The Jungle Book

Jon Favreau has had one of the more interesting, circuitous careers in Hollywood (Outside of Tinseltown as well): From his near completion of undergraduate studies at Queens College, to a short stint working for Bear Stearns on Wall Street, the son of a Russian Jew and a Catholic of Italian & French-Canadian ancestry hasn't been one timid of "getting their feet wet" in a particular discipline. So, it should come as little surprise that his entertainment career has been rather varied, in terms of genres, types of roles he's acted in, and his involvement in projects (Essentially whether he was just an actor, an actor-producer, an actor-director, or solely a producer or director).

He's acted in everything from Friends (As Monica's boyfriend during Season 3), to the Avengers, Rudy, Cowboys & Aliens, The Break-Up, and many others. He's written films like Swingers, Couples Retreat, and Chef. He's directed films like Elf, Made, Iron Man, and most recently the Jungle Book. He's truly an artist that knows improvisation and the value of not "pigeon-holing" oneself in a competitive industry like Hollywood.

This time around Favreau parked his keester in the director's chair and left the writing duties to Justin Marks and Rudyard Kipling, with the latter providing the skeleton of the story that Marks adapted quite well. It's a story that most American children are familiar with with, but it has certainly been freshened up with the addition of cutting-edge CGI and sound mixing that definitely wasn't available during the 1960s. It's a keenly-paced movie as well, with it's producers wise to the fact that audiences would be rather varied in age range. The running time is 104 minutes, but it truly doesn't feel "too long" and I don't feel that audiences will feel as though they were "jipped" because of the under 2-hour running time.

The casting for Mowgli was very well done, with thirteen-year old Neel Sethi performing the role with an authenticity that made up for the fact that all of the other roles were voiced and done by by CGI. That's not to say that there was a problem with the CGI, or any of the voice actors, but I felt like it would've been a little bit better to see some real backdrops and actual monkeys. It seems like all the large budget movies these days are so dominated by CGI and it would be nice to see a movie not so dependent on it. But, to each his own, I guess.

The Jungle Book is definitely worth a trip to the theater though, especially as the summer box office starts to heat up with movies like Captain America: Civil War just premiering at theaters this weekend.
   

Jimi: All is by My Side

John Ridley's, Jimi: All is by My Side is an ambitious effort that depicts the life of famed musician Jimi Hendrix. The leading role is played rather masterly by André Benjamin, of the hip-hop musical duo Outkast. Imogen Poots & Hayley Atwell act out the roles of Linda Keith and Kathy Etchingham, respectively. Both turn in fantastic performances revealing the multi-layered, nuanced nature of the two women who played pivotal roles in the life of Hendrix.

The setting for Ridley's film begins in Manhattan, in 1966. Benjamin's character has a chance encounter with Poots' character, who introduces Jimi to a few people, connecting with some influential and wise music industry folk, and before not too long he is convinced to go to London, where he's told that he will set the world over there ablaze. Poots' character is highly adept at acting with solely her eyes, letting them linger in scenes and communicating so much more than could be with only words. It's no wonder that Jimi follows her advice on testing the London music scene.

But, insert Atlwell's character, who comes into the film with the attitude and the familiar wear of that of a rock n roll groupie. An emotionally, likely alcohol/drug fueled spat leads to some major emotional and career decisions and Poots' character leaves Jimi to return to the States. Atwell very capably plays a role that is underminded by the premise that the nature of a groupie entails, one of sort of sucking the life from those who have truer intentions and more wholesome habits, but the role of Kathy Etchingham is no simple one to play, and certainly not one that had little importance in Jimi Hendrix's musical influences.

Biopics can be extremely difficult to produce, even when they are about high profile people like Jimi Hendrix. Major studios will typically scoff at the idea because of a lack of commercial appeal (Steve Jobs can be an exception to this). But, this indie picture which was reportedly produced on a budget of $5 million, and received generally positive reviews, did so because it didn't attempt to "do too much". It covered only a year of Jimi's career, albeit it was a short one, but it was able to capture some of the intricacies that made Jimi the man that he was.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens

After a very, very long wait the first release of the newly rebooted Star Wars franchise has arrived. The $200 million movie, comes three years after Disney purchased the rights to the franchise from LucasFilm Ltd. for $4 billion, which many industry insiders scoffed at because it seemed like an exorbitant price to pay. Now, after only approximately 20 hours since early screenings began, an analyst from Edward Jones is predicting that it will only take about 2 years for that $4 billion to be recouped.

