We've Got Fun and Games! "Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle"

Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (2017)

Rated PG-13

Starring: Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart, Jack Black, Karen Gillan, Bobby Cannavale, Nick Jonas, Alex Wolff, Ser'Darius Blaine, Madison Iseman, Morgan Turner

Directed by Jake Kasdan

The Story:

Four high schoolers (Wolff, Blaine, Iseman, Turner) are serving detention when they decide to take a break and play a video game on an old system they find in the room they've been assigned to clean up. They fire it up, and the next thing you know, they are sucked into the video game, Jumanji. Now inhabiting their selected avatars, they must work together to beat the game and get back to the real world without losing all of their lives.

Welcome to Jumanji!

If you saw the trailers, odds are good that you thought the movie looked fun.

The movie lived up to the trailer's hype, and when last I checked, this movie was actually still playing in some theaters in America, even though it is now officially released on digital download and blu-ray and DVD.

This is sort of unprecedented in an age when most movies are coming out for download or purchase 4 months after they premiere. To still be playing in over 1,000 theaters and earning $850,000 when the movie premiered before Christmas is a feat unlikely to be matched...

Until Black Panther. :)

Now, back to Jumanji...

I've never seen the original.

Sorry, somehow it fell through the cracks, and I've never bothered to see it over the last 25 years.

If you're like me, don't worry, you're not missing anything. The movie sets up exactly how and why everything that is happening is coming to fruition.

I don't see anything that flies in the face of the original either, so I would assume fans of that one will enjoy revisiting Jumanji.

What starts as a Breakfast Club moment as the four teens that really have not a lot in common with each other prior to detention turns into hilarity as they each find themselves in the bodies of characters from the video game.

Naturally, each character is about as opposite from the kids in the real world as can be.

I won't say much more so as not to spoil any of the fun, but I would like to acknowledge the following:

1) Jack Black steals this movie out from under everyone.
2) The Rock and Kevin Hart can feel free to continue teaming up and making movies forever.
3) Possibly the greatest screen kiss in the history of cinema is included in this film.

So if you haven't tried it yet, I highly recommend it.

It's one of the few times in movie history you can find it still in theaters or available to watch at home.

That's pretty impressive.

Final Grade: A

Took Me Long Enough... "Kung Fu Panda 3"

Kung Fu Panda 3 (2016)

Rated PG

Starring Jack Black, Bryan Cranston, Dustin Hoffman, Angelina Jolie, Seth Rogen, Jackie Chan, Lucy Liu, Kate Hudson, J.K. Simmons, David Cross, James Hong

Directed by Alessandro Carloni, Jennifer Yuh

The Story:

Po (Black) reunites with his long lost father (Cranston), much to the chagrin of his current father (Hong) and they journey to the hidden Panda village so that Po can master his chi. Kai (Simmons) has been defeating the masters both in the spirit world and is now back in our world, more powerful than ever. Po must teach the new pandas how to do the Fu in order to save his friends, and the world!

So you might remember earlier this year when the kids went to the movies and saw this one:

"There was a very good plot. A great balance between the action and the humor.  It didn't let me down with the franchise and go out on a low note.  I'd give it an A!"

"Amazing.  I give it an A!"

"I think it was very funny, not too serious and not all action. I really liked what the movie did with both of Po's dads. I give it an A!"

"So far the best film I've seen all year. It didn't exceed the the greatness of Part 2, but it may very well have equaled it. Definitely an A."

"It was great. There were two sad parts that made me cry sad tears. I was glad I got to see it."

" It was phenomenal. By far the prettiest of all three movies and the animation was just spectacular. Not quite as good as Part 2, but really, really, really good nonetheless."



How am I supposed to compete with those kinds of reviews?

:)

So the movie has been in our house since the release, and I managed to walk in at the part where Po begins training the panda village.

I didn't really want to review half a movie, so I figured I'd probably catch the beginning sooner or later.

That said, what I had seen was the usual awesome work from Dreamworks, and a lot of fun from the cast.

Especially inspired work from a villainous J.K. Simmons who seems to be having a blast as the baddest bad guy that nobody has ever heard of.

Then the movie came to Netflix streaming, and it's played a few times since then, and I seemingly always arrive when it's time for Po to start training the village.

So I finally grabbed the remote and started it from scratch.

I wasn't disappointed.

Again, Cranston's hot streak of great movies chugs along, and it's a nice conclusion to the Kung Fu Panda trilogy.

Whether they continue, or not, it's been a great series of films, and Dreamworks should be very proud of what they've accomplished.

Can't argue with the kids on this one.

It's really good, and possibly just a bit less awesome than Part 2.

