Star Trek Into Darkness (2013)

Star Trek Into Darkness is director/producer J.J. Abrams sequel to his enormously successful 2009 film Star Trek, which successfully rebooted Paramount Studio's ailing sci-fi franchise of the same name. In the 2009 film we were reintroduced to the original characters who filled the bridge of the starship Enterprise from the 1960's TV series. Star Trek brilliantly united both the old and the new in a thrillingly fun outing that set the stage for a Trek comeback.

Star Trek Into Darkness is the fulfillment of that comeback.

The plot is simple. When a mysterious terrorist (played ruthlessly by Sherlock's Benedict Cumberbatch) begins attacking Starfleet targets, Captain James T Kirk (Chris Pine) leads his crew on a mission to bring the man to justice.

The execution of that plot is far more layered and engrossing than one simple sentence conveys.

There's action a-plenty. And it's edge of your seat, pulse pounding sequences of complex scenarios. And there's effects. We're talking top-tier realistic effects that suck you into the picture, and wash you over with awe. But the core of the thrill in this film is the story. The story of relationships.

The driving force behind the movie is the relationship between Kirk, and his friend, the Vulcan science officer Spock (Zachary Quinto). Their character traits at once play perfectly against each other, and in harmony at the same time. And when crises moments arise you find yourself caring more about their friendship than any action occurring around them.

Thrown into the mix are communications officer Uhura (Zoe Saldana) whose relationship with Spock and longstanding friendship with Kirk is another driving force. Simon Pegg's Scotty has a vital role in this film as does Bruce Greenwood's Captain Pike from the previous film.

The rest of the crew is there, and all play important parts in the film. But there's some fascinating guest stars as well, including Robocop's Peter Weller as a no-nonsense Starfleet Admiral.

Into Darkness also deftly incorporates aspects of previous Trek films and story lines to keep the die hard fans not only satisfied, but happy with the twists and turns this film takes on those previous events.

All in all, a well acted, fantastically shot, energetically written story that will keep you enthralled and focused entirely on what happens next in the film. And you will find yourself gasping and cheering all along the way of this thrilling ride.

10/10.

The Elephant Man (1980)

This morning I watched David Lynch's The Elephant Man for only the second time in my life. I clearly remember watching it when I was 8 or 9, and it was such a powerful experience that the emotions it evoked have staid with me all these years. It is perhaps the saddest movie ever made, yet vividly illustrates the beauty of human compassion. I think that schools should show children this Academy Award nominated film. Every human being should see it. 10/10.

Predator (1987)

So it had been years since I actually sat and watched PREDATOR. At least five years or more. For some reason I was inclined to rent it on Blu-ray today at Hastings.

It was awesome.

I remember first seeing this movie when I was like 9 or 10 years old. I was over at a friends house one night and his dad had rented it on VHS (this was like 88 or 89). I was terrified. It was the first bloody action/horror movie I'd seen. And it was the first one I'd seen with a scary alien. Basically I lost my R rated movie virginity to this flick. I had nightmares for days afterwords. But it was totally worth it.

And it still stands the test of time. I think largely because it's such a basic, primal story: hunters must survive being the prey of a monster. It goes way back to caveman times. And it's all put together in a way that's visceral and terrifying.

Now I'll admit that it's impact has been tamed by too many syndicated viewings on Saturday afternoon TV, complete with commercial interruptions. I'm sure many of you are like me and probably quit changing the channels when it comes on, cause it's always good to watch. So I suggest you try this. Get your copy off the shelf, or rent it, wait till dark and watch it alone, with no lights and with no interruptions. It's like seeing a totally different and far better film than the one they play on TV. Even if you don't get nostalgic terrors like I did, you'll treat yourself to one of the greatest action movies ever made.

10/10.

P.S. To wet your appetite, here's Alan Silvestri's theme from the movie. There's no mistaking it for any other piece of music.

Up In The Air (2009)

This is a practically perfect film. George Clooney doesn't act condescendingly didactic, Jason Reitman isn't chained to a set of irritatingly affected Diablo Cody characters and is able to set just the right airy tone, and Sam Elliot makes a cameo appearance. Touching script too. Wonderful! 10/10.

House Of Cards (2013) [TV Series]

I don't write about television on my blog, but I'm making an exception.

House Of Cards is now available on Netflix to stream. It's their self produced series starring Kevin Spacey, part of their foray into original content. It's Amazing! Spacey plays Congressman Francis Underwood, and the series is about sausage making... or rather the inner workings of our federal government's leadership. I'm talking Congress, The Executive Branch; likely the Judicial Branch will even come into play at some point. It's dark, it's gritty, and it relishes the sadism of power. This is how DC works. The backstabbing, the power plays, the vengeance. It's the government as rotting corpse, draped with the American flag.

Cleverly written with subtle double meanings, foreshadowing, and character revelations, not to mention Kevin Spacey occasionally breaking the fourth wall to great effect. And that's just the pilot episode! David Fincher's black eye truly lends itself to the subject matter. Old Monk hand Jeff Beal turns in a perfectly toned score. The acting? Unspeakably good. They even threw in a reference to Alfred Hitchcock's Witness For The Prosecution, simply to allude to .

