“Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle” stars Rohan Chand, Christian Bale, Cate Blanchett, Benedict Cumberbatch, Naomie Harris, Andy Serkis, Matthew Rhys, and Freida Pinto. Released in limited theaters on November 29, 2018 and on Netflix on December 7, 2018, the film is about a human boy who seeks his own origin. The film is directed by Andy Serkis, who made his directorial debut with the 2017 drama “Breathe”, and it is based on All the Mowgli Stories by Rudyard Kipling. Two years ago, Disney released a live-action remake of one of their animated classics, “The Jungle Book”, which was met with unanimous praise from critics and audiences and became a massive box office success. But that wasn’t the only “Jungle Book” movie that was slated for that year. That’s right, there’s yet another film version of “The Jungle Book”, one that doesn’t involve singing animals and sticks more closely to the source material. Originally titled “Jungle Book: Origins”, the film was supposed to be released in October 2016, but was shifted numerous times to put more space between itself and the Disney live-action version. Later on, Warner Brothers (the film’s distributer) decided to sell the rights to Netflix in order to avoid losing money when it bombs in theaters, a problem that occurred when another Warner Brothers release, “Pan”, was released in 2015, and the rest is history. There were a couple of reasons why this film caught my attention. One reason is that I have a soft spot for the Disney version of “The Jungle Book”, mostly the 2016 live-action version by Jon Favreau. The other reason is motion-capture mastermind, Andy Serkis, who serves as both an actor and a director for the film. Based on what I heard about it, it looked like Serkis was really passionate in bringing his own version of “The Jungle Book” to life, but will it be able to impress its target audience? One major difference you should know before heading into this film is its tone. Compared to the other adaptations of “The Jungle Book”, mostly the ones from Disney, this one is a bit more dark and frightening. The characters in the film are not as friendly and light-hearted as they were in the Disney versions. They don’t sing, they don’t dance, and they certainly don’t provide any kid-friendly humor. It’s basically “The Jungle Book” for teenagers and adults. Kids can watch it as well since it’s rated PG-13, but in terms of its appearance, this is something that should be taken into consideration. As for the story itself, it’s unsurprisingly a retelling of the title character (Chand) and his quest to find his own identity. Let’s just say that if you’ve seen the other versions of “The Jungle Book”, you’ve practically seen this one. However, I have to give credit to Andy Serkis for crafting its similar plot from his own perspective without relying on the elements that kids loved from the Disney versions. It’s not a perfect adaptation of the source material since its intended tone got a bit sidetracked by its humor and its plot had a few shortcomings, but it’s still a solid attempt at sticking closely to Kipling’s works. Ranging from Christian Bale as Bagheera to Benedict Cumberbatch as the villainous Shere Khan, the cast did their part in bringing their own versions of the “Jungle Book” characters to life, and the results were pretty different, but in a good way, with Andy Serkis as Baloo being the prime example. I’m used to Baloo being a care-free and lovable bear, but in this version, he’s more of a general-type bear who helps Mowgli learn how to be a wolf. Andy Serkis, as always, did a great job at making Baloo his own character, even though his performance didn’t top his role as Caesar from the “Planet of the Apes” prequel series as my favorite Serkis performance. The title character in this version is played by Rohan Chand, who was known for his breakout role in the 2013 film, “Bad Words”. To be honest, I thought he did all right. A bit flat at times, but as a whole, he had his moments. Similar to the 2016 version of “The Jungle Book”, “Mowgli” relies on its photorealistic visuals and its lush jungle-like setting to carry the story forward, and they were actually quite impressive. Even the facial expressions on the animals were nicely detailed. I can understand that they’re a bit creepy to look at, but to be completely fair, some of the animals in the 2016 version were pretty scary as well, so there’s literally no competition between the two in terms of what they look like. Overall, the tone in “Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle” can be a bit unsettling for younger fans of the Disney adaptations, but it is also what made the film stand out compared to those versions. Despite its similar plot and some tonal issues, Andy Serkis was able to craft a grounded and entertaining “Jungle Book” that is filled with stunning visuals and a talented cast. Based on what I saw, I believe Serkis has got a long way to go if he wants to make himself known as a talented filmmaker. I still think the 2016 live-action version of “The Jungle Book” is the best adaptation so far, but I like this one as well for its change in tone. If you enjoyed Serkis’ other works, I would say give this one a shot. B
