Trainspotting is my Favourite Danny Boyle film..

In my life I have seen a ton of Danny Boyle film and I have to say I think Trainspotting is his most memorable and greatest film… 

(Photo: original theatrical photo of Trainspotting, to the far left Robert Carlyle as Begbie, to the left Ewan McGregor as Mark Renton, in the middle Kelly Macdonald as Diane, to the right Johnny Lee Miller as Sick Boy and to the far right of the photo Ewen Bremner as Spud) 
By: Willis Sweeney 

6th December 2016 

Film Director Danny Boyle is a we established British film director who up and down the years has directed films such as 28 Days Later, Slumdog Millionaire, The Beach (which I didn’t really like at all), Steve Jobs and Trainspotting, not to mention he was a major awards season winner in 2009 after Slumdog Millionaire swept awards away at the Oscars and BAFTA’s. 

Out of all of his released films I find Trainspotting to be his greatest film asset why? It rather kick started his career, Ewan McGregors, Robert Carlyle’s, Johnny Lee Miller and Kelly Macdonald. 

Everyone should know the story of Trainspotting (the film version) by now it’s about a group of Scottish people who are living in a run down area in Edinburgh during the 1980s, the main Character Mark Renton (Played by Ewan McGregor) has tried quiting but the allure of drugs is too influential on him and his group of friends…

(Photo: behind the scenes photo of Johnny Lee Miller as Sick Boy to the left, in the middle Ewan McGregor as Mark Renton and to the right Kevin Mckidd as Tommy) 

Don’t worry in my personal opinion it doesn’t really sound like a very depressing drama film in parts it all although Heroin addicts and Junkies are nothing to be made fun out of these actors who portray people like that do a good job to make us laugh and make us feel sad at times during the film, the acting, the story and the setting making it one of the 90s most delightful British films and easily Danny Boyles most memorable one. 

And who doesn’t forget that perfect opening scene and the memorable Mark Renton”Choose Life” Quote 

(Photo: to the left Kelly Macdonald as Diane, to the right Ewan McGregor as Mark Renton) 

Although Ewan McGregor had parts in other films prior to this it helped launched his career and it ultimately got him a part as Obi Wan Kenobi in George Lucas’ Star Wars Prequels despite there divise critic and fan opinions it also too helped Macdonald with her career. 

While I’m anxious to see if T2: Trainspotting has any chance of wanting to be anywhere as good as the first then it better show us a mix of new and old stuff or it I’ll be less effective for us to remember Renton an the gang by, but this is Danny Boyle we are talking about he hardly has a bad film to his name (oh wait, The Beach wasn’t that great or memorable.) 

https://youtube.com/watch?v=8LuxOYIpu-I  (note: this trailer belongs to a user Movieclips Trailer vault on YouTube) 

All photos belong to Trainspottings IMDb page 

Why Westworld is a here to stay for a long time

By Willis Sweeney

3rd December 2016 (updated: 6th December 2016) 
Since Westworld aired in October 2016 it has surprised many with its plot twists and shocking concepts to episodes it has been dubbed the Game of Thrones of Sci-Fi as it has the same feel to it as Game of Thrones however this television can still take Game of Thrones’ place as one of HBO’s most popular television series of since The Sopranos or even The Wire. Unlike the Michael Crichton film of the same name Westworld also feels like it’s right for the time as that 1973 film of the same name did not as it felt to advanced for when it came out despite Star Trek and Star Wars being in or coming into Sci-Fi Pop culture within the next few years/ decades. 

Westworld has also with the addition of one or two included has expanded upon Westworlds plot by bringing in new characters, bring fan theories to life and giving us surprising endings.

You’ve been watching Westworld wrongly suggests fan theories it is hinted that William and Dolores meet each other somewhere in the middle of the timeline once they get stuck in a loop William loses the will to stop finding Dolores he grows old and he becomes The Man in Black, this is suggested During the last episode of the first series of Westworld. 

Maeve tries to also escape but has second thoughts as she wants to find out about her daughter, it is suggested from a line that Ford said earlier on in the episode that he programmed Dolores to later shoot up an event that him, Charlotte and a lot of others attend in the event Ford criticises her and them for there treatment of the park however during a point Through the speech Dolores kills him and a lot of other people in the crowd much to the shock of Bernard. 

With an ensemble cast you couldn’t really ask for a better one for a television series than the one we have been given. 

I also like that the television series relies on a mix of practical an visual effects but it also relies more on its acting an story which also is another reason why it has had comparisons to Game of Thrones. 

