This time last year, the site was only just up and running with The Grand Opening. My first post was the following day with a particularly short review of the delightful Me and Earl and the Dying Girl which wasn’t quite what I was expecting to review as it was part of ODEON’s ‘Screen Unseen’, but was a great way to kick off the site! I then decided to introduce occasional film news posts, starting with the First look at Michael Fassbender in Assassin’s Creed to receive a good reception. My final section was sparked by the incredible first trailer for The Jungle Book, causing me to do a trailer review for it.
Over the course of 47 posts, the unexpectedly most popular post proved to be Jeremy Irons and Brendan Gleeson join Assassin’s Creed, with 170 external links. The most read review was for No Escape with 55 external links, as arguably one of the best films of 2015. Given that there have not yet been many trailer reviews and breakdowns, there weren’t too many to choose from, however the most popular by a vast distance was for Captain America: Civil War Trailer #1 with 75 external links, later proving to be one of the biggest films of 2016, as well as a huge leap forward for super hero films.
In the last year I have covered all types of films from Sci-fis, dramas, super heroes, thrillers, adventures, etc, and have enjoyed writing about each and everyone of them, irrelevant of how much I enjoyed the film itself, and hope that I will continue to do so for the foreseeable future.
Over the last year, I have racked up a lot of views and grown to be part of a fantastic blogging community, as well as sparking discussions with a lot of people and creating opportunities for myself. Overall I have thoroughly enjoyed the process and bringing updates to you as an audience. Thanks to everyone who has given the page a chance and for supporting the site, I couldn’t have made it this far without you. Here’s to the last year and plenty more!
After DC released the debut trailers for their next two cinematic events, Marvel took a swing with the second trailer for Doctor Strange, and it is something to behold!
Those who say that every super-hero film looks the same may have had a point, up until now, as Doctor Strange looks like Marvel’s game changing Winter blockbuster.
Watch it now:
Opening through an establishing shot, it introduces Dr Stephen Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch – The Imitation Game, Star Trek: Into Darkness) as he washes his hands, lifts his hygiene mask, plays the piano and crosses his suit in a full suit. As he does this, the sound of his piano is layered underneath a voice-over of The Ancient One (Tilda Swinton – The Chronicles of Narnia, Moonrise Kingdom) saying “Doctor Strange, you think you know how the world works.” The scenery then changes to a shot of him in his Lamborghini, crashing into another car, followed by him laying in a hospital bed with a damaged face, but absolutely crushed and destroyed hands. At this point, his wife Christine Palmer (Rachel McAdams – Spotlight, Red Eye) is sat heartbroken next to his hospital bed. The Ancient One continues, “What if I told you, the reality you know is one of many?” At this point, Strange is seen with long hair and a beard, inside a dojo in front of The Ancient One. As she approaches him, with him stepping backwards for every step forward she takes, part of the reality behind him opens, with him backing through it. As he realises what has happened, he states “This doesn’t make any sense” to which The Ancient One immediately replies “Not everything does. Not everything has to”. Just as the camera is about to pass through the reality, it fades to a newly styled ‘Marvel Studios’ title with a kaleidoscope-esque background.
With another establishing shot of the city it returns to the mountain top dojo with another voice-over of The Ancient One, as she stands central in the courtyard “Through the mystic arts, we harness energy an shape reality.” As the sentence closes, a monk in yellow robes stands in the middle of the street waving his hand, causing the buildings begin to change and manipulate their exterior form. An orange portal then forms around him, before cutting to The Ancient One and Strange walking through a similar portal on top of snowy mountains, “We travel great distances in an instant.” Impressed, Strange gazes over the mountain scape. Returning to the dojo, Strange asks “How do I get from here to there?” as the courtyard is seen to be full of monks doing martial arts, with Strange amongst them, learning. The Ancient One responds, “How did you become a doctor?” as she grabs what can only be assumed to be an Encantus, as Strange opens it, he replies “Study and practice. Years of it” With The Ancient One agreeing, it cuts to a shot of Strange’s hand over the Encantus, casting a spell, causing a mystic wall to be placed in front of him. Asking “What the?”, the wall retracts and disappears.
For the first time, Baron Karl Mordo (Chiwetel Ejiofor – 12 Years a Slave, The Martian) enters the screen stating “There’s a strength to him”, to which Wong (Benedict Wong – The Martian, Prometheus) asks “But is he ready?”. As if to suggest that he is, Strange approaches a glass cage holding the characters iconic red cape. Upon Strange looking out of his window, it cuts to Wong warning him “Be careful which path you travel down Strange, stronger men than you have tried.” As he says this, it shows Kaecilius (Mads Mikkelsen – Hannibal, Casino Royale) with two henchmen, amongst a destroyed street, signifying their power. After announcing its release ‘This Fall’ it shows a birds-eye-view of a city under attack, to which Kaecilius announces “I am death and pain” after which he performs a spell similar to that of the monk in the middle of the street earlier in the trailer. Showing Christine to be vulnerable, it briefly shows a close up the city under attack, followed by her in a hospital attending to a patient as the equipment sparks around her. Returning to Kaecilius, as he walks through a church he states “You will die protecting this world”, before a rotating shot of a city with buildings bending and another orange portal. Strange (now in his red robes) claims “I can’t do this” to which Mordo warns him “There is no other way.” It then displays Strange against one of Kaecilius’ henchmen in a battle of sorcery.
