Star Trek Into Darkness Review

  "Simply put, this is as close to perfect as a movie can come."

Star Trek Into Darkness is an incredible follow up to the 2009 film Star Trek. The sequel is able to live up to its predecessor and more. This entry into the series intentionally set out to be much more action packed than the first entry, and as shocking as it may seem, it accomplished this goal. While there were ups and downs (in regard to action) throughout the movie, there truly never was a dull moment, and through the majority of the movie I was literally on the edge of my seat (and 99% of the time spent on the edge of my seat was spent crying), trying to comprehend what was currently happening and what was about to happen.

In the 2009 entry, multiple plot lines were set up, allowing new elements to be added to the story, some comedic, some serious, but all of them were able to bring something new to the story, however subtle it may have been. The new installment was also able to set up multiple plot lines, and without giving away spoilers, JJ Abrams will have multiple paths to choose from when he sets up the next entry's plotline.

Another great feature of this film was the story. While there were very few, the first entry had some plot holes that didn't make any sense, but in this entry, plot holes were 100% eliminated. The movie was able to manage being packed with a huge amount of action, while at the same time be able to maintain its great story, something not all movies are able to accomplish.  This movie had an airtight, plot hole free story that was tear jerking, action packed, comedic, and had something for everyone.

Although this didn't appeal to everyone, there were multiple references to the 1982 film Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, the film that this installment is loosely based on. In fact, some scenes are extremely similar, and without giving anything away, every true Treky will be very pleased with the many references along with the entire film overall.

Overall, I was extremely impressed with this movie, and it definitely exceeded my expectations. I'd say this installment was on par with it's predecessor  In fact, I'd say it was better. Simply put, this is as close to perfect as a movie can come.

                                                                                                                                       -Colby

Scary Movie 5 Review: Is it as bad as critics say?

"Let's just say fans of the franchise won't be disappointed."

Scary Movie 5 recently came out, 7 years after its latest predecessor, Scary Movie 4. While none of these movies ever tend to get good reviews, the 5th installment received the worst reviews in the franchise, getting only a 5% fresh rating from Rotten Tomatoes. However,  I really don't know why, let's just say fans of the franchise won't be disappointed. While it's true the movie does make some pop culture jokes that just don't hit the mark, for example, Honey Boo Boo popping out of a box saying "A dolla makes me holla Honey Boo Boo" and everyone screaming, but for the most part, the movie kept up the stupid humor the whole series has had that its fans have come to love. So the humor was pretty consistent with its predecessors. The casting for this installment was also great, too. This installment brought back series veteran Simon Rex, who jumped back into his role perfectly. One of the main reasons I was very apprehensive to see this movie was because this installment didn't feature Anna Faris, who has starred in every Scary Movie yet, and while I'm still not sure why she was replaced, Ashley Tisdale took the role perfectly, and she didn't miss a beat. The trailer really didn't show the best parts of this movie, in fact it showed some of the most dull parts of the movie. The trailer also made it seem as if Charlie Sheen and Lindsay Lohan were a major part of the movie, which was not true, as they were only in the movie for about three minutes. Along with them, a huge list of celebrities made cameos, which actually did add to the movie and brought a few extra laughs. Overall, unlike most critics out there, I really did enjoy this movie, and I encourage you all to go see it.
Trailer:

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My Favorite Horror Movies: The Paranormal Activity Series

