Howdy people of the internet, how are you? So as you can see from the title of this blog post today is my birthday, I am one year older and as is tradition I feel the need to blog about it haha. đ
You know what? I’ve been writing these posts for a good few years and I never have a clue how to write these things out, there’s no proper format, I just wing it and hope for the best haha. And so far today has been nice and relaxed. I have received 3 birthday cards all of which have been great especially the one from my bestie from Sheffield đ And I have spent most of my day in the cinema so far firstly rewatching Black Panther for the 4th time and finally checking out Isle of Dogs; with the former I still really like the film a lot, for my full thoughts I recommend reading my review, but in short I love the characters, themes, the film score, some of the cool combat scenes and traditions and visual style. As for Isle of Dogs, I have a fair amount to say about the film which I will dish out in an upcoming review, but what I will say it was very unique and different from I expected, but the visual material was incredible and the voice cast was really good. So with my films so far I’ve enjoyed myself.
Right now I’m pretty much chilling listening to some nostalgic sounds of Earth, Wind & Fire and plotting my movements for tonight when I head out for some night time shenanigans with my friends haha. I also have some fun stuff planned for tomorrow and potentially on Sunday too so hopefully this feeling of happiness and good times carry on through til the end of the weekend. đ
Other than that I’m thinking I really gotta sort my life out, I’m pretty close to 30 and I only have a handful of achievements to my name, and I know there’s no set way to live life, but I do feel like I need to be doing better and I have gotten a few things worked out with my podcast and illustration material in full swing at the moment. So hopefully 2018 will be a year for change and progression, but I guess we’ll see and take things as they come. Anyways I’m gonna go finish some illustration stuff and look forward to my review for Isle of Dogs which will be coming soon, laters! đ
Howdy ladies and gents of the internet, as some of you may have seen, last year I started a film podcast entitled Film Focus and on this podcast, I talk about various topics in film and reviews as well on a biweekly basis. And the latest episode is a review of the latest Marvel film, Black Panther.
Anyway here’s the episode 48:
I’ve done already done my written review for Black Panther, however, though like most of my written reviews I forgot certain things or wanted to elaborate on certain aspects of the film and that’s where the podcast comes into play. This was one of my favourite reviews to record in recent times due to the fact that I found myself getting more excited about talking about the film as the episode went on and you can really tell how much I liked Black Panther in this review… Even if I do sound a little crazy haha. đ So if you don’t like reading, prefer the sound of audio-based reviews then check out my review. đ
As I mentioned before I’ll cover a different topic or review in each episode and since I don’t have much in the way of listeners or promotion, I’m here to spread the word about my podcast. đ
So if you have some spare time on your hands and would like to listen to the ramblings of a passionate/strange man then please check it out, and share it with your friends if they are fans of film discussion. Also, you have any feedback or if you’d be interested in joining in future episodes be sure to let me know, until next time, laters! đ
Howdy ladies and gents, time for another review and today I’m finally talking about a film I’ve been waiting to watch for almost 2 YEARS! I am of course talking about Black Panther. Since watching Captain America: Civil War in the cinema, I have been ready for this film and the wait has been AGONISING, but luckily time passed along quickly and I finally got to see the film last night. So is this film a good watch or not? Well read on and find out! đ
The plot can be summed up as the following: “T’Challa, after the death of his father, the King of Wakanda, returns home to the isolated, technologically advanced African nation to succeed to the throne and take his rightful place as king.”
I enjoyed the story quite a lot, and while a lot happens in several locations and at certain points, the stakes have potential global ramifications, they felt suitably scaled and revolved the key characters in the right way. Since Phase Two, the MCU has changed its approach to tone, genre and story elements and this film has had the most significant change in terms of tone, character-driven nature and culture. The story dealt with family issues, revenge, power and control, secrets and lies, and the trials and tribulations that come with being a king, and all of these issues and others were handled with care and attention and I also appreciated the film’s commentary black history and current topics as it was relevant yet not overbearing. But what I really loved was how much of a character-driven drama this film was, everything that happened had a purpose and affected the main characters as the story progressed, so when the drama and emotional moments kicked in, it had SO much impact. And I also believe this is one of the most intense superhero films I’ve seen in a while, because of the story and the way it affected the characters, after the film ended I felt like I needed to take some time just to breathe and process what I just watched as I was emotionally gripped the whole way through. Oh and one more thing, even though I only have a minor amount of knowledge when it comes to the Black Panther source material, I was surprised and delighted with the way the source material was adapted into live-action.
