CLICK HERE to watch the trailer for Star Trek Into Darkness.

Now playing across Hampton Roads and Northeastern North Carolina.

Star Trek Into Darkness is the sequel to the franchise reboot launched by J.J. Abrams in 2009.  The writers of Into Darkness have opted to stick with the story flow and characters of the originals, but Abrams tried to take the action up a notch.

Into Darkness finds our faithful characters quietly existing and –led by Capt Kirk — roguely bucking the intergalactic rule book much to the dismay of the rule-following Spock.

It’s not long before they have to begin battling a serious bad guy terrorist – no spoiler here!!  But, if you know the second film in the original film series –  that’s a hint.  And I’m sure if you’re a Trekkie madly awaiting this film and somehow you didn’t see it this weekend — you still already know.  (Nevertheless I won’t mention the name of the returning villain.)   Of course we have to find the bad guy in the middle of some Klingons right from the beginning!  And that leads to a massive escape scene!  (This made me question — Might this be a preview of what a new Star Wars might look like with J.J. Abrams at the helm?)

Of course the crew of the Enterprise carries out its mission as tasked to battle the villain, but along the way the story unfolds as more about the development of the characters and especially about Kirk and Spock getting to know each other than anything…which I found refreshing and interesting.  

I’ve never been a particular fan of Chris Pine as an actor, but I do find him doing an above par job as Kirk.  And Zachary Quinto as Spock continues to shine as Spock!  I love watching him; he’s always spot on, but this time he seems to have added more layers to the character.

Director J.J. Abrams manages to go bigger and relatively better in the special effects and explosions department.  I was never distracted by the CGI, and found it believable even in the middle of an unbelievable scenario.  Some of the 3D was particularly impressive.  It’s been a long time since I ducked in my seat to avoid something seemingly flying right at me… But I did.  Twice.

The 2009 writing team of Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci were joined this time around by Abrams’ pal and partner on many projects Damon Lindelof.  Not sure how they managed it as a team, but the character development seemed stronger here, and the story seemed more tightly woven than 2009. 

One interesting thing to note for me is in the casting – particularly of the bad guy (Benedict Cumberbatch), but also in the choice of Alice Eve as Carol Marcus.  I found it distracting, maybe the accents had something to do with it?  They just seemed weak choices to me.

I liked Into Darkness well enough, not as much as Star Trek 2009, but I think that’s because I was high on the newness and refreshed take on the characters then.  Now that they are settling in, you get to be a bit more nit picky.  There are things I liked better than 2009, too, namely the focus on characters.  No doubt about one thing, with Into Darkness, Abrams and crew boldly go exactly where they want it to go, and Star Trek fans are enjoying the ride. 

THREE OUT OF FIVE COOKIES

CLICK HERE to watch the trailer for The Great Gatsby!  Now playing in theaters across Hampton Roads.

I have been waiting for this film to release for a year. I’ve been waiting since the first time I got wind of it April 2012.

The Great Gatsby is one of my favorite books of all time, and I love Baz Luhrmann and his film vision (excepting only Australia.) Moulin Rouge is on my top 10 list of favorite films of all time.  So you have to know that combining the two Baz Luhrmann directing The Great Gatsby = amazing potential!

So just in case there are a few of you that skipped reading the book in ninth grade English… The story of Jay Gatsby is historic.  Gatsby is madly in love with a girl named Daisy. Daisy loved him but needed to get out of her hometown. The only way out she could see at the time required dollar signs, and lots of them.  And Gatsby, well, he certainly had no money back then.  So she married someone else and there you have the backstory.

In the 2013 Gatsby (still taking place in the early 1920′s), we find Nick Carraway (Tobey Maguire) struggling with a therapist to get the story out of him.  The therapist encourages him to write it down, and so he begins… arriving in town and renting a small cottage near a mansion outside New York City.   The cottage is not far from his cousin’s house — that would be Daisy (Carey Mulligan)– who is now married to a blue blood, old money type named Tom Buchanan (Joel Edgerton).  Even though it’s been years of Daisy  living nearby, it’s not until Nick pays a visit that she learns who’s living across the bay.

