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“ A Star is Born ” stars four-time Oscar nominee Bradley Cooper (“American Sniper,” “American Hustle,” “Silver Linings Playbook”) and multiple award-winning, Oscar-nominated music superstar Lady Gaga , in her first leading role in a major motion picture. Cooper helms the drama, marking his directorial debut. In this new take on the tragic love story, he plays seasoned musician Jackson Maine, who discovers—and falls in love with—struggling artist Ally ( Gaga ). She has just about given up on her dream to make it big as a singer… until Jack coaxes her into the spotlight. But even as Ally’s career takes off, the personal side of their relationship is breaking down, as Jack fights an ongoing battle with his own internal demons. The cast of “A Star is Born” also includes Andrew Dice Clay , with Dave Chappelle and Sam Elliott . In addition to playing Ally, Gaga, who earned her Oscar nod for the song “Til It Happens to You” from “The Hunting Ground,” performs original songs in the

How has the 2015 box office performed compared to 2014? Read on to find out. Story by Matt Cummings From late 2014, critics and writers were ready to proclaim the 2015 box office as the most successful in history. We too felt a certain sense of destiny, with so many great films arriving throughout the year. We even wrote about it here , here , and here . Then January arrived, and one dud after another came with it, including Blackhat , Mortdecai , The Boy Next Door , and Project Almanac . February was actually worse, with Jupiter Ascending and Seventh Son dropping stinking loads at our door before running off. But within that mire of disaster, we also saw great films, including Paddington and Kingsman: The Secret Service , both of which kept many theaters from turning into mausoleums. You can read our QUARTER 1 REPORT here . As we pass the half-way mark of 2015, it's time to compare this year's box office to 2014, and to determine if everyone was right ab

THR is reporting that Clint Eastwood is tackling another real-life hero: Capt. Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger . The prolific director's next film will be the story of Sullenberger's life and the dramatic tale of how the veteran pilot ditched U.S. Airways Flight 1549 in the Hudson River in January 2009, saving everyone on board. Eastwood, 85, will make the movie for Warner Bros., his longtime home studio, and is set to start shooting this fall (there's no word yet on who will play the heroic pilot). "I am very glad my story is in the hands of gifted storyteller and filmmaker Clint Eastwood, and veteran producers Allyn Stewart and Frank Marshall. The project could not have found a better home than Warner Bros. Pictures. This is truly a dream team," Sullenberger, 64, said in a statement. In addition to directing, Eastwood and Tim Moore will produce the "Miracle on the Hudson" via their Malpaso Productions, alongside Marshall and Stewart of

Interesting lessons learned as Q1 ends up 3.1%. Story by Matt Cummings When the 2015 box office arrived to much ballyhoo, audiences stood wide-eyed at the possibilities. "Biggest year in film ever" was chanted in theaters and blogs as we stood ready for the quarter 1 wave. And while the box office in general was up, a deeper look suggests an interesting trend. Note: The Winter Season is defined as the first day after New Year's week or weekend through the Thursday before the first Friday in March. According to our friends at BoxOfficeMojo.com, Quarter 1 of 2015 $2.475 billion domestically, as compared to 2014's take of $2.4b's and 2013's $2.274b. Here's the master list, but notice the problem. We'll share it afterwards: 1. American Sniper $344,257,525 2. Fifty Shades of Grey $165,089,610 3. The SpongeBob Movie $160,393,302 4. Cinderella (2015) $153,247,557 5. Kingsman $119,975,617 6. Insurgent $89,693,

As American Sniper proved a monster hit at the US box office, director Boaz Yoakin and the team behind Max must have been counting their blessings. Because this one combines inspirational military behaviour, a cute dog and a troubled teen all wrapped up in one mostly-–easy–to–digest package. The Max of the film is the dog – a working Marine pooch that has been serving in Afghanistan alongside his handler, Kyle ( Robbie Amell ). But when Kyle is killed in action, a shell-shocked Max is shipped off back home to recuperate and learn to live without him. Which is where Kyle’s family come in, and particularly his bolshie little brother Justin ( Josh Wiggins ). See, Josh is looking for a little direction in his life and when it’s discovered that no-one can work with Max given his PTSD, Justin is roped in to try and reach out to the dog. We’d say you can guess what’s coming next, but the trailer pretty much spells that out, and we don't mean it goes all Cujo. How you approach th

The reasons for success could change the way movies are made, marketed, and released. Story by Matt Cummings With January and February box office typically representing a rough couple of months for Hollywood, it comes as a surprise that 2015 has been one of the most robust in years. With receipts up 10% from the same period one year ago, theater owners are selling more popcorn and not having to shut down entire wings of their buildings due to the lack of traffic. The reason - or reasons - are simple: American Sniper and Fifty Shades of Grey . These two titans have pushed ticket sales and general admission numbers to points that we typically don't see until April - that's when tentpoles and more lucrative productions begin to arrive, ushering in the wave of Summer blockbusters. Sniper has made $307.7 million since its opening in January, while Grey became the biggest debut for a movie in February history when it bent over a four-day total of $93 million. B

The numbers are impressive, but what lessons can be learned from them? Story by Matt Cummings As if we didn't know already, the 2015 box office is certainly gearing up to be one of the biggest ever. We pontificated about this in our Big Movie Questions article back in January, but already the numbers are proving we were right to be excited. According to our friends at BoxOfficeMojo, the first 46 days of the 2015 box office have generated $1.45 billion, which represents the biggest start for the industry since 2010's $1.48 billion. That's 11% higher than 2014 and 26% higher than 2013. Moreover, the top 10 releases in 2015 combined to take in over $925m as compared to a paltry $775m for the year prior. Comparing 2015 and 2014 also yielded the following information: Both year's top performers ( Lone Survivor and American Sniper ) were released in their previous years. 2014 had four $100m movies by February 15 ( Lone Survivor , Ride Along , The LEG

