Jurassic World (12A)

The opening scenes of this new blockbuster is featured in a house in a snowfilled Midwestern landscape, where a young long-haired boy is looking at pictures of dinosaurs through a Viewmaster Camera.  The room is designed in 1970s décor, and a film camera is featured on a shelf in the background.
However as the movie sails into the next few minutes, the viewer sees the movie is set in the present day, where two young brothers are being prepared by their divorcing parents to visit their aunt, Claire played by Bryce Dallas Howard.  Claire is curator at a theme park called Jurassic World.
‘Jurassic World’ – the movie is set twenty two years after the blockbuster, Stephen Spielberg movie, ‘Jurassic Park’, which sired two further sequels.  In 1993, cinemagoers were fascinated with the lifelike display of the dinosaurs in the original. Today, some of the shows of this latest movie are in 3D, making the subjects more lifelike.
This movie is set twenty two years after ‘Jurassic Park’, and the site is a major and true to life Dinosaur Park.  It is going through its recessionary phase, and fighting to stay in the race, so it must be the best, and gain new and more fantastic dinosaurs.  So a major new animal attraction is planned to attract new viewers.  However the plan backfires, in shades of King Kong the movie.
Action is aplenty in the feature when the new creature is unveiled, and when he acts up.
Meanwhile, when the two boys visit Claire, they get lost on the Jurassic journey, and end up in the forbidden dinosaur habitat land.
The hero of the hour, Owen, who sets out to rescue the boys and many others lost in the clutches of the dinosaurs, is played by Chris Pratt, and the character has a past love/hate relationship of sorts with Claire.
Owen is a type of 1930s movie serial hero, and the movie is a typical blockbuster disaster story, of which were popular in the 1990s.  ‘Jurassic World’ captures a lot of the feeling of that recent time.  However there is not much originality going on here, and everything happens as expected.  But the special effects are better than the previous three films and it’s edge of the seat stuff, and the 3D also doesn’t disappoint.   
David Flynn

In Memory of Star Trek's Grace Lee Whitney 1930 -2015

Here is an interview with Grace from 2001.   She had just published her autobiography, 'The Longest Trek - My Tour of the Galaxy'. Grace talks about her days on Star Trek, and how she got started in show business, including giving a new perspective on Marilyn Monroe, following working with her on 'Some Like it Hot' in 1959.

She survived through a serious assault, alcoholism, drug abuse and rejection, but what is most inspiring about ‘Star Trek’ star Grace Lee Whitney, is not alone her survival but her consistent determinism to come back and stay successful in a tough profession.

Grace was a blonde actress who appeared in the original ‘Star Trek’ series in 1966 although her character Yeoman Janice Rand was discontinued midway through the first season.

Grace's autobiography, ‘The Longest Trek - My Tour of the Galaxy’ was recently published.  She writes in a very frank and honest way in the book about her life, her dreams, her disappointments and her mistakes.

She also writes about her early career as a singer and musician and the excitement of appearing with Marilyn Monroe in 'Some Like it Hot'.

In the book and in an interview with this writer, Grace sheds new light on the legend of Marilyn, based on working side by side with her and getting to know her on the set of the smash-hit movie.

“She was a wonderful actress and a wonderful comedienne--so funny and so sexy.  And so tragic, too. She drank on the set in order to get loose enough to perform.  She didn’t think she could go in front of the camera without a little “liquid medication.” I didn’t understand alcoholism at the time, because I was too deep in the disease myself, I wasn’t yet in recovery. But now I look back and I see her as a sister in this shared disease of alcoholism," said Grace.

“I remember that Billy Wilder, the director, had her do so many retakes on the dock in the final scene for Some Like It Hot.  He had her running up and down the dock in spike heels, running after Tony Curtis. She kept telling Billy, “I can’t do any more takes!” But he told her he needed the shots, so she did them, even though she was pregnant at the time. Shortly after that, she went into the hospital and miscarried. And I think it hurt her terribly that she lost that baby. The baby was someone she could love, someone who would love her back, simply and unconditionally. And she was so desperate to be loved. Her marriage ended just a couple years after she lost the baby. Then, a year after her divorce, she was dead.

“I identify with her so much. She grew up hungry for love, like I did.  She even converted to Judaism to marry Arthur Miller, just like I did when I married my first husband. 

Grace went on a downward spiral with the help of alcohol and tranquilisers when she was sacked from 'Star Trek'.

