Welcome to Boom, Bust, or Meh, ladies and gentlemen! This is where we focus on five films released during the month and have some fun predicting their success! As with every BBoM article, each film receives one of the following scores from each participating GUG film critic:
Boom: A film you’ll remember for the rest of the year.
Bust: A film you’ll regret watching.
Meh: A film that entertains during the moment, but has no lasting impact.
At the end of each month, each of the films will be arbitrarily judged and the critic’s ongoing tally will be updated (the score is written beside their name: correct predictions – incorrect predictions).
Let’s see what October has to offer after we look at last month’s results!
The Results
Before we get to our film predictions, let us take a look at the outcome of our September predictions!
1. Honk For Jesus. Save Your Soul. – Bust
Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score: 71%
Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score: 26%
IMDB Score: 5.3
Box Office
Production Budget: Undisclosed
Worldwide: $2.5 million
Juliana: Some enjoyed the satire but many thought it was too limp.
2. Barbarian – BOOM!
Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score: 92%
Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score: 70%
IMDB Score: 7.6
Box Office
Production Budget: $4 million
Worldwide: $35 million
Juliana: Many found this unpredictable horror film to be very rewarding.
3. The Woman King – Meh
Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score: 94%
Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score: 99%
IMDB Score: 6.2
Box Office
Production Budget: $50 million
Worldwide: $50 million
Juliana: This one is difficult to judge. There has been major controversies over this film, mainly because it gained a bad reputation of sanitizing the history of the very demographic it’s trying to inspire. I haven’t watched it yet so I cannot judge it for myself, but I refuse to believe this film is on par with Paddington 2 on Rotten Tomatoes, and like many suspect the blowback has been bad enough for the company to elicit fake reviews. Considering the IMDB score and box office isn’t abysmal, I’m calling this a Meh.
4. See How They Run – Meh
Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score: 73%
Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score: 68%
IMDB Score: 6.7
Box Office
Budget: $40 million
Worldwide: $16 million
Juliana: While See How They Run feels like a standard Agatha Christie piece, many enjoyed its satirical quips and the flavour it added to the predictable story.
5. Don’t Worry Darling – Meh
Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score: 39%
Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score: 75%
IMDB Score: 6.3
Box Office
Budget: $35 million
Worldwide: $54 million
Juliana: The stellar cast manages to entertain an otherwise pedestrian and muddled story that feels inspired by better films.
New Releases
Each “Boom, Bust, or Meh” article will include each writer’s current record next to their name. My record is (110-91), Tyler Hummel’s is (89-76), and L.J. Lowery’s score is (14-16).
Amsterdam
Rating: R
Release Date: October 7, 2022
Synopsis: In the 1930s, three friends witness a murder, are framed for it, and uncover one of the most outrageous plots in American history. (IMDB)
Director: David O. Russell
Starring: Christian Bale, Margot Robbie, John David Washington
The Predictions
Juliana Purnell (110-91): Meh – Amsterdam has a lot going for it. The film features an all-star cast, meaning the script passed through many hands and numerous reputable people agreed to participate, so it’s not terrible. The trailer is also playing coy, cleverly not revealing every turn in the plot which typically indicates that it features a denser and satisfying story that can hold its own. Director David O. Russell has also written and helmed several hits in Hollywood, so there’s a decent chance he’ll strike well again. The reason why I’m predicting a Meh instead of a BOOM is because I genuinely cannot think of the last time a film with an all-star cast (aside from superhero crosses) was good and not simply a hot mess. It might be a case of too many chefs in the kitchen. I’m hoping to be proven wrong.
Tyler Hummel (89-76): Meh – I must admit ambivalence towards this movie, for I have a minor history with David O. Russell films. FilmCritHulk has a very good breakdown on his filmography but simply put the former director of great movies like Three Kings, I Heart Huckabees, and The Fighter has mostly devolved into the slush of the independent film scene. His 2013 film, American Hustle, was critically acclaimed only to be totally forgotten and mediocre in hindsight, and his next film Joy felt like empty Oscar bait. His newest film is a period piece, but I can’t say I have much hope for it.
Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile
Rating: PG
Release Date: October 7, 2022
Synopsis: Feature film based on the children’s book about a crocodile that lives in New York City. (IMDB)
Director: Josh Gordon, Will Speck
Starring: Javier Bardem, Constance Wu, Scoot McNairy
The Predictions
Juliana Purnell (110-91): Bust – Wow. So the trailer pretty much shows the entire film, and it’s not great. We’ve seen this type of plot and collection of themes way too many times before. Granted, it’ll still be new for kids because they haven’t watched that many films by default, but I predict critics will find this generic while parents may call it cute and that’s about it. Sure, they’re not the target demographic, but adults are the ones who pay for the tickets and write up the reviews. I think it’ll be a sweet film but it will leave no lasting impact.
