In Contention

Tag: Star Trek

  • WEEKLY WRAP: Cannes unspooled, ‘The Road’ unveiled

    Opening night at Cannes 2009• Kicking off a Cannes-loaded week, we offered a two-part profile of this year’s contenders for the Palme d’Or.

    • Meanwhile, this week’s Top Ten list reflected on the greatest runners-up in the festival’s history.

    • As “Up” opened the festival, Pixar maintained its recent critical streak.

    • Within the competition, however, it’s two films from female auteurs — “Bright Star” and “Fish Tank” — that have critics buzzing.

    • Away from the Croisette, there was lots of talk about “The Road” this week, with a new trailer and early review.

    • In a neat coincidence, “The Road” was also the subject of this week’s Page to Screen column.

    • In a major week for debuting trailers, we also got a look at two very different hot properties: “Nine” and “Precious.”

    • Ahead of its June U.S. release, we reviewed Michelle Pfeiffer’s comeback vehicle “Chéri’.”

    • We looked into the box office success of “Star Trek.”

    • We revisited some buried treasures from the 1980s.

    • And finally: is the theatrical experience overrated? Have your say here.

  • 5/15 Web Round-up

    (from left) Jamie Foxx and Robert Downey Jr. in The Soloist• In the wake of the new “Nine” trailer, Ryan Adams takes a look at the story’s awards ancestry. [Awards Daily]

    • Helen O’Hara on the trouble with romantic comedies and how to fix them.  Screw it, I kind of want to see “The Proposal.” [Empire]

    • Andrew O’Hehir on why the original “Star Trek” series still matters. [Beyond the Multiplex]

    • Linda Milazzo takes a mean-spirited cheap shot at “The Soloist.” [The Huffington Post]

    • Lauren Wissot talks to “Girlfriend Experience” star Sasha Grey. [Spout Blog]

    • George Johnson wonders why a 200-year-old conspiracy theory still haunts the Vatican. [Slate]

    • David Thomson remembers the great James Mason, who would have been 100 today. [The Guardian]

    • Nat Rogers: “Nine reasons I must see ‘Nine’ NOW.” [The Film Experience]

    • Gill Pringle chats with Dustin Hoffman about acting in love stories. [The Independent]

  • Lots of ‘Trek’ happening on Blu

    Cover of Star Trek: The Original Series - Season 1If you’re like me, the bad-assery (yes, bad-assery) of J.J. Abrams’ “Star Trek” unlocked some eerie, deep, dark geek that you didn’t really know existed.  No, I’m not hitting the net looking for a life-sized Enterprise Captain’s chair (though they are certainly out there), but I’m quite interested lately in going back and discovering a franchise that never quite appealed to me as a youth.

    Luckily, Paramount and CBS Blu-ray is way ahead of you.  Landing in beautiful high definition are a slew of home video tie-ins that are sure to please old and new fans alike.

    First and foremost there is the massive six-film set — “The Original Motion Picture Collection” — which hits shelves today and includes the “Star Trek” films from the 1979 original to 1991’s “The Undiscovered Country,” which brought director Nicholas Meyer back to the material for the first time since “The Wrath of Khan.”

    If six films is a bit too much, you can pick up the “Motion Picture Trilogy”, also released today, which includes “The Wrath of Khan,” “The Search for Spock” and “The Voyage Home,” a series of films that works pretty well as a stand alone set (though tossing in the first installment would have been nice).

    I haven’t had a chance to dig into the films yet, but the crown jewel of all this “Trek” home video insanity has been spinning in my Blu-ray player for a number of days now: “‘Star Trek’: The Original Series — Season 1,” which released April 28.  Some will pick this up immediately for reasons of nostalgia and I imagine more than a few purists will shy away from the “view with enhanced effects” feature available on each episode.  I had fun bouncing back and forth, personally.

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  • Why young Kirk was listening to the Beasties’ ‘Sabotage’

    This is awesome.  If there’s one thing I’m sick of hearing about the new “Star Trek” film it’s bitching about the use of the Beastie Boys’ “Sabotage” in an early scene.  Personally, I love every outrageous moment of this scene, including the track’s usage, but I never would have imagined there might be a reason it was used.  I’ll let this post at Topless Robot spell it out:

    One of the complaints nerds have about the new J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek movie is the very odd use of the Beastie Boys’ “Sabotage” when young Kirk is driving his stepdad’s classic car off a cliff. Although I liked the movie, I did think it was odd to hear such a well-known, popular song in Star Trek. Well, TR commenter PossibleMisnomer has an idea why the song was used, and I think he’s 100% right — it’s because William Shatner has a long history of mispronouncing the word sabotage as “sabo-taj.” Watch [this] video, and you can even hear him refusing to admit his pronunciation is wrong (during some kind of voice work), and then him saying “sabo-taj” back in his Trek TV days.

