This blog is going through come changes!

I've neglected this blog FAR too much ever since... well, ever since I got it if I'm honest. But that's all going to change, this blog isn't just for film reviews anymore! This blog is going to be much more like my vlog channel, which is HERE if you haven't already seen it. From now on, this blog is going to be an extension of my vlog channel, where I'm going to post things about my writing, writing in general, and possibly a few reviews too.
Mainly, what I want this blog to be is a blog about writing. Good writing, bad writing, semi-reasonable writing, all of it. I want to talk in detail about amazing plot lines, beautiful dialogue, the things I wished I'd thought of in the past. Anything like that, I want to praise good writers from the rooftops and encourage others out there to start writing too. Being a writer is a lonely thing for most of us, I want to close that gap and start up discussions about the wonderful thing that is story telling.
Another thing I want to start here is a 'Things I Would Have Done Differently' because not all writing is infallible. For so long now, I've been sprouting nonsense about 'if I was the showrunner/author/writer I would have done it this way instead of like this' so I'm actually going to start doing that. If I think someone could have handled a story line, or a character, or anything like that, better, I will be pointing it out in a hopefully amusing way. Only time will tell if that's true, but for now, I'm hoping for amusement, if not agreement.
So currently that's the changes to this blog, to hopefully bring it to life and get some content on it, and add another facet to my youtube channel.
I hope you enjoy what is to come.

Age Of Ultron Is A Marvel

Again, long time, no see. There hasn't really been a film or TV show I've wanted to review for a while, but right now, I have to get my feelings out about Marvel's latest Avengers film - Age Of Ultron.
I was lucky enough to go to the midnight showing of the film last night, and having only just woken up, I'm still in a state of shock. Last night there were no words to describe just how incredible the Age Of Ultron is, but today, I think I can manage some at the least. Let's start with the obvious:
THIS FILM IS THE BEST THING MARVEL HAVE EVER DONE!
I'm not even overstating this either, Age Of Ultron is a masterpiece of cinema, possibly Joss Whedon's best work (and there's a lot of amazing work to compare to). This film revolves around obviously The Avengers from the original characters, and their fight against AI robot Ultron. Ultron was created by Tony, wanting to protect the world from more Chitari and other alien attacks, so New York doesn't happen again. But Ultron goes wrong in the process, deciding that The Avengers, and the entire human race, is destroying the planet, so we must all die so robots can take over. All the while fighting of the Maximoff twins, otherwise known as Quicksilver and Scarlett Witch, before they team up together, which the help of a few others.
I won't give much else about the plot away because that would be too spoilery, but my God, this film packs a powerful punch. Plot twists coming from all manner of angles, beautifully written characters, hilarious one liners, Age Of Ultron is pure Joss Whedon with a Marvel twist. I was on the edge of my seat for the entire film, clinging to my best friend's hand for half of it, giggling for the rest.
Everything is beautifully written and executed, with an incredible plot to sink your teeth into. Ultron is an incredible mix of psychotic killer and confused child (and if you watch The Blacklist, bits of James Spader's Reddington come through, though it's not obvious unless you were watching for it) Quicksilver and Scarlett Witch made you care for them despite how they are so quickly introduced and thrown into the middle of the chaos. The Hulk and Black Widow break your heart. Hawkeye swings one hell of a plot twist (while perfectly explaining where the hell he was when SHIELD went down in Captain America 2 - The Winter Soldier). Thor bumbles through social interaction in a hilariously cute way. Tony Stark is well, Tony Stark in the perfectly sarky way he is known for. Rhodey aka War Machine (or Iron Patriot, depending on who you're talking to) and Sam aka Falcon make wonderful surprise cameos. The Vision is a beautiful addition too, one I hope to continue to see in the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The entire cast twists together beautifully, almost like one big, insane family, complete with in jokes and running jokes (all I'm saying right now is watch your language) emotions and clashing heads.
There is still the fights from the original Avengers Assemble, but this film makes it all seem slicker. The tone of the entire film is darker, more complex. Gone are the days of Loki causing trouble because he wants to be a king, here comes the morals and a lot more adult themes. Yet the film manages to be funnier than the original, lightening the mood without taking away from the tone. It's a beautiful film, that will make you cry and laugh, and quite possibly scream DAMN YOU JOSS WHEDON at least twice. And all in all, I'm in love with this film, my only complaint would be that it needs to be LONGER. There's so much plot and plot twist to cram in that some things have had to be shortened, there could have easily been an extra half hour added onto this film and it would not have dragged at all. I never wanted this film to end, and because it did end, I'm going to have to see it at least three more times before it comes out on DVD, just to keep my Marvel fix going.
All in all, Marvel has done it again and made an incredible film for us to enjoy. Go and watch this film as soon as you can because it is a masterpiece of superhero cinema. If Marvel continue on this path, I cannot wait to see where they will go next!

