Director Paul Feig and his cast of four female leads talked Ghostbusters reboot yesterday at CinemaCon 2016. Feng stayed as generic as possible, promising plenty of scares and edge while remaining family friendly.
Here’s what Feig had to say:
Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, Leslie Jones, and Kate McKinnon also discussed this new look Ghostbusters. They mentioned their love for the original, what the new one has to offer, and their genuine excitement for the film. Again, some generic stuff to pump up the film.
The new Spider-Man, Tom Holland, spoke to reporters at the Captain America: Civil War premiere last night. He talks about playing Spidey, about the responsibilities with one of Marvel’s most iconic characters, and the first few days on set.
Walt Disney Pictures has adapted several of its animated classics into live action features over the past few years, mostly to mixed results. It’s a tough game to play; animation allows for such fantastical adventures that don’t always translate well to film. However, when it’s done well, it can yield spectacular results. The company’s latest attempt, The Jungle Book, is that kind of success.
This is a movie fueled by vision effects, and it looks gorgeous. It’s a CGI wonderland, the filmmakers have made no secret of it, but that’s honestly easy to forget while watching the story unfurl. The jungle could easily pass for authentic to an unsuspecting eye. Heck, it may actually be more visually appealing than the real thing. With a rehashed story, Disney had to set this film apart somehow, and the VFX do the job. Its an utter marvel to behold, not just the effects, but the idea that there’s really a place on Earth that looks like that. A whole essay could be written about the beauty and elegance conveyed by the artists that did this work, but it really should be seen first hand.
Seeing it in 3D also completely enhances the experience, and that’s coming from someone who normally detests that option. It gives tremendous depth to the jungle. When Mowgli is running on tree limbs and doing other death defying stunts, the scenery is totally engulfing and leave you in awe. 3D normally plays as a gimmick, but it feels right in this case.
Jon Favreau continues to prove himself as a master of his craft. He composes shots in this picture that sets it apart from other CGI adventures of its kind and gives it a sense of realism. He simply knows how to engage an audience with his direction, and it shows here. The Jungle Book pulls you in and keeps you there for all 105 minutes. It’s a cinematic adventure, and its hard to imagine that it would have been as good with anyone but Favreau at the helm.
Now alongside Favreau’s direction, most of this film’s anticipation was built around the star-studded voice cast. Luckily, they did not disappoint; each performer clearly gave it their all and aided in making this adaption memorable. Bill Murray was charmingly funny as Balloo, Ben Kingsley exuded sophistication and sagacity as Bagheera, Idris Elba instilled terror as Shere Khan, and Lupita Nyong’o warmed hearts as Mowgli’s wolf-mother Raksha. Even Scarlett Johansson, whose Kaa the snake played a disappointingly minuscule role, stood out strongly. And its important to note that the actors didn’t just emulate the performances given in the 1967 animated version. They made each role their own, and in turn helped separate this work from its predecessor.
The most impressive performance though belongs to Neel Sethi as Mowgli. This was the kid’s first film performance, and that alone earns him props because he didn’t flat out suck. In fact, he was good. Add the fact that he was acting against characters that weren’t really there, and he was damn good. He blended into the story and became the Man Cub; he wasn’t just some kid actor that the pros had to act around.
The Jungle Book has heart in spades. Its a visual thrill ride, but at its core it’s a movie about family, togetherness, and standing united. To be honest, its heart can get a little too big and teeters on the edge of cheesy at times, but thats easily forgiven. It is a Disney movie after all; children (and adults) need stories that inspire them, and that gives them an ideal to strive towards. Plus, we’re living in a post Batman v Superman world now, and moviegoers deserve a sense of hope once in a while.
There is one other strange issue that I had with the film. Towards the end of the second act, Mowgli is stolen away to the monkey temple. Overall, this is hands down one of the best sequences in the flick. It’s scary, a little funny, and Christopher Walken absolutely crushes it as King Louie. He’s played up as a menacing mob boss figure, and it works to a brilliant degree. It’s different, and a major step up from Louis Prima’s kid-friendly interpretation. But the filmmakers still tried to slip in a nod to the animated original, and it doesn’t fit. It’s way out of left field, and it both muddles and slows down an otherwise strong scene. It was done earlier with a different character as well; that time worked ten times better, and it should have been the only attempt.
