Howdy ladies and gents, if you’re a resident of the UK right now then you wold have noticed the heavy amount of snow that has dropped in the last few days. And since I have a blog and an opinion, it is time to talk about that snow once again.
That snow, oh that snow, it’s returned. Boo.
If you read this blog you know how I feel about that white stuff, but for those who aren’t aware here’s the short version: I despise it. Besides looking pretty, its cold, messy and disrupts all forms of travel.
So yesterday I was in London when I got a Snapchat message off of a friend and it showed what looked to be Sheffield covered in snow and I basically laughed at his misfortune. There was no snow in London at all, I think it may have rained, but otherwise it was pretty sunny, plus cold and wind added. It wasn’t until I came home around 5.30 that I saw snow had reached the Bedfordshire area and then I saw on the news that everyone in the north pretty much got the worst of things. If snow ruins people’s idea of a good time it only goes to show how terrible that form of weather really is. I consider snow to be good for children only, it is just an excuse to get out of school, nothing else. Once snow becomes part of your adult life, it fails to be fun and interesting, it just become troublesome and ugly. I look at snow like a disease from the from the sky that we must endure periodically at certain points in the year and I don’t think I’ll ever be down with it, because I’m all about that sun and warm weather yo.
In conclusion I hope this snow doesn’t become too bothersome as I have travelling to do and fun to be had so if the snow chooses to be a problem again, believe me when I tell you I will be back to rant about it lol.
Well the teaser trailer for the comic book film that’s been shrouded in secrecy for the longest time; The Fantastic Four has FINALLY dropped today and I finally get to talk about it.
Check out the trailer below:
So my immediate thoughts after seeing this teaser? Not bad, this film, it has my interest. Now while it didn’t do anything to blow me away, it did paint a picture that I want to see more of. This trailer pretty much is here to give you an idea of what to expect in terms of the atmosphere and style of the film. This looks very different from the old FF films and possibly any of the recent comic book films that we’ve seen.
At first we get a very standard (and a bit generic) voice over that talks about humans’ need to build and invent and furthering those ideas on the younger generation, and obviously there’s talk of risks and sacrifice. So this guy’s monologue is a way of summarizing the outline of what the future holds for the heroes of this film. All while he is talking we see shots of a lab, Reed walking around, Ben playing baseball, Johnny fixing a car and Sue on a computer. There is a montage around two-thirds of the way in where the more interesting shots come in like Sue looking sad holding Johnny, an explosion in the city, Johnny flaming on in a hallway, what looks to be Dr. Doom dispatching some guards with electricity and Johnny’s fire against Sue’s invisibility force field. And that final shot of the four heroes together looking at that crazy light/portal thing in the sky looks menacing and flashy.
What I do like about this trailer is the tone. It feels very serious, realistic and falls in line very much with Days of Future Past or The Amazing Spider-Man. It seems like this will be one of those superhero films that is less comic book styled and more like an action drama with superhero elements thrown in.
So from what I can understand it seems like Reed, Sue, Johnny and Ben are all doing their own thing, possibly looks like they volunteer for some science experiment that goes wrong and then they all gain superpowers.
I like the look of this film, the special effects look pretty clean and the scope of the film (again like The Amazing Spider-Man) looks huge, not only in terms of locations, but the way this film is shot has so much wide and establishing shots of various locations. I’m also like the effects used for Johnny’s fire and The Thing’s rock form that looks more realistic than before.
My only concern is how much they will change from the comics, but even more so than that, how serious the film will be. I like dark and gritty films, but after the Christopher Nolan Batman films I was ready for something a little lighter. Guardians of the Galaxy was hella fun and showed that you could have a comic book film that didn’t need to be all moody, but instead could a balance between humour and action. I don’t want FF the dark edition, hopefully there is some fun to be found in this film.
In conclusion the teaser trailer for The Fantastic Four is pretty good, it gives you just enough footage to give you an idea of what’s going on, but doesn’t overdo it with footage or spoil specific story details (SONY TAKE NOTE). I am now intrigued by this film, it may not be the FF that I remember, but I’m going to give this film a chance.
