Summer Releases 2013 Pt 2

Last week got away from me - apologies, but I'm back to continue with the preview of Summer Releases.

First let's look at something for the kids of all ages (that means you :-)

Despicable Me 2

I've not seen Despicable Me but friends with kids have raved about it. It's the story of how a Super-Villain named Gru ends up with three daughters, adopted from an orphanage who change his world. Watch the trailer on YouTube by clicking here.

Despicable Me 2 sees Gru recruited by the Anti-Villain League to help bring down the new Super-Villain in town - Eduardo.

This movie features Steve Carell as Gru (Bruce Almighty, Evan Almighty, Anchorman), going up against Benjamin Bratt's Eduardo (Demolition Man, Miss Congeniality, Catwoman), neither strangers to animated works - Carell the voice of Hammy from Over The Hedge and Bratt the voice of Manny from Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs.

Check out the trailer below to see why you and the kids will love it.

Due for release at the end of June.


Another one for the kids at the end of June will be  Monsters University.

Billy Crystal and John Goodman are back for the 2nd installment of Disney Pixar's Monsters Inc. franchise playing the lovable characters Mike and Sulley. This movie is a prequel telling the story of how Mike and Sulley met as teenagers back at Monsters University, and how their friendship had not always run smoothly due to them being such opposites.

This film should also be fun for the whole family have a look at the trailer here.

Okay - that's enough kiddie bits - onto the Sci-fi, which seems to be dominating the summer releases this year.

First Pacific Rim.

"To fight monsters we created monsters of our own"

Directed by another Hollywood heavyweight - Guillermo Del Toro (Blade II, Hellboy I & II, Pans Labyrinth) Pacific Rim is a monster movie with a difference. Set in the near future, humongous creatures begin to appear out of the Pacific Ocean, causing carnage, death and destruction on a huge scale. Desperate to find an effective defense the Jaeger project is formed - giant robots are constructed, and piloted by two people whose minds are melded and combine to run the enormous metal contraptions.

As the war rages on, former pilot Raleigh Becket and Mako Mori, a rookie are thrown in at the deep end as they are forced to take the helm of an out dated early model Jaeger and fight as part of Earth's last stand.

The film stars Charlie Hunnam (Queer As Folk, Green Street, Children of Men), Idris Elba (Luther, Thor, Prometheus), Rinko Kikuchi (Babel, Norwegian Wood) and Ron Perlman (Alien Ressurection, Enemy at the Gates, Blade II, Hellboy I & II) and will certainly feature others that you will know.

This film will be full of special effects and co written by Del Toro will be sure to have a clever and interesting story to accompany them. This ones out in July.

Elysium

Lastly for today is Elysium. Written and Directed by Neill Blomkamp best known for District 9, Elysium is a Sci-fi drama following Matt Damon as he once again gets to kick ass like he was Jason Bourne. The year is 2154 and the rich of the world now live on a luxury resort known as Elysium where nothing is too good for the elite. Meanwhile the rest of the world's population are left behind on a ruined Earth, in a bitter and desperate fight for survival. Damon's character, Max De Costa finds himself backed into a corner and forced to fight for his life, and for the freedom, and equality of all the people of Earth along with it.

It's not hard to see the social observations and statements that Blomkamp makes here - just as with District 9 - but even if that is not your thing you can still expect stunning visuals, fast paced, hard hitting action, amazing gadgets and vehicles and  a heartfelt, compelling story. Check out the trailer below.

Thanks for checking out my summer releases previews. There'll be more later in the year but for now let me know what films old or new you'd like me to review (my tip would be to pick something you haven't seen yet - I'll let you know if it's worth it or not with a full review.)

Till next time - take care and let me know what you've been watching over the summer so far.

Summer Releases 2013 Pt 1

Hey there film fans - Here's a quick look at some of my choicest picks of the summer releases.

First though I want to say that yes Iron Man 3 was as awesome as I suspected it would be. Hit me up and let me know what you thought.

