Results tagged “J.J. Abrams” from Modern Mythology

Young Spock challenges a creature on the planet Vulcan in Paul Pope's "When Worlds Collide" for Wired magazine.  The May 2009 issue of Wired was guest edited by "Star Trek" director J.J. Abrams.  Read the comic online here.

What can I say about the new "Star Trek" film that hasn't already been said in print, over the interwebs or on the tube already?

You've heard it's good -- Well darn right it is. This picture is good enough to inspire at least one more viewing out of me.  Yeah me, the guy who is growing weary of the constant stream of big screen remakes.

Director J.J. Abrams and crew pulled this project off. "Star Trek" managed to be nostalgic and boldly new at the same time.

Comic writer and artist Paul Pope ("Heavy Liquid," "100%") created a six-page Star Trek comic prequel "When Worlds Collide: Spock confronts the ultimate challenge" for Wired magazine. Trek film fans who are also comic fans should peep it out for two big reasons:

1. It's work by Paul Pope, so why wouldn't you?
2. And yes, it should make you want to see "Star Trek."

Once again, read the comic online at Wired here.

This guy doesn't like anything.

At least that's what I heard about one notably churlish customer at Geoffrey's Comics who had seen an early screening of J.J. Abrams' rebooted "Star Trek."

Turns out he thought it was pretty darn good.

During comic day Wednesday this week I picked up some new titles and talked with customers and employees alike about the latest summer blockbusters; "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" and "Star Trek."

The love for "Wolverine" was dicey, but almost everyone was interested in seeing the new Enterprise crew in action this weekend.  This enthusiasm for the "Star Trek" film -- which intends to draw new fans while satisfying stalwart ones -- is shared by most of the critics I've read this week.

Kenneth Turan of the LA Times says:

"this 'Star Trek' has in general bridged the gap between the old and the new with alacrity and purpose."
The Los Angeles Times review.


Mick LaSalle at The San Francisco Chronicle says the flick can give you goosebumps:

"The emotions they (younger Kirk and Spock) incite are as strong as ones associated with the most beloved historical figures, and the great thing about the new 'Star Trek' movie is that the filmmakers know it."
The Chronicle review.
 

Associated Press film reviewer Christy Lemire admits there are some plot holes but gives the movie credit for jumping over them:

"It's a daring and exciting approach that's sure to tickle and provoke purists, while at the same time probably cause neophytes to feel a bit lost."
Read the entire AP story.


Roger Ebert called "Star Trek" fun but doesn't dig some of the science in this science fiction:

"like so many franchises, it's more concerned with repeating a successful formula than going boldly where no 'Star Trek' has gone before."
Get the skinny from Mr. Ebert here.

Not bad, huh?  I guess I'll have to see for myself.

Zachary Quinto as Spock, left, and Chis Pine as James T. Kirk are shown in a scene from, "Star Trek." (AP Photo/Paramount Pictures, Industrial Light & Magic)

CHRISTY LEMIRE
AP Movie Critic

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- J.J. Abrams' hugely anticipated summer extravaganza "Star Trek" boldly goes to the past within the distant future of the "Trek" universe, years ahead of the TV series and the myriad movies and spin-offs it spawned.

And in doing so, he and his longtime collaborators, writers Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman, change everything you know -- or obsess about, if you're into this kind of thing -- about the kitschy pop-culture phenomenon.

It's a daring and exciting approach that's sure to tickle and provoke purists, while at the same time probably cause neophytes to feel a bit lost.

A major plot twist pops up -- which includes the arrival of Leonard Nimoy -- about halfway through the film, a twist that doesn't exactly work and from which the film never completely recovers.

Having said that, Abrams clearly aimed to appeal to the broadest possible audience with this dazzling visual spectacle while also leaving plenty of Easter eggs for the hardcore fans to find. If there's any social or political subtext, as in the original series, it's difficult to determine; this "Star Trek" seems solely made to entertain. It's an absolutely gorgeous film with impeccable production design -- the lighting is wondrous, almost heavenly -- and lovely, tiny details frequently emerge from within the larger, grander images.

