My Most Anticipated Movies: July-Sep 2016

After last week’s round-up of my most anticipated movies (Apr-Jun) here, I thought I’d post again, but this time (for the much more movie heavy summer season).

Again, if you think there should be movies on here which don’t appear, feel free to tweet me on twitter (@annalisebooks) or comment below!

July 2016

Now You See Me 2

One year after outwitting the FBI and winning the public’s adulation with their Robin Hood-style magic spectacles, The Four Horsemen resurface for a comeback performance in hopes of exposing the unethical practices of a tech magnate. The man behind their vanishing act is none other than Walter Mabry, a tech prodigy who threatens the Horsemen into pulling off their most impossible heist yet. Their only hope is to perform one last unprecedented stunt to clear their names and reveal the mastermind behind it all.  

Now You See Me (1) was a surprise 2013 summer hit, which I loved. It was clever, funny and mind-boggling brilliant. Now You See Me 2 (unfortunately not called ‘Now You Don’t) appears to follow up well (although Isla Fisher (who I love) has been replaced with Lizzy Caplan (who I also love)). Daniel Radcliffe also adds to the star-studded cast, in perhaps his second most famous foray into magic 😉

Released: 4 July 2016 (UK)

Ghostbusters

30 years after Ghostbusters took the world by storm, the beloved franchise makes its long-awaited return. Director Paul Feig brings his fresh take to the supernatural comedy, joined by some of the funniest actors working today.  

Now I love Ghostbusters (1 & 2) and so I was naturally excited to hear about a reboot (but this time with women scientists! Yay!), and this looks good. Except for the part where the black woman in the quartet is all ‘street’ and doesn’t know about the ‘science stuff’. It would have been so much cooler if she was a scientist too! The cast looks good, but interestingly it has 4x as many downvotes on YouTube as upvotes.

Released: 15 July 2016

August 2016

Suicide Squad

A secret government agency recruits imprisoned supervillains to execute dangerous black ops missions in exchange for clemency.

I’ve been excited about Suicide Squad for a while – the trailer is seriously amazing. Margot Robbie (Harley Quinn) looks set to dominate this movie, which is impressive considering it has a squad of brilliant actors playing interesting, dark characters. The premise is new and exciting (bad guys doing good) and it looks to take the superhero industry by storm.

Released: 5 August 2016

September 2016

Bridget Jones’ Baby

The continuing adventures of British publishing executive Bridget Jones as she enters her 40s.

No trailer for this one yet – if you haven’t watched the first two films, go watch them pronto (they’re seriously very very good). This film won’t be following the plot of Helen Fielding’s third novel (Mad About the Boy) where (spoilers ahead) Mark Darcy had devastatingly perished before the book picks up. Mr Darcy will be alive and kicking in this film, with Daniel Cleaver (Hugh Grant) missing and replaced by a McDreamy Patrick Dempsey. One trailer I can’t wait for!

Released: 16 September 2016

Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children

When Jacob discovers clues to a mystery that spans different worlds and times, he finds Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. But the mystery and danger deepen as he gets to know the residents and learns about their special powers.

I haven’t read Miss Peregrine (and I kind of don’t want to) but this trailer really hooked me in. I love Tim Burton movies, and this was filmed quite close to where I live. This movie looks so interesting and detailed, I can’t wait to see what future trailers will bring.

Released: 30 September 2016

That’s it from me – I may update this post later when release dates have been moved around/trailers have been released.

Comment below or tweet me at @annalisebooks!

Annalise x

Shadowhunters: Episode 1 – the Mortal Cup

Shadowhunters, the TV adaptation of Cassandra Clare’s best-selling Mortal Instruments series, premiered today on Netflix outside of the US.

Synopsis

Shadowhunters begins with Clary Fray, a red-haired 18-year-old who has just been accepted onto a programme at the Brooklyn School of Art. It’s also her birthday. Her mother, Jocelyn, and her mother’s boyfriend, Luke, discuss whether to tell Clary that she is a shadowhunter, a race who protect the human world from the demon world. Before Jocelyn has the chance to tell Clary the truth, Clary flounces out the door to a gig with her best friend, Simon, and Jocelyn resigns to let Clary have one more day without knowing the truth.

After the gig, Clary and Simon hang out outside the club, Pandemonium. Suddenly, a boy bumps into Clary, who Simon can’t see. Clary follows him into the club, where she witnesses him, and his two companions, murder several people with glowing blades.

Heading home in a cab, and leaving Simon at the club, two Circle agents follow behind, leading them to the home of Jocelyn Fray. Realising what has happened, Jocelyn has her friend Dot open a portal, and Clary is transported to the police station. Jocelyn stays behind to fight off the agents, but succumbs and drinks a potion that knocks her out cold. Dot is thrown out of a window, landing, apparently dead on the ground outside.

Clary overhears Luke at the police station, stating that Jocelyn and Clary mean nothing to him. Distraught, Clary returns to her apartment, finding it trashed and her mother gone. She finds Dot, alive, asking questions about the mortal cup. When Clary claims she knows nothing, Dot gets angry, and her face bursts open, revealing that she is in fact, a demon. Backed into a corner, Clary is saved when the boy from the club stabs the creature, but Clary has been bitten by the demon, and the venom causes her to pass out.

Clary wakes up to find Isabelle, the girl from the club, sat at the end of the bed. She introduces Clary to Alec and Jace (the boy who saved her), and Alec is seen to be jealous of the attention and interest Jace is giving to Clary. Simon calls Clary, tracking her down to an abandoned church. Wearing Isabelle’s leather clothes, Clary rushes down to meet Simon, not realising a Circle agent lurks outside the church. Jace kills the agent, to Clary’s horror and Simon’s confusion (as he does not have ‘The Sight’).

In Chernobyl, a man is now in possession of the body of Jocelyn Fray. He learns from his agents that Jocelyn has a daughter, and demands that she be brought to him.

Thoughts

• Simon is pretty hot. Should he be? I don’t know.
• Isabelle dresses like a baby prostitute. And talks like one. And dances like one. Huh.
• Jace is cocky, which I like, for some reason.
• I’m enjoying the amount of Magnus Bane, who has been introduced earlier in the TV series than in the books.
• Some of the acting is really really awkward.
• Why is part of this set in Chernobyl?!
• Clary is a little too ditzy to be truly likeable, but hopefully this is a chance for some great character development.
• This show has a lot of PoCs, which is good. The casting is good.
• Dorothea from the movie has become the young, hip ‘Dot’.
• It’s a little cheesy at times.

All in all, an alright, if a little cringey start to the show. I’m actually looking forward to the next episode and seeing where the show goes and how that relates to both the books and the movie.

Have you seen Shadowhunters? What did you think?

Comment below or tweet me at @AnnaliseBooks 🙂

Annalise x