Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018)

Genre: Science Fiction

Directed by: J. A. Bayona

Cast: Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, Rafe Spall

Time: 128 minutes

Claire Dearing and Owen Grady are solicited by Benjamin Lockwood, former partner of John Hammond (the creator of Jurassic Park), to go back to the island of Isla Nublar to take part in a rescue mission to relocate the dinosaurs, who are now in danger because a volcano is about to erupt. Unfortunately, it is a setup put in place by Lockwood’aide Eli Mills, in the hope of auctioning these dinosaurs to rich people.

In this first sequel of the second Jurassic Park trilogy, Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard are still solid in their respective roles. The story hooked me and kept me interested. It made me feel like I did when I was a kid watching action movies. The strongest aspect here is still the visual one: The special effects are amazing.

Rating: ««««

Another Period (2015-2018)

Genre: TV / Comedy

Starring: Natasha Leggero. Riki Lindhome, Artemis Pebdani

Number of seasons: 3

This Comedy Central TV show tells the story of the Bellacourts, the first family of Newport, Rhode Island, at the turn of the 20^th century. The two main characters are Lilian and Beatrice Bellacourt, two vain sisters only worried about their looks and the parties they can attend. The Bellacourts have a slew of servants who do everything for them.

Another Period is a spoof show, created by Lindhome and Leggero, who also play the lead roles. That show offers a cross between reality shows, such as the one involving the Kardashians, and Downton Abbey. It deals with such issues as rich vs poor, social class and social standing, incest and women’s rights. The show serves a good deal of laughter, but also a lot of silliness with jokes pushed past their point of funniness.

Rating: «««

Jurassic World (2015)

Genre: Science Fiction

Directed by: Colin Trevorrow

Cast: Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, Vincent D’Onofrio

Time: 124 minutes

Zach and Gray Mitchell are two teenage brothers being sent by their parents to spend some time with their aunt Claire Dearing, who is the operations manager of Jurassic World, a dinosaur theme park on the island of Isla Nublar. When the park’s new attraction, a genetically-engineered dinosaur called Indominus rex goes berserk and escapes, creating massive havoc, ethnologist Owen Grady springs into action to help Claire protect her nephews and the rest of the visitors on the island.

Visually-speaking, this movie is great. The special effects were well done. The acting was also pretty good, especially compared to the other installments in this series. This movie shows how humans can be absolutely stupid when profits and adventure come knocking.

Rating: ««««

Jurassic Park III (2001)

Genre: Science Fiction

Directed by: Joe Johnston

Cast: Sam Neill, William H. Macy, Téa Leoni

Time: 92 minutes

Many years after the original events of Jurassic Park, paleontologist Dr. Alan Grant is still doing research into dinosaurs. Paul and Amanda Kirby, posing as a wealthy couple simply looking for an observational adventure, trick Dr. Grant into going to the island of Isla Sorna, where the living dinosaurs are, as they are trying to locate their young son, who got lost there in a parasailing accident.

This shorter installment is going for action-packed thrills and spectacular kills, but much of the Spielberg magic is gone. There were a few bright spots throughout, but, overall, this is a very forgettable movie.

Rating: ««

The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997)

Genre: Science Fiction

Directed by: Steven Spielberg

Cast: Jeff Goldblum, Julianne Moore, Vince Vaughn

Time: 129 minutes

Based on the Michael Crichton novel of the same name, this film brings us four years after the events of Jurassic Park. John Hammond is no longer the head of InGen, which is now being controlled by his nephew Peter Ludlow. Hammond wants to convince mathematician and chaos theorist, Ian Malcolm, to go on an observational mission on the secondary island that was used to create the dinosaurs that were then brought to Jurassic Park. Weary about the original events, Malcolm is not interested, but he accepts when he finds out that his girlfriend, paleontologist Dr. Sarah Harding, is already there. Once on the island, Malcolm’s team encounters a group of men sent by InGen to capture some dinosaurs and bring them back to the main land.

Many will not agree with me, but I preferred this sequel to the first film. The acting was more solid and I was much more hooked to the whole storyline. It is a great way to illustrate how humans can sometimes be quite stupid when profits are involved. Also a great indication of how a girlfriend can get you in trouble.

