where: CENTURY 14 VALLEJO in Vallejo, CA
when: Friday, June 5th, 2009
show: 11:15 am
auditorium: 7
seat: 5th row, 8ht column
Doctor Rick Marshall (Will Ferrell), a radical scientist obsessed with his Time Warp Theory, has a televised altercation with talk-show host Matt Lauer. The resulting loss of his credibility in the scientific community relegates him to a demeaning job as a curator at a theme park.
Holly (Anna Friel), a graduate student who idolizes Dr. Marshall, tracks him down and inspires him to build his time warp machine and test it at a cheesy, dilapidated amusement park (why this place, I don't know) operated by redneck Will (Danny McBride). It works!
Before they can say, "wtf?!," they find themselves transported to an alternate Earth populated with dinosaurs and alternate creatures interacting in the hodgepodge time-space fiasco. In the resulting confusion, they lose the time warp machine and must get it back if they are to return home; otherwise, the T-Rex which relentlessly pursues them with dogged determination will make "breakfast-lunch-and-dinner" meals of them!
noteworthy scenes: 1.) Rick camouflaging his scent to avoid detection by predatory dinosaurs; 2.) The T-Rex leaving a gift-wrapped present for the object of its intended predation, putting a clever twist to an accepted paleontological fact; 3.) Chaka, the Monkey Man (Jorma Taccone) singing in the pterodactyl nest; 4.) The Rick versus T-Rex square-off; and 5.) The second appearance on the Matt Lauer show.
audience reaction: The audience really liked this silly comedy intended to appeal to children with a fascination for dinosaurs. They also drooled all over the Giant Crab scene; I know I did!
recommendation: Children will "eat-up" this kids' movie! See it with your brats--I mean, kids--in tow.
spoiler alert: How did the T-Rex eat the astronaut without shredding his spacesuit apart? How did it gift-wrap the present? And how did Holly easily figure out the language of a particular species of previously unknown (missing link) primate?
fyi: I've often wondered how a T-Rex, which seems to resemble a Kangaroo in anatomical structure, ambulated. Now I know (I think)!
word of advice: If you take children to see this movie, make sure that they are not the restless, hyper-active kind. Put them on a leash--get the kind which comes with a choke collar attached (Har, har, har)! Just kidding ....
tidbits: If you haven't seen Danny Mcbride's THE FIST-FOOT WAY ( a Martial Arts comedy), you should. Lastly, there are pictures of Anna Friel on the 'net, "iykwim," for those of you who like her.
