Underdog Review

Underdog


Release Date: 20th September 2007 - Australia


Production Companies
Walt Disney Pictures (presents)
Have No Fear Productions
Maverick Film Company
Classic Media (in association with)
Spyglass Entertainment (in association with)

Distribution
Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures Australia


Genre: Family/Comedy

Rating: PG

Runtime: 82 minutes


Budget: $25,000,000

Box Office Gross: $65,270,477 (Worldwide)


Plot Summary
An ordinary beagle finds

himself endowed with

unimaginable powers

and the ability to speak

when he is involved in

an accident in the

mysterious laboratory of

mad scientist Dr. Simon

Barsinister. Outfitted with

an adorable costume,
Underdog swears to

protect the imperilled

citizens of Capitol City,

especially one beautiful

spaniel called Polly

Purebred. When the evil

Barsinister and his

overgrown henchman Cad

hatch a diabolical scheme

that may threaten to

destroy Capitol City,

Underdog is the only one

who can save the day.

Cast
Jason Lee - Underdog (Voice)
Peter Dinklage - Dr. Simon Barsinister
James Belushi - Dan Unger

Patrick Warburton - Cad

Alex Neuberger - Jack 
Taylor Momsen - Molly
John Slattery - Mayor
Amy Adams - Polly (Voice)
Brad Garrett - Riff Raff (Voice)

Samantha Bee - Principal

Susie Castillo - Diana Flores

Timothy Crowe - Police Chief

Frank Ridley - Police Sergeant

John DiMaggio - Bulldog/

Supershep (Voice)

Phil Morris - Supershep (Voice)

Cam Clarke - Supershep/

Little Brown Dog (Voice)

Michael Massese - Supershep (Voice)
Jay Leno - Himself (Cameo)

Jess Harnell - Astronaut (Voice)

Crew

Director - Frederik De Chau
Based on the Television Series - W. Watts Biggers (Uncredited)
Story/Screenplay - Adam Rifkin, Joe Piscatella and Craig A. Williams

Executive Producer/Unit Production Manager - Todd Arnow

Executive Producers - Eric Ellenbogen

and Bob Higgins

Producers - Gary Barber, Roger Birnbaum,

Jonathan Glickman and Jay Polstein
Co-Producers - Rebekah Rudd and Erin Stam

Production Designer - Garreth Stover

Art Director - James Truesdale

Set Decorator - Maggie Martin

Property Master - David Gulick

Costume Designer - Gary Jones

Director of Photography - David Eggby

Aerial Director of Photography - Hans Bjerno

Location Manager - Adam McCarthy

Unit Production Manager: Second Unit -

R.J. Mino

First Assistant Director - Phillip A. Patterson

Second Unit Director/Stunt Coordinator - Bob Brown

Animal Coordinator - Boone Harr

Head Animal Trainer - William S. Grisco

Animal Trainers - James Dew, Tracy Kelly,

Shawn Weber, Linda Rowe, Joe McCarter,

Jackie Kaptan and David Allsberry

Special Effects Coordinator - Paul J. Lombardi

Supervisors: K.N.B. EFX Group - Greg Nicotero

and Howard Berger

Visual Effects Supervisor - Hoyt Yeatman

Visual Effects Supervisor: Framestore CFC -

Robert Duncan

Visual Effects Supervisor: Cinesite - Ben Shepherd

Visual Effects Supervisor: Cinesite, City -

Matt Johnson

Visual Effects Supervisor: Digiscope - Mark Dornfeld

CG Supervisor: Framestore CFC - Michael Mulholland
Animation Supervisor: Framestore CFC -