As for the characters I really loved everyone in this film as they all had a role to play that fit into the overall narrative, they were all useful, memorable and fun. Firstly Chadwick Boseman as T’Challa/Black Panther killed it, he was already a great character in Civil War, but in this film were got to see more of his personality, more his strengths and weaknesses and see trying to accept his new responsibilities as a king and Black Panther. Boseman was likeable, funny, powerful and badass. And then there’s Michael B. Jordan as Eric Killmonger… Damn, this dude was awesome, Killmonger has an interesting backstory with solid villainous motivations and you can understand and to some degree agree with some of the stuff that he says and all of those elements definitely put him in the better MCU villain category for sure. And Jordan was excellent in this role, the guy oozes charisma and coolness, has a great screen presence and can be scary as hell at times. Danai Gurira as Okoye was frigging badass, absolutely awesome. When Gurira signed on to this film I knew the people at Marvel were gonna make good use of her combat skills from The Walking Dead, but my god she got so many scene-stealing moments not only on the battlefield but also off of it while interacting with T-Challa and other key characters. Okoye was a no-nonsense and proud warrior and I loved what Gurira brought to this role. Lupita Nyong’o as Nakia was quite good, at first I wondered how’d she’d factor into the film, but I really enjoyed her character, she had a great rapport with the other main characters and I liked what she brought to the story.
Martin Freeman as Everett K. Ross got involved in the story far more than I expected, and I loved it. We only got a little bit of his character in Civil War, but in this film we learnt more about him as a person, he had some great interaction with several of the main characters and Freeman was delightful in the role. Letitia Wright as Shuri was quite good, at first I thought her attitude and cocky nature would annoy me, but she ended up being one of my favourite characters because of her smarts but also because of how she was integrated into the main story beats. Daniel Kaluuya as W’Kabi was really good, this character has a rough backstory and seeing his character progress through the film was interesting to watch. Winston Duke as M’Baku was really good with a powerful and intimidating screen presence, Angela Bassett as Ramonda was great as always, adding that dramatic flair that only Bassett can, Forest Whitaker as Zuri was really good, he had some great moments with T’Challa and I enjoyed learning about the significance of his character, and Sterling K. Brown was solid as N’Jobu too. And finally, there’s Andy Serkis as Ulysses Klaue, man I loved this dude! Serkis left a good impression in Age of Ultron, but here we got to see more of the character’s unhinged, tactical and funny nature, he’s a bit of a nutter, but is whenever he’s on-screen it is a good time.
When it comes to the presentation it was great. Visually the film looked great, the filmmakers did a great job at not only bringing the world of Wakanda to life but also presenting a great mixture of futuristic and old school/tradition African material whether it be through the technology, costumes, city landscape, etc. The use of CGI was also solid, though at times wasn’t as solid, and the cool action scenes were really good, there was a lot of creativity, style and power that came with some of these scenes whether you were talking about car chases or fight scenes, it was all handled so well. And just to elaborate on those fight scenes, I loved how the combat scenes shot with a lot of long shots and not too unnecessary cuts, the fights had the right amount of realism, acrobatics and dramatic weight because of what was at stake, and T-Challa’s bodyguards, the Dora Milaje was frigging awesome, these female warriors kicked ass! Also the soundtrack was awesome, the use of certain music was nice and Ludwig GĂśransson’s film score has a varied sound that incorporates African instrumentation and vocals, a traditional orchestrated sound and a hip-hop kind of style, sometimes these sounds mix and on paper it feels like it shouldn’t work, but in the film these different styles work well together and separately.
In conclusion, Black Panther was everything I wanted it to be and then some, it was thrilling, dramatic, intense and fun. Everyone involved should be proud of the film they’ve created as this is the Black Panther film the character deserved, and while it doesn’t change the superhero game, it was a wonderfully unique experience that I think everyone should check out. đ
So have you seen Black Panther and if so what did you think of it? Leave your thoughts in the comments below and I’ll see ya in the next review, laters! đ
Howdy ladies and gents, I know its almost two weeks into January but today I shall be sharing with you my top 11 most anticipated films of 2018. I finished PART 1, 2 & 3 of my Films to Look Out For in 2018 lists, and now I’m finally ready to reveal the films I’m most looking forward to. Now, this list wasn’t too hard to put together unlike last year, though the placement was tricky after number 6 onwards. Anyway, let’s get on with this list. đ
11. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
So here we have another Spider-Man film, except with two very big differences: 1) It is an animated film and 2) Miles Morales is the main character instead of Peter Parker. These are aspects that make this new Spidey film very compelling to me. Also with Donald Glover voicing Miles and that wonderful teaser trailer that dropped a little while ago with that distinctive art style and animation, it has the potential to be a very interesting superhero film this year.
10. Mortal Engines
This is the first notable film from Peter Jackson since his Hobbit trilogy between 2012 to 2015, and I only watched the trailer not too long ago and I thought it looked crazy cool and intriguing.
9. The Predator
I really want this film to be good. Predator is one of my favourite films ever and since that first film, each new entry in the series has failed to capture the magic and badassery of the original. Predator 2 was interested in setting and situations but didn’t hold a candle to the original and Predators from 2010 had some great moments on the space planet and the one-on-one sword film with the Asian guy, but overall just felt like an imitation of the first with weak new elements. So with Shane Black returning to this franchise to write and direct I feel a sense of hope for this franchise, I just pray that it is good.
