Here is your chance to get a little insight on which film or TV Show you may be keen on seeing or which film or TV Show you may want to miss altogether.
These are Reel Ree:views here, keeping it concrete and reel...and somewhat, unbiased...well as much as possible, that is!
So, when this show first started, a few of my friends kept asking me, "Have you seen, YOU?", "Are you watching, YOU?", "Let me know when you start watching, YOU!" and I tried to get through it initially and was only able to get through 3-4 episodes. When I saw the trailer for season 2, I was determined to get through it so that I could start the new season.
So, I rushed through season 1 and by the end of it, I was shocked. This Joe guy is an absolute mad man, but for some reason, with his twisted outlook on life and love, you somewhat sympathize with him to a degree because, I guess everyone wants to love and be loved, right? So, as the season finishes, you wonder what is going to happen to Joe, next. You are left invested.
Season 2 picks up with Joe having moved from New York to Los Angeles and he finds himself in a very similar situation with falling for a lady named "Love". But as the episodes go on, life for Joe becomes as complex as Joe's life usually gets with his past haunting him for his actions in season 1. Things become even more complicated with Love's twin brother "Forty", who is a flamboyant, arrogant, entitled, rich kid whose Los Angeles friends and lifestyle present problems for Joe's Love.
This season was brilliant. Having watched season 1 and watching season 2, you find yourself siding and rooting for Joe, EVEN WHEN HE KILLS SOMEONE, it's really disturbing, if you think about it. You really want Joe to get love, but also you are wondering if he will get caught due to his actions, but slyly don't want him to get caught because what he is doing, for the most part and in a sick way, is good!? His morals are in the wrong place, completely, although his heart is mostly in the right place as he cares deeply in other ways.
The acting among everything else is excellent. Very well shot and directed. The cliffhangers are as great as they usually are as the first episode for a start was pretty much plain until the very end when the twist hits. The end of episode 4 was completely bonkers and then everything else picks up after the crazy ending of episode 8 and every other episode after that. The series even finishes with an unexpected twist which now has you wondering what is next for Joe and this is what YOU does best.
Although I found the use of the word 'YOU' a little distracting as I felt they over used the word and I absolutely hated the names Forty and Love, but I guess that played into the characters eccentric parents. Joe is a very flawed character with many layers and among other things, keeps you invested. At this point though, I'm not entirely sure how far they can take the series but is definitely a series to check it out and see.
Star Wars is special to different people at different times from when they first experienced it. Star Wars has also played an integral part in the lives of many and a lot of people globally want and desire many different things from what they will call "their" Star Wars. Those in their mid to late 30s into their 50s will want one thing based on the Original Trilogy and those younger than 30, such as 20s onwards, are likely to expect or want something different.
Me on the other hand, give me some Lightsabre battles, give me some dog fights, give me someone evil and I'm good. Show me some Force moves and I'm delighted. I come in the range of the mid-thirties (only just) and although I've seen every Star Wars movie, watch the animated shows and am currently watch 'The Mandelorian' (shhhh...don't tell any body!), I wouldn't classify myself as a Die Hard fan, but I do love me some Star Wars.
What I will say though, I think over the years, this recent trilogy (known as the Disney Trilogy, I guess), was never going to please everyone throughout the many generations that Star Wars has touched. Also, it would be telling to find out what those who disliked 'The Last Jedi' ultimately thought of this movie because everyone everywhere is saying, if you liked that, then you will hate this. But my understanding is, those who hated that, said it didn't feel like Star Wars. This movie couldn't be any more safe AND Star Wars that it is unapologetically Star Wars and people, still dislike it. As I think about it, those who hated the last one should love this one, but I don't think anything is ultimately terrible with it. I'll get into it.
After the events of 'The Last Jedi', Rey (Daisy Ridley) is off learning from the Book of the Wills and Kylo Ren is seeking the believed to be dead Palpatine to finally end him and become the ruler of the galaxy and leader of the Darkside and Sith. However, due to Palpatine's message, our heroes Po (Oscar Isaac), Finn (John Boyega), Chewbacca and BB-8 along with Rey are on a scavenger quest to hopefully stop Palpatine and Kylo Ren and any other galaxy conquering plans they have in store using as much of any rebel forces they can gather to their aid.
I saw this as soon as I could as a lot of sites I frequent, cover Star Wars, which was making it impossible for me to navigate. Star Wars is everywhere and a lot of people have a lot to say. JJ Abrams had an impossible job with the passing of Carrie Fisher and "impossible" job of finishing what he started with 'The Force Awakens' because the "middle" movie 'The Last Jedi' changed the direction of the storyline somewhat. Some may argue that there was no structure before they even started renewing the franchise and although that might be so, I still enjoyed this movie with the efforts made. It's not terrible, it's good but I understand the frustration from fans are the no clear or lack of direction making the 2 directors work harder than they should have and having a mish-mash of a trilogy. And without going into spoilers, it did what I needed it to do to tell a semi-cohesive story and have fun with it. JJ kept a lot of the risks Rian took and used them in clever ways. The strongest elements of the movie were both Rey and Kylo Ren. There were some added characters that we could have done without, but at the same time, regarding the final act, I see why.
This is a Star Wars movie, so everything about it is excellent. Sound, visuals, acting, set-pieces, vehicles, imagery, battles, but the story could have been executed a touch better. However, I find that we the audience want everything explained and then when we do get things explained, there is too much exposition. Maybe it is the wrong things being explained, but I had no issue with how Palpatine was still alive or how he did what he did, we saw his cunning in the prequel trilogy, so....Palpatine innit!
There are a few very minor things I didn't like in the movie and a few things I sensed/guessed was going to happen anyway as they were practically telegraphed and one scene/shot/moment they carried out and went through with which could have been left on the cutting room floor, but other than that, there were a few things that gave me the chills and things I really liked from the movie. Palpatine's laugh fills me with joy every single time. The slight lineage twist, I thought was great although not really needed but it even plays into previous movies and was accented. However, the great thing is, I went in listening and reading non-spoiler reviews, went in with an open mind and I enjoyed it for what it was despite the flaws. Maybe you should also go in with an open mind not expecting anything as you might also just like it.
First of all, this documentary is NOT about cats!!!
Maybe it was wild to think it was about cats, but from what I saw in the wording, it seemed soo ambiguous and I thought I'd give it a watch. Not that I love cats or anything, but I wondered what all the fuss was about. I was curious. It's just a couple of episodes so maybe I could give the first epsiode a watch then switch to something else if it doesn't float my boat.
We are introduced to Deanna Thompson, a Las Vegas casino worker who is a part of an Facebook group who discovers a disturbing video. Deanna along with other group member John Green look into trying to figure out where the video came from.
As the series goes on, it is left on a cliff-hanger which entices you to either watch more, if it has hooked you or watch something else because you don't wish to see how they progress with their internet sleuthing.
There are only 3 episodes to the season and to be honest, I flew through these episodes because Netflix had me on lock. This is a documentary based on real life events that not only surprised me, but had me invested due to the nature of it and frankly, I wanted justice. I almost jumped onto social media to look up these events mid-episode one because my mind was racing.
