So the last episode ended with an unexpected turn of events, and I am pretty sure anybody watching did not expect that to happen. The little black girl steps in to help everyone out, but due to events prior, she is extremely upset that the little tormented girl is not telling or withholding the truth from the authorities. One of the children gets a vision via a lampshade, and the black man in the military gets attacked. The show so far has given us some of the children and a couple of the adults, so going forward into this episode, we get more and a better understanding of what is going on in Derry and why the military is there.
The black man in the military we were introduced to in the first episode, Leroy, his wife, Charlotte, finally gets into town with their boy, and she goes into town for supplies while he goes to school and makes a new friend. We are also introduced to another character, an adult by the name of Dick Hallorann, who is a black man who also works in the military and has been tasked to work with Leroy as a navigator, whilst Leroy and Pauly set out on a special task| for General Francis Shaw. The little black girl, Ronnie, has a dream/vision of her mother that leads her to speak to the other kids about it, but also tries to convince the troubled girl, Lilly, to tell the truth to the police, which does not work and her father, Hank, is arrested. Lilly has an incident in the supermarket involving some pickle jars.
When I was younger, the IT series with Tim Curry did not get watched by me, nope! I am not afraid to say that the idea of a clown living in the sewer made me more than uncomfortable. I remember seeing a few scenes, but I did not watch it, or at least, it was such a long time ago, I have no memory of watching it all, but the movies, on the other hand, I did. IT Chapter 1 and IT Chapter 2 were great. I found that the first one was better than the second, though. I think the second one was lacking something, but both were still very enjoyable. So with this series, I decided to get involved, and so far, so good.
So this episode introduces us to a lot of the main characters, but starts off letting us know exactly what we are in for immediately. The first scene starts with a child in the cinema who has snuck in, leading to him being chased out of the cinema until he hitches a ride with some passers by. But the IT franchise, being exactly what it is, shows us moments or scenarios that start off normal, but gradually start to become weird and creepy. The car ride, although the family appear innocent and nice at first, the trip descends into terror. The next scene gives us another child, and she is clearly going through something in school and possibly her personal life, and she later meets two boys who are just being young kids, but also trying to figure out what has happened to their missing friend. Out of the Adults in the series, we are introduced to a black man from the military who has moved to Derry, but is not surprised that he is met with racism among his fellow military men. At the end of the episode, having gone to the library to look for clues surrounding the missing boy, the kids, along with a young black girl who also has something in common with them, go to the cinema to investigate, but things take a surprising turn.
Have I seen all of The Hunger Games movies? Yes and No. Not that I can remember all of them, but I am pretty sure I have seen all the ones with Katniss Everdeen, and while they were decent, they were nothing really to write home about for me. Because I have seen Battle Royale, which is essentially the same thing and that came out years ago, and nothing has really matched that energy, bar Squid Game. Squid Game was captivating, and although these types of films/shows are all essentially the same thing, you know what to expect and get. So the reason I say "No" to seeing all of The Hunger Games movies is because I did not see the last one, 'A Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes' or something like that, it was called, and I did not really have an interest in it. But funnily enough, seeing this trailer, it did make me rethink my thoughts on the franchise and consider if I should get back onto the continuation of this prequel to the original batch of films.
So this trailer starts off with a woman welcoming Panem to the Reaping of District 12, and the next shot is of a meadow with a structure in it and several people standing in a circle around it. We get a few quick shots of the main character and other characters with one woman who reminds me of an actress in Gen V (so I am going to look that up), and the little black boy was giving me vibes of the little black girl in the original series, I think her name was Rue. There is a countdown, and when the countdown reaches one, everybody in the circle runs towards the structure whilst trying to be first and also trying to take out one another. We get a shot of Ralph Fiennes, Jesse Plemons and more shots of the Rue boy and the main guy together. There is a quick shot of the Karate Kid: Legends actor I saw in The Long Walk. It looks like there may be a romance blooming if it hasn't already, since the first movie, and there are a couple of fight scenes, but at the very end, that sounded like Haymitch from the tones of Woody Harrelson. I think I need another trailer, to sell me, correction, have me a bit more intrigued and committed to actually wanting to watch it.
It's absolutely mad how great this looks! Now I might be talking from a place of bias because I purchased and played the games Fallout 3 and Fallout 4, but the games are quirky. A city where there are all types of enemies out to kill you, rob you or trade with you, double cross you and monsters, creatures, all trying to kill you, robots and synths, all trying to kill you, and then there are factions and small pockets of people who just wanna live or some who just want to make the world a better place. This trailer touches on a lot of these things, but it is the unique story, just like the game, that hooks you along with the world, and this looks just as good as the first season.
