2 Fast 2 Furious Review

2 Fast 2 Furious

Release Date: 5th June 2003 - Australia

Production Companies
Universal Pictures (presents)

Original Film

Mikona Productions GmbH & Co. KG (in association with)

Ardustry Entertainment

Distribution
Universal Pictures Australia

Genre: Action

Rating: M

Runtime: 103 minutes


Budget: $76,000,000

Box Office Gross: $236,350,661 (Worldwide)

Plot Summary
After losing his job for

letting his friend, a street-
racing crime boss, Dom
Toretto, escape the law.
Brian O'Conner has

returned to Miami with

his old friend, Roman
Pearce, now working under-
cover for the cops to avoid
punishment for what he

did. He's assisting the
gorgeous Monica Fuentes
in her pursuit of a shady
businessman. And he's
racing again - this time
for his life.

Cast

Paul Walker - Brian O'Conner

Tyrese Gibson - Roman Pearce
Eva Mendes - Monica Fuentes
Cole Hauser - Carter Verone
Chris 'Ludacris' Bridges - Tej Parker
Devon Aoki - Suki
James Remar - Agent Markham
Thom Barry - Agent Bilkins
Amaury Nolasco - Orange Julius
Michael Ealy - Slap Jack
Jim Au-Yeung - Jimmy
Mark Boone, Jr. - Whitworth
Mo Gallini - Enrique
Roberto Sanchez - Roberto
Eric Etebari - Darden
John Cenatiempo - Korpi
Edward Finlay - Agent Dunn
Mark Boone Junior - Detective Whitworth
Troy Brown - Paul Hackett
Corey Michael Eubanks - Max Campisi
Sammy Maloof - Joe Osborne
Troy Robinson - Feliz Vispone
Jose Perez - Jose

Crew

Director - John Singleton

Based on Characters/Story -

Gary Scott Thompson

Story/Screenplay - Michael Brandt

and Derek Haas

Executive Producers - Michael Fottrell

and Lee R. Mayes
Producer - Neal H. Moritz
Co-Producer - Heather Lieberman

Casting Director - Kimberly Hardin

Picture Vehicle Technical Advisor - Craig Lieberman
Production Designer - Keith Brian Burns

Art Directors - Liz Carney and

Lawrence A. Hubbs

Set Decorators - Jon Daniells

and Rick Simpson
Costume Designer - Sanja Milkovic Hays
Director of Photography - Matthew F. Leonetti

Unit Production Manager - Terry Miller

Production Supervisor: Picture Car - David Marder

First Assistant Directors - Frank Davis

and Bruce Franklin

First Assistant Director: Second Unit -

Michael Waxman

Second Assistant Director - Jason Roberts

Second Unit Director/Stunt Coordinator - Terry Leonard
Stunt Coordinator - Artie Malesci
Special Effects Supervisor - Al Di Sarro
Special Effects Coordinator - Bob Graham
Visual Effects Supervisor - Mike Wassel

Visual Effects Supervisor: Hammerhead - Thad Beier

Visual Effects Supervisor: Pacific Title and Art

Studio - David Sosalla

Visual Effects Producer - Crystal Dowd

Matte Paintings and Additional Visual Effects:

Illusion Arts Inc. - Syd Dutton and Bill Taylor

Matte Artists: Illusion Arts - Kelvin McIlwain

and Justin Brandstater

Editors - Bruce Cannon and Dallas Puett

Film Assistant Editor - David Raymond

Supervising Sound Editor - Greg Hedgepath

Sound Effects Editors - Ann Scibelli,

Peter Zinda, Tom Ozanich, Hector C. Gika,

Randy Kelley, Michael Kamper, Roland Thai,

Alan Rankin and Kenneth L. Johnson

Re-Recording Mixers - Chris Carpenter,

Rick Kline and Andy Koyama

Additional Effects Recording - Mark Ormandy

and John P. Fasal

Foley Artists - Jeffrey Wilhoit

and James Moriana

Music - David Arnold

Executive in Charge of Music for Universal

Pictures - Kathy Nelson

Review

It's been years since the unexpected tragic death of actor Paul Walker in a traffic collision. It struck me that I would finish reviewing the second and fourth movies of The Fast & The Furious series just in time for the upcoming seventh instalment, now due for release in Australian cinemas in April 2015. At the height of his career, the original made Walker a star. The series' second feature, 2 FAST 2 FURIOUS, failed to live up to the standards of the first, mainly due to Vin Diesel's refusal to reprise his role in this sequel. It was because he was busy filming XXX. With Diesel nowhere in sight, the film misses the opportunity to be a better film worthy of the original's standards. Thankfully, it still has the adrenaline rush with the racing sequences and driving choreography. If only it worked better in the film's need-of-improvement storyline.