Cast: 

Evan Rachel Wood as Dolores Abernathy 

Anthony Hopkins as Dr Robert Ford 

Jeffrey Wright as Bernard Lowe 

Thandie Newton as Maeve Millay 

Ed Harris as The Man in Black/William 

Jimmi Simpson as Younger William 

Rodrigo Santoro as Hector Escaton 

James Marsden as Teddy Flood 

Ben Barnes as Logan 

Tessa Thompson as Charlotte Hale 

Clifton Collins JR as Lawrence 

Simon Quarterman as Lee Sizemore 
Verdict: 94/100 

Pros: 

– Catchy opening theme tune

– Strong cast and Production team behind it

– Great plot twists 

– Fan theories that some what come to light. 

Cons: 

– None 

All images belong to Westworlds IMDb page.

Why do you like Westworld feel free to comment below. 

Difficult decisions

In Film Awards History it must be difficult crowning the winner of The Best Picture award no matter if your The Academy, Hollywood Foreign Press Assosication who run the Golden Globes or BAFTA who are the British film awards which awards domestic and foreign films for excellence in film.

By Willis Sweeney 

4th December 2016

(Photo: Cropped photo of Tom Hanks as the titular character Forrest Gump.)

In the film year of 1994/95 The Academy must have had a to make a difficult decision when crowning that years Best Picture winner which Robert Zemeckis’ Forest Gump eventually won while Forrest Gump was a critical, financial and cult hit success many have questioned why didn’t Quentin Tarantinos Pulp Fiction or why didn’t Shawshank Redemption win as they fit into the same category of cult hit films that are still watched and debated about today.

Forrest Gump based on the Winston Groom novel or the same name tells the story of a man with a low IQ and good intentions and the remarkable journey which he embarks on…

Forrest Gump was a financial success making $677.9 Million on a budget of $55 Million. It was nominated for 13 Oscars winning 6, including best actor for Tom Hanks, Best Picture, Best Director for Robert Zemeckis and Best Visual Effects, it was nominated for 4 Golden Globes winning 3, and it was nominated for 7 BAFTA’s winning 1 in the Visual Effects category.

(Photo: to the left John Travolta as Vincent Vega and to the right Samuel L Jackson as Jules Winnfield.)

Pulp Fiction is a film which ultimately put Tarantino into the film map (sorry Reservoir Dogs fans I like that film too but Pulp Fiction in my opinion put Tarantino on the map) Pulp Fiction also revived John Travolta’s career after a string of flops and Razzie winning films in the 80s it also Revived Bruce Willis’ to some extent after he had a series of flops in the early 1990s, it also put Samuel L Jackson in to Hollywood stardom as he like his co-star Travolta and Uma Thurman were nominated for Acting Oscars and BAFTA’s, Many film critics have questioned why didn’t Samuel L Jackson win over Martin Landau who won for his performance as Béla Lugosi in Tim Burton’s biopic of one of cinemas worst film Directors titled ‘Ed Wood’.

Pulp Fiction was also a financial success as it made $213.9 Million Dollars on a budget of just $8.5 Million, Pulp Fiction was nominated for 7 Oscars winning one for the best original screenplay for both Quentin Tarantino and Roger Avary, it was nominated 6 Golden Globes winning the Best Screenplay award and it was nominated for 9 BAFTA’s winning 2, one for the Best Original Screenplay and Samuel L Jackson won the Best Actor in a Supporting Role award.

(Photo: to the left Tim Robbins as Andy Dufresne, to the right Morgan Freeman as Ellis Boyd ‘Red’ Redding in the Shawshank Redemption.)

The Shawshank Redemption on the other hand is based upon the Stephen King novel Rita Hayworth and The Shawshank Redemption the film tells the story of Andy Dufresne (Tim Robbins) a banker who is jailed for life at Shawshank State Penitentiary after he murdered his wife and her lover, during his time in prison he befriends an African American man referred to as Red (Morgan Freeman) he then gets involved in plots of money laundering and through there he plans his escape…

The Shawshank Redemption wasn’t exactly a complete financial success when it came out as it was made on a budget of $25 Million but in total only made $58 Million although it did end up with 7 Oscar nominations and 2 Golden Globe nominations.

The Shawshank Redemption, Pulp Fiction and Forrest Gump are all on the IMDb Top 250 films at Number 1,7 and 13 respectively.

Source: http://imdb.com/title/tt0111161/ / http://imdb.com/title/tt0110912/ / http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0109830/?ref_=nv_sr_1

All photos are from the respective films IMDb pages. 

It’s nearly Christmas and I’ll tell you why Die Hard is ironically my favourite Christmas film

Yes despite all of the classical Christmas films out there like It’s a Wonderful Life, Elf, The Nightmare Before Christmas, White Christmas and so on, Die Hard is my favourite Christmas film. 