This trailer gives us a bit more of Fallout: Vegas. Lucy is looking for her father to bring him to justice, while the Ghoul is looking for his family (who should be all dead at this point). We get to see a Radscorpion, a Radroach and a bunch of Elvis Ghouls. The kills are still blood splattering, which is very much like the game and having a little more backstory with the father experimenting might give us a clue as to how a lot of the creatures and insects become what they become, if it is not simply due to the nuclear fallout. But on the back of that, there is a very deep voice in the trailer, and I am assuming, it is a Mutant, so let's watch this space. With that said, it looks like Lucy is going to liberate vault dwellers and bring them to the surface, since they all believe the surface is poisoned and uninhabitable. I only have two concerns: the guy in the Brotherhood of Steel uniform, what is his story, and are we going to get more of him and from him other than fighting one of the most deadly creatures in the game, and what about the Vault Lucy is from? We do not need to see them because they are in a different city, which makes me wonder if there is a separate story with characters there? All in all, this looks good, and I cannot wait to get back into that world.
I'm not going to go into the spiel of the Alien and Predator franchises because I have commented on them both enough in recent reviews, whether that be trailer reviews or film reviews, but the one thing I will say is that I think my cousin would have loved this. Ok, not loved, but he would have enjoyed it because this film, whilst different from other Predator movies, was still good and entertaining, and whilst I do personally have a couple of issues, I enjoyed the universe building. Let me explain.
So Dek, a Predator under the species called Yautja, is seen as the runt of his clan, small and incapable. Whilst fighting with his brother, his brother states he must hunt to earn the respect of his father and the clan or die. Having chosen a species to hunt, Dek is sent off to the planet where everything there is out to kill you, and he only has a Weyland-Yutani synth to guide him to claim his trophy.
Different. This movie is different to previous Predator movies, and that is fine, but what was entertaining and intriguing about this movie, most of all, is the world-building more than anything. You learn more about the culture of the Yautja, something only learnt in the comics and you get to understand, not only is hunting a trial for trophies or death, but there are levels to it to be respected by your clan and you become (I'm assuming) top tier by the time you become a hunter like the ones seen in the previous movies like Predator, Predator 2 & Predators. I have not seen The Predator as I heard it was garbage, but this film does a lot more to flesh out the world/universe, culture and the infamous Weyland Utani Corporation. With that said, the fusing of these two franchises, as seemlessly in this film, is great and reminds me of Alien: Earth, which gave us more species to be absolutely terrified of.
For example, the special effects were great in this, with the details of the different types of things that can harm you on this planet being absolutely wild. From plants to vines to aerial species, land species and species that can swing from trees. Imaginative and chaotic, but very deadly. The details, it's the details and how these things move and react to a foreign presence is unnerving. So now, within the Alien and Predator franchise, there are even more planets and terrible aliens out there, and it all looks glorious. Even the make-up looks great, and you can tell a lot of thought has gone into the design of not only the creature but also how a frozen face may look, for example.
Because the special effects are great, this is accompanied by the great cinematography and fighting scenes. The Yautja home world looked amazing, course and rough, and the planet of Genna had elements of courseness, but there were some breathtaking moments. There were a few instances where I felt we were back in the jungle, where Dutch was near the end of the first Predator film, because of the waterfall, and there were two moments like that. Because Dek is practically fighting for his life, there were many arrogant and naive moments where it showed that Dek was not as highly skilled as he thought he might have been. He had an attitude to a point where there was a comment about being an alpha wolf, which played as a bit of comedy, but he is a young boy trying to prove himself, and it shows in his actions and his face. They did an outstanding job with the expressions, and it looked real. I found myself staring at the mandibles, wondering how, just how? And you could follow the actions, and sometimes you forget how tough yet agile a Yautja is, but if it bleeds, you can kill it.
I watched the Super Mario Movie once, maybe twice, but I do remember really enjoying it. From the Teaser Trailer, it was funny, and the movie proved to be just the same. But the teaser trailer for this movie was more of an announcement, and I am guessing maybe this is the Official Trailer, but this is hilarious and gives us, the audience a bit more insight as to what is happening in this movie this time around, and maybe once again, the character of Bowser is going to be equally just as funny, like he is in the first movie.
So it starts with Bowser creating a painting, and the part that made me actually laugh out loud was the moment he grabs his hair backwards in shock and steps back, too funny. The animation of that motion was superb. Then, even funnier, we find out he is miniature in size and is talking to Mario and Luigi, and it is clear that Bowser doesn't mind Luigi, but obviously dislikes Mario with the way he greets them; it's subtle. If you notice, Mario is standing there with his back towards the castle with his arms folded. It is when Mario says his painting is trash, Bowser loses it and then apologises. What we get from the remainder of the trailer is travelling with Toad and Princess Peach, a few flashes of different worlds. There is a moment that reminded me of Mad Max and riding vehicles in a desert, in this case it is a bike, and at the end, a Princess I've never seen before with a Magic Wand taking down a mech, but more importantly, Bowser Jr. is here to rescue his dad and it looks like all hell is goinf to break loose. This looks really great and clever, so hopefully it is, I mean, they cannot fluff it up since the first one made billions!
