THE LION KING

Image Source - IMDb

It’s only fair; I compare this film to Aladdin. I liked Aladdin better and Skip, The Lion King (his reason being cute Simba). The visual effects though are far, far superior in the Lion King. I was captivated in the first 5 minutes. The Lion King is a live action film with photo-realistic animals. The intricate details of the flora, followed by the appearance of lifelike animals would in the words of R3 (my cousin sista) give you a realistic experience of being on a safari. In certain scenes that pan across the forest landscape, if you observe carefully, you can even spot tiny balls of seed hair fibres floating in the air.  If you thought The Jungle Book was impressive (which also happens to be directed by Jon Favreau, the director of The Lion King), be prepared to be blown away with the graphics in this film. The characters have been rendered digitally using photo and video references of real animals.

In case you’re wondering who Jon Favreau is (tsk tsk). Here’s a picture of him, do you recognise him?

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If you're Happy and you know it clap your hands!

Following the footsteps of Aladdin in being inclusive and racially diverse, the live action film seeks to undo the criticism faced by its predecessor of having an all white cast. Here’s the list of the voice cast:

Young Simba – JD McCrary

Simba- Donald Glover (more popularly known as Childish Gambino)

Mufasa – James Earl Jones ( who voiced Mufasa in the animated film as well)

Nala- Beyonce

Timon – Billy Eichner

Pumbaa – Seth Rogen

Scar – Chiwetel Ejiofor

Zazu- John Oliver

Shenzi – Florence Kasumba

The actors were a perfect fit as the voice-overs considering the film is set in Africa. I particularly liked Timon and Shenzi. Timon is hilarious and Shenzi gave us all the chills.

I’m glad that they retained certain iconic scenes from the animated film and it was refreshing to see them in live action.

It is a film that can be enjoyed by both adults and children, alike. A word of caution for parents with younger children: children who aren’t used to non-animated films or those younger than 5 may find the film a bit frightening.

The film features songs from the original soundtrack plus a few new songs and ‘The Lion Sleeps Tonight’ which had us all humming and singing along (thank you subtitles).

As in all Disney films, this film too had its share of inspiring messages for all. Here are some of my favourite quotes from the film:

“Everybody is Somebody, even a Nobody”. - Rafiki

“To change the past is a big order, but you can change the future”. – Timon

“I may run from Hyenas but I always fight a bully”. – Pumbaa

A must watch film and one to be watched in the theatres.

A question for all you Disney fans – Do you prefer the original animated films or the present live action ones?

While I enjoyed watching the animated films as a child, it’s nice and refreshing to see the same being recreated as live action and more so as the creators haven’t diverted much from the original script and storyline.

And now repeat after me – “Hakuna Matata”

Skip manages to keep himself entertained on most days. But on some days (days when I'm too tired to even move a muscle), he decides he needs his mommy dearest to play with him and that's when we try our hand at Origami (courtesy YouTube videos)

SPIDER-MAN:FAR FROM HOME

Lulu: Do you see that guy? He plays Spiderman. His name is Tom Holland.

Skip: That’s not his name.

Lulu: What’s his name?

Skip: Peter Parker.

Lulu: Oh yeah, that’s right.

We had quite an adventure on our way to the film. On Skip’s advice, I left home an hour early even though the GPS indicated a distance of 28 minutes ( I measure distance in time). We sailed past traffic signals and reached Lido Mall 20 minutes early. I made a mental note to use that spare time to help Skip revise for his dictation test, use the restroom, buy popcorn and click a few pictures of the poster.

Near the mall entrance, we joined the long queue of cars, waiting to get in. When we were 2 cars away from getting in, we were told that parking was full and that we would have to wait. I took a deep breath and looked at Skip. Skip is great at giving advice in moments such as this.

He excitedly said, “Look”. I looked around and thought a spot had opened up and then realised that Skip was pointing at his pants. Skip had forgotten to zip his pants. He was pointing at his underwear that was peaking out. “My underwear looks like Spiderman’s suit”.

