We Review, Star Trek Beyond “The new adventures and cast members have fully won me over.” – MR

Star Trek Beyond

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Star Trek Beyond
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Justin Lin
Produced by	J. J. Abrams Roberto Orci Lindsey Weber Justin Lin
Written by	Simon Pegg Doug Jung
Based on	Star Trek by Gene Roddenberry
Starring	John Cho Simon Pegg Chris Pine Zachary Quinto Zoe Saldana Karl Urban Anton Yelchin Idris Elba
Music by	Michael Giacchino
Cinematography	Stephen F. Windon
Edited by	Greg D’Auria Dylan Highsmith Kelly Matsumoto Steven Sprung
Production companies	Skydance Media Alibaba Pictures Huahua Media[1] Bad Robot Productions Sneaky Shark Perfect Storm Entertainment
Distributed by	Paramount Pictures
Release dates	July 7, 2016 (Sydney) July 22, 2016 (United States)
Running time	122 minutes[2]
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$185 million[3]
Box office	$195.4 million[3]

Star Trek Beyond is a 2016 American science fictionadventure film directed Justinby Lin from a screenplay by Simon Pegg and Doug Jung, based on the series Star Trek, created by Gene Roddenberry. It is the thirteenth film in theStar Trek film franchise and the third installment in the reboot series, followingStar Trek (2009) and Star Trek Into Darkness (2013). Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto reprise their roles as Captain James T. Kirk and Commander Spock, with Pegg, Karl Urban, Zoe Saldana, John Cho, and Anton Yelchin reprising their roles from the previous films. Idris Elba and Sofia Boutella also join the cast.

Principal photography began in Vancouver on June 25, 2015. The film premiered in Sydney on July 7, 2016 and was released in the United States on July 22, 2016.^[4] The film is dedicated to the memory of Yelchin, who died a month prior to the film’s release, as well as fellow Star Trek actor Leonard Nimoy, who died during pre-production.^[5] The film received positive reviews, with many critics praising the performances, action scenes, musical score, visual effects, and tributes to Yelchin and Nimoy, and has grossed over $195 million worldwide.

Plot

Three years into its five year mission, the USS Enterprise arrives at Starbase Yorktown, a massive space station, for resupply and shore leave for her tired crew. Struggling to find continued meaning in their mission of exploration given the endless nature of that objective, Captain James Kirk has applied for a promotion to Vice Admiral and commanding officer of Yorktown. He recommends Spock as the new captain of the Enterprise. Meanwhile, Hikaru Sulu reunites with his family, Spock and Nyota Uhura amicably end their relationship, and Montgomery Scott works to keep the ship operational. Spock also receives word from New Vulcan that Ambassador Spock has died.

The Enterprise is dispatched on a rescue mission after an escape pod drifts out of a nearby uncharted nebula. The survivor, Kalara, claims her ship is stranded on Altamid, a planet within the nebula. The rescue turns into an ambush when theEnterprise is overwhelmed by a massive swarm of small ships and is quickly torn apart. The swarm’s alien commander, Krall, and his crew board the ship, and unsuccessfully search for a relic called an Abronath that Kirk had obtained for a failed diplomatic mission. Krall has taken many of the crew from the ship. As the Enterprise continues to break up the saucer section hurtles towards the planet; the survivors abandon ship in escape pods.