First up is the movie that I have been waiting to see since I left the cinema having seen its predecessor.

Star Trek: Into Darkness

Why this movie will be fantastic?

Simple. Casting, direction and writing.

Cumberbitches and Pine-Nuts get to see their heroes battle it out, along with all the faves from the last movie Zachary Quinto, Zoe Saldana, Karl Urban, Anton Yelchin, John Cho, funny man Simon Pegg and another appearance from fans favourite Leonard Nimoy as Spock Prime. There isn't a weak link in the chain and all can be expected to give stellar performances.

Like Star Trek, Into Darkness is directed by J.J. Abrams and if you don't know your Hollywood heavyweights Abrams has been involved in projects such as the T.V. series Lost and movies like Armageddon, Mission Impossible III, Cloverfield, Super 8 and many more as a director, writer or producer. 

I can't stress enough that Star Trek and Into Darkness are not just for die hard Trekkies. The first was a creative, immersing, roller coaster ride of a movie and I would bet money on it that you will enjoy it. Go and see it - I certainly will be. 

And for the true Trekkies - The legend is reborn. Check out the trailer.

OUT THIS MONTH

Next - Kick-Ass 2

Another sequel - If you havn't seen the first you've got till JUNE to catch up. 

I didn't rush to see 2010's Kick-Ass (in fact I didn't see it till last year) but it was worth the wait as I'm sure this one will be too. Kick-Ass is the typical super hero story but with a funny twist. A regular high school nobody (played by the gorgeous Aaron Taylor-Johnson) decides to bring his comic book fantasy to life by donning a tight green suit and becoming the hero/vigilante Kick-Ass. It's a funny look at exploring the potential reality of super heroes and Kick-Ass 2 takes this further as more people take up the plight of fighting injustice and crime alongside Kick-Ass and Hit-Girl.

They've replaced Nicholas Cage with Jim Carrey for the father figure type role, which I'm already chuffed about, and should add to the laughs, but be warned it's not all fun and games. A super-villain is born. The movies use guns, knives, bad language, blood and people die - this isn't a family hero movie by a long shot. But I'm sure Kick-Ass 2 will have it all. Loads of laughs, action packed fight scenes, rippling abs and tight suits and a guaranteed smile on your face by the time the credits are rolling.

Have a look at the trailer. OUT IN JUNE.

Also out in June is After Earth starring Will and Jaden Smith.

For the second time Jaden stars alongside his dad as a father and son duo who have this time crash landed on a hostile planet. Young Kitai Raige (Jaden) must face a perilous mission in order to survive, using the lessons he's been taught and the guidance given to him by his father, Cypher (Will) in this unusual, futuristic coming of age, epic. This movie seems very I Am Legend meets Avatar with a sprinkling of last months Oblivion for good measure. But they were all pretty good and this is directed by one of my favorites M. Night Shyamalan (The Sixth Sense, Unbreakable, Signs, Lady in the Water) so this will definitely be a must see.

Next is a movie also out in June (gonna be a busy month) This Is The End.

I know I'll be creating enemies when I say I'm just not that into the Hangover movies, but after years of Jackass, American Pies and Inbetweeners I got bored of the boys behaving badly bit and prefer to get my laughs without the use of any bodily fluids, animal murder and slapstick violence... she says, though there may be some of the above in this next movie lol.

This Is The End, not to be confused with Simon Pegg's The Worlds End (out later this year) is the story of Seth Rogen, playing himself, who takes Jay Baruchel, also himself to James Franco's celeb filled party up in the Hollywood hills. There are too many celebs to name drop but if you don't recognise at least one person in each scene then you obviously haven't been to the cinema's in at least a decade. As the party swings on catastrophic events begin to unfold and Rogen, Baruchel, Franco and some pals are forced to hold up in a house while they try to ride out the coming Apocalypse. 