Here is something interesting. I can hold my hand up and state, 'I have seen the Percy Jackson show on Disney+,' but at the same time, if you were to ask me what happens or what it was about, I will definitely struggle. It feels like I watched the show soo long ago and if there is anything I can remember, Percy, doesn't know his dad, goes to a school for children of the Gods, meets a few friends along the way, confronts Medusa, meets his dad, Lance Riddick (I am sure) is in it and there is always a bully and something something something great show. This Trailer? I have no idea what is really going on, and I may need to rewatch the first season, but this looks great, although I have no clue as to what is going on.
So it seems that Percy is having nightmares that are either trying to kill him or are about the future, but his camp is under a great threat. The one eye joke is actually pretty funny, but I know why he asks it. Seeing the flying horse is great, as that has always been one of my childhood favourite things. It seems Percy must travel to the sea of monsters to say Grover and the camp, or one, or the other. But it will be interesting to see what he may be able to do being a Demi-God and all. Maybe the moment he falls in that battle scene, he unlocks something, but to me, it definitely looks like he is about to do something on that warship at the end that has been omitted from the trailer, but we shall see.
There is one thing that I know and I know for sure, that Toy Story is one franchise that has been going for as long as it has, and it has never dipped in its quality and storytelling. Each and every film has got better and better, with a story that can be told to children as well as adults, with laughs from both children and adults. There may have been some grumbling around the announcement of Toy Story 4 because you had a great trilogy, but the folks at Pixar said, "No. We have more story to tell," and Toy Story 4 was complete, watched, and it was great. I guarantee you that there has been some grumbling around a Toy Story 5, and that maybe they are milking the franchise now, but if there is anything we have learnt with this franchise, they always hit, and hit well.
This trailer shows us a box being delivered to the house with shots of the characters we know and love scared at what the new toy may be. We see Mr & Mrs Potato Head, we see Rex & Slinky, Jesse & the Horse, 3 Aliens from the claw machine doing Speak No Evil, See No Evil and Hear No Evil, and the shot that keeps making me giggle is Forky, who now has a partner who is a knife. The Box is open, and it is an electronic device like an iPad, a Tablet for children, and knowing how children are essentially glued to these devices, I completely understand where they are going with this. Pixar have its finger on the pulse, and I am not sure if they can go anywhere else after this, but this might actually be really great. Let's see what the official trailer is saying down the line.
So, I heard they had put out the first 5 minutes of Stranger Things to watch to encourage you or get you hype about watching the finale of the show. This is the conclusion, so I guess they are going all out. This is not a new thing, though; however, I do think it is a thing that studios do (if they have the money and resources), give the audience something to watch so they can have a sample, a little taste of what is to come. I am not sure if it is something they do because they know the product is bad, so they are trying to encourage, or if they are simply trying to get as many people on board as possible. Recently, I had already seen all the seasons from Season 1 to Season 4 recently only to see if the show holds up because, well...Stranger Things has become a massive hit, and if you are not aware of it, you must be living under a rock. But we are now at the end, and if I am honest, the kids cannot be playing kids any more, you know.
The trailer is a flashback to what happened to Will Byers in Season 1 once he was abducted. Will is singing the "Should I Stay or Should I Go" because it is his favourite some. Under duress, he is singing this to, I guess, try and calm himself down, as he has no idea what is going on around him, and then a Demigorgon shows up. Will shoots at it, runs away and tries to climb a tree to get away from it, and just when he thinks he is safe, the Demigorgon climbs the tree, and Will tries to jump to safety until he lands with a thud, and he is taken off somewhere off-screen. We then pick up with Vecnor walking up to Will and putting this long tube-like thing in Will's mouth, and he states they are going to be doing great things together. Hopefully, this scene is longer or there are a few flashbacks covering areas and stories that were not explained previously or were maybe glossed over, but as this is the final series, they need to wrap this one up into a nice tidy bow. This is a nice 5 minutes, but more is needed, especially if episodes are like 1 hour long....bring Barb back!
I had heard a lot about Tyler the Creator being talented, but I had never fully listened to his music. Since, I have heard him feature on a couple of tracks, and I have really liked his verses, and every time I hear him, I remember a friend of mine who once said that he was talented, and unless I am remembering this incorrectly, he even plays instruments. I never bought or listened to his albums, but I respect the fact that I have heard him on songs, a couple of his own songs, and he is really good. But never did I know, nor have on my Bingo Card at the beginning of this year, that I'd be watching a film, let alone this trailer, with the tissues sticking out of his nose, thinking "Isn't that Tyler the Creator?" in that quick shot. I rewound that quick shot twice, then continued to watch it, and I actually said out loud, "Wow! It IS Tyler the Creator". And whilst those of you reading this may be thinking, "This is Timothee Chalamet's film, why is he talking about Tyler!?", because whilst everyone must know by now that Timothee is a great actor and is only getting better and better with age and by film, there is no point pointing out the obvious, but not only does Tyler look like he is also giving a great performance, this trailer looks every bit of incredible, and it is about....Table Tennis!
