Eric Paddon wrote:It's a pity the film couldn't have had the credible nuance in the characters the way "Jaws" did. That to me is what separates a film that is eye candy fun from a true cinema classic.

Agreed, it's why I don't place JURASSIC PARK in the company with his best films. It's FUN, Williams' score is great and it's entertaining -- but there are elements in it that hold it back from being a true 'classic,' namely the script and the casting.

The last time I watched Jurassic Park was on DVD a loooooong time ago. I ended up fast-forwarding through all the "human" scenes and only watched the dinosaur scenes.

I have always ranked JP in Spielberg's middle films, along with WARHORSE, THE TERMINAL, MINORITY REPORT, MUNICH and THE COLOR PURPLE for films that didn't quite hit the bullseye either emotionally or in a solid dramatic fashion. Technically they are outstanding and also either have a great performance or one scene that just puts many other films to shame, but not quite enough oomph for me. I rank CATCH ME IF YOU CAN, LAST CRUSADE, SUGARLAND EXPRESS and AMISTAD in the DMZ between that group and his classics.

I was pleasantly surprised by THE TERMINAL. The end was very touching in a really nice and moving way that I wasn't expecting. It was also pretty humorous. And the score ranks up there as one of John Williams' best late period efforts (IMO). One of these days I will have to re-evaluate his films and see where everything stands now with me. I have a tendency to "grade" his films on how well they develop his usual themes - hence MUNICH tends to get high marks for me because of the way he played out his main theme of "family" by juxtaposing different "families" in the film and how they interacted with one another.

I love Williams' TERMINAL score as you guys probably know. Along with THE PATRIOT I think it's the best, post-2000 "non genre" score Williams composed. The movie for me is gentle and amusing, but never quite comes together...but it's certainly a more LIKEABLE film than many of his 21st century efforts, no doubt about it.

The People Vs. George Lucas

Amusing documentary abut Star Wars fans, and more particularly their ire over the changes made to the special editions, and debates over the merits of the prequels. Among the interviewees is none other than Jeff Bond, who offers a number of amusing observations. The debate over whether Star Wars "belongs" to George Lucas or the culture that embraced is also addressed. Worth a look.

Bird Of Paradise (1952) 4 of 10
-This film has no DVD release so I watched an 11 part upload to Youtube in very poor quality that doesn't let you get the proper sense of location footage that was utilized for the production. Too bad, beause the film itself is a tedious bore from start to finish with a badly miscast Debra Paget not exuding any of the proper larger than life exoticism befitting this role and then there's the fact that it is really impossible to swallow the film's storyline. I should recheck the 1932 original when it probably played better but as I recall the running time of that was much shorter. This one drags on.

Eric Paddon wrote:Bird Of Paradise (1952) 4 of 10
-This film has no DVD release so I watched an 11 part upload to Youtube in very poor quality that doesn't let you get the proper sense of location footage that was utilized for the production.

It's a shame that there are still some movies that are totally unavailable except for the efforts of people who take the trouble to upload them to Youtube.

Youtube is still the only place one can see the original, uncut version of Antarctica (an excellent Japanese film about sled dogs who get abandoned in the South Pole, with a beautiful Vangelis score). The film was only ever released outside Japan on VHS in a shortened cut with horrible dubbing. But the Youtube upload is complete, and even has closed captioning!

DJANGO UNCHAINED

6.5/10

While I’m not the biggest Quentin Tarantino aficionado in the world, I confess the first half of "Django Unchained" rates as some of his most satisfying work. In Tarantino’s revisionist western/salute to the exploitation genre, slave Django (Jamie Foxx) becomes the unlikely partner of Dr. King Schultz (the brilliant Christoph Waltz), who not only frees Django from his current life but brings him into his bounty-hunting venture, performed under the auspices of the U.S. government.

After a short while Django has proven to be an effective part of Schultz’s work, and Schultz decides to repay him by going after his wife (Kerry Washington), a slave on the plantation of oily southerner Calvin Candie (Leonardo DiCaprio). Posing as Schultz’s valet, the duo eventually cross paths with their target, with an orgy of bullets and blood not far behind.

For about 90 minutes, “Django Unchained” is as entertaining a work as Tarantino has ever produced. His original story mixes action and humor with numerous off-kilter touches – including a montage set to Jim Croce’s “I Got a Name” – all the while making great use of Robert Richardson’s vivid cinematography. The result is an offbeat western recalling some of the genre’s later years when Hollywood, as well as exploitation filmmakers, tried spicing up old formulas with “socially relevant” stories and more graphic violence. The dialogue is crisp throughout this section of the film and the performances splendid – most especially Waltz’s charismatic, scene-stealing turn (in fact, he’s even better here than he was in “Inglorious Basterds”), with numerous familiar faces appearing in “guest star” capacity (including Tom Wopat, Lee Horsley, Bruce Dern, Russ Tamblyn and others). More over, the story also keeps moving – “Django Unchained” isn’t just a series of talky set-pieces...at least for its first half.