After an intertitle telling you to ‘Question Reality’, it shows Strange casting a spell, reversing the destruction of an area, fixing buildings, as another title says to ‘Change Your Destiny’. Strange and Mordo are side by side as they run down the street, before we see a bending building with Kaecilius and his henchmen jumping over it towards the camera, landing on another building, causing a ripple down it, followed by an incredible shot of a triad of the same city, each opening up on itself. The Ancient One then delivers the graviy of the situation by telling Strange that “I’ve spent so many years, hearing through time… Looking for you.” As the sentence closes we witness Strange throwing his cape onto himself in an impressive manner, before he runs alongside a building with Mordo, watching it unfold. Literally. Cue the title, ‘Doctor Strange’. Once the music has calmed through the title, it shows Mordo handing Strange a piece of paper reading ‘shamballa’, causing Strange to ask, “What’s this, my mantra?” As he leaves the room, Mordo simply replies, “It’s the wifi password. We’re not savages” before closing the door and briefly cutting to Strange in full power.
That is an incredibly difficult trailer to comprehend as it unfolds and is full of mind-meltingly impressive visuals and concepts.
The first major thing you may notice when watching this is it’s very impressive cast line-up with Academy Award winner Tilda Swinton, as well as Benedict Cumberbatch, Rachel McAdams and Chiwetel Ejiofor who have been nominated for academy Awards, on top of other cast members such as Benedict Wong and Mads Mikkelson who are likely to bring in audience members on their own.
A thought that came to mind, as well as being the leading thought of others is how similar this seems to be to Nolan’s masterpiece Inception, on the basis that there are bending buildings and manipulated earth-structure, and rightly so as it is incredibly uncanny. On the other hand, it is clear that this film’s likeness to Inception will most likely only be through the previously stated factors, and the certainty that it will force you to make full use of your brain to make sense of it as it plays out. One thing is for sure, and that’s the fact that this is going to be even more mesmerizing in 3D.
An intelligent piece of editing (apart from the entire trailer) is at the very beginning and the emphasis on the use of Strange’s hands, given his occupation as a surgeon, before they are seen to be destroyed. It’s very subtle yet very obvious at the same time, and is clearly shown to be why he can no longer continue as a surgeon, eventually causing him to go on his journey to attempt to fix them, staying true to the comics.
A growing complaint people have had with Marvel films is the level and quantity of humour within their films, and the ability for the humour to retract the intensity of the situation. However, there is only one piece of humour in this trailer, and it is placed right at the very end after the intensity and power of the action packed trailer, as to not ruin the momentum and rhythm of the editing. As for the amount of humour within the film itself is yet to be seen, but by the looks of the first two trailer, Marvel appear to have perfected the balance.
This is also supported by the fact that it is written and directed by Scott Derrickson. Derrickson currently has 7 feature film directorial roles credited on IMDB (including Doctor Strange), 5 of which are horror films with the other two (including Doctor Strange) being sci-fi. Although this does not mean that there won’t be any humour, it means that it is likely to be a lot more serious, as well as the chance of prolonged suspense and edge of your seat moments.
Doctor Strange is set to be released on 28th October in the UK, and 4th November in the US.
Alongside the Justice League trailer, DC decided to overwhelm San Diego Comic Con with the incredible trailer for Wonder Woman.
Here it is:
Compared to the Justice League trailer, this trailer is a lot more in-depth as to its setting and style. Taking a far more serious approach whilst maintaining some humour.
As the trailer begins we can see Wonder Woman on the beach, over-looking an unconscious Steve Trevor (Chris Pine – Star Trek, This Means War). The beach is empty, and Wonder Woman is wearing what appears to be her basic/first costume, as it is different from her normal suit. The fact that it is an empty, peaceful beach suggests that they may have just escaped a fight on the ocean, and Wonder Woman potentially saved his life. As he wakes up, she asks, “You’re a man?”. Even more confused than she is, Steve asks, “Yeah, I mean… Do I not look like one?” It then cuts to her homeland and what appears to be a throne-room, before showing Queen Hippolyta (Connie Nielson – Gladiator, The Devil’s Advocate) holding Diana’s face saying, “You have been my greatest love.” The footage then shows Diana and Steve in civilian clothing, as well as a packed railway station, as Hippolyta continues, “Be careful Diana”, which is followed by a sudden drop in tone of the music as Diana enters a party in a dress, clearly looking for a specific person. The camera then focuses on an unidentified general (Danny Huston – X-Men Origins: Wolverine, 21 Grams), before she approaches him, reaching for a sword that’s sheathed in the back of her dress. Hippolyta finishes, “They do not deserve you.” The screen then cuts to the Warner Bros. and DC logos.
