Reviews In Short

Reviews In Short: Boyhood, Chef, Cold In July, Begin Again & Pudsey the Dog: The Movie 0 1696

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Reviews In Short is a semi-regular feature here on Thoughts On Film that basically consists of short, paragraph-long reviews of movies I have watched recently, old and new alike, which I didn’t get a chance to review in full. As always feel free to comment with your own thoughts and opinions on each of the films.

Boyhood

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Quite simply one of the best films released so far this year, Richard Linklater’s landmark coming-of-age movie was filmed over the course of 12 years. It chronicles the childhood of one boy which means we get to see him age naturally on-screen as opposed to the usual method of different actors being cast at different stages. This gives the film a naturalism and believability quite unlike any other coming-of-age movie. Linklater (previously known for the likes of the Before trilogy, Dazed and Confused and School of Rock) captures the nuances and details of growing up, with all the highs and lows that brings, and has delivered a beautiful and compelling film. So many movies these days go on longer than is needed but Boyhood earns every second of its huge 166 minute runtime. A truly special film that demands to be seen. 5/5

Chef

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Jon Favreau writes, directs and stars in this utterly charming food-themed comedy about a father and chef who, after he is fired from his prestigious job at a top restaurant, decides to start his own food truck with the help of his friend and young son, all so that he can continue cooking the type of food he wants to. You can easily read the film as one big metaphor for Favreau’s filmmaking career i.e. how the restaurant owner represents the movie studio execs telling him to cook the set menu/make the types of big bland movies people expect. However, putting that to one side it can still be enjoyed as a delightful and feel-good comedy that celebrates good food and family bonding, even if it does take things to generic places at times. Favreau and relative newcomer Emjay Anthony really sell the endearing father-son relationship and there’s fun supporting work from a star-studded cast that includes John Leguizamo, Bobby Cannavale, Sofia Vergara, Scarlet Johansson and Robert Downey Jr. 3.5/5

Cold In July

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He might still be best known for playing Dexter (and David Fisher in Six Feet Under before that) on TV but Michael C. Hall is carving out a good film career for himself. He stars in this genre throwback as a good family man who late one night kills an intruder but unfortunately for him the intruder was a murderous ex-con and son of a recently paroled man who is gunning for revenge. From there it constantly morphs from genre-to-genre: one moment it’s a violent revenge thriller then it’s a horror then a police corruption flick and so forth. But it never feels like it’s lots of movies fighting for attention as director Jim Mickle (Stakeland, We Are What We Are) juggles the various genres with skill. Hall is terrific in the lead role and brilliantly supported by Sam Shepard and a cowboy hat-wearing Don Johnson. 4/5

Begin Again

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Mark Ruffalo and Keira Knightley star in this charming and inherently loveable music-themed romantic dramedy from the writer-director of the Irish film Once. Similar to that film this follows two musically-minded people who appear at first to be total opposites but bond over their love for music and, unsurprisingly, find their relationship blossoms along the way. It overcomes its somewhat generic foundations with a sharp script, endearing performances – who knew Knightley was so musically talented? – and a great soundtrack. To some extent it functions like a glossier Hollywood version of the aforementioned Once but there’s enough of a different vibe for it to feel like the director is reaching out rather than just retreading familiar ground. 4/5

Pudsey the Dog: The Movie

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Well this had to happen sooner or later. Britain’s Got Talent winner Pudsey the Dog now has his own movie and a cynical cash grab and ultimately rubbish it may be, it’s entirely innocous and good-hearted. The plot, what there is of it at any rate, follows the eponymous dog (voiced in pantomime fashion by Britain’s Got Talent judge David Walliams) as he joins a new family just as they’ve moved to the countryside. Once there we discover that there’s an evil businessman who wants to knock down the house to make way for a shopping centre. It sits somewhere between the live-action Charlotte’s Web movie and an episode of Last of the Summer Wine, cheap and cheerful with equal emphasis on both. It brings nothing in the way of artistry to the table – the acting is wooden, the jokes fall flat, the plot so thin you can barely notice it and so forth – but it’s harmless enough for the under 7s and should one day be added to the list of films put on to keep the young ‘uns quiet for 90 minutes. 2/5

 

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That’s it for Reviews In Short – until next time!

Some of this content was previously published at Scotcampus. 

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I'm a freelance film reviewer and blogger with over 10 years of experience writing for various different reputable online and print publications. In addition to my running, editing and writing for Thoughts On Film, I am also the film critic for The National, the newspaper that supports an independent Scotland, covering the weekly film releases, film festivals and film-related features. I have a passion for all types of cinema, and have a particular love for foreign language film, especially South Korean and Japanese cinema. Favourite films include The Big Lebowski, Pulp Fiction and 2001: A Space Odyssey.

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The Jungle Book Movie Review 0 1005

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This review was previously published in The National newspaper.