Money-talk aside, the movie is a rather lengthy one with a running time of 135 minutes. That running time may seem lengthy to those on polar opposites of the age spectrum, which are likely to be drawn to see the movie franchise created by George Lucas in 1977. It has all the elements though to draw audiences from all age backgrounds to it, it has breathtaking sets that evoke the feeling of life on a far away planet, it has a quick-witted, intelligent sounding script that original Star Wars writer, Lawrence Kasdan, wrote. Kasdan was accompanied on writing duties by the movie's director J.J. Abrams, and Michael Arndt. The dialogue between the main characters is paced well and peppered with more humor than expected, which was certainly a pleasant surprise.

Rick Carter & Darren Gilford, the production designers, are two men that deserve more credit for this major accomplishment than they will likely receive. Carter is the Oscar-winning production designer behind Back to the Future Part II and III, Forrest Gump, Avatar, Jurassic Park, and so many more. Last year he was recipient of the Art Directors Guild's Lifetime Achievement Award. The work though that he did with his partner, Gilford, and the rest of his team on The Force Awakens was literally breathtaking (Especially on IMAX screens). From the desolate landscapes of Jakku, where the audience first meets Rey (Daisy Ridley) to the snowy forest landscape that plays host to the climactic light-saber battle, the production designing duo created a world, or multiple worlds, that each had a distinct feel which when matched with John Williams score evoked a different type of emotion that nicely tied the movie together.

Newcomers Daisy Ridley and John Boyega, play Rey and Finn who are the main characters, respectively. They do so well too, with a visible chemistry that naturally develops as the movie progresses. Adam Driver and Oscar Issac both have roles that allow their identities to be seen by the audience, but one plays a role that might surprise some, so I won't reveal it here. Andy Serkis is utterly sinister as Supreme Leader Snoke and Lupita Nyong'o is whimsical as Maz Kanata, who delivers a very powerful monologue that drives the movie forward and sets up its climax.

Reviews have been critical of the movie's formulaic nature and of it being a relative carbon copy of the original, but if one does agree with these criticisms they'll at least be happy to watch with a updated CGI and special effects. In Abrams', Kathleen Kennedy's (A producer of the film), and the rest of the teams defense when working with a movie as massive as this one, with a fan following as old and quirky, delicate care must be taken to entice them back into the theater after over thirty years since the original's release. This is probably why the screenplay seemed so similar to the first, and also why some of the familiar faces like Han Solo, Chewbacca (Peter Mayhew), and Princess Leia receive so much on-screen time.    

All in all, The Force Awakens is one of the best action movies to come out this year, whether or not you consider yourself to be the type of person who likes "geeky science fiction" movies.

San Andreas

Late to the punch again on this one, and regretfully so. San Andreas certainly packs a blockbusting punch. Released during Memorial Day weekend earlier this summer, (Likely why I missed it, as I was enjoying the great outdoors that Maine has to offer) it premiered as the first major disaster movie in some time and as the natural movie one would go see after seeing Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson play a superhuman federal agent in Furious 7 the previous month.

Announced in 2011 by New Line Cinema, the movie has a plethora of writing credits from Jeremy Passmore and Andre Fabrizio, to Allan Loeb, who was brought in to polish the script, to Carlton Cuse (Lost) who re-wrote the script. One might assume that with all these writing designations and re-writes that this script was doomed from jump street, but I'm not sure if it was Cuse's re-write or somewhere prior but the final product is an often humorous script, that's paced well, includes obligatory emotional dialogue between the main players, but is also intelligent and witty.

Starring alongside Mr. Johnson are Carla Gugino and Alexandra Daddario, with the latter occupying more onscreen time, but the prior definitely showing that she is still able to hold her own. Daddario who plays the teenage daughter of Johnson and Gugino's characters, steals many a scene with her stunning expressions of shock and fear that light up in her eyes, which in turn light up the screen. Daddario certainly makes a case for being Hollywood's next femme fatale a la Angelina Jolie, as she utilizes adept survival skills scurrying for her life through earthquake ravaged San Francisco. Hugo Johnstone-Burt and Art Parkinson play a pair of British brothers, who's savvy casting adds a welcome dynamic to the movie.

