The Week in Review - Trailer Picks

Pick number one: Lone Survivor

Directed by: Peter Berg

Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Taylor Kitsch, Alexander Ludwig

UK Release: February 21st, 2014.

Based on a real failed mission in 2005, Lone Survivor tells of the Navy SEAL team's mission to capture and kill a Taliban leader. With the potential to be a truly moving portrayal of a failed mission, I am really excited to see how the film is constructed, what aspects of the mission it will focus on and how the performance from lead actor Mark Wahlberg will be. 

Pick number two: American Hustle

Directed by: David O. Russell

Starring: Christian Bale, Bradley Cooper, Amy Adams

UK Release: 26th December, 2013.

Styled brilliantly in their '70s attire, Bale, Cooper and Adams star in a film about New York con men who work with a fed agent in order to reveal other con artists and scammers such as themselves. With some big star names, this film will see crowds of people heading to the cinemas during the Christmas period, and I will be among them crowds.

Pick number three: Ender's Game

Directed by: Gavin Hood

Starring: Hailee Steinfeld, Asa Butterfield

UK Release: 25th October, 2013.

With Young Adult book adaptations taking the film world by storm in the past few years, the trailer for Ender's Game looks like the film will stand with the best. Boasting some good CGI and the king of sci-fi, Harrison Ford, this dystopian apocalyptic film will bring the enthusiasm of young adults to the cinema this autumn.

Pick number four: The Counselor

Directed by: Ridley Scott

Starring: Brad Pitt, Michael Fassbender, Javier Bardem

UK Release: 15th November, 2013.

With some of the most prolific actors in Hollywood at the moment, this film follows a lawyer who gets caught up in the drug smuggling trade. With Ridley Scott as director, the film is my favourite of this list already, the trailer is exciting, the acting is obviously going to be amazing and my trust is fully in Ridley Scott to create the film of the year.

Badass Women in Film

In the obviously male-dominated industry of film, I think it is often important to pay tribute to the strong and brilliant female characters who are featured in some incredible films. In this post I will be shining a light on some of my favourite female characters from films, ones who are often overlooked in regards to being pretty kick-ass by the shadow that many male leading characters cast.

Thelma & Louise
(Thelma & Louise, 1991. dir. Ridley Scott)

At the start of the film, Thelma and Louise, two best friends whose lives are being controlled by their intrusive and selfish partners, decide to leave behind their unhappy relationships and embark on a care free road trip. With just the two of them, the women show just how liberating females can be without men.
At a pit stop to a bar on their road trip, a rape almost occurs, only being stopped by Louise shooting the man dead. This scene has always haunted me, and looking back on it, I interpret it now as the rapist being almost a figure of patriarchy trying to gain its way back into the film. The perpetrator is shot down immediately however, firmly giving the statement that no man is going to control these women, they are strong, they show that they are independent and their gun skills are pretty kick-ass.
The ending of the film is perhaps one of the grandest moments of the pair's labelling as feminist icons in film, with the two choosing to drive straight off a cliff face rather than be caught by the police (a very male dominated profession, also). These women are seriously unstoppable, only stopping when they themselves have ended their lives in a shock-ending that definitely gives the audience something to talk about after the credits have rolled.

The Bride
(Kill Bill Vol 1. & Kill Bill Vol 2.)

If you're not familiar with the general plot outline of the two Kill Bill films, an ex-assassin, known as The Bride, leaves the assassin squad in order to settle down and start a family. That is, however, until her old assassin squad leader, Bill, orders an attack on her wedding rehearsal that leads to the death of everyone in the room.. a part from her. With a need for revenge on the lives of all of the members of the Deadly Vipers Assassination Squad, The Bride sets out to kill them all one by one.
These two films show The Bride constantly outsmarting and gaining the respect of powerful men. This starts in the form of the not-so smart and not-so powerful Buck, and ends in the extremely clever Bill. The Bride does not let her gender prevent her from fighting off the strongest of men and she does it all wearing the iconic yellow leather suit.
A particular favourite moment of mine of The Brides antics is her incredible fight scene with the Crazy 88s, a seemingly endless group of men who The Bride mows down one by one, without taking a moment for a breather. It is truly my belief that Tarantino has created a feminist icon with The Bride, and the character is part of the reason that these films are my favourites of Tarantino's.

There are only three characters from two films listed here, however, instead of me rambling on about even more characters, I thought I would make a list of some more of my favourites, and if you haven't checked out some of the films underneath the names, then I suggest you do.