Rant 14: I Hate Being Inconvenienced

Howdy people and welcome to another instalment in my blogging rants. Today’s rant will be on something that has bothered me for years but has only become realised since coming to university. I am of course talking about being inconvenienced.

Let’s face it, everyone loves life when things are going their way. And the way I see it, that only applies to rich people, those who have no worldly possessions or old people who have nothing left to do because they’ve lived their lives already. Everyone else has to face some setbacks here and there and while it’s been argued that life isn’t life if there isn’t at a bit of struggle, the kind of inconvenience I’m talking about are the little things, those tiny elements that can ruin a mood or mess with your entire schedule. I hate that shit. So today I’m gonna provide you with some scenarios I’ve dealt with and tell you how they’ve disrupted me.

Okay let’s begin.

People Walking

Yes believe or not, I get pissed off with the way some people walk as that can become an inconvenience on a near-daily basis. Now I live my life by a little quote I made since coming to uni which is “Step correct.” And it means is exactly what it is said, but if that doesn’t help here’s a better explanation. Basically when you’re walking in the street be smart about it, step swiftly, don’t stop abruptly in front of someone, don’t move in slow motion and delay people behind you, avoid unnecessary body contact, if you see an opening in front of you slip through ahead and if you’re at a traffic light crossing and there are no cars, THEN CROSS THE DAMN ROAD! You know stuff like that. You can’t imagine how many times I’ve cruised through streets and town centres and have constantly been pissed off by the people around me. Maybe I’m just an aggressive walker lol.

Public Transportation

Whether it be buses or trains, public transportation just screams “inconvenience” at one point or another. It is the small things like when your bus/train comes late when you expected it to be on time or when you have to get on-board and it is full of people and there’s no avoiding it or when the bus/train makes unnecessary/unexpected stops. Sometimes it’s just a random accident or something to do with the weather, but then you have to ask yourself “Why did this have to happen to me today?” Many a time that has happened to me primarily on trains, and it sucked.

Weather (Mainly Snow)

Oh weather, how you love to mess with people and change whenever you want, you asshole. I don’t normally complain about the weather unless rain is involved or something far worse… Snow. For me, all I’ll ever need weather-wise is the sun and a bit of wind from time to time. That’s it. Rain is just wet and puts a downer on the day, plus any activities you wish to do outside when the rain is involved gets cancelled like playing football, doing picnics, chilling in the park, etc. The same rule applies to snow, but it is amplified by 10 times. Snow just messes with travel whether you’re on foot, in a car or taking public transport, it just causes delays or shuts nearly everything down completely. Sometimes the weather can be the biggest inconvenience ever and it just pisses me off to the highest degree!

University

When it comes to education that should never be considered an inconvenience, however, any college or university student can tell you that sometimes it can be a hindrance more so than a helpful experience. For all the knowledge gained, sometimes you don’t actually learn a lot and if you have other things going on in your life like having a job or if you travel a lot because you live away from home or have a massive social life, then uni will eat away at your time. And then there are points when uni throws you several projects your way at once which means you have to try to manage your time overall multiple modules, all of which require your attention because they are very important to your final grade. This leads to unnecessary stress, procrastination and decision-making that feels more complicated than it should be.

Well, that’s it really. I hope my ramblings have been insightful and if you’ve had any similar experiences please be sure to comment about it below. Until the next time people, laters. 🙂

 

Godzilla (2014) Trailer #2 Review

Howdy people and it is once again time for another trailer review. Today’s one was a trailer I didn’t know was going doing until around 20-30 mins ago. It is of course the second trailer for Godzilla (2014). Now I was already hyped for this film, but the teaser trailer blew me away when that first hit and now we have a brand new trailer to check out which only gets me more and more giddy about the upcoming film.

So check out this awesome trailer below:

If I had to some this trailer up in one word: cool.

I am really liking the way this film is shaping up, the footage from these trailers makes me feel like Gareth Edwards and the rest of the cast and crew understand the source material and know what it takes to update the original material for modern audiences.

