Most Anticipated of 2019

Haven't been writing here for a while now...but as I got bored, I thought I'll give it a crack with my most anticipated movies of 2019...here goes:

Honorable Mentions:

Hellboy (April 12)

           If given the choice, I would prefer Guillermo Del Toro & Ron Perlman getting to complete their Hellboy trilogy vision. But this version looks pretty interesting, anyway.

Aladdin (May 24) & The Lion King (July 19)

            Disney has been killing it with their live-action adaptations like The Jungle Book and Beauty and the Beast. So I wouldn't really bet against these upcoming ones. But the fact that these aren't exactly new stories means that its difficult to get super excited about them.

Top 10:

10. Captain Marvel (March 8)

             Please don't be surprised to see the whole bunch of Marvel films in this list. They just seem to know what they're doing, and Captain Marvel looks just as awesome as the other thousands of movies they have made (and will continue to make).

9. Godzilla: King of the Monsters (May 31)

            I have never been a fan of Godzilla, but the last movie that came out was pretty awesome. And while that movie hid Godzilla until the last act of the movie, this sequel doesn't seem to need to do that. And there'll be few other monsters to deal with here.

8. John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum (May 17)

             I remember that I somehow did not find the first John Wick film interesting, but the second one is really good. And with the cliffhanger ending of that, it is easy to say that I am really quite excited with this third film.

7. Men in Black: International (June 14)

              I will definitely miss the banter & chemistry between Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones. That being said, I think Chris Hemsworth & Tessa Thompson is quite a capable & funny pair - if their connection in Thor: Ragnarok is anything to go by.

6. Dark Phoenix (June 7)

              Truth be told, the trailer for this film got me a bit nervous. It didn't actually look good. But I really do think James McAvoy & Michael Fassbender are awesome as Professor X and Magneto, and any time I get to see more of them is just a good thing.

5. Kingsman: The Great Game (November 8)

               The Kingsman movies are very good examples of fun & action blockbuster. And since this one takes the story way back to the origins of the Kingsman, with actors like Daniel Bruhl, Ralph Fiennes & Charles Dance, it looks to be very interesting indeed.

4. Spider-Man: Far From Home (July 5)

              I wasn't initially super excited with a new Spider-Man film, given the many we've had before. But the trailer that was released recently got me very interested, especially with Jake Gyllenhaal as Mysterio.

3. Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw (August 2)

               By now, the Fast & Furious films should have been quite predictable/repetitive, but the films always had heart (family, you know) - even the most recent one. Now, if you take the two funniest & badass-est characters in the franchise and put them together on their own adventure...now that sounds interesting! And especially with a well-known action director like David Leitch.

2. Star Wars: Episode IX (December 20)

               It was supposed to be a tight race between the film in number one and this. But the issues arising from the previous film The Last Jedi undermines this film slightly. Many people (me included) didn't really like how they change things in the previous film. But that will never take away my love for this franchise, and that is why I remain super excited with Star Wars Episode IX.

1. Avengers: Endgame (April 26)

                This is a very easy pick. If you watched Avengers: Infinity War, you can understand easily why this is number one in my list (and for a great many people too, I assume).

What I like most about AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR... (with SPOILERS)

### SPOILER ALERT!! SPOILER ALERT!! ###### SPOILER ALERT!! SPOILER ALERT!! ### ### SPOILER ALERT!! SPOILER ALERT!! ###

The movie that may be considered the biggest ensemble movie yet has recently released...and safe to say, it has caught audiences by surprise...

I liked what they did with the story & the ending, but there is one thing that I like most about this film...

And that is the fact that it is a Thanos movie.

Call me a maniac or whatever, but I really like the way that Thanos is protrayed in this film, and moreover, I can feel & understand for the character.

So first off, I really like the fact that it is a Thanos movie through and through. From the beginning we see him start off his mission, and we see his journey in getting all the Infinity Stones...and it even ends with him successfully obtaining all the stones and completing his mission.

As with any typical protagonist in many other movies, Thanos had to went through some struggles and sacrifices of his own...including killing his own beloved daughter Gamora. And as with any typical protagonist in many other movies, Thanos completes his mission but not before almost failing (almost lost against the Avengers in Titan, and later, stabbed in the chest by Thor's axe). And as with any typical protagonist in many other movies, the film ends with Thanos looking over the sunset in peace. And I really like that.

