Mr & Mrs Film Reviews
Mr and Mrs KNIGHT met each other for the first time working together at Greater Union Cinemas in Adelaide in 2008. Both in their twenties and passionate about all things cinema, and as it turns out, each other.
They built their friendship together watching movies such as Watchman, Bolt and the Curious Case of Benjamin Button and in 2009 they started their relationship whilst getting a caricature of themselves at the Royal Adelaide Show.
Mr KNIGHT worked at the Cinema for six years before moving on. Mrs KNIGHT stayed three, advanced her resume at both university and the workplace prior to moving with Mr KNIGHT to Canberra in 2012.
It was in Canberra that Mrs KNIGHT returned to the movie industry taking a publicity role at Dendy Cinemas and Icon Films. Mr and Mrs KNIGHT married in February 2015 and continued to share their love for movies.
Please look through our movie reviews and enjoy the perspective of both a young husband and wife as we watch a variety of movies and tell it how it is.
Treat Yourself.
Biography/Comedy/Drama
Rated – PG
Duration –1 hours 46 mins
Release – April 2016
Director –Dexter Fletcher
Cast –Taron Egerton, Hugh Jackman, Christopher Walken
Mr Knight
It didn’t take much to get me keen for this one. The preview showed an underdog sportsman and featured Hugh Jackman as a lead character. Say no more. But after watching Eddie the Eagle, the movie gave so much more than that and Mrs Knight and I both found ourselves a little misty toward the end with stupid grins on our face. Both of those things are a stand out sign of a great movie.
Eddie the Eagle is the true story of Eddie Edwards, an English boy who grew up with a dream to be an Olympian but had everyone in his life (except his mum), were telling him he wasn’t good enough and to give up and move on. But Eddie didn’t move on. He became inspired by winter sport and with some skill on the slope and a little research, believed he could make up a one man team and represent England in the 1988 Winter Olympics in the ski jumping.
So Eddie, played brilliantly by Taron Egerton who recently came onto the scene in Kingsman and Legend, travels to Germany to master the slopes in the 15m, 40m, and eventually 70m jump. However Eddie can’t do it alone and during his practices he meets an alcoholic working on the slopes, Bronson Peary (Hugh Jackman). Eddie soon discovers Peary is a disgraced ski jumping legend and convinces him to help get him to the Calgary 1988 Winter Olympics.
So the two pair up and what follows is a lot of highs, lows, laughs and fun. This story was great! Egerton made the film, with this little funny smile that Eddie does, his thick framed glasses, his love of drinking a bottle of milk, and his never give up attitude which made you laugh and want him to win. Egerton showed his range as an actor where his character was a complete flip from the suave spy he played in Kingsman.
Jackman also kept the standards high as the troubled drunk Peary, and despite the movies focus on Eddie, Jackman still managed to make the audience want him to come around and beat his demons. Another first class cameo was the great Christopher Walken, an Olympic ski jumping coach who you mostly see on a book cover for a majority of the film. He too managed to get the emotions going.
The movie had a real genuine upbeat 1980’s sports film feel to it, with its music, sets and costumes. I felt like I was watching Emilio Esteves in The Mighty Ducks. Each time Eddie took on a new slope, or competition I was just getting behind him and I found his attitude infectious. I walked out of the cinema with a buzz.
The entire theme of this flick is based on the original attitude of the Olympics and that it’s all about getting out there and competing for the love of it, not just the success. My advice is to get down to the cinema, get inspired and enjoy this 80s themed, real life sport epic.
Mrs Knight
What an absolute cracker of a film! It is so refreshing to watch and enjoy an original film that isn’t based on superheros or a remake of an old classic. It’s based on a true story but not a familiar story and I loved every single minute of it. I actually knew nothing about it going in, except it stars Hugh Jackman (tick!) and is based on a true story (tick!).
Eddie the Eagle tells the story of Edward (Eddie) Edwards, a young British boy with the big dream of competing in the Olympics and doing everything possible to make his dream come true. While he didn’t necessarily have a sport in mind, he dabbled in a few from a young age, including swimming, hurdles, weight lifting and more. Each resulting in broken equipment, property and/or bones. His clumsy nature makes him the most unlikely of athletes, but his positive attitude and try again nature makes him the most likeable athlete.
Eventually he discovers the dangerous and unique sport of ski jumping. This discovery makes you nervous from the get go given his clumsy nature. However, his blind ambition sees no end and his dream comes to life when he moves to Germany to train and meets ski jumping legend, Bronson Peary (Hugh Jackman).
The film has everything a good sports film is meant to have. Ambition, hard work, triumph and a good old fashion training montage that will leave you smiling and tapping your feet to the upbeat 80’s tunes. It is so much more than just sport. It’s also about family and friendship with a lot of comedy and heart along the way. No matter what obstacles came his way, he fought through it with a smile on his dial and you will too.
Eddie is played by Taron Egerton, who you may have seen in the movie Kingsman. Although you might not recognise him as he completely transforms in this film and slips into the role perfectly as the slightly dorky and quirky yet kind hearted and completely lovable Eddie. I have only seen him in two films yet he has quickly become a new favourite of mine and I suspect we will be seeing a hell of a lot more of him very soon.
