Jurassic Park Dominion

 

Jurassic Park Dominion

Jurassic Park movies are like a slice of cherry pie, you had it before but it still tastes good. This is the AARP version of the franchise. All the veteran actors were in the cast: Sam Neil, Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum, BD Wong, Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard. I must admit the film was better than what I expected. Instead of  dinosaurs just stomping around there is an interesting story line. There were still some ludicrous pseudo-scientific theories but they worked into the plot. One aspect of the movie was a head scratcher. They had a dinosaur sanctuary in the Italian Dolomites. What I remember from Bio101 dinosaurs were cold blooded so the ice capped mountains would not be a natural habitat .

As with the other Jurassic Park movies there was a lot of running around and near death escapes. Big dinosaurs ate by bigger dinosaurs. They even gave a nod to evolution featuring a feathered dinosaur (Pyroraptor).  There were new characters. Mamoudou Athie as Ramsey Cole who helps the good guys escape and DeWanda Wise a “Bond” like woman who is beautiful, smart and tough. She is a cargo pilot with fluid allegiances. There is also an evil Steve Jobs type character who runs Biosyn which launches a nefarious  bio scheme.

Rotten Tomato gave the film a 30 rating. Sometimes movie critics cannot get out of their own way. This is not a drama; this is not an Academy nominated film. This is just a fun movie, even with its silliness. The production budget is $185m, the worldwide box office is $625m. As they say money talks and….But the real cool thing about this movie  part of it was filmed in Valletta the capital of Malta.

 

Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom

Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom

Sometimes movie critics are idiots. This movie earned some negative reviews and an underated 51% from Rotten Tomato. Critics said there was more dino chasing and poor character development. This is the fifth movie of this franchise; the audience has a pretty good idea of what to expect. Critics need to manage their expectations. This is not a great movie but for the genre it is still entertaining. There is action, rampaging dinosaurs, villains, lingering romance and comic relief.  A common element of these movies is duplicity; some seemingly good guy with ulterior motives . From an evolutionary perspective these films are about what can go wrong will go wrong. This perspective takes over the movie and causes mayhem. It is an old formula but it works.

On one level this is a simple movie. You have a good idea which bad guys are going to be dino chow. Their anticipated demise keeps your attention. You also have a pretty good guess which dinosaur is the good or bad.

Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard have good chemistry and are nicer to each other in this film. There are some funny scenes mostly from a new character played by Justice Smith. His character  shrieks a lot as do the others. Another hallmark of these movies are kids. Isabella Sermon plays Maisie, the granddaughter of Sir Benjamin Lockwood (former partner of John Hammond). Aside from running away from dinosaurs and shrieking, there is a subplot regarding her which comes in a bit late and is a throwaway. A greyer Jeff Goldblum has  brief appearances in the beginning and ending of the movie, mumbling his dour predictions. Geraldine Chaplin has a small roll as Maisie’s nanny. The woman is ageless, she still looks 100 years old.

For fans of this franchise this is a fun movie. Critics need to lighten up This film is not aiming for the Oscars, rather its target is the box office. The film cost $170m to produce and has an international box office north of $1b. With this type of revenue sequels are hard to resist. What will be cloned next, cavemen?

Infinity Wars

Infinity Wars

I was skeptical that this movie would work. With the confluence of super heroes there were too many egos to manage. But the narrative worked and this was the glue that kept this movie together. The story shifted from different scenes and different battles but you could follow the connections.

There are too many super heroes to mention, but some featured more than others. Thor, Iron Man, Captain America, Black Panther and Guardians of the Galaxy had more leading roles. On one level the story is simple. The bad guy, Thanos, wants to collect the six mythical stones giving him tremendous power threatening the universe. Each stone is in a different location in the galaxy, including earth, and this is where the battles take place. Thanos is played by a computer generated avatar of Josh Brolin, nearly unrecognizable except for his voice. The movie does not take itself too seriously, with banter and good natured jabs contributing to the movie’s enjoyment. The film ties in prior movies giving it recognizable reference points.

The special effects were of course amazing. They had to be to maintain the nearly three hours attention span needed to watch the film. Honestly, it did not feel like three hours because the movie was well paced. The production budget is between $300m-$400m meaning they have to clear about $1b in box office to make a profit. I attended the 9:30 am Imax show and the theater was nearly full.

