Jungle Boogie: Review of The Jungle Book

The Jungle Book

Director: Jon Favreau

By Alex Watson

While it might be as iconic as its predecessor, Jon Favreau's adaptation of The Jungle Book is still a beautiful filmed and fun ride. Getting the casting spot on for this tale was essential and through the talents of Bill Murray, Ben Kingsley, and a ferocious Idris Elba, Rudyard Kipling's creatures are brought to life in spectacular fashion. Alongside having the entertainment element clamped down, Favreau also adds a more emotional core to this ride that stays with you.

Mowgli (Neel Sethi) is a boy-cub who has been raised by a pack of wolves since birth. His panther friend Bagheera (Ben Kingsley) worries for his safety and his Wolf father Akela (Giancarlo Esposito) is frustrated with his inability to run with the pack. The boy cub's life becomes endangered when the man-eating tiger, Shere Khan comes lusting for his flesh. Trying to escape his world and find a home where he belongs will take him into the path of fun-loving bear Baloo (Bill Murray).

Returning to Kipling's world was sneered upon at first when The Jungle Book reboot was announced. Well, it appears the doubters were wrong because Favreau creates an animal world so real you'll believe animals really can talk. Mowgli is seen scrambling across rocks, climbing cliffs to steal honeycombs and in one breathtaking sequence, falling down a cliff with water buffalo. The lurking menace of Shere Khan is cranked up to the max to the extent where he becomes the main attraction. During the Water Truce segment at the Peace Rock (a chapter missing from the 1967 film), you can almost taste the blood on his lips and fury bubbling beneath that scarred face. Khan means not only harm to this boy but he will kill anyone who stands in his way consume him. The sense of belonging gives the film a needed heart as Mowgli struggles to understand is place in the world

Thankfully Favreau says true to the spirit of the movie and gives us what we loved about the characters of old. Bagheera is very much the wise yet overly cautious Panther torn between giving Mowgli over the man world or playing protector to him. Baloo is a mellow and laid back soul who uses Mowgli as both friend and unpaid worker in his quest to get fed. Kaa (Scarlett Johansson) is a slippery and entrancing nemesis whose soft and gentle voice fools even the best of us. Christopher Walken almost steals the show as we get an impressive new spin on King Louie. In this piece he the last of the Gigantopithecus, who sits on a throne with a sizeable amount of treasure and fruit either side. In this, he is a large and slightly unsettling presence who you might think twice about when he says "I wanna make a deal with you!"

Yes "I Wanna Be Like You" and "Bare Necessities" make an appearance but in this picture they feel a little unnecessary. Through the vocals of Walken and Murray, we want to feel transported back to that old magical Disney era but here they feel just added on for old time sake.  The dangers of the jungle, in particular, the nerving Kaa sequence make this a more frightening journey than was needed. When the journey like this is very entertaining such issues are minor ones and Favreau gives us a visually arresting world that it more than we could have expected. Doing this tale as a live action film could have backfired, but it has sufficient charm and love poured into it that it is unthinkable to imagine it any other way.

The cast for this movie is perfectly done and it is impossible to imagine anyone else but Bill Murray as Baloo. Listening to his easy-going charm, you can almost see Murray on a lazy afternoon lying in the jungle with you. Ben Kingsley is also excellent as the authoritative Bagheera who becomes Mowgli's surrogate father throughout, A real presence on screen, Kingsley's voice alone has a commanding feel. Lupita Nyong'o has the most heartfelt role as adoptive Wolf mother Raksha and you can feel the motherly love wherever you look in this film. The real star turn belongs to Idris Elba as the cunning and dangerous Shere Khan. Inject a subtle menace along with a mad obsession, the Luther star is simply electric. There should be Oscars for voice acting alone after this performance.

Forget about your worries fans, The Jungle Book is as fun a ride as you can remember. Jon Favreau has recaptured our love for this old tale and few reboots can wish to be as success as this one. It seems you can teach an old jungle new tricks.

