Avengers: Endgame Spoiler Talk

Howdy ladies and gents of the internet, today I am here to share my spoiler-based thoughts on Avengers: Endgame via my podcast Film Focus. Now I know not everyone has seen the film yet, but I had to get this out as soon as possible for those who have. Also, this film has so much packed into it that it would be impossible to highlight everything that happened in its 3-hour runtime, but there’s a lot of stuff that I had to say about the story, characters, presentation and this film’s ties to other films in the MCU. So be prepared for a looser, less structured episode where I talk about most of the things that stood out to me in a very passionate and emotional way haha.

P.S. A couple of things to keep in mind:

1. I do get a little loud from time to time so mind your headphone volume.
2. Around 16:17 I mention Gamora when I meant to Nebula, so apologies for that mix-up.

Anyway here’s the episode 78:

If you haven’t checked out my podcast before you can find it here: https://soundcloud.com/film_focus

So have you seen Endgame and if so what were your favourtie parts from the film? Drop your thoughts in the comments section below and I’ll see ya in the next review, until next time, laters! 😀

 

Avengers: Endgame Spoiler-Free Review

Howdy ladies and gents of the internet, how is it going? So yeah I have returned from the depths of the earth to share my thoughts on the latest superhero film from Marvel Studios; Avengers: Endgame! Normally I would have had my review online by Friday but I decided to take some time to really think about the film, process it and then deliver it via my podcast Film Focus.

Anyway here’s the episode 77:

Now surprisingly this is one of the shortest reviews I’ve ever done for a notable high-profile film like Endgame, but I believe was due to me trying to avoid giving any spoilers but also trying to give my thoughts fairly concise as I didn’t wish to ramble on too much haha.

If you haven’t checked out my podcast before you can find it here: https://soundcloud.com/film_focus

So have you seen Endgame and if so what did you think of it? Did it meet, exceed or fall below your expectations? Drop your thoughts in the comments section below and I’ll see ya in the next review, until next time, laters! 😀

 

DOUBLE REVIEW: A Star Is Born & Venom

Howdy ladies and gents of the internet, its review time once again and last week I watched A Star Is Born and Venom and I really wanted to share my opinion on those films online, so I’ve done my reviews for both films via my podcast, Film Focus and I’ve shared the episode in this post for y’all to check out.

Now I’m not gonna like, A Star Is Born is a film I was interested in but it wasn’t on my radar until I saw the trailer not too long ago and I honestly can’t hide my love for the film and you’ll hear it in the episode haha. 😀 And with Venom, from the outset I wasn’t down with the idea of this partly because removing Spider-Man, the key element of what makes Venom so compelling in the first place felt like a bad idea, but also because of the way Sony handled the Spidey franchise and basically made that cinematic universe implode before it even began, I was cautious of how they’d make the film work. So what did I think of Venom? Well, listen to the episode to find out.

Timecodes:

02:08 A Star Is Born Review
15:26 Venom Review

Check out my thoughts on both films in episode 60 below:

P.S. I may have made a few mistakes with a few things here and there so apologies in advance.

So have you seen A Star Is Born or Venom or both? And if so what did you think of them? Whatever your thoughts are, drop them in the comments below and if you have some spare time check out my podcast, Film Focus on Soundcloud and iTunes. Until next time, laters! 😀

 

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 Review (Spoiler-Free)

Howdy ladies and gents, time for a new film review and today I’m going to be talking about Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, the long-awaited sequel from Marvel Studios. Now back in 2014 I loved Guardians of the Galaxy, it was an unexpected surprise of that summer and so creating a sequel that would equal or exceed the previous film was going to be a mammoth task. But anyway I saw the film yesterday/this morning as part of a double bill at Cineworld and now I’m reading to pass judgement!

The story can be summed up as the following:

“The Guardians must fight to keep their newfound family together as they unravel the mysteries of Peter Quill’s true parentage. Old foes become new allies and fan-favorite characters from the classic comics will come to our heroes’ aid as the Marvel cinematic universe continues to expand.”