This show is definitely not for everyone and if I'm honest, I wouldn't have watched this had I known it WASN'T about cats, because I don't watch Crimewatch and things of that nature, but I will definitely recommend people to watch this 3-episode series just to identify and notice what they are showing you in order to help stop these things from happening again. I wanted to go into more detail, but then tat would spoil it.
I remember when Bird Box first came out, I watched it and I really enjoyed it. The film was very well received and it was well revered by most to even spawn plenty of meme's and challenges, but little did people know, there was a film called 'A Quiet Place' which came out earlier in the year which was similar to Bird Box, but soo much better.
Quiet Place was about a family living in a world where sound brings on the arrival of these monsters/things that kill you. So, imagine traversing the world trying to be a silent as possible and not be killed by these things.
Where the first film was fairly contained to a singular place, a farmhouse, this teaser trailer shows our family moving away from the farmhouse to the beyond. It's only a teaser trailer, but I am excited for the follow up movie as the suspense, tension, quiet moments and the sheer cleverness of this movie is great.
Actual trailer suppose to drop in the new year.
Directed by John Krasinski and starring Emily Blunt, Millicent Simmonds, Noah Jupe, Cillian Murphy & Djimon Hounsou
I remember hearing about this a good while ago and totally forgot about it. Christopher Nolan is one of my favourite Directors to date. I've not seen ALL his movies, but I will. My favourites are, Interstellar, Inception, The Dark Knight Trilogy and I thought Dunkirk was decent, but THIS?
At first I got a '6 underground' premise (only because I just watched it), which then got toppled by some James Bond and Mission Impossible vibes. This movie looks truely insane. This movie looks soooo good. And I'm here for it alllll.
Directed by Christopher Nolan and starring John David Washington, Robert Pattinson, Elizabeth Debicki, with Michael Caine
I've not seen Top Gun. I mean Tom Cruise was never my speed. I got into his movies when I watched the Mission Impossible franchise. However, this trailer has me interested and I might even go back, in fact, I will go back to watch the first one. But I've seen a bunch of his films, you can read my reviews here.
Actually, A Few Good Men?
Directed by Joseph Kosinski and starring Tom Cruise, Miles Teller, Jennifer Connelly, Jon Hamm, Glen Powell, Lewis Pullman, Ed Harris, Val Kilmer
I have a love/hate relationship with Director Michael Bay. I mean he is the man behind the original Bad Boys movie, Pain & Gain and a very small handful of great movies and a handful of very successful movies that print money that has no real story or plot, but helps catapult Michael to a position where he can make films like this.
To be fair, this is not a TERRIBLE movie, per say, because of actors like Ryan Reynolds, Ben Hardy and Corey Hawkins who hold the film up with decent dialogue on a substandard script and plot. So for the most part, from what you get in the poster is exactly what you get in the movie, but if you were hoping for something very entertaining, funny, with a good storyline, heart and thought provoking, well...2 out of 5 is only 40% which is, not even passable, but then, you came to the wrong place. Let me explain.
One (Ryan Reynolds) is a millionaire tech guy who has made millions from his work, but is now declared dead and now operates as a ghost. A Ghost is someone who can operate anywhere at any time throughout the world to carry out vigilante operations no other teams can. One is the leader of his team effectively called number one and he has 5 other people who are also known as numbers. However, when his latest assignment involves the taking down of a dictator, the mission turns out to be more problematic than first thought.
The storyline is waste, if I'm honest. You just don't care for it. There is no tension. Just a hollow as hell movie. However, the action, nothing but action on top of action on top of action and for the most part and that was the only thing I was interested in as it was violent, a little graphic but with cheap gore, blood spilling everywhere and crazy deaths. Some of the dialogue was great with possibly loads of improvisation from Reynolds as he is definitely the stand out. His character reminded me of the character from The Hitman's Bodyguard and Blade Trinity.
The movie is loud. The movie is high-octane action. The movie is very stunning with amazing shots and beautiful locations with very stylised action and cinematography and wardrobe. It was practically Transformers but with actual humans and no robots as the vibrant colours seemed too bright for modern day life. Like "who wears that going out?", but the ever so flamboyant Michael and his nonsensical decisions and outlandish slow-motion shots and 360 pans, almost upskirt angled shots. For the most part, some of these, maybe one or two could be nice, but when it is relentlessly throughout a movie and then to add the unnecessary explosions to it, it just becomes...waste, really. Like what is the point. The Fast and Furious Franchise does Michael Bay better than, Michael Bay. But if this is your thing, go for it.
I wouldn't go cinema for this, I'm glad it's on Netflix.
I tweeted recently about seeing the Ecto 1 in the new Ghostbusters poster and how seeing it fills me with joy. I saw the ALL LADIES Ghostbusters film and the only good thing about that film was Chris Hemsworth among maybe a handful of other things. I didn't care that it was all women, the film just wasn't great. As this has been well noted by everyone, this trailer is modern enough to be new and recent and has enough grit to kick us right in the nostalgia! Place kids in place of the actual Ghostbusters from 1 & 2 and we have something that looks like a cross between Stranger Things (and not because of the actor) and Ghostbusters which, if done right, this will be a good film....or at least, I'm definitely going to see it.
Loving the direction of this thus far. The sound of the Ecto 1 is iconic as ALWAYS. The colour pallet looks great. Finn Wolfhard hasn't disappointed yet, but I'm just hoping they do not heavily dump too much nostalgia and fan service all over this movie like the all lady one did. And since it IS in the same universe as the first two, it would be great to see some of the old actors, providing it is relevant to the story. And you can't go wrong with Paul Rudd at all!
Directed by Jason Reitman and starring Carrie Coon, Finn Wolfhard, Mckenna Grace, Paul Rudd
DC don't have the best track record in relation to Marvel, but they have released a few Gems, here and there. After the first Wonder Woman, we got Shazam, Aquaman and Man of Steel (in my humble opinion) was great. So it's good to know, the same director is back for the sequel of WW and this trailer looks great!
The confusion everyone had or will have, is the Steve Trevor aspect of it all, but we can wait until we find out how it pans out when the movie comes out. I'm just hoping that the explanation isn't lame. Also, how is she just lassoing lightening like no big deal?
Directed by Patty Jenkins, Gal Gadot, Chris Pine, Kristen Wiig, Pedro Pascal, Connie Nielsen, Robin Wright
What's mad, is this show! Who knew that this show would be similar to 'Umbrella Academy' but a bit more adult and raw. Blood and guts everywhere, swearing, nudity, sexual themes and some cold blooded kills from what we thought were great heroes to look up to and enjoy like a Captain America or Superman, except some of these "superheroes" are simply NO GOOD!
The first season was good and I really enjoyed it and with the twist at the end. What I will say is that I am definitely looking forward to this season 2, the sequel...and the clips we see in this video and what this season 2 may have for offer, is nothing more than intriguing. Amazon did well with this one.
Directed by Eric Kripke and starring Karl Urban, Jack Quaid, Antony Starr, Erin Moriarty, Dominique McElligott, Jessie T. Usher, Laz Alonso, Chace Crawford, Tomer Kapon, Karen Fukuhara, Nathan Mitchell, Elisabeth Shue
I feel like it's taken a handful of movies to propel Ryan Reynolds back into stardom. Not to say he wasn't before, but after Deadpool among a few others, Ryan has been getting a lot of work.
