Jurassic World / *** (PG-13)

Owen: Chris Pratt

Claire: Bryce Dallas Howard

Gray: Ty Simpkins

Zach: Nick Robinson

Hoskins: Vincent D’Onofrio

Simon Masrani: Irrfan Khan

Lowery: Jake Johnson

Vivian: Lauren Lapkus

Barry: Omar Sy

Dr. Henry Wu: B.D. Wong

Universal Pictures presents a film directed by Colin Trevorrow. Written by Rick Jaffa & Amanda Silver and Colin Trevorrow & Derek Connelly, Based on concepts created by Michael Crichton. Running time: 124 min. Rated PG-13 (for intense sequences of science fiction violence and peril).

The whole concept behind Hollywood sequel making is counter to the notion of criticism. While a critic tries to guide and educate an audience on what will entertain and enlighten them, the purpose of a sequel is generally to make money off of fulfilling an expectation of the exact same approach to the exact same effect as the previous—or best—film in a franchise. So it is left to the critic to merely report whether the filmmakers have achieved a repeated effect or have failed. When you get a tent pole film like “Jurassic Park” that is filled with spectacle and thoughts, it becomes problematic for the studios, which inexplicably feel the need to reproduce the spectacle but rarely the insight.

Spectacle minus the insight was certainly the problem with the previous two movies in the “Jurassic” franchise. In fact, “The Lost World: Jurassic Park” and “Jurassic Park III” were so lacking in any sort of science fiction themes and insight that the latest in the series—the long-awaited reboot “Jurassic World”—totally ignores the existence of the second and third films. In doing so it returns the story to the roots of its science fiction foundation. Once again the characters are dealing with the themes of the original film about the dangers of playing God with science, the impossibility of containing nature and even some new ideas about the need of some humans to push every scientific development toward weaponization.

Penny Thoughts ‘14—Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa (2013) *

UR, 102 min.

Director: Jeff Tremaine

Writers: Johnny Knoxville, Spike Jonze, Jeff Tremaine, Fax Bahr, Adam Small

Starring: Johnny Knoxville, Jackson Nicoll, Greg Harris

Perhaps it is fitting that I should follow up the documentary “The Final Member”, about the world’s only penis museum, with a movie produced by the Jackass crew. “Bad Gandpa” got surprisingly good reviews when it was released in theaters last fall. I have, up to this point, been fortunate enough to avoid anything and everything having to do with the MTV show “Jackass”, which somehow jumped from the small screen to the big screen with three theatrical releases based on its hosts’ stupid choices. Now comes what I guess is their attempt at a dramatic narrative.

Joan Rivers (1933-2014)

I became aware of Joan Rivers as I did most celebrities as a child; she was on TV. It didn’t matter if they were a movie star or a television star, a comedian or rock star. I saw them on TV. Rivers was a TV presence. I knew she was a comedian, but I never seemed to catch her act when I was young. Today I know why.

Word came today from River’s daughter and business partner in some endeavors, Melissa that the comedy legend had passed away at the age of 81. The television host went into cardiac arrest during a medical procedure on September 3. She had been rushed to Mount Sinai Hospital in New York after experiencing complications during throat surgery at New York Medical Clinic on August 28. Accounts on what had occurred had been vague, but Melissa updated fans with a statement today after her mother’s death. “She passed today surrounded by family and close friends,” Melissa continued, “My mother’s greatest pleasure in life was to make people laugh.”

Although my own personal experience with the comedian was peripheral in my youth—with her performance as Dot Matrix in the Mel Brooks “Star Wars” skewering “Spaceballs” comprising most of my knowledge of her—I would later in life come to appreciate her contribution to the entertainment industry as a whole. Rivers was the first female to sit in the host chair of “The Tonight Show”, having filled in on several occasions for longtime host Johnny Carson. It was long assumed that Rivers was being groomed to replace Carson when she was offered her own late night program on another network. Her show failed, and the incident went down in the annals of the dramatic late night history as resulting in NBC “banning” the comedian from appearing on any of their shows for multiple decades. On a recent appearance on “The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon”, Rivers down played the history as water under the bridge.

