The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997)

4/5

I have trouble reviewing movies I grew up watching, especially ones that have the cachet of Spielberg and the nostalgia of youth behind it. The Lost World is one such example. It is a remarkable but imperfect piece of filmmaking, yet all its flaws are ignored when remembering it 15 years later. Not quite the breathtaking, innovative escapism that Jurassic Park was, this sequel somehow manages to be both more mundane and more extravagant. Industrial Light & Magic's CGI here is astounding, even by today's standards. But all the special effects are front and center, with a spotlight shining down, instead of simply existing as a tool in the storyteller's arsenal. Though the plotting is as richly intricate and textured as the first one was, it puts too much emphasis on the spectacle of the dinosaurs. It makes the Tyrannosaurus Rex the protagonist, without humanizing it enough to make it feel like King Kong for a new generation. Like the 2005 King Kong remake, it centers on special effects instead of story, action instead of characters, and that is where it misses out on its full potential. The Lost World loses the awe that Jurassic Park had. The thrills excite, the jokes lighten the mood, and the movie reaches its inevitably satisfying conclusion, but not nearly as well as the first one did.

IMDb link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0119567/

The Time Traveler's Wife (2009)

3/5

The Time Traveler's Wife is a surprisingly well-shot romance about a man who inexplicably travels through time and the woman he falls in love with and marries. Henry's disappearing act, which the movie is content to call a genetic anomaly and leave it at that, often keeps Claire without a husband for dinner and alone on Christmas and New Year's. The movie is both depressing and uplifting; it is unafraid to examine tragedy and death but knows that in the end it must give us new birth and eternal hope. The leads give heartfelt performances, but the dialogue and script often fall flat. It was hard for me to treat the scenario as realistically and everyday as they did, which often gave the piece a very written feel to it. Yes, I can see how it would be infuriating for Claire, but it's difficult to empathize with her when she lashes out at Henry for something he can't control. (And on a side note, the broken timeline is just too confusing for audiences to fully unravel on an initial viewing.)

Technically, the movie was an unexpected delight. The cinematography was exceptional. Nearly every scene had a fluid tracking shot with elegant compositions and rack focuses. The camerawork was beautiful and evocative, and it was integrated seamlessly with subtle, understated special effects. The "montage" scene before Alba's 5th birthday--where the camera circles the various rooms in their house to show Alba's childhood--is a perfect example. Another is the scene where Henry steps off the train after speaking with his mother for the first time since age 6. The movie has some truly stunning shots. If you like romances, or if you like technically proficient films, then you will no doubt like this movie. But if you don't, it with fail to change any opinions you hold about the romance genre.

IMDb link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0452694/

Full Metal Jacket (1987)

5/5

Stanley Kubrick's Full Metal Jacket is a flawless evocation of war's penalties, of its atrocities and its victims. The film is split in two parts, the first describing recruit training on Parris Island and the second reporting battles in war-torn Vietnam. Neither is forgiving, and the first is as brutal as the second.

The film starts with a ferocious intensity; the first forty-five minutes set up a suspenseful introduction that never lets you breathe until it's over. It composes a darkly comic atmosphere that is simultaneously unsettling and disturbing. You might find yourself laughing, but then quickly stop yourself as the horror mounts. The second half is almost as funny and just as frightening. It is the visceral counterpart to the cerebral first. Kubrick uses this symmetry, and echoes it in his shot compositions, to reveal multiple layers of meaning. A thematic analysis seems to be first and foremost in this film's creation. (For further analysis, I have linked a five page paper I wrote on it for class here.)

While Kubrick makes few, if any, cinematic mistakes, I am a bit baffled by some of his choices for dialogue and acting. The macho battle between Joker and Animal Mother when they first meet seems awfully staged and preposterously over-the-top. He clearly intended something by it (it would be impossible for him not to notice), but I just can't figure out what. Additionally, a few shots in the barracks/training scenes didn't quite match up. These complaints detract very little from the experience. After 20 years, it still holds up remarkably well and its easy to see its influence on future war movies. This is one film you don't want to miss.

IMDb link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0093058/