With Paul Walker still in his lead role, it did not do justice to pair Walker with Tyrese Gibson, who later re-joins the series as a supporting lead, starting with Furious 5. That's why there's no chemistry between them that Paul and Vin had shared.

This film is a standalone picture that would have been more successful. But because you have the original masterpiece to compare it to, it didn't have the same high quality.

Star rating: (5/10) Average

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Film Guru Lad's Top Movie Villains: Part 4 - Honourable Mentions

G'day, this is Rad Dingo. Here is a list of honourable mentions for film villains, which almost made it into the top 15 list of the greatest considered the most iconic villains portrayed in cinema.

Go (click here in part one), (part two) and (part three) if you haven't read the chapters on my list of these top vile monsters. Now stay tuned for the last part of No. 5.




Honourable Mentions


#1. Magneto (X-Men Trilogy)




#2. Cruella De Vil (101 Dalmatians)

 

#3. T-1000 (T2: Judgement Day)
















#4. Agatha Trunchbull (Matilda)

#5. Howard Payne (Speed)
















 

#6. Predator (Predator)




#7. Emperor Commodus (Gladiator)

#8. Count Olaf (Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events)

 

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Earth to Echo Review

Earth to Echo

Release Date: 3rd July 2014 - Australia

Production Companies

Walt Disney Pictures (Uncredited)
Relativity Media

Panay Films

Distribution 

Roadshow Distribution

Genre: Sci-Fi/Family

Rating: PG

Runtime: 86 minutes

Budget: $13,000,000

Box Office Gross: $45,336,704
(Worldwide)

Plot Summary

After receiving a bizarre 

series of encrypted 

messages, a group of 

kids embark on an 

adventure with an 

alien who needs their 

help.

Cast

Teo Halm - Alex
Brian "Astro" Bradley - Tuck
Reese Hartwig - Munch
Ella Wahlestedt - Emma
Jason Gray-Stanford - Dr.
Lawrence Masden
Algee Smith - Marcus Simms
Cassius Willis - Calvin Simms
Sonya Leslie - Theresa Simms
Kerry O'Malley - Janice Douglas
Virginia Louise Smith - Betty
Barrett
Peter Mackenzie - James Hastings
Valerie Wildman - Christine Hastings
Mary Pat Gleason - Dusty
Myk Watford - Blake Douglas
Isarel Broussard - Cameron

Crew

Director - Dave Green
Story/Screenplay - Henry Gayden
Story/Producer - Andrew Panay
Executive Producers - Jason Beckman, 

Ron Burkle, Jason Colbeck, Jason Colodne,

Mark Benton Johnson, Jack Kavanaugh,

David Miller and Tucker Tooley
Executive Producer/President of Production -
Robbie Brenner
Producer - Ryan Kavanaugh
Co-Producer - Adam Blum
Co-Producer/Executive in Charge of Production -
Ken Halsband

Casting Directors - Randi Heller and 

Tamara-Lee Notcutt
Production Designer - Kasra Farahani
Cinematography - Maxime Alexandre
Costume Designer - Judianna Makovsky
Second Unit Director/Stunt Coordinator - Scott Rogers
Stunt Coordinators - Keith Campbell,
Ben Hernandez Bray and Chris O'Hara
Special Effects Coordinator - J.D. Schwalm
Special Effects: Echo Designer - Ross Tran
Visual Effects Supervisor - Mitchell S. Drain
Visual Effects Supervisor: Additional Photography -
Stefen Fangmeier
Visual Effects Supervisor: Prime Focus - Josh Saeta
Film Editor - Crispin Struthers
Co-Editor - Carsten Kurpane
Re-Recording Mixer/Sound Designer/Supervising
Sound Editor - Ronald Eng
Dialogue/FX Editor/Re-Recording Mixer/Sound
Designer - Colette D. Dahanne
Sound Designers - Scott Guitteau and
Randy Thom
Music - Joseph Trapanese

