We are getting another live action Jungle Book movie, and I’m okay with it.
Everyone needs an origin story these days. Even Mowgli the little guy from The Jungle Book. Yes we are only a few years removed from Disney’s massive success that was the live action adaptation of this beloved child story, but this time Andy Serkis is taking the reigns. I’ll be honest if this was any other person, I would be concerned but the master of motion capture has my attention.
I know it’s tough to follow in the footsteps of the previous incarnation, at the time it was one of Disney’s highest grossing movies, critics and fan rejoice at the home run that Jon Favreau provided us with. So Andy has some pretty shoes to fill. But with him behind the scenes and the all star roster he has put together, this has the makings to be great. It will be so difficult to top the previous one, but this time around they are going dark and really digging into Mowgli’s origin.
They needed a fresh take on the subject matter, perhaps no signing no dance routines, more serious and grounded and that is kind of WBs bread and butter. I’m not going to write this movie off because the trailer didn’t absolutely blow me away, can’t be to critical and harsh on teaser trailers. This has all the makings of being a fun ride at the movies with some serious potential upside.
As they say, the force is strong with this one. The Last Jedi is finally here! The latest StarWars epic has finally arrived and well, people are divided. It’s the longest film in the series to date, and is chalked full of epic moments and twists and turns. I saw this Thursday night, but wanted to wait a few days before writing my review, because for movies such as these I wanted it to sink in and marinate a little bit. I loved this movie, I think over time it may very well be regarded as the greatest Star Wars ever made. The Internet and fans alike might not agree with that statement. Going into The Last Jedi, there was a ton of speculation about certain things, who Rey’s parents would be? Who was Snoke? What happened between Luke and Kylo Ren? All of these questions are answered in some way shape or form. I think that people were thinking one thing was going to happen and got another, and what they WANTED to happen, didn’t. So they thought the movie was “bad” because they didn’t get what they wanted. I think that is a huge problem with Star Wars fans, because you’re not always going to get what you want, but that doesn’t mean that thing is bad. I won’t spoil anything that happens in this movie, because that would be unfair, I will tread lightly around certain situations and characters.
First things first Rian Johnson (director) has gone out and made a thematically rich, emotionally nuanced and narratively subversive blockbuster movie. Most big budget movies often lack substance; good story telling and mainly rely on explosions and CGI. People think this is so far from what we have become accustomed to when it comes to StarWars, that they feel Rian Johnson has some what destroyed this franchise, well he reinvented it. He takes such bold risks and tells such a rich story, it’s really impressive on what he accomplished. There is a ton of pressure that comes with helming something that so many people hold so close and dear to their hearts. I think he did as good of job than anyone could have asked of him. The new droids, planets, landscapes and the entire aesthetic of The Last Jedi simply build on what JJ Abrams was able to accomplish in The Force Awakens. Crait a planet where the last battle takes place. The white and red minerals, the red salt standing out so clearly during the battle, is one of the most beautiful things I’ve seen in a Star Wars movie. The cinematography was just incredible. Throughout the entire movie itself, there are tons of artistic shots, that will make great one shot pieces, and images that will stand out in fans minds until the end of time. The whole movie deals with failures, and overcoming the failures. What happens to us when we fail, how do we respond? Almost everyone in this movie sets out on a certain goal or task and in the end, ultimately fails at the very thing they set out to do. We learn later in the movie, that failure is okay, it’s a part of life and it’s a part of growing as a person. People fail all the time, failure makes us stronger, makes us smarter. It was something I didn’t pick up on until after the movie, but failure is such a big part of this story. There is one thing that happens towards the end of the movie, you think the movie is about to take a MASSIVE risk, and they bail last second on it. The cop out, the way they get out of it, is so utterly insane, that I wonder how they felt this was a good idea. I wish I could talk about it more, but it involves Finn and Rose, and it was without a doubt the worst part, and one of the stupidest things I’ve seen in a movie in a long time. Especially with the timing of this event, it was just a real head scratcher.
