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where faith and film are intertwined

Bryce Dallas Howard

8.27 Lost Worlds and Legacies in JURASSIC WORLD: DOMINION

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Directed by Colin Trevorrow, JURASSIC WORLD: DOMINION takes place four years after the destruction of Isla Nublar. Since that fateful day, the once-secluded dinosaurs have spread across the globe, living and hunting alongside the human race. However, when a new species threatens the global food industry, teams spanning generations must reunite in order to solve the mystery and prevent global catastrophe. This week, Dave Voigt (In The Seats) and Ben Dower (SF’s Monster Mondays) band together to bite back at DOMINION and its world of mayhem as we discuss missed opportunities and the joy of theme park rides.

You can stream on podomatic, Alexa (via Stitcher), Google Play, Spotify, iHeart Radio or Amazon Podcasts! Or, you can downoad the ep on Apple Podcasts!

Want to continue to conversation at home?  Click the link below to download ‘Fishing for More’ — some small group questions for you to bring to those in your area.

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Jurassic World: Dominion – Sound and Fury

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The age of the dinosaurs has come to an end. And there are many who are celebrating its demise.

Although the franchise has seen tremendous financial success over the past three decates, few of the entries have been a hit with critics. Other than the (still) brilliant original, many have felt (rightly) that the sequels have been somewhat of a mixed bag, either relying too heavily on nostalgia or just plain ridiculous. But its latest instalment, Jurassic World: Dominion, has found itself utterly blasted by poor reviews across the board.

Spoiler alert: this won’t be one of them. (Well, not entirely.)

Directed by Colin Trevorrow, Jurassic World: Dominion takes place four years after the destruction of Isla Nublar. Since that fateful day, the once-secluded dinosaurs have spread across the globe, living and hunting alongside the human race. However, when a new species threatens the global food industry, Dr. Ellie Sadler (Laura Dern), Alan Grant (Sam Neill) and Ian Malcolm (Jeff Goldblum) reunite to prevent global catastrophe. Meanwhile, Owen Grady (Chris Pratt) and Claire Dearing (Bryce Dallas Howard) are also working hard to discover what mega-corporation BioSyn wants with their daughter Maisie (Isabella Sermon) as she may hold the key to solving the mystery herself.

Every longstanding franchise comes to a point where they have to change the formula in order to survive. Sometimes it works, sometimes not. Admittedly, the Jurassic world wrote itself into a corner with the ending of the previous installment, Fallen Kingdom. By unleashing dinosaurs to rule the earth, the franchise opened a Pandora’s Box without any way to close it. All of a sudden, a series that found its greatest success telling stories about a group of people fighting for survival an enclosed environment completely reversed their formula. 

The series that began as a Lost World had transformed into Land of the Lost. 

Now, as the beasts of history were trampling wide-open spaces around the world, the franchise was forced to pivot. Given the impossible task of attempting to re-create the magic of a classic film, Dominion has had all of its rules changed. How do you attempt to wrap up an iconic franchise when the previous installment threw away the things that made it work? (In fact, one could argue that, like the characters in the film itself, the screenwriters are clearly trying to make the best of a bad situation.)

In a lot of ways, one has to respect the franchise for trying to make the old feel fresh. After all, they had been using similar formulas for the last 30 years with varying degrees of success. Ambitious and wild, Dominion is an attempt to bring an aging franchise into a whole new (Jurassic) world. As a result, the film is chaotic, silly and often non-sensical. 

But, dang it, I enjoyed myself.

Over the years, there’s been much debate as to whether certain films are ‘cinema’ or nothing more than ‘theme park rides’, as though there is some definitive line between the two sides. Dominion may be the film that hits both targets. Broad in its scope, this film feels as though the viewer has paid their ticket, gotten into the boat and takes a trip through a world of wild and possibilities. Whereas early films in the franchise attempted to delve into the moral high ground of scientific achievement, Dominion has no such sensibilities. (I believe it Shakespeare would say that it’s fueled by ‘sound and fury, signifying nothing’.) Instead, it simply wants to play with the toys they’ve created and unleash them in their new environment. Gone is much of the social commentary that marked Spielberg’s original, now replaced by scene after scene of monster-mayhem.

But it’s having fun doing it.

As (supposedly) the last film in the franchise, a clear effort has been made to bring the past and present together. By reuniting original characters with legacy cast, Dominion is very interested in bringing generations together. Wisely, the older characters are far more than cameos. Similar to the returnees in Spider-Man: No Way Home, beloved characters like Ellie Sadler, Alan Grant and Ian Malcolm are allowed to affect the plot. Although the film is drenched in nostalgia, there remains a certain level of satisfaction in seeing them back together onscreen. 