Review

I was in shock that the teaser for 'EARTH TO ECHO' was released four years after 'Super 8' and I would hypothesise that these both movies were alike in terms of similar themes and inspirations out of Steven Spielberg's superbly fashioned classics like 'E.T.' and 'The Goonies'. Since J.J. Abrams' hit shook the many sci-fi loving filmgoers and had a lot of maturity and frightening content inside for the teens and young adults, it was without a doubt was similar to 'E.T.' but very low-budgeted. Many of the people who have seen 'Super 8' mentioned a dozen times in their web chatting and reviews that they've considered it to be its knock-off, a sad truth nonetheless that its writers can't seem to think fresh ideas and may have taken some of its elements out of the box and into the ground it goes as they say. This is meant to be aimed at young audiences, I still need to mention the finer details of this film before I get on with the conclusion of this post.

The lead protagonists are shown to be less equal than the ones in 'Super 8' that all each had their different personalities and character developments, especially the girl with the blonde hair who almost bores an uncanny likeness to Elle Fanning's role in the original where she was a far more greater focus to the plot. I love the cute little alien robot design which although helpful to the film, he could have ended up as if he was the main character not that he is able to fall in the category with the more established film bots such as WALL-E and R2D2.

'EARTH TO ECHO' isn't exactly an alternative feature that anyone envisioned it to be, but is a less scarier version of 'Super 8'. It's a forgettable entry and I don't need to watch it a second time since it stands as below average.

Star rating: (4/10) Below Average

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Film Guru Lad's Top Movie Villains: Part 3

My apologies to you. It's been so long since Part Two of the best movie villains, but finally, here it is, and I would love to hear what you say about your favourite villains. If you missed the first two parts of this list, go into (parts one) and (two).

Please feel free to leave a comment.



#7. HAL 9000 (2001: A Space Odyssey)

Here is a different one from what you have been expecting! HAL 9000 is the benevolent artificial intelligence that betrays the trust of humans and is the first time viewers have seen a machine that turns evil. HAL 9000 is the precursor of those machines that went rogue.

HAL is programmed to monitor the spacecraft of Discovery One and its personnel. Throughout the movie, he becomes very corrupt and disagrees with those that give him orders to cancel the mission, which leads to a downward spiral of events. He begins to control the spaceship in light of his self-preservation and becomes a traitorous operating system that seeks to take command over the humans who programmed him.

#6. Loki (Thor & The Avengers)

It's easy to root for Loki
since he always comes
second to his brother Thor,
a favourite of his adoptive
father over Loki himself.
This jealousy adds fuel to
the fire and causes him to
have an innate desire to
rule as king, overthrow his
brother and win his father's

approval. Among his

atrocities and cunning

nature, Loki also wipes out

his race, The Frost Giants and forms a deadly alliance with an alien race to try and invade New York City through his power of the Tesseract. Unfortunately, he meets his biggest match when coming against the powerful Hulk.

#5. Emperor Palpatine (Star Wars Trilogy)

If you think Darth Vader is the only big bad of Star Wars, you know that he only serves one man, Emperor Palpatine. Yes, this evil Sith Lord is a chess master of villainy. He has done a lot of monstrous deeds, including getting elected as Supreme Chancellor of the Galactic Republic by letting the Separatists invade his peaceful world of Naboo. Palpatine then started the Clone Wars by playing both sides of one another. He is responsible for turning young Anakin Skywalker into the evil and ruthless Darth Vader and ordering the clone troopers to execute the Jedi (except for a few). This master-manipulating tyrant orchestrated the events that led to the birth of the Empire and the Jedi's near extinction. No one would stand up to him except for Vader's long-lost son Luke who the Emperor wants to turn to the dark side and have him become like his father.

#4. Agent Smith (The Matrix Trilogy)

While the first Matrix film stands
out against the two sequels, you
know they had the same villain
who is menacing enough to look
like a Men in Black agent, except
that he is a computer program that
looked like an agent and used to be
one. Yes, that name would be Agent
Smith, and this human-despising
rogue program is now a virus bent
on absorbing the bodies of humans.
He even can turn any other
programs and his former co-agents
and changes them into duplicates
of himself. His purposes remain
disclosed but only hint that
Smith is not only plotting the
destruction of humanity but of his
robotic creators of the Matrix. Agent Smith meets his match when confronting his nemesis Neo for the first time. He becomes a more relentlessly powerful foe when he has returned, but his enemies still can't stop him. He is the other saving grace of the later instalments as the main antagonist.