This is a StarWars movie through and through. I mentioned it taking bold risks and trying to expand on this forever-growing universe, and it opens the doors to so many possibilities with the final installment, which we will receive in two years. From the opening music, before the always-epic scrawl, the opening shot of outer space, the light sabre fights, and just classic Star Wars moments. The story is pretty simple, Rey (Daisy Ridley) searches out Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) to get her proper training, Finn (John Bodega) meets a new girl Rose (Kelly Marie Tran) and they are trying to find Rey and lead her far away from the First Order. Poe (Oscar Issac) is struggling with becoming a leader, and the leader that the Resistance needs. While Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher) is just trying to keep the remaining resistance fighters calm and well, safe. Meanwhile Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) is trying to figure out where he belongs in this world, and what he really wants. The cast is fantastic, this is the best Mark Hamill performance we have ever gotten, and it can be said with Carrie Fisher. They both shine, and always steal the scene they are in. With the passing of Carrie this past year, it was only fitting that we got to see her at her best in this movie, and you could tell she really gave it her all. As for everyone’s favorite Jedi, Luke Skywalker, this is what people are torn on. I get and I understand the direction they took Luke in this movie. I’ll just leave it at that, because anything more would enter spoiler territory.
For me, this whole movie was all about Kylo Ren, who is built like a brick shit house I might add. Adam Driver gives one hell of a performance in this movie. Movies these days, well they lack great villains. Who was the villain in Doctor Strange, or Justice League that just came out? How about Spider-Man Homecoming? Kylo Ren is for me, is the best villain since Heath Ledgers Joker. From the actual character to the performance of the actor playing that character. You feel for this guy, Kylo is conflicted, he wants to be bad, but part of him is good. This is evident in one particular moment in the first act of the movie. He wants nothing more than to impress Snoke, who openly mocks him about his helmet, which is destroys in a fit of rage after being criticized by Snoke. After TheForce Awakens came out, everyone thought of Kylo as a spoiled little brat, an Emo kind of villain, where unlike his dear old Grand Father, Darth Vader, where Storm troopers would fear him. They kind of just don’t want to be around Kylo, because he is well a brat. You see the pain in his eyes, the conflict on who he wants to become. When you start to learn about his past, and what he has gone through, you start to feel for his character. He is so full of rage and hate, and once he throws his helmet away, you can see that on his face for the rest of the movie. He wants Rey to join him, he wants the pair of them to rule the galaxy together, he has a soft spot for Rey, and feels like he can open up and share his thoughts and feelings with her. I just think Kylo is a very compelling and complex villain, one who will stand out for many years to come, it helps that Driver gives such a fantastic performance. It also helps that he’s part of probably the best scene in StarWars history. I can’t wait to see where they take his character and what’s in store for him, in the final chapter. Because his story isn’t finished, he is “unfinished evil,” where I think we have only seen the tip of the evil iceberg for Kylo Ren, which spells trouble for Rey and the resistance.
People are having a really hard time letting go of the past. Even Kylo Ren has a line of dialogue in the movie. “Let the past die,” he says. “Kill it, if you have to. That’s the only way to become what you were meant to be.” That bears true in the movie, and in real life. These new movies are moving in a new direction, moving away from the past (Luke, Leia, Han Solo) and moving forward with our new heroes and villains. People are having a hard time doing so, especially those who have been with this franchise since 1977. They want to remember and hang onto this epic and wonderful characters for as long as possible, and now that the end is in sight for most of them, people are having a difficult time letting go. In order for something new to grow, usually something old must die, these new movies was about telling a new adventure with new characters, and not about the ones we grew up with, and everyone should be okay with that. Luke Skywalker was not meant to be the main character and center of attention of this new trilogy. It’s the second biggest opening weekend of all time, 93% on Rotten Tomatoes. But here is why the Internet is divided; the audience score is sitting at 56%. I think that has a lot to do with what I mentioned earlier and people not getting what they wanted. This is not a bad movie; hell it’s an incredible movie going experience. It’s beautiful; the score is epic, great performances all around. People are upset certain things didn’t go their way; I think they need to get over that and give this movie another watch.
Overall, this has one of the best space battles ever, in my opinion the best light sabre fight scenes, and the best performances given in any Star Wars movie. It builds on already so much rich history, it’s such a great story, with some flaws, but with a movie this big in scale, that will happen. It’s full of incredible moments, breath taking visuals and a lot of laughs. I found myself a little emotional during certain moments; you really get caught up in it all. That’s what you want when you’re sitting in the theatre. This is a really great epic Star Wars movie that shouldn’t be missed. Give it time, fans will come back around to seeing this as a great movie, they are just salty right now.
Check ya later.
Nate’s Movie Tour Reviews – The Last Jedi = 92/100
Well this certainly cured the Monday blues. Sunday scaries were hitting pretty hard last night and this was a nice little treat to wake up too. Black Panther is ultra badass and this entire trailer is truly something unique and something we really haven’t seen from a Marvel movie before. Is the Rocky universe part of the Marvel universe? Because that would be a crossover I would love to see. Ryan Coogler the director is really putting his stamp on this movie, and making it his own. It’s very urban looking, insanely colourful, and just all around world building.
