Jurassic World

My View: Jurassic World (2015)  PG-13   It’s been twenty-two years since the fatal accidents at Jurassic Park. Now, the Island features a fully functioning dinosaur-themed park called, Jurassic World. The newness has worn off, and a fresh attraction is needed to re-spark interest. A new dinosaur has been created, one that is larger and deadlier than anything in the park. This isn’t going to go well. While not as magical or moving as Jurassic Park (1993), this still is a fun and exciting film. My biggest complaint about the movie is the character that Bryce Dallas Howard plays, a corporate shill who is so clueless, there is no way she could run a Taco Bell, much less a billion-dollar amusement park. Chris Pratt is brilliant as the outspoken animal behaviorist who is training Raptors to behave. The film is packed with action sequences, and I loved the ending scene. By the way, the film was not shot in 3-D, so save a few bucks and see it in 2-D.  My Rating: Full Price    Jurassic World Website

Indiefest:  Dark Star: H.R. Giger’s World (2014)    Surrealist painter H.R. Giger was the man behind the Oscar-winning visual creatures in the 1979 sci-fi hit “Alien.” But he is much more than that including his intricate, startling paintings and sculptures depicting a mixture of birth, life, death and sex. This is a fascinating documentary that mostly takes place during the last couple of years of the late artist’s life. As you would expect, he was a very strange guy who lived in a house filled with his artwork (some of which incorporated human skulls). There are a few quick scenes from the making of Alien (I would have liked more of those), but the film is really about Giger’s life and his relationships (he apparently had quite a few affairs with women). If you are at all interested in his artwork (which influenced many artists), this is the film for you.    My View: Full Price    Dark Star: H.R. Giger's World Website

In Memory of Ed Wood (A Movie I’ve Only Seen in Trailers But Just Looks Like a Bad Idea):   Pixels (2015)  PG-13   Aliens come to Earth and attack in the form of video game icons. The director of the film, Chris Columbus, hasn’t had a hit since the Harry Potter films, and this one stars two absolute “hams” - Adam Sandler and Kevin James.   Pixels Facebook Page

In Case You Missed It (A Film Just Released on DVD/Blue Ray):  The Duff (2014) PG-13   Bianca (Mae Whitman) discovers that she has been labeled the DUFF (Designated Ugly Fat Friend) by her more popular friends. Now she enlists Wesley (Robbie Arnell) to help her reinvent herself. The film is another in a long line of teen romantic comedies. Mae Whitman is just the right amount of cute mixed in with a bit of nerdiness to make her character likable from the start. While not a remarkable film, it’s extremely watchable due to Whitman, and it makes a very cool “date night” movie.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee   The Duff Website

Forgotten Film: The China Syndrome (1979)  PG   A reporter (Jane Fonda) and her cameraman (Michael Douglas) are doing a “fluff” piece on a nuclear power plant. While on a tour of the facility, they witness (and film) a near meltdown, only adverted due to the quick thinking of a plant engineer (Jack Lemmon). The engineer investigates why the plant almost went into meltdown and discovers a mess of problems at the plant and decides to go to the reporter with the story. Now, all their lives are in danger. There are many  movies made in the late 70s and early 80s that are dated and don’t hold up over time. This is one of the exceptions. Lemmon and Fonda are outstanding in their roles, and the tension builds throughout the film. It’s a film that is still relevant today and is expertly directed by James Bridges.   My Rating: Full Price   The China Syndrome Info

Weird Credits: From the credits of Jurassic World: Practical Creature Effects

Coming Soon to a Theatre Near You: Minions (2015)    The minions have been the best part of the Despicable Me pictures. This time they get their own movie, and it’s going to be so much fun.    Minions Website

Until Next Time!

  

Entourage

My View:  Entourage  (2015)  R   Ari Gold (Jeremy Piven) is now head of a film studio. Vincent (Adrian Grenier) is making his directorial debut, and his film is going way over budget. Can Vincent’s manager Eric (Kevin Connolly) convince Ari to cough up more money to complete the movie, or will the gang have to move back to Queens?  When you make a sequel or a film based on a TV show, it should bring something new to the screen.  Entourage brings exactly nothing new to the storyline. The movie feels a little dated as if time hasn’t been kind to Ari and Vincent. There is a reason the TV show was only 30 minutes long as if it’s any longer, you start not liking any of the characters because they are all too self-involved to care about anything else but themselves. I just didn’t care at all about what happened to any of the characters by the end of the film, and I was almost rooting for them to fail.  My Rating: Cable  Entourage Website