“I created the role of Janice Rand with the help of Gene Roddenberry, but he gave me a lot of leeway to create the role and bring the character to life. Leonard Nimoy (Mr. Spock in ‘Star Trek’) was my acting coach, and he also gave me a lot of insight into my character on the show.  I had done so many one-shot roles before on many TV shows, like ‘The Virginian’, ‘Bonanza’ and ‘The Untouchables’, but this was my first continuing role, and I was looking forward to growing and developing that role over a number of episodes. That’s why it hurt so much when my character was written out of the show,” said Grace.

Grace talks of how much she enjoyed working on 'Star Trek' and reveals that she was sexually assaulted, in the offices of Desilu (the production company that made ‘Star Trek’) by a man she only names as ‘The Executive’.

Peculiarly, just a few days after Grace claims the assault took place she received a phone call from her agent, telling her that she had been written out of the series.

“It was a horrible shock, like losing my entire family," said Grace.   “I have always felt that there was a definite link between the sexual assault and my being written out of the show.”

"One of the ironies of that whole experience was that I was told I was off the show just days before Star Trek premiered on NBC.” said Grace.  “When the first episode aired, I was already gone, my name had already been painted off my parking place on the studio lot, and I was history. Then, after the show premiered, I started getting fan mail--the fans had no idea I was already written out!

In the intervening years after leaving ‘Star Trek’, Grace found it hard to come to terms with the assault and being sacked.  She remains tight-lipped about ‘The Executive’s’ identity.

‘Star Trek’ has reached such cult proportions among science fiction fans, that it has led to the cast from the original series and from its offshoots to tour the world and make appearances at ‘Star Trek Conventions’. 

Grace is a favourite at the conventions and it was through these that she got back to the world of Star Trek in the late 70’s in the first ‘Star Trek’ feature film. 

In the intermediary years she was heavily addicted to drugs and alcohol.  Happily after a time, Grace did become sober.

“I believe alcoholism is a disease I was born with. I took my first drink when I was 13 years old. Then, years later, after I was sexually assaulted and lost the role on ‘Star Trek’, I went into a tailspin of drinking and drug abuse. But while I was actually on the show, I never took a drink on the set. If anything, I was more of a pill head at that time.  I was taking diet pills that were prescribed for me by a "Dr. Feel-Good,".

“It was a commonly prescribed diet pill in those days, especially in Hollywood.  I was very hyper and energetic most of the day, and after work I couldn't come down, so I took a few drinks and sometimes I would drink too much.

“I went to the bars with the best of them. Jimmy Doohan (Scotty) and I closed many a pub on the weekend.”

She did a few television comebacks after Star Trek such as a two part ‘Batman’ in 1967, ‘The Virginian’ and ‘The Big Valley’ in 1968, ‘Cannon’ in 1974 and ‘Barney Miller’ in 1975.

She has appeared on four of the big screen movies and in a popular guest role on 'Star Trek - Voyager'.

“William Shatner is a hunk! He’s a very handsome, attractive man, and very charming and charismatic. As I have been watching Star Trek again on the Sci-Fi Channel, I've been thinking, "No wonder I was so crazy about this man!" He was a dashing, bold, larger-than-life starship captain--the perfect choice for the role of Captain James T. Kirk.  I really respect William Shatner as an actor.  I think he made Star Trek what it was.

“As an actress, I was often attracted to my leading men, but Bill and I were never romantically involved.

 And he gave me a wonderful endorsement for my book--so I love him for that!”

In the early years of her career she was a singer and opened clubs for the likes of Billie Holiday and Buddy Rich.

She made her Broadway debut in ‘Top Banana’ with Phil Silvers (‘Sgt. Bilko’).

She went to Hollywood to take part in the film version of ‘Top Banana’ and later continued fronting her own band, before she starred in ‘Some Like It Hot’.  She did many other television roles in series such as 'Gunsmoke before winning the plum role of Yeoman Rand in 'Star Trek'.

Grace talks deeply in her book about finding God and about how her religion helped her battle her drink and drugs problem.

“In life, you have to deal the cards that are dealt you. I think I've made the most of a fairly bad hand. If I dwell on the unfairness of having been written out before the full potential of my character was realised, I suppose I could be angry and bitter about it. But I'm not bitter. I try not to dwell on what might have been. I try to dwell on what is and what is yet to be.” said Grace.

Grace has been married twice, over a period of thirty years, and she is a mother of two.
She says she has been on a spiritual journey since becoming sober and that now she has taken on “the Lord as a lover.”

She is still friends with many of the ‘Star Trek’ people such as Leonard Nimoy who she calls her best friend, and the one who saved her life in the days following her dismissal from the show. 

She is also friends with George Takei (Mr. Sulu).  Both of them did a ‘Star Trek: Voyager’ special in 1996.

