Page 6 July 7, 2016 EL SEGUNDO HERALD Spielberg and Disney’s ‘The BFG’ is a Sleepy Family-Friendly Adventure By H. Nelson Tracey for www.cinemacy.com Legendary filmmaker Steven Spielberg teams up with Disney for the very first time in his five-decade career to adapt “The BFG,” a classic Roald Dahl novel starring this year’s Best Supporting Actor and Oscar winner Mark Rylance (“Bridge of Spies”). It sounds almost too good to be true, especially when you add in the fact that there has never been a film adaptation of this beloved children’s book (other than an animated TV movie), and that all of Spielberg’s top-tier collaborators have joined him, including producer Kathleen Kennedy, composer John Williams, and cinematographer Janusz Kaminski. While this is a film that is almost hype-free, as an intellectual property that is not franchised, it should be a given that all of these combined forces should make a truly heartwarming film for all ages. But frankly speaking, this is a film that doesn’t seem to work to its fullest potential. “The BFG” is a fantastical bedtime story full of wonder and imagination, and yet in this film adaptation, it is translated into something incredulously dull. The only thing worse than a poorly executed movie is a dull movie, and with such talent theoretically firing on all cylinders, it’s amazing that the result is so lackluster. What it boils down to is the lack of two essential qualities that are crucial in a cinematic experience: spontaneity and tension. Take, for example, a sequence where the “Big Friendly Giant” (Rylance) takes the young-but-bright orphan, Sophie (Ruby Barnhill) to the Land of Giants where he catches dreams (in the form of colorful wisps) to later imprint on the sleeping children of London. This is a moment that has all the makings to be as spectacularly wondrous as “Avatar” or “Life of Pi,” and if you‘ve seen still images of the sequence, you’d be persuaded into thinking as such. However, the whole enterprise lacks any sort of urgency or element of surprise. Even the camera movements, which are intend to serve as a guide into this magical world, feel so pre-ordained that my eyes somewhat glaze over. Spielberg utilizes his cinematic vision, which is often so marvelously executed, and yet here feels so obvious and on-the-nose that it’s impossible to generate any sense of magic. To add insult to injury, Mark Rylance as the CGI-BFG, has all of the elements of a charming, delightful character that children will remember for years to come. And yet something in the film’s pacing tells me that the CGI translation removed any sense of looseness or impromptu behavior. For Rylance, every motion and step seems to follow a pattern and never strays into impulsive or erratic behavior, despite playing a character that is meant to be endearingly wacky. Compare this to a brilliant adaptation of a similarly loony Roald Dahl character: Willy Wonka, when, from his very first scene until his last, we never know what we’re going to get. Wonka’s unpredictability manages to feel so energized in both the mad-cap and sincere side of the character. The BFG character, on the other hand, never challenges our expectations. I can only imagine that the emphasis on the animation took away any room for creative enlightenment or alternatively, perhaps the take on the character was simply too mild. I could have envisioned the BFG coming across the way Yoda did in “The Empire Strikes Back,” a great mix of wisdom and silliness, yet neither are found in nearly the same capacity here. In one particularly light and funny sequence Nearby Mountains from front page Signs point you in the right direction. Malibu Creek State Park is a special place to hike for fans of the TV show “M*A*S*H.” Lakers from page 5 clear that patience is key. Even Kupchak and the front office know that. Lucrative four year deals to mostly average or subpar players tells you that the Lakers don’t expect to be contenders for another couple of years, at least. Mozgov and Deng will join the Lakers team and have good games of their own, here and there, but the Lakers still have the look of an NBA lottery team. Fans that hope that this team will bring back its playoff potential will need to look on the bright side of things come midseason. At least at the end of next year, the Lakers should be in the running to bring in another solid player in the 2017 NBA Draft. • from Pacific Coast Highway, and Temescal Canyon Park is one of them - 25 minutes from El Segundo. Admission is free in the federal park areas, and some areas charge between $5 and $12 for parking. Check the web site at https://www.nps.gov/samo/planyourvisit/ feesandreservations.htm for prices if you go. Hikers, bikers and equestrian riders share 500 miles of trails, and there is so much to see and do here. Cell phone service is spotty in the mountains, and hikers should bring water and food. Many trails run a mile or two, and are easy to walk. The longest one - Backbone Trail - runs 67 miles and park officials held a grand opening on June 4. The trail from Los Angeles to Ventura County took 40 years to finish, with donations of private land and volunteers playing a major role. The most popular areas of the recreation area are the visitors center, the Paramount Ranch and Malibu Creek State Park, all of which have drinking fountains and public restrooms. The visitors center is free to visit and explains the history, the wildlife and plant diversity of the recreation area. The airconditioned center opened in 2012 and offers a short 12-minute movie about SAMO, natural history exhibits, free maps and a gift shop. It is located at the King Gillette Ranch, 26876 Mulholland Highway in Calabasas, and is easily reached from Malibu. Take Las Virgenes Road from PCH at Pepperdine University, and head east through the winding canyon. The visitor center is a good place to get introduced to the SAMO recreation area, and the staff are helpful and will answer questions and point newcomers in the right direction. Directly across the road is Malibu Creek State Park, where the television show “M*A*S*H” was filmed. The hike to the “M*A*S*H” site is moderate difficulty and runs uphill for the last couple of miles. A local preservation group has made the trek worth the effort, though, by restoring the filming location and installing the 4077 camp’s milepost featured in the long-running series. You won’t see the surgical tents, but there are markers showing where they were. If you look off to the west, you’ll see a familiar mountain where the medevac choppers fly past in the show’s opening credits. For viewers who enjoyed the television show about a medical army surgical unit in Korea during that conflict, this destination is hallowed ground for the generation that came of age in the 1970s and early ‘80s. Malibu Creek State Park is owned by the state parks service. The Paramount Ranch and western town in Agoura Hills is family friendly, and minutes from Mulholland Highway or Kanan Road, depending on whether you come from L.A. or Ventura counties. The National Park Service bought a portion of the original Paramount Ranch, where westerns were filmed for 25 years, starting back in the late 1920s. “A veritable who’s who of Hollywood practiced their craft at Paramount Ranch including director Cecil B. Demille and actors Bob Hope, Gary Cooper and Claudette Colbert. The diverse landscape was the real star of the show. It offered film makers the freedom to create distant locales,” the National Park Service says. From 1992 to 1997, Paramount Ranch was used as the setting for the television show, “Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman,” and has been a shooting location for “Bones,” “CSI: Las Vegas” and “The Bachelor.” Other popular hiking spots closer to the South Bay are Will Rogers State Park, Topanga State Park and the Malibu Lagoon State Beach. The parks are open year-round, from sunrise to sunset. Rangers are happy to help visitors to plan a day trip, and regularly offer special events and programs. The July schedule includes a Plant Promenade from on July 10 about how native plants survive drought conditions, and a ranger-led walk on July 17 about coyotes in the park, and stargazing July 30 with telescopes in a program called Summer Star Festival. Summers are hot and dry, and winters are cool and damp. Dogs are allowed in the park areas, but they must be leashed. Call the visitor center at 805-370-2301 for directions and information. • Film Review Ruby Barnhill, as Sophie, and Mark Rylance, as BFG, in “The BFG.” Courtesy of Disney. See Film Review, page 16
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