At this point in time I’m finding it a tad difficult to formulate my thoughts into works. Guardians Vol. 2 is an interesting beast, it is really good and an overall fun adventure, however it’s also uneven and not as cohesive as the first film. So depending on how you felt about Guardians 1, this film will be more of what you enjoyed before or be a disappointment.

If the story does one thing well it is covering the main theme of family as this film has a strong emphasis on the ties between Peter Quill and his father, Gamora and Nebula, and of course the Guardians team themselves. This film shows what it means to be a family, whether you’re blood related, adopted or have a strong connection to someone and we also see the highs and lows of those relationships. Another strong element was the fact that the story also got quite emotional and dramatic and I didn’t expect that, but it was a welcome surprise. As for the humour, one the first film’s strongest points, it was a little hit or miss, some of the jokes were amazing and other didn’t land as well, plus they were coming a little too frequently for my liking, so anyone annoyed with the frequent humour in Marvel films won’t be a fan of this film. And lastly for the first time in a while Guardians Vol. 2 feels like a standalone adventure with ties to other films or the larger MCU being next to non-existent and there not being any major set up for future films. Now of course there is some set up for a sequel and some great references to the comics, but otherwise this was an isolated film, so anyone hoping for MCU connections definitely be disappointed.

As for the cast they were all very good, though some stood out more so than others. Chris Pratt is a standout as Peter Quill/Star-Lord, he has not only a great sense of timing for his humour but he’s incredibly engaging and has good dramatic moments too. Zoe Saldana was solid as Gamora, she had some good moments with Peter and Nebula, but like the last film I wish I had seen more from her. Dave Bautista as Drax the Destroyer like the last film had some great comedic moments, and some unexpected subtle dramatic material too, some of his jokes didn’t land but otherwise, good stuff. Baby Groot was adorable, hilarious and used well throughout, and Rocket Raccoon had some really solid moments in this film and like before, Bradley Cooper’s voice work was really great. Other returning cast members including Karen Gillan as Nebula and Michael Rooker as Yondu do really well, Nebula got a lot of additional story material that really enhanced her as a character and while Gillan’s performance was a little overdone at points I still liked her, oh and Rooker was incredible as Yondu having more dramatic and hilarious material than before and I loved the character. As for the new cast members Kurt Russell did well as Star Lord’s dad Ego, I thought he brought a dramatic sense of flair, personality and humour to this role and his scenes with Peter was great. Pom Klementieff as Mantis was so cute and funny, I liked her abilities and interactions with the guardians team and Elizabeth Debicki was interesting as Ayesha, she had some funny scenes, but other times it was a little awkward. I also appreciated the appearances from Sean Gunn, Laura Haddock and Sylvester Stallone.

When it comes to the presentation it was really solid. Visually like the previous film, we are treated to a gorgeous film with a vivid colour scheme, good cinematography, great artistic direction, really detailed CGI and action sequences that were fast, ferocious, inventive and fun to watch. The soundtrack for this film was pretty good, though not as recognisable and as varied as the previous film, and Tyler Bates returns for the film score and he crafts some really nice music, some returning themes and some new material that works well with the on-screen action.

So to conclude Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 was a solid sequel, it did well to advance the story of the characters, had good action, humour and heart. However, the uneven story, misuse of certain characters and a not so solid humour prevent it from being the amazing sequel I thought it could be. And so how would one compare this film to the other MCU films. Well as a sequel I’d say it’s better than the worst two films, Iron Man 2 and Thor: The Dark World, and Iron Man 3, so I’d say it’s sort of on the same level as Age of Ultron, okay now here me out before you verbally attack me. Age of Ultron is a film I that had a lot of great elements within but overall wasn’t as consistent and enjoyable as the previous film and I felt a similar way about this film, while not as disappointing, I felt like this film wasn’t as straightforward or consistent as the last adventure, but it’s still worth a watch.

