Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (2017)

Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle is about four teenagers who get transported into the video game world of Jumanji. A sequel to the original with a twist, instead of the world of Jumanji coming to the real world it's in reverse and with video game elements.

Director, Jake Kasdan, is probably best known as the director of Bad Teacher and Sex Tape (the bad Cameron Diaz and Jason Segel movie, not a porno). While the film is pretty straightforward with the shots used and imagery, Kasdan focuses on the performances of his actors. Smart movie Kasdan.

I've been enjoying Chris McKenna's writing for a long time now. If you consider since 2010 long. He did a TV show called Community and The LEGO Batman Movie which has grown on me since it's my eldest daughter's favorite movie. Oh, and he also did a little movie called Spider-Man: Homecoming. The dialogue in the film is great. Look forward to his writing in the upcoming movie Ant-Man and the Wasp.

Dwayne Johnson is perfect for the role of as the main character in a video game. The delivery of his lines are expectedly on point. His interactions between Hart's character and Gillan are just how a shy teenage boy would be. It's almost like he knew how that felt.

Kevin Hart was the hardest sell for me since he was just being himself instead of being Fridge. The way Fridge acted when not in the game was nothing like how Hart acted. It's only a small problem but it's noticeable if you think back.

Jack Black and Karen Gillan are great as video game characters being played by two young teenage girls. Sure they're stereotyping but everyone knows a girl like that in their high school. I teach for a living, I know students that are like these two. One is self-absorbed and the other a shy antisocial rebel. Black has some of the best lines while Gillan is hard to take your eyes off of.

Result: B+ (I recommend this as a comedy, that's saying a lot)

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Talk to Me (2023)

Talk to Me is an Australian horror film about a group of friends who discover how to speak to the dead. Or do they? Directed by the brothers Michael and Danny Philippou, Talk to Me is their first attempt at a feature film. It was a pretty decent introduction too as they made the transition from shorts and clips to movies. When you see their channel you don't really tend to think they'll do well in horror but they did have some help writing with Daley Pearson. Parents will know him as Rocko from the kid's show Bluey . Sophie Wilde plays the main teenager Mia. At first, she comes across as an angsty teen but as you get to know her through the writing and dialogue, you tend to understand more why she is so distant from her father and holding onto her few friends. This was her film debut and she did a great job. Also, she came up with the concept for the film too. The most recognizable person in the film is Miranda Otto who is better known fo...

Leo (2023)

Leo is about an old lizard who wants to have his one last hurrah before he gets too old to do his bucket list. This is another in the long line of Adam Sandler movies for Netflix that his contract requires him to do. In 2020, Sandler got another quarter of a million dollar deal with Netflix to do four more movies since his view count was so monumental over other Netflix original movies. While watching the movie you can tell it's Sandler's humor and he hires his usual friends to voice act in this animated family film. With Disney failing and Illumination taking hold of families, it's nice that there is room for Happy Madison Productions to put in good work. Sandler puts on a voice for Leo that is goofy in his own right. Bill Burr plays his best bud Squirtle the turtle. Cecily Strong, from Saturday Night Live, plays the substitute teacher, she really sells the mean old lady. Another couple of voices you'll recognize were Siendfeld's Jason Alexander as the entitle...

Emily the Criminal (2022)

Emily the Criminal is about the downward spiral of a woman with nowhere else to turn but a life of crime. John Patton Ford first film for which he has both writing and directing credits. I was genuinely surprised by this film. I didn't know what to expect from Ford and I only saw the film because of the lead. It's got really good pacing and camera choices. Also how he wrote Emily was perfect. The story sort of dragged a bit towards the end and the ending was predictable. Emily is played by Aubrey Plaza for whom I have glowing regard. I'll watch pretty much anything she comes out with as long as she keeps putting out movies like this. She plays the character really well. She does what she can with the dialogue that has her on one note the entire time. You'd expect a negative character arch with a title like this and yet you'll still end up rooting for her. Empathy goes a long way. You might know Plaza from Safety Not Guaranteed, and Parks and Recreation . ...

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