New release in music: Jessie J, Ariana Grande and Nicki Minaj pull together for number one single

Bang bang! - look out, three of the biggest female names in popular music have joined forces!

If you follow the three ladies (Jessie J, Ariana Grande and Nicki Minaj) on Instagram you'll have noticed the images and snippets that the girls have been posting in the lead up to the trio's new single 'Bang Bang'.

Now before I sat down to listen to the song, I set up a blank document to jot down any thoughts I had whilst listening to it. Here's what was written:

*Pauses ARTPOP and loads YouTube video of official song 'Bang Bang'*

• Jazzy. Very jazzy.
• I like the clapping. I want to clap tooooo!
• I KNEW Ariana and Jessie would sound amazing. I KNEW IT. AND WHERE IS THE GOSPEL CHOIR COMING FROM?!
• I wish I could sing like Ariana...
• Why did I just imagine the cast of High School Musical singing this in the cafeteria though.
• Nicki just came in saying so many words... I think I made out the word 'slanging' out of all that. Wait she is spelling, what is she spelling... *moment of thought* oh yeah Bang Bang duh #facepalm
• Oh...wait, what, it's over?

Then I took a few minutes for the song to sink in and found that the chorus 'Bang bang doo doo doo dooo' (I can only remember two words of the chorus) was stuck in my head as I was thinking about what I thought of it.

Image taken from @NickiMinaj on Instagram

Now this song is Number 1 in 16 countries around the world (as discovered on Nicki Minaj's instagram), the song is catchy and probably sounds better after the fifth listen. But my first thoughts are the reasoning behind why it's number one.

Think about just how many fans each female artist in this song has. It's undeniable that their loyal fans will purchase the song to support their favourite singer. But listening to the song I didn't feel that it was a Jessie J song, or a Nicki Minaj song, but it definitely had an Ariana Grande feel to it. And after Ariana's recent successes with Iggy Azalea with 'Problem', it's not hard to wonder why they would choose Ariana's style. It's different to most music being released at the moment and harks back to a time where Jazz and ballads where popular, and auto-tune wasn't really invented yet. Ariana herself is probably a happy chick after seeing that Bang Bang, Problem and Break Free (a song she made with Zedd) are in the Top 15 on iTunes in America.

Bang Bang is fun and will definitely have people singing along to the chorus as the gospel sings 'Baanng Baaaanngg' while they're swaying along to the song. And it has the formula of pop-song-then-throw-in-a-verse-of-rap-to-open-up-to-more-listeners, and I always find that a rap in a song helps to change up the pace and feel of the song, which sometimes helps to prevent the song from sounding too repetitious and boring. As do trumpets (at least in my opinion).

Reaching number one in many countries, it's great to see three women topping the charts. Yet although the song has potential, you have to think: if someone else were to sing it, would it still have the same feel to it, the same success? Or would it just be seen as another radio-friendly song that keeps people happy for a few days? I guess only time will tell...

What did you think of the song? Are you a fan? If you agree or disagree with this post, feel free to post a constructive comment below!

The latest exciting trailer for Sin City: A Dame To Kill For

Prepare yourself for the return to the city of sin:

After analysing the Fifty Shades of Grey trailer and seemingly a little unsure as to whether or not I should put myself through the film's release, it was great to finally watch a trailer that built up my excitement with each shot! Of course, I'm talking about the new 3 minute 23 second red band trailer of the second Sin City film - Sin City: A Dame To Kill For. 

As I'm a fan of action, Noir and all films that cleverly execute special effects that take you to a whole new dimension, A Dame To Kill For definitely looks like a film to watch. Starring Jessica Alba, Bruce Willis, Mickey Rourke and new additions Eva Green, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and even Lady Gaga (who must have enjoyed her time shooting - equipped with a golden gun of course - with director Robert Rodriguez in his film Machete Kills), the trailer gives us not a snippet, but almost a starter course to get us prepared for the main meal! 

