Shows To Watch (June 2016)

First off apologies for my long absence, as you may know from my blog procrastination is my thing. So in some ways writing this is a bit of a procrastination from uni exams but hey, it's still a post. I thought I'd start something off a bit easy and hope that there will be more posts to come.

Here are some of the shows I'm currently watching. For the show to be listed it must currently be airing or recently ended (or between series if it is still going). It can be from TV and online streaming services (such as Netflix, Stan, or Hulu [for all you Americans]).

Once Upon a Time (2011 - )

(Source: http://www.playbuzz.com/lilyanna10/can-you-match-the-once-upon-a-time-character-with-the-disney-name)

Once Upon a Time just finished it's fifth season and has already being confirmed for a sixth! Although this show hasn't been everyone's cup of tea it is still really good. After the whole 'curse' premise of the show ended in season 1, season 2 was definitely a bit Lost (haha, forgive me, if you know a bit about the show you will get the joke). However things did start to pick up from the third season and the show finally found a flow with it's half-season major plot points as well as story arches throughout the whole show. Plus there are some pretty amazing scenes in the show and plenty of emotion. If you love fairy tales give this show a try.

Wentworth (2013 - )

(Source: https://www.foxtel.com.au/watch/wentworth.html)

Wentworth is an example of great Australian television recognised around the world. It is the contemporary remake of the Australian classic drama series "Prisoner". It is absolutely amazing. So good in fact that despite its young age it has broken the glass ceiling of Australian television and become a worldwide phenomenon which has already sparked off multiple spin-offs in other languages and countries. The greatest thing about these is that they use a lot of the same cinematography and scripts (after translation of course) which really is a testament to how great this show was already. It really is filmed like a movie for the television and the characters are all so well-written (guards and prisoners alike) that you really feel for them all.

The Real O'Neals (2016 - )

(Source: http://www.citytv.com/toronto/shows/the-real-oneals/)

This hilarious new show with an amazing (and perfectly cast) cast is all about a seemingly perfect Irish-catholic family. The mother (Eileen) is practically head of the church committee, her husband (Pat) is a police officer, her eldest son (Jimmy) is a high-school wrestler, her middle son (Kenny) is a star pupil with a girlfriend and her daughter (Shannon) is a socially aware child who is always raising money for the church or other charities. Their family is the pride of the church. All this is turned upside down when Eileen and Pat decide to get divorced, Jimmy reveals he is anorexic, Shannon reveals that she keeps all the money she raises and Kenny decides to come-out as gay. All this is made all the more awkward by the fact that the whole church finds out at a charity event. With the help of Eileen's hilariously unaware sister Jodi the family try to navigate their new lives with all their secrets out in the open. It is a really great show that is equal parts funny and touching. The way they handle Kenny's coming out and subsequent coming to terms with his sexuality is also refreshing and realistic. It is a great show and I'm glad that it's being renewed for a second season.

UnREAL (2015 - )

(Source: http://blitz.arc.unsw.edu.au/2016/review-unreal-tv-show/)

UnREAL is the amazing new drama show about the producers behind a Bachelor-like show called "Everlasting". It's all about the manipulation and truth behind shows like The Bachelor. It is really well-written and has some really amazing scenes. The second season starts Monday in the United States and it has already being renewed for a third season (before the second even airs!). It was created by someone who used to work as a producer on The Bachelor and it's actually really interesting viewing. You will be amazed and everyone will be exposed.

Of course these are just some of the amazing shows out there right now. There are many more shows that I do watch that do also deserve to be on this list but maybe another time.

Highly Anticipated Films of 2014

Again, I am sincerely sorry for the lack of posts in the last two days. Tuesday was due to a large amount of homework that had to be done and yesterday (Wednesday) was because it was my father's birthday and I was busy for most of the afternoon/night. So we move on to today's post where I go through five more of the highly anticipated films of 2014.

Annie

Source: http://www.movieinsider.com/posters/137515/

Annie may seem like the story you know and love but this 2014 film adaptation of the hit Broadway musical puts a new spin on it. Jay-Z is said to have reworked some of those iconic Annie musical numbers to bring it into the new generation and it stars Jamie Foxx as Benjamin Stack, a variation of Daddy Warbucks. It is set to be a very interesting interpretation of the iconic musical that many know and love.