So let’s start talking about the actual trailer. The introduction with Bryan Cranston’s dialogue used over the visual footage is powerful and totally cool, Cranston really sounds like he is channeling his inner Walter White. It sounds like he is talking to someone in charge, perhaps a government person? The only reason I suggest that is because in these kinds of films the government is always trying to cover up these kinds of incidents as nature disasters or something. After Cranston’s dialogue is done we move on to Ken Watanabe’s character talking about how they did tests in the past and awoke something and then tried to kill it passing it off as nuclear tests. But one of the key things that stood out to me about the story aspects was not only framing of one shot which had Watanabe in front of a projector (like the first film), but also the mention about 1954, the fact that they referenced the year when the original film came out was just a neat little point for me.

There is some gorgeous visuals in the film, not only in the CGI which is looking so much cleaner than ever before, but also in the locations, the use of lighting and the varied colour scheme that goes from some pretty colour scenes in the day to crazy dark and scary at night. This might be one of the most visually interesting films since Pacific Rim in the action/sci-fi/monster genre.

I also like how this trailer carried over the dark, grim and foreboding atmosphere from the last trailer with the visuals and eery music that builds and builds. From here there are more shots of the cast including Cranston, Watanabe, Aaron Taylor-Johnson and like one scene with Elizabeth Olsen who is pretty absent from is trailer. The rest of the trailer is destruction, dark skies, jet planes falling out of the sky, trains being smashed apart, helicopters on fire, some other shots from the previous trailer and a new small glimpse of Godzilla in the background looking nice with long-ass trademark roar playing over the footage.

If I have any gripes about the trailer is that I was left wanting more. I guess all I really wanted was a full shot of Godzilla, but I guess the studio and marketing people are gonna wait until the final trailer or near the film’s release to show off the king of the monsters.

In conclusion the second trailer for Godzilla gives a more detailed look at what we’re getting into with some  story elements coming to light, more screen time for Bryan Cranston and Ken Watanabe and the level of chaos and destruction Godzilla will be doing to America. While I do think this trailer is structured better than the last, I can’t say it was that much better. Maybe if there had been a full shot of Godzilla on-show I’d be so much happier, but as it stands, I’m still really hyped for this film, this footage just gets me more excited and May could not come any sooner yo! 🙂

So what do you think of the second official Godzilla trailer? Are you any more or less excited than before? Also did you want to see a full shot of Godzilla? Whatever your thoughts are, drop them in the comments below and I’ll see ya later! 😀

 

Janelle Monáe – The Electric Lady Review

Howdy people time for another music review, this one has been a long time coming but I’m finally going to be doing my review on Janelle Monáe’s The Electric Lady album. Janelle Monáe has been one of my favourite music artists for almost 5 years now and she has yet to make anything that I don’t like. And since I’m hopefully gonna see her live this year I thought that the review would have to be up sooner rather than later, so let’s begin.

So The Electric Lady is Monáe’s second album after The ArchAndroid that came out in 2010. Now I really loved Monáe’s first album, it was one of the most musically diverse and addictive albums I had heard in a while. So when her follow-up album was announced I waited for what felt like an eternity for its release. And after “Q.U.E.E.N.” and “Dance Apocalyptic” were released, I knew I had to buy the album and it didn’t disappoint as it is easily one of the best, if not the best album I came across last year.

The album present the fourth and fifth suites which are part of her Metropolis series and continues a similar approach with themes and stories she delivered in the past except here it is a lot deeper. While I normally have trouble trying to connect these types of concept albums, for the most part I could understand the material in the songs, a lot of which is incredibly heartfelt and beautiful. Musically this album is more in-depth than Monáe’s previous work with hip-hop, soul, funk, gospel, jazz and rock being incorporated to great effect. And as I’ve listened to it on repeat listens the album has gotten better and better.

