The Jungle Book Movie Review (2016)

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The Trailer:

The Good:

One of the best highlights of this film is probably how well the visuals were executed. The scenery of the jungle is beautiful and it’s given a lot of depth with the 3D effects. The use of the CGI quickly adapts you to the idea that these animals feel and express themselves just like humans. If you're like me, you may actually believe that animals can literally talk for that hour and a half.

With the combination of the human-like CGI infused with the animals, the addition of quality voice actors only makes the entire viewing experience that much better. Ben Kingsley (plays Bagheera the panther) and Bill Murray (Baloo the bear) are fully immersed into their characters. Idris Elba is both intimidating and terrifying as the tiger, Shere Khan. (He almost reminded me of that drunk, abusive step-dad character in movies). Neel Sethi is a perfect version of Mowgli, and Christopher Walken as King Louie the Monkey king is just a perfect casting as well.

What I personally appreciated was how this live-action remained faithful to the 1967 animated version. It seemed as though this film took all of the good parts and just went along with that. Even the songs were done pretty well without making this movie feel like a musical. It also had many humorous points throughout the film which kept the movie entertaining and fun for the most part.

Another highlight is how the movie's characters able to connect with viewers on an emotional level. (It is a Disney movie afterall) It does deal with some pretty classic themes such as not fitting in with society, the sense of family, bullying, and much more. For example, when it's time to feel the motherly love between Raksha (mother wolf played by Lupita Nyong'o) and Mowgli, you feel it. When it's time to feel tense and frightened by Shere Khan hunting you down, you feel that too.

The Bad:

I'm not sure how the 3D effects were shot but there are moments where it was just terribly blurry. It doesn't happen too often, but it was enough to notice. (Luckily the rest of the 3D effects don't overtake the viewing experience.) Besides that, the only thing I'd say is that this film's tone is a little darker than what many may expect. There are some jump scares and animal violence that more sensitive and younger audiences may want to be cautious about.

The Reason:

Well this certainly brought me back to the days when I used to watch the animated Jungle Book on VHS on repeat for days on end. If you grew up watching that film then you'll more than likely enjoy this new remake as well. I think it's well worth the watch in theaters. I can already see why Disney is already greenlighting a sequel. As I said above, be cautious with your children. While this movie is overall fun, charming, and heart-warming, the dark tones almost push the limits of the film’s PG rating. If they can handle watching Discovery channel animal fights, then they'll probably be okay for this film. So just use your best parental judgment before going in. (Or have an extra pillow ready in case someone needs to sleep next you for a few days) 

The Rating: 8/10


My [Loosely based] Ratings scale

10-9 = A Must watch at any cost. 
8.5- 7.5 = Theater worthy 
7-6.5 = Matinee/rental worthy at best
6 = Watchable (If it's free)
5 - below = Avoid at all costs

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Barbershop 3: The Next Cut Movie Review (2016)

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YouTube Review:

The Good:
Probably one of the most unexpected highlights of this movie is how it was able to be a comedy taking on the serious issue of gun violence. In a sense, the movie made the city of Chicago a living and breathing character in itself. It didn't simply treat the city of Chicago as just a random urban setting where people happen to get their hair cut. Instead, the film does a great job of tackling various issues through its characters. The film doesn't hold back on addressing the good and bad aspects of Chicago ranging from the gangs, neighborhood communities, or even the educational system.

Ice Cube ("Calvin") and Jazsmin Lewis ("Jennifer") both portrayed the day to day struggle of  parents trying to fight for the love and admiration of their children. What was interesting about this portrayal was that it didn't simply rest with a parent settling with telling their child all of the generic "parenting lectures" that we would get from a day-time television show like Family Matters. Rather, we were shown the, often times troubling, challenge of parents trying to prove to their children that their love is far greater than the attention gangs appears to provide.

Of course, the film has many comedic moments that will be sure to have you laughing; especially if you catch some of the jokes that are said under the character's breath. The jokes also serve to provide some social commentary on various issues from President Obama to even the battle of the sexes. What I particularly appreciated was how this movie attempted to demonstrate a practical solution to the issue of gun violence. (It wasn't anything earth-shattering, but it was far more realistic than...let's say...a sex strike.)