It returns to the party, focusing on a masked woman, before cutting to Steve walking away from a plane he may have just landed. His voice carries over to a low key shot of him laying down, saying, “Have you never met a man before? But what about your father?”, clearing up the unusual question she asked at the start of the trailer. As it shows her being examined by who can only be assumed is a doctor, followed by a shot of her laying opposite Steve, replying “I had no father, I was brought to life by Zeus.” Confused once again, trying to make sense of it, “Well that’s neat.” The action then begins to kick in as it shows a female horseman riding through a forest at night (potentially Diana), followed by a warrior jumping backwards over a boulder, ready to fire her bow, as she lowers just in front of enemies and fires two arrows. It then shows the entire squad charging a beach of enemies on horseback, as well as fighting on foot. Whilst the same music continues, the setting changes to Diana and Steve in outside of a snowy café, getting close. It then cuts back to the action inside of some trenches as soldiers line up and take position, before Wonder Woman steps in to the trenches ready to take them on. It briefly cuts away to Diana stopping a man as he pulls out a gun, throwing him across the room. As he flies across the room it cuts to a shot of Wonder Woman jumping across a room whilst fighting an entire squad of soldiers. This is then interrupted by an explosion outside of a building.
Standing close to one another, Steve tells Diana, “I can’t let you do this” as it cuts back and forth between shots of them both separately in action, such as Diana fighting soldiers in the street with her glowing Lasso of Truth, and Steve riding a motorbike and flying a fighter jet, ending the montage back at the trenches with Wonder Woman using her shield to block turret fire. It cuts back to them both with Diana responding, “What I do is not up to you”, ultimately underlining not only her independence, but also the level of ‘woman power’ that this film will deliver. For one final awesome montage, it shows more footage of Wonder Woman fighting in the room and on the street, using a mixture of evasive manoeuvres, slow-motion, explosions and focus on her weapons/suit to show why this is going to be one of the most badass films ever made. This montage is backed by a similar song from the first X-Men Apocalypse trailer, In for the kill by Ghostwriter. This is then followed by the Wonder Woman logo, backed by her official character theme song as debuted in Batman Vs Superman: Dawn of Justice, Is she with you? by Hans Zimmer & Junkie XL. As per usual, the title is followed by a final clip, which in this case displays Etta Candy (Lucy Davis – Shaun of The Dead, The Office) shaking Diana’s hand, “I’m Etta Candy, I’m Steve Trevor’s secretary.” Confused, Diana asks “What is a secretary?” “I go where he tells me to go and I do what he tells me to do.” Disapprovingly, Diana responds “Well where I’m from we call that slavery.” Immediately, Etta states “I really like here.” Before being moved along by Steve.
The first thing I took away from this was the time setting of the first World War, and how much of a Captain America-esque vibe this suggest (despite Captain America: The First Avenger being set in World War II). The first interesting part of this is the similarities between the two: they both use a shield, they both fight for the right reasons no matter who they’re fighting against, they’re both out of their own time period and own culture, etc. The second and potentially more significant part is the fact that this is the first solo hero film with a female lead, and is set in a time where there was significant gender inequality, posing a huge statement for the modern world.
The interesting part, like most origin films is how Diana’s Amazonian home will be portrayed, as well as how she is shown to leave it. Whilst the only look we are given of it is what appears to be a throne room, we are sure to gain a better look within the next trailer or so.
Once again, we are not distinctively shown who the villain is supposed to be, and it is unlikely that it is Danny Huston’s unnamed general. As with the Amazon, the villain is most likely to be introduced within the next trailer.
To support the underlying style of ‘woman power’, it is directed by Patty Jenkins (Monster, The Killing). Whilst she has not delivered many films so far in her career, her debut film Monster, based on the life of the convicted serial killer Aileen Wuornos was a huge success, followed by directing the pilot for AMC’s hit The Killing, she has immediately established her capability, and is sure to deliver Wonder Woman to her full potential.
Even without this trailer, the Wonder Woman film already had enormous fan-base when Gal Gadot basically stole the show as Wonder Woman in Batman Vs Superman: Dawn of Justice, not only because she was the coolest, most stylish character, but also had the best character theme tune. And now, this trailer shows how action-packed and effective it is set to be, showing that women can be just as good heroes as men, if not better. With her also starring in Justice League later the same year, 2017 is set to be the year of Wonder Woman.
