Movie Trailer Monday // May 12th – May 18th 2014

What Is Movie Trailer Monday?

“Movie Trailer Monday” is where I will be talking about all of the latest trailers that have been released in the past week; sharing the trailers themselves so you can watch them for yourselves along with a brief discussion of my thoughts. I understand that there is a possibility that not every single trailer may be covered here simply because I either missed it or I don’t feel like it’s worthy of discussion (i.e TV spots)

And also remember that these are merely my views/opinions on these trailers; we all have different tastes and the ones laid out here are my own personal tastes, so you’re not obliged to agree with them. However, for my benefit, it is wise that you do agree with me!

Without further ado, let’s get crack-a-lackin’!!!

This Week’s Trailers:

1. The Riot Club

To be honest, when the trailer started I wasn’t really interested in this in the slightest. For the first minute or so, it seemed quite bland and I sensed it would be a painful drag to watch in the cinema. But as the trailer picked up pace, The Riot Club appears to be a nail-biting drama and looks set to deliver a strong message about social class, which is something worthy of my interest! Nothing really jumps out at me which makes me want to watch it immediately, since it shows signs of a fairly generic crime drama, but I am interested for the director attached (who’s previously directed One Day and An Education). Other than that, the trailer hasn’t got me super stoked for the film but I can tell that this definitely won’t be an eye-gouging experience.

2. Good People

Judging from the footage I’ve seen, this looks like a really intense drama dealing with morality issues and the thin line between greed and desperation, which is definitely pretty cool! Although appearing to be a slightly predictable ride, Good People is a film I’ll be keeping my eye on as time approaches closer to its September release. But I won’t be watching any more trailers since I have reason to believe it has laid out the entire plot!!! Massive shame, but I may still end up watching up someday.

3. The Hundred Foot Journey:

Imagine my face when I saw that Steven Spielberg is a producer for this film. And then imagine that same face after I saw that Oprah Winfrey was producing too! Here’s a visualisation:

😀 –>

Despite that, The Hundred Foot Journey seems to be an uplifting, heartfelt joyride… that doesn’t interest me in the slightest. I’ve never understood the fascination with food; I eat whatever’s in the fridge plain and simple! If it tastes good then that’s just grand. I don’t analyse the taste or express the emotions that have been ignited by some bloody curry! But then again, I have no interest in Formula One racing and I ended up loving Ron Howard’s Rush. However, this and Rush are two completely different films in terms of tone, so I can’t really defend this movie adaption of Richard C. Morais’s best-selling novel based on that fact. But I can tell that this has beautiful cinematography just through seeing a minuscule two second clip at 1:22. That shot is simply masterful! And if I’m honest, that’s the only reason I would feel in any way inclined to watch this. That and Helen Mirren’s ridiculously stereotypical French accent!

4. Transformers: Age Of Extinction – Trailer 2

Sigh. Another Transformers film, another trailer. If you know me personally, you’re aware I’m not the greatest fan of the Transformers franchise for their lack of cohesive storytelling and the abundance of idiotic (for lack of a better term) Michael Bay-isms. But hey, maybe this will be the game changer that gives fans and movie goers what they deserve. But no. This looks pretty much the same. In fact no, it doesn’t “pretty much” look the same; it looks exactly like the same old bullsh*t!!! Explosions upon explosions, cities being destroyed, frail-women-who-we-don’t-care-about-but-we-should screaming at the mass destruction. It’s all here as you’ve come to expect! The only thing these films have going for them is the CGI and the action which is, although mindless, a real bucket of fun. In conclusion, if I wish to devour a bag of popcorn while switching off my brain for two hours, this is probably the film I’ll be watching!

