(trailer review) - House of The Dragon: Season 3

Sometimes I watch a trailer and, when I’ve finished, I don’t know what to say or where to start. Sometimes this is due to excitement or boredom, but on this occasion — and specifically with House of the Dragon — I am excited and intrigued. Although the seasons feel very short (season one had 10 episodes, season two had 8, and now this season also has 8), I’m pretty sure a lot of us just want more and more and MORE. How long will this series go on for? I’m pretty sure none of us care because the show is THAT good. I suspect it’s a budget issue more than anything, but we lovers of this world need the politics and the deaths, the chance to side with those we gravitate towards and curse those we hate for being little sh*ts. And that final shot of Rhaenyra Targaryen spoke volumes… somebody is going to get hurt real bad.

The trailer starts with Aemond Targaryen sitting on the Iron Throne. His mother, Alicent Hightower, walks in and he asks about Rhaenyra’s whereabouts. Rhaenyra tells her council that Alicent was at Dragonstone and that she will allow them into King’s Landing so Alicent can surrender. However, Rhaenyra’s eldest son warns her that Alicent is not to be trusted, believing it to be a trap. The king has abdicated the throne, followed by shots of dragons and armies, a dragon burning men, and Daemon Targaryen saying, “You are the Queen of Dragons,” as he plunges his sword downward. Corlys Velaryon is shown aboard his ship in battle, and then we see various clashes until Alicent tells Aemond, “Sooner or later, Rhaenyra will send her new dragons here. It will be the end.” There is an incredible shot of a dragon swooping low over the sea during a naval battle, a dragon rider screaming “Dracarys!” I believe we see the King’s Hand — or possibly the head of the Kingsguard — killing someone on the battlefield, Corlys looking back in horror, Daemon screaming, someone diving into the sea, and a lot of flame. Lastly, Daemon says to Rhaenyra, “This is the moment you become queen,” while her face shifts from pain and grief to absolute anger and determination. If I were to award any actor for their performance, Emma D'Arcy would take the win on micro-acting alone. June is a long wait.

(film review) - Send Help

So I am going to admit this first before I get into it: I did not plan to watch this movie. I had seen the trailer, and I do not mind a Sam Raimi movie, but I can do without and wait, you know? Kind of like an M. Night movie. I am definitely not saying Sam is hit and miss like most will say (or argue) M. Night is, but I feel like I have to be in a Sam Raimi mood for his dark and quirky humour. Even though I was not aiming to watch this and I was not really geared up for this movie, I had a very good time with it because Sam brought that Drag Me to Hell energy to this, and it is some truly twisted fun. I’ll explain.

Linda (Rachel McAdams) has been working for the company for several years, CEO has passed away, and his son has stepped in to run the company. Repulsed by her but willing to give her a chance, he invites her on a trip to finalise a merger, but during the trip, their plane crashes en route and the pair are stranded on an island. Whilst on the island, they fight for survival.

When I watched Marvel’s Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, there were elements in that movie that were horror-esque and I had mentioned this in my review. Sam loves squirting blood and using grotesque imagery that makes you squirm or cover your eyes but still peek through your fingers while laughing. Sam Raimi is like Tim Burton, only with added flourishes of comedy and horror. His films may not be for everybody, but they do have a uniqueness to them.

In typical Sam Raimi fashion, there were a few jump scares, but the puppetry and imagery have that cartoonish quality—borderline comic-book style but also horrific. A tiny example (and slight spoiler): there is a jump-scare moment and immediately after, a look to the camera. Absolutely cartoony, but if you know how Sam Raimi directs, it is bound to give you a laugh. Needless to say, the cinematography, imagery, and setting are excellent. At the beginning, there were some nonsensical close-ups, but accompanied by the music, everything simply gels together well.

The acting: I recognise the man from something, but I cannot quite pinpoint where just yet. Rachel McAdams, however, is astounding in this. I have seen her in other roles, but I felt she truly brought it here with a varied performance. The quiet moments, the crazy moments, the anger, and the tears—she brought it all to the screen and, for me, stood out and carried the entire movie on her back. The guy is somewhat one-dimensional: funny in moments, but his character is not necessarily someone you are supposed to like. Dylan O'Brien of Maze Runner fame is who he is.

All in all, this movie is great to watch by yourself or with your significant other. I can only assume that during the movie you may need to re-evaluate yourself or your place in the relationship, because I definitely wondered who I would be in a “stranded on a desert island” scenario. Enjoy.

(trailer review) - Spider-Noir

 

I’d certainly be lying if I didn’t say first and foremost that THIS LOOKS INCREDIBLE! Now, I know absolutely nothing about Spider-Noir other than that it is a “Noir” take on the Spider-Man character, which started out in the comics and was introduced to us in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. Noir is a genre and style of storytelling that involves detectives and crime and is usually categorised by a specific time period between the 1940s and 1950s, also known as the “classic period.” Noir-style products are usually a little moody in tone. But this trailer gives us moodiness, the noir feel, along with absolutely crazy dynamics and scenes that will make this film stand head and shoulders above every single Spider-Man movie that has come before it — and so it should, because it is different. But this is different different and just looks incredible. Comic-booky, a little like Sin City (and I don’t mean because of the colour palette), but Nicolas Cage doing his best Nicolas Cage as Ben Reilly (maybe just being Nicolas Cage) seems like it all fits together as a harmonised smoothie.