Kevin Spruce

Animation Supervisor: Cinesite - Alexander Williams

Editor - Tom Finan

Sound Design & Supervising Sound Editor -

Robert L. Sephton

ADR Supervisor - Jessica Gallavan

Re-Recording Mixers - Terry Porter

and Dean A. Zupancic

Foley Artists - Dawn Fintor and

Alicia Stevenson

Music - Randy Edelman


Review

You may be too young to recognise the old cartoon series UNDERDOG, which hardcore purist fans may have grown up with within the sixties. I have only experienced the film iteration of UNDERDOG when Disney released it in 2007. It was before 2012 when DreamWorks bought Classic Media, which owns the original 60s TV show. The show no longer airs, but DreamWorks, now that they own the rights, may reinvent the character in a movie that I hoped is better than this one. It became unnoticeable at the box office, possibly due to competition with few other film adaptations. Most likely, the feature gets criticised for having recycled material and barely resembling the classic cartoon. It's no wonder the director Frederik De Chau has stripped all privileges of what made the original very nostalgic. Here's what Disney should do: not turn UNDERDOG into a live-action feature. And do not get too involved in competing with Alvin and the Chipmunks or Michael Bay's non-kiddie action hunk of Transformers.

The humour is flat and cheesy, which could have been handled better except for a few giggles. Jason Lee's voice of Underdog is tolerable, though he is trying to be witty to be that power-pampered pup we all know and love. I believe Jason is better to be in Alvin and the Chipmunks as this role is beyond his talents. Considering his short stature, Peter Dinklage is lucky to portray the evil mad scientist. Peter proves to be a worthy, talented actor in the face of a poorly written script.

Unfortunately, as I watched this movie the whole time, I was waiting for it to finish as it lacked certain qualities, like an intriguing plot. It is an instantly forgettable cartoon movie adaptation that would only appeal to young children. It would be only something that I would watch once, and I suggest you direct your attention to something more engaging than this.

Star rating: (4/10) Below Average

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Battle: Los Angeles Review

Battle: Los Angeles

Release Date: 17th March 2011 - Australia

Production Companies 

Columbia Pictures (presents)

Relativity Media (in association with)

Original Film

 
Distribution 

Sony Pictures Australia

Genre: Sci-Fi/Action

Rating: M

Runtime: 111 minutes

 

Budget: $70,000,000

Box Office Gross: $211,819,354 

(Worldwide)

Plot Summary

Witness the end of
civilisation unfold
as hostile alien invaders
attack the planet. As
people everywhere
watch the world's great
cities fall, Los Angeles
becomes the last stand
for mankind in a battle
no one expected. Now
it's up to a Marine staff
sergeant and his platoon
to draw a line in the sand
as they take on an enemy
unlike any they've
encountered, in this epic
sci-fi action film.

Cast

Aaron Eckhart - SSgt. Michael Nantz

Ramon Rodriguez - 2nd Lt. William Martinez

Will Rothhaar - Cpl. Jason Lockett

Jim Parrack - LCpl. Peter Kerns

Gina Anthony Pesi - Cpl. Nick Stavrou

Ne-Yo - Cpl. Kevin Harris

James Hiroyuki Liao - LCpl. Steven Mottola

Bridget Moynahan - Michele

Noel Fisher - Pfc. Shaun Lenihan

Adetokumboh M'Cormack - Corpsman Jibril Adukwu

Bryce Cass - Hector Rincon

Michael Peña - Joe Rincon

Michelle Rodriguez - TSgt. Elena Santos

Neil Brown, Jr. - LCpl. Richard Guerrero

Taylor Handley - LCpl. Corey Simmons

Joey King - Kirsten 

Lucas Till - Cpl. Scott Grayston 

Kenneth Brown, Jr. - Cpl. Richard Oswald

Jadin Gould - Amy

Joe Chrest - 1st Sgt. John Roy

Rus Blackwell - Lt. Col. K.N. Ritchie

Susie Abromeit - Amanda

Brandi Coleman - Cherise

Elizabeth L. Keener - Kathy Martinez

Jessica Heap - Jessy

Lena Clark - Chris

Crew

Director - Jonathan Liebesman

Writer - Chris Bertolini

Executive Producers - Jeffrey Chernov and
David Greenblatt

Producers - Neal H. Moritz and 

Ori Marmur

Casting Directors - Craig & Lisa Mae Fincannon 

and Debra Zane
Technical Advisor: Military - Tom Minder

Production Designer - Peter Wenham
Design Consultant - Mike Elizalde
Conceptual Creature Designer - Jordu Schell
Conceptual Designer - TyRuben Ellingson
Supervising Art Director - Thomas Valentine
Art Directors - Andrew Neskoromny and
Chris L. Spellman
Set Decorator - Bob Kensinger

