Netflix Friday - Volume 45

Some Netflix film tips for the weekend! And there is something for everyone, since I picked a movie for all the different genres.
 

Action: Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol (2011)
The IMF is shut down when it’s implicated in the bombing of the Kremlin, causing Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) and his new team to go rogue to clear their organization’s name.
 

Drama: Seven Pounds (2008)
A man (Will Smith) with a fateful secret embarks on an extraordinary journey of redemption by forever changing the lives of seven strangers.
 

Comedy: O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000)
In the deep south during the 1030s, three escaped convicts (George Clooney, John Turturro, Tim Blake Nelson) search for hidden treasure while a relentless lawman pursues them.
 

Animation: White Fang (2018)
Based on the timeless novel by Jack London. A loyal wolfdog’s curiosity leads him on the adventure of a lifetime while serving a series of three distinctly different masters.
 

Romance: Save the Last Dance (2001)
A white midwestern girl (Julia Stiles_ moves to Chicago, where her new boyfriend is a black teen (Sean Patrick Thomas) from the South Side with a rough, semi-criminal past.
 

Horror: The Exorcist (1973)
When a 12-year-old girl (Linda Blair) is possessed by a mysterious entity, her mother (Ellen Burtstyn) seeks the help of two priests (Max von Sydow, William O’Malley0 to save her.
 

Science Fiction: Jurassic Park III (2001)
A decidedly odd couple (William H. Macy, Téa Leoni) with ulterior motives convince Dr. Grant (Sam Neill) to go to Isla Sorna for a holiday, but their unexpected landing startles the island’s new inhabitants.
 

Crime: No Country for Old Men (2007)
Violence and mayhem ensue after a hunter (Josh Brolin) stumbled upon a drug deal gone wrong and more than two million dollars in cash near the Rio Grande.
 

Thriller: The Next Three Days (2010)
A married couple’s (Russel Crowe, Elizabeth Banks) life is turned upside down when the wife is accused of a murder.
 

Documentary: Strong Island (2017)
When filmmaker Yance Ford investigates the 1992 murder of a young black man, it becomes an achingly personal journey since the victim, 24-year-old William Ford Jr., was the filmmaker’s brother.
 

Family: Mowgli: King of the Jungle (2018)
A human child raised by wolves must face off against a menacing tiger named Shere Khan (Benedict Cumberbatch), as well as his own origins.

10s Movie Review - Mowgli

Director: Andy Serkis
Genre: Action/ Adventure
Runtime: 107 minutes
Year: 2018
Starring: Christian Bale, Cate Blanchett, Benedict Cumberbatch, Naomie Harris, Eddie Marsan, Andy Serkis, Peter Mullen, Tom Hollander, Matthew Rhys, Freida Pinto

Description: A human child raised by wolves must face off against a menacing tiger named Shere Khan, as well as his own origins

Review: After his parents were killed by tiger Shere Khan, Mowgli is taken in by a wolf pack lead by Akela. Not all animals in the jungle accept Mowgli and as he grows up, he has to work harder to proof himself. As Mowgli gets older, he starts to have doubts about who he is. When Shere Khan announces war between him and the other jungle citizens, Mowgli is forced to live with the people in the village.
In 2016 director Jon Favreau gave us his take on “The Jungle Book”, based on the Disney animation. It had charm, with, adventure and was suited for all ages. Andy Serkis has a different take on the story. It’s still the same basic story. But it’s all a lot darker, has no sing-a-longs and is filled with bloody hunts and has a grim atmosphere. However this is more like the original source material, the novel by Rudyard Kipling, it never convinces completely.
What made “The Jungle Book” so great were the visuals. And although “Mowgli” looks good too, the animals and the special effects aren’t always that great. The somewhat wooden computer animations really don’t work well. And what was the least interesting part of the animation from 1967? Were Mowgli meets the other people. And that’s a big part of this film.
The voice cast is amazing though. Christian Bale, Cate Blanchett and Benedict Cumberbatch were chosen perfectly for their roles. And that the film choses a different path then its predecessor is also a good choice. Too little, too late is definitely the case for “Mowgli”.

Rating: 3 / 5

Movies to Look Forward to - October 2018

October 4th – A Star is Born
Director: Bradley Cooper
Starring: Lady Gaga, Bradley Cooper, Sam Elliot, Dave Chappelle
Description: A musician (Bradley Cooper) helps a young singer and actress (Lady Gaga) find fame, even as age and alcoholism send his own career into a downward spiral.

October 4th – Venom
Director: Ruben Fleischer
Starring: Tom Hardy, Michelle Williams, Woody Harrelson, Jenny Slate, Riz Ahmed
Description: When Eddie Brock (Tom Hardy) acquires the powers of a symbiote, he will have to release his alter-ego "Venom" to save his life.

October 11th – Bad Times at the El Royale
Director: Drew Goddard
Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Jon Hamm, Dakota Johnson, Jeff Bridges, Nick Offerman
Description: Seven strangers, each with a secret to bury, meet at Lake Tahoe's El Royale, a rundown hotel with a dark past. Over the course of one fateful night, everyone will have a last shot at redemption - before everything goes to hell.

October 18th – First Man
Director: Damien Chazelle
Starring: Ryan Gosling, Claire Foy, Jason Clarke, Ciarán Hinds, Ethan Embry, Kyle Chandler, Corey Stoll, Patrick Fugit
Description: A look at the life of the astronaut, Neil Armstrong (Ryan Gosling), and the legendary space mission that led him to become the first man to walk on the Moon on July 20, 1969.

October 18th – Hell Fest
Director: Gregory Plotkin
Starring: Amy Forsyth, Bex Taylor-Klaus, Reign Edwards
Description: A masked serial killer turns a horror themed amusement park into his own personal playground, terrorizing a group of friends while the rest of the patrons believe that it is all part of the show.

October 18th – Mowgli
Director: Andy Serkis
Starring: Benedict Cumberbatch, Cate Blanchett, Christian Bale, Andy Serkis, Naomie Harris, Eddie Marsan, Matthew Rhys, Freida Pinto, Tom Hollander, Rohan Chand, Peter Mullan, Jack Reynor
Description: A human child raised by wolves must face off against a menacing tiger named Shere Khan (Benedict Cumberbatch), as well as his own origins.

October 25th – The Girl in the Spider’s Web
Director: Fede Alvarez
Starring: Claire Foy, Sylvia Hoeks, Sverrir Gudnason, Stephen Merchant
Description: Young computer hacker Lisbeth Salander (Claire Foy) and journalist Mikael Blomkvist (Sverrir Gudnason) find themselves caught in a web of spies, cybercriminals and corrupt government officials.