This film on the other hand is absolutely bonkers. I have no idea what it is about. The choosing the clothing for the day reminded me of The Lego Movie with Elliot. Some moments were hilarious, such as the woman dancing and when Ryan got hit by two cars, I was rolling!
Also, very clever to have, from the studio that brought you, blah, blah and blah, TWICE! Very damn funny.
I'll be definitely interested. More to come, I'm sure...
Directed Shawn Levy starring Ryan Reynolds, Jodie Comer, Joe Keery, Lil Rel, Howery Utkarsh, Ambudkar, Taika Waititi
I used to watch Lost In Space when I was much younger and although I can't remember a great deal about it other than the characters, the robot and the doctor. The doctor was one crafty guy, always up to something sinister and trying to be Will's friend.
I can't remember anything about the movie that came out which was pretty much rubbish. Matt Leblanc from Friend's was a character and the less said about the movie, the better.
The Netflix show on the other hand, I put it on to see what it was all about with pretty much, zero interest and I actually really enjoyed it. It had a different spin on the robot and it was more modern etc, plus the acting wasn't too bad along with the suspense. watching this trailer delighted me.
This trailer looks really good. It looks like a lot of money has gone into it and the special effects AND situations seem to have been heightened. I need to watch the first season again because I'm confused about the robot.
Directed by Matt Sazama & Burk Sharpless and Burk Sharpless, Ignacio Serricchio, Maxwell Jenkins, Mina Sundwall, Molly Parker, Parker Posey, Taylor Russell & Toby Stephens
First off, I never saw the original Mulan cartoon. If my memory serves me correctly, I just wasn't interested. But this trailer! All I remember and knew from the story, one girl has to pretend to be a boy for reasons and there is a dragon involved. But this trailer!
I love me some strings like the old martial arts movies from back in the day. Love me some Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon. The music sounds epic. And thankfully an all Asian cast! This movie is making I've a billion easy!
When them boys jumped from Horseback to the wall and ran up it...I. WAS. SOLD!
Directed by Niki Caro and starring Liu Yifei, Donnie Yen, Jason Scott Lee, Yoson An Gong Li, Jet Li
I call it here, now. Bond will die! Daniel doesn't want to play the character anymore and the character has just been dragged out of retirement and ol' cat man was brought back, yet again - I mean everyone has been trying to kill Bond over this story arch involving SPECTRE and with this new snack of a Double 'O', I can only say, he has to die, no?
This director is about imagery, surely. James diving off a bridge (grabbing the cable with his foot and swapping the cable from foot to hand in mid-air, Lashana going into hiding (fantastic visual), Motorcycle stairs Jump and Machine Gun headlights - all things that would look great as a gif.
Spectre was good but could not be compared to the masterpiece that was Skyfall. I'd have to watch Quantum of Solace again before I rank Spectre above or below it, but it seems like it is safe to say, every other Bond Movie is a great Movie as this one looks, well...GREAT!!! We will see if it is a masterpiece as well.
You've got me already, if you say based on a true story! Even more so if I can relate to the subject matter or the people, but this movie, from what I heard, will be touching and emotional. The only problem I have regarding me seeing this movie and the movie being viewed by the public is, 1). Do I really want to watch this movie and come out angry?, 2). Do I really want to look at people differently once I've watched the movie? 3.a). Will people watch this movie? b). Will people watch this movie and see the message, the point and the importance of this movie and if we can become better people?
Strangely enough I haven't seen Fruitvale Station because of the above, but I guess we need to see more movies that opens everyone up to these things which happen in this world and fight more for a more JUST system/procedure to be put in place. I will watch this movie at some point.
Directed by Destin Daniel Cretton and starring Michael B. Jordan, Jamie Foxx, Brie Larson
It's been a long time coming. So I'm guessing, those who have waited all 11 years for this, I'm wondering if they are even excited any more or are they literally foaming at the mouth from excitement? Me personally, I am neither here or there with it, but I will say, I hoped that the film has a espionage feel to it, kinda like The Winter Soldier, because I feel this character deserves that kind of treatment as The Winter Soldier is possibly the absolute greatest stand-alone MCU movie! - Come at me bro!
This trailer though, reminds me of Atomic Blonde mixed with The Winter Solider and a bit of Bond and Deadpool 2. Watching it a second time, I couldn't help but think of Bourne Identity.
David Harbour looks amazing in the role and the tired "Arm-cock" is hilarious (I mean, Henry Cavil has solidified that). I'm very intrigued about the Black Widows Club and would like to see the bunch of them doing their thing, where Civil War didn't even give us any of that with The Winter Soldier Program. The hand-to-hand looks great and it does have that Marvel Spectacle feel, however I'm just hoping it feels more grounded like The Winter Soldier. Task Master looks ok, but more than anything, I really want to see Black Widow use her skills more predominantly with some more Assassin-like kills like in Avengers Assemble.
Directed by Cate Shortland and starring Scarlett Johansson, David Harbour, Florence Pugh, O-T Fagbenle, Rachel Weisz,
Since getting older, I've not listen to what they call Grime Music from when they started to call it Grime Music. I hadn't recognised or realised the genre had "evolved". It used to be Garage which derived from House & Garage and I enjoyed them both, a lot. I was fine with that specific name for that specific genre of music. The moment "they" were calling the scene "Urban" and then Grime came into the fold, I felt there was a narrative being forced upon us and I was out. What happened to calling UK Rap, UK Rap? There has been a few UK Rappers back in the day, so are we now calling their music Grime, because Grime is UK Rap? Maybe I'm misunderstanding it all. So, the majority of these people, like a Santan Dave, Rapman and such, I never knew of them as they were becoming rising stars. I knew a Kano, Dizzee Rascal, Sway, Wiley and Chipmunk, but I never knew who Shiro was or his story. Not to say I dislike the scene or culture, but I guess I grew out of it once there was that shift and to watch this film, being British and because I'm not a huge fan of the Grime scene, bar a few artists, I wasn't really interested in this movie by this "no name" (to me of course), about guns, gangs and violence. But having been put onto Shiro's story (and I love storytelling and movies/TV shows etc - still haven't seen it yet, but I will), I was intrigued by the film and decided to go and watch it. I mean, I loved Top Boy, all 3 seasons of it. Even more so when the film was actually released and on the opening weekend Twitter blew up, due to violence breaking out at Star City, a leisure and entertainment complex, in Birmingham, involving Asian youths in an isolated incident leading to one of the 3 major cinema chains dropping it's showing of the movie. I was hoping for better from the cinema chain. I was hoping better for youths who carry weapons and fight, because I thought that was exactly what this film was about, how nonsensical it all is rather than perpetuating the issue. And Blue Story did a decent enough job in showing that. I'll explain.
Blue Story revolves around a life-time "beef" between two South East London Boroughs involving two gangs, The Peckham Boys and The Ghetto Boys. Timmy (Stephen Odubola) who lives in Deptford, a town in the Borough of Lewisham which houses the Ghetto Boys, goes to school in Peckham and is best friends with Marco (Michael Ward), a young boy who lives in Peckham, a town in the Borough of Southwark which houses the Peckham Boys. Although Marco is not a part of a gang, he has an Older Brother (Eric Kofi-Abrefa) who is a Peckham Boy. With neither of the youths or their friends being a part of a gang or understanding the gang life, they all get on with life as adolescent teens doing teen things, but when Timmy bumps into an old Primary School troublemaker Keiran (Khali Best) who instantly has a beef with Marco because he is from Peckham and is on Ghetto Boy territory, the initial interaction is dismantled but is fuelled later on dragging both innocent teenagers into the life of a gang member, resulting in nothing but tragic events, one after another.
