The Book Thief (2013) and Pompeii (2014) - New teasers & trailers!

In this week for new teasers & trailers is The Book Thief (2013), which is based on the novel by Markus Zusak. The film takes place in Nazi Germany and narrated by death, follows Liesel Meminger's (Sophie Nélisse) relationship with her foster-parents and the children in the neighbourhood, as well as Max, (Ben Schnetzer) a Jewish fighter who hides out in their home during the war. The cast for this film looks pretty good (Geoffrey Rush playing Hans Hubermann, Emily Watson etc.) and as everyone knows the book was superb, so once again, high hopes for this one. Watch the trailer below and decide for yourself whether this will be another hit for the literary/cinematic cross-over universe: 

Next up we have Pompeii (2014) starring Emily Browning, Kit Harington & Keifer Sutherland, set in Pompeii in the time leading up to the eruption of the volcano Mt. Vesuvius, focusing around a slave and the woman he loves along with a gladiator who is his best friend. It looks set to appeal to those looking for an epic adventure tale, however there have been so many of these sorts of movies circulating recently, so only time will tell whether this will live up to the intense nature of the trailer or not. I'm unsure of what to make of this one, but what do you think? Will it be worth the wait? Watch the teaser trailer below: 

The trailer certainly makes the whole thing look somewhat appealing, but I'm sure audiences will be skeptical as to whether it can deliver a coherent plot line without over-doing it on the action and special effects. 

Movie news and teasers & trailers reviewed by Mel

Thor: The Dark World - New Featurette!

Here to satisfy your need for everything Thor-related, is the new featurette for Thor: The Dark World, giving us a behind-the-scenes look at Thor's return to Asgard and how the filmmakers are dealing with Thor's and Jane's relationship in this new addition. The trailer (below) also offers a nice insight into the scale of the production and the impact this has on performances from the actors. It certainly looks epically proportioned, so I hope the film lives up to its expectations. 

There's also plenty of Hiddleston commentary, which is never a bad thing. Talking similarly about the aesthetics of the production, he describes the set pieces as "intrinsically cinematic" and says that "they thrill you and they excite you." There's been far too many epic blockbusters which have failed to succeed or reach expectations from both studios and audiences in terms of profit margins and general critical opinion, so let's hope that this sequel doesn't disappoint. 

Featurette review and movie news by Mel.

Avril Lavigne - Rock N Roll (Music Video) [+ Review]

Earlier today, pop-punk princess Avril Lavigne released her new music video for the track 'Rock N Roll', from her (upcoming) self-titled fifth studio album. The track itself channels Lavigne's usual punk-rebel flair and as usual, is jam-packed full of attitude and rebellion. It's like she's never aged right? The track holds onto its rock-anthemed roots and delivers in terms of the powerful beats and guitar solo but the lyrics may not appeal to everyone or add anything extra to the song. The track on a whole is pretty standard from Lavigne and probably won't be winning her any new fans, but, it's sure to please her existing ones who have been long awaiting her return to music, since the good ol' 'sk8er boi' days. However, the most spectacular thing about this track is by far its music video. Don't know what I'm talking about? Well have a watch below: 

The music video incorporates a comic-book-esque cross-over, with bold prints and weird 'characters' to add to the narrative. The opening of the video is more like a parody of a cheesy commercial with Avril talking on her phone to a non-coherent person at the end, whilst she slots in memorable song lyrics 'he was a boy, she was a girl' from the aforementioned track 'sk8er boi.' And here comes the fun part. Switching from comic book title screen, Lavigne switches into rebellious Army attire while an underlying story plays over to set the scene. Now, Lavigne, her friend (Winnie Cooper/Danica McKeller) and a dog sit in a restaurant (the dogs wearing clothes, of course) and spotting a girls not-ripped-enough outfit, she goes to work to 'Avril Lavigne approve' it. 

Then Darth Vader appears. Ok, it's not Darth Vader but, seriously, it could be his cousin or something. Except he's wearing a fake moustache, which Lavigne notices, ripping off and exposing his true identity to the whole restaurant. Shock Horror. Seeing that he has been exposed, the Darth Vader look-alike catapults his entire meal off the table (what a waste) and begins throwing condiments and a baby at his nemesis Lavigne. Did I mention that Lavigne's eyes look really blue in this whole video? Is it just me? Oh and there's a lobster. Don't ask. There is very little actual dialogue in this mini-film with characters communicating through on-screen titles, apart from a couple of instances later on. 

The whole video is a highly visual affair with a mix of colours, different mediums of art and humour mixed in with a whole lot of weird. Possibly the funniest event in the whole video is when Lavigne and her friend (and their dog) crash the car, because, surprise surprise, they've let the dog drive. Even though he's a dog. And he has a drinking problem. And he's a dog. Go figure? Then Lavigne and her friend share a tender kiss over their deceased dog. Just when I think we've reached the weird limit on this video, Lavigne discovers a hidden guitar with a saw attached, which she uses to chop the villain in half. Only after he turns into a bear-shark. Yes, you read that right, a bear-shark. She chops his shark head right off of his bear body. It's an interesting sight to behold. 