I turned around and decided to park at the mall close to Lido’s only to be stuck in a massive queue inside the parking lot there. It was 4.20 and the cars were moving at a ‘snail on a freshly tarred road’s’ pace when I heard Skip say “Look” again. He found a spot that the cars ahead of us had missed.

We reached the theatre 10 minutes late, huffing and panting, only to be told that the movie hadn’t begun yet! (Shugu, Archie – I missed the national anthem).

Here’s the plot in brief lest I give away any spoilers like you know who (let’s just call him Parker) though I wouldn’t mind Marvel sending Cumberbatch to keep us quiet.

PLOT: Peter is going to Europe on a science field trip with his classmates and he has a Plan – to proclaim his love to MJ atop the Eiffel Tower. Things don’t go as planned. Earth is attacked by the Elementals and as luck would have it, Europe is the target. Enter Mysterio (Jake Gyllenhaal) a superhero from Earth 833 in the Multiverse who takes on these Elementals. Peter is summoned by Nick Fury to assist Mysterio. With Iron Man and most of the Avengers gone, who shall step into Tony Stark’s shoes and have full access to the Stark Industries’ database and weapon supply. Will Peter step up or would Mysterio step in? After all, with great power comes great responsibility.

If you are a Marvel fan, irrespective of reviews, you ought to watch the film.

The movie is a blend of teenage romance, comedy and some great psychedelic action sequences. This film seems different from other Marvel films as it doesn’t merely focus on saving mankind. Peter wants to be a normal kid on a vacation and is not interested in destroying monsters or taking over the Stark Industries. This film feels more real where the superhero and the villain are not from outer space (Did I just leak a spoiler?)

Gyllenhaal and Holland are the scene stealers no doubt but the others in the film provide great comic relief. Peter’s friend Ned (Jacob Batalon) and Happy (Jon Favreau ) have more screen space this time and are hilarious. I’ve been a big fan of Samuel L Jackson and continue to remain so. MJ is not shown as a damsel in distress and even manages to strike down a drone.

The fast paced sequences alternating between the real and illusory worlds will leave your head spinning. The CGI effects are great and had me comparing them to the bull fighting scene in Kalank (that’s the movie I’m currently watching on Prime). I wish I had watched this film in IMAX.

Do not walk out of the theatre post the mid-credit scene. Wait for the post credit scene as well.

Teju, thank you for the tickets J

Look what I found at my office parking spot : Butterfly Girl

ALADDIN- A MAGICAL TREAT

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The year was 1996. We had been invited over to our neighbour’s house for dinner.  Raucous kids were getting in the way of adult’s (boring) chatter and our game of indoor hide and seek came to a halt with us being shooed into a bedroom and being asked to quietly watch a cartoon film. It was Aladdin. It was the first animated movie I’d ever watched and I remember being completely mesmerised by it. Soon, it was time to leave and the movie hadn’t finished. The next day, I asked my mother to borrow the cassette from Madhu Aunty and I watched the movie twice before we returned the cassette. That year, I secretly hoped for an Aladdin cassette to be magically dropped off at our doorstep.

I watched the movie next, two weeks ago when I had recorded it for Skip. A hilarious genie, a flying carpet, a tiger and a monkey for a pet and a whole lot of magic – What’s not to love in the movie and though I’m not one much for musicals, I loved the songs in Aladdin. However, surprisingly, when I saw the trailers for the live action movie, I didn’t feel like watching the movie until I began receiving messages about how good the movie was and that I should take Skip for it. After postponing the plan by two weeks, I finally got about to watching the movie.

I LOVED IT! LOVED IT, LOVED IT.

I am going to skip the plot, we all know the story of Aladdin and the magic lamp and the three wishes.

Here’s why I loved the movie:

1.  The film is directed by Guy Ritchie (Sherlock Holmes, The Man from U.N.C.L.E, Snatch, Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels). I enjoy his films and was curious to watch a musical fantasy directed by him. Correct me if I’m wrong but I think this is the first in this genre of films that he has directed. Though I did read that film critics haven’t appreciated his direction.

