'Star Trek Beyond' continues the post-reboot streak with action and honoring the series' roots

The reboot of Gene Roddenbury's sci-fi series has been financially successful but has not gone over well with some hardcore fans. I'm a fan of the reboot series but I think it seriously went off-track with the millennial version of Wrath of Khan called Star Trek Into Darkness. It focused more on the action and visual effects, turning away to what made Star Trek such a staple in pop culture. For my more in-depth opinion, you can read my review. But this film, under the helm of Fast and Furious director Justin Lin, feels like that missing ingredient has been found along with balancing the action of the reboots.

Star Trek Beyond finds Captain James Kirk (Chris Pine) and the crew of the Enterprise deep in their five-year mission to explore the worlds they encounter an unknown enemy after crossing a nebula. A swarm of small vessel attacks, causing the crew to abandon ship on a distant planet after the destruction of their starship. While on the planet, they must go against a formidable adversary (Idris Elba) with the help of a female warrior (Sofia Boutella).

This installment is solid on the space travel, showing how the mission has worn down the crew. Uhura and Spock's relationship has been affected and Kirk has questions about why he is in Starfleet, his father's legacy becoming a hard thing to live up to. Overall, the aimlessness of the mission has left the crew in a funk, resulting in crewmates pairing off into relationships, engaging in spats, and a general loss of purpose. What they need is an assignment with a goal and stakes.

When the crew arrives at the starbase Yorktown (basically a twisty snowglobe in space), they are given just that while the crew is on shore leave. A female alien, who sent an urgent distress call (isn't that how most of their missions start?) reporting that her ship had been attacked and her crew had been taken hostage by a belligerent warrior known as Krall. Kirk gathers the rest of the familiar faces (Saldana's Uhura, Cho's Sulu, Zachary Quinto's Spock, Karl Urban's Bones, Pegg's Scotty, and the late Anton Yelchin's Chekov) and the Enterprise departs, navigating through an awe-less nebula and squares off against Krall. To avoid going into spoiler territory, Krall's intentions become clear as the movie continues on and the crew work to be reunited on the planet.

While it would have been great to know Krall's plan possibly midway through the film as the different pockets of the crew went on their mini-adventures to be reunited with one another, it does pay off later on in the third act of the film. Unfortunately, that's way too late. While the audience is left to ponder the villain's plan (there isn't a lot of speeches or monologues by Krall), we have mini-arcs of character development: the on-again/off-again romance between Spock and Uhura; the love-hate bond between Spock and Bones; Kirk's personal arc as a leader. These are the best parts of Beyond. After so many missions with the main crew of the Enterprise, we never got a deeper look into their lives beyond the bridge. It was interesting as a fan to get that inside look. Some new characters were also proven to be well-crafted, three-dimensional beings; Elba's menacing Krall and Sofia Boutella's kabuki-skinned alien she-warrior Jaylah, are exciting additions.

Ultimately, Beyond is a movie about characters and character. But that is only half of the battle. The other half is...battle. Straight-up action. The camera angles of those scenes can give you a headache but spectacular nonetheless. While this isn't Justin Lin's best work, he does an excellent job in his first go-around in the director's chair. The music of Public Enemy and Beastie Boys were welcome additions to the fun of the big-budget action scenes. We've also seen Kirk on an antique 20th century motorcycle from the trailer and that scene was impressive but also hearkens back to the 2009 reboot from when a young Kirk drives around in a Detroit muscle car.

Without being nitpicky, I can say that Beyond is a fine movie but not a very good Star Trek movie. A definite improvement from its predecessor but it felt like another tentpole summer film. But when is the last time we saw an actual good Star Trek movie?

San Diego Comic Con - Doctor Strange Trailer 2

When Marvel comes to Comic Con, they know how to make an appearance. While they announced some news that I'll cover in another post either later tonight or tomorrow, there is always some new footage or preview. This year, they didn't disappoint. Along with news about Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2, Black Panther, and a major phase three announcement.

For now, let's get to the next film in Phase 3 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe in the new trailer for Doctor Strange.

Benedict Cumberbatch stars as the surgeon-turned-sorcerer Stephen Strange, who is injured in a car accident that ruins his career. Going on a journey of healing, Strange encounters the Ancient One (Tilda Swinton), who becomes his mentor in the mystic arts. The film also stars Rachel McAdams, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Benedict Wong, and Mads Mikkelsen.

This trailer gives a deeper look at Mikkelsen's villain, and issues an ominous warning: "I am death, and pain - you'll die protecting this world. We get our first look at Wong as...Wong, who warns "Be careful which path you travel down, Strange. Stronger men than you have lost their way."

Obviously, this movie is a hard left turn away from what the MCU was built on, going into the full fantasy and magical side of Marvel's history. This goes away from the sci-fi tech that has been a staple in the universe for the last thirteen films.

From this trailer, Marvel can guarantee one thing: we're going to see some crazy stuff.

Oh, and here is the new poster!

Doctor Strange opens in theaters on November 4.

