Moviefone Copyright 2011, HuffingtonPost.com, Inc. Moviefone Good old fashioned elbow grease. First off, congratulations. Did you ever think you would be starring in three of the hottest movies of the summer season? I did not plan it this way. Let me be very clear about that. But it must be a thrill for you? It's great. I had a great time doing all three films. All three films are very different. And to have them all open up in one summer a month apart, I've never experienced anything like this before. It's thrilling. Let me first talk about "Iron Man 3." Were you a fan of the comic book before you signed on? Let me tell you about my childhood, about my level of geekdom -- I got beat up by the kids who used to read comics. I was definitely down the geek ladder. I wasn't cool enough to read the comic books. My cousin is actually a massive comic book fan and she walked me through the Marvel universe. She was my technical advisor of the film. She gave me all the info on the characters and the world. And I brought her to the premiere. That's a good trade-off. You know, you don't work for free. Did you reference anything specific from the comic book? No. They kind of gave me free reign to do what I wanted to do. And Savin seemed to be a combination of the old template of the Coldblood character and another character in the 'Extremis' arc. The great thing about Shane Black and especially Downey -- you get on set with Downey and they are very much about the creative process as it's happening then and there. And they like to play. You're not boxed in by anything. I've seen about 20 minutes of "Lone Ranger" and it looks pretty amazing. What brought you to that project? They said I could grow a moustache and I was like “I'm on board, yeah. Let's do it.” No I'm kidding. To me, it was Gore Verbinski. There's not many guys out there like him. He makes big movies that are very good. The story works, it was a great script, and we had a lot of fun on it. And I'd never done a western before. That was the great thing about "Iron Man 3," that was the great thing about "World War Z" -- I've never done a zombie movie before, I've never done a comic book film before. This was all new. And as an actor you want to do things that are new and exciting. I was going to ask you about some of the amazing directors you've worked with -- Martin Scorsese, Steve McQueen, Joe Carnahan, Robert Zemeckis -- do you sort of watch them and pick up things from each of them? I'm a watcher, I am. When I did "The Departed" in '05, I was very young. And I didn't really know how to conduct myself on set. But what I did was watch Matt Damon watch Martin Scorsese. Damon studied Scorsese and talked to him about film every chance he got. Because sometimes you just have one moment with these directors... You should talk to them and watch them work and soak it in, because it can only help you as an actor and understand your place in the whole film process. So I try to steal a page from Damon's playbook and watch and study the different methods. Damon wants to direct soon. Is that something you want to try, too? I'm still trying to figure out this acting thing. Talk to me in 10 years. What can you tell us about "World War Z?" "World War Z" -- that's a big movie in scope and size. It's based on this book by Max Brooks, which I think is a brilliant book, but the idea of the zombie epic becoming a worldwide plague. You think of it in terms of disease. I think the brilliance of the movie is what happens with society and economy and government and the way that these things break down. If you had a worldwide economic collapse, what would the results of those be? In a strange way it's very realistic. The kind of ongoing creative process of "World War Z" has been highly publicized. Were you brought back for those reshoots? No. As in the book, it's almost like a series of vignettes. So the part that I'm in is isolated and it wasn't touched. Have you seen it yet? Yeah I have seen it. It's pretty cool. I saw it at 11 o'clock in the morning. I've never seen a zombie movie at 11 a.m. Let me put it this way: it changed the way I dealt with the rest of the day. So it maintains its intensity even though it's PG-13? I know that's what everybody's worried about with a zombie film. But people were jumping out of their seats at the screening I was at -- at 11 in the morning. That's when you know it's good. Yeah. When people are screaming at 11 a.m., it's good. So can we start calling James Badge Dale "The King of Summer" from now on? [Laughs] You know how many people in my neighborhood would just rip me apart for that one? I'm going to take that as a yes. [Laughs] Thank you. ]]> Mon, 20 May 2013 10:40:25 EDT http://news.moviefone.com/2013/05/20/james-badge-dale-iron-man-3-interview_n_3306508.html ]]> Mon, 20 May 2013 09:40:11 EDT http://news.moviefone.com/2013/05/20/catching-fire-cast-at-cannes_n_3306256.html earned