Movie Discussion/Reviews

Jungle Book is killing it in reviews so far.

Walk The Line - A great film that for whatever reason took me 11 years to get around to watching.

Joaquin Phoenix manages to capture Johnny Cash's on-stage mannerisms to a fucking T. A well deserved Oscar indeed.

They all suck except for Golden Eye. Boring ass old man movies is what they are.

Few Good Men - Good movie that still holds up pretty well. Jack Nicholoson is the boss.

Scream 2 - God-awful.

I brought the Kurosawa Samurai boxset, very enjoyable. 

That is a Good Purchase, fella. It's a different kind of film but I'd highly recommend Kurosawa's High and Low.

yes! that's p.much how I felt about it. The third act felt like an entirely different (and considerably worse) film. I didn't see MoS but a friend briefed me on it before we went into the theatre but I did alright with what he told me. I'm pro-Amy Adams appearing in films but very anti-a lot of that film.


See, everything I've heard about Hail, Caeser! suggests that it is great! And certainly, perhaps because of its theme, feels as though it ought to be seen in a theatre. What's lacking about it, may I ask?

The Invitation. I loved it. I recommend to Lighting Master as a horror with zero jump scares. It's not straight up horror though, more of a suspense thriller. It's very slowly paced so if that isn't your thing don't bother, but it builds up suspense and suspicion masterfully. Best to watch without knowing anything about it.

Basic
This film is anything but basic. Far too convoluted for its own good. I'd given up trying to figure out what was going on long before the end.

The Jungle Book (2016)

Decent movie overall. Doesn't deserve the overwhelming praise it seems to be getting though.

It looks great of course. All the animals look amazing and the way they move around is so beautiful and fluid that they seem real. Great music too that complements every scene pretty much perfectly. The big stars voicing the various animal characters do a good job overall, with the exception of Lupita Nyong'o. I thought she was definitely a weak link. Christopher Walken absolutely steals the show though; he's terrific here.

One major problem I had though was the sound mixing; it's really freaking lazy. Throughout the movie, regardless of where the characters are or how far away they are, the sound and volume of their dialogue is pretty much exactly the same. For example, at one point early on Bagheera and Mowgli are fairly far away from the camera walking through pouring rain. Ideally their voices would sound distant and a bit muffled, yet instead they sound crystal clear and the rain sounds like distant background noise. It really makes it difficult not to see the animals as just a bunch of actors standing in a studio, especially since there are some pretty recognizable voices here. Again, for the most part the voice actors do a fine job but they're let down by some uninspired sound choices. This movie looks beautifully realistic; there's no good reason it shouldn't sound realistic too.

Also, the kid playing Mowgli is unfortunately not good. It's understandable considering he's got virtually nothing to work with at any point in the movie, which is often difficult even for an old seasoned pro, let alone a little kid. That doesn't make the performance any less distractingly bad though. I just couldn't buy anything he said or did whatsoever.

Overall there's definitely enough good here to make it serviceable entertainment. You pretty much know what you're getting into with a Disney film like this; some fun moments, some cute minor characters who are genuinely funny and don't overstay their welcome; a few intense moments here and there; a climax that formulaically tries to pull at your heartstrings and everything getting wrapped up with a neat bow at the very end. It's all executed mostly solidly, and you've got some gorgeous CGI to look at while you're at it. I'd recommend it, but don't expect some kind of masterpiece, outside of the King Louis scene.

Also, Scarlett Johansson does a solid rendition of Trust in Me during the closing credits. She sounds like she's improved as a singer somewhat since she did that Tom Waits cover album.

Jungle Book.

Not bad 3.5/5

Krampus.

Definitely had the same feel as Trick R Treat, which is great. Didn't like it as much though. They used a lot of practical effects though which is a nice change.

Who's Elaine?

Oh yeah, duh. For some reason I thought you were talking about someone here.

That's a good film, sad ending though.