The Mountain Between Us blends genres, but no heat

Movie Title:    
The Mountain Between Us

Grade:  C+

Rating:   PG-13, 100 minutes

In a Nutshell:  Based on The Mountain Between Us: A Novelthis dramatic romance with a survival backdrop features two great actors: award-winning Kate Winslet and Idris Elba.

 

Uplifting theme: 

• Love
• Hope

Things I liked:

• Winslet and Elba offer solid acting.
• Some say the melodramatic ending is corny, but I liked it.  Call me a hopeless romantic.
• The cinematography sets up great shots in the beautiful mountains.

Things I didn’t like:

• There’s no way to tell how much time has passed on their journey, other than when Kate Winslet’s character tells us.
• As far as a survival movie goes, they easily happen upon food and shelter, so there’s no feeling of desperation.  I kept imagining the actors sitting in a warm camper, drinking hot cocoa right before each scene they did.
• There's not a lot of character development.  
• The romance feels forced and then rushed.  Some would call that a lack of chemistry.     

Funny line:
* "It would be funny if you weren't really a doctor." - Alex
    "Why would that be funny?" - Ben
    "Because you'd be doing all this just to see my fancy underwear."
      - Alex
    "They're not that fancy." - Ben



Tips for parents: 

• Pre-marital "relations".
• Some profanity.
• Some perilous situations.
• Kids will like the dog, but probably be a little bit bored.

MOVIE REVIEW MOM

@trinaboice 

The Jungle Book takes CGI to a new level

Movie Title:      The Jungle Book

Grade:   A

Rating:   PG, 1 hour 51 minutes

In a Nutshell:    What do you get when you mix 90% CGI with a Rudyard Kipling remake?  Surprisingly, a beautiful family friendly film.  

Director Jon Favreau gives a respectful nod to the 1967 Disney original, while crafting a new one that is fresh and full of heart.  See it in 3D if you can.

Uplifting theme: 

•  Baloo says, “Everyone’s got a song.” A strong message that comes out in the film is to be yourself, your best self.  We all have our unique strengths and others around us will be blessed when we are true to ourselves and use our talents.
• Another wise thing Baloo says is, “You say you want to go the man village.  I say you can be a man right here.”  We need to stop waiting for something to happen before we live up to our potential.
• Friendship, courage, love.

Things I liked:

• Neel Sethi plays Mowgli, the only human in the movie, yet there is great humanity in the film.  He does an excellent job and is completely adorable.  I love the realistic detail of some scars on his shoulder and chest.  
• Even if we don’t get to see the talented Ben Kingsley, it’s a pleasure to hear his voice as the protective teacher Bagheera.
• Who doesn’t love the carefree Baloo?  Bill Murray’s voice fits perfectly and provides plenty of comic relief, making the audience I sat with laugh almost every time the lovable bear was on the screen.  This ain’t no bear from The Revenant!
• Casting Christopher Walken as the creepy, funny King Louie was perfect. Walken has that reputation in Hollywood.
• Idris Elba voices the scary Shere Khan and provides a villain who is frightening, yet not so much that young children won’t be able to watch the movie.
• Scarlett Johansson’s soothing, tempting voice was also a great choice for Kaa.
• The wolf oath has been borrowed by the Boy Scouts of America, because it teaches some important principles still today!  The 8 year old boys in Cub Scouts repeat a somewhat different version each week in their gatherings.
• Adorable, yet realistic creatures in the jungle.  The porcupine was an especially popular character for the audience.   
• Pay close attention to this fascinating detail…there is a water scene where you actually see water splashes on the camera…but is there really a camera there or was it all CGI?
• Honey IS actually good for scratches and bee stings!

Things I didn’t like:

• There is nothing at the end of credits, so feel free to leave the theater after the last scene.  I was disappointed, because they could have easily added any number of fun nuggets to surprise and delight audiences.
• Some of the CGI looks a little fake, but most of it is actually stunning.

Funny lines:

•  “Bears don’t hibernate in the jungle.” – Bagheera 

“Not full hibernation, but I nap…a lot.” – Baloo

• “I realize you weren’t born a wolf, but couldn’t you just act like one?” - Bagheera
• “If you can’t learn to run with the pack, one of these days, you’ll be someone’s dinner.” – Bagheera
• “He’s walking on two legs!” – animal child at Peace Rock

“Don’t stare!” – animal’s shocked mother

• “What did I tell you?  He’s special.” – Baloo talking about Mowgli

“I know.  I raised him.” - Bagheera

Interesting lines:

• “If it’s meant to be, it will be.” – Raksha (Lupita Nyong’o)
• “You have never been a more endangered species than you are in this moment.” - Baloo 

Tips for parents:   

• There are some animal fight scenes that might frighten very young children.
• Shere Khan has a scarred eye that makes him look scary.
• No profanity.