Woman On Top: Review of The Boss

The Boss

Director: Ben Falcone

By Alex Watson

In the right hands, The Boss could have been an excellent Melissa McCarthy vehicle, sadly due to a poor script and an uninteresting story we are left with what could have been. McCarthy herself gives this film a spark, but she alone cannot elevate the entire movie. Many jokes feel too drawn out and director Ben Falcone (ironically McCarthy's husband) resorts to continuous lewd and potty mouth antics to snag some belly laughs.

Christine Darnell (Melissa McCarthy) is one of the wealthiest women in America, but when she is arrested for insider trading orchestrated by former lover Renault (Peter Dinklage) she loses it all. Out of the slammer, she is forced to throw herself up former assistant Claire (Kristen Bell) and her daughter Rachel (Ella Anderson). When attending a Dandelions meeting, Darnell sees a great chance to regain her fortune through an aggressive brownie sales technique.

The Boss is a movie that fails to make the most of what could have been a great central character. Flying in on a golden phoenix during a glitzy opening sequence, Darnell is a woman who seems to have made her fortune by trash talking and ruthlessly cutting everyone from under her. The problem is she also feels drastically underwritten, we know she was rejected from a bunch of foster homes but how precisely did she make her millions? Falcone seems to rely on pratfalls and any number of overly long and foul-mouthed gags to make the audience overlook the pictures faults. When Michelle loses her fortune she immediately ends up penniless on the streets of Chicago and essentially takes advantage of Claire kind nature to find a home.

Although she bonds with the sweet yet shy Rachel, soon she is forcing the same aggressive sales technique upon the Dandelion guides. Though there is a margin of pleasure by watching Michelle's foul-mouthed pitch to a room of amazed and appalled young girls and mum's, Falcone begins to use this to heavily. McCarthy has proven a revelation at this type of humour and the movie is at its best when she is taking Queen Bitch mother Helen (Annie Mumulo) down a peg. The high point of this picture comes from a slow-mo street fight between the Dandelions and Darnell's Darlings. Although there are points of hilarity, it just feels a little overblown and ridiculous.

Both Falcone and McCarthy fail to truly find a rhythm that works and for most of The Boss, we find ourselves waiting for them to strike gold. Although there are some nice subplots like Claire finding a nice reliable boyfriend (Tyler Labine), these moments of charm are few and far between. Renault as a character really doesn't add anything or make much sense. Where precisely does his love of Samurai come from? As a villain, he is given little substance which makes way for a flat and flavourless finale where both he and Michelle do battle with a Kanata. This is far less funny that it sounds and it the cherry on top of what is otherwise a constant misfire.

Michelle McCarthy proves to be the movies one selling point and thank goodness for her because her comic ability rescues this picture from obscurity. Although adept at nailing a one-liner, McCarthy is given a heroine that is thin on the ground and mostly resorts to humouring show shallow and self-absorbed she is. Kristen Bell as always is watchable and gives Falcone's film a more balanced feel as the single mother Claire. Sadly Peter Dinklage is once again stranded in a poor one note role on the big screen. We all know how capable he is at playing the villain, look at his work in X-Men and Game of Thrones. Sadly here is given a guy who villainy seems to be nothing more than being a weird nerd- Hollywood wake up!

The Boss is a movie that will work fine if you want little more than an easy ride. Those expecting a more sophisticated brand of comedy are likely to come out disappointed.

The Boys of Summer: Review of Sleeping Giant

Sleeping Giant

Director: Andrew Cividino

By Alex Watson

In an impressive debut, Andrew Cividino's Sleeping Giant is one of the finest pieces that Canadian cinema will deliver in 2016. With a hard-hitting yet easy going feel, this picture effortlessly captures a summer that will change everything. In Cividino's film, relationships are explored, bonds are tested and family is something that can cause pain. Winner of the Best Canadian Feature at the 2015 Toronto Film Festival, Cividino emerges as a name to watch.

Adam (Jackson Martin) is a quiet kid from an upper-middle-class family who are vacationing in Lake Superior, Ontario. Soon after arriving he strikes up friendships with Riley (Reece Moffett) and his unintelligent, tough-talking cousin Nate (Nick Serino). As the summer drags on their playful friendship soon descends into petty crime, jealousy and suspicion. Nate, in particular, seems eager to drive a wedge between not only the two new friends but through Adam's whole world.

