Mad Max 4 - It's on

Just a quick note. I'm a huge Mad Max fan. I think The Road Warrior is one of the greatest action movies ever made, with absolutely the best chase sequence in movie history. I saw rumors about George Miller making a fourth Max film awhile back, but haven't posted any details related to this yet.

Recent news states that the live-action movie is a go and that George Miller is set to begin shooting. There has been no true confirmation yet, so I'll be keeping my eye on any information related to the next installment in this epic franchise. There will be no Mel Gibson, so it will definitely be a change from the earlier films.

Here's some quick links to info about the film:
Cinematical
First Showing
Interview with George Miller

J. J. Abrams Talks Khan and Shatner for Trek 2

Well, my original hope that the next Star Trek film will introduce completely original content seems to have evaporated as soon as I espoused it. MTV sat down with director J. J. Abrams to discuss possibilities for the sequel and his answers are far from what I wanted to hear. Abrams states that they may go down the avenue of bringing back Star Trek II villain Kahn and possibly William Shatner reprising his role of Kirk. Apparently this is what fans of the series want to see, but that doesn't really make sense to me. These are classic characters that have had their time to shine. Why mess with them? If they bring Kahn back, there is no way that Ricardo Montalban's iconic performance can be repeated. Sure, Abrams is correct in saying that the alternate timeline makes it conceivable that such characters could return, but that does not mean they should return. Hopefully the writers generate a new set of ideas that make the next Star Trek truly stand on its own.

Source: MTV

Star Trek - Things to Avoid the Next Time Around

Over at Chud.com, Devin Faraci has posted his top 5 things that Star Trek should avoid in the next movie installment. He cites the following:

5. Don't bring in Kahn
4. Leave the Bumpy Ewok out of it (Scotty's alien friend)
3. Don't tie the next movie into Lost
2. Don't start on Earth
1. Leave the original canon alone

Devin has the right idea with numbers 5 and 1. The original canon should be left alone, at least for this second movie. I think once the series establishes itself on its own merits, then there is room to bring in some of the characters and plots from the original series or movies. I would prefer a truly original mission for Star Trek 2 version 2.0 though. Kahn should definitely not appear.

In response, I have created my Top 5 things for Star Trek to avoid in the next film. Enjoy!

5. Don't mess with the original canon; as mentioned above

4. Ditch the Spock/Uhura romance. It just didn't work well in the recent movie. I think it's welcoming to have Spock exhibiting more emotions in this reboot. It adds nuance to his character and Zachary Quinto can pull it off. But his fling with Uhura felt tacked on for no real effect. Also, it made me question Spock's morals and judgment, since I gathered that Uhura was one of his students at the time. Maybe this romance will be nipped in the bud.

3. Avoid 1-dimensional villains. The best films, when pitting good versus evil, have truly believable and well-conceived antagonists. In Star Trek, Eric Bana's Nero lacked true motivation. I never bought his reasoning behind wanting to kill Spock and take revenge on the Federation. This could be improved in subsequent films. I mean, look at Star Trek II. That movie succeeds on so many levels because Kahn is a formidable and compelling villain.

2. Generic explosions around the halls of the Enterprise. How many times have we seen this? An explosion occurs in one part of the ship, sending people and sparks everywhere but the viewer is really not sure what is happening. Star Trek is not the only franchise guilty of this act; Star Wars is another prime example (like in the strafing run on the Death Star). I propose that a more detailed and realistic attempt should be made based on what would happen if a missile or laser strikes a ship in space. And another thing, do those shields actually DO anything? From watching the space battles, seemingly not.

1. Do not COMPLETELY reject the original canon. Ok, so maybe this doesn't quite mesh with what I said in #5. But what I mean here is simple. While J.J. Abrams' new franchise is a reboot, the original series and movies did in fact happen. People know these characters and they remember how acted and interacted amongst each other. While the new characters should be fleshed out and re-envisioned by their new actors, many of their personality traits should remain intact. I think the recent film did very well in this respect, with some characters hearkening back to their originals more than others (see Karl Urban's portrayal of Dr. McCoy) and others being more refreshing and new (e.g. Mr. Scott as played by Simon Pegg). Keep the integrity of the characters while re-envisioning them. A hard, but worthy task.

What do you think the next installment in the Star Trek series should avoid or add?

New Writer for Grayskull: There was an old writer?

Honestly, I had no idea that another He-Man movie was even in the works. But it appears that Warner Bros. and Silver Pictures are developing a new adaptation, titled 'Grayskull' at this point. After winning a writing contest, Evan Daugherty, a relative newcomer to the writing scene, has been tapped to pen the next draft. His previous credits include an unproduced screenplay, 'Shrapnel,' and...that's it. Maybe he can work up some magic for the Masters of the Universe. However, this plot description leaves me wondering:

"Warners sees the big-screen version as a gritty fantasy and reimagines Adam as a soldier who sets off to find his destiny, happening upon the magical world of Eternia. There, Skeletor has raised a technological army and is bent on eradicating magic."

This does not sound like the He-Man I remember. In fact, Skeletor is a magical being with mystical powers and fantasy creatures as henchmen...shouldn't he be on the side of magic himself? Sounds like a ripped off version of Saruman from Lord of the Rings in a way, since he destroyed the forest and environment to create industrial forges and war machines. I'm intrigued at how this will proceed, but not too excited. Still, I'll keep my eye on more information concerning 'Grayskull.'

