T-Rex – BREAKING GEEK Radio: The Podcast

Cinema’s 8 Most Nefarious Organizations: From #8. Death Eaters to #5. S.P.E.C.T.R.E.

Posted on November 15, 2015 by Nick Doll in 007, Age of Ultron, Avengers, Captain America, Jurassic World, Lists, Marvel, MCU, Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation, Movies, SPECTRE, Star Wars, The Force Awakens, Villains

Evil organizations are all the craze these days on the silver screen, taking center stage in at least four 2015 Major Blockbusters: Avengers: Age of Ultron, Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation, SPECTRE (ha), and the forthcoming Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

Nothing like a whole industry of villains and evil doers, often, but not always, operating in the shadows. And though several of the “organizations” chosen are literally companies, they also fit the mold of “Nefarious Organizations.” Not just any company will do, but these certainly more than your simple morally corrupt businesses.

I’ve gone ahead and ranked them, most effective to least.

Let’s start with #8 through #5!

8. Death Eaters from the Harry Potter Franchise

Voldemort takes a cue or two from S.P.E.C.T.R.E., but instead of rings they all got matching tattoos!

I’m not even a Harry Potter fan (I’ve read 6 and 1/2 of the books, but never made it far enough in the film franchise to see said organization), but my roommate tells me I should look past my own interests, and the Death Eaters were the 1st Evil Organization I could think of outside my traditional Geek World (which would be mostly Marvel Comic Book Evil Organizations…).

Death Eaters definitely qualify as a Nefarious Organization, one that, like the best of them (that follow), have members at every level of government, Hogwarts, and even that weird Magical Bank with the trolls. Not a lot is scarier than a group of zealots awaiting and/or aiding the return of their evil leader: He who must not be named!

7. OSCORP Industries from The Amazing Spider-Man Films

In Sam Raimi’s original films, Oscorp was simply the company that Norman Osborn (Willem Dafoe) would experiment on himself… and kill… to remain in control and keep profitable. In Marc Webb’s Amazing Spider-Man films, the corporation is responsible for a man-lizard, an electricity man, a mutated head of the company, and a series of enhanced soldier suits based on animals including a rhinoceros, a vulture, and an octopus.

A little hokey, sure, but it actually makes more sense than the original 2002 Spider-Man. Think about the major superhero villains these days. Tony Stark’s genius leads to Iron Monger, Whiplash, Extemis, and Ultron. The Super Soldier serum administered by the same scientist creates both Red Skull and Captain America. Batman’s appearance brings the Joker into the world as a direct response to his theatrical vigilantism. But in Spider-Man, it’s simply a hard to believe coincidence (even if you’ve bought into a man who can stick to walls and swing from webs) that Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire) was bitten by a radioactive spider the very same night that Norman Osborn accidentally turns himself into a crazy super soldier to save his company. Ridiculous!

Mending this storytelling shortfall, Oscorp is behind all the foes Andrew Garfield’s Peter Parker faces, whether that be an overreaction or not. Certainly qualifying the company that Norman Osborn built a spot on this list!

6. InGen from the The Lost World: Jurassic Park & Jurassic World

InGen didn’t seem like such a bad company when John Hammond was around. But since he hit his death bed, other forces within the corporation have put profits above human safety… and worse.

It starts with Hammond’s nephew in The Lost World: Jurassic Park, who will stop at nothing to grab dinosaurs out of their new “natural” habitat on Isla Sorna, a.k.a. “Site B” and present them to the masses. Even when the star exhibit, a full grown T-Rex, wrecks havoc in San Diego.

Even worse, Dr. Henry Wu (B.D. Wong) and Hoskins (Vincent D’Onofiro) clearly have a real shady deal going on behind the scenes of the theme park, Jurassic World. Hoskin’s obsession with military applications for carnivores and Dr. Wu’s gene-splicing skills offer even more trouble than in the 1st Jurassic World film, paving the way for a trilogy of InGen’s evil doings!

5. S.P.E.C.T.R.E. from the 007 Franchise

No matching tattoos here, but of course Agents of S.P.E.C.T.R.E. have matching jewelry!

