Sunday 30 June 2013

Iron Man 3 VS Man of Steel - Which Is Better?


2013 has been a fantastic year for superhero films so far with the success of both 'Man of Steel' and 'Iron Man 3'. DC have finally proved that they can begin building a viable cinematic universe outside of the Batman canon and Marvel's showed that a threequel can sometimes be pretty awesome. 

But what I want to know is which film was best? Whether you're a die hard comic fan or just a casual cinema-goer, which movie left you wanting more? To help you guys out, I've broken the films down into six different categories and have chosen a winner for each. Read on for help in making this key life decision and then let me know your answer by voting in the poll to your left.

Tuesday 25 June 2013

World War Z Review (2013) How Did Brad Pitts' Hair Stay So Shiny?


'World War Z' has finally made it to the big screen after a number of setbacks and reported disputes between director Marc Foster and producer/star Brad Pitt. Here's how I think their discussions might have gone;

Foster: 'World War Z' is an incredible book.
Pitt: I couldn't agree more. I love how the plot keeps switching between the stories of different survivors.
Foster: I'd love to keep the political undertones intact so our film isn't just a generic summer blockbuster.
Pitt: That sounds perfect.
Foster: Oh but actually, won't that give us problems with international distributors? 
Pitt: Yeah but who cares? We have to keep the film true to the book.
Foster: Yeeeeeeeeah, I know but... Let's just ignore the book completely and keep the title. That way, we can still have a huge hit on our hands. I'm sure the fans won't mind...
Pitt: Whatever. Let's just finish the damn thing.

Saturday 22 June 2013

Robyn Has Two New Videos Out! Which One Is Best? U Should Know Better or Go Kindergarten?


Despite claiming that she won't be releasing new material this year, Swedish pop star Robyn has two new videos out that demand your attention. First up is a duet with Snoop Dogg called 'U Should Know Better'. It might be hard to imagine the pair together but after hearing this track, I wouldn't be surprised if an entire duets album is on the cards. The song was a highlight from 'Body Talk Pt 2', which seems strange as that album was released almost three years ago but the video makes up for the long wait, with its bizarre gender bending antics and a surprise cameo from Robyn herself. Don't blink or you'll miss it.

Wednesday 19 June 2013

General Zod Was Great But Which Villain Should Superman Face In Man Of Steel 2?


In the world of comics, there's a popular notion that Superman's rogues gallery is pretty lame and when you compare his villains to the likes of the Joker or Magneto, it can be hard to disagree. However, when you delve further into the comics, you might realise that there's more classic Superman adversaries out there than you would think. Michael Shannon did a stellar job of portraying General Zod in the new 'Man Of Steel' movie so it got me thinking; who will Big Blue face in the inevitable sequel? Here are my five picks; See if you agree...

Sunday 16 June 2013

Whatever Happened To RnB? - Teairra Mari


Remember when City High had a promising career and The Black Eyed Peas were just a small time hip-hop act? In this weekly feature, I take a look back at some of the best RnB artists of yesteryear, sharing their signature videos and underrated hits, as well as looking at what's happening in RnB today. Previous posts have focussed on the Honeyz comeback, a retrospective on Lumidee's career and new videos from Frank Ocean and Ciara. Today the spotlight is on one of RnBs most underrated artists, Teairra Mari.


Signed to Def Jam at just 16, Teirra Mari recorded and released her debut album in 2005. 'Roc-A-Fella Records Presents...Teairra Mari' generated some buzz with its lead single but after average sales, the young singer was dropped from her label and has failed to make an impact on the charts since. Teairra Mari showed a lot of promise when she first hit the scene with her sweet vocals and hip-hop swagger so it's a shame that the singer has been unable to release an official follow-up yet. With talk of a second album on the horizon, now is the perfect time to look back at Teairra's best songs to date.


Saturday 15 June 2013

Was After School's New Video for First Love Worth The Wait?


Forget the Sugababes. K-pop girl group After School change their line up more times than Psy rides his imaginary horse. New release 'First Love' marks the first time that the band haven't changed their line up since they started back in 2009. Personally, I find it hard to imagine how a group could build up a fan base if their members are constantly changing but After School are big news on the k-pop scene. After releasing a number of teasers, the highly anticipated promo for 'First Love' has finally been released and its racked up over 500, 000 views after just only a few days on Youtube. But why's it so popular I hear you ask?

Thursday 13 June 2013

Waking Sleeping Beauty (2009) Or How Mickey Mouse Almost Went On The Dole


2009 was a huge year for animation, where critically acclaimed releases such as 'Up', 'Coraline' and 'The Secret Of Kells' fought for the honour of Best Animated Feature at the Oscars. It's ironic then that one of the years most underrated documentaries explored Disney's triumphant comeback of the early 90s, including the Oscar nominated 'Beauty and the Beast', which is the only hand-drawn animation to date that's received a best picture nod.  

Saturday 8 June 2013

Obstruction 1: Imagine A World Where Avengers Assemble Sucked!


Over at www.myfilmviews.com, a new event has begun, titled the 5 Obstructions Blogathon. The theme of the first month is to write either a positive review of a movie you don't like or a negative review of a movie you love. After much deliberation, I've decided to write a negative review for my favourite film of 2012, 'Avengers Assemble'. It's going to be tough but then that's the whole point! To read more about the blogathon, click here

Sunday 2 June 2013

Star Trek: Into Darkness Review (2013) Is It Just For Geeks?


Star Trek. Two words that have struck joy into the hearts of geeks everywhere since the mid 1960s. Loving Star Trek openly used to be a cause for embarrassment but these days? I know loads of people who can tell the difference between their Spocks and their Kirks, even though half of them don't even like science fiction. So what's changed? 

Well Kirk has definitely got hotter but the real reason is JJ Abrams. The director's 2009 reboot of the failing franchise became a huge smash that appealed to the action hungry mainstream while still satisfying the hardcore Trekkie audience. No easy feat. But what about the new sequel 'Star Trek: Into Darkness'?


Saturday 1 June 2013

How Many Times Can One Man Say "Old Sport"? The Great Gatsby Review (2013)

 
'The Great Gatsby' is considered to be one of the all-time greatest American novels and it is certainly F.Scott Fitzgerald's most influential work, so why has it been so hard to adapt successfully? The fifth - that's right, fifth -movie adaptation has been out in cinemas for a few weeks now and unfortunately, the general response has not been as positive as everyone expected. I had high hopes when it was originally announced that Baz Luhrmann would be taking the reins, but not even the director of 'Romeo & Juliet' and 'Moulin Rouge' could make a good film out of the original source material. So where did it all go wrong? How did bland old Tobey Maguire win such a key role in the film? How did the 'roaring 20s' come across as so bloody boring? And seriously, how many times can one man say "Old Sport"?