Independence Day – Resurgence (2016), Jeff Goldblum, Liam Hemsworth
Directed by Roland Emmerich; starring Liam Hemsworth, Jeff Goldblum, William Fichtner, Bill pullman and Maika Monroe, the trailer for Independence Day – Resurgence has arrived.
When I watched the original Independence Day (1996) movie, the one about the fight against an alien invasion of earth, I vaguely recall a young Will Smith’s famous charisma going a long way to making the film worth dedicating two hours.
This time round, aliens are once again coming to invade and destroy planet. I wonder how the story will fair without a Smith-like comedic presence.
Fingers crossed that we’ll all be impressed by more than just the special effects.
Captain America – Civil War (2016), Scarlett Johansson, Chris Evans
A second trailer from directing brothers Joe and Anthony Russo has landed for the 2016 instalment of Marvel’s Captain America.
Trailer 1
Trailer 2
I like the first trailer more than the second, thanks to the music and the circumstances of the the characters involved. I’ll watch Captain America Civil War for this reason, and for another chance to see Chris Evans’ portrayal of the rather admirable Steve Rogers.
This instalment of the franchise doesn’t seem to be about saving the world, but more about Captain America’s relationship with his childhood friend, Bucky Barnes/The Winter Soldier, and how that effects others including Robert Downey Junior’s Iron Man.
Beyond the above, my personal level of excitement when it comes to superhero movies has definitely dwindled over time. That’s what happens in most instances when you’re fed the same kind of thing repeatedly and with minimal respite. At this time, I find myself actually looking forward to the time when this particular series of the Captain America Story is wrapped up. Still, that doesn’t mean I wont enjoy it if it’s good.
Pixels (2015), Michelle Monaghan, Adam Sandler, Josh Gad, Peter Dinklage
Pixels is a comedy/action/sci-fi film directed by Chris Columbus. It stars Adam Sandler, Josh Gad, Kevin James, Michelle Monaghan and Peter Dinklage.
The first trailer for the movie didn’t look great. Though the second was an improvement, my conclusion after sitting through the movie is that I’m just not the target market.
I used to play Pac-Man growing up but never enough to call myself a half serious video gaming fan. It’s those who love and/or loved retro video games like Donkey Kong, Pac-Man and Tetris, that will get the most out of Pixels. For everyone else, there are a few funny moments but, overall, ‘silly’ might be a word that comes to mind.
Pixels (2015), Toru Iwatani
The best part in the movie, besides the soundtrack and what Pac-Man creator Toru Iwatani screams in the trailer? That would be the last twenty minutes of the film, particularly the Donkey Kong phase.
Tune in if you absolutely must. I did because I’m a fan of Gad, Sandler, Dinklage and of course, Pac-Man.
Tomorrowland (2015), Britt Robertson, George Clooney, Raffey Cassidy
When I saw the trailer for Academy Award winning director, Brad Bird’s latest sci-fi, Tomorrowland, I wasn’t particularly wowed be it or hugely interested. That’s probably because it looked like a kids sci-fi, which it kind of is. Still, I was a little curious, especially with George Clooney as one of the stars.
The future of humanity, optimism and time travel are key themes in Tomorrowland. Its main character is an optimistic teenage science enthusiast played by Britt Robertson. Unfortunately, for reasons I’m not quite certain of, I found myself not really able to connect with Robertson’s protagonist. Not to say that the character’s positive outlook and general optimism didn’t sit well with me, or that it isn’t correct. It’s likely that the general story just didn’t provide the necessary elements required. Nor did it provide them in the right way (if at all) in order for a connection to happen. It could also be that I’m simply not the target market.
Surprisingly, perhaps,I do have a favourite thing about Tomorrowland and that is the meaning behind the story about ‘feeding the wolf’. Beyond that, Bird’s film just feels like a long-winded and not particularly well structured way of saying one thing about the importance of optimism and creativity, especially as it pertains to the future of our planet and everything in it.
Watch Tomorrowland if you absolutely must. However, if you’re just not that curious, the following is a SPOILER/quote of the feeding the wolf story that I mentioned:
‘There are two wolves and they’re always fighting. One is darkness and despair. The other is light and hope. Which wolf wins…? Whichever one you feed’
Hugh Laurie, Raffey Cassidy, Keegan-Michael Key and Kathryn Hahn also star.
The Movie My Life 