Outcast: 'A Darkness Surrounds Him' Review

Robert Kirkman's latest show gets off to a flawed start.

Confirmed: John Boyega to Star in 'Pacific Rim 2'

Boyega joins the sequel hot off the success of Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

Box Office: Ninja Turtles 2 Suffers in Anti-Sequel Summer

TMNT 2 is the latest sequel to bring in some disappointing numbers.

Review: Eye in the Sky

Gavin Hood's military drama is an impressive achievement.

Sunday 22 December 2013

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire Review

Last year, I was one of the many who enjoyed the first Hunger Games movie. As a fan of the book I accepted it had some shortcomings, however I gladly accepted them merely relieved that we didn't end up with another Twilight, or Alex Rider. With the sequel, I was cautious as I found the second book much harder to read and with a new director on board there was a lot of room for error. Thankfully, not only is The Hunger Games: Catching Fire better than the first movie, but it is also one of my favourite movies of the year so far.


Catching Fire picks up directly where the last film left us. Katniss and Peeta are now huge celebrities who have been forced into the public eye where they must live out there loveless relationship for the cameras. Meanwhile, President Snow is hot on their case after their actions in the finale of the first movie have sparked rebellions in the districts threatening the rule of the Capitol.
The great thing is - while I'm not fully decided - this may have been my favourite part of the movie. The first Hunger Games book had a lot of dark satire in it that was unfortunately lost in the translation to the big screen. This left some of the non-arena scenes feeling a little drab. In the sequel however, the scenes building up to the pair's entrance into the arena are some of the strongest parts of the movie. The satire of this dystopian future is delivered with much more impact, with some great character and world development. The film does a great job in making you as passionate as the suffering people of the districts in wanting to see the downfall of the Capitol, and I personally had strong sympathy for these characters - most of which don't even have names - throughout the movie.


However, that's not to take away from the arena scenes, which are also much better than those in the original. In Catching Fire, we are treated to a whole new arena which has a jungle theme, and a whole new cast of fellow contestants. In the first movie the only contestant we had a chance to feel attached to was Rue, however almost all of the contestants in the 75th Hunger Games are brilliant, each with a distinct personality of their own. Of course it may have helped that the age ranges were much more diverse this time round, with the contestants of this year's games being reaped from previous winners. This allowed us to see a whole new view of the games, which I really enjoyed. Plus, it was great to see some truly evolving characters in this movie. The characters of Katniss, Peeta, Haymitch, Effie, and Gale really have changed and it was very interesting to see the ways how.

Of course, the outstanding cast is what made this so compelling. Jennifer Lawrence was outstanding as always, with Josh Hutcherson also putting in a good performance. Meanwhile, Elizabeth Banks, Donald Sutherland and Jena Malone were also stand-outs in a cast where everyone was great.


Wednesday 11 December 2013

Godzilla 2014: Official Trailer Released


Exciting news for movie fans today, as the first trailer for the upcoming Godzilla reboot was released. We here at TEN were very impressed with the trailer, and with its much more mature tone than this year's Pacific Rim. Don't get me wrong, I loved Pacific Rim, but I don't think Godzilla would have worked with the same tone.


Additionally, this movie looks to blow the infamously bad Godzilla movie of 1999 out of the water. Not only are the effects far superior, but with the acting talent of Bryan Cranston (hot off the insanely popular Breaking Bad) and Aaron Taylor-Johnson - a somewhat underrated actor, who has put in some great performances in films such as Kick-Ass and Anna Karenina, and is sure to become a big name after 2015 with a key role in Avengers: Age of Ultron.

I was also impressed with how restrained the editors of this trailer were with how they showed off Godzilla, choosing to show subtle glimpses of him, with a big reveal at the end, rather than blow their load right at the start.

Could Godzilla be one of the best blockbusters of 2014? Let us know your thoughts in the comments, and be sure to like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.

Monday 9 December 2013

The Entertainment Network: Phase 2


Oh dear. This won't do at all. I would like to take this moment to apologise to the world for the lack of posts on this site for the last few months. Our last fully written post was written way back on the 4th August, meaning that for the last four months this site has been dormant.

Not anymore.

I'm happy to say that I am working on bringing TEN back in a big way both in December and all through 2014. Due to personal commitments this site just cannot be my main priority at all times, however I am currently aiming to post at least five articles a week (hopefully one every week day) each of a higher standard than this site has seen recently.

It is true that in the Summer I prioritised the video section of this blog over the written section - and I am immensely proud of the 230+ subscribers we have gained. However, what I really want is for the written and video sides of this site to co-exist.

You will still be seeing videos from us. However, it's time we brought articles back to the forefront as that is what TEN has always been about.

Thanks for sticking with us through this quiet time, and I hope you'll stay with us for an exciting new year of The Entertainment Network.