Sunday, May 31, 2009

Return of the Jedi

I was graced this week by a visit from my former padawan, Henri Magee, and his wife. Henri is the most fervent Star Wars fan I know, and just being around him makes me remember what it is that I love about the saga.
This visit was no different. While we attended a screening of Star Trek during his visit (just as awesome the second time, I'm happy to report), and did some unexpected geeking out on Civil War history (like where exactly Henri's wife's great-great-grandfather fought the Yankees at Shiloh), the thing I will take the most from the visit is the return of my interest in Star Wars. Part of this came from a partial, interrupted viewing of A New Hope, but part comes from two long and utterly enjoyable sessions of Star Wars: Battlefront II. Nothing like running around blasting battle droids with a good friend to make you remember why you became a Jedi.

As I often do, I now realize far too much time has passed since I have watched the trilogy. And while the attempt to see the trilogy again with my fellow Jedi fell flat, as it often does, I don't doubt that I will finish the full saga, and soon. My latest padawan learner, aka my daughter, has noticed deficiencies in her Star Wars knowledge, and just a week ago said that we needed to watch some more Star Wars together. Since she admitted she didn't know who Lando Calrissian was, I think I know a good place to start. After we finish where we left off with A New Hope, of course.

I think it's going to be a fun couple of weeks. I'll keep you posted.

Monday, May 25, 2009

Out of the frying pan…

Now that the suspense about whether or not the new Star Trek film will be any good has been resolved (well, for me, anyway), now is the perfect time to start worrying about the latest new movie that threatens a cherished part of my past. I speak, of course, of the new Guy Ritchie/Robert Downey Jr. Sherlock Holmes.

Now, on first blush, I would think that Downey would be an inspired bit of casting for Holmes; the right blend of edgy, comedic and ridiculously talented. He was great in Chaplin, rocked Iron Man, and is generally building up a fine body of work. He is, in my opinion, past due for one of those little gold guys they hand out every March in Hollywood. I just checked Mr. Ritchie's resume at IMDB, and I haven't seen anything he's done. I have, at least, heard of one or two of the films. So he is an unknown quantity at the moment.

Like a lot of people, I spent a chunk of my young adulthood devouring the Holmes stories. While the corpus of Arthur Conan Doyle's best-known creation is largely in my rear view mirror, I still have a warm place in my heart for the characters of Holmes, Watson, and yes, even Inspector Lestrade. So I naturally have been following news of this latest rendition of the Holmes classics, and was happy indeed when I stumbled across the new trailer for the film online.

I was a little less happy after actually watching said trailer. If you haven't seen it yet, by all means, go to the page on the Apple trailers site and give it the once-over before you read the rest of this post. Go ahead — I'll wait.

Hollywood is increasingly becoming a town built on formulas and recycled ideas, of which the latest is the "franchise reboot." It is a direct descendent of the "franchise" concept, which grew out of the sequel mania that followed Star Wars. It presupposes that the film will be popular and palatable enough to film goers for them to want to revisit the characters. When this is no longer the case, you do a reboot, and try to make some more money off of it.

In the reboot, you take a property that has been a consistent performer that has, of late, become somewhat stale and predictable. In other words, it's not making money anymore. Then you put a fresh coat of paint on it, cast all new actors, maybe spin it in a new direction, and drag all of the characters back to square one to begin their adventures again. Some very well done examples of the reboot include Batman, James Bond and Star Trek. All of these reboots were, in their first incarnation at least, extremely well done, critically acclaimed and financially successful, so it's a very hot concept in Hollywood right now. Especially because of the money part.

So its no surprise that one of the most popular episodic characters in all of fiction, and a strong box office performer back in the day, should now be dragged through the "reboot" machine. Downey is putting his own spin on the Holmes character, including repeatedly appearing with a three-day growth of beard (which I think is very un-Holmsian) and eschewing the famous deerstalker in favor of a black period hat (which I am completely in favor of — the deerstalker needs to die for the character to be taken as anything more than a caricature by modern audiences). As an actor, this is his right, nay, his duty, and I expect no less of him. We would not expect every Hamlet to be the same with each actor — that would be boring. Why then should we expect it of Holmes? I have every confidence in his abilities as an actor, and I still think he'll make a fine Holmes.

But just as Sir Basil Rathbone, arguably the greatest large-screen Holmes ever, had to contend with a comic-relief Watson and forgettable pastiche plots, Downey looks like his portrayal might be overshadowed by the modern Hollywood affection for action and explosions. The roughly two-minute trailer I saw featured at least one explosion, two scenes of Holmes kicking Victorian butt, some gun play, and a character who is ostensibly supposed to be Irene Adler prancing around in front of Holmes in her unmentionables (which both my wife and I think is preposterous). In other words, it seems to be trying to reassure modern audiences that they will have all of the elements they need in a good blockbuster — explosions, fight scenes and sex.