8. Mission: Impossible 6
It’s weird that this franchise has gone on for as long as it has, but I’ve been a big fan since the 4th film and Rogue Nation was another impressive entry in the series and introduces us to Rebecca Ferguson’s Ilsa Faust who was incredible. So with this new film, I have no clue what the story will be but I’m just excited to see this crew come back together, get into some crazy action sequences and take on Henry Cavill’s villain character.
7. Sicario 2: Soldado
I liked Sicario in 2015, mainly the introduction and the last third of the film, more so the latter because of what happened with Benicio del Toro’s character. So when I heard there’d be a sequel with his character being the focus I wasn’t super interested because I thought the first film worked as a solo adventure, however, after seeing the trailer I am way more excited for this film that looks even more aggressive, unfiltered and dirty.
6. Ready Player One
This film could just be okay, but I will admit that my hype levels for this film are pretty high. The concept sounds interesting, and all of those references from pop culture set my soul on fire! It looks like pure insanity and I know that visual spectacle and fan service doesn’t make a great film, but regardless of how it turns out I still think Steven Spielberg will deliver something fun.
5. Annihilation
I loved Ex Machina, it was in my top 10 of 2015 and since then I’ve been eagerly anticipating what Alex Garland would come up with and this film looks fascinating, strange and intriguing with a solid cast, interesting story and striking visuals.
4. Isle of Dogs
When I saw the trailer for this last year I thought it looked and felt like a Wes Anderson film and sure enough his name showed up in the trailer. The story sounds intriguing, the voice cast is insane and visual style is distinctive and eye-catching, this film may not be for everyone much like Fantastic Mr Fox but I really liked that film and this film looks like it’ll be a great adventure.
3.Black Panther
I have been waiting for this film for what feels like an eternity and while I have said that about a good few films over the last 4 years, this definitely applies to the Black Panther film. Black Panther was my favourite character from Civil War and I was ready for his solo film back in 2016, so after all the trailers, promotional images and interviews with the director and cast I’m stupid excited for this film.
2. Incredibles 2
14 years… 14 BLOODY YEARS! I have not wanted a sequel to a film as much as I have for The Incredibles. I saw it a few years after everyone else, but it captured my heart and imagination and remains to this day not only one of the best-animated films ever but also my of my all-time favourite films. And regardless of where the story goes, I need to experience it opening weekend! đ
1. Avengers: Infinity War
Anyone who knows me knew that this would be number one. Regardless of the MCU formula when it comes to the story, tone and humour, I really love their films for the most part and this film has me the most hyped I’ve been for a film since Civil War in 2016. This is the culmination of 10 years of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, so many years of build-up, creating this wide and varied world with cool characters and interesting stories, and now we have pretty much all of the characters joining up to take out the big bad; Thanos. And with that teaser trailer that got released not too long ago, my hype levels are stupidly high, I know I could be disappointed, but I’m pretty sure it’ll be one hell of a good time in April. đ
And that’s my list finally done. So what are your most anticipated films of the year? Drop me a comment below and I’ll see ya in the next blog post, laters! đ
Good day to you ladies and gentlemen, it’s a new year so you know what time it is, once again it is time for my preview of upcoming films that I believe are worth a look entitled: Films to look out for in 2018! In PART 1 I’ll be covering films released from now until March, and last year I got a lot of bad choices in the list so I’m hoping I’ll do better this year haha.
Now before we begin I have two main things I need to point out:
Obviously, a lot of films come out, so if theyâre not on my list itâs either because I donât know about them or I donât careâŚ
2017 films getting their UK releases this year donât count! So there. đ
Okay then, letâs start đ
The Commuter
Release Date: January 12th (USA) January 19th (UK)
Trailer:
At this point I’m sort of over Liam Neeson as some older action star running around and being some sort of badass, it was fun at first but since he’s done it so much since Taken in 2008, it feels tiresome. That being said, that it something oddly addictive about watching Neeson get out of these troublesome and ridiculous situations that no one his age would really get into. So that is why I am curious about The Commuter, the premise is interesting enough and some of the stuff in the trailer looks so absurd in a funny way that I am curious to give it a watch.
Proud Mary
Release Date: January 12th (USA), March 23rd (UK)
Trailer:
I had no clue it existed until I looked it up and on paper, it sounds like it is right up my street. You have Taraji P. Henson in an action thriller playing a hitwoman running around and kicking ass, that’s cool. However, the trailer, I’m not keen on it. The premise sounds fine and the stuff in the trailer looks fine, but the way the trailer was edited, the use of sound effects and even the music (which I actually like), but didn’t do it for me. I hope the film is better than the trailer.
