THE LION KING (2019)

Release Date: Malaysia, 17 June 2019

Genre: Animation / Adventure

Running Length: 1:58

Cast (Voices): Donald Glover, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Beyoncé, James Earl Jones, Seth Rogen, Billy Eichner, John Oliver, Alfre Woodard

Director:  Jon Favreau

Screenplay: Jeff Nathanson, based on a story by Brenda Chapman

Disclaimer: This review is based on these facts: (i) I've watched the original 1994 classic and (ii) I am not in favour of Disney re-doing its classics into live-action. If you've not seen the original, perhaps you would have a different experience altogether.

So, I decided to catch it anyway hoping that it would bring a new freshness. And here's the verdict:

I totally disliked it. 

Before I tear this movie apart, let's start off with the positive aspects of the movie. The one thing that really stood out for me is the triumphant "animation". The movie's photorealistic jungles and animals of Africa can be easily mistaken with an episode of National Geographic or Planet Earth. In the opening act where we are introduced to little Simba, I literally exclaimed out loud "Eeee..SO CUTE!!!" Yes, it's that believable. The technical achievement here is ground breaking.

And that's about it of what I like about the movie. Now let's get to the dislikes.

Eventhough it's visually realistic and stunning, there are drawbacks. You see, I can accept it when the animals are singing and acting all human-like in the hand-drawn original but in a state of "reality" like this 2019 version, there is a disconnect when perfectly rendered animals start speaking and singing. I just find this very difficult to accept. As a result, it was distracting to me. 

And speaking of speaking, there is something off with the voice talents here and I can't put my finger on what's wrong. James Earl Jones is back as the booming voice of Simba's I'm your father; Mufasa. But somehow, the majesty and glory of Mufasa is missing when he speaks in this version. The only voice talent that matches to the 'T' is Seth Rogen as the warthog Pumbaa. He was born to play Pumbaa. 

As for the scenes, it's a shot-for-shot recreation of the original. WHY?!! Yes, I get it that some scenes are sacred and shouldn't be altered such as the signature opening "Circle of Life" sequence and one of the most disturbing and saddest scene ever committed to the history of Disney animation (it still is in this version), but they could have at least changed up some scenes to inject some freshness to it.

As for the classic score and songs, they did update it but this 2019 version is simply terrible. The only memorable ones are when Pumbaa and Timon sing "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" and a laugh-inducing song referencing another Disney classic

All in all, I was bored throughout this 2019 Lion King. This is an obvious cash-grab from Disney. Unfortunately, audiences will still flock to the cinemas (it debuted and ruled at the North America Box Office at USD 185 million!) and will fill Disney's coffers to overflowing. This only means one thing: more classics being converted to live-action. You know what they say - new generation, new money. 

RATING: 5/10

TV Review: STRANGER THINGS: SEASON 3

Release Date: Now streaming on Netflix (Malaysia)

Genre: Fantasy / Horror

No. of Episodes: 8

Cast: Winona Ryder, David Harbour, Fin Wolfhard, Millie Bobby Brown, Gaten Matarazzo, Caleb McLaughlin, Natalia Dyer, Charlie Heaton, Joe Keery, Noah Schnapp, Sadie Sink, Dacre Montgomery, Maya Hawke, Priah Ferguson

Series created by: The Duffer Brothers

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My first TV series review! I've always limited my reviews to films being shown in the local cinema but with so many high quality releases on Netflix and the likes, I just had to start reviewing some of these series or made-for-TV movies.

When this season kicked off, I was actually letdown by the first three episodes. It was really slow. There was so much unnecessary time dedicated to Hopper (Harbour) trying to break off the budding teenage romance between Mike (Wolfhard) and Eleven (Brown). It was kinda going nowhere for me as different characters had their own thing going: 

• Dustin (Matarazzo) just came back from camp and claims he has a "prettier than Phoebe Cates" girlfriend.
• Will (Schnapp) is just fed up with his friends' budding romances; Mike and El, Lucas (McLaughlin) and Max (Sink).
• Nancy (Dyer) and Jonathan (Heaton) are working as interns in the local newspapers.
• Steve (Keery) is now working with this girl Robin (Hawke) in an ice cream parlour in the newly opened Starcourt mall [Interesting fact I just found out. Maya Hawke who plays Robin is the daughter of Ethan Hawke and Uma Thurman!! OMG!]
• Joyce (Ryder) is still mourning. 
• Karen Wheeler, Mike's mother, is trying to score (?!) with Max's brother, Billy (Montgomery)