Tons of action is going on throughout the trailer, but very little about the actual story line is known up to this point. I pointed out that this trailer feels very “world-building” where we are not in a modern city like most Marvel movies or in space for the GOTG and Thor franchises. We are seeing things we have yet to uncover and discover in this trailer and everything just looks spectacular. We have gotten a slew of trailers lately and I think this is really close to being my favourite one. It’s right there with The Last Jedi trailer.
The cast is just fantastic but I can’t stress enough how excited I am to see Michael B Jordan tackle the role of a villain. He’s one of my favourite actors working today, and I’m really excited to see his take on this character. Seriously this is one of the best all around casts in a comic book movie that I can remember, there are so many talented people working on this movie, it really is something special. I’m not really sure what’s going on with the suits, but it looks pretty awesome, I’m excited to get to learn more about Black Panther and where he comes from.
Ryan Coogler cares deeply about all of his projects and the fact he also is getting a writing credit for Black Panther speaks volumes. I know there is going to be a ton of passion and heart behind the camera and in the script, so that’s why I have tremendous faith in this movie. He’s coming off Creed which was one of my favourite movies of that year, so he’s got a great track record. There’s just too much to love about the entire project for me not to realize that Marvel has another home run on their hands. Look for this one to break the mould on the cookie cutter formula we are all so accustomed too when it comes to these Marvel movies, I think this one is going to be special.
Are you fucking kidding me – I’m sorry for cursing.
(Disney)
Just when you thought the hype for this movie couldn’t be any bigger, they go ahead and drop this trailer on us. ARE YOU KIDDING ME? This trailer is about to break some records and the internet I would imagine, because it’s damn near perfect. Yeah, I’m sure there will be Star Wars hardos out there that think they spoiled a few things, but remember to never really take anything you see in a trailer in full context. They are really good at editing these things to make you believe something that probably won’t happen.
But that trailer was the real deal, Rian Johnson, I believe you are on your way to making the best Star Wars movie ever. This looks absolutely stunning, some of the visuals are just gorgeous. After seeing Blade Runner 2049 this past week, I’m not going to lie, that I kind of felt the same way for some of the visuals in this trailer than I did for Blade Runner. There is a ton to process in this thing, they are hinting at a TON of things to come, without really revealing how those things are actually going to happen. Luke appears to be afraid of Rey almost because she is so powerful, so powerful that I have a feeling she might be hiding something or will potentially be the person who kills Luke. Again not to overlook the trailer, but it seemed like Rey and Kylo might team up or at least have a common goal/enemy at the end of this trailer. Is Rey turning bad? Towards the end of the trailer we see her under duress, with Snoke taking control of her. Maybe he gets her to join the dark side, or taps into her powers and is able to control or something. Andy Serkis is menacing as hell voicing that guy, I was really digging his voiceover at the beginning of the trailer. Is Kylo turning good, because they allude to him blowing up a ship with his mother Leia inside of it. Does killing his Mom finally push him over the edge and he can no longer be part of the dark side? Something isn’t quite as it seems with those two and obviously some of our questions will be answered in no time. I just thought it was really cool how Luke wanted no part of Rey after he learns just how powerful she can be.
Finn is back, get it, back? Never mind, all I know is, I want to see throw down with Captain Phasma real bad. Seeing how she was a mere joke in The Force Awakens, I’m glad she will finally be doing some heavy lifting this time around, and going toe-to-toe with Finn. She seems like a pretty awesome character so I hope we really get to see more of her this time around, and just isn’t background noise. The battle that looks to be taking place in a really open giant landscape, will probably be the best part of the movie, every time I see that red mist stuff, I’m just blown away but how beautiful it looks.
Overall I thought this was the best or one of the best movie trailer of 2017, DO NOT put out any more trailers, we do not need them. This was far more than we actually needed, but I’m glad I watched it. There are crazy people out there that won’t watch this, and I could not do that, nor do I think it’s a good idea. They didn’t spoil anything really, because like I said, we don’t know the context of anything in the movie yet, because we haven’t seen the movie yet. So chill out, watch it 100 times like I will, and December 15th can’t get here fast enough
You can call Caesar, in a dark Czar. Please follow the leader.
