JesSee's Movies

The 2018 San Diego Comic-Con was full of surprises but was also just a lot of what we expected. I think last years CC was a little more exciting, but nevertheless, there’s a lot to be excited about for everyone. Although I’m really stoked about much more than 20 things, the following is my Top 20 things I’m looking forward to the most:

Note: I will be breaking up my 20 into 2 categories of 10 (Movies and TV respectively) and these lists also serve as rankings, and my metric for choosing is based on these principals- Past work from writer/showrunner/actors/network, solely based on the trailer, and love of the source material. Without further ado,

TV

10) The Purge- This might be a controversial choice but the film franchise has always been a guilty pleasure of mine. Though I have yet to see the newest film and I thought the 2nd to be a bit weak, I do enjoy the concept quite a bit. Given our current political climate, there’s such a sense of realism that will make a huge difference. I’m also curious to see how it will translate to television. My guess is, not very well, but I still really want to check it out. estimated rotten tomatoes score 45-55

9) Riverdale (s3)- Another guilty pleasure for me and my girlfriend. I have yet to see season 2 so who knows if I’ll even be interested in season 3 but I must admit, the trailer seemed promising, couple that with my loathed enjoyment of the hammy, slow-paced, and altogether captivating first season and you can bet I’m tuning in (much to my own chagrin).

8) Disenchantment- Okay, so when the original teaser came out I was really hype for the new Matt Groening project but the most recent trailer didn’t really show me anything too exciting. It’s Matt Groening and he’s a genius so I’m going to give the benefit of the doubt and assume it’s much better than the most recent trailer showed. However, it has lost some of my interest.
estimated rotten tomatoes score 80-90

7) Nightflyers- George R.R. Martin is responsible for the source material and the trailer looked decent. That’s all I really need to know to at least give it a shot.
estimated rotten tomatoes score: 70-80

6) SW: The Clone Wars (s7)- I haven’t really seen more than a few episodes, but we have a while until the next Star Wars film and this trailer got me really hype to go back and try again!

5) Titans- Some Teen Titans purists are just never going to be on board with anything new or different. I’m not sure how well this iteration of one of my favorite superhero teams will turn out, but I’m looking forward to this mature and gritty take.
estimated rotten tomatoes score: 75-85

4) Dragon Prince- I’m really just all for this because of my love for The Last Airbender. the trailer wasn’t very impressive but I have hope.
estimated tomatometer score: 75-85

3) Mayans- Okay, so I LOVE Sons of Anarchy and this trailer really has me sold on a spin-off that I never knew I wanted or needed. I hope it lives up to its predecessor.
estimated tomatometer score: 85-95

2) Star Trek: Discover (s2)- I’ve really been wanting to watch the 1st season, and the Trailer for season 2 looked so great that now I’m going to. I hear great things and I do enjoy me some Trek. We’ll see!

1) Dr. Who (s11)- I’ve been sold on Jodie Whittaker as the Doctor since the start and this trailer just confirmed my optimism. Dr. Who is undoubtedly going to feature fantastic writing, great spfx, and a great ensemble cast and I truly feel like Whittaker will go down as one of the very best iterations of the doctor we’ve grown to know and love.

FILM(s)

10) Steven Universe: The Movie- there isn’t really much I can say, as the Trailer didn’t really give us much in the way of what to expect, but Steven Universe is one of wokest and charming shows on tv (animated or otherwise) and it’s safe to expect something pretty good.
estimated tomatometer score: 85-95

9) Assassination Nation- Now there isn’t anything particularly fresh about the concept but I do think it’s a pretty offbeat and irreverent take on something pretty dark in tone and that’s kind of right up my alley. this made the list mostly out of my personal taste and that it was a pretty weak outing altogether for film trailers this year at SDCC.
estimated tomatometer score: 60-70

8) Godzilla: King of Monsters- I’m in the minority in that I was pretty underwhelmed by the trailer for this blockbuster flick. I do feel like the final product will be pretty good, I just didn’t get excited by anything I saw in the trailer.
estimated tomatometer score: 70-80

7) Invader Zim: Enter the Florpus- As someone who grew up loving this gem and thinking it would dead forever, I would be extremely stoked if this were just an announcement. The trailer was actually pretty rad and that has me really hype.
estimated tomatometer score: 80-90

6) Aquaman- The jury’s still out on this trailer. The CGI looked pretty lackluster and the story (from what I to tell) feels pretty uninspired, however, there were some glimpses of things to be excited about. Also, Jason Mamoa has amazing charisma and he’s bound to shred in this title role.
estimated tomatometer score: 65-75