a starship-load of money, debuted at No. 1, and dethroned two-week box office champ "Iron Man 3." And yet, box office analysts think it underperformed, falling far short of the $100 million premiere they'd expected. Are the pundits right? Were the "Star Trek" numbers less than stellar? Or do the analysts have a warped perspective? Alas, even cold Vulcan logic may not be able to solve this one; it really depends on your point of view. Here are the arguments on both sides. Hit: "Star Trek Into Darkness" earned an estimated $70.6 million in North America over the weekend. Add another $13.5 million from screenings Wednesday at midnight and throughout Thursday, and the movie has a total so far of $84.1 million. Miss: Distributor Paramount was expecting a $100 million weekend. These figures didn't come close. Hit: Still, $70.6 million is a pretty huge opening. Miss: Not by the standards of the previous installment, 2009's "Star Trek," which opened at $75.2 million from Friday to Sunday, plus another $4.0 million from Thursday screenings. Hit: The film's take includes an impressive $13.5 million from 336 IMAX screens. That means "Star Trek" earned 16 percent of its take from IMAX, compared to 10 percent for "Iron Man 3" during its debut two weeks ago. Miss: Even with 3D and IMAX surcharges, "Into Darkness" couldn't outperform the 2009 "Star Trek," which sold only standard-price tickets. Hit: The movie averaged $18,241 per screen, the highest of any film in current wide release. Miss: Tiny indie dramedy "Frances Ha," which opened opposite "Star Trek" this weekend, debuted on just four screens but averaged nearly twice as much, $33,500 per venue. Hit: While the last "Star Trek" earned less than half its take overseas, the new one is doing twice as well as last time in many countries around the world. Having opened a week ago in most territories, it's already grossed $80.5 million overseas, thanks to redoubled marketing efforts abroad by Paramount. Miss: Paramount missed some marketing opportunities at home. A merchandising dispute between J.J. Abrams and CBS (which holds the rights to the "Star Trek" characters) meant few licensed products on retailers shelves and a far less ubiquitous presence than the film should have had in terms of grabbing retail consumers' attention. Hit: A late move to a Thursday opening date may have increased the movie's premiere earnings. Miss: Or it may have harmed those earnings, since the last-minute shift may have confused ticketbuyers. Hit: Still, no other wide-release summer-blockbuster-hopeful dared to open against it, so "Into Darkness" had the multiplex pretty much to itself. Miss: The movie still faced stiff competition from holdovers "Iron Man 3" and "The Great Gatsby," which earned almost $60 million combined this weekend. And next weekend, it'll get slammed by the one-two punch of "Fast and Furious 6" and "The Hangover Part III." Hit: "Into Darkness" earned an A from CinemaScore, indicating especially strong word-of-mouth among the fans who saw it. Miss: So why, after 47 years of "Star Trek" TV series and movies and books and videogames, can't the franchise break out beyond its base of loyal fans?]]> Sun, 19 May 2013 15:21:19 EDT http://news.moviefone.com/2013/05/19/box-office-star-trek-into-darkness-numbers_n_3303425.html Sun, 19 May 2013 12:01:38 EDT http://news.moviefone.com/2013/05/19/box-office-star-trek-into-darkness_n_3302976.html E! News that the "Epic" star and her rapper husband, Jay-Z, are expecting baby number two. While the couple have yet to comment or confirm, fellow hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons tweeted his congratulations to the couple. Hmm, interesting. Very interesting. Speculation about whether Blue Ivy's mom was again with child began after photos of Bey looking a little bit bigger in the tummy region while on tour popped up on the Internet. The NY Post then reported that sources had confirmed to them that the singer was, in fact, pregnant. As you may recall, Beyonce announced her first pregnancy without saying a word -- she just showed up at the MTV Video Music Awards sporting an unmistakable baby bump and rubbed her belly. In other words, there's no telling when or how Beyonce will announce baby number two. We'll be waiting! [via E! News, NY Post] ]]> Fri, 17 May 2013 16:17:55 EDT http://news.moviefone.com/2013/05/17/beyonce-pregnant-rumors-true_n_3294549.html Fri, 17 May 2013 15:59:19 EDT http://news.moviefone.com/2013/05/17/hangover-3-red-band-trailer_n_3294486.html explained by in an Empire podcast a few weeks ago. "We always knew we would be using the Superman glyph or the shield as we call it. But 'Man Of Steel' was also supposed to represent our take, which was he's a man, but he's not made of flesh and blood, metaphorically he's a man of steel. So that was sort of the whole thing wrapped up in a nutshell." It doesn't hurt that a 2006 attempt to bring