Why you may ask? Let’s find out

(Photo: Cinematic Poster of Die Hard starring Bruce Willis as John McClane) 
By Willis Sweeney  

5th December 2016 

The first time I watched Die Hard I was about 15 even though in the UK it is rated an 18 some how although you can question that for its time when it came out here UK during the first half of 1989, it was really violent although for it to actually qualify for a modern day 18 rating   It would have likely had to have included a lot of sex or sexual acts in it too despite a character appearing to have sniffed cocaine during one scene in the film. 

So anyway For action films in the 1980s we had the lot we had Rambos, Lethal Weapons, The Terminators, Mad Max’s and James Bond films however Die Hard felt like a revitalising break from the likes of Stallone, Schwarzenegger and Seagal as it wasn’t a very traditional action film at the time as the film set at Christmas, the main character John McClane (played by Bruce Willis) was separated from his wife Holly McClane (Bonnie Bedelia) & kids although at the time Hollywoods go to villains was still actors pretending to be villainous Germans a little like Raiders of the Lost Ark which came out earlier on in the 1980s except because Die Hard is set in the late 1980s which at that point in time the villainous Germans would have presumably East Germans from East Germany rather than The Nazi Germans from Nazi Germany in early to late 1930s set Raiders of the Lost Ark, although Die Hard never explains what part of Germany Hans Gruber (played by the late Alan Rickman) are actually from. 

(Photo: Behind the scenes of Die Hard, to the front right Bruce Willis as (John McClane) speaks to director John McTiernan to the left at the back and Cinematographer Jan De Bont at the front to the left) 

Die Hard revolves around a man John McClane a NYPD policeman who is separated from his wife Holly & kids, he goes to visit them for Christmas on a flight from New York to Los Angeles he stops of at his ex wife’s work known in the film as Nakatomi Plaza, but things take a turn for the worst and German terrorists take a majority of the building hostage John as a one man army is tasked with taking them down in his own… 

Die Hard when it was first released many thought it was just another action film when released in the late 1980s it proved to be a box office success for its time and for its star Bruce Willis who was previously known back then for Television series Moonlighting, As time went on Bruce Willis’ career went on and Die Hard had 4 sequels, the second one was set at Christmas time like the first before it except it was set mainly in Washington Dulles airport and John McClane tries to avert a disaster from happening, the third Die Hard with a Vengeance is set in New York City and John has to stop an old foes young brother from stealing millions from New York’s central banks, the 4th film Live Free and Die Hard brings John into the modern world and it involves him joining forces with a young hacker to bring down a cyber terrorist while the 5th and less well received A Good Day to Die Hard involves John going to Moscow in Russia in order to bring down an organisation after hearing about his sons arrest it was panned for its tiring script, it’s acting and  many complained the action was rather unrealistic at best. 

What do you think of Die Hard and its sequels let us know feel free to comment if you want.

All photos belong to The IMDb page Die Hard 

‘Let’s talk about Jon Snow and Daenerys Targaryen’

(Spoilers please read at your own risk…)

By: Willis Sweeney

5th December 2016

(Photo: Background Nathalie Emmanuel as Missandei, to the left Peter Dinklage as Tyrion Lannister and Emilia Clarke as Daenerys Targaryen during the Season 6 finale of Game of Thrones)
At the end of the Sixth Season of Game of Thrones we finally Saw Daenery Targaryen (Emilia Clarke) finally sales to Westeros with her army presumably to join up with forces in order to take down the Lannister and potentially forfil her destiny like her father the Mad King and sit on the Iron Throne.

Mean while during Season 6 and before it premiered we always suspected that Melisandre (Carice Van Houten) would resurrect Jon Snow (Kit Harrington) as it several set photos and fan theories had stated and they came true, it was finally revealed during the 6th season that Jon Snow was infact adopted by Ned and he was Ned’s Nephew not his son and that he was Rhaegar Targaryens son making Jon Snow the Nephew of Daenerys.

(Photo: To the left Kit Harrington as Jon Snow, to the right Emilia Clarke as Daenerys Targaryen in a online leaked set photo from filming the 7th Season of Game of Thrones)

Many think in Season 7 judging by recent leaked set photos that we will see Jon Snow and Daenerys finally meet and at  they will becomes lovers despite being blood related although in Game of Thrones by now we’re use now to family related relationships (because Cersei and Jaime), many also think they will team up with the Sands and remaining Tyrell’s to try and remove Cersei Lannister from the Iron Throne although they I’ll have some competition from Yara Greyjoy’s(Gemma Whelan)  Uncle Euron Greyjoy (Pilou Asbæk).

