"I'll just put it here with the rest of the fire."
Here's the list for this week.
My apologies, I'm a bit tied up at the moment to write more (I just know you're crushed!)...
Here's the list for this week.
My apologies, I'm a bit tied up at the moment to write more (I just know you're crushed!)...
And now it's hot/sticky out; seems like an odd Summer so far.
Watched the BD of Bolt (2008) the other night. It was actually pretty fun and entertaining. It isn't going to beat any Pixar films, but it's pretty good. I'm not sure I saw anything really new, but it was well done and had a lot of amusing things in it. The Rhino character was especially funny and frequently stole entire scenes. I also appreciate that this particular character wasn't a celebrity voice (at least it isn't one I'm familiar with). The Disney/Pixar combo seems to have been good for the Disney side of the house. We'll have to see if it effects Pixar long-term. The BD looked flawless, as expected.
Now on to this week's new stuff:
Bob Funk (2007)
The Code (2009) Also on BD.
Confessions of a Shopaholic (2009)
Dragon Hunters (2008) Also on BD.
Inkheart (2008) Also on BD.
Last Year at Marienbad (1961) Also on BD.
Mr. Troop Mom What, a sequel to Mr. Mom??? Also on BD.
My Dinner With Andre (1981) Criterion does the Louis Malle gabfest film.
The Pink Panther 2 (2009) Please...stop? Also on BD.
Waltz With Bashir (2008) Also on BD.
Wow, the blog edit interface is really different after the Movable Type upgrade. So far, it looks very slick. Cool.
We watched the BD of "Slumdog Millionaire over the weekend. Really good film, a lot better than some prior Best Picture winners. The BD looked and sounded great, as I expect modern releases to. There's noting like a large high resolution image of the slums of India in all its grime. Really makes me respect the filmmakers for not over-sanitizing the movie. Just a nit to pick: what exactly was American about this movie? The only sign of America-ness was the financing...doesn't really count, IMO for Oscar eligibility. They should either just open the whole thing up or stick to the rules (not that this film wasn't deserving).
So, on to the batch of new titles for this week:
Bergman Island (2006)
Burn Notice: Season 2 Also on BD.
The Cell 2 (2008) Also on BD.
The Diary of Anne Frank (1959) A new 50th anniversary version, also on BD.
Dr. Strangelove (1964) A new BD release from restored elements. It supposedly looks fantastic. I'm definitely going to pick this one up.
Forbidden Games (1957)
Friday the 13th (2009) Also on BD.
Last Holiday (1950)
Richard III (1955)
The Seventh Seal (1957) Criterion reissues the classic on DVD and BD.
The Three Stooges Collection: Vol. 6: 1949-1951
Tyler Perry's Madea Goes to Jail
What Goes Up (2009)
Ack, another Monday and a rainy one at that.
Over the weekend, I sampled another one of the BD Star Trek movies: Star Trek III. Like the BD of "The Motion Picture," the image was an overall improvement from the DVDs with the same overly-clean look. It's frustrating to see an image so good, yet could be better if they eased up on the grain reduction. Oh well, maybe next time. I listened to the new commentary track with Ron Moore and Michael Taylor. Both wrote/produced for some of the Trek series shows, but not for the original cast films. They had some really interesting insight and a lot of amusing observations. I've decided to wait until this Fall when they release the rest of the films on BD and get them then, along with the Original Series BD sets (which oddly enough get better marks for picture quality than the movies). I also managed to unload one of my pinball machines, the non-functional Bounty Hunter. I really need to get rid of more crap... (hell yeah, sez the chorus).
In the meantime, what have we got this week?
Fired Up (2009) Also on BD.
Gran Torino (2008) Also on BD.
The International (2009) Also on BD.
The Jack Lemmon Film Colletion A set of new-to-DVD Lemmon films. DVD Savant has a review of the set here.
