Review: John Carter

Chick 1 says:

Adaptations of this nearly 100-yr-old novel have been attempted over the years but none by a studio with the heavy lifting capabilities of  Disney.  The original novel, written by Tarzan author Edgar Rice Burroughs, is generally considered sci-fi but defies categorization and has influenced storytellers through the century from H.P. Lovecraft to Ray Bradbury to George Lucas and James Cameron.

The Basics:

Shortly after the US Civil War, John Carter has run afoul of both the Calvary and the Apaches but in the ensuing chaos, he suddenly finds himself in a strange land, discovers he is unbelievably fast and strong, and is soon surronded by green, 4-armed creatures.  Yep, he’s on Mars.

What I Liked:

Despite the fact that this novel established a huge portion of the basic sci-fi tropes we are very familiar with today, I didn’t know what was going to happen.  Yes, I knew the major points,who would live or die, who would end up with whom.  But I didn’t know what journey would take us there. 

The visuals and art direction were beautiful and felt modern and classic at the same time.  Occasionally I felt I was watching a new movie from the Star Wars era (the good ones). Several times composer Michael Giacchino channels John Williams.  Costumes, sets, CG, and even alien technology all felt fresh and new.

The cast is packed with great actors although a few are pushed to the background due to the dense storyline. (more James Purefoy, please)

What I Didn’t Like:

Let’s start with John Carter himself, Taylor Kitsch.  He’s OK but not great.  Fortunately, he doesn’t have too much to do but be muscular and beat people up.  I think what bothered me was his voice which sounds like he’s doing his best Christian Bale/Batman impersonation.  And, of all the common charaterizations in the story, the brooding, alienated hero just didn’t connect with me.  Blah, blah, blah, tragedy, blah, blah, blah, grief.  Seen it.

I was also a little frustrated with the 3D.  It seemed to blur out some of the scenery (both real and CG) which left the movie feeling like it had missed an opportunity to be as epic as say, Lord of the Rings.  There were also several times when I felt like the top of the screen was cut off and I should try to peek up under the top. 

Bottom Line: Just shy of epic but still exciting, creative, and beautifully shot.

Posted on by Chick 1 in Reviews, The 2010s 572 Comments

572 Responses to Review: John Carter

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    In total, the researchers newly identified and described 17 distinct behaviors of narwhals involving prey. The findings revealed a wide range of interactions and dynamics between narwhals and fish as well as the extraordinary agility, precision and speed of their tusks to track moving targets, according to the study published February 27 in the journal Frontiers in Marine Science.

    “Seeing that these animals are not actually hunting the fish but exploring, manipulating and interacting with it was really a game changer,” said lead author Dr. Gregory O’Corry-Crowe, a research professor in the Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute at Florida Atlantic University.

    Since so little is understood about this whale species, researchers like O’Corry-Crowe and his colleagues are working diligently to conduct studies to document narwhals’ unknown behaviors to better understand how these animals adapt in a rapidly shifting habitat as oceans warm and sea ice melts.
    Narwhal exploratory behavior
    The study team captured the groundbreaking footage using drones in Creswell Bay, on the eastern side of Somerset Island in Canada’s Nunavut territory, during the summer of 2022.

    As the researchers analyzed the footage, they noticed subtle nuances in the narwhals’ behavior. Footage even captured one instance of a narwhal interacting with a fish by repeatedly nudging it with its tusk — which is actually a giant tooth — without attempting to eat it.

    When researchers observed a lack of aggression in some interactions between narwhals and fish, they realized these scenarios were more similar to a cat-and-mouse game, in which the animals were chasing or “playing” rather than hunting, O’Corry-Crowe said.

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    “Seeing that these animals are not actually hunting the fish but exploring, manipulating and interacting with it was really a game changer,” said lead author Dr. Gregory O’Corry-Crowe, a research professor in the Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute at Florida Atlantic University.

    Since so little is understood about this whale species, researchers like O’Corry-Crowe and his colleagues are working diligently to conduct studies to document narwhals’ unknown behaviors to better understand how these animals adapt in a rapidly shifting habitat as oceans warm and sea ice melts.
    Narwhal exploratory behavior
    The study team captured the groundbreaking footage using drones in Creswell Bay, on the eastern side of Somerset Island in Canada’s Nunavut territory, during the summer of 2022.

    As the researchers analyzed the footage, they noticed subtle nuances in the narwhals’ behavior. Footage even captured one instance of a narwhal interacting with a fish by repeatedly nudging it with its tusk — which is actually a giant tooth — without attempting to eat it.

    When researchers observed a lack of aggression in some interactions between narwhals and fish, they realized these scenarios were more similar to a cat-and-mouse game, in which the animals were chasing or “playing” rather than hunting, O’Corry-Crowe said.

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    All of George’s fish are endangered Rift Lake cichlids: colorful, freshwater fish native to the Great Lakes of East Africa. Inside his 42 tanks, expertly squeezed into a single subterranean room, the fish shimmer under artificial lights, knowing nothing of the expansive waters in which their ancestors once swam, thousands of miles away.