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Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home Review

Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home

Release Date: 18th December 1986 - Australia

Production Companies

Paramount Pictures (presents)

Distribution

Paramount Pictures Australia

Genre: Sci-Fi

Rating: PG

Runtime: 118 minutes


Budget: $26,000,000

Box Office Gross: $133,000,000 (Worldwide)

Plot Summary

Hunted by the very

Federation that they have

sworn to defend, the crew

of the U.S.S. Enterprise

returns to Earth to answer

the crimes they committed

while saving a resurrected

Spock.

Along the way, they

learn that a strange alien

probe is attacking

Earth. It demands an

answer from a life form

that no longer exists.

Under the command of a

captured Klingon Bird of

Prey, Kirk and his crew

will bend space and time

to save the Earth and

rediscover the true

meaning of friendship.

Cast

William Shatner - Admiral

James T. Kirk

Leonard Nimoy - Spock

DeForest Kelley - Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy

Catherine Hicks - Gillian

James Doohan - Scotty

Walter Koenig - Chekov

George Takei - Sulu

Nichelle Nichols - Uhura

Robin Curtis - Saavik

Mark Lenard - Sarek

Jane Wyatt - Amanda Grayson

Robert Ellenstein - Federation Council President

John Schuck - Klingon Ambassador

Brock Peters - Admiral Cartwright

Michael Snyder - Starfleet Communications Officer

Michael Berryman - Starfleet Display Officer

Mike Brislane - Saratoga Science Officer

Grace Lee Whitney - Commander Rand

Jane Wiedlin - Alien Communications Officer (Cameo)

Vijay Amritaj - Starship Captain (Cameo)

Majel Barrett - Commander Chapel

Nick Ramus - Saratoga Helmsman

Thaddeus Golas - Controller #1

Marty Pistone - Controller #2

Scott DeVenney - Bob Briggs

Viola Kates Stimpson - Lady in Tour

Phil Rubenstein - 1st Garbageman

John Miranda - 2nd Garbageman

Joe Knowland - Antique Store Owner

Bob Sarlatte - Waiter

Everett Lee - Cafe Owner

Richard Harder - Joe

Alex Henteloff - Nichols

Tony Edwards - Pilot

Eve Smith - Elderly Patient

Tom Mustin - Intern #1

Greg Karas - Intern #2

Raymond Singer - Young Doctor

David Ellenstein - Doctor #1

Judy Levitt - Doctor #2

Teresa E. Victor - Usher

James Menges - Jogger

Kirk Thatcher - Punk on Bus (Cameo)

Jeff Lester - FBI Agent

Joe Lando - San Francisco Police Officer

Newell Tarrant - CDO

Mike Timoney - Electronic Technician

Jeffrey Martin - Electronic Technician

Joseph Naradzay - Marine Sergeant

Donald W. Zautcke - Marine Lieutenant

Madge Sinclair - Saratoga Captain (Uncredited)

Crew

Story/Director - Leonard Nimoy

Based on "Star Trek"/Executive

Consultant - Gene Roddenberry

Story/Screenplay/Producer - Harve Bennett

Screenplay - Steve Meerson,

Peter Krikes and Nicholas Meyer

Associate Producers - Brooke Beton and

Kirk Thatcher

Executive Producer - Ralph Winter

Production Designer - Jack T. Collks

Art Directors - Joe Aubel and

Peter Landsdown Smith

Assistant Art Director - Joseph E. Hubbard

Assistant Art Director/Visual Effects

Art Director: ILM - Nilo Rodis-Jamero

Set Decorator - John M. Dwyer

Costume Designer - Robert Fletcher

Makeup Artists - Wes & Jeff Dawn

and James Lee McCoy

Creature Crew - Dale Brady,

Shannon Shea, Craig Caton, Brian Wade,

Allen Feuerstein and Nancy Nimoy

Director of Photography - Donald Peterman

Underwater Director of Photography - Jack Cooperman

Location Managers - Michael Mann

and Michael John Meehan

Unit Production Manager - Mel Efros

Second Unit Director - Michael Owens

Stunt Coordinator - R.A. Rondell

Special Effects Supervisor - Michael Lantieri

Visual Effects Supervisor - Ken Ralston

Effects Director of Photography: ILM - Don Dow

Whale Design & Project Supervisor: ILM - Walt Conti

Underwater Whale Photography: ILM - Pete Romano

Model Shop Supervisor: ILM - Jeff Mann

Production Manager: ILM - Edward Hirsh

Camera Operators: ILM - Selwyn Eddy,

John V. Fante, Peter Daulton, Toby Heindel

and Pat Sweeney

Assistant Camera: ILM - Jo Carson,

Ray Gilberti, Pete Kozachik and Martin Rosenberg

Matte Photography Supervisor: ILM - Craig Barron

Visual Consultant: ILM - Ralph McQuarrie

Graphic Designer - Michael Okuda

Computer Animation and Tactical Displays:

