Angelo Carosio’s Portfolio

The new Enterprise crew. Image courtesy Paramount Pictures

Prequels are one of the trickiest sorts of movies to pull off correctly. When you’re working with characters that people have known and loved for years and years, it’s very hard to get everything right. For every “Batman Begins” there are 10 that just don’t get it right: Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace, X Men Origins: Wolverine and Star Trek: Enterprise come to mind as prequels that landed way below the hype and expectation created for them and only served to disappoint loyal fans of their respective series.

J.J. Abrams adaptation of the original Star Trek crew blasts away any low expectations viewers might have about its integrity. The cast, script, special effects, and story are all top-notch, successfully bringing the aging (and before this, deteriorating) franchise into the 21st century. If you consider yourself any kind of a fan of Star Trek, Star Wars, or sci-fi in general, see this movie. Hell, even if you just like a good summer popcorn action flick and haven’t seen a Star Trek episode in your entire life, this movie is still for you. The positive reviews are all over the place: Star Trek will disspoint no one.
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My Bloody Valentine playing in Brazil. Photo courtesy Baptiste Pons via Flickr.

The signs posted around the outside of the WaMu theater said it best: “Tonight’s show will be extremely LOUD”.

My Bloody Valentine, the Irish alt-rock “shoegaze” band who hasn’t released an album since 1991′s smash “Loveless” destroyed the earbuds of thousands of fans Monday at WaMu Theater. Earplugs were given out at the door, and MBV–known for their use of distortion, pitch bending and noise–put them to good use and pushed the limits of how loud a concert can get.

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Rancho Bravo Tacos has opened in the old KFC building. Photo by Angelo Carosio

Since the unfortunate demise of Taco Bell, it’s been hard to find a good burrito on the hill under $5. Taco Del Mar never tastes quite as good as you want it to, Tacos Guaymas is way too expensive and also not that good, and Bimbos is pretty excellent but doesn’t allow minors in, even during the day. Last week a new contender opened for business in the old KFC building across from Cal Anderson park on Pine, and Rancho Bravo Tacos seems to understand what people want in a burrito: cheap, big, and delicious.

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