As most of you know, I'm off exploring the New York area on the opposite side of the Atlantic. I haven't had time to watch any new films, in fact the only thing I've managed to keep up with is Game of Thrones. This is a far cry from the girl who knew all the latest films being released. In the last month or so I've seen a few gems pop up and I've decided to show them to you in no particular order. I think these films are ones to consider watching.
Surprisingly one of my favourite trailers in this list is animated which is interesting. I don't think I usually go for animated films unless they have a quirk that catches my eye. As I've said in countless blog posts I am so fussy when it comes to liking films. But these ones caught my eye for a reason.
These are films that I am interested in so perhaps you'll have different opinions.
MOANA
Starring Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson as Maui, a demi-god and newcomer Auli'i Cravalho as Moana It's embarrassing how many times I have watched this trailer today alone. I've seen it at least eight times. I am so excited for it. I am one of the few people who didn't like Frozen, it just didn't appeal to me as much as it did to others. I've really wanted Disney to expand the amount of princesses they had and try incorporating different cultures into their films. This time we go to the Pacific Islands and I confess to not knowing much about this part of the world. Which makes the film all the more interesting. What I like is that Disney did in fact take the time to audition young girls from the Pacific Islands. What appealed to me most about this film was animation and music. Disney have improved their skill for bringing the realistic into their animation and my GOD, the score for this film, based on the music is the trailer, is absolutely gorgeous. I for one am all for using native tongues to make a film more authentic. Whether you're an adult, young adult or a child, I don't see why you wouldn't watch this film. It looks beautiful.
ANTHROPOID
Starring Cillian Murphy and Jamie Dornan. This film is based on true events during World War Two where Czech and Slovak soldiers devise a plan to assassinate SS General Reinhard Heydricha man who is third in command after Hitler and Himmler. Heydrich was head of the Nazi forces in Czechoslovakia. The reason why this film caught my attention first was the fact that two Irish actors play lead roles within the film. Secondly was the fact that the film tells the viewer about true events of WWII. I have always loved films about the World Wars because it is an unforgettable part of our history. The trailer is fast paced, it hints at the events of the film but does not spoil it completely. I could very well research the events in the film, but I think I will only do so after I see the film.I love the locations, costume design and the visuals in this film. I would definitely consider seeing this in the cinema
THE BIRTH OF A NATION
Starring Nate Parker, who both directs and produces the film. Naturally films such as "12 Years A Slave" or "Django Unchained" come to mind when you first start watching the trailer of this film. I don't personally know any of the actors in this film which is why the film is very interesting to me. I know I keep talking about visuals in this blog post but how a film looks is so important to me. What stood out to me most in the first few seconds of the trailer was the shot of what seems to be a large cotton field. It looks beautiful and serene, yet for someone who knows all too well the blood, sweat and tears the African American people of the past suffered on those cotton fields only a century and a bit before. The film details a slave rebellion led by Nat Turner in Southampton County, Virginia in 1931. I do not pretend to understand the hardship of racism, abuse and slavery but I think what is most important is that we don't forget that it happened and it is part of our bloody and often sad World History.
DENIAL
Starring Rachel Weisz and Timothy Spall. As it turns out, some people in this world believe that the Holocaust, which was a human tragedy where millions of Jews were slaughtered, did not actually occur. This film is based on a true story where historian Deborah E. Lipstadt was brought to court by writer David Irving as she called him a Holocaust denier. The film intrigued me because of the historial and factual elements in the film. I hope this film will stay true to the actual story because I for one am extremely interested to see how the film plays out. Not much is given away in the trailer and this catches my attention even more. To me, someone trying to deny the Holocaust is preposterous so this film will definitely appeal to History students. There are great shots in the trailer, notably London's tower bridge, The Royal Court of Justice and footage of Auschwitz itself. I have not seen Rachel Weisz in many films so I will be excited to see how she portrays Ms Lipstadt.
PIPER
I will put my hand up and say that this short film caught my eye because the little bird was one of the most adorable creatures in animation I had seen in a long time. After watching the 34 second clip I was so impressed with the high quality of animation that I had to put it in this list. The short film is actually shown at the beginning of "Finding Dory" which is interesting. I couldn't get over the detail in the bubbles of water along the sand, the shadows of the other birds and the realistic chirping of the little bird. Animation has come on in leaps and bounds since the time of Disney's classic "Snow White". After doing a little bit of research it seems that the animators studied real birds for the film and then adapted them into animation without compromising on the appearance of the birds. I think both adults and children will appreciate this as "Piper" looks adorable and celebrates the talent of animators in Pixar.
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So there you have my list of films. If you disagree with my choice I would be more than happy to read your opinion. If you have found other films that YOU like, don't hesitate to link them to me!
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR READING!
