Jurassic World - A Brief Thought

"One for Jurassic Squirrel." I said, plopping my card down on the counter.  The girl at the kiosk paused for a moment then giggled.

When I first heard that there was going to be another entry into the Jurassic franchise, I guffawed at the prospect.  I was a fan of the original, recalling the awe I felt experiencing that cinematic magic for the first time.  The second film, "The Lost World: Jurassic Park" even had some moments that were enjoyable.  The third installment sucked balls.  So naturally I thought a fourth would be worse.  What has transpired, however, is completely the opposite.

I began to get on-board with the concept when it was announced that Star Lord.., er, I mean, Chris Pratt was going to be the main star.  Following that, the previews began to whet my pallet.  So with great earnest, when the opportunity arose to see an early showing of the movie tonight, one day before "Jurassic World" is unleashed on the planet, I jumped at the chance and let me tell you what.., I was not disappointed.

Nowadays, most movies are spoiled by the theatrical previews, which tend to show most of the movie highlights within the preview, which most often leaves intended audiences disappointed.  That is not the case for Jurassic World.  If the previews have impressed you thus far, I don't want to spoil the fun for you, but what you've seen in the previews and commercials, occurs within the first half hour or so, leaving the remainder of the film to surprise and shock and impress the heck out of you.  The version I saw tonight was in 3D.  I don't think it's a movie that necessarily requires you to don the annoying glasses, but it didn't hurt the experience, either.  SPOILER ALERT...  I flew out of my chair more than once, rising about a foot or so, straight up, accompanied by a yelp then followed by laughter.  "Jurassic World", shocked and frightened me, much to my delight.

These days, it's rare to go to a movie and be completely surprised by what I see on the screen.  This movie completely surprised me and I love it for that.  On my FOUR STAR Rating System, I give this movie a SOLID FOUR STARS.  I'd give it a higher rating, if I could.  So go see this movie this weekend.  You will not be disappointed.

The Batmen

Earlier tonight, was the Floyd Mayweather/Pacquiao fight in Las Vegas, Nevada.  The much talked about fight that has filled the public airwaves for weeks upon weeks.  It was touted as the biggest match of the century.  I don't know if that last statement was true or not, but I must admit that it's the first sign that professional boxing still lives, as far as I'm concerned.  I know very little about the two men facing off against one another.  I recall Manny Pacquiao faced off and demolished comedian, Daniel Tosh in a fight that rivaled the intensity of the legendary Butterbean/Johnny Knoxville fight.  As for Mayweather, I remember him from Wrestlemania XXIV where he knocked out the Big Show with a right hook, clad with brass knuckles.  Between that and his repeated arrests for beating women, I had my fingers crossed that he'd get beaten like a government mule.

Whomever was the chosen favourite by the masses, everyone had an opinion and offered them readily via social media.  I love the immediacy that Twitter and alike provide to us, the common folk.  Other information provided about the event tonight, was thousands of looky-loos reporting who they saw in the crowd.  The likes of Justin Bieber, 50 Cent, Beyonce and Jay-Z were spotted looking on, just to name a few.  The names that caught my eye, however were those who are best known for their portrayal of the Caped Crusader, Batman.

In one tweet, the author admitted to popping out of her seat when she noticed, Michael Keaton, Christian Bale, Ben Affleck and even Adam West, all peppered throughout the Las Vegas crowd in attendance.  I thought for a second, they forgot Val Kilmer and George Clooney.  Then I paused for a moment, realizing...  We would ALL like to forget about Val Kilmer and George Clooney, as far as their failed attempts at portraying the Dark Knight.

I never heard a whole lot about the fight.  Some people posted ten second videos of the action, but it wasn't enough to get a real feel of what was happening.  Even those who'd promised to tweet a play-by-play of the action in the ring, must've been so overwhelmed by what was going on that they simply forgot to do so.  Then again, at a $99 cost for the Pay-Per-View, I wouldn't waste my time burying my nose in my smart phone, rather than focusing on the television.  From the few tweets that I did read, it sounded like Pacquiao was giving Mayweather a thorough beating.  This is why I was shocked when I read about the outcome... SPOILER ALERT, apparently that piece of shit Mayweather won the fight by unanimous decision.  This is truly disappointing.  I was hoping Mayweather would get beaten to a bloody pulp, like the Italian Stallion did at the end of Rocky.  It's written that Pacquiao was fighting with an injured shoulder, which begs the question, given how much money was on the line, wouldn't the boxing commission want both fighters to be in pique condition?  I don't know.  I don't follow this sport.

In the comics and movies, Batman often fought the bad guys like, Bane and Joker while under physical duress.  Perhaps someone should have whispered in Manny's ear and reminded him that he is the PacMan, not the Batman.