movie reviews

Star Trek Into Darkness is J.J. Abrams's second installment of the famous franchise he rebooted in 2009, and the success of the first film is both a blessing and a curse for the sequel. It has a lot to live up to, but this isn't Abrams's first time at the sci-fi rodeo; he delivers a fantastic film that's both a satisfying sequel and a standalone movie (no need to rewatch the first one or even really be familiar with the Star Trek universe). The awe-inspiring visuals are enough to make a fun Summer movie, but when you factor in the engaging story and strong performances of the cast, Star Trek Into Darkness adds up to a can't-miss movie.

Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto are back as Captain Kirk and Spock, along with the rest of the Starship Enterprise, like Uhura (Zoe Saldana), Scotty (Simon Pegg), and Sulu (John Cho), all showing off more of their fun chemistry, but with interesting developments. Scotty has a moral dilemma with Kirk, Spock and Uhura are having relationship issues, and Kirk and Spock are working on their friendship. It would be entertaining to watch another chapter of these characters together, but it's the arrival of Benedict Cumberbatch as the mysterious villain who targets Starfleet that escalates the excitement. Ready to find out why Star Trek Into Darkness is so great? Just keep reading.

Adapting F. Scott Fitzgerald's 1920s-set novel The Great Gatsby is an ideal fit for director Baz Luhrmann. The man known for over-the-top visuals in films like Moulin Rouge! and Romeo + Juliet depicts the biggest parties you've ever seen in Jazz Age-era New York, and Luhrmann even presents it all in stunning 3D. The aesthetic is the best thing about The Great Gatsby, which falls short in many other aspects. The movie is bloated with every detail and character from the book, and Fitzgerald's text is awkwardly featured on the screen. Luhrmann is as ambitious as Gatsby's climb toward the American dream, and only some of it pays off.

There are a few saving graces, like Leonardo DiCaprio. The actor puts on the impeccable suits of Jay Gatsby, a man whose background and source of wealth are a mystery. The ridiculously rich Gatsby is king of a Long Island castle where he can buy anything — except for the love of his former sweetheart Daisy Buchanan (Carey Mulligan). She's quite comfortable with the old money she married into, even though her husband, Tom (Joel Edgerton), is a cheating bigot. It's the task of Gatsby's neighbor, narrator Nick Carraway (Tobey Maguire), to help Gatsby win Daisy back, and though the two lovers do find their way back to each other, Gatsby's pretty, pretty world crumbles as he tries to make a life with her. The movie follows a similar path, starting off strong — all debauchery, confetti, and champagne — until it fades into a drawn-out bore. Luhrmann still succeeds in some areas, though; to find out what else I thought of The Great Gatsby, just keep reading.

After great Iron Man movies and an Avengers film, it's fair to assume that it's only a matter of time before we get tired of seeing these guys. But Iron Man 3 is not only equally fantastic as its predecessors; it's also the most emotional and most focused installment in the franchise to date. The secret to the success of the film? Giving the audience something they haven't seen before: a different side of Tony, a brand-new suit, and a villain that hits very close to home. Of course, the magic of Robert Downey Jr. is the key ingredient in making these films endlessly fun.

Iron Man 3 opens to the tune of Eiffel 65's song "Blue," which is fitting not just as a cue to the introductory '90s flashback, but because it describes Tony Stark's present-day state of mind. After coming face to face with some aliens (in The Avengers), he's tired, he's anxious, and he's feeling overprotective of his girlfriend, Pepper (Gwyneth Paltrow), all of which makes Tony even more relatable as a character. Superheroes: they're just like us! It doesn't help matters that there's a terrorist on the loose who calls himself The Mandarin (Ben Kingsley), and Tony's penchant for getting himself into trouble quickly makes him a huge target. To find out why Iron Man 3 is a must see, just read more

If you're a romantic-comedy lover with a soft spot for wedding movies, then trust me — you've already seen The Big Wedding. The premise itself probably sounds familiar: when a family comes together for a wedding, hijinks ensue, people don't get along, and secrets are revealed. Even most of the cast members have played similar roles before. Diane Keaton and Robert De Niro play the groom's parents, Katherine Heigl is the bitter sister, and Amanda Seyfried plays the bride. And the unoriginality doesn't stop there! If you're tempted to watch The Big Wedding, then let me advise you that you can get the same fix by watching the movies below. Their accomplishment: they each tackled elements of The Big Wedding first — but better.

