The Circle || Trailer Review

Emma Watson, Tom Hanks, and John Boyega: it was always going to be difficult for me to not like this film.

Based on this trailer, The Circle is about Big Brother and privacy and freedom. It is dealing with huge themes that are becoming more and more relevant in our society every day. More importantly, it looks like it is dealing with these themes in a smart and compelling way. After watching the trailer, I can’t wait to see what happens.

Unlike so many recent trailers, The Circle does not give away the entire plot of the film – a feat that has to be commended when compared to its contemporaries.

This trailer creates a sense of anticipation and urgency but maintains its veil of mystery and that’s why I can’t wait to see more about this film.

What did you think of the trailer? Are you excited about this film? Let me know in the comments.

Alternative Christmas Movies

There are so many Christmas movies on television now and I love that. I am all for a cheesy, heart-warming, festive film but sometimes it gets a little bit too saccharine sweet. If you need to break up some of that unrelenting cheer then I have some films that still feel Christmassy but aren’t what first pops to mind when you hear ‘Christmas movie’.

(1) The Harry Potter Series

The Harry Potter series feels Christmassy. It has been pointed out to me on many occasions that the films span the course of an entire school year so my assessment may have some flaws but I don’t care: Harry Potter is a Christmas thing. Maybe it’s the magic or the over-arching theme of hope… Either way, it’s always a nice thing to watch in December.

(2) Rent

What do you mean the story about a group of Bohemians suffering from AIDs in New York at the turn of the century isn’t festive? You’re not festive! Besides, Rent is a musical and that adds… infinite Christmas points.

(3) Iron Man 3

Watching Iron Man 3 when it was released in April was surreal. It tried hard to push a Christmas theme, that seemed even more bizarre as a large portion of the film took place in California where it was permanently sunny. Fortunately, we get to re-watch whenever we want and I would suggest now as the perfect time of year.

(4) The Perks of Being A Wallflower

I won’t lie – this is likely on this list just because I only ever watch it in December but hey, if you feel like crying into your turkey…

What other non-Christmas movies do you watch in December? Let me know in the comments.

Wait, What Happened? || Geek News

Happy Sunday! This week has been insanely full of fantastic things. From trailers, to premiere dates to castings – there was a lot to keep up with. In fact, you may find yourself asking: wait, what happened? If that’s the case, I’ve got you covered.

How To Train Your Dragon 3 Moves To 2019

I had no idea that there was even going to be a third How To Train Your Dragon movie so I can’t say that I was that disappointed to hear that it was delayed from a 2018 release to a 2019 release. I love these films and I’m just excited that the series is continuing. The third film is reported to focus on Toothless finding a mate and Hiccup dealing with the responsibilities of being village chief. This delay may be the result of Universal’s acquisition of Dreamworks which has also seen The Croods 2 removed from the release schedule.

Shameless’ Emmy Rossum Demans Equal Pay

Emmy Rossum, one of the stars of Shameless, is now demanding equal pay to her co-star, William H. Macy. The show is moving into its eighth season so Rossum has been paid less than her male co-star for years. At this stage, I have no idea why this is even an argument. Admittedly, when the show first began Macy was a much more famous face and added more value to the show in that respect. However, the show is now well-established and they both play equally vital roles to the story. Equal pay for equal work.

Sherlock Season 4 Teaser

The new season of Sherlock is so close! In the new year, season 4 of Sherlock will be arriving on our screens and I, for one, cannot wait. The teaser was uploaded yesterday and… it was okay. I wish that it was incredibly exciting and that I loved it a lot more but it just didn’t have the same effect as anything Sherlock normally has on me. Maybe you’ll like it more than I did. You can watch it below:

Are you a fan of How To Train Your Dragon? Do you believe that female actors should make as much as their co-stars? How much are you looking forward to Sherlock? Let me know in the comments.

Exclusivity in Cinema

I like to complain – you know that. There are a lot of things to complain about in the world: poverty, discrimination, the fact that both geography and my bank balance prevent me from watching Hamilton live in the Richard Rodgers Theatre… In a world of minor inconveniences and major injustices the cinema is a refuge, a place to escape reality.

For the longest time cinema has been the widely preferred alternative to the theatre. As much as I love to see live performances, the theatre is expensive and often poses a barrier in the form of location for many people. I may have never seen Hairspray or Grease performed on stage but thanks to cinema, I have been able to experience those stories.

 

However, when I began university last year I moved 200 miles away from my home to a much smaller town and I discovered that a lot of the films that I wanted to watch simply did not show here.

In the last year I distinctly remember my excitement at the lead-up to the releases of The Edge of Seventeen and Everybody Wants Some!! only to find that they would not be shown in this town. It was then that I started to realise that cinema isn’t as accessible to everybody as I had once believed it to be.

No matter how wrong it is, there is a stereotype that exists in which the sort of people that go to the theatre are typically wealthy, middle-class liberals. Similarly, when you hear that somebody loves independent cinema, an idea of who that person is forms in your mind. Cinemas aren’t going to pay to screen a movie if they don’t think that they’ll make money back from it and so, smaller niche films are reserved for bigger cities and specific types of cinemas.