Ultimately, Disney did one of the hardest things a studio can do: they took a tale that everyone has heard since childhood and kept it fresh. The Jungle Book is a spectacle to behold, and a triumph in visual storytelling. It may not be a new story, but its enjoyable nonetheless, and a great time at the movies for all ages.
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The Jungle Book opens everywhere this Friday, April 15th.
Tom Holland talked with the media at the Sony Pictures’ CinemaCon presentation Tuesday night about what it means to be Spider-Man and how excited he is to finally be able to talk about the project.
Holland will make his first appearance as Spider-Man in Captain America: Civil War on May 6.
Spider-Man: Homecoming is directed by Jon Watts, and stars Holland, Marisa Tomei as Aunt May, and Zendaya.
Spider-Man: Homecoming will be released July 7, 2017.
For many the 90s are considered one of the worst era for comic books. Between Dark Knights falling, Men of Steel dying, clone sagas and Rob Liefeld’s love of pouches, it seemed that storytelling was sacrificed to accommodate the emergence of the concept of the super-star artist and unless your comic was extreme, nobody would care about it. It wasn’t all bad, however, as the 90s also gave us sublime Batman: The Animated Series and with it, the introduction of Harley Quinn. Harley’s origin story; Mad Love is a seminal piece that examines her relationship with the Joker and shows how the bright young psychiatrist was driven to madness. It’s a powerful work that tragically portrays a type of relationship that is all to prevalent within society and it’s something that every comic fan should take the time to read. Harley Quinn’s popular has sky-rocketed since the publication of that story, leading to her incorporation into the main DC universe, joining the ranks of Task Force X aka the Suicide Squad and the launch of her first ongoing series in 2o14. Harley’s ongoing series is one that has received quite a bit of controversy with many claiming that has sacrificed some of the characters’ nuance for the sake of transforming her into DC’s Deadpool. With upcoming her live-action film premiere in Suicide Squad, it was inevitable that DC would seek to push a number of Harley-centric titles. Thus, Harley Quinn and Her Gang of Harleys, a story about a former-sidekick’s sidekicks, but is it a shameless cash-grab or does it speak the legacy and pedigree of the Clown Princess of Crime?
In the character’s latest solo outings, Harley has emancipated herself from the shadow of the Joker and established herself in a new city as a hero for hire. Her escapades have gone onto inspire many copy-cats; the titular Gang of Harleys, who she recruits as both her side-kicks and hired muscle. The story revolves around a kidnapping plot that forces the Gang to prove themselves without their fearless leader and while, I’d like to say hilarity and hi-jinks ensue, neither would be a fair and accurate representation.
With Harley Quinn taking a backseat in favour of focusing on her gang, one would expect these characters to be somewhat endearing or be presented in a way that makes us want to learn more about them. The issue provides a quick encyclopedic summary of each member’s background, but nothing really distinguishes them from each other outside of their costumes which amount to little more than Power Ranger variants of Harley’s own design. The characters joke about being reduced to their stereotypical roles as the “Hindu” Harley, the “Jewish” Harley or the “Black” Harley as an interesting attempt to subvert expectations and engage in a bit of meta-commentary on how the internet reacts to certain changes to established characters. The problem is that these characters lack any sense of depth and present us with very little for the reader to care about. It’s all well and good to talk about these characters overcoming those labels that the fan-base may give them, but you have to actually follow through on that vision and present us something more than a roster of one note misanthropes. The only character who distinguishes themselves is Coach, an Oracle-like mentor, whose dry wit keeps the book bearable and shows herself to be one of the few competent members of the team. If the goal of the book was to prove that the Gang of Harleys were interesting in their own right, then DC may be shocked to learn that this first issue made me long for Harley-centric scenes so I didn’t have to deal with them anymore and could otherwise pretend they didn’t exist.Perhaps we could deal with shallow characterisation if the book delivered on the comedic twist its parent series has become known for, but sadly this isn’t the case. There is singular amusing joke throughout this entire inaugural issue and it centers around a confrontation between Harley and the “Hipster Mafia”. The concept of such a criminal gang is funny, but it’s ruined by each of the Harleys resorted to cheap potshots at Hipsters that as unoriginal as they are humourless. These jokes weren’t funny back when the anti-Hipster movement was at its peak a few years ago and not even the combined charm of Jimmy Palmiotti and Frank Tieri can change that.
