Tag: Chris Pine

Movie Beat

Movie Beat – 01.17.14

Michael J. Casey

Big Bad Wolves – If it takes a criminal to catch a criminal, then it takes a maniac to strike fear into the heart of a maniac. A father who is seeking revenge and a cop seeking justice decide to operate outside the law on a teacher they suspect is the man responsible for a series of murders. Lior Ashkenazi, Rotem Keinan, Tzahi Grad, Dov Glickman, Menasheh Noy, and Dvir Benedek star, Aharon Keshales and Navot Papushado write and direct, and Magnolia Pictures gives this a limited release.   Devil’s Due – Ah found footage! What luck that the couple … Continue reading Movie Beat – 01.17.14

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STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS

Michael J. Casey

Star Trek Into Darkness - Poster

Star Trek Into Darkness begins with an action set piece, dropping the audience right in the middle of chaos. Reminiscent of a James Bond or an Indiana Jones pre-credit sequence, Spock is trying to diffuse an erupting volcano while Captain Kirk and Doctor McCoy run from an angry mob. Director J.J. Abrams and writers Roberto Orci, Alex Kurtzman, and Damon Lindelof beg you not to ask any questions about what in the hell is going on, just go with it. Why are these natives chasing Kirk and Bones? Because Kirk stole something of theirs. What did he steal? Who knows, probably some significant religious scrolls. How is Spock going to stop this volcano from erupting? He has a super ice-cube of course! Details are not the important part of this scene, what is important is the presence of action. It lets the viewers know right up front what kind of movie they are in for. Abrams and company present us with a bargain, “We will give you two hours of action, just please don’t ask any questions.”

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Movie Beat

Movie Beat – 05.17.13

Michael J. Casey

33 Postcards – Mei Mei (Zhu Lin) is a Chinese orphan with a sponsor down in Australia, Dean Randall (Guy Pearce). They write back and forth for ten years, and Mei Mei grows up dreaming of Dean’s perfect life, his perfect family, and the perfect skyline of Sydney. Her choir travels to Australia for the Australian Choir Festival, and Mei Mei uses this trip to visit her beloved pen pal. When she meets Dean, things aren’t quite so hunky-dory as he is a convict with a very shady past. Mei Mei still sees some family as a hell of a lot better than no … Continue reading Movie Beat – 05.17.13

Movie Beat

Movie Beat – 11.23.12

Michael J. Casey

A short work week means a long weekend for movie watching. Six new films out this holiday weekend in addition to Silver Linings Playbook expanding it’s release. You got some extra time, so you might as well dig into a couple of movies. Here are your choices: The Central Park Five – On the morning of April 20, 1989, a young white woman, Trishia Meili, was found in Central Park. She had been brutally assaulted and raped the night before. Five teenage boys were brought forward and convicted of the assault. Four of them were black and one was Latino. Coherence into … Continue reading Movie Beat – 11.23.12