PODCAST: Best of Film Focus

Good day to you ladies and gents, today I just wanted to talk about my podcast, Film Focus and share with you some of the best episodes I have produced since I started back in 2016. And while I did highlight some of my favourite episodes in my first-anniversary post, I believe I have produced some better work since then and highlight my better work.

So without further ado here is a selection of some of my favourite/best episodes that I’ve done so far from the earliest to the latest:

Triple Review: Split, XXX: Return of Xander Cage & T2 Trainspotting

Even though I highlighted this episode before, it is still one my favourite and most unique episodes. Before this point, I had never thought of doing three mini reviews in one episode, the thought was a little mad to me and I thought it could be a mistake because I wasn’t giving each film a dedicated episode. However, it worked out in my favour because I was able to say enough about each film without going on too long, and it has gone on to be my second most played episode on Soundcloud which is awesome.

The Fate of the Furious Review

Even though I don’t talk about it too much, I did enjoy the last Fast and Furious film, it was fun, not my favourite of the franchise but still worth watching. And while I liked making this episode, for some reason, towards the latter half of the year it just picked up steam and became the most played episode on Soundcloud, its closing in on 500 plays which is insane to me, but hey I am not complaining in the slightest. 😛

Spider-Man: Homecoming Review

I make it no secret that Spider-Man: Homecoming was one of my favourite films of last year and while it wasn’t the best film, it just gave me a great sense of fun, youthful energy and difference from the Sony Spidey films of the past. And I think you can tell in this episode that I really enjoyed my time watching the film and it was a fun one to record.

Theme Songs in Superhero Films

This is the first episode where I truly got to talk about my love for the music that comes with superhero films and why I believe they are important aspects of these films. I enjoyed creating this episode a lot and putting it out there into the world.

2017 Summer Movie Recap

This is one of the most notable episodes of the podcast as it featured my first guest in the form of Drew from Drew’s Movie Reviews, and he was a lovely gentlemen who helped me go through most of the major films from of last summer from films we both saw and some that we saw individually. It is one of the longer episodes but it was hella fun.

Film Scores and Composers

Besides a few other episodes, this was the passion project that I really wanted to make an episode about since I started the podcast. Music in film is SO important to me and while I’m not well-versed in the proper descriptive terms to analyse film scores and composers, I am very passionate and I can tell you how film scores makes me feel and how I believe it enhances a film or works being the confines of the films they belong to.

Star Wars: The Last Jedi Review

And so Drew thankfully returned to join me for my review of the latest Star Wars films and that was certainly an interesting episode for sure. We both had different opinions about the film, there were elements we agreed on, but there were also a few times where we were on opposite ends of the spectrum when it comes to how certain elements of the story, characterisation and evolution of the overall SW canon.

2017 Superhero Film Discussion

And finally, we have the episode where I had my second guest on the podcast, Eddie from Jaccendo to help me talk about the superhero films of 2017. With such a variety of films adapted from comic books last year there was a good deal of stuff to talk about, both good and bad, and what I enjoyed about recording this episode was having another person to bounce off of and offer a different opinion from my own. It is my longest episode but it was just a very casual, fun and nerdy conversation of the best kind. 🙂

Well, that is everything that I wanted to share, if you haven’t checked out my podcast yet I would appreciate if you subscribed on Soundcloud or iTunes and if you could sort me some comments or reviews that would be awesome! 🙂 Anyway until next time, laters! 😀

 

PODCAST: Film Focus Episode 24 – Triple Review: Split, XXX: Return of Xander Cage & T2: Trainspotting

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. The latest episode of the podcast was a special one as I decided to try something tricky and interesting with a triple review for Split, xXx: Return of Xander Cage and T2: Trainspotting.

Anyway here’s the episode 24:

This is the first episode for a while where I didn’t have a written review done beforehand, so what you’re hearing is my thoughts in their freshest form, though as I stated in the episode the reviews are condensed versions of what I’d normally deliver, so I may still do written thoughts for all of these films, depends on the timing. Anyways please be sure to check out the reviews for any or all of the films I cover as they’re spoiler-free and fun to listen to (I assume haha).

