Hail To The King..."Kong: Skull Island"

Kong: Skull Island (2017)

Rated PG-13

Starring Tom Hiddleston, Brie Larson, Samuel L. Jackson, John C. Reilly, John Goodman, Corey Hawkins, John Ortiz,

Directed by Jordan Vogt-Roberts

The Story:

With the Vietnam War ending, a team of scientists are using a military escort to a previously uncharted territory in the South Pacific before the Russians discover them on satellite. They will encounter things the likes of which no one has ever seen before...and lived to tell about it.

Loki (Hiddleston), Captain Marvel (Larson) and Nick Fury (Jackson) head to a deserted island...

Whoops, wrong cinematic universe.

Say what you will about reboots, cinematic universes and whatnot...

When they work, they are amazing, and when they don't, they are often colossal failures.

For me, the relaunch of (King) Kong may very well be my favorite iteration of the giant ape to appear on screen.

I know, blasphemy for the 30s original, but this is simply a technically superior storyline.

Or at least one with a much more satisfying ending.

I hate to give too much away for those that haven't seen it, but I never particularly cared for the whole "beauty and the beast" notion that has been a constant in the films.

Nor have I ever enjoyed the cage him up and take him to New York plot device.

Skull Island erases both of those shortfalls and gives as as plausible of a storyline for Kong, how he exists, why he exists and why he's never been found before.

That a sequel will invariably come from this is a good thing.

I just hope they realize they've set the bar fairly high for themselves, and unlike another giant monster franchise, I hope they can continue putting out a quality product.

Vogt-Roberts nailed it as only his 2nd feature (the excellent Kings of Summer - still streaming for those with Prime) and first blockbuster/franchise tent-pole right out of the gate. Hope he's brought back along with whatever cast may have survived their first encounter with Kong.

Count me as a huge fan of this one.

Final Grade: B+

There Goes The Neighborhood..."High-Rise"

High-Rise (2015)

Rated R

Starring Tom Hiddleston, Jeremy Irons, Sienna Miller, Luke Evans, Elisabeth Moss, James Purefoy

Directed by Ben Wheatley

The Story:

Dr. Laing (Hiddleston) moves into a futuristic high-rise designed by The Architect (Irons). It has all the amenties that you could ever want, and the residents leave only to go to work...if at all. However, as the building continues to have power and other issues, a class-war between floors seems inevitable, and the whole building plunges into chaos.

Well, that was something alright.

Based on a novel by the same name, this freaky look back at a possible future in the swinging 70s is all style, and either no substance, or too much substance.

That the entire citizenry of a building would devolve into total anarchy instead of, oh, I don't know...

MOVING OUT!!!!

Seems ludicrous to me.

As a book, or a movie.

But okay, I get it, you're trying to tell a story, so sometimes you have to suspend reality a bit.

However, in the end, much like the tenants of the building, I watched myself descend into an uncaring state of what happened to these characters.

That's never a good thing in the movies.

Especially one filled with so many talented actors.

Bright side, the recreation to capture the look and feel of the 70s was pretty amazing.

That said, it's now available to stream on Netflix if you'd like to check it out for yourself.

Final Grade: D+

The Tragic Life of Hank Williams..."I Saw The Light"

I Saw The Light (2015)

Rated R

Starring Tom Hiddleston, Elizabeth Olsen, Cherry Jones

Written and Directed by Marc Abraham

The Story:

Hank Williams (Hiddleston) goes from a local act to the Grand Ole Opry in his brief 6 year career. Starting under the guidance of his mother (Jones), he begins his national ascent after marrying Aubrey (Olsen) until he is one of the most prolific singers and songwriters in the nation. And then just like that, a series of destructive behaviors took him from us at the too young age of 29.

This is his story...

In some movies, you can say that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts (thank you Aristotle) where all of the acting, writing, directing, etc. add up to a great cinematic experience.

This isn't that movie.

Nope.

This movie is all about Tom Hiddleston becoming Hank Williams.

Gone is his British accent, buried beneath a southern drawl.

And, unlike most biopics of this nature, Hank Williams does not sing.

It's all Hiddleston, all the time.

And he is amazing. Both as a singer and an actor.

When I was growing up, it was country music that permeated the household until I realized I could change the channels and discovered rock and roll. :)

But this movie, it took me back to a ton of songs that I heard growing up and probably hadn't heard in 30 or 40 years.

Unless of course, they had been remade by rock and roll artists.

Which many had.

Hank Williams made so many hit records in his brief lifetime, he wound up in just about every music hall of fame that there is.

Deservedly so.

But back to the movie...

;)

The problem with the film, and there are several, the movie only implies a lot of what was happening to Hank Williams in his life.

Is he a bad/abusive husband to Aubrey?

Is Aubrey a bad wife to Hank?

