“Trekers” is the politically correct term for what is commonly known as “Trekies.” No matter what you call them, I still hate them. As a member of a fandom, I know my limits. I don’t go around quoting “Firefly,” reading fanfic (stories written by fans about their chosen obsession), post on message boards, save money to go to fan conventions, buy any and all merchandise. I could go on and on, but it all boils down to: “I hate Trekies.” That being said, I loved the new “Star Trek” movie. 
“Star Trek” is not a conventional sequel, prequel, or even a true reboot. I don’t even know how to classify it. The ship, George Kirk (Chris Hernsworth) and pregnant mother, Winona (Jennifer Morrison) are on is attacked by Nero (Eric Bana) and George is forced to take dramatic action to save the crew and his new family.
Years later James Kirk (Chris Pine) is recruited by Star Fleet Captain Pike (Bruce Greenwood) to join the fleet. When he is not 
chosen to go on a rescue mission, he sneaks onto a ship (the USS Enterprise, not surprisingly) and forces himself into the mission. Things begin to go wrong when Nero shows up. He wants to destroy Spock’s (Zachary Quinto) home world of Valcan. The young crew of the USS Enterprise does everything they can to stop Nero.
The casting in this movie is absolutely perfect. Pine is a great Kirk, Quinto plays Spock as both emotionless and human, Karl 
Urban is an amazing “Bones” McCoy, I could go an and on. The one casting I loved was Simon Pegg as “Scotty.” Pegg is best known for “Shaun of the Dead” and has been gaining fame ever since. I am not well versed in the original show, but I like what they did with “Scotty” in the new movie. “Scotty” is a genius, but is also very laid back. They could not have gotten a better actor for the role.
Director J.J. Abrams has become a huge star as of late. As a producer/director/writer, he has his hands in many pots. He is the creator of the brilliant “Lost,” he produced last year’s sleeper-hit “Cloverfield” and directed the surprisingly watchable “Mission Impossible 3.” What he does here is amazing, he did not make a “Star Trek” movie. He made a movie that just happened to be “Star Trek.” It is not just for fans, it is a great as a stand alone movie. I knew virtually nothing about the mythology of “Star Trek” but I enjoyed this on the same level as my friends who were.
This is not your father's "Star Trek." The space battles are fast paced, diplomacy is not discussed in long scenes, the fight sequence looks stunning and there is even a little sex in the movie. Hardcore Trek fans are pissed at some of these changes, but if you really want a series to be successful, you cannot cling to the past. My message to them is, get over it. Trust me. J.J is doing you a favor. 
I don’t want to say anything that would spoil the movie, but Lenard Nemoy, makes an appearance as the character he made famous: Spock. How can there be two Spocks? That would ruin a big part of the plot, so I’ll just say you have to see it.
9 out of 10
Rated PG-13 for sci-fi action and violence, and brief sexual content.
127 min
The opening weekend for the summer movies is big. To be the opening summer movie means that you have the opportunity to set the tone for the summer. Were it not for my confidence in other summer movies, I would think that this is going to be a disappointing summer for movies based on “X-Men Origins: Wolverine,”
Logan (Hugh Jackman) is a man who has the power to heal himself and he also has bone claws that come out of his hands. He 
is recruited to a team that uses their special abilities to take the missions the government does not want. After one brutal night he quits and thinks that he is out of that life, but when his brother and fellow team member Sabertooth (Liev Schreiber) kills the woman he loves, Logan goes back to get revenge. William Striker (Danny Huston) gives him the indestructible adamantium skeleton and those famous claws that have made Wolverine a fan favorite.
Acting is not really an issue when it comes to a summer movie like this, yet I could not help but be disappointed in the wasted potential of Liev Schreiber. He is a great actor and has shown it time and time again in smaller roles. He is finally given a chance in a movie like this and he is relegated to snarling and a very one-dimensional character.
The character of Gambit has always been one of my favorite characters and he finally got an appearance in this movie. To top it all off, they got a great actor, Taylor Kitsch. If you are not watching “Friday Night Lights,” then you are missing out on a lot, including Kitsch’s Tim Riggins. Gambit has the power to manipulate kinetic energy. His favorite way to use that is by charging playing cards and throwing them. Kitsch is great in the role of Gambit and I wish that he was given more screen time, a thicker Cajun accent and more card throwing.
I have heard a lot of bad things about the special effects, especially the claws. I did not notice anything overly bad about them, but I did not see anything impressive either. It was just a lot of explosions and mutant powers.
