Chris Pine Discusses the Future of the Star Trek Franchise

In 2009, J.J. Abrams released his big-screen reboot of the Star Trek franchise, which garnered success on a popular, critical, and financial level. Three years later, details continue to emerge involving the film's sequel. But can the cast and crew that managed to create such a fine product the first time manage to build upon their previous achievement?

Quick Poll: Who is more attractive? 
Chris Pine . . . 

Chris Pine, who will resume his role of Captain James T. Kirk and also act as co-writer for the currently untitled sequel to Star Trek, remains confident that this task can be accomplished. What especially excites Pine is the prospect of developing a highly character-focused story which will delve deeper into the relationships between the crew members manning the Enterprise. Abrams rebooted the Star Trek franchise on an alternative timeline, meaning that the film has the freedom to differentiate the way its crew operates from the way the crew operated in the original television series. This provides an avenue to explore how the crew developed before they became the sort of cohesive and highly functional unit presented on the show. “Even though they’re a crew from what we know about the original team, the fun of getting there is following that journey to where they become that tight-knit crew. It’s no fun if they’re already a tight-knit crew. So suffice to say, they’re still learning how to get along,” says Pine. “The crew from the original series had gone on many, many journeys, they were a well-oiled machine in terms of how they function, and these characters are still figuring out who they are and who they are to each other. And I did not want to jump so far ahead that we missed a really important emotional connection to that transition for them.”

The Dark Knight vs. The Dark Knight Rises

On July 20 the wait for The Dark Knight Rises will be over. But can the final installment of director Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy rise above and beyond the standards set by its predecessor, The Dark Knight? Boasting popular and critical acclaim, including a score of 94% on Rotten Tomatoes, The Dark Knight cannot be topped easily. Here are five things the third film in the trilogy needs to have in order to rise above its predecessor.

Quentin Tarantino adds Jonah Hill to the Cast of Django Unchained

If ever there were ever to be an actor capable of defying typecasting, few would have guessed that that actor would be Jonah Hill. Originally confined to rather silly roles in raunchy comedies such as Get Him to the Greek and Superbad, Hill has since broken out to play characters in a number of rather substantial films including 21 Jump Street, The Wolf of Wall Street, True Story, and Moneyball, the latest of these landing him an Oscar nomination. Hill’s newest position will be as part of Quentin Tarantino’s heavily anticipated film Django Unchained.

Harry Potter Director to Bring Doctor Who to the Big Screen?

Because you can never have too many Harry Potter-Doctor Who crossovers

Doctor Who fans the world over are eagerly awaiting the return of their favorite Gallifreyan time traveler come this Fall. But it would appear that bow-tie wearing, floppy-haired Matt Smith, who portrays the latest incarnation of the Doctor, might not be the only one set to man the big blue box. Director David Yates has announced his intention to helm a project to bring the Doctor Who franchise from the small screen to the big screen. Whether the series will maintain its quality over the transition is up for speculation.


Yates remains confident that the transition will be a successful one, largely due to the strength of the source material. “The notion of the time-travelling Time Lord is such a strong one, because you can express story and drama in any dimension or time,” says Yates. Exactly what this story will be, no one, except perhaps Yates and those working for Yates, knows. During one interview Yates stated that “[Doctor Who] needs quite a radical transformation to avoid major copyright issues take it into the bigger arena” and that the movie was to be started “from scratch.” Unsurprisingly, this news was met with protest by many of Doctor Who’s most loyal devotees who viewed the statement as confirmation that the movie would not feature the current television incarnation of the Doctor or follow the television show’s canon. Regardless of the issue of canon, one must wonder at what exactly Yates means by “from scratch.” Is he implying that the movie would be a prequel focusing on the Doctor’s origin story or does he mean that the franchise itself would be reset in some way?

It will be called "Doctor Who Begins"

Movie Review: The Fighter

There are some stories which are told over and over again and never really get old. Of these, one of the most perennial in film is the underdog sports story, or, more specifically, the boxing drama. The Fighter, the latest entry in the genre, tells a tale which, although predictable and not particularly original, as a whole works quite nicely.

The story revolves around the boxer Mickey Ward during the years 1993-2000. Focusing on this time in Ward’s life was an interesting choice for director David Russell to make; in real life, Ward’s greatest and most famous fight took place as a three-part match up with Arturo Gatti some time after the events of The Fighter. Russell’s decision to cut this episode demonstrates his desire to make The Fighter more about the boxer than the boxing. It was a good decision, as Ward’s life outside the ring is far more interesting than his life in it.

Hooray for Hogwarts: Taking a Peek at Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Mark your calendars: on November 19 the first half of the final installment of the Harry Potter film series, The Deathly Hallows, will be released. Trailers are present now frequently across screens of all shapes and sizes. The website screenrant.com described it as “suitably epic.” Hopefully The Deathly Hallows lives up to the high expectations set by the trailer. 

