Howdy Amigos!

 

Well, a new year is upon us and that usually means lots of goodness for us to geeks to get excited about over the next 12 months. I honestly feel like the next decade or so is going to prove to be a wonderful time to be a geek, so if you haven’t joined the bandwagon for some reason, I really don’t know what to tell you other than, this train is about to leave the station baby, so get yourself a ticket and get onboard real quick!

 

As part of Woo Long Talks 2015 ‘reboot’, I’ve asked the guys to provide their thoughts on what things they are looking forward to in the forthcoming year. As you will have no doubt seen so far, they have made some very diverse choices, showing you that life as a geek is not confined by any boundaries or limitations.  TV shows, books, movies, comics, music, fashion and cultural events are the fabric of what makes us who we are, so there are no limits to the kind of things we may come up with, we just hope that a few of you will join us on the ride..

 

Okay, so i’m rambling a bit here, so lets get down to business, here’s what i’m looking forward to in 2015..

 

  1. STAR WARS EPISODE 7; THE FORCE AWAKENS

Whatever your opinion may be of the prequels, the prospect of a new Star Wars should be sending goosebumps up and down your body. If it doesn’t, you may want to check your pulse.. Everything we have seen and heard about this film excites me on so many levels, I have trouble maintaining my legendary cool. The teaser trailer I watched roughly 30 times on it’s release. Not because I was trying to gain any kind of insight into the wider plot or characters, just purely because everytime I hear John Williams theme tune I have the desire to punch the air and kiss random peoples babies. It makes me feel good, so why not do something that makes you feel good? Kathleen Kennedy looks to be the perfect choice for the producer of this new franchise. She’s got a wealth of experience, her credits include ET and the Jurassic Park Trilogy and she seems to have a clear, distinctive vision for where the franchise is going creatively. JJ Abrams is a great choice for director with a very impressive CV. He seems keen to honour the some of the original themes and styles of episodes 4-6 whilst also adding a contemporary flourish. The return of the original ‘big 3’ in Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher and Harrison Ford will always be welcome, but for me, it’s the addition of the new cast members I have found the most fascinating. It’s been great to see a young British talent in John Boyega taking what appears to be a leading role in the film, and for a black man to have such a high profile part in the film throws up so many tantalizing questions about future opportunities for people of colour within the Hollywood film industry. Daisy Ridley comes as a complete surprise package to me, other than the fact that she has appeared in BBC dramas Casualty and Silent Witness, I know very little about her. There is a lot of speculation flying around the internet regarding her character, but I have attempted to avoid that and let the anticipation build. Oscar Isaac, Adam Driver and Domhnall Gleeson are all great actors, Max Von Sydow is an absolute screen legend and Andy Serkis is simply the greatest motion capture actor alive. The mystery surrounding the casting of Lupita Nyong’o and Gwendoline Christie also adds to the excitement and the recent revelations that the Iko Uwais and Yayan Ruhian have also been involved with the film is enough to get any fan boys mind racing and pulse pounding. The few effects we have seen so far look fantastic and with the film schedule for release in the same month as my birthday, I feel as if I have the perfect birthday/christmas present waiting for me to tear open the wrapping paper and love it adoringly.

 

2) AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON

 

There’s really not a lot more I can add to the comments that the hundreds of thousands of film fans have already made about Avengers: Assemble. It is one of my favourite comic book adaptations of all time, the culmination of  years of fandom brought to life in the most engaging and entertaining way possible. From the moment the official title of the Avengers sequel was announced at San Diego Comic Con in 2013, my geekiness has gone into overdrive. Ultron has always been one of my favourite comic book villains. He represents the type of threat that the cinematic Avengers have yet to face, a hyper intelligent and always evolving, he represents the most difficult challenge for any hero, any enemy that is convinced that what they are doing is right. Joss Whedon is worshipped as a geek-god by some and after his work on Avengers: Assemble, its easy to see why.