As with previous entries, there is an admiration of the natural world that pervades the film as well. At every opportunity, Dominion wants you to know that the filmmakers still care about the dinosaurs, even if the beasts almost feel as though they are the background as opposed to in it. With nature now lording over the ‘civilized’ world, these monsters are simply looking for a way to make their home among us. No longer are they for our amusement, yet they still carry the Spielberg-ian sense of wonder. (For example, an Apatosaurus slowly wandering through a lumber site is only one moment of many where humanity pauses to admire their new dino-roommates.)

As such, there is a deeper level of humility for nature in this than any of the other films. Whereas previous entries were about attempting to gain control of the nature world, Dominion recognizes that humanity is no longer the top of the food chain. (“Humanity has no more right to be top of the food chain than any other species,” pines Ian Malcolm.) The damage has been done and we must accept the reality that we’ve created. The past cannot be changed… so what does it mean to live in the moment that is here? 

Right now, there are many who feel like Jurassic World: Dominion is an extinction-level event. But this reviewer simply doesn’t agree. Although there are moments that are laughable, Dominion’s insanity is wrapped in gleeful silliness. Is it the best of the franchise? Not at all. But, despite what some may say, it isn’t the worst either.

Admittedly, one needs to lower their expectations for Dominion if they believe it will achieve the heights of the original. But, if you’re willing to hop onboard for a journey into dino-chaos, there’s no reason that you won’t enjoy the ride.

Jurassic World: Dominion roars into theatres on Friday, June 10th, 2022.

Dads: A Love Letter to Fathers

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Dads don’t always get a lot of good press these days.

At a time when important conversations about toxic masculinity dominate the news and absentee and abusive fathers have become common, men have become better known for their sins than their strengths. From acts of violence to abuse of their authority, the nightly news features the latest examples of how men have lost sight of what it means to be a positive influence.

Thankfully, Dads, the new documentary by Bryce Dallas Howard, wants to tell us another story.

In her directorial debut, Howard takes the opportunity to explore modern fatherhood and celebrate those men who want to leave a positive mark on the lives of their children. Beginning with personal stories about her own famous father, Howard clearly wants Dads to be a love letter to fathers who remain dedicated to their families. Juxtaposing the testimonials of such celebrity parents as Will Smith, Neil Patrick Harris, Kim Jeong, Hasan Minhaj and many others with the stories of everyday families around the world, Howard recognizes the successes, challenges and failures that dads experience as they attempt to navigate the world of contemporary parenting.

Charming and engaging, Howard’s doc balances its voice effectively by showcasing men of different races, sexualities and social status in order to offer a variety of perspectives on fatherhood and the male experience. In doing so, Howard brings to light many of the common experiences of these men who want their children to be healthy and feel loved. Though their circumstances differ, each of the men featured in Howard’s doc hold the responsibility of parenthood firmly in view as they struggle to navigate the challenges of raising children. Whether they are breaking stereotypes as stay-at-home fathers or looking to maintain a work-life balance, each testimonial speaks to the sacrifices that these men are willing to make for the sake of their child’s emotional or physical health. While none of these men suggest their own perfection, each one speaks to the depth of their commitment to their families, despite their anxieties about their role as parents.

In fact, it’s the film’s openness about paternal insecurities that gives Dads its emotional weight. While the film offers numerous success stories about what it means to be a committed parent, the openness of her subjects and interviews serves as a reminder that fatherhood is often riddled with feelings of inadequacy. Regardless of their situation, each man openly expresses the fears and frustrations of attempting to navigate the trials of raising children ‘without a manual’. Though every father featured adores their family, they all confess to feeling insufficient in their role, unsure of whether or not they actually measure up as a parent. (In fact, in one particularly honest moment, Minhaj even points out that his greatest question is whether it’s actually he or his children that are the ones that truly decide the quality of his parenting.) 

By giving voice to their parental insecurities, Howard recognizes the humanity of the men that have influenced our lives. Highlighting their brokenness, the true beauty of Dads is that it paints these men with a loving brush of grace as a reminder that their role matters in the lives of their children. For Howard, the point is not to depict these men as faultless but rather serve as a reminder of the love that drives so many fathers, despite their imperfections. (After all, doesn’t love cover a multitude of sins?) In this way, Howards portrays her subjects as examples of commitment and courage, regardless of their situations or flaws.