Penny Thoughts ‘14—Jodorowsky’s Dune (2014) ***

PG-13, 90 min.

Director: Frank Pavich

Featuring: Alejandro Jodorowsky, Michel Seydoux, H.R. Giger, Diane O’Bannon, Jean-Paul Gibon, Nicolas Winding Refn, Brontis Jodorowsky, Gary Kurtz, Chris Foss, Amanda Lear

I always felt that David Lynch was a very strange choice to direct the 1984 sci-fi epic “Dune”, an adaptation of the lauded novel by Frank Herbert. Now, I’ve never read the book, but it would seem that anyone attempting to capitalize on the success of “Star Wars” would place Lynch’s name on the bottom of the list. Well, maybe not the bottom. I would think his name would be placed only above Alejandro Jodorowsky’s.

22 Jump Street / *** (R)

Schmidt: Jonah Hill

Janko: Channing Tatum

The Ghost: Peter Stromare

Zook: Wyatt Russell

Maya: Amber Stevens

Mercedes: Jillian Bell

Captain Dickson: Ice Cube

Columbia Pictures and MGM present a film directed by Phil Lord & Christopher Miller. Written by Michael Bacall and Oren Uziel and Rodney Rothman from a story by Bacall & Jonah Hill. Based on the television series “21 Jump Street” created by Patrick Hasburgh & Stephen J. Canell. Running time: 112 min. Rated R (for language throughout, sexual content, drug material, brief nudity and some violence).

I didn’t see the Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill starring television film remake “21 Jump Street” in theaters. The whole thing sounded absurd to me, and I wasn’t even a fan of the television series. I did, however, catch it on home video and found it to be hysterically funny and a genuine surprise. Much of its success hinged on the notion that the filmmakers realized how ridiculous it seemed to mount a big screen adaptation of a nearly forgotten television series, which was a great offender of the Hollywood cliché of having adults portray high school kids, with a couple of stars that were not known to be taken seriously and certainly weren’t teenagers.

Jersey Boys / ***½ (R)

Frankie Valli: John Lloyd Young

Tommy DeVito: Vincent Piazza

Bobby Guadio: Erich Bergen

Nick Massi: Michael Lomenda

Bob Crewe: Mike Doyle

Joey: Joseph Russo

Gyp DeCario: Christopher Walken

Warner Bros. Pictures presents a film directed by Clint Eastwood. Written by Marshall Brickman & Rick Elice, based on their musical. Running time: 134 min. Rated R (for language throughout).

My father liked his pleasures simple. He was a man who enjoyed life to its fullest, and in that enjoyment he could appreciate movies and music at the most basic level. I did not get my level of standards for either art form from him. I developed that over years of appreciation and exploration. But, I did get my foundational enjoyment of them from him.

My father had a very select number of musical artists he would follow through anything. One of those groups was Frankie Valli & the Four Seasons. He loved that unique voice of Valli’s, and he loved the writing style of the songs that were penned mostly by Four Seasons member Bobby Gaudio and their producer Bob Crewe. There were also a select number of movie stars that he trusted implicitly to provide the type of movies he wanted to see. One of those people was Clint Eastwood. Eastwood never relied on the flash and flair of Hollywood, but on straightforward storytelling about men—who might be flawed—but could certainly be relied upon for doing what they do best. It is those qualities that bring together Clint Eastwood and the Four Seasons for the new movie musical “Jersey Boys”. I’ve no doubt he would’ve loved it as much as I.

Penny Thoughts ‘14—Joe Kidd (1972) ***

PG, 88 min.