Wonder Woman is set to be released on 2nd June 2017 in the UK and US.
It’s finally here. With DC finally forcing themselves back into cinemas, and after the very mixed reception of Batman Vs Superman: Dawn of Justice (BVS), the long awaited trailer for Justice League is here, debuting from straight from San Diego Comic Con.
Without any further ado, here it is:
There’s a lot of material in there, and certainly teases as a teaser trailer should. So where do I begin?
The trailer begins with Bruce Wayne in what appears to be a ‘city hall’, talking to entire village about a certain individual. He says, “There is a stranger, who comes to this village from the sea. He comes in the winter when people are hungry, and brings fish. He comes on the king tide.” The camera then cuts to an unshaven Bruce Wayne as he states, “That was last night.” before he looks at a specific villager. The villager calmly turns around, telling Bruce to ‘talk’ (this villager being Arthur Curry/Aquaman – the man in question). The screen cuts to black and the soundtrack then turns more rock and distorted as Bruce continues, “I believe that an enemy is coming, from far away. I’m looking for warriors. This stranger. Others like him. I’m building an alliance to defend us. It’s very important that I see this man.” As Bruce explains this, various footage is shown, starting with a group of knights around a hole, burying a mystical looking box. Upon saying warriors it cuts to Wonder Woman, and then to Aquaman downing a beer and calling wave after saying ‘this stranger’, as well as Barry Allen/Flash and Victor Stone/Cyborg.
After this dialogue, it cuts to Barry Allen walking into his secret base full of computers and monitors, followed by Bruce Wayne sat in a chair, “Barry Allen. Bruce Wayne.” to which Barry replies, “You said that like it explains why there’s a total stranger sat in the dark in my second favourite chair.” The trailer then cuts back to Bruce with the villagers as it cuts back forth to Bruce and Diana in the Bat-Cave, with Diana asking “He said he will fight with us?” to which Bruce replies “More or less.” Diana turns around, “More more, or more less?” to which it shows Aquaman grabbing Bruce and pushing him against the wall. Cutting back, “Probably more less.” “He said no?” “He said no.” Once more cutting back to the flash’s lair, glimpsing partially at his suit, Barry states, “Look man, I don’t know who you are, but whoever you’re looking for…” as Bruce turns around and throws a Batarang. At this point, it goes into slow motion (much like the special quicksilver scenes from Avengers: Age of Ultron, X-Men: Days of Future Past and X-Men: Apocalypse) and Barry realises who Bruce is. Grabbing the batarang, it returns to normal motion with Bruce stating “So you’re fast.” Barry replies after a moments thought, “That feels like an over simplification…” Once again, Bruce begins his dialogue “I’m putting together a team. People with special abilities. See I believe enemies are coming…” to which Barry excitedly interrupts, “Stop right there, I’m in.” Confused, Bruce asks, “You are? Just like that?” Becoming slightly more ashamed, Barry explains “Yeah, I… I need friends.” “Great.” Barry lifts up the batarang, “Can I keep this?”
Finally showing each hero fully suited in a short clip, it follows with them all together in a dark confined space with Cyborg turning to Batman, “I heard about you. Didn’t think you were real.” To which he replies, “I’m real when it’s useful.” as he turns to continue. Following the style of the latest DC logo, it shows the Justice League title in a converse style font, and a star between the ‘I’ and ‘C’, as well as an amplified guitar riff. As a final clip, with Arthur still pinning Bruce against the wall, Bruce says, “Arthur Curry. I hear you can talk to fish.”
So that’s the breakdown finished, and whilst there was a lot of material, it was mainly all from similar scenes, refusing to give up much of the film. This means that they have clearly learnt from their mistakes with Batman Vs Superman: Dawn of Justice whereby the final trailer basically gave up the entire story and the fact that Batman and Superman and up teaming up.
The two biggest questions raised from this trailer are:
Where is Superman? Yes, you may still think he’s dead, despite the end shot of BVS, but it’s a case of how long it’s going to take him to revive. The reason Snyder killed him off at the end of BVS was so that Batman could be the one to assemble the Justice League, so the real question is ‘Will Superman arrive after the formation of the Justice League, or at the end of the film?’
Who is the villain? Whilst the villain isn’t even hinted towards in this trailer, it has been announced to be ‘Steppenwolf’, a new-god and uncle of Darkseid (the ultimate villain of the Justice League to which the series is building up to). He has a non vocal appearance in the Ultimate Edition of BVS, but does not play any significant role. He will most likely appear briefly in the next trailer.
