Tuesday, 12 April 2016

So much to catch up

So I've not been writing much on here recently, but at least this time it's because I've been hella busy: between getting a new job, trying to write several thousand words of fiction a day and vlogging nearly every day last month, it's been pretty hectic since the end of February.

With that said, shall we get on with this? We've got a lot to catch up on...

First off: to those of you who missed Kung Fu Panda 3, that totally sucks :( seriously, you missed out on an awesome movie! The animation was so smooth and beautiful, as KFP always is, and the scenery and settings were just so gorgeous. Dreamworks just keeps getting better and better and they always add more into these movies, it's so great to see a trilogy which just improves upon every aspect as it goes on, not to mention TWO DADS! OH YEAH! That's all I'm gonna say about it, I'm not gonna spoil two dads for you.

Second: Zootropolis was really cool, and it did a great job of trying to explain institutionalised discrimination with anthropomorphic animals and a beautiful, colourful city. In an age where we're getting so many movies in the same blue-and-yellow tones it's actually so refreshing to see animation still throwing in as much colour as possible, well done to both Disney and DW on that front. Story-wise, I think Zootropolis was too heavy on its twists and turns (which you can still sorta see coming) and it went off-message a bit too early on. It was kinda weird watching a movie where it tried to say "kids, don't judge someone based purely on their looks!" and then to have one of the protagonists be a stereotypical sly fox, and to have them even lampshade it - it gets better towards the end, but I'm still not sure if it really kept to its message.

Third: two movie trailers I wanna talk about - Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them dropped yesterday, and a coupla weeks ago The Jungle Book showed its face. So Jungle Book first: what a great looking movie! I wish we'd been able to have something like this when I was a kid, I've never seen anything look quite so beautiful and daring, and once again to throw so much colour into the mix is a great choice! It really brought me to the edge of my seat in the cinema, watching that trailer (KFP and Zootropolis? I got to watch it twice!) and I think the casting is absolutely superb - Bill Murray, Christopher Walken and Idris Elba voicing animals, and Scarlett Johansson as Kaa? What an amazing line-up! Those are just the ones I can remember off the top of my head, the whole cast is too many to name at the moment but they're mostly names I recognise and love so all of my doubts about this film are gone.

FBaWtFT is an interesting kettle of fish, though. I'm not so clued-up on cast and I can't say much about the story. From the latest trailer, I guess Colin Farrell might be in it? But I don't know. What I do know - or hope, at least - is we might be seeing a New York organisation of wizards acting as a mirror to England's Ministry of Magic - here's hoping for a WIZARD MAFIA! (A magia, if you will...)

Fourth: And oh my goodness, how could I forget? The trailer for Rogue One dropped too! And yeah, the first time I watched it if gave me chills, as usual - Star Wars trailers do that, the music alone is so amazing. But if I'm honest, I've seen better. The Force Awakens really made me hopeful, and now that that hope has been fulfilled, it's kinda set the bar. It's a bar this trailer doesn't quite reach, for me, there's too many Whedon-y one-liners for what should be a more organic feel in a movie. What I mean is, look at the way Finn and Rey chatter and talk over each other and act all excited, and look at how Han negotiates with the other rogues of the galaxy. It's all very fluid and organic and natural and it sounds like humans talking to humans. There are lines in the Rogue One trailer which make you realise you're watching a movie, and that's gonna bring you out of it ("This is a rebellion, isn't it? I rebel" being the most notably yes-you're-watching-a-movie line). I don't want that. Still, it's a small niggle for yet another Star Wars movie, and the trailer looks really promising. Is that Grand Moff Tarkin I spy in all-white? I'm interested to see his story pre-A New Hope.

And fifth: Titanfall 2 is confirmed and has a trailer! I'll be honest, I didn't expect this even by this point, it can't have been too long since the release of the first Titanfall (2014? late 2013?) and I presumed a business model based largely on microtransactions, as the gaming industry seems to prefer nowadays, would create longer gaps between sequels. I guess I was wrong, but what do I care? More giant robot fighting action! And ROBOTS WITH SWORDS FINALLY!

Alright, I think that's enough excitement for one day...

Adieu!

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