The character of Wolverine is a hard and gruff character. His attitude is as much a part of him as his claws, but that was just not in the movie. He was, well, kind of a sissy. There was no bite to him. This was the perfect chance to have the character be as rough and unforgiving as he could, and they dropped the ball in a big way. 
So, yea there was a lot that is was disappointed about when it came to “Wolverine.” I enjoyed it, but not as much as I hoped I would. It was better than “X-Men: The Last Stand,” but not close to the first two “X-Men” movies. It is not one of those movies I would recommend that you rush out to see.
7 out of 10
Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of action and violence, and some partial nudity.
107 min
Caper movies are one of my favorite types of movies. They are, for the most part, fun movies. It is fun to try to figure out what is going on, watch the plan as it comes together, and see how obstacles are overcome. In the past couple years movies like “Inside Man,” “The Italian Job,” and the “Ocean’s Eleven” movies have been pretty popular. Now “Duplicity,” which oddly enough stars two people who have had experience with past caper movies, has thrown it’s hat into that ring.
Ray Koval (“Inside Man” star Clive Owen) and Claire Stenwick (“Ocean’s Eleven” star Julia Roberts) are former spies working on the opposite side of the same scam, or are they? There is a formula that will revolutionize the world and make billions for the company who has it. One company headed by Howard Tully (Tom Wilkinson) has the formula and another company headed by Richard Garsilk (Paul Giamatti) wants it. Ray and his team are hired by Richard to steal the formula and Claire is hired by Howard to keep it safe.
It takes a lot to trick me. I have seen a lot of caper movies and watch a lot of procedural dramas on television (cop shows) and can usually figure those out pretty quickly. This movie came as a complete surprise to me. When it ended I was truly shocked. That is the mark of a truly great caper movie.
As far as performances go, everyone was good. No one really stood out. Owen and Roberts had great chemistry and played off one another really well. Wilkinson and Giamatti were great as the heads of the competing companies. Their slow motion fight in the beginning of the movie was absolutely hilarious.
One of the funniest things is what the two are competing over. It seems like this grand thing, but the revel of what it really is, is one on the funniest things in the movie.
8 out of 10
PG-13 for language and some sexual content
125 min
Sometimes a movie, completely by accident, is timely. Such is was with “The International.” The movie was made before all the banks needed bailouts and everyone hates them for being shady businesses. The movie was supposed to come out sometime last year, but was instead released in February in the middle of bailouts and an ecemomic crisis.
It’s been a long time since I saw this, February 16 to be precise, so the plot is a little fuzzy. But as the true test of a movie is how well you remember it later, here is what I can remember. Louis Salinger (Clive Owen) is a member of Interpool and is investigating one of the major international banks. When his partner is killed, He ends up working with Manhattan Assistant
District Attorney Eleanor Whitman (Naomi Watts) to bring down the bank.
Overall the movie is just so-so. The storyline, while timely, is not all that interesting and could have been done better. Owen and Watts do a good job, but fail to live up to past performances. With the exception of one scene, the action is not that good and even calling them action scenes is a stretch. 
So why should you see this movie. The answer is simple; the scene in the Guggenheim. It is the best part of the movie, without question. They built a scale replica to shoot the shoot-out in the famed museum. It is one of the most awesome shoot-outs I have ever seen is a movie. The museum has a ramp that spirals up around the inside. The exhibits are on the wall and on the ramp and people can walk the ramp to look at them. This provided an interesting set piece for a shoot-out.
Just watch this and save 10 bucks
So that is really all you need to know about the movie. If you really want to see the events leading up to this scene, its not a bad movie, but it gets overshadowed by that scene.
7 out of 10
Rated R for some sequences of violence and language.
118 min
There are a lot of television shows I like, but very few I love. Last night, one of those shows left, possibly for good. The show was “Scrubs” and it will be missed. I have been a fan for a very long time. Most of my friends in Buffalo are fans of the show 
because I told them how awesome it was.
Last night “Scrubs” had it season, and possibly series finale. There are talks of brining it back for a ninth season, but a part of me hopes it does not come back. It had an amazing send off, one of the best series finale’s I have ever seen. Bringing it back might tarnish what has been eight amazing, funny and dramatic seasons.
