Seeing 'Jurassic Park' in Ikebukuro!

Jurassic Park at Ikekuburo's Shin Bungeiza theater. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Earlier this evening (Tuesday, August 15), I did something that I hadn't done in 30 years -- see Jurassic Park (1993) on the big screen. It was a digital projection at the Shin Bungeiza theater, and I was really looking forward to it. Truth be told, I saw Jurassic Park seven time in theaters when it came out, the last of which was probably in November 1993 at a second-run theater. Suffice it to say, I was impressed by the effects (and, frankly, just about everything else in the movie) at the time, so I couldn't get enough of it. It rekindled my childhood interest in dinosaurs, which lasted until around early 1994. 

Another thing worth mentioning is that, the night before we went to see Jurassic Park for the first time, we saw Godzilla vs. Biollante (1989) for the first time on VHS. I have to admit that I forgot all about Biollante after seeing Jurassic Park, and my interest in Godzilla wouldn't be revitalized until we finally found the ultimate holy grail Destroy All Monsters (1968), as well as the other Heisei-era Godzilla films, on VHS in late 1994. But it's fascinating to think how things might have played out had Jurassic Park not sucked up all the oxygen in the room at the time.

A few of these characters showed up for the screening. Photo by Brett Homenick.

I remember watching JP when it finally came out on home video in October 1994 and being surprisingly underwhelmed. I guess I'd seen it too many times, and by then it felt a bit old-hat. That was also about two months before we got our hands on Destroy All Monsters, so in the end Godzilla got the last laugh. 

I've given it a lot of thought, and I think tonight's screening may have been the first time I'd seen JP in its entirety since the fall of 1994. Thirty years later, I still remembered most of it, though I was able to pick up on some small details that I missed as a kid.

So how about the movie itself? It's still a lot of fun. The effects hold up really well, the humor still works, and Spielberg's direction is top-notch. Dean Cundey's cinematography is great, too. Some of the scenes were quite obviously filmed on a soundstage -- the nighttime scene with the brachiosaurs' eating in the treetops in particular looks a bit too stage-bound -- and the main characters aren't developed very well. So there are certainly some flaws, but, especially when you compare it with its sequels, the original holds up really well as an effects-driven thriller. 

A few years ago, I tried to see Joker (2019) in the theater more times than JP, but I topped off at six screenings. Now I'm even further in the hole, but that's all right. If Jurassic Park continues to hold the record for the most first- and second-run theatrical screenings, I'm cool with it. It's not a bad record holder at all. 

GENTLE WARRIOR! Toshiro Mifune Conquers Daikanyama!

A small (and temporary) Toshiro Mifune at Daikanyama T-Site. Photo by Brett Homenick.

In honor of Mifune: The Last Samurai's recent opening in Japan, a small Toshiro Mifune exhibit is being held at Daikanyama T-Site from May 10 through May 29. On May 25, I visited the exhibit after work. I'd already seen many of the items on display at last year's Mifune exhibit in Shibuya, but it was certainly great to have a chance to see them again -- a rare treat, indeed!

STEVEN SPIELBERG X ULTRAMAN?! Are You Ready for Spielberg's Ready Player One?

Could Ultraman soon join forces with Steven Spielberg? Photo by Brett Homenick. 

An interesting bit of Ultraman news was brought to my attention today, although it has apparently been making the rounds among Ultra-fans.

Anyway, Steven Spielberg is set to release his film adaptation of the 2011 science fiction novel Ready Player One on March 30, 2018. As pretty much everything else in production these days, it seems the book (which I naturally haven't read) is overflowing with pop culture references from the 1970s and '80s (video games, movies, TV, etc.).

At some point in the novel, the hero, Wade Watts, transforms into Ultraman, complete with a Beta Capsule. Fighting ensues. Again, not having read the book, I have no idea what else happens or how important this aspect of the story is to the plot (to the extent there is one).

Spielberg and his team could very easily replace Ultraman with another character or eliminate the scene entirely. But, given that the point of the novel seems to be specific pop culture references to things a lot of us grew up with, why make the movie without them? Will they remove Ultraman but leave in Pac-Man?

We'll certainly find out in less than a year one way or the other, but I have to admit it's pretty interesting to think about a director as talented as Steven Spielberg taking a crack at Ultraman.

By the way, according to the film's Wikipedia page, British actress Hannah John-Kamen has been cast in the film. Let the speculation about the inclusion of a female Kamen Rider begin.