News From The Web - Still Seeking Spidey!

picture credit: jprart

Ever since the news broke that Spider Man was returning to Marvel for a reboot in association with Sony Pictures various tit bits of information have been banded across the web (ha ha... web). I for one have been reading quite closely and live in hope that this means Spidey will somehow be joining the Avengers after his stand alone film currently scheduled for 2017.

Anyhoo..

Yesterday it emerged that Marvel could be making a decision on who will be our new Peter Parker as early as next week so I thought I would have a looksie at the rumoured hopefuls (in a blog post that I'm sure will be one of many on the lead up to the release).

Top favourite still seems to be Asa Butterfield who is probably most well known for his roles as Ender Wiggin in Enders Game and Hugo Cabret in Hugo. Pretty strong in two main roles (a third being as Bruno in The Boy with the Striped Pyjamas) I think he has just what it takes to step into Andrew Garfield's booties as from what I have seen and read he is up for the challenge and able to step into any role. Spider man/Peter Parker is a MASSIVE part to play and personally I don't think it has been done so well so far. However I had all this with the Hulk and Ruffalo blew me out the water so I live in hopes and my hopes rest with Butterfield.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          

Another Brit hopeful reported to be sent for screen tests is the lovely Tom Holland. Holland is probably best known for his role alongside Naomi Watts in The Impossible. During his time on that film he certainly showed that he could jump into a role that demands both action and emotion and from what I can tell people on social media are backing him with gusto.

The third and final young Brit in the running is a bit of a dark horse. Charlie Rowe is being penned as a relative unknown but he has in fact played support in big films such as Never Let Me Go and The Boat That Rocked. That said these roles were pretty minor but maybe Rowe is fresh enough to follow the footsteps of the other fledgling actors who have played spidey before.

I will be waiting with bated breathe and posting more news (and my opinions on it) of the new film as and when I hear them!!



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3 Of A Kind? - Who Let The Dogs Out?!

I recently bought a dog so I've been watching doggie films. Simple really...

Pudsey:The Movie (2014)

written by Paul Rose. directed by Nick Moore

Who Is The Dog?: Pudsey is a cross breed dog with a little bit of Border Collie, Bichon Frise and Chinese Crested Powderpuff in him (wow!). He shot to fame in 2012 when he and his owner Ashleigh won the 6th series of Britain's Got Talent with a dance act.

Who Does It Star?: David Walliams (Little Britain) voices the dog. The film also has Jessica Hynes (Spaced) and John Sessions (The Iron Lady).

Plot Outline: Pudsey plays a stray dog who is happy being a loner but goes on an adventure when he meets a set of siblings who are moving due to a death in the family. Pudsey then goes up against the village villain to save the day.

Best Bits?: Pudsey is one very talented dog and when you realise that he is doing all the actions by himself it really is impressive. Also David Walliam's voice really suits the cutey canine.

Bad Bits?: Let's be honest here, this film was made off the back of a TV talent show and is aimed solely at the children who sat open mouthed the first time they saw Ashleigh and Pudsey perform. It lacks in almost everything of any substance therefore but does withhold a little charm.

Woofing Brilliant or Barking Up The Wrong Tree?: Kids will probably love it, I found it watchable on a Sunday afternoon with nothing much else to do.

Lady And The Tramp (1955)

written and directed by Walt Disney Ltd

Who Is The Dog?: Although not live action dogs I had to include Disney's Lady and The Tramp in this 3 of  a kind. These doggies are animated beauties but you do get two for the price of one; a cocker spaniel called Lady and a mongrel street dog called Tramp.

Who Does It Star?: Voice work comes from Barbara Luddy (Sleeping Beauty), Verna Felton (Alice In Wonderland) and Peggy Lee (The Jazz Singer).

Plot Outline: Lady and the Tramp is a romantic adventure tale about the two dogs who come from different classes and different backgrounds.

Best Bits?: This film has, in my opinion, one of the best on screen kisses ever! Also look out for the Siamese kitties who are simply wicked.

Worst Bits?: None as such as Lady and the Tramp really is a joy to watch but there are some moments of sadness to overcome along the way.

Woofing Brilliant Or Barking Up The Wrong Tree?: I remember watching Lady and the Tramp when I was a young girl and now 30 odd years later my nieces and nephews love it too. It's timeless, seriously.



A Boy And His Dog (1975)

written and directed by L.Q Jones

Who Is The Dog?: Blood is a post apocalyptic dog who doesn't really like humans and is telepathic. Strange huh?