Directors Frank Miller and Rodriguez will clearly be giving us another stunning film filled with violence, women and more violence. What I like about the Sin City films is that the women are also capable of kicking butt themselves, even if they are watched by men who call them 'dames to kill for' (which is still a compliment right?). The emphasis is definitely on the ladies, even if we do see the male characters that are also in the film.

Watching the trailer over and over, you notice the little tricks that make the film look like something from a video game; it's introductory shots that are something from a comic book page that fade to black and white camera shots, shots like at 00:39 where we see a character overlayed with police cars and the shots of the same character running, and of course its infamous emphasis on particular colours (red lips and blood, pink clothes, blonde hair or green eyes).


Filled with a killer cast (no pun intended...), stellar effects and released August 22nd, Sin City: A Dame To Kill For is one to add to your diaries. 

The Fifty Shades of Grey trailer is here: will it be one to watch or one to steer clear of?

50 Shades of Uncertainty 

So as you've probably noticed from every ad that pops up when you watch a YouTube video, or when you log into Facebook and see it on your news feed (even being shared by Beyonce's Facebook page), we finally have been given a taste of just what to expect with the film Fifty Shades of Grey. 
♡ Watch the trailer to the film below or here

After what seems like centuries of stories surrounding the casting and who would be playing Mr Grey and Anastasia Steele, the release of the trailer has allowed us to see just what the film is going to look like with actress Dakota Johnson and actor Jamie Dornan. 

Articles around the internet were comparing the storyline - taken from E.L. James' surprisingly popular book of the same name - to Secretary, a 2002 film starring Maggie Gyllenhaal and James Spader (whose character also just so happens to be a Mr Grey). If you'd like to take a look at the similarities yourself, check out the video from Hollywood Reporter's website that puts the trailers of Fifty Shades of Grey and Secretary next to each other to highlight the striking resemblance between their set-ups: http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/video-how-do-trailers-fifty-721647

If you were analysing the trailer frame-by-frame, or you happen to be in the know with everything surrounding this film, or (like me) you happened to read the 'About' section underneath the trailer on YouTube, you'll find the words 'Rita Ora as Mia' in the paragraph listing those involved in the film. You'll spot her on the right in a short, brunette wig at the table:

Now, having never read the Fifty Shades of Grey books and never seeing the film Secretary, I can't help but think that it's inclusion of Rita Ora and Beyonce's place on its soundtrack (with a new version of 'Crazy in Love' for you to enjoy in the trailer) is to sway the minds of those that think that the film might not be for the masses (Cosmopolitan recently posted what men think when watching the trailer here). Perhaps it's also the fact that I've not been totally sucked into reading the books and my unawareness of how the story actually turns out, but I can't help but watch the trailer thinking that the whole film has a horror-esque, Hostel-type feel to it. Particularly when Christian Grey unlocks the door to his room of secrets that reveal his 'singular tastes' and we see Anastasia blindfolded and tied up. 

Now I tend to go to the cinema without watching the trailers for the films that I'm about to see (bad idea when it came to Fault in Our Stars - the only warning I was given was by my friends telling me that it was a film that makes you cry, I had to hold in the tears which made me look like I had a heart of stone). I like to let the film just present itself as it is - with a trailer so much is cut out and pieced together that you could almost make an entirely different feel to the film, which can give you false expectations. So maybe watching the trailer before seeing Fifty Shades of Grey was a bad choice, and maybe I shouldn't judge a film by its trailer in this case. But as this is another phenomenon (although I'm still not sure why, should I read one of the books?), I couldn't help but to watch the trailer as did 15 million other people judging by its YouTube views. I realise that I have treated the trailer negatively, however, I will say that as a film student and avid cinema-visitor I think that I will be grateful that this film will hopefully create a burst of movie-goers and give the film industry a well-deserved boost.

I just know that someone that I know will want to see this and I'll be taken along for the ride, but until then I think I'll stay out of this phenomenon for now...

