“When tens of millions of dollars in worldwide marketing and distribution costs are added in, Justice League (Warner Bros., 11.17), which carries a production budget of around $250 million according to several sources, would have to bring in a lofty sum of around $600 million from ticket sales alone and additional revenue from ancillaries like pay-TV and home entertainment in order to turn a profit.

“Warner Bros. executives are already concerned that the movie’s debut this weekend — projected to be $110 million — is less than what they had hoped for. In comparison, last year’s Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice opened to $166 million. The film will also face some competition over the upcoming holiday weekend from another big release, Disney/Pixar’s Coco, though the animated film skews younger. So far, early reaction to Justice League has been mixed among critics and fans. Some have panned it, while others have praised its lighter tone.” — from 11.16 Variety story by Ricardo Lopez.

Donald Crowhurst (1932–1969) was “a British businessman who died while competing in the Sunday Times Golden Globe Race, a single-handed, round-the-world yacht race. Crowhurst had entered with the hope of winning a cash prize from The Sunday Times to aid his failing business. Instead, he encountered difficulty early in the voyage, and secretly abandoned the race while reporting false positions, in an attempt to appear to complete a circumnavigation without actually circling the world. Evidence found after his disappearance suggests that this attempt ended in possible insanity and suicide.”

With the exception of Matt Damon‘s name at the top (which I sliced off to save space), this is Paramount’s new Downsizing poster. Succinct, of course, but a little too minimalist. I’m more favorably disposed toward the tape-measure version, which I found on a New Zealand site.

I paid no attention to last July’s announcement about the “porgs” in The Last Jedi, or to a brief appearance by one in that recent Last Jedi trailer. But the Edvard Munch approach caught my eye. Porgs seem to be the new Ewoks (“a sea bird native to the planet Ahch-To, where Luke Skywalker made his exile in the years following the victory over the Galactic Empire”), and are obviously not a good sign about the tone and temperament of Rian Johnson‘s film.

Invites to the first Last Jedi screenings arrived today — four, to be exact, on Monday, 12.11 on the Disney lot.

I really, really, really, really, really didn’t want to read this morning (or any morning for that matter) about Minnesota Sen. Al Franken being accused of groping and inappropriate kissing of a woman. Franken immediately apologized to his accuser, sports commentator Leann Tweeden, and to his staffers, allies and constituents.

The offensive acts happened during a 2006 U.S.O. tour of the Middle East, or two years before Franken was first elected Minnesota Senator.

I nod almost shoulder-shruggingly when women accuse loathsome Republicans like Donald Trump and Roy Moore of inappropriate sexual contact and/or groping or harassment (what else is new?), but it’s extremely distressing and even depressing when a brilliant liberal good-guy Senator gets hammered for same.

While this obviously lewd, frat-boyish photo indicates that groping was on Franken’s mind, it doesn’t show actual groping. There are shadows under Franken’s hands.

“The first thing I want to do is apologize,” Franken said in a statement. “To Leeann, to everyone else who was part of that tour, to everyone who has worked for me, to everyone I represent, and to everyone who counts on me to be an ally and supporter and champion of women. I respect women. I don’t respect men who don’t. And the fact that my own actions have given people a good reason to doubt that makes me feel ashamed.”

Franken lightly disputed Tweeden’s claim of inappropriate kissing, saying “I don’t remember [the incident] as Leann does” but also that he understands “why we need to listen to and believe woman’s experiences.”

The principal facts aside, it can be fairly stated that a photo that Tweeden posted of Franken allegedly groping her breasts while she slept doesn’t actually show this. Vulgar and fratboyish as Franken’s behavior seemingly was, if you look closely Franken is pretending to grab her breasts without actually doing so. (He may or may not have followed through after the photo was taken.) The comedic thrust of the photo is about Franken pretending to be an asshole sixth-grader, as if he’s saying “hey, let’s see if I can get away with this while she’s asleep!”

It’s still pretty bad, though. Franken noted in his statement that “the intentions behind my actions aren’t the point at all.”

Sen. Orrin Hatch (Utah): “There are no cuts to Medicaid in this bill.”
Sen. Claire McCaskill (Missouri): “Where do you think the $300 billion is coming from? Is there a fairy that’s dropping it on the Senate? The money you’re spending is coming out of Medicaid [for] people making less than $50,000.”

Orrin Hatch: "There are no cuts to Medicaid in this bill."
…
Claire McCaskill: "Where do you think the $300 billion is coming from? Is there a fairy that's dropping it on the Senate? The money you're spending is coming out of Medicaid." (via ABC) pic.twitter.com/Y0F1mv1DTp

— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) November 15, 2017

The 2017 ​Key​ ​West​ ​Film​ ​Festival​ ​kicked off last night with a screening of Guillermo del Toro‘s The Shape of Water​ at the San Carlos Institute. It was preceded by a slightly out-of-focus Skype message from GDT. Critics Kenny Turan and Joshua Rothkopf offered some post-screening analysis and introspection. An after-party happened at the Audobon House, and then a follow-up gathering at the Green Parrot for the truly hardcore.