I would have been happier if I had some reassurance that the hallmarks of what the Holmes stories great — strong characters and mind-twisting puzzles — were present as well. For now, I'm just going to take it on faith that these will will be found amid all the fireballs and partial nudity, and hold my breath.

The good news is that the film in question debuts during the Christmas holidays, at a time when my fellow Holmes aficionado, the Veiltender, may be visiting. If so, he, my wife and I will have a chance to peruse it together. And, if I am any judge, complain about it together.

Because, tongue firmly in cheek, isn't complaining with loved ones what the holidays are all about?

Saturday, May 16, 2009

Another seal of approval

Friday night I took Yvonne out for her Mother's Day present; she had wanted to see X-Men Origins: Wolverine, and told us both that was what she wanted for Mother's Day. Naturally, Amy and I were happy to oblige such a simple request.

Although we were both tempted to skip straight to Star Trek and see Wolverine on DVD, we stuck to the plan. I am pleased to report that although I don't think it's quite in the same league as Trek, Wolverine is a worthy addition to the X-Men film canon, and just plain old fun at that. I was never bored, Hugh Jackman carries the movie convincingly, and I genuinely got a kick out of some of the side characters — most especially Remy LeBeau. I have heard Yvonne speak glowingly about Gambit for years, but never knew what the fuss was about until now. I mean, really — how impressive can a guy be who's main power is throwing playing cards at people, anyway?

As it happens, pretty darn. Ably played by Taylor Kitsch, Gambit pretty much picks up the movie and walks away with it every time he's on screen. This is quite a feat, considering that most of his scenes are with Hugh Jackman — the guy who did the same thing every time he was on screen in the original X-Men film. Also particularly noteworthy is Liev Schreiber's Sabretooth. The movie would not have worked if Schreiber had not been as convincing in the role as he was.

So, we're two for two on summer movies this year. I'm doubly happy because, now that we've seen X-Men, the deck is clear for our second crack at Trek, which should take place sometime during Samuel & Aleatha's World Tour 2009.

After that, I don't care what I see. A third viewing of Star Trek, maybe?

Sunday, May 10, 2009

I feel young

At 1 o'clock this afternoon, in a moderately nice theater in Martin, Tennessee, all of the waiting finally came to end. With my wife on my right side, and my best friend on my left, I was finally able to see J.J. Abrams re-tooling of the Star Trek mythos that I grew up with. I walked in hoping to like it — even expecting to — and praying that my wife would not have her own childhood too cruelly marred by this new treatment of a series that is beloved to both of us. I cannot adequately put into words what was riding on this film for me, and for my wife. And since you all know me, I'm not really going to try. Instead, I will simply skip ahead to the verdict.

Awesome doesn't begin to describe it.

I don't want to artificially inflate the expectations of those of you who haven't seen the movie yet, since all taste is subjective. But with that firmly in mind, I am happy to report that, for me, this film succeeds on a level that I hadn't expected. It could very easily be the finest Star Trek film ever made; I will need time and perspective, and a lot more repeat viewings, before I can tell. But the early results are promising.

Happily, I am not alone. Yvonne, who was almost afraid to see the film, was beyond delighted, I am happy to say. In fact, I believe she liked the film even more than I did; of course, I was so worried about whether or not she was enjoying it, it was rather like viewing the film with one eye shut. Now that I know we both loved it, all is right with the world, and I will be able to give the film my undivided attention on my next viewing.

Where to begin, and how much to reveal? On the latter point, not much; I will give away no spoilers here. I only ask that when you go see this film that you don't walk in with a lot of preconceptions, and you should do well.

Now, let me spend a few paragraphs talking about what was right with the film, and I will be off for tonight.

For starters, I hereby retract my comments on the new design of the USS Enterprise. As she is lovingly photographed in this movie, Enterprise is a beautiful lady indeed. Maybe it is the angles they chose; maybe it is the glorious amount of detail that is present in her every appearance. But I can honestly say I have never seen a better job of showing off the Enterprise in any of the previous movies. What we see here is not quite as lavish as the five-minute-long reveal she got in Star Trek: The Motion Picture. But pound for pound, it's at least second place.

As for the design, I still have some quibbles about how she looks from some angles, and it's still not my favorite of all of the versions of Enterprise. But as of this moment, all of that is cheerfully forgiven.

I am equally as impressed by the way the actors inhabit their characters; Pine is eminently believable as young Kirk, and Zachary Quinto's Spock is wonderfully complex. Bruce Greenwood's Pike more than lived up to my expectations, and, as anticipated, was one of my favorite parts of the film. Especially praiseworthy was Karl Urban's McCoy, in my opinion, although in point of fact, every single "new" actor did a fine job with their characters. It's not a recreation or pantomime of the original actors; the performances here are new. But at the heart of each performance are the characters we're acquainted with.

As far as the plot goes, I can only tell you that it picks you up at the beginning and carries you along without effort; the whole thing was over before I knew it. There is plenty of action typical to Star Trek. And at the end, all concerned have managed to pull off what I thought was impossible: Star Trek is back.

This movie, in my humble opinion, has managed what several previous additions to the franchise have attempted, but fell short of: they have recaptured some of the youthful spirit of the original Star Trek. By going back to square one with the original characters, and laying the foundation of the their relationships brick by brick, they have come closer to the first two seasons of the classic Star Trek that started it all than any of the other well-meaning efforts since then have managed. Some of it may not seem familiar, and not everyone may like it. But for me, there's no question. The series that I loved as a teenager has successfully been reborn. What I saw this afternoon has only whet my appetite. I cannot wait to see more.

Again, let me close with my usual caveat. The opinions expressed here are only those of one opinionated Jedi Master, and wannabe Starship Captain; your results may vary.

On a more personal note, let me say that the new round of shots, while more painful, have been extremely effective — as I write this, I am virtually pain-free, and am nearly as mobile as I was before I started this little adventure in indolence. Even if the treatments do not last long, I feel we have gotten to the heart of the problem, and that the end is finally in sight.

Add to that a very enjoyable Mother's Day weekend, and you have, all in all, one of my favorite weekends in recent memory. Hope it was the same with you. And, of course, Live Long and Prosper.

Thursday, May 7, 2009

I hate waiting...

Doing some virtual pacing again tonight. The verdict from the surgeon, as I think everyone knows, is another type of shot. I leave for Nashville at 3:30 tomorrow morning. I greatly appreciate the support and prayers I've gotten up to this point, including the shout-outs on the last post from the Ohio contingent. I have a feeling of peace about it. Except for the nerves. Which, as I think about it, is perfectly normal. Needles. My spine. Oh, yeah — gimme some more of that.

As a reward for being a big boy, I am planning on seeing the new Trek movie with my wife and best friend the next day. Yvonne has made me aware that I may feel like twenty-five pounds of broken glass the next day, so I am forced to concede that it might be a later date. But I will see it as soon possible. And as soon as I do, I will, of course, let my loyal readers know if it meets my approval.

Until then, adieu.

Tuesday, May 5, 2009

The necessary preparations

I am keeping watch over my daughter as she stays up entirely too late with homework assignments, and trying not to think too much about the appointment with the surgeon I have tomorrow. Since I'm starting to dislike the fact that I'm only managing one post a month, and that being a rather drawn-out affair, I thought I might try shooting from the hip for a change.

I have achieved a milestone today. I have, for the time being at least, all 79 episodes of the the original Star Trek, as well as the first pilot, on my iPod. Not to mention each of the movies that I currently own on DVD as well. It's a dubious achievement — I mean, really, do you actually need the entire series? Can you possibly watch them all?

The easy answer is no. But there is a method to my madness. I am, by this time really excited about the new Trek movie, which as I write this, debuts in just a few days. In part, having the entire library of classic Trek makes it easy for me to "get back up to speed" on the original series. After so many years, there's a lot I've forgotten. Since I have a lot of time on my hands these days, it also gives me something to fall back on, entertainment-wise.

Also, as someone who used to be dependent on the whims of syndicated television for my weekly fix of Trek, there is something both decedent and powerful about having the entire series in my pocket at my beck and call. It's the iPod syndrome again, I'm afraid.

On a somewhat less pragmatic tack, it is also, in part, fanboy training. The days of work that went into loading the iPod was kind of a geek Mount Everest, and just the sort of senseless and time-consuming work I needed in order to feel like a "real" fan again. Because that's what real fans do — they spend time, money and effort on seemingly silly things, simply because it makes them feel like more of a fan.

Finally, and least logically, it is a good luck charm — a talisman of classic Trek to ward off the specter of what could be another Star Trek V — or worse. In any case, it was what I wanted to do.

And it seems to have taken my mind nicely off of the fact that tomorrow morning I am going to hear of the unknown and permanent things that a perfect stranger plans to do to my spine.

Here's hoping that both the back and the movie turn out well.