Source: The Hollywood Reporter

Star Trek - Reinventing the Final Frontier

Star Trek
Release Date: May 8, 2009
Director: J.J. Abrams
Starring: Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Leonard Nimoy, Eric Bana, Karl Urban, Simon Pegg
Rated: PG-13
Runtime: 127 minutes



The Slant / The stuff that dreams are made of...




Last Saturday night, I saw the second truly great movie of 2009. The first was Watchmen, which critically and commercially did not live up to the hype. I for one loved it, but the vast majority of critics, both professional and arm-chair, disagreed.

Star Trek is a completely different animal. With a 96% on RottenTomatoes and a $72.5 million domestic box-office gross in its first weekend, the crew of the USS Enterprise has reason to celebrate. Paramount has to be pretty pleased too and we will likely see a sequel in the next few years. I, for one, can't wait.

This is a great movie. It's not a perfect movie by any means, but it's so chock-full of entertainment value and superb acting that its shortcomings are easily forgiven, if not forgotten. Star Trek breathes new life into classic characters we know and love, while also being accessible for those unfamiliar with the original cast. Space opera at its finest, really.

I have to start with the best part of the movie: Zachary Quinto as young Spock, the logical and emotionless (sometimes) half-human, half-Vulcan first officer. Here, Quinto plays Spock as a man struggling to restrain his emotions while chaos ensues around him. This is much like Leonard Nimoy's portrayal of the character in the original series and its movie adaptations. Yet, with this new film conceiving Spock as a young man, Quinto makes the struggle much more difficult and his emotions get the better of him throughout the film. He creates a believable and emotional Spock, while also exuding the cool exterior we expect from the character after Nimoy's brilliant job. I think Spock is the hardest character to pull off in the franchise, and Quinto succeeds admirably. I expected nothing less after relishing his villainous Sylar on Heroes, who also travels in shades of gray between two worlds (for Sylar, though, his conflict arises between his thirst for power and doing good, with power and evil winning out most of the time).

The rest of the cast does a fine job as well, though Quinto clearly shines. Chris Pine brings the boyish charm and arrogance we expect from James T. Kirk, but makes one brilliant move. He does not play William Shatner playing Kirk, making the character more his own and moving away from Shatner's portrayal. Since Shatner's Kirk is such an iconic figure, this is really the only way Pine could play Kirk and actually act on his own merits instead of just mimicking another man's performance. Still, at times you can see a little of Shatner in Pine's Kirk, which is a good thing.

Karl Urban really surprised me as Dr. McCoy. While I liked the guy in Lord of the Rings and The Bourne Ultimatum, I was suspect of his acting chops. Here, he fully embodies the role of 'Bones,' adding the dry humor and acerbic wit that DeForest Kelley brought to the original show. This was definitely a pleasant revelation. Simon Pegg's Scotty is hilarious, as one would expect from that talented British actor. He brings humor and energy to the middle part of the film, lightening the mood after a string of serious events. John Cho gives a workmanlike performance as Sulu, but doesn't have too much to work with. I miss George Takei's memorable baritone, but was not expecting it to be replicated. Zoe Saldana's Uhura is smart and sexy, just what one would expect from her character. As the replacement of Walter Koenig, Anton Yelchin's Chekov hams up the Russian side a bit too much, as he pronounces so many v's as w's that my head began to spin. I mean, sure, nuclear 'w'essels was fun in Star Trek IV, but every other word he says doesn't have to have a V in it just for effect.

As the villainous time-traveling Romulan, Nero, Eric Bana is fine but unmemorable. He is not given too much to work with and his motivations for hunting down the Enterprise crew and Spock are suspect at best. Leonard Nimoy's return as the aged Spock is of course spot on, as one would expect in his 7th movie reprising his role.

The special effects are stunning and the space battles are workable. While Star Wars still boasts the best in ship-to-ship combat sequences, even 30 years later, the new Trek film has bolstered its image in this area. In the past, the Enterprise would face off against its Romulan or Klingon attackers, fire a few photon torpedoes, sustain some damage, and that would normally be the entirety of the battle. Here, ships are quick-moving, taking evasive action and packing much more firepower than the standard Trek vessel. Nero's "mining ship" definitely doesn't have the arsenal of one, showering impressive missiles down upon its Federation victims.

While the story is fine (evil ship approaching, regular crew members away, send in the cadets!), it is not inspiring. It doesn't have to be, since the viewer is having so much fun going along for the ride. Sure, the time-traveling elements of the story are a bit far-fetched and somewhat opaque, but the reasons behind them are sound. The writers created an alternate universe, so that they could wipe the continuity of the original Star Trek and play with the characters how they see fit. This way, no character is safe, since we don't know how things will end up. I think this is a brilliant move and the only way to give Star Trek a true reboot. They didn't have to mess with some things, though, like creating a romance between Spock and Uhura. Ah well, just a small thing.

Overall, Star Trek exceeded my expectations and I think a lot of critics' expectations as well. I predict that its second weekend box office numbers will not slip too much, with word of mouth helping it stay #1. Angels & Demons may mount a significant threat, but the sci-fi space opera will beat it out.

I am excited for a sequel and hope the crew of the USS Enterprise and the Star Trek franchise will continue going boldly where no one has gone before for many years to come.

Final Verdict: Star Trek - 9.5/10