She Likes to Watch

Remembering the man who brought us “Jurassic Park,” “The Andromeda Strain”

These days, it’s popular to describe a novel as being “cinematic.”

Such books usually boast thrilling action and compelling plots. They contain vivid descriptions, exciting twists and punchy dialog — if not necessarily the most subtle or fleshed-out characters.

Michael Crichton’s novels, and his movies, certainly fall under that criteria.

Crichton, the author of “Jurassic Park” and “The Andromeda Strain,” died last week at age 66. An anthropologist, doctor and filmmaker who published his first novel while at Harvard Medical School, he pioneered the techo-thriller genre, wrote more than a dozen best-sellers and and created the hugely successful medical drama “ER,” which ends its 15-season run next spring.

His books invariably became box office blockbusters.

So what gives a movie that special Michael Crichton touch? Here’s a sampling of the his best-known film projects, starting with 1971’s “The Andromeda Strain.”

“The Andromeda Strain” (1971): Scientists scramble to find the cure to a deadly alien virus. This sci-fi classic was remade as a 2008 television special.

“Westworld” (1973): Killer robots (including Yul Brynner!) run amuck in a Wild West theme park. “Boy, have we got a vacation for you.”

“The Terminal Man” (1974): Brilliant computer scientist Harry Benson (George Segal) turns violent after a head injury.

“The Great Train Robbery” (1979): Two criminals (Sean Connery and Donald Sutherland) plan a daring heist in Victorian England.

“Runaway” (1984): In the near future, a police officer discovers a plot to create homicidal robots. Save us, Tom Selleck!

“Jurassic Park” (1993): Question: What could be cooler than real, live dinosaurs terrorizing kids and eating lawyers? Answer: Nothing. “Jurassic Park” is Michael Crichton at his most awesome.

“Rising Sun” (1993): When a woman is found dead in the offices of a Japanese corporation, it’s up to a police detective (Wesley Snipes) and a retired expert (Connery, again) to solve the crime.

“Disclosure” (1994): Crichton got in hot water for this sexual harrassment tale about an executive (Demi Moore) who sets out to ruin her happily married co-worker (Michael Douglas).

“Congo” (1995): Assorted oddballs in search of African diamond falls prey to vicious gorillas. Yes, “Congo” is a terrible film, but the movie’s quirky humor and goofy plot make it strangely enjoyable.

“Twister” (1996): Storm chasers follow record-breaking tornadoes across the state of Oklahoma. Pure fun.

“Sphere” (1998): A team of scientists exploring an ancient spaceship discovered on the floor of the Pacific Ocean get more than they bargained for.

“The 13th Warrior” (1999): A Muslim ambassador(Antonio Banderas) comes to the aid of Vikings battling unspeakable monsters in this retelling of the ancient “Beowulf.” Based on Crichton’s “Eaters of the Dead.”

“Timeline” (2003): Archeology students travel back in time to the 14th century, only to be trapped in a medieval war between England and France.

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Above photo by Jim Cooper of The Associated Press.

Celebrate Halloween the right way with these terrifying films

More than Christmas, Easter or the Fourth of July, Halloween is a holiday made for movie lovers.

Theaters and video stores trot out their most horrific titles. Workplaces and classrooms morph into mad scientists’ labs, pirate ships, spooky lairs. Candy flows from the heavens. And everyone — I mean, everyone — dons face makeup and sequins.

Being a big fan of All Hallows Eve, I started prepping for the holiday back in August. The rest of you, on the other hand, might need some help.

Let’s start with Halloween costumes. Want to dress up in style? The movie mavens at Rotten Tomatoes have some ideas for you.

While some of these suggestions are pretty lame — I can’t imagine anyone wanting to dress up as Adam Sandler’s Israeli super-soldier in “You Don’t Mess With the Zohan” — pulling together an instantly recognizable, homemade version of Indiana Jones, Juno or Rambo should be a snap. Scour those thrift stores, people!

Not quite nerdy enough? Not to fear. Geek haven io9.com offers its version of “Halloween Costumes That Rule” as well as a Flickr group dedicated to the best (and worst) of science fiction-themed costumes.

Elsewhere in Blogland, SpookMaster has some killer pumpkin-carving patterns, including Darth Vader, Yoda and the “Batman” symbol.

The Lightning Bug invites you to check out “The Halloween Top 13″ — a baker’s dozen designed to delight the senses and scare the living daylights out of you. First up is “Friday the 13th,” a veritable Halloween classic.

Film School Rejects also has a list of top terror flicks, titled “31 Days of Horror.”

Invasion of the B Movies will be featuring reviews of the ever-popular”Halloween” series during the last nine days of October. (For those of you getting out your calculators, the list includes “Halloween: H2O,” “Halloween: Resurrection” and Rob Zombie’s 2007 “Halloween” remake, now available on Blu-Ray. That’s a lot of mask-wearing, knife-wielding psychopaths.)

Meanwhile, over at KillerFilm.com, Jon offers his excellent “Halloween Watch List”, Matt gushes over James Whale’s “The Bride of Frankenstein” and Topher shares “What I’ve Learned From American Psycho.” Apparently, this slick thriller about a Wall Street yuppie turned serial killer is actually a heartwarming lesson about “friendship and self-appreciation” — with an inspiring role model, no less! Who knew?

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Movie poster courtesy of PosterWire.com.

