Thoughts

1) Hi guys? Wassup blah blah blah, cutting right to the chase here- TILDA SWINTON JUST JOINED THE DOCTOR STRANGE MOVIE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! OMG YOU GUYS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And this is the movie which has Benedict Cumberbatch playing the lead. This is already the most alien-looking cast of all time. Swinton is going to play, get this, a Tibetan mystic called the Ancient One who mentors Strange (is that his real name?). I mean, duh! Also, it seems that this character was male in the comic but like why would you cast some man when you can get Tilda? I knew there was a reason I loved MCU. Now all I really, really, *really* need is for Loki to somehow find his way into this film.

2) Video- I didn't get to watch this until today and I actually cried laughing. I am starting to really like Kit Harrington, the weirdo sketch dude, now.

Everyone is great in it but I especially loved Harrington, Leslie, Rheon and Clarke. And, man, does Peter Dinklage have charisma!

3) Trailers- The Crimson Peak trailer nearly killed me. This film is going to be so fucking awesome. And goodness gracious, Hiddles in THAT scene *fans herself*. The Point Break remake looks sooo meh. The main guy is even more expressionless than Keanu Reeves (who seriously works his expressionless-ness). Also, why anyone would remake Point Break when Hot Fuzz exists is beyond me. I got teary-eyed just watching Diary of a Teenage Girl. I just know that I will love it. The End of the Tour looks pretty good too. I haven't read any of David Foster Wallace's books but I aim to before watching the movie. Love the cast. Speaking of, I thought the Steve Jobs trailer was fairly decent and I don't know how but I missed the announcement that Kate Winslet is in it. It feels like forever since I've seen her in anything. Pan looks pretty. That's it, really. All I could think of during The Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials trailer was how Aiden Gillen has transformed into Littlefinger and he seems to be that character in everything he does. But also, heyyyyy Dylan O'Brien! Missed you and your incredible arms #objectifyallmen. I am dying to watch Macbeth now and its clips are just fueling that fire. God, this movie is going to be amazeballs. Cooties looks hilarious. I generally don't like it when kids die in movies but hey, zombie children sound terrifying. The A Very Murray Christmas trailer has a lot of Bill Murray in it so that's, um, fair. Are you guys watching the Hannibal teasers? This is only one of them but I love all the happy music they're playing in them. I so can't wait for that show. Finally, Scream Queens kind of makes me think of Drop Dead Gorgeous and I love that. Emma Roberts can play such a great, posh bitch.

4) Finally, someone needs to release footage of the interactions between these two, in a non-creepy way of course-

And to put this into perspective-

Now I want both of them to make a movie together. Not just that, seeing how much Dolan hung out with Sienna Miller during the festival, I want him to meet Tom Sturridge (Miller's baby-daddy and my 16 year old-self's dream man) and put him in his movies because Sturridge is practically custom-made to be in them.

      Yes, this was random. I honestly didn't care for any other news items that much. Okay byeeeeeeeeeeeee!

Let's Get It Started- MY 30 MOST ANTICIPATED FILMS OF 2015

         I usually post this list on 1st January every year but due to exams etc., I wasn't able to. However, it is finally here! It was very hard to make it. I started with 20 movies in mind, then I did some research and the list expanded to 25 and today I looked at some more "most anticipated" lists and now this list contains 30 films. Well, technically 31. You'll see. 

        It was super weird to actually make this list because we've been talking about 2015 and all its big movies for AGES and now that it's here, it's just strange. My list has a few of the blockbusters but a lot of the smaller, indie directors that I have grown fond of in the last couple of years have their films coming out this year and I have more of those. I feel like Adam Driver is in all the films in this list (Year of Adam Driver?), followed by Alicia Vikander and Tom Hardy.

       I must also plug the upcoming Across the Universe Podcast episode where I list down what was my top 5 most anticipated 2015 films (the list is slightly altered now) along with Mette and Sofia. Keep your ears out for that one.

30.

The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (Dir: Guy Ritchie)

I have kicked out a lot of what might be much better movies to keep this on my list because, well, LOOK at these two men! And there's Alicia Vikander and Elizabeth Debicki who are also super hot (and Hugh Grant who used to be hot). It could be a lot of fun. I still really like the first Sherlock Holmes movie and I just rewatched Snatch and remembered the amazingness Ritchie is capable of. Here's hoping it's not another This Means War.

