Hello and welcome to the show, I'm Jonathan Paula.
Once again, life and other projects got in the way - and so, my planned slate of reviews
for last two weeks have been smushed together.
Apologies if you were hoping to hear my thoughts on "Green Room", or "Spider-Man 3" - we'll
have to save those for another time... because tonight we're reviewing these three films.
And we begin with "The Jungle Book".
A bolder and visually stunning re-telling.
This $175 million dollar fantasy adventure film from accomplished director Jon Favreau
was released nationwide on April 15, 2016 - and grossed $730 million in its first three
weeks.
If my count is correct, this is the seventh film adaptation of Rudyard Kipling's collection
of India-inspired stories from the late 1800s.
But perhaps more importantly, it's also Disney's fourth attempt at the story; with this live-action/CGI-blend
being a direct remake of their animated classic from 1967 - which we reviewed here on the
show two years ago.
The familiar 106-minute film shares the story of a man-cub named Mowgli who goes on a journey
of self-discovery after a threat from the tiger Shere Khan forces him out of the jungle.
The young Neel Sethi makes his feature-film debut as this small Indian boy - and he does
a commendable job considering his co-stars are all computer-generated.
They are however voiced by some excellent talent; Bill Murray, Ben Kingsley, Idris Elba,
Lupita Nyong'o, Scarlett Johansson, Christopher Walken, and the late Garry Shandling in his
final role.
All of them slide into their animal personas with ease...
well, except for Walken, who portrays a giant monkey that sounds exactly like Christopher
Walken.
My experience of this film was undoubtedly improved since I saw it in crystal clear IMAX
laser 3D... but holy cow - it looks absolutely phenomenal.
The motion-capture, computer-created imagery seamlessly brings these majestic animals to
life in a strikingly believable way.
Their movements, speech, and appearance are all flawless.
Reportedly, the Baloo character was so large and furry, he took almost five hours of rendering
time per frame.
A pioneering achievement by the magicians at Moving Picture Company and Weta Digital,
"The Jungle Book" features the best visual effects since "Avatar" - and is worth seeing
on the big screen for that reason alone.
Perhaps the biggest testament to this is the last line at the end of the credits which
reads, "Filmed in downtown Los Angeles".
Wow.
One highlight is during Mowgli's initial trek through the jungle as he happens across a
herd of elephants.
The sight of these giant creatures slowly emerging from a blanket of fog is breathtaking
- and rendered with incredible realism.
Another sequence, where our man-cub protagonist is caught up in a charging stampede of buffalo
is intense and frightening.
It captures the same wonder of a similar sequence in "Dances With Wolves".
Although this isn't a true 'musical', there are still a few songs incorporated in the
PG-rated story, including the unforgettable "Bare Necessities" number, which Murray clearly
has a lot of fun with, explaining, "That's a song about the good life."
Keeping with its playful nature, the movie concludes with some very inventive pop-up
book style credits - which re-visualize scenes from the movie in miniature form.
A slightly more serious iteration of what came before, but no-less family friend - Favreau
has done a remarkable job bringing to life such a vibrant and authentic world - filled
with fun and memorable characters.
While it's impossible to call this picture "original", it's a must-see for all Disney
fans.
"The Jungle Book"'s flawless visuals beautifully recreate a classic story.
And here's what you thought about it.
We were in agreement for "The Jungle Book", with everyone praising its visuals - and scoring
this an AWESOME.
Next up, "Keanu".
Carefree fun with some social commentary.
Released on April 29, 2016 - this $15 million dollar action comedy marks the first motion
picture from Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele following the conclusion of their Comedy
Central sketch show, "Key & Peele".
The duo brought along that show's director as well, Peter Atencio.
To retrieve a stolen kitten, Key and Peele pose as dangerous drug dealing murderers to
infiltrate a street gang.
Predictably, their years of real-life friendship and chemistry permeates throughout this script
- these characters have a very lived-in feel
to them.
