Star Trek: Into Darkness

I'm not a Trekkie. I never was. I just never got into it. I didn't watch the first J. J. Abrams Star Trek movie until I was on a plane. I was blown away. It was exciting, new, and really put in perspective how enormous the universe could be, something many sci fi movies just don't do for me. And even though I never watched Trek in the past, I absolutely loved the idea of an alternate universe to allow for enormous twists in what was canon Star Trek.

This movie continued the twists and turns, and really had me intrigued and invested. It had amazing visuals, great moments and the fun sense of adventure of the first. But unfortunately, the first movie had done an amazing job at making me like Star Trek. I watched all the previous movies. And that was this film's biggest problem.

Sure, it's not the same. But it really mimics the plot and takes moments directly from a previous movie. And while it's not necessarily obtrusive, it does become a little annoying to hear a particular character scream a particular name at the top of his lungs. Moreso, I loved the sense of adventure and size of the galaxy from the previous movies, and this lacked. Sure, a few planets were shown, but for the most part this all happened on or near Earth, which was disheartening considering the already shown scope of the galaxy.

The other sad problem was found in dialogue. Some character interaction was forced, such as Uhura's anger at Spock for potentially sacrificing his life, or the love (?) between Kirk and Marcus. Even more frustrating was the lack of Simon Pegg, who had his moments but was sadly not involved for the vast majority of the movie. And even though I loved his portrayal as a frustrated man doing what he believed was his job correctly, it seemed forced that he would leave and forced that he would come back (really, there's no one else in Star Fleet who could help?)

But when all of that is said and done, this movie is incredibly exciting, gorgeous eye candy, and actually rather emotional at points. It has dynamite performances from everybody in it, especially Mr. Cumberbatch and Qunito. It's one that I'd love to have seen in an enormous IMAX theatre and really soak it in. If only I had the money...

Rank: 4.5/5

Pain & Gain

So this was....something. Honestly, I was expecting something a bit better from this. Sure, it's Michael Bay. But let's get real - this is EXACTLY the kind of movie Michael Bay would do well. Body builder trainers looking to kidnap a rich man to get his money and get rich? Throw in some random sexy girls, and you got a Michael Bay movie.

For some reason, Mr. Bay chose a really strange method of narration, one that passed it around from character to character. But not consistently - a lot of it strangely went from narrative to inner character dialogue. And it was always changing. But the music never changed, so it was like I was forcing myself to accept that nothing was changing through the changing internal dialogue/narration.

This movie proves, wonderfully, that Anthony Mackie can do no wrong. He's playing a character different from any other character I can recall him playing. Buuuuut, this is also proof that Dwayne Johnson can't do right. He's horrible. For some reason, his character is born again christian, which may be a truth about his character, but for him it's super weird.

Furthermore, this is classic Michael Bay "the movie doesn't shut up." It's loud, it's got constant music blasting, it never takes a breath. And that makes me lose interest.

But that being said, the movie has one BRILLIANT moment. I won't say what it is, but it involves human hands and a fun fourth of July activity, followed by a brilliant freeze frame. So it may just be worth it for that one shot.

Rank - 2/5

Iron Man 3

Anyone who knows me knows I love Marvel movies. After the Avengers, I couldn't imagine a film topping it. Not to mention that Iron Man and Captain America are two additionally brilliant additions to the superhero film genre that continues to be tired, with these exceptions. I was in constant excitement for Iron Man 3, possibly the final stand-alone Iron Man movie for my man and man-crush, Robert Downey Jr.

And sadly, it wasn't a total success.

Don't get me wrong, this film is a pretty darn good movie, and I'll be sure to add it to my Marvel Cinematic Universe Collection. And it was better than Iron Man 2. But the hype Joss Whedon gave it after seeing it and declaring he had no idea how to top it, I was pretty damn pumped for the premier.

Positives first - this had some pretty great dialogue, some great new character introductions, and an amazing final scene, as well as a pretty hilarious reveal of the villain. The music was better than the previous installments, I loved Downey Jr. as always, and I really liked the perfect balance of Batman-esque seriousness and character with the consistent humor and sarcasm of the previous Marvel movies.

But...yeah, there's gotta be a but...for all of it's brilliance, it left out some pretty big questions. The biggest being, why couldn't the Avengers have been there to help him? That was a question that I always asked but left up to the creators to answer. I guess I gave too much trust, because even though Thor was in another dimension and Banner was on the run, there was no reason that Hawk Eye, Natasha, and Cap couldn't have come in to help. And considering this was an international terrorist, it again leaves me wondering why the government wouldn't get more involved.

The other problem was the lack of driving action or drama that kept the other movies afloat. The movie let us accept that Downey, Jr. was struggling emotionally, but a lot of it felt forgotten by the second half of the movie. By that point, it became a bit of a confusing story (was Rebecca Hall supposed to be good...?) with a lot of impressive action but not much substance beyond that. Maybe that would work fine for any other blockbuster, but not in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

That being said, it's still good. But it's kindof the Brave from Pixar of Iron Man movies. Luckily, it's still better than Iron Man 2, Thor, and The Incredible Hulk.