(FOX)
Remember back in 2011 when FOX decided they were going to reboot the Planet of The Apes franchise, and everyone still had a sour taste in their mouths from the god awful Tim Burton adaptation. Well jokes on us, because 6 years later, not only have 3 incredible new Apes movies dropped, but this could honestly be one of the best trilogies of this century. War For The Planet of The Apes is the newest installment and it didn’t disappoint. I’ve always been a massive fan of this franchise and it really has revolutionized capture motion performances. These movies are story driven, which is rare these days and Caesar is truly a unique and special character. Rise of The Planet of The Apes really did a great job kick starting this franchise, but it wasn’t until Matt Reeves came on for directing duties, that this franchise really got some serious recognition. I can’t state this enough, Matt Reeves is going to do an incredible job at directing The Batman. I can’t wait to see what him and Ben Affleck can do together; I think it has serious potential to be the best Batman movie ever made. Only time will tell, but this review is about Apes not Batman, so let’s get into it.
So this movie picks up a little after the events of Dawn of The Planet of The Apes, and Caesar is still fighting the ape resistance against the humans. The Apes have grown in size, and are getting smarter with each passing day. The human resistance is still hell bent on killing all the apes and taking back their planet. After Koba (the bad ape from Dawn) tried to take down Caesar, now more than ever, all he wants is peace. He didn’t start this war, and he just wants what’s best for him and his ape family. When they are attacked at their home and countless lives are lost, well let’s just say Caesar goes off the deep end. If you’re going into this movie thinking it’s going to be non-stop action, you’re going to be sadly disappointed. Don’t worry there is some action, but this is Caesars swan song. This movie is not an action movie, it’s a story driven drama. It deals with humanity, loss, survival and what it’s like to feel hopeless and alone. I mean that for both the humans and apes in this case. The Colonel (Woody Harrelson) yes that’s all he’s referred too, plays the main bad guy who’s leading the resistance against not only the apes, but other humans as well. You see he’s a ruthless man, who wants to eradicate all the apes, because a new form of disease as been spreading, which causes humans to turn mute, and ultimately return them to their primitive state. Again the apes are being blamed for something that isn’t their fault. The irony of all of this is the humans are responsible for the way the apes are, and now blame them for anything that is wrong in the world. Nature and evolution can be a real bitch sometimes, so the colonel is killing anyone who has a trace of this virus, and that is why another human faction wants to put an end to him. He’s even convinced other apes to fight along side with him, and turned them against their own kind. Now it takes a pretty evil man to do something like that. It was a really interesting dynamic to see apes working along side humans, while fighting other apes. Woody was great in this role, he didn’t really need to say much to be intimidating, and I thought his scenes with Caesar were just fantastic, he really knows how to play a villain, and he was a great addition to the franchise.
Again Andy Serkis is phenomenal in the lead as Caesar, and maybe this time around he could get some Oscar recognition. It’s tough because its motion capture, but then when you actually think about it, and see the final product, it truly is remarkable how this whole movie comes to be. Especially when multiple people that are in scene are doing motion capture for the apes, and at the end of the day, you think you are actually looking at either fully CGI apes, or real animals. These movies have really brought to life, just what you can accomplish with motion capture, the apes are honestly just breathtaking. Not only are the apes incredible to look at, but so is the cinematography. The picture I chose for this review is from my favorite scene in the movie, because just how beautiful it looked. It’s snowing and the apes and the setting is just remarkable, there was something about having the apes roam around in a snow like climate that just made me appreciate what I was watching even more. Like those were three actors in that photo pretending to be apes, and that was the final product, it absolutely blows my mind.
The action we do get to witness comes at you pretty fast, it’s scattered throughout the film, but like I said before, this isn’t an action movie. I was okay with this movie being a slow burn, because it was the conclusion to everything that has come before it. They needed to finish off Caesar’s story and I feel that if this movie was nothing but apes fighting humans it would have taken away from something truly unique they had built for Caesar in the last 6 years. He’s a remarkable character, and one of my favorite movie characters in the last decade. You really just don’t see trilogies like this anymore, which focus more on telling a great story, they are usually just full of action and awful story lines. This is probably the best trilogy since Nolan’s Batman, and I would rank it 2nd behind in for trilogies of the century. I think they did such incredible things, not just from telling a great story, but what these movies have done for the film industry. I’ll miss Caesar and the apes, because with Reeves jumping ship and going to direct Batman, I don’t think FOX with put this franchise in anyone else’s hands. They rap everything up so well too, something that he deserved. I waited a few days to write this review, because at first I didn’t really know what to think about the movie, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized just how special this movie is. There really haven’t been any other movies like this, and I think we have these movies to thank for Disney finally going ahead and creating live action versions of some of our favorites. Jungle Book and Lion King don’t happen if these movies hadn’t come around, but that’s just my opinion. Never forget, apes together strong!
