Officially in cinemas last week, Ster-Kinekor were kind enough to indulge and enable us to see what many have described as a visual masterpiece with an ‘okay’ storyline. So much said about it already but what do we think?

Cast – Donald Glover, Seth Rogen, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Alfre Woodard, Billy Eichner, John Kani, John Oliver, Beyoncé Knowles-Carter & James Earl Jones

Director – Jon Favreau

Genre – Drama/Adventure

Running Time – 1h 58m

From Disney Live Action, director Jon Favreau’s all-new “The Lion King” journeys to the African savanna where a future king is born. Simba idolizes his father, King Mufasa, and takes to heart his own royal destiny. But not everyone in the kingdom celebrates the new cub’s arrival. Scar, Mufasa’s brother-and former heir to the throne-has plans of his own. The battle for Pride Rock is ravaged with betrayal, tragedy and drama, ultimately resulting in Simba’s exile. With help from a curious pair of newfound friends, Simba will have to figure out how to grow up and take back what is rightfully his.

For those that aren’t too clued up on the inner workings of the movieverse, the director of this one, Jon Favreau, is responsible for some of the best flicks to have come out, most notably the first ever Ironman movie which of course set the tone for what would be quite the enthralling Avengers trilogy from Marvel. So yes, it’s safe to say this movie was in very good company and very capable hands. Add to that the original nostalgic classic feel of the original movie as well as the blockbuster cast it includes then you would find it really hard to argue that it had something really special even before it was released.

We can confirm that visually it is great…being treated and seeing it in 3D DBox also takes it to another level, something that reminded us of why we are such avid movie fans. The storyline isn’t that different from the original as you might expect however, you do get the sense that this version was further elaborated on with a few inclusions and slight change ups that the original didn’t have. It is quite a beautiful and cute movie that will find favor with many, it’s hard not to like it. You will also feel the nostalgia kick in as you watch and in the end this was a valiant effort.

The Lion King is a movie that will lend itself to many in a great way. It doesn’t delve away from the original which is something we quite liked (why would you change a winning formula after all?). Perfect for the whole family and will have you experiencing moments of highs, lows and laughter. That said, it didn’t blow us away but that’s not to say it didn’t charm us either which it did. Definitely worth your time, more so on the big screen and in 3D if you get the chance. Take the whole family on an outing to see it, no doubt you will all enjoy it. The classic story told in a modern setting gets a 7 out of 10 rating from us. 

Our appreciation goes out to the Ster-Kinekor team for hosting us, classy.

“I’m really humbled having the opportunity to present something this timely and timeless. Between Rihanna and the people of Cuba, this is one of my favorite projects I’ve ever worked on,” said Glover.

“Guava Island is the end result of four incredible weeks spent in Cuba with some of the most inspiring creative talents I’ve ever met,” said director Hiro Murai. “Designers, performers, musicians, and filmmakers came together from all over the world to create this crazy fever dream of a production.”

“We are so proud to be able to amplify Donald & Hiro’s vision and share this compelling story with our Prime subscribers across the globe,” said Jennifer Salke, Head of Amazon Studios. “Carmen Cuba, Wolf & Rothstein and New Regency have been incredible partners throughout this exciting journey and we can’t wait to invite all our prime customers to Guava Island on Saturday!”

“Donald Glover is precisely the kind of talented multihyphenate artist that New Regency backs. Guava Island hits all the marks for us – socially relevant, artistically powerful and a film that will move audiences. We are grateful to Jen and Amazon for seeing the potential,” said Yariv Milchan, Chairman of New Regency.

Guava Island is an expansion of Glover’s idea of freedom. In creative and business terms.  It was directed by Hiro Murai, written by Stephen Glover and based on a story by Royalty. Here’s a special feature on it from the guys at Entertainment Tonight:

The film was produced by Fam Udeorji, Carmen Cuba, Donald Glover & New Regency, who also financed the project, with executive producers Stephen Glover, Hiro Murai, and Ibra Ake.  Amazon Studios acquired the exclusive distribution rights to the film for Amazon Prime Video in a competitive bidding situation while it was still in post-production.

