TOP 12 FAVORITE FILMS OF 2016: #9-7

Welcome back to Rhode Island Movie Corner’s big end-of-the-year list, in which I’m counting down my Top 12 Favorite Films from 2016. This is Part 2 of 4 and today I’ll be covering the films that landed in the #9-7 spots. For my #12-10 picks, as well as my 7 Honorable Mentions, be sure to click the following link to be directed over to Part 1 of this series. But, for now, it’s time to get back to the list…

An animated classic saw new life this year with an excellent new adaptation that’s easily one of the most visually beautiful films of the year…

9. THE JUNGLE BOOK

Disney’s new trend of live-action remakes, as I’ve noted numerous times in the past few months, has been a controversial one, to say the least. Those against it question the necessity for Disney to do live-action remakes of their animated classics. However, the most recent efforts in this ‘line’ have done well with both critics AND audiences instead of just with the latter as was initially the case. In 2015, we got the excellent re-imagining of Cinderella. And this year, we got not one but two great live-action remakes in the form of the previously mentioned Pete’s Dragon and this, director Jon Favreau’s take on Rudyard Kipling’s classic novel The Jungle Book. This story was previously adapted by Walt Disney Animation in 1967 and was the last major Disney animated film that Walt Disney himself ever produced. The original Jungle Book is an undeniable classic. Despite what channels like Screen Junkies and Cinemasins may claim (seriously, their videos on it were so negative that I had to fast-track my ‘60’s/70’s Disney Retrospective’ just to give it a positive review. They were that harsh!), it’s a terrific entry in the Disney animated canon thanks to its classic characters and memorable songs. With his version, Jon Favreau both respects the original film while also doing his own unique spin on the story. Part of this stems from the fact that he utilized elements from both the original animated film as well as Kipling’s original story. Some of the classic songs from the original film appear, namely ‘The Bare Necessities’ (obviously) and ‘I Wanna Be Like You’, but only in snippets. In other words, this is not an outright musical. It’s just a well-handled take on the classic story of the man-cub Mowgli and his adventures in the jungle, from his encounter with the infamous King Louie to the fun, care-free times that he had with Baloo and, of course, his run-in with the intimidating Shere Kahn.

One of the most talked-about aspects of the film has been its visual effects. And for those not yet in the know, at least 95% of this film is CG. They shot all of this on a sound-stage with Neel Sethi (Mowgli) being the only major human character in the entire film and most of the backgrounds created digitally. So, technically, it could be argued that this is more of a CG remake. But I’m not going to get into that argument right now. Instead, let’s continue to marvel at this film’s fantastic visuals. The animals look incredibly photo-realistic and it’s also impressive how real the environments look for being almost completely CG. As for the cast of animal characters, Favreau did a nice job in terms of selecting a voice cast to portray these classic characters. Each voice actor is perfectly cast in their respective roles. This includes Ben Kingsley as the dignified panther Bagheera, Idris Elba as the imposing Shere Kahn, Bill Murray as the laid-back Baloo, and Scarlett Johansson as the seductive Kaa. And for being the only major human actor in the entire film, Neel Sethi does an excellent job when it comes to working off these CG characters. Thus, The Jungle Book proved to be another excellent remake of a Disney classic. And, like Cinderella the year before, it’s not meant to ‘replace’ the original in any way. That’s basically the main fear of those who oppose these remakes. They believe that, with these remakes, Disney is implying that animation is inferior by comparison. Trust me when I say that this is not true. These remakes are just meant to be a neat complement to the original film which, quite frankly, is something that I feel the best remakes are supposed to do. Instead of replacing the original, they instead should just be an interesting new take on a classic story. And considering that this film is basically only one-half of Kipling’s original story, I’m excited to see how the upcoming sequel is going to turn out.

Boy, are things going to get weird with my Number 8 pick…

8. SWISS ARMY MAN

Like I said in my original review, Swiss Army Man is one of the weirdest films that I have ever seen in the 7-plus years that I have been doing film reviews. It tells the tale of a man named Hank who ends up stranded on a deserted island. Driven despondent to the point of suicide, he notices a dead body wash up on shore that is farting uncontrollably (just go with it…). Hank manages to get back to the mainland with the help of the corpse, whom he names Manny (who is somehow still able to speak), and the two embark on a journey to get back home. Along the way, Hank learns that Manny is capable of being used like a ‘swiss army knife’, hence the title Swiss Army Man, for various purposes, whether it’s for chopping wood or hunting for food. Yes, that plot may sound weird to some of you, and I wouldn’t blame you for that because I agree, but amidst all the farting, talk of masturbation, and magical wangs that act as a compass (don’t ask…), this film is… strangely beautiful. Obviously, a lot of weird stuff happens in this film but, at the same time, it’s a simple and charming story of friendship, lost love, and regaining one’s humanity. Hank and Manny prove to be a likable duo together and Paul Dano and Daniel Radcliffe, respectively, do excellent jobs in the roles. The soundtrack is fantastic, featuring a lot of great acapella tunes, including a hilarious rendition of the theme from Jurassic Park (“If you don’t know Jurassic Park, you don’t know s***!”) and an epic montage song that’s literally called ‘Montage’. And, ultimately, this was one of the funniest films of the year. I mean, sure, given this film’s wacky premise, that was probably to be expected going in. But, to put it simply, this was just a strange yet highly entertaining little adventure.