Costume Designer - Sanja Milković Hays

Director of Photography - Lukas Ettlin
Stunt Coordinator - Joey Box
Special Effects Coordinator - Stan Parks

Visual Effects Supervisors - Everett Burrell,
Bill Kunin and Geoff D.E. Scott
Visual Effects Supervisor: Matte World Digital -
Craig Barron
Visual Effects Designers - Colin & Greg Strause
Visual Effects Producers - Kevin Elam and
Kendrick Wallace
Animation Supervisors - Jeremy F. Butler and
Raphael A. Pimentel
Miniature Effects Supervisor - Michael Joyce

Film Editor - Christian Wagner

Music - Brian Tyler

Review

Some interesting trivia is Jonathan Liebesman (director of 'BATTLE: LOS ANGELES') was originally in line to direct 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'. For a time, this successful director was under the guidance of Michael Bay and scored a big hit in 2011 with the action-oriented sci-fi movie called 'BATTLE: LOS ANGELES'. It is much similar to other features before that dealt with humans fighting an extra-terrestrial invasion like 'War of the Worlds' and 'Independence Day'. The camerawork is intentionally shaky as a method to portray a world in chaos through the lens of a solider. While this shaky camerawork makes sense from this perspective, it is distracting and hard to watch. The choice of actors in this film were good but lacking star quality, the actors get the job done but do not portray their characters in such a way which is memorable or creative. I think more skillful experienced actors like Dwayne Johnson or Mark Wahlberg.

The story is predictable but too unoriginal and something we've seen time and time again in other movies. This is one of the film's major weaknesses. In saying that, it is a watchable movie and will appeal to people in the mood for a B-grade slice of action. 

Star rating: (6/10) Fair Movie

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Uncle Buck Review

Uncle Buck

Release Date: 21st December 1989 - Australia 

Production Companies

Universal Pictures (presents)

Hughes Entertainment

Distribution 

Universal Pictures Australia

Genre: Comedy

Rating: PG

 
Runtime: 99 minutes 

Budget: $15,000,000

Box Office Gross: $79,258,538 (Worldwide)

Plot Summary 

When Cindy and her
husband are away for a

family emergency, only
one person can watch
their three children: Bob's
slacker, easygoing brother,
Buck. While his two
younger children are an
instant hit, Buck will have
to change his bachelor
lifestyle to take on the
responsibility of caring
for an angsty teenager, Tia.

Cast

John Candy - Buck Russell

Jean Louisa Kelly - Tia Russell

Gaby Hoffmann - Maizy Russell

Macaulay Culkin - Miles Russell

Amy Madigan - Chanice Kobolowski

Elaine Bromka - Cindy Russell

Garrett M. Brown - Bob Russell

Laurie Metcalf - Marcie Dahlgren-Frost

Jay Underwood - Bug

Brian Tarantina - E. Roger Coswell

Mike Starr - Pooter the Clown

Suzanne Shepherd - Mrs. Hogarth

William Windom - Mr. Hatfield (Voice)