As with Monáe’s last album this one begins with an orchestrated instrumental song called “Suite IV Electric Overture” and it is glorious. Reminds me of a 1960’s film, possibly a gangster flick. Then we step into “Givin Em What They Love” which is the first vocal track on the album and it features Prince. It is a fantastically addictive song and alongside her, Prince’s contributions to the song are awesome with his beautiful backing vocals and guitar work. Monáe and Prince’s vocals blend so well. From the lovely intro to the great chorus and spectacular ending, this is the first stand out track. “Q.U.E.E.N.” is obviously the first single released from this album and it is still as sexy and powerful as it ever was. It has great lyrics, rhythm and an awesome breakdown featuring Erykah Badu who just kills in my favourite part of the song. “Electric Lady” features the additional vocals of Solange and together with Monáe they craft one of the best songs on the album with a chorus and many lyrics that make you wanna sing along. “Good Morning Midnight” is the first of the interlude songs and features this funky and charismatic DJ on a radio show which is part of the whole Metropolis setting and it is some crazy, funny and stylish stuff.

“PrimeTime” featuring Miguel is the most beautiful and touching song on the album. It has emotional depth, the vocals of both are amazing and the musical melody is soothing. “We Were Rock & Roll” is an upbeat, groovy kind of song that makes you wanna dance, it also has a lovely chorus and an ending is great too. “The Chrome Shoppe” is the second radio interlude and while it expands the mythos of the concept album it is my least favourite. “Dance Apocalyptic” is my jam, it is the happiest and most different of Monáe’s previous material, that being said it is very infectious and fun. “Look Into My Eyes” is a majestic song with a slow and gorgeous sound. “Suite V Electric Overture” transitions from the last song with a great sound that has good fusion of jazz and classical elements. “It’s Code” is a gorgeous love song with insightful and heartfelt lyrics and “Ghetto Woman” transitions from the last song with a sped up pace and a sassy groove. The lyrics are my favourite of all the songs as it talks about trials & tribulations & rising above them.

“Our Favorite Fugitive” is my favourite of the interludes, it is hilarious and the most insightful of the personality of the metropolis story. This was the point when I wanted to meet and befriend DJ Crash Crash lol. “Victory” is an empowering song with a slow and cool sound. Another stand out song is “Can’t Live Without Your Love“, surprisingly I didn’t notice its brilliance until my second listen of the album. The melody, lyrics and chorus are all amazing and leave you coming back for more. Monáe’s vocals and the wonderful music come together beautifully. This song is basically perfection. “Sally Ride” and “Dorothy Dandridge Eyes” featuring Esperanza Spalding have lovely music and wonderful lyrics. I don’t have much to say about these songs and that’s not to say they’re bad as they’re still great, but they don’t stand out like some of the others. And finally “What An Experience” it is a lovely last track song which is soft, chilled out and changes up with a reggae finish that feels very playful.

My favourite tracks of the album:

• Givin Em What They Love
• Q.U.E.E.N.
• Electric Lady
• PrimeTime
• Dance Apocalyptic
• Look Into My Eyes
• It’s Code
• Ghetto Woman
• Can’t Live Without Your Love

In conclusion The Electric Lady is such a good album, because of its varied sound, interesting stories and themes. Janelle Monáe continues to be my favourite female music artist in existence with her crazy, classy and cool style of singing, she is so fly and she has yet to make anything back in the world of music. This is an album I highly recommend because it is a musical experience of the best kind.

Rating: 9/10 (Janelle Monáe continues to be one of the most original and amazing singers with her eclectic styles of music)

So people if you’ve been fortunate enough to check out this album, then what did you think of The Electric Lady? Whatever your thoughts drop them in the comments below and I’ll catch ya on the next review yo! 😀

 

Chasing your dreams even when you lack courage

Howdy ladies and gents, time for another personal blog post and this one centers around my aspirations in life and how I’ve fallen off track and gotten a little confused on my road towards greatness.

That’s what I’ve been doing since my childhood and its the only thing that makes my future worth living for. Sounds bad, but its true.

Well it is no secret that I’ve been feeling incredibly off of my game in the world of art for a very long time now and it has seriously affected not only my mood but my university work and this bothers me greatly. But to fully understand the issue we’re gonna have to go back in time.

Let’s look back at 1997, I was seven years old and had decided I wanted to be a cartoonist or at least create cartoon shows that I wanted everyone around the world to see and become stupidly famous. Back then in junior school from then until I was eleven, you would have meant this overly energetic little monster of a boy who dreamed big and was full of confidence. He drew because he loved it, but he also loved the attention. Back then especially at age nine through to eleven I felt invincible. I drew pictures nearly all the time, people loved and respected me for my work and since I was the only one doing it I felt indestructible. I was one of a kind and I loved the power… However that eventually changed once I got to secondary school.