So the trailer starts with Timothee saying he has purpose, during a conversation with a woman played by Gweneth Paltro, and we are introduced a few things about him, what he likes, playing table tennis, not having any money nor a job and that he lives day to day having confidence in himself that the money will follow, but after the A24 logo, we are shown Marty struggling to keep it all running smoothly. We are introduced to Tyler, who may be a close friend of his, but it looks as though he is not accepting any help from anyone, even though he is hustling and trying to make money while supporting his mother. It looks like he starts travelling across the world, entering different Table Tennis Tournaments, and does he owe money by ripping someone off? Or did he place a bet on himself? Or did he promise someone money? Is he making bad decisions that he is fighting with his girlfriend, and people are looking to fight him? He is running through the streets with a bag (which could be full of money), crashing through the porches of houses. What is happening? But whatever the story ends up being, it is going to be one man trying to chase his dream, and this looks really good and might be where Timothee gets his Oscar.
I had to watch this trailer a few times because the first time I watched it, the thought that came to my mind first once it was all done was, "That's creepy". One of the thoughts I had whilst watching was, "Look at that nose!" but other than those two initial thoughts, the more prominent one was how creepy the trailer looked. Now I mean creepy in the best way possible in that, not only does this look great and Jaafar looks a tad off (because its not Michael) but damn, if all the musical performance shots and footage is recreated for this movie and is not old footage or repurposed footage using ai or whatever, this film looks like it is shot for shot the real deal. It is uncanny how much Jaafar Jackson looks like his uncle Michael Jackson, and all the moves and mannerisms are simply down to a fine art, like...did they manage to download Michael Jackson's mannerisms, behaviour and dancing into Jaafar like the Kung Fu moves into Neo in The Matrix Movie. Honestly, I was dumbfounded. You see, growing up with Michael for those who are 50-65 plus will possibly watch this and be taken aback.
The trailer has various shots of Michael getting himself ready to start recording to performance in front of hundreds of people. Putting on the Headphones and Quincy Jones (I assume) saying, "I know you've been waiting a long time for this...", a baseball stadium filled with fans, the iconic glittery suit and white glittery socks. Shots of the family at the table together and lists of songs to be written or already written to be put together for an album, Michael dancing, the famous outfits Michael used to wear at appearances and the Thriller video, which is quite possibly the most iconic video ever shot and rehearsed in history. All quick shots until the end shot of Michael asking for the lights to lower the lights and it sounds JUST like Michael and his soft speaking voice. The laugh and the security assisting someone who fainted, something that would happen at shows, the crying and fainting of fans, the Michael Jackson spin AND the Moonwalk. This movie looks great! I am just wondering where it will end because this was meant to be one film, but due to legal issues and legal content and such, it looks like the film may be chopped up, and if this movie does well, I guess we will get the second part. Let's just hope that Michael's early life and story have not been tarnished as much as his latter life and how a lot of things went down for him, truth or not.
I have been feeling off all day, a little under the weather, but I saw this trailer and said to myself, "Nah, THIS...I have to see!". This is something I heard about earlier in the year and had forgotten about it. Maybe I thought the rumours were not going to pan out, but this is great! I believe I have seen both Kill Bill films, Vol 1 and Vol 2, once in my life and in the cinema. It was a very, VERY long time ago, and I remember I really enjoyed them both. With that said, though, I am not sure as to why I have not rewatched Vol 1 or 2 since, considering. But this trailer, awesome!
I'm not going to break down the trailer like I normally would, but to highlight a few memorable bits and bits I completely forgot. So with that said, it is great to hear the whistling, which, if I remember, was in the first trailer for Vol 1, and it was so iconic to the movie. See, I want to say, ''99', running into the room to fight her was epic, because I am sure she takes on a couple of them, and then they all come flooding in as she takes them all on. The eye pull, blimey, I forgot about that. The little girl with the ball and chain with blades on it, I remember, as that was also an insane fight. This trailer reminds you (for those who have seen it), it is one insane fight after another insane fight, whilst one woman is out for revenge against those who did her wrong. The Lucy Liu beheading at the boardroom table, so memorable. I loved the shot of the feet because it all happens in an instant. The old, white-haired and long-bearded teacher landing and balancing on the sword. The movie was great, and I cannot remember any anime in the movie, so I will definitely find a way to watch Vol 1 and 2 before this is out, but this film is art inspiring art inspiring art. This film is inspired by old school Chinese kung fu movies and anime, and I am sure there must be new school kung fu and anime inspired by this movie. It was truly a work of art, and I cannot wait to go back into this world to rewatch. However, it does make me want a Kill Bill vol.3 because....she is waiting. Also, one very last thing...was that the Wilhelm scream mixed in with another scream?
Blimey, when will all this end? I am not saying this because I do not like the franchise; essentially, I do not care, but was Scream 5 the Fast & Furious (Fast 4) that has given this franchise new life? The Ghostface mask being used for copycat murders seems to keep happening, and people are dying all the time. What are the towns going to do about it? I guess nothing can be done unless authorities can do something as and when it happens, and likely only when something happens, but how are these murders continuing to happen to the same people, like protective custody is not a thing? But I guess you will not have a gown and Ghostface mask franchise or gimmick if you change it up, right?