So have you seen Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 and if so what did you think of it? Be sure to leave your thoughts in the comments section below and I’ll see ya on the next review, laters! 😀

 

SIMPLE REVIEW: American Sniper

Howdy people of the internet and welcome to this blog post. On Wednesday I went to the cinema and a triple film session (which was great by the way), so now I’m going to give you the first of 3 film reviews that I’ll post today, beginning with American Sniper. Now this is a film I’ve heard a lot of about especially since the Oscar nominations came out, so I thought I’d watch it and see what the deal was.

This film is based on the life of Chris Kyle, the most lethal marksman in U.S. military history and if tracks his life on and off of the battlefield. We get to see him find love, start a family, but also kill people and experience the psychological issues that come with fighting in war. I feel like there are a lot of great elements in this film, but it does feel a little generic, and while it tries to paint a picture of war and the grey areas of conflict, it doesn’t always work because most times it feels very black and white; America good Iraq bad. And while it never gets too violent for me, no matter how times you see death illustrated in war films, it doesn’t get any easier to watch when you see these people getting killed because you know it happened in real life. I also like Clint Eastwood’s direction and for the most part this is his best film since Gran Torino.

As for the cast the only people that matter is Bradley Cooper and Sienna Miller because everyone has such a lack of screen time and are underdeveloped, that when they come along you have no emotional connection to them at all. Bradley Cooper as Chris Kyle was great, he’s a loyal man who wants to fight for his country and do good, and while he loves his wife and family, after a while he starts to get lost in the violence of war. While I wouldn’t call this Cooper’s best performance to date, I would say that it is a solid and convincing one for sure. As for Sienna Miller as Taya Renae Kyle she’s good in her role too. Taya is a smart, confident and shy kind of woman who is a great counterbalance to Chris personality-wise, it’s like she’s his rock and can bring him back to reality when he comes back from war. When it comes to presentation visually the film looks pretty and has some great shots of scenery and the soundtrack by is awesome. Now I’ve heard about some controversy surrounding this film for its level of realism, but since I don’t know the exact details of what happened, I can’t really comment on the matter.

In conclusion American Sniper was a little by the numbers with some of the story elements, but overall I still found it enjoyable, dramatic and the central performance from Bradley Cooper is great.

Rating: 7.5/10

So have you seen American Sniper and if so what did you think of it? Please be sure to leave your comments below and I’ll see you on the next review, laters! 😀

 

Guardians of the Galaxy Review

Good day to you ladies and gents, time for a film review I was meant to have done last week Friday, I am of course talking about the film that’s on fire in the cinema right now, Guardians of the Galaxy. At this point in time I’ve already seen the film twice and I’m not going to hide the fact that I think this film is incredible and I’m going to tell you why in this review!

The story for this film can be described as the following:

“Brash adventurer Peter Quill finds himself the object of an unrelenting bounty hunt after stealing a mysterious orb coveted by Ronan, a powerful villain with ambitions that threaten the entire universe. To evade the ever-persistent Ronan, Quill is forced into an uneasy truce with a quartet of disparate misfits-Rocket, a gun-toting raccoon, Groot, a tree-like humanoid, the deadly and enigmatic Gamora and the revenge-driven Drax the Destroyer. But when Quill discovers the true power of the orb and the menace it poses to the cosmos, he must do his best to rally his ragtag rivals for a last, desperate stand-with the galaxy’s fate in the balance.”

The story in this film basically involves a group of misfits from very different backgrounds coming together to become something more and take out a common enemy. Yes this a type of story that has been done many times in the past and very recently with Marvel’s Avengers film that came out two years ago, but this film is so delightfully different in its execution that it easily stands on its own two feet. Guardians of the Galaxy is not only a very different kind of Marvel film but also a different brand of superhero film too. And in a way I wouldn’t even brand it in the superhero genre as this film is clearly of the science fiction genre and it has all the great codes and conventions of what makes the genre so fun to watch. The film is incredibly strange and quirky, it is not typical in any way, there is so much unexpected moments for humour spread throughout and luckily the humour isn’t over-bearing as it has a reason for being there. In addition to the comedy there is a surprising amount of heart to this film. I feel like Marvel Studios are diving deeper into emotional territories and producing very intriguing stories with intimate character moments that are well-crafted and engaging. This film has a great balance of humour and seriousness, and that’s the thing that I think will surprise people. For all the comedic moments there are also some moments to think and reflect, be melancholy and a lot more.

