The Jungle Book (2016), 2.5 Stars

I liked this movie. It's a good story and the Computer-Generated Imagery (CGI) makes it very strong and believable.

Neel Sethi (new) is very good as, essentially, the only live human in the film. The rest of the CGI characters have strong voices, some of whom are recognizable (this is especially true of Bill Murray (Ghostbusters 1984), as a lovable bear).

A little long but well-paced, it would be a good rental and I recommend it. (Note: This is not for young children.)

Doctor Strange, 3 Stars

This is an entertaining movie from a comic book series (unknown to me, but that's not unusual...). It has good story, some great special effects, and a very strong cast.

Led by the great Benedict Cumberbatch (The Imitation Game) and the enigmatic and talented Tilda Swinton (The Chronicles of Narnia series), it also has Rachel McAdams (About Time) who plays her usual role. as well as Mads Mikkelsen (Casino Royale) whom I'm starting to admire more each time I see him.

The film is long but the story mostly moves along. If you like the latest rounds of comic adaptations, I think you'll like this. And Cumberbatch as usual makes it all worthwhile.

Queen of Katwe, 2.5 Stars

This is a nice little movie, with strong acting. The story is about a young woman learning chess in her African village and is fairly predictable.

The performances are very good: David Oyelowa (Selma); Lupita Nyong'o (SW: The Force Awakens) and Madina Nalwanga (new to me) all do well and there is a good supporting cast.

The story drags a bit in places and is long at 124 minutes. Still, it would make a good rental and I recommend it.