This film sees the team behind Superbad, Pineapple Express and The Green Hornet reunite and is set to be something like a Jay and Silent Bob adventure crossed with Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny. Have a look at the trailer to see why I think it will be some silly, side-splitting fun. Be warned, strong language!

That's all I've got time for today but check in later this week for part 2 of Summer Releases 2013

Movies Released in April 2013

Here's a quick look at three of the movies I'm looking forward to seeing this month.

Firstly Oblivion.

The cast is headed up by Tom Cruise who plays Jack Harper - a member of a clean up crew sent to Earth to repair drones. The Earth, now a deserted wasteland was attacked several decades earlier and although humanity fought to victory, the Earth was in tatters which prompted a full scale evacuation.

Jack (as the hero often does) stumbles across something that begins to unravel the very foundations of his reality. As he discovers more he is forced to face a horrible secret that others are willing to do anything to protect.

Check out the trailer for a preview of some of the stunning visuals of a deserted Earth combined with the (special effect aided) technologies of the future ... and did I just see a hint of a creature?? This could be an easy-viewing, entertaining little sci-fi. Lets hope.

Next up a remake I've been looking forward to for a while now - Evil Dead

I always thought the original The Evil Dead from 1981 and Evil Dead II: Dead By Dawn 1987 were hilarious. The poor tortured lead played humorously by Bruce Campbell and the relatively low budget prosthetic's and effects give this horror a comedic edge (it was the mid 90's when I first saw it and probably found The Mask and Total Recall more visually impressive).

Although Spider-mans Sam Raimi who wrote and directed the originals still writes for this one I sense a lot of the humor would have been drained out of this new version which is set to be eerie and chilling. This should be true to the original story and styling of the first movies but with a modern approach to tension building and tempo changes. Also look out for Jane Levy (whom I love as Tess in Suburgatory) who plays the girlfriend (fans of the original will know what this means lol)

Check out the trailer here and see what you think.

Last up for April Iron Man 3.

Any comic book fan has got to love Robert Downey Jr's interpretation of cocky, charismatic millionaire Tony Stark and if you haven't seen the first two movies, where have you been?

I won't say much about this one - except to say that whenever a super hero gets a trilogy the second or third will always deal with the deeper emotional aspects of the character - for the Iron Man franchise this is that movie. I'm still looking forward to it immensely. I'll leave you with a list of names and a trailer to explain why.

Robert Downey Jr, Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle, Ben Kingsley, Guy Pearce, Rebecca Hall, Paul Bettany, Jon Favreau, Ashley Hamilton and Stan Lee

I'll be back soon with movies to look out for in May/June 2013. With the new Star Trek movie top of that list.

Films To Watch This Month (March 2013) Pt2

So we've taken a look at Jack the Giant Slayer & Disney's Oz: The Great and Powerful. But now we turn to two films that are a little more grown up.

First up is Welcome to the Punch starring James McAvoy and Mark Strong. Strong is the ex-criminal, who due to his sons involvement in a failed heist has been drawn out of hiding - finally giving Detective Lewinsky (McAvoy) his chance to catch the one that got away.

This could be set to be something really special from second time writer and director Eran Creevy whose debut Shifty won him a BAFTA nomination for Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer.

With Creevy's talent for dialogue and authenticity and with a bigger budget at hand this should be a fantastic, tense and thrilling ride. Oh yeah and did I mention Ridley Scott is the Executive Producer - yeah, enough said.

What's to look forward to?

Slow motion shoot outs, London looking as slick and sexy as ever and an appearance from one of my up and coming favourites Daniel Kaluuya. Like me, many of you will have seen him first in the UK's version of Skins but since then he has continued to raise his profile landing roles in Dr Who, Johnny English Reborn, and will also be in this years highly anticipated Kick Ass 2. In his early 20's and having been acting for less than 10 years I'd say the lads done pretty good. See Channel 4's Black Mirror - 15 Million Merit's episode for a standout performance.

What I'm afraid of?

