Star Trek Into Darkness

ACTION/ADVENTURE, SCI-FI/FANTASY

Wrath

8.5 out of 10 | MOVIE, DVD

---

Rated: PG-13  Intense sequences of sci-fi action and violence
Release Date: May 16, 2013
Runtime: 2 hours 12 minutes

---

Director: J.J. Abrams
Writers: Roberto Orci, Alex Kurtzman, Damon Lindelof, based on the characters and television series created by Gene Roddenberry
Cast: Chris Pine, Zachry Quinto, Zoe Saldana, Karl Urban, Simon Pegg, John Cho, Benedict Cumberbatch, Anton Yelchin, Bruce Greenwood, Peter Weller, Alice Eve

---

Watch Trailer

SYNOPSIS:  After the crew of the Enterprise find an unstoppable force of terror from within their own organization, Captain Kirk leads a manhunt to a war-zone world to capture a one man weapon of mass destruction.

REVIEW: J.J. Abrams (Super 8) returns with his highly anticipated follow-up to his grand re-imagining of the Star Trek universe. With fans clamoring for the next installment, Roberto Orci (Cowboys and Aliens), Alex Kurtzman (Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen), and Damon Lindeloff (Prometheus) draft a retelling of, perhaps, the most beloved Star Trek big screen tale that doesn't involve whales.

James T Kirk (Chris Pine, Rise of the Guardians) is the captain of the USS enterprise. Ignoring Starfleet Federation prime directive, Kirk and McCoy (Karl Urban, Dredd 3D) steal a religious scroll in order to lure the planet's primitive inhabitants away from danger. When Spock (Zachery Quinto, What's Your Number?) gets into mortal danger, Kirk again ignores regulation to save his friend. With catastrophe adverted, Spock and Kirk face disciplinary action back on Earth, with Kirk losing command of the Enterprise and Spock being reassigned. Their demotions and reassignment are short lived when a terrorist within the Federation bombs a London technology archive and then targets the captains and commanders of all the local Starfleet ships. After the second attack, Admiral Marcus (Peter Weller, RoboCop) declares an all out a manhunt for the man named Harrison (Benedict Cumberbatch, War Horse). Armed with a classified payload of photon torpedoes, Kirk is reinstated as captain of the Enterprise and sets off to the neutral zone in pursuit of Harrison. But when he and his crew arrive, their ship is disabled and Kirk's conscious get the better of him against the man who killed so many. Instead of bombing Harrison on the planet with the torpedoes, Kirk decides to arrest him and make him face the charges against him. But there is more than meets the eye as Harrison reveals that there is a bigger conspiracy within the Federation. Kirk and crew must decide whether to investigate Harrison's claims or ship him back to Earth for trial.

J.J. Abrams is a huge fan of the Star Trek universe and deserve the accolades of his reboot/prequel/sequel of the long-standing series. How do you take a 50-year-old franchise back to its roots in a satisfactory way? Abrams took all the time-warping story-twisting that Star Trek is known for to make a phenomenal reboot of the franchise. Many speculated that this second film of Abrams would be similar in scope to the second film of the original cast films with the story of Khan. I believe any fan of the universe will realize that Cumberbatch is the villain as soon as they see any of the trailers or commercials. Abrams must be an encyclopedia of Star Trek lore. He adds in details, Easter eggs, and nuances that may be evident to only the most diehard Trekkie fans. Sure, there are references that any casual fan will recognize, but there are also other references that would not be known unless a true die hard of the Star Trek mythos pointed them out. All add to the familiar, but new, trek universe that the director has created.

Pine, Urban, Saldana (Colombiana), Quinto, Pegg (Shaun of the Dead), Cho (Identity Thief), and Yelchin (Fright Night) fall into their old roles of Kirk, McCoy, Uhura, Scotty, Sulu, and Checkov, respectively, with ease, more natural in their takes of their characters than ever before. The brash young, seemingly infallible Kirk learns the hard way that luck, a cavalier attitude, and a blatant direspect for the rules will not always win the day. Uhura and Spock learn that logic and emotion are not mutually exclusive. McCoy continues to spout out mixed metaphors in the face of adversity. Sulu finds his voice and confidence, seemingly ready to become a star fleet captain himself one day. Scotty, always wary of the shenanigans of his superiors off the Enterprise, puts himself in several picarous situations when his mouth runs too long. And Checkov continues to be a jack of all trades, helping the bridge, running engineering, and figuring out complex formulas. Benedict Cumberbatch, as the infamous Khan, takes a classic original series villainous character and turns the new incarnation on its ear. Still a brilliant warrior with advanced genetics, Cumberbatch is even more savvy and charismatic than that played by Ricardo Montelban. Cumberbatch looks menacing, superior, and self-assured just standing at attention in the Enterprise's brig.