She is also close to Star Trek stalwarts Jimmy Doohan, Walter Koenig (Chekov), Marina Sirtis (Troi) and Denise Crosby (Tasha Yar).

She recently did an episode of ‘Diagnosis Murder’ with Takei, Koenig and Majel Barrett Roddenberry.

“I don't see Nichelle Nichols (Uhura) or DeForest Kelly (McCoy) very much anymore, which is sad because they've both been so kind to me over the years. De actually brought me into the Star Trek world again after I had been away for ten years--he was the one who told me about this new phenomenon called Star Trek conventions!” said Grace.

The strange thing about Grace’s sudden departure from ‘Star Trek’ was the fact that several scripts, which had yet to be filmed, had already been written around her.

The role of Yeoman Rand was beefed up for ‘City on the Edge of Forever’, in which Joan Collins guest starred.  This is considered the most popular and most critically acclaimed of all the ‘Star Trek’ shows.   Grace’s role was also expanded for ‘The Trouble with Tribles’ and ‘Dagger of the Mind’.  After her departure, Yeoman Rand’s dialogue was given to other actresses.

She is a supreme positive thinker, who has definitely triumphed over adversity.  It is also interesting to note how she feels no bitterness against whomever or whatever caused her to be written out of the show.

Grace Lee Whitney died of natural causes on May 1st, 2015.  She was 85 years old.

 

 

 

 

Exodus: Gods and Kings (12A)

This is definitely not the Charlton Heston and Cecil B. De Mille version of the Moses story.  Instead this version of the story of the Hebrew man who became Egyptian royalty and went back again, is told in a matter of fact way, without as much fanfare as the earlier version had.
However ‘Exodus’ did have its moments of plagues and horrors that no movie before it has ever shown.  Compelling it is and graphic.
Producer, Ridley Scott returns to a format he is familiar with, but sadly this movie is no ‘Gladiator’.
Christian Bale as Moses gives it his all, but seems unhappy along the way without a more believable script, which also needed more believable characters.
The story of Moses about courage and faith and taking on the mighty Egyptian empire is a David and Goliath story – which of course was another biblical story.  We all know who won those battles.
Obviously the movie had great visuals of hundreds of thousands of slaves, battle scenes, rodents crossing the city streets, among many others.  It’s difficult nowadays to tell if they are real, or computer generated.  Sadly the latter seems to be the case, for financial and other reasons.
There is a burning bush, as in the biblical tale, but surprisingly it’s not as interesting a visual as the 1956 version.  The image of God is not that of an invisible force with a bellowing hollow voice, but that of a young child scolding Moses.   It works for this version of the story but it seems too easy a way to present the story.
The 3D visuals in the movie is not really necessary, but overall the story is well told, and not the worst movie around.
David Flynn

The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (12A)

It’s incredible that Peter Jackson managed to make three blockbuster movies out of a not very ample sized novel.  However he has done so, and with nearly as major a series as he did with the ‘The Lord of the Rings’ trilogy.
In this third and final movie, Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman) continues his journey with the Dwarves, and they are forced to engage in a war, to keep safe the Lonely Mountain.
Dragons, looking and acting dangerous, and magnificent old towns built especially in New Zealand for the The Hobbit set, all show off a beautiful adventure.  Along the way, Gandalf is rescued from prison and gets in on the act. 
Oh wouldn’t it be brilliant to be 10 years old again, and to really appreciate these visuals.
The love affair between dwarf, Killi (Aidan Turner) and the elf, Tauriel played by Evangeline Lily, which doesn’t feature in J.R.R. Tolkein's novel, is featured strongly in the movie. 
Ian McKellan returns as Gandalf, in this his sixth movie playing the same role, as does Orlando Bloom as Legolas.  Oscar winner, Cate Blanchett returns as Galadriel.  Other familiar faces include Sylvester McCoy (a former Dr. Who), Hugo Weaving, and Ian Holm as the older Bilbo.
The movie goes on and on, but with your 3D glasses, it’s worth the two and a half hour effort.

David Flynn

Paddington (Gen)