While Dads contains very few ‘revelations’ about parenting, it’s clear from the outset that this is never the intent of the film. Instead, Howard’s debut is meant to be ‘thank you card’ to fathers of all types that reveals what goes on in their minds, whether it be their reactions when they first meet their child to dealing with feelings of failure. As a result, Dads is an emotionally powerful celebration of the imperfect men in our lives and their impact upon us all.

Dads is available to stream on Apple TV+ now.

4.21 Life Still Finds A Way in JURASSIC WORLD: FALLEN KINGDOM

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After 25 years (!) since the original film, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom showed that the Raptors still have box office pull but have poor reviews brought the future of the franchise in jeopardy? This week, dino-fan Ben Dower returns to talk with Steve about how the franchise has changed, science and awe, and whether or not life really finds a way.

Want to continue to conversation at home?  Click the link below to download ‘Fishing for More’ — some small group questions for you to bring to those in your area.

4.21 Jurassic World Fallen Kingdom

Thanks Ben for joining us!

Pete’s Dragon – Embracing the Other

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petesdragon2A remake of 1977’s film of the same name, Pete’s Dragon tells of a young boy (Oakes Fegley) who grows up in the forest without any human contact after his parents are killed in a car crash. Thankfully, he’s protected by a powerful ally – Elliott the Dragon. Written and directed by David Lowery, the film has coming-of-age material mixed with some powerful themes about what it means to be unique, what community looks like, and how we explore the unknown.

While the ‘wild child’ idea has been played before (Hanna, The Jungle Book, etc.) in various formats, there’s something truly magical about a kid with a dragon! Recognizing that Pete sees Elliott in a way that no one else does, the audience will see that there’s more to the world than what they think they see – and that there’s more to other people and situations than what their experience may have proposed.

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In a world where fear is an operating principle for most people, Pete’s Dragon proposes that love (and grace) might be more important. The film might actually propose that operating out of fear isn’t acceptable, that just because we don’t understand or know something doesn’t make it bad – or other. In fact, the film might push us closer to recognizing our place in the community, even if we see it differently – or appear differently ourselves.

In Disney’s Blu-ray combo pack, special features pick in moments from the making of the film through Lowery’s diary in “Notes to Self: A Director’s Diary,” while the special effects that make Elliott ‘pop’ are including in “Making Magic.” Lowery gets some more screen time with “‘Disappearing’ Moments,” showing off some of the scenes that didn’t make the cut. Lowery also teams with his co-writer Toby Halbrooks, Fegley, and fellow kid co-star Ooana Lawrence to provide the audio commentary. Fans seeking less background and more additional points will dig the two music videos (“Nobody Knows,” “Something Wild”) and … of course… the bloopers. Now available on Blu-ray, DVD, and Digital HD, the story and visuals will keep the audience intrigued.

Pete’s Dragon – A World of Wonder

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“Just because you don’t see something doesn’t mean it’s not there.”

“Just because you say it’s true doesn’t mean it is.”

Pete’s Dragon really isn’t a remake of the 1977 Disney live action/animation musical. Disney is calling it a reimagining of the story. The only similarities are the title and the basic premise of a boy and his dragon. This is a totally different story with new setting and characters. In place of a dopey looking, amiable animated dragon is a slightly less dopey looking, amiable CG dragon (who has shaggy fur, not scales).

When Pete is five, he is traveling with his parents on an “adventure” in the woods in the Pacific Northwest. A car accident leaves him orphaned and alone in the forest. He is rescued and taken in by a dragon that lives in the woods. Then the story skips ahead six years.

There is local lore about a dragon living in the forest, mostly based on accounts of Mr. Meacham (Robert Redford), who has been telling children what seems to be a tall tale for many years. His daughter Grace (Bryce Dallas Howard) is a forest ranger who has never seen the dragon in all her years in the woods and claims there is nothing to them.

Meanwhile, Pete (Oakes Fegley) and the dragon (whom he calls Eliot because of the book he had with him and has read over and over through the years) have been living an idyllic existence. It is not so much a parent child relationship as that of a boy and his dog (take your pick which character is in which role). They frolic and play. Think of Pete as another version of Mowgli from Jungle Book. Pete and Eliot are both alone—the only ones of their kinds that they know of—so they form a kind of family.

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One day, loggers are working in the area when the boss’s daughter Natalie (Oona Laurence) sees him and goes into the forest after him. Soon, Pete is caught and brought to town where Grace and Natalie’s father Jack (Wes Bentley) care for him. Pete just wants to go home to Eliot. Meanwhile, some of the loggers have set out to find and capture Eliot. Eliot and those who support him and the loggers all converge on Eliot about the same time, which leads to Eliot’s capture. Soon it will require all Pete and his new friends can do to rescue the dragon who first rescued Pete.