Method Man, Tiffany Haddish, Jason Mitchell, and Darrell Britt-Gibson portray the "Blips"
gang - with an effective amount of danger and curiosity.
Will Forte, Rob Huebel, and Luis Guzmán round out the supporting cast with quirky performances.
There's also two absolutely fantastic celebrity cameos that need to go unspoiled.
But let's not forget the titular cat!
Ostensibly named after the enigmatic movie star, the adorable little furball is an obvious
highlight - and helps gives the plot an actual purpose.
Coming from suburbanized lifestyles that could best be described as very "white", Key and
Peele must step outside their comfort zone and act as "black" as possible.
Chastising Key's bland lifestyle, Peele jokes, "You sound like Richard Pryor doing an impression
of a white guy."
This concept is a twist on the familiar, and sets up some great moments.
Like a hilarious scene where Key attempts to convince his new gang members that 80s
music icon George Michael is actually a fatherless black man.
Moments later, he passes off his appendix scar as the outcome of a violent street fight.
"Keanu" really makes full use of its R-rating, and never shies away from extremely vulgar
language, bloody gun fights, and frequent drug use.
Although it's just an hour and forty minutes in length - the plot feels particularly slow
and repetitive in the middle portion.
Once the central premise is established, there aren't any major developments until the picture's
climax.
These pacing and story issues are my biggest problems with "Keanu", which feels a bit too
familiar at times.
While Key and Peele are able to turn some racial stereotypes on their head by tackling
them from the perspective of suburbanized-African Americans, the jokes themselves are still
the same ones we've all seen before.
Despite its lack of surprises, this is still a very funny movie all "Key & Peele" fans
ought to check out - especially for the novelty of seeing them unbound by television censorship.
"Keanu" is a hilarious, if predictable romp about racial issues - and a GOOD movie.
Last up tonight, my detailed thoughts on "Captain America: Civil War".
For better or worse, this is more of the same.
After a social media blitzkrieg that encouraged audiences to pick a side in the titular bout,
this superhero action film from Anthony and Joe Russo premiered nationwide in early May
of 2016.
The thirteen entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, this picture also marks the beginning
of "Phase Three".
The PG-13 rated adventure earned back its quarter-billion dollar budget inside of a
week, and most predictions have it grossing around $1.5 billion dollars by the end of
its theatrical run.
Given its mammoth cast, I'd hardly classify this as a so-called "solo" film, but this
is still Cap's story; as political interference causes a rift between his allegiance to The
Avengers and his fugitive friend, the Winter Soldier.
Lamenting to an ally on their ability to effectively protect the world, the title character remarks,
"We try to save as many people as possible.
Sometimes that doesn't mean everyone."
The central discourse between our heroes is handled quite realistically - as they spar
over the issues of governmental oversight verses independent operation.
Both arguments have their own merit, and commendably, the movie doesn't spoon-feed the audience
any answers.
Whether you're #TeamCap or #TeamIronMan - by the picture's end, you may find yourself siding
with the opposition.
I will say that the film's title is quite a stretch.
The real conflict here amounts to little more than a disagreement between friends.
Not quite what I'd call a "war".
At 147 minutes, the third "Captain America" film is the longest picture in the MCU - and
it needs to be just to contain its absolutely huge ensemble cast which includes; Chris Evans,
Robert Downey Jr., Scarlett Johansson, Sebastian Stan, Anthony Mackie, Don Cheadle, Jeremy
Renner, Chadwick Boseman, Paul Bettany, Elizabeth Olsen, Paul Rudd, and Daniel Brühl.
In smaller roles we also have Emily VanCamp, Tom Holland, Frank Grillo, William Hurt, Marissa
Tomei, John Slattery, Alfre Woodard, Martin Freeman, and of course, the requisite Stan
Lee cameo.
Since these are characters we've grown to love over the past twelve installments, their
reluctant conflict feels earned and authentic.
It also becomes a bit uncomfortable, like watching a fight between your parents.
