Howdy ladies and gentlemen of the internet, yeah I’m still alive haha. Today I am here to share my thoughts on both Bad Boys For Life and 1917 via my podcast Film Focus.
On episode 97 of Film Focus, I’ve got a double film review for Bad Boys For Life and 1917. Now I was initially going to do separate reviews for both but decided to put them together in the same episode as it’d be an interesting balance between something fun and something serious. Both films left me with thought I just had to share, so how did these films fare? Well, listen to this episode for some spoiler-free thoughts on both films! 😀
So have you seen Bad Boys For Life and 1917 and if so what did you think of it? Drop your thoughts in the comments section below and I’ll see ya in the next review, laters! 😀
Howdy people of the internet, hopefully you’ve seen PART 1, 2 & 3 of 2020 film preview, and yes it’s just over halfway through January but I’m finally getting around to showing my 10 films I’m looking forward to the most via my podcast Film Focus.
Check out the episode below:
So that’s my top 10 list done, hope you enjoyed my choices. So what are your most anticipated films of 2020 and are any of your entries on my list? Drop your thoughts in the comments section below and I’ll see you on the next post, laters! 😀
Howdy people of the interweb and welcome to Films to look out for in 2020! This is my preview of upcoming films that I believe you should check out this year. In PART 1 I covered films from January to April, in PART 2 I covered May to August and in this post, I’ll be covering September to December. I had to be incredibly selective this time around so I hope you appreciate my choices. 🙂
Now before we begin I have two main things I need to point out:
Obviously, a lot of films come out, so if they’re not on my list it’s either because I don’t know about them or I don’t care…
Okay then, let’s start 😀
The King’s Man
Release Date: September 18th (USA & UK)
Trailer:
I’ve had an interesting change of opinion with this film. I initially wasn’t interested in this film due to how Matthew Vaughn handled Kingsman: The Golden Circle; a film not without merit, humour and creative action, but it was largely missing a lot of the charm, wit and restraint of the first film. So when I heard there was a prequel I was like “No thanks.” But then I saw the trailer and was like “Okay, Mr Vaughn you have my attention.” It genuinely looks like fun, very creative and has a great cast including Ralph Fiennes, Gemma Arterton, Daniel Brühl, Djimon Hounsou and Charles Dance.
The Many Saints of Newark
Release Date: September 25th (USA & UK)
At the time of writing this, I haven’t actually finished The Sopranos yet, but I’m currently enjoying and I’m very curious to see how a prequel will play out. Seeing the early adventures of Tony Soprano is intriguing, but what gives me hope is that original creator David Chase is directly involved and they’ve assembled a solid cast including Alessandro Nivola, Jon Bernthal, Vera Farmiga, Corey Stoll, Billy Magnussen, Joey Diaz, Michael Gandolfini and Ray Liotta.
The Trial of the Chicago 7
Release Date: September 25th (USA & UK)
The plot can be summed up as the following: “Based on the story of the Chicago Seven, a group of seven defendants charged by the federal government with conspiracy, inciting to riot, and other charges related to anti-Vietnam War and countercultural protests that took place in Chicago, Illinois, on the occasion of the 1968 Democratic National Convention.” I only found out about this film in the last week and it sounded pretty interesting. Plus the cast is one of the most impressive sets of actors I’ve seen assembled for a while including Sacha Baron Cohen, Eddie Redmayne, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Jeremy Strong, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Alex Sharp, Thomas Middleditch, Frank Langella, William Hurt, Michael Keaton and Mark Rylance.
Last Night in Soho
Release Date: September 25th (USA) September 18th (UK)
Any time Edgar Wright makes a new film I’m down, the guy is such a unique director who has such great handling on character, style and humour. Plus he’s made two of my favourite films in the last decade with Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World and Baby Driver so he automatically has my money long before the film’s release. But besides the interesting premise involving time travel and fashion design, I’m curious to see how it plays out as it’s labelled as a psychological horror on Wikipedia which is very different from the genres that Wright’s tackled in the past.