Director: John Sturges

Writer: Elmore Leonard

Starring: Clint Eastwood, Robert Duvall, John Saxon, Don Stroud, Stella Garcia, James Wainwright, Paul Koslo, Gregory Walcott, Dick Van Patten, Lynne Marta, John Carter, Pepe Hern

I did my part this past weekend to pass on the great tradition of the western. I feel I haven’t instilled it enough in my first three children, so I decided to start early with our latest edition. This weekend I sat down with my youngest (2½ mos) and watched a Clint Eastwood western.

Penny Thoughts ‘14—Don Jon (2013) ***½

R, 90 min.

Director/Writer: Joseph Gordon-Levitt

Starring: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Scarlett Johansson, Julianne Moore, Tony Danza, Glenne Headly, Brie Larson, Rob Brown, Jeremy Luke

Here’s what I like the most about Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s directorial debut film “Don Jon”—intelligence isn’t an issue. JGL plays someone some might refer to as a “guido.” The stereotype of such a person lacking intelligence is the easy way to go in a role like this, but JGL also wrote and directed the role and, while he has the mannerisms and accent of a Jersey Shore type of character, JGL seems to play him with the same intelligence level as JGL. Which is to say, he doesn’t really play his intelligence level at all. This is a refreshing choice for an actor to make.

Penny Thoughts ‘14—A Joke (2010) ***

NR, 14 min.

Director: Andy Brown

Writers: Andy Brown, Anton Chekov (short story)

Starring: Matthew Sincell, Megan Tusing

Music: Steve Lavner

I always had a problem with Chekov. I could never find an entry point to his narcissistic heroes whose problems all had the same root source—themselves. It’s not that this observation was an invalid one on the venerated Russian writer’s part—far too many of us suffer these same ailments—but this central characters always seemed to me the only characters in which Chekov had any interest. Now, I haven’t read a whole lot of Chekov, so my observations are most likely a grand generalization, but… there it is.

Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit / **½ (PG-13)

Jack Ryan: Chris Pine

Cathy Muller: Keira Knightley

Thomas Harper: Kevin Costner

Viktor Cherevin: Kenneth Branagh

Paramount Pictures presents a film directed by Kenneth Branagh. Written by Adam Cozad and David Koepp. Based on characters created by Tom Clancy. Running time: 105 min. Rated PG-13 (for sequences of violence and intense action, and brief strong language).

If the Jack Ryan franchise gets rebooted much more, we’re all going to find out what really happened on his first grade playground. As it is, the producers and writers of the new “Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit” clearly realize that the biggest threat to the United States is no longer a nuclear bomb, but a financial one. In updating the series for a new generation we get a new Ryan with a very different world of problems to face. While the fifth installment in the franchise—the first in twelve years—tries to stay true to the notion of Ryan as a hero made more out of brains than brawn, the new ideal of the Dumbing Down of Hollywood can’t help but rear its ugly head with unnecessary action peppered throughout a plot more clever than its execution.

Holiday Thoughts ‘13—Jesus Christ Superstar (1973) ***

G, 108 min.

Director: Norman Jewison

Writers: Melvyn Bragg, Norman Jewison, Tim Rice (book, lyrics, based on the rock opera by), Andrew Lloyd Webber (music, based on the rock opera by)

Starring: Ted Neeley, Carl Anderson, Yvonne Elliman, Barry Dennen, Bob Bingham, Larry T. Marshall, Joshua Mostel, Kurt Yaghjian, Paul Thomas

Yeah, yeah, yeah yeah. I know. “Jesus Christ Superstar” is not a Christmas movie. The birth of Jesus isn’t even mentioned in it. It’s all about his death. But, he’s not entirely unrelated to the subject of Christmas. In fact he’s the reason, as they say. So I’m counting it.

Horror Thoughts ‘13—Jenifer (2005) **

TV-MA, 58 min.

