Category Entertainment

Jun 22 2015

Jaws: The Film That Changed The Summers

jaws photo

Forty years ago, on June 20 to be exact, Jaws premiered in theaters and forever changed the summer film environment. Before Jaws came along and scared recreational swimmers out of the waters, summer film schedules were filled with lightweight, forgettable fare. Most often they were aimed at children who needed something to do in the summer. The theaters were terrific time killers and babysitters for parents so off the little ones went. Though there have been big hit films that were released during summers none of them had the effect that Jaws had.

Based on the eponymous novel by Peter Benchley, Jaws was a one of Steven Spielberg’s earliest films and a breakout hit for the then-young director. A nature/horror film, Jaws was about a New England beach community being terrorized by a monstrous great white shark that decided to use the sleepy town’s popular beach for a feeding ground. The novel was terrifying enough, but the film brought the visceral horror of the shark to vivid life and stating that it was a huge hit is an understatement.

brody v shark

As someone who was around when the film first came out, I can testify that the film was a genuine blockbuster. There were literal lines of anxious moviegoers that went around blocks waiting to see this film. In this day and age of multiplexes that jam several theaters with the same film, this is unheard of. Sure, there would be a line, but usually that would be on opening weekends and they hardly snake around blocks like in the old days.

As with many films since, Jaws tapped into the public consciousness in a certain way and the film had a distinct impact past the movie theaters. Unfortunately, it wasn’t so positive. Aside from the ripoff horror/nature films that followed (Grizzly, Orca, Tentacles, etc.), sharks received a very bad reputation and people went out of their way to hunt down and kill the aquatic predators, bringing down their population. People were terrified of going into the water. Their overactive imaginations kept playing scenarios of them becoming shark attack victims. This fear still persists today, but it’s more balanced as we celebrate Jaws’ 4oth anniversary.

Jaws is so revered thanks to the skills of Steven Spielberg who assembled a topnotch team both in front and behind jaws castthe camera. Who can forget the stellar performances by Roy Scheider as Sheriff Brody, the everyman law officer out of his element? Or Richard Dreyfuss as Hooper the hippie marine biologist who clashed with Quint, the salty fisherman so terrifically played by Robert Shaw? The conversations and arguments between the three are beloved and often copied and honored by other films. The line uttered by Brody when he first sights the humongous shark “You’re gonna need a bigger boat” is beyond legendary.

That scene itself sold the film for me as a youngster. I actually screamed and ripped up my popcorn bag when the shark first popped it’s mechanical head out of the water as Brody was shoveling chum into the water. I never expected to see the shark because I thought that all that would be shown was just a fin. Yes, the shark is an obvious fake, but no one cares. Spielberg, stuck with malfunctioning shark robots, was forced to make do with less and it worked. So when the shark finally appears in the gripping final act, we the audience are both relieved at having finally seen the white terror and invigorated by the music, the editing and camera work. Again, Spielberg is rightfully credited for using John Williams, who came up with the famous film score, Verna Fields for the crisp editing and Bill Butler for the beautiful cinematography.

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It’s hard to imagine how the film would’ve turned out if another director was used. And remember the film was so plagued with problems that Spielberg was almost fired. It’s a good thing that didn’t happen.

With Jaws’ success (it was the number one movie of all time until Star Wars came along), film studios realized what a gold mine the summer season was and soon enough we began to see the big-event films coming out in the summer. That pattern is still in effect today and will likely stay that way for a long time. Some snobs may decry this and proclaim that these blockbusters are for empty-headed masses. They’ve tried to blame Jaws for this, but they overlook the fact that Jaws is simply a great, edge-of-your-seat adventure film. That is why it has endured and I’m thankful because without Jaws we wouldn’t have so many memorable summer films.