Abrams Delighted with his re-imagined Enterprise in the original Star Trek mythos. He follows up with the story that every fan wanted to see, giving the fans what they wanted in an familiar, but unexpected way. New fans will love this story that was put together, while older die hard fans of the original films may be bothered by the fact that one of their beloved antiheroes has changed so much.

The use of anamorphic photography continues from the first film, adding extra dimension to every frame of celluloid. The CG effects are astounding, the battle sequences are amazing, the story is strong, and the characters are just what you want them to be. For the franchise uninitiated or deeply devoted, Star Trek Into Darkness should be a fun warp ride into the unknown frontier.

---

Rise of the Guardians

Stay Frosty

★ ★ ★ ★ out of 5 buckets | Matinee and DVD

---

Rated: PG - Thematic elements and some mild scary action

Release Date: November 21, 2012

Runtime: 1 hour 37 minutes

---

Director: Peter A. Ramsey
Writers: David Lindsay-Abaire, based on the book by William Joyce
Cast:  Chris Pine, Hugh Jackman, Alec Baldwin, Isla Fisher, Jude Law, Dakota Goyo, Khamani Griffin, Kamil McFadden, Georgie Grieve, Emily Nordwind

---

Watch Trailer

SYNOPSIS: When an evil spirit called Pitch becomes bent upon taking over the world by inspiring fear in the hearts of kids everywhere, the legendary spirits of Christmas, Easter, dreams, teeth and frost must unite to take on the threat.

REVIEW: Direct to DVD director of Monsters vs Aliens: Mutant Pumpkins from Outer Space, Peter Ramsey, goes to the big show with his first full animated feature release. David Lindsay-Abaire (Robots, Inkheart, the upcoming Oz: The Great and Powerful) adapts author William Joyce's book 'The Guardians of Childhood' into an animated action adventure featuring some of the most iconic holiday or mythical childhood legends that parents tell their children stories about. 

Hundreds of years ago, an invisible elemental spirit (Chris Pine, Unstoppable) came into being, unsure of who he was or what his purpose was. The only thing he was sure of what what his name was the name given to him by the Man in the Moon - Jack Frost! Now in the present day, as Jack Frost enjoys making blizzard conditions and giving kids snow days from school, an ancient menace named Pitch (Jude Law, Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows) has reemerged to challenge the current Guardians. Consisting of the Russian Santa Claus North (Alec Baldwin, Rock of Ages), a Tooth Fairy named Tooth (Isla Fisher, Rango), the Bunny of Easter (Hugh Jackman, Real Steel), and Sandy the Sandman of Dreams, the Guardians are dedicated to the cause of keeping the children of the world safe and filled with hope and wonder. Now, with Pitch looking to fill the children of the world with grief and fear, the Man in the Moon urges the Guardians to enlist the help of Jack Frost in their defense of the world's youngest. But can the Guardians count on a reckless elemental who just wants to have fun and wants to be recognized?

The animated Rise of the Guardians, based on the book 'The Guardians of Childhood', is a unique perspective on those mythical ideals that our parents have told us stories about. North, the embodiment of the Spirit of Christmas is not just a jolly, big-belled man in a red suit with white fur trim. He is a Russian-esque imposing figure armed with powerful magic and two swash-buckling swords. Like a Russian nesting doll North is jolly, but also fearless and filled with wonder. The Australian accented Bunny, armed with boomerangs and Aborigine markings, takes his task of hiding colored eggs and marking the advent of spring and of hope on Easter Sunday very seriously. Tooth, the director of thousands of hummingbird sized tooth fairies collects thousands of teeth each day in exchange for coins. The pint-sized silent Sandy uses his golden wispy sands to fill childrens' heads with their favorite dreams. Jack Frost, with all of his Final Fantasy white locks and wooden staff, knows how to make sure kids have fun - at the expense of a few adults sliding and sliding around. He seems reckless, but at his core he loves the children just as much as the 'big guys'. The question is... will the belief of the world's children be enough to power the Guardians against the evil of Pitch?