The performances were all great and the core team of heroes are probably the best set of characters together since the Avengers were assembled. Firstly Chris Pratt just ruled as Peter Quill / Star-Lord, he is a man with history and now lives life on the edge sleeping with women and obtaining special treasures. It is not until he sees the danger of the item he holds that he decides to do something that benefits the galaxy and not just himself by assembling his group of misfits. Pratt has so much energy and charisma and it makes for such an engaging, funny and well-rounded performance. Zoe Saldana as Gamora is awesome, she is deadly, sexy and a totally cool warrior. Gamora is clearly a woman with a troubled past and wants to start life anew but happens have run into some complications along the way involving her sister and Quill. Saldana is no stranger to action and sci-fi and she is so beautiful and good in this role. Bradley Cooper as the voice of Rocket Raccoon was pretty much the best thing ever. The character is the source of so much humour but also so much drama as well. Every line Rocket had been super memorable and funny as hell and Cooper’s delivery of his lines are so good as well. Vin Diesel as the voice of Groot was great, I know he just says “I am Groot” all the time, but the different ways in which he said it was very cool and versatile and just hearing Diesel scream and shout was so cool and reminiscent of The Iron Giant. One surprise for me was Dave Bautista as Drax the Destroyer as he was a lot more enjoyable in the role than I expected. Drax is a maniac driven by revenge and hatred, but he is also very literal and simple-minded and loves chaos. I loved how many funny lines and moments this character had and I really liked what Bautista did with this role, that being said there was some moments where the delivery of his lines could have been better.

Lee Pace as Ronan The Accuser was pretty decent, he was an evil, corrupt and power-hungry individual who ultimately wanted to rule over all the inhabitants of the galaxy, he was a serviceable villain, but did fall into the trap of Nero from Star Trek and Malekith from Thor: The Dark World in the sense that he ends up not being as well-developed or as interesting as the heroes he is fighting against. Karen Gillan as Nebula was totally hot and great as this female villain who clearly has sibling rivalry with Gamora and hearing about her history with Gamora and Thanos makes her seems really intriguing. Another person of interest is Michael Rooker as Yondu, Rooker is always a joy to watch and he was just as enjoyable as ever here as a man who is closely linked to Quill’s history and a man who looks out for number one and takes out anyone in his way. Rooker was so funny, cool and charismatic, he was such a joy to watch. Benicio Del Toro was great as Taneleer Tivan / The Collector, I feel like he was a little more serious and less cartoony than he was in Thor: The Dark World. I really liked Djimon Hounsou as Korath the Pursuer, he was intimidating and badass as hell. Even though it his inclusion was small, Josh Brolin as Thanos was totally cool and gave us a wonderful look into what to expect from the Mad Titan in the future. And finally the performances from Glenn Close and John C. Reilly as Commander Rael and Rhomann Dey are pretty good too.

When it comes to the presentation I think it is incredible on both the audio and visible side of things. Visually the film is incredibly unique, distinct and just bursting with colour and detail. Along with the story, the cinematography and CGI work on space, planets and even the characters instill a great sense of wonder and mystery to the film and anyone who is well versed in sci-fi will feel glimpses of Star Wars, the J.J. Abrams Star Trek films and Serenity too. The soundtrack maybe just as impressive if not more so than the visuals. This film is filled to the max with nostalgic songs from the 1960’s and 70’s and it is a very eclectic soundtrack which is very unconventional when it comes to Marvel films, but it works on three levels, a) Because of Peter Quill’s love for the music he grew up with, b) It adds to the film’s quirky nature and c) For those who are old enough, it is like stepping into the past and having a crazy nostalgia rush with some really good music. In addition to the great selection of songs, the score by Tyler Bates is pretty good and has some beautiful and epic moments throughout.