Here’s the time codes for the specific reviews:

1. Split 03:38
2. XXX: Return of Xander Cage 11:17
3. T2 Trainspotting 16:45

As I mentioned before in each episode I’ll cover a different topic and since I don’t have much in the way of listeners or promotion, I’m here to spread the word about my podcast. 🙂

You can find my main site on Soundcloud here: https://soundcloud.com/film_focus

Or if you’re on iTunes subscribe and rate me on there: https://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/film-focus/id1114233892?mt=2

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 you can. Also you have any feedback or if you’d be interested in joining on future episodes be sure to let me know, until next time, laters! 😀

 

Films To Look Out For In 2017 Part 1

Howdy people of the internet, it’s a new year so you know what time it is, it’s time for my own personal preview of upcoming films that I believe deserve your attention entitled: Films to look out for in 2017! In PART 1 I’ll be covering films released from now until March, and there are more notable films during this period of time than any year before it.

Now before we begin I have two main things I need to point out:

1. Obviously a lot of films come out, so if they’re not on my list it’s either because I don’t know about them or I don’t care…
2. 2016 films getting their UK releases this year don’t count! So there. 😛

Okay then, let’s start 😀

The Bye Bye Man

Release Date: January 13th (USA & UK)

Trailer:

Now I’m not a horror fan, people who follow this blog are well aware of that… However, I’m always curious about new horror films and a few always seem to make it on my yearly preview lists. From the look of the trailer it looks incredibly generic, predictable and to a degree quite funny with some of the crazy scenarios going on, but there are some interesting ideas in there. The reason this film is on here is because I’ve heard some mentions about it online so it has my interest.

XXX: Return of Xander Cage

Release Date: January 19th (UK), January 20th (USA)

Trailer:

The funny thing is that I haven’t seen any of the previous XXX films due to lack of interest, however, with the release of this film I feel like I need to go back and get caught up. I don’t know much continuity this new film will have to the previous ones but I am curious. Plus, the trailer for this film looks frigging ridiculous, but in that over-the-top fun kind of way. I don’t think it’ll be as fun or as entertaining as the Fast and Furious films but hell I’ll give it a watch because of my boy Donnie Yen!

Split

Release Date: January 20th (USA & UK)

Trailer:

There’s three reasons I’m interested in this film: 1) The premise about someone with multiple personalities sounds interesting. 2) James McAvoy is awesome so I’m always curious about his new projects. And 3) M. Night Shyamalan seems to be on an upswing since The Visit so I’m hoping he’ll continue to get better.

T2: Trainspotting

Release Date: January 27th (UK), March 3rd (US)

Trailer:

I don’t have the massive attachment to Trainspotting like a lot of film fans do, and its not that I hate the film, far from it, I just saw it at a later time and I don’t know if it had the same kind of effect on me as it did for people who saw it closer to the film’s release. I saw it in my late teens and really appreciated it, plus some of the more disturbing material will stay in my memories for years to come, the toilet and the baby scenes messed up my mind for a good few weeks. I’m just curious to see if Trainspotting 2 will be good or just be another unnecessary sequel.

The Space Between Us

Release Date: February 3rd (USA), February 10th (UK)

Trailer:

I hadn’t heard about this film until I looked it up and the trailer makes the film more intriguing to watch than the premise I read online. While I felt like I could predict how a good few of the story elements play out, I just like the unique story with a human born on Mars who trailers to Earth to experience life in a totally different way. The cast looks solid and I think there will be  lot of dramatic material to experience which should be fun.

The Lego Batman Movie

Release Date: February 10th (USA & UK)

Trailer:

Batman was one of the standout part od the The Lego Movie, so when they announced The Lego Batman Movie it felt like a no brainer, though I thought it was a bad idea as you’d be getting too much of a good thing as a whole film. That being said, so far the marketing has been good and while I haven’t laughed out loud at any of the material, it does look pretty funny and Will Arnett seems to be on-point as Batman so I hope the film turns out well.

John Wick Chapter Two

Release Date: February 10th (USA), February 17th (UK)

Trailer:

John Wick was a really fun film, while not as amazing as some people suggested online, it was better than I expected and I really liked the action and Keanu Reeves in the central role. Once I saw the first trailer for this sequel I was totally in, it looks so filthy and fun, and Lawrence Fishburne! Woo! Can’t wait for this film, I’m hoping it’ll just as good if not better.