Supes back to the big screen, directed by Bryan Singer and starring Brandon Routh, didn't exactly turn the world on its ear. Even with a new name, it will be hard for fans to shake the mental image of a lantern-jawed Christopher Reeve as Superman. However, Henry Cavill could do a pretty darned good job of giving us a fresh look at an old friend. And a bad-ass General Zod will be pretty cool, too. [via Empire] ]]> Fri, 17 May 2013 15:23:29 EDT http://news.moviefone.com/2013/05/17/man-of-steel-title-superman_n_3294433.html Kevin Feige gave EW a very early preview of what's coming down the pipeline. Feige said, "I'd say 99 percent of our time right now is purely spent on Phase Two… It's five colossally giant motion pictures that we have to produce. So that's taking up the time. But within the next year or so we'll start the advanced planning for post-'Avengers 2.'" The Marvel honcho was fairly forthcoming for details on movies that are still in their nascent stages. We do know that Edgar Wright's "Ant-Man" is a sure thing, and "Doctor Strange" is "one of the prime candidates." We all know that "Iron Man 4" would go over like gangbusters, but also that Robert Downey Jr. is still in talks over his part in the future of Tony Stark. "Black Panther" is still just a hope and a dream, though eagle-eyed writers have noted that Marvel might be filming some of "The Avengers 2" in Cape Town, a hint that, followed to conclusion, leads some to believe that BP could be a new recruit. The rest of the Marvel cast of characters -- Daredevil, Ghost Rider, zombies, and so on -- are either very unlikely or still in the wishful thinking stages. But what about The Hulk, you say? Feige told EW, "Mark [Ruffalo] could stand in his own movie. … We're talking about it. We're excited to sit down and go, 'What is a stand-alone Hulk movie?'" We've got a few years to find out. [via EW] EARLIER: Comic-Con 2012 Marvel Panel: 'Iron Man 3' Trailer, 'Guardians Of The Galaxy' Announced]]> Fri, 17 May 2013 14:51:09 EDT http://news.moviefone.com/2013/05/17/marvel-phase-3-doctor-strange-iron-man-4_n_3294225.html let slip some juicy tidbits about "a brother/sister act" that would appear in "The Avengers 2," which fans speculated would be Scarlet Witch and her twin Quicksilver. In an interview with IGN, the director more or less confirmed that assumption. "You know, they had a rough beginning. They're interesting to me because they sort of represent the part of the world that wouldn't necessarily agree with The Avengers. So they're not there to make things easier. I'm not putting any characters in the movie that will make things easier." Another confirmation from Whedon? Tony Stark will (not surprisingly) be back for the sequel as well, even though he destroyed his suits at the end of "Iron Man 3." "Well, I feel like in 'Iron Man 3,' even though he said, ‘I've changed' -- he blew up his remote suits, but I don't think anybody thinks he doesn't have one anymore. The question is, if The Avengers are called, does he show up? And the answer is, ‘Yes!'” How will Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver figure into all of this? Guess we'll have to wait until the next time Whedon decides to let another tidbit slip. Perhaps on Twitter? [via IGN]]]> Fri, 17 May 2013 13:33:46 EDT http://news.moviefone.com/2013/05/17/avengers-2-tony-stark-quicksilver-scarlet-witch_n_3293876.html withhold parts of the script from the cast, providing them with only the scenes in which their characters appeared. This method appears to have paid off, as critics have been swooning over "Frances" since it premiered at Telluride Film Festival last fall. Of course, the secrecy factor is where the blockbuster comparisons end for "Frances Ha." The black-and-white movie follows Frances (Greta Gerwig), an aspiring 27-year-old dancer who is looking to come to grips with adulthood as she struggles to keep a job in New York City. Here, Baumbach offers some tips on shooting a secret film, talks about why all of his movies have great soundtracks, and reveals how he ended up writing "Madagascar 3." Moviefone: You didn't set out to shoot this in secret. But, either way, it seems like a tough thing to do. Noah Baumbach: We gamed the Internet! It was deliberate to keep the low profile, but I didn't think Oh, we won't be reported [in the media] somewhere down the line. We just didn't announce ourselves and then that was really it. But it's like, we were [in New York City] doing it. If people had walked by us and recognized us, they would have discovered something. Was shooting low-profile a good experience? It seems like it worked to your benefit. I mean, we could have done the same work and everything we did, even if we had been [more official]. But I think there's something kind of nice, particularly in 2011-12, to be the only ones who know about it. Writing is a private experience and filmmaking is sort of necessarily