With Game of Thrones and other recent HBO television show Westworld having so called fan theories coming to light on are screens let’s hope these fan theories that circle the internet are true… 

Even though the supposed online leaked script was leaked I’m not going to put on here as it may differ from the actual TV series when it is eventually leaked although 9 times out of 10 last season most leaks and fan theories came true.

What do you think of Game of Thrones and what do you hope to happen in Season 7 and 8 let us know on the comments ?

Call me too modern but I think Mad Max: Fury Road is the best film from the Mad Max Quadrilogy

Yes I said it I think Mad Max: Fury Road is the best film from The Mad Max Franchise….

(Photo: Theatrical Poster of Mad Max: Fury Road)
By Willis Sweeney

4th December 2016

Until Mad Max: Fury Road came out in May 2015, the best film in the franchise was Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior or most people and critics considered that to be the best Mad Max film out of the first 3 George Miller directed Mel Gibson Starring Post Apocalyptic Action films.

However since the 1980s Mel Gibson has moved on from the titular character in film terms by starring in the Lethal Weapon film series and by directing films like Braveheart, Passion of The Christ and Hacksaw Ridge.

George Millers 4th Mad Max film was stuck in development for more than 25+ years, in the summer of 2010 Tom Hardy announced on Friday Night with Jonathan Ross (before it moved over from the BBC to ITV and was later renamed The Jonathan Ross Show) that he would take over the mantle from Mel Gibson.

Production of Mad Max: Fury Road actually started in summer of 2012 shooting in various locations including Namib Desert, Namibia, Sydney and Cape Town, South Africa, filming wrapped in December of that year but later underwent reshoots.

Warner Bros later give it a May 2015 release date.

I went to see Mad Max: Fury Road in cinema’s with my cousin in the first week it was out at the time the critics reviews had it at around 97% on Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic had it out around 90 out of 100 so i thought mmmm this must be as good as the originals.

I watched it in standard IMAX rather than in IMAX 3D because i think 3D is a waste of money.

(Photo: To the left Tom Hardy as Max Rockatansky, to the right Charlize Theron as Furiosa in Mad Max: Fury Road.)

I genuinely never expected a film to be so action packed and great looking in terms of its camera shots, cinematography, its mix of practical and digital effects, the cast was also great Tom Hardy while he did not have much to say was pretty good in the titular role although by now we should expect that because Mel Gibson’s version of Mad Max was similar in a way that he was quiet, Charlize Theron as Furiosa absolutely killed it how she was never nominated for a Best Actress or Best Supporting Actress Oscar or BAFTA i will never know its probably one of the best roles of her career, her character was so great she was like Ripley from the Alien Franchise she was that good a character.

Mad Max: Fury Road also got nominated for 10 Oscars including Best Picture and Director although it ended up winning 6 in the technical categories, it was nominated for 2 Golden Globes and it was nominated for 7 BAFTA’s Winning 4 mainly in the technical categories.

Hopefully soon Warner Bros and George Miller will announce if the Sequel that is supoosedly titled Mad Max: Wasteland will be up and running out of the production room.
What did you think of Mad Max: Fury Road?, Let Us Know.

Source: http://imdb.com/title/tt1392190/ 

Photos are also credited to Mad Max: Fury Road’s IMDb page. 

My Personal Top 10 Favourite television Series of 2016 & why

By: Willis Sweeney 

3rd December 2016

Here i am writing my favourite television series that have either aired or continued to air television series of 2016: (this list contains SPOILERS from television shows so read at your own risk)

10: Orphan Black (Season 4)

Plot: Season 4 takes a complete U-Turn from Season 3 and goes back to its original routes this time we find Sarah Manning trying to flee from the organisation called Dyad that are run by her clone sister Rachel who is trying to take her and everyone she loves out although it ultimately leads Sarah down a path of discovery of something that Beth Childs who lead Sarah down this path to start off with…

Why? This is the series that ultimately showed off why leading actress Tatiana Maslany deserved her Emmy nomination and win this year because she is one of the most up and coming and underrated actress out there that in future film & television projects should get cast more often   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7kfh74Sy_pU  *Orphan Black returns for its 5 and final season in March or April of 2017 it is available on Netflix for UK viewers, BBC America in the US and on Space Network in Canada

Score: 85/100 

9: The Americans (Season 4)

Plot: the fourth Season of The Americans by now is set in the well established Ronald Reagan era of the Cold War spy drama, Only this time Phillip & Elizabeth Jennings seem more paranoid than ever after their oldest Daughter Paige found out what her parents really do for a living which is that they are Undercover KGB agents trying to act like an average American family while at the same time trying to spy on The US Government, back in Russia after Nina is imprisoned for Treason against her country FBI agent Stan learns of her demise while at the same time the FBI are trying to find out about the mole that is leaking within the FBI leading to a certain someone to fleeing from the US….

