Wasn’t crazy about J.J. Abrams’ first Star Trek, beyond digging Eric Bana’s Nero. Here’s my 4 spoiler-ish thoughts on Star Trek Into Darkness:

1.) Found it odd that (as far as i can recall) the words “Eugenics Wars” were not uttered in the film? And can anyone beat my 72 frown-y eyeroll combo when Khan basically called Spock an effete intellectual worthless in a fight, and incapable of breaking bones, because it so blatantly telegraphed a final confrontation between the 2, where he would do just that.

2.) Benedict Cumberbatch is infinitely more interesting than anything else in the film, yet only gets maybe 20 minutes of screentime. No, please, don’t focus on the godlike dark warrior-genius, lets have more scenes with normal fucking humans. Because we don’t see enough normal fucking humans in film. Or every fucking day on this planet. (Karl Urban gets a pass on all this, because Mama is not the law. In a just world, Dredd would’ve launched a franchise.)

Also, if you’re so interested in setting up payoffs, mr. screenwriter(s), perhaps consider this: if you tease the possibility of 72 genetically superior post-humans practicing freelance eugenics on a universal scale in a sweet looking uber-warship, under the command of their  leader, Khan, who’s basically been reimagined as Midnighter from The Authority…don’t expect me to be the tiniest bit invested in anything that would keep that from being realized.

You basically made a movie where i’m supposed to root for Neanderthals attempting to thwart the ascension of Homo Sapiens. Congrats.

3.) Hey, cool…Peter Weller’s playing a military leader with a pragmatic view of preemptive warfare, who’s not a total dickhole. Oh…wait, he’s actually a foaming madman, because of course he is.

4.) When Chris Pine acts angry, he looks like a constipated muppet. Chris Pine kinda makes Garrett Hedlund look like Christian Bale. In what sad, bonus-chromosomed reality am i supposed to find Chris Pine more compelling than Benedict Cumberbatch?

In conclusion, Hot Toys better make a Benedict Cumberbatch Khan figure.

First trailer for About Time, the very Doctor Who meets Groundhog Day romcom opening in limited release November 1st (then going wide a week later.)

Heard about this awhiles ago, been waiting for a look at it…i’m very much sold. Worth noting that Bill Nighy has been a perennial name on the replacement list whenever the Doctor’s about to regenerate, so it’s interesting to see him as kind of a nascent Time Lord.

Also curious if this plot device is going to wear out its welcome before All You Need is Kill debuts…

New alt cosplay pics featuring Kat in the first part of a set inspired by the leader of the Violet Lanterns, Star Sapphire. New to the site, anyway, as these were originally shot for the Cosplay Tetherball book. Haven’t actually touched a Green Lantern book since the movie, as it kind of soured everything associated with the character, so i don’t know if the Violet Lantern Corps survived into the new 52. I’m also pretty sure DC has since upped the modesty quotient on her costume…but this was reasonably accurate at the time it was shot, at least.

Working on the revised Post-Human Pin-Up, will have it done this month, then switching strategies to try something different from books…the books are fun, and all, but i tend to save stuff for them, then end up with these retardedly big backlogs of content, sitting on a bumload of pics going back to 2011.

More pics after the jump. Only if you want to, though. If you’re unsure whether to proceed, probably best not to. Rich and meaty lulz can be had here. (If you’re anti-lulz, see my new wallpaper, here.)

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Texas Chainsaw 3D was released on Blu-Ray and dvd, yesterday (it’s already been available to dl via iTunes for 2 weeks.) Just watched it again, and wanted to recommend it to horror fans. Copious amounts of shit were lost over Cabin in the Woods, last year. I liked Cabin in the Woods, but thought it wildly oversold as a transformative, genre-redefining event. Found Texas Chainsaw to be more aggressive in radically altering genre conventions, and appreciated its audacity in assuming audiences would just go along with it.