Dennis Cockrum - Pal

Ron Payne - Maizy's Teacher

 
Crew

Writer/Producer/Director -

John Hughes

Script Supervisors - Anne Rapp and Marshall Scholm

Associate Producers - William H. Brown and Ramey E. Ward

Producer -  Tony Jacobson

Casting Directors - Risa Ramon Garcia and Billy Hopkins

Production Designer - John W. Corso

Visual Consultant - Doug Kraner

Set Decorator - Daniel Loren May

Property Master - Jerry Moss

Costume Designer - Marilyn Vance

Makeup Designer III - Ben Nye III

Director of Photography - Ralf D. Bode

Location Manager - Jacolyn Bucksbaum

Unit Production Managers - Alan C. Blomquist,

Raymond Hartwick and Tom Udell

Animal Trainer - William Shane Grisco

Stunt Coordinator - M. James Arnett

Special Effects Coordinator - Jeff Jarvis

Editors - Lou & Tony Lombardo

and Peck Prior

Supervising Sound Editors - Tom Bellfort

and Wylie Stateman

Sound Editors - George Frederick,

Scott Martin Gershin, Larry Kemp,

Lou Kleinman, Michael Magill, Cindy Marty,

Jeff Rosen and Frank Smathers

Re-Recording Mixers - Doug Hemphill,

Gary Alexander and Chris Jenkins

Supervising Foley Artist - Gary A. Hecker

Music Score - Ira Newborn

Review

Most people who grew up in the late '80s and early '90s will not forget the late clown of comedy, John Candy and all of the movies before his untimely and tragic death in 1994. A few times, Candy collaborated with the late writer, producer and director John Hughes in three films (also appearing as a cameo in Home Alone). UNCLE BUCK was the third of their collaborations and a little too perfect to be a simply enjoyable movie in its own right.

There wasn't much else that this feature could provide us with, and it hit the nail on the head by creating funny characters that are easily relatable. It is very simplistic, easy to watch and heartwarming. There were a few parts that had me laughing all over the balcony! One of the standout scenes was when Buck had several encounters with his niece's annoying boyfriend. He threatens to murder him with a hatchet and drill. Also, the funniest scene is when Buck binds him in duct tape and puts him in the boot of his car. Then, Buck releases him and shoots some golf balls at him as he's running away with nothing but his undies.

John Candy's acting was commendable and funny. He is a great comedian actor and cemented his place as a Hollywood-funny guy in this amusing feature. I'm surprised that Macaulay Culkin was at his early role before he had yet to make his big break in next year's Home Alone.

UNCLE BUCK was a simplistic and heartwarming but solid feature that nobody should deny watching. I recommend this movie to anyone in the mood for a good laugh. Also, this is a very re-watchable movie.

Star rating: (7/10) Good Movie

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Miscounted My Reviews

Hello, movie buffs. It's Rad Dingo here. As you may have noticed, I've incorrectly labelled The Adventures of Tintin, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, After Earth and Superman IV: The Quest for Peace as the 100th, 200th, 300th and 400th reviews when miscounting them that I recently found out. I had to sort these reviews out in numbers and changed the 100th review to The Iron Giant, while the 200th goes to Oz the Great and Powerful, 300th for Guardians of the Galaxy (moving a mention of it to Crimson Tide) and the 400th for The Lorax.

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Meet Me in St. Louis Review

Meet Me in St. Louis

Release Date: 12th July 1945 - Australia

Production Companies

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

Genre: Musical

Rating: G

Runtime: 108 minutes

Budget: $1,885,000

Box Office Gross: $12,800,125 (Worldwide - figure subject to change)

Plot Summary

St. Louis 1903. The well-

off Smith family has four 

daughters, including 

Esther and little Tootie. 

Seventeen year old Esther

has fallen in love with the

boy next door who has 

just moved in - John. He 

however, barely notices 

her at first. The family is 

shocked when Mr. Smith 

reveals he has been 

transferred to a nice 

position in New York, 

which means the family 

has to leave St. Louis 

and not attend the St. Louis 
Fair. (Source - IMDb)

Cast

Judy Garland - Esther Smith

Margaret O'Brien - 'Tootie' Smith

Leon Ames - Alonzo Smith

Mary Astor - Anna Smith

Lucille Bremer - Rose Smith

Tom Drake - John Truett

Marjorie Main - Katie 

Harry Davenport - Grandpa

Henry H. Daniels Jr. - Lon Smith

Joan Carroll - Agnes Smith

June Lockhart - Lucille Ballard

Robert Sully - Warren Sheffield

Hugh Marlowe - Colonel Marly

Chill Wills - Mr. Neely

Crew

Director - Vincente Minnelli

Based on the Book - Sally Benson

Screenplay - Irving Brecher,

Fred F. Finklehoffe, Victor 

Heerman (Uncredited), 

William Ludwig (Uncredited),

Sarah Y. Mason (Uncredited) 

and Doris Gilver (Uncredited)