Woodstock: 3 Days of Peace & Music (1970) The 40th anniversary brings another sales opportunity. I'm sure both the DVD and BD versions are better than what's been out before. If you want regular DVD, you have a choice of the 2 disc movie version or a big 'ol box set with a bunch of stuff you'll look at once and will take up a lot of space on the shelf. If you want HD, you have to buy the expensive box, just like the BD of Casablanca. I really get tired of this crap. Now, I don't care enough about this particular film to buy either version, but the idea that on top of expensive movie prices, BD buyers also get the shaft by having to pony up for the extras if they want HD. Nice move. I've said this before, but IMHO the movie companies should be doing everything they can to sell BD before the video download market really comes into its own and kills the disc. The hardcore fans will buy this, but plenty of more casual buyers will be turned off and opt out. Short-term greed, long-term stupidity. Nothing new, I realize...
Welcome to Season 2! Today we'll be tackling Amok Time (09-15-1967)
We did a podcast again, this time under 30 minutes! Listen to it here. I've added the podcasts into an iTunes-friendly RSS feed. And, if you listen to one of these 'casts and have a comment or question, we'll address it in our next round.
I'll let Eric start out the written review part:
“Amok Time” was definitely the right choice to open the second season of classic Star Trek. I hadn’t seen it in quite a while, so I was pleasantly surprised to be reminded just how good it is. As the quintessential Spock episode, it provides much important character development and fills in part of his back story, as well as adding greatly to our knowledge of Vulcan culture—we finally get to see the planet Vulcan and meet some of its full-blooded inhabitants. The story itself is interesting and imaginative, and thankfully free of any overt camp or cheesiness. The direction and acting (particularly Leonard Nimoy’s) are excellent. And the production is quite good, especially the design of the Vulcan set. To top it off, we get to hear the introduction of some of the most memorable music in the series.
With our modern sensibilities, we don’t think twice about the subject of this episode. Sexuality is common theme in today’s TV shows and is depicted both casually and explicitly, but in 1967, it was daring for Roddenberry to even attempt air an episode that dealt with such a taboo topic. I imagine the only way he got it past the network censors was that it dealt with alien (Vulcan) sexuality and was addressed in a circumspect (rather quaint) fashion. Still, this is another example of how original Trek was groundbreaking as a television show.
Another reason “Amok Time” stands out is Nimoy’s brilliant performance. His portrayal of Spock’s torment and embarrassment is completely convincing, as is his “blood fever.” And the final scene, when Spock shows open delight at discovering Kirk is alive, ranks among the best scenes in the entire series. Shatner and Kelley also turn in excellent performances. McCoy’s desperation to help Spock and Kirk’s willingness to sacrifice his captaincy to save his friend are touching. Spock’s request that they accompany him to the ceremony on Vulcan is similarly touching—he reveals that Kirk and McCoy are his closest friends. With Kirk, this is no surprise, but with McCoy, it is a little more surprising given their rivalry. What it comes down to is that the most important subplot of the episode is the affirmation of the deep friendship and affection between these characters.
Additionally, I would be remiss not to acknowledge the late Celia Lovsky’s outstanding performance. T’Pau is a great character. Kirk describes her as “…all of Vulcan rolled into one,” and Lovsky does a superb job portraying this. Arlene Martel also does an excellent job as T’Pring. The character is a stone cold bitch, but Martel plays her wonderfully.
So “Amok Time” scores high in many categories, but I appreciate it particularly because it does so much to develop Vulcan culture. This episode was written by the late Theodore Sturgeon (who also wrote the first season episode “Shore Leave”), and it is a testament to his fertile imagination and skill as a science fiction author. We get used to thinking of Spock as a human who’s a little different, but this story brings out just how alien he and the Vulcan race/culture are. The contrast of the brutal mating ceremony with the peaceful, stoic race we’ve come to know is startling and fascinating. And, when you think about it, logical. Spock established early on that Vulcans were once ruthless and warlike, in the extreme, and that they were saved by the adoption of logic as an overriding philosophy. But as a matter of biology, they still have to deal with the pon farr (the cyclical mating drive) that induces a kind of insanity. So it seems reasonable that as a traditional culture, Vulcans would maintain their ancient ritual for resolving pon farr, koon-ut-kal-if-fee (wedding or challenge). It is implied that the challenge option is very rarely used, but being the thorough, well-prepared people they are, Vulcans are ready for that possibility. And therein lies our story.
