Good day to you ladies and gentlemen and today I’m here to talk about some very important film news that was announced a little while ago today. The following information comes from superherohype:
Walt Disney Pictures and Lucasfilm have announced the cast of Star Wars: Episode VII! Actors John Boyega, Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, Oscar Isaac, Andy Serkis, Domhnall Gleeson, and Max von Sydow will join the original stars of the saga, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill, Anthony Daniels, Peter Mayhew, and Kenny Baker in the new film. Click the photo above for a bigger version!
Director J.J. Abrams says, “We are so excited to finally share the cast of ‘Star Wars: Episode VII.’ It is both thrilling and surreal to watch the beloved original cast and these brilliant new performers come together to bring this world to life, once again. We start shooting in a couple of weeks, and everyone is doing their best to make the fans proud.”
Star Wars: Episode VII is being directed by J.J. Abrams from a screenplay by Lawrence Kasdan and Abrams. Kathleen Kennedy, J.J. Abrams, and Bryan Burk are producing, and John Williams returns as the composer. The movie opens worldwide on December 18, 2015.
So damn, it’s happened. The truth is out. The information that us fans have been desperately wanting to know has finally been discovered. WE HAVE CAST CONFIRMATION AND ITS AWESOME! Finally, finally, finally we have the information on the primary cast of the next instalment in the Star Wars film series and my god it is glorious, for the most part. Now the obvious part is that we have the original cast back with our three main leads, Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher, there was no doubt in my mind or most fans minds that they would return, but just having this confirmation means so much and pretty much puts everything in perspective. Even getting Anthony Daniels, Peter Mayhem and Kenny Baker makes me smile too. But I think the bigger news the new cast members who have been added to Episode VII. Some of these names have been rumoured while others are completely unexpected. To be honest I only know a few of these names. I know of John Boyega, but I’ve never watched Attack the Block, but good on him for coming so far in his career and getting into a massive franchise like this. Seeing both Adam Driver and Oscar Isaac makes me so happy, both of them were pretty good in Inside Llewyn Davis, especially Isaac though. But the main name that stand out to be is Andy Serkis. ANDY FRIGGING SERKIS! YES! To say that I love Serkis would be a huge understatement, I’ve been a fan of his ever since Lord of the Rings Trilogy and have loved most of the films he’s been and to see him land a role in the massive franchise that is Star Wars, I’m SO happy for him and I honestly am even more excited to see this film than before.
Also having that image above to see all the cast and director together just makes me grin. You can just see things happening and it makes me giddy. Now I just want this film to start shooting and then get to 2015 where we’ll see the next episode of Star Wars.
So what do you think of the cast news? Are you happy about it? Whatever your thoughts are be sure to drop them below in the comments and let me know. Laters people. 🙂
Howdy ladies and gents, time for some film news and this is definitely something worth talking about as we have some pretty massive news emerging from the realm of comic book movies as you can see from the following info that comes from superherohype:
A Justice League feature film is not only officially on track today, but has also announced a director. The Wall Street Journal reports that Man of Steel helmer Zack Snyder will make the ensemble blockbuster his follow-up to 2016’s Batman vs. Superman.
“It will be a further expansion of this universe,” Warner Bros. president of worldwide production Greg Silverman tells the outlet. “’Superman vs Batman’ will lead into ‘Justice League.’”
Although no Justice League cast is official at this stage, the project is likely to again star Henry Cavill as Superman, Ben Affleck as Batman, Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman and Ray Fisher as Cyborg (with a view that other JLAers are expected to be announced in the future).
The article also offers a slightly less optimistic update on the status of a Wonder Womansolo film, noting that, while the studio is open to the idea, they feel the right script has not yet been found.
UPDATE:The Hollywood Reporter‘s Borys Kit posted the following tweet, indicating that Batman vs. Superman and Justice League will shoot back to back and that we may see the latter as early as 2017.
Well damn, seems like the people over at Warner Bros. and DC have finally grown some balls and decided to make an announcement that’ll shock and excite their audience. So we finally have the announcement that there is a Justice League film.. And it isn’t Man of Steel 2 aka Batman Vs. Superman! Well with this announcement, I think anyone who was sceptical about this new Man of Steel sequel secretly being Justice League can put those rumours to rest, but who could blame people for thinking that it was the new JLA film? The amount of cast and characters that were being introduced was mad and very in line with the JLA. That being said I guess Batman Vs. Superman will probably be something similar to Iron Man 2, where it introduces characters who will play a bigger role in future films.
I think the bigger aspect of this news story is the fact that Zack Snyder is directing. Now I don’t know if this is a good thing. I mean if you wanted the guy for the visual flair and great presentation, I take no issue there, but I’m curious why Warner Bros. doesn’t want to venture out and try getting a new director. Is Snyder really that great that he can handle more than just Superman, but also Batman, Wonder Woman, Flash, Cyborg, Green Lantern, Martian Manhunter, etc? Who knows? Maybe the Snyder is really good at what he does, maybe the studio don’t want to lose him, there are a number of factors that could come into play.
Ane then of course there is that 2017 release date and the fact these films may shoot back to back. Shit, that’s quick, but it’s also smart and I like that. Again if this is al true, then the wheels are in motion which means that DC and Warner Bros. may not actually be the scaredy cats some have believed them to be. But hey, I won’t believe anything until filming happens and we get those online photos and videos of these comic book films going down.
