Reviews

I did not know what to think when I agreed to go with some friends years ago to see "Jurassic Park III" in theaters. I thought the first one was good, but slightly overrated, and that the second one was average. Over time, I've come to elevate my view on the first film. However, out of the three, it is this third film that remains my favorite.

The plot is simple. Sam Neill's Dr. Grant character is lured back to the island by a couple who's kid is stranded there. The film is fast, the dialogue stays on course, there is just enough room to segue into side plots without overdoing it, and everyone seems to be rolling along. William H. Macy and Tea Leoni are fine as the couple looking for their kid, and Alessandro Nivoli is also good as Billy, Dr. Grant's protégé here.

The film doesn't ask you to think, but manages to keep your attention. There are plenty of dinosaurs to go round. If you want a fairly fast-paced action flick that deals with dinos, this is a good choice.

Dig! is a very interesting look at a love/hate relationship between two bands, the Brian Jonestown Massacre, and the Dandy Warhols. It begins around 1995, and ends around 2002/2003. The documentary is narrated by Courtney Taylor, who happens to be the singer for the Dandy's. He gives a picture of his own group as not being up to the standards of the other, while openly praising the BJM leader, Anton Newcombe.

The footage shows Newcombe as being a control freak. At the same time, it is clear he has some talent. Despite this, he tends to sabotage his own chances through some ill-timed decisions. My personal take on the situation is that Newcombe is simply frightened of what pressures success might hold. At some level, he lacks the confidence to take the next step.

At the same time, he is clearly jealous of the success that the Dandy Warhols manage to have. The Warhols are slightly more conventional, which makes them appear as the lesser talent. That being said, both bands state that they are attempting to make some sort of musical "revolution", at the beginning. Later in the documentary, one of the Dandy's hits the nail on the head regarding the BJM, noting that revolutions don't work when they stay underground. It's a telling line, as both bands started near the end of a true period of musical upheaval, in the early-to-mid 90's.

In the end, neither group ever quite reached the stage of provoking any sort of musical "revolution". Being bands of that particular period, they both made solid, credible rock music, something that we could use a lot more of. That alone makes the film worth a look. It is a truly odd piece, with the more commercially "successful" (if that's what you can call it) group desperately making concessions to the other. The Dandy's are denigrated for their success, while the BJM are given praise, despite the fact that little gets through to back this up. I guess this is supposed to be an "art vs. commerce"-styled logic, but neither art nor commerce is really served here. At the same time, it's incredibly interesting...

Many years ago (I'd say around 1998-1999) I brought home a copy of "Dinner At Eight" on videotape, prepared to watch a gem. I'm sorry to say, I was nearly bored to tears. Over ten years later, I saw the film a second time on TV. Being older, I figured I might hold a differing viewpoint.

It was still deadly dull.

"Dinner At Eight" is nominally about a social climber (Billie Burke) who's plotting a society party. The people who are invited all have various motives for attending (or not attending) this dinner. These motives are shared over the course of the film, which ends as dinner is about to begin.

I kept waiting for dinner to begin, if only cause I felt that the dinner would've been necessary compensation for the two hours of dull build up to this soirée. For my money, the scenes with John Barrymore hold up best. Wallace Beery and Jean Harlow have some amusing bits early on, but near the end, I found myself tiring of the bickering. Billie Burke is just fine, but I wish she would've had more screen time. She, along with Harlow & Beery, and a few of Barrymore's lines, provide what humor is in this film.

Other's may find it wonderful, but I found it to be a letdown, especially given the hype it's received over the years.

The third re-make of this venerable tale of a massive ape who falls for a chorus girl and hauls her all over New York is considerably more impressive than the 1976 version of the tale. Obviously, nothing is going to compare to the original, and wisely, they keep bits and pieces of the original script from that film (why drop a good thing). The tale reverts back to being set in 1933, after the 1976 version squarely set itself in the present. What was retained from 1976 was the sudden idea that the main human character, Ann Darrow (portrayed here by Naomi Watts), is now reciprocating Kong's feelings, to a degree. Apparently, being claimed as a bride by a monstrous gorilla on a prehistoric island is no longer what it once was cracked up to be, fear-wise, at least.

In the end run, your opinion of the film will largely be based on how you view the emphasis on CGI effects. The background settings of New York are quite good, and this film allows for an atmosphere to be set early on that's quite nice. On the other side of the equation are the various monsters on Skull Island, which are what you'd come to expect from the modern CGI world.

Jack Black is fairly solid as Denham, Watts handles Ann Darrow alright, and Adrien Brody is actually quite good in the old Bruce Cabot role of Jack Driscoll. They do their best with what's there, and all of them will probably admit that this was never meant to be award-winning material.

Overall, it's not bad.

Pearl Jam Twenty gives you a respectable two hour overview that's meant to cover the group's history. Obviously, some things must be left out of the picture, and everything after about 2003 gets the short shrift here. That being said, it's still a tremendous documentary that shows the group at it's peak, and gives you a good clue as to why they are where they are today.

If you were there from the beginning, it's hard to believe all this happened. Pearl Jam emerged from one of the wildest times in rock history, made it through, and have become a beloved institution by many. Everything is touched on that needs to be touched on, from the Mother Love Bone days on up. They do skim over the drummer situation, and it would've been nice to see a few of them interviewed for this piece. I think they may have shed some interesting light on the inner workings of the band.

Those who are still waiting for the definitive multi-part documentary on the 1990's alternative rock scene will have to make due with films like this, until someone takes the time to make their way through all the film footage & put it all together. Luckily, this film does a great job of highlighting an essential band from an essential time in rock & roll.

"Baseball", the series by Ken Burns, sets out to be the definitive documentary on the sport, but falls short of the mark.

Everyone is aware that the history of baseball is long and complex. It is so long and complex that even the best attempts to chronicle it fall flat. This being said, Burns's documentary falls short in so many ways. Rather than tell the story, the film falls victim to waves of intense social commentary, as though the film has to redress every last wart and blemish ever associated with the game.

What's regrettable about this stance is that iconic figures of the game get the short shrift. As an example, as near as I can tell, there's not a single mention of Mike Schmidt, arguably the games greatest third baseman. There is, however, plenty of time spent on three areas: the Yankees, the Red Sox, and the Negro Leagues. Judging by the whole of the film, you might think they were the only areas that mattered. This, sadly, is what the film is: Yankees, Red Sox, Negro Leagues, with everybody else in a supporting role, as though it were a movie, complete with a triangle at the top and supporting players down below.

Do not get me wrong - there is a treasure trove of beautiful footage from the game's early days that make this essential for anybody to spent a few minutes with. It's just a pity that Burns can never move too far away from wielding a social hammer instead of the proverbial peanuts & cracker jack a lot of us may have preferred.