Video Images - John Wash and Richard E. Hollander

Film Editor - Peter E. Berger

Title Designers - Dan Curry and

Harry Moreau

Sound Effects - Mark A. Mangini

Sound Effects Editors - David Stone,

Michael J. Benavente, Warren Hamilton Jr.

and Stephen Hunter Flick

Special Sound Effects - George Budd,

Alan Howarth and John Pospisil

Sound Effects Recordist - Doug Hemphill

Sound Mixer - Gene S. Cantamessa

Re-Recording Mixers - Terry Porter,

David J. Hudson and Mel Metcalfe

Composer: Theme "Star Trek" - Alexander Courage

Music - Leonard Rosenman

Awards

1987 Academy Awards

Best Cinematography - Don Peterman (Nominated)

Best Sound - Terry Porter, David J. Hudson,
Mel Metcalfe and Gene S. Cantamessa (Nominated)
Best Sound Editing - Mark A. Mangini (Nominated)
Best Music, Original Score - Leonard Rosenman (Nominated)

Review

I enjoy watching the film adaptations of Star Trek, but Star Wars is a much better sci-fi movie franchise with far more memorable characters, world-building and epic battles. In all fairness, Lucasfilm's series has a better impact than Trek. In re-exploring the fourth chapter, which I hadn't seen for a long time, the story brings the original characters on a journey back to Earth. It takes place in a different time when they interact in unfamiliar surroundings. THE VOYAGE HOME was a changing form of the Trek series in that it became less dramatic and focused more on comedy as this film communicates a storyline that begins in the year 2286 and ends in the late 80s.

Nicholas Meyer, the man behind The Wrath of Khan, was also involved in this film. This time, director/actor Leonard Nimoy scored big after The Search for Spock proved divisive for Trekkers, which satisfied and disappointed them. His direction is relaxed, spacious and suited to a feature film. He has co-designed a feature with an unusual plot and more hilarity, thus creating a comical version of Star Trek. Surprisingly, THE VOYAGE HOME didn't wreck the entire franchise. Otherwise, The Next Generation would never have existed. Aside from the comedy and time travel, the elements are all there. There is a message about saving the whales, which melded into the plot with consequences that I will not spoil this information for you.

All the cast had a ball at this film, especially DeForest Kelley, Leonard Nimoy and Walter Koenig. Catherine Hicks exhibits a wide range of several scenes, and William Shatner's acting here is one of his better performances in the series. Though, he doesn't overact as much. The romance with Shatner works very well, but the comic duo with Nimoy is far more interesting. The technical aspects are substantial and provide a different feel to Star Trek, with a good mix of exterior photography and set design.

There hasn't been a better Trek movie since J.J. Abrams' first reboot (click here), but THE VOYAGE HOME is no exception. This film is a unique and entertaining addition to the Star Trek canon, which showcases the franchise's versatility and ability to reinvent itself. It is a treasure to be remembered by all Trekkers and sci-fi filmgoers. I highly recommend it.

Star rating: (9/10) Excellent Movie

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My Ninth Important Message

G'day, this is RadDingo (formerly known as FilmGuruLad). I'm not inconsistent with my old reviews. As I already told you, I am fixing and improving them. Once again, I've rewritten my critiques, consisting of 17 that you may or may not have looked at on my blog as you searched just before I erased its imperfections. I had to install more or fix the cast and crew descriptions and pictures, split paragraphs, reword the letters that didn't suit the reviews at their star ratings and write down the last paragraph in one critique. There is a list of the following names of 17 reviews linked to their original posts, and I'm sure you may recognise those names before.