12 Strong
Release Date: January 19th (USA) & January 26th (UK)
Trailer:
Those who know me know that I’m not really into war films that much, though I have made a habit of checking out more in the last 3 or so years if the right people are attached and this film looks interesting. You have a group of soldiers sent to Afghanistan not long after the September 11th attacks, fighting impossible odds? Well, that certainly has my attention. I like the look of this film and that cast features some of my favourite people; Chris Hemsworth, Michael Shannon, Michael Pena and Trevante Rhodes from Moonlight too.
Early Man
Release Date: January 26th (UK), February 16th (US)
Trailer:
I only watched the trailer for this film recently and the plot and humour seem alright, but the main reason I’m interested is because its a stop-motion film from Aardman. Their work as an animation studio is always recognisable and unique, and I love the way this film looks so I am hoping it has a bit of that Chicken Run kind of flavour, because if that’s the case then I’ll be very happy.
Maze Runner: The Death Cure
Release Date: January 27th (UK), March 3rd (US)
Trailer:
I know not a lot of people care about the Maze Runner films, but I quite like them. The first was a surprisingly enjoyable film with an interesting concept, setting and had good performances and mystery, The Scorch Trials didn’t have the originality and simplicity of its predecessor, but had some cool new characters and story elements that fleshed out the world. With The Death Cure I keep forgetting it is coming out until I see something about it online, now I have no clue how this series of films will end, but it does get me curious and hopefully, the filmmakers have found a way to balance the story, characters, mystery and action in this new one.
Winchester
Release Date: February 2nd (USA & UK)
Trailer:
I hadn’t heard about this film until I looked it up and again I’m not a horror fan, but the premise sounds interesting and I like Helen Mirren and Jason Clarke, so I’m curious to see how this film turns out.
Black Panther
Release Date:  February 12th (UK), February 16th (USA)
Trailer:
So here it is, the first of my most anticipated films of 2018. I feel like I have been waiting for this film for AGES, but in just over a month I’ll get to experience this. I have a stupid amount of hype for this film considering the cast, director and source material the film is based on. I hope and pray that this film will be amazing.
Nostalgia
Release Date: February 16th (USA)
Trailer:
Now, this film could be a dull/uninspired film, but I read the premise and I was interested and the trailer only got me more intrigued. I get a Six Degrees of Separation kind of vibe from this film just with a more dramatic/melancholy tone, plus with people I like including Jon Hamm, Nick Offerman, Patton Oswalt, Catherine Keener and John Ortiz, this looks like it could be a good time if it gets a UK release.
Annihilation
Release Date: February 23rd (USA & UK)
Trailer:
I’ve been wanting to see this film since it was announced. Ex Machina was one of my favourite film experiences of the last 5 or so years, so when I heard about his newest project I was all over it. The trailer looks insane full of distinctive visuals with vivid colours and interesting creatures, but there’s also a mysterious and unsettling tone, with a story that looks like it has a small scope with large ramifications. Alex Garland really knocked it out of the park with his last film and I hope he can do it again with this new film.
A Wrinkle in Time
Release Date: March 9th (USA), March 23rd (UK)
Trailer:
I’ve heard SO much talk about this film since it was announced that Ava DuVernay would direct it, and I’ve only recently watched the trailer and I have to say I am intrigued. I love a good sci-fi adventure film and this film looks large in scope, fun yet dramatic, smart and accessible to people of all ages. I liked what DuVernay did with Selma so I’m curious to see what she does with a film with a larger budget.
The Upside
Release Date: March 9th (USA)
I only read about this film online recently and I like the premise of this film: “A comedic look at the relationship between a wealthy paraplegic and an unemployed man with a criminal record who’s hired to help him.” But what makes me more interested in this film is the fact that Kevin Hart and Bryan Cranston are playing the leads, both are actors I really like and with this story material I think they could have good chemistry together.
Gringo
Release Date: March 9th, 2017 (USA & UK)
Trailer:
I saw this film in a list of films coming out this year and the cast was what got me interested, but the trailer, that’s what grabbed me. Seeing David Oyelowo in a comedic role is something I’ve never seen and yet it makes me so happy, he looks hilarious. This whole film looks like a lot of fun with good humour, a solid cast and crazy scenarios. I really hope it is good.
Pacific Rim Uprising
Release Date: March 23rd (USA & UK)
Trailer:
I am cautiously optimistic about this film, I want to be more excited about the film but so far that marketing hasn’t done much for me. The first film from 2013 was fun primarily because of the monsters, robots, beautiful visuals and sense of scale, though on repeat viewings the film was thin on character and story. This new film seems to be doubling down on the action and the robots and monsters, but it also looks like the sense of scale and the distinctive colour palette has been lost. That being said I do like giant monster battles, I like the new cast members and with Steven S. DeKnight at the helm, I hope he’ll bring his talent from TV into this film.