So ladies and gents what do you think of the teaser trailer for The Fantastic Four? Are you down with this more realistic approach or do you want something more in line with the comics? Whatever your thoughts are drop them in the comments below and I’ll see ya on the next review, laters! 😀
Yo yo people of the internet, time for some very important film news that comes in the form of images and an interview from the Fantastic Four reboot. The following info comes from ComicBookMovie:
While there’s been secrecy and a lack of promotion for this year’s reboot of Marvel’s First Family, Collider has exclusively revealed two of the first official production images from The Fantastic Four, as well as an extended interview with director Josh Trank and producer Simon Kinberg. The former filmmaker features in one of the behind-the-scenes images, while the other features the latter on-set alongside actor Michael B. Jordan, aka Johnny Storm, who appears to be suited up in his Human Torch suit. The interview is quite lengthy, but Collider has provided some highlights which include Trank saying that they “consciously decided to not release anything official” until now, the story is essentially “a modern telling of how these four iconic characters came together and came to be,”Philip Glass and Marco Beltrami are scoring the film, recent additional photography was nothing major, and “the original shoot was seventy-two days and they were on-schedule and on-budget.” Regarding influences on The Fantastic Four, Josh Trank further explains that Canadian filmmaker David Cronenberg and his films, Scanners & The Fly, are big influences for the look of the reboot, while there are also “influences of what Jack Kirby and Stan Lee were doing in the 60’s all the way up into the present day,” plus “The Ultimates was also an influence and a lot of the science specifics are there.” Trank and Kinberg also reveal that they are very influenced by Marvel Studios’ shared universe even though “it’s tricky to combine X-Men and Fantastic Four because the X-Men films don’t acknowledge the Fantastic Four and The Fantastic Four takes place in the same time period as the modern day X-Men movies.” Furthermore, Trank reveals that his first cut of the movie was “around 2 hours and 10 minutes,” but the final run time “will probably be between 2 hours and 2 hours and 20 minutes.” As for Easter eggs, producer Simon Kinberg teases that “there’s a lot in the movie and there’s one on the teaser trailer (which will be premiering in three weeks with Kingsman: The Secret Service on February 13) that people can freeze frame and try to find.” To read the interview in its entirety, make the jump to Collider.
All I can say is THANK YOU and IT IS ABOUT TIME! I can understand that you don;t want to release any old form of information or imagery without it being of the best quality, but considering how close the film is and the fact that nothing official has shown up until recently is still ridiculous. But that aside we have two behind-the-scenes images and some comments from Josh Trank. Let’s talk about that top image first which features Michael B. Jordan (everyone’s favourite black man) in a black padded suit, looks kind of cool and interesting, though if the filmmakers are actually getting rid of the blue-coloured suited and going for some generic black look then I will be disappointed. The thing that gets me most happy about this article is Trank’s comments. for the longest time, the only reason I have given this film the benefit of the doubt is because he is at the helm, Chronicle was awesome and this man knows how to direct good action and character pieces so I just hope he can make that work for the FF too. Seems like he is acknowledging the comics (which is always a good thing) and understands the complexities with crossing the X-Men and FF universes together, so it’ll be interesting to see what happens down the line if he is around to the direct the sequel. I’m not stupidly excited for this film, but I know it is going to be interesting at least. Can’t wait for that trailer to drop today so I can finally have a look this film properly.
Howdy people of the internet, time for some unexpected TV news that dropped yesterday relating to the Marvel Comics property, X-Men. The following information comes from superherohype:
Back in October, a rumor popped up that FOX was looking to bring the X-Men to television in some form, and now TV Insider brings word that the network is in fact working to bring them to the small screen, pending the approval of Marvel Entertainment.
“It’s in negotiations,”Fox entertainment chairmen Gary Newman said. “We’re cautiously optimistic, we had a good meeting with them. That will not be on a fast track creatively. This is just the deal, now we have to find the creative.”