Anyways that’s my thoughts on this new announcement, how about you lot out there, what do you think of this news? Is it good or bad? How do you feel about Snyder directing Justice League or the idea that both films will be shot back to back? Please comment below and let me know! Laters! 😀
Good day to you ladies and gentlemen, how are you all doing? Good I hope, anyways I’m here to deliver some Marvel news again, except this time it concerns their upcoming Netflix series that they will begin making later on this year. The following information comes from ComicBookMovie:
Many fans assumed that Marvel’s Netflix shows, consisting of Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, Iron Fist, and Defenders shows, will take place during the MCU, while others weren’t quite sure. Joe Quesada recently confirmed on the Fat Man On Batman podcast that they will. “There will be some interconnectivity, much like the movies,” revealed Quesada. “They will exist within the cinematic universe again, so this is all the same world as S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Avengers.” He also talked more about introducing street-level characters and elaborates on how unique the characters are and how they are different than the other characters in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. “Although these are superhero stories, this is different now. This is the street level…this is the street level noir side of the Marvel Universe. Something that you haven’t really, really seen in any of our Marvel movies,” said Quesada. “And probably more ground level, than I think you’ve seen. This is not like us doing Batman, Dark Knight or any of that stuff. This is very Marvel doing street level superheroes.” He also says that they are starting to finish off their scripts to get the series started soon, and talk about how emotional some of them are. “The scripts are coming in. They are pretty fantastic. They’re really emotional. They’re very, very original. But at the same time, it is Daredevil. It is Matt Murdock. We will eventually, hopefully start casting really, really soon, but I’m very, very excited about it.” With filming expected to start soon, we will all look out for some set photos in the future which should reveal the costumes in the series. Quesada reveals that we should expect to see the Daredevil series take place in Hell’s Kitchen, which should hopefully excite many fans. “We’re shooting in New York. That’s the fantastic thing about it is that we’re shooting at home. We’re shooting where these characters belong,” said Quesada. “These stories take place in Hell’s Kitchen.” He described the Daredevil set briefly, saying that it “smells of dark alley, vomit, and piss.”
Well after that all I can say is thank god! Honestly I sort of knew and hoped that these new Netflix series’ would be part of the MCU, I mean the people at Marvel would be kind of silly not to include them, but just getting this reassurance from one the people involved just give me hope for the future and allows me to rest easy. I like how smaller, yet still significant Marvel characters like Daredevil and Iron Fist are finally getting the spotlight they deserve, while of course it is on the small screen and properly won’t get as much exposure as they would in a massive film, I feel like it’s still good that these characters are getting a chance to be all that they can be in these specialized TV shows and from the way Quesada talks about them it seems like he understands what makes them special and unique. I’m really liking the sound of “street level noir”, I’m getting series Batman: The Animated Series vibes from that and if it anything as good as that show it terms of its style, atmosphere and tone then we’re in for a good show. I’m curious to see how the character of Daredevil is handled, how much will his powers factor into play? Will be super, super-powered or be a little more grounded and realistic? And talking about realism, what kind of realism is this show gonna go for, will be in line with what we’ve seen in the MCU already or will it be even more realistic? I know I’m asking a lot of questions, but those are the things I think a lot of people want to know.
The only thing I’m concerned about is the tone. Since this isn’t directly tied to television or film, there are opportunities for these new filmmakers to take these comic book properties in very dark, adult and interesting places considering the source material they’re working with. I’m just wondering since it is set in the same universe as Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and films like Avengers, will they be able to blend or will they be treated separately with the old passing reference and easter eggs lurking around? So many questions to ask and no way to know until the shows happen. I guess we’ll find out once Daredevil eventually shows up.
Good day to you ladies and gentlemen, it’s time for Random Blog entry. And today I’m gonna talk about something that I have a serious amount of love for and because of recent events I just have to talk about it. Today I’ll be giving you a brief history of my experience of the Super Smash Bros. series.
The Games That Have Come Out So Far
Super Smash Bros. (1999)
Euro Cover Art For Super Smash Bros. N64
Ah yes the game that started it all. What we have here is a fighting game unlike any other. Where most fighting games were mainly two-on-two like in Street Fighter, Mortal Kombat and Tekken, this was a 4-player all-out assault. In SSB you took several famous Nintendo character from their key franchises and made them duke it out in 4-player mayhem. The concept was unique at the time because there wasn’t really many, if any other companies doing the same thing at the time. Players could pick from 12 characters (8 to begin with and 4 more unlockable ones), with 9 stages to pick from and you could either play the solo ‘Classic’ mode or mess around with friends in multiplayer time or stock battles. Each character had a unique moveset but in addition to that you could use items that could heal or damage you or your opponents, and then there were some stages had hazards that had to avoid too. The game was madness, but it was a critical and commercial success and from here the series could only go onwards and upwards.
Super Smash Bros. Melee (2001)
If SSB for N64 was the starter in a three-course meal that Super Smash Bros. Melee for GameCube was the main course. Melee came out and basically blew everyone’s expectations. It dwarfed the original game and improved everything. Going into a bit more depth about the features of the game, you had a character roster of 25 which introduced even more characters from established franchises while introducing some new faces (Bowser, Ganondorf, Mewtwo, Ice Climbers and Mr. Game & Watch among others), there were around three times the amount of stages to select and the combat, oh the combat, it was SO good. In Melee combat was faster, tighter and featured even more moves like directional throwing, one additional special attack, charged smash attacks, air dodging and so much more. Besides the famous multiplayer mode which even had a tournament mode, the solo mode had a Classic mode reminiscent of the orignal game and a new Adventure mode where you fighting characters, but also venturing through large worlds, racing against time and getting to the final boss that changed depending on the difficulty chosen at the beginning. And lastly the presentation for the game was SO good, straight from the gorgeous introduction with the orchestrated music and amazing pre-rendered CG cut-scenes, it was amazing. While the game isn’t as visually stunning as say Metroid Prime, F-Zero GX or LOZ: Wind Waker, I do believe it gave us the most detailed version of these characters at the point in time, and the music is some of favourite remixes and original material from any game ever thanks to the new orchestral sound.
