A musical adventure and a visual spectacle for the ages, Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey is a wholly fresh and spirited family holiday event. Set in the gloriously vibrant town of Cobbleton, the film follows legendary toymaker Jeronicus Jangle (Academy Award winner Forest Whitaker) whose fanciful inventions burst with whimsy and wonder.

But when his trusted apprentice (Emmy winner Keegan-Michael Key) steals his most prized creation, it’s up to his equally bright and inventive granddaughter (newcomer Madalen Mills) — and a long-forgotten invention — to heal old wounds and reawaken the magic within. From the imagination of writer-director David E. Talbert and featuring original songs by John Legend, Philip Lawrence, Davy Nathan, and “This Day” performed by Usher and Kiana Ledé, Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey reminds us of the strength of family and the power of possibility.   

Netflix just may have an Oscar candidate (yip, you read that correctly) with this one especially in the Best Costume or Animation and very much the Best Original Score categories. It is headlined by Forest Whitaker, Madalen Mills, Keegan-Michael Key, Sharon Rose, Phylicia Rashad among others, Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey is set to grace our screens on 13 November.

Following the rise of Aretha Franklin’s career from a child singing in her father’s church’s choir to her international superstardom, RESPECT is the remarkable true story of the music icon’s journey to find her voice.

No firm date has been earmarked for its release but be sure to keep your calendar open during (at least) mid to later this year. No doubt it just might be a major Oscar candidate, remember we said it first, and yes we’re already calling it. In addition to Hudson, the movie also includes an equally fantastic supporting cast in Forest Whitaker, Marlon Wayans, Mary J. Blige to mention a few. Here’s the best part though, the movie is directed by a lady and her name is Liesl Tommy, born right here in Mzansi, Cape Town specifically and this would be her first official big gig…talk about hitting the ground running in a major way! If you need more reasons to be excited for this one then perhaps it’s just not for you. One thing is for sure, we are definitely excited for it!

In the early 1960s, Bumpy returns from Alcatraz to find the neighbourhood he once ruled in a shambles. With the streets controlled by Vincent ‘Chin’ Gigante (Emmy nominee Vincent D’Onofrio from Daredevil and Jurassic World) and the Italian mob, Bumpy takes on the Genovese crime family to regain control. During the brutal battle, he forms an unlikely alliance with radical preacher Malcolm X (Nigél Thatch, reprising his role from Selma), who wants to get heroin off the streets of Harlem. Godfather of Harlem is the remarkable true story of how the criminal underworld and the civil rights movement collided during one of the most tumultuous times in American history.

In case it couldn’t get better, it turns out it does…the series is from the creators of Narcos (one of our all time faves) with John Ridley (12 Years A Slave, American Crime) directing. Furthermore, Godfather of Harlem’s official soundtrack was curated by Swiss Beatz and described as “the television soundtrack of the year,” according to The Los Angeles Times. Currently fresh at a 96% critics rating on Rotten Tomatoes you would really be missing a trick if you didn’t watch this one. If you are a serious TV and/or movie person then you would know how much of a big deal this is and why it’s already fantastic TV way before even watching. 

You can stream Godfather of Harlem on Showmax here or watch it on 1Magic (channel 103) every Tuesday at 9:30pm. 

The Premiere

East Gate Mall Ster-Kinekor cinema was the place to be last week Thursday. Second time at an IMAX experience with the first time being when it involved this small matter. I was blown away then, second time around was even better. There’s no better way to watch a movie than in IMAX, literally nothing better, even said so in this earlier post.

The curved ginormous 3D screen sucks you in and you can’t help but feel that you are one with the movie…anyone whose experienced it before will know what I’m talking about. If you haven’t, well, please do yourself a favor and do it…all movies should be in IMAX now that I think about it.

The Star Wars trilogy

I’m not going to pretend to be one of those die-hard Star Wars fans who know the ins and outs of the trilogy and how each episode relates to who, where, what and how. From a general point of view though I’m familiar with most of the movies from the franchise and can confidently hold my own in an argument around it. The likes of Luke Skywalker, Darth Vader, Han Solo etc., are characters I’m familiar with – I’ve always enjoyed the movies from the trilogy and watched them for fun – that’s exactly why I was hooked on Rogue One from the onset.

Cast – Felicity Jones, Diego Luna, Ben Mendelsohn, Donnie Yen, Mads Mikkelsen, Alan Tudyk, Jiang Wen & Forest Whitaker

Director – Gareth Edwards

Genre – Science fiction film/Action

Running Time – 133 minutes

And what about the movie itself?

Rogue One is the first in what is known as the Star Wars Anthology series with other films in the series expected to focus on Han Solo and Boba Fett. These (stand-alone films) will not cross over with the films of the sequel trilogy and this is clear in Rogue One. Even though it has the same look and feel of an original Star Wars movie, you get the sense that Rogue One is unique.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=frdj1zb9sMY

The plot in detail

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, or simply Rogue One, is the first Star Wars Anthology film, a standalone story set shortly before the events of the original Star Wars 2016. After the formation of the Galactic Empire, the Rebel Alliance recruits Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones) to work with a team including Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) to steal the design schematics of the Empire’s new superweapon, the Death Star.

Rogue One has an easy flow to it with a fairly uncomplicated story-line carried out by an impressive cast led by a fresh-faced Felicity Jones who does a stellar job as the lead. The movie has a PG13 rating meaning it’s perfect for most members of the family and anyone will enjoy it, this also applies to you who’s not a huge fan of the franchise but are at least open to something new that’s a good watch and don’t mind sci-fi.

Whilst watching the movie you’ll also find yourself chuckling every now and then with clever inclusions of funny moments. It doesn’t end there as the flick also comes packed with impressive amounts action sequences that are guaranteed to keep you interested. In all, the movie has a perfect balance and a little bit of everything.

I had a great time watching Rogue One. It allowed me to escape to a galaxy far far away (for those two or so hours). It is the perfect filler to keep us busy and interested until the next Star Wars offering eventually comes. Rogue One gets a well-deserved 3.5 out of 5 rating from me. Go watch it and if presented with the option, do so in IMAX!