Director: Dario Argento

Writers: Steven Weber, Bruce Jones (short story)

Starring: Steven Weber, Carrie Anne Fleming, Brenda James, Harris Allen, Cynthia Garris, Jeff Ballard

Believe it or not this is the first of the “Masters of Horrors” television anthology series of films I’ve seen. They’ve all been on my radar since they first started airing on Showtime in the mid-aughts. The show featured a stand-alone hour-long horror film each episode directed by a well-known horror auteur. Dario Argento contributed two films to the 26 episode series. “Jenifer” was the fourth episode of season one. His second Masters of Horror film, “Pelts”, will be reviewed later this month.

Penny Thoughts ‘13—Jersey Girl (2004) ***½

PG-13, 102 min.

Director/Writer: Kevin Smith

Starring: Ben Affleck, Raquel Castro, Liv Tyler, George Carlin, Jason Biggs, Stephen Root, Mike Starr, Jennifer Lopez, Will Smith

You know how there’s that Hollywood cliché about the dad who chooses work over family all the time and the kids or the wife or the parents don’t think that the father really appreciates his kids the way he should. There’s always a big recital or a big game or something at the end of the movie that the father promises the kid that he’ll be there for, but something comes up and it looks like he’s going to miss the kid’s special moment yet again for the final time, because this time is the last straw and if he really doesn’t make it the kid, or the wife, or the whole entire family is just giving up on him for good. At the beginning of the event he has yet to arrive because after finally making the right choice instead of the wrong one, he has run into traffic, or his car won’t start, or he can’t find a cab, or he runs into a parade route. The child is looking for him, but she doesn’t see him and is sad. The show goes on even though he has yet to arrive. But, before the end, right before the really big moment for the kid, he walks in through the back. Even though he’s in the back of the crowd, or in the wings of the stage, the kid spies him and a smile creeps across her face, and everything is right in the world again. I’m sure you’re familiar with this cliché, because is has happened in literally hundreds of movies and TV shows. Well, guess what? It’s a cliché for a reason.

Jobs / *** (PG-13)

Steve Jobs: Ashton Kutcher

Mike Markkula: Dermot Mulroney

Steve Wozniak: Josh Gad

Daniel Kottke: Lucas Haas

Arthur Rock: J.K. Simmons

Bill Atkison: Nelson Franklin

John Sculley: Matthew Modine

Open Road Films presents a film directed by Joshua Michael Stern. Written by Matt Whiteley. Running time: 122 min. Rated PG-13 (for some drug content and brief strong language).

It’s easy to fail to notice just what an impact the work of Steve Jobs has had on our lives. I remember the Christmas when my parents got the family an Apple II computer. We were all so excited to have entered the computer age. We were just an average family. None of us had electronic inclinations. My dad wasn’t a tinkerer. My brother and I weren’t overtly obsessed with video games. But, to have an Apple II computer was sort of a status symbol signifying that a family had arrived in the modern age. At that time, no one knew of the innovations to come from Steve Jobs.

Penny Thoughts ‘13—Jack Reacher (2012) **

PG-13, 130 min.

Director: Christopher McQuarrie

Writers: Christopher McQuarrie, Lee Childs (novel “One Shot”)

Starring: Tom Cruise, Rosamund Pike, David Oyelowo, Jai Courtney, Richard Jenkins, Werner Herzog, Alexia Fast, Vladimir Sizov, Joseph Sikora, Michael Raymond-James, Josh Helman, Robert Duvall

“Jack Reacher” is the type of movie that reminds me of the way my middle child likes to do his chores. He refuses to do them in the efficient ways we try to teach him. He prefers to come up with his own way to do things that rarely take into consideration his end purpose. He likes to take the long way around things. It seems almost everyone in “Jack Reacher” likes to take the indirect approach. Reacher himself is the biggest offender.

Penny Thoughts ‘13—Jurassic Park (1993) ***½

PG-13, 127 min.

