The Jurassic Books

After a recent obsession with the Jurassic Park film series, I finally decided to take the plunge and read the books -- or rather listen to them. So I fired up "Audible" and entered Crichton's weirdly different while wholly familiar world. Now, I'm gonna get into some spoilers so if you're ever wanting to read the books (the first one is definitely worth it) then read no further.

The first book, "Jurassic Park" is very similar to the film of the same name. Most of the characters are all there and the basic skeletal structure of the plot is still all there. But it's all in the details and those details differ rather drastically. There's a whole element of the dinosaurs somehow being spotted in Costa Rica. This didn't really sit well with me because they're dinosaurs. They aren't ninjas. They'd be spotted and the secret would be out. But who knows, maybe the 80's were just a different time.

Heh.

One aspect I really enjoyed with that is the death of John Hammond. It never made any sense to me that the guy who was responsible for all this madness never got his comeuppance. Well the book rectifies that in a big bad way because not only does he die, the character is a bigger prick than the film version could ever imagine being. He's just a billionaire who just did this scheme in order to get money. He doesn't care about dinosaurs. Very different from the film version who seems like much more of a philanthropist.

The second book, "The Lost World" had me intrigued before reading it for many reasons. The most important being that the film has never been a huge favorite of mine. It's enjoyable but definitely has its problems and is in no way a worthy successor to the seminal first film. So the book just HAD to be better than the film. Well...

I can't really say that it is. In fact, it's more frustrating than anything. Ian Malcolm gets brought back one to be just as useless as he was in the first book. I understand that Crichton wrote the book under different pretenses given that JP was such a success, but dammit give him something to do other than just talk about chaos.

And why shoehorn in those kids just to be Lex and Tim 2.0? It just felt like redoing something that worked well in JP that just didn't make much sense to repeat in this film. May have been Crichton commenting on sequels but I just saw it as lazy. Kinda like the whole "Ninja Dino" angle from the first book.

I'm glad that Dodgson finally was given his comeuppance (really like that word today), especially given what an unnecessarily evil he was made in this book. I mean, he literally pushes Sarah Harding off of a ship into the ocean and steals dino babies. He makes you seething by the end of it all. But he gets one of the more brutal deaths of the series so at least there's that.

One thing I'll give the movie is that the third act in San Diego is even more impressive after listening to this because it really just kind of ends. There's some excitement but it's not this grand moment like in the film. That would have really been exciting to see in Crichton's novel.

Overall, I wouldn't recommend "The Lost World" because it's just kind of bland. There's not a lot happening but if you want some loose ends tied up, and want a world where Malcolm stays alive, then read it. Otherwise, just stick with "Jurassic Park" and enjoy the story that spawned a beloved franchise. I know I did.

Random Thoughts for July 2018

Letterboxd may just be the only app I need. It's a movie lover's wet dream in terms of keeping track of your own ratings for various movies. It makes it very easy when trying to decide what to watch, since that usually very mood dependent. If you love movies, go check it out, add me, all that jazz. You should know what my username is. Once they make it so I can just send my mini-reviews to Twitter, that is all my twitter feed will consist of.

What's happening to Chris Hardwick/James Gunn is bullshit. Our Social Justice Warrior society just goes too far, too often. These are two guys that should in no way be losing work because of these allegations/past events. Sure, they're both very different, but both have the common theme of NOT BEING A FIREABLE OFFENSE. These incidents have really taught me the important lesson of: don't apologize just to appease others, apologize when you actually feel regret.

I'm listening to the audiobook versions of Harry Potter. And let me tell you something that may surprise you: they're amazing. Okay, maybe that was obvious but dammit they are. I listen to these at work and they put me in such a good mood, really taking me back. Since I'm only on the third book so far, I'm getting a lot of flashbacks to Elementary School and it has been a trip. Also, how the hell did I forget about Peeves the Poltergeist? He's the best part of the series!

"Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom" was so fucking good. I had such a passive interest for this film and I had no idea why. I've always loved the series, and they always become a staple for my year whenever they're released. But for some reason, I didn't think this film would follow suit... how wrong I was. It's always hard to say with a recent film but this may just be my favorite film of the franchise. Everything about it is just top notch. In fact, this theatrical experience has guaranteed myself a ticket purchase for another film franchise releasing soon: "Mission Impossible: Fallout."

The library is an untapped resource. I know I've said this before but too few people take advantage of the library and I no longer count myself among them. I have rented so many films I wouldn't have otherwise seen, all because they are available at the local book depository. I'm only putting this to encourage at least one other person to go make a trip.

Life has been crazy and getting in the way of goals. There's a lot of stuff going on that I can't exactly talk about but to say there's some big changes on the horizon would be an understatement. Those changes (let's just say job-related) have gotten in the way of my creative pursuits. To better represent those changes, I figured the site was in need of an upgrade. So here we have it. Hope you enjoy.

Friday the 13th

Another Friday the 13th is upon us and yet again I'm spending it with everyone's favorite drowning victim, Jason Voorhees. That's right, I can hardly let one of these days go by without watching one of my favorite horror franchises of all time "Friday the 13th." Don't get me wrong, it's not the greatest series to ever exist, but it's such dumb fun that I've always been drawn to it. In years past I've watched the entire franchise in a single day but I've since cooled off on doing that (maybe one day in the far off future). Instead, I pick out a few choice films and go for it. So what exactly did I choose this year...