5) Glass- I love the first 2 films in this assumed trilogy and this looks to be the weakest. The trailer shows a great care in the design and production value compared to Unbreakable (and even Split) and it has a lot of promise to be pretty decent, I just don’t see it be as good as either of its predecessors. That’s not necessarily a bad thing though. I’m just glad to see M Knight cranking out bangers consistently again!
estimated tomatometer score: 80-90

4) Dragonball Super: Broly- I don’t really care what people think of Dragonball Super as a show, this film is going to be amazing. I grew up on the original and firmly believe it to be the strongest film in the canon. Better effects and animation can only help matters. The hype is real with this one.
estimated tomatometer score: 80-90

3) Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindlevald- I really liked the first Fantastic Beasts film and this one looks to be just as good. I have a creeping suspicion it won’t be as well received but I also don’t really see a major dip in quality either. The trailer was pretty rad but this is a tricky one to call. Either way, count me IN.
estimated tomatometer score: 70-80

2) Shazam!- I’m a pretty loyal DC fan, even though a lot of the film projects have been pretty terrible over the past decade, it appears we’re starting to hit a spike in quality (coincidental that it pairs perfectly with the decline of Zack Snyder’s involvement?, whose to say) and it appears DC has taken a page from Marvel’s playbook: HUMOR. In the past DC flicks have come off overly moody and almost accidental satires of themselves and Marvel has been putting a bit too much comedy where it isn’t needed, let’s just hope Shazam! has found that sweet spot. It’d be great to continue the trend that Wonderwoman started (Aquaman is bound to be better than BvS and Suicide Squad at least) and give us some hope going forward.
estimated tomatometer score: 80-90

1) Overlord- I really refrained from watching the trailer for a while because I’m getting bored with saturated Speilberg sci-fi but when I was compiling data for this article, I figured I owed it to the readers to be thorough and watch EVERY trailer from SDCC18 and let me tell you, I’m pretty stoked I did. Overlord looks like the perfect blend of grit and cheesiness that only the best Speilberg produced/directed films pull-off. If it doesn’t work, at least it will be pretty!
estimated tomatometer score: 85-95

 

 

There you have it, those are the things I look forward to checking out most from SDCC 2018, feel free to comment your thoughts! One thing is for sure, over the next 12 months, there’s a little something for everybody to love.

 

-JS

 

 

It Follows is a pretty nicely crafted indie thriller, which premiered at Cannes in 2013 and in the United States in 2014. It Follows centers around a young woman named Jamie who must shake herself free from some sort of ghost-like presence that begins following her and can take the form of strangers and her loved ones alike. We learn early on that ‘it’ is passed down from person to person by sexual intercourse and that it never ends. We also learn that you can’t let ‘it’ touch you but we never see the consequence of that (which I actually enjoyed).
The premise isn’t anything entirely new and yet its specific enough that people want to attach meaning to it and that’s always pretty neat in the horror genre, some believe it’s an allegory on HIV/AIDS or any number of STD’s and others believe it’s something much less specific and more of a general commentary on the act of sex and it’s freedoms and demons alike. I personally fall in the ladder.
I think as a whole ‘It Follows’ is a lot of decent to great parts coming together to make a slightly above the average whole. The score is the main stand out, supplying eerie synths and creepy subtle keys that really enhance the natural horror of the images. The cinematography is also fairly good, there isn’t anything notable about the camera work other than consistently clean zooms and close-ups, but the use of darker and heavier color saturation to express the natural dread of the situation at hand was pretty clever and definitely added to the experience.
The acting was okay and served a purpose but definitely comes off as a weak link when compared to the design and direction and work put into creating such a specific tone but I do feel that the script is the main thing working against this film as a whole.
The writing feels purposefully stripped back and bare and bleak and empty as to enhance the natural horror of the situation but it never felt REAL, I never really felt myself believe that people would say and act the way they were if in the same situation and I feel like there could have been a perfect middle in which we get the spacey, creepy, dark and empty vibe, but that we actually have believable dialogue with a bit of feeling.

Beginning, Middle, and End there were many stand out moments and I would say I enjoyed this project as a whole, I was just disappointed by the script and the acting could have been stronger at times. The production and design teams really know how to catch a vibe and if the sequel talks are true, I will definitely be tuning in!

 

I’ve adopted the reviewing system of a great youtuber whom I enjoy, Anthony Fantano, and with this first entry, I’m feeling a 6-7.

(6.9)