Waldermann Rivera

 

 

 

Jun 16 2015

Jurassic World Proves That The Jurassic Park Series Isn’t Extinct

JW poster Jurassic World is what a great summer film should be! After the disappointments of Avengers: Age of Ultron and Tomorrowland, Jurassic World comes roaring along and shows everyone the meaning of the term summer blockbuster. It’s everything that a film of its type is supposed to be: exciting, awe-inspiring, adventurous, and sprinkled enough with messages to go with the popcorn. It’s rather amazing to think that the fourth film in a franchise would reinvigorate it especially when the last film in the franchise, Jurassic Park III, signaled that the film series had run its course. Jurassic World takes place over twenty years after the first Jurassic Park. That failed dinosaur theme park from the first film has been reborn as the mega successful Jurassic World. Yet, despite the park’s popularity, the owners are concerned with keeping the park profitable. To remedy this, some bonehead comes up with the idea of genetically creating new species of dinosaurs as if regular dinosaurs weren’t spectacular enough for the masses. mosasuarActually this train of thought is bored easily. A case in point is when two of the film’s young characters Gray Mitchell (Ty Simpkins) and his older brother Zack (Nick Robinson) visit the park. In one valid in the film. One observation made by the film is that our society is rather fickle and scene they’re at an aquatic stadium similar to what we find in SeaWorld. The star attraction is a huge Mosasaurus , while Gray is excited to see this gigantic leviathan chomping on shark bait, Zack is distracted with his smartphone. That is so true with many people today, they’re only interested in what’s next. And it’s this mentality that leads to disaster in Jurassic World. The two siblings could’ve been your typical annoying kid characters, but they actually work. Through them, we empathize with their wonder and vulnerability. One of the best moments is early in the film when Gray first enters the park. The famous John Williams score adds to the rousing feeling as he takes in sweeping views of the world-class resort. We don’t see any dinosaurs but the scene is supposed to evoke the joy and wonder that a young child has when first panicvisiting a theme park. Think about it, when first entering these parks, a visitor doesn’t automatically see the star attractions, but the visitor is mesmerized by the architecture and the promise of what’s to come. Director Colin Treverrow is able to convey this POV and makes us wish the park actually existed. Later, when the boys are imperiled by rampaging dinosaurs we feel their fear. Some of those tension-soaked moments come close to rivaling what Steven Spielberg accomplished with the early Jurassic Park films. Even though he can’t capture Steven Spielberg’s magic touch with the camera, he gives it his all. irex pteros Anyway, to keep enticing visitors the park’s owners have a new dinosaur created in their labs, the Indominus rex. It’s a mean, pale, towering behemoth that is a Tyrannosaurus rex and Velociraptor mix on steroids. As in the first film, the scientists meddled with nature and in trying to make cooler dinosaurs created a nightmare. The I-rex turns out to be unusually intelligent and lethal. Demonstrating this is how it’s able to use camouflage and trickery to enable an escape from its compound. Once it breaks free, it goes on a sadistic killing spree and murders dinosaurs and humans alike for sport. This isn’t your typical dinosaur running amok. The Indominus rex is one of the best dinosaur creations ever seen on film and is certain to be regarded as a classic monster. By the way it so easily outwitted and outfought humans, it was hard to be certain that the good guys would win. Plus, the film allowed time to have the characters and audience mourn for a dying sauropod, an unfortunate victim of the I-rex. It was a good touch. raptor whisperer However, even though the Indominus rex seems unbeatable, the park’s ace in the hole is Owen Grady (Chris Pratt), an expert Velociraptor handler. He is hands down the best and most interesting character. Grady is cool, savvy, and of course, no one in charge listens to him. Often, he knocks heads with the park’s operations manager Claire Dearing (Bryce Dallas Howard), who is the Mitchell boys’ aunt. She is the typical corporate shill that only cares about profits. But she changes her ways as the film progresses and she grady and co.finds out that the new dinosaur is out of control and her lost nephews are in harm’s way. The banter between her and Grady was surprisingly funny in a cornball, cliché-ridden way but it was funny at times. There was this scene where she and Grady are tracking the boys and she’s running around the jungle in a business suit and high heels (and it’s film miracle that she is able to outrun dinosaurs in the heels). To show that she is willing to get rough to find the boys, Dearing hysterically adjusts her suit by rolling up the sleeves and loosening her jacket. Some may find all this eye rolling but it worked. The film is chock full of implausibilities like Dearing’s high-heel jungle sprints. Consider that the park’s owner (Irrfan Khan) is the only person capable of flying a helicopter and as CEO is allowed to take part in an assault of the I-rex. Then there is unbelievable fact that the boys are able to jumpstart a jeep left rotting for twenty years with old gasoline! Or how about cell phones and radios that never work when they’re needed? Adding to this is InGen security expert Josh Hoskin’s (Vincent D’Onofrio) outlandish idea to weaponize Velociraptors. These are not guard dogs but unpredictable wild animals as he soon finds out. Still it was an interesting subplot about the military applications of genetically created dinosaurs. This could be a direction that a sequel can explore. raptor dogs One of Jurassic World’s best features were naturally the Velociraptors that Grady handled. Through hard work, he has limited control over the dinosaurs, but it’s precarious. Nevertheless, one fist-pumping moment is when he takes off in a motorcycle at night to hunt the I-rex and the raptors join him like a pack of dogs. Unfortunately, it all backfired for the humans because being that the Indominus rex was part raptor it was able to assume an alpha role and had the raptors attack the human hunters. But despite their betrayal, the raptors, led by one called Blue, in the end turn on the I-rex in the climax. And boy was that one epic battle, especially when Dearing unleashes a Tyrannosaurus rex to join in the fray. It was a tribute to those epic kaiju films where monsters like Godzilla, teamed up with Rodan and others to fight Ghidorah. That fight had one of the film’s final messages which was by working together two different parties were able to survive. Jurassic World is a great gem of a surprise. It may not be in the same league as the Spielberg films, but it’s a tremendously enjoyable romp that shows that the world of Jurassic Park still has much to offer viewers. José Soto  

