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JINGLE JANGLE: A CHRISTMAS JOURNEY (2020) FILM REVIEW

11/29/2020

****

PG, 120 Mins

A toe-tappin’, swingin’ and shakin’ treat.

The annual Christmas holiday movie has come early and it’s a treat. ‘Jingle Jangle’ (2020) has all the toe-tappin’, swingin’ and shakin’ song n’ dance numbers we’ve grown to love from Disney until recent years. It has colour blind casting, a heart-melting Forest Whittaker performance and a pantomime boo-hiss baddie to scare kiddies s**tless. Released onto Netflix, I almost wish I could have seen this on a big, juicy cinema screen over Xmas weekend.

Forest Whitaker is eccentric toymaker Jeronicus Jangle. He’s a hurting man decades after his apprentice Gustafson (Keegan Michael-Key) betrayed him, stole his book of inventions and sentient matador doll Diego (Ricky Martin).

Jeronicus has grown estranged from his daughter Jessica (Anika Noni Rose) in the 30 years since his equipment was stolen. She now has a child of her own in the ridiculously sweet Journey (Madelen Mills). Journey shares Jeronicus’s passion for inventing. How perfect then that Jessica should send her daughter to stay with her grandad until Christmas.

Meeting Journey changes Jeronicus’s life. He now has inspiration and creativity and also help in proving Gustafson stole his work…

What I love most about classic Disney productions is the songs. ‘The Circle of Life’ in ‘The Lion King’ (1994) wouldn’t be complete without Elton John on the vocals. Meanwhile I don’t know how many times I’ve blubbed listening to ‘Beauty and the Beast’ (1991).

‘Jingle Jangle’ has all the singalong tunes to keep families on their feet. And it’s particularly uplifting that this movie about inspiration and creativity should celebrate the power of music and its ability to unite people in the darkest circumstances. Something we all need right now.

I especially loved the opening dance number ‘This Day’ with Usher belting out syncopated rhythms and blues. This song plays out against the highly decorative backdrop of Jeronicus’s toy factory. A location that just explodes with glitz and glitter - much like ‘Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium (2007).

As Jeronicus, Forest Whitaker gives one of the most heartfelt performances of his career. This is not serious, solemn Forest that we’re used to seeing in movies like ‘The Last King of Scotland’ (2006). Nor does he have a silly accent like in ‘The Crying Game’ (1992). His character here just oozes positivity and paternal love.

Frankly, Whitaker would steal the show if it wasn’t for Keegan-Michael Key who is a fantastic baddie. Clad in a green 18th century suit with golden shoulder pads, the actor chomps up the snowy scenery with finger-licking relish. You’ll find yourself booing when he does something bad and screaming “HE’S BEHIND YOU!” when he sneaks up at the back.

The biggest beauty of this film is its approach to colour blind casting. A vast majority of the cast is non-white. The music features numbers from a selection of prominent black artists such as Usher and Bisa Kdei. And the toyshop singalong to ‘This Day’ is a duet between Justin Cornwell and Sharon Rose.

There’s never any reference to skin colour and so there shouldn’t be. Like in Armando Iannucci’s ‘The Personal History of David Copperfield’ (2020), characters are cast because of their fitness for the role. Not simply for the sake of a political statement.

With cinemas currently closed, watching ‘Jingle Jangle’ on Netflix was the first true reminder I’ve had of what it’s like watching a blockbuster at the pictures. Sure, the recent ‘The Witches’ (2020) had lots of special effects and Anne Hathaway as a witch, but was about as big of a dud as you can get.

In the case of ‘Jingle Jangle’, I couldn’t quite shake the feeling of “why am I not watching this in the cinema?”. It would’ve been the perfect family evening out.

Whether on a big or small screen, though, there’s no question that this is top quality Christmas entertainment. A movie that just brims with optimism and positivity. It will become a Christmas classic in the years to come.

‘Jingle Jangle’ is on Netflix now.

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TRAIN TO BUSAN (2016) FILM REVIEW

11/29/2020

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****

15, 118 Mins

Terribly timely pandemic viewing.