I really want to give credit to the team for pulling this off, and especially, Josh Brolin for such an amazing performance as Thanos. I really do feel for his character, especially when he had to sacrifice his own daughter and he sheds a tear in that moment. I want to give credit to the writing & directing team for being bold enough to make this move very Thanos-centric, especially considering that the sequel and immediate continuation of this film will be out a year from now - which will be expected to be a fully Avengers-focused movie.

And speaking of that, I do realize that among all the characters, all of the original Avengers from the first Avengers movie are still alive. So it does seem like it will be a re-group of the original team and one last hurrah for this bunch in next year's Avengers 4!

Looking Forward: MARCH 2018

This is a little late, I know, now that we're in March already, but there's quite a lot of films to look forward to this month...



Red Sparrow (Mar 2-USA, Mar 1-UK, Mar 1-Singapore)

                Some people have mentioned the notion that this is probably what a more "realistic" take of a Black Widow (Marvel) movie would be like. And I get why they'd say that. It is a similar concept - a Russian female ballerina who joined a secret program to turn them into a spy. But while I get the appeal of the film, I am not that intrigued by this particular film. And I am sad to say this, but while I know that Jennifer Lawrence is one of the best actress alive, I am already bored of her characters and performances.

Trailers:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J_sAY0gNyH8 (Trailer #1)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q3m155Oj-V0 (Trailer #2)


A Wrinkle in Time (Mar 9-USA, Mar 23-UK, Mar 8-Singapore)

                 I am very much curious about this film, but I don't really understand much about it, so I am not exactly very excited. The trailers show some enticing visuals, but I don't understand what I see so I have doubts on the story itself. But if it turns out to be good, this could really be one of the surprise hits of the year.

Trailers:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cNw0PSLtJhk (Trailer #1)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yh1KKotWzow (Trailer #2)


Tomb Raider (Mar 16-USA, Mar 14-UK, Mar 8-Singapore)

                 I find it a little tricky to place this film in my mind. On one hand, the film looks promising and I think it could be a good, fun adventure film. However, as I am such a big fan of the recent (reboot) Tomb Raider video games, there comes the feeling where I have my definitive Lara Croft (performed by Camilla Luddington) and I don't exactly need a Tomb Raider movie because even the stories in those games are already very good.
                 But I do get the idea that this film opens up opportunities for further financial gains, and movies are more widely accessible to the public audience, as compared to the gaming community. So perhaps I will go into this film with a mindset of hoping to enjoy a nice adventure flick, but I might not associate this with the Lara Croft I know in the video games.

Trailers:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2w5VZmos5I4 (Trailer #1)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rOEHpkZCc1Y (Trailer #2)


Pacific Rim Uprising (Mar 23-USA, Mar 23-UK, Mar 22-Singapore)

                   I still don't think that the original Pacific Rim was a great movie, especially from a story perspective. But there is just something to like about it, and it is really an enjoyable film. It had excellent characters, and watching it again recently, it actually had excellent visual effects and it looked so real. A Guillermo Del Toro directed film will never look bad (and by the way, his recent film The Shape of Water just won the Oscar, so well done to him for that).
                 Now, on Pacific Rim Uprising, it almost looks like it lost everything that made the first film great. The characters in this sequel looks shallow and over-the-top, and the actions & visual effects (from the trailers) looks rather fake & cheap. The first film wasn't great, but it was done with great heart & effort. This one just looks bad and uninteresting. I hope I'm wrong, but that is my impression of this film so far.

Trailers:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_EhiLLOhVis (Trailer #1)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xVsJtCjVGnA (Trailer #2)


Ready Player One (Mar 29-USA, Mar 28-UK, Mar 29-Singapore)

                A Steven Spielberg directed science-fiction film will always be up there in my to-watch list. Add to that the brilliant cast and the promising story from the novel by Ernest Cline and also (hopefully) a memorable score/soundtrack by Alan Silvestri. But there is something more that excites me beyond all those, and that would be all the possible Easter Egg references and inclusions which ranges from 80s pop culture (like Back to the Future) to comic book characters to the video game world (like Tomb Raider, Street Fighter) and even more modern ones (like Overwatch). These are probably less significant when it comes to the story, but it just adds another level of excitement to the movie itself.