    Due to pollution, climate change and overfishing, freshwater fish are thought to be the second most endangered vertebrates in the world. In Lake Victoria, a giant lake shared between Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania, over a quarter of endemic species, including countless cichlids, are either critically endangered or extinct.

    But for some species, there is still hope. A community of rare fish enthusiasts collect endangered species of freshwater fish from the lakes and springs of East Africa, Mexico and elsewhere, and preserve them in their personal fish tanks in the hope that they might one day be reintroduced in the wild.

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  15. MarvinVob

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    The Empire State building stands approximately 15 inches tall, whereas the Statue of Liberty measures at just under two inches without its base. At this scale, even ants would be too big to represent people in the streets below.

    These lifelike miniatures of iconic landmarks can be found on the Panorama — which, at 9,335 square feet, is the largest model of New York City, meticulously hand-built at a scale of 1:1,200. The sprawling model sits in its own room at the Queens Museum, where it was first installed in the 1960s, softly rotating between day and night lighting as visitors on glass walkways are given a bird’s eye view of all five boroughs of the city.

    To mark the model’s 60th anniversary, which was celebrated last year, the museum has published a new book offering a behind-the-scenes look at how the Panorama was made. Original footage of the last major update to the model, completed in 1992, has also gone on show at the museum as part of a 12-minute video that features interviews with some of the renovators.

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    Originally built and revised with a margin of error under 1%, the model was updated multiple times before the 1990s, though it is now frozen in time. According to Maliszewski, it cost over $672,000 to make in 1964 ($6.8 million in today’s money) and nearly $2 million (about $4.5 million today) was spent when it was last revised in 1992.

  16. WilliamPes

    A librarian ran off with a yacht captain in the summer of 1968. It was the start of an incredible love story
    metamask
    The first time Beverly Carriveau saw Bob Parsons, she felt like a “thunderbolt” passed between them.

    “This man stepped out of a taxi, and we both just stared at each other,” Beverly tells CNN Travel today. “You have to remember, this is the ‘60s. Girls didn’t stare at men. But it was a thunderbolt.”

    It was June 1968. Beverly was a 23-year-old Canadian university librarian on vacation in Mazatlan, Mexico, with a good friend in tow.

    Beverly had arrived in Mazatlan that morning. She’d been blown away by the Pacific Ocean views, the colorful 19th-century buildings, the palm trees.

    Now, Beverly was browsing the hotel gift store, admiring a pair of earrings, when she looked up and spotted the man getting out of the taxi. The gift shop was facing the parking lot, and there he was.

    “I was riveted,” says Beverly. “He was tall, handsome…”

    Eventually, Beverly tore away her gaze, bought the earrings and dashed out of the store.

    “We locked eyes so long, I was embarrassed,” she says.

    No words had passed between them. They hadn’t even smiled at each other. But Beverly felt like she’d revealed something of herself. She felt like something had happened, but she couldn’t describe it.
    Beverly rushed to meet her friend, still feeling flustered. Over dinner in the hotel restaurant, Beverly confided in her friend about the “thunderbolt” moment.

    “I told my girlfriend, ‘Something just happened to me. I stared at this man, and I couldn’t help myself.’”

    Then, the server approached Beverly’s table.

    “He said, ‘I have some wine for you, from a man over there.’”

    The waiter was holding a bottle of white wine, indicating at the bar, which was packed with people.

    As a rule, Beverly avoided accepting drinks from men in bars. She never felt especially comfortable with the power dynamic — plus, she had a long-term partner back in Canada.

    “I had a serious boyfriend at home and thought my life was on course,” she says.

  17. Williamvelry

    Xavier completes thrilling comeback, Mount St. Mary’s advances as men’s First Four comes to a close
    changenow exchange
    Wednesday saw the men’s First Four come to a close which means only one thing: the 64-team bracket is officially set following No. 11 Xavier’s thrilling come from behind win over No. 11 Texas and No. 16 Mount St. Mary’s victory over No. 16 American in Dayton, Ohio.

    The Musketeers trailed by as many as 13 points, but their offense came alive in the second half behind guard Marcus Foster and forward Zach Freemantle to down the Longhorns 86-80.

    The senior Foster scored a team-high 22 points while Freemantle, on his way to 15 points, threw down a dunk with a second left to seal the comeback win and ignite the fans at UD Arena, which is just over 50 miles away from campus in Cincinnati, Ohio.

    With just under four minutes remaining, Xavier went on an 8-2 run to take a 78-74 lead, their first since the early going of the first half.

    Musketeers head coach Sean Miller crowned Wednesday’s game as “one of the best” he’s been a part of.

    “I thought we were dead in the water two different times,” Miller told the truTV broadcast after the game. “But that’s the one thing about our team — the resiliency of our group has always won out for us. Just when you thought we weren’t gonna make the tournament, we kept winning. Even in this game, just when you’re like, ‘It’s not gonna work out,’ we have a funny way of staying with it.”

    The Longhorns did not go down without a fight as guard Tre Johnson scored a game-high 23 points in the loss.

    Xavier will face No. 6 Illinois in the first round on Friday at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee.

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