Newman went on to reveal he didn’t think the series would be ready to air before the 2016-2017 TV season.
The Hollywood Reporter adds that the network is in preliminary conversations with “24” producers Evan Katz and Manny Coto to develop the live-action series. Screenwriters Patrick McKay and JD Payne will pen the pilot episode with Katz and Coto set to serve as showrunners.
When I read this online yesterday I was like, “Is this real? No way!” But then I checked on 2 other websites and it seemed to be confirming the story. The main thing that this new makes me wonder is how does this relate to the X-Men film universe? Is this going to be a spin-off/side story to the X-Men film universe or will it be a completely separate and fresh entity of its own? Because if it is the latter then that would be frigging cool and would open the door for so many possibilities. One also has to wonder who or what will be the focus of this show, will it be the core X-Men team? Maybe X-Force or Alpha Flight? Who knows? Right now everything is speculation, but I’m just curious to know how this will be tackled. A few years ago if you had asked me whether I would have wanted to see a live-action X-Men TV show I would have said no in disgust and called it a day. However, considering the production value of a lot of TV shows these days and the popularity and quality of shows like Arrow, The Flash, Gotham, Constantine and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., I could see X-Men joining the world of television because their source material is so rich that they could tell more stories over a longer period of time on the small screen. If this show were to be a clean reboot of the series maybe us fans would finally get to see a more accurate depiction of some the characters and stories from the comics and maybe introduce things that have yet to come to pass in the film series.
Well that’s my two cents on the matter, how about you? Are you interested in an X-Men TV series and if so what would you like to see in there? Please be sure to leave your thoughts in the comments below! 😀
Hello people of the internet time for a bit of casting news relating to Marvel’s upcoming Jessica Jones TV show. The following information comes from superherohype:
Already an acting icon to genre fans for his portrayal as the tenth incarnation of “Doctor Who,” David Tennant has joined the cast of Marvel Studios’ upcoming Netflix series, “A.K.A. Jessica Jones.” Although the official press release refers to his character only as Kilgrave, comic book fans will likely better know the character as the Purple Man, a super villain gifted with the ability to force anyone to obey his commands.
“An enigmatic figure from Jessica’s past,” reads the official character description for the series, “Kilgrave’s reappearance will send shockwaves through the former super hero’s world.”
The Purple Man, whose full name is Zebediah Kilgrave (Killgrave with two L’s in the comics), made his first appearance in “Daredevil” #4 back in 1964. A Yugoslavian spy, Kilgrave was accidentally exposed to a chemical that turned his skin purple but that gave him the ability to force his will on others.
“I’m so honored and excited by the prospect of David inhabiting this multifaceted character,” says Melissa Rosenberg, Executive Producer and Showrunner. “He can deliver the most heart-wrenching moment to the driest of lines, and all points in between. He’ll make Kilgrave a truly original villain.”
“Anyone familiar with David’s work knows he brings an incredible level of dedication to any role he inhabits, a level we knew we would need from the man playing Kilgrave,” adds Jeph Loeb, Executive Producer/Marvel’s Head of Television. “While most know him for his roles as a hero, we can’t wait to unleash a whole new side of this talented actor.”
Set to star Krysten Ritter in the title role and Mike Colter as Luke Cage, “A.K.A. Jessica Jones” will premiere in 2015 with a 13-episode first season. Set after a tragic ending to her short-lived Super Hero stint, the series follows Jones as she rebuilds her personal life and career as a detective who gets pulled into cases involving people with extraordinary abilities in New York City.
My first thoughts? Great, get in. Tennant is a talented man and I’ve been a fan of his for a while now, he’s the only reason I used to watch Doctor Who and I liked him in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Well it seems like this series is definitely moving ahead at a steady pace as plot details emerge and people are getting cast. As for the character he’s playing I’m not familiar with him, but from the comments I’ve read online, he sounds important and most people are down with him being cast. I’m just happy with him becoming part of the MCU especially in a villain role.
