Star Trek

Okay, so before I begin: I am well aware that this is not an obscure subject.  But I just got back from a 7:31pm screening of the new Star Trek movie and I feel the need to talk about it.

Now, Star Trek was supposed to come out last year, around Christmastime.  They pushed it back in order to advertise it for a wider audience and work on the effects.  I actually had the opportunity to talk to Chris Pine (the guy playing James Kirk), and talked about the movie for a bit.  He was telling me that it was a hybrid of old-school sensibility and fresh ideas, and a whole lot of fun.  I desperately wanted to believe him, and was looking forward to the movie for over a year (basically since I heard it was coming out).  Now, as Nero says in the trailers, "The wait is over!"

Before talking about the movie proper: I am a huge Trek fan.  I started with Next Generation at a very young age, and have been hooked on the series (across its many incarnations) ever since.  I've seen every Trek movie since 6 (Undiscovered Country) in theaters, and count my experiences watching Trek with my father among the best times I've had with him.

When Paramount announced they were rebooting Trek, I knew they had a significant job ahead of them.  A legacy stretching back over 40 years, legions of dedicated fans, and a rich and complex history that has many self-appointed guardians ready to pounce on any perceived slight on their precious lore.  This new movie, in order to be successful on all fronts (with the hardcore fans all the way through to mainstream audiences), had to do 2 major things: It had to be a Trek movie, recognizeable to longtime fans as part of the legacy, and it had to be a relatable film that would be exciting and make fans of people that had never seen Trek before (or even hated Trek).  This seems to be an impossible goal, however.  To move toward one goal automatically seems to necessitate moving away from the other.  To make matters worse, trying to appease everyone by making a movie that rode that line down the middle would end up appeasing no one and failing utterly.  In light of all this, I sat in the theater tonigh with great anticipation as I waited for the film to begin.

To say it as quickly and simply as possible, "It is everything it needs to be, and more."  Now my personal point of view is as a longtime fan, so I know it worked on that level.  But I went with my wife, who is less a fan than I and more able to judge it from a mainstream persective.  I will cover both sides individually:

Fanboy perspective: Without spoiling the movie, I must say that anything you were wanting to hear or see as a longtime fan is in there.  "Damn it Jim..."?  It's there.  "I'm giving it all she's got..."?  Yep.  "These are the voyages..."?  It gave me chills.  Not to mention one of my favorite moments (I'll give two words and say no more of it): Kobayashi Maru.  This is classic Trek through and through, giving everything Trek should give while still raising the stakes and taking away any feeling of "Narrative Immortality" (something that most prequels fall victim to: you know that nothing can happen to these characters, because we know of future events they will be part of).  This is a love letter to the entire Trek legacy, and if you are in any way a fan, you owe it to yourself and the legacy of Trek to see this movie.

Mainstream perspective: If this were a completely original movie, with no legacy behind it, it would still be an incredible sci-fi action film.  The legacy is treated as a backdrop, part of the plot of the film, but a deep understanding is not required to follow allong.  There is the obligatory setup for a sequel, and no part of the film feels like it is pandering to the hardcore audience at the expence of the mainstream, or vice versa.  If you've never been a Trek fan, or even don't like Trek, see this movie.  It will change your mind.

This movie is so full of wonder, action, fan-service, and the pure, central appeal that has made Trek such a huge piece of the pop culture landscape, it is hard to believe anyone could leave this movie without loving it.

Ultimately, this film leaves me with two thoughts: The legacy is in good hands, and I can't wait to see where it is taken next.

The Time Traveler's Wife

This little piece of obscurity will not be obscure for very much longer, thanks to the inevitablity of the Hollywood machine.  In mid-August the film verson of this book, a film that has been sitting on the shelf for far too long, will finally hit the big screen and allow all those wonderful people that fear the written word to experience this great piece of storytelling.  But let me tell you why you shouldn't wait for the movie and SHOULD pick up the book as soon as possible.

