tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7294499213897153104.post670759546601578585..comments2024-03-27T09:00:32.195-05:00Comments on The Signal Watch: SW Watches: Jurassic Park (again)The Leaguehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04836241071795980225noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7294499213897153104.post-23274856309279629582015-01-29T10:28:51.389-06:002015-01-29T10:28:51.389-06:00Oh, man. Having worked on campus at UT in the 90&...Oh, man. Having worked on campus at UT in the 90's, I can tell you exactly how terrified of computers faculty were up until just about 1999. And then there was this tipping point where everyone was suddenly onboard. But it wasn't until my last year, 1997-98, that even half of my instructors had email. And forget about a course website.<br /><br />Ironically, the most digital class I had was "Age of the Dinosaurs" that had to spend about 1/4 of the time debunking stuff we'd seen in Jurassic Park. The course material included CD-roms, which I never saw before or after for a course, and which were a pain because they weren't super compatible with all systems, so I had to go to computer labs or a friends' place to use their computer as they wouldn't play on my Pack-Bell 486.<br /><br />So, yeah, I'd say faculty were skittish around computers, but not the dinosaur dudes.The Leaguehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04836241071795980225noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7294499213897153104.post-31027110071009834852015-01-29T04:34:13.929-06:002015-01-29T04:34:13.929-06:00Yeah, my boys (9 and 5 1/2) just watched this a fe...Yeah, my boys (9 and 5 1/2) just watched this a few weeks ago. I'm generally careful about what I let them watch, and when it comes to scary, they have always taken their cues from us. That doesn't mean we let them watch horror movies. But adventure movies with monsters, like say Luke and the Rancor in Return of the Jedi. I was watching my youngest closely during the T-rex scene, nervously wondering how I would explain it to his mom if he was scared. Instead, when the lawyer gets eaten, he goes "whoaaaaaaghhhhahahahahahaha! Did you see that!" All boy.<br /><br />Anyway. I guess I'm one of those weirdos who doesn't hold this movie in high regard. The FX are great, and until this film, no one had improved upon this:<br /><br />http://youtu.be/W2bgeq6hAlU<br /><br />But the film, and its writing just feels really dumbed down. Right from the beginning in the first scene with Sam Neil, which is one big info dump about dinosaurs. What kind of scientist dislikes computers? Then there's the silly, preachy and unscientific lines about nature from Jeff Goldblum's character.<br /><br />Maybe it's because I read the book first. Everything about it was better. I hate sounding like that guy, but it's true. I know movies have a limited time to get across what an author can do in hundreds of pages, but still.<br /><br />There are some great moments of Spielberg genius, though. The T-Rex attack should be required viewing in film school.<br /><br />A (younger) friend on Facebook asked people to name their favorite John Williams score. The answers shocked me. No Superman. No JAWS. No Star Wars. No Indiana Jones. But several Jurassic Park responses. I nearly choked. The JP soundtrack is fine, but it could be the soundtrack to movie about a girl who raises an injured animal and releases back to nature.Jake Shorehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00124378230594689452noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7294499213897153104.post-26375453066473721192015-01-16T10:29:00.511-06:002015-01-16T10:29:00.511-06:00woof. Yeah, if she's a nervous movie watcher,...woof. Yeah, if she's a nervous movie watcher, this may be a bit much until she's 12 or so. I'm no expert. On the other hand, it all ends pretty amicably, so... maybe this is a good "wade in at the shallow end" sort of movie before you bust out John Carpenter's "The Thing". The Leaguehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04836241071795980225noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7294499213897153104.post-82270990835415200302015-01-16T07:35:56.339-06:002015-01-16T07:35:56.339-06:00On a daily basis I struggle with the question, &qu...On a daily basis I struggle with the question, "Is Anna old enough to watch Jurassic Park?". She's 10 years old but sensitive to scares so I think not at this point but it is really the next big movie from my past that I want to share with her.Simon MacDonaldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14749383583517044214noreply@blogger.com