AWESOME

Star Trek was awesome!!! I loved, loved, loved the new cast - they were the embodiment of the original characters! I'm not going to post much about the movie because I'm afraid I'll give away some spoilers, so I'll wait until later to do a review. But just let me say, it was freaking awesome!!

Zachary Quinto is Spock - he had the language, actions and logic of the original down to a T. But the one that surprised, and impressed, me was Karl Urban - his portrayal of Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy was dead on! I truly believed he was Bones! Simon Pegg also did a great job of Montgomery "Scotty" Scott - he was very funny. I also enjoyed Anton Yelchin as Pavel Chekov - how did he master that Russian accent? Chekov is apparently 17 in this movie, but I don't remember him as being younger than the rest of the crew in the original. And of course, there was Chris Pine as Capt. James T. Kirk - since I never liked William Shatner, I thought Pine brought a lot to the character and made him a believable rogue. I could just never picture Shatner as a womanizer.

I had a little trouble accepting John Cho as Hikaru Sulu, mainly because I kept seeing Kaumar, but he did a good job. I also had a little trouble with Zoe Saldana as Nyota Uhura, I think she was just trying too hard; Nichelle Nichols was sexy without trying. And although I love Ben Cross - he played Sarek, Spock's father - every time he opened his mouth to speak, I kept hearing Barnabas Collins from DARK SHADOWS: THE RIVAL.

My only complaint with the movie is probably petty, but it bothered me nonetheless: Why in the 21st century did J.J. Abrams feel it was necessary to put the women in those short, skimpy skirts from the original series?? I mean, I understood when they wore these skirts in the 1960s, because it was the sexual revolution and all, but geeze. Isn't it time we quit sexualizing women? Okay, I'll get off my soap box now.

Great movie - great next step in the franchise - can't wait to see it again!!

To Boldly Go ...

The mastermind behind LOST and FRINGE - J.J. Abrams - is going to boldly go ... where many have gone before him. The genius of Abrams is going to take the beloved STAR TREK franchise into a totally new and fresh direction, and I am literally shaking with anticipation at the thought.

Simply entitled STAR TREK - not STAR TREK 11, even though it is the 11th feature film - Abrams is finally going to shed light on how the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise became the legends we have come to love. For years, I've been hearing the rumors of a new STAR TREK, but after the feeble attempt with the last movie - STAR TREK NEMESIS - I had given up hope. Don't get me wrong, I am a NEXT GENERATION girl, but I didn't like the last movie, even though Jean-Luc Picard remains my favorite captain of the Enterprise.
That is until it was announced that Zachary Quinto had been cast to play a younger version of Mr. Spock. OMG, Sylar as Mr. Spock - he was the absolute perfect person to play this pivotal, iconic role. At one point a few years ago, the rumor mill was saying that Adrian Brody would be playing Spock. Now, don't get me wrong, I love Adrian Brody - THE JACKET was truly disturbing - but he is no Spock.

When it was announced that Chris Pine would be playing James T. Kirk, I asked my hubby, "Who is Chris Pine?" After Googling him, I realized the only movie of his I had seen was PRINCESS DIARIES II. Huh - a prince playing a rogue - sounds logical to me.

Eric Bana - of BLACK HAWK DOWN and HULK fame - will be playing Nero, the movie's time-travelling Romulan villain. The trailers I've seen for the movie depict Nero as a truly evil villain, but can he compare to Kahn? Time will tell.

Leonard Nimoy will reprise his role as Spock - Spock Prime - who has come from the future to provide help. The movie will explore his half-human, half-Vulcan origins and learn how his character developed over time.

Lieutenant Uhura - originally played by Nichelle Nichols - was my favorite character from the original series. She was such a good female role model for young girls growing up in the 1960s. The new Uhura will be played by Zoë Saldana - I have only seen her in PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: CURSE OF THE BLACK PEARL.

