The Jungle Book

The Jungle Book is one of those stories that people of all ages have grown up with, whether it's the books, the original 1967 Disney animated movie or any of the other movie versions that have been released since. The latest version has come along at a time when making a live action version is possible without relying on unpredictable trained animals (like they did in the 90s.) And while there's a lot of good in this movie, there's also a lot of bad.

Mowgli (Neel Sethi) is a young boy who has grown up in the jungle. He was found by the black panther Bagheer (Sir Ben Kingsley) and raised by the wolf Raksha (Lupita Nyong'o). During a peacetime period brought on by drought, Mowgli comes under the attention of the tiger Shere Khan (Idris Elba), who threatens the entire jungle unless Mowgli is turned over to him. Mowgli realises that the best thing for him to do is find his true place in the world and go to the man-village where he was originally from. Along the way, he comes across the snake Kaa (Scarlett Johannson), befriends Baloo the bear (Bill Murray) and angers King Louie (Christopher Walken).

The original Disney animated movie was very much targeted toward kids, no doubt about it. This one, I'm not so sure. Yes, the plot is pretty basic and doesn't need too much attention to follow it, but it is a really intense movie. Every time Mowgli found himself in a dangerous situation, I couldn't help but get caught up in the moment, so I can't imagine how terrifying some of it must have been for kids under ten. The way the world is presented to us is pretty ingenious. Everything seems out of proportion and way bigger than it would be in real life. That's because we're seeing the world through the eyes of a ten year old. Of course elephants will seem like the biggest things in the world. While we're on the topic of the animals, I have to mention how fantastic the visual effects are. So much research must have gone into how each individual animal species moves, because when you see them, you almost forget that they aren't even there with Neel Sethi, yet he reacts amazingly to them.

While all this is great, there are still problems. I felt like some of the characters were only included in the film because the filmmakers felt obliged to put them in there rather than serving any plot points. For me Kaa was the big one. She only appears briefly (basically all her part is in the trailer) and all we want to see from that character is the crazy eyes. The other one is King Louie. I find his character particularly problematic. He doesn't appear in any of the original books, but rather was created for the Disney animated movie. In 1967, I'm sure it was okay to have a parody of a black jazz musician in your movie, but when you've got a very obvious Christopher Walken doing a very obvious impression of a black person (blackvoice?), it goes a bit far. I know Christopher Walken loves to sing, but does he need to? That leads into the next problem. This isn't a musical like the old one, so why shoehorn in two songs. "Bare Necessities" and "I Wanna Be Like You" were the most popular songs from the original sure, but I found that breaking up the action with these songs just pointless.

Overall, the voice cast is pretty solid. Idris Elba and Ben Kingsley are amazing. Elba has a rather menacing voice as it is, but when it's coming from a tiger, well that's just terrifying. Kingsley is such a talented voice actor that you end up paying more attention to his character than the voice. And that's a problem that sticks out with the rest of the characters. The cast is so well known that they become removed from the parts they play. This is most noticeable with Bill Murray who seemed to be playing more of a version of himself than Baloo.

The Jungle Book is hanging in a weird limbo for me. I wouldn't say I particularly enjoyed it, but I wasn't bored. There was always something that was intriguing for me on screen and at times that distracted me from what was going on with the story. I also couldn't help noticing that this movie took some beats from The Lion King, which was a huge distraction.

St. Vincent

In recent years, Bill Murray has become an unlikely folk hero, travelling around the United States imparting wisdom at bachelor parties, being a guest bartender at random bars and just doing things Bill Murray would do. His recent Renaissance has given his career a new life other than just being remembered for 80s comedies. This latest film (and debut from Theodore Melfi) may not exactly be a career defining film, but it certainly cements his position as both a comedic and dramatic actor.

Vin (Murray) is ageing war veteran retiree who lives in Brooklyn and spends most of his days drinking or cavorting with Russian prostitute Daka (Naomi Watts). One day, single mother Maggie (Melissa McCarthy) moves in next door with her young son Oliver (Jaeden Lieberher). Vin becomes Oliver's babysitter when Maggie fails to return home after work one day and the two begin an unlikely friendship.

Although Melfi's script is a little predictable at parts, there are some surprising moments of sadness and comedy littered throughout and these are aided along by the entirely convincing performances from both Murray and Lieberher. The moments of sadness and heartbreak that come are touching but also do a fantastic job in building the character of Vin.

Murray's career spanning four decades has given him the skills to be able to alternate between comedy and drama with ease, so it's hardly surprising that he is a wonder here. But the true star is young Jaeden Lieberher, who doesn't have all those years of experience. His character of Oliver has a certain naïvety that soon drops once he begins to spend time with Vin and I can't help feeling that that has something to do with the chemistry between Murray and Lieberher.

