Top 20 Actors with the Biggest Box Office Appeal + Movie Review: The Evil Dead Rise + Trailer Park: Dune Part 2

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Speaker 1: Hello, and welcome back to movie Mike's movie podcast. I am your host Movie Mike. Today we are talking about the actors with the biggest box office appeal. We'll break down the list and I'll tell you who they left out because my favorite actor right now does not make the list and I don't know how that happens. In the movie review, we'll finally talk about The Evil Dead, one of the creepiest movies I've seen in theaters in a very long time. And in the trailer part we're breaking down Dune Part two and how I'm thinking. I'm hoping it's going to be more action packed than the first one, because frankly, this was me after the first one.

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Speaker 2: Does it look like the case with the sequel?

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Speaker 1: So thank you for being here, thank you for being subscribed and being a part of the movie crew.

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Speaker 2: And now let's talk movies.

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Speaker 3: In a world where everyone and their mother has a podcast, one man stands to infiltrate the ears of listeners like never before in a movie podcast. A man with so much movie knowledge, he's basically like a walking IMTB with glasses.

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Speaker 2: From the Nashville Podcast Network. This is movie Mike's movie We've balked.

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Speaker 1: So the National Research Group conducted this nationwide survey. It covers people ages twelve to seventy four to find out which actors have the most box office appeal. I'm going to go through the top twenty. We'll run through twenty through eleven pretty quickly and really dig into the top ten. But before we get into this, what exactly makes an actor a box office draw They are about five factors. I think an actor needs to be a big box office straw. Number one, I think they have to have versatility. The more looks that you're able to give us to the audience, the more chances we're going to want to keep seeing you in more and more things, to know that you're not just doing the same old thing over and over again. Number Two, I would say you have to have charisma. You have to have something that draws me to you on the screen, whether it be the way that you talk, the way that you look, or just your overall nature in what you deliver on screen. You have to have that chemistry with your co stars as well. Number three, you have to have talent, which you may think goes without saying, but sometimes I feel that actors get forced up us, whether through the fact that they are a Nippo baby, or just the fact that sometimes Hollywood just really tries to make certain actors work and sometimes they just don't have the talent. So even though you keep putting them in movies, keep shoving them down our throats, unless we feel like they have talent, as viewers, we're going to tune out.

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Speaker 2: Number four.

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Speaker 1: I think you have to have a level of professionalism. This means to really have a long, lengthy career as an actor that spans decades, you have to have a level of professionalism and be easy to work with that you're able to create these relationships with directors and producers and production companies, because if an actor develops a reputation that they are difficult to work with, their roles are going to start drying up. And at number five, I'm starting to believe that this is more important in twenty twenty three. But you have to have a really good public persona and online presence, and I think that has changed over time. Back in the nineties and early two thousands, it really didn't see actors outside of award shows. We would only see them in their movies, and their personal lives were often very secret, aside from things we would read in magazines or see on the news. But now you have to have a social media presence. You have to have a public persona that people have to know you as a person to get invested more in you as an actor. So I think this includes everything from off screen, what their fashion is like, what award shows are they going to, what are they wearing when they go to these award shows, how many followers they have on Instagram and TikTok, But also what are they doing to give back? Are they a part of a charity, do they have some other cause that they are passionate about. So I think that definitely plays a role into how much the movies that they start and end up making. If they have a big social media presence, they post about it, people are aware when their movies are coming out. So that's what I think makes an a list actor right now. In twenty twenty three, let's get into the list the top twenty actors with the biggest box office of par According to this survey, I also pulled their highest grossing movies of all time. Coming in at number twenty is Chris Hemsworth. His highest grossing movies are Avengers Endgame, Thor Ragnarok, and Avengers Infinity War. I feel like Chris Hemsworth just snuck into this list. I think his appeal is still greatly due to his work in the MCU. I think he's had a little bit of success outside of that, but it's really been primarily on streaming, so I still don't quite think, at least to me, that he's that big box office draw. I pay attention to everything Chris Hemsworth is in now because I am a huge fan of Thor. I even love Extraction on Netflix, looking forward to that sequel. But I feel like if he did a couple more, maybe three more bad movies, I'd be a little bit checked out on Chris Hemsworth. So I don't really think he demands my money right now. At number nineteen is Morgan Freeman. His highest grossing movies are The Dark Knight, The Dark Knight Rises, and Batman Begins. I would say he still definitely has that appeal. Morgan Freeman has been around forever, and those three movies aren't even the movies where he is the star. But I still say his name carries a lot of weight. At number eighteen, is Angelina Jolie. Her top three highest grossing movies are Maleficent Mistress of Evil from twenty nineteen, Maleficent from twenty fourteen, and Kung Fu Panda Tu from twenty eleven. I've kind of checked out on Angelina Jolie. Her last two movies were two of the worst movies I've seen in the last ten years. Those Who Wish Me Dead was a snoozefest and Eternals was the worst MCU movie in all of the Marvel history. So although her name still carries a lot of star power, I'm just not that interested anymore in Angelina Jolie. At number seventeen is Robert Downey Junior, who carried on his back the entire MCU, is the reason it's as successful as it is today, and his highest grossing movies reflect that. Avengers Endgame at number one, and number two is Infinity War and at number three is The Avengers. And unlike in Chris Hemsworth case, Robert Downey Junior was the draw in those movies. He is the reason we were so invested in the MCU and all the Iron Man movies.