S.P.E.C.T.R.E. has been on the big screen longer than any other Nefarious Organization on this list, originating in Sean Connery’s days only to be revived this year in Daniel Craig’s world. S.P.E.C.T.R.E. stands for Special Executive for Counter-Intelligence, Terrorism, Revenge, and Extortion (like with do-gooder organization S.H.I.E.L.D., someone just really wanted to spell SPECTRE, albeit incorrectly).

Now, if you read my review for SPECTRE, you know the film was lacking… a lot. In fact, S.P.E.C.T.R.E., the supposed ultimate Nefarious Organization of all time, doesn’t get its due in the 2015 007 film. While Daniel Craig’s 007 movies have improved on every aspect of the character from Casino Royale through Skyfall, S.P.E.C.T.R.E. does not live up to the organization Connery built (well, fought) back in the 60’s.

Perhaps if the film SPECTRE was better, this ultimate Evil Organization would have landed on the better half of the list. After all, it is the original shadow group with tentacles in every countries government on all ends of the globe, controlling resources, governments, and intelligence rather than always seeking to start WWIII like later Bond villains.

And that’s a wrap! For now… Check back later when I reveal The Top 4 Nefarious Organizations in Cinema, including H.Y.D.R.A. and The First Order, formally the Galactic Empire!

JURASSIC WORLD Review: This Ain’t Your Childhood’s JURASSIC PARK (But that can be a good thing!)

Posted on June 11, 2015April 6, 2016 by Nick Doll in Jurassic World, Movies, Reviews

Perhaps writer/director Colin Trevorrow put it best in a recent article: Jurassic World‘s very story is a commentary on its existence. Universal Execs wanted to revive their 2nd biggest film franchise (it used to be #1 but has been bested by the sheer number of Fast & Furious films); they wanted Jurassic Park again, only bigger, scarier, more action packed. So, Trevorrow made a film about greedy InGen executives wanting something bigger and more dangerous, resulting in Indominus Rex and the popular synopsis for any film: “things go awry.”

Does Jurassic World live up to its real life mirror? Is bigger, scarier, and more action packed, a film gone “awry,” disappointing fans the world over? Or have the Universal Execs outsmarted InGen’s, creating a new monster that is not dangerous to your Jurassic Park loving self?

I am happy to report, that though no film could ever top the intelligence, heart, and magic of 1993’s original Jurassic Park, Jurassic World is an incredibly worthy sequel; something The Lost World and Jurassic Park III could never manage.

The best way to sum up the movie is that I saw every scene and location I wanted to see! Indominus Rex wrecking havoc? Check! A little bit o’ T-Rex? Check! (Human) Siblings in peril? Check! Chris Pratt continuing to rock the summer blockbuster? Double Check!!!

Most importantly, are the scariest parts of Jurassic Park, the famed Velociraptors (sometimes in the kitchen), neutered pets for Owen Grady (Chris Pratt) to control? Fuck no! This is by far the scariest and most vicious the famed raptors have been since 1993’s trip to Isla Nublar.

Jurassic World smartly builds on Jurassic Park with a few fun winks; not so much as to feel like a rehash or a misguided attempt to reference the original as much as possible.

It’s amazing to see that red flares are used to get the attention of the T-Rex to ensure he actually eats the goat at feeding time; Ian Malcolm taught old Rex flares mean tasty treats 22 years ago (it is, indeed, the very same T-Rex that provided the franchise’s best scene when he famously escaped his pen). The events of Jurassic Park are also referenced by the Lowery, played brilliantly by Jake Johnson. He wears a Jurassic Park shirt he found on Ebay for $150, which may or may not be in poor taste. He’s a Jurassic Park groupie in the same way Charlie Day played a “Kaiju groupie” in Pacific Rim. And a hero.

Likewise, contrary to popular theories going into the film, InGen head Simon Masrani (Irrfan Khan) isn’t a greedy man like John Hammond’s nephew in The Lost World, he is like Hammond himself, reminding us that though Hammond spared no expense (Masrani actually says that very line, crediting Hammond), the Park was always intended the be for everyone, not just for the rich. Masrani believes this should be the fun division of InGen, not necessarily the profitable one.