The main question asked in reference to what is shown is the mystical cube being buried by the knights. It is what’s known as a ‘Mother Box’. These are boxes that can possess a variety of powers and abilities and attach themselves to their owner and do what is required, self-destructing upon the owners death. In rumour, there are to be three Mother Boxes within Justice League, and are the targets of Steppenwolf, however why he needs them is yet to be revealed. One Mother Box can be seen in BVS as the enigmatic cube that attaches itself to Victor Stone, saving his life and turning him into Cyborg.
The concern that most fans share is the return of director Zack Snyder. After the utter nightmare that was Batman Vs Superman: Dawn of Justice, he was the one the most blamed, and rightly so. He has not had the best record for film direction, with Man of Steel and BVS at the top of the list, often making similar mistakes film after film, causing a lot of audiences members to be concerned for the on-screen debut of the Justice League.
Returning to the screen are Bruce Wayne/Batman (Ben Affleck – Argo, Good Will Hunting) and Diana Prince/Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot – Fast and Furious, Triple 9), as well as Clark Kent/Superman (Henry Cavill – The Man from U.N.C.L.E, The Cold Light of Day) once he decides to rejoin. Also returning is Alfred Pennyworth (Jeremy Irons – Die Hard: With a Vengeance, The Lion King) and Lex Luthor (Jessie Eisenberg – Now You See Me 2, The Social Network). New to the team, however, are Barry Allen/The Flash (Ezra Miller – The Perks of Being a Wallflower, The Stanford Prison Experiment), Victor Stone/Cyborg (Ray Fisher – The Astronaut Wives Club, The Good, the bad, and the Confused) and Arthur Curry/Aquaman (Jason Momoa – Conan the Barbarian, Game of Thrones). You can also expect to see JK Simmons as Commissioner Gordon, as well as other familiar faces like Willem Dafoe and Amber Heard.
Justice League is set to release 17th November 2017 in the UK and US.
So, the 88th Academy Awards are a few hours away, and looks to be one of the closest races yet.
With some of the most impressive films up against one another, it’s harder to call than ever before. One film in particular that is favourite for multiple categories is The Revenant, a reason in particular being that it has almost guaranteed DiCaprio his first Oscar, as well as 11 other potential awards. Other popular choices include The Martian, Bridge of Spies and Mad Max: Fury Road.
Also, with the return of the Star Wars franchise through The Force Awakens, Lucas’ much loved series could earn multiple awards including Visual Effects, Sound Mixing and Sound Editing.
A popular activity surrounding this annual event, and others of a similar style, is to place bets and attempt to predict who is going to win which award. As to continue this tradition, below are my predictions for the winners of each category:
Best Picture The Revenant
Best Actor Leonardo DiCaprio
Best Actress Brie Larson
Best Director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu
Best Supporting Actor Mark Ruffalo
Best Supporting Actress Kate Winslet
Best Foreign Language Film A War
Best Original Song Writing’s on the Wall
Best Original Screenplay Spotlight
Best Cinematography Emmanuel Lubezki (The Revenant)
Best Writing Adapted Screenplay The Martian
Best Visual Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Best Documentary Feature Amy
Best Sound Editing Mad Max: Fury Road (David White, Mark Mangini)
Best Film Editing Stephen Mirrione (The Revenant)
Best Animated Feature Film Inside Out
Best Costume Design Jenny Beaven (Mad Max: Fury Road)
Best Animated Short Film Bear Story
Best Sound Mixing Stuart Wilson (Star Wars: The Force Awakens)
Best Production Design Jack Fisk (The Revenant)
Best Documentary Short Subject Last Day of Freedom
Best Live Action Short Film Stutterer
Best Original Music Score Sicario
Best Hair and Make Up Mad Max: Fury Road (Lesley Vanderwalt, Elka Wardega and Damian Martin)
It appears that Disney have revisited their scheduling as they have recently announced a little shuffle around their calendar for 2017, and here’s the latest:
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales – May 26, 2017
Spider-Man Reboot – July 7, 2017
Star Wars Episode VIII – December 15, 2017
So, three very different films from completely different franchises, all announced with a reschedule on the same day. Interesting to say the least. Now, whilst it could be a case of them simply deciding that the original dates weren’t appropriate, or that they wouldn’t quite be ready in time, just take a closer look at the dates. If you think about it, the three months are the perfect times to release films. May, just after Easter, around exam time, the perfect opportunity for people (students especially) to distress or take a break. And what better way to do so than indulging into the swashbuckling world of the Pirates of the Caribbean. Also, with Guardians of the Galaxy: vol. 2 dropping May 5th (late April in the UK), perfectly spreading their viewings across the month. Fast-forward 2 months, into the beginning of the Summer holidays and you’ve got one of, if not the biggest Marvel character in history making his solo debut for his second (and hopefully final) reboot into the MCU. Finally, fast-forward another 5 months into the Christmas holidays and you’ll be watching Star Wars: Episode VIII, the sequel to the latest addition to the franchise. So, why have I laid it out like this? You may have noticed that they have all been positioned in time for the holidays, prime position for the audience to deflate into some escapist pleasure.