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Speaker 2: I feel like he should be higher on this.

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Speaker 1: List, but after the MCU, Robert Downey Junior kind of fell off. He did Doolittle, which bombed. He's going to do another Sherlock Holmes movie, and he's going to be in that new Christopher Nolan movie later this year. Oppenheimer, I feel like he's at a point where he can do whatever he wants. He's definitely still a draw at the box office, so I guess him being at number seventeen is kind of like saying, Hey, what have you done for me lately? At number sixteen is George Clooney, another one I would imagine to be higher on this list. I went to go see him in a rom com in theaters last year with Ticket to Paradise. I rarely go see rom comms in theaters, but George Clooney has that star power that does that. His highest grossing movies include Gravity, Ocean's eleven, and Oceans twelve. I think they should just make another Oceans movie. At number fifteen, as Harrison Ford, his highest grossing movies include Star Wars, The Force Awakens, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of Crystal Skull from two thousand and eight, and Star Wars The Last Jedi from twenty seventeen, Harrison Ford is still making movies, with the final Indiana Jones movie coming out this year, and unlike Morgan Freeman who was on this list earlier, also in his eighties, I feel like Harrison Ford is still the star of the movies he is coming out in, as in, he is still lead character worthy you put his name and people come to see it. And not only that, he's getting into streaming now. You can also watch him on Shrinking over on Apple Plus, so even in his eighties, he's not slowing down. At number fourteen is Adam Sandler. His highest grossing movies include Hotel Transylvania three Summer Vacation, which of all the movies Adam Sandler has done, that is his number one highest grossing movie.

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Speaker 2: That's surprising to me.

