WINNER: Travis Knight/Masters of the Universe: We all know not to fully trust those “first reactions” to upcoming films — a way for studios to preempt the critics by screening a movie for a curated group that includes fanboy influencers. But a couple of trusted colleagues likewise saw Travis Knight’s Masters of the Universe, and says the glowing early buzz about Amazon MGM’s adaptation of the 1980s animated series is accurate: Masters of the Universe is ridiculous and fun and better than the trailers make it look (and if you suffer from a Jared Leto allergy, no fear — his Skeletor is great, and you can’t tell it’s him).
WINNER: Curry Barker / Inde Navarrette / Focus Features: “No, no, no, no…“? Yes! Barker’s directorial horror debut Obsession was made for only $750,000. It’s already grossed $27 million. The film has managed to hit No. 1 at the box office for a few days, making it what might be the lowest-budget movie to pull that off in decades. The film also has a perfectly equal 95 percent positive scores among critics and audiences on Rotten Tomatoes. While star Inde Navarrette is earning raves for her performance and becoming a meme queen for playing the world’s most devoted girlfriend.