Unfortunately, Tarantino can’t help himself and the film grinds to a halt once Schultz and Django end up at “Candie Land” where an interminable dinner sequence finds the duo trying to win back Django’s wife, only to run into resistance from Candie and his “House N----r” (Samuel L. Jackson). Slow moving and self-indulgent (it’s nearly as dull as an equivalent meal sequence in Peter Jackson’s “The Hobbit”), this stretch of the film feels like Tarantino pressed the pause button, only to start it back up for a slow-motion, orgasmic “wish-fulfillment” revenge confrontation between Django and his masters – and an embarrassing cameo by the director himself, who looks like he’s been chowing down on more than a few “Royales with Cheese.”

Tarantino devotees are certainly going to be far more forgiving of “Django Unchained”’s more heavy-handed elements, as well as its typically eclectic soundtrack that ranges from anachronistic rap and rock to copious doses of Morricone and even a cue from Jerry Goldsmith’s “Under Fire” score. However, there’s no doubt the first half of the film is far more satisfying than its second, with the movie losing much of its dramatic momentum as it grinds to a slow-going, talky malaise too reminiscent of the filmmaker’s more recent outings.

The Naked Jungle (1954) 7.5 of 10

-This film works because the performances by Heston and Parker are so good that you don't feel impatient waiting for the grabber of the film, the swarming ants, to get started. I could also tell that Fred Steiner, when he wrote the Star Trek score for "By Any Other Name" and did the bit when the crewmen are reduced to crystal blocks, was evidently drawing from Amfitheatrof's ominous burst for the ants since they sound nearly identical.

MAMA
7/10

Spooky freakshow with some genuinely unsettling moments (and all in a PG-13 film) and a disjointed story. Not sure I bought Jessica Chastain in a black wig with fake tattoos either -- or why she'd make this film in the first place -- but there are scattered moments of inspiration throughout and, on the level of a basic chiller, it gets the job done. After it's over, though, the story really falls apart, with some gaps in its own logic (why does the ghost kill one character in particular, who was trying to help her? why does Chastain's boyfriend disappear for the whole last third of the film after he goes into the hospital?) and poor story construction in general (it was hard to tell who the "main character" was for the longest time, seeing as the psychiatrist even narrates the early going of the film for a while). More should've been made of the little girls' NELL-like upbringing, which other than a few creepy moments (some CGI enhanced I'm guessing) is swept under the carpet.

While I understand he only produced this film, I also find Del Toro's increasingly unsettling treatment of kids in supernatural films to be something, well, strange. Between PAN, THE ORPHANAGE, this movie, he's unafraid to put children through the ringer in these films -- and often times they don't come out alive -- which isn't something I particularly enjoy watching, to be honest.

I watched my first Twilight Time blu-ray last night…

BYE BYE BIRDIE 7/10

A recent article on the Moviefone website commemorating Bye Bye Birdie’s 50th anniversary noted that the film is largely unknown to modern audiences except for its mention in an episode of Mad Men. If that is true (and I don’t know how you’d prove it) it makes me feel kind of old as I had seen it several times long before Mad Men. My parents owned the soundtrack LP and I was familiar with the songs before I ever saw the movie. Even Mystery Science Theater 3000 had a Birdie reference in one episode.

The move holds up fairly well although Ann-Margret’s performance was too broad and grating at times. Conversely, I also thought Jesse Pearson was too restrained as Birdie. Yes, he’s a little crazy but he seems normal compared to some of the other characters. The adult cast is much better. Dick Van Dyke and Janet Leigh have great chemistry and Paul Lynde is hilarious.

The pacing is quite good with lots of catchy tunes. Some of my favorites are The Telephone Song, Kids and Put on a Happy Face (especially after hearing “Johnny” Williams’ version on FSM’s release of Rhythm in Motion.) The ending is a bit protracted though. Leigh’s crazed dance number in the basement of the bar didn’t work for me and the finale was a bit anti-climactic. It built up well with the sped up ballet and Lynde’s scene-stealing but after Birdie gets decked by Bobby Rydell nothing else happens.

I always thought it would have been better if Dick Gautier had reprised the role of Birdie from Broadway. People say he really nailed the Elvis impression perfect.

I still hate that TT cover with the solid pink.

I liked Bye Bye Birdie although I wouldn't give in any more than a 7/10, too.

I did like Ann-Margret in it: her singing striptease was very fun and an eye opener for someone who has never seen that sort of thing in a film of that era. It left me with a smile, as did the creative opening and closing titles. The songs were pretty good, too. I thought the film had energy, even if everything didn't quite 'hang together'.

I liked it a little bit better than you guys, but I know where you're coming from. The music is great, the performances are likeable -- I love the whole widescreen, candy-colored look of the film -- but the story, especially the second act, doesn't hang together. I saw it on stage and I've seen the '90s TV version, though it's been a while since I viewed either. My recollection is that the latter portion of the show is problematic to begin with, but the stuff involving the kid and his turtle was particularly dumb.

On the other hand, there are enough good things in it that I'd give it a 8/10...it's still far better than most of what I see on a daily basis!