Friday, June 17, 2022

Top Gun: Maverick becomes Tom Cruise's highest opening movie!

“I feel the need, the need for speed” this line sure does bring back memories. Top Gun the classic movie, came out in 1986 and has since gained a cult status among the masses. The sequel was announced in 2020 after 34 years since the first one was released and fans were excited as hell as its one of Tom Cruise’s most famous movies.

The movie proved to be the superstar’s highest weekend opener with collections of $160.5 million and also became his first movie to cross $100 million in the first four days. The movie continues its run, formally passing $400 million at the box office and surpassing the other enormous blockbuster of the year, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness making it the highest grossing film of 2022.

With Mission Impossible: Fallout being the biggest movie in the 40-year career of Cruise, which collected $791 million in its lifetime. It seems that the sequel to the 1986 classic may just overtake the sixth Mission Impossible installment, as the current collections sit at $788 million. Ticket sales are going strong even in its third week and no big threats are expected soon as Marvel’s Thor: Love and Thunder is slated to be released on 7th July. This gives Top Gun: Maverick an additional 3 weeks to rake in the big numbers at the box office and end its run with staggering collections.

Sequels are always risky as people have higher expectations from the previous movie, but not in this case as the movie proved to meet the audience’s expectations and some might even suggest it was better than the first one. As a genuine movie lover and maker, Tom Cruise made sure he delivered the very best for his fans all around the world! 

Thor Love and Thunder : The Amazing Trailer


 

We put our faith in God!" Let's get started! Thor: Love and Thunder, the next big Marvel sequel directed by Taika Waititi after his outstanding Thor: Ragnarok from 2017, has received a full-length official teaser from Disney. The film follows the God of Thunder on a search for inner serenity unlike any other he's ever undertaken. However, a galactic killer known as Gorr the God Butcher, played by Christian Bale, who seeks the extermination of the gods, interrupts his retirement. Thor enlists the support of King Valkyrie, Korg (!! ), and ex-girlfriend Jane Foster, who wields Thor's mystical hammer, Mjolnir, as the Mighty Thor, to to Thor's amazement.

Chris Hemsworth returns as Thor, with Taika Waititi as Korg, Natalie Portman as Valkyrie, Tessa Thompson as Valkyrie, Karen Gillan, Russell Crowe as Zeus, Sean Gunn, and Chris Pratt as Star Lord rounding out the group. I'm so thrilled they gave Taika Waititi permission to produce another goofy Thor film because this looks incredible in every manner, shape, and form! A hilariously creative comedy with some wild tale twists and turns. This is going to be a lot of fun.

Thor (Chris Hemsworth) embarks on a trip unlike any other he's ever undertaken: a quest for inner peace. However, a galactic murderer known as Gorr the God Butcher (Christian Bale), who seeks the destruction of the gods, interrupts his retirement. To counter the menace, Thor enlists the aid of King Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson), Korg (Taika Waititi), and ex-girlfriend Jane Foster (Natalie Portman), who, to Thor's amazement, wields his mystical hammer, Mjolnir, as the Mighty Thor.

They engage on a perilous cosmic journey together to unravel the secret surrounding the God Butcher's revenge and stop him before it's too late. Thor: Love and Thunder is directed by Kiwi actor, writer, and filmmaker Taika Waititi, who previously helmed Eagle versus Shark, Boy, What We Do in the Shadows, Hunt for the Wilderpeople, Thor: Ragnarok, and Jojo Rabbit. Jennifer Kaytin Robinson and Taika Waititi collaborated on the screenplay. Kevin Feige and Brad Winderbaum produced the film. This summer, Disney will release Marvel's Thor: Love and Thunder in theatres around the world on July 8th, 2022. What's your first impression? So, who's up for it?


Jurassic World Dominion (A Success or A Flop)


 

A gem of work that immediately became a classic, and even though The Lost World and Jurassic World are also good films, the saga spawned significantly weaker successors on every level. Even though Fallen Kingdom was a huge letdown for most viewers, the cliffhanger finale set up a fantastic premise for the future part. How could a story about dinosaurs resurfacing all over the planet while humans learn to coexist with them fail to succeed? Sadly, Jurassic World Dominion succeeds in achieving this "feat" of failure.

This was the film the director had always wanted to make inside the legendary story, but the truth is that the most engaging and exciting portion of the premise is reduced to a brief, exposition-heavy depiction. Dominion begins up a few years after the previous film's conclusion, which means that all of the turmoil, terror, war, natural conflicts, and much more are hidden from view. Instead, viewers are transported to a time where humans have become accustomed to coexisting with dinosaurs, as well as other animals and nature. So, how did Trevorrow and co-writer Emily Carmichael come up with their story?

A basic, predictable screenplay centered on espionage and Taken-inspired subplots throughout its 146-minute length, entirely shifting all attention to human characters and putting dinosaurs as simple extras with infrequent big-screen cameos. Trevorrow crams two films into one, making the film needlessly long. Dominion commits the worst crime a summer blockbuster can commit: boredom. From a cliche antagonistic CEO with futile motivations to the terrible decision to split the cast – the original actors only meet the new ones after the beginning of the third act – Dominion commits the worst crime a summer blockbuster can commit: boredom.

Bryce Dallas Howard and Chris Pratt are embroiled in a kidnapping-rescue plot that goes through the most inexcusable areas of logical nonsense, but the main problem is the lack of effect or value to the overall story. All attempts to reclaim what they've lost have no effect on the primary plot. Only one new character would be lost if the handoff and subsequent chase action in Malta were deleted from the film - DeWanda Wise is fantastic as Kayla Watts, but she doesn't cease being just another adventure companion with no emotional development or growth. Furthermore, Dominion fails to deliver even the tensest action moments.

It's truly astonishing that a 2022 blockbuster can't harness the technology that allows spectacular visual effects to create jaw-dropping dinosaurs, whether it's due to the awful shaky cam or the incredibly choppy editing. The dinosaur action is not only scant throughout two and a half hours, but it also lacks tension, suspense, and energy for the most part. In fact, only the best sequence of Dominion manages to avoid this boring feeling: a brief scene between Claire and a very specific dinosaur species will have everyone on the edge of their seats. I wish the rest of the movies were as good in terms of technical excellence and entertainment value.

Finally, Dominion's decision to place the emotional weight of the entire plot on Maisie Lockwood (Isabella Sermon) proves to be a complete failure. Clearly, the young actress does her best with what she has, but Owen's bond with Blue, the "adopted" Velociraptor, has a lot more promise that goes untapped. The bond between Maisie, Owen, and Claire matured and cemented off-screen, pushing viewers to care about a character more than they were supposed to because there wasn't much to care about because there wasn't much to care about. Dominion closes the narrative in a horrible fashion because of decisions like this and many others... at least until a new trilogy emerges in the future.


Thursday, June 16, 2022

Peaky Blinders over or is it?

The 6th season of the Peaky Blinders just dropped last week on Netflix. Originally it aired on February 27, 2022 on BBC One and the last episode was aired on April 3, 2022. But Netflix users had to wait almost two months to stream the whole season, as a major chunk of viewers of the show are on the streaming site. The final season saw Tommy (Cillian Murphy) trying to get free from all the politics, schemes and the gangster life but the more he tries to escape the more he is forced to strike back.

As many believed that this season would be the last, it was expected that after all that he went through Tommy would kill himself or be killed by either Oswald Mosley or his own cousin Michael Gray. Because Helen McCroy (Polly) died last year, the makers had to kill off her character as she died before the shooting began, this gave an angle of Michael holding Tommy responsible for his mother’s death due to his plan of executing Mosley. But against all odds, Mr.Shelby came out winning but not without suffering as he was cursed by a Gypsy tribe which resulted in the death of his daughter Ruby.

Taking place after 4 years of the last season’s finale, this season also introduced his long lost son, Duke who is the eldest of his children. This was an unexpected twist for the audience. Another interesting development we saw in the first episode is that Tommy Shelby had given up drinking completely and had stayed sober for the last 4 years because he wanted to have a clear head and stay in control.

A conspiracy is planned in which he’s made to believe he’s dying makes Tommy take some tough decisions, but it is revealed that his doctor was paid by Mosley to fake his diagnosis so he would kill himself instead of being a burden on his family. Because even he knew, only Thomas Shelby can kill Thomas Shelby. But he spares the doctor as he wanted to change his ways, now with the ending people are wondering is there another season or not.

It has been confirmed that the crime saga will continue, as a Peaky Blinders movie is in the planning stages with Cillian Murphy returning as the mafia boss.

This news have been positively received by fans all over the world, as they will get to see their favorite gangster family on the big screen. But we will have to wait and see what the Peaky Blinders have in store for us next!