On the planet’s surface, Sulu, Uhura, and other surviving crew are captured by Krall. Kirk and navigator Pavel Chekov, accompanied by Kalara, locate the wrecked saucer section. Kalara is discovered to be Krall’s ally when she tries to retrieve the Abronath for him. To escape Krall’s soldiers, Kirk activates the still functional boosters, causing the saucer to lurch forward, crushing Kalara. Meanwhile, a wounded Spock and Dr. Leonard McCoy search for the other survivors. Spock confides to McCoy that he intends to leave Starfleet to continue the late Ambassador Spock’s work on New Vulcan. Meanwhile, Scott is rescued by Jaylah, a scavenger who previously escaped Krall’s encampment. She takes Scott to her makeshift home, the grounded USS Franklin, an early Starfleet vessel that went missing over a hundred years before. With Scott’s help, the ship is repaired. Scott is reunited with Kirk, Chekov, McCoy, and Spock. Using the ship as a base, they plot to raid Krall’s camp and transport the crew to the Franklin, then escape the planet. Meanwhile, Krall threatens to kill Sulu and coerces Ensign Syl to hand over the Abronath that she had kept hidden for Kirk. The Abronath is the missing half of an ancient bioweapon, created by the planet’s original inhabitants, that can instantaneously disintegrate a humanoid. With the device now complete, Krall intends to attack Yorktown and kill its inhabitants, and, using its advanced technology, go on to attack the Federation. Krall demonstrates its deadly effect on Ensign Syl as a horrified Uhura helplessly watches. Kirk and the others free the crew as Krall launches into space with the bioweapon, leading his drone fleet to Yorktown.

Our Thoughts

This was an all new Star Trek adventure for me. I’m not sure if the story was based on one of Bradbury’s books or not, but it was pretty awesome, and not related to the older “original cast” movies. There isn’t much to say other than, 5 stars and Highly Recommended. The imagery is fantastic, as are the characters. The new adventures and cast members have fully won me over. – MR

Find Star Trek Beyond and see the new trailer here.

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We Review, Suicide Squad in IMAX 3D “A good fast paced, modern action flick.” -MR

We Review: Suicide Squad

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Suicide Squad
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	David Ayer
Produced by	Charles Roven Richard Suckle
Written by	David Ayer
Based on	Characters fromDC Comics
Starring	Will Smith Jared Leto Margot Robbie Joel Kinnaman Viola Davis Jai Courtney Jay Hernandez Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje Ike Barinholtz Scott Eastwood Cara Delevingne
Music by	Steven Price
Cinematography	Roman Vasyanov
Edited by	John Gilroy
Production company	DC Entertainment RatPac-Dune Entertainment Atlas Entertainment
Distributed by	Warner Bros. Pictures
Release dates	August 1, 2016(Beacon Theatre) August 5, 2016(United States)
Running time	123 minutes[1]
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$175 million[2]
Box office	$267.1 million[3]

Suicide Squad is a 2016 American superhero film, based on the DC Comicsantihero team of the same name. The third installment in the DC Extended Universe, the film is written and directed by David Ayer, and stars an ensemble cast featuring Will Smith, Jared Leto, Margot Robbie, Joel Kinnaman, Viola Davis, Jai Courtney, Jay Hernandez, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Ike Barinholtz,Scott Eastwood and Cara Delevingne. In Suicide Squad, a secret government agency led by Amanda Waller recruits imprisoned supervillains to execute dangerous black ops missions and save the world from a powerful threat, in exchange for leaner sentences.

By February 2009, a Suicide Squad film was in development at Warner Bros. Pictures. Ayer signed on to write and direct in September 2014, and by October, the casting process had begun. Principal photography began on April 13, 2015, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, with additional filming in Chicago, Illinois, and ended in August that year.

Suicide Squad premiered in New York City on August 1, 2016 and was theatrically released on August 5, 2016, in 2D, 3D and IMAX 3D. The film has grossed over $267 million, despite receiving generally negative reviews from critics, who praised its action sequences, effects, humor, its soundtrack and the performances of the cast, but criticized it for its choppy plot and editing.

Plot

In the aftermath of Superman’s death, intelligence operative Amanda Wallerassembles a team of dangerous criminals—the deranged Harley Quinn; elite hit man Deadshot; pyrokinetic ex-gangster El Diablo; opportunistic thief Captain Boomerang; monstrous cannibalKiller Croc; and specialized mercenary Slipknot—at Belle Reve Penitentiary and places them under command of Colonel Rick Flag, to be used as disposable assets in high-risk missions for the United States government. Each member has a small bomb implanted in their neck, designed to detonate should any member rebel or try to escape.

One of Waller’s intended recruits is Flag’s girlfriend, Dr. June Moone, an archaeologist who is possessed by a witch-goddess known as “Enchantress” after touching a cursed idol. Enchantress quickly turns on everyone, deciding to eradicate mankind for imprisoning her. She besieges Midway City with a horde of monsters and summons her brother, Incubus, to assist her. Waller then deploys the squad to extract a high-profile mark from Midway, and Flag alerts them that Enchantress’ heart must be cut out of her to regain control of her.