Of course, other InGen employees tend to disagree, starting with Claire (Bryce Dallas Howard), day-to-day park manager who can’t make time to see her two nephews visiting Jurassic World (Nick Robinson and Ty Simpkins) because she is obsessed with creating newer, scarier attractions for the profit of literal sponsorship (her vision is “Verizon Wireless Presents Indominus Rex”). Claire’s own greed puts extra lives at risk, with a scene reminiscent of Jaws featuring Claire refusing to evacuate the park because of the loss in profit and a second where she sends mercenaries/security to track Indominus Rex with non-lethal weaponry, because he is a mulit-million dollar “asset.” Of course, she comes around after the men are all slaughtered and she learns her own nephews are lost in the park.

Nick Robinson and Ty Simpkins are the best kids the JP franchise has seen since Lex and Tim in the original film. They don’t ruin the danger of the movie by beating Velociraptors with gymnastics (The Lost World) or by surviving on an island by themselves for weeks (Jurassic Park III). They are closer to the original archetypes of scared siblings lost in the wild, though there is a moment where they are a little too smart and inventive for their own good.

Speaking of Jurassic Park archetypes, Chris Pratt’s Owen Grady is an interesting mash-up of Allan Grant and Muldoon. He isn’t given a ton to do, acting wise, but he brings life and charm in what could have been an overly stereotypical role. And of course he can handle action scenes like the best of them.

MINOR SPOILERS AHEAD. Skip the next paragraph if ye’ be afraid.

Like any good Zombie movie, what would a Jurassic Park film be without human villains? (Besides Jurassic Park III which is 100% rotten in my opinion.) Here we seem to have two, Dr. Henry Wu (BD Wong), the only returning cast member from any Jurassic Park film, and Vincent D’Onofrio (who is on fire this year with Run All Night, JW, Daredevil, and being cast in the remake of Magnificent Seven… with Chris Pratt) as Hoskins. Between the two of them (Hoskins’ exact role is unknown, is he just a military man, or a former military man who seems to run the shady side of the company?), InGen has begun to look more like The Amazing Spider-Man’s Oscorp. Hoskins has a dream of using Velociraptors to hunt down terrorists in caves, while being involved in some sort of hybrid program with Dr. Wu that goes deeper than Indominus Rex and may even be the strand used to build a sequel.

SPOILERS OVER… For Now.

Finally, let’s talk Dinos. You can tell CGI has come a long way in 22 years, from the new level of detail to classic Dinos like Gallimimus and Velociraptors, to the creation of a new dinosaur; Mr. Indominus Rex.

Indominus Rex avoids the pitfalls of the Spinosaurus, Universal’s bright(?) idea for a scarier dinosaur than T-Rex in Jurassic Park III. He’s bigger, smarter, etc, but he’s also… cooler? Is that the best descriptor? He really gets the best of all worlds, with a size bigger than T-Rex, useful arms for slinging humans into trees to kill them, and intelligence that may surpass the Velociraptor… as well as a bunch of other nifty feature I won’t spoil here. He gets all the scenes T-Rex got back in day, crushing a vehicle with kids in it and leaning close to Owen Grady, nostrils flaring and a mouthful of teeth opened just wide enough to get the point across.

Back to the Raptors… no one could ever hope to top Raptors in the kitchen, or that “Clever Girl” moment, but Jurassic World delivers the best Raptor thrills and scares since the 1st film. It’s great watching Owen train them like dolphins at the beginning, only having to test his Raptor whispering skills when a young paddock worker falls in with the dangerous, intelligent Dinos. But it gets better when greedy Hoskins finally gets what he wants and sets the Raptors free… leading to exactly what you would expect. MINOR MINOR SPOILERS AHEAD.

Before I wrap up this overly long review, I want to express my excitement about one element of the film I was hoping for going in. A look at the OG Jurassic Park buildings from 1993, reclaimed by the jungles of Isla Nublar. Revisiting the original Visitor Center (no pun intended) was a treat, especially the uncovering of a small part of a film-famous banner and the use of an Original “Jurassic Park” labeled Jeep.

MAJOR 3RD ACT SPOILERS AHEAD. Skip to last paragraph if need be.

