Film Review: Spider-Man 2: Far From Home

Directed by Jon Watts, Spider-Man: Far From Home is the sequel to 2017’s Spider-Man: Homecoming and the twenty-third film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The film sees Tom Holland return as the web-slinging Peter Parker as he decides to join his best friends – Ned (Jacob Batalon), MJ (Zendaya), and Betty (Angourie Rice) – on a European vacation. However, Peter’s plan to leave super heroics behind are quickly scrapped when he begrudgingly agrees to help Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) uncover the mystery of several elemental creature attacks that are creating havoc across the continent.

Film Review: Captain Marvel

Directed by Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck, Captain Marvel is the twenty-first film in the MCU and the first female standalone film in the franchise. The story is set in the 1990s and follows Carol Danvers (Brie Larson) as she becomes one of the universe’s most powerful heroes. When Earth is caught in the middle of a galactic war between two alien races, Danvers meets S.H.I.E.L.D. agents Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) and Phil Coulson (Clark Gregg) as she must convince them of a threat which is far beyond anything that S.H.I.E.L.D. has ever experienced before.

Film Review: Glass

Written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan, Glass follows on from 2017’s Split as Kevin Wendell Crumb (James McAvoy) and the multiple identities who reside within him have taken more girls hostage. Using his supernatural abilities, 2000’s Unbreakable David Dunn (Bruce Willis) is trying to track him down. When both are arrested and sent to a psychiatric hospital run by Dr Ellie Staple (Sarah Paulson), they meet the wheelchair-bound Mr Glass (Samuel L. Jackson) who holds secrets critical to both men.

Film Review: Life Itself

Written and directed by Dan Fogelman, Life Itself sees a young New York couple (Oscar Isaac and Olivia Wilde) go from college romance to marriage and parenthood, as the unexpected twists of their journey create reverberations that echo over continents and lifetimes. A multi-generational saga set in New York and Carmona, Spain – focusing on Vincent (Antonio Banderas), Javier (Sergio Peris-Mencheta), Isabel (Laia Costa) and Rodrigo (Alex Monner) – the film is a celebration of the human condition laced with humour, poignancy and love.

Film Review: Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children

Based on Ransom Riggs‘s debut book and directed by Tim Burton, Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children follows teenager Jacob (Asa Butterfield), who sets off to a mysterious Welsh island, using clues from his grandpa’s old photographs, to find out who his grandpa really was after his unexplained death. Led to a large, abandoned orphanage, run by the mystical Miss Peregrine (Eva Green), Jacob begins an adventure that spans different worlds and times. But the mystery and danger deepen as he gets to know the residents and about their special powers, as well as the powers of their enemies. Chosen to protect the Peculiar Children, Jacob must discover his own power to save his new friends from the nightmarish Hollows and Wights, who are led by the mysterious Mr Barron (Samuel L Jackson).

Book v Film: Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children

“I used to dream about escaping my ordinary life, but my life was never ordinary. I had simply failed to notice how extraordinary it was.”

Based on Ransom Riggs‘s debut book and directed by Tim Burton, Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children follows teenager Jacob (Asa Butterfield), who sets off to a mysterious Welsh island, using clues from his grandpa’s old photographs, to find out who his grandpa really was after his unexplained death. Led to a large, abandoned orphanage, run by the mystical Miss Peregrine (Eva Green), Jacob begins an adventure that spans different worlds and times. But the mystery and danger deepen as he gets to know the residents and about their special powers, as well as the powers of their enemies. Chosen to protect the Peculiar Children, Jacob must discover his own power to save his new friends from the nightmarish Hollows and Wights, who are led by the mysterious Mr Barron (Samuel L Jackson).

You Should Be Reading: Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children

“I used to dream about escaping my ordinary life, but my life was never ordinary. I had simply failed to notice how extraordinary it was.”

The debut novel by Ransom Riggs, originally published in 2011, Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children is a young adult book that combines a collection of vintage photographs with a narrative led by Jacob, a teenage boy who follows clues from his grandfather’s old photographs. Led to a large, abandoned orphanage on a Welsh island, Jacob begins an adventure that spans different worlds and times. But the mystery and danger deepen as he gets to know the residents and about their special powers, as well as the powers of their enemies. Chosen to protect the Peculiar Children, Jacob must discover his own power to save his new friends from the nightmarish Hollows and Wights, who are led by the mysterious Mr Barron.

Set to be released on 30th September, the film adaptation is directed by Tim Burton and stars Asa Butterfield as Jacob, Eva Green as Miss Peregrine, and Samuel L. Jackson as Mr Barron.

Film Review: The Hateful Eight

Written and directed by Quentin Tarantino, serving as his eighth feature film, The Hateful Eight opens with a stagecoach hurtling through a wintry Wyoming landscape. Onboard are the “The Hangman” John Ruth (Kurt Russell) and his fugitive “The Prisoner” Daisy Domergue (Jennifer Jason Leigh), who are heading towards the town of Red Rock to bring Domergue to justice.