In this film publicity image released by 20th Century Fox, Hugh Jackman stars as Logan, left, and Liev Schreiber stars as Victor Creed in a scene from "Wolverine." (AP Photo/20th Century Fox, James Fisher)

DAVID GERMAIN
AP Movie Writer

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- What a who's who list Hollywood has lined up for its summer action spectacles: Wolverine. Transformers. Harry Potter. James Kirk. G.I. Joe. Terminator.

If there's one word to sum up it all up, it's this: Relentless.

Starting May 1, barely a weekend will pass without another brawny special-effects extravaganza landing in theaters.

Appropriately, summer starts with a couple of prequels.

After co-starring in three "X-Men" adventures about the Marvel Comics mutants, Hugh Jackman steps out from the pack for "X-Men Origins: Wolverine." The film spins the back story of Jackman's metal-clawed loner, a military experiment gone rogue amid a government conspiracy to control his super-freak kinfolk.

Next, the starship Enterprise is relaunched in "Star Trek," with a new cast taking on the characters originated in the 1960s TV show. Chris Pine inherits William Shatner's role as dashing James Kirk, while Zachary Quinto plays Vulcan egghead Spock (Leonard Nimoy, who created the role, pops up as the older Spock).

Like "Star Trek" director J.J. Abrams, Pine grew up more a "Star Wars" kid than a "Star Trek" kid. After snagging the role, Pine started watching the original series but stopped halfway through the first season.

"It was kind of nice to familiarize myself with the world, but it didn't help me much at all to delve any deeper," Pine said. "If anything, it was a hindrance to kind of watch what Mr. Shatner had done, because he'd done it so well, and he was so specific.

"There were certain mannerisms that I think are definitely Kirk-ian things that I wanted to use in my portrayal, but for the most part, I wanted to free myself up to create something new."

The director of the final four "Harry Potter" movies, David Yates, is still giving thanks for the young cast he inherited, led by Daniel Radcliffe as boy wizard Harry and Emma Watson and Rupert Grint as his school pals.

"There was something very, very, very clever in their choices. Not a day goes by I'm not grateful for this bunch they put together," Yates said. "It's a remarkable bunch of kids."

In "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince," Harry is charged with uncovering a forgotten memory from a new Hogwarts teacher (Jim Broadbent), information the young sorcerer needs for his final showdown against dark wizard Voldemort.

While Yates marvels over how his youthful cast has blossomed, "Transformers" director Michael Bay was thrilled over the improved acting chops of his computer-animated robots for the sequel.

"We were just touching the surface last time in what they're capable of doing," Bay said. "This time, they really emote."

"Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" reunites puny but plucky human Shia LaBeouf with his giant, shape-shifting Autobot buddies in a rematch against the evil Decepticon robot clan.

Also in a rematch are Tom Hanks and Ron Howard with "Angels & Demons," their follow-up to "The Da Vinci Code." This installment hurls Hanks' symbologist into an ancient feud between the Vatican and a secret brotherhood that has kidnapped the cardinals in line to become the next pope.

Howard felt less pressure this time adapting Dan Brown's best-seller than he had with "The Da Vinci Code," a literary phenomenon whose did-Christ-have-kids premise put the movie under a severe microscope by fans and detractors alike.

"Documentaries are being made about 'Da Vinci Code.' Theologians develop symposiums around it. Ministers were using it as a way to, frankly, entice people to church," Howard said, adding that the new film "remains provocative, yes, but it doesn't hold that same place at the center of the zeitgeist. So it's really full-on escapism.

Other action highlights:

-- "Terminator: Salvation": Christian Bale leads the last shreds of humanity against machine enemies as the franchise reboots without Arnold Schwarzenegger.

-- "G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra": The action figures get their own movie as the G.I. Joe guys take on an arms dealer and a militant secret organization.

-- "Inglourious Basterds": Brad Pitt and Quentin Tarantino resurrect "Dirty Dozen"-style action as Jewish soldiers dish out chaos among the Nazis.

-- "Public Enemies": Johnny Depp is gangster John Dillinger and Christian Bale is G-Man Melvin Purvis in Michael Mann's Depression-era crime saga.

-- "The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3" -- The remake casts Denzel Washington as a subway dispatcher and John Travolta as a bad guy ransoming a trainload of passengers.

-- "Drag Me to Hell": "Spider-Man" director Sam Raimi returns to his "Evil Dead" roots with a horror tale about a bank employee (Alison Lohman) tormented by a vengeful customer's supernatural curse.

-- "District 9": "Lord of the Rings" overlord Peter Jackson produces a sci-fi tale about a human who becomes an unlikely ally for aliens held in a South African ghetto.

No more indirect speculation based on scattered and varied interviews with filmmaker J.J. Abrams on his upcoming "Star Trek" film. The director answers questions and discusses the plot in a magazine article to be released tomorrow.

Of course, it is available online now at the Entertainment Weekly Web site.

There are some cool pictures depicting several cast members in their character get up. The cast includes: Chris Pine as Kirk, John Cho as Sulu, Simon Pegg as Scotty, Zoe Saldana as Uhura and "Heroes'" Zachary Quinto as Spock.

I have already slipped you some of the rumors on the plot a little while ago. If you read it then what you'll find in the EW article is that much of what was posted here is indeed true. (Don't check it out if you don't want a spoiler. The article also gives you a chance to turn back if you don't wanna know.)

I will say one of the most interesting parts of the article is Abrams admission that he is not a hardcore Trekker but sought the advice of Hollywood-ites who are. (Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman - the writers of "Transformers.")

Of course there is also an Abrams response to the William Shatner YouTube response to not being in Abrams' film. Check it out here.


Images Courtesy Entertainment Weekly



 

I'm all eyes and ears when I'm told there's a new product by the creators of "Lost" like the new TV series "Fringe" on Fox. As a fan of this type of sci-fi programming I'm an easy target, but it also marks me as a viewer who may fondly remember the "X-Files."

That may not be a bad thing for "Fringe." Many have tried to channel the style of the 'Files' and this one may turn out to be the closest.

Instead of Fox Mulder and Dana Scully we have FBI agent Olivia Dunham (Anna Torv) and Peter Bishop (Joshua Jackson from "Dawson's Creek"). Toss in Peter's dad who is knowledgeable of a variety of arcane "Frankenstein" sciences named Walter Bishop (a creepy looking John Noble) and the primary team is complete.

Series producers describe the show as a little "Twin Peaks," "Twilight Zone" and "X-Files." Although at moments the opener is a lot more 'House," "Bones" and a touch of the little-discussed comic "Planetary." The graphic series by Warren Ellis and John Cassaday which followed three adventurers as they uncover the "secret history of the world."

This series premiere seems to hint that our primary heroine, Agent Dunham has a lot of discoveries to make and a formidable nemesis.

It is always a treat for me to have a direction in certain types of stories. A connected, consistent goal for the main characters. I believe that the eternal plot line that never ends for an ongoing television series is a product of the past. In recent years, the programs that viewers bond strongly with are the ones that appear to be finite. Concepts that work out to having a true conclusion.

These types of stories are like hero journeys. This applies to the excellent "Battlestar Galactica" and will ultimately apply to Showtime's "Dexter."

Sure, regular mystery episodes may not require a consistent plot like being stranded on an island or uncovering a major extraterrestrial conspiracy to be a success. Look at "CSI" and its renegade brethren - all of them take on a new story every week and stay somewhere in the top twenty in ratings.

I only watch the first few minutes of "CSI Miami" for the Caruso opening lines, but that's it, I swear.

All in all, "Fringe" hints at having a strong direction and may have earned a permanent spot on my TIVO season pass. We'll discuss more on it later, but I want to make sure you catch the encore of the premiere which runs Sunday on Fox.

The word on the new "Star Trek" story is here at Rotten Tomatoes and in even greater detail over at Chud.com.

I was not waiting with great anticipation for yet ANOTHER remake of anything. Not that I am against the remakes, just a little tired of hearing about yet another one being announced.

And then this bit of information. Could it be that J.J. Abrams will deliver a Star Trek that is not a remake even though the new cast has been announced to be playing familiar characters in the same old starship?

I guess the answer is "yes" and "no."

The Abrams plot for this new 'Trek' is said to follow Leonard Nimoy as Spock to the past where he encounters the original crew and must help to stop a Romulan plot to kill a young Captain Kirk before he breaks a foot off in their... plans in the years to come.

A future Spock from the current continuity meeting with this young version of himself and the old crew? It is suggested at Chud that this could branch into numerous possibilities for new stories with old staff. If it's played right this may be cool and if not then at least interesting to see.