Isle of Dogs
Release Date: March 17th (USA & UK)
Trailer:
As soon as I saw the trailer for this a few months ago I was in automatically. Fantastic Mr Fox was my first Wes Anderson film and it was such a strange and delightful experience, and this film seems to have those same elements which makes me excited. Add on top of that the wonderful visual style of stop-motion animation, the interesting premise and incredible cast including Bryan Cranston, Edward Norton, Bill Murray, Jeff Goldblum, and Bob Balaban among many others, and you have what could be one of the most interesting viewing experiences of the year.
Ready Player One
Release Date: March 30th (USA & UK)
Trailer:
Before the first trailer dropped, I had heard so much talk about Steven Spielberg directing a film adaptation of Ready Player One, and I was only vaguely interested because of Spielberg’s involvement. It wasn’t until the second trailer that I was really on board for this film. The first trailer gave you a minor idea of what was going on with the story and the visual references that game from other films, comics and video games, but with the latest trailer, there was so much more in terms of the story and characters that intrigued me. But more os than that, the use of music and all of those references to pop culture nearly shattered my mind! I am quite curious/excited to watch this on my birthday and while it has the potential to be bad or just okay, I’m still down for it. đ
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 đ
Howdy ladies and gents, how are you? So this morning I woke up to the new teaser trailer for Black Panther and I’ve been giddy ever since! I knew the trailer was gonna drop after I read about it when the first poster was revealed but I wasn’t gonna stay up all night for it, so when I woke up and saw some people had reviewed online I knew I had to check it out. So let’s talk about that teaser!
Check out the trailer below:
So my initial impressions were this, “This is pretty damn cool.” Last year Chadwick Boseman’s performance as T’Challa/Black Panther really stood out in Captain America: Civil War and Black Panther ended up being my favourite character because of his story arc, unique skill set, lineage and badass costume, and now that we’ve got a new trailer that only enhances the character and the world he’s a part of.
What I liked about this teaser was the following things:
The tone: Even though the teaser was less than two minutes it was plenty to demonstrate that this film’s story would have a more personal and mature atmosphere than what we’ve seen from Marvel Studios.
The visuals: I like the use of colour and sense of scale when it comes to various locations of Wakanda, I also like the way there is a nice a balance between traditional and futuristic elements that applies to the environment and the citizens.
Cool action: The brief scenes we get of Black Panther kicking ass in the jungle or seeing Killmonger and T’Challa squaring off or some of these other fight scenes, I like the practicality of it and it looks like fun.
The cast: Starting this trailer off with Andy Serkis and Martin Freeman aka Ulysses Klaue and Everett Ross from Age of Ultron and Civil War was not only a cool reminder for fans but it also was fun as the both acted together in the first Hobbit film. In addition to that we got to see more of not only Chadwick Boseman again, but cool glimpses of Michael B. Jordan, Lupita Nyong’o and Angela Bassett among others.
The direction: One thing that stood out to me was the style of trailer and the way the characters were handled and it felt like a Ryan Coogler film. Coogler has a notable style with his directing and while watching this trailer I could feel his presence all over this film like Creed and Fruitvale Station beforehand. Only a handful of MCU films have a unique sense of style brought on by their directors as a lot of them just fall into the same style, only Kenneth Branagh, Shane Black, The Russo Brothers and James Gunn have been able to leave a unique mark on the MCU through Thor, Iron Man 3, Captain America: Winter Soldier & Civil War and Guardians of the Galaxy 1 & 2.
In conclusion the teaser trailer for Black Panther was awesome, I was very happy with what I saw it delivered everything I wanted and then some, the tone, visuals and cast looks very unique and different to what we’ve seen from the MCU so far and that is exactly what this property and genre needs. February can’t come quicker! #BlackPantherSoLit đ đ
So have you seen Black Panther trailer and if so what did you think of it? Are you hyped, curious or underwhelmed? Let me know in comments section below and I’ll see ya on the next review, laters! đ
Good day to you ladies and gents, once again another crazy session at San Diego Comic-Con has come and gone, and if you’re fan of comics, film and TV then you’re more than likely hyped for this event. So between Thursday and Saturday this week us fans were treated to a plethora of information in form of interviews, trailers and descriptions of panels and footage, and man, it was an overwhelming amount of gorgeous announcements. While some of the stuff that shown off was expected, at the same time there were plenty of unexpected announcements and it was glorious as a fan of several of these different franchises to get all of this information. The hype is real right now and just trying to think of it all right now is boggling my mind! But like last year, I’m gonna try to show off my personal highlights from SDCC 2016 đ
Doctor Strange Trailer #2
Yo, this was the best thing I could have woken up to. I had heard rumours of a second trailer for Doctor Strange being released during Comic-Con, but I wasn’t sure it was going to happen, but sure enough it did and it was glorious! And while this wasn’t super amazing, it was certainly fascinating to watch. We got some additional details on Steven Strange’s path to becoming the Sorcerer Supreme with his training, use of magic and interaction with other characters, we also got to see more of the main cast especially with the extra scenes of Mads Mikkelsen as the villain and Benedict Wong as Wong. What I’m loving is how Marvel Studios are embracing the supernatural elements of the source material which is reflected in some of the dialogue and plot, but mainly with the visual presentation which is super trippy, colourful beyond comprehension and clearly got an Inception kind of feel but times twenty! Cumberbatch looks so cool especially with the way he puts on that cloak and I love that line at the end of the trailer with Baron Mordo giving Strange the Wi-Fi password, that was great. I’ve been hyped for this film for ages, but now the hype has gotten so much higher! đ
Wonder Woman Trailer
Okay so the Wonder Woman trailer has finally been released and I have to say that I’m intrigued and definitely down for this film more so than before. The thing about Gal Gadot’s version of Wonder Woman is that she’s pretty, but I don’t find her intimidating or badass, and while she had her moments in Batman V Superman, I wasn’t in love with her. However this trailer really seems to be winning me over with the good chemistry between Gal Gadot and Chris Pine, the WWI setting and the action sequences that look pretty cool. Oh and the colour, I’m liking the use of colour especially in WW’s costume and some of those action scenes look pretty hardcore. Oh and the use of WW’s theme from BvS, nice! My only issues with the trailer was the use of slow motion during the action scenes, these days it feels a little excessive in action movies and seeing some of WW’s movements, it looked a little awkward, but other than that the trailer’s good and I’m ready for this film.