Ahead of their departure, they are joined by Katana, who wields a mystic sword and acts as Flag’s bodyguard. Harley’s lover, the Joker, finds out about her predicament and tortures Griggs, one of Waller’s men, into leading him to the facility where the nano bombs are made. He blackmails one of the scientists involved in the program into disabling Harley’s bomb. Sensing the squad’s approach, Enchantress destroys their helicopter, forcing them to proceed on foot to their target. On the way, Boomerang convinces Slipknot that the bombs are a ruse meant to keep them under control. Slipknot attempts to escape and is killed, while the team is attacked by Enchantress’s minions. The team manages to escape to their final destination at an underground bunker, where they learn that their mark is Waller herself, who is attempting to cover up her involvement.

The squad escorts Waller to the rooftop for extraction, but the arriving helicopter has been hijacked by the Joker and his men, who open fire on the squad while Harley climbs aboard.

Our Thoughts

While this isn’t your typical comic book flick it manages to be somewhat fresh and cool. I am giving it 3.75 stars, as it wasn’t “GREAT” but managed to hold my attention all the way through. There isn’t much suspense, and several characters seemingly die and then reappear, but not all! This is a  good, fast paced, modern action movie, that I can recommend to all fans of the “comic book to movie fad.” – MR

 

Find Suicide Squad and see the new trailer here.

We Review, Jason Bourne, “I recommend it highly!” – MR

Jason Bourne (film)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jason Bourne
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Paul Greengrass
Produced by	Paul Greengrass Matt Damon Frank Marshall Jeffrey M. Weiner Ben Smith Gregory Goodman
Written by	Paul Greengrass Christopher Rouse
Based on	Characters byRobert Ludlum
Starring	Matt Damon Julia Stiles Alicia Vikander Vincent Cassel Riz Ahmed Tommy Lee Jones
Music by	John Powell David Buckley
Cinematography	Barry Ackroyd
Edited by	Christopher Rouse
Production companies	The Kennedy/Marshall Company Captivate Entertainment Pearl Street Films Perfect World Pictures
Distributed by	Universal Pictures
Release dates	July 11, 2016(Odeon Leicester Square) July 29, 2016 (United States)
Running time	123 minutes[1]
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$120 million[2]
Box office	$110 million[2]

Jason Bourne is a 2016 American thriller film directed by Paul Greengrass. Written by Greengrass and film editor Christopher Rouse, it is the fifth installment of the Bourne film series and the direct sequel to 2007’s The Bourne Ultimatum. Matt Damon reprises his role as the main character, former CIAassassin and psychogenic amnesiacJason Bourne.

In the film, Bourne remains on the run from CIA hit squads as he tries to uncover hidden truths about his past. When former CIA operative Nicky Parsons (Julia Stiles) hacks into agency databases to uncover evidence about its illegal assassination programs and on Bourne’s recruitment, Bourne begins to understand who he truly is. After Parsons’ breach, CIA Director Robert Dewey (Tommy Lee Jones) orders CIA cyber head Heather Lee (Alicia Vikander) to find the pair. Vincent Cassel and Riz Ahmed also star.

Principal photography on the film commenced on September 8, 2015. The film premiered in London on July 11, 2016, and was theatrically released in the United States on July 29, 2016, by Universal Pictures. It has received mixed reviews and grossed over $110 million worldwide.^[2]

Plot

A decade after he exposed Operation Blackbriar and disappeared, Jason Bourne has finally recovered from his amnesia, isolating himself from the world and making a living by taking part in illegal fighting rings. In Reykjavík, Nicky Parsons has been collaborating with hacker and whistleblower Christian Dassault, and hacks into the CIA‘s mainframe server in order to expose the CIA’s black ops programs. In the process, Parsons finds documents that concern Jason Bourne’s recruitment into Treadstone and his father’s role in the program, and she decides to travel to Greece to find and inform him. Parsons’ system intrusion alerts Heather Lee, the head of the CIA’s cyber ops division, and CIA Director Robert Dewey.