The wide variety of the cast was a great element to help the comedy. From Deon Cole's random side comments to Lamorne Morris' awkward humor to the old-school comedic performance of Cedrick the Entertainer; you can rest assured that you'll get some laughs from all sides.

Given the fact that I'm a HAPPILY married man, I'm just going to say that Nicki Minaj's scenes were .... umm..."entertaining". *Pssst* (Fellas, guys go see it. Thank me later.)

The Bad:
I think that one of the weaker parts of the film was with a very dramatic/serious situation happens. Not only is it predictable, but I think that it could have been a lot better. Obviously, I won't go into detail about the scene, however, I think that when you see it you'll know what I'm referring to. What I will say is that the way the situation plays out seems incredibly unrealistic, especially given the way the movie raises the level of suspense and tension during that one scene. I just think that the way it played out, there was a missed opportunity to make this film be a little more authentic and real.

The Reason:
As a Chicagoan, I'm going to be biased about this film regardless. As some of you may recall, I had an interesting and controversial review of Chi-Raq not too long ago. What I will say about Barbershop 3 is that it manages to accomplish something that Chi-Raq was unable to do. It was able to speak directly to the issues related to the Chicago violence that people who are affected by the violence can readily understand. Barbershop 3 respected and showed nothing but love to the city of Chicago while still addressing a very sensitive topic. This is what Chi-Raq should have been. This is what Chicagoans were hoping and expecting to see if a movie tried to tell their tale. It's not overly political, nor will it having you in tears. What this movie will do, I think, is give you a small sense of hope, encouragement, and laughter while still reflecting on the serious gravity of the tragic situation that plagues the city of Chicago. I don't believe that people will be disappointed with this film, and it's well worth the watch.

The Rating: 8.5/10

My [Loosely based] Ratings scale
10-9 = A Must watch at any cost. 
8.5- 7.5 = Theater worthy 
7-6.5 = Matinee/rental worthy at best
6 = Watchable (If it's free)
5 - below = Avoid at all costs

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Criminal Movie Review (2016)

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The Trailer:

The Good:
Kevin Costner's character finds an interesting way to be both uncaring and caring at the same time. The somewhat unique story line allows his character to deal with two minds at the same time, so to speak. It was far more interesting watching his normal self as the ruthless "Jericho Stewart". A few of the action and chase scenes were entertaining to watch. Ryan Reynold's character seemed a bit more interesting despite his appearance in the film being short-lived. Gal Gadot provided a much better glimpse of what we can maybe expect, acting-wise, from her future solo movie roles (i.e. Wonder Woman).

The Bad:
Where do we begin?? Kevin Costner just isn't believable as an action star. The story makes sense for him to be both cold-blooded and have a heart at the same time, but there just wasn't enough of a separation. This came off to be like an actor just wanting to show off his range in an acting school or something. His character's interactions with Gal Gadot were probably the biggest stretch for me. It goes from one very intense extreme (which was believable) to an utterly flimsy one as the movie progressed.

The most innovative thing about the story was the memory transplant operation. Unfortunately we see that in the trailer, and there's really nothing more about it throughout the film. (If you like that mind swapping story angle, you'd probably be more interested in the movie Self/Less which took it further). While this film had a great cast on paper, it didn't really translate very much to the big screen. Each actor seemed to do well on their own but not enough to raise the bar for the movie as a whole.

The Reason:
Unfortunately this film feels kind of stuck in time. You would think that it was a generic action movie from 2002 except someone dusted it off and placed 10 minutes of new aged sci-fi to give it a boost. I completely understand how this movie will appeal to those who liked older action films. However, Criminal seems like a straight to DVD rental that you can watch on a Saturday night when you have nothing else to do. Given the fact that it does have some good actors, it wouldn't be a complete waste of time though. I think if you REALLY, REALLY  liked the trailer, then watch this as a matinee or discounted rate at your local theater. Otherwise you can watch this on DVD or for free in the comfort of your own home. For a movie about memories, this was pretty forgettable.

