2015: A YEAR OF FULL THROTTLE & HIGH-POWERED NON-STOP ACTION IN HOLLYWOOD!

Hi Friends,

I was just thinking how quickly time slips by and lo,here we are already more than half-way through the year! 

Speaking of films,then genre-wise 2015 can confidently be touted as an out-and-out action-packed year with our favorite action stars/superheroes/agents both from the past and the present making their grand comeback in popular film franchises.So fasten your seat-belts and get ready to witness some never-seen-before high voltage action sequences laden with thrills and chills,fast cars and extraordinary chases that is sure to pump your spirits and give you the adrenaline rush!

And it is for that edge-of-the-seat excitement which a film guarantees that moviegoers rush to theaters and shell out those extra bucks at ticket-counters that set those cash registers ringing...isn't that the case with most of us?

Here are some money-spinners that released in the first half of the year which have set the pace and momentum for films in the months to come...

Films Released thus so far...

1. Kingsman: The Secret Service [Released: February 27]

2. Furious 7 [Released: April 2]

3. Avengers: Age of Ultron [Released: April 24 ]

4. Mad Max: Fury Road [Released: May 15]

5. Jurassic World [Released: May 29]

6. Terminator: Genisys [Released: June 25]

Upcoming Film Releases: 

7. Mission: Impossible Rogue Nation [To be released: July 31]

8. The Man From U.N.C.L.E [To be released: August 14]

9. Spectre [To be released: November 6]

10. Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens [To be released: December 16]

And the eleventh film is a surprise that makes it to this list as well!

Here's a brief report of the films that set the ball rolling with a rollicking time at the box office...

1. The year started out with Matthew Vaughn's Kingsman: The Secret Service, a hilarious thriller and spy-fi 007 spoof that left us in splits with English humor,witty one-liners and 'kickass' action! The film was about an underdog - Eggsy (Taron Egerton),a young rookie who is mentored by Harry Hart (Colin Firth),a dapper agent and then recruited into a secret spy agency for a hi-tech ultra competitive training programme that spills into reality when a maniacal tech genius poses threat to the world and his skills are put to test! I was simply in awe of Colin Firth's versatility as he seamlessly transforms himself from a 'King'(The King's Speech) into a Kingsman and lends class, character and substance to his James Bond-esque role! 

2.The much-awaited Furious 7 had just one thing stamped all over it-Paul Walker,Paul Walker and Paul Walker which overshadowed everything else. The young actor who left his fans in mourning after his untimely demise in a car crash two years ago reprises his role of the loveable,Brian O'Conner one last time as die-hard fans thronged to the theaters to see a final closure to his character. And the director,James Wan on his part didn't disappoint them either! The success of the film and huge box office collections testify the fact that they not only did justice to Paul Walker's character but to the fast-cars franchise as well with high-octane action and death-defying stunts written all over the film.And Wiz Khalifa's,'See You Again',a heart-touching musical tribute to Paul Walker that played towards the end of the film was a befitting farewell to the actor as the curtains came down on his character and moved the audiences to tears. :(

3.I've observed that producers of children's comics no longer underestimate their young audiences.Ever since Christopher Nolan changed the sub-text and film grammar of superhero movies,it is a norm that films on this subject are treated at par with any big budget action film to ensure that it clicks with their target audiences who not just happen to be kids but adults too!Another thing that producers also take into account is that there is at least one superhero film in the offing every summer.Even as DC Comics,Batman v Superman:Dawn of Justice,a highly anticipated film is slated for a 2016 release then this year we have Marvel Comics,Avengers:Age of Ultron with the formidable five of Iron Man,Thor,Captain America,Black Widow and Hawkeye coming together to save the world and taking the box office by storm! 

4. This summer it's a double bonanza for both kids and adults who have grown up reading comics with the apocalyptic story of Mad Max: Fury Road blazing the screen as the scenario of a nuclear war erupts resulting in the collapse of civilization where slavery and tyranny engulf the planet and the fight for survival begins.Though this may just be a film, but according to me it is the mirror to our future in the eventuality of chaos,destruction and terrorism looming large world-wide at this moment.All in all, this film is an action extravaganza with a crisp story-line and 'mad as hell' performances! Thus I am not surprised to see it rated at 8.5 on imdb!

5.When the subject of human race in jeopardy is discussed in film circles then the recently released,Mad Max: Fury Road instantly comes to our mind. However when you talk of species that once walked the earth and the calamity of the ice age that befell them which resulted in their extinction,then images of huge angry dinosaurs charging towards us come alive as we are transported back to when it all began...twenty two years ago when the dinosaurs set afoot on the big screen and wreaked havoc in Steven Spielberg's sci-fi adventure thriller,Jurassic Park.And in 2015 they are back to reclaim their lost space as the assault for survival begins in Jurassic World! However,here's hoping that Jurassic World is as engaging as the original for it was our slice of life from the childhood days!

6. "I'll be back" and "Hasta La Vista, Baby"-the two catchphrases that made us fall for Skynet's dashing Terminator is back once again as the guardian of the human resistance and on a new mission in action sci-fi, Terminator:Genisys when he is faced with unexpected allies and menacing new enemies in a bid to reset the future. Definitely,we all would be rooting for Arnold Schwarzenegger as he reboots the Terminator,a lethal killing cybernetic robot in the guise of a human being programmed to obey commands which is imprinted in our minds ever since we were kids!And I am pretty sure that each of us secretly wished for a personal Terminator back then! :) Today as grown-ups we will once again relive this nostalgia as we rush to theaters to re-freshen up the 'Genisys' of those fond memories once again. And I do hope that the film delivers on that front!