Venom 2
Release Date: October 2nd (USA & UK)
I’m not going to lie I wasn’t overly keen onVenom, there were some decent ideas and moments, and the look of the characters was definitely better than what we got in Spider-Man 3, but that still wasn’t a very good representation of Eddie Brock or Venom. My interest in the sequel was probably less than 20%, but then Andy Serkis stepped on as director and that got my attention. Clearly, he must have seen something interesting in the story in order to take the project on and I hope that he’ll add a little flavour to the film and make it something worth watching.
Death on the Nile
Release Date: October 9th (USA & UK)
I know a lot of people weren’t overly keen on the 2017 version of Murder on the Orient Express, but I thought it was fun for the most part and I was down to see a curious to see a sequel. So now Hercule Poirot has to find a killer while on holiday in Egypt, and I love the choice of location and another murder mystery film is always welcome if handled well. I’m also feeling this cast, alongside Kenneth Branagh returning we get some new faces like Gal Gadot, Letitia Wright, Armie Hammer, Annette Bening, Rose Leslie, Sophie Okonedo, Dawn French and Russell Brand.
Respect
Release Date: October 9th (USA)
Trailer:
I didn’t even know this film was coming out until my sister mentioned it to me recently, so I looked up the teaser and damn, Jennifer Hudson already has me sold. Hudson has one of the most amazing voices ever and it doesn’t get to be shown in films as much. She was one of/if not the best part of Cats, but here I feel she’ll be able to really show off her terrific seeing and acting skills. I don’t know much about Aretha Franklin beyond her music so I’ll be fascinated to see how it pans out.
Halloween Kills
Release Date: October 16th (USA & UK)
Halloween from 2018 was a nice surprise, I didn’t think it was gonna work, but it was quite fun, had some solid kills and had some depth with Laurie Strode dealing with PTSD from her experiences in the first film. While I knew there’d be a sequel, I am very curious to see how Michael made it out of his last situation because he was pretty cooked the last time around. As long as the kills are good and the themes of the last film aren’t ignored and the film plays with our expectations it’ll be entertaining.
Those Who Wish Me Dead
Release Date: October 23rd (USA & UK)
So here’s the premise for this film: “A teenage murder witness finds himself pursued by twin assassins in the Montana wilderness with a survival expert tasked with protecting him — and a forest fire threatening to consume them all.” So beyond that interesting plot summary, I like the casting of Angelina Jolie, Nicholas Hoult, Tyler Perry, Jon Bernthal and Aidan Gillen. But most importantly the film is directed by Taylor Sheridan who wrote both Sicario and Day of the Soldado, Hell or High Water and Wind River, so I’m hyped.
The Eternals
Release Date: November 6th (USA & UK)
To be honest, while I’m excited to see how this film turns out, I’d be lying if I said my hype levels were super high for the film. I’m down to see any new Marvel adaptation especially when you have a cast including Angelina Jolie, Richard Madden, Kumail Nanjiani, Brian Tyree Henry, Salma Hayek, Gemma Chan and Kit Harington. But I’m more curious about director Chloé Zhao, both of her previous films; Songs My Brothers Taught Me and The Rider did really well in film festivals and are critically well-received. I just hope Marvel will allow her style to shine through to deliver a different kind of comic book experience.
Godzilla vs. Kong
Release Date: November 20th (USA & UK)
I feel like I should be more hyped for this but I’m basically just whelmed at the moment. I was one of the few people who really liked Godzilla (2014), I though Kong: Skull Island was fine and Godzilla: King of the Monsters from last year was fun for what it was, but I felt like it lacked the tension, scale and scary factor. But I doubt the new film will have any of that as it is just a big fight between two notable titans. I just hope that Godzilla gets to kick some ass as I know he’ll probably be jobbed because of the western love for King Kong, but I guess we’ll see. I just hope the action is well-choreographed and that the reason for these two characters coming to blows makes some sense and that the human story isn’t too dumb.
