Star Trek: Into Darkness

Summer blockbusters are now starting to appear in DVD. There are several action films that I am looking forward to... Star Trek Into Darkness, is the one I most anticipated. If you are a Star Trek fan, like I am, and you have not watched this movie yet – rent it today!! When Leonard Nimoy and William Shatner passed the phaser on to the new Star Trek youngsters, I was at first very skeptical. At this point, I will say nothing about the debacle of the Next Generation movies, except that Captain Picard should've stayed on the small screen... However, the first new version Star Trek that came out a few years ago was pretty decent. This second attempt is even better! Captain Kirk, Spock, Bones and the rest of the characters seem much more developed than they did in the earlier movie. The actors have studied the old films, and the nuances and character flaws are all there for us diehard Trekkies to enjoy. The fellow that plays Spock, looked and acted exactly like Leonard Nimoy to me. The action is nonstop. The CGI is fantastic. The futuristic gadgetry is still there. The plot seems to be a prequel to a remake of the "Wrath of Khan"– which I hope is on the docket for a 2016 release (all I've been able to find out is that the next Star Trek movie is slated for 2016 – no information on the plot or title). Granted, the Star Trek story is still the same and the corny dialogue still exists, but I have to admit I love it. There's just something about exploring space, "going where no man has gone before," that captures my imagination every time. With this second movie, I believe that the Star Trek franchise has successfully remade itself for a new generation of Trekkies... And us loyal older fans are happy to come aboard and join the ride.

Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels

My 23 old son recommended Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels. It is a British gangster movie set in London's East End, during the late 1980s or early 1990s. It is part suspense, part thriller and part comedy. The movie and the characters don't take themselves too seriously, which is good, and the purposely grainy cinematography adds to the comic book feel of the film. The dialogue is pure Cockney, sometimes a little difficult to follow. One scene even uses subtitles – slightly weird, but effective. For an old fella like me, there were just too many characters and the plot was to complex and twisted for me to keep up. However, I stuck with it and in the end it was well worth my effort. I thoroughly enjoyed how everything came to a great crescendo at the end, tying the suspense and story nicely together. The acting was acceptable, the characters were interesting, the dialogue was entertaining when I could understand it, and the action scenes were nicely done. Worth a rental if you are in the mood for a British style gangster movie that doesn't take itself too seriously.

Mud

Mud, is an intriguing title for a movie and an even more interesting name for the main character played by Matthew McConaughey. Set along the banks of the Mississippi River, Mud is discovered living on a deserted island by two adolescent boys. The movie is billed as a "coming-of-age" story, which is true, but also I believe it goes much deeper than just showing the experiences of two boys growing up – it is a story about the importance of love in our lives. Ellis is one of the boys, his parents are getting a divorce and he can't understand why they don't love each other anymore. He meets Mud who is hopelessly in love with Juniper, played by Reese Witherspoon. From Mud, he learns about the power of love, the mystery of it and is in awe of the loyalty that Mud has for his one true love. Ellis has his own experience with first love. He learns that love is difficult, not always linear or predictable, but in the end he learns that love is wonderful and the most important thing of all. A very nice story that grabbed my attention from the very beginning, even though it was slow in pace and lacking BIG events through most of the movie. Generally well written, but there were a few times during this film when I thought, "how did they get there or how did that happen?" The dialogue was good, however the boys often seem to be saying things meant to help the story along, not necessarily what the characters would really say. The visual aspects of life along the Mississippi River were captured exquisitely, and I assume accurately. I was very interested in seeing more about that part of the country, and way of life. If you're interested in good storytelling, this movie is worth renting!