As for the ending, I am not even going to talk about the ending. When I got up to leave I noticed no one else was leaving. So I sat through the credits. There were so many credits it turned the screen white. The reward was coming attractions, albeit quite short but they portend a sequel.

For fan boys and fan girls a must see. For you civilians you could do worse.

Guardians of the Galaxy 2

Guardians of the Galaxy 2                                                    May 27, 2017

If you liked the first one you will like this one. The plot is metaphysically inane, but who goes to see this type of movie for the plot. The movie is about comradery and family. Joining the retuning crew is Kurt Russell as Star Lords father, Ego. This is a new vein for comic mining. There is also a cameo appearance by Sylvester Stallone, two to be exact. Very chunky, so so funny.

The rest of the crew is present. Bradly Cooper is the wise ass Rocket, a bit less acid, more humanin. Zoe Saldana as the green Gamora is a more overtly affectionate with Chris Pratt and continues her epic sister rivalry with Nubula, the blue spray painted chick with the metallic body. Groot is still Baby Groot. He is a source of endless cuteness. Best dam pay day Vin Diesel ever made and no acting required, as usual.

Drax the Destroyer is still blue and dim witted but delivers some very hilarious lines.  Michael Rooker as Yondu Udonta, the blue skinned pirate who kidnaped Star Lord as a child, has an expanded role and fits into the movie’s familial theme. His golden arrow is as lethal as before but it targets real ugly bad guys (one guy is named Taserface) . A new character is Mantis, Pom Klementieff, she is part of Ego’s crew. She sports antennae and has large black saucer eyes giving her the appearance of an insect. She is a bit innocent and unwittingly comical. There may be something going on with Drax (there may be blue bug babies in GOG 3).

Some parts of the movie were hilarious. I cannot remember the last time I laughed out loud in the theater. The audience joined in. Most were just silly one liners or some sets ups were well executed. There is a lot of fighting and killing, but it was all antiseptic. The movie is about comradery and getting despicable bad guys to do right thing.

The music is a big part of the movie. I personally like the tunes of the first movie better. But as my son would say what do I know about music! Thanks to GOG the Sony Walkman is an item on EBay. Never throw shit away!!!!

The Magnificent Seven (2016)

The last time there was this much testosterone in one place is when the Russian women’s track team were in town. With all the dead bodies the magnificent seven shot they used every bit of their hormone. As gruesome as this sounds the movie is uplifting and enjoyable. The bad guy, played by Peter Sarsgaad, is murdering the locals and pillaging the town for its gold. The good guy, Denzel Washington, who ironically is all dressed in black riding a black horse is hired by a widow seeking revenge for the death of her husband.

The movie harkens back to the old western films. The town is a bunch of rickety wooden buildings. There are sweeping landscapes with red rock formations shaped like castles. There were the usual western outposts: the general stores, and the undertaker looking for business. There are saloon women of questionable reputations. These “ladies” looked a hell of a lot better than the original 1960 movie (but what did I know I was 11 at the time).

 The cast is wonderful. Their comradery was a work in progress jelling together at the critical moment; they are sympatico. All seven play important roles, but Denzel Washington, Chris Platt and Ethan Hawke have air time. Denzel is a steely eyed gun slinger who leads the seven. Chris Pratt delivers comic banter, but he is a dead shot also. Ethan Hawke is a former confederate soldier haunted by past battles.  Peter Sarsgaad interpretation of evil is sublime. With his pinched sweaty face and beady eyes, he kills without compunction.  The body count in the movie is impress but without gore. The bitter taste of revenge is palatable

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What was impressive about the movie was the minor characters contributed to movie with their own back stories and heroic deeds. The widow, played by Haley Bennett, held her own in the gun fights. She was the spirit of the resistance and a natural leader

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Honorable mention goes to Denzel Washington’s body double. His trick riding was quite impressive. No way did Denzel do that ridding. Oh, do I assume too much? I am sure Denzel and I acquired our equestrian skills at the same place, the Merry-Go-Round at Coney Island.

Homage must be paid to Akera Kurasawa’s film the Seven Samari which inspired both versions of the Magnificent Seven. Domo Agrigato.