Producer - Arthur Freed

Associate Producer/Music (Uncredited)/Musical Adaptation - Roger Edens

Art Directors - Lemuel Ayers, Cedric Gibbons and Jack Martin Smith

Costume Designer - Irene Scharaff

Makeup Creator - Jack Dawn

Director of Photography - George J. Folsey

Dance Director - Charles Walters

Songs & Lyrics - Hugh Martin and Ralph Blane

Film Editor - Albert Akst

Music (Uncredited)/

Orchestrator - Conrad Salinger

Awards

1945 Academy Awards

Juvenile Award - Margaret O'Brien (Won)

-------------------------------

Best Writing, Screenplay - Irving Brecher and Fred F. Finklehoffe (Nominated)

Best Cinematography, Color - George J. Folsey (Nominated) 

Best Music, Scoring of a
Motion Picture - George Stoll (Nominated)

Best Music, Original Song
"The Trolley Song" - Ralph Martin and Hugh Blaine (Nominated)

Review

A charming and entertaining vintage musical for a film of its age hasn't lessened a bit since its release in 1944. 'MEET ME IN ST. LOUIS' was produced when war was nearing its end and probably a huge step-up to those old-time MGM musicals that were on a successful period around the 40s and early 50s. The movie of this direction was all thanks to producer Arthur Freed and director Vincente Minnelli who both made this as a more sincere effort for its main star Judy Garland who used to play a country girl out of Kansas City in 'The Wizard of Oz'. She has matured since then and plays her part as the leading lady well, adding the refined elegance to the film. I'm still not a huge fan of her other talents including her music. The movie does have its magical moments with such songs, as the catchy melody of the "Trolley Song" and the melancholy "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas" - have remained as timeless and remembered tunes in history.

'MEET ME IN ST. LOUIS' is probably not a favourite movie of mine, but it's a great musical that I must see again. Who knows, maybe in the future you might like to see its cinematic version or if you prefer a live stage production of the film adaptation.

Star rating: (8/10) Very Good Movie

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Captain America: Civil War Review

Captain America: Civil War

Release Date: 28th April 2016 - Australia

Production Companies

Marvel Studios (presents)

Vita-Ray Dutch Productions (a co-production of)

Studio Babelsberg (co-production of)

Distribution

Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures Australia

Genre: Action

Rating: M

Runtime: 170 minutes


Budget: $250,000,000

Box Office Gross: $1,153,337,496 (Worldwide)

Plot Summary

When another international incident involving the Avengers causes the government to push a registered act limiting their actions, the arrogant Tony Stark, also known as Iron Man, believes that superheroes should register before doing more collateral damage. On the other hand, Captain America stands for the principles of freedom and feels that saving the world is more important than relying on the government to solve these crises. It causes

a rift between the two in their

friendship and the Avengers.

Then, their disagreement would escalate into an all-out war with two factions divided, and Steve must fight to protect his old friend Bucky Barnes, who gets framed for a crime that he did not commit, and his life is now in jeopardy.

Cast

Chris Evans - Steve Rogers/
Captain America

Robert Downey, Jr. - Tony
Stark/Iron Man

Scarlett Johansson - Natasha
Romanoff/Black Widow

Sebastian Stan - Bucky
Barnes/Winter Solider

Anthony Mackie - Sam

Wilson/The Falcon

Don Cheadle - Lt. James

Rhode/War Machine

Chadwick Boseman -

T'Challa/Black Panther

Elizabeth Olsen - Wanda

Maximoff/Scarlet Witch

Paul Bettany - Vision

Jeremy Renner - Clint

Barton/Hawkeye

Paul Rudd - Scott Lang/Ant-Man

Emily VanCamp - Sharon Carter

Tom Holland - Peter Parker/
Spider-Man

Frank Rillo - Brock Rumlow/
Crossbones

William Hurt - Secretary of State Thaddeus Ross

Daniel Brühl - Zemo

John Slattery - Howard Stark

Hope Davis - Maria Stark

Kerry Condon - F.R.I.D.A.Y. (Voice)