So, the trailer starts off with Ben Reilly walking and a lady saying, “Tell me why,” with him replying, “You already know how it ends.” He then proceeds to tell her about his behaviour and how he manages to suppress it most of the time. This leads to quick shots of someone walking down an alleyway, a shot of his detective office, and when another guy says, “What’s going on, Ben?” there are loads of rapid cuts until the moment we see him explain that he beat up some people and got plastered — showing a fight scene, a shot of him drinking, and someone falling from a skyscraper. There are lots of quick, wild and crazy scenes, and one of the best lines of the trailer: "What are you thinking about over there?”, "I am having an existential crisis, if I’m honest.” Then there are loads more scenes with people falling (I presume to their deaths), someone with electric hands, and one of the final shots shows him swinging through the city, which looks amazing. The 27th of May cannot come quickly enough.

(trailer review) - Michael

 

It has been a busy time for me, so trying to keep up with the trailers and my reviews has been a bit challenging. However, while the first trailer was not that long ago (November), and we are now in February, not only is this film coming out soon (April), this actual trailer shows us more of what the film is about, and this film is going to make millions. With the first trailer, I had to watch it a few times because the first time I watched it, the thought that came to my mind once it was all done was, "That's creepy," and this trailer is no different, if anything, it doublesdown on it because Jafaar looks, THAT GOOD. With that said, I have bought into the makeup, and the performance is impeccable. With what Antoine has done with the cinematography, this IS Michael Jackson, from the Jackson 5 to Michael in the '80s and in his prime.

The trailer starts off with a packed stadium and Michael Jackson pumping himself up to perform in front of his fans. We see flashes of Michael in the studio and Michael walking towards the stage whilst saying, "You're confident," "You're strong." Fans are fainting and being taken away from crowds at concerts by security. Hundreds of people are cheering and holding up signs, and just before we get the Universal logo, there is a shot of the Moonwalk and then Michael's "whoa." Michael's dad starts speaking to Michael and the rest of his siblings at dinner, telling the kids there are only winners and losers in this wolrd and if they want to work in a steel mill for the rest of their lives or do something about it and fight for it. With shots of Michael with one glove on and sequined jackets, Michael says, "You know what I'm after?," and Miles Teller says, "You want to be the biggest star in the world," whilst Joe Jackson states he wants to capitalize on Michael and that the Jackson family is the brand, like Coca-Cola, and he is planning an international tour. There is a moment where Michael says he needs to think, and Joe Jackson's response is, "I told you what to think." Michael says he loves his family but wants to do his own thing because he has all these ideas he wants to get out. And with a small moment of Michael's mum, played by Nia Long, saying she always thought Michael was special, we have lots of different shots from different moments: Michael dancing on stage, Michael dancing for the "Billie Jean" video whilst "Billie Jean" is playing, the famous black and silver striped sequin trousers, Michael being carried off on a stretcher from when he had an accident on set (I'm assuming), a shot of the "Thriller" video, and more shots of the Moonwalk, the Michael Jackson spin, and... this... is... Michael. This trailer is an excellent showcase of what this film is about, what it intends to cover, and it definitely captures who Michael was as a performer and how he was loved and how he wanted to change the world through music.

The only thing artistically and creatively I would have done in the trailer is to show a collection of Moonwalks from a set view and cut it with every stride so that while everything is changing around him—the various different stages and outfits—the Moonwalk is consistent. But other than that, for visuals, this trailer is amazing and kind of shows that there was, there is, and most likely, would never be anyone like Michael ever again.

(episode review) - Wonder Man - Episode 3 & 4

 

This is a very difficult show to review without giving away spoilers because the story is simple yet very effective. Each episode continues from the last episode and there is an obvious story-arc and every episode has something happen which reveals a bit more of what is going on and how it affects the characters, but one thing I will say, episode 4 is the most Donald Glover's Atlanta series episode I have ever seen Marvel do and it is great!

Episode 3

The third episode starts with a flashback of Simon being checked over by a doctor due to an accident which happened at home. At present, the DODC are trying to meet quotas and the agent we have seen before wants more/better evidence of Simon and his abilities to finally arrest him and suggests Trevor to find his way to Simon's family's house and gather information only to learn more and more about Simon as a person.

Episode 4

In the last episode Simon mentions DeMarr "Doorman" Davies and should anyone find out about his abilities, he will not be able to act, however, this episode centres entirely on DeMarr and leads to why Simon would not ever be able to act again should Hollywood find out that Simon Williams has special abilities. Without going into too much, a shady company operating in the background in the entirety of the MCU (it would seem) is the reason behind it all, with that said, although that is a very minor thing, the episode addresses what happens to an actor who suddenly gets famous, the trajectory and all the, fame, fortune and heights an actor can sour to as well as the repercussions.

