(2 People gave this 3.00 out of 5)

 Loading ...

“Boldly go!”

Click the image above for behind the scenes pics!

Swift shot:  The next chapter of the J.J. Abrams helmed Star Trek franchise doesn’t fail to deliver on the action, sexiness, or gut-wrenching drama you have come to expect from this incredible director.  All of your favorite characters are back to boldly go where no man has gone before.  (Screw you, PC police . . . it was meant to be man, and ‘man’ it will stay in my review!)  Some things should remain intact, even in an alternate reality.

Commander Spock (Zachary Quinto) and Captain Kirk (Chris Pine) are an odd couple in this universe, with both more or less tolerating one another yet grudgingly admitting they are a fantastic team.  And from the moment the action starts, we are given a glimpse of how each views their duties.  Spock is always logical and by the book, even at great personal risk, while Kirk is always a seat-of-your-pants type leader.  This film changes those roles to a certain degree, as Kirk is betrayed by Spock and loses his command of the Enterprise.  Now, if you thought that was a spoiler – DO NOT go beyond my Red Alert line below, because there are so many things in this film that are just far too easy to spoil.

After some major convincing, Kirk is allowed back on the Enterprise under Admiral Pike, but his tenure is short-lived as a nefarious terrorist, John Harrison (Benedict Cumberbatch) has destroyed the Starfleet Archives in London.  No doubt a subtle tip of the bowler to Cumberbatch’s roots.  Harrison is a formidable opponent of Starfleet.

Kirk is put in charge of a top-secret mission to bring the Enterprise to the edge of Klingon space (where Harrison is believed to be in hiding) and fire a set of experimental long-range stealth torpedoes at Harrison and then go home and drink some scotch.  That’s the plan, but this is Abrams folks – you don’t really think it’s going to be that simple do you?  Kirk, Spock, Uhura and some defrocked “red shirts” manage to capture Harrison at great personal cost.  Also, they kinda blow the whole “top-secret” aspect of the mission . . . and disobey their original orders.  Kirk disobeys a lot of orders, it’s kind of his thing, in ANY universe!

Admiral Marcus, the mission’s architect is none to pleased and decides to rendezvous with Kirk to voice his displeasure, but turns out the Enterprise has a stowaway on board, Marcus’ daughter, Carol, again, not a major spoiler!  Marcus is played by RoboCop himself, Peter Weller, and his blonde daughter by Alice Eve.  You may recognize Alice from her other Sci-Fi role as the young Agent O in Men in Black III.  Her character plays a crucial role in Kirk’s destiny, but not how you might be thinking.

Things rapidly go from black and white to gray as words like morality and honor take on a double-meaning.  As the Federation stands on the precipice of a great war with the Klingon Empire, there are those vying for a glory-bound campaign and others determined to avoid war at all costs.  There are arguably some stabs at previous administrations in the film, but I didn’t find them overly annoying.  Suffice it to say that if you want to find politics in this film, you won’t have to look hard.  But, there are so many great things and greater characters, with Chekov, Bones and of course Scotty and his weird . . . “companion.”  All the one-liners you are hoping for are again thrown into the mix as the tension is built up to a 10 on the butt-pucker factor!  Or, a 10 on my patent pending Thrillometer!

Again, ILM (if I have to tell you who that is, it doesn’t mean anything to you anyway) lend their talents to this Star Trek film, and the attention to detail is again breathtaking and spectacular.  Back when those words actually meant something, ILM was shattering their definitions!  With Star Trek Into Darkness, they really outdid themselves.  I got to screen it in 3D which was a bit of aaaallllllll riiiiight!

There are some crucial things that happen in Star Trek Into Darkness that “flip the switch” on the past franchise, but to get into that, you need to delve into the Red Alert section below – because there will be major spoilers ahead!  If you don’t want to be deprived the joy of experiencing everything as it unfolds, and/or you are Dr. Sheldon Cooper, this ends your read.  For many reasons that you have to see to appreciate, Star Trek Into Darkness is a must watch film!  And, as it is a major popcorn flick, you need to see it in theaters . . . there is no excuse not to!

***RED ALERT*** – Spoilers below

Ok, you have been advised, you proceed now at your own risk . . .

This film takes a literal exploration of its sister sequel, The Wrath of Khan.  In fact, Khan is the primary villain, as he manipulates just about everyone into reckless danger.  Where The Wrath of Khan is known for many famous, often quoted, lines – Into Darkness delivers the same lines with not-so-subtle changes.  Perhaps a character you were expecting to say a famous line is uttered by another, equally important, character.  But, even my spoiler section isn’t going to divulge that.  Just know that the entire film is a dedicated parallel to The Wrath of Khan.  And just like when Ricardo (Fantasy Island) Montalban played him, Cumberbatch is vicious and unrelenting in his desire for revenge.  Perhaps his vengeance is a bit weak though, as Abrams only dabbles in the back-story of why he is so determined to see Marcus die.

