Terminator Franchise Retrospective

A new ‘Terminator’ film is on the horizon in the form of ‘Terminator: Genisys’… and yes, that spelling of the subtitle is intentional. And the fact that I had to highlight that should give you an idea of the general apprehension of most film fans in regards to this upcoming film and some of the creative choices that have been made for it. Personally I’m looking forward to the film as I am a fan of the franchise and contrary to public opinion, I don’t think it looks bad at all. I even like the idea of the film going back to the story of the first film but doing a new take on it through the creation of an alternate universe a la the new ‘Star Trek’ films. But at the same time, I do recognize that this definitely is one of those films that could go either way. But there was recently a video released where the series’ original creator James Cameron stated that he enjoyed the film, stating that it is “extremely respectful of the first two movies”. So if James Cameron, the same guy who hasn’t been involved with the franchise for years and was critical of both of the previous two ‘Terminator’ sequels, says that this new film is good, then I think it’ll at least be solid and not the ‘disaster’ that most film fans on the internet are predicting it to be. Perhaps one of the reasons for this unease towards the film is the fact that the ‘Terminator’ franchise is one of those film franchises that has arguably gone on for longer than it needed to be.

It all started back in the early 80’s before James Cameron was known as the director of the two highest-grossing films of all time, ‘Titanic’ and ‘Avatar’. Back then, his only major directing credit was for the 1981 B-movie ‘Piranha II: The Spawning’. Heck, he wasn’t even the original director of the film… and he was even fired by the producer just a few weeks into the shoot. But if there was anything good that came out of working on that film for Cameron, it is that during the film’s release, he had a nightmare about being chased by a metallic endoskeleton. This led him to develop the story of ‘The Terminator’, which was released in 1984. Produced for just $6.4 million, the film went on to become one of the most iconic sci-fi films of all time, followed by an equally successful and beloved sequel in 1991. The sequel ended up tying up all loose ends, resulting in what would’ve been a proper ending to the series… that is, until Hollywood decided to bring the franchise back, which it did in 2003 by retconning the ending of the second film so that the franchise could continue, hence why we are here today with the newest film set to come out in a few days. So today, in honor of the upcoming release, it’s time to look back upon the last four ‘Terminator’ films, the two from Cameron and the two that were produced without his input.

THE TERMINATOR (1984)

While all three of its sequels are firmly rooted in the sci-fi action genre, the first ‘Terminator’ actually goes down a different route. After all, as noted earlier, part of Cameron’s inspiration for the film basically came from a nightmare he had so as a result, the original ‘Terminator’ film is sort of a sci-fi horror film with its premise of a young woman named Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton) being chased by an unstoppable human-looking cyborg known as the Terminator (Arnold Schwarzenegger) with only Kyle Reese (Michael Biehn), a soldier from the future, to protect her so that she can give birth to the future leader of the resistance, John Connor. This terrifying premise is executed perfectly not only in the writing but also through the film’s noir-like style with its darker-lit environments. All in all, this is one low-budget sci-fi film that uses its low-budget status to great effect. Arnold Schwarzenegger is perfectly cast in what would become the most iconic role of his career and both Linda Hamilton and Michael Biehn do excellent jobs as well. All in all, what James Cameron has since referred to as his ‘first film’ (not ‘Piranha II’) still stands as one of the absolute best films of the sci-fi genre, and it did it all with a minimal budget.

Rating: 5/5!

TERMINATOR 2: JUDGEMENT DAY (1991)

It’s rare when you have a sequel that’s not only as good as the original film, but is arguably the better film. Don’t get me wrong… the first ‘Terminator’ is still a fantastic film, no doubt about that. But at the end of the day, I do prefer the second film, which is much more action-based compared to the horror-like premise of the first film. ‘Judgement Day’ is basically the first film but with a budget that allows Cameron to go all out with the action sequences and effects. As such, the film’s action sequences are excellent and the visuals are quite impressive for the time as the film ended up being one of the pioneers of the use of CGI alongside films like ‘Jurassic Park’. But what really makes ‘Terminator 2’ stand out more so than its action and visuals is Cameron’s exceptional writing which adds plenty of layers to both the story and the characters. Cameron perfectly captures the paranoia of the impending doomsday, Judgement Day, through the eyes of the main characters; Sarah in how much she has changed since her first encounter with a Terminator and her drive to stop Judgement Day from happening, John in coming to terms with his destiny while facing the same situation his mother endured before (except in this case Robert Patrick’s T-1000 is arguably an even more intimidating antagonist than Arnold’s T-800 due to his more ‘unsuspecting’ nature), and so on. But amidst all of that, the film still manages to find moments of levity, namely through the father-son relationship between John and the T-800 that was programmed to protect him. And that is ultimately why ‘Terminator 2: Judgement Day’ is not only one of the best sequels of all time, but quite frankly also one of the best films of all time as it perfectly balances its action with its storytelling to produce a true cinematic masterpiece.

Rating: 5/5!

TERMINATOR 3: RISE OF THE MACHINES (2003)

‘Terminator 2’ ended on a pretty conclusive note. The Connors, with the help of the T-800, destroyed all traces of Skynet so that Judgement Day could be prevented. There was absolutely no way that the series could continue on after that, right? Well, Hollywood found a way, hence why in 2003, without any involvement whatsoever from James Cameron, ‘Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines’ was released. It pulled a major retcon by establishing that the Connors’ efforts in ‘Terminator 2’ only postponed the inevitable doomsday. So with that in mind, you can probably tell that this film is obviously not as well-liked by fans as much as the first two films. But you know what? I actually think this film isn’t that bad; in fact, I’d say it’s quite underrated. Now again, let me be clear. This is easily one of the most unnecessary sequels of all-time. There was no need to continue this franchise after ‘Terminator 2’ because that film tied up pretty much every major loose end and this film instead goes against that by saying that no, that didn’t stop Judgement Day from happening… that and the film does not feature Sarah Connor, killing her off instead prior to the events of the film. This film also re-hashes the same plotline of the previous film (and technically speaking the first as well minus the fact that Kyle Reese was not a Terminator) of a Terminator being sent back in time to kill John Connor and a Guardian Terminator sent back as well to protect him.

