Remember NFTs? They were this hilariously stupid and obvious scam from 2021, where people—and you’ll laugh—sold the “rights” to jpegs! Yeah, I know, those things you can right-click and make an infinite number of. So silly. Anyway, three years after that all collapsed, Ubisoft has launched a game featuring the grift.
PLOT: The origin of Mufasa (voiced by Aaron Pierre), the future lion king who, as a cub, is separated from his family and taken into the pride as an outsider, only for him to prove himself the most truly worthy heir to the throne.
REVIEW: Here’s the funny thing about the 2019 remake of The Lion King – it might be one of the most successful films ever to leave virtually no cultural footprint. Think about it – the movie grossed an insane $1.6 BILLION. Usually, that would have been enough to propel it into becoming a monster franchise. Still, thanks to COVID and the basic state of the industry, it’s taken over five years for us to get a follow-up, and it seems likely to only gross a fraction of what the original film did. Frankly, as successful as the Jon Favreau film was, people still think of the cartoon when they think of The Lion King.
As such, you have to give Disney some kudos for going a different route with the follow-up, with them entrusting the movie to Barry Jenkins, the director of Moonlight, who’s never tackled anything on this scale before (and may never again judging by some of the interviews he’s given in the run-up to release). While Mufasa sports perhaps even better CGI imagery than the last film, it can’t help but feel like Jenkins, despite his stature, has delivered a relatively slight follow-up that tells a pretty familiar story about two best pals turned enemies.
Mufasa follows the same beats as something like Ben-Hur, The Ten Commandments, or even the recent Transformers One, in that in this prequel, the young Mufasa and the future Scar, Taka (voiced by Kelvin Harrison Jr.) are presented as friends. Mufasa, as a cub, is taken into the pride after being separated from his parents in a flood (listen for Keith David as his father). He’s allowed to live with the pride thanks to Taka and his mother, Eshi (Thandiwe Newton) taking an instant liking to him, despite Taka’s father, the king – Obasi (Lennie James) thinking he’s no good.
If you’ve seen any of the movies mentioned above, you’ll know much of the plot revolves around Mufasa proving his bravery- while Taka comes up short, paving the way for Mufasa’s ascension to the throne (and eventual betrayal by his brother). The most surprising thing about Mufasa is how conventional of a Disney film it feels like, as if Jenkins wasn’t given all that much leeway. The only true mark of Jenkins’ involvement is that he was able to bring his regular composer, Nicholas Britell, and DP James Paxton along. Paxton tries to give the film some continuity with its predecessor, while Britell does an excellent job filling in for Hans Zimmer. However, the songs, partially by Lin Manuel-Miranda, suffer as they don’t have the classic appeal of the tracks done by Elton John and Tim Rice, which carried over from the cartoon to the original film. None of them make a huge impression.
However, while Jenkins’s film is conventional, it’s still relatively entertaining. The CGI is exquisite, and the voice cast is good, with Aaron Pierre (who recently blew me away in Rebel Ridge) making for an excellent young Mufasa. Kelvin Harrison Jr is good voicing the conflicted and not-yet-evil Taka, while Donald Glover and Beyonce return in smaller roles as Simba and Nala, with Beyonce’s daughter, Ivy Knowles Carter, voicing their offspring, Kiara. Seth Rogen and Billy Eichner return as Pumbaa and Timon, with the movie framed as them listening to Mufasa’s origin story, with Kiara, as it’s told by John Kani’s Rafiki. Meanwhile, Mads Mikkelsen voices Kiros, the leader of a pack of white lions who wants revenge on Mufasa, who was forced to kill his son in combat.
Like the original Lion King remake, the film is relatively serious outside of the tacked-on Timon and Pumbaa comic relief, making me think some younger viewers might be a tad bored (although it’s unlikely they’ll be too scared – with it coming off as tamer and less sad than the original films). If you liked the 2019 version of The Lion King, or just like watching cute CGI lions and cubs, you might as well check it out over the holidays. While it’s unlikely to make a huge dent in the face of competition from Sonic the Hedgehog, it’s fine for families and entertaining enough. I might have even slightly preferred it to the 2019 Lion King, as at least it tells a marginally different story and doesn’t rely on nostalgia for a much better film to entertain its audience – even if I can’t help but think Jenkins was capable of delivering a much better film than this were he given the chance.
The post Mufasa: The Lion King Review: Both a prequel and a sequel? appeared first on JoBlo.
We are seeing quite a few female comebacks as of late, with the likes of Pamela Anderson and Cameron Diaz marking shifts in public perception and career moves. One that definitely deserves to be on this list is Angelina Jolie, who, despite popping into the MCU with Marvels a few years ago, has largely been absent from the screen. But with Maria – in which she plays singer Maria Callas – Angelina Jolie is poised for that comeback.