Director: Steven Spielberg

Writers: Michael Crichton (also novel), David Koepp

Starring: Sam Neil, Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum, Richard Attenborough, Joseph Mazzello, Ariana Richards, Bob Peck, Martin Ferrero, Wayne Knight, Samuel L. Jackson, B.D. Wong, Jerry Molen, Miguel Sandoval

The greatest thing happened last night when I decided to show my oldest son Steven Spielberg’s sci-fi classic “Jurassic Park”. During the scene in the conference room where the scientists were discussing the problems inherent in the concept of creating a theme park based on genetically engineered dinosaurs, he asked us to stop the movie so we could discuss some of the philosophies in play.

Penny Thoughts ‘13—Jeff, Who Lives at Home (2012) ***

R, 83 min.

Directors/Writers: Jay Duplass, Mark Duplass

Starring: Jason Segel, Ed Helms, Susan Sarandon, Judy Greer, Rae Dawn Chong, Steve Zissis, Evan Ross

It’s just like “Signs”, the movie starring Mel Gibson, Rory Culkin and Abigail Breslin; but without the lame rubber-suited aliens, Joaquin Phoenix, crop circles and all the other bullshit that made that movie stupid.

Penny Thoughts ‘13—Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back (2001) ***

R, 104 min.

Director/Writer: Kevin Smith

Starring: Jason Mewes, Kevin Smith, Ben Affleck, Jeff Anderson, Brian Christopher O’Halloran, Shannon Elizabeth, Eliza Dushku, Ali Larter, Jennifer Schwalbach, Will Ferrell, Jason Lee, Judd Nelson, George Carlin, Carrie Fisher, Seann William Scott, John  Stewart, Jules Asner, Steve Kmetko, Tracy Morgan, Gus Van Sant, Chris Rock, Jamie Kennedy, Wes Craven, Shannen Doherty, Mark Hamill, Diedrich Bader, Jason Biggs, James Van Der Beek, Matt Damon

“Snoochie Boochies” — Jay.

What does that mean? Who cares? I don’t know, but this movie is still fun to me. Of all of Kevin Smith’s films… Scratch that. Of all of the films Smith has written (that disavows “Cop Out”) “Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back” is probably the silliest, and in many ways, his most mainstream. The undervalued “Jersey Girl” is fairly mainstream as well, but in a different way. It’s the one movie in Smith’s cannon that doesn’t seem to involve some obscure issue that Smith wants to explore. It just exists for the sake of having a movie where Jay and Silent Bob, the two characters who work in the background of most of his movies, are the stars.

Penny Thoughts ‘13—John Dies at the End (2013) **½

R, 99 min.

Director: Don Coscarelli

Writers: Don Coscarelli, David Wong (original story)

Starring: Chase Williamson, Rob Mayes, Paul Giamatti, Clancy Brown, Glynn Turman, Doug Jones, Daniel Roebuck, Fabianne Therese, Jonny Weston, Jimmy Wong, Tai Bennett

I was thinking the other day about the movie “Office Space”. I was working in a movie theater in Vail, Colorado when it was released theatrically. Our theater didn’t get it, so a bunch of our high school employees road tripped to Denver to see it. I didn’t sense much interest in it in anyone at the time but those kids. As such I think it was perceived upon its release as one of those knucklehead movies about young people behaving badly.

Ebert Thoughts ‘13—Julia (2008) ***½

R, 144 min.

Director: Erick Zonca

Writers: Aude Py, Erick Zonca, Roger Bohbot, Michael Collins

Starring: Tilda Swinton, Aidan Gould, Kate del Castillo, Saul Rubinek, Jude Ciccolella, Bruno Bichir, Horacio Garcia Rojas, Mauricio Moreno, Gastón Peterson

“Julia” provides the greatest stretch of the theme I am exploring in these recent Ebertfest entries. Where is the good in the titular character played by Tilda Swinton here? Julia is not a good person. She does not make good decisions. She does not do good things. She does not have good intentions. What she does to the little boy that she kidnaps for ransom made me uncomfortable at times.