2.    I wasn’t too enthusiastic about watching Will Smith play the role of Genie. In fact, when he made his first appearance on screen, I almost shouted “we miss you Robin Williams” but Skip was already squirming as I was singing the songs out aloud and I didn’t want to embarrass him further. What a brilliant portrayal of Genie by Will Smith! He has brought his hip-hop swag to the role and is hilarious. I almost felt disloyal to Williams as I had a big grin on each time Smith appeared on screen.

3.    Disney has cast culturally appropriate actors. (Well, almost...) Mena Massoud plays the role of Aladdin and while Naomi Scott (Jasmine) is not Middle Eastern (She’s British Indian. Woo Hoo Indian !), atleast they didn’t whitewash the film . (Remember Scarlett Johansson portrayed a Japanese girl in Ghost in the Shell). When Massoud is turned into a Prince by Genie and he makes his grand entrance to the song, Prince Ali, he looks exactly like the animated version of Aladdin. The film also does away with religious stereotypes that were portrayed in the earlier film.

4.   The actors are a treat to watch. While Smith, Massoud and Scott have been receiving accolades for their acting, I must also mention Marwan Kenzari (who plays Jafar ) and Nasim Pedrad ( who plays Dalia, a handmaiden to Princess Jasmine).

5.  The set is grand, larger than life and colourful. The costumes are appealing. Some scenes reminded me of Sanjay Leela Bansali’s grandiose setting especially the ones that involved dancing.

6.      Princess Jasmine is a sassy rebel; she’s outspoken and doesn’t need a knight in shining armour to rescue her. In short, she’s not your typical Disney princess. Feminists, rejoice.

7.   Take a deep breath, Disney purists; there are some differences between the animated and the live action film. A new character has been introduced in Dalia, handmaiden to Princess Jasmine, Genie has a love interest and Jasmine gets to become the Sultan.

8.    The film sends important messages to children about honesty, being true to oneself, the power of friendship etc.

Aladdin is the 4^th highest grossing film of 2019 and has passed the original at the Box Office.  Go watch it! It’s a ‘feel-good’ movie. It has magic, music, dance, romance, drama, action. It’s a Bollywood film with great CGI effects.

INCREDIBLES 2

I love superhero movies and I have watched quite a few lately -new releases and the one’s I’ve been catching up on television. When PV announced last week that Incredibles 2 would release this week, I quickly saved it as a reminder on my phone. Skip and I LOVED Incredibles 1.

After gulping down a doughnut each, Skip and I ran towards the theatre and plonked down on the seats to watch this eagerly awaited film.

PLOT: The film begins with the Incredible family and Frozone trying to capture the Underminer. Underminer escapes and the Superheroes’ attempts at trying to save the City from the Underminer ends up in them wrecking the place. As a result of which they are arrested by the police and the Project for the Superheroes that was initiated in the first film is scrapped and Supers continue to be declared illegal.

The Incredibles get called by Winston Deavor who runs Devtech with his tech genius sister, Evelyn. They have come up with a plan to legalise the Supers and they recruit Mamma Incredible to help them bring their plan to fruition. (Much to Pappa Incredible’s annoyance).

The movie runs parallel, covering the lives of Mamma Incredible who is on a mission to portray to the world, the real and heroic efforts put in by Superheroes in saving the lives of people. She is constantly challenged by Screenslaver, a mysterious villain who controls the minds of people by hypnotising them. While Mamma is basking in the glory of her reclaimed fame, Pappa Incredible is going ballistic at home trying to control a moody teenager, a high-powered pre-teen and a cookie loving baby that is just discovering its superpowers.

Who is the mysterious Screenslaver? Will Mamma Incredible bring him to justice? Will the Supers be legalised?

Sequels very rarely match up to their predecessors and this one didn’t either, the reason being that the sequel loses out on the grounds of absence of novelty and  inadvertent comparison running through the minds of the viewers.  

I ought to make it clear that I did enjoy this movie and would definitely recommend watching it but please do not go with high expectations.

