Comments on: Open Thread for February 20, 2009

By: mlawski

mlawski — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 17:49:28 +0000

@Belinkie: Completely agree. I love the Watchmen comic, so the movie really can only turn out two different ways: 1) it’s a big disappointment in comparison to the comic or 2) it stays true to the source material…but in that case, why not just read the comic, itself?

Whereas Star Trek is probably going to either be 1) legitimately awesome or 2) so bad and ridiculous it becomes awesome. Watchmen is lose-lose. Star Trek is win-win.

By: Matthew Belinkie

Matthew Belinkie — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 17:41:54 +0000

I am definitely more excited for the new Star Trek than Watchmen. I have no idea why – I like Zack Snyder a lot more than JJ Abrams. And yet, I see the Star Trek trailer, and I really really want it to be awesome. And I see the Watchmen trailer, and I can’t get that pumped. I think this may be largely due to the fact that I know what will happen in Watchmen, and I even know pretty much what it will look like. Whereas the Star Trek movie is such a ballsy gamble that I can’t help but drink the kool aid and hope that Simon Pegg says, “I canna do it captain! I deunt have the PUHwer!”

By: James

James — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 19:55:48 +0000

For the record, Shatner and Nimoy stole the line “Everyone remember where we parked” from me.

Also, “Hello, we are looking for the naval base in Alameda. It’s where they keep the nucleeaar wessels.”

By: Pianodan

Pianodan — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 18:30:52 +0000

The CWRU Sci-Fi Marathon just showed “Nemesis” and “Khan” back-to-back, and it was really eye opening to compare the two.

“Nemesis” had everything the TNG movies have: great special effects, production values polished to a mirror sheen, decent acting.

And it was utterly soulless. Every TNG movie feels like a 2-hour long TV episode. Maybe it’s just the fact that TV production values were high enough in the 90′s that the movies don’t represent as dramatic an advance over the TV show as the TOS movies do. But there wasn’t a sense that This is a Movie(tm).

“Khan”, on the other hand, featured hammy acting and plot holes you could drive a truck through. (See previous OTI post) And it was great. It was big, it was cinematic. It FELT like a movie, meant to be watched on a big screen in a theater, not something designed to be put in your netflix queue and watched when you got around to it.

By: stokes

stokes — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 04:47:50 +0000

The best Star Trek movie is definitely the second one. It has everything: action, tragedy, romance, Billy Dee Williams, AT-AT walkers, Han getting frozen in carbonite…

By: Darin

Darin — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 03:04:48 +0000

If the even Star Treks are the better ones, does this prequel go down at Star Trek zero? Is zero an even number? What exactly defines something being even?

Colbert uses the DaColbert Code to predict the Oscars, very funny.

http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/218733/february-12-2009/the-dacolbert-code—oscar-predictions

In the end, the Star Trek saga will either be remembered by the reboot (and let’s hope it’s just a single) and Star Trek 2. I will remember it from the Wrath of Khan and the ‘kiddies’ will remember it for JJ Abrams. Sure, there will be some of us that think the reboot is the best, but then again some people think zero is an even number.

By: kuri

kuri — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 00:11:07 +0000

Star Trek 2 is the best. Some honest growing-old and relationship stuff, lots of action, some great scenery chewing by Ricardo Montalban — he made Shatner look subtle and understated — Spock’s heroic death and tear-jerking funeral (I saw it in a theater when it first came out, and you could barely hear the dialog over the audience’s sniffles)… it’s by far the best.

Plus, how many other movies do you know of where 25 years later people are still arguing over whether a male lead’s mighty chest is real?

By: Gab

Gab — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 23:44:56 +0000

Bill Maher’s show premiers again tonight- I dunno if any of y’all like him or not, but I do, even when I disagree with him.

I felt very bad for the “extras” on _Top Chef_ on Wed., especially Jeff- soooo close and yet sooooooo far.

Are we only talking about _Star Trek_ movies starring the original series characters? I’m partial to _Next Gen_ movies, probably because I grew up watching it. So my pick is _First Contact. Plenty of tie-ins from the series, great original plot stuff, awesome questions about politics, ethics, etc. raised, wonderful non-series actors, lovely music… I just heart that movie.

And does anybody else care about the Roland Burris stuff?

By: Carlos

Carlos — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 20:23:18 +0000

Cute.

By: mlawski

mlawski — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 17:30:10 +0000

Wrather: What’s the best Star Trek movie?

Me: Star Trek 4.

Carlos: Star Trek 6.

Me: Star Trek 4.

Carlos: Star Trek 6.

Me: I love Star Trek 4. And so do you.

Carlos: Yes.

Me: Everyone remember where we parked.