Blog Archives
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.
The Force Continues
Learn the name Felicity Jones. Her 2016 movie calendar includes Inferno in October and Star Wars in December.
The Star Wars universe has never been limited to being mere movie events, but as a way of life. The experience does not casually start and end when you leave the movie theater. Speaking of which, did you just buy Star Wars: The Force Awakens on Blu-Rey?
(No, that’s not a misspell…).
Well, get ready to head back to the theater again this December to see Storm Troopers, the Death Star and an epic operatic space battle. The first trailer for Disney’s Rogue One: A Star Wars Story was released this morning.
Two strong, daring female leads in the revamped Star Wars films signal a paradigm shift in the franchise’s narrative and branding strategy by appealing to a new fan base to its science-fiction adventures on the big screen. Rey was fantastic in The Force Awakens and Felicity Jones’ character is awesome in the trailer above.
Rogue One looks like one hell of a fun Star Wars story.
Happy Monday!
For some strange reason, the journey to an athletic championship is sometimes given greater value than the actual championship game and its eventual winner.
Once again, Jimmy’s Daily Planet wants to introduce some of that pre-championship coverage to musical scores. Specifically, Hans Zimmer and Junkie XL, who are the joint composers of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.
Going inside the minds to learn a little bit how the creative process works is something special. Discovering the inspirational sparks that led Mr. Zimmer and Mr. XL to go from the blank page at Point A to the finished sound at Point Z is not only cool, but educational if you listen carefully.
A rare combination, yes, but a wonderful sentiment and incentive for Monday.
Have an Awesome Week!
Dude, Where’s My Accent?
That’s acting! vs. That’s acting?
Acting is a equal parts exhilarating and terrifying. The dreamlike thrill of being on stage or in front of the camera is difficult to explain, but it brings out characteristics in yourself you never knew you had or have always wanted to express. The feeling is infinitely sublime.
Then, there’s the terrifying aspect. What happens when we do something wrong from taking a chance or not understanding the deeper meaning of the character or situation? Did we go too far or not far enough?
For acclaimed actor Jake Gyllenhaal, he’s been through both ends of this spectrum, even during the same audition…
Sometimes, we need to fail in order to see our path forward with clarity before taking our next steps. Sometimes, we need to laugh at ourselves.
Either way, don’t disappoint Peter Jackson.
We’ve all been in “that room” before. Next time, just speak with a British accent and you should be good.
Jimmy's Daily Planet 