Martin Freeman - Everett Ross

Marisa Tomei - Aunt May

John Kani - King T'Chaka

Alfre Woodard - Miriam
Jackson Spidell - Josef/

Super Solider #1
Yi Long - Super Solider #2
Heidi Moneymaker - Super
Solider #3
Aaron Toney - Super Solider #4
Cale Schultz - Super Solider #5
Ann Russo - Zemo's Wife (Voice)

Gene Farber - Karpov

Florence Kasumba - Security Chief
Amelia Morck - UN Staffer Gibson

Joe Rosso - Dr. Broussard (Cameo)
Stan Lee - FedEx Driver (Cameo)

Crew

Directors - Anthony & Joe Russo
Based on the Marvel Comics - Joe Simon
and Jack Kirby

Based on the Comic Book "Civil War" -

Mark Millar (Uncredited)

Screenplay - Christopher Markus and

Stephen McFeely

Associate Producer/First Assistant Director -

Lars P. Winther

Executive Producers - Victoria Alonso,
Louis D'Esposito, Alan Fine, Stan Lee

and Nate Moore

Executive Producer/Unit Production Manager -

Patricia Whitcher

Producer - Kevin Feige

Co-Producers - Mitchell Bell, Christoph Fisser,
Henning Molfenter and Charlie Woebcken

Military Consultant - James D. Dever
Casting Director - Sarah Finn

Production Designer - Owen Paterson

Marvel Head of Visual Development - Ryan Meinerding

Lead Visual Development Concept Illustrator  -

Andy Park

Visual Development Concept Illustrators -

Rodney Fuentebella, Jackson Sze,

Phil Saunders and Josh Nizzi

Supervising Art Director - Greg Berry

Art Directors - David Scott and

Gregory S. Hooper

Art Director: Germany Unit - Stephan O. Gessler

Motorcycle Coordinator - Justin Kell

Set Decorator - Ronald R. Reiss

Property Master - Russell Bobbitt

Costume Designer - Judianna Mavkosky

Hair Department Head - Camille Friend

Director of Photography - Trent Opaloch

Director of Photography: Brazil Unit - Dante Belluti

Director of Photography: Second Unit,

Germany - Jacques Haitkin

Director of Photography: Second Unit -

James Whitaker

Aerial Director of Photography - David B. Nowell

Aerial Director of Photography: Germany

Unit - Jeremy Braben

Camera Operators: Second Unit - Richard Cantu,

Eric Laudadio and Charles Schner

"A" Camera First Assistant - Taylor Matheson

Unit Production Manager - Leeann Stonebreaker

Supervising Location Manager - James Lin

Key Second Assistant Director: Second Unit,

Germany - Tom Edmondson

Floor Second Assistant Director: Second Unit,

Germany - Tom Browne

Second Unit Director/Stunt Coordinator -

Spiro Razatos
Second Unit Directors - David Leitch,
Darrin Prescott and Chad Stahelski

Stunt and Fight Coordinator - Sam Hargrave

Supervising Stunt Coordinators - Doug Coleman

and Mickey Giacomazzi

Fight Choreographer - James Young

Aerial Coordinator - Kevin LaRosa

Picture Car Coordinator - Dennis McCarthy

Special Effects Supervisor - Daniel Sudick
Special Effects Supervisor: Second Unit,

