Star Trek Into Darkness

ACTION/ADVENTURE, SCI-FI/FANTASY

Wrath

8.5 out of 10 | MOVIE, DVD

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

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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

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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.

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Men In Black 3

Back To The Future

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Rated: PG-13  Sci-fi action violence, and brief suggestive content
Release Date: May 25, 2012
Runtime:  1 hr 43 mins

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Director: Barry Sonnenfeld
Writers: Lowell Cunningham, David Koepp, Etan Cohen, Jeff Nathanson, Michael Soccio
Cast:  Will Smith, Tommy Lee Jones, Josh Brolin, Jemaine Clement, Emma Thompson, Bill Hader, Michael Stuhlbarg, Alice Eve

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SYNOPSIS: Agent J travels back in time to MIB's early years in the 1960s in order to stop an alien from assassinating his friend Agent K and changing history.

REVIEW: Barry Sonnenfeld, director of both Men in Black, Men in Black II, plus Get Shorty and both Addams Family films, returns ten years after the last MIB film to let us catch another glimpse of the the odd couple agents that entralled us in the original film in 1997. Using a collective of writers for the third installment, Sonnenfeld employs the scribing talents of Etan Cohen (Tropic Thunder), David Koepp (Angels and Demons), Jeff Nathanson (Tower Heist), and Michael Soccio (The Kings of Queens), all based on the original comic by Lowell Cunningham.

Agent J (Will Smith, Seven Pounds) and Agent K (Tommy Lee Jones, Captain America: The First Avenger) continue to thwart alien incidents that affect New York and the outer boroughs, Agent J still wondering why his partner is so sullen and stoic. One of Agent K's early arrests, Boris the Animal (Jermaine Clement, Dinner for Schmucks), escapes from the super maximum Lunar Max moon prison with forty years of hatred for the man who took his freedom and one of his arms. Hatching a plan to erase the one mistake of his past, Boris promptly finds an illegal time jump device with the expressed focus to kill Agent K before he is arrested and before he loses an arm. When Agent J wakes the next day and is the only person to remember that Agent K was just alive yesterday instead of being killed in 1969, the new head of MIB Agent O (Emma Thompson, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2) points Agent J to the same source for time jumping that Boris had used, an electronics store owner Jeffrey Price (Michael Chemus, The Big C). Once in the past, Agent J comes across the younger, more hopeful and easy-going Agent K (Josh Brolin, True Grit), head Agent X (David Rasche, United 93) and a young vibrant Ms. O (Alice Eve, The Raven) in an attempt to save his partner before Agent K becomes nothing more than a distant memory.

Starting in 1997, Barry Sonnenfeld brought Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith together as the supreme odd couple protecting the earth from the scum of the universe. With the veteran, seen-too-much-in-his-career Agent K and the young, hot-headed upstart policeman turned naive intergalactic cop, the first entry based on the Malibu Comics had plenty of action, comedy and story to go around. Five years later, the crew returned with another adventure that combined comedy, a cast of quirky alien characters and villains, and a story worth telling. Now, fifteen years after the start of their journey, Agents J and K return for possibly their last adventure.

In Men In Black 3, the spirit of the story continues seamlessly from the first sequel - even with so much time passed. Tommy Lee and Will settle into the same crotchety rhythm that was so appealing in the first two films. Like in the second movie, though, Tommy Lee Jones' role is critical but diminished. In fact, in Men In Black 3, Tommy Lee sets the stage for the tale but disappears altogether in the wrinkled timeline in favor of the younger version in Brolin. Smith has to take a brand new tact with Brolin's young Agent K, unsure how the young agent turns into the cranky old man that recruited him into the MIB. Sonnenfeld makes sure to keep the same chrome and curved look and feel as the other MIB movies, with the addition of 60s era cars, fashions, and politics. And Brolin does entertain as he nails the young Agent K with his tone and mannerisms.

One of the things that seems to be missing from MIB3 is an edge of humor. In MIB, we were delighted by a talking pug, a morgue clerk embodied by David Cross, a pawn shop alien Jack Jeebs (Tony Shalhoub, Monk) and a twitchy insectoid alien in a meat suit named Edgar played well with Vincent D'Onofrio. In MIB2, Shalhoub, Cross and the pug returned, and the evil shape-shifting villainess Serleena (Lara Flynn Boyle) was accompanied by the loony and goofy side kick Scrad (Johnny Knoxville). In MIB3, the villain Boris is all venom and bony shards, with no redeeming or humorous qualities. The pug is gone. Cross and Shalhoub are missing in action. The worms are back in brief cameos and the majority of the jokes rest squarely on Smith's shoulders. He has broad shoulders, but even Smith can only handle so much. Michael Stuhlbarg (Hugo) is cast as the last of his kind fifth-dimensional alien Griffin who sees all possible futures at once and who may hold the key to defending the modern day alien invasion with a 1960s trinket, reminding me of a overly sedate young Robin Williams.