If I haven't enticed you enough to watch the video yet I don't know what will. Trust me, you won't be disappointed. It's 5 minutes of pure eccentricity. I'm sure they'll be people who will watch this and not understand it at all, or simply won't enjoy it, but for me, the video was the best part of everything to do with this song. It's a visual feast of imagination. 

Music video and song reviewed by Mel. 

Lady Gaga - Applause (Official Music Video - watch now!)

Lady Gaga has just released the music video for her new single 'Applause' and it's as wacky as ever. The video had its debut at New York's Times Square, whilst Gaga appeared on Good Morning America to promote its release. The singer discussed her absence from music following her injury, the motifs behind the production and how much she has missed performing. After the video had its premiere, it was announced that although Gaga had been set to appear on the VMA's, she is in fact opening the awards ceremony. No doubt we can expect something wonderfully eccentric from the recording artist, on the occasion, in 6 days time. Watch below and experience the whimsically peculiar video in all its glory:

Starting off with flashes of bright light, Gaga appears positioned on a podium with wings attached. Cutting from that she can be seen breathing heavily on a mattress while the visuals are an ominous black and white. Rather tame so far, but oh no wait here comes the Gaga we all know and love (or hate, depending on your viewpoint). Cue arrangement of bizarre objects with Gaga in a Top hat, with smoke coming out. Yep, I'm liking this already. You can't deny that the video is certainly a visual explosion and whatever you may think I very much doubt you'll be bored watching it. Gaga treats us to moving images of herself with a white sheet and donning similar make-up to the promotional cover and she's in a cage at one point. Right ok, caught up so far? 

Gaga then puts on her 'crazy face', twirls around, catches a knife in her mouth and explodes into red dust. Yep, I think we can safely we've arrived in Gaga's world. I find the use of colours to contrast with the black and white rather beautiful in their own way, and I think it's this mix of tone and visual flair that makes this video stand out and dare I say it, enjoyable to watch? I mean it's completely bonkers, but in a good way. With an album title of ARTPOP and it being Gaga I don't think you can really expect anything else, and I don't think this will disappoint fans (and people alike) who have been a tad bit bored watching the same old pop-esque music videos for a while. 

Oh, and Gaga turns into some sort of swan-esque creature. Standard. Then comes everyone's favourite part, the dance numbers, yay! Gaga jerks, twists and body pops along to the beat, culminating in her laying down on her mattress (no doubt for a much-needed rest). Then we get onto possibly my favourite part of the video. We are bombarded with a sea of purple, Gaga dressed in plenty of jewels and embellished headwear, holding a bunch of flowers in casing. Not only are the visuals particularly impressive in this sequence, the track fits in nicely and is almost tranquil for a few seconds. 

Anyway, back to the crazy and there's confetti, flashing lights, more eccentric Gaga faces (with laughter!) and so much more (watch the video!). At the end of the video Gaga hand gestures the album name ARTPOP and suddenly she's wearing a bejewelled green mask. Oh how we've missed this. If you don't know what I'm talking about, then you probably should have watched the video about about 3 minutes ago. Three cheers for Gaga for making a suitable visual piece to accompany her new track which will no doubt keep everyone entertained. 

Music video reviewed by Mel.

Foxes - Youth

English singer and songwriter Foxes (Louisa Rose Allen) recently released the music video to accompany her single 'Youth'. Rather appropriately titled the track focuses around the idea of youth, life, dreams and their relation to the passing of time. The sounds of the song are almost angelic and evoke a sense of a peacefulness and tranquility. It's a fitting sound to follow up to her past releases 'Beauty Queen' and her collaboration on Zedd's 'Clarity' and Rudimental's 'Right Here.' Hopefully she will rise up in the charts and get more recognition for her work, as fans of Foxes will no doubt consider her music vastly underrated. The video (below) is as always, visually interesting and not too brash, so it suits the track nicely. 

The music videos sees Allen (Foxes) don several forms of attire including (but not limited to) 'mouse' ears, black hats, some sort of get-up right out of the fourth of july, her trademark black eyeliner and one of her friends seems to have come dressed up as some sort of grey bear (complete with teeth). Additionally, there is the inclusion of some animal masks to add to the whole bizarre affair. At the beginning of the video, Allen is pictured in some sort of office building with a fire burning in the background which creates a hole in the wall, leading out onto the streets where her friends are having a street party. Yep, that's definitely how I exit a building, through a wall of fire. 

 Foxes' street parties seem pretty fun-filled as they have a fire-breather, confetti, glitter, acrobats, more fire and a guy with a camera. Where does one get an invitation to these sorts of things? Anyway, without much warning suddenly Allen has managed to clamber up in to a tree. She's really living the (British) dream isn't she? More odd things occur, dancing in bath tubs, ribbons, flour, people smashing things, hide and seek with people dressed as animals, cycling, spray cans - culminating in a bonfire/sparkler party. 

The message and essence of the video is clear, it's about fun and youthful cheer, trying to rediscover it and not lose it. It's certainly one of the more enjoyable videos to watch. Overall, its a electro-pop sound with a sweet melody and a not too shabby video to boot. 

Music video and track reviewed by Mel.