Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.
Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/680793
MAY 18-24, 2016 UCW 21 WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM The 1967 animated Jungle Book is not one of my favorite Disney cartoons. The only part I really remember is a few lines from the song "Bare Necessities." And maybe there's a baby elephant? Much like the original, this version of The Jungle Book (105 minutes) features a little boy and a bunch of cutesy animals singing catchy songs. There's not much more to it than that. The film opens in the jungle. Mowgli (Neel Sethi) is running through the trees with other cubs in his wolf pack. I try really hard not to think of The Hangover every time the wolf pack is on screen. Bagheera, a black panther (Ben Kingsley) is trying to train Mowgli in the laws of the jungle, but Mowgli wants to use "tricks" to compensate for his lack of natural wolf ability. As time passes, drought comes and all the animals gather by the few remaining pools of water, bound by mutual need to disregard the usual predator/prey relationship. This sets the stage for Shere Khan (Idris Elba), a horribly scarred Bengal tiger, to discover that Mowgli has been living among the wolves. Apparently, the tiger's razor sharp senses and hunter's instincts were not good enough to detect the presence of a 10-year-old boy making no effort to hide himself until they were literally face to face. Anyway, blahblah death threats blahblah themes of family and violence, blahblah, Shere Khan is a great big jerk. Mowgli decides that discretion is the better part of valor, and leaves the pack. Bagheera volunteers to guide him to the nearest truck stop so he can hitch a ride, and off they go. Of course Shere Khan notices, setting up the third act of the film. Mowgli and Bagheera are separated, and the first thing Mowgli does is get caught by an enormous python Kaa (Scarlett Johansson), thus demonstrating once and for all that the only thing that had kept him alive to that point was having a ginormous black panther for a best friend. And, speaking of what was keeping this kid alive — what was he eating? It is established at several points that he does not use fire, and he was living with a wolf pack (not famous for their vegetarian lifestyle). Was he eating the same diet of regurgitated raw meat that most wolf cubs live on during their early childhood? Think about it. After he is not, huge shocker, devoured by the python halfway through the movie about his life, he meets Baloo the Bear (Bill Murray). Hi-jinks ensue, and when Bagheera finally gets around to rejoining the story, Mowgli has forgotten all about the murderous tiger waiting to disembowel him and wants to stay in the jungle. The final big set piece before the end of the film features King Louie (Christopher Walken) and the catchiest version of "I Wanna Be Like You" I've ever heard. Overall, it is a fairly straightforward family film. I think my four-year- old son would enjoy it, but some of the scenes might scare him a little more than I'd like. The animation that brought the animals to life was absolutely fantastic, if you pay attention to that sort of thing. Now playing at Patriot 14 + IMAX. Cute Enough The Jungle Book (Rated PG) by HEATHER GRIFFITHS HEATHER GRIFFITHS, Contributing Writer. COMMENTS? Editor@ upandcomingweekly.com. 910.484.6200. May 26-June 5, 2016 Tickets on Sale Now for these events! saturday, june 4 5-9pm @ festival park For Tickets: 910-323-4233 or @ cFRT.org The Boy Hardcore Henry God's Not Dead 2 Miracles from Heaven Deadpool Kung Fu Panda 3 My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 Ride Along 2 10 Clovereld lane London Has Fallen The Divergent Series: Allegiant All New Leather Rocker Seating!!! MOVIE MONDAYS $1.50 per Movie! $1.50 Popcorn! $1.50 Drink! (.50 Refills)