Movie Review: Now You See Me

Overall

Trey: 3.8 out of 5

Though better than I was expecting, lack of character development and the use of magic tricks as plot convenience or even holes held down the possibility of a good movie being great. The cast while extremely likable lacked any emotional ties and one twist near the end felt a bit far fetched. Otherwise the movie is immensely entertaining and a good summer movie that anyone can enjoy.

Suzanne: 4 out of 5

This movie was better than I expected after all of the negativity it got on Rotten Tomatoes. I thought they incorporated magic into the movie really well and it kept me wanting more. Unlike Trey, I quite enjoyed the cast although they needed to be developed way more than they were. But entertainment wise a great movie for all ages and a very enjoyable one at that.

Synopsis

When 4 magicians with different skill sets are banned together to do unthinkable heist, 2 cops must figure out how they pulled off a series of financial thefts that landed the bank accounts and wallets of the people in their audience. These magicians call themselves The Four Horsemen (Jesse Eisenberg, Isla Fisher, Dave Franco and Woody Harrelson) and there goal is to set the wrongs in the world right. They do this in the form of stealing money from banks or people and giving it to the people they feel deserve it. This draws the attention of the CIA in the form of Dylan Rhodes (Mark Ruffalo) and his new assistant from Paris Alma Dray (Melanie Laurent). Is all this magic real? or can the CIA with the help of a magician debunker Thaddeus Bradley (Morgan Freeman) crack the code.

Visuals

Trey: Nothing special in this one but nothing terrible either. There is some shaky came that hurt my head a bit, but overall solid cinematography. The special effects were limited and worked well when they were utilized.

Suzanne:  There weren't as many special effects in this movie as I thought there would be. In the trailer it seemed that, that was all it was going to be but it really was limited like Trey said. I thought they were pretty spectacular though overall. I was very glad that they didn't over do it with special effects they kept it at the perfect number in my opinion.


Audio and Score

Trey: I really enjoyed this score actually, it was very uptempo heist music. They mixed in a couple songs that some people may recognize and the classic heist feel was very enjoyable.

Suzanne: I have realized that for me I don't notice music as much as I should. When I did notice it I thought it worked really well with the movie. It was typical heist music that made your heart beat faster and get excited for the chase scene that was happening at the time.


Acting

Trey: The actors each played their roles very well, and gave a pretty straight forward script a big lift. Harrelson and Freeman were my favorite, each brought some good timed comedy and a coolness to their characters. I really have no complaints in this category but nobody was blowing me away with their performances. That is probably because there was no emotion, the movie was meant to just be a fun heist movie and it did that.

Suzanne: I thought the actors did a great job with the roles of bank robbing magicians. I thought it was very funny when it needed to be and serious when it needed to be. The only issue I had was that at the end of the movie I didn't know any of the characters names, I only knew them as the Four Horsemen because their characters were not developed nearly enough. Other than that I think all of the actors did a great job with the little amount they were given about their characters.

Story

Trey: When a movie is about magic and trickery the writing and story is the front focus. With magic you always seen it used as Deux Ex Machina and this film is no different. They use magic or tricks to advance the plot even if it's not logical, it is logical if you feel the magic was real in the film. The first half of the film was very tight and compact, once the reveal came and the movie started to reveal itself it became a bit flat. There was a relationship thrown in at the end and the explanation behind why these magicians came together felt very forced to me. The final twist of the film however is where I felt the most against. Like my overall stated it seemed too far fetched even in a movie where magic was possibly present. I however don't believe any of the magic was real but that is another topic for discussion. The story was enjoyable though and there was one scene involving Ruffalo and Franco that was exactly what I envisioned a year ago when I read about this film. It was easily the best film in the movie.

Suzanne: The story in this movie worked really well for me. I loved the idea of four magicians who don't really know each other coming together to become one awesome act. And to top it off they are all pulling a heist together. To me the magic seemed real in the film and I think it was supposed to make you believe in magic. I thought they did a really good job talking about how magicians always try to divert your attention from the real trick and that was what they were doing the entire time. Overall the story was awesome in my opinion and that is really why I loved this movie so much.

Trey's Blu Ray Collection: Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs

 

The hidden gem of my animated movie collection is easily Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs a film based on a children's book series. There is Pixar and DreamWorks but this Sony Pictures film is absolutely the funniest animated film. It's not the subtle adult humor of Pixar films, its silly and corny in the best way possible. Every time I watch this film I laugh historically for 90 minutes straight. It may not have been that successful at the box office (it did well enough to warrant a sequel) but the critical praise was pretty great. The movie is about a failing scientist named Flint Lockwood (Bill Hader) who pretty much resembles a silly Adrian Brody. When he creates a machine that turns water into food, it gets blown into the sky and begins absorbing clouds and releasing a series of food weather that begins to turn the town around. It does so because Swallow Falls for many years only ate what the fisherman caught which were Sardines. The food weather is a blessing but like any weather big storms cause big problems. It really is a funny movie and I can't imagine any animated film to make me laugh as much as this does. I love animated films, and this one is one of my favorites. Throw in the voices of Mr. T and surprise voice performance by Neil Patrick Harris, and you got yourself some extremely enjoyable characters. The best part about it is behind all the humor is a story of redemption and heroics, and a lot of heart. If you haven't seen this film give it a try, if you don't care then I will continue to watch it enough for everyone who has missed it.

Verdict: 5 out of 5

Current Standings

1. Children of Men
2. Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs
3. American Beauty
4. Arthur Christmas
5. Master And Commander
6. The Brothers Grimm
7. Cast Away

Movie Of The Week: May 26th - May 1st

 

With the release of Now You See Me, a movie based around illusionist and magic, I take a look at one of the best movies that incorporate magicians. That would be Christopher Nolan's The Prestige, a physiological character study between two magicians. The first time I watched this film  I was blown away by the trickery and intellect of the film. The movie boast two great performances by Christian Bale and Hugh Jackman as the rival magicians who strive to best each other. The movie does take a lot of concentration, and one misstep on the audiences part can result in a bit of confusion. Which is half the fun and leads to an incredible ending that blows your mind all over the back seat. Better than that is the end monologue my Sir Michael Caine, as soon as he dropped that last line I instantly second guessed everything I thought I knew about the film. Then hit the restart button and began to piece the puzzle together all over again. Even if you know what happens when Caine says "Now you're looking for the secret. But you won't find it because of course, you're not really looking. You don't really want to work it out. You want to be fooled." you get all sorts of angry. WHAT ARE YOU TRYING TO DO TO ME NOLAN! either way it's awesome and makes for a movie that has a lot or re watch value while being an enticing drama.