Jun 14 2015

In Defense Of The Lost World: Jurassic Park

stegosaurisNow that Jurassic World has been released, there’s been increased interest in the past Jurassic Park films. It’s a common consensus that the first Jurassic Park film is a timeless classic and that Jurassic Park III is an inferior entry in the film franchise. The first sequel The Lost World: Jurassic Park is constantly lambasted by many critics and fans as being another disappointing sequel that can’t compare to the original. Personally, I disagree with this common assessment, The Lost World: Jurassic Park was a terrific summer thrill ride that has so much merit.

This doesn’t mean that this film is as good as Jurassic Park. No, the original film is superior because of it explored many themes about man and nature. Then what cemented its status among film classics was its then-groundbreaking fx. The Lost World: Jurassic Park doesn’t have such lofty themes although there are some and its fx may now seem like old hat. But the film delivered the goods in being a grand adventure film with relatable characters and intense action scenes.

Let’s examine that closer. The film, like the Michael Crichton novel it’s based on, focused on Ian Malcolm malcolm and others(Jeff Goldblum), the slightly eccentric scientist who accurately predicted that bringing dinosaurs to life was a bad idea. Malcolm was one of the most endearing characters from the first film thanks to Goldblum’s performance and once again he shines as the scientist. This time, he is asked to go to another dinosaur-infested island off the coast of Costa Rica to rescue his girlfriend Sarah Harding (Julianne Moore). She was shown to be a very capable scientist who could take care of herself. Other new and memorable characters included photographer Nick Van Owen (Vince Vaughn), big game hunter Roland Tembo (Pete Postlethwaite), and Peter Ludlow (Arliss Howard). One thing that was interesting is that with Ludlow this film had a true villain that lasted for most of the film. Ludlow was John Hammond’s (Richard Attenborough) greedy nephew who wanted to exploit the dinosaurs to create his own theme park.

hunting dinos

In light of all the controversy parks like SeaWorld are going through with alleged neglect and abuse charges with their animals, this animal exploitation theme is explored fully in this film. Stressing this point are the distressing moments when herds of frightened dinosaurs are hunted and captured by Ludlow’s team. This animal conservation motif was the overriding message in this film. It may not be as complex or profound as chaos theory, but it is still a valid point.

