(trailer review) - Project Hail Mary

 

A few months ago, I saw the trailer for this, and it looked ok, just ok. It looked like there may have been more to it, but I was not initially sold on the movie at all. Since that trailer, I keep hearing about how great the book is, and this film is going to be really good, and Ryan Gosling is this and that, and having now seen this trailer, this trailer sold the film for me more than the first trailer did. This trailer is funny, it has heart, and I understand more of what the trailer is telling me, storywise, and we get to properly see the alien. A couple of moments that made me smile or laugh were two moments: the moment he says, "Rocky", puts on a puppet show for his tiny brain to understand and the moment where he asks about being expendable and she turns around to the group to discuss, two great moments.

So the trailer starts off with Grace knocking on a window to communicate with the alien, and the alien knocks back and shows him a model of an astronaut. We are told Grace has a doctorate in molecular biology, and he is needed to save the world due to the sun dying. "Rocky" the alien, is a genius engineer whose planet is also dying, so they work together to, I assume, help to save each other's planet or "Grace Rocky Save Stars". The trailer shows both Grace and Rocky working together with a few flashing sequences of Grace running, people cheering for him, a drawing of "saved the world" by children (children he likely teaches). This trailer exudes warmth, a dire situation, an adventure, charm and heart. Unless there is a twist at the end where the alien has notorious plans, this looks like it may end up being a really entertaining film, kind of like how the film The Martian was when that was released.

(episode review) - IT: Welcome to Derry - Episode 4

 

This series's first season is only 8 episodes deep, so technically, we are at the beginning of the halfway point, and things are starting to pay off. The kids know something is off, and from the pictures, they can see a clown, and Leroy witnesses Hallorann's behaviour is off, and he is on a highly classified mission which seems to be getting weirder by the moment, with no real answers from Shaw. Leroy's wife, whilst trying to adjust to the town, is trying to fight all the injustices; a lot is happening, and this episode is where we get into more of the real 'meat and potatoes' of what is going on.

After the photos were dismissed by the authorities, the kids are at a loss as to what they can do to get the adults on their side. With that said, Leroy takes Will fishing, but when Will is attacked, both Will and Leroy see a red balloon. Afraid to tell his mum, Will eventually tells her, but at night, Will cannot sleep and uses his telescope to look around, only to see Pennywise the Dancing Clown looking at him. Marge tries to pull a cruel prank on Lilly just to fit in with the other school children, only for her to end up with a vision leaving her attacked. Charlotte, Leroy's wife, visits Hank only to find out that although he did not kill the children, his whereabouts may have him killed. Hallorann goes into the mind of Rose's nephew Taniel, and he discovers the entity's origin and how the natives imprisoned him.

(episode review) - IT: Welcome to Derry - Episode 3

This show seems to be a bit of a slow burn because two episodes in, and we have not seen the infamous clown yet, but with the introduction of the main characters, we are starting to investigate, along with the children and adults, what Derry is really like and what lurks beneath the town of Derry. Whilst deaths/disappearances and scares are happening, the lore is expanding, and we are learning more about where Pennywise may have come from.

The episode starts with a flashback of a young child being stalked by a man with a missing eye that grows in size, but is eventually saved by a native indian girl named Rose, and they become friends. In the present, the kids come together to try and get a picture of Pennywise, so they devise a plan to go to the cemetery and, with the assistance of both Will and Rich, the group try to summon the evil spirit. Shaw tells Leroy that his attack was a set-up, but Leroy is exactly who he needs to be a part of this investigation that involves Hallorann, but Hallorann has a vision whilst on the mission involving dead soldiers, and Leroy ends up saving his life.

(episode review) - IT: Welcome to Derry - Episode 2

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.

(episode review) - IT: Welcome to Derry - Episode 1

 

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.

(trailer review) - The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping

 

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.

(trailer review) - Fallout: Season 2

 

(TEASER TRAILER)

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. 

(film review) - Predator: Badlands

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.

(trailer review) - The Super Mario Galaxy Movie

 

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!

(trailer review) - Percy Jackson and the Olympians: Season 2

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.

(trailer review) - Toy Story 5

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.

(trailer review) - Stranger Things 5

(TEASER TRAILER)

(OFFICIAL TRAILER)

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!

(trailer review) - Marty Supreme

 

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.

(trailer review) - Michael

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.

(trailer review) - Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair

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?

(trailer review) - Scream 7

 

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.