Dune
Release Date: December 18th (USA & UK)
Denis Villeneuve is one of those directors who always makes something interesting and after Blade Runner 2049 especially I’ll watch anything he makes. I’ve not seen any of the previous adaptations of Dune, but I know this will be solid with Vileneueve behind it. Plus the cast for this film is insane, it includes Timothée Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, Oscar Isaac, Josh Brolin, Stellan Skarsgård, Dave Bautista, Zendaya, David Dastmalchian, Stephen McKinley Henderson, Charlotte Rampling, Jason Momoa and Javier Bardem. I really hope it’ll be good.
News of the World
Release Date: December 25th (USA)
Here’s the premise: “A Texan travelling across the wild West bringing the news of the world to local townspeople, agrees to help rescue a young girl who was kidnapped.” Sounds cool, but the main reason I’m down for this film is the inclusion of Tom Hanks and Paul Greengrass. The last time these two worked together we got Captain Phillips and that was my favourite film of 2013, so I can only hope this film will be close to that level of quality.
So finally that’s PART 3 done. Thanks a lot for reading. Are any of the films listed on your personal list of films to watch? Whatever your thoughts are, be sure to drop them in the comment section below and come back soon to see my Most Anticipated Films of 2020! Peace out. 😀
Howdy people of the interweb and welcome to Films to look out for in 2020! This is my preview of upcoming films that I believe you should check out. In PART 1 I covered films from January to April, and in this post, I’ll be covering May to August.
Now before we begin I have two main things I need to point out:
Obviously, a lot of films come out, so if they’re not on my list it’s either because I don’t know about them or I don’t care…
Okay then, let’s start 😀
Black Widow
Release Date: May 1st (USA & UK)
Trailer:
This is a film I’ve been waiting for since 2014 after Winter Soldier came out and I had hoped at the latest it would have come out by 2016, but alas we had to wait just a little while longer to get a solo film for one of the most notable and well-received Avengers; Black Widow. Now I know there have been detractors for years claiming that we didn’t need a Black Widow solo film because it would be boring or there wouldn’t be much story to tell and so on. But considering how diverse the world of comics is, how much of her past remains a mystery and we also don’t know what she does when she’s not hanging out with her other superhero friends, there’s been plenty of opportunities to tell a kick-ass action spy thriller story surrounding Natasha and tense and dangerous situations she gets up to. I love the cast especially with Rachel Weisz and David Harbour being included, some of the action looks like it comes from the Bourne films which I love, and while the latest trailer didn’t wow me, I’m very much all for this film and pray that it is the spy adventure I’ve always wanted.
The Woman in the Window
Release Date: May 15th (USA & UK)
Trailer:
This film looks crazy and I wat it now. While I’ve seen elements of this kind of story in other films, I think the premise alone has me very much intrigued. The concept of a woman who can’t go outside who seemingly witnesses a murder of a friend and then is investigated by the police only to find the woman is actually a different person and there may be a conspiracy afoot? Cool. This kind of psychological madness is very enticing and since it’s coming from director Joe Wright and features an exceptional cast, this is high on my list for 2020.
Fast & Furious 9
Release Date: May 22nd (USA & UK)
Now at this point, you’re either on board with this franchise or you’re not, and while my interest in it has definitely waned in recent times, I’m still curious to see what they come up with. This franchise is just dumb and ridiculous and I want to know what kind of over-the-top material they’re going to do with the story and action, though I hope it is better than the 8th one.
Artemis Fowl
Release Date: May 29th (USA & UK)
Trailer:
I totally wrote about this film last year and it was set to come out last summer but got delayed to this year. I only just watched the trailer today and it looks pretty cool. Now Disney adaptations in recent times have been a little questionable in recent times and there’s a lot of people who read the source material complaining that the film already deviates from the book (not that they don’t have a right to voice their concerns). But for me as a casual viewer, it looks interesting, not sure what to make of it, but it looks intriguing enough and I want to see what Kenneth Branagh does with this.
