Star Trek Into Darkness

For those of you that insist Star Trek is just for geeks and nerds, THINK AGAIN! Star Trek Into Darkness, the sequel to J.J. Abrams' revival of the popular science-fiction franchise, Star Trek, brings more of his new vision to the world. This time, Captain Kirk and crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise, must sacrifice everything in order to stop a madman from destroying Earth and all they hold dear. This is a film filled with action, emotion, suspense and heartbreak. It's not just for the fans, but for everyone that just wants to sit back and have a good time.

Taking place a year from the first movie, Kirk and crew are now set for their mission in space for five years. On a planet that is in danger of being destroyed by a giant volcano, Kirk and Dr. McCoy must do what they can to prevent the destruction without the race seeing their technology. The Prime Directive is a clear one. A visit to a planet must not interfere with the indigenous way of life. Knowing Kirk, however, he can't wait for the chance to cause trouble. On the run from the inhabitants, Kirk fires at one of the animals used to escort then safely away.

Mind you, this is just the beginning of the movie. The rest is just spectacular and out of this world! Now, be warned, this is not the Star Trek we used to know. This all changed with the 2009 reboot of the series. However, once you come to realize that just have fun with it because you're really in for a bumpy ride! Keep an eye out for a Leonard Nimoy cameo as Spock.

Timothy Dalton: The Forgotten 007

For most people, the name Timothy Dalton is foreign to fans of James Bond, or just people in general. Dalton, whom had just made two James Bond film, was sadly short lived between Roger Moore and Pierce Brosnan but the mark he left behind was a unique one. In 1987, Tim made his debut as the new James Bond. His immediate predecessor was Sir Roger Moore, who had made a total of seven films as 007 from 1973 through 1985. During Moore's tenure, the Bond character turned into a slapstick, pretty boy, play-it-safe kind of Bond. Gone was the sense of danger, espionage and suspense of what Ian Fleming's original idea of Bond was. James Bond films turned into family entertainment for all. This was a 12 year experience. Now, Timothy Dalton's 1987 film, The Living Daylights took all this away and brought Bond back to his roots as a ruthless British agent with a license to kill. Now, mind you audiences were not expecting such a drastic 360 degree turn after Moore. Gone was the pretty boy style and the jokes and back was the ruthlessness that Connery brought to the role, and more! Timothy Dalton gave the world his own interpretation of Bond and brought the character from the written page of Fleming's books.

A Shakespearean trained actor, Dalton took the role of 007 most seriously. His first film didn't show Bond as a ladies man, but rather a "one lady" man. He was badass and you would totally buy him as a killer. He wasn't one to mess around. Even his tagline for a teaser poster for The Living Daylights read, "The most dangerous Bond. Ever." It was true! The Living Daylights was an instant hit and made $191 million at the box office beating the last two previous Roger Moore outings. It also beat out Die Hard and Lethal Weapon. Dalton was the new Bond and despite what some of the critics and fans said, he brought Bond back to his roots. Two years later, in 1989, Dalton returned as 007. This time, it was a mission for Her Majesty's Secret Service, but rather, a revenge story. The new movie Licence to Kill really brought out Dalton's strong side as James Bond. Bond was on his own and out to avenge he maiming of his best friend and death of his wife. Bond this time would anything and everything to kill the man responsible. Roger Moore, or any other actor that played Bond would not have been able to sell that film the way Tim did. This was meant for Timothy Dalton in mind. Any weak spots Dalton had in The Living Daylights would be eliminated and all his strength would come to play.

The reception for Licence to Kill was unfortunately quite poor. The violence factor in this film was so dark it became the first ever James Bond filmed with a PG-13 rating. The Bond series was no longer a family event and the drastic change came too soon for some. Dalton was and is the most badass 007 in terms of how he portrayed the character and his style. I think he even out beats Daniel Craig. Dalton had originally been signed on for three films, but after Licence to Kill, there was a lawsuit between distributor MGM and 007 production company EON which lead to a six year hiatus before there next film would come out. During this long gap (1989 to 1995), Dalton decided to step down from the character and the role was given to Pierce Brosnan who continued on the legacy of 007. The film GoldenEye--which was Brosnan's first role as Bond--previously known as The Propery of a Lady, was written with Timothy in mind since he was still signed onto play Bond at the time. Timothy Dalton stands out as the more ruthless James Bond ever, and he is a precursor to the current James Bond, Daniel Craig. The world today accepts Craig as an action killer and less of a spy, because it is much more accepted...well highly praised for that matter these days; especially after the influence of the Jason Bourne films. Dalton certainly came before his time and if he were James Bond today, odds are he would be far more accepted. Long live 007 #4!