Odd Thomas

Source: http://www.movieinsider.com/photos/161209/1/

Odd Thomas is the first of a seven book series (six of which have already been released) that has already sold over 20 million copies world-wide. Odd Thomas tells the story of small-town fry cook Odd Thomas (played by Anton Yelchin) who is an ordinary guy with a paranormal secret: he sees dead people, everywhere. When a creepy strange shows up with an entourage of ghostly bodachs - predators who feed on pain and portend mass destruction - Odd knows that his town is in serious trouble. Teaming up with his sweetheart Stormy (Addison Timlin) and the local sheriff (Willem Dafoe), Odd plunges into an epic battle of good versus evil to try to stop a disaster of apocalyptic proportions.

Adapted from: http://www.movieinsider.com/m7980/odd-thomas/

Endless Love

Endless Love is the remake of the 1981 Franco Zefirelli film. Alex Pettyfer and Gabriella Wilde star in the story of a privileged girl and a charismatic boy who instant desire sparks a love affair made only more reckless by parents trying to keep them apart. Could this be the next The Notebook? Probably not, but it will not stop the audiences from wishing it so.

Transcendence

Dr. Will Caster (played by Johnny Depp) is the foremost researcher in the field of Artificial Intelligence, working to create a sentient machine that combines the collective intelligence of everything ever known with the full range of human emotions. His highly controversial experiments have made him famous, but they have also made him the prime target of anti-technology extremists who will do whatever it takes to stop him. However, in their attempt to destroy Will, they inadvertently become the catalyst of him to succeed - to be a participant in his own transcendence. For his wife Evelyn (played by Rebecca Hall) and his best friend Max Waters (Paul Bettany), both fellow researchers, the question is not if they can... but if they should. Their wost fears are realised as Will's thirst for knowledge evolves into a seemingly omnipresent quest for power, to what end is unknown. The only thing that is becoming terrifyingly clear is there may be no way to stop him.

Adapted from: http://www.movieinsider.com/m10397/transcendence/

Pinocchio

This modern version of Pinocchio is still in talks with possible actors but Robert Downey Jr. is set to play the role of Geppetto, the character the story follows, who is a woodcarver who creates a puppet who dreams of becoming a real boy and whose nose grows when he tells a lie. When Pinocchio goes missing, Geppetto embarks on a quest to reunite with his marionette.

Do not forget to come back next Thursday for some more movies you should look out for in 2014. See you tomorrow!

Highly Anticipated Films of 2014

Welcome back to yet another "At the Movies with Daily Lukey" segment. I am so sorry that I missed out on yesterday's post but that was because I was busy all day and all night so I never had time to even think about writing that post. To make up for it, I will be doing double the amount of movies today instead of the usual five. We had better get started then!

Veronica Mars

The Movie version of this 2004-2007 popular television sees all your favourite characters return to solve another case. This movie sees Veronica Mars returning to her home town of Neptune (California) where she is just in time for her high school reunion. Kristen Bell reprises her role in this  screen-to-film adaptation that is sure to appease some fans who have long awaited this.

Edge of Tomorrow

Edge of Tomorrow sees a star-studded cast including Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt come together for another action-packed thriller. The story focuses on Lt. Col. Bill Cage (played by Cruise) who is an officer who has never seen a day of combat when he is unceremoniously dropped into what amounts to a suicide mission. Killed within minutes, Cage now finds himself inexplicably thrown into a time loop which forces him to live out the same brutal combat over and over, fighting and dying again and again. But with each battle, Cage becomes able to engage the adversaries with increasing skill, alongside Special Forces warrior Rita Vrataski (portrayed by Blunt). And, as Cage and Rita take the fight to the aliens, each repeated encounter gets them one step closer to defeating the enemy. It is set to be a great movie.

Adapted from: http://www.movieinsider.com/m7261/edge-of-tomorrow/

The Purge: Anarchy

This film is a sequel the 2013 film; The Purge. The Purge, as you will see from the trailer, is the one night in the whole year where all crime (even murder) is legal for twelve hours with emergency services suspended the whole time. When one couple's car breaks down right before the purge it becomes a fight to stay alive in a world that is just waiting to kill them. It literally becomes a race to stay alive. Fans of The Purge are set to enjoy this film when it releases later this year.