1. It's Complicated: In Nancy Meyers's comedy It's Complicated, the romance between the divorced couple played by Meryl Streep and Alec Baldwin feels organic and realistic. That's not the case for Keaton and De Niro's characters in Ellie and Don, the divorced parents of groom Alejandro (Ben Barnes) in The Big Wedding. Oh, it is complicated for them — despite the fact that they haven't been married for over 10 years, sparks still fly between them during the wedding weekend — even though he's already moved on with someone else. When Ellie and Don move closer to a reconnection, it's icky and doesn't make sense for their characters.
2. Wedding Crashers: The Big Wedding is rated R, so there's a healthy dose of raunchy humor, but there's nothing you haven't seen before, especially if you've seen Wedding Crashers. There is even one scene that is straight out of the Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn classic. For frisky family members and R-rated wedding jokes, just watch Wedding Crashers.

Get the rest of the list after the jump.

Director Michael Bay trades in the Transformers for body builders in his latest (and definitely not greatest), Pain & Gain. The movie is based on the morbidly outlandish true story of the Sun Gym Gang, headed by Miami personal trainer Daniel Lugo (Mark Wahlberg). Obsessed with the American Dream but sick of working hard while catering to the rich and famous, Daniel hatches a plan to capture and extort one of his wealthy clients (Tony Shalhoub). The extraordinary real details of the case (think explosions, barbecued body parts, and a stripper who believes she's been invited to join the CIA) are bizarre and fascinating. It's a shame the movie is so overloaded with silly, gratuitous slow-motion shots and over-the-top action sequences that the style overshadows the story.

The film takes place in the early '90s in Miami, and the vibrant colors reflect the era but not the dark story that Pain & Gain is telling. When manipulative Daniel convinces ex-addict Paul (Dwayne Johnson) and roided-out pal Adrian (Anthony Mackie) to help him with his plan, the ensuing disaster is gruesome, dark, and depressing. What nobody ever told Daniel is that to achieve success, you have to be smart as well as a hard worker. (Wahlberg does however, look amazing, even giving a tongue-in-cheek shout-out to his modeling days when he sports Calvin Klein briefs in one scene.) The movie could have ended several times before it does, but it just keeps going, as the details get progressively sloppier and the plot holes keep piling up. Get more of my thoughts on Pain & Gain after the jump.

I've been excited to see Oblivion since the trailer came out, but it isn't the mind-bending sci-fi film I was hoping for. Though it has a promising premise — a man on a postapocalyptic Earth is troubled by vivid memories of a world he supposedly wasn't alive to witness — it throws lackluster wrenches into the plot and settles for a ho-hum resolution. Jack (Tom Cruise) is one half of a maintenance team that repairs resource-sucking drones on what's left of Earth. He and partner Victoria (Andrea Riseborough) only have a few weeks left until they get to go back home to the moon outside of Saturn where humans are now residing, but mysterious happenings disrupt their plans.

Cruise and Riseborough have a prickly chemistry that's interesting to watch, which is helpful since a large portion of the film just stars the two of them. Cruise brings his usual charm to Jack; even on a desolate landscape with only one person in the world to win over, he still grins, cracks jokes, and delivers silly lines with determination. His signature smile and wit can only go so far, though, and it's not enough to keep this disappointing film afloat. To find out what else I thought of Oblivion, just read more.

The new film 42, a biopic about baseball legend Jackie Robinson, has enough crowd-pleasing fun to entertain sports fans and history buffs alike — as long as you don't mind your sports movies with extra cheese. Starting in 1943, the movie follows Brooklyn Dodgers GM Branch Rickey (Harrison Ford) as he sets out to recruit the league's first African-American player for his team. His search leads him to Jackie (Chadwick Boseman), a hot-tempered talent from the African-American league. The gruff Branch mentors Jackie from Spring training to opening day with the Dodgers, supporting him as he survives the racism he encounters from the public and his own teammates. If 42 has piqued your interest, then here are four reasons I think you might like the movie — and two reasons you may not.

1. Jackie Robinson's story is engaging. Jackie gets on Branch's radar just as his personal life picks up steam. He marries his sweetheart (Nicole Beharie) and has a baby. Balancing these developments with his baseball career not only makes him more well-rounded as a character, but also makes for a more interesting story.
2. Newcomer Chadwick Boseman is one to watch. This is Boseman's first starring role in a major film, and he gives a strong performance as Jackie, portraying just the right amount of smoldering anger below the surface. He carries scenes with the swagger of a seasoned pro, and while his bulky arms might attract your eye, it's his acting skills that keep you fixated.
3. It's cool to see (and hear) all the '40s baseball stuff. Re-created stadiums and classic uniforms make the time period a character in itself. One of the most charming small touches is John C. McGinley's old-time radio announcer voice.
4. Harrison Ford fans will love it. Do you love Harrison Ford playing a grumpy old man? Then you'll love him here as he huffs around his office puffing on cigars and plays the wise old man with obvious amusement. Branch is a quirkier character than Ford has played lately, which makes him all the more fun to watch.