However, this film didn’t get bogged down and or come off as too preachy with its message about leaving nature alone. That was because the film was adorned with exciting sequences where humans are threatened by dinosaurs. trailer attackChiefly, a couple of Tyrannosaurus rexes who hunt the humans after Ludlow has their infant T-rex captured. There’s this chilling and captivating moment when Malcolm and his companions are trapped in a trailer that the t-rexes attack. It was just as terrifying as when the Tyrannosaurus first appeared in the foreboding rain in the original Jurassic Park. Another scene worth mentioning is when the same dinosaurs creep up on Ludlow’s camp at night and the frantic fleeing of the humans that followed. It was very gripping and full of dark humor. A case in point is when a T-rex steps on a hunter and the squashed human is stuck on the animal’s paw as it pursues other humans. This chase scene led to a return appearance of the dangerous Velociraptors that made their mark in the original. The followup scenes where the raptors use the tall grass to close in on the hunters evoked the terror that director Steven Spielberg so expertly showed in Jaws.

trex attack bus

But the big highlight for me with this film had to do with its last act. Many people deride the moment when a captured Tyrannosaurus rex escapes into the streets of San Diego, but it was great! It was a clear tribute to the old Willis O’Brien classic The Lost World and more recent kaiju films. The images of the T-rex rampaging through a crowded street, attacking a city bus and eating hapless people still bring a smile to my face. Spielberg knew what would please fans and their inner youth who would revel in the spectacle of rampaging dinosaurs in our cities. It may be a tacked-on final act, but it was downright entertaining!

Putting aside these compliments, The Lost World: Jurassic Park does have its faults, which I won’t go into here. It’s worth noting that while it’s not as good as the original this sequel had many features that improved upon the first Jurassic Park. It was more thrilling, had more dinosaurs and naturally had better fx. Maybe it’s time everyone gave this film a second look and see why it’s a fun film.

Lewis T. Grove

 

 

Jun 6 2015

Candidates For Future Avengers Films

avengers comicsWe’re eagerly anticipating the next Avengers films coming out in 2018 and 2019, the two-part epic Avengers: Infinity War. The team’s roster will most likely include these popular heroes: Captain America, Iron Man, and the other veterans, plus newbies like Black Panther, Captain Marvel and Spider-Man. But what about beyond the third Avengers film? Will we have the same lineup or will new blood take the place of the old guard? Given how bloated Avengers: Age of Ultron felt with nine heroes, it’s unlikely future Avengers films will have large casts. So who would be interesting candidates to fill the ranks of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes as the veterans exit the stage? These are some suggestions:

Ares: The Greek god of war was a member of the Dark Avengers, so he comes with the anti-hero baggage. So, he can be a dark, more badass version of Thor as he uses traditional weapons like swords and axes with modern weapons like guns.

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Black Knight: Inspired by Arthurian legend, Dane Whitman wields a magic sword and shield and rides a winged horse. The catch is that the sword that can cut through anything has a blood curse. This all may be too magical for the science-based Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), but if there’s room for Doctor Strange then the MCU can make allowances for the Black Knight.

black knight

Giant-Man and the Wasp: He’s actually Hank Pym, the original Ant-Man, who decided to use his shrinking power in reverse. And of course, comic book fans know that the Wasp was his wife and at one point, supposed to have been in The Avengers, as seen by some storyboards. The characters will obviously be different people in the MCU given the character situation with Ant-Man.

giant man wasp storyboard

Hercules: Think of a more fun version of Thor and you got Hercules! Imagine his romps as he battles and brags his way across the silver screen. Plus, his fanciful boasts and love of revelry and fighting would provide light-hearted relief as if an Avengers film could use it. Another angle is to use him and Ares or Thor as foils against one another.

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Quasar: Marvel’s answer to Green Lantern would add a cosmic angle to the Avengers’ roster. Armed with Quantum Bands fused to his wrists, these objects allow Wendell Vaughn to tap and use energy to fight evildoers. Not only that but his cosmic-based background could conceivably link the Avengers to the larger galaxy without resorting to Thanos.

quasar

She-Hulk: Come on, we all want to see how Marvel Studios pulls this off! BTW, CG isn’t needed to bring the beautiful cousin of the Hulk to life on screen. She would make for some inspired eye candy and an excellent counterpoint to the brutish Hulk.

she hulk

Spectrum: At one time called Captain Marvel, Monica Rambeau has energy-based powers and was one of the most versatile and powerful members of the superhero team. She even led the team at one point and the spectacle of her turning into different kinds of energy would look fantastic on film.