My View:  Spy  (2015)  R  Susan (Melissa McCarthy) is a desk-bound CIA analyst. From her desk, she assists field agent Bradley Fine (Jude Law). When Fine goes missing, and every field agent has been compromised, Susan is forced to go out in the field to bring down arms dealer Rayna Boyanov (Rose Byrne).  Normally McCarthy is the one who steals the movie, but it’s Jason Statham that steals this film.  He plays a spy who tells stories about his time as an agent, and each story gets more and more outrageous. I enjoyed the film and McCarthy does a fantastic job, especially in the broader, physical comedy pieces. This film, though, doesn’t quite hit it out of the park (it lags a bit in the middle), but it’s fun to watch.  My Rating: Full Price   Spy Website

Indiefest:  Barely Lethal  (2015)  PG-13   Sixteen-year-old Megan (Hailee Steinfeld) has been training to be an assassin under the tutelage of Hardman (Samuel L. Jackson). She sees how other teenagers seem to be having fun and decides to fake her own death to get away from Hardman. She soon discovers that a teenager’s life isn’t always fun and games.  This could have been a game changer for the teen romantic comedy.  Unfortunately, it is just another in a long line of movies that follow the girl out of her comfort zone toward trying to fit in and having a crush on the popular guy. Seinfeld is believable in the part of an assassin and does the action sequences quite well, and Jackson is fun to watch in his limited role. The film could, though, have been much better if it just had taken some chances.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee   Barely Lethal Website 

Indiefest:  Love & Mercy  (2015)  PG-13  The story of Brian Wilson, the talented but troubled songwriter who led “The Beach Boys” to the top of the charts. This is one of the better films of the year. You wouldn’t think that two different actors (in this case Paul Dano and John Cusack) could play the same man at different points in his life and make it work, but this film does. Dan is brilliant as the younger Brian Wilson, who, at the start of the film, has decided to stop touring and concentrate on songwriting. Cusack gives one of his better performances as an older Brian Wilson, who is strung out on drugs prescribed by his psychiatrist. I loved Elizabeth Banks in the role of the woman determined to help Brian escape the controlling clutches  of his psychiatrist (played by the always brilliant Paul Giamatti). This film gives you real insight into the brilliance of the slightly crazy mind of Wilson. It’s an astonishing bit of filmmaking and one not to be missed.    My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again   Love & Mercy Website

Indiefest:  Saint Laurent  (2014) R   Biography drama film about the life of famed French designer Yves Saint Laurent(Gaspard Ulliel).  I didn’t like this overlong, way too artsy film. It’s rather boring, and we never really get to know why Laurent is so tragically hurt. A number of scenes just don’t make any sense, and there are a few that were shot, it seems, just to try and be artistic. The film also spends so much time on Laurent being moody as he draws his designs that I think only someone who works in the fashion industry could enjoy this movie.  My Rating:  Cable   Saint Laurent Website   

Indiefest:  Results  (2015)  R   Recently Danny (Kevin Corrigan) has come into some big money. He’s bought a house and is living large, but he isn’t happy. He decides to hire a personal trainer and finds Kat (Cobie Smulders), a fiery woman who takes her job seriously. Soon Kat and Danny discover that they might have more in common than just a workout. I enjoyed this quirky little film about two unhappy people who find each other (though it takes quite a bit of time to figure it out).  Cobie Smulders is believable as the trainer who is so driven; she will show up your house to ask you why you missed your workout. Corrigan is very funny as the guy who is just having a good time but knows he is missing something in his life. While not a great film, it’s a film that you will enjoy and getting to know these rather strange people. My Rating: Bargain Matinee   Results Website 

Forgotten Films:  Nick of Time (1995)  R  A father (Johnny Depp) arrives on a train with this daughter.  They are visiting L.A., but before they can start their sightseeing, the daughter is taken and held by a mysterious man (Christopher Walken).  The father can get his daughter back if, in 90 minutes, he assassinates the Governor of California.  This movie is an outstanding thriller that just keeps adding more and more to the tension of the film.  Depp is at his best and gives one of his better performances. It’s the type of film not made anymore with one man desperately at his wits-end trying to make a horrible decision.  My Rating: Full Price   Nick of Time info

Weird Credits:  From the credits of Spy:  Crowd Hair Supervisor

Coming Soon to a Theatre Near You:  Jurassic World  (2015)  PG-13  I hear great things about this film (critics that have already seen the film are giving it great reviews). Plus, it’s Chris Pratt and some raptors.  Enough said.   Jurassic World Website

Until Next Time!