Trey's Blu Ray Collection: Arthur Christmas

Looks like I forgot another film that starts with an A, blame it on my friend who just returned it after a long time. The film is the first animated film on my list, and makes my rankings much more difficult. I find it extremely hard to justify an animated movie being better than a live action film even if it is. The first one is one of the more recent films from a studio that many people don't pay attention to, that would be Aardman's Arthur Christmas. I love Aardman films they may very well be
my favorite animated studio. They are based out of Britain and utilize that smart British humor, while still appealing to the children. Arthur Christmas is one of their few non-stop motion films in the repertoire, and their only Christmas movie. The film revolves around Arthur the son of the current Santa Clause, who is the son of the Santa Clause we all know and love. The current Santa however is just a figurehead, whose Christmas accolades are performed via extreme technology, and some secret agent like elves. When one girls gift gets lost in the jumble and nobody cares about it, the clumsy yet hopeful Arthur takes up the task of returning the forgotten gift.

The movie is absolutely splendid, and one of the best animated films I have seen in a long time. It's funny and clever and is the newest tradition in Suzanne and I's Christmas schedule. Last year we watched it at least 3 times. The voice acting is spot on, headed by James McAvoy, while the side voices such as Hugh Laurie are just as fun to watch. If you haven't seen this movie you are really missing out, its perfect for kids and has multiple jokes for adults.

Verdict: 4.5 out of 5

Current Standings

1. Children of Men
2. American Beauty
3. Arthur Christmas
5. Master And Commander
6. The Brothers Grimm
7. Cast Away

More Marvel Controversy: Thor 2

Today I want to talk about the two things that have recently happened regarding the upcoming Marvel film Thor 2. One of which has been confirmed the other has yet to be confirmed and I doubt will ever happen. The confirmed news is that composer Carter Burwell is no longer scoring the film. Burwell is a veteran whose best known for his work on a slew of Cohen Brother films and Where The Wild Things Are. Just a few weeks ago Christopher Willis Tweeted his began working on the score for Thor 2 with Carter Burwell, which is odd now that Burwell is gone. I would assume that Willis will be the replacement only time will tell.

 

The more interesting bit of controversy comes in the form of the rumor that director Alan Taylor was told to go on vacation until after the films release. My first thought when hearing this was, they must not be happy about something. You don't tell a director to not help promote the film via interviews. If Alan is on "vacation" than he won't be talking about his film, or saying something that is suppose to be hidden. I doubt that means, "Hey, Good job Alan take a vacation till after the films release you deserve it". I see it more as a "Hey Alan, I dislike what you did or wanted to do and we need to talk to the press as damage control." Marvel is known for having a lot of control over their films and I knew one day it would backfire. There has been many occasions of directors being unhappy with the reigns Marvel keeps on their products. Favreau and Downey Jr both blame Marvel for the turnout of Iron Man 2, and Thor Director Kenneth Branagh and Captain America's Joe Johnston both failed to return for their respected sequels. There is something special about a trilogy directed by the same man, when you start mixing and matching things begin to feel uneven. This rumor has yet to be confirmed but I have a hard time remember Alan Taylor saying anything about the finished product of his film.

What do you guys think? Is Marvel doing more damage by over controlling their properties? Or do they have the right to do so? Let me know In the comments below.

Trey's Blu Ray Collection: Children Of Men

I didn't plan on doing this one today as well but I couldn't help but re watch it yesterday. Children of Men is a movie I regret to seeing well after it's release. I think it took about 2 years of people telling me how great it was before even attempting to look for it on blu ray. One day I went to Best Buy and saw it for 7 dollars, while getting me a free movie ticket to see Oblivion (Still wasn't worth seeing Oblivion). I picked it up and went immediately home to watch it. IT IS AMAZING! one of the most creative, haunting and oddly realistic futuristic movies I have ever seen. This isn't the future with flying space ships and cars it's future that is plague with the lack of children. Alfonso Cuaron creates this daunting world which is breathtaking and impossible to dismiss. The whole movie is about how one man must escort the only pregnant girl in the world to a secret project to save humanity. What first struck me about the film is the cinematography, I recently fell in love with tracking shots, and this film does it better than any I have ever seen. The last 20-30 minutes of the film is a rousing sequence that seems to track forever (I am sure there are cuts in there at specific points). I can't get over the execution and technique that this film has, its spectacular. The best part of the film is it's not very long at all, it's under 2 hours. Which leads to a viewing experience that is extremely complex. without being a chore to get through. It's a really great film, within the 4 months span I have owned it I have watched it around 7 times. Each time it gets better and better.

Verdict: 5 out of 5

Current Standings
1. Children of Men
2. American Beauty
3. Master And Commander
4. The Brothers Grimm
5. Cast Away

Trey's Blu Ray Collection: Cast Away/Master and Commander

We have now reached one of the few multi-movie collections that I picked up over the year. The reason that I chose this one was because A. I Enjoy Cast Away and B. I have never seen Master and Commander. It was a mere 10 dollars which made the decision to pick it up even more easy to make. I will start with the first film in this double feature Cast Away.

 

I want to start by saying Cast Away is extremely difficult to get through, because it is very long. Each time I watch it I get less and less interested which is never good for a film I have only seen 3 times. Tom Hanks is stellar as usual and the film itself is pretty interesting, it just lost some gusto over the years, much like Forrest Gump has to me. If you don't know the story, it centers around a man stranded on a deserted island. It sounds cliché but how many movies can you name where that happens? I said movies Lost doesn't count. It's a good movie I won't deny that but after repeated viewings it becomes glaringly apparent that it is rather dull. It's worthy of my collection without being the best film in this Double Feature.

Verdict: 3.5 out of 5

As for Master and Commander, it was always the Russel Crowe movie I had yet to see. I heard pretty good things and it was included in my book 501 movies to see before you die, I haven't seen all 501. It was the main reason I bought the double feature and I wasn't disappointed. It may had helped that I got a new sound system installed before watching but the sound effects in this film are insane. The sound of canon balls ripping through ships is thunderous. It made the viewing experience quite spectacular and I still believe to this day it has the best sound in any blu ray. As for the rest of the film it's a slow burning bromance between Russel Crowe the Captain and his ships doctor Paul Bettany. Its a splendid tale of adventure and discovery and my favorite film on the seven seas. There is some truly emotional moments that strike you to the bone along with a satisfying ending. It was worth the 10 dollars, while Cast Away was just an added bonus.

Verdict: 4.5 out 5

Current Standings
1. American Beauty
2. Master And Commander
3. Brothers Grimm
4. Cast Away

Great Film Or Great Ending?

 

Oddly enough when listening to a sports talk show they began talking about two films the host considered great endings but not necessarily great movies. Those two movies were The Usual Suspects and The Sixth Sense, and it got me thinking is this true? Let's look at the first of the two because it was more recently that I watched it last. When thinking about the Bryan Singer film it's hard to remember much besides that incredible ending. A twist for the ages that you never saw coming, yet worked so well with the film. Not to mention ending with one of the best lines in film history, only to be surpassed by the ending of Silence Of The Lambs. The rest of the movie is a run of the mill gangster flick in line with The Untouchables and maybe to some extent Rock n Rolla (which I will agree is worse than both of the films I just named). It does have some impressive writing and the story is revealed really well but I can't for the life of me remember anything that happened besides the twist. As for The Sixth Sense the twist was revealed to me far before I got the chance to actually see it. Which ruined my viewing experienced and led to a film that I never cared for. As for the movie itself it may be one of M. Night Shyamalans best movies but it won't exceed most other Directors top films. It's a good movie with a great ending, but the twist is more telegraphed than The Usual Suspects. I believe it's possible to predict it early in the film, but that doesn't mean it is a bad twist. Once again, Great ending, not that great of a film. There are plenty of great films with great twist endings. The Departed blew my mind and added depth to an enticing story. When I realize whose head is in the box in Se7en and both envy and rage came center circle in one incredibly emotional climax, I forgot to blink. It's the path leading up to twist that makes them that much more rewarding. Weather it be Memento or Planet of The Apes even the less winding Shawshank Redemption had an extremely satisfying ending that enhanced the already spectacular story. I am not here to bash on The Usual Suspects or The Sixth Sense, because they are many more films that fit this category. They were just the most popular options, and would be the cause of most debates. Many may disagree and I would love to hear what you guys think, so leave a comment below!

