Last year, we posted a blog on the upcoming releases for 2020 in terms of movies we were excited for. Alas, not all of them were released due to the pandemic. However, with a new year and better times ahead, we've got high hopes for film this year, and the even higher hopes they'll release at all! So let's go through what movies we're excited for in 2021. Dune This was one of the ones we were excited for last year, but of course, it was delayed an entire year. Sad times! At least we got a trailer for it, giving us a glimpse of this sci-fi epic, which is directed by legendary filmmaker Denis Villeneuve based on Frank Herbert's best selling novel. What is it? Think Game Of Thrones, but in space. It has a stacked cast too, including Timothee Chalamet, Oscar Isaac and Rebecca Ferguson to name but a few. The Suicide Squad The last Suicide Squad movie we got from DC wasn't exactly the best. The story of a group of supervillains being made to do the government's dirty work is a fresh idea for the superhero genre, but that last one really didn't do much for a lot of people. However this time around, DC has got Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn to take the reigns on their reboot. Judging from what we've seen so far, it looks like Gunn might be able to get it right. Featuring Margot Robbie, Idris Elba and Viola [...]

It's that time of year again, the Christmas holidays are upon us, albeit feels a little different this year. There's a guarantee that we're going to be indoors a lot more this festive season, and thankfully we have plenty of entertainment to binge on Netflix over the period. But of course there's so much to choose from, so where do you start? Well, look no further. Here are our picks for what you should give a go for the holidays. The Queens Gambit You've probably heard through the grapevine that this show is all the rage at the moment. It has broke various Netflix records and seems to be getting a lot of praise from everyone. Anya Taylor-Joy plays Beth Harmon, an expert chess player defying all odds during the 60s, as a prominent woman of the game. Chess? Might not sound like everyone's cup of tea. But like Rocky, the show focuses more on the character than the sport, and it's that what elevates this show majorly. It's a seven episode miniseries that's a breeze to get through, but an entertaining one for sure. Mank This is one for the cinema lovers, the story of the acclaimed writer of the acclaimed Orson Welles film, Citizen Kane. Directed by the legend that is David Fincher, Gary Oldman plays the titular writer Mank, as he navigates his way through an old Hollywood landscape to write one of the most famous and critically acclaimed scripts of all time, which fought the Hollywood system [...]

Have you visited the cinema since COVID-19 restrictions lifted? Not many have. It's easy to see this from the poor box office performance of Christopher Nolan's Tenet, a film that, if it hadn't been for the pandemic, would have been a sure fire hit. The New Mutants and Bill And Ted Face The Music were two other recent releases that hoped to put cinemas back on the map, but sadly, haven't done as well as intended. And now, the second delay of the next Bond film, No Time To Die, has pushed cinema chains Cineworld and Picturehouse to close all of their stores temporarily. There were hopes that a new Bond film would pull in more and more people, but with another delay this hasn't given the chains a lot to go on for the rest of the year. This puts a catastrophic amount of jobs at risk, as could be the same with other chains such as Vue and Everyman in the coming months. This begs the biggest question. Is cinema dying? Not so much the art of cinema, but the activity itself. There's something very special about going to the cinema, having the big screen experience. It's a night out, and a couple of hours away from the outside world that so many people cherish. But the COVID-19 pandemic has proved that, as nice a time as it is, people don't care for it as much, and could do without it if needed be. Netflix, Amazon and Disney Plus are dominating entertainment, especially this [...]

If you still haven't made a trip to the cinema this month due to worries of the COVID-19 pandemic, then we can only guess you're still at home watching Netflix, Amazon or even Disney for your entertainment fixes. Thankfully, streaming services have had plenty to offer in terms of film and TV on demand, and we've got some of our own recommendations to throw your way. Let's dig right in! The Boys We've discussed Amazon's The Boys before, as it's first season was fantastic. The satire on the superhero genre is brilliantly clever and charismatic, you won't find anything like this anywhere else. Set in a world where the superheroes are corporate villains, 'the Boys' are a group of vigilantes working to bring them down. The show is halfway through it's second season now, so if you haven't seen the first yet, you'll hopefully have a full season to watch after you finish. Euphoria Zendaya has just won an Emmy for her role as Rue in this coming of age TV show, and it's very well deserved. Similar to Channel 4's Skins, Euphoria tells the story of Rue, her friends and her school mates growing up in a mature world. The show feels very different to your standard high school show, feeling very grown up - with some interesting filmmaking and editing to boot. You can get the entire season on Amazon in an instant, it's well worth the price! I'm Thinking Of Ending Things From the mind of [...]

We've been streaming as always as much as we can this summer. But as September approaches, people return to work and cinemas re-open, it's a prime time to get in as much streaming as possible. As always, we've got your back. Here are our streaming picks for this month. The Umbrella Academy With its second season having released in July, Netflix's The Umbrella Academy has already gained so much praise, and a massive fandom. Centred around a dysfunctional group of super-powered siblings who must prevent an upcoming apocalypse, there's a lot to love in this  quirky superhero story. With time travel being a massive part of the second season which is set in 1963, there's plenty of variety between the seasons whilst still having the same lovable characters throughout. It's hard to talk about the show without spoiling it, but the performances, soundtrack and overall story will easily cruise you through a good binge of it. Travel Man If you're missing travelling due to the pandemic, (isn't everyone?) then Richard Ayoade's Channel 4 show Travel Man is a perfect substitute. All episodes are on 4oD right now - and they're a riot to watch. Ayoade's humour is dry and sarcastic as always, and he injects it into the world of travel brilliantly, giving you a very different travel show. From Barcelona to Krakow, Richard is joined by a new guest every episode, from Paul Rudd to Dawn French. So if you're looking for a new destination after the virus [...]