a communal group thing, but it's kind of nice in a way for the crew to feel sort of focused and private about it; it was our thing and nobody else's. It seemed pretty secret within the production itself. You withheld some of the script from the actors. Yeah, I didn't show the script. No actor -- except Greta [who co-wrote the film] -- had the script beyond their scenes. And what we'd do, we would send them -- and we shot chronologically, so we could do this -- the pages for that week, maybe a few days in advance, but not past that. So not only did they just get their scenes, they got them as those shooting days approached. And I think it just kept people in the moment and not overly concerned with the movie as a whole. It's my job to be concerned about that. And because the movie was in chapters, and some people are kind of in a chapter and then disappear for awhile and then come back in another chapter, it kind of made that easier, too. Actors didn't really need to know what they were doing in the meantime or anything like that. And, if they asked, I would just make something up for them [laughs]. It's funny to hear that method being used for an indie film. Most of the time you hear about those techniques used on a giant superhero movie (withholding the entire script from actors, shooting in secret, etc.). Yeah, who the villain is is not important here [laughs]. But, you know, I suppose in our own way, we're looking for some of the privacy that [those films have]. A lot of people are going to have David Bowie's “Modern Love” stuck in their heads after this movie. That's a good one to get stuck in your head. Was that always the song you had in mind? I thought about a few different things, but I think that song's kind of perfect. It's so joyful. I feel like everything about it sounds great -- his vocal is so great, the way he kind of shout-sings it. It just feels so immediate. When I was a kid and I got the “Let's Dance” record for the first time, it was the first song on it and I remember just hearing that song; I don't think I'd heard a better song and I would just play it over and over again. All of your movies have really great soundtracks: “Margot at the Wedding” had Steve Forbert, “Greenberg” had a James Murphy score. Even movies you wrote but didn't direct, like “Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou,” have great music. Yeah, although we wrote the David Bowie into the [“Life Aquatic”] script because it was always written that Seu Jeorge's character, Pele, would play David Bowie. I mean, it's always interesting. With “Greenberg” I was listening to LCD Soundsystem's “The Sound of Silver” while I was working on it. I didn't necessarily feel like that music was tonally right for “Greenberg,” but I felt like the guy who made this music should probably score “Greenberg.” So I met James Murphy, and we became friends and he wrote a score, which is awfully different from LCD Soundsystem. I thought they were beautiful. I really love what he did. With “Frances,” I had this instinct that, when I was cutting it, it could really hold a big, bold score, and I started to put in all these old French New Wave scores. It felt like the movie was so strong and flexible that it could hold it, and I really pushed it. I felt like it really elevated and broadened the movie. You almost couldn't get too big or too romantic. Fans of your work were pretty surprised that you ended up writing "Madagascar 3," since you had really only done smaller indies up to that point. How was that experience? It was a great experience. I really enjoyed it. I learned a lot about the animation process, which was really interesting to me, because you work over such a long period of time. And I liked those guys so much and I think they're so good at what they do. I have a movie that I am developing there that I would direct. But yeah, I loved it. It's not altogether different from when I work with Wes [Anderson]. It's like I felt my job there was to help make the movie as good as possible. And there's something nice about that as an alternate to what I do with the movies I direct, which is so rigourous and I am involved with every part of it until the very end. It doesn't stop until you let go of it, which I probably need to do. Did they approach you? They came to me, and I worked with Ben [Stiller] on “Greenberg,” so Ben, I think, liked the idea, and I really liked the other two movies and I like Chris Rock a lot, too. It seemed like fun. That said, when I started it, I didn't know how long the process was -- I had never done animation. Earlier on Moviefone: Greta Gerwig, 'Frances Ha' Star, Isn't Interested in 'Being a Great Actor in a Sh-- Movie']]> Fri, 17 May 2013 10:54:19 EDT http://news.moviefone.com/2013/05/17/noah-baumbach-frances-ha-interview_n_3292960.html the Daily Mail (so please, find the biggest grain of salt you can and take it), “informal talks have