Star Trek: In to Darkness

OK, I admit I prefer the original actors from the old tv series of Star Trek. The two new movies of Star Trek are good, don't get me wrong. But they are who I grew up with watching on television.

Now the latest saga: ST ITD offers exciting twists and plot changes from the original Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan. While the actors of the new version are very competent in their character roles and the special effects are fantastic, the original story line with the death of Spock, was more sentimental.  And Ricardo Montalban over the edge acting along with Shatner's Kirk screaming "KHAN"! was not topped in the new movie.

The original movie I would give five stars out of 5. The new movie I give 3 out of five.

Go see it all of you trekkies or as you call yourselves today, trekkers.

Till next time....

The Avengers

This movie is everything I remembered as a kid reading comic books. I always preferred Marvel comics over DC comics. They were better drawn and had better story lines. Plus, who doesn't like a giant green monster (The Hulk) whose only goal in life is to smash things?
Disney films and Marvel comics got this story right. The actors are top notch with their respective characters. Iron Man and the Hulk steal the show. Both are the fan favorites in this movie and in the comics.
The story line is great and the special effects are excellent. They are so good you will think that buildings are really being destroyed. Hats off to the special effects people.
Once again, the Earth is in trouble and only these super heroes can offer us salvation from the invading horde from some where else in the universe. Our heroes put their differences aside and unite to defend the Earth. Agent Nick Fury somes it up: " We may not be able to save Earth, but we will Avenge for Earth."

I give this 9 stars out of 10. Go see this movie. You will not regret it at all.

Till next time......

Act of Valor

Went the other night with my wife and in-laws to see Act of Valor. While not an academy award nominee, the movie does make you marvel at the courage and sacrifice our military men and women give to their country . Providing the rest of us with security knowing they stand ready to 'give their all' if needed.
Real Navy Seals were the stars of this movie. The scenes depicted were authentic according to the US Navy. And what they showed us, should scare the crap out of any would be terrorists in the world. I didn't know such technology existed. Like the Halo jump. A squad of Seals parachute from such a great height, they have to wear face masks. Total silence when they land as the plane is so high in the sky. You don;t hear them coming. The amount of fire power their 'swift boats' can bring to bear. All I can say is "WOW".
And it is not just what the Seals give, but what their families give as well. My wife and I both knew that one Seal would not becoming back home after the scene in which he kissing his pregnant wife goodbye before going on a mission to combat terrorists. Very touching scene in the movie. And his forthcoming funeral at the end of the movie.Pretty emotional.

While not the greatest of war movies that I've seen, it is an important movie to be seen. So on a scale of 1 to 10 (10 being great) I rate this movie an 8.

Till next time.....

Red Tails

Well I was really anticpating this WW II flick. I love planes and this is a WW II airwar movie. The acting was wooden. The story in this flick was sorely lacking. And that is a shame since this is based on the exploits of the Tuskegee Airman. They endured racial hatred at home and they still wanted to fight for their country. These airman had to go above and beyond the call of duty to prove they could do the jobs they joined the Army Air Corp.

That's why I'm disappointed in the film. The story lines running thru this movie were not written very well. You had two great actors in this movie, Terence Howard and Cuba Gooding Jr. Both were wasted in this movie. The only redeeming aspect was the action scenes of the air combat. CGI has allowed George Lucas to at least give us realistic action scenes.

I still recommend this movie to anyone who likes to watch a flick regarding WW II. Just don't expect a great movie.

I rate this movie a 5 out of 10 due to the action scenes.

Till next time.....

The Grey

Wow! Not since the opening 15 minutes of Jaws back in 1975, has a movie had such a frightening beginning. Remind me to never fly commercially over Alaska. The premise of the movie is believable. Thus it is a pulse pounding roller coaster ride of a story.

Liam Neeson again proves he is the best action actor in movies hands down. He's not a super hero by any means. No one liners like Arnold or Bruce Willis. Just a believable person in an intense situation of life and death.

I don't want to give away the plot of this movie since it just recently came to the theaters. But it takes place in Alaska, outdoors in a hostile winter environment and there is a wolf pack. And I don't mean the Boyscouts variety. And this is far scarier than any werewolf movie since wolves hunting in packs are real.

You will not regret seeing this film at a theater. It's a must to fully take in the opening 15 minutes on a big screen.

I give this movie an 8 rating out of 10. (One being a bomb).

Till next time...

Mission Impossible:Ghost Protocol

I know that I had posted in my last blog that I would review Red Tails. But instead I went and saw Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol. Many of you may have seen this movie before me. The reason for the delay in viewing MIGP, I was skeptical of the movie since this is the 4th installation of the franchise. I was wrong and this movie really rocks. The story line was good, the acting was OK and the action was great. This sequel is the best one. The original movie is still tops in my book. The current movie I would rate as the second best.      Tom Cruise, love him or hate him, makes great movies. I rate this a 7 out of 10 (one is a bomb).

It is unusual for sequels to be almost as good as the original. There have been a few exceptions: like Godfather 2 and The Empire Strikes Back for you Star Wars fans.And over the years there have been a few of the James Bond movies that have been great movies. But when Hollywood typically makes a sequel, they stink. Ghost Busters 2 was awful. The second and fourth installation of the Indiana Jones franchise were down right awful.

So my next review will be Red Tails.

Till next time....

Tinker,Tailor,Soldier,Spy

Well last week I decided to see the Cold War Spy flick "Tinker,Tailor,Soldier,Spy". The movie is confusing in its storyline. Action is minimal and the acting was dreadful. I can't recommend anyone in seeing this movie.
My personal view on this film is, it is one of the worst movies I've ever seen.

After the movie was over and the credits were running onscreen, I overheard a couple sitting in front of me  discussing how they were totally confused regarding the story line. What they were expressing to each other, I was having the same thoughts to myself.

On a scale of 1 to 10 (one being a bomb) I give it a one (1).

Stay tuned for my next movie review of "Red Tails".

Till next time...