The Fault in Our Stars

The Fault in our Stars is the long awaited film adaptation of John Green's 2012 novel. It centres on a teenage girl stricken with cancer falls for a boy in her support group and the two form a bond as they deal with their illnesses. This is the book that made people cry and even the trailer gave some people reason to cry. It is set to become the next big thing in the movie world when it is released later this year.

Horrible Bosses 2

Source: http://www.movieinsider.com/m9784/horrible-bosses-2/

Please note that the above poster is for the first Horrible Bosses movie as the sequel is still in pre-production so no promotional posters have been released yet. Horrible Bosses 2 has a very similar story line to the original film. Fed up with answering to higher-ups, Nick, Dale and Kurt decide to become their own bosses by launching their own business. But a slick investor soon pulls the rug out from under them. Outplayed and desperate, and with no legal resources, the three would-be entrepreneurs hatch a misguided plan to kidnap the investor's adult son and ransom him to regain control of their company.

Adapted from: http://www.movieinsider.com/m9784/horrible-bosses-2/

Into the Woods

Source: http://www.movieinsider.com/photos/141405/

This film sees a fully star-studded cast including Johnny Depp (The Wolf), Meryl Streep (Witch), Chris Pine (Cinderella's Prince), Emily Blunt (Baker's Wife), Anna Kendrick (Cinderella) and Lucy Punch (Lucinda). The story surrounds a baker and his wife's quest to break a witch's curse in order to start a family. Along the way, they encounter several well-known fairy tale characters, including Rapunzel, Cinderella and Little Red Riding Hood, and together they learn what happens after "happily ever after". If the movie's cast is anything to go by, this film is going to be great. It is being created by Walt Disney Pictures.

Adapted from: http://www.movieinsider.com/m9794/into-the-woods/

The Monument's Men

There are so many movies coming out with such a star-studded cast including George Clooney, Matt Damon, Cate Blanchett and many more. It is based on the true story of the greatest treasure hunt in history. The Monuments Men is an action-thriller focusing on an unlikely World War II platoon, tasked by FDR with going into Germany to rescue artistic masterpieces from Nazi thieves and returning them to their rightful owners. It would be an impossible mission; with the art trapped behind enemy lines, and with the German army under orders to destroy everything as the Reich fell, how could these guys - seven museum directors, curators, and art historians, all more familiar with Michelangelo than the M-1 - possibly hope to succeed? But as the Monuments Men, as they were called, found themselves in a race against time to avoid the destruction of 1000 years of culture, they would risk their lives to protect and defend mankind's greatest achievements.

Adapted from: http://www.movieinsider.com/m10765/the-monuments-men/

Non-Stop

Non-Stop sees Liam Neeson in a suspense thriller played out at 40,000 feet in the air. During a transatlantic flight from New York City to London, U.S. Air Marshal Bill Marks (Neeson) receives a series of cryptic text messages demanding that he instruct the airline to transfer $150 million into an off-shore account. Until he secures the money, a passenger on his flight will be killed every 20 minutes. It sure is set to be an action thriller.

Jupiter Ascending

Jupiter Ascending tells the story of Jupiter Jones (Mila Kunis) who was born under a night sky, with signs predicting that she was destined for great things. Now grown, Jupiter dreams of the stars but wakes up to the cold reality of a job cleaning toilets and an endless run of bad breaks. Only when Caine (Channing Tatum), a genetically engineered ex-military hunter, arrives on Earth to track her down does Jupiter begin to glimpse the fate that has been waiting for her all along - her genetic signature marks her as the next in line for an extraordinary inheritance that could alter the balance of the cosmos.

Adapted from: http://www.movieinsider.com/m9619/jupiter-ascending/

Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

This film features a comedy studded cast including Steve Carell and Jennifer Garner. It follows a boy, Alexander, who wakes up and things just go badly for him all day long. From gum that ends up in his hair, to being criticized for his invisible picture by his teacher to not getting dessert in his lunch bag. Alexander just does not seem to be able to catch a break.

