EPIC REVIEW: Black Panther

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! 😀

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 Göransson’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. 🙂

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! 😀

 

QUICK THOUGHTS: Black Panther Teaser Trailer

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:

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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 😛 😀

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! 😀

 

QUICK REVIEW: Creed

So after a waiting period that’s felt like a summer holiday I’m finally getting around seeing Creed. After all the hype and great reviews from America, over here in the UK we’re finally getting a piece of this pie and I have to say it was certainly worth the wait. Creed was everything I was hoping it would be and I’m going to tell you why in this review.

The story can be summed up as the following:

“The former World Heavyweight Champion Rocky Balboa serves as a trainer and mentor to Adonis Johnson, the son of his late friend and former rival Apollo Creed.”

I really enjoyed the story as it felt right in the context of the Rocky film series, but also had a lot of heart, drama and other key elements that made the previous films (especially Rocky 1 & 6) so enjoyable. In some ways I feel like this film has a good few comparisons with the recent Star Wars: The Force Awakens like:

• Both films borrow elements from the previous films in their franchise, but continue the legacy in new ways
• There are familiar callbacks and references the older material for long-term fans
• And even both films are part of franchises people love, they’re definitely different from what’s come before

What Ryan Coogler did with the direction and script was great, the story felt very different, like Rocky‘s story but from a black perspective with modern-day elements incorporated and luckily it all clicked in a real and wonderful way. The film was also hilarious at several points, but it didn’t forget about drama, at points things get aggressive, tense or melancholy and it wasn’t just about the drama in the ring but outside of it too with Adonis and his past, but also his connections with Rocky, his mother, girlfriend and so on and that material is handled so well as its very engaging stuff.

The cast well all fabulous. Michael B. Jordan was great as Adonis “Donnie” Johnson Creed, besides last year’s Fantastic Four, Jordan has once again shown his spectacular talent for acting and in this film Adonis is such a compelling character because of the way he grew, because of his potential and tenacity, but also because of his emotional conflict and motivations too. But Sylvester Stallone, damn, he really brough his A-game as Rocky Balboa. I love Stallone, but this is the best performance he has given as an actor in years, this Rocky was older, more seasoned and wise, but also still had the same fire, humour and heart that we’ve come to love, but it was the way Stallone showed emotion and carried his dramatic moments so well which shocked me. And together, Jordan and Stallone had really good chemistry as you watched Adonis and paired up with Rocky and saw their relationship through their ties with Apollo and boxing. Tessa Thompson was also great as Bianca, I thought she’d be just a generic love interest, but there was a surprising amount of depth to her character and Phylicia Rashad was very good as Mary Anne Creed and had a good few wonderful moments. And finally Tony Bellew as “Pretty” Ricky Conlan made for an impressive antagonist, he was big, mean, cocky and had a short fuse. Oh and shout out to Wood Harris as Tony “Little Duke” Evers.

I also loved the way the action was shot, just like Rocky Balboa, the fight choreography was very realistic, fast and intense, but even more so than before, fights in this film felt like they hit harder, were a little more violent and because of the really close camera work and tracking shots you really got to feel like you were inside the ring experiencing the drama from both sides. The film score by Ludwig Göransson was good especially how he included the old Rocky themes and it was also interesting how the hip hop music was added to the film, some of it felt nice and some of it wasn’t entirely necessary.

In conclusion Creed was a solid spin-off/continuation of this franchise, it had the right amount of drama, action and heart that was necessary for this series to come back to the public. This film is right up there is Rocky 1 & 6 and I would recommend it highly especially if you’re a fan.

Rating: 8/10

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

 

The Fantastic Four Review (SPOILER FREE)

Howdy people of the internet and today I’m here to give you a review of a film I’ve been super curious about for AGES, I am of course talking about the 2015 reboot; Fantastic Four. Now this film has been controversial since the beginning, from the casting to the tone of the film to the story and the trailers. It has slowly been changing the minds of many detractors, but since hasn’t wowed a lot of the haters either. So yesterday night Cineworld gave us Unlimited Card holders a chance to see the film before its release on Friday and I couldn’t miss out on it. So is the film good or not? Well read on and find out! Oh and by the way there’s no spoilers so you can read it haha. 😀

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

“When four people teleport to an alternate universe, which alters their physical form and grants them new abilities, they must learn to harness their abilities and work together as a team to save the Earth from the friend turned enemy, Doom.”