‘A Train to Busan Presents: Peninsula’ (2020) was in cinemas shortly before lockdown and just last week arrived on home viewing services. It’s a mixed bag of a movie with some blood-splashing zombie action, but too many storyline diversions for its own good.

But its relevance to 2020 couldn’t be more timely as in this movie the world or more specifically South Korea is recovering from the after-effects of a pandemic. Whereas in real-world the Covid-19 death toll crossed 1 million, the virus in ‘Peninsula’ and its predecessor ‘Train to Busan’ (2016) turns people into zombies who feast on flesh.

With ‘Peninsula’ available to rent now, I thought what better time to revisit ‘Train to Busan’ which played in the Midnight Screenings section of the 2016 Cannes Film Festival and became the first Korean film of that year to break the audience record of over 10 million cinema-goers.

The set-up of ‘Train to Busan’ is a lot like any other disaster movie. A group of hapless civilians are trapped in an enclosed location while a mega catastrophe affects the outside. In this case, it’s a viral epidemic caused by a leak in a biotech plant.

Boarding the titular train from Seoul to Busan is Fund Manager Seok-Woo (Gong Yoo) who is trying to reconnect with his estranged young daughter Su-an (Kim Su-an) and is taking her to her mother in Busan. There’s a working-class man on the train (Ma Dong-seok) and his pregnant wife (Jung Yu-mi). Alongside them is a snivelling COO (Kim Eui-sung), a high-school basketball team, two elderly sisters and a homeless guy.

As with all disaster movies, you’ll find yourself unconsciously dividing the characters into ranks as to who dies or gets bitten first. The horrible COO surely has to die as he’s a wrong un’ and movies tend to hate rich people. Meanwhile the pregnant woman is definitely a potential victim as cinema seems to love torturing pretty, screaming girls.

What’s refreshing is that none of the characters you expect end up biting the bullet. The COO continues to be as insufferable as you can possibly get throughout the vast majority of the nearly 2 hour runtime. The pregnant woman also doesn’t get a silent childbirth scene unlike poor Emily Blunt in ‘A Quiet Place’ (2018).

The zombie effects are really quite remarkable especially considering this movie was only made for $8.5 million. My favourite example of undead animatronics in the film comes in the opening shot where a road-killed Deer morphes back to life with red eyes and mutilated limbs. I was reminded here of that truly repulsive scene in ‘The Evil Dead’ (1981) where the dead zombies decompose.

Later on, there’s a wonderfully physical and bloody fight scene within the train carriage. The train is heading to the South Korean city of Busan which is the only place in the country to fend off the growing epidemic - a kind of quarantine zone. In this sequence, the working-class man gets to flex his bulging biceps and fisticuff the zombies with his bare hands.

As all hell rages loose outdoors, ‘Train to Busan’ makes time for some cute kiddie sentimentality about fathers and daughters and all their estrangements. It’s very common for these kinds of movies to include a subplot involving a bad dad and a cute kid trying to break even amidst an impossibly horrific crisis. ‘War of the Worlds’ (2005) did this with Tom Cruise trying to be a good daddy to Dakota Fanning while Martians in tripods took over the Earth.

The scenes between Seok-Woo and Su-an in this movie are what gives ‘Train to Busan’ its beating emotional heart. I was moved to tears, for example, during the former’s sacrifice to protect his little girl. And Kim Su-an who plays Su-an is a child actor to rival Brooklyn Prince in ‘The Florida Project’ (2017) and Dai Bradley in ‘Kes’ (1969).

Although released in 2016, ‘Train to Busan’ couldn’t feel more chillingly contemporary than it does in the Covid era. Perhaps we should be looking at the band of survivors in this movie to see how we can best cope with this pandemic.

Whether you want to read the film as a parable about pandemics or simply a rollicking, shoot em’ up zombie flick, ‘Train to Busan’ delivers on both counts.

‘Train to Busan’ is available to rent now.

