Movie Review - Kong: Skull Island

Kong: Skull Island

Starring: Tom Hiddleston, Samuel L. Jackson, Brie Larson, John C. Reilly, John Goodman, Corey Hawkins, Toby Kebbell, Jason Mitchell, Shea Whigham, John Ortiz, Tian Jing, Will Brittain, Miyavi, and more.

Directed by: Jordan Vogt-Roberts Screenplay by: Dan Gilroy, Max Borenstein, and Derek Connolly Story by: John Gatins Cinematography by: Larry Fong Music by: Henry Jackman

Premise: In 1973, just as the Vietnam War ended, a researcher convinces a senator to allow his team to go with a survey group to a newly discovered island. The helicopter squad assigned to take them there gets a nasty surprise when they drop seismic testing bombs in the jungle. The destruction brings forth a creature worse than any enemy they've fought before. Getting off the island will be much harder than getting in. (Rated PG-13)

Review:

1) Acting - Total Thumbs Up: Lots of great performances from the cast! Tom Hiddleston is a man stuck between worlds as James Conrad. Samuel L. Jackson plays Preston Packard - an Ahab looking for his white whale (aka giant gorilla) nemesis. Brie Larson was both spunky and full of feeling as photographer Mason Weaver. John C. Reilly was a hoot as Hank Marlow.

2) Special Effects - Total Thumbs Up: Saw this in 3D but wish we'd been able to see it in IMAX 3D. Some truly phenomenal backgrounds mixed with special effects. The giant auroras around the island at night were amazing. 

The outside view of the perpetual storm around Skull Island was very reminiscent of "Star Trek the Motion Picture." Once they go inside the cloud, the "wow" factor went way up. The entire ride was amazing! Fabulous images with the off colored lightining~!

Kong looked great. The scars from previous fights were a great touch. They did a terrific job with all the creatures - the dangerous and the non-dangerous ones. :)

There are tons of explosions, machine guns, gas, rifle fire, napalm, and more. The scenes when the group first meets Kong were fabulous. You do not willingly mess with a giant gorilla, people! 

3) Story - Thumbs Up: The entire film seemed to be not only a giant monster movie but one paying homage to all sorts of other films. Think "Apocalypse Now" meets "Moby Dick" with a dash of "Enemy Mine" and "African Queen." They even throw in bits from the Millenium Falcon's hyperdrive malfunction and the storm around Voyager from Star Trek. In-jokes abound!

The big theme of the film is soul consuming obsession. Bill Randa's obsession got them to the island, Packard's is what almost gets all of them killed. The hubris of man knows no bounds. It's your fault if you start blowing things up, and the locals take steps to show you they aren't happy about it. Duh! And you should never assume monsters are stupid! (These sure weren't!) Not if you want to survive or make your sacrifice mean anything. :P

Lots of light moments, which help diffuse some of the tension. It was used well to show the bonds between and the differences of some of the characters. They spent the time to let us get to know them a little, which is ideal for making the audience care about them and not wanting them to getting killed. Plenty of faceless ones to get ground up, though, so expect a high body count.  

Aside from the impromptu scares to make you jump, the plot is pretty straight forward. Lots of mayhem, monsters, and fights to keep everyone entertained, though.  

SUPER IMPORTANT -  You must sit through ALL the credits! When you see the black screen - do not move! There is more! Wait...for...it! :)

4) Stunts - Total Thumbs Up: Most of the gags are CGI based, but still look darn cool. The main actors still get whipped around, thrown, attacked, and more so there was plenty of work to go around. :P

5) Locations/Cinematography - Total Thumbs Up: Filmed in Hawaii, Vietnam, and Australia, we get a ton of fun sites and beautiful photography. Add in some of the cool effects for the aurora or a giant gorilla standing in the middle of signature backgrounds, and you've got a visual winner. :)

Conclusion: If you like giant monster films, action, explosions, and craziness, wrapped around a simple frame this movie won't disappoint. Good "just for fun" fodder.