In Greece, Parsons and Bourne meet at Syntagma Square in the midst of a violent anti-government protest. They evade the team sent to locate them but Parsons is killed by the Asset, an ex-Blackbriar assassin. Before she dies, Parsons is able to pass the key to a safe deposit that holds the CIA files on to Bourne. Intending to find the answers about his past and family, Bourne locates Dassault in Berlin. Decrypting Parsons’ files, Bourne discovers that his father, Richard Webb, was an analyst for the CIA and was involved with the creation of the original Treadstone program. However, malware planted in the files alerts the CIA to Bourne’s location and Dewey sends a team to capture him while Lee remotely erases the files to prevent another leak. Lee takes the opportunity to alert Bourne to the team’s presence as she believes that he can be persuaded to return to the agency. Using the few leads he gathered in Berlin, Bourne tracks Malcolm Smith, a former Treadstone surveillance operative, in London and arranges to meet him in Paddington Square.

Lee persuades Dewey to allow her to contact Bourne in person to attempt to bring him back in. Dewey agrees, but secretly authorizes the Asset to eliminate Lee’s team and kill Bourne, whom he believes cannot be reasoned with. Knowing that the CIA is watching him, Bourne evades Lee and the Asset long enough to confront Smith. Smith admits that Richard Webb created Treadstone, but tried to prevent them from recruiting Bourne. Under Dewey’s orders, the Asset killed Webb and staged his death as a terrorist attack to persuade Bourne to join Treadstone. Smith is killed by the Asset while Bourne escapes and finds Lee, who admits that she is not comfortable with Dewey’s methods and directs him to a technology convention in Las Vegas.

Dewey is scheduled to attend the convention for a public debate on privacy rights with Aaron Kalloor, the CEO of social mediaenterprise Deep Dream. Kalloor is the public face of corporate social responsibility in the internet age, but he has secretly been funded by Dewey, who intends to use Deep Dream for real-time mass surveillance alongside the reborn targeted assassination programs Treadstone, Blackbriar, Outcome and LARX projects, now known as “Iron Hand”. Suspecting that Kalloor will refuse to allow the CIA access to Deep Dream, Dewey authorizes the Asset to assassinate him and Lee, whom he no longer trusts.

Cast

• Matt Damon as Jason Bourne, born David Webb, a former CIA assassin who disappeared after publicising details of the CIA’s targeted assassination programs.
• Tommy Lee Jones as Robert Dewey, the current director of the CIA and leader of the Iron Hand program who holds an intention to take down Bourne after the exposure of Blackbriar.
• Alicia Vikander as Heather Lee, the head of the CIA Cyber Ops Division.
• Vincent Cassel as the Asset, a Blackbriar assassin working for the Iron Hand program. The Asset was captured and tortured as a result of Bourne’s actions in The Bourne Ultimatum and harbours resentment toward him because of it.
• Julia Stiles as Nicolette “Nicky” Parsons, Bourne’s former Treadstone contact in Paris whom he sent into hiding in The Bourne Ultimatum.
• Riz Ahmed as Aaron Kalloor, the CEO and founder of Deep Dream, a social media enterprise.
• Ato Essandoh as Craig Jeffers, a CIA agent and Dewey’s right-hand man.
• Scott Shepherd as Edwin Russell, the Director of National Intelligence.
• Bill Camp as Malcolm Smith, a former CIA analyst who retired to the private sector.
• Vinzenz Kiefer as Christian Dassault, a hacker, whistleblower, and the leader of a group of privacy activists.
• Gregg Henry as Richard Webb, Jason Bourne’s father and the creator of the original Treadstone program who was murdered by the Asset.

Our Thoughts

I absolutely loved this flick, as it contained as much mystery and intrigue as the three original Bourne novels/movies. It has been a long time since I sat in discomfort, needing to pee, because I didn’t want to miss what was happening.  From brutally realistic fight scenes, to off the chain car chases, this movie was every bit as good as the first three, and I recommend it highly – MR

 

Find Jason Bourne and see the new trailer here.