So what do you think of this casting news? Please be sure to comment below and let me know! Laters! 😀
Howdy ladies and gents, time for some more film news and today’s news relates to the next film in the Mission: Impossible series and a change to its release date. The following information comes from superherohype:
With the latest franchise sequel having entered production last year, Paramount Pictures has some very exciting news today for Mission: Impossible fans. Mission: Impossible 5, formerly planned for release on December 25, 2015, will arrive nearly five months earlier than expected! Look for Tom Cruise’s Ethan Hunt to once again grace the big screen this July 31!
Directed by Christopher McQuarrie (The Way of the Gun, Jack Reacher), Mission: Impossible 5 also stars Jeremy Renner (Marvel’s The Avengers, Kill the Messenger), Alec Baldwin (The Departed, “30 Rock”), Simon Pegg (Star Trek, The World’s End), Ving Rhames (Pulp Fiction, Dawn of the Dead) Simon McBurney (The Last King of Scotland, The Theory of Everything) and Rebecca Ferguson (Hercules, The Red Tent) and features a screenplay by Will Staples and Drew Pearce.
The July 31 date will see Mission: Impossible 5opening opposite the Antoine Fuqua-directed boxing drama Southpaw (starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Rachel McAdams, Forest Whitaker, Naomie Harris, Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson, Rita Ora and Victor Ortiz), the Ericson Core-helmed big screen remake of Point Break (starring Ray Winstone, Teresa Palmer, Edgar Ramirez, Luke Bracey) and Tarsem Singh’s Ryan Reynolds-led science fiction thriller Selfless.
No plot details for Mission: Impossible 5 have, as of yet, been released, but check back for updates as soon as they become available. If you missed them, you can also check out some photos from the new film’s London production right here.
Well this just makes me happy. While I was down with the idea of watching MI5 after Christmas, the fact that it’s moved to the summertime just seems like a good idea because the MI films seem more like summer-based films. Obviously this a good move for Paramount because they are probably going to be more money in July, than in December opening after Star Wars: The Force Awakens. I’ve been ready for this film for a while and the fact that the release date has been moved up is awesome.
Howdy ladies and gents, time for some comic book film news and this latest post focuses on the future of the Avengers Part 3 with Joss Whedon’s involvement. The following information comes from ComicBookMovie:
There’s been a lot of talk about who will helm Avengers: Infinity War, with various outlets reporting that Joss Whedon wouldn’t be returning for the two-part movie. Since then, James Gunn (Guardians of the Galaxy) was mentioned as being a possible candidate, though it’s Joe and Anthony Russo (Captain America: The Winter Soldier) who have since emerged as the favourites.
What does Whedon make of all this? Talking in the latest issue of Empire Magazine, it appears as if he definitely won’t be returning to the Marvel Cinematic Universe for a little while following Avengers: Age of Ultron. “I couldn’t imagine doing this again,” he reveals, referring to the time and effort which has gone into the sequel. “It’s enormously hard, and it be, by then, a good five years since I created anything that was completely my own. So it’s very doubtful that I would take on the two-part Infinity War movie that would eat up the next four years of my life. I obviously still want to be a part of the Marvel Universe – I love these guys – but it ain’t easy. This year has been more like running three shows than any year of my life. It is bonkers.”
Whedon was similarly non-commital following the release of The Avengers in 2012, but it really does seem like he may be happy to take a break from Earth’s Mightiest Heroes for a while based on these comments. Of course, there’s nothing stopping him tackling another Marvel Studios movie…
Well I can’t say that I didn’t see this coming, however, this is sad news for comic book fans. Joss Whedon, what a guy. He has come from a successful background in television and then joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe to craft, what is now one of the best superhero films in history; The Avengers. Since around 2011 he has had a sort of supervising role overseeing the other films in the series (like how he directed the post-credits scene in Thor or how he helped James Gunn finish the writing for Guardians of the Galaxy). This man knows his stuff. And with Avengers: Age of Ultron looking super sweat, it is hard to think of anyone else taking on the directing role for the third Avengers film. Now I’ve come to discover in recent years two things: 1) That no single director is the number one choice to directing certain films. And 2) That some directors after 1 or 2 or 3 films need to take a break before getting worn out or losing interest.