What filmmakers want to tell us about Sept. 11

Seven years after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, we’re still feeling the physical and psychological impact of those planes crashing into the World Trade Center in New York City, the Pentagon in Washington D.C., and a field in Pennsylvania.

Few places is that impact felt more than on film — where an ongoing conversation addresses why 9/11 happened and how it has affected us.

Tonight, HopeDance Magazine is screening one of two movies about 9/11 at the San Luis Obispo City-County Library.

One documentary, “The Elephant in the Room,” examines the effects of 9/11 on first responders, the Muslim community and the 9/11 Truth Movement, an activist group who challenge the U.S. government’s explanation of the attacks.

The film, by British director Dean Puckett, won best documentary at this year’s London Independent Film Festival.Another documentary is also dedicated to debunking the “official version” of the events leading up to the attacks.

“Zero: An Investigation into 9/11″ features interviews with author and politician Gore Vidal, Nobel Prize-winning playwright Dario Fo and others — challenging assumptions about 9/11.

“What results is a sequence of contradictions, gaps and omissions of stunning gravity,” reported the Italian newspaper Il Corriere de la Sera (Evening Courier).

Added Italy’s La Reppublica, “The importance of this film can not be overstated, if its thesis is correct, the justification for declaring the war on terror is built on a series of outrageous lies.”

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The film chosen by online voters — either “Elephant” or “Zero” — will be screened at 8 p.m. at the library, 995 Palm St. in San Luis Obispo. A $5 donation is encouraged.

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Since the Sept. 11 attacks, filmmakers have tried to capture the horror, magnitude and impact of the tragedy on film. Here are a few movies worth checking out.

“9/11″ (2002)

Shot entirely by New York City firefighters at Ground Zero, this insiders-view documentary is a classic case of cinema verite.

“Fahrenheit 9/11″ (2004)

What caused Sept. 11? How did it affect the world? Did President Bush and his administration use a national tragedy to push their own agenda? Those are the questions Michael Moore asks in this thought-provoking documentary.

“United 93″ (2006)

Director Paul Greengrass takes an intimate look at the events aboard United Flight 93, one of the planes hijacked on Sept. 11. Painstaking research, a largely unfamiliar cast and revolutionary “real time” storytelling make this an engrossing and deeply moving drama.

“World Trade Center” (2006)

Nicholas Cage and Michael Pena play two Port Authority police officers who become trapped in the rubble of the Twin Towers. Despite occasionally ham-fisted direction by Oliver Stone, “WTO” still offers an important perspective on the tragedy.

Niiiice! Borat made the top of Rotten Tomatoes’ list.

With the big-screen adaption of “Get Smart” around the corner, it’s time once again to turn our attention to television.

Movie review site Rotten Tomatoes.com takes a look at the 50 best TV adaptations, examining shows that made the smoothest transition from the boob tube to the silver screen.

Although some of these picks are debatable (”Starsky and Hutch,” “Star Trek: Insurrection”) , others are pure cinema gold — “The Blues Brothers,” “Wayne’s World” and “Mission: Impossible” come to mind.

One of my personal favorites? That Technicolor camp classic, 1966’s “Batman: The Movie.”

Since Rotten Tomatoes does indeed list 50 films, I’ll give you a sneak peak at the Top 10. (A warning: The nerd factor is very, very high.)

10. “The Muppet Movie” (1979): Jim Henson’s plush creations make their big-screen debut in this lighthearted, funny family film. Celebrity cameos abound.

9. “The Wild Thornberrys Movie” (2002): Plucky Eliza Thornberry and her chimpanzee pal set out to stop evil poachers in the big-screen version of the popular Nickelodeon cartoon.

8. “South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut” (1999): Ruder, cruder and just as hilarious as the mega-popular Comedy Central series.

7. “Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan” (1982): Admiral Kirk and crew battle a megalomanic “superman” (Ricardo Montalban) with the ability to forge worlds. “Khaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaan!!!”

6. “Star Trek: First Contact” (1996): The “Next Generation” crew of the Enterprise travel back in time to prevent mankind from making contact with nasty aliens. Naturally.

5. “Serenity” (2005): Joss Whedon’s short-lived but brilliant “Firefly” finds new life as a science fiction flick. Can you say “space Western”?

4. “The Fugitive” (1993): Action-packed thriller about a doctor (Harrison Ford at his finest) fleeing the law for a crime he didn’t commit.

3. “The Simpsons Movie” (2007): America’s favorite dysfunctional family dishes out satire, smarts and laughs in the feature-length version of Fox’s popular show.

2. “Traffic” (2000): Few remember the 1989 British mini-series, but this intense, in-depth look at the international drug trade is outstanding.

1. “Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazahkstan” (2006): Sacha Baron Cohen is shamelessly hilarious in this no-holds-barred mockumentary about our nation’s social foibles.

What do you think? Do these movies deserve to be at the top of the list?

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Photo courtesy of MovieWeb.com.

Welcome to the launch of my brand-new blog, “She Likes to Watch.”

It’s funky. Fresh. And it’s comin’ at ya!

In this blog, I’ll chronicle the latest, greatest and most disgusting developments on the big and little screens. I’ll offer my take on movies and television shows, chat about film-related events, and occassionally even dig up a little cinematic gold from the video vaults.

When I feel like, I may even write something worth reading.

Alright? Alriiiight.