Trailers:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LiK2fhOY0nE (Comic Con Trailer)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4aifnWlP_sM (Trailer #1)


Other Movies:

                  In March 2, an action film titled Death Wish (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WkVCA0LDhwI) was released. Unfortunately, it looked like many other generic action flicks, and it stars Bruce Willis (whom I haven't seen in a good movie for a while). Worse still, the reviews from critics aren't that good.
                  Then, on March 9, we have the action-comedy flick Gringo (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7-bZLM3I-C0) and also a disaster-action movie called The Hurricane Heist (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=56whWF2NJrM). The latter film looks a bit too exaggerated and it does not appeal to me at all. On the other hand, Gringo is a film that I never knew about, but the trailer made me interested. It looks fun.
                 Finally, as we near Easter, we see the release of both Paul, Apostle of Christ (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LyOqQZUDdO4) and Sherlock Gnomes (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zC9b1orltc8) on March 23rd. The first is, as the title suggests, a biblical story adaptation - smartly playing off the Easter season - while the other film is an animation flick which looks pretty interesting and boasts a pretty awesome voice cast.

BLACK PANTHER

              There is so much to like (or at least, to appreciate) in this film that I actually wanted to say it is a must watch - but I can't quite say so. Black Panther is still among the better films within the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and I would still recommend everyone to consider watching it (especially if you like these kind of films), but the film still has noticeable gaps/flaws from a storytelling quality perspective.

               As I mentioned, though, there are so much to like and so many good things about this film. The characters (and to an extent, the actors' performances) are what stood out most. Chadwick Boseman shows he can lead the film as T'Challa, able to be dramatic or funny, powerful or struggling, depending on the period in the story. Michael B. Jordan & Lupita Nyong'o were also great in their respective roles. But the standout for me has to be Letitia Wright's character - who is funny, but more importantly, brings a different level of energy & carefree-ness (modernity) in a community still high on tradition. I think Shuri is my new favourite character in the MCU.

               But while the characters were great & well developed from the beginning, it is unfortunate that they did not go through much development throughout this particular story itself. There is not too much change (or struggle) in character even for T'Challa himself. So, while the overall plot isn't actually that bad, unfortunately it also does not significantly change/impact most of the characters. And the sequence of events didn't feel as tightly written/edited as it could be. There are scenes which I felt could be fleshed out a bit more, and vice versa.

                Meanwhile, all of the action sequences were great and so were the visual effects. I also want to give credit specifically to the production design team for the look & feel of the setting (Wakanda, for the most part), and then also for the ideas of the different pieces of technology. In particular, I like the look of the Black Panther outfit and the mechanics of it.

                There are quite a few comedic moments peppered, but gratefully, it didn't take over the film (like what Thor: Ragnarok or Guardians of the Galaxy did). It's about time for a change. The remaining aspects of the film were decent or okay, but nothing else really stood out. And overall, it remains a great Marvel film which I really like - perhaps too much so that I wish I could plainly say that this is a must watch film. But I am only being a little melodramatic, so don't listen to me too much - this is still among the better MCU film which definitely is worth a watch!

VERDICT: 80 / 100

THE CLOVERFIELD PARADOX

                 Perhaps the biggest appeal of this movie is the surprise marketing campaign of releasing a movie immediately on the day itself the trailer was released. Maybe a little bit because of the word 'Cloverfield' in the title, but it surprises many people when the trailer is released during Super Bowl, that the film itself will release in Netflix that night. This has never happened before, and it really got the buzz.

                   But that seems to be all there is - the buzz, the hype...because the quality of the film didn't really deliver. And in a way, it now makes more sense to be released in Netflix rather than in theatres, because it does not justify a theatrical release. The movie isn't particularly bad, but there isn't much in it as well. The premise of the film was exciting, but the execution wasn't and the dialogue was rather poor.

                   As a TV watch, it is not bad. Most of the performances are well delivered, especially the lead protagonist Gugu Mbatha-Raw, who was brilliant. And the premise was really intriguing, and the overall plot actually isn't bad. It works. That being said, there isn't much more the film has to offer. Everything else that happens are rather bland and predictable, and most of all, the dialogue was quite poor, especially in the beginning. Meanwhile, the suspense & discovery element of the film just about does enough to keep me interested, but I don't feel satisfied at the end of it.

                  For a TV watch in your day off when you having nothing else to do, sure, it works. But it is by no means a quality film.

VERDICT: 52 / 100

MAZE RUNNER: THE DEATH CURE

              For a trilogy I never cared much about, I surprisingly enjoyed this film. And its not that the story is groundbreakingly good or something...its the production design that I appreciate. The action sequences were not bad...and the rest of the film are just what you'd expect from a Maze Runner film. But from the first film on, something has constantly improved, and that's the production design.