The finale is probably the most polarizing part of the film. Some people will love it, others may think it is cheesy. Let’s just say it’s T-Rex and the Raptor named Blue squaring off against Indominus Rex… even with an assist by the aquatic Mosasaurus. The fact these three work together to fight off the “monster” dinosaur that shouldn’t exist, could simply be “Life Finding A Way” (again, though technically all the dinosaurs are unnatural “monsters,” built from Dino AND Frog DNA – among other things) or it could be over-the-top action with little sense. For whatever the reason, just like in Jurassic Park,T-Rex does save the day in an almost Godzilla (2014) way; a monster simply bringing balance to the ecosystem and saving “mankind.” The last scene of the film even has the classic King of the Dinos (well, Queen, all the animals in Jurassic Park were supposed to be female) T-Rex, roaring over his domain of Isla Nublar from on high. Still, since the T-Rex only appears in the 3rd act (mostly…mostly), he remains a letdown, no scenes to rival the first film or even Lost World. At least his neck isn’t broken by a Spinosaurus in the 1st act like Jurassic Park III… * Shudder*

SPOILERS OVER

Like 99% of sequels, Jurassic World has moments that make you cringe or upset you because it doesn’t play close enough to the original film. But, overall, it is a fantastic film, not disappointing this Jurassic Park mega-fan (JP is in my top 5 favorite movies and JW is my most anticipated movie of the year), becoming the best Jurassic Park sequel to date (you know they want to make another, especially with the one loose thread involving Hoskins and Dr. Wu’s secret work), delivering every scene and dinosaur scare I expected to see.

Global JURASSIC WORLD Trailer Proves Raptors Are Still Dangerous! But Not As Smart As Indominus Rex

Posted on April 20, 2015 by Nick Doll in Jurassic World, Movies, Trailers

Okay, so there is a ton to discuss here, but I have to leave for work.

We get to see that, indeed, even though Chris Pratt’s Owen Grady is a “raptor whisperer,” Velociraptors are still willing to devour a man! And the park still has a T-Rex! And Dr. Wu! And we see how the Pterodactyls escape! Aaaaaaannnnnddddd…. everything is awesome (for the 3rd time for Chris Pratt)!

We do see a little more of Indominus Rex than I would have liked, but this look at her does not disappoint! Nor does the entire trailer!

Watch it now!

June 12th can’t come soon enough!

‘Lego Jurassic World’ Video Game Explores All 4 Films… Complete With Official Dialog!

Posted on March 16, 2015 by Nick Doll in Jurassic World, Trailers, Video Games

Thus far, we have only seen a theatrical teaser trailer and a much more revealing Superbowl spot for June 12’s ‘Jurassic World’ starring Chris Pratt.

Now… we have a trailer for ‘Lego Jurassic Park: The Video Game;’ a game that like ‘Lego Indiana Jones’ and ‘Lego Star Wars’ covers all four films in the ‘Jurassic Park’ franchise.Though the idea seemed silly at first (like a Lego movie…), the Lego games have become the standard for excellent movie adaptations with great control schemes, smart level design, and loads of humor (like ‘The Lego Movie!’).

Lego has cornered the market on Video Game Movie Adaptations, with ‘Lego Indiana Jones’ being the best ‘Indiana Jones’ game ever made and ‘Lego Star Wars’ among the creme of the crop of ‘Star Wars’ video games. These games put Lego on the map and there have been plenty of Lego games since. In fact, the Lego games gave been getting better; giving each hero a unique control scheme in ‘Lego Marvel Heroes’ and making the movie to game adaptation seamless in the form of ‘The Lego Movie: The Video Game.’

Like past Lego games, humor is at the heart of the “Jurassic Wolrd’ game, but unlike ‘Lego Star Wars’ and ‘Lego Indiana Jones,’ ‘Lego Jurassic World’ uses more than visual gags to tell the story. In fact, having already added dialog to ‘Lego Marvel Heroes’ and ‘Lego Movie: The Video Game,’ ‘Lego Jurassic World’ actually takes dialog directly from all four ‘Jurassic Park’ films. That means you get to hear the voice talents of Sam Neill and Jeff Goldblum without the nearly impossible feat of getting the original cast into a recording studio (of course all the actors will get a chunk of the profit).What we have here is the only real ‘Jurassic Park’ game made in years; the only one for current and next-gen titles. TellTale Games, who made their classic “Chapter” style of video games, including past ‘Jurassic Park’ adventures, is making the game with Lego and Warner Bros Games.