Rating: 3.75 out of 5 (Hubby's Rating: Worth Full Price to See Again)

Movie Review - Monsters University

Monster University

Starring: Billy Crystal, John Goodman, Steve Buscemi, Helen Mirren, Peter Sohn, Joel Murray, Sean Hayes, Dave Foley, Charlie Day, Alfred Molina, Nathan Fillion, Julia Sweeney, and more.

Directed by: Dan Scanlon Screenplay by: Robert L Baird, Daniel Gerson, and Dan Scanlon Story by: Robert L Baird, Daniel Gerson, and Dan Scanlon Original Music by: Randy Newman

Premise: Mike has always been overlooked, but early in life he realized what he wanted to be when he grew up - a Scarer. And his dream feels close to coming true when he shows up at Monster University on his first day in college. Yet he finds out right away that there are plenty of monster who feel he's not qualified to be a Scarer, despite his high grades. Amongst them is Jimmy Sullivan, the son of a well respected Scarer. The road to his dream job, won't be as easy as Mike thought. (Rated G)

Review:

1) Voice Acting - Total Thumbs Up: Billy Crystal and John Goodman reprise their roles as Mike and Sullivan in this prequel to "Monsters Inc." The banter and one liners are as witty as the original, except this time the two monsters are working against each other even when they are on the same team. Helen Mirren was fabulous as Dean Hardscrabble. She was scarier than just about everyone there, without having to roar. Peter Sohn, Joel Murray, Sean Hayes, Dave Foley, and Charlie Day were a lot of fun as the rest of the members in the Oozma team. Julia Sweeney as Scott's Mom was hilarious!

2) Artwork/Animation - Total Thumbs Up: Pixar does marvellous work and it shows in every frame. Though the film is about a world of monsters, the look and the feel of Monster University is very much that of an old and famous university like Harvard, Yale, or Cambridge. Classical looking buildings, fraternities, orientation, school clubs looking for members, dorms, student rivalries, and all the other things one would expect as being part of the college experience. The tiny details to put all that together as well as adding things here and there things to make the world unique in its own right were amazing.

Using the versatility of animation, Pixar took full advantage and created many visual 'gags'. The chase through campus for the stolen rival university's 'pig' mascot was hilarious. Even more entertaining were the side effects experienced by those involved in the first test of the Scare Race.

3) Plot/Story - Total Thumbs Up: Since this is a prequel, a lot of the audience who are familiar with "Monsters Inc" will be expecting the eventual reconciliation between Mike and Sullivan due to their close friendship in the first film. What's fun about the expectation, though, is the fact Pixar doesn't make it easy. The problems are not something touched on then are quickly and easily resolved, but rather the eventual, expected outcome works in stages, which was quite nice.

A lot of the issues the two monsters face in the film can be plucked straight from real life or several college movies. But the one thing which will surprise many is that though this is considered a children's film, the writers don't solve the problem in an unrealistic way. If anything, the fact they show that rash actions do have consequences, and even punishment, is a path that's not the 'norm' with movies made for kids. But all is not doom and gloom, the film also showed that even in failure one can still find a way to where they want to go. It might be a longer more arduous path, but eventually one might get there. Definite kudos for that.

4) Music - Total Thumbs Up: Music isn't normally a category I use (though I am a definite believer in soundtracks being able to make or break a film), but it was definitely needed for this film. Randy Newman's score was perfect - the main title song in the style played by any college marching band. It did a lot in immersing the audience into the whole college theme.

Conclusion: "Monster University" is a fun film with a lot of content for adults as well as kids. Very nostalgic in a way - bringing back memories of college days or 80's college movies. The attention to detail is just amazing. Also, make sure to sit through the credits - there's just a tiny bit of more fun at the end. (The short cartoon called "The Blue Umbrella" which shows before the main feature is adorable!)

Rating: 4.25 out of 5 (Hubby's Rating: Worth Paying Full Price to See Again.)

Movie Review - Argo

Argo

Starring: Ben Affleck, Bryan Cranston, Alan Arkin, John Goodman, Victor Garber, Tate Donovan, Clea DuVall, Scoot McNairy, Rory Cochrane, Christopher Denham, Kerry Bishé, Kyle Chandler, Chris Messina, Zeljiko Ivanek, and more.