The interior artwork is the book’s strongest element with Mauricet continuing the strong work begun on Harley’s core title. There is a lovable cartoonish quality to this artwork that gives it a dynamism and an energy that many books lack. For a character with such a dark past, this is an incredibly colourful book that truly pops and reflects Harley’s new outlook on life. The costume designs for Harley and her gang are par for the course with the post-New 52 re-design. There is a slight tweek that makes them more evocative of what we’ve seen from the character in the various Suicide Squad trailers and that isn’t a bad thing. Harley’s ability to change up costumes, while retaining certain core features makes each issue of her solo series unique and this is no different here.
We have a strong creative team at the helm, there simply isn’t an excuse for the mediocrity that Harley Quinn and her Gang of Harleys demonstrates. There is scope for an interesting tale about why Harley inspires people both within and without the comic that speaks to the reasons why the character was popular enough to escape the confines of the show in which she first appeared. Why is it that so many people cosplay as Harley? Why is it that Mad Love connected with us so strongly? Why has she endured and found an eternal place within the popular consciousness? These are questions that Harley Quinn and her Gang of Harleys should be examining, but it seems uninterested in asking, let alone answering. Such reflection wouldn’t deny the series opportunities to be humourous, but it would ensure that the story was one that keeps readers’ interest. The final page hints at further thematic exploration along those lines, so I’m left with a modicum of hope for future issues. Presently, I’m baffled by this book’s purpose other than to expand DC’s growing line of Harley books. If this is part of the joke, then I just don’t get it and I’m left with but a single question. Who are these clowns?
The Doctor Is In: 1st ‘Doctor Strange‘ Trailer Hits The Internet
The spellbinding first trailer for 2016’s ‘Doctor Strange‘ is finally here! Premiering on Jimmy Kimmel Live, the trailer gives us a small taste at the magical & surreal world of Doctor Stephen Strange.
Directed by Scott Derrickson (‘Sinister‘), ‘Doctor Strange‘ stars Benedict Cumberbatch as Stephen Strange, a respected neurosurgeon who gets into a car accident that ruins his career. On a journey to heal himself, he meets The Ancient One and his life is forever changed. The Ancient One mentors Strange in mystic arts. Those powers heal Stephen and eventually send him on strange journey.
This teaser trailer featured a look at the origin of the character and just a little tease at the action to come. I was surprised that they showed Tilda Swinton in the trailer as I thought they would be saved for a bigger reveal later but the early look at their character is still enjoyable. The biggest takeaway from the trailer was how perfect Cumberbatch is as the titular doctor. The teaser showed just enough of the strange one to let us know that we will be seeing a stellar performance.
The film stars Benedict Cumberbatch, Tilda Swinton, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Rachel McAdams, and Mads Mikkelsen. Scheduled for a November 4th, 2016 release date; how will the movie play into already jam-packed Marvel Cinematic Universe?
Will you be watching ‘Doctor Strange‘ when it comes out?
The Transformers: Robots in Disguise series has had a pretty tough reception. Thought not one of the worst series in the franchise it has the unfortunate luck of being the follow up to Transformers:Prime, which fans agree is one of the best. This has led many to offer harsh criticism against the show.