From the get-go, Sleeping Giant's masculine feel is made apparent by Cividino as we see the boys energetically play fighting on the beach. Nate and Riley go at fiercely while Adam quietly tries to stay out it. This theme is often recurring through this picture and the director doesn't waste time introduce us to the different character traits. Riley and Adam bond almost instantly and Riley is soon joining his family on such luxurious things as boat trips. Through his eyes, Adam has everything in life he is devoid of and this friendship quickly earns the hatred of Nate. This character is often the catalyst and seems to carry a heavy chip on his shoulder with the world which he expressed through his constant fast talking put downs.

What starts as childish wind-up techniques soon turns more sinister when a painful revelation about Adams well-to-do Dad comes forward. Nate is overly keen knock this outsider and his rich family and merciless taunts Adam with the truth. A heavy fracture then descends upon the trio from which things never recover. Adam is also mocked about his friendship with attractive teen girl Taylor (Katelyn McKerracher) and his inability to act. The young man's sexuality isn't made abundantly clear by Cividino but his attachment to Riley and certain glance do raise questions. Although he is the quiet kid of the bunch, Adam has another side to him which personifies a teenage brat. Nate's constant graphic bragging about his probably nonexistent sexual ability uncovers how desperate he is to be fit in.

There is far more to Sleeping Giant than just boys being boys and things come to head during the movie's second half. Nate's antipathy comes becomes almost toxic when he insults everyone during a board game. Hateful opinions are slung, accusations thrown and painful home truth revealed. Now we have reached the point of no return and each loyalty is put under the microscope. How Cividino examines teenage friendships is commendable and the hurt feels raw and real. Boys can be as friendly as they are mean and this is often a cruel fact of youth. Riley is the most profoundly affected while Adam seeks to almost twist the knife on both sides. Whether this out of genuine concern is unclear but it sure doesn't help. Get for a finale that will have you holding your breath throughout.

Centrally we get a trio of excellent performances from the young men, led by the talkative Nick Serino. Coming off like a human Scrappy-Doo, Serino is able to inject his character with a fine mix of humour and inferiority. Nate is the wannabe hard case you went to school with who talked your head off but did little more. His performance leaves the biggest impression of all. Jackson Martin is a largely silent but effective force and smartly he gives his character an invisible cunningness that isn't apparent until the last act. Reese Moffett also excels as the more social Riley and he is very much the glue that holds the collapsing three together. Moffett is most watchable during his quieter moments where his withheld emotions come to the surface.

Overall, Sleeping Giant is a strong feature by Cividino that realistically profiles how even the most distant friendships can be the most devastating. I look forward to seeing this name again soon.

The Gift: Review of Midnight Special

Midnight Special

Director: Jeff Nichols

By Alex Watson

A thriller in the vein of Steven Spielberg, Jeff Nichols Midnight Special is a sci-fi movie with a heart. A nod to such classics as Close Encounters, this picture is as much about the bond between father and son as it is about supernatural events. Having Michael Shannon once again anchoring his picture gives Nichols a protagonist who is all about survival. What precisely are the abilities of the special child on display? And just how priceless is he to humanity?

Roy Tilden (Michael Shannon) takes his son Alton (Jaeden Lieberher) from a religious cult and goes on the run with cop Lucas (Joel Edgerton). This 8-year has a gift which is not from this earth and both the NSA and FBI are taking a big interest in him. It is clear that Alton has a destiny to fulfil, but what exactly will this involve? Also, when it comes full circle, how will this affect life as we know it?

Smartly in Midnight Special, Nichols limits the amount of backstory we know about the pairing of Roy and Alton and we open with them driving through rural Texas at night. Almost immediately it is made apparent that Alton is no ordinary boy and his glowing eyes behind his blue goggles make us uneasy. The cult seemed to rely heavily on his influence and now federal authorities are wondering how this child got hold of classified coordinates? Early on there is a magnificent sense of unease as the trio have to creep their way through the darkness. One shocking sequence sees Lucas turn on his car lights at the most unfortunate moment which will lead to their cover nearly being blown.