Jay Gatsby (Leonardo DiCaprio) is known for throwing opulent, over-the-top, unbelievable parties at his Art Deco mansion.  People come from miles around to attend these parties and no one needs an invitation – everyone is welcome.   And soon everything is set in motion for Gatsby to meet with Daisy again after all these years — just now he has money.  Soon enough we learn that Tom — Daisy’s husband shows a whole new side of marriage and not with Daisy.

All of the story of Gatsby is there with Luhrmann’s amazing and opulent touch.  There’s love, affairs, mayhem, and murder — all of the highest caliber.   Some will find this take “over the top”, but Gatsby itself is over the top!  A perfect pairing!

Much has been made of the choice to have Mulligan playing Daisy but I found her to be just fine.   Dicaprio as Gatsby — while there are times of apparent overacting, more on this later — did an exceptional job as Jay Gatsby (throwing in just enough “old sport” tags at the end of nearly every sentence – a favorite part of the character doing what he thinks he should to fit in as a money man).   And Maguire as Carraway played right down the middle, really well done.

For me, though, this film will be remembered for its set design. There’s a lot of CGI, however, it is largely impressive with only a few exceptions. And the design of the entire set and production is gorgeous.  And a shout out to wardrobe department!  Some stunning pieces throughout!

Of course there are a few things I didn’t like about the film.  I saw it in 3-D, and while I understand it, and I feel it did magnify the opulence that the director was going for, it was actually distracting at some points.  (I am particularly thinking of some lip-synching and looping that did not pan out in some driving scenes.)  Also there are times that the literal words and the letters of the words that Nick Carraway is writing come alive on the screen and float at you in 3-D — a little distracting and I didn’t think it was necessary.  There is some overacting from many of the cast, but because of the grander scale and the larger-than-life ideal of the novel’s Gatsby, you have to believe Luhrmann did this on purpose.  At least I do.  He was going for something.  I’m sure of it. 

Even though I’m the person who has to look at the total package, and I do see its shortcomings and drawbacks, I still have to say –also being a person who just loves Gatsby and literature and film:  This Gatsby is just great, Old Sport!

FOUR AND A HALF OUT OF FIVE COOKIES

Rated PG-13 for some violent images, sexual content, smoking, partying and brief language.

CLICK HERE to watch the trailer for Iron Man 3.

The third installment of Iron Man has arrived…but an argument can be made for this being the fourth considering last summer’s The Avengers. But nevertheless…. Robert Downey Jr. Returns as Tony Stark aka Iron Man. Fresh from The Avengers domination (both of their enemies and at the box office).

We find Tony Stark having anxiety attacks and not sleeping.  He is working tirelessly on new suits that can be summoned remotely and forgetting to keep the home fires burning with Pepper (Gwenyth Paltrow).  Also Don Cheadle is back as Stark’s friend Rhodes doing his best in his red white and blue armor to defend the US intents.

Soon enough multiple enemies are after them.  The Mandarin (Ben Kingsly) is some kind of terrorist targeting US interests and destroying them and Aldrich Killian (Guy Pearce) and Rebecca Hall (as a former one-night stand of Tony’s) are out to get Stark because he dismissed their theories of regeneration in 1999.  The story is a bit far fetched, but interestingly enough all the enemies appear to be tied together, event though you never quite know how.

The ultimate battles set Iron Man up for the loss of his suit. Stark spends about the middle third of the film sans armor and surviving on instinct.  Atone point he has to rely on a kid for help.  This was my favorite section of the film, because Stark had to face that sometimes you need help, and sometimes that help comes from a little kid.

Some of the ensuing battle scenes are one dimensional even in 3-D.  I felt the plot was a bit messy in places, but the witty dialogue from Director and co-writer Shane Black along with co-writer Drew Pearce was still fresh tripping off the tongue of Robert Downey, Jr.  Downey is Stark and Iron Man and we no longer wonder where one ends and the other begins.

Be sure to stay for the Easter egg in the credits… It’s worth the wait and hints at things to come.

