So, welcome to the new look blog everyone and allow me to jntroduce you to its new moniker, Truff Talks Movies! Being back at uni, I found it tough to keep writing reviews steadily, which led to Truff Reviews basically being retired. However, I am now off for four months, which of course means I'll have a lot more time on my hands to make updates to this regularly. While I will still do the occasional review, these will no longer be the focus of the blog, as I hope to put out a much broader range of content, which includes a charity event I'm hoping to organise in the coming months. With all this out of the way, let's get down to it, as I take a look at my Most Anticipated Summer Releases for 2017.
It Comes At Night (US 09/06/2017)
The claustrophobic thriller seems to be the hottest sub-genre in horror today, with this Animal Kingdom produced romp following on from the commercial success of 10 Cloverfield Lane and Don't Breathe in 2016. While I was rather lukewarm in my reaction to those efforts, the trailers and critical hype for this Joel Edgerton led flick has most definitely piqued my interest. Directed by newcomer Trey Edward Shults, the flick currently holds a rating of 100 per cent on review aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes and has been highly praised online from those who got a chance to see the film at The Overlook Film Festival earlier this year. While the director's lack of experience may well prove to be detrimental to the quality of It Comes At Night, the monumental buzz surrounding this release is enough to put any minor reservations I have on the back-burner. If nothing else, I'm a sucker for an underdog story, and I hope that this family friendly flick proves to be the summer's surprise smash hit.
Spider-Man: Homecoming (06/07/2017)
When Sony and Marvel put pen to paper on their deal to bring Spider-Man into the MCU, they fulfilled the dream of comic book nerds all around the world. Finally we get to see Peter Parker join The Avengers and take his rightful place at the head of Marvel's flagship franchise (unless of course Sony ever decide to take their ball and go home, but that's a discussion we can get into another time). Tom Holland already made his debut as the webbed wonder in last year's Captain America: Civil War, earning the good-will of superhero fans the world over with his well received (if albeit brief) first appearance as part of the MCU. Director Jon Watts has gone on record as stating he wants the tone of this film to feel similar to the coming-of-age films of the 1980's (specifically the work of the legendary John Hughes) and I can't help but feel this is the perfect way to go with what is the first real portrayal of a young Peter Parker on the big screen. Also taking into consideration a stellar supporting cast that includes Michael Keaton, Donald Glover and the return of Robert Downey Jnr's Iron Man, and you've got yourself the highest grossing film of the summer and what I hope will be the best superhero film of the year.
Dunkirk (21/07/2017)
Arguably the most important director since the dawn of the millennium, the release of a new Christopher Nolan film has become an event in itself. Add into the equation the reportedly revolutionary use of IMAX cameras and a cast that includes Cillian Murphy, Tom Hardy and the excellent Sir Kenneth Branagh, and you've got yourself a war epic which is sure to make an absolute killing at the box-office. Unlike most modern big-budget film makers, Nolan has the ability to efficiently balance groundbreaking visual effects with interesting characters, a trait which will prove invaluable in capturing both the mass devastation and individual tragedy that comes with war. While the story of Dunkirk is one that has been brought to the screen before, it is hard what Nolan's interpreting of it will be, with this being his first venture into the war genre. However, this slight question mark aside, based off of the visual mastery of both Inception and Interstellar I expect this film to be stunning, and I will definitely be saving an extra couple of pounds to see this one in an IMAX theatre. I hope (and believe) it will be worth it.
Atomic Blonde (28/07/2017)
This one looks right up my alley. Helmed by David Leitch (one of the co-directors of John Wick and an experienced stunt coordinator), it features Charlize Theron in the lead role as Lorraine Broughton, a spy for MI6. Outside of the aforementioned John Wick films, good action films have been few and far between, so to be promised this smaller scale effort for the end of the summer blockbuster season is a real treat I am very much looking forward to. Perhaps more significantly, this Kurt Johnstad written effort continues the recent increase in female led productions popping up this year, with its release being preceded by the first ever Wonder Woman theatrical film, as well as Scarlett Johansen's Ghost in the Shell. The trailer gives off the vibe that Atomic Blonde will be some sort of weird mash between James Bond and Kill Bill, and this, combined with Leitch's already proven ability to set his films in unique and fully fleshed out worlds, gets me cautiously optimistic about this movie's prospects at the box-office yet brazenly outspoken its potential to spawn a new and original action franchise. I've got my fingers crossed that this film takes the world by surprise.
