Reviews

Movie Review: Jurassic World

/ Tim Severson / 1 Comment

Jurassic World is an absolute win. Well… relatively speaking that is.

Nothing will ever touch the visual effects that were put on the big screen in 1993 (which still stand up today). The realism that we felt then is something that we will tell grandchildren about… they will roll their eyes and not understand the magic of seeing the masterpiece that Spielberg created.

That being said, the effects that explode off the screen when seeing this movie in Imax 3D are nothing short of brilliant. Shot beautifully, you will find yourself wishing that a theme park half as cool as Jurassic World exists.

The CGI of the dinosaurs is distracting at some points and makes you wish for the simplicity from 1993, but not enough to ruin the experience.

The characters are underdeveloped. If you are going to see this to achieve a deep emotional connection with any of the characters, you are going to have a bad time. The movie is about the dinosaurs, not about the people. The acting leaves much to be desired but the self-deprecating script and screenplay make this an afterthought.

The movie makes countless references to the original. Some are obvious and others are a little more subtle. The writers seem to go the route of 22 Jump Street in making fun of the fact that the movie is a sequel. Even though it is not as overt, the humor is there and provides a nice break between dinosaur attacks.

Chris Pratt cannot lose. Everything the guy does is amazing right now. He definitely gives a performance that is head and shoulders above the rest of the cast.

The rest of the cast is as good as they need to be to carry the story. They deliver the corny lines and catch phrases that make movies like this great.

Nothing beats the suspense of people being hunted by dinosaurs in a movie where everything that can go wrong will go wrong.

While the messages of corporate greed and human insatiability are a little nauseating; the movie delivers as a suspenseful thrill ride that brings us as close as we will ever get to an actual dinosaur theme park.

Overall, the movie is enjoyable because the filmmakers didn’t take themselves to seriously and this is obvious. They had a clear vision of what the movie needed to be to stand on its own and executed. It is a blockbuster that you will find yourself watching for years to come.

I give it 3.5/4 – “Clever Girl’s”

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I Know Badeaux: A podcast review

/ Tim Severson / Leave a comment

With all of the podcasts that are out there today, it is hard to decide which do give your valuable time to. Look no further than the iKnowBadeaux podcast.

It is a refreshing change of pace from the normal standard interview style of entertainment. Dave Badeaux has created a podcast that brings you into an hour of normal people hanging out for an hour – playing a game and talking about the week’s most interesting(?) news stories. The banter that happens between the frequent podcasters (Dave Badeaux, Gabe Johnson, Keith Larson and Scott Badeaux aka Boutros Boutros) makes them immediately relate-able.

Dave Badeaux makes a terrific host. His self-deprecating style of humor mixed with his genuine interest in his fellow podcasters and guests make the iKnowBadeaux podcast an easy, hilarious listen. And, even when Badeaux’s attempts at humor fail miserably (I mean, really fail. Sometimes it’s like did he really think that was going to be funny? Man, what an idiot), his fellow podcasters pick up the slack without missing a beat. You will not regret giving this a shot. Continue reading →

11/23/63 – A Book Review (Recommendation)

/ Tim Severson / Leave a comment

It has been a while, I know. I have been looking for new inspiration on some stories to post… not that I have run out of stories but some of them are a little more, err, graphic. A book that I bought about writing novels told me to get started by reading, reading and then reading more. I have been doing that and trying to mix it up with genres and reading both fiction and non fiction. When I started reading 11/23/63 by Stephen King. I have had it on my Kindle for roughly 6 months.

You should stop reading this right now and go buy/download and read/listen to this book right now. Seriously. Do it (I think that should have an option do be a contraction – do’t… I am starting the revolution to use do’t on a regular basis – Copyright Tim Severson).

Why are you still reading this? I guess I will just have to trust that you have done your homework… don’t worry this will not have spoilers and will be brief (because that is the one criticism/suggestion I have gotten make these shorter).

Anyway, brief synopsis: High school English teacher is informed by the owner of the local diner that his pantry has a worm hole that takes anyone who walks through it back to 1958. The owner has terminal lung cancer and not long to live but is convinced that the world would be a better place if the Kennedy assassination could be prevented… so Jake Epping, the protagonist, agrees to take on this responsibility.

This book starts quick and never slows down. King’s ability to depict what life was like 54 years ago is overwhelming. I now feel like I now what it was like, as though I lived it even though I was born a quarter of a century later. What’s more is the amount of research he did regarding the assassination, specifically Oswalds life the last couple of years leading toward that fateful day.

Now, I am not saying that this book is in the same conversation as The Great Gatsby or The Catcher in the Rye, but, I was inspired. Well, I was inspired after I got over the jealousy and then the feeling of defeat that I would never be able to write a story with such detail, emotion and action.

I am waiting for the right idea(s) to strike me so that I can keep up here, but I will also be posting more like this as well to fill the spaces in between. Wish me luck and seriously, go read this book, do’t.