Star Trek Into Darkness

Title: Star Trek Into Darkness

Year: 2013

Director: J.J. Abrams

Rating: PG-13 for intense sequences of sci-fi action and violence

Synopsis: After the crew of the Enterprise find an unstoppable force of terror from within their own organization, Captain Kirk leads a manhunt to a war-zone world to capture a one man weapon of mass destruction.

Official Page and IMDb Page

Official Trailer

STEPH SAID

Rating:

Review:

*This review contains spoilers*

Half of this movie didn’t make sense; the other half is directed to fans of the original series. On the other hand, it is visually appealing and intriguing at times.

This movie’s plot is intriguing and confusing at the same time; it has so many layers and storylines that neither is explored in depth. The two antagonists of the story, Khan and The Admiral, have different roles that keep changing constantly, from bad guy to good guy to bad guy again. That alone left me baffled. But the fact that I didn’t know who The Admiral was made it even worse. He didn’t have an introduction like Scotty or Sulu, the actors just began talking about him like everybody knew who he was. Well, I didn’t know and was lost for half the movie.

Also, Khan’s background story is confusing and full of holes. For example, exactly how and where did The Admiral find Khan? How did The Admiral knew what Khan was? Did Khan make the terrorist attempt because he wanted to kill The Admiral or because he was following with the plan to start a war? Did Khan left for Kronos because he didn’t want to be found or because he wanted to start the war? Among others.

Some scenes of the movie felt forced and, I think, were only filmed to please the fans of the original series. A flash appearance by Leonard Nimoy and the Klingons, for example. More than once the Enterprise was showed coming out, of water or clouds, in a grandiose manner. I know I was supposed to feel impressed, but I wasn’t, to me it’s just a ship. Yet, I guess fans of the classic series were revering those moments. Oh and the fact that it was a retelling of Khan’s story is probably a nod to the fans.

Most of the movie was clichéd and predictable, the only exception being the true intentions of Khan and The Admiral. I’ll name a few as proof. There is a time where Mr. Spock is going to die and another one in which Kirk is dying. However it is obvious they will not, since they are the protagonists of a recently rebooted famous series. Similarly, there was a time a ship was going to fire against the Enterprise and it lost its power at the opportune moment. Also there was a moment in which Bones’ arm gets stuck in a bomb, which is deactivated with two seconds of the timer.

If this movie had something good was its visually appealing images and effects, and its actors’ performances. Anton Yelchin and Karl Urban were great, I really enjoyed their performances. But it was Zachary Quinto and Benedict Cumberbatch who kept the movie going. I love how Quinto portrays Spock; he never ceases to amaze me. I love how he can act like he is strong and has no emotion while at the same time letting it all out. When Spock was emotional due to the loss of his friend he became irrational, and I loved it! Cumberbatch performance was exceptional. Five stars to him alone. He was intense, dramatic, intriguing, emotive and constant. If it not were for his and Quinto’s performance I would have been bored throughout the whole movie.

I think J.J. Abrams tried too much with this movie, tried to please too many people and the movie got out of hand. The actor’s performance was what saved it.

Star Trek (2009)

Title: Star Trek

Year: 2009

Director: J.J. Abrams

Rating: PG-13 for sci-fi action and violence, and brief sexual content

Synopsis: The brash James T. Kirk tries to live up to his father's legacy with Mr. Spock keeping him in check as a vengeful, time-traveling Romulan creates black holes to destroy the Federation one planet at a time.

Official Page and IMDb Page

Official Trailer

ELL SAID

Rating


Review

Star Trek was a surprise for me. In all honesty, I'm a Star Wars fan and, though never having seen it, I've heard of Star Trek many times. Due to the hate it received from other Star Wars fans, I was skeptic. Truth is, I was very wrong.

This movie is a reboot, but it's a very original reboot. It doesn't just restart with the exact same storyline, it gives birth to another set of probabilities, granting an army of possibilities ripe for the taking. Both newcomers and long-time fans will enjoy this movie. That's all good, but I do have to point out some things.