Remarkably, even the new characters feel fleshed out and developed - this truly is an effortless
juggling act by the Russo brothers.
And with so many proverbial balls in the air, you barely notice that Hulk and Thor have
sat this one out.
The original "Captain America" film is actually my least favorite in the franchise - but the
more I think about it, Captain America is my favorite character.
There's a stubborn idealism about him that makes him such a fascinating protagonist.
A hero compelled to 'do the right thing', no matter the cost.
As you'd expect, Evans is fantastic sparing off against RDJ and all the rest; while newcomer
Holland feels right at home swapping banter with Rudd.
Speaking of Holland though, let's talk about his portrayal of Spider-Man - a character
who has now been rebooted three times in the last eight years.
I loved Toby Maguire's trilogy, and generally enjoyed Andrew Garfield - but this Tom Holland
kid just feels right.
He's only given a limited amount of screentime to work with, but his cheerful demeanor and
playful innocence are captured perfectly.
I, for one, am definitely excited Sony and Marvel were able to negotiate a deal that
has brought him into this shared cinematic-universe.
His inclusion in "Civil War" does seem like a last-minute addition though.
The dependable visuals from ILM once again conqueror the uncanny valley with an early
flashback scene showing off a 20-year old Robert Downey Jr. that might as have been
shot in the early 90s - but their VFX work uncharacteristically falters when Iron Man
shares a conversation with Spidey in one of those aforementioned 11th-hour additions.
Second-unit pick-ups and chroma-key backdrops are one thing, but this quick scene looks
like a Snapchat Face-swap gone bad.
Back to the supporting cast.
Although I know nothing about 'The Black Panther', Boseman's brief appearance really sold me
on the character, as well as his upcoming solo film.
He's a ferocious and scary hero with impressive abilities... and a sharp suit to match.
Literally.
Despite a brief introduction in "Winter Solider", VanCamp's appearance as Cap's love interest
just seems forced.
She's perfectly sweet and delightful, but with so much going on, there's not nearly
enough time to develop their relationship.
Hurt returns to the franchise after an eight-year absence, and although his stern government
exposition isn't anything special, it helps retroactively tie his original film, 'The
Incredible Hulk' back into cannon a bit more.
The action sequences in "Captain America 3" are of the highest caliber.
And even though some of the edits feel particularly quick - an early chase through a Lagos marketplace
is quite exciting.
Honestly, I could watch Johannson hurdle obstacles and take down bad-guys all day.
This feature is loaded with plenty of applause-inducing moments, like when Stan rips off a railing
to repel down a stairwell during a huge fight, or moments later when he flips around a speeding
motorcycle with his mechanical arm to steal it.
On the funnier side of things, I especially enjoyed Rudd referring to Hawkeye as "Arrow-Man",
or a scene when Mackie and Stan exchange a knowing smile of approval to a love-struck
Evans.
This franchise continues to show off inventive sci-fi tech too, like Mackie's flying-drone
sidekicks, or Downey's Iron Man watch.
By now, you know what to expect from Marvel; exciting action, interesting characters, and
fun dialogue.
By that same token however, the music is forgettable, the villain uninspired, and the run-time a
tad bloated.
Obviously, Marvel fans will love this picture - which delivers plenty of smiles and fascinating
moments, but more casual viewers will get a sense of 'been there, done that'.
On the plus side, since it's more reliant on set-pieces rather than its story, this
film should also hold up well over multiple viewings, too.
"Captain America: Civil War" is a crowd-pleasing spectacle that doesn't take any risks.
I thought it was GREAT.
Hardly Marvel's best - but it's certainly up there.
Unfortunately, that does it for tonight's episode, but stay tuned for the first in a
series of special "random review" episodes next week.
I'm way behind my usual pace for this time of the year, so next I'll begin to play catch-up.
In the meantime, you can click this information-icon to watch some related content.
Once again, my name is Jonathan Paula, thanks for watching and have a good Movie Night!