But what a great trilogy they've entertained us with!

Final Grade: A

Guaranteed To Give You "Goosebumps"

Goosebumps (2015)

Rated PG

Starring Jack Black, Dylan Minnette, Odeya Rush

Directed by Rob Letterman

The Story:

Zach (Minnette) moves to a new town, and he's just not that into it, but then he meets the mysterious girl next door (Rush), Hannah. She seems great, but there's something about her dad (Black) and his overprotective ways that wants to keep Zach and Hannah apart. When Zach winds up discovering that her dad is the author R. L. Stine, and that he keeps all of his books locked up because the monsters from his books are very, very real. And now they are all loose. It's up to these 3 to get them back under lock and key before it's too late!

I suppose I should start with the fact that I've never read a Goosebumps book, never watched the show, so I have nothing to compare this to.

And I think that's okay.

I saw the trailer, it looked amusing enough, so I figured why not?

I was not disappointed.

For once I had a couple of teenagers that weren't trying to alter a dystopian future or change the world.

Nope, they were running from monsters!

Yes, it was quite a refreshing change of pace.

A great cast, led by Jack Black (in multiple roles) and a solid script keep things fun and exciting for the duration of the film.

It was nice to have a movie for the whole family that we all watched together, and when it was over, thumbs up all around.

Never boring, nobody doodling or checking their phone while it was on.

I'll take that kind of film every time.

Final Grade: Solid B, a B+ could even be argued and I wouldn't object.

Special Guest Reviews: "Kung Fu Panda 3 "

Kung Fu Panda 3 (2016)

Rated PG

Starring Jack Black, Bryan Cranston, Dustin Hoffman, Angelina Jolie, Seth Rogen, Jackie Chan, Lucy Liu, Kate Hudson, J.K. Simmons, David Cross, James Hong

Directed by Alessandro Carloni, Jennifer Yuh

The Story:

Po (Black) reunites with his long lost father (Cranston) and they journey to where the rest of the Pandas are located.  However, while he is away, a new villain, Kai (Simmons) begins defeating the Kung Fu masters. Po must teach the new pandas how to do the Fu in order to save his friends, and the world!

Kung Fu Panda was released in 2008 to much commercial and critical success.

In 2011, Kung Fu Panda 2 came out and did the unusual and unthinkable: it was the sequel that was better than the original.  It matched the humor of the original, but this time it brought some emotional heart to the festivities.

I never bothered with either for years, until I finally watched both last year. Hmmm. I guess I should've thrown some reviews on the site! ;)

So with the release of Part 3, I sent the experts on all thing Panda into the theater to do my dirty work for me.

Here then are some of their thoughts on the movie:

First we'll start with the biggest fan of  Kung Fu Panda in the house -

There was a very good plot. A great balance between the action and the humor.  It didn't let me down with the franchise and go out on a low note.  I'd give it an A!

Next kid:

Amazing.  I give it an A!

How about # 3?

I think it was very funny, not too serious and not all action. I really liked what the movie did with both of Po's dads. I give it an A!

As for the oldest that saw the movie on Friday:

 So far the best film I've seen all year. It didn't exceed the the greatness of Part 2, but it may very well have equaled it. Definitely an A.

And the opinion of the youngest:

It was great. There were two sad parts that made me cry sad tears. I was glad I got to see it.

Apparently it was so good, the oldest had to go see it on Sunday to see if it was indeed truly as good as everyone said.

Her text: It was phenomenal. She elaborated later that it was by far the prettiest of all three movies and the animation was just spectacular. Then her comments seemed to echo just about everyone else, not quite as good as Part 2, but really, really, really good nonetheless.

Overall final grade (for now):  Looks like the A's have it. Sounds like a contender for Best of the Year if I know what's good for me.

The real grade will be revealed when it comes out on Netflix or for sale later this year.

;)

Everything Sounds Better On Vinyl..."High Fidelity"

High Fidelity (2000)

Rated R for language

Starring John Cusack, Iben Hjejle, Jack Black, Todd Louiso, Joan Cusack, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Tim Robbins

Directed by Stephen Frears

The Story:

Rob Gordon (Cusack) has been dumped by the latest love of his life, Laura (Hjejle) and is moving in with former neighbor, Ian (Robbins).  This drives Rob nuts, and through a series of flashbacks and breaking the 4th wall narratives, we are going to relive much of Rob's life as he counts down the Top 5 Break-Ups in his life.

So you start with a romantic comedy, but in addition to that, there is Rob's job as the owner of a record shop, and his two employees Barry (Black) and Dick (Louiso) that power those moments in between the break-up stories, and probably cement this as more of a guys movie, than a date movie.