The story in this film was decent, but it wasn’t great. This was a film about discovery, power-hungry individuals and tragedy with key themes of family and change. There were some interesting aspects with the early aspects of Reed’s story and life after the team gains their powers, but this film has a lot of familiar story beats and their not really executed in a fancy or unique way. You definitely get the sci-fi/horror vibe that was described by the producer and director (I think that’s who was saying that) and it is was an interesting angle to approach these characters, scenarios and powers, and there’s one point (which I won’t say when) where the film goes kind of hardcore with the horror and its great. However it doesn’t fully commit to those genre influences, however, what’s worse to me was the fact that this film lacked the superhero flair and charisma that is required. And furthermore I feel like the film forsakes the superhero elements for its the sci-fi/horror aspects and rather than making a genre fusion like The Dark Knight, Captain America: The Winter Soldier or the recent Ant-Man that felt different in genre but still had superhero elements, this film just wasn’t able to replicate that as well. In this day and age of superhero films you have to bring your A-game, the bar has been set to a really high standard and you have to deliver the goods if you want to be relevant in this ever-growing sea of comic book adaptations and Fantastic Four by the time it was over felt decent, but nowhere near as epic as it should have been. This is definitely the beginning of more to come, I just wish there had been more done with this first entry.

As for the cast they do a good job considering the material they are given. Miles Teller as Reed Richards was good, he was smart, empathetic and awkwardly humourous. Kate Mara as Sue Storm was good, I liked how witty and smug she was and she had good banter with Reed too. Michael B. Jordan which most people took issue with because his race did well as Johnny Storm, Johnny was cool, brash, aggressive and humourous. And Jamie Bell was surprisingly good as Ben Grimm especially after he becomes the Thing, he was an enjoyable character and I liked the personality and relationship with Reed. As a whole the cast were decent and there were shades of the comic book personalities in their performances for sure, so there’s that at least.

And then there’s Toby Kebbell as Victor von Doom, this character is probably the most significant change in character from the comic book counterpart, he’s not very enticing character, however after he transforms he’s turned he’s a lot cooler and intimidating. Kebbell started to embody Doom’s personality eventually and he did alright, but Doom is SO much more in the comics and he kind of felt like an afterthought. Reg E. Cathey did a good job as Dr. Franklin Storm, he was the mentor and father of not only Johnny and Sue but sort of to the whole team as well. Tim Blake Nelson as Harvey Elder was your typical military official and he was fine but forgettable and finally it was random to see Dan Castellaneta as Mr. Kenny in the film and he was fun.

When it comes to the presentation it is good for the most part. Visually the film is good, I liked the use of light, colour and the CGI for the most was very detailed. This film depicted all of the characters powers well especially when it came to Johnny and Sue Storm, the Thing looked good most of the time, but at other points he looked not nearly as good (especially in daylight). As for Reed Richards, well he’s a character who was always gonna have a problem translating to live-action because of his stretching abilities. For the most part the film does Reed justice, but at points the CGI used for his movements looked off and not as polished as the other visual effects. The action sequences were nice but not too memorable. Also the soundtrack by Marco Beltrami and Philip Glass was alright but it wasn’t nearly as impactful or memorable as a film with these kind of characters should be.

In conclusion this new incarnation of Fantastic Four is alright, but it’s nothing mind-blowing. There are moments that I genuinely enjoyed, the performances were good and the action looked cool, however I feel like the film could have been so much more. The new approach to the story and genre is admirable but I feel like it took away from the usual superhero elements that make these kinds of films enjoyable. This feels like one of those films that people will either not care very much for or try a rip a new asshole, I thought it wasn’t a total disaster but it wasn’t amazing.