There are three themes worth noting in the film. The film has a slight (maybe too slight) environmental message. The forest is a place of wonder. Grace loves the woods and does everything she can to protect it. Jack (with whom Grace has a relationship) seeks to be a responsible logger. Jack’s brother Gavin (Karl Urban) wants to cut down many more trees than he is supposed to. These views of how we relate to nature transfer to the way people approach Eliot. Grace and Jack seek to save him. Gavin and others seek to exploit him, just as they want to exploit the forest. Gavin is not an evil person or really even what we would call a villain. He is just one who operates out of selfishness whether it has to do with trees or Eliot.

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The film also seeks to emphasize the importance of family and belonging. Even though Pete and Eliot have what seems like a family bond, we know that they are both missing what it means to be with those of their own kind. The family motif plays out with Meacham and Grace, with Jack and Natalie, and even with Jack and Gavin. But the real ideal of family is seen in the bond between Eliot and Pete, even though it is not a real family. It is that relationship that all the others want to have in their own lives.

Finally, the film is about wonder and faith. When Meacham tells Grace the non-tall tale version of his encounter so many years before, he says he didn’t experience fear, but rather awe at the magic in the world. He says, “It changed the way I see the world.” Ever since his encounter with Eliot, he has lived with that sense of wonder and tried, through his storytelling, to convey it to the generations that have followed. Pete and Eliot bring the reality of his story to the town. Encounters with Eliot and discovering that there is magic in the world lead many to new ways of seeing the world, just as it had for Meacham. Often faith is understanding that things we may not see really are there.

Photos courtesy of Walt Disney Studios

Jurassic World: Chris Pratt Vs. The World

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The highest-grossing film of 2015 – the third highest-grossing film of all time – is available on 3-D, Blu-ray, DVD, and Digital HD. I think I must’ve been the last person alive to see it [okay, slight hyperbole] but the truth is that this is simple math in several scenarios. Let’s examine a few.

First, there’s the headliners: Steven Spielberg plus Frank Marshall plus Chris Pratt equals …. billions. Helming the ship are hand-picked leaders who have been here and done this before. And they put the camera front and center on stellar artificially created, life-like looking dinosaurs, and Chris Pratt.

Fresh off of his universe-dominating turn as Star-Lord, Pratt could’ve (and still might) make a run at one of those untouchable franchises, Spielberg’s Indiana Jones series. Starring as Velociraptor trainer Owen Grady, Pratt gets to be witty, compassionate, buff, and courageous, all while hauling around on a Harley. Starring opposite him is the ‘straight man’ Bryce Dallas Howard as park operations manager Claire Dearling, who allows complete chaos to occur in a not-so-controlled adventure park with flesh-eating dinosaurs, while her nephews (Ty Simpkins and Nick Robinson) tremble in the background.

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Second, there’s the plot. While Grady and Dearling (Dearling!) are trying to stop the bleeding and Vincent D’Onofrio’s security operator is D’Onofrioing, there are these two photogenic kids who get treated like chew toys. [Seriously, anyone who has seen the earlier films knows that the scene in the cafeteria is still sleep-defying, right?] Children in danger is a surefire way to ratchet up the tremors, the thrills, and the investment. It’s what makes Prisoners so horrifying and The Sandlot or The Goonies so powerful. Our childhoods matter, our children matter.

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Third, there’s the sheer weight of what Grady et al. are up against. They have no business messing with the Indominus. All you have to see is some action from the trailer, and you know that humanity is child’s play compared to this thing. It’s like Predator or Alien, only bigger. It’s a reminder that nature is not to be controlled, that we aren’t in control, that the creative process was designed by God… and when we play with it, we mess things up.

This is the ‘awesomeness’ of science fiction. Whether it’s uncontrolled cloning or random new technology that we don’t quite understand, there’s danger in what we don’t understand. But we’re heady, knowledgable, cocky – the human race that is – and we think if we can dream it, we should do it. Daedalus, be damned.

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Fourth, … yeah, we’re back to Pratt. As Grady, he’s brave, selfless, cool, and protective. He’s smarter than your average dinosaur and more collaborative than any of the previous ‘stars’ of the Jurassic Park films. He’s darned near perfect, who we’d hope to be in that situation. He’s everyman but the better man. Is he Christlike? I don’t know but he’s the one we want to emulate, replicate, duplicate.

It’s fair to say that the producers put the film on Pratt – with some dino help. But the special features of the Blu-ray combo pack put it all on him as well. The deleted scenes and other ‘normal’ special features pale in comparison to the ‘all-access pass’ that Pratt gives us in his tour of the Innovation Center. Sure, there’s still plenty of stuff to learn about the dinosaurs – aren’t they always cool? – but Pratt is front and center, as he should be.