Wonder Woman 1984
Release Date: June 5th (USA & UK)
Trailer:
I know a lot of people have gone gaga over this trailer, and while I will admit there were some hype moments in the trailer when it comes to some action and the choice of music is quite effective, I’m not losing my mind over it. I was already down for a sequel after the first film really won me over in 2017, now I’m just curious to see how Steve comes back and whether Pedro Pascal will make for a better villain than the first film. Plus I hope the action is more intricate and less slow-mo focused.
Soul
Release Date: June 19th (USA & UK)
Trailer:
Now, this is the kind of Pixar film I want. No offence to any of their recent efforts (except for Coco, that film was great), but this teaser trailer already gives me good vibes and tells me I’m in for something special. I love the visuals, how the art is a mixture of realism with such strong and distinctive character design and the story looks like it’ll be humorous and emotional and I can’t wait. Plus any film with a focus on jazz and following your passion automatically has my vote.
Top Gun: Maverick
Release Date: June 26th (USA) July 17th (UK)
Trailer:
So here’s the thing, I don’t even love Top Gun. I just think it’s a fun film from the ’80s with a few fun moments and one of my all-time favourite songs “Danger Zone” by Kenny Loggins. And yet after seeing the trailer for this film last year, I was totally in. Maybe it is this current era we’re living in where Tom Cruise just does crazy action roles and has the charisma to carry them along and I’m just down for that. I’m also curious to see what’s happened to the character since the last film and what kind of tricky stuff he’ll do in this film now that they’ll be filming the flight scenes in more intricate ways than before.
In the Heights
Release Date: June 26th (USA) August 7th (UK)
Trailer:
I’m not big into musicals, but I have been swayed by a few in recent times including Sing Street and La La Land, and watching this trailer recently I can say that this may be a contender for one of my favourites of the year. There’s a lot of heart, soul and energy in this film and it looks like it could be fun, plus it got the interesting combination of directed by Jon M. Chu and Lin-Manuel Miranda, so this will hopefully be something special.
Ghostbusters: Afterlife
Release Date: July 10th (USA & UK)
Trailer:
I love the first Ghostbusters film, it is one of my all-time favourite films and while I’ve never needed another entry in the series, I’ve always been curious to see where the world go in the modern era of filmmaking. And while there was the 2016 version, that just wasn’t my jam as Paul Feig’s humour isn’t my jam at all. But this trailer looks pretty interesting with the more serious tone and having a direct link to the original films. I hope that it’ll be good.
Tenet
Release Date: July 17th (USA & UK)
Trailer:
Christopher Nolan is one of those directors who for the most part is liked by film fans and some adore everything that he makes. For me, I like most of his filmography but sometimes feels like he’s a little overhyped. But his films are always interesting and I will always give the next entry in his filmography a watch, and Tenet… Looks mad! I only watched the trailer today and my literal reaction was “What!?! What is that?” I am confused and I want to see this film so bad now. It seems mysterious, suspenseful and crafty with some possibly time manipulation/time travel involved? Whatever the case is, I’m in, looks like fun.
Bill & Ted Face the Music
Release Date: August 21st (USA & UK)
now I’m not gonna act like I’m the biggest fan of Bill and Ted, but in my childhood, I remember a time where they were my everything. I just loved how chilled out, cool and quirky they were and the crazy adventures they went on especially in the animated series. It’s just nice to see after all the years of ifs and maybes that this film will finally be coming out and I’m very curious to see if that magic can be replicated in the modern era.
Alrighty then, that’s PART 2 done. Thanks a lot for reading. Are any of the films listed on your personal list of films to watch? Whatever your thoughts are, drop them in the comment section below and I’ll see you for PART 3! Laters 😀
Good day to you ladies and gentlemen, it’s a new year so once again its time for my preview of this year’s films that I believe are worth viewing entitled: Films to look out for in 2020! In PART 1 I’ll be covering films released from now until April, and while these aren’t necessarily the best films that’ll be coming out during this period, I do believe there’s merit to all of the films on this list.
