Movie News

Our 'Trek' Expert on Why ' Star Trek Into Darkness' May Be Summer's Best Blockbuster

NOTE: This review contains SPOILERS. If you have not yet seen Star Trek Into Darkness, it is strongly recommended that you do so before reading this review.     I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the release of J.J. Abrams’ first Star Trek film in 2009, and what it meant to me personally. Not only as a huge fan of the franchise, but as someone who prefers the situations and characters of the original series (“TOS”) over all others. Basically, the 2009 film reignited my passion for original Trek in a way I’d not felt since I was a child. When I was a very young kid, the episodes and films featuring Captain Kirk, Spock, Dr. McCoy, and all of the others broadened my imagination and helped to shape my perceptions of...
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Best of the Week: Let's Talk About 'Star Trek,' Plus: Your Guide to New TV Shows from Big-Screen Directors

Features, Reviews and Interviews Watch: The Schmoes Review 'Star Trek Into Darkness' by Movies.com Watch: The Funny Story Behind One of the Coolest 'Star Wars' Movie Posters (Exclusive) by Peter Hall The Best Home Video Success Stories, from 'Austin Powers' to 'Dredd' by Evan Saathoff Our 10 Most Anticipated Cannes Movies (Based Solely on Their Trailers) by Peter Martin Why We Love, Hate, and Love to Hate J.J. Abrams' 'Star Trek' Movies by Evan Saathoff Reel TV: A Guide to the New Fall TV Shows Made by Big-Screen Directors by Peter Hall We Investigate Why Playing Sherlock Holmes Turns Heroes into Villains by Peter Martin Dialogue: Noah Baumbach on Creating One of This Year's Indie...
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The Schmoes Know Movie Show: The Top 5 Sci-fi Scores

Who are the Schmoes, and what exactly do they know? The Schmoes are a couple of regular guys, Kristian Harloff and Mark Ellis, who--like you--are the people for whom movies are made. Each week, we're posting brand new video from the Schmoes that'll give their spin on a given movie topic. Composer Michael Giacchino boldly goes with J.J. Abrams for the fourth time and his second Star Trek movie with this week's Star Trek Into Darkness, tasked with coming up with not just a new way of presenting familiar material but also creating a theme for a new villain (Benedict Cumberbatch). How successful was he? Kristian and Mark will tell you, and also give you their favorite sci-fi movie scores of all time. Watch, comment, and don’t forget to check out all the Schmoes...
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'Star Trek Into Darkness' Villain: Good Decision or Bad Decision?

This discussion deals with plot points and character developments in Star Trek Into Darkness and therefore contains SPOILERS. Enter at your own risk if you haven't yet seen the movie.  Star Trek Into Darkness is ranking high on review aggregating sites, yet there's still no doubt that the sequel is a divisive one for both die-hard fans and the nondevotional. In the attempt to please both sides of the aisle with a franchise reboot like this one, there are a number of inside jokes and callbacks for the Trekkies as well as enough fresh story and action to please newbies. The nonfans may not appreicate the former, and vice versa. And the joint appeal carries over to the villain of this new installment, who is sort of a blast from the past yet also sold as a distinctly...
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The Best - and Worst - Movie Trailers of the Week

Both Berberian Sound Studio and The Congress stand out courtesy of curious material, but neither trailer is convincing enough, leaving you intrigued but not sold, and also leaving the top three spots up for grabs. The Best Stuff 1. About Time As someone who steers clear of anything Nicholas Sparks or Nicholas Sparks-esque, the new trailer for the romantic comedy About Time is surprisingly charming. The concept is a bit cheesy, but the honest performances and genuinely funny jokes justify it. Plus I enjoy watching Channing Tatum and Ryan Gosling as much as anyone, but it’s also quite refreshing to see Domhnall Gleeson as the guy that wins the girl. 2. V/H/S/2 Full disclosure: I’m responsible for one of the quotes, but regardless of my bias how can you deny...
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You Can Play a 16-Bit 'Die Hard' Video Game Right Now

Except there's a few things we should mention first: 1. It's a 16-bit video game based on the critically panned A Good Day to Die Hard, and not any of the other Die Hard movies. So while there's a chance you may actually enjoy the game more than the movie, most likely you'll walk away dissatisfied by both. 2. You don't even get to play as John McClane! Seriously, you create a video game to promote a Die Hard movie and you don't let us play as John McClane, the hero of the Die Hard movies?! Instead you're asked to play as John's son, Jack, whose character probably isn't all tied up in the sort of legal knot that prohibits him from starring in this bland Super Mario Bros. ripoff. 3. That being said, we do like being able to continually stomp...
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New Movie Posters: 'The Hunger Games: Catching Fire,' 'Man of Steel,' 'Riddick' and More

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The Weekend Rent: J.J. Abrams' Climb to Box Office Big Shot

"The Weekend Rent offers quick-hit suggestions of what to watch at home to get psyched for new releases in theaters, on Friday." There is only one new wide release in theaters this week, Star Trek Into Darkness, because the other studios want to steer clear of the hotly anticipated Paramount sequel that is looking at an opening weekend of around $100 million. We've posted countdowns for it and endless geek speculation for, oh, over a year now on this site, but that's because director J.J. Abrams is so protective of plot details and, well, we're talking about Star Trek. In the second Star Trek adventure directed by Abrams, Captain Kirk (Chris Pine), Spock (Zachary Quinto) and the rest of the crew of the Enterprise chase former Starfleet agent John Harrison...
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Watch a 'Star Trek' Musical... As Performed by Middle School Students

Nerd wars are bound to rage on through the weekend as more audiences see J.J. Abrams' Star Trek Into Darkness and argue about everything and anything. In the meantime, let's enjoy a new video from Rhett and Link of The Mythical Show fame, featuring a bunch of kids performing in a Star Trek middle school musical. Nothing is cuter than seeing a tiny Spock give the Vulcan salute and having to force his fingers into the proper position (even if it is affected). Dawww! The epic, lo-fi production concludes with a chorus line, too. We don't want to say too much about the adorbs singsongy play, so watch Star Trek into middle school for yourself, and let us know what you thought of the Abrams film in the comments section. [Geekologie]  
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David Lynch's 'Duran Duran' Concert Movie Is Too Weird Not to Watch

It's no surprise we've arrived at an age where we expect a handful of concert movies to arrive in theaters each year, many of which will come served with a useless side of 3D. Some are your more straightforward concert experience, while others will mix a live concert with behind-the-scenes footage, offering fans and viewers a more personal look at the artist(s) when they're not performing.  And then there's David Lynch's Duran Duran concert movie, which is unlike any concert movie you've seen before.  Currently screening in the marketplace at the Cannes Film Festival in the hopes of scoring theatrical and/or home entertainment distribution, this particular concert movie isn't much different than simply watching a live stream of a Duran...
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