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Spider-Woman: Hey Marvel and Sony made nice and are now sharing Spider-Man. That should embolden Marvel Studios enough to go ahead and give us Spider-Woman. Besides with her Hydra/S.H.I.E.L.D. backstory it should be cinch to throw her into the Avengers.

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Tigra: Originally Greer Grant was the superhero called The Cat but was later transformed through mystical means into Tigra with tiger-like powers. It’s easy to conceive of a sexy but tough leading lady playing this role. As with other candidates some tweaking is needed to change the mystical angle.

tigra

Wonder Man: One of the earliest and most powerful members of the Avengers deserves his shot at the big screen. Simon Williams’ tragic story of a pawn used to betray the Avengers and his eventual redemption is a great story that can be used in a future Avengers film.

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May 31 2015

Star Wars Movie Retrospective: Star Wars Episode II: Attack Of The Clones

 

episode II poster

“One day, I will become the greatest Jedi ever. I promise you. I will even learn how to stop people from dying.” – Anakin Skywalker

Anticipation for the second film in the prequel trilogy and the fifth Star Wars film to be produced was much lower than for the first prequel film. However, many found Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones to be a better made prequel, although it’s not without its own faults.

According to the opening scrawl of the film, a distant galaxy is on the brink of a civil war. Under the leadership of the mysterious Count Dooku (Christopher Lee), several thousand worlds have begun to secede from the Galactic Republic. The Jedi naboo shipKnights, the guardian force of the Republic, are overwhelmed with handling so many insurrections and so the government wants to pass a law to create a standing army to help the Jedi. Senator Padmé Amidala (Natalie Portman), the former queen of planet Naboo travels to Coruscant, the capital of the Republic, to vote on the matter of creating an army.

Unlike other Star Wars films, Episode II begins on a quiet, furtive note as a Naboo starship escorted by fighter ships enters the murky atmosphere of Coruscant. The starship lands on a cloud-covered platform in the planet’s global city. But there is an ominous air on the landing platform since the senator has a price on her head. Just as the senator and her entourage walks down the plank of her starship, it explodes and she is killed. Fortunately, the woman that died was a decoy and the actual Padmé was one of the fighter pilots. The incident underlines the danger that she is in from the Separatist forces who want to keep her from voting.

Star Wars diplomats

 

She and other government officials, including Representative Jar Jar Binks (Ahmed Best) and Senator Bail Organa of Alderaan (Jimmy Smits), meet with Supreme Chancellor Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid) to discuss the coming vote. Palpatine is concerned for her safety and assigns two Jedi to protect Padmé.

ready for battleThe Jedi tasked are Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) and his apprentice or Padawan Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen). They last met Padmé ten years ago in the previous film when Anakin was a boy and Obi-Wan was himself a Padawan. Anakin is instantly infatuated when he sees the beautiful young senator, while she merely looks upon him as a younger brother.

Later that night as she sleeps in her room a drone outside her window dispatches poisonous worms into her room. The Jedi, who are outside her room standing guard, sense something is amiss and Anakin rushes in and kills the worms. As he does this, Obi-Wan spots the drone and throws himself out the window to grab it. He latches on as the drone takes him on a whirlwind tour through the crowded skies of the city. The drone is shot and destroyed, but Obi-Wan is saved from falling when Anakin shows up with a flying vehicle and catches him. They then pursue the female assassin (Leeanna Walsman) who shot out the drone and is fleeing in her own vehicle. Eventually the chase leads them to a bustling, street-level night club.

 

Inside, Obi-Wan dismembers the assassin before she can shoot him from behind as he has a drink at a crowded bar. Outside, he tries interrogating her, but she is killed with a poison dart shot by a distant figure who escapes in a rocket pack.

The next day at the Jedi Temple, the Jedi High Council gives Obi-Wan a new assignment, which is to track the assassin’s killer. Meanwhile, Anakin is to escort Padmé back to Naboo to ensure her safety. In her absence, Jar Jar assumes her duties.