So Much Facepalm . . .



I thought about writing an article about Transformers 3 but I think this picture just about sums up everything I am feeling at the moment.

"You Sack of Wine!"

-Nate S 



Totes OMG ROFL! It's a Review of The Social Network

To quote YAMB’s very own Blackthorne Esquire: “David Fincher remains the most underrated filmmaker in Hollywood.” (check it out: here) Hopefully with the release of The Social Network Fincher will finally win the Oscar he most definitely deserves. His latest film centers on the character of Mark Zuckerberg, who as most everyone now knows founded the iconic website facebook.com. Rather than being little more than a semi-interesting if not all that memorable biopic though, The Social Network instead give it’s viewers a fascinating look at modern society.

Movie Review: The American

Sadly, he only rocks the Connery beard
for the first scene or two.

Most thriller pieces fall into one of two categories: the more action packed version, focusing on using lots of showy gunfire, fights, car chases; and the more psychological one, focusing on examining one character. The first one is fast paced, high adrenaline stuff that if done well both excites and entertains, but often the action takes away too much from the story it is trying to tell. But under no conditions should you go to The American expecting this type of movie, because while it is certainly a thriller, it falls decisively into the second thriller category, perhaps you would call it a psychological thriller, and here character development and plot structure are key. This explains the sedate pace and brooding tone, instead of flash-bang action.

Box Office Brawl II

If you didn't see Scott Pilgrim, you should be punched in the face.

It is said that every cloud has a silver lining. Apparently when it comes to film this is true, or at least, now it is. As previously mentioned in the original “Box Office Brawl” post, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World has been tanking in the numbers category (several possible theories as to why this is the case, and why anyone should care about this particular film were discussed. I suggest checking it out if you wish to know why I think this film deserves more recognition in the financial department than it is currently receiving). The miserable part is just how bad it is doing. Scott Pilgrim vs. the World managed to clock in at a measly $2.46 million this week. 

A True Gift: A Review of Spirited Away

Mr. Miyazaki. Yeah. 

Director Hiyao Miyazaki, as you may know is a genius. Actually, you probably don’t know that. While he is considered the “Walt Disney of Japan” and has created many classic, box office smashing animated films (Spirited Away holds the record as highest-grossing film ever released in Japan after beating out it’s predecessor Princess Mononoke and by 2002 nearly one sixth of the population had seen it), Miyazaki has not received as much recognition in the US as he deserves. Spirited Away is proof that both Miyazaki’s creations and anime must be taken seriously and embraced to a greater extent than they are currently. This beautiful retelling of the traditional coming-of-age tale maintains the ability to touch people both young and old and give each individual something to take away from it. 

The focus in the story is specifically on the ten year old girl Chihiro. She’s a nervous little thing at first, always scared and timid and sullen. When her parents inform her that they are moving away from their old town to a different neighborhood, Chihiro whines about the prospect of adjusting to a new life outside of what she’s already known. Chihiro is similarly glum when her parents spot what appears to be an abandoned amusement park and decide to explore the area. Little do they know, this so called amusement park is actually a bathhouse for spirits, and Chihiro’s parents are turned into pigs. 

Not Exactly Iron Clad: A Review of Iron Man 2

Samuel L. Jackson still has his eye on you. 

Spiderman still stinks.

The sequel to the film Iron Man breaks a trend in the cinematic superhero genre. Normally, the first entry in a trilogy of this sort is not quite as strong as it’s successor. This is largely due to the filmmaker being required to tell that superhero’s origin story to set up the background, which although interesting, often limits the possible storytelling abilities. Examples of this trend are the Spiderman series and to a much greater extent Chris Nolan’s Batman series. Iron Man 2, it would seem, is an exception to this rule. It was as if Iron Man 2 was trying to live up to the superior original, but the sloppy second lost the energy to do so somewhere down the line. Part of the reason for this may be that in Iron Man’s case his origin, unlike other superheroes, is arguably his most compelling story. Iron Man’s original movie (2008) had a more political bent, and while it was not exactly the greatest intellectually stimulating creation ever made, it at least sparked some thought on issues involving technology, terrorism, war, and economics (oh, and it also had Jeff Bridges, which is never a bad thing).

Fa La La!: A Few Musical Movies to Check Out

Summer is on its way out, soon to be replaced with the fall. With this change will be the starting of a new school season, the changing of colors in the leaves of trees, and the release of a lot of films that no one has ever heard of that are sure to win a whole lot of awards. There are few better ways to savor what's left of this current season while also looking forward to and celebrating the coming of the next season than to relax and listen to some great music. Below are listed a few musical movies that are sure to contribute greatly to this pursuit.