Now before we begin I have one thing I need to specify:
Obviously, a lot of films come out, so if they’re not on my list it’s either because I don’t know about them or I don’t care…
Okay then, let’s start 😀
Bad Boys for Life
Release Date: January 17th (USA)
Trailer:
I’ve never been the biggest fan of the Bad Boys films, but I’ve definitely enjoyed them more than most of Micahel Bay’s filmography. And for what they are, just fun action films with moments fo humour, there’s fun to be found in them (though I really like the first as opposed to the sequel). I’m interested in this film for a couple reasons: 1) This film has been talked about for YEARS and for it to finally be happening feels so surreal. And 2) I want to see what a Bay Boys film looks like in the modern era of Michael Bay post Transformers, Pain and Gain and so on. Will it have the better elements of his filmmaking or the worse stuff? Here’s hoping for the former.
The Last Full Measure
Release Date: January 24th (USA)
Trailer:
I only found this film was in existence recently. I think this looks like a pretty compelling film with a story that gets more complicated as it progresses. I enjoy films that involve cover-ups and deception on a large scale and an individual who has to uncover the truth against tough odds. Plus I love that Sebastian Stan is the leading role alongside other actors I like including Christopher Plummer, William Hurt, Ed Harris and Samuel L. Jackson.
The Rhythm Section
Release Date: January 31st (USA & UK)
Trailer:
Oh my gosh, this was one of the films I put on my list this time last year! Then I remembered seeing the trailer for this in the cinema a good few months ago and was like, “Oh, is that Blake Lively? Interesting.” While this kind of thriller has been before, the premise seems intriguing enough that if handled well it good be a good time. I’ve never big into Lively but this looks like it could be a good/different role for her, plus I like Jude Law and Sterling K. Brown.
Sonic the Hedgehog
Release Date: February 14th (USA & UK)
Trailer:
Look, I know this film probably won’t be very but damn it I have to know how bad it’ll be. After all media buzz surrounding the film with its first trailer and Sonic’s initial design which was atrocious to the redesign and second trailer which people liked a lot more, I just need to see what kind of madness these filmmakers have crafted. I mean I hope that it’ll be good, that’s all I can hope for (says every Sonic fan about any new material especially when it comes to the video games).
Fantasy Island
Release Date: February 14th (USA & UK)
Trailer:
I never saw the TV show, though I am aware of its existence and some of the parodies that have come over the years, but I am always down for a new reboot if it looks good enough, and this film looks like it could be fun. Now granted it has a lot of the tropes of modern horror films which I do make me want to roll my eyes, but the premise of going to an island, having fun and fulfilling your desires with a dark twist seems like it could be fun. Here’s hoping it is at least entertaining.
Wendy
Release Date: February 28th (USA & UK)
Trailer:
Well, this certainly looks interesting. At first, I thought I was watching some sort of variation on Lord of the Flies, but as the trailer continues I’m like “Is this like a different take on The Lost Boys from Peter Pan?” Now I’m intrigued. I’ve never been the biggest fan of Peter Pan in many of the adaptations that exist besides Hook, but there are several aspects of the world and characters that’s always stuck with me and this new twist on that world might be what I’ve been looking for.
The Way Back
Release Date: March 6th (USA), March 13th (UK)
Trailer:
This has one of the most emotionally effective trailers I’ve seen for a while and that’s due to not only the brilliant choice of song, but also because of Ben Affleck’s character and how much it relates to what was happening recently in real life. Seeing Affleck playing an alcoholic trying to make his life better but struggling with his demons, fuck man it just hit me in a certain way. And sure we’ve seen films like these before and probably know how it’ll play out, but I like Affleck as an actor plus Gavin O’Connor did a great job with Warrior and The Accountant so I believe this film will be another win.
Bloodshot
Release Date: March 13th (USA), February 21st (UK)
Trailer:
I think this film has the potential to be fun, the premise is pretty unique and it looks like it could be a good role for Vin Desiel to play around with. The action and visual effects looks solid, I just hope it’s not too predictable and generic with the story material.