Other great versions I loved of The Jungle Book :

    

Zootopia is great fun for all ages

Movie Title:      Zootopia

Grade:   A

Rating:   PG-1 hour 48 minutes

In a Nutshell:    This smart, colorful animation has a touch of Disney magic with new, adorable characters that are sure to make this family-friendly comedy a classic.  

Zootopia is to 2016 what Inside Out was to 2015. 

Fun for all ages, you’ll want to see it again to catch everything you missed the first time because so much was going on in each frame.

Voice talents include Once Upon a Time: Season 1 ’s Ginnifer Goodwin, Jason Bateman, Idris Elba, J.K. Simmons, Octavia Spencer, Jenny Slate, Nate Torrence, Bonnie Hunt, and even Frozen ’s Kristen Bell.

Uplifting theme: 

•  “Anyone can be anything.” – Judy
• “Try to make the world a better place.  Look inside yourself and know that change starts with you.”  - Judy
• Anti-bullying, tolerance.

Things I liked:

• Characters are well defined and developed….and adorable.
• The little skit at the beginning of the movie was ridiculously cute.
• The sloths at the DMV were HILARIOUS.  All of the parents in the audience were practically rolling on the floor.  We’ve all experienced the joys of the DMV before.
• I love how Judy’s bunny nose twitches and her foot taps fast.  Adorable.  Her ears are so expressive.  According to her, I'm not allowed to call her cute.
• Shakira as a singing rock star gazelle.  Her gazelle app probably exists already.
• It’s almost a primer for kids on film noir crime mysteries.
• Keep watching during the credits at the end.
• Paying extra for 3D isn’t necessary to enjoy the fun and magic; however, the crisp, detailed animation is even more brilliant in 3D.
• There is plenty to enjoy about this film at first glance, but there are even weighty, political topics under the surface that you can talk about during the drive home.
• The animation design is excellent.  It was fun seeing the design of all of the different kinds of animals.  The armadillo cracked me up.  Here is one of my sons holding a real baby armadillo.

Things I didn’t like:

• There is a funny, yet sort of inappropriate nudist scene at the naturalist club.  Of course, kids are use to seeing animals “naked”, but the context seemed odd.
• Considering it’s a kid’s movie, you can expect a few fart jokes.

Funny lines:

• “That is the most stupidest thing I ever heard.” – Gideon Grey
•  “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” – Judy (quoting Franklin D. Roosevelt)

“And bears.” – Stu Hopps

• “She has no need for a fox taster.” – Bonnie Hopps

“Oh come on!  When is there no need for a fox taster?” – Stu Hopps

• Who still uses CD’s? - Nick
• “I was small and emotionally unbalanced like you once.” – Nick to Judy
• “I will take your kindness and pay it forward.” – Mr. Big
• “We’re changing the world one carrot at a time.” - Bonnie Hopps
• “Ice this weasel.” – Mr. Big
• “Do you think when she goes to sleep she counts herself? – Nick about Assistant Mayor Bellweather the sheep
• "What did I say?  No icing nobody during the wedding!" - Mr. Big's bride

       "I have to, Baby.  Daddy has to." - Mr. Big

Things that cracked me up:

• “Lemmings Brother Bank”
• “Hoof Locker” store.  Check out all the names of the stores on the streets
• Bunny Burrow population sign adding new numbers by the second.
• “Fox away” can of spray
• “Carrots for 1” frozen dinner
• When the wolves can’t resist howling.
• Funny animal versions of movie posters they walk by
• Gazelle/Shakira’s male tiger dancers at the end of the movie

Interesting lines:

• “My dear, we may be evolved, but deep down, we’re still animals.” – Mr. Big
• “It’s great to have dreams, just as long as you don’t believe in them too much.” – Stu Hopps
• “Real life’s a little more complicated than a slogan on a bumper sticker.  Life is messy.” - Judy

Tips for parents:   

• No profanity, unless you count “Sweet cheeses and crackers” to be offensive.
• There is kind of a “Breaking Bad” meth-making scene, including the names Walter and Jesse from the TV show.  Young kids won’t catch it, but teens will.
• It's a Disney film, so yep....there will be TONS of merchandising to meet your darling little angels' needs.  Here are a few cute things to get you started:

No Good Deed is predictable, but still suspenseful

Movie Title:   No Good Deed

PG-13, 1 hour 24 minutes

Grade:  C

In a Nutshell:   He’s creepy.  She’s stupid.  It’s all very predictable, but that didn’t stop the audience I watched the movie with from screaming, cheering and clapping.  And yeah, 90% of the audience was middle-aged women who were happy to see the helpless female victim finally start to fight back and kick some bad guy butt. 

