Jurassic World (6/10): Leave it to Chris Pratt to rescue a franchise along with his raptor buddies.

“You just went and made a new dinosaur? Probably not a good idea.”

This review of Jurassic World is brought to you by Mercedes Benz and classy high-heel running shoes. After the success with his sci-fi indie film, Safety Not Guaranteed, Colin Trevorrow was given the reigns to direct the fourth installment of the Jurassic Park franchise. With the help of his collaborator, Derek Connolly, he co-wrote the script based on Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver’s story. It was a pretty risky move considering Trevorrow hadn’t worked on a big budget film before, but with all the product placement included here you can tell he was probably very restricted and controlled by the executives. But I’m not going to complain about that because if you think about it Jurassic Park also had tons of product placement and that is one of my favorite blockbuster action films of all time. Jurassic World tries to pay homage to the first film ignoring most everything that happened in the sequels and once the dinosaurs are set lose it succeeds in doing so. The set-up was probably unnecessary and by far the weakest part of the movie as most of the characters here were uninteresting and we could’ve done without the introduction of so many of them. Fortunately Chris Pratt shows up soon enough with his domesticated raptors and saves the movie from derailing entirely from its rather stupid plot. He’s the new Indiana Jones and he can make the dumbest screenplay seem cool and entertaining. He delivers the perfect amount of comedic relief and has some great actions scenes to carry the movie. The dinosaurs are spectacular as always and there were a couple of thrilling scenes, although Michael Giacchino’s score never matches the brilliance of the original (there is a cool piano cover of the original Jurassic Park theme however that delivers plenty of nostalgia to fans). Jurassic World doesn’t live up to the high standards set by the original which was a masterpiece, but it’s as slightly satisfying a sequel as the rest of the films in the franchise. I wouldn’t go as far as saying it is better, but Chris Pratt does make it a lot easier to enjoy.

So Jurassic World is set some 20 years after the events of the original film. John Hammond’s vision of a dinosaur theme resort has been functioning for over a decade now in Isla Nublar. Unfortunately the attendance rates in recent years has been dropping as the enthusiasm and novelty of seeing these live beasts has died down a bit. The owner of the resort, Simon Masrani (Irrfan Khan), has ordered his scientists to genetically engineer a bigger and meaner dinosaur knowing that this will spark more interest. Claire (Bryce Dallas Howard) is in charge of organizing and managing the park and one of her responsibilities is making sure this new dinosaur remains contained. Simon asks her to talk to Owen (Chris Pratt), one of the on-site staff members who’s in charge of conducting behavioral research on Velociraptors, and ask him to give his opinion on the safety of the creature’s new home. Owen had no prior knowledge of what these scientists had been doing and is not happy about the management’s decision, but before he has time to do anything the creature escapes and now they must alert the thousands of people who are at the park that a dangerous dinosaur is on the lose. Claire’s nephews, Gray (Ty Simpkins) and Zach (Nick Robinson), happen to be visiting the park and of course they don’t pay attention to the warning and are left stranded near the danger zone. Claire asks Owen to help her find them and thus the thrills begin. 

There are several other characters in this film that aren’t given much depth. It’s a shame because a talented cast including Vincent D’Onofrio, Jake Johnson, Omar Sy, BD Wong, and Judy Greer are entirely wasted. Johnson has some fine scenes and it’s cool he got to wear a Jurassic Park vintage t-shirt, but his character didn’t have much to do really. The entire plot revolving around D’Onofrio’s character felt recycled from the first sequel and was quite silly. Omar Sy, I love him, but he wasn’t given anything remotely interesting to do. The two kids in this film are as exciting as watching two brothers who don’t get along. I’ve already said that Chris Pratt is the saving grace of the film along with the dinosaurs, but he also has some great scenes with Bryce Dallas Howard as well. She’s perhaps the only other redeeming character in the film although at times it felt like she was trying too hard to be Jessica Chastain. It’s kind of hard to feel that same level of suspense we all got from the first film when there aren’t many characters to root for here. Fortunately the film doesn’t take itself too seriously and it ends up being a lot of fun and the less you sit down to think about it the more fun you will have watching the dinosaurs hunt down the visitors. I think that Trevorrow knew the premise was silly and used the genetically engineered dinosaur story as an allegory as to what the audience wants from a sequel: They’ve already seen the dinosaurs and are getting tired of them, so why not give them a more threatening one, and so he did.      