Why? The development of the plot has allowed The Americans to transition into a new Season which may see a turn for the worst for are the two undercover KGB agents (Phillip & Elizabeth), the acting, all around plot and some of mix of historical and fictional aspects to the story make this a memorable Season of The Americans to remember again an again. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IuhUIxZqR5I  *The Americans Returns for a 5th Season most likely in March or April 2017 it airs in the UK on ITV Encore and on FX in the US.

Score: 86/100 

8: The People vs OJ Simpson: American Crime Story (Anthology Series)

Plot: This Television series shows us the events of June 1994 when NFL superstar  OJ Simpson is accused of murdering his second wife Nicole Brown Simpson it also shows us the events leading up to his trial which became one of the most infamous in US History…

Why? this television series had an amazing ensemble cast lead by Cuba Gooding JR as OJ Simpson, Sarah Paulson a regular in Ryan Murphy created Television shows also steals the show with her performance as Head Prosecutor against OJ Simpson Marcia Clark amongst the cast also features John Travolta, David Schwimmer & Courtney B Vance amongst many others who’s performances stand out although John Travolta’s was 50/50 reaction to his performance as OJ’s Lawyer Robert Shapiro i thought it was a good performance and it should lead to a second career revival for Travolta nevertheless…  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nAyn1gDBc7s  *The People vs OJ Simpson aired on BBC Two in the UK and on FX in the United States.

Score: 88/100

7: The Night Manager (Mini-Series)

Plot: Jonathan Pine played by Tom Hiddleston is a Night Manager for a hotel in Cairo during the Arab Spring he is recruited by the British Government into trying to inflitrate a British Billionaire Richard Roper played by Hugh Laurie, Business deals into illegal arms sales…

Why? Although many have said it is completely different from the John Le Carre Novel, it has rather changed setting to adapt into the modern day world, it also has outstanding acting from leading stars Tom Hiddleston, Hugh Laurie and Elizabeth Debicki along with Broadchurch actress Olivia Colman who plays Angela Burr who is responsible with Hiring Pine to take down Roper an his illegal arms sales… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g-ZcaKdvML8   *The Night Manager aired on BBC One in the UK and on AMC in the United States.

Score: 90/100 

6: Mr Robot (Season 2)

Plot: Set during the Aftermath of The E-Corp Company Hacking which saw Tyrell Wellick flee in order to avoid jail time, Elliot has gone off the grid and The FBI is now involved with the investigation into the F Society Hacking of E Corp…

Why? The Second season pushes for a Darker tone, more time with our favourite characters including Elliot and Mr Robot along with a few others including his sister Darlene and his childhood friend Angela, the show also introduces us to newer characters one FBI agent named Dom who is played by Grace Gummer is tasked with investigating into the E Corp hack and finding out a lot more about F Society… the acting as always is superb, the stories are a times surreal but believable in computer hacking terms and the ending of the series leaves us wondering what next?….. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7g8JJp0cJ50  *Mr Robot airs on Amazon Prime in the UK, it is also repeated on the Universal Channel, it airs on USA Network in the United States, the third series is due out in the summer of 2017.

Score: 91/100 

5: Stranger Things (Season 1)

Plot: set in a small town in Indiana during the early Winter of 1983, it see’s the disappearance of a 12 year old boy named Will Bryers who mysteriously goes missing, his frantic mother named Joyce played by Winona Ryder along with the local police and his friends go searching for him while at the same time they uncover a rather sinister government secret while at the same time discovering the supernatural events that is happening around them….

Why? Easily one of Netflix’s newest an greatest television shows that gives us a throw back to all the nostalgic things of the 1980s that included John Carpenter and Steven Spielberg films of that era as well as taking inspiration from video games… the acting from the child actors and well known actors a like is something to be told and the ending gives us an exciting conclusion that i’ll lead us into a supposedly great second season…  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BKLI6zAuhiA  *Stranger Things Aired on Netflix worldwide and is currently available for viewing on Netflix. Season 2 will air sometime in late spring or in summer of 2017.

Score: 92/100 

4: The Night Of (Mini Series)

Plot: Naz Khan is a Pakistani American student who After a night of Partying with a female stranger in his fathers cab wakes up to find her stabbed to death an he is framed for her murder leading him to fall down to a dark path while he has a small time lawyer who tries his best to defend Naz all the way down to the wire..