The little town where I live for the majority of the year is a great place, full of students from a variety of backgrounds and with a range of interests but that variety isn’t reflected in the cinema listings. Of course, I can watch Rogue One: A Star Wars Story or Moana but if I want to watch Snowden or The Birth of a Nation I have to travel for two hours.

I understand that the film industry is an industry: there are big businesses involved and ultimately they’re trying to make a profit but it doesn’t seem right.

Do you think that films should be more widely distributed? Or that there’s no need to do so? Let me know in the comments.

A Beginner’s Guide To Office Christmas Party

Everything you need to know before Office Christmas Party comes out tomorrow.

What is it?
Office Christmas Party is a festive comedy film about – you guessed it – an office Christmas party.

That doesn’t sound very funny.
Yeah… but there’s this growing trend in comedy where boring, middle class people are put into “extreme” situations and in the end they decide that their lives are actually pretty great and they return to them. I’m not saying that that’s what happens here, but I’m guessing it’s pretty close.

What is it actually about?
Officially:

When Zenotek CEO Carol Vanstone (Jennifer Aniston) tries to close the branch of her hard-partying brother Clay (T. J. Miller), he and his Chief Technical Officer must rally their co-workers and host an epic office Christmas party in an effort to impress a potential client and close a sale that will save their jobs.

Not that that doesn’t sound great but are there any other Christmas movies?
There’s this and Bad Santa 2. Take your pick.

Who’s in this movie?
Oooh, the cast is pretty great: Jennifer Aniston, T.J. Miller, Jason Bateman, Olivia Munn, and Kate McKinnon are just a few of the huge ensemble cast. It was directed by Josh Gordon and Will Speck.

The guys who did The Switch?
Well, yeah but they also did Blades of Glory so this film could go either way.

Finally, is it any good?
The reviews aren’t in yet so I have nothing to base my opinion on except for the trailer. Personally, I think that it could be a fun watch but the trailer is below – see what you think.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 || Trailer Review

I watched this trailer twice before I realised that I have no idea what this movie is about but I don’t even care. I mean, there’s a baby groot – it doesn’t get more adorable than that.

With that said I think that it’s pretty safe to assume that Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is going to involve the team saving the galaxy in some way or another. The first film was an underdog because it was so very out there and when it turned out to be amazing, it was a shock to most people. This one has a lot more pressure on it.

Whilst the trailer doesn’t say much about the plot of the movie, it promises that this film will be at least as funny as the last and twice as cute (thanks to one baby groot). Hopefully it also has a great story that isn’t just there to pull the Guardians closer to the rest of the MCU in preparation for the next Avengers movie.

How many times have you watched the trailer? What did you think? Let me know in the comments.

Moana || Review

10/10

Moana packed a much bigger emotional whallop than I ever imagined it would when I walked into the cinema. There were not twenty consecutive minutes that went by in which I wasn’t crying at some point. That’s not to say that this is a sad movie: it’s simply a powerful movie. Joy, loss, adventure, sorrow – every feeling that is expressed feels concentrated and heightened.

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson plays the demi-god, Maui, and with that kind of star-power you might just expect him to be the biggest draw in the film. Whilst his famous charisma definitely translates with just his voice – although a few of his jokes fell flat – the character of Moana was by far the star of the movie. Duh, her name’s kind of in the title.

Everybody is fond of describing the new Disney heroes as ‘not your typical princess’ but you could say that of any of the protagonists since Aladdin‘s Jasmine in 1992 – and arguments could be made for before even then. Disney are producing complex, relatable, an extraordinary female characters and Moana is a prime example of that. That’s not to say that they don’t sing and have animal sidekicks – they haven’t gone mad.

Speaking of singing, the songs in this film are sublime. It’s the sort of music that you leave the cinema singing – I say that, because as I write this, How Far I’ll Go is playing on repeat in my head. With a mixture of songs in English and Tokelauan, the music creates this beautiful atmosphere where everything seems possible and it fully embraces its Polynesian roots.

Ultimately, Moana is a film that will make you feel good. More than that, it’s a film with a strong message about family, following your heart, and believing in yourself. I implore you to watch it (but take tissues).

Have you seen Moana yet? What did you think? Let me know in the comments.

The Best Of This Week’s TV

Happy Saturday everybody, all of the shows returned this week which was amazing. There was DC crossover week; Agents of SHIELD finally resolved that cliff-hanger; and Pitch aired their penultimate episode. Obviously the biggest question is which was the best but before we get there let’s talk honourable mentions.

Honourable Mentions

• Agents of Shield – for some sweet Doctor Strange tie-ins.
• Modern Family – for proving that watching Ty Burrell get electrocuted never stops being funny.
• Westworld – for managing to be objectively amazing yet subjectively underwhelming.
• Pitch – for finally releasing an episode that didn’t stress me out or leave me an emotional wreck.
• Black-ish – for elegantly dealing with some complex themes of identity.
• Empire – for setting the standard for awkward family dinners.
• Gotham – for the best episode since its first season.
• Jane The Virgin – for catering to that burgeoning lapsed Catholic market.
• Once Upon A Time – for confirming that nobody will ever carry a baby full term in this show.