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Speaker 1: At number two is Grown Ups two from twenty thirteen, and at number three is Click from two thousand and six. I would figure that Adam Sandler would rank lower on this list mainly because everybody just says everything he's done post two thousand's has been so bad. At least that's what all of the critics say. But if you look at this survey, this is just the general public from all ages. I think we all still love Adam Sandler, so forget what the critics say about him. At number thirteen is Ryan Reynolds. I honestly think Ryan Reynolds is top five, even though he's not my favorite. I just think he is in so many movies right now that it's almost too many movies to the point that where you're kind of sick of him. But I think that is the sign of a really big A list actor who is gonna draw a lot of eyeballs onto the screen. It should get to the point to where you are a little bit sick of them. But his highest gross in movies include at number one, Deadpool two. At number two is Deadpool one, and at number three is Pokemon Detective Pikachu from twenty nineteen. And aside from a box office draw, I feel like he has also stepped into the streaming world really well, striking a pretty big deal with Netflix. He's put out a lot of movies over there, which you can't really measure the success of those movies in the same way because they aren't generating income like it would in theaters. When it comes to streaming, the focus is more on completion rate, so I feel like he has a good completion rate, which means people are not only starting his movies, but they are watching them all the way through. That is what streaming services look for actors who can draw people onto their streaming services not only get them to start a movie, but also watch the entire thing. So I do find that kind of different on how you rank your A list stars. It's also could change the way that directors and producers make movies. You have to hook people in in those first fifteen twenty minutes. When it comes down to streaming, it could be within the first few minutes that somebody decides, I don't want to watch this, let me go watch something else on Netflix. So I would assume, even though they don't release these details, that Ryan Reynolds has a really good completion rate on streaming services. He also made three hundred and thirty one million dollars with Free Guy recently, so I feel like Ryan Reynolds right now is in the prime of his career with Deadpool three coming out next year. Number twelve is Sandra Bullock. Her highest grossing movies include Minions from twenty fifteen, which I kind of forgot. She was a voice in that movie. At number two is Gravity from twenty thirteen, and at number three, making three hundred and nine billion dollars was The blind Side, another one I would include on that Again, since it was a streaming movie, there no metrics for this, but bird Box on Netflix was really their first big hit over there, and at the time that was a movie I felt the entire world collectively watched on Netflix, so it had that same effect as if it came out in theaters. Probably the best movie on Netflix to do that. Their most viral hit at number eleven on the survey is Keanu Reeves, again, another actor I thought would be top five. His top three highest grossing movies include The Matrix Reloaded, The Matrix Revolutions, and the newest edition is john Wick Chapter four, which made four hundred and thirty million dollars so far this year. Now, that is why I mentioned it earlier. Public persona has a lot to do with bankable Hollywood actors. Keanu Reeves is the per example of that, because let's be honest, he is not the best actor. Just watching john Wick Chapter four, he is charming, he looks great on screen, but his actual acting abilities in that movie are extremely limited. If you look at all of the movies he has done, he's a pretty limited actor. But I think he is also just so likable off camera. You hear all these great stories about how kind he is to the cast and crew, but not only that, how nice he is to just random strangers when he encounters them out in public. So I think he is somebody that we just hold of great value because he is just a genuinely nice person in the industry where some people can just be awful. So to be that famous and still be a good person, he could be faking it. He could have us all fooled. I hope that's not the case, but that public persona is a really big factor that contribute to how well his movies do, because we all just want to go see him be Keanu in a movie. He doesn't have to deliver a captivating performance. He just has to do characters we love. We just love Keanu Reeves. So thought he would be but number eleven with his acting abilities, pretty good, all right? Getting into the top ten. Now at number ten is Kevin Hart. I don't think he should be on this list. I think Kevin Hart is a great comedian. I feel like he hasn't really fully clicked in movies. I think it's just his influence, his social media presence, and the fact that he sells out stadiums, not arenas, but stadiums doing comedies. So I feel like of all the comedians turned actors, he's had great success financially, but as far as making really long standing movies, I don't think his career has been there, and I feel like his window has kind of closed now. I think most comedians turned actors have had this window to operate to make their best work, and this window where they are the most sought out comedic actor and they're putting out hit after hit. I'm looking at comedians like Adie Murphy, Richard pryor Chris Rock. I'd even put Dan Cook in that category. And I feel like Kevin Hart had that window in the twenty tens, but now I'm kind of checked out unless it's something he's doing animated. He has a very funny voice, so I'll go watch him in all the Secret Life of Pat's movies, but you're not drawing me in to see a live action Kevin Hart movie. At number nine is Johnny Depp His highest grossing movies of all time include Pirates of the Caribbean, dead Man's Chest, Alice in Wonderland, and at number three is Pirates of the Caribbean on Stranger Tides from twenty eleven, which I would argue would probably be his last decent movie in a very long time. I don't know what is drawing people to see a Johnny Depp movie anymore. I mean, look at the movies he's done since then, Dark Shadows, Bomb, Lone Ranger, Bomb Mordecai, one of the biggest bombs of all time. So maybe he still has the name draw to him, but he's not putting out anything of worth, anything substantial. But he also hasn't put out a movie since his trial took the entire world by storm, so that was his last real polarizing performance. So unless he wants to star in a movie about that, I'm not going out to see a Johnny Depp movie. At number eight is Leonardo DiCaprio. He's my number one. I will spend any amount of money to go see Leonardo DiCaprio movie in theaters because I know he is going to deliver. He only makes about one movie a year and it's always a very impactful and noteworthy movie Give Leo All My Money.

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Speaker 2: At number one.

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Speaker 1: Of his highest grossing movies of all time is Titanic. It just don't make them like they used to back in nineteen ninety seven. At number two is Inception, and at number three is The Revenant. I can't wait to spend money on him again this year and watch him in Killers of the Flower Moon. I think he is the total package. He has the box office draw, he has, the versatility, has the charisma, the talent, the professionalism, and the public persona. He's always trying to save the world, save the environment, save the whales.

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Speaker 2: I love the whales. I love Leo.