But despite all of that, the film itself is still a pretty darn solid sci-fi action flick. The action sequences are still really solid, especially the highway chase where the Terminator crashes through buildings hanging onto a big hook. The humor is emphasized a bit more in this entry than the previous film but I didn’t mind that too much. Yes, I thought the scenes where the Terminator puts on silly glasses and tells a convenience store clerk to ‘talk to the hand’ were actually pretty funny moments. Of course, the return of Arnold Schwarzenegger to his iconic role of the Terminator is very much welcome. I’d also argue that Nick Stahl has been the best John Connor out of all of the actors who have been in the role so far. Sure he spends most of the film looking/acting depressed as hell but I think that actually works well with the character at this point in his life, forced to stay off the grid and haunted by the destiny that awaits him after Judgement Day. So at the end of the day, I actually really liked ‘Terminator 3’. Did it need to be made? No. In being made, did it go against the excellent ending of ‘Terminator 2’ with a shameless retcon that was the only way the series could even continue? Yes. But is it a ‘bad’ film? No, not at all. It is by no means the best entry of the series but it is still pretty darn entertaining and by no means as ‘terrible’ as some on the internet may put it out to be.

Rating: 4/5

TERMINATOR SALVATION (2009)

On a positive note, ‘Terminator Salvation’ is the first entry in the series that actually takes place during the future and does not rehash the same ‘Terminator hunting the Connors’ plotline of the first three films. But the downside? It’s easily the weakest of the first four ‘Terminator’ films. Ultimately this is one of those cases of ‘style over substance’. Director McG, to his credit, does a solid job with the action sequences even under that pesky PG-13 rating that drew red flags amongst hardcore fans even though it’s really not that big of a deal. But the writing on the other hand… is pretty darn weak. The overall story is fairly dull and despite being a ‘Terminator’ film, John Connor actually isn’t even the main character of the film. And while Christian Bale may be one of the best actors working today, the most memorable thing about his turn here in ‘Terminator’ was his infamous rant at cinematographer Shane Hurlbut and that’s about it. Instead, the main character of the film is Marcus Wright, a death row inmate who discovers that he has been turned into a ‘Terminator’. It may just be because Christian Bale’s turn as John Connor didn’t turn out so good, but Sam Worthington is actually one of the bright spots of the film as what is ultimately the more interesting character. Another major standout of the cast is Anton Yelchin as young Kyle Reese, as Yelchin does a great job in capturing the mannerisms of the character as portrayed by Michael Biehn in the original film. ‘Terminator Salvation’ is by no means a ‘terrible’ film but that doesn’t mean it’s necessarily ‘great’ either. McG tried his best but lacked the good writing of the first two films. Ultimately though, ‘Terminator Salvation’ is a decent popcorn flick.

Rating: 2.5/5

Ted 2 (2015) review

After creating one of the most successful shows of the 2000’s in ‘Family Guy’, a show that survived not one but two cancellations by Fox, Seth MacFarlane moved into film in 2012 with his directorial debut, ‘Ted’, the story of a Boston native by the name of John Bennett and his relationship with his talking teddy bear Ted, who came to life after John had made a wish on a shooting star back when he was a kid. The film ended up being a huge success, attracting solid critical reviews and grossing over half a billion dollars worldwide. Three years later, everyone’s favorite ‘Thunder Buddies’ are back with ‘Ted 2’. But of course, as we all know, comedy sequels are pretty darn tough to get right. Most of the time they end up being inferior to their predecessor, usually because they just end up rehashing the same jokes instead of doing something new. But at the end of the day, ‘Ted 2’ actually does manage to be one of the better comedy sequels out there, even if that may not necessarily be saying much given most of the other comedy sequels that have come out over the years. It’s by no means the absolute funniest comedy of the year, even when compared to the first film, and it does share some of the issues that plagued MacFarlane’s previous film, the general misfire that was ‘A Million Ways to Die in the West’. But unlike that film, those issues aren’t really as prevalent in ‘Ted 2’, which is thankfully much more consistent in terms of its humor. And that’s primarily thanks to the film’s great leading duo of John and Ted, who ultimately are the main reason why these two ‘Ted’ films have been so much fun to watch.

The film picks up about six months after the events of the first film, with John Bennett (Mark Wahlberg) coping with his recent divorce with Lori (in other words, Mila Kunis did not return for the sequel) while Ted (voiced by Seth MacFarlane) marries his girlfriend Tami-Lynn (Jessica Barth). One year later, the couple find themselves at great odds with each other so Ted suggests that they have a baby. But due to obvious reasons (i.e. Ted being a teddy bear), the two, with the help of John, instead have to resort to other methods to have a child. However, when they try to adopt, Ted learns that he is viewed only as ‘property’ by the government, which results in him losing his job and his marriage to Tami-Lynn being annulled. With nowhere else to go, Ted and John decide to take their issue to court to prove that Ted is as much of a person as everyone else. With the help of Samantha Jackson (Amanda Seyfried), a young up-and-coming lawyer who John and Ted immediately connect with due to their shared interests (e.g. marijuana), the ‘Thunder Buddies’ embark on a quest to get Ted’s life back by proving to the world that not only is he human but that he can also make positive contributions to society. All the while, the pals embark on another series of misadventures, including having to deal with the return of their nemesis Donny (Giovanni Ribisi), who once again hatches a plot to kidnap Ted, this time teaming up with Hasbro so that they can try and figure out what caused Ted to come alive so that they can produce more living teddy bears.

Like its predecessor, your overall enjoyment of ‘Ted 2’ will more than likely depend on whether or not you find MacFarlane’s general style of humor funny. ‘Ted 2’, just like the first film and ‘Family Guy’, is full of adult, immature, and sometimes even potentially offensive humor. It’s pretty much the live-action version of ‘Family Guy’, with John and Ted basically being the live-action equivalents of Peter and Brian Griffin. Me personally, I loved the first few seasons of ‘Family Guy’ but I haven’t watched the show in recent years mainly due to the simple fact that the show’s quality has dropped with each subsequent season that it is still on. But as for ‘Ted’, it was one of my favorite comedies of 2012 and ‘Ted 2’ is not too far off. Sure, like with MacFarlane’s last effort, ‘A Million Ways to Die in the West’, there are some ‘dead air’ moments in ‘Ted 2’ with no humor, which is usually whenever the film tries to be serious, more so than it needs to be. That and perhaps the film does go on just a bit too long, which was also a problem with ‘A Million Ways to Die in the West’. But unlike that film, the humor is a lot more consistent and like the first film, there are also some legitimately heartfelt moments even amidst all of the dirty humor. At the end of the day, all I can say is that it’s just really funny to see something like a teddy bear act so raunchy and that’s really one of the biggest strengths of both ‘Ted’ films; it’s just a fun and unique premise that only someone can Seth MacFarlane could pull off.

