Star Trek Beyond—special effects hide many of the faults in this movie— has a weak story line that questions its relevancy and clarity. An audience may question what direction Director Justin Lin is taking this film. It is what it is.
Film Poster Courtesy of Wikipedia
Storyline
Krall (Idris Elba) attacks the Enterprise and its crew scrambles for survival and means of escape.
Additional Thanks
Thank you to Director Justin Lin for directing effort. Thank you to Executive
Producers Jeffrey Chernov, David Ellison, Dana Goldberg, and Tommy Harper for for making the film possible. Cast include: Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Karl Urban, Zoe
Saldana, Simon Pegg, John Cho, Anton Yelchin, and Sofia Boutella.
Buy a ticket? Yes? No? Maybe?
Maybe. Hard core Trekkies will love the special effects.
Star Trek into Darkness—tries too hard—fails to catch the Star Trek magic. The special effects are
probably the best part. The film could almost be skipped.
Film Poster Courtesy of Wikipedia
Storyline
Captain James T. Kirk (Chris Pine) is relieved of starship duties due to failure to keep the prime directive; but, is quickly restored to his position after Starfleet headquarters undergoes attack.
Additional Thanks
Thank you to Director J.J. Abrams for directing efforts.
Thank you to Executive Producers Jeffrey Chernov, David Ellison, Dana Goldberg, and Paul
Schwake for making the film possible. Cast
include: Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Zoe Saldana, Karl Urban, Simon Pegg, John Cho, Benedict Cumberbatch, Anton Yelchin, and Bruce Greenwood.
Star Trek—okay to suitable watch—hides story flaws behind special effects. The special effects, animation, makeup, and choice of cast are outstanding. Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto are great picks for youthful look-alikes of William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy. The movie notably lacks the 'magic' of the first series. But, this movie will suit for 'trekkies' and 'trekkers'.
Film Poster Courtesy of Google Images
Storyline
James Kirk (Chris Pine) attends Starfleet Academy and meets Doctor McCoy and Captain Pike. During training the cadets are mobilized to answer a distress signal coming from Vulcan. They board the Enterprise and the story is on.
Additional Thanks
Thank you to Director J.J. Abrams for directing efforts. Thank you to Executive Producers Bryan Burk, Jeffrey Chernov, Alex Kurtzman, and Roberto Orci for making the film possible. Cast include: Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto Leonard Nimoy, Eric Bana, Bruce Greenwood, Karl Urban, Zoe Saldana, Simon Pegg, and John Cho.
Buy a ticket? Yes? No? Maybe?
Yes. This is a suitable watch and story with very good special effects, animation, make-up, and casting.
Wish—cliched formula film—lacks creativity and originality. The music is
out of place even though it obviously wants to make exposition for the story.
The dialogue lines are ho-hum and fall flat in every scene. The protagonist has a weak script to follow even though he is the bad guy and it is pretty evident.
Film Poster Courtesy of Google Images
Storyline
A young
girl relies on wishing to move to a place of happiness.
Additional
Thanks
Thank you to Director Chris Buck for directing
effort. Thank you to Producers Peter Del Vecho and Juan Pablo Reyes
Lancaster-Jones for making the film possible. Cast includes Ariana DeBose, Chris
Pine, Alan Tudyk, Angelique Cabral, Victor Garber, Natasha Rothwell, Jennifer
Kumiyama, Harvey Guillén, Evan Peters, Ramy Youssef, Jon Rudnitsky, Della Saba, and Keone Young.
Buy a ticket? Yes? No? Maybe?
No. This film has the usual great Disney
animation but that alone cannot drive the investment of a family’s
entertainment time and money. This movie is like every other Disney ‘feel good’
movie with its cliched method formula and the lead female role character trying
to figure it all out. Because it relies on formulaic writing, it lacks the
power of Disney’s earlier movies (Snow White and the Seven Dwarves,Sleeping
Beauty, and Cinderella). If they had done what the 2010 sassy Tangled
movie did, then it had the potential to be another Disney Classic. But, as
is, the film is the epitome of bland.