Pitch Black is a formidable adversary to the Guardians. He is the harbinger of fear and was a dominate force in the world in the Dark Ages. When the Guardians emerged as forces for good, Pitch's powers were diminished and he was cast into obscurity. But as Pitch's machinations come to bear against the children, every ounce of power the villain gains takes away from the Guardians energies and their ability to combat Pitch's fear-mongering.

The animation is superb! All of the characters are designed to the utmost details to embody the spirits they portray. Pine, Baldwin, Fisher, Law, and Jackman bring their respective characters to phenomenal life. The worlds created for each of the Guardians takes every mythical character in a direction unseen before, The action sequences are choreographed and rendered beautifully, every camera angle and fluid movement eliciting the proper thrill, dread, or smiles. For every dark moment that Pitch puts into play, director Ramsey balances with intriguing or comic moments.

Rise of the Guardians is the perfect action-packed holiday film in the spirit of the classic move formula where the heroes have to save the holiday. In this film, though, the stakes are higher as our beloved mythical characters are not just saving the holiday, but the hope and happiness of all children and the Guardians' own existence. Maybe a little scary for the smallest of our future generation of dreamers and believers, Guardians will otherwise delight parents and children alike.

Rise of the Guardians takes holiday animation to the next level, giving the audience thrills, spills, and chills along with a fine story of perseverance and redemption. Jack Frost may be nipping at your nose, but he also has a free spirit and a warm heart.

---

This Means War

Spy Against Spy

---

Rated: PG-13  Some sexual content and action.
Release Date: February 17, 2012
Runtime: 1 hr 37 mins

---

Director:  McG

Writers: Timothy Dowling, Simon Kinberg, Marcus Gautesen
Cast:  Reese Witherspoon, Chris Pine, Tom Hardy, Til Schweiger, Chelsea Handler, John Paul Ruttan, Angela Bassett, Rosemary Harris, Abigail Spencer

---

---

SYNOPSIS:  After two top CIA operatives discover that they dating the same woman, they make a pact to let the best man win but look to outdo and undermine each other's romantic efforts at every turn.

REVIEW: Charlie Angels and Terminator: Salvation director McG comes back to the big screen for a action-packed romantic comedy, mixing covert CIA expertise and technology with a quirky love triangle.   Based on a screenplay by Timothy Dowling (Just Go With It, Role Models) and Simon Kinberg (Sherlock Holmes, the upcoming Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter) from a story by Dowling and Marcus Gautesen (Carboy), This Means War combines the kinetic style of McG's music video roots and television and big screen action efforts with Dowling's romantic comedy and Kinberg's action comedy chops.

FDR Foster (Chris Pine, Unstoppable) and Tuck (Tom Hardy, Warrior) are a top-notch CIA team, versed in extractions, surveillance, and all matter of wetwork. As close as brothers, FDR and Tuck are inseparable as teammates and friends. When they are relegated to desk duty after a botched operation in Hong Kong against Heinrich (Til Schweiger, New Year's Eve) and his brother, Tuck decides to take a run at online dating. He meets Lauren Scott (Reese Witherspoon, Water for Elephants) for lunch and finds an instant connection with her. Unfortunately, the same day, FDR runs into Lauren by accident and decides to pursue her as well. When FDR and Tuck discover that they are dating the same woman, they make a gentleman's agreement to not get in each other's way and let Lauren choice for herself who she wants to date. Of course, when jealousy gets the better of them, they both use their CIA resources to sabotage each other's efforts. In the meanwhile, Heinrich uses his own resources to smuggle into the country and take revenge on FDR and Tuck for what happened in Hong Kong.


McG does what he does best. Using the style he perfected with his directing efforts on Charlie's Angels and Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle, McG mixes and balances comedy and action perfectly with This Means War. Reese Witherspoon and Chelsea Handler provide the quick wit with their dialogue and interplay, Handler's married boring Trish verbally pushes Witherspoon's workaholic Lauren outside her comfort zone to pursue both FDR and Tuck in order to live vicariously through Lauren's escapades with the two men. On the other side of the relationship battle field, Pine's FDR and Hardy's Tuck use their capable physical prowess, innate intelligence, and government training to fill in the film's fast and fine action sequences with fun. Bring the two sides together and you get something as tasty as peanut butter and chocolate (as long as you are not allergic!). In fact, the best combination of action and comedy comes at the barrel's end of a paintball gun as Tuck tries win the flag against an army of pint-sized soldiers. 

