Star Trek

Rating: PG-13

Movie Release Date: May 8, 2009

DVD Release Date: November 17, 2009

Plot 411: A prequel to the Star Trek mythology that portrays the lives of young Kirk and Spock.

Review: Romulans attack the USS Kelvin on the day of James T. Kirk's birth, killing his father. Kirk (Chris Pine) grows up as a wild child and is recruited into the Starfleet as a young man. Simultaneously, Spock (Zachary Quinto) is struggling with his half human/half Vulcan persona and unsure which characteristics suit him best. When an emergency calls Starfleet students into action, the flight crew gains support from Uhuru's (Zoe Saldana) linguistic aptitude, Sulu's (John Cho) piloting abilities and McCoy's medical training (Karl Urban). The bad guy in this film is Nero, played by Eric Bana. He attempts to hurt Spock in retribution for the hurt that Spock has caused him. Again, despite not being big on the sci fi genre I think this movie was pretty good. There was humor and action, a small love triangle and definite emotional beats. Even though I didn't really know a lot about the backstory of these characters, I was still able to follow along and not get too confused. I'm sure there were dozens of homage's to the TV series and other films that the fanboys caught that I didn't. The fact that the movie is accessible to both types of audience definitely helps its success. Quinto's performance as Spock is awesome. He completely pulls it off. The emotion he keeps in check due to his Vulcan side really comes through in the performance. Even better is Bana's portrayal of Nero. He is almost unrecognizable in this role. It's a real credit to his acting ability that the audience doesn't know who the hell he is. Another plus about this film is that Leonard Nimoy makes an appearance. This movie also stars Simon Pegg, Anton Yelchin and Winona Ryder.

Watch It: Of course if you're a Star Trek fan or if you just like action in general.

Skip It: If you're a physicist since you know you'll only get irritated at the inaccuracies of the film. And yes, they did incorporate sound in outer space . . . again.

Avatar 3D

Rating: PG-13

Movie Release Date: December 18, 2009

DVD Release Date: TBD

Plot 411: The military sends in an undercover agent to learn the ways of the natives and convince them to give up their lands.

Review: I watched this movie last night and am still in awe of the cinematography and CGI used in it. This is probably the first film in 3D that was worth the extra cost for the glasses. At the heart of the film and plot, this is really just a recycled idea of cowboys vs. indians. There were so many similarities between this film and the Westerns of old. However, I'd have to say that technology has revitalized the genre. I cannot even describe to you how pretty everything looked. For over two hours, I found that I was caught up in the world of Pandora and the lives of the Na'vi. As a staunch non-sci fi moviegoer, I wouldn't normally watch this type of film. However, I was convinced by a friend and must now eat my words. The movie is pretty amazing. Of course, there are a number of flaws, but all of that is really forgotten once you're pulled into the world of the Na'vi. I can't even tell you who the actors were and I didn't find myself caring all that much. In the throes of love, do you really stop and ask yourself the hows and whys? After a bit of research, the stars include Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver, Stephen Lang, Michelle Rodriguez and Giovanni Ribisi.

Watch It: Because it's pretty darn awesome. It's probably my favorite movie of 2009.

Skip It: If you think you might get motion sickness from the 3D effect. If so, catch it without the 3D. I'm sure it's just good.