But once again, the best element of ‘Ted 2’, just like with the first, is the duo of John and Ted, who are just one of the best comedy duos of the past few years thanks to Mark Wahlberg and Seth MacFarlane’s excellent camaraderie. Sure, John and Ted can be immature and crude most of the time but there’s also something about them that actually still makes them such a likable pair, which is probably due to the strong bond of friendship between them. Mila Kunis doesn’t reprise her role of Lori in this film, which is disappointing not only because the plotline of her and John getting divorced basically goes against one of the most endearing elements of the first film (their relationship) but because she played just as big a role in the film as much as John and Ted and wasn’t just ‘the girlfriend who dislikes her boyfriend’s best friend’. But to her credit, Amanda Seyfried works just as well with Wahlberg and MacFarlane. At the end of the day though, John and Ted are the true heart of the film and whenever they aren’t onscreen, that’s where the film’s humor doesn’t hit. Usually this with any scene involving the character of Donny, whose plotline in the first film of him trying to kidnap Ted for his son was admittedly one of the weaker parts of that film. But, like with pretty much any MacFarlane production, you can also expect a whole bunch of memorable cameos, including Tom Brady, Morgan Freeman, and Liam Neeson, the latter of whom is thankfully used to greater effect here than in ‘A Million Ways to Die in the West’.

‘Ted 2’ is by no means the funniest comedy of all-time, especially when compared to the first film. That and it did share some of the issues that plagued ‘A Million Ways to Die in the West’ (e.g. ‘dead air’ moments and being just a bit overlong), even though those issues weren’t as big of a problem this time around. But still, at the end of the day, I had a good time watching ‘Ted 2’ which I would actually argue is almost just as funny as the first film. Like the first film, the main reason for this is the duo of John and Ted. They’re just a great comedy film duo and it’s fun to watch these two go on all sorts of misadventures and get into a bunch of hi-jinx. Yes, like its predecessor and MacFarlane’s iconic show ‘Family Guy’ (especially in recent seasons), the humor can be a bit harsh and mean-spirited at times. That’s just the kind of humor MacFarlane does and obviously it’s not for everyone. But what surprises me about both of these ‘Ted’ films is that despite all of that, there are still some moments that are actually legitimately touching, which again is usually due to the great friendship of John and Ted. All in all, ‘Ted 2’ does manage to be one of the better comedy sequels of all time. If you loved the first film, then I’m pretty sure that you’ll like this one too. But if you’re not a fan of MacFarlane’s brand of humor, then you’re better off with something else.

Rating: 4/5

Inside Out (2015) review

Ah Pixar, what a great animation company you are! Ever since they first started making computer animated short films in 1986 (technically 1984 if you count ‘The Adventures of Andre and Wally B.’), which then led to them making feature-length computer animated films starting with 1995’s ‘Toy Story’, they have consistently entertained both kids and adults alike with their excellent lineup of animated classics that are not only beautifully animated but also show amazing maturity in their writing with their great stories and characters. But since ‘Toy Story 3’ in 2010, many feel that Pixar has been in a bit of a slump writing-wise. 2011’s ‘Cars 2’ was the first major Pixar film to receive primarily negative reviews from critics and while both 2012’s ‘Brave’ and 2013’s ‘Monsters University’ received better reviews, neither of which were as beloved by both critics and audiences as much as Pixar’s previous work. Personally I’m not really one of those people who thinks that Pixar has been going downhill. While I haven’t seen it since it first came out, I remember liking ‘Cars 2’. And while ‘Brave’ was rather disappointing due to the film’s shift in tone halfway through, I actually really loved ‘Monsters University’. But as for their newest film, ‘Inside Out’, the first of two Pixar films this year (a first for the studio), and the first since ‘Cars 2’ to be directed by one of Pixar’s main lineup of directors (in this case Pete Docter (‘Monsters Inc.’, ‘Up’)), I can safely say that this is the best film Pixar has done since ‘Toy Story 3’. Of course like with every Pixar film, the animation is superb. But the film also succeeds thanks to its incredibly effective emotional depth (pun intended). It’s a film that is guaranteed to tug at your heartstrings.

The film primarily focuses on a 11-year old girl named Riley (Kaitlyn Dias), who moves from Minnesota to San Francisco with her parents (Diane Lane and Kyle MacLachlan) when her father gets a new job. It is established that within everyone’s mind are a group of personified emotions that help guide their humans through life and form their memories, the most important of which, which are referred to as ‘Core Memories’, help define their personality. In the case of Riley, her main emotions are Joy (Amy Poehler), Sadness (Phyllis Smith), Fear (Bill Hader), Anger (Lewis Black), and Disgust (Mindy Kaling). As Riley starts to adjust to life in her new city, the other emotions start to express major concerns about the move while Joy tries to keep everything positive. But on Riley’s first day of school, trouble ensues when Sadness interferes with one of Riley’s memories. When Joy tries to fix the problem, both her and Sadness end up getting sucked out of Headquarters. Now stuck in Long Term Memory, the far reaches of Riley’s mind where all of her past memories are stored, the two try to get back to Headquarters in order to get Riley’s emotional state back to normal, which gets more and more out of whack as Fear, Anger, and Disgust try to keep everything under control back at Headquarters but end up alienating Riley from everyone around her.

Like with any Pixar production, the animation is superb; in fact, I’d argue it’s one of Pixar’s best-looking films to date. It’s definitely one of the company’s more ‘cartoonish’ visual styles but it results in some truly eye-catching imagery with all that goes on in Riley’s mind, particularly when Joy and Sadness go through Riley’s imagination and dreams. And that really correlates to how I describe this film as a whole; imaginative. It’s a fun concept that is explored further as we see inside the minds of other characters, including both of Riley’s parents and a whole slew of characters during the credits. But what really makes the film work is that it very much succeeds when it comes to its emotional depth and substance. For one thing, the events of the story are things that I’m pretty sure that we have all gone through at some point in our lives, whether it’s moving to a new town/city or being the new kid at school. And it’s all handled with the maturity that you would normally expect from Pixar. I guarantee you that you will get emotional at certain points in the film, with some scenes in particular being really hard-hitting. But at the same time, the film also manages to lighten things up at just the right moments with its fair share of humorous moments/dialogue. And really it couldn’t be any more fitting that a film primarily about the emotions in you heads highly succeeds in making you feel all sorts of emotions.

Speaking of said emotions, this film features a great cast of characters as personified by Riley’s emotions. One of the things that I really liked about the film was that, while the main conflict of the film (Joy and Sadness getting sucked out of HQ and having to find a way back) is caused by Sadness and the rest of the emotions, especially Joy, are rather hesitant about her due to her tendency to cause problems, it doesn’t try and paint her in a negative light. It shows that there will be times where you will feel sad and that this is perfectly okay. And as a result, it’s fun to see the interactions between all of the emotions, especially the polar opposites that are Joy and Sadness. And in regards to the film’s voice cast, Pixar couldn’t have gotten a better cast to fill these roles. Amy Poehler is incredibly charming and likable in the role of Joy while managing to not make Joy too overly, for lack of a better term, ‘joyful’, which admittedly could’ve made the character rather annoying. Phyllis Smith just has the perfect voice to fill the role of Sadness as does Bill Hader and Mindy Kaling as Fear and Disgust, respectively. And Lewis Black as Anger? I mean come on, that is the very definition of ‘perfect casting’. But then you also have arguably the standout character of the entire film in the form of Bing Bong (Richard Kind), an elephant, cat, and dolphin hybrid (you’ll understand what I mean when you see the film) and Riley’s former imaginary friend who helps Joy and Sadness get back to headquarters. He too also gets a few emotional moments as well; without giving anything major away, prepare to get ‘taken to the moon’.