The downside? By altering the series’ timeline, they’ve retconned Tobe Hooper’s brilliant original sequel, and perhaps the funniest black comedy ever filmed, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 out of existence (not really, though. It’s not like the blu-rays of it evaporated, or anything.)  In doing so, however, they have opened up the possibility of one of my childhood theories becoming cannon:

Leatherface drifted out of Texas for awhile, dazed and alone, after his home and family were burned down, ultimately ending up in coastal Oregon. Chained up in a basement, he served as a human garbage/evidence disposal for the criminal family that imprisoned him, until befriending a group of outsider children.

After an epic and heart-warming adventure with them, leading to the discovery of a massive pirate treasure, he ultimately reverted to form; killing and eating all the children. Leatherface then returned to Texas with all the gold he could carry (which totally explains the Addams Family-esque mansion upgrade in the new film.)

There’s a very theatrical flash of cape (i think we’re looking at the back of Kryptonian Faora, in her black, Giger-ian armor) at the 00:20 mark of the newest Man of Steel teevee spot. If i knew nothing else about the film, that image would have been enough to sell me.

Also, at the 00:30 mark, Henry Cavill turns into Bill Schulz:

New Robin alt-y pic set is up in the bonus content section. Not really cosplay at all, but i very much like some of these. Wanted to get them up now as i thought there’s a bit of a Lana Del Rey vibe in a few, Lana Del Rey is all over the soundtrack for The Great Gatsby, and The Great Gatsby is out today.

Barring any acts of God, by this time tomorrow, i’ll have seen Gatsby 3 times. That’s OCD verging on The Dark Knight Rises-severity.

11 years ago, George Clooney starred in Steven Soderbergh’s Solaris, where he played a space traveler. It has consistently remained in my top 2 all-time favorite films, ever since.

I don’t know that Gravity could possibly live up to that, but it’s nice to see Clooney in a spacesuit, again. Alfonso Cuarón does tend to direct good stuff, so my hopes are high. Gravity is scheduled for release this October.

Following the playbook from last year’s with The Dark Knight Rises, Warners has released an advance preview of all the tracks from Hans Zimmer’s score for Man of Steel. 17 minutes worth of excerpts from each track, it is concentrated bliss.

While it may come as no surprise that i’m a massive fan of Zimmer’s work on the Nolan Batman films, would have to say his best piece is Time, from the Inception score (embedded after the jump, in case you need to hear it again.

And you do.)

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Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor’s 2009 film Gamer is getting a new blu-ray release today, featuring a 3D post-conversion. Kind of an odd choice, given Neveldine/Taylor’s frenetic camera work vs. the time required for the brain to register depth of field in a 3D shot…but i’m oh-so-downsey for anything that might bring more attention to their work. Also, the 2D on the disc apparently offers a better transfer than the original blu release.

Is Gamer as good as Neveldine/Taylor’s masterworks, the Crank series? Not even close. But it’s pretty entertaining, is crammed full of ideas, has Gerard Butler in walking testosterone-mode and Michael C. Hall doing a fascinatingly weird Ted Turner impression, and features the scene embedded above, which plays like a non-dress rehearsal for the greatest Batman/Riddler showdown never shot.

Was asked why how come no Star Wars-inspired cosplays for May 4th? I don’t know…other stuff going on this weekend, and wasn’t thinking about Star Wars? There are a couple characters from the series i’d like to take a shot at, and will get around to them. But for now, had these sort-of Padme / Leia -ish shots leftover from a Jessica shoot last year.

Wrapping up the expanded Post-Human Pin-Up this week, and working to find the best solution to make it available as fast and problem-free as possible. Also, one of my favorite pic sets is going up later this week. All of this will be capped off by excessive repeat viewings of The Great Gatsby, and testing just how many energy drink cans and bottles of faux absinthe can be smuggled past tight theater security. Busy week.

More pics after the jump. Some nudes, so if that’s an issue, or you’re sub-18, don’t click through. Go here and learn a truly valuable lesson, instead.

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