News Mr Robot releases “Democercy” teaser trailer for its upcoming third season.

The critically acclaimed and Golden Globe winning hacker drama Mr Robot has released a teaser trailer for its upcoming third season. Titled “Democracy” the teaser trailer gives us a first look at the characters after the cliffhanger events of the season two finale. The season will premiere on October 11th on USA Network and it is safe to assume that it will premiere the day after on its UK first run home Amazon Prime Video UK. Universal Channel UK also hold the second run air rights to the series and it’s safe to assume that the third season will premiere on that channel in 2018. After a less critically acclaimed second season (reflected and it’s relative lack of award recognition compared to the first season) this writer hopes that the new season will return to the brilliance of the first. You can watch the teaser trailer for the new season below

News. Starz officially orders a TV series based on the Divergent franchise.

News has broken over the past few days that Lionsgate is officially moving forward with it TV series based on the young adult franchise Divergent. This series originally started life as a ya novel before making the transition to the big screen in the wake of the success are franchises like Twilight and The Hunger Games. The final book in the trilogy was originally going to be adapted into two separate films (as has been done with outer YA centric adaptations) but the first of these films tanked at the box office so badly that the fourth and final film was cancelled in terms of being a theatrical film and was instead going to be a TV movie. There’s no definitive news on this as of yet but the TV series that’s been ordered by Lionsgate and Steaz (the home of American Gods and Outlander among other series) has been given the title of the final book and the cancelled final film ascendant. The TV series is due to air at some point in 2018.

Netflix Castlevania. Season One. Quick Review

Ever since Netflix started making original content they have developed a reputation for taking the sort of risks that traditional American broadcast or cable network simply would not. Out of all the Netflix originals that I have seen the example of this that stands out for me is (and I am prepared to get backlash for this ) is 13 Reasons Why. For the most part I like 13 Reasons Why a lot (despite examples towards the end of tackling some very serious issues but using these issues as a method to move the plot forward rather than tackling them in a way that was really appropriate.) As I’ve watched those final two episodes in particular I could not even imagine someone liked HBO tackling this material in quite the same very head-on manor. Episode 12 ( by far the hardest episode to watch) stands out. I have a pretty strong stomach in terms of media content but even I found this episode incredibly hard to watch However, beyond this example I think the potential riskiest show I’ve seen on Netflix in terms of trying to find an audience or crashing and burning is the recently released Castlevania adaptation. A gory adult only animation based on a series of much loved video games and written by a writer (Warren Ellis) best known for writing comics. As someone with little to no experience in that field of media I have no idea how good or otherwise he was as a writer. However, there were definitely a few things that made me check out this animated series very soon after the first season initially drooped. Said season is only three 22 minute episodes plus a 25 minute first instalment, promotional material released by Netflix looked interesting and the series ended up with some solid critical acclaim (certainly more than can be expected for a video game adaptation. What did I find when I checked out the first season.
This is a bit of a strange one from a reviewing perspective. It may well have been mentioned in the opening paragraph but the fact that Netflix ordered this series as a bit of an experiment to see whether it has an audience is it even more obvious once you seen the first season. I definitely liked what I saw and i’m definitely willing to see more but this ” season” feels more like a 90 minute pilot movie for a Castlevania animated series then and actual season of TV. What’s here is definitely good. I can see where the high Rotten Tomatoes score has come from. The story is relatively engaging, the adult orientated gore is definitely welcome without going as over the top as you might see in some anime, the voice acting is solid and the animation has clearly been given a budget and actually looks rather pretty. Similar to something like Avatar :The Last Airbender this is a good example of western animation with a clear anime influence. There’s nothing that sticks out as being particularly wrong with this as a season beyond the fact there’s so little of it (a clear choice on the part of Netflix.) Who knows if this series will eventually take the title of the best video game adaptation ever made. Based on these four episodes it certainly has the resources and talent to do so.
If the prospect of an adult orientated Castlevania animated series appeals to you as a viewer this is definitely worth checking out (partly because it’s so short.) It has been renewed for a second season and while I’m not foaming at the mouth to see more like with Stranger Things or intrigued by what they could do what’s the prospect of a second season like 13 Reasons Why and GLOW I am more than happy to give the eight episode second season a watch when it is released at some point during 2018. Having seen the first season it is clear the function of this very short first season was to get people intrigued by the prospect of a second season as well as what the series could potentially do in the future.
7.5/10

The Wall. Movie Review.

