Jurassic Park

On paper, this should not be my kind of film. It falls into the adventure category, it was made for the masses, it features dinosaurs and it is from the 1990's (read: dated, but not in a cool 1970's way). Yes, it took me until today to watch it...because I wasn't really interested before. But this is one of those films that everybody has to see at some point, I guess.

And...

It is awesome!

This seriously kept me on the edge of my seat and had me watch with open mouth, especially during the very first dinosaur attack, when the car with the kids inside gets pushed around.

Now, as this is a Steven Spielberg film, it is of course obvious that all the characters we care about will make it out alive. Even that knowledge that not let me become ambivalent about what I was watching. It is just exciting the entire time. I guess that is all one can ask from an adventure blockbuster.

With a big name director come some big name actors. Sam Neill (who was huge at the time), Jeff Goldblum (always a good choice), Laura Dern, the late Richard Attenborough and a chain smoking Samuel L. Jackson.

Why, oh why did I wait so long to watch this?

9/10

Muder in the Heartland

The story of Charles Starkweather, who went on a two-months killing spree with his under age girlfriend Caril Ann Fugate in December 1957 and January 1958 has been told in several versions, sometimes depicting the actual story and other times merely using the story as inspiration.

This 1993 TV mini series probably stays the closest to the real story. The first part covers the 11 murders committed by Starkweather, who later claimed that Fugate was a willing participant, changing his initial story that she had nothing to do with the murders. Fugate always maintained her innocence, claiming she had been held hostage by Starkweather, who threatened to kill her family (her mother, stepfather and half-sister were among the first victim, Fugate denied knowing they were already dead).

Part two deals with the aftermath - the police investigation, the extradition of Starkweather to be tried in Nebraska rather than Wyoming (both states had the death penalty but he said to prefer the Nebraskan electric chair to Wyoming's gas chamber), the extent of Fugate's involvement in the crimes.

Tim Roth plays Charles Starkweather in his usual brilliant manner and Fairuza Balk is actually surprisingly good in this, as well (she usually plays weirdos rather than the precocious young girl).

Pretty decent TV adaption.

7/10

The Remains of the Day

This is based on the novel of the same name by Kazuo Ishiguro.

The story is set between the two world wars at Darlington Hall. Mr. Stevens (Anthony Hopkins) is the butler of the house, serving Lord Darlington (James Fox), who fancies himself a sort of mediator between his home country and Germany. Although a well-intentioned man, Lord Darlington will later be remembered as a friend of Nazi Germany.

The political discussions in the film, however, are merely the backdrop to the story of the servants and workers of the house, mainly Mr. Stevens and the housekeeper Miss Kenton (Emma Thompson), and their relationship...which could have been more than professional, were it not for the distant air of Mr. Stevens, who values his duties and loyalty above all else. Eventually, Miss Kenton leaves the house to marry.

Years later, after receiving a letter from her and after his Lordship has passed away and the house sold to an American congressman (Christopher Reeve, only a few years before his disastrous accident), Mr. Stevens takes a trip to meet with her to possibly arrange for her to come back into service at Darlington Hall.

The cast is impressive, to say the least. Along with the before mentioned Hopkins, Thompson, Fox and Reeve, it also features Hugh Grant and - in minor roles - Ben Chaplin and a young Lena Headly as a shy maid (a far cry from her turn as the scheming Queen Cersei on Game of Thrones).

A wonderful, wonderful film.

9/10