Friday, June 5, 2015

Jurassic World: Thoughts Before Seeing The Film


We're just a week away til the release of the fourth installment in the Jurassic Park franchise: Jurassic World. Let me just say that Jurassic Park is literally my favorite movie and book of all time and with the new movie coming out I thought I write a bit of a my retrospective of the franchise.

Of course, Jurassic Park was release back in 1990 when author Michael Crichton had an idea of bring back dinosaurs with DNA.

The idea was mind-blowing and when Steven Spielberg heard of the idea from Crichton when they were writing the first draft of a film that they were going to do called ER (soon turned into a hit and legendary TV series). Spielberg stopped ER and moved towards Dinosaurs and DNA concept.

Soon in 1993, Jurassic Park was made and it became the highest grossing movie of all time until Titanic came and then Avatar came and bump it down to third. The film literally changed the game of film making with the  computer animation of the dinosaurs that looked so real. I assuming that when folks saw it that they wet their pants of something like that when they saw the T-Rex come out of it's play pin.


I never saw the film in theaters. I was a bit too young to see it. But it was later when my grandfather rented the movie and had me and my grandmother watch, I was like mind blown and addicted to it. And by the way, I didn't put two and two together until later that Michael Crichton was the guy who created ER and Jurassic Park.

I was interested in dinosaurs after that, but of course a teacher I had in grade school, who happens to dress up like Miss. Frizzle, had told us that those dinosaurs didn't live in the Jurassic era. I didn't care, it was still the greatest movie and story I've ever seen.

Later after Jurassic Park, the fans demanded a sequel. Boy, sequels were a thing and even still to this day I believe. Even Spielberg wanted to do a sequel too and Crichton wrote the book sequel called The Lost World: Jurassic Park.


The book was amazing. It's just like The Lost World by Arthur Conan Doyle's version. And in 1997, the sequel to the film was released and it was a big success.

There might be some that didn't like it or thought it took a bit away. But hell, I thought it was great and it was the first Jurassic Park film that I got to see instead of waiting for it on VHS. Yes, VHS was a thing back then and in my opinion it still is. I still have a VHS player to this day.

Now of course, fans want more and so does Universal Pictures too. I don't blame them that this is the biggest film franchise until Furious series came about. But soon Jurassic Park III came and it was okay. I didn't see it when it came out.

 I did see it years ago when it was on television. I liked it, it had my favorite character Dr. Alan Grant in it. But I think that a search and rescue was a bit out there.

But now here we are 14 years after Jurassic Park III, the park is finally open in Jurassic World. I think that from the trailer it looks freakin amazing! And I'm a bit glad that Spielberg had taken sometime to figure out what to do with this story. I really hope that he had Crichton in his thoughts because it's his creation and I really don't want anything bad to happen with anything he created. Hell, Crichton helped changed the game of medical dramas.



The story concept looks great from what I've read. The park is finally open and when things go well enough. Of course, business wants to do more to bring people back, so they make a hybrid dinosaurs and well, as Ian Malcolm would say chaos rules all.

I literally can't wait to see it next week (June 12th). I'm still debating if I should go see it in just IMAX or IMAX 3D. I saw the trailer in 3D IMAX when seeing The Avengers Age of Ultron and as I told my brother with a shocked look on my face, "Holy F**k! We have to see this in 3D."

Jurassic Park is literally my all time favorite movie. It has adventures, great characters, a great story and just enough scariness to scare me and plus dinosaurs. And I can't forget to mention but it's also got the greatest soundtrack and theme song in movie history.

John Williams is a music iconic genius. The theme has made me cry but also got me on the edge of my seat in certain scenes. He knows what to do in a movie and he's been part of Spielberg's film career for a long time but in this new version, he isn't but they are honoring the themes.

Jurassic World premieres in theaters everywhere on June 12th.


Thursday, June 4, 2015

"Bonsoir!" Hannibal "Antipasto" Season Premiere


Television's best drama returns with an appetite full of unbelievable moments.

In the season premiere of Hannibal, we watch two character Hannibal and Bedelia, now living in Europe and taking over someone's place.

We meet Hannibal riding a into town with his motorcycle, searching for someone and later follows him home. He cooks and eats the guy and surprises the guy's wife.