The Rating: 6.5/10

My [Loosely based] Ratings scale
10-9 = A Must watch at any cost. 
8.5- 7.5 = Theater worthy 
7-6.5 = Matinee/rental worthy at best
6 = Watchable (If it's free)
5 - below = Avoid at all costs

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Hardcore Henry Movie Review (2016)

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The Trailer:

The Good:
As you can see from the poster and the trailer, one of the unique aspects of this movie is the first-person point of view camera angle. The entire film is shot in this manner, and surprisingly, the director (Ilya Naishuller) manages to get you accustomed to this perspective rather quickly. This camera view really helps to intensify the chases, fights and many of the other action scenes.

Without question, the action and gory violence are this film's strongest highlights. The violence truly lives up to the name of the movie because it really is hardcore. (Definitely not for those with weak stomachs) A lot of the graphic violence will simply shock you and probably even entertain you if you have a "particular" sense of humor. Given the minimal cut scenes, many of the intense action scenes that will keep your eyes glued to the screen.

Going back to the humor, there were a lot of unexpected funny moments in the movie. A lot of that credit has to go to (Sharlto Copley) who plays the character of "Jimmy". Jimmy almost stole the whole movie. He was by far one of the most intriguing characters.

The Bad:
If you were looking for a deep plot, then don't get your hopes up. It's as straight forward of a story as can be. The movie does try to create a bit of a mystery about the main character, "Henry". However, the character's background and overall development don't seem to pan out. Furthermore, the villain doesn't seem to have any real motivation either. "Akan", played by Danila Kozlovsky, just seems to be bad for badness' sake. He's a classic video game boss villain. Matter of fact, a lot of the movie is set up like a video game. So if you're not a gamer, you may find the random assortment of guns, power ups and boss villains as a turn-off.

The Reason:
Remember all of that stuff I said in The Bad? Well forget it. Okay, the story isn't rock solid, and the characters aren't fully developed; but who really cares? This movie was never meant to be taken that seriously. It's self-aware of itself in the sense that it's really just meant to entertain and shock you. You can literally turn your brain off and just watch the movie. Hardcore Henry is like a roller coaster ride. You'll have plenty of fun while you're on the ride, but once you get off, the high is over. Video game lovers naturally will gravitate to this movie. Hardcore Henry gets most of its points from me because of its originality, action, and humor. You could probably think of this film as Call of Duty + Deadpool to a certain degree. (No, it's not AS good as Deadpool, but it has a similar feel to it.)

I actually enjoyed this film, but I don't think that it's for everyone. It's a mixture of science fiction, video games, action, and other elements that will target maybe more of a millennial audience. If you're in the mood for something very different, it's worth a shot. If the trailer seems even remotely interesting, then definitely give it a shot. If you pay for the matinee, I think you'll be even more pleased. Go in with low expectations, and enjoy the ride.

The Rating: 7/10


My [Loosely based] Ratings scale
10-9 = A Must watch at any cost. 
8.5- 7.5 = Theater worthy 
7-6.5 = Matinee/rental worthy at best
6 = Watchable (If it's free)
5 - below = Avoid at all costs

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Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice Movie Review

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YouTube Review:

The Good:
Let's start with the setting. This takes place as an overlapping sequel to Man of Steel (Review). It was nice to see the parallel sequence of events that happened at the end of Man of Steel in the beginning of this film, except this time, from  a different perspective. More importantly, we were given a much more humanized perspective. That led to another strength of this film being the focus of morality.

For the entire duration of the movie, the concept of what is good or bad, and who's responsibility to determine right or wrong was played out very well. It kept a lot of the characters as being morally ambiguous for the most part.

Another highlight was the fact that director Zach Snyder didn't shy away from playing into the dark tones of the film. The impact of death and destruction was nicely emphasized throughout the movie; especially how it ties into the heavy moral burdens the various characters face. (As you can see from the trailers).