In Which I Turn Fangirl... Again.

Hello, again, long time no see. Sorry about that, uni life has gotten in the way of, well, everything. For a good cause, obviously, but still.
Anyway, onto the reviewing of McBusted - TOURPLAY.
Now, I'm an absolutely massive McBusted fan, been a huge fan of both McFly and Busted for over six years, and was ecstatic when they announced that they were forming a supergroup as McBusted. So, I obviously went to their tour, hearing songs I'd never hear live, such as Crashed The Wedding and Year 3000, nearly crying with happiness over the entire situation. I was gutted that I didn't get to go to Hyde Park, but was glad I saw them at the O2 Arena. Which I thought would be the end of my McBusted experience.
But then they announced TOURPLAY, and it was another mad dash to get tickets due to the high demand, and I got tickets, then counted down the days until I could go and see the film. It did not disappoint.
The film documents the McBusted boys preparing for their tour, and includes clips of them singing songs from said tour, and Hyde Park, with interviews with each band member, talking about their thoughts and feelings of the whole phenomenon surrounding the supergroup.
To not spoil anything, there are funny moments (all I'm saying is carrots), parts where you want to dance around in your seat to the concert clips (Thunderbirds Are Go and Star Girl comes to mind) moments where you want to cry (good tears, good, proud tears). In short, it's an emotional ride for any fan of either McBusted.
There's so much controversy around this band currently, with McFly fans worrying about McFly's future as McFly, despite how they've repeatedly said that McFly will be back. But to me, after they've seen TOURPLAY, they'll see how much this means to them all, how happy this supergroup makes them, Matt and James. They're having so much fun and achieving the most incredibly things with McBusted, and are so happy doing it, that it's clearly the most fun any of them have had in years. TOURPLAY would convert anybody to being a fan of the supergroup, just seeing the smiles and laughter the six band members are sharing together because of everything they get to do because of this.
As James Bourne says, McBusted is a huge monster, and monsters die eventually, so you just have to keep on riding it until it does, and make the most of it while you can. And that is exactly what McBusted are doing, and having the most amazing time while they're at it. Nobody should ever doubt that about them. They're still the same down to earth, talented musicians as always, they're just riding the most incredible wave of success they've ever had.
I say, good luck to them, and that everybody should watch TOURPLAY, fan or not or any of the bands involved. If this film proves anything, it's that no matter how badly your dream goes, you can get right back onto it and have the biggest amount of success with it too. Something I can support with all my heart.
Thank you McFly, Busted, McBusted, and everyone involved in the film, it was a brilliant, brilliant film. I loved every single second of it, and hope it comes out on DVD so I can watch over and over... And search for myself in the crowd shots of the O2.

Twice In A Month - Wow!

Two blogs in a month, wow, I think I may be ill!
Nah, I'm joking... But I need to do a blog on Peter Capaldi's debut as the brilliant Doctor in Doctor Who, because wow. I am in awe of him. He was BRILLIANT!
Now, without giving much away with story line, the episode 'Deep Breath' includes Sontaran's, T-Rex's, gags, darkness, so many references to the 10th Doctor and so much more. It was absolutely brilliant, Stephen Moffat ticked nearly all the boxes in introducing a new Doctor.
The madness of the regeneration, hints of how the new incarnation will be, an interesting story, brilliant one liners, everything! Beloved old characters came back, or at least from what I can tell. Admittedly, I haven't seen anything of Matt Smith's Doctor apart from his work in the 50th, and his initial work just as he regenerated from David, so I missed a lot of Drax and his crime solving friends. But I liked them a lot (got a lot of Sherlock Holmes vibes from Vastra too - go Stephen for the references and technically making WhoLock happen) having always enjoyed badass women and Sontarans.
But the best thing about the episode was the references to David Tennant's (my favourite - if you hadn't guessed) Doctor, an old story line partially revisited, a few more references peppered through the episode. I saw this at the cinema so the previous explanation from Strax of regeneration and all the mentions of David, including images, made me a rather happen Whovian!
Though, back to the main point, what is Peter Capaldi like as The Doctor?
To put it shortly, he is The Doctor. Instantly, he is The Doctor, without a second's hesitance, he is The Doctor. He is sarcastic, witty, powerful, demanding of attention and steals each scene he's a part of. Capaldi is effortlessly The Doctor, the man of so many faces, centuries old and full of knowledge of the world, questioning of every situation. He is exactly how I want a Doctor to be, mad, yet controlled. Knowledgeable, but in wonder of the world, the universe. In short, I love him. Not as much as I love David Tennant, but it's early days yet, I could grow to love him just as much. He's got the makings of an amazing Doctor, and I for one cannot wait for more!

