by Chip Chandler — Digital Content Producer
Coming this weekend to a theater near you: A new version of a wild favorite, an action-packed team-up for Ryan Reynolds and Kevin Costner, a return trip to the barbershop, films from India and France, and a screening of a classic that I’ve been high on for years.
“The Jungle Book”: Mowgli’s a young orphan who’s raised by wolves, mentored by a panther, befriended by a bear and chased by a tiger. Sound familiar? You’ve either read Rudyard Kipling’s 1894 collection of stories or, more likely, seen the 1967 Disney cartoon. While not one of the studio’s best, it did spawn the classic song “The Bare Necessities.” Now, as Disney has been wont to do of late, the movie gets a live-action makeover that sounds more faithful to Kipling’s tales. Mowgli’s played by the charming Neel Sethi, and the CGI animals feature the voices of Ben Kingsley (Bagheera), Idris Elba (Shere Khan), Scarlett Johansson (Kaa) and Bill Murray (Baloo). Early reviews are good: “‘The Jungle Book’ is a tender and rollicking fable that manages to touch on some grown-up themes about man’s destructive power and the loss of youthful innocence without losing sight that it’s first and foremost a gee-whiz kids adventure – though definitely one that’s a bit too scary and intense for younger kids,” writes Chris Nashawaty for Entertainment Weekly. (PG for some sequences of scary action and peril; United Artists Amarillo Star 14, 8275 W. Amarillo Blvd., Cinemark Hollywood 16, 9100 Canyon Drive, and Tascosa Drive-In, 1999 Dumas Highway)
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“Barbershop: The Next Cut”: This third “Barbershop” film, starring Ice Cube and Regina Hill, tries to mix the franchise’s sitcom humor with a look at gang violence in Chicago’s South Side – and, according to The Wrap’s Alonso Duralde, it works. “This new comedy simultaneously addresses concerns of a black audience while allowing white viewers to feel privy to conversations they might not otherwise get to hear,” Duralde writes. Co-stars include Common, Nicki Minaj, Eve, Cedric the Entertainer and Lamorne Morris. (PG-13 for sexual material and language; Amarillo Star and Hollywood 16)
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“Criminal”: Ryan Reynolds just can’t stay away from body-swapping movies, it seems. In 2011, he and Jason Bateman switched bodies in the lame comedy “The Change-Up,” and last year, Reynolds’ body became the new host for the consciousness of a dying mogul (Ben Kingsley) in “Self/less.” Now, Reynolds’ memories and skills as a CIA agent are inserted in a new body – a dangerous criminal played by Kevin Costner – in an effort to thwart an international terrorist. Early reviews are not great: Tom Huddleston, writing for Time Out London, says it’s “a bonkers mash-up of ‘The Bourne Identity’ and ‘The Man with Two Brains.’ … The fact that it’s all played completely straight only makes it funnier.” (R for strong violence and language throughout; Amarillo Star 14 and Hollywood 16)
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“Fan”: The Hollywood 16 – unexpectedly, I know – brings in several Bollywood films a year. This one features Indian superstar Shah Rukh Khan in a dual role – a movie star named Aryan Khanna and a lookalike fan who’s obsessed with him. When the fan, Gaurav, tries to wish his “god” a happy birthday, things don’t go as planned. Though not terribly well known to Western audiences, Khan has a huge following around the globe, so it sounds like this could be a pretty personal film. (NR; Hollywood 16)
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“My Golden Days”: A middle-aged anthropologist (Mathieu Amalric) looks back over his life – including a lost love, family time and a school trip to the USSR – in this French drama by Arnaud Desplechin. It’s a prequel to his 1996 film “My Sex Life … or How I Got into an Argument,” but you don’t have to see the former to enjoy this award-winning film. Look for my review. (R for some strong sexual content, graphic nudity, and language; Premiere Cinemas Westgate Mall 6, 7701 W. Interstate 40)
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“Dazed and Confused”: Director Richard Linklater’s 1993 coming-of-age comedy just gets stronger with time, a little like the herb its 1976 high schoolers can’t get enough of. The film – which has a spiritual sequel, “Everybody Wants Some!!,” in limited release now – kicks of Cinemark’s spring classics series with screenings at 2 p.m. Sunday and 2 and 7 p.m. Wednesday. The series continues with “On the Waterfront” on April 24 and 27, “A Star Is Born” (1954) on May 1 and 4, “Enter the Dragon” on May 8 and 11, “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” on May 15 and 18, and “Top Gun” 30th anniversary screening on May 22 and 25. Regular movie prices apply, but you can get tickets to all six for $30. (R for pervasive, continuous teen drug and alcohol use and very strong language; Hollywood 16)
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“Roberto Devereux”: Gaetano Donizetti’s opera is loosely based on the life of an influential member of Queen Elizabeth I’s court, one of a trio Donizetti wrote about the Tudor period. Tenor Matthew Polenzani and soprano Sondra Radvanovsky star in a production to be live-streamed via The Met: Live in HD series at 11:55 a.m. Saturday and encored at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday. Interesting note: The Met’s production was funded in part by the Sybil B. Harrington Endowment Fund. Harrington, an Amarillo philanthropist, was a longtime supporter of the Met. (NR; Amarillo Star 14 and Hollywood 16)
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“This Is Winter Jam”: Some of Christian music’s biggest stars – including For King & Country, NewSong, Skilet, Jeremy Camp and Francesca Battistelli – perform in this event, featuring performances, behind-the-scenes footage and interviews. It screens at 7 p.m. Tuesday. (NR; Hollywood 16)
* Chip Chandler is a digital content producer for Panhandle PBS. He can be contacted at Chip.Chandler@actx.edu, at @chipchandler1 on Twitter and at www.facebook.com/chipchandlerwriter on Facebook.
