 |
| Copyright Paramount |
PG-13
Runtime: 132 minutes
Cast:
Synopsis:
After the crew of the Enterprise find an unstoppable force (Khan) of terror from within their own organization, Captain Kirk leads a manhunt to a war-zone world (Kronos) to capture a one man weapon of mass destruction.
Opinion:
In the immortal words of Khan, "Shall we begin." Ok like multitudes of other Trekkies alike I have been following and eagerly awaiting Star Trek to once again return to the big screen. Ok so once again J.J. Abrams has taken complete " " and turned Star Trek into his
How Abrams paid homage to the original: (SPOILER ALERT)
There is a scene in the film where Kirk is talking to Admiral Marcus and Marcus walks past the models of ships and the Enterprise NX-01 is one of the ships on the table.
The Enterprise hails future Spock (Nimoy) and asks him if he encountered a Khan in his journeys where he confirms the existence of Khan in the alternate timeline and tells him his defeat came at a great cost.
What Abrams changed:
Not only does he give Khan and alternative identity John Harrison, but he takes another huge leap and gives him the rank of Commander in Starfleet (Section 31).
The iconic scene in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan where Spock enters the radiation chamber in engineering in order to restore Warp Speed. He instead sends Kirk in to restore warp speed and succumb to radiation poisoning, however is saved by Khan's super blood.
Carol Marcus was a civilian scientist working for Starfleet (Genesis), not a Starfleet Officer.
 |
| Copyright Lionsgate |
R
Runtime: 95 Minutes
Cast Analysis:
Chris Hemsworth (Star Trek, Thor, The Avengers)
Kristen Connolly (Various Extra Roles)
Anna Hutchison (Power Rangers Jungle Fury)
Jesse Williams (Grey's Anatomy, Brooklyn's Finest)
Richard Jenkins (The Core, Step Brothers)
Bradley Whitford (The West Wing)
Synopsis:
Five friends leave their college lives behind for a carefree weekend in a remote cabin in the woods, unknown to them they have unwillingly been subjected to a cults efforts to save mankind by sacrificing the lives of the five to an ancient evil. Latin text from a book is read and the evil begins!
Opinion:
The worst movie I have seen since The Signal, this movie has all the characteristics of Cabin Fever and Gingerdead Man. Besides Hemsworth who just recently began a very promising career, the cast is filled with new faces who have no real credits to their names. I wish I knew what Whedon was thinking with such a positive history, luckily he redeemed himself with The Avengers! What makes it worst is I attended the premiere on April 13, possible the worst $10.50 ever spent. It also led me to wonder what Sigourney Weaver was thinking!
Grade: D-
 |
| Copyright Fox |
R
Runtime: 124 Minutes
Cast Analysis:
Charlize Theron (Aeon Flux, Hancock, Snow White and the Huntsman)
Noomi Rapace (Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows)
Michael Fassbender (Jonah Hex, X-Men: First Class)
Guy Pierce (The Hurt Locker, Iron Man III)
Idris Elba (The Losers, Thor, Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance)
Synopsis:
An alien race known as "The Engineers" left behind markings in caves for mankind to follow into space and find them, a race who supposably has the same DNA as humans, they are believed to be mankinds creators by two scientists, Shaw (Rapace) and Holloway (Marshall-Green), and Wayland (Pearce), a billionaire who funds the mission hoping to avoid death upon learning why mankind exists. They set course in the research vessel Prometheus under the command of Janek (Elba) and Vickers (Theron). They soon find out there is much more to this race then previously thought!
Opinion:
I attended the premiere in great anticipation of getting some of my Alien origins questions answered, however I left the theatre with many unanswered questions (not going to give them away). There were a few Alien references, including the Wayland Corporation, and a similar ship seen by Ripley and the Colonial Marines in Aliens (1986), and an android similar to Bishop played by Fassbender. The hype for this movie was much more exciting then the actual film. I am a huge fan of Ridley Scott's films, especially Gladiator, Black Hawk Down, and Kingdom of Heaven, however in my opinion this film did not follow the tradition of excellence I traditionally expect from Scott.
Grade: C+
Further Readings:
New 'Prometheus' image: Who the hell is THIS guy?
'Prometheus' end credits reveal yet another viral video, and allusions to Nietzsche
Movie Talk: Owen Gleiberman and Lisa Schwarzbaum on 'Prometheus'
Prometheus
 |
| Copyright Fox |
R
Runtime: 105 Minutes
Cast Analysis:
Benjamin Walker (Flags of our Fathers)
Dominic Cooper (Captain America: The First Avenger)
Mary Elizabeth Winstead (Live Free or Die Hard, The Thing)
Anthony Mackie (Man on a Ledge, Real Steel)
Rufus Sewell (The Tourist, A Knight's Tale)
Synopsis:
Witness the untold story of our nations 16th President, a troubled boy that witnessed the murder of his mother by the hands of a supernatural beast unknown to him at the time as a vampire. Shortly after his fathers death he seeks out the truth and meets a mysterious man named Henry Sturgess (Cooper) who offers to train young Abraham to slay these creatures. Witness the rise of one of our nations greatest leaders from his youth thru his Presidency and his secret war with the undead that threaten the future of our nation.
