Outside the Wire is a new action/sci-fi movie that has next to nothing to do with HBO’s hit series The Wire. Furthermore, one of the key cast members is called Idris. But, Idris is not his first name. Still with me?
Starring Anthony Mackie, Emily Beecham, Damson Idris and Michael Kelly, director Mikael Håfström’s film is about a drone pilot and android officer’s mission to locate a doomsday device in a deadly militarised zone.
I’m in for the artificial intelligence, action sequences, stunt work, and the promising Idris/Mackie dynamic.
Kristina Tonteri-Young, Enzo Cilenti, Bobby Lockwood, Henry Garrett, Velibor Topic, Elliot Edusah, Adam Fielding, Alexandra Szucs, Nick Wittman, Christine Grace Szarko and Louis Boyer also star.
Mariah Carey’s Magical Christmas Special (2020), Mariah Carey, Apple TV+
Mariah Carey’s Magical Christmas Special has Christmas music, seasonal cheer and beautiful decorations. Yet, the main reason it left me disappointed is that I’d been mistakenly expecting a party. A ‘get up and dance because the beat is irresistible’ kind of party.
It may well be that I simply wasn’t fully paying attention to the trailer. Or, maybe I can blame the presence of Snoop Dogg and Jermaine Dupri (two of hip/hop’s greatest), for my confusion about the special. I’m sure that seeing Dupri and Snoop simply took me back to a time when they ruled the charts with well-produced party music. I digress.
Visually speaking, the production quality of Mariah Carey’s Magical Christmas Special is beautiful. I enjoyed the costumes and Christmas-rich surroundings. I even appreciated the one or two moments when Carey’s lesser-known but anecdotally ‘great sense of humour’ surfaced, but for a second.
Mariah Carey’s Magical Christmas Special (2020), Ariana Grande, Apple TV+
Mariah Carey’s Magical Christmas Special is supposed to be a universally heartwarming story designed to bring us all together in 2020. Only, the story element is the ‘barely there’ kind. Meaning, don’t go expecting anything too sophisticated, because what you’ll get feels more like a bunch of Christmas themed music videos, many of which you’ll enjoy if you’re into Christmas and or Carey.
As for what’s in between the music, you’re unlikely to miss it if it weren’t there. That is except Tiffany Haddish’s spirited narration and Heidi Klum’s perfectly delivered comedy line: ‘Gone out? Out of the house? I don’t understand.’
Upon a second viewing of the special, I gladly skipped to my favourite four/five Christmas songs, which of course includes Carey’s super famous classic All I want for Christmas is you.
A few other things I enjoyed include Carey’s super glamorous appearance in the gold sequin dress and the unexpected animation based on themes that speak to how many of us may approach the festive season in 2020. Then there’s the performance that included Ariana Grande and Jennifer Hudson. It would have been great if they performed in more than one song. But, I’ve decided to stop fantasising about what Mariah Carey’s Magical Christmas Special could have been and instead keep on skipping to my favourite moments within it.
Give directors Roman Coppola and Hamish Hamilton’s special a chance if you’re curious. Also, do so if you’re a Carey fan, enjoy Christmassy surroundings/classic Christmas songs you can sing along to. You may just love it.
New sci-fi/romance Little Fish stars Jack O’Connell and Olivia Cooke; a couple fighting to hold their relationship together as a memory loss virus spreads and threatens to erase the history of their love and courtship.
Little Fish is directed by Chad Hartigan; with additional key cast including Soko, Raúl Castillo and David Lennon.
I’m very interested because of the compelling predicament, and as a fan of O’Connell.
Additionally, I need to know if they’ll get a vaccine in time and how the virus chooses its victims.
Mackenzie Cardwell, Ross Wirtanen, Heather Decksheimer, Natalie Farrow, Ronald Robinson, Wyatt Cameron, Morgana Wyllie, Monique Phillips, Paul Almeida and Toby Hargrave also star.
Train to Busanis as good as everyone said it is. It delivers a thrilling ride with one nail-biting event after another to keep things interesting.
Starring Yoo Gong, Jung Yu-mi and Dong-seok Ma, this is a film that’s guaranteed to break your heart. Because, well, it is a zombie apocalypse movie. A subgenre of film I don’t often watch, but this one is special.
Directed by Sang-ho Yeon; there’s a good mix of interesting characters in this story. Exactly the kind you’d expect on your ordinary commute. That is until the inevitable zombie infestation happens. Then you get a good look at the variety of human beings out there. From the incredibly selfish to the less so and everything in between. You’ll likely find yourself wondering about the kind of human you might be in a situation where everyone is desperately struggling to survive. Do you know and will you like yourself, or care if you don’t? I know what I want to believe about me. Yet, I feel it would be quite foolish to proclaim to know for sure.
I enjoyed the visual effects, action scenes and much of the acting. I say ‘much’ and not ‘all’ because I did catch a moment where one character’s expression seemed far calmer than it should have been during a grave situation. And by ‘calm’, I don’t mean the kind that might come over you when you’re ‘shocked into inaction’.
In addition to the expressionless face, the only other downside to Train to Busan, for me, is the use of one or two movie-making tropes. An example is keeping a seemingly underdeveloped character around, just so they can perform one or two key tasks to advance the story.
Even with the few elements I didn’t love about the film, Train to Busan remains worth watching. Especially since I wouldn’t call it ‘nightmare-inducing scary‘. What it is is a fun, affecting ride with good zombie action sequences, special effects and notable performances; particularly by young Su-an Kim.
Tom Hiddleston, Sophia Di Martino, Richard E. Grant and Owen Wilson are the stars of new Marvel Entertainment/Disney+ series Loki.
Hello, beautiful trailer!
I have no idea why they’ve chosen to call this a ‘clip;’ especially considering the editing. Anyway, what a magnetic villainous presence Hiddleston conveys. I’m excited to see his Loki being as simultaneously cool and bad, as only the very best villains can be.
Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Lucius Baston, Chris Brewster, Cailey Fleming, Isabelle Fretheim, Michael Rose, Aaron Beelner and Reese Giles also star.