My Review: Let's Be Cops (3/10)

 “I look like somebody hit me in the face with Lil Wayne.”

Let’s Be Cops is a buddy comedy that falls flat as a feature length film and makes one wonder what the director and the rest of the crew were thinking when they decided to make this. I could understand how this might work as a short two to three minute sketch in Saturday Night Live, but you need much more than the simple premise to make an engaging full length film. I can honestly say that I laughed at two or three small scenes, but the rest of the jokes felt completely forced or out of beat. It was also rather unfortunate that once they  established a solid funny scene instead of building on that moment, the film was edited in such a way that every scene felt disconnected with the other. Let’s Be Cops also lacks originality and many of the jokes that didn’t even work in the first place are repeated throughout the film in a predictable manner. I assure you that you will laugh more from the trailers than during the entire film. There is a moment halfway through the film where the pacing also becomes an issue and you can’t wait for the credits to begin rolling. I tend to like films with this similar premise of people pretending to be cops (I was one of the few people who actually enjoyed Martin Lawrence’s Blue Streak), but the premise isn’t enough. Let’s Be Cops is just too tiresome, lazy, and repetitive. 

I haven’t watched Luke Greenfield’s prior films, Something Borrowed and The Animal, but I had really enjoyed The Girl Next Door. After this film I really don’t care too much for his upcoming projects because the directing was a major letdown. I know that a huge part of the success of these buddy comedies relies on the chemistry between the two lead actors, but there were several technical aspects of the film I had a problem with as well. The editing was poorly done, which hurt the overall flow and pacing of the film. The script was also a major letdown as none of the characters had any interesting or memorable lines that teenagers would be quoting for years to come. Nothing stands out either.

Jake Johnson and Damon Wayans Jr. might be great together in New Girl, but in Let’s Be Cops their scenes felt so forced that the comedic elements never work. If one of the best things about 22 Jump Street was the strong chemistry between Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill, then one of the worst things about this movie was the lack of chemistry between the two leads. Just thinking about this makes me want to give 22 Jump Street a higher grade. I wasn’t a huge fan of that sequel, but the chemistry was so strong that it worked. Not even the talented Andy Garcia was able to give a saving performance here. If Nina Dobrev continues to choose scripts like these for her next films, she might as well stick with The Vampire Diaries. The only character I sort of enjoyed here was Rob Riggle’s, but he wasn’t in this film very much. In summary, I would recommend you watch the trailer instead of the film because I promise the trailer has better editing and you will laugh more. 

My Review: Drinking Buddies (6/10)

"That's the problem with heartbreak, to you it's like an atomic bomb and to the world it's just really cliche, because in the end we all have the same experience."

Drinking Buddies is mumblecore director Joe Swanberg's latest film which benefits from an impressive cast and an interesting premise that examines young adult relationships in a fresh way. Many people have called it the When Harry Met Sally of this generation considering it brings up the question whether or not men and women can become best friends without falling in love. This film never raises the question through dialogue, but we see it through the actors actions and emotional responses. One of the things I liked about this film is that things go unsaid like in real life relationships and it's up to the audience to judge the characters without ever being forced or pushed to feel a certain way about them. It is one of those rare romantic comedies we can relate to. The main problem I had with this film however has to do with the fact that the first 30 minutes of the movie felt like the characters were being forced towards a predictable direction and setting everything up, but then all of a sudden it shifts and becomes something completely unexpected. I wasn't a huge fan of that misdirection, but thankfully the last hour is really entertaining and sincere, making Drinking Buddies a film worth watching. 

Kate (Olivia Wilde) works at a local Chicago brewery and despite being the only female she gets along really well with her male co-workers, especially with Luke (Jake Johnson) with whom she goofs around often. Kate is currently in a relationship with a music producer named Chris (Ron Livingston), while Luke is in the midst of marriage talks with his girlfriend of six years, Jill (Anna Kendrick). The two couples decide to spend a weekend together in the woods where we see (or at least think we do) which couples actually belong with each other and which don't. Spending their free time drinking a lot doesn't make their decisions any easier either.