Rating: 5/10 (All in all decent, but nothing amazing)

So have you seen Fantastic Four and if so what do you think of it? Did you like it or were you unimpressed? Also how do you think it compares to other comic book films? Whatever your thoughts are drop them in the comments below and I’ll see ya on the next review, laters! 😀

 

QUICK REVIEW: The Fantastic Four Trailer #2

Howdy people of the internet and welcome to another trailer review! Well I was having a nice casual day re-watching some Phase 1 Marvel studios films, and during a break I saw on ComicBookMovie.com that there was a second trailer released for The Fantastic Four. Now this film has been under fire from fans for the longest time, but after the first trailer dropped a good few people have changed their tunes about wanting to see this film. So what’s the second trailer like? Well read on and find out.

Check out the trailer below:

So my immediate thoughts after seeing this teaser? Well, I’m conflicted. On one hand the additional footage looks very intrigued and promising, while other parts left me not as impressed or as hopeful. But overall it is certainly making me interested in the film more so than before.

Now for this review I’m going to keep my thoughts as brief as possible since not too much has transpired in this trailer to make me go into full-on analytical mode, but I will highlight certain things that worth noting.

Firstly let’s talk briefly about the trailer as it does the following things:

1. It establishes that there will be humour in the film (which I believe is necessary considering that these people will not only have to become a family, but also because humour is pretty much part of Johnny Storm’s persona)
2. We get a little more background into the characters and their early interacts
3. It is also made known that Sue is the adopted child in the Storm family AND that her father is the man behind the research that leads the team’s eventual journey
4. These characters will travel to an alternate dimension/world (I know that was technically already known, but this trailer confirms it visually and verbally)
5. The Thing is on display A LOT
6. The powers of the characters are seen more so than before

The first trailer basically sets up a bit more of the story with us finding out that Johnny and Sue’s father has been researching into something to help understand and potentially safe the world. He’s been at it for a while, some people (probably the government) have been giving him a lot of money for the research and want answers, but it is due to Reed Richards’ intellect Dr. Storm and company have been able to take the one step further. The early appearances and interactions between the main four characters is interesting as it tells us what their personalities are and how they may butt head later on. It also looks like once these guys travel over to the other dimension, they are changed and it doesn’t look like the aftermath is good. These lot are on operating tables, showing off their powers in weird and violent ways, like a horrible transformation.

What I like about this trailer is the humour, that means the film isn’t all doom and gloom (thank god), the CGI for the most part looks very detailed, clean and has a strong art direction too especially for the other dimension stuff. I like how Sue Storm seems to be wearing something that looks very in line with the comic book costumes. Oh and the use of their powers is pretty cool with Reed stretching, Sue and her force fields and Johnny on fire and flying.

My only nitpicks are:

1. Dr. Doom, we only get a glimpse of him and yet it looks so odd, like he has a melted metal face. I know changes need to be made and maybe the film will justify it with the plot, but for now I would have preferred the standard mask (for all it’s problems I actually like the look of the old Doom from the 2005 film, yeah I said it).
2. The Thing, wow. Now I saw the images of The Thing released beforehand and he’s definitely taken a more detailed and more realistic approach, but seeing it in action is a totally different thing. At certain angles he looks kind of cool, but at other he looks hella ugly. I mean maybe he is meant to look bad to emphasise the horror of his transformation, but still he’s not that hard to ruin, and now I’m thinking I may actually like the big old orange version from the 2005 film (again, I’m saying it because I’m not afraid of the hateful comments!)

In conclusion the second trailer for The Fantastic Four is pretty interesting, but I can’t say I’m totally sold on this film yet. There are things that I liked, but there are also things that I didn’t like or just left me wondering why such things are happening. That is not to say that I won’t watch the film, it certainly looks like it at least deserves a watch and if they get the core elements of the characters and mythos right then I shall forgive all of the radical changes in a heartbeat.