29.

Demolition (Dir: Jean-Marc Vallée)

Jake Gyllenhaal is in a lot of movies this year and though this is the only one making my list, I'm sure they will all be amazing seeing the track he's on. I haven't seen Wild yet but Vallée gets really good performances from his actors. I also like its story.

28.

Untitled Woody Allen Project

Seeing Woody's track record, this one should be good. I love the pairing of Joaquin Phoenix and Emma Stone and also that Woody is setting the film in America again. Please let this be a Blue Jasmine and not a To Rome with Love!

27.

Ant-Man (Dir: Peyton Reed)

This was my #1 most anticipated film of EVER when Edgar Wright was attached to it. He left but we do have a very interesting cast led by the adorable and now officially hot Paul Rudd, so I am still looking forward to it. Marvel does try to do different things within the superhero genre parameters and this one has been described as a heist movie and I am curious to see how they pull it off.

26.

The Revenant (Dir: Alejandro González Iñárritu)

As Michael Keaton said in his Golden Globe speech, every actor now wants to work with Iñárritu. So it was obviously really exciting to hear that he's teaming up with Leo DiCaprio and Tom Hardy next. The story is a kind of a revenge western and I can't wait to see what they all do.

25.

Silence (Dir: Martin Scorsese)

I love stories about religion and Scorsese has been trying to make this one for a long time. Though it also stars Liam Neeson and Adam Driver, I am most excited about Andrew Garfield because he hasn't had a chance to really act since The Social Network and he has so much potential which could be tapped into in a film like this. You go, Garfield!

24.

Tulip Fever (Dir: Justin Chadwick)

Honestly, the only reason I am so looking forward to this is Jack O'Connell. Pretty sure he doesn't even have a big role but that's who I'm here for. Although the story IS interesting and the rest of the cast, led by Dane DeHaan, Alicia Vikander and Christoph Waltz are also good so I'm not completely insane to include it here.

23.

Joy (Dir: David O'Russell)

Yes, American Hustle was a pain in the ass but I can't forget how much I loved Silver Linings Playbook and the awesomeness of JLaw and O'Russell coming together. This is quite a zany subject for a biopic (it's about the creator of something called the Miracle Mop?) and I feel that both the film and JLaw will do a really good job.

22.

Magic Mike XXL (Dir: Gregory Jacobs)

I adore Magic Mike and though I never imagined it having a sequel, I am totally OK with one, or twenty tbh as long as these gorgeous men keep stripping :P I'm curious to see how this one will fare without Soderbergh however.

21.

Money Monster (Dir: Jodie Foster)

Hello again, Jack. I didn't even know this film existed or that he's now working with Hollywood heavyweights like Julia Roberts and George Clooney, but yayy! It seems like an interesting story and I'm pretty sue Jack (and everyone else) will be up to the task. I'm also excited to see what Foster does.

20.

Untitled Cameron Crowe Project

Emma Stone, Bradley Cooper, Rachel McAdams, Bill Murray etc. etc- this film has an amazing cast and Crowe is capable of greatness and I am basically pumped!

19.

Life (Dir: Anton Corbijn)

Corbijn made one of the most stunning and heartbreaking biopics that I have ever seen, Control, and now he's making one again about another tragic, young talent- James Dean. I still don't understand how a film that stars Robert Pattinson and Dane DeHaan has the latter starring as Dean and not the former but I'm going to put my trust in Corbijn.

18.

Mad Max: Fury Road (Dir: George Miller)

This film is on my list solely on the basis of its trailers. I honestly prefer watching its trailers to watching entire films, they are *that* spectacular. I hope the film delivers on the promise.

17.

Bombay Velvet (Dir: Anurag Kashyap)

This is the only Bollywood film in my list and it had to be here because of the director and the talent involved. Though I have only seen 3 of Kashyap's films, I am already a fan and this is the starriest movie of his so far, so I am intrigued to say the least. Both Ranbir Kapoor and Anushka Sharma can actually act, and that too really well, and I like that they're taking a chance with an offbeat director like Kashyap.

16.