Nichols' picture is more about humanity that the beings above it. Roy's love of his son knows no bounds and frequently he steps in the way of danger to allow their plan to move forward. Lucas makes for a fine conflicted partner who finds himself worrying more about Alton's wellbeing than the plan going well. A former cop, he makes for a smart yet compassionate voice. Adam Driver's NSA analyst Paul Servier also comes off well as he is the only agent to see past the big opportunity presented. The boy and his abilities are seen as having great benefit to the nation, what makes this all the more unnerving is we are not sure precisely how dangerous they are?

Frequently we are given short bursts of stunning visual effects such as Alton pulling down a government satellite from the sky. As the pieces rain down in a meteor storm upon a gas station, this provides a big jump. At the anticipated finale, the dazzling visual effects are almost second to the love and compassion on display. All the way through Midnight Special the main theme has been parents love for their child and Nichols makes sure this isn't a point that is missed. There are no big speeches or reaffirming of love, the pained and longing expressions say far more.

Michael Shannon gives an impassioned turn as father Roy and gives the movie its emotional cell. Always a great presence in movies, Shannon is a tough yet gentle soul who will protect Alton until his dying breath. Fast becoming one of this centuries most watchable talents, Shannon is on great form here. Joel Edgerton refuses to be upstaged and gives a turn that matches his co-star, Lucas is a man who lives by a strict moral code but doesn't flinch when asked to go above it. Edgerton is both the movies muscle and its voice of reason. Kirsten Dunst however, is stranded in an underdeveloped role as Alton's mother. After delighting us in St Vincent, Jaeden Lieberher is once again excellent and is becoming another youth talent to watch.

Midnight Special may just be the dark horse of 2016 and this is a movie with a brain and a soul. Prepare to ask yourself some big question about what lies beyond the stars as you exit.

Party Hard: Review of Everybody Wants Some!!

Everybody Wants Some!!

Director: Richard Linklater

By Alex Watson

You will struggle to find a funnier and naturally charming movie than Richard Linklater's Everybody Wants Some!! in 2016. Infectious from the first frame, this movie catches fire and is a great dosage of dopey summer fun. With a belting 80s soundtrack, it is clear to see why Linklater has labelled this film a spiritual sequel to his 1993 classic Dazed and Confused. Rarely has college freshman having fun seemed so damn appealing.

Jake (Blake Jenner) arrives at a prominent Texas college for his freshman year where he is a promising pitcher on the baseball team. Immediately he finds himself hazed but universally accepted by the other characters Finn (Glen Powell), stoner Willoughby (Wyatt Russell) and Roeper (Ryan Guzman). Quickly he endears himself to attractive red-head Beverley (Zoey Deutch) as being the quiet one of the group.

Thankfully Everbody Wants Some!! never once descends into your typical college drunken romp fest and this depiction of life before school time brings a huge smile. The moment Jake arrives he met with destain by All-American prospect Glen McReynolds (Tyler Hoechlin) who hates pitchers. Despite this he seems to fit in just fine and watching the new teammates gleefully rapping along to Sugar Hill Gang sparks a great bond. In Linklater's film, there are no hard choices to be made, no life-affirming decisions, just a group of bro's looking to have as much fun as they can. This picture takes their partying to all places such as country line dancing, a punk rock club and even a bizarre party for drama majors.

The bond betweens guys makes this picture the most likeable and although there is occasion friction these guys look like a winning team. Their coach demands there be no drinking and no girls, which is quickly disregarded in favour of no-limits fun. There are some weird apples like tightly wound Detroit pitcher Niles (Juston Street) who instigates heated fights and country boy Billy (Will Brittain) who seemed a little too much under his girlfriend's thumb. Players like Finnegan are the guys you want to be friends with as he seems to talk the talk the ladies love. Men like Plummer who good hearts but very much fill the weird quota.  Jake is told early on by Willoughby to let loose and "Just be weird!" which he takes very much to heart.

Any thoughts about college or the future are secondary compared to living in the moment. McReynold is a major league prospect and Niles has already been drafted but opted out of major league stardom to pursue college life first. This easy-going feel is what gives Linklater's film so much heart. Also, it is impressive just how easily the story rolls together, Boyhood was a story that covered numerous periods of a boy's life, here Linklater focuses on the innocence of before real adulthood. Will these guys make it all the way through? That question might have to wait for another installment, but it will be the last thing on our minds as we think about the good times that were had.