A Quiet Place: Part II
Release Date: March 20th (USA & UK)
Trailer:
A Quiet Place was one of my favourite films of 2018 because of the unique story, great acting, sparse dialogue and the brilliant utilisation of sound and the lack of it. So when I heard there was a sequel, while I didn’t think it’d be necessary, I was also down for it regardless. And after seeing that new trailer I’m in. This definitely looks more expansive than the last film with more action, but I hope the tension and scares remain intact and I can’t wait to see what Cillian Murphy brings to the sequel.
The New Mutants
Release Date: April 3rd (USA) April 8th (UK)
Trailer:
Feels crazy that this film is actually coming out after so much talk online from various parties talking about whether the film would be released or shelved or changed because of some background details going on with the Disney acquisition of Fox. But it was just announced recently that the film will come out in April and the newest trailer definitely looks like fun with these characters who all have different abilities and troubled histories. And I hope the story, horror and suspense are solid.
No Time To Die
Release Date: April 10h (USA) April 2nd (UK)
Trailer:
Now I’m not gonna lie I haven’t been too hyped for this upcoming Bond film. Spectre left a bad taste in my mouth and I wasn’t sure that, despite the assembling of a solid cast and the great director in the form of Cary Fukunaga, that they would be able to entice me to watch another adventure. But this new film does look like fun, I’m feeling the mystery and intrigue and some of the action sequences look pretty cool. Plus I want t see what Rami Malek brings to this film because I like that guy.
Antlers
Release Date: April 17th (USA & UK)
Trailer:
I didn’t know this film even existed until today and I have to say it’s piqued my interest very much. I’m not big into horror, but I do like creepy stuff with a supernatural twist. Plus I like Kerri Russell and Jesse Plemons and the fact that 1) Guillermo del Toro is producing is cool. But more importantly 2) Scott Cooper is directing, a name I didn’t recognise, but when I looked up his filmography I’ve enjoyed almost all of his films besides Hostiles which I haven’t seen ey. So I’m curious to see how he’ll handle his first horror film.
Promising Young Woman
Release Date: April 17th (USA & UK)
Trailer:
I didn’t know this film existed until today and now that I’ve seen the trailer I’m actually stupidly excited to see it. The concept seems so intriguing and scary to me. You have Carey Mulligan running around as a crafty lady on a mission to fuck some dudes up in a strategic and possibly/probably painful manner. Good god, I’m so interested not only because it looks like it’ll touch upon current issues surrounding sexual misconduct between men and women that’s become more notable in recent years, but also because o the different kind of character Mulligan is playing. And finally, I can’t deny how much I love that sexy version of Brintey Spears’ “Toxic“, man it just intensifies the unsettling nature of this film. I’m all in.
Antebellum
Release Date: April 24th (USA & UK)
Trailer:
And here we have another film I didn’t know about until day and you know what I’m all in again. You had me when you said Janelle Monáe was gonna be in it. But beyond that, it looks creepy, unsettling and confusing and I love it. Such a short trailer with a serious of clips arranged in such a way that you can’t help but be intrigued and want to know what’s going on. Someone in the Youtube comments section described it as a black person’s nightmare and yeah I can definitely get those vibes from the trailer. I hope that it’s good.
Alrighty then, that’s PART 1 done. Thanks a lot for reading. Are any of the films listed on your personal list of films to watch? Whatever your thoughts are, drop them in the comments section below and I’ll see you soon for PART 2! Laters 😀
Howdy ladies and gentlemen of the internet, happy new year and all that good stuff and I’m back to share my thoughts on my favourite films from last year via my podcast Film Focus.
On episode 95 of Film Focus, I share with you my favourite films from 2019. My list switched up a few time especially in December, so that’s why my list was delayed into January, but hopefully you enjoy the 10 films that I’ve selected.
P.S. I was a little under the weather while recording this so that’s why I’m a little low energy.
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