Much of this is left ambiguous, at best, perhaps to avoid tarnishing the Williams family legacy.

Hard to say.

You probably don't get the kind of cooperation you need from the family and friends and establishments for making a biopic if you say we're going to show everything, warts and all.

So much of the dramatic flare in the movie is kind of missing any oomph.

Williams isn't a monster that you want to hate, but have to love whenever he starts singing.

He's just a guy who loves to sing, and also really likes to drink.

However, whenever the movie puts us behind the microphone, it becomes magic as Hiddleston belts out a variety of Williams' hits throughout his career. Whether with a bit of rock, or straight gospel, whenever he hits the stage, it's magical.

He and Olsen elevate their parts above the movie and give you performances worth watching.

The rest of the movie bounces between the what you're watching, and apparently some pseudo-documentary filming where it asks important people in Williams' career about the man.

It's odd, and rather unnecessary.

The movie ends with tragedy of course, but the beautiful tribute of the title song is enough to make you a little misty-eyed.

Imagine how music could have been changed if Hank had survived even another 10 years?

Come for Hiddleston and the music of Hank Williams, you won't be disappointed.


Final Grade: B

These Vampires Don't Sparkle. They Don't Entertain, Either. "Only Lovers Left Alive"

Only Lovers Left Alive (2013)

Rated R

Starring Tom Hiddleston, Tilda Swinton, John Hurt

Written and Directed by Jim Jarmusch

The Story:

Adam (Hiddleston) and Eve (Swinton) are vampires. They apparently love one another, but as the movie begins, they are not together. Hiddleston is a musician with an eye and ear for electric guitars. Eve heads to Marlowe (Hurt) to get the last of his "good stuff". Adam goes to the hospital to buy some blood discreetly.  They all drink up...

And then I turned the movie off.

It had been over 20 minutes of artistic melodrama that was getting me nowhere but bored.

Whatever else happened in this movie, happened without my knowledge or care.

The amusing part, I was actually ready to turn it off when the movie started with the parallel scenes overhead of the main characters using a downward spiral effect from the camera.

I should have taken the downward spiral as a sign!

I came to be entertained, not nauseated.

This was the first Jim Jarmusch film I have seen.  Looking at his credits, I know I have one more in my queue that I had requested.

Now however, I'm in no hurry at this point.

Final Grade: D

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: No chance..

Prelude To Pan... "The Pirate Fairy"

The Pirate Fairy (2014)

Rated G

Starring the voices of:  Mae Whitman, Christina Hendricks, Tom Hiddleston, Lucy Liu, Raven-Symone

Directed by Peggy Holmes

The Story:

Zarina (Hendricks) is the newest fairy in Pixie Hollow.  She is responsible for the dust that the fairies use.  But she yearns for so much more.  She spends her off time trying to create new colors of dust.  When one of her mistakes goes awry, she leaves, heartbroken.  A year later, she returns, with a crew of Pirates in tow and they steal the dust from Pixie Hollow.  Tinker Bell (Whitman) and her pals go after them, but due to one of Zarina's experiments, all of the fairies have different powers than they are used to.  Will they be able to adapt and get the dust back before it's too late?

Much like my review for Barbie, having daughters will expose you to many movies and shows that a dad might otherwise get through life without ever having seen.

The fun part, is when these shows are actually rather entertaining, even though as a dad you should really groan and fuss to let the girls know your displeasure with watching it again, for the umpteenth time.

The Pirate Fairy does an interesting job of beginning to close the timeline of Tinker Bell movies to Peter Pan.

This is the 5th Tinker Bell film in the franchise, and the one most closely associated with the future for Tink.  We've glimpsed a young Wendy in an earlier installment, and this movie takes the next step:

A young pirate named James (Hiddleston).

Yep, the once and future Captain Hook!

And yes, Hiddleston voices James with all the sweet sincerity like his turn as Loki in the Thor franchise.

Oh, and the crocodile also makes his appearance... and he's absolutely adorable!

Strangely, I'm looking forward to seeing where the tales of Pixie Hollow take us next.

Darn those girls.


:)

Final Grade: Solid B

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: We own it, and I don't want to tell you how many times I've already seen it, either whole or in part. :)

Happy Thorsday..."Thor: The Dark World"

Thor: The Dark World (2013)

Rated PG-13 for language, violence, and pure awesomeness!

Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Tom Hiddleston, Anthony Hopkins

Directed by Alan Taylor

The Story:

Since the events of Thor and The Avengers, Thor (Hemsworth) has been busy bringing peace to the Nine Worlds.  Meanwhile on Earth, Jane Foster (Portman) has discovered a wormhole to dimensions where she is infected by an ancient, powerful, evil force called the Aether.  It brings back the ancient race of Dark Elves who are bent on using this power to destroy all worlds...forever.  Time for Thor to save the day, his lady love, and all of reality in the process.