The episode goes back and forth on flashback, one with Gideon and Hannibal having dinner. There were multiple flashbacks as they were having dinner. They were eating Gideon's leg and arm.

Other flashbacks were those of the events after the season finale. I really was really amazed with Anderson's character as we see her dealing with Hannibal. But also that maybe she can't stand being with him after knowing what he's capable of.

We also got to see flashbacks of Bedelia when she had one of Hannibal's patients and the guy was dead on her floor and she's covered in blood.

But with one guy who Hannibal meet at a party comes by looking for a professor, he gets into Hannibal's grill and tells him that he wants to untwist things. Well, he surly got the untwisting down pat as Hannibal invited him back home and beats the crap out of him.

The guy is killed and later we see Hannibal on a train. As he looks beyond the window, he makes a heart shape paper model. We see that he left the guy's body in a cathedral. Left for Will to find as we see in next week's promo.

I think that this episode was more of Bedelia character development  She doesn't seem to be bothered but near the end she seems to not want to be around but I think Hannibal kind of changed her mind.

The visual effects were better than ever. The cooking sequence was flat out amazing and one of the thing. Overall this episode was a 10/10. Loved how it just focuses on Hannibal and Bedelia.

Next week's episode the hunt is on fro Hannibal as Will get's his message.

You can catch Hannibal Thursday nights at 10/9c on NBC.


The Tension and The Temper: Aquarius "Never Say Never To Always"


In this week's episode of Aquarius, Hodak comes close in finding Emma and family life takes a hurtful turn but comes with a sweet relief. Manson on the other hand shows his turn self to Emma.

Hodak is not only searching for Emma but he's also searching for his son who his ex-wife got him out because she wrote a letter saying she's dying. By law that's false and Hodak wants to find him before the Army searching for him.

He finds his own partner sleeping with his ex as he was searching for any clue on his where about. Upset but tells his partner about how she is but when she comes into the room, she drops the truth boom on him as well.

The search for Emma comes in when Shafe and Tully goes back to see Charlie. Shafe sees Emma but when he tells Hodak about it, he goes over there with her mother but was too late.

Kristin had a bit of reality check with all these kids that are Emma's age. She talks to one girl and she tells Kristin that her mother wrote a note and gave her a hug.

No Manson, No Emma. They were both at a wooden area, set to record his music. But when they came back, Manson's guy tells him about how the cop was there looking for  Emma. He gets angry and tells Emma and another girl that they are going somewhere.

Emma keeps asking questions, but Manson soon gets angry and angry with every question until he slaps her. He takes them to the guy who recorded they're song as a gift. He really doesn't want any cops looking for them. Trying to throw them off.

But the kicker in this episode, which I predicted that Hodak and Kristin would have a moment and take it to the next level. You can see they have a sexual tension between one another.

This episode was pretty good. I was amazed how the character of Tully took the humor from the guys in the department and the drags. She showed her true colors when she talked to Charlie and how they met.

I give this episode a 8/10 as it was good and the characters where really developed.

You can catch Aquarius Thursday nights at 9/8c on NBC or you can watch the entire series on NBC.com.

Mr. Robot: Preview




When our own democracy has been hacked, who do you turn to fight back? That's what one of summer's new show that's getting a lot of buzz is a new series on USA Network called Mr. Robot.

The series is about a young computer programmer, Elliot (played by Rami Malek from Night at the Museum franchise and 24), who's works as a cyber security engineer by day and a vigilante hacker by night. Soon he finds himself in a bit of a crossroad when a mysteries leader of an underground hacker group recruits him to destroy the same corporation that he is working and paid to protect. Pressure by his own beliefs, Elliot struggles to resist the chance to take down the multinational CEO's he believes are running and ruining the world.



The series is a psychological thrilling drama created by Sam Esmail (writer and director of Comet).

With casting along side Malek are Christian Slater (Hot Tub Time Machine 2), Portia Doubleday (Carrie), Carly Chaikin (Suburgatory), Martin Wallstrom (Simple Simon) and Gloria Reuben (ER).

You can watch the full pilot episode on VOD or YouTube right now. The series premiere airs on June 24th on USA.




Wednesday, June 3, 2015

Hannibal: A Television Appetite to Die For.