As lockdown continues, we're streaming plenty of TV every day to fill the void of going out and having fun - and it's just as fun! Of course with all of the different streaming sites out there, there's plenty to watch - and we're here to give you some more new recommendations to stream. Killing Eve With Season 3 underway currently, you can stream the entirety of the series up to now on BBCiPlayer. Starring Sandra Oh and Jodie Comer, the series tells the story of an MI5 detective partaking in a deadly game of cat and mouse with a dangerous Russian assassin - and the pair battle their attraction with one-another. It's a funny, energetic and dramatic series that will always have you on your toes. We can't recommend this one enough! Fleabag If you've got access to Amazon Prime or BBCiPlayer, Fleabag is the perfect 'dramedy' for you to watch. Written and starring Phoebe Waller-Bridge, the series follows the character only known as 'Fleabag' and her battle with a complicated family, job and many difficult relationships. The show and it's cast have won tons of awards as the show has captivated the world. Waller-Bridge has come a long way with this project and it even has former President Barack Obama's seal of approval. If that doesn't peak your interest, we don't know what will! Hollywood From American Horror Story creator Ryan Murphy comes Hollywood. Set after WWII, the show follows a group of upcoming actors, directors and [...]

COVID-19 has effected a multitude of different industries massively. There's little doubt that in the coming months when we hopefully return to normality, lots of these industries will be changed in various different ways. One in which is the cinema industry. With cinemas closing their doors to prevent the spread of the disease, and so many countries all staying at home, streaming sites such as Netflix and the newly released Disney+ have seen a boost in subscriptions, for obvious reasons. Yet, cinemas are struggling, as it gets to blockbuster season, films such as No Time To Die and Black Widow have been put on hold until later in the year - and even then it is uncertain. But with streaming sites becoming more relevant than they ever have before, should the decision be made to start putting these delayed movies on these sites for us all to watch in self-isolation? There is without a doubt a case for and against. It's a shame that all of the biggest releases have been pushed so far back, and for Disney fans, this is even more so disappointing. Films such as Marvel's Black Widow and the Mulan remake have been eagerly anticipated by fans, but with their status uncertain, so are fans. Yet, and easy remedy would be to premiere these movies on the new streaming site Disney+. Having released in Europe, the site is getting incredibly big traction. Rumours persisted that Disney would put them on the site, however would charge [...]

Have you seen The Invisible Man yet? Leigh Whannell's new take on the iconic character has audiences and critics alike buzzing with excitement and positive reviews. The film is a fully fledged psychological horror, a big departure from the original story by H.G Wells. It's very much it's own thing, really just taking the name from the book and the character but turning them into something really quite different. However, with this brilliant feedback in mind, the new Artemis Fowl film trailer was released this week, and fans aren't happy due to the beloved and titular character from the book series turning into a superhero, rather than evil genius that he is in the books. It got us thinking... where is the line? With one remake taking such a shift and changing everything getting glowing praise, and then another adaptation doing the same thing but fans hate it. It's an interesting topic, and we thought we'd delve a little deeper into it. So why did The Invisible Man, a film that shifted everything about the original story for a new take in the new movie, do so well? It's very much down to a lot of things. You see, The Invisible Man is a total reimagining of the story, shifting just about everything. Now taking place in a modern setting, today's technology plays a large part in the film, and as well as that it tackles relevant issues of today - including a very well represented case of domestic abuse. It feels [...]

We've reached 2020, and it's not just the start of a new year, but the start of a new decade too. With that, a whole host of exciting films and TV shows are coming to start the new decade off with a bang, and we couldn't be more excited to see what entertainment we'll be getting in the coming months! We've decided to put together a blog on what we're buzzing for this year, so hopefully we can wet your appetites for what's to come too! Last Night in Soho Edgar Wright, known for Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz, returns with his first fully fledged horror. There's little details revealed at this moment in time, but we can imagine with Wright's characterful editing and personality this could be quite the interesting horror flick. Plus with a cast including Anya Taylor Joy and Matt Smith, you can't go wrong! Tenet Christopher Nolan's latest mind-boggling picture is on it's way to us this summer. If you haven't seen it already, we've left the trailer below. As you can see, very similar to his other films like Inception and Interstellar, Tenet is going to be an odd one. It looks as though 'time' will be a big theme in this film, and who isn't a sucker for time travel? Dune Based on Frank Herbert's sci-fi novel, Dune has one of the most stacked casts of the year, and is directed by the impeccable Denis Villeneuve. He directed the amazing Arrival and Blade Runner 2049, two other well received sci-fi's that will [...]

Martin Scorsese, the cinema legend, has been in trouble with many movie-goers over the past month. When promoting his film The Irishman with Empire magazine, Scorsese was asked his opinion on Marvel movies. To sum it up, he compared these films to 'theme parks' and said they were not cinema. Now as you can imagine, people were not very happy about this. Marvel fans took to Twitter to slam Scorsese's comments. Some were valid points, many, not so much. Yet his comments have inspired other filmmakers such as Francis Ford Coppola and Ken Loach to make their opinions known on Marvel films, agreeing with Scorsese. The discussion has been going on for weeks, and with a follow up article Scorsese posted in The New York Times recently, we at Shot Blast Media decided to offer our two cents - as both Scorsese and Marvel fans. Scorsese's recent article clears up a lot of his comments and gives them a lot more context than people are declining to notice: 'They are sequels in name but they are remakes in spirit, and everything in them is officially sanctioned because it can’t really be any other way. That’s the nature of modern film franchises: market-researched, audience-tested, vetted, modified, revetted and re-modified until they’re ready for consumption... Many films today are perfect products manufactured for immediate consumption. Many of them are well made by teams of talented individuals. All the same, they lack something essential to cinema: the unifying vision of an individual artist. Because, of [...]