Frankenstein (Dir: Paul McGuigan)

Daniel Radcliffe as Igor? James McAvoy as Frankenstein? The writer of Chronicle and the director of Lucky Number Slevin and Sherlock's "A Scandal in Belgravia"? And all of this in one film? What is this awesomosity and when can I watch it?!

15.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens (Dir: J.J. Abrams)

I like how little we know about this film and how much potential it has in all our eyes. The new cast is diverse and exciting. Abrams at least can make fun movies. And the teaser was awesome! I'm in.

14.

Tomorrowland (Dir: Brad Bird)

I have infinite faith in Bird because I have loved all his films so far and though this ones seems a bit risky, I think he can pull it off. Also, Britt Robertson is adorbs.

13.

High Rise (Dir: Ben Wheatley)

I am so intrigued by the plot. It's like a dystopia in a building, which kind of reminds me of Snowpiercer, which is obviously a good thing. Plus the whole cast is amazeballs and it is led by the brilliant Tom Hiddleston. Cannot effing wait.

12.

The Lobster (Dir: Yorgos Lanthimos)

Lanthimos previous two features, Dogtooth and Alps, were thought-provoking and unforgettable works of art. This is his English language debut and this story is equally tantalizing, as is the cast he has rounded up which includes Colin Farrell, Ben Whishaw, Rachel Weisz and John C. Reilly.

11.

Midnight Special (Dir: Jeff Nichols)

I really liked Take Shelter and Mud broke my heart. So I was on board with anything Nichols made next. Then came the news that it will star Kirsten Dunst, Nichols regular- Michael Shannon, and Joel Edgerton and that it has a sci-fi angle and I got really excited. I think this film will be great.

10.

Sicario (Dir: Denis Villeneuve)

After Prisoners and Enemy, I can watch a washing powder commercial directed by Villeneuve. Lucky for me, his next project is slightly more interesting than that. It's about a CIA agent who is pushed to her ethical and moral limits on a job across the borders. Also it stars Full Metal Bitch herself, Emily Blunt and Josh Brolin and Benicio Del Toro. I love Blunt and am super stoked to see what she does in this film.

9.

Crimson Peak (Dir: Guillermo Del Toro)

Del Toro is returning to his horror roots with this film that has a very exciting cast- Hiddles, Mia Wasikowska, Jessica Chastain and Charlie Hunnam. I love that Hiddles is playing a creepy charmer and the whole ol' timey horror feel of this film. If it is even 1/20th as good as The Devil's Backbone, it will be worth the price of the cinema ticket.

8.

Inside Out (Dir: Pete Docter)

My love for Pixar has been well-documented on this blog. Unless it is a movie about cars, I am here for any and every thing Pixar does, and ever since I heard about the concept behind Inside Out, I have been really curious to see how they tackle it. Plus I love the fact that Amy Poehler is in a Pixar film. Dawwwwwww.

7.

Spectre (Dir: Sam Mendes)

I loved the hell out of Skyfall and when it was announced that Mendes is returning for the next Bond too, I couldn't wait! This is set in a post-Skyfall world with (spoilers) a new M and it will be interesting how the new dynamic between Ralph Fiennes' M and Daniel Craig's Bond will develop. Also, it has Lea Seydoux, Monica Bellucci and (yawn) Christoph Waltz, who plays the villain (double yawn). As excited as I am for this film, I still wish they had the balls to make someone like Seydoux the villain. Still, Bond is Bond and we always want more of him.

6.

Macbeth (Dir: Justin Kurzel)

Fassy as Macbeth and Marion Cotillard as Lady Macbeth are two of my most favourite casting decisions of all time. These are such meaty roles for actors like them, who have immeasurable talent, and I am sure that they will find new things to explore and portray in something as well-known as the "Scottish play". Plus, the film is said to be really dark and gritty and I am so ready to experience all of that.

5.

The Death and Life of John. F. Donovan (Dir: Xavier Dolan)

Dolan is my new film god and he can do no wrong in my eyes. So obviously,  I was pumped for his English language debut. Then he went and Twitter-flirted with Jessica Chastain and got her to star in what has been described as a Miranda Priestley-ish role in his film about the film business and I got even more excited. However, he then cast Kit "Stupidface" Harrington and the film slipped a couple of places in this list. Still, I think if anyone can maybe make me hate Harrington's face less, it is Dolan and also, I have tried imagining what Chastain will be like in this film and it has given me goosebumps.