THREE AND A HALF OUT OF FIVE COOKIES

Rated PG-13 for for sequences of intense sci-fi action and violence throughout, and brief suggestive content.

CLICK HERE to watch the trailer for OBLIVION!

The year is 2077 and Earth as we know it is gone.  Ravaged some time ago by an alien force we’re told.  A few of them remain as scavengers and likewise a few humans remain.

The bulk of all Humans are now living on Titan, with a few left on Earth minding the resource gathering (some would call depletion) for those humans on Titan.  They need the water to live.

Two of the humans still around on Earth are Jack Harper (Tom Cruise) — a one man clean-up crew who rides around earth in a fancy space copter taking on the scavengers and repairing our drones that do the same.  Also still around is Vica (Andrea Riseborough) who is Jack’s lover and fellow team member who never leaves their space needle home, but monitors his every move on the planet while effectively placating their boss on Titan.  Both have had their earth-bound memories erased allegedly so as not to complicate matters in case they’re captured.

As things are nearing completion and Jack and Vica are preparing to leave for good headed to Titan.  A crash of an aging NASA vessel and the people inside it sends everything into a tailspin — including the thought that Jack’s memory had been erased.  Has it?  This sets a new course and a second half of the film unlike the first.  The first – higher-paced, action driven and the second – Slower paced, character development driven.  A bit of a yawn stretch as we wait for details to unfold.

Tom Cruse does an okay if melodramatic-at-times job.  (Oh, and Yes!  Morgan Freeman is in it too — I wish I hadn’t seen him in the trailer, because it kind of blew some of the story for me waiting for him to appear!)

Oblivion is Directed by Joseph Kosinski (of TRON:Legacy fame) And written by Kosinski, along with William Monahan (The Departed, The Edge of Darkness), Karl Gajdusek (Trespass), and Michael Arndt (Little Miss Sunshine, Toy Story, currently writing Star Wars:Episode VII).  At times it’s too focused on story – exposing some real flaws.  At other times its like a kid in a candy store with all of the effects we see whizzing by.

With Earth Day 2013 here and our focus on saving the planet front of mind, and then thinking about the Earth of the Oblivion future, you have to wonder what we are trying to tell ourselves through art.  Ultimately in Oblivion, Earth is on the brink of total irrevocable decimation due in large part to our dependence on Technology.  (Says the writer pounding out words on her iPad with the satellite TV feed droning in the background and the automatic coffee maker beginning to stir.)

Oblivion like Wall-E before it (and seemingly less effectively) shines a light on what we are doing to the planet and gives us a glimpse of where we are headed… But also gives us hope that just maybe we won’t slip into Oblivion.

 THREE OUT OF FIVE COOKIES

Rated PG-13… (There are some sexy scenes parents!)

CLICK HERE to watch the trailer for Jurassic Park!

It’s the 20th anniversary of this exceptional film by Steven Spielberg that gave us all hope that something as amazing as really experiencing dinosaurs was plausible!  S what does Spielberg do?  Re-imagines it employing 3D technology for the really big screen!

I remember when I first saw the original thinking– that would be cool in 3D, that would be cool in 3D, oh, I’d love to see that in 3D!!   Imagine my excitement at finally getting to see it in 3D.   My only hesitation was… Would it live up to itself?  Would it seem dated?  The answers: YES AND NO!  Yes, it lives up to it’s self.  Even knowing the story as well as I do, I thoroughly enjoyed watching this and remembering things like: I LOVED JEFF GOLDBLUM IN THIS FILM! And no, it doesn’t seem dated, unless you count the DOS programs running on the computers or the size and shapes of phones and monitors.

I won’t bore you with the plot and the characters because you must surely know them.  This film is legendary.  I simply want to talk about the 3D part of this release.  In a word:  awesome.  It really lives up to all expectations.  If you are a fan of film, if you are a fan of dinosaurs, if you are a fan of Spielberg, if you are a fan of 3D… Don’t miss this in IMAX.

It more than stands the test of time.

FIVE OUT OF FIVE COOKIES

Rated PG-13 for intense science fiction terror.

