Movie review: Jurassic World

Some twenty years after Jurassic Park, a new theme park is built on the original site promising even greater attractions. Jurassic World is a hit but like all entertainment, the constant push for more leads to the creation of more dangerous and hard to control attractions.

Chris Pratt (Owen), Bryce Howard (Claire), Irrfan Khan (Masrani), Vincent D'Onofrio (Hoskins), Ty Simpkins (Gray), Nick Robinson (Zach), Jake Johnson (Lowery), Omar Sy (Barry), BD Wong (Dr. Wu), Judy Greer (Karen).

Jurassic Park was a hit, and a disaster, and as usual with time all has been forgotten. Now a new park has been built; Jurassic World. But the push for more exciting attractions leads to the creation of new dinosaurs and Jurassic World soon loses control of their newest nasty creation. With the park located on an island, the horde of tourists at the park struggle to stay alive long enough to escape.

Acting was surprisingly enjoyable in this 4th installment of the franchise. Pratt presented nicely and seemed to work with others well. Howard was pretty good and shows good potential. Khan was a nice fit and delivered well. D'Onofrio delivered his usual in a role that fit him well. The remainder of the supporting cast was solid and enjoyable.

Camera work, sets, and backgrounds were good with nice detail and depth that fit the film very nicely. CGI was king here though, being heavily used throughout the film and quite well done. Action scenes were pretty intense with good detail and a solid impression. Dialogue was okay though some plot points were not made very well. Sound and soundtrack were good.

Overall this is a decent extension of the franchise. The storyline continues much in the theme of the original which is nice however, the violence and gore in this one was a bit surprising. Some minor parallel plot lines keep things interesting while the action moves the film along at a good pace.

While this may be a good choice for family movie night as the film is entertaining for both adults and younger viewers, carefully consider this one for younger viewers due to the violence and gore. With some mild sexuality along with the violence and gore, this should be fine for older teens and above.

Released: 2015
Reviewed: 2.28.16
Star rating: 4 out of 5
Genre: Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi, Action Sci-Fi, Action & Adventure

copyright ©2016 Dave Riedel

Movie review: Elsewhere

When Sarah’s friend Jillian goes missing she realizes there is something wrong in her small town and that young girls seem to disappear frequently. Trying to follow a path of strange clues with the help of her friend Jasper, they struggle to understand what has happened to Jillian.

Anna Kendrick (Sarah), Paul Wesley (Billy), Tania Raymonde (Jillian), Chuck Carter (Jasper), Olivia York (Darla Tod), Jon Gries (Mr. Tod).

This one kicks off with quite a bit of character development that almost lasts too long. There is some excitement thrown in up front and fortunately it is just enough to keep things moving. Once the plot development starts things get much more interesting and the movie becomes quite enjoyable despite the teen thriller type theme. The plot was good but seemed simplistic to me as I had narrowed down the list of suspects to two pretty early on in the film, though it was still quite entertaining.

Acting by Kendrick, Wesley, Carter, York and Gries was much better than expected particularly considering several of them are rather inexperienced. Raymonde was the biggest disappointment with barely credible acting in a role that was completely necessary to the film. Once she was out of things the acting quality improved dramatically.

Sets, background, dialogue and camera work were all nicely done. More so considering this is an independent film with the quality of a studio production. I didn’t expect much from this film and was nicely surprised at the quality of most every element. Nothing earth-shattering to be had but still, a quality well done thriller.

Some sexual content, drug and alcohol use, foul language, and violence so save this one for older teens and above.

Released: 2008
Reviewed: 2.23.16
Star rating: 3 out of 5
Genre: Crime, Drama, Thriller, Crime Thriller, Mystery

copyright ©2016 Dave Riedel

Movie review: Firestarter 2: Rekindled – 2002

Charlie, the girl with pyrokinetic abilities to light fires with thought, has grown up in hiding resulting from Rainbird’s desire to use her as the ultimate weapon and his views that she is a God. Years later Rainbird has matured into a child psychologist and entrenched himself at a weapons development lab where he has continued his experiments with mind altering drugs and the Lot series of tests. Now with a small army of young boys who have various extreme psychological abilities an unknowing employee of his, Vincent, has located Charlie and Rainbird wants her back!