    (via Ryan Rotten at Twitter)

  • Geek savvy is changing the world

    William Shatner in Star TrekDavid Hinckley, writing in the New York Daily News, has taken the release of “Star Trek,” the upcoming release of “Terminator Salvation” and Wednesday night’s season five finale of television’s “Lost” (can’t…wait) to champion the age of geek in a more thoughtful way than you might imagine.  It’s become perhaps a bit too easy to say things like “the future is now,” but spinning off on his own (arguably stretching) tangent, Hinckley presents the entertaining case that sci-fi/fanboy entertainment’s dominance over pop culture signifies perhaps a shift in the overall tactical mindset of the world.

    Pick a teen movie from “American Grafitti” to “Porky’s” to “American Pie,” and you’re almost certain to find a scene where some sneering muscle guy menaces the scrawny kid with glasses and straight A’s in math.  It’s always been a little scary to be the geek.

    But even back in the 1950s, long before schools had policies on bullying, it was clear to many readers of those Charles Atlas comic book ads that the guy washing the sand out of his eyes would someday own the business where the muscleman would be applying for a minimum-wage job.  Being a well-tanned bully might make you king of the beach on sunny days, but it’s not a skill that translates well to the rest of life.

    The geek has a lot more options, especially after his girlfriend has left him and he has more time to study math. Just kidding. Today, the geek’s got a real shot at keeping the girl, because in the larger perspective, our whole culture has shifted over the last 60 years from the muscle world to the geek world.

    To oversimplify only a little, we now develop computer applications and cyber-ideas the way we used to build Thunderbirds and iceboxes.

    It’s a nice piece well worth the read.  Check out the rest here.

  • 5/11 Web Round-up

    Tilda Swinton in Julia• With J.J. Abrams’s reboot landing in theaters this weekend, and Emmy talk on the brain, Tom O’Neil asks which versions of the popular series deserved small screen awards attention. [Gold Derby]

    • Geoff Boucher, meanwhile, talks to Leonard Nimoy and gets the actor to admit that some “Star Trek” fans can be “scary.” [Hero Complex]

    • Sukhdev Sandhu: “Why I love Cannes.” [Daily Telegraph]

    • The editing of an NPR review of “Outrage” sparks same. [indieWIRE]

    • Neil Gaiman discusses the adaptation of “Coraline” across the pond. [Empire]

    • Donna Freydkin talks to actress Tilda Swinton about her role in “Julia.” [USA Today]

    • David Poland loses himself in a dazzling 63-second shot from Steven Soderbergh’s 1999 film “The Limey.” [The Hot Blog]

    • Similarly, Glenn Kenny gets caught up on a “strangely evocative” frame from Sidney Pollack’s “Three Days of the Condor.” [Some Came Running]

    • Stephen Frears talks “Cheri,” which released in the UK over the weekend.  (Guy’s review here.) [The Guardian]

  • Addressing the concerned Trekkies on SNL

  • Paramount marketers getting a bit lazy?

    Oh, I kid the good folks over on Melrose.  But tell me these two layouts weren’t switched at birth:

    (from left) Iron Man poster and Star Trek poster

  • SUNDAY CENTS: A ‘Star’ is reborn

    Star TrekParamount broke the summer sophomore weekend slump with the impressive launch of “Star Trek” this weekend, earning $72.5 million for the three days and an extra $4 million from Thursday evening showtimes. On the same weekend that supposed summer blockbusters “Speed Racer,” “Poseidon” and “Battlefield Earth” all imploded out of the gate, J.J. Abrams and company successfully rebooted yet another franchise and you can expect Paramount to start production on a sequel as soon as humanly possible.

    No “Star Trek” film had ever previously opened with more than $50 million, as the series has always catered to a pretty specific niche audience. Abrams and Paramount did all they could to destroy that perception and convince people that this version was hipper, sexier and more action-packed. The buzz worked and the film should continue to perform well in the coming weeks, easily out-earning “Wolverine” in the long run and probably becoming only the third “Trek” film to pass $200 million after the 1979 original and 1986’s “The Voyage Home.”