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TOP 5 PET MOVIES

11/29/2020

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In honour or commemoration of ‘A Christmas Gift From Bob’, I list my five movie picks for pet lovers…

‘A Christmas Gift From Bob’ (2020) - the sequel to 2016’s ‘A Street Cat Named Bob’ - is currently on home viewing services. It’s a really nice movie - exactly the kind of cosy, feelgood flick we need in the current Covid crisis where Christmas could be cancelled (heaven forbid it!) and the cinemas stay closed. The movie really emphasises the power of the human-animal bond that can really change people’s lives. But is it one of the great pet movies of recent history?

You see, stories about animals have been a part of popular culture for centuries. Think about literary classics like Anna Sewell’s ‘Black Beauty’ (1877) and Jack London’s ‘The Call of the Wild’ (1903). These books followed a horse or a dog from owner to owner and portrayed the pets as brave, loyal companions and a man’s best friend.

I have a cat myself so am well aware of the unconditional love an animal can offer, often when humans cannot. I’m also aware of the amount of films about man n’ cat, man n’ horse, man n’ dog. I’m not talking about schmaltz porn like ‘Marley and Me’ (2009) which is quite worryingly a favourite amongst canine fans.

I’m not talking about the dozens of film adaptations of ‘Black Beauty’ or ‘Call of the Wild’. Most of which I haven’t seen. I did really like the most recent ‘Call of the Wild’ from earlier this year, though, with Terry Notary in mo-cap standing in for a real-life Buck the Dog.

I haven’t seen ‘Hachi: A Dog’s Tale’ (2009) which is a remake of the 1987 Japanese film ‘Hachiko Monogatari’ and is about the Akita dog Hachiko who lived in Japan in the 1920s. Don’t get me started on the ‘Cats and Dogs’ (2001-) movies - the third of which was stinking up a cinema near you shortly before lockdown.

These are just a few of the most popular pet titles to have played at the cinema over the past century. My favourites are not necessarily what most people might pick.

I am very sadly told, though, that Bob - James Bowen’s cat and the star of ‘A Street Cat Named Bob’ (2016) and its sequel ‘A Christmas Gift From Bob’ (2020) - died due to complications with a head-on collision back in June this year. I know all too well the hole the loss of a pet friend can leave in people’s lives.

Bob’s story (a fuzzy ginger tom turning up in the hallway of a recovering drug addict’s supported housing programme) is truly heartwarming and my thoughts are truly with James Bowen. His friendship with this wonderful cat definitely made me spill some saltwater from my cornea when watching ‘A Christmas Gift From Bob’.

I really liked that movie. Maybe I like it so much that I decided to compose this list. I just thought, in honour or commemoration of Bob, I might as well give you my top 5 pet movies of all time. How’s that sound?

5. Black Beauty (1994)

I’m sure the 1994 film adaptation of ‘Black Beauty’ isn’t the best big screen rendition of the classic (a sixth of which is currently on Disney Plus with Kate Winslet as Beauty the Horse). Alan Cumming’s silly narration certainly hasn’t helped this movie’s reputation and a tight 88 minute runtime can’t possibly compete with the serialized ‘Adventures of Black Beauty’ (1972-1974) on TV.

I just have fond memories of watching this ‘Beauty’ as a child. It has a spectacularly beautiful real-life horse in Docs Keepin Time who is also very sadly no longer with us. The English countryside is just stunning and this features star-making performances from David Thewlis and Sean Bean.

4. Lady and the Tramp (1955)

The first in my two Disney movie picks for this list, ‘Lady and the Tramp’ is a B-tier Disney classic. It doesn’t have the bite of ‘The Lion King’ (1994), the shiver me timbers quality of ‘Pinocchio’ (1940) or the romantic spark of ‘Cinderella’ (1950). A live-action, straight-to-Disney Plus remake certainly hasn’t helped things. It is a really lovely story though - a kind of canine ‘Princess and the Pauper’ about a wealthy, upper-class Cocker Spaniel falling for a stray mutt. As always, the animation is terrifically simplistic.