Art from 2002, at 12 years old I’d really gotten into Spider-Man thanks to the first Sam Raimi film.

Once I started doing art after I went into secondary school I found that there were other people with the same talent as me, doing the same drawing stuff and that’s when I felt for the first time kind of intimidated because I wasn’t the special guy any more. Unfortunately it only got worse when I did GCSE art where I found that there was not only several artists in my year, but also artists that were a hell of a lot better than me and more versatile being able to use paint, water colours, oil pastels, chalk, graphite, etc. I felt so small. But the biggest blow was when my art teacher told me in year 10 that I should stop drawing cartoons and start doing other styles of art. Now while I understood what she was trying to say, at the same time she was telling me to give up the art that made a sketcher in the first place. I felt offended and personally said to myself “Fuck that!”

Sonic and Shadow, age 14.

And so I continued to hone my skills in spite of all the other brilliant people around me and from school through to college I excelled and became a much better sketcher but also got better at using other mediums too. It was at this point I knew I wanted to be an animator and craft animated films and TV shows. So when I came to university I was ready to learn, adapt and become awesome, but what uni did again was make me feel even smaller than I ever could have imagined. Here all the students were ABSURDLY well-versed in art, cartooning, 3D modelling and all that other stuff and seeing their work just made me want to cry. I’ve never been good at handling competition that was within close proximity to me, but because of how good it was in comparison to my own work and then seeing the kind of material the industry demands, I just felt like shit.

One of the last few pieces of good work I did almost 4 years ago, I never draw anything this elaborate any more.

So now we arrive at present day. I’m in my final year of uni and I fear I may fail the year, why? Because I don’t believe I have the skills necessary to pass. I have a lot of self-doubt going on in my world these days and lack inspiration a lot too. This has seriously affected my work ethic when doing my last two modules.

You could argue that it’s the wrong frame of mind to be in and you hand to pick yourself up and do your best and things will work out. But getting out of a hole of doubting yourself is not easily. I’ve been this way for a long time now without even noticing it until recently. I don’t even know how I ended up like this, I honestly used to believe I was the shit, the best guy ever at what I did and I thought with my mind, that I would create so many things that would change the world. And to a degree I believe that I could still change the world with the madness that resides within my head, it is just a question of materializing the ideas in my head.

In the end I know what I have to do, I just don’t know how. I’m not sure if it the people in my class that’s putting me off or whether it is the pressure of university grades or if it’s just me. Either way I’m tired to fighting myself. I know what I want in life and I will fight for it with all I have. I think I just need a little help and then I’ll recover.

Thanks for reading yo.

 

Favourite Songs #28: Justin Timberlake – LoveStoned / I Think That She Knows

Howdy people of the interweb, and welcome to the 28th edition of my series of blog posts dedicated to some of my favourite songs ever in life. Today we’re talking about one of my favourite songs from my teenage days with a little bit of Justin Timberlake with the song “LoveStoned / I Think That She Knows“.

Yes, yes, yes! This is one of my most nostalgic songs and I am surprised that it has stayed with me this song, however that should be a pretty good indication of how bloody awesome the song is and believe me it is BLOODY AWESOME YO! 😀

Just have a listen to this tune below:

This is one of my favourite JT music videos and I’m glad that both parts of the song made it into the video because it is unique and awesome.

Now back in 2006 when Timberlake’s second album, FutureSex/LoveSounds came out I was obsessed with its sound and thought it was one of the best albums ever. But there was one song in particular I got attached to pretty early on and it was “LoveStoned / I Think That She Knows“. I thought it was just the most upbeat, cool, sexy and beautiful song that JT had done and I waited for it to be released as a single and saw it ignore for ages until the summer of 2007 when it finally got released. By that point I’d sort of gone off the song, but once the music video came out I got back into it again. 🙂

So what makes this song so good? Well I think that is the fact that it feels so confident. JT’s lyrics tell a story about a girl that he’s clearly interested in and has an obsession with in a club, she’s clearly hot and aware of his stare (at least that’s the way I’ve interpreted it). I love the lyrics as they’re fun and sexy and the way JT sings on the track is great. The music production behind the song sounds incredible with all those beats and music notes, it comes together. The first half is really quick and good for dancing and then there’s that second half once the interlude comes in with that sexy breakdown which turns into a transition into the next half of the song. It is here where the song’s inner beauty spreads its wings, I ADORE this part. It is slower, softer and feels like it’s from the heart. From here JT and the music worked together in beautiful harmony. And I think that it was the second half that made this song stand out so much for me.

