GRADE: A
Well folks, J.J. Abrams has done it again — Star Trek Into Darkness is not only a worthy successor to the beloved 2009 entry, but I truly believe this chapter is much better. It’s never an easy task to follow a film as successful as Star Trek, both critically and financially, but here J.J. delivers yet again, something Star Wars fans are hoping will bode well for their franchise when the heralded sci-fi nerd starts to mold the future of the Lucas product in the coming years. Not only is Star Trek Into Darkness great, but the 3D is on par with the best I’ve ever experienced — space in 3D is hard to beat.
I patiently waited for what many were ready to call, perhaps a bit too fast, a “revolution” in the television industry: Netflix’s very own series, House of Cards. When Netflix announced that it would start producing its own original content, with episodes directed by David Fincher, Joel Schumacher, Carl Franklin, and others, and featuring Kevin Spacey (at a cost too indecent to even mention here), it was clearly aiming for the kind of success HBO and AMC had achieved, but with a twist: the entire first season would be released at once. Did it work? Yes. Absolutely. House of Cards is an excellent “television” show, well-written, well-directed and well-acted. Is it a revolution? In terms of quality, not really, but it’s close. In terms of the industry, probably not either, although it is too early to really tell. Some say the show will make it to the Emmy’s, rightly so, in my opinion.
The 2013 summer blockbuster season is fully underway. Iron Man 3 has already made more than most thought it would, while other big films like The Great Gatsby and Star Trek: Into Darkness are on their way to becoming hits. With other summer hits coming, one should not forget that The Wolverine comes out in about 2 months. Luckily, there’s a new trailer that showcases an action packed adventure. Check out the new trailer for The Wolverine after the jump.
Best of World Cinema Meets in Cannes
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The world’s most prestigious film festival started last Wednesday in Cannes on the French Riviera. With Steven Spielberg as president of the Jury, which also includes Nicole Kidman, Ang Lee, and Christoph Waltz, and with movies from the Coen brothers, James Gray, Steven Soderbergh, Roman Polanski, Sofia Coppola, James Franco and Alexander Payne, this year’s festival is as exciting as ever.
Last night’s episode, Second Sons, focused on three storylines: Daenerys planning her attack of Yunkai, Melisandre taking Gendry to Dragonstone, and the wedding between Tyrion and Sansa in King’s Landing. It was a welcomed change from the previous episodes, especially last week’s The Bear and the Maiden Fair, which tried to fit in so much that they ended up giving us nothing. Here, the three storylines were given much more time to unfold which proved mostly successful.
SPOILER ALERT: This article will assume you have watched/read Game of Thrones up to the last aired episode.
It’s official — Star Wars Episode VII will be filmed in Britain. This shouldn’t be a surprise seeing that all six previous Star Wars films have been partially filmed there, either in studios like Elstree Studios or in the many public parks. Check out the official announcement after the jump.
During the season finale of Once Upon a Time, ABC released the first promotional trailer for the upcoming fall series, Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. The series was officially picked up by ABC on May 10th and the show runner will be none other than The Avengers director, Joss Whedon. As expected, the show looks absolutely awesome.
Truth be told, last night’s episode, The Bear and the Maiden Fair paled in comparison with the rest of the season. Now, of course, the standards were set high after the last couple of episodes, so it was still good television. But I just could not help but feel bored throughout the episode, which did not have a clear focus and was even more fragmented than usual.
SPOILER ALERT: This article will assume you have watched/read Game of Thrones up to the last aired episode.
‘Gravity’ Teaser Will Make You Rethink Space Travel
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Ever since I was a kid, I’ve wanted to go into space. To not feel gravity and to be free to float without weight or resistance, that is what we could call an out of this world experience. Literally. But after seeing the first trailer for Alfonso Cuarón’s Gravity, I’ve began to give my dream of going into space a second thought. Check out this beautiful and terrifying trailer for Gravity.
GRADE: C+
Back when I first read The Great Gatsby in my 12th grade English class, I never thought, “Wow, this would look awesome in 3D!” or “You know what would make this story even better? Music by Jay-Z and Beyonce.” For those worried that Baz Luhrmann’s colorful interpretation of this classic novel looks too flashy or too modern, don’t worry. For the elaborate party scenes that make up a good portion of the plot, this flashiness works in its favor constructing a visually stunning piece summer moviegoers are sure to enjoy. Fans of the novel, however, may have some gripes with the soul of the story being overshadowed by the special effects.