But with that said, this trailer, although I did not see Scream 6 (for whatever reason), and I saw Scream 5, this trailer had me interested! I think the best and creative part of the trailer was the chandelier moment at the beginning of it. But with that said, I'm pretty sure a body of weight falling on top of you is sure to cause you on the floor a great deal of pain, but who cares, right, as it was fun to watch, and I definitely squirmed. Then the moment we are all waiting for and are expecting, "Hello Sydney!" Classic. Then the "I'm not hiding, Sydney..." made me think, 'but you are though, because it is not like you are standing in front of her', then proceeds to drop down from the attic...haha, silly. The Matrix moment of hiding between the walls is a fun moment; however, I am wondering how they will connect Scream 7 to Scream 6 with the younger cast. Maybe it is because I have not seen Scream 6 to see the younger generation connection, and if you did not know, Jenna Ortega did not return because the studio did not want Melissa Barrera back due to her protesting against the Palestine genocide. So, as Melissa is still getting work, she may choose to come back for a sequel if the studio reaches out to her, but let's see how this movie goes, especially as they make these films for less than 50 million and make triple that back, usually.
I had a little giggle when I saw the thumbnail because all I could think of was that interrogation scene in Bad Boys 2, and they are pressing the kid, and there was a comment stating that the child looked at least 30 years old. Stranger Things has been going on for a while, and there have been some issues since its inception until now. This has prolonged the series whether it be slow decision making on Netflix's side, deciding to cancel the show and drop it from the platform (as I remember that was a rumour once), the global pandemic, the writers strike, there were likely more things but these kids have aged up before our eyes and there are ongoing jokes that some of these kids are married, with kids and have divorced before season 5 has even come out. But there is no escaping the growth, and for the most part, who really cares? As long as they can play their parts, well, right? And with that said, and with this being the last season for Stranger Things, these kids need to get rid of Vecna and save the world once and for all.
The love for this franchise is at an all-time high, and having reviewed all the seasons prior to the upcoming season 5 recently has been an absolute blast. The reewatch and review was to see if the series holds up, and it does. In this trailer, presented to us on top of "Who Wants to Live Forever", the kids are fed up with running, fighting for their lives, saving the world from Vecna, only for him to return again and again, so this time, they want to destroy Vecna for good so they can live peacefully. Lucas is still with Max and looking after her, and it seems he is trying to protect her because [SPOILER ALERT FOR SEASON 4] she got away from Vecna in the last season, and he could quite possibly still be after her. Dustin is still mourning Eddie, who gave his life to help them. Will Byers still has a connection to Vecna, and you kind of see that at the end of the trailer. Mike looks like he is leading the charge towards Vecna. And seeing the other outer characters, such as Steve, Jonathan, Nancy, and Robin, is also great because they will all contribute to help destroy Vecna, even Luca's sister Erica. With Jim Hopper by Eleven's side, his adopted daughter and Joyce Byers also providing support, this looks like it will be an absolutely amazing send-off for a show that has come so far and has told a story, which has been a little wonky in places, but season 4 did a lot of ironing, and we are in the endgame now. New additions to the show, such as Linda Hamilton, that one-two punch the show needs for that 80s call back, so let's see who else we get and what the story is ultimately going to do. Will Eleven die? Will Mike or Will die, or die together? Will Will die trying to save Mike whilst Eleven is off doing something else? Will Hopper die (again) sacrificing his life? There are so many characters, and yes, there have been deaths over the series, but will there be any more deaths of the main characters? We all remember the first, Barbara! Shout out to Barbs. Other than being great, of course, because it has to be, right, the show? It has to have a great ending. There is no way Netflix's pride and joy will have a season 8 finale of Game of Thrones, you know? It needs to end at an all-time high. Bring on those tears! I want to clap and wipe my tears away by the end of this!
First of all, sometimes I hate seeing a bunch of familiar actors in a movie. Do not get me wrong, I do like a lot of these actors, but sometimes I wonder, why do you not have up-and-coming actors for movies that the audience do not know of, and not necessarily phase the already established actors out, but to at least bring new actors in, talented ones anyway. I know they do actually do this because how do you think Chris Hemsworth got her? With that said, I know Hollywood is about making money and having bankable talent, so when I saw the thumbnail initially, I wondered, who is in this? That looks like Mark Ruffalo and Halle Berry (as my eyes focused towards the middle of the picture), so I did not even notice Chris Hemsworth really or the actor on the far right. But then, as I was watching the trailer, I found it hella fun to say, "Oh look, it's Hemsworth!" Nice seeing him in something else that isn't Marvel and playing Thor (not like he only does that and is only known for that, I mean he is Captain James T. Kirk's father and he is in other movies such as Extraction for Netflix, and other), but then I saw Halle Berry and my mind instantly went to Swordfish, thinking Hemsworth was in that, ummm, no he wasn't. But then my brain went back to Marvel and was like "Haha, it's Thor, Storm and the Hulk all in one movie", then realised when I saw Barry Keoghan, "Oh and the guy from Saltburn and Eternals!" I couldn't remember his character's name in Marvel, but it was a Marvel "collection" in my head. But as the trailer went on, I thought, this actually might actually be decent.
