Star Trek: The Motion Picture
Star Trek Sex: The Book - Analyzing The Most Sexually Charged Episodes Of The Original Series
Showing posts with label The Motion Picture. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The Motion Picture. Show all posts
Friday, October 23, 2015
Wednesday, October 7, 2015
Yeoman Rand - The Captain's Assistant
Actress and singer Grace Lee Whitney passed away this year. She appeared in many films and on TV shows, but to Trekkers, she'll always be fondly known as Captain Kirk's Yeoman or his assistant, the beautiful Janice Rand on Enterprise NCC-1701.
I had the real pleasure of meeting Grace Lee at a convention in New York City. She was such a warm and friendly person. When she took the stage to relate her galaxy traveling memories, and showcase her multi-talented resume, it was to rousing applause and rapt attention. Whitney was there at the beginning of Trek's first voyages, and went on to have parts in The Motion Picture, Search For Spock, The Voyage Home, The Undiscovered Country and the Voyager episode, Flashback.
I had the real pleasure of meeting Grace Lee at a convention in New York City. She was such a warm and friendly person. When she took the stage to relate her galaxy traveling memories, and showcase her multi-talented resume, it was to rousing applause and rapt attention. Whitney was there at the beginning of Trek's first voyages, and went on to have parts in The Motion Picture, Search For Spock, The Voyage Home, The Undiscovered Country and the Voyager episode, Flashback.
Monday, May 12, 2014
Rotten Tomatoes & The Star Trek Feature Films
Rotten Tomatoes rates the movies and Star Trek boasts many a theatrical entry. With 12 feature films under its franchise belt, the somewhat obscure NBC TV show created by Gene Roddenberry and produced by Lucille Ball's Desilu back in 1966 is still flourishing today. From the high of 2009's Star Trek from director J.J. Abrams, to the low rated Star Trek V: The Final Frontier, directed by William Shatner, the treks of Trek get rated.
Read More
Read More
Friday, April 11, 2014
Spotlight On The Directors: Robert Wise - Star Trek: The Motion Picture
Robert Wise, the veteran director of so many feature film classics, like West Side Story, The Haunting and The Day The Earth Stood Still had his Hollywood work cut out for him. How to film a TV show that's a cult classic and do it justice on the silver screen for loyal fans while bringing in new ones?
Although critics moaned over the long running time and overload of visual FX (in today's bloated FX laden cinema, ST:TMP is standard to quaint fare), fans plunked down enough box office loot to make it a hit and justify the many installments to follow. In 2009, director JJ Abrams faced a similar challenge, and his reboot or re-imagination starring Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Eric Bana and Karl Urban soared to praise and profit.
The Human Adventure Is Just Beginning.
While being easy to dismiss as too visually oriented, too long or lacking emotional subtext, Wise helmed a movie dealing in both the physical and sexual needs of humanity and our more substantive emotional underpinnings. Lt. Ilia and her old flame Decker (Stephen Collins) exemplify just how complex a future could be where issues of interfaith or interracial couplings have been settled, but now a new variable challenges our notion of being human - one of interspecies joining. Ilia (Persis Khambatta) is a Deltan and her people employ sex as we would in celebration or greeting. Their sexuality is as much a part of their identity as their name or career. This romantic couple joined alongside by the struggle of Spock and Kirk to rectify and rekindle their own long, passionate friendship and professional relationship are more than enough of a humanity equation to savor and balance - if viewers only pay attention.
Ultimately, Wise made a film that he could be proud of, even though he didn't have enough time to finish the complex optical FX. Back then, the only computers capable enough to conjure up such visuals in the budget and production time scheduled were the fictional cyber circuits of the Starship Enterprise. In November 2001, Wise finally got the chance to see his finished film premiere in the Paramount Theatre of The Arts - complete with new digital FX which perfectly complimented the traditional film opticals of the 1970's era. It was subsequently released on a special edition DVD.
Although critics moaned over the long running time and overload of visual FX (in today's bloated FX laden cinema, ST:TMP is standard to quaint fare), fans plunked down enough box office loot to make it a hit and justify the many installments to follow. In 2009, director JJ Abrams faced a similar challenge, and his reboot or re-imagination starring Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Eric Bana and Karl Urban soared to praise and profit.
The Human Adventure Is Just Beginning.
While being easy to dismiss as too visually oriented, too long or lacking emotional subtext, Wise helmed a movie dealing in both the physical and sexual needs of humanity and our more substantive emotional underpinnings. Lt. Ilia and her old flame Decker (Stephen Collins) exemplify just how complex a future could be where issues of interfaith or interracial couplings have been settled, but now a new variable challenges our notion of being human - one of interspecies joining. Ilia (Persis Khambatta) is a Deltan and her people employ sex as we would in celebration or greeting. Their sexuality is as much a part of their identity as their name or career. This romantic couple joined alongside by the struggle of Spock and Kirk to rectify and rekindle their own long, passionate friendship and professional relationship are more than enough of a humanity equation to savor and balance - if viewers only pay attention.
Ultimately, Wise made a film that he could be proud of, even though he didn't have enough time to finish the complex optical FX. Back then, the only computers capable enough to conjure up such visuals in the budget and production time scheduled were the fictional cyber circuits of the Starship Enterprise. In November 2001, Wise finally got the chance to see his finished film premiere in the Paramount Theatre of The Arts - complete with new digital FX which perfectly complimented the traditional film opticals of the 1970's era. It was subsequently released on a special edition DVD.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)