Directed by: Ben Affleck Screenplay by: Chris Terrio Based on the Book by: Tony Mendez Also Based on an Article by: Joshuah Bearman Cinematography by: Rodrigo Pietro Original Music by: Alexandre Desplat

Premise: Six members of the American Embassy in Iran escaped the embassy when it was overrun in 1979. Given shelter at the home of the Canadian Ambassador, it's only a matter of time before someone figures out they're not supposed to be there. As the hostage situation in the American Embassy escalates, the US calls in Tony Mendez of the CIA to help the State Department come up with a way to get the six out of the country without getting caught or be used to aggravate an already volatile situation. (Rated R)

Review:

1) Acting - Total Thumbs Up: On this type of film the whole cast has to be good to weave a tale which will mesmerize the audience, and the cast was good. Alan Arkan and John Goodman tried very hard to steal the show as the two Hollywood types Ben Affleck goes to for help after getting the idea on how to get the six stranded embassy members out. Once they truly get going to set up what they need, the three of them will come up with a phrase you won't soon forget. When it comes up at the end and you feel the tug on your heart, you'll know for sure they have you.

2) Special Effects - Total Thumbs Up: The following may not seem like special effects, but since I think they served the same purpose, I placed them here. The film used two things to instantly transport the viewers to the 70's. First, they used the Warner Brothers logo being used in 1979 rather than the latest modern version. Second, they used the same kind of film lenses as were the 'norm' in 1979, giving the entire movie a visual feel of that period. Combine both of these with the historical film clips, recreated scenes from photographs, as well as the clothing, and the hairstyles of the period, and you'll truly feel like you're back in 1979.

3) Plot/Story - Thumbs Up: I was a teenager when the events depicted in "Argo" occurred, so there was an odd sense of deja vu as I watched different parts of the film. Clips from different news stories at the time of the events helped solidify the concept that all this actually happened.

The story gets a quick introduction to set the historical context for the audience, but is told in a series of drawings as you'd see on a film studio's story board, connecting it from the very beginning to the idea of film and telling tales. The story then broadens and relates events from different viewpoints rather than just a one sided view of what happened.

Moments of tension were well developed, even when you expect them. It was a nice surprise when one of the people who proved most difficult during the ordeal, in the end was actually responsible for the end success of their escape.

4) Locations/Cinematography - Total Thumbs Up: The film had many excellent shots of locations in Istanbul as well as recreated buildings and facades of what places looked like at the time of the incident. The first panned shot of the American Embassy truly drove home the difficult situation we'd stumbled upon as you're shown the crowded street at the embassy gates as well as up and down the street in both directions. The gorgeous window spanning shots of the mountains and the city proved an amazing contrast as the agent sits in his Sheraton hotel room battling internally as he gambles with the lives of the six people in his care.

One sequence, which was fabulous as well as poignant, was the crisscrossing of visual and audio between the party in Hollywood to try to legitimize the "Argo" project and escalating events in Iran. Another was the first view of Hollywood, showing the sad state at the time of the iconic letters in the hills before they were saved by donations and restored back to life.

5) Costuming/Makeup - Total Thumbs Up: With the old logo and old lenses lending to the creation of a 70's feel for the film, as well as the stock footage of the news of the day, the final touches to take the audience back to the past came from the costuming and the makeup departments. The clothing, the hairstyles, the huge eyeglasses, literally 'screamed' it was the 70's. Add in the vintage vehicles and the recreated locations, and we were easily transplanted back in time. A great job all around.

Conclusion: "Argo" is an entertaining and fascinating look at what went on behind the scenes at the time of the American Embassy crisis. If your friends or significant others are into history or politics, it can make for some entertaining discussion afterwards as well. Make sure to sit through the credits! They show pictures from the real fake passports side by side to the actors playing the parts and even compare side by side pictures of the original scenes in 1979 beside their recreations. Fascinating! SF fans will find all sorts of little things to giggle about as well.

Rating: 4 out of 5 (Hubby's Rating: Worth Full Price of Admission)