The core concept of the book is a "time-displaced love story", about a guy that has the strangest disease in history: he will spontaneously transport to a random time.  The only restriction is that he can only transport within his own lifetime (with a single possible exception that may or may not break the rules; decide for yourself).  This is an interesting enough premise on its own, but it becomes ever more intriguing when you introduce the concept of romance into it.  What happens when the Man Out of Time finds a wife?  How does their relationship begin?  How does it develop?  Can he have children?  Almost every question you could conceive about this idea, "The Life and Love of the Man Out of Time", are brought up and answered in this book.  And along the way, you find a rather beautiful love story entrenched in all of it.  Part sci-fi, but mostly contemporary romance with a very deep twist, this book will definetly make you reconsider the possibilities of time travel in fiction.

And now a tangential rant: Time Travel.  It is a huge part of science fiction, but it almost always leads to headaches in viewers if it's dealt with in anything more than a passing way.  An example: imagine Back to the Future.  Nothing could be simpler than this: boy gets into time machine, time machine goes back in time, time machine come back to present.  Everything was very neatly and cleanly laid out.  Sure, some people find all that paradox stuff in the middle to be a bit confusing, but it all makes sense in the end.  Now think of something like Deja Vu (not a bad movie, incidentally).  Its remote-viewing time-travel concepts were pretty out there, especially for a popular action/thriller.  Suddenly, it's too confusing and damages peoples' enjoyment of the film.  Then you get to the movies that can be conservatively described as absolutely insane with the time travel craziness.  In the interest of having more material to write about in the future, I will hold my tongue (or my fingers, as the case would be here) and allow you to find some of the crazier examples for yourself (for now).

Personally, I have always loved the idea of time travel, and spend almost irresponsible amouits of time as a child thining about it, theorizing on it, writing papers about it (I was a strange child).  I got to a point where I could tie my mind in such complex knots when thinking about time travel that there is no time travel story I have yet come across that I was not able to decipher in a reasonable amount of time.  I will, of course, speak of some examples in the future (no pun intended), but I am proud of myself for being able to do that.

There is much to talk about in reguards to time travel, but since this was originally supposed to be a post about a book that is findamentally a love story rather than a time travel story, I will wrap up my meandering very quickly here (I can hear the sighs of relief already).  I will admit, however, that this is a subject that I would not mind returning to again, perhaps be speaking of other stories/films/theories/whatever about time travel.  Please let me know if that is something you would want to hear about.  If you are loathing this subject (and if you are, I have to sincerely wonder why you have read this far...), feel free to let me know and I will curtail the time travel related posts in the future.

Either way, it is now far too late and I must away to bed.  Good evenings to you all, and enjoy your tomorrows.

Laying some ground rules...

For those that want to know my brain before venturing forth...

I am a self-described "geek of many stripes", a rabid fan of movies, comics, video games, books, and pop culture in general.  I am that rarest of sci-fi nerds: a hardcore fan of both Star Trek and Star Wars.  I am a Browncoat Whedonite and stil lament the passing of Arrested Development, and look forward with bated breath to the movie (it's coming in 2010, and no one will convince me otherwise).  I love Monty Python, quote Robot Chicken, and can argue the merits of both the British AND American versions of The Office.  I will watch any extended Lord of the Rings film at any time, and Pirates of the Carribean 3 actually made SOME sense to me.

My tastes are varied and deep, and my writing is meandering and fast.  I promise 2 things if you read my writing: I will always strive to surprise with my opinions or my subjects (occasionally both), and I will do my best to never be boring.

I hope you choose to join me.

Welcome to the Underbelly

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the first post of Gems from the Underbelly, my rambing blog on all things pop culture.

My plan is to post on on obscure (and non-obscure) pop culture topics: everything from TV to movies to comics are fair game, and I might be so bold as to post on random things that pop into my head.

If you like what I'm doing (once I start doing it), let me know.  And if, someday, you have a suggestion of something I could review or write about, never fear to suggest it to me.

Thank you for reading, and welcome to my strange brain and its firm location in the depths of the Underbelly of pop culture.