The fact that it's an In-Canon reboot, it has many things they don't explain, so some people might not understand. The whole story revolves around old Spock, who was tossed back in time through a black hole. It's all nice and smooth, but it kind of makes a paradox. Sure, it can be explained away, but it still a confusing thing for a reboot. I kinda felt like it was all just to have Leonard Nimoy in the movie, who played Old Spock.

The characters are acted by extremely good actors and they're a cool, diverse cast, but the characters themselves felt forced sometimes. Characters did things at opportune moments but at others they just did completely moronic things. Overall, it's a good, solid movie. It's definitely a movie worth watching.



STEPH SAID

Rating:

Review:

First, I want to point out that I know nothing of Star Trek beside there is an alien character from planet Vulcan named Spock.  Oh and the “Live long and prosper” farewell. With that in mind I have to say that I really liked this movie. It has a great blend of sci-fi, action, suspense and even a bit of romance. Also, it was really great to see the beginnings of such famous characters; how they began and how they developed into the characters millions know and love.

The first thing I noticed, and loved, about this movie was the extensive array of great actors. At the beginning of the movie I was gasping every two to five minutes every time I recognized a face.

The story is full of intrigue, for the first half of it you are left wondering who the bad guy is and why he is doing what he is doing. However, it felt a bit forced; like the story was written that way for the sole purpose of having an excuse for Leonard Nimoy’s appearance. Yet, this story proved useful because it provides an ending and a sense of closure to the fans of the classic series, while providing a new start for new fans. 

Loot Grinder

Title: Loot Grinder

Developers: Pixel Polish

Platforms: Xbox 360, Windows Phone

Rating: Violence=2/3, Sex=0/3, Mature Content=0/3

Official Page and Xbox Marketplace Page

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An RPG without an actual story; this indie game's sole purpose is to provide gamers with the ability to grind their characters, undisturbed by any kind of distraction.

You get four generic characters (which you name) that appear on a menu. There are six options: Grind, Inn, Shop, Items, Party and Save. All of these are easy to understand, obviously, but the game's importance is on Grind, which leads to another menu (with pictures) that show the different places you can go to. Choosing one will instantly send you into battle. Battle progresses similar to Final Fantasy, but with a drawback: It's annoyingly slow. There are four dungeons to go Grind at, each of which unlocks another, harder dungeon. Thing is, to unlock the harder dungeons you need to win (or fight) on ten battles in the weaker ones. It has a class system, but I was unable to check out because the demo time given to me was too short and the battles were too slow. If the battles were a bit faster, and they gave at least a handful of classes right from the get-go, it'd be better. Of course, it's a really cheap game, so it's worth a shot if you have time to spare and nothing better to play.

Pitch Perfect

Title: Pitch Perfect

Year: 2012

Director: Jason Moore

Rating: PG-13 for sexual material, language and drug references

Synopsis: Arriving at her new college, Beca finds herself not right for any clique but somehow is muscled into one that she never would have picked on her own: alongside mean girls, sweet girls and weird girls whose only thing in common is how good they sound when they sing together. When Beca leads this a cappella singing group out of their traditional arrangement and perfect harmonies into all-new mash-ups, they fight to climb their way to the top of the college music competitions.

Official Page and IMDb Page

Official Trailer

STEPH SAID

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Review:

First of all, he trailer makes it seem like the movie is about an old fashioned acapella group that is getting a makeover by a new member: Beca. It is not about this. Beca tries to help the group but she is constantly being put down.

The story develops swiftly. Beca, unwillingly enrolls for a college education at Barden University and, after making a deal with her dad, decides to join the all-girl a capella group called The Barden Bellas. Beca is always trying to improve upon the Bellas, but she never succeeds. And Aubrey is to blame; the captain of the Bellas wants her girls to stay old-school, and there is no changing her mind.

The Trebletones, also from Barden University, are the rock stars of the a cappella groups. But, besides them the groups are pretty mediocre. The Bellas are the ones that suck the less; therefore, they keep advancing until they reach the semi-finals.

