MOVIE REVIEW | ***JURASSIC WEEK*** Jurassic Park (1993)

“Can’t just suppress 65 million years of gut instinct.”

For the last few months, it has seemed like people have been trying to convince themselves they were excited about Jurassic World.  Or at least, I felt like they were trying to convince themselves.  Then, a few weeks ago, it opened and broke the box record for highest grossing opening weekend ever.  So I guess people had been genuinely excited about Jurassic World and I just projected my own ambivalence about the movie on to them.  Then I realised that the reason I was so ambivalent while the rest of the world was getting excited, was because I’ve never seen a single movie in the Jurassic franchise.   I guess I had nothing to get excited about.  So, it’s time to join the rest of the world in getting excited about Jurassic World.  But before I can see it, I have to catch up, starting with the original, Jurassic Park.

Dr Alan Grant (Sam Neil) and Dr Ellie Sattler (Laura Dern) are working on an archaeological dig for dinosaur bones when they’re summoned by eccentric billionaire, John Hammond (Richard Attenborough), whisking them away to a secluded island somewhere in Central America.  Joining them is mathematician, Dr Ian Malcolm (Jeff Goldblum).  Landing on Hammond’s island, the three doctors soon have their minds blown when they see that Hammond and his scientists have brought dinosaurs back to life.

MOVIE REVIEW | Brighton Rock (1947)

“I’ve never changed. It’s like those sticks of rock. Bite one all the way down, you’ll still read Brighton. That’s human nature.”

When Richard Attenborough died a few months ago, most tributes seemed to be built around his portrayal of Big X in the perfect The Great Escape. Or, his last high profile role, that of Professor John Hammond, the crack pot who thinks bringing dinosaurs back to life is a good idea in Jurassic Park. But the third most cited entry in his resume seemed to be his performance in Brighton Rock. Surprisingly, the guy who writes a movie blog that almost nobody reads, also listens to a lot of movie podcasts, and Brighton Rock got mentioned on a lot of them. Enough that I decided I had to see it.

It’s the 1930s in England’s quaint seaside, holiday village of Brighton. Families are enjoying ice creams on the beach, games and amusements on the boardwalk and the elusive British sun as it shines for its mandated one or two days of the year. But behind the innocent revelry is a seedy underbelly of crime and intimidation. Local gangs stalk the local race track, stand over local businesses and treat Brighton like everything and anything is theirs for the taking. One gang is lead buy the teenage Pinkie Brown (Attenborough).