In conclusion the Guardians of the Galaxy is definitely a different kind of superhero film, in a way it hardly a superhero film at all. It is truly a film of the science fiction genre with all sorts of humour, action and fun.  and I can’t wait to see it again lol.

Rating: 8.5/9 out of 10 (Seriously liked this film a lot though I’m not sure it is 9 material yet)

So what did you think of the Guardians of the Galaxy? Did it live up to your expectations or not? Whatever your thoughts are be sure to drop them in the comments below.

 

Guardians of the Galaxy Trailer #2 Quick Review

Good day to you ladies and gents, time for another trailer review and today I’ll be talking about the second trailer for Guardians of the Galaxy that was released yesterday. Now I recall seeing the first trailer and liking it, but not being blown away by it, however after a while I really grew to love it and see it in the cinema has gotten me hyped on a few occasions. So with this new trailer I was hoping to be shocked beyond belief. So how does the second trailer fare? Well read on and find out!

Check out the trailer below:

So what and I thinking after seeing this trailer? Well this is what I would say, “Cool, I like it. However I wasn’t blown away.”

I feel like I’m getting some deja vu because I did have similar thoughts to the first trailer that was released, but I feel like that one you could give the benefit of the doubt because it was the first one. Plus I feel like that trailer had a more engaging tone and style, while this one of more of the same just with new scenes and music.

That’s not to say that this trailer didn’t have cool things to show off and new things for us to learn. What’s on display here is pretty cool and I like how much more we get to see of Star-Lord and his grew coming together. This second trailer really emphasizes the fact that this is a group of misfits, brought together through pure circumstantial reasons, but when put together they can achieve great things.

What I like the most about this trailer is seeing more of the world, this film looks gorgeous from what the trailer is showing us. The visual effects look incredibly detailed, large in scope and the colour scheme is so vivid and versatile, it looks like a whole new type of space that hasn’t really been seen before. For me, there haven’t been too many films that have depicted the look of space in a unique or interesting way (not since Star Wars at least), but GotG looks like its set to change that and I can’t wait to see what the rest of film has in store for us. And speaking of the visuals both Groot and Rocket Raccoon look awesome, we get to see a lot more of them, we hear them speak, move around a lot more and just see their personalities in general and it feels they’re getting a fair amount of screen time in this trailer and rightfully so, these are the characters that the film has to see to the casual audience.

In conclusion the second trailer Guardians of the Galaxy looks delightful and I can’t wait to see it. While the trailer didn’t really make me geek out like the later trailers for Godzilla and X-Men: Days of Future Past, in the end it is still a good trailer with plenty of interesting things to talk about for weeks to come. August is taking too damn long to get here, like a spoilt child would say, “I want it now!” 😀

So what did you think of the Guardians of the Galaxy second trailer? Are you more or less excited for the film than before? Whatever your thoughts are be sure to drop them in the comments below.

 

American Hustle Review

Yo yo ladies and gents, time to FINALLY review American Hustle! I know this review is a lot later than I anticipated, but for the longest time I put off watching this film even though I really wanted to see it as soon as it came out. But after all the faffing around I saw it at the cinema and I’m ready yo give my thoughts.

The story is loosely based on the FBI ABSCAM operation of the late 1970s and early ’80s, where two con artists who are forced by an FBI agent to set up an elaborate sting operation on corrupt politicians, including the mayor of Camden, New Jersey.

I thought the story was decent but not as good as I thought it’d be. It started out well and had a non-linear style of storytelling (a form of storytelling that I think loads of films are taking on these days) and from there we’re introduced to characters and plot elements and see how some of these individual stories eventually tie into each other. At its core the films about people conning each other. Lies and deceit is the name of the game. Normally I’m really into this kind of story in film stories, but in this film into gets a bit to convoluted for my liking and takes a bit too long for actions to play out. I actually looked at the time on my phone and that RARELY happens. by the time the film ended I just felt average and that’s massive difference from the joyful feeling I felt when I left Silver Linings Playbook.