So there it is. “Amok Time” is an excellent episode and the perfect choice to begin the second, and arguably best, season of original Star Trek.
---
This time I had a plain old iced tea: maybe in retrospect, I should have picked something stronger!
At the risk of repeating Eric's comments, I want to start out by saying how good this episode is. Like him, I hadn't seen it in a good while and it didn't disappoint.
This is one of the big Spock showcase episodes and Nimoy really rises to the challenge. It would be easy for him to have dialed in a performance that said, "I'M A HORNY VULCAN!!!" Sure, there's a little bit of that going on there, but he really plays out the inner conflict of the character who's quite ashamed that he has to share this with Kirk and McCoy.
I have this impression of the episode from my childhood, that the Kirk/Spock duel lasts far longer than it actually does. The buildup to the confrontation is effective enough that the fight doesn't have to take the bulk of the screen time. And hey, Kirk's shirt gets cut open right off the bat. Those weapons are really nasty!
As Eric mentioned, the performance of the woman who played T'Pau just doesn't get stale. She comes off as pure Vulcan badass. Spock's bride is also a coldly logical operator. Her manipulation of Spock, Kirk, and the whole ritual makes her come off as a woman not to be messed with. Considering the whole arranged marriage business and the Vulcan ideas of women being "consorts" and "property" of the men, the actual female characters are very strong. I have to think that perhaps Vulcan needs to look into the concept of no-fault divorce. Very interesting.
This is another one of those classic episodes where they managed to work in a potentially thorny subject, sex, into 1960s network TV. By inserting it into the ritualistic Vulcan traditions, they mask the real ideas here to a degree. This was not too uncommon in old Hollywood, where some kinds of social taboos were presentable if portrayed as being part of a "primitive" culture. In this case, the Vulcans are ironically the "savages" while Kirk and the other humans come off as more civilized. This is reinforced by the sets, costumes, and the "ritualistic" drumming of the memorable score (reused many times later, of course). What they do, of course, is develop a relatively rich background for Spock's planet and give us a look at the Vulcan people. No other alien race in the Original Series gets nearly that much development.
Of course it's quite hard to top the ending scene where Spock shouts out, "JIM!" after seeing Kirk very much alive. Call it cheesy if you want: I happen to love it. We also are abruptly introduced to Pavel Chekov. After going through an entire season of Sulu+random navigator (with apologies to Lt. O'Reilley), it's good to have another character on board.
I watched the remastered version and actually liked the CG-redone Vulcan shots, They looked good and matched the existing set footage as well as what we've seen of Vulcan from the films. One of the few times that the enhancements did much for the show.
Next time: “Who Mourns for Adonais”
Holy crap, it's June already!
The only thing I've watched lately was 2010 (1984) I found this one on BD quite cheap, so I couldn't resist.
I really liked this one when I was in high school and still think it's pretty decent, though aspects of it haven't aged very well. Most of the effects actually look pretty good today with the models and planet images being particularly good. The political subplot and the ending don't really work for me anymore, but it's still interesting and well produced. I consider it more of an add-on or footnote to 2001. 2010 is so different, that I enjoy the two films on different levels.
The BD of this film looks great. I couldn't see any digital grain reduction (or if it's there, I couldn't see it). The image was sharp, for a 1980s film, and colorful. Easily the best I've seen it since the theatrical showing in 1983.
OK, on to this week's new stuff:
Baby on Board (2008) Also on BD.
Defiance (2008) Also on BD.
Direct Contact (2009) Who knew Dolph Lundgren was still making movies??? Also on BD.
The Graduate (1967) First time on BD for this one.
He's Just Not That Into You (2009) Also on BD.
Neil Young Archives, Vol. 1: 1963-1972 This is the long-awaited uber-set of Young's work; DVD or BD. Obviously for serious fans, but I'll bet the sound (hi res) is great.
Revolutionary Road (2008) Also on BD.