CLICK HERE to watch the scary trailer from 2013′s Evil Dead!

Now showing in theaters around Hampton Roads.

Evil Dead is blood, guts and gore to the extreme as writer-director Fede Alvarez along with co-scriptwriter Rodo Sayagues  takes on Sam Raimi’s 1981 cult classic The Evil Dead.  The original was funny and scary and gory.  And most importantly is beloved by so many.  This 2013 version manages to pay worthy homage to the original, but never quite achieves what that original did.

The crux of the original story is still there: Five twenty-something friends head to an isolated cabin in the woods where they manage to unleash evil that is hooked on demonic possession.  But, instead of going there on vacation like the original, these 2013 friends are on a mission to help their friend Mia quit heroin cold turkey.

Eric is the teacher who discovers a book bound in barbed wire with warnings all over it not to open it, look at it, read it… So what does he do? Open it, look at it, read it.  Thus, unleashing a reign of horror!

There are some frightening moments and plenty of shield your eyes scenes (I’m thinking of things involving a nail gun, an electric knife, and oh, yes!  The chainsaw is back!  If you loved the original you should like this one.  There are enough mini tributes to the original to make you smile.  I’ll just say it was pretty GROOVY.  Fans will get it.  And fans should stick around through the credits for a surprise.

THREE OUT OF FIVE COOKIES

Rated R for strong bloody violence and gore, some sexual content and language.

Click HERE to watch the official trailer for THE HOST.

The Host comes to us from Stephenie Meyer — author of the “amazing” “Twilight” books.  It’s the story of Earth under siege by an alien species (called souls) that takes over the bodies of humans.  Even though they have lived in harmony with  most other species whose planets they’ve inhabited, the species is apparently upset that we kill each other, and needs to stop it by hosting.

This is the story of one woman (Melanie)  who refuses to be hosted.  She fights back from inside of her own head (mostly through voice over conversation), forcing the soul species to pay attention to her.  She finally convinces the host to take her to her family for help.

Her Uncle Jeb (William Hurt) leads a group of humans in the desert who have managed to avoid being hosted.   He seems to know what is going on with Melanie, believes her, and tries to lead the group to change their thinking of the invaders.

Of course there’s the weirdest love story ever playing out here, it’s between Wanda (the soul species in control of the body) and her love interest Ian (Jake Abel) along with Melanie (the human species fighting to survive in the suppressed areas of her own mind) and her love interest Jared (Max Irons).  She was in love with him before hosting.  It’s very strange because Wanda and Melanie (Saoirse Ronan) are fighting each other on their urges for the other one’s love.

Of course there are the Seekers trying to find Wanda… And some alien fighting and dying, and saving of earth.

This is certainly one of the worst films I’ve ever seen.  The acting is below sub par, except from Hurt. There is an interesting concept of storyline but execution was far from effective.  It frequently felt like a Saturday Night Live kind of skit that I was struggling to find the humor in, especially in scenes where Melanie is talking to Wanda inside her own head via voice over.  It really was laughable at times.

What made it all even worse was the melodramatic music throughout the film.  It was disastrous.  There was no real passion and no intensity among the acting. If this was supposed to be the second coming of a Team Jacob – Team Edward kind of thing, it fell far short of even that.  I’m not a fan of the Twilight movies and this doesn’t even come close to the love story of that series.  The passion of the relationships wasn’t there, and there weren’t enough scenes between the stars to create any on camera chemistry.

I can honestly say that the best thing about the film for me was at the end — when Radioactive by Imagine Dragons plays under the credits.  Love that song.

One cookie out of five.  (A first for me: One.  Just one.)

Rated PG-13 for some sensuality and violence

Click here for a link to The Croods trailer!

This prehistoric tale turned animated feature is full of family fun, minor history lessons and equal parts teenage angst and colorful imagination.

The Croods gets rolling with the caveman life of Grug (voiced by Nicolas Cage), his wife Ugga (Catherine Keener) and the rest of their family are on the hunt for food.  The hunter gatherer roles we’ve learned about are blurred as the family equally participates in getting the last morsel of food in the land before retiring to their cave in fear.

