Star Trek (2009) This has got to be the first time where a movie that is based on an old TV show totally got it right! I'm not a huge fan of the old show but I've seen enough to know that this new take on Star Trek is right on the money. They found the perfect blend of keeping things the same as the old series and paying homage to the Star Trek legacy while at the same time kicking things up a notch and making the whole picture rockin' and sexy and everything that today's movies "need" to be. For those of you that aren't up to speed with what this shiny new Trek is all about...after five television series and 10 movies, this Star Trek goes all the way back to the beginning and shows what happened before the events of the original 1960's television series. Here we see Kirk and Spock (as well as the rest of the crew) meet for the first time. The kid that plays Capt. James T. Kirk does a fantastic job of channeling William Shatner, the new Spock is dead on and the guy playing Bones is almost doing an impression of DeForest Kelley but it works given the smaller role. They even went so far as to keep the same sound effects, the Enterprise looks like the old one yet it's shinny and new, and the score to the film is epic and melodramatic at the same time. Perfect! As with any Star Trek material, once it gets into the time traveling stuff I'd recommend not trying to follow the logic of it all as it just hurts your brain but besides that this new Star Trek is definitely taking the right course.
Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008) I loves me some Woody Allen (in fact according to IMDB I've seen 32 of the 40 films he's written and directed) but I had to drag myself to watch this latest film. To me there's three kinds of Woody Allen films: the funny ones he's in, the funny ones he's not in, and the serious ones. Guess what? The serious ones are my least favorite, and I thought this fell into that category but I was pleasantly surprised. I don't know if I'd call this a comedy, but it's a lighthearted romance - not heavy at all. Woody Allen has made some pretty weird films over the years, but when he wants to he can make a really charming little picture. Vicky Christina Barcelona tells the tale of two girls on vacation in Barcelona and their love affair with the same artist. The movie is filled with beautiful photography of Spain, lighthearted music and a really effective narrator who alone makes the film special. This was a really well done film that I think non-Allen fans should find accessible and enjoyable.
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