Still hilarious but 'Ted 2' was not needed.

Picking up shortly after the first film left off, Ted (voiced by Seth MacFarlane) tied the knot with the gum-chewing townie Tami-Lynn (Jessica Barth) while John (Mark Wahlberg) is depressed after breaking up with his wife (played by Mila Kunis in the first film). Within a year, the honeymoon phase is over and in order to save their marriage, the two decide to have a baby. However, this brings up a problem: Ted is a teddy bear, no matter how lifelike he looks. This leads to Ted fighting for his civil rights to be seen as more than just a teddy bear and he'll need his "thunder buddy for life" for this.  

Like it's predecessor, Ted 2 starts off the same way the first one ended: with a wedding and Patrick Stewart's epic narration. If you have watched the first film, you know MacFarlane's one-joke premise that was on display with the raunchy, bromantic adventures of an underachieving Boston idiot and his foulmouthed childhood toy. With their relationship being a sub-focus, it's the heart and soul of the film. The sequel once again walks the tightrope between clever and crass and it was close to do that until it got to the 10th or 11th semen gag. That knocked the movie off into the area of crass. The jokes near the end reminded me of my nerdy days in high school where porn, pot, and science fiction references were actually understood. 

Cameos from Liam Nesson (stealthily stealing a box of Trix), Tom Brady (who refused to provide a sperm sample stolen from him), Morgan Freeman's dry humored lawyer, and Flash Gordon himself, Sam Jones (still doing drugs) helped provide more hilarity. Amanda Seyfried's stoned counselor and John's new love interest was funny and the target for jabs towards Arizona State and her limited knowledge of pop culture (80's references galore in this film, especially with New York Comic-Con). Overall, MacFarlane's jokes can still have power behind them but some of them feel lazy. It might be time for give up the prankster routine and grow up a little

'Jurassic World' roars to the biggest worldwide opening of all time

When Steven Spielberg first opened the park for a test run with Jurassic Park in 1993, he added to his list of perfectly engineered popcorn movies that have withstood the test of time. With 1997's The Lost World, Spielberg had the task of building on what he started. Was it bigger with two T-Rexes? Yes. Better? Not really. Then, Spielberg passed the reigns to director Joe Johnston for 2001's Jurassic Park III, which was not that much better than its predecessor. The last 14 years has been enough time to take the 'Do Not Trespass' sign off the main gate and for Spielberg to trust his brain to revisit the tropical paradise-gone-wrong.

This weekend, The Park opened to a major turnout.

Twenty years after Richard Attenborough's John Hammond spared no expense and brought Alan Grant (Sam Neill) to the island of Isla Nublar to display his attempt at outsmarting Mother Nature, his park is finally opened. The park is a fully-operational, family-friendly destination with restaurants, Starbucks, and kids riding on docile triceratops. While Hammond's dream has become a reality, the crowd has grown bored. So, in order to bring them and newcomers to the island, the operators and scientist of Jurassic World return to the lab to genetically design a newer, scarier attraction: the Indominus Rex.

While the powers that be ready the beast for its debut, a pair of brothers (Ty Simpkins and Nick Robinson) arrive to spend time with their aunt, Claire (Bryce Dallas Howard), the park's no-nonsense, work driven operations manager. Seeing her with a cell phone at the ready, heels, and severe bob, you know her character is in for a change once the disaster hits the fan. Playing off of her opposites-attract-style is Chris Pratt's (Guardians of the Galaxy) rugged and sarcastic Velociraptor trainer, Owen Grady.

If you've already seen the other films, you know these characters aren't given second or third dimensions. The dinosaurs are the main attraction. Director Colin Trevorrow (Safety Not Guaranteed) followed a similar formula that Spielberg used: throwing as many dinosaurs going wild and after unbeknownst visitors (the dinosaurs are just CGI this time). That's what will pull audiences in. Colin does not seem bothered by the challenge of focusing on the dinos and not the people, only bringing them into the limelight at certain times. It really looked like Trevorrow had fun directing this film and while I usually like characters with more dimensions to them, I didn't mind the distraction game that the director was playing. It made Jurassic World breathless summer entertainment. If you are busy focusing on character-building, you'll miss the velociraptor taking off someone's face of the I. Rex taking apart a tactical hunting party.

Seeing the dinosaurs rampage, eat unsuspecting tourists, and run as fast and furious like nitrous- fueled cars is what the audience wants. This makes Jurassic World a blockbuster. It's not a deep-thinking movie with life lessons learned by the characters before the credits roll. Although Pratt is the main star of the movie, he's just seen as the extra along with every other human in danger. There are many nods to the first film. Whether there is a lot or just enough is up to the audience. While it is not up to the level of the original, this is an entertaining installment to the franchise. The buffet-style helping of dino-mayhem is what makes Jurassic World the beautiful accomplishment of being the number one movie worldwide.