Maybe letting us actually see Marcus’ betrayal would have made Khan a more sympathetic creature.  Perhaps his vengeance would have been justified?  Also, Abrams attempted to make the argument that vengeance doesn’t solve anything.  Ok, but ending the film like he did, a year after the attack where they go off on a five year mission might have made sense in our known Star Trek universe, but in this new reality . . . not so much.  As the film ends, Kirk [The Federation in other words] has led an incursion into Klingon space and killed a patrol there.  Vulcan is gone, and the enemies are very much at the gates.  So to go on a noble five year fact-finding mission makes little, if any, sense.  Maybe it is the warrior in me, but the ending was weak, and Kirk’s final moment at the podium about not seeking adventure and vengeance are all well and good until you hear these words . . . “Klingon bird of prey ahead, Captain!”  Now what?

JJ Abrams and Paramount are helping returning veterans continue their mission . . . to serve.  Abrams is dedicating Star Trek: Into Darkness to the post 9/11 veterans and is even using some of the Fellows from “The Mission Continues” organization in the film!  I just recently heard about this group, but they have been offering returning veterans a chance to continue to serve their country for a few years.

To many veterans, when we are thanked for our service, we tend to think, “I appreciate the thanks, but I wonder, what have I done TODAY to earn that thanks?”  With The Mission Continues, veterans can continue to serve.

Take a look at what they are all about below, and you will see why Abrams wanted to do something special for this group of valiant warriors who didn’t stop their service when they left “the service.”

And remember, you don’t have to be IN the service to BE a service to your community.  Get out there and find YOUR “Mission!”

The Mission Continues challenges veterans to serve and lead in communities across America.

Click the image above for MANY more vibrant shots of this instant classic film.
Check out both reviews!
Madison Monroe (She Said) gave it four stars and Alyn Darnay (He Said) gave it …

WIN A FREE BLU-RAY FOR YOUR MOM!

So, yea, your mom called . . . she wants a movie night for Mother’s Day!  No, seriously, she loves Kris Kristofferson.  She doesn’t care that you think he’s Whistler from Blade – to her, Kris is the bee’s knees as John Norman Howard …

(1 People gave this 4.00 out of 5)

 Loading ...

Introducing . . . The Mandarin?

Click here for more images from the film!

Swift shot:  Tony Stark (RDJ) is back from New York, and he is tired of hearing, “Will the aliens come back?”  “Where are the Avengers?”  and so on.  It becomes too much for Tony, actually, as he suffers throughout the film from anxiety attacks . . . a flaw which manages to keep the Downey portrayal of Stark authentic and interesting.  He’s a flawed super-hero/super-genius.  This is a comic book film, but it is incredibly off-script from the comics to my limited understanding.  So, it you are a purist, and I know many of you are . . . you may find certain aspects of Iron Man 3 sabotaging an otherwise excellent villain in The Mandarin.  I can’t spoil anything here, but a lot of people aren’t too thrilled with the choices for that character.  Look under the irate spoiler bar at the bottom of this review for what I mean.

Tony opens the film with a warning, that every day you may unwittingly create demons, personal and otherwise, in the choices you make.  In Tony’s case, he often makes poor choices when it comes to how to treat others – with a few exceptions in Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) and his buddy Colonel Rhodes (Don Cheadle).  So his demon list is probably pretty long, but as he recovers from “New York” as “The Avengers” story-line convention is labeled, he makes a mistake and, as he puts it “turned on the TV.”

Of course carnage and devastation are on every channel.  In fact, The Mandarin (Ben Kingsley) is literally on every channel as he explains that he is teaching America, and American President Ellis (William Sadler), in particular, a series of lessons.   As Argo started out painting America in a not-so-positive light, IM3 does the same, pinpointing our poor treatment of the Native Americans in the nineteenth century.  To put it mildly.

Jon Favreau is back as Happy Hogan - who had to take a new gig, because telling people you are Iron Man’s bodyguard was not playing well with his ego.  This time Favreau opted out of directing and let Shane (Kiss, Kiss, Bang, Bang) Black tackle the challenge of keeping story, pacing and special effects fine-tuned with the overall successful engine that is the Iron Man franchise.  Considering what he had to work with, he did a decent job.

I liked the concept of showing that Iron Man is still a hero, even when you take away all his toys.  And, he doesn’t lose his impish charm even managing to tell some kid he just met not to be a pussy about the fact that his dad left him years ago.  It’s that je n’est ce quoi that makes Downey such a brilliant casting choice to play Iron Man for all these years.  With his own checkered past constantly nipping at his mind, Downey’s Tony Stark always plays like a super-star who owns his stardom and yet has flaws, much like the younger Downey who overcame addiction and anxiety to be where he is again in Hollywood.