A Cue For Wellness

Release Date: February 17th (USA), February 24th (UK)

Trailer:

I heard about this film on Collider Movie Talk last year and after I saw the trailer I was intrigued. Psychological horror tends to make for the best viewing experiences and I like the cast especially with Dane DeHaan and Jason Isaacs. Plus the trailer has a disturbing atmosphere, creepy imagery and messed up experiences for all of the patients at this facility,

Fist Fight

Release Date: February 17th (USA), March 3rd (UK)

Trailer:

This film on paper sounds like something I’d hate, it is a concept that sounds stupid and absurd, but it is at the same time the kind of foolishness that could make for some laughs especially with Ice Cube and Charlie Day at the center of it. The trailer looks absolutely silly and it has the stuff I like and dislike about comedies at the same time, I feel like this could just be an adventure set in the It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia world and that’s what makes me want to watch the film.

Logan

Release Date: March 3rd (USA & UK)

Trailer:

Logan was a film I was down to watch for a while now, but that trailer was what pushed this film into the “must watch” category. That trailer was the most unexpected and awesome piece of marketing that I think I saw last year, the tone, violence and choice of music presented a more mature, melancholy and brutal kind of comic book film than what we’ve seen in the X-Men film series so far. It could still be bad, but I’m hoping, Jame Mangold, the writers and Hugh Jackman have crafted something beautiful to send of this version of Wolverine in style!

Kong: Skull Island

Release Date: March 10, 2017 (USA & UK)

Trailer:

I’ve been hyped for this film since its announcement and the cast only increased my hype and the first trailer really impressed me with the tone, visual style and atmosphere. It wasn’t until the second trailer when I started to feel hesitation, while it showed off more of the island, Kong himself and the other monsters, the humour was pretty hit and miss and the tone didn’t feel as intimidating as the last one. I just hope the film is action heavy but scary too.

The Wall

Release Date: March 10th (USA), March 17th (UK)

Trailer:

I’m not too keen on war films but some of the more recent films in the genre have caught my interest and the fact that Doug Liman is directing this one already has my interest, but then you add the crazy/intriguing premise and an interest pairing of Aaron Taylor-Johnson and John Cena, and I think you could have a really good film to watch if it’s executed well.

Beauty and the Beast

Release Date: March 17th (USA & UK)

Trailer:

The hype for this film is ridiculous, most friends that I know who are major Disney fans are stupid hyped for this film and apparently so is the rest of the internet if you look at all the views for the trailers online. I think I’m the only one who doesn’t love the original, probably because I saw it once and while it was good, it’s not in my top 10. Yeah I said it, suck it haters! But I am curious to see how this live-action version compares, it looks very pretty, but some of the redesigns to the characters look questionable, but hell if its even half as good as 2015’s Cinderella then I’ll be a happy lad.

The Belko Experiment

Release Date: March 17th (USA)

Trailer:

I don’t know if this film is getting a UK release because according to IMDB its only coming to America in March but I hope that I’ll get to see it in the cinema because this looks like it’ll be some messy and interesting fun.

Life

Release Date: March 24th (USA & UK)

Trailer:

So now we have the second Mars-related film on the list in the form of life with a premise that sounds interesting and a solid set of main actors in the form of Jake Gyllenhaal, Rebecca Ferguson and Ryan Reynolds.

Power Rangers

Release Date: March 24th (USA & UK)

Trailer:

As a fan of Power Rangers during the peak of its popularity I have a lot of nostalgic attachment to the franchise and this new reboot at this current point in time good be either really good or really bad. Now I know that in order to sell this film to new audiences that changes have to be made, and I didn’t expect them to be so dramatic with that first trailer, that being said it does look interesting with its mix of Chronicle and The Breakfast Club, I feel like there are familiar beats with the story and characters that I’ve seen before, but it does look like a unique interpretation of the show while still keep some of the original elements intact. I hope that it is good.

Ghost in the Shell

Release Date: March 24th (USA) March 31st (UK)

Trailer:

This feel has been a long time coming, I was never really down with the idea of a live action version of Ghost in the Shell but with all the talk about it from Hollywood I never thought it’d ever get made. But here we are in 2017 just under 3 months away from its release in cinemas and so far the trailers look pretty cool with the visual imagery and ties to the animated film. I don’t have a huge attachments to the original anime so if this film is good then I’ll be happy, if it sucks then you know we can always wait for Akira right? Haha… But seriously I hope that never happens.

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 be sure to drop them below and I’ll see you for PART 2! Laters 😀