Marguerite Moreau (Charlie), Malcolm McDowell (Rainbird), Dennis Hopper (Richardson), Danny Nucci (Vincent), Darnell Williams (Gil).

Although this wasn’t exactly billed as a continuation of the Stephen King story and the original film, the expectation is that it would be. It wasn’t however, as this film rewrote some of the original story to support the plot. That would be fine as this was a well done film but it was disappointing that the flashbacks used to outline the original story weren’t clips from the original film but were actually remade. At that point this film ceased to be a sequel.

As a stand-alone film, this is very good. At almost 3 hours, the plot background and character development are wonderful and make for good emotional investment. The plot in this film was well done despite deviance and conflict with the original story. I was disappointed that Gil and Rainbird weren’t as menacing as in either the book or the original film but, I did enjoy the addition of Vincent and more involvement of Richardson. Moreau made a very good Charlie and as a bonus, is very easy on the eyes.

Acting, dialogue, sets and camera work were well done throughout. Special effects weren’t incredible but were consistent with the story and fit the film perfectly.

This was a made for TV series so other than a couple of questionable intimate scenes, this one can be viewed by preens and above. One does not need to see the original to enjoy this film either so put this one about the middle of your Must See list.

Released: 2002
Reviewed: 2.23.16
Star rating: 4 out of 5
Genre: Horror, Supernatural Horror, TV movies, Sci-Fi, Thriller

copyright ©2016 Dave Riedel

Movie review: Chaos

When a bank robbery goes wrong Lorenz is left holding a bunch of hostages and calls for Det. Conners, a disgraced but notorious ex-cop, to negotiate with him. Capt. Jenkins reluctantly brings him back but teams him up with rookie Det. Dekker. And when the bad guys escape the bank Conners, Dekker and Galloway find themselves chasing Lorenz who seems to be part ghost.

Jason Statham (Det. Conners), Ryan Phillippe (Det. Dekker), Wesley Snipes (Lorenz), Henry Czerny (Capt. Jenkins), Justine Waddell (Det. Galloway).

This was a very enjoyable action, cop, suspense, mystery movie. The movie started off well with good background lending itself to strong character development. The plot got a bit tough to follow at points as it became more and more convoluted but the twist at the end was worth the price of some confusion.

I wasn’t expecting much from Phillippe but he did a good job playing the emotionless cop trying not to get involved in the personal issues. Statham and Snipes did well as always and Waddell was a nice addition to the supporting cast. Czerny did a great job as the semi-corrupt police Captain with a serious attitude problem.

Camera work and stunts were quality throughout, as were sets. Dialogue curves in combination with the overall plot were thought provoking up to the end.

Overall, a very enjoyable action and mystery flick that I wouldn’t mind seeing again.

Take the R rating seriously with lots of violence and foul language and save this one for teens and above.

Released: 2005
Reviewed: 2.23.16
Star rating: 4 out of 5
Genre: Action & Adventure, Action Thriller, Crime Action, Crime Drama

copyright ©2016 Dave Riedel

Movie review: When a Stranger Calls

A remake of the 1979 thriller, Jill is babysitting at a house out in the middle of nowhere when she starts getting strange phone calls. Things just get stranger when she police trace the calls as coming from inside the house.

Camilla Belle (Jill Johnson), Katie Cassidy (Tiffany), Tommy Flanagan (Stranger).

Maybe I’ve just seen this story to many times but it doesn’t do much on the scare factor scale anymore. In this version, we don’t even see Stranger until over an hour into the movie. And you never see his face until the very end of the movie. Even the children aren’t seen until well into the film when they are suddenly in danger but, since there has been no character development for them it is hard to feel their fear.