So have you seen the second trailer for The Fantastic Four and if so what do you think of it? And are you more or less interested in seeing the film than you were before? Whatever your thoughts are drop them in the comments below and I’ll see ya on the next review, laters! 😀

 

The Fantastic Four Teaser Trailer Review – FINALLY!

Well the teaser trailer for the comic book film that’s been shrouded in secrecy for the longest time; The Fantastic Four has FINALLY dropped today and I finally get to talk about it.

Check out the trailer below:

So my immediate thoughts after seeing this teaser? Not bad, this film, it has my interest. Now while it didn’t do anything to blow me away, it did paint a picture that I want to see more of. This trailer pretty much is here to give you an idea of what to expect in terms of the atmosphere and style of the film. This looks very different from the old FF films and possibly any of the recent comic book films that we’ve seen.

At first we get a very standard (and a bit generic) voice over that talks about humans’ need to build and invent and furthering those ideas on the younger generation, and obviously there’s talk of risks and sacrifice. So this guy’s monologue is a way of summarizing the outline of what the future holds for the heroes of this film. All while he is talking we see shots of a lab, Reed walking around, Ben playing baseball, Johnny fixing a car and Sue on a computer. There is a montage around two-thirds of the way in where the more interesting shots come in like Sue looking sad holding Johnny, an explosion in the city, Johnny flaming on in a hallway, what looks to be Dr. Doom dispatching some guards with electricity and Johnny’s fire against Sue’s invisibility force field. And that final shot of the four heroes together looking at that crazy light/portal thing in the sky looks menacing and flashy.

What I do like about this trailer is the tone. It feels very serious, realistic and falls in line very much with Days of Future Past or The Amazing Spider-Man. It seems like this will be one of those superhero films that is less comic book styled and more like an action drama with superhero elements thrown in.

So from what I can understand it seems like Reed, Sue, Johnny and Ben are all doing their own thing, possibly looks like they volunteer for some science experiment that goes wrong and then they all gain superpowers.

I like the look of this film, the special effects look pretty clean and the scope of the film (again like The Amazing Spider-Man) looks huge, not only in terms of locations, but the way this film is shot has so much wide and establishing shots of various locations. I’m also like the effects used for Johnny’s fire and The Thing’s rock form that looks more realistic than before.

My only concern is how much they will change from the comics, but even more so than that, how serious the film will be. I like dark and gritty films, but after the Christopher Nolan Batman films I was ready for something a little lighter. Guardians of the Galaxy was hella fun and showed that you could have a comic book film that didn’t need to be all moody, but instead could a balance between humour and action. I don’t want FF the dark edition, hopefully there is some fun to be found in this film.

In conclusion the teaser trailer for The Fantastic Four is pretty good, it gives you just enough footage to give you an idea of what’s going on, but doesn’t overdo it with footage or spoil specific story details (SONY TAKE NOTE). I am now intrigued by this film, it may not be the FF that I remember, but I’m going to give this film a chance.

So ladies and gents what do you think of the teaser trailer for The Fantastic Four? Are you down with this more realistic approach or do you want something more in line with the comics? Whatever your thoughts are drop them in the comments below and I’ll see ya on the next review, laters! 😀

 

Fruitvale Station Review

Howdy people of the internet, time for a new film review and today I’m finally getting to review a film that us UK people had to wait a whole bloody year for; Fruitvale Station. Now I heard SO many good things about this film and how Michael B. Jordan deserved Oscar nominations for his performance and I was so hyped to see it, but there was one problem. ONLY AMERICANS GOT TO SEE THE FILM. And for the longest time I thought us UK film goers would never have the opportunity to see this film, luckily I was wrong and it finally showed up in the cinema this month on a very small release window. So what’s the film like? Well read on and find out.

So the story can be summarised as the following:

“The purportedly true story of Oscar Grant III, a 22-year-old Bay Area resident, who crosses paths with friends, enemies, family, and strangers on the last day of 2008.”