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Speaker 1: So there he is made it at number eight should be number one, and number seven is Will Smith. I would say Will Smith maybe ten years ago, now will Smith anymore? And this would even be my thoughts pre the Oscar slap of last year. But his highest grossing movies include A Independence Day and Men in Black three, which is surprising that movie made six hundred and twenty four million dollars with as bad as it was. I just don't think the appeal and draw is there anymore for Will Smith. He's made a lot of bad movies. To the point to where I just don't believe in the things he does. I think the one movie that changed my mind was King Richard, and I love that movie when I watched it, but I have to say post the Oscar Slap, it was hard for me to enjoy that movie and want to revisit it. It just kind of left a bad taste in my mouth, and I really wasn't expecting to have that reaction to it. I thought that I could separate the art from the artist, but a lot of the appeal of Will Smith is his public persona and how he presents himself on social media and how he connects with fans, and for me kind of ruined it a little bit. And I was already less interested in going to see the movies he was starring in because he had made a lot of box office bombs. So that really just led to my contribution that I am no longer a Will Smith stan At number six is Julia Roberts America's Sweetheart. Her highest grossing movies include at number one, Ocean's Eleven, at number two, Aaron Brockovich, and at number three is Nodding Hill. She definitely still has that box office appeal. I was mentioning George Clooney earlier being one of the only actors who could get me out to see a rom com in theaters. Also starring in that movie Ticket to Paradise was the one and only Julia Roberts, so she definitely still has that draw. I would probably say yeah, more so than George Clooney because she's also at a point in her career which he's not taking on every role, so anytime she does put out a movie it is pretty significant. And out of all the actors on this list, I feel like she is the one who really the only time we see her is in the movie theater. For as famous as she is, you don't see her in interviews talking about things. You don't really see her out in public at all. So if she is starring in a movie, it feels like an event. So at number six, I'm good with Julia Roberts getting into the top five. Now, the only thing I'm not happy with in the top five then it's all dudes. But at number five is Denzel Washington. His highest grossing movies include The Equalizer two and number two is The Equalizer. At number three is American Gangster surprising that all of the Equalizer movies are in his top three, with Equalizer three coming out later this year on September first. He doesn't really do any sequels. The Equalizer series is the only movie franchise he's done multiple movies inside of Denzel Washington is one of the most charismatic actors of our lifetime, probably on this entire list. Just his smile alone, I look this up is worth fifty million dollars and that source is Movie Mike's movie podcast. And not only does he have the box office numbers, but he also has the Critical Acclaim, multiple Oscar winner for Best Actor Supporting Actor. He's been in Best Pictures. Denzel has done it all and continues to do so, so not surprising he made it into the top five. At number four is Brad Pitt. I would put him on my list, right underneath Leonardo DiCaprio. Brad Pitt is the only actor I would pay just to hear them talk. He could just grab a dictionary and just read words and say each page in a different accent, and I would pay fifteen dollars to see that for two hours. His top three highest grossing movies of all time include Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, World War Zee and two thousand and Fourst Troy.

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Speaker 2: I feel like his.

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Speaker 1: Prime came in the late nineties early two thousands, but I almost feel like he's entering this second prime of his career now that he's in his fifties. And I say that him being in the last year of his fifties. He's fifty nine years old, just did Bullet Train, so I think he's still at that level where he can do action movies. So I'm curious to see how his trajectory as an actor changes as he gets into his sixties and even seventies, and see him kind of transition the way Tom Hanks did in entering an era of his career where he can't take all in those older roles. I can't wait to see Brad Pitt as a grandpa.

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Speaker 2: That brings us to number three.

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Speaker 1: Speak of the Devil it is Tom Hanks. His highest grossing movies include Toy Story four, The Da Vinci from two thousand and six, and Forrest Gump from nineteen ninety four. Crazy to me that Tom Hanks is only seven years older than Brad Pitt, but he's already doing roles where he is that older grandpa figure. So not only is he still doing roles that are bringing money into movie theaters, but he's also doing roles that people are still talking about and buzzing about. We saw him in Elvis, unrecognizable and doing a villain role. Then we also saw him be heartwarming and charming in A Man called Auto. If Tom Hanks ever decides to retire from acting, I hope his final role is him sitting down and saying, hey, I want to write a movie. I want to write Forrest Gump too, and he goes out on the highest note possible, at the height of his career, being the last movie he ever does. Just picture it Forrest Gump in his seventies, maybe his eighties, depending on when he wants to retire, sitting on a park bench talking about everything that has happened since the last movie. Once the writer strike is up, somebody get out and make that movie. You have some time to work on it. At number two. It's hard to argue with this, but I'm gonna try to anyway. It is the rock. His highest grossing movies include Jumanji The Next Level, Hobbs and Shaw from twenty nineteen, and at number three is Jumanji Welcome to the Jungle, And you could make a claim that The Rock has all those qualities I was talking about early on in the episode, except for versatility. The Rock is just the Rock in every single movie. He just changes out whatever outfit he's in, and I feel like that is going to start to limit him in his roles as he continues on. A lot of his career is based on his physical attributes, and just him playing the same character over and over can't really hold on to that forever. And you also just can't hold on to that level of popularity for a long long amount of time. So I feel like as that starts to dwindle, his box office numbers are going to start to reflect that. And I also don't feel like he has one outstanding role that defines him as an actor. Just looking at those top three highest grossing movies, it's the Jumanji movies. I still don't associate him with the Jumanji franchise. I still associate Robin Williams. So this also proves to me just because you can generate a lot of money at the box office doesn't necessarily mean you're a great actor. He's just very very popular, but that will dwindle. So say the rolls dry up, say he stops making movies because we stop going to see them, we get a little sick of them. He'll be fine. He can still sleep every night on his piles and piles of money and dry his tears with dollar bills. And at number one on the list it is mister Hollywood himself, Tom Cruise. His highest grossing movies include Top Gun Maverick, which made one point five billion dollars at.