First up is Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, 6 years after the release of the latest adventure, involving mermaids, zombies and the Spanish, it certainly went further afield (or sea, as it were), and not quite to everyone’s pleasing. However, it still became one of the all-time highest grossing films, maintained another outstanding score by non-other than Hans Zimmer, and a delivered bottomless list of glorious Jack Sparrow quotes. If you’re wondering where it’ going to go from here, Sparrow and his crew are off to find the ‘Trident of Poseidon’. It is yet to be officially announced why said journey is going to made, but certain familiar faces have been announced, including the return of a much-loved blacksmith. May 26, 2017
Second, for the third time, is Spider-Man. After two attempts under the control of Sony, it is finally being helmed by Marvel, under a deal made between Sony and Marvel, allowing him to become a part of the MCU, this time in the form of upcoming star Tom Holland. There was a lot of talk of this, even since before Avengers: Age of Ultron, attracting the prayers of the hard-core fans (myself included), as well as raising the question of whether or not he would be making an appearance in the much anticipated Captain America: Civil War. Whilst it may not seem like that much of a big deal as it is already full of important and entertaining characters, in the source material Spider-Man actually has a considerably important role within it. It also means that as his debut into the MCU, he will not be shown through his long-winded and twice observed origin, not that it isn’t intriguing, but that Marvel know that they can spend his 2 solo hours in a more original and refreshing way. Whilst the narrative and/or villains have not yet been announced, there have been multiple theories that seem promising. Due to Marvel’s more than impressive ability to create a great solo outing, even after an all-star team-up, it is likely to become the blockbuster of the summer. July 7, 2017
Last but by no means least is the enormous Star Wars: Episode VIII. After The Force Awakens currently being the third biggest film of all time (soon to be the second), taking the world by storm, Episode VIII has a lot to live up to. Despite there being a 2 year gap between them, Disney are filling the gap with Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, on December 16, 2016. This time going back before A New Hope, it will centre on a group of Rebel spies who set out to steal the plans for the notorious Death Star, so expect references galore. Although, once more, the official plot for Episode VIII has not yet been announced, there are many theories as to what it will be exactly. however, if you’ve seen The Force Awakens, it pretty much sets it up perfectly. Almost certain to once again rule the holidays and dominate the box office, catch it on December 15, 2017.
In the past week Marvel Studios have announced some game changing additions to Phase 3 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
On Thursday last week, Marvel announced some changes to their Phase 3 slate, which involved some new films, new sequels and a certain film being pushed back. It started with Marvel announcing that 3 new films were to be released in the year 2020. The first of many reasons why this news is exciting for Marvel fans, and a breakthrough for the studio is that they are beginning to pack not two, but three films into upcoming years, beating their current pattern of two films each year (the first usually being released in April/May, followed by a June/July release). On top of this, the fact increasing popularity of the franchise means that more and more fans are becoming interested in the synergy between the films and the comics. This also means that their understandings and knowledge of the entire Marvel Universe, this includes the different plotlines, characters and their teams. Because of this, Marvel can branch out with a lot more characters, with the confidence that more fans will understand them, further encouraginh more fans to research and become engrossed, etc. As a personal guess, I’m anticipating that the three unnamed films are: Spider-man 2, Guardians of the Galaxy vol. 3 and Thunderbolts (though this would require a secret deal between Marvel and Fox).
Another announcement from Marvel regards the sequel to their latest release, Ant-Man, and whilst it received very mixed opinions from fans it was blatantly popular enough for Marvel to confidently announce a sequel starring the newcomer alongside an even newer addition that he worked with in his self titled debut. The film, simply named Ant-Man and The Wasp, is due to hit July 8th 2018. Ant-Man was budgeted at a modest $130,000,000, it grossed over $409,000,000. Led by Paul Rudd (Friends, Role Models) as Scott Lang/Ant-Man, an ex-con specialist at cat-burgling who must assist Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) to prevent egotistical apprentice Darren Cross (Corey Stoll) from using the Yellow-Jacket suit for evil. With the training from Hank’s daughter Hope van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly), who is later to become the Wasp, Lang learns the importance of his quest. Originally, Ant-Man was to be directed by geek Edgar Wright (Shaun of the Dead, Scott Pilgim vs The World), but after some creative disagreements, having completed the script, Wright left and the project was taken over by rom-com director Peyton Reed (Yes Man, the Break Up).
