***Disney flick about “Kong Jr.” with Charlize Theron and Bill Paxton*** A young woman (Charlize Theron) who has raised a giant gorilla named Joe from infancy brings him to an animal sanctuary in Southern California with the aid of a zoologist (Bill Paxton). Meanwhile, a poacher from the past seeks vengeance on the creature (Rade Serbedzija), which breaks free to cause havoc. “Mighty Joe Young” (1998) was loosely based on the 1949 movie of the same name. I can watch it and enjoy it for what it is, a more kid-friendly version of King Kong with essentially Kong Jr. But, despite a good cast, great F/X and lots of action & adventure, the movie's somehow shallow with cardboard thin characters. When little Johnny gets stuck on the Ferris wheel, compelling Joe to rescue him, I just rolled my eyes. Yet the movie's still well done for what it is: a movie for kids (and the kid IN adults) about a lovable but menacing-when-necessary giant gorilla. The movie runs 1 hour, 54 minutes and was shot in Kaua'i, Hawaii (the Africa scenes) and Los Angeles, Hollywood & Long Beach, California. GRADE: C+/B-
It's basically 'King Kong', let's be honest. In fairness, though, 'Mighty Joe Young' does do its own thing and it's a film I did feel entertained by. Bill Paxton (Gregg) and Charlize Theron (Jill) are two of the big reasons, they are both enjoyable in this. The effects/animatronics for the gorilla are also impressive, even when Joe is shown via people in costume (incl. Verne Troyer!) he looks decent. They did a fine job in that regard. The premise isn't anything revolutionary, but there is certainly a fair amount of heart in there. I would've liked it more without the typical happy ending, admittedly. The music and cinematography is solid. The villains, meanwhile, are probably this production's weakest area, I never really became interested in them or their story. Good film, all in all.
Hugo Winter, a roguish American drug smuggler, travels to Uganda in an attempt to export a large amount of Bulu, a sacred herb that grants the user visions of their future. Upon arriving in Kampala, he soon discovers that his only means of achieving this is through two sisters with competing agendas, born-again Kisakye and rebellious Angela, who come from the remote village of Makaana where the Bulu is grown. As they lead Hugo deeper into the jungle and further into their web of deceit, it is unclear if his drug-addled prophecies are helping his quest or clouding his future.
Antoine is the Head of HR of a big company. Managing people is his thing, so when his overwhelmed wife suddenly decides to go on holiday and leave him with the responsibility of the house and their four kids, he knows it will be a piece of cake for him. But Antoine has drastically underestimated the mess that four mischievous kids can cause...
A loyal henchman is ordered by his boss to keep an eye on his mistress, and trouble begins when he refuses to kill her.
Chappy discovers a drug-smuggling scheme at his own air base. It turns out that the lives of some village people in Peru are at stake, and he decides to fly there with ancient airplanes and friends to free them.
Two men answer the call of the ocean in this romantic fantasy-adventure. Jacques and Enzo are a pair of friends who have been close since childhood, and who share a passion for the dangerous sport of free diving. Professional diver Jacques opted to follow in the footsteps of his father, who died at sea when Jacques was a boy; to the bewilderment of scientists, Jacques harbors a remarkable ability to adjust his heart rate and breathing pattern in the water, so that his vital signs more closely resemble that of dolphins than men. As Enzo persuades a reluctant Jacques to compete against him in a free diving contest - determining who can dive deeper and longer without scuba gear - Jacques meets Johana, a beautiful insurance investigator from America, and he finds that he must choose between his love for her and his love of the sea.
Adventurous filmmaker Carl Denham sets out to produce a motion picture unlike anything the world has seen before. Alongside his leading lady Ann Darrow and his first mate Jack Driscoll, they arrive on an island and discover a legendary creature said to be neither beast nor man. Denham captures the monster to be displayed on Broadway as King Kong, the eighth wonder of the world.
In 1933 New York, an overly ambitious movie producer coerces his cast and hired ship crew to travel to mysterious Skull Island, where they encounter Kong, a giant ape who is immediately smitten with the leading lady.
With the impending ice age almost upon them, a mismatched trio of prehistoric critters – Manny the woolly mammoth, Diego the saber-toothed tiger and Sid the giant sloth – find an orphaned infant and decide to return it to its human parents. Along the way, the unlikely allies become friends but, when enemies attack, their quest takes on far nobler aims.
New York police detective John Shaft arrests Walter Wade Jr. for a racially motivated slaying. But the only eyewitness disappears, and Wade jumps bail for Switzerland. Two years later Wade returns to face trial, confident his money and influence will get him acquitted - especially since he's paid a drug kingpin to kill the witness.
When disillusioned Swedish knight Antonius Block returns home from the Crusades to find his country in the grips of the Black Death, he challenges Death to a chess match for his life. Tormented by the belief that God does not exist, Block sets off on a journey, meeting up with traveling players Jof and his wife, Mia, and becoming determined to evade Death long enough to commit one redemptive act while he still lives.