Star Trek : Into Darkness- Abrams sees the light

I had forgotten just how much I missed going to European cinemas. After returning home to England after what has been far too long of a separation, I knew that before I left London, I would have to see a film in one of the famed Leicester square cinemas, which have been the venues for many UK and European premieres over the years. And so it was that I grabbed a friend and sat excitedly to watch the latest installment of the Star Trek reboot at the beautiful Empire Cinema.

The Empire Cinema : My Mecca

Let me start this review by saying that my Star Trek knowledge is limited to watching ten minutes of Star Trek: The Next Generation with Patrick Stewart, because I couldn't find the remote once, and thus this review unfortunately, is not coming from a trekkie of any kind. But it didn't take long for me to realise that my lack of trekkie love might render me more qualified than I had previously thought, as from the very beginning it is clear that the film is shot please everyone- newcomers and oldies alike.


Abrams chose to reintroduce the franchise in his first installment (Star Trek), by setting his story around how our favourite intergalactic explorers come together in the first place, and while this was interesting, it always seemed to me that there lacked a certain sort of chemistry between the cast as a whole. This second installment however, catches up with the crew of the Enterprise slightly later on, and follows the trials of Captain Kirk, Spock and the gang as they try to hunt down the delightfully ruthless Khan.  the real-life time elapsed between films seems to have given the cast a better idea of how to work together and create meaningful synergy, as well as be comfortable in their own roles.

Abrams too, seems more at home directing this second installment, and it doesn't take a genius to figure out that when you have great directing, great acting and a great story line  you're watching a fantastic movie. From beginning to end, Star Trek is action packed, thrilling, compelling, and amusing, all at the same time. Chris Pine as Captain Kirk is no William Shatner, but builds on the reckless nature of Kirk to create a character that is deliriously cocky, conflicted ,irresponsible and yet extremely likable. Pine's Kirk is the perfect foil to the oh-so-robotic Spock (played by Zach Quinto), and the film's best moments come when their ultimate bromance is examined. But the plaudits cannot stop there, with Simon Pegg deserving an honourable mention as Scotty, even if his Scottish accent is a bit weird.

The real show stealer though is Khan, who Benedict Cumberland (SHERLOCK!) seems more or less born to play. Cumberland's cold, unfeeling, and yet somehow passionate delivery was extremely well done- each word coming from The Empire's out-of-this-world sound system shaking my right down to the pits of my stomach.

I'm pretty sure you've realised I could talk about this film for days, and I think that is its greatest credit. At the end of the day, Star Trek: Into Darkness is a true adventure and Abrams capitalises, filling us with awe and excitement, and wrapping up his achievement with that classic star trek theme song, wondrously re-wrought by Michael Giacchino. By the time I was on my way home, gleefully whistling that classic theme, I found myself looking up at the stars, praying that maybe someday we'll once again boldly go where no man has gone before.

Mud: Why were my summer childhood adventures so boring?

I walked out of my final college exam to realise that summer had indeed started, but it definitely didn't feel like it. Gone are the summer days where I had nothing I needed to do and I could do anything I wanted. I sometimes look back at those days and wish I could have done more with them. But the reality is that you can never go back to those days, albeit watching those summer coming-of-age tales are normally a pretty good way to harness some nostalgia, and so it was that I sought out the latest Matthew McConaughey vehicle, Mud.


Set in the Mississippi river area of Arkansas, Mud follows the story of a boy named Ellis and his friend Neckbone as they try to help a fugitive named Mud.  From the first time I heard this premise I was skeptical, I mean it sounds really like an interpretation of Huckleberry Finn, but the beauty in Arkansas native Jeff Nichols directing is that the film seems to fully acknowledge this and build upon it, going places that Huckleberry Finn never thought to go. Mud is not a slave running away from the sort of bondage that befouled this country two hundred years ago, although both characters run from the law. Instead, Mud seems to be running away from certain truths about his own life, and it is here that the movie is such a compelling coming of age tale.

We watch as Ellis finds his perspectives on love, marriage, and even his family's way of life as river-dwelling fishermen challenged time and time again, and actor Tyle Sheridan , who plays Ellis, manages to produce an incredibly stirring performance. In fact, I'd have to look really hard to find a major role in this film that wasn't played to perfection as Reese Witherspoon and Michael Shannon put in equally solid performances.

Matthew McConaughey is fantastic as Mud, a character with just enough spunk and weirdness as to bring out that slightly crazy, edgy, and comedic acting that makes McConaughey so effective. There's a sort of grit that emanates from the man that is perfectly replicated in all other aspects of the movie, including its setting. It seems that Nichols has made the river-dwelling way of life as much a character in this film as anyone else. It is on, by, and through the river that so much of the film's plot moves forward.

 Mud's destiny in particular , seems to be tied to the river's ebb and flow with the plot, and we can't help but hope that he succeeds, making one final escape from all life's problems and those of the river, out to sea.

