Best Sci Fi movie of all time?

No. George Lucas will always carry that trophy in his back pocket. But is Star Trek the greatest Sci Fi picture in the past 25 years? Arguably, yes. Abrams has created a middle ground where trekkies, Star Wars fans, and even new-to-sci-fi movie fans can come together and experience all the same emotions while watching this film. Star Trek has and will do what Casino Royale did for the Bond franchise, but it did it much, much better. Further it's much more likely that it's sequel will be much, much better than Quantum of Solace.

We're seeing a trend here. Remakes of good movies/stories and making them great. Two cases in point: Casino Royale and Batman Begins, but to a much more relevant and successful standpoint, The Dark Knight. Film makers are seeing these not to be taken seriously movies, watching crazy Koreans stealing diamonds to keep the sun shining all the time or hearing "Ice to see you!" and saying,"I could do better than that." And they do. They start from scratch, scrap all the bad, bring in more of the good, making fans of the series and new viewers alike very, very satisfied. Abrams hopped onto this wagon and truly breathed life into a dying genre.

Star Trek has everything; eye reddening action sequences, ear wax melting sound, ab hurting comedy and even an inter-species dorm room hook up sesh with a green chick. Additionally, all the actors do a fantastic job, most of them in roles that don't fit their MO. I won't go into detail here, but each actor plays their role so well that traces of characters they've played in the past are completely unapparent. The graphics and special effects in Star Trek are the best to ever grace the silver screen. The sleek futuristic beauty of the Enterprise and the dark terror of the Romulan's ship combined with the eery stillness of space bring to mind a similar achievement Kubrick made with 2001: A Space Odyssey.

Boldy go see this movie, and see it on IMAX. You'll be happy you did. Star Trek is by far the most entertaining and awe inspiring film of 2009 and has set the bar for all later films. The tag line get's it right: The Future Begins.


9.8/10

Jimmy Logan

X-Men Origins: Wolverine explains quite a bit: the origin of Wolverine, how Three Mile Island really blew up, and that prequels/sequels don't require skilled writing.

The cinematography and action in XMO:W are incredible, far more eye-catching and enthralling than any other this year so far. It's clear that director Gavin Hood planned each claw swipe, back flip, sword swipe, and teleport in a way that makes each sequence look raw, rough, and even sexy at times. Here's the problem: rough and sexy is all it is. XMO:W is plagued with scenes that have absolutely zero purpose other than generating an audience reaction of "Hmm, that was cool." Further, characters were introduced with large potential for development only to be roped after a few scenes. Beyond this, the dialogue was eye-rolling worthy, a giant cheese fest of velveeta covered filth. Almost as if the screenwriter (who wrote Rendition!?) gave a nod to Storm's line in X:Men "Do you know what happens to a toad when it get's struck by lightning? Same thing that happens to everything else." Ugghhhhh.

On the plus side, we get to see (a completely useless) appearance by Gambit, an (almost useless) introduction of Cyclops, a bald (strange cameo of) Ryan Reynolds, Liev Shreiber gettin' some on an M-60 Full Metal Jacket style, and of course, the origin of Wolverine, even if it's quick enough to be fit into a You Tube video.

XMO:W is like Superman ice cream. It looks cool, but once you realize it's really just vanilla it's a let down. XMO:Wolverine is very entertaining, but it leaves too many loose ends that could only be tied up in a sequel... to a prequel. A second 'origin' doesn't really make much sense, but it looks like it'll happen. Who knows, maybe this'll be another trilogy. Check it out, perhaps you'll agree.

6.5/10

In a jiffy and a little t.o.'d

Despite a screenplay that could have been written by a 15 year old rich kid, LA thug wannabe living in Hoboken, NJ, Fast & Furious is a cold-sweat-causing, red-eye provoking, kick-you-in-the-nuts-and-make-you-want-more testosterone fest of 'holy sh*t!'ness.

Fast & Furious takes place five years after the events of The Fast & the Furious and resurrects the main characters along with it. The events that bring them all back together (along with the entire plot of the movie) will have viewers thinking, "Wait, but... what?...Why would they... Oh! Look! Cars and breasts!"In other words, Fast & Furious is like that hot girl you know named Victoria (yup, her) that you love to go out with, but would douse yourself in 97 octane gasoline and ask her to light a match after talking to her for any more than three minutes. And she'd do it 'cause she's freakin' special! Like our beloved Victoria, where F&F lacks intelligence, it more than makes up with it's sexy, salacious, sweet and saucy form.

This 'form' is made up of imports, muscle cars, guns, scantily clad Asian chicks, and of course, Jordana Brewster, who is sadly only on screen for about 7 minutes. Michelle Rodriguez get's even less screen time, it evens out though with her flash-back time. Paul Walker is less 'Whoa! Paul Walker was freakin' sick in Running Scared!' and more, 'Oh, Joy Ride, that's Paul Walker right? Can I have two for Training Day instead?' Vin Diesel plays the perfect role as always.

Fast & Furious is not a first date movie, though it is definitely a 32nd date movie. Make sure you drive the lamest car possible to see it; obeying posted traffic laws, abiding crossing guards and driving on the right side on the way back will be a true test of citizenry.

Overall: 6.7/10

Who Watches the Watchmen.