Check ya later.
Nate’s Movie Tour Reviews – War For The Planet of The Apes = 91/100
(MARVEL)Wow, wow, wow! Okay, so one of the best parts of Civil War was the introduction of Black Panther. The king of Wakanda is now getting his very own movie, and my god, this just looks incredible. Ryan Coogler is fresh off his Creed success, I thought it was such a fantastic movie. How he handled the Rocky universe and his ability to tell a great story, can only be a recipe for success when it comes to BlackPanther.
First things first, this cast is remarkably good. The amount of star power is just something you don’t see in a comic book movie. Big stars are certainly involved, it’s just the actual amount of incredible actors and actresses is something truly special. From Michael B. Jordan, Chadwick Boseman, Lupita Nyong’o, Daniel Kaluuya, Angela Bassett and finally Forest Whitaker. Now that’s some serious star power, I can’t wait to see Michael B. Jordan and Daniel Kaluuya play a couple of bad guys. Daniel is coming off playing hero of the century in GetOut, and you always think of Michael as such a sweet and innocent guy in everything he’s in. Wakanda itself looks breathtakingly beautiful, the visuals throughout this trailer, especially shots of Wakanda are just top notch. It’s a nice change of scenery for the MCU, shifting away from either that cosmic look, or the big city feel, that most of the movies have.
Marvel does enjoy following the same cookie cutter formula for every origin story they tell, but this one seems different. Maybe it’s because we have already been introduced to this character, but certainly not his universe or where he comes from. But I got a serious Batman vibe from this trailer, and when he’s lurking up in the trees, it felt like Batman, and that’s only a compliment. I’m really curious to know if Bucky will make his return, seeing how we last saw him going into some sort of hyper sleep at the end of Civil War. I would love to see these two characters interact again, and build on their unique relationship. We also have Martin Freeman and Andy Serkis back in the mix, Serkis is playing bad guy Ulysses Klaw again, the arms dealer from Age of Ultron, and it’s just a nice little reunion for the actors. Seeing how they both stared in The Hobbit movies together.
What can I say, Black Panther is going to be Batman for the MCU. I’m pretty excited to see this thing, and I have a feeling they will have some awesome action sequences throughout it. Some of the hand to hand combat looks amazing, it’s very brutal and face paced, which again makes it feel like Batman. This movie needs to come out sooner rather than later.
There’s no way this isn’t the movie of the summer right?
Okay, first things first. I want all of you to just take a minute. Get down and your knees and say a little prayer to the movie gods, and thank them for having Matt Freakin’ Reeves directing The Batman! Can you believe that, he’s going to tackle the Dark Knight and after watching this trailer I had to wipe the drool off my lip.
Everything about this trailer was just incredible. The visuals are insane, what this team of directors and producers have managed to accomplish with motion capture is revolutionary for the film industry. I just can’t get over how fantastic the apes look, everything just feels so real. You always forget that these are people acting out the apes, but movie technology has come so far in the last little bit, that you sometimes forget these things.
I think this is going to be the last movie, at least this movie will be the end of Caesar’s story. From the looks of it at least, which I’m okay with, he’s been such a great movie character. This has potential to be one of the all time great movie trilogies, and I even think these movies are not underrated, but I don’t think as many people have seen them, that should have. Maybe they just think of the Tim Burton version and say I’ll pass, and I don’t blame them, but these are a must watch for any movie fan.
I’m curious to know what exactly the story is going to be. It seems we have apes fighting along side humans fighting apes, and that seems a little strange to me. So I want to know how that comes to be! Woody Harrelson looks like he will make a kick-ass foil to Andy Serkis’s Caesar.
Just with the tone and style and everything that’s going on, I just know Matt Reeves is the perfect man to direct the next Batman movie. There are even parts in this trailer where it kind of feels like a Batman movie. It’s so doom and gloomy and I think he’s going to nail the look and feel of Gotham City to perfection. Him and Batfleck are going to make for a great dynamic duo.
After this final trailer, I can officially say that I’m most excited too see this movie in the next few months. I really hope it turns out to be everything I want it to be.