What did you think of the film trailer? Are you excited or dreading the new addition to the Fifty Shades of Grey phenomenon? Comment below and share your views.

A Trip To The Cinema: How To Train Your Dragon 2

An action-packed fire-filled film for the family!

Now it doesn't really matter too much if you haven't seen the first of the sequel, 'How To Train Your Dragon' because (although you might want the back-story of just how dragons came to exist within the Viking town in which main character Hiccup lives), the film is just as dynamic, funny, touching and entertaining without it. I went to see the film with two other HTTYD fans and one guy who had never seen the first one, and we all unanimously agreed that it was a good film. 

Much like my review of Despicable Me 2, I have to say that it is the children (of course) that may enjoy this film particularly more than the adults. But that's not to say that if you are a parent taking your children to see this movie that you should find something else to do whilst they're watching. And that's not to say that you need to be a parent or a child to enjoy it either, as my 21-year-old also found it to be entertaining. Like most animated films aimed largely towards a younger audience, How To Train Your Dragon 2 has the ability of delighting the youngsters and upholding the adults' interest. I'll refer to my Despicable Me 2 review again here, because although there are plenty of main characters that we can and do attach ourselves to, we also begin to enjoy the company of the dragons (particularly Hiccup's dragon Toothless) much like we enjoy the yellow minions of Despicable Me. Although I'm not sure whether my attachment to Toothless comes from his remarkably similar qualities to my pet dog (although sadly he cannot breathe fire or fly through the air like Toothless...). 

With humour, romance, tragedy and action, How To Train Your Dragon 2 is entertaining and with the summer holidays here it is one to take the whole family to see!

APPLAUSE vs ROAR

GAGA vs PERRY

[originally posted 13 Aug. 2013]

 

 It's been a hectic week in the world of pop. With the leaking of Katy Perry's latest release 'Roar' and Lady Gaga's new song 'Applause', both Katycats and Little Monsters were sent into a meltdown! Both pop artists are head to head with their releases, and with both set to make an appearance at the MTV VMA's, it's only a matter of time before we see which one comes out on top.

Roar

Catchy, inspiring and uplifting, Katy Perry brings back the big guns that she used with anthem 'Firework' to create a summer track set to battle with Gaga's 'comeback' single. Using popular emoticons in her lyric video that are regularly used by teens and young adults, it's clear that Perry is out to sell a happy, fun record - one which people of all ages will find themselves singing "You're gonna hear me rooooaaar!" I mean, imagine driving home after a hard days work and yelling out the lyrics "I got the eye of the tiger, a fighter, dancing through the fire, 'Cause I am a champion and you’re gonna hear me roar". The lyrics are motivating and leave you wanting to climb a mountain - almost Rocky-esque style in the infamous scene when he runs up the stairs!
Take a listen and try to prevent yourself from joining in the chorus' "oh oh oh oh oh ohh!"
♡ Below is the lyric video to Roar, or you can watch by clicking here

Applause

Gaga is back!!! Monsters rejoice! Applause is fast-paced and is definitely the rave song that Gaga hinted at way back in November regarding her latest album ARTPOP (to be released in November this year) with the tweet: "#HappyBirthdayTheFameMonster a special day when you were born, your techno raver little sister is in my uterus she says hello in glowsticks"

Never one to disappoint and always filled with surprises (after releasing the song early), Gaga has penned a dance song laced with lyrics that might escape some people such as 'One second I'm a Koons, then suddenly the Koons is me!' (referring to artist Jeff Koons). But despite the poetic and cultural lyrics, Gaga delivers a pumped-up and celebratory track as she asks us to "Give me the thing that I love, put your hands up make 'em touch!"

How could we ever say no? 

♡ Below is the official audio for Gaga's 'Applause', click here and get your hands ready for some clapping!

Comment below with your opinions of the songs! Who do you think has won this week's battle of releases? Gaga or Katy? Are you a Katycat that loves Applause or a Monster that loves Roar? Or are you still stanning for your favourite diva?