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like, what is legit anymore?

M Night Shyamalavengers

Jul
23

via GIPHY

If you recall the 90s and early 2000s, you’ll remember that that narrow time window was a great time to be M Night Shyamalan.

It seemed like he could do no wrong, with The Sixth Sense, Unbreakable and The Village.

After a while, it became apparent he was a one-trick pony, relying on the plot twist, a roughly last minute-ish reveal that totally re-framed the entire movie you’d seen, and forced you to confront it in a very different lens.

Well, after languishing in disappointing films like Lady in the Water, The Happening, he’s kinda back on track with the better reviewed The Visit, and Split, whose reveal was that it’s actually residing in the Unbreakable universe.

And when Split didn’t suck, he was suddenly in possession of (gasp!) a superhero franchise??!

So while Split’s twist was that it was a sort of sequel to Unbreakable, we now have the trailer to the trilogy to cap it off, Glass.

Is the trailer good? Well, it’s… interesting.

But perhaps, what’s more interesting is reading the comments, and seeing how the readers are chiming in on what they think the twist for Glass would be.

What are your thoughts on Shyamalan? Too far gone?

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Black Panther

Mar
15

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“De rekorrds of de black panta will knot be streeped aweh!”

To say Black Panther overachieved would be an understatement, having recently crossed the $1b mark. Let’s look at some of the milestones it smashed along the way.

  • Biggest ticket pre-sales of all superhero movies
  • Highest Grossing Solo Superhero Movie in North America (ousting Batman in The Dark Knight!)
  • Best Feb opening weekend record (ousting previous holder Deadpool)
  • Biggest opening for an African American director
  • Highest grossing monday sales (ousting Star Wars: The Force Awakens)
  • Black Panther also scores for highest Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday grosses ever for Marvel

And now, to the film proper:

 

via GIPHY

Black panther has a lot going for it, giving us a glimpse into a brand new culture, an entirely fictional supposedly third world African nation of Wakanda, whose technology is secretly superior thanks to a brush with vibranium carrying meteorite.

That meteorite crash infused Wakanda with Vibranium, allowing them to develop advanced technology, and then shield it from the world. Following the events of Captain America: Civil War, T’Challa heads home to be crowned King of Wakanda and bestowed the power of the Black Panther.

In the process of mourning his father’s death, he must also deal with a threats old and new, as a mercenary called Killmonger has an old score to settle with Wakanda.

Everything about the film was superb, from the realisation of Wakanda to the portrayal of Killmonger as easily one of the best villains in the MCU. With a bit of positioning, some might even say he’s actually the hero of the film.

An amazing watch that even the wife approves. With Avengers: Infinity War coming so soon after, the future of the MCU has never looked brighter, or in our heroes case, bleaker.

inscriptively Rating: 9/10

1 point removed for the casting of Forest Whitaker, whom i just can’t even.

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Thor Ragnarok

Nov
08

Being a father of 2, it’s getting very challenging to get snippets of time to be able to do proper movie reviews (I know, the irony being how come I have time to watch the movie then? Well… okay, i’m being lazy).

So here’s a micro review of Thor Ragnarok.

If you love the clip below, you’ll love the film.

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Watch Shia lebeouf watch Shia Lebeouf

Nov
26

No, the headline is not a typo.

Shia Lebeouf, actor turned performance artist’s latest project is #AllMyMovies, a 72-hour “performance” in which you’re invited to watch Shia watch his entire catalog of movies in reverse chronological order.

If watching Shia Lebeouf watch his own movies (all of it) is something you’d be interested in, you can watch it here.

 

But if you just want to skip to the after-interview, here it is.

I wonder what happened with Shia that he would want to torture himself like that.

Also, this.

 

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Google ‘A long time ago in a galaxy far far away’

Nov
25

 

While Star Wars: The Force Awakens will not be in theatres for another 3 weeks, Google is happily getting us into the mood with this awesome easter egg.

Simply google “A long time ago in a galaxy far far away”, and sit back and watch the search results scroll by.

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2014 in review – Film edition

Jan
01

This year saw a mixed bag of movies, some good, others perhaps not meeting expectations.

Here are my buy Pregabalin canada top 10 picks for 2014:

10. The Lego Movie

The_Lego_Movie_poster

Essentially a 100 minute lego advertisement, but done so well and with so much heart, we’ll even forgive the tired ‘The Chosen One’ trope. Plus, with the sountrack, everything is indeed awesome!

9. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part I

MockingjayPart1Poster3

One of the few series that, in my mind, got progressively better ever since the dud that was the first Hunger Games. Mockingjay was my least favourite of the books, but I found the film version of war politicking intriguing.

I still don’t get how Peeta has any kind of chance over Gale though.

8. Godzilla

Godzilla_(2014)_poster

Yes, Bryan Cranston died less than a third of the way through the film, but let’s be honest. No one goes to a Godzilla movie to watch Bryan Cranston, badass as he may be.

No, people go to a Godzilla movie to watch THIS! Fuck Yeah Atomic Breath!

godzilla-breath

7. Open Windows

Open_Windows_poster

Open Windows is a delightful little indie written and directed by Nacho Vigalondo. If you haven’t heard of him, I suggest watching TimeCrimes, his 2007 time-travel feature debut.

Open Windows stars Elijah Wood as an obsessed fan who bites off more than he can chew when he finds that he has won a dinner date with his favourite actress Jill Goddard (Sasha Grey!?!!).

Plot sounds generic enough, but the conceit of the film is similar to the found footage genre, where most of the action takes place on Elijah Wood’s laptop, via several program windows, hence the title Open Windows.

6. Coherence

Coherence_2013_theatrical_poster

Technically a 2013 film, but it was released late in 2013, and I only saw it this year, so I’ll put this film under my list for this year. Another indie gem, a dinner party goes awfully wrong after a comet fly-by opens up parallel universes with parallel dinner parties.

What would you do, if your situation in your universe kinda sucked?

5. Gone Girl

Gone_Girl_Poster

A breakthrough performance by Rosamund Pike, in my opinion. Brilliantly directed by David Fincher, the man who made making a website look exciting.

I’m definitely setting time aside in 2015 to read the book.

4. X-Men: Days of Future Past

X-Men_Days_of_Future_Past_poster

One of the best sequences of the film was the rescue of Magneto, heavily dependent on QuickSilver, and it’ll be interesting to see how the same character is depicted in Avengers: Age of Ultron.

DOFP was also crucial in that it connected the 2 separate X-Men series, serving as a sequel to First Class as well as The Last Stand, featuring cast from both with equal-ish screentime.

If DOFP is a sign of things to come, I can’t wait for X-Men: Apocalypse.

3. Captain America: The Winter Soldier 

Captain_America_The_Winter_Soldier

I always felt that Cap was one of the weaker characters for the standalone films, and wasn’t too impressed with The First Avenger. But The Winter Soldier totally blew me away with the action, plot, and the overall impact in the aftermath of the film. The pacing never let up, and the action never let me down.

2. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

Dawn_of_the_Planet_of_the_Apes

Rise of the Planet of the Apes told of how a certain ALZ-113 virus gave modified intelligence to an ape named Caesar, and how that same virus would be calamitous to mankind.

10 years after the events of Rise, a generation of intelligent apes have made themselves a home and community in Muir Woods, while the human race dwindled and collapsed.

A chance meeting between the remaining humans in San Francisco and the apes and a misunderstanding between them would lead to an impending war. And if the prelude to the all out war could be so intense, sign me up for the actual war please!

Mark down this date. July 29, 2016!

1. Edge of Tomorrow

Edge_of_Tomorrow_Poster

Tom Cruise dies again and again until he wins. Aside from the ending, everything else about the film was just about perfect. It was a real toss up between this and Dawn for my number one spot, but i’m sorry, in my books, aliens always wins apes.

What were your favourite films of 2014?

I will share some of 2014’s most disappointing films in a future post! Time to feed the baby!

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A new most retweeted image is born

Mar
03

Before today, the record for most retweeted image was held by Barack Obama’s “four more years”.

But today, that record has been bettered. And then some. By who else but the darling of talk shows, Ellen DeGeneres. In between hosting duties at the 2014 Oscars, she palled with A list celebrities, and rallied them to take a selfie.

In under a day, that fun image had over 2.4m retweets. Contrast that to the “Four More Years” tweet that currently stands at 780k. That’s the power of celebrity.

Or should I say celebrities.

Also, Leo DiCaprio got snubbed again for his performance in Wolf of Wall Street. What must this guy do to get an Oscar? Which prompted mrbrown to quip:

And then Jennifer Lawrence fell. Again.

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13 films of 2013

Dec
29

Wow, is it that time of the year again?

2013 seems to have just flown by. As usual, we have our hits and misses, some more surprising than others. Here is my list of films that have reached out to me more than the rest this year.

13. Side Effects

side effects

Is this a medical drama? A psychological thriller? A murder conspiracy? It’s all three rolled into one, and Steven Soderbergh nails it. Rooney Mara absolutely took the role and ran with it.

12. Elysium

 elysium_movie_poster

Neill Blomkamp was always going to face an uphill climb, trying to follow-up his amazing District 9. On its own, it’s a pretty solid film, but with District 9 floating at the back of your mind, Elysium can’t help but feel like it’s a bit of a stepdown. It’s a stronger allegory on the current human condition, but everything’s better with aliens.

11. The Incredible Burt Wonderstone

Incredible-Burt-Wonderstone-Poster

Everyone loves magic. Add in some rivalry between old time stage magicians and new age street and close-up Criss Angel type magicians, and you get magical laughs aplenty. Interestingly, Jim Carrey, funny in the 90s, plays new age street magician, and Steve Carell, current funnyman plays the old school Vegas stage show magician.

Plus, David Copperfield cameos, and acts as technical advisor to the magic tricks performed in the show. Definitely a much better film overall than the super disappointing “Now You See Me”.

10. The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

catching fire

The Hunger Games was so disappointing last year I was seriously debating if I should catch the adaptation to book 2. But boy am I glad I did. The pacing was much, much better, narrative stronger, and all round stakes were actually felt.

9. Star Trek Into Darkness

StarTrekIntoDarkness_Poster

First off, I’m biased. Anything JJ. Abrams touches, is more than likely to end up on my best of lists. I know a lot of trekkies have been giving him crap about trying to hide the very obvious fact that Cumberbatch was Khan, and that he was simply rehashing previous storylines and twisting it for the sake of twisting it.

Still, I love the way he tells a story.

8. The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

desolation of smaug

I maintain my belief that the Hobbit (a single novel) should have been kept to a single, maybe 3 hour runtime film. But, split into 3 films, we see the main characters simply roaming, walking, strolling and exploring area upon area in various locales on Middle Earth.

Still, it was breathtaking scenery and mindblowing effects. Especially in the Desolation of Smaug where we finally see in its full form, Smaug.

7. Iron Man 3

Iron Man 3 Poster

The man that started it all, is back to kick off phase II of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. And deservedly so. There was always a fear that after The Avengers, bringing back standalone heroes could feel a little of a letdown, but it was entertaining, action packed and funny where it should be.

6. The Conjuring

The Conjuring Poster

So. Fucking. Scary.

*Clap Clap*

5. Man of Steel

Man of Steel Poster

“Superman never kills”, “Superman should have brought the fight to a rural area to ensure the least amount of fatalities!”

Come on, you’re in the thick of battle, you’re outnumbered, you do the best you can. In any war, people will die. Be realistic.

The action was great, the effects were awesome, stakes were real. Awesome stuff.

4. This is the End

 this is the end

I had thought this would be a silly movie, and it was. But it really worked. The conceit of celebrities, as celebrities, facing an end of the world scenario, was tragically funny. Seth Rogen, Jonah Hill, James Franco, Jay Baruchel, Danny McBride and Craig Robinson all ham it up as a version of themselves, as they take on the apocalypse and end it, one way or another.

3. V/H/S/2

VHS 2

5 horror shorts. Some good. Others better. All round good fun.

2. Gravity

Gravity_Poster

In space, no one can hear you scream. BUT it sure makes your bum look perky without all that gravitational pull! Sandra Bullock nails her fish out of water, or should I say engineer out of land role as a medical engineer on her first space mission, which, predictably goes horribly wrong.

Space is scary.

1. World War Z

World War Z Poster

I’m giving this film my top score, because it showed zero signs of a film plagued in production hell, including a final third re-write and re-shoot!

It was massive in scope, exciting, action packed, and yet intimate when it needed to be (thank god for the last act rewrite!). I think Brad Pitt did very well, considering the production troubles, to hang in there and come up with a really polished film in the end.

So, what were your favourite films of the year?

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