    Summit Entertainment had the only other new release in “Next Day Air,” and they limited it to only 1,138 screens across the country. The resulting $4.0 million finish is a mediocre amount for that kind of release and didn’t really work as counter-programming like the studio probably hoped. Who would have thought that nearly 15 years after “Clueless,” Paul Rudd and Donald Faison would still have careers and Alicia Silverstone would not?

    “X-Men Origins: Wolverine” dropped a disastrous, but not unexpected, 68% to $27 million and $129.6 million total. Brett Ratner’s entry in the franchise passed $100 million in three days while Gavin Hood’s took a full week. $200 million ain’t happening and foreign grosses will have to put the gloss on this film for Fox.

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  • Tell us what you thought of ‘Star Trek’

    Star Trek

    If you were disappointed last weekend, hopefully you’ll get a kick out of this weekend’s big release, which had me at hello.  Like I said in my review, try to catch it on the loudest screen possible.  Come on back here and give us your thoughts on J.J. Abrams’s reboot of the “Star Trek” mythos once you see it.

  • WEEKLY WRAP: Loving ‘Trek,’ reading ‘Chéri,’ awaiting ‘Basterds’

    Anton Yelchin in Star Trek• In a bumper season for the sci-fi genre, Kris was thoroughly impressed by both “Star Trek” and the lower-profile “Moon.”

    • Meanwhile, we kicked off this year’s Page to Screen series with a look at the literary origins of “Chéri’.”

    • In a sad week for the business, we bade farewell to both actor Dom DeLuise and filmmaker Marc Rocco.

    • Quentin Tarantino declared “Inglourious Basterds” a masterpiece. (And Eli Roth a bastard.)

    • Following “Angels and Demons,” could cinema be the wrong medium for Dan Brown’s storytelling?

    • Continuing our new Sunday Cents feature with a breakdown of “Wolverine’s” box office performance.

    • Speaking of which, the “X-Men” franchise continues to grow new limbs. This time, a Deadpool spinoff.

    • We got a taste of Francis Ford Coppola’s “Tetro” with both a trailer and the opening minutes of the film.

    • Yours truly admitted to some reservations about Christian Bale’s recent work, and lost further cool points by fessing up to his Jennifer Garner weakness.

    • Finally, our contentious quest for the most influential films of all time continues apace.

  • 5/6 Web Round-up

    (from left) Jude Law and Robert Downey Jr. in Sherlock Holmes• Nathaniel Rogers wonders whether Geoffrey Rush and/or Jane Fonda can complete the acting triple crown by nabbing Tony awards this year. [The Film Experience]

    • John Farr writes up 15 top movies that should be on DVD but aren’t.  [The Huffington Post]

    • The “Star Trek” cast speaks out on the new film via a nifty photo gallery to ramp up the hits! [HitFix]

    • David Poland points out that the “Easter egg” endings on “X-Men Origins: Wolverine” will indeed lead in to two new sequels.  Now that “Deadpool” has already been confirmed, chalk one more up for Wolvie’s Japanese saga. [The Hot Blog]

    • Susan Wloszczyna talks to the principles on Guy Ritchie’s “Sherlock Homes.” [USA Today]

    • Andrew O’Hehir wraps up the best of Tribeca Fest. [Beyond the Multiplex]

  • J.J. Abrams, a.k.a., JJ Cool J

    Check out the full interview here.

  • 5/5 Web Round-up

    Robert Duvall• VIDEO: “Star Trek” writers Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman on how to be a sci-fi screenwriter. [Time]

    • Robert E. Lee descendant (and, of course, Academy Award winner) Robert Duvall squares off against Wall-Mart in Virginia. [Associated Press]

    • Noah Forrest calls Steven Soderbergh’s “The Girlfriend Experience” the year’s best film so far. [Movie City News]

    • Nathaniel Rogers posts a test screening reaction to Wes Anderson’s “Fantastic Mr. Fox.” [The Film Experience]

    • Jeffrey Wells expresses some trepidation over the upcoming “Angels & Demons.” [Hollywood Elsewhere]

    • Christopher Campbell cranks out a list of 10 mutants who need an “X-Men Origins” movie. [Spout Blog]

    • Hugh Jackman, meanwhile, is full-speed-ahead developing a “Wolverine” sequel. [Variety]

  • REVIEW: “Star Trek” (****)

    Star TrekFrom pulse-pounding beginning to edge-of-your-seat end, J.J. Abrams’ “Star Trek” moves at a break-neck pace that never lets up, never misses a beat and shockingly, never loses itself in its labyrinthine story.  It is a near-perfect action thrill ride that ticks off every box on the ultimate movie experience checklist and perhaps adds a few more.