The film was also edited pretty well by Joe Swanberg who also was credited for writing the screenplay despite the fact that all the dialogue in this film was completely improvised and the actors were only given a vague outline of the plot. The chemistry between Jake Johnson and Olivia Wilde was great and they both deliver some of their best performances here. Wilde really surprised me here considering I didn't think she had this in her, she was outstanding. Anna Kendricks is a great actress but I wasn't impressed very much with her role here, perhaps because I've seen her in stronger roles before. Despite its flaws this was an entertaining film that felt at times like a good hang-out movie. Swanberg was great at capturing some of the small moments really well and building the sexual tension between the two friends. In the end the audience can decide whether these characters were really perfect for each other or not, but the incident near the end where Luke cuts his hand with a nail allowed me to make up my mind pretty easily.

My Review: Safety Not Guaranteed (9/10)

¨But at the end of the day do I need someone when I'm doubting myself and I'm insecure and my heart's failing me? Do I need someone who, when the heat gets hot, has my back?¨

Safety Not Guaranteed may be a small independent film, but it has a huge heart. They may not have had a great budget to work with, but the movie felt more authentic than most big budget Hollywood movies. Safety Not Guaranteed has great comedic touches, some drama, sci-fi, and even romance. It is a complete film that connects with the audience from the very opening scene. This is director Colin Trevorrow`s first feature film and he made a brilliant movie. He had a great screenplay to work with, also from a first time screenwriter, Derek Connolly, who happened to write the story specifically with Aubrey Plaza (from Parks and Recreation) in mind to play the lead character. She was amazing in this film as was her co-lead, Mark Duplass (Humpday). The chemistry between the two lead actors was really authentic, but the film also had a great story arch for the secondary characters as well. The film was really well written and the dialogue top notch. It`s hard to come across a movie that connects with the audience so well in so many different levels. I felt this was the indie version of Back to the Future, not because the film actually takes us to the past or shows us how to get there, but because it explores the issue of why someone would want to go back. I think that is much more important in a time traveling movie than the actual adventure. The characters here had a lot of depth and there were so many things happening in such a short period of time that I really don’t know how Treverrow accomplished all of this. This is a unique film that is hard to come across, an indie that actually feels like an indie, but that isn’t afraid to explore new subject matters.

Darius (Aubrey Plaza), who has a rather anti social behavior, lives in Seattle and is working as an intern for a magazine company. When her boss, Bridget (Mary Lynn Rajskub), asks the crew to come up with ideas for the next article, staff writer Jeff (Jake Johnson) mentions an unusual article that has been published in a classified ad in a small coastal town. The ad states the following ¨Wanted: Someone to go back in time with me. This is not a joke. You will get paid when we get back. Safety not guaranteed.¨ Bridget gives the project the green light and sends Jeff to that town to investigate along with two interns: Darius and Arnau (Karan Soni). When the trio arrives at the town they begin investigating the man responsible for the ad: Kenneth (Mark Duplass). He acts all mysterious and is convinced that he is being followed. When Jeff tries to approach him and volunteer himself as the time travel companion Kenneth refuses and sends him away. Darius however manages to make a connection with Kenneth and wins his trust. The interns also discover that the real reason for Jeff wanting to write an article on Kenneth is because he wanted an excuse to reunite with his High School fling, Liz (Jenica Bergere), who lives in the same town. That relationship becomes the side story to the main idea that revolves on the relationship that Kenneth and Darius begin to form as they prepare for their time travel. The real question is whether Kenneth really is building a time machine or if he´s just a messed up and crazy person.

The connection that Darius and Kenneth make is the true heart of the story. The question isn’t whether Kenneth can actually time travel or if he can really go back in time, but rather why he wants to go back and if he`s crazy or not. He does act in a rather peculiar way, but he´s also a very nice person who cares for others. That is what ultimately attracts Darius to him, his humane heart, although she isn’t quite sure if this guy is totally nuts or a genius. The film deals with these issues in a very authentic and powerful way. I really connected with this small indie film and enjoyed every minute of it. It had me laughing really hard at times, despite it not being a laugh out loud comedy. It has a lot of heart and even mixes some sci-fi elements as well to please everyone. The performances were really special, but the screenplay helped a lot as well. There were several moments and dialogues that rang really true throughout the film. I really loved this film and recommend it if you have a chance to see it.

   

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