Star Trek

Jack Daniel Stanley said:
You guys hear about the Alamo Drafthouse bait and switch last week?

Basically they advertised STAR TREK 2: WRATH OF KHAN but actually screened the new film!

if you're unfamiliar with the Alamo Drafthouse theaters here in Austin, every other row of seating has been taken out and replaced with a bar, like a bar in a, well, bar. Waitresses stealthily take your food orders on slips of paper and bring stuff to you - beer, coffee, desert, appetizers, burgers lots of good stuff. Not the best place to see SCHINDLER's LIST or SIDEWAYS maybe, but nowhere better to see something like STAR TREK.

Anyway, they advertised a free screening of STAR TREK 2 WRATH OF KAHN.

In the audience were the writers of the new STARK TREK film who introduced the movie. Something seemed wrong, the film was grainy and scratchy and melted after 10 minutes. The proprietor ran to the production booth to try and fix things while the writers of the new TREK vamped for time, until Nimoy came down the aisle in sunglasses carrying a print of the new movie which he they then screened for the surprised and thrilled audience.

Video and Blurb.
http://blog.originalalamo.com/2009/04/07/leonard-nimoy-beamed-into-the-south-lamar-alamo/
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Dude, where have you been? That was a month ago and I posted a link about it here: http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showpost.php?p=1603523&postcount=324

BTW Luis C. turned down a free pass to it.
 
Yo this movie kicked ass. The writing was really good and they stayed pretty true to the characters. It even had my ass clapping during the movie.
We got gyped though because the Imax theatre was not even imax, the **** was a normal screen. Going to see it again at the real imax joint.
 
I'm not going to read the last couple of pages but just want to say two things:

1) Wonderful story and writing on character relationship plot

2) HOrrible plot regarding the bad guys... WHY DIDN'T NERO, NOW IN THE PAST, JUST USE THE RED MATTER AND SPACE SHIP TO SAVE HIS PLANET ON TIME. WHAT THE F*%K. AND HOW DID KIRK END UP RUNNING INTO NEMOY IN THE CAVE?
 
I don't care what people say about this film but I saw it last night and I really enjoyed it. It was a fun film. This is coming from someone who hates Star Trek. I always hated Star Trek as a kid. I though it was boring. Anyway, great pop corn flick even though I don't eat pop corn.

I give it a 8.5/10 9 if it would of stared Jessica Alba. Kidding..
 
Meh, I thought Kirk tried too hard to be cocky. I thought scotty tried too hard to be funny. Spoc was getting a lil too emo for me. I needed the rewind button to understand the plot. It was okay I guess, not as down-to-earth (no pun intended) and relatable as I thought it was going to be.

-Star Wars loving non-trekker.
 
Ryan Patrick O'Hara said:
2) HOrrible plot regarding the bad guys... WHY DIDN'T NERO, NOW IN THE PAST, JUST USE THE RED MATTER AND SPACE SHIP TO SAVE HIS PLANET ON TIME. WHAT THE F*%K. AND HOW DID KIRK END UP RUNNING INTO NEMOY IN THE CAVE?
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Did you listen to the star-dates? Nero traveled 175 years into the past, he would probably be dead or almost there by the time his planet was being destroyed, and he was deluded and angry for losing not only his family, but his entire planet and most of his race.

And it was pure luck for Kirk and Spock Prime in the cave, it was a bit stretched I'll admit, but it's Star Trek, and anyone who's a fan will know that **** just happens that way.
 
I found it really enjoyable. Very JJ Abrams though. Camera always moves a little too much and too erratic for my liking. But I had a really good time (for once) and I know nothing about the franchise.
 
Ezekiel667 said:
Did you listen to the star-dates? Nero traveled 175 years into the past, he would probably be dead or almost there by the time his planet was being destroyed, and he was deluded and angry for losing not only his family, but his entire planet and most of his race.

And it was pure luck for Kirk and Spock Prime in the cave, it was a bit stretched I'll admit, but it's Star Trek, and anyone who's a fan will know that shi* just happens that way.
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Uhhh... so couldn't he just TELL someone about what was going to happen? He had substantial proof considering his starship was from the future. Being emotionally distressed can motivate his evil doings but first and foremost he should be motivated to finding a way to save his planet... which he had an easy out and failed to notice.

And don't try to defend the plot holes in the film, they themselves are just black holes and many at that. It was a fun film to watch but for story wasn't worth the time of day except the co/sub-plot of Spok and Kirk.

I'm here to discuss the film with filmmakers, not trekkies who will use poor excuses motivated by their passion to justify some really weak plot structure.

Was it a fun movie to watch? Yes. We all get that part. I had fun watching it. But after the specticle was over and I left the theater... the film should stay with the audience member. Because of poor story structure and lack of plot outside the kirk/spock relationship... The story carries zero value without its visuals.
 
jus caught this, was never a star trek fan, have never seen an entire episode, i liked this though. story was cool in my opinion.acting was solid. i like the guy that played captain kurt but it seemed like he took an as$ whooping almost every 10 minutes by somebody new from the time he was introduced until the closing credits. smart guy though .
 