Thankfully, things start to pick up steam from Episode/Chapter 4: Sauna Test onwards and just like a roller coaster ride, the pace doesn't slow down thereafter. It just keeps getting faster and more exhilarating until the huge finale where some major characters meet their final destination (yes, there are deaths).

Only then I understood why was there a need for the creators to set up these characters doing their own thing in the earlier episodes, especially the plot involving Hopper trying to break off Mike and El's romance. Because when the pay off comes at the end, oh my, it comes in heaps and buckets. The ending is just so...sad. 

As for the overarching plot of Season 3, this time round it involves some Russians and this "being" (possibly from The Upside Down world) taking over the bodies of some of the residents from Hawkins. Oh, and there are imploding rats. And, it's up to the kids to stop this evil force again. 

Speaking of implosions, there is a higher level of gore and violence in this season reminiscent of 80s horror movies. Of course, it's very much toned down compared to say, the classic John Carpenter's The Thing (Brrr...that movie still gives me nightmares everytime I think about it).

I'm glad the creators didn't just rely on nostalgia to engage its audience. Yes, there are some cheesy 80s references like this rip-off Terminator character and a memorable left field moment where two characters break out into a popular 80's song. And the brilliant production set pieces such as the mall and the fun fair really gives this series a proper 80's vibe.

But it's not the nostalgia that makes this series entertaining and successful. It's the performances, the direction and overall, good storytelling. There are a handful of standout quiet moments weaved in between the nail-biting sequences to give it some breather. One of it involves Steve and Robin having a vulnerable conversation in the public restroom.

I'm looking forward to Season 4 next year as it seems that the creators may change the direction of the storyline judging by the epilogue.

RATING: 8.5/10 

(I hope they won't bring back this character in Season 4 because it was a satisfying emotional wrap up. If they do, I may have to review the rating of season 3 again)

YESTERDAY

Release Date: Malaysia, 17 June 2019

Genre: Romance / Fantasy

Running Length: 1:56

Cast: Himesh Patel, Lily James, Joel Fry, Ed Sheeran, Kate McKinnon, Meera Syal, Sanjeev Bhaskar, Alexander Arnold

Director: Danny Boyle

Screenplay: Richard Curtis 

When I first saw the trailer to YESTERDAY, I was immediately intrigued by its concept. And oh, the songs! It was a must see for me. 

Obviously, the expectations was high walking into the screening of this movie. Unfortunately, I walked out feeling disappointed that such a good idea went to waste. 

What's this movie about? Well, it's about Jack Malik (Patel) a struggling musician who gets hit by a bus one day and when he wakes up, he finds that The Beatles and their songs are erased from existence. Imagine a world without the music of The Beatles! Nobody on Earth has ever heard of their music except Jack. Yup...he decides to seize the opportunity and claims ownership of The Beatles' songs. This is not a spoiler as it's all in the trailer (see below). 

I can't really put a finger to why this movie was a disappointment for me. Perhaps the filmmakers didn't fully explore the effects of a world without The Beatles? Perhaps the moral dilemma of stealing the songs was poorly interpreted? Perhaps the people behind this movie are really talented people (Danny Boyle, Richard Curtis) but what they came out with was just...meh? 

Instead, Yesterday ended up being a cliched rom-com. And it's not even very good. The chemistry between the two lovebirds were only half believable. All in all, it's one of those movies that aspires to achieve a lot of things but end up achieving nothing.     

However, not all is lost. Lead actor Himesh Patel can sing (In fact, I'm listening to him singing now from the soundtrack). His performance is serviceable with one standout scene, where he was challenged by Ed Sheeran (playing himself) to a song writing + performance showdown. 

If anything, I've a newfound appreciation for the music of The Beatles and their songs are playing on loop now on my Spotify. 