Everyone’s favorite absent-minded fish returned in what was either a highly-anticipated sequel… or one that some people were hesitant about given the studio’s track record with sequels…

7. FINDING DORY

The character of Dory, as voiced by Ellen DeGeneres, is widely regarded as one of the best parts of Pixar’s beloved 2003 effort, Finding Nemo. And after many years in which fans were kept eagerly waiting for a follow-up (including Ellen herself as evident from all the times that she mentioned it on her show), Pixar finally gave us a sequel to Finding Nemo in the form of Finding Dory. Andrew Stanton once again returns to direct and, as the title suggests, the film sees the optimistic and lovable Pacific regal blue tang take on the lead role. However, at the same time, this film also had to prove itself to those who were hesitant about it given Pixar’s general track record with sequels. While the Toy Story sequels were undeniable critical and commercial hits, Cars 2 was the studio’s first poorly-received effort. And while the prequel Monsters University did perform better with critics, by comparison, it still wasn’t one of the studio’s best-received efforts… even though I’d argue that film is totally underrated but I’m starting to get off track here. Yes, the internet has been putting a lot of pressure on Pixar these past few years to do more original stories. After all, this is the same internet that now regularly expects ‘15/10 masterpieces’ from the company and views any film that doesn’t reach that status as the equivalent of a criminal offense (seriously, I wish I was joking about that but, per my good friend Kyle Ostrum (kylesanimatedworld.blogspot.com), this connection was, in fact, made once on an online forum). Thankfully, Finding Dory manages to prove a lot of its critics wrong by being just as charming, beautifully animated, and most importantly heartfelt as its predecessor.

First off, the film smartly avoids the common mistake that a sequel can potentially make; rehashing the same plot of the previous film. Instead of just having the plot consist of Dory being captured and taken away by divers to P. Sherman, 42 Wallaby Way, Sydney, it instead sees her traveling to ‘the Jewel of Morro Bay’, AKA Morro Bay, California’s Marine Life Institute, to find her long-lost parents, whom she had been separated from ever since she was little. This is what gives the film its heart and, thus, the scene where she finally reunites with them at the end is a guaranteed tearjerker. At the same time, the film maintains a lot of the same great qualities of Finding Nemo. The main characters are all very likable. This includes both the returning cast (Dory, Marlin, Nemo, etc.) and the new cast of characters, including a grouchy but lovable octopus named Hank (Ed O’Neill), Dory’s childhood friend Destiny (Kaitlin Olson), a near-sighted whale shark, and Bailey (Ty Burrell), a beluga whale who mistakenly believes he is unable to use echolocation after suffering a concussion. The animation is outstanding as usual; seriously, I’d argue these Finding Nemo films feature some of Pixar’s absolute greatest animation. Finally, another great thing about this film is how it embraces those with disabilities. Of course, the film is primarily about Dory who, as we all know, suffers from short-term memory loss. And while that does make her journey to find her parents difficult at times, she manages to overcome it by the end. In other words, instead of shunning those who suffer from any sort of disability, this film assures them that their disabilities don’t define who they are which, if you ask me, makes the whole experience even more special. So, in conclusion, to quote the title of the end credits song performed by Sia, which is a cover of a classic song, Finding Dory truly is ‘unforgettable’.

That’s the end of Part 2. Thanks for following along and be sure to check back in tomorrow for Part 3, in which I’ll be listing Films #6-4.

Swiss Army Man (2016) review

Folks, I won’t lie… this is probably the strangest film that I’ve ever reviewed in the six-plus years that I’ve been writing film reviews and believe me I’ve seen plenty of weird films in that time. For those who haven’t heard of this film, here’s the basic premise. This is a film about a man stuck on an island who gets into all sorts of adventures with the help of a ‘magical’ farting corpse as he tries to get back home. If that premise weirded any of you out, then don’t worry because that wouldn’t have been an uncommon response. When the film premiered at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival this past January, it did result in a few walk-outs by people who were clearly turned off by the film’s odd premise and its large amount of body humor. However, as strange as it may sound, Swiss Army Man is a film that’s actually worth checking out. Written and directed by the duo of Daniel Scheinert and Daniel Kwan, who are collectively known as ‘Daniels’ (with their new film coincidentally also starring a ‘Daniel’, Daniel Radcliffe) and have been mostly known for directing music videos for bands like Tenacious D and Foster the People, this is certainly a strange film to get into. But if you’re able to get past all of the farting, discussions about masturbation, and boners that serve as compasses (don’t ask…), this actually turns out to be an extremely charming film that actually carries a lot of emotion and character depth… and yes, we’re still talking about the ‘farting corpse’ film.

