Early Buzz: The First Reviews of JJ Abrams’ Star Trek

With the super surprise premiere screening in Austin Texas and the actual gala premiere screening in Sydney Australia, the first reviews of JJ Abrams‘ Star Trek have begun to appear online. So what are the critics saying? Lets take a look. Note: I’ve tried not to include any spoilers. Check out the early buzz bits after the jump.

Neil Miller at Film School Rejects: “Some of the smartest work [Orci and Kurtzman have] done. They get these characters and when you combine that with the visual style that J.J. Abrams has brought to the franchise, it makes for a dangerously accessible and exciting film.” … “This is a big, fast-paced, sleek version of Star Trek that is unlike anything we’ve seen before — a new brand of space film that stretches what we thought possible in the realm of visual effects, and I don’t think that’s going to bother anyone.” … “J.J. Abrams, with the help of a few incredibly talented people, has created a very accessible, fun Star Trek film that is perfect for a new generation of sci-fi fans... More

Trek Update

For Father's Day this year I bought my dad a DVD collection of the Star Trek series on TV. It's a compilation of fans' favorite episodes from all the series as well as from the actors who played all the captains. I have to admit that I'm not a big fan of Deep Space Nine, Voyager, or Enterprise, but watching the original series as well as the Next Generation offering was a treat. It reminded me of why I liked Star Trek in the first place and why I'm excited for the new reboot, which is coming out next summer.

I really like getting lost in all the sci-fi elements: visiting alien planets, going back in time, intelligent machines, etc., but I also think there was great chemistry of acting going on as well. The three principle characters in the original series (Kirk, Spock, and Bones) are amazingly interesting archetypes. While the psychological underpinnings of Captain Picard and Data’s quest to be human are equally entertaining.

However, Star Trek has a way of braining up its dialogue (making it difficult for the uninitiated to follow), while dumbing down the plot (making it difficult for critics to get on board). I'm imaging that Abrams and co. are taking a cue from Battlestar Galactica: juicing up the action-adventure, while honing in on dramatic elements, like the friendship between Kirk and Spock for example. I liken this unto the reboot of the Bond movies that eerily mimicked the Bourne series as well as 24. Here's hoping the J.J. Abrams can bridge the gap between uber-talkative with intriguing plot, yet still action-packed.

Also, ew.com has posted some amazing pictures from his new reimagining:

Apparently the feud between J.J. Abrams and William Shatner hasn't really gone away. Here's an interview with J.J. trying to defend himself.

The Wrath of Shat!

William "the Shat" Shatner has recently answered questions regarding his non-appearance in JJ Abrams new Star Trek movie. Personally, I think the man is an overacting genius and I'm disappointed that he's not gonna make an appearance. But then again he did die in Star Trek: Generations--however, didn't Spock die in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Kahn? I'm just saying.



Are you telling me you wouldn't want this gutsy performance in your new Star Trek movie JJ?

I'm Just Saying...

Have you ever wondered what a Libertarian is? How about a communitarian (opposite of a Libertarian)? Apparently, Libertarianism is on the rise and if you want to begin to understand this cultural phenomenon you should read this article. Political pundits feel like Libertarians might become very influential in the future political landscape. In fact, you may already be one. Personally, I hate all these labels that we’ve given one another, but if you’re wondering where you stand politically take this small quiz. You might be surprised—then again maybe not.

So, I’m thinking about moving to Beantown right now? It seems like everyone’s finding their groove there: Red Sox in the World Series; the Pats looking like a team that could go undefeated; Boston College making a run at a national championship; the Celtics looking like a playoff contender for the first time in years, er, decades; and even the native Bostonian, Ben Affleck, seems to have mustered some long-dormant critical praise out of his latest directorial debut.

So, I haven’t been watching much TV lately, but I just wanted to recommend ABC’s ‘Pushing Daises.’ I haven’t even watched a full episode—just 10 min. actually—but I kind of took a liking to it. Bolstered with rave reviews, it’s kind of a quirky and witty dramedy that’s akin to a Coen brothers film (i.e., ‘O Brother, Where Art Thou,’ ‘Raising Arizona,’ and ‘The Hudsucker Proxy’). Here’s the link.

Thanks Hayley for supplying a link to the new Star Trek cast compared to their older counterparts. The similarities are uncanny. Check it out.

Finally, I’m sure you’ve all heard by now that J.K. Rowling announced that Dumbledore is gay. Are you really surprised? It seems like most bespectacled British men who wrap themselves in glittery robes are.

To Boldly Go…

Casting for the new Star Trek movie seems to be rounding out as new reports are trickling in of the latest to join the pre-television series U.S.S. Enterprise. It appears that J.J. Abrams, the director, is taking the franchise into a bold new direction. Instead of using past Star Trek television stars, Abrams is casting young and relatively unknown actors to man the 60s sci-fi ship. While trying to appeal to a broader audience is the obvious reason that Abrams has broken from Star Trek tradition, some Trekkers are worried that he may fly the franchise off course, however, most have taken a ‘wait-and-see’ attitude.

A Mexican politician was stripped of his first-place title after it was uncovered that he took a shortcut. Officials opened an investigation after a race photographer noted that he finished the marathon wearing a jacket and long running tights; he also wasn’t sweating and he looked like he had just come from a fiesta. He shot back that he never intended to complete the race, but was simply crossing the finish line to get to all of his things. Since when do you cross a finish line pumping your arms in the air just to collect your belongings? Here’s the video. Compare his triumphant finish to that of his running counterparts who are on the verge of death.

So, what did you guys think of ‘The Office’ last night. I was reading some blogs on-line and some people were complaining that the hour-long episodes are just too much. Even my brother said that it seemed like they were just trying to fill space in some areas. I’m not sure how I feel. I think that I laughed quite a bit: Meredith’s hip cast, Andy’s song to Angela, Michael and Dwight making fun of Ryan. But, I would agree that the whole kidnapping incident seemed a little too ‘out there.’ Kind of like when Michael drove his car into the river on the last episode. I don’t know. What do you guys and gals think?

One last thing: I couldn’t watch ‘The Office’ on DVR because it wasn’t working for some reason, so I sat and watched all the commercials for fear that I might miss even one second. There’s all these lame Jerry Seinfeld promos for his new movie on. Uh, L.A.M.E. I didn’t think they were very funny at all, and it caused me not to want to watch his new movie.

Cowboys! Romulans! Vampires!.....Lend me your ears!

So, what do cowboys, Romulans, vampires, and nerds have in common? Aside from being Duane’s secret identities, they don’t really have anything in common—I just wanted to talk about all four for a bit:

First of all, does anyone know who Karl Urban is? He’s sort of an up-and-coming star I guess. Most of you would know him from his role as Eomer in LotR. He also played the Russian assassin in the excellent ‘Bourne Supremacy.’ Aside from that he hasn’t been in anything you might consider major, but he’s recently been cast to play Woodrow F. Call in the prequel to ‘Lonesome Dove.’ I’m pretty excited for this since I absolutely love the original TV miniseries and the book. Come to think of it I kind of have an odd fascination with westerns. I think that Robert Duvall, who was in the original ‘Lonesome Dove,’ put it best when explaining why the Western genre is important: "it's ours. It's ours… It's American. The English have Shakespeare, the French have Moliere, the Russians have Chekhov. The Western is ours."

Anyway, Karl Urban has also been cast in another prequel. He’s been offered the role of the top villainous Romulan in the new Star Trek movie. I’ve actually secured one of his lines from the script below. (It’s been reported that he ad-libs quite a bit.)

Top Villainous Romulan: What business does an elf, man, and a dwarf have in the Romulan Star Empire? Speak quickly.

They’re still working on some of the lines…

The new teen vampire sensation, ‘Twilight,’ (and by ‘teen’ I mean every female member of Mormondom) is being made into a movie. I would try and be more excited by this, but my mom has already banned me from reading the books because of all the kissing.

Finally, Demitri Martin has a new show coming to Comedy Central. If you’re a follower of ‘Daily Show,’ you’d probably recognize this guy. He’s a pretty funny nerd.

Roid Rage

Le Tour de France has ended and most Americans haven’t even noticed. It’s not that we don’t appreciate sports with doping scandals; it’s just that we tend to gravitate toward the juiced-up-athlete-with-their-head-two- or-three-times-its-normal-size variety.

The folks at Disney have decided to make all seven of The Chronicles of Narnia books into movies; early reports have already indicated that Harry Potter will die at the end of the series.

Leonard Nimoy has been cast to reprise his role as Spock in the newest installment of Star Trek. When Nimoy was interviewed about his role the reporter noticed a bruise on his neck. Apparently, Nimoy had been bragging to some teenage trekkies at a Star Trek convention about how he got cast, but William Shatner didn’t. Upon hearing this, Shatner tried, albeit unsuccessfully, a ‘Vulcan Nerve Pinch’ on him.

It’s been confirmed that Harold Perrineau, who plays Michael, will return in Season 4 of Lost. When asked how he felt about returning to the sci-fi show he started yelling over and over again: “They’ve got my boy! They’ve got my boy!” Confused the reporters turned to Henry Ian Cusick, who plays Desmond, for some insight, to which he shouted: “You’re gonna die, brutha!” The writers of the show quickly jumped in and told the confused reporters that everything would make sense by the end of the interview.

Responding to Fan Mail

I thought for sure that by now you would have a commentary on why
‘Lost’, for the second year in a row, was not nominated for any emmy
awards. The critics are obviously somewhat annoyed with the show's
convolution; else how could a show like "Heroes," with its inferior
storytelling, acting, and overall production value (it's basically a
Lost knock-off), receive any nods? Makes me wonder....

So, my friend wrote me (we’ll call him C. Ewell, no, Casey E.). He wanted to know why I haven’t written anything about the Emmys yet and Lost getting snubbed. First off, Lost should be nominated for best drama, not only because it’s the most amazing piece of television on everyone’s HDTV, laptop, and iPhone right now, but because it was nominated for best acting (Michael Emerson and Terry O’Quinn), best writing, and best directing. Doesn’t best drama mean best acting, writing, and directing? Of course, I personally could care less about the Emmys, Oscars, Grammys, or even Tonys for that matter; it’s just a bunch of hullabaloo decided by stuffed shirts on limited exposure of what they think the “best” of something is. As has recently been discussed, String Theory should be used to decide these types of things (see Applying String Theory to Album Reviews).

More thoughts:

I’m glad to see that 24 got left off the ballot this year. I’m sorry, but season 6 was a joke. If you haven’t seen it yet “you’re just gonna have to trust me. I’m Jack Bauer! I’ve never been wrong!”

Two and a Half Men got nominated again. Boo! Is this show even funny? I’ve never really watched it, but my grandma says it is.

Jason Lee didn’t get nominated. That’s unfortunate; the Emmy deciders are obviously anti-mustache-ites.

John Krasinski failed to receive a nom either; his facial expressions alone should’ve been enough.

The Shat was nominated for best supporting actor in a drama series. I….have….no….opinion….on….that.

Captain's Blog

Yesterday I was talking to my dad, along with some of my siblings, about his life in high school. He revealed to us that he was somewhat of a nerd, or as he put it; “introverted.” I don’t think any of were surprised by this comment knowing that my dad can regularly be found with book in hand, carries multiple pens in his shirt pockets (including a highlighter), and adores Star Trek. Knowing the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, I’ve reluctantly decided to accept my nerdiness, which can be manifest through my excitement level for the new Star Trek movie. The script has just been finished and they’re trying to rejuvenate the franchise by going back to the beginning when James T. Kirk and Mr. Spock meet at Starfleet Academy and go on their first mission. J.J. Abrams (Lost, Alias, Mission Impossible III) is set to produce and direct the eleventh film in the series, which leaves me no doubt that it’s going to be good. Casting rumors include Matt Damon and Adrien Brody as Kirk and Spock respectively. I’ll probably be there opening night with my fellow nerdlings along with my nerd father.