Across the Universe

Admittedly, the idea that anyone can successfully cover up to two discs worth of the Beatles' material is hard to believe. That these covers can be used to create an actual storyline with characters, all of it based off of Lennon & Co.'s tunes is even more difficult to swallow. Across the Universe, though, pulls it off and delivers a fun and fantastical on-screen version of their iconic heroes' world. The sixties, as presented here, are certainly a spectacle to behold, touching on many of the biggest events and social trends at the time, such as the war in Vietnam, the underground rock scene, counter culture, radical politics similar to the Weathermen, and many more. To back it all up is a cast who can definately sing: Jim Sturgess, as main character Jude, is suprisingly strong, as are the various supporting cast members who show up throughout. Still skeptical? Bono makes an appearance, singing "I Am the Walrus." 'Nuff said.


Soundtrack: Across The Universe [Deluxe Edition]

Box Office Brawl

Box office numbers can let one know many things. Money is powerful, and it has the ability to make or break careers. Directors, producers, actors, or whatever else; they're all impacted by whether or not their product ends up being successful commercially. Interesting to consider is what and who makes a film commercially successful.

Over the weekend a contest occurred between three competing films to see which would rake in the most dough. Coming in first with $35 million was The Expendables, an action flick containing a lot of old recognizable names such as Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jet Li, and several others. Eat, Pray, Love, an adaption of a woman’s memoir in which she embarks on a spiritual journey across several countries, grabbed $23.7 million. Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, placed third out of the new movies (5th overall, behind The Other Guys and Inception) at a meager $10.5 million (and that’s quite bad considering the film cost $60 million to make). That final picture was by far the biggest surprise, and the performance of these three movies reflects an interesting cultural fact.

Not as Cool as Scott Pilgrim: A Review of Kick Ass

Like Scott Pilgrim, but with guns and stuff. Actually,
it's nothing like Scott Pilgrim. 

So was Kick Ass bad ass or as the titular character is once called, “ass kicked?” Questions similar seem have to hit the media community hard and the answers have been quite varied. Some such as The Guardian newspaper’s Peter Bradshaw praised it as “outrageous” and “very funny,” while others were not so kind. Roger Ebert, one of America’s most prominent critics, gave the film one star out of four calling Kick Ass “morally reprehensible.” Personally, I find myself standing in between these two sides and can understand both points of view. Director Matthew Vaughn has brought forth something that most will either love or hate, something that is enjoyable enough to watch but not particularly substantial.

Think Super Mario on Caffeine Only Better: A Scott Pilgrim vs. the World Review

Who needs a lightsaber when you can have the Power of Love?
And yes, the Power of Love is a sword. In case you were wondering.

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World acts quite similar to the video games which it constantly references. A nonstop thrill ride shot at a downright frenetic pace, director Edgar Wright’s latest delivers the most sheer entertainment to hit theaters in a long time.

Michael Cera is the leader of said ride as a hero taking on the world (or perhaps more accurately, defeating his new girlfriend Ramona Flowers’ seven evil exes). Cera here does nothing anyone hasn't seen before: playing the endearing dorky and borderline girly wimp with a heart of gold and strange sense of humor, which he has repeated in nearly all of his roles. While this may throw off some, I was never particularly bothered by it. Cera does what he does best and has never done it better than in Scott Pilgrim vs. the World. Besides, the world Cera inhabits remains the true appeal.

Scott Pilgrim vs. The World Premiere

It’s a bird. It’s a plane. No! It’s Scott Pilgrim flying into theaters! Many of us here at the blog have won advanced passes to see Scott Pilgrim Vs. the World with a lot of fan boys and even the professional critic John Serba. Needless to say we are all pretty excited for the show. Just to put it a little more clearly, here are a few reasons as to why excitement for this movie is warranted:

Can You Say Oedipus Complex?: A Review of Cyrus

It's...Complicated... In a creepy, weird way...

Cyrus…oh what can one say about Cyrus? It was well made if that counts for anything, and the actors did a good job. Other than that nothing stands out as particularly special.

Nothing Special: A Review of State of Play

Russell Crowe...is that you?

Despite the fact that State of Play is a political thriller about ulterior motives, uncertainty and moral ambiguity, what you see is what you get. Watch it expecting no more and no less than a standard, no frills entry in this cinematic genre. To quote from Casablanca, “all the usual suspects” have been rounded up here. There is Russell Crowe playing the hardened, cynical, cranky, detective-like journalist, Cal MacAffrey. New on the block at the Washington Globe newspaper is the young, ambitious, and idealistic Della Frye as played by Rachel McAdams, a character who eventually will form this movie’s conventionally unconventional partnership with MacAffrey.

This Movie is Awful: A Review of The Last Airbender

"Why did you have to ruin my childhood,
Mr. Shyamalan?"

The Last Airbender is a perfect example of just about everything wrong with moviemaking in today’s age. Director M. Night Shyamalan could have created an epic, exciting, and dramatic adaption of the beloved Nickelodeon television show, but unfortunately, and really to no one’s surprise, he instead created this atrocity, which fails to deliver on every level.