Oh, yes… fear.  It’s important according to Grug — with all of the other known cave families now dead… he decides the only thing that’s kept them alive is fear.  He advises the family to fear everything.

Soon the teen daughter  Eep (Emma Stone) is on the run and discovers another human!!  Guy (Ryan Reynolds).  Guy says the end of the world is coming and after seeing this thing he has called fire…she wants to go where he is going, do what he is doing…  Lots of parental fighting and teen brooding goes by, but  Soon Grug and the family are on the run and find themselves in a land they never knew existed.

Grug’s mother in law is Granma (Cloris Leachman).  They have a bit of a stereotypical relationship which infers the problems between men and their with the mother in laws have been around since prehistoric times.  Eventually Grug has to accept that his ideas will have to change if he and his family are to survive.  But the learning process is cute and fun and entertaining along the way despite the formula of the storyline.

It’s a film by DreamWorks and the colorful-beyond-belief animation says as much.   The non-stop action is ripe with slapstick and punch lines that had kids in my theater laughing  and giggling throughout.  It’s far from an instant classic, but The Croods is the best animated movie of 2013… Even if it is only March.

Three and a half cookies out of five.

Rated PG (for some scary action).

CLICK HERE to watch the trailer for Oz the Great and Powerful.

I have been so excited and highly anticipating the moment in time where I could don my 3D glasses, lean back in my seat and fall into this film in IMAX wonder to be transported back to the magical land of Oz.  And then it happened.  Nothing is what it seems both in Oz and in my dream of what this film would be.

Oz the Great and Powerful is the Disney version of the prequel to one of the most iconic MGM (now under Warner Bros.) films of all time (important distinction I will get to later).  As the film opens Director Sam Raimi uses the original Academy ratio and the black and white/sepia treatment to tell the story of Oscar (James Franco)… A con man with a traveling circus with a penchant for the ladies (including Annie who comes along to tell him she’s going to marry a man named Gale in the hopes he will tell her not to, but he doesn’t.)

Soon on the run from the strongman, Oscar jumps aboard a tethered hot air balloon to get away despite the looming storm and twister in view.  This leads to the landing in Oz foretold in the original film.  As the Land of Oz is revealed we are treated to a Great and Powerful spectacle of color and imagination… Of course meant to mirror the iconic film’s story.

Oscar soon encounters Theodora (Mila Kunis) who tells of the prophecy of a wizard who will save the land of Oz and its people from the evil witch.  Tempted by all the gold in Oz, Oscar begins to play along… Theodora’s sister Evanora (Rachel Weisz) is a little ticked off about this… And we soon learn who is wicked and who is not.

The crux of the story is that Oz must kill the witch to claim the throne.   He saves the life of a flying monkey who then dedicates his life to Oz.  The monkey (Zach Braff) soon learns what he’s in for with Oz’s lies.  Oz encounters a china doll and of course Glinda (Michelle Williams) and the munchkins along the yellow brick road.  Glinda has his number, but agrees to help him because that is what Oz needs – someone to believe in.

A royal battle of wicked proportions and man-behind-the-curtain type stuff later… And we (lovers of the original) find ourselves connecting dots and seeing where this is going.  But fear not, if you are one of the few people on earth who hasn’t see The Wizard of Oz nothing will be ruined here.

As I said I was so excited to see this film.  The only place I wasn’t let down was in the production design and the use of 3D.  Most of the land of Oz was spectacular even if overwhelming in color and scope.  But alas,  From the story itself (which had to be changed here and there for trademark reasons and only certain things alluded to), to the weak and uninspired acting (especially of Williams and Franko), to some of the weakest dialogue, and that just not good CG monkey Finley, I was utterly disappointed.

I should mention that Rachel Weisz was exceptional, but I wonder if she was merely so in comparison to the others.  I think the biggest thing missing from Oz the Great and Powerful is the magic.  It just didn’t own the sense of wonder that one would expect and fell far below expectations.  Those pesky trademark issues came into play again — even the  wicked witch’s green makeup  had to be a different shade of green due to trademarks!