5. V/H/S Viral:

What. The. Flying. Bajeezus. Did. I. Just. Watch?! Seriously, the editor of this trailer should be fired! It was so all over the place I could barely tell what was going on! You could argue that’s a good thing since it doesn’t spoil anything, but I guarantee nearly every scare has been spoilt in this trailer!!! They’ve managed to stuff so much into 90 seconds I wouldn’t be surprised if that was true. As many of you are aware, V/H/S is an anthology of (supposedly) scary tidbits that have STARTLED (NOT SCARED!) audiences since 2012. It has remarkably been expanded into a trilogy, moulding a thrill-seeking-teenager’s wet dream and annoying the sh*t out of me through it’s painful use of found-footage style of filming. Based on my experiences with the previous films, I think I’ll pass.

6. Deliver Us From Evil:

That’s right, two horror movie trailers in one week! And yes, this is the 439th horror to be inspired by true events!!! And with it being a horror, it obviously has to be about possession! If you haven’t figured it out yet, I’m not too fond of horror as a genre; it really has seemed to drop down in quality film after film since the early 2000’s rehashing the same ideas over and over again. But despite this, I always remain open minded with every horror film I see since I am bound to find a gem among the rubble sooner or later. And in 2012, I found a massive ruby with Sinister which, although it’s foundations consisted of generic and overused plot devices, was devilishly creepy and disturbing. Good news for me: Deliver Us From Evil is directed by the same guy, who has also directed the nerve tingling Exorcism Of Emily Rose. I haven’t seen the film yet, but I already need to change my bed sheets!

7. Cinderella – Teaser Trailer:

Here we go again! Yet another re-telling of a popular fairy tale. The next victim of this ridiculous ‘trend’ is Cinderella, with Kenneth Branaugh (Hamlet, Thor) at the helm. I can’t really say much else than that since this is only a teaser trailer! Clocking in at roughly one minute and 15 seconds, this is essentially a showcase for how beautiful the CGI is going to be! I am aware that recent Oscar winner Cate Blanchett is starring… so… there’s that. Let’s just move on, shall we?

8. Monsters: Dark Continent – Giant Sand Bugs Trailer

Having not seen the first film before, I am however aware of the rave reviews that Monsters received when it was released. If a film is so good that it lands director Gareth Edwards a job in making the new Godzilla film, then it’s gotta be a must watch!!! However, this new (and somewhat pointless) sequel is not being directed by Mr. Edwards therefore I’m not as interested but still remain optimistic. As the trailer showed scenes involving NO monsters for roughly a minute, I was really starting to lose interest fast! I seriously thought I clicked on a trailer for a Hurt Locker knock-off. But then… GIANT F*CKING SAND BUGS CAME ON SCREEN!!!!!! OMG!!!!!! Sorry, I’ll try to remain professional. In all seriousness, I like how short this trailer since it doesn’t reveal anything of critical importance, but what I don’t like is the image this film puts across. It appears as if this entire film takes place on a single military base, and in my opinion that makes the film very restrictive with what they cannot achieve. With the first Monsters, they’re travelling across an entire country for crying out loud! Until I see more, I remain quite skeptical.

9. Interstellar:

I have arguably saved the best to last. But the thing is, I don’t know if this is the best trailer out of this week’s round-up, simply because *I haven’t watched it! Christopher Nolan, who’s directed my number one movie ever The Dark Knight (see review HERE) is one of, if not my all time, favourite directors working today; everything he’s done is solid movie gold that has, in one way or another, redefined modern cinematic experience. With this in mind, it’s safe to say that this is my most anticipated film of 2014 therefore I do not wish to see any footage in fear of spoiling myself. Despite hearing that this trailer shows no major plot details, I really don’t view trailers the same way after the outrageous promotion for The Amazing Spider-Man 2. So for the time being I have no intention of watching the trailer, but even without seeing anything from the film, I can already predict that this is gonna be spectacular!

*This may occur a lot if I’m super excited for a specific film, so instead of explaining my reasons for why I haven’t watched the trailer I’m meant to be reviewing, I will label it with the tag “WARNING: ANTICIPATED MOVIE. NO REVIEW!” so you know that I’m desperately trying to avoid the film’s promotional campaign!

That, ladies and gentlemen, is all the trailers that have been released in the past week! Tell me what you think of each trailer in the comments below. Tune in next week for all the latest movie trailers!