So the trailer starts off with Chris's character standing around on the roadside and being approached by Halle, who guesses the type of car Chris is waiting for. Later on, she states she is good at reading people. But as the trailer goes on, where it looks like he might be trying to recruit her for heists by assessing high value targets within her business as an insurer, it looks like Mark Ruffalo, (straight off of Task - because he is an officer in that and that looks great, i must see also), is the police officer trying to track these robberies along the I101 freeway and link the robberies to Chris and its a game of cat and mouse where Chris leaves evidence/clues out of habit per job, and Mark is closing in. The exchange in the car near the end is immaculate and reminded me a little bit of the Vulture and Spider-Man conversation in Homecoming. At this point in the movie, does Mark know he has the thief driving him or was that an innocent conversation? I think Mark knows, and it is all very intense. Seeing Corey Hawkins and Nick Nolte is nice, and I hope they have decent roles. When the trailer ended, I was like "THIS, I MUST SEE! Plus, I love the play on words, Crime 101.
Throughout my life, my introduction to the things and people I enjoy now and have always enjoyed over the years was through my cousin. My cousin was two years older than me, so even action figures got to him before me, you know? Those 15 and 18 films from the 80s and 90s, through him, I got to see them. The Running Man, Predator, Rambo, etc, I have mentioned this before, and it is true. As I think about it, I actually believe Eddie Murphy was also part of this list because of films like Trading Places, 48 Hours, Another 48 Hours, and Beverly Hills Cop. I am sure he had them on VHS. But I believe I made my own discovery or rediscovery of Eddie as I got older, because I remember being introduced to Eddie Murphy stand up comedy performances such as Delirious and Raw from a school mate and since then, pretty much all of the Eddie movies that came out after I were introduced to the stand ups (well, not all of them, but a fair bit), I watched, from Nutty Professor, Metro, Boomerang and Shrek, even Vampire in Brooklyn. I did stay away from some of Eddie's films like Dr Dolittle and Daddy Daycare, but Eddie was funny to me, so with that said, I think this doc is going to be great.
This looks great! From the moment it opens with one of the world's most gifted comedians today, with Dave Chapelle endorsing Eddie's genius and how he helped pave the way for a lot of the comics today, and also back in the 90s, solidified by what Jamie Foxx says, you know this is going to be a great documentary. Even Jerry Seinfeld says a piece, and Tracey Ellis Ross, who definitely has some ties to Eddie, as he would have met her mother back in his heyday. The shadow puppet of Donkey from Shrek definitely made me laugh, although he did not do the voice. Eddie states he wants to be in the room, everybody in the room and in between the gaps, this was such a great line as they show clips of Eddie as different characters in The Nutty Professor, something he also did earlier in his career along with Arsenio Hall in Coming to America in whom we also see in this trailer along with Kevin Hart and Chris Rock. It was a touch sad to see a Richard Pryor puppet, knowing how heavily Richard was an inspiration to Eddie, and if he were still alive, I am sure he would have been approached. Even Pete Davidson has something to say. I'm not in a rush to see this, but I definitely will. I mean, Axel F, the Netflix film that came out not too long ago, was actually decent from Netflix, so I do wonder what is Next from Eddie and Netflix going forward.
The film has been out for a while, and I am pretty sure it will leave the cinema soon. This could be the last week or maybe there are a couple of weeks still left in it, but this film, if you have not already seen it, this movie is really good, brutal, but really damn good. I was not sure what to expect from the movie, as I had heard a couple of things, but I really did not expect to get emotional. Other than recognising Mark Hamill and David Jonsson, I did not know any other the other supporting characters and only that this was a Stephen King adaptation from a book he wrote. So let me explain.
In a dystopian future in a dystopian society, 50 young men from each state volunteer to enter a yearly competition called The Long Walk as a test of endurance, where the objective is to walk from point A to point B at no more or less than 3 miles per hour, and the last person standing wins a wish and riches. With all the competitors in this competition, some people do not get on, some make friends, but the game will test you and ultimately break you until there is a winner, whilst the whole country watches.
Whilst I will try not to go into spoiler territory, I have tried to keep the synopsis as light as possible, but this film was excellent, brutal and like I previously said, emotional. I cannot remember if it was near the beginning or in the middle, where I thought to myself and wondered, "Why would someone join a competition like this?" If there could be only one winner, how are most of them cheering each other on, helping one another to get up, and not be thinking, "there can be only one!". Do not get me wrong, it is mentioned in the movie and the characters know the rules and what you need to do to win the prize, as well as what happens to you if you do not keep to the rules, but I could not fully get behind the characters wanting to win, and also make friends. But I guess everyone is in the same situation, and you are doing it together. Maybe they did not think they could die or would not die to stay motivated to win, so making friends on the long walk is nice and all, but it is either you or your buddy, right? So with that said, this film is brutal because you cannot slow your pace as you must keep to 3 miles per hour and near the end, I was definitely shaken up, emotionally.