 

Along with the brilliant returning cast, we will also see the introduction of Quicksilver (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) and Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen). Due to legal restrictions, Marvel Studios cannot use the term ‘mutants’ to describe these powerful siblings, so it will be interesting to see how Whedon handles their origin and introduction. Andy Serkis also pops up in this film and judging by the trailers we have seen so far he looks very much like comic book antagonist, Ulysses Klaw. His role is as yet unconfirmed, but if you are familiar with the comic book storylines this film appears to be based on, you will know that Klaw is a key villain for none other than Black Panther, who will make his big screen debut the following year in Captain America: Civil War. The prospect of having a few references and ‘easter eggs’ thrown in for this iconic character is definitely a high point for me personally. Add to this the 1st possible tease of what Marvel Studios ‘Phase 3’ projects will begin to look like, and the sight of Tony Stark doing battle with The Hulk with his famous ‘Hulkbuster’ armor and it looks like we are all set for one hell of a ‘throwdown’.

 

3) THE WALKING DEAD SEASON 5 PART 2

 

I have had a love/hate relationship with The Walking Dead over the years. At times, the show has had me enthralled and infuriated with it’s plot and character development. Season 4 felt to me like a big improvement on the previous seasons, although I did have some problems with it. Season 5 has been a great watch so far, we had a terrific, action packed opening episode, and the plot as a whole seems to be shaping up to be hugely entertaining. Rick’s emotional development as he returned to his natural position as group leader was well handled and the tragedy of Bob’s storyline was genuinely heart breaking. Glen and Maggie’s blossoming relationship is always touching and genuine. Carol’s transformation has been both fascinating and terrifying to watch and she continues to be one of the major high points of the show as a whole. Tyrone becomes more and more interesting by the week, he’s a mess of repressed hurt and rage, yet somehow he continues to be the beating heart and clear conscience of the group and the audience.  As somehow who is only vaguely familiar with the graphic novels, I genuinely have no idea where the plot is going, but the writers have done a fabulous job of sucking us into this world they have created. I have several bags of Salt & Sweet popcorn in my cupboards and rum chilling in my fridge, so roll on Season 5, i’m ready for the Zombie Apocalypse once again.

 

4) Daredevil (Netflix TV Show)

 

Not a huge amount to say about this one, bar the fact that;

  1. Richard and I called a Daredevil TV show about 6 years ago, so where’s our royalty cheque at?
  2. Charlie Cox is a brilliant choice for DD/Matt Murdock. I was a huge fan of his work as Owen Sleath in Boardwalk Empire, and he seems inspired casting.
  3. The rest of the cast looks ace too, cant wait to see how it all plays out.
  4. Great idea to base the series on a mixture of Frank Miller and Brian Michael Bendis work, two diverse but hugely talented writers.
  5. ROSARIO DAWSON!! and that is all.

5) London Super Comic Con

 

I have really grown to love the UK’s growing Comic Con scene. Whilst we may still be somewhat small in number in comparison to the states, what we lack in size, we more than make up for in girth! Remember, it’s not the size of the boat, but the motion in the ocean that counts. LSCC has fast become one of my favourites ‘cons’, there is always a fun atmosphere, it’s not too crowded and you get the chance to actually talk to other geeks there and share your passions and ideas.

 

The convention scene is steadily improving here, and I get the impression that with this and MCM Expo, we will start to see a real expansion of opportunities for us fans to all come together and collectively lose our shit over the latest movie, tv and comic book releases.

 

Honourable Mentions;

 

Jurassic World; could be a great reboot, could be Jurassic Park 2, who knows?

 

Hannibal Season 3; Mads Mikkelsen is probably the finest actor in an obviously villainous role on TV right now. Worth watching just for him alone. His take on Hannibal is riveting and terrifying.

 

Agent Carter; Because Hayley Atwell is BAE (hate that word, but it’s so apt, love you Hailey!)

 

Well, that’s all from me, i’m off to go and enjoy a well earned rest, so i’ll leave you in Richard’s capable hands with his thoughts on what he is looking forward to in 2015!

Jason P.