If there was ever a trailer with the most sudden left turn ever, it would be this.
‘Mitchells vs The Machines’ (or ‘Connected’ as it was called when the trailer came out) is the next animated film by Sony and revolves around the Mitchell family. When their oldest daughter, Katie, is due to leave for college, her tech-hating Dad decides that the family are going to take a road trip there in order to help him reconnect with her.
However, it doesn’t go smoothly as a technological uprising has occurred.
Did that just sound really chaotic? Because that’s exactly how the trailer is! What starts off as a normal road trip-type film takes a sudden turn into the world of sci-fi and it does look structurally out of place. However, through its messiness, I can’t say I’m discouraged from seeing it.
After ‘Spiderman: Into the Spiderverse’ and ‘The Lego Movie’, I trust Sony when it comes to their animated films and this is no exception. Hopefully ‘Mitchells vs The Machines’ will continue the streak of good animated films that Sony have.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TW7jSnoEBlE
‘Mitchells vs The Machines’ will be in cinemas 9th October 2020
If it ain’t broke, don’t fix
it…however, it’s ok to spin a new direction on an already perfect film. And
this looks to be the case with 2020’s ‘Candyman’.
Written by Jordan Peele (‘Get Out’, ‘Us’) and directed by Nia DeCosta (‘Top Boy’), this entry in the franchise is a ‘spiritual’ sequel to the 1992 original and sees a new group of people discover the legend that is Candyman.
While I’m confused at this
film’s existence, I can also acknowledge that I am part of the problem: remakes
and sequels come out, I complain about them and then go and see them anyway.
And this is no exception.
This film looks creepy and tense! The trailer is a little too long, however it grips the viewer from the moment it starts and doesn’t let go. As well as this, the idea that an exhibition based on the legend has been set up is interesting too, and a new idea in the franchise. Even if it is a little reminiscent of the experiment done in 2017’s ‘Rings’.
Overall, I question the
existence of ‘Candyman 2020’ but can’t help but feel intrigued by it. Hopefully
the final film lives up to expectations laid out by the trailer…
Now that I’ve said his name 5
times, will you dare do the same?
‘Candyman (2020)’ will be in
cinemas 12th June 2020
‘The Green Knight’ is written and directed by David Lowery and stars Dev Patel (‘Lion’), Alicia Vikander (‘Ex Machina’) and Joel Edgerton (‘It Comes At Night’) and is a re-telling of the Arthurian poem ‘Sir Gawain and the Green Knight’.
This is the latest film released by distributor A24 and, despite IMDb categorizing it as a ‘fantasy romance’, this looks more like a horror film judging on the 1 minute 40 second trailer alone. A24 have always released mysterious trailers for the films they release, and this is no exception. Not much is given to us, and this makes the trailer mysterious and tense.
The trailer looks intriguing and I’m definitely interested in seeing more of this film.
‘The Green Knight’ will be in cinemas 29th May 2020.
Katz, Fenkel, and Hodges, prior to A24, worked in film and production, before leaving to eventually co-found the company, originally A24 Films, which specialized in film distribution. Starting off moderately in 2013 with A Glimpse Inside the Mind of Charles Swan III, the company’s growth started with the release of Spring Breakers later that year. They became better known after picking up the U.S. rights to Ex Machina and Room, and worldwide rights to The Witch, growing substantially since then. They entered into deals with DirecTV Cinema and Amazon Prime in late 2013, with some films distributed through them, and the name was shortened to A24 in 2016.
The Grudge (2020) Is Not Only Terrible, But Doesn’t Fit With The Franchise
I am a big fan of the ‘Grudge’ series. The original J-Horror
films (known as Ju-On) are fantastic, and even the original American remakes
are great. So, when the 2020 film was released, I was excited. I enthusiastically
went to the cinema to go and see this, blissfully ignorant of the bad reviews
the new entry had been constantly given.
I should’ve listened/read those reviews.
Because they were a warning; a warning to the complete abomination
that is ‘The Grudge’ (2020). As I came out of the cinema (where the audience
loudly exclaimed ‘what on Earth was that?!’ as the end credits started
rolling), I started thinking more and more about the film. And the more I
thought about what I had just witnessed, the more I realized that, not is the
film terrible, but it also doesn’t work as a ‘Grudge’ film. Before I talk about
why it doesn’t fit into the franchise, let’s talk about the film itself.
