Saturday, August 23, 2014

The New Jungle Book

          The Jungle Book is a Disney animated classic loved by many. With classic movies many people don't like the idea of remaking them. They have a special place in their heart. If your one of those people to the Disney Jungle Book, you might be a little mad about this news. 2 new Jungle Book movies are coming are way. One being made by Disney and the other made by Warner Brothers. You might be thinking "How can Warner Brothers make a Jungle Book movie? The don't have the rights to it." Well, the book The Book Jungle is based off of is in something called public domain and that means any studio can make a movie off of that.
    Let's start of with what we know about the DISNEY'S version of the remake. We know it's going to be directed by John Favreau who has directed the first 2 Iron Man films and Elf. He is a talented filmmaker and Disney likes him. Disney knows how to work with directors really well. They chose the right director for this project. We are going to see a lighter and more happier tone. Probably PG rated. Scarlet Johansoon will be voicing Kaa (The Snake) Idris Elba will be voicing Shere Khan (The Tiger)  , Bill Murray will be voicing Baloo (the Bear), Chrisopher Walken will be voicing King Louie, Ben Kingsly will be voiving Bagheera (the panther) , and recent Academy Award winner Lupita Nyong'o will all be providing voices for the movie. If you are talking about an all-star cast, this is one you have to add in the discussion. This version is going to be a direct live action remake from the original Disney cartoon. The writer of this film is Justin Marks and he doesn't have a lot of film credits.  This one is set to come out October 9th, 2015.
     The second film will be made by Warner Brothers, and directed by non other then Andy Serkis. This will be Serkis's first directing job. You know Serkis from playing Ceaser in the new Planet of the Apes franchise and playing Gollum in the Middle Earth Saga. Serkis will also by Ballo in the film. Other cast members include Academy Award winners Christian Bale who will be voicing the panther Bagheera, Cate Blanchett will be voicing the snake Kaa. The other big names in this is Naomie Harris (Skyfall), and Benedict "freaking" Cumberbatch. Cumberbatch will be voicing the villainous tiger Shere Khan. His voice is perfect voice for a villain as we saw in The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug when he played Smaug. He is such a talented actor. He played Khan in Star Trek: Into Darkness and he did a phenomenal job. Its funny that Cumberbatch will be playing Shere KHAN and he played KHAN in Star Drek: Into Darkness. This one come out a year later on October 21st, 2016. The title for this on is Jungle Book: Origins (stupid title) and is set to be a retelling of the original book which has a much darker tone.
     The real question is which one should you be looking forward to most? They do come out a year apart so you have plenty of time to see them both. The answer to that question is the Warner Brothers Version because, Andy Serkis even though he hasn't directed before, he has had lots of creative input on his characters and the movies he has worked on. He is fantastic at making great characters. And it is going to be a darker tone. Disney has not been so successful at making live action movies recently. I declare the 2010 Alice in Wonderland the worst movie ever made, Maleficent as a bad excuse for a film, The Lone Ranger is in my top 10 worst films of all time, and John Carter was mediocre at best. Disney has Into the Woods coming in December of this year to try and prove them worthy again. The Warner Brothers version is going to have a much darker tone and that should make for a better film.  

Monday, August 11, 2014

Toy Story 3 (2010) Review: Part 5 of 1 Week With Tom

            Your favorite toys are back in the third installment to one of the best franchises in animated and even film history, Toy Story 3.  Every Toy Story film has been no short of amazing. Toy Story 3 is no exception. It is my 3rd favorite Toy Story film but, that is no insult to Toy Story 3. I call Toy Story 3 my second favorite film of the decade so far.
    Like the other 2 films this one has humor. Humor is one of the things that make Pixar so great. They have such a settle sense of humor that is perfect for the type of movie that it is.
    I really like in this one how a toy is the villain. If there was one thing I think the first 2 was missing was a villain that was a toy. This one does and it added something unique to the story. 
    One thing I really appreciated is that they used the time from Toy Story 2 to Toy Story 3. What I mean by that is they made Andy age. They didn't keep him the same age. They have him going to college. That made it for an interesting story. The toys ultimate fear of being put away and nut being played with ever again. 
     The 3rd one reused a lot of material used from the first and second. If you combine the first and the second, you get the third. Granted it's hard to think of new material but, Pixar is so good at telling stories that they could have come up with something fresh and new. 
    Toy Story 3 is well worth watching. I give it a 9/10.