For about 2 years that was my favourite JT song and then I sort of drifted from most of the music from that album for a while. And I think the spark was reignited when I came to uni and while I don’t listen to it that often, when I do I feel all this beautiful nostalgia.

So to conclude “LoveStoned / I Think That She Knows” by Justin Timberlake is a gorgeous tune that has one really great dancing half and then a great breakdown in the second half and I think that it is thanks to songs like this that JT continued the trend of having sounds with two halves in his 20/20 Experience albums. If you haven’t experienced the beauty that is this song then do yourself a favour and listen, it is lovely.

Well that’s another song review done, what do you think of my song choice today? Whatever your thoughts are leave me a comment below and be sure to come back next time for another song review yo! 😀

 

Favourite Songs #27: The Smashing Pumpkins – Tonight, Tonight

Howdy people of the interweb, and welcome to the 27th edition of my series of blog posts dedicated to some of my favourite songs ever in life. Today we’re talking about a song I truly adore, it is a song that’s been with me for only a little while, it is a bloody beauty of a song!  The tune in question is “Tonight, Tonight” by Smashing Pumpkins.

Oh this song just makes me feel so happy, it reminds me of my days back at college and every time I hear it I fall in love all over again.

But before I go into detail have a listen to this tune below:

Now I had known about The Smashing Pumpkins since the late 90’s as a kid, but I didn’t start listening them until my late teens. During my days in college when I became fully accustomed with the world of rock music I first came across this song in a Smashing Pumpkins playlist. When I heard it I knew it was something special, strangely enough I was on and off the song until 2011 when I started listening to the Pumpkins properly.

“Tonight, Tonight“, simply put is a beautiful song, a beautiful song with an epic and yet melancholy. The introduction is gorgeous with a beautiful sort of classical sound with the violins and the rock side of things with the guitars, it is a lovely combination. Then there are the lyrics which are so deep and emotional and along with the incredible music it is just an amazing sound that makes me want to cry at times.

One of the highlights from album Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness

Since coming to uni I have rediscovered my love for this song along with other Smashing Pumpkins songs and “Tonight, Tonight” I have to listen to every once in a while because it is really addictive, but it is also very emotional and I feel like having that sad and yet happy feeling when I listen to this song on a good few occasions.

So to conclude “Tonight, Tonight” by Smashing Pumpkins is just a fantastic song will an emotional punch that sounds incredible and makes you wanna well up sometimes too. It is one of the finest songs I know from a rock band that isn’t overly heavy and has the power to be soft and yet epic. If you haven’t experienced this song yet then go have a listen because it is lovely. 🙂

Well that’s another song review done, what do you think of my song choice today? Whatever your thoughts are leave me a comment below and be sure to come back next time for another song review yo! 😀

 

SUPER LATE Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. “The Bridge” Review

Howdy ladies and gents, time for my review of episode 10 of Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. entitled “The Bridge”. Man I’ve left this show for SO long its been ridiculous. After uni work got crazy and I started watching Regular Show, all of my other TV shows took a back seat. But now I’m ready to review the final episode of this  show for 2013.

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 Agent Coulson takes the war the war back to Centipede and this time he brings Mike Peterson for some super-soldier support. As they get closer to the truth, startling secrets are revealed.

What I Liked

Firstly the introduction to the episode was pretty cool, with the break into the prison with the super-powered men coming into the prison to bust out the prisoner, Edison Po. I also liked the sense of continuity between this episode that a few of the others before, bringing back important people from the past as well as finally bringing back Centipede into the forefront. The action was nice, the fight scenes were nicely choreographed and it was great to see more of May kicking ass as well as Ward and Mike. While not too much advanced, there were some unexpected twists and turns and near the end some unlucky events go down in regards to Coulson and Mike which I did not see coming which gave the episode some dramatic weight.

