Review: "Furious 6"

I understand if you don't like the Fast & Furious franchise. They're easy to dismiss as loud, dumb car flicks for an image-obsessed MTV generation. The cast looks hand-picked out of Muscle and Fitness magazine and the Victoria's Secret catalogue. You're not wrong. But, what could be considered "stupid" has evolved into "silly" fun, thanks to Justin Lin, who directed the last four installments, and his writer, Chris Morgan. Through sly reinvention and subtle refinement, they've managed to turn this niche franchise into blockbuster entertainment, going bigger and improving the formula with each new chapter.

Review: "Star Trek Into Darkness"

J.J. Abrams' 2009 reboot of Star Trek was a shot of adrenaline into the arm of an ailing franchise. But, let's not kid ourselves, it's far from a perfect picture. The script gets the character moments right, but fails to make much logical sense. (Please explain to me how the chain of command works in Starfleet, when a cadet on academic suspension can be promoted to Captain in, like, a day and a half? And, why does Kirk fire all the Enterprise's weapons on Nero after offering him assistance? I could go on...) Luckily, Abrams has a great visual sense, a terrific eye for casting, and carries out his storytelling with a sense of urgency -- all of which made the film highly enjoyable. For Abrams' second outing as "Captain" of the franchise, Star Trek Into Darkness, the same strengths and weaknesses are amplified in ways that will thrill and amaze you in the case of the former, and perhaps, make you throw your 3D glasses at the screen in a fit of nerd-rage over the latter.

Review: "Upstream Color"

Shane Carruth's first film, Primer, was the toast of the independent film world in 2004. An enigmatic, methodical sci-fi thriller about the dangers of time travel, Carruth wrote, directed, starred, and did just about everything else on the $7,000 miracle movie. For a variety of reasons (the filmmaker has been open about the disappointment of his stalled science fiction project, A Topiary, which he spent years developing), it's taken nine years for his second feature, Upstream Color, to make it to the screen.