The movie was shot in Australia, at Village Roadshow Studios, as well as in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Bakersfield, CA. The result is very inclusive movie that leans effectively on the differences of these locales in making them pseudo-characters in the movie. Toss in some rather stunning CGI and the imagination and gall it takes to depict the destruction of popular, major metropolitan areas like LA and SF and you get a blockbuster that is more than worthy of seeing.

Jurassic World

Being that it has been nearly two years since my last post, I thought this blog could use a current movie review.. And why not review a summer blockbuster the week that fall just officially begun!?

I may be late to the party on one of the most successful movies of the summer, but the reason is because I was waiting for a particular friend to watch it with.. Low and behold she didn't wait for me though! 

Jurassic World, Universal Studios behemoth tent-pole of a movie, plays out on the screen similar to how you would expect a movie of it's background and budget to play out. There's of course the exotic locations, massive exterior cinematographic shots with hundreds of extras, and the nostalgic nods to the film's predecessors. But, the film is essentially a reboot of the franchise started in 1993 by Steven Spielberg and Co. 

Gone are familiar faces like Jeff Goldblum, Samuel L. Jackson, Julianne Moore, Vince Vaughn, and others who joined the franchise after the success of the first installment. The reboot is in capable acting hands though with Chris Pratt (Community, Guardians of the Galaxy) and Bryce Dallas Howard (The Help), in the leading roles. They exchange pleasantries and reminisce on not so fond dating memories in a well-written, adeptly acted scene where Howard's character enlists the help of Pratt's character. 

The charm of Jurassic Park, at least for me watching as an adolescent, was experiencing the world that the film created through the eyes of its young stars. I'm sure many from my generation can attest to having nightmares from the infamous scene in the kitchen with the velociraptors. But, that novel charm is missing from this movie, instead the producer's and director, Colin Trevorrow, did what many (with deep film financing pockets) tend to do, they decided to spend voraciously on computer generated images that they believed would shock and wow audiences causing them to forget about what it is that made them love that Michael Crichton-adapted movie from the 90's. At time's this worked well enough for me, and others it did not, but ultimately it was a fun two hour ride.       

Don Jon

Joseph Gordon-Levitt has really been beating the pavement to garner publicity for his directorial debut, Don Jon, from a screenplay that he also penned. Gordon-Levitt plays the lead role of, Jon Martello, a quick-talking, ball busting, slick operating Italian twenty-something, who manages to pick up ladies like no one's business clad in only a cut-off tank. The role is one that many men will certainly be envious of, perhaps even more jealous of his co-star, Scarlett Johansson, who plays the role of, Barbara Sugarman, a voluptuous thick Jersey-accented "dime-piece" with a trunk full of attitude. Throw in Tony Danza, as his "chip off the old block" father, Glenne Headley, and Julianne Moore, and you have a supporting cast that is ripe with enriching performances and cross demographic appeal that is sure to score this movie a solid opening weekend. But, leave it to Brie Larson, who plays Gordon-Levitt's sister, Monica, to progress the plot in a significant way with her only two lines of the entire script.

Don Jon, seems a bit redundant and perverted at time's but, if you can make it past these moments you're in for a surprisingly candid movie that depicts the digressions that contemporary couples face in today's dating world. Two thumb's up to Gordon-Levitt for taking a chance with this one and striking a solid chord in the overly factory-churned out world, that has become the norm for Hollywood of late.

The Place Beyond The Pines

Place Beyond the Pines, is the latest picture from Derek Cianfrance, director of Blue Valentine. Cianfrance directed, Ryan Gosling, in both films and after seeing PBTP, I can see why Gosling wanted to be paired with the director again. It's a pretty risky film to decide to direct; following up the critical success of a movie like, Blue Valentine. But, Cianfrance who's worked with the likes of Run DMC and P. Diddy, wasn't deterred in the least. He attracted other A-list talent like, Eva Mendes, Rose Byrne, and Bradley Cooper to his well-written, well paced screenplay and the finished product is a picture that does stay with you, so to speak. It depicts how the trials and tribulations of life come to make a man, and how they can break him. It shows how fatherhood can skip a generation, but how those who hope to have the chance at it, sometimes never realize it. It's a clever picture, with great performances, and it's worth a watch.