HotlineSF

Fantastic movie. It's about a jazz pianist (gosling) and aspiring actress (stone) who meet and fall in love in LA while pursuing their dreams. Nothing really new story-wise, and I think we're all familiar with the trope of people painstakingly following their dreams in a metropolis and overcoming obstacles along the way.

That said, I found this movie absolutely mesmerizing. Won't comment much on the musicality since I don't watch many musicals, but the songs are catchy and Gosling/Stone sing well. As anyone who's seen Crazy Stupid Love knows, these two have really good chemistry, and this movie definitely benefits from two great characters who are charming and endearing.

The cinematography is gorgeous, the choreography and set pieces are great, the acting is sincere, pretty much everything about this movie is well executed. If you appreciate well made movies or entertaining musicals, I think you'll like this one. And as an added bonus, if you enjoy Jazz and heartfelt melancholic romances like I do, you'll love this movie!

This is a direct prequel to the original Stars Wars film and focuses on the mission to steal the plans for the Death Star from the Empire. We all know how this movie will end, and it doesn't bode well for our heroes.

It's pretty cool how the folks upstairs embraced the gravitas and dread this mission deserves. No happy go lucky characters in this one, and this is the darkest Star Wars movie, with morally ambiguous characters and unrepentant killing. I actually think the lack of a Jedi amongst the main cast helps the movie feel more intense (anyone can die at any moment), and at times this feels more like thriller or spy film than the standard Star Wars adventure fantasy.

The two main leads have good chemistry, Mads is always awesome even in a smaller role, and one of the bright spots is definitely the new robot character, who's effortlessly sarcastic and entertaining without ruining the mood.

My biggest gripe is that in the latter half, this movie succumbs to the Hollywood cliché where characters have long drawn out death scenes a la Sean Bean from LOTR. It happens a bit too often, which makes it predictable and saps some of the tension from critical moments in the story.

Otherwise, still a good movie! I can see why ppl say it's the most un-Star Wars movie, and hopefully this is a sign that subsequent films will also be original and creative.

Some complain that the new Trek films are just blockbuster action movies, that they lack the wonder and sense of exploration of Gene Roddenberry's vision.

Star Trek Beyond is still a blockbuster action movie. However, it's a refreshingly new and self-contained story that avoids the pitfalls of it's predecessor. For the most part Justin Lin and Simon Pegg steer clear of the annoying things from Into Darkness: the silly plot turns, the cheap drama and bickering between Spock and Uhura, and the annoyingly shallow and unimaginative fan service tributes.

The best part of this film is the renewed emphasis on the relationships between Spock, Kirk, and McCoy. The interplay between these characters is entertaining and feels natural. There's less melodrama in this movie. And why should there be? Star Trek has been never been the soap opera that Star Wars is.

The rest of the movie is pretty solid. The action and music has always been great. The bio weapon employed by the enemy is inventive and terrifying. Each character in this ensemble cast has ample screen time, however none of it feels forced or unnecessary. It's a well-directed fun and streamlined movie.

I think one of the best decisions made with this movie was to write a new original story. After Into Darkness I was worried about the direction this franchise would take. Would they make a sequel, or would they continue to rehash old story lines and characters in a bid to milk our wallets dry with fan service mediocrity? It was a great move to bring in new blood (writer + director), and hopefully the next films will explore newer ideas and boldly go where no one has gone before!