Monthly Archives: April 2016
Bringing a Tsunami of Chaos to the World
(Jurassic Park, Facebook)
Colin Trevorrow and Steven Spielberg collaborated to make Jurassic Park a real tourist destination (at least theatrically) in Jurassic World.
Can the director of The Impossible make us believe in a world with dinosaurs, sans fences and elaborate glass bird cages?
J.A. Bayona was given the reins of the prized Jurassic Park franchise to direct Jurassic World 2 (title still TBD), scheduled for June 22, 2018. Unsurprisingly, there is already tremendous buzz about this sequel. Why? First, Jurassic World earned a record-breaking $1.6 billion. Second…it’s the second film in the trilogy.
The plot of the first film in this new trilogy revealed there’s a good likelihood of dinosaurs (specifically Velociraptors) being militarized. Will this work? Is this the best idea for rebooting the franchise? Surely, Steven Spielberg has thought long and hard about this and, after many meetings and debates, has determined this is the natural path forward for genetically engineered dinosaurs.
The Impossible is a gritty, emotional movie with beautiful (though devastating) cinematography. Mr. Bayona knows how to film in the elements, especially when nature collides with a tsunami and the chaos that follows.
If Dr. Ian Malcolm were a real person, he’d give his real endorsement of J.A. Bayona as director with a Favorite or Retweet.
Even though there are some scenes in The Impossible that are difficult to watch, Mr. Bayona always scaled the setting and the story perfectly.
What do I mean?
The devastation from the monstrous tsunami was widespread, literally as far as the eye could see, and then some. When the audience needed to see the full landscape, he showed it using every inch of the silver screen. When we needed to see and connect to the characters and experience their highly-emotional struggles, he framed these moments with heart-wrenching precision. And those small, slow burning sparks of hope were there to keep us believing like the desperate families in the film.
The Impossible was both grand and intimate through the intricate collaboration of real-life and CGI (Computer-Generated Imagery).
J.A. Bayona: Welcome to Jurassic World.
P.S. Colin Trevorrow (39) had one notable hit before being hired for Jurassic World. J.A. Bayona (40) has a similar portfolio in preparing for Jurassic World 2. And yet, Steven Spielberg was already a legendary filmmaker when he took on Jurassic Park. Today, it’s regarded as one of the best movies ever made.
Should Spielberg have chosen more experienced and acclaimed directors for continuing his directorial legacy in the dinosaur franchise?
Just an observation to ponder.
Happy Monday!
Guns N’ Roses + Dave Grohl’s throne + Angus Young + an AC/DC classic =
Performing at Coachella this past Saturday night, Gun N’ Roses called up rock n’ roll buddy Angus Young from AC/DC to provide a little electricity (and Duck Walk) on-stage alongside Slash and Duff as Axl Rose was forced to sit with a broken foot. However, despite his limitation, it was recently announced that Axl will tour with AC/DC (lead singer has to rest with hearing problems) starting May 7th in Portugal. Once his crossover with his Australian friends concludes, the Rose of Guns N’ Roses will return for a U.S. stadium tour beginning mid-June.
Injury or not, rock n’ roll should always have a stage available with Fender amps ready to be blown out by a Les Paul.
Welcome to the New Week!
What’s Inside a Soccer Ball?
Men, suits and ceremonial procedures.
That’s right, Europe’s footballing boardroom views the world’s most popular sport, played outside on grass, as a business. And the sport’s most important trophy for club teams was officially handed-over to its newest host city for the title game: Milan. The four teams that qualified for the Champions League semi-final learned their fate with their next opponent via a lottery drawing today.
Manchester City is the underdog in this high-stakes semi-final, despite its brand awareness. However, don’t completely count out the lone British club. Anything can happen in this sport, especially in the Champions League in the year 2016/two days ago.
(Cough-cough Atlético Madrid beating Barcelona)
Four teams have the chance to earn something supremely life-changing:
Victory gelato in Milan!
Plus, that pretty cool, legacy-defining Champions League trophy.
This Iceberg Will Never Melt
This day offers an everlastingly chilly reminder to us all…
On April 14th, 1912, the RMS Titanic famously hit an iceberg in the frigid North Atlantic. The initial contact did not instantly doom the ship of all ships, but did introduce one of the most infamous slow-deaths in modern memory. Just as you are about to say the names, James Cameron, Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio (all Oscar winners), rightly and wrongly, are immediately associated with this historic journey and tragedy.
On the one hand, we should know the names of those who perished and those who survived before recalling any thematic treatment. The RMS Titanic was a real ship and it really hit an iceberg and this mightiest of vessels slowly disappeared beneath an icy surface.
On the other hand, one can wonder if we would remember this disaster if not for Mr. Cameron’s cinematic masterpiece that captured the essence of early 20th century adventurism, innovation, optimism for a supremely bright future and the full-weight of “class structure” and how it shaped society. Would you? In a way, Titanic serves as a, yes, vehicle (driven by a powerful love story) for honoring everything that fateful trip represented as the epic ship battled waves and icy currents towards that magically opportunistic place called America.
Today, on April 14th, we should pay our respects and learn about at least one of the victims. What was their story? Why did they board the RMS Titanic bound for America? Was there a passenger who we, personally, can relate to?
This small tribute will ensure the hearts of all those brave men, women and children will go on for eternity.
Jimmy's Daily Planet 