Guardians of the Galaxy might’ve put him on the map in an ensemble cast, but Jurassic World proves he’s currently in a universe few have explored.

Jurassic World: A Whole New ‘World’?

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$208.8 million dollars.

Let’s just let that number sit there for a minute.

While it was no surprise that it took top spot at the box office, the fact that Jurassic World has literally shattered every box office record in its opening weekend is nothing short of staggering. While there was high anticipation for the first Jurassic Park sequel in fourteen years (and, arguably, the first good one since the original), no one expected the response that this film has received.

But does popularity also necessarily mean that the film has anything to say?

In this case, maybe.

Directed by Colin Trevorrow (Safety Not Guaranteed), Jurassic World returns us to Isla Nublar, the site of the original Jurassic Park. Now a fully operational theme park with over 20 000 visitors a day, Jurassic World has become an incredible success. Although, due to the fact that it has become so accessible to the public, the dinosaurs have become commonplace as attractions. As a result, the park’s operations manager Claire Dearing (Bryce Dallas Howard) ambitiously seeks to create excitement by developing the Indomitus Rex, a new hybrid dinosaur, to terrify and delight new visitors. However, when the Indomitus eventually escapes from its pen—an ‘inevitability’ claims the park’s CEO, Simon Masrani (Irrfan Khan)—Claire must enlist the help of rugged raptor trainer, Owen Grady (Chris Pratt) to prevent the rampaging beast from killing innocent park patrons.

While far from a perfect film, World finally delivers the sequel that the franchise has needed, offering the right balance of new direction and nostalgia that has been lacking from previous entries. At long last, the raptors are both dangerous and have a purpose in the story. Once again, the narrative seems to have something to say about our current culture. Even the decision to return to Isla Nublar deliberately signaled a desire to return to the magic of the original film. (What’s more, if Guardians of the Galaxy wasn’t enough proof, Jurassic World fully establishes Chris Pratt as this generation’s lovable action hero. And yes, if the rumors are true, I am fully onboard with him taking on the whip and fedora in the inevitable Indiana Jones reboot.)

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Produced by Spielberg through his Amblin label, Jurassic World very mucy feels like a throwback to the adventure films of the 80s and 90s, a fact which both plays out as a strength and a weakness. As a strength, it reveals a sense of light-heartedness and pure adventure that is often missing from today’s darker, more brooding tones. However, as a weakness, it has been argued that the character development plays out in a sexist manner; a charge that I feel isn’t fully accurate. While it is true that Owen’s character plays hero to Claire most of the film, the power dynamics have balanced out by the end. (Even if Claire’s character may not have the fearlessness of someone like Furiosa in Mad Mad: Fury Road, she’s also far from ‘weak’.)

Thematically, a lot has changed in the past twenty-two years as well. Whereas Jurassic Park stemmed from a culture just breaking the science of DNA, Jurassic World is born out of an era where people have grown accustomed to these sorts of technological advancements. Gone is the overall sense of wonder in the first film, replaced with a feeling of general malaise. Though, this is where the film dips its toe into theological territory. While Park asks whether or not man should attempt to play God, World begs the question of what happens when man gets bored of doing so? In other words, in a culture where human scientific achievement has become an everyday occurrence, Jurassic World reminds us that there is something wondrous about the very nature of life itself. In this film, the moral dilemma of the science isn’t the core problem.

The real issue is that they are no longer impressed by it.

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By arguing that their ‘triceratops is seen the same [by kids] as an elephant’, Claire constantly pushes her team to invent something new. However, in the process, she also loses sight of the astonishing nature of what they’ve accomplished, a theme that echoes our own culture of self-satisfaction and entertainment. Frequently losing sight of the miraculous and emptying our world of a spiritual connection to God’s creation, too often we break down the nature of life into one giant scientific equation. As a result, by subtracting the Divine aspect to science, we are left with little view of anything larger than ourselves. (Incidentally, Jurassic World counters this error in self-absorption through the character of Owen who recognizes that these dinosaurs ‘don’t know [they were created in a lab]’ and acknowledges that they fact that they are alive makes them more than mere experiments.)

In the end, Jurassic World delivers what it promises – a fun ride with a nostalgic feel. Most surprisingly though is the fact that it also has something new to say in a franchise that had seemed to run its course over a decade ago.

Despite the fact that we may not have learned from our mistakes, it really is a whole new World.hgxfysec5xcn2odalxro