Justice League Footage
But this footage was the real surprise for me, Justice League is still in production as far as I know and for there to be such polished-looking footage already is crazy, but welcomed for me. This footage if anything proved one single thing, that Justice League will be a different kettle of fish from the last two DCEU films with humour, light-heartedness and colour. I liked how Bruce and Diana were on the hunt for their superhero team and how these moments of banter between Diana and Bruce about Aquaman’s recruitment or the conversation between Bruce and Barry Allen. Ezra Miller’s version of the Flash is one that I think I’ll like a lot and Jason Momoa looks tough as nails as Aquaman, and overall it looks like this film will be good session. I will admit that this trailer lacked the style, charisma and impact of a proper trailer like Wonder Woman, but since the film’s not done with principal photography I’m gonna let it slide.
Kong: Skull Island Trailer
Out of every trailer that dropped from SDCC, this was the one that really caught me by surprise. I’ve been looking forward to this film for a while, but to see some actual footage and the tone this film is going for, I was like “Damn, this needs to be in my system now yo!” This film really has a Godzilla (2014) kind of vibe especially with that opening shot on the ocean with the use of colour and the dark clouds, but the style and tone feels more in line with a film from decades ago like the 1970’s. I also enjoyed seeing how big of a part Samuel L. Jackson and John Goodman have with Jackson looking like the tough military guy and Goodman being some kind researcher familiar with the island. The visuals are looks very solid with some cool cinematography, big set pieces and King Kong, damn, how big is here? This film definitely establishes that Skull Island isn’t a place for humans, that it’s been around since the early times of Earth and that trespassers will meet their end, and that just excites me to see how dangerous this place and it’s inhabitants are.
Danai Gurira Joining Black Panther
This was one of the best small surprises for me, to have Danai Gurira from The Walking Dead come over to the MCU in the new Black Panther film? Hell yeah, she’s perfect to come into this film and to have her as the head Black Panther’s personal body guards it seems like a great role that’ll hopefully have some action material as Gurira excels at that in Walking Dead. And just in general to see Ryan Coogler talk so passionately about being a fan and working on Black Panther was great, but also seeing the current cast, Chadwick Boseman Lupita Nyong’o, Michael B. Jordan and Danai Gurira together talking about their excitement for this new film was awesome.
Luke Cage & Iron Fist Trailers
And finally there’s the trailers from the first day of SDCC that got me all sweaty in the from of the trailers for the Netflix Marvel shows; Luke Cage and Iron Fist. And while there was this nice teaser for The Defenders, these trailers had actual footage and I’ve been hyped for these shows because of their potential in the future especially when it comes to crossovers. Firstly there’s Luke Cage and while there wasn’t really much in the way of story, this trailer definitely gives a look at the kind of tone, action and style of this show and how it’s different from Daredevil and Jessica Jones. I’m liking the action and how brutal/humourous it is with Cage just dispatching bad guys. And with Iron Fist there’s even less to see, but what glimpses we do get are pretty cool flashbacks to a young Danny Rand and his mum in a plane crash and then being found by monks in the snow, then fast forward to modern times with Rand being restrained in a bed and then smashing through that wall. I liked it, Finn Jones looks cool and with the music it really felt mystical and otherworldly.