I have a bonus podcast up where we talk about the new Star Trek feature film.
I got Eric, Rob, and Lee in on the action.
As always, if you have any questions/comments, leave a note and maybe we'll respond on our next session.
I'm really falling down on the job this week, but I was out in SD with the "Knowles Family Band, " so there! :-)
This stuff's been out a few days already, but let's take a look at it anyway.
Click here for the lot.
Children of Men (2006) New on BD.
Falling Down: Deluxe Edition Also on BD.
Land of the Lost: Complete Series Complete with lunch box...
New in Town (2009) Also on BD.
Here's the bunch for this week. As usual, clicking here will get you the whole list (even the ones I didn't find worthy of mentioning) with prices.
3 Days of the Condor (1975) New to BD this week. DVD Savant has a review here.
24: Season 7 Also on BD. I keep wondering whether or not to give this show a try. It sounds potentially good, but the whole glorification of torture thing gives me pause...
A Bug's Life (1998) New to BD.
Driven to Kill (2009) Also on BD.
The Guild The web sitcom gets a DVD release through Amazon; seasons 1 and 2.
Man Hunt (1941)
Paul Blart: Mall Cop (2009) Also on BD.
Peyton Place: Season 1: Part 1 (TV Series, 1964, not about a Great Dane!)
Terminator 2: Judgment Day (Skynet Edition) Hard to believe (or maybe not), this is already the second time this movie has been released on BD.
Valkyrie (2008) Also on BD. It sounds like everyone in this film was pretty good, except its star...
Wow, I can't believe the Summer movie season is already underway. The new Star Trek film, which I liked quite a bit, made over $70 million over the weekend. It's been a long time since something with the name Star Trek was considered a blockbuster. I'll have some thoughts on the movie itself sometime soon and Eric, Rob, and I will be doing an epic podcast on the new movie. I'm sure you won't want to miss it....right? :-)
So, let's get into this week's new releases:
B.T.K. (2008)
The Dana Carvey Show: Season 1
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966) New on BD.
Passengers (2008) Also on BD.
Penn & Teller: Bullshit!: Season 6
Personal Effects (2009)
Plague Town (2008) Also on BD.
Star Trek: Original Motion Picture Collection The first six Trek films come to BD in this box set. Besides being the first time any of the films has appeared on HD disc, this set will be the first time that Star Trek VI has appeared on any video format in its original theatrical version. The first film is also being released in its theatrical version. Previously, the only way to see it in widescreen was on LD. The film was touched up with CG and re-edited in 2001. This version was only rendered in standard definition, so until Paramount funds more work on the "Directors Version," it'll be MIA on BD. It sounds like they did a lot of work on the second film, which is appropriate. If you don't want to own all six films, they also have a "trilogy" set containing "Khan" through "Voyage Home." I'll probably buy the whole thing since I want the first and sixth films. I can always hide the disc for V.
Taken (2008) Also on BD.
Two and a Half Men: Season 5 Uh, yeah...
Wise Blood (1979)
We reach the end of Season 1 with Operation -- Annihilate! (04/13/1967)
I was enjoying a cold Sam Adams (Bawston Laaaaager!) while we watched this one.
We did a podcast, a much shorter one than last time. Download the podcast here.
When I saw that this was the Season 1 finale, I thought it was a bit odd. Not so much. True, Trek was never produced with modern TV sensibilities like season openers and such and many current fans saw them out of order in syndication or on video. The episode does work all right though as it has a relatively positive outcome after the two previous ones which were pretty bleak.
We always jokingly referred to this one as "The Flying Pancake Episode." I should probably now call it "The Flying Bloody Omelet Episode." Go watch it and tell me if I'm off here!
We had a really good chat about this one on the podcast. The big thing that bothered Eric was the bogus science surrounding the way they kill the creatures. I'm sure he'll mention this, but it's pretty silly. However, to paraphrase my friend Andy, it may seem odd to go after this and not be bothered much by the other tech stuff like warp drive and transporters. I guess you have to pick and choose when to suspend your disbelief here. It does seem like they could have worked out this particular tech issue a bit better since they work conventional radiation/light into the plot. Writer laziness perhaps.