Acting by Belle was mediocre at best. I didn’t feel her communicate the fear or emotion of her character very well. Supporting actors did well but their appearances were so brief there wasn’t time for a connection with any of them. Camera work was well done and the house set was wonderful. Sound and dialogue were nicely done but not exciting at all.

If you truly want a good horror flick you could do much better than this one.

The PG-13 rating is about right with no nudity, little foul language, and surprisingly little blood and guts.

Released: 2006
Reviewed: 2.23.16
Star rating: 3 out of 5
Genre: Horror, Thriller, Psychological Thriller, Teen Scream, Suspense

copyright ©2016 Dave Riedel

Movie review: Prom Night

Donna and her friends are finally at their anxiously awaited Senior Prom. Unfortunately on the same night a teacher previously obsessed with Donna, and serving time in prison, escapes. Determined to live out his obsession, he will make the prom a night to remember for everyone.

Brittany Snow (Donna), Scott Porter (Bobby), Jessica Stroup (Claire), Dana Davis (Lisa), Johnathon Schaech (Richard Fenton), Idris Elba (Detective Winn).

Sadly, the plot of this movie is a thin veil for a run of the mill slasher flick and is barely even needed.

Schaech and Elba were two of the most experienced actors in the film and it showed. Both of them delivered very good performances while the rest of the cast left something to be desired. I actually had a hard time feeling bad as people were killed and was almost cheering as the shrill screaming whiney teens were eliminated. This film truly came across as aimed at the PG-13 crowd and lacked the depth needed for an adult audience in many ways.

Camera work was okay although some of the flash shots were too quick and got repetitive. Special effects weren’t very interesting, nor was sound. Dialogue was Jr. High School at best and again, lacked any depth.

I would say teens and above should be fine with this one. I don’t recall any nudity although there was some language, violence and blood. Adults can skip this one, teens will probably enjoy it.

Released: 2008
Reviewed: 2.23.16
Star rating: 2 out of 5
Genre: Horror, Teen Screams, Slashers and Serial Killers, Mystery

copyright ©2016 Dave Riedel

Movie review: 50 First Dates

Henry is a complete player until he meets Lucy, with whom he immediately falls in love. After a great day they decide to have a date tomorrow but the next day, Lucy has no clue who he is. That is when Henry finds out Lucy was in a car accident and has no short term memory. Her father, Marlin, and brother, Doug, basically reset everything in their lives every day  so that she can live the same day of her life over and over again without trauma.

Adam Sandler (Henry), Drew Barrymore (Lucy Whitmore), Rob Schneider (Ula), Sean Astin (Doug Whitmore), Dan Aykroyd (Dr. Keats), Blake Clark (Marlin Whitmore).

The summary makes this sound like a drama and complete chick flick (which I guess it is), but it is actually a hysterical comedy. I’m not a huge Sandler fan, he is usually just okay with me, but this film was very funny. Henry trying every day to get Lucy’s attention in unusual ways is great. And when he has to make her actually fall in love with him every day it gets even better.

Schneider is absolutely hilarious as a Hawaiian native, surfer, stoner, father, marine lover and Barrymore actually has pretty good chemistry with Sandler. Astin had me rolling with his lisp and ego. The plot did get a bit slow and more romance or drama focused toward the end but overall this was still a very entertaining movie.

As mentioned, acting was great by everyone. Camera work was well done with good sets and very few special effects. Soundtrack was nicely done with good music, and dialogue was well done.

As with most Sandler films, there is a fair amount of sexual innuendo both visual and verbal and some mild foul language. Preens and above should be fine viewing this one.

Released: 2004
Reviewed: 2.23.16
Star rating: 4 out of 5
Genre: Comedy, Romantic Comedy

copyright ©2016 Dave Riedel