The first one was funnier and with more action and adventure. Baby Incredible did manage to evoke some laughter out of the audience and one was looking forward to seeing his super powers being used against the villains. I was disappointed that it was grossly under-used during the climax.

While Pappa is left to tend to the children, Mamma is out there “kicking ass”. She gets to wear the superhero costume, ride an electric bike, stop a speeding train and fight the super villain and party at night. While he’s at home trying to figure out complex math problems and get a baby to stay asleep. While this may make one remark that the “hero” of the film is clearly Mamma Incredible, I beg to differ. Pappa Incredible is also the hero in his own rights and you’d agree if you’ve been in his shoes!

This was the kind of movie where you step out of the theatre with nothing to discuss about. (No bricks or bouquets to toss).  

PETER RABBIT : HOP TO IT!

Image Source - IMDb

Ever since Skip’s holidays have begun, I’ve been religiously checking the BookMyShow site, awaiting the release of movies for kids. I had also seen the trailer of this film and couldn’t wait to take Skip for this movie. This is a live action movie (a film that has animated as well as real actors in it. Eg: Stuart Little). I asked my mother to come along for this movie.

This movie is being screened in P[XL]. Last year PVR launched the P[XL] screens in theatres that feature extra large wall to wall screens with ultra- high resolution and a Dolby Atmos enabled surround sound system.

This was our first movie in a P [XL] and I was pretty excited about it. Mother was still recovering from her first time in my car with me driving it and Skip was busy announcing to the audience the kind of popcorn he wanted.

I love live-action films and as expected I loved this movie too.

The film is based on the popular children’s book, The Tale of Peter Rabbit, written and beautifully illustrated by Beatrix Potter.

The film revolves around the antics of Peter (James Corden) and his sidekicks- his triplet sisters – Flopsy, Mopsy, Cottontail and their cousin Benjamin whose sole purpose is to get their hands (paws) on the vegetables grown in Mr. Joe McGregor’s (Sam Neill) garden. Mr. McGregor is a malicious old man who doesn’t want to share his vegetables and has cordoned off his garden from the surrounding wildlife. He is also responsible for having orphaned these bunnies. Peter has taken it upon himself to reclaim the vegetable garden that he believes rightfully belongs to him and his other animal friends.

McGregor’s neighour, Bea (Rose Byrne) has a quaint little cottage where she paints abstract pictures as well as pictures of these rabbits. She looks after these rabbits and the rabbits look up to her as their mother.

After McGregor’s sudden demise, his nephew, Thomas (Domhnall Gleeson) takes over the house and the vegetable garden. Thomas who has recently been kicked out of his job, plans on selling the house and setting up his own toy store in London. He is a cleanliness freak and like his Uncle, considers the rabbits as vermin who ought to be kept far, far away from the house. While he’s setting up the place for the prospective purchasers, Thomas falls in love with Bea and she too begins to have feelings for him much to the annoyance of Peter. The movie then continues with Peter and Thomas trying to rid each other from that place while at the same time maintaining a farce of friendship in front of Bea. A major disaster strikes that has Bea and Thomas split. Thomas has the house sold and Bea looks to move away from the place.

Will Bea and Thomas reunite? Will Peter and Thomas reconcile their differences? Will Bea move away from her place? Will the rabbits have a burrow to live in?

If not for anything else, please do watch the movie for the bunnies. They are so cute and adorable in their little jackets. Mother and I kept patting Skip on his head and pulling his cheeks much to his annoyance (he’s not to be disturbed when he’s busy separating his cheese popcorn from the caramel).

The cinematography is amazing. The P[XL] enhanced the visual effects. Though the movie is not shot in 3D, the visuals appeared larger than life and the Dual 4K projection system has the picture appear in high definition and crystal clear.

The visual storytelling is good. The antics of the rabbits and the other animals keep you entertained and the scenes of altercation between Thomas and the rabbits are hilarious. This story also has many life lessons thrown in – Do not eat junk food, be environmental friendly, everyone has character flaws- accept them as they are ...