Happy becomes a casualty of the lesson that The Mandarin has wrought on America – at the Chinese Theater, no less.  This is when Iron Man calls out the terrorist, old school style . . . basically he says, here’s my address, come and get me!  The Mandarin, of course, obliges!  Let’s just say that Stark faces a gut check, and when he wakes up he’s in Tennessee!  His suit is all but completely destroyed, and he literally has to drag it in for repairs.  Meanwhile, The Mandarin is giving us more lessons in the form of deadly terrorist bombings.  Thing is, there is NO bomb material left behind, just a crater where a bomb presumably was.  When is a bomb not a bomb?

As if all this wasn’t enough, an ex girl-fling (that’s what I am calling all his ‘exes’) Maya Hansen (Rebecca Hall) returns with some not so wonderful news.  And her boss, Aldrich Killian (Guy Pearce) is making the moves on Pepper!  Tony is ill-equipped (ironically) to deal with matters of the heart, and his attempts to calm the fiery Pepper equates to the largest, creepiest looking Velveteen Rabbit I have ever seen.  But, fret not, the bunny doesn’t last long.

With Happy on life support just on the edge of Downtown Abbey and Pepper worrying about Tony possibly being dead after the dramatic attack on his Malibu mansion, Tony befriends the kid I mentioned above.  Harley (Ty Simpkins) just so happens, conventionally, to be a kind of mechanical genius himself.  Ty managed to hold his own with RDJ on screen, and their barbs back and forth keep the story fresh.  The kid was excellent in Insidious as well!  Harley manages to help Tony in his pursuit of The Mandarin, but The Mandarin has some surprises in store for Iron Man as well as the audience.  Pepper is placed in direct line of fire in this one – several times, in fact!

Iron Man 3 delivers multiple layers of villainy, with James Badge Dale constantly showing up to piss on everyone’s parade as Savin.  Souped up on Extremis, he is more than a match for the unprepared Iron Man . . . and Iron Patriot.  I have only seen Dale in a few things, but his matter-of-fact presence in each sequence, as he casually chews gum, was intended to chill the audience.  He definitely came off as a cocky badass, but there were so many cocky characters in this film, it just didn’t have that genuine quality of the first Iron Man.

And about cocky characters I am sick of . . . I am not a fan of War Machine, or the Iron Patriot, nor do I care whatever actor plays him.  To me he has always been a cheap facsimile of the genuine article.  He just annoys me, when Marvel has THOUSANDS of other characters to choose from . . . can we please find a character that isn’t just a boy-wonder copy of the hero the film is named after? 
I used to play Marvel RPG as a kid, and the FASERIP sheet books were neatly (ok, not so neatly) stacked in my room with hundreds of character sheets with stats and back-stories galore.  Yet, we keep getting Rhodes . . . boring!  If there is another Iron Man stand-alone film, can I please start a petition to just have Iron Patriot be OUT of the film?  He’s like the Jar-Jar Binks of the franchise.  Yes, I said it.  And, I got nothing against Don Cheadle, he’s a fine actor, loved him Crash and Brooklyn’s Finest.  I’m just tired of Rhodes.

As with all action movies, there is a huge battle in the end, and you won’t be let down by that sequence at all.  There is a rescue effort on Air Force One and an infiltration at Vizcaya in Miami that were both memorable.  And one thing I particularly liked, as a right-wing Second Amendment supporter, is that Tony managed to do more damage with a credit card at Home Depot than with any arsenal of traditional “weapons” that scare the bejeezus out of liberal panty-waists!   It isn’t lost on me that some of them were acting in this film, but I wonder if they caught that?  Well, I did.

If you like watching your heroes torn down, Iron Man 3 is your flick.  But of the three, I still think Iron Man is the best of the series.  Until The Avengers came out, it was my favorite comic book film from Marvel.  Still, if you are hungry for an action-packed blockbuster this May, I can’t think of a better place for your butt to be than in a seat for Iron Man Three!

(Give us your rating!!)

 Loading ...

“What in the name of Elvis is going on?”

The H-Bomb: Dave (Chase Williamson) and John (Rob Mayes) were just a couple of typical, twenty-something slackers when they came upon a new mind altering drug called Soy Sauce. …

Sending out an S.O.S. – I hope that someone, namely me, gets their MESSAGE IN A BOTTLE!

Solo, the best soft drink out of Norway, has endeavored to create a spectacular cross-Atlantic voyage and this campaign is as inspiring as a real live Willy Wonka, someone will be the lucky recipient of one bottle for each nautical mile the bottle travels if they can pinpoint the exact location of landfall for this Norwegian long neck.

(Give us your rating!!)

 Loading ...

Can you spend all your life running from a mistake made in your youth? In April 2013, we found out you may want to keep running, but life has a way of catching up with you.

Directing this 125 …

(Give us your rating!!)

 Loading ...

More Mud images here

Written and Directed by: Jeff Nichols

Cast: Matthew McConaughey, Tye Sheridan, Jacob Lofland, Sam Shepard, Reese Witherspoon, Michael Shannon, and Joe Don Baker

It starts with a boat in a tree, on an island …