Trey's Blu Ray Collection: The Brothers Grimm

 

This film in my collection is about as mixed as you may see. The Brothers Grimm is a movie that for years I have never heard of. Once I started dating Suzanne, her and another guy from work told me how much they liked the movie. The first thing they said to me was "Don't take it seriously, just enjoy it" which is hard for me to do as is. I ventured to Target and picked up the 7 dollar Blu ray version, which I usually never do because it can be very risky. Luckily, I found it to be pretty enjoyable and overall silly (in a good way).If you don't take it seriously then you should have some hearty laughs as this fairy tale trudges on. This isn't a top tier film by any means and if someone tells me they hate it I could understand. As for me, I had fun watching Matt Damon and Heath Ledger exploit the innocence and obliviousness of the local villager as their occupation of choice. What is that occupation? Somewhere between a monster hunter and a ghost catcher, the twist is they fake it all to get money. It was an early reveal that they were fakes but it made the rest of the film that much more clever and enjoyable. Once the film starts moving and a real witch begins taking children from the local village to regain her youth, the villagers enlist Jacob and Will (Ledgers and Damon). I know this movie has really poor reviews but I feel a lot of people will have fun with this like I did. Terry Gilliam is a really clever director who has a distinctive style that sticks out in this film. It may not be fantastic, but fantasy adventures are few and far between.

Verdict: 3.5/5

Current Rankings

1. American Beauty
2. The Brothers Grimm

Trey's Blu Ray Collection: American Beauty

This is a new segment I am starting where I will work my way through my Blu Ray collection, in turn doing a small review and ranking them. There is 70 films, each article I will tackle a number of them, but I will be watching each (again) before I do so. In this first Part I will be doing the first films in my collection, as I descend in alphabetical order. Let's get started.



American Beauty

This is an interesting film and one that I have enjoyed on each viewing, which I would say has been about three times now. If you don't know this film is a family drama, that is more a satire of a middle classes family and the definition of Beauty. It is my favorite Sam Mendez film and one of the most unique films, which such basic idea around it. The films lead is Kevin Spacey who we all know as a fantastic actor, Other than that the rest of the actors are pretty unknown to me, besides the small yet pivotal role of Chris Cooper. This movie is difficult to explain without giving away to much, because there story is half the reveal. Let's just keep it at a middle aged man who is fed up with his terrible marriage and his awful life. He then does a series of things that wouldn't be considered acceptable for a middle aged married man to do and that is where the film kicks off. Throughout the film it's all about how each character develops into the person they really are, or wanted to be. It really is a beautiful film in every sense of the word, even with a few things that may make you a little uncomfortable. If you haven't seen this film and you are a fan of dark comedies/dramas that really bring an emotional and shocking punch than this is the film for you.

Verdict: 5/5

Current Rankings

1. American Beauty

Movie Review: Epic

Trey: 3.5 out of 5

With epic visuals, this animated adventure while never fantastic is a fun movie that the youngster should enjoy. I would place it in the realms of an above average DreamWorks movie and a middle of the line Pixar film, which is an achievement for Blue Sky who are beginners in the animated film game.

Suzanne: 4 out of 5

I thought for a kids movie that it was truly Epic. I think I love kids movies more than your average 22 year old though. Blue Sky is an up and coming company that you should watch out for. They did one of my favorite animated movies Rio.

Overview
The heroic adventure known as Epic is two intertwining stories one big in scale the other small. It starts with a teenager named M.K (Amanda Seyfried) comes to live with his slightly crazy father Bomba (Jason Sudeikis) who believes small people live in the forest and run the ecosystem. Cue the Leaf Soldiers and their leader Ronin (Colin Farrell) who are in an age long war with the Boggans and their leader Mandrake (Christoph Waltz). When the two collide with the shrinking of M.K, the adventure kicks into high gear.

Visuals

Trey: This would be the only part of the movie I would really consider Epic, it was extremely impressive. I am not going to say it is exactly at the level as say How To Train Your Dragon but the animation itself isn't the only great visual aspect. It's the way the forest looked and the people moved, the way the Leaf Soldiers fought the Boggans it was gorgeous. I have also heard from other reviewers that the 3d was actually pretty great as well, great job to the animation team and the writers for making some extremely impressive scenes.

Suzanne: The visuals in this movie were really quite amazing. It drew me in more than anything in the movie. The forest was beautiful, the characters were creative and gorgeous, and the colors overall were just spectacular. I somewhat wish that I would have seen the movie in 3D because like Trey said I heard that the 3D was great. My favorite visual part was the Leaf Men in the movie, they were a vibrant green and their costumes, if you can call it that for an animated character, were stunning. They were very detailed and clever and I loved that.


Audio and Score

Trey: The score was your basic adventure like an upbeat Lord Of The Rings score. Which helped the action while complimenting the whole film. The sound effects seemed pretty spot on and there wasn't many of the ridiculous noises for the purpose of a laugh. All in all not memorable but did the film justice.

Suzanne: I have to be honest, I didn't really notice the music at all in this movie. I guess that could be good and bad, good because that means it wasn't a horrible sound track, and bad because that means it wasn't memorable. Sorry, that's all I can really say about it.


Voice Acting

Trey: There was 3 characters that I enjoyed far more than the rest, they would be Grub and Mub the snail and slug comedic combo that really helped me enjoy the film. Grub is voiced by IT Crowd star Chris O'Dowd and Mub is voiced by comedian Aziz Ansari. The other would be Colin Farrell as Ronin who was a complete bad-ass. I can't say enough for how well they each did in their respective roles which made up for the more sub par performances. Those being everyone else pretty much. I am not by any means saying they were bad, I just didn't care for them.

Suzanne: I thought the voice acting was pretty spot on in this movie. Amanda Seyfried (M.K.), was the main girl in the movie and I thought she did a great job. I've heard that voice acting is hard but I don't really have any experience so I wouldn't know. As for the other characters the ones I enjoyed the most were Ronin, Grub, and Mub. The best voiced character in the movie was Ronin, voiced by Colin Farrell. He already has a naturally awesome accent and the worked really well with the bad ass character he was playing in the movie. The man who played Grub, Chris O'Dowd, did the second best voice wise. He brought comedy to the movie and his lines were great. He also has a naturally awesome accent that also worked great with his character which was a snail. Finally we come to Mub, played by Aziz Ansari. In the trailer I didn't really like his character but in the movie he was pretty funny. He was the fourth best in my opinion after M.K. mainly because he was trying to be funnier than he was. But overall the voice acting in this movie was great.