"The Final Chapter" was a no brainer. It's legitimately good with some of the best atmosphere of any of the films. It has more style than any of the previous films and adds a layer of brutality. Next I threw on "Jason X" because I wanted some dumb fun. No, it's nothing amazing but dammit, I enjoy how silly it gets. I capped it off with the Remake, which may be among my favorite in the series. Hell, today it is. I just love all the elements that made it more than just "Supernatural Zombie" and brought it down a little bit. Makes it a tad scarier.

I actually added a new tradition this year without even really realizing it. See, we already had a Friday the 13th in April of this year, and I saw "A Quiet Place." Well, that film released on 4K and it was almost like fate, watching it yet again on that day. And, being how weird I am about watching certain films on certain days of the year, I think I may have added another.

And dammit if it's not deserving as all hell. The film is just a powerhouse from start to finish. It grips you with silence in ways that films really don't these days. And the acting is just phenomenal all around.

I'm not sure if you celebrate this day like I do but maybe you should start. Or don't. I mean, it's not they don't teach you super important survival tips or anything.

ki ki ki  ma ma ma

Random Thoughts For June 2018

I am so unbelievably excited about "Halloween." Something about the latest batch of details has really ramped up my anticipation. I just can't believe we're finally getting a Halloween movie with Jamie Lee Curtis and a competent director. This hasn't happened since 1978 when the original was first released. That's 13 years before I was even born! It's hard not be pumped about such a thing. And that trailer... damn.

Relient K has taken over my life. I'm not even kidding. This seems like some kind of a weird joke but I swear I've gotten back into them. Yes, the Christian Alt band. No, I'm not Christian. Nor do I have any religious affiliations (though I quite like the Buddhist teachings) yet here I am listening to some band that randomly sings about God. I think it's a combination of things: 1) they were a favorite of mine in Middle School. 2) They aren't overtly Christian with their music and more talk about the struggles of being a youth. 3) I'm currently writing a book set in High School so it helps tap into my high school self. 4) I'm really weird.

I may be re-thinking Dario Argento. I had dismissed him years ago after a viewing of "Suspiria" left me less than impressed. But as the years have gone on, I've delved more into it. A recent obsession with "Dawn of the Dead" finally helped me make the leap and my god, Goblin is so good. I've always seen the praise and have enjoyed what I've heard of them but it wasn't until "Deep Red" that I was completely blown away. The score is one of the better I've ever heard and set me on an absolute trip. Sure, the repeat theme got a little old but dammit that theme was fantastic.

I'm finally developing some halfway decent reading habits. I try to read at least a chapter of some book a day. It's helped out a ton and I've been flying through a lot of stuff that's been on my bookshelf for a while. I love making progress with stuff like that while simultaneously expanding my own writing knowledge. Speaking of writing...

I wrote a screenplay in four days. As in I wrote a full screenplay, feature-length in 96 hours. I don't even have a name for it yet but holy shit I can't tell you how excited I am about it. I've been really inspired lately but kind of stuck in a rut with my book so I said screw it, I'm gonna just buckle down and write a script. So, with the aid of the background noise of NXT Takeover, I hammered out a screenplay. Is it good? I hope so. I'm going to give it some time to breathe but even it's a steaming pile of dogshit, I wrote a feature-length screenplay in just four days. I still can't believe it. That's an accomplishment I'll always look back on with fondness.

Watching

EDIT: I swear every time I go back to this post, something gets deleted or moved around. If I didn't have such a history with blogger...

He watched her.

He wondered why she was even there. Sitting right there, at that exact time. Didn't she know? This had to be some kind of mistake.

He watched her.

He had never seen her there before. Sure, there were plenty of others just like her, why else would he be here, but not her. Not now. His bloodlust rose.

He watched her.

He tried to avoid the thoughts, those ones that they had told him to stop thinking. He didn't want to have another incident. Another corner to contain him.

He watched her.

The wind blew her hair up and it got in her eyes. Good. She deserved it. He had been thinking of this all afternoon. All week. All month. His entire life! Didn't she know!? This was his destiny.

He watched her.

He could practically see it now: walking over to her--she wouldn't expect a thing. It was perfect. He'd be on top of her in an instant. She would probably scream and cry but he didn't care. That may even be some of the fun.

He watched h--

Why was he being grabbed? No! This was his time to attack! He couldn't stop the tears from flowing and flowing out of his eyes. Didn't Mom know what this meant. He kicked and screamed, trying anything to break from her grasp. But she held on tight. And he saw his favorite sandbox in the distance, the little girl inside taking notice.

She watched him.

Anatomy of a Top Ten List

This is an idea totally ripped off from the Duplass Brothers' book "Like Brothers" but I liked it so much that I took it. Wait... no, I co-opted it. Yeah, that sounds less devious. Either way, my whole plan was to write out all the movies I think could potentially be in my Top 10 Favorite Films of All Time. And I'd start eliminating until I was left with 10. Let's get started....