The background music and songs sung by the sparrows are peppy and keeps with the pace of the film.

 The movie is light hearted and like cartoon films, all scenes are made to appear comical. So if you don’t mind a little loud acting and ‘over the top’ reactions, I would recommend you go watch this movie. The movie shall definitely appeal to kids and adults alike.

Jumanji: Welcome to the Review

Image courtesy IMDb

Just as much as I love reading books, I enjoy watching movies too. It’s a gene inherited from my parents.  

Now, besides watching movies in the theatres, I record movies on my set-top box and watch it at night, within the comfortable confines of our living room.

I have new found company for animated films in my five year old, Skip (Though, I really think he comes just for the popcorn). I record movies for Skip as well and he has now slowly graduated to watching non-animated children’s films like Home Alone, Baby’s Day Out, Dunston Checks In, Zathura etc. I recently made him watch Jumanji (Part 1) on TV and he seemed to like it.

And what do you know! Part 2 had hit the theatres. I wasn’t even aware of a sequel until I heard it on the radio. I screeched in delight and looked around in the car at the other passengers. My parents had suddenly something very important to discuss and my husband began avoiding eye contact. Skip looked at me and said “we’ll go driving”. Please note that I have recently started driving and shall do another post reviewing the Alto K10 automatic car.

I LOVED (still do) Jumanji. I couldn’t wait to watch the sequel and dish it. Sequels rarely match up to the original. We went to a nondescript mall closest to our house that had the most convenient timing, post lunch. Not expecting a jam packed theatre, I decided to book tickets at the counter. Bad decision, as the only seats available was at the first row.

I was a bit disappointed thinking Skip would have to strain his neck, looking up at the screen, the whole time. We grabbed our 3D glasses. Skip wasn’t pleased with his small “baby glasses”.  Since we’d just had lunch, I had to pull the drooling 5 year old away from the popcorn counter with the promise of cheese popcorn during the “intermission”.  The couple walking towards our seat was wondering why I was giving them dirty looks. They plonked themselves next to us with their gigantic tub of popcorn! (Exaggerated eye-roll)

Skip is very loud in theatres. He waits for the theatre to quieten before he can make his proclamation to the public. “I am very very hungry, you haven’t given me anything to eat” said Skip looking at our neighbours’ popcorn.  Thankfully, the screen lit up and the trailers of the upcoming films began. It started off with the Akshay Kumar starrer ‘Padman’. The audience drowned in laughter, the trailer was funny. Skip waited for his moment and loudly asked, “This is not a Batman, this is a Padman, but what is a Pad?” Everyone burst out laughing again. Skip was pleased and with that he forgot his popcorn.

REVIEW BEGINS HERE:  The movie begins with a kid inserting a cartridge into a video game console and my heart sank a little.  I have no patience for spotty high school kids and how dare they change the game from a board game to a video game. Are all these millennials too cool for board games!

The movie proceeds with four high school kids being sucked into the game’s setting into the world of Jumanji where they don on their respective video game avatars. This is where Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson makes his entry which was met with a lot of hoots and cat calls in the theatre and a “Why are you screaming now” from Skip.  The four characters are then enlisted to return the jewel, ‘Jaguar’s eye’ to a gigantic rocky Jaguar statue. The movie follows their journey from their entry into the game all the way up till the statue. The path is trodden with hurdles thrown in by Russel Van Pelt, a hunter, who wants the jewel for himself in order to be able to control the animals of Jumanji. Each player has three lives, losing all of which would mean death. This is a typical action-adventure film and it reminded me of a light hearted version of Hunger Games.

The 3D effects are superb and the effect was much more pronounced being in the first row. The movie is HILARIOUS, the actors are funny especially Jack Black and Kevin Hart.  The five year old had his eyebrows up and mouth wide open so I am presuming he enjoyed it too. At the risk of sounding unfaithful to Robin Williams, Dwayne did an excellent job as the protagonist, Dr. Smolder Bravestone.

Yes, I would record this movie when it comes on TV and watch it again.