Got my internet situation handled, and I’ll have some entries up later this week – one for one of Gary Oldman’s greatest roles, that of Ludwig Van Beethoven in Immortal Beloved. HOW HAS HE NOT WON AN OSCAR BY NOW?
But today – oh, today!- here is another trailer for Disney’s new The Jungle Book.
I get that it’s not everyone’s cup of tea, but as a weird little only child who grew up climbing trees alone in a big backyard, and preferred the company of animals to people…
…this has me.
I totally teared up during this trailer. Between the music, the voicework, and that little boy’s spunky spirit, I am all over this. I am READY.
I LOVE the casting – I am hearing a lot of snark about Scarlett Johansen as Kaa, specifically her voicework, but I think it’s perfect. People are complaining that the line-reading sounds flat, but I disagree. After all, Kaa is supposed to be disarming, supposed to sound as if eating you is the farthest thing from her mind. She’s a 50-foot python and running prey down isn’t an option – large reptiles are ambush predators, meaning they wait hidden for you to let your guard down, before they strike. In the cartoon Kaa used hypnosis on his prey, but I like the reinterpretation. They’re playing with the ‘Eve and the Snake’ mythology of Western culture a bit too, with woman as ‘seductress,’ but I kind of dig it. Mowgli’s wolf mother is played by Lupita N’yongo, which is nice, but seriously can we get her in a big blockbuster role where we see her face?.
And Idris Elba as Shere Khan?
Get that casting director a bucket of awards and a dumptruck of money because that is PERFECT.
I usually get nervous when I see a movie full of this many stars, but the trailer is just full of so much WIN! And your review was too spot on 🙂 I too would like to see Lupita N’yongo’s face on the silver screen again. It’s gonna become a running joke if she does another movie again without being seen in it – lol
The trailer is definitely hitting the right emotional notes, and that little boy has bags of charisma – and considering how he is competing with the voices of some of the biggest names in Hollywood and is still holding his own, that’s saying something. I cannot WAIT! 😀
Welcome back! And like you, I’m very excited to see this new version of the Jungle Book. I’ll have to make sure that my daughter won’t have a good look at my face during it. (She gets irritated when I cry in movies.)
Bwah ha ha! Just sit there in stoic Dad-silence while the tears roll down your face…
“NO I’m NOT CRYING THE AIR IN HERE IS VERY DRY WATCH THE MOVIE THE TICKETS COST A FORTUNE.”
Bwah ha ha! Just sit there in stoic Dad-silence while the tears roll down your face…
“NO I’m NOT CRYING THE AIR IN HERE IS VERY DRY WATCH THE MOVIE THE TICKETS COST A FORTUNE.” Lol oh sorry, that was MY dad. 😀