To say this movie was not close to home would be an absolute bold-faced lie. The director, Rapman did an incredible job in capturing young adolescent teens going through teen life doing teen things, talking about teen stuff which made me reflect on my own personal life and what I was doing at that age. EVERYTHING was close to home, which was soo accurate, it was unnerving. The Dynamics of the group of kids were spot on. There is always a hype one, usually a big/fat one, a quiet/shy one and one or two who are in the middle, but they were all friends with great banter and no prejudices. These moments provided undeniably the best moments of comedy I ultimately relate to and still go through with the same friends I know from that era.
There are moments in the movie that made me remember things that happened to me as a child on the bus, or on the road, people asking me "where are you from?" as I am also from the very same areas highlighted in the film and had to also avoid anything gang-related. Growing up, it was difficult not to slide into gang-life or be caught up in gang-warfare or a casualty because everyone knew someone who was affiliated with a gang, i.e a cousin or brother and this is something that still happens to this day all over the UK and over postal codes.
With that said, I wouldn't say this movie is a masterpiece though, as although the movie did a decent job going into gang culture and slightly touching on reasons as to why teens slip into gang-life, I felt that the movie was missing something. The movie wasn't poignant enough to stress and possibly beat you over the head that the gang-life and fighting over postal codes is absolute nonsense. There were a few scenes and moments that touched on it, but in my own personal opinion, not enough to beat these kids over the head to ultimately coerce young youths from participating in gangs, but I could be wrong. There was a bit at the end, but by that time, I'm not sure the message is being hammered home and is simply flying over their heads. If Rapman is able to dissuade one or two youths from this life from this movie, then that is something.
The acting was great although the story was a touch predictable and I would have liked Rapman to maybe put a twist into the storytelling, but maybe this is me expecting too much for someone I hope would do a sequel touching on the same themes, but possibly going into drugs and maybe the psychology of it all. The reasons why these youths are in gangs or seemingly allowed to roam the streets, where are these guns coming from and how disconnected these youths are just like how disconnected society is.
I really enjoyed this movie, although, somewhat a musical which threw me at first, but I would definitely like more, hopefully Rapman has more up his sleeve.
Rian Johnson is a director I got to know about when I watched a film starring one of my favourite actors, Bruce Willis. The film was called 'Looper' and it involved a hitman or executioner (called a Looper) who kill those who have committed crimes in the future who have been sent back through time to the hitman as the disposing of bodies in the future is difficult. However, when said hitman's future self is sent back - PROBLEMS. Loved the story and the intricacies in that movie as it was intriguing and I was starting to like Joseph Gordon-Levitt, especially as I loved Inception and liked The Dark Knight Rises. Also, Emily Blunt can do no wrong.
The Last Jedi, I loved. I don't say much about it as there are soo much conflicting thoughts on what is good and what is bad about it, but I thought it was clever. I mean it felt like Star Wars to me. Rian doesn't hold back on the War aspect of the movie and does get a touch political. The Canto Bight section was boring but I understood why it was there and the fight near the end was great. Effectively he divided the fandom and I guess a lot of people didn't like what he did especially with the final twist in the movie. He does like a twist. So, with that said, Knives Out has plenty and not only is it clever too, it is damn well funny.
The head of a patriarch, Harlan Thrombey (Christopher Plummer) a wealthy crime novelist dies on the night of his 85th Birthday party with all the family and help, attended. But when a famous and quirky private eye, Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) is hired to solve the mystery of Harlan's death alongside Detective Lieutenant Elliot (Lakeith Stanfield) and police officer Trooper Wagner (Noah Segan), every attendee of the weird and quirky family from the Daughter (Jamie Lee Curtis), Son (Michael Shannon), Grandsons (Chris Evans, Jacob Martell), Granddaughter (Katherine Langford), Daughter-in-law (Toni Collette, Riki Lindhome), Son-in-law (Don Johnson) and Help (Ana de Armas) from that night are questioned. Slowly and surely, secrets are revealed with almost every attendee having motive to kill Harlan for his riches.
This movie was clever, intelligent, humorous and hilarious. Intelligent writing mixed with clever story telling and gags which led to humorous and hilarious moments. For example, the film starts with a few ladies in the kitchen for breakfast. One is listening to a murder mystery story on the radio, another is emotional over the recent murder and the other is trying to be sensitive to the subject. Not a huge spoiler at all, but this very scene allows you to understand the tone of the movie with it's intelligent writing and clever storytelling which had the cinema laughing. I mean, the story on the radio itself is simply gold. Rian Johnson essentially throws in one-liners or what would be throw-away comments for them to appear later in the movie. You are led to believe everyone has a motive and anyone could have done it, which is great, but the intricacies of the plot thickens halfway through the movie which changes the narrative completely.
Every actor in this movie is on top form. Some don't get a lot to do unfortunately, but those who do are a breath of fresh air. Daniel Craig's accent is weird, but you get used to it. You can see he is having a great time with his role. I found Lakeith and Toni's characters funny, especially with the latter and Jamie's interaction in a specific scene, Jamie was great! But the standouts are definitely Chris Evans and Ana de Armas, where old Captain America wasn't seen as old Steve Rogers (at least to me anyway) and Ana (having not seen her in anything) was simply amazing. It was great seeing Michael Shannon as to me, looks like the same person as I feel he has a distinguishable face, but disappears and looks different in every role. Plus I couldn't help but think, Oh, Zodd and Captain America in one movie, they are crossing the streams...lol!!!
If you like a Murder mystery such as a Clue or Murder on the Orient Express, then this one is for you. It would be interesting to come across anyone who disliked this movie, unless it is to do with what Rian did with Star Wars. Enjoy
Everything is an animation. Well at least I think so with this one.
This is most likely not going to be a film which is for me at all. I love me some Harrison Ford as he is some of my childhood greats, such as Indian Jones and Han Solo, but I can't say that this will be a film for me. Plus I'm not sure if this is the right fit for me, well for what I see Harrison doing anyway.
A dog called Buck in which eventually befriends him? And the dog has all these abilities and can do everything? Maybe I don't get it because I'm not a dog owner or lover, but I'm also confused to if this is a full CGI dog or has CGI elements such as some movement and facial expressions. I was perplexed watching the trailer trying to rack my head around it all. Having watched it 3 times though, I'm going to go with FULL CGI, due to the stillness of the dog at times - Uncanny Valley territory. I mean, it is a Disney Movie, so it should have some fun capers and heart to it.
Directed by Chris Sanders and starring Harrison Ford, Dan Stevens, Omar Sy, Karen Gillan
I remember seeing the first trailer of this and thinking, "Errrr, OK!?!" I also thought that there is a lot of named talent in this movie too. Of course I smiled when I saw a person of colour like Idris and Jennifer, but I also smiled when I saw the names of greats such as Sir Ian McKellen and Dame Judy Dench. But looking at the trailer simply had me intrigued. This trailer does nothing more but add to the intrigue and also puzzle me like the first trailer did.