Melee is one of the best GameCube games for a reason, it was and still is til this day one of the best multiplayer experiences that Nintendo have ever given us gamers. This was the game that most GameCube owners had in their collection either as first purchase or obtained a little while after its original release.
Super Smash Bros. Brawl (2008)
This game took everything about the last game expanded things by 100! I don’t think it is an exaggeration to say that everything got a dramatic increase in scope and detail. When it comes to overall including the modes you got in Melee, you had new solo mode, the Subspace Emissary which was an upgraded version of Adventure mode from the last game, there was also sticker and CD collecting introduced, and most importantly there was online play for the first time. It terms of combat the game was changed a bit with some upgrades to combat and item use, however things were slowed down and simplified a bit for casual players. The character roster was boosted from 25 to 35 (39 if you count Sheik, Zero Suit Samus and the Pokemon Trainer’s Pokemon as separate characters) and we got some fighters replaced and some altogether new fighters, but the most interesting of these was the inclusion of Metal Gear Solid’s Solid Snake and long-awaited arrival of Sega’s mascot, Sonic the Hedgehog.
The hype for this game was ridiculous, ever since E3 2006 and I don’t think I have seen that kind of hype and excitement for a game in since besides possibly the wait for GTA V or Pokemon X & Y. I think the game delivered on the hype for the most part with most fans saying that the game was the best entry in the series and it was also one of the highest selling Wii games too.
The only thing this intro is missing an epic announcer saying the name of the game… That and original cut-scenes. 😛
How This Series Affected Me
To say that I love the Smash Bros. series would be an understatement, I ADORE this series. Besides the days when I played GoldenEye, Perfect Dark and the Mario Kart and Party games, this game series would be the one that provided me with my favourite multiplayer experiences. There is something so satisfying about taking several Nintendo characters and pitting them up against each other in combat. It is an adrenaline-fueled, chaotic and fun kind of experience that is hard to describe unless you’ve played it for yourself. Ever since I started with this game series around the year 2000 or 2001 I’ve been hooked. It was like the Avengers crossover of Nintendo video games (sure the Capcom Vs. series had already did a few crossover fighting games, but this was a different kind of beast altogether). Melee pretty much changed my life, I was obsessed and I was playing that game from the age of 12 til about 18. By the time Brawl came out I had blown up from all the nerdgasms I’d been doing, while I did miss the faster, more technical combat of Melee, Brawl had done so much more right and had online. Only problem was that I never played Brawl as long as Melee, in fact around two years in I sort of left it alone as I went into my hazy phase with video games. That being said, it is pretty much the only Wii game I go back to whenever I dust the old console off because it’s the only one I like that much.
The Smash Bros. series is now one that I adore just as much or possibly more than the Sonic series and that’s saying a lot coming from me. This series has yet to wrong me, it just delivers on the fun and entertainment factor by like 10,000! Just seeing the games, listening to the music or playing it just gives me an immense sense of satisfaction that not many other gaming franchises can.
The Future
And now of course we have Super Smash Bros. for Wii U and 3DS coming out later on this year. To say that I’m hyped for this new entry in this series would be an understatement.
When this game was announced at E3 2011 I went mad with speculation just trying to think about how this game would turn out. But it wasn’t until E3 2013 when we got to the first look at the new game and holy crap it was a surprise and a half. The amazing trailer showed off Smash Bros. coming to the Wii U in glorious HD but also on the 3DS too. It was beautiful sight, but the real revelation was seeing Mega Man added as a fighter. I think the internet blew up with all the gaming nerds freaking out. And since then game director Masahiro Sakurai has been giving us fans on the game daily updates since then updating us on characters, stages, move-sets, items and so on, it has been a great time to be Nintendo nerd.
These are the character-specific posters for the new combatants all complete with different styles.
At this current point in time we have 29 characters announced, details on the online modes, several stages shown for both the Wii U and 3DS versions and then of course there’s the release dates with the 3DS version coming out in the summer and the Wii U version coming out in the winter. Right now there’s a been a lot of information at this point in time, however there’s still a lot of time before the games are released, so I am really interested to see what information is released at E3 this year.
Here’s a beast trailer compilation:
So yeah those are my thoughts on the Super Smash Bros. series, it is a series that I can’t see my life without. It is chaotic, unique and a hell of a lot of fun. My excitement for the new games in this series have me freaking out, I have watched all of the footage for the game over and over and I am going out of my mind just trying to be patient. All I can say if you haven’t experienced this game series yet, try out one of the games I highlighted or buy the new games when they come out because the world of Smash Bros. is one of joy that no gamer should be without. 🙂
Good day to you ladies and gentlemen, time for a new TV review and now it is a season review. Unfortunately it isn’t Buffy the Vampire Slayer (yet), however I have something just as interesting to talk about and that is the first season of Castle. Now I never really had too much interest in watching this besides the fact that Nathan Fillion was attached to it, other than that I knew nothing about it. It wasn’t until a fellow blogging buddy, Claire from MyReelPOV kept mentioned how good the show was that I decided to eventually give it a go.
