Star Trek
Wednesday, January 14th, 2009
by Jeff
Hollywood lost a legend today. Ricardo Montalban, famous for his roles as Mr. Rourke in Fantasy Island and Khan Noonien Singh in the Star Trek episode Space Seed and movie “The Wrath of Khan” died today at the age of 88. He had been ill and confined to a wheelchair for quite some time.
When I posted the news on Facebook and Twitter, I had a few responses from people who had no idea who he was. Wrong. Maybe you don’t recognize the name, but you certainly have seen or heard him before. Take a look at this collection of some of his most famous work.
Star Trek : The Original Series – Space Seed (1967)
Chrysler (1975)
Fantasy Island (1978-1984)
Star Trek II – The Wrath of Khan (1982)
Naked Gun (1988)
Monday, November 17th, 2008
by Jeff
To have a successful movie you have to appeal to a wide audience, and that’s the thought that J.J. Abrams has about his latest endeavor, Star Trek.
Full disclosure. I’m a Star Trek geek. My introduction to Star Trek was technically in 1979 with the Star Trek The Motion Picture Happy Meal, but at the age of eight, I was more concerned with the french fries. It wasn’t until I saw Star Trek II – The Wrath of Khan on HBO in 1983 that I totally got hooked.
I now own all ten movies, all seven seasons of The Next Generation and Deep Space Nine, 7 starship models, 20 novels, 5 technical manuals, and every crappy Trek video game ever made. Am I biased toward the new movie? Yup.
So are other Trek fans. When the above picture of the new design for the Enterprise was released, Trek nerds practically called for J.J. Abrams head on a platter for ruining the look of the 1960’s Enterprise. You know the one that was done on a shoestring television budget that looked like it was hanging off…well a shoestring?
There are a lot of changes in the new movie that the Trek purists will claim that Star Trek’s creator Gene Roddenberry is rolling over in his grave about. Although this movie doesn’t look or feel exactly like the original Trek, I think it’s going to kick ass! I love the new Enterprise, love Zachary Quitno from Heroes as Spock, and sure I will love Leonard Nimoy as old Spock.
I’m curious what the non-trek fans think though. Never seen Star Trek or only seen a few episodes? Watch the trailer above and leave a comment to let me know what you think. This is the crappy YouTube version, so if you want to see it in HD quality, head on over to the Apple Trailer site and watch. Or be a real geek like me and download it and stream it over your network to your HDTV via the XBox 360. Scotty taught me how.
Friday, November 14th, 2008
by Jeff
One of the only perks of having to work so early in the morning is being able to go see movies on the afternoon they premiere and avoid the crowds that night. You get the best seat in the theater and don’t have to deal with snot nosed teens kicking the back of your chair.
That’s the perfect way to watch the new James Bond movie Quantum of Solace. The last thing you want is to be distracted during this film.
So here’s your warning. Some minor spoilers are coming up so if you want to go in fresh, stop reading now.
Quantum of Solace is the second Bond film since the big Bond reboot of 2006 with Casino Royale. The reboot allowed the writers to throw out all the established canon with James Bond and start fresh. Even though I was cautious when I first heard the word "reboot" associated with James Bond, it’s worked extremely well for the franchise.
Don’t expect your father’s Bond. The writer’s have thrown out some Bond staples. There are no lines in the movie like "Bond. James Bond," and "Shaken not stirred." There’s no Q to give Bond an arsenal of fancy high tech gadgets for his mission. In fact there aren’t really any fancy high tech gadgets at all with the exception of a Microsoft Surface like table at MI6 headquarters. You also won’t hear much of the classic Bond theme or see the Bond gun barrel sequence until the end credits.
Quantum of Solace is also different from other Bond films in that it is the first direct Bond sequel. It picks up right where Casino Royale left off. It’s not necessary to have seen Casino Royale recently or at all to enjoy the movie, but it certainly will help fill in the background on a few things that get referenced.
Solace is jam packed full of stunt filled action sequences. You want an action filled chase scene? Sure. How do you want it? Car? Boat? Plane? On foot? All four are in this one. Okay so you might look at some of the scenes and say "There’s no way Bond would survive that," but if you think like that you shouldn’t be watching a Bond film in the first place.
This Bond is more bad ass than wise ass. Two scenes involving Bond taking out a guy on a motorcycle, and holding a guy over the ledge of a building portray Bond as the bad ass that make you pump your fist and say "Yes!"