And so that brings my highlights from this year’s SDCC to a close, what was your favourite material from Comic-Con this year? Whatever they are be sure to comment below and let me know and I’ll see ya on the next blog post, laters! đ
Howdy people of the internet, time for some film news which I haven’t done for some time and today while I was out there was some Marvel news that dropped and obviously I have to talk about it. The following information comes from superherohype:
Marvel Studios has announced a bit of a shift in their plans for Marvel Phase Three with the announcement of a new movie, Ant-Man and the Wasp, featuring the return of Paul Rudd as Scott Lang alongside Evangeline Lilly as Hope Van Dyne. The movie will debut on July 6, 2018, the original release date for Marvelâs Black Panther, which will now open in theaters on February 16, 2018. The announcement comes following the success of this summerâs Ant-Man, which brought in $178.5M at the domestic box office and $231.3M internationally for a global total of $409.8M.
In addition, Marvel has announced that the long-awaited Captain Marvel film will shift from its November 2, 2018 release date to March 8, 2019.
Finally, Marvel has set release dates for three more mystery films which will premiere on May 1, 2020, July 10, 2020, and November 6, 2020. Which movies do you think will hit on those days?
Well the main thing to take away from this is that Ant-Man is getting a sequel! This is certainly a surprise! I mean I had hoped that it would get a sequel especially considering how surprising of a hit it was with fans and skeptics alike, but I didn’t think it would happen for a long time considering the Marvel Studios films slate is booked out until like 2020. But it seems like surprises happen all the time and the fact that Wasp’s name is in the title just gets me giddy. The fact that she’ll be appearing in the MCU before Infinity War is awesome and I can’t wait to see how her powers and teamwork with Ant-Man will play out. And now because of this film’s release date, the dates for Black Panther and Captain Marvel have been shifted and moved back again, but since they isn’t much confirmed details on either I can deal with it for the time being, but the wait for Black Panther is killing me. And then of course there’s the three hidden films, those I couldn’t even speculate on so I’m not gonna bother.
So that’s my thoughts on this story, but how about you? Are you hyped for a Ant-Man sequel? And what do you think these mystery Marvel films are? Be sure to comment below and I’ll see ya on the next review. Laters! đ
I leave the internet for just around 9-10 hours and the world of comic book film news blows the hell up! Marvel, man, they know how to drop bombs of information. Looks like the cinematic universe is about to expand tenfold between now and 2019! The following information comes from superherohype:
ComingSoon.net/SuperHeroHypeâs Silas Lesnick attended the Disney and Marvel Studios press event today where Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige made a number of huge announcements including that the title for Captain America 3, starring Chris Evans and Robert Downey Jr., will now be calledâŚ
At a Q ânâ A following the announcement, Feige confirmed that âCivil Warâ will be a âglobal superhuman registration with a specific inciting incidentâ and that, âSecret identities aren’t as important in the MCU version of the story.â
Doctor Strange, starring Benedict Cumberbatch (who actually wasnât mentioned, so perhaps the deal isnât done) and directed by Scott Derickson, is officially scheduled for November 4, 2016.
July 28, 2017 will now be the release date forâŚÂ Thor: Ragnarok! (A few of our readers called this one.) Of course, both Chris Hemsworth and Tom Hiddleston will be returning as Thor and Loki. Feige says that it will immediately follow the events of Avengers: Age of Ultron with the goal to take Thor to âanother level of his own franchise.â
The big news is that Marvelâs Black Panther is indeed getting his own solo movie with Black Panther scheduled for November 3, 2017 and the Black Panther will be played byâŚ. Chadwick Boseman!
So thatâs two sequels and one new character movie in 2017, Marvel Studiosâ first year with three movie releases. Feige said that there is an easter egg in the Avengers: Age of Ultrontrailer for the Black Panther movie, which is probably that Andy Serkis plays Panther villain Ulysses Klaw.
Two more big announcements for new characters being brought to the Marvel Cinematic Universe are a Carol Danvers Captain Marvel movie for July 6, 2018 and an Inhumans movie for November 2, 2018. Both of these movies have been rumored for a long time, but now itâs confirmed that Marvel will have two new character movies in 2018 with the May 4, 2018 beingâŚ
Feige said that the Hulk will appear in all of the Avengers movies and that a standalone Hulk movie may still happen. âWeâll see,â he said.
When asked about a Black Widow movie, Feige said the reason it hasnât happened is âbecause sheâs so good working with the Avengers and says that the Hulk is, at the moment, the same way.â
As far as rumors that Spider-Man might come over to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Feige was vague saying that it was either ânot true at allâ or âsomething not ready to be announced yet.â
As far as the long-rumored Runaways movie, Feige said that heâs a big fan of the script they have, but it just isnât ready yet. The Runaways âcome up quite a bit in both TV and film discussions.â
Jesus Christ! Talk about news overload. Just when you thought Marvel have pretty much won the internet over with the dĂŠbut of the Avengers: Age of Ultron teaser trailer, they take it one step further. Everything before this feels like a raindrop by comparison, Marvel Studios is like the cool kid at the pool party that knows how to make the best cannonballs and just when you though they’d made the biggest splash already, Marvel come back and do it again bigger and better. So now we have the Marvel film line-up from now up until 2019, that’s 5 years from now, that’s good planning and while some of the following films were obvious, some are definitely surprising.