I could see how some might be entertained by the smoke and mirrors, but I saw the man behind the curtain throughout.  So much of the film was shot in green screen and it was obvious.

Instead of “I laughed, I cried, I cheered”, it was more like “I yawned, I stretched, I almost nodded off”.  I was bored during much of this film.  I should have known!  Not counting The Godfather… What spectacular film has ever come out in March right after the Oscars.  In fact… According to whowonoscars.com… for more than 20 years, the months February, March and April had no nominees at all.

Please, please, please let the film version of WICKED be redeeming…

A mere TWO OUT OF FIVE COOKIES.

Rated PG for sequences of action and scary images, and brief mild language. 

Click here to watch the trailer for Jack the Giant Slayer.

Now in theaters across Hampton Roads….

Jack the Giant Slayer movie poster (Jack not seen here, because I like the poster with Ewan McGregor more.)

We’ve all heard the story of Jack and the Beanstalk, but this time it gets a fairy tale face lift with this screenplay that has a heart and a fierce taste of vengeance and humor.

As the story opens we get the tale of giants leaving above earth making thunder and lightening from two different childhood bedrooms.  A poor farmer father telling the story for the zillionth time to young Jack; and the Queen retelling the tale to the very young Princess Isabella.  Both youngsters are a bit obsessed with the story.

Fast forward about ten years and we see that Jack (Nicholas Hoult) and the Princess (Isabella Tomlinson) were destined to meet and live the story into a new chapter.  One thing leads to another and the Princess finds herself in the farmhouse stuck in the beanstalk on the edge of High-up Giantland with Jack and many of the King’s men in tow up the beanstalk to rescue her… Men including Roderick (Stanley Tucci) to whom the Princess is betrothed (much to her dismay).

The Giants can smell the humans and that poses a bit of a problem.  After lots of bad habits on display, disgusting type Giant stuff, peppered with the battling of giants, and pigs-in-a-blanket making (I’m sure you saw that in the trailer), we learn that Roderick was keeping a little secret.

He has a crown in hand that causes the Giants to bow down to him… The crown of a one-time Giant Slayer.  He is now King of the Giants. And no one knows his plan to lead them on earth to rule the land… (Because marrying the princess and living the sweet life weren’t enough.)

Isabelle is rescued and safely down the beanstalk thanks largely to Jack… It seems like a happy ending as Isabella (resigned to marry Rodick) rides with him and her father the King back to the castle…. But, there is a battle yet to be had!  The crown rolls away, and it is game on at the castle.  Lead by the King (Ian McShane) and his right hand knight (Ewan McGregor — whom I love) there are flaming trees thrown and an epic tug of war on the castle door.  It’s some really serious battling.

Jack the Giant Slayer is a Warner Bros. film directed by Bryan Singer of Xmen fame and Written by Darren Lemke (Shrek Ever After), Christopher McQuarrie (The Usual Suspects) and Dan Studney (TV credits only).   The story is fairly well-crafted and entertaining and the directing has its moments.

The film is packed with action and for those taking the 3D plunge into your wallets, plenty of opportunities to duck in the theater.  For me, it’s a little disappointing that the Princess gets herself into trouble and waits for rescue.  It’s 2013 people… Let her pick a lock, shoot a giant, do something!

And then the giants.  Some are believable, others don’t make the mark.  The films release date was pushed back reportedly for the CG artists.  I kinda felt at times they could have pushed it back even more for some fine tuning.   I just suspended belief, and I was okay.

Stanley Tucci is just so spot on.  His moments of humor are excellent – he has the best lines in the film, far and away.  Hoult does a great job of propelling the story.  Nice to see him alive again after his recent turn as a zombie in Warm Bodies.  Oh, and Ewan McGregor is still handsome!

For parents – Jack the Giant Slayer is rated PG-13 for a reason.  The giants are a little scary and some frightening images.  There are also some intense fighting scenes as well as some language to be aware of… Use your judgement.  My nearly 9-year old really liked it but did have some lingering scary moments at night for a few days.

Three out of Five Cookies.