Story

Trey: I like the way the two stories intertwined, and the pacing flowed very smoothly without any hiccups. There wasn't any twist and turns and the underlying theme of preserving nature is something that is pretty common in films. I would have liked a little more surprises and something fresh to really make it standout. However I was pretty much given Honey, I Shrunk The Kids mixed with Thumbelina. It just never felt all that original besides the look of the scenes and the action sequences. It needed to bring something new to the table to push it into a top tier animated film.

Suzanne: I loved the story, I thought it was really original and creative. I thought it was emotional when it needed to be and funny when it needed to be which made the story very enjoyable. I like what Trey said about it being underlying to nature being killed because I never thought of it that way. It really is the struggle of nature against everything that it killing it which is pretty deep for a kids movie. The action was great in the movie along with the slower scenes too. It was a great animated movie and I think kids, along with goofy 22 year olds like me, will really enjoy it.

Movie Of The Week: May 19th - 25th

This weeks movie of the week is a film that may not get better with time, but still was one hell of a ride. I am of course talking about The Hangover, the only film in the trilogy that isn't complete junk. It may not be a game changer but this movie was HUGE! it was quoted for what seems to be forever, and there is still probably a couple guys out there saying "She is a nice lady!" or some other overused quote from the wolf pack. Like I stated before most comedies die out over time and this one is no exception but if you haven't seen It before you are in for some seriously vulgar yet funny moments. If you have seen the first one, I sure hope you didn't see the second because it will ruin it all for you. The film of course stars Bradley Copper as Phil the straight man in the group (by straight I mean joke wise). Then their is Ed Helms who plays Stu the cautious and nerdy one, and Zach Galifianakis as Alan the one that made the movie funny. Alan was the key component in this film, nobody is near as funny and without him the movie may fall into the same rut as the sequels did. Nobody would even know who Zach Galifianakis is without this film and that is something worth praising. Justin Bartha as Doug aka the guy who is barely in either of the films yet he is a key component (of the first one at least). There isn't much else to say besides this is a funny movie that didn't at all need two sequels. Luckily for us, we get one enjoyable comedy which is hard to find these days.

The Hangover III is in theaters now, but lets do this series a favor and not give them a reason to make another.

My Thoughts On X-men Days of Future Past

Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence)                                           Wolverine (Hugh Jackman)
Beast (Nicholas Hault)                                                       Kitty Pride (Ellen Page)
Charles Xavier (James McAvoy)                                       Professor Charles Xavier (Patrick Stewart)
Magneto (Michael Fassbender)                                          Magneto (Ian McKellen)
Rouge (Anna Paquin)                                                         Storm (Halle Berry)
Iceman (Shawn Ashmore)                                                  Warpath (Booboo Stewart)
Colossus (Daniel Cudmore)                                                Blink (Bingbing Fan)
Bishop (Omar Sy)                                                               Evan Peters (QuickSilver)
Sunspot (Adan Canto)

Holy crap, that is a lot of mutants to stuff into one movie. We are given 17 Mutants already and that is only the confirmed ones, who knows who else Bryan Singer (Usual Suspects, X-1 and 2) may add when it's all said it done. We are given two Professor X's and two Magneto's and there is even rumored to be more than two Wolverines. How is this possible? Time Travel folks it looks like we will be dealing with Alternate reality in this mutant mash up. I have not read the comic book but I have however did some research and it looks like Kitty Pride (Ellen Page) will be one of the biggest players in this film. Since she sends her mind back in time to apprehend the younger Kitty Pride to warn the x-men of the future that awaits them. Problem is this comic doesn't have anything to do with the 1960's versions of these character that are being used (McAvoy and crew), Which means we will be getting a bit different story than it's comic book counterpart.

If you ask me this has all the makings of an absolute mess. Many complain that X-men: Last Stand failed because it had to many mutants, I argue its because it was just a piece of crap. X-1 and X-2 also had a lot of mutants and I believe they were really good for their time. Those films may have had a lot of mutants but they didn't have time travel, or multiple versions of people. It makes my head hurt but if they pull this off, and I do mean if. It will be one of the best superhero films of our time I can guarantee that. I have no hate for Bryan Singer who I feel gets a pretty bad wrap cause he directed Superman Returns and some other duds (Even though Superman Returns has a 76% which is the equal to most marvel films everyone loves). The man has some good films, including X-1 and X-2, and The Usual Suspects. Also if they wanted to sell me why not bring back NightCrawler?! he was the bomb in X-2 and the white house infiltration scene is one of my favorites of all-time. Oh well we can't have everything I suppose. Let's wait and see how this turns out, we haven't even been given a trailer yet. For all we know it could be extremely well made.

Lastly, Peter Dinklage has also been casted in a role that yet to be confirmed. Could we be getting yet another mutant?

How To Incorporate Christain Bale's Batman Into A Superman Teamup

 

The largest debate going on right now within the movie sites I visit, in particular Screenrant.com is how to incorporate Nolan's realistic Batman in a movie with Henry Cavill's Superman. At first glance it seems unlikely, how could a hero that barely succeeds in facing none super powered villains such as The Joker and Bane take on aliens and others with powers. I believe the answer is within the dynamics of the character and how its possible to evolve him. Forget what he has done within Nolan's Trilogy and think about the collection of incarnations that can be utilized into this one character. What we clearly know is Bruce Wayne (Bale) is not the best fighter in this incarnation, he uses parries and the environment to damage his enemies with more often than not relying on dodging and using his foes strikes against them. That however would no work against Superman or anyone with powers, they would break his arm with one punch. He also relies on a series of semi-logical gadgets to effect the environment or the enemy itself (never to strictly hurt them). He is a good detective but never to the affect of the comic book counterpart, and this is where the evolving can begin.

With a different writer or even the same the advancement of Bale's Batman can be pretty simple. He is clearly a much older hero now and would need some sort of initiative to step out of retirement, like the world is serious danger. It's not hard to believe that Bruce Wayne still has money somewhere, if not that Alfred has it all and would likely give it back. As for his gear and cave who says that Joseph Gordon Levitt couldn't be Nightwing? He was clearly written as a collection of Batman's best sidekicks Dick Grayson, Jason Todd and Damian Wayne. He doesn't have to take the cowl from Bruce he can just be the replacement hero for the time being. That is just tying up the loose ends that would be inevitable if you WB decided to continue the story.