The comedy is good and the action is good. The only way the film could have been better would have been upping the evil presence of Heinrich. As he plans to eliminate the duo who ruined his Pacific Rim plans Heinrich systematically makes his way closer to FDR and Tuck, but remains too much in the shadows to be much of a threat until almost too late in the film. Til Schweiger does shed the anxious father figure of New Year's Eve with a rough exterior and a steely glare.

Notable actresses make their way onto set for This Means War. Angela Bassett (Jumping the Broom) cameos as CIA superior Collins. Rosemary Harris replaces her Aunt May role from Sam Raimi's Spider-man film trilogy to appear as FDR's matriarch Nana Foster, serving as the example for Tuck and FDR for how to live a fulfilled existence with a life partner. Tuck certainly takes her example to heart, longing for a new meaningful relationship with Lauren after a sad divorce from ex-wife Katie (Abigail Spencer, Cowboys & Aliens).

This Means War is a fun, romantic, light thrill-ride. Part romantic comedy, part action comedy, This Means War is all fun. McG infuses plenty of action gunplay to counter the romantic foreplay, making this film a worthwhile covert operation of heart extraction.

---

WORTH: Matinee or DVD

Unstoppable

Steady Rumble

[Denzel Washington, Chris Pine, Rosario Dawson, Ethan Suplee, T.J. Miller]

image from onlinemovieshut.com

RANT: Just a shout out to everyone who helped out this weekend. 'Nuff Said!

SYNOPSIS: When a train carrying hazardous cargo turns into an unmanned “coaster” out of the depot and into populated areas, a veteran engineer and a rookie conductor attempt to bring the runaway train to a stop with their own locomotive engine before the runaway train derails and kills a population.

Are you familiar with the slow rising rumblings of a freight train you feel as it approach unseen, then the explosion of sound and blur as the train as speeds by in front of you at the crossing? This film feels that way. Knowing that the plotline deals with a multi-ton freight train “missile the size of the Chrysler building”, the film slowly idles along just until the aforementioned train leaves the train depot on its own power due to human miscalculation and stupidity. Once the train is gone, the slow rumblings of suspense and tension resonate and build until the “unstoppable” conclusion.

Director Tony Scott re-teams with his favorite go-to actor Denzel Washington, 28-year veteran train engineer Frank, to bring to life a story based on true events of a runaway train in Pennsylvania. Chris Pine, the new Captain James T. Kirk, comes aboard as well as rookie conductor Will, assigned to Frank for a training haul. Both Frank and Will come to the locomotive with their own baggage and issues. The older engineer tries to pass down some knowledge to the rookie, even though the rookie’s “yellow vest” is a symbol of the corporation trying to force him and his kind into early retirement. The young conductor deals with an deteriorating marriage, a restraining order and a job that was handed to him by his industry connected family.

Adding to the cast is Rosario Dawson as Connie, Ethan Suplee as the depot engineer Dewey who starts the triple 7 running as a crazy train, and his sidekick Gilleece who wanted to connect the air brakes, but didn't. Kevin Dunn stars as corporate operations manager Galvin whose days in the front office had made him soft.

The most important character in the story is the Triple 7 itself, a menacing "unstoppable" force of steel and diesel. Although inanimate, it moves beyond just a machine. All attempts to slow its march of destruction through Pennsylvania are merely annoyances as it barrels down the rails at 70 to 80 miles per hour with 8 cars of toxic materials on its back. Choppers trying to drop an engineer onto the Triple 777 meets with injury, the so-called "Derailer" set out by the corporation fails to live up to its name, and eventually all hope ends up resting on the shoulders of Frank and Will. How will their "little engine that could" even make a mark against the out of control goliath locomotive? As the tension builds, so does the excitement. "Unstoppable" is a wild ride on the rails!

Worth: Matinee and DVD

I am also trying out a new rating system shown below based on reader reaction to my somewhat complex monetary rating scale. I will give both ratings and see what kind of reaction I muster. A movie can receive up to 5 popcorn buckets. Why popcorn buckets? Because I am a slave to the thousand + calorie delight! Enjoy!