It’s really the cast that make the film for me as they bring these characters to life and make them worth caring about. Let’s start with Christian Bale as Irving Rosenfeld. I’ve heard people talk shit about Bale and some say he can’t act, well to them I say bullshit! I swear he’s like a frigging chameleon and goes to highest efforts to fit into his roles and that is clearly apparent here as he’s fat, corrupt, in love, but also got emotional issues to deal with involving is former and current love interests and his connect to the mayor. I thought Bale’s performance was great. Bradley Cooper as FBI Agent Richard “Richie” DiMaso was pretty great too, I’ve definitely become more a Bradley Cooper fan over the last 2 years and in this film he’s great as this FBI guy who strives for success and loves to be control and freaks out when he isn’t. Seeing Cooper lose his cool and go mental was wonderful and he does aggression very well. Amy Adams as Sydney Prosser / Lady Edith Greensly was pretty good. There was something incredibly alluring about her (it was probably those revealing outfits), I liked her backstory and her chemistry with Bale was great. The only thing iffy about her was the accent which was sometimes good and at other points very questionable. While not Adams’ best role, she was still really good.

Jeremy Renner as Mayor Carmine Polito was actually my favourite character purely because he was practically the most innocent member of the main cast, he was just a nice guy, loved by all, trying to do right by the people of his city but got caught up this world of lies and corruption. Renner is an actor who is always up and down for me in films, he’s a good actor, no doubt about it, but sometimes his roles can make him come across as a bit flat. In this film I loved him, just his charisma, the accent his hair, everything was just nice and I think this is my favourite role I’ve seen him in. And then there’s Jennifer Lawrence as Rosalyn Rosenfeld, I’m gonna get this out there first, I really disliked her character. So annoying, unbearable and it doesn’t that I’ve known people like that so when people get annoyed in the film by her actions I can sympathise. That being said Lawrence turned in another good performance with some funny scenes and she continues to do no wrong in the world of film.

Other people I feel I should mention is my two men from Boardwalk Empire; Jack Huston (Richard Harrow) as Pete Musane and Shea Whigham (Eli Thompson) as Carl Elway. Huston was great and had a really interesting, subtle and yet aggressive part to play and Whigham’s character was really funky-looking and definitely a different kind of role for him but was really enjoyable.

In conclusion American Hustle is a good film but nowhere near as good as some critics and other people are making it out to be. The amazing performances from the cast is what really sells the film and makes it worth watching. The word that comes to mind is “disappointed” and while I can still recommend this film, I can’t say that I walked out of the film loving it the way I wanted to.

Rating: 7/10 (A good film only elevated by the incredible of the cast)

So what did you think of American Hustle? Were you in love with it or did you think like me that it wasn’t as amazing as some have made it out to be? Whatever your thoughts drop them below and let me know. Until the next time, I’ll catch ya later! 😀

 

Guardians of the Galaxy News Round-Up

Howdy friends and other people of the internet, time for some film news to be delivered to you! Now over the last two weeks there has been a fair amount of information given regarding the upcoming Guardians of the Galaxy film and I’ve just decided that I’m gonna just a news round-up of all those important stories and put them on this blog today.

Oh and before we begin let me just say that the following information comes from ComicBookMovie.com

Vin Diesel as Groot, Source: http://www.comicbookmovie.com/fansites/MarvelFreshman/news/?a=85251

“It was a hasty, precise post on Facebook back in June that first revealed Vin Diesel was in talks with Marvel Studios for an unspecified role in one of their upcoming cinematic outings. And while the Riddick star boasted at the San Diego Comic-Con last month that a big announcement about his involvement was forthcoming, Diesel took to his social network (yet again) earlier today and updated his cover photo hinting that he was joining Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy adaptation. And sources of Deadline now confirm that Vin Diesel is negotiations to lend his gravelly voice to Groot, the sentient tree creature and charter member of the Guardians team.”

Well this is pretty much public knowledge now to all the people that’s been following Vin Diesel’s movements at Marvel recently, but yeah it seems like it’s all but confirmed that he’ll be doing the role in this film. So how do I feel about this? Pretty good actually. Granted the character only says “I am Groot”, but I think it’d work for Diesel due to his deep voice similar to what he did in The Iron Giant. I think the filmmakers should at least allow Diesel to do motion capture for the character as well just so the role would feel so small.