I don't know about you, but I have always been a fan of the Film Noir. A lone detective tries to solve a crime with no leads. He eventually finds some clue or someone who knows more. He tries to tell those around him, but most are skeptical at best. Like all film noirs go, there is always more than seems to be present.

Having not read the graphic novel Watchmen, my opinion of the movie may be biased, but guess what I'm the one who's writing. Not you. So what I say goes. Watchmen is a great film. It is truly a unique look at "superheroes" if they could actually exist in an alternate version of the world. None of the characters have superpowers, save for one and like almost all superheroes, his powers only belong to him due to an accident.

The characters of Watchmen really make this film what it is. Each character sees the world from one perspective. Pure black and white, a place where superheroes can't make a difference anymore, or a world on the brink of total annihilation. It is only after their beliefs are shaken to their very core do the Watchmen begin to make the hard choices.

Watchmen is a visually stunning film. It has graphic violence and nudity galore (male and female). It's an important insight into the superhero genre that will be appreciated by fans of that lore. All others will just have to sit back and take Watchmen for what it is, a modern, carefully woven, excellent, film noir.

You like me, you really like me!

8 Oscars for one film? Shazam! Danny Boyle in particular deserves this, especially for his diverse track record. Trainspotting, Sunshine, 28 days later. It's quite respectable. Enough about him, let's talk about the others.

Every award given out was the right one for the right person except one. Kate Winslet was long overdue and Heath Ledger was by far the most deserving for undoubtedly the best performance of the year, if not ever for a psychopath. The one award I didn't agree with, with my counterpart so accurately called, was Sean Penn for best actor. I'm sure many agree with me. Yes, he's a great actor, but in the competition of who can play the best historical figure, Frank Langella's Nixon was far better. Milk was one of the more liberal movie to be released this past year and acting aside, I believe the (incredibly liberal) Academy would be more likely to vote for a man playing a gay freedom fighter than for a man playing a corrupt selfish ex-president.

And though there was no chance of him winning, I am very happy that Robert Downey Jr. was nominated. It's not often that a comedy get's a nod from the Academy and it's encouraging for future films of the genre.

All in all it was a good night, already films like Watchmen will be potential winners for next year.

Waiting is the hardest part

Sigh. If and when I make a movie I will make sure it is released in the first two months of the year so it'll look like gold compared to everything that's out. It's not to say these movies are bad by any means, just that none are truly original.

Put on your walking shoes and take a journey with me as we take a gander at the chart toppers for this past weekend. And...here...we...GO!

Friday the 13th comes in at #1. I can respect that. After Jason went to Space and took on Mr. Kruger, it was about time for him to come back to what his mama taught him and slash up some horny teens. Good form, Mr. Voorhees, originality is the key to success.

He's just not into you. Though I'm not really into date movies aka movies for angry/upset-recently dumped-girlfriends-that-will-watch-this-movie-after-going-to-ben-&-jerry's-for-a-pint-o'- chunky-monkey-while-wearing-sweatpants-and-a-box-of-'hankies', it has a great cast and is a carbon copy of the best seller that came out about 4 years ago.

Taken is nothing more than a less awesome, moreover, less AMERICAN Commando.

Coraline. Everyone should see this movie. Think Spirited Away but not Japanese, not whiney, and on the cusp of creepy graphics. Check it.

Annnddd Confessions of a Shopaholic. Girls that have a mean age of about 3.68 years less than those that will see He's just not that into you will see this. They of course also may be the same girls. The difference between these two movies is a girl actually has a shot at bringing her boyfriend to see the former. No man alive would willingly see this movie without some serious incentive, ie if Sacha Baron Cohen weren't in the picture and some lucky guy were able to take Isla Fisher to the premiere.

Like my counterpart, I am eagerly anticipating the premiere of Watchmen. Until then we're graced by Madea goes to Jail, Under the Sea 3D (which actually looks pretty amazing), Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun Li, and another 3D adventure, Jonas Brothers: The 3D Concert Experience. Lucky for us NY/LA residents, Gomorrah is out as well. Expect a full review on it shortly.

Come on. Push Me.

I'm back. As I'm sure you all know, this blog has come to a screeching halt as of late. And what is to blame you ask, the shitty movies that come out in January and the lovey-dovey February ones still to come. Right now the only movie I'm interested in seeing isn't out until March, and that film is titled Watchmen, but I digress.

Now, to pass the time I went to see Push. I must say that being Chris Evans looks like fun. He gets to beat the shit out of people and sleep with the hottest girls.

Back to Push. For those of you who don't know, it's about people with special abilities aka super powers. There are a few powers that make little or no sense and a few that would just suck to have. I mean I wouldn't tell anybody that when I scream loud, glass breaks. I think that would normally be a given.

Push, however, is not all that bad. It's action is entertaining and the exposition never really slows down the pace of the film. Granted the "why" of the main objective is never really explained and as always in a film like this, a couple of holes in the plot are very apparent.

For the general movie-going population, they will find this film to be dumb and most likely a wast of their time. With any film involving superpowers, magic, or vampires if you can't suspend your beliefs for 2 hours, why are going to see the film in the first place?

For lovers of the Superhero genre (such as myself and my counterpart on this site) we will enjoy the film for what it is, but all of us will leave the theatre with the same thought, "I could have made a movie like that so much better;" and therein, as the Bard would tell us, lies the rub.