Rank - 3.5/5

Spring Breakers

What do you get when you put James Franco, Selena Gomez, Vanessa Ann Hudgens, Rachel Korine, and Ashley Benson in a movie where they kill people? I'll tell you what you get - BRILLIANCE. Yes, you read that right, and no, I'm not being funny or implying that this movie is so-bad-it's-good. No, this is a movie that everyone should watch, as an experience unlike anything I've watched.

The story follows these four girls as they go on their dream spring break together. Gomez, playing the particularly naive one, doesn't seem to really understand what her closest friends are really after, and almost brushes off the truth that they robbed a bank with fake guns to get the money to go on this trip. After being arrested on the trip, they're bailed out by Alien, a bizarre con-man played by James Franco.

The truth is, this movie leaves you uneasy about how to feel at all about Alien. Was he really manipulating these girls? Did he really care about them? Was this all a ploy, or did it start as one and becoming something more special in a twisted way? I don't know. I can see arguments for both.

This movie manages to balance exactly what we picture in a spring break - beer, boobs, and bongs - with an unbelievably brilliant sense of direction. Amazing camera work, a haunting musical score, a perpetually intriguing story, and a strange sense of satisfaction by the end. In short, this is an intriguing idea for a movie, and it works unbelievably well. My good friend Derek said that while this wasn't his favorite movie ever, he called it his "favorite thing ever". I think that's a pretty great way of putting it.

Rank - 4/5

Disconnect

I went and saw Disconnect unintentionally. I had some time to kill, and this was the only movie in the theatre I hadn't seen yet. I only knew the names, didn't even know the story. This is one of the very few times I actually went into a movie completely blind.

There is only one word to describe this movie - Wow. Just wow. The reality is, this is an almost perfect work of film making, two thirds of which are nothing but fascinating. The film is told in three separate stories. The first is of a journalist interviewing an underage male stripper on his involvement in internet pornography. This is what I believe Magic Mike could have become - an in depth and fascinating investigation as to the real lives that these people have, one that we might not understand but one we never thought we'd want to learn. It was a marvel of film making beauty, filled with brilliant shots and a brilliant twist that, while expected, is also realistic and scary.

The story involving Jason Bateman, Hope Davis, and Jonah Bobo is the saddest and hardest to watch. It involves Jonah Bobo's persuasion to send a naked picture of himself to a girl he met online, only to sadly learn that the girl was not real. The story is all too believable, all too upsetting, and a true masterpiece of story telling, as tragedy is found in places one might note expect to find, and so is forgiveness.

The third story, involving Alexander Skarsgard and Paula Patton dealing with identity theft on the internet, is the weakest story in the bunch, and where I have to dock some points. While I have to give some serious points to Skarsgard for playing a beautifully understated and mesmerizing role against an equal amount of brilliant talent in a way that almost made it stand out the most, had it not been for Bateman's performance, the sad truth is that this story is far too similar to the plot of Identity Thief to take seriously. Bad timing, maybe? But more than likely is the fact that I don't necessarily believe that the tragedy comes from hunting down a thief, but rather the inability to rebuild after such a horrible instance. Sadly, this story is too unlikely compared to the other two for me to fully enjoy.

But that being said, there is absolutely nothing in this movie that is wrong or bad. There is not a single performance that should go uncelebrated. The camera work is phenomenal, and particularly the music was memorable. This was a truly memorable movie, again, only losing a bit for one plot that simply wasn't on par with the others.

Rank - 4.5/5

42

As sad as it is to say, any racial commentary in film no longer has a poignant effect on me. Sometimes I feel as if it's forced down my throat, as if I wouldn't see the tragedy in the story being told. That bothers me, and leaves me wondering if the story is worth being told if it has to be exaggerated. That doesn't just go for stories about race, but for a lot of true stories. So, I always have my skepticism when going into a "true story" movie.

42 was not only NOT an exception, but the trailers made me feel as if I was really going into something that might suck. Jackie Robinson has an unbelievable story. I was worried that this would cram an already harsh story down my throat as even worse. The Jackie Robinson rap certainly didn't help.

But what I watched wasn't a forced story, or one that left me feeling like I should be feeling more emotional than I was. Instead, I truly felt helpless watching a fantastic portrayal of the slugger himself as he struggled through the atrocities committed by the public, his teammates, almost everyone around him, as well as the little told story of his accompanying journalist. In short, this is the first film about racism in America in a long time to make me feel as the film wanted me to feel. And, just like Moneyball, it managed to make a sport I find very uninteresting into a fascinating one.

Chadwick Boseman plays a dynamite Jackie Robinson, filled with the passion and likability that I'm sure the real Robinson had to exude in his own life. Harrison Ford gives an admittedly campy performance, but one that is still to be admired for the fun he was definitely having while playing it, both an intelligent and passionate man, and maybe getting a bit old to be in that business, but once again, all the more fun. I'm particularly interested to see where Andre Holland, playing Wendall Smith, goes with his career. He was particularly memorable, and I'd love to see him get a best supporting actor nom in the upcoming Oscars.

5/5