TRAILERS: Star Trek Into Darkness Volcano Clip, Errors Of the Human Body, Pain and Gain and Fast & Furious 6

Sorry I am taking so long on Oblivion, but there were a few details that were really bugging me and I might have them figured out, which means something highly controversial if I am right, so I am working on that. In the meantime, here is the "Volcano" clip from the upcoming Star Trek Into Darkness and this is important for two reasons: first, Star Trek is being directed by JJ Abrams, who--it has just been announced--is directing the next three Star Wars films, which will probably be huge. Secondly, we know that, in Wrath of Khan from the early 1980s, which Star Trek Into Darkness is probably based on, Spock dies, and this clip  is certainly a teaser:

I'm not a Chris Pines fan, but I can't think of anyone who could play Captain Kirk better than he. What Spock says is true--"The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few"--and or current government would do well to remember that, however, what Kirk wants to do is what we see Jack Harper doing in Oblivion, making the heroic effort to preserve life. When our government did nothing to save Americans at Benghazi--and all the resources were there for them to do so--something has basic as what Oblivion and Star Trek Into Darkness are proposing could be said to be treasonous by the standards of the Obama administration. But there is a sub-text going on as well,...

Is this it for Spock?

At 0:22, Scottie sees a sea monster outside the window, meaning, while Spock is in the fire, Kirk is in the water (we could say, like the housing market, the USS Enterprise is also "under water")--the exact opposite element--but if there is a monster in the water, there is probably a monster also in the fire, and that "monster" might just be Spock himself: Spock's calculating logic--in this context--disregards his own humanity, and it's telling that it's not the fire of the volcano which is going to kill him, but the force the will make the volcano "inert," which will also make Spock inert, but is Spock all ready "inert" by his logic and very nature? When we watch the film, knowing this scene will be coming up, we will need to pay particular attention to how Spock behaves and anything which could indict him as being "inert." But then, there is also what Bones says to Kirk,...

We know bits but not the order in which events occur, making it difficult to piece the film together without seeing it. Spock isn't a "bad character," like a villain, it's just that the film wants to draw our attention to why a certain set of characteristics should be seen as virtues instead of vices.

"If Spock were here and I were there, what would he do?" and Bones replies, "He'd let you die." That, in and of itself, my dear readers, might be the "monster in the fire," that puts Spock's life in jeopardy, his blind adhering to the rules; why? Like Kirk, the main character with whom we as the audience are asked to identify, we want there to be an exception to the rule, we know Spock must be saved and so does Kirk, so this situation strengthens our bond with Kirk's character because the story--and all art does this--is constructed as a "hypothetical world scenario" of our own culture, and the traits Kirk exhibits, which the story will prove are the correct traits for a hero to have and, hence, all Americans, is advocating that this is how all of us need to act, that we need to be Captain Kirks and not Spocks; the rest of the story line and the conflict with the villain, will prove why Kirk's traits might seem like vices, but they are exactly what this society needs right now. 

"Every breakthrough has its price"

This is one of those films that looks oddly interesting to me: Dr. Geoff Burton (Eklund), a brilliant genetics researcher, is invited to a lab in Dresden, only to discover a lethal virus is being created, which he may have unintentionally caused and be its first victim. This mystery is set against Dr. Burton trying to find redemption and peace from a past haunted by the death of his infant son.

We have seen something like this in both The Amazing Spider Man and The Skin I Live In (and, if you bothered to watch it--which no one but myself probably did--this is also in Nazis At the Center Of the Earth). Is this only a science fiction thriller though? Watch this clip:

Have you ever heard of science experiments done on prisoners in Nazi concentration camps? That's the kind of thing that was done on them.
Opening this week is Pain and Gain, a film I have somewhat avoided discussing because I wasn't quite sure what to say, but--after seeing some released clips--I am pretty confident now; Trailer #1:

We have seen this before, two times before to be exact. There is Spring Breakers and The Bling Ring, both encoding the idea of stealing from the wealthy because I deserve it and they don't; don't believe me? Watch this quick spot:

What we have is a "confusion" about what the American Dream is, and all three of these films (Spring Breakers, The Bling Ring and Pain and Gain) examine what the American Dream is not to arrive at what the American Dream is (in philosophy this is called "negative theology"). Listen to what they say at 0:26, in a gun store, and tell me this isn't an anti-Obama film:

While there hasn't been a new trailer released for Fast and Furious 6, this featurette contains some new footage you might be interested in seeing:

Fast and Furious 6 is sooooo good, they have all ready committed to Fast and Furious 7 and a release date of next year for it; the director for the horror film The Conjuring has been signed to do the film. Tomorrow, via iTunes, the first look at the trailer for Thor the Dark World will be released (it's possible we won't be able to see it before the Iron Man 3 release any other way; and speaking of Iron Man 3, if you want to see it, you probably want to buy your tickets now, as in today).
Eat Your Art Out,
The Fine Art Diner

This new poster and a full synopsis has been revealed for the magic film, Now You See Me:  The Four Horsemen, a magic super-group led by the charismatic ATLAS (Jesse Eisenberg), perform a pair of high-tech magic shows, first astonishing audiences by robbing a bank on another continent, and then exposing a white-collar criminal and funneling his millions into the audience members’ bank accounts. FBI Special Agent DYLAN (Mark Ruffalo) is determined to make the magicians pay for their crimes—and to stop them before they pull off what promises to be an even more audacious heist. But he’s forced to partner with ALMA (Melanie Laurent), an Interpol detective about whom he is instantly suspicious. Out of desperation he turns to THADDEUS (Morgan Freeman), a famed magic debunker, who claims the bank heist was accomplished using disguises and video trickery. One thing Dylan and Alma agree on is that the Horsemen must have an outside point person, and that finding him (or her) is key to ending the magicians’ crime spree. Could it be Thaddeus? Or Alma? Or could it really be…magic? As pressure mounts and the world awaits the Horsemen’s spectacular final trick, Dylan and Alma race to find an answer. But it soon becomes painfully clear that staying one step ahead of these masters of illusion is beyond the skills of any one man—or woman.