Iron Man 3: Cool your jets and enjoy

Well it's almost summer, and the for at least the second year in a row we've been presented with another entry from Marvel in the third installment of the Iron Man films, which most would argue have been the flagship attractions of the Avengers franchise. Before I begin this review, I would like to offer sincere apologies in advance to any of my comic-reading friends- I am no expert in the Marvel universe and thus my humble opinion is simply that of a layman and you can take it as you will.

Iron Man 3 catches up with Tony Stark not too long after his adventures with his Avenger buddies and apparently the experience has been too much for him, leaving him to a life of bad dreams and panic attacks. Apart from that though, life probably couldn't be better for our hero, especially since his girlfriend Pepper (Gwyneth Paltrow) runs Stark Industries and he gets to stay at home and tinker with his suits all day. Of course, all this comes to a screeching halt in the face of a terrorist named The Mandarin, who "teaches" the U.S. lessons by blowing up innocent people around the world.

In order to talk about Iron Man 3, I think we first have to honest with ourselves about the nature of the Avengers series. Let's face it, none of these movies have particularly amazing storylines, because truth be told, unless you are Christopher Nolan it's pretty hard to surprise anyone in this genre anymore. Fortunately for us, moviemakers realised a while ago that there are only so many ways to save the world that won't bore us to death, and so movies like Ironman and Avengers are ripe with action but also with a much more important element in humour. The Ironman series is and has always has been completely tied to Robert Downey Jr's ability to be like that one slightly jerkish friend you have and keep around because he delivers hilarious insights every once in awhile. Iron Man 3 is no different, and the Robert Downey Jr. show continues, aiding in any lacking moments with much needed injections of sarcasm and wit that only he can deliver. At this point in the series, Robert Downey Jr seems so natural in this role, perhaps because the Tony Starks' story of resurrection and redemption mirrors his own. In any case, as much as I've gotten used to Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man in the past few years, I'm not quite sure if I still find myself as much as a believer in the whole Avengers deal.


Throughout Iron Man 3, Tony Stark finds himself outnumbered, outgunned and hopeless, mostly as a result of his own former transgressions. The attempted character development and Tony's panic attacks are cute enough, but it's rather hard to explain to the comic book ignoramus in me why he doesn't just call up his avenger buddies to come help him when he's in serious trouble. But like I said previously, all this griping is just further proof that story really doesn't matter that much when it comes to these movies.

When I got my ticket for Iron Man 3, I expected laughs, some action, and some Gwyneth Paltrow, and that's exactly what I received. Sure, I still can't take Don Cheadle seriously in an action role,  and there has yet to be an Iron Man movie where the villain doesn't at some point use Stark's technology for bad (you'd think it wouldn't be so easy for others to use it) , but Iron Man 3 is still better than Iron Man 2 and for that I'll count my blessings.


Note on the traditional post-credit sneak peak: Really not so much of a sneak peak as an extra forty second scene that is pretty forgettable. It really is ok to leave and not stay the extra ten minutes-  hell you might even beat the traffic out.

It's a Disaster: Funny till the very end of it all.

Sometimes I honestly wonder if I look forward to watching adverts more than the actual movie sometimes when I go to the cinema. There are those adverts that make you bristle with anticipation (I think I almost cried during the latest Man of Steel teaser),  but there are others that generate a great deal less of a good response. I have already wrongly dismissed one movie in the past year  on the basis of its commercial in Django Unchained, and it seems I have done so yet again with the new black comedy It's a Disaster.

It's a Disaster is all set around a traditional couples brunch in the middle of what appears to be a very lazy saturday afternoon. Glenn, played by the delightfully awkward David Cross (Tobias from Arrested Development) , and Tracy (Julia Stiles) have recently begun dating and Tracy has decided to introduce her new beau to her friends. Unfortunately, it appears there could not have been a worse occasion to do this, with tension and an imminent breakup threatening to derail the dinner party long before an apocalyptic scenario unfolds.

From the very beginning , the movie is set for some laughs- the opening shot being an old black and white photo of a seemingly wonderful beach, only for the camera to zoom out and reveal a bomb exploding in the ocean.


The film itself follows more or less the same approach, teasing you with normal scenarios and then turning them around on you spectacularly, meaning for some really funny moments. Truth be told, I've always been someone who can appreciate dark comedies, but I think even the most blithe of us all can appreciate the film's well thought out formula. This sort of comedy only works, I think, when everyone in the cast is capable of being funny, and director Todd Berger ensures this happens by giving everyone in the movie a role based on different stereotypical response to crises. Hence an hour and a half of laughing at a conspiracy theorist, a take-charge man, an in-denial woman and your expected "screw it all let's get high" crew, all try and coexist with the knowledge that they may only have a few hours to live. It all works really well, and the great thing is that movie doesn't even need to try that hard to be funny because the scenarios already are. In fact, the only thing that could really ruin a movie like this would be bad dialogue, but the writing is witty and sharp all the way through, resulting in one of the best endings to a film I've seen in awhile.


It's a Disaster is a funny, smirking sort of Dark Comedy, that would probably make you laugh even  in the midst of a real-life apocalyptic scenario. Perhaps its greatest strength is its ability to constantly quash its own predictability and offer up sumptuous surprises, which is no easy feat for any film and makes this money well spent.