I mean what is this movie about? I never saw the theatre production and I think, from what I've heard or understand, it is a bunch of stray cats, living a cats life. I mean, it's not Top Cat or Heathcliff, cats in which I'm familiar with, just a bunch of sing-song stray cats. The entire premise is weird and it looks weird and I can't say I'm bought into this, people in costumes doing cat-like things with cat-like mannerisms and I'm not sure what to make of it if I'm honest. So with that said, I'll give this a..."Hmmm, maybe". Plus I'm not sure if I'm a fan of musicals if I'm honest. For Colored Girls caught me off-guard and I wasn't a huge fan of the musical/Spoken word/Poetry of it, although I loved the stories told in the movie. Hmmm.... Directed By Tom Hooper and starring James Corden, Judi Dench, Jason Derulo, Idris Elba, Jennifer Hudson, Ian McKellen,
A very different film to The Shining, a film in which is the prequel to Doctor Sleep. My concern is, there are those who watched and read The Shining movie and book, respectively, but had NO idea there was a sequel in movie or book called Doctor Sleep. It would have been a great advantage if the producers didn't lean soo heavily on the fans of The Shining and expect them to automatically know what Doctor Sleep was, film or book. You could argue and say, "Well if they were a fan of The Shining, then they would know about the book", and the answer to that is, "No, they actually might not know, so, it's better if you make them aware anyway". I mean, they advertise Christmas in September, you can't advertise this film as The Shining Sequel? Maybe calling the movie, 'The Shining 2: Doctor Sleep' would have worked better, like 'Transformers: Bumblebee' would have worked better for that Franchise, so on and so forth.
Anyway, I watched The Shining only a few days ago because I knew I had watched it before, but I couldn't remember how much of it I had watched or if I only saw highlights. I mean it is a very well revered Stanley Kubrick film and they have taken soooo many elements from that movie to place in other movies over the years. I mean, Ready Player One took many set pieces from the film and incorporated it into that mish-mash (purposely done and for good reason, not accidentally) of a film, so to say the film isn't a classic would be just silly. But it took me two days to finish the movie and I must say, although I enjoyed the style of filming, not soo much the pace but I got used to it and the acting was great, it was a good film but very, very different from this sequel called, Doctor Sleep. I'll Explain.
Danny Torrance (Ewan McGregor) is a man who suffers PTSD due to the events which occurred in the Overlook Hotel when he was 5 years old. He was on a trip with his father and mother but went mad and tried to kill him. These traumatic experiences haunt him soo much that he finds it hard to cope so uses alcohol to suppress what he is going through and his memories. Danny travels from town to town until he finds somewhere he feels he will be able to live and have a peaceful life. However, things go wrong for Danny when he is met with a bunch of cults named the True Knot led by Rose the Hat who seek out those with the shine for immortality.
A very different film from the first one and at first, I found it a little difficult to grasp. There is a lot of lore placed into this film in regards to what the Shine is and what people with the Shine can do. Constantly I kept thinking of the first film asking myself, "Did I see this in the first film or anything like this?", but the movie doesn't explain everything to you and allows you to read between the lines.
The film was scary and there was tension built in places and some scenes didn't turn out how I had thought, meaning, I couldn't predict what was going to happen, which was good, however I did feel that the film leaned way too heavy on some elements of the first film to hammer it home that it is a Shining movie. I wished they did that in the title.
There is a little girl in the movie who was simply excellent. Her name is Kyliegh Curran and her characters name was Abra. I think this was her debut and she was flawless. There were moments in this movie with her character that had me rolling with laughter especially two major moments involving Rose; and with the addition of Cliff Curtis playing Billy Freeman as Dan's friend, also provided some great moments. Trying to avoid some heavy spoilers, I will say there are flash back scenes which we phenomenal. I wasn't sure if they were lifted from the original movie or reenacted, but for some of these shots, I was definitely blown away.
A really good film especially if you like The Shining. The cinematography was good and the music. Haunting, definitely when they brought in the original from the first movie. Not quite Kubrick but good nonetheless. Mike Flanagan did a great job and he has some really good and interesting visuals would looked great on screen. I look forward to more from him.
When I first heard this announced, it was mentioned that these three actors have NEVER been in a movie together. So as these three actors are known in Hollywood as great actors of our time, to be in a movie, finally and altogether, it is believed that this would end up being a great movie. However, using some De-Aging techniques which they have done with a few films of late, the Marvel Cinematic Universe and Gemini Man (although this was different), this film is promised to be a story that spans decades and with these three actors and a director like Martin, we can only wait and see.
A mob/gangster movie spanning decades of the life of Robert DeNiro and his relationship with Al Pacino and Joe Pesci. I'll watch.
Directed by Martin Scorsese and starring Robert DeNiro, Joe Pesci, Al Pacino and Harvey Keitel.
I've never been a SpongeBob fan so I never got the appeal. It's the same with Dragonball Z, I just never got into it or got the appeal, so watching this trailer, kids or not, just didn't appeal to me.
When he falls into the water and soaks it up and inflates, that made me burst out laughing and the part where they get to the "Vegas" place and are bedazzled by all it's wonder, made me smile, but other than that, maybe a newer and better trailer, maybe, just maybe I'll be more interested. But as it stands I could care less.
Directed by Tim Hill with voice acting by Tom Kenny.
I finally got to clap eyes on this movie strangely enough, as it did leave the cinema. However, this one was re-released with additional footage and although I didn't see the original release, I was still happy to bask in the genious that is a 'Tarantino Movie" again, hoping this one to be as good as others he has directed.
The Hateful Eight was good, but just that. I didn't leave the cinema wow'ed unlike Django Unchained, Kill Bill Vol. 1 & 2, Jackie Brown, Pulp Fiction or Reservoir Dogs. Granted, I didn't see a few of his earlier ones in the cinema and had a coughing fit during Inglorious Basterds and all now, I still haven't seen it. But as for this movie, hmmm, it was very Tarantino. Let me explain.
Rick Dalton (Leonardo DiCaprio) is a actor now past his "prime" having done acting jobs after acting jobs but not receiving the recognition he believe he deserves and finding it difficult to navigate the changing film industry. Along with his stunt double Cliff Booth (Brad Pitt) who is also finding it difficult to find work due to a "rumoured" troubled past, they both live in Hollywood trying to get work in 1969 around the same time as the murder of Sharon Tate (Margot Robbie) an up and coming model and actress.
First of all, although everything around Sharon Tate could be regarded as background "filler" or "noise", the film compiles various stories to come together to a climax at the very end and nothing short of what you'd expect from a Tarantino movie and also very satisfying. The music is great, the dialogue is great. There is a one-on-one with a little girl Rick has, and it simply shows intelligent and clever writing where Tarantino allows certain moments between characters to play out. I mean, Rick Dalton is actually a GREAT actor and there is a scene in a trailer where DiCaprio goes to town and it's something we have all done in our lives (likely) and it's great and also funny. So, real, he captures what that moment is like. Not to mention how funny this movie is. It doesn't try to be hilarious and some elements of the movie night be too inside-baseball, but it's the clever writing and situational humour that Tarantino is known for which makes elements of this film excellent.