The graphic novel, which contains all the issues based on the show follows Bumblebee and his team as they work to hunt down escaped Decepticon prisoners. Unbeknownst to them, the other members of Bumblebee`s previous team are on Earth as well and are conducting an investigation of their own.
The story is a side event which helps to shows more of the connection between Transformers:Prime and the RID TV series. The lack of references to events in the previous show was one of the criticisms against RID. Over the years fans have come to appreciate the attention to detail and continuity which they know creators can insert into shows if they simply exercise time and effort. The graphic novel is able to tell a proper story and address issues from the show. Sadly, the story they tell tries to tackle a deep issue about a conspiracy involving Bumblebee`s first case but unfortunately it doesn’t come off as deep or character changing in way which will stick with the reader when it’s over.
The art is off a bit. Trying to present the animated versions of the characters results in them being less striking than they are in the show. This often results in them having very comical appearances and expression even in tense scenes of action. Priscilla Tramontano was able to offer lots of references to other Transformers franchises which many fans will appreciate. There is even a reference to the other IDW Transformer comics as Fixit is seen holding the “My first blaster” gun introduced in Transformers: More Than Meets the Eye. They were definitely trying to make make sure the fans were pleased with this work.
Overall, they succeeded. The books is a great way to tie up some of the loose ends which are left over from Transformers:Prime. It’s just not a must read as the drama in it is a bit weak and wrapped up in neatly with bow by the end of it.
With the upcoming buzz for the DC animated feature, The Killing Joke, it is an interesting note to see just how much animated movies and television series based on comic books have greatly matured over the years. While there are many series that cater to younger audiences there are many depictions of these characters with the grit and complexities that satisfy an adult audience.
Credit: DC Comics
The Killing Joke is based on the graphic novel by Alan Moore and Brian Bollard, focusing on both the origins of the Joker, and his attempt to break both Batman’s and Commissioner Gordon’s view of justice by putting them through “one bad day”. This is also the story famous, or infamous, for Barbara Gordon being crippled and becoming Oracle for decades within the DC continuity.
What is intriguing about this adaptation is seeing how far super hero films have come from their Saturday morning origins. Having evolved tremendously from the days of the “Super-Friends” and other series, in both form and execution.
Many of these changes stemming, ironically, with Batman: The Animated Series. Taking a page out of the philosophies of authors Robert Heinlein and Ronald Dahl the series didn’t dumb down the narratives in the series for their audience. Episodes dealt with drug abuse, depression, child abuse, social apathy, age discrimination, and, most prominently, the haunting effect of death on a human being.
Few of these issues were examined in the children’s programing, and usually it was akin to G.I. Joes’ “Knowledge is Half the Battle” segment. Furthermore, it is interesting that when both Marvel and DC began making their own animated features, their stories began to take on greater complexities normally left out of weekly television programming.
Credit: DC Comics
They weren’t forced to sanitize the story to make sure children (or their parents), wouldn’t freak out over disturbing themes or images. One would not have dreamt of putting The Killing Joke onto the screen twenty, or even ten, years ago. But now animated movies and series are no longer just for children.
Granted, there have been many attempts at creating mature cartoon films and series, but in their attempt at divorcing themselves from the juvenile audience, they alienate their adult audience, too. They require subtlety, nuances that don’t insult the viewers. Even the evolution of Batman as a character isn’t an in your face change. And as such he hasn’t lost the timeless quality that has come to define his legacy.
Whether the adaptation will compliment or be an affront to the source material, it’s beyond doubt the medium of cartoons has branched out from its family friendly origins.
Jon Favreau’s The Jungle Book is a curious oddity. Disney’s latest live-action reimagining is at once revolutionary and familiar, both groundbreaking and yet fairly mundane. Revamping Rudyard Kipling’s enduring 1984 collection of stories for the new age with immersive state-of-the-art, WETA-produced CG visual trickery, it’s a visual wonder, but one that lacks any real distinction from previous iterations of this tale —especially from the studio’s previous animated classic from 1967. It’s never less than impressive, but at the same time, it feels a little cold and — beyond displaying the company’s ever-growing technical achievements — it also seems a little pointless. But it’s still an invigorated, stunningly well-made and sporadically heartfelt adaptation. And in that sense, it covers the bare necessities of what it needs to do.