Adapted from: http://www.movieinsider.com/m7700/alexander-and-the-terrible-horrible-no-good-very-bad-day/

The Holidays have Arrived

Hooray! Finally, after ten long weeks of school the holidays have arrived. As much as I enjoy school it is always nice to just get away from it all and relax instead of rushing around trying to organise everything and completing homework. It is a nice feeling although this Term has being a great one. I would like to start off with a bit of an update on the fundraising we held this week on behalf of the 'Wyndham Leaders of the Future' program. I am proud to announce that, thanks to the generosity of students we raised over $600 which will all be pooled together before next April to purchase medical supplies to send to the Menari Medical Centre in Papua New Guinea. Over $100 of this came from the lolly-jar raffle and it is great to see so many people rally behind such a great cause. Aside from this however, this term has been full of a lot of highlights (and yes, I am looking at the term calendar to remind myself).

Source: http://www.millerapartments.com.au/_blog/News_and_Events/post/winter-school-holidays---6th---21st-july-2013/

The term started off with the Australian Maths Games Day which I participated in and had a lot of fun. It may have been a long tram ride from Flinders Street Station but it was worth it and going with a friend made the time seem to pass a lot quicker. Especially, when that friend had not realised how long the tram ride actually was. Then came LOTE week shortly after which supplied a lot of daily entertainment and international songs between bells. It was a nice and relaxing week and next year should be a whole lot better with even more students. Science Week followed not too long after and the daily recess trivia competitions with the horrible animations (that were funny because of how bad they were) really made my day (well, several of them actually). Finally, Book Week decided to show up and there were movie screenings in the iCentre (what we call our school library), a Macbeth incursion on the Wednesday (with actors from the Bell Shakespeare Company), a dress up day on the Friday and lots of competitions in between. Melbourne Writer's Festival then followed suit the following Monday which was a lot of fun to participate in and, since I was just an iCentre volunteer, I could just relax and enjoy the day rather than have to worry about doing any related work. The Arts and Technology week then came around with our performance-night on the Tuesday and the House Choral competition which was a blast. Seriously, this school is anything but boring. Finally, to cap it all of, there was this week full of fundraising for a good cause. Not a week goes by at this school without something happening, our Term calendar has barely a blank day anywhere with absolutely no empty week in sight.

It has been a busy term so a holiday is needed, see you tomorrow!

The Way Way Back

So tonight I attended the screening of The Way Way Back (see below for trailer) which is such a good movie. Before I go on I would just like to thank Mix 101.1 for allowing me this opportunity and for selecting my entry as one of the winners of the competition. I attended the screening at Hoyts Melbourne Central which are great (large) cinemas. The Way Way Back stars Steve Carell, Toni Collette and Allison Jenney among others. It's a great story of a shy 14-year-old Duncan who goes on Summer vacation with is mother, her overbearing boyfriend, and her boyfriend's daughter. Duncan has a hard time fitting in but finds an unexpected friend in Owen, the manager of the local Water Park. Along the way he also meets a girl and grows in confidence. It is a touching and relatable story and is not superficial at all. I really recommend you see it and give it a 4/5 which is a very good score. Even my 17 year-old brother enjoyed it.

I believe all the actors played their role very role. If you are not thinking of going as you believe it will be an all-comedy movie with a very superficial story line I tell you to disregard your prior knowledge. It may have actors like Steve Carell but it is still a touching and relatable story that will leave you hooked until the end. Toni Collette plays the role of Duncan's mother very well and portrays the emotions the character is going through very well. It really is one of those movies you have to go see as it has both comedy and drama which complement each other. Liam James also plays the role of Duncan exceptionally well and really does remind me of someone very awkward. Duncan is still trying to find his way around the social world and does have some elements of a socially awkward teenager. However, when he gets a job at the local Water Park his confidence increases tremendously and he you see a definite change in his persona from the beginning. In short, which I am sure I have actually said a lot above, The Way Way Back is a success that I highly recommend you go and see.

Image Source: 

http://www.digitalspy.com.au/movies/news/a493373/the-way-way-back-sam-rockwell-steve-carell-in-new-poster.html

Thanks again to Mix 101.1 for the opportunity, see you tomorrow!