Fatherhood (2021), Kevin Hart, Melody Hurd, DeWanda Wise, Netflix
Kevin Hart, Alfre Woodard, DeWanda Wise and Lil Rel Howrey are the stars of director Paul Weitz’s new drama, Fatherhood.
Based on a true story, Fatherhood follows a father who has to raise his baby girl as a single dad, following the untimely death of his wife.
Ten words: ‘I did not see that coming, and I love it!’
I’m moved and so excited to watch Hart do well in this role; the kind of part that seems so perfect for him. Then there’s Melody Hurd, who also seems great in the role of Hart’s character’s young daughter.
Paul Alexander Désiré, Rodney Alexandre, Christine Lan, Ryan S. Hill, John Iziomon, Ines Feghouli, Christopher Hayes, Julian Casey, Teneisha Collins, Holly Gauthier-Frankel, Rachel Mutombo also star.
New weekly talkshow The Netflix Afterparty is hosted by David Spade, Fortune Feimster and London Hughes. The focus is on conversations, skits and more with stars of the newest and biggest Netflix titles.
Some key guests include comedian Bill Burr, Kevin Hart and other stars such as Lily Collins, Anya Taylor Joy and many more.
I haven’t watched all the shows some of the guests appear in; so I mostly just want to find out how well this concept works and hopefully feel as though I’m in fun company while watching.
It’s already clear that most of the guests are in shows that premiered weeks, if not months ago. Therefore, something tells me this concept may work better if the featured guests appeared during the week of or soon after a show’s premier. I could be wrong, of course. Will have to watch to find out. Fingers crossed it’s good/fun.
Jumanji – The Next Level (2019), Dwayne Johnson, Sony Pictures Entertainment
Jumanji – The Next Level, a comedy / adventure where four teenagers are sucked into Jumanji‘s world, the very place where they have to escape an endless variety of jungle traps and survive, is a movie almost as good as Jumanji – Welcome To The Jungle (2017).
There is a fair amount of newness in this second instalment to keep things interesting. Firstly, the characters are on a completely new level with new dangers, traps and puzzles. Then there’s the addition of Danny DeVito and Danny Glover’s characters. Yet, even with all this newness and more, the main reason director Jake Kasdan’s latest didn’t come out in front for me is in large part because sequels just can’t be as ‘fresh and new’ as their predecessors.
I did also find the ending of the first movie / solving of the final puzzle that little bit more satisfying and action packed. That’s not to say that Kasdan’s film doesn’t feature some very well choreographed action sequences of its own – because the scene with the mandrills and bridges is quite impressive.
In terms of the characters, DeVito as grandpa is the main highlight for me. Followed by the parts played by Kevin Hart and Dwayne Johnson – unsurprisingly. I just really love their great chemistry, comic timing and fun dialogue. I also remember particularly appreciating Hart’s delivery of the below line, in Glover’s speaking voice and cadence.
‘Did I die – and turn into some kind of muscular Boy Scout?’
One more highlight is of course, the ‘special skill’ of the beautiful black horse.
Watch Jumanji – The Next Level because you’re curious and it’s good. Also, especially if you had fun watching 2017’s Jumanji movie.
Dwayne Johnson, Karen Gillan, Kevin Hart and Jack Black return for Jumanji – The Next Level, a sequel to 2017’s rather popular Jumanji – Welcome To The Jungle.
Directed by Jake Kasdan, this time when the friends are back in Jumanji, the team realise that things are quite different within the world’s most dangerous game…
This looks as though it’ll be fun. I like the twist and look forward to more of Hart speaking like Danny Glover.
Madison Iseman, Awkwafina, Danny DeVito, Colin Hanks, Alex Wolff, Nick Jonas, Danny Glover, Ser’Darius Blain and Rhys Darby also star.
TRight away, I want to confirm that The Intouchables (2011), the French film on which The Upsideis based is absolutely better than this remake starring Kevin Hart, Bryan Cranston and Nicole Kidman.
Centred around the friendship that emerges between a wealthy paraplegic and an unemployed man with a criminal record who’s hired to help him, The Upside isn’t an exact copy of The Intouchables. There are some scenes that are very much the same. There are also a few more characters that were added; mainly the one played very well by Aja Naomi King.
I found that the best parts in director Neil Burger’s movie are the moments that weren’t too close to exact copies of scenes from the original. The original scenes always came out on top in my mind.
As for the performances, King was great in her role. Cranston, his super comic timing and Kidman are also undoubtedly very talented actors. Yet, even with all this seasoned talent, there’s no saving this movie from itself. It’s missing that special spark, all-round chemistry and flow that the original has. I enjoyed some of the comic moments between Cranston and Hart’s characters (especially during the birthday pary) but since The Upside is Hart’s first dramatic role, there’s definitely room for him to grow – and I look forward to seeing that progression in future performances.
On summary, watch The Upside if you really want to see for yourself how different it is from The Intouchables. Otherwise, it’s probably better to watch other great works by the talented cast.
The Upside is a remake of French film The Intouchables (2011), the story of the relationship between a wealthy paraplegic and an unemployed man with a criminal record who’s hired to help him.
Bryan Cranston, Kevin Hart and Nicole Kidman star while Neil Burger directs…
There’s no denying it, The Intouchables is a great movie and could have done without a remake. At the same time though, I think I may actually have fun seeing how different this remake is to the original. I could also be wrong about that last statement but I don’t mind finding out. Furthermore, I want to see what comedian Kevin Hart can do in a more dramatic role.
Julianna Margulies, Golshifteh Farahani, Tate Donovan and Aja Naomi King also star.
Jumanji (2017), Dwayne Johnson, Karen Gillan, Jack Black, Kevin Hart
Starring Kevin Hart, Dwayne Johnson, Jack Black and Karen Gillan, I found Jumanji – Welcome To The jungle to be OK. It’s just the kind of silly fun that kids will likely love most. It’s well modernised and there were some amusing moments, especially courtesy of Jack Black’s portrayal of a teenage girl and Kevin Hart’s one-liners.
The reason that Jumanji is OK and not great is because by the end, I felt as though something was missing from the movie. Perhaps it’s substance, heart, character development or a mixture and then some, but for me, the amusing and clever moments aside, something is definitely missing at the very core. It doesn’t help that I wasn’t wholly convinced of Nick Jonas’s acting skills.
As I watched the film, the jungle setting did have me reminiscing about how much fun I had while watching Kong Skull Island (2017). Overall, I say watch Jumanji –Welcome To The Jungle if you’re curious enough. It may just be the kind of silly fun you need.