However, in order for Ant-Man and The Wasp to fit into Marvel’s heavy schedule they had to make room. Because of this it resulted in Captain Marvel being pushed back to 2019. Still un-cast, Marvel continue to search for their next female superhero. This decision sparked some controversy among fans and how it was ‘sexist’ to push back the female led hero flick. Whilst it could be perceived as sexist, if you pay closer attention to Marvel’s Phase 3 slate, Captain Marvel was to appear between Black Panther and Avengers: Infinity War. The Avengers have obviously already had two outings and are mainly to blame for the enormous fan-base and purpose for the MCU being created, and with the Black Panther to appear in the upcoming Captain America: Civil War, his solo film was sure to debut soon after in preparation for Infinity War.
Finally, Marvel made the ‘short-and-sharp’ statement that “another planet” was going to appear in Thor: Ragnarok, on the same day that they tweeted a quote illustrated with an image of Hulk and Thor side-by-side. Even without the picture most fans would have jumped to the concept of it being Planet Hulk. After his surprise exit in Avengers: Age of Ultron, and being the only avenger (next to Thor) not returning in Captain America: Civil War, fans were left wondering what was to be of his fate. Whilst it would require a lot of explaining, it was announced yesterday that Mark Ruffalo is in talks with Marvel and closing his deal to return in Thor: Ragnarok. Comic readers will be aware of the immense plotline that ragnarok is and how much of a game-changer it will be for the MCU. Thor: Ragnarok is set to hit cinemas October 27th 2017.
Whilst that’s all that Marvel have announced in the past week, more news is sure to surface, potentially with the surprise drop of the Captain America: Civil War trailer, though I wouldn’t count on it.
(an image of Marvel’s Phase 3 slate prior to the additions of Spider-man and Ant-Man and The Wasp, as well as the shift of order)
30 years since its predecessor, Mad Max: Fury Road not only kept the director of the original series, but was one of the biggest films of the year, and easily the most unique. With a budget of $150 million, Fury Road has grossed a total of over $375 million worldwide, becoming the tenth biggest film of the summer.
Mad Max: Fury Road took more than a decade to get running, and when it finally got moving it led to eight months of filming in the scorching Namibian desert. In the process, 61 out of the 88 cars met a fiery, destructive end (still not quite the 230 that were destroyed in the making of Fast and Furious 7). This is due to the fact that Miller always has, and continues to film with the intentions of making everything look as legitimate as possible, and as a result of it, around 80 percent of what looks like CGI, are actual stunts and driving. The majority of special effects were visually removing the safety rigs, correcting the landscape and forming Imperator Furiosa’s prosthetic left arm.
Mad Max: Fury Road stars Tom Hardy as Max Rockatansky. Unlike the original Mad Max (1979), whereby the origin story of Mel Gibson’s ‘Max’ is told, it jumps straight into a scene of Rockatansky being chased by a gang (as seen in the trailer). The film contains hallucinations and nightmares of a large number of people asking him “Why didn’t you save us?”, causing him to panic and become overrun with fear. After he is captured, he becomes the ‘blood bag’ of Nux (Nicholas Hoult), a minion of Immortan Joe (Hugh Keays-Byrne, who also portrayed Toecutter, the villain of the original Mad Max) who runs the Citadel, watching everyone fight to survive. Imperator Furiosa (Charlize Theron), another minion of Immortan Joe, is disgusted by his treatment of those weaker than him, and especially how he treats his wives. Unable to withstand this anymore she attempts to break them out, causing Immortan Joe and his entire army to pursue. Zux gets very excited by the idea of a road war and straps his ‘blood bag’ to the front of his car. A few explosions and peculiar weapons later the odds change and Max teams up with Furiosa to outwit and outdrive the Immortan Joe, as well as the three armies behind him.
When George Miller spoke to Den of Geek‘s Brendon Connelly, he stated that “”Believe it or not,” Miller told us, “there are two more stories I’m really interested in telling […] These two stories came, almost unbidden, when with the delays [in making Fury Road], we sat down and wrote deep backstories, really exploring this world in very fine details.” Reportedly, in 2011 Miller announced that he had written two Mad Max scripts, and that he wanted the first one to be called Mad Max: Furiosa. Back in May this year he stated that he wanted to title the sequel Mad Max: The Wasteland.
Miller also had plans to create an anime Mad Max story, however after Mad Max: Fury Road he decided that: “I was always interested in anime, and I wanted to tell a Mad Max story in anime, but to be perfectly honest, the stories felt too strong and I thought, ‘Wait a minute, now that we’ve done live action and found a way to do them with real cars, real crashes, real deserts…’ and I would rather do it in live-action now.”
Once again, as told by Den of Geek: “I want to do a small film without special effects before I do any of that, just to do it quickly,” Miller told Top Gear. “We shot Fury Road in eight months – that’s a lot. Every day in the heat and dust, doing these stunts, it’s very wearying. We’ve got two more planned, but at some point in the future.”I want to do a small film without special effects before I do any of that, just to do it quickly,” Miller told Top Gear. “We shot Fury Road in eight months – that’s a lot. Every day in the heat and dust, doing these stunts, it’s very wearying. We’ve got two more planned, but at some point in the future.”