The plot for this show involves Richard Castle, a famous mystery novelist who is called in to assist the New York police when a serial killer begins committing copycat murders based on situations in his books. After Castle helps crack the case, he then decides to kill off his longtime character and create a new one, named “Nikki Heat,” and research her by shadowing Det. Kate Beckett. And while Beckett isn’t too keen on having Castle around, however the two work together on a number of cases and thanks to Castle history writing his novels his knowledge helps solve a lot of different crimes.
Story-wise the show is great. It happens to tell these great individual stories in each episode and while it most episodes deal with murder, the way in which each new case is presented is done with enough variation, style and intrigue that it keeps things from getting stale. And I do love the stories that are on display in this show, they are genuinely interesting and keep you on your toes, everything goes down in this show from kidnapping to murders of varying kinds and the way it is handled is both realistic but also very entertaining. Now I’ve watching shows like CSI and NCIS, both of which I like a lot, but this show attacks crime investigation in a way that feels fun and refreshing, but still casual enough for people who aren’t into that kind of stuff to understand what’s going on.
Straight from the first episode I was hooked and I feel like the best thing about the show that is established in this first season is the based tone. For the most part Castle is a funny show, it is actually hilarious and there are great comedic moments throughout the show that really liven up the mood in some of these grim situations. But there are points when the show does get series and definitely can feel very emotive and dramatic and it is just very impressive how this show can dance around such light and heavy tones and still work in the way in which it does.
Episode highlights include:
Flowers for Your Grave
Nanny McDead
Hedge Fund Homeboys
Home Is Where The Heart Stops
Little Lost Girl
A Death in the Family
When it comes to the cast they’re all really good and their acting really makes you care about these characters. It is also great to see how much character development these people get in such a short time, by around episode six or seven you feel like you’ve known for a while already.
So let’s start with Nathan Fillion as Richard Castle, simply put, he is awesome. From the first episode you fall in love with the guy because he charismatic, charming and really funny, the stuff that Castle says or does especially in the middle of serious situation is nothing short of hilarious. But beyond that his knowledge from writing murder novels makes him very useful and quite intelligent, also he can be caring and kind too. And then of course there’s Stana Katic as Det. Kate Beckett who is also awesome. She is a very driven, sassy, by-the-book kind of woman, she’s good at her job and definitely isn’t a pushover. She is pretty much the opposite of Castle and you see why he is constantly annoyed by his presence, but behind her exterior you can see that she is a very passionate person and she has some scars from the past she doesn’t wish to show. Fillion and Katic have great chemistry on-screen, their banter and general conversation is delightful, but it is those moments of sexual tension that really stand out make you wonder if these two will hook up (kind of like Jeff and Britta from the first season of Community).
Susan Sullivan is also wonderful as Martha Rodgers, Richard’s mother. She lives with Castle and does her best to poke her head in his business and while she means well, sometimes she does say things that either embarrasses Castle or makes him look bad, much to his annoyance. Molly Quinn as Alexis Castle is simply great, she is this very smart, perceptive child who is loves her dad, but also know he can be a bit of child so she has to keep him in line. But it is impossible not to like Alexis, she is like the cutest little girl ever and any parent that raised a child like that would have to be proud. Ruben Santiago-Hudson as Captain Roy Montgomery is awesome, I swear most cop shows have cool, badass, “I-dont-take-shit-from-no-one” kind of guys and Montgomery is the same, however he is a little more lenient and fun at times. Also Jon Huertas and Seamus Dever as Javier Esposito and Kevin Ryan are a great combo as the two other cops that work with Beckett, those two have great comedic timing and are always fun to watch, Tamala Jones is also good Lanie Parish, she is very cool, interesting and very pretty and lastly shout out to Dan Castellaneta who was humourous as Judge Markway. 🙂
In conclusion the season of Castle is great, I haven’t felt this good about an opening season of anything since the first season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. This show is smart, funny, dramatic and very unconventional and I love it already. I for one highly recommend this show and can’t wait to see what unfolds in the following five seasons.
Rating: 8.5/10 (A great starting point with a lot potential for even better material down the line)
So have you do watched Castle and if so are you casual watcher or an avid fan? And if not you’re watching this show, then why not? Whatever your thoughts are be sure to drop them in the comments below and I’ll see you on the next review yo. 😀
Howdy ladies and gentlemen, it has been a good while nice I posted news on this blog for a while and to be fair there’s a lot of news that’s been going down, but nothing that makes me want to blog about it… Until now. The following information comes from superherohype:
“Next summer, Universal Pictures will be bringing us the fourth entry in the fan favorite “Jurassic Park” franchise with Colin Trevorrow’s Jurassic World, and they’re not planning on stopping there. Speaking with Empire, Trevorrow says the topic of sequels to the 2015 release is something they’ve already been talking about, saying:
“We definitely talked about [sequels] a lot. We wanted to create something that would be a little bit less arbitrary and episodic, and something that could potentially arc into a series that would feel like a complete story.”
Even though we know very little about the new characters that we’ll be seeing in Jurassic World, Trevorrow mentioned one of them in particular who the focus could potentially be on, X-Men: Days of Future Paststar Omar Sy.
“He’s essentially Chris Pratt’s best friend. They work together and have some pretty cool action scenes together. I wanted to create a relationship there that could be memorable and potentially carry on to future films.”
Trevorrow also laid out a very cryptic teaser for the upcoming film, which will return to Isla Nublar, the island from the first film.
“It’s about alpha dominance and the fact that humans have been the alpha species for a very long time, and so now we’ve brought back another that happened to be the alpha species during its time, and we have to co-exist, so what is that relationship?”