NOTE: Any excuse I can to use my huge whiteboard and it's happening. Sure, it probably would have been neater just doing it in regular list form via word but dammit, I wanted something different!

Picture #1

This is the main list. A combination of all the films I could think of that I absolutely adore and could see being on this list, as well as looking at my movie collection and thinking the same. I'm probably missing something but I spent quite a bit of time trying to get everything that deserved a place.

Picture #2

Here I went through and starred everything I KNEW needed to be on that list. So films that I watch all the time were immediately starred, as well as films that make me feel amazing when I watch them.

Picture #3

So here's 13 movies. 13 does not equal 10. So you can see where I had my problem.Wait. There's 14 here. Dammit, I added one because I can't believe I forgot it. "American Movie" belongs on damn near every list imaginable. It is so damn good and falls under the "Can Watch At Anytime No Matter How Good Or Shitty I'm Feeling" umbrella. Which is really where most of these came down to. I eliminated based on rewatchability and films I viewed as perfect.

Picture #4

And here it is. No, it's not in an exact order but I threw them on in whatever order felt right. This is what I ended up with. Honestly, there are a few films that I'm surprised didn't make the cut but given there are only 10 spots, it shouldn't be. Still, I guess I surprise easily.

A Slasher Goal

Of all the genres of horror, I always go back to Slashers when it comes to a favorite. It's what brought me into horror with films like Halloween, A Nightmare on Elm Street, and Friday the 13th (films I still watch multiple times a year).

But I've recently come to the conclusion that I haven't seen enough. I went through a phase of seeking out slashers during the early days of Netflix, when my dad allowed me to use up one of our rentals on whatever I wanted. So this resulted in films like April Fools Day, He Knows You're Alone, and Pieces being mailed to our doorstep; movies I still can't believe I was able to get my hands on given the rather limited access I'd had prior to Netflix. I essentially had to take a chance and buy the movie because it was usually too obscure to be at a local video store.

It's crazy to think of just how different things were in those times versus now. Streaming has become so prevalent that nearly anything is accessible within minutes. So I've finally decided to put my resources to good use and go back on a journey I started in my teenage years: watching slasher films I haven't seen before. Most of these are from the 70's and 80's, but I was able to add some more recent ones as well. So let's go through the list:

Madman

Bird in the Crystal Plummage

The Prowler

Hell Night

Mother's Day

Final Exam

Cutting Class

Happy Death Day

The Mutilator

Just Before Dawn

Bloody Birthday

Damn that's a lot of movies. I'm not sure how long it's going to take me to accomplish this, especially given the fact that a lot of these films aren't on Amazon, Netflix or HBO GO, so it'll be tough to track some down. Thankfully, I'm up to the task (it's a tough one, I know). Let's do this!

So Bad, It's Rad #1 - "Justice League"

Justice League (2017)

I feel like I need to put it right out in front that I really dislike the DC Cinematic Universe. I have given each movie a fair shot and was only able to enjoy one of them (Wonder Woman, which I find gets less impressive on repeat viewings). So you may be one of those people that don't have an issue with the melodrama involved in these films and just want to see a Superhero on the big screen. However, I think this is going to be one of the few times we can fall into the same category and enjoy the film in similar ways.

The usual problem with the DC Universe is that it takes itself far too seriously but this movie goes the complete opposite direction and goes insanely silly so the film finally is able to go from mediocre and therefore not fun to watch to the crazy mess it's become.

The silliness starts off right off the bat with what may be the worst scene that Batman has ever been involved in (yes, I'm even counting "Batman and Robin") where he's chasing some thief on what is supposed to be a rooftop but is an extremely obvious set. In fact, it's so obviously a set, that the scene itself feels like some kind of weird play. Add on Batfleck's very exaggerated performance this time around and it sets the tone for trouble early. Batman isn't the only character that was completely mishandled...

Wonder Woman becomes a complete joke of a character who's main character trait is that she misses her former love Steve Trevor (Chris Pine from her solo outing). To the point that she straight up brings it up out of nowhere and when it's not even really relevant to the conversation. Oh, she also has insane super speed now too. In fact, everyone that's not Batman has crazy Super Speed that makes Flash's character fairly useless.

Speaking of useless, why is Batman suddenly so useless? He is the butt of so many jokes and often just gets his ass handed to him. I really only liked the scenes with Bruce Wayne and would instantly groan whenever Batman was on screen. And what the hell was the deal with his suits? They looked so lame this time around. After how cool the suit was in BvS, I was surprised to see such a downgrade. It was especially funny when Diana had to pop his shoulder back into place and he just had his dark grey metal tits in her face.

The unintentionally funny moments in this film are so abundant its practically a comedy. They go to a Batman/Bruce Wayne reaction shot nearly anytime something happens and he always seems annoyed by it. They may as well start calling him Tony Stark and be done with it.

I love Joss Whedon and I think he's the only reason the movie is as fun as it is, but I'd love to see the complete Trainwreck that Snyder was directing. You can see there are hints of it in the movie, and those are usually some of the worst parts (overly melodramatic and slow).