My Thoughts on 3D Movies...

Call me old school, but I'm not one for 3-D movies and I'll explain why. Since I was a child, I've always enjoyed movies and have gone to the theater ever since. Ever since Avatar came around and the 3D became a new fad, I thought a bit of the movie experience was taken away. Main stream movies these days seem to focus more on effects and graphics rather than story. In my opinion, 3D can't save a movie if it sucks; which is why I never bothered to watch the Star Wars prequels when they were re-released in 3D. Seeing the movie Avatar, was amazing in and of itself and I don't think 3D glasses were needed. But, to be honest, I just don't have $14 to spend on tickets plus an extra fee for the 3D; it's just too pricy and not worth it. But I finally came to realize the truth behind having films in 3D: Money, money and more money. It's a profit thing. As mentioned before, the price for the glasses raise the ticket price and what is the point? It's not like you are going to keep the glasses after the movie. They have disposable trashcans that you hand to the person after every movie to make sure you don't take them home. And even if you do take them home, it won't matter if you bring the glasses or not, for the ticket price will already have them included in it! Being in a darkened room and having a screen in front of you is enough for me to be involved in the story. Having it in 3D...yeah I'm sure some scenes will look cool and all, but so what? I'm sure they would be cool watching them normally. I have a friend who tells me to see movies in 3D all the time. If it's a film I really dislike, like the new Spider-Man movie for instance, he tells me the sole reason is because I didn't watch it in 3D. Look, I dislike a movie, I dislike a movie. If the characters aren't interesting or if the plot is bad, good effects and CGI just don't cut it for me. I really hope that movies will have more of a focus on plot than profits in the upcoming years. I think at this rate, we won't be getting rid of 3D movies anytime soon. I mean, heck, they already have 3D TVs. So, maybe one day I will think 3D movies will be cool, but as long as we have the option to watch them in 2D, I won't have a problem with it.

SKYFALL 007 *Some spoilers*

Well, the newest Bond film is finally here and that is Skyfall starring Daniel Craig, Judi Dench and Javier Bardem. Being the 50th anniversary of the 007 films and the 23rd official James Bond movie, this movie was just awesome and everything you've come to expect and more from this franchise.

Four years ago, the disaster known as Quantum of Solace was released. It was the first direct sequel to a Bond movie and the first to use some crew from the Jason Bourne films. Now, having Bond compete or try to mimic a totally different franchise was the first mistake. The second mistake was the fact that they actually did it. Constant unnecessary shaking of the camera to I guess bring a sense of realism didn't really do anything but just say, "Let's destroy 46 years of originality and slap some Jason Borune in there. Didn't work. Skyfall was such a relief and brought things back to the classic world of James Bond that we all know and love with a modern twist to it. The things that made the Bond films so successful is that not only did they retain the feel of the 60s, but also adapt to the modern times. No more people taking over the world; no more unrealistic situations; but more of a focus on the spy genre and drama to the character. Back to the point at hand, Skyfall is up there with the great James Bond films as Goldfinger, GoldenEye and Licence to Kill. There is much story development here and Daniel Craig, although not my favorite James Bond, has really made the part his own and in no way is he trying to mimic Sean or Pierce or the others. If anything, he has a touch of what Timothy Dalton brought to the role: Less time for the ladies and more time for his job. The films starts off with a bang, and of course it must since every James Bond film must have a spectacular opening sequence before the movie starts. And after that the film begins. James Bond and Eve Moneypenny are on a mission in Istanbul to run down an assassin responsible for stealing important files regarding agents in the British Secret Service. Bond finds the man responsible and chases him throughout the city in a spectacular bike chase through the streets of Turkey and ends up with a hand to hand fight on the train. Bond gains the upper hand but M orders Eve to fire a the e assassin and sadly they she shoots the wrong man and Bond falls to his "death" off a bridge. The next day, M writes an obituary on 007 presuming he is dead. Bond, however is not really dead yet enjoying himself on the loose and begins to drink and just grow a beard and not care about his time as an agent. He has basically lost his memory. M's superiors thing she is incompetent due to the loss of the information on the agents and has nods about resigning from the service once and for all. Bond, in Shanghai, then catches up with the man he was chasing earlier on the train and notices that he is setting up a sniper attack on someone. When he fires and kills the target, he spots Bond and then has a fight to the death in which case Bond prevails this time and instead of Bond falling to his death, it's the assassin's turn and falls to his death. Now, Bond meets up with a girl that he spotted near the down target and ends up getting her to take him to the one mastermind responsible for this mess. She takes him to the man, who turns out to be an old member of MI6. Now, that is as far as I'll go with this review. I didn't mean to turn this into a tangent or a synopsis of the damn film, but if you want to know more I recommend you find out the rest in your local theater or just read a spoiler online. But I'll conclude with this: Skyfall is the movie to see if you are interested in a good story; action; character development and suspense. After four years out of the picture, James Bond 007 is back like you've never seen him before!