Rounding out the rest of the Enterprise crew are:

Karl Urban - from the 2nd and 3rd movies of THE LORD OF THE RINGS trilogy - as Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy

Simon Pegg - from SHAUN OF THE DEAD and RUN, FAT BOY, RUN - as Montgomery "Scotty" Scott

John Cho - from the AMERICAN PIE movies and the HAROLD & KUMAR movies as Hikaru Sulu

Anton Yelchin - from HOUSE OF D and CHARLIE BARTLETT - as Pavel Chekov
Rounding out the cast are: Bruce Greenwood portraying Christopher Pike - the original Enterprise captain from the first STAR TREK pilot; Ben Cross as Sarek - Spock's father; Winona Ryder as Amanda Grayson - Spock's mother; Chris Hemsworth and Jennifer Morrison as George and Winona Kirk - Kirk's parents.

So, if you come calling at my home on Saturday, won't be nobody home - we'll be out to the movies ...

A New Century of Star Trek

After postponing a fall release date, I have been anxiously awaiting the premiere of the new STAR TREK movie, due in theaters this Friday. My anticipation was speared on Saturday when the new edition of Entertainment Weekly (EW) arrived in the mail. There on the front cover was Zachary Quinto - also known as Sylar on the NBC hit series HEROES - as Spock. Be still my heart!! He could be the twin of Leoard Nimoy's younger version of Spock.

So this new movie is supposed to delve more deeply into the "back story" of the STAR TREK crew - and I think this is a wonderful direction to take the series. Although I'm not a true "Trekkie" because I really didn't enjoy the original STAR TREK series, I became a huge fan with the introduction of STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION. Can we say Jean-Luc Picard?? Make it so, Number One.

Hopefully, J.J. Abrams - currently of LOST and FRINGE fame - has given us the type of movie that will keep the STAR TREK franchise alive. I love his work on ALIAS, LOST, and FRINGE, so I have high hopes for STAR TREK.


THE NEW CAST OF STAR TREK:

Chris Pine - James T. Kirk
Zachary Quinto - Spock
Leonard Nimoy - Spock Prime
Eric Bana - Nero
Bruce Greenwood - Capt. Christopher Pike
Karl Urban - Dr. Leonard 'Bones' McCoy
Zoe Saldana - Nyota Uhura
Simon Pegg - Scotty
John Cho - Hikaru Sulu
Anton Yelchin - Pavel Chekov
Ben Cross - Sarek
Winona Ryder - Amanda Grayson

No Harry Potter in 2008

It was announced yesterday that Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince has been bumped from the fall lineup and won't hit theaters until July 17, 2009! Be still my heart! Of all the movies debuting this fall, Harry Potter was the one I was so looking forward to!

According to Warner Brothers:

“[L]ike every other studio, we are still feeling the repercussions of the writers’ strike, which impacted the readiness of scripts for other films—changing the competitive landscape for 2009 and offering new windows of opportunity that we wanted to take advantage of. We agreed the best strategy was to move Half-Blood Prince to July, where it perfectly fills the gap for a major tent pole release for mid-summer.”

This is now going to bump the release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - already divided into 2 separate movies - to late 2010 and 2011.

So what else is going to happen in the world of movies? Also debuting on July 17, 2009 is Will Farrell's Land of the Lost through Universal Pictures. Will Universal now jump ship and move Land of the Lost? Land of the Lost was my favorite television show when I was a young girl (the original, not the crappy remake that came out a few years ago).


Just last week, it was announced that Paramount's new Star Trek movie has been bumped from a December 2008 debut to May 2009. I've already been waiting YEARS for a new Star Trek movie - now we have to wait 10 more months.

What does everyone else think of this change in schedule? Or am I the only one upset because I'm having to wait longer for a beloved movie?

Postscript: Heather from Mindless Junque sent me this email:

It might be just a rumor, but I heard that the Twilight movie premiere is moving up to November 21st since Harry Potter is delayed. WOOO HOOO!!!

If so, that's a goooooooood thing!