Star Trek: Into Darkness Reviewed

This review is spoiler-free.

Star Trek: Into Darkness picks up a few years after the last one left off, with Kirk (Chris Pine) and crew up to their eyeballs in trouble. Unfortunately, this type of trouble, conveyed in a white-knuckle opening action sequence, is over the top even for Kirk, and he is reprimanded.

Amidst tensions along the neutral zone and war threatening to break out any day between the Federation and the Klingons, a tragedy occurs on Earth, one that hits close to home for the arrogant Captain. He gains permission to go after the terrorist, and from there, you sit back and enjoy the ride.

And what a ride it is.

From beginning to end, this is the best movie I've seen in theaters in a long time. JJ Abrams is at his best here, and it is amazing how he manages to simultaneously pay homage to what's established while making it his own.

Equally amazing is the ability of the core cast to emulate the iconic roles they've stepped into without imitating the actors. Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto (reprising his role as Commander Spock) play off each other beautifully, with Kirk's brash devil-may-care attitude clashing wonderfully with Spock's staunch dedication to logic, law, and order. Although Pine once again shines as Captain James T. Kirk, it is Zachary Quinto who steals every scene he's in as he manages to greatly build upon his character, staying true to everything we know and love about Spock will showing off brilliant displays of emotion when the time calls for it.

Benedict Cumberbatch is flawless as John Harrison, the antagonist who leads Kirk into a catastrophic game of cat and mouse. While longtime fans are in for a (somewhat expected yet well-kept secret) treat from this character, he brings a relatable humanity to the role that forces you to care for his motivations. After all, who knows what each of us might do if those we loved were held hostage?

JJ Abrams' use of sweeping cameras and intense close-ups makes for some of the most breathtaking action to grace the screen in a long time. From claustrophobic ground-based firefights to high-speed aerial pursuits to the utter dangers of what can happen to a ship in warp space, the action is incredible.

When you think it's climaxing, it's not. It's just beginning.

I will not spoil the best parts, but fans both young and old will love this movie, which continues to build upon the new timeline while respecting what's been established. Frenetically paced, very well executed and mildly predictable, Star Trek Into Darkness easily leads as the best film of the summer thus far.

Thanks for reading.

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Perfect Strangers

Image Courtesy of Morguefile

Do you remember the time when your best friend was a complete stranger?

When you may have walked right past that person on the street without so much as an upward glance?

An amazing thing about human beings is that we have equally capable of great harm and great love to one another. It all comes down to choice.

There were plenty of times, more than I care to remember, when I was at my lowest and perfect strangers went out of their way for me. They fed me, trained me, kept me alive, and most importantly, taught me how to love and trust.

People like Cedric Saunders.
Oakland's 12th and Broadway is not a nice place to be, especially at night. Yet here was this security officer who kept me alive, and let me read comics in the bookstore he was guarding until the BART station opened up. He both brought me food from his home and when he couldn't do that, he bought my food. In the end, he turned me onto the security profession and got me one of my first jobs in San Francisco.

People like Daune "Dee" Paul Colvin the third.
The Tenderloin District of San Francisco is where every would-be bad ass should get scared straight. Dee, and his crew (Chad, Christian, Emalio, Terry) took me into their group. They humbled me, kicked my ass until I learned how to fight back. They fed me, taught me how to fend for myself and then made me do it. They gave a place to go, every night, whenever I needed it, even letting me sleep (sometimes) when I needed it.
And when it came time for us to put our hands up, they made me fight. They had my back but they made sure I held my own. Like sending a child out on a bike without the training wheels. I fell down a lot, but they made me pick myself back up. Until I quit falling down.

People like Jeff Hughes.
At a lower point in my life, when I had no one and next to nothing, he reached out to me. It was at the premiere of Star Wars Episode 3. For no reason other than to be kind, he welcomed me into his home, his group of friends, and his life. When I had no one, he showed up. It is a friendship we maintain to this day.

People like Linda Rosendale, Tessi Muskrat Rickabaugh, Adam Veile, and the rest of the Jefferson City Writer's Group.
They showed me I wasn't alone. They gave me an oasis where I could freely be my wild, creative self and I wasn't scorned. Quite the opposite, I was welcomed, encouraged, and inspired.

None of these people, not one of them, were forced to do what they did for me. Quite the contrary, each one of them could've left me to my own devices, and if they had, I'm all but certain I wouldn't be here to tell you their stories.

These are good people who went out of their way, when they didn't have to, to be there for someone they didn't know. And beautiful things have been the result of it.

Despite what the news would have you believe, the world is filled with good people. Tons of them. Let not one, two, or even a million bad experiences turn you off of the idea of helping someone. You never know what might become of it.

Thanks for reading.

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Iron Man 3 Reviewed

Iron Man 3 hit theaters today. Most of you will have already seen it by the time you read this. For those of you who haven't, fear not; this review won't spoil anything.

Shane Black takes the directorial reins from Jon Favreau, and as such the reportedly final film in the Iron Man franchise has a distinctly different feel to it. Everything is much more personal, the threats more imminent, the heroes more vulnerable. As well it should be, as this is the final outing for these characters till Avengers 2 hits in 2015.

Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) is not doing too well these days. Neither would you, especially if you'd just finished hurling a nuclear device into deep space and then narrowly escaping through a wormhole after Captain America just called out your man card.

The confidence of the genius/billionaire/playboy/philanthropist has been left understandably shaken after having survived and experienced so much. Sleep eludes him, but he's created a great many versions of his armor and continues to find humorous ways to suit up. In the midst of this, enter the Mandarin (Ben Kingsley) who prides himself  a teacher. Unfortunately, all his lessons are delivered in an incendiary fashion.