Comic-Con Trailers

Whether or not we are nerds, movie lovers, or television fans, everyone has heard about the event known as San Diego Comic-Con. I have a goal to make it out to the west coast for that spectacle one year, attend all the events I can in each hall and see the stars of my favorite films and shows. I want to partake in the excitement of seeing the footage of coming attractions, but until that day comes, I just have to watch them as they are released online. 

First, we have an origin story of an classic cinema character that continues to overcome the test of time in Kong: Skull Island

Next, a literary character's story is retold as Charlie Hunnam trades in his Sons of Anarchy leather for a tunic in King Arthur: Legend of the Sword.

The woods of a 1999 horror classic spurs a sequel in Blair Witch, coming to theaters in September.

The Wizarding World made an appearance at Comic-Con as a new full-trailer for Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, coming out this November. 

Saving some of the best for last, we FINALLY get a preview for one of next summer's biggest movies. An Amazon princess leaves her island home to explore the world, and becomes the greatest of its heroes. Gal Gadot returns in Wonder Woman.

Finally, we get a small tease of the DC's Expanded Universe next big-budget film; an ensemble film that has been years in the making. Coming off the heels of the events in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Bruce Wayne (Ben Affleck), fueled by his restored faith in humanity and inspired by Superman's (Henry Cavill) selfless act, enlists the help of his newfound ally, Diana Prince (Gal Gadot), to unite a team of outcasts to face an even greater enemy. 

We get live action shots of Barry Allen (Ezra Miller) as the Flash, Victor Stone (Ray Fisher) as Cyborg, and a mute but aggressive Arthur Curry/Aquaman (Jason Momoa). After Dawn of Justice, I'm still hesitant on this film but I'm optimistic for now. 

 

That's all of the film that have had trailer releases in San Diego. Which ones catch you eye? Which one do you need to see more to get on board? I hope you all enjoy these videos. 

A diverse band of outlaws assemble in newest 'The Magnificent Seven' trailer

Westerns used to be all the rage a generation ago. From John Wayne's plethora of Western films to Sergio Leone's Dollars Trilogy that starred Clint Eastwood, they were well-received and happened almost as regular as today's Superhero films. Now, they come rarely and appear mediocre in comparison to those of the past. Some parodies have come along like Adam Sandler's Netflix original, The Ridiculous Six and one or two prove to be good like Tarantino's snowy western, The Hateful Eight. Soon, viewers will be staring down the barrel of Antoine Fuqua's The Magnificent Seven, a remake of John Sturgis' iconic 1960 Western (itself, a remake of Akira Kurosawa's Seven Samurai).

Denzel Washington stars as Chisolm, a bounty hunter recruited by a vengeful Emma Cullen (Haley Bennett) to settle the score against oppressive industrialist Bartholomew Bogue (Peter Sarsgaard). Understanding he'll need help, Chisolm recruits a strikeforce of desperadoes. The seven are vastly outnumbered by Bogue army of cronie but seem up to the challenge.

From the trailer, this team seems to get along fairly well for a band of misfits that includes: gambler Josh Farraday (Chris Pratt), sharpshooter Goodnight Robicheaux (Ethan Hawke), trapper Jack Horne (Vincent D'Onofrio), assassin Billy Rocks (Lee Byung-Hun), outlaw Vasquez (Manuel Garcia-Rulfo), and Comanche warrior Red Harvest (Martin Sensmeier). They seem to think on their feet and love to blow stuff up. I think it'll be a fair fight to watch.

The Magnificent Seven rides in on September 23.

Emily Blunt is terrifying in new 'The Girl on the Train' trailer

The second trailer for The Girl on the Train came barreling into the online station today, giving viewers a closer look at Emily Blunt's depressed, alcoholic heroine, Rachel Watson.

But it seems like she is anything but helpful in this preview.

Based on Paula Hawkins' surprising best-seller 2015 thriller, The Girl on the Train follows Rachel (Blunt), a depressed, unemployed woman who invents a fantasy life for a couple that she spies from the train on her morning commute - then she grows dangerously involved in the police investigation when the wife (Haley Bennett) turns up missing, an event that she witnessed from the window of her train.

In this trailer, we get a deeper look at the details surrounding the case: the fantasy couple, Megan (Bennett) and Scott (Luke Evans), live a couple of houses down from Rachel's ex-husband, Tom (Justin Theroux) and his new wife. Naturally, suspicions eventually turn to Rachel herself. She was stated to be seen in the area the night of the disappearance and, as the trailer reaches its conclusion, Rachel seems to become more unstable as she searches for answers.

But Rachel has another thing to fear: herself.

I love this trailer and its chilling tone, effectively setting up the mystery in the film's story. Emily Blunt seems to own her flawed and, apparently, fragile heroine. It still echoes Gone Girl to me and it could also be a sleeper hit of the fall season, especially considering the popularity of the film. It's definitely a film I will spend money going to see.

The Girl on the Train comes into theaters on October 7.

'Ghostbusters' and its female cast spooks up an impressive reboot

Hey, everyone! As usual, life gets in the way but I'm back with another review!

