The Jungle Book (2016

*** out of ****

I think most everyone knows the story of “The Jungle Book”. A man from a local village was out in the jungle with his toddler son Mowgli, when he was attacked and killed by a vicious tiger known as Shere Khan. In the fight though he burned the tiger's face with fire, causing it to run off. The boy was found by a panther called Bagera, who brought him to a pack of wolves to be raised.

Now the boy is an adolescent, and Shere Khan has learned he lives in the jungle. The tiger will do anything to kill the boy in vengeance for his being burned, and Mowgli must escape to the “man village”. Along the way he encounters all manner of danger, including an hypnotic python and a pack of greedy orangutans, but also makes a good friend in a bear named Baloo. But when Mowgli finds that Shere Khan is destroying his wolf pack to force Mowgli to return, he decides to fight the tiger instead of run away, leading to a climactic battle.

The story has been done before in the movies, and has even been done well. Never as well as this version though, in my opinion. It's hard to believe but there are actually no real animals in the film, as all the wildlife is completely computer generated. There are a couple of scenes where the animation is a bit off (enough so you can tell it's CGI) but for the most part is flawless. There are a couple of nods to the 1967 animated version in the forms of a couple of songs, but they are fit into the story in such a way that they aren't true “musical numbers”. Having watched the older version multiple times as a kid, these little tributes were the biggest smile-inducers in the movie.

But this is by no means a light-hearted adventure. In fact, at times it's downright terrifying, as can even be seen in the trailers. Kids who scare easily will have extended periods where they are scared witless by this thing, as it maintains a real sense of danger and foreboding through most of the film. And when the danger comes front and center, there were plenty of kids in the theater hiding their faces.

The visuals are excellent and the story riveting – this really is a terrific achievement in filmmaking.  It's enough of a kid movie that I wouldn't expect many adults to venture to the theater to see it without the kids, but it has enough plot and action to keep the grown ups interested.  Well worth seeing.

10 Cloverfield Lane (2016)

*** ½ out of ****

I remember going to see “Cloverfield” (2008) when it came out and honestly, it made zero impression on me. I vaguely recall some kind of house party, a Godzilla-like creature and something about an alien twist, but that's about it. So when “10 Cloverfield Lane” was released I was in no hurry to see it, assuming more fo the same. But when I saw it was getting a score in the 90s at Rotten Tomatoes I figured I ought to at least give it a chance. And I'm very glad I did.

Before getting into the story I have to mention how much I admire John Goodman as an actor. Given his massive girth and moon face you would think he would be pigeonholed into a very specific type of role, but instead he is one of Hollywood's most versatile performers. He can play the big, cuddly teddy bear type, the hilarious manic characters, the straight villain and the stone-cold lunatic, all with equal aplomb. In this film he gives a tremendous performance as the latter – and it's one that will chill you to the bone.

Michelle (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) just broke up with her boyfriend and she has hightailed it out of town looking to start anew. But as she drives a lonesome highway in the middle of the night her car is smashed off the road, flips over and over, and leaves her unconscious. When she wakes up she finds herself in a type of cinderblock cell, cuffed to the wall with an IV in her arm. After first believing she has been abducted by a predator, she is told by her “captor” Howard (John Goodman) that he saved her from the wreckage just as Armageddon came down. There has been some kind of attack, possibly nuclear and possibly chemical, that has made the world at large a poisonous deathtrap. They are in an underground fallout shelter he has built, and if they try to leave they will all surely die.

And they're not alone. Emmett (John Gallagher Jr.) is also there with them, and he corroborates Howard's story. He helped build the bunker, and when he saw the bombs raining down he made haste to get there and had to fight his way in. So now the three of them have to wait out the poison in the atmosphere, possibly for one year, possibly for two. Without spoiling any of the details, at first Michelle is doubtful of the story she hears, but through a series of events comes to believe that, though she isn't sure of exactly what happened to the world, there is no doubt that something surely has.

Now don't think that makes her comforatble about being there. Howard, while maintaining an outward facade of level-headedness, clearly has something wrong with him. He's just a bit too quick to anger and a bit too nutty when his anger hits. Michelle eventually determines that she needs to find a way to safely have a look outside, and she needs to keep it completely on the downlow, fearing reprisals from Howard.

"10 Cloverfield Lane" is exceptionally tense. Throughout you have no real idea of what has happened to the world, and even wonder if anything truly has. But the fear of the outside unknown, paired with the crushing pressure of living under Howard's rule, leaves the anxiety level at the breaking point for almost the entire film. This is a much more challenging role for Winstead than anything I have ever seen her in before, and she delivers. Her “Michelle” has just the right mix of fear, vulnerability and courage to make you really care about her fate and root for her to escape Howard's rule. And Goodman is absolutely chilling – cold, ruthless, calculating, and crazily paranoid. I actually wouldn't be surprised to see Goodman get a Supporting Oscar nomination next winter for this performance.

The tension remains throughout the film, though for the last 10 or 15 minutes it changes into something completely different. I imagine that there will be many moviegoers that won't like the twist of the last reel to tie it into the original “Cloverfield” but I thought it was fantastic. It's risky and unique, and I loved every second. You don't have to have seen the original to enjoy this movie, as it is singular enough to stand alone without its precursor, and while I can barely remember "Cloverfield", this film will instead stay with me for a long time.

If you enjoy a terrific psychological thriller, I highly recommend "10 Cloverfield Lane". Crazily suspenseful but still with a sense of fun and wit, it is simply a great ride from the first frame to the last.