3. Paddington (2014)/Paddington 2 (2017)

Are the ‘Paddington’ movies pet movies? Probably not, but I’m a teddy bear lover so I’ve decided to include two films for the price of one. The two films are total treats and surely where a lot of the inspiration for ‘A Christmas Gift From Bob’ came from. Ben Whishaw is so puppyish and lovely as the voice of old Paddy. There’s loads of wonderful London landmarks and hair-raising villains in Nicole Kidman and Hugh Grant who are currently starring together in ‘The Undoing’ (2020).

2. The Artist (2011)

Also not technically a pet movie. Michel Hazanavicius’s 2011 silent film may be forgotten, but its existence in the age of 3D and IMAX is still a marvel. Jean Dujardin and Berenice Bejo heat things up in silence. But the real star is Uggie the Dog who died back in 2015 and won the Palme Dog Award at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival. A terrific pet performance.

1. 101 Dalmatians (1961)

There was never any hesitation about what my no.1 pet movie pick would be. I’m a dog fan and therefore the prospect of 101 spotted friends for 79 minutes is a good one. I love ‘101 Dalmatians’ most, though, because it has one of the greatest villains of all time in Cruella de Vil. Glenn Close made a good shot of her in the 1996 remake and I look forward to 2021’s prequel ‘Cruella’ which has Emma Stone donning the dog skin coat. Word has it that the new movie is an origins story set in the 70s with Cruella as a punk rock icon. Can’t wait!

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A CHRISTMAS GIFT FROM BOB (2020) FILM REVIEW

11/26/2020

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***

12A, 93 Mins

Pawfect for pet lovers.

Cat lovers are in for a treat this Christmas as ‘A Christmas Gift from Bob’ (2020) pads its way onto streaming services; available to rent from multiple platforms. It’s a sequel to the 2016 feline sensation ‘A Street Cat Named Bob’ and is autobiographically based on the life of British author James Bowen whose life, heroin addiction and homelessness was turned around after meeting the titular furry in the hallway of his supported housing programme.

Like its predecessor, this film comes pre-packaged with kitty sentimentality, a winning central performance and loads of lovely London locations.

Luke Treadaway will warm the cockles of your heart as Bowen who has now published his first book based on his adventures with Bob (the title of which provided the basis for this film’s predecessor). James is now off the streets and has concluded his methadone treatment; sauntering his days away in a cooped-up little flat. He still busks, however, weekly at an abundance of landmarks with cute Bob sitting on his shoulders.

The biggest test to James and Bob’s unbreakable friendship comes when the animal welfare authorities start an investigation over concerns about Bob’s well-being. This being a staunchly pro-pet movie, the welfare officers are depicted as uniformed crooks and there’s a really funny performance from Tim Plester as the more Ailurophobic one of the two (the other is played by Arethea Ayeh and Plester is complete with a villainous big nose and Guy Fawkes goatee).

As a Londoner myself, I loved the amount of London sights and spots that defined the backdrop to James and Bob’s busking antics. I counted Covent Garden, Angel Tube Station and the Southbank. It’s a fun game seeing how many cultural, capital, tourist bits you can eye in the space of a 1 and a half hour runtime. Even if there’s nothing here to quite match the spectacle of ‘Paddington 2’s train chase scene across the Home Counties countryside.

Luke Treadaway is such a lovely lead. His eyes are appropriately big and feline and they just melt into you the very way my Ragdoll-British shorthair moggie Misty does when she looks up at me. I didn’t quite believe him as a homeless man/ex-addict. Treadaway’s brunette mane and sparkling pupils look a little too pretty for the street. Also what on Earth was going on with his accent? He sounded weirdly like an Australian trying to sound Cockney with a touch of Duuik Veein Dooike about his Seeeuth Iffrikkan eeacent.

But James Bowen isn’t the star of this movie. That honour lies with Mr. Bob himself - named after Killer B.O.B from ‘Twin Peaks’ (1990-2017) and who I am very sadly told died from complications to do with a head-on collision back in June this year (*insert tears aplenty).

We don’t often see movies that emphasise cat n’ human bonds. There’s plenty of dog movies (think ‘The Call of the Wild’ (2020)) and horse flicks (look at ‘Black Beauty’ (1994)). Cats are generally considered more conservative, solitary animals and it’s unfortunate that their last big feline screen outing was the pawful Tom Hooper version of ‘Cats’ (2020) (what a cat-astrophe!).