If you want to buy this movie click the link! 
If you want to buy one of the best franchises of all time click on the link to buy the Toy Story Trilogy! 

Sunday, August 10, 2014

Toy Story 2 (1999) Review: Part 4 of "1 Week With Tom"

        Toy Story 2 was about to be a direct to dvd release. It was about to not even go into theaters. The people at Pixar were like "This is to good to go straight to DVD." They were right. Toy Story 2 is currently at one hundred percent on Rotten Tomatoes and what I think is the best animated film of all time and the best Toy Story film. 
    The first Toy Story ended so perfectly it didn't really need a sequel. It wasn't necessary. I'm so glad they did. This movie is one of the few I call a masterpiece. The sequel was funnier then the first one. There so many great one liners especially from Slinky. The sense of humor is so great I found moments where I was laughing so hard I had to rewind the movie so I could watch what I missed. 
    This one made me cry just like the first one. If you have seen this movie you know what scene I'm talking about. The story I liked better then the first. The whole concept of Woody being a part of a very valuable toy collection is not a twist but, a very unique spin to the story that made it that more enjoyable. It even added a little suspense to it.
     All the characters were voiced by the same people but, there was some new additions to the Toy Story cast. Joan Cusack voiced the cowgirl doll Jessie. I wasn't a fan of that choice. Her voice took me out of the movie a little bit but, everything else was extremely well done it didn't take me out of it enough to make me not enjoy it. 
    This is one of the few films I call a true masterpiece. A movie I will give a perfect 10/10 to. 

If you want to buy the best animated movie of all time click on the link!

Saturday, August 9, 2014

Toy Story (1995) Review: Part 3 of "1 week with Tom"

          One of the most beloved films of all time is Toy Story. One of the films that has one-hundred percent on rotten tomatoes for good reason. What PIXAR does so well is they don't make kids movies, they make kid friendly movies. There is some humor in this movie that you won't get as a kid. I watched this movie on repeat in my childhood and I finally get some of the jokes that are in there. There are puns you don't get as a child.  Toy Story is a really funny movie. That's just part of it's charm.
     The whole concept of the story is really cool. Toys come alive when their owner is not there or not looking. This idea could have been really stupid if they didn't do it right. They did it right. The story was very creative. They added heart and a compelling story line to make it an engaging movie that doesn't make you bored. PIXAR is great at telling amazing stories. There also really good at making you cry. Yes, I did cry in this movie. They make the characters connect to you so you feel for them. 
     The characters are great. Toy Story mainly focuses on Woody and Buzz but, they really focus on developing Woody. Woody is a real jerk at the beginning then all throughout the movie you see him transform to a humble toy. Buzz stays the same character throughout the whole movie and that works for the concept of the story. Hanks and Allen do such a good job at voicing the characters that I can't imagine any one else doing so.
     Toy Story is a great and cute movie. The first half is better then the second but that doesn't take away anything from the movie. I give Toy Story a 9.5/10.

You definitely need to own this movie. This is one of the movies that everyone needs to own. So if you want this movie "Of course you want this movie" click on the link! 

Friday, August 8, 2014

Captain Phillips (2013) Review: Part 2 of "1 Week With Tom"

          For part 2 of "1 Week With Tom" I will be reviewing the 6 time Oscar nominated film (including Best Picture) Captain Phillips. The film inspired by the true event of the 2009 Somali Pirates hijacking upon the the US-Flagged MV Maersk Alabama, the first American cargo ship  to be hijacked in 200 years. 
    Tom Hanks plays the captain of that ship, Captain Phillips. He does a fantastic job doing it. He goes one-hundred percent into the role and you can totally tell that. He is the best part of the movie. This is one of the movies where one actor does an amazing job (Hanks in this case), and it makes everyone else seem "meh." The guy who got nominated for an Academy Award (Barkhad Abdi) didn't deserve that nomination. He didn't embrace the role as much as he could. He even over-acted or under-acted. Either way he didn't connect to the audience as much as he could've to make for an even better movie watching experience.
     Paul Greengrass is such a talented film maker. I love the the last two Bourne films he directed (The Bourne Supremacy and the Bourne Ultimatum) and was really excited to see what he could bring to this type of film. He does a good directing job. He does a good job of enforcing the tone of the film to make you worry of what is going to happen next for the first time you watch it. The one thing this movie is missing is a re-watchable factor. You don't get the same experience as you do the first time you watch it. Unlike Cast Away your not on the edge of seat the whole time if your watching it for the 3rd, 4th, 5th time. You are still getting a film experience that is one of the best of 2013. 
     The first time you watch this film it's a masterpiece. The second time you watch it it's still a masterpiece. The 3rd time it falls short of a masterpiece but still an amazing film. I would give this movie an 8/10. 
     
