Author: jmccaul2020

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Gaming Discussion

PlayStation 5 arrives in stores ahead of Christmas

Well, the wait is finally over. The PlayStation 5 is here and millions of gamers around the world are doing everything they can in order to get their hands on the new console. However, what is to expect from Sony’s latest release? Is it affordable? And how will it revolutionise the future of gaming?

In today’s video, I sat down with my gaming enthusiast cousin, Jack, to talk about what game he just can’t get enough of at the moment and also, discuss what the new PS5 brings to the table and the future of gaming as a whole.

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Film Review

They Live

For my final film review, I will be discussing a film which is arguably one of my favourite movies, directed by one of my personal favourite directors of all time.

Today, I will be discussing ‘They Live’. The movie was released to theatres in the US on the 4th of November 1988 and the 23rd of June 1989 in the UK. They Live was directed by John Carpenter and stars the iconic WWF wrestler ‘Rowdy’ Roddy Piper as the main protagonist of this epic sci-fi thriller https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0684929/. What makes this movie so special to me, is its originality, particularly because of how wildly imaginative and outside the box the plot is. The movie follows a wanderer who is passing through Los Angeles by the name of Nada who has discovered a pair of sunglasses that are capable of showing the world the way it truly is. Due to the powers of the sunglasses, Nada discovers that both the media and the government are comprised of subliminal messages for the purpose of keeping the population subdued, and that most of the social elite are skull-faced aliens who are trying to take over the world.

For the most part, the movie is pretty bizarre and out of the ordinary, especially after Nada’s discovery but for me personally, it seems to hold a unique charm that is able to totally capture the viewers’ attention.

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Film Review

Back to the Future

For my next review, I will be discussing a timeless classic in ‘Back to the Future’ https://www.backtothefuture.com/. From a very young age, time travel has always been a fascinating concept to me, and this film was able to effectively demonstrate this. The movie was released in the UK on the 4th of December 1985 and was directed by Robert Zemeckis.

The movie follows a young boy by the name of Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox), who accidently travels back in time in an eccentric scientist’s time machine to the year 1955, following a brutal hit and run at a local mall’s car park. However, for Marty to return to the present, he must make his high-school-aged parents fall in love, which proves to be a difficult task, due to his interference in the past.

Following the success of this film in 1985, the movie would have two more sequels added to the franchise, both hitting cinemas in 1989 and 1990 respectively. In my opinion, the trilogy goes down in history as one of the most popular and iconic of all time, due to its individuality. At the time, it was a story that had never been told before and each film follows our favourite protagonists, but in different periods of history.

The now iconic DeLorean DMC 12 car, which Marty uses to travel through time is now looked at as a much-desired collector’s item and must perhaps a must have for enthusiasts of the franchise. However, in 2019, prices for certain models of the car can range in the very high thousands. Universal Studios currently owns two of the cars from the movies, with the original available for viewing in the Petersen Automotive Museum, Los Angeles. https://www.discoverlosangeles.com/things-to-do/back-to-the-future-delorean-at-petersen-automotive-museum

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Film Review

Parasite

This past month I got the opportunity to see ‘Parasite’ at the Glasgow Film Theatre, for a special viewing of the now Oscar winning drama.

Parasite was directed by Korean director Bong Joon-ho and was released to cinemas in the UK on the 7th of February this year. The film stars a host of extremely talented actors and actresses as the movie follows a family struggling in poverty who one by one all scheme their way into becoming employed by a wealthy family by infiltrating their household and posing as unrelated, highly qualified individuals.

Personally, I found this movie to be really fascinating due to its tone and ability to be comedic and serious when it was appropriate to be so. As much as this may not seem like something of any serious note, I do feel that a lot of films, especially in the thriller drama genre, tend to struggle to find the balance for when it is appropriate to throw in a bit of comedy to a scene, in a film which is for the most part, viewed in a much darker, more serious tone.

Furthermore, every character in the film had great importance to the movie’s plot and flow. Even though the movie follows one family, each member of the four had their own unique personalities and scenes, as we got to see each of them inherit a role within this wealthy family’s household. In my opinion, this allowed the opportunity for the viewer to decide upon a favourite character, as each of them were given a lengthy amount of screen time on their own, in which each character was able to demonstrate their own individual personalities.

At the 92nd Academy Awards this year, Parasite won a leading four awards, taking home the awards for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, and Best International Feature Film. https://oscar.go.com/news/winners/parasite-wins-4-oscars-and-makes-oscar-history

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Film Review

IT (2017)

IT (2017) was directed by Argentinian Director Andrés Muschietti and was released to cinemas in the UK on the 8th of September 2017. This was the first that we got to see this Stephen King story being told on the big screen, as the previous adaptation of the novel, was a two part miniseries which featured Tim Curry, in the role of Pennywise the dancing clown https://stephenking.fandom.com/wiki/IT_(1990_miniseries).

At the time, I feel that this movie was long anticipated, as many (myself included) were ecstatic about the prospect of finally getting to see this iconic tale told on the big screen.

The movie follows seven young children who must encounter and defeat an evil being by the name of Pennywise (Bill Skarsgård) in order to overcome their own individual fears and avenge the missing children of the town of Derry.

It is safe to say that the film most delivered in terms of fan service, scares, and overall tone with brilliant performances from, what was for the most part, a particularly young cast.

Personally however, I feel that Bill Skarsgård’s performance as the evil clown was especially special. He truly made the role his own and was able to give an excellent portrayal of the character. https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0803889/

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Film Review

Ghostbusters (1984)

For my next film, I will be talking about ‘Ghostbusters’, a film which holds a special place in my heart because of how much of a fan I am of the franchise, as well as the actors involved.

