DESPICABLE ME 4 (2024): New Trailer Starring Steve Carell, Kristen Wiig, Joey King, Sofía Vergara, Steve Coogan,

The fourth instalment of the Despicable Me movies has Gru (Steve Carell) and his family on the run from a new nemesis. This time, Gru has a brand new cute son named Gru Jr., A mischievous being who happens to enjoy tormenting his father.

Directed by Chris Renaud and Patrick Delage; additional key cast of Despicable Me 4 includes Kristen Wiig, Joey King, Sofía Vergara, Miranda Cosgrove and Steve Coogan.

Several years ago, if you’d told me that one day I’d look at the minions and be largely unaffected, I wouldn’t have believed you. I was one of those adults who squealed in delight at clips of The Minions, and unexpected sightings of their soft toys.

In fact, at the height of my obsession, I admit that I even briefly fantasised about permanently relieving a young child of their Minions backpack; something I’d of course NEVER do.

These days, now that The Minions fever has largely died down for myself and many others, I no longer refer to the small animated cuties as ‘The best happiness-inducing yellow beauties.’

Gru is fine and all. However, the only character I was interested in besides the many yellow ones was the bubblegum-chewing, purple shoulder pad-wearing supervillain, Balthazar Bratt of Despicable Me 3 (2017).

My fingers are crossed that I’ll also be enchanted by the new villain, Maxime Le Mal (Will Ferrell). It might be a challenge without the dance moves and musical taste of Monsieur Bratt. We’ll just have to see. Still, something tells me that I’ll enjoy Gru Jr. in this new instalment. Especially because of the moderate Jack-Jack from The Incredibles 2 (2018) vibes he’s giving.

Are you still on the Despicable Me train?

Dana Gaier, Madison Skyy Polan, Stephen Colbert Chloe Fineman and Pierre Coffin also star.

Despicable Me 4 Release Dates: July 3rd , 2024 (US); July 5th, 2024 (UK)…

Happy Film Loving,

G

BABY REINDEER (2024): The Things I Liked…

Baby Reindeer is one of those Netflix shows I clicked to watch because it became the most-watched TV show on the streaming platform in the UK soon after its release a few days earlier. And rightly so, because it’s a well-executed biographical drama centred around one man and his stalker.

Written by Richard Gadd; who also stars, along with Jessica Gunning (the stalker) and Nava Mau; the seven-part series has some welcome moments of unexpected humour, but by no means is Baby Reindeer a comedy or in parts, an easy watch.

What we get to see play out is the journey of the type of person who has a far-from-ideal relationship with his stalker – plus the circumstances that can lead to such a predicament.

By the end of this well-paced and acted true story, you will have plenty of interesting societal topics to think about, least of all how the police handle instances of stalking when reported. 

One thing that came up for me as I watched is the idea that we can all be taken advantage of in the worst ways if we’re not careful. And especially given the ideal circumstances for the person looking to do the taking. It’s how many people find themselves in cults, after all. Their vulnerabilities shone brightly for the recruiters who knew precisely how to manipulate them. 

Watch Baby Reindeer because it’s impressive. You’re guaranteed to have plenty to ponder and discuss afterwards.

Happy Film Loving, 

G

TRAP (2024): An Unexpected Roller Coaster Of Emotions While Watching The New M. Night Shyamalan Trailer, Starring Josh Hartnett, Hayley Mills…

The latest crime/horror/mystery starring Josh Hartnett and Hayley Mills is a movie with a possibly very promising trailer.

I saw this trailer within 10 minutes of its release several days ago. At first, I wasn’t sure where it was going, but then I started to get excited because it was looking pleasingly different; which is always welcome. Particularly for myself and others who have seen plenty of movies and a plethora of premise types many times before.

Sadly, however, something extremely disappointing happened at exactly two minutes and fifteen seconds into the trailer; specifically for me, the revelation of who the director is.

I would truly love nothing more than to be wrong about the extent to which I’m likely to enjoy this movie, but I’ve been disappointed too many times. As such, I’ll probably wait to see what the first reviews say before investing time.

What are your thoughts about M. Night Shyamalan’s latest? Perhaps you’re more hopeful than I am after watching the above trailer.

Marnie McPhail, Vanessa Smythe, Ariel Donoghue, Malik Jubal, Jonathan Langdon and Peter D’Souza also star.

Trap Release Dates: August 9th, 2024 (UK)…

Happy Film Loving,

G

DARK MATTER (2024): New Trailer From Joel Egerton, Jennifer Connelly, Alice Braga, Oakes Fegley…

New nine-part drama/sci-fi/thriller, Dark Matter from Apple TV+ has Joel Egerton starring as Jason Dessan, a man abducted into an alternate version of his life.

Based on the novel by Blake Crouch and additional key cast that includes Jennifer Connelly, Alice Braga and Oakes Fegley; Jason must find a way back before it’s too late.

Hello, Nightmare.

I’ve been hearing about how Netflix is great at documentaries and that Apple’s thing is good sci-fi. I haven’t watched much sci-fi on Apple TV+, particularly because it isn’t my favourite genre. At least not pure sci-fi anyway. However, this trailer sure has me intrigued, plus it’s sci-fi/drama/thriller, which helps.

Based on this engaging trailer edit, I’m ready to find out if Egerton’s character makes it back home to his loving family, as near impossible as it seems right now.

Jimmi Simpson, Dayo Okeniyi, Amanda Brugel, Marquita Brooks, Tiff Abreu, Bassam Abdelfattah, Jimmy Styx, Missy Fierro, Jenne Kang and Patricia Mario also star.

Dark Matter Release Dates: May 8th, 2024 (US & UK)…

Happy Film Loving,

G

BRIDGERTON – SEASON 3 (2024): New Trailer Starring Nicola Coughlan, Luke Newton, Jonathan Bailey, Simone Ashley, Julie Andrews…

Read my spoiler-free movie review of Bridgerton – Season 3: Part 1 (2024).


The third instalment of the Bridgerton offspring’s love stories is soon upon us.

Starring Nicola Coughlan and Luke Newton; this time the focus is on Colin Bridgerton and his relationship with long-time admirer and wallflower Penelope Featherington.

Penelope and Colin may not be my favourite Bridgerton characters, but I’ll watch because I try to finish things I start. Well, unless I have a very good reason not to. There’s always a chance that I’ll be very pleasantly surprised by how engaging the writing ends up being (one of the things I enjoyed about season 2), even though I’m not particularly gripped yet, based on this trailer.

Additionally, there are always the flowers of spring and colourful costumes to look forward to, plus the occasional appearance of my favourite characters, the queen Charlotte plus the viscount and his wife, of course.

There are still theoretically, at least five more Bridgerton seasons to go. Will you be watching this third instalment?

Jonathan Bailey, Simone Ashley, Julie Andrews, Bessie Carter, Polly Walker, Luke Thompson, Adjoa Andoh, Golda Rosheuvel, Claudia Jessie, Ruth Gemmell, Jessica Madsen and Hugh Sachs also star.

Bridgerton – Season 3 Release Dates: May 16th, 2024 (US & UK), Netflix…

Happy Film Loving

G