Bradley Cooper On Marvel’s Radar For ‘Rocket Raccoon’, Source:

http://www.comicbookmovie.com/fansites/MarvelFreshman/news/?a=85783#WpE0rotvSzjAk4sY.99

“With The Fast and the Furious star Vin Diesel all but confirmed to voice the treelike alien Groot in Guardians of the Galaxy, the gun-toting Rocket Raccoon is the only central character that has yet to have an actor attached. While principal photography for the Marvel film has passed the midway mark in the U.K., the movie scoopers over at Latino Review have found out director James Gunn’s “dream guy” for the talking carnivorous tactician. Apparently Marvel Studios has made an offer to Academy Award-nominated thesp Bradley Cooper to have him lend his voice for Rocket Racoon in Guardians of the Galaxy.”

Well when I heard about this I was kind of surprised. While I’m not saying that Cooper is a bad choice, I just think he’s an odd one when compared to a lot of other actors. I seriously thought Marvel would look into an English actor or maybe even Nolan North because of his popularity with fans and his work with other Marvel projects. Obviously nothing has been confirmed yet but I think Cooper could be awesome in the role as long as he still uses an English accent. 

Kevin Feige Reveals Tons Of GOTG Character Details; Says Gamora Starts Off As A Villain,
Source: http://www.comicbookmovie.com/fansites/JoshWildingNewsAndReviews/news/?a=85856#jSIv7zWPh6EjeAzc.99

“They are an unlikely band. It’s pure circumstance that brings them all together throughout the course of the movie. Rocket has been genetically and mechanically altered, he’s an experiment from one part of the galaxy. Groot is a species that happens to look like trees look, and is quite communicative if you can understand the different inflections in the way he says, “I am Groot.” Peter Quill left Earth in the mid’80s, but when we meet back up with him he’s very much a citizen of the universe. Drax has one goal and one goal only, which is to kill Ronan because of a past tragedy. When we meet Gamora, she’s a bad guy working with Ronan and Nebula and Korath, and by extension for Thanos. Gamora doesn’t necessarily like doing that anymore, and tries to find a new path for herself. But she has a reputation as the deadliest woman in the galaxy that people aren’t greeting her with open arms.”

I like the way Feige talks describes the details of the characters, it sounds totally cool. I’m just liking the way each character seems to have a colourful backstory that’s different and how they come together just by chance. The most interesting person seems to be Gamora, her backstory seems like it’ll be very complex especially if she’s on the side of the enemy before joining the team, can’t wait to see how she changes sides.

Kevin Feige Reveals When GOTG Takes Place; Names Ronan The Accuser As Main Villain
Source: http://www.comicbookmovie.com/fansites/JoshWildingNewsAndReviews/news/?a=85853#ou3IbJgVqgS9sCot.99

““The general answer is yes,” Kevin Feige said when asked whether Guardians of the Galaxy takes place at the same time as Marvel’s other “Phase Two” movies, Iron Man 3, Thor: The Dark World and Captain America: The Winter Soldier. “It’s not exactly revealed what year or month it is in relation to the other Phase Two films. But yes, it’s the same time.” So, while it may take place at the same time, just how connected will it be to the aforementioned films? “Certainly more than the others. We’ve already said that Thanos plays a part in it and is a character in it. That in and of itself should tell you it’s connected to the other worlds.” Talking of Thanos, many fans expected the Mad Titan to be the main villain in the sequel to The Avengers, but it was recently confirmed that it will be Ultron who fills that role. So, will he be the main foe in Guardians of the Galaxy? Not quite! “Ronan The Accuser is very much the main bad guy. And Thanos is lurking above it all. You will learn more about Thanos in Guardians, for sure. Certainly you’ll get more than the one turn around and smirk. You’ll get much more than that!””