OK, so maybe the science is laughable and the creatures not nearly as creepy as when I saw it growing up, but it does have good Kirk/Spock/McCoy character goodness. The scenes after Spock is blinded are great. The bit where Spock tries to seize the bridge is classic: "Must take the ship!" This line has amusing, if relevant meaning as a phrase I use to get off my ass and do something. Maybe a clever T-shirt is in order...
Other stuff of note:
We meet Kirk's brother, who's dead by the time we see him, plus his wife/kid. I realize they did this to drive home the menace of the alien creatures, but it seems like a waste of a potential character to off him so casually. These last two episodes were pretty bad for our Dear Captain. Last time he's forced to let his true love get hit by a truck and now his brother is offed by some plastic bloody omelets. Sucky.
Nimoy does a credible job playing Spock being subjected to extreme pain; the inner struggle seems on the level. This is really a Spock showcase episode.
The plot of this one has obvious roots in earlier sci fi, which Eric will certainly go into. It also has a fun cold war Body Snatchers-esque paranoia, even if it's a bit undeveloped.
The locations they use for the planetside scenes remind me of 1960s college campus architecture: lots of tall skinny buildings with narrow windows. Fill all the open areas with concrete and you're there. But hey, what were they going to do?
They finally get Transporter Room security down in this one. You may recall that in the last two episodes, the pot-smoking red dudes manning the controls were easily overcome by Lazarus and McCoy. Well not this time! Now the dude is augmented by Scotty who remembers to pack heat, thus preventing Spock's escape. Sure, maybe he was there to get a hit from Mr. Leslie, but he was ready for action. I can just imaging Scotty pointing the phaser at Spock while saying, "This aggression will not stand, Laddie."
So all in all, a pretty good one with shaky science and some fun character interaction. The episode is very well paced, with appropriate suspense in the right parts. A solid, if unspectacular first season ender.
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And Sir Eric's take:
As I write this, I am about five hours from going to see the new Star Trek movie, which gives me a delicious sense of excitement and anticipation that I rarely feel these days. Everything I’ve heard and read makes it sound like J.J. Abrams has done the impossible—he has successfully reinvented and relaunched Star Trek. This is especially apropos, since the premiere of the “reboot” movie very nearly coincides with the fortieth anniversary of the end of the original Star Trek series. And with this review, we’ve also reached the end of the first season of classic Trek.
To be honest, Roddenberry should’ve ended the first season with “City on the Edge of Forever” instead of “Operation Annihilate.” We discuss this, along with many other issues, in our podcast, so I won’t rehash my entire rant here. In short, “Operation Annihilate” isn’t a bad episode, but the glaring errors in the science make it very hard for me to watch. What’s worse is that the errors are so basic that even a barely competent science advisor would have caught them immediately—ultraviolet radiation CANNOT pass through most solid materials, most notably glass, wood, steel, or concrete!
My other gripe is that this episode plagiarizes both Robert A. Heinlein’s 1951 novel “The Puppet Masters” and the 1956 film “Invasion of the Body Snatchers.” Admittedly, it is Star Trek’s take on the Cold War paranoia themes presented there, but Roddenberry shouldn’t have “borrowed” so heavily and blatantly.
I don’t, however, want to end my reviews of the first season episodes on a sour note, so I will add that there are some really nice character moments in this episode, particularly between Kirk, Spock, and McCoy. It demonstrates how far the series progressed in the first season—the cast and crew have have hit their stride, and it presages a great second season.
Next time: “Amok time”
This is just a supplemental post for my buddy Andy who did a nice job on Dave Stafford's new website. It's simple, has some good samples of his work, and looks classy. It also delivers the essential information easily, which is something I can't say for some business sites. You can check out Dave's website here.
From the photos, it appears that Dave did the very cool bandshell design at Rapid City's Memorial Park.