4.

Carol (Dir: Todd Field)

This film was in my most anticipated list last year and it is here again because I really cannot fucking wait for this film. I think it will be wonderful.

3.

Mistress America and While We're Young (Dir: Noah Baumbach)

I've tagged them both here together because while for some, While We're Young is a 2014 film, it will only come out here this year, and then there is Mistress America which is also supposed to release in 2015. I have heard great things about the former and the latter reunites the lovely Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach after the delightful Frances Ha, which I loved to bits, so it automatically becomes a must-watch for me.

2.

The Hateful Eight (Dir: Quentin Tarantino)

I don't need to explain this one, right?

1.

The Avengers: Age of Ultron (Dir: Joss Whedon)

If you weren't expecting this as my most anticipated film of 2015, you really don't know me. Hello, I am Nikhat and I FREAKING LURVEEEEEEEEEEE THE AVENGERS!! Okay? Okay. 

I have honestly been waiting for this film ever since I saw The Avengers and my excitement has only increased exponentially since then. Still, I am not hoping for it to be better than The Avengers or something equally futile like that- I just need it to be really good. I have become a Whedon fan post-Buffy and I really think he can pull something like this off. Also, James Spader's Ultron sounds terrifying and good supervillains are literally the best.

Are you excited about any of these? What are your most anticipated 2015 releases?

Thoughts

      Hi guys! Sorry for the delay but Blogger has been acting crazy for me for the past few days. This very post has taken 5 attempts. Anyways, onto cinema/television-related thoughts.

1) So on my 21st birthday, I finally got myself all the Harry Potter books and DVDs. I had been wanting to do this for a very long time but kept postponing, and this obviously was a great birthday gift as Harry Potter is such a huge part of my childhood, and me for that matter. So imagine my and I guess every Potterhead's surprise when our queen, JK Rowling, announced that she is going to write the screenplays for a new series of movies set in the wizarding world of Harry Potter. The series will be about the writing of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, a companion book that Rowling had released along with the Harry Potter books. Admittedly, I was a little apprehensive when I first heard about this because I don't want anything muddying up the legacy of Harry Potter. But I have faith in Rowling, and the fact that like us, she too can't get enough of the wizarding world. Plus these movies will technically not have anything to do with Harry Potter himself. They will be set in 1920s New York, which in itself is just AHMAZING. And they will follow Newt Scamander, the writer of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, and the adventures he has while writing the book. Like many people on Tumblr, the first actor whose name popped into my head for the role of Scamander was *obviously* Matt Smith. I mean, Scamander is a famous Hufflepuff and every Doctor Who fangirl knows about Smith's weird obsession with hamsters. Also the fact that he's a pretty fantastic actor. Having said that, I will be glad with almost any actor they choose because heyyy, more Brits in the Harry Potter world!! I will soon acquire the book itself and I'm officially stoked for the movies now.

2) Soon after my last weekly thoughts post, in which I had spoken of Benedict Cumberbatch leaving Guillermo del Toro's Crimson Peak, it was announced that Tom Hiddleston will be the actor replacing him. I'm totally fine with this. Not only is Hiddles also an amazing actor with a great voice, but this means that he and Jessica Chastain, aka the two most inspirational and loveliest actors out there, will be acting together. Big Yes! The film also stars Hiddles's Only Lovers Left Alive co-star, Mia Wasikowska, and Charlie "Fifty Shades" Hunnam.

3) One of my most favourite films of last year was Leslye Headlands's rude, smart and hilarious Bachelorette. Her next movie Sleeping With Other People will see her re-teaming with the fabulous Kirsten Dunst and joining them is Jason Sudeikis. It is about a womanizer befriending a serial cheater and even though the basic plot sounds typical, I am fairly sure that Headland's dialogues and wit will make it anything but. 

