Heat

Heat
(1995) [Trailer]
Director: Michael Mann [IMDB]

I picked up Heat on blu-ray because I remember really liking it the  first time I saw it. From what I recalled, it was a great crime drama and full of action... then I watched it last night and realized I'd actually never seen Heat. I guess somewhere along the lines I talked myself into believing I had... who knows, people are weird.

Synopsis: A crew of robbers are on the defensive after the cops start tracking them on their next job.

I enjoy Michael Mann's direction in most films I've seen of his and Heat is no exception... it's beautifully shot and has a fantastic score. The cast are all pretty strong, but I felt like Al Pacino went a little overboard sometimes. The story is very standard for a crime flick so it was Mann's job to move it along in a unique way. He was successful overall but I did feel like it started to drag towards the last 40 mins.

If you're into crimes movies or police procedurals, check this out.

Star Trek Into Darkness

Star Trek Into Darkness
(2013) [Trailer]
Director: J.J. Abrams [IMDB]

I just rewatched Star Trek (2009) for the 3rd time last night in preparation for this film and I must say, I absolutely loved it. 5 Arnolds easy and afterwards I thought "I can't wait to see what happens next." So here we are... Abrams' follow up and hopefully second installment in a trilogy of new Star Trek films (I guess we'll see what happens now that he has Star Wars to direct as well.) Into Darkness is one of my most anticipated films of the year, so let's see if it's a bust.

Synopsis: The crew of the USS Enterprise are back and on the hunt for a man responsible for planning an attack at Starfleet headquarters.

Into Darkness is a big hit for me and continues the winning streak for Mr. Abrams. It has everything you'd want in a sci-fi blockbuster and it's all wrapped up in a pretty bow. The pacing is extremely smooth and Abrams injects the action at all the right moments. The cast, just like in 2009, is perfect and seems to have settled into their roles. Benedict Cumberbatch was awesome and pulled out a Khan who was unexpected and different from Montalban, but in a good way. I really enjoyed the changes Abrams decided to take with Into Darkness while still paying homage to The Wrath of Khan, there were some other nice nods to the original series in there which were cool to see as well.

I can't imagine how someone who's into Star Trek wouldn't enjoy this film on some level. Into Darkness is why we go to the movies... it's exciting, fun, action packed and delivers a intriguing story that's easy to digest.