Blake Jenner emerges as a future star and is easily the most likable lead as Jake. With a magnetic charisma and a sweet central soul, Jenner is the boyish good looks of Linklater's film. Glen Powell perhaps steals the show as the talkative and philosophical Finnegan. You have all met this guy, he is the one who seems born with a silver tongue and always has a good use for it. Powell is the funny side of this world which compared to Juston Street's terrifying Niles is a good thing. This ensemble together makes one of the finest casts that will be assembled in 2016 and you hope and pray they all get together soon.

Everybody Wants Some!! is a movie that deserves your time and will make you wish this had been your college experience. Linklater back on old turf feels good and you can never predict what will come next from this guy?

Lucky Strike: Review of Eye in the Sky

Eye In The Sky

Director: Gavin Hood

By Alex Watson

A gripping and powerful thriller, Gavin Hood's Eye in the Sky is a haunting insight into the fall-out caused by war. Sporting a suspenseful against the clock feel, every second in this picture applies more pressure to the already dangerous scenario. Helen Mirren and Alan Rickman provide a great offensive push to their characters as political and propaganda pressure begins to build. As always in this these tales, there is no happy ending to be had.

Colonel Katherine Powell (Helen Mirren) has been on the trail of a group of terrorists and has finally tracked them to a location in Kenya. Eager to give the order for a drone strike, all seems straight forward until a young girl walks into sight. Soon things become complicated for both Powell and her superior Lt. General Benson (Alan Rickman) who face pressure from home and abroad to minimize the collateral damage. What could the consequence be if the order to fire is given?

Eye in the Sky is a war movie played out mainly from the backrooms and it demonstrates how in modern warfare, sometimes the most important decisions are made from far away. There is no big gun battle and it seems no-one is overly keen to attract an international incident. Powell is part of a four-man team in a London bunker, who finally has a target she has been waiting for pinned down. The roles of good and bad guys are always changing and when a girl selling bread steps into the kill zone that is when the tension cranks up. Everyone in this piece like its audience watches from a distance such as U.S drone pilot Steve Watts (Aaron Paul), powerless and free from blame. The only man here getting his hands dirty is Somali agent Jama (Barkhad Abdi) who is faced with spying inside the danger zone.

Smartly nobody in this piece is made out as the good guy and the parallels between right and wrong soon become blurred. Sat at an expensive table, Benson along with other members of British Parliament all concerned with the legality of the situation and are keen to deflect any potential propaganda. They all acknowledge Powell's concern that this their once to nail several wanted targets, but the blow up from this situation is a bigger worry. Frequently decision making is delayed in favour of escalating the situation up the chain. Time is against them and the implications are clear but still they insist on keeping their hands clean. Powell is a soldier faced with a hard task and Hood does a good job of presenting how affecting this can be.

There is a harrowing psychological edge to Hood's movie that even the audience feels to the core. Are Powell, Benson or even Watts not at fault for both given and obeying orders? Will the possible death of this innocent girl play on their conscience or can they sweep it aside? Like all war films, there is a sense that nothing will quite be the same after this. One scene sees a female politician berate Benson for giving the order while safely away. In response, he coldly rebuffs her lack of knowledge with "never tell a soldier that he does not know the cost of war!" This movie also asks smart questions of what could be, is the death of one girl a bigger deal than this terrorist group potentially blowing a public place sky high? Even the audience is put in the driving seat and the questions will go on.

Helen Mirren is superb as the committed soldier Powell and she gives her character a fine steely persona. Powell is desperate to land her targets but is still forced to wait and respect the chain of command. Watching her having sit idly whilst politicians joust with each other is like baiting a bear. Mirren succeeds in giving a realistic impression of the hard choices she is having to make. This film also gives us the final on-screen performance of the great Alan Rickman. As Benson, Rickman gives a fine performance that could have been an Oscar long shot. Benson is a leader who hates having military decisions interfered with and although he is keen to take the shot- he is forced to sit still. A presence like his will always be missed in cinema.

Eye in the Sky is a thriller that is high on octane thrills but is also very morally conflicting. Expect to ask some hard questions afterward.