Born a human but raised by wolves, Mowgli (Neel Sethi) is a rarity in the jungle. Neither respected nor feared among the various creatures of the wilderness, he humbly lives his days guided through the loving, sympathetic support of his tribe, particularly his patient omega mother Raksha (Lupita Nyong’o) and their alpha leader Akela (Giancarlo Esposito). Adapting against his disadvantages, he’s trained by his wise caretaker panther Bagheera (Ben Kingsley) to survive the unforgiving conditions of his surroundings. But Bagheera’s attentive eye isn’t enough to protect Mowgli from Shere Khan (Idris Elba), a menacing tiger set on revenge after Mowgli’s late father disfigured his face with the “red flower,” a.k.a fire.
Knowing full well what humans can do with this mysterious and unstoppable plantation, Khan sets out to kill Mowgli hoping to save his home from its inevitable doom. And while the other animals don’t understand him, they know in their hearts that Mowgli is no real threat and — well aware that Khan’s patience is limited — send Bagheera to take him away to the human village, where he’ll be safe once-and-for-all. But Khan tracks them soon enough in their travels, and after Mowgli narrowly escapes the tiger’s ever-watching wrath with Bagheera trailing behind, the impressionable young man-cub finds himself under the sage guidance of Baloo (Bill Murray), a lazy-at-heart, height-fearing grizzly bear that teaches him about the simpler pleasures of life, like honey, long naps, music and riding down the lazy river. But life isn’t quite as easy as Baloo would make it seem, and before he can learn the final chorus to “The Bare Necessities,” he winds up under the throne of a different leader, the gargantuan orangutan King Louie (Christopher Walken), who wants Mowgli to teach him the ways of the humans.
Filmed almost entirely on a small soundstage, all while never feeling less than approachable and lived-in its computer-generated backdrops, comparisons to James Cameron’s record-breaking Avatar are simply inevitable. Both are about as technically impressive as blockbusters come these days. But at the same time, the novelty of each quickly begins to wear out once your eyes officially settle into the visual wonder on it all. From there, the story needs to kick in to make this one truly stand out. And as visually stimulating as both can be, both suffer from fairly constricted narratives.
Sadly, there’s something uncomfortably generic and largely ho-hum about this Jungle Book, beyond its resounding special effects. It doesn’t feel vital or substantial, and Favreau doesn’t seem interested in crafting any new ideas into this timeless story. In fact, this new movie is perhaps a little too faithful to the original in-house take, with new renditions of “I Want to Be Like You” and the aforementioned “The Bare Necessities” coming across shoehorned-in, inorganic and a little awkward this time around. But at the same time, there’s something oddly enjoyable in how they’re performed here. Walken’s first variation of Louie’s diddy (he sings it again during an imaginative little end credits sequence) is almost unintentionally comical in how its sung as both endearing and a threat by the Oscar-winner. And no matter what, I can never truly complain about getting the chance to hear Murray Baloo’s signature tune — arguably my favorite Disney song ever by the way.
And Favreau’s work isn’t passionless by any means. As always, his action is pulsating and fluid, displaying his signature sense of craftsmanship and showmanship with every rousing scene. But it lacks his signature personality. There’s a distinct director-for-hire feel to his work this time around. Even his weaker efforts, namely Cowboys and Aliens, had more spunk in their step in comparison to this one. There’s just something cold and aloof about this one — almost as if it were generated by a system or, worse, a machine than a heart-driven filmmaker. I hope this isn’t a sign of what’s to come for him.
He’s such a thoughtful, energetic, passionate director that it would be a shame to see him not live up to his full potential if he were to go on cruise control for the Mouse House from here-on-out. Word has it Disney is already moving forward on a sequel, and, frankly, I’d rather see Favreau do something more substantial with his time and career. His last film, Chef, for all its problems, at least felt invigorated, and even the messy Iron Man 2 had some burning zest at its core. While his direction is as competent, poised and assured as ever, but there’s little pride in his storytelling this time around.