Southern Florida has been slowly recovering from the devastating effects of Hurricane Irma, but so far I haven’t noticed much structural damage to Key West homes and businesses. Yesterday I spotted two homes on Simonton Street that are having their siding replaced [below], but not much else. Maybe there’s been a more vigorous clean-up effort here. During yesterday’s southward drive I noticed much more damage in Big Pine Key and Marathon.

This year’s Centerpiece film will be Luca Guadagnino​’s Call Me By Your Name​ (Friday at 5:30 pm, San Carlos Institute), featuring a discussion with Rothkopf, Turan, Brian Brooks and Eugene Hernandez of the Film Society of Lincoln Center. The closing night film, selected by Rothkopf, is Richard Linklater‘s Last Flag Flying (Saturday at 6 pm, Sam Carlos Institute).

Other critics in attendance: Eric Kohn ​of IndieWire, Alison Willmore of BuzzFeed News, Rolling Stone‘s David Fear, myself, ​Shirrel Rhodes ​of the Key West Citizen and and Steve Dollar​.

The KWFF is also showing I,​ ​Tonya​, Borg/McEnroe​, The​ ​Leisure​ ​Seeker​, The Square, Spettacolo, Lucky​, Dog Years and The Fabulous Allan Carr (Saturday, 11.18 at 3:30) among many others.

The most distinct thing I remember about Sam Peckinpah‘s Cross of Iron, which opened on 5.12.77, is the closing line of Gene Shalit‘s review on the Today show: “Cross of Iron is a movie of bad.” My reaction wasn’t as starkly negative, but I know I never saw it a second time and that I never even thought about getting the UK Bluray. N.Y. Times critic Vincent Canby called it “Mr. Peckinpah’s least interesting, least personal film in years.” It’s been a while, but I don’t recall disliking it as much as Convoy. But it’s since become a favorite of eccentric Peckinpah cultists….right? The first of these may have been Orson Welles, who allegedly got in touch with Peckinpah after seeing it and called it “the finest antiwar film since All Quiet on the Western Front.” Or words to that effect. The only way I could see it again cheaply is to watch a 480p version on Amazon. Maybe.

3:30 pm update: The fabled Miami-to-Key West drive along Route 1 felt like a letdown. After you leave the south-of-Miami mainland (i.e., Homestead) and start your journey south from Key Largo, the downscale tourist vibe starts to seep in.

With the exception of two or three longish, concrete-piling causeways over the water, the Overseas Highway is just a slowish, congested, two-lane graytop with very little to recommend or be intrigued about. Unless, you know, you want gas or some seafood. Most of the time there are no passing lanes, and there are too many traffic light stops. It’s real America, but in a proletariat downmarket sense. At times it almost reminded me of Elvis Presley Blvd. in Memphis.

The local municipalities are naturally trying to clear the roadside of Hurricane Irma damage — tree limbs and brush, destroyed chunks of foundation concrete, piles of soil and…what am I saying? I’m saying that after a half-hour on the O.H. I was muttering “this is it?” I’ve been hearing about this must-experience route since I was ten or thereabouts, and to realize there’s just not much there — nothing above and beyond the natural longing of local merchants to make money.

No subtle aromas, no yesteryear echoes, no samplings of Bahamian architecture, no “culture.” (Or not much of it.). I was so lethargic that I decided against stopping in Key Largo to see Humphrey Bogart ‘s original African Queen river scow. Maybe on the way back.

Earlier: “It’s 12:35 pm, and we’re two-thirds of the way to Key West. Arriving around…oh, 2 pm or thereabouts. At 6pm we’ll be catching the Key West Film Festival‘s opening-night attraction — Guillermo del Toro‘s The Shape of Water. And then a nice after-party somewhere. Unable to attend himself, Guillermo recently taped a special video introduction that speaks specifically to KWFF and the locals who’ve been cleaning up since Irma tore through. Thanks to Fox Searchlight for providing the film.

There’s no such thing as a bad Luca Guadagnino interview, but this one, moderated by Awards Watch‘s Eric Anderson, is more engaging than most. I’m sorry to add that Anderson gets two demerits for posting a photo of Guadagnino that must be at least ten years old (too much hair on top) and for alluding to A Bigger Splash as The Big Splash (Fritz Lang‘s The Big Heat meets Ron Howard‘s Splash).

The trip from Los Angeles to the Key West Film Festival proceeds as planned. It’s 6:52 am, and we’re waiting for an Orlando-to-Miami flight to depart in a few. Instead of taking a Miami-to-Key West shuttle, Team HE will do the scenic drive this time. It should take three or four hours. Key Largo, Tavernier, Islamorada, Marathon, Big Pine Key, etc. Warm tropical air, the original African Queen boat, the glistening sea, island to island, no big hurry.

Incidentally: There’s a guy sitting in front of me who keeps shifting his weight and pushing back on his seat and generally acting like an anxious five-year-old. Glaring daggers at the back of his head hasn’t helped.