The way the film is shot, it starts as an ad (as if you were watching TV back in the day on the box) and all you see is various ads throughout this movie along with reflection moments and even when we are on the set to a film, it's shot as though you are the camera watching the performance (which is the case), but takes on some old school filming tropes and it was at that moment, I wondered, "where is the film crew", but Tarantino weaves the filming of his movie and filming of a movie withing a movie to act as though we are just watching a movie that isn't the actual movie, brilliantly (if you follow). There is a scene involving a bunch of hippies in which Tarantino did his best to lead the audience in lots of different directions which involved Brad Pitt who was also excellent in this movie. The three main cast were spot on in their performance and it was nice to have Al Pacino sprinkled in there. Althoughtl there wasn't a lot for Margot to do, what she delivered with what she had was great. She is a great actor and once again paired with DiCaprio since Wolf of Wall Street.
The film is very slow pacing and at times can be a little annoying as I did tend to get a little restless, but its the attention to detail. It's the attention to camera angles and movements. It's the attention to dialogue and expression. There is a dog in the movie that was sooo well trained and then the ending climax to the film when everything came together was absolute gold. It was Tarantino. Soo Tarantino and I loved it.
I believe it is important to remember that this movie is a fairytale based on characters in and around the true events of a real life tragedy that doesn't romanticise the tragedy in any way nor make light of it. I left the movie thinking, "that was long, but I enjoyed it", especially with the additional scenes after and during the credits, but having really enjoyed it, I would definitely watch it again.
Depression in men is a real thing. Alcoholism is a real thing. Hardship is a real thing. Escapism is a real thing. All these things need to be addressed properly in life and the things we men use as escapism aren't always the best things for our physical and mental health, especially if we aren't all there mentally because we have been trying to fight or put aside what has been bothering us for years. Ownership of our demons are healthy for healing.
I've watched this trailer 3 times and all 3 times has brought me very close to tears. This trailer is a masterpiece. It shows you a broken man. For whatever reasons is an alcoholic and is very down on his luck and it seems the only joy he seems to get, is helping these young kids in coaching them through Basketball, but his demons are ever persistent.
Say what you will about Ben Affleck as a lot of people just don't like him. I never used to, to be honest, kinda like Leonardo DiCaprio, but after watching 'The Town' I grew to appreciate him as an actor and excellent director. I don't need to see any more trailers as I will be watching this. No, it's or buts.
Directed by GavinO'Conner and starring Ben Affleck
Ugh, Michael Bay. As annoying as Michael Bay's directing can be at times, the super slow-mo, small bonsai trees spontaneously blowing up in huge explosions to eclipse mountains, the pan-around shot around a character and in some cases, just dead dialogue; upon hearing about this movie for Netflix on a Netflix Budget (new lingo - Netflix Budget), I immediately rolled my eyes because, well I didn't care for it at all. I like Ryan Reynolds and I loved Pain & Gain and the first Transformers Movie which was good-ish, but the rest got borderline racist among other types of nonsense. And although the Transformers franchise made money, they were for the most part, simply piss-poor. A far cry from Bumblebee (not directed by him), Bad Boys & The Rock. And now it looks like Bad Boys 3 will be in the same vain as Bad Boys 2 than 1 and that's likely because of him, so I hope this new set of directors surprise me.
This trailer though, I'm not going to lie, tickled my fancy. And although THERE IS a SLOW- MOTION PAN AROUND A CHARACTER shot, I did actually like the trailer a little. Just a little. I mean, it looks stylish (as usual). The scenery looks beautiful and there are some excellently breath-taking shots and we have Ryan Reynolds, Ryan Reynolds is a WIN!!! Plus, a Special Ops team who are literally the walking dead. So, I'm hoping for the best really. In Michael Bay we don't trust, but we hope.
You see, I remember the name but I can't say I remember the show of the same name. Must be one of those things where you hear of the name a lot but have no idea what it is. With that said and when I did a little research on it, I remembered the little guy named Tattoo and recognise the main dude. I think the little guy was in a James Bond film with, Roger Moore?
Anyway, from looks of the trailer, this looks like a spooky yet freaky horror movie that obviously isn't going to go well at all. I'm thinking Shutter Island but not a psychological thriller, just a straight, make a wish and the wish comes true in the most sinister way. In fact, like the episode of Rick and Morty where Summer goes to work for The Devil and The Devil had beef with Rick (for those who know). It doesn't look like a compelling role for Michael Peña and this could all be a bit lackluster, however I'm hoping there are some nice horror twists or it is just a waste of a franchise, especially as I'm sure they will want to Saw Franchise this. And just because it is from the Producers of Get Out and Halloween, I'm still not bought.
Directed by Jeff Wadlow and starring Michael Peña, Maggie Q, Lucy Hale, Austin Stowell, and Portia Doubleday
Is this a silly name or is it just perfect for what the film is about? As for the trailer, all I could get from it is a woman having a disfigured baby, the baby mentioned as being dead and an angry father whilst a woman is in despair and seems to be losing it whilst her or another woman seem to think the baby is still alive. So, it's a matter of proving who is lying and getting back the child and proving that, that person wasn't going mad because the family is holding back secrets? I don't know and I could be wrong but this film does intrigue me. I'll wait for a better trailer to tell a "better" story before I can say I am fully invested. Still seems like a silly name, though.
Directed by Christian Neuman and starring Udo Kier, Jefferson Hall & Amber Anderson
When I was younger I used to watch Scooby-Doo. Always trying to track the bad guy as I'm sure it is a murder mystery cartoon...or if not murder, people go missing, no? I really can't remember and really don't care at this point. But I remember it used to be fun especially when they introduced Scrappy-Doo, the tiny version of scooby that loved to fight. However, once I was told that Scooby-Doo and the gang was a bunch of Hippy druggies and that only Shaggy talks to Scooby and Scooby talks back to Shaggy (kinda like Stu and his Mum in Family Guy, that kinda thing, sorta) and they understand each other because Shaggy is constantly high. I had no idea they were hippies when I was watching it as a young boy. Plus, you don't see shaggy on drugs or taking them (Kids TV), but he seems to be clearly on it. It was at that moment, my mind was blown. I cannot validate this and maybe this information is wrong, but I've never cared to try and find out if it were true or not, or if it made sense.
As for this movie trailer, it isn't for me and I really don't care for an origin story of Shaggy and Scooby. They are not aiming this film at me as I am NOT the demographic and it doesn't seem like a movie as clever as a Disney Pixar's Toy Story or Incredibles for it to also appeal to adults, ie myself, so I have nothing to really say about it as I wasn't entertained by it. What I did like about it though, was the updated animation and how the characters were drawn, I really liked that. The drawings were very modern but they kept the aesthetic which I loved. Other than that, this needs to amaze me to be interested and I really don't see that happening.
Directed by Tony Cervone and starring Kiersey Clemons, Zac Efron, Will Forte, Jason Isaacs, Ken Jeong & Tracy Morgan
Ok, let's be real, some of these types of movies are straight garbage. Anything for a cheap jump scare for a fast buck. I can't say I've seen a Blumhouse movie that had done that or have heard of one, as for the most part, Blumhouse movies are decent and make a ton of money, but as soon as I saw those maggots in the girl's mouth and the guy getting hit by the car, I had a reaction. I had to watch the trailer again and again to see part of the girl's face fall off, the other girl's mouth huge like a Titan from Attack on Titan and the blood spilling from a girls skirtand this is because they played some game.