Rating: ««««

Jurassic Park (1993)

Genre: Science Fiction

Directed by: Steven Spielberg

Cast: Sam Neill, Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum

Time: 124 minutes

Based on the Michael Crichton novel of the same name, Jurassic Park tells the story of industrialist John Hammond and the lawyer of his investors, Donald Gennaro, who bring paleontologists Dr. Alan Grant and Dr. Ellie Sattler, along with mathematician and chaos theorist, Ian Malcolm, to a Costa Rican island where they have built a theme park where people can see dinosaurs that were genetically recreated. The team’s mandate is to evaluate the site for safety after a handler was killed by a Velociraptor.

Science fiction is not really my genre, but I felt like I was long overdue, as a cinephile, to see this movie. While this is not my cup of tea and I found the acting to be sometimes a little over-the-top, the visual beauty of what has been pulled off here has to be recognized. Made me chuckle to see Wayne Knight basically playing a version of his Seinfeld character here.

Rating: «««

The Five-Year Engagement (2012)

Genre: Romantic Comedy

Directed by: Nicholas Stoller

Cast: Jason Segel, Emily Blunt, Chris Platt

Time: 124 minutes

Tom Solomon, a sous-chef in a fancy restaurant, and Violet Barnes, a psychology PhD graduate, met at a Halloween party and became a couple. After their engagement, they try to find the perfect time to get married, but life keeps getting in the way. When Violet is offered their dream job, that would see them move from San Francisco to Michigan, the couple’s durability really gets tested.

I really did not like this movie. I found the characters annoying and unlikeable. The film felt like an unhappy 5-year engagement, so overly long. The attempts at comedy were mostly unfunny and the rest of the script did not have much to offer either.

Rating: ««

George Carlin: It's Bad for Ya (2008)

Genre: Comedy

Directed by: Rocco Urbisci

Cast: George Carlin

Time: 70 minutes

This was the great George Carlin’s last HBO special, recorded live on March 1 2008, from Santa Rosa, California, four months before the comic died, at the age of 71. Here, Carlin discusses, among other topics, heroes, getting old, children, heaven and hell, and parenting. In spite of the fact that he was in his seventies by then, he still looked solid on his feet, with a wit as sharp as ever. George Carlin was never afraid of tackling the difficult subjects, and he did it brilliantly up to the very end.

Rating: «««««

Tone Bell: Can't Cancel This (2019)

Genre: Comedy

Directed by: Marcus Raboy

Cast: Tone Bell

Time: 71 minutes

The description of this show says that Tone Bell wants to live in a world where Alaska is cold, jelly is free and student loans are paid. Honestly, this show had a few good jokes, but Bell’s material and style did not engage me much and nothing really stayed with me after I was done.

Rating: ««

Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile (2019)

Genre: Biographical / Thriller

Directed by: Joe Berlinger

Cast: Zac Efron, Lily Collins, Kaya Scodelario

Time: 108 minutes

Based on Elizabeth Kendall’s memoir, titled The Phantom Prince: My Life with Ted Bundy, this film tells the story of Kendall’s relationship with her boyfriend, serial killer Ted Bundy, of his arrest as the prime suspect in a series of murders and of his trial.

Zac Efron offers a solid performance as Ted Bundy. He brings to life the charm and magnetism that the psychopath seemed to have on his entourage. The supporting cast, on the other hand, paled in comparison and did not manage to shine as much on screen. Overall, this long-titled movie offered a compelling long at a dark and somber part of American history. There were some missing elements, but it kept me interested all the way through.

Rating: «««

Yesterday (2019)

Genre: Romantic Comedy / Musical

Directed by: Danny Boyle

Cast: Himesh Patel, Lily James, Ed Sheeran

Time: 116 minutes

Jack Malik is struggling singer and musician who writes his own songs and plays small-time gigs in England. As he is going back home, one evening, riding his bike, he is struck by a city bus during a global blackout. When he comes out of the hospital, he realizes that he is the only person he knows that remembers The Beatles and their music. He decides to start playing The Fab Four’s songs and pass them off as his own, which will soon bring him massive success all over the world.

While this film contains a certain dose of clichés, it still offers some extremely charming entertainment. Over the years, I have come to take The Beatles’ music for granted. This movie gave me a new appreciation for it. The story is compelling and the acting is pretty solid. So, overall, Yesterday is well worth seeing.

Rating: ««««