The highly-anticipated sequel also stars Bryce Dallas Howard, Ty Simpkins, Jake Johnson, Nick Robinson, Irrfan Khan, Vincent D’Onofrio, BD Wong, Judy Greer, Katie McGrath and Lauren Lapkus.
It will be directed by Trevorrow from a draft of the screenplay he wrote with Derek Connolly. Steven Spielberg, Frank Marshall and Pat Crowley are producing. Jurassic World is set for released on June 12, 2015.“
Okay well this sounds pretty interesting and I’m seeing a lot of potential in Trevorrow’s words. In terms of creating a story arc for this new film with the chance of sequels after this one is a good call, I mean no film that’s part of a massive franchise like this doesn’t plan for sequels these days. The filmmakers and studios are always planning ahead and are all about that money, so it is unsurprising that Jurassic World is not the only film on the production line here, and I would like to think that there would be more if this new one works. As for Trevorrow’s comment on the relationship between Chris Pratt and Omar Sy, I like it. So we know that these two will have a lot of interaction and action scenes, and I LOVE action scenes lol. I’m getting Alan Grant and Ian Malcolm vibes from the director and while I don’t think we’ll ever be able to re-create that kind of banter and chemistry again like the awesomeness that was Sam Neil and Jeff Goldblum, I feel like it would also be a great opportunity to try and get another kind of on-screen relationships again. And lastly hearing about this alpha species has me intrigued, I am super curious to know what is, what is looks like and how it’ll attack the humans. Also will be more hardcore than the classic T-Rex, my favourite dinosaur ever? I want to know! XD
Howdy ladies and gents of the interweb, time for my review of episode 19 of Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. entitled“The Only Light in the Darkness“. AoS has been turning out some really good episode as of recent, does this episode continue to give us the good stuff? Read on and find out.
As usual in these reviews I’m just gonna present the plot and then say what I liked and what I didn’t like. Cool? Okay let’s keep going.
The Plot
In this episode Coulson selects a few members of his team to go out into the world to protect a woman from Marcus Daniels (Blackout), an escaped convict from The Fridge who has his eyes set on this woman from his and Coulson’s past.
What I Liked
What we got this week was another interesting episode with cool discoveries, character development and another dude with superpowers (which is always another welcome addition for me). While there’s not as much to talk about here as there was in the last episode, I’ll just do my episode highlights again below:
Agent Koenig & The Lie Detector: I loved this part so much. Seeing Agent Koenig submit the team to a series of questions was not only insightful but hilarious too. We so many interesting and random facts like the fact that May was married once, Triplett is the grandson of a Howling Commando and Skye had a really horrible name at her orphanage. Also Fitz and Simmons can be complicated when it comes to answering basic questions. The questions about Project Insight and Alexander Pierce were really interesting and it was nice to see the show still referencing Captain America 2. The answers for the box on the deserted island were great: 1) May: Machete (badass), 2) I loved how Fitz said he wanted Simmons to be in the box haha, 3) Simmons: The Tardis (amazing answer, such a nerdy answer). And then of course the answers about why they are still around were great, Simmons is unsure, Fitz wants to keep the people he trusts around him, Triplett wants beat Hydra like his grandfather did, May’s answer was Coulson and Skye says that S.H.I.E.L.D. is the only home she’s had. Things however got really heated when Ward was in that seat and hell the dude almost got shot too, you could see that both Ward and Koenig were feeling the heat and the tension there was unbelievably high. Loved it.
May Jumps Ship: Poor May, she’s still trying to get Coulson to trust her but it seems like Coulson isn’t having any of it, the tension between the two of them is on fire. And considering the way that she’s been treated, I’m not surprised that she decided that enough is enough, but I’m still gutted to see her go, she’s my favourite. I’m curious to know why she is going after Maria Hill now, that’ll be an interesting conversation. Also how cool is it that May’s mother knows about S.H.I.E.L.D., is retired and still has connections, that is badass.
Ward Goes On The Hunt To Kill: So after Ward disposes of Agent Koenig and notices that Skye has left the room, he believes that his cover may be blown and then he walks down the hallways shouting for Skye. The way he walked and the ominous music in the background made him seem like a Terminator out to kill and it was cool as hell, I just wish he had done something badass.
Skye and Ward Are Lying To Each Other: So it seems like Ward isn’t the only one who can lie about himself as Skye pretty much guessed Ward was working for Hydra when she found a dead Agent Koenig. So she composed herself and then tried to play Ward and get him to sleep with him, but then Ward’s saying that have to go meaning tha he’s on to her, but also is trying to complete his mission too. I just liked how some things have been discovered and yet neither character is willing to give up what they know.
What I Disliked
Now let’s talk about what I didn’t like. This is the first episode where I felt like I got nothing from the episode in the sense that, you good almost take this episode of the season and it wouldn’t matter. I mean sure Ward’s actions definitely need to be accounted for as well as May disappearance, but other than that nothing else in this episode really has any consequence in the grand scheme of things. I was also hoping to feel a deeper emotional pull towards Coulson because of his history with Audrey but the writers I guess just didn’t feel like going for that emotional depth I guess. And speaking of missing opportunities for emotional depth, that point when Simmons said that her and Fitz needed to talk, that was the PERFECT opportunity for him to tell her how he feels and he said nothing. Fool! But the main thing that bugged me was that my man Agent Eric Koenig was wasted in this episode by Ward already, WHAT THE HELL!?! Now I now since he was a guest star that his time wouldn’t be long but bloody hell, the dude was cool, best new character in ages and then he gets taken out just like that? It’s bullshit. I am severely saddened and gutted that the writers didn’t give him more to do, he had so much potential to be a cool recurring character. Dammit Ward!