It looks a little nasty and I'm currently in two minds about getting involved, but I do like creepy and this does weird in a creepy way. The big mouth bit reminded me of the little boy in The Grudge, but then the way she moves...lol. Ok, I'm kinda involved.
Directed by Patrick Johnson and starring Allie Marie Evans, Annie Hamilton & Alexandria Deberry.
So, Hollywood decided on making a film about Sonic the Hedgehog, a computer game from the 90's available on the Sega console systems such as the Master System and the Mega-Drive. Sonic was soo popular that he also had his own TV series, so I'm guessing, to rejuvenate this character and the franchise beyond gaming, (because they still make Sonic games), they decided to do this film and try and reap the benefits.
The first hurdle and problem was in the first trailer for this movie as it looked terrible. Sonic looked terrible, Jim Carrey didn't look that great or Iconic and the acting...well, it's a kids movie aimed at kids. I am glad they listened to the fans and have redesigned Sonic to change his look to the more known and classic look and it looks great. A much more accurate depiction. I think where the film falls down (in the trailer at least and not including the acting from Jim Carrey and/or dialogue) is at the beginning, we see Sonic's world. It looks GREAT! But he is in our world....Booooo!!!! Let Dr. Robotnik finds his way into Sonic's world and have him do what he does best in there. It just reminds me of the movie, Bumblebee, the first 5-10 minutes was excellent, Cybertron, then that was it. It should have been the entire movie. Should have been called Transformers: Bumblebee also, but at least this one is called Sonic the Hedgehog instead of Blue Speedster. Let's just hope it does well, as we need more computer game movies and them done right.
I doubt I'd see this as it doesn't really interest me personally, but maybe some more trailers may convince me. Bottom line. not really my thing.
Directed by Jeff Fowler and starring James Marsden and Jim Carrey
I can't say I've seen a lot of Paul Rudd movies or shows, but I do recognise him from films such as, Anchor Man...... And he is s very likeable guy. I wasn't bothered that they brought him into the Marvel Cinematic Universe at all and he plays Scott Lang well. The thing I like about him the most after discovering it, is that he has been trolling Conan O'Brian (the talk show guy) for years and there is a 6 and a half minute clip on YouTube that just gets funnier and funnier. So, knowing Paul as a funny guy, I thought a series with him in it would be equally the same.
Living with Yourself is a funny and bizarre show about a man, Miles (Paul Rudd) who is essentially up to his eyeballs in work, his marriage with Kate (Aisling Bea) seems to be breaking down due to various reasons, so he treats himself to a spa make-over to hopefully come out brand new, refreshed and full of a different type of energy and hopefully can navigate through life better with a different and more positive outlook on life (well maybe not all that but, come out feeling better, you know). However, the desired effects are not what happens as he is cloned.
The show has an interesting way of telling the story from different perspectives and gives you insight on the behaviours of Miles and his clone. The interactions are funny especially as Paul Rudd's mannerisms are great playing both characters. What is also great is due to these perspectives, it enables the viewer to relate to these different characters for different reasons and see what motivates them or life from their point of view. I mean we can all relate to wanting to have more of yourself to do more things at the same time, like "two heads are better than one", kinda….or is that just me?
There isn't much twists or turns in this show and because the show is only 25-30 minutes, the cliff-hangers made me wonder what was going to happen next and if there were any other twists. I was thinking in between shows (the Netflix 15 second intervals), "did he do this or did she do that?", "what happens when?". I was very curious and intrigued by the sheer plot of it all because there are points where you don't have a clue what is going on and whom is doing what and why.
This show might not appease everyone as it's not hilariously funny all the time, as there are small moments and bigger ones, but not necessarily a wet your pants, funny moments, but Paul Rudd definitely sales it. It is fun, grounded and very clever. And as this is a series and is cheaply made, I felt like the two Paul Rudd's were better than the two Will Smiths, unfortunately. His wife Kate (Aisling Bea) is also great in the show but the show is more about Miles and his clone and how they deal with things, not to say she is a side character but her role isn't as big as his although she does have an episode centred around her which was great.
What I will say is, how the series ended was just the biggest non-cliff-hanger, cliff-hanger I've seen in a TV history. It's not a cliff-hanger because well, that's it, right? That's how it ended. But then it is a cliff-hanger because, surely, is THAT IT!? It's hard to explain as the show is bizarre enough to take you on this ride in the first place only to end in such a way that leaves you either wanting more or you've definitely seen enough and don't want to see anymore. However, I want to see if there will be a second season. I mean, I thought about cloning myself afterwards.
Pronounced like "TIP" but with NO T......Ip! The master who trained Bruce Lee. If you are into Martial Arts and Kung Fu, then this is definitely for you. I remember watching the first one and it was as if I was watching Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon again or HERO, I loved it. Watching this trailer and seeing Donnie Yen reprise his role as the titular character is great and seeing even a glimpse of Bruce Lee in this was great. I'm a fan of Bruce Lee although I haven't seen his films but I love his Martial Arts and showmanship. I saw Ip Man 2 but didn't watch 3 because Mike Tyson was in it and it put me off the series/franchise, but seeing this again has brought me back. Maybe before this one is released, I will watch them all to catch myself up.
Directed by Wilson Yip and staring Donnie Yen and Scott Adkins
Disney is Skynet. I mean how many movies are they realeasing a year? From the studio that brought us Inside Out (which was good and I enjoyed), Up (which was also good and I enjoyed) and Coco (one I didn't see but heard it was really good) these guys do NOT drop the ball. I saw Toy Story 4 which was excellent (as per usual) and Incredible 2 (which was seemless after all these years and very good), it's just interesting where they are going to go with this movie about a black teacher and musician who falls down a manhole/sewer drain and possibly dies. It's a little dark but a lot of these cartoons are. When the brother died in Big Hero 6 (SPOILER ALERT - after the fact, I know), that got me hard!!! Let's see what they will do. I feel like it will have a great message behind it and be VERY uplifting. I feel the tears already.
Directed by Pete Docter and starring Jamie Foxx, Tina Fey, Questlove, Phylicia Rashad, Daveed Diggs,
Ok, so the first thing that caught me off guard was that, Peter Pan is a black (person of colour) child? I had to watch the trailer 3-4 times just to make sure I understood what they were doing here.... and I love it! I mean other than the fact that, all I could think about whilst watching this trailer is, 'The Goonies', wild children and bad parenting, this film looks very heartfelt and also very modern in comparison to previous Peter Pan outings and also not very fantastical. It would seem like it is more rooted and grounded with small fantasy elements, ie whatever our imagination can conjure up and in this case, these children. I'm interested in seeing another trailer and seeing where they will go with this. Not really my type of movie, unless they get but a bit more fantastical with it, but it has caught my attention.
Directed by Benh Zeitlin and starring Tommie Lynn Milazzo and Shay Walker
Now this looks intriguing. Say what you will about Nicholas Cage but he is a pretty decent actor and he is always in a movie. It's something like a minimum of 4 movies a year. 8 Movies last year, 6 movies this year and as it currently stands, 5 movies next year, he is working HARD! Though some of these are likely to be direct to DVD, small releases or what-have-you, some of his movies really stand out from the crowd such as Mandy which got a lot of praise.