I'm torn. I don't want to talk about the plot but the overall style of the film.

I love Trek, watched all the movies/TNG/DS9/Voyager (too young for TOS, I need to catch up) and there is a style and way to do things I think. Simple things, like how the ship looks in warp. Why did they need to change that? The flares were cool, but way over used I think. The quick cutting and all the handheld didn't sit well with me. There is a way to film the bridge of the Enterprise, a way that has been done for 40 years and breaking that doesn't sit well with me.

Stuff like this really erked me, but I am glad so many new people are enjoying the film. I'm hoping the numbers are big enough that Paramount considers a new series or more films. I really liked the cast and think they worked extremely well together. Anyway, this is my gut reaction after getting back. I'm still digesting a lot of what I just saw.
 
I enjoyed this, with a lot of reservations. I think JJ is a good director but I still detected a faint TV odor lingering over the whole affair. Part of it is just his visual sensibility. He favors close ups a little too much and doesn't open things up enough, and as an action filmmaker he is workmanlike at best. He makes things move really fast in a kinetic way, but he doesn't have that thing that makes for a great action director, an understanding of how to build suspense within a setpiece. This is what Spielberg can do at his best (and that wouldn't be Indy 4), and what elevates him above the pack. Also, JJ leaves too many characters stranded without a vital function to the plot, forgetting you don't have 26 episodes to layer them in. I felt the script was lazy at times, leaning on convenience and our knowledge of the genre to power through the plot with shortcuts, instead of taking the time to make us really care. Kirk managing to find refuge in the one ice cave where old Spock had been coincidentally hanging out is a prime example of the screenwriters laziness.

The whole story was rushed through just a little too quickly for my tastes. Part of me likes the paciness of it, but it could have stood for a little more time here and there to really flesh out some things. Nero for one. I don't think he had enough good scenes to make an impression as a villain. He was one dimensional. Other things I didn't like--the look of the film was just a little too MTV glossy, Trek by way of Michael Bay. The score was mostly good but every now and then the instrumentation makes it sound like the Oscar broadcast version of a movie score. And that goddamned Nokia product placement! Considering Pan Am didn't stick around for Kubrick in 2001, and Atari didn't for Ridley Scott in Blade Runner, I doubt Nokia will exist in 200 years.

What did I like? Chris Pine was very good. He made a hard job look easy, making you forget William Shatner and allowing you to invest in this new Kirk. He got the most important element exactly right, the way Shatner's Kirk met conflict with a bemused smirk and a glint in his eyes. Karl Urban also nailed McCoy, although in the end the Doc didn't have much to do. Quinto was visually perfect as Spock, although I hope he dials down that Sylar-like undercurrent of sneering, repressed anger in the future. The whole cast was good actually, but in the end I felt like this movie was just a warm up. Also, maybe it's just because I'm older and I've seen a lot of films, but in the end, despite the fresh coat of paint, this was still just Star Trek, and strange as that may sound that was kind of a disappointment. I feel the same way about this as I did Casino Royale. Handsomely mounted, but in the end, when you got right down to it, it was still the same old James Bond, and I have seen enough James Bond. I have probably seen enough Star Trek and its various offshoots to really get that excited about this. Then again, I thought the same thing about Batman and Chris Nolan managed to make it new again. I think it's because he took nothing for granted about the mythos of Batman. He thought everything through, and anything that wasn't vital to the themes and the story he wanted to tell was jettisoned. Here, it felt like the filmmakers went too far out of their way to jam characters and elements into the story because, well, it's Star Trek and it has to have these things, rather then letting them evolve organically out of the plot.

Anyway, it sounds like I'm taking a giant dump on the film but I did enjoy it on a superficial popcorn level. It wasn't boring. But I don't think it holds up to scrutiny very well. They got a good cast assembled so hopefully with some smarter writing, and without having to contrive all the characters into getting together, they can do something more deeply satisfying next time.
 
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Just saw it and REALLY enjoyed it.
VERY easy to follow and the action scenes were great and there was plenty of them.

You could nitpick almost every film made, this is no exception but I won't do that because sometimes I have to lay back and enjoy films as non-film maker. and since I'm not good enough to direct anything like this yet I can't talk bad about this one.

I'm a sucker for anything time travel anyway.

And I am definately not a trek fan. Next gen was great, but the original series I find hilarious and just can't take it seriously. Although wrath of kahn was excellent and search for spock was good as well.

Just my 2. And I hope JJ comes back for the sequel.
 
filthrich said:
J and since I'm not good enough to direct anything like this yet I can't talk bad about this one.
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Just throw in a lot of gratuitous lens flares and move the plot along so fast nobody notices its kind of lame and you'll be directing blockbusters in no time!
 
I never said I was a smart dvxuser but I'm a fun one and I loved this movie!

It was fun, never over analized it, just had a blast!

Battuta, do you think RR gave JJ directing advice?
 
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