Conclusion
In conclusion “The Only Light in the Darkness” is good episode and has a lot of interesting points like Ward’s double agent status almost getting compromised while hanging with Skye, Coulson’s history with the cellist lady and having May leave the team. That being said this was a fairy tame and lacklustre episode when compared to the last five, it just lacks an intriguing hook and satisfactory conclusion.
Rating: 7.5/10 (A good episode but nothing special)
So what did you think of “The Only Light in the Darkness“? Whatever your thoughts drop them in the comments below and I’ll see ya again for episode 20! 😀
Howdy ladies and gents of the interweb, time for my review of episode 18 of Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. entitled“Providence“. So it seems like AoS struck gold last week with “Turn, Turn Turn” with most people really loving the episode and believing that AoS has finally becoming the show they wanted in the first place. So how has this week’s episode fared? Read on and find out.
As usual in these reviews I’m just gonna present the plot and then say what I liked and what I didn’t like. Cool? Okay let’s keep going.
The Plot
With Colonel Glenn Talbot now on their trail, Coulson and his team seek refuge in the last place anyone would look, where they begin to uncover S.H.I.E.L.D.’S most dangerous secrets — secrets that could destroy them all.
What I Liked
For me this was another solid episode, it picks up right where we left off before and weight of Hydra’s infiltration of SHIELD in the last episode can definitely be felt here as there are actions and consequences taken for both the good and bad guys. Trust seemed to be a key feature in this episode, it was really about knowing who is telling the truth or who is lying, knowing who to believe or who distrust and just having faith in general. I liked all of that stuff and then some.
Now let’s talk about my personal highlights:
Coulson The Believer, Coulson The Crazy: Another episode, another time you feel for Coulson. This must be his most emotional episode yet. Even after Hydra has brought SHIELD to the ground he is still a firm believer in the organization that he worked for and you want to believe in him and hope that his instincts are correct, but with all the recent happenings it is hard to ignore how questionable he looks. It also doesn’t help when he finds coordinates on his S.H.I.E.L.D. badge that he believes to be Nick Fury even though he is assumed dead at this point. He still goes after this supposed rendezvous point anyway even when his team questions him. His strong belief that Fury is reaching out to him makes him look crazy and delusional especially when Melinda May and other members of the team question his actions. This leads to one very emotional speech when they get to their location in the middle of nowhere and Coulson proclaims that they are still agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and that it carries weight, seeing the anger and desperation in his eyes in painful and saddening, but amazing thanks to the acting of Clark Gregg. Thank god Coulson wasn’t wrong though lol.
Fitz The Jealous One: Ah man poor Fitz, this guy has it bad. Last episode he almost got killed, now its back to him losing his friend to another man again. So here we have Fitz clearly aware of how much Simmons is attached to Triplett and clearly he’s annoyed, so he makes glares from the background and tries to contradict Triplett just to look cool in front of Simmons which is admirable but foolish. But the worst part for him is when in the woods he tells Simmons that he doesn’t want things to change between them and she says it’s too late for that, us audience members knows she’s referring to the new Hydra threat, but Fitz sees this more as the end of their potential relationship and the start of hers with Triplett. Our man is losing and you can’t help but feel for him. 😦
Garrett and Ward, Partners in Crime: Man these two look like they’ve been teaming up and doing stuff like this for years, not surprising considering how long they’ve known each other. These two have a great repore with each other with some funny lines of dialogue and good screen chemistry. I love the way they operate, their infiltration of The Fridge was cool and even more impressive is when Ward has to go back to Skye and create a believable story, so Garrett beats Ward up to make it look like he was in a heavy fight. That scene was just brutal and just shows how far they are in sync, its mad, but smart at the same time.
Grant Ward is SO Bad: Man this dude is dodgy. Ward is really playing up the fact that he is bad guy by busting Raina out of jail, hanging with Garrett, pretending to care for Skye and still pretending to be a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent in general. This guy is so full of trickery. I liked both of his insightful conversations with Raina and Garrett, with Raina we discover that he got his former team’s trust by saving Simmons and sleeping with May and befriending Skye by being her superior officer. And with Garrett we find that he didn’t want Skye to be shot in the way that she did, but Garrett says that while he understands why Ward likes her, he says not to forget the mission and why he was doing it in the first place. We also learn that he’s been on the bad side since before joining Coulson’s team and that he really has been pretending the whole time, this makes Brett Dalton much cooler now.
Raina’s Back: So we catch up with Raina who has been stuck in jail making paper flowers (which doesn’t make her look weird or crazy at all), but then she’s sprung out by Ward and meets the famous Clairvoyant only to find out that is Garrett, but also that he has no special powers. Naturally she’s confused, cheated and disappointed by the events that take place between her, Ward and Garrett, but when she’s told that she’s needed for the centipede project again with all the resources at hand, she seems to fall right back into play again. I did miss this character and her odd yet calm demeanour and the fact that she may be able to solve the mystery behind Coulson’s death with all the samples that Garrett stole intrigues me.
The Return of Ian Quinn and the Gravitonium: Ah Ian Quinn, how I missed you. So after being busted out of jail, Quinn has no kind words for Garrett, rightfully so considering all the crap that Garrett did to him. But then when Garrett presents Quinn with the Gravitonium you can see that the dude is pleased. And rightfully so, when Grant and Ward found that special something at the bottom level of the Fridge I prayed that it was the Gravitonium and thank god it’s returned. Its been ages since it was last seen and if its come back into play now then there must be plans for it, I just wonder if that doctor is still in there.