But that suggests The Jungle Book 2016 is a completely soulless effort, and it’s not. At least, not entirely. The message about self-acceptance, the power of loyalty and the value of family comes with enough earnestness and sincerity to sell, and that’s thanks mainly to the persistently charming cast. Murray, Walken, Elba and the late Gary Shandling, as the nebbish porcupine Ikki, are the stand-outs among the all-star voice ensemble, while Sethi brings a wide-eyed purity and innocence to the lead performance — even when his line delivery can be a little too stiff for its own good. But to his credit, considering the 13-year-old had to not only carry his first movie on his own shoulders but act among imaginary supporting characters and an endless sea of green screen, I think he deserves a little slack. He does a commendable, ardent job and brings a genuine aesthetic to the film that’s severely absent without him.
Following up Kenneth Branagh’s surprisingly sweeping live-action Cinderella remake from this time last year, Favreau’s The Jungle Book can definitely seem a little lacking. While not necessarily uninspired, it doesn’t seem tactile or fervent enough to really stick the landing. But at the same time, compared to cynically-produced ugliness known as Maleficent and Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland, it’s definitely a step-up for the studio. I’m not sure how long this new live-action subgenre of remaking/reimagining classic studio films will last, but they’re taking some steps in the right direction. I just hope they find a little more purpose next time. It’s hard to completely forget about your worries and your strafes when watching Favreau’s vision come to life, but there’s still enough spirit and awe here to make this wildlife tale come alive.
Jimmy Kimmel Live is doing Marvel week leading into the release Captain America: Civil War (still a few weeks out), and last night he had on Paul Rudd, Chris Evans, Anthony Mackie, and Sebastian Stan on to discuss the film. They also showed a clip of Rudd’s Ant-Man first meets Cap.
Here’s the clip and the interview afterwards:
We all know the early reviews of Civil War are looking good right now. We also know Spider-Man is involved in a solid half hour of the action, which seems just about perfect. Who knows?
Pretty soon, lucky fans in several cities around the country will get a look at the film before its May 6 release, so reactions will shoot through the roof. Of course, early reaction to Batman v Superman was positive and… well…
ith Harley Quinn taking a backseat in favour of focusing on her gang, one would expect these characters to be somewhat endearing or be presented in a way that makes us want to learn more about them. The issue provides a quick encyclopedic summary of each member’s background, but nothing really distinguishes them from each other outside of their costumes which amount to little more than Power Ranger variants of Harley’s own design. The characters joke about being reduced to their stereotypical roles as the “Hindu” Harley, the “Jewish” Harley or the “Black” Harley as an interesting attempt to subvert expectations and engage in a bit of meta-commentary on how the internet reacts to certain changes to established characters. The problem is that these characters lack any sense of depth and present us with very little for the reader to care about. It’s all well and good to talk about these characters overcoming those labels that the fan-base may give them, but you have to actually follow through on that vision and present us something more than a roster of one note misanthropes. The only character who distinguishes themselves is Coach, an Oracle-like mentor, whose dry wit keeps the book bearable and shows herself to be one of the few competent members of the team. If the goal of the book was to prove that the Gang of Harleys were interesting in their own right, then DC may be shocked to learn that this first issue made me long for Harley-centric scenes so I didn’t have to deal with them anymore and could otherwise pretend they didn’t exist.Perhaps we could deal with shallow characterisation if the book delivered on the comedic twist its parent series has become known for, but sadly this isn’t the case. There is singular amusing joke throughout this entire inaugural issue and it centers around a confrontation between Harley and the “Hipster Mafia”. The concept of such a criminal gang is funny, but it’s ruined by each of the Harleys resorted to cheap potshots at Hipsters that as unoriginal as they are humourless. These jokes weren’t funny back when the anti-Hipster movement was at its peak a few years ago and not even the combined charm of 