It's consider the best drama on television by critics and also was voted "Best in Show" on Hulu.com. Not to mention that it's scored a perfect 100% from Rotten Tomatoes. Hannibal is a must see and a must watch it live. Hannibal should be part of your Thursday night menu for drama.

Developed by Bryan Fuller (created Pushing Daises) takes the characters from the novel Red Dragon and make a different version of what we have read and seen in the Thomas Harris novels and movies.

The series deals with Will Graham (played by Hugh Dancy) who's tasked by FBI agent Jack Crawford (played by Laurence Fishburne) investigating and trying to catch the Chesapeake Ripper. But with the investigation weighting heavy on Graham, he's being supervised by psychiatrist Dr. Hannibal Lecter, who turns out to be the Ripper, himself.



That's how the series started off and from last season, Graham gets held in a psychiatric prison for he was to believe to be the Chesapeake Ripper. But by the end it everyone from Graham and Crawford knew it was Hannibal and it turned out to be one hell of a season two.

The show has added new characters since the season had started  from Gilliam Anderson (The X Files & The Fall) as Dr. Lecter's psychiatrist Dr. Bedalia Du Maurier and Raul Esparaza (Law & Order SVU) as Dr. Frederick Chilton.

It's so interesting to watch how the relationship between Graham and Lecter has gone from season one to the end of season two.

I can't say enough on how great this show is. From the compelling characters to the writing. The stories that takes these characters is like you think you know where it's going but soon they get you and it's like your shocked or stunned. You never thought that it would the way it did.


Also I can't say enough with the visual effects in the series. To put it in a way that I could possibly say it, I would describe the series as a psychological horror crime art series.

The effects just takes your breathe away and blows your mind. I have never seen a series that uses such beautiful effects on television and I've been watching television for more than 20 years.

And not to forget that the series does deal with cooking. I can't get enough of Hannibal's cooking techniques. I get hungry by the time the show is over. It's so interesting on how you would cook a human leg, but I think I'll just stick with the chicken and pork.  

This season on Hannibal, the show starts on a new slate. So if you haven't seen the series before, this might be the best time to tune in. Hannibal is on the run along with Dr. Maurier. Will and Jack are on the hunt for Hannibal and well here's a preview of season three.



I say this again, Hannibal is one of the best series on network television. There's no other show like it and I recommend tuning in this Thursday at 10/9c on NBC to see what I really mean.

Mads Mikkelsen is such an amazing actor as Hannibal, he's a different version towards Anthony Hopkins' Hannibal in the movies. And adding Anderson to regular cast will make it even better along with Lecter.

Hannibal is literally a television appetite that's just to die for and I think that everyone who has seen the series would agree. Heck, it's Entertainment Weekly's #1 Show to watch. There's nothing that can't be said about that.


You can catch the season premiere of Hannibal Thursday, June 4th at 10/9c on NBC.


Sunday, May 31, 2015

The Adventures of Going Through Time and Space.



There are television shows that sometimes we have never heard before, never seen, something so unique that it just blows your mind right out of your head and into the deep parts of space and time. I'm talking about a show that has a long history. I'm talking about Doctor Who.

Doctor Who, a British SyFy television series that has been around since 1963 (that's 51 years, making it the most extended science fiction television series of all time), has been part of mainstream culture for a long time. It was a massive hit in the UK, and soon, the US followed it, too. The theme song is one of the most recognized theme songs ever.

The 13 Doctors that we've seen in the show's history, from Tom Baker to David Tennent to Matt Smith to now Peter Capaldi.  Also, the show has some of the most extraordinary, scary, and weirdest villains, from Daleks to The Weeping Angles (the most frightening thing I've seen on the show).

I never heard Doctor Who until 2011, when the Doctor was played by Matt Smith in season six. I heard of the series maybe a few months before the season started. I listened to the podcast "Talking TV with Ryan and Ryan," and they discussed the series. As I listened to this on my iPod in the library at my community college, I became very interested in this series.

I learned before watching a single episode that I didn't have to go back to the beginning, which was probably a better thing to do than to do it.

I started with Season Five, and after watching each episode, I was very much hooked on the series.

Smith was just hilarious and made me realize that bow ties are cool. Who wouldn't want to travel with a man in a blue box through time and space?