Other things I observed was the inclusion Patton Oswalt and Adrian Pasdar was great as Agent Eric Koenig and US Air Force Colonel Glenn Talbot (especially Oswalt he was hilarious). Koenig also let’s Coulson know that Fury is still alive and that only he can know about it (outside of Captain America, Maria Hill, Black Widow and Falcon). Agent Triplett is definitely sowing up a bit more and making himself known among the group, even if Fitz doesn’t like him and we also learn that Coulson plays Call of Duty, damn he just gets cooler al the time. And silly little Skye has her school girl crush on Ward, not knowing that she finding information to the enemy and that he’s just faking emotions! At least I hope he is and there’s no redemption for him.
What I Disliked
There wasn’t much I disliked this time around, I guess the only thing I would have wanted was more Gravitonium. 😛
Conclusion
In conclusion “Providence” is another good episode. It puts the Hydra threat at the forefront and shows Garrett and Ward making movements and assembling their big guns by grabbing key characters and items from previous episodes. On top of that we ee that even though Coulson and his team aren’t necessarily an official organization anymore, they are still a team and still believe that there is hope.
Rating: 8.5/10
So what did you think of “Providence“? Whatever your thoughts drop them in the comments below and I’ll see ya again for episode 19! 😀
Good day to you people of the internet, time to review a new film and today’s the one I have been cautiously looking forward to, The Amazing Spider-Man 2. Now check it, I wasn’t too keen on the first Amazing Spider-Man, I re-watched it recently and liked it a bit more than I remember, but I’m still not over the moon about it. So with this new film I had hoped that it would be the one to win me over, ever since the first trailer I’ve been hyped and since I loved Captain America: The Winter Soldier this film had a lot to live up to. So has Marc Webb and his team succeed with this film? Well read on and find out!
So what’s going on with the story? Well firstly Peter Parker is still Spider-Man but he’s definitely become a well-known figure in New York, he saves lives, the people know and love him (for the most part) and as a superhero he has become a lot more confident. Outside of the suit Parker is also continuing his relationships with Gwen Stacy and trying to find out what happened with his parents and how it ties to Oscorp. Oscorp also plays a big role in this film as it leads to the return of Harry Osborn and the creation of the villain Electro, a villain ready to wreck things up for not only Spider-Man, but the rest of New York.
What we get in this story is a better look at the life of Peter Parker, seeing how he balances his life between being a superhero and then trying to hide his secret to Aunt May and continue his relationship with Gwen although he is haunted by the promise he made to her father in the last film. The film is at top form when it focuses on the relationship between Peter and Gwen, it is the core element of this film and that got right. The rest of the plot has its moments but none of it comes off as effectively. Besides the backstory involving Peter’s parent’s ties to Oscorp which finally gets some clarity in the way I’d hoped in the last film, this film just feels a bit bloated with there being there’s a lot of things going and with some of these other plot points don’t get the screen time they deserve to feel as relevant. I do like how this film draws from its comic book source material and it does have some moments of greatness, however it doesn’t feel like a cohesive film and at times because of the heavy focus on Peter and Gwen’s relationship I felt like I was watching a romantic drama with comic book elements sprinkled in which made this film less like a superhero film to me.
As for the characters there are pretty good for the most part. Let’s start with Andrew Garfield as Peter Parker/Spider-Man. Garfield does a great job with the role here as he’s definitely become more comfortable with this role and has been able to take it to new places emotionally. Peter in this film has a lot of issues to deal with from his relationship to with to hiding his superhero identity from his aunt to reconnecting with Harry and on top of that be Spider-Man and I feel like Garfield acts well. Emma Stone as Gwen Stacy is amazing, besides the fact that I love this woman because she is beautiful, she definitely is really good in this role. Gwen in this film is still smart, sassy, funny and has a lot of relevance in this film and I loved what the writers did with her character in the film. As for Jamie Foxx as Max Dillon/Electro this where things get a bit iffy. As Dillon, the electrical engineer who works for Oscorp as someone who no one notices he’s good, he has odd personality traits and weird. After Dillon becomes Electro I like what they did with his powers and I liked him more than the Lizard, that being said this villain wasn’t nearly as compelling or had the gravitas of other good superhero villains like the Joker, Loki or a better example would be Alfred Molina’s Doc Ock.
Dane DeHaan as Harry Osborn was cool, this version of Harry is a lot more distant, suave, sophisticated and emotionally complex and I loved what DeHaan did with the character and his chemistry with Peter was pretty intriguing although I think it needed more time to develop. However as the new version of the Green Goblin DeHaan was a bit hard to watch because of the over-the-top nature of the acting. And lastly Sally Field as Aunt May was lovely, I feel like she continued to be a good support for Peter and she definitely steps up and does a wonderful job where the emotional moments matter.
When it comes to the presentation it is really good for the most part. Visually the film looks gorgeous, the GCI is very sharp, vivid and beautiful. The cinematography is also very nice with some incredible first person shots, wide shots that showcase the incredible New York landscape and tracking shots that look really awesome too. The fight Spider-Man’s fight scenes and web-slinging look as good as ever and are way more advanced and intricate than before. And the soundtrack by Hans Zimmer is a bit of mixed bag. Normally Zimmer can do no wrong and for the most part this score has a better presence and heroic sound to it than the previous film, that being said, this film also has some questionable music tracks inserted that really take me out of the film and feel like they were added to try and make the film feel modern which was really unnecessary.
