Word cannot describe how excited I am about this movie! Beauty and the Beast is my absolute all-time FAVOURITE Disney movie and it really looks as though director, Bill Condon, is doing it proud in his 2017 remake.

In case there are any of you who have been deprived of a childhood and therefore have never seen the original movie, let me give you a brief synopsis. Belle, a beautiful if slightly bookworm-ish girl, lives in a quiet French village, but dreams of adventure. One day, after a series of ill-fated events, she finds herself trapped in an enchanted castle, the residents of which are under a terrible spell and for whom time is running out.

I particularly love the fact that so many of the classic scenes from the original film have been perfectly recreated. Belle and Beast’s first encounter, their fight with the wolves in the wood, and their first dance to name but a few. I’m sure the Disney buffs out there will be able to spot many more.

It is also apparent from the trailer that the movie has been kept as a musical. Snippets from well-loved songs such as ‘Be our Guest’ and ‘Gaston’ look visually stunning; perfectly contrasting vibrant, colourful, energetic scenes with the gloomy gothic castle backdrop.  For me the fact that they have kept the songs makes this film extra special. Although previous Disney remakes have nodded their heads towards the songs of their predecessors, none of them have fully embraced their musical roots as Beauty and the Beast seems to be doing. Saying that, I’m afraid that I don’t think anyone will be able to sing ‘Beauty and the Beast’ as well as Angela Lansbury  in my eyes.

The casting of this movie is also on point. I cannot think of another actress who could play Belle better than Emma Watson. As a beautiful, intelligent, revolutionary individual in real life, she was made for the part.  The film also features living legend Sir Ian McKellen as Cogsworth, Ewan McGregor as Lumiere, Luke Evans as narcissistic baddie Gaston, and Dan Stevens as the one and only Beast.  I truly believe this will be an amazing piece of cinema history.

Make sure you don’t miss it when it’s released on March 17^th!

There are very few boxing films that pack much of a punch nowadays. Sure, you’ve got Creed and its progenitor Rocky fighting in their corner, but there is very little else that entices within the genre. Don’t get me wrong, there are some good boxing films out there, but there is a certain level of formulaic pacing to the affair.

The recent trailer for Jawbone (Vertical Films latest project) leaves the plot ambiguous enough to promise a different story to what we’ve seen in other recent films such as Bleed for This, but doesn’t quite extricate itself from the writhing horde.

Despite that, it is important to remember that this is only the first trailer, and as we get closer to the film’s release date, we’re likely to get more clarity into what will happen. Until then, keep your fingers crossed and your guard up.

Jawbone is out in cinemas March 17^th!

John Boyega has rapidly become one of Hollywood’s golden children after he shot to mainstream fame in The Force Awakens, but his acting abilities had been proven long before that in several independent films.

Among these was Imperial Dreams, telling the story of a young gang member in Los Angeles attempting to escape the neighbourhood he grew up in and help others do the same. The film was initially released in 2014, but it has recently been announced that it will be coming to Netflix on February 3^rd.

Boyega’s talent as an actor help lend a sense of gravitas to his performance, and the on location shooting in the Imperial Courts projects outside of LA sets a poignant tone to the entire proceedings. There are also plenty of shots showing Boyega’s protagonist caring for his son and family, whilst working with his parole officer to stay on the straight and narrow.

Imperial Dreams is out on Netflix on February 3^rd!

It’s hard to deny that the world is full of doom and gloom, and whilst we can look at the world through a nihilistic window made up of anger and disgust, it’s better to smash the window with a brick of hope and attempt to breathe in the fresh air that wafts inward through the gaping hole you just made (also, the freezing cold. It’s winter after all.)

I Don’t Feel at Home in This World Anymore takes the opposite stance and turns into the skid of pessimism and anger by taking their mild-mannered protagonist and turning them into a psychopathic vigilante who wants the world to be a better place.

Whilst this sort of film would ordinarily speak to the blackened heart that beats inside of me, I find it hard to elicit any emotional response from it at all. Perhaps my nihilistic ways are slowly abating, or maybe it just doesn’t seem like a good film…

I Don’t Feel at Home in This World Anymore is out on Netflix on February 24^th!

It’s awards season.

That special time of year when everyone in the industry joins together to celebrate and reward the best and brightest in film. From directors, actors, producers and more, all hope to gain recognition of their film work.

In the run up to the most prestigious film ceremony, the Academy Awards, there is one other ceremony that instead or rewarding the good seeks to highlight and shame the downright awful. The Razzies.