The Capitol is under siege in the first preview of 'The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2'

The first teaser trailer reveals a glimpse of The Rebellion against the Capitol. After the first official poster was released, featuring a beheaded statue of President Snow, followed by Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson revealing the first official photos from the final film of the franchise. 

The trailer begins with a moment of happiness and celebration in the midst of the war that is going on as we see Finnick (Sam Claflin) and Annie getting married. Despite this, Katniss (Lawrence) can't afford to be distracted and knows that words are not enough to stop the Capitol. "Nothing good is safe while Snow is alive," says Katniss. "Snow has to pay for what he has done."

But the Capitol leader is not going to go quietly. "Make no mistake...the game isn't over," he says with a grin. 

The rest of the preview shows the war intensifying as the warring districts rise up against the Capitol and bring the war to an end, one way or another. The last installment in the franchise based on Suzanne Collins' best-selling books depicts how Katniss Everdeen fully embraces becoming a leader of District 13 in an all-out rebellion to overthrow the Capitol. Lawrence joins returning actors Donald Sutherland (President Snow), Josh Hutcherson (Peeta Mellark), Julianne Moore (President Alma Coin), and Liam Hemsworth (Gale Hawthorne). Franchise director Francis Lawrence helms the final film. 

"Ladies and Gentlemen," says Finnick, at the end of the trailer, "Welcome to the 76th Hunger Games."

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2 will hit theaters November 20.

'San Andres' shakes California and rocks expectations

I've never been to Los Angeles or California at all. I've always wanted to go to San Diego or maybe San Francisco. I've seen how beautiful the beach and the cities are but I just don't think the West Coast is right for me. One thing that always worried me about being California is the earthquakes they have to deal with, mainly one that could be caused by an active San Andreas Fault. This would be known as The Big One. What better idea to base a summer disaster film off on?

Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson (Furious 7) stars as Ray Gaines, a Los Angeles Fire Department helicopter-rescue pilot, who loves his job but has put a strain on his personal life while he is in the midst of a divorce from his estranged wife, Emma (Carla Gugino, Watchmen). His daughter, Blake (Alexandra Daddario, Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters), goes up to San Francisco with her mother's new boyfriend for the weekend as she prepares for college. When the San Andreas Fault becomes active, causing devastation to the city, Gaines must journey through the havoc to save his daughter. 

This seems to be a role that Johnson seems most comfortable in and born for. Coming out of the ensemble shadow of the last three Fast and Furious films and with his alpha male aura and invincibility, Dwayne Johnson showed that he could headline his own shock-and-awe, stunt-filled, action flick. He can save a girl trapped in a ravine or land a crashing helicopter with ease and a smile on his face and ready to get back to business. Like all disaster films, the main character has an unstable home life by facing divorce papers from his wife, a college-age daughter he dotes on, and dealing with past tragedy that only work seems to distract him from. Johnson completely embraces the hero role: a body carved out of stone but a haunted spirit. 

During the film and Gaines running around, saving people, Cal Tech seismologist (Paul Giamatti) delivers the bad news and seems to be the "earthquake whisperer" and keeps busy during the movie, mapping subterranean activity that could threaten the West Coast. The first domino of the impending apocalypse fell in Nevada, destroying the Hoover Dam and taking the life of his research partner. With the data saved, he learns that this is just the beginning and a major quake is coming through California. The rest of the cast does a solid job but one person I looked at with interested was Alexandra Daddario. After her stint in the two Percy Jackson films, this was her first mainstream adult film. I watched her in HBO's True Detective and was impressed with the depth she can bring to a character. While this is not her best work, I think the best is yet to come. Watch out for Daddario. 

If you have seen one disaster film, you have seen them all. This film is no exception. It essentially boils down to an estranged couple putting their differences aside to save the one link that connects them: their child, who handles her own and has a small romance blossom during the destruction with some British tourists. What makes the film work is not its plot but its long stretches of ruin to the cities of California. Skyscrapers are falling like Jenga towers. The Golden Gate Bridge is destroyed by a Tsunami and a cruise ship falls into a populated area like a giant bathtub toy. This film has no shortage of excitement.

Even though I have an issue of the overuse of CGI flash used for action scenes and prefer the old-school practical effects, especially after Mad Max: Fury Road, sometimes it is easy to overlook your disdain when the effects are done correctly. Between some of the groan and quiet human moments of the film, which aren't all bad because it pulls the story along for the hour and forty-eight minute length, San Andreas shows that good effects can help as well. While it's not a great film, the fakery taps into an important fact: don't underestimate the power of our planet.