Original Broadcast: The Business Of Film
James Cameron-Wilson examines the UK box offie, down 40% on the week. With Ant-Man 3 still #1, the much-anticipated Cocaine Bear enters at #3. Stomach-churningly violent and unsubtle, James's verdict is, "Great trailer, shame about the movie". Romcom What's Love Got To Do With It, written by Jemima Khan and starring Lily James and Shazad Latif, is #4 and James and Simon both recommend it. It's romantic, funny and even educational. South Korean Broker is #8. On Apple TV is Sharper, with Julianne Moore in a con artist film that is entertaining but also too clever for its own good.
Guests: James Cameron-Wilson
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Original Broadcast: The Business Of Film
James Cameron-Wilson marvels at a box office take up by 71%, with Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania taking £8.8m over the weekend. Sarah Polley's double-Oscar-nominated Women Talking, with a stellar cast, only debuted at #8, although James was utterly transported, saying, "It's not often I forget that I'm in a cinema". He also reviews Italian film Nostalgia, at #29 which disappointed him, finding it atmospheric but hokey and predictable.
Guests: James Cameron-Wilson
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Original Broadcast: The Business Of Film
James Cameron-Wilson on the latest box office (-24%) and the movies worth seeing (and worth avoiding). At #2 is Magic Mike's Last Dance, the 3rd in the series, with Channing Tatum and Salma Hayek, which James enjoyed. He was less enamoured of the Jennifer Lopez film Shotgun Wedding, now on Amazon Prime. It is, he said, a comic thriller with no laughs and few thrills. However, he adored the Oscar-nominated animated film The Sea Beast which is now on Netflix and recommends it strongly.
Guests: James Cameron-Wilson
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Original Broadcast: The Business Of Film
James Cameron-Wilson takes Simon Rose through the UK box office numbers, up 14% on the previous week. #1 is Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, the belated sequel pushing Avatar 2 into second place. James found it migraine-inducing. M Night Shyamalan's Knock At The Cabin is #3 but James found it mad and daft in equal measure. However, he thought Darren Aronofsky's The Whale at #5 one of the best films of the last 12 months. Starring Brendan Fraser, it's a claustrophobic tale of an immensely large teacher approaching the end of his life and has received many nominations.
Guests: James Cameron-Wilson
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Original Broadcast: The Business Of Film
James Cameron-Wilson on the UK box office, up 18% week-on-week. With Avatar 2 still #1, Hindi film Pathaan is #2 while #3 is Gerard Butler thriller Plane, which James found gripping and great fun. Steven Spielberg's semi-autobiographical film The Fabelmans is #4, which James thought playful and funny, with a dark undertone. Chinese film The Wandering Earth 2 makes #9 while James also enjoyed Netflix's Bank of Dave about Dave Fishwick taking on the banking establishment, despite it being cliche-ridden.
Guests: James Cameron-Wilson
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Original Broadcast: The Business Of Film
James Cameron-Wilson canters through a b.o. down 33%. #2 is comic thriller M3GAN about a robotic doll which James thought funny and thought-provoking. Babylon, fun but way too long is doing poorly at #3 while Empire of Light, with Sam Mendes directing his own script is #7, depsite Olivia Coleman, Colin Firth and Toby Jones. James loved it, being in seventh heaven, as he was with Tár at #8 with Cate Blanchett playing a leading conductor. James found it mind-blowingly eloquent and that it made him "proud to be human".
Guests: James Cameron-Wilson
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Original Broadcast: The Business Of Film
James Cameron-Wilson takes Simon Rose through the latest box office figures, down 21% on last week. A Man Called Otto with Tom Hanks enters at #4 with £1.1m; James found himself captivated by the film. The true-life lynching drama Till is at #6. While the story needs telling, James did find it somewhat overlong. Streaming on Apple TV+ is Raymond & Ray with Ewan McGregor and Ethan Hawke playing estranged brothers. He found the dialogue fake and the movie too full of eccentrics.
Guests: James Cameron-Wilson
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Original Broadcast: The Business Of Film
James Cameron-Wilson revels in a box office up 185% after a Christmas lull with Whitney Houston biopic I Wanna Dance With Somebody #2. Although conventional, James loved it for the music and performances from Stanley Tucci and newcomer Naomi Ackie. Netflix never release box office figures but James finally got to see Glass Onion, which has now moved online, finding it preposterous but enormous fun, even if it goes off the rails towards the end.
Guests: James Cameron-Wilson
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Original Broadcast: The Business Of Film
James Cameron-Wilson looks back at the cinematic year, taking us through the top 10 films at the UK box office of 2022, with Top Gun Maverick ending up the biggest grosser with £83m. But a very different list is James's own list of his 10 favourite films, with the Netflix remake of All Quiet on the Western Front his personal #1. With Avatar 2 just out, he recaps on the most expensive movies of all time, with Way of Water only making it to #4.
Guests: James Cameron-Wilson
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Original Broadcast: The Business Of Film
James Cameron-Wilson gives his last box office round-up of 2022 where Avatar: The Way of Water is steamrollering everything before it with an £11.2m first weekend take. Although it looks amazing, James says it's violent, disappointingly one-dimensional and he couldn't wait for its three-hour-plus running time to end. On Netflix, there's a new Lady Chatterley's Lover with The Crown's Emma Corrin but James couldn't suspend his disbelief. On Apple+ is Will Smith's hope for redemption, the slave drama Emancipation from Antoine Fuqua. Trying too hard to be a masterpiece, James was occasionally reminded of Rambo!
Guests: James Cameron-Wilson
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