All the characters have their reason for joining the competition and for a lot of them, some simply just want a better life or to come out of a tough situation, so the story centres mostly around a handful of characters where you may get a little information on, as they walk and trade stories, but I was definitely in tears when a specific character got a nose bleed. Not because of the nose bleed itself, but the actor who played the character was great and entertaining, so when it was his time, it hit me hard. It was unexpected and very sad as I caught myself getting attached to some of these characters, as you feel like you are with them along this journey. Before going into this film, I kept hearing about David Jonsson from the film 'Alien: Romulus' or TV show, 'Industry' and how good he is, and he is really good, but this unknown actor (to me anyway) was good as well, so when he went, I could not help but get emotional. David Jonsson is a rising star. Cooper Hoffman (son of the late Philip Seymour Hoffman) is great in this, and his character's motivations as to why he entered the competition, is a motivation I am sure most people watching will agree with, so there were a few moments that were heartbreaking. Because they have been walking for days at this point and you are often reminded how far they have walked with little food, no sleep and zero stops, as the audience watching them walk and walk and walk, there were times I felt like some scenes or imagery must be a hallucination as I couldn't quite get to grips of how long they have been walking and how I myself would feel in their battered shoes. But David Jonsson carried this movie on his back, and is clearly the standout. His backstory was also emotional, like plenty of the other contestants we get to know, so when you get to the end, you do wonder was any of it even worth it?
The cinematography was great. There were some long shots, wide shots, close-ups and some blurry shots where some of the graphical shots were pulled back from or right in front of the camera. The first death was crazy to see, and I audibly made a noise when it happened, but as the film goes on, deaths start popping up rapidly, or at least you could tell who was next to go as you see a character limping or even worse before they expire.
There is not much music in this film, as the film is carried by the acting and the interaction between characters. The longer they walked, the longer you felt a bond with some specific characters, and you are rooting for them to win, or you are rooting for someone to eat it. You know, that one guy you dislike and you cannot wait for them to die horribly. At one point, one of the contestants had a radio, and that brought a tiny bit of levity to the story, where for a moment, the guys were frustrated, but at the same time, making the best of a bad and shitty moment, but in the end, this story is dark, bleak and also sad. The Hunger Games or Squid Game, but all you do is walk, not fighting one another, just a competition, because there could be only one. Great film. Go and see it as soon as possible, if those latter films are your thing, but also, if you like Stephen King, since it is a Stephen King adaptation after all.
Before I even get into it, I just want to start off by saying this film is good and entertaining. Jared Leto was also really good in the role, so if you have any reservations about his acting, he is really good and is not the problem with this movie. Any shortcomings are not because of him, so if you do not like him, that is a different situation. And with that out of the way, I also want to highlight that I have recently watched the original Tron and the sequel, and whilst the first one is good but does not hold up today, Tron: Legacy is stylish and entertaining, but the dodgy de-ageing makes the film feel off, because the story is ok, not great, just ok. Tron: Ares spends more time setting up the future of the franchise rather than just telling a standalone story with loose suggestions or connective elements hinting at the possibility of a sequel. I'll explain.
Following Sam Flynn’s departure and decades after Kevin Flynn’s disappearance, Encom is now under the leadership of Eve Kim, a determined CEO pushing the boundaries between the digital and physical worlds. Her goal: to give life to inorganic matter, digital constructs. When illness sidelines Tess’s sister, Eve Kim steps in to continue her sister's research, determined to see it through. Across the city, a rival company, Dillinger Systems, led by Julian Dillinger — the grandson of a former Encom head, Ed Dillinger — is chasing the same breakthrough, but with a far more dangerous vision. His focus is on weaponising the digital constructs to create a new generation of digital soldiers for profit and power. As both sides compete to achieve the impossible, an advanced AI known as Ares begins to seek a life beyond his programming. But with Enforcers closing in and corporate motives spiralling out of control, the race to bring inorganic matter to life threatens to blur the line between creation and domination.