begun” between Nolan and the Bond powers that be -- namely producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael Wilson -- for him to helm the next chapter in the franchise. After the worldwide critical and commercial success of “Skyfall,” it was assumed Sam Mendes would be game to direct another Bond outing, but commitments to theatrical productions, as well as the exhausting amount of effort that it takes to get a Bond movie off the ground, sidelined those plans. It would be fascinating if the series entered an “auteur” phase, with big name directors, known for their singular artistic visions, took on a series known for its workmanlike dexterity more than its creative adventurousness. Right now Nolan is in the middle of prepping “Interstellar,” his big-budget space exploration film that will star Jessica Chastain, Anne Hathaway, Matthew McConaughey, and (of course) Michael Caine. That film will be out on November 7th, 2014. It's unclear whether Nolan would have the time (or the energy) to jump from one gigantic project to the next, but we're crossing our fingers that this isn't simply tabloid chatter. [via Daily Mail]]]> Fri, 17 May 2013 11:38:45 EDT http://news.moviefone.com/2013/05/17/christopher-nolan-directing-james-bond_n_3293253.html according to TMZ. The troubled, 35-year-old actor has been arrested twice before, TMZ reports, for domestic violence charges involving the same woman. He was sentenced to six months in jail in March on the same charges, but didn't serve the full term. This time, when police arrived at his ex's home in West Hollywood, they found Furlong hiding under a stairwell close to her home. Furlong was later taken into custody and charged with a felony. He's now being held on $100,000 bail. [via TMZ]]]> Fri, 17 May 2013 11:27:41 EDT http://news.moviefone.com/2013/05/17/edward-furlong-arrested_n_3292769.html according to Guardian UK. The pricey bling was supposed to be worn by celebrities at the French film fest, but instead the jewels were taken from the hotel room of one of the Swiss luxury jeweler's employees. The pieces were in a security box, which French police say was smashed and hauled out of the room. Funnily enough, the jewelry, which was scheduled to be worn on the red carpet last night, was taken during the premiere of Sofia Coppola's new film, "The Bling Ring," which tells the story of teen thieves who stole from the rich and famous in Hollywood. Mere coincidence, or a copy-cat crime? We're going with coincidence, unless Emma Watson is prepping for "Bling Ring 2: The Big Heist." No word yet on which celebrities were left jewel-less by the crime. [via Guardian UK] ]]> Fri, 17 May 2013 11:13:53 EDT http://news.moviefone.com/2013/05/17/cannes-2013-jewelry_n_3292961.html good and not-so-good reviews. If you read what the critics have to say before seeing a movie, you may be confused as to whether "Star Trek Into Darkness" is really worth it. Is it as good as its predecessor? Should it be seen in IMAX 3D? Do Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto continue to do Captain Kirk and Spock justice? If those are the questions consuming your thoughts today, Moviefone has your answers. Mr. Moviefone (aka Russ Leatherman) joined HuffPost Live host Jacob Soboroff to discuss the big sci-fi release. Watch the latest Moviefone Live above to hear what they had to say!]]> Fri, 17 May 2013 10:09:42 EDT http://news.moviefone.com/2013/05/17/star-trek-into-darkness-should-you-see-it_n_3292406.html 1. Chris Pine (Kirk) and Zachary Quinto (Spock) met prior to being cast for the “Star Trek” movie through a mutual personal trainer; now the two work out at the same gym together. 2. Benedict Cumberbatch's (John Harrison) full name is -- are you ready? -- Benedict Timothy Carlton Cumberbatch, and he was born in London on July 19, 1976. 3. Cumberbatch's parents, Timothy Carlton and Wanda Ventham, are both actors. His mother starred in "Men Behaving Badly" and "Only Fools and Horses," among other roles. 4. Pine's first credited onscreen acting role was as a drunk patient on “E.R.” 5. Karl Urban (Bones) was born in Wellington, New Zealand, and got his start acting on the New Zealand television series “Shark in the Park” in 1990. 6. Zoe Saldana (Uhura) is a trained ballet dancer. 7. Cumberbatch was involved in a carjacking while filming a TV series "To the Ends of the Earth" in South Africa. This would normally leave most people terrified, but, apparently, the "Sherlock" actor loves an adrenaline rush, having tried skydiving and hot air ballooning. 8. Urban was beat out by Daniel Craig for the coveted role of James Bond in "Casino Royale." 9. Zachary Quinto decided to pursue a career in acting at age 16, following his life-altering involvement in a serious car accident. 10. Cumberbatch used his gap year (the time between high school and college) during his prestigious post-secondary schooling to teach English at a Tibetan monastery. 