‘The Grudge (2020)’ is a complete misfire in every aspect possible. While it features some fantastic actors, the cast did their best with what little they were given. Andrea Riseborough (Mandy, Oblivion, Birdman) plays lead character Detective Muldoon, who becomes obsessed with the Grudge haunting, and accidently becomes cursed. While she really tries with nothing to do, it still isn’t enough, and she struggles to carry the film. Furthermore, the editing and pacing are a mess. Short shots were left in that went nowhere.
While the first two American remakes weren’t masterpieces of
horror, they were still decent, and they respected the source material. However,
this was because the original creator, Takashi Shimizu, was heavily involved in
the story and directed the two films. This film, however, had none of the
original team involved. It was also written and directed by a first-time
director Nicolas Pesce (his previous, and first piece of film work, was an
animated short). I’m not wanting to discourage first-time directors from making
a feature film; I usually support it. However, Pesce should’ve had another
writer or director overlooking the project in order to tighten the plot and
pacing. Especially given that this is the latest instalment of an 18-year old
franchise.
One aspect of a Horror film that is rarely done correctly is the jumpscare. They are a cheap way to startle its audiences and aren’t scary. Being startled and being scared are two different things and this film could really learn that lesson. One particular scene has a build-up that goes on for far too long, to the point where the audience in my cinema were getting audibly frustrated. And this type of scare is frequent throughout the film, making it dull and unimaginative as a Horror film.
As I mentioned earlier, not only is ‘The Grudge (2020)’ an
awful film, but it also doesn’t fit in with the rest of the franchise. Please
note that the below information may contain spoilers.
The film features three different storylines that take place across three different years. According to IMDb, this entry takes place between the storylines of the first two American ‘Grudge’ films. Which is fine…except ‘The Grudge 2’ was released nearly 14 years ago, making the timeline choices meaningless.
And, lastly, the whole plot shouldn’t even exist; the idea
of the Grudge curse is that once someone dies in a state of extreme rage or
sadness, their spirit stays in the place they died. If a person meets that
location, and furthermore, spirit then they become cursed. The film opens with
a woman who was working in the original house (that’s featured in the previous
films), stating that she can’t work there anymore. She then goes back to her
house and eventually kills her husband and daughter, moving the curse to her home.
Except it’s not a disease.
The woman who moved out of the original house shouldn’t have
been able to haunt her home and, therefore, curse the rest of her family by
killing them. The haunting of her daughter, Melissa, makes even less sense. The
reason for this is because the film never shows us that the husband and
daughter died in a state of extreme rage or sadness. If anything, they would’ve
felt a sense of confusion because the change in the woman’s behaviour happens
so quickly.
Overall ‘The Grudge (2020)’ is dull, unimaginative and
doesn’t work as a ‘Grudge’ film. Instead of seeing this, I would highly
recommend either the original Japanese films, or the previous American remakes.
Avoid this like it’s the actual curse.
6 months ago, a film called ‘The Hunt’ was delayed due to its untimely release date. While some speculated that it would never see the light of day, the new ‘official’ trailer has proved those wrong.
‘The Hunt’ sees twelve strangers unwillingly taken to a remote island, where people hunt Americans for sport. However, one of the victims knows the Hunters’ game better than they do.
This should’ve been called ‘The Purge 5’; the only difference is that it’s set in a closed-off environment, and this looks to be an ongoing event, according to the film. It also describes itself as a ‘satirical thriller’ but tries too hard to be funny and shoves its political agenda down your throat. And that’s just in the minute and a half trailer!
‘The Hunt’ looks more like a Syfy Channel movie than a Blumhouse production. Which is a shame as the premise did sound interesting, but over-the-top acting, a convoluted plot (from what’s in the trailer) and the constant political ‘messages’ it batters you with is frustrating. This is a ‘Purge’ rip-off I’ll be avoiding.
The film was originally scheduled for release on September 27, 2019. However, following the Dayton and El Paso mass shootings in early August 2019, Universal Pictures decided to shelve the release of the film. The decision came a day after criticism regarding the film came