I would say it's also the film that propelled Jack Black into stardom.  Up until this movie, he was a bit player in lots of things, and he had Tenacious D, but I would say it was his hilarious performance as Barry, the guy has all the best lines in the movie, that made him a star.  Within 2 years, he was headlining movies after this.

The star of the film of course is John Cusack.

Top 5 Favorite John Cusack Films:

1) Better Off Dead
2) Grosse Pointe Blank
3) Con Air ~  Con Air Review!
4) One Crazy Summer
5) High Fidelity

I can put any of these films in to watch any time, and I'm good to go.

Wait a minute...

I've just learned that my wife doesn't even like High Fidelity that much.

Head...spinning...

I feel as if I've been living a lie for nearly 15 years.

I need to go sit down and relax.

Apparently I won't be relaxing by watching High Fidelity... at least for now.

:)

Final Grade: A

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: I try and watch this one every year or so.  Absolutely love it.  Learning that my wife doesn't find it nearly as funny as I do now has me trying to find a new Top 5 John Cusack movies to watch with her!

: /

We Don't Need No Education... "School of Rock"

For those about to rock...

The Story:

Dewey Finn (Jack Black) is having a bad life.  He gets kicked out of his band, and his roommate Ned (Mike White) needs him to get a job and pay rent, or get out.  At least, that's what Ned's girlfriend (Sarah Silverman) says.  Fate intervenes as Dewey gets a phone call needing Ned to substitute, long term, at a local 4th grade school.  Desperate, he pretends to be Ned and takes the gig.  As time passes, he starts talking music with the kids, and decides that they are going to study ROCK!  In fact, they are going to go to the Battle of the Bands and win $25,000!!!  What starts as a purely selfish reasons will take on something more as Dewey grows to appreciate what the kids really have to offer.

I've probably seen this movie way too much, but I can't help it.  It's fun. It's funny. The music is good and the performances are terrific.

Black is a restrained maniac in this film, playing essentially, himself.  He is charming and hard to resist, even if the principal (Joan Cusack) tries.

Naturally, his enlistment of the entire class into his Band Project is tough to keep a secret, but the kids all do a bang-up job as his accomplices.

The climax comes when Dewey is found out as a fraud the day before the band and his whole world comes crashing down.

Luckily, he's got a band who's willing and able to pick up the pieces.

They provide a rousing, and slightly unexpected finale to the movie that works better than the obvious answer would have been.

Well played School of Rock, well played.

Final Grade: A-

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: I own it, and yes, I could probably watch it anytime.  : )

100 Greatest Movies of All Time...That I Own. # 44 ~ High Fidelity

For all the guys out there, here's that romantic comedy that was designed for guys. Whether the lady you watch with likes it or not is irrelevant.

: )

Missing the Top 5 by a smidge, but ranking in at # 44 with a bullet comes High Fidelity.  John Cusack returns in one of his funniest roles, and that is saying something because that dude is awesome in just about everything he does.

Top 5 John Cusack films that failed to make the countdown:

5 ~ Must Love Dogs
4 ~ Serendipity
3 ~ Sixteen Candles
2 ~ One Crazy Summer
1 ~ Better Off Dead

And let's just say, it was painful to leave those last 2 off this last, and if I redid the order again, at least one of those films would make it, and Star Wars would be definitely kicked to the curb!

So anyway, the film follows Rob Gordon as he goes through a bit of an early mid-life crisis, or at least a dating crisis.  He then tries to figure out if his Top 5 Breakups were his fault, or the fault of the girl.

It's a roller coaster ride of fun from there.

Cusack is strong and dependable as always.  Probably the most underrated actor in pictures today.  The honor once belonged to Robert Downey Jr., but we all know how that went, so it's all Cusack's now.

Possibly the most memorable part of this movie would likely be the star-making turn for Jack Black.  I just ran through his filmography, and the guy had been doing a ton of work up until that point, the only one I can recall with any memory was one of the government baddies chasing down Will Smith in Enemy of the State.

Here, Jack Black is unleashed for the first time, and the revelation that the man can sing at the end works so well for the movie, and the audience.

Top 5 Jack Black films that didn't make the countdown:

5 ~ School of Rock
4 ~ Shallow Hal
3 ~ Be Kind, Rewind
2 ~ Kung Fu Panda
1 ~ Kung Fu Panda 2

Believe me, I'll be in trouble once the kids realize neither Kung Fu Panda movie hit the list!

: /

Anyway, if you've never seen this one, give it a shot.

You'll find at least 5 things you liked about it when it's over.