The Monday roundup

So a while ago I asked you people, my lovely readers, to vote on the destiny of my Daily News Roundup feature. The votes came in, yes all five of you voted. Sincere thanks to those that did take the time to do so though.

The results came through and it was decided I would post a news roundup once a week. I mulled over when to do this, when will I be able to commit some proper time to it and not be affected by work and such like. So I decided to revamp the feature slightly, I will post a news roundup once a week (on a Monday) and it will feature a little more to it than the previous incarnation.

So here is the first (and hopefully not last) Monday roundup.

News bites:

• I’m not entirely sure what makes her a superstar, but Chinese superstar Li Bingbing has joined the ever-growing cast of Michael Bay’s Transformers 4. Bay had this to say on her casting: “I am excited to have Li Bingbing join our cast and to be shooting portions of the movie in her native China. I have always aspired to work with the best actors and this cast is especially exciting now with the addition of Li.” Of course I’m sure all this is true and has nothing to do with the producers wanting more exposure in a very advantageous market….
• Star Wars, the gift that keeps on giving, or the franchise that never dies (depending on your point of view) has announced that a new animated TV show will air from next year. Star Wars Rebels will “take place in a time where the Empire is securing its grip on the galaxy and hunting down the last of the Jedi Knights as a fledgling rebellion against the Empire is taking shape.”
• If you’re a fan of the Fast & The Furious franchise, then this video over at IGN showcasing all the best crashes from each film is for you.
• I’m not sure what to make of this announcement from EuropaCorp, but apparently there was enough interest in the three Transporter films that they have given the go ahead to a new trilogy. The Transporter films were, at best, very silly ways to kill a few hours. There is no word on who will direct the fourth movie and more importantly no word on whether Jason Statham will be returning as Frank Martin.

Video of the day

Now this is no way movie news but I thought it was worth sharing anyway. Yes, the trailer for Batman: Arkham Origins has gone live and man this looks epic. I admit there is no gameplay footage in the trailer, so it can’t count as any real representation of the game but you gotta admit it still looks sweet.

Blu-ray/DVD of the week

Tarantino’s finest effort yet(?) finally gets a home release. One of the best films this year, if you haven’t seen it yet you need to stop reading this and go order yourself a copy. Now.

Cinema pick of the week

My review will be up later for you to peruse, but trust me this is simply brilliant.

Only in America…….

I think you’ll all agree that sending one man into a packed movie theatre in the United States, decked in full body armor and carrying what appeared to be a high-powered rifle is a fairly stupid thing to do right?

Considering what happened just last year in Aurora and how America seems to be divided on gun laws and how to better implement them, someone could have surely realised the stir this would cause.

But no, one cinema in Missouri, when deciding how to promote this years best film (so far) Iron Man 3, actually thought this would be a good idea.

I mean, I’m not particularly smart but a little foresight can go a long way.

R.I.P. John McClane

Just the other night Total Film broke the news that Die Hard 6 had found a screenwriter and, somehow, its title Die Hard 6: Die Hardest.

Ben Trebilcook is the man tasked with trying to find John McClane’s dignity, after A Good Day To Die Hard stumbled around cinemas back in February. Trebilcook has two previous writing gigs to his name (fills you with confidence doesn’t it) called Deader Country and Knockout. Trebilcook met with Die Hard 5 producer Larry D. Webster while on the set of Knockout.

The best Die Hard film

Rumour has it (or rather the IMDb does) that Trebilcook worked on drafts of Die Hard 4 & Mission: Impossible 3. Luckily though his ideas were dropped and never made it to the final versions. Just as well, seen as his idea for Die Hard 4 involved John McClane and his daughter fighting off terrorists (sounds familiar right?), and his rather ludicrous idea for MI: 3 involved bringing back Emilio Estevez’s character, you know the one who dies right at the start of the first Mission: Impossible film.

The L in Samuel L. Jackson stands for motherfucker

Mr. Trebilcook boldy announced that, if the producers decide to keep his script, (which they could throw out in favour of something else still) that he feels it could be “the Rocky Balboa of the Die Hard franchise”. If that’s the case then, does that mean that John McClane will finally be defeated and will someone finally (please) kill him off? As long as they aren’t prepping the franchise to be led by Jai Courtney’s Jack McClane that is.

The worst Die Hard film

On another note, why do the titles for these movies continue to get worse? A Good Day To Die Hard was a rubbish title, as is Die Hard 6: Die Hardest. Why not call it Die Hard: Just Die, or Die Hard: Die Now, or Die Hard: A Hard Day to Die Hard?

