Dope + Me & Earl & the Dying Girl

Both movies embody a youthful originality that reminded me of John Hughes or Richard Linklater. Unlike these directors, there is a heaviness to Dope and Me & Earl you can't find in "hangout movies" from the 80s and 90s. Issues like drugs, gun violence, and cancer need to be addressed, especially if they impact youth. But I found myself getting wrapped up in the friendships in each movie. I just wanted to hang out, inhabit these worlds for a few hours. I guess it's selfishness on my part to want to dance with Ally Sheedy or cruise with Matthew McConaughey.

Jurassic World

A successful formula: dinosaur park, dinosaur expert nobody listens to, profit-minded park manager, and military man who wants dinosaur soldiers(?). Entertaining as heckfire, but with one major surprise. When did young women stop being safe in dinosaur movies? A winged dino picks one up and both are eaten by a huge...alligatorsaurus, I guess. It's kind of horrific, but does it create a level playing field in family movies? Newman got spit on and torn apart in the first Jurassic Park and I didn't give it a second thought. Has gender equality finally cracked the dinosaur/sci-fi fantasy genre?