It is finally here guys. The moment all us Marvel nerds have been waiting for, the new Infinity War trailer! It looks so intense and the number of characters is incredible. Words can not describe so just check it out for yourself! Here it is:
AHHHHHHHHHH!!!!
December is fast approaching and is by far one of the best months of the year. With Christmas on its way, it is only fair that we are given some great movie releases. Considering the festivity, there aren’t many Christmassy movies. Instead we have a few remakes and additions to current franchises. Without further ado, here are my top movie releases for December.
Side note: Now just to warn you, I will not be including the Star Wars: The last Jedi (Rian Johnson, 2017) in this list as I am not a Star Wars fan. I have nothing against the films but I wouldn’t be very good at hyping it up due to the fact that I have only seen one. In case you wanted to know it’s out 15th December 2017.
Downsizing (Alexander Payne, 2017)
Release date: 22nd December.
Trailer:
In an attempt to overcome overpopulation people undergo the irreversible procedure to become miniature. You live in a miniature world, in miniature mansions. You are downsizing. However, the world outside of this miniature bliss is still the normal size, allowing for massive vodka bottles and other such luxuries. It seems like the perfect scenario. I mean this literally. From all the promotional material, there seems to be no downside. Downsizing seems like a really good hearted movie with an interesting and utopia like premise, a nice comedy that doesn’t use crude comments, drugs and alcohol to give the audience a good laugh. Nevertheless, with any film, there is always a challenge to put a damper in people moods. The fact that this conflict has not been hinted could either mean that we have a surprise to look forward too or bad plot development but it would need a watch to find out. I am looking forward to seeing where the film takes the story. In addition, I want to see how Christian Wiig and Matt Damon are as a married couple. Wiig is defiantly a comedy actor, suggesting a comedy/ feel good with elements of Science Fiction. With feel good movies, they don’t usually have a fantasy sci-fi plot so again, I am keen to see how Alexander Payne and the great cast pull this off.
Pitch Perfect 3: (Trish Sie,2017)
Release date: 22nd December.
Trailer: :
This year we are given another pitch perfect. From the promotional material (I say that as if I didn’t just watch 1 trailer and make a deduction) it is obvious that they are recycling the same old plot line. The Bella’s entre into a competition against ‘better musicians’ but these acabitches have a unique sound and could probably win, despite the doubt of everyone else. I mean when people say ‘if it aint broke, don’t fix it’ I don’t think they were referring to plots of a movie series. I just want some originality, is it too much to ask for! They better bring it if they want a happy audience and good reviews from critics. Despite all of the repetition, I am still going to watch it as soon as it comes out. Like the past 2, I am really only in it for the songs. I love me a musical. I can excuse the same old and the questionable jokes just to hear Anna Kendrick sing. Let’s just hope the soundtrack is amazing. Nevertheless, the film does look quite funny and will probably stick to its less than serious tone that we all enjoy. I just hope that they can match up to how good the first film was. Only time will tell…well only a watch will tell.
jumanji welcome to the jungle (Jake Kasdan, 2017)
Release date: 20th December
Trailer
OK, when I first heard that there was going to be a new Jumanji, my inner child was screaming with excitement. I grew up on the original and the thought of seeing the board game up to its normal antics was a great addition to 2017. Then I was hit with the knowledge that they were straying away from the 1995 version and turning Jumanji into a video game. Criminal! BUT, when they finally released the trailer, I had the realisation that this film is going to be amazing…different but amazing. We finally get to see inside of the infamous jungle of Jumanji. Action packed, jungle themed gaming with a lot of humour would be the best way to sum up what the film is about. It’s not often that I laugh at a trailer and can’t wait to watch all the kick ass action at the same time. The idea of a group of teens trapped inside game avatars that have special abilities that do not match their personality in any way is funny enough. However, mixing it with the unrealistic nature of video games and the wild personality of the jungle, we have a recipe for a hit. I mean seeing Jack Black pretend to be a basic bitch is defiantly not an element of a series film and will 100% be the highlight of Jumanji. It is clear that Into the Jungle is an action comedy and judging by the trailer they have pulled it off. However, we all know that trailers are not always reliable so I can’t wait to see it. Despite this, all the tropes are showing. The cast alone are enough to hint a comedy genre. The Rock, Kevin Heart, Karen Gillan and Jack Black are an awesome mix. Just let the film be out already!!
Marvel has done it. They have finally made an amazing Thor movie. Since the start of the movie franchise within the MCU, it can be easily argued that the Thor movies haven’t been the best. Now this doesn’t mean that the characters are bad, just the story telling… and Jane. They seemed like filler films for the bigger projects, such as Captain America: Civil War (Joe Russo, Anthony Russo, 2016) and both of the Avengers. They act as a solution to please fans by releasing any new Marvel movie every few months but after 6 years we finally have a movie that shows just how great Thor and Marvel can be.
Plot: Hela, the goddess of Death, played by Cate Blanchett plans to take the throne of Asgard. That is all I’m going to say to ensure I stay spoiler free.