Uplifting theme:  Don’t be stupid.  Don’t open your door to strangers, especially to large, menacing men who could squash you with their finger.  On a serious note, women need to know self-defense and how to handle a firearm.

Things I liked:

• Idris Elba is excellent.  He is equally convincing as a heroic character in Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom and Thor , as he is as an escaped felon looking for psychotic revenge.
•  Even though I thought the movie was pretty cliched, I still noticed that I was chewing my gum really fast.  Despite your head knowing what’s going to happen, your heart still races.
• The beautiful Leslie Bibb plays Meg, Terri’s slutty and wise friend who offers some comic relief.
• The movie takes place in Atlanta.  I lived in a suburb near Atlanta for 15 years and loved it.  The movie would have benefited, however, from a few of those magical fireflies they have in the South.
• I wondered if this would be a remake of the 2002 Samuel L. Jackson movie No Good Deed , but it’s really not.

Things I didn’t like:

• Terri could have gotten help from other people so many times during the ordeal.  She’s supposed to be an educated District Attorney turned stay-at-home mom, but she makes some really dumb and annoying choices.
• It kind of feels like one of those Lifetime movies created for an estrogen-filled audience. 
• I have to admit that I've uttered the phrase "No good deed goes unpunished" many times in my life when I have done something kind and yet it turned around to bite me.  It happens.  Still, it's important to not become so cynical that you stop serving others.  You just have to be smart about it too.

Interesting lines:

• “I would have thought with all those brains you got, you woulda figured out what game we’re playing.”  - Colin
• “Why are you doing this?”  - Terri

“You’ll see.”   - Colin

Tips for parents:  I’m not sure why this movie is rated R because it has 2 F-bombs.  Idris Elba steps out of a shower and is naked, but because of the lighting, you don’t see anything.  The beautiful Taraji Henson wears a tank top that gets wet in a scene…

If you like this movie, you'll probably also like:
 

Pacific Rim floods senses with special effects

 
Transformers meet Godzilla with an inspiring speech worthy of Independence Day.  There, now you know the whole plot of Pacific Rim, the summer’s latest popcorn blockbuster.  My movie buff son absolutely loved it and said “I’d give it a TEN and see it AGAIN!”  This is one that movie goers will line up for again and again.

My son who is currently an animation student in college said it included all of his favorite things: giant robots kicking alien butt in the Lovecraft genre style of horror, complete with lots of explosions, a cute Asian girl, Japanese references, Director Guillermo del Toro, and amazing CGI.  He even got a kick out of hearing the same actress who voices the popular video game “Portal.”  He said the only thing he thought the movie lacked was Liam Neeson.  Ha ha

You probably won’t recognize a lot of the actors, such as big screen newbies Charlie Hunnam and Diego Klattenhoff, who play brothers whose minds become linked when fighting inside a giant robot called a Jaeger, designed to fight cool alien creatures from the sea.  The actors actually look alike, as does Burn Gorman, another Jaeger fighter who tries to save the world from threatening monsters.  You will, however, get a kick out of seeing Hellboy’s Ron Perlman, who plays Hannibal Chau, named after his favorite historical figure and second-favorite restaurant in Brooklyn.  Director Guillermo del Toro admitted that if he could ever form a neural handshake with anyone that it would be Ron Perlman.  Yeah.  Ron Perlman has been in every single one of Guillermo del Toro’s movies.

The movie has that “Rock ‘em Sock ‘em Robots” feel to it and is even a little comic book clichéd, but it has enough incredible CGI special effects to fill the Pacific Ocean.   Watching it in 3D will keep you right inside the action, but if you’re sitting too close to an IMAX screen you will get swallowed up by it. 

Unlike some alien movies, you get to see a LOT of these creatures up close.  They’re super cool-looking, scary, and even have some pretty Avatar blue streaks and ooze.  Director Guillermo del Toro includes a whirling mixture of digital, analog, complicated mechanisms, iconic big Russians, funky science with alien body parts, Iron Man mobility, and Steam Punk.  The sound effects are beyond big and cool.  Rinko Kikuchi as a little girl is the cutest thing ever.

Idris Elba’s delightful accent underscores the movies theme that it takes the whole world’s efforts to save itself.   The “drift” introduces the idea of two people’s minds united in a common cause.  Who would YOU want to join with in the “drift”?  No spoiler alert here: the world is saved and you’ll leave the theater with a silly grin on your face.

Two fun quotes from the flick that show how it doesn’t take itself too seriously:

“We can either sit here and do nothing or we can grab those flare guns and go out there and do something really stupid.”  (Herc Hansen)

“Today, at the edge of our hope, at the end of our time, we have chosen not only to believe in ourselves, but in each other.  Today we face the monsters that are at our door.  Today we are canceling the apocalypse!”   (Stacker Pentecost)

Grade:  A-