11. John Cho (Sulu) was born in Seoul, South Korea, but he grew up in Los Angeles. 12. Cho is the lead singer of a band called Viva La Union (formerly called Left of Zed). 13. Pine reached out to the original Kirk, William Shatner, early in the movie's development to offer an olive branch, since Shatner felt he had been snubbed by not being included in the movie. 14. Like co-star Chris Pine, Quinto reached out to the original Spock, actor Leonard Nimoy, to prepare for his role. 15. Saldana cofounded a website, described as “the IMDB of the fashion industry,” called MyFDB (My Fashion Database). 16. Cho attended the same high school as Eva Mendes. 17. Zachary plays the banjo, and he reportedly brings one to the set on occasion. (What would you give to see Spock playing the banjo?) [via IMDB, Biography.com, GeekSugar, Hollywood Reporter, TVGuide.com, ETOnline, the LA Times, DigitalSpy]]]> Tue, 14 May 2013 11:54:55 EDT http://news.moviefone.com/2013/05/14/star-trek-into-darkness-cast-trivia_n_3273155.html Thu, 16 May 2013 16:33:35 EDT http://news.moviefone.com/2013/05/16/crouching-tiger-hidden-dragon-2_n_3288253.html revealed that she is in no rush to be seen as a "woman," looked sophisticated and elegant, continuing to remind us that she is not schoolgirl Hermione Granger anymore. You're kind of working against yourself there, Emma. Watson was joined by her "Bling Ring" co-stars and the movie's writer-director, Sofia Coppola, at the event in France. "The Bling Ring" tells the true story of five teenagers-turned-burglars who targeted the lavish pads of celebrities. The fame-obsessed group tracked the whereabouts of the rich and famous online, and broke into the houses of stars, including Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan, and Orlando Bloom, while they were out of town. Check out the photos below! "The Bling Ring" breaks into theaters on June 14. ]]> Thu, 16 May 2013 15:45:53 EDT http://news.moviefone.com/2013/05/16/the-bling-ring-cannes-premiere_n_3287835.html a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, he explained why: he's busy at work on his latest project, a mysterious, Disney-set sci-fi flick called “Tomorrowland.” “I've known [‘Star Wars' producer] Kathy [Kennedy] for a while and I know George [Lucas]. And they did come to me. But the problem was, the schedule they had in mind made it impossible to do…unless I dropped ‘Tomorrowland,'” Bird said. He added that he worried the project, which was already deep in development, would lose momentum if he temporarily abandoned it in favor of “Star Wars” – “It would've thrown the furniture around from the train stopping,” he said -- and while part of him lamented the loss of “Episode VII,” he said that he was excited to watch Abrams's take on the franchise. “I really want to see this movie,” Bird said of “Tomorrowland.” “I love the ‘Star Wars' films, and I can't wait to see what J.J. does, but it meant I'd have to shut down one dream to participate in another. I feel like [with ‘Tomorrowland'] we're making something that's really special and unique.” Judging by Bird's track record, “Tomorrowland” is sure to deliver on that promise. And if that doesn't whet fans' appetites for his work enough, Bird also revealed in that same THR interview that he's open to the idea of making “The Incredibles 2.” “I have been thinking about it,” he said. “ ... I love those characters and love that world. I am stroking my chin and scratching my head. I have many, many elements that I think would work really well in another [‘Incredibles'] film, and if I can get ‘em to click all together, I would probably wanna do that.” [via THR h/t Cinemablend]]]> Thu, 16 May 2013 15:28:39 EDT http://news.moviefone.com/2013/05/16/brad-bird-turned-down-star-wars-episode-7_n_3287904.html 1. It's Not That Dark The trailers and title for "Star Trek Into Darkness" make it seem like a more oppressively heavy piece of machinery than it actually is, full of explosions and terrorists and sooty spaceships falling out of the sky. Thankfully, it's really not. In fact, it's just as zippy and entertaining as the original film. So don't worry -- it's just pretending to be "The Dark Knight." 2. The Cast Is Still on Fire What made the original 2009 "Star Trek" so much fun was that director Abrams and his confederates had assembled a crack team of newcomers that embodied the spirit and fun of the original series (and, to a lesser extent, the original set of films). That means everybody is back and ready to party, and while the movie again focuses on the relationship between Captain Kirk (Chris Pine) and his first mate Spock (Zachary Quinto), each character does get his or her moment in the sun (and Karl Urban's McCoy is given a chance to really shine). You could watch these actors read the phone book and it'd probably be pretty riveting. 