The film is primarily Oscar’s story and it is a very engaging and there is one of multiple emotions to be felt throughout. While the film is fairly serious, there are moments of beauty and humour which are very nice too. But the real reason this film sticks in my mind is because towards the latter part of the film starts get to get dark and raw. This film is intense and I was feeling strong and intense emotions here. What makes this really hit home is the fact that this stuff actually happened. I remember the days of racial profiling and police brutality, but seeing it portrayed in such a raw and in-your-face manner makes for an emotional response. The film doesn’t hold back and uses its archive footage well along with its filmed material too. I was repulsed, disgusted, happy and saddened by this film and the fact that it made me feel all these emotions is a testament to how good it is. By the time film ended I was in pieces, I was almost shedding and felt completely heartbroken, but it was that ending, it was done nicely.

The cast do a great job in the roles and what I love is the fact that all of them have a great repore with each other which makes for a realistic portrayal of family and friendship. Michael B. Jordan as Oscar Grant III is simply fantastic in this film. I was already a fan of this man before this film, but I was surprised how deep into the role he got as I never saw him as an actor, but as Oscar Grant, a young man who’s had issues and is just trying to sort his life out. Also since we see life from Oscar’s perspective and get attached to him and all of the people around him, you get to see all the different sides of him. Jordan’s acting is so good, it is very raw, intensive, subtle and playful too, the dude is very versatile. Octavia Spencer as Wanda Johnson is incredible too. What I love about Wanda is the fact that she knows her son, his good points and his faults and she loves him but also knows that she can’t always take his word as truth. Spencer is so good in this role, her performance is so beautiful and carefully handled, it is impossible to not get attached to her character.

Melonie Diaz as Sophina Mesa is also very good, you can see that Sophina cares for Oscar but because of his past actions and his lying nature that she’s finding it hard to stay with him. Diaz handles her material well and she is very believable in her role and definitely knows how to get an emotional response from you when it counts. Also Ariana Neal as Tatiana, the daughter of Oscar and Sophina is very good too. I mean most kid actors suck, it’s a fact, but Neal is so good and her portrayal of being a young, happy and smart girl is very realistic. Ahna O’Reilly as Katie is nice in the film too, her character adds some light-hearted fun to the film. And lastly Kevin Durand as Officer Caruso and Chad Michael Murray as Officer Ingram are very good in the roles, they really sold me on their aggression and disrespectful nature, it was actually kind of hard to watch.

In conclusion Fruitvale Station is an incredible film, it not only has a superb central performance from Michael B. Jordan, but it also has an interesting and engaging story to tell that will engage you on the deepest level because of its sense of realism and drama. I can easily say that if this film had come out last year in the UK it would have easily been in my top five films of 2013, fact. It is not a happy film, that’s for sure, but you would be doing yourself a disservice not to see this film.

Rating: 8.5/10

So what did you think of Fruitvale Station? Whatever your thoughts are be sure to leave them in the comments below and I’ll see ya on the next film review, laters! 😀

 

Michael B. Jordan Comments on Fantastic Four Criticisms

Howdy ladies and gentlemen, time for a bit of film news and today’s news story is interesting as it focuses on Michael B. Jordan’s response to the recent backlash involving him taking on the role of Johnny Storm aka the Human Torch. The following information comes from superherohype:

“​Two weeks ago, the cast for Fox’s upcoming reboot of The Fantastic Four was revealed, and some fans were less than enthusiastic about some of the casting decisions. Speaking at an event in Rome (via Cinefilos.it), star Michael B. Jordan addressed some of the criticisms leveled at the film, specifically the outcry over his casting.

“It was expected. You kinda know going into it that people are used to seeing something one way, it’s a continuity thing more than anything. People don’t like change too much. But annoyed? Eh, you just kinda accept it, it is what it is. You can’t make everybody happy. You just gotta accept that and know. I’m an actor, I have to do my job. I’m going to do my job the best I can and the way I’ve been doing it my entire life, my entire career. I grew up a comic book guy, I read comic books as a kid growing up, and the Fantastic Four/Human Torch is one of my favorite characters so I’m going to give it my everything. I can’t wait. I don’t really let it bother me at all. I just want to go into it and do the best job I can. We’ll see what happens.”