As for the character himself and how he could fit in this super-powered world it all hinges on an advancement of the character. After his experiences with Ras, The Joker and Bane/Talia he is clearly more wise than he has ever been. The writers would need to advance his technology, his tactics and his overall skill. He doesn't need to be a better fighter necessarily, he needs to be a better strategist and have more effective gadgets. His technology can easily be advanced because it is what technology does, it gets better. They need to write him as if he is the wisest person in the group and he knows everything that they don't. He knows how to stop Superman if he goes rouge, he knows how to take down any villain that has been thrown at him. It's that simple, advance the character based on his wisdom and experience and allow for a character that is more gadget heavy while everyone else throws the punches. Yeah, he can land some hits now and then but he doesn't have to be that member of the group. You have Superman to throw the heavy punches and do the major damage. Let Batman be the shadow, turn him into a detective. It's smart to have a hero that is getting older be less of a fighter and more of a behind the scenes guy. Turn Bale's Batman into a strategist and recluse and you have yourself a Batman that fits perfectly within the realm of fantasy.

With age everything besides your physical attributes improve, and that is the angle they should rely on. This is clearly the logical reasons why it would work, the financial reasons are outstanding.

What do you think guys? I would love to hear some opinions, let me know in the comments below!

World War Z and This Is The End First Reactions

Today I got some tweets regarding two films that are below the radar. World War Z of course is the Brad Pitt Zombie filmed based on a book by the same name. With some serious reshoots that needed done and an the extremely large 250 million dollar budget, World War Z to me has always felt to be a flop waiting to happen. The trailers have been very underwhelming and I felt even Brad Pitt wouldn't be able to pull this one out. However after the first screen the consensus seems to be quite positive.

“World War Z: a big, solid zombie movie. Makes up for in scope what it lacks in blood. It jettisons most of the book. It’s really its own thing. Some third act issues but otherwise [it's solid].” – @ScottIGN

“So after all that fuss, ‘World War Z’ turned out to be a surprisingly effective zombie thriller. The CGI zombies aren’t great but there is plenty of practical stuff they’re not showing yet. There is no way in hell this thing should have cost even close to $250 million.” – @mjsamps

“World War Z will probably be the most intense movie you will see this summer…I was shocked it was that good. So much for those re-shoots… [It was good because] it was a different take on Zombie films.” – @Latinoreview

 

 

As for This Is The End the comedy based around actors playing versions of themselves, it also had a good reception. The movie to me always seemed funny and if anything I would see it for the glimpse of my favorites like Jason Segel and Michael Cera, and lets not to forget the appearance of Emma Watson. I am not a fan of Seth Rogan nor James Franco but I like Jonah Hill and Craig Robinson, it all evens out in the end. With the ridiculous apocalypse setting and a series of shocking and hilarious events in the trailer I had pretty high hopes. If these first reactions are apparent then I shouldn't be disappointed.

“Guys, @Sethrogen‘s This is the End is the funniest movie of the year (so far). Also: Maybe the most insane third act in movie history” – @slashfilm

 ”I am floored by how good THIS IS THE END is. In the words of James Franco: ‘So good’. There is some unbelievable monster design in THIS IS THE END. Straight up metal album cover stuff. It’s super self-referential, but if you like the actors it works. If you don’t like the actors it’s probably torture.” – @devincf

“THIS IS THE END was extremely funny and absolutely worth seeing. Has one of the funniest scenes I’ve seen in a long time. [Will] need to see THIS IS THE END at least one more time. Audience tonight was laughing so loud I couldn’t hear some of the dialogue.” – @colliderfrosty

There you go folks, it looks like we may have some more solid summer films to look forward to.

5 Things I'd Like To See In Man of Steel

 

Man Of Steel is a mere 21 days away, but who has been counting. I was lucky enough to drag my lazy butt out of bed at 6 in the morning to go wait in line for a Wal-Mart exclusive tickets for the July 13th showing. My girlfriend and I were one of 4 people waiting in line *face palm*, it was worth the wait though! When chowing down on some Wal-Mart powdered donuts I begin to think what would I want to see in a Superman movie. The question is more complex for me because I am not the biggest Superman fan. You may be saying "Whoa dude, why did you wait for exclusive tickets when your not a fan?" my response to that would be, did you see the 3rd trailer? It looks freaking awesome and I am a major fan of Christopher Nolan and Russel Crowe (I even went to see Les Miserables). However since I am not a Superman fan I never felt the disappointment that was Superman Returns, I have never even seen the film in its entirety. I have however seen Superman: The Movie and Superman II the Donner Cut. Both of which I found enjoyable to say the least but besides John Williams infamous score it is pretty outdated. Here are some things a none comic book fan wants to see from Man of Steel.


1. No Kryptonite

I believe kryptonite is the biggest cop out in the history of comic books. Everyone has their weaknesses but when its something as idiotic as a glowing green rock that leaves Superman peeing his pants, I can't get over it. When any situation arrives Lex Luthor or whoever can just pull out the stupid rock and be in control. Screw that! give me a real foe someone who is actually worthy of a fight. Luckily for me Man of Steel seems to have done that with the addition as Kryptonian General Zod. No I don't mean the V-neck disco shirt version...(Sorry Terrence Stamp)

 

 

Man that is low-cut. Instead we get a really menacing bad guy played by an actor who scares me already Michael Shannon. Shannon is immensely underrated and in my opinion will be the highlight of this film.

 

2. No Glasses To Hide Identity

 

Another major comic book gripe of mine is how they can hide their identities without ever hiding their identities. Batman wore a mask because he didn't want the people he loved to get attacked for his exploits. Superman wore... glasses, and not high tech Kryptonian glasses that change your identity, regular glasses that look straight out of Lens Crafters. Green Lantern was a shitty film but even I chuckled when Carol Ferris (Blake Lively) immediately guessed the identity of the new hero and proclaimed "You don't think I would recognize you because I can't see your cheekbones?. You tell em Blake Lively.  I don't want the Clark Kent alter ego unless it can be explained why he is unrecognizable. Spectacles are not a reason, everyone should know that he at least resembles the look of the biggest hero on the planet. I would be completely fine with him never being Clark Kent again, and staying Superman. Be Superman and tell the beautiful Lois Lane (Amy Adams) that she can come with you and live in the fortress of solitude, or a little house in the prairie I don't care.  No Glasses NO SECRET IDENTITY! we are past that corny stuff, it isn't a necessity for the character because being a hero is a 24 hour job.

 

 

3. PUNCH SOMEBODY!

 

I have yet to feel that in a Superman movie the strongest hero could really throw down. I do understand that if he starting wailing on Luthor he would punch a hole in his body, but I need something. Zach Snyder is a very visual heavy director and can offer some seriously cool looking fight scenes (see watchman). I say go crazy Snyder, turn this into a crazy slow motion, super speed fist fighting extravaganza! but don't forget a story is involved and it needs to be a good one.

 

4. Substance over Style, not the other way around

 

 

As much as I won't some crazy action their needs to be a balance. A good story should always come first and I feel that is what made the old Superman films successful. Looking back now they were extremely drama heavy which is what I want from my superhero film. I am tired of comedies with a superhero coating, give me an engaging story. I want deep themes, 3 dimensional characters and raw emotion more than anything. Nolan/Goyer are writing the film which leads me to believe that they will be the balance to Snyder's style.