Marvel Have Done It Once Again!

Again, it's been a long time since my last review, and I apologise for that, but I've had exams/uni worries to deal with since them, as well as starting writing two other stories that I've wanted to focus on recently. But today I went out with my best friend Charlie to see Guardians Of The Galaxy, and once again, Marvel have proven why they're the top of their field!
GOTC is a film about a rag team of outlaws saving the entire galaxy (sound familiar to a TV series by the current Marvel show runner Joss Whedon by any chance?) and the film does exactly what it says on the tin with added laughs making a brilliant tie-in to The Avengers universe too!
The film starts with the heart wrenching seen of Peter Quill as a child losing his mother before being abducted by a space ship. It only lasts about five minutes, but did honestly make me want to cry at the sight of a little boy losing his mother, it was excellently acted by everyone in the scene and really had me routing for Peter before the 'real' part of the film started.
The scene moves onto him twenty years in the future, where Peter is now basically a bounty hunter for treasure across the galaxy, and he's on a decimated planet looking for an orb. He runs into the guards of Ronan, this films resident bad guy, who is working for Thanos (remember him?) A fight scene ensues and he escapes, to land on the planet Xandar, only to be captured by Rocket and Groot,(a raccoon and a massive tree...yeah I wasn't sure on that either) who promptly lose him to Gamora (a green woman with brilliant martial arts skills, slightly strange too) only to then for the four of them get arrested for breaking the peace on Xandar.
They're thrown into prison and meet Drax the Destroyer (not going into too much detail here for those who want to see the film) and form an alliance. They make a daring escape and fly off to find the orb, to be told by The Collector (previously seen at the end of Thor - The Dark World) that inside is an Infinity Stone, of the same sort of power as the Tesseract, capable of destroying worlds. And Ronan wants it, as does Thanos... This is not ending well!
More fight scenes commence and Ronan gets the orb, thanks to his helper, and Gamora's adopted sibling Nebula. If the Guardian's want to save the galaxy, they must fight them to gain the orb back and give it to the people who will look after it, but not use it's powers for good nor evil. Let the battle's commence!
Now that's the basic premise of the film, so I'm going to stop talking about the actual story line before I ruin it for anybody who hasn't seen it and instead talk about how much I enjoyed it.
The film itself is very good, very clearly Marvel with it's classic one liners and unique characters, yet this film was a bit more out there in its characters than it's Avengers/X-Men counterparts. Maybe because Rocket and Groot (oh how I cried over Rocket and Groot at the end) are very clearly not human, Gamora is bright green and Drax is gray with red designs over him, it sticks out to me as a bit more unique in its characters differing from the 'average' humanoid team of superheros saving the world/universe/galaxy. And this film had more gags in than The Avengers, which had me laughing the entire way through, which also helped for the ride.
And yet, I didn't enjoy it as much as I did The Avengers, and not just because I'm a bit biased with my love for The Avengers. To me the characters stick out against the other Marvel film counterparts because they look different, not because they're amazing characters and I root for them. Sure, I like them, but I didn't feel as much for them as I do for say, Iron Man and Magneto. There was only the showing of Peter's abduction as a boy of a back story for the characters, everybody else got a few lines talking about their pasts. I'm not saying that I didn't like the characters, or that they should all have had solo films first so we all got introduced properly, but maybe a few flashbacks would have been helpful along the way to help make the characters more 3D they were.
Gamora could have such a bigger backing story line to herself, having been taking in and brought up by Thanos from a young girl alongside Nebula before being given on loan to Ronan. There could have been a lot more to it than the throwaway lines she got about it. She even states at one point that 'she has been brought up by her enemies' so I would have loved to have seen a bit more into this. All we know is that she wants the orb at the beginning to sell on to escape Thanos and Ronan, but we don't know why, or anything else to it. She could have had her own few flashbacks, or a bit more dialogue, to explain her actions. Her fighting with Nebula and trying to convince her to join them could have done with a bit more sisterly feelings (unless there are none between them, they explanation please). This could have been done with all the characters too, a bit of back story goes a long way in films, even when it's based on comic books, as some of us haven't read them!
That being said, the film was very good for a laugh, and a slightly better look into Thanos (anybody thinking that Loki is going to be needed again soon, seeing as it was Thanos' scepter and army he was using? God I hope he's back soon!) coupled with a small mystery by the end of the film to set up the next time. A few references to The Avengers (12% of a plan, and Groot pulling a Hulk 'puny god' move, the tesseract etc). But mostly I would implore the writers to invest some more time in character back stories to flesh out their characters, bad ass fighting and good one liners only go so far. They've got a good premise going with Guardians Of The Galaxy. The cast is brilliant, Chris Pratt is hilarious, Zoe Salanda is brilliant, and I didn't even recognise Karen Gilligan or Lee Pace until half way through. Though I would have made a few changes, the film stands as a good film, and I'd recommend seeing it as a Marvel fan, or if you're just up for a good laugh with some action scenes thrown in!