In terms of characters it was great to see the return of Mike Peterson (J. August Richards), he’s definitely changed/upgraded since the first episode, now he wants to do right by the team after their last encounter and I feel like he did well using his stabilized powers to take on the other Centipede guys. Also it was nice to see the return of Edison and Raina, both seem like dangerous people and have some mysterious and intriguing personality traits. Edison Po seems like a shady guy, but what’s even more interesting all his talk about the Clairvoyant, I really wanna know who it is.

The usual crew was all on good form though some stuck out more so than others. Simmons is still gorgeous and she had some funny scenes along with Fitz when talking to Mike in the lab. Melinda May and Brett Ward were really interesting as there was a bit of screen time devoted to the way in which they conduct themselves on and off of the battlefield. The sparing session between May and Ward was nice, you could sense the sexual tension and I liked their small talk to, so saucy. And that conversation they had after their scuffle with the Centipede dudes and May mistakes Ward’s saving her as an act of compassion only for him to tell her otherwise, was interesting to see her misjudge someone. May also just had some great other moments when confronting Skye (and making her cry, yay) and in those final scenes on the bridge too.

What I Disliked

Now for the stuff I didn’t like. It has been 10 episodes since Project Centipede were mentioned, I’m not quite sure if they’re an organization or something else, but the show seems to make them come across some evil force that should be feared and is making movements. However we have yet to see them come to the forefront of the series and reveal themselves or directly affect S.H.I.E.L.D. and of course in this episode they took Coulson away from the team, but Centipede is still a mystery and I believe the show still has a lot of work to do to prove that this group mean business.

Skye again was just the least useful character, she just sat there talking about her potential parents, got bitched at by May and even when she was helping out with the mission she didn’t seem as useful as everyone else. I just don’t care for her no more. Also Coulson as cool as he is as a character, he’s just not really as cool personality-wise as he was in the films, he just seems kind of dull and uninteresting. Unless we find out what happened to him soon, his credibility will diminish soon.

Oh and lastly I don’t feel like AoS has fully utilized the material at their disposal with the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the wealth of comics to pick from to do with S.H.I.E.L.D., I seriously hope this show picks up the slack in 2014 or I may cry. :S

Conclusion

In conclusion “The Bridge” is a pretty good episode that brings a good few elements from their previous episodes and brought them together in a cool, dramatic and unexpected way. The return of Mike Peterson was cool, Melinda May was badass as always and the ending made for a good finish. AoS is still far from greatness and needs a proper hook, but so far it still is making a few good steps towards success.

Rating: 8/10 (An interesting and unexpectedly good episode)

So what did you think of “The Bridge“? Also what do you think of AoS so far? Are you still watching show or did you give up long ago? Whatever your thoughts drop them in the comments below and I’ll see ya again for episode 11 in 2014! 😀

 

My Top Ten Film of 2013

Howdy ladies and gents, since the year is almost over and I have seen pretty much all the films I can see this year, I think it’s about time that I release my 10 ten list of films this year. Now the following stuff is a segment from my End of Year Review which will be up very soon, so I thought I’d upload this first as a separate thing in case people miss it in the other blog post. But anyways I’ve talked too much, here’s my list:

When it comes to films, I thought this year was a pretty disappointing especially when compared to last year. There was so much promise of awesomeness and unforgettable material, however there was just a lack impact and presence when it came to a lot of the films this year. I even wrote a post about it a while ago. Now that’s not to say that 2013 was a complete waste of time, there were some really fun and impressive films on show that were on show and luckily made those days in the cinema not as painful.

Annoyingly just like last year there are films that came out this year that I’ll have to wait until next year for (12 Years as a Slave and American Hustle come to mind), but I’ve gotten used to the fact that the UK film distribution is totally unfair.