Germany - Gerd Nefzer

Physical Suit Effects Supervisors: Legacy Effects -

Lindsay MacGowan and Shane Mahan
On-Set Suit Coordinator: Legacy Effects -

Christopher Swift

Senior Visual Effects Supervisor: Double

Negative - Paul J. Franklin

Visual Effects Supervisor - Dan Deleeuw

Visual Effects Supervisor: ILM - Russell Earl

Visual Effects Supervisor: Method Studios -

Greg Steele

Visual Effects Supervisor: RISE Visual Effects

Studios - Florian Gellinger

Visual Effects Supervisor: Lola Visual Effects -

Trent Claus

Visual Effects Supervisor: Cinesite -

Simon Stanley-Clamp

Visual Effects Supervisors: Cantina Creative -

Stephen Lawes and Alan Torres

Visual Effects Supervisor: Animal Logic -

Paul Butterworth

Visual Effects Associate Supervisor -

Swen Gillberg

Visual Effects Producer - Jen Underdahl

Visual Effects Producer: ILM - Katherine Farrar

Visual Effects Producer: Method Studios -

Karey Maltzhan

Visual Effects Producer: Cantina Creative -

Donna Cullen

Visual Effects Producer: Technicolor VFX -

Marie Rheinschild-Jordan

Senior Animation Supervisor: Method Studios -

Keith Roberts

Animation Supervisor: ILM - Steve Rawlins
Animation Supervisor: Method Studios -

Daniel Mizuguchi

Animation Supervisor: Luma Pictures -

Raphael A. Pimentel

CG Supervisor: Double Negative - Stephen Aplin

Digital Model Supervisor: ILM - Bruce Holcomb

Compositing Supervisors: ILM -

Francois Lambert and Jean LaPointe

Compositing Supervisor: Lola Visual Effects -

Edson Williams

Asset Supervisor: Image Engine - Barry Poon

3D Stereoscopic Supervisor - Evan Jacobs

Editors - Jeffrey Ford and Matthew Schmidt

Supervising Sound Editors - Shannon Mills

and Daniel Laurie

Sound Designers - David C. Hughes and

Nia Hansen

Sound Mixer: Second Unit - Whit Norris

Dialogue Editors - Cheryl Nardi and

Stuart McCowan

Re-Recording Mixers - Tom Johnson

and Juan Peralta

Foley Artists - John Roesch and Shelley Roden

Music - Henry Jackman

Music Supervisor - Dave Jordan

Score Mixer - Alan Meyerson

Review

After watching DC's latest mild disappointment, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, I decided to write a review for the recent film of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR. However, the latter is better than anything DC has put out recently. The story is much better in development with heaps of action sequences. The film also improves significantly on Age of Ultron. Thankfully, the movie resolves in a thrilling climax, almost bigger than Batman v Superman's but with more grit and emotion.

Almost all of the players from the previous Marvel movies have returned for their roles. However, even new actors were added, especially for this film. The best of these roles would be Tom Holland for his recent interpretation of Spider-Man, who has only shown up in the mid-half of the feature and could be a better version of the character than the role portrayed by Andrew Garfield or Tobey Maguire.

Frankly, CIVIL WAR feels more like an Avengers movie than a standalone film compared to the last two Captain America hits. It is a spontaneous, thrilling superhero epic that everyone will enjoy and watch multiple times in either format. Please don't miss out on this film before you regret it!

Star rating: (10/10) Best Movie Ever

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Changes, More Changes

Over the last week of April to the first of May, I have fixed mistakes in most of my posts, such as sentences, re-wording, re-hyperlinked and proper capitalisation when needed. I've done a massive update on Hot Fuzz since this is my first critique of an MA15+-rated movie. I've also changed the star rating of Avengers: Age of Ultron when it did make sense of the rating I gave it. Since most of the repairs were necessary, they will match the consistency I've had in the recent reviews I've posted every Monday or Sunday. 

It might be the last time I've checked this blog to get everything fixed, and who knows? Maybe I will keep doing that often in the least a few of my already-critiqued movies, news updates or even top lists. 

Anyway, this is FilmGuruLad. I hope you've read this newsletter. The sooner, the better.

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The Jungle Book (2016) Review

The Jungle Book

Release Date: 14th April 2016 - Australia

Production Companies 

Walt Disney Pictures 

Fairview Entertainment 

Distribution 

Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures Australia

Genre: Adventure

Rating: PG

Runtime: 105 minutes

Budget: $175,000,000

Box Office Gross: $966,553,944 (Worldwide - figure subject to change)

Plot Summary
The story of Mowgli, 

an orphan boy is raised
in the jungle with the
help of a pack of wolves,
a bear, and a black
panther.