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“Mirai” stars Moka Kamishiraishi, Haru Kuroki, Gen Hoshino, Kumiko Aso, Koji Yakusho, and Masaharu Fukuyama. Released in Japan on July 20, 2018, the film is about a boy who encounters a series of events in his house’s garden. The film is written and directed by Mamoru Hosoda, who also directed films such as “The Girl Who Leapt Through Time”, “Summer Wars”, and “The Boy and the Beast”. Sometimes when you have no new movies to see in the theater this week, go for the next possible solution: watch an anime. Throughout most of my years, I’ve been attached to several anime films and shows, including the ones from Studio Ghibli, but if there’s one Japanese film that I haven’t quite seen yet, it’s the one that is helmed by acclaimed director Mamoru Hosoda. I have been hearing how good his recent films are, but for some reason, I couldn’t find the time to watch any of them. When I found out that his newest film is playing at my theater, I figured that this would be a perfect opportunity for me to introduce myself to his filmography. For this review, I will be looking at the original Japanese version that was released back in July because why not? The story is a simple tale that deals with having a new member of a family into their lives from a child’s point of view. It’s sort of like Dreamworks Animation’s “The Boss Baby”, but in the form of an anime. The major difference between the two films is how the story is constructed to fully emphasize the topic to audiences young and old. Unsurprisingly, the story in “Mirai” is much more thoughtful and bold than “The Boss Baby”. While it does involve dealing with a new sibling, it also has the main character, Kun (Kamishiraishi), encountering different family members, both past and future, and how his misadventures with them help him become a better person as well as a better sibling. This is something that either Pixar or Hayao Miyazaki could’ve come up with, but Hosoda was able to beat them to it with his own blend of storytelling and style. The narrative structure can either be episodic or repetitive at times, but from my personal standpoint, it’s mandatory because the main character is a four-year-old boy, and four-year-old boys can be a bit hasty when things don’t go their way. There were plenty of fantasy elements that were imaginative, humorous, and colorful due to its fantastic use of hand-drawn animation and CGI, but Hosoda never lost sight of the film’s personal and emotional touch that’ll inspire both adults and kids. Speaking of which, the animation style in the film offered plenty of creativity and striking visuals that made the other Japanese animated films so appealing in the first place. However, like the other pieces of anime I experienced beforehand, the way this film displays the facial expressions on certain characters kind of weirded me out a bit. I wouldn’t call this a flaw by any means since that’s how this type of animation was supposed to look like, but there were a couple of moments that I thought were a bit unsettling, including the one that scared the living daylights out of me. This is one of the things in the film that might scare a few young kids, but that’s just my minor concern since everything else seems appropriate for family viewing. I also enjoyed the musical score by Masakatsu Takagi. It doesn’t top some of Joe Hisaishi’s famous scores, but there were certain pieces that I thought were heartwarming and endearing. Overall, “Mirai” continues Japan’s tradition of crafting vibrant hand-drawn animated films filled with imagination and heart. Filled with stunning animation and humane storytelling, the film showcases Mamoru Hosoda’s passion towards the art in such an inspiring matter. Maybe someday I’ll look at some other films made by Hosoda because this film made me realize how talented this guy is. Hayao Miyazaki is still my favorite Japanese animation director so far, but I wouldn’t say that Hosoda didn’t come close to being my second favorite. If you have a similar problem like this before or if you’re a fan of Japanese animation, I would highly recommend this one to you. A“The Christmas Chronicles” stars Kurt Russell, Judah Lewis, Darby Camp, Oliver Hudson, and Kimberly Williams-Paisley. Released on Netflix on November 22, 2018, the film has Santa Claus teaming up with two siblings to save Christmas. The film is directed by Clay Kaytis, who also directed “The Angry Birds Movie” and was the head of animation for Walt Disney Animation Studios. Now that Thanksgiving’s over and done with, it’s time for us to celebrate the next big holiday, Christmas. OK, it’s not actually Christmas yet, but for everyone, it is. One of my favorite Christmas traditions of all time is watching holiday-related films and television specials, such as "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer”, “Frosty the Snowman”, “Peanuts”, “The Nightmare Before Christmas”, and “The Grinch”. These films and television specials have a unique sense of wonder and charm that always get me into the Christmas spirit, and what better way to experience that again this year than to check out a new holiday-themed movie from Netflix? This latest family-friendly comedy comes from producer Chris Columbus, who was responsible for directing another Christmas movie, “Home Alone”. The film also serves as Clay Kaytis’ live-action debut as a director following his work on animation with Disney