So it’s now time for my top 10, but before that keep in mind this was a frigging hard list to do and I’m only counting films released in 2013, films from 2012 that were released in 2013 for us UK residents DON’T COUNT! Okay here’s my list:

Top 10 Films of 2013

1. Captain Phillips
2. Now You See Me
3. The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
4. Iron Man 3
5. Gravity
6. Saving Mr. Banks
7. Rush
8. Thor: The Dark World
9. Frozen
10. The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

Honourable mentions:

• Fast 6
• Despicable Me 2
• The Iceman
• The Wolverine
• Pacific Rim
• Kick Ass 2
• Star Trek Into Darkness
• Filth

When it comes to upcoming films I think that 2014 will be better, I’m praying for it. With epic titles like Godzilla, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Guardians of the Galaxy, Interstellar, Sabotage, The Amazing Spider-Man 2, X-Men: Days of Future Past and so much more, I’m sure that it has the potential to rectify the mistakes of this year.

So what do you think of my list? Do you like it or do you believe me to be insane with my choices? Are any of your favourites in there or are there ones I’ve missed out? Gimme your thoughts down below yo.

 

Frozen Review

Okay, today I FINALLY get to review Frozen. I know I’m late to the party when it comes to giving my thoughts on this film, but you wouldn’t believe the amount of crap I’ve had to do, there’s just not been any free time with uni, work and my other extra curricular activities. But yeah I’m finally getting around to checking out the big new Disney film which is apparently like: THE BEST DISNEY FILM IN FOREVER. So does it meet the hype? Read on and find out.

Frozen film poster

So the film tells the story of a fearless princess who sets off on an epic journey alongside a rugged, thrill-seeking mountain man, his loyal pet reindeer, and a hapless snowman to find her estranged sister, whose icy powers have trapped the kingdom in eternal winter.

I really liked the story in this film, it was very impressive and reminded me of some of the best stuff that Pixar have done in the past and some of the more classic 2D tradition Disney animations. The story is smart and is self-aware of films in this genre and makes fun of these classic elements and I like how there was a few twists and turns that kept the film from being completely predictable. There is a great deal of emotional weight in the film that makes the story and characters dramatic, sympathetic, hilarious and cool. What I love about the film is Elsa, the fractured relationship between Anna and Elsa as sisters and the adventure that Anna goes on with her companions to get her sister back. It is all very emotional and classic Disney, it works to great effect, feels very much like a good Pixar film and has a better balance of seriousness and humour than most films in this genre. The story isn’t perfect and has a few problems where a few story elements are as strong but otherwise it is a strong story throughout.

In addition to the wonderful story, the characters are the real stars of the film. Kristen Bell as Anna, was really nice. Anna is very outgoing, firm, fun and caring and I love how sassy and un-princess-like she is. She is a strong if somewhat naive lady and I enjoyed her character. Then there’s Idina Menzel as Elsa, I adored this character. I always have a soft spot for the misunderstood kinds of characters and Menzel brought so much heart to the voice of the Snow Queen. Elsa is a beautiful and tragic character who has powers that she couldn’t control and tried to keep herself away from people to prevent anyone from getting hurt. Because of her fear of her powers it makes her have to separate from Anna and makes them as siblings feel very far apart and that’s what made her story so heartbreaking. I was connected to Elsa from the very start of the film.

Jonathan Groff as Kristoff was pretty decent, he was a funny, very realistic kind of guy who has a few strange habits while hanging around with his reindeer but he was courageous and fun. Also Santino Fontana as Hans was delightful and very different as this prince who was a very interesting kind of guy and a delightful change from other princes in Disney films. And is pretty good as Alan Tudyk as the Duke of Weselton too. But the best character by far is Josh Gad as Olaf. This little snowman is the cutest, most funny dude ever, he’s so strange, yet self-aware and understanding. He just brings the humour in the psychical and verbal manner which is so good and leads to some of my favourite moments in the film.

When it comes to the presentation it is very good on both fronts. Visually the film is great, but that is to be expected of a Disney film these days. The lighting and use of colour is fabulous and the way the animators and artists have manipulated the snow and ice in the film is a sight to behold. As for the soundtrack it was surprisingly better than I expected. The Christophe Beck is grand and covers all emotional bases, but the songs are the real treat, for the most part all of the musical numbers are good and feel like a theatre production. There are a few songs that are a little too modern for my liking and don’t feel like they should be in a Disney film, but the rest of it is very pretty and catchy.