This was the best feel good movie I have seen since The Way Way Back. I’m fairly certain I had a silly grin on my face the entire time. But I’m 100% sure I wasn’t alone. It left me bright eyed, full of ambition and hope. I can confidently say that everyone walked out of that cinema on an absolute high. I can guarantee you will be leaning forward, pretending to fly through the air for at least 24 hours after watching it. I know we were! I would watch this one again in a heartbeat, even the trailer gets me smiling.
Adventure/Drama
Rated – PG
Duration –1 hours 45 mins
Release – April 2016
Director –Jon Favreau
Cast –Neel Sethi, Bill Murray, Idris Elba, Ben Kingsley, Christopher Walken, Scarlett Johansson
Mr Knight
The Jungle Book. What a classic from our childhood to treat ourselves to. Seeing the previews for this one and the cast, I was completely intrigued, and when Mrs Knight told me she had preview screening tickets in North Adelaide on a Sunday morning at 10.30am, I was on board. Here we are sitting in an old fashioned theatre, with families all around, kids running and screaming and I think we were the only two without a child with us! Despite all of that, I don’t think this was a kids movie at all.
As many would know, The Jungle Book is the tale of Mowgli (Neel Sethi), a man-cub brought up in the jungle amongst the animals and in the care of a wolf pack and a very well-spoken and uptight panther, Bagheera (Sir Ben Kingsley). Mowgli wants nothing more than to enjoy his life with his pack, but he is forced to flee and return to his people when Shere Khan (Idris Elba) a ferocious, in both appearance and determination, tiger comes to hunt and kill Mowgli.
Visually the movie was incredible. Hats off to director Jon Favreau for such a brilliant job and pushing for the best. The animals looked, moved and even sounded (when roaring) like the real thing. It had such a genuine feel to it and made me almost believe it was possible that these animals could talk.
The second great aspect of this film was its cast. Putting together names like Bill Murray, Idris Elba, Christopher Walker, Sir Ben Kingsley and Scarlett Jo just to name a few, was first class icing on the movie cake. I understand this cast simply did the voices but I found it fun just trying to guess who each of the characters were. Favreau has clearly used his friendships and connections with this one working with a majority of the cast before in previous films as either an actor or director.
One thing I noticed once again with the Disney franchise is their love of using an English voiced villain. Disney has used the British accent for evil characters many times before including Jafar from Aladdin, Scar from The Lion King, the Queen of Hearts from Alice in Wonderland, Maleficient from Sleeping Beauty, just to name a few. Personally I think they are onto something because Idris Elba was brilliant and that nasty, angry, royal tone worked with an evil perfection.
Personally the weakest part of the film was Mowgli, but when you’re a twelve year old playing the leading role in what’s meant to be a children’s film, I can give him plenty of leeway. I thought it was an excellent movie to sit back and enjoy a true visual master piece unfold without over thinking it too much. On a sidenote, Bill Murray as Baloo lifted the story and Christopher Walken’s distinct voice as King Louie brought a huge smile to my dial.
Mrs Knight
I was never a Jungle Book fan as a child, so while I was looking forward to this adaptation I wasn’t overly excited or getting my hopes up. It was however, very enjoyable and I recommend you give it a go. It’s not just for kids.
The film is based on a young boy, Mowgli (Neel Sethi) who grows up in the jungle with a pack of wolves and his companion, a panther named Bagheera (Sir Ben Kingsley). The “man-cub” runs into trouble when he catches the eye of the villain, Shere Khan, a tiger voiced by Idris Elba. Panthers, wolves and tigers weren’t the only animals in this fairy tale. There were also monkeys, with the King Monkey voiced by Christopher Walken, a bear voiced by Bill Murray and a snake voiced by Scar-Jo. Along with a few other creatures scurrying and thumping throughout.
Overall the movie was very entertaining. The animations of the animals were really cool. I suggest you see this one on the big screen so you can enjoy the animals at their full potential. If you’re an animal lover like us, I’m sure you will enjoy it. My only real negative was a couple of weak moments by Mowgli’s character, but I think it’s always difficult having a kid as the leading actor and this didn’t affect my opinion overall. A part from this it was an all-star cast and the characters of the animals carried the story along. My personal favourite was Bill Murray as Baloo the bear who provided a lot of the comedy.
Even though the toilet visits and crying was distracting, it was actually quite fun seeing it at a family screening. This was due to the children and parent reactions when big moments happened. There was a collection of “oohs”“ahhs” and “wows” a long with laughter in all the right places. However, I couldn’t help but wonder if it was a bit scary for some children, I suppose it depends what age they are and individual maturity levels.
Overall I really enjoyed this one, I smiled throughout and for days afterwards. It’s a fun, feel good family film. Just be careful with the real littlies. Not a must see, but if you enjoy family films, are a fan of the original or an animal lover, I highly recommend it. The success of this live-action adaption may reassure people that something similar will work with great titles such as The Lion King, Beauty & the Beast and Dumbo, amongst others. Looks like we will be re-living our childhood with all the classics!