 

5. Tie in another hero for Justice League film

 

I am not saying I want them to be a character that is significant to the story, but I want to see them. Weather that be after the credits or near the end of the film I want the addition of the Caped Crusader Batman. I have imagined an after credit scene of the wreckage after the fight between Zod and Superman. The camera slowly begins to pan out and zooms in on a couple security cameras either in the street somewhere or on buildings. They all move and the red flash shows they are recording, after zooming into the lens we are left in a dark cave with nothing besides a bunch of screens playing the footage of the fight and a chair. The camera zooms in on the chair and pans around it to reveals that Batman (in costume) is doing his research on the Man of Steel. That may not be high class but I would go crazy if that happens. I am not saying you need to show who is playing Batman, but it is a missed opportunity if they don't. Nolan's Batman trilogy is one of the most successful of all time, why not capitalize on the situation? Fans (besides the diehard comic fans or the haters) will go ballistic if they see both Christian Bale and Henry Cavill interacting in some way shape or form. Think about the hype that would lead into the pre-justice league film or maybe part 1 of the Justice League. I can see it now Justice League: World's Finest, a Superman and Batman team up movie is the way to go.

Directors To Watch: Stephan Chbosky

 

This is a bit more of sleeper pick because he is far less known than the other 3 directors I have highlighted. Each of the last 3 had a three films under their belts and had some major established success. As for Stephan Chbosky he has 2 films under his belt (The Four Corners Of Nowhere and Perks of Being A Wallflower) the former of the two being unknown and as I have heard not that good. The latter of the two however was critically acclaimed and one of my personal favorite films of last year. This will be the film I focus on when highlighting this up and coming writing/directing talent. The most special thing about Stephan Chbosky is that he writes all of his own stories, then adapts them into movies. Perks is a very successful book and a good one at that, which he adapted to a better movie in my opinion. Perks is the work of a more experienced director, and the look and feel of the film felt very much like a veteran. Not to mention Chbosky did a great job drawing raw emotion and great performances from his leading men and women (Ezra Miller, Logan Lerman, and Emma Watson). If you haven't seen this high school coming of age film please go check it out.

Unfortunately it is unknown what is next for Stephan Chbosky, which negates me to write a section clearly on that.

Man Of Steel Trailer #4

I considered that the Man Of Steel marketing campaign was all but over after the epic 3rd trailer. Yet once again they release another trailer that may reveal more about the story if you take the time to actually break it apart. Luckily I watched it once, and will now never watch it again. What I did get from the trailer is the performance of Michael Shannon as General Zod. Ever since I saw Terrence Stamp's version of Zod in Superman II, I knew a better version would come eventually. That isn't to disrespect Stamps version but it is a bit out dated now. As I assumed now we get a newer General Zod who looks fantastic. My hype hasn't increased from this trailer because I am already attempting to maintain a exceedingly high expectation as is. We all know how much hype can affect the perception of a film. Either way this new Man Of Steel trailer shows a bit more action and some really cool special effects and shots. Watch the Trailer below!

Buy It Or Not: May 21st

With May 21st comes some decent action films, a film I have never seen and an interesting physiological thriller. Let's see if any of these films are worth buying.

 

 

Side Effects is a film I found immensely boring and continued a string of Stephan Soderbergh  films that get raving reviews and for me fall flat. That being said there is some interesting aspects in this pharmaceutical psychological thriller. Enough of it is interesting and compelling that I could offer a recommendation to at least rent it and see if you should buy it for yourself. The cast is a mixed bag, with great performances by Jude Law and Rooney Mara while the others fizzle and fall out. Give it a try If you need something to watch one day, but I wouldn't shell out 20 bucks before testing it out.

 

Verdict: Rent It Then Decide

 

 

 

 

I am going to be completely honest, I have never seen this film. I can tell you however it was a rotten film on Rotten Tomatoes with a 45%. Which you can take however you'd like, I can't say I have never liked a rotten film before because Taken got a 58% which is bull crap. Looking at the cast it doesn't feature many highlights besides maybe Academy Award winner Viola Davis. There is also the additions of Jeremy Irons and Emma Thompson are pretty nice. I just feel the supernatural teen thing has been done to death and this book adaptation came late to the party. Not saying it couldn't be a good bit of fun but it doesn't appeal to me. If you have seen it feel free to let me know what you thought.

 

Verdict: N/A

 

 

 

Of course, how could I forget the yearly Jason Statham movie. I have seen pretty much everyone one and the only film I own to this day is Crank (which is half stupid half awesome). There isn't much I need to say about this film, if you own the Jason Statham Ass-Kicking Collection (not a real collection) then you will probably want to add this to your collection. It consist of a series of solid fight scenes, an attractive leading women and even more punches to the face. As far as action films go I'd recommend the next film on the list, but that is just me.

 

Verdict: Pass (unless you love JS movies)

 

 

Looking at the film cover will tell you everything you need to know about this film. Its a corny attempt at an old action star to continue his bad-ass image. Which is pretty much what makes this film entertaining. It's a silly movie that consist of some pretty well filmed and choreographed action sequences. Would I buy this? no but only because I am on a budget. If 1 or 2 years down the line I saw it in the 5 dollar bin, id probably pick it up for a good time. it's not a great movie but its a fun one, which at times everyone needs.

 

Verdict: Buy It (down the line when it is super cheap)

 





 



Johnathan Rhys Meyers To Star In Star Wars Episode 7?

Though rumors are just rumors and it's hard to justify it as a fact, this rumor is of course a big one. By no ways do I mean the actor Jonathan Rhys Meyer is a big addition because he is far from stardom, but the movie itself is sure to be one of the biggest hits of 2015. The rumor is courtesy of Latino-Review, whose rumors of late have missed the mark more than they have hit. That is not to say that they are entirely unreliable, cause they have broken big news in the past. That is besides the point however lets talk about the actor who may be staring in Episode 7.

A while back I read multiple articles saying that the story of Star Wars: Episode 7 will revolve around a teenage girl and her mentor. Much like the Anakin and Obi-Wan story line in the prequels. This leads me to believe if this rumor is indeed true, than Meyers would be playing either the mentor or a villain. Though I am very unfamiliar with Meyers from the look of him, I could see him being the mentor type. He seems to have a very smooth, wise look to him much like Ewan McGregor had. Meyers of course known for his 4 year skid on The Tutors, which co-stared Henry Cavill who is certain to make a name for himself this Summer in Man Of Steel. While an unlike choice to lead a film that needs a major revamp, the prequels were extremely underwhelming, yet still a successful cash grab. One of the biggest problems with Meyers is not his ability but his alcohol addiction. He has been in Rehab twice, and has multiple times been arrested for his behavior when under the influence. I am not going to sit here and break down Meyers life because by all means it wasn't pretty. This however wouldn't be the first time someone recovered from alcoholism and becomes a household name (See Robert Downey Jr.). In pure acting ability you could argue that Meyers holds more talent and range than Downey did before his recovery. All I am saying is the man is not a lost cause if he can get straight.  My initial thought was a A-list star is needed to help draw others back into this somewhat staggering franchise. However, J.J Abrams (who will be directing) struck gold with his Star Trek reboot which starred no A-listers at the time. If Meyers is as good as I have heard he is, then seeing him with a light saber and a robe will be a great addition for me.