Who Does It Star?: Tim McIntire (Sacred Ground) voices Blood. Other stars include Don Johnson (Born Yesterday), Jason Robards (Philadelphia) and Charles McGraw (The Birds).

Plot Outline: A Boy and his Dog is ultimately a post apocalyptic survival story about Vic (Johnson) and Blood. The story follows their need for each other as they both fight and band together to make it through a scary (and sometimes very, very strange) time.

Best Bits?: Gosh this film is strange but if you don't take it too seriously you will find a glorious piece of satirical 70'S cinema. Look out for hilarious conversations said with entirely straight faces.

Worst Bits?: A Boy and his Dog has some grimy scenes that put out of context may appear distasteful to some and I ended the film wanting more back story on the dog himself.

Woofing Brilliant Or Barking Up The Wrong Tree?: Bonkers, totally outrageously so but cleverer than the B Movie it often masquerades as.

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DVD Review - See No Evil (2006)

Let me start this review by saying that I am a recent convert to the world of WWE and as a result have been actively seeking out films produced by WWE studios so I can see some of my favourite wrestlers in their acting roles. See No Evil stars authority bad guy Kane as psychopath Jason Goodnight but more about that later.

See No Evil is essentially a teen slasher film and was the first major release by the WWE, it was released by Lions Gate Entertainment in 2006 and had horrific reviews. I was expecting very little from it in all honesty and now I have seen it I think I was overtly generous in my initial thought. I will explain...

The overall premise smacks of cliche from the offset. A bunch of teenage delinquents are sent to do community service at a run down hotel unaware that a psychopath is living there. It is nothing I haven't heard before from a plot line and unfortunately the cliches keep coming thick and fast.

The first act introduces to the characters and for fifteen minutes we are treated to wooden acting and snarly teenage angst played badly. The girls seem more likable than the guys but it is worth noting that these are a bunch of criminals and the characterisations have been written as such. Christine Vidal (Freaky Friday) is the stand out of a bad bunch for me and her sincerity is at least believable.

Through the second act the plot line splits the teens as they go about various things in the rotting hotel thus making way for the predictability seen in other teen slashers. The attempt at a suspense build up with the whole 'someone is watching' routine falls flat and the foil to Kane's villain, Michael played by Luke Peglar is no where menacing enough to fool anyone.

By the time we actually see Kane, he just appears with no element of surprise but in all fairness as a villain he looks great. Of course, as a wrestler he is a big guy but he literally towers over his victims and looks scary enough. He remains silent throughout until the very end which ruined it for me because their just wasn't enough from him to keep me entertained.

So what about gore, this being a slasher movie after all? It was there but a couple of deaths in it all seemed very samey although I let this slip because this villain has specific methods. The film had some decent enough shots (the kind that the Saw franchise did brilliantly) but for the most part I felt bored as the story just dripped along.

A mini twist half way through tries to pull the audience back in but a lack of development off the back of this, that I felt was integral to Goodnight's character, allows it get lost. From thereon in the film just dragged even with one of the goriest scenes not able to save it. I felt like I was forever waiting for something to happen and didn't care who died next or how.

I longed for pay off and in the third act the pace does pick up as there is a frantic lead up the twist, showdown and ultimate conclusion. For once I never guessed the big reveal but I didn't care either because by that point I wasn't really paying attention.

See No Evil never really redeems itself and the fact that there is a sequel blows my mind. I will however, have to give it a go.

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Coming Soon - Moonlight Cinema

Today I want to share something that I saw advertised recently. Something that filled me with absolute giddiness and something that I found terribly exciting.

For those of you that don't know already, I live in the UK and as such such our weather is absolutely terrible. As such us Brits love summer so much because we long all year round for a little bit of sun and for a short while between June and August we get it.

During these months lots of outdoor events pop up all over the place but recently on facebook I read eagerly about a company called Moonlight Cinemas who are bringing the outdoor cinema experience I so often see in American teen movies to a space near me!

These events are happening in the UK between June and August and have venues secured in a whopping 28 cities. Registration for first access to tickets is available now on their website and there is also a vote going on for which films should be screened.

I'm stoked and will be at the Newcastle date with my vote in for Grease so fingers crossed!

L x

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30 Day Film Challenge - 3. Last Film I Saw

Since I have had a total slob of a day and watched three films back to back on good old Netflix I thought that now was as good a time as any to add a new instalment to the 30 day film challenge. I am going to cheat ever so slightly however and go with the second of the three films because the last one I dozed off halfway through.