Movie Mom described what they’ve done with Bond the best by calling it "The Bond Ultimatum." It’s shot very much like the Bourne movies, with cameras that shake during fight scenes and follow Bond through doors and windows when he’s in pursuit of the bad guy. It tries to put the viewer in the scene, which I don’t mind, but seems a little over used here. At times I just wanted the camera to hold still so I could take in everything in the frame without feeling nauseous.
In the end though, I thought Solace was one of the better Bond films. They all have their own uniqueness. Connery’s Bond is different than Moore’s who’s is different than Brosnan’s and on and on. Craig’s is a Bond for a new era.
Now though I want to go back and watch all of them again. I’ve got a vacation in a month or so, and that might be just enough time to watch all 22 of them.
You’ll also get a big bonus watching Quantum of Solace. One of the trailers shown is the new J.J. Abrams Star Trek trailer, and it totally blew me away! This is another franchise reboot, and it looks incredible for even non Trek fans. I’ll have more thoughts on that when the trailer appears online on Monday at 10am.
Wednesday, August 27th, 2008
by Jeff
Just some randoms from today
I woke up grumpy with a headache and sinus congestion. It cleared up after a while. Fresh air at night would help, but the bedroom only has one window in which the air conditioner sits at the moment. A major design flaw when this house was built as the bedroom is on the corner and could easily have another window on another wall.
I could pull the AC out, but as soon as I do we’ll have a 90 degree night and I’ll have to put that sucker back in.
I’ve been tired of going to parties and get togethers and not drinking with everyone because I don’t like beer. Everyone says it’s an acquired taste but until recently I haven’t acquired it.
Over vacation I tried Bud Light with Lime and it actually isn’t bad. Sure it may not be a manly beer, but it beats a Mike’s Hard Lemonade and is much cheaper than mixed drinks. I know I could also try Corona with Lime, but I’m too lazy to keep fresh limes and cut them up. I wonder why the lime only comes in Bud Light?
I went to Zimmie’s comics in Lewiston today, and wasn’t as impressed as I had hoped. I never like asking for things in stores. I figure if it’s not in plain site and easy to find, you’re not doing a good job displaying your wares. Beside I enjoy browsing before I find what I came for.
I went to pick up Superman #679 and Star Trek Year Four: Enterprise Experiment #5 that were both released today. I found neither on their new release rack, but saw others I knew had been released today. I’m guessing you have to reserve to be sure to get your copy the day of release. I’ll just grab them next week at Casablanca Comics in Portland.
I did pick up a couple of back issues of other books that looked interesting, and I did learn a lot overhearing a discussion on the theory of 20 sided dice and using them in various role playing games. This guy talked about it the whole time I was there. I may be a geek, but he really should go find a date.
My father-in-law had his new souped up truck on display tonight at Cruise Night at the local ice cream stand here in Lisbon. Not only can you take my man card away for drinking Bud Light Lime, but also for not enjoying looking at cars with their hoods up. I did see a 1970 something Dodge Dart there that reminded me of my mother’s car that my grandfather warned her was just too much muscle for her. She wanted it though, and drove her two young kids around town in it proud as can be.
She sold it to a friend of the family to get a more practical station wagon, and he still has it. She got to drive it one last time before she passed away, and she loved it.
My wife goes back to work tomorrow after summer vacation. (Summer vacation because it’s in the summer, and because that’s her name) I’ll be spending the day alone with Jake and I’m planning to take him out in the morning to Danville Junction in Auburn near the railroad yard. Hopefully there’ll be some activity there for us to watch. I think we’ll both be just as excited.
Monday, January 21st, 2008
by Jeff
Remember what going to the movies was like before the Internet? No spoilers, no script leaks, no spy pictures of shooting, and no way to know what trailers would be playing before what movie. Well not only has the Internet changed all that, it’s also given us free porn. I digress.
I knew going in that the new Star Trek teaser trailer would be playing before “Cloverfield”, and being the trekkie that I am (I’m old school, so I’m not a trekker), I was probably the only one in the theater that knew what we were about to see during the trailers when the Paramount and Bad Robot logos appeared on screen.
The trailer opens with a welder in goggles, well, welding something. It’s followed by quick shots of something big being constructed on Earth. The sounds of JFK and NASA communication from the 60’s plays over these shots, followed by Leonard Niimoy saying the famous words “Space. The Final Frontier,” as the camera pans up to reveal the saucer section of The Enterprise being constructed. It fades to the Starfleet logo as the first few notes of the Trek theme play, finishing with the words “UNDER CONSTRUCTION.” Nice!