4) Anton Corbijn, who made the fantastic Control, will be next making a film on the relationship between James Dean and Life magazine photographer Dennis Stock entitled Life. It will follow Stock, a young photographer, who was assigned to shoot Dean, a young rising star at the time, and how their relationship evolved before East of Eden made Dean a perennial Hollywood star. Dane DeHaan has been cast as Dean and Robert Pattinson will play Stock. Am I the only one who thinks the casting is a bit of a mind-bender? DeHaan is quite attractive in his own way, but he's no James Dean. I can see it in terms of their acting styles but it's just a bit weird. Still, Corbjin is a very good director, and he used to be a rock photographer, so he seems perfect for the job.

5) So Lars von Trier has gone a bit nuts. More than usual, I mean. Nymphomaniac, his grand tale about a woman's sexual journey from birth to the age of 50, was already going to be a two-parter. It has now been announced that the two movies will have a combined running time of 5 hours *and* there might be a potential TV series. Like woah! They already have something like 100 hours of material. The first movie is apparently more of a comedy (though I'm not sure what a von Trier comedy is) and it gets darker in the second movie (like, duh). I don't know, man. I'm curious but 5+ hours of von Trier sounds a bit... suicidal.

6) Disney has decided to release Edgar Wright's Ant-Man in the summer of 2015. In case you don't remember, this is also the time when The Avengers: Age of Ultron, Star Wars VII, Jurassic Park 4 and the new Terminator movie will come out. Even if you ignore the last two (like I am), it just seems so stupid! Ant-Man was going to be a risk no matter when they released it. The superhero isn't well-known, he's *called* Ant-Man, Wright is more of a cult director- none of these scream big blockbuster hit. The film hasn't even been cast yet. On the other hand, the first Avengers movie is *only* the THIRD HIGHEST GROSSING MOVIE OF ALL TIME, and Star Wars nerds even managed to make the new trilogy a big financial success and undoubtedly they'll do the same this time. I, for one, am actually looking forward to Ant-Man even more than Age of Ultron, and it will be a crying shame if it fails to do well. Gahh, this sucks!

7) They finally have a name and a poster for the Doctor Who 50th Anniversary Special- "The Day of the Doctor". There is still no sign of the trailer but gosh, I'm excited. Did you spot the "Bad Wolf" sign in the poster?!!

8) Trailers- Seth Rogen, Rose Byrne, Zac Efron, Dave Franco and Christopher Mintz-Plasse star in new comedy Neighbours. I think it looks pretty funny, and I do like the people involved. I have a new found appreciation for Efron. It might have something to do with The Paperboy... The Railway Man has a pretty great cast but it still feels kind of blah. Why does Jeremy Irvine keep coming in these depressing tales? Though the trailer of True Detective is kind of all over the place, just the talent involved (Cary Fukanaga, Matthew McConaughey, Woody Harrelson) and the fact that visualised bleak crime dramas are all the rage right now, I am really looking forward to this television series. Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom looks pretty good. Early reviews have all been been raving about Idris Elba's performance so yaay! The best trailer of the week is that of Richard Ayoade's The Double. Moody, silent, weird, two Jesse Eisenbergs (!)- love it. Can't wait for this film.

9) Finally, a huge reason why Breaking Bad is such a great show is its two main actors, Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul. Here's them being awesome on a Jimmy Fallon sketch, Joking Bad-

I love them both. Also, Aaron Paul looks extra hot here.

Tata for now!

Thoughts

Helloo people! Here are my thoughts for you-

1) First of all, OMG YOU GUYZ! 

I kind of half-expected this to happen. I honestly thought they would leave the Fields of Trenzalore part for when Matt Smith actually ends his run as the Doctor since it's supposed to be the "fall of the Eleventh" and all. Now I don't think they will actually reveal his name. I have been trying to think of what the Doctor's name could be and I can either imagine it being something very large and unpronounceable like HUHGUBHIHCINAGHXYGFUMIOKJQOWOJFIGU or something like, well... Tom. The best theory I have found on Tumblr so far though is-

BBC: OMG the episode is called "The Name of The Doctor". Are we really going to reveal the most important secret in the history of the show?
Moffat: Of course we're not.
BBC: But the poster said...
Moffat: Nothing, I have a reputation to uphold.