IT’S time to forget about your worries and your strife; Disney’s new version of The Jungle Book is nothing short of tremendous.

We start off with Mowgli (played by spirited newcomer Neel Sethi) running through the jungle at top speed, training to become like the wolf pack with whom he’s been raised thus far.

But when the powerful tiger Shere Khan (voiced by Idris Elba) makes a sudden appearance to assert his dominance and proclaim that keeping a man-cub is forbidden, Mowgli is forced to leave behind all he’s ever known. With Bagheera (Ben Kingsley) by his side, he goes off on a dangerous adventure through the jungle on his way to the human village where he’s been told he belongs.

What director Jon Favreau (Iron Man, Elf) has very skilfully done is taken the classic story by Rudyard Kipling that we all know and love and morphed it into a near-perfect mix of big blockbuster escapism and heartwarming nostalgia. With the help of astonishing CGI, he has created a fully realised jungle wildlife world that’s at once utterly convincing and fantastically enchanting.

There’s a great commitment to pure, unadulterated spectacle at play here, not just in the action set-pieces — most of which take the form of exhilarating chases — but in letting us soak in the amazing surroundings of this jungle that Kipling created more than a century ago.

Those curious about the all-important songs will be happy to know they make a joyous appearance here — what kind of a Jungle Book movie would it be without The Bare Necessities or I Wanna Be Like You? — while also being more subtly woven into John Debney’s simultaneously epic, playful and affecting score.

The special effects on the various jungle-inhabiting creatures is sublime, from the expressions on their faces to the lifelike hairs on their bodies; if it weren’t for the fact that they’re talking, you’d genuinely think you were watching real animals. This is the kind of film that is a testament to the power of CGI and what kind of cinematic magic it can conjure.

In addition to the jaw-dropping visual effects, each of the characters are wonderfully brought to life by a cleverly chosen voice cast, from Bill Murray’s endearingly (often literally) laid back bear Baloo to Idris Elba’s genuinely intimidating Shere Khan to Christopher Walken who steals the film as the charming yet formidable King Louie. Even the surprisingly limited appearance of Scarlett Johansson as the snake Kaa can’t stop her making an impact.

The Jungle Book is that rarest of films: a fresh take on classic material that feels perfectly balanced between being for a new generation while never forgetting about what made it so great in the first place. This is an endearing, funny, often moving and all around wildly entertaining cinematic experience with enough wit, charm and imagination to fill a dozen more. Make no mistake about it: this is one of the best films of the year so far.

Kung Fu Panda 3 Movie Review 0 1704

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This review was previously published in The National newspaper.

YOU would think that by the third part in a blockbuster animated franchise that things would have grown a little stale and repetitive. But that certainly isn’t the case with Kung Fu Panda 3, a sharp, visually resplendent and hugely entertaining third instalment in one of the best Hollywood animated series around.

The ever-lovable, charmingly buffoonish Po the Panda (Jack Black) and anointed Dragon Warrior returns after having saved his beloved village. It follows on from the surprise ending to the previous film that revealed Po’s real father (Bryan Cranston) was not dead, as previously thought. Po then reunites with long-lost dad – much to the dismay of his loving adopted one Mr Ping (James Hong) – who also reveals there’s a village of pandas waiting for his return.

While going back to his roots to get in touch with who he really is, Po learns that the villainous Kai (JK Simmons) has garnered dominating new powers afforded to him by stealing the “chi” of others. It’s then up to Po, Master Shifu (Dustin Hoffman) and his team of expert warriors to stop him.

All the things that people loved about the first two films – endearing characters, witty dialogue, acrobatic action, colourful visuals – are back and ramped up even further here, with a deft handle on the East-Asian-martial-arts-meets-goofy tone that sets it apart from other animated franchises.

Rather than falling into the sort of lazy narrative traps that many animated series so often do with increasingly cynical cash-grabbing sequels, this finds new ways to inject energy, wit and, when it comes down to it, even great emotional weight to the ongoing storyline.

It extrapolates the sumptuous visual style to greater heights, whether it’s whizz-bang fight sequences or moments of tranquillity that allow you to drink in the beautiful level of technical animation that’s gone into making it. But it also takes an even more ambitious step than before, showing off not only the ever-improving modern, 3D, Hollywood style of animation, but presenting entire sequences in a hand-drawn style that incorporates traditional Chinese painting. It’s a visual tapestry that’s something of a wonder to behold on the big-screen.

But it’s also a film that, like its predecessors, understands you need more than just visuals to make this work, as there’s a pleasing amount of work put into making us feel for the characters. The idea of delving into Po’s past turns out to be a satisfying, rather brilliant turn of plotting that’s at once full of surprises yet makes complete sense in the context of the saga.

Kung Fu Panda 3 is a joy of a film, vibrant and alive with energy, charm, top-notch voice work, memorable gags and a singular visual style that makes you wish you could stay for good in that fully realised animated world.