Show of the Week: DC Crossover

This week saw the first time in history that the DC shows on The CW – Supergirl, The Flash, Arrow, and Legends of Tomorrow – crossed over and it was perfect. Normally, this section is reserved for a single show but it is impossible to choose between the four episodes that aired this week because they all came together as one cohesive narrative. Separating them simply wouldn’t make sense.

When I heard that the main villain in the crossover was going to be aliens, I was less than enthused but I am happy to say that I was wrong to judge it so quickly. The aliens ended up being a very serious threat with believable motivations.

More than anything, I loved this television event because it felt like a massive pay-off for anybody that had been following these shows from the very beginning. Old characters were brought back; subtle nods were made to the wider DC universe; and they did an amazing job of analysing the relationship dynamics that form when you throw this group of people together.

The ending, with Oliver and Barry sat talking in a bar, felt like an wonderfully poetic way to wrap up the week. They were the two characters that began this wider universe and you were really able to appreciate that in how the wider team immediately deferred to them as leaders.

This Week’s Worst: No Tomorrow

There’s no doubt that No Tomorrow has improved from when it first began this season but it still isn’t doing enough. The show has established what it’s about and at times it can be a fun thing to watch but it has no real bite to it.

It’s being sold as an hour-long dramedy when its story seems better suited to the half-hour sitcom format. With such a high-level of competition on The CW at the moment, I don’t know if this first-season show will be renewed next year.

Did you have a favourite episode from the crossover? Have you been watching No Tomorrow? What did you watch this week? Let me know in the comments.

Wait, What Happened? || Geek news

Happy Saturday, geeks. I hope that everybody has had an amazing week so far but, let’s face it, not everybody has. If you need something to cheer you up then why not check out all the great geeky news that happened this week. I mean, you’re already reading this: you might as well just continue.

Billy Dee Williams Cast In Lego Batman Movie

The Lego Batman Movie has a new cast member in the form of Billy Dee Williams. Williams was introduced to the world of Batman in 1989’s Batman where he played Harvey Dent. Clearly the universe had a plan in mind for him because he is now taking on the role of Harvey Dent’s evil alter ego, Two-Face. You can look forward to seeing the movie in February of next year.

Detective Pikachu Gets A Director

The Detective Pikachu movie made a big step forward this week, announcing that they now have a director. If you’re wondering what Detective Pikachu is, it is exactly what it sounds like. Rob Letterman (Goosebumps, Shark Tale) is signed on to direct.

Justice Smith Joins Jurassic World Sequel

Justice Smith has quickly become one of my favourite young actors currently working. He starred in Paper Towns and, more recently, The Get Down, now he is joining Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard on the sequel to Jurassic World. His role is currently unknown but the project will begin filming in England next spring.

What other villains do you think will be popping up in the Lego Batman movie? Will the Jurassic Park franchise ever end? Let me know in the comments.

The Top 3 Disney Princesses

Moana is officially in UK cinemas and to celebrate that we’re going to honour Disney’s wonderful, feminist approach to princesses by ranking these ladies against one another.

Not including Moana, there are currently eleven Disney princesses: Snow White, Cinderella, Aurora, Ariel, Belle, Jasmine, Pocahontas, Mulan, Tiana, Rapunzel, and Merida. Everybody has their favourites (although if your favourite is Aurora, you should probably take a step back and think about the choices that you’re making in life) and for me, that favourite changes every time I re-watch on of their films.

Instead of selecting just one, which would be almost impossible, I have chosen my three favourite of the princesses, and with no particular order to it, here they are:

POCAHONTAS

I actually only first watched Pocahontas a year ago and it was amazing. Pocahontas has one of the most real-life tragic stories and it has to be said: the Disney version is much nicer. Like way nicer. Still, they spoke about an actual historical figure who cares about the environment and nature. She speaks out against blind prejudice and she genuinely cares about the wider world where most people are motivated by self-interest.

BELLE

As a book-loving nerd, Belle was always going to be one of my favourite princesses. Nothing quite resonates with me as strongly in a Disney movie than Belle’s reaction to that library. Also, when it comes to sexuality she’s definitely the most interesting – stick with me here. Most Disney stories are pretty vanilla when it comes to that aspect but Belle falls for the Beast when he’s the Beast. Try to convince me that that is not bestiality.

TIANA

The first black Disney princess was always going to be one of my favourites. With it’s New Orleans jazz; amazing voodoo plots; and uncharacteristically dark undertones, The Princess & The Frog is in my top 5 Disney movies but I’m focusing on Tiana. The title of ‘princess’ suggests some sort of birth-right or entitlement but Tiana is nothing like that. She works for everything that she has and she never gives up on it. Most people aren’t born princesses but Tiana shows that you can be extraordinary just by trying and that’s inspiring.

Who are your favourite Disney princesses? Are you an Aurora fan? Let me know in the comments.