This film is from the producers of Mandy and strikes me as an modern day B-Movie. It would be interesting to see what the audience thinks once they have seen this as people could have fun with it. I'm neither here or there with it but as I said, intriguing and the film might actually be good.
Directed by Richard Stanley and starring Nicolas Cage
I want to go on about the 'Monster Universe' Universal Studios tried to set up a few years back with Dracula Untold, then when they tried to reboot the Universe again with The Mummy... ultimately, they both failed. However, if this is a silent reboot, then I can get with that, providing this movie does well in the studios eyes and any other monster movies they end up doing also does well, then they can just connect them all.
We have had loads of The Invisible Man movies and to be honest, I think the only one I can remember is the Chevy Chase one, Memoirs of an Invisible Man. No, I didn't see Hollow Man with Kevin Bacon.
This movie looks pretty decent and from Blumhouse Productions, (those who make scary movies for a couple of dollars to make thousands of more dollars) and from the director of Upgrade (the better Venom movie), this film looks like it will be a good and entertaining watch, although it seems as though we've seen the entire movie in the trailer.
Directed by Leigh Whannell and starring Elizabeth Moss, Oliver Jackson-Cohen, Aldis Hodge, Storm Reid
Around 12 years ago, they mentioned making a film called Zombieland (I even reviewed it - gosh I feel old) and I wasn't sure what to make of it. 10 years ago, they released the trailer and the movie seemed goofy and fun, but I wasn't sure what to make of it. Saw the movie in December 2009 and as my review stated, I really enjoyed it. I had been awaiting a sequel to this movie ever since and it had been on hold because director Ruben Fleischer had been busy making films like 30 Minutes or Less, Gangster Squad and the more recent, Venom. They did try to launch a TV series back in 2013 with Amazon Studios, but the show didn't even get past the terrible pilot as it was that bad. I watched it and for the most part, it seems they got most of the core elements of the show, but it was just bad, really. The characters had no chemistry and it just seemed very much like a budget Zombieland. This sequel on the other hand, something we have waited 10 years for, not only does Ruben address the elephant in the room with it being 10 years, he also doesn't even bother to try and fix the concept of Zombieland, only expand/evolve it and that is BRILLIANT!!! I mean, if it isn't broke, why fix it?
The film literally picks up 10 years later in real-time and since the events of the first movie, the zombies have evolved. Whereas in the first movie it doesn't seem there is much civilians left that had survived the apocalypse, the now dysfunctional family have taken residence in The White House. However, when Little Rock (Abigail) meets a guy named Berkeley (Avan Jogia) and goes missing, Wichita (Emma Stone), Colombus (Jesse Eisenberg) and Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson) go off looking for Little Rock at Graceland, Elvis' home. On their travels they have a new tag-a-long named Madison (Zoey Deutch) who has been living in a freezer the entire time and once they make it to Gracelands, chaos ensues, of course.
It took me a moment to get into this movie this time around and I'm not sure what it is, but I wasn't fully tuned in at the beginning. I thought it might be because it has been a long time since we have seen these characters but I actually re-watched Zombieland last week so this feeling I was having confused me. Maybe I was tied (which I was). Maybe I was thinking it was 10 years too late and I wasn't invested any more or maybe it wasn't as witty and funny as the last one, but it was, it was witty and funny. I really started getting into the movie once they met Madison and once we got to Graceland.
The rules are still there and we get to learn a bunch of new ones. And just like what I said for the first movie, you might need to watch it again for the rules alone, but this film is just like the first one. The family are exactly the same. Crazy Zombie kills, chaotic, clever and funny dialogue and with the evolved zombies, the humour definitely still fits in the world we had established 10 years ago. One of my favourite scenes was at Graceland where they meet a 'Doppelganger' family and how that part of the story pans out.
Ruben Fleischer does an excellent job directing with keeping the same tone as the original and bringing back the now very well established cast. Emma Stone, Golden and Academy Award winner, since the first movie. Jesse Eisenberg, Golden and Academy Award nominee since the first movie. Woody Harrelson, Primetime Emmy Award winner, 3 x Academy Award nominee and Sag Award ensemble winner to various movies, it's just great to see that these actors decided that this role wasn't too little for them and a brilliant job done getting back into the roles because Woody, Jesse, Emma and Abigail are excellent. The film literally feels like 10 years later, we are still with these guys and they are still killing zombies and it's great.
My only critique of the movie is that, I would have liked to see the rules clearer as they do pop up obscurely throughout the movie and the lack of one of the zombies they named during the first act. Other than that, if you enjoyed the first movie, this film continues with no bumps and no displacement since the 10 years. I'm also glad the didn't try to do anything too outrageous that would have taken you away from the world of Zombieland and out of the film, although that Leaning Tower of Pisa part was teetering on the edge. Just like the first one though, I would definitely watch this one again.
I guess for the most part, I enjoyed Bad Boys 2, but there is a notable difference between the first and second film. This one on the other hand looks like more of the same as it's predecessor and I can't say I'm mad at that. Both Will and Martin are noticeably older and it seems like part 3 will play on that 'Leathal Weapon' "I'm too old for this shit" rift which will provide comic relief in this movie I know I will enjoy. I'm hoping all the cast is back, as that would be great to see. Especially if they got some deep cuts from the first and second movie. I'd buy this for a dollar - sorry, wait, wrong cop movie.
Directed by and starring Will Smith and Marin Lawrence.
Apple are now smack bang in the middle of the streaming wars, well they very soon will be and someone already told me of a series starring Jason Mamoa called "See" which is meant to be a really good watch and has a great concept. So seeing this trailer obviously intrigued me due to Apple's efforts to plant themselves in this war with the calibre of projects and actors to rival Netflix (I'm sure and the new Disney+) so we shall see what more comes out from Apple TV.
Depending on scheduling and such, I do think Samuel L. Jackson is miscast for this role as it seems to me he is playing "himself" or a character that isn't that far removed from others he has done, but I am loving the 'based on a true story' aspect of the movie. Anthony Mackie is definitely a very credible star and I do like Nicholas Hoult as he was brilliant in Fury Road and as Beast in the X-Men franchise. I'm definitely interested in this story as I've heard nothing about it and am keen to learn. It's just upsetting to see racism in these period pieces which are a reflection on true events that happened in the past. How many successful black people and areas there would have been for a better America if those who could were allowed to.
Anyway, a definite watch for me.
Directed by George Nolfi and starring Anthony Mackie, Samuel L. Jackson, Nia Long and Nicholas Hoult.
So, after I had watched the latest edition to the Jumanji franchise (Jamanji: Welcome to the Jungle or Jumanji 2) and after it had done really well, they decided to do a sequel making this a Trilogy. I'm not sure if they will do another sequel as that is likely to depend on the outcome of this one and if this one is anything like the last, we might get just that.
I enjoyed the last one as I thought it was a surprising success, story wise. I liked the characters and the jokes and as this looks just as goofy and fun, this has the potential to do better than the last one. I mean, the whole "body swap" element has not got old yet and provides good laughs. My only reservation is that, all that sand and no Jungle? Upsetting, but lets see what they do with this.
Directed by Jake Kasdan and starring Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart, Danny Glover & Danny DeVito
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