3. The New Additions Are Great And what's more, Abrams and his crew have welcomed the new cast members with open arms. Of particular note is Alice Eve, as Carol Marcus, who Trek diehards can tell you holds a very special place in the series' mythology. She's got a wonderful asymmetrical haircut and an adorable British accent, and adds some much-needed emotional depth to all of the Star-Trekking craziness. (Her father, a Starfleet superior played by Peter Weller, is also totally brilliant and not altogether a good guy.) And speaking of bad guys… 4. Yes, Cumberbatch Is Very, Very Bad A lot of the speculation about "Star Trek Into Darkness" has been around Benedict Cumberbatch's character and who, exactly, he plays. We're not going to spoil that here because we want J.J. Abrams to still talk to us if we ever run into him at a party. But that doesn't really matter because, yes, Cumberbatch is a really scary bad guy and totally makes the character (whoever that character might be) his own. We also love that his floppy hair seems to react to whatever mood he's in. It's pretty great, too. 5. See It in IMAX 3D During our screening, people were literally ducking as things came flying out of the screen and into the audience. That's how great the 3D looks. There's this thing that Abrams does with the warp drive, where it leaves this glittery trail behind the ship in space (the soundtrack even "twinkles"), and it's so amazing in 3D. The IMAX is another matter altogether -- it's genuinely stunning and just as immersive as the 3D. Yes, the tickets are considerably more expensive, but in the case of "Star Trek Into Darkness," it's worth it. 6. It Doesn't Make a Whole Lot of Sense Yes, 2009's "Star Trek" had a whole superdome's worth of plotting issues, but "Star Trek Into Darkness" makes so little sense that thinking about it for any prolonged amount of time will probably give you a brain aneurysm. Thankfully, the movie moves so quickly that you don't have time to linger on questionable character motivations and plot mechanics. Forget about a roller-coaster ride, this is like spending the entire day at the theme park. Please keep all hands and feet inside the vehicle at all times. 7. Michael Giacchino's Score Rules The original "Star Trek" theme music is so iconic that it's hard to think of anyone replacing that score -- or even coming close to replicating it. Thankfully, longtime Abrams collaborator Michael Giacchino has made a score all his own that is just as exciting and heartwarming. His "Star Trek" theme is fast approaching the level of the original, and that's no small feat. 8. Watch "Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan" Again Before You See This New Movie That's not giving anything away, either. It's almost like both movies (2009's "Star Trek" and "Star Trek Into Darkness) are subtle remakes of "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan," for different ways and in different shades. Like putting them together and getting one huge, two-movie-length remake. What makes "Star Trek Into Darkness" so fascinating is how many direct callbacks there are to that movie (including exact copies of snippets of dialogue), with a bunch of extra "Star Trek" shout-outs to various parts of the mythology. If it's been your dream to see a tribble on the big screen, consider that dream come true! 9. It Could Have Used More Aliens Just saying. There are a whole host of aliens in the "Star Trek" universe, and while we get to see a few of the most familiar ones in this movie (no, we're not saying who), there seems to be a genuine untapped goldmine for characters and creatures that Abrams and his collaborators could have drawn from (but chose not to). Oh well. There is some weird robot guy on the bridge that nobody calls by name or even really acknowledges. That's something, right? 10. You'll Be Ready for "Star Trek 3," or "Star Trek Into More Darkness" The movie ends on something of a cliffhanger, which makes you clamor for the third installment. Too bad J.J. Abrams is leaving the franchise for a galaxy far, far away… "Star Trek Into Darkness" is in theaters now.]]> Thu, 16 May 2013 15:24:25 EDT http://news.moviefone.com/2013/05/16/star-trek-into-darkness-review_n_3287478.html Like the teaser, Hunnam offers a quick voiceover explanation as to how the robots work: they're operated by two humans who use their minds and memories to control them, so that “man and machine become one.” Also like the teaser, there's plenty of action in the clip, including more detailed looks at the aliens -- one resembles a pterodactyl -- and additional shots of alien-on-robot action, clashing in the water and mid-air. Based on what we've seen so far, this is going to be a big, loud, explosive movie, and with Del Toro's pedigree behind it, it should be smart and fun, too. “Pacific Rim” lands July 12. [h/t The Playlist]]]> Thu, 16 May 2013 14:44:26 EDT http://news.moviefone.com/2013/05/16/pacific-rim-trailer-teaser_n_3287710.html