Father's Day 007 Special

On Father's Day, I took my dad to see both of the Timothy Dalton 007 features that were showing at the local movie house. Not knowing that it would be that crowded, since Timothy Dalton is a very underrated Bond in my opinion, I was dead wrong when I got there. So many people showed up for it and it was pretty cool! It was practically a full house! Now, these weren't the Sean Connery films or anything, in which case I'm sure every seat would have been taken, but still nonetheless it was the Dalton movies and it was just nice to see so many people come and see his movies. Of course when we got there, there was a screaming little girl asking her father, "Daddy, are these scary movies? Daddy? Daddy! Max took my seat!" I was automatically thinking to myself, Now why on Earth would you take your kid to a Bond movie? Especially the dark ones with Timothy Dalton? Anyway, as the feature started, everything took off pretty well and the theater was pretty quiet, including the little girl. I swear, that girl's voice was so loud you could hear it several blocks away! Anyway, onto the experience. Before the movie started, there was a guess star Q&A with former Playboy playmate Diana Lee-Hsu, who had a minor part in Dalton's second film, *Licence to Kill. Talking about how she got the job, she also mentioned how they used her for the opening credits scene. As she was explaining how they had to cover her private parts for the sensor, she explains, "They had to cover my twin peaks [breasts] and my hidden valley [vagina]." Naturally, the audience laughed at her politically correct use of the terms. I mean, there were several little kids in the audience so it was just as well, and naturally they didn't get it. Heck, the kids were probably sleeping by the time she was done with the interview. After she left, the first Dalton film started. The Living Daylights. It was great fun and brought Bond back to the Connery days with a gadget filled Aston Martin. When Dalton was first seen on the screen walking the Gun Barrel, everyone in the audience applauded including me and the first dramatic zoom in of Dalton also garnered great applause. This is what makes a Bond movie so fun to watch in a theater. You are surrounded by fans and no matter who the actor is playing Bond, you still cheer for him. Now, unfortunately I'm not sure how audiences reacted to George Lazenby's Bond, but that's a whole different story that I'm not going to get into at this point. Anyway, after watching The Living Daylights, Robert Davi was another special guest from Licence to Kill. He played Franz Sanchez, the main antagonist to Dalton's Bond. Coming in with a hat and a lot of jewelry, Davi talked about his experience on the film and also talked about his personal carer as an actor-turned singer. Anyway, after the questions in the audience were asked and all that, he started sighing autographs. At this time, it was already like around 10:30 and the movie was two hours and ten minutes, so things had to get cracking. So, while he was signing, the lights went down and we got right to the next film, Licence to Kill. The second film is honestly my favorite of the Dalton movies in that it is far more memorable and the villains are much more interesting. If you do watch this movie, be on the lookout for a 22 year-old Benicio Del Toro as Davi's henchman Dario. Anyway, when the last movie was over, we headed home and it was about 1am. And of course, summer school started the next day but who cares...it was a Bond special! lol **If you're wondering why I spelled Lisense with a "c", it's because that is the spelling the film used. They kept the British spelling for some reason.