Films with a limited number of characters and only one situation /conflict are an interesting prospect. In the case of The Wall the new film from director Doug Liman a man who has made some films that I’ve really liked in the past (particularly the supremely underrated Tom Cruise vehicle Edge of Tomorrow) the basic concept is very simple and can be summed up effectively in a few sentences. As the Iraqi winds down in 2007 an army sergeant (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) and a sniper (John Cena) catch the attention of an Iraqi sniper. Aaron Taylor Johnson has to distract the sniper as he talks to him over his army radio so he doesn’t get shot. All the while Taylor Johnson has to battle dehydration, hunger and the increasing thought that rescue may not come. This is the sort of plot that fits the “simple but intriguing” definition absolutely perfectly. With generally speaking decent (if not spectacular) reviews and the fact that the film has very much been sneaked out in the UK as an exclusive to a certain multiplex chain I knew it would not be around very long. So I took the chance to go and see it last night. What did I find.
I ended up finding a film with plenty to admire and a lot to like but also a film that does not really try to be anything beyond what that premise suggests. It’s worth saying that the direction and cinematography a very good throughout. The particular multiplex chain this is exclusive to in the UK makes a big deal about all projectors showing films in 4k. It’s worth saying that there’s a 4K digital print of The Wall that I saw looked absolutely STUNNING . The 4K does a really good job of adding extra depth to the shots of the barren Iraqi desert. It very much as to the sense of atmosphere present throughout the film. The film is definitely flawed but it’s absolutely terrific at maintaining a sense of tone, pension and atmosphere. It makes you feel like you’re with Aaron Taylor-Johnson as he talks to the sniper antagonist over his military radio. For this reason despite it’s faults it is actually very engaging and easily recommendable if you like media that falls into a similar area (contained location thrillers ) as this. However as engaging as the film is there were a few niggling flaws I noticed as I was engrossed in the drama.
The main problem with the film is that it basically has no reputability factor For as well directed and tension field as the film is at points once you know how it ends the film loses it impact. It doesn’t help that in this reviewers opinion the film has one of the worst and stupidest endings of 2017. The film tries so hard in terms of portraying the reality of the situation the films final three minutes are incredibly stupid and lose all grip on maintaining a sense of reality. We learn a little bit about Aaron Taylor-Johnson’s backstory but the films focus is very distinctly and almost exclusively on the conflict of the situation. When is film like this ends as badly as this one does it’s hard not to have the ending completely stick out in a viewers mind no matter the quality of the film around the ending.
There’s also the question of John Cena’s acting ability. Before anyone entirely dismisses Cena’s acting ability outright I will tell that person to go and watch Amy Schumer’s drastically overrated feature film Trainwreck. The film may be incredibly overrated as a whole but Cena is unbelievably hilarious in it demonstrating fantastic comic timing. That being said the man is still very much a walking meme machine and it’s hard to take him entirely seriously when an audience members mind can wander off and start thinking about various ” “you can’t see him” related jokes whenever we see him on screen. It’s particularly distracting in a film like The Wall where we as audience members are expected to care and emotionally connect with Cena and his plight. This reviewer found it difficult to look at him as an hard edged sniper throughout the film and not just think ” that’s John Cena.” However this represents a broader problem in Hollywood in terms of casting celebrities known for something other than film. Overall whilst the film definitely has a lot in it to recommend the problems discussed in the previous two paragraphs prevent the film from being truly great and instead the finished product can effectively be described as slightly above average. This is somewhat of a shame considering all the things the film has going for it.
If you like claustrophobic and contained thrillers it’s probably worth giving The Wall a chance. It certainly has things to recommend it as a result of its direction, tension and atmosphere. However the film has a few crippling flaws (particularly the horrifically stupid ending) that prevent the film from rising above “solid” with moments of great tension.
6.,5/10

War for the Planet of the Apes. Quick Review.

The Planet of the Apes reboot trilogy is in an odd place with relation to the Hollywood blockbuster landscape. The films have done well enough (particularly from a critical perspective) upon initial release and certainly have had blockbuster sited box office openings . However, particularly in the three years between Dawn and War the films don’t get talked about nearly enough for my personal liking. From the perspective of other blockbusters this reviewer has seen in the last 10 years these films are some of the the most underrated of the 21st century. Dawn has perhaps my favourite individual shot of any Blockbuster of recent memory. It can be seen below. at 3:04

Thanks to my passion for the previous films you can bet I was excited to see War when it finally opened. It was pretty much my most anticipated film of the year. Would it be the fantastic closer than this trilogy deserves. Having now seen it I can now say the answer to this question is a very definitive yes.
There is no denying War for the Planet of the Apes is an absolutely brilliant end to what has been a fantastic trilogy. The motion capture works by Andy Serkis and the rest of the actors has always been absolutely superb but even with this taken into account the motion capture work in the trilogies final instalment is simply breathtaking. These films can very much be used as a time capsule to showcase improvements in this technology.
Beyond the sheer technical wizardry of the apes on screen this final instalment is one of the most emotionally inpactful films that this reviewer has seen this year. We have watched Cesar and his band of apes take over the world over the course of these three films and thematically this film very much deals with the fact that while the apes are the dominant species, the last remaining humans on more ferocious than ever. I would say the roughly 85% of the film is delivered through dialogue via ape dialog and sign language but Woody Harrelson is excellent for what screen time he has as a ruthless carnal looking to make sure the world is not entirely taken over by the apes. As good as he is in the film Fox very much miss marketed the size of his role in the trailer campaigns and he is the only human character with any real development. However, this was very much a deliberate choice on the part of the filmmakers and the misleading ad campaign can very much be put at the feet of Fox.
The trilogy ends in pretty much the way it has to. I pretty much called what the ending was going to be from the moment I saw the first trailer. However this film hits the various emotional beats so well but it does not really matter that the ending is predictable (especially as an ending to the trilogy.) There are a few other minor plot holes and inconsistencies but nothing to distract too heavy for my enjoyment of this superb film.

There is no denying that War for the Planet of the Apes is a superb conclusion to an excellent trilogy. This enables the film to take its place not only as the best summer Blockbuster of this year but for the Apes reboot trilogy as a whole to take its place among the all-time greatest trilogies (yes, you did read that correctly.)
9.5 /10