Guava Island will premiere at the Coachella Music Festival on Thursday, the day before Childish Gambino headlines the festival, in a specially constructed theater built for the event and will continue to screen on the Coachella grounds until the end of the festival.

]]> 12138 https://twfld.com/movie-preview-the-lion-king/ Fri, 23 Nov 2018 08:10:30 +0000 http://twfld.com/?p=11328 Nostalgia is a powerful thing with memories that especially remind us some of the best moments of our childhoods being even more sweeter. These are usually triggered by certain things/elements, one of these for us comes in the shape of the iconic and legendary anime movie, The Lion King. The movie is making a comeback and this time packed with a fantastic cast as well as great CGI effects behind it. The teaser trailer has officially been released and the classic remake looks quite spectacular, check it out for yourself below:

The Premise

Set to hit our screens next year July 19, the movie includes the likes of Beyonce, Donald Glover, Chiwetel Ejiofor and Seth Rogan. It’s overseen and directed by Jon Favreau, who was behind the successful live-action remake of The Jungle Book. Donald Glover will play Simba with Beyonce playing his mother Nala and Chiwetel Ejiofor playing his uncle Scar. A remake of this classic especially in CGI was a matter of when not if and we’re especially excited that it’s finally upon us.

When you look at it from the onset you immediately understand why this role is perfect for Holland – his childish looks, squeaky voice, excitable demeanor and overall frame/appearance scream out Spiderman. This was made more apparent when we were officially introduced to him (the new Spiderman) in the epic Captain America: Civil War movie. Judging by the feedback and overall views from people who have already seen the movie, Spiderman: Homecoming sounds like a proper and overall good superhero movie. Adding my name to that list now, do I agree?

Cast – Tom Holland, Michael Keaton, Jon Favreau Zendaya, Donald Glover, Tyne Daly, Marisa Tomei & Robert Downey Jr.

Director – Jon Watts

Genre – Fantasy/Science fiction

Running Time – 2h13m

Before we get into it, let’s take a general look at the overall plot:

The Plot

Thrilled by his experience with the Avengers, young Peter Parker returns home to live with his Aunt May. Under the watchful eye of mentor Tony Stark, Parker starts to embrace his newfound identity as Spider-Man. He also tries to return to his normal daily routine — distracted by thoughts of proving himself to be more than just a friendly neighborhood superhero. Peter must soon put his powers to the test when the evil Vulture emerges to threaten everything that he holds dear.

Now that’s out of the way, I can now answer the question posed.  Do I agree that this Spiderman is an overall good movie? Well, I’ve put both my hands up and I second what everyone is saying. I declare that I really liked the movie, a lot. It’s what a classic Spiderman movie should be and more. Not to say that I didn’t enjoy the previous ones, but this one is different. Spiderman: Homecoming is an overall feel good movie packed with lots for everyone to enjoy, from cool action sequences, to silly and funny moments sprinkled across perfectly. There’s a certain charm and innocence to it that will no doubt endear it to many.

The cast is also perfectly assembled with Tom Holland playing a key role in making the movie what it is, another case for the perfect person cast in a role. Veterans, Michael Keaton and Robert Downey Jnr, also do what they do best and that is to deliver. The Marvel Universe is fantastic and filled with many possibilities, Spiderman: Homecoming adds to that perfectly and offers something different and lighthearted to its whole set up.

Marvel have pulled off another peach of a movie here, one can only wonder how they do it. The consistency is mind-blowing and unrivaled. Spiderman: Homecoming is a great movie, one that I can safely declare as being the best superhero movie this year so far. Perfect for the whole family and die hard superhero movie junkies, Spiderman: Homecoming gets a well-deserved 4.3 out of 5 rating from me.

Special thanks to MNet Movies (in conjunction with Ster-Kinekor) for a great evening and an even better screening!