The magic in Creevy's Shifty was provided by a sensitive directing style and a small budget which lead to  understated, realistic kind of authenticity. But with £5.5 million in the budget for this one will Creevy still be able to deliver the low key, subtle (and not over acted) performances and dialogue that we know and love him for or will this be all budget and no substance?

Check out the trailer and see what you think.

Welcome To The Punch is released in the UK today 15th March 2013.

Next we have the Emperor.

Starring Matthew Fox and Tommy Lee Jones, Emperor tells the story of the Japanese surrender at the end of World War II and how a young General must make the extremely sensitive decision on whether or not to hang Emperor Hirohito as a war criminal. This looming decision runs paralleled with an ongoing search and love affair for the dashing Matthew Fox who plays the brought in expert on Japanese culture, General Fellers. This movie is a reality inspired fantasy and directed by Peter Webber (best know for The Girl With The Pearl Earring and Hannibal Rising) we can expect this to be a beautifully shot, thought provoking piece of work.

What's to look forward to?

The handsome Matthew Fox, who I've not seen since he was  Dr Jack Shephard when Lost concluded in 2010. Not to mention he's wrapped in a WWII General's uniform, can't really complain.

What I'm afraid of?

A number of reviewers have already stated that Tommy Lee Jones is totally wasted in this movie and that would be a terrible shame if it turns out Webber hasn't utilised Jones for the fantastic performances we know he's capable of. Also there were moments in Hannibal Rising where I nearly dropped off to sleep -  let's hope that Webber paces this well as most movie goers I know will have a rather large detachment from the subject matter.

Catch the trailer here and let us know what you think if you've seen any of the movies talked about on this blog.

Films To Watch This Month (March 2013)

Hey there film fans. This is set to be a busy year for film with tonnes of blockbusters hitting the big screen. Lets start by looking at a couple of films released this month.

Starting with Oz: The Great & Powerful.

Dirtected by Spider-Man's Sam Raimi, the new Oz movie will certainly provide some show stopping cinematic's, bringing to life the rich vibrant colours and textures that make you feel as though you're in a cartoon, a genuine fantasy land that is Oz (some of the scenes feel like they were snapped straight out of Disney's 1959 classic Sleeping Beauty).

What's to look forward to?

Although James Franco & Mila Kunis have really made a name for themselves in recent years with the likes of Rise of the Planet of the Apes, 127 Hours, Black Swan and Friends With Benefits, I'm most looking forwards to performances from my old favourites Michelle Williams (My Week With Marilyn, Shutter Island) whom I've been a fan of since the Dawson Creek days and Rachel Weisz (Constantine, The Lovely Bones) who was wonderful in The Constant Gardener - it's a must watch!

What I'm afraid of?

I love all things Oz - Judy Garland singing Over The Rainbow, a young Fairuza Balk (a.k.a Nancy from The Craft) and rusty old Tik-Tok in the dark and thrilling Return to Oz, Michael Jackson & Diana Ross 'getting on down the road' in the Wiz & potentially my favourite, Wicked, defying gravity with Elphaba - I'm scared that this version will be all show and no magic. 

 

Left and below: Fairuza Balk as Dorothy with Tik Tok in Return to Oz

Right: Fairuza as Nancy in The Craft



                                                                                                           
                   
                                                                                                                   
Next up Jack the Giant Slayer.

Bryan Singer takes the helm of this new adaptation of the fairy tale Jack & the Beanstalk. But rated 12A this is not a fairy story for your little ones. There are several slight twists to the original story line that you're probably familiar with, including some extra characters like Stanley Tucci's Roderick and Ewen McGregor's Elmont, but with the likes of X-Men, X2 & X-Men First Class' writer/director Singer leading the way this is sure to be an action packed adventure of  GIANT proportion.

What's to look forward to?

Again this one has got to be about the casting. Nicholas Hoult (Clash of the Titans, X-Men: First Class), Ewan McGregor (Trainspotting, A Life Less Ordinary, Moulin Rouge), the amazing Stanley Tucci (The Hunger Games, A Mid Summer Nights Dream, Lucky Number Slevin, The Devil Wears Prada. Also Eddie Marsan, Ian McShane, Bill Nighy and more, how could this not be brilliant?