RATING: 6/10

SPIDER-MAN: FAR FROM HOME

Release Date: Malaysia, 03 July 2019

Genre: Action / Adventure

Running Length: 2:09

Cast: Tom Holland, Jake Gyllenhaal, Zendaya, Jacob Batalon, Angourie Rice, Tony Revolori, Samuel L. Jackson, Jon Favreau, Marisa Tomei, Cobie Smulders

Director: Jon Watts 

Screenplay: Chris McKenna & Erik Sommers 

The first half of SPIDER-MAN: FAR FROM HOME felt more like an epilogue to Avengers: Endgame while the second half; the sequel to Spider-man: Homecoming.  The beginning of this film addresses the events of Thanos' The Snap and Endgame, especially the mourning of Tony Stark/Iron Man's death (sorry, spoilers for those who are yet to watch Endgame). 

This is your standard entertaining lighthearted MCU movie which is very much a welcome after the heavy and emotional Endgame.  There are some funny moments and very decent action sequences - pretty much MCU textbook stuff. 

To me, the overall tone and manner is very much similar to Homecoming. It's the typical high-school coming-of-age movie with superhero elements. Not really a bad thing for me but it's just not my favourite genre.   

Thankfully they didn't go overboard with the Peter Parker/MJ romance as it balances out very nicely with Peter's constant struggle of living up to his calling "with great power comes great responsibility" vs. being your regular teenager. 

Tom Holland is becoming more comfortable and believable as the nice guy neighbourhood superhero but the standout here is Zendaya. Her version of MJ is kinda edge and yet, has hints of vulnerability. It's very current and it works. 

You can see Jake Gyllenhaal is having fun doing this movie. This is not your dark and serious Jake as seen in Prisoners or Nightcrawler. 

It's also refreshing to have a change of environment here since the majority of the movie takes place in Europe (Venice, Praque, London) instead of the usual swinging from building to building in New York. 

If anything, the villain here is not as memorable as Michael Keaton's Vulture in the first movie. There are no memorable "highly tensed conversation in the car scene".

Do stay back for two post credit scenes. The mid-credit scene is the more interesting one as it opens up a whole new possibility for Spidey in the third installment while the after credit scene is perhaps an introduction to MCU Phase 4.  

RATING: 7.5/10

TOY STORY 4

Release Date: Malaysia, 20 June 2019

Genre: Animated

Running Length: 1:40

Cast (Voices): Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Annie Potts, Tony Hale, Keegan-Michael Key, Madeleine McGraw, Christina Hendricks, Jordan Peele, Keanu Reeves

Director: Josh Cooley

Screenplay: Andrew Stanton & Stephany Folsom

A couple of years ago when Pixar announced they are going to do another Toy Story, the first words that dropped into my mind were, "cash grab". And when the trailer to TOY STORY 4 was released, I wasn't impressed. The plot macam same-same with the rest of the other Toy Story episodes and it kinda looked...boring.

I had a similar feeling towards Finding Dory, the sequel to Finding Nemo. But I still watched it then because it's Pixar yo. Unfortunately, I was underwhelmed with Dory because it felt the same.

So with all these precedents, I walked into Toy Story 4 with my bar set very low.

And I'm glad to say I really enjoyed this movie! Here's why

In terms of the plot for all the Toy Story movies, I never really could remember much of it. It all somewhat blend into one because it usually involves Woody (Hanks) and Buzz (Allen) fighting for their owner's attention. And somehow a toy or two will get stranded and the whole gang will go on a rescue mission.

However, what I do care about this series is its characters, especially Woody and Buzz. And in this movie, eventhough it involves another rescue mission, something more happens to a major character. And because I care for this character, the heart-wrenching conclusion ripped me to shreds.

And speaking of characters, there are some new ones introduced in this installment and I absolutely love them especially Forky, Ducky and Bunny and Duke Caboom (voiced by the ever reliable Keanu "Woah" Reeves). They are super funny!

Oh, and don't forget to stay till the end after the final end-credits involving Duke Caboom and a G.I. Joe-like action figure.