     

Wednesday, August 6, 2014

Cast Away (2000) Review: Part 1 of "1 Week With Tom"

          This is the first review of my 7 part movie review series I will call "1 Week With Tom." From August 6th to August 12th I will be reviewing 7 movies of my favorite actor, Tom Hanks. Along with Cast Away I'll be reviewing Captain Phillips, Toy Story 1,2, and 3, Big, and my favorite movie of all time Forrest Gump. 
    Cast Away is a movie about a FedEx executive (Hanks) who gets in a plane crash and gets stranded on a deserted island and must test him self emotionally and physically in order to survive. 
    This movie is directed by one of my favorite directors Robert Zemeckis who directed the Back to the Future Trilogy and Forrest Gump. You know a director is good when you can watch a film and 100 percent know that a certain director directed it. From the first 5 minutes of the film you can tell it's Zemeckis's. He did the film in such a way that your always on the edge of your seat. The films style is that if you have seen this movie a bunch of times before you totally forget what happens. You totally forget if he gets off the island or not. Your still breathing heavily and on the edge of your seat even if you've seen it 3,4,5, even 6 times. The movie never gets old.
    It always amazes me how an actor can carry a movie without any dialogue. At the beginning before the plane crash there is a regular amount of dialogue. When he is on the island there is very little to no dialogue. It's amazing how Hanks is able to take you along his journey and keep you interested and engaged when he hardly even speaks! This movie proves why Hanks is one of the best of all time. 
    I really enjoyed the cinematography. Cinematography is one of the most important parts if you want to make a movie from good to great. It did exactly that for this movie.
    This is a movie with no negatives. This movie ranks 4th of all time. So I give it a perfect 10/10. 


Check back tomorrow for Part 2 of "1 Week With Tom" where I will be reviewing Captain Phillips!!

Get on Up Review

          Get On Up is a biopic about James Brown, the most influential musician in the 20th century. It stars Chadwick Boseman (who played Jackie Robinson in 42) as the leading role. This movie could've been one of the years best and it fell short of reaching that. 
    Biopics can either be really entertaining or they can not get your attention and you find yourself not caring. Get on Up was structured horribly. They continuously went back in time like you would expect in a movie about someones life but, they did it in the wrong way. One scene they had the movie set in 1993, then in the next seen you see a random little boy. You see him with his mom in their house in the woods and you think to your self "How is this relevant?" Then 5minutes into the scene you see the time code go back into the 1930s. The filmmakers just seem like you should be smart enough to just assume that the little boy was a small James Brown. It had me confused. It did that throughout the whole movie and really took me out of it.
    Chadwick Boseman's performance was completely outstanding! He did incredible in the role. It's definitely out standing. I still like James McAvoy's performance in X-Men: Days of Future Past better but Boseman's performance was by far one of the best we've seen this year. He deserves an Oscar Nomination extremely bad. The other performances were good. No one did outstanding like Boseman did. He was a really good dancer and he did a good job at imitating James Brown's voice. Boseman had a surprisingly good voice. Boseman just embraced the character of James Brown so well all the other actors looked "meh." 
     Get On Up didn't connect with the audience at all. You could tell the filmmakers knew that. They had James Brown brake the 4th wall at times and it didn't work at all. It made the situation worse. It took me out of the film even more. 
     The direction of the film was really well done. Tate Taylor did the most he could with the script. I can't give any credit to the story because it all really happened. I don't know how much was actually real but, it was really interesting.  James Brown's life gave its self to make a good interesting story for a biopic. I'm glad they used what they did.
    Get On Up was a slight disappointment. I like 42 better but Boseman did a much better performance in Get On Up. The only Oscar I see coming from this movie is Best Leading Actor. I give this movie a 5.5/10.