Why? in a year when television series and new series have dominated The Night of and The Night Manager have shown to be stand out dramas that feature top notch acting, storytelling and it makes all those episodes of Law and Order look cartoonish in comparison… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=556N5vojtp0

Score: 94/100 

3: Black Mirror (Season 3)

Plot: As you know by now Black Miror is a Sci-Fi Dystopian Satire anthology television series that explores themes of dark futures, a future with techology, how it can have an effect on us and themes of love an friendship… the first episode explores a world with technology where they live in a world with smarthones and through them smart phones they can rate people based on their personality or looks, the second episode see’s an American traveller end up in a British facility and ends up testing out a nightmarish virtual reality headset, the third episode see’s a young teen get into trouble after computer hackers hack the computer he is using through there they catch him doing a sex act infront of a web camera, they release it over the web and a man named Hector sets out to protect the boy, the fourth episode named San Junipero explores themes of techology and love but also visits the past tense and in my opinion is the best episode of the entire lot, the fifth episode is set in a military like camp where soliders are brainwashed into thinking they signed up for the army to fight these weird zombies  referred to as Roaches when in fact they are killing innocent people.. the sixth and final episode shows us themes of online social network trolling along with themes of AI if it got into the hands of the wrong people….

Why? this season of Black Mirror featured some of the best sci-fi we have seen for a while it also shows us the dark side of technology in most instances and it shows us a possible glimpse into are future if we become to obsessed by it.. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jDiYGjp5iFg*Black Mirror is available on Netflix worldwide, a 4th season has been confirmed for release some time in 2017. 

Score: 96/100 

2: Westworld (Season 1)

Plot: Westworld is a reimagining of Michael Crichton’s 1973 Sci-Fi Western of the same name, the plot takes place around a fictional theme park named Westworld that has advanced technology and is populated by synthetic androids called Hosts, Westworld caters to investors and rich vistors called guests who can do whatever they wish within the virtual word of Westworld, although there is a dark side to the creator of these hosts Dr Robert Ford there is also a dark side to the Hosts that might just destroy humanity..

Why? Westworld is one of them rich Sci-FI Western Television shows that proves that the two can mix it also has deep story telling and fan theories that mainly come to light with shocking results that i’ll leave you wanting more, it also features an all around amazing ensemble cast including Anthony Hopkins, Thandie Newton, Jeffrey Wright, Evan Rachel Wood, Ed Harris, Jimmi Simpson and many others…. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IuS5huqOND4 *Westworld currently airs on Sky Atlantic in The UK and on HBO in the United States, Westworld has currently been renewed for a second season that is due to be released some time later in 2017 or in early 2018.

Score: 96/100 

1: Game of Thrones

Plot: This 6th Season of George RR Martins adapted books from A Song of Ice and Fire have taken it up a touch fromthe previous this season we see Jon Snow rise from his demise, the fall of an death Ramsey Bolton, the reunion of the starks, Cersei’s plot to rule of Westeros by using the same idea’s a certain mad king once used to crush his enemies and Daenerys finally finds her way to Westeros with her massive army along with a few allies leading to a possibly great last two series….

Why? more character interaction less over reliance on sex and cutting edging story telling and visual effects all excites fans like me of this television series making me wonder whats next you could look at the novels for that but as we learned nothing is certain not even most things that happened in the novel…. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yu8eRaq1FUM  *Game of Thrones currently airs on Sky Atlantic in the UK and on HBO in the United States, the 7th Season is due to air in June 2017 and the 8th and final season is due to air sometime in spring or summer of 2018.

Score: 97/100 

 

Thanks for reading hope you enjoyed feel free to leave your comments underneath as long as they aren’t abusive or nasty.

 

Why Homeland Season 5 had me feeling optimistic about Season 6

By Willis Sweeney

4th December 2016

I’m one of those who’s only just started watching Homeland now and I thought the first two seasons of Espionage Based drama were incomparably brilliant full of drama, breathtaking plot twists and unsuspected character deaths along the way, the third season was a good but the pace of it and the way they killed off Nicholas Brody (played by Damian Lewis) although we all suspected during sometime or another that his character was always going to go.

Season 4 on the other hand started off good but the last episode was really shallow and boring not to mention it can’t handle the pressure of being Homeland in that universe at first it can’t cope without the shows former prisoner of war/marine soldier/congressman/ terrorist Nicholas Brody as in the 7th Episode had him come back in Carrie Mathisons illusion.

Season 4 also saw Carrie Quit the CIA because of disagreements with Saul and with the future head of CIA Dar Adal, at the same time it also saw her meet her mother after almost a decade out of Carrie’s life, in Season 5 Carrie works as head of security for a German billionaire while at the same time trying to raise her daughter Frannie in The German capital of Berlin, Season 5 mainly focuses on themes that reflected on real life events such as the European Migrant Crisis, The Edward Snowden NSA file leaks, The Charlie Hebdo shootings, ISIS and the troubles in the Middle East.