               While I am usually an advocate of 'story first' when it comes to movies, I do appreciate these visual details - which is why I go to movies and not read books. There is a certain pleasure in being able to see a dystopian world with different settings like the messy, war-torn outskirts versus the beautiful technological marvel inside the city. And that is what this film does brilliantly. There seems to be a lot of thought that goes through in capturing all the details and creating the settings and backdrops. And not just that, even the character designs and clothing were excellently done. I have special admiration for that one character played by Walton Goggins - just for how he looks.

                 Now, coming to the story...it's actually not half bad. It works for the series and it is simply what you'd expect from this trilogy. But it works, it's decent. Similarly the characters are still not great (and nor are the performances), but yeah, not bad. It works. The action sequences were pretty fun, helped by the production design as well which makes it so believable and enjoyable.

               And I think, overall, a pretty decent film for a trilogy that I never much cared for. The characters and story weren't great to begin with, and so they end as such. But the production design of this final film makes it a bit more enjoyable to watch, and I appreciate the effort put into it.

VERDICT: 68 / 100

Looking Forward: FEBRUARY 2018

Peter Rabbit (Feb 9-USA, Mar 16-UK, Mar 8-Singapore)

               From the outset, this was a film that I could never say I am interested in. There is just something about CGI animals interacting with live people that is always hard to like (unless you are The Jungle Book). But maybe it is more of the goofiness of these types of film which puts me off. That being said, I do feel that if I watch this film, I won't be completely bored either. I like Domnhall Gleeson as an actor. Rose Byrne is pretty cool as well. Even the rabbits are voiced by some of my favourite actors, with the likes of James Corden, Daisy Ridley, Matt Lucas, etc. Despite the fact that I don't like the look of the film overall, there are things within the film that I like. And maybe the goofiness is what makes it entertaining to watch.

Trailers:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ahW0AP1ecxY (Trailer #1)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sYzpAL3mKB4 (Trailer #2)


Black Panther (Feb 16-USA, Feb 13-UK, Feb 15-Singapore)

              This is it. The stand out film of the month, and also my 2nd most anticipated film of the year. There is just no more way I can further emphasize my excitement for this film. The character himself T'Challa/Black Panther is easily the best character in Captain America: Civil War, and is now among my favourite superhero in the MCU. Add to that some very stellar cast in this film, including the return of one of my favourite actors alive - Andy Serkis, as Ulysses Klaue. And finally, the most exciting thing for me has to be to see Wakanda in the big screen. A technologically advanced nation in the midst of Africa. How cool is it to see a nation in the midst of the forest & jungles of Africa but littered with technological advancements like cloaking technology, etc.
                And if you have not seen the trailers, you are missing out. Especially that second trailer, which is super cool. Check it out!

Trailers:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nWkJg4qfZG8 (Teaser Trailer)
MUST SEE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oHLU3T-e2t4 (Trailer #1)


Game Night (Feb 23-USA, Mar 2-UK, Feb 22-Singapore)

               I actually didn't know about this film before, but then I saw the trailer, and I have to say, it looks pretty fun. When a comedy has that mix of action or mystery, it always become a bit more fun and meaningful. And though there looks to be some cheesy moments, there also some pretty funny moments. And the cast also looks great. Overall, I am not too convinced of how good this film will be, but there are good signs, and I am quite interested with this film.

Trailer:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=90a88XoQA8I (Trailer #1)


Other Movies:

               It is not often that a film based on a true story gets to be portrayed by the real people themselves, but that is the case with The 15:17 to Paris (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CFFZ3-jcQVs), which tells about the 2015 Thalys train attack, but more so about the lives of the people in it. The trailer is not bad, but I don't think the film appealed to me. This film will be out on February 9th.
               Also out on the same day is the concluding chapter of a trilogy I could not care about, Fifty Shades Freed (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O5RZEt3arI0). Yeah, that.
               Next up, out on February 16th, is a stop-motion animation film which stars the voices of Eddie Redmayne, Tom Hiddleston, and more. How cool is that? But the thing is, there is always something about stop-motion that puts me off. And unlike Kubo and the Two Strings (which I liked), this film Early Man (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eMD9_AKK_FI) does not quite appeal to me.
               Finally, out on February 23rd, is Annihilation (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yBWm4qpTRTQ), a science-fiction film which sounds interesting & promising from the premise, but somehow the trailer didn't really sell me.