Tyler Hummel (89-76): Bust – I didn’t know they still made 1990s gimmick movies…
Halloween Ends
Rating: R
Release Date: October 14, 2022
Synopsis: The saga of Michael Myers and Laurie Strode comes to a spine-chilling climax in this final installment of the franchise. (IMDB)
Director: David Gordon Green
Starring: Jamie Lee Curtis, Kyle Richards, Will Patton
The Predictions
Juliana Purnell (110-91): BOOM! – I’ve really enjoyed this latest alternate set of sequels. It’s competent, it’s brutal in all the right ways, and it digs a little deeper with its themes and character development. With the original film used as a set up of the initial conflict, 2018’s Halloween focusses on Laurie Strode’s recovery, and Halloween Kills adopts more of Michael’s narrative arc, leaving Halloween Ends to be the movie where these two epic characters face off for a final time. It’s exciting—I genuinely don’t know which way this story is going to go, but I’m sure by the end of it I will be left questioning as to whom is the bigger psychopath (the question of who is the monster seems to be prevalent in this recent series). The previous films have demonstrated to me the filmmakers have an instinct for knowing what the audience desires, and while they’re not perfect, they do hit more beats than miss. So provided they stay on track, I think this could be a very successful movie, both at the box office and with reviews as well.
Tyler Hummel (89-76): Meh – I never got around to watching Halloween Kills last year, but if the proud tradition of this franchise is any indication it’s probably going to be a wash. The franchise already made its grand final reboot with Halloween H20, and then turned around and made one of its worst sequels ever with Halloween Resurrection. Halloween (2018) was pretty okay but underwhelming and the idea of two more sequels was tedious, but this franchise is endless and never dies no matter how many times it’s killed by its own critical reception.
White Bird: A Wonder Story
Rating: Not Listed
Release Date: October 14, 2022
Synopsis: Based on the book by the best-selling author of Wonder, this uplifting movie shows how one act of kindness can live on forever. (IMDB)
Director: Marc Forster
Starring: Gillian Anderson, Helen Mirren, Olivia Ross
The Predictions
Juliana Purnell (110-91): Meh – Wonder was an above average feel good movie that impressed me a little because it dared to tap into the issue of the other child feeling overlooked, sending the message that sometimes it’s not all about you. That wasn’t the main moral, but it was the portion that made it unique compared to other stories of its ilk. I’m not sensing the same complexity this time around (although I really hope there is some, as I’d hate to see a film that equates school bullying with the literal Holocaust). White Bird: A Wonder Story feels like a sequel in name only, where it may not be able to stand on its own feet without its loose attachment to the original. Set during World War II—a time period which hosts a multitude of movies already—this film needs to equally produce something unique in order to stand out, though I doubt it will. It feels very derivative. It might be good as a family movie as a way to introduce older children to the heavy subject matter of this time in history, but apart from that, there doesn’t seem to be much here that we haven’t seen before in better films.
Tyler Hummel (89-76): Bust – I don’t have much to add but this looks boring in a very mundane sort of way.
Black Adam
Rating: PG-13
Release Date: October 21, 2022
Synopsis: Nearly 5,000 years after he was bestowed with the almighty powers of the Egyptian gods-and imprisoned just as quickly-Black Adam (Johnson) is freed from his earthly tomb, ready to unleash his unique form of justice on the modern world. (IMDB)
Director: Jaume Collet-Serra
Starring: Dwayne Johnson, Viola Davis, Sarah Shahi
The Predictions
Juliana Purnell (110-91): Meh – When the trailer for Black Adam first dropped, I just felt an overwhelming feeling of tiredness. I’m not familiar with this character, so for me the prospect of learning about yet another superhero doesn’t exactly fill me with joy considering this subgenre is already overrun and has already reached its peak. After watching Firestarter earlier this year, which would have been a decent film ten years ago, now these types of movies really need to find their niche and master it in order to stand out from the masses. But Hancock already exists, and Batman has already cornered the anti-hero market for quite some time now. What will Black Adam bring to the table? (Oddly the potential sequel for DC League of Super-Pets excites me more, and I’d be lying if I didn’t admit that I’d be watching Black Adam more for that than for any other reason). The only reason why I don’t think this will be a Bust is because Dwayne Johnson’s presence always bumps a film’s score up by one point.
Tyler Hummel (89-76): BOOM! – It feels weird that the only major movie in October that I’m looking forward to is a DC Comics movie, but oh well. The last few months have been dry for spectacle ever since RRR and Top Gun: Maverick left theaters and I could use a shot of adrenaline right about now. Nothing about the premise seems particularly original, beyond the nominal amusement of seeing The Rock play another amoral anti-hero with Superman-like strength. There was also that weird claim from him that the movie contained no CGI, which doesn’t appear correct. Regardless, DC Comics has been canceling movies or delaying them left and right lately and this, alongside The Flash, remains one of the few movies they feel confident about. So I want to see why!
Thanks for reading this month’s edition! Let us know your predictions in the comment section. Join us next month for another edition of “Boom, Bust, or Meh!”