Now Whedon has been involved with Marvel Studios for around 4 years. He’s been writing, developing, directing, filming and crafting these wonderful Marvel adventures trying to make them work within the context of the comics, but also inserting his natural charm, humour and character moments into the film. It is a hectic workload and I don’t that it is has allowed him much time to chill out and breathe. So if the man wants out, I will not blame or condemn him for that decision. The man has done good buy us fans and Marvel…
HOWEVER! Like the article says, there was a point when Whedon wasn’t going to direct Age of Ultron, but he still came back to the MCU, so maybe it is a case of having the right story or having the right amount of money being paid into his account. Whatever the case is, I’ll be good with whatever choice comes out of the future because I am a realist.
So what do you think of this news? please be sure to comment below and let me know yo. 😀
Howdy ladies and gents, time for a fresh film review and today I’ll be talking about Ex Machina. This is a film I only found out about around a month ago because of the posters showing at my local cinema, but it was after I saw the trailer and heard Oscar Issac was in the film when my interest got raised. Recently there’s been a lot of praise about this film, is it warranted? Well read on and find out in this condensed review!
The story for this film can be described as the following:
“A young programmer is selected to participate in a breakthrough experiment in artificial intelligence by evaluating the human qualities of a breathtaking female A.I.”
This is a thriller mixed in with science fiction and it is a wonderfully done in a story that is familiar, yet unique, intriguing and unsettling. What I loved was the fact that from the beginning there was something in the air that felt off. There was a creepy atmosphere with great deal of tension and suspense. The film gets you to look at every detail and consider the possibility from the perspective of each of the characters and then it becomes a game to find out who is telling the truth and who is full of shit. As the film progresses and certain aspects come to light things get very dark, disturbing and different very quickly, and while I suspected some of the story elements that came to pass, there were certainly unexpected aspects that I did not see coming which was great. For all its dark elements they are moments of humour and there is one sequence which was one of the best things I have experienced in any film in a while.
When it comes to the cast they are all incredible. Domhnall Gleeson as Caleb is awesome as this young man who comes into interaction with Nathan and Ava and has a life-changing experience getting to know them. Caleb is bright and intelligent, but is also fascinated by Ava and questions what Nathan’s intentions are. Gleeson is an actor I’ve grown to like since his days in Harry Potter and here is so calm, cool and dramatic. Oscar Isaac as Nathan what a great performance. Nathan is a man with ambition, he’s smart, confident and charming, however he is also uncompromising and mysterious. Isaac delivers what could be his best performance to date, he goes from being laid back to funny to intimidating and everything in between and he handles the role with such charisma that he is hard to take your eyes off of him. Alicia Vikander as Ava is fabulous, Ava is the AI created by Nathan and stays within a specific area of his house. She’s super smart, but is also curious about the outside world and gaining human interaction. Vikander is incredible, she walks the line perfectly between being robotic and being human, whether it be the way she talks or walks has just enough humanity to be realistic.
In addition to that the presentation was lovely. Visually the film was beautiful with a good use of colour, great shots of the outdoors and the CGI was very stylish and realistic. And the soundtrack by Ben Salisbury and Geoff Barrow is cool and adds the atmospheric and creepy nature of the film.
In the end Ex Machina is a smart, chilling and well-executed and it is one of my favourite films in recent history to deal with artificial intelligence and how it interacts with humans. I highly recommend this film, the story is great and the performances from the three main cast members is brilliant.
Rating: 8.5/10
So have you seen Ex Machina and if so what do you think of it? 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 gents, time for a little more comic book film news on the Marvel side of things and this relates to the upcoming Doctor Strange film coming out in 2016. The following information comes from superherohype:
The Hollywood Reporter brings word this evening that 12 Years a Slave star Chiwetel Ejiofor is in talks for an undisclosed role in Marvel Studios’ upcoming film Doctor Strange.