Ghostbusters was directed by Ivan Reitman, and was the highest grossing film of 1984, beating classics such as the Karate Kid, Gremlins, and Footloose. The movie follows three parapsychologists, who after losing their jobs, decide to start an enterprise called ‘Ghostbusters’ in order to fight the increasing ghost sightings and paranormal activity haunting the people of New York City.

The stellar performances by actors such as Bill Murray, Harold Ramis and Rick Moranis really add a special charm to this film, with their perfect comedic timing, individuality, memorable lines, and interactions with the supernatural. Ghostbusters is a film that I feel excelled in its effort to change how we view ghosts and the supernatural, because of its comedic twist, which effectively makes us perceive these creatures in a less terrifying way. For me, Ghostbusters is a must watch for any fan of both comedy and the supernatural.

For a film that was released over 30 years ago, it has a fanbase that are as passionate as ever, and with the upcoming Ghostbusters: Afterlife film which will hit theatres this summer, the hope is that it will spark a new generation of fans, as well as pay respect to the original. With Ivan Reitman’s own son, Jason directing, the original cast confirmed for cameos and current big-time actors such as Paul Rudd and Finn Wolfhard involved, the potential is there for a real summer blockbuster. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4513678/

Categories
Film Review

Spider-Man (2002)

Without a doubt, out of all the characters in the Marvel Universe, Spider-Man will always be my personal favourite. From a very young age, I was instantly attracted to the characters colours, personality and especially his comedic timing, as I would watch the cartoons every morning before I left for school. The character has a special place in my heart.

On the 14th of June 2002, ‘Spider-Man’, directed by Sam Raimi would swing into theatres in the UK, with a live action adaptation of the character, with Tobey Maguire in the starring role. The movie introduces us to Peter Parker, a geeky, out of luck high-school student who obtains spider-like powers after being bitten by a radioactive spider on a school field trip.

 I can watch this film repeatedly for Maguire’s portrayal of Peter Parker alone. His personality and strive to fight evil is really inspiring in this film in my opinion, and I feel that this is why the character of Spider-Man continues to be prominent in films to this day with actors such as Andrew Garfield, and now Tom Holland having now played the role.

 For me, this film will go down in history as it really changed a lot of people’s opinions on the ‘superhero’ genre, with many beginning to take these movies seriously. Superhero films continue to have a dominant role in the 21st century with the birth of the Marvel Cinematic Universe which produces many high budget adventures to the big screen, with almost three blockbusters hitting cinemas per year. https://www.marvel.com/movies

Categories
Film Review

Saving Private Ryan

A film which had an emotional and lasting impact on me is ‘Saving Private Ryan’. The film was released in 1998, directed by Steven Spielberg and stars Tom Hanks and Matt Damon as the central protagonists. The film takes place during the Normandy invasion of World War II and follows a group of soldiers from D Day landings and their mission to find the missing Private James Ryan, whose three brothers have already been killed in the war.

The dramatization of the harshness and brutality of war is clearly depicted from the outset. This then leads to the mission where the band of brothers search through France for the missing Private Ryan. The mission is to prevent a family losing all their sons as had happened in previous wars and conflicts. I was immediately captured by the tone and historical significance of the film which has had a lasting impact because of its realism and graphic nature of the film.

‘Saving Private Ryan’ ranks high amongst my favourite historical films ever made due to its fantastic cast. Tom Hank’s character, Captain Miller, seen as a father figure by the group of brothers, displays his own emotions, of both elation and disappointment at significant points during the film as do the brothers.

The film follows the search for Private Ryan, missing in action. As the film ends, having found James Ryan, his survival from the war is contrasted by the death of Captain Miller, the loss of the father figure.

‘Saving Private Ryan’ is a film that I believe everyone should experience for both the historical and emotional significance of war. https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2014/06/the-false-patriotism-of-saving-private-ryan/371539/

Categories
Film Review

Boyhood

‘Boyhood’ was directed by Richard Linklater and stars Ellar Coltrane as the main protagonist, as well as Ethan Hawke, Patricia Arquette and for the most part, unknown actors. The film is about a young boy, growing up, experiencing adolescents and everything that comes along with it. Although this may seem like quite a basic plot, this film began filming in the summer of 2002 with a young main star at the age of six and was filmed yearly, every summer until 2013 with the same actors. The film was made over the course of twelve years, and due to this, it has a lengthy runtime of two hours and forty-six minutes. What is particularly incredible about this, is that we get to see all the actors and actresses, including the young boy (Ellar Coltrane) age as the film goes on. This film making technique is fascinating to me as it makes the film unique and feel incredibly special as scenes go by. https://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/jul/06/richard-linklater-ellar-coltrane-boyhood-interview-dear-process

The film was very effective in its simplicity of depicting the life of a young boy, as I feel his experiences are so relatable, particularly because I am a similar age to Mason and feel I identify with him on lots of levels, including key moments throughout teenage years, media relevant to his life at the time and even his dress sense.

Although there are a lot of scenes throughout the film which on reflection are maybe unnecessary, it isn’t until the film ends that you realise that these scenes hold great importance. The message of the film is that moments in adolescents are almost like a string of milestones that we all conquer as we grow up and become adults.

Categories
Film Review

Welcome to my Blog

Hello everyone and welcome to my site. Over the upcoming weeks I will be posting a blog on my site each week, discussing my thoughts on a selection of my own personal favourite films, and highlight what I like the most about each of them. I will be posting every Tuesday night, starting tonight, at around half past 7. I hope you all enjoy, and please feel free to leave any thoughts or opinions you have on this selection of films.

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