 

Fergie Film’s Five Commandments // Some Changes To The Blog

Heavenly Father, I ask upon you to update the readers of the Fergie Films blog. Pretty please!

Yes, this is out of the norm, especially when you consider that I’m an atheist! So if you’re around to read the latest review, then you’ve come on the wrong day; come back on Sunday. In fact, no! Don’t leave!! This news affects you lot too, so keep reading!! This is is a one off post that I like to call: Stuff-That-I-Think-Is-Important-But-It-Really-Isn’t-But-A-Full-Length-Blog-Post-Will-Be-Made-Nevertheless-So-Shut-Up-It’s-My-Blog-Wait-Sorry-I-Didn’t-Mean-That-Come-Back-To-Me-Darling-I-Beg-Of-You. Phew! That’s a big mouthful that even Kim Kardashian couldn’t handle!! Long story short, this is just a small update regarding how the blog is going to be run and how reviews are going to be posted. And for some reason, I thought I would post this update in the style of the infamous Ten Commandments. Why? Because I feel like it! Shall we get started? I think we shall!

Commandment I: Thou Shall Not Rate Short Films

From now on, short film reviews will NOT receive a rating at the end of the review. I’ve found that most popular short films are above average in terms of quality; they’re popular for a good reason! And most of the bad short films are very clearly done by amateur yet aspiring filmmakers, so it wouldn’t be fair to completely trash all their hard work. This change may also be implemented into my feature length film reviews as well but for the time being, they are safe.

The main reason for this change is because of a video I saw by one of my favourite YouTuber’s NerdCubed, who voices his views on rating scores and rants about why they are bullsh*t! It really resonated with me and deserves to be checked out. You can watch the video via the link below (skip to 2:01)

Commandment II: Thou Shall Post Reviews Twice Weekly

Remember that poll I posted last week? The results of said poll were quite evident that you wanted to see more reviews posted on the blog. And to be honest, I kind of agree! I’m not reviewing as many full length films as I would like to (due to time constraints) and I’m getting pretty tired of having to rely on short films since I know without a doubt nine out of ten times it’s gonna be good. So I will now be posting TWO reviews per week! I seriously wish I can implement this change with immediate effect, but unfortunately I can’t. It’s exam season at the minute and I want to focus as much of my attention and time to making sure I do the best I can. But guaranteed, after the 3rd June, this change will be in full swing.

Commandment III: Thou Shall Post Reviews On Fridays and On God’s Day Of Rest (Sunday)

As you’ve read above, reviews will still be posted on Sunday but the second weekly review will be posted on Friday. Simple enough! I don’t really need to say anything else about this!! Next commandment…

Commandment IV: Thou Shall Fathom An Abundance Of Trailer Reviews

Albeit, I wasn’t a huge fan of the original concept of my trailer reviews, which is why I don’t do them more often. But I still want to share all the latest trailers with you guys, since I know a gem of a film can have a trailer released in the same week as the next mindless action blockbuster, and undeservedly get overshadowed by it. So what I want to do is post something on Mondays which I call “Movie Trailer Mondays” where I link you guys through to all of the trailers that have been released in the past week. Along with the links, I will also provide a two to three sentence summary of my thoughts of each trailer. The first article in this, for lack of a better term, ‘segment’ will be posted on May 19th.

Commandment V: Thou Shall Encourage Servants To Follow Thy Lord On Twitter

Okay okay, this isn’t a change to the blog but it is appreciated! Seriously, if you guys follow me on Twitter I will be posting content I won’t be posting on the blog (i.e. latest movie news, an absurd amount of puns and jokes, among other wacky shenanigans). And Twitter is the place to be if you guys want to recommend some films for me to review. In fact, I urge you guys to recommend some films for three reasons:
–> I love discovering new films
–> I want to know what my readers would like to see reviewed
–> Some weeks, I have no idea what to review, so you’d be helping out!
And if we as a small loving community conjure up enough interaction between one another, I would like to put the power in your hands, where you decide what I should review after I’ve given you two potential films as voting options. So what are you waiting for?! Oh, you’re waiting for the link to my twitter aren’t you? In that case, here it is!
https://www.twitter.com/FergieFilms

Well there you go! That’s all the important updates you need to know for now!! Stay tuned for Sunday where a new review will be posted as always.