What I'm afraid of?

Absolutely nothing! I think Jack the Giant Slayer will be very comfortable viewing, with lots of action and a few laughs along the way.



Verdict?

Of the two I'd say it has to be Jack the Giant Slayer! Despite my love of Baum's creations, and despite it being Disney and all the money they've forked out on ensuring that Oz: The Great and Powerful looks stunning, it doesn't make up for my suspicion that some of the casting may be a little weak, that it's going to get all dragged out and wordy like Spider-man 2 and that like Dorothy I will discover that Oz is all smoke and mirrors with no real substance.

Catch the trailer for Jack the Giant Slayer here... "You think you know the story ... You don't know Jack"

I'll be back later in the week with more films from this month. Ciao for now xx

Think Like A Man (2012)

Think Like A Man is a charming little romantic comedy based on the book Act Like A Lady, Think Like A Man by Steve Harvey in which he lays down his beliefs and concepts on why some women have trouble in relationships and how to empower themselves by helping them understand the minds of men. I should note this is a real book for those of you who only know Steve Harvey as a 'King of Comedy'. He is also an actor, entertainer, radio personality and best-selling author.

In this movie several women come across Steve Harvey's new book (Steve Harvey playing himself) and individually make their way through a section of his 'playbook' which teaches them how to modify their behaviours in order to get the guys in their life to do the what they want. We are initially introduced to a group of guys who are friends and all adhere to particular labels like 'the player' or 'the momma's boy', 'the dreamer' and 'the non commiter'. Although still rather chick-flicky in that it caters to women, introducing the ideas through the male perspective and narrated by the hilarious Kevin Hart keeps it accessible to both sexes. And with cameo's from Ms Kelly Rowland and Chris Brown there's plenty of eye candy for all.

As soon as I heard Kevin Hart, Steve Harvey and Garbielle Union were going to be in this movie I knew I'd like it and with a plethora of other favourites of mine like Jerry Ferrara, Meagan Good, Regina Hall, Taraji P. Henson, Michael Ealy, Sherri Shepherd, Jenifer Lewis and many more faces you'll recognise, I wasn't wrong.

Having a lot of characters to explain always slows a movie down some but this is easy to follow and the individual battle of the sexes are literally titled. You have "The Mama's Boy" vs "The Single Mom", "The Non-Commiter" vs "The Girl Who Wants the Ring", "The The Dreamer vs The Woman Who Is Her Own Man" and "The Player vs The 90 Day Rule Girl". Labelled like this its not hard to imagine the hijinks and fun that's going to be poked at both genders here, the playing field level.

The verdict: This is clean, honest fun with much of the comedy supplied by Kevin Hart and an adorable, young Caleel Harris (look out for the character called Duke). You should definitely give it a watch ... made for rainy days when you need a warm feeling.

This film is like: Deliver Us From Eva (2003) meets Down With Love (2003)

                                     

Purchase Act Like A Lady, Think Like A Man by Steve Harvey via Google Shopping page.

Think Like A Man UK release is June 2012

Finally, I will say this ... ladies, not all your relationship problems are gonna be solved with a book, nor does it always work out like it does in the movies. This doesn't mean there's something wrong with you or all the men out there, just means you live in the real world.

And guys, there is a reason why your girlfriend probably loves all these kinds of movies... pay attention & maybe get a clue fella's ;-p

Enjoy the movie and let me know what you thought of it x

Trailer

This Means War (2012)

When I heard about this film I was instantly excited. Read my last post and you will know I think Tom Hardy is yummy; full of British charm, yet an introverted intensity and an adorable smile - again Yummy! Couple that with the the gorgeous Chris Pine, who in my opinion is one of the most charismatic guys to come out of 'Tinseltown' since Will Smith and you've got my attention.