Trailer:
Review: Let’s just start by saying that this is by far the best Thor movie they have made. The film has an interesting and dynamic plot, offering more than one main storyline to keep us engaged throughout. It’s funny, emotional and offers all you want from a new Marvel movie. I believe that unlike the two previous films, they never lose focus and keep the audience interested. There is never a dull moment with Ragnarok. This is also one of the funniest Marvel movies. It is very much in league with Deadpool (Tim Miller, 2016) and Guardians of the Galaxy (James Gunn, 2014). There is a mixture of both verbal and visual comedy, showing the less serious nature of Marvel and Thors naive and egotistical nature. My love of Thors character has only grown with this film. There are a number of great one liners and humorous stunts that are sure to put a smile on your face.
In addition, to more comic relief from characters, there are also plenty of emotional moments that can make any viewer care about the plot and the characters. We are given more character development shown within the previous films, from Hulk to Hela and more emotional interactions. You will laugh and then you will cry. Despite, the great character development of Hulk, as a sacrifice we aren’t given much screen time with Bruce Banner. Even when he is on screen, his character doesn’t act like his usual self, confusing the audience. This change can cause Banner fans to either feel upset or love him even more. It’s a brave decision by Marvel and I’m unsure if the risk paid off or not.
Side note: please look out for the many great actor cameos within the film. You will sure to be surprised.
Let’s talk about Hela. We are finally given a great female villain! Marvel took a page from the book of DC and braved it up with a female lead. This is defiantly a step forward for the female fans and gives us woman another power badass to cosplay as. I know that she is evil but she is all powerful and very fabulous. Everyone loves a good villain and I can say with a hand on my heart that I love the goddess of death, thanks to Marvels and Cate’s great portrayal. I look forward to seeing more female representatives within the superhero film industry.
From this film, it is obvious that they took a few features from Guardians of the Galaxy. The style, the look of the characters, the setting and even the great soundtrack are all massive hints. They clearly saw the success of Guardians and wanted the same response from audiences. They seemed to use the old saying of ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’. This removes some sense of separate identity. Thor should have its own style, rather than copying someone else’s. This change of style makes the film feel like it is separate from the other two films. This can be both a pro and con, depending on your love of 1 and 2. I did absolutely love the film but perhaps can be down to how much I love the style of Guardians of the Galaxy, a film they got a lot of inspiration from.
I am in complete denial that Halloween is over. Therefore, to keep up the spooky spirit, before I move into my Christmas obsession, I will be talking about the horror drama ‘Channel Zero: No End House (Sy-fy, 2017). The second season of Channel Zero is one of those hidden underappreciated gems that can slip through the fingers of horror fans. I could easily talk about the new season of Stranger Things (Netflix, 2017), which was amazing but everyone is doing that.
Plot:
When a mysterious horror house attraction appears out of nowhere, a group of friends brave the challenge of no-end house, believing it to be the stereotypical haunted attraction. However, each room is scarier than the next and somehow knows your worst fears. If you are brave enough to go through all the rooms, congratulations, you win! But this is ‘no end’. You never really get to leave. Instead you end up in a copy of your world, filled with you nightmares… dun, dun, dun! I really should write synopsis for Netflix.
Review:
With any horror show, to be good, you need two things. 1 is being actually scary or at least a little bit freaky. 2 is being unique. There are a lot of horror films and shows but we all know that the conventions, tropes and techniques. Repetition in plot has come so far in horror that you can usually predict the outcome or at least when people are going to fall over and get trapped upstairs when they really should have ran out the front door. One of the best shows that have been a fantastic horror drama is FX’s American Horror Story. However, with the slow fade of quality from last year to the rock bottom performance of this season, we have been saved by Channel Zero. No End House has a plot so unique that you can’t help but praise. This gives such a fresh take on the horror genre. It allows suspense and a need to know how it will end. In addition, through the first season having a bad ending, the need to know is very present when watching. The show also has the creep factor, with the set design, character design and the main idea. The series has all the elements of a great horror.
This plot is down to the creative minds of the writers on the website Creepy pasta, a sight where amateur writers post horror shorts. The original text is incredibly creepy and different. The whole story is based on the inside of the house, rather than the characters attempting to get back to the real world. In my opinion, the text is so much better. Despite, how great the show is and truly creative, I believe the show would have been improved, if they stuck to the blueprints. If it isn’t broken, don’t fix it. Each room within the house is also completely changed. This was a poor choice by SYFY. On the other hand, the change may have been done to surprise fans of the Creepy Pasta story. Basically, the show has a fantastic narrative but it’s difficult to see the resemblance from the original text due to the drastic changes. This could have been a poor decision because of the quality of the story. Perhaps, a combination of the two would have allowed for a beautiful piece of horror and happier fans.
On the other hand, by straying away from the original, we are given more characters and more substance. We are given more backstory and additional parts to the plot. This will usually cause us to feel more empathetic towards characters and forces us to care about how their story develops and ends. From watching the show, I must say that I don’t have any love for the characters, I’m not sure if it’s their personality or just the lack of character development or even just the acting. I just don’t care about them. Maybe it’s just me being cold hearted or the quality of the characters. However, this is a horror, you expect people to die so getting attached probably isn’t wise.
From the look of the show, you can tell that it is on a budget, perhaps due to the low rating of the first season or the broadcaster itself. Never the less, it’s not always about how much cash you can splash but substance. Some of the best horror films are cheap to make. The qualities of plot makes up for quality of visuals so just give it a go before you pass it off as a B movie type series.
How have you not seen this? 