Opinion:
In spite of its clearly loose care with history, this film to me payed homage to an American legend all while satisfying the audiences fascination with the supernatural. I would recommend this film to any fans of History or the supernatural craze.
Grade: C+
 |
| Copyright Sony |
PG-13
Runtime: 136 Minutes
Cast Analysis:
Andrew Garfield (The Social Network)
Emma Stone (Superbad, Crazy, Stupid, Love)
Rhys Ifans (Elizabeth: The Golden Age, Anonymous)
Denis Leary (FX's Rescue Me)
Martin Sheen (The Departed, The West Wing)
Sally Field (Forrest Gump, E.R.)
Synopsis:
Peter Parker (Garfield) had always wondered what happened to his parents when he was so young, Parker finds his fathers briefcase and a newspaper clipping featuring his father and Dr. Curt Connors (Ifans) of Oscorp. Parker pays a visit to Connors and gives him an equation that his father had not disclosed that could hold the key to raising humanity to a new level, however the effects are diverse and result in mutation, it turned Dr. Connors into The Lizard. In the end it's Spider-Man against Connors and the Police Department of The City of New York led by a hotshot Captain Stacy (Leary).
Opinion:
When I first heard that Columbia Pictures was parting ways with MaGuire and the entire original cast after 3 successful films, I was unconvinced that this "rebirth" could achieve the same or better success than its predecessor, however after seeming this film, I am further convinced to let go of my prejudged opinions (in certain occassions). I was really impressed with the story, cast, special effects, even though Marvel Studios never disappoints bringing there characters to life on the big screen!
Grade: B+
P.S. There is a DO NOT MISS bonus scene at the end (I know it's Marvel) but I had to say it anyway!!
'Spider-Man' spins $140 mil web Stateside
 |
| Copyright WB |
PG-13
Runtime: 164 Minutes
Cast:
Christian Bale (Terminator: Salvation, Public Enemies)
Gary Oldman (Air Force One, Harry Potter)
Tom Hardy (Star Trek: Nemesis, This Means War)
Joseph Gordon-Levitt (G.I.Joe: Rise of Cobra, 50/50)
Anne Hathaway (Get Smart, Love and Other Drugs)
Morgan Freeman (Million Dollar Baby, Wanted, Red)
Michael Caine (On Deadly Ground, Journey 2: The Mysterious Island)
Synopsis:
Eight years have passed since the Dark Knight was last seen patrolling the streets of Gotham, now on run for the murder of Harvey Dent. The people of Gotham City now face a threat like never before, the masked terrorist Bane (Hardy) who plans to make Gotham and all its citizens a distant memory by giving its population false hope while secretively planning its annihilation. Its up to Batman (Bale), the citizens of Gotham, and its protectors (Gordon-Levitt & Oldman) to save Gotham from total annihilation.
Opinion:
I have talked to a few of my friends who were not very happy with the changes Nolan made (not gonna give any spoilers away), however just analyzing the film from a non comic perspective, I thought the film had an A+ cast, special affects, and paid excellent homage to the Nolan era of Batman (2005 - 2012). Without giving anything away, it leaves the story open for a new Director to take the helm in the future, there's rumors of James Cameron showing interest, however Gary Oldman recently expressed his intentions to Extra not to return as Commissioner Gordon if there be a future sequel.
Grade: B+
Further Reading:
"Five Reasons To See 'The Dark Knight Rises'
 |
| Copyright Screen Gems |
R
Runtime: 95 minutes
Cast:
Sienna Guillory
Milla Jovovich
Michelle Rodriguez
Bingbing Li
Johann Urb
Boris Kodjoe
Shawn Roberts
Synopsis:
Opinion:
Starts of exactly where Afterlife ended, introduced a few new main characters: Leon Kennedy (Urb) and Ada Wong (Li) as well as brought back almost every character from the previous films in some fashion. There was one surprising turn with a certain high level Umbrella employee (Not gonna tell you but I think you can guess). I would recommend this film if your like me and have followed it from the very first film back in 2002 and or is a fan of the franchise which goes back even further!
Grade: B
 |
| Copyright Paramount |
PG-13
Runtime: 130 Minutes
Cast:
Robert Downey Jr.
Don Cheadle
Guy Pearce
Gwyneth Paltrow
Ben Kingsley
Rebecca Hall (The Town)
Jon Favreau
Opinion:
Grade: B+
P.S. There is a bonus scene at the end (I know it's Marvel) but I had to say it anyway!!
No comments:
Post a Comment