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Speaker 2: The box office.

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Speaker 1: So of all the actors in this top five, to have a one point five billion dollar movie in the last year, that is unheard of. At number two is Mission Impossible Fallout from twenty eighteen, making seven hundred and ninety one million dollars. He has another one of those on the way, and at number three is War of the World from two thousand and five by making over half a billion dollars. I think he is the most bankable A list Hollywood star of all time. He makes movies that demand the big screen. Even though I'm not the biggest fan of him as a person, in his last few roles, he has really won me over as somebody who is saving Hollywood and somebody who makes movies that drive people out to the movie theaters. And I am somebody who loves going to the movies and wants more people to go to the movies and have a reason to. And I think if Tom is the person doing that, so I can respect that, even though I feel he's kind of weird.

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Speaker 2: So that is the list.

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Speaker 1: Some actors I am surprised who did not make the top twenty. I would say the fact that Matthew McConaughey is not on the list is pretty surprising to me. Maybe more of his bankability was in the early two thousands, but he is an actor much like Brad Pitt. I would pay fifteen dollars to hear him read words out of the Dictionary. I just love the way that he talks, the cadence in his voice. He's just the polarizing person. I would also on my personal list put Jake Gillenhall. Every single movie he's done recently has had me out in the theater if it was available there. The Covenant, Ambulance, fider Man, Far from Home. He's also had success on streaming with the Guilty. I think he is oftentimes an actor who doesn't get the recognition he deserves even though his movies make a lot of money. I would also add onto the list Margot Robbie, who I feel is also in the prime of her career with Barbie coming out this summer, but with movies like The Suicide Squad. Also one of the stars once upon a time in Hollywood. I think any movie she makes is gonna make money, even if it's bad. Just look at Babylon. Another actor I would put on the list is Robert Pattinson, and I think people still just see him as Edward Colin from Twilight, which is mind blowing to me because he's done so many different types of role since that, not only in the mainstream but also just so many great indie movies that he's done that really shows his versatility as an actor. So I think he has the box office appeal from the Twilight movies. He was also in Harry Potter, but he's also done big action movies like The Batman and Tenant, and he's definitely in my top five of actors that I will go see no matter what they are in. Another actor I think could get there is Timothy Shallomey, who I'll talk about more in the trailer Park with Dune two. But I feel like in a world that feels like we have less and less movie stars, he's really been able to cut through. I will also put his co star from Dune in that category. Zannaya, who has been a pillar in the Tom Holland Spider Man movies and even outside of film, has done really well on euphoria, so I think that is greatly going to translate into her box office appeal as we go into another Dune movie. So that is the list. Those are the additions I wanted to make. If you think there should be someone else in the conversation of the actors with the biggest box office appeal, let me know. Hit me up on email movie Mike d at gmail dot com or on socials at Mike Distro. All the links always for you. In the podcast episode description, we'll come back talk about the Evil Dead and Dune Part two. In the trailer park, let's get into a spoiler free movie review. Now finally get to talk about Evil Dead rise. I love me a good horror movie, and I feel like Evil Dead is just one of the most underappreciated franchises in the entire genre. Now at this point, in my movie watching career, it is really hard for me to feel fear when watching a movie. I'm pretty desensitized. Blood guts, demons don't really get under my skin. But just watching this trailer alone, it got me scared, and going into this movie, I felt a little bit worried oddly for me that I wasn't going to be able to handle it. Because there are so many disturbing images in the trailer alone, I can only imagine what they were going to put into the actual movie. So I probably hold this movie to a bit of a different standard. So before we get into this full movie review, here's just a little bit of that trailer if you missed it, and just so you know, pretty scary movie, pretty scary trailer. So if you're not into it, we'll buckle up because we're getting deep into this movie now coming in the.

00:26:00
Speaker 4: Mouth the Book of the Day.

00:26:09
Speaker 1: Mom, hope.

00:26:13
Speaker 2: Now we can be a big, happy family again.

00:26:17
Speaker 1: You don't look so good, fault, So I will say it at the top of this review. Evil Did Rise is one of the best horror movies in years, but it's not perfect. This movie is better than Megan, it's better than Smile, but just Based on what I've said so far, I feel like this movie is harder to sell to the general public. Even for me going into this movie having that nervous feeling and thinking that it was gonna give me nightmares afterwards. It's hard to convince somebody to want to go watch a movie like this with you. Hey, you want to go watch a movie about demons and you may have nightmares after watching this movie?

00:26:50
Speaker 2: No, I really don't. But I feel like that is.

00:26:52
Speaker 1: The essence of the Evil Did franchise back what Sam Raimi created with the original one. Yes, the Sam Raimi who did the original Spider Man Trip and Doctor Strange into the Multiverse of Madness, and I feel like this franchise has built a fan base on being very campy, over the top, extremely gory, basically taking every horror element up to a ten.

