King Arthur entertains with quirky editing and humor

Movie Title:  King Arthur: Legend of the Sword

Grade:  B+

Rating:  PG-13,

In a Nutshell:  With epic sword fights and a delightful dose of humor, you know a movie is good when you can’t wait to see certain scenes again.  The bouncy storytelling is quirky, unique, often confusing, but definitely entertaining.  

Director Guy Ritchie’s creative editing style keeps it interesting in this new version of the famous King Arthur legendary story.

This is the first installment of what is supposed to be a six film franchise.  Does that excite or worry you?

Uplifting theme: 

• “Why have enemies when you can have friends?” - King Arthur
• Defending honor.
• Friendship, family, loyalty 

Things I liked:

• Charlie Hunnam gained a ton of weight and muscle to be in this movie, after director Guy Ritchie kept telling him how emaciated he looked after the last season of Sons of Anarchy The Complete Series.  Charlie looks strong and buff now.  Well done, Charlie!
• Jude Law does a great job as the evil Vortigern who delights in other people's fear and his own power.
• I loved the special effects.  Wow. I thought the smokey vapors that emanated from the legendary Excaliber sword were super epic     looking.
• Great sound effects and fun musical soundtrack.
• The special effects are big, wild, innovative, and wicked cool.
• Lots of slow-motion scenes, the majority of them with lots of humor and uber-awesome shots.
• Lots of overhead views of the cities.
• Tons of super interesting camera angles.
• The Darklands sequences were super entertaining.  I loved learning how the sword became sealed into the stone originally.  It added great depth to the backstory.
• Great costume design.  Noticeably good.
• The movie was shot in England, Scotland, and Wales with some very picturesque scenery.
• There is a hilarious scene towards the beginning of the movie where Arthur has to explain to Jack about what happened.  It was clever, quick-witted, and set the tone for a fun movie. I loved the funny nicknames he called his friends.
• Rebel graffiti.  Ha ha 
• 3D actually enhances the scenes quite a bit, in case you're wondering if you should spring a few extra bucks for it.

Things I didn’t like:

• There were these cool tree ladies who we only get to see for a split second and who served no purpose other than to look cool.  I wanted to know more about them and see them again.
• There were a lot of exposition scenes where people have to explain what’s going on.  Sadly, they’re needed.
• There were some strange, choppy edits.
• Some of the characters were noticeably less developed than others. 
• There is a LOT going on in this movie....sometimes, too much.
• OK, so wait a minute...is Astrid Berges-Frisbey the Mage/Merlin or is going to evolve into Guinevere?  Kind of confusing.

Funny lines:

• “What is it?  A carosel? A giant wheel of cheese?” – Goosefat Bill (Aidan Gillen) when talking about King Arthur’s famous round table.
• “I’m not going to hear the end of this.  It was my turn to cook.” – Mage king (Michael Hadley)
• “I don’t like snakes!” – Arthur

“No one likes snakes!” – Mage

Interesting lines:

• “When people fear, it is the most intoxicating sensation a man can possess.” –  Vortigern
• “You make sense of the devil.” – Arthur
• “You’re no longer a myth.” – Mage
• “I look away.  We all look away.  But that is the difference between a man and a king.” – Mage

Tips for parents: 

• Lots of fighting with a massive body count.
• Some profanity and one F-bomb.
• Some scary monsters in the Darkland and an evil monster that King Arthur has to fight.  (But it has a super cool looking fire cape!)
• According to this version of the King Arthur story, he was raised in a brothel.  

 Movie Review Mom

@trinaboice 

The Lost City of Z explores the jungles of South America and the mind

Movie Title:
The Lost City of Z

Grade:  B+

Rating:  PG-13, 140 minutes

In a Nutshell:  This savage story features the true tale of Percival Fawcett and his dream to discover The Lost City of Z along the Amazon river in the early 1900’s.  

Also explored is what makes people tick, their dreams, motivations, and how they hold on to hope.

Based on David Grann’s best-seller The Lost City of Z, it has the look and feel of one of those old-time exploration dramas and will remind you a little bit of Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark.

Uplifting theme: 

• Hope
• Discovery
• “To dream, to seek the unknown, to look for what is beautiful is its own reward.” –  Nina Fawcett (Sienna Miller)
• “We are all made of the same clay.” – Percy (Charlie Hunnam)
• “A man’s reach should exceed his grasp.” - Nina Fawcett  

Things I liked:

• Good for British actor Charlie Hunnam!  He did an excellent job in portraying a complex character who is brave, hopeful, and even reckless.  He also stars in the upcoming King Arthur: Legend of The Sword: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack movie.  He has been in several movies and TV shows, but people are just now starting to really take notice of his wide range of talent.  As the newest hunk to get attention, he doesn't take his shirt off in this film, but he does in King Arthur, ladies.
• There is an interesting USA vs. England dimension as the two countries raced to explore and discover the world first in the 19th and 20th centuries.
• Twilight fans of Robert Pattinson will see him in a new light if they even recognize him at all underneath all that beard and hair.
• I loved that Percy became quite humble and respectful of the land and people he explored, as opposed to his contemporaries, both American and British who arrogantly called the natives "savages."
• While Sienna Miller plays the dutiful wife, she also has some great moments when she reveals graceful wisdom and insight.
• Spiderman!  Tom Holland, who stars in the upcoming Spider-Man: Homecoming - The Art of the Movie, does a great job as Percy's eager son.
• There's a smoky, old-fashioned air to how the movie is filmed that adds to the eery feeling.
• At the end of the movie, text on the screen tells you how the story ended. 
• It's a fascinating character study on what makes men cowards and others brave.

Things I didn’t like:

• Some of the dialogue is pretty weak. The movie was written and directed by James Gray.
• It drags on a bit.  Experts who like that might call it "methodical pacing."
• It's really hard to avoid people suffering in a variety of ways in an exploration story like this.  Wounds, illness, fighting, drowning, being eaten by piranha, arrows, sacrifice, etc.
• I never saw a single trailer for this movie before it played.  The marketing was extremely thin.

Interesting lines:

• “All that matters now is the future.” – Percy
• “Nothing will happen to us that is not our destiny.” – Percy
• “Have fun and be bold.” – Nina  (that's the same advice I give my sons!)
• “So much of life is a mystery, my boy.  We know so little of this world.” – Percy
• “It’s not possible to choose a safe passage through life.” – Jack Fawcett (Tom Holland II)
• “We’ve never let fear determine our future.” – Nina
• ‘It’s his essential nature.  Who am I to betray that?” – Nina Fawcett (Sienna Miller) when she decided to let her son go on a voyage with his father
• “Peace means only that nothing will change.” – Spanish guy at beginning
• “Am I a fool to leave my family for this place?” - Percy

Tips for parents: 

• Topless native women
• Profanity
• There are subtitles you’ll need to read to kids who can’t keep up.
• Violence and brutality.  Some people die in horrible ways. 

MOVIE REVIEW MOM

@trinaboice