Cast
Neel Sethi - Mowgli
Kendrick Reyes - Infant Mowgli
Ritesh Rajan - Mowgli's Father

Voice Cast

Bill Murray - Baloo the Bear

Ben Kingsley - Bagheera

Idris Elba - Shere Khan
Lupita Nyong'o - Raksha

Christopher Walken - King Louie

Scarlett Johansson - Kaa
Giancarlo Esposito - Akela
Garry Shandling - Ikki
Brighton Rose - Gray
Jon Favreau - Pygmy Hog
Sam Raimi - Indian Giant Squirrel
Russell Peters - Rocky the Rhino
Madeline Favreau - Raquel the Rhino

Crew

Producer/Director - Jon Favreau
Based on Book "The Jungle Book" - Rudyard Kipling
Screenplay - Justin Marks
Executive Producers - Molly Allen, Karen Gilchirst and Peter M. Tobyansen
Producer - Brigham Taylor
Co-Producer - John Bartnicki
Casting Director - Sarah Finn
Production Designers - Christopher Glass and Abhjeet Mazumder
Supervising Art Director - Andrew L. Jones 

Supervising Visual Art Director - Yuri Bartoli
Costume Designer - Laura Jean Shannon
Cinematography - Bill Pope
Second Unit Director/Director
of Photography: Second Unit/
Visual Effects Supervisor - Robert Legato
Second Unit Director/Stunt Coordinator - Thomas Robinson Harper
Special Effects Supervisor - J.D. Schwalm
Visual Effects Supervisor - Charley Henley
Visual Effects Supervisor: MPC - Adam Valdez
Visual Effects Supervisors: Weta Digital - Joe Letteri, 

Dan Lemmon and Keith Miller 
Animation Supervisors - Andrew R. Jones, Dennis Yoo and Gabriele Zucchelli

Film Editor - Mark Livolsi
Sound Designer (Uncredited)/Supervising Sound Editor/

Re-Recording Sound Mixer - Christopher Boyes

Music - John Debney
Lyrics: The Bare Necessities - Terry Gilkyson
Lyrics: I Wan'na Be Like You
and Trust In Me (The Python's Song) -
Richard M. and Robert B. Sherman

Review

Before the newly-released feature film of 'THE JUNGLE BOOK', there were many versions recreating this high-spirited, adventurous story, most notably the original 1967 animated version by Walt Disney. This animated classic is colourful and energetic and is more of a musical whereas this one is just a live-action remake, but dark and scary. I would have waited first to review the earlier interpretations before watching the latest incarnation of 'THE JUNGLE BOOK', this may not have been a bad thing because often when you watch the originals then watch the remake, you can have a biased opinion and miss some of the qualities in the remake. 

Director Jon Favreau is so amazing in keeping the film intact with borrowing both of the elements from Rudyard Kipling's original story and the Disney animation. It confirms to audiences that there's still a glimmer of hope for Disney to green-light any more live-action remakes after this one alongside 'Maleficent' and 2015's 'Cinderella'. The best aspect is probably the CGI rendering which is a highest standard and the really captures the jungle settings which really immerses you in a deep, beautiful and mystical world.

All the voices in the latest version are brilliant, there are three standouts such as Idris Elba as Shere Khan, Ben Kingsley as Bagheera and Bill Murray as the carefree Baloo. This isn't the first time Elba has been with Disney with a few successes under his belt such as the 'Thor' series and 'Zootopia' and it is at this point that he finally outdone the late George Sanders in terms of performing a real menace inside a vicious tiger. I'm surprised that they haven't removed any of the two songs that were from the 1967 classic "The Bare Necessities" and "I Wan'na Be Like You", this does well to mix musical elements originally used in the animated film and this will have some sentimental value for fans of the original.

Some people who have grown up watching the classic may not like it and I don't blame them. Because the original was lighthearted, less dark and gritty and more tailored to a younger audience. I think this is a very watchable movie which is deserving of the attention of any movie-goer in the mood for a wild ride.

Star rating: (8/10) Very Good Movie