When the Ghostbusters reboot was announced, the all-female leading cast revealed, and the first trailer released, let's just say that the reviews were less than positive. The first trailer was probably one of the most polarizing of this year. Personally, the jokes were mildly funny and didn't impress, not even being bothered by the cast. However, the cast seemed to be the main reason why the film wasn't hitting it off with critics. Personally, I think it was more of the nostalgia from the fans that caused problems more than the cast. 

There is only one way that you can tell if a film is good or bad: See it for yourself. 

Ghostbusters introduces Dr. Erin Gilbert (Kristen Wiig), a teacher at Columbia University and the co-author of a book which poses the existence of paranormal phenomenon such as ghosts. Because of the book's unpopularity, she distances herself from the work. Learning the book has resurfaced, Gilbert visits the other co-author and former friend, Dr. Abby Yates (Melissa McCarthy). Yates has continued the study of the paranormal at a technical college with eccentric  engineer Dr. Jillian Holtzmann (Kate McKinnon). With Gilbert grudgingly tagging along, the trio is recruited to assist on a paranormal investigation. When this proves Gilbert and Yates' theory on the paranormal, they decide to open a department to study the paranormal. Drawing the attention of MTA Patty Tolan (Leslie Jones), who had her own experience with ghosts of New York City, and she joins the team to save the city from a paranormal event.

I'll admit that I wasn't completely high on this movie but, after viewing it, this reboot is a lot better than I thought it would be. The four main cast members had great chemistry and the focus on the characters and how they worked as a team, making them more three-dimensional (always director Paul Feig's strength) helped strengthen the film. As far as the characters overall, Kate McKinnon's Holtzmann was hilariously creative and owning her character, showing that her work on Saturday Night Live gave her the needed foundation in her first big film. Chris Hemsworth, more known as Marvel's resident God of Thunder, Thor, certainly showed off his comedic chops by playing the handsome but dim-witted secretary Kevin Beckman. Out of the main cast, those two roles stood out to me. Melissa McCarthy was her usual comedian self along with Kristen Wiig. Leslie Jones was marginally funny to me, only providing a few gut-busting laughs. 

The CGI really works in 3-D but it does drag the film down a little, especially when they were testing out their weapons. There were cameos by the members of the original cast with Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Ernie Hudson, and Sigourney Weaver but this film does a good job of standing on its own, setting itself up for a future sequel. Even through it is difficult to not compare it to the original, which it pales in comparison, the film and its marvelous cast does a great job in honoring the past. 

Now, we can only hope that the sequel doesn't follow the same course as Ghostbusters 2. 

Blake Lively delivers a sleeper of a good movie with 'The Shallows'

At the halfway point of the summer, I think it's safe to say that it has been a bit of a letdown after the start of the movie season in May. The box office has been buzzing wonderfully so far, but there are very few movies that people are actually talking about at work, around water coolers, etc. After the release of the superhero blockbusters like Captain America: Civil War and X-Men: Apocalypse to sequels like Finding Dory, there were very few original films that you could talk about later after the summer is over. When I heard about Blake Lively's shark movie The Shallows, I didn't think anything of it. I didn't expect Jaws - or even the occasionally "good" open water film that involves the ocean's greatest predator. But after watching the trailers, you already have the sense that it could be a guilty pleasure film that you take a chance on. Which it exactly turns out to be. Lively's not here to break new ground. And it's disappointingly light on great white-caused slaughter. But if you are looking for a 90-minute, check-your-brain-at-the-ticket-window distraction from the world, this is your surprise hit.

The Shallows stars Lively (The Age of Adaline, The Town) as Nancy Adams - a resourceful med school who travels to a secluded beach in Mexico that her late mother spoke about with beautiful admiration. After her traveling companion flakes on her due to a hangover, the solo Nancy decides to go alone. The beach is just as she was told by her mother and shown in pictures. After meeting up with some local surfers, she surfs until they leave her in the water. After a 20-foot predator takes a chunk of her and her surfboard, Adams makes it to a tiny rock that gets smaller and more precarious as the tide comes in. From there, we see Adams using her resources and an unintentional assist from the surfers in the form of a Go Pro camera to survive. 

Directed by Jaume Collet-Serra, this movie had the same pulpy absurdness that was seen in Liam Nesson's Unknown and Non-Stop. The Shallows tries to be the actress' 127 Hours but it just comes off as an easy-on-the-eyes, bikini-clad woman in peril. The movie doesn't try to overthink or make itself out more than what it actually is. You're not rooting for the shark but you are not rooting against it either. It is a game of cat and mouse between human and animal; Nancy using her wits and MacGyvers her way through this movie while the shark circles for his next opportunity to capture his prey. While the film knows its audience and the attention span of the people they were trying to attract, Collet-Serra and writer Anthony Jaswinski could have added in some more comedic lines for Lively and maybe amped up the action with the shark. There is a small nod to Cast Away with a cranky bird Nancy names Steven Seagull keeping her company. Overall, it was a surprise hit for me and for Rotten Tomatoes, who has certified the movie 'Fresh'. I would recommend this shark film for anyone looking for a quick but enjoyable film.