Star Wars – The Rise Of Skywalker (2019), Daisy Ridley
Starring Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Lupita Nyong’o and Adam Driver, the trailer for Star Wars – The Rise Of Skywalker, the final chapter of the Star Wars saga is here.
Co-written and directed by J.J. Abrams, other key cast includes Mark Hamill, Oscar Isaac, Domhnall Gleeson, Carrie Fisher, Dominic Monaghan and Keri Russell…
Episode 9 may well be called ‘the final chapter’ but there’s without a doubt, many, many more Star wars movies to come.
A very cool trailer, of course. Also, that great jump by Ridley’s Rey really had me wanting to sign up for a gymnastics class. Granted it was a fleeting thought but for a second there, nothing was more true in my world.
Aquaman (2018), Jason Momoa, Warner Bros. Pictures
In director James Wan’s latest, Jason Momoa is Aurthur, a.k.aAquaman, a man who reluctantly begins a journey to take his rightful place as heir to the underwater kingdom of Atlantis and become a hero to the world.
Considering how DC Comics’ recent films have turned out, Wonder Woman (2017) being an exception; as much as I enjoyed the Aquaman trailer, I made sure to not get too excited.
Having now seen it, even though Aquaman is not my favourite super hero movie, there is definitely some fun to be had by watching. For example, I found Momoa quite delightful, thanks to his aesthetic, physicality and charisma. If I had to choose though, it’s definitely the underwater special effects in Aquaman that I loved most. From the toothy flesh eating creatures to the beautifully lit colours of the deep, I couldn’t help but be reminded to look forward to the upcoming C.G.I-rich Avatar movies… whenever director James Cameron is ready.
Other key highlights in Aquaman include the action sequences in Sicily, Willem Dafoe’s performance and Nicole Kidman’s rather convincing fight sequences. Maybe I’m really into seeing Kidman fight because I don’t remember having seen her fight like that in a movie before. Either way, I remain impressed.
In terms of the elements I wish weren’t quite so about Wan’s movie, that would be the romance between Aurthur and Mera. ‘Forced’ is the word because I simply didn’t buy it. I also noticed a few awkward instances regarding the placement of music as well as some less than inspiring dialogue. Lastly, we have Manta; he’s simply not the best superhero villain I’ve ever been exposed to.
By the end of Aquaman, I was just glad that I found more things to enjoy than not. Plus, I’m happy for DC Comics because things seem to be turning around.
Following the ‘Special Look’ Aladdin trailer released just over a month ago, we now have the official trailer with plenty more story and the characters played by Will Smith Naomi Scott, Mena Massoud, Billy Magnussen…
I’ll be honest, I’m happy to report that Smith is definitely looking less and less like a casting error. Who knew… besides the film makers, that is?
Up until 1:47 minutes into this new trailer, I’d completely forgotten that Aladdin is actually a musical. I guess now I’m most looking forward to the visuals and the parts without singing. That’s unless this movie somehow manages to revert my lifelong aversion to musicals. You never know…
Kamil Lemieszewski, Numan Acar, Marwan Kenzari, Navid Negahban and Nasim Pedrad also star.
Starring Lily James, Himesh Patel, Ana De Armas, Kate McKinnon – and directed by Danny Boyle; Yesterday is a new comedy / fantasy about a struggling musician who realises something unexpected after an accident.
He learns that nobody in the whole world except him knows of The Beatles, one of the most successful bands of all time.
I have to see how this extraordinary situation plays out, especially since it’s directed by the rather reliable Mr. Boyle. I need to know whether our protagonist ends up feeling guilty and what he intends to do with all his newly found financial success.
What if the whole thing turns out to be an elaborate social experiment? So many questions…
Ed Sheeran, Camille Chen, Derek Siow, Joel Fry, Alexander Arnold and Lamorne Morris also star.
Starring Will Smith, Naomi Scott, Mena Massoud and Billy Magnussen, finally, the new Aladdin trailer shows us what will smith will look and sound like as the famous genie…
Overall, I like this trailer and my favourite moment in it is the sight of Naomi Scott as Jasmine. What I can’t deny though is my immediate reaction after seeing Smith as the the genie. An undeniable sense that a massive miscasting may have taken place definitely came over me. However, I’ve decided to ignore that feeling and wait to see how the film actually is.