Soon, I became a Whovan, and so did my brother, Alex, too. And then, we started watching other Doctor Who episodes, from the classics to the series reboot in 2005.

My favorite villain is between the Daleks and weeping angels. Both scare me, but the angels frightened me to death when I saw them in season five.

Since watching Who, my favorite companion is Amy Pond. The girl who waited was the story that stole my heart, and when she was taken away from the Weeping Angels in season seven, I was sad. But now I'm getting attached to Clara Oswald, The Impossible Girl, as she is known to the Doctor. She's fun and clever.

She has a soft side and yet stands up for what she knows.

As I wrote this, I've seen the first episode of the new season and thought that it was terrific. Peter is the Doctor. He has the look, the style, and the accent for it. He is a man who is lost. I was very moved and thought seeing Matt Smith calling Clara was a great closure. It was something that I think we all needed to see.



This series is a series that regenerates, like the Doctor himself, with new stories and new characters.
Now, with the start of the new season and the new Doctor, I'm looking forward to new adventures into the darkness of time and space and what becomes of the Doctor and Clara as they travel off.

Geronimo!!!!!!!!!!

Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt "Kimmy Makes Waffles" Season Finale




In the season finale of Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Kimmy and the mole women are in the bunker trying to find any evidence to get Rev. Wayne G. Wayne.

They've found a video tape that contains clips of Rev. Wayne doing karate kicks, DJ Wayne and his application for The Apprentice. To Kimmy, there was nothing there to get him on.

Tensions rises between the girls of finding nothing. But when leaves, the wind and a motorist touches or rides on the bunker door, it starts to close and the girls are trap again.

Meanwhile, Titus who's been embarrass from his interview, gets a phone call from his agent. The agent loved the YouTube video of Titus and wants him to go on The Soup and other things.

Lillian and Jacqueline take a trip to see Kimmy. These two are a pair of Thelma and Louise, they have chemistry no doubt about it. Riding in the car, talking with each other in Jacqueline's kitchen and almost about to have fun with a couple of sailors.

Even Jacqueline doesn't know how to drive, she turns to her family and remembers certain things like which way the wind blows or that big hair dogs are buffaloes.  But when she sees an Indian mascot come off the bus, she starts attacking it.

As Kimmy and the girls are still trapped, Kimmy has an idea of how to get out, same place where the rat came and went: the air vent. The Kimmy and the other two girls help boost up the vent but needed the other one (who's on the Rev. Wayne's said) for help. After Kimmy made a promise to her, she boosted up all there and soon just before making a phone call, Randy comes with help after rescuing what he says is the Mayor's cat.

The Kimmy and the girls comes back to court and Kimmy takes the roll of asking questions. She tries to be slick but with time running out, she puts in the tape. There might be nothing there until Gretchen was stun to see what was on the tape. Apparently the Rev. Wayne made an audition tape the day before the Apocalypse.

That winning the case and taking Wayne to jail. Kimmy and Cyndee made up their difference. Lillian and Jacqueline get there and Jacqueline makes a decision to travel to her home town without her contacts. Ah..she can't drive that well with them.

Not to mention that Dong has been calling Kimmy more than eight times, but when Kimmy called back Dong was married to another person that was in their study group. Awkward!!

But probably as not awkward as Titus coming to Kimmy and all of the sudden, his wife shows up. Total awkward. Boy, oh boy oh boy, next season is going to be juicy.

I've found this episode to be totally out the mind hilarious. Felt like it picked off where we left off which is great for binge watchers. Jon Hamm, amazing!!! That tape of him was just mind blowing funny. Give the guy an Emmy for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series. He won that this year I think.

Felt like the show tied loose ends and also very much opened the door for more. I can't wait to see more Titus and his wife that's going to be something. What will Kimmy do next after the trail is all done? I wonder and I surely can't wait for season two.

Overall, I give this episode a 10/10. It closed it up and opened season two with so many possibilities.

For overall this season, I give this season a 10/10. I can't see any thing other that this series is truly one of the best. Literally one of the best comedies to binge watch online. I won't be surprised if this series starts to win a lot of awards because this is a show of talent that's all over.

You can catch the entire first season of the Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt on Netflix now and season two will be in Spring of 2016.