Jordan also elaborated on why he decided on taking the role, saying it will give him an opportunity to do things he doesn’t often do on screen.

“The Human Torch is, ‘yknow, that’s fun. That’s going to be a good time…To play a superhero? That’s dreams coming true. It’s not going to be hard. It’s going to be fun to kind of show a side of me that I don’t really get to show on screen, to be a little bit lighter, funnier, just more personality. It’s going to be fun.”“

Now I’ve already ranted about why I don’t like the casting decisions for this film already, but now that I’ve had time to calm down about it, I am willing to give this film a chance, a small chance. That being said I have nothing against Jordan, I like him, very much, just not for this role. And his comments are good, its great that he’s not flipping out over it, he professional and is taking on the world with good sensibilities which is the smart way to play it. The only thing that bugs me is when he says “I grew up a comic book guy, I read comic books as a kid growing up, and the Fantastic Four/Human Torch is one of my favorite characters”. That just sounds a bit fishy, I mean one person in the comments highlighted that and gave pretty much the response I was thinking and here it is:

“really? now every actor reads comics since childhood? and his favorite superhero is the one he is going to play? yeah right haha”

And to be fair this person’s comment does have a bit of weight to it. It just seems very convenient for Michael B. Jordan to grow up not only on comics, but also be a big fan of the Human Torch, the character that he is eventually going to be playing in the next live-action adaptation. Sounds suspicious to me. And going further than that, a lot of celebrities are claiming to be comic book fans prior to doing their films with only a handful actually being genuine, I prefer it when most are honest and say “I don’t know shit”, at you know and then can either slate them or give them a chance. Now maybe Jordan’s telling the truth, maybe he has read comics involving the FF and maybe the Human Torch is one of his favourites, but unless we go to his house and look we will never know.

 

Apparently The Cast For The Fantastic Four Have Been Confirmed!

Howdy ladies and gents, time for an important news update in the world of comic book films. For the longest time now I and a number of fans have been worried about the upcoming Fantastic Four film set to come out in 2015. At first it was great when Josh Trank was signed on to direct, been the casting rumours started, the internet set ablaze with controversy spreading left right and center and with the recent story synopsis rumours floating around, that hasn’t done anything to dampen the fire.

Now according to some sources 20th Century Fox have confirmed the cast for the film and the end result has confirmed our worst nightmares.

The following news story comes from the ever-reliable superherohype:

(Photo Credit: FayesVision / WENN.com)

“Twentieth Century Fox has cast Marvel’s First Family! Jamie Bell, Michael B. Jordan, Kate Mara and Miles Teller are Josh Trank’s The Fantastic Four. TheWrap broke the news, confirming months of rumors surrounding the involvement of Jordan, Mara and Teller and were the first to name Jamie Bell as the studio’s choice for Ben Grimm, aka The Thing. Bell seems to be the only one without an official offer on the table, but it is very much expected that he will be confirmed by the studio shortly.

Teller will play Reed Richards (Mr. Fantastic), Mara will be Sue Storm (The Invisible Woman), Jordan is set to play Johnny Storm (The Human Torch) and Bell (likely through motion-capture) would be Ben Grimm (The Thing). Previous reports have suggested that Trank’s iteration of the story also involves Dr. Victor Von Doom, so expect more casting on The Fantastic Four very soon.

Filming on The Fantastic Four is expected to begin in Baton Rouge this March. Josh Trank will direct the big screen adaptation, which is currently set for release on June 19, 2015​.”

Jesus Christ. Where to begin. You know how you have that sneaking suspicion in your mind that you about bad things before they happen, well that was my feeling about the casting for this film. I woke up this morning to see this official news story and to be honest I kind of flipped out. It seems like the casting for comic book films is getting more and more bizarre in the last 3 years. I think film studios are actually doing this on purpose to get a rise out of the fans. I mean look at Warner Bros. and their casting on Man of Steel 2, first the internet blew up about Ben Affleck, then Gal Gadot and just recently Jesse Eisenberg. Now 20th Century Fox are playing the same game and to be honest if they wanted to get attention, they bloody well accomplished that job.