So two gorgeous leads (three including the lovely Reese Witherspoon), and all of them accomplished in their own right - Click link to see Tom Hardy's and Chris Pine's filmography's and if you haven't seen Hardy in Wuthering Heights yet check it out on Youtube Wuthering Heights 2009. For Pine's stand out performance you must see 2009's Star Trek where he plays a sexy young Captain James T. Kirk - but worry not, you needn't be a Trekky to enjoy this movie, it is an action packed blockbuster by all accounts -  but don't be fooled into thinking Pine can only do 'cool' and 'slick'. Pine is not afraid to do ugly, just see him as Darwin Tremor in Smokin' Aces (2006) and you'll see what I mean.

Pine as Darwin Tremor - Smokin' Aces.

But back to This Means War ...

So looking forward to seeing the guys looking sexy as hell I went to see the movie and the opening scenes did not disappoint. We see Pine and Hardy's characters FDR and Tuck perched on a helipad suited and booted for a covert mission at an elegant penthouse cocktail party.

Heeellloooo!

I wasn't expecting too much of this movie as a valentines release, but with the early action it had potential to be more than just a Rom-Com and actually be Rush Hour funny ... but alas this was not to be. There's nothing wrong with the film, unfortunately it seems to have been built on a formula that takes all the successful elements from other Rom-Com, action comedies and shoves them together. Two best friends, who are near opposites, leading to humorous conflicts, check. Two guys falling for the same girl, swear it won't come between them but it does, check. The complicated yet capable woman who can't decide between two very different guys, check - honestly the movie doesn't have anything we've not already seen in the TV show Friends.

Tuck (Hardy) is the sensitive, romantic, family man kinda guy, where FDR (Pine) is the slick, smooth talking, ladies man - think Martin Lawrence and Will Smith in Bad Boys and you'll get the picture. Reese Witherspoon is the romantic failure whose pushy/opinionated friend sets up an online dating profile for her (please note the total lack of originality), even down to Angela Basset being cast as the tough black Captain/boss - the first 20 odd minutes of this movie is a walking cliché!

But then something happened... Tuck (Hardy), on his first date with Lauren (Witherspoon) smiles and his sweet little eyes twinkle and I find myself willing to give the movie another chance to grip me.

The chemistry between Reese and the guys is totally believable and Reese gives a stable performance as Lauren, delivering the mix between a lady lost in her love life yet confident and organised in her professional life. Both Pine and Hardy also deliver stable performances, Pine plays the charismatic and charming spy to perfection and I find it hard to believe he's not a little like this in real life. Hardy is the typical wry, repressed Brit that American TV and film are used to portraying.

But despite decent performances I was too bored to care. If it hadn't been for the pretty faces I might well have taken a little nap.

After around 40 minutes the film had elicited only a few snickers and sniggers from me and a handful of quiet laughs from the rest of the audience. But gladly the "Recon" took the movie to the next level and it finally started to get a little funnier.

The film struggles to get the balance and mix of action and romance and comedy ... towards the end you will have started to forget that these guys are important spy agents involved in a supposedly huge case and as they jump back into the action, almost as an after thought we are again hit with a barrage of clichés which can work but seem cheesy in this movie (like the cliff-hanger in a car nearly dangling over the edge of a fatal drop, the unlikely hero and a shot that almost mirrors Bad Boy's famous movie poster.

Unfortunately this movie gets the thumbs down from me. There are no twists, it's completely predictable, the action scenes don't pack enough of a punch and other than two beautiful men this movie has little to offer. So instead of going to see this I'd advise you chuck in the DVD of Bad Boys, Rush Hour or There's Something About Mary and you'll be getting all the best bits from this movie and more.

When the DVD is released:

GIRLS: Chuck this movie on when hanging with your girlfriends - grab some wine and ooh and ah at the pretty people.

GUYS: Chuck this in for some browny points with the Mrs

In either case you wont be missing much if you talk through it or end up pashing on the sofa.