Long Time, No See!

Sorry for neglecting this blog, I just haven't had much time between writing books/reviews for TubeChum and school to get anything written for here! But now that I've finished school (woooo) apart from two exams, and have been to the cinema, I think it's time I wrote a new blog post! This time, I'm going to talk about X-Men Days Of Future Past. I could talk about Godzilla, which I have also had the (dis)pleasure of seeing recently, but I have a vlog coming up soon about that, so X-Men it is!
Now, first off, I am a big X-Men fan, really, I love it so much! The films, alongside The Matrix, were my childhood. So I'm admittedly a bit bias here. But this film surpasses so many expectations! At first, I wasn't sure what to make of the idea of time travel and the young X-Men meeting the older X-Men, but it was done perfectly! From the trailer, I'd thought that the old and young versions of the characters were going to be interacting together throughout the film in the same timeline, but I was completely wrong. Wolverine goes back 50 years, sent by Patrick Stewart's Xavier and Ian McKellin's Magneto, to find James McAvoy's Xavier and Michael Fassbender's Magneto. To me this made much more sense than having all four of them interacting at the same time, as that might have gotten confusing.
Now I won't give away much about the plot (which is genius) but I will say this, McAvoy and Fassbender are brilliant young counterparts to Stewart and McKellin. They are totally believable (despite they look nothing like their older counterparts, and Michael is actually taller than Ian, small details, small details) as the troubled youths of the 70s. James McAvoy stole the film for me, maybe because I'm slightly bias as I fancy him quite a bit, but he was amazing as a young, troubled Xavier, fighting his guilt and pain. From the minute he turned up, I was entranced by him. Also, for when anybody see's the film, who else was reminded of Benedict Cumberbatch's Sherlock when Wolverine tries to recruit Xavier? I think its the couldn't-care-less attitude mixed with the dressing gown that sent me down that route, but I did see some resemblance there... I shall keep an eye on this for a while longer, see if I'm just imagining it....
Michael Fassbender plays Magneto effortlessly too. He was a great version of a troubled, young and falsely accused Erik, who has lost faith in humanity due to their actions towards him. I almost wanted him to succeed in his plans of revenge. His interactions with Jenifer Lawrence (Mystique) are perfect, him serving almost like a father figure who's done wrong in the raising of his child. I loved it.
So, without giving too much away (the ending makes me want to cry it's so good, I adore the ending, though now my brain has exploded with how things have now changed... You'll soon find out when you see it) X-Men Days Of Future Past is a masterpiece, one of the best in the series, totally makes up for Wolverine, which was the worst film I'd seen before Godzilla. I can not wait for the next one!

Sherlock Is Back!

