the burning reel

Film 3 (365) Star Trek: Into Darkness Carol Marcus (Alice Eve) gets gratuitously undressed for a scene in "Star Trek: Into Darkness". Hey, you clicked on it didn't you? The first ten seconds of "Star Trek: Into Darkness" provides the viewer with a birds-eye-view kung-fu zoom. This film gives us plenty of interstellar kung-fu zooms much in the vain of the Battlestar Gallactica series. They still feel just as cheap in a multi million dollar franchise. Director J.J. Abrams is also consistent in providing us with his now trademark lens flares [see video below for examples]. I expected nothing less than a good ol' fashioned popcorn adventure ride and that's exactly what I got. In fact I expected it to be full-on action ad nauseum. It wasn't and I'm glad. There are a few moments for the characters to develop, but not many. If I have any beefs with this film it's that we aren't trusted as an audience. We're spoon fed every...

Film 2 (365) Life is Beautiful Guido (Roberto Benigni) brings Dora (Nicoletta Braschi) to his home after helping her escape from her birthday party in Life is Beautiful . "Life is Beautiful" is one of those films I always put on the back burner with little interest in watching. I was in high school when this film was released in the US in 1999. I remember most vividly Roberto Benigni jumping over the seats at the Academy Awards as he climbed his way to the stage to accept his Oscar. Truthfully I didn't really know what the movie was about. It was in Italian and it took place during the war. Benigni road a bicycle through the streets with a goofy grin on his face. That's all I knew. Boring…  Boy, what was wrong with me!? This film is extremely touching. The trailer I've embedded below is quite deceiving. I ensure you this film will make you laugh hard and gut punch you with reality a moment later. I can't really say it's like anything I...