Into the Woods—okay watch with a long way to go to achieve quality—has great singing
voices but the lyrics are weak, the power of presentation missing, and
entertainment value darkly themed without appeal. The star-studded cast—James Corden, Emily
Blunt, Meryl Streep, Anna Kendrick, Johnny Depp—along with new actors like
Lilla Crawford and Daniel Huddlestone cannot pull any power out of the overall
storyline. The movie lacks intelligence and human spirit.
Film Poster Courtesy of Google Images
Storyline
This fantasy film is
a backstory and an
imaginary correlation between five Brothers Grimm fairy tales.
Additional
Thanks
Thank you to Director Rob
Marshall for directing efforts. Thank you to Producers Rob Marshall, John DeLuca,
Callum McDougall for making the film possible. Cast includes: Meryl Streep,
Emily Blunt, James Corden, Anna Kendrick, Tracey Ullman, Christine Baranski,
Johnny Depp, and Chris Pine.
Buy a ticket? Yes? No? Maybe?
Maybe. It has its own storyline which is a rewritten formof five Grimm fairy tales with maybe a fresher look at the overdone screening of these
stories. But, for the most part, it is not well presented or written.
Wonder Woman—work of art owned, interpreted, and defined by Gal Gadot—goes to WOW!
status from its opening scene. The set up for her story could not possibly have
been better. Child actress Lilly Aspell completely charms and Emily Carey
provides the final touch for the entrance of the adult Wonder Woman played by Gadot.
Gadot commands eye movement to follow
her the moment she steps into her scene. Her dialogue, carriage, and poise define
Wonder Woman as Wonder Woman has never been defined before. WOW! What a film! Chris
Pine perfectly supports Gadot’s character and the use of a World War I background for the storyline commands the need for a superheroine. Watch for Ewen
Bremner (as Charlie), Danny Huston (as Ludendorff), and Elena Anaya (as Maru).
The official Bad Guy—Sir Patrick/Ares (David Thewlis)—is a little awkward
because of his non-threatening looks, but he acts the part well and presents
himself onscreen well. The movie earns its watch in every category.
Film
Poster Courtesy of Google Images
Storyline
Wonder
Woman moves from her beginnings into a more modern age.
Additional Thanks
Thank you to Director Patty Jenkins for directing effort.
Thank you to Producers Charles Roven, Deborah Snyder, Zack Snyder, and Richard
Suckle for making the film possible. Cast includes: Gal Gadot, Chris Pine,
Robin Wright, Danny Huston, David Thewlis, Connie Nielsen, and Elena Anaya.
Buy a ticket? Yes? No? Maybe?
Yes. This is a great watch and a great second
watch. The movie’s dialogue is fresh and interesting. Gal Gadot has re-drawn
the traditional Wonder Woman figure into a tower of strength that does not just
rely on physical strength and magical powers. Director Patty Jenkins draws the depth
from a very good movie script.
Unstoppable—some good news and some bad news.The good news—action scenes are superb
and characters are well done. The bad news—a few flat spots that revolve around
the deaths of an engineer and injury of a main character. Overall? Thrilling,
exciting with a few flat spots. It’s a ‘don’t-want-to-get-popcorn-until-the-movie-is-over’
flick.
Film Poster Courtesy of Wikipedia
Storyline
A
train leaves the train yard under its own power without its brakes engaged.
Additional Thanks
Thank
you to Director Tony Scott for directing efforts. Thank you to Executive
Producers Chris Ciaffa, Jeff Kwatinetz, and Rick Yorn for making the film
possible. Additional character/cast include: Frank (Denzel Washington), Will
(Chris Pine), Connie (Rosario Dawson), Dewey (Ethan Suplee), Galvin (Kevin
Dunn), Inspector Werner (Kevin Corrigan), Bunny (Kevin Chapman), Ned (Lew
Temple), and Gilleece (T.J. Miller).
Buy a ticket? Yes? No? Maybe?
Yes. Unstoppable, another tribute to Director Tony
Scott’s directing skill (Spy
Games (1998), The Taking of Pelham 123 (2009), Man on Fire (2004)), defines the thriller/disaster movie genre. Video Critique Available Here:
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