And if you want to find out the drawbacks of 42, then just read more.

G.I. Joe: Retaliation is out in theaters this week after a bit of a delay, presumably to improve the movie, but after seeing it, I wonder how bad it was before. Filled with tanks, explosions, buff bodies, and 3D (the newest must-have accessory for action flicks), the sequel to 2009's G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra has all the elements of a great action movie. Unfortunately, it's a barrage of unintentionally hilarious dialogue from stars Dwayne Johnson and Adrianne Palicki, unbelievable gadgetry, and plot holes. Thankfully, there is some standout action, and yes, Channing Tatum appears, but it's not enough to constitute a trip to the theater. Here are my reasons for why you can skip this sequel.

1. There's not enough Tatum. Don't be fooled by the trailer or the pictures, Duke (Tatum) is only on screen for about 20 minutes. Maybe it's because we know the film was held for a year in order to add more Tatum, but his scenes feel obviously shoehorned in. I felt robbed.
2. There's not enough Bruce Willis, either. When the soldiers are cornered, they turn to one of their own: the retired General Joe Colton (Willis). Willis is allowed to strut around and enjoy the fact that, after years in the suburbs, Colton's skills — and his arsenal of weapons hidden in kitchen cabinets — are needed. I just wish he had more (and longer) scenes.
3. The plotholes are too wide to overlook. This time around, the team is ambushed by an enemy posing as the president, and only three soldiers remain. Abandoned in the desert halfway around the world, Roadblock (Johnson), Lady Jaye (Palicki), and Flint (D.J. Cotrona) find their way back to the states. Presumed dead by the government, they lie low in Roadblock's old neighborhood and somehow acquire an entire stock of state-of-the-art technology, the kind that allows you to put a hair in a lipstick tube and have its DNA code analyzed and matched within seconds. You know, just the gadgets you have lying around.

See more of my reasons after the jump.

The Twilight films may be in the rearview mirror, but Stephenie Meyer, the author of the saga, takes another of her stories to the big screen with The Host. Don't expect the film to open to the same level of fandom, though: believe it or not, The Host is even sillier and more laughable than Twilight and doesn't even reward the audience with an over-the-top romance worthy of Bella and Edward's.

I will give Meyer (who produced the film) some credit for going in a different direction with the story for The Host. Set in the future, Earth has become overrun with blue-eyed aliens that call themselves Souls, who are succeeding in making our planet a better place by replacing corruption with kindness. The only problem is that they need to inhabit human bodies to exact their plan, which means our race is essentially wiped out, save for a few groups of rebels. One of the survivors is Melanie (Saoirse Ronan), who continues to fight for her life even after she's captured and her body is taken over by a Soul called Wanderer. Melanie's body becomes a host in the opening sequence of the film, and it's all downhill from there. For the rest of my review, just read more

The Place Beyond the Pines finds Ryan Gosling reteaming with his Blue Valentine director Derek Cianfrance for a striking drama about fathers and sons. Gosling plays Handsome Luke (yes, he's even dubbed a heartthrob by the announcer at the carnival for which he does motorcycle stunts), a guy from the wrong side of the tracks who finds out he has a baby with an old fling, Romina (Eva Mendes). Luke's discovery and subsequent foray into robbing banks in a misguided attempt to provide for his family would be enough fodder for a whole movie, but The Place Beyond the Pines takes a sharp turn with the entrance of Avery (Bradley Cooper), a well-to-do cop who has a run-in with Luke while on call. Almost immediately, the film becomes Avery's story until the final third when it picks up 15 years later. It's an unorthodox format, but the risk pays off.

The way the film is laid out is one of its most unexpected and potentially polarizing elements, as viewers expecting to see Cooper and Gosling share a lot of screen time will be disappointed. Though technically it could be described as a crime thriller, it's really a story about a robber, then a story about a cop, then a story about their kids. Once you get past how jarring the format can be, The Place Beyond the Pines is pretty remarkable. To find out what else I think of the movie, just read more.