As the film begins, a man named Hank (Paul Dano) finds himself stranded on a desert island. Having become very despondent as a result of him being unable to get any help, he plans on taking his own life. However, before he is able to hang himself, he ends up spotting a dead body that washes up on the beach nearby. To Hank’s surprise, the corpse continually farts and is actually able to move through the water as a result. Hank manages to use that to his advantage and gets back to the mainland by riding the body across the ocean ‘like a jet-ski’. However, even when he does get back to the mainland, he still has quite a long way to go before he reaches civilization. So he begins to travel through the forest while carrying the corpse, whom he names Manny (Daniel Radcliffe), along the way. During their trek, Hank learns that Manny is somehow still able to speak and even has a few ‘magical’ powers, including being able to act somewhat like a compass by means of his erections (again, don’t ask…) and being capable of being used like a multi-purpose tool for hunting and survival purposes. Utilizing these abilities to the fullest, Hank and Manny set out on the long trek home getting into all sorts of interesting scenarios. Along the way, Manny slowly but surely starts to regain traces of his humanity and the most unlikely of friendships develops between the two.

So yeah… this film is very, very weird. Over the course of 97 minutes, we as an audience follow Hank and Manny as they travel through the forest, with Hank utilizing Manny’s various talents to help him get back home. What follows is an adventure full of farts, spontaneous boners, sexual innuendo, and the crazy ways in which Manny is used like a Swiss Army Knife, which explains the title of the film. And yet the great thing about this film is that it is clearly aware of how ridiculous it is. As a result, it just rolls with it and the film ends up being one of the funniest films of the year as it is full of hilarious moments, especially in scenes where Hank tries to explain various aspects of life (e.g. pooping, sex, masturbation, etc.) to Manny. All of this is paired well with some very nice forest cinematography and a killer soundtrack made primarily of acapella tunes, including an epic montage tune, that’s literally called ‘Montage’, that was featured in the trailer and a hilarious rendition of the theme from Jurassic Park. But even with all of the film’s humor based off of its bizarre nature in mind, it actually does manage to be a pretty charming film on its own merits. Amidst all of the farting and other various bodily functions, there are actually a lot of strong themes in this film, namely in regards to friendship, love, and appreciating life as a whole. As a result, the duo of Hank and Manny end up becoming a very endearing duo.  

Obviously Hank and Manny are the only ‘major’ characters in the entire film. There are a few supporting characters that appear at the end, most notably Mary Elizabeth Winstead as a woman on Hank’s phone who Manny ends up falling in love with (the details surrounding the connection between the three I won’t spoil here but they’re interesting to say the least), but Paul Dano and Daniel Radcliffe are basically on their own for most of the film and both are absolutely fantastic. They work off of each other very well, which in turn provides the film with a lot of its humor. Dano plays the ‘straight man’ in the situation… at least, as much as he can due to the fact that he’s working off of a ‘corpse’. And yes, sometimes the film does imply that he may just be hallucinating all of this. Regardless, Dano is excellent and the arc that Hank goes through in the film is quite fascinating, with him basically becoming a ‘redemptive soul’ who gains a new lease on life after the incident that stranded him on that island in the first place. As for Daniel Radcliffe, he of course spends most of the film just lying around as a farting corpse. But as the film goes on, we slowly begin to see Manny regain his humanity and it’s another fascinating arc to witness. Going back to the film’s use of humor for a moment, a good chunk of it comes from the fact that Manny can sometimes be rather unfiltered when he speaks, which of course leads to some very, very awkward conversations between the two.

Swiss Army Man is certainly one of the most original films to come out in recent years. It’s also obviously one of the weirdest in recent memory but it’s aware of that and if you’re able to get past the fact that this film mainly revolves around a magical farting corpse that is used like a machine gun, axe, and other various tools, then I have the feeling that you’ll probably be genuinely surprised by this film. Because amidst all of the arguably very crude humor involving bodily functions, the film is actually very deep in regards to its themes of friendship and life and as a result, has quite a lot of emotional depth. The duo of Hank and Manny (who are portrayed excellent by Paul Dano and Daniel Radcliffe, respectively) is a strange one for sure but the two of them end up becoming very endearing protagonists as we follow them on their weird adventure. This film serves as the directorial debut for the duo of ‘Daniels’ Scheinert and Kwan and as a result, the two music-video directors make quite an excellent first impression, completely unfazed by how people might respond to a film about a magical farting corpse. With that said, it’s obvious that this film won’t appeal to everyone; it did, after all, instigate a few walk-outs at its world premiere at Sundance. But as stated earlier, if you’re able to get past all of the farts, boners, and talk of masturbation, then you’ll find a well-written, well-directed, and well-acted film that’s strangely beautiful in its own unique way.   

Rating: 5/5!