00:27:13
Speaker 2: So Evil Dead.

00:27:14
Speaker 1: Rise did not disappoint on that front. With the movie is about. It's a reunion between two a Strange sisters. One comes home after being on the road as a guitar tech with the band. She goes to see them for the first time in years. It's her sister and her three kids and they live in this really creepy old apartment complex that's about to be condemned, and little do they know, a demonic presence is hiding underneath this apartment building that comes out in the form of this big earthquake. It shakes up a bunch of things, and then the kids go down into this hole created by the earthquake and find the Book of the Dead.

00:27:49
Speaker 2: And if you see any.

00:27:50
Speaker 1: Other Evil Dead movie, or if you haven't, that's where everything comes from. That's where all the evil demons come out of. As soon as you open up that book, it unleashes havoc and it really doesn't let up until well, basically it takes everybody out. Well, these characters have a better time defeating this evil presence. Well to figure that out, you have to watch the movie. But what I loved that this movie did is right out of the gate, it hits you with that punch right in the face. I love it when horror movies have a killer opening and waste no time with a lot of backstory, and that's exactly what this movie did. It really quickly established the tone with this kind of vicious cinematography. Through the use of a drone, it gave this really jarring opening that combined with the theme song, really just made it feel like an Evil Dead movie. So you get that opening sequence and then it leads us to our story. So you get that punch at the beginning with the opening scene, and then you get right into the story.

00:28:42
Speaker 2: Now. I always feel that.

00:28:43
Speaker 1: Horror movies lose me a little bit in those first twenty minutes as they're trying to establish all their characters. But what director and writer Lee Cronin was able to do was actually create some characters I cared about. I was actually interested in the sister's relationship the three kids in the movie, so as it's fleshing them out, as it's going through the reason they are living here, going through all the issues with the kid's dad, their entire relationship, I really start to care about them and bond with them, even though it's pretty quick. Most times I just don't even care. I'm just like, hey, get to the horror stuff, bring out the demons, show me some blood and guts, because that's what we all came here for. But I think there is power of creating characters to actually feel for in a horror movie, because then once all the crazy stuff happens and you know some of these characters aren't going to make it to the very end of the movie. It gives a little bit more impact there. So that was the way I felt that not only did this movie set itself apart from others in this franchise, but really from any other horror movie. Also, what I loved about this movie was the strong female presence throughout this entire thing. A lot of times in horror movies, it's that overuse damsel in distress, and the female characters are always needing rescuing, always needing help, or always being taken out by the villain. In this case, they're the ones being awesome. They're the ones taking on this demon. They are the ones who make this movie fun to watch. The main conflict they face is after they opened the Book of the Dead, this demon possesses the mom and she is no longer herself, makes this really creepy speech saying she's gonna kill everybody in her family, and then they just try to keep her out of the apartment as they find a way to escape from the building. I also really enjoyed that it has a pretty limited cast. You have the family and then you have a few of the people living in the apartment, so that really is able to create this little horror fairy tale. And since they didn't spend a whole lot of money on having other actors, a lot of that money, I felt went to the VFX all the blood and it did create one of my favorite movie theater experiences when watching a horror movie, something that collectively the entire movie theater did. There was this moment where one of the characters was doing something that was like, why are you doing this? That always happens in a good horror movie. It's a little bit cliche at times of nobody in their right mind would do this go towards the danger, but they did, and there was a collective no do it moment in my theater, and that just felt like this fun, little bonding moment. That is the reason I love going to the movies. I think horror movies especially bring that out in people of just going enjoying a movie with strangers and yelling at the screen. Visually, I don't think there was anything groundbreaking in this movie. I would have to say what really shined was the sound design. You heard it a little bit in the trailer I played earlier, but all the weird little buzzing sounds, all the little distorted voices, a lot of the panting left and right in the theater. I felt that in my chest throughout this entire movie, and I actually think that is what made this movie scarier to watch. It was all the things going on in your ears more so than the images for me, and I was really expecting to be a little bit more scared by this movie. Maybe I overhype myself a little bit too much, but I felt like all of the action and all of the horror was just a little bit more shocking and gory aside from being scary.

00:31:57
Speaker 2: I think there's a difference there.

00:31:58
Speaker 1: It's easier to throw a lot of blood on the screen, and there is a lot of blood used in this movie. I believe it was seventeen hundred gallons used in this entire movie, which is the equivalent of about thirteen thousand blood donations. And I really love seeing the return of blood, which is something I feel that the genre has gotten away from.

00:32:18
Speaker 2: It was just kind of nice to see that level.