The bottom line is, the film is decent and enjoyable, Jared Leto is really good as Ares, but as I said before, the story spends more time setting up the future of the franchise because the film has many questions it does not answer. The scope, lore, and world of Tron (the film) could go a lot further and be more expansive. I will give an example. There used to be an animated show called 'Reboot', where the User (the person who would insert a game to play for their own enjoyment - ie, anyone who plays computer games/video games) would insert a game into the system, and the system would play the game to beat the user. The system was a computer world filled with 1s and 0s, a living, breathing world and many different characters; Hexadecimal, Megabyte and others. For some reason or another, whilst brother and sister, Megabyte and Hexidecimal would always try to corrupt and overthrow/rule the system, as well as battle each other. However, a security programme, a guardian within the system named Bob, would join the games and often try and help the user to win the games, but mostly, try to stop Hexidecimal and Megabyte from corrupting the system. There were likely other villains or other programmes like Hack and Slash as other computer programming that were different to the 1s and 0s, but Hexadecimal and Megabyte are the two I remember clearly. Bob is clearly based on Tron, the character within the Tron movies, and Clu is equivalent to either Hexidecimal, Megabyte or any other villain, so with all that said, whilst Tron: Legacy began opening up the world of Tron and the various different characters within the system, Tron: Ares does not expand on this at all. Tron does nothing to expand the world within the grid, and with Ares being as capable as he is, it made me question the whereabouts of other characters or why there were not any other characters within the system. I could see a world where there are different factions within the grid, lost tribes, factions or religous zealots etc, living within the system and something happens that ends up being 'Battle of the Five Armies', something where there is a fight for the control of the Grid (ok, as I type that, it is starting to sound expensive due to everything in the Grid and special effects money), but the Grid does not need to look like how it did in Tron: Legacy, maybe it could look like the real world with accents that inform the viewer that it is a game world, such as imagery, design or something. Think the movie 'Free Guy' or something. All this AI becoming self-aware and wanting to come into the real world could come later within the franchise when maybe the collapse of the Grid occurs due to ongoing wars within the system and manipulation in the real world via some competitor like Dillinger Systems. This was touched on at the beginning of the movie, but the film is lacking depth, and I feel a lot of Disney films are doing this of late.
The special effects are superb! It is a Tron film, so if I am honest, this is what you are paying your big money for, to see something on the screen that looks really cool. The Recogniser, the light cycles, and just like Tron: Legacy, the film introduces a few more vehicles that look very cool, especially in the real world. Some new vehicles and some old school favourites, but Tron will always provide something so cool you wish it was available in real life. Along with the vehicle shots, the visuals were top-notch from the fight scenes to the birdseye view when the light cycles race through the city, leaving light trails; it was great. I am not 100% sure how they work, but they were cool in the 80s, they were cool in Tron: Legacy, and they are still cool now. Even when the computer characters die, it looked amazing, and they have one-upped from the previous movie, although it does look very painful.
As I stated before, the acting by Jared Leto was really good. Whilst I heard he was great, I am not sure I would put great in there, but I had no issues with the portrayal of his character and in some instances, he was very funny. He was able to deliver some funny lines in only the way a self learning AI construct could, as it learns and adapts quickly to everything around it. The supporting cast, whilst not many, were also good, nothing spectacular, as they did what they were scripted to do or asked of them with no real standouts. Actors like Evan Peters as Julian Dillinger and Gillian Anderson as his mother could have been given a lot more to do, more lines, motivations or something, but unfortunately, how they were written was only to serve the plot, which is ok at best, because the storyline is fairly flimsy. Jodie Turner-Smith gave me T1000 vibes in a cool, sleek and sexy way. And I am not saying that because, as an person in real life, she is sleek and sexy (because she is), but ever since Tron: Legacy, everything was sleek, stylish and sexy, and this film continues that and Jodie was simply excellent in her role being the "Clu" of the third film, determined and relentless and I will just leave it at that for now. Greta Lee as Eve Kim was good in the role as well. I understood her pursuit and the reasons as to why she was doing what she was doing, and I could even see where she may go in the future with her thoughts or inorganic life and digital constructs, whilst she battled for her life over life. Her business partner, Hasan Minhaj as Ajay Singh, provided some laughs and brought some added levity to the movie, which also made the film entertaining. Lastly, seeing Jeff Bridges was great, and he served a small purpose in the movie, but I think I needed some of his background and his existence explained.
And to save the best till last, the music is superb! It is a Tron film, so if I am honest, like the special effects, this is what you are paying your big money for, to see something cool, enjoy a simple to ok storyline, but vibe with the music and bop your head from the beginning of the movie until the very end. The music is from Nine Inch Nails, and the music was a GREAT vibe, and unfortunately stands out more than the movie does.
Upon reflection, the Tron movies never really made ALL THE MONEY. The original movie was made for 17 million, and it made 50 million. Tron: Legacy was made for 170 million, and it made 409.9 million. These are making a profit, albeit, not something to write home about, but still a profit nonetheless. Tron: Ares was made for 180-220 million, and so far it has only made 106.4 million, so in industry standards, this is a flop (so far). I do not anticipate this movie making double what it has made thus far, because nobody is really watching it, and that could be due to a variety of reasons. But what I will reiterate, if you have a problem with Jared Leto, fine, but this film is really entertaining and he is good in it too, but with a flimsy storyline, missing characters and the focus on extending the franchise, especially with the end credits scene, this is still an enjoyable movie and I am curious as to where they were looking to go next. I would like them to dip their toe back into this franchise, but they really need to do more going forward, because retrospectively, watching this film made the second film a little better in comparison, as it elevates the world of the grid. Seeing the Grid in this movie is breathtaking, so why not see more of it and more characters and lore built in? Definitely go and watch it because it is really enjoyable.
.jpg)
