2018 Nominee Watch – August 24th

The summer is coming to an end and so is the summer blockbuster season. We've seen new films from strong franchises including Jurassic Park, Star Wars, Marvel, and Mission Impossible along with a few other surprises over the past few months. Now it's time for a little lull before we get into the heat of the fall movie season and start seeing many of the strong Oscar contenders hitting theaters.

If you have some films you've been meaning to see but haven't gotten to yet, this might be a good weekend for catching up. The new offerings don't appear to be the greatest and even the limited releases on tap leave something to be desired.

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​A.X.L.
What would you do if you found a robot dog that was part of a secret government weapons program? I'm pretty sure the first thing would not be use it as a ramp to perform jumps on your motorbike. However, that's just one of the fun things we see in the trailer for A.X.L.

This feels like a fun film, but also one that I've seen before in different incarnations. 2016's Monster Trucks immediately jumps to mind, complete with the off road vehicles and young protagonist. As with that film, I feel like I get the entire story from the trailer and don't have much hope of new insights coming from the film itself.

With a bunch of relatively unknown actors making up the cast, I don't see a whole lot of optimism for award nominations in any of the acting categories. This is Oliver Daly's first feature film as well so directing seems out of the question as well.

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Where there may be a slim chance for an Oscar nomination is in visual effects or sound. I will have to go back and revisit the films that will be up for those categories, but that's the only potential place I see a nomination for A.X.L.

The Happytime Murders
I wonder what the original Muppet master would think of where the world of puppets has ended up. It's probably difficult living in the shadow of Jim Henson, but Brian Henson has managed to keep the Muppet franchise alive and this weekend brings us an entirely new take on the puppet movie genre.

Be warned, the tag line for this film is accurate in that there is no sign of the kid friendly Muppets from Sesame Street and The Muppet Show. The trailer below is a red band and drops several F bombs along with the most involved puppet sex since Team America: World Police in 2004. This combined with McCarthy being mistaken for a man several times in the 2 minute trailer made me laugh out loud several times.

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Now, is The Happytime Murders going to win any awards? Probably not. It's crass, full of vulgar humor and generally in the game for the jokes. There may be a sliver of a story here, but nothing to hang any awards hopes on.

If you're looking to enjoy the end of summer with a good popcorn flick and laugh your socks off, this may be the one for you.

Searching
When I first heard about this film, I thought it looked similar to last month's Unfriended sequel. Boy was I wrong!

After watching more about this film, it looks like a fresh take on the story of a parent searching for their missing child, fully updated to reflect on what that search would be like in today's digitally connected world. Even in the course of the trailer, we see glimpses of the fake lives that get posted on social media, making people look perfect to the world, while at the same time keeping a secret (or secrets) buried deep within.

I was pleased to see John Cho in the lead role here since I really like him as an actor.

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As a father, I can completely relate to the fear in his eyes when he is searching for answers from his daughter's friends and classmates, only to come up against constant barriers.

I'm also intrigued by Debra Messing's role in this film. The trailer only touches on her involvement tangentially, but I have a feeling there is much more than we are led to believe here for her.

If you're looking to stay on the edge of your seat this weekend, check out Searching. If you're looking for the next Oscar nominee, keep reading down the list of limited releases for better options.

Limited Releases

• ​An L.A. Minute – A successful commercial author tries to move into writing literature and runs into a art house actress chasing fame and money in Hollywood.
• Andrei Rublev – Restoration of the 1966 film by Andrei Tarkovsky about the 15th century Russian.
• Arizona – Action comedy about a man trying to right the wrongs of the real estate business in 2009 Arizona.
• Beautifully Broken – Based on a true story about three families from different worlds who's stories are intertwined.
• Blue Iguana – Academy Award Winner Sam Rockwell (Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri) takes on an action crime story centered around a flawless diamond called the Blue Iguana.
• The Bookshop – A women fights against local pressure to open a bookshop in 1950s England.
• Crime + Punishment – Documentary look at the claims of quotas and using police officers to generate revenue within the ranks of the NYPD. (Hulu)
• Dead Envy – Rock 'n Roll meets psychological thriller.
• Destination Wedding – Keanu Reeves (Speed, The Matrix) and Winona Rider (Little Women, Girl, Interrupted) team up as the token singles at a destination wedding. Guess what happens next! On a side note, there has been recent speculation that they might ACTUALLY be legally married.

• Little Italy – Hayden Christensen (Star Wars, Jumper) and Emma Roberts (We're the Millers, Nerve) star as lovers from Italian families that run competing pizza restaurants. Romeo and Juliet anyone?
• Makala – Story of an African man struggling to build a home and a life for his family.
• Papillon – Remake of a 1973 film starring Steve McQueen (The Great Escape) and Dustin Hoffman  (Tootsie, Rain Man) about a man trying to escape from a remote prison island.
• Support The Girls – Regina Hall (Scary Movie, Girls Trip) stars as the manager of a Hooters style restaurant falling on hard times.
• What Keeps You Alive – Psychological thriller about a serial killer tormenting her new wife after murdering her first wife.
• The Wild Boys – French film about a group of boys deserted on a remote island.