However, he's going to need a little help from his brother Loki (Hiddleston) first...

This was my favorite movie of 2013, and now it is available for purchase.

Has my opinion changed since seeing it on the glorious big screen last fall?

Nope.

This was my favorite film of last year, and it has held up as a great comic book movie... a great science fiction movie...

A great movie.

 

Period.

If I was asked to pick a movie to show non fans of either genre why Marvel Comics movies are so popular and entertaining...

I might very well skip the Iron Man, Cap and even Avengers franchise and simply hand them a copy of this film.

It picks up on events that have happened, but if you didn't see them, you'll be brought up to speed within the film.

The storyline is epic...yet also grounded and personal at the same time.

It's good vs evil.

Boy meets girl.

And it's marvelously well written, well acted, and Alan Taylor picked up the reigns from Kenneth Branaugh, and didn't miss a beat, and I say, improved on everything that was great about the first Thor film.

Hemsworth continues to shine as Thor, but the revelation of course has been the ascension of Hiddleston as a bonafide movie star.  His charisma and charm have made the role of Loki possibly the most popular character of any Marvel movie, including Downey Jr.

The supporting characters were given more screen time this go around and continue to develop into a stellar supporting cast.

The ending definitely lends itself to at least one more film.

Sign me up!

Final Grade: A

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: Yes to both.  Woot!!

The Number One Movie in All of the Nine Worlds? "Thor: The Dark World"

By the bristling beard of Odin!

The Story:

Thor (Chris Hemsworth) has been busy restoring order to the 9 Worlds since the events of New York (see: The Avengers.  No really, you should really see that movie!)  But dark forces are gathering to eliminate the 9 worlds from existence!

Can Thor stop them?

Not without a little help from...

Loki (Tom Hiddleston) !!

That's all you're going to get from me during the opening weekend.

: )

I will say that like most Phase One movies, Phase Two doesn't miss a beat by replacing directors.  Alan Taylor takes the helm, and brings the Norse Legends to life, all the while taking a "comic book" movie and embracing the science fiction aspects of it.

And it works!

I liked the first Thor.

I liked this Thor even more.

To quote VeggieTales in summing up this movie:

"I laughed. I cried. It moved me, Bob."

Just about all of the original cast returns, to varying degrees of use within the film.  Anthony Hopkins, Rene Russo, Natalie Portman, Idris Elba...

Good stuff.

If the ending is any indication, I am looking forward to seeing what Thor 3 has to offer.

Final Grade: A-... it will probably upgrade to a pure A when I review it again on DVD. :)

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: When does it come out on Blu-Ray already???!!!

Is There Anything More Romantic Than "Midnight in Paris" ?

Life was so much better back then...

The Story:

Gil (Owen Wilson) is a successful Hollywood writer, but he very much wants to try his hand at writing a novel.  He travels to Paris on a vacation with his girlfriend Inez (Rachel McAdams) and her parents (Kurt Fuller and Mimi Kennedy).  Gil loves Paris and wants to ditch Hollywood and move to Paris, but Inez is dead-set against it.  They bump into Paul (Michael Sheen), an old acquaintance of Inez, and he wants them to hang out with him and tour Paris.  Gil isn't interested, and finds an excuse to ditch the party.  He wanders through Paris and at midnight, a car pulls up and he is asked to come along for a ride.  The next thing Gil realizes is that he is hanging out with Cole Porter (Yves Heck) and the Fitzgeralds (Alison Pill and Tom Hiddleston).  Maybe he's drunk, but Gil is finding life in the Roaring 20s everything he thought it would be.  How long will this time travel experience last?

Well, I have to admit, this may be one of the first Woody Allen movies that I've actually watched.  Looking over his prolific career, the man makes about a movie a year, normally as writer/director, or at least director.

I think I was turned off by Woody Allen by his performance in Scenes From a Mall.  It wasn't that funny, therefore it's easier to just chuck his career and move on.

Now that I see he didn't write or direct that movie, I may have to rethink my position on Mr. Allen's career.

Eventually.

: )

Now, back to the movie at hand.

This movie was very charming, if not a directly a paint-by-the-numbers formula.  You can tell immediately just by their reactions that Gil and Inez are not meant to be together.

That said, there's nothing wrong with following a formula, provided you do it effectively, and this movie does so.

The real question is, how will Gil figure this out?  Will he stay in the 20s and live out his life, retroactively?  Or will he learn that the only true golden age is the one he lives in right now?

It is fun to watch Gil put the pompous Paul in his place with facts about Paris that he is gathering first-hand on a nightly basis by hanging out with the actual players.

Good fun all around.

Final Grade: B

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: A definite yes to rewatchability, and yes if the price is right.  I've got a million other movies to purchase, so prices and titles have to be aligned perfectly. : )