The Shining

Now, here is a movie to see. It falls in the horror category however it is far more of a psychological film. The film takes place in 1980 and focuses on Jack Torrance, played by the great Jack Nicholson, and his family. A troubled writer and former teacher, Jack has made a big break in watching over an old luxury hotel called the Overlook for the entire winter. While the entire staff of the hotel leaves for the winter, it's just Jack, his wife Wendy (Shelly Duvall) and their troubled young son Danny (Danny Lloyd) who are left to care for it. Jack is quite happy to have obtained such a great privilege to watch over such a large hotel, however Danny is not so happy to be there. Something strange is going on in his mind and he has visions that tell him something bad will happen if he stays there. Being isolated in the hotel causes Jack to become malevolent and dangerous. What will he do? Will there be death? Why did he really want this job in the first place? My review for the film is going to follow this so just a warning, if you have not seen the movie, please do not continue reading. *** This is by far one of my favorite horror films. Why do you ask? Well, it is not really a horror film, but in fact more of a psychological thriller. I guess when Stanley Kubrick made this film, it just fell under that because the author of the book, Stephen King is a horror novelist...for those of you who did not know. Opening up in a long stretch of road, we see a yellow VW Beetle driving all alone through winding roads up along the Denver, Colorado mountains. It is just chugging along and seems to be getting good speeds actually. This is when the credits roll and there is some very creepy music in the background. It really fits. It makes you feel uneasy, as what most Stanley Kubrick films do. Slowly getting closer to the bug, you notice that it is driving quite fast. It is determined to get to it's destination and whoever is driving it will push it to the limit until it gets there. Eventually, it arrives at a hotel up in the mountains. The Overlook Hotel. At the interview, the manager, played by the late Barry Nelson, tells Jack Torrance that it can be stressful to look after such a big place over the winter. He tells him how in 1970, there was a couple that came to look over the hotel. A couple with their twin daughters and "at some point he must have had a complete and mental breakdown. He run amok, and murdered his wife and kids." Jack seems taken aback by the story but assures the manager that "it's not gonna happen to me." Foreshadow!!! When the family arrives at the hotel, the first few days are pretty good. They have all this space to run around and do whatever while Jack can finally relax and work on his writing in peace and quiet. Danny and Wendy meanwhile explore the outdoors and check out the huge hedge maze in front of the hotel. Eventually, as days ago on, Jack does not work on his writing but instead lacks sleep and begins to grow facial hair. Something is seriously wrong when he and Wendy have an argument. Apparently Danny was found with a torn shirt, and given the past accident that Jack did to Danny when he came home drunk, she automatically assumes it was he who did it. Jack, stressed about it and just wandering the great halls of the Overlook, and eventually ends up in the Gold Room. The Gold Room is a great ball room that is the place for many guests, of the elite no doubt, to come and party. Anyway, Jack sits at the bar and says that he would "do anything for a drink. I'd sell my goddamn sole, for just a glass of beer." He seems to get his wish because once he looks up, there is a malevolent bartender whom he addresses as Lloyd, and suddenly asks for a drink. Jack says, "Hi Lloyd! A little slow in here tonight." Lloyd replies, "Yes it is Mr. Torrance. What'll it be." And Jack, not in the least bothered by seeing this ghost, says, "Well, I just happen to have two 10s and two 20s in my wallet." So, paying Lloyd Jack then takes down the drink and feels so relieved. He has the eyes of a demon. Explaining his problems to Lloyd, Jack then looks down and then all of a sudden Wendy runs up to him saying that Danny is in trouble and that he saw an old lady in a bathtub trying to attack him. "Are you out of your fucking mind?!" Then, Jack goes and has a look in the room. Nothing is there but then all of a sudden when he looks in the room, he spots a gorgeous women stepping out of the bathtub and walk towards him. He stands in amazement and they begin to make out. Then, when he opens his eyes, the gorgeous woman turns into an old hag and just starts laughing at him. When he returns to Wendy, she asks him if there was anything in the room to which he replies, "No." Then, he begins to tell Windy that Danny might need some help. When an argument ensues, Jack becomes much more distant and is practically never seen by Wendy or Danny. Eventually he is just by himself in this massive hotel and then comes across the man who had killed his family and himself previously. Delbert Grady is his name, and he convinces Jack that he must kill Danny because Danny has a special gift known as the Shining and that the ghosts of the hotel do not like that he must be "corrected." The same goes for his wife. So, Jack become possessed by the ghost and goes on a killing spree. This is when Jack snapped and becomes just a malevolent killing machine. "No sir, not gonna happen to me." In any event, Danny and his mom run for help and try to escape, however every possible attempt does not succeed because the ghosts tell Jack what to do to block all the exits. It's also snowing outside so there is no one to help that for miles and miles and miles since the hotel is on top of a mountain. Eventually, Jack goes outside and is hunting for Danny with an axe in the hedge maze. While Jack is able to find Danny thanks to his footprints in the snow, Danny gets the upper hand and makes marks with his feet confusing Jack and eventually he escapes with his mother and Jack is left for dead. The next morning, Jack is frozen alive. So, this is the story of the Shining. There are of course many more details and events that I may have overlooked but this is just the general gist of the film and why you should see it. This is my favorite Stanley Kubrick film. Read on and please comment below!