As I noted earlier in the intro, I’m not one of those people who believes that Pixar went downhill after ‘Toy Story 3’. I mean sure, at the end of the day, I couldn’t say that ‘Cars 2’, ‘Brave’, or even ‘Monsters University’ are amongst Pixar’s absolutely best work but that doesn’t mean that I think that they’re terrible. They each still have their own unique good qualities to them that at the very least make them good for kids. But that’s not what many people expect from Pixar; to just be ‘good for kids’. Pixar’s greatest works have been able to transcend the limits of animated films with their mature writing, strong stories, and iconic characters, which ultimately makes many of their films highly appealing to adults just as much as they are to kids. And that is why ‘Inside Out’ is the best film that the company has made since ‘Toy Story 3’. Of course it’s got Pixar’s trademark excellent animation, which in the case of ‘Inside Out’ produces a whole lot of colorful and imaginative imagery, as well as a pitch perfect voice cast. But the term ‘imaginative’ goes even further than that as the film’s great premise also results in some of Pixar’s most mature story-telling to date. It captures the emotional side of its characters in ways that we can all relate to given some of the things that happen to the character of Riley as she and her family move to a new city. As silly as this next sentence may sound, you will get emotional over a film that is primarily about emotions. This is easily not only the best animated film of the year so far but also easily one of the best films of the year period. After some missteps the past few years, Pixar finally strikes pure gold for the first time in a while.

Rating: 5/5!

Jurassic World (2015) review

In 1993, Steven Spielberg brought Michael Crichton’s best-selling sci-fi novel/cautionary tale ‘Jurassic Park’ to the big screen and of course we all know how it turned out. It ended up becoming one of the most revered films of its time while also setting major landmarks in the use of CGI for the film’s dinosaur creatures. It was followed by two sequels that were both commercially successful, although neither film was as beloved amongst critics and audiences as much as the first film. Now, 14 years after ‘Jurassic Park III’ was released in 2001, and after a considerably long period of what can only be described as ‘development hell’, primarily due to script re-writes, director Colin Trevorrow, fresh off of his 2012 indie hit ‘Safety Not Guaranteed’, returns us to the world of ‘Jurassic Park’, both figuratively and literally due to the fact that it takes place on the same island that the first film took place on, with ‘Jurassic World’. And boy is it one hell of an experience. Now let me just make things clear for a second. At the end of the day, I can’t say that this is an absolutely ‘perfect’ film, nor can I say that it’s technically ‘as good’ as the first film. For the record, I’m not holding this against ‘Jurassic World’. It’s just that, obviously, the first film is such a hard act to follow. But not only does ‘Jurassic World’ pay loving respect to the original film that it’s following up on but it also delivers on exactly what we came to see; awesome dinosaur-related action. And in that regard, the film doesn’t disappoint in the slightest.  

22 years after the original incident on the Costa Rican island of Isla Nublar regarding John Hammond’s genetically-cloned dinosaur theme park Jurassic Park, a new fully-functioning dinosaur theme park now named Jurassic World, run by operations manager Claire Dearing (Bryce Dallas Howard) and owned by Simon Masrani (Irrfan Khan) of the Masrani Corporation, has been built, embodying Hammond’s original vision for Jurassic Park. When general interest in the park begins to drop due to the apparently decreasing ‘wow factor’ of the dinosaur exhibits, the park’s scientists create a new genetically modified dinosaur, referred to as an ‘Indominus Rex’, out of a hybrid of various bits of animal DNA (e.g. cuttlefish, T-Rex, etc.) as a way to attract more guests to the park. However, a few weeks before the new exhibit is set to open, the new dinosaur ends up breaking out of its enclosure and starts rampaging across the island, resulting in Claire, her two nephews Zach (Nick Robinson) and Gray (Ty Simpkins), who are visiting the park, and Velociraptor trainer Owen Grady (Chris Pratt) getting caught right in the middle of the situation as they and the rest of the ‘Jurassic World’ staff try to stop this new menace before it ends up terrorizing the park visitors.

I’m just going to put it bluntly; this is not one of those films that is going to get any major attention come award season for its writing. After all, this is a sci-fi film about genetically-engineered dinosaurs that run amok… and that’s basically it. It’s definitely not the ‘smartest’ sci-fi film ever written but then again, neither were the other films for that matter. Ultimately, these films are just meant to be entertaining popcorn flicks and ‘Jurassic World’ definitely succeeds in that regard thanks to Trevorrow’s solid direction. There are numerous awesome dinosaur-related action sequences throughout this film. I mean for crying out loud this is a film where Chris Pratt’s character leads a pack of trained velociraptors into combat on a motorcycle, plus plenty more awesome moments that I won’t spoil here for anyone who hasn’t seen the film yet. All in all, ‘Jurassic World’ definitely feels like a true sequel to the original film (‘The Lost World’ and ‘Jurassic Park III’ were mostly ignored here). Trevorrow subtly pays homage to ‘Jurassic Park’ from time to time while also managing to still make this film feel new and not just a re-hash of the original film. And the effects are still as solid as they’ve ever been, even if at this point they’re mostly CGI with only about one major use of animatronic effects, the latter of which has been a major trademark of the franchise.  

On that note, a common criticism of the series has been that while the effects have always been superb, the same can’t be said for character development. And like every other film in the series (yes, even the first film in some cases), that’s definitely true in regards to some of the characters in the film, like Vincent D’Onofrio’s character Vic Hoskins, the head of security for InGen who apparently was meant to be the human antagonist but ends up being one of those ‘villains’ that doesn’t actually do anything ‘villainous’, which is rather disappointing given D’Onofrio’s excellent turn recently as the main antagonist Wilson Fisk in ‘Daredevil’. But despite that, and some other throwaway characters, the film’s four main leads all do excellent jobs. Chris Pratt, after the hot year that he had in 2014 thanks to ‘The LEGO Movie’ and ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’, continues to prove himself to be a Grade-A leading man in the role of Owen, who let me remind you commands a whole pack of raptors. The role is generally more serious compared to Pratt’s usual comedic roles but he still manages to maintain his natural charisma. Bryce Dallas Howard is also a major standout as well as Claire who at first may seem like nothing more than, to paraphrase a tweet by Joss Whedon in regards to the film’s first official clip, a workaholic ‘stiff’ but then turns out to be quite a badass in her own right by the end. Nick Robinson and Ty Simpkins both do excellent jobs as well as brothers Zach and Gray and there are actually some really sweet bonding moments between the two in the latter half of the film amidst all of the chaos going on.