(Photo: Alexander Fehling as Jonas Hollander and Claire Danes as Carrie Mathison in Season 5 of Homeland)

In Season 5 we also see that Carrie becomes a target for terrorists after a trip to a refugee camp on the Lebanese-Syrian Border, Classified CIA documents fall into the wrong hands, Saul recruits several assignments for Quinn to assisinate specific threats, an unsuspected traitor is revealed within the CIA’s Berlin station and there is a terrorist plot to blow up and reign chaos in Berlin Tegel or in Berlin Hauptbahnof in which both the CIA and the Federal Intelligence Service (BND) have to work together to bring down….

(Photo: Rupert Friend as Peter Quinn at the back, Mandy Patinkin as Saul Berenson to the left and Claire Danes as Carrie Mathison to the right, promotional photo of The 5th Season of Homeland.)

Season 5’s choice setting Berlin i felt it was a fresh and smart choice rather than set it in America or near the Middle East as it was in Season 4, Season 5 is rather fast to get off the ground although a bumpy ride in terms of the pace of the episodes it manages to return to the suspense we’ve come to associate with the earlier episodes of the television series as ever the casting is spot on with Claire Danes, Mandy Patinkin and Rupert Friend being as ever present cast members this season sees new additions to the cast such as Miranda Otto who plays Allison Carr who is the CIA’s chief of station in Berlin, Nina Hoss plays Astrid a former lover of Quinn’s who works for the Federal Intelligence Service, Alexander Fehling who plays Jonas Hollander a German legal counsel who works at the During foundation with Carrie and who is also her boyfriend and we see Sarah Sokolovic who plays an American journalist in Berlin who also is a colleague of Carrie’s an Jonas she is suspected of being apart of the CIA documents leak.

(Photo: Promotional Photo of Claire Danes as Carrie Mathison for Homeland Season 6)

Homeland Season 6 returns in January 2017 on showtime in the United States however Channel 4 in the UK have yet to announce a premiere date for Season 6

Homeland is due to conclude with back to back series in 2018 with Season 7 and in 2019 with Season 8 let’s hope we can have at least one more Season set outside of the states before it officially concludes and let’s hope for more shocks and twists espionage spy drama along the way…

Sources of Interest: http://imdb.com/title/tt1796960/  / http://m.imdb.com/title/tt1796960/

10 Films to look out for in 2017

With 2016 being a mixed year for film as many said there was too many unnecessary sequels and reboots that came out in the calendar year 2017 looks the same but that doesn’t stop us from having optimism about the year ahead releases. (UK Releases only) (sorry)

By Willis Sweeney

3rd December 2016

10) Guardians of The Galaxy Vol 2

(After the surprise that was Guardians of The Galaxy I can’t wait to see Star Lord and his gang of anti-hero misfits go hunting across the galaxy to find out where he actually came from and who’s out to battle the guardians this time, hopefully we I’ll get some tie ins to Thor: Ragnarok and Avengers: Infinity War along the way.)

Release date: 28th April 2017

9) Lego Batman Movie

(Lego Movie was another one of 2014s biggest surprises being one of the best animated films that Warner Bros have made it shockingly wasn’t nominated for a Best animated feature Oscar nomination either, Lego Batman is a spin off to that film it will be judging from what I have seen in the trailer it will be a typical batman film but will have more of a comedic look to it with Will Arnett, Zach Galifinakis, Ralph Fiennes & Rosario Dawson being amongst the voice cast it’s also a guaranteed cash grab even if it is coming out sometime during when Fifty Shades Darker is released.)

Release date: 10th February 2017

8) Spider-Man: Homecoming

(The Marvel Cinematic Universe is finally going to welcome Spider-Man in his first solo film into this billion dollar franchise, This version of Spider-Man will not be an origins story but it will see him trying to balance his life as high school student Peter Parker and as Spider-Man. Tom Holland portrays the titular hero with Michael Keaton, Bokeem Wodnine and Logan Marshall Green being three of the films villains, Robert Downey Jr reprises his role as Iron Man from from previous MCU films, Marisa Tomei plays Aunt May and Zendaya complete this long ensemble cast.)

Release Date: 7th July 2017

7) T2: Trainspotting

(Allegedly 20 years or so after Mark Renton had gotten of with £16,000 in cash of a drug deal, he returns to Scotland in order to make amends with old friends although Begbie is also one of them who is going to be after Mark after stealing the 16,000 grand and not leaving him a single penny… while some films of this calibre may not need sequels I am some what optimistic that this can be a good follow up to the original classic that is Trainspotting.) (Choose Life!)