Brilliant. Watch it. Now. 10/10.

Dredd (2012)

Dredd was awesome but I didn't like it. Let me elaborate.

Awesome: The most honest single comic book adaptation I've ever seen. This film was completely accurate to the source material. Unlike the 90's Stallone adaptation where Hollywoodization abounded, I couldn't pinpoint a single thing in this film that wouldn't have happened in the comics. It was dark, ultraviolent, and unapologetic. We never see Dredd's face. His dialogue is to-the-point, almost monosyllabic. The sets, the non-distracting camera work. I could go on.

I didn't like: The ultraviolence. A sure sign I'm getting old is I just can't stomach the unrelenting violence in action and emotion abounding in this film. This is a personal taste, a subjective one. The only thing is, that's the essence of the comics. The unapologetic, impersonal, unrelenting execution of the law of Mega-City One. So bravo for the filmmakers in their unflinching translation.

Now for the sake of disclosure, while I am logging this in my list as 4/10 for personal subjective reasons. In an objective light, such as when discussing the merits or demerits of a work of adaptation, I will give it a resounding 10/10. If you read the Judge Dredd comics and recall wondering what it would be like to actually see it? You're in luck.

The fact that someone finally made a movie based on a comic book and yet restrained themselves from changing whatever they damn well pleased... it pleases me.

Beyond The Black Rainbow (2010)

"...cannot be unseen."

Beyond The Black Rainbow perfectly encapsulates my favorite kind of horror and/or sci-fi film: atmospheric, visually stunning, synthesizer soundtracked, dystopian psychedelia. Being a fan of these types of movies that came out of the 1970's and early '80s, I'm thrilled to have seen such an homage. I imagine that if David Lynch made a THX1138-like movie with the texture of Stanley Kubrick, this beautifully horrifying film would be the result. Not to mention influences from Cronenberg to Kenneth Anger.

I'm not going to give a plot summary, as the film is extremely slow and mostly atmospheric, and the plot is slightly vague. However a definite narrative is there. I think there are also definite metaphors regarding the selfish Baby Boomer generation and their treatment of their Gen-X spawn. Not to mention the nature of true evil.

I absolutely loved this film. Watch in high-def if you can.

10/10.

Crimson Tide (1995)

10/10. This was the first R rated movie I was allowed by my parents to see in the theater. I was 16. I literally had to beg them to let me, and it was wholly because the R rating was given due to the language and intensity of the film. My guess would be that it would have been rated PG-13 were it to be released today. I enjoyed the film so much that I went out and bought the soundtrack immediately after seeing it. I still consider it one of Hans Zimmer's best scores.

The plot of the movie is basically a standoff between the Captain of the USS Alabama nuclear submarine (Gene Hackman) and the Executive Officer of the same ship (Denzel Washington). This standoff is brought about by a convolution of Naval rules and regulations during a topside nuclear standoff between the US and Russian rebels. I won't reveal any more in case you haven't seen it, as it is most suspenseful the less you know beforehand.

The primary reason why I rate this film a ten is the script. It is so seamless and intense, with dialogue that matters and stands out. I later learned that no other dialogue heavy wordsmith than Quentin Tarantino was brought on to polish Michael Schiffer's script. I also learned that Tarantino had made the captain a racist who used the word "nigger" in heated arguments with the XO. This overt nature and the use of the n-word were removed at the insistence of Denzel Washington, and it makes for a far more interesting battle of wills.

The technical dialogue and plot points dealing with US Naval rules and regulations are engrossing as well, these I assume were brought onboard by the two retired Naval Captains who served as technical consultants on the film. And there is an interesting subplot involving the morality of nuclear war, and it's classification as war, when it is more accurate to classify as holocaust.

Tony Scott's direction is intense and crisp as usual, with realistic special effects when necessary, but mostly suspenseful pacing and claustrophobic angles that accurately convey what I must imagine serving on a submarine must feel like.

All actors involved, down to the bit parts, are wonderful in their performance, truly conveying the immediacy of the situations. I credit this partially to Tony Scott as well who never seems to overburden his actors, but allows them to work their own magic.

All in all a perfectly executed throwback to the Cold War genre, which I absolutely love even more so than when I first saw it in the theaters nearly twenty years ago. This was one of the movies that almost had me enlist in the US Navy to become a nuclear technician onboard a submarine.

As an interesting close to this post, here is a bit of trivia from IMDB's website:

The disagreement between Cpt. Ramsey and Lcdr. Hunter over the origin of the Lipizzaner stallions throughout the movie foreshadows and illustrates the fundamental source of friction between the two men, both insisting that their mutually exclusive version of reality is the truth. Ironically, Cpt. Ramsey, (who believes the stallions are Portuguese) or Lcdr. Hunter (who says they are Spanish) are both incorrect. The Lippizaner stallions are in fact Austrian.