Film Review: Inside Out

"Do you ever look at someone and wonder, 'What is going on inside their head?'" - Amy Poehler
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The human mind is a complex labyrinth of mental processes, conscious and unconscious thoughts, emotions, memories, and more. It's a muscle that's always working in complicated ways to ensure our survival in day-to-day interactions, and for human beings in particular, this extends to emotional well-being, socializing, rationalizing, communicating, and more. Few people, if any, fully understand how the human brain fully works; it's just always there, and the voices in our heads are always there to guide us through life. With Pixar's film Inside Out, filmmakers cleverly interpret neuroscience into a whole new universe where emotions are characters, memories are objects to be stored and used, and their interactions are what cause people to act the way they do.

In spite of the premise, the film definitely employs some imaginative world-building, featuring visually fantastic scenes where a person's mind is a surreal fantasy world akin to Alice in Wonderland (which in itself could be interpreted as a mental thing anyway). Within the mind of one little girl, there are "personality islands" that represents Riley's values; there's a literal "train of thought" that appears; there's a zone where "abstract thought" turns the characters into literally abstract figures; there's a film studio that makes dreams; and so much more. It's a clever way to translate what we know of the brain into literal places that are visually impressive and sometimes funny. What brings the mental landscape to life will be the characters though - the interaction between all the emotions creates plenty of hilarious comedy between themselves, and causes people to react in funny ways too. Altogether, the movie is just as cute, funny, and imaginative as Toy Story and Monsters Inc. were.

The story has two different narratives working for it. On one level, it's the simple story about Riley, the girl who has to move from rural Minnesota to San Francisco, and has to cope with all the stress of leaving behind home and living in a new place. In her head is where the bulk of the film's adventure takes place, in which Riley's Joy and Sadness both go missing and have to find their way back to headquarters before the other emotions mess up Riley's life for good. It's a pretty lightweight story on both accounts, with subtle levels of conflict. What makes the film compelling will be the characters, both external and internal. It is consistently fun to watch the emotions, for even though they are one-dimensional, their personalities clash and react in dynamic ways. Thanks to their relationships, Riley and her family are brought to life in a perfectly lovable way as well. Their struggles are struggles that we can all relate to though; the film underscores the turmoil around life changes and maturity that we all face at some point, and through those fundamental conflicts, the film reaches an emotional resonance as the characters straddle the threshold of maintaining psychological stability.

This film is crafted with top-notch animation quality. It's a bright and colorful film with plenty of imaginative designs. Lighting, textures, and rendering are all great. Movements are very lively and smooth. In some areas, it is genuinely impressive as to how big in scale some of the settings and locales are. Voice-acting is great from the whole cast, the writing is good, and the music score is appropriate.
Inside Out is cute, funny, and pretty clever, much like the other films Pixar is best known for. It deserves a look.

4/5 (Experience: Good | Content: Good | Film: Good)

Film Review: Terminator: Genysis

"Old...not obsolete." - Arnold Schwarzenegger
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For over 30 years, James Cameron's The Terminator has relentlessly entertained with its punchy visual flair and its elegant narrative. It presented an iconic franchise, and it did so telling a great story with time travel that actually made sense. With three sequels of varying quality and substance, the series became rather convoluted. With Terminator: Genysis, filmmakers decided to "hit the reset button" and set a new direction for a potential new Terminator saga.

To be honest, I expected Genysis to be a horrid mess. There might be some who will label Genysis as such a mess, but personally, I was pleasantly surprised by the film's earnestness.  Make no mistake though, the film does have its share of humorous banter and over-the-top action. Chief among the action setpieces, there are a lot of Terminator brawling scenes, where machines fight each other and destroy just about everything in their wake. There are car chases, and there's even a helicopter chase. The firepower is more explosive, the fights are at their most hard-hitting, and the experience as an action film is satisfying.

As with any film, it's the story that will either make it or break it. Even with a cursory glance, viewers can nitpick about plot holes and contrivances with Genysis, given the fact that all Terminator movies mess up the timeline more and more. In this case, the film takes after the first film and neglects the rest, before presenting a number of twists that splinters the plot into an alternate timeline. This time, Kyle goes back in time to find Sarah is already protected by a T-8-800, and is armed to the teeth. There are already T-1000s lurking around 1984, and everything the characters thought they knew becomes irrelevant. In spite of this, the film does one thing that the other sequels never could: it liberates itself from the original formula of The Terminator and opens up the possibilities to any number of directions. Kyle and the Connors are no longer bound to a singular timeline and forced to fulfill their established destinies; as they journey through a new and uncertain future, they confront threats old and new, and once again prove that anything is possible. Because of the way the film remixes aspects of the original film, it slickly utilizes a few scenes from the first film, and is loaded with references and familiar lines. The film adheres closely to ideas and concepts introduced in the first two films. Thus, it feels like a natural extension of the first film, and in all respects, it's a pretty fun alternate sequel.

If there is anything that hampers the storytelling, it would be the characters. They aren't terrible by any means - Kyle Reese and Sarah Connor are as great to watch as ever - but their relationship takes on a totally different dynamic, and the way it turns out in the end could have been refined more (the romance felt forced; I actually question if it's even necessary in the alternate timeline). More screen time for "Pops," John Connor, and O'Brien would have helped tremendously. Danny Dyson appears in just one scene, but I wish he could have had a much bigger role in the film.

The film is made with decent, but rarely memorable or great, photography. The camera work can be a little shakey in a few scenes, but a lot of the imagery is solid. Editing is not bad. Acting is fine for what it is: Arnold Schwarzenegger returns as the iconic Terminator, and he's still a blast to watch. I felt that Emilia Clarke's performance as Sarah Connor was appropriate. I can't say I like Jai Courney as an actor, but I have to admit that him playing Kyle Reese wasn't terrible; he looked the part, and was appropriately stoic. Jason Clarke is decent. Writing is okay, but I felt it could have used a lot of refinement, especially in defining the villains' intentions and fleshing out character relationships. Plenty of exposition is delivered regarding the various plot twists, and even though it often feels forced, it helps make sense of what could have been a screwed-up plotline. This production has pretty good-looking sets, props, and costumes. Some special effects are great, others not so much. The music score reprises a few of the classic themes in an elegant manner, and it is really nice.

Terminator: Genysis is not nearly as bad as I expected; it won't top the first two films, but it's certainly superior to the last two. There are a few things I wish could have been better, but the film does promise a thrilling new direction for the series' future, and it promises to be quite the explosive ride.

3.5/5 (Experience: Good | Story: Okay | Film: Okay)

Film Review: Jurassic World

"You didn't ask for reality, you asked for more teeth."- BD Wong
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Dinosaurs were resurrected with the miracle of genetic manipulation on Jurassic Park, but all attempts to control them ended in chaos and bloodshed. The pattern persisted through two more movies, and now it persists through another. This time, in the fourth film of the series, the park is finally open. Tourists flock to Isla Nublar to see living, breathing dinosaurs on exhibit. Something's bound to go wrong...

True to the formula of the series, the film starts off slow, establishing a few key characters (including kids for the narrative to anchor onto, again) before things start to go wrong. From the halfway point onwards, the film unleashes all kinds of hell when the dinosaurs inevitably break free and start wreaking havoc across the park. There are plenty of spectacular scenes in which dinosaurs stomp their way through entire crowds of hapless humans. It eventually builds up to a huge showdown between the classic dinosaurs we all know and love, and the menacing Indominous Rex.

Other things that make the film interesting will be its revamped setting - a fully working amusement park - and a few cool ideas, including the possibility of using Velociraptors in combat. You know what you're getting with the plot; it follows in the same pattern as the first film, complete with the recurring theme of chaos theory and humanity's inability to control nature. It reaches a pretty bizarre climax where the films seems to emphasize the dinosaurs in a heroic light, and it becomes a bit cheesy.  What makes the film lovable will be its characters, who aren't terribly deep, but are often colorful and charming most of the time. Some of them make some pretty dumb moves, but for this series, it's to be expected.  There are a couple of kids in the mix, to give us the familiar family-esque dynamic.  Watching the leads comes together proves to be charming and enjoyable, thanks to their personalities.

This film is made with good photography and editing. The cast is a pretty colorful bunch: I enjoyed watching Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, and the kid characters. Other players are not bad. Writing is pretty lightweight, but it gets the job done. This production uses good-looking sets, props, and costumes. Special effects offer plenty of incredible sequences, and are fun to watch. The music score brings back some of the classic themes, and is pretty good.

Of the Jurassic Park movies, I value Jurassic World for finally pushing the series into interesting new territory, rather than rehashing territory already explored in the other two sequels. It doesn't quite surpass the first film by any measure, but I find its characters and action more likable than the other sequels, and the film is worthwhile for any series fan.

4/5 (Experience: Good | Story: Pretty Good | Film: Pretty Good)

Film Review: Jurassic Park III

"On this island there is no such thing as safe." - Sam Neill
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For a third time, dinosaurs terrorize people. This time, the people stumble across Site B (from the second movie), finding it a derelict place overrun by prehistoric wildlife, including bigger, badder, and smarter creatures.

There are a few good thrills to be had with Jurassic Park III. At this point, the special effects have been refined to look sharper and smoother, and there are still some huge animatronics being employed. Thus, you get a lot of good-looking dinosaurs running loose chasing people all over the island. This includes the epic Spinosaurous, which makes its introduction by fighting and defeating a T-Rex in mortal combat. There are also raptors everywhere, which use more cunning than before to hunt down their prey. On top of that, there's also some Pteranodons in a giant "bird cage" (from a scene that was in the original novel but never used before). The dinosaur action is modestly satisfying and pretty fun.

Unfortunately, the story leaves much to be desired. It is great to see Dr. Grant returning as the protagonist (and Dr. Sattler in a smaller role), but he winds up being surrounded by a bunch of the dumbest dorks imaginable. The whole plot revolves around an estranged and dippy couple that lost their son; they go so far as tricking and manipulating Grant and his protégé to the island. Once they all finally get there, it's just one dumb move after another, followed by lost of running and screaming. The film becomes a bit more endearing with the chase scenes, and the characters' human sides become apparent, but there are still some dumb things that happen that ruin all creditability (including watching a smartphone travel through a dinosaur's digestive system and somehow work underwater to relay an unintelligible message that somehow prompts the military to show up in the end...yeah right). Of all the faults with this film, however, the one thing that's always bothered me the most is that there's nothing new involved; it's just another island adventure with little connection to previous events, and nowhere else to go. The movie doesn't advance the arc of the series at all (though I haven't seen Jurassic World just yet, I have a feeling you can skip this one no problem), so it comes off as a mere throwaway adventure.

This film has good-looking photography, including some decent POV shots. Editing is solid. Sam Neill is as fun to watch as ever. Laura Dern is barely in the movie; what little screentime she has is fine and dandy. William H. Macey and Téa Leoni are excellent at playing the dippiest characters imaginable; Trevor Morgan does a fine job in his role; all the mercenary characters are fun to watch, and everybody else is just peachy. Writing is pretty weak, and there's hardly any dialogue that stands out. This production uses decent-looking sets, props, costumes, locales, and special effects. Music rehashes all the old themes.

This film has its share of cool action, and it often tries to recapture the same sense of wonder and whimsey that made the first film endearing. However, the plot doesn't hold much water, the characters are frustrating, and the whole movie doesn't leave as much of a lasting impact as the last two.

3/5 (Experience: Average | Story: Marginal | Film: Pretty Good)

Film Review: The Lost World: Jurassic Park

"What you study, you change." - Jeff Goldblum
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In the events of Jurassic Park, an entrepreneur's dream of a living biological attraction ended with bloodshed and terror. Despite the threat of dinosaurs rampaging out of control, businessmen would still vie to reap the benefits of genetically-engineered beasts from "Site B."

This follow-up to the hit 1993 film aims to provide more of the same - wit, color, and action - but on a bigger scale. There are more dinosaurs to behold. People deploy more cool vehicles and weapons to hunt and capture them. More people get eaten, more are chased across the jungle, and it all leads up to a crazy finale where a T-Rex runs amok in San Diego. There are a lot of fun setpieces to behold.

There are a few things that mar the experience a little. Characters aren't quite as likable as in the first film; everyone's favorite chaotician returns and delivers plenty of sarcasm, but the family dynamic that's built around him doesn't congeal quite as well as it did with Dr. Grant and the kids in the first film. A lot of the characters in this film seem to make even dumber mistakes than in the first film, and many are unlikable. Some scenes are rather daft. Despite these issues, the plot takes off in interesting directions, showing how far a corporation will go to exploit nature. These events bring the threat of the dinosaur breakout to the civilized world in the end; the T-Rex's downtown carnage tends to be rather silly, but it does expand on the original theme that life cannot be controlled or tamed.

This film sports pretty good-looking photography and editing. It is a much more drab and darker film, with a lot of nighttime photography. Acting is okay for what it is: Jeff Goldblum returns with his signature wit, but his character isn't always likable as he's always yelling at others trying to get them to listen to reason. Julianne Moore is playful in her role, but her character makes a few dumb decisions. Peter Postlethwaite is cool, Arliss Howard plays a dork we love to hate, Peter Stormare is the same, and everybody else I could take or leave. Writing is okay; there are amusing lines, but the dialogue is not as effortlessly colorful and fun as the first film. This production uses top-notch sets, props, costumes, and special effects. John Williams' music score takes the original theme and transforms it into a wonderfully adventurous tune; I almost like it better than the first movie's theme.

The Lost World has plenty of thrills and fun, some of which is bigger and bolder than in Jurassic Park. It's only hampered a bit by a few characters making a few dumb decisions, and a few silly scenes here and there. I always felt it was a fun follow-up, and if you enjoyed the first film, this should be worth seeing once.

3.5/5 (Experience: Pretty Good | Story: Okay | Film: Good)

Film Review: Jurassic Park

"Life, uh... finds a way." - Jeff Goldblum
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Genetics can unlock the secrets of creating and growing biological life; we've already used these secrets to clone a sheep, to alter our crops, and it may allow us to repopulate endangered species. In his novel, Michael Crichton explored the unique and harrowing possibility that genetics could bring the dinosaurs back. When entrepreneurs try to turn the miracle of dinosaur cloning into a theme park attraction, chaos theory kicks in, proving that nature can't be tamed that easily.

Stephen Spielberg's adaptation of Crichton's novel takes the original premise, complete with its cautionary warnings, and delivers it as a fast-moving adventure film full of color, wit, and thrills. There are moments where the film emphasizes the whimsy and wonder of creation, but when the deadliest of predators are unleashed, there are a fair amount of harrowing, suspenseful chases that follow. One of the most chilling scenes shows the dreaded Tyrannosaurus Rex breaking loose from its paddock and laying waste to a pair of jeeps, threatening to crush and eat everybody trapped inside. Velociraptors rush through the jungles and buildings, threatening to devour human prey. What starts off as a wondrous "what if" scenario eventually devolves into a struggle for survival and escape; occasional bursts of comedy keeps the film lightweight, but with groundbreaking special effects, carefully-staged action, and characters worth caring about, the film offers a grand spectacle and a perfectly-entertaining blockbuster experience.

Much of the story is altered from the original book, but it's hardly an issue. On its own merits, the film tells the story it wants to and it does it well. It flips a few of the characters around so that there's a family dynamic at work. Most of the characters are likable, and the film sets them up so that we can understand and care for them when they're in danger.  Some of them make very bad decisions, but even the dumbest characters are endearing, because the film shows them as being very human and prone to mistakes; these faults ultimately contribute to the plot's progression.  The plot unfolds spectacularly, continuously building in tension and action. Throughout the picture, the characters speculate and dig up fascinating themes about playing God with genetics; the film's events prove that all human attempts to control nature and force a structure will never work, and life will always find a way to break free and thrive on its own. These themes carry both wonder and terror, and the film emphasizes both aspects aptly.

This film is made with really good photography. Editing can be a little weak at times, but it is often punchy and good. Acting is pretty over-the-top, but it produces expressions and emotions that fit in perfectly with the film's tone. Sam Neill and Laura Dern are perfectly likable in their roles. Jeff Goldblum steals the show repeatedly with his character's wit and wisdom. Richard Attenborough has a great presence and personality as John Hammond. The kid characters put their best into it, and they do have some endearing moments that gives the film a more emotional punch. Bob Peck is cool, Martin Ferraro is a dude we love to hate, Wayne Knight is an even bigger dude we love to hate, Samuel L Jackson keeps it real, and everybody else is decent. This script is full of great lines, but some dialogue can be rather random, and it's all really low-key. Despite one or two shortcuts, this production uses good-looking sets, props, costumes, and creature effects. Special effects were fantastic for its time, and most of them still hold up to this day. John Williams' music score is catchy and emotional.

Jurassic Park is easily one of the best blockbusters, not only because of all its visual effects and thrills, but also because it has heart, and it has themes worth thinking about. It's a must-see.

4.5/5 (Experience: Perfect | Story: Good | Film: Good)

Book Review: Foundation (Isaac Asimov)

If you know sci-fi, chances are good that you would have at least heard of Asimov's Foundation series; it is one of the man's most celebrated works.  The first, original book in the series dives headlong into the distant future of our galaxy, which is turned into a sprawling space-faring empire.  The novel presents the interesting premise that the Empire is collapsing, and it's up to a group of scientists to lay down the foundation of a new era on a couple of backwater planets.  Upon doing so, the Foundation encounters one crisis after another, the resolutions of which will shape the way the future inevitably unfolds.

To be fair, the book has a very interesting premise, and it's the politics and social themes that make it worthwhile.  The story borrows much from historical references, such as the fall of the Roman Empire, to illustrate that social ruin can occur at any era.  The problems of the Galactic Empire in Foundation are pretty simple - the Empire simply spread itself too thin and was too centralized.  The Foundation provided a solution for long-term sustainment, not with the benefit of rich resources, but with the creation of a new religion that ultimately wins over the population and helps the Foundation resolve each new crisis.  Thus, the book provides interesting themes worth exploring, regarding the relationship between society, religion, and science.

Unfortunately, despite having a great setup and interesting content, I found the book's emphasis on politics to be extremely dry.  The book covers hundreds of years of events, so characters tend to come and go without receiving much development or investment.  There is no pathological or emotional anchor involved with the story to make me care for the events, outside of the social aspects.

I have no complaints about the writing; Asimov's prose is to-the-point and has decent dialogue.  This book doesn't have much description for the settings, which can make it a little harder to visualize, but it does paint a few fantastic planetscapes.  I personally would have appreciated more exposition with the events, since the story seems to jump ahead with little indication of what's exactly going on; you have to read the dialogue to get the gist of things.

Foundation is a book worth reading, so long as you don't mind a story that's politically-dense.  As a highly-tutted sci-fi classic, sci-fi fans should give it a try.

3/5 (Experience:  Poor | Story:  Pretty Good | Book:  Pretty Good)