While ‘Jurassic World’ was easily one of the most anticipated films of 2015 for many people, at the same time I found that many other people online were questioning about various aspects of the film, including the whole plot of a genetically-engineered hybrid dinosaur and the aforementioned trained Velociraptor pack, among other things. So going into this film, I ignored all of the noise from the internet and by the end of the film, came out fully satisfied by what I had saw. Simply put, ‘Jurassic World’ is hella fun. No, it may not be the most well-written/smartest sci-fi film ever made but really what do you expect from a series that is based around dinosaurs brought back to life by genetics? But even with that in mind, ‘Jurassic World’, like the original ‘Jurassic Park’, and hell I’ll even argue ‘The Lost World’, succeeds by just being incredibly entertaining with awesome action sequences involving dinosaurs, solid visuals, and a solid cast headlined by standout performances by leads Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, Ty Simpkins, and Nick Robinson, even if most of the other characters are generally underdeveloped and are really nothing more than just ‘dino chow’. And most importantly, ‘Jurassic World’ feels like a true sequel to ‘Jurassic Park’. It may not be as ‘ground-breaking’ as the original film but it definitely stands as the best of the sequels to date and one of the most enjoyable summer blockbusters of 2015 so far.

Rating: 4/5

Jurassic Park Trilogy (1993-2001) review

With the new ‘Jurassic Park’ film, ‘Jurassic World’, coming out this week, it’s the perfect time to look back upon the original trilogy of films that it spawned from. It all began not on the big screen but on the page in 1990 when Chicago, IL born author Michael Crichton published his ‘cautionary tale’ science fiction novel, ‘Jurassic Park’. It became a best-seller and three years later, legendary director Steven Spielberg brought Crichton’s story to film. That film ended up becoming one of the most iconic films of its time while also being responsible for setting landmarks in the use of CGI. During its initial release, it grossed over $900 million worldwide, becoming the highest-grossing film of all time until ‘Titanic’ ended up beating that record four years later and becoming the first film to gross over $1 billion. But ‘Jurassic Park’ would eventually join the billion dollar club as well thanks to two separate re-releases in 2011 and 2013, the latter being a special 3-D re-release. The film would then be followed by two sequels in 1997 and 2001. The former was a result of fans demanding that Crichton and Spielberg make a sequel while the third film, not directed by Spielberg, was an original story inspired by story elements that were unused in the last two films. However, both films, while financially successful, didn’t fare as well with critics and audiences compared to the first film. But are either of these films ‘as bad’ as some put them out to be? That’s what we’ll be finding out today as I look back upon the soon-to-be quadrilogy that is ‘65 million years in the making’; the ‘Jurassic Park’ trilogy.

JURASSIC PARK (1993)

Really what more is there to be said about this film that hasn’t already been said before? We all know how this summer blockbuster from the master director that is Steven Spielberg became one of the most iconic films of all-time and was responsible for revolutionizing the use of CGI, which in the case of this film actually does still hold up pretty darn well today. All of this results in some truly amazing visuals that produce both awe and, in some cases, terror at the same time. But as Spielberg noted in behind-the-scenes videos for the film, his goal wasn’t to make a ‘monster movie’. Instead, there’s a more naturalistic feel to these dinosaurs and that is where the film’s sense of terror really shines. Now some critics have noted that while the effects are amazing, the character development for the film isn’t as strong. Now I don’t 100% agree with that, even though I will concur that there are definitely some characters that don’t get anything to do in the story. But then you have the main group of characters and they’re pretty memorable; Sam Neill as the initially gruff Dr. Alan Grant, Laura Dern as fellow scientist Ellie Sattler (who gets more to do in the film than in the original novel, making her a pretty badass female lead), Richard Attenborough as the misguided but kind creator of Jurassic Park John Hammond (another nice change from the colder persona the character had in the book), and of course Jeff Goldblum as, well, arguably the standout character of the film, Ian Malcolm (“That’s, that’s chaos theory.”). Even 22 years after its initial release, the original ‘Jurassic Park’ still stands as one of the best films of its time, effectively capturing the imaginations of all who watch it.

Rating: 5/5!

JURASSIC PARK: THE LOST WORLD (1997)

After the massive success of ‘Jurassic Park’, both Steven Spielberg and Michael Crichton were pressured by fans to make a sequel. So in 1995, Crichton published ‘The Lost World’ and two years later, Spielberg adapted it to film. This time around, instead of a dinosaur ‘theme park’, the story revolved around an expedition to a secondary island where the dinosaurs were originally engineered, Isla Sorna (AKA ‘Site B’). However, it seems that all that fan pressure may have hurt the film in the end as ‘The Lost World’ didn’t fare as well with critics and audiences. However, I think it’s actually rather underrated. Now I’m not saying that it’s ‘as good’ as the first film. The writing is not really as strong as before, the characters aren’t ‘as memorable’ as those in the first film, and there are a few instances where they make stupid decisions that more or less directly result in trouble, like taking a baby T-Rex, even though they’re trying to help fix its broken leg, resulting in the ‘parents’ coming after them. Still, despite all that, ‘The Lost World’ still manages to capture the same sense of awe and terror that the first film did so well. There are still quite a lot of pretty awesome dinosaur-related sequences, from the scene where the main characters are trapped in an RV that is about to go over a cliff to the climax where a T-Rex is brought back to the United States and goes on a rampage through San Diego. So in the end, ‘The Lost World’ may not reach the same lofty heights of the original film, but it definitely is better than what the internet puts it out to be. Spielberg’s direction is still as good as it’s ever been and the effects are still excellent. Bottom line; this is definitely one of the more underrated films of the 90’s… I mean if anything it’s better than its sequel (you’ll see why in just a sec).

Rating: 4/5

JURASSIC PARK III (2001)

For the third film in the series, Joe Johnston (‘Captain America: The First Avenger’, ‘The Rocketeer’) took over directing duties from Spielberg and instead of being based off of a book by Michael Crichton, the film instead was an original story that used elements of the previous two novels that weren’t used in the films, like an attack sequence on a river and a sequence involving Pteranodons. But like its immediate predecessors, ‘Jurassic Park III’ fared poorly with critics and audiences. And unlike ‘The Lost World’, I kind of have to concur with them on this one. ‘Jurassic Park III’ definitely is the weakest of the franchise. It has the least memorable characters in the series and, for the most part, none of the major set-pieces in the film really stand out that much. So in short, ‘Jurassic Park III’ is the least memorable installment of the franchise… but I don’t really ‘hate’ it. I mean, this was actually the first ‘Jurassic Park’ film that I ever saw. I saw it at a friend’s house when I was about six (yes, I watched a PG-13 rated film at that age) so I do have a bit of a personal connection to it. While I don’t necessarily like it as much nowadays, there are still some good things about it. There are two major standouts in the cast. The first is, of course, Sam Neill, whose return to the franchise as Dr. Alan Grant is very much welcome. The other is Trevor Morgan as Eric, a young kid who is shown to have survived on Isla Sorna for eight weeks after a parasailing incident ended up with him getting lost on the island, hence why the main plot of the film revolves around Grant being brought to the island by Eric’s parents in order to rescue him. The practical dinosaur animatronic effects are still pretty darn good… the CGI not as much this time around, but it’s not that big of a deal. And at the end of the day, ‘Jurassic Park III’ is the shortest entry of the series at just 93 minutes so it’s not overlong. So in short, ‘Jurassic Park III’ may be the most forgettable installment of the series, but I still enjoy it for the most part.

Rating: 2.5/5

Spy (2015) review

2015 is shaping up to be quite a big year for the spy film genre. Earlier this year, we had the insanely over-the-top and incredibly entertaining ‘Kingsmen: The Secret Service’. Later this year, we’re also going to get ‘Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation’, ‘The Man from UNCLE’, and the next James Bond film ‘Spectre’. But before all of that, we also have ‘Spy’, the latest film from director Paul Feig, who’s coming off of two big comedy hits in 2011’s ‘Bridesmaids’ and 2013’s ‘The Heat’. But Feig is also coming into this film with a bit of a chip on his shoulder having attracted a lot of backlash online recently for being involved in the upcoming reboot of the ‘Ghostbusters’ series that will star an all-female cast of leads. One of the leads will be Feig’s regular collaborator Melissa McCarthy, who previously starred in both ‘Bridesmaids’ and ‘The Heat’ and of course stars in this film as well. Like Feig, she too is sort of coming in with a chip on her shoulder as she seemingly is currently running the risk of falling victim to ‘over-exposure’, namely after last year’s ‘Tammy’, which she co-wrote with her husband Ben Falcone (who directed the film), received a lot of negative reviews from critics. But, if anything, ‘Spy’ proves that McCarthy and Feig are at their best when they work together. Not only is ‘Spy’ a pretty darn hilarious spy comedy, thanks in no small part to its excellent cast, but it actually also manages to be a pretty well-crafted spy film as well. If anything, it shows that this upcoming ‘Ghostbusters’ film may not be a ‘disaster’ like many on the internet fear it will be.

McCarthy plays Susan Cooper, a desk analyst at the CIA who, despite finding success as the partner of field agent Bradley Fine (Jude Law), is frustrated by the fact that she hasn’t been given a chance to go out into the field herself and, as a result, is still the ‘same old boring’ person that she’s always been. But that changes when, on a mission to infiltrate the home of Rayna Boyanov (Rose Byrne), the daughter of an arms dealer that Fine had accidentally killed while searching for a mini-nuke, Fine is taken down by Rayna herself, who reveals that she knows the identities of all of the C.I.A.’s top agents. With no other agents, including Rick Ford (Jason Statham), being able to probably take part in the case due to the leak, Susan volunteers to be the field agent on the grounds that none of the targets would know who she is. So, with the approval of her boss Elaine (Alison Janney), Susan heads out, under various unassuming identities (including, among others, a ‘cat lady’), to track and report any developments of an impending sale of the mini-nuke between Boyanov and playboy Sergio De Luca (Bobby Cannavale). While she is told not to get close to any of the contacts for risk of blowing her cover, Susan ends up doing just that, pretending to be Rayna’s body-guard when the two end up crossing paths.

Something that impressed me about this film was that, as far as spy films are concerned, this one was pretty well-constructed in terms of action and the overall look and feel of the film. It even has an intro credits sequence just like the Bond films. The action sequences are shot really well and, like ‘Kingsmen’, are more violent in execution, definitely warranting an R-rating along with the usual raunchy humor you can expect from an R-rated comedy. Having now seen this film, I must say that I would love to see Paul Feig do a Bond film in the future because, based on this film alone, he handles action pretty well. I’m finding that this has kind of been a trend recently as there have been cases of directors who have been primarily known for their work in comedy proving to do a pretty solid job when it comes to directing action, with some other recent examples being the Russo brothers and James Gunn with their work on their respective Marvel Cinematic Universe films. But of course, this is also a comedy and the film does a great job of blending these two genres together, with neither overshadowing the other too much. Admittedly I think that the humor was a little bit stale early on but it definitely improved as the film went on. The film also gives us a really solid female lead in Susan Cooper, who may seem unassuming as far as spies are concerned but ends up being quite a badass when it comes to some of the stuff that she does in this film.

This was the first major film that I saw in which Melissa McCarthy starred in the lead role so ultimately I guess you can say that I’m not amongst those people who have gotten tired of her ‘schtick’ yet. And as far as this film goes, she does a solid job, excelling in both her comedic ability and her overall likability and empathetic nature, which definitely fits the character. Though it could be argued that the biggest standouts of the film are actually some of McCarthy’s co-stars, two in particular. First there’s Jason Statham, in a rare comedic turn. Statham gets plenty of the film’s best lines, which are mostly him gloating about how awesome of an agent he is, being immune to over 170 different kinds of toxic substances and for doing crazy stunts like jumping off a high-rise with only a raincoat as a parachute and driving a car off a train while on fire (“Not the car, I was on fire.”). The other big standout is Rose Byrne, who once again shows that she’s clearly found her calling in comedic roles after being one of the big standouts of last year’s ‘Neighbors’. Her comedic timing is strong and her back-and-forth camaraderie with McCarthy is excellent. But then there’s some other noteworthy members of the cast as well, like Miranda Hart in a breakout role as Susan’s friend Nancy, who also ends up getting involved with the mission as well when she too heads out in the field, and Peter Serafinowicz as Aldo, an informant who constantly tries to flirt with Susan.  

‘Spy’ was the first major film that I have seen from director Paul Feig since he broke out big time in 2011 with ‘Bridesmaids’. And although I haven’t seen either that or ‘The Heat’, I think he’s going to be a great choice to helm the new ‘Ghostbusters’ film. Because ‘Spy’ is sort of two films in one. Not only is it a pretty darn funny comedy, but it’s also a pretty darn well-made spy film as well, once again showing that comedy directors can do action sequences just as well as action directors. While most spy films nowadays tend to be more serious compared to the more crazy and over-the-top films of the past (unlike ‘Kingsmen’, which of course was a tribute to that chaotic style), ‘Spy’ is a nice little comedic alternative and, as a result, definitely one of the better comedies of the summer movie season. Of course that is thanks to the solid writing and direction from Feig and the solid ensemble cast led by Melissa McCarthy and featuring standout turns by the likes of Jason Statham, Rose Byrne, and Miranda Hart. While both McCarthy and Feig have come under fire recently by the internet for recent developments in both of their careers, including the upcoming ‘Ghostbusters’ reboot of course, ‘Spy’ shows that these two are at their best when they work together. The way I see it, this new ‘Ghostbusters’ couldn’t be in greater hands.       

      

Rating: 4/5

Entourage (2015) review

When it comes to TV shows, HBO has become well-known for producing a slew of critically acclaimed series, from ‘Game of Thrones’ to ‘The Sopranos’ to ‘The Wire’. And one of their biggest hits in the early 2000’s was ‘Entourage’, which was partially inspired by the life and career of series producer Mark Wahlberg. The show, which revolved around actor Vincent Chase and the adventures that he had in Los Angeles with his ‘entourage’ of friends; ‘E’, ‘Turtle’, and ‘Drama’, ran for eight seasons from 2004 to 2011 and was a critical and commercial success, garnering a bunch of awards, including three Emmy wins for ‘Outstanding Supporting Actor’ for Jeremy Piven in the role of hot-headed agent Ari Gold. And now, four years after the series’ conclusion, the boys from Queens are back for a feature-length film, with series creator Doug Ellin behind the camera for this film continuation of ‘Entourage’. Now whenever you have a film ‘continuation’ of a hit TV series (e.g. ‘Serenity’, ‘Veronica Mars’), one of the biggest questions is whether or not the film can appeal to those who haven’t seen a single episode of the show. In the case of ‘Entourage’, I do think that this is one of those cases where I would recommend that you see the show first before watching the film. But believe me when I say that it will all be worth it in the end. Sure the ‘Entourage’ film may not be perfect and, given some of its content, is clearly not for everyone. But if you end up liking the show, then you’ll definitely love the film as it does an excellent job of re-capturing the same fun atmosphere, humor, and satirical nature that made the show so popular in the first place.  

As noted earlier, the film continues on from where the TV show left off as famous actor Vincent Chase (Adrian Grenier), star of hit films like James Cameron’s ‘Aquaman’ (and flops like the Pablo Escobar biopic ‘Medellin’) reunites with his best friends; his manager Eric ‘E’ Murphy (Kevin Connolly), his driver ‘Turtle’ (Jerry Ferrara), and his older brother Johnny ‘Drama’ (Kevin Dillon). He is approached by his former agent Ari Gold (Jeremy Piven), now a studio head, to star in his first big film as studio head, ‘Hyde’, a new re-imagining on the classic story ‘Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde’. Vince agrees but on the condition that he also gets to direct the film as well. However, eight months later, Vince and the gang find themselves $15 million over-budget meaning that they have to ask Ari for more money. This means that Ari must meet with the film’s financiers, millionaire Larsen McCredle (Billy Bob Thornton) and his son Travis (Haley Joel Osment), to try and convince them to give them the extra money. But this results in the two of them, primarily Travis, butting into the film’s production as Vince and the gang try to deal with the situation so that they can get the film released. All the while the rest of the gang find themselves facing their own unique dilemmas, including Eric trying to sort out his love life as his girlfriend Sloan (Emmanuelle Chriqui) is expecting, Turtle attempting to hook up with Ronda Rousey, and Drama having to deal with an embarrassing leak.

In the past I’ve said that films like ‘Serenity’ and ‘Veronica Mars’, both of which were also continuations of TV shows, were accessible enough to audiences who haven’t seen those shows before. But looking back, I realized that one of the major reasons why I said that was due to the fact that both of those shows were prematurely canceled; in other words, they were short-lived. ‘Veronica Mars’ only lasted three seasons while ‘Firefly’ (the predecessor to ‘Serenity’) didn’t even get past the first season. So because of that, I feel that it’s easier to see those films without seeing the show first because there wasn’t too much pre-existing story/character development to cover for the uninitiated. ‘Entourage’, on the other hand, lasted eight whole seasons so there were a lot more storylines and character development compared to those other shows. So with that said, this is a case where you should at least watch a few episodes of the show before seeing the film just so that you’re familiar with it. But if you haven’t seen the show before, or if you’re like me and haven’t seen the entire series, the film isn’t completely ‘inaccessible’ to newcomers. A Piers Morgan documentary near the beginning of the film pretty much gets across all of the information that you need to know about where the characters currently are in their lives at the moment without overloading you with every single thing that happened during the series.

If you’re a fan of the show, then you’re going to love this film. It perfectly captures the series’ atmosphere and really it’s just fun to watch these characters traverse through their daily lives in the City of Angels and all of the misadventures that occur from it. Sure, there are certain elements that slow the film down a bit, like the whole bit with Eric and his on again off again relationship with Sloan (a common plot thread of the series) but when Vince, E, Turtle, and Drama are together, that’s where the film really shines. After all, the film is called ‘Entourage’ and the camaraderie between Grenier, Connolly, Dillon, and Ferrara is as strong as it’s ever been. And of course, we can’t forget the best character of the series, Ari Gold, as Jeremy Piven once again steals the show in what is still arguably his most famous role to date. Yeah he’s a total sexist, racist, and homophobic asshole but he’s one of those fun screen ‘assholes’ and he definitely gets some of the funniest lines in the film. And of course you can’t have an ‘Entourage’ film without one of the main things that the series has been known for; a butt-load of cameos and this film just may end up setting the record for most cameos in a film ever. Sure, some of the cameos do feel rather forced but there’s still some fun situations that occur from some of them, like the whole bit with Turtle trying to ask out Ronda Rousey and getting annihilated by her when he goes for a round with her in the ring to try and score a date.  

For the record, I’ve only seen about two and a quarter seasons of ‘Entourage’ (thanks to the free 1-month trial I had for the new service ‘HBO Now’) so I went into this film haven’t not seen the entire series. But I was aware that many fans felt that the show really went downhill in its later seasons and the finale was a fairly poor send-off for the show. So with that said, if this film ends up being the last we see of Vinnie Chase and his pals, then I think fans will find this to be a much more satisfying conclusion to the series. Now given some of the heavy, and I mean it when I say heavy, vitriol that I’ve seen online in regards to both this film and the show, I realize that this film isn’t for everyone. And that definitely shows in this film’s meager 32% rating on Rotten Tomatoes (at the time I am writing this review). But you know what? There are just some films that aren’t meant for critics and this is one of those films. I know that might sound weird coming from a film critic like myself but it is true in a lot of cases. Now I’m not saying that ‘Entourage’ is a perfect film. It does have some issues like some awkward/potentially highly-insensitive jokes and some storylines that make the film drag at certain points. And yes both the show and the film can be very immature and even fairly misogynistic at times. But as someone who was interested in seeing it before he ever saw a single episode of the series and then binge-watched a whole bunch of episodes in preparation for the film, I’m not going to lie when I say that I had a blast watching this film. As a fan of the show I recognize that I may be a little biased in regards to how much I liked this film but I do think that it’s a fun little Hollywood-set comedy that may or may not appeal to those who haven’t seen the show before.

Rating: 4/5

2015 Preview: June

The Summer 2015 Movie Season continues with plenty of new and exciting films on the horizon. Welcome back to Rhode Island Movie Corner’s year-long preview of the films that are set to come out in 2015. This is Part 6 of 12 and today we’ll be looking at the films that will be hitting theaters this June. From Hollywood stars to dinosaurs to emotions to talking teddy bears there are quite a lot of noteworthy films coming out this month so let’s not waste any time and dive right into the films of June.

JUNE 3/JUNE 5- The month starts out with an early Wednesday release of one film, the continuation of a popular HBO series, and two other films, one horror and one comedy, on Friday the 5^th. Plus I’ll throw in one noteworthy limited release.

*Four years after the series came to an end in 2011, the hit HBO comedy ‘Entourage’ returns with a feature film directed by series creator Doug Ellin and produced by series producer/inspiration Mark Wahlberg. The series revolved around movie star Vincent Chase (Adrian Grenier) and his entourage of friends; Eric ‘E’ Murphy (Kevin Connolly), ‘Turtle’ (Jerry Ferrara), and Vincent’s brother Johnny AKA ‘Drama’ (Kevin Dillon) and their adventures in Hollywood. In the film, Vincent is given the opportunity to direct his next film by his former agent turned studio head Ari Gold (Jeremy Piven) but ends up getting into trouble with the financiers when he goes over-budget. Like the show, the film features an abundance of celebrity cameos including, but not limited to, Liam Neeson, Bob Saget, Ronda Rousey, Pharrell, Jessica Alba, and Mark Wahlberg. (Opens Wednesday)

*Series writer Leigh Whannell takes over for James Wan as director of ‘Insidious: Chapter 3’, the third installment of the popular horror franchise. A prequel to the previous two films, this film centers around psychic Elise Rainier (Lin Shaye) as she uses her ability to contact the dead when a teenage girl becomes targeted by a supernatural entity.

*Director Paul Feig reunites with his ‘Bridesmaids’/‘The Heat’ star Melissa McCarthy for ‘Spy’, in which she stars as a CIA analyst who gets the opportunity to go into the field and stop the sale of nuclear weapons when the rest of the CIA’s operatives’ identities are compromised. The film also stars Jason Statham, Rose Byrne, Jude Law, and Allison Janney.

*Opening in limited release is ‘Testament of Youth’, based off of the first installment of the memoir of English writer Vera Brittain, portrayed in the film by Alicia Vikander (‘Ex Machina’). When World War I breaks out and her younger brother (Taron Egerton), her fiancé (Kit Harrington), and their friends (Colin Morgan and Jonathan Bailey) are sent to serve in the army, Vera joins the war effort as well as a nurse. The film also stars Dominic West, Emily Watson, and Hayley Atwell.  

JUNE 12- One of the summer’s biggest blockbusters debuts alongside another noteworthy limited release.

*The first installment of the franchise since 2001’s ‘Jurassic Park III’, ‘Jurassic World’ is the fourth installment in the highly successful ‘Jurassic Park’ franchise. Colin Trevorrow (‘Safety Not Guaranteed’) helms this entry, which takes place on the island of Isla Nublar, where the original ‘Jurassic Park’ took place, 22 years after the events of the first film. A now fully-functioning dinosaur park, Jurassic World, attempts to boost attendance by developing a new genetically-engineered hybrid dinosaur. However, the new dinosaur ends up escaping and starts to cause chaos around the park. The film stars Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, Vincent D’Onofrio, and Ty Simpkins, among others.

*Opening in limited release is ‘Me and Earl and the Dying Girl’, which won both the U.S. Grand Jury Prize and the Audience Award for U.S. Drama at this year’s Sundance Film Festival. Thomas Mann stars as Greg Gaines, a high-school student who makes low-budget films with his best friend Earl (Ronald Cyler II). When they meet and befriend a girl named Rachel (Olivia Cooke) who suffers from leukemia, the two decide to make a film just for her.

JUNE 19- A dramedy, the newest Pixar film, and yet another notable limited release.

*After not releasing any films in 2014, a first for the company since 2005, Pixar returns with their latest flick, ‘Inside Out’. Directed by Pete Docter (‘Monsters’ Inc.’, ‘Up’), the film centers around the ‘emotions’ of a young girl named Riley who is forced to move to San Francisco when her father gets a new job. Amy Poehler, Phyllis Smith, Bill Hader, Lewis Black, and Mindy Kaling voice Riley’s five main emotions; Joy, Sadness, Fear, Anger, and Disgust, respectively.

*Produced by Forest Whitaker and Pharrell, ‘Dope’ centers around a young man named Malcolm who tries to traverse through life in a tough neighborhood in Inglewood, California.

*Co-produced by J.J. Abrams’ Bad Robot Productions, ‘Infinitely Polar Bear’, filmed in Rhode Island, stars Mark Ruffalo as a manic-depressive father who tries to win back his wife (Zoe Saldana) by looking after their two kids while she is away.

JUNE 26- Finally to close out the month, the sequel to a 2012 comedy smash hit and a family film.

*2012’s ‘Ted’, the directorial debut of ‘Family Guy’ creator Seth MacFarlane was a smash hit both critically and commercially, grossing over $500 million worldwide. And now everyone’s favorite foul-mouthed teddy bear is back in ‘Ted 2’ along with Mark Wahlberg as Ted’s best friend John. In this film, Ted (voiced and portrayed via motion capture by MacFarlane) and John work together to help prove that the former is human in a court of law when he faces the risk of losing custody of his new child that he is having with his new wife Tami-Lynn (Jessica Barth). Giovanni Ribisi and Sam Jones (but not Mila Kunis) also reprise their roles from the previous film and are joined by Amanda Seyfried, Morgan Freeman, and Liam Neeson.

*Finally we have ‘Max’, directed by Boaz Yakin, which centers around a dog named Max who works for the military but must then deal with the loss of his handler when he’s taken in by the marine’s family. The film’s cast includes Thomas Haden Church, Robbie Amell, and Lauren Graham.

And those are the films that are hitting theaters this June. Thanks for reading and check back next month for Part 7 as we’ll be looking at the films that will be coming out this July.