Scarlett Johansson

The Jungle Book (2016): A Movie Review

/ Casey Tingle / 1 Comment

mv5bmtc3ntuznti4mv5bml5banbnxkftztgwnju0nju5nze-_v1_sx640_sy720_Abandoned in the jungle as a baby, Mowgli, who was raised by wolves, is just trying to be one with the pack. But when his life is threatened by the tiger, Shere Khan, Mowgli must leave to go live in the man village. But on his way he makes some new friends who make him see that doing things his own way may not always be a bad thing and that no matter what he does his jungle family will be there for him when he needs them the most.

This live action adaptation of the Disney classic was amazing on several levels. First, I felt that they did a great job at casting the actors for their respective roles. In particular, I really liked Bill Murray as Baloo. He was hilarious and I could not see another actor doing that character justice.

The movie stuck true to the original Disney telling and even included the songs “The Bare Necessities” and “I Wanna Be Like You”, which have been stuck in my head since we saw it. The CGI was also very well done and there were several times where I was curious about how they created some of the scenes, like when Mowgli was being tossed from monkey to monkey across the tree tops.

Overall, The Jungle Book was a great adaptation from the animated version and a treat for any kid and kid at heart.

Avengers: Age of Ultron: A Movie Review

/ Casey Tingle / Leave a comment

When presented with the opportunity to create a peacekeeping program to protect the world and leave the Avengers to retire, Tony Stark convince Bruce Banner to help him. However, what they did not anticipate was that the program would have an ego that rivaled Tony’s and that it would take it’s role of protector of the Earth to the next level: protecting the people of Earth from themselves.

What I liked is that you got into the plot of the movie within the first five minutes. The issue at hand was presented and it steadily went on from there without any big lulls in the action. I also thought Avengers: Age of Ultron presented an array of different genres. While it’s your average action/super hero film, there was also a mixture of romance, presenting characters and relationships viewers may not know about (unless, of course, if you read the comics), as well as comedy and a touch of drama.

But what my favorite part about the Avengers franchise is, is the script. I personally think Joss Whedon is an amazing writer, creating realistic dialogue between the characters that flows flawlessly and keeps the viewer hooked. I enjoyed when there was a joke presented into the movie that it would continue throughout the movie, but it wasn’t overwhelming. They would wait just long enough for the viewer to pretty much forget about the joke before bringing it back, which kept everyone laughing and the joke never got old.

My only issue with the way they are doing these movies now, are that every movie connects to one another. Which isn’t bad, I think it’s an interesting way to create this franchise, especially since all the characters work together, but also have their own films. I just hope they don’t try to integrate them together too much because then it would be necessary to see every single movie and if you miss one you won’t be able to understand what was going on, which could be disappointing to the viewer if they don’t feel like watching every single film. There were a few things in Avengers: Age of Ultron that I didn’t understand because I hadn’t seen some of the other super hero films, but it wasn’t enough that I was taken out of or didn’t understand the entire film.

Avengers: Age of Ultron is a great film and a must see for those who are into comics and the Marvel franchise.

Her: A Movie Review

/ Casey Tingle / Leave a comment

In the final stages of a divorce and lonely, Theodore purchases an artificially intelligent operating system built to suit his every need, known as an OS1. What he doesn’t expect, however, is to fall in love. But as they learn about each other, he becomes drawn to his OS1, Samantha, and she to him. Now Theodore must face feelings of joy and doubt, while Samantha learns to deal with not having a physical form to be with him.

Her was an extremely eye opening and emotionally charged film, addressing the relationships (or lack thereof) we have between each other as people and comparing it to the relationships we have with electronics. I think Her is supposed to be a warning, in a way, about the future. It shows what life could turn into if we continue to strongly rely on electronic devices to interact with other people and provide us with information, even going as far as having complete strangers write letters to our loved ones for us.

However, the movie also touches on the theme of loving someone for who they are rather than what they look like or what they do for a living. I think this movie helps show the give and takes in a relationship and that every day will not be perfect. The movie represents a lot of different types of relationships in different stages, making the overall message universal.