Dave has recently started a new business, based in Rapid City, SD. As you'd expect, he does the architecture thing, but also works in sustainable design. Anyone know what the heck adaptive reuse really means? I'll have to ask him sometime. Dave also does design/build, which I am a bit familiar with here at the U. Sir Stafford apparently does work in historic preservation. It'd be interesting to hear his opinion on some of the unrestored buildings here on campus, no doubt. Project management is also apparently something he does in his new gig. I wish Dave all the best of luck in his new venture. He had some very good advice when we installed the door on the side of our garage (the dog yard access portal) which was helpful. If I ever have any real questions, I'm sure he'd be the guy to ask. Who knows, maybe I'll win the lottery and be able to hire Dave Stafford's services for a sweet Black Hills Summer home. Yeah, right! Again, the website, davestaffordarchitecture.com , is pretty sweet.
For better or worse, I'm going to try and catch the new Star Trek film this weekend. Definitely looking forward to it, good or bad. AND, another TOS entry is coming soon, complete with shorter podcast!
But for now, we have some new releases to sort out.
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button Also on BD.
Gene Roddenberry's Earth: Final Conflict: Season 1
Incendiary Also on BD.
Last Chance Harvey (2008) Also on BD.
Roxanne (1987) I remember liking this one--nearly twenty years ago when I last saw it. I wonder how it holds up...this is the first BD release for this one.
Smother (2008)
Stacie's getting a Dell. Yes, soon the great and powerful Dell Dude will be bringing a shiny new PC to our house, much like a silicon Santa dropping a large lead box down our chimney.
Shocked? I wouldn't be surprised. I've been a Mac evangelist for a long time, often convincing family/friends to buy Macs. I still do. Keep in mind that I still own Macs and am even fortunate enough to use one at work. However, they don't really make a Mac that's a reasonable proposition for Stacie.
So what's her problem, anyway? iMacs and Macbooks are good enough for many folks, what's the deal? Stacie, as you probably know, is an avid World of Warcraft player. True, this game doesn't tax a PC like many 3d games do, but it certainly performs better with a modern system with a discreet graphics card. Her current iMac has such a configuration. Now, it overheats under the strain of running the game at full tilt plus en extra display. Clearly she needs to do something before the logic board melts. Today, if you want a graphics card on an iMac, you have to buy to more expensive ($1700 and up) 24" to even get that as an option. Her old one had this as an option on the more middle of the road 20" mac. So it's either a near-$2k iMac or a Mac Pro workstation/tower (what I use). Um, not really in the cards right now. The lower end iMacs and Mac Mini just don't cut it for most games. Clearly, Stacie would be an ideal customer for the mythical midrange Mac Tower. Probably something in between a Mac Pro and an iMac. Apple doesn't seem all that interested in offering such a thing, so that left us in PCville. Plus, I've grown accustomed to having a system that doesn't require the replacement of the display every time I want to upgrade the CPU.
We were able to get a Dell desktop with the newer/fast Intel Core i7 processor, 6 gb of RAM, and the same video card that's in the $2k iMac. All for about a grand. And it'll be faster, plus she can add a faster video card later if she wants something better. The obvious downside is that she'll be running Windows. This isn't as big a deal for her. On her home computer, she mainly plays WoW, surfs the web, and does Office stuff. Seems like Windows will do the job for her, though she'd still rather be on the Mac OS. I, on the other hand, play WoW, use the Web, and do audio/video editing, along with some photo stuff. The Mac software serves me very well there and I'm still quite happy with my giant Mac tower. Sure, it's more Mac than I need, but until Apple decides to cater to people like me, I'm either buying one of these or leaving the Mac fold.
The Dell hasn't arrived yet, but it'll be interesting to see how it goes. I'll report back and let y'all know how Stacie's liking it.
So off we go, another week of new media fun.
Bride Wars (2008) Also on BD.
Empire of Passion (1978)
The Hit (1984)
Hotel for Dogs (2008) Also on BD.
In the Realm of the Senses (1976) Also on BD.
JCVD (2008) Also on BD.
Little Dorrit (2008, BBC)
Star Trek: The Original Series" - Season 1 TOS comes to BD. You get both original versions and the CG-enhanced versions in HD.
One Day at a Time
Science Fare