Random Thoughts of Mine...

Last night (Friday) I went to the 2315 (11:15pm) showing of Star Trek at the local IMAX theatre. It has been a while since I last saw a movie at that theatre. A movie buff I know recommended seeing Star Trek at the IMAX, so I took his advice.

Star Trek stars Leonard Nimoy (the original Spock) as Spock Prime, Chris Pine as James Kirk, Zachary Quinto (from TV's Heroes) as Spock, Karl Urban as Leonard "Bones" McCoy, Zoe Saldana as Nyota Uhura, John Cho as Hikaru Sulu, Anton Yelchin as Pavel Chekov, Simon Pegg as Montgomery Scott, and Eric Bana as Nero.

This is the first Trek movie since 2002's Star Trek: Nemesis, a drought of 7 years. The average time between movies had been around 3 years before. This movie heads back to the 23rd century that we know from the original TV series. In this movie though, things get changed around a lot from what many Trekkies are familiar with. In the late 24th century, the Romulans aboard the Narada go back in time to exact revenge on Spock for something that he does in the 24th century. Spock Prime also gets pulled back in time with them to 23rd century. The movie begins with the Narada emerging in a space lighning storm near the USS Kelvin, which the Romulans quickly attack. They order the captain to come aboard their ship. He puts his first officer, George Kirk, in command while he is gone. George and his pregnant wife, Winona are onboard the Kelvin and she is in labor. The Romulans kill the captain and continue their attack on the USS Kelvin. George fights back while he orders everyone to abandon ship. The Kelvin is destroyed, but not before Winona and newborn James survive. This creates an alternate universe since orginally James Kirk grows up with both parents. James grows up into a rebellious youth since only his mother raises him. Meanwhile, as Spock grows up on the planet Vulcan, he is teased because he is the product of a Vulcan father, Sarek, and a human mother, Amanda. This is considered a disability since he's not considered a true Vulcan. Eventually their lives will intersect and the Federation is attacked by Nero.

I've been a Trekkie for a long time and was looking forward to seeing this movie. Usually the odd-numbered Trek films are not as good as the even-numbered ones. Since this is the 11th film in the franchise, I was worried about this happening again. Those fears were put to rest with this movie. Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan was my favorite Trek film until this one. This movie rocks. The characters are well developed here and the action sequences are good. The new cast portraying the familiar characters are well cast. For instance, Zachary Quinto is excellent as young Spock. Seeing this movie on an IMAX screen really enhances the experience. Especially during the space battle scenes, they really look awesome in IMAX. This is the last weekend that they are showing Star Trek in IMAX here, so I am really happy that I saw it before it was too late. If you get to see it in an IMAX theatre, then take it before it is too late. Even if you don't see it on IMAX, then I highly recommend that you go see this movie on the big screen. It will be well worth your ticket price. Below are some clips from the Star Trek movie:


What Gives You the Right?


Enlist in Starfleet


Space Jump




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8 years ago, Alex's wife was MURDERED. Today... She e-mailed him.

Earlier this past weekend, I saw the French movie, Tell No One, at a local theatre.

Tell No One is based on the novel by Harlan Coben. It stars François Cluzet as Docteur Alexandre Arnaud 'Alex' Beck; Marie-Josée Croze as Margot Beck; André Dussollier as Jacques Laurentin; Kristin Scott Thomas as Hélène Perkins; François Berléand as Eric Levkowitch; Nathalie Baye as Maître Elysabeth Feldman; Marina Hands as Anne Beck; and Gilles Lellouche as Bruno.

The movie begins with Dr. Alex Beck & his wife Margot together. They go to a lake that Alex's family owns together one day. They spend a fun,loving day together at the lake, when suddenly Margot is attacked. Alex rushes to her aid, but he is knocked out, then wakes up in the hospital to learn that his wife has been murdered. She is believed by some to have been killed by a serial killer who denies taking her life. Alex is still troubled by his wife's death 8 years later. He goes to her parents' house on the anniversary of her death every year. One day, 2 bodies are found near where Margot's corpse was discovered which causes the police to reopen the case. Alex also receives an email from Margot with a video that supposedly shows her alive & to "tell no one." Alex launches his own investigation into his wife's murder. The police were never really satisfied that Margot had been murdered by a serial killer. When new bodies start piling up, they suspect Alex. When evidence ties him to the murders, the police come after him, but he bolts.

I had never heard of the movie before until I read a review of it in the newspaper. I had never read the novel that this movie is based on either. This film is about 125 minutes long with English subtitles. It is very well acted. The action is good, it has some clever plot twists that really make the movie quite interesting. This film is in limited release, so it may be hard to find in your area. If you do find it playing nearby, I recommend Tell No One to you. You will not be disappointed if you do. Below is the trailer for the movie:

"Tell No One" Trailer



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Can you avenge evil and not become it?

(I tried to do this post earlier, but Opera browser crashed on me. I lost my post so now I am doing it all over again. )

Earlier this weekend, I went to a local theatre to see the new Batman movie, The Dark Knight. It stars Christian Bale as Bruce Wayne/Batman; Heath Ledger as The Joker; Aaron Eckhart as Harvey Dent; Michael Caine as Alfred Pennyworth; Maggie Gyllenhaal as Rachel Dawes; Gary Oldman as Lt. James Gordon; and Morgan Freeman as Lucius Fox.

The Dark Knight, begins about a year after the events of Batman Begins. Batman has teamed up with Lt. Jim Gordon & the new District Attorney, Harvey Dent. Together, they have put a huge dent in the activites of Gotham City's mobsters and other criminals. The mobsters are running scared since they no longer can operate with the freedom that they once enjoyed. They hold a secret meeting to figure out what to do. The Joker, who has been robbing banks that the mobsters have been using to launder money, crashes the meeting. The mobsters are not happy to see him, but he convinces them hire him to kill Batman. The Joker then starts wreaking havoc throughout the city and killing cops in order to get to Batman.

The acting is well done in this movie. Christian Bale, Aaron Eckhart, Michael Caine, Gary Oldman and Morgan Freeman all are very good in their roles. In 2005's Batman Begins, Katie Holmes played Rachel Dawes, but now Maggie Gyllenhaal plays that character in this movie. I think Maggie Gyllenhaal did better in this film than Katie Holmes did in the last one. Maggie Gyllenhaal was a better fit for this character than Katie Holmes. There has been a lot of Oscar buzz surrounding Heath Ledger for his performance as the psychopathic Joker in The Dark Knight. He plays this character closer to his comic book roots than it has been played before in a motion picture. I must say that it seems like this part was made for him. He did excellent in this part that may earn him a posthumous Oscar.

The Dark Knight has lots of action, along with some romantic tension in it. If you are looking for a good summer action movie, then this film is for you. I recommend The Dark Knight to you if you want to see a fun movie this summer. Below is a clip of the first 6 minutes of this film:




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Read the review, see the clips below.

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I was surfing the Internet when I ran across this funny video.

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