P R O M E T H E U S

WHAT A FUCKING LETDOWN! I was so disappointed with this movie. I mean, damn...A film in a genre that hasn't been touched by Ridley Scott since his epic 1979 classic, Alien, you'd think it would be something great! But, it was just dry... I guess my expectations were just too high. But yeah, this movie was going to be the major comeback to the Alien series of films. Although this film is not a direct prequel, it is obviously still in the same universe as Alien and it was going to explain a lot of the unanswered questions that were raised in that film. Now, having this story take place about 100 years or so before Alien, this is basically the back story of our existence as a human race. Who created us? Why are we here? What is our purpose to fulfill? Well, these questions are to be answered when a ship by the name of Prometheus, is funded to go up into space with a limited crew and discover the secret of the universe. Now I don't care for this crew at all. Mainly because there is nothing really interesting about them. This is so different from the original movie. Now, you have a group of really boring people who are in space mining for ore and don't care about anything other than just getting paid and going back to Earth. It's a job for them. They don't care. In this movie, you have that same type of group, but these people are explorers more or less, yet they are still not really in the mood to explore the unknown. They are just there to be there. We have no reasoning as to why they were the ones chosen or how they differentiate between one another. It is very bleak and bland. Yes, they have differences here and there, but overall you just don't care about this crew. Now, the same thing has been a problem with the Star Wars prequels. What makes the original Star Wars so great, is that it has characters who are funny, interesting and fun to watch. Han Solo, now he is the most bad-ass pilot in space. Who wouldn't want to be him? And Luke? Dang, he sure comes a long way to find himself and we are with him through the three films. As for the prequels? Hmmmm...Obi-Wan? Oh yeah, how interesting and DRY he is. And Anakin? Didn't you just want to kill him to stop him from crying every fifteen minutes about being held back? Anyway, back on the topic. My point is, the characters in this film are just uninteresting to me. You are constantly reminded that you are watching a movie and you feel like you are watching the film as opposed to being in there with the crew like you are in the first movie. Anyway, back to the story. The crew then discover an alien head and what do they do? They bring it on the ship. Examining the head, it is discovered that it is merely a helmet. Inside that helmet comes what appears to be a very human-like head. Hmm...what's the worst that can happen? The head is suddenly put in a cage and it explodes. Later, on board the Prometheus, one of their crew is then infected and mates with another crew member which in tern impregnates her with an alien from the planet. She has it in quarantine and we don't see it until much later in the film when it has grown and expanded. Now, that is actually getting something. You think the alien is going to escape and wreck havoc among the crew, but does that happen? No. It just stays in that room. The rest of the crew just sit around not doing anything and basically one crew member turns out to be a robot and it is his mission to sabotage the crew. This is what happens in the first film. I'm telling you this is like the same movie just more modern with a younger crew. Now, as for the effects of the film, they are spectacular! The sets really bring that vibe from the Alien film, if not in a big more modern way. The computers are of course more advanced even though it takes place before Alien and the atmosphere on the planet is just so realistic. For that, I will have to give the film props. But, unfortunately, effects and graphics can not make up for a poor script. I recommend anyone see this film so they can have their own interpretation of it. I would love to get your responses.