Luckily there aren’t any motion capture kitties in sight in ‘A Christmas Gift From Bob’. Nope. Just the genuine article - a cute, fuzzy ginger tom who purrs like no other!

But this is a universal story of human and animal friendship that I’m sure the owner of any pet will relate to. Sometimes, when life is getting you down, a dog going “ARF-ARF” or a cat going “MEOW” can make you feel just a little bit better.

‘A Christmas Gift from Bob’ isn’t a substantial kind of pet movie. Despite the involvement of the Animal Welfare Act 2006, there’s little commentary here about animal rights, abuse or cruelty. Nothing to compete with the realism of Ceyda Torun’s 2016 documentary ‘Kedi’ which followed 7 stray cats scrabbling to survive on the streets of Istanbul.

‘A Christmas Gift from Bob’ is positively lightweight by comparison. It’s feelgood comfort viewing designed for sitting snuggled up by the fire with your pussycat on your lap. In a year with a Covid death toll of 57,031, this movie offers the kind of cosy escapism that might just make us feel a little bit better. What a Christmas present!

‘A Christmas Gift from Bob’ is on multiple platforms now.

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JINGLE JANGLE: A CHRISTMAS JOURNEY (2020) FILM REVIEW

****

PG, 120 Mins

TRAIN TO BUSAN (2016) FILM REVIEW

****

15, 118 Mins

TOP 5 PET MOVIES

5. Black Beauty (1994)

4. Lady and the Tramp (1955)

3. Paddington (2014)/Paddington 2 (2017)

2. The Artist (2011)

1. 101 Dalmatians (1961)

A CHRISTMAS GIFT FROM BOB (2020) FILM REVIEW

***

12A, 93 Mins

Meet Roshan Chandy

Roshan's Top 10 Best Films of 2020

Follow Me on Twitter

Rating System

*** 2 Thumbs Up
Thumb Up
* Waving Thumbs
** Thumb Down
* 2 Thumbs Down

Archives

FILM OF THE WEEK

Soul
(PG, 97 Mins)

DVD OF THE WEEK

Looted (DVD)
(15, 89 Mins)

TV MOVIE OF THE WEEK

Slumdog Millionaire (2009)
(15, 120 Mins)
Weds 20th Jan., 11.20pm, Film4

JINGLE JANGLE: A CHRISTMAS JOURNEY (2020) FILM REVIEW

****

PG, 120 Mins

TRAIN TO BUSAN (2016) FILM REVIEW

****

15, 118 Mins

TOP 5 PET MOVIES

​5. Black Beauty (1994)

4. Lady and the Tramp (1955)

​3. Paddington (2014)/Paddington 2 (2017)

2. The Artist (2011)

1. 101 Dalmatians (1961)

A CHRISTMAS GIFT FROM BOB (2020) FILM REVIEW

***

12A, 93 Mins

Meet Roshan Chandy

Roshan's Top 10 Best Films of 2020

Follow Me on Twitter​

Rating System

***** 2 Thumbs Up**** Thumb Up*** Waving Thumbs** Thumb Down* 2 Thumbs Down​

Archives

FILM OF THE WEEK​

Soul​(PG, 97 Mins)

DVD OF THE WEEK​

Looted (DVD)(15, 89 Mins)

TV MOVIE OF THE WEEK​

Slumdog Millionaire (2009)(15, 120 Mins) Weds 20th Jan., 11.20pm, Film4

5. Black Beauty (1994)

3. Paddington (2014)/Paddington 2 (2017)

Follow Me on Twitter

*** 2 Thumbs Up
Thumb Up
* Waving Thumbs
** Thumb Down
* 2 Thumbs Down

FILM OF THE WEEK

Soul
(PG, 97 Mins)

DVD OF THE WEEK

Looted (DVD)
(15, 89 Mins)

TV MOVIE OF THE WEEK

Slumdog Millionaire (2009)
(15, 120 Mins)
Weds 20th Jan., 11.20pm, Film4