Star Trek (2009)

I’ll start by stating, that if you have not already gone to “Star Trek”, then stop what you are doing right now and GO!

I am not a “Trekker” by any means – I can’t rattle off trivia about the show in my sleep. But I have watched more than my fair share of the original series, “Next Generation”, “Deep Space Nine”, “Voyager” and (my favorite) “Enterprise”. And I am a fan of the overall series and what Gene Roddenberry created.

That being said, I’m a huge J.J. Abrams from back in the days of “Felicity”. And the man is a frakkin’ genius. He didn’t create a prequel to the Star Trek series – he rewrote science fiction history with his re-boot of this classic series.

The movie explains how the two lead characters (Kirk and Spock) developed into the men that they are “today”. And it brought a whole new level of appreciation to the characters that Shatner and Nimoy played in the original series.

J.J. Abrams honored all the franchises by sprinkling the film with in-the-know references. The great scene at the beginning with the canyon running through Iowa was a direct reference to an episode of “Enterprise” that rivals our 9/11. Abrams and his crew (many of the folks also work with him on “Lost”) wrote a great story that was also deeply entertaining.

And the support cast was superb. I loved the performances from Simon Pegg (Scotty), Karl Urban (Bones), John Cho (Sulu) and Anton Yelchin (Checkov). I’m not going to give a more thorough review, because in this instance, seeing is really believing – and until you go you just won’t believe how great it really is.

However, I do have to end the review giving props to my brother who worked a camera crane on this pic and shot a number of scenes including the car chase scene, the winter planet scene and the entire parachute/fight scene on the drill (just see the movie and it will make more sense).

Below are trailers from the pic. Enjoy!

End.

Shaun of the Dead (2004)

In honor of Halloween, I thought I'd dedicate October to horror films. The lucky film this week is "Shaun of the
Dead" - a great comedy/horror movie that doesn't spoof other horror flicks, but rather pays homage to them. This British film stars Simon Pegg as Shaun - a slacker who works in an appliance/electronics store who lives with his college roommate, can't quite seem to commit to his girlfriend and doesn't get along with his step-dad - but he does luv his mum.

Shaun and his pal Ed (Nick Frost) slowly begin to realize their town is overrun with zombies and their dimwitted realization is what makes this movie so funny. The scenarios they find themselves in are hilarious - particularly with how the zombies are portrayed, as slow moving, but deadly forces. In a moment of infinite wisdom, Shaun decides the safest place for him and his friends to be is at the local pub (which just so happens to be his favorite place, much to the consternation of his girlfriend) and so the journey to safety (and pints of beer) begins.

Great performances abound, including Bill Nighy as Shaun's step-dad and Lucy Davis (of the BBC's "The Office") as a friend along for the ride. Also, for "The Office" fans - a quick cameo by Martin Freeman - in a fabulously funny scene where Shaun and his troupe cross paths with his ex-girlfriend and her troupe on their way to safety.

If you love the dry wit of British humor - this film is for you. It is a great mash-up of horror and comedy and a perfect flick to watch on Halloween night.

End.