As can be understood here, Miller has many plans for the future of the Mad Max franchise, and whilst it’s going to be a while before we get a sequel to the visually and unconventionally impressive Mad Max: Fury Road, the odds are that it’s going to be extremely well thought out and will deliver just as well, if not better.
The Assassin’s Creed Movie cast keeps on growing in the form of Jeremy Irons (Die Hard: With a Vengeance, Lion King) and Brendan Gleeson (Edge of Tomorrow, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire).
The two latest additions to the game-to-film adaptation are particularly impressive. As with most films the originate from video games, Assassin’s Creed has already had a lot of doubt cast upon it, and rightly so given the styles track record. However, the current casting choices should put a vast amount of minds at ease and hopefully re-install faith.
According to Deadline, the new additions will be taking on the father roles of the main characters. Jeremy irons will reportedly be portraying the father of Marion Cotillard, whilst Gleeson will be play the father of Fassbender’s character (most likely Aguilar’s, as opposed to his modern day relative Callum Lynch). Assassin’s Creed is ignoring the generic curse of the adaptation trend and is herding up an all-star cast that is sure to impress, for previous information click here.
Assassin’s Creed is being directed by Justin Kurzel, created by New Regency and UbiSoft Motion Pictures and distributed by Fox. It is also being co-financed by RatPac and Alpha Pictures. The long list of producers includes Frank Marshall, Arnon Milchan, Jean-Julien Baronnet, Conor McCaughan, Fassbender and Pat Crowley, with Bill Collage, Adam Cooper and Michael Lesslie responsible for the scripting.
Whilst Assassin’s Creed is scheduled to be released late December 2016, Irons will also be starring in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice in March, taking on the role of Alfred Pennyworth, the butler of Ben Affleck’s vigilante billionaire Bruce Wayne/Batman. Gleeson is sooner to be taking to the big screen alongside Chris Hemsworth in In the Heart of the Sea, which tells the tale of the 1820 event in which a whaling ship is preyed upon by a sperm whale, stranding its crew at sea for 90 days, thousands of miles from home. Gleeson has also previously starred alongside Michael Fassbender in Tresspass Against Us which is currently in the post-production phase.
This news is also sure to gain the attention of the hit game’s fans, in preparation for the new release Assassin’s Creed: Syndicate which goes on sale later this month. Last week, a story trailer was released for the game, but it is not only the most cinematic trailer of the franchise to date, but also gives the fans insight into UbiSoft’s ability to make even a game look like an enticing film.
Marvel’s version of the Suicide Squad isn’t completely out of the question.
As it was one of the planned sequels for the acquired taste that was The Amazing Spider-Man, after Sony made the deal with Marvel, it was part of the collateral damage left behind. However, Drew Goddard (World War Z), writer of the villain led sequel, announced that whilst it’s down, it’s not quite out for the count.
This is what Goddard claimed, according to comicbook.com, “It’s a long game,” Goddard tells IGN. “It could still happen. It’s certainly not going to happen soon… but I’ve learned, look, Cabin in the Woods, we went into bankruptcy and had to stay on the shelf for a couple of years. It’s OK.”
As for the film itself, Goddard says it’s important to distinguish between “villain” and “antagonist.”
“When you’re doing just a straightforward superhero movie, you don’t need a lot of villains,” he says. “The focus is on one guy. I think with Sinister, it’s different. To me it’s less about too many villains and more about too many antagonists and there’s a distinction. You never say, like, The Dirty Dozen has too many characters. They’re all villains, or you could argue that. But they’re protagonists. The trick with Sinister, is that I was making everyone the protagonist and less about six-on-one and more about coming at it a little differently. That was the idea.”
At the end of The Amazing Spider-Man 2, during the credits, there was a hint not only towards the Sinister Six film, but also hinting towards the decided members of the team. The following image shows some of the images from the credits:
(Top Left) The mechanical arms of Doctor Octopus, (Top Right) the horn of Rhino, (Middle Left) the board of Green Goblin, (Middle Right) the wings of Vulture, (Bottom Left) the mask of Chameleon, (Bottom Right) the symbol of Kraven the Hunter. Whilst the original squad line up is pictured at the top of the page as Doctor Octopus, Scorpion, Sandman, Vulture, Mysterio and Electro, due to cinematic scripts and deals it can alter slightly.
The reason that it may still continue is that Sony and Marvel’s deal for Spider-Man to join the MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe), mean that the villains will carry across too. Also, the reason that Goddard’s version and partially planned take on the web-slingers enemies could go forward is that it was still at early pre-production when the deal was made, therefore no Sinister Six deals were made-then-cancelled.
For the time being it is shelved, most likely until Spiderman (2017) is released and they establish it’s popularity.
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