On their way they encounter two strangers, “The Bounty Hunter” Major Marquis Warren (Samuel L. Jackson) and “The Sheriff” Chris Mannix (Walton Goggins), and must seek refuge at Minnie’s Haberdashery, a stagecoach stopover on a mountain pass, on account of a terrible storm. Here, the passengers meet four strangers, “The Mexican” Bob (Demián Bichir), “The Little Man” Oswaldo Mobray (Tim Roth), “The Cow Puncher” Joe Gage (Michael Madsen), and “The Confederate” General Sanford Smithers (Bruce Dern). As the storm grows bigger, the eight travellers come to learn that they may not make it to Red Rock after all…

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DVD Review: Kingsman – The Secret Service

From Kick-Ass‘ director Matthew Vaughn and based on the comic book The Secret Service, created by Dave Gibbons and Mark Millar, Kingsman: The Secret Service tells the story of a super-secret spy organization, headed by Arthur (Michael Caine) and fronted by Galahad (Colin Firth) and Merlin (Mark Strong). When a global threat emerges from twisted tech genius Valentine (Samuel L. Jackson), the organisation recruit an unrefined but promising street kid, Eggsy (Taron Egerton), into their ultra-competitive training program.

Film Review: Captain America – The Winter Soldier

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Directed by Anthony and Joe Russo, the latest film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe picks up with Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) a.k.a. Captain America, as he struggles to embrace his role in the modern world. Under the authority of Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson), Captain America is forced to face a new threat from old history – the Soviet agent known as the Winter Soldier – as S.H.I.E.L.D. is subverted by its enemies. But when Rogers acts on Fury’s warning to trust no one there, he is branded as a traitor by the organisation. Now a fugitive, Captain America must get to the bottom of this deadly mystery with the help of the Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) and his new friend, The Falcon (Anthony Mackie).

Film Review: Django Unchained

The latest from director Quentin Tarantino, Django Unchained is an epic western Set in the antebellum era of the Deep South and Old West, which follows slave-turned-bounty hunter Django (Jamie Foxx) who, with the help of his German mentor Dr. King Schultz (Christoph Waltz), sets out to rescue his wife Broomhilda (Kerry Washington) from a brutal Mississippi plantation owner named Calvin Candie (Leonardo DiCaprio).

Nominated for five Academy Awards and winning two at this year’s Golden Globes for Best Supporting Actor (Waltz) and Best Screenplay (Tarantino), this is now my second favourite Tarantino film and it certainly bettered my already high expectations.

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New ‘Django Unchained’ International Poster

(Written for Lost In The Multiplex)

This week we have a new poster for the Quentin Tarantino’s highly anticipated western drama, Django Unchained.

Whilst we have already seen artwork on another poster for the film, this latest piece of art brings together much more, including director and writer Tarantino’s name in big letters, and the bringing together of the film’s brilliant cast list.

The film follows a slave-turned-bounty hunter (Jamie Foxx) who, with the help of his mentor (Christoph Waltz), sets out to rescue his wife from a brutal Mississippi plantation owner (Leonardo DiCaprio).

Film Review: Avengers Assemble

(Published in Issue 9 of my publication In Retrospect)

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Written and directed by Joss Whedon, Avengers Assemble centres around the Director of the international peacekeeping agency known as S.H.I.E.L.D., Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson)’s, need for a superhero team. Uniting Captain America (Chris Evans), Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), The Incredible Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner), and Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), The Avengers are brought together to face Thor’s Godly brother Loki (Tom Hiddleston) and his Chitauri alien army as they declare war on Earth.

27 New Images for ‘Avengers Assemble’

(Written for Lost In The Multiplex)

A whopping 27 new images of Marvel’s Avengers Assemble have been released online this week, which include a look at How I Met Your Mother’s Cobie Smulders as Maria Hill, the Hulk at his angriest, a lot of lasers, and the odd-looking antagonist Loki played by Tom Hiddleston.

New German Trailer and Stills For ‘The Avengers’

(Written for Lost In The Multiplex)

Marvel Studios have released a new German trailer and two universal stills for Joss Whedon’s The Avengers this week, showing some new footage for the superhero comic book adaptation.

When an unexpected enemy threatens global safety, Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson), Director of the international peacekeeping agency known as SHIELD, finds himself in need of a team.

It’s Been a ‘Super’ Week for Marvel and DC

This week sees the trailers of two of the most anticipated and upcoming superhero films, the epic conclusion to Christopher Nolan‘s Batman trilogy, The Dark Knight Rises, and Marc Webb‘s first in a series of rebooted Spider-Man films, The Amazing Spider-Man. Captain America is out in cinemas next week and a (good quality) trailer is due for The Avengers shortly. With the Comic-Con this week, as well, everyone has gone Marvel and DC mad.

First up there’s Captain America which is released in UK cinemas next week on 29th July. Only a short time to wait until the year for the following three films. However, Captain America is the last of The Avengers team that we need to meet so it’s about time. Captain America is the story of Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) who is deemed unfit for military service and volunteers for a top-secret research project, thus turning him into Captain America, a superhero dedicated to defending America’s ideals.

Film Review: Iron Man 2

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Directed by Jon Favreau, Iron Man 2 follows on from its predecessor as billionaire Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) announces his dual life as the armoured superhero, Iron Man, to the rest of the world. As news bulletins repeat in the background of family homes, the setting focuses in on the dull streets of Russia as a powerful enemy, Ivan Vanko (Mickey Rourke), watches with an evil glare, adding the final touches to his own weaponed suit. Meanwhile, Tony Stark is facing pressure from the government to share his technology with the military. Lt. Col. James Rhodes (Don Cheadle) and assistant Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) are growing tired of Tony’s unwillingness to cooperate, leaving Tony isolated with his own problems.