1. Tron: Legacy
2. Tron
3. Lilo & Stitch
4. Star Trek
5. Star Trek Into Darkness
6. Super 8
7. Ghost Rider
8. Oblivion
9. How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000)
10. Race (2007)
11. The Transformers: The Movie
12. Godzilla (1998)
13. X-Men 2
14. X-Men: First Class
15. Inception (old review)
16. Inception (re-review)
17. Star Trek: The Motion Picture

In revealing one further update, I've re-published the review of the romantic comedy Blended, which you can search through the blog archive or go into the search tab from above. I'll see you soon as you're on board the Enterprise when the review of the fourth original instalment of Star Trek, The Voyage Home, reaches its posting on Monday. Live long and prosper!

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Star Trek III: The Search for Spock Review

Star Trek III: The Search for Spock

Release Date: 6th December 1984 - Australia 

Production Companies

Paramount Pictures

Distribution

Paramount Pictures Australia

Genre: Sci-Fi

Rating: PG 

Runtime: 101 minutes

Budget: $12,000,000

Box Office Gross: $87,000,000 

(Worldwide)



Plot Summary

In the wake of Spock's 

ultimate act of sacrifice, 

the crew of the U.S.S. 

Enterprise returns to 

Earth from the newly 

formed Genesis planet.

Upon arrival, the crew 

learns that life back home 

will not be easier: Scotty 

gets reassigned, Dr. "Bones" 

McCoy appears to be 

going insane, and the 

Enterprise is about to be 

decommissioned. 

It is only when Kirk is 

confronted by Spock's 

father that he learns his 

old friend may have another 

chance at life if the crew 

can survive the Klingon 

interference and return to 

the Genesis planet. (Source -
IMDb)

Cast

William Shatner - Admiral 

James T. Kirk

Leonard Nimoy - Commander 

Spock 

DeForest Kelley - Dr, 

Leonard "Bones" McCoy

James Doohan - Scotty

Walter Koenig - Chekov

George Takei - Sulu

Nichelle Nichols - Uhura 

Christopher Lloyd - Commander Kruge

Robin Curtis - Saavik

Merritt Butrick - David Marcus

Carl Steven - Spock - Age 9

Vadia Potenza - Spock - Age 13

Stephen Manley - Spock - Age 
17

Joe W. Davis - Spock - Age 25

Mark Lenard - Sarek

Robert Hooks - Admiral Morrow
Cathie Shirriff - Valkris
Stephen Liska - Torg
John Larroquette - Maltz
Phillip R. Allen - Captain Esteban
James Sikking - Captain Styles
Miguel Ferrer - First Officer
Judith Anderson - Vulcan High Priestess

Crew

Director - Leonard Nimoy

Based on Series "Star Trek"/
Executive Consultant - Gene Roddenberry 

Writer/Producer - Harve Bennett
Associate Producer - Ralph Winter

Executive Producer - Gary Nardino
Creator: Alien Language - Marc Okrand

Art Director - John E. Chilberg II

Costume Designer - Robert Fletcher 

Cinematography - Charles Correll

Special Effects Supervisor - Bob Dawson
Spacecraft and Prop Designer - Bill George

Visual Effects Supervisor - Ken Ralston
Visual Effects Art Directors - Dave Carson 
and Nilo Rodis-Jamero
Special Visual Effects Cameraman - Scott Farrar
Supervising Model Maker - Steve Gawley
Matte Painting Supervisor - Michael Pangrazio

Film Editor - Robert F. Churgue
Special Sound Effects - Alan Howarth and 
Frank Serafine

Composer: Theme "Star Trek" - 

Alexander Courage

Music - James Horner

Review

After 2013, I have finally decided to do a review on a 'Star Trek' film, I quite find that the first two instalments weren't so bad after all in spite of being originally spun out of a program that created a cult following among the Trekkie fan bases everywhere. Since the now untimely passing of Spock's actor Leonard Nimoy, I have decided to post the review of 'THE SEARCH FOR SPOCK (TSFS)' to pay his respects. To resonate the fans of the Enterprise crew, 'TSFS' continues the adventure only to go downwards on what many had considered it to be the middle child of the original film series and it's almost near being the weakest instalment. 

There is no overbalance of the plot and action in a subpar 'Trek' film, it feels there is nothing left to compensate the drama and the audacity which is all but spent on 'The Wrath of Khan'. This was Leonard Nimoy's directorial debut and even he knew that this film lacked a spark that fans were disappointed with. He still could have done better in crafting a scene that had the same intensity and climax of the death scene in the second movie.