7.He scaled Burj Khalifa in Ghost Protocol and this time around agent Ethan Hunt is scaling even newer heights in Mission:Impossible Rogue Nation!With the Impossible Missions Force (IMF) now disbanded and coming under threat from the 'Syndicate', Ethan Hunt braces himself to face his toughest mission yet! Are you ready to join him?Who are his adversaries and what is the 'Syndicate'?What is the 'Rogue Nation'?With the IMF disbanded,how will he execute this mission?Will his team regroup or will he go solo? Will he succeed? Of course,one thing which is for sure is that Agent Ethan Hunt never fails...but the big question is how will Rogue Nation unfold? With four blockbuster missions to his credit and the fifth one around the corner...the dashing,Tom Cruise has mastered the art of hitting the bull's eye with each successive mission! And let's hope that his latest mission translates into getting movie goers to the theatres in large numbers as well!

8. At the sound of it,The Man From U.N.C.L.E sounds like a screw/goof ball comedy...but when you add Guy 'RocknRolla' Ritchie as the director of the project then it turns into something more serious.Set against the backdrop of the Cold War with criminal organizations and nuclear weapons thrown into the array to disturb the peace and equilibrium between two powerful countries of the world - United States and Soviet Union,CIA agent Napoleon Solo (Henry Cavill )and KGB agent Illya Kuryakin (Armie Hammer) must set aside their differences to accomplish the mission. The film's main man is definitely going to be-Henry Cavill... even though it's been a while that we saw him onscreen after Man Of Steel in 2013. However, the good news is that finally he is back and doing what he does best - Action! Even a year's break can't dim his soaring popularity ever since he donned the cape which has amassed him a huge fan following globally.And this film is literally riding on his shoulders...now what's left to be seen is how the film fares at the B.O and what critics have to say about his performance.

9.Thus so far,I have been speaking of agents and spies all suited up and armored with their mean machines and out-of-the-world gadgets as they set afoot on their next mission. Then how could this list be complete without the mention of James Bond 007!Yes,the suave British Secret Service agent is coming soon to set the screen ablaze with some explosive cliffhanger action sequences in Spectre which releases sometime end of the year.The last installment of the Bond franchise,Skyfall got us emotional for a change when M breathed her last.Thus I would be curious to see the fine actor that Ralph Fiennes is on how well he slips into M's shoes formerly played by Judi Dench and lends a distinct persona to the role.I would also be keenly watching to see how the film picks up from Skyfall (if at all) and whether it packs the same punch as the earlier Bond films did.I have always held a fascination for Bond's nemesis and that's yet another aspect that I would be looking out for in the film.In almost all of Bond films that I can off hand remember,villains have owned their roles both performances and transformation wise that have gone on to make them iconic. Some of them that captured our attention were Christopher 'Francisco Scaramanga' Lee, Richard 'Jaws' Kiel, Mads 'Le Chiffre' Mikkelsen, Robert 'Red Grant' Shaw,Donald 'Blofeld' Pleasence and Javier 'Silva' Bardem in recent times. Now with Christoph Waltz on board as the new Bond villain(the actor is not new to playing the antagonist though!) it would be interesting to see how differently he approaches his character that could well make it one of the many memorable roles of his career. And of course the opening soundtrack of the film is a highly anticipated one as well. The last time it was Adele crooning away,'This is the end...',who would it be this time? Any guesses here? These are my reasons for watching Spectre, how about yours?

10. Finally, rounding off this list is space odyssey,Star Wars: Episode VII-The Force Awakens,the third popular franchise after Terminator and Jurassic Park that is lined up for release later this year. Though many chapters of SW have been helmed by different directors in the past but George Lucas's Star Wars is the benchmark of all SW films to come.Now we will have to wait and watch to see if director, J.J. Abram's Star Wars lives up to our expectations or not! With the plot of the film under wraps and newer set of actors taking on different roles, there is still an old key-link which the makers of this action-space fantasy have retained that is eagerly awaited and highly anticipated.He is someone whom we fondly know as Han Solo essayed by evergreen actor, Harrison Ford!And I am confident that he'd add his good old charisma to this role once again!On the presentation front,in my view this film would have looked outstanding in 3D considering the resources by way of latest technology that's available on a platter to filmmakers today.

Psst...And here's the eleventh surprise that makes it to this list! Yes indeed it is - Hitman: Agent 47 as the film readies for an August 21 release.With Rupert Friend taking over the role of a genetically engineered assassin from Timothy Olyphant...now what's left to be seen is how well he executes this 'undertaking'! This slick and stylized action flick that rests wholly on the shoulders of Rupert Friend could well emerge as the sleeper hit of the year and a turning point in the actor's career as well! Watch the badass trailer of the film and decide for yourself!

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All in all,as I round-off this month's post - I have come to a conclusion that this year's films are no doubt about tough men on mission who are set to accomplish the impossible not without putting up a fight.So ready yourself for some mind-blowing non-stop action taking place on earth,cyberspace and galaxies between humans, species, superheroes and machines alike! 

Hope you enjoyed reading this month's post. And if you did, then do not forget to write in.I shall be eagerly looking forward to reading your comments.

Love,

Sonyaa