00:32:20
Speaker 1: Of blood again. So I enjoyed that element of it. But I think when it comes to the demon and possession type movie, I've been more scared in other movies, so maybe I was just a little bit more prepared, but I just felt it was a little bit more shocking, brutal, and bloody than it was just all out scary. The movie kind of got stuck in second gear where it started out with a bang. With that opening sequence, I started caring about my characters, but I kept waiting for it to ramp up a little bit more and more, and then until it got to the third act, I realized, oh, it really wasn't going to get to that level for me that I was expecting it to go on. But it was a really solid third act, and that is what I love in a horror movie, the big fine battle, and that is where really all.

00:33:02
Speaker 2: The blood is showcased. In this movie.

00:33:04
Speaker 1: I don't want to ruin it, but if you've seen The Shining, you know there's an elevator scene with a lot of blood that was really fun to see on screen. The entire time, I was just thinking, I wonder how long these actors were colored red, because that is kind of a trademark of the Evil Dead movies, to have your character completely drenched in blood, their entire body, face, everything is red. The only color you see is the white of their eyes and the whiter their teeth. I think that is such a great still and look of the movie. So all in all, it delivered on that front. I will say when it comes to the entire series and where it stacks up, nothing can touch the original Evil Dead. It is one of my favorite movies from the eighties. But it made me appreciate a little bit more of the twenty thirteen version, which I feel like, I mean, it came out ten years ago now that we don't revisit enough as horror movie fans and don't give that movie enough credit for reviving this franchise. So the movie is a certified hit, making tiny million dollars at the box office at the time of recording this, so it's safe to say there will be another installment. Hopefully Lee Cronin will be back writing and directing this movie. I think he's on the right track. Really nailed the action in this movie, really nailed the blood and the horror elements. But just make a better second act and keep that energy up through the entire movie.

00:34:21
Speaker 2: The next one could be the best one yet.

00:34:23
Speaker 1: So I am all in still on the Evil Dead franchise for the Evil Dead Rise. I gave it four out of five elevators full of blood.

00:34:34
Speaker 3: It's time to head down to movie Mike Traylor.

00:34:37
Speaker 1: Paul Dune, Dingdo Dodo and Dune Dundo Doo doo, and Dude Dune anddn Doo Dude.

00:34:42
Speaker 2: That is the movie we are talking about today. I've had a.

00:34:44
Speaker 1: Couple of weeks now to sit with the Dune two trailer. I was recently talking about this movie whenever they made the big announcement at CinemaCon, and I told you guys that I found the first one to be pretty boring and I love sci fi movie. It is in my top three genres. But when it came to Dune Part one, I wasn't really interested in the movie till the last twenty minutes and then it was over. But now after seeing the trailer for Part two hearing more about it, I think Dnievil Nub who was the director of this movie, who had directed the first one, who was a great director. I feel like he has a really big vision for these movies, and I am into it and reading more about Dune two, it seems like this is where all the action takes place.

00:35:27
Speaker 2: This is being described more as a war movie.

00:35:30
Speaker 1: The first one was really just setting the stage, so I don't entirely love that because I feel like boring audiences in part one is the best idea to create momentum going into part two. But looking at the cast, looking at the visuals in this movie, and knowing that there's going to be more action, I am buying into Dune two. So before I get into my full thoughts on what is happening with this sequel, here's just a little bit of the Dune Part two trailer.

00:35:55
Speaker 4: Have you ever had a dream about your first ride? Didn't prison anyone? You're brief, We don't know that. Be simple, be direct.

00:36:13
Speaker 3: We gave them something to hope for.

00:36:18
Speaker 2: My thie, Knife, Chip, and Shutter.

00:36:23
Speaker 1: So before I get into talking about this A plus cast, I want to talk about director Denis Villeneuve, who has quietly become one of my favorite directors with movies like Arrival in twenty sixteen, before that, Ciicario in twenty fifteen, Prisoners in twenty thirteen, and one of my favorite movies in the last decade, Blade Runner twenty forty nine. So he is somebody who I feel is low key making the most cinematic movies out there right now, and I feel like he doesn't get enough credit for that. Everybody talks about Christopher Nolan, everybody talks about Quentin Tarantino, James Cameron, but nobody brings up Denny new when talking about the best directors in the game right now. So I want to give credit to him for even making me remotely interested in watching another Dune movie, because I feel like, through his body of work in the last decade, he has earned the right for me to watch anything he creates because I believe.

00:37:16
Speaker 2: In him that much.

00:37:17
Speaker 1: So aside from that, looking at this A plus cast, you have Timothy Chalomey returning, Zendaya, Florence Pugh, Austin Butler looking completely unrecognizable in this movie. It looks like he has finally dropped the Elvis persona. He doesn't look or sound anything like Elvis in this trailer, So it's given me some hope now that hey, he actually has some range, but still glad he didn't win for Best Actor. You have Javier Bardem, Josh Brolin, Dave Bautista, who is now just killing the game. I don't even think I need to call him a wrestler turned actor anymore.