Lost in Translation: A Movie Review

/ Casey Tingle / Leave a comment

The one good thing with having Netflix is now I can watch a bunch of different movies that I may or may not like and not be annoyed that I spent money on a movie I really didn’t like. Not that Lost in Translation was terrible. It was a decent movie, but very strange.

Bob Harris (Bill Murray) is an actor traveling to Tokyo for a commercial gig. In the hotel bar, he meets Charlotte (Scarlett Johansson), a young wife who is staying in Tokyo with her husband while he takes a photography job. Both Bob and Charlotte are drawn together by their lack of enjoyment in the city, as well as their lack of sleep. With no end in sight to their insomnia, the two stick together and form a very unlikely bond.

I just didn’t feel like this movie really had a point. Yes, the two don’t like being in Tokyo so they have something in common, but nothing really came out of it. Bob Harris is in the middle of a bad marriage, while Charlotte is 2 years into hers. Both are feeling alone and I honestly was expecting some racey affair to go on between the two of them. However, nothing really did besides a small kiss good bye at the end.

Overall, it was an interesting movie, keeping me wondering if something would actually happen between the two of them, but when nothing did happen I was left wondering why I spent the last hour and a half (really? It felt way longer) watching it. It was really just a feel good movie that shows that you aren’t as alone as you think. Really, I think I got lost in the movie’s translation.

Grade: C

We Bought A Zoo: A Movie Review

/ Casey Tingle / 1 Comment

This was one of those movies me and my fiancé decided to watch because it was on TV and there was nothing else. He wanted to see it more than I did, but in the end I was glad that we had watched it.

We Bought a Zoo tells the struggle of Benjamin Mee (Matt Damon) and his two children, Dylan (Colin Ford) and Rosie (Maggie Elizabeth Jones), after the death of their mother. Living in the city, Benjamin decides it’s time to move on. Quitting his job, he begins to look for a new place to live and finds it out in a country area. However, he quickly discovers that the house is part of a zoo. Literally. And buying the house means also buying the zoo. Benjamin decides to take the challenge and begins to work with the staff in rebuilding the zoo to reopen it to the public.

Based off a true story, We Bought a Zoo is the perfect family movie. It shows how one family’s struggle turned into a new adventure that they hadn’t expected, and the heart touching ending didn’t disappoint, either.

Grade: A

The Avengers: A Movie Review

/ Casey Tingle / 1 Comment

After seeing The Avengers last night, all I can say is: wow. I have never been a huge superhero fan. I’ve enjoyed the movies when I saw them, but only really saw them when friends wanted to go. I was never the initiator. So I’m really glad several friends wanted to see this movie.

The world is in danger. Loki, Thor’s brother, is planning on taking over the Earth and he must be stopped. But S.H.I.E.L.D. is having trouble getting to him. So Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) decides to bring in help. Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.), Steve Rogers (Chris Evans), Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson) and Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo) are called in to not only stop Loki, but to save one of their own, Clint Barton (Jeremy Renner). They are joined by Thor (Chris Hemsworth) who is determined to bring his brother back home.

The one aspect of The Avengers that I couldn’t get over was the script. It could’ve been the writer in me, but this was the first time I’ve ever watched a movie and thought the entire time, “Wow, this script is amazing!” It was witty and had the entire theater cracking up constantly. Later, as I was telling my fiance this, he informed me that it was written by Joss Whedon, writer for shows such as Firefly, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and Angel. Which explained everything. I am a huge fan of Firefly and consider it to be one of the best shows to ever exist. Whedon is just an amazing writer and I think he did another amazing job!

But the writing wasn’t the only thing that amazed me. The action was choreographed amazingly and the acting was superb! This movie definitely made me wish I was more into comic books. My only suggestion is to see all the movies related to this one first. I only saw Iron Man, Captain America, and half of Thor because the power decided to go out, and I did OK with the movie, but at the same time I can see that some parts would be confusing to someone who had never seen any of the movies. Especially Thor. But they didn’t do too bad of a job with explanations.

Overall, whether you enjoy superheroes or not, I highly suggest seeing this movie! It will not disappoint.

Grade: A+