Speaking with Vanity Fair, Anjelia Jolie credited Maria with reinvigorating her love for the screen, especially after years of tabloid attention over her personal business. “I went very dark for reasons I’d rather not explain, but I didn’t have a lot of light and life within me. Your light’s dim. I also just needed to be home more, so I couldn’t commit large periods of time to pieces. The choice of what to work on and when was not a creative choice, often, the last few years, but sometimes the practical choice. Really, I think Maria was the beginning of starting to come alive again. I needed a lot of kind people around me to hold my hand.”
For her turn, Angelina Jolie earned a Golden Globe nomination for Best Performance in a Motion Picture – Drama, marking her first Globe nod for acting since 2010’s The Tourist. (She would, however, earn Best Foreign Film nominations for her heavier directorial fare, In the Land of Blood and Honey and First They Killed My Father, showing where her attention rested.) On the praise for the film after a noticeable absence, she said, “If no one receives your piece, or if you don’t connect, then it’s like shouting in the dark. It means a lot that people have responded to Maria. I’ve always felt, ever since I was very young, that film has been a way to communicate with the world and not feel as alone…We’re all going through this human condition and this life. So it’s very, very healing to be able to be a part of these films and to talk to you about this and to live that way. And I missed it. I realized I did really miss it. I missed being an artist.”
Angelina Jolie is highly likely to earn an Oscar nomination for Best Actress when they are announced on January 17th. It would be her first since 2009’s Changeling, although her humanitarian efforts were recognized by AMPAS a few years later.
What is your favorite Angelina Jolie performance? What do you hope to see from her in the coming years?
The post Angelina Jolie missed making movies and is ready for a comeback appeared first on JoBlo.
Dick Van Dyke is leaving people in awe by appearing in Coldplay’s new video, “All My Love,” in which the 98 year old shows that he’s still got a spring in his step by dancing in the music video. The song is interspersed with interview snippets, with the actor offering the words of wisdom that we have come to love from Dick Van Dyke. In one scene, he states, “I’m acutely aware that I could go any day now, but I don’t know why it doesn’t concern me. I’m not afraid of it. I have that feeling – totally against anything intellectual – that I’m going to be alright.” One of Dyke’s most beloved family films, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, is now set to have a reimagining over at Prime Video. Deadline reports that the new incarnation has now tapped Matthew Warchus to direct. Warchus is known for projects such as Matilda: The Musical. The new reimagining will come from Amazon MGM and EON Productions, and Small Things Like These scribe, Enda Walsh, will be penning the script. This new Chitty Chitty Bang Bang is still in early development, but it will be one of the additional projects that Amazon and EON will work together on outside of James Bond.
Per Deadline, “Originally conceived by Bond author Ian Fleming as a bedtime story for his son Casper, his 1964 novel Chitty Chitty Bang Bang was previously adapted into a 1967 film directed by Ken Hughes off a script by Roald Dahl, Hughes and Richard Maibaum. The story is a whimsical family adventure following inventor Caractacus Potts (Dick Van Dyke), his two children and Truly Scrumptious (Sally Anne Howes) — daughter of candy factory owner Lord Scrumptious (James Robertson Justice)— as they restore an old car, which turns out to have magical abilities, including flight and water navigation. Together, they embark on a fantastical journey to the fictional country of Vulgaria to rescue kidnapped children from the tyrannical Baron and Baroness Bomburst (Gert Fröbe, Anna Quayle).”
When asked if he had any advice for those aspiring to have a career as long as his, Dick Van Dyke said, “You have to stick with it. You’re gonna go through hard times and a lot of auditions…but you have to stay with it. Be patient if you’ve got the confidence in yourself, and it’s very important to believe that you can do it.”
The post Amazon is set to have a reimagining of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang with Matthew Warchus at the helm appeared first on JoBlo.
There are more amazing games coming out every week than ever before. Some of them instantly become breakout hits. Others slowly accrue cult status over months and years. Some are finally released and quickly overlooked, cherished by a small coterie of early players and completely unknown to everyone else who might…
There are more amazing games coming out every week than ever before. Some of them instantly become breakout hits. Others slowly accrue cult status over months and years. Some are finally released and quickly overlooked, cherished by a small coterie of early players and completely unknown to everyone else who might…
With 2024 coming to a close (woo!) and 2025 just around the corner (yay…?), we have a lot to look forward to. We’re talking the next Mission: Impossible, Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein, the new Paul Thomas Anderson, the third Avatar flick, James Gunn’s Superman, and so, so much more. But let’s face it: there is a lot of uncertainty for the business in 2025. Sure, we could harp on the AI takeover, but let’s think more positive. This will be the year we finally hear who the next James Bond is…right? Outgoing James Bond Daniel Craig may not care who the next 007 is, but you better believe that after more than six decades of invested spy work, we do! We’ve heard all sorts of names thrown out as to who should take over James Bond, but one that The Hollywood Reporter is putting their baccarat cards on is Josh O’Connor, who hit his most widespread audience by playing Charles on The Crown, not to mention his performance in Luca Guadagnino’s Challengers.