According to the outlet, some of their sources indicate he could be taking on the villain role of the film while others have refuted that. Check back here for further confirmation on the casting as we learn it. Ejiofor is no stranger to villain discussions, as he was previously in talks to be the lead villain of the 24th James Bond film,Spectre, though those talks fell through.
Scheduled to hit theaters November 4, 2016, Doctor Strange is scripted by Jon Spaihts and is said to follow the story of neurosurgeon Dr. Stephen Strange who, after a horrific car accident, discovers the hidden world of magic and alternate dimensions. Scott Derickson will direct the film, which sees Benedict Cumberbatch in the titular role of the Sorcerer Supreme.
I read this yesterday and I grinned a lot. Marvel Studios seem to be attracting talent left, right and center with their upcoming films, and to add someone as talented as Chiwetel Ejiofor just makes me happy. These comic book films are super big blockbusters and when they’re good, the word of mouth surrounding them spreads like wildfire especially when it comes to the actors. Ejiofor I’ve always liked since I saw him in Four Brothers and then in Firefly and since his amazing performance in 12 Years a Slave, the man has become super popular. And if he does have a role in this new Marvel film I’ll be so happy. 🙂 Now I don’t know much about the villains in the mythos of Doctor Strange (besides Baron Mordo and Dormammu), however several people in the comments section of the site claim that he could be either Brother Voodoo, Mordo or Dormammu. Any of which I would be happy with, though since Mordo is classically a white character, it would be interesting to see if they would change the race for the role.
Anyway what do you think of this news and do you think Ejiofor is a good fit for this film or any other films in the MCU? Please be sure to comment below and let me know your thoughts.
Howdy ladies and gents, so some big casting news for X-Men: Apocalypse broke yesterday (early this morning for us UK people) and I feel like I need to talk about it. The following information comes from ComicBookMovie:
For the past few months, several names have been thrown in the mix for the roles of Ororo Munroe aka Storm, Jean Grey, and Scott Summers aka Cyclops, as the younger iterations of the mutants will be appearing in Bryan Singer’s X-Men: Apocalypse. While those shortlists have shortened this past month, the director has just taken to his Twitter account to announce that actors Alexandra Shipp (Storm), Sophie Turner (Jean), and Tye Sheridan (Cyclops) have officially joined the ensemble cast. Shipp is probably best known for portraying the late songstress Aaliyah in a Lifetime biopic, while English actress Sophie Turner is known for her role on HBO’s Game of Thrones, and the relatively unknown Tye Sheridan has been praised for his role in 2012’s Mud. Anyhow, the trio join a mutant roster made up of Jennifer Lawrence, Michael Fassbender, James McAvoy, Nicholas Hoult, and Oscar Isaac, while X-Men: Apocalypse is set for release on May 27, 2016.
So what do I think of this news? I’m totally down with it, I like these choices a lot. Like with X-Men: First Class, the cast are young and mainly unknown, though there are exceptions to the rule here. Firstly let me talk about the person I’m most excited about and that’s Sophie Turner as Jean Grey. Turner is great as Sansa Stark in Game of Thrones and for her to land a role like this, I’m so happy for her and it’ll definitely get her some more publicity. The girl can act and I wonder how she’ll transition into the more action-based material. Then there’s Tye Sheridan as Cyclops, while I’ve only seen him in Mud, I thought he was very good and I hear a lot of good things about him The Tree of Life and Joe. I hope he’ll brink a bit more attitude and badassery to the character that’s been lacking so far. The only person who I don’t know about is Alexandra Shipp who will be playing Storm. I’ve not seen her in any of the films or TV shows she’s been in. All I know is that she played Aaliyah in Aaliyah: The Princess of R&B last year, but other than that she’s pretty much unknown to me. I can say that she’s pretty though. All I really want from these younger versions of Storm, Jean Grey and Cyclops is more screen time, better action sequences and character traits more in line with the comic books.
So what do you think of this casting? Whatever your thoughts are be sure to drop them below.
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