I’m sure the Trek fanboys will freak about some things, like the Enterprise being built on Earth not in space, and oh no! The font used for the Enterprise name on the hull is not the same! Let’s get over that people. Let J.J. Abrams do his thing, and pass judgement after you watch the movie, which I’m sure you will. Personally, if the movie lives up to the stylistic portrayal of Star Trek we see in this itty bitty teaser, I will be a happy Trek fan.
The trailer should be online at the official movie site after this weekend.
So to review, here’s my must see movies in 2008:
And it’s only January.
EDIT:
The trailer has now been released on the official site, as well as a viral marketing campaign at www.ncc-1701.com Here’s the trailer in case you don’t want to go hunt it down:
Tuesday, November 20th, 2007
by Jeff
Hereos is good again. I just hope it stays that way.
I’ve said before that there are too many sub plots going on at once. This week they kept it down to an easy to handle three, but there was a lot going on within them. At this point, I could care less what’s happening with the other Heroes. Let’s just hope the Mexican twins are dead.
All throughout this episode I felt they were borrowing from other geek movies. Hiro goes back in time and his father tells him not to save him because even though they have the power of gods, they can’t play God. In a nutshell, don’t mess with the timeline or bad things will happen. Doc Brown said the same thing in Back to The Future
At the funeral, Hiro said his father is not dead as long as he carries what his father taught him in life. Dr. McCoy said "He’s not really dead, as long as we remember him" talking about Spock in Star Trek II.
West is way too much like Superman without the superhuman strength. He even looks like Clark Kent. Compare that to Smallville or any Superman movie that doesn’t co-star Richard Pryor or feature Superman throwing all the world’s nukes out to space. You can go figure out which ones I mean.
Matt now has the power to not only read people’s minds but put thoughts into their heads to make them do what he wishes. That’s called the Jedi Mind Trick first used by Obi-Wan Kenobi in Star Wars: A New Hope. "These aren’t the droids you’re looking for. You can go about your business. Move along." Angela Petrelli isn’t as dumb as a stormtrooper though.
Once again they pull the old bait and switch with a death scene. You think Noah Bennet will die because of the painting depicting his death, but wait! Noah sees what the painting depicts and is able to avoid the bullet and he lives. But wait! Mohinder ends up shooting and killing him anyway, just later. But wait! He’s not dead! He just woke up in a hospital bed pumped full of Claire’s blood that regenerated him. Holy !@#$%.
End of episode.
The writers love playing with us, and I eat it all up.
Let’s not forget the revelation that Adam isn’t time traveling, he’s actually 400 years old! Didn’t see that one coming, but it makes sense. Oh yeah, he killed Hiro’s father too. (Sulu)
So now we’ve got two episodes left? Well, only eleven were shot before the writer’s strike. Leave it to NBC to hype this like it’s the end of the season. I’ll be curious to see how, and I guess more importantly, WHEN this ends.
Friday, November 2nd, 2007
by Jeff
I can’t wait until January 18th! That’s when J.J. Abrams, who is the genius behind Lost, releases his latest movie. There’s no official title yet, but the rumors are it will be called Cloverfield. I have no idea what that title means, and really don’t have much information on what it’s about. Therein lies the genius of J.J. Abrams!
Lost always has you guessing, and J.J. is doing the same thing with this movie. It’s frustrating as hell, but it only makes me want to see this movie more! Just check out the official website for it and you’ll see what I mean.
The marketing for this movie is pure genius. A trailer shows up on You Tube for a movie that shows 20-somethings having a party for a friend. It gets interrupted by a horrific noise and a huge explosion in downtown Manhattan, followed by the head of the Statue of Liberty landing in a street. I’m hooked!
(EDIT: I’m having a hell of a time getting the youtube video to embed here in the page, so just click here to see the trailer)
The original trailer on You Tube appeared to be shot with a camcorder in a theater, but has since been taken down. I’m pretty sure this was all set up by the studio to start this viral marketing campaign. For the weeks that followed, this trailer was the hottest buzz on every movie blog on the net. Now the teaser poster has been released which is just adding fuel to the fire.It appears to be a monster destroys New York movie. New York can’t catch a break in the movies. It was destroyed in Independence Day, Deep Impact, The Day After Tomorrow, Godzilla and that really bad made for TV movie Aftershock: Earthquake in New York. Those are just the ones I can think of! I suppose destroying Lubic, Texas just doesn’t make for good movies.
A lot of my movie viewing experience in the next few years is riding on J.J. Abrams. Transformers was very good, Cloverfield looks fantastic, and he’s about to start shooting the next Star Trek movie which hopes to revive the franchise. I certainly hope so! Don’t disappoint me with these movies J.J. I’ve watched Star Trek 1 through 6 so many times I can practically recite the script from beginning to end. Time for new material.
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