Jack Henry's Year in Film - Week 8
Not much to say only that next week I’ll be heading up to Columbia, MO to the TRUE/FALSE Film Festival. I’ll be hanging out with my good friend Asher and watching a bunch of brand new documentary films. I’m super excited and I’ll be spreading those reviews out over the next two weeks (cause we’ll be screening a lot). So stay tuned for that!
Enjoy:
WEEK 8
MONDAY (2/19) - Allied - Robert Zemeckis
It’s easy to see the influences of Casablanca in a film like Allied and not just because a majority of the film takes place in the renowned city during war-time. It’s that classic style that that saturates the modern story. It feels like it could have been made over sixty years ago (minus the sex, swearing, and graphic violence). Unfortunately, style is the best thing going for Allied, as it lacks a lot of emotional substance. Aside from a few tense moments, which were well done I might add, the emotion of the film feels a little too sentimental for the grim subject matter. Brad Pitt does give a good performance (at least by the end) and Marion Cotillard (as always) is excellent. While Allied by no means stands up to classics like Casablanca, and it’s probably unfair to even compare them, Robert Zemeckis skillfully returns to an era of stylistic classicism.
MY RATING: 7.5/10
TUESDAY (2/20) - The Jungle Book - John Favreau
So, remember a couple weeks ago when I said that I didn’t like the Beauty and the Beast live-action remake because it felt like a shot-for-shot remake of the animated version. Well, where Beauty and the Beast went oh-so-wrong, the live-action Jungle Book went oh-so-right. John Favreau’s version of The Jungle Book feels fresh but still touches upon the nostalgia of the animated version. The story, while still containing the basic plot of the original, adds some fresh ideas to the table. I think having an emphasis on the antagonist, Shere Khan, voiced excellently by Idris Elba, was one of its strongest choices. Shere Khan added a great deal of tension to each scene. I felt like he had the essence of a real tiger, something that lacked in the animated version. Overall plot could have been structured better. It felt like Mowgli just hopped around to different situations. The casting choices were really great. I especially liked Christopher Walken as the explosive and massive King Louie but felt like his song was forced, specifically after Bear Necessities, which felt very natural. I wasn’t a huge fan of the ending to this one though. I would have much rather preferred Mowgli returning to his village.
MY RATING: 8/10
WEDNESDAY (2/21) - Mute - Duncan Jones
The son of David Bowie making a Blade Runner styled sci-fi noir: what could go wrong? Apparently, a lot! Seriously, this movie isn’t just bad; it’s almost unwatchable. Really, the only thing going for this film is its visuals (which are even kinda funky at times) and antagonist Paul Rudd (that ‘stache though). The plot is confusingly chaotic, and not in a good way. As someone who prides themselves on understanding Inception on their first viewing (that’s a joke by the way), I really had no idea what was happening until around three quarters of the way through. This really sucks because I was a big fan of Duncan Jones’ first feature Moon and was actually looking forward to this. So, that being said, save yourself two hours, do something worthwhile, do something not worthwhile, just don’t watch this movie.
MY RATING: 1.5/10
THURSDAY (2/22) - Oh, Hello On Broadway - Michael John Warren and Alex Timbers
Nick Kroll and John Mulaney dress up as old people, Gil Faizon and George St. Geegland respectively, and spend just under two hours yelling at each other, making crude jokes, and breaking the fourth wall. It’s really a lot of fun. Now, technically this isn’t a movie but a Netflix special of a Broadway, but whatever, I’ll count it. It does feel less like a Broadway and more like a stand-up special with a loose plot. Not being a fan of stand-up, some of the jokes fell flat for me, a lot of this due to the nature of observational humor. But overall it’s a lot of fun; Kroll and Mulaney play great senile old men. So grab yourself an overstuffed tuna sandwich and enjoy.
MY RATING: 7/10
FRIDAY (2/23) - Logan Lucky - Steven Soderbergh
Logan Lucky is sort of like a spin-off sequel to the Ocean’s Trilogy and it also doesn’t hurt that they both share the same director, Steven Soderbergh, back from “retirement”. Now, Logan Lucky, doesn’t quite hit the same smart heist beats that Ocean’s 11 does, but it makes up for that in sentiment. I feel like I connected with the Logan family, made up of Channing Tatum, Adam Driver, and Riley Keough, better than with Ocean’s band of misfits. It’s that familial aspect of the film that really shine through. Adam Driver, who is becoming one of my favorite actors, is excellent as the oafish, one armed, brother of Channing Tatum’s character. I especially like Daniel Craig in this movie. He loses all essence of Bond in his role as the kooky, redneck, explosive expert, inmate. This film was seriously some high-octane fun and I highly recommend it.
MY RATING - 8.5/10
As I will have to watch a little over 250 movies this year I would greatly appreciate some suggestions. Feel free to leave some in the comment section. Or if you want a recommendation don’t hesitate to ask.