In conclusion The Amazing Spider-Man 2 is good, but wasn’t the Spider-Man that I wanted. The central storyline involving Peter and Gwen is where this film succeeds, that and the great action sequences, but beyond that not much else works. In Captain America: The Winter Soldier I knew I was in love with that film almost immediately, but now with Amazing Spider-Man 2 I’m still indifferent to it. There’s stuff I liked and stuff I didn’t but as an overall piece of work I can’t figure out how I feel about it. This is gonna be one of those films that splits the audience down the middle again and your enjoyment will really depend of your thoughts on the last film, what kind of comic fan you are or whether you prefer these new films to the Sam Raimi ones. As it stands this film was not a train wreck, but it wasn’t amazing as the title implies, watch the film for yourself to form your own opinion yo. I’m out. :S
Rating: 7.5/10 (A film that has its moments, but just isn’t consistent)
So what do you think of The Amazing Spider-Man 2? Did you love it or hate it or are you indifferent to the film like I am? Whatever your thoughts are be sure to leave them in the comments below and I’ll see ya on the next film review, laters! 😀
Howdy ladies and gents, time for a new film review and today I’m going to be reviewing a film I’ve been hyped about for a while now, The Raid 2: Berandal. Now The Raid: Redemption was a lot of fun, it was action and violence in tight spaces and I really liked it, though not as much as I thought I would. But when I saw the trailer for the sequel which critics said in early screenings was better than the original, I knew I had to see it. So after checking it out today how does it fare? Well read on and find out.
The plot for this film can be described as the following:
“Approximately two hours after the first film ends, Rama goes undercover and infiltrates the ranks of a ruthless Jakarta crime syndicate in order to protect his family and to uncover the corruption in his own police force.”
The story in this film basically takes the plot and themes from the last film and expands upon it in every way making this film feel more fleshed out and immersive than before. The first film was kind of light on story so I’m glad to see that there is so a lot more going on in this film. The Raid 2 takes us deeper into the seedy underground of corruption in the criminal underworld, it is here in the story where the film deals with issues like family issues, gang turf wars and dodgy law enforcement among other things. All of these issues are brought to the table in a very good and interesting way, it makes for a more relevant story that you care about. My only issue is that there is a lot going on sometimes and there were a good few details I missed because I couldn’t read the subtitles fast enough since I’m not a very fast reader in general.
As for the cast there all really good and on a higher degree to the acting than in the last film. Iko Uwais as Rama is really good, besides laying the smack down on loads of people in a kick ass manner, Rama has become a better character than before. In this film Rama has a lot to deal with, he has to go undercover and get close to the bad guys, but at the same time is constantly worrying about the safety of his family and has to deal with the moral and ethical decisions that come with his line of work. I just feel like Uwais is given better material to work with and finally became the central character I wanted him to be in the last film. Arifin Putra as Uco is awesome and great addition to this sequel. Uco is a man who is committed to his father and like to use his father’s status to help him get by, however he is always looking beyond his current position and wishes to ascend to become a high-ranking criminal. Putra is very engaging, charismatic and intense and I really loved his character’s personality and ambition even if he was a douche.
Tio Pakusadewo as Bangun is awesome, he is a man who is respected as the main crime boss in Jakarta and has Uca oversee certain aspects of his empire but doesn’t allow him to do more than small tasks because he fears for his son’s lust for power. Alex Abbad as Bejo is great, he’s this very cocky, ambitious gangster who has a great deal of people willing to do anything for him and he longs for more power and wishes to become top dog which means that he’ll have to ruffle some feathers in the criminal underworld in order to ascend. Julie Estelle as Alicia a.k.a “Hammer Girl”, damn, she was SO cool, she was the mute, but had a great presence and some wonderful moments to shine, I really hope to see Estelle in more films because she’s a badass and we need more female badasses in the world. Oka Antara as Eka and Ryuhei Matsuda as Keiichi were pretty cool and had cool parts to play in the film. And lastly Kenichi Endo as Goto and Kazuki Kitamura as Ryuichi are pretty good as well and add some interesting aspects to the story with their characters.
When it comes to the presentation, good gravy, this film has it down to a tee. The action in this film is insane, frigging insane! The gun fights and car chases are great, but what really sticks out is fight scenes. The fight choreography is SO well done, it is swift, tight, versatile, long in length, has hand-to-hand combat along with several forms weaponry too and it is so sexy to look at thanks to some really great cinematography. The way everything is shot has a gorgeous artistic look to it, like there was a great deal fo care put into the construction of each scene or sequence with some of these close shots, wide shots, rotating shots and quick cut edits, it was fabulous. And then of course there is the violence which is on full display here, this film is so brutal in it’s the display of people getting broken. People get cut, sliced, stabbed, twisted, snapped, broken, shot, etc. It is gruesome at times, however it is done in such a masterful way; you pretty much do one of three things:
Cringe and go “OH!” and the violence.
Say “Yeah” because the violence is so cool.
Or laugh at the way some of these people get messed up because believe me some of it really is funny.
My only criticism of the action is that sometimes it doesn’t know when to call it quits, some of the fights go on for ages, longer than of the average person which makes some of these people come across as superhumans than regular ones.
In conclusion The Raid 2: Berandal is great. It’s just crazy, my god, so much carnage, so much violence and well-choreographed martial arts. I loved it! XD I urge everyone who is interested in watching films to give this film a watch, I haven’t felt so good about action and violence in a while.
Rating: 8.5 (Violent martial arts carnage at its finest people)
So what did you think of The Raid 2: Berandal? Have you seen it or are you gonna watch it? Whatever your thoughts are be sure to leave them in the comments below and I’ll see ya on the next review yo. 😀
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