Firstly I’m glad to hear that there will be more Thanos in this film than there was shown in The Avengers, however I’m glad that he isn’t the main villain as he’s really more of an Avengers type of problem than one for the GotG. I don’t know too much about Ronan The Accuser besides The Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, but he seemed pretty badass so I hope he’ll be a good challenge for the team. As for what point in time the series takes place, since it’s in the Phase Two MCU I can only it’ll be between, during or after Iron Man 3, Thor 2 and Captain America 2.

So yeah that’s all the news I got for now. What did you think of all this stuff then? Whatever your thoughts just drop me a comment below yo. Until next time people, laters! 😀

 

The Hangover Part III Review

Alrighty then, now I am going to review The Hangover Part III. I can’t believe I am typing these words. I actually had NO intention of watching this films at all, but when I was at the cinema yesterday I needed to something to pass the time but also coincide with my screening of Mud so The Hangover Part III was the only option. So went into this film with no expectations whatsoever and in the end it was alright, but hell that isn’t saying much really.

The premise for this film is as follows:

“In the aftermath of the death of Alan’s father, the wolfpack decide to take Alan to get treated for his mental issues. But things start to go wrong on the way to the hospital as the wolfpack is assaulted and Doug is kidnapped. Now they must find Mr. Chow again in order to surrender him to the gangster who kidnapped Doug in order to save him.”

The story in this film isn’t exactly standard fare, there is a different focus this time. This time rather than “the hangover happens, we lost a person, let’s go find them!” its “okay our friend’s been stolen and we can’t get him back unless we find the crazy chinese guy who stole someone’s gold, let’s go!” There are a lot of similarities and connections to the last two films, but because of the change in formula it doesn’t really feel like a Hangover film, there is an actual hangover within the film, but it is definitely not the main focus.

Now its time to talk about the characters of The Hangover Part III. Firstly Bradley Cooper as Phil Wenneck, he was still the cool and sort of level-headed one of the group. Phil had some cool moments but it was continuously hard for me to imagine Bradley Cooper in this film after seeing Silver Linings Playbook. Ed Helms as Dr. Stuart “Stu” Price was alright, he seems to be the character who gets fucked over in each of these films and I think the same rule applies to this film, some of his scenes were funny while others weren’t. Then there’s Zach Galifianakis as Alan Garner who played a slightly different if somewhat similar role as he did in the previous films. Alan really is the heart and soul of these films because he’s had most of the laughs, screen time and crazy happenings go down in this life, so it is kind of annoying to see this different and arrogant version of the character in this film. Eventually we see some more of his previous qualities come into play later on in the film but it’s just not as good as it was before, he’s still very stupid by the way. And course we have to talk about Ken Jeong as Leslie Chow. Now Chow has been noted as one of the annoying character in this film series due to his crazy antics and high-pitched voice. For me he was alright in the first film, but then he got really weird in the second film, here he is just as loud and annoying as before and I guess I didn’t like him as much because I prefer Ken Jeong as Ben Chang in Community. Also even though Justin Bartha  wasn’t in the film that much due to kidnapping it was still good to see his return as Doug Billings.

Heather Graham as Jade serves a purpose for the sake of the plot but isn’t that memorable in the film. Jeffrey Tambor as Sid Garner was good, he was good in the film and that’s all I have to say about that. And lastly John Goodman as Marshall was great and one of the best characters in this film. Goodman makes a for a great villain in films and it definitely worked in this film as he was intimidating

In conclusion The Hangover Part III was surprising better than the last film and definitely did something different from the basic formula which I appreciated. But for all the changes the film makes, it’s still part of a film series that should have just been one standalone film in the film place. At this point I’ve seen and laughed at funnier things so yeah this film kind of feels pointless and reestablished the fact that the comedies are the genre I have the least amount of fun with in the cinema.

Rating: 5/10 (Unless you’re a fan you’re not gonna care about this film)

So what did you all think of The Hangover Part III? Did you think it was a return to form after the second film or do you think that this film was just as bad? Whatever your thoughts drop them in the comments below and I’ll see ya on the next review yo! 😀