                                                                      Credit: Paramount Pictures

Hey everyone, so I feel like lately this page has been totally neglected, so I just wanted to give you guys a little review. Today I'll be talking about my favorite horror movie franchise, and how they've had so much success. If you haven't guessed yet, just look up like 5 inches, I'm talking about the Paranormal Activity series. The series well, never actually intended to become a series. The first film started as a very, and I mean like, I could pretty much afford it, low budget movie, but after being shown to a few collages in the states, it received a huge amount of praise. I don't know the exact story, but somehow it ended up being greenlit to be shown in theaters, and ended up making a huge amount of money, exactly $193,355,800. But, the series only got bigger and better from there. Still having a relatively low budget, the second installment brought in almost as much money, $177,512,032 to be exact. And rightfully so, because the second movie brought up even more scares. And it was the same story with the 3rd installment, bringing the scariness to a whole new level, along with ticket sales. It brought in a massive $207,039,844 at the box office! Then came movie number 4, which received a much more lukewarm response than the last 3, bringing in $140,706,358. This is probably because everyone expected this one to be bigger and better than 3, but was on the level of 2. The directors said this was because they purposely took a step down. Let's just hope they bring it back up with number 5. Another huge draw for these movies, besides the scares, is the story. These movies are always extremely well written, and no matter how scary the movie is, they always tremendously build upon the story, but always leave enough mystery that always keeps you thinking, but mainly, always keeps you coming back, movie after movie. The way they make these movies is also very unique too. The use of cameras, and only cameras, always adds another level of suspense to the movies, as you never know what you'll see next. That is also why these movies are so scary, suspense. While there are lots of big scares throughout the movie, the biggest part is always the slowly building suspense, because the end is always, as a poet might say, sooo f*cking  scary! Well anyways, I hope this compelled you to check out some of the Paranormal Activity movies, and I'll see you soon!

                                                                                                            -Colby

The Croods

I saw a screening of this film last Saturday and I must say: I was quite disappointed. The animation was gorgeous but I think they could've done a much better job with the actual film itself. The comedy was too cutsie, which I did kind of expect. The directing and staging of the whole thing was kind of off. I liked the setting and the premise though. I just don't like how Kirk DeMicco (director of Space Chimps) executed it. I did, for once, kind of enjoy Nicholas Cages performance. Although it wasn't the best of the film, I personally would have nominated Cloris Leachman for the best voice and best performance of this movie. I also enjoyed Emma Stone's character. So basically, the story goes as follows: "Surviving in a volcanic world is tough enough, but caveman Grug gets a rude awakening when an earthquake forces him to leave behind the only world he knows. With his family in tow, he ventures out into the volatile world in search of a new home. The situation becomes even more complicated when Grug's family — in particular his oldest daughter, Eep — falls for a nomad named Guy they encounter on their dangerous journey. This quirky, imaginative stranger's search for 'tomorrow' is at odds with Grug's reliance on the traditions of yesterday." This description was taken from Wikipedia.
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Beautiful Creatures Review

Picture Credit: Movieeverything.com

Hey guys! Today I'm here to review the new movie Beautiful Creatures!  This movie was great..... if you haven't read the book.  I'm going to be honest with you, if you haven't read the book, this was a fun, entertaining movie.  If you haven't read the book, you can stop here.  If you have, keep going.  The instant, I mean the INSTANT this movie started, they had gotten something wrong.  Ethan's voice in the movie was wrong.  I am not exaggerating at all, the first 5 minutes had at least 15 things wrong with them.  Throughout the whole movie, they got things wrong.  In the beginning I wanted to count how many things they got wrong, but I just couldn't keep count.  One of my friends wanted to leave, and the other was so angry she stopped watching and started making those hand bird things.  I'm not lying at all, they got at LEAST one thing wrong per every 2 minutes.  I wanted to write everything they got wrong, but unfortunately, that's not what this review is for.  So here's what to take from this, Richard LaGravenese is my worst enemy, if you love the series you may cry after you see this, and if you haven't read it, this is a pretty good movie!  Finally, you won't believe how many times you'll find yourself screaming at the screen.

                                                                                                      -Colby

The Toxic Avenger

Created by Lloyd Kaufman in 1985 (starring Mitch Cohen as the Toxic Avenger) this movie follows a janitor that works at a gym and he gets picked on numerous amounts of time throughout the beginning of the of the film. When one prank goes horrible, the janitor is thrown into a vat of toxic waste and is full of deformities. Soon after he falls in love with a blind woman.Okay, this happens to be probably one of the strangest movies I've ever seen in my life. This movie may have really terrible (B) special effects, but it happens to be one of my favorite movies from the 80s. Definitely put this one on your list of movies to watch when you have nothing to do. I would give this film probably a solid 4.5/5 stars.

                                                                             -Ethan