On her home planet Naboo, the relationship dopey romancebetween Anakin and Padmé starts to intensify. Both have trouble denying their mutual attraction even though Jedi are forbidden to have romantic relationships. Frustrated, Anakin begins to berate his lot because he feels disrespected by the other Jedi. He also expresses jealousy towards Obi-Wan.

As the two star-crossed lovers exchange incredibly corny dialogue and frolic on CGI fields, Obi-Wan’s investigation directs him to the water planet Kamino. After he lands his spaceship amidst a raging storm on an above-water facility, Obi-Wan is greeted by its inhabitants. It turns out that the Kaminoans had been expecting him or at least a Jedi and tell him the order is ready. Confused, Obi-Wan plays along and learns that ten years ago, a Jedi named Sifo-Dyas hired the Kaminoans to grow a human clone army.

clones 2Obi-Wan is given a tour of the facility and he sees with his own eyes vast numbers of young and mature clones who are being trained and conditioned. He is told that the clones are being psychologically modified and trained to be more efficient and compliant soldiers. Then he is introduced to the Mandalorian bounty hunter Jango Fett (Temuera Morrison) and his young son Boba (Daniel Logan). Jango was hired by the Kaminoans to provide the genetic template for the clones who are all copies of him. As part of his payment, Jango was given his own clone to raise as a son, who happens to be Boba. Jango is instantly mistrustful of the Jedi and when Obi-Wan leaves their quarters he tells Boba to prepare to leave the planet.

Once the tour is finished, Obi-Wan goes outside in the tempest to report his findings to the High Council. Afterwards, obi wan and jangohe tries to capture Jango because he believes Jango is the killer of the assassin on Coruscant. He finds the bounty hunter, now donning a high-tech battle armor, on a landing platform by his ship the Slave I. The Jedi and the bounty hunter then engage in a furious battle that ends with Jango escaping into his starship thanks to some help from his son. Before the ship can leave the complex, Obi-Wan tosses a homing beacon on its hull.

On Naboo, Anakin has trouble sleeping; he keeps having disturbing prophetic visions of his mother Shmi (Pernilla August) in danger back in his home planet Tatooine. He can’t take it anymore and tells Padmé of his intention to rescue his mother. Understanding his pain, she decides to go with him.

anakin meets relativesAt the desert planet Tatooine, Anakin’s search leads him to the moisture farm of Cliegg Lars (Jack Thompson) and his son Owen (Joel Edgerton). He learns that Cliegg purchased his mother from her slaveholder, then freed and married her. But just a month ago, she was captured by savage tusken raiders and he was unable to find her.

The young Jedi heads off in a determined quest to rescue his mother. He finds her badly beaten in a tusken raider camp. Their bittersweet reunion is short lived however. She dies in his arms from her injuries but not before telling him how proud she is of him. Anakin’s grief immediately turns into an uncontrollable rage and he shortly takes it out on the raiders, killing everyone in the camp, including the women and children.

Meanwhile, Jango Fett unwittingly leads Obi-Wan to another planet, Geonosis. The Jedi learns that the planet is a hotbed of Separatist activity. Enemy ships are everywhere, as is dooku and othersa battle droid factory. Not only that, he eavesdrop in a meeting held by Count Dooku and several important Separatist factions who plot a devastating attack against the Republic with a huge droid army. Obi-Wan is unable to get a signal to Coruscant, but Anakin’s location is closer to Geonosis. He transmit a signal to Anakin so that it can be relayed to the High Council. He is just able to make a transmission before he is captured by droid soldiers.

Back on Tatooine, after he brings back his mother’s body to the Lars homestead Anakin goes on an enraged tirade and tells Padmé of what he did to the tusken raiders. She is naturally aghast at his actions, but feels sympathetic towards him. Shortly after his mother’s funeral, they pick up Obi-Wan’s report and see on the holographic message that he is captured. Anakin relays his friend’s report to the Jedi led by Yoda (Frank Oz), who intend to rescue him. Even though he is ordered to stay put, Anakin and Padmé leave the planet to go rescue their friend. Little do they realize that they’ll soon be embroiled in a series of fast-moving events that ignite the Clone Wars.

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