In between of competitions and musical numbers the personal life of Beca is developed. Her relationship with Jesse is lovely. Well, he makes it lovely. One time she overreacted because of something he did. I couldn’t understand; he was only trying to help. I was ready to take one star off of the movie's rating. But Beca then admitted to her overreacting and asked for forgiveness, and I forgave her.

This movie was music to my ears, literally and figuratively. It has a really good balance between musical numbers and spoken drama. I loved both parts equally. If I were to choose which I liked more, the musical numbers or the spoken development of the story, I wouldn’t be able to decide. In fact, from my two favorite parts of the movie, one is a spoken scene between the somewhat romance triangle: Beca, Jesse and Luke; and the other is a musical number: the riff-off.

In one scene Jesse was goofing around with Beca, trying to charm her with his cheerful personality. Luke noticed and decided to interrupt (maybe because he fancies Beca too or maybe just ‘cause) and sent Jesse to buy lunch. Jesse, trying to put Luke down, tells him to stop eating hamburgers, "you won’t be 22 forever". In reply, Luke lifts up his shirts revealing a six-pack and says he thinks he is ok. Beca agrees; To Jesse’s dismay.  Now, what I loved about the scene was Jesse's comment afterwards: "And the chess match continues..."

The riff-off, my favorite part of the movie, is a musical competition between the a capella groups of the Barden University. You can see  how great it was in the next video.

It was funny and comforting to see people in movies go through the same struggles regular people go through. Like, for example, having to “fight” with someone that is sexier, hotter or prettier than you for the girl, and you can only count in your personality.

  

Another thing I loved about the movie was the casting. Usually, in Hollywood movies created for a young audience, the cast is beautiful and/or hot. In this movie the cast is varied; more realistic. Some actors were pretty, some were hot, some were average looking but some were real dorks. (That kinda rimed-- not on purpose.)

I didn’t give it five stars because the ending felt rushed. Aubrey was always over controlling about the Bellas performances; always using the same old songs and choreography. Then, all of a sudden, she decided to change and let Beca take control of the final performance. Also, after the last performance, the movie cuts to the future, so you don’t get a sense of closure or celebration because you can’t see the announcement of the winners, the awards being presented or the teams celebrating. The viewer only gets a peak at next year’s auditions in which the winning team has the trophy on their table. That’s it. It was disappointing and left me wanting more; it felt like the movie wasn’t long enough, even though it lasts two hours. 

Fringe - Season 3

Title: Fringe

Broadcasting Station: Fox

Status: Ended

Creators: J. J. Abrams, Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci

Official Site

Synopsis: Kidnapped to an alternate universe and replaced in her own world by a woman that isn't her, Olivia Dunham is trapped. She must get home to her real world in order to prevent Walternate from implementing the final stages of his plan- a plan that could result in the destruction of our world. Or theirs.

Official Trailer

STEPH SAID

Rating:

Review:

I have come to realize that Fringe is not like other series that have story arcs that start and finish within every season, independent from any other story arcs that may be developed through many seasons. Story wise, Fringe is more like a soap opera: we are watching one story being developed through the course of, up until now, three seasons; its story is not divided into parts or seasons, it is a continuum.

Therefore, it is not surprise that season started exactly where Season Two ended. Olivia is trapped in the Alternate Universe and Fauxlivia is in Olivia’s place. After watching the first episode I was really mad. I thought the producers where going to milk this situation; leaving Fauxlivia infiltrated “Over Here” for the whole season, while Walter and Peter were in the dark. I mean, any other series would have done it. Thankfully, I stand corrected. By the end of episode seven Peter find out he was sleeping with the wrong Olivia. And by the way, what an ending! Just thinking about it still gives me goose bumps. That episode’s ending was framed perfectly.

Meanwhile, “Over There” Olivia was brainwashed to believe she was Fauxlivia. It was really pleasant to see her being nicer, happier and less stressed. But, it was even better to be able to see Charlie again! Also, I immediately liked the new character: Lincoln Lee. The actor, Seth Gabel, made him seem really natural. Sometimes, I would see him in the background of a scene goofing around or making faces at Charlie and it would make me smile.