Bless the Holy Spirit,

Amen.

 

The Inbetweeners Movie // You Bumder!

Plot Synopsis:

Four socially troubled 18-year-olds from the south of England go on holiday to Malia. Starring Simon Bird, Blake Harrison, James Buckley and Joe Thomas.

Official Trailer:

Full Review:

By the way, the title is referring to the show! In case you don’t know, the reason why I’m doing this review of a coming of age story that’s laden with sex jokes, is because I received a request to do so. As Paddy McGuinness would say on his abysmal dating TV show, the power is in your hands!. So if you would like me to review a specific film you cannot wait to read my thoughts on, then check out the ‘Make A Request‘ page! But anyway, here is my review of ‘The Inbetweeners Movie‘

As many of you are aware, The Inbetweeners was originally a uber successful British sitcom that aired for three seasons. In fact it was so successful, it was evolved into the 90 minute comedy sex romp that I’m reviewing now in 2011, and then unfortunately got poorly remade by MTV in 2012 for American TV, ending up being cancelled only after the first season. Thank God for that, eh?!

So what did I think of it? Honestly, I thought it was okay, and this is coming from someone who really liked the TV show. Not side splitting hilarity but definitely not dull or tiresome. Most fans of the TV show, including people that I know personally, loved the show’s adaption to the silver screen but in my opinion, it was rather meh.

First off, it was excellent to see that the series director and the show’s writers returning to fill their respective duties, making the feel just like a longer episode of the show. The way handheld camera work was implemented will make any fan feel at home and the comedic style and in-jokes that only fans will understand thankfully haven’t been squashed at all despite being portrayed on a larger scope. So big props to the studio!

Another plus point is one man and one man only. Richard. Although only chewing up a absurdly small amount of screen time (approximately five minutes), I thought he was hilarious! Played by Theo Barklem Biggs, this awkwardly annoying loner is probably the most memorable asset of this film despite only being a minor role. Every line he spoke had me laughing uncontrollably, not because the dialogue itself was incredibly funny but because it was just wonderfully delivered. And also, he scarily looks like a much younger version of Nicholas Lyndhurst (Rodney from Only Fools and Horses) which I found pretty funny as well!

Despite a hysterical side character and many scenes that were incredibly funny, quite a few of the jokes fall flat on their face and felt kind of forced. And unfortunately, this isn’t the first comedy to suffer from this problem. Also the pacing was really bothersome at times and I found some of the jokes slightly repetitive and drawn out, desperately trying to squeeze out every chuckle. And speaking of which, that’s all I did throughout the majority of the film; chuckle. I didn’t slap my knee or laugh out loud (or LOL as the kids call it!), but I found The Inbetweeners Movie mildly humorous. Nothing more, nothing less.

If you’re a die hard fan of the show, chances are you have already seen and utterly adore this film. But even as a fan of the show, I didn’t think this was as good as it could’ve been. For some reason, it just felt slightly underwhelming from a comedic stand point. If you’re part of the minority that hasn’t watched the TV show, please do so. It is filled to the brim with hysterical scenes and quotes you will be using on your friends for several weeks. But as a stand alone piece, The Inbetweeners Movie is a decent comedy that has it’s moments but ultimately is left with much room for improvement.

Fergie’s Final Fifteen:

Crude, outrageous, and downright entertaining. Despite clear flaws, Richard makes the whole film worth watching!

Rating:

B-

In case the message hasn’t gotten through to you yet, you can ask me to review a film on the ‘Make A Request’ page. Head over there now! Even though I thought the film wasn’t necessarily perfect, that doesn’t eliminate the possibility of me reviewing the sequel which comes out in August this year. So stay tuned!!