Awake (2007)

I had never heard of Awake before but I read the brief synopsis, thought to myself that it sounded up my street and pressed the watch button. Did I shudder when I realised Jessica Alba (The Eye)  was in it? Of course I did but I had nothing much to lose and carried on a watching.

Alba stars alongside Hayden Christensen (Jumper) who plays Clay, a guy who suffers with the phenomenon anaesthetic awareness and is totally awake but paralysed during heart surgery. I know it sounds a pretty straight forward plot line but it isn't and actually carries some nice little twists along the way.

Alba plays the girlfriend who isn't what she seems and to be fair on her she was charming enough in the role. I fell for the love story from the offset and literally held my breathe as it unfolded throughout the film. I believed the chemistry between her and Christensen and was actually a bit gutted by the end.

The ending itself isn't particularly clever and the major twist is revealed early on but Awake doesn't feel unfinished in any way with all the loose ends tied up neatly. There are a few holes that the purest will pick up on but again not large enough to spoil it for me.

I found it gripping enough to stay awake ha ha and would even go back for more.

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DVD Review - Devil (2010)

Before my break from blogging when watching films about people stuck in various things, I asked for suggestions for more. I wanted films that relied on this premise with a twist at the end, something to keep me guessing. I was told to watch Devil, a film directed by John Erick Dowdle and since I had enjoyed his work with The Poughkeepsie Tapes (2007) there was nothing to loose accept maybe an hour and a half.

Firstly, I thought Devil had a great concept even if it was one given away from the get go. I've seen many a film where Satan takes human form and walks among us with varying results on how this actually plays out. In Devil, he enters through a suicide and reeks havoc amongst four strangers trapped in an elevator. Of course, which human he has taken the form of isn't revealed until the end which gives this film it's main twist.

I felt uneasy watching at first, I let the concept really get into my head. A back story as to why the Devil comes to earth is explained through a rather creepy voice over and the religious beliefs of security guard Ramirez, played by Jacob Vargas. I'm not remotely religious but for some reason I totally bought into it all here. When Ramirez said ' everyone believes in him a little bit' about the Devil, it wasn't so easy for me to shrug it off as a  mundane comment. I was probably being a total girl about the whole thing as I watched this film alone in total darkness but that particular strand of the film reeled me in, unfortunately the rest of it was pretty weak.

The acting was up to par with the usual in this sort of film. Each of the people who were trapped played spooked and confused to a standard that isn't the worst I have seen. Logan Marshall-Green  (Prometheus) as Tony was the edgiest of the bunch and probably the character I kept my eye on the most out of those trapped.To be fair tough, these characters were being killed off one by one so for some screen time was shortened, I don't want to go into too many specifics though because I don't want to spoil.

Outside of that damn elevator, Detective Bowden played by Chris Messina (Vicky Christina Barcelona), is a major presence and has many sides to him that are all portrayed really well. Messina managed to evoke emotion from me, something that rarely happens in a film branded horror but then out of everyone, we were offered more than a glimpse into his life.

One problem with the film was character development or a distinct lack of it. Within seconds of the elevator stopping these strangers were at each others throats, with catty remarks and general meanness. Call me an optimist but I just had trouble believing that this would happen. It was as if the elevator stopping suddenly gave everyone a bad attitude and  I couldn't help but think that put in that situation myself I would've been much nicer. This isn't about me of course and there was a darker force than mere humans at work so maybe that was it, hmmm maybe I didn't buy into the superstition as much as I thought. If I am honest, I just didn't care who was dying or why. As each person was being accounted for within the confines of the building tiny amounts of information were being banded about but there just wasn't enough on any one of them to ring true or create attachment.

I did like the overall look of the film. Those who have read my blog before will know that I am a fan of mirroring the moods of characters etc with cinematic elements and this is almost there in Devil. Unfortunately though, there was also a fair time spent looking at a completely dark screen and although I understood this because of the situation, I found it a little boring.

There just wasn't enough to keep me glued to Devil I am afraid although I did make it to a rather flat (and a little confusing) ending.

Would I watch it again? Probably not!

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Hello...Hello

I have been on a very long hiatus. Lot's of stuff happened in my life which meant that I just wasn't able to commit myself to blogging anymore. I hated being away and I vouched that as soon as I was able I would be back so here I am.

I can't promise that I will be posting daily but I will try my very best to keep my little bit of web space updated as much as I can until I am back in the swing of it all.

Please bear with me and say hi back if you are still around too :)

L x

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