    Fans of Gene Roddenberry’s series may or may not be impressed by Abrams and screenwriters Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman’s re-imagining of a sacred geek mythos, but they’ll do well to understand that their beloved universe is in tact.

    Despite the expectation that Gen-Y casting across the board would make for a moan-inducing CW-style prequel, the filmmakers have smartly devised a way to launch their own “B” timeline in a series that could go a million different directions from here.  That their brilliant scheme makes for a stand-alone classic with something for everyone is unexpected to say the least, and exhilarating as a result.

    Chris Pine stars as famed Federation Captain James Tiberius Kirk, though particulars of the story (which I dare not spoil here) put him on a different universal plane than William Shatner’s incarnation that has delighted audiences for decades.  A wildcat that seemingly breaks the hell-raiser mold, Kirk is born under chaotic circumstances in the film’s initial sequence.  We soon catch up to him as a youth racing through the fields of Iowa to the sounds of a then centuries-old Beastie Boys track before zipping ahead to encounter his bar-hopping mid-20s self in the form of Pine’s cock-sure stud.

    Intercut with the Kirk story is the equally brief introduction of the Vulcan Spock who, as a result of being half-Vulcan, half-human, is seen as disadvantaged by a society that demands a sense of perfection.  Zachary Quinto (television’s “Heroes”) takes the reins of the character, who enlists in the United Federation of Planets as one of the top minds in the corps before meeting Kirk and developing a relationship that will ultimately rest at the heart of the film.

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  • 5/4 Web Round-up

    Brad Pitt in Inglourious Basterds• Premiering a Brad Pitt character poster from “Inglourious Basterds.” [Ain’t It Cool News]

    • Digging into the world of fan-made films across the pond. [The Guardian]

    • John Hiscock talks to J.J. Abrams about selling a re-imagined “Star Trek” to classic stars and fans alike. [Daily Telegraph]

    • Peter Knegt kicks of “(123) Days of Summer: An Indie Film Guide.” [indieWIRE]

    • Grady Hendrix looks at the comic book history of this weekend’s box office champ: Wolverine. [Slate]

    • Pointless Megan-Fox-looking-hot video that is bound to sell more issues.  I gladly watched. [Esquire]

    • Meanwhile, test your Wolverine wisdom. [USA Today]

    • “Daniel Craig: ‘I’ll keep doing Bond until my knees go’” [The Independent]

    • Mark Olsen talks to the principles on Fox Searchlight’s summer rom-com, “(500) Days of Summer.” [Los Angeles Times]

    • Celebrating Swine Flu in style with a list of 13 deadly movie outbreaks. [Premiere]

  • SUNDAY CENTS: ‘X’ marks the spot

    X-Men Origins: WolverineAfter all the hype, “X-Men Origins: Wolverine” opened with a solid $87.0 million at the box office this weekend.  Both “X2” and “X-Men: The Last Stand” started with over $100 million* but “Wolverine” does better the $72.6 million of Bryan Singer’s original from 2000. When a film is received as poorly as Brett Ratner’s third entry in the franchise was, it’s only natural for the follow-up to start a bit lower.

    Almost any franchise will prove this but the easiest example is “Batman.” Schumacher did his worst with “Batman & Robin” and unsuspecting customers shelled out $67.1 million* on opening weekend. The movie collapsed from there and it took Warner Bros. years to attempt another shot at the bat. In steps Christopher Nolan and “Batman Begins” debuted with a cautious $54.6 million. Everybody loved it, the stars aligned and “The Dark Knight” opened to $158.4 million. Obviously, there were other factors at play but look at the “Back to the Future,” “Mission: Impossible” and “The Matrix” films for further proof.

    Anyway, all that is to say that $87 million isn’t really disappointing, nor is it that spectacular. “Iron Man” debuted with $98 million on this weekend last year without any previous big screen incarnations. “Wolverine” will most likely not make it to $200 million and life goes on.

    Matthew McConaughey tried his luck at counter-programming and brought in $15.3 million for “Ghosts of Girlfriends Past.” That’s the worst debut he’s had in the romantic comedy genre since “EdTV” in 1999 and only a tiny fraction better than “Made of Honor”’s debut last year versus Tony Stark. I’m willing to go out on a limb and guess that McConaughey’s salary was a bit larger than Patrick Dempsey’s so that return is just not good enough. I like to think that it didn’t do well because it looked awful but that wouldn’t explain “Wolverine”’s numbers.

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  • Gluttony unfolds at Hollywood ‘Star Trek’ premiere

    Star Trek premiere