wagner). Cavill's Solo is less an action hero and more of a wiley con-man. He's more Cary Grant than Robert Vaughn's James Bond-clone but this approach suits Cavill perfectly and he's got the wit to pull the part off beautifully..........RT: 67% rating: Critics Consensus: The Man from U.N.C.L.E. tries to distract from an unremarkable story with charismatic stars and fizzy set pieces, adding up to an uneven action thriller with just enough style to overcome its lack of substance.

Lack of of substance? Oh boy,this must be another "Skyfall,best Bond ever" critic who praised that Tennyson poetry.

BJ, thank you for this, my dear.

I've seen that "substance" claim, too. Pray tell, what freaking SUBSTANCE is an actual spy movie supposed to have? NONE, that's the answer. It's a spy movie, good guys, bad guys, the good guys get the bad guys. What matters is the HOW they do it and HOW they appear while doing so. NOt "SUBSTANCE". There isn't supposed to be any "substance" in terms of plot. There's supposed to be an entertaining, clever plot. NOT "substance". Again what matters is HOW they get the bad guys and HOW they act and appear while doing so. And it seems like that part is ABUNDANTLY positive, so in short, this is one great film as far as WE are concerned.

The spies don't have daddy issues. Daddy issues are deep.

[Veronica]

Today's NY Daily News review savaged the UNCLE film: http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainmen ... -1.2324597 'The Man From U.N.C.L.E." review: '60s spying ages badly with Henry Cavill, Armie Hammer and Alicia Vikander-------------NY Times review: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/14/movie ... .html?_r=0

"Solo is a former art thief recruited into the spy world(don't ask why)". I am NOT asking why either. The only thing I know is that I find that to be awesome,that the movie has obvious visual style and that trailer made me 100 times more excited and invested than those last three "deep Bond movies" all together.

[bjmdds]

Boxoffice.com: The Man from U.N.C.L.E.

PROS:

- Director Guy Ritchie successfully adapted two takes on Sherlock Holmes, so he has some box office clout in addition to his own fan base and critical success.
- Adult audiences who've already checked out Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation may give this a shot.
- Henry Cavill has never been more recognizable to casual audiences than he is now thanks to his generally well-received turn as Superman in Man of Steel, plus buzz from the upcoming Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.

CONS:

- Social media activity is sorely lacking. Tweet levels are far below Rogue Nation, Kingsman, and Spy; Facebook boasts a weak 85,000 fans.
- Despite his overall success, Ritchie isn't exactly a household name outside of movie fans. Nor is co-star Armie Hammer, for that matter.
- Reviews are modest, which in this box office climate (and up against strong competition in Compton) could be an unfortunate precursor to an under-performer.
Our complete weekend forecast in the table below:

TITLE RELEASE DATE DISTRIBUTOR WEEKEND DOMESTIC TOTAL THROUGH SUNDAY, AUGUST 16
Straight Outta Compton Aug 14, 2015 Universal
$55,000,000 $55,000,000
Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation Jul 31, 2015 Paramount
$18,500,000 $140,500,000
The Man from U.N.C.L.E. Aug 14, 2015 Warner Bros.
$14,000,000 $14,000,000
The Gift (2015) Aug 7, 2015 STX Entertainment
$7,200,000 $24,500,000
Fantastic Four (2015) Aug 7, 2015 Fox
$7,000,000 $41,500,000