Anyways, it will probably be the Doctor telling only River Song his name, who will be back as we can see on the poster. I have an inkling that this might be the last River episode as this probably will lead to the events of "Silence in the Library"/"Forest of the Dead". Still, can't wait to see her interact with Clara. Also, for all the people crying out in anger, even if Moffat magically makes up a name, it is a perfectly good point to do it as this episode will set in motion the events to be shown in the 50th Anniversary. Speaking of-

2) Oh MTV Movie Awards happened. Can I just say I love most of the winners? I mean The Avengers, Loki, Rebel Wilson, Jennifer Lawrence, Emma Watson, Bradley Cooper, Silver Linings Playbook getting Best Kiss and not Twilight, and Leonardo DiCaprio was also nominated. Of course my favourite moments out of the very few that I saw were purely eye candy related- scruffy Chris Pine and suited-up Tom Hiddleston. And when the first gave an award to the other, my ovaries died.

3) The official selection list of Cannes 2013 is out. The Great Gatsby will open the festival. There are a lot of films in the line up that I haven't heard of, but hopefully we see a lot of big winners this year. The films I am really excited about are The Bling Ring, Inside Llewyn Davis, The Past, Behind the Candelbra, Venus in Fur, and most of all Only God Forgives. Nicolas Winding Refn won Best Director for Drive two years ago and Only God Forgives is looking really fantastic so far.

4) Guillermo Del Toro's next film, Crimson Peak, is getting quite the cast. Emma Stone, Benedict Cumberbatch, Jessica Chastain and Charlie Hunnam. My first thought of course was "REDHEAD HEAVEN!!" but of course then I remembered that Stone isn't a real ginger. Still, talent and beauty and one totally old school horror film sounds rather brilliant.

5) In other Emma Stone news, her film with Cameron Crowe and Bradley Cooper now has Rachel McAdams too. This is one charismatic crowd. Also, she is set to star in Alejandro González Iñárritu's next film Birdman that has one helluva cast including Edward Norton, Andrea Riseborough, Zach Galifianakis, Naomi Watts and Michael Keaton.

6) Gahh Hollywood!- They're going to remake Point Break. Next they're asking Seth MacFarlane to host the Oscars again? What? Was I the only one who saw him sing "We Saw Your Boobs"? And then apparently Michael Bay will let some reality show decide the Asian cast of Transformers 4. He's so funny. Also the Hercules movie will star Kellan Lutz and look at all the fucks I don't give.

7) David O' Russell's next movie has a name now- American Hustle. I am loving the wacko looks of its stars Christian Bale, Jennifer Lawrence, Bradley Cooper, Jeremy Renner and Amy Adams. Excited to say the least.

8) Posters- Thor the Dark World has Thor and his hammer... yeah...  The Bling Ring looks like fun. I love the materialism in Sofia Coppola's movies. There are loads of pictures that have been released too. Finally, Only God Forgives has a hot French poster (hot because of the Gos, duh) and a ridiculously awesome neon poster out.

9) The final ballot of LAMMY 2013 is open and many of my favourite blogs have been nominated so yaay! I haven't voted yet but I will do so soon.

10) Trailers- Since Only God Forgives has pretty much dominated this post, let's start with its 2 new trailers. I don't think it's sane to be this turned on by trailers, but hey, here I am! Also Kristin Scott Thomas is fabulous. Star Trek Into Darkness's final trailer is the awesomest one yet and I really cannot wait to watch this film. The Kings of Summer looks really fun and gotta love Nick Offerman. Steven Soderbergh's final film Behind the Candelbra looks pretty good. The Hunger Games: Catching Fire's trailer is interesting because it shows President Snow's, played to perfect eerieness by Donald Sutherland, evil workings. Also yaay Philip Seymour Hoffman! There is yet another Romeo and Juliet film, this time starring Douglas Booth and Hailee Steinfeld as the star-crossed lovers. Wasn't this supposed to be from the point of view of Rosaline? Anyways, it looks very dull except for all the Damian Lewis parts where I laughed out loud inexplicably. Elysium, though it seems to have a very worn-out concept at its core, looks like it is going to do something very different with it which is what I expect out of the makers of District 9. Man of Steel finally has my attention as its latest trailer lets go of all the Batman-y Malick-ness and looks all kinds of epic. Plus Amy Adams and Michael Shannon, woo hoo! Lastly, one of my most favourite trailers this week has been that of Filth's. I don't know what James McAvoy has done to himself, but god, it is amazingness itself.

Bye all!