This was meant to be a humourous post by the way. I mean you got that right? Right? I think my humour is lost on some people………

Sounds like a Die Hard film, but sadly isn’t

Total Film

Something old something new

So here’s something I haven’t done before, I’m going to let my readers, yes you lovely people, decide the fate of one of my more regular features.

Those of you that regularly visit my page will have no doubt noticed a complete lack of a news roundup last week. For those of you that aren’t aware, the roundup was a feature I tried to run everyday whereby I would post about 4-5 news stories that I’d found on the internet that day, I would also provide a link to the original story and put a little comment of my own alongside it. Here’s an example, Daily news roundup: April 9th 2013.

Over time though I’ve struggled to be able to post every night, whether it was being at work till late or going out on the evening I found myself less and less inclined to want to post.

So here’s the deal, there’s a poll below that I would like you to be honest with and tell me whether you think I should carry on with the roundup. Comments are also enabled, so please feel free to tell me how you feel about it if you feel so inclined.

I will completely stand by the results. It’s in your hands people.

Cheers.

Four films for May

After April provided us with a truly exciting month for films, I now turn my attention to what the month of May can bring us at the multiplex.

Perhaps inevitably, May looks a little lacklustre when compared to April’s big five. Having scoured the release dates though, I feel I can throw four films up for you to choose from this month.

So without any further ado, here are my picks for May.

• 21 & Over (May 3rd) is directed by Jon Lucas and Scott Moore and centres around Miller (Miles Teller) and Casey (Skylar Astin) celebrating their friends Jeff Chang’s (Justin Chon) 21st birthday. The poster for this film says “from the writers of The Hangover” but don’t let that put you off. The trailer looks like silly fun and could provide us with a nice alternative to a summer otherwise filled with huge action blockbusters.

• Talking of huge action blockbusters, one of my most anticipated movies this year is Star Trek Into Darkness. It’s been four long years since we last saw the crew of the Enterprise, and judging by the trailers for Into Darkness it looks like it has been worth the wait. Directed by JJ Abrams and starring Chris Pine, Zoe Saldana and Benedict Cumberbatch, Into Darkness will be released on May 9th.

• Mud is released on May 10th and stars Matthew McConaughey, Michael Shannon & Reese Witherspoon and is directed by Jeff Nichols. In Mud “Two teenage boys encounter a fugitive and form a pact to help him evade the bounty hunters on his trail and to reunite him with his true love.” An alternative pick for this month, Mud looks to continue McConaughey’s recent return to form. I’m sure it won’t be to everyone’s taste and may well get lost in a sea of blockbusters, but it looks to provide something different for those wishing for more than special effects and explosions.

• Byzantium (May 3rd) is directed by Neil Jordan (The Crying Game) and stars Gemma Arterton and Saoirse Ronan. Another alternative pick, Byzantium is a beautiful looking film that tells the story of “Residents of a coastal town learn, with deathly consequences, the secret shared by the two mysterious women who have sought shelter at a local resort.”

Just incase anyone is wondering where the preview for The Hangover Part 3 is, you won’t find it here. No sir, no way.

Evil Dead, my review

Director: Fede Alvarez

Starring: Jane Levy, Shiloh Fernandez, Lou Taylor Pucci

Synopsis: Five friends head to a remote cabin, where the discovery of a Book of the Dead leads them to unwittingly summon up demons living in the nearby woods. The evil presence possesses them until only one is left to fight for survival.

It’s been more than a week now since I sat down and watched the Evil Dead remake/reboot/sequel (delete as applicable). So this review could be a little rough around the edges, as my short-term memory tries to remember what happened. If you bear with me though, I’m sure we will get there in the end.

The Evil Dead starts slowly. Introducing us, after a gory opening, to our main cast of characters, the five friends who decide that a cabin in the woods is the best place for Jane Levy’s character to go cold turkey.

The principal set up is the slowest part of the movie. We spend time with the characters, but only Jane Levy’s Mia and Shiloh Fernandez’s David have any real back story. Which, in all fairness, doesn’t amount to anything once the gore starts and we bear witness to a film with more blood than the elevator in the Overlook Hotel.

The Evil Dead is all about the gore. There is little sense of humor, like in previous incarnations of this movie, but it’s better as a straight horror. I don’t normally get squeamish around this type of movie, I tend to prefer ghost stories to get my scares, but I constantly felt uncomfortable during my viewing of this movie, and I loved it.