and his directorial debut with the film adaptation of “Angry Birds”. Can’t hurt to try something new every once in a while. I’ve been looking forward to this one ever since I first saw its trailer, and from the looks of it, it does provide plenty of harmless fun and charm that the other Christmas movies are known for, but does that make it good? Well, yeah, it does. Similar to the other family-friendly holiday films, the story in “The Christmas Chronicles” was pretty simplistic. I mean, it’s about a teenager and his younger sister teaming up with jolly old Saint Nick to save Christmas. How can it be more simplistic than that? Sure, it had plenty of ridiculous moments as well as some predictable elements that most people can see coming from a mile away, but if it’s designed to be a fun and cheerful adventure that the whole family can enjoy, it did its job pretty well. The film also has some heartwarming, yet cheesy, messages that kids can relate to, especially siblings. One of my favorite parts of the movie was none other than Kurt Russell as Santa Claus. He put in a lot of effort to make this whole sleigh ride as entertaining as possible while portraying a fresh take on the character, and I wasn’t disappointed. Judah Lewis and Darby Camp also did a suitable job with their performances as Teddy and Kate, respectively. Not as great as Russell, but respectable, nonetheless. As for its flaws, I did mention that the story was pretty predictable and it lacks any major surprises that’ll lure in someone outside of its target audience. However, I’m willing to let that slide because it did its job in making the concept enjoyable for me. I would also like to mention the film’s use of CGI. It’s not as campy or as unrealistic as the visuals from a made-for-television film on Syfy since it has some neat effects, but most of the visual work did feel a bit off-putting at times, especially the elves. Now don’t get me wrong, those elves were pretty adorable, but in terms of the desgins, they look like they came out of a fully computer-animated Christmas film. I guess if the film is completely animated, it would’ve been fine, but that’s just me. Overall, “The Christmas Chronicles” may not impress anyone who’s on the naughty list, but for those who are in a holiday mood, it’s a sleigh ride that’s worth taking. Aside from its predictable plot and some questionable visuals, the film was able to put itself on the nice list thanks to Kurt Russell’s performance and Clay Kaytis’ passable execution on its bizarre concept. It’s not a perfect film that will be placed on the “Holiday Classic Hall of Fame” or something like that, but for what it is, it’s a nice early Christmas present that I wouldn’t mind opening again in the near future. The film is available to stream on Netflix, so if you’re interested in seeing Kurt Russell in a Santa outfit, it’s worth a watch. B“The Possession of Hannah Grace” stars Shay Mitchell, Grey Damon, Kirby Johnson, and Stana Katic. Released on November 30, 2018, the film is about a morgue worker who discovers that a dead body is possessed by a supernatural force. The film is directed by Diederik Van Rooijen. Halloween may be over, but that doesn’t mean the scares have to be. Serving as the only wide release this weekend, this latest horror film is determined to draw in a supernatural-loving crowd before the holiday season kicks off. Why’s that, you ask? Well, it’s because when they see the word “possession” in the title, they immediately jump inside the horror bandwagon and prepare to wet their pants with fear. As for me, personally, I just went into it expecting it to be like the other supernatural horror films. Flawed, average, and entertaining. It definitely got the “flawed” part right. The “average” and “entertaining” parts, however, is where the film failed to meet its expectations. In case you haven’t seen the trailer for this film, the story is essentially about a possessed corpse haunting and killing the workers at the morgue, including a former policewoman Megan Reed, played by “Pretty Little Liars” star Shay Mitchell. Now, here’s where the trouble kicks in. The film does involve a demonic corpse hunting the characters, but it happens during the third act. The direction Rooijen took for the film left me feeling mixed in terms of the execution. On the one hand, it helps to build up some tension and provide some character-driven moments for the character of Megan compared to the other films with a similar genre. On the other hand, it can make the film feel drawn out for people who are expecting it to be a non-stop scare-fest. The good news is that the film is under 90 minutes long, which prevented the problem from getting worse. The bad news is that once the third act kicks in, these people would’ve already feel tired out from waiting for something to pop out and scare the crud out of them. While I didn’t mind Rooijen’s direction since he had a solid sense of creepy atmospheric settings, the overall experience didn’t come close to being another average horror film. There were plenty of opportunities that would make the story a bit more interesting, such as Megan coping from her past mistake and the psychological mentality of working the graveyard shift at the morgue, but since it’s a horror film about a demonic corpse, it decided to rely on the usual genre