Movie Review: "The Great Gatsby" Is Definitely A Baz Luhrmann Film For Better Or Worse.

The Great Gatsby
Director: Baz Luhrmann
Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Tobey Maguire, Carey Mulligan, and Joel Edgerton.
Rated PG-13 for some violent images, sexual content, smoking, partying and brief language.

The Great Gatsby is a story that has been translated to the big screen numerous times since the novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald was first published. Obviously, it is a story that has stood the test of time as it is still being studied in high schools across the country. It is a tragic love story that involves complex and mysterious characters. The language is rich, and the character dynamics are intriguing. But what works in the book  may not necessarily make a good movie; however, that won't stop director Baz Luhrmann from putting his own unique spin to the classic story.

Movie Review: "Fast and Furious 6" Is Absolutely Ridiculous...And Incredibly Awesome!

Furious 6 aka Fast and Furious 6
Director: Justin Lin
Cast: Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Dwayne Johnson, Tyrese Gibson, Chris "Ludacris" Bridges, Luke Evans, Gina Carano, and Michelle Rodriguez.
Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action and mayhem throughout, some sexuality and language.

You already know if you want to see this or not. I am not going to attempt to convince those who aren't fans of the series that they are missing out (even though they are). If you're going to see the latest installment in The Fast and the Furious franchise, then you are most likely going for one thing: action. Let me tell ya, this one has some of the best and craziest action around.

Movie Review: J.J. Abrams Fills "Star Trek Into Darkness" With Great Performances and Thrilling Sequences.

Star Trek Into Darkness

Director: J.J. Abrams
Cast: Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Benedict Cumberbatch, Karl Urban, Zoe Saldana, Alice Eve, Simon Pegg, and Bruce Greenwood.
Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of sci-fi action and violence.

The summer movie season continues this week with the release of Star Trek Into Darkness, the follow-up to the reboot that J.J. Abrams delivered in 2009. First and foremost, it should be known that I was never a Star Trek fan throughout my youth. I saw some of the various tv episodes and movies, but they never left a lasting impression, and in my mind, never held up against the ongoing galactic battles found in the Star Wars universe. But in 2009, director J.J. Abrams somehow pulled off what I thought was impossible: he made Star Trek cool. I can safely say that Star Trek Into Darkness is every bit as good as its predecessor, if not better.

After Starfleet suffers two devastating terrorist attacks from a fellow Starfleet member, John Harrison (Benedict Cumberbatch), Kirk, Spock, and the crew of the USS Enterprise must embark on a mission to bring this terrorist to justice. What they discover along the way will test their resolve and force them to question who they can really trust.

As for plot, that is all I will discuss for fear of entering spoiler territory. All you need to know is that Into Darkness is a thrilling and exciting ride. J.J. Abrams has a knack for balancing adventurous sequences with intense edge-of-your-seat action, and rounded off with a plethora of great performances from his actors. Chris Pine is born to be a charismatic leading man. He has what it takes to pull off the scoundrel-like hero that we always want to root for. Zachary Quinto is filling Leonard Nimoy's shoes better than anyone could hope for. Benedict Cumberbatch is excellent in his role. Fans of his BBC series, Sherlock, will be thrilled to see him in this kind of role. He owns it. And the rest of the supporting class all have their moments to shine, particularly Karl Urban, Simon Pegg, Bruce Greenwood, Zoe Saldana, and newcomer Alice Eve.

There are a couple moments when you really have to suspend disbelief in order to accept what's happening on screen, even for a science-fiction adventure film, but even so it is all so entertaining that you may hardly notice otherwise. I know there are some die hard Trek fans that are not pleased with what Abrams has done with their franchise. All I can say is I couldn't relate to this fans before and definitely can't now. Having immensely enjoyed this latest Star Trek films, I cannot wait till J.J. Abrams takes us back to a galaxy far, far away in 2015.

RATING:  A

Movie Review: "Iron Man 3" Takes An Unexpected And, Possibly, Unwelcomed Turn.

Iron Man 3

Director: Shane Black
Cast: Robert Downey, Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Guy Pearce, Don Cheadle, and Ben Kingsley.
Rated PG-13 for sequences of intense sci-fi action and violence throughout, and brief suggestive content.

The summer movie season of 2013 has officially begun. First out of the gate is Marvel's Iron Man 3 which acts more as a follow-up to last year's The Avengers as opposed to Iron Man 2. Audiences were thrilled and vastly entertained last year when Iron Man teamed up with other Marvel heroes to complete Marvel's Phase One. Now to kickstart Phase Two, writer and director Shane Black has taken the Iron Man reins from Jon Favreau to complete the Iron Man Trilogy. After seeing this latest installment and having given it a lot of thought, I must confess that Phase Two may be off to a shaky start.