“ AMERICAN SNIPER ” HITS $200 MILLION AT THE DOMESTIC BOX OFFICE Warner Bros. Pictures’ and Village Roadshow Pictures’ Oscar-nominated mega hit “ American Sniper ” has surpassed $200 million at the domestic box office on only its tenth day in wide release. The announcement was made today by Dan Fellman, President of Domestic Distribution. Following its record-breaking first weekend in wide release, the Clint Eastwood-directed film has continued to fill conventional and IMAX theatres nationwide. “American Sniper” took in an estimated $64.4 million this past weekend, representing the smallest percentage drop ever for a film that opened at more than $85 million, including both three- and four-day weekends, and bringing the domestic gross to $200.1 million and climbing. “American Sniper” is now, domestically, the highest-grossing film in Eastwood’s long career, and it is on track to become his top-grossing film worldwide. Fellman stated, “The filmmakers, led by Clint Eastwood,

Does this weekend's mammoth opening tip the Oscar scales in its direction? Story by Matt Cummings Although the Clint Eastwood war drama American Sniper was poised to make a splash at this year's Oscars, there was no guarantee that it would become a sure-fire financial success. Films like The Imitation Game ($51m) and The Theory of Everything ($27m) featured excellent performances from Benedict Cumberbatch and Eddie Redmayne respectively, but neither has brought in the big bucks, a common feature for most Oscar nominees. But that all changed over the four-day weekend for Sniper , when it took home a stunning $89m in only its first weekend. Add in the Monday numbers and it surpassed $107m - the largest opening ever for a January film in wide release. Who could have saw that coming? Some have claimed its success was willing was based on what few films today will do: show less of itself in the trailers. Look at any film today, and you'll see most of it play

This week's episode of Inside the Bucket is online! Revel in the 2015 digital mastery! Welcome to this week's episode of Inside the Bucket , which in Hollywood-speak means "We hate movies and television!" With SandwichJohn away, Matt, Sue, and Brandon pick up the pieces to bring you all freshest news from our website SANDWICHJOHNFILMS.COM . Please check out all the links to the items we covered in today's podcast. Later, they get into Rants and Raves as the trio try to steer you away from all the crap out there. After that, they break down their choices for the 2015 Oscars. Finally, Matt and Brandon review American Sniper and Paddington , while Sue just sits by looking at her cell phone. We encourage you to participate in our Open Forum aFriday, which is your chance to get in our business about running a passion project like our trainwreck. Be warned: Inside the Bucket is an EXPLICIT PODCAST. We tend to say controversial things and cuss just fo

Here's your chance to connect with the SJF community. While you're welcome to comment on any movie or television thoughts you might have, here's a brief rundown of the movies released this week and Blu-rays to be released next Tuesday: Movies - Blackhat - American Sniper - The Wedding Ringer - Paddington Blu-rays - Lucy - The Drop - Annabelle Also, don't forget to listen to our weekly podcast, where we break down the major news of the week and do our giveaways. No matter what you choose to talk about, a few ground rules: keep it nice, no ads, and no flaming. Other than that, sound off on any movie or television thoughts you have. Don't forget to listen to Inside the Bucket , the official podcast of SandwichJohnFilms.com - we're available on both iTunes and Stitcher Radio. Happy posting!

Does American Sniper hit all of its targets? Read on to find out. Review by Matt Cummings In Clint Eastwood's American Sniper , we learn about the true cost of freedom in the post-9/11 age, forever altering the lives of the men and women who've volunteered for armed service and tainting them with images of brutality that cannot be undone. For Navy SEAL Chris Kyle (Bradley Cooper), his world changes forever when he volunteers for the Navy SEALs after a vicious attack on US embassies in 1999. As his natural skill as a sniper is unleashed, his street cred among the men rises to nearly god-like status, granting him the name "Legend" with his 160 confirmed kills. But his new wife Taya (Sienna Miller) struggles to maintain her hold on Chris' reality, which becomes more and more distorted as his sniper count rises. Pitted against true evil in the prolific sniper Mustafa and the terrorist known simply as The Butcher, Chris must balance the horrors he must

Is January the month where films go to die? You decide in our January preview! Story by Matt Cummings After an incredibly busy month of December that saw no less than 12 interesting flicks go for our hard-earned dollars , January arrives with a distinctly "Don't forget about us!" feel. January has usually been the month where films go to die, cast off to the Island of Misfit Toys after entertaining earlier Oct-Dec releases. The reality: most of these will flop, some will linger around like Jay and Silent Bob, while others will make a profit and actually lead in the box office until around March. This year might be a different story, with one of the most anticipated slate of films in recent memory. For now. we're holding to our theory but for now there are a few that could be interesting. Our list includes a talking bear, a computer hacker, a sniper, and the end of Bryan Mills. Welcome to our January 2015 movie preview! January 6 Taken 3 Plot

The final push in 2014 for Oscars nominations and our hard-earned dollars is upon us - welcome to our December On the Radar Preview! November 2014 was filled with tasty movie goodness, offering solid Oscar candidates with a collection of enjoyable animated fare. From Penguins of Madagascar to Big Hero 6 , November began and ended with some of the best the genre had to offer. Even the live-action sequel The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 1 delivered on many levels. The only stinker was the disappointing Dumb and Dumber To (but don't tell our writer Brandon Wolfe we said that). But now, it's on to December and the final push towards Oscar season, with Hollywood not sure if they'll beat 2013, but happily relieved that Guardians of the Galaxy and Captain America: The Winter Solider saved them from a potentially disastrous year. But unlike previous months - especially August and September - our worry this month lies in the sheer number of quality releases: