Question Time: What Movie Sequels Would You Like To See?

This is a simple question. What movie sequels would you like to see come out in the near future? There are no rules - you can literally pick any film. It can be for any reason as well. You may have loved the first one, you may have hated it and would like them to have another go. If you have any reason for a sequel then name them here.

 

Name the original and then suggest a title for the sequel. We will get things started:

 

 

1 - "District 9" - District 10?

 

"District 9" came out in 2009 and what a film it was.  With a relatively unknown cast the film hit the big screen and achieved good reviews and had a successful run.  The story of a human turning into an alien managed to win over the crowds and the film, albeit an action based sci-fi tuened out to be very emotional.  Director Neill Blomkamp has already spoken about the chance of a sequel.

 

 

2 - "RocknRolla" - The Real RocknRolla?

 

Earlier we posted a review for "Snatch" (2000) at M+F Reviews.  During that review we spoke of Guy Ritchie's other films one of which was "RocknRolla" (2008).  An enjoyable but typical Ritchie film, it ends with a message appearing on the screen, 'Johnny, Archy and the Wild Bunch will be back in The Real RocknRolla'. Now we enjoyed the film and with a message like that appearing at the end it would only be fair that we are treated to a second film.  Rumour has it that Ritchie is planning a trilogy but as of yet nothing has been confirmed.

 

 

Let us know what you would like to see by commenting below. The possibilities are endless! 

How To Rate a Movie: Movie Ratings Explained

Rating a movie is something that we all do, consciously or not.  It may be in the form of stating Film A is better than Film B or it may be something more involved like the compiling of a list.  Either way people ask why movies are rated, what the ratings mean and how to rate movies themselves.  Over at M+F Reviews we review and rate each film we have watched and we do this with our own rating system.  This feature will aim to look at why we rate movies to see if we really need to, what the ratings mean to the person rating them as an individual and also different ways to rate movies with some helpful tips along the way.

Why do people rate movies?

Movie ratings - you see them everywhere. Whenever a new film is released part of its promotion has ratings from various sources plastered over the movie posters and trailers - but why?  Nearly every film that is released will have a movie rating that claims that it is the best film in however long, or that it is excellent or tremendous.  However, you know as well as us that each and every film cannot be rated 5/5 stars or 10/10, or whatever format the film has been rated in.  It is quite obvious that these movie ratings have been chosen from the reviewers who did enjoy the film and gave those ratings. This is the problem with film reviews and it is one that is often overlooked and forgotten about - movie reviews and ratings are an individual opinion. They are not fact or universal.  It is this important factor which is imperial to anyone looking at movie reviews or looking to do there own.

Back to the question - why rate a movie? Why do we not just watch a film, accept it for what it is and move on? Why is there a need to rate the movie?  Many people would say, 'it's just what we do,' or 'it is an easy way to list films we have seen.'  As we rate movies ourselves we believe that both of these reasons are true but I also think there is a more biological reason - it's natural.  From anything to everything we always rate things and compare them to others eg. Car A is better than Car B. Of course it does not have to be rated on what is 'better' but it could be on what person is funnier - basically the scale of what you are using to rate something can change and this is no different to film ratings. 

So, is it essential to rate movies? No, we do not think it is but it is something that people will continue to do even if people tried to stop.  Not every person will compile lists or keep a record of their ratings but that's okay. As long as people are accepting film and forming an opinion on it then the film has in its most basic form been a success.  For us here, we love film discussion and talk and ratings form the basis of this.  It gives us an overview of what we think of a film or movie and if people ask us why we rated it like that we can then go into more details. We believe film ratings are good for movies. They provide a point of discussion. 

What do movie ratings mean?

This again is an open ended question.  To us, movie ratings can mean a lot of different things.  It can be as simple as ordering the films you have seen into a list with favourites first or it can be based on a much more sophisticated formula or rating system.  It really does depend on those who are giving the ratings. There is a difference between say a list of films in order of our favourite films compared to ones that are actually critically good films.  For instance, personally we really enjoyed the Transformers franchise films and would have them on our list of favourite films, however we would not rate them above 8/10. You would think that if they are on our list of favourite films then they would be rated highly (either 9/10 or 10/10) but for us there is a difference between enjoying a film and rating a film. We believe you can enjoy a film but still not rate it highly, otherwise each film we rate would be 8/10 or 9/10 as we enjoy a lot of films.  It is a difficult idea to understand.  Our ratings are based on what we think of a film and yes enjoyment plays a part of that but we do not solely base our reviews on our enjoyment of a film.

How should I rate a movie?

So how should you rate a movie then? Here we will look at the different ways to rate movies.  Now there are so many different ways we are unable to list them all but we will take some examples and show you.  If you are looking to rate a movie then you need to know what you are rating it out of. This can be a number of things from a percentage out of 100 to giving a film a number of stars.  The second thing that you need to do is to understand what each rating represents, for instance the difference between a good and bad film rating. 

 

What rating system should I use? 

Well this is completely up to you and how you find it best to rate a film.  Some sites and people use a rating out of 10.  This is what we use at M+F Reviews.  Similarly you can use a system that rates a film out of 5 or even 3.  Obviously the lower you go the harder it becomes to distinguish each film.  You can also do something not that different and give each film a percentage out of 100.  This can be very accurate but can be quite difficult to pin point exactly what each films movie rating should be.  There are other ways you can rate movies as well. Below you can see examples of different rating systems. 

 

Out of 10: Very simple and probably the most popular way of rating movies.  Once you have watched a film you can give the film what you think it deserves with 10 being the highest and 1 being the lowest.  For us at M+F Reviews we have stuck to whole numbers but you can go to decimal points if you wish.  This gives you more flexibility but we also suggest that if you are using decimal points that you have a clear structure on how you rate each movie as it is important that you stick by your rating after you have made it and not to change it once you have watched another film.  A great example of the "Out of 10" movie rating system can be seen at IMDb; they have the option for users to rate each movie out of 10 and they have compiled an overall Top 250 list of the top rated movies of all time.

 

Out of 5:  Again this a very popular way of rating a movie.  Rotten Tomatoes employ this rating system for their users but also use an "Out of 10" system for their critics ratings.  Users can rate each movie out of 5 stars and this includes half stars.  Another feature that they use is then giving an overall percentage of the audience who liked it.  The percentage they use is the amount of  people who have rated the movie 3.5 stars or more. 

 

An example of a film rated 4/5 stars.

 

Kids-In-Mind: Now this is a very specific way to rate movies.  As you can see they are rating films based on the suitability for children. By choosing three areas that they think films should be rated for children (but more so for the parents) they can get a three point score for the film and its suitability for children. 

MoovieBoozer: This rating system for us is great. Its fun and different.  The ratings are based on the amount of beers it would take to make a film enjoyable or good. The best rating is 'A Toast' also known as 'One Beer Movies.' The worst is called a 'Six-Pack' or a 'Six Beers Movies'.

 

Other ways: Of course there are hundreds of ways you can rate a film.  Some are very complicated as outlined  here by Sweet Popcorn and Late Nights.  Others can be kept very simple. 

 
 

An Example of a Movie Rating and System 

Example of M+F Rating of "The Wolverine" (2013) from Movie and Film Reviews

 

At M+F Reviews we use a simple "Out of 10" rating system.  Each film is given a number between 0 and 10. It works as we know what the difference is between each possible rating. We know that a film rated 5/10 is neither good or bad as for us it is completely average.  A film that is rated 0/10 is terrible in all aspects, storyline, acting, soundtrack etc.  Luckily we have not found a film that warrants this rating yet. 

 

Lets look at a film we reviewed recently, "The Wolverine" (2013).

 

We rated this film 5/10.  We felt the film was not as good as previous X-Men related films and that it could have been a lot better.  However, we felt that Hugh Jackman's performance was very good - he kept the movie from being a really terrible one.  For us the storyline was disappointing as well as the lack of other major characters. We did enjoy the film though.  For us this was a classic average film - some things were good and some were not and this is how we came to our rating of 5/10. The full review can be found here.

 

Ask yourself - "Does it work?"

 

At the end of the day the ratings system you choose to use should answer yes to both the these questions:

1. Does it work for you?
2. Does it work for your audience?

If you answer yes to both of these questions then you will have no problems with your movie ratings system.  It is important that your audience understands and can make sense of your ratings and that they are also something that you can stick to in the long run.

 

Things to remember:

• Decide on what rating system you want to use if at all
• Know the difference between each rating
• Stick to the rating you have given the film at the time
• It is personal, do not change your review because someone else disagrees with you

 

This concludes our movie ratings feature.  If you have any questions on how to rate a movie, or a question on how we rate movies please do not hesitate to ask.  If you have any comments on this feature please post them below as we would love to hear your own thoughts on how you rate movies yourself. 

12 Reasons to Watch Steve McQueen's "12 Years a Slave" Movie

After watching "12 Years a Slave" last night we have decided to do a feature on the film and give you 12 reasons as to why you should watch the movie.  So here we go in no particular order:



Director Steve McQueen and actor Chiwetel
 Ejiofor (AP Photo/Fox Searchlight, Jaap Buitendijk)

1. Steve McQueen

   That's right, we start the list with the man behind it, director Steve McQueen.  The British director came across the book for the film after his wife found it while they were looking for a true slave story to tell. His excellent skills set this film up perfectly and he certainly helps make it the success it is.



2. The Storyline

   The unbelievable yet extraordinary  story of Solomon Northup is next on the list.  A true story of deception, death, desperation, despair and pain, it really has it all.  Solomon wrote Twelve Years a Slave in 1853 the year he was reunited with his family.  It is still not known how or where he died.



3. Chiwetel Ejiofor

   Chiwetel Ejiofor was the actor chosen by McQueen to play Solomon and what a choice it was.  He brings an incredible performance and portrayal of Solomon that is near on perfect. The emotions he displays are so sincere and really add to the overall depth and feel of the film.



4. It's Powerful

   Powerful. The whole film is powerful. Whatever way you look at it. A powerful story. Powerful actors. Powerful scenes. The whole film has a essence surrounding that reaches out to the audience and pulls them in.



5. It's More Than Just a Film

   "12 Years a Slave" is more than just a film. It is a opportunity to absorb our past. What we see is not nice but its true.  It is something that should be shown and accepted for the truth it shows rather than just being branded as another film.



6. It's Emotional

   Of course a film of this nature is going to bring up emotions. It will not just have you crying though. The emotion we felt more of was anger. Anger at what we were seeing. We know this was only a film adaptation but it provoked these emotions from within us.  The portrayal of the story and slavery in particular really struck a chord with us and it is because we did not like what we were seeing and knew it was wrong. A film that can stir these emotions is certainly one worth watching.



7. It's a Must See

There is no doubt about it, if you do not see this film you are missing out. It really is a spectacle that needs to be viewed. It will be spoken about for years and there is a reason for this - so go and see it.




8. It Will Make You Think

You will not finish this film and just go back to your usual life without thinking about this film.  It raises too many questions and emotions for you to simply forget.  What is a great movie if it does not do this?




9. Lupita Nyong'o

   Relatively unknown before her portrayal of Patsey, Lupita Nyong'o really steps up to the big screen. Patsey was at the same plantation as Solomon and suffered tremendous amounts of assault, battery and rape.  A sad and tragic life which was quite difficult to watch.  Lupita plays the role incredibly well considering the circumstances her character faced. An inspirational performance.
   
   
   

   

   Michael Fassbender, Lupita Nyong'o and Chiwetel Ejiofor
    as Edwin Epps, Patsey and Solomon Northup

    

10. It's Relevant

It has been asked as to why this film has been released now and not years before.  One answer for this is that it is now relevant.  With Barack Obama the President of the United States and people ready to talk about and discuss slavery there is no better time for the film to be released and watched.  Recently we saw the release of "Django Unchained" (2012) - a totally different film that involves some aspect of slavery.



11. It Raises Questions

    You will have tonnes of questions after watching this film and the majority of them will not be answered.  What happens to Solomon? Why was he taken? Was he the only one? These questions cause great discussion and really show the effect this story can have on you.



12. It's Good

    There is no questioning it, "12 Years a Slave" is an incredible film.  One that will leave you speechless. There will be parts that are uncomfortable to watch and difficult to stomach but it is worth it. A real masterpiece of emotional truth.

 

That completes our 12 reasons as to why you should go and watch "12 Years a Slave". It really is worth the time and effort of seeing.  We have also written a full review of "12 Years a Slave" and hope you decide to watch this film.

Fire in the Blood Documentary: DVD Preview

"Fire in the Blood" is a documentary film that will be available on DVD on 24th March 2014.  If you have not heard the story of "Fire in the Blood" then you certainly should listen up. It tells quite an unbelievable story, one in which will make you shudder at the thought of it. You can see our review of "Fire in the Blood" here.

An intricate tale of ‘medicine, monopoly and malice’

It describes the events that have taken place recently that saw Western pharmaceutical companies and governments cause the death of ten million African people and global southerners after 1996 by restricting access to low-cost AIDS drugs. For us this is a story that needs to be told and should be watched by all when it is released on DVD. The documentary last for 84 minutes and is directed by Dylan Mohan Gray. It includes contributions from Bill Clinton and Desmond Tutu. 

The untold story focusses on the incredible team who worked together to stop the 'crime of the century'. Setbacks have occurred though and the real fight for life-saving medicine for all is only just starting. This is a documentary film that needs to be seen all over and needs support as events like this should not be happening in this day and age. You can watch the trailer below which alone is very powerful.

"Fire in the Blood" Trailer

For more information on the "Fire in the Blood" documentary please see the official website here. 

Question Time: What Actors Would You Like To See Work Together Again?

With rumours starting that  "The Wolf of Wall Street" pair Leonardo DiCaprio and Jonah Hill are to work together again on an Olympic bomber drama called ‘The Ballad of Richard Jewell’ we want to ask what actors you would like to see team up again.

 

We will get things rolling with our picks:

 

1 - George Clooney and Brad Pitt

 

We loved these two working together in the Oceans franchise and would like to see them collaborate again. Clooney has recently teamed up with Matt Damon who also starred in Oceans for "The Monuments Men" (2014). It would be great to see Clooney and Pitt back together for a film that could be as good as their previous collaborations.

 

Pitt and Clooney in "Oceans Eleven" (2011)

 

2 - Jamie Foxx and Christoph Waltz

 

These two came together for Quentin Tarantino's "Django Unchained" (2012) and worked very well together.  A great balance on screen - both bringing a range of skills for the audience to see. It would be interesting to see if they could work together again and produce something as entertaining as Django.

 

Waltz and Foxx in "Django Unchained" (2012)

 

Let us know who you would like to see back together by commenting below.

Super Bowl Spots: Transformers 4 and Spider-Man 2 Trailers

Last night saw the hugely anticipated Super Bowl game between Denver Broncos and Seattle Seahawks with the Seahawks taking victory in a dominating manner. However, for film fans around the world it was not just the match that we were interested in, more the half time Super Bowl Spots. With it being one of sports biggest events it is the perfect opportunity for film advertisement.  You can see a list of all of the Super Bowl Spots here. We are going to focus on two of the trailers that featured at the half time break; "Transformers 4: Age of Extinction" and "The Amazing Spider-Man 2." 

Transformers 4: Age of Extinction

  

 

PREPARE FOR EXTINCTION. That's right - at last we have our first glimpse of the action that is and will be "Transformers 4: Age of Extinction."  In true Michael Bay style, CGI has been used to the fullest effect but lets be honest, would we expect anything different? So, back to the trailer itself, which gives a glimpse/blink of the action at most - so do not look away. We get to see Mark Wahlberg who plays a mechanic and things do not look like they are going well for him; his daughter seems to have been taken as an attack is happening.  We also get to see Optimus Prime riding what looks like a robotic dinosaur/dragon. Watch the trailer for yourself and let us know your thoughts.  Is the reboot going to work for Michael Bay and the Transformers franchise or is it going to be one film to many?

 

 

The Amazing Spider-Man 2 

 

One word - WOW! What a trailer. This really does look like it is going to be one of the better Spider-Man films that has ever been released.  Andrew Garfield reprises his role as our favourite web slinging superhero that is Spider-Man but this time he is up against a much more difficult enemy.  We say, enemy, but really we mean enemies.  Jamie Foxx can be seen playing Electro, an employee of Oscorp who unfortunately inherits electronic abilities.  His anger at being a 'nobody' fuels him to cause havoc on the city.  Not only this, but we also get to see Harry Osborn and  the Oscorp vision of the future; with clips of The Rhino and Green Goblin. In one scene you can also see bionic octopus arms that surely will end up belonging to Doctor Octopus.  With not long to wait, we are certainly looking forward to the release of "The Amazing Spider-Man 2" on 18th April 2014. Do you think this will be the best Spider-Man movie ever? Is it enough to challenge Marvel's own success of Thor, Captain America and Iron-Man?

M+F Reviews Week 2 Update

Hey guys, here is our second update from M+F Reviews. It has been another good week for our reviews but unfortunately we were unable to upload any new movie reviews in the last few days due to being away. Anyway, here are the film we have reviewed in the past week in alphabetical order:

 

jOBS

Kick-Ass 2

Riddick

Runner Runner

 

 

Highest M+F Rating: Kick-Ass 2

Featured Film: Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues

 

 

That concludes the films we have reviewed this week. Please remember that when we say 'Highest M+F Rating,' this is for the films we have reviewed for that specific week.  We have a good week lined up for reviews including, "I'm Not There" (2007) and "Elysium" (2013).

 



RIP Philip Seymour Hoffman

This is the type of news we do not like to have to report on. Unfortunately today Philip Seymour Hoffman has passed away. While it is still unclear and rather speculative - reports suggest that his death was drug related.  The actor has had a previous history with drug use and re-admitted himself into rehab last year. The news comes as a shock to everyone.

 

Oscar winner Hoffman had recent success in "The Master" (2012) and also featured in the Hunger Games film franchise, with the latest still to be filmed.  It is terrible news and we send out condolences to his family and friends.

 

Philip Seymour Hoffman in The Hunger Games

 

New 22 Jump Street Poster Released

Yesterday saw the release of the new "22 Jump Street" movie poster. That's right Jonah Hill and Chaning Tatum return to become the funny cops that brought success to "21 Jump Street" (2012).  We are glad they are back and the new movie poster and trailer already have us laughing. 

Hill, who has recently had success with "The Wolf of Wall Street" (2013), and Tatum who was last seen in "White House Down" (2013)  brought many memorable moments in the first film.  The two worked very well on the screen and it looks like the second is going to be exactly the same. 

To see the full size image please head over to Yahoo Movies.

As you can see from the poster, 'They're not 21 anymore' and wielding golden guns they certainly look like they are having a good time.  The cast also features, Ice Cube and Rob Riggle who will reprise their respective roles. We do not know how this one will end but we are already hoping for a 23 Jump Street.  Are you going to see "22 Jump Street?" If so, tell us why, we would love to here your thoughts!

 

"22 Jump Street" Trailer:



The Armstrong Lie Preview - In UK Cinemas Tomorrow

"The Armstrong Lie"  is one of the most anticipated sports documentaries we are going to see this year.  Having been to the Tour de France ourselves and supporting the then 'innocent' and 'clean' Lance Armstrong, we are looing forward to what he has to say. 

Having defended him at every opportunity, having brought books, posters and sports gear that bared his name we were truly let down when the news broke that he had been charged with the use of illegal performance enhancing drugs.  Even more, his arrogance in the Oprah Winfrey interview made us angrier. 

Since then our views of Armstrong have changed but its odd - we do not find ourselves hating him - but we should. What did Lance Armstrong lie about you ask? Everything.  He cheated, he bullied and he deceived us all of everything we believe in.  Yet there is still some part of us that wants to like him. If you have ever watched him on the bike then you will know what I mean. Yes, he was filled up to the brim of illegal drugs (something that we obviously do not condone) but he still was a helluva bike rider. 

Alex Gibney's experience of Armstrong is even more up close and personal. Lance made a comeback from retirement in 2009 and Gibney was on board to do a behind the scenes documentary of the comeback.  All the time though - Armstrong claimed innocence against doping allegations that were re-surfacing.  When he was eventually was charged and confessed, Gibney rightfully said how he felt conned. What would you do? You have just made a documentary on one of the biggest sportsmen in the world to find out that they are a cheat.  We like Gibney's response - demand another interview and then make a documentary on the whole lie that Armstrong told.

"This is not a story about doping, it's a story about power." - Daniel Coyle

We are still reserved in what we feel about Armstrong. Is he still the inspiration that he once was - in some ways I think he is yes. He survived cancer and provides inspiration to many because of this.  However in a sporting context it is difficult, do we just forget? Or do we try to forgive? Or do we hate?

Hopefully, "The Armstrong Lie" is going to leave us leaning towards one or the other.  The film is released in the UK tomorrow (31st January 2014). The trailer already starts our emotions bubbling and we are interested to see how it makes us feel afterwards.  We certainly will be watching it very soon. What do you think? Have you seen "The Armstrong Lie?"

The Armstrong Lie Trailer

We have now watched "The Armstrong Lie" and our full review can be read here.

M+F Reviews - New Blog Roll

Just a quick update from M+F Reviews.

 

We are still adding new movie and film reviews to the site daily. The collection is growing which is great.

 

We have just added our new blog roll.  This is 5 blogs that we really like the look of and the content they produce so here is a quick run through of then (in no particular order):

 

• Laura's Miscellaneous Musings - Laura focusses on classic and Disney films while also discussing other miscellaneous topics. 
• The 500 Club - Based in Brisbane, a group of critics review films in 500 at a time.
• Scott's Movie Comments - Scott focusses on a wide rnage of films and has written a paragraph on every movie he has seen since 1995! That's dedication.  
•  Movie Muse - A Chicago based blog all about turning thoughts about movies into article and discussion.
• Average Film Reviews - An Irish based blog that has great reviews and information.

We hope you enjoy reading these blogs as much as we do and keep checking back for new movie reviews.

 

 

Out of the Furnace Movie Out Today (UK)

Today marks the UK release of "Out of the Furnace".  Why should you watch it? Well firstly it stars 'The Dark Knight' himself, Christian Bale.  The versatile actor is not the only reason this film should appeal to you though.  Scott Cooper is starting to build a solid reputation as a director and this is the next film he has directed - his first being "Crazy Heart" (2009).

 

"Out of the Furnace" Cast:

Bale is not the only great actor that features in "Out of the Furnace." Woody Harrelson, Casey Affleck, Willem Dafoe, Forrest Whittaker and Zoe Saldana also have parts in the film.  The cast is certainly something that will attract you to the film as well as the films summary. We are yet to see the film ourselves but will certainly find ourselves heading out to watch it very soon. 

Have you seen "Out of the Furnace?" Let us know what you thought.

"Out of the Furnace" Trailer:

Noah Movie - New Poster with Russell Crowe

Late last night a new movie poster was revealed by Yahoo for the movie "Noah".  The poster itself looks epic, with Russell Crowe holding an axe as Noah in the torrential rain. 

As you can see this film certainly looks like it means business and could become one of the better told bible stories that has made it onto the big screen.  We are certainly excited for it.  The director behind Noah is Darren Aronofsky whose previous work includes "Requiem for a Dream" (2000) and "Black Swan" (2012).

Aronofsky has managed to assemble a star studied cast that includes, Jennifer Connelly, Ray Winston, Emma Watson and Anthony Hopkins. Whether the film lives up to its biblical proportions or not, we will have to wait and see but we hope Russell Crowe can reproduce the sort of performance that he gave in "Gladiator"(2000) .The film is released in UK theatres on 4th April 2014.  Until then make sure you watch the trailer as it looks extraordinary.

 

Noah starring Russell Crowe Movie Trailer

Captain America 3? "We Haven't Seen The Winter Soldier Yet!"

If you have been on Twitter tonight you would have seen "Captain America 3" trending worldwide. Your response? "Captain America: The Winter Soldier has not even been release yet!" Well, that would be any normal persons response. Fans of the franchise and especially Marvel fans are already jumping for joy at the prospect of the third instalment even though we have not  yet seen Marvel's Captain America 2 also known as The Winter Soldier.

Directors of the upcoming superhero film, Anthony and Joe Russo are reportedly in talks for the third instalment. This is great news for any fan of the Marvel Cinematic Universe as it looks like it will carry on expanding for some time.

 

Captain America: The Winter Soldier Cast

"Captain America: The Winter Soldier" hits UK cinemas on 28th March 2014.  The cast includes Chris Evans as of course Captain America, Scarlett Johansson as Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow, Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury and Robert Redford as Alexander Pierce.  As always Marvel have provided an excellent cast with many actors reprising their usual roles. 

Captain America: The Winter Soldier Plot

The films plot has been generally kept secret as with most Marvel films. However we do know that the Captain will face off against an old threat from the past in The Winter Soldier. He will have to do this while trying to get used to modern day life something that could ultimately hinder him. He will have support from Black Widow and also The Falcon, played by Anthony Mackie.



Captain America: The Winter Soldier Trailer
 

We are very excited at the prospect of a third Captain America movie but first lets get through The Winter Soldier. The trailer shows that it certainly is going to be an epic film and will be a great successor to the first movie in the franchise; "Captain America: The First Avenger" (2011).

Jonah Hill - SNL, The Wolf of Wall Street and Becoming a Movie Star

Now and again we are going to do a small feature on an actor/director who we feel at the moment is rising to the top or has certainly stepped up their game.  It could be that they have recently starred in and excelled in a few movies which compared to their previous work is a great step up or for other related news in the press.  Anyway, we will see how it goes.

For our first actor feature - we have chosen Jonah Hill. Now you should know who he is by now. Having starred in comedies throughout his career such as "Superbad" (2007) and "21 Jump Street" (2012), Hill has recently shown that he can become a real movie star in a more serious film.




Jonah Hill alongside Brad Pitt in "Moneyball" (2011)

In 2011 he played Peter Brand in "Moneyball" (2011), along side Brad Pitt and in 2013 he shared the big screen with none other than Leonardo DiCaprio in "The Wolf of Wall Street" (2013). Both of these performances were something that we had not seen from Hill before and people are starting to take notice - and so they should.  He adds something else to the screen and can alter a movie. We are not sure we can think of anyone else who would have played Donnie Azoff better than himself. 

Jonah Hill as Donnie Azoff in "The Wolf of Wall Street" (2013)

 

A recent news story broke about the amount of money that Hill was paid for his role in "The Wolf of Wall Street." He asked only for $60, 000 (£36,000). His reason? He wanted to work with director Martin Scorsese so much that he said he would have "done anything in the world," as "You should do things you care about." If you didn't like Hill before, you are going to find it very difficult not to now.  It shows his love for film and even more so his respect for one of the greatest directors of our time and for that we respect him.

Recently, Hill hosted SNL (Saturday Night Live) and this in itself caused a Twitter storm. Don't worry though it was a Leonardo DiCaprio shaped one. The sketch saw Hill speaking highly of himself and putting down DiCaprio's performance in the film. Cue DiCaprio...

You can tell it is all scripted but it's a good laugh and shows how far Hill has come to have DiCaprio by his side.  We look forward to see future movies with Jonah Hill in and do hope he can collaborate with DiCaprio and Scorsese again sometime soon.

Margot Robbie as Jane in Warner Bros Tarzan Movie?

Fresh from breaking onto the big screen with an outstanding performance in "The Wolf of Wall Street" - Margot Robbie is in talks to star as Jane in the planned "Tarzan" movie.  Not only that she is also being lined up to star in "Z for Zachariah" - replacing Amanda Seyfried. Here at M+F Talk we welcome this news. We loved Robbie playing the wife of Jordan Belfort (Leonardo DiCaprio) in the recent black comedy by Martin Scorsese.

The latest adaptation of "Tarzan" is set to be directed by David Yates who directed four of the "Harry Potter" films.  Off that success it looks like Tarzan could turn out to be an impressive movie with rumours linking the likes of Samuel L. Jackson and Christopher Waltz to parts in the film.

If you have read the book then you'll know "Z for Zachariah" is an interesting story.  The story evolves around a young girl who survives a nuclear war in America.  Chris Pine and 12 Years a Slave star Chiwetel Ejiofor are also being cast in this post-apocalyptic film. 

Here at M+F Talk, we cannot wait for more information to be released about these two films and also look forward to seeing Margot Robbie on the big screen again.  Her performance in "The Wolf of Wall Street" was one to take notice of. She held a good screen presence which was impressive alongside the likes of DiCaprio and Jonah Hill.  

UPDATE: Tarzan 3D has been given an official release date for 2016.

Disney's Maleficent 2014 Trailer - "Dream"

We have just watched for the first time the trailer for Maleficent.  It is known as the "Dream" trailer.

The film starring Angelina Jolie is released in the UK on the 30th May 2014. You will also recognise Elle Fanning from the trailer.  Maleficent is going to be the story of The Sleeping Beauty but told from the perspective of Maleficent.  A subtle twist to the usual story that we all know.  We are looking forward to it as not only does the storylinee intrigue us but  - have you seen that trailer?

 

Angelina Jolie's cheekbones are as prominent as the horns she has on her head but looks incredible nonetheless. The set and graphic design look very promising, along with the first hearing of the accompanying song 'Once Upon a Dream' covered by Lana Del Rey. Del Ray has the voice for covering film scores and she certainly adds to the trailer with her version of the song like she did for The Great Gatsby (2013).

 

You should all be excited for the release of this film and hopefully it will not disappoint.

X-Men: Days of Future Past Film Preview and Empire Magazine Reveal

So today saw the launch of Empire Magazine's X-Men Reveals in preparation for the new movie X-Men: Days of Future Past. Now we are very excited about this upcoming film in the X-Men franchise and as a follower of Empire Magazine on Twitter this has only made us even more excited for the release of the film.

As part of the world exclusive, Empire will have 25 exclusive covers for the magazine. Two of which are directly below.

The left cover shows Michael Fassbender as Magneto and on the right is Mystique played by Jennifer Lawrence. If these covers do not excite you for the release of the film then maybe the other 23 might. You can purchase each of the special edition covers.

As we have said - we cannot wait until the release of this film. If it was not made clear by the title of the film it is going to involve travelling through time. Exciting right? It certainly is as it means we will get to experience both the younger versions and older versions of many of the characters. Most obviously this will be the characters of Magneto and Xavier.  The younger Magneto/Erik Lehnsherr is played by Fassbender while the older version by Ian McKellan. The young Charles Xavier is played by James McAvoy and the older version by Patrick Stewart. That's just two characters and we have four excellent actors. That's without even starting to think about Wolverine, played by Hugh Jackman, or Halle Berry's character - Storm.

Days of Future Past has a huge amount of potential to be one of the better films in the X-Men franchise and one of the best superhero films of the year.  We certainly hope it is better than The Wolverine(2013) which was the last X-Men related film. It hits cinemas in the United Kingdom on the 22nd May 2014 and until then we will be replaying the trailer over and over again.

M+F Reviews Week 1 Update

Hopefully we are going to be able to provide regular updates on what changes are happening over at M+F Reviews. Whether it is weekly updates or monthly, we will see. Basically  we will just run through the new reviews that we have uploaded in the last week or period. We will show you out of the reviews for the period which one we rated highest and as we also have a Featured Film section on the Review site we will list what these were for the period we are providing the update for. Hopefully that makes sense. Anyway - here we go.

 

The first week of Movie and Film Reviews has seen no fewer than 9 new reviews. We are really pleased with this as now the site has a nice growing collection of varied film reviews which can be seen directly below in alphabetical order:

Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues

The Class of '92

The Great Gatsby

The Lion King

Machine Gun Preacher

Marley and Me

Prisoners

Silver Linings Playbook

The Wolf of Wall Street

The Wolverine

Highest M+F Rating: The Wolf of Wall Street

Featured Film: The Wolf of Wall Street

 

Hopefully you agree in that this is not a bad starting list of reviews.  We will add more daily. If you would like us to review a film whether it is an independent film, a short film or one that you would like to watch, please just ask and we will do our best to review it for you. As always any feedback is welcomed on the reviews and we would love to talk about your own opinions about the films with you.