(episode review) - Wonder Man - Episode 1 & 2

 

I never knew anything about Wonder Man before this show came out. I initally thought, Wonder Woman, now a Wonder Man, I wonder if he has a 'W' on his chest, and he does. I only knew he had powers and that he is or used to be an actor, other than that, nothing, so seeing the trailer did not do much to help me understand the character and I was intrigued as to how it would all go. But as soon as it started and the first 10mins went by, I thought to myself, I might actually like this.

Episode 1

So, we are introduced to Simon Williams as a boy watching a movie called 'Wonder Man' with (we assume) his father. We jump to present day and Simon is making notes for his role in a show, only to later find out that a top Hollywood Director wants to do a movie Simon loves, and auditions are taking place that day. Simon does everything he can to make it to the audition hoping to get the part and meets another actor who becomes his acting partner there. In a nutshell, that is the first episode. There are some funny bits, hints of Simon having abilities as well as showing us, the type of person he is when it comes to acting. The episode is layered.

Episode 2

The second episode starts with a flashback which catches us up to a specific character so we have an understanding of where we are in the MCU. Simon and his acting partner meet up, but Simon has been tasked to get an audition in, but is having trouble trying to find somewhere to focus and record his audition tape which leads to Simon going to the home of a famous actor. But when things do not work out leading them both back to Simon's place, his acting partner discovers evidence of Simon's secret. Another layer episode with humorous parts, but the show is not a comedy. The shows gives great insight to being an actor in L.A, the types of characters you meet and the things you have to do. This episode on top of the first episode, gives us more insight to who Simon is and his pressures, his control, and his dreams.

(trailer review) - Masters of the Universe

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Travis Knight is one of us! When I say 'One of us', what i mean by that is, he knows exactly what is up with 80s nostalgia and how to do it correctly. No, i have not seen the movie yet, but this is from the guy who brought us one of the best Transformers movies, Bumblebee. Did you see the Cybertron scenes? Amazing. As reverred as the Krypton scenes in Man of Steel. Kubo and the Two Strings is excellent also. And although he is the son of the Nike co-founder, he has stuck to his passion and given us what looks like a beast of a film with Masters of the Universe, because whilst it has been said previously by Kristian Harloff that a He-Man movie should be like Lord of the Rings meets Star Wars, or something very similar he has been saying, but DAMN, this looks awesome! It is like What Kristian said mixed in with Barbie with Margot Robbie, elements of Guardians of the Galaxy too.

So it looks like the story will focus on Prince Adam being sent to earth to protect him from the evil Skeletor, but his friends find him to bring him back to Eternia to save the two worlds (speculation), because the trailer starts with Prince Adam explaining that the stories and legends you hear in bedtime stories involving talking tigers, spaceships and magic swords, is where he comes from. You hear him ask his mother (I assume) why he was sent away, in which we learn, was to keep him safe where they would never find him. We learn he is looking for his sword and it looks like he finds it in a comic book or figurine collectibles store of sorts, and tries to take it,. The next audio shot is of Prince Adam in a spaceship being flown away, by a friend of his to Eternia, giving a very Captain America in Endgame (or was it infinity war) first time traveling into space for the first time. Up until this point, we see a colourful bird, that looks familiar (wasn't there a woman who could turn into a bird?), Castle Greyskull, spaceships, He-Man's Sword, He-Man's mother, an army of men in armour, a "sword in stone" moment and the moment when the trailer (for me anyway), starts to get great! A ship comes in, the "cargo bay" door opens and it's Man-At-Arms, Cringer, Prince Adam, maybe Teela and some robot or guy in a suit i cannot remember the names just yet, but the shot is great. This is then followed by some shots of some flying crafts, Man-At-Arms without his uniform with a big gun, a slow-mo walk and Prince Adam asking, "What am I supposed to do?" with shots of Skeletor and Fist-O sending a man flying with a single punch. A quick shot of Evil-Lynn fighting, Cringer growling and an awesome shot of Man-At-Arms jumping with his jetpack, Thor Ragnarok Style on the rainbow bridge to a spaceship to take it down and the moment we are all waiting for, the "I have the power" where Prince Adam yells that out whilst holding the magical sword and turns into He-Man and starts wrecking shop. Even the yell in front of the castle is cartoon accurate. Then a short battle with Sleletor at the end seals the deal. This is just a teaser trailer and a proper trailer will arrive in maybe 2-3 months from now but until then...this is a great trailer and it looks promising should they stick the landing. The characters and character design is absolutely stella. Idris Elba ( although I am not a fan of Race/Gender-bending), he looks absolutely phenomenal. Id be really interested to know if we get all the weird and wonderful and quirky characters from the cartoon because there is a lot AND a lot of their are very wild and out there. And if I am honest, the cartoon boredlined homo-erotic and had the wildest tone to it, just like a lot of the cartoons from the late 70s and early 80s. We do remember our favourites however we remember them that isn't always accurate to the real thing, you know? The special effects look slightly under developed in places, but other than that, I just wonder if, Jared Leto is going to go full Skeletor or simply look the part. From 40 years old, maybe even 35, to possibly 60 years old, He-Man was that cartoon for all the boys growing up. Even She-Ra to an extent, so it would be a wonder if they bring her in in some way, but this looks awesome and I cannot wait!