Tuesday, June 14, 2022

Avengers: End Game

 


A satisfactory ending appears to be one of the greatest hard aspects in cinema. Brands burn out and lose momentum. TV series have more series than they need to, and movie franchises continue for no clear purpose other than the filmmaker's unwillingness to give up copyrights. Every now and again, though, the stars align perfectly and copyright is put to rest. It assists to have a good core literature to rely on, such as The Return of the King or Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Even those film series had expansions that were underwhelming in contrast.

The MCU does not conclude with Avengers: Endgame, but it is the conclusion of 11 years and a 22-movie storyline that began in 2008 with Robert Downey Jr.'s Tony Stark. That movie also hinted at a showdown with Thanos over the Infinity Stones. More heroes have been added to the MCU since then. Thanos ultimately appeared in Avengers: Infinity War, with the claimed objective of killing half of existence in order to restore balance and prosperity to the universe. 

It's no coincidence that the original Avengers all endured the blip. As popular as Spider-Man is, and as surprising as Black Panther was, the bedrock of the MCU has consistently remained that initial gang. We've seen them deal with adversity and slight loss in Avengers and Avengers: Age of Ultron, but this once they have to face with the consequences of their mistake. The start of movie is an intriguing look at how to deal with grief and loss and how, if at all, to go on. It's not as in-depth, but it's more than you'd expect from a blockbuster film.

Ant-Man and Hawkeye were noteworthy absent from Infinity War, but they play important roles in the opening half of the film. Through his eyes, we see much of the aftermath of Thanos' influence on the Earth. Hawkeye is given a heartbreaking sequence that begins the film and leads him onto a dark road where he executes crime cartels all across the globe as Ronin. The film also does an excellent work of incorporating recent arrival Captain Marvel. There was some fear that a strong figure like her might assume too large a role in the last part of this novel, detracting from the established heroes, but this is not the situation.

The film's three-hour length is most likely due to the huge number of individuals. There are genuine personality moments for characters that the picture finds time for and benefits from. While some of it may feel like fan service, the reality is that they have invested 21 movies creating the framework with these people, and practically anything in this film rings true morally. I would say that there is very nothing in this film that could be cut to save time. It didn't seem like a three-hour movie while I was sitting in the cinema.

But, in conclusion, this film goes to the Avengers. The movie tells us why they were so appealing as a group and why the MCU has been so lucrative and beloved. The Avengers battled like a family and had disagreements, but the synergy and engagements they've had throughout all of these pictures in what will now be called as the Infinity Saga" have been the MCU's foundation through its "first three phases". 

I've tried to keep this assessment plot-light. However, the film's finale more than compensates for any narrative gap deficiencies in the movie's early to mid-sections. The MCU will endure after Avengers: Endgame, but there is a feeling that it is coming to a conclusion. Everything has led up to here, the conclusion of Marvel's epic tale arc. As a result, Endgame seems very distinct from the majority of the other MCU films. Those were constructing, developing, extending, and thinking ahead. Endgame is thinking back, soaking in the vastness of it all, and attempting to weave all of the many strands into a coherent totality. And it is successful in doing so. Endgame lands on its feet and provides a suitable and gratifying finale to the "Infinity Saga".


Monday, June 13, 2022

The Wolf Of Wall Street


The Wolf of Wall Street is the first Martin Scorsese film in a long time that feels like it will join Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, and GoodFellas in the canon in a few years' time. It arrives with all the excitement that Casino did, but it doesn't quite provide what many of us were hoping for, and for some, it may take some getting accustomed to.

The tone is much straighter than we've come to anticipate, with longer, more intimate sequences and a far higher emphasis on screenplay, even though it starts with a sprinkle of the customary visual fireworks. The Wolf of Wall Street's oddest feature is also its most unusual for a Scorsese film: it's wonderfully, incredibly humorous. Another noteworthy aspect of Scorsese's 23rd feature is how effortless the comedy is, given that it is his first film since 1999's Bringing Out the Dead, which is equally rich in black humor and doesn't appear to be made to an Academy agenda. The director's early enthusiasm returns in The Wolf of Wall Street. It's a massive film, but not as big as Scorsese's Gangs of New York, and it finally feels like Scorsese is examining the material and getting to the heart of the matter.

It features an antihero who pushes us to the very limits of our sympathies, just like the finest of Scorsese's work. Jake LaMotta, Rupert Pupkin, and Travis Bickle are all suspects, but Jordan Belfort may be the worst. And it's part of the film's genius, not only in Scorsese's direction but also in Leonardo DiCaprio's untouchable performance, that three hours in the company of a man who exploits the poor and wallows in outrageous wealth whizzes by.

It's possible that Scorsese has been searching around for a change. His Personal Journey series of documentaries famously end when he began creating films himself, so he doesn't have to evaluate his colleagues, but The Wolf of Wall Street has the air of a director looking for inspiration. Not only are there hints of his godchildren Tarantino and P. T. Anderson here, but there's also a sense that this isn't going to be a conventional Scorsese film. His camera stays in place longer than it used to, and despite the trailer's suggestion of a lot of twitchy raps, the needle drops are shorter and less prominent than normal.

DiCaprio is unquestionably at his best in this film, fully commanding his range and ability. The most evident indication of this is the slapstick elements. The sequence in which he tries to drive his car on antique Quaaludes is incredible, but it's difficult to see another actor pulling it off and then flawlessly transitioning back into Belfort's public role. Belfort has gone from charlatan to evangelist by the end of the movie, and it is his messiah mentality that leads to his demise. Nonetheless, we believe it as well, and this is what the movie excels at: even though Belfort is a love rat, a drug addict, and a con guy who preys on the poor, none of these things appear to matter.

In terms of the latter, the film plays fast and loose with its morality, establishing Belfort as the narrator of his own story to the point where Scorsese doesn't react when he crosses the line, which he does frequently. Instead, he thrusts our noses into the massive mountain of pharmaceutical cocaine that was Belfort's existence for a few years. And we inhale so deeply that it is only after the comedown that we begin to think about Jordan Belfort, what he did to earn his money and what he did with it. It's hardly a surprise to state that Belfort rose to prominence because of his notoriety, but The Wolf of Wall Street joins a small group of Scorsese films (Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, The King of Comedy) in which unstable persons become media celebrities because of their crimes and misdeeds.

It doesn't take a master's degree in film studies to figure out what's going on here, which is part of what makes The Wolf of Wall Street so compelling. Scorsese isn't waving his finger at Wall Street; rather, he's wagging it at us, providing a mirror of our messed-up reality. "Humor is tragedy plus time," as Mark Twain once remarked, and as far as historical warnings go, it doesn't get any timelier than this.

Sunday, June 12, 2022

Avengers: Infinity War

 


"There was an idea to bring a group of remarkable people to see if we could become something greater so that when they wanted us, we could fight the wars that they couldn't." With the debut of Iron Man in 2008, such a notion was created. Each movie in the MCU umbrella gives a sensation of real heroic talents to occur on their own foundation as well as partner up superhero pictures that bring a bunch of heroes together. With the achievement of these films, the MCU has grown and widened, particularly since Disney acquired Marvel to carry the superhero universe into the "House of Mouse," with each new instalment in their serial Phases sagas attempting to add a further surface to the total intricacy of this filmic universe while also providing superhero enjoyment to audiences worldwide. From the alleys of NYC in Spider-Man: Homecoming to the mythical African nation of Wakanda in Black Panther, the films have taken their audiences on enormous adventure experiences from one to the next. Now, Marvel Studios produced Avengers: Infinity War, the widely anticipated conclusion to the MCU.

Thanos, the Mad Titan, seeks the Infinity Stones that would finish his Infinity Gauntlet and thereby realise his evil dream of annihilating half of every existence from the universe in order to establish a certain harmony. Doctor Strange must preserve the Time Stone, despite clashing with Iron Man and finding a companion in Spider-Man. Meanwhile, abandoned and stranded in universe, Thor encounters the Guardians of the Galaxy, with whom he collaborates to prevent Thanos from obtaining Stones and carrying out his grand scheme. The other Avengers gather with Vision to safeguard the Mind Stone, with everyone converged on Wakanda. It's essential for all of these warriors to rise up against Thanos. However, even with these heroes combined might, it's unknown if it would be sufficient to prevent the Mad Titan from reaching his final aim.

Thanos' pursuit for the Infinity Stones and his aim of ultimate domination hits a climactic moment in Avengers: Infinity War. The film itself was a fantastic cinematic experience that delivered on its promise of being both a huge spectacle and a dramatic pivotal moment for the saga. The film's stunning graphics and an excellent ensemble of brilliant cast members portraying this cast of characters, and you have the perfect hero film. 

This film completely and definitely captivated me. My hopes were incredibly great, and the film exceeded them. I haven't been that astonished and impressed by a film in a long time. It should come as no shock that I rate Avengers: Infinity War as "highly recommended." If you like the MCU, you won't be dissatisfied. Avengers: Infinity War is a phenomenally strong and enormously enjoyable superhero movie that delivers on its claim as the largest, most intricate, and most unparalleled superhero film.