With no other ‘Jurassic World’ game in production (maybe there will be an update to the Park Builder games), it looks like Lego has again cornered the market, surely producing the best ‘Jurassic Park’ related game to date… if you can put up with Legos.

Jeep chases, battling Velociraptors, and John Williams’ score abound, I cannot wait to return to (Lego) Isla Nublar and Isla Sorna (“Site B”)!

Watch the trailer now!

Time to start saving money… between this and ‘Batman: Arkham Knight’ I have two games I need to get this June.

Happy gaming, geeks!

Meet The Mysterious Indominus Rex Hybrid From ‘Jurassic World’

Posted on January 30, 2015 by Nick Doll in Jurassic World, Movies, Posters, Villains

‘Jurassic World’ is my most anticipated movie of 2015. Why? Click here for a refresher.

On the (nearly) eve of the Superbowl, prior to the promise of a brand new trailer for ‘Jurassic World,’ the good folks at Universal have given us an official peak at the already infamous “Indominus Rex.”

(There are a bunch of more spoilery images of the beast confirmed correct if you wish to find them online. I’m just covering the official Universal Studios less spoilerly review of the creature.)

Nothing super-spoilery like a full image of the beast, but we have a sneak peak at the creature’s Godzilla type snout. We also have a “guide” to the dinosaur, showing us his “logo” with an outline of the beast, as well as a fake press-release explaining Jurassic World’s newest attraction.

Here’s the very vague face of Indominus Rex.

The official look at Indominus Rex. See, barely a real look. No spoilers!

Now, for a clearer look at the creature, without actually revealing the full beast itself, comes a graphic officially released by “the park.”It does live up to the top ad’s promise of “More Teeth.” But is it bigger and louder?

Notice the emphasis on the Indominus Rex’s clawed hand. It seems to be the creature’s most dangerous feature, besides the terrifying teeth above. Obviously, the arms are much more effective than a T-Rex, while keeping the overall shape of the classic movie-monster from the first two ‘Jurassic Park’ films.

AND GREAT NEWS! It’s not a dino/human hybrid from earlier drafts of the script. This was fixed, as promised and to the relief of ‘Jurassic Park’ fans across the interwebs.

Indominus Rex does seem to have a interesting toe as well, but the “official press release from the scientists at Jurassic World” doesn’t include Velociraptor as one of the species spliced into this hybrid as previously rumored (and hoped!).

Even has a T-Rex-esque Face Logo

There are a bunch of other Dinos and jargon I don’t understand, making this piece of viral marketing very effective. In addition to the description of the beast’s genetics we get its max speed and even the number of decibels produced by Indominus Rex’s roar.

“We set out to make Indominus the most fearsome dinosaur ever to be displayed at Jurassic World. The genetic engineers at our Hammond Creation Lab have more than delivered.

At first glance, Indominus most closely resembles a T. Rex. But its distinctive head ornamentation and ultra-tough bony osteoderms can be traced from Theropods known as Abeliosaurs. Indominus’ horns have been placed above the eye orbit through genetic material hybridized from Carnotaurus, Majungasaurus, Rugops and Gigantosaurus. Fearsome indeed.

Indominus’ roar is estimated to reach 140-160db—the same as a 747 taking off and landing. And it can reach speeds of 30 mph…while confined to its enclosure. Come experience Indominus Rex for yourself beginning this summer. If you dare.”

So it is louder. Much louder!

Run Chris Pratt! Run! You can’t make it up to 30 miles per hour like Indominus Rex! (But a jeep could out run it…)

Prepare to see a bunch of tourists eaten by Indominus Rex on June 12th.

Why Are They Breeding Raptors On Isla Nublar?

Posted on January 7, 2015February 17, 2017 by Nick Doll in Features, Jurassic World, Movies, Villains

“Clever Girl.”