What do you guys think about Episode 7? Would you like this casting? And who would you want him to play? Let us know in the comments below!

Box Office Recap: May 19th 2013

This week in the box office provides the first weekend for newcomer Star Trek Into Darkness. Along with returning powerhouse Iron Man 3, and the 2nd weekend of Baz Lurhmann's Great Gatsby. Besides the three films I have listed its been a pretty minuscule outing for everyone else.


1. Star Trek Into Darkness 70.6 million

The new J.J Abrams film Star Trek Into Darkness pulled in a pretty good 70.6 Million this weekend, to bring its total since it's Wednesday opening to 84.1 million. Which sounds nice and all but it's actually under performing regarding predictions which were between 90-100 million. It's predecessor grossed 75 million it's opening weekend. In a day in age where sequels and the added 3d bonus usually drastically boost the films performance, Star Trek Into Darkness isn't getting much help. With some heavy hitters in the form of The Hangover Part 3, Fast and The Furious 6 and Man of Steel, you can expect the outcome to be less than expected. It should be able to trudge it's way passed the 190 million dollar budget but Paramount may not be that excited about the outcome, despite the very good reception.


2. Iron man 3 35.2 million

Iron man 3 returns with another decent outing, adding to its already billion dollar worldwide gross. This 35.2 million gives Iron Man a 3 week total of 337.1 million domestic total. Which is good but not as good as the other films in the billion dollar club. Marvel/Disney clearly marketed the film the foreign audiences which has clearly boosted it's performance. The international box office has supplied over 65% of the Iron Man 3's total gross despite its average reviews. This just shows how much a successful predecessor (The Avengers) and a brand name can boost the sales of any film.

3. The Great Gatsby 23.4 million

The 23.4 million brings Gatsby to a solid total of 90.2 million. For all that style and flash it only holds a budget of 105 million which should be passed in it's third week. It's safe to say Gatsby is a success even without a good international run.

4. Pain and Gain 3.1 million

It isn't a Transformers film but Michael Bay's Pain and Gain has collected 46.6 million. Which nearly doubles it's budget, nobody will complain about that performance.

5. The Croods 2.8 million

The first successful animated hit has now grossed 176.8 million, which is a very good outing. If anything it reassures films such as Despicable Me 2 and Monsters University, which will clearly be the highest grossing animated films of the year.

Movie Review: Star Trek Into Darkness (spoilers)

Overall

Trey 4/5

Though the story isn't as complex or original as its predecessor, Star Trek Into Darkness offers an extremely satisfying sequel that's character moments and dialogue outweigh the at times uneven action sequences.

Suzanne: 4 out of 5

I'm just going to be honest, the first one was better. But I'm not reviewing that one so lets get down to business. I thought the story was really good, it was full of emotional ups and downs and the dialogue by the characters was true to Star Trek which was good. Overall I thought the movie was very enjoyable and I plan on adding it to my collection when it comes to Blu Ray/DVD.

Introduction

J.J Abrams is back with the second installment in his revamped Star Trek Series. In 2009, Star Trek made even the most skeptical and cautious none Trekkie's open their eyes and love the character and adventures of a crew that has been loved for years before by loyal fans. Though it had some backlash from the previous fans, nobody can deny the skills that J.J Abrams showed. This installment brings back the illustrious Enterprise Crew, Captain Kirk (Chris Pine), Spock (Zachary Quinto), Uhura (Zoe Saldana), Bones (Karl Urban) and many more return for this second installment. When a terrorist attack plotted by John Harrison (Benedict Cumberbatch) a member of Starfleet, Kirk and his crew are given the task of completing the mission of killing him. Will the ego's of the crew members get in the way of the mission? Or will Kirk and his crew realize that greatness is within them? Watch the movie and find out for yourself.

Visuals

Trey: The special effects in this film are rather tremendous, especially since practical effects are used in this movie at a minimum. However the lens flares and odd camera movements became very distracting in particular with the earlier action sequences. I am talking about the scene on the Klingon planet, which felt like a star wars drone gun fight. However the lens flares off the guns and the terrible quick cuts made this scene absolutely unwatchable. Even the beginning scene with the volcano was so vibrant and colorful it became hard to watch. I just think Abrams tried to best his predecessor on grandness when it wasn't necessary.

Suzanne: I thought that the visual effects for this movie were quite amazing. The U.S.S. Enterprise was stunning on the screen and I loved the effect every time they went into warp speed. I thought that the odd camera angles worked really well with the movie as well. It really drew my attention into the scene and what I was supposed to be focusing on which I thought worked really well. The only thing that really started to bother me was all of the lens flares throughout the film, I know that J.J. Abrams uses them in all of his movies but I'm not sure he should use so many.

Audio and Score

Trey: Nothing to say about this one, I honestly can't remember it at all. That says all I needed to say it fit at the time and never distracted me that is all that matters.

Suzanne: I thought the score worked beautifully with this movie. It didn't use songs that didn't work, like the Great Gatsby did, and I thought that was great. There's not really anything else to say other than that.

Acting

Trey: I have been rushing through the previous categories to get into one I wanted to talk about, the acting. I'd like to start with my three highlights Zachary Quinto, Simon Pegg and Benedict Cumberbatch. Spock is the man in this movie, every great scene for me revolves around his interaction with Kirk or his relationship with Uhura. I kid you not, he gave a speech in the middle of the film about him choosing not to feel emotion and my eyes got watery. He was unbelievable in this film besides one cringe worthy yell at the end. The movie is about how Kirk earns his spot as Captain but I left this movie saying, "bullshit, I want Spock as my captain." Spock has amazing fighting skills that are displayed in this last scene, a beautiful girlfriend and he is wiser and more cautious that Kirk. Ill take him any day over the reckless James Kirk. That is not to discourage Chris Pine who also did very well in his performance. As for the much needed comic relief Simon Pegg as Scotty absolutely KILLED IT! I was so pissed when he quick because I thought I was getting another film where I only get 20 minutes of the funniest man on screen. Luckily he came back and made my film experience that much more enjoyable. I am a firm believer that a film as only as good as its villain, and Benedict Cumberbatch was so commanding in his performance. Even for being severely underdeveloped he owned that role unlike anyone else could. My only problems were Alice Eve as that one chick who is the daughter of the admiral (That is how much I care), and Karl Urban. I like Karl Urban he is a good character actor but he voice and delivery of the lines annoyed me, maybe it's how it was in the old show but I don't know. Alice Even however was just terrible, her dainty voice and annoying and unnecessary I am his daughter twist tore me up. I almost applauded when Benedict Cumberbatch stepped on her leg like the bad ass he was.