Warning! Spoilers ahead!
Okay, I think i'm calm enough to write a review of the long awaited third season of BBC Sherlock, kicking off with 'The Empty Hearse.' To say the least, I was excited for this, I've been a very passionate Sherlock fan since the first episode aired, and I've been waited for this since Sherlock fell to his 'death' two years ago. So yes, I was excited, getting to the point where I was literally warning everyone I knew for weeks that if they dared disturb me during this, I was going to be biting their heads off. I was almost unplugging the phone, to make sure nothing disturbed my enjoyment of this episode, which in hindsight, was a good idea, seeing as the phone rang half way through.
But anyway, back to the review of The Empty Hearse. The episode started where The Riechenbach Fall left off, with Sherlock on the roof of St Bart's, talking to John on the roof, before he jumped. Then, we saw how he did it, using a bungee cord and Moriarty's body disguised as his own to fool John into thinking he's actually dead, when in fact he's bounced back up through the window and KISSED Molly Hooper (lucky, lucky woman) before walking off into obscurity. So then it turns out that this is just a theory by Anderson, who's lost his job due to his obsession with how Sherlock survived the fall. Lestrade turns him down and tells him he's feeling guilty for being involved in Sherlock's death, but Anderson is insistent, Sherlock is alive, he believes in Sherlock Holmes! Lestrade remains suspicious and tells him Sherlock is dead, he fell to his death and there is nothing bringing him back.
We then see John standing at Sherlock's grave, holding hands with a mystery woman, before seeing Mrs Hudson, he hasn't been round very often, it's been too hard for him to come over, because he isn't over Sherlock's death. Mrs Hudson believes him and John announces that he's met someone, and he's planning on marrying them. Mrs Hudson takes this as John has moved onto another man, leading to a very funny 'I'm not gay!' conversation, though Mrs Hudson still believes that John and Sherlock were a couple. (Bless that woman, I believe they're a couple too.)
And then another person is introduced, someone is running through the woods, in tatty clothes and long, messy hair, there's a helicopter chasing them, as well as people on the ground! Eventually, the figures falls and gets surrounded, and we then see this strange man being tortured by a Serbian man. The tortured man's face is not shown, but it's clearly Sherlock, as he starts deducing things about his torturer, making him run off to see his wife in the act of cheating on him. There's been another man sitting in the shadows, who comes over, telling the tortured man in chains that there's a terrorist plot in London, and his little brother needs to come back to London. Finally there's a shot of the tortured man's bowed head, it's Sherlock, and he smiles!
Obviously Sherlock is straight back to London and as he talks to Mycroft, he has a moment of looking like Khan with his sleeked back hair, and we start to see the 'new' him. He's definitely more bulked up, and a bit more human as he talks about popping out of a cake to surprise John, though he's still Sherlock underneath, with his lack of understanding of John moving on with his life. We also see more of this new nature when he goes to tell John he's alive, and this is really where Mark Gattiss out does himself with his research into what the fans wanted with a hilariously funny attempt to surprise John, involving a ridiculous French accent and a drawn on moustache, ending with a 'long story short, not dead.'
Martin Freeman is amazing with his reaction to Sherlock being alive, he doesn't faint like he does in the book, but instead reacts violently three times, leaving Sherlock with a bust lip and a bloody nose. Mary is also an instant hit with me, as she is a bit cheeky, and instantly likes Sherlock, and is clearly good for John too. I immediately warmed to her, before the episode aired, I was unsure of her and whether she would come between John and Sherlock (I ship those two a ridiculous amount) but she proves within minutes of her first appearance that if anything, she'll push them together more, and maybe provide some sanity between the two with their hectic lives.
Now I won't give anymore away, you'll have to watch the episode yourselves, but it is brilliant TV, and well worth the wait. Season three is shaping up to be different to the first two seasons, Sherlock is very different, he's more human for sure, and now up for a laugh. Mary is taking up a bit more of John's time, but other than that, the show is essentially the same. Sherlock and John, solving crimes in 221b, Sherlock is still a (lovable) smart arse, John still sasses him, Mrs Hudson is still not their house keeper and Mycroft still sticks his nose in, but this feels more homely, big things have changed, but the show is essentially the same. Though it's slightly worrying over whether Sherlock is back on drugs again, seeing as he is so much more human, and having auditory hallucinations. And we have a new nemesis in our midst, but where would the series be without it?
But in all in all, the episode is well worth the wait, it's funny and sweet, and heart warming in places. I can not wait for more from the series, and as they said in the seven minute preview from Christmas; The Game Is Back On!