And finally, as for the themes explored here, it's beautifully bleak. More mature kids watching this may be affected by real-world themes such as being unlovable, losing one's purpose and making a difficult decision to follow your heart. (There are some horror elements too, so those bringing kids, you've been warned)

In conclusion, I'm glad Toy Story 4 wasn't a cash grab. Even if it was, I felt a sense of relief that the filmmakers put in so much care in these characters and the superior photo-realistic animation.

RATING: 8.5/10

GODZILLA: KING OF THE MONSTERS

Release Date: Malaysia, 30 May 2019

Genre: Adventure

Running Length: 2:11

Cast: Kyle Chandler, Vera Farmiga, Millie Bobby Brown, Ken Watanabe, Zhang Ziyi, Bradley Whitford, Sally Hawkins, Charles Dance, Thomas Middleditch, Aisha Hinds, O’Shea Jackson Jr.

Director: Michael Dougherty 

Screenplay: Michael Dougherty & Zach Shields 

GODZILLA: KING OF THE MONSTERS is a direct sequel to Gareth Edwards’ 2014 Godzilla. One of the major complaints from the fans back then was that it featured "too little Godzilla" and "not enough kaiju smackdown". That movie had a more dramatic approach as it centred around its characters. 

I guess the filmmakers took those feedback and boy, did they double-double down on the monsters. You gotta see it on the big screen to fully appreciate the spectacle and the visually stunning kaiju smackdown! There was a scene in the movie where I literally exclaimed, "YEAAAH!!!" when one of the monsters literally "power up" by chomping on some power grid.

It was like watching a WWE match.

"I've seen stranger things"

However on the flip side, when it came to its characters, boy oh boy, I really don't know what were the filmmakers thinking. I have no idea what's the purpose of the human beings in this movie except to give exposition. Everytime when the characters appear on the screen (usually in-between the monsters fight sequences), they are there telling each other stories on the legend of the gods (the kaiju). Mind you, whoever is explaining this usually has images magically ready on their monitors to help the other people in the room to visualize better what he/she is talking about. Yes, like a powerpoint presentation.

And the dialogue is JUST TERRIBLE. Who talks like this! And I really pity the actors involved in this movie as they are capable artist but unfortunately, they were dealt with a poor script. So when some of these characters die, I just couldn't care less.

And don't get me started with the baffling decisions these characters make throughout the movie! All in all, the plot is supposed to be simple but it turned out to be so convoluted. When I checked on IMDB who is this "Michael Dougherty" director, I was surprised to find out that he is primarily known for being a screenwriter. But yet, he could churn out such a garbage script! Makes me wanna scream!

"Hehe. That tickles!"

If there is one movie which did an excellent job in balancing the monsters and the human beings, it's the original Jurassic Park. 

That being said, if you're into seeing cities being torn apart and flattened as these god-sized monsters collide with one another (accompanied with a dramatic soundtrack) , you won't leave disappointed.

RATING: 6/10

JOHN WICK: CHAPTER 3 - PARABELLUM

Release Date: Malaysia, 16 May 2019

Genre: Action / Thriller

Running Length: 2:10

Cast: Keanu Reeves, Ian McShane, Laurence Fishburne, Mark Dacascos, Halle Berry, Asia Kate Dillon, Lance Reddick, Angelica Huston

Director: Chad Stahelski

Screenplay: Derek Kolstad and Shay Hatten and Chris Collins & Marc Abrams

These events in JOHN WICK: CHAPTER 3 picks up exactly where Chapter 2 left off: 

Excommunicado.

Tick tock tick tock.

$14 Million bounty.

Stylized neon nightscape.

Book fight.

Knife fight.

Fight on a running horse.

The Director.

The Adjudicator.

Casablanca.

"He finds you."

Woah, Halle Berry! You go girl!

Two awesome Belgian Shepherds!

Rules and consequences.

Desert.

Ouch! 4 Fingers.

High Table.

Motorcycle fight.

"I'm a fan!" (Woah, that was totally left field)

Deconsecrated.

"Gun, lots of guns."

Fight in a hotel.

Mirrors.

Hand to hand combat.

"If you want peace, prepare for war" ie. Parabellum.

Back alley.

"Because I am...pissed!"

"Yeah!"

RATING: 3/10