After both Olivias swapped places again the story “Over Here” becomes a bit annoying. Olivia started to condemn Peter for not noticing that he was sleeping with Fauxlivia. She kept going on about how the thought of him was what kept her going but he was sleeping with someone else. I kept telling her: “You. Kissed. HIM. That’s it. He never said he wanted to be with you; he never said he loved you back. You can’t reproach him because you don’t know how he felt. Maybe he didn’t love you and you were just hopeful that he did.” But she wouldn’t listen to me. However, that only lasted for a few episodes. They made up afterwards.

After episode fifteen many things start to happen and develop at the same time: William Bell makes another appearance, Fauxlivia gives birth to Bishop the Third and Sam Weiss’ true nature is discovered. All of these happenings framing, and leading up to, yet, another impressive ending. The first 35 minutes of the finale were boring; nevertheless, in its last five minutes you are bombarded with shock after shock: plot twists, cliff hangers and many, many questions.

Voxel Runner

Title: Voxel Runner

Developers: Dizzy Pixels

Platforms: Xbox 360

Official Facebook Page and Xbox Marketplace Page










Official Trailer

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This is an indie game on the Xbox Live marketplace. Voxel Runner has all you could possibly want in a side-scroller/platformer, except a story. All you have is your ninja-looking pixelated character running forever and you press buttons to get him to do such things as jump or slide. The game's objective, from what I gathered, is to see how far the player can get, but it gets progressively harder: the longer the player runs, the faster the screen will scroll and there will be more obstacles in the middle. All in all, it’s a great game at a very cheap price.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules Movie

Title: Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules

Year: 2011

Director: David Bowers

Rating by MPAA: PG for some mild rude humor and mischief

Synopsis: Back in middle school after summer vacation, Greg Heffley and his older brother Rodrick must deal with their parents' misguided attempts to have them bond.

Official Page and IMDb Page

Official Trailer

STEPH SAID

*This review contains spoilers*

Rating:

Review:

This movie was a huge improvement over the first one. It is funny, relatable, credible and heart-warming. Watching it was a rollercoaster ride: there where highs, lows and moments were I couldn’t differentiate up from down.

It centers on Greg and Rodrick’s relationship. At first they didn’t want anything to do with one another. Rodrick would play practical jokes on Greg and Greg would hate Rodrick for it. But, as time passes, and Greg and Rodrick start to spend time together and cover each other’s backs; they start to form a bond. All of this may sound cheesy, but is Wimpy Kid we’re talking about. Greg and Rodrick start to bond over secret parties and fake vomit. Still, is bonding, which led to the most happy moments in the movie. Not only was I laughing out loud, I was actually feeling happy for Greg and Rodrick. I was engaged.

Of course, then came the lows. I mean, it couldn’t be all happiness, something bad had to happen. However, I loved this part too because it showed yet another side of Rodrick. He was really hurt for not being able to play with his band. Rodrick is actually growing up.

In the end, Greg decided to do the right thing (I’m seeing a pattern here) and the movie ended on a high note and with a hart-warming moment between Greg and Rodrick. But in this movie, unlike in the first one, Greg taking the blame felt realistic and natural. It turned out to be an amazing movie, with a very special message about siblings love.  

Movie vs. Book

Rating:

Review:

The movie’s story is the complete opposite to the book’s story! The screenwriters managed to keep key events of the book and include some parts of the Online Story. But overall, the plot and the message of the book were drastically changed, practically reversed.

In the book, “Rodrick Rules” could be interpreted as a sarcastic expression from Greg. Rodrick is constantly mocking him and picking on him. Greg sees Rodrick as responsible of all his misfortunes. In the movie, the same expression could be a cheerful statement; Rodrick and Greg start to get along, they spend time together, they help each other and Rodrick teaches Greg a thing or two.

This change was for the better. The movie has substance, depth and character development that the book doesn’t have.