Christopher Lloyd who while in his big break at Hollywood is solid enough to showcase his performance as a Klingon commander who I consider is a very brooding antagonist. This consequently lead to Lloyd in the next year to eventually play a role of a scientist who would create a DeLorean time machine and be used by a teen slacker to travel back into the 1950s.

Could it be that 'THE SEARCH FOR SPOCK' is a decent episode which due to lack of direction did not match the excitement and tears shown in 'The Wrath of Khan'? It's predecessor had started the story-arc of the Genesis, it'll have to wait until the fourth sequel is introduced to the Trekkers which would be released in the next two years in the final frontier. Stay tuned for the next Trek movie review until Scotty beams ourselves up!

Star rating: (6/10) Fair Movie

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Paper Planes Review

Paper Planes

Release Date: 10th August 2014 - Australia
(Melbourne International Film Festival)

Production Companies 
Screen Australia
Australia Children's 

Television Foundation (in association with)
ScreenWest (in association with)
Premiere Fund (in association with)
EMIG (in association with)
Arenamedia 

Distribution 

Roadshow Distribution
Archlight Films

Genre: Family

Rating: G

Runtime: 96 minutes


Box Office Gross: 

$7,360,872 (Australia)

Plot Summary

Paper Planes is a family
film that tells the story of
a young boy's passion for
flight and his journey to
compete in the world
paper plane championships
in Japan. This universal
heart warming journey
of a young boy and his
father reconnecting after
a family's struggle will
have us cheering them
all the way to the world
championships of paper
plane flying. (Source - Metro Cinemas)

Cast

Ed Oxenbould - Dylan

Sam Worthington - Jack

Nicholas Bakopoulous-

Cooke - Jason

David Wenham - Patrick

Ena Imai - Kimi

Deborah Mailman - Maureen

Terry Norris - Grandpa

Peter Rowsthorn - Mr. Lickenhooper 

Julian Dennison - Kevin
Alex Williams - Jethro
Nicole Trunfio - Cindy, Dylan's Mum

Crew

Writer/Producer/Director - 

Robert Connolly
Based on a Inspiration/Paper Plane Consultants - Dylan Parker and James Norton

Writer - Steve Vorland
Executive Producers - Eric Bana, Jonathan Chissick, Gary Hamilton, Andrew Myer, Bernadette O'Mahony and Ying Ye

Producers - Liz Kearney and 

Maggie Miles
Consultant Director - Chris Noonan
Art Consultant: Japanese/Japanese Consultant -
Junko Kitamara
Production Designer - Clayton Jauncey
Costume Designer - Lien See Leong
Director of Photography - Tristan Milani
Stunt Coordinator - Reg Roordink
Visual Effects Supervisor - John Francis
Film Editor - Nick Meyers
Music - Nigel Westlake

Review

There is something about 'PAPER PLANES' that makes you want to reminisce the days of your childhood and take a trip down memory lane when you used to fold paper and make it into a flying object. It's definitely a tip of the iceberg in terms of balancing lighthearted drama and entertainment; 'PAPER PLANES' is suitable to all ages and will appeal to a diverse audience. I must admit, there are some big names in Australia that were involved in the process of making the whole project. Even Eric Bana was one of the producing executives of this film.

There's a lot to talk about the stars that had played their parts in the movie including the two known Aussie celebrities Edward Oxenbould and Sam Worthington. Young Ed is nicely carrying his innocence of youth as he is capturing the main young lead and he has already established himself a solid beginning to a prosperous career after also having appeared in 'Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible No Good, Very Bad Day'. The soon-to-be acting legend Sam Worthington is ideal for this supporting portrayal as the boy's widowed and seemingly careless father.

Although this is no joke to you that 'PAPER PLANES' is an excellent motion picture. I sincerely hope that Australia would once again beat Hollywood and give you an interest and inspiration of teaching kids how to make paper planes.

Star rating: (9/10) Excellent Movie

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WarGames Review

WarGames

Release Date: 4th August 1983 - Australia

Production Companies

United Artists (presents)
Sherwood Productions (produced

in association with)

Genre: Sci-Fi/Thriller

Rating: PG

Runtime: 108 minutes


Budget: $12,000,000

Box Office Gross: $124,600,000 (Worldwide)

Plot Summary

David Lightman is a teenage hacker capable of getting through the most advanced security systems. He's a codebreaker and can even access computer games. He unknowingly accesses the war computer from the Defense Department and starts a confrontation that could escalate to World War III.