Getting a big screen outing is the real story of the little bear with the blue hat.   We all have at least a vague idea of the little bear who existed in the oh so London world of another era. 
I was a kid of the 70s and 80s, without BBC tv, so didn’t see the Paddington Bear series, which was phenomenally popular among children.  The books were rarely left on library shelves and the merchandise that followed; of the cuddly Paddington Bear, probably sold in numerous figures.
This big budget movie, ‘Paddington’ is a great opportunity for children to get to know who their parents and grandparents grew up loving.  It also gives those older folk the chance to relive their childhood.
The 95 minute movie is a live-action tale, which begins in black and white to tell the story of the little bear’s humble beginning in the Peruvian rainforest.  He grew up to be British because of the influence of an explorer who visited his forest when he was a baby.  An earthquake makes Paddington homeless and adrift, so he heads across the world to seek a home in Britain.
He lands in Paddington Station, and finds it to be a much different jungle than what he had left in Peru.  Then he meets a family called the Browns, and his life in London gets more exciting and adventurous.
‘Paddington’ is a nice charming tale, with a dollop of terror involved, when a taxidermist comes looking for the little bear.  Nicole Kidman, who is the probably the biggest name in the movie, gives it her best as the chilling taxidermist.  Downton Abbey’s Hugh Bonneville plays the strait laced Mr. Brown, who stretches his ability to manage a new bear in the family.  Julie Walters (Educating Rita) makes a rare movie appearance as the family’s housekeeper.  Peter Capaldi (Doctor Who) appears as a pathetic and contrary next door neighbour.  A face from tv’s past, Geoffrey Palmer (Butterflies and As Time Goes By) appears in a cameo role.
A time with Paddington in an almost animated middle class London is a nice way to spend 95 minutes.
David Flynn

‘Mrs. Brown’s Boys D’Movie (15A)

Now Showing at Athlone IMC

The first movie of Irish mother Agnes Brown portrays her working on her Moore Street stall, which is in jeopardy from demolition, in a fiasco, which is aided by a corrupt politician and the Russian Mafia.  However this is the movies and it’s a Mrs. Brown story, so the odds are bound to move in the direction of Ireland’s favourite Mammy.

For three years now, the tv series, ‘Mrs. Brown’s Boys’ has topped the Irish and British tv ratings, and as was the course with tv comedies in the 70s, the hit series has now become a movie.  Seemingly the fourth season will run next year on television.

Dublin born stand-up comedian, Brendan O’Carroll has played Agnes Brown on stage and screen over the years, and he’s helped out by his wife, Jennifer Gibney, who plays his daughter, Cathy.   The scenario is similar to an act in Britain from sixty or seventy years ago, when there was a real life married couple, Arthur Shields and Kitty McShane who played the comic duo, Old Mother Reilly and daughter, Kitty.  However the O’Carroll and Gibney act is much more successful and they have a troupe of a dozen or so actors who are friends or relations and who appear in each of the Mrs. Brown incarnations on stage, television and now in a movie.

The storyline is similar enough to the plots of the tv series, ie about Mrs. Brown facing obstacles, and resulting in her attempting to triumph over adversity.

The day is saved, and the adventures along the way, are edge of the seat stuff.  The lead character is compelling to watch, as are the troupe of actors.

The cinematography of Dublin city is shown in all its positive glory, and the tourist board will probably gain dividends when the movie is shown out of Ireland.

David Flynn

‘X-Men – Days of Future Past’ (12A)

Four esteemed character actors found themselves playing young or old versions of the same character in the latest ‘X-Men’ movie.  Stewart, McKellan, Fassbender, and McAvoy played the pivotal roles, along with Oscar winner Hugh Jackman, who also played no small role in one of the most exciting sci-fi movies of recent years.
The adventure is made up of two stories, one set in the near past and the other in the near future, featuring the challenged Superheroes which moviegoers have come to know since the first X-Men movie in 2000.
In ‘X-Men – Days of Future Past’ – the seventh in the series - Wolverine, played by Hugh Jackman is sent back in time to change a happening of war from 1973.  This is done through a mind meld of sorts, and brings us into Star Trek territory.  Interesting, considering Patrick Stewart’s seven years and four movies playing Capt. Picard of Star Trek: The Next Generation’.  Stewart had to do some mind melding in his time on his hit tv series.
The Shakespearean actors, Stewart and Ian McKellan, return to their roles of the older Charles Xavier and Magneto
The younger Magneto is played by Michael Fassbender, and the younger Xavier by James McAvoy, as they did in the previous movie, ‘X-Men: First Class’.  It’s interesting to watch McKellan/Fassbender and Stewart/McAvoy portraying the same characters at different periods of their lives.
An amazing story of travels, adventure, danger, and special effects ensue with Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence) playing a central part.  An epic battle to save the future in the past takes place, and the intensity of the storyline and production, makes the movie seem much longer.  But that is not a criticism.
The story goes along at a fast pace, with no boredom.  If there is any criticism, it is that there is too much going on, and you need a fast paced brain to work it all out.  However it’s worth the viewing, once or even twice over. 
The sets are massive, especially a scene featuring US President Richard Nixon. 
The latest X-Men story is an experience to savour.  It’s the best of the series to date, and a rare treat, a special effects sci-fi movie, with an engrossing storyline.
David Flynn