I of course wish that my reaction was undoubtedly positive and filled with excitement – both for the entirety of the trailer and afterwards. Nevertheless, who knows, perhaps I’ll look back and wonder what I was worried about in the first place, once I’m watching director Guy Ritchie’s movie. He is the man behind my favourite British film of all time after all… Lock Stock & Two Smoking Barrels(1998).
Numan Acar, Kamil Lemieszewski, Nasim Pedrad, Marwan Kenzari and Navid Negahban also star.
I had a good time watching writer / director Dan Gilroy’s latest movie, Velvet Buzzsaw. The fact that it’s set in sunny Miami Beach, Florida only has a little something to do with it.
Starring Jake Gyllenhaal, John Malkovich, Zawe Ashton, Toni Collette and Billy Magnussen, Velvet Buzzsaw is a comedy / crime / fantasy movie about a group of art lovers who become revenge targets for a supernatural force. The catalyst for the vengeance being, the art lovers helped themselves to pieces of art they really shouldn’t have.
I immediately liked the early scenes where the different characters along with all their various motivations are established. Yet, I did definitely watch these scenes while somewhat impatiently waiting for the vengeance to begin. The true extent of my impatience didn’t really reveal itself until after the very first bit of rather thrilling revenge is enacted. Reason being, some of the scenes after that point weren’t always especially engaging.
Velvet Buzzsaw (2019), Zawe Ashton
For me personally, thanks to my favourite characters in the movie, the ones played by Gyllenhaal, Ashton and Natalia Dyer, I feel as though Velvet Buzzsaw had enough to make the nearly two hours I spent watching the movie worthwhile. I mean, I wouldn’t say it’s quite as good as Nightcrawler (2014) – my favourite Gyllenhaal and Gilroy collaboration, but it does have some standout moments that I won’t soon forget. Especially in regards to the creative ways revenge is enacted upon the greedy art lovers. There’s also the moments of gorgeous cinematography featuring rich, vibrant colours.
Another good movie that came to mind as I watched Velvet Buzzsaw is Final Destination (2000), a horror / thriller that did a very memorable job of thrilling and shocking its audience because of the very well executed death sequences – something Velvet Buzzsaw doesn’t do too badly at either.
Watch it if you’re so curious. Other reasons include the ‘funny’ replacement personal assistant, the chance to see Gyllenhaal really having fun in this role.
Last but not least, watch it and be surprised by how much you actually enjoy the very last ‘piece of art’ shown in this movie. I know I did. I really could have looked at it for a while, if I were less busy.
Dan Gilroy, the director of my favourite Jake Gyllenhaal movie Nightcrawler (2014) is back with new crime / fantasy film, Velvet Buzzsaw.
Starring Gyllenhaal, John Malkovich, Toni Collette, Billy Magnussen and set in Miami Beach, Florida, it all begins after a number of art lovers help themselves to a series of paintings by an unknown artist. Soon enough, a supernatural force begins to enact revenge to punish all those involved for their greed…
I’m in for Gyllenhaal’s performance – and who knows, maybe I’ll love what he does in this movie as much as I appreciate his great work in Nightcrawler. I’ll also keep my fingers crossed in hopes that the whole experience isn’t nightmare inducing. At time of writing, Velvet Buzzsaw isn’t categorised as horror, so there is hope.
Zawe Ashton, Natalia Dyer, Rene Russo, Daveed Diggs, Peter Gadiot and Tom Sturridge also star.
Avengers – Endgame,instalment number four of the Avengers series is here.
Key cast includes Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr., Scarlett Johansson and Chris Hemsworth…
I definitely didn’t see this trailer coming but I sure am glad it’s here. What intrigues me among other things is how Captain Marvel will fit into the mix with all the other Avengers.
Karen Gillan, Brie Larson, Bradley Cooper, Evangeline Lilly, Jon Favreau, Josh Brolin, Chadwick Boseman, Sebastian Stan and Paul Rudd also star.