 

Chicago // A Flat-Pitched Oscar Winner

Plot Synopsis:

Murderesses Velma Kelly (Catherine Zeta-Jones) and Roxie Hart (Renée Zellweger) find themselves on death row together and fight for the fame that will keep them from the gallows in 1920s Chicago. Also starring Richard Gere and Queen Latifa.

Official Trailer:

Full Review:

As you may have guessed from the title, I didn’t like this film. In fact, I kind of despised it! When I first sat down and decided to put myself through this lacklustre yet Oscar winning musical, I turned it off after 45 minutes. I just couldn’t stand it! And now, with the 86th annual Oscar award ceremony being premiered tonight, I feel inclined to tell you guys about the least deserving Best Picture winner in the history of the Oscars (in my opinion).

Let’s start off with the good points, as per usual. To begin, I will very openly admit that I enjoyed the way the film looked. And I mean I really liked how Chicago lit up my TV screen. The beautiful scenery and excellent costume design captures the essence of 1920’s America very well. So big props to the art direction crew, who earned the only Oscar this film actually deserved!

Speaking of which, Catherine Zeta-Jones (Entrapment, High Fidelity) bagged herself an Oscar for Supporting Actress for her performance as Velma Kelly, a glamour goddess that relishes in the limelight. Zeta-Jones plays the role to a fairly good degree, embodying a good blend of self affection and envy for Renée Zellweger’s character Roxie Hart. Zellweger (Jerry Maguire, Bridget Jone’s Diary) does a great job playing a young and aspiring showgirl who dreams of making headlines like Velma. I could talk about everyone but I won’t since I’m pretty much going to say the same thing about each of them: THEIR ACTING WAS REALLY GOOD!.

The acting all around was definitely not a problem at all. But do you know what is a problem? The musical numbers. Good lord, the songs are incredibly generic! I’ve heard songs like the ones in Chicago countless times when I was forced to go to the pantomime as a kid. In hindsight, that’s probably why I don’t like musicals that much!! But even with my hatred for musicals aside, the songs just aren’t that memorable and definitely haven’t been stuck in my head for weeks on end. To be fair, the music does emulate the time period it is trying to capture which is a good thing, but this unfortunately limits their creativity and constricts their ability to try different genres.

To the film’s credit, they have tried to be original by using clever yet jazzy camouflage. Instead of people just randomly bursting out into song (probably the main reason why I hate musicals), the songs take place as part of Roxie’s imagination who sees the real world around her as a major broadway show. But even so, it’s still people bursting into song. If you want to progress the story, just speak normal dialogue!

There’s no need to do the cha-cha in order to get your point across!!

And to be honest, I didn’t give a toss about the characters and their dilemmas at all, despite the good acting. The main challenge our characters face is that either Zeta-Jones or Zellweger will be sent to the gallows as the other bathes in the flashing camera of the paparazzi. And throughout the film, I didn’t give two flaming sh*ts about what happened to them! You know there’s something wrong with your film when your audience don’t even give a damn about anything that is being projected on screen.

All in all, my opinions of this film may be slightly biased due to my aforementioned distaste of musicals. But, in the famous words of Clark Gable, “Frankly my dear, I don’t give a damn!. This film was just a waste of my time and totally undeserving of the title ‘Best Picture Winner’, especially when it had won over films like Gangs of New York, The Pianist, and (my personal winner) The Two Towers. But anyway, Chicago is simply a cinematic pantomime that feels lacklustre and underwhelming.

Fergie’s Final Fifteen:

Ambitious and a spectacle for eyes and ears, but just not my cup of tea.

Rating:

C-

I’ve heard many people who love musicals, including one of my friends, say the phrase ‘Even If You Don’t Like Musicals, You Will Like This Film’. Frankly, I loathe musicals and I still somewhat disliked Chicago. In all honesty, I feel betrayed by these people!

My aforementioned friend already hates me for not liking Grease so I’m not sure how she’s gonna respond when she reads this! Please pray for my soul!!