If Christian Bale was the Batman we all "needed, but not deserve", then Ben Affleck's Batman is the Batman we all wanted AND deserve. Ben Affleck IS BATMAN! He was made for this role just like Ryan Reynolds was made for Deadpool (Review). His rendition of Bruce Wayne was spot on as an aged, brooding, and fully focused Batman. They did a nice job of blending in the Frank Miller graphic novel version of Batman with the Arkham City video game version of Batman as well. You've never seen a Batman like this on screen before. It's probably easy to say that this is the darkest version of Batman we've ever seen, and it would be hard to find someone who isn't pleased with his performance. Jeremy Irons portrayed probably the best version of "Alfred" as well. Both Irons and Affleck shared great on-screen chemistry. (And that is no disrespect to Bale or Michael Cain either) I should also mention that Gal Gadot did perfectly fine in the film as Wonder Woman. So if there were any lingering doubts, they will be gone after this. (You will see why the studio is so confident to already begin filming her solo film)

There were plenty of surprises from beginning to end. What I most appreciated was how unpredictable most of them were. There will definitely be a few moments that will shock you or have you slightly jumping from your seat. Some scenes were so dark that it almost felt like the film crossed genres and became a horror flick.

Without giving anything away, I think overall the big fight between the two heroes was handled very well. The director, I think, learned from what didn't work in the Man of Steel movie, and made this fight more grounded. It definitely lives up to the hype and probably will be one people will be talking about for years to come.

The Bad:
One of my own disappointments in this film was Jesse Eisenberg in the role of Lex Luthor. I thought that his character was a bit too one dimensional compared to how Lex Luthor has always been displayed in various other platforms. In every single depiction of Lex Luthor ranging from the animated cartoon shows, comics, Kevin Spacey (Superman Returns) or Gene Hackman (Superman 1,2, 4), we have always seen a Lex Luthor that had a dynamic personality. The character is typically not only brilliant, but charismatic, witty and arrogant. He is able to win people over in the general public, like a smooth politician, but behind closed doors be a complete nightmare.
I don't know if this is the writer's fault or Jesse's but, either way, his performance as a villain came off to be very generic, stereotypical and overall corny. The way he played Luthor made him seem much more suitable for playing the role of The Riddler instead.

Okay, now that's off my chest, I should say that the movie is about 2.5 hours long. Some scenes could've been left out, but you'll notice that they were there just to add more depth to the character. As for the story itself, it was good for the most part, but if you're a comic fan you may feel like they rushed the plot a little too much. (Especially given the ending)

Unfortunately, I think that the trailers probably robbed many of us from the surprise element of the good scenes in the movie. I try to avoid trailers after the first one is released, but looking back after seeing the movie, I kind of feel bad to know that people have probably seen certain characters' best scenes in the trailers. For instance, the movie itself spends a good amount of time trying to build anticipation for that doomsday monster thing. However, thanks to the trailer, we're all robbed of the experience of being properly introduced to the monster.

The Reason:
Well...we finally have what we've been waiting for. Batman V Superman will probably go down as a staple in comic book movies for the next decade. It made history. This movie could've been monumental had it been released in 2012 or 2013 around the time Avengers came out. Given that we've seen this superhero setup film before, it SLIGHTLY loses its potential from being 100% epic.(Though some may still disagree, which is fine.) So I think it does live up to the hype to some capacity at least.

I think that what's also important to know is that this movie is about 2/3 about Batman and Superman, and 1/3 setup for the next couple of Justice League movies. (As you can tell from the subtitle) To fully appreciate this film, I would highly suggest watching Justice League: War and Batman: The Dark Knight Returns Part 1 & 2 before watching this movie. Justice League War will fill you in with many of the elements of what's to potentially come within the future movies, and explain some scenes that may not initially make sense if you're not familiar with the comics. The Dark Knight movies will give you better insight on the inspiration behind Affleck's version of Batman, and why he's so different from any other Batman you may be accustomed to.

There are a number of big surprises in this film, which means that you know some internet trolls will eventually ruin the movie with a meme or something. So, I would highly encourage those of you out there to go see it as soon as possible in theaters (IMAX is a great choice). The surprises were such a big deal that during my screening of the movie, director Zach Snyder prerecorded a clip humbling requesting not to go out and spoil it for others. For those who want a sense of where this movie falls compared to other comic book films, I would say that it was better than Age of Ultron and Man of Steel, but not better than The Dark Knight or Captain America 2: Winter Soldier. Also there is no end credit scene, so don't bother waiting. Go see it, and share this review with your friends.

The Rating: 8.5/10 7/10

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