To really fully appreciate how bad 2016 was for film, The Razzies have expanded their usual five nominations to six per category, so that all who under-performed could grab a chance at a Golden Rasberry.

Not surprising, the suck-fest that was Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice is leading the charge, nominated in all but the worst actress categories. Both stars Affleck and Cavill are nominated for Worst Actor while also nominated in the Worst Screen Combo category. Jesse Eisenberg’s portrayal of Lex Luthor may win him Worst Supporting Actor while Zack Snyder is nominated for Worst Director. The film itself is nominated for Worst Picture, Worst Screenplay and Worst Prequel, Remake, Rip-off, Or Sequel.

Zoolander No. 2 is not far behind with the way too late sequel nominated for seven out of the nine awards. Ben Stiller is nominated for Worst Actor, Worst Director and Worst on Screen Combo with his co-star Owen Wilson. Wilson is nominated for Worst Supporting Actor while the film is nominated for Worst Picture and Worst Prequel, Remake, Rip-off, Or Sequel. Comedy star Kristen Wiig is nominated for Worst Supporting Actress for her role in the film

Other films with multiple nominations are Dirty Grandpa, Independence Day: Resurgence, Gods of Egypt, Divergent Series: Allegiant, and Suicide Squad. With some prestigious Oscar winners actually showing up to received their worst actor awards in the past, it will be interesting to see if Julia Roberts, Robert De Niro, Nicolas Cage, Johnny Depp or any of the nominated making an appearance. The full list of nominees can be seen below and the winners will be announced on February 25^th so stay tuned.

Worst Picture

• Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice
• Dirty Grandpa
• Gods of Egypt
• Hillary’s America: The Secret History of the Democratic Party
• Independence Day: Resurgence
• Zoolander No. 2

Worst Actor

• Ben Affleck, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice
• Gerard Butler, Gods of Egypt and London Has Fallen
• Henry Cavill, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice
• Robert De Niro, Dirty Grandpa
• Dinesh D’Souza (as himself), Hillary’s America: The Secret History of the Democratic Party
• Ben Stiller, Zoolander No. 2

Worst Actress

• Megan Fox, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows
• Tyler Perry, BOO! A Medea Halloween
• Julia Roberts, Mother’s Day
• Becky Turner (as Hillary Clinton), Hillary’s America: The Secret History of the Democratic Party
• Naomi Watts, Divergent Series: Allegiant and Shut-In
• Shailene Woodley, Divergent Series: Allegiant

Worst Supporting Actress

• Julianne Hough, Dirty Grandpa
• Kate Hudson, Mother’s Day
• Aubrey Plaza, Dirty Grandpa
• Jane Seymour, Fifty Shades of Black
• Sela Ward, Independence Day: Resurgence
• Kristen Wiig, Zoolander No. 2

Worst Supporting Actor

• Nicolas Cage, Snowden
• Johnny Depp, Alice Through the Looking Glass
• Will Ferrell, Zoolander No. 2
• Jesse Eisenberg, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice
• Jared Leto, Suicide Squad
• Owen Wilson, Zoolander No. 2

Worst Screen Combo

• Ben Affleck and His BFF (Baddest Foe Forever) Henry Cavill, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice
• Any 2 Egyptian Gods or Mortals, Gods of Egypt
• Johnny Depp and His Vomitously Vibrant Costume, Alice Through the Looking Glass
• The Entire Cast of Once Respected Actors, Collateral Beauty
• Tyler Perry and That Same Old Worn Out Wig, BOO! A Medea Halloween
• Ben Stiller and His BFF (Barely Funny Friend) Owen Wilson, Zoolander No. 2

Worst Director

• Dinesh D’Souza and Bruce Schooley, Hillary’s America: The Secret History of the Democratic Party
• Roland Emmerich, Independence Day: Resurgence
• Tyler Perry, BOO! A Medea Halloween
• Alex Proyas, Gods of Egypt
• Zack Snyder, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice
• Ben Stiller, Zoolander  No. 2

Worst Prequel, Remake, Rip-off, Or Sequel

• Alice Through the Looking Glass
• Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice: Dawn of Justice
• Fifty Shades of Black
• Independence Day: Resurgence
• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows
• Zoolander No. 2

Worst Screenplay

• Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice
• Dirty Grandpa
• Gods of Egypt
• Hillary’s America: The Secret History of the Democratic Party
• Independence Day: Resurgence
• Suicide Squad

What do you think?