By Rick BentleyFilm: Star Trek Into DarknessCast: Chris Pine, Benedict Cumberbatch, Zachary Quinto, Zoe SaldanaDirection: J J AbramsDirector J J Abrams proved with 2009’s Star Trek that it is OK to boldly go where others had gone before, as long as the journey is exciting, original, entertaining and respectful to legions of loyal fans. His film, which found the balance between reprising and reimagining, was a direct hit.In his second voyage on the Starship Enterprise, Abrams has perfected that approach. Star Trek Into Darkness is the best work since Gene Roddenberry brought the franchise to life in the 1960s.Abrams shows a deep and passionate loyalty for all of the incarnations of Star Trek, while also bringing a fresh approach that makes the familiar seem all the more fabulous.Star Trek Into Darkness has the Enterprise crew taking on a threat that has the power to wipe out Starfleet Command. It’s up to the impulsive Captain James Kirk (Chis Pine) to lead a mission to stop the threat. It’s a mission that means going against almost every regulation in the Starfleet manual.The warp power of the film comes from Pine, who has managed to channel the cockiness and swagger that William Shatner used to breathe life into the character a half century ago without going so far as to make Kirk a caricature.As with the original series, Kirk’s brashness has a damper in Mr Spock (Zachary Quinto). It would have been easy for Quinto to play Spock’s lack of emotion in a robotic, wooden manner. The original Spock, as a half human and half Vulcan, could control his emotions. This Spock is a few percent more human, which allows for just enough emotion to give Quinto some additional room to play.The entire cast is just as reverent and original when it comes to taking over the familiar characters. That’s why scenes without Kirk or Spock resonate with the same energy.Action films live or die by their villain. And Star Trek Into Darkness gets plenty of life from Benedict Cumberbatch as the mysterious John Harrison. He has the kind of larger-than-life presence to play the foreboding foe Kirk needs. There’s a lot more to the character, but like so much of the film, there are some things that are best discovered during the voyage.What happens between Kirk and Harrison is delivered at a breath-taking pace. The movie starts at warp speed and never slows until the haunting refrains of the original theme song herald the arrival of the closing credits.The film moves so quickly, it’s hard to pick up the many references to past Star Trek offerings. Despite all of these hidden gems, the script by Roberto Orci, Alex Kurtzman and Damon Lindelof can be just as easily enjoyed by those not familiar with the franchise. It’s a solid summer movie thrill ride for anyone willing to buy a ticket.Abrams showed with his original foray into the Star Trek world that he had the vision and creative might to relaunch the franchise. With this second turn at the helm, he’s taken that groundwork and launched it into a whole new galaxy of fun and entertainment.As long as Abrams is in charge, the new Star Trek movies will live long and prosper. — The Fresno Bee/MCTRefreshing rom-comBy Mark OlsenFilm: PeeplesCast: Craig Robinson, Kerry Washington, David Alan GrierDirection: Tina Gordon Chism Tyler Perry is credited as a producer on Peeples, but don’t let that scare you away. Written and directed by Tina Gordon Chism, Peeples is witty, charming and light, standing apart from the heavy-handed moralising of so many of Perry’s own movies.Its upbeat freshness is also distinctive from the bitter flavour of so many recent Hollywood rom-coms.Chism finds new twists in a fairly standard premise: as Grace Peeples (Kerry Washington) is reluctant to introduce her boyfriend to her father. Her beau, Wade (Craig Robinson), is a children’s singer whose most popular song, Speak It (Don’t Leak It), encourages kids to use the bathroom. Her father (David Alan Grier) isn’t just judgmental, he actually is a federal judge.The bulk of the story is set amid the upscale enclave of the Peeples family’s summer home, creating something of the casual bourgeois feel of a Nancy Meyers movie. S Epatha Merkerson as Grace’s mother and Tyler James Williams as her teenage brother provide capable comedic support.A sub-story involving Grace’s sister (Kali Hawk) and her reluctance to come out to the family is handled in a way that feels pleasantly nonjudgmental on all sides.When Melvin Van Peebles walks on as Grandpa Peeples it is funny in many ways, as a pun on his own name, as a tweak of Perry-esque literalism, as well as a tip of the hat to an African-American independent filmmaker of an earlier generation. Van Peebles brings the perfect amount of grumpy gravitas as he dresses down Grier’s character in just a few lines.Diahann Carroll as the family’s grandmother matriarch is an equally smart piece of casting.Washington, long a reliable presence too often asked to do a lot with too little material, has been on a tremendous recent career upswing thanks to TV’s Scandal and Django Unchained. She handles the female lead here with her typical grace and ease. Robinson, best known for his role on The Office, makes for a convincing Everyman.Perry deserves credit for using his resources to create space for another voice to be heard. Yet focusing on Perry, limp studio rom-coms and all the things that Peeples is not perhaps undersells all that it is — an infectious, warm comedy of family and communication and a promising debut as writer-director for Chism. These Peeples are people one should be happy to meet. — Los Angeles Times/MCTGeneric heist thriller Film: Empire StateCast: Liam Hemsworth, Dwayne Johnson, Emma Roberts, Michael Angarano Direction: Dito MontielThe story of Empire State is based on the string of events in 1982 that led to the robbery of $11mn from an armoured car company, a heist that, at the time, was the largest cash theft in US history.The film mostly goes through the motions, content to follow Liam Hemsworth’s Chris Potamitis as he roams his Queens neighbourhood to visit friends and family. Hemsworth seems like an affable guy but he isn’t given much to work with, and Dwayne Johnson and Emma Roberts are hardly in the film despite getting top billing.Chris gets rejected from entering the NYPD due to his previous criminal convictions, so he joins Empire State armoured car service as a security guard. After his mentor is gunned down in the line of duty, Chris is given the job of night watch at the warehouse where all the cash is stored. His first indiscretion is pocketing a relatively small stack of bills, but his longtime friend Eddie (Michael Angarano) soon tempts him to take much more from the scarcely-guarded warehouse. As his work troubles escalate, Chris also deals with the neighbourhood thugs who disrespect his parents (Paul Ben-Victor and Sharon Angela).There’s a bit of easygoing NYC flair to Empire State’s early scenes, like the casual lunch with Chris, Eddie, and friends Jimmy (Jerry Ferrara) and Spyro (Chris Diamantopoulos). This authenticity is thrown out the window when the plot proper kicks in, and Empire State becomes a generic heist thriller. When Eddie learns that the armoured car company doesn’t even count the money each night, he persuades Chris to help rob them blind. Chris backs out at the last minute, but Eddie refuses to change his plans, which draws the attention of NYPD detective James Ransome (Johnson).The real Chris Potamitis is one of the film’s producers and he makes a brief appearance during the closing credits. Hemsworth gives the role of Chris a rugged everyman charm. Johnson, channelling every other cop he’s ever played, is mostly wasted and has about 10 minutes of screen time. Roberts and co-star Nikki Reed are similarly underused in thankless minor roles.— WH(DVDs courtesy: Saqr Entertainment Stores, Doha)