In conclusion Frozen is a bloody good animated film and really good Disney film, it looks beautiful, has a great story with funny and emotional characters you can connect to and a very addictive soundtrack. While it’s not nearly as great as many critics made it out to be and it still has many of Disney’s problematic story devices, it is still the best animated film I’ve seen in a while and I highly recommend it.

Rating: 8/10 (A really pretty film that looks and sounds good and has heart where it matters)

So what did you think of Frozen? Was it the most epic Disney film ever, was it alright or below average for you? Whatever your opinion is drop it in the comments below and I’ll see ya on the next review yo! 😀

 

The Nightmare Before Christmas Review

Howdy ladies and gents, we’re in the jolly Christmas time of year and with that in mind I want to review a film that I’ve loved since I was a kid which has gotten a lot better as I’ve gotten older. I am of course talking about The Nightmare Before Christmas.

The film tells the story of Jack Skellington, a being from “Halloween Town” who has grown tired of scaring every Halloween and one day he opens a portal to “Christmas Town” and decides to celebrate the holiday, with some dastardly and comical consequences.

The story is really simple and yet at the same time is really complex and layered. Jack’s story is one that is easy to relate to and also has a few life lessons to be learnt too and it is done in a very effective way because of good pacing and interesting subplots that take place during the main story. You can really tell this has Tim Burton’s style written all over it even though he didn’t direct the film, the tone, story and characters are so rich, full of life and it feels like everything is really well-established even though it is just part of one film.

The cast also do a great job at bringing these animated characters to life and making you care about them. Chris Sarandon as Jack Skellington is great, you can see that he’s just a guy looking for a new outlet in life but doesn’t quite know what he’s looking for. Skellington is very bright,well-mannered, if somewhat misunderstood and Sarandon does a good job with the voice work (besides the singing of course). Catherine O’Hara as Sally is a truly wonderful character, Sally is a free-spirited character always under the control of Doctor Finklestein, she admires Jack from afar but can’t quite express her feelings towards him. O’Hara brings a lot of dramatic weight to the character and she is easily just as sympathetic as Jack is if not more so.

William Hickey as Doctor Finklestein is interesting as this weird scientist constantly trying to keep a hold of Sally, I think he means well but comes across as a bit of asshole. Glenn Shadix as Mayor of Halloween Town is great as he’s this very nice guy but has constant mood swings depending on his face which switches from happy to sad. Ken Page as Oogie Boogie is a super charismatic character who is evil, always up to no good and has one killer voice thanks to Page and the kick ass soundtrack. Ed Ivory as Santa Claus is nice though I wish he sounded I dunno a bit more jolly and lively.

When it comes to the presentation it is incredible on both the visual and audio side of things. The stop motion animation in this film is very intricate with loads of very interesting, creepy, dark and varied locations, along with crazy, awesome and strange character designs and some bloody good cinematography. The film moves and looks lovely. But what might be even more impressive is the soundtrack by Danny Elfman who not only composes but lends his voice talent too. For the longest time I’ve loved Elfman as one of my all-time favourite film composers and this has to be one of/if not his best one. His soundtrack is full of musical numbers which are fun, hilarious, strange, sad and so much more, there is a great level of depth to some of the music which at some points really get me emotionally, “Sally’s Song” is one of the most beautiful and melancholy songs I have ever heard, it breaks my heart and makes me teary-eyed every time. Besides the awesomeness of “This Is Halloween“, my other favourite song would be “What’s This“, it is just an incredibly fast, feel-good happy kind of song which embodies my youthful love for Christmas.

In conclusion The Nightmare Before Christmas is a film I just love because of its unique premise, great animation that still holds up pretty well today considering the techniques used and it has one of the best soundtracks to any film ever. I’m annoyed that I don’t watch it more often. I recommend this to anyone young or old as it is one of those film you have to experience in life, period.

Rating: 8.5/10 (A bloody good bit of animated fun, watch it now!)

So what did you think of The Nightmare Before Christmas? Have you seen it (and if you haven’t shame on you!) Also do you like it or not? Whatever your thoughts drop them in the comments below and I’ll see ya on the next review yo. 🙂