Movie Review: Star Trek Into Darkness

With all of the angry insistance of "you HAVE to see this!" that goes around in popular culture nowadays, it is always nice to see something that is more inviting than exclusive. So far, J.J. Abrams' "Star Trek" has been great for old fans* while it also creates new ones.

Laying out the entire plot of "Star Trek Into Darkness" here would be of no use, as there are too many details that I am afraid I will give away. The opening scenes involve a chase by some indigenous people through a colorful forest that leads into the center of an active volcano. Now, movies don't tend to kill of their main characters before the opening credits, especially if that character is Spock (Zachary Quinto), but I was surprised to find out that that was not a simulation as I thought it would be.

Movie Review: Iron Man 3

Marvel's attempt to recreate its interconnected universe on film has officially paid off.

"Iron Man 3" is a lot more organized than its predecessor, and a lot less cheesy than its predecessor. If anything, "Iron Man 3" is cheesy on purpose. While the director/writer team of Jon Favreau and Justin Theroux that made up "Iron Man 2" is certainly a talented one, Shane Black brings back everything that was great about the original "Iron Man," plus everything that makes his take on the action genre so unique.

"Iron Man 3" begins with a confession and then a flashback to 1999. During that time, Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) is still the same womanizing, partying genius, except with a better heart. The key information here is that brilliant scientist Maya Hansen (Rebecca Hall) and her boss Aldrich Killian (Guy Pearce) work on a special experiment that could eventually help humans grow body parts back. It is a nice touch for the third "Iron Man" movie, as this series explores people using technology to exceed their life expectancy.