Men In Black 3 has dazzling practical and creature effects. Rick Baker mixes 1960s nostalgia with wonderful CGI FX with the many layered creepy crawly alien assassin Boris. The story continues in the fine tradition that Sonnenfeld, Jones and Smith crafted fifteen years ago. The story feels both rushed and leisurely at times, taking in many sights without the opportunity to soak in the ambiance. Smith's Agent J asks Brolin's Agent K how old he was with the response of twenty-nine. Agent J comments that he must have some city miles on 'em. It's always fun to peek into the world of MIB, but it may be time for some additional new blood or time to hang up the suit and shades.

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WORTH:  Matinee or DVD

The Raven

Quote the Raven Nevermore

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Rated: R Bloody Violence and grisly images
Release Date: April 27, 2012
Runtime: 1 hr 43 mins

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Director: James McTeigue
Writers:  Ben Livingston, Hannah Shakespeare
Cast: John Cusack, Luke Evans, Alice Eve, Brendan Gleeson, Kevin McNally, Oliver Jackson-Cohen, Jimmy Yuill

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SYNOPSIS: In his last days, Edgar Allan Poe is forced to assist the Baltimore Police hunt down a madman creating grisly scenes based on Poe's written work.

REVIEW: Director James McTeigue has made the move from first assistant director in such films as The Matrix trilogy and Speed Racer to helm his own films as evidenced by V for Vendetta  and Ninja Assassin. With a script from screenwriting newcomer Ben Livingston and TV series and TV movie writer Hannah Shakespeare, McTeigue delves into Edgar Allan Poe as a true character of American literature and history, and as a fictionalized character in the hunt for a serial killer idolizing his works.

Edgar Allan Poe (John Cusack, 2012) struggles with his finances, his inspiration, and his reputation as he walks the streets of Baltimore, Maryann in October 1849. Always an outsider and pitted against the establishment, Poe tries to make money from newspaper reviews and tries to win the hand of Captain Hamilton's (Brendan Gleeson, Safe House) daughter Emily (Alice Eve, She's Out of My League). At the same time Poe courts Emily against the captain's wishes, the Baltimore Police Department is stumped by a series of grisly deaths. Although capably led by Captain Eldridge (Jimmy Yuill, Retreat), Inspector Fields (Luke Evans) is called in to investigate due to the grotesque and horrific nature of the latest crime scene. When Fields connects the writings of Edgar Allan Poe to the actual crime scene description, Poe first becomes a suspect then an expert on his own writings as he and the police try to track down the serial killer before he completes crimes of more of Poe's work.

If you are a fan of Victorian Era period films, The Raven fits nicely in the genre. Darker than Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, Cusack's Poe is just as brilliant and troubled. But in Poe's case, he doesn't have a trusty doctor partner watching his back. More akin to Johnny Depp's From Hell, Poe lives a solitary existence as he stumbles through the swirling fogged cobble stoned streets of Baltimore, his only anchor to his sanity a lovely girl of proper stature and station named Emily whose own father resents that his daughter associates with the likes of a starving artist like Poe.

When the engaging story of the man named Poe is not center stage, the serial killer using Poe's stories as murderous inspiration is. Using the details from such Poe fiction as "The Pit and the Pendulum" and "The Cask of Amontillado", this shadowy figure baffles the police department. Only when Inspector Fields jumps into the investigative fray does the machinations of the serial killer come to the surface. Using Poe's own work the killer forces the writer to play along in a game of cat-and-mouse, the writer of fiction pitted against a killer using that fiction for his own all-too-real grotesque ends.

Shot in Eastern Europe, McTiegue and crew used their isolated surrounds, period architecture, cobblestone streets and wintry nights and pre-dawns to draw the audience into a mid-19th century world masked as 1849 Baltimore, Maryland. Cusack, Evans, Eve and Gleeson prosper as their characters, able to touch their tangible surroundings. Every shot, whether in the confines of Detective Fields' sparse office or out in a misty, tree lined woods, seemed to carry the morose and claustrophobic weight of the man of who the film circles about. As we learn a little about Edgar Allan Poe the man, we also get a glimpse of his work - both by its words and its visceral bloody application. Actually hearing Cusack's Poe finish "The Raven" to a room full of aspiring female poets, the verses are haunting, melodic, and beautiful, leading me to wonder if I dust off "Tales of the Grotesque and Arabesque" for another read now that I am an adult.

Gripping your attention its razor sharp talons, The Raven is at times a fictionalized biography of the man and literary lesson of a sometimes under appreciated American writer. Poe was at the forefront of writing about detectives, grisly happenings and killings, and more. Fans of the Saw franchise need to realize that Poe wrote "The Pit and the Pendulum" over 160 years ago, ushering in a written genre that shocked a generation of readers. The accounts of the last days of his career and livelihood are shrouded in myth and urban legend, but The Raven offers a tell tale that is as Poe-esque as could be.

The Raven is best suited to lovers of suspenseful period films like Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, From Hell, and V for Vendetta. Although not as grandiose, The Raven is a smart, clever, and bloody lesson of Victorian literary lore (and gore) - quote the raven nevermore!

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WORTH: Matinee and DVD