What made “Scrubs” stick out is the line it walked between drama and comedy. There were some ridiculously funny moments and there were some intensely dramatic and sad ones. Sometimes in the same episode. The ability for them to make you cry laughing one moment and bawl the next is what I loved most about the show. It is a fine line to walk, but they did it to perfection. 
J.D. (Zach Braff) had some of the craziest daydreams anyone has ever had: floating head doctor, which allowed him to cover more patients, what would happen if he worked in a horse hospital, picking out a grandpa from a kennel and who could forget the Muppets from this past season.
What I will miss most is the chemistry between the actors. They really were a family. Zach Braff (J.D) and Donald Faison (Turk) were as close at their characters. In the musical episode the two sang “Guy Love,” a song all about their hetrosexual love for one another, and at the end they hugged. They broke character and laughed, but that was left in the show because it fit the characters. That is how much like their characters they really are.
It is time for the show to end. This past season has given each character time to look back on the past seven years. The entire season has been one long good-bye. It has showcased the best of the show. I really feel like this was a season for the fans.
There has been a myriad of insides jokes and references that hearken back to past seasons. This has been the season for them to say thank you and good-bye to the loyal fans who have stood by through many time changes, a network (NBC) treating it like something to be ignored, getting overlooked by the Emmy’s and NBC not allowing creator Bill Lawrence end the show, even though he said he could do it in a few episodes. Thankfully ABC picked it up last year and gave them the send off they deserved. Now it is time for them to go.
I hope the show ends just like it did last night. J.D. walking down the halls of Sacred Heart Hospital seeing all the people who have been apart of his life and the important patients he has had over his eight years at the hospital. It really was a perfect ending to one of the most perfect shows ever.
This past season was one of the best ever. It is tough to be that good eight seasons in, yet they were. I am going to miss it, but I could not have asked for more from “Scrubs”
“Oscar bait” is a word many may not be familiar with. It means any movie that seems like it is trying for an Oscar. That is how I felt from the second I watched the trailer for “The Soloist.” Here is what is confusing about that thought. It was released the last week in April. This past weekend is essentially a dumping ground for movies. The summer movies start this weekend, “X-Men Origins: Wolverine” anyone? So why would a movie that is trying for an Oscar released on a weekend that is the armpit of the movie season?
Steve Lopez (Robert Downey Jr.) is a columnist for the Los Angeles Times. One day he meets Nathaniel Ayers (Jamie Foxx,) a mentally unstable homeless man who is playing a violin with two strings. He takes the time to get to know Nathaniel and learns that he went to Julliard. Lopez continues get to know Ayers and write about the experiences he has with him.
Why put a movie that can be deemed “Oscar bait” in one of the worst weekends possible? It seems that the studio did not know what to do with it because this was moved from November, the perfect time for “Oscar bait”, to right before the summer movie season. I don’t think that the movie deserved this treatment, but it was not Oscar-worthy.
While I appreciate Jamie Foxx’s performance in this, I was not impressed. Crazy is hard to play and in this seemed like overkill at times. Paraphrasing a line from “Tropic Thunder,” Foxx goes “full-crazy.” It goes to a point where it gets tiring to watch. There is only so much babble someone can hear before it becomes overkill.
Over the past year, I have become a huge Robert Downey Jr. fan. He can play just about anything. Lopez feels like Tony Stark minus the massive amounts of money. He has all the wit and sarcasm of Stark, but on a much different level. Lopez is also a caring person, even if he does not want to show it. Without intending to, he becomes friends with Ayers and develops a deeper connection with a man who he used to see as a story. He wants to help Ayers as much as possible, even to the point where he was willing to tell the police he was a danger to others just to get him medication. He searches the hospitals when he thinks Ayers may be hurt.
One thing the movie did for me personally was simultaneously showed me why I wanted to be a journalist and why I chose not 
to peruse it. I wanted to learn about people. What Lopez does in the movie was something I wanted to do: find interesting people and write about them. Then again, jobs like that are hard to come by in the journalism world. In the movie the LA Times has to lay off a lot of people because of the economy. Needless to say there were times where I regretted my decision and there were times I was glad I decided to not go into journalism.
A rollercoaster. That is how I can sum up “The Soloist.” It was a rollercoaster of emotion, and not all were movie related. I liked some aspects of the movie, yet did not like others. I saw both the positive and the negative of journalism. None of those can top the first thought I had: an “Oscar bait” movie in one of the worst weekends for movies.
6 out of 10
Rated PG-13 for thematic elements, some drug use and language.
117 min