Suzanne: The acting was just so great in this movie that it is going to be hard to get to everyone. I really enjoyed watching Zachary Quinto (Spock) and Chris Pine (Captain Kirk) every time they came on screen together. Their witty banter back and forth was amazing and it made the movie that much better. The best thing with Spock, though, is that he just doesn't understand human emotion or sarcasm and that makes his lines funny and unforgettable. And toward the end when he was fighting Benedict Cumberbatch he was a total bad ass, he kicked his ass and then some it was a great scene. Then we come to Captain Kirk, who as you know is played by Chris Pine. He did fantastic as the Captain in this movie, he was a very emotional character and I think that is what drew me to him. In two of the scenes he was so close to tears about something that it made me want to cry. Now for the bad guy Khan, or as we know him Benedict Cumberbatch. His character was a very interesting one because he was the bad guy but at the same time just trying to save his "family", aka his crew. I felt pity for him when I found that out but later realized he needed to be stopped big time. He did such a good job as a bad guy that it will be hard to see him the same as Sherlock. As for the rest of the crew three people stood out, Simon Pegg (Scotty), Karl Urban (Dr. McCoy) and Anton Yelchin (Chekov). All three of them were great characters and they really shined through in the movie.

Story and Writing

Trey: The character interaction was the best part of the film and that can be attributed to the great acting and fantastic dialogue. It was funny without ever becoming silly which was a big misstep in Iron Man 3 for me. The story however wasn't all that original and as my friend pointed out was, at times, the same as the Wrath Of Khan. The twists were effective but not all that surprising, and besides a tremendous chase sequences at the end, and a thrilling ship to ship transfer the action sequences were too much for me. They either became hard to watch or were never that interesting in the first place. Also let me talk about the Klingons which were one of my biggest gripes in the film. I know nothing about Star Trek, I have heard the Klingon name but know nothing about them. This film didn't try anything to explain what they were about. All I know is they are bad, and I guess are dangerous. The thing that made no sense is Uhura stated they respected honor, but from the looks of it they were going to stab her anyways. Where is the honor in that? Small gripes yes, but that is why it's not getting a 5 star rating because there was some small problems. Kirk's death though tragic was never given enough time to settle before bringing him back, almost instantly I said "he isn't going to die". Pike's death was fantastic because it was unexpected and it affected the film as it went on. The Star Trek Enterprise claims to go where no Star Trek has ever gone, and in this film it didn't feel that way. It was far more Star Wars, which excites me for J.J Abrams next directorial film.

Suzanne: I thought the story was pretty good overall for this movie. I have never seen any of the old Star Trek movies or TV shows so I don't have a lot to base my judgment on. I will agree with Trey that the introduction of the Klingon's was awful. I have heard of the Klingon's before but I didn't know anything about them and the movie didn't help with that. If you are going to bring in this rival character that is dangerous and could start a war against you, you better explain a little more about them. Other than the the story was fine for me. I thought that Kirk's death worked well and was an interesting twist to the movie that I didn't expect.

Movie Of The Week: May 12th - 18th

With the release of Star Trek Into Darkness the obvious choice for movie of the week is the 2009 predecessor Star Trek. This J.J Abrams film revamp a franchise long loved by a select crew. Giving it ample twist to make the franchise loved by anyone. I am no fan of original Star Trek but this movie works for me on so many levels. The character interaction is flawless and its a blockbuster with raw emotion that you rarely find in films of its nature. Each summer you get 3-5 big blockbusters that are released. Rarely do you find more than one that has some serious emotional weight. Most of the time I would say that none have that emotional connection. This film has that and so much more. The actors are young faces that are making a name for themselves, and they do a hell of a job at being lovable. I would dare say that Zachary Quinto version of Spock is one of the coolest character to his the screen in a long time. If you have seen this film and disagree go see the new installment and tell me I am wrong. There is so much worth praising and so little worth picking apart is really is a fantastic science fiction film. For those not to good with faces you will get a good 10 minutes scene with Thor himself Chris Hemsworth before he was relevant. There is nothing else I need to say, the film is awesome and if you haven't seen it do yourself a favor and check it out. Then go shell out some cash to see Star Trek Into Darkness!

Oscar Upsets/Mistakes: Crash Trumps Brokeback Mountain (2005)

This is one that I don't have much say in, I have seen Crash yet haven't seen Brokeback Mountain. I will strictly be doing this by stats and stats alone. In 2005 audiences were shocked everywhere when Crash took home Best Picture over Ang Lee's Brokeback Mountain. Is the award justified? Let's break it down.

Brokeback Mountain

Though I can't say I have seen this film, I know for a fact people really enjoy it. With a storyline as controversial as homosexual cowboys, the thought of it attracting audiences is rather shocking. Which is exactly what this film is, shocking. It holds a 87% on Rotten Tomatoes, and a 7.7/10 on IMDB, while pulling in 173 million dollars world wide. Impressive numbers for such a controversial film, and I wonder if it would have done even better if it's leading lovers were accepted by everyone. I can only assume that is the case and some negativity for this film results in personal feelings towards homosexuality. None the less on award night it took home 3 awards including Best Director, Adapted Screenplay, and Original Score. Yet, failed to win Best Picture even with it's accolades apparent.

Pros

• Well known Academy favorite director in Ang Lee
• Well received by critics and audiences
• Enough gross to be a winner

Cons

• Element in homosexuality that not everyone agrees with

Crash

I am going to be completely honest I don't think Crash is that great of a film. Its very average for me and the critic ratings agree with me. Crash received a 75% on Rotten Tomatoes, but holds a 7.9/10 on IMDB. Which to me shows that audience like this film more than critics. It took home 2 Academy Awards in the form of Best Picture and Adapted Screenplay. It's hard for me to sit here and explain why it won and Brokeback Mountain didn't besides the obvious. Crash was also pretty unsuccessful in the box office failing to reach 100 million dollars world wide.

Pros

• Though provoking and cover themes that are real (bigotry and xenophobia)
• Fans seem to like it

Cons

• Fans like it but did poorly in the box office
• critics didn't seem to love it

Verdict

This clearly shows that this was an upset of epic proportions. I firmly believe that the homosexual aspect of the film was the main reason that it didn't win Best Picture. It was more successful, and critics liked it more. Crash isn't a bad film by any means but saying its worthy of a Best Picture Oscar is too much. Even someone who hasn't seen the film can look at the stats and see this one was an upset.

Final Pacific Rim Trailer!

Warner Brothers has released the final trailer for the massively scaled Pacific Rim. This one offers a bit more story while still showing off some extremely impressive robot on monster action. Though the scale always impresses I was hoping to see some definitive story arcs within the trailer. The thing that interest me the most is the way in which the two Jager pilots minds are connect as they move as one to control the robot. For me at least an interesting story arc would to have the main character played by Charlie Hunmann (Sons Of Anarchy) as a tormented character. This would lead to a slow reveal as to why he is this way, and his co-pilot would be the only one who knows what is wrong. It definitely isn't the most creative character arc but it's one that can add depth to a film that may just be trying to be fun. The most impressive thing about this trailer and all previous ones show is the way in which Del Toro keeps the camera back, and I mean way back. This allows for huge shots of action without missing a moment of it. Which is one of the big problem with Michael Bay's action sequences in The Transformers franchise. You get these great CGI robots but you have no clue what they are doing. Trailer Below!