00:37:47
Speaker 2: I just love how.

00:37:48
Speaker 1: Ambitious he is with all of his roles, taking risks, anything that comes at him.

00:37:53
Speaker 2: It just seems so natural.

00:37:54
Speaker 1: So I have full faith he will continue to have an incredible career in movies. And also, you have Christopher Walking in this movie. You don't get a glimpse of him in this trailer, but just looking at all those names, it's incredible to have such a big movie, looks so cinematic and also have all these names attached to it. There's nothing else really like that out there right now. So I kind of describe Dune as Game of Thrones in the desert. That is the vibe I got after watching the first movie. It parallels in the way that there are a lot of characters, a lot of names I can't pronounce, and I really have to pay attention. So I feel like this one, focusing more on a war, focusing more on the action, will be a little bit more pleasing to the more casual viewer.

00:38:36
Speaker 2: So this sequel will.

00:38:38
Speaker 1: Follow Timothy Challamay's character Paul and his revenge against the hurricane who murdered his family in the first movie. The movie is coming out on November three, so a really solid time for this movie to come out. This sequel is based on the second half of the first Dune book. I'll admit haven't read it, have no interest in reading it. Maybe not the most popular opinion, but why read the book? Look, when you can watch the movie. I'm a movie guy. That is how I will always feel. So what I really love about this trailer and what I still loved about the first movie. You can't take away the cinematic quality of that first one. It deserved the Oscar that it won. I said that even going into that award show. But what Dnieville knew has been able to do in creating a world that feels like it exists in some dystopian future. The movie was filmed in Budapest, Italy, and I can't even place it into the world. It doesn't even look like it belongs on this planet. So that is a feat in itself. And he is saying this movie is more action packed, it's a war movie, and this is the main course of Doune. What I think will be the standout moment of this movie, and you get a little teaser of it in the trailer, is Timothy Chalomey's character attracting and writing a sandworm. And I feel like in movies now, it's been a while since we get a moment that just kind of stands and sets itself apart in cinematic history, etches itself into the history books, and I think that it could be a moment that we remember for a very long time, although it did kind of remind me. If you are a SpongeBob fan like I am, there's an episode called Sandy SpongeBob in the Worm where Sandy takes on this big Alaskan bull worm, and I can't help but picturing that moment when I think of this scene that's gonna happen in Dune Part two. So again, this movie is coming out on November three. I also just love the wardrobe in this movie, so maybe I'll dress up like that when I go see it in theaters.

00:40:28
Speaker 3: At that point is this week's edition of movie.

00:40:31
Speaker 1: Line tram or Bar, And that's gonna do it for another episode here of the podcast. But before I go, I got to give my listeners shout out of the week. You can get a listeners shout out by tagging me in your Instagram story, sending me a tweet at Mike Distro or hitting me up on email moviemke d at gmail dot com. This week's listener shout out is an email. I got a note from Christine who said, Mike D I have finally finished every episode of the podcast, starting from episode one. It took me a few months. I love the podcast. I'm a very casual movie watcher. I don't know the director's studios, and sometimes not even the names of the actors in the movies, but your podcast has given me a new perspective and I've learned so much. I've also seen your growth as a podcaster. I've heard you become more comfortable talking into the mic, owning your thoughts, and growing in your interview skills. My favorite interview was the one with Chris Sanders from Lilo and Stitch. Sorry for the long message, but all of this to say, keep watching great movies and I'll talk to you. Pause later, actually wrote the dot dot dot. I hadn't realized that little pause has become my little trademark in the outro that you have picked up on. So thank you, Christine, not only for this great message, but for listening to this podcast. From episode one because I started as back in twenty nineteen. It really has been a growing process and something I've really just strived to get better at on every single episode. So the fact that that shines through when listening all the way through in just a few months, that means a lot to me. I'm glad I'm not getting worse, is what I'm trying to say, and I will say I feel like I have kind of a new felin confidence just in this year, and I think this is something we can all take away in any aspect of our life, is owning what you're passionate about, and when you think you do something well, don't be afraid to say that, yeah, I'm actually pretty good at this. I wouldn't have said that in the first year of doing this podcast, But now I feel like, when it comes to talking about movies reviewing movies, I'm so comfortable with it now that, in a weird way, for the first time, I'm proud of it. I don't mean that in an arrogant way. I don't mean that in an overly confident way. I just think when it comes to the things that we all put so much time and effort into, you should be proud of it, so thank you Christine for picking up on that. Thanks to anyone who has been listening from episode one, you guys are the ogs. You are the reason that I continue to do this podcast because your support means the world to me. So thank you for listening, thank you for being subscribed, and until next week, go out and watch good movies and I will talk to you later