Tag: jack black

Do you usually write letters to people who don’t exist? “Dear Santa” (2024)

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directed by Bobby Farrelly
© 2024 Paramount Pictures. All Rights Reserved.

Ho, ho, ho! Is this the time we can finally meet to argue and eat so much we can’t move anymore? Indeed! Of course, some of you celebrate Christmas in peace and joy, like in those cute songs, and some others don’t do anything specific that day and just try to survive till the end of the year, which is also fair. Personally, I don’t celebrate Christmas, but I love winter and this December mood, so I have to recommend you something Xmassy to watch. And since I’m also quite sarcastic, this year I’m writing about “Dear Santa” – a comedy like no other. We get to know little Liam (Robert Timothy Smith), who’s a lovely primary school student. The family has lost Liam’s brother, which also led to tensions between the parents, who seem not to notice how that influences Liam. Anyway, the boy has one more issue to deal with, which is dyslexia. He keeps making mistakes and his classmates make fun of him for that, except Emma (Kai Cech), Liam’s crush. His disorder is actually very important in this story because when he writes a letter to Santa, he accidentally addresses it to Satan (Jack Black). And since the global post works incredibly well, the letter indeed reaches Satan, who decides to pay Liam a visit. The confused boy is sure that this man is Santa, and Satan doesn’t correct him to have a bit of fun. Liam is given three wishes from the red guy, which sounds like a dream come true, but nothing comes without a price… I’ve seen quite average ratings, but I actually enjoyed this comedy. Especially, since I’m tired of all those copy-paste romcoms, so a dyslexic boy meeting Satan sounds like a brilliant idea to me. I agree that some jokes were cringy, but in the end, I liked it more than another “girl from a big city goes to a little town and meets the most handsome man there and it’s Christmas time”. Jack Black is a marvellous comedian, so I never get bored with his performances. Perhaps it’s not a film to watch with your grandparents or that annoying aunt that feels offended by literally everything, but if you’re looking for a ridiculous production with Xmassy vibes, then that’s a great choice. Anyway, no matter what you’re planning to do these days, eat well, sleep well, take care of yourself and don’t get surprised to see Jack Black in your living room one night. Merry and bright!

My rating: 6/10
S.

Wide-angle will do just fine. “King Kong” (2005)

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directed by Peter Jackson
© 2005 Universal Studios. All Rights Reserved.

Those of you who follow Bafta know that this year Andy Serkis has received a special award for his contribution to cinema. I’m extremely happy that they’ve appreciated an actor whom some of you wouldn’t even recognise. But I’m sure everyone reading this text know who Gollum is. Obviously, Gollum was born in a computer, if I may put it this way. However, in order to make his moves look more natural, they needed an actor who would play Gollum, so the animators could have some base to work on. You may check out some videos where you can see how it’s done. Such actor has to wear a special costume and he’s covered with plenty of marks, which later facilitates animating his character. The same method was used in today’s film. The over 7-metre-long King Kong, my dear readers, was just a normal human being at the very beginning. And that human being was Andy Serkis. It’s incredibly interesting when we find out about the process of making such films. On the screen we see a huge animated gorilla, but in fact, every move and frown on its face is the result of the actor’s hard work. So I’m incredibly happy about this special award this year and now I want to recommend you “King Kong” because it’s not only a well-produced adventure film, but also an adorable story. I’m sure most of you know about King Kong, so I don’t need to explain everything too precisely. It’s 1933, New York, where a not very successful filmmaker Carl Denham (Jack Black) decides to make a film about the mysterious Skull Island. He hires Ann (Naomi Watts) and also sort of forces his friend Jack (Adrien Brody), a screenwriter, to come with them. The crew they are going with aren’t much convinced about the idea. When they finally reach the island, they get attacked by the locals. Since it’s too dangerous there, the crew decides to go back home. Unfortunately, Ann gets kidnapped by the wild tribe because they want to sacrifice her to some creature. This creature, as you might be guessing, is King Kong, who takes the woman and runs away with her. The crew have to stay on the island and rescue the actress. But King Kong, a huge gorilla, isn’t the only problem there… Doom, doom, doom… I know that after 15 years the special effects in this film can be quite weird for you, because you’re used to a much better quality. Still, for 2005 it was something incredible. My favourite part is the one with the fight between King Kong and… some other creature (you will see). But then I also adore the scene where King Kong is playing with Ann on ice. Pure powdered sugar. I think it’s a very well made adventure film and I wouldn’t mind rewatching it. Once again, bravo for Andy Serkis for his, indeed, great contribution!

My rating: 7.5/10
S.