There’s a constant air of tension surrounding the Evil Dead as it finds more inventive ways to make you squirm. If you liked the red band trailer that was released a few months ago, then you will be delighted by what you see here. The lack of CGI in the movie brings an artistic yet almost, at times, low-budget feel to proceedings.

If muscles being shredded, mirrors being used as knives and limbs being torn from bodies is your idea of a good time, then you’ve probably already been to see this movie or are at least planning on it. If you haven’t, and you’re not sure whether it sounds like your cup of tea or not then you may wish to avoid this for the time being.

There are some acts of sheer stupidity among the blood and guts though. Why, after prying open a book covered in barbed wire, would you disobey the one thing it says not to do? When it says “leave this book alone” any sensible person may think twice about reading aloud the incantation that is surely to bring about all kinds of trouble.

I did, despite the stupidity and my preference for jumps over blood in horror films, thoroughly enjoy the Evil Dead. Maybe not as much I enjoyed last years Cabin In The Woods mind, but this is still a superior horror movie. Better than anything Saw or Hostel can throw our way and interesting enough for me to be genuinely looking forward to the already announced sequel.

Groovy! (Sorry I couldn’t resist it).

 

 

 

Iron Man 3, my review

Director: Shane Black

Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Guy Pearce, Gwyneth Paltrow

Synopsis: When Tony Stark’s world is torn apart by a formidable terrorist called the Mandarin, he starts an odyssey of rebuilding and retribution.

“Now what am I supposed to do now? What am I going to do in Avengers 2?” – Joss Whedon (Avengers Assemble) after seeing an advanced screening of Iron Man 3.

The above quote is high praise indeed. When I first read that a few months ago I thought it was merely spin, an effort to further hype the release of Iron Man 3. After all an endorsement like that simply won’t be ignored. And yet, after seeing the latest installment for the man in the tin suit, I have to tell you Whedon wasn’t lying, not one bit. Iron Man 3 really is quite brilliant.

My main worry before watching Iron Man 3 with all the trailers, TV spots, set photos, press releases and so on and so forth being released, was that Marvel has let too much slip and that nothing would be a surprise once sitting in the cinema. Thankfully, I couldn’t have been more wrong.

Starting with a voiceover and a flashback to 1999, the story for Iron Man 3 is set up almost instantly.We are introduced to two, three if you can spot the cameo, important characters who will have a very big impact on Tony Starks future.

With director Shane Black taking over from Jon Favreau (director of the previous two Iron Man films) there seems to be a freshness to this new adventure in Tony Starks life. Black and Downey Jr. previously worked together on Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (worth checking out btw). Black has brought with him his trademark one liners and quick dialogue, but has also upped his game considerably adding some superb action sequences and a finale that will truly have you on the edge of your seat.

Among the returning faces are, of course, some new ones. Guy Pearce as Aldrich Killian, Rebecca Hall as Maya Hansen and Ben Kingsley as The Mandarin all play their roles extremely well. Pearce and Kingsley being particularly menacing. James Badge Dale as Eric Savin has a very Terminator-esque vibe going, proving himself early on to be the muscle behind his bosses master plan.

There are a few problems with the story, not many, but a few. One gag nearly plays itself out too many times, and during the, albeit, incredible finale there is a sense that calling for backup could have been used at another point when it was also needed. These problems are easily forgiven though and as the pace rarely lets up during the movie you will perhaps only notice them after leaving the cinema or on a second viewing.

On our way home from the cinema last night, I said to my girlfriend that it seemed like a while since we had seen a Marvel movie at the pictures. Of course this wasn’t the case at all, it had only been one year since we watched Avengers Assemble (3 times btw) at the cinema. But it still felt like we had been away from the Marvel universe for some time, I’m not sure why this was the case but it’s a feeling I still have now for some reason.

Or maybe it was more a case of not seeing an individual Stark adventure for some time, and now I was just happy to see the tin man back to his best. After all the first Iron Man was the launchpad for everything Marvel wanted to do, the second Iron Man film was enjoyable but felt more like one long set up for what else was to come and had too much going on to be coherent.

With Marvel now having started their plans for Phase 2, which will culminate in The Avengers 2 in 2015, Iron Man 3 really was the best place to start. It’s where the journey began five years ago and it’s quite rightly the place where it should all begin again.

“Now what am I supposed to do now? What am I going to do in Avengers 2?” – Joss Whedon (Avengers Assemble)