Tag Archives: BD Wong

Jurassic World Dominion (2022)

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Jurassic World Dominion
Director: Colin Trevorrow
Writer: Emily Carmichael, Colin Trevorrow, Derek Connolly
Based on: Michael Crichton‘s book (plus sequel)
Sequel to: Jurassic Park, The Lost World: Jurassic Park, Jurassic Park III, Jurassic World, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom
Cast: Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, Isabella Sermon, Campbell Scott, Omar Sy, BD Wong, DeWanda Wise, Mamoudou Athie, Justice Smith, Daniella Pineda, Scott Haze, Dichen Lachman, Jeff Goldblum, Laura Dern, Sam Neill
Seen on: 22.6.2022

Plot:
In a world where dinosaurs have started to roam the earth freely, Owen (Chris Pratt) and Claire (Bryce Dallas Howard) live in a rather isolated location, and with good reason – they are hiding Maisie Lockwood (Isabella Sermon). She is a clone and who knows what would be done to her if she was found. When Maisie is taken along with raptor Blue’s baby, Owen and Claire are desperate to get her back. Meanwhile, Ellie Sattler (Laura Dern) enlists the help of Alan Grant (Sam Neill) to investigate strangely mutated locusts. Both Maisie’s disappearance and the locusts point back to the company BioSyn.

The last two Jurassic World films were already rather disappointing affairs, but I’m a sucker for dinosaurs, and when you throw Laura Dern on top, of course I couldn’t resist (despite Chris Pratt’s reactionary self). Was it worth it? I’m honestly not sure, but leaning towards no – Jurassic World Dominion is definitely not good.

The film poster showing the central characters grouped around the iconic Jurassic Park logo: a dinosaur skull against an amber background.
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Bird Box (2018)

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Bird Box
Director: Susanne Bier
Writer: Eric Heisserer
Based on: Josh Malerman‘s novel
Cast: Sandra Bullock, Trevante Rhodes, John Malkovich, Sarah Paulson, Jacki Weaver, Rosa Salazar, Danielle Macdonald, Lil Rel Howery, Tom Hollander, Machine Gun Kelly, BD Wong, Pruitt Taylor Vince, Vivien Lyra Blair, Julian Edwards, Parminder Nagra
Seen on: 6.1.2019
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Content Note: suicide, ableism/saneism

Plot:
Five years ago, something happened. Something came and whoever saw it, committed suicide. Malorie (Sandra Bullock) and her children Boy (Julian Edwards) and Girl (Vivien Lyra Blair) managed to stay alive so far and found a community with several other survivors. But things have changed now and what used to be safe, isn’t anymore. Malorie has to find another haven for her children and herself.

Bird Box felt a little like a genre movie made by people who don’t actually have much to do with genre at all. It looks great and the acting is awesome, but oh the tropes and clichés…

The film poster showing Malorie (Sandra Bullock) with blindfolded eyes, cradling both her children who are also blindfolded.
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Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018)

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Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom
Director: J.A. Bayona
Writer: Derek Connolly, Colin Trevorrow
Based on: Michael Crichton‘s book (plus sequel)
Sequel to: Jurassic Park, The Lost World: Jurassic Park, Jurassic Park III, Jurassic World
Cast: Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, Rafe Spall, Justice Smith, Daniella Pineda, James Cromwell, Toby Jones, Ted Levine, Jeff Goldblum, BD Wong, Geraldine Chaplin, Isabella Sermon
Seen on: 13.6.2018

Plot:
After Jurassic World was closed down, the remaining dinosaurs are roaming Isla Nubar and things should be calming down. But then the volcano on the island becomes active and threatens the last remaining living dinosaurs. Claire (Bryce Dallas Howard), by now head of the Dinosaur Protection Group, can’t let that happen. She contacts Owen (Chris Pratt) despite their differences because she knows she needs his help to save the dinos. But they are not the only ones interested in them.

Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom was about as messy as Jurssic World. If it wasn’t for the dinosaurs, I’d say that it isn’t worth watching at all. But dammit, if the dinosaurs aren’t pretty.

Poster for Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, showing a T-Rex roaring over a human.
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Jurassic World (2015)

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Jurassic World
Director: Colin Trevorrow
Writer: Rick Jaffa, Amanda Silver, Colin Trevorrow, Derek Connolly
Based on: Michael Crichton‘s book (plus sequel)
Sequel to: Jurassic Park, The Lost World: Jurassic Park, Jurassic Park III
Cast: Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, Irrfan Khan, Vincent D’Onofrio, Ty Simpkins, Nick Robinson, Jake Johnson, Lauren Lapkus, Omar Sy, BD Wong, Judy Greer, Katie McGrath
Seen on: 21.6.2015

Plot:
Years after the events at Jurassic Park, Jurassic World has opened – a theme park with actual dinosaurs. And things are going very well. A lot of that success is due to Claire (Bryce Dallas Howard) who manages the park, is looking after investors and generally is always looking for ways to expand and to ameliorate. This weekend, she is visited by her two nephews Gray (Ty Simpkins) and Zach (Nick Robinson), but she also has to make sure that the park’s anticipated newest attraction – a new crossbreed of dinosaur – gets ready to be marketable. But then everything goes wrong and Claire has to team up with Owen (Chris Pratt) to avoid an even bigger disaster. Oh, and save her nephews.

I love the old movies and have loved them ever since I was a kid. So I was really looking forward to Jurassic World. But it manages the absolutely unthinkable: it makes dinosaurs boring. I am still unsure how they managed that particular feat, but it happened.

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The Normal Heart (2014)

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The Normal Heart
Director: Ryan Murphy
Writer: Larry Kramer
Based on: Larry Kramer‘s play
Cast: Mark Ruffalo, Taylor Kitsch, Jim Parsons, Matt Bomer, Julia Roberts, BD Wong, Joe Mantello, Stephen Spinella, Alfred Molina, Denis O’Hare, Corey Stoll
Part of: identities Festival
Seen on: 13.6.2015

Plot:
It’s the early 1980s and Ned (Mark Ruffalo) has had it with the sex-obsession of the gay community who celebrate their fight and their right to (physically) love whomever they want to love. By chance Ned finds out that a new illness is making the rounds among gay men, maybe a kind of cancer. Maybe even something that is sexually transmitted. Ned takes up the fight to raise awareness for it, though his calls for caution in the sex department fall on deaf ears. As the illness keeps spreading, confounding the few doctors who bother to look into an illness that mostly concerns gay men, Ned’s activism becomes more frantic, estranging him even from his co-fighters.

The Normal Heart was pretty much like I expected it to be: grand emotions and forceful pulling on heartstrings, excellent performances and a whole lot of message.

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Focus (2015)

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Focus
Director: Glenn Ficarra, John Requa
Writer: Glenn Ficarra, John Requa
Cast: Will Smith, Margot Robbie, Adrian Martinez, Gerald McRaney, Rodrigo Santoro, BD Wong
Seen on: 13.3.2015

Plot:
Nicky (Will Smith) is a con man in the second generation and in the game for a while, when he meets Jess (Margot Robbie). Jess is young, aspiring to be a con artist herself and trying to rip off Nicky. Nicky plays along for a while, but ultimately reveals himself. Jess asks for a lesson, they hit it off and team up, only for Nicky leaving Jess behind after their job is done. Years later they run into each other again – on opposite ends of another con job.

Focus was not a great film, but it was a thoroughly entertainign one. I like con/heist stories, even if the cons here weren’t awesome, and it was nice to have it paired up with a RomCom.

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