Pixels

July in the States

What if video games were real? And what if those video games came and attacked Earth? That’s the latest premise of a new Adam Sandler movie called Pixels. A message was sent to space in the 80s, containing reference to the popular entertainment of the time - Pacman, Donkey Kong and Space Invaders. Our interstellar neighbours took it the wrong way and came to destroy us using pixel-based video game characters. Our only hope is a team lead by Sandler, which seems like very unfavourable odds. Based on the trailer, Pixels looks more like a ‘game over’ than a ‘1 up’.

Best Bit: 1:10 – it’s on like Donkey Kong

Lazer Team

No release date yet

Staying on the alien theme and a team of four having to work together to save mankind, is Lazer Team. Earth is about to be attacked, but luckily a friendly alien race sends some protection our way, only to be shot down. Four dudes each pick up a piece of the weapon – a lazer shot, a shield, boots and helmet. Strength through solidarity and all of that, and soon they are off to fight the aliens. It’s directed by Matt Hullum, who is responsible for Red vs Blue and Rooster Teeth Shorts, and was funded via Indiegogo, becoming the most funded movie campaign ever.

Best Bit: 1:00 – let’s crank this baby up.

Harlock: Space Pirate

April 2015

Originally released in 2013 in Japan, Harlock: Space Pirate will be releasing straight to DVD come the end of March in the States. The US version also features a new English dub, and is based on the 70s Anime series of the same name. This (relatively) new CGI version sees Harlock taking on the Gaia Corporation, which has the usual bad guy plans of controlling the universe. Based on the trailer, Harlock looks great and feels like a mashup of Final Fantasy, Guardians of the Galaxy and One Piece, which is certainly a good thing in our book.

Best Bit: 0:33 Our first glimpse of the skull sporting pirate ship Arcadia.

Barely Lethal

April 2015

Following the success of Kingsman: Secret Service (review), brace yourself for another reinvigorated spy movie that blends high octane action with a healthy dose of humour. Barely Lethal has a deadly teenager, Megan, (Hailee Steinfeld, True Grit) trained from a young age to be an assassin, faking her death and attempting to escape the watchful eye of the organisation that trained her. She takes refuge in a high school, posing as a normal (as much as you can call teenagers normal) student. The movie, which is directed by Kyle Newman (Fanboys), also brings Jessica Alba (Sin City) as a rival agent, Sophie Turner (Game of Thrones) and of course, fresh from a terrific turn in Kingsman, Samuel L Jackson as the tough-as-nails trainer. 

Best Bit: Megan utterly failing her stab the doll test (0.14).

The Vatican Tapes

July 2015 in the States

You will need an old priest, and a young priest. Well, not quite, but if there is a horror trope that seems to work time and time again, it’s the one of possession and exorcism. While the premise of The Vatican Tapes sounds intriguing – a leaked film of the Vatican shows an exorcism gone quite wrong, the trailer pretty much reveals a regular horror flick without ‘found footage’ or any other twist. Nevertheless, the movie does star one of our favourites - Djimon Hounsou (Gladiator, The Island) and is directed by Mark Nevildine, who did Crank and Gamer.

Best Bit: 0:18 shows some horrific old black and white video footage.

Insidious: Chapter 3

June 2015

The third chapter in this terrifically horrific series is set to debut in three short months, and as such gets its mandatory trailer that you'll have to watch with all the blinds open and lights on. This is a prequel to the Insidious franchise and centres around a young girl and her family's battle against a demonic spirit. Previous Insidious films always featured blink and you miss it scenes, as well as an ominous score to accompany the on-screen action, and this chapter stars Dermot Mulroney as the patriarchal figure trying to save his young daughter.

Best Bit: 0:38 a mysterious figure appears from the shadows and all hell breaks lose.

1915 The Movie

April in the States

1915, one year after the First World War started, and the date of the Armenian Genocide. 1915 The Movie, tackles this difficult subject, but focusses on a modern day play that is based on the events. As the opening draws closer, it’s clear that the ghosts of the past are not ready to be forgotten just yet. Onboard is Angela Sarafyan (The Immigrant, Breaking Dawn Part II), who herself hails from Armenia.

Best Bit: 1.12 – talk about placing a burden on someone… 

The original Alien trailers

In celebration of the fact that Neill Blomkamp is set to direct a new Alien movie, and that fan favourite Corporal Duane Hicks will again be played by Michael Biehn, as in Aliens, we’re sending some Xenomorph love your way. Why not revise the trailers from the first two movies in the canon (certainly the best, each in its own way)? Click below for the original Alien (1979) and Aliens (1986) trailers and see what it was all about. 

Best Bit: All of it.