Okay let’s talk about this casting a little bit. In a way I had a feeling that some of these people would be cast, mainly Michael B. Jordan and Miles Teller. From all the casting rumours surrounding them I could only assume that they’d been chosen already. Jordan has been talked about for this role for around a year and since no one else was in the running I feared the worst and now it has come true. Now I love Jordan as an actor, he’s great, but him as the Johnny Storm is just so random. Miles Teller, I never seen any of his work as far as I know and he doesn’t really have the look of a Reed Richards. And Jamie Bell, another good another good actor, but not sure if he fits the profile for Ben Grimm. The only person I’m down with is Kate Mara, she seems like a capable actress to take on Sue Storm.

The main reason why this bugs me so much is because of the radical changes going on. Why do the FF team seem so young? Why did have to change the race of one of the main characters? What is the thought process behind these kinds of decisions?

Now I am all for change in the world of comic book film adaptations, it has been happening a lot in the last 6 years, but for me there has to be a reason why these changes are being made and I don’t see it. Are the public that bored with seeing average-aged actors portraying comic book characters? Is Johnny Storm that dull of a character that we have to change his race to make him relevant? Or is someone gonna give me the argument that “Oh we live in 2014, times are different let’s embrace change.” To that I say bullshit. If something wasn’t broken to begin with why change it up now? It baffles me to no end.

I hate to rant so heavily because I’m not a massive comic book purist, that being said there is a magic and sense of wonder to seeing great adaptations of your favourite childhood characters getting their own live-action film and if that adaptation blows, it hurts. I don’t want this film to suck, I actually want an amazing film, but this casting has really bothered me. This film is gonna have to do something incredible to win me over and if it does succeed I will gladly take back anything I said about it. RoboCop proved me wrong, the upcoming Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is shifting my opinion too, so there may be hope. But as of right now I’m not down for this.

Now I open the floor to you, what do you think of this news? Are you down with the casting or are you disappointed. Also do you agree with my opinion or do you think I’m dead wrong, comment below yo.

 

My Short Chronicle Review

Howdy people of the world and welcome to another blog post, tonight’s is review-based though in a slightly different sense. Indeed it is a review on the film Chronicle that came out I think about a week ago and while I was going to do a massive written review on the film I’ve decided to do a slightly more condensed version in a written format while the video I have done on YouTube provides the majority of my descriptive thoughts on the film.

Now it seems that every once in a while there is a film that has an interesting idea but from the outset it looks like it could go one of two ways; it could either be brilliant and an unexpected success or it could be an ugly disaster which film audiences will sweep under the carpets of their minds. That was the way I felt about Chronicle before watching it last week Sunday. Now I had seen the trailers on the internet and seen a lot of coverage on the film prior to its release via Facebook and whatnot. But I wasn’t sure whether the film would work out or not. Luckily Chronicle was a pretty damn good film and as my first film of 2012 it has set a pretty decent standard for things to come. The film had a nice and interesting story with a very dark nature to it, and I think that was the key aspect that really made it stand out from other films.

And the other main element that made Chronicle so good was its characters, the main cast members need to be given credit as Dane DeHaan, Michael B. Jordan, and Alex Russell give us a lovely set of performances that are not only likeable but also relatable too.I liked the way they gained super powers and used in a funny and non-heroic fashion and then see where their powers took them once the darker element of the story starts to take place.The presentation of Chronicle was pretty good too, the found footage style of filming actually helped the overall style and quality of the film and the way the technique was used was very nice, the script was pretty well written, the action sequences were well-constructed and the GCI for the most part worked well in the film (though it did look a bit questionable at times breaking the realism effect that the film was going for). While the film is no game-changer in the world of science fiction or superhero films, it definitely feels fresh and more original than most films I’ve seen in recent times.

Rating: 8/10

For my full thoughts on the film check out my video review: