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Welcome to Jurassic Park, Jurassic World and Movie Podcast Weekly! In this brachiosaur-sized show, all your MPW hosts assemble for the sole purpose of reviewing the Jurassic Park trilogy and the new film, Jurassic World. We have Jason, Andy, Karl and Ryan — the new guy — as well as a visit from Josh Ligairi, the distinguished gentleman who was recently named during an episode of The Film Vault Podcast as one of the Top 5 Up-and-Coming Directors! Congrats, Josh!
If you’re new to our show… Movie Podcast Weekly typically features four hosts — Jason, Andy, Karl and Geek Cast Ry — along with frequent guests. We give you our verdicts on at least one new movie release from the current year that’s currently playing in theaters, as well as several mini reviews of whatever we’ve been watching lately. And we usually provide specialized genre recommendations. New episodes release every single Wednesday.
SHOW NOTES:
I. Introduction
— Josh Ligairi is back for a visit!
FEATURE REVIEWS HAVE TIME STAMPS:
[ 0:04:16 ] II. Feature Review: JURASSIC PARK (1993)
Jason = 10 ( Buy it! )
Andy = 8.5 ( Buy it! )
Karl = 10 ( Must-See, Must Buy it! )
Josh = 10 ( Buy it! )
Ryan = 10 ( Must-See, Must Buy it! )
[ 0:42:47 ] III. Feature Review: THE LOST WORLD: JURASSIC PARK (1997)
Jason = 7 ( Buy it! )
Andy = 4 ( Avoid )
Karl = 7 ( Buy it! )
Josh = 4 ( Low-priority stream it )
Ryan = 3 ( Avoid )
In accordance with Considering the Sequels Podcast rules, the collective total of ratings falls in the 25 or below range, therefore, THE LOST WORLD: JURASSIC PARK is an example of “cinematic dead horse beating.”
[ 1:02:56 ] IV. Feature Review: JURASSIC PARK III (2001)
Jason = 8 ( Buy it! )
Andy = 3.5 ( Avoid )
Karl = 5.5 ( Rental )
Josh = 4 ( Low-priority stream it )
Ryan = 2.5 ( Avoid )
In accordance with Considering the Sequels Podcast rules, the collective total of ratings falls in the 25 or below range, therefore, JURASSIC PARK III is an example of “cinematic dead horse beating.”
V. What’s New in Theaters This Past Weekend
Jurassic World
Me and Earl and the Dying Girl [ Limited ]
Soaked in Bleach [ Limited ]
The 11th Hour [ Limited ]
The Wolfpack [ Limited ]
Set Fire to the Stars [ Limited ]
[ 1:23:14 ] VI. Feature Review: JURASSIC WORLD (2015)
Jason = 9 ( Theater / Buy it! ) – will see it at the theater again
Andy = 8.5 ( Theater / Buy it! )
Karl = 7 ( Theater / Rental )
Josh = 8.5 ( Theater / Buy it! )
Ryan = 9 ( Theater / Buy it! )
[ 2:01:48 ] VII. Feature Review: SPOILER SECTION: JURASSIC WORLD (2015) (Spoilers!) (Spoilers!) (Spoilers!)
VIII. Wrap-Up / Plugs / Ending
— Special thanks to Steve and Tamara for their recurring donations of $2 each month!
COMING UP ON MPW NEXT WEEK:
Episode 143 when we’ll be reviewing Pixar’s “Inside Out”! Join us!
LINKS FOR THIS EPISODE:
Josh’s links:
Hear Josh named as one of the Top 5 Up-and-Coming Directors on The Film Vault Podcast!
Twitter: @IcarusArts
Josh covers streaming movies on: Movie Stream Cast
Hear Josh on The SciFi Podcast
Hear Josh on Horror Movie Podcast
Geek Cast Ry’s links:
Ry’s BIO
Ry’s flagship show: Geek Cast Live Podcast
DONATE here to facilitate the creation of more Geek content!
Blog: Geek Cast Live
Web site: Geek Harder.com
Facebook
Twitter: @GeekCastRy
Provo Film Society on Facebook
Provo Film Society on Twitter
Jason recommends supporting: Operation Underground Railroad
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Thanks for listening, and join us again next Wednesday for Movie Podcast Weekly.
Sorry it was late. The technical difficulties made it a beast to edit this week. But it’s about 2 and 1/2 hours of fairly entertaining bickering, so I hope that will hold over the HMP listeners until late, late Friday night until we post HMP Ep. 058 on The Infected, “28 Days Later” and “28 Weeks Later.”
J
I can’t wait to listen to this episode. Being a kid in the 90’s Jurassic Park was just huge for me. I had a bunch of the toys, even the Dennis Nedry action figure that represented him as some slim dude covered in gun holsters and wearing shades. What the heck! At least his arms were detachable so I could shoot him in the face with the water squirting dilophosaurus and recreate his death in an even more grisly manner than it’s portrayal on screen!
And Jay, I know it’s irrelevant to this episode, but I’m super curious to know if you’ve managed to catch any more episodes of “Game of Thrones”?
I love your action figure story. You and I were the same kind of kids, my friend.
I am planning to watch more Game of Thrones this weekend. Here’s what I’m going to do, since you asked: I’ve watched the first three episodes of Season 1, but I’m actually going to begin again and start over. I’m going to attempt a stunt or “feat” of film / TV criticism, where I *try* to provide thematic reviews of each episode (that don’t contain plot line descriptions).
Basically, I’m going to do my best to review the show, episode by episode, in a “meaningful” way while 1. avoiding general spoilers and 2. intriguing non-watchers enough to try it out.
I will probably fail miserably, because it’s incredibly difficult, but I would at least like to try.
J
J, I’m glad you’re planning on giving this a try (the reviewing each episode thing) because, more than any other TV show, I think GoT is more cinematic than “television.” I’m interested to see how it works out.
In addition to thematic reviews, I think you’ll be surprised by the number of impressive technical details you’ll be able to discuss, such as how shots are framed to convey certain ideas, or how wonderfully music and sound design are integrated into the show to support the narrative, or, dare I say, how good the CGI is at times (more often than not, I’d say).
Enjoy the ride, my friend. I’m willing to bet it’ll be unlike anything you’ve experienced before. I’m still reeling from the sheer awesomeness of the last three or four episodes of the recently concluded Season 5.
Even I’m pretty impressed with the Game of Thrones CGI! They only seem to use it when it really is necessary and it never feels over indulgent or sloppy. some of the scenery which I can only assume is accomplished via computer artwork is absolutely stunning. I think the combination of CG and practical in the show is balanced perfectly.
Dino, I’m curious what you make of some of the most common criticisms of the show? I’m always astounded when I hear people saying they’re giving up on it because their favourite characters keep dying. To me that’s what makes it so unpredictable and unique. I also see a lot of complaints about the sheer harsh brutality at play and I often see George R.R. Martin accused of being a “perverse sadist” because he has such horrible things happen to such good people but I’ve always just assumed he’s kind of a big history buff. I’ve said before that I think he’s taken a lot of inspiration from The War of the Roses and no doubt other historical conflicts. And if history has taught us anything it’s that the good don’t always prevail. The hero doesn’t always arrive at the last second. The innocent aren’t always spared and the evil don’t always meet with justice. I know it’s a fantasy world but it’s closest touchstone periods in history were indeed rife with bloodthirsty tyrants, murderous fanatics and rapists. I think the brutality and horror is pretty apt for such a story in such a world and I think the subsequent strong emotions that it conjures are something to be applauded rather than a reason to hate the show.
David, I think there’s actually a lot more CGI used in GoT than you realize. Most of it is just so well done and subtly integrated that you don’t even notice. In fact, there are only two instances of bad CGI in the show that I can recall: one happened in episode 9 of this latest season (which I don’t think you’ve seen yet, but think THE NEVERENDING STORY) and the other… well, I can’t remember exactly what it was, but I do remember there being another instance of bad CG.
As far as criticisms of the show, I honestly don’t know about many of them. I generally avoid any and all articles, posts, and information about GoT because I am so spoiler averse. The criticism you mentioned is one I think is silly because that’s one of the main draws of the show for me. In some ways, it’s very predictable and, in other ways, it’s completely unpredictable; I think the way the show handles “good vs. evil” and other related themes is a part of this unpredictability. It’s also interesting that “good” and “evil” really are relative terms, another common theme explored on the show.
The only criticism I’ve heard of the show that I may have agreed with at times is that there’s unnecessary nudity added from time to time. I’m not saying I mind that, but there have been one or two instances of nudity on the show that seemed to just be there for the sake of having nudity and didn’t really add anything to the story.
Dino, I actually couldn’t wait until my rewatch of the other seasons was over so I burned through the whole of Season 5 this week. I do know the “Neverending Story” moment you’re talking about but I didn’t think it was too bad. The one shot that really reminded me of that movie actually gave me a nice ping of nostalgia.
And I’m sure you’re right about a lot of CG being so well integrated that it’s hard to notice. I do appreciate the use of a lot of practical sets and props too though. It would be easy for a show like this to go into Star Wars prequel territory and just green screen everything but the use of real, rugged locations adds a great deal to the grittiness and atmosphere. The whole thing is just so well produced.
Also I do agree that sometimes the nudity/sexual content seems a little too much and slightly exploitative. It doesn’t bother me a huge amount and I understand it comes with the territory to an extent but it does seem a bit unnecessary in places.
Wow, so you’re all caught up. In abstract thoughts, what did you think of season 5?
“Wow, so you’re all caught up. In abstract thoughts, what did you think of season 5?”
I loved it (the Hardhome attack being the stand-out sequence) but I don’t know if it quite measured up to my favourite seasons (2 and 3). I found Arya’s storyline a little odd but i’m hoping that gets explained further in the next season.
As for the big surprise, I actually saw it coming because of a certain act of “duty > mercy” committed by the character in question that’s been paralleled by other unfortunate characters and seems to have become a signpost of such events. Not sure if that’s intentional but it set off alarm bells. It was still shocking and depressing as all hell though. In a good way. I think I need more time to process the whole season though.
I liked this season; I never ranked the seasons before, but if I did it would probably fall directly in the middle. Seasons 1 and 3 would be at the top, and seasons 2 and 4 would be at the bottom (though, not completely sure of the exact order). The fact that season 2 is one of your favorites, but one of my least favorite, is another great thing about this show – there really hasn’t been a stinker of a season, yet. I’ve seen/heard each season being someone’s favorite, which is a testament to the overall strength of the series.
Even though season 5 was “just” middle of the road for me, I think the last 2 or 3 episodes were some of the best in the series.
That definitely sounds like a challenging feat, Jay but I’m sure you can do it. I think a great way to approach it would be to discuss it thematically. It’s a text that is absolutely rife with compelling and fascinating themes; duty vs personal morality, pampered privilege vs earthy austerity, the importance/challenge of family, the ethical conundrum of making difficult decisions for the greater good, the sins of the father, etc, etc.
To me though, the shows biggest strength is its ability to let the characters grow so organically. If you could find a way to discuss the incredible evolution of characters like Tyrion without giving too much a way then I think you’ll be on to a wining formula.
No worries on the lateness or the sound quality. I’ve gotten through your reviews of the first three films in the franchise so far, and the episode has been very enjoyable. I’m interested to hear your thoughts on JURASSIC WORLD. I was only lukewarm on it… it’s a 7.5/10 for me… and it sounds like at least Karl is with me.
p.s. I’m going to be doing a re-watch of 28 DAYS and WEEKS LATER tonight. Can’t wait for that one.
Andy’s done a lot of bad stuff before. He said “The Graduate” sucked. He criticised “The Terminator” movies because time travel movies are “dumb”, He hates “The Killing” and the classic “Bond” movies and all kinds of great stuff.
But “Jurassic Park” boring!? Annoying characters?
You’ve gone too far this time Andy.
Don’t be surprised when you get a thinly veiled death threat in the mail complete with an armless Dennis Nedry action figure!
I hated Andy for that, but at least he scored it pretty high. I’m actually more offended by Jay’s love for Jurassic Park 3. He has no problem giving it an 8, but struggled to give The Conjuring a 4?! Where are we? Earth-Zero?!
Yeah, I’m not a fan of the third one. Where do you stand on “Lost World” though?
I know it’s kind of lame in a lot of ways but I have a lot of nostalgia for it as it was the first in the franchise that I actually saw in the cinema. And I think it’s enjoyable despite it’s flaws. I kind of think of it as a huge budget dinosaur B-movie.
I actually don’t hate LOST WORLD or JURASSIC PARK 3. They’re not great movies, but I find them enjoyable. I guess you can call them guilty pleasures of mine, although I don’t feel terribly guilty for liking them.
That said, I think they’re the two worst in the franchise.
I think the third one is maybe a little more restrained than “Lost World” but to me it seems really anticlimactic. It feels like a much smaller movie than the first two.
David, I feel like we’ve had this conversation before. Maybe I dreamed it and then forgot it in another dream. Anyway, I like The Lost World, actually. I don’t think it’s as bad as people say it is. I wouldn’t call it a classic, but it’s a lot of fun. Jurassic Park 3 is not horrible, but it’s definitely a lot less fun and a lot more dumb than its superior brethren.
Here are my rankings and ratings for the series:
1 – Jurassic Park (10)
2 – Jurassic World (9)
3 – The Lost World (7)
4 – Jurassic Park III (5)
Juan, I rank the four films exactly the same as you, though my ratings are different. I’m with you on JURASSIC PARK (10/10), but give JURASSIC WORLD a 7.5/10… I’d have to re-watch the other two in order to rate them, but they would probably fall in the 5 to 6.5 range for me.
I’m pretty sure I gave “The Conjuring” somewhere in the 5.5 to 6.5 range, Juan. Apples and oranges. At least no one was dragged around by her hair in Jurassic Park III…
J
Technically, you gave THE CONJURING a 5.5, but that might as well have been a 4 to Juan. Dagger… right through the heart.
Dino is correct. You stabbed me in the heart multiple times and quite vigorously. The worst is that you’ve publicly admitted that your score was way too low, but for some reason you won’t change it. You’re sinning, Jay, and you’re going to hell. I’ll pray for you so that at least you’ll end up in purgatory :/
“Armageddon” happened. We’re already in hell.
Oh man… David, so good.
Damnit David! Are you looking to start a war, son?
Josh, could I start calling you Yoshi? I’m a big Yoshi fan, so it only makes sense that adopt that name for you.
And at some point in this episode you guys were talking about why your generation (Josh, Jay, and Andy’s at least) really embraced dinosaurs. I might be wrong but I believe this comes from the ballooning popularity of archaeology in the 80’s. I think new information and several new studies were published in that decade leading to a spike in interest and popularity. I feel like it carried over to my generation too. I was only 6 when the first “Jurassic Park” came out but I was one of those kids who knew all their scientific names thanks to the dinosaur posters on my wall and the dinosaur books I had. I even remember watching that bizarre sitcom called “Dinosaurs”. What other time could that have possibly been made than the early 90’s.
My love for Dino-saurs started back in the ’80s with a show called Dinosaucers. Man, what an awesome time to be a kid that was!
“Dinosaucers” is one I never remember seeing. Was about Dinosaur UFO’s or something?
I do remember “Cadillacs and Dinosaurs”, “Denver the last Dinosaur” and “The Land Before Time” movies though. And museums always seemed to have prehistoric exhibits on and in the gift shop you’d get those solid plastic dinosaur toys that were so heavy you could use them as a murder weapon.
I’m glad you asked.*
I’m very excited about you seeing this, my friend. Like my friends and I say, check it the effect:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gy7fO2i9y94
*I always wanted to say that 🙂
>Juan on June 19, 2015 at 10:16 am said:
“My love for Dino-saurs started back in the ’80s…”
—
I see what you did there.
That’s what she said 😉
Guys, get “The Room”.
“I might be wrong but I believe this comes from the ballooning popularity of archaeology in the 80’s.”
—
I have two words for you – Indiana Jones. It’s a wild theory, but I believe Indiana Jones made archaeology cool in the 80s. I wonder if that somehow led to the dinosaur resurgence.
there were also a lot of “Journey to the Centre of the Earth” and “The Lost World” type movies coming out in the late 50’s and 1960’s. maybe all the kids who saw those films grew up to be the trailblazing Archaeologists of the 1980’s.
Perhaps, but Indiana Jones is a cooler theory.
I’m happy with Indiana Jones taking credit for every subsequent thing since that has been in any way awesome.
Ry – Hockey fan? I know this is a movie podcast, but it’s nice to have someone on the show who knows and likes “sport ball.”
Given my excitement that someone on the show is a hockey fan, I’ll forgive you for being a Blackhawks fan.
Don’t forget that Jay’s a big fan of Super Bowl.
Ha, right.
David, I’ve actually been meaning to ask if you’re into F1 at all. It’s hard to find fellow fans over here in the US.
I’m afraid not, Dino. I’ve never really been big on any sports at all. Unless skateboarding counts. But that was many years ago.
Booooo
Yea I geek out on “sports games” lol…..Big Chicago sports fan, Bulls, Bears, Hawks, Cubs….White Soxs suck…But I enjoy sports outside the big four as well….Soccer, Tennis, Olympic Wrestling , bocce ball, volleyball , underwater basket weaving etc etc
Would that be competitive bocce ball or recreational?
I’m a big hockey guy; worked for the NY Rangers for eight years. Ironically, I used to be more of a sports geek until I actually worked in sports.
I’m also a big fan of “the soccer” and Formula 1. Have you been following the Euro 2016 qualifiers? The Italy/Croatia match a few weeks ago was “interesting” with UEFA’s one-match ban on Croatian fans.
I never would’ve pegged you for an F-1 fan, Dino, but that’s cool. None of my friends are racing fans although there’s one that’s crazy about cars. The only sport that I’m interested in is basketball and that’s only because I’ve always enjoyed playing it. I followed it closely during the Michael Jordan era, but ever since his retirement I’ve lost interest in the game. I was also really into boxing for a long time. I still follow it, but I don’t watch it as often because I don’t have cable anymore, so most of the high profile matches are unavailable to me. Soccer gets my blood going during every World Cup, but I don’t follow it on a regular basis. I don’t follow football either, but I do enjoy it once in a while, especially the Super Bowl. I guess high stakes games excite me. The only sport I can’t stand is baseball. It’s just so tedious to watch. Golf and bowling are pretty soothing for some reason. I play them in the background when I do my laundry, clean around, or want to fall asleep. I worked at a Tennis store for four years, so I know a lot about tennis, but it’s just not my kind of sport. Anyway, that pretty much sums up my feelings on sports. Not a huge fan, but I do like and appreciate sports in general.
Oh I forgot about dragon boating haha. It’s a cool little sport. Very niche audience, but so much fun and way tougher than it looks. I’m not sure if you can see this, but check it out, that’s from a scrimmage a few months back. I’m in the loosing boat haha.
https://www.facebook.com/saved/?cref=28
“especially the Super Bowl”
I think it’s just “Super Bowl”.
Juan, for someone who doesn’t consider himself a sports fan, you certainly find yourself around sports a lot.
As for my F1 love, it extends back to my roots… same with my love of soccer. Most of my extended family is still in Italy, about an hour away from Maranello where racing is more like religion than sport. I actually moonlighted as a kart racer in my late-high school and college days, but was never able to take it to the next level.
Anyway, it’s funny being in my “new life” in Cleveland because everyone thinks of me as “the sports guy” since I worked in sports for nearly a decade. They always try to strike up conversations about whatever big thing is happening in sports at the time, which I usually could care less about. Yes, I love F1, soccer, and hockey… but, more often than not, I’d rather be talking about movies.
The only good JP movies is 1 and 4 , Andy does not feel like he even want to watch any movies at all which it sad . I want to give my review for jw is a 9.5 out of ten . Go check my YouTube review at wild man Willis . And JP in 3d is great
And Jay u lost too much cred for this one liking 2 and 3 so much
*cough* Transformers
Yeah but there are a lot of people that lthose movies
A lot of people like “Two and a Half Men” as well.
I know. That’s always your argument, Willis. But, it’s a pretty bad argument.
That’s not really the point, though. My Transformers dig was less a criticism of that franchise and more to draw the parallel between your fandom of Transformers and J’s fandom of the Jurassic Park franchise. When we like a property that much, it tends to cloud our objectivity when we look at one of its products.
We’re all prone to this. For me, I’m such a huge Middle Earth fan that I rate THE HOBBIT movies very highly even though, objectively, I know they’re not the greatest films. As long as the bias is admitted, though, I don’t think it should hurt one’s credibility.
I think J deserves a pass on this one.
I know it all good 🙂
My ratings for the first three movies (of course I haven’t seen the new one yet) are as follows:
Jurassic Park: 10/10
The Lost World: 6/10
Jurassic Park III: 5/10
I really like these single-episode franchise reviews. I’m going to have to go back and listen to the CTS episodes. Especially CTS episode 7: Mad Max. 😉
My apologies, if you’ve tried to visit CTSpodcast.com. I let the domain lapse, and I’m not paying to get it out of URL purgatory. Crooks.
I actually have a different plan for the CTS Podcast archives, anyway. MPW is our new flagship, so I’m going to put up the CTS archives as probably a branch or page on this site (since the core hosts of CTS are the origins of MPW).
So, sorry if people want to hear the CTS episodes. They’re temporarily out of commission, but I plan to have them available again by the end of 2015.
J
I don’t think I’ve ever finished a movie and said to myself…I hated that or that sucked…If I had that thought going in I guess I chose just not to watch it in the first place…I just love listening to people talk about movies and if they feel the same way I do I carry that mutual happiness with me…If they don’t I take it as a learning experiance and move on to the next one…I love movies…I love people who love movies…I love people who like to talk about movies…I’m not the guy that over thinks and picks apart a movie…I leave that up to “professionals”… I take each movie as it is given to me hoping everyone one I see blows me away…Most of the time time they don’t but sometimes you strike gold and makes it all worth while….because the best stays with you forever and the “meh” falls by the wayside….Movies are a singular experiance for every single person…There is no right or wrong…This is why its such a fascinating thing…
I love this comment!
Just gotta say that coming from you David…your comment made me so happy and I fell asleep with a huge smile on my face…I subscribe to over 50 podcasts and keep up the best I can…but as soon as Jason releases a new episode I drop whatever I’m listening to and tune in…I feel like I’m part of a family here…among friends…no other podcast comes even close to this…Jason you are one of a kind and never change…
Aww I feel the same way, Shannon. I love Jay and his motley crew and I love the community that they’ve built. I’ve met some really cool people that I consider friends that I hope to one day meet in person.
I usually don’t follow podcasts, but when I do it’s these guys.
#truth #themostinterestingpodcastintheworld
Thank you, Shannon. It means a lot. And I’m grateful. Genuinely.
J
Oh by the way…I give Jurassic World a 9…Great fun action movie…My entire family loved it too!
Enjoyed this episode quite a bit. Jay, your deadpan is so good that I can never quite tell: Was there some actual objective measure by which CTS had only 25 total listeners? (Meaning that I can consider myself a proud 25th of the total listenership?) Or is that just a number that amuses you to repeat?
Unlike Jay, I’ve only seen “The Lost World” and “Jurassic Park III” about 1.75 times each (I’ve never watched either of them straight through a second time), and I’ve only seen “Jurassic Park” maybe 3 or 4 times total. On the other hand, I reviewed two of the first three in a professional capacity (“JP III” for Mr. Showbiz, and the original for the Daily Herald on the occasion of its 20-year theatrical rerelease), so I paid a lot of attention, and thought a lot about two of those viewings.
One interesting aspect of “Jurassic Park III” that didn’t come up on the podcast is its screenwriting: The movie is credited to Peter Buchman and Alexander Payne & Jim Taylor. Yes, THAT Alexander Payne and Jim Taylor: “Election,” “Sideways,” “About Schmidt,” “The Descendants,” “Nebraska.” Of course, those guys also shared a screenwriting credit with a third writer (not Buchman) on “I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry,” which is probably somewhere in the 50 to 100 worst movies I’ve ever seen. So they’re certainly capable of bad writing. Buchman is also an interesting case. He has two other professional credits. He wrote the craptastic adaptation of “Eragon,” but, confoundingly, also wrote Steven Soderbergh’s two-film biopic “Che.” The concluding lines of my “JP III” review (no longer available online) were these: “But even at a trim 92 minutes, Johnston can’t sustain the movie’s momentum — there’s a surprising amount of downtime between dino attacks — through to its super-silly deus ex machina ending. The ending is so absurd, in fact, that it feels like it was improvised by a committee of 6-year-olds. If the raptors truly were intelligent, they’d have eaten the final reel.”
When “Jurassic Park” was restored and rereleased, I saw it in IMAX on what was at the time the biggest screen in Utah and Salt Lake Valleys, with awesome sound. So I couldn’t have hand-picked a better viewing experience. And, with apologies to the committee, I’m mostly with Andy on that one. Revolutionary in its time, still fun to watch, but thin story and characters that occasionally verges into silliness and predictability. Pretty comparable to my original reaction. I didn’t see the original for the first time until, how best to put this, *two years* after its original release. I was already a huge Steven Spielberg fan, even though only in my very early 20s at the time, and I remember being both satisfied and disappointed. I rate the John Williams score 15 out of 10, the Tyrannosaurus Rex is a 17 out of 10, but the rest of the movie creeps well down below a 10, without ever actually ceasing to be entertaining.
I’m probably somewhere between Karl and Josh/Andy on “The Lost World,” but closer to Josh/Andy than to Karl. And I haven’t gotten to “Jurassic World” yet. Here’s how I’d rate them:
“Jurassic Park” — 8/10 (Buy it, but mostly for the John Williams music and the T-rex)
“Jurassic Park III” — 6/10 (Stream if bored.)
“The Lost World” — 5/10 (Stream if bored and with added impetus of feeling a need to complete the series.)
“Jurassic World” — (TBD/10)
Yes, Cody, after 2 years, CTS Podcast literally only had 25 listeners… Sad but true. That’s why we killed the show.
J
Jay: I trust your grasp of the facts, but I still have a hard time believing it. Is 25 the number of subscribers you had on iTunes, or was there some other, more nebulous indicator? If it were me, I think I would cry, or break something, every time the number came up. I commend your unflappability, brother.
I wouldn’t trust him with facts, Cody. After all, he is always misquoting Josh when he’s not present. Then again, Josh seems to have picked up that act himself recently so that even things out. Hmmm…
Jason always quotes Josh “warmly and accurately,” Juan. I’m sure of it.
Jay, I finally watched Burning Bright. It was actually pretty good! I had low expectations going in, but the level of tension that was accomplished was a pleasant surprise. It’s entertaining, very tense, and decently acted. The special effects are a bit on the cheap side, but for a movie like this, I don’t even take that into consideration. This is a 7 and it’s streaming on Hulu right meow.
Thanks for the recommendation. This was way better than High Lane, bro.
Yes! Glad you liked it. Joel Robertson from Forgotten Flix tried it out and really liked it, too. So happy.
I can’t believe so many people don’t “get” High Lane, though…
J
The only thing go get is it’s a terrible movie, Jay. Nothing more, nothing less. When was the last time you watched it by the way? I think you’re stubbornly standing for a movie that’s very likely not nearly as great as you remember it. I dare you to watch it, then look at yourself in the mirror and recommend it to yourself without laughing.
J – I caught INSIDE OUT this weekend and thought it was excellent. Extremely interesting concept pulled off in a very clever way. It might be too late for this next episode, but I think you should definitely cover it on the show at some point. I know you were lukewarm over the idea at the end of last week’s episode, so wanted to say I think it’s worth it. Yes, it pulls on all the typical Disney heartstrings, but the world it conceptualizes is so interesting and well done. It’s a 9/10 for me, a definite tear jerker, and a must watch with the kid(s).
I hold Pixar movies in the highest of regards. I’ve read great things about this one and your mini-review makes me even more excited to see it. I’m not sure where you fall on animated features, but I’m glad you’re able to appreciate this stuff without persisting on using the words “kid’s movie”.
My opinion of animated movies really depends on the movie itself, which is to say (I guess) I don’t really have an opinion on them one way or the other. A good movie is a good movie is a good movie… and vice versa.
Just because a movie is animated (or Disney/Pixar, for that matter) doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a kid’s movie, either. This movie, in particular, is not what I would call a kid’s movie. The film’s concept actually has quite a bit of depth to it that might fly over most kids’ heads. In many ways, I feel like it’s more targeted towards adults.
Very interesting film, indeed.
Thank you for these words, Dino. I’ve tried arguing for animated films before, but it seems most everyone here thinks differently, so I understand how painful it must be for you to stand alone (sort of) on Fury Road. But fear not, I have your back bro.
#brosbeforehosts
#nicehashtag
And, I know what you’re saying about standing alone, even if I’m not actually alone on FURY ROAD. I know you and Berto are fans, for instance… and don’t forget about Shannon, who just yesterday said it’s his all-time favorite movie.
I just seem to be the only one persistently harassing J and his boys with daily verbal attacks and public shaming.
Which is perfectly fine by me because I do it too. I try to shame Jay as much as I can when I feel very strongly about something like The Conjuring, for instance or High Lane, which I mentioned a few comments above. I think it’s good for him. He’s even said it during the podcast, he enjoys being a polarizing figure, which I honestly don’t think he is, but there are instances where he does drive me crazy. I love him though, and I’ve told him that repeatedly (probably as many times as I’ve called him out). I mean, there needs to be a natural balance and if we have to step in in order to keep it, then so be it.
#trailblazers
I haven’t been very vocal about Fury Road, but you know where I stand and I’ll make sure to pitch in when the time comes.
Have you ever had a conversation with someone whose opinion on a topic was the complete polar opposite of your own? Or maybe their definition of the word “subtle” or their perception of what actually is subtle was just categorically incorrect? Or you say 1+1=2 and someone argues tooth and nail that you’re wrong?
I wanted to share just a few interesting stats from the show over the last month or so (i.e. public shaming)…
AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON:
Average MPW rating (5 hosts) – 9.5/10
J’s rating – 8.5/10
JURASSIC WORLD:
Average MPW rating (5 hosts) – 8.4/10
J’s rating – 9/10
MAD MAX: FURY ROAD:
Average MPW rating (5 hosts) – 7.6/10
J’s rating – 5.5/10
I’m still trying to figure out what kind of bizarro, twilight zone type of world I’m living in where the above numbers can be possible. Don’t get me wrong, I love this show and value the opinions shared on it, but… huh?!
Look, I enjoyed AGE OF ULTRON (9/10) and JURASSIC WORLD (7.5/10) just fine, but something is seriously amiss when comparing these numbers to your ratings for FURY ROAD. The main MPW complaint of FURY ROAD – a poorly developed story (i.e. plot, character, etc) – is something that afflicts both AGE OF ULTRON and JURASSIC WORLD. Let’s set aside the fact that I completely disagree with your view of FURY ROAD (which is well-documented at this point), and have a quick looksie at the other two films.
AGE OF ULTRON is a movie that suffocates under too many plot lines. I guess that’s the nature of the beast when you have such a rich library of storylines from the MCU converging into one film, but I feel like THE AVENGERS did a much better job of streamlining the plot whereas AGE OF ULTRON feels somewhat bloated. There was so much going on in the film and not all of it was fully fleshed out, and the movie suffers for it with certain plot points not hitting as effectively.
JURASSIC WORLD is on the other end of the spectrum. There’s really not much in the way of plot or story development, and the characters are fairly one-dimensional. The film tries to introduce some story elements at times, but they’re never properly developed and end up falling flat. The whole time I was watching JURASSIC WORLD, I was thinking to myself “man, this is really fun, but I wish it was better.” It’s essentially the definition of a “summer blockbuster movie” – a visually impressive and extremely fun movie-watching experience, but with nothing else really there.
On top of everything else, both AGE OF ULTRON and JURASSIC WORLD feel like more of the same when it comes to big budget action movies, whereas FURY ROAD gives us a completely new cinematic experience.
I get that everyone receives and interprets film and art in a highly subjective manner, so there’s really no wrong or right when reviewing movies. But, I still don’t understand how the ratings above can happen in any circumstance today on planet Earth.
J and co., I guess what I’m saying is… you’re so wrong.
Here comes Dino laying the smackdown on Jay and his band of cronies!
I really need to see “Fury Road” so I can have a valid opinion on this. From most other reliable sources I’ve heard nothing but praise so I’m curious to see what gives.
David, stop hating yourself and go see FURY ROAD… now.
That’s what my psychiatrist keeps telling me.
I’m very interested to hear Josh’s thoughts on the film, as well as the rest of The Sci-Fi Podcast crew. Hopefully we get that episode before the end of the summer….
Written as ominously as possible:
We will address you, Sir, in MPW Ep. 143.
J
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bW7Op86ox9g&w=420&h=315%5D
Ha… good! BRING IT ON, brother!
I can’t imagine it being a very balanced conversation given that everyone on the podcast will be on the wrong side, but at least there will finally be words in support of the movie presented on the podcast.
Can’t wait to hear what you got….
Well, that didn’t embed properly. Take 2:
https://youtu.be/bW7Op86ox9g
J – Re: “Mad Maxine”
https://moviepodcastweekly.com/movie-podcast-weekly-ep-138-mad-max-fury-road-2015-and-pitch-perfect-2-2015/#comment-18617
Age of Ultron is a retread of Avengers, that thing doesn’t sniff an 8 for me. And I didn’t love Avengers. I’m starting to get tired of the Avengers quick, I’d pick X-Men any day at this point. Ant-Man on the other hand was pretty amazing.
Which is my point, exactly.
I saw Fury Road again for the 3rd time today and I gotta say it is my favorite movie of all time…If you saw my top ten list of favorite movies the newest one was 21 years old…That is a very MEEP long time waiting for a new movie to have such an impact on me…and Fury Road has shattered all my expectations and crushed the competition…It is my dream movie come to life…I’m pretty sure I won’t be alive to see this movie topped and I’m !00% percent ok with it!!!
That’s a bold statement!
That is a bold statement, but one I can respect.
On a related note, I’ve been trying to treat myself to at least one theater movie a week this summer. This is the first week that there really isn’t anything “new-ish” in theaters I’m interested in that I haven’t already seen. So, I was actually considering going for another viewing of FURY ROAD.
Well I’m not sure how bold it is but while watching my third viewing I turned to my wife and said this movie is just insane and she said this is the best movie she’s seen in a long time..My excitement and awe for the film hasn’t ebbed one bit…but has only increased…I guess I don’t have the words to articulate how this movie makes me feel…It just brings me great joy and makes me very happy and assaults all my senses and thats all I can ask for any movie
I hear you. I think I said it before, but there was a point during the movie that I realized I had this giant grin on my face. That doesn’t happen too often.
I got your back Dino…If push comes to shove…I live, I die. I LIVE AGAIN! I wasn’t prepared for civil war…but I am your war boy until vahalla!!!
Thanks, Shannon. Although, J has made the point in the past that far more people listen to the show than actually show up on the site, so the numbers are sort of stacked.
I’m interested to hear what he has to say. Not sure what to expect, considering the only voices on the show are essentially against us. I don’t anticipate it being a balanced conversation.
I’m still looking forward to Josh’s and The Sci-Fi Podcast’s take on it.
I can just see David now, waiting by his computer for the new MPW episode, forlornly hitting refresh on his browser…
I’m totally NOT doing that myself. Right now.
Nope.
I’m still waiting to watch JW. I hope to watch it soon. Great episode, guys. =)
Just finished the podcast-was wonderful! Just wanted to throw my 2 cents in.
I loved the park! They hit it out of the park. All the souvenir shops at the first. Soft drinks for 7.00 each. A hamburger probably went for 15.00. Crowded-hot. Cranky parents and kids per steering their parents for another stuffed animal or balloon. Everyone dressed in their best tourist clothes. I really felt they got the feel of a real amusement park there. Biggest problem was the gyro balls. No way a park would allow that much freedom. They would be on some type of track, have cameras inside (or at least in the fields) and some sort of automatic recall.
I couldn’t get into the parents sending the boys down there. They are not close to this aunt and I had a hard time believing they would allow them to go that far-especially out of the country-with a woman who hadn’t seen them in years. And don’t get me started with the high heels!
An interesting little read on THAT ONE TOTALLY INSANE DEATH in Jurassic World from Devin Faraci at Birth Movies Death (formerly Badass Digest): “The Strangely Cruel And Unusual Death In Jurassic World. Why does [redacted] have to die so horribly?”
http://birthmoviesdeath.com/2015/06/15/the-strangely-cruel-and-unusual-death-in-jurassic-world
This is such a great analysis of that oddly out of place scene, and certainly illustrates the larger problem of JURASSIC WORLD. Thanks for sharing, Josh.
I disagree I’m totally good with that death. Who cares? Why coddle everything? Someone got ate. Deal with it. My 7-year old watched it.
It’s not about coddling, or being offended, grossed out, or scared. It’s about the tone of that death, which is completely off from the tonal language of the rest of the film… the rest of the franchise, really. I think JURASSIC WORLD is a lot of fun, but a better movie would have had better balance and finesse with stuff like that.
I don’t know man. People got killed elsewhere. I don’t think it’s as much of a tonal shift than a lot of other films. I have issues with the film but not that. I have issues with plot holes. Still liked it a lot though.
Right, but that’s not the point. You keep speaking to the “what,” while the article and many others are talking about the “how.” It’s just like the old adage: it’s not what you say, but how you say it. If we look at the typical action movie kill, it’s usually something akin to a bullet to the heart – quick and impersonal. Now, look at your typical kill in a horror movie, and it’s normally something completely different – slow and personal, like being stabbed multiple times or strangled. You can say “well, they’re both kills,” but they definitely convey different tones.
Case in point: take a movie like JOHN WICK. There were 77 kills in that movie, but 59 of those were by gunshot(s) (including 49 headshots). That’s a ridiculous amount of kills, but they’re all “action movie” style. The tone never shifts. Now, look at a movie like A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET. There are only 4 kills in that entire movie… 4!!! But, they’re all drawn out, intimately shot with the victims, and involve either bloody slashing or strangulation. Those are “horror movie” kills, and very different tonally from what we would typically see in an action movie.
Now, bringing it back to the Jurassic Park franchise, yes, of course people got killed elsewhere. However, they were all of the quick and impersonal variety that’s tonally appropriate for an action movie… with the exception of the one kill in question in JURASSIC WORLD. That’s why it’s so odd and out of place, and has struck a chord with so many people as one of the problems with the movie (i.e. tonal balance).
That said, it’s fine if you disagree. There are plenty of other issues with JURASSIC WORLD to be preoccupied with.
p.s. Despite the film’s many issues, I also found it to be a good time, just like you did. I just wish it was a better movie.
It just didn’t occur to me that it was extreme or even taking a different tone. I agree it’s fun and I wish it was better as well, I just don’t take issue with that death, or anything about it. I mean good people die horrible deaths in the real world every day, not that everything can be seen that way, but for me that’s what it boils down to. I don’t need the intense deaths reserved for the truly despicable. I don’t mind that others do have a problem with the death, I just don’t. I also agree that they nailed the theme park and attraction feel, it was really neat to see all the potential realized before everything hit the fan.
Look at Karl being all hard on Jurassic World. Surprising. Jay I guess we’re the only ones who think Jurassic Park III is better than The Lost World.