Tony's hubris eventually gets the better of him and he calls out the Mandarin on live TV. This is where the movie really starts.

Shane Black uses a lot of extreme slow motion and close ups to create horrifying, breathtaking imagery. He expertly stretches out a few seconds into a couple of pulse-pounding minutes. The action sequences, and there are a lot of them, are breathlessly fun to watch.

The cast is magnificent. Joining Robert Downey Jr. (The fifty million dollar man) is once again Don Cheadle as James "Rhodey" Rhodes, and I'll warn you purists right now; you won't like the play on Iron Patriot. I didn't mind it so much. Ben Kingsley, as always, is at the top of his game, Gwyneth Paltrow is clearly staying in shape, but I enjoyed the addition of Guy Pearce the most. Robert Downey Jr. earns his money as we are treated to a humbled version of Tony Stark who is thrust into forced self-examination after losing everything that he believed made him who he was.

I didn't really care for the new theme, but this is a minor gripe. I've never heard an audience as silent as they were for the climax of this movie and the ending left me a bit conflicted.

This is a thrilling ride, though, and a worthy ending to the series. Hats off to Shane Black and the rest of the crew for a phenomenal piece of work. GO SEE THIS MOVIE.

Thanks for reading.

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The Runaway

The skies are gray, the wind biting. The frail, pale young woman huddles, daring to sneak her hands out of the safety of her pockets to pull her jacket tighter to her.

Her stomach rumbles, another reminder of how easily this body can break down. She remembers not the last time she ate, nor the last time she was so ravenous. Her teeth chatter no matter how hard she wills them to stop. Her nose is suddenly congested. She must get indoors soon. The sun is setting and soon, there will be worse things to worry about than weather.

She's been waiting for this...what do they call it...oh yes, the BUS for as long as she can remember. Time moves so slowly here...

She just wants to go home. But she dare not think of home, lest she be overcome by emotions.

Her skin is almost unnaturally pale, her hair white. This is not a condition from birth but a reflection of her heritage.

She knows now, having witnessed firsthand the atrocities humankind afflict upon each other, that it was a mistake to leave. To forsake wings and divinity.

And for her haughtiness, she found the gates closed to her when she attempted to return. She could no longer hear her Father's words.

She closes her eyes and repeats what had gotten her through thus far. She only has to be here...a little while longer.

For now, she waits.

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Current Projects! This Is What I'm Working On...

A very rough image of Seryna, the princess of Atlantis. Working daily to complete the final version.

I want to thank all of you who've asked for updates on what I'm doing. You're who I'm writing for, so here's an update.

I have three main titles going in addition to one book I'm collaborating on, which will eventually become a collection of stories about people from adverse backgrounds turning things around. As for my own projects...

All in the Universal Warrior vein;

Battle: Atlantis--The peaceful Atlanteans are dying. The relentless murpeople have driven the orca across the Atherean and turned their ravenous appetites on the Atlanteans themselves. Seryna, the princess of Atlantis, has managed to sequester her people but her pleas for help are stifled by Vepar, queen of the mur, who has the arrogant Poseidon enthralled. When Seryna is told of family in Heaven, Asgard, and Mount Olympus, a desperate plan is put into action...

Risking her life to find her land-borne family, Seryna wll seek out Odin, Zeus and the Angels, hoping to assemble a force large enough to take on the mur, and free her people.

You'll get this one first. This is a short story that'll be about thirty thousand words. It'll appear on Amazon for your e-reader for ninety-nine cents. I'm aiming for May-June to get this out.

Before Red Morning [Redux]--Yup, I'm pulling a George Lucas on the book I released about a year ago (which is still free to all, by the way). If you've read it, don't expect too much of a departure from the original. I'll be adding the story of Lillith: Vengeance, which some of you have already read. Otherwise, core stories will remain the same.
If you haven't read it, check it out!

Atherean Defenders--Following a vengeful, catastrophic attack that leaves a score of Angels dead and many more wounded, four Angels are assembled in secret to assassinate the perpetrator.

This one is it. The big one, the monkey on my back. The one that'll be somewhere in the hundred thousand word range. I'm working on getting it out by Christmas of this year, and I promise I'm making steady progress.

At the end of the year, when all of this is said and done, I do plan on creating some sort of collector's set that will include an additional story, a map of Heaven, and some other goodies, so stay tuned for that.

So that's it, that's what I'm working on. Thanks for reading.

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We Will Still Run.

To Whom It May Concern,

I wanted to tell you that you have failed. Not only have you failed, but you have failed miserably.

You have wounded us. You've even killed some of us. But you have failed to make us afraid.

No, we are not afraid. Quite the opposite; WE ARE ANGRY.

But there will be time for justice and your answering for your deeds later. At this moment, what you need to know is this.

We will get up tomorrow.
We will go to work, and school.
We will laugh. We will hang out. We will have fun.

And next year, under a more vigilant security, WE WILL STILL RUN.

You can hurt us, you can even kill us, but you will never, ever scare us.

And if I may paraphrase Liam Neeson,

Now that you have our attention
We will find you.
We will hunt you down.
And you will answer for this.

Start running. Enjoy your head start while it lasts.

Sincerely,

Avery K. Tingle
Author and Angered American Citizen

I'd like to extend prayers and condolences to those affected by this senseless atrocity. You are not alone out there.

Thanks for reading.

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Writing Challenge!

So let me get this straight.

I have to write a short story, in which two characters will fall in love, while a cataclysmic battle is going on all around them.

Underwater.

Where one of the characters can shoot lightning without electrifying everything in the ocean.

It's gotta be a minimum of twenty thousand words to have a chance.

And I have to write it all in one day.

By the way, the clip belongs to Disney. Just so they don't sue me into oblivion or buy me out and cancel all of my best stuff.

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