After winning the Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series – and a Screen Actors Guild as part of the ensemble – for The Crown, Josh O’Connor could very well be in a good position to play James Bond. Of course, O’Connor has plenty of other credits to his name, primarily through British series such as Peaky Blinders, Ripper Street and The Durrells, in which he had a lead role. There, too, is a terrific movie called God’s Own Country, which found him being nominated for the BAFTA Rising Star Award. Next, he will star in Steven Spielberg’s yet-to-be-titled UFO movie.
With a prediction – and what can be perceived as an endorsement – from The Hollywood Reporter, it looks like Josh O’Connor could be in a solid position to actually be considered for James Bond. I’ll be honest, the name had never really dawned on me for 007 prior to this, but considering the path he has paved so far in the business – and that he’s a talented British bloke in his mid-’30s (a trait producer Barbara Broccoli has said is a must) – O’Connor could be on his way. Truthfully, he might have just enough fame where he’s recognized and appreciated but won’t overpower the character.
What do you think of Josh O’Connor as a potential choice for James Bond? Does he have what it takes to usher in the next era of 007?
The post Is Josh O’Connor a new frontrunner for James Bond? appeared first on JoBlo.
With 2024 coming to a close (woo!) and 2025 just around the corner (yay…?), we have a lot to look forward to. We’re talking the next Mission: Impossible, Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein, the new Paul Thomas Anderson, the third Avatar flick, James Gunn’s Superman, and so, so much more. But let’s face it: there is a lot of uncertainty for the business in 2025. Sure, we could harp on the AI takeover, but let’s think more positive. This will be the year we finally hear who the next James Bond is…right?
Outgoing James Bond Daniel Craig may not care who the next 007 is, but you better believe that after more than six decades of invested spy work, we do! We’ve heard all sorts of names thrown out as to who should take over James Bond, but one that The Hollywood Reporter is putting their baccarat cards on is Josh O’Connor, who hit his most widespread audience by playing Charles on The Crown, not to mention his performance in Luca Guadagnino’s Challengers.
After winning the Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series – and a Screen Actors Guild as part of the ensemble – for The Crown, Josh O’Connor could very well be in a good position to play James Bond. Of course, O’Connor has plenty of other credits to his name, primarily through British series such as Peaky Blinders, Ripper Street and The Durrells, in which he had a lead role. There, too, is a terrific movie called God’s Own Country, which found him being nominated for the BAFTA Rising Star Award. Next, he will star in Steven Spielberg’s yet-to-be-titled UFO movie.
With a prediction – and what can be perceived as an endorsement – from The Hollywood Reporter, it looks like Josh O’Connor could be in a solid position to actually be considered for James Bond. I’ll be honest, the name had never really dawned on me for 007 prior to this, but considering the path he has paved so far in the business – and that he’s a talented British bloke in his mid-’30s (a trait producer Barbara Broccoli has said is a must) – O’Connor could be on his way. Truthfully, he might have just enough fame where he’s recognized and appreciated but won’t overpower the character.
What do you think of Josh O’Connor as a potential choice for James Bond? Does he have what it takes to usher in the next era of 007?
The post Is Josh O’Connor a new frontrunner for James Bond? appeared first on JoBlo.
Michael Caine would seem like an unlikely Ebenezer Scrooge, but the man nailed it in The Muppet Christmas Carol, delivering what many consider the best version of the character ever, up there with Alastair Sim and George C. Scott. And to channel the most miserly of misers against the most Muppety of Muppets, Caine did the unexpected: he went Shakespearan and Hannibal Lecter.
Michael Caine can be terribly funny, but to play Scrooge, he knew he had to go a different route to not only match the character but to play against some off of the Muppets. As recounted in The Guardian, Caine said, “I’m going to play this movie like I’m working with the Royal Shakespeare Company. I will never wink, I will never do anything Muppety. I am going to play Scrooge as if it is an utterly dramatic role and there are no puppets around me.”
According to Dave Goelz – who voiced everybody from Gonzo to Zoot – Michael Caine was joyful enough in the role but took another approach that can only be construed as menacing. “I was so taken with the way Michael was performing and the fact that he never blinks in a shot. That’s one part of his technique. You’ll never see Michael Caine blink. Just watching his craft was stunning and of course, for that character, he had to resist our antics – and in between shots, we always play around. He was extremely professional but he wasn’t a stick in the mud at all.”
But blink or no blink, Michael Caine was by every account one of the best actors to ever nail Ebenezer Scrooge – that he had to do it as straight as possible alongside some of the silliest creatures to ever hit the screen is a true testament to his talents. No doubt it will be in Caine’s retirement highlight reel.
If you don’t own a copy of The Muppet Christmas Carol, you can stream it on Disney+ – just make sure you watch the right version, because the extended cut with discarded song “When Love Is Gone” is listed as an extra. Either way, don’t wait until there’s only one more sleep ’til Christmas.
Do you think Michael Caine’s version of Scrooge is the best? Where do you think it ranks in his list of greatest performances?
The post Michael Caine approached The Muppet Christmas Carol like a Shakespeare play appeared first on JoBlo.