Now I’m going to talk about the films individually:
Captain America: Civil War
So, Captain America 3, guess it is Civil War after all. I laugh at all the people that said that there was no chance that the Civil War storyline would be adapted, that it was just rumour and nothing more. But then comes Kevin Feige and Marvel Studios like, “We can do whatever we want, yeah, even Civil War.” Now that this is official I can’t wait to see how it turns out, since secret identities aren’t the main focus, I really want to know what this “inciting incident” is. Bring it on, I can’t wait.
Doctor Strange
So Doctor Strange, yeah that’s happening and it is set for November of 2016. I’m down with that. There hasn’t been any information additional information released story or cast-wise, that being said I’m not expecting too much at this point in time because of all the hype and planning surrounding Avengers 2 and Ant-Man. But I hope that the title character is cast soon and announced in the next two or three months, tops.
Then of course there’s the recent news about Benedict Cumberbatch being attached to title role, of course it was rumoured before, but now it seems a little more legit because of the whole ‘in talks’ element that’s come into play. Now it hasn’t been made official by Marvel yet, however it seems like it would be the next logical announcement for this film. Now while I would have liked to see what would kind of performances would have come from Joaquin Phoenix or Ethan Hawke, at the same time I LOVE Cumberbatch as an actor and if he joined the MCU I would blow up.
Guardians of the Galaxy 2
This was a given and obviously was announced back in the summer just after the first film came out. No new information about the film other than the fact that its been given other than the fact that the film’s release has been moved up by about 2 months I think.
Thor: Ragnarok
So Thor 3, its Ragnarok and I knew it would head in this direction. It is one of the most classic and epic of stories in the comics and Norse mythology to my knowledge, and the only way to make this Thor universe more hardcore would be to incorporate Ragnarok. I’m also curious to see what Thor and Loki are up to and how this film ties in to Avengers 2 as well.
Black Panther &Â Chadwick Boseman Announcement
But the biggest announcement for me was the confirmation that Black Panther IS happening and it WILL be part of Phase Three in November of 2017. To say that I am happy would be an understatement. It feels like I have been waiting for AGES for this to be announced. Since the time Wakanda was shown on that map in the background in Iron Man 2, I have been waiting for some sort of solid confirmation that Black Panther would be part of the MCU and now we finally have it. After having us transported to Asgard, a World War II setting and the far reaches of space, I feel like we’re now ready for an adventure set in Africa with the inhabitants of Wakanda. It could be a special and interesting film if handled correctly.
So then there’s the casting the title character and it is being played by Chadwick Boseman. While he was not my first choice, at the same time he is not a bad one at all. I’ve only seen him in 42, but I could already see that Boseman was talented and was going to go places in the future, and with the positive reception I’ve heard from some critics on Get On Up, I assume he’ll definitely be an actor to look out for after he debuts as T’Challa/Black Panther. And then there’s that concept art:
All I can say is damn, this looks sweet as hell, if the final costume looks anything like this then I will be SO happy. Black Panther has always had one of the coolest costumes in the comics and this concept art looks like a great adaptation of the original while also being very practical and stylish.
Captain Marvel
Then there’s this film, the one that’s been rumoured for such a long time and people have been asking for since around just after The Avengers came out (at least that’s what I observed online on many comic book websites). So it looks like a female-lead superhero film starring Carol Danvers is actually happening. Probably won’t hear much on this for a while (or at least until DC’s Wonder Woman gets another major announcement), but for now I’m just glad that it is happening.
Inhumans
Here we have another film that was hinted at and rumoured about for years, but has never had any validity until now. Now I know next to nothing about the Inhumans, I’ve only gotten small amounts of knowledge through Marvel Ultimate Alliance and the Fantastic Four cartoons. Something tells me that there will be some connectivity to at least Captain Marvel, Guardians 2 or Avengers 3. They seem like an interesting bunch and could be the next big group next to the Avengers and Guardians of the Galaxy.
Avengers: Infinity War â Part IÂ & II
So now we have the final piece of the MCU puzzle. After all this planning, crafting and hype, it all comes to this, the 3rd Avengers film where the big bad titan, Thanos will finally come to the forefront of these films and probably kick the Avengers to the curb. I believe that the Earth will not be the only place in danger, this may even extend to space (it is a possibility considering the over-the-top  nature of the comic stories). This will probably biggest event ever, and if it take two films just for the Avengers to win or survive, then this will have to be one hell of a film filled with epic stakes, incredible action and character moments that will be notable and unforgettable.
In conclusion, the Marvel hype train has reached a new level and I’m frigging hyped, so frigging hyped it is not even a joke. I want the future now, I want these films now! Give it to me now Marvel! XD
So what do you think of this epic Marvel film announcement? Are you happy about the films announced or not, and out of the films announced which one are you the most excited about? Whatever your thoughts are be sure to leave them in the comments below and I’ll see you on the next blog post yo, laters! đ
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