Velociraptors.

Though T-Rex makes the park logo (of both the failed Jurassic Park and the new Jurassic World) and has the best single scene in the franchise (“someone let T-Rex out of his pen”), for me, the Jurassic Park franchise is all about Velociraptors.

There are few things scarier than the Velociraptor; in fact, it may be the scariest monster to ever grace the silver screen.

Sure, ‘Jaws’ is scary, but to avoid Bruce you just need to stay out of the water. But Velociraptors… if you are on Isla Nublar or Isla Sorna (aka ‘Site B’), can get to you anywhere. They talk to each-other, open doors, and have one hell of a claw.

The Velociraptors haven’t had the best track record in the ‘Jurassic Park’ sequels. Raptors in the grass is terrifying in ‘Lost World: Jurassic Park,’ but then the incredibly smart beasts are bested by Ian Malcom’s teenage daughter doing gymnastics.

In ‘Jurassic Park III’ they have feathers… and are only after Alan Grant and company to protect their eggs. In fact, blowing through their vocal cavity causes them to leave you alone completely.

LAME!

Velociraptors are better as cold blooded, killing machines like in the first film.

Yet… in the film ‘Jurassic Park’ all the raptors are either killed or left for dead in a locked freezer.

Muldoon tells the park visitors that there are three raptors in the Velociraptor Pen. He explains that when they brought in the big one – you know, the one who eats that paddock worker at the beginning of the film (“Shoot Her!”) – she killed all the raptors in the pride but two.

So, we start the film with three velociraptors. Then Timmy locks one in the freezer in the 2nd best scene of the franchise: raptors in the kitchen. They may be able to open doors, but they can’t unlock one from the inside.

Finally, in the 3rd best scene (this is working out nicely), T-Rex comes to the rescue (in what is actually the biggest and most beloved cop-out of an ending in film history), killing the other two raptors.

So, by the end of 1993’s ‘Jurassic Park’ there are no live raptors left on Isla Nublar.

T-Rex earns his final, powerful image after killing two Raptors.

But, life finds a way (or studio executives at least) as Chris Pratt gets to ride a motorcycle with at least 5 of the creatures in the ‘Jurassic World’ trailer; ‘World’ being the first JP film to return to Isla Nublar since 1993.

So, in their infinite wisdom, did InGen (or its new parent company) breed new Raptors? Or even take old ones from Site B., Isla Sorna?

Or, did life really find away?

The Raptor Pen in 'Jurassic Park' — The Raptor Pen in ‘Jurassic Park’

Were there eggs in that pen? After all, we, and the park employees don’t really get a good look in there due to the danger level. Did the Raptors also change sex and breed? Who would raise the babies? Were there young raptors in the pen?

Alternate theory; did the Velociraptor in the freezer use her weight to force the door open? Did she raise some babies?

Likely, this won’t be addressed in ‘Jurassic World.’ I never realized that all three raptors met a terrible fate (that they deserved) until I rewatched ‘Jurassic Park’ for the millionth time. And I doubt the studio and writer expect us to remember this, if they even did.

But maybe, just maybe, we’ll get an explanation from Chris Pratt as to why he has his own pack of Raptors.

The motivating force of the ‘JurassicWorld’ plot is that park guests are tired of seeing the same old monsters after a decade of Jurassic World being open. Where raptors bred to give park goers that scare factor before management decided to just go ahead and make a new dinosaur? Where they bred to be used as samples to create what the web is calling the ‘D-Rex;’ possibly a hybrid Velocirapter/T-Rex?

Whatever the case.

“Probably not a good idea.”

I just hope the new Raptors are used for scares, not just as Pratt’s minions. After all, they are the cornerstone of Jurassic Park’s scares.

Is that really the new Hybrid... or is the shot more reminiscent of Timmy in the kitchen with Raptors! — Is that really the new Hybrid… or is the shot more reminiscent of Timmy in the kitchen with Raptors!

I do have a theory that the final scene in the trailer, pre-logo, the ominous shadow and growl over the young boy is that of a Raptor, not Jurassic World’s newest attraction.

All will be revealed (or glossed over) in ‘Jurassic World’ opening Jun 12th

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