Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Cate Blanchett, Tom Hiddleston and Idris Elba are back for the next Thor movie instalment.
Directed by Taika Waititi, in Thor – Ragnarok, Thor, the hammer-wielding god of thunder, lightning, storms, etc., must face the Incredible Hulk in a gladiator match, and save his people from the ruthless Hela (Blanchett).
I haven’t watched any Thor Movie’s since Hemsworth’s first because Thor generally isn’t my favourite Marvel superhero. However, this undeniably cool new trailer may just have pulled me right back in.
There’s also another reason… my favourite acting queen! Cate Blanchett, of course.
Directed and co-written by Tom McCarthy; Spotlight simply and effectively tells the true story of the Boston Globe’s uncovering of a huge child molestation scandal within the local Catholic Archdiocese.
McCarthy’s film is a moving story that deals with the abuse of societies most vulnerable and one that rightly shook the entire Catholic Church to its core.
The main focus of Spotlight is the work of the Globe’s Spotlight team and the people they encounter as a result of their investigations. It’s through their hard work that we get to learn about what happened once they dedicated themselves to the child molestation case. The obstacles they encountered and what it took to get the truth to print. All of this comes together well to create a good mix of tense, suspenseful dramatic and emotional moments.
I’m sure I’m not alone in thinking that Journalists as a group can be quite the irritant at the best of times. But then I encounter a bunch as passionate and dedicated to a worthy cause as the Boston Globe’s Spotlight team and I’m reminded afresh that the heart of the journalist is almost always in the right place.
Being a winner of Best Picture at the 2016 Academy Awards is one reason I had to watch Spotlight. The others include the important story and the excellent cast attached. There’s Stanley Tucci, Rachel McAdams, Michael Keaton, John Slattery and of course, Mark Ruffalo, an actor who always seems to make great choices.
Now You See Me 2 (2016), Dave Franco, Lizzy Caplan, Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg
Now You See Me 2, the sequel to 2012’s slick and clever Now You See Me is coming and the trailer promises more seemingly impossible illusions and tricks from The Four Horsemen.
Directed by Jon M. Chu; Daniel Radcliffe, Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Morgan Freeman, Lizzy Caplan, Dave Franco and Michael Caine return; along with Mark Ruffalo for more action, magic and thrills.
I’m looking forward to plenty, including the character played by Radcliffe.
Avengers – Age of Ultron (2015), Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth
I’m not a comic book reader myself, but I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed The Avengers, back in 2012.
The main reason I was excited after seeing the trailer – for the sequel isJames Spader’s Ultron voice and dialogue. When I did finally watch the movie, I found myself selfishly wanting more screen time for Ultron. He just seemed a lot more interesting than all the other characters; perhaps in part because he’s new to me.
As for how I feel about the film overall, director Joss Whedon hasn’t delivered a bad movie. It just felt slow in parts and I found the dialogue about Thor’s hammer at the rather awkward party to be repetitive. Additionally, I’ve become bored of the film’s heroes and tired of the same ‘the world needs saving’ dramatics.
Avengers – Age of Ultron (2015), Mark Ruffalo
Besides the film’s villain, Ultron, during the short periods he was actually on screen, I did enjoy Mark Ruffalo’s portrayal of The Incredible Hulk and the main fight scene between Hulk and Ultron. Beyond that, however, saying that I found the movie’s trailer more thrilling than the finished film is, unfortunately, more true than not.
The fact is, it may actually be time for me to leave Avengers to the serious fans who really love the comic books. I say this because it’s unlikely that superhero movie fatigue will ever be a real thing for them. Tuning in to a brand new Avengers movie, for me, will likely be about the hope of seeing a seriously badass scene; like the lift sequence in Captain America: A Winter Soldier (2014) and the majorly thrilling vehicular pursuit of Nick Fury that followed in the same movie.
Watch Avengers – Age of Ultron if you really must, and to enjoy the above-mentioned highlights.
I’d been looking forward to watching Begin Again for a while. Being a big Mark Ruffalo fan is one of the reasons. The other is Keira Knightly; but really, the biggest draw of all is the story about individuals who chance upon a way to start over after things unexpectedly fall apart.
The story is great for anyone who can relate to the subject matter as well as if you’re just after a well executed drama set in New York City and with good music at the heart.
Adam Levine, Hailee Steinfeld, Yasin Bey (better known as Hip/Hop artist Mos Def) and Catherine Keener make up the very competent supporting cast.
Written and directed by John Carney, Begin Again is a universal story beautifully told. The family element, especially the father/daughter relationship between Ruffalo and Steinfeld’s characters is a lovely highlight, as is what James Corden achieves in his role.
Begin Again (2013), Mark Ruffalo, Keira Knightley, James Corden
Watch it because it’s good and because you can’t be in New York City right now but you really want to be. In case you find yourself worrying about Keira Knightley’s singing, it’s admittedly not the best but it also isn’t bad enough to kill the film.