tropes, such as characters making dumb decisions and a few loud, yet ineffective, jump scares. As for the things that I liked about the film, I already mentioned that the atmospheric setting helps set the tone for the experience. However, when comparing it to the likes of “Hereditary” and last year’s “It Comes at Night”, it hardly makes an impact on the film’s disturbing sense of dread and helplessness. I also thought Shay Mitchell did a decent job with her performance as Megan. I haven’t seen a whole lot of her in other movies or shows, especially “Pretty Little Liars”, so this was my first time seeing her act in a film. While the narrative didn’t do her character justice, Mitchell had enough talent to make her worth tagging along. I would also give credit to Kirby Johnson for attempting to make her character terrifying. Overall, “The Possession of Hannah Grace” is as unsettling as a corpse, but not in a good way. Despite its haunting atmosphere and a worthy performance from Shay Mitchell, this is one graveyard shift that you don’t want to take, especially when you have your own experiences working this type of shift. If there’s one thing that I learned from watching this film aside from the fact that it’s below average, it’s that working at the morgue at night is a big no-no for me. I prefer to work during the daytime. If you’re planning on seeing it, I would recommend watching it at home. Otherwise, you're better off setting up some Christmas decorations instead. C-“Robin Hood” stars Taron Egerton, Jamie Foxx, Ben Mendelsohn, Eve Hewson, Tim Minchin, and Jamie Dornan. Released on November 21, 2018, the film is about an outlaw who leads a group of people against the Sheriff of Nottingham. The film is directed by Otto Bathurst, who is known for directing episodes of shows like “Urban Gothic”, “Teachers”, and “Hustle”. It is based on the tale of Robin Hood. A lot of people knew about the story of Robin Hood. He’s an outlaw who steals from the rich and gives to the poor. It’s one of those memorable tales that teaches us that good always triumphs over evil and greed can lead to one’s downfall. That’s why it’s being retold numerous times via film, video games, and television. The version I’ll be looking at today is the one that has Taron Egerton trading in his suit and guns for a bow and arrow. The only two versions of Robin Hood that I remember the most were the 1973 Disney version and 1991’s “Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves” with Kevin Costner (aka my mother’s favorite Robin Hood), so it would be interesting to see how this adaptation compares to the others. This latest tale of the titular character is an origin story that depicts how Robin (Egerton) came to be known as a legend. With the help of his mentor John (Foxx), Robin sets out to steal from the Sheriff of Nottingham (Mendelsohn) and lead a group of poor people to fight against injustice. The way this film portrays this type of story offers some pretty fresh ideas that could make it stand out from the other versions, but from a reviewer’s standpoint, that’s hardly the case. This is one of those times where a film has a unique way of retelling a source material, but in reality, it hardly did anything to express its uniqueness. To its credit, however, it did deliver a couple of entertaining moments, such as the cast and its action sequences. Taron Egerton was likable in his role as Robin Hood. He didn’t beat out the Disney Robin Hood as my favorite Robin Hood, but like the film, he had his moments. Jamie Foxx was also decent as the film’s take on “Little” John. All I can say about this character is that he’s not as merry as the Merry Men. As for Ben Mendelsohn as the Sheriff, let’s just say he did his part in making his character threatening, but he can get a bit too carried away at times. There’s also another character who’s played by F. Murray Abraham, but he’s just there to set up some potential sequels. Yeah, you read that right. This film is designed to become a possible franchise, similar to what Warner Brothers was trying to do with “King Arthur: Legend of the Sword” before they realized that not everyone wants a flashy, slo-mo King Arthur film. The problem with this one is that the story lacks a strong bond that made the Robin Hood tale so inspiring. I can understand what they’re going for, but the execution towards that goal was just as poor as the people who got robbed out of their money. If you’re going into this film expecting something like character development and a great plot, I’m sad to say that you’ll wind up getting robbed as well. The narrative was not only bland and forgettable, but it also missed a huge opportunity to fully explore the relationship between Robin and John. Overall, the 2018 version of “Robin Hood” has a lot of arrows that failed to hit the bullseye. It had some tolerable moments, but in terms of the story and the characters, it doesn’t live up to the other versions of Robin Hood that I’m familiar with. It’s quite a shame because I was hoping that it would wind up surprising me. Oh well, can’t win them all, I guess. If you’re familiar with the other adaptations of Robin Hood and are interested in seeing this, you’re better off watching it on television. Otherwise, go watch the Disney version. D+ |
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