Quick Movie Review: The Jungle Book (2016)

For those of you who haven't seen Walt Disney's animated version of The Jungle Book--or haven't seen it in awhile, anyway--I'm sure you still know the famous songs, and perhaps even some classic scenes. But what you may not realize is that the version we're most familiar with does have some issues of its own.

Not to say that Disney's 1967 adaptation is anything to scoff at. It will definitely slap a smile on your face. But with a runtime that could have used a few more minutes, there's always been some things missing.

Definitely an improvement on the original, 2016's The Jungle Book fills out the classic story in a much more complete way.

With this one, we get answers to a lot of characters' motives, as well as more realistic responses to drastic life changes.

There's backstory provided for why Shere Khan wants to kill Mowgli, along with a more heartfelt goodbye as Mowgli leaves his wolf pack at the beginning of the film.

Neel Sethi, who plays Mowgli, passes the cute test. Almost so cute and precocious that he fails to give us the realistic performance we desire. Instead, it's more of what you would see in a Disney Channel show. He's oozing with "my parents made me audition for this." Granted, he does alright considering he's essentially acting with no other humans. And while director Jon Favreau gets the best performance out of him, he's just a little too much Disney and not enough realistic. Which isn't far off from original voice actor in 1967, who lacks the same kind of conviction. Compared to him, Sethi is an improvement.

But the narrative is really what drives this movie the hardest. It's captivating even before the comic relief of Baloo (Bill Murray) shows up. And it has the added benefit of not being too long.

The jungle world created by the filmmakers paints a dark and sinister universe, just as mysterious as the jungle itself. There's nothing peaceful here as long as Shere Khan is around.

King Louie, voiced by Christopher Walken, is just as wicked. He hearkens back to a Marlon Brando Godfather, living in the shadows and attempting to exploit the quid pro quo. This is also where "man's red flower" becomes more of a prominent feature in this version.

The visual effects are an accomplishment alone. Every hair, every movement, without using any live animals. I've never seen anything like it. Truly amazing.

If you romanticize the 1967 original, then you may have a problem accepting this one for all its greatness. But this one is the actuality of what we've been romanticizing. And besides the acting, it's near perfect. It's darker and even more twisted, transcending Rudyard Kipling's original source material to the maximum. It replicates the tone--but better. It's everything good from the original--but better. And even brings back the beloved songs for good measure.

Twizard Rating: 99

Quick Movie Review: Swingers (1996)

The movie that made us know Jon Favreau and Vince Vaughn will surely not disappoint. It's humor is unique to the two leads, and is organic in the sense that it hits home for them. They believe what's happening because they lived it.

Written by Favreau and loosely based on he and Vaughn's life and friendship, Swingers is about a group of struggling actors who are involved in the '90s Hollywood swing revival. It follows Mike (Favreau), a New York native who can't get over his ex-girlfriend. But his friends, most notably Trent (Vaughn), try getting him out of his depression by forcing him back out onto the playing field.

Both leads are fantastic. Vaughn wows the audience with his unique brand of fast-talking humor. And Favreau is so convincing as a wallowing sad sack that you genuinely feel bad for the guy.

The scene towards the beginning where the pair of friends go to Las Vegas sets the tone for the entire movie. It establishes a style that is vehemently consistent throughout.

Swingers has everything that will make you want to drive to Los Angeles and Las Vegas right this second. It ties together the glitz and glamour of both cities, seamlessly connecting the two. But I think what captures the neon vibe of the film's locations is the juxtaposition of failing to make it. This failure, of course, isn't stressed. It's still opportunity. It's optimism.

Neither Mike nor Trent have had much success in the industry, but Trent is still having the time of his life, while Mike's only reason to be down on himself is his breakup. The film paints a perfect portrait of confident mediocrity, and being complacent with it.

The story's exposition takes its time, but in a perfect way. Every scene has a sincere purpose and contributes to establishing the depth of its characters. But it's beyond just the characters. A movie is refreshingly good if even the circumstances have depth. In fact, that's when it's great.

Twizard Rating: 97

Quick Movie Review: Chef

Finally! All summer long I've been waiting for this! Let me just say that this summer has been terrible for film--with the exception of maybe 3 movies. And with the batch that have been coming out lately, I needed a pick-me-up movie that would get me back into wanting to go to the cinema again. And here it is in all it's glory--a film that isn't as simple as it may seem. It's not just a story about a Chef trying to rediscover himself, but it's a film that beautifully exhibits the happy medium between the old and the new generations' views on technology and orchestrates perfectly how neither ideal is to be shoved aside as we need both schools to get by in life.

Along with a great cast and an amazing soundtrack, I love the subtle humor. It doesn't realize how funny it is, which makes it that much funnier. 

As for the negative, a disjointing detail about Robert Downey Jr.'s character being Inez' ex-husband wasn't really made clear prior to his appearance, but it's only distracting for that one scene. Also, because the first half of the movie is such a riot, everything after that may seem like it's taking its time. But even though it slows down towards the end, it's still entertaining and satisfying as we get to see a mini-roadtrip and a great father-son development.

Although it may not set the world on fire with innovative results, Chef is a thoroughly pleasing movie that you will be bobbing your head to. It's predictable, but in the best possible way.

Twizard Rating: 94