Release Date: 27th January 2017

6) A Monster Calls

(Based on the Patrick Ness novel of the same name who also writes the screenplay to this film adaptation it will see a young school boy named Conor trying to deals with the illness of his mother and bullying problems, he then encounters a giant tree referred to as Monster (voiced by Liam Neeson) . This film stars an exciting cast of Felicity Jones, Toby Kebbell & Sigourney Weaver.)

Release Date: 1st January 2017

5) Alien: Covenant

(In 2012 Ridley Scott released his long awaited Prequel to The Alien franchise unfortunately Prometheus in my opinion was a half decent film but it lacked in terms of story development although Michael Fassbender was expertly cast as the android named David, hopefully this time we will see a film that can genuinely concentrate on the horror aspects of the Alien Franchise as well as the science fiction aspects of Too.)

Release Date: 19th May 2017

4) Kong: Skull Island

(Another King Kong reimagining however this time it’s set in a Pacific Island jungle in the 1970s, it features a cast of Samuel L Jackson, Tom Hiddleston, Brie Larson, John Goodman and Toby Kebbell etc..)

Release Date: 10th March 2017

3) Dunkirk

(Christopher Nolan films are always something to get us excited especially when he has finally gone on to doing something that is completely different from Batman, Science Fiction based films or General Neo Noir films, this film will be set in World War II and is centred around the Dunkirk Evacuation which saw the European Allied powers evacuate soldiers from the hands of Nazi Germanys grasp.. the film will Star: Tom Hardy, Kenneth Branagh, Cillian Murphy, Mark Rylance and surprisingly Harry Styles.)

Release Date: 21st July 2017

2) Hacksaw Ridge

(This World War II set film directed by Mel Gibson sees a soldier fighting in the Battle of Okinawa one of the bloodiest battles of World War II save 75 men without firing or carrying a gun, from what I’ve heard from various critic reviews I am excited to see if this Mel Gibson film lives up to the hype that’s been surrounded by it.)

Release Date: 27th January 2017

1) Star Wars Episode 8

(A continuation of the force awakens that will follow the story of Rey and her quests to become a Jedi Knight by legendary Jedi Luke Skywalker while the rebellion forces go all out on the evil galactic empire, Sith Lord Kylo Ren seeks revenge on Rey while at the same time wanting to look for his uncle Luke… The Force Awakens was a sequel 30+ years in the making and I thought it never let the fans of the franchise down while also managing to pass the mantle onto a new generation let’s hope Episode 8 can live up to the already built up hype.)

Release Date: 15th December 2017

Why The Dark Knight will always be the Best Batman film no matter the quality of actor who is playing Batman.

By Willis Sweeney 

3rd December 2016 

The Dark Knight is often considered the best of Christopher Nolan’s Batman films and I can’t help but follow the crowd and agree. 

Why? Because it has the best portrayal by an actor portraying a Supervillain in film and it has already gone down in film history as one of the greatest and yes I am Talking about Heath Ledgers posthumous portrayal of Batmans famous archenemy The Joker. 

It also has a superb story an script to go along with The Joker’s psychotic and chaotic persona where Cesar Romero in the Batman television series of the 1960s and Jack Nicholsons Gangster ish portrayal of the characters were good for there time but Heath Ledger made the character reborn for the modern day world because he was less of a character of actual laughter instead he brought chaos and mayhem to are favourite Caped Crusader and Gotham. 

Harvey Dents/ Two Face Origin story is finally brought to live action Batman films which is something Warner Bros should have done more than a decade previously but they ended up recasting Harvey Dent who was originally played by Billy Dee Williams but then was recast and Tommy Lee Jones later played a cartoonish version of the character 

The Dark Knights use of Practical and digital effects although not the stand out part of the film were also a delight to see too. 

In 2008 just before The Dark Knight was released the trailers and marketing that was released for the film was rather good as it gave a good example of how not to give your entire plot away in one trailer which film marketing teams behind the likes The Amazing Spider-Man 2 and Terminator Genisys did not learn although you can’t entirely blame them for the messes that are them films.

https://youtu.be/_PZpmTj1Q8Q (Original Theatrical Dark Knight Trailer) 

The Dark Knight in my verdict should have been nominated for The Best Picture Oscar and Best Director if it would have been it would have broken the barrier between what films that do and don’t interest the Academy. 

Score: 99/100 

Pros: 

– Heath Ledgers portrayal 

– good script with a dark story.

– it has practical stunts 

– it doesn’t overly rely upon CGI 

– Maggie Gyllenhaals Portrayal of Rachel Dawes is more believable than Katie Holmes’ 

– Harvey Dents Origin story

Cons: 

– Absolutely None.