The supporting cast acts as a great backup to these two mains. Melissa McCarthy's recent string of films has really worn on me and I don't find her coarse comedy funny at all, but here she has wound it all the way back and isn't searching for or stealing the spotlight, instead becoming a part of a fluid machine, thus becoming more enjoyable to watch. Naomi Watts is another actor who has never really grabbed me, but her gruff portrayal of a pregnant Russian stripper and prostitute is great to watch. As always, Chris O'Dowd is fantastic in a comedic role that isn't Roy.

Verdict: While it may not be a fantastic comedy or drama, St. Vincent is a great movie to get you through a quiet afternoon.

The Grand Budapest Hotel

If there has ever been a more esoteric film, The Grand Budapest Hotel is it. All the fans of Wes Anderson's films will immediately pick up on the formalities of his work and enjoy the film immensely. But don't think that if you haven't seen any of his films previously that you won't see it because you'll be missing out on some larger picture. Rather, it is a great introduction to his world. I think that may have to do with Ralph Fiennes, who comes fresh to the films of Wes Anderson.

Indeed, the majority of the film falls on the more than competent shoulders of Fiennes. This film, however, is a huge departure for him as he usually plays insidious characters (Harry Waters in In Bruges, Amon Göth in Schindler's List, Voldermort in the Harry Potter films). He plays Gustave H., the bubbly concierge at the titular hotel, where he wines and dines many of the older female clientele. One such guest, Madame D. (the wonderfully enigmatic Tilda Swinton), ends up being murdered and Gustave is the prime suspect. This is after he becomes the most profitable recipient of Madame D.'s will.

To help Gustave clear his name is the young lobby boy Zero Moustafa. He is played by the talented young Tony Revolori, for whom this is his first major role. He and Fiennes make an excellent comedic duo playing off each other perfectly and you can feel as though the role of mentor that Fiennes takes up must have spilled over to reality.

A lot of the humour in the film comes in very punctuated moments that are both absolutely absurd and shocking. But there are a lot of jokes that are very quick and funny, mainly quips spouted by Gustave, a lot of them to do with poetry or advice for young Zero.

Of course there are a huge number of other people in this film. F. Murray Abraham plays an older Zero and gives the film some of it's more emotionally insightful moments. Adrien Brody's foul-mouthed Dmitri also gives the film some more comedy as his swearing at times seems completely unwarranted (I should know).

From a technical standpoint this is a fun film to watch. Anderson's trademarks of models and fixed camera angles are all here, but the the most enjoyable thing about the film is that it's aspect ratio changes throughout the film. This has largely to do with the fact that the film is a series of flashbacks piled on top of each other.

Verdict: A hugely enjoyable film for everyone to watch. It is fantastically funny and at the same time has some beautifully reflective scenes. Watch out for the Schindler's List reference toward the end.

Director Appreciation: Wes Anderson

I've decided to introduce a new series into my blog and these are director appreciations. In this posts I am going to look a director, their style and a selected filmography of their works. To get everyone excited about the release of The Grand Budapest Hotel this week (if you live in Australia, that is) I am going to look at the works of quirky director Wes Anderson.

Wes Anderson has been making films for the last two decades. Over this period of time he has developed a very unique style and is one that everyone is able to identify when watching. Anderson is known for his deadpan comedy, where even the most absurd things (like the marriage of two children) is taken as completely normal, his vivid colours, the sense of family, his completely locked off camera shots (although every film has one sequence where the camera moves freely) and his cast off frequent collaborators which include Bill Murray, Owen Wilson, Jason Schwartzman, Tilda Swinton and Willem Dafoe.

The Royal Tenenbaums (2001): This is probably the one film of Wes Anderson's that most people have seen. It follows an estranged family who reunite after their father Royal (played by a wickedly funny Gene Hackman) reveals that he is suffering from a terminal illness. The performances in this film are all wildly funny and there is a great subplot where Bill Murray is studying a boy who has a rare disorder that combines amnesia, dyslexia and colour-blindness.

The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004): This is my favourite of Anderson's films because it was the first I ever saw and instantly fell in love with his style. The film itself is a parody of oceanographer Jacques Cousteau, with Murray playing the titular character. Zissou sets out to make one last film where he will find the shark that killed his best friend. It is an amazingly vibrant film and has my favourite performance from Willem Dafoe ever.

The Darjeeling Limited (2007): This really is the evolution from The Life Aquatic. It follows three brothers who travel to India to bond after not having seen each other in a year. I feel like a part of Anderson was trying to break out of his style with this film. This is Adrian Brody's first film with Anderson and he really fits into his world and style.

Moonrise Kingdom (2012): A really beautiful film about two young children who fall in love and run away from home. After this the entire community gather together to try and find them. This film has a lot of stunning performances, especially from the two young leads, but for me Edward Norton steals the show as an inept scout master.