With the help of his girlfriend

and an eccentric computer

whiz, David must battle

against the clock, outsmart

his opponent and prevent a

global catastrophe involving nuclear arms.

Cast

Matthew Broderick - David Lightman

Ally Sheedy - Jennifer Mack

Dabney Coleman - Dr. John McKittrick
John Wood - Dr. Stephen Falken

Barry Corbin - General Jack
Beringer

Juanin Clay - Pat Healy

Kent Williams - Cabot

Dennis Lipscomb - Watson

Joe Dorsey - Col. Joe Conley
Michael Madsen - Lt. Steve Phelps
Maury Chaykin - Jim Sting

Eddie Deezen - Malvin

John Spencer - Jerry

Irving Metzman - Richter

James Tolkan - Wigan

David Clover - Stockman

Drew Snyder - Ayers

Michael Ensign - Beringer's Aide

William Bogert - Mr. Lightman

Susan Davis - Mrs. Lightman

Duncan Wilmore - Major Lem

Billy Ray Sharkey - Radar Analyst

Jason Bernard - Captain Knewt

Frankie Hill - Airman Fields

Alan Blumenfeld - Mr. Liggett

Len Lawson - Boys Vice Principal

Stephen Lee - Sgt. Schneider

Michael Adams - Travis

James Ackerman - Joshua

Tom Lawrence - Sgt. Sims

Charles Akins - Major Ford

Glenn Standifer - Major Wenstin

William H. Macy - NORAD Officer

(Uncredited)

Crew

Director - John Badham

Writers - Lawrence Lasker, Walter F. Parkes

and Walon Green (Uncredited)

Continuity Consultant - Harold Michelson

Associate Producer/Unit Production Manager -

Richard Hashimoto
Executive Producer - Leonard Goldberg

Producers - Harold Schneider and
Bruce McNall (Uncredited)

Casting Director - Wallis Nicita

Technical Advisor - Duncan Wilmore

Production Designer - Angelo Graham

Visual Consultant - Geoffrey Kirkland

Art Director - James J. Murakami

Set Decorator - Jerry Wunderlich

Costumes: Men - Barry Francis Delaney

Director of Photography - William A. Fraker

Special Effects - Joe Digaetano,

David Domeyer (Uncredited) and

Donald Pennington (Uncredited)

Visual Effects Supervisor - Michael L. Fink

Computer Graphics Design Consultant -

Colin Cantwell

Computer Graphics Unit - Marcia Dripchak,

David R. Hardberger, Judith Herman, 

Sylvia Lovegren and Jonathan Seay

Miniature Photography - Jack Cooperman

Film Editor - Tom Rolf

Associate Film Editor - Michael Ripps

Supervising Sound Effects Editors -

Milton C. Burrow and William L. Manager

Sound Mixer - Willie D. Burton

Re-Recording Mixers - Carlos Delarios,

Michael J. Kohut and Aaron Rochin

Music - Arthur B. Rubinstein


Awards

1984 Academy Awards
Best Writing, Original Screenplay -

Lawrence Lasker and Walter F. Parkes (Nominated)

Best Cinematography - William A. Fraker (Nominated)
Best Sound - Michael J. Kohut, Carlos Delarios,
Aaron Rochin and Willie D. Burton (Nominated)

Review

Many childhood memories include watching old films that belong to the nostalgic '80s, like The Neverending Story, Tron, E.T. and even Short Circuit. There is one movie that doesn't compare to these family classics, a film that takes place years ago when WARGAMES was part of an era when computers were an integral part of our lives. Films like these have paved the way for other computer-focused hits. While its plot was thoughtful, suspenseful and thought-provoking, this feature was imperfect. Its predictability prevents this film from being impactful, even when it's aged many years.

The original Hollywood teen sensations, Matt Broderick and Ally Sheedy, both did a good job capturing their character personalities. It's the first time Broderick has played a troublesome high school student; many consider this Matthew's breakthrough. He will soon play another troublesome teen who is more laidback and less skilled in hacking. His name would be known forever as Ferris Bueller.

I know WARGAMES as a film that influenced a new avenue for pictures to create stories